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Sept 13
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
137 views20 pages

All English Editorial

Sept 13
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

THE HINDU

10 Friday, September 13, 2024

Editorial Delhi

Putting the brakes on ‘bulldozer justice’


T
he Supreme Court of India has invited constitutes a gross violation of fundamental notice. An independent committee, appointed by
suggestions from the parties rights. In the course of devising guidelines for the State government, including judicial and civil
Good, but not enough concerned to frame appropriate
pan-India guidelines on extra-legal
such extra-legal demolitions, the Supreme Court
must impose a complete moratorium on the
society representatives, should review the
proposed demolition (particularly when a large
Free health coverage to all over 70 years demolitions. The order comes in the wake of punitive demolition of establishments. In other number of houses in a neighbourhood are
multiple instances of demolitions where the legitimate instances of demolition, the guidelines proposed to be demolished) and provide
is good, but more needs to be done houses and building establishments of persons Pragya Singh should prescribe a strict tripartite procedure to technical assistance to the affected parties about

I
n a welcome move, the Union government’s accused of certain crimes have been razed a Senior Resident ensure that those at the receiving end are not their rights and options. Affected persons must
decision to extend the coverage of Ayush- without following due process. These demolitions Fellow at the Vidhi rendered helpless without any recourse. be engaged in discussions about alternative
man Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yoja- have become commonplace over the last few Centre for housing options and compensation. During this
na (AB PM-JAY) to senior citizens over 70 years, ir- years, targeting vulnerable groups and often Legal Policy Due process in legitimate demolitions phase, the needs of vulnerable groups such as
respective of their income, provides a modicum leaving them without any legal recourse. The issue of displacement of persons for varied children, the elderly, and disabled persons
of free health coverage to nearly 60 million peo- This selective, yet arbitrary, state action has reasons has for long been a cause of concern. should be addressed. A minimum period of a
ple. With out-of-pocket expenditure for health rendered the right to housing meaningless since While the United Nations Basic Principles and month should be provided between the
care in India among the highest in the world, the evictions are brazenly carried out by local Guidelines on Development-based Evictions and intimation of notice to demolish and its
decision is indeed laudable. While the decision to authorities, often at odd hours, without any Displacement, 2019, prescribe directives to execution, allowing affected individuals time to
provide free health coverage up to ₹0.5 million alternative facility or engagement for address this issue from a humanitarian retrieve their belongings.
per year for a section of the population is noble, rehabilitation. The inequality, social conflict and perspective, multiple court cases in the higher In the second phase, i.e., during the
it will in no way fulfil the public health objectives segregation that follow such action run the risk of Lakshita Handa judiciary have dealt with demolition issues in a demolition, the use of physical force should be
that are much needed for the targeted beneficiar- intensifying the marginalisation of certain piecemeal manner over the years. Albeit helpful, minimised in the eviction process and the use of
communities and go against the spirit of the a Senior Resident these scattered efforts to address the issue have heavy machinery such as bulldozers should be
ies. First and foremost, the health assurance
Fellow at the Vidhi
scheme is limited to secondary and tertiary care Constitution and due process enshrined in culminated in a myopic view of the problem, avoided. There should be a requirement for the
Centre for
hospitalisation. The absence of coverage for out- criminal procedure laws. Legal Policy leading to temporary solutions. The current task presence of government officials who are not a
patient care, diagnostics and medicines is partic- In light of overarching principles of human of the Supreme Court — i.e., formulating part of the authority demolishing the
ularly concerning as chronic diseases have in- rights, constitutional values and social justice, pan-India guidelines — must look at the issue construction. The time for the demolition should
creased sharply in India in the last few decades. there is a strong need to formulate guidelines and through a multidimensional lens. be pre-decided and surprise demolitions should
Increased life expectancy and an early onset of re-imagine the existing legal framework which The cardinal rule is that demolitions must be be cause for punitive action against the authority.
these diseases would mean that people over 70 bestows unbridled executive power on municipal carried out only in exceptional circumstances, As a part of the third phase, i.e., rehabilitation,
may very often suffer from multiple chronic dis- authorities to order and execute such and according to the due process established adequate and proper temporary or permanent
eases. Most of the health-care expenditure by the demolitions. under law. The law must then accurately classify rehabilitation should be provided to the persons
elderly will, therefore, be through outpatient not only the types of buildings or constructions concerned to ensure that they are not left
care (40%-80%), which will not be covered by the The legality of punitive demolitions that can be brought down by state actions but homeless. A speedy grievance redress
scheme. Since its launch in 2018, the penetration Large-scale demolition drives as a means of also the surrounding circumstances that need to mechanism needs to be established under every
of PM-JAY into smaller cities and towns has been collective punishment for rioters are becoming be assessed before any action is taken. The law that allows for demolition to afford the
low in most States. Unlike in most of the southern rampant. What started with bulldozer action in assessment of the surrounding circumstances affected persons a chance to challenge the
States, primary and secondary health care in the Delhi’s Jahangirpuri has now spilled over to must strike a balance between state action and decisions that may have been taken at any stage.
public sector has been largely neglected and is in- different parts of the country. The violence that the right to adequate housing and resettlement Remedies such as compensation, restitutions and
adequate and ill equipped to meet the demand in ensued in Nuh, Haryana, due to a clash between while bearing in mind that such violations have return to the original home must be carved out
other parts. Robust primary and secondary pu- two religious groups in 2023, ended with the local come to be systemic. There is also a need to within the law.
blic health care will sharply cut the load on terti- administration demolishing a number of homes analyse data on demolitions that have taken place
ary health care and hence the need for curative in the neighbourhood. over the last few years to identify clear patterns Affixing personal liability
care; a reduced curative care load at tertiary hos- Communal riots in Madhya Pradesh’s and better understand the existing gaps and While the demolitions carried out across different
pitals will make the PM-JAY scheme succeed. Khargone also resulted in the demolition of deficiencies in the process. parts of India reflect varied patterns, the golden
Thailand focused and progressively streng- houses and businesses owned by Muslims who Once broader subject-matter-based issues have thread that runs through all such instances is the
thened its primary health-care system, and even were deemed to be ‘alleged rioters’. Quick been addressed, an analysis should be done for lack of due process and blatant disregard for
diverted funds earmarked for urban hospitals to instinctive action against those perceived to be at procedural steps that can be incorporated into directives issued by the judiciary in the past.
build rural hospitals and health centres to attain odds with the law has emerged as a dangerous the relevant legislation and rules. The procedural Municipal laws, which empower authorities to
universal health coverage. In contrast, in the U.S., pattern of state-driven oppression. In each of The thread in guidelines should be structured in a phased carry out such demolitions, usually provide
banking primarily on insurance-based schemes is these cases, the demolition is justified under extra-legal manner, to add multiple checkboxes at each stage complete impunity to officials under the ‘good
what led to the surging costs of health care. India municipal laws either on account of action demolitions which need to be ticked before any adverse or faith’ clauses housed under such laws. Such
appears to be going the U.S. way. Though there is against encroachment or under the pretext of irreversible step is taken. clauses prevent the initiation of judicial action
unauthorised construction. The due process
carried out In the first phase, i.e., pre-demolition, the against those who unscrupulously carry out
waning enthusiasm in the private sector due to
low treatment rates and delayed payment, as per envisaged under various judgments of the across different burden of proof to show cause should be shifted demolitions. While laying down pan-India
media reports, since its launch, two-thirds of the Supreme Court and High Courts, including parts of India is from the affected person and placed on the guidelines is most definitely a welcome step,
total money spent each year under the PM-JAY Sudama Singh & Ors. vs Government of Delhi and a lack of due authority to show why no other option other than sensitisation of law enforcement personnel to
scheme went to private hospitals; it was 53% in Ajay Maken & Ors vs Union of India are completely process and a demolition and displacement of affected persons follow existing directives on the subject matter is
the case of the southern States. Weakened prim- bypassed. blatant is needed for public good and how the relevant the need of the hour. Simultaneously, avenues to
ary and secondary health care will result in an This ‘tough on crime’ or ‘eye for an eye’ disregard for human rights are being protected in the process. affix personal liability on those who order such
overload in tertiary health care, which the priv- approach has escalated to become a political A reasoned notice for demolition, including forced evictions and demolitions should be
brand for several State governments. Treating
directives information about land records and resettlement explored to ensure that there are checks and
ate players will be well poised to take advantage
of. This can lead to a further shrinking of the go- demolitions as a fair response to the destruction issued by the plans, should be widely publicised, giving ample balances in the powers wielded by officials.
vernment’s commitment to strengthen the public of public infrastructure undermines existing judiciary time for those concerned to analyse the situation,
health-care system by over-relying on the insu- processes envisaged under criminal laws and in the past seek legal advice and respond to the show-cause The views expressed are personal
rance modality which is neither affordable nor
will provide appropriate health care for the nee-
dy. In its present form, PM-JAY is a measure that
is essential, but is incomplete. Health care using AI is bold, but much caution first
Street power
N
ews about the possibility of a “free AI which are essential for accurate prediction. where understanding the rationale behind a
powered primary-care physician for every Developing a better predictive model than diagnosis or treatment plan is critical.
The Kolkata protest must keep its focus Indian, available 24/7” within the next five Naegele’s rule requires vast amounts of personal Health-care providers are left in the dark about
years is ambitious. It raises critical questions data, which belong rightfully to patients. This how certain conclusions are reached, leading to a
and not be a free-for-all about feasibility, sustainability, and the readiness illustrates the inherent paradox in AI lack of trust and potential harm if the AI makes
of India to tackle such enormous undertakings. development in health care — the need for an incorrect or inappropriate recommendation.

I
t has been a tumultuous month in Kolkata
with junior doctors and civil society leading Primary health care (PHC) ensures the right to Dr. C. Aravinda extensive data collection to improve accuracy is Google DeepMind’s AI mysterious algorithm
protests against the brutal rape and murder the highest attainable level of health by bringing an academic and at odds with privacy and ethical concerns. defeating world-class players in the GO game
of a woman doctor on duty on August 9. The ral- integrated services closer to communities. It public health The costs involved in establishing (board game) can be celebrated. While such feats
lying cry, “We demand justice”, is being heard addresses health needs, tackles broader health physician infrastructure to capture, collect, and train this are acceptable for games, they raise concerns in
loud and clear by everyone, from the State admi- determinants through multisectoral action, and data are substantial. As reproductive health and real-life health-care decisions. The stakes are
nistration right up to the Supreme Court. Doctors empowers individuals to manage their health. We fertility rates change over time, constant serious in human health, where the
have defied the Court’s appeal to return to work, risk undermining this fundamental aspect of PHC fine-tuning of AI models is necessary, leading to consequences of a mistake can be
and had set conditions to hold talks with the State by relying on Artificial Intelligence (AI) as it is recurring expenses. Health-care data is complex life-threatening.
administration, including an assurance that the impersonal, making people passive recipients of and personal, making it difficult to standardise it
meeting is centred around their five key demands care rather than active participants. across populations. India and the issue of AI governance
and is televised. The Mamata Banerjee govern- AI excels in processing and automating India’s diversity complicates the issue further. A recent petition in the Kenyan Parliament by
ment rejected the pre-conditions, and urged the repetitive tasks but lacks characteristics of human This diversity means that data for AI models must content moderators against OpenAI’s ChatGPT
doctors to return to work. The breakdown of intelligence such as understanding the physical be extensive and deeply contextualised, but has highlighted the ethical complexities in AI
trust between the two sides is proving to be coun- world, retrieving complex information, generating such data requires access to personal development, revealing the exploitation of
ter-productive. The doctors want the culprits maintaining persistent memory, and engaging in and behavioural information. underpaid workers in training AI models. This
identified and punished; disciplinary action reasoning and planning. These are all raises concerns about the exploitation of
against R.G. Kar’s former principal, Sandip fundamental to medicine, where understanding AI’s utility in health care vulnerable populations in AI training. It
Ghosh, who is in custody; resignation of Kolkata the nuances of a patient’s condition goes beyond AI can play a crucial role in specific, well-defined underscores the importance of safeguarding the
Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal; increased se- pattern recognition. tasks within health care, particularly through interests of Indian patients because the data
curity for health workers; and an end to the Delivering health care demands a narrow intelligence, diffusion models and required to train the model legally belong to
“threat culture” in hospitals and medical colleges human-centric approach of empathy and cultural transformers. Narrow intelligence focuses on patients.
across West Bengal. As protests continue, the list understanding. Consciousness — the awareness specialised tasks such as predicting hospital While population-level data generated by
of wants has expanded, and includes a call for an and understanding of the real-world environment kitchen supply needs, managing biomedical health systems can be useful, it is prone to
overhaul of the government health departments, — underpins human decision-making, waste, or optimising drug procurement. Diffusion ecological fallacy. India lacks comprehensive
which have not been functioning at their best. distinguishing human intelligence from AI. AI models, which are adept at predicting patterns regulation or legislation addressing AI such as the
The State government has taken several steps cannot replicate the moral and ethical reasoning from complex datasets, can help screen European Union Artificial Intelligence Act,
for the protection of health workers, such as that comes from conscious experience. Unlike histopathology slides or screen only a subset of making it all the more critical. AI tools in health
launching an initiative, ‘Rattirer Shaathi (helpers other domains, health-care data is scattered, the population using medical images. care must be developed and deployed with the
of the night)’. But these will not help stem the rot incomplete and often inaccessible for AI training, Large Language Models (LLMs) and Large core medical ethics of “Do No Harm”.
and are seen as tokenism at best. That the Court making it difficult to train a model. Multimodal Models (LMMs) are emerging as AI-powered health care in India promises
had to direct the State administration to provide powerful tools in medical education and research increased efficiency and reduced error rates.
separate duty rooms, toilets and install CCTVs in- Data, models and issues writing. These can provide rapid access to Advanced AI technologies require significant
dicates that the health infrastructure is creaking. Naegele’s rule from obstetrics, which has been in medical knowledge, simulate patient interactions, investments in research, data infrastructure, and
The government needs to do more to break the use for over 200 years, can be used to highlight India cannot and support the training of health-care continuous updates — costs that someone must
logjam. The doctors and students too must take the challenges in health care. It is based on 18th jump into professionals. By offering personalised learning bear. India cannot leapfrog into AI-driven health
the movement for justice to another level. They century reproductive habits of European women, AI-driven health experiences and simulating complex clinical care without first addressing the foundational
can resort to relay strikes, thus ensuring that a which may not be applicable today. This method scenarios, LLMs and LMMs can complement issues in its health system. The complexities of
care without
majority can return to work. In the quest for jus- is used to predict the birth date of a child during traditional medical education patient care, the need for high-quality data, and
pregnancy. It relies solely on the length of the last first addressing A significant issue with AI in health care is the the ethical implications of AI demand a more
tice, doctors cannot end up being unjust to a
large section of the people dependent on govern- menstrual cycle and has a 4% accuracy. It fails to the foundational “black box” problem, where the decision-making measured approach.
ment hospital care. West Bengal is a poor State account for critical factors such as maternal age, issues within its processes of AI algorithms are not transparent or
and when a government hospital under-per- parity, nutrition, height, race, and uterus type, health system easily understood. This poses risks in health care, The views expressed are personal
forms, it affects the vulnerable the most. The go-
vernment has said over six lakh patients have
been turned away from government hospitals LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
this month. Doctors refute the number, saying
they are holding telemedicine services and ‘Ab- Eye drops and ‘claim’ using reading glasses, raises Organisation establishes the Sitaram Yechury epitomised the opportunity to listen to one
haya Clinics’ on Sundays; and that senior doctors The rescinding of the nod eyebrows (Page 1, “Drugs fact that the permission In the passing of Sitaram fundamental essence of of his speeches at Palayam
are working harder to ensure that work goes on. given to a pharmaceutical body recalls nod for eye seems to have been given in Yechury, India has lost a tall communism. junction in then Trivandrum
With the festival season around the corner, which firm in Mumbai to produce drops over ‘false’ claims,: haste. It owes the public a political leader. His speeches in Parliament and the views he expressed
is the chief source of revenue for a large number and supply ‘eye drops’, September 12). thorough explanation. From a brilliant academic shall go down as still ring in my ears.
of people, the onus is on the government and the which it claims would The move by the Central C.V. Aravind, career to a political career memorable events. As a Dr. Biju C. Mathew,
doctors to resolve the crisis at the earliest. obviate the necessity of Drugs Standard Control Bengaluru spanning decades, he student I did get an Thiruvananthapuram
CM M ND-NDE
YK
THE HINDU
Friday, September 13, 2024 11
Delhi
Opinion

Is it time for India to introduce a Universal Basic Income?


opportunities not only directly but indirectly as
PARLEY well, seen in the rise in demand for core sectors
such as steel, cement, and electrical

D
ue to the phenomenon of jobless We need to focus more on universal basic components. I think the government was very
growth, i.e., the rise in output and social safety nets. We are not there. Social clear that its policies would focus more on
labour productivity without the safety nets are very skewed between States providing employment opportunities in addition
Arun Kumar commensurate growth in to growth. So, it is aware of this issue.
or even within States. So, I suggest that both
Retired employment generation, several countries have Where I don’t agree with Professor Arun
professor of mooted the idea of a universal basic income the Central and State governments focus Kumar is yes, there is uneven distribution of
economics, (UBI). This idea has gained traction, especially more on social safety net universalisation. incomes because of the kind of growth he
Jawaharlal since the International Labour Organization N.R. BHANUMURTHY described, but there has been growth in wages,
Nehru (ILO)’s most recent World Employment and though this is much smaller than the growth in
University, Social Outlook links the decrease in jobs growth profits. That is what the Economic Survey graph
Delhi. He was
and the increase in inequality to a surge in scheme, which generates a lot of employment. suggests. So, in that sense, some of us have been
Malcolm
Adiseshiah
automation and the use of artificial intelligence We have similar problems in rural development suggesting a re-look at the production-linked
Chair Professor (AI). Among the several suggestions on the ways and agriculture. So, the government has to be incentives schemes that the government
at the Institute to address this is a UBI. Is it time for India to more sensitive to generating employment by announced that is being given for some parts of
of Social introduce a UBI? N.R. Bhanumurthy and Arun focusing on employment-generating sectors. the manufacturing sector post-COVID-19.
Sciences Kumar discuss the question in a conversation The capital items that are being funded include In terms of AI leading to job loss... I don’t
moderated by Kunal Shankar. Edited excerpts: the railway freight corridor, highway projects, think the ILO says there is job-loss growth or
and the power sector. These do not give much jobless growth. I think what it says is that going
Professor Bhanumurthy, the ILO says 83% of direct employment. Earlier projects in forward, there could be an impact on
the unemployed population in India are the Construction workers in Bengaluru. MURALI KUMAR K. construction would generate employment, but employment opportunities because of this. I am
youth. Given this grim scenario, it is time to now people work with bulldozers and cranes, sure the labour market will adjust to those
introduce a UBI? not done. So, in a sense, it is a failure of the employing 10 people instead of hundreds. So, innovations. Right now, I think there is a
capitalist system that it is unable to generate while the efficiency of construction may go up, mismatch between the skills demanded and the
N.R.
N.R. Bhanumurthy: We must understand the enough employment and incomes. employment generation doesn’t take place. skills supplied.
Bhanumurthy
concept of UBI. It is universal and covers the In the 1980s, the World Bank had warned that You pointed out the ILO report. There is not
basic needs of the people. In India, we actually several Indians would fall behind and suggested only AI but a lot of automation taking place. Right, so you’re suggesting an intervention
Director, Madras have different forms of UBI. Perhaps we can call the creation of safety nets. This was tried in the Think about the banking sector, for instance. Its in education to upgrade skills. Even so, jobs
School of this a semi-UBI. In the last few years, various mid-2000s in India with the right to work has expanded enormously, but the staff created in the fourth industrial revolution, to
Economics, versions of a UBI have been implemented in employment, food, education, and so on. But strength has been cut to half because we don’t use Klaus Schwab’s phrase, are either
Chennai. Views
India, such as cash transfer schemes for farmers the problem is, if you give money for no work, need to go into the bank branch any longer. We extremely well paying, or highly precarious,
are personal
and women. Many States have begun cash that doesn’t give the person dignity. So, can do all our banking work on our laptops and like gig work, leading to massive income
transfers even for unemployed youth. A type of providing work is essential. Otherwise it will mobile phones. inequality. Do we not need a UBI to bridge
basic income support need not be universal. So, lead to alienation in society, because those who If we look at the trade sector, too, which is the this gap?
in that context, I am not sure whether we can have incomes and those who don’t will be second biggest employer after agriculture in
implement the pure concept of a UBI in India. divided and those who don’t have incomes will India, e-commerce has been growing NRB: Well, I think we need to be clear about
be labelled as ‘good for nothing’. There will also exponentially in the last few years at the whether India is ready for UBI. In my opinion,
I think proponents of UBI make a distinction be political and social implications. So, I think expense of neighbourhood stores. we need to focus more on universal basic social
between social safety nets like the ones you we must generate enough employment. We can Twenty years ago, people talked about jobless safety nets. We are not there. Social safety nets
point out and a base income regardless of do this provided our policies are structured growth. Now, they talk about job-loss growth. are very skewed between States or even within
employment status. Professor Arun Kumar, right. People who are getting displaced are unable to States. So, I suggest that the the Central and
your response? find work elsewhere, so they have to generate State governments focus more on social safety
The ILO report suggests that the reasons for work for themselves. And that is why there has net universalisation.
Arun Kumar: People have been talking about slow growth in jobs creation lie in the surge been a growth in the self-employment sector at
UBI since 2015. There are several factors in digital industries where the assembly line very low income levels. AK: If the government raises more funds from
responsible for this, but primarily, it is the lack is not the shop floor, but software and direct taxes, it is possible to bridge this gap,
of demand in the market. Demand contraction applications, and the use of technologies The phenomenon that you just called as because our direct tax to GDP ratio is only about
stunts growth. There is unemployment and such as AI. India’s Finance Minister and the job-loss growth is what the proponents of 6.25%. Many developed countries have a much
because of it, people don’t have adequate Chief Economic Adviser have emphasised UBI point to. Professor Bhanumurthy, your higher percentage. While we cannot compete
incomes. As a result, demand in the market that private industry should invest more in response? with the developed countries, we can raise the
contracts and the rate of growth begins to labour-intensive sectors. Is that really direct tax to GDP ratio marginally at least. It is
decline. enough to generate the kind of mass NRB: As Professor Arun Kumar mentioned, the not that we can’t do it, it is a question of the
So, how do we generate demand? How do we employment required in India? issue of unemployment in the recent period is a political will to do it.
generate incomes in the hands of people who very serious issue, not only in Indian context,
don’t have employment? That is where the idea AK: The government needs to do more. If you but globally. The government came up with the
of a UBI comes in, I think. I agree with Bhanu look at the Budget, capital investment has gone Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana to provide housing.
that goods or money is being given by the state up, but it is going into capital-intensive sectors. This will have a huge impact on the overall social To listen to the full interview
to the people. That is semi-UBI. And that is There have been cuts in real terms in safety net at the rural level. In fact, my study has Scan the code or go to the link
where the problem lies. In capitalist philosophy, labour-intensive sectors such as education and shown that the rural housing scheme has had a www.thehindu.com
you pay for work done. You don’t pay for work health and in the rural employment guarantee huge multiplier impact on employment

PICTURE OF THE WEEK


NOTEBOOK
Saving others, but first saving themselves
Idyllic village, archaeological
wonder, cesspool of inequality
A place can be many things at the same time

