Lid On Free Thinking

I haven’t read Satanic Verses, but I may read it in near future thanks to the hype and controversy created around it. It is scary to read works of Salman Rushdie not because they are blasphemous, but because they are difficult for me to understand at first reading. I read Midnight’s Children twice to get some idea of the book.  Former chief justice of India, Markandeya Katju has called Rushdie a substandard author. That is his opinion. He gave this statement in the context of controversy sorrounding Jaipur Literary Festival regarding opposition to Rushdie’s purported partcicpation in the fest and the media frenzy over the issue which has blown it out of proportion as usual.

People forgot what the festival was about amidst the chaos generated by splinter groups protesting for and against Rushdie’s presence. My curiosity to read Satanic Verses is fuelled by the queation that why it has stirred hornet’s nest and how it has hurt sentiments of certain section of our society.

23 years ago the book was banned in India under a section of the customs act that prohibits its import and distribution in the country. Strangely, this law doesn’t ban the reading of the book. I can venture to read it if I can grab a copy (ebook).

Now coming to the question of free speech, authors have always been the victims of political decisions. Governments don’t understand that by banning the book they are making it inaccessible materially, and not proscribing the idea of the book which is indestructible. These measures will only make the book more popular and ignite curiosity of new generations like mine who had no clue of the controversy  sorrounding the book.

Ideas live and thrive. They can be blasphemous, derogatory and offensive to some section of the society – be it be art or literature, suppressing them will only create wider publicity and of course infringement on free speech. This idea of free speech is the victim of political expediency from time immemorial. People in power or with some influence get away when they make or create such abusive ideas – for example, politicians in South Asia or heads of religious groups frequently make hate speeches but they are still widely followed and are scot-free most of the times – laws are flexible for them, can be bent or broken to protect them – whereas an author or an artist is ostracized  and forced to live in exile.

Democracies and dictatorships alike resort to such measures of banning books or allowing certain sections (civil society, pressure groups) of the society to influence their policies for political and propagandist reasons.

If Satanic Verses is blasphemous then create awareness peacefully to not to read it. If an art is blasphemous then don’t see it (analogy can be drawn with Slut Walk!! ) leave it to the faculty of individual judgement, don’t deprive those interested  from an oportunity to cultivate the habit of free thinking and free will.

Governments do not hesitate to deregulate economy, but when it comes to free speech and information they will never hesitate to regulate these – for they are aware that information is such a powerful tool that can strengthen voices of downtrodden, and shake the foundations of power.

Two Stories, Same Plot

It is a story of remarkable coincidence, but a sad one.

In July 1985, a news story from Orissa caught the attention of whole nation. It was about a woman, Phanas Punji who sold her 14 year old sister-in-law  to a ‘blind old man’ for Rs.40. She told everyone that it was an extreme measure she took to save her own starving children.

Phanas Punji and Family (Image: Everybody loves a good drought, P. Sainath)

This happened in Kalahandi district – infamous for starvation, malnourishment and extreme poverty – along with few more surrounding  districts (KBK corridor – Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput).

Media extensively covered the story. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi visited the district and announced special packages.

Nine years later, P. Sainath visited Phanas, her ‘sold out’ sister-in-law, Banitha – and he was appalled to see their conditions remain same. Banitha now had three children from her ‘old blind man’, and she was working in Anganawadi earning Rs 25 a day – insufficient to feed three children, and unemployed blind husband. (P Sainath says that the man was not old, but was in twenties when he ‘bought’ Banitha for 40 rupees – media, in its frenzy had vilified him).

After that story broke up, government ( J B Patnaik was CM) announced slew of relief  measures for the region.

Even today, under KBK plan, 8 districts get Rs 130  crore every year from the central government along with many other funds from state government.

KBK plan is now brought under BRGF – Backward Regions Grant Fund.

This story attracted my attention because of a similar story published in The Hindu today.

A woman belonging to scheduled caste from Chitradurga district in Karnataka has put her daughters for sale – to raise money to bribe officials who have rejected her application for the post of anganawadi worker even though she is eligible.

She has scored 62.5% in matriculation, belongs to a priority category and is a widow.

Chitradurga is one of 5 districts in Karnataka declared as backward region and eligible to recieve funds under BRGF scheme. (other districts are: Davangere, Bidar, Raichur and Gulbarga).

My friend who was working as Panchayat Development Officer in the district used to narrate stories where the fund was systematically siphoned off from corrupt officials from bottom to top.

This is not 1985.

In 2012, in LPG India (Liberalized, ‘Politicized’ and Globalized), hysterical media has no appetite for such stories anymore. Media houses are owned by businessmen and politicians, and their agenda is profit maximization at the cost of ‘real’ stories.

Vanishri, the woman who has put her daughters on sale will not receive the audience of any of our politicians, not even DC of Chitradurga. (PM’s visit is beyond imagination)

What it tells us is that funds never reach people at the bottom. Rajiv Gandhi knew it better.

