In Response to : IE Editorial


The article "Over The Top" talked about opening up the defence sector
to the FDI which is unanimously accepted as imperative for the growth
of indigenous Research and development. However it would not be very
wise to rush into opening of the sector without putting in place
appropriate safeguards. It should be ensured that mechanisms
advocating adequate secrecy requirements are put in place to prevent
leakage of critical information which is very crucial in defence and
not so in Cars (an example that the author takes). A leakage of
Arihant, Pokharan-I and II would have never allowed the projects to
consummate (the developed world would have ensured that). The issues
of Intellectual property rights , a necessary clause of domestic
procurement are other issues that need to be resolved before the
sector is exposed to the market. Furthur it should be made sure that
market forces do not over power the national interest, had it been so
we would have never had Tejas or Arjun. Hence I firmly beleive that
the issue of opening the defence sector needs to be explored much more
meticulously before anything is decided upon.

Sino-US Relations

In response to : IE Editorial

Published at : IE Letters to the Editor

The warming of Sino-US ties should serve as a wake up call to the
Indian South Bloc. It is a well known fact that post soviet era saw a
pro-US tilt in India's foreign policy with the twin objectives of
fostering defence and economic cooperation and countering China. India
in the effort has been neglecting its ties with the resurgent Russia
and has been deteriorating its ties with countries such as Iran
(abandoning the IPI pipeline) and Iraq. However the reciprocation from
the U.S. has never been whole hearted evident in its policy pursued in
Af-Pak region and now with china. The growing US China should serve as
a wake up call for India. India should now diversify its foreign
policy options with fostering of ties with Russia, Iran and of course
South East Asia.

Education

The article rightly pointed out the relevance of socio cultural
appropriateness in making reading an enjoyable and interesting
experience, however what probably the article missed was the
importance of the vernacular. Each culture has nuances which are best
expressed in the local language or the so called mother tongue of the
child. The mastery and the grasping power that a child develops in his
mother tongue due to continued interaction at home can not be matched
by the the few hours of English education that a child receives in the
school. Hence two aspects also need to be incorporated along with the
suggestions already highlighted in the article. Availability of the
literature in the mother tongue of the child, and much more space for
the state administration to align the curriculum with the local
preferences.
An example that the article cited was that of the children literature
showing real children but isnt a punjabi child's life style, who for
example craves for a parantha , goes to play in the "sarson ka khet"
much different from that of a Kerala child who craves for a Rasam and
goes to play in a meadow lined with coconut trees. What I intend to
say is that we need local content in local language for the arousal
interest of the children. SiImilar issues have often been raised by
sociologist like Mohapatra , Vidyarthi in context of tribal education
(their cltural symbols, their role models etc being different.)

Universal PDS

The criticism of the Rangarajan Panel for diluting the NAC recommendations is unwarranted. A policy of the government has to factor in various constraints concerning procurement, storage, and distribution, mere paper work is insufficient. The provision of the Rangarajan panel to factor in 10 % buffer zone over and above the poverty figures of the Tendulkar committee is worthy of appreciation as it has taken into account the plight of the borderline poor for the first time. It should not be forgotten that even the Supreme Court directed the government to target the BPL population first and then with the passage of time and availability of resources extend the coverage to the APL population. Though a targeted PDS is full of pilferages it is better than a universal PDS with insufficient grains as in that case the benefits would definitely be disproportionately cornered by the affluent sections. The government should gradually expand the scope of the PDS eventually aiming for a universal coverage as and when sufficient grain stocks are available till then other options such as food coupons be introduced to minimize leakages in the PDS.

India's involvement in Nepal

The article talking about Indian meddling in the affairs of Nepal was
highly imbalanced with it wishfully ignoring a lot of other factors
that make it extremely necessary an involvement of India in the
affairs of Nepal. India has a porous border with Nepal and it is a
well known fact that Nepal has served as a transit route for the
procurement of arms by the CPI(Maoists) from China. The political
leanings of the Maoists were declared from the roof-top when breaking
centuries old tradition Prachanda chose to visit China before India. A
Maoist government in Nepal is definitely not in India's national
interest. The national interest may of course be sacrificed at the
altar of ethics and morality but that is not how the world functions
today. A fair play would have been desirable had all of the players
stuck to the rules. India has already lost much of the strategic
advantage it enjoyed in Myanamar (China is the biggest arms supplier
), Srilanka (Military deals during Elam war IV , Hambantota port
etc.) and now Nepal. Much of it is attributed to India's lethargy and
internal divisions ( even media is to be blamed for it). It high time
India realized the importance of maintaining favourable governments in
its neighborhood. We definitely desire a stable Nepal but one that is
independent in true sense not a proxy of another state with
conflicting interests.

Public Diplomacy

Public diplomacy has indeed emerged as a potent tool of foreign
policy, especially with the advent of 24x7 media and web 2.0. And
indeed it promises opportunities that probably were hitherto
impossible. Cultivating a positive impression about itself is the only
chance India has to salvage its relations with its estranged western
neighbor. It is well known that the extremists, the military in
Pakistan thrive on the public support they receive by false
anti-India propaganda, eg: the water issue. The south bloc definitely
needs to pull up its socks to clear the air. And once the public is in
India's favor the civilian government will follow suit. The
anti-blasphemy presentations, the failure of the cotton crops
presented ample wasted opportunities that could have been used to
present the people of Pakistan with a friendly neighbor, had openly
vocal support been given by the Indian politicians to the awam of
Pakistan.
Hope that such opportunities are utilized to the maximum in future.

On Disability

"Too late , too little" is what comes to one's mind when one looks at
the efforts that are underway in India to safeguard the interests of
the differently abled people vis-a-vis other nations. Though a proper
enumeration is a welcome step a long term goal of moving much beyond
structural reformations must be envisaged. India is still struggling
to discover the extent of disability pervading its population to
provide basic amenities, job opportunities, educational facilities to
them. Other countries on the other hand have long moved to a more
psycho-social approach to ensure that the disabled not only have a
non-abnormal life but a fulfilling one. To quote an example Syria
launched a Comics for children in which the hero is a teenager bound
to a wheel chair, and who like all other super heroes fights bad guys,
has bullet proof gadgets and gizmos(with jet skis on his wheel chair),
the comics is aimed at providing role-models/heroes to the disabled
children which are indispensable in inculcating aspirations and
ambitions in course of mental development of a child. I think India
also needs to ensure that simultaneous efforts are made on the
psycho-social front and should not wait for achieving the basic
facilities. Just as we did not wait for 100% enrollment in the primary
education sector before developing our higher education. It is one
area which is in the greatest requirement of a happy marriage between
technology and social sciences.

Navratna Universities

The announcement of the Science and Technology Minister to create
Navratna Universities on the lines of the Navratna PSUs has attracted
criticism from many quarters that mere branding of institutions as
"Outstanding" does not make them so. The criticism is not without
merit evident from the dismal infrastructure, lack of adequate
faculty, and ofcourse disharmony with the requirements of the industry
(evident from only 25 % fresh graduate employability). However if mere
branding would not improve the condition neither would a run of the
mill approach. It is not rocket science to realize that the present
structure of state and central university education is not
maneuverable despite sustained efforts. Navratna universities can
provide a window of opportunity to bring in those elements that have
been instrumental in creation of islands of excellence in the sea of
poverty of India's higher education structure( IITs and IIMs).
Financial autonomy, academic leadership in place of a bureaucratic
one, increased funding, freedom and ease of collaboration are some
measures that can be infused through the Navratna concept. Navratna
for the PSUs was an end in itself however it can very well be a 'means
to an end' for the educational institutions.