M. Kalyanaraman humanity were unresolved. Until the out-


of-Africa thesis was proved, anthropolo-

M
y parents were raised in a vil- gists in many countries felt that the skele-
lage, so during my summer va- tons dug up at Adhichanallur could be
cations, I would visit my ances- that of the earliest of civilised human be-
tral village in the then undivided ings. The picture postcard village had
Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. In the been the site of an ancient civilisation, I
eyes of a schoolboy from Chennai, Ka- realised.
rungulam village, with its lush green During my visits to report for the two
fields of paddy and bananas, fresh air, stories, I stayed at a room in a lodge in Ka-
and simple folk, was a peaceful retreat by rungulam since my ancestral house had
the Tamirabarani river. That perception become too old and was falling apart. A
did not change much even after I became few months later, the same lodge amidst
a journalist. paddy fields flashed in front of my eyes in
Many years later, when Tamil Nadu a darkened cinema hall in Chennai. It had
was gripped by drought and all the rivers become the location for a scene in the
barring Tamirabarani were bone dry, I movie, Pariyerum Perumal. Some upper
sought to go to the pristine origins of Ta- caste men sought to put a lower caste
mirabarani and describe it as it flowed. youth in his place by urinating upon him
My local contact took me to the Kani in that room.
tribes folk inside the Kalakkad Mundan- Last year, during a visit to Karungu-
thurai Tiger Reserve. But the medicine lam, a villager told me that Mari Selvaraj,
man of the village who said he knew the the director of Pariyerum Perumal, was
place of origin refused to take me there shooting another film based on an acci-
since the monsoon had started. It was too dent that had happened many decades
dangerous a climb, he said. The story ago. A truck carrying the people of Puli-
ended up being about the rest of the riv- yangulam, another village in Karungulam
er. The saving of tigers had led to the for- panchayat where Selvaraj was born and
est being saved and, in turn, the river too. raised, had turned turtle and many had
My contact asked me where my ances- died, he said. X
tors came from. I said it was a village by Newspapers had covered that tragedy The staff of VPS Lakeshore Hospital in Kochi attend a karate training session at the premises of the hospital on Thursday. The hospital is offering training in martial arts to all its
the same river but there was nothing in much detail. Going beyond the news, staff members to ensure their safety at the workplace in the wake of the rape and murder of a trainee doctor in Kolkata. More than 100 women are expected to take part in the
noteworthy about it. He asked me the Selvaraj’s Vazhai says the banana pickers training sessions. THULASI KAKKAT
name. When I said Karungulam, his eyes of Puliyangulam had demanded double
rolled up in a sign of contempt for me, wages, which they got. Unwilling to cut
the ignorant city slicker. He said it was down his profits, the contractor cut back
perhaps the most important archaeologi- on their transportation and was ferrying FROM TH E A R C HI VES
cal site in the State, likely more signifi- them, not in empty trucks but ones load-
cant than Keezhadi that had made a ed with bananas. of 87,600 square kilometres. The afflicted A HUNDRED YEARS AGO SEPT. 13, 1924
FIFTY YEARS AGO SEPTEMBER 13, 1974
splash in the media. On a fateful night, tragedy struck the people of these districts number about 16
Called Adhichanallur and with only a overloaded truck. Vazhai portrays the ac- millions out of the State’s population of 44 New hospital for Rangoon
small, rusted Archaeological Survey of In- cident as a climactic culmination of po- Acute scarcity in seven Bengal millions.
dia signboard as a marker at that time, it verty and desperation that lies behind The affected districts are: Bankura, Rangoon, Sept. 12: H.E. the Governor laid this
had been excavated multiple times over the apparent beauty of rural life. districts Midnapore, Purulia, Malda, West Dinajpur, evening the foundation stone of the new
more than 100 years. Carbon dating has From a simple idyllic village, Karungu- Jalpaiguri, and Cooch-Behar. The worst hit are Dufferin Hospital, Rangoon. In doing so His
since then proved that the Adhichanallur lam had become an archaeological won- Calcutta, Sept. 12: Seven out of West Bengal’s the three western districts of Midnapore, Excellency said that to-day would mark an
site, which falls in Karungulam pan- der and later, a cesspool of inequality. 16 districts are now undergoing conditions of Bankura and Purulia. epoch in the history of Burma.
chayat, is 3,000 years old. But it was always all the three, and per- distress which are said to be the worst since Midnapore is the third biggest district in the The old Hospital which had done useful
Besides being an archaeological won- haps more. the notorious war-time Bengal famine of 1943. country with more than 35 lakh population, essential work at great creditable voluntary
der, Adhichanallur had figured in global These seven districts cover more than 45,000 and an area of nearly 14,000 square effort was not equal to the demands upon the
scholarly discussions when the origins of [email protected] square kilometres out of the State’s total area kilometres. institution.
CM M ND-NDE
YK
Delhi www.thehindu.com Friday, September 13, 2024
● ●

12

Text&Context 0
NEWS IN NUMBERS
Number of India’s industrial DNA Wellness’ Percentage of leased Death toll in Vietnam
Palestinians killed in production growth investiture in cervical spaces occupied by due to Typhoon
Gaza since October 7 in July cancer screening labs domestic companies Yagi rises

41,118 4.8 200 47 200


The toll in per cent. According to in ₹ crore. The per cent. CBRE’s latest report At least 128 people
includes 34 data released by the company has showed that the total office are still missing in the
deaths in the National Statistical Office, acquired exclusive leasing by domestic firms aftermath of the
previous 24 hours, according to the Health the country’s industrial output growth rights to conduct the DNA Ploidy Test, a during 2022 to H1 2024 period stood at typhoon as flash floods and landslides take
Ministry in Gaza. At least 95,125 people slowed down due to poor show by mining quick, non-invasive method to detect 72 million square feet across the nine their toll. AP
have been wounded in the Gaza Strip. AFP and manufacturing sectors. PTI cervical cancer. PTI cities. PTI COMPILED BY THE HINDU DATA TEAM

Follow us facebook.com/thehindu twitter.com/the_hindu instagram.com/the_hindu

What does dissolution of SCoS entail?


Why was the SCoS dissolved? What are the main roles of the new Steering Committee? How do the SCoS and the Steering Committee differ? How does the
SCoS’s dissolution impact statistical data quality? How will the new committee address the data gaps? What issues have arisen from the delay in the census?

members in its meetings that it has no THE GIST


EXPLAINER role in deciding the date of census.
Statisticians and academics argue that the
A. M. Jigeesh census can provide State and sub-district 쑽
wise data on issues such as education and The 14-member Standing
The story so far: employment. Committee on Statistics
he Union Ministry of Statistics

T
(SCoS), led by Pronab Sen, has
and Programme What are the flaws in administrative been dissolved due to overlap
Implementation has dissolved data? with the Steering Committee
the 14-member Standing While the Centre has been claiming that for National Sample Surveys.
Committee on Statistics (SCoS) headed by data provided by the EPFO, ESIC on its
eminent economist and former chief enrolments and Reserve Bank of India’s 쑽
statistician of the country Pronab Sen. KLEMS (K: Capital, L: Labour, E: Energy, SCoS advised on survey
Geeta Singh Rathore, Director-General of M: Materials and S: Services) database methodologies, tabulation
the Ministry’s National Sample Survey gave a rosy picture about the employment plans, and addressed issues
Office (NSSO), told the SCoS members scenario in the country. However, related to statistical surveys.
that its works overlapped with that of the questions have been raised as

Steering Committee for National Sample administration data, especially on labour,
Surveys, headed by Rajeeva Laxman is threshold-based. It is alleged that such The new 17-member Steering
Karandikar, former director of the data was airing the perspectives of policy Committee, including four
Chennai Mathematical Institute and this architects or reflecting the government’s former SCoS members, will
was cited as the reason for dismantling intentions. perform similar functions but
the SCoS. Dr. Sen has said that the SCoS The chances of manipulating the with more official members.
members had questioned the delay in administration data set were also high as 쑽
conducting the census, as censuses have Government agencies generated that data
There is significant pressure to
long been a crucial source of reliable data Urgent need: The 2021 census was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and even after three years, and it is also argued that such data has
conduct the next census,
for policymakers. He also complained the Centre has not provided a roadmap for the next census. M.A. SRIRAM limitations of analytical rigour.
delayed from 2021 due to
that the members were not given any On the other hand, survey-based data, COVID-19, to provide updated
specific reason for the committee’s Central and State level agencies for methodology and finalise the tabulation including the census, has universal data for decision-making.
dissolution. conducting surveys. plan of surveys. coverage without any thresholds,
The mandates of both the committees providing a wider and bigger platform. 쑽
What were the key responsibilities of What is the role of the new clash in a way, though the composition of However, surveys such as PLFS could not Economists and policymakers
SCoS? committee? the Steering Committee is different as it provide State or district-level data, but the recommend conducting the
The SCoS advised the Centre on survey The Steering Committee, which replaces has more official members while the SCoS census will be able to provide even next census promptly to ensure
methodology, including sampling frames, the SCoS, has 17 members and one had several non-official members. sub-district data. PLFS also allegedly had accurate data for effective
sampling design, survey instruments, non-member secretary. The Centre has an urban bias. decision-making.
questions, etc. It also played a vital role in retained at least four members from the Why is there a pressure for a new
finalising the tabulation plan of surveys, SCoS in the Steering Committee other census? How urgent is the next census?
reviewing the extant framework, and than officials such as Ms. Rathore. Serious academicians and policymakers The country’s decennial census has been
addressing the issues raised from time to Sonalde Desai, Bishwanath Goldar, S. have been demanding the Centre to conducted every ten years since the
time on the subjects, results, Chandrasekhar, and Mausumi Bose are conduct a census. The Opposition said 1870s, with the last census in 2011. The
methodology, etc. related to all surveys. the four experts who are retained. The that the lack of fresh data keeps crores of 2021 census was delayed due to the
The Terms of Reference for the SCoS also tenure of the Steering Committee will be people away from schemes such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and even after three
included providing guidance for for two years. Its Terms of Reference are National Food Security Act. The years, the Centre has not provided a
conducting pilot surveys/pre-testing, quite similar to that of SCoS, including Opposition has also been questioning the roadmap for the next census. Economists
exploring the availability of administrative reviewing subject results, methodology numbers on employment and and policymakers argue that relying on
statistics relating to surveys/statistics, questionnaires, sampling frames, unemployment. On the periodic labour 2011 census data for statistical surveys,
providing guidance for studying or sampling design, concepts, definitions, force surveys too, there were questions. even after 13 years, will negatively impact
identifying data gaps, providing survey instruments etc. related to all Since the Census is conducted by the decision making. So they suggested that
additional data requirements, and National Sample Surveys. It will also Union Home Ministry, the Ministry of the way forward is to conduct the next
imparting technical guidance to the advise the Ministry on survey Statistics has been telling the SCoS census at the earliest.

What role does CSTT play in


AICTE, and so on. The “Shabd” website THE GIST
contains words taken from various
definitional dictionaries, glossaries, and
reference materials that have been 쑽

standardising technical terms? published by the CSTT over the years.

When was the portal launched and


what has been the response so far?
The CSTT is responsible for
developing standardised
scientific and technical
terminology in Indian
What is the ‘Shabd’ glossary platform? How many terms are available on the portal? The site first went active in March this languages.
year and since then, it has had 1,36,968
hits from across the country and the 쑽
Sreeparna Chakrabarty scientific and technical terminology in is a data server that features all the world. The CSTT launched the ‘Shabd’
Indian languages. It regularly publishes a glossaries of CSTT in digital searchable platform, a digital glossary
The story so far: range of bilingual, trilingual, and mode. Other institutions or agencies How many words drawn from how search website that hosts all its
n alignment with the National multilingual glossaries, definitional preparing dictionaries can also host their many subjects are available on the technical glossaries in a

I Education Policy (NEP) 2020, to


impart education in the Indian
languages for an improved
understanding and improved
teaching-learning outcome, the
dictionaries, and monographs, besides
publishing quarterly journals named
‘Vigyan Garima Sindhu’ and ‘Gyan Garima
Sindhu’. The CSTT also takes up the
publication of university-level textbooks
work in digital form on this platform. The
aim is to showcase a central repository for
all the terminologies prepared in or for
Indian Languages.
The platform allows users to search for
portal?
The entire collection which as of now
includes about 322 glossaries has about
(21,84,050 headwords). This covers
disciplines in Humanities, Social Sciences,
searchable format.


This platform serves as a
central repository for scientific
government has initiated technical through its Granth Academies, textbook scientific and technical terms in Indian Medical Sciences, Engineering, and technical terms in Indian
education, including engineering and boards, and publication cells located in languages and provide feedback on Agricultural Sciences, and more than 60 languages, allowing users to
medicine in Indian languages. The All various parts of the country. existing equivalents prepared by CSTT. subjects such as Journalism, Public search by language, subject, or
dictionary type. It aims to
India Council for Technical Education It also undertakes the publication of The search options include language, Administration, Chemistry, Botany,
make terminologies more
(AICTE) has introduced “AICTE Technical administrative and various departmental subject, dictionary type, and language Zoology, Psychology, Physics, Economics,
accessible and encourages
Book Writing and Translation” in 12 glossaries that are widely used by pairs. It also allows users to search Ayurveda, Mathematics, Civil and feedback from users to refine
scheduled Indian languages. The government departments, institutions, specific glossaries or the entire collection. Electrical Engineering, Computer translations.
government is also collaborating with research laboratories, autonomous Science, Political Science, Agriculture,
technical education departments to organisations, and public sector units What was the process of collating the Culture, Transport, Geology, Capital
distribute one set of books in Indian besides organising workshops, seminars, words? Market, Cell Biology, Broadcasting, Music
languages for the libraries of each degree symposiums, conferences, orientation, The CSTT prepares the terminologies and Finearts, CSIT, AIML, Linguistics,
and diploma-level institution. The and training programmes to increase the through the Expert Advisory Committees Forestry, Entomology, Plant Pathology,
Commission for Scientific and Technical use and popularise the standard consisting of subject and language Soil Science, Nematology, Sericulture,
Terminology (CSTT) has also launched a terminology of Hindi and other Indian experts, along with linguists, who are LIS, and others.
website offering technical terms in all 22 languages. focused on finding out the equivalent Prof Girish Nath Jha, Chairperson of
official Indian languages for various terms in the specific subject areas and CSTT, says, “The institution is working
educational subjects. What is the name of the new website language. The terminology prepared by hard to enable Indian languages as per
and how does it operate? CSTT is used by Granth Academies, the huge mandate given to it by our
What is CSTT? The CSTT glossary search website, textbook boards, and publication cells for government and our constitution. We
The CSTT, established on October 1, 1961, “Shabd,” is hosted at textbook preparation and is also used by hope to progress faster by using AI and
focuses on preparing standardised ‘https://shabd.education.gov.in’. “Shabd” institutions such as NTA, NCERT, NTM, related digital technologies in future”.
CM M ND-NDE
YK
THE HINDU
Friday, September 13, 2024 13
Delhi
Text&Context
IN THE LIMELIGHT

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Know your
English
K. Subrahmanian
Upendran

“Is this the season for flying kites?”


“Not as far as I know. Why do you ask?”
“Well, I was having an argument with
my grandfather, and he told me to go fly a
kite. I... Why are you laughing?”
“Sorry, I just couldn’t help it. Don’t you
know what the expression ‘go fly a kite’
means?”
“I’ve heard my friends say ‘let’s go fly a
kite’ whenever they actually wanted to go
out and fly a kite.”
“But nobody has ordered you to fly a
kite in the middle of an argument, right?”
“Right. Whenever we disagree about
something, my grandfather usually ends
the conversation by telling me to get lost.”
“And that’s how he ended the
conversation this time as well. When
somebody tells you to ‘go fly a kite’ he/she
wants you to leave. In other words, you
are asked to get lost. It’s a colloquial
expression used mainly in American
Shadows to spotlight: Parvathy on the sets of ‘Thangalaan’. English.”
“So ‘go fly a kite’ means ‘get lost.’

From the margins to the mainstream: how


Interesting.”
“Tell me, why did your grandfather ask
you to get lost?”
“Oh, that! You see, I wanted to be nice

films are elevating marginalised voices to my grandfather. So I called him a


‘busybody’.”
“You mean busybody. The ‘s’ is
pronounced like the ‘z’ in words like ‘zoo’
and ‘zip’.”
Dalit cinema is emerging as a powerful force, shifting the focus from elite-centric narratives to the stories of marginalised communities; they not only “So it’s a busybody.”
highlight the struggles and aspirations of oppressed groups but also offer mainstream appeal, paving the way for greater inclusivity in Indian cinema “Yes. I’m sure your grandfather didn’t
like it when you called him a ‘busybody’.”
“He didn’t like it at all. One thing led to
Harish S. Wankhede conventional routine of popular Indian stereotypes attached to the restricting its celebration within the another and we ended up having a big
cinema. The impetus for this change has representation of Dalit characters on mainstream cinema culture. There is an argument.”
he recently released three been driven largely by the regional film screen. apprehension that the recent arrival of a “But why did you call him a busybody

T mainstream films Thangalaan,


Vaazhai (Tamil), and Veda
(Hindi) are of historic
significance. Away from the conventional
trends of populist flicks, which often
industry, especially the Marathi and Tamil
cinema, which offers exceptionally
brilliant artwork that caters to the
interests and concerns of marginalised
social groups, and quality entertainment
The Dalit genre in Tamil and Marathi
cinema thus created a strong rupture,
influencing the Hindi film industry to take
its cognisance. As a response, Bollywood
has also supplemented this churning by
nascent but impressive Dalit cinema can
be relegated with similar tags to retain the
domination of conventional ideas and
identities in the filmmaking enterprise.
of all things?”
“He always keeps himself busy doing
something or the other.”
“Is that what you think ‘busybody’
means, someone who keeps himself
celebrate the cultural and political to the general audience. Nagraj Manjule’s offering powerful Dalit characters in Connect, promote busy?”
domination of the social elites, these films Fandry (2013), Sairat (2016), and Naal earlier films like Masaan (2015), It is an appropriate time for the film “Yes. Doesn’t it mean that?”
revolve around the concerns and dreams (2018) set impressive examples of films Manjhi-the Mountain Man (2015), and fraternity to recognise and collaborate “No, it doesn’t. A ‘busybody’ is
of socially marginalised groups. By that are both socially sensitive and recently Jhund (2022), Shamshera (2022), with the outstanding cinematic works of someone who keeps interfering in other
introducing powerful Dalit protagonists, commercially successful. Later Marathi Bheed (2023), and now Veda (2024). artists and producers from socially people’s affairs. My neighbour is a
these films advance a nascent but films like Uchalya (2015), Jayanti (2021), Interestingly, while this emerging Dalit marginalised communities, elevating busybody, and I can tell you that she is
impressive journey of Dalit cinema, Kasturi (2019), Zollywood (2022), genre sensitively showcases the claims them as an inspiration for the new not liked by many people.”
registering a claim for greater Aatmapamphlet (2023), etc. kept the and desires of the marginalised generation. “I can well imagine. People don’t like
democratisation in the Indian film momentum on, building a crucial communities, these films also ensure New cultural festivals, public those who interfere in their affairs.”
industry. dialogue on cinema’s responsibility in quality entertainment with the influx of institutions, and policy frameworks by the “That’s true. ‘Busybody’ is an informal
A visible domination of a peculiar offering socially responsible films. dance, music, drama, and action state are required that would promote the word, and as you said, most people
brand of films — often called the ‘masala However, it is the Tamil filmmakers who sequences. culture and talent of diverse social groups disapprove of busybodies.”
entertainments’ — and filmmakers, have created a strong stir to establish this This genre thus offers a possibility that that are often marginalised in mainstream “And I thought I was complimenting
mainly the rich social elites, have made genre as a significant commercial model. the Dalit character may also emerge as a discourse on cinema, art, and festivity. It my grandfather by calling him a
Indian cinema a sphere that lacks ‘mainstream hero’, their stories can be is essential to create new platforms and ‘busybody.’ How could I make such a silly
democratic credentials. While More possibilities inspirational tales and the artists old institutions of popular culture to mistake!”
entertainment-centric popular cinema is Pa Ranjith’s earlier successful films — belonging to the Dalit-Bahujan strata may improvise in order to connect and “It happens all the time. For example,
necessary for sustaining the film industry, Madras, Kala, and Kabali — have advanced gain mainstream fame. The recent promote the producers, artists, and some people think that a troublemaker
its core centrality for profit and the idea of a new Dalit hero. Big film stars success and critical acclaim of technicians from Dalit, Adivasi, and Other and a troubleshooter mean the same
entertainment has marginalised the like Rajinikanth are roped in to tell stories Thangalaan and Vaazhai suggest that this Backward Caste communities. thing.”
ethical concerns around which any art about the crises in Dalit lives, their genre is here to stay. It is also crucial for more Dalits to join “They do mean the same thing, don’t
form shall be conceptualised. For resilience, and heroic attributes. This Within the intellectual discussions on the film industry as producers, they?”
example, fame, profits, and privileges are success was further cultivated creatively Indian cinema, the popular Hindi cinema technicians, and directors bringing their “No, they don’t. A troublemaker is one
appropriated by the niche social elite by brilliant filmmakers, especially Mari has not received a respectable stories and talents. It is high time that the who makes trouble. A troubleshooter
junta, making the marginalised social Selvaraj (Karnan 2021 and Pariyerum appreciation. It is often seen as a nascent Dalit genre shall be recognised as shoots down trouble, removes it. In other
groups a dormant spectators of cinematic Perumal, 2018) and Vetrimaaran (Asuran, profit-seeking industry that creates part of the reformist cinema track, guided words, a troubleshooter solves problems,
magic. Ironically, the scant presence of 2019 and Viduthalai, 2023), substantiating hyper-sensational fiction to bewitch the by an inclusivist vision, showcasing that and a troublemaker creates them.”
artists and filmmakers from vulnerable the arrival of ‘Dalit genre’ in Indian audience, taking them away from the film industry has a crucial “Are our politicians troublemakers or
social groups such as Dalits, Adivasis, and cinema. By offering nuanced Dalit engaging with crucial social and political responsibility towards promoting social troubleshooters?”
Other Backward Castes, is not seen as an characters, bestowed with mainstream concerns. diversity and the values of social justice. “Both actually.”
unhealthy convention in the film heroic credentials (like Rajanikant’s In the mid-1970s, the few aberrations Harish S. Wankhede is Assistant Professor, “But there are more troublemakers
fraternity. character in Kabali, Dhanush in Karnan, that offered critical and socially sensitive Centre for Political Studies, School of Social than troubleshooters, right?”
In recent years, the Dalit cinema genre and Udhayanidhi in Maamannan), it narratives were marked as alternative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New “That’s the case everywhere. It’s easy
tried to bring some reforms to the breaks the conventional ‘victim’ genres or the art-house cinema, Delhi to create problems. But it’s not easy to
solve them.”
“I know. Will you be my
Please send in your answers to troubleshooter?”
THE DAILY QUIZ [email protected] “Me? Your troubleshooter? What are
you talking about?”
“Will you go to my grandfather and
The British writer Roald Dahl was born on this day in 1916. How well do you know him? explain to him why I called him a
busybody.”
Radhika Santhanam Questions and Answers to the “Certainly not. He’ll probably tell me to
previous day’s daily quiz: 1. These go fly a kite!”
X two diacritical marks are mirror images Published in The Hindu on May 18, 1993
QUESTION 1 of each other. One is called the ogonek.
Who was the Norwegian grandmamma in Witches, who Dahl Name the other one. Ans: Cedilla
“absolutely adored” and who was “a wonderful story-teller”, 2. Acute, grave, and caron are three
modelled on? types of diacritical marks belonging to
X a larger group called. Ans: Accent
QUESTION 2 3. Name the diacritical mark that
What connects Dr Seuss’s Great Day for Up!, Slyvia Plath’s appears on the first letter of this
The Bed Book, Joan Aiken’s Arabel’s Raven, and Roald Dahl’s region’s name. Ans: Overring
Matilda? 4. The use of this diacritical mark
X denotes a long vowel in many
QUESTION 3 languages. But in statistics, this symbol
Dahl’s first commissioned work was published anonymously over a variable indicates the variable’s
and was based on how he crash landed a biplane. What was value is an estimate. Ans: Circumflex
it called? (hat operator)
X 5. The country’s name includes
QUESTION 4 diacritical marks but the U.N. spells it
Dahl adapted six of his stories for a television series. Four of on occasion without the marks. Ans:
the episodes were directed by a man who once made his own São Tomé and Príncipe
film twice and who filmed a psychological thriller in a series Visual: There are two countries whose
of 10-minute takes to make it look like one shot. Name him. names the U.N. spells with diacritical For feedback and suggestions for
X X marks. One is Türkiye. Name the other. Text & Context, please write to
QUESTION 5 Visual Question: Ans: Côte d'Ivoire [email protected]
The Royal Mint rejected the idea of a commemorative coin to This musical fantasy, for which Dahl wrote the screenplay, is based on a children's novel. Early Birds: Priyadarshi Manoranjan | with the subject ‘Text & Context’
mark the centenary of Dahl’s birth. Why? Name it. Kevin Toms Skaria | Seema Das
CM M ND-NDE
YK
6 . bl . think
DELHI

businessline.
FRIDAY - SEPTEMBER 13 - 2024

FRIDAY - SEPTEMBER 13, 2024


Estimating banks’
End compensation cess liquidity needs, a
States can benefit from GST rate rationalisation

he Group of Ministers constituted by the


tricky issue
T GST Council under Minister of State,
Pankaj Chaudhary, should not find it too
difficult to decide the future of the compensation
cess. The compensation payments, included in the
MONEY MATTERS. RBI’s draft guidelines on liquidity coverage ratio
are useful, but internet banking complicates matters for banks
framework excludes RRBs, Payments
GST Act, 2017, was the carrot held out to States to Banks and Local Area Banks.
make them transition to the new indirect tax
regime. It promised States a generous 14 per cent DRAFT LCR GUIDELINES
On July 25, 2024, RBI brought out Draft
growth in taxes subsumed under GST in the first MANAS R. DAS Guidelines (DGs) containing “Review of
five years and sought to meet the shortfalls in this GANGA NARAYAN RATH Haircuts on High Quality Liquid Assets GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO

promise through the cess levied on sin and luxury (HQLAs) and Run-off Rates on Certain