Vanishri and Her Daughters (The Hindu)

Vanishri needs that job to feed her daughters and secure them a future. She may not know the story of 1985, but her method of protest tells us that though separated by 30 years of time and thousand kilometers of  distance, her story has a same plot and a climax.

After reading this story today, I referred P. Sainath’s award winning book Everybody Loves A Good Drought – stories from India’s poorest districts, and found the story of Phanas who had to sell her sister-in-law then in 1985.

Fortunately for Sainath, India’s poorest districts are still abound with such stories.

UPSC Appoints Committee of Experts to Review The Existing Structure Of Civil Services Main Examination

On December 12th, 2011 UPSC appointed a committee of experts to review and suggest changes to the existing pattern of civil services main examination. This year it introduced changes in the preliminary examination.

The committee will be headed by Arun S. Nigavekar, ex-chairman of UGC, and a reputed educationist, whom A P J Abdul Kalam hailed as ‘father of quality education in India’ (wikipedia).

UPSC has given the committee 6 months of time to submit its report. The committee has 8 members among whom are former chairman of CBDT, former defence secretary, IIM Bangalore director and few other reputed personalities.

On December 1st, UPSC chairman, D P Agrawal had said in a speech (UPSC 3ed Foundation Lecture) –

“……Commission has constituted a high power Committee to suggest possible changes in the pattern of Civil Services (Main) Examination.  I would like to make it very clear that the endeavor of the Commission is to ensure that  all the candidates are judged on the basis of in-depth knowledge and understanding rather than information gathered at the last moment.”

Among its terms of reference are : to study various selection methods in practice globally; to identify the desired profile including skill sets required for a civil servant to  deliver good governance and adopt to changing domestic scenario in socio – economic and technological fields; to propose appropriate methods for selection; evaluation etc.

As a relief for candidates appearing for 2012, the report will be accepted either at the end of 2012 or in 2013. The report will be submitted in June 2012 to UPSC. Then it goes to government where it will be tabled before the cabinet for consideration.

It is now confirmed that 2012 will have the old format for main examination.

Change is desirable, but UPSC should be graceful to announce any changes one year before they notify them.

For reference  HERE is the link to the UPSC notification announcing the appointment of committee.

Iraq In a Quagmire

USA has formally declared that war is over in Iraq and it has withdrawn last remaining troops from this country. After 8 years of brutal battles that brought death to more than 100,000  Iraqi civilians, 4500 American soldiers, which displaced more than 1.75 million people and which cost USA $1 trillion (of taxpayers money) – the war is far from over.

During 2005-08 it was common to read everyday in newspapers about a bomb blast in Iraq – the country was pushed into sectarian violence between majority Shia and minority Sunni sects. The chaos also secured safe haven fo Al-Qaeda. After the famous ‘surge’ of troops in 2007 by USA, violence was gradually brought under control.

Under the new administration (Obama’s), USA declared that it would withdraw troops completely by January 2012. The process started two and half years ago itself. But before leaving the country USA made systematic efforts to train, arm and build professional Iraqi army; build institutions necessary for democratic setup. (These measures in no way absolve US of war crimes it has committed and even after troop withdrawal more than 16,000 staff will man its embassy in Iraq – most of them are contractors!! – and it is anybody’s guess who so many of them are needed there)

Shia are the majority community in Iraq and are everywhere in Iraq’s administrative setup. Earlier during Saddam Hussein’s reign, himself a Sunni, his community though was in minority, enjoyed unlimited power. With the advent of Americans equations were changed. Americans put Shia and Kurdish politicians in charge of political and military affairs.

Incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki is a Shia Muslim, so is the head of Iraqi army Babakir Zebari. President of Iraq, Jalal Talabani is a Kurdish politician, whose community comprises 3-5 % Iraq’s population.

This shift in fortunes has upset Sunni sectarians. Backed by Saudi Arabia they are pushing to establish an autonomous region within Iraq consisting of  Salah ad Din, Al Anbar, and Ninawa provinces.

Meanwhile Iran is playing its geopolitical card by actively helping present government to boost its role as the emerging power in the region (Iran is also a Shia majority nation). And it holds enormous clout in the affairs of the present government, which is resented by Saudi Arabia.

But biggest problem for Iraq will be sustaining democracy itself. It will have  to chose between western liberal secular model or twisted version – authoritative, theocratic namesake democracy being practiced in the neighbourhood.

With a vacuüm being created by the withdrawal of US, Iraq, sandwiched between two ambitious but antagonistic regional powers, will have to bear the consequences of the bloody game that will be played within its borders. Already signs of resurgence of sectarian violence are evident from the recent bombings in Iraq.

Between Iran and Saudi Arabia – ‘who emerges as the winner?’ question, there is a clear answer – that Iraq will be the loser.

For now, Iran has the upper hand. It doesn’t matter, Iraq will still be the loser.

Drone or Trojan Horse?

Last week Iran displayed to the world captured US drone, RQ-170 Sentinel – the drone responsible for spying in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran about secret hideouts of terrorists, movement of suspects and nuclear program in Iran. Iran has said that it would mass produce the drone once it deciphers technology behind the drone.

