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RNI REGD NO. ORIENG/2004/13647
VOLUME 12, ISSUE 12 | FORTNIGHTLY
16 AUGUST 2016
` 30
INDIA
FIRST
S
P
E
A
K
S
Y
O
U
R
M
I
N
D
MORE WALKING,
LESS TALKING
From remote Nagada to smart
Bhubaneswar, Naveen Patnaik
seems to have stepped up his
government’s focus on
development in Odisha – without
making much of a noise about it
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Market
arket C
Complex,
omplex, Unit - 3, Bhubanesw
Bhubaneswar,
arr, TTel
el : 0674- 2534014 / 16 / 17 /18
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antonment R
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oad, Cuttack
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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
“A recalibrated approach need not
preclude a zero-tolerance policy to
terrorism or tackling pro-Pakistan
separatists with an iron fist in a velvet
glove. In the very least, it will never play
into their hands”
A PLAN FOR
PARADISE
By SUNJOY HANS
Editor-in-Chief
I
t has been well over a month since Kashmir
caught fire. And it has been burning ever since.
Much loss of life and property happened during
this time as the Indian government grappled for ways
to contain, if not douse, what threatens to become an
inferno (detailed in the cover
story).
Debates have been raging and
opinions galore in the mainstream and social media about
finding a solution to this protracted problem. On the one end
of the spectrum lie jingoistic suggestions that seem to be big on
Pakistan bashing and lacking in
compassion for the Kashmiri
people; on the other end lie perspectives that hit too hard on the
Indian government’s failings but
go too soft and concessionary in
other aspects, almost as if sold to
the idea of Kashmiri secession.
These extreme sides invariably
offer solutions ranging from the
overly simplistic to the downright impractical (if not ridiculous).
However, there were some
middle-of-the-road views that
made much sense when consid16 AUGUST 2016
ered in consolidation. These were about how the government may realistically approach this issue without
making an already bad situation worse. What realities
– regional, national and global – it must factor into
such an approach.
It was noted how India faced little pressure from the
powerful West over the recent Kashmir unrest, despite
concerted efforts by Islamabad to that end, because of
a good few reasons: Pakistan’s established reputation
as a terrorist breeding ground; the express desire of
Kashmiri separatist forces to establish an Islamist
regime upon independence; and the disastrous consequences of well-meaning interventions of the global
forces in many troubled Middle Eastern and African
nations, not least of which was the rise of the Islamic
State. Therefore, it was suggested, India could self-assuredly focus on the Kashmir problem without worrying about alienating the who’s who of the international
community.
However, subscribers to such views, also pointed
out that the efforts of successive Indian governments
towards developing Kashmir and integrating it – socially, economically and politically – with the rest of
the country left much to be desired. They noted how
the Indian State had failed badly in developing credible counter-narratives to separatist propaganda on the
increasingly powerful and influential social media.
And they also hit home another point, which might
be the most crucial under the current set of circumstances: The Indian State’s primitive means and methods of managing protests and controlling crowds, as
much as its resorting to curfews and gag orders, were
only harming the protestors, security personnel and
the Centre’s relationship with the Valley. For instance,
things such as pellet guns (whose bullets have permanently blinded many young protestors in the past few
weeks) should never be used when there are many
modern – and much less harmful – methods of crowd
control available. The security forces themselves do
not have good enough protective gear, which leaves
them dangerously exposed to stone-pelting crowds.
Over the long run, some experts
and academics advise, New Delhi
should also look beyond the traditional dynasties that have run Srinagar. It should engage more
directly with the people of Kashmir
and understand their psyche and
aspirations. Then through fasttracked development it needs to
proactively dispel the narrative
that it only pays lip service to their
causes.