L
iquidity risk arises when a Categories of Deposits.” DGs, which aim
goods. bank is not able to meet at further enhancing the liquidity
payment obligations resilience of banks, will be operational
It is well that the compensation primarily from its depositors from April 1, 2025.
payments to States have ended in June and give, simultaneously, Two salient proposals in DGs are: (a)
2022. The levy of the cess, which has been enough loans to its existing or potential Banks to assign an additional 5 per cent
extended until March 2026, to meet the borrowers. run-off factor for retail deposits which
Thus, liquidity risk can impair a are enabled with Internet and Mobile
repayment obligations on loans taken to bank’s intermediation function on daily Banking (IMB) facilities, i.e., stable retail
compensate States for the shortfall in basis. Liquidity risk became materially deposits enabled with IMB to have 10
revenue during Covid, should also come to visible during the 2007-09 Global per cent run-off factor and less stable
an end once these obligations are fulfilled. Financial Crisis. deposits enabled with IMB to have 15 deposits to calm financial are characteristically observed to be less
With the GST regime quite firmly in place Post-crisis, the Basel Committee on per cent run-off factor and (b) disintermediation. First, banks are stable. Bulk depositors select their
Banking Supervision introduced two Unsecured wholesale funding provided enjoying good NIM (Table 1) which, in banks by analysing banks’ financials
and most States having adapted to the new measures to mitigate the liquidity risk: by non-financial small business our view, can accommodate ‘up to 100 rigorously, and they regularly monitor
indirect tax regime fairly well, the idea of (a) Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) to customers to be treated in accordance bps’ increase in deposit rates without their banks’ activities.
compensating the States should be put to measure and limit a bank’s liquidity risk with the treatment of retail deposits as increasing lending rates. Therefore, they can detect the
rest. That said, the primary task before the over 30 calendar days and (b) Net Stable at (a). Second, according to RBI, during May likelihood of a bank’s fragility prior to
Funding Ratio (NSFR) as a longer-term With this, LCR perhaps covers nearly 2022 to March 2024 (Tightening Cycle), retail depositors, and move their
GoM will be to recommend the way the liquidity metric to measure and limit all bank accounts now. Repo Rate went up by 250 bps and deposits to safer banks. And, to add fuel
levies under compensation cess can be banks’ structural asset and liability Weighted Average Domestic Term to the fire, they flaunt it in the social
assimilated into the GST rates. The mismatches. Both LCR and NSFR, albeit COMMENTS Deposit Rate (WADTDR) (Fresh media which influences retail depositors
collections from this cess averaged around separate, complement each other to Deposits are the key driver of LCR. We Deposits) by 259 bps, but WADTDR to follow suit.
maintain a safe and sound banking feel that the two proactive proposals are (Outstanding Deposits) by 185 bps. LCR tests a bank’s readiness to meet
₹12,000 crore every month in 2023-24 and system. far-sighted against the backdrop of Further, as an empirical study by the outflows for 30 days. However, even
the Centre and the States can benefit from LCR = [Total Stock of High-Quality proliferating popularity of IMB, even for Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation after LCR was operationalised, liquidity
the continuation of this levy, albeit with Liquid Assets (HQLAs)*100]/(Total Net smaller transactions. demonstrated, even while a bank imbroglio led to the crises in Silicon
more rational rates of taxes and in a Cash Outflows over the next 30 calendar Banks can easily accommodate the approached failure and tried to mobilise Valley Bank (US) and Credit Suisse,
different form. The GoM should keep the days) additional run-off factors proposed, as deposits at higher rates, there was where withdrawals took no time. In
LCR seeks to ensure that a bank has most banks have their LCR much above significant run-in of deposits along with India, the regulator is well prepared to
consumers in mind while suggesting the adequate stock of unencumbered the minimum requirement (Table 1). deposit run-off. deal with any serious drag on liquidity.
way forward. There is a strong case for HQLAs that can be converted into cash Nevertheless, banks have to accelerate However, if regulators overestimate The document titled “Basel III: The
retaining higher taxes on tobacco, pan easily and quickly to meet its liquidity their efforts to mobilise stable or outflows in LCR, banks could be forced Liquidity Coverage Ratio and liquidity
masala and related products to deter the needs under a 30-day liquidity stress non-callable deposits. to hold too much liquidity, introducing risk monitoring tools (January 2013)”
scenario. Unlike the 1980s and 1990s, banks inefficiencies into the financial system supports that deposit insurance bolsters
consumption of these products which have LCR helps improve the banking now purely depend on walk-in deposits by way of reduced credit availability. funding stability.
debilitating impact on health. Similarly, sector’s ability to absorb the financial or and canvassing via electronic means. In fact, this will be a double whammy In this context, the Indian deposit
there is a case for higher levy on coal to economic shocks and reduce the Banks have to revive their special for banks — slower deposit growth and insurance system needs to be
attain our sustainability goals. ‘contagion risk’, within and outside. deposit mobilisation campaigns for higher liquidity which may impact their overhauled in order to make it more
stable deposits for longer maturity future profitability. conducive to well-run banks and quicker
But the cess levied on motor vehicles INDIAN LCR FRAMEWORK periods. Currently deposits growth is resolution of troubled banks.
needs to be rationalised. While the cess on RBI issued the Indian framework for lagging credit growth which makes our MISSING EXPLANATIONS In sum, the draft guidelines constitute
small and medium sized cars is not too LCR requirements on June 9, 2014 for proposal apt. However, what isn’t clear in the draft a small sacrifice that banks should make
high, the compensation cess on larger cars all scheduled commercial banks Today, banks are financially in a good guidelines is that how much deposits today for a large gain, i.e., financial
ranges from 20 to 22 per cent, taking the [excluding Regional Rural Banks position to offer higher interest rates on accrue through IMB, and of these, how stability, in future. Nevertheless, a basic
(RRBs)]. much is stable and how much less stable. question remains: even if maintaining
overall GST levy to 50 per cent for these
vehicles. Some of these cars cannot be
Introduced in five phases starting Banks need to revive It is presumed that RBI must have the stipulated LCR logs Indian banking
January 1, 2015, the minimum LCR collected these data, and transparency to the international benchmarks, in
classified as luxury vehicles and are used by requirement stipulated by RBI is 100 per their special deposit requires their disclosure in the Final reality, are banks not considered as
the middle-class. Reducing the GST rates cent since January 1, 2019. mobilisation campaigns Guidelines. ‘too-big-to fail’ in the country?
With their establishment, Small Another question is whether IMB
on such goods of mass consumption can Finance Banks (SFBs) came under the for stable deposits for deposits are observed to be more Das is a former senior economist, SBI; and Rath a
increase demand, giving a boost to the framework. Currently, the LCR longer maturity periods volatile than the “bulk” deposits which former central banker. Views expressed are personal
automobile and ancillary industries.
Besides reviewing these levies, the rate
rationalisation committee should act
quickly on readjusting the GST slabs and
rationalising all the other GST rates too, to
make the entire regime simpler.
Adding spice to the value of Indian turmeric
If the GOM recommends higher levy on India can be a top turmeric supplier for global nutraceuticals. Standardised farming and post-harvest practices are a must
goods currently subject to compensation antibacterial, antifungal, Inadequate post-harvest processing:
cess, it should be mindful not to classify it Arpita Mukherjee anti-inflammatory, anticancer, Post-harvest processes, including
as cess. This is to ensure that the revenue Trishali Khanna antiseptic, antiallergic, and antiviral cleaning, drying, and curing, play a
earned from these goods are equitably agent. India is the largest producer of pivotal role in determining the final

T
he world is moving towards turmeric, globally. In FY2023-24, around quality of turmeric. Inefficient practices
shared between the Centre and the States. nutraceutical products and many 3.05 lakh hectares of land was under during this stage can result in
The sharing of revenue from these goods traditional Indian spices are now turmeric cultivation, producing over contamination, curcumin content loss,
should be on lines similar to other goods in global nutraceutical value chains. One 12.21 lakh tonnes and more than 75 per and product degradation.
and services under GST. This will ensure such example is that of turmeric, cent of global production. More than 30 To maintain leadership position in
scientifically known as Curcuma longa. varieties of turmeric are cultivated, each production and exports, India must
that States with a high consumption of Turmeric has been integral part of with different levels of curcumin. transition from being a primary supplier
luxury goods also enjoy commensurately India’s culture, cuisine, and traditional Many varieties, like Salem, Armoor, of raw turmeric for food, dye, etc., to
high GST revenue. medicine, like Ayurveda and Unani, for Sudarshana, etc., have less than 4 per TURMERIC. Export potential GOVARTHAN M become a leader in
centuries due to its preventive, cent curcumin content, with the high-value/high-curcumin content
therapeutic and curative properties. As curcumin content varying across implementation of good agriculture turmeric products. This strategic shift
global consumers increasingly embrace Geographic Indication (GI) products, practices (GAP): The fragmented farms necessitates a focus on quality,
POCKET RAVIKANTH holistic health practices, turmeric has
gained prominence in the nutraceutical
ranging from 2.5-4.5 per cent in Erode
Manjal (Tamil Nadu), 3.45 per cent in
with small-scale farmers employing
traditional methods, results in a lack of
innovation, branding, and the
development of value-added products.
market. Sangli (Maharashtra), to 6.12 per cent in standardisation in cultivation practices, To capitalise on the growing
Its main bioactive compound, Waigon (Maharashtra) and 6.8-7.5 per lack of implementation good practices. nutraceutical market, the key initiatives
curcumin, is widely used as a potent cent in Lakadong (Meghalaya). Varieties This has led to inconsistent quality and needed include providing farmers with
nutraceutical ingredient, in a variety of like Blue Turmeric (kali haldi), grown in lower curcumin levels. High use of inputs, training and knowledge for
products, from curcumin Andhra Pradesh, possesses significant pesticides, insecticides and lead in soil, high-curcumin varieties, investing in
capsules/tablets to golden milk or teas medicinal properties, making it valuable etc., can lead to product rejections by post-harvest infrastructure, R&D,
and functional smoothies. Major for nutraceuticals companies. importers. certification and branding,
companies, both domestic as well as Gaps in access to inputs: Indian sustainability and ethical practices,
multinational, have incorporated THE CHALLENGES farmers are facing difficulties in addressing bioavailability challenges,
turmeric into their product lines, Today, the production of high-curcumin accessing the right quality of seeds and and leveraging GI tags for turmeric
further expanding its global reach. content quality turmeric is limited, with inputs at competitive prices. There is a varieties. These measures can bolster
Curcumin, known as the “wonder India producing less than 10 per cent of need for more R&D to develop India’s position in the turmeric value
drug of life”, has numerous health the global need. We are unable to supply region-specific high-curcumin content chain.
benefits, such as healing wounds, an the quality required by global importers turmeric, improve cultivation practices
antidiabetic, antiangiogenic, due to three key factors: and develop more efficient processing Mukherjee is Professor and Khanna is Research
antithrombotic, antioxidant, Lack of standardisation and techniques. Assistant, ICRIER.

LETTERS TO EDITOR Send your letters by email to [email protected] or by post to ‘Letters to the Editor’, The Hindu Business Line, Kasturi Buildings, 859-860, Anna Salai, Chennai 600002.

EV confusion need government support to reach a Reserve Ratio (that is, Cash Reserve Health cover for elders should introduce more such
With reference to the news report sustainable scale. Ratio and Statutory Liquidity Ratio) This is with reference to the news schemes, and give wide publicity to
‘Cabinet clears new sop for EVs’, the We know that electric cars are less marginally, to release liquidity into report “Cabinet nod for Ayushman them, apart from making existing
Cabinet’s approval of measures than 10 per cent of total car sales the economy which in turn will health cover to senior citizens 70 and schemes more attractive.
boosting EVs is in contrast to the and electric charging infrastructure boost aggregate demand and above“ (September 12). In The government should enact laws
Road and Transport Minister’s has a long way to go. employment. developed countries, there are many granting pensions, medical
recent demand for the scrapping Bal Govind Needless to say, the deposit crunch state schemes for the elderly. insurance, and other facilities to
subsidies for EVs. Noida which the commercial banks However, in India, it is sad to see or elders who are financially weak.
Such inconsistencies does not bode confront today can be salvaged to read about elders left to fend for There should be more
well for both OEMs and auto Rate cut needed some extent by just relaxing one of themselves without any support government-run old-age homes
ancillaries. The new PM Electric Apropos the news report ‘Retail the quantitative instruments of from society or children. In this where the elders should be looked
Drive Revolution in Innovative inflation expected to remain below credit control — the LRR. backdrop, Ayushman health after with love and care.
vehicle enhancement does not 4% in August’ (September 12). One S Ramakrishnasayee coverage for senior citizens is a Veena Shenoy
cover electric cars but they also feels, the RBI can reduce the Legal Chennai welcome move. The government Thane

Published by Nirmala Lakshman and Printed by Praveen Someshwar at HT Media Ltd. Plot No.8, Udyog Vihar, Greater Noida Distt. Gautam Budh Nagar, U.P.201306, on behalf of THG PUBLISHING PVT. LTD. Chennai-600002. Editor: Raghuvir Srinivasan (Editor responsible for selection of news under the PRP Act). ISSN 0971 - 7528

CM
YK . . . . . . . . ND-NDE
think . bl . 7
DELHI

businessline.
FRIDAY - SEPTEMBER 13 - 2024

On the research runway


The Prime Minister is leading from the front
SK SARKAR

M
S Vaidhyasubramaniam ore than 40 per cent of
India is arid and

O
n the advice of Prime semi-arid with erratic
Minster Narendra Modi, and scanty rainfall
the issue regarding GST leading to water
on research grants to universities stress/scarcity situations that impact
has been sorted out. The Finance lives and livelihoods in these regions.
Ministry has decided to exempt With climate change, the rainfall pattern
GST on universities created by is changing and water shortage is visible
Central or State legislatures, and in many parts of the country. Also, there
other universities exempted are wide spatial and temporal variations
under Section 35 of the Income in the distribution of water. Eighty per
Tax Act. For the academia, this is a cent of rainfall occurs in nearly four
perfect gift on the eve of the first COMMITTED. To foster research months of the year.
Anusandhan National Research A NITI Aayog study (2019) estimates
Foundation (ANRF) meeting semiconductor manufacturing that by 2050, water availability (supply)
under the Chairmanship of the excellence. To scale the workforce in India will reduce to half of the RITU RAJ KONWAR

Prime Minister. at all levels — R&D, engineers and demand. Thus, demand side water
Also, the Prime Minister’s
efforts to leapfrog India’s
progress in high-tech and
emerging technologies continues
with the Semicon 2024 and Global
technicians — the Prime Minister
has committed ₹1 lakh crore
funding under ANRF to enhance
research capabilities, clearly
aligning with ANRF’s MAHA
management is extremely important.
For many years, water was considered
a free or non-economic good such as air.
However, due to exponential growth of
population, increased food demand,
Water pricing should
Bio-India 2024 events — a cause
for further cheer for Indian
academia.

PATH-BREAKING REFORMS
The first governing body meeting
momentum for semiconductors.
As the Prime Minister shared
India’s ambition to reach $500
billion in electronics sector
business and create six million
jobs by the end of the decade, the
lifestyle changes, and high economic
growth, water is now considered an
economic good in addition to being a
social good in some cases. The UN
Dublin Principle (1992) emphasised on
the importance of economic value of
reflect its true value
of ANRF on September 10 saw the ANRF + Semicon combo is a game water in general and irrigation water in MAKE IT COUNT. Every State must have a Water Regulatory Authority,
launch of path-breaking reforms, changing tech-formula. particular. which should ideally follow the volumetric system of pricing
announcing the ushering in of Moving beyond chips to If water is treated as an economic
world-class research at India’s biotech, the Prime Minister’s good, some price should be attached to
universities, colleges, research participation in the Global it. Domestic water and water for crops with respect to flow irrigation and criticality of aquifers. Groundwater trading ensures water entitlement and
institutions and R&D laboratories Bio-India 2024 summit is another industries are charged, but irrigation lift irrigation; for sugarcane, the rate for rates are applicable to category of areas flexibility for users to buy and sell water
for achieving global capabilities research signal. water is considered a non-merit good, lift irrigation is ₹2,965.16 per hectare, (i.e., safe, semi-critical, critical, allocations.
and competitiveness. The The BioE3 (Biotechnology for often supported by government funds. and for flow irrigation it is ₹988.39 per over-exploited). For example, if the
Partnerships for Accelerated Economy, Environment and The National Water Policy (NWP) hectare. For manurial crops in quantum of withdrawal is up to 50 FUTURE STEPS
Innovation and Research (PAIR) Employment) policy that was 1987 mandated that water rates should Karnataka, for lift irrigation it is ₹74.13 m3/day, the abstraction charges for safe First, the concept of water as an
aim at building coherent synergy recently announced is India’s convey the scarcity value of the resource per hectare and for flow irrigation, areas is ₹1 per m3, and for overexploited economic good should be adopted in all
between top, middle and low rung transformational leap, to position to users, foster motivation for economy ₹37.06 . area (existing industries), ₹8 per m3. cases; the cost recovery in irrigation
institutions to create a ripple itself as a global biotech in water use, and cover annual operation In the case of groundwater, while 20 However, the largest consumer, sector should cover O&M costs and at
effect across the higher-end powerhouse. and maintenance (O&M) costs and a States/UTs (Maharashtra, Rajasthan, agriculture, is not under the net of least 1 per cent interest on capital
research ecosystem. The policy aims to promote part of fixed cost for irrigation works. etc) follow Central Ground Water groundwater regulation. employed, as recommended by the
The Mission for Advancement economic, environmental and The NWP 2002 suggested that water Authority (CGWA) regulation, 16 erstwhile Planning Commission.
in High-impact Areas (MAHA) employment enrichment with a rates should cover at least O&M cost States/UTs follow Ground Water INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE Second, a volumetric pricing system
has rightly identified electric focus on underserved geographies initially and part of capital costs Regulation set by States. In most cases, Many countries follow volumetric water in irrigation sector should be
vehicles, mobility and advanced with a focus on subsequently. The rates should be linked there is no coherence between State and pricing. It ensures economic efficiency if implemented. Incentive should be given
materials for the initial bio-manufacturing. The policy to the quality of service provided. Central guidelines. For groundwater, processes are kept at marginal cost of for using water-efficient technologies
priority-driven research, with will build a conducive Subsidy on water rates should be there is no pricing in both rural and water. In the case of domestic, industrial such as drip/sprinkler irrigation in
more such areas in the pipeline. environment that would foster well-targeted and transparent. The urban areas for drinking and domestic and commercial use of water, OECD agriculture. A National Irrigation Water
The ANRF Centre of innovation, support R&D and NWP 2012 suggested that in order to purposes, for agriculture activities, and countries levy uniform volumetric Policy should be framed after extensive
Excellence (ACE) was also build India’s strength in the global meet equity, efficiency and economic for micro and small enterprises drawing charges. Many other countries follow deliberations with States.
announced to create a world-class biotechnology market; India’s principles, water pricing should, as a groundwater of less than 10 cum/day. the two-part tariff (fixed and volumetric Third, more and more users of
research centre with cutting-edge biotechnology market is poised to rule, be determined on volumetric basis. For others, groundwater rates are components) norm. The volumetric groundwater should be brought under
infrastructure and funding to touch $300 billion by 2030. Global linked to the quantum of withdrawal and pricing system is followed in the US, the ambit of water pricing. Volumetric
support globally competitive Bio-India will deliberate on the NORMS FOLLOWED BY STATES Jordan, the UK, Australia and France for pricing should be introduced for all uses
research. Interdisciplinary and opportunities and key challenges Per NWP 2012, water pricing should be The concept of water as irrigation water. In India, in contrast, including irrigation. There should be
fundamental research completes in the areas of bio-manufacturing, under the domain of the Water an economic good should there is only area- or crop-based pricing incentive for adopting metering of
the comprehensive vision of for achieving a growth-oriented Regulatory Authority (WRA). There are with flat rates. infrastructure, for water conservation,
ANRF in its first meeting, which roadmap for the biotechnology no independent WRAs in many States be adopted in all cases; In the case of groundwater, and for introducing water audit-based
also assured an ease of doing sector. and, as a result, the mechanism of fixing the cost recovery in volumetric water pricing is adopted in credit.
research mechanism to increase Beginning with the GST water charges is ad hoc, China, South Africa, Australia, Israel, And, finally, all States should have a
research output. exemption on research grants and non-consultative and non-transparent. irrigation sector should Chile. In South Africa, there is seasonal WRA and their mandate on pricing for
A tellingly visible manifestation continuing with ANRF, Semicon Revision of water rates by States is often cover O&M costs and at pricing based on groundwater various water users should be ensured.
of ANRF’s vision could be seen and Global Bio-India, the research outdated; in Kerala, for 47 years there availability, and incentive for adopting
during the Prime Minister’s runway signals are clear for a were no changes in water rates. In least 1 per cent interest on water saving practices. In Australia, The writer is a Distinguished Fellow, TERI, New Delhi,
inaugural address at the Semicon smooth take-off with no mid-air Karnataka, there are water rates for 16 capital employed market-based mechanism such as water and a former Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources
2024 event. turbulence and for a smoother
The Prime Minister spoke on landing for India to reach its new
behalf of not only the government research destination.
but also the semiconductor
industry with a deep sense of
positivism, assuring the world of
India’s march towards global
The writer is Vice-Chancellor & Tata Sons
Chair Professor of Management, SASTRA
University. Views are personal
Transition bonds can drive India’s net-zero ambitions
Arjun Goswami and gas, which are traditionally heavy green credentials of transition projects
Aditya Rathore emitters of carbon dioxide, thereby and encourage greater participation
Vrinda Nargas facilitating businesses in making a from private investors and
thehindu businessline. smooth transition from their current consequently companies in climate

D
uring the COP26 summit in high-carbon operation to their future transition-related initiatives. The
Glasgow, India set an low-carbon goals. The uses of the announcement in the Budget this year
TWENTY YEARS AGO TODAY. ambitious target to achieve proceeds from these bonds can include regarding the development of a climate
net-zero by 2070. For faster phasing-in funding improvements in existing finance taxonomy is a vital step in this
September 13, 2004 of renewable energy, there is a need of energy infrastructure to make it TRANSITION FUNDS. Vital for net-zero direction. It will provide a fillip to the
financing the climate transition. Green compatible with renewable energy green finance market in India.
IDBI may not get go-ahead for PSU bank acquisition debt instruments are playing a crucial sources such as wind or solar energy as framework and terminology. At this juncture, it is apposite to
According to senior officials of the Finance Ministry, IDBI might not be allowed role in this endeavour. However, there well as funding energy efficiency It is the need of the hour to create a point towards the Japanese example of
to take over another bank since it could alter the unique character that it is is also a need to provide the capital measures that reduce overall energy standardised framework which will transition bonds. The Japanese
committed to maintain. “ The mandate of IDBI is to retain its development necessary for industries to finance the demand. make it easier to identify, support, and government issued its first tranche of
financial institution (DFI) characteristic as its core activity. The DFI character shift from high-carbon to low-carbon invest in projects that align with climate transition bonds earlier this
might alter if it takes over another commercial bank,” a senior official said. operations. This will lead to cleaner LACUNAE IN FRAMEWORK national and global climate transition year in February, which are expected to
industrial operations. In this regard, The Securities and Exchange Board of goals. This includes clearly defining bring in private sector investments in
More steps soon to check inflation: Chidambaram transition bonds merit attention. India, vide circular ‘Additional what constitutes a transition project carbon-intensive industries and fund
A day after the Reserve Bank of India raised the cash reserve ratio (CRR) to While there exists a wide variety of requirements for the issuers of and the criteria for evaluating the decarbonisation initiatives.
check excess liquidity, the Finance Minister, Mr P Chidambaram, said more green debt instruments, they are all transition bonds’, issued in May 2023, environmental impact of projects. For transition bonds and transition
measured steps will be taken to contain inflation from shooting up due to typically used to fund projects that are has set out regulations that govern the Additionally, the projects financed finance to be successful, they must be
external factors – especially the unbridled surge in global crude oil prices. already environment-friendly or have issuance and trading of transition through these bonds must contribute supported by strong policy frameworks
identified environmental benefits. bonds, disclosures regarding transition to India’s net-zero target. and adequate financial mechanisms.
Toyota plans to launch Indianised Innova next year Transition bonds, a sub-set of green plans and progress in the Such a framework is essential for
Toyota-Kirloskar is expected to launch Innova, the crossover passenger vehicle, bonds, are of particular significance as implementation of such plans. allaying concerns regarding Goswami is Director – Public Policy, Rathore is Senior
in India early next year. The Innova, launched in Indonesia early this month, will they can support the gradual shift of However, there are still issues green-washing and transparency. This Associate, and Nargas is Associate, Cyril Amarchand
be modified to suit Indian conditions. Innova is part of the international industries like steel, cement, and oil concerning the lack of a well-defined will inspire greater confidence in the Mangaldas
multi-purpose vehicle platform (IMV), for which Toyota-Kirloskar Auto Parts is
supplying transmission parts.