But it’s unimaginable to believe US would commit such a mistake and risk endangering its own security. USA has asked Iranians to return the downed drone. It is unlikely Iranians would respond in affirmative.

US doesn’t seem worried so much over the issue. Is it because all this was just a ‘drama’ ? I mean they downed their own drone in Iran so that they would have a pretext for a war – a  Trojan Horse in the deserts of Persia!

Conspiracy theory!!

But, WMD didn’t exist, Iraq was devastated. Laden was in Pakistan, Afghanistan is still pushed back into stone age.

Motions ans Resolutions In Parliament – Understanding Them In The Present Context

On 27th August, our Parliament passed a resolution accepting 3 conditions put forward by Anna Hazare. But parliament did not vote on the resolution, though government had promised team Anna that it would put the resolution for voice vote.

Team Anna had specifically asked government to put the resolution for voting to know which party  or how many members supported conditions put forward by Anna Hazare.

Parliament discusses matters of public importance by passing motions and resolutions inside the House and then it votes its opinion after debate and discussion.

A motion is a proposal brought before the House for eliciting decision or expressing the opinion of the house. Motions are moved by either ministers or private members. Discussion takes place only with the consent of the Speaker or the Chairman of the House (Rule 184 of Lok Sabha).

Anna Hazare had said that he would end his fast when government accepted his 3 conditions. Government under immense public and united opposition pressure decided to discus the matter in Parliament by passing a resolution.

On August 27, in an historic occasion, parliamentarians debated the issue of Jan Lokpal bill and three conditions of Anna Hazare. Those 3 conditions were:

• The lower bureaucracy should be brought within the ambit of the Lokpal
• Putting together a “citizen’s charter” for time-bound disposal of public grievances against government
• Bringing the anti-graft ombudsmen (Lokayukta) in the states under the Lokpal

At the end of the day, after 9 hours of informed debate, government passed a resolution. It informed Anna Hazare through PM’s letter that the resolution would be sent to Standing Committee for consideration, which is formulating  the Lokpal  bill to be put before the parliament for passing the bill.

The main points of resolution were like this:

1) That this House resolves through an appropriate law that an effective Lokpal and state Lokayukta be set up compatible to constitutional mechanism.

2) Employees of state and Center are brought under the purview through appropriate mechanism.

3) All government departments to have citizen’s charter with a timeline for the completion of any work.

Intriguing thing was that – why didn’t government put the resolution for voting?

Accoring to Subhash Kashyap, former secretary general of Loksabha all resolutions should be voted upon (Our Parliament, page 145); this factor differentiates them from motions which are otherwise similar to resolutions.

Resolutions come under ‘substantive motions’ (there are 3 kinds of motions – substantive, substitute and subsidiary motions). Substantive motion is a self contained independent proposal submitted for the approval of the House and drafted in such a way as to be capable of expressing a decision of the House.

Other examples of substantive motions are motion of no confidence, motions for election or removal of Speaker, Deputy Speaker etc.

The resolution passed by parliament come under ‘government resolutions’.

What is important is whether the standing committee accepts the resolution or not. As the resolution is not voted upon, it may not be binding on the government. This might be an excuse for the government if standing committee doesn’t incorporate recommendations of the resolution.

Then, once again Anna may have to fast. But let’s hope government doesn’t backtrack on its promise.

Australian Spring – ‘Climate Change’ Promises Government Change

These are taxing times for Julia Gillard, PM of Australia, who came to power with the support of Green Party. Her move to introduce carbon tax has been met with protests and call for polls in major cities of Australia.

Carbon tax is a fixed fee that domestic emitters must pay to the government on every tonne of CO2 they release into the atmosphere. This measure is resorted to discourage people and industries from using fossil fuels and decrease GHG emission. This will encourage people to switch on to cleaner forms of energy.

From July next year, 500 of Australia’s biggest polluters will have to start paying a tax of A$23  a tonne on their own carbon emissions (CO2).

On 16th August, thousands of people gathered in Canberra , the Capital of Australia to protest against the move to introduce carbon tax.

People held placards with wordings such as – ‘Go Julia Go’, ‘Ju-Liar’.

Irony is Gillard had promised her voters during polls that she would not introduce such a legislation if she would come to power. But, like in India, coalition compulsions have led her to go for such measures in spite of domestic opposition.

If Monsoon session is creating a storm in India, the spring session in Australian Parliament is threatening a hurricane. (When it is summer in Northern Hemisphere, it is winter Down Under)

Australia emits 1.5% of global emissions. This measure to curb emissions is unpopular as people are more concerned about employment and livelihood.

For more articles, click here.

CAG

Recently, Manish Tewari, spokesman of the ruling Congress party and an MP, questioned the role of CAG in Government’s policy matters. Participating in a debate inside Lok Sabha(Monsoon Session, August,2011), he asked,

“Does CAG have the remit to comment on an appointment process as also the policy choices which a government makes or may not make”?

“Even when it chooses to comment on the appointment process in the context of the Games it errs,” he added.