Such a recalibrated approach
need not preclude a zero-tolerance policy to terrorism or tackling pro-Pakistan separatists with
an iron fist in a velvet glove. In
the very least, it will never play
into their hands. With the damage done so far, it may be a
dreadfully long and difficult road
towards winning back over the
disenchanted and misguided lot
in the Valley. But it is certainly not
beyond redemption. n
INDIA FIRST 3
INDIA
FIRST
S P E A K S
Y O U R
CONTENTS
M I N D
Editor-in-Chief Sunjoy Hans
[email : [email protected]]
Consulting Editor Pankaj Kumar
Associate Editor Siddhartha Tripathy
Senior Special Correspondent Kabita Dash
General Manager Bimal Ku. Bhanjdeo
Legal Advisors Yasobant Das, M.R. Mohanty
Orissa Correspondent H.K. Rath (Bapun)
Delhi Correspondent Samita Chaudhary
Special Correspondents Tarun Khanduja,
Ashok Mehta
Production Head Debabrata Mishra
Assistant Art Director Prabhakar Hota
General Manager Finance Niranjan Das
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08 AS THE VALLEY BURNS
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Has India finally found a way to handle the Kashmir issue
smartly?
THE RIGHT ROAD
AHEAD
Offering unconditional
legal support to
eyewitnesses and Good
Samaritans can go a
long way in helping
India tackle the rising
menace of hit-and-run
accidents
26
FOOD
THE CRAFT BEER
REVOLUTION
Microbreweries are
mushrooming as
Indians are slowly but
surely acquiring a
taste for traditional –
and healthier – types
of beer
All rights reserved throughout the world.
Reproduction in any manner is prohibited. Printed
and published by Sunjoy Hans on behalf of the
Sri Jagannath Publications Pvt. Ltd.
RNI Regd No. ORIENG/2004/13647
Volume 12, Issue 12, 16 August 2016, Fortnightly
email : [email protected]
34
HEALTH
4 INDIA FIRST
TOO DIRTY FOR
SAFETY
Despite suffering from
high maternal and
infant mortality rates,
India continues to have
numerous healthcare
institutions that are
woefully wanting in the
cleanliness and
hygiene department
36
SOCIETY
THE DALIT
EXCEPTION
For one that has a
pride of place on the
national map as a
model state, Gujarat
has come up woefully
short in giving justice
to its highly harassed
Dalit community
16 AUGUST 2016
In
a
nutshell
Food for Thought
T
echnology giant Google India has
announced a new feature in its
Search app that will let users order
lunch, dinner as well as book a table at
their favourite restaurant, directly from
the results page. "From today, when
people search for a nearby restaurants
on their phone, they'll see an option to
place an order in the search results,”
Google revealed. "One just needs to tap
that and choose the favourite delivery
service like Zomato or Swiggy," the post
added. Google will automatically take
users to their website to complete the
order. In addition, the new feature will
also help users plan their dine out by
booking a table at their favourite restaurant ahead of time. Google Search will
direct users to partner sites to make
their reservation. Using the Google
Search and the Google app, available on
platforms like android or iOS phone or
tablet, users can now order food via
Zomato and Swiggy. Users can also
make restaurant reservations with Dineout and Bytplus, and the company will
be adding more partners as well as
evolve the look and feel over time. n
Temple Run
L
ord Rama is worshipped all across
the subcontinental India. But in
Bisrakh village near Greater Noida, not
the hero of the epic Ramayana but its
anti-hero, Ravana, is deified. For, the
demon king was born there, according
to the local folklore. So, the locals have
for long been clamouring for a grand
temple to be built to Ravana, the King of
Lanka, without whom the Ramayana is
incomplete. That wish now stands almost realised -- the temple has been
built and on August 11 the idol of Ravana will be ceremonially installed
there. Ravana, however, will not stand
alone in the sanctum sanctorum -- the
idols of Lord Rama, Sita and Laxman as
well will keep him company, possibly to
remind us that their tales are intertwined. The temple is a joint venture of
the Mahatma Ravan Temple Trust and
the Shiv Mohan Temple Trust. According
to Ashokanand Maharaj, the founder
trustee of both trusts and the prime
mover behind the temple idea, the
structure is almost ready to be thronged
by devotees from across social milieu.