BL TWO-WAY CROSSWORD 2525


EASY NOT SO EASY
ACROSS DOWN ACROSS DOWN
1. A contrivance (11) 1. Thronged (7) 1. Contrivance that might contain port (11) 1. Cord we'd had to use with so many people there (7)
8. Relating to sight (5) 2. Court game (7) 8. With which publican measures tip company 2. Game may be bent and everything (7)
9. Pushed with the bent arm (7) 3. Pleated frilling (5) put out (5) 3. Make her cut the end off and trim it with a frill (5)
10. Form of speech peculiar to 4. Pleasing, attractive (6) 9. Nudged out below somehow by editor (7) 4. Try pet out if it's so attractive (6)
district (7) 5. Drank in, absorbed (7) 10. Local language form used by idle cat (7) 5. Drank with me and used bib I'd provided (7)
11. Two-footed creature (5) 6. At present (3) 11. Being two-footed, one needs first patient in bed (5) 6. Having beaten up at this time (3)
12. Turkish robe; type of sleeve (6) 7. Lost colour (5) 12. Kind of sleeve fashioned from almond (6) 7. Fellow dead wrong to have lost strength (5)
14. Makes fit or suitable (6) 13. Piece of valuable old 14. Changes to fit pads at putting them out (6) 13. Something old and quaint about the East (7)
18. Quilt (5) furniture (7) 18. It may cover one lying in piece for two that 15. Saying it has a moral lesson for senior scout in
19. Float used to support 15. Saying, maxim (7) involves five (5) non-u pub (7)
bridge (7) 16. Meaning what one says (7) 19. Bust over twenty-one in bridge? (7) 16. Unfeigned, from the time that it joined the Engineers (7)
21. Card game (7) 17. To each individually (6) 21. Quiz and bee in form two, three or four can play (7) 17. A portion given to each individual (6)
23. Large birds (5) 18. Exclude, don't allow in (5) 23. Brent birds come out of these eggs backwards (5) 18. Don't allow one in with ragged beard (5)
24. Can be stopped 20. Darkness (5) 24. It can be stopped happening with parking: a belt 20. Sir abandoned by king as it got dark (5)
happening (11) 22. Strike, destroy, kill (3) never alters (11) 22. Use remote control in Monza perhaps (3)

SOLUTION: BL TWO-WAY CROSSWORD 2524


ACROSS 1. Application 8. Monastic 9. Kilo 10. Crepe 13. Dupe 16. Core 17. Past 18. Seer 20. Latch 24. Only 25. Strumpet 26. Malapropism
DOWN 2. Pint: 3. Laser 4. Crimp 5. Irked 6. Imprecision 7. Domesticate 11. Equal 12. Exalt 14. Unau 15. Free 19. Royal 21. Alter 22. Chump 23. Epos

CM
YK ... . . . . . . ND-NDE
>
OPINION 9
STAY INFORMED THROUGH THE DAY @ WWW.BUSINESS-STANDARD.COM

ILLUSTRATION: AJAY MOHANTY


VOLUME XXXI NUMBER 128
25 have adopted a single rate of tax, and it is rare to
NEW DELHI | FRIDAY, 13 SEPTEMBER 2024 find countries with more than two rates, aside from
India. Multiple rates create classification disputes,
A new drive introduce anomalies in terms of inverted duty struc-
tures, and induce unintended changes and resource
allocations, besides increasing compliance and
Schemes should improve EV adoption administrative complexity. Unfortunately, the GST

T
o promote the use of electric vehicles (EVs) in the country, which is Network does not provide rate-wise revenue collec-
crucial for reducing carbon emission, the Union Cabinet approved two tions, but the information collected from Karnataka
shows that more than 75 per cent of GST revenue in
schemes on Wednesday with an allocation of over ~14,000 crore. The

Tyranny of the status


2023-24 accrued from two rates — 12 per cent and 18
PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM per cent. A back-of-the-envelope calculation shows
E-DRIVE) scheme with an allocation of ~10,900 crore over two years will replace that combining these two rates into a 15 per cent rate
the earlier Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles will be revenue-neutral. Similarly, limiting the 28 per
(FAME) scheme, which started in 2015 with an initial allocation of ~900 crore. cent rate to demerit goods would free the construction
The second version of the scheme, which ended last financial year, had a Budget
allocation of ~11,500 crore. The new schemes are expected to improve the adoption
of EVs in the country and build on the success of the previous initiatives. Given
that the initial cost of EVs is higher than those operating on internal combustion
quo in GST reform and passenger vehicles industry from the excessive
burden, and can improve the labour-intensive con-
struction sector and passenger car services sectors.
Even if some revenue is sacrificed on this account,
engines, fiscal support is seen as a necessity to improve adoption. The reluctance to undertake comprehensive rate this could be offset by pruning the large list of exempt-
ed items and increasing the 5 per cent rate to 6 per
The PM E-DRIVE scheme is expected to support about 2.47 million electric
two-wheelers, 316,000 electric three-wheelers, and other emerging EVs with incen- rationalisation, fearing revenue loss, is short-sighted cent. Thus, effectively, the number of rates can be
reduced to two with an additional rate on sumptuary
tives worth ~2,679 crore. Under the scheme, ~500 crore each has been allocated for

T
he GST Council meetings have become costs associated with taxes — collection costs, or demerit goods without sacrificing revenue.
the increased adoption of electric trucks and electric ambulances. Further, ~4,391 routine, tinkering with goods and services compliance costs, and economic distortion — are Another major reform needed to make the tax sys-
crore has been assigned for procuring 14,028 electric buses in select cities. Besides, tax (GST) rates and making minor adminis- minimised. This is the right time to embark on the tem comprehensive and competitive is the inclusion
~2,000 crore has been allocated for over 74,000 public charging stations. In addition, trative changes as needed by the exigencies, rather directional change in the tax system because major of petroleum products and electricity in the GST base.
the PM-eBus Sewa-Payment Security Mechanism (PSM) scheme, with an outlay of than transforming the tax structure towards the reforms are best implemented when the economy In 2019-20, excise duty on petroleum products
~3,435.33 crore, will focus on procuring and operating e-buses by public transport best-practice approach. is on an upswing to ensure revenue buoyancy. accounted for 29 per cent of the Centre's consumption
authorities. The scheme is expected to deploy over 38,000 electric buses between The Council seems to take a short-term view that Indeed, global experience with value added tax tax revenues. The sales tax on petroleum products
the current year and 2028-29. The scheme will also support the operation of such the system has stabilised, stakeholders are well- (VAT) reforms has shown that there is no “one-size- in the non-special category states was almost 53 per
buses for 12 years from the date of deployment. acquainted with and have accepted the system, and fits-all” model; each country adopts a structure and cent, varying from 36 per cent in Bihar to 61 per cent
decisions are made merely to address immediate administration that best suits its unique conditions in Telangana. The exclusion penalises exporters, as
Aside from supporting electric two-wheelers, the focus this time is on increasing
needs and introduce minor corrections. There is and is acceptable to its stakeholders. Nevertheless, they cannot zero-rate the input taxes on transport
adoption in the commercial-vehicle space. There is no provision for electric cars, no attempt to take a long-term view to direct the most countries adhere to certain general principles used in the production and distribution processes.
for instance. The focus on commercial vehicles makes sense and might give more structure towards minimising the three costs asso- to minimise the three costs mentioned above. The Besides, it renders the tax base narrow as the entire
value for fiscal support in terms of emission reduction because they tend to be more ciated with taxes, namely, collection important general principles recom- transport sector, except for air travel and air-condi-
polluting. More electric trucks carrying goods in Delhi, for example, could provide costs, compliance costs, and eco- mended by most experts are: (i) aim tioned and first-class train travel, is exempted.
significant relief. Similarly, electric buses in public transport will help reduce pollution nomic distortions. Implicit in this for a global tax with few exemptions In general, there is resistance to change, and that
in several Indian cities because they would be largely replacing diesel-run buses. way of thinking is also the fear of and exclusions; (ii) focus the tax sys- is particularly true of the tax system. As stated by Paul
Central budgetary support to the public transport authority is significant because losing revenue and the lack of basic tem primarily on revenue generation, Johnson and David Miles of the Institute of Fiscal
most of them are in losses and not in a position to make significant investment. It is research to support the improved rather than using it to achieve too Studies while reviewing the report on tax reform in
thus important that their contribution remains limited. The focus on charging tax structure without compromising many other goals; (iii) maintain a rea- the UK by a Committee chaired by James Mirrless,
revenue. Not surprisingly, the sonably high threshold to target the “…In the real world, the proposals for tax reform are
stations should also help adoption. As reported by Business Standard, an EV-charging
Council meeting held on September “whales” rather than the “minnows”, constrained by politics. Those who lose from tax
company has collaborated with the Indian postal service to launch an EV-charging
9 made only incremental changes, as this will serve to minimise admin- reforms tend to be vengeful and those who gain, tend
station at a post office in Hyderabad. More such effort will need to be supported. such as exempting the import of ser- istrative costs and help to make the to be ungrateful. This can lead to tax policy, perhaps
Post offices mostly have a presence in prime locations and setting up EV-charging
stations on available land can be a win-win proposition.
vices by foreign airlines, reducing
rates on cancer drugs and helicopter
POLICY PILLARS tax more equitable; (iv) avoid multiple
rates to evolve a simple structure to
more than any other policy, to a tyranny of status quo”.
The GST Council has appointed a group of ministers
A new feature in the PM E-DRIVE scheme will be the Aadhaar-authenticated rides, and setting up two groups of M GOVINDA RAO minimise administrative, compli- to review the rate structure and recommend changes.
e-voucher for buyers. The voucher, to be issued to the buyer by the Ministry of ministers to examine life and health ance, and distortion costs; (v) do not However, very little progress has been made in this
Heavy Industries, will need to be signed by the buyer and submitted to the insurance premiums and the compensation cess. collect more information than is required and can be regard, partly because, in the absence of credible
dealer, who will also have to sign and upload it to claim the demand incentive. The prevailing GST structure is sub-optimal and processed; (vi) actively encourage good record-keep- research, no one is willing to risk revenue. The argu-
While the initiative will help identify the ultimate beneficiary, it would be impor- needs major reforms if we want to make it compet- ing and aim for the long-term goal of self-assessment. ment that the people have come to accept the rate
tant to make sure that the platform works seamlessly and funds are transferred itive while ensuring revenue productivity. India’s The experience also shows that if some “bad” features structure and, therefore, there is no need for any major
aspiration to become a developed country by the such as too high or too low thresholds, overly extensive change is short-sighted and does not consider the
quickly. Disruption and delay could affect dealers, ultimately affecting EV sales.
middle of this century requires having a competitive exemptions, or multiple rates are adopted as a political invisible economic damage caused by the distortions.
For a successful rollout, the government should carefully handle issues such as tax system with minimal cascading effect. It is compromise or for reasons of acceptability in the first Hopefully, rate rationalisation and measures to make
indigenisation and price ceilings, which affected the earlier scheme. important to reform the tax system to steer it towards place, they may not be easy to remove later. the GST comprehensive will be taken up sooner.
international best practices to have a broad base, At the heart of the reform is the urgent need for

A safe place for women


lower and less differentiated rates, and a simple and rate rationalisation. Since 2000, of the 31 countries The writer, a former director of NIPFP, was a member of the
transparent structure. In such a system, the three that have implemented VAT in one form or another, Fourteenth Finance Commission. The views are personal

Military needs greater gender sensitisation

New smart cities: Packing more punch


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ccusations of rape and sexual harassment by a wing commander posted
at the Indian Air Force Station, Srinagar, underscore the urgent need for
greater gender sensitisation in the security and armed forces, which have

I
started admitting women in larger numbers. The Air Force admits women ndian policymakers have been striving to attract cient condition. And so, it is in the context of pro- ~2,400 crore per location. It is understood that state
in combat roles, so the issue of integration is not merely a social necessity but a investment in manufacturing over decades. viding a far superior enabling ecosystem that these governments are to provide land and also their share
security imperative as well. The fact that the victim had to approach the Jammu However, the share of manufacturing in gross 12 new destinations should seek to pack in more of capital expenditure (capex). But all this together
and Kashmir Police for redress points to the multiple organisational deficiencies domestic product (GDP), at 16-18 per cent, is a far cry punch than hitherto available destinations. will just about cover the capex of external develop-
from expectations that it would touch 25 per cent Here are seven suggestions that pack in more punch. ment charges. So, creative PPP (public-private part-
that led to this outcome. The victim’s complaint reportedly showed that the base
around India@75. A few high-profile investment Plug and play: A “plug and play” environment nership) formats must be structured to draw in private
reflected all the infirmities of a male-dominated work environment. First, she stated,
announcements recently in electronics, chip making, replete with all the procedural relaxations associated capital in core, supporting and social infrastructure
the sexual assault followed two years of harassment and mental torture by the batteries, et al have received attention. But overall, the with “ease of doing business” would be essential. development, and even O&M (operations and main-
authorities. The victim said her complaint of a sexual assault after a New Year’s requirements of a significant uptick in manufacturing Each location must create facilitation centres, which tenance). The interest of some countries to participate
party at the Officers’ Mess on January 1 this year was not taken seriously. investments remain an ongoing policy challenge. demonstrate practically the reforms that keep getting as co-developers should be seriously pursued.
It took more than two months for the station to assemble an internal complaints Over the past few years, the government has tried announced from the power portals of New Delhi. Coastal economic zones (CEZ): To boost India’s
committee and due process appeared to be seriously compromised. A medical a variety of interventions, such as the PLI (produc- Social infrastructure: For too long, the “social” needs manufacturing competitiveness with a view to
examination was also conducted only at the victim’s insistence, that too on the tion-linked incentive) scheme, National Logistics of employees and their families have been neglected exporting, the big unaddressed idea is still that of
last day of the investigation. The committee’s verdict that the complaint was incon- Policy, Gati Shakti, Cluster Development, Industrial in industrial estates. A parallel plan to incentivise set- CEZs. Back in 2015, Arvind Panagariya, then heading
clusive for lack of eyewitnesses is also astonishing; sexual encounters, especially Corridors, ease of doing business, and capital ting up schools, hospitals, parklands, retail, leisure the NITI Aayog, advocated the bold idea of setting
non-consensual ones, are unlikely to be conducted openly. The victim is also subsidies for investment to come in. Now, further and entertainment facilities should be an integral up massive CEZs exemplified by Chinese examples,
to these attempts, the announcement about devel- part of a holistically planned development agenda. structured as free trade zones, much like what GIFT
reported to have claimed that one witness for the prosecution had been pressured
oping 12 industrial smart cities (ISCs) comes as a Smart utilities: “Smart” industrial cities built in the City in Ahmedabad is for the financial sector. These
to leave the base and other witnesses had been “tutored”, again a common problem turbo-charger. The Cabinet middle of the 21st century must nec- CEZs, with a hassle-free regulatory environment,
when the perpetrator happens to be a person in a position of power. Committee on Economic Affairs, on essarily incorporate “smart utilities”. were to be the springboard for India’s massive leap
The lack of action by the hastily convened internal complaints committee August 27, cleared public investment These include circularity in liquid into labour-intensive, value-added exports. It is still
compelled the victim to approach the police, which had booked the officer con- of ~28,602 crore to develop 12 ISCs and solid waste management as well not too late to pursue this suggestion.
cerned. India now has a proud record of recruiting more women in its paramilitary in six major industrial corridors as the full complement of green ener- India has a long history of trying to attract manu-
and military forces. Over 9,000 women serve in the three branches of the defence across 10 states. The locations are: gy, and ICT technologies available. facturing investment by creating specialised enclaves.
services and both the Indian Army and Navy are required to follow gender-neutral l Five cities along the Amritsar- Integration and convergence: This The socialist era saw industrial estates sprouting in
career progression policies. Nevertheless, women are still a notable minority in Kolkata Industrial Corridor: will mean the existing policies for almost every state, many of them decrepit and fallow
these organisations. For instance, women account for just about 12 per cent of the (Rajpura-Patiala in Punjab, Khurpia the National Single Window System, today. This was followed by cluster development
in Uttarakhand, Agra and Prayagraj One District One Product, Sagarmala, efforts and smart cities. The private sector then was
police forces against a mandated 33 per cent, causing the home ministry to issue
in Uttar Pradesh, and Gaya in Bihar). AMRUT, Smart Cities, Swachh motivated to come in and the likes of Mahindra and
advisories to increase the representation of women. Even if the prevalence of
women in these forces were to rise — some states like Bihar and Tamil Nadu have
l Two cities along the Delhi-
Mumbai industrial corridor:
INFRATALK Bharat, Jal Shakti, Awas Yojana, Skill
Development Centres, the revised
Sricity industrial enclaves do stand out as notable
successes. The DMICDC attempted seven new loca-
over a 20 per cent presence — the culture embedded in these hitherto (Jodhpur-Pali in Rajasthan and VINAYAK CHATTERJEE SEZ (special economic zone) scheme, tions. The SEZ movement created a significant buzz,
all-male organisations is unlikely to diminish anytime soon. Dighi in Maharashtra). Challenge Fund for Cities and other and unfortunately petered out and produced the still
This fact only underlines the urgent need to introduce more intensive gender- l Four in the Industrial Corridors of Vizag-Chennai, energy, and telecom and public transport schemes born DESH (Development of Enterprise and Service
sensitisation programmes in these organisations and ensure that bases and stations Hyderabad-Bengaluru, Hyderabad-Nagpur, and must all converge seamlessly. Multi-modalism and Hubs) Bill, 2023. And now we have these 12 ISCs.
are not only safe places for women to work in but senior staff members are responsive Chennai-Bengaluru (Kopparthy and Orvakal in inland container depots too need inclusion. Overall, these 12 ISCs should be given priority
to complaints of sexual harassment and assault. Indeed, almost no military Andhra Pradesh, Zaheerabad in Telangana, and Learning from past initiatives: The first genera- by both the central and state governments. But
organisation in the world that has admitted women, especially in combat roles, has Palakkad in Kerala). tion of seven Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor they must be seen to be markedly different from
been immune to the problem of sexual harassment and it has taken considerable The name of one more city has not yet been Development Corporation (DMICDC) industrial des- earlier attempts.
revealed on account of the model code of conduct tinations like Dholera and Shendra-Bidkin have yet They must strive to pack more punch.
pushback from women to force their services to create gender-sensitive policies
in force currently. to develop to their full potential. These projects have
and environments. The US military, for instance, employs psychologists trained in There is no doubt that efforts of this nature pro- faced issues related to land acquisition and rehabil- The writer is founder and managing trustee of The
preventing sexual assault and associated harmful behaviour in the ranks. Without vide a strong signal of the government’s continuing itation, delays in infrastructure development, and Infravision Foundation (TIF) and chairman of the
such conducive policies, India’s ambition to emulate the best-in-class military and and committed efforts to bolster manufacturing lack of coordination among multiple stakeholders. Confederation of Indian Industry’s National Council on
paramilitary forces in terms of gender neutrality is likely to be a distant dream. investment. But it needs emphasis that availability Attract private capital as co-developers: The Infrastructure. He would like to acknowledge inputs from
of industrial locations is a necessary but not a suffi- ~28,602 crore central allocation averages around Jagan Shah, CEO, TIF

Why Palestine dies pointing out that the “late 1980s and
early 1990s were a time of hope in the
world.” The Berlin Wall had fallen.
Apartheid in South Africa had ended.
the British but it was the latter who
helped create a Jewish state. The
narrative that Israel propagates is two-
pronged: First, the evidence of the
October 2023 killings, leading
major donors to withhold their
funding to UNRWA, which provides
services to nearly 6 million Palestinian
areas were defined as Israeli Regional
Councils and included within Israel.
How in 2003 Israel began building the
Separation Wall, which was used to
Shehadeh. The winner of the 2008 So why, he asks, did the resolution of Jewish land in the holy Bible; second, refugees in three countries and in the divide Palestinian communities and
Orwell Prize, Mr Shehadeh delivered long-standing endemic injustices “the sympathy in the wake of one of the Occupied Territories, including inhibit freedom of movement. How the
two lectures titled “The Danger or elsewhere not inspire the Israeli worst atrocities in modern history, the eastern Jerusalem.” land planning schemes were amended to
Peace: What Does Israel Fear from government to end the occupation of Holocaust” that it leverages. Alongside the political history of the favour Israeli Jews, so that one area after
Palestine?” and “Does Israel Fear Peace? the Occupied Palestinian Territories, In the absence of a centralised voice Israel-Palestine conflict, Mr Shehadeh another became, to all intents and
Reflections on the Failures of resolve outstanding issues between against the oppression weaves in his personal purposes, annexed to Israel, and our
BOOK REVIEW International Law and Human Rights, Palestinians and Israelis and usher and violence that What Does
Israel Fear
history. He writes, “I towns and villages were left as islands
and on Sources of Hope” in 2016 and in a lasting peace? Israel was inflicting on remember how my within those Israelis extensions, fulfilling
SAURABH SHARMA 2017, respectively. The former was at Principally, he says, there was the Palestinian
from grandmother, who Ariel Sharon’s promise made in the early
Palestine?
Ritsumeikan University, Japan, and the either a lack of interest on the part of population – until the was forced out of Jaffa 1980s that Israel was going to create ‘an
Author: Raja