Regarding functioning of CAG he said it could be best termed as, “pips, leaks and squeaks”.

It’s because of CAG we now know that UPA is a den of scams and scamsters.  By questioning its authority and asking it to stick to ‘accounting’ and ‘auditing’ Manish Tewari has insulted the framers of our Constitution.

While referring debates of the Constituent Assembly, I came across these following lines by member of the Constituent Assembly which drafted our Constitution,  Dr.B. Pattabhi Sitaramayya:

“…..The Comptroller and the Auditor-General must be as supreme and independent as the Judges of the Supreme Court perhaps even more so. He is not merely an Accountant-General, but he represents a judicial authority with a judicial frame of mind, and his acts must be acts of justice between what he considers to be right and what is actually done by the executive. At times he is called upon to criticise the executive and to expose it even to contempt………………………………we shall have placed the Auditor-General and the Comptroller as the supreme arbiter of India’s finances, and then alone our Swaraj will be a proper Swaraj.” (for link)

UPA government weakened by torrent of scams, is taking refuge by condemning the very institutions that have become bulwark of  India’s democracy. Contempt for these institutions will  prove dearer in the long term for the Congress party.

Summary Of Economic Surveys – 2009-2010, 2010-2011

(For complete and previous year documents, click here), 2009-10 summary is at the end of 2010-11 summary.

Summary of Economic Survey 2010-11 

Robust growth and steady fiscal consolidation have been the hallmark of the Indian economy in the year 2010-11 so far. The growth rate has been 8.6 percent in 2010-11 and is expected to be around 9 percent in the next fiscal year. The growth has been broad based with a rebound in the Agriculture sector which is expected to grow around 5.4 per cent. Manufacturing and Services sector have registered impressive gains. Savings and investment are looking up while exports are rising. However food inflation, higher commodity prices and volatility in global commodity markets have been a cause of concern underscoring the need of fiscal consolidation and stronger reserves. These are some of the high points of the Economic Survey 2010-11, presented by the Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee in Lok Sabha.

Recognizing the fact that inflation continues to be high even though it has come down markedly from where it was at the start of the fiscal year, the Survey underlined the need to monitor emerging trends in inflation on a sequential monthly basis. In order to check food inflation, it has suggested, the Government should improve the delivery mechanisms by strengthening the institutions and addressing corruption. The survey has pointed out that the inflation is expected to be 1.5 percent higher than what would be if the country was not on the growth curve.

The Survey has observed that a rise in savings and investments and pick up in private consumption has resulted in 9.7 per cent growth of GDP at market prices (constant) in 2010-11.Savings rate has gone up to 33.7 percent while the investment rate is up to 36.5 percent of GDP in 2009-10.

The Survey points out that the agriculture sector growth in the first four years of the 11th Plan (2007-12) is estimated at 2.87 per cent. The foodgrain production went up to 232.1 billion tonnes from 218.1 billion tonnes in 2009-10. With a relatively good monsoon the agriculture-sector is expected to grow at 5.4 per cent during 2010-11. The rising food inflation and the critical role of agriculture underline the need for a larger investment in agriculture enroute to the second green revolution.

The Survey reports that the industrial output growth rate was 8.6 per cent while the manufacturing sector registered a growth rate of 9.1 per cent in 2010-11. During April-November 2010 telecom, crude oil production, civil aviation sectors performed well while the power generation, cement and fertilizer production, railway freight traffic and cargo handling at major ports have grown at comparatively lower rates. Six core industries registered a growth of 5.3 per cent (provisional) in April-December, 2010 as against 4.7 per cent during the same period in 2009-10.

Economic Survey 2010-11 has highlighted the increasing role of infrastructure services which have been deepening rapidly with rising investments. However unmet gaps still remains large and accelerated investments will be needed in the next Plan period for addressing delays, cost overruns and regulatory and pricing impediments. The telecommunications sector has done exceedingly well as the tele density has increased from 20.74 per cent in 2004 to 143.95 per cent in 2010 in urban areas. While in the rural areas it has gone up from 1.57 per cent in 2004 to 30.18 per cent in 2010.

Lauding the role of services sector as the potential growth engine, the Survey has called for the policies to promote further opportunities in new areas in global demand such as accounting, legal, tourism, education, financial and other services beyond the IT and business process sectors.

The Survey points out that the exports in April-December 2010 went up by 29.5 per cent while the imports during the same period registered a growth rate of 19 per cent. The trade gap narrowed down to US $ 82.01 bn in the same period. Balance of payment situation has improved due to surge in capital flows and rise in foreign exchange reserves which have been accompanied by rupee appreciation. During current fiscal foreign exchange reserves increased by US $ 18.2bn from US $ 279.4 bn in end April 2010 to US $ 297.3 bn in end December 2010.

The inclusive growth agenda of the Government is reflected in the 59 per cent rise in Net Bank Credit . The expenditure on Social sector programs has been stepped up by 5 percent point of GDP over the past five years.