He expects them to gather at the
precinct in large numbers. Several dignitaries are expected to attend the inau16 AUGUST 2016
Goa Bound
G
oa State BJP President Vinay Tendulkar recently said Delhi Chief
Minister Arvind Kejriwal's repeated visits to Goa were not a matter
of concern, and refuted the AAP leader's claim that his party would win 35
seats in the 2017 state assembly polls. "He comes every two months, roams
around here and goes back. Let him come again and again. This is a tourist
place. He comes here, eats in somebody's home and goes back," Tendulkar
said. The Aam Aadmi Party co-founder has visited the poll-bound state
twice over the last three months. The first time was in May, when Kejriwal
formally announced the Aam Aadmi Party's decision to contest the Goa
polls, along with Punjab. During one of his Goa visits, Kejriwal was photographed having lunch at a party colleague's residence. He is expected to
visit Goa again in mid-August. n
guration ceremony. Noted among them
will be Hindu Mahasabha President
Swami Chakrapani, who will be the chief
guest. n
Spirited Move
G
oa Chief Minister Laxmikant
Parsekar introduced an amendment to the state excise duty law, elevating Feni -- a popular, locally brewed
cashew-based alcohol -- to the status of
a heritage spirit and bringing it on par
with Scotch whisky and tequila. "Having
considered multi-faceted uses of 'feni'
in cultural traditions, cuisines, medicinal purpose, etc., which is synonymous
to the Goan identity, government of Goa
has decided to separately define 'feni'
and establish its unique and well-deserving status by declaring this liquor as
the heritage spirit of Goa," said the Goa
Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill, 2016,
which was introduced during the ongoing monsoon session of the Goa legislative assembly. Cashew feni is distilled
from fermented juice extracted from the
cashew apple and is a popular alcoholic
beverage in Goa. A similar process is
also used to distil coconut feni from
palm toddy. Feni is also the state's first
Geographical Indication (GI) and it is
also the first liquor in the country to obtain the GI status. n
INDIA FIRST 5
E-asy Meals
T
echnology giant Google India has
announced a new feature in its
Search app that will let users order
lunch, dinner as well as book a table at
their favourite restaurant, directly from
the results page. "From today, when
people search for a nearby restaurants
on their phone, they'll see an option to
place an order in the search results,”
Google revealed. "One just needs to tap
that and choose the favourite delivery
service like Zomato or Swiggy," the post
added. Google will automatically take
users to their website to complete the
order. In addition, the new feature will
also help users plan their dine out by
booking a table at their favourite restaurant ahead of time. Google Search will
direct users to partner sites to make
their reservation. Using the Google
Search and the Google app, available on
platforms like android or iOS phone or
tablet, users can now order food via
Zomato and Swiggy. Users can also
make restaurant reservations with Dineout and Bytplus, and the company will
be adding more partners as well as
evolve the look and feel over time. n
Unsporting Attitude
A
uthor Shobhaa De has been slammed by many for mocking the Indian athletes participating at the Rio Olympics, but she has refused
to apologise for her statement. In an interview to a news channel, the author said: "Yes, of course I stand by it. Players are entitled to an opinion. In
fact, I did comment about Abhinav (Bindra) being our sole hope." Shobhaa
had recently tweeted: "Goal of Team India at the Olympics: Rio jao (Go to
Rio). Selfies lo (Take selfies). Khaali haat wapas aao (Return emptyhanded). What a waste of money and opportunity. Only hope? Dependable
Abhinav Bindra. Aim for gold, champion!" To that, Bindra, who finished
fourth in the final of the men's 10-metre Air Rifle final at the Olympic
Shooting Centre in Rio de Janeiro, tweeted: "Shobhaa De, that's a tad unfair. You should be proud of your athletes pursuing human excellence
against the whole world." The author, who was trolled by a slew of Twitter
users for her comment, further said: "There is no infrastructure. Corruption has led to this situation and low priority given to sports." Composermusician