“A
t least 100,000 Palestinians latter was at the School of Oriental and the international fraternity or it Palestinian Liberation in April 1948, would entirely different map of the country’.”
have been forcibly displaced, African Studies. His latest book — favoured Israel because doing so helped Organisation (PLO) Shehadeh look at the lights on Not only the erasure of territory
many not for the first time, a primer of sorts —is a revised and their strategic interests. Other than was formed in the Publisher: the horizon across the but the destruction of institutes such
from Deir el-Balah in the past few days, extended version of the two talks. that, storytelling has played a crucial 1960s — the Profile Books hills from Ramallah as universities, books, and monuments
with some not even able to find space to The co-founder of a human rights role in the persecution of Palestinians international Pages: 128 and believe she was is also underway. Towards the end
set up tents as the Israeli military keeps organisation for Palestinians, Al-Haq, — a tactic that every settler-coloniser community Price: ~299 looking at the lights of of the book, Mr Shehadeh invokes
shrinking the tiny Gaza Strip,” notes one Mr Shehadeh offers “new ways to think employs to hold sway over people and swallowed the fictions Jaffa.” Such the Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer
of Al Jazeera’s latest reports on the war about” the Israel-Palestine conflict in mobilise support. created by the Israelis. references to suggest that countering false
that Israel has waged on Gaza. this book. Divided into two parts, this Mr Shehadeh describes 1948, An example Mr Shehadeh highlights is rehumanise the Palestinian struggle. propaganda requires people to
Alongside the theatre of violence that brief account not only serves as a record the year Israel was formed and which as follows: Because the United Nations Mr Shehadeh, who has been studying continue to tell their story, to preserve
Gaza has become, is the near-inaction of of gross violation of the human rights of the Palestinians call the Nakba Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), “the development of Israeli legal their map. “If I must die/you must
the international community. Palestinian people but is also a befitting (catastrophe), as “year zero” in which whose full name includes “for language in the West Bank” for the last 25 live/to tell my story. /If I must die/let it
There are any number of exceptional reminder that no other actor can not only did the ethnic cleansing and Palestinian Refugees in the Near East”, years notes “how the Israeli state has bring hope,/ let it be a tale.”
accounts explaining how the Israel- effectively intervene to mediate peace displacement of Palestinians take place was set up to provide relief to been extended into the Occupied
Palestine conflict reached this stage. between the two parties. but the “entire history of Palestine” was Palestinian refugees, Israel has always Territories through the acquisition of The reviewer is a Delhi-based writer and
But few people have been as In the first part, titled “How Did We rewritten. Interestingly, Israel celebrates tried to attack it. It “accused ten UNRWA land and its registration in the Israel freelance journalist.
argumentative as writer and lawyer Raja Get Here?”, Mr Shehadeh begins by 1948 as “its war of independence” from employees of participating in the 7 Land Authority. I have seen how large On Instagram/X: @writerly_life
16 NEW DELHI
FRIDAY
SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

Opinion

{ OUR TAKE }
E S TA B L I S H E D IN 1 9 24

If Dhaka wants Delhi


Trade-off in to extradite Hasina
Lakshadweep Bangladesh may read the
law in its favour, but the
call on the former
desh Extradition Treaty signed by the share the evidence of the offence was
Sheikh Hasina government in 2013. done away with in 2016 to expedite
Section 12(2) of the 1962 Extradition the extradition of the accused.
Act extends the relevant parts of Thus, India is under a legal obliga-
Plans to push tourism in the islands will need Bangladesh PM’s India’s extradition law to Bangladesh. tion to extradite Sheikh Hasina if
Bangladesh may rely on the 2013 Bangladesh makes such a request.
to be weighed against the long-term impact extradition will have to treaty to request Hasina’s extradition. However, the India-Bangladesh Extra- The 2013 India-Bangladesh extradition treaty doesn’t force parties to
on their fragile coral ecosystems be a political decision
Article 1 of the treaty obligates Bang- dition Treaty mentions certain excep- process prior requests received if the treaty is terminated REUTERS
ladesh and India to extradite not just tions to extraditing an individual.
those individuals in their territories First, Article 6 provides that extradi- because “the accusation against him” 21(3) of the treaty empowers India to

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he country’s smallest territory, Lakshadweep,

E
ver since Sheikh Hasina, who have been found guilty of com- tion may be refused if the offence is of has not been made “in good faith in terminate this treaty at any time by
stands at a crossroads: Should it prioritise the former Prime Minister mitting an extraditable offence (an a political character (the political the interests of justice”. The same giving a notice. The treaty shall cease
development or preserve its unique ecology. A of Bangladesh facing mass offence punishable under the exception). Section 31(1) principle is reflected in Section 29 of to have effect six months after the
push by the Union Territory (UT) administration protests at home, resigned, Indian and Bangladeshi laws of the 1962 Extradition Act the 1962 Extradition Act. This provi- date of the notice. There is nothing in
fled, and took refuge in by at least a one-year jail also provides for this politi- sion may apply to Hasina’s case. the treaty which says that extradition
to boost tourism infrastructure has started to further India, the demands for her term) in the other country’s cal exception. So, can India Given the circumstances in which she requests received before the termina-
strain the limited resources in an already climate crisis- extradition have been doing the territories. But it also extends rely on these provisions to was unseated from power and the fact tion will have to be processed by the
ridden environment. A prolonged marine heatwave rounds. This demand took concrete to those individuals who deny Hasina’s extradition? that her political opponents are run- requested State after the treaty ceases
legal shape when the chief prosecutor have been charged with com- The answer is no because ning affairs in Bangladesh and baying to exist. Whether India will exercise
that started in October 2023 has damaged nearly 75% of of Bangladesh’s International Crimes mitting crimes. Thus, Hasina Prabhash Article 6(2) of the treaty spe- for her blood, it can be argued that the this option would depend on how
the corals in the archipelago. While a majority are now Tribunal (ICT), which was re-estab- can be extradited even if she Ranjan cifically excludes crimes like charges levelled against her are influ- much India values Hasina, who has
on their way to recovery, a warming of 1.5°C is projected lished in 2010 by the Sheikh Hasina is yet to be proven guilty in murder and other crimes enced by vendetta and political hostil- been a friend of New Delhi. While
government, said that the legal proc- the Bangladeshi courts. that international law ity. If she is returned to Bangladesh, New Delhi would like to stand with
to lead to a loss of 70-90% coral reefs, and 2°C warming ess to bring Hasina back to Bangla- Charging her of these crimes is suffi- recognises such as genocide and arguably, there is a high risk of her Hasina, unilaterally terminating the
to a loss of 99% (with regional differences). With these desh had started. Complaints have cient to trigger the process of her crimes against humanity from politi- not getting a fair trial. Thus, her extra- treaty might sour its relations with
alarming projections, experts and locals have called for been filed against Hasina under the extradition from India. cal offences. dition will be oppressive and unjust. Dhaka, which India can ill-afford for a
ICT for committing genocide and Moreover, under Article 10(3) of Second, Article 7 allows the This interpretation may not be variety of strategic and diplomatic
a more sensible and sustainable development. crimes against humanity. Hasina has the India-Bangladesh Extradition requested State to refuse the extradi- acceptable to the Bangladeshi side relations.
Any development model, however, will only be also been slapped with several other Treaty, to seek extradition, it is suffi- tion request if that person would be who would claim that holding Hasina At the end of the day, the call on
successful if it takes the local ecology, geography and cases for a variety of crimes ranging cient for the requesting State to pro- tried in its courts for the extradition to account for her autocratic rule is in Hasina’s extradition is about politics,
from murder and torture to enforced duce a warrant of arrest issued by a offence. This provision too will not the interest of justice. The India-Bang- not so much about law. But whatever
demography into account. The corals are essential for disappearance. In this regard, if and competent authority. There is no need apply to Hasina because there is noth- ladesh Extradition Treaty does not decision India takes, it should dexter-
the islands. Not only do they support the marine when Bangladesh (the requesting to share the evidence of the crime ing to show that she will face trial in provide for any binding adjudicatory ously employ international law lan-
biodiversity of the atolls, which, in turn, aids the fishing State) makes a formal request to India committed with the requested State. It Indian courts. mechanism. Thus, both sides can guage to serve its political needs and
(the requested State) to extradite is critical to note that this is due to an Third, Article 8(1)(a)(iii) of the stick to their legal interpretations of justify its decision.
community of the region, the corals contribute to Hasina, what are New Delhi’s legal amendment made to the treaty in treaty states that a person may not be Article 8(1)(a)(iii), without any dispute
coastal protection from storms and sea-level rise, options? 2016. The original treaty required the extradited if “he satisfies the settlement body deciding whose inter- Prabhash Ranjan is a professor at the
and are the main attraction for tourists. Apart from Apart from India’s Extradition Act requesting State to share the evidence requested State that it would, having pretation is correct. Jindal Global Law School,
of 1962, the pivotal legal instrument in along with the arrest warrant with the regard to all the circumstances, be India has another legal option, OP Jindal Global University.
temperature rise, plastic pollution, higher acidity, or the current case is the India-Bangla- requested State. The requirement to unjust or oppressive to extradite him” which will be an extreme one. Article The views expressed are personal
any kind disturbance to natural habitat can lead to
stress, causing coral mortality in the long run. Whether
or not short-termism will decide policy will make all
the difference. The junior minister for environment
recently told the Lok Sabha that the bleaching was
Sitaram Yechury fostered { JOSEP BORRELL } VICE PRESIDENT OF EUROPEAN COMMISSION

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“a sporadic event” and does not have a major impact
on tourism and fishing “as of now.”
The tourism push will necessitate several steps.
deep, lasting friendships The disregard for the basic principles
itaram Yechury, a veteran of national As a parliamentarian, Yechury had a for- of international humanitarian law
First, an increase in the frequency of transport to the
UT and between the islands. Second, a construction
boom to create hospitality infrastructure. Third,
a provision for long-term storage of food and provision
S politics and one of the leading lights of midable and forceful presence. His effective-
the Communist Party of India (Marx- ness and impactfulness as a parliamentarian
ist), leaves behind a rich legacy of were marked by his active participation in
camaraderie in politics. proceedings of the Upper House. As a fellow
Yechury and I began our political journeys parliamentarian and later as Chairman of the
cannot and should not be accepted
by the international community
On the killing of six staffers from the UN Palestinian refugee
of drinking water; at the moment, only non-perishables

A
around the same time, from student activism Rajya Sabha, I had witnessed his ability to agency in Israeli air strikes on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza
can be stocked and there are desalination plants on five to Parliament, from diverse political streams. articulate complex issues with remarkable
We enjoyed a close friendship marked by sin- clarity and precision.
islands. And last, a continuous supply of power. cerity and genuine affection for each other, Yechury’s speeches in Parliament were
Currently, weekly oil supplies from the mainland are despite belonging to political parties with dia- meticulously crafted arguments that were
used to produce electricity through generator sets. metrically opposite ideologies. substantiated by sound research and laced
As a parliamentarian and senior politician with generous doses of humour. He was a
With all this, the islands’ ecology is likely to come under
A centralised focus to
whose mother tongue was Telugu (like firm believer in preparation and informed
severe strain, with no guarantee of benefit to locals. mine), he and I interacted over a wide range debate. In this, he reminded me of the traits
One question that looms is: With the local of issues and exchanged ideas on a number he shared with other friends and colleagues
of occasions over the years. We did not of mine, such as Arun Jaitley and Sushma

unlock R&D prowess


population’s contribution to the climate crisis being always agree, but our friendship Swaraj.
minimal, should they be the ones bearing the brunt of remained unaffected and warm as It is worth mentioning here that
this delayed development push? This question, perhaps, ever. Yechury, as is widely known, was a
Yechury’s political life, much voracious reader. His extensive
resonates with the one that has left most global like mine, began in the vibrant reading cut across a range of disci- ndia’s aspirations to be a global leader in those in metropolitan cities. India’s vast and
negotiations fraught with disagreements with the
Global South seeking larger contributions to mitigate
the crisis from the Global North.
milieu of student activism of the
1970s. His Left-leaning ideologies
were evident from the early days. A
powerful speaker from his days as
a student leader, he conducted his
Naidu
plines, which informed his political
thought and public discourse. His
M Venkaiah understanding of global and
national issues was exceptionally
insightful, and he brought a rare
I research and development (R&D) have long diverse population is teeming with untapped
been constrained by a chronic underfunding potential, and the foundation’s commitment to
of its research infrastructure — less than 1% inclusivity could play a pivotal role in bridging
of its GDP. The Anusandhan National Research the urban-rural divide.
Foundation (ANRF) seeks to remedy this imbal- The foundation, however, is not without chal-
political activism with much spirit depth of knowledge to his political ance. Conceptualised as part of the National lenges. To succeed, it must navigate India’s cum-
and was highly effective. He was detained insights and engagements. Yechury’s pen- Education Policy (NEP), the ANRF aims to foster bersome bureaucratic processes. A frequent

Make prevention the during the Emergency imposed by Indira chant for drawing from a wide range of sour-
Gandhi’s government. His imprisonment, ces and perspectives added to his reputation
like mine, during this dark period only as an exceptional intellectual.
greater collaboration between academia, indus- criticism of the country’s research ecosystem is
try, and government, while encouraging public- the inefficiency caused by administrative red
private partnerships for transformative innova- tape, which often delays the disbursement of

focus of health policy strengthened his reputation as a fearless One of Yechury’s most defining character-
young leader and champion of individual istics was his unimpeachable integrity. In
freedoms and civil liberties. these times of unbridled opportunism and
tions. The ANRF is designed to provide sus- funds and stifles innovation. The ANRF will
tained, centralised funding for research across need to adopt a more agile approach to govern-
disciplines. Historically, research funding in ance, ensuring that funds are allocated in a
Over the decades, our close friendship fur- unabashedly shifting loyalties, Yechury was India has been inconsistent and fragmented. By timely manner and that research isn’t bogged
he government’s move to expand the Ayushman

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ther cemented, though we always had our a beacon of political steadfastness. His adher- consolidating resources and offering continuous down by administrative delays.
Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB- political and ideological differences. Our dis- ence to his principles was always non-nego- support, the ANRF promises to free researchers Moreover, transparency and accountability
PMJAY) to cover those above 70 years of age cussions always ended on a cordial note, on tiable. Even when his stand appeared contro- from financial uncertainty, empowering them to will be critical in mitigating the risks of misallo-
the principle of “let us agree to disagree.” versial to many in his party, as happened to focus on groundbreaking work. cation of resources. The foundation must ensure
recognises a key need of the health care architecture in Yechury’s innate ability to connect with a be the case with regard to the issue of the One of its most ambitious goals is to bridge that funding is distributed not only to top-tier
India — ensuring access to health care for the elderly diverse range of people became one of his Indo-US Nuclear Deal during the United Pro- the long-standing chasm between academia and institutions but also to underfunded universities
by making it affordable for them to also seek it in the most cherished qualities. I know with cer- gressive Alliance (UPA) era, he stuck to his industry in India. While Indian aca- and regional research centres. Only by
tainty that he had an exceptional ability to guns and was unyielding in terms of his con- demic institutions are no strangers to embracing inclusivity can the founda-
private sector. It is a significant shift given the elderly bond with individuals from all walks of life. viction. producing world-class research, much tion ensure that India’s research
are likelier to face more frequent and greater health His abiding warmth, humour, and genu- Yechury’s absence will be deeply felt in our of this output has failed to translate efforts are truly national in scope.
care needs than the younger population while being ine interest in others fostered deep and last- public life. He was a towering leader who, it into commercially-viable innovations. The ANRF’s success will also
ing relationships, transcending the usual can be said, shaped the broader political dis- This disconnect has stifled the coun- depend on its ability to align its
devoid of regular income. With rising medical costs boundaries of political affiliations. All these course with his insights and perspectives. I try’s ability to harness its full innova- research priorities with India’s
Ashutosh
and public health care well short of saturation in attributes taken together, with his sharp will profoundly miss the conversations we tive potential. The ANRF will promote broader national goals. The founda-
intellect and conviction of principles thrown used to have, as also the other interactions deeper collaboration between univer- Sharma tion must ensure that its research
terms of reach and infrastructure, this expansion
in, made Yechury a highly respected figure rich with his insights, wit and humour. I sities and industries, by aligning agenda is in line with the Sustainable
could make a significant difference to the lives of the across the political spectrum. would like to conclude by saying that we research agendas with national priori- Development Goals (SDGs). Innova-
country’s elderly — more so since it will complement In this respect, not many leaders in our always believed that we were rivals, but not ties and ensuring that research out- tions in clean energy, agriculture,
the recent removal of the 65-years cap on health political life today have the sort of bandwidth enemies, in politics. comes are readily transferable to mar- health care, and digital technology are
he had, and this is one of the principal rea- ket. Industry players, in turn, will have essential for India’s continued eco-
insurance by the insurance regulator. sons, among many, why he will be sorely The author is the former Vice President of India. the opportunity to shape research initi- nomic growth and its ability to
That said, there will be pressures on the fiscal side. missed on the national stage. The views expressed are personal atives, ensuring that academic pursuits address its most pressing societal
While the government has estimated an initial cost of are both relevant and responsive to Pranav challenges. Global collaboration will
real-world needs. Sharma be another critical factor. The ANRF’s
₹3,437 crore, this will need to be expanded in the years The ANRF also recognises that the emphasis on international partner-
ahead given the scheme is demand-based. The fact is problems of the 21st century cannot be ships will enable Indian researchers to
that longevity in India is rising, as is the burden of non- addressed through siloed approaches exchange ideas, participate in global
to research. Today’s challenges are complex, knowledge networks, and co-create solutions to
communicable diseases, many of which are chronic. requiring insights that cut across disciplines. In global challenges.
As the ageing of the population accelerates in the this regard, the ANRF places a strong emphasis ANRF’s establishment marks a pivotal
coming decades, the pressure from funding health care on interdisciplinary research. By fostering col- moment in India’s evolution as a knowledge
laborations across seemingly disparate fields, it economy. Its impact, however, will not be meas-
will rise in tandem. intends to spur innovations that are not only ured by the volume of research it produces but
To mitigate this, the need is now for a focused groundbreaking but also adaptable to the rap- by the tangible, real-world outcomes it enables.
approach on healthy living, geared towards preventive idly changing demands of the modern world. By fostering a culture of curiosity, critical think-
This interdisciplinary approach positions Indian ing, and public engagement, it has the potential
and pre-emptive medical attention. While the elderly researchers to tackle some of the most pressing to inspire future generations of Indian scientists
are the immediate catchment for this, there has to global challenges, such as the climate crisis, pan- and innovators. Its success will depend on its
be concurrent efforts to also include the younger demics, and food security. ability to remain adaptable, transparent, and
The foundation will develop the next genera- aligned with both national and global priorities.
generations for accumulated effects on health later tion of Indian innovators, through mentorship
in life. Parallelly, the government must work on programmes, fellowships, and internships. Ashutosh Sharma is president, Indian National
improving the reach and quality of public health care Importantly, the ANRF also seeks to decen- Science Academy, and Pranav Sharma is policy and
tralise research funding and opportunities, diplomacy advisor to the United Nations
to provide affordable health care to all sections of the One of Yechury’s most defining characteristics was his unimpeachable integrity. In these ensuring that talent from underrepresented International Computing Centre.
population, including the elderly. times of unbridled opportunism, he was a beacon of political steadfastness PTI regions has access to the same resources as The views expressed are personal

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12 FRIDAY, 13 SEPTEMBER 2024
NEW DELHI VIEWS LIVEMINT.COM

OUR VIEW MY VIEW | TECH WHISPERS


PTI

The Screen of Death’s return has


cautionary lessons for the AI age
The CrowdStrike-caused Windows crash underscored the value of ensuring IT rollouts free of bugs

exposing the fragility of our intercon- GPT-4o. Initially, it was made available
nected digital world. to a limited number of free and Plus
This faulty update contained an error users with higher message limits. This
that caused a major malfunction in the careful and incremental approach
core of the Windows operating system ensured that any potential problems
(known as the ‘kernel’). Such a problem could be identified and resolved early,
can usually be fixed by simply undoing preventing widespread disruption.
the update, but this time the problem Redundancy and resilience: The inci-
was so widespread that each affected dent also highlighted the fragility of our
JASPREET BINDRA computer had to be manually fixed, digital infrastructure. Organizations
is a founder of AI&Beyond and the author leading to significant delays and disrup- must invest in redundancies and resil-
of ‘The Tech Whisperer’. tions. It was a kind of disruption antici- ience, which include having backup
pated in 2000 with the Y2K, just that it systems, a multilayered cybersecurity
happened 24 years later! approach (using solutions from multi-

Regulators must always


CrowdStrike scrambled to build ple reputable vendors), and robust inci-
patches, but it did take a while to fix. It dent response plans. Relying heavily on

A
n Atlantic article (bit.ly/3YcLNV7) resulted in missed flights, acrimony and a single vendor for cybersecurity, as
by Samuel Arbesman reminded lawsuits. Even as businesses limped seen with CrowdStrike’s extensive use,
me of a joke he has there: “A soft- back from what was probably is the can create a single point of failure.

be above any suspicion ware engineer walks into a bar. He


orders a beer. Orders zero beers. Orders
99,999,999,999 beers. Orders a lizard.
Orders -1 beers. Orders a ueicbksjdhd.
largest IT outage ever, what can we
learn from this? This is all the more per-
tinent as we enter the age of AI, with
powerful Large Language Models,
Proactive monitoring and testing:
Before rolling out major updates, con-
ducting a ‘pre-mortem’ can be invalua-
ble. This exercise involves gathering
The bar is still standing. A real customer autonomous AI agents and the looming key stakeholders to brainstorm poten-
walks in and asks where the bathroom inevitability of super-intelligence. tial failure points before they happen.
India’s capital markets regulator Sebi should hold itself to a higher standard than the entities is. The bar bursts into flames.” Importance of throttled rollouts: A This includes rigorous and frequent
For us non-software types, it basically glaring oversight in the BSOD incident testing of updates in staged environ-
it regulates. Its chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch ought to step aside till her name is cleared means that for every piece of software, seems to be the lack of a throttled roll- ments that closely mirror production
you need to stress-test it by flinging a out. In software deployment, especially systems. Additionally, continuous real-
variety of inputs at it that may induce for critical systems, updates are nor- time monitoring powered by advanced
errors. However, often, it is what’s not mally released to a small number of analytics and machine learning can

M
ore than four weeks after so, the reality is that when it comes to regula- anticipated or thought about that users first. This allows for the detection detect anomalies and potential threats
US-based short-seller tors, the line between the personal and the causes the system to crash. So, the best of issues before they can impact a larger early on. Implementing automated roll-
way to make a system break-proof is to user base. For instance, the rollout of back mechanisms can also act as a safety
Hindenburg Research fired public is very thin. Like Caesar’s wife, regula- try and break it through any means pos- valve, providing a rapid solution when
a salvo at the chairperson tors must always be above suspicion. Impor- sible and then fix the gaps. Netflix made unexpected issues arise.
of India’s capital markets tantly, they must also be seen as above suspi- this approach popular with Chaos Mon- All this is even more relevant in the AI
regulator Securities and cion. And that, unfortunately, is where Buch key, an internal software that would QUICK READ era. The systems that run our world are
Exchange Board of India (Sebi), Madhabi Puri fails the test. Sebi has also said it has adequate randomly attack systems and sub-sys- not built by a single entity, but use a
tems to check how its infrastructure We need throttled rollouts of smorgasbord of interconnected com-
Buch, the controversy over her alleged role in internal mechanisms to address conflicts of behaved. It helped engineer a robust new software, with redundancy puters, servers and data centres—what
the story refuses to die down. In a fresh attack, interest. Still, it does the Sebi chair no credit system to serve movies on demand. and resilience built into we loosely call the cloud. The Windows
the Indian National Congress has alleged that to remain at the helm while under a cloud. Global cybersecurity major Crowd- computer systems that are outage also made apparent the fact that
Agora Advisory, a consulting business she Suspicions over any unofficial role she may Strike seems not to have learnt from monitored and tested rigorously the ‘end of the world’ may be triggered
owns 99% of, earned fees from regulated have played after she joined Sebi have come to this. On 19 July, a blast from the past, the for potential catastrophes. by a mundane IT failure rather than the
dreaded Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), actions of any much-ballyhooed AI
entities under Sebi’s purview even after her expose the regulator’s reputation to risk. This reappeared across computer screens, This is especially important in super intelligence. As an article
appointment to the regulator’s chair. It has is unfortunate. It has implications for how disrupting airports, hospitals and busi- the era of AI, although it also tells (bit.ly/3SbDXan) in the New York Times
held this up as a pointer to a conflict of inter- the Indian equity market is seen by investors nesses worldwide. The culprit? A patch us that an end-of-the-world cites TS Eliot: “This is the way the world
est, even as the said entities denied that they globally, and given the market’s role in capital from CrowdStrike of its Falcon software threat is likelier to arise from a ends/Not with a bang but a whimper.”
had sought preferential treatment from the allocation, for the whole economy. update that contained a glitch, causing mundane IT bug than anything Anuj Magazine, co-founder of
Windows systems globally to crash and done by AI super intelligence. AI&Beyond, contributed to this article.
capital-markets regulator. Earlier, India’s We need a complete probe of all allegations.
principal opposition party had accused Buch Sebi’s competence is not in doubt, as the
of receiving ₹2.17 crore in rental income from Supreme Court observed this January, but we
another regulated entity, which was under must ensure that regulatory officials function
investigation for insider trading. without fear or favour, and that is best done if
According to a 10 August note from Hinden- Buch steps aside till such time that her name is
burg, Buch owned 100% of a Singapore-based cleared. More importantly, we must use this www.livemint.com
New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chandigarh*, Pune* Saturday, September 13, 2014 Vol.8 No.219 `10.00 in Delhi-NCR/`11.00 outside Delhi-NCR 12 PAGES
+ 20 PAGES LOUNGE