The Survey points out that Gross Fiscal Deficit is 4.8% of GDP in 2010-11 as against 6.3 percent of GDP in the previous year. The Revenue deficit in the current financial year has been 3.5 percent of GDP as against 5.1 percent in the previous year.

The Economic Survey 2010-11 has expressed satisfaction at the progress of fiscal consolidation and the role of monetary policy on tackling inflation, ensuring availability of funds and expansion of credit growth. It has called for efficient taxation of goods and services by a new GST, raising revenues, installing stronger safeguards and measures to accelerate financial inclusion.

The Economic Survey 2010-11 has lauded the Government’s efforts in addressing social and financial inclusion. The specific schemes for Scheduled Castes, Tribes, OBCs and the regions such as North-East, expansion of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan , National Rural Health Mission, in terms of coverage as well as the spending and monitoring have found specific mention in the report. The survey has advised that a better convergence of the schemes to address the issues of unemployment and poverty alleviation could avoid duplication and leakages.

A call for reforms in the university and higher education and correcting the demand supply mismatch in the job market has been made in the report. It says the gap in resources for higher education may be met on the basis of public private partnership without diluting the regulatory oversight of the Government.

The Survey has also made specific mention of Government’s active engagement on issues related to climate change with expanded financing of programs and better policies.

The Economic Survey has suggested that in the long run the potential engines of growth for the country could be from skill development and innovative activity and therefore, efforts should be made to promote them.

Regarding the outlook for the Indian economy, the Survey says that despite the risks of global events, such as volatility in commodity prices like crude oil exacerbated by political turmoil in the Middle-East, the Indian economy seems poised to scale greater heights in terms of macro economic indicators. It sums up by stating that the real GDP growth is expected to reach the 9 per cent mark in 2011-12 and the next two decades may well see the economy growing faster than it has done any time in the past.  (PIB)

Summary of Economic Survey 2009-10

Economic Survey 2009-10

The Economic Survey presented to Parliament says that the economy has bounced back from the global economic slowdown and is on its way to the growth path of  9 per cent.  The CSO estimate of 7.2 per cent GDP growth for 2009-10 reflects the fast paced recovery given the Index of Industrial Production  (IIP) posting a record 16.8 per cent year-on-year growth during the month of December 2009.  The Survey says that the economy has responded well to the policy measures undertaken in the wake of global financial crisis.  It says, the adverse impact due to the delayed and sub-normal monsoon has been contained to a large extent and a better than average rabi agricultural season is expected.  The Survey says that the recovery is well founded with pick up in merchandise exports, capital flows and non-bank food credit.

The turnaround came in the second quarter of 2009-10 when the economy grew by 7.9 per cent, year-on-year basis.  The CSO estimates forecast 7.2 per cent growth in GDP with industrial output growing at 8.2 per cent and service sector at 8.7 per cent.  The recovery is particularly impressive despite a decline of 0.2 per cent in agriculture output primarily due to sub-normal monsoon.  The Survey says, the broad based nature of the recovery creates scope for a gradual roll back, in due course, of some of the measures undertaken over the last 15 to 18 months to put the economy back on the growth path of 9 per cent.

The Survey expresses concern over the emergence of high double-digit food inflation especially in the second half.  Food price inflation stood at 17.9 percent for the week ended January 30, 2010 while the inflation in fuel, power, light and lubricant at 10.4 per cent.  It says that the significant part of this inflation can be explained by supply side bottlenecks in some essential commodities.  Since December 2009, there have been signs of these high food prices, together with hardening of non-administered fuel prices, getting transmitted to other non-food items.  This has created some concerns for higher than anticipated generalized inflation over the next few months.

The recovery in GDP growth as indicated in the CSO advance estimates is broad- based with 7 out of 8 sectors/sub-sectors showing a growth rate of 6.5 per cent or higher.  The per capita growth in income has recovered to 5.3 per cent in 2009-10 from 3.7 per cent in the previous year.  The per capita consumption growth as reflected in the private final consumption expenditure shows a declining trend since 2007-08.

The Survey says that the country received 23 per cent less rainfall during the south-west monsoon 2009 but some of the shortfall was made up during the post monsoon season when the country received 8 per cent excess rainfall. Kharif 2009-10 season showed a decline of nearly 6.5 per cent in acreage with the entire decline confined to rice crop.  While the decline in Kharif acreage under pulses was 5.63 per cent, some of this decline has been made up in the rabi season.  As per the available estimates, wheat, pulses and groundnut have seen an increase in acreage as compared to last year.

The growth of broad money (M3) has moderated from around 21 per cent in the beginning of fiscal year to 16.5 per cent by mid January 2010 and it has remained below the indicated growth projection.  While in the first half of the year, credit to the Government remained the key driver of money growth, it has moderated since the third quarter of 2009-10.  The Survey says that since the outbreak of the global financial crisis in 2008, the RBI has followed an accommodative monetary policy supporting early recovery of the growth momentum.  This has also facilitated the unprecedented borrowing requirement of the Government to fund its fiscal deficit. Nearly two third of the borrowing of the Government was completed in the first half of the fiscal year which not only helped in checking pressure on interest rate but also created space for the revival of private investment demand in the second half of the year.  The fiscal expansion undertaken by the central government as a part of the policy response to counter the impact of global slowdown has resulted in increased fiscal deficit from 2.6 per cent in 2007-08 to 6.5 per cent in the Budget Estimates for 2009-10.

The Survey says that the recommendations of the Thirteen Finance Commission have to be taken on board in shaping the fiscal policy for 2010-11 and in the medium term.  The Finance Commission has recommended a calibrated exit strategy from the expansionary fiscal stance of 2008-09 and 2009-10.  It has also suggested that the revenue deficit of the centre needs to be progressively reduced and eliminated followed by emergence of revenue surplus by 2014-15.

The Survey notes with satisfaction that several factors that have emerged from the performance of the economy in the last 12 months augur well for the Indian economy.  The gross domestic savings as a percentage of GDP stands at 32.5 per cent in 2008-09 while the gross domestic capital formation stands at 34.9 per cent.  These figures compare favourably with some of the fastest growing economies.  It also underlines the significance of the presence of Indian corporations in the global market place. The Survey is hopeful that the economy will go back to 9 per cent growth rate in the medium term.  This follows the revival in investment and private consumption demand impressive growth in exports in November and December and remarkable turn around in Core infrastructure sector.  It says, after a set back agriculture is gradually getting back to the projected path and with a reasonable one per cent additional growth in GDP coupled with recovery of global economy, the Indian GDP can be expected to grow around 8.5 per cent +/-0.25 per cent.  With full recovery the economy can breach the 9 per cent mark in 2011-12.  Given the steadily improving fundamentals of the economy, the Survey says, if there are improvements in infrastructure, both urban and rural, and reform in governance and administration, it is possible for India to move into double-digit growth and even become the fastest growing economy in the world within next four years. (PIB)

PM Manmohan Singh’s Independence Day Speech (15 August, 2011)

August 15, 2011

New Delhi

My dear countrymen,

I heartily greet 120 crore Indians on the 64th anniversary of our independence.

I have been addressing you from the historic Red Fort for the last seven years. In these seven years, our country has achieved much. During this period, we have travelled rapidly on the path of development and have seen success in many areas. However, I am also well aware that a lot remains to be done. We have to banish poverty and illiteracy from our country. We have to provide the common man with access to improved health services. We have to provide employment opportunities to each one of our youth.

The road ahead is long and arduous. Particularly, the prevailing situation both inside and outside the country is such that if we do not act with understanding and restraint, our security and prosperity can get adversely affected. The world economy is slowing down. The developed countries especially America and countries of Western Europe are facing economic problems. There is unrest in many Arab countries of the Middle East. There are some people who want to create disturbances in the country so that our progress gets stalled. All this can have a negative impact on us. But we will not let this happen. I know that if we work together, we can face any challenge. However, it is necessary that we rise above personal or political interests and build consensus on issues of vital national importance.

Brothers and sisters,

We are building the edifice of modern India on the foundation of the hard work and sacrifices of our soldiers, our farmers and our workers. We will not let their hard work and sacrifices go waste. We will convert the dreams of our freedom fighters into reality.

Brothers and sisters,

In the last seven years, our government has strived for political stability and social and economic progress. We have established an environment of communal harmony in the country.

In these seven years, the pace of our economic development has been rapid. We have achieved this success despite the global economic slow-down of 2008 and rising prices of energy and commodities in world markets.

We have strived for reducing inequalities in the country. In the last seven years, we have taken special care of the needs of our brothers and sisters from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, minorities, women and children.

We have enacted laws which would guarantee our people their basic entitlements. After the rights to education, employment and information, we will soon enact a legislation for providing food security to the people.

In the last seven years, our relations with various countries of the world have strengthened and deepened. It is only the result of our hard work that today we have much more self respect and self-confidence in ourselves.

Brothers and sisters,

These successes are not ordinary. Today the world recognizes our potential to be one of the major economic powers globally. But the problem of corruption is a big obstacle in such a transformation.

In the last few months many instances of corruption have come to light. In some cases, functionaries of the Central government face allegations of corruption. In other cases, it is the functionaries of various State governments.

We are taking the strictest possible action in cases of corruption that have surfaced. These cases are sub-judice and hence I will say nothing more on this subject.

It is essential that when we consider these issues, we do not create an atmosphere in which the country’s progress comes into question. Any debate on these matters should reflect the confidence that we can overcome these challenges.

Corruption manifests itself in many forms. In some instances, funds meant for schemes for the welfare of the common man end up in the pocket of government officials. In some other instances government discretion is used to favour a selected few. There are also cases where government contracts are wrongfully awarded to the wrong people. We cannot let such activities continue unchecked.

I believe that there is no single big step which we can take to eradicate corruption. In fact, we will have to act simultaneously on many fronts.

We will have to improve our justice delivery system. Everyone should know that quick action will be taken against the corrupt and punishment meted out to them. If our system delivers justice in an effective manner, government officials would think twice before committing a wrong act out of greed or under political pressure.