Viren Rasquinha on
Q&A:

consultancy Agora Partners from 2013 to controversy as a trigger for larger reforms of managing Olympic athletes >4
POLITICS: High court sets aside EC notice on
Ashok Chavan’s poll spending >3

2022, a period that covered the time she was the system to rule out potential conflicts of
NATION: Law Commission suggests repeal of
72 outdated laws >5
CONTENT PARTNER
DÉJÀ VIEW: Why did HMT fail? >11

a full-time member of the Sebi Board, and interest in the future. First, to strengthen safe-
SENSEX 27,061.04 Æ 65.17 NIFTY 8,105.50 Æ 19.80 DOLLAR `60.66 æ `0.27 EURO `78.43 æ `0.29 GOLD `26,910 æ `135 OIL $97.10 Æ $0.38

TWIN DATA STATE ELECTIONS QUICK EDIT

Factory output, inflation Die cast for fresh BJP, 2G: the
PM’s role
transferred its ownership to her husband guards meant to ensure those who helm finan- data dampen optimism
Congress face-off
T he 2G spectrum

Thousands have lived


B Y A NUJA & January and 19 January, re- controversy has just
M AKARAND G ADGIL spectively. got murkier. Former
························· As many as 82.59 million comptroller and auditor
Sticky retail inflation NEW DELHI/MUMBAI people in Maharashtra are eli- general Vinod Rai has
distances prospects UNDER PRESSURE F resh electoral battlelines gible to elect 288 state lawmak- claimed in a TV interview

Dhaval Buch only on 16 March 2022, more cial regulators cannot earn from any job held
have been drawn, with Ma- ers. Haryana has 16.51 million that then Prime Minister
of an RBI interest rate Factory output in July grew at the slowest pace in four months, while harashtra and Haryana, both registered voters who will elect Manmohan Singh was in
cut despite sluggish retail inflation in August declined marginally from the previous month. ruled by the Congress party, to 90 assembly members. the know of things when
go to the polls on 15 October. While the Congress party has the spectrum and
industrial growth 5
Once again the main chal- been in power in Maharash- licences were allocated in
lenger to the incumbent will be tra since 1999 and is currently 2008. According to Rai,
B Y A SIT R ANJAN M ISHRA 4 IIP the Bharatiya Janata Party being led by chief minister some cabinet colleagues

without love, not one


[email protected] (BJP), still basking in its dra- Prithviraj Chavan, party chief had in fact counselled
························· 3 matic victory in the April-May minister Bhupinder Singh Singh to discuss the issue

than two weeks after taking charge as Sebi’s or for-profit role elsewhere, their holdings
NEW DELHI general election. For the Con- Hooda is now in his fourth in a group of ministers.

R etail inflation remained


stubbornly high in Au-
gust, reducing the scope
for the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) to loosen monetary policy
2

1
1.5%
gress party, defeat in the state
polls would not only shrink its
electoral footprint further, but
also pose a fresh challenge to
the leadership of Sonia Gandhi
term in Haryana. Once seen as
key bastions of the party, both
states are in the grip of an anti-
incumbency wave.
“This is a survival test for the
If Rai’s claims are true,
the notion of the former
prime minister having
been at an arm’s length
from the allocation
after factory output in July grew 0.5% and Rahul Gandhi. Congress party and I suppose process is polite fiction.
at the slowest pace in four 0 Announcing the date of poll- its situation is not good in ei- They would imply that
months. ing, the Election Commission ther of the two states,” said Su- Singh was not only aware

chairperson. Buch denied the charges of should not only be made public, but also sealed without water.
The twin sets of data released -1 of India on Friday said count- has Palshikar, a political ana- of what was happening,
by the government on Friday ing in both states would take lyst and head of the political but chose to do nothing.
dampened hopes of a quick eco- place on 19 October. science department at the Uni- There are various
nomic revival sparked by the rise -2 Dates for elections to the as- versity of Pune. “There is not matters related to the 2G
to power of a strong government semblies of Jharkhand and much expectation from the spectrum issue being
under Prime Minister Narendra -3 Jammu and Kashmir, which Congress party and so this heard in the courts. But it
Modi after the April-May general Apr Jul are also due, were not an- election becomes critical for is time a judicial inquiry
2013 2014
election. nounced. In the case of Jammu the BJP, which is looking to ex- examined how Singh
Inflation measured by the and Kashmir, the Election pand its footprint to both these handled it. This is

impropriety made by Hindenburg, but is yet off and held in blind trusts as long as they have
Consumer Price Index Consumer Price Index (food and beverages)
Consumer Price Index (CPI) Commission said it would re- states.” important to ensure that
16
slowed only marginally in Au- view the situation after dam- The Congress party’s posi- political control of
gust to 7.8% from 7.96% in July. 14 age from this month’s devas- tion in Haryana can be gauged policymaking does not
Food price inflation hardened to tating floods in the state is as- from the fact that it won just facilitate a loot of
9.42% from 9.36% in the previous 10.67 sessed. The terms of the one of the 10 Lok Sabha seats national resources in the
12 9.16
month. The median of 37 esti- 9.39 Jharkhand and Jammu and future.
mates in a Bloomberg survey was 10 7.8 Kashmir assemblies end on 3 TURN TO PAGE 5®
for a 7.83% rise in CPI.
The Index of Industrial Pro- 8

to respond to the Congress’s allegations. This public duties to fulfil. Second, we should
duction (IIP) expanded 0.5% in
Modi’s great
6
July, slowing from 3.94% in June, SECONDARY EFFECT
as manufacturing activity con- 4

Online retail boom


advantage is
W.H. AU D E N
tracted. A Bloomberg survey of
analysts had predicted a 1.8% in- 2
crease.
that he’s really
expected to boost
The inflation data makes it un- 0
Apr Aug
likely that the central bank 2013 2014

an outsider
episode, however, cannot be dismissed as just revisit the current protocol of appointments
would move towards easing Source: Central Statistics Office
monetary policy, which it has
tied to CPI, any time soon. RBI
under governor Raghuram Rajan
has kept interest rates un-
months ended 30 June, the fast-
est pace in two-and-a-half years.
and apparatus (minus 58.3%);
office, accounting and comput-
PARAS JAIN/MINT

mint INTERVIEW e-commerce enablers


changed at three successive The latest numbers served to ing machinery (minus 26%); and
monetary policy reviews; it holds dampen that optimism. furniture (minus 17.4%) posted a B Y V ENKAT A NANTH B Y M IHIR D ALAL E-commerce logistics firm
its next meeting on 30 Septem- “While we were hoping that contraction. [email protected] [email protected] SSN Logistics Pvt. Ltd, which
ber. the slowdown in manufacturing The impression of a sharp re- ························· ························· runs its business under the

another storm in a teacup. Sure, she has said being made solely by the executive. Instead,
“Inflation still remains high on had bottomed out, it appears bound in manufacturing has NEW DELHI BANGALORE brand Delhivery, said on Mon-
supply-side rigidities. Food in-
flation is a source of discomfort,
and given the sub-par monsoon
from the July numbers that man-
ufacturing may not be out of the
woods,” said Sidharth Birla,
been dented by the July IIP
number, said Samiran
Chakraborty, managing director
I n April, as campaigning for
India’s 16th general election
was in full swing, an article
I ndia’s online retail boom is
expected to boost e-com-
merce enablers such as logis-
day that it raised $35 million
(around `215 crore today),
mostly from Multiples Alter-
this year, there is a need to keep president of the Federation of and regional head of research in published in The Economist tics firms, advertising plat- nate Asset Management; two
an eye on food inflation,” Citi- Indian Chambers of Commerce South Asia at Standard Char- created a flutter. Titled Can forms and mobile payment days later, rival Ecomm Ex-
group Inc. quoted Rajan as say- and Industry, a lobby group. tered Bank. anyone stop Narendra Modi?, technology companies, which press Pvt. Ltd said it received
ing at a meeting with US inves- Birla was concerned that the He expects factory output to the article was a sharp critique are now being seen as safer and `100 crore in fresh capital
tors on Thursday. deceleration in the July IIP was improve in the second half of the of the man who was then the more affordable investment from Peepul Capital.

that the existence of these consulting compa- these decisions could be made by a bipartisan
Modi led the Bharatiya Janata broad-based, extending to con- fiscal year, between October and prime ministerial candidate of bets by venture capital firms. Mobile advertising platform
Party to a spectacular win in the sumer durables and capital March, due to a lower base last the Bharatiya Janata Party For venture capital investors Vizury Interactive Solutions
April-May general election with goods. year. (BJP). “We would wish him such as SAIF Partners, Seed- Pvt. Ltd, which helps e-com-
the promise of boosting eco- Manufacturing contracted 1%, A slow industrial recovery may well, and we would be delight- fund and Peepul Capital, merce firms acquire customers
nomic growth that has lan- while electricity and mining hurt tax collections and make fi- ed for him to prove us wrong which either missed out on or by showing smartly placed
guished at sub-5% levels for two grew by 11.7% and 2.1%, respec- nance minister Arun Jaitley’s tar- by governing India in a mod- avoided investing in e-com- product ads, raised $16 million
years on the trot. tively. Capital goods, an indica- get of limiting fiscal deficit to ern, honest and fair way. But merce firms such as Flipkart in June. Last month, Flipkart
An economic revival seemed tor of investment demand in the 4.1% of GDP in the year to 31 for now he should be judged India Pvt. Ltd and Snapdeal, bought a stake in NGPay, a
to be in the works when gross economy, contracted 3.8%. Neg- March more difficult to achieve. on his record—which is that of these enablers offer an oppor- mobile technology provider,

nies and her shareholding in them were an body, such as the Parliamentary Standing
domestic product (GDP), the ative consumer sentiment con- In five months of the fiscal a man who is still associated tunity to indirectly tap the after it decided to shut down
broadest measure of goods and tinued to affect overall factory year ended August, indirect tax with sectarian hatred. There is boom although they may never its own payment gateway
services produced across the output, with consumer goods collections rose 4.6% to `1.94 nothing modern, honest or fair match the scale and valuations PayZippy. In July, product and
economy, grew 5.7% in the three production contracting 7.4%. trillion against the budget target about that. India deserves bet- of online retailers. price discovery website
Only 12 out of 22 industries re- of 25% growth, finance ministry ter,” The Economist said, allud- Some of these e-commerce Reviews42 (rebranded as Zop-
NOTE TO READERS corded growth in July. While in-
dustry groups such as other
data released on Friday shows.
Excise collections grew 0.5%,
ing to the 2002 Gujarat riots
when Modi was chief minister
enablers are already receiving
large cheques from investors
per) received $5 million from
Tiger Global Management.
There is no Mint Markets transport equipment (17.1%), customs duties 0.3% and service of the state. In the event, Modi and they are also seen as at- According to investors, a few
with today’s edition. basic metals (12.3%) and other tax 15% in the same period. led the BJP to a spectacular tractive acquisition targets for other e-commerce enablers in-

explicit part of her disclosures to Sebi and that Committee on Finance, and/or require the
non-metallic mineral products Industry groups have been win in the polls, assumed the the likes of Flipkart and Jasper cluding start-ups such as mo-
(11.8%) registered positive lobbying for easier credit, their nation’s highest executive of- Infotech Pvt. Ltd, which runs bile wallet provider MobiKwik;
Mint is also available for R14.50 with growth, others such as radio, TV Snapdeal, according to ana-
Hindustan Times in Delhi-NCR only
and communication equipment TURN TO PAGE 2® TURN TO PAGE 2® lysts. TURN TO PAGE 2®

she has nothing to hide. While this may well be approval of Parliament.

GUEST VIEW

Water security must be ensured for rural India to thrive


being shouldered by women. Based on my quences are there for all to see. A starting high-yielding, climate-resilient and bio-for- is financially rewarding and exciting, the
SHRAMAN JHA travels through rural India, I am delighted to point would be to accept and reinforce the tified crops is a commendable step. So is the youth will not be attracted to it. Nothing
note the immense potential of women’s con- knowledge passed on for generations that call for regenerative agriculture practices, hooks the youth more than the sense that
tribution to agriculture. They excel at it and India’s agricultural sector is mainly rain-fed, which, simply put, re-invigorate the soil for they are at the cutting-edge of technology.
actively organize themselves, assuming with all the vagaries of monsoon rainfall. higher productivity. There are opportunities to bring startup-
leadership and charting their paths. As a This renders it susceptible to water scarcity These efforts must be accompanied by the type technology into agriculture and allied

I
ndia’s agrarian society is at a crucial junc- slow and steady phenomenon, the “femini- and unpredictable precipitation patterns. availability of contemporary technology and fields such as horticulture, animal hus-
ture, seeking to balance traditional liveli- sation” of agriculture, explicitly brought out Incorporating water conservation strategies, information. Weather forecasts and real- bandry and fisheries. These include using
hoods with modern market dynamics. in the Economic Survey 2017-18, is now being such as collecting rainwater, using effective time data can assist farmers make well-in- Internet of Things-based sensors, micro-geo
When compounded by the unpredictable factored into policy-level thinking. The full irrigation technologies (like drip and sprin- formed plantation and harvest choices, and maps and fine water management methods.
impact of climate change, the uncertainties potential and economic autonomy of kler systems) and managing watersheds, is hence help them minimize losses caused by The spread of tech-enabled activities in vil-
multiply. With more than half the country’s women farmers could be unlocked if we take crucial to preserve soil moisture and sustain unpredictable factors. Initiatives taken by lages can keep the youth engaged through-
population depending directly or indirectly measures to ease their currently restricted long-term agricultural output. Underlying Hindustan Unilever Foundation (HUF) have out the year, and not just during the tradi-
on agriculture, prosperity and economic access to knowledge, finance and markets. all these is the need to shown how para-agricul- tional kharif and rabi cultivation cycles.
growth in the rural sector becomes vital. The While enhancing the agricultural output recharge groundwater— tural professionals and Much thought at the highest levels is
is CEO of Hindustan Unilever average land holding being just about a hec- of small-scale farms has many pieces of a jig- a slow process, but with- QUICK READ local cadres can improve needed to make rural India a powerhouse. A
Foundation and co-chair of the tare, nearly 90% of farmers are smallholders saw puzzle that must fall in place, the largest out which we will run the productivity by offering comprehensive approach that factors in the
FICCI Water Mission. and solutions that work for large-holding chunk pertains to water security—the right risk of ‘overconsuming,’ No sustainable path to rural technical support and active inclusion of women in the economic
farmers may not be effective for them. quantity, at the right time and in the right much like spending on a development is possible without promoting more effective cycle, makes it exciting for the youth to stay
Therefore, urgent policy refinements are place. This is not just another problem, but credit card. The bill to water conservation, given our farming methods. Water in their villages and fosters startup thinking
needed to ensure people’s economic inde- a pressing issue. Water is the flip side of cli- repay will follow shortly. reliance on agriculture, especially management practices would be crucial. All this would ensure that
pendence and a prosperous rural India. mate change; almost every aspect of it, be it These water-efficiency- as we navigate uncertainties built into these pro- each rural community is water secure and
These must include climate resilience, water global warming, rising ocean levels or the linked measures will help posed by climate change. grammes are expected to water-wise, with an understanding that
conservation and sustainable practices to onslaught of floods and droughts, is linked enhance crop yields by enhance the resilience of while the supply and conservation of water
navigate an important transformation. to water in one way or another. ensuring that crops With men migrating to urban rural populations to cli- must be enhanced, it must also be used effi-
A significant first step is to recognize that Water security for agriculture is not just receive sufficient mois- areas, we must empower women matic shocks. ciently for greater economic prosperity. The
much of agriculture depends on women. about enhancing overall supply. As we have ture throughout their farmers with knowledge, finance India has a large young recently concluded World Water Week
With employable young men migrating to seen over the past few decades, enhancing growth cycles. and market access, even as we population, too, well set focused on water cooperation for peace and
urban areas, land tilling and allied busi- year-round supply has led to gross over-ex- A recent unveiling by arm the farming sector with to reap a demographic security—which we all need to reflect on.
nesses in the rural sector are increasingly traction of groundwater, and the conse- the Prime Minister of 109 technological aids for farming. dividend. Unless farming These are the author’s personal views.
LIVEMINT.COM VIEWS FRIDAY, 13 SEPTEMBER 2024
NEW DELHI 13

MY VIEW | STATISTICALLY SPEAKING M I N T C U R AT O R

Data quest: We must strengthen Trump’s dollar defence plan is


likely to be counterproductive
the country’s industrial statistics Imposing tariffs on countries for dollar disloyalty is a terrible idea

The indicators India uses offer an insufficiently accurate picture of manufacturing but GST data could be used to sharpen it

MINT

ROBERT BURGESS
is the executive editor of Bloomberg
Opinion.

T.C.A. ANANT
is a former chief statistician of India.

T D
he government has been taking several onald Trump’s strategy for re-elec-
policy initiatives to promote industrial- tion is centred on speaking to the
ization in India. Given this push, it is darkest fears of Americans. In his
worth looking at the statistical appara- view, migrants streaming over the border Volatile US trade policies could work
tus with which we measure India’s are taking jobs away from Americans. against the greenback. AP
industrial sector. The official statistical They’re not. Crime, he asserts, is way up.
system has three major indicators that are used to It’s down. The economy, he claims, is in efit in transacting business in a currency
report on industrial activities: the Index of Indus- shambles. The opposite is more accurate. where the rule of law takes precedence.
trial Production (IIP), Annual Survey of Industries Now, the former president has come up It’s that commitment to the rule of law
(ASI) and manufacturing-related indicators within with the idea that countries are avoiding that draws capital from around the world to
National Accounts statistics. the greenback. The dollar is “under major the US. Foreign holdings of US Treasury
These regular databases are supplemented by siege,” the Republican presidential nomi- securities have surged by $1.14 trillion since
surveys of the National Sample Survey covering nee said on Saturday at a rally in Wiscon- the end of 2020 through June, better than
the labour force and employment, and the unin- sin. “You leave the dollar and you’re not the $1.07 trillion under all four years of
corporated sector. These operate on an annual doing business with the United States Trump. It’s why the Bloomberg dollar
basis and the National Statistical Office has indi- because we are going to put a 100% tariff index has strengthened 10.2% under the
cated that they will be strengthened to release on your goods.” Biden administration after weakening
monthly estimates. The implication, like most things Trump 11.6% under the Trump administration. It’s
The National Accounts and ASI are used for says these days, is that only he can prevent why the MSCI USA Index of equities has
major analytics on the industrial sector uses, so it is such a calamity. And it would be a calamity surged 42% since the end of 2020, almost
worth asking how good these are from the view- changes in the underlying parameters. Such MCA’s coverage of value added is complete, but its if it were happening—but it’s not. The dol- 17 times the gain of the MSCI All-Country
point of assessing industrial performance. changes in coverage add volatility to estimates, allocation of value added to manufacturing is lar is the world’s primary reserve currency, World Index excluding the US.
The ASI is the main data source for analysts leading to cautionary notes being regularly imprecise. which is the source of the US’s ‘exorbitant What Trump conveniently neglects to
doing a range of industrial studies. The ASI sched- observed in ASI reports. These problems can be fixed by a dual strategy. privilege,’ which allows the government to mention when it comes to the dollar is how
ule has a wealth of information for this purpose. Despite these design limitations, the ASI used to GST registration, by design, is an establishment- fund budget deficits in perpetuity and much damage was done to it while he was
Of late, the Central Statistical Office has not only serve as the primary source of estimating organized based process, and it has a clear link between the keeps interest rates lower than they might president. Erratic and unpredictable poli-
improved the timeliness of releases, but also made sector manufacturing value added in the National enterprise and the establishment (as the enterprise otherwise be. So, a move away from the cies, both domestic and foreign, along with
anonymized unit-level data available. Despite this, Accounts till 2011-12. In 2011-12, it was replaced by identifier is embedded in GST registration). The dollar by foreign investors would make it periodic threats on the ideals that underpin
there are problems associated with the sampling use of the MCA database as the primary source of GST register, with a registration threshold based on harder for the US to borrow, therefore the rule of law created a crisis of confidence
frame and design of the survey. measurement for organized activities. The reasons turnover, is simpler and more complete. Using this causing borrowing costs to spike. in America as a stable place to invest. The
The sampling frame of the survey is based on for this change included the problems alluded to register to conduct ASI surveys will eliminate many For those not steeped in the foreign-ex- dollar’s share of global currency reserves
registrations with the chief inspector of factories above, but also because of inadequate coverage of of the gaps noted above and will permit better cov- change market, Trump seems to be riffing tumbled from 65.4% when he took office at
under Sections 2m(i) and 2m(ii) of the Factories large multi-establishment and erage of multi-state and multi-es- off the ‘de-dollarization’ speculation that the start of 2017 to 60.7% when he left at
Act, 1948. This requires industrial establishments multi-state enterprises with tablishment enterprises. A more has cropped up lately. The thinking is that the end of 2020—which was the lowest
employing 10 or more workers using power or activities in both manufacturing QUICK READ robust possibility is to use the US has ‘weaponized’ the dollar through since 1995. Under Biden, the dollar’s share
20 or more workers without power to register and services. In these cases, the detailed GST filings, which will financial sanctions imposed on Russia, of has stabilized, amounting to 58.9% at the
(recently some states have loosened this require- value added in some of their The National Accounts and offer a complete picture of pro- including preventing that country’s cen- end of the first quarter.
ment to 20 and 40 respectively). Many studies over establishments that were either Annual Survey of Industries are duction and input usage. Admit- tral bank from accessing its foreign-cur- Even so, Trump’s ‘100% tariff’ plan on
the years have shown that this coverage suffers below the ASI threshold or in used for major analytics on the tedly, GST data will not have rency reserves. As such, countries whose countries that shun the dollar contains a
from many loopholes. For example, the increased non-manufacturing domains industrial sector but do these employment information. How- ideological leanings conflict with those of fatal flaw. It’s possible that such prohibi-
use of outsourcing, information technology and could get excluded from accurately let us assess India’s ever, this can be obtained by sep- the US might want to move their reserves tive tariffs could have the opposite of
computer-aided manufacturing have reduced reg- National Accounts coverage. The industrial performance? arate focused surveys of these into the currency of a more friendly coun- their intended effect and drive the coun-
ular employment in factories, which implies that MCA database comprehensively entities. In addition, gaps in the try. Indeed, when the foreign ministers of tries away from the greenback, threaten-
many high value-added establishments are covers all active companies. The To overcome drawbacks, a MCA data can be filled by a fol- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South ing the haven status of US Treasuries and
excluded from ASI coverage. These gaps are approach taken was to allocate a start can be made by shifting low-up survey under the Collec- Africa convened in Cape Town in mid- “lead to massive dollar weakness,” Ulrich
sometimes not filled even by NSS surveys on unin- company’s entire value addition the sampling frame to the GST tion of Statistics Act (2008), 2023, Bloomberg News reported that they Leuchtmann, the head of foreign-ex-
corporated enterprises, as these establishments to its major sector of operation. register and using GST data to which asks enterprises to report asked the bloc’s specially created bank to change research at Commerzbank AG,
may belong to registered companies. However, this creates a prob- produce frequent reports on establishment-based value- provide guidance on how a potential new wrote in a research note Monday. Trump
A second problem is that the ASI is an establish- lem for accurate sectoral assess- sectoral value addition. added information. If this survey shared currency might work, including wants to “force dollar dominance. That
ment-based approach, requiring a NSS surveyor to ment because value added is directed at large listed compa- how it could shield member countries changes everything,” Leuchtmann wrote.
visit the premises to collect information based on depicted in the manufacturing sector will include nies, it is likely that the results will be more com- from the impact of sanctions such as those “If the US were to impose prohibitive tar-
records maintained on the factory premises. some element of service activities and will con- plete, as the factory level records of these entities imposed on Russia. iffs across the board, they would cause
Resource limitations in any such exercise con- versely exclude some manufacturing activity being have less information than what is available in their It won’t be an easy task. Since Russia massive disruption to the global eco-
strain the NSS, and limits visits to around carried out in primarily service enterprises. The management information systems. invaded Ukraine in February 2022, use of nomic system.”
60,000-70,000 establishments in a year. This rise of Industry 4.0 will make such misallocation While the above suggestions require major the dollar in global transactions has only Like Don Quixote, who attacked wind-
limit is managed by splitting the frame into census even larger. A consequence of the 2011-12 revision restructuring of the statistical office, a start can be grown, jumping to 47.8% as of July from mills in the mistaken belief that they were
and sample sectors. This is primarily based on the was that while it made the overall estimate of gross made by shifting the sampling frame to the GST 38.9%, according to Swift, the member- wicked giants, Trump is known for assail-
number of workers in the establishment, but also value added (GVA) more comprehensive, it had an register and using GST data to produce reports owned cooperative that provides financial ing imaginary enemies or evils. But at least
on the level of industrialization in the state and/or unfortunate side-effect of making sectoral esti- (monthly/quarterly/annual) on sectoral value addi- messaging services to more than 10,000 Quixote, after various humiliations, finally
district. This approach makes the selection mates more imprecise. In simple terms, the ASI’s tion. This can be done by simple query operations institutions and companies in 210 coun- came to realize the folly of his quest and
dynamic, and establishments can be classified as coverage of value added is incomplete, but precise on tax filings and does not compromise any princi- tries. A decade ago, the dollar’s share was returned home. Trump has yet to reach
belonging to ‘census’ or ‘sample’ on the basis of in its focus on manufacturing. By contrast, the ple of confidentiality. less than 35%. Clearly, the world sees a ben- that point. ©BLOOMBERG

MY VIEW | PEN DRIVE

Founder mode or manager run? It’s not an easy choice


Remember, a large number of companies The question of risk and trust can vary who should be assigned what managerial ruled by someone from the [owning family]
DEVINA SENGUPTA in India are family owned and run. As giving across the life-cycle of a business, but is per- work . If it cramps the founder’s decision- who may not even have the relevant experi-
up control is often a difficult task for busi- haps most acute for startups, given the making space and is left struggling to keep ence . We have seen this even in established
ness owners, even if it only involves handing intensity of founders’ involvement. control, s/he may opt for an exit strategy, businesses. A successful firm does not mean
over charge to the next generation within A founder whose beverage startup is 6-7 but doing so without any acrimony is what they have done everything right ,” in the
the family, trusting an ‘outsider’ is a risk years old said that it’s crucial for founders to fairytales are made of. words of the IIM professor. The brunt of

I
s your firm or your employer’s firm run in many find themselves unwilling to take. In know their strengths, weaknesses, opportu- All this means managers in the Indian these mistakes has been borne by hired
‘founder mode’ or ‘manager mode’? This fact, this is precisely why chasms widen in nities and threats (and must do a so-called ecosystem have the precarious task of bal- managers, in many cases, while the credit
check box is now a moot point from many promoter-driven firms that hire ‘pro- SWOT analysis of themselves). “I am keen ancing the dreams of founders with the for successes is typically taken by founders.
boardrooms to water-cooler conversations. fessionals’ with impressive bio-datas and on problem solving, but I am not good at need to serve them a reality check now and And finally, there is a looming crisis in
In founder mode, the owner firmly holds the experience, but then give them only enough operational management. I have profes- then. Most professionals at senior levels are India Inc that has cranked up the bar on the
company’s reins, is the final decision maker authority to act as the firm’s representatives sionals, but I do not want them interfering not new to such projects and have worked at founder-versus-manager mode debate.
on most matters, and does not yield much at networking or public-facing events—or to with the vision I have for startups or promoter- Many large family run businesses find that
authority even while delegating decisions take on top roles as interim placeholders the firm. When to bring driven businesses before. owner families are splitting up, their succes-
and duties. At the other side of spectrum is while younger members of the family are in external investors or QUICK READ The working styles of sion pool has shrunk to very few individuals,
writes on workplaces and the manager mode, where power delegation groomed for leadership. when to exit is a call I will promoters, irrespective or that the family’s younger members do not
education at Mint. is the norm, autonomy is encouraged across According to a professor of organiza- take,” said the Bengalu- In founder mode, the owner of their stage of business, want to join the business and take charge. In
the ranks and ‘professionals’ are expected to tional behaviour at one of the oldest Indian ru-based founder. keeps control of the company’s are found to be similar. such cases, professional managers have a far
take up the company’s vision as their own Institutes of India (IIM), while companies A sense of chagrin is key decisions, while power But most are also aware better chance of leaving a mark of their own
mission. But which of these two modes is often send their leaders for executive MBA also felt by founders as delegation is the norm if it’s in that it is difficult to scale legacy and be credited for it. Indeed, this
likelier to keep talent together and create programmes, communication gaps persist much senior hires who manager mode. But which up operations without prospect may be what motivates many pro-
greater value for shareholders by boosting between professionals and promoters. work for them. In a of these two works better? getting experts on board fessionals to work for family firms.
the business’s stock price? “Senior executives say that despite all the startup, the founder’s who can help take the India Inc is a complex web of hierarchies,
Paul Graham, a co-founder of startup training during the course, they are unable mode is often impacted Founders and professionals enterprise and its busi- generations, investors and shareholders.
accelerator Y Combinator, wrote about the to implement their ideas. But when promot- by venture capital and must adapt to the demands of ness idea to the next Both founders and professionals have to
founder mode in a blog that asked if there ers are asked, they complain that profes- private equity players value generation and styles may level. adapt to the demands of value generation,
was any need to shift into manager mode. sionals cannot come up with solutions.” It is who have placed bets on need to change accordingly. But “Professionals tend to and management styles may need to change
Much of India Inc, however, may need to ask an issue of ‘risk and trust’ that runs deep, the the business but some- it’s not as if only one style works exit because their values accordingly. But it’s not as if only one style
itself this: Did it ever really make the switch? IIM professor noted. times also like to dictate and the other will boomerang. are undermined or over- works and the other is sure to boomerang.
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��� �����
Political consensus is largely shaped by available
technological form of life than rational deliberation. Today,
most technological choices are protected from public Andrew
involvement by property rights & technocratic ideology Feenberg

06 HYDERABAD FRIDAY 13 09 2024


� �

A
LTHOUGH it opens with the in- Bangladesh’s interim govt has taken steps to curb the violence crusade commenced only this year, Bangla-
vocation of Allah and designates deshi Hindus have been living in fear for
INDIAN EXPRESS IS NOT AN Islam as the state religion, the unleashed on minorities after Hasina’s ouster. The hope is for years. The Ain-o-Salish Kendra, a Bangla-
INDUSTRY. IT IS A MISSION. Constitution of the People’s Re- the inclusive vision to prevail during and after the transition deshi human rights group, has recorded
— Ramnath Goenka public of Bangladesh proclaims 3,679 attacks on Hindus since January 2013,

PLURALISM AS
it to be a secular democracy. This including vandalism, arson and targeted
is why the student-led, pro-de- violence. In almost all these cases, the au-
mocracy uprising there never acquired an thorities failed to safeguard the victims and

GOVT, OPPOSITION MUST explicitly Islamist veneer. Yet, when PM


Sheikh Hasina hurriedly resigned on Au- THE PATH TO bring the assailants to justice. Last year, mi-
nority leaders in Bangladesh averred that

RESOLVE IMPASSE OVER gust 5 and fled to India, a nightmare began


for many Bangladeshis, especially Hindus.
PEACE & PROGRESS
the authorities there weaponise laws such
as the Digital Security Act against non-

PARLIAMENTARY PANELS
While India immediately granted asylum Muslims, especially Hindus, for allegedly
to Hasina, a faithful friend, her followers hurting the majority’s sentiments.
faced the brunt of popular retribution. After his visit to Dhakeshwari, Yunus re-

T
Some Hindu homes were vandalised. On Au- assured religious minorities that they are
HE Union government and opposition parties are locked gust 5 alone, 10 Hindu temples were savaged; safe. “Rights,” he said, “are equal for every-
in a tussle over the formation of the department-related among these was an Iskcon temple that was one.” A critical meeting of leading Hindus
parliamentary standing committees. As a result, more set ablaze. In the following two weeks, the SHASHI THAROOR Fourth-term Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram and Muslims was held in which the two com-
Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Uni- and the Sahitya Akademi winning author of 24 books, munities resolved to proceed only by foster-
than three months after the swearing in of the new gov- most recently Ambedkar: A Life
ty Council recorded a staggering 205 attacks ing consensus and bolstering harmony. On
ernment, a large number of these committees, which play on the places of worship, lives and liveli- August 16, speaking to PM Narendra Modi
a pivotal role in legislative oversight, are yet to be constituted. hoods of Hindus and other religious minori- for the first time by telephone, Yunus reaf-
Parliamentary committees are a cornerstone of democratic ties. With Hindus seen as supportive of the firmed his commitment to safeguarding
governance. Their absence affects policy scrutiny, accountabil- departed premier, the entire community be- Bangladeshis of all faiths, adding that the
ity and transparency in law-making. The stalemate over their came vulnerable to retaliatory attacks. turbulence had been “brought under con-
formation is seemingly over differences between the govern- It didn’t stop there. Enraged by the close trol”. The same day, Bangladesh’s newly-ap-
friendship India has long enjoyed with pointed advisor to the home ministry, Briga-
ment and opposition parties over the choice of ministries. Hasina’s party, going back to our momen- dier General (Retd) Sakhawat Hussain,
The Lok Sabha speaker constituted six committees last tous role in Bangladesh’s liberation war, assured an Iskcon delegation prompt legal
month. The Congress, the largest opposition party, was given the rebels ravaged symbol after symbol of action would be taken against those abusing
chairmanship of the all-important public accounts committee Indo-Bangladesh comity: the Indira Gan- and assaulting religious minorities.
that examines government expenditure and the audit reports dhi Cultural Centre in Dhaka; Bangaband- Yet, unsettling reports continue to sur-
of the Comptroller and Auditor General. The party also sought hu Bhaban, a memorial to Sheikh Mujibur face, including one that nearly 50 Hindu
Rahman; and even a monument to the 1971 teachers were compelled to resign their
the chairmanship of the panels related to home, defence, fi-
war at Mujibnagar depicting Pakistan’s government posts. While India appreciates
nance and external affairs. The government, however, turned surrender to Indian forces was destroyed. Yunus’s commitment to holding elections
down the request; these committees are yet to be set up. Other With Hasina gone, the transitional gov- and handing over power to an elected gov-
major opposition parties such as the DMK, Samajwadi Party ernment led by Muhammad Yunus, the No- ernment, we hope he uses his time in office
and Trinamool Congress also want chairmanship of commit- bel Peace laureate and civil society activist to effect institutional reform that can safe-
tees related to important ministries. The government is yet to who had long been the target of a Hasina- guard minority rights in the future.
backed witch-hunt, seemed well poised to He could begin, perhaps, by instituting a
make its offer. The delay in formation of these committees im-
herald a democratic reconfiguration. He powerful ministry of minority affairs. But
pacts collaborative, bipartisan governance and erodes the met minority leaders and assured them of SOURAV ROY he might end up ceding power to a govern-
checks and balances that are fundamental to the functioning of safety. This spurred hundreds of student ment less tolerant of Hindus and other mi-
a representative democracy. The committees help evolve con- volunteers to guard temples and homes of from our nation’s ‘soft underbelly’. There India’s valid concerns about the safety of norities than his own. For the moment, we
sensus in law-making and strengthen the role of parliament. It their Hindu fellow citizens, forming hu- was also a legitimate fear of control assumed Hindus in Bangladesh did not, however, can only pray that his broadly humane and
is important for the government to expeditiously set them up man chains around such hallowed sites as by forces inimical to Indian interests and re- justify the portrayal by sections of India’s inclusive vision prevails during the transi-
and reaffirm its commitment to democratic decision-making. Dhaka’s Dhakeshwari temple and patrol- ceptive to meddling by Islamist forces affili- media of those acts of anti-Hindu violence tion, rather than the hate-filled fanaticism
ling Hindu localities through the night. ated with Pakistan and abetted by China. as a government-sponsored pogrom. Doubt- of some of Hasina’s opponents.
The Indian parliament has 24 standing committees that cover Yunus himself visited Dhakeshwari, Although their numbers have dwindled less circulated to enflame Islamophobic The verses of another Bengali Nobel lau-
all ministries and departments of the Centre. While parliament cautioning the young revolutionaries from 29 percent of the population at the passions in an India where they are already reate, Rabindranath Tagore, who is wor-
is usually convened thrice a year for the budget, monsoon and against the malevolent intentions of mobs, time of partition to 8 percent today, Hindus simmering, these falsehoods were quickly shipped on both sides of the border, serve
winter sessions and sits for 60-70 days a year on average, the behind which were suspected to be such ad- remain Bangladesh’s largest religious mi- deflated. For instance, when a visual alleg- as the national anthems of both India and
parliamentary committees work through the year and resolve vocates of an Islamic state as the Jamaat-e- nority. Rightly considering themselves edly showed a Chittagong temple engulfed Bangladesh. This cultural unity, shared
a bulk of contentious legislative issues. The committee mem- Islami and some elements of the principal equal stakeholders in their nation’s future, in flames, columns of sacrilegious smoke history and linguistic pride could provide
opposition, Begum Khaleda Zia’s Bangla- countless Hindu students fought shoulder rising into the sky, a thorough fact-check hope for the well-being of all Bangladeshis,
bers come from diverse backgrounds and bring their expertise
desh Nationalist Party. The police returned to shoulder with their Muslim peers in re- promptly debunked it: on fire was not the including Hindus. But the months ahead
to the scrutiny of bills. They also engage with domain experts, to work; peace was gradually restored. sisting Hasina’s authoritarian turn, temple but a nearby Awami League office. will remain tense for the fear that the anar-
stakeholders and officials on specialised subjects. Since its ex- India stands with Bangladeshi people and swarming the streets with their slogan— It is partly true that the assault on Hin- chy Yunus is seeking to curb could recur. If
pansion in 1993, the committee system has proved to be a strong their right to determine their political des- “Who are you? Who am I? Bengali, dus in Bangladesh is a spillover of the po- it does, there is little doubt who its princi-
pillar of our democracy. For the sake of transparency, the gov- tiny. But the ousted Hasina government was Bengali!”—signifying that for all their reli- litical outrage against the Awami League, a pal victims are again likely to be.
ernment needs to respect the time-honoured tradition of facili- an indispensable friend of ours, helping us gious differences, they were united by a secular party seen as pro-India in its poli- (Views are personal)
repel the creeping Islamist militancy arising shared ethnicity and culture. cies. Yet, while the student-led republican ([email protected])
tating the smooth functioning of these mini-parliaments.

URGENCY NEEDED TO
STOP INVASIVE PLANTS WHY WE NEED TO BE
PROACTIVE ON AI LAWS Youth fitness

I
NVASIVE plant species are taking over Indian forests, rapidly Ref: Young urban Indians need healthier
proliferating and severely affecting native biodiversity. This habits (Sep 12). It is disturbing to see how in
a country where yoga originated, many young

T
is harming the ecosystem, human health and causing eco-
HE Indian IT sector’s rise in the people are trapped in unhealthy habits. The
nomic and environmental losses. These are alien species that late 1990s and 2000s presents a youth of India need to engage in activities
have come into the country with human and avian migrations. fascinating case in regulatory that promote fitness. After all, the youth are
A study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology estimated studies, particularly concerning the future of our nation.
that two-thirds of the country’s forests are threatened by 11 in- the role—or notable absence—of ADITYA SINHA O�cer on Special Duty, Research, Economic Aman Aditya, Dhenkanal
vasive plant species—including Lantana camara, Prosopis juli- ex ante regulations. During its Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India
formative years, as global regu- Erratic lifestyles
flora and Chromolaena odorata. The nationwide survey con-
lators were entangled in understanding Unhealthy habits are a byproduct of an
ducted by researchers from institutions including the Wildlife and governing IT complexities, Indian poli- efforts to classify risks by synthesising di- tise, and address these multifaceted risks. erratic lifestyle. When it takes three hours
Institute of India and Aarhus University of Denmark found that cymakers largely remained disengaged. verse perspectives into a unified classifica- The recently enacted EU AI Act has a to travel 15 km in cities, young professionals
alien plant species had invaded 3,58,000 sq km of forest area. This regulatory vacuum, analysed in works tion system. Their approach identified two risk-oriented regulation system, which is are forced to suffer carbon dioxide exposure
This adds to the burden of deforestation. According to Global such as the research led by Robert Baldwin distinct types of classification systems: less comprehensive. It tries to regulate AI by default. Similarly, unscheduled work
Forest Watch, an online platform providing real-time data on in 2012, provided a fertile ground for inno- high-level categorisations of the causes of by introducing a risk-based framework that timings lead to unhealthy food habits. Our
forest cover change, India has lost a whopping 2.33 million hec- vation unburdened by stifling constraints AI risks (for example, why or when the categorises AI systems into unacceptable, routine life is ordained by work culture and
of premature regulation. The sector’s suc- risks occur) and mid-level hazards or high and low-risk levels. This ensures AI familial responsibility.
tares of tree cover between 2000 and 2023, 95 percent of which
cess can be partially attributed to this. harms (misuse or noisy training data). applications are governed according to Sachidananda Satpathy, Sambalpur
occurred in natural forests between 2013 and 2023 due to anthro- However, this does not suggest that the The main domains identified include dis- their potential for harm. However, the Act’s
pogenic factors. The study also showed that invasive plants pose absence of ex ante regulations is inherently crimination and toxicity (unfair AI treat- reliance on broad risk categories has been Democratic experiment
a threat to the top predators in the wild whose survival depends beneficial across all sectors. George J Sti- ment, exposure to harmful content), priva- criticised for oversimplifying the risks’ Ref: Time to look at knowledge panchayats
on a healthy, abundant herbivore population. The latter’s sur- gler’s 1971 economic regulation model complex and rapidly evolving nature. When (Sep 12). It is high time the discourse of our
vival and health in turn depends on grazing in invasive plants- highlights how, in the absence of effective the regulatory system and fails to be adap- democracy is reviewed and assessed. A change
regulation, industries often co-opt regula- tive, it becomes rigid. This can result in out- is overdue and an experiment with ‘knowledge
free habitats. The rise in man-animal conflict is partly because
tory bodies to serve their own interests. dated oversight, allowing harmful applica- panchayats’ is a preferred idea.
the herbivore population is depleting due to lack of food. The self-regulation model sometimes tions to slip through the cracks. Ullattil Pakiteeri Raghunathan, Thrissur
Invasive species affect crucial functions like the timing of
UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM

doesn’t work. This phenomenon, known as The US has taken a more sector-specific
nitrogen cycles, water availability and carbon storage on which regulatory capture, can lead to influential approach, with agencies like the Federal Harris’s performance
native plants depend. This forces an adverse cascading effect on firms in emerging sectors like AI dominate Trade Commission issuing guidelines on Ref: Kamala puts Trump on the defensive
others dependent on forest resources, jeopardising the ecosys- the market, stifling competition, while im- AI usage, particularly concerning fairness in their first debate (Sep 12). Kamala
tem and affecting other species. The losses incurred as a result posing negative externalities on society. and transparency in consumer protection. Harris thrashed Donald Trump in Tuesday’s
Daron Acemoglu and Pascual Restrepo The US has also proposed the COPIED Act, presidential debate in the US. In June, the then
are estimated to run up to about $182.6 billion. built on this in 2020 by examining the which aims to enhance transparency Democratic candidate and current President
Some forest research institutes in the country like the Ben- broader macroeconomic and societal im- Without proactive regulations, around AI-generated content by requiring Joe Biden appeared shaky in his performance
galuru-based Institute of Wood Science and Technology are try- pacts of automation and AI. Their research artificial intelligence can exacerbate disclosures about its role in creating or al- against Trump, a display which precipitated his
ing ways to put invasive plants to good use, while eliminating shows how, without proactive regulatory tering media. The UK has opted for a prin- exit from the race. But this time, it was Trump
intervention, these technologies can exac-
inequality, displace segments of the ciples-based framework, emphasising ethi- rambling, repeatedly baited by Harris into
them from forests. Unlike deforestation, invasive species threat-
erbate inequality, displace large segments workforce & concentrate power in cal AI development and innovation without going off script. No doubt Harris has passed an
en the ecosystem in a non-anthropogenic manner. Therefore,
solutions do not lie in legislation. The urgent need is for out-of-
of the workforce, and concentrate econom- the hands of a few. Aidan Slattery rigid compliance requirements. essential test of her credibility.
ic power in the hands of a few dominant and others have developed an AI risk China has a more stringent, centralised R Sivakumar, Chennai
the-box technological approaches. The problem of invasive spe- firms. The absence of regulation can trig- framework that prioritises national secu-
cies has largely remained away from the public gaze till now. But ger societal disruptions, as the unchecked repository that can guide nations in rity and social stability. The government Using reservation
it’s a potent threat to India’s crucial wealth—its forests. deployment of AI systems might entrench developing proper regulations mandates strict oversight of AI technolo- Ref: It’s Rahul’s turn to get into the quota
biases, amplify disparities, and even erode gies, with regulations like Algorithm Rec- firing line (Sep 12). Much dust has been
democratic institutions by undermining cy and security (compromise of personal ommendation Service Management Regu- kicked up following Rahul Gandhi’s various
Q U I C K TA K E public trust in digital governance. data, system vulnerabilities), misinforma- lations requiring companies to disclose the pronouncements during his recent US trip.
Ex ante regulations for AI require regu- tion (spread of false information, erosion operational details of their algorithms. Reservation is just another tool in politicians’
A HARD FOCUS ON R&D lators to anticipate risks before they mate-
rialise. These regulations set forth legally
of consensus reality), malicious actors and
misuse (AI-driven disinformation, cyberat-
The enforcement of these rules is robust
and is closely integrated with the nation’s
hands to garner votes. None of these
soothsayers are truly concerned about the

I
NDIA’S push for manufacturing semiconductors is laudable. enforceable standards to pre-emptively pro- tacks, weaponisation), human-computer surveillance apparatus. Ironically, despite backward classes. Reservation must undergo a
tect against systemic failures, unethical interaction (overreliance on AI, loss of hu- this, between 2014 and 2023, an astonishing sea change if it is to uplift the backward.
The government has worked hard to attract investments, and practices, and threats to market integrity. man autonomy), socioeconomic and envi- 54,000 GenAI-related inventions were filed George Jacob, Kochi
its ongoing work on a new chip policy indicates its willingness However, regulators face significant chal- ronmental harms (power centralisation, in China, the highest in the world.
to adapt to the industry’s needs. Another aspect needs a nimble- lenges, including information asymmetry, job quality decline, environmental impact), These varying approaches point to the Shimla tension
footed approach—feeding the industry’s constant, massive hun- where they may lack knowledge that indus- and AI system safety and limitations (mis- challenges India faces in crafting effective Ref: Protests over ‘illegal’ construction in
ger for R&D resources. The world’s largest chipmaker, TSMC, try players possess. This disparity neces- aligned goals, dangerous capabilities, lack regulations. It’s evident existing regula- mosque turn chaotic in Shimla (Sep12). The
increased its R&D spend in 2023 by 12 percent to $5.9 billion, al- sitates that ex ante regulations be not only of robustness and transparency). tions and regulatory bodies are insufficient protests in Shimla over the mosque’s alleged
legally robust but also highly adaptable. This comprehensive system highlights to address the complexities of AI. The next illegal construction highlight the growing
most 9 percent of its turnover. Though a few companies in India
We now have some understanding of the the wide range of risks and emphasises the column in this series will explore what In- concern about communal tensions affecting
have recently sharpened their research focus, they do not spend risks AI can generate. Aidan Slattery and complexities in regulating AI. The implica- dia’s regulations should encompass. innocent lives. Authorities must prioritise this
nearly enough to be hardware industry leaders. In a cutting-edge others at MIT have developed an AI risk tions for regulations are significant, as this (Views are personal) alarming situation.
sector like semiconductors, that would mean failure. repository in 2024 that builds on previous tool can help policymakers identify, priori- (On X @adityasinha004) Manza Brahmanayakam, Bengaluru

THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS


Chairman of the Board: Manoj Kumar Sonthalia Editor: Santwana Bhattacharya
Resident Editor (Telangana) : T Kalyan Chakravarthy* Printed and Published by R K Jhunjhunwala on behalf of Express Publications (Madurai) Private Ltd., at H.No.6-3-1113/1, B.S.Makta Lane, Somajiguda, Near Grand Kakatiya Hotel, Punjagutta, Hyderabad – 500 016 and printed by him at Sakshi Press, Plot No.D-75 & E-52, Industrial Estate (APIE),
Balanagar, Medchal-Malkajgiri District, Telangana. Hyderabad: Vol. 48, No. 219 RNI Reg. No. 32179/77. Phone: 040-23413908. * Responsible for selection of News under the PRB Act. Copyright: Express Publications (Madurai) Private Ltd., All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner, electronic or otherwise, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited.
      