We want a strong Lokpal to prevent corruption in high places. We have recently introduced a Bill in Parliament to achieve this. Now only Parliament can decide what type of Lokpal legislation should be enacted. I am aware of the differences of opinion on some aspects of the Bill. Those who don’t agree with this Bill can put forward their views to Parliament, political parties and even the press. However, I also believe that they should not resort to hunger strikes and fasts unto death.

It is not appropriate to bring the judiciary under the ambit of Lokpal. We believe that any such provision would go against the independence of the judiciary. However, we do need a framework in which the judiciary becomes more accountable. It is with this aim that we have introduced the Judicial Accountability Bill in Parliament. I am confident that this Bill will be passed soon.

An alert press and an aware citizenry can be very helpful in the fight against corruption. The Indian press is known for its independence and activism throughout the world. The Right to Information legislation that we have enacted has enabled our press and people to keep a strict watch on the work of the government.

Today many government decisions, which in the absence of this Act would escape public scrutiny, are coming to light. I believe that this is a big step forward in eradicating corruption.

Brothers and Sisters,

Many times, government discretion is misused in allocation of scarce resources and in the grant of clearances. We have examined this issue. We will put an end to such discretionary powers wherever possible.

Any government awards contracts worth thousands of crores every year. There are frequent complaints of corruption in these decisions. We had constituted a committee to suggest measures to reduce corruption in government purchases. The committee has recommended that, like many other countries, we should also have a public procurement legislation which lays down the principles and practice with regard to government purchases. We will introduce a Bill in Parliament by the end of this year to enact such a law.

In recent years, we have established independent regulatory authorities in many areas. These authorities discharge many responsibilities which were earlier in the domain of the government itself. We have no legislation which would enable monitoring of the work of these regulatory authorities and make them more accountable, without, however, compromising their independence. We are also considering enactment of such a law.

Brothers and sisters,

I have said so much on corruption because I know that this problem is a matter of deep concern for all of us. However, this is a difficulty for which no government has a magic wand. We are taking simultaneous action on many fronts in our fight against corruption. We want all political parties to stand shoulder to shoulder with us in this fight. To eradicate corruption, we have introduced, and will introduce, many Bills in Parliament. I hope that all political parties will cooperate in the process of converting these Bills into statutes. On the issue of corruption, I would like to say in the end that we can win the fight against corruption only when each and every citizen of India cooperates in it.

Brothers and sisters,

I congratulate the country’s farmers for their achievements this year. The production of foodgrains has been at a record level. Wheat, maize, pulses and oilseeds have all seen record levels of production. It is because of the hard work of our farmers that today there are proposals for export of foodgrains, sugar and cotton.

We need a second Green Revolution in agriculture. We can tackle the problem of rising food prices only by increasing agricultural production and productivity. We also need to increase agricultural production to implement a food security law. We will accelerate our efforts in this direction in the 12th Plan.

Today, I wish to assure our farmer brothers and sisters, particularly those who are small and marginal, that we will continue to take care of their special needs. It will be our endeavour to ensure that our farmers have easy access to fertilizers, seeds and credit. We also want to provide the best possible irrigation facilities to the farmers so that their dependence on rains is reduced.

Brothers and sisters,

Our country is passing through a phase of sustained high inflation. Controlling rising prices is a primary responsibility of any government. Our government fully understands this responsibility. We have continuously taken steps to rein in prices. Some time we have been confronted with a situation in which the reasons for rising prices lay outside the country. The prices of petroleum products, foodgrains and edible oil have risen steeply in international markets in recent times. Since we import these products in large quantities, any rise in their prices adds to inflationary pressure in our country. Sometimes we have been successful too in controlling inflation. But this success has not proved lasting. A few days back, the people’s concern at rising prices was also reflected in a discussion in Parliament. I wish to assure you today that we are continuously monitoring the situation to find out what new steps can be taken to arrest rising prices. Finding a solution to this problem will be our top-most priority in the coming months.

Brothers and sisters,

I am fully aware of the tensions caused in some parts of the country because of acquisition of land for industry, infrastructure and urbanization. Our farmers have been especially affected by such acquisition. Land acquisition is no doubt necessary for projects of public interest. But it should take place in a transparent and fair manner. The interests of those whose livelihoods are dependent on the land being acquired should be fully protected. We will ensure that no injustice is done to anyone in the process of land acquisition. Our government wants to replace the 117 year old land acquisition law by a new Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation law which is forward looking and balanced. We have already prepared a draft legislation and have initiated steps to build consensus on it. We will soon introduce a Bill in Parliament to this end.

Brothers and sisters,

We are satisfied with our achievements in the last seven years in the areas of education and health. Whether it is elementary education, secondary education or higher education we have taken concrete steps for improvements at all levels. This has shown good results. In the last few years, fundamental changes have taken place in the area of education. Today every citizen has a right to elementary education. We are now considering universalization of secondary education. Vocational education and skill development have acquired a new importance. In view of these major changes, it is necessary that we consider all aspects of education in a comprehensive manner. Therefore we have decided to appoint an education commission to make recommendations for improvements at all levels of education.