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side the state.The Aparajita trial. However, trials could be the State depends are the ly manned by female police
LF\SURYLGHVDVDIHW\QHWIRUVHQLRUVZKRKDYHXQWLOQRZEHHQIRUFHGWREHDUWKHVH Woman and Child (West Bengal completed in only a little people and the political par- personnel were established in
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Punishment for rape made its “However bad a Constitution 1   family are subjected to terri- came down by approximate-
'*$+, entry into the Indian Penal
Code.
may be, it may turn out to be
good if those responsible for
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with implementing the
ly 24 per cent. The biggest fall
of over 36 per cent was in
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after the brutal gang rape and a good lot.”Maker of the the spirit of public service securing women inside their
murder of a woman on a mov- Constitution in the conclud- ??  rather than political expedi- homes.If such an initiative by
ing bus in Delhi on December ing speech before the   ency. There is a recent case Ghaziabad Police can achieve
16, 2012, which shook the col- Constituent Assembly had study carried out by the Uttar such results one is sure at the
lective conscience of the nation. said, “However good a ?   Pradesh Police in Ghaziabad state government level such
Parliament passed the Criminal Constitution may be, it is sure district which reiterates the steps can be taken more effec-
Law (Amendment) Act, 2013 to to turn out bad because those  ? aforementioned tively. One is not sure how
allow the death penalty in rape who are called to work it, premise.There is an existing effectively have these pink
cases where the accompanying happen to be a bad lot. government policy for estab- police outposts been func-
brutality leads to death or leaves However bad a Constitution lishing Pink Police Outposts tioning in West Bengal, where
the victim in a persistent vege- may be, it may turn out to be under every police station. the government has just
tative state.Whatever name you good if those who are called The rules have been there but brought a more stringent
may give Aparajita, Disha or to work it, happen to be a not much work has been anti-rape law.
Shakti, these bills are meaning- good lot. done beyond the customary (Sidharth Mishra is the author
less as long as cases about rape The Constitution can provide launching of the programme & president Centre for
remain pending in the courts for only the organs of the State with much fanfare.However, Reforms, Development and
years together. In 2022, com- such as the Legislature, the Ghaziabad Police last year Justice; views are personal)

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our country has a uniqueness ogy between the native and believing blindly whatever is many legislations not implemented with '# 4!%7 4!!%!=Q (!#$> '+' ='!%>'+  =(#!'=+%0(!%=+(%(%!)%('#=Z#!0Z%8
in its culture, traditions, lan- colonised populations. available on digital platforms. enough seriousness. Therefore Niti Aayog !%=0%)%'!=)%(+"=)009''#=8 \= Vijay Singh Adhikari | Nainital
guage, food habits, products displacement of populations. In the 21st century, the inter- The addiction is so severe that should get down to understand the ground
produced, and even a story to The cultural erasure caused net has brought about a new the auto and taxi drivers of realities and plan accordingly. tion of all these devices and machines. B5GB9D9>789CD?BI1>4C395>35
tell. Colonisation, both exter- by colonisation is one of its type of colonisation that has Delhi-NCR, who had excel- A G Rajmohan | Anantapur Though chip companies around the world Madam — Should we trust the BJP or the
nal and internal, characterised most enduring impacts. begun infiltrating our society. lent navigation skills earlier have increased its production it's not quite facts proven by history and science? Some
by the exercise of control by Colonizers often portrayed This new form of colonisation using the brain, have shifted 389@=1;9>79>9>491 enough . pseudo-nationalist leaders in India have
one group over another, has their own cultures as superi- is known as digital colonisa- to Google Maps. Madam—Prime Minister Narendra Modi The PM showcased India’s reformist cultivated a loyal following that supports
profoundly impacted rewrit- or, leading to the suppression tion. Global IT giants promote a has said that resilience of supply chains is regime, stable policies and a market that their every claim, no matter how question-
ing history. of indigenous languages, reli- The term "digital colonisa- universal digital culture for critical for the economy. During his speech has tasted technology to make a strong able. For instance, Madhya Pradesh’s
The motivations behind it gions, and customs. In that tion" refers to the dominance various reasons, many of at the SEMICON 2024 conference the PM pitch for investments in semiconductor Higher Education Minister Inder Singh
have been many, encompass- process, we even lost the of numerous multinational which are tied to their busi- made a pitch to boost investments in manufacturing. He has also assured the Parmar recently claimed that Indian ances-
ing economic profit, territo- local economies that were technology businesses, the ness models and growth domestic manufacturing of semiconduc- world that when the chips are down, the tors, not Christopher Columbus, discov-
rial expansion, religious con- thriving in our society. majority of which are based strategies. Although this dig- tors . world can bet on India. ered America. He also asserted that stu-
version, and geopolitical Even the different dialects in the United States and a few ital culture promotes global A Year ago the Union Cabinet had India is all set to play a big role in driving dents have been taught "wrong history,"
power, among other consid- spoken by people of a state or wealthy nations, over the dig- connectivity, information approved a production linked the global semiconductor industry as alleging that the Indian hero Vasulun
erations. In earlier times, it region have been lost because ital infrastructure and data of accessibility and collabora- incentive(PLI) scheme for semiconductor work has already begun in a positive way. reached America in the 8th century and
was foreigners who intruded of outside interaction. This the entire world. For all of our tion, it also has the potential and display board, production in the Chip manufacturing in India no doubt will built temples in Santiago. Such state-
into the local community; has even been reflected in the day-to-day requirements, we to obscure regional diversity country. help many of our tech industries, cater ments reflect a broader attempt to reshape
now, the movement of native literary works created during began to rely more on digital and traditional lifestyles. The Heavy surge in sales of electronic devices employment and also make the nation self both history and science. Previously, lead-
people from one place to the time. Unfortunately, with platforms, reducing the concentration of power in the during the pandemic and the indefinite reliant and sufficient in chip manufactur- ers have made bizarre assertions,.here’s even
another has changed the colonisation, we made our amount of personal interac- hands of a few tech compa- closure of giant chip companies during the ing. Several sectors that are now lagging a claim that Rishi Kanad tested an atom-
demographic profile of a society a homogeneous one. tion. nies, cultural erasure, and lockdown had infact given rise to a crisis behind because of shortage of these chips ic bomb millions of years ago. Despite the
region.For many individu- This can be observed when This new digital culture has privacy are all concerns raised of scarcity of semi conductors in the glob- will get an opportunity to thrive once again absurdity of these claims, experts remain
als, the consequences of colo- we travel across the country. infiltrated even the remotest by the dominance of these al market. These chips are infact the ' life thereby helping to boost our economy and silent, as dissent is neither allowed nor
nialism have been devastat- The uniform way we built our parts of our country. corporations. ' of millions of products in our daily life, enhance our GDP. Besides, these compa- encouraged in this new system.
ing, resulting in the deliber- infrastructure in our cities has These digital titans prioritise (The writer is an adjunct ranging from automobiles to fridges and nies can also attract global buyers as Indian Jang Bahadur Singh | Jamshedpur
ate destruction of cultural made every city look the everything in our lives, faculty at the National washing machines to computers and products have now an image of their own
customs, the exploitation of same. including what we should Institute of Advanced smartphones and so on. Insufficiency of in the global market.     % -
individuals, and the forced Until the late 90s, every place buy, who we should be friends Studies; views are personal) these chips had slowed down the produc- M Pradyu | Kannur !"#$%&#
      

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TXDUWHUVLQWKHLVODQGVWDWHZLWKWKHEXVLQHVVJHRJUDSK\VSUHDGDOODFURVV he Paris Paralympics unfolded as three times. Mariyappan with disabilities. support for athletes.
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T a captivating display of athletic


excellence, particularly for the
Indian contingent. It was a spec-
tacle, with each athlete embody-
ing a harmonious blend of strength, deter-
mination, and skill – almost like poetry in
motion. As an avid follower, I found
Thangavelu, with a bronze in the
high jump T42 class, became the
first Indian to win medals at three
consecutive Paralympic Games,
having previously won gold at Rio
2016 and silver at Tokyo 2020.
Preethi Pal secured India’s first-ever
India began its Paralympic journey
in 1968, overcoming numerous
challenges such as limited
resources, inadequate facilities, and
low public awareness. Despite these
hurdles, Indian para-athletes grad-
ually rose to prominence on the
The extensive broadcasting and
marketing of the London 2012
Paralympics also helped transform
public perceptions of disability,
inspiring a new generation of para-
athletes. Similarly, Australia has
excelled in promoting inclusivity in
myself engrossed in nearly every perfor- medal in a track event at the global stage. A pivotal moment sports through the Australian
mance, regardless of the challenging (IST) Paralympics with a bronze in the came in 2004 when Devendra Paralympic Committee, which
time difference that saw events commence women’s 100m T35 race and won Jhajharia won India’s first focuses on talent identification,
under the glowing silhouette of the Eiffel another bronze in the 200m, Paralympic gold, setting a world athlete development, and grassroots
Tower. On the rare occasions when I becoming India’s most successful record in the F46 javelin throw. This inclusivity.
could not watch live, social media provid- athlete at the Games with two achievement heralded a new era for Further, Japan’s efforts during the
ed timely updates, fuelling my enthusiasm medals. The track events also saw Indian para-sports, culminating in Tokyo 2020 Paralympics highlight-
and admiration for these remarkable ath-     Deepthi Jeevanji become the first 35 medals across 12 Paralympic ed its commitment to accessibility,
letes. intellectually impaired Indian ath- Games.The Paralympics exempli- with significant investments in
Their tenacity and commitment to realiz- ?X  lete to win a Paralympic medal with fy India’s commitment to inclusive- inclusive infrastructure, such as
$GYDQFHWHFKQRORJ\PDQXIDFWXULQJDQGVHPLFRQGXFWRUVIRUPHGDQRWK ing their dreams on the global stage were  X a bronze in the women’s 400m T20 ness, reflecting a broader national accessible public transport, venues,
HUFUXFLDOHOHPHQWRIWKH30¶VYLVLW7KHVWDWHPHQWUHDG´%RWK3ULPH evident as they competed and excelled class.India’s achievements extend- strategy to promote equity in sports. and accommodations, demonstrat-
0LQLVWHUVDJUHHGWRH[SORUHFRRSHUDWLRQLQWKHDUHDRIFULWLFDODQGHPHUJ across multiple disciplines, leaving an ^jz_Q ed beyond the track and field to Government initiatives such as the ing a strong commitment to para-
indelible mark on the world of sports.India other disciplines. In archery, arm- ‘Target Olympic Podium Scheme’ sports.
LQJWHFKQRORJLHV%RWK3ULPH0LQLVWHUVDJUHHGWKDWDGYDQFHGPDQXIDF delivered its best-ever performance at the 1   less archer Sheetal Devi briefly set (TOPS), ‘Khelo India,’ and Moreover, the Paralympic
WXULQJSDUWLFXODUO\LQGHYHORSLQJUHVLOLHQWVHPLFRQGXFWRUVXSSO\FKDLQV Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, achieving a a world record in the ranking increased funding for para-sports Committee’s ‘I’mPOSSIBLE’ pro-
FDQEHDQHZSLOODURIELODWHUDOFRRSHUDWLRQ historic 29-medal haul that included seven
 ? round and later teamed up with provide athletes with special abili- gram, an educational initiative by
%RWK3ULPH0LQLVWHUVZHOFRPHGWKHVLJQLQJRIWKH0R8RQWKH,QGLD gold, nine silver, and 13 bronze medals. This   ? Rakesh Kumar to achieve a world ties access to advanced training the Agitos Foundation, was intro-
6LQJDSRUH6HPLFRQGXFWRU(FRV\VWHP3DUWQHUVKLS,PPHGLDWHO\DIWHUWKH outstanding achievement surpassed the 19- record score in the compound facilities, coaching, and financial duced in schools across Japan to
30YLVLWHG6LQJDSRUHWKH86JRYHUQPHQWDOVRDQQRXQFHGDQHZSDUW medal tally from Tokyo 2020, where India ?? mixed team qualification event. It support. To foster a more inclusive educate children about the
had won five golds, and marked a signifi-   was a perfect example of poetry in sports ecosystem, India regularly Paralympic values of courage, deter-
QHUVKLSZLWK,QGLDWRH[SORUHVXSSO\FKDLQRSSRUWXQLWLHVLQ,QGLD)XQGHG
cant milestone as the country crossed the motion. hosts events like the National Para mination, inspiration, and equali-
XQGHUWKH,QWHUQDWLRQDO7HFKQRORJ\6HFXULW\DQG,QQRYDWLRQ ,76, )XQG 50-medal mark in its Paralympic history. A  ? ?Q At just 17, Sheetal made history as Games and Para Athletics ty, fostering a culture of inclusivi-
FUHDWHGE\WKH&+,36$FWRI &+,36$FW RIWKH86LWDOORZVWKH record 84 para-athletes represented India India’s youngest Paralympic medal- Championships, enhancing visibil- ty from a young age.In India, the
GHSDUWPHQWWRVSHQGVRPHPRQH\RQGHYHORSLQJDWUXVWHGVXSSO\FKDLQ across 12 disciplines, including the debut  | list by winning a bronze in the ity and opportunities for para-ath- road to achieving inclusiveness in
HFRV\VWHPZLWKSDUWQHUVDQGDOOLHV$866WDWH'HSDUWPHQWSUHVVUHOHDVH participation in para-cycling, para-rowing,    ?Q mixed team event. Moreover, India’s letes. What is needed is corporate sports has been long and challeng-
UHDG´7KHLQLWLDOSKDVHLQFOXGHVDFRPSUHKHQVLYHDVVHVVPHQWRI,QGLD·V and blind judo. Among the shining stars, dominance in archery was further sponsorships and media coverage ing, but progress is evident.
H[LVWLQJVHPLFRQGXFWRUHFRV\VWHPDQGUHJXODWRU\IUDPHZRUNDVZHOO Avani Lekhara became the first Indian    confirmed when Harvinder Singh which are crucial in transforming The success of para-athletes at the
woman to win two golds at the Paralympic became the country’s first-ever societal perceptions of disability, Paralympics 2024 has helped break
DVZRUNIRUFHDQGLQIUDVWUXFWXUHQHHGV7KHVWDWHDQWLFLSDWHVWKDWNH\,QGLDQ Games, defending her title in the women’s    Paralympic archery champion. The empowering athletes and promot- down barriers and challenge stereo-
VWDNHKROGHUVVXFKDVVWDWHJRYHUQPHQWVHGXFDWLRQDOLQVWLWXWLRQVUHVHDUFK 10m air rifle standing SH1 shooting event outstanding performances by ing social inclusion and awareness. types, paving the way for a more
FHQWUHVDQGSULYDWHFRPSDQLHVZLOOSDUWLFLSDWHLQWKLVDQDO\VLVVWHHUHG with a world-record score. Meanwhile, India
  ??8 Indian para-athletes at the Paris Globally, several countries have suc- inclusive society. However, there is
E\WKH,QGLD6HPLFRQGXFWRU0LVVLRQ 7KHLQVLJKWVJDLQHGIURPWKHDVVHVV saw its first-ever one-two finish in athlet-  ?   ? 2024 Paralympic Games under- cessfully promoted inclusiveness still much work to be done to
PHQWZLOOVHUYHDVWKHEDVLVIRUSRWHQWLDOIXWXUHMRLQWLQLWLDWLYHVWRVWUHQJWK ics, with Dharambir and Parnav Soorma scored India’s emergence as a for- through sports. ensure that people with special abil-
HQDQGJURZWKLVFULWLFDOVHFWRU7KH8QLWHG6WDWHVDQG,QGLDDUHNH\SDUW clinching gold and silver in the men’s club  ?Q midable contender on the global The United Kingdom, for example, ities have equal access to sports and
QHUVLQHQVXULQJWKHJOREDOVHPLFRQGXFWRUVXSSO\FKDLQNHHSVSDFHZLWK throw F51 event. Dharambir also set a new   [ stage. Originating in 1948 with a has been a pioneer in fostering an the opportunity to compete at the
Asian record of 34.92m.In athletics, sever- sports event for World War II vet- inclusive sports culture. Looking highest level.
WKHJOREDOGLJLWDOWUDQVIRUPDWLRQFXUUHQWO\XQGHUZD\0DQXIDFWXULQJRI
HVVHQWLDOSURGXFWVUDQJLQJIURPYHKLFOHVWRPHGLFDOGHYLFHVUHOLHVRQ
al Indian para-athletes etched their names   ? erans with spinal injuries, organized back at the success of Team GB at The future of Indian para-sports
in the record books. by Sir Ludwig Guttmann in Stoke the London 2012 Paralympics, looks promising, as it is a power-
WKHVWUHQJWKDQGUHVLOLHQFHRIWKHVHPLFRQGXFWRUVXSSO\FKDLQµ Praveen Kumar set an Asian record en route X Mandeville, England, the where they ranked third with 120 ful reminder that success in sports
7KLVZHHN,QGLDDOVRKRVWHG6(0,&21DJOREDOFRQIHUHQFHWKDWDWWUDFWV to winning the high jump T64 title, secur- ?  Paralympics evolved into an inter- medals, which stemmed from years is not limited by physical ability but
LQYHVWPHQWVLQWKH,QGLDQVHPLFRQGXFWRUHFRV\VWHP,QGLDLVWU\LQJWR ing India’s sixth gold medal — their high- national event in 1960 in Rome of investment in para-sports proves defined by determination, skill,
DWWUDFWLQYHVWPHQWVIRUDFUXFLDOFRPSRQHQWRIPRVWPRGHUQHTXLSPHQW est total at the Paralympics. Javelin throw-    with 400 athletes from 23 countries. this point. and the spirit to overcome adver-
DQGPDFKLQHU\FDOOHGFKLSV7KHUHFHQWYLVLWVE\WKH30WR6LQJDSRUH er Sumit Antil made history as the first Since then, the Games have grown The UK government, along with sity. WE CAN is the catchword.
Indian man to defend his Paralympic title,    significantly, challenging stereo- organizations like the British (The writer is Programme
DQGWKH0HPRUDQGXPRI8QGHUVWDQGLQJZLWKWKH86PD\SURYLGHWKH winning gold in the men’s javelin throw F64 types and promoting inclusivity, Paralympic Association, provided Executive, Gandhi Smriti and
PXFKQHHGHGNLFNVWDUWIRU,QGLD·VVHPLFRQGXFWRUHFRV\VWHP with a stunning throw of 70.59m, breaking
 ? while celebrating the exceptional substantial funding, advanced train- Darshan Samiti; views expressed
7KHZULWHULVDSROLF\DQDO\VWYLHZVH[SUHVVHGDUHSHUVRQDO his record from Tokyo 2020 not once but talents and resilience of athletes ing facilities, and comprehensive are personal)

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e live our healthiest pain and the side effects of ficult to manage with tradi- genation provided by ozone more youthful and vibrant bodies - cells. By providing a

W when we can balance


the demands life
places on us with opportuni-
conventional treatment are
alleviated by it. It has shown
promise in managing chronic
tional methods. Ozone thera-
py can alleviate pain by reduc-
ing inflammation and promot-
therapy improves endurance,
enhances recovery, and boosts
overall performance.
appearance.
Multiple Ozone Therapy
Applications: Ozone therapy
fresh supply of oxygen, ozone
therapy boosts cellular health,
bodily functions and energy
ties that heal our bodies. diseases such as diabetes, car- ing tissue repair. Skin Rejuvenation: The skin, can be administered in various production. Ozone therapy
Ozone therapy is emerging as diovascular diseases, and For example, in arthritis, ozone the body’s largest organ, is hap- ways, including rectal insuffla- also helps neutralise free rad-
a key wellness treatment that autoimmune disorders. For therapy helps decrease joint piest when we have healthy tion, intravenous ozone mixed icals, reducing oxidative stress
is a transformative addition to instance, in diabetes manage- inflammation and improves cells and tissues. Ozone ther- with saline, and major autohe- and preventing cellular dam-
conventional medical prac- ment, ozone therapy can mobility. Compared to con- apy, in promoting healthy cells, motherapy. These methods age. Ozone therapy is safe
tices with a multitude of health $$.00 improve oxygen utilisation ventional pain management leads to several skin benefits. help activate cellular circula- when administered correctly
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tary medical treatment is prov- gen, into the body to stimulate Ozone therapy's analgesic and improving their functioning stress is a common issue. supply to the affected areas. function. treatment a modern-day tool
ing to be a highly effective inte- healing and improve overall anti-inflammatory properties and energy production. The Athletic Performance: Ozone Additionally, it has anti-ageing The Science of Ozone in the quest for holistic health
grative treatment that is pock- health. make it effective in pain man- resulting detoxification elim- therapy’s unique restorative benefits. By improving blood Therapy: The scientific reason and wellness.
et-friendly and safe for sever- Ozone therapy enhances tra- agement. Conditions like inates toxins, harmful free abilities are also extremely rel- flow and stimulating collagen ozone therapy works is its (The writer is trustee of
al clinical conditions. Ozone ditional medical treatments, arthritis, fibromyalgia, and radicals and waste from the evant to meeting the high production, ozone therapy can ability to stimulate the mito- Bisleri Charitable Trust and
therapy, with judicious doses offering a synergistic approach musculoskeletal injuries often minutest units of our bodies. performance and health needs enhance skin elasticity and chondria, the energy power- president Ozone Forum of
of ozone administered by a to health and wellness, where cause chronic pain that is dif- The result: Rejuvenated, of athletes. The increased oxy- reduce wrinkles, resulting in a house of the tiniest units of our India; views are personal)

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