I have often referred to the 11th Five Year Plan as an education plan. We will lay the same emphasis on health in the 12th plan as we laid on education in the 11th plan. I will propose to the National Development Council that the 12th plan should be specially focused on health. I also promise that funds will not be a constraint in the important areas of education and health.

For a long time our country had no facility for health insurance for workers in the unorganized sector. In 2008, we began the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana for workers in the unorganized sector who are below the poverty line. In the last year we have covered those getting employment under Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Act and also domestic workers, street vendors and beedi workers under this scheme. Today the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana covers about 2 crore 50 lakh workers. Our government will endeavour to cover as many unorganized sector workers as possible under this scheme.

Brothers and sisters,

We are continuously strengthening the physical infrastructure in our country. This is an area which requires very large investments. It is for this reason that in the last seven years we have pursued policies which encourage investment in infrastructure. As a percentage of GDP, investment in this area has grown more than one and a half times in the last seven years. There have been improvements in our capacities in the petroleum sector and power generation, and in our airports, roads, especially rural road, and ports. As an illustration, the capacity in power generation that we are going to add in the 11th plan will be twice that of the 10th plan. In the 12th Plan, we will further accelerate investment in infrastructure. We will pay special attention to the remote areas of our country and to rural areas. Connecting such areas by rail and road will get the top most priority.

Brothers and sisters,

We have taken a major step this year for our poor brothers and sisters living in cities. Recently we have approved the Rajiv Awas Yojana. We want to make India slum free through this scheme. We want the slum dwellers to get ownership of clean houses and have access to basic amenities like water and electricity. We will implement the Rajiv Awas Yojana as a national mission together with the States.

Brothers and sisters,

Malnutrition in our women and children is a matter of concern for all of us. We have taken a number of steps to tackle this problem, including two new schemes. We have also decided that we will start implementing an improved Integrated Child Development Services scheme within the next six months so that the problem of malnutrition in children can be effectively addressed.

The figures of census 2011 show improvements in most areas. But it is a matter of deep regret for us that the sex ratio has shown a decline from the level of the last census. For an improvement in this state of affairs, it is not only necessary to implement the existing laws effectively but it is also essential to change the approach with which our society views girls and women. I would especially appeal to the State governments and social service organizations to take steps for empowerment of women and for improving their status in society.

Brothers and sisters,

Last month’s terrorists attacks in Mumbai warn us that there cannot be any slip up in our vigilance as far as the fight against terrorism is concerned. This is a long battle to be fought jointly by the Central Government, the State Governments and the common man. We have been steadily strengthening our intelligence and security agencies and will continue to do so in the future also.

We are also taking all possible steps to overcome the challenge of naxalism. We want to eradicate the very reasons which give rise to this problem. Therefore we have started a new scheme for the accelerated development of 60 backward and tribal dominated districts. An amount of Rs. 3300 crore will be spent on this scheme in a period of two years.

Brothers and sisters,

Preserving our environment even as we develop rapidly is a huge challenge for us. Climate change poses a threat to both our development processes and our natural resources. We have established eight missions on climate change and are working hard to implement these missions. We have set up the National Ganga River Basin Authority for the protection and cleaning of river Ganga. We have also established the National Green Tribunal for quick disposal of cases involving environmental issues. In the coming months, we will constitute an environmental assessment and monitoring authority to streamline the process of environmental clearances.

Brothers and sisters,

Our society and country are changing rapidly because of our fast economic growth. Today our people look towards the future with new hope. They have higher aspirations. Our young men and women strive for path breaking achievements. We should all build an environment in the country in which the energy and enthusiasm of the people are channelised into activities of nation building. Our institutions should encourage constructive utilization of the potential of our people. Our entrepreneurs and businessmen should not feel constrained in their activities. Our industrialists should have the opportunity to set up new industries so that our youth can get additional avenues for productive employment. We should all stay away from politics that create suspicion or apprehension amongst those connected with industry, business and investment.

Brothers and sisters,

It is not an ordinary achievement for our democracy with a population of 120 crore and so many religions, languages and cultures to march rapidly ahead on the path of development. I congratulate the people of India on this achievement. But we must ensure that inequalities do not increase even as we develop rapidly.

We have embarked on a journey to transform our huge and diverse country through rapid development. A development which benefits every citizen of the country. It is natural that tensions would sometimes arise in this process of change. In a democracy, such tensions also become issues of political polarization. We should endeavour that even as political parties oppose and engage in debate against each other, the pace of our progress does not get affected.

We should also have faith that our democracy, our institutions and our social ideals and values have the capacity to deal with any difficulty. We should all have faith in ourselves. The faith that we can build a promising future for ourselves. The faith, that united we can do the most difficult of tasks. Let us all resolve to build a bright future for our country.

Dear Children, join me in saying

Jai Hind

Jai Hind

Jai Hind.

 

(For all PM Manmohan Singh speeches, click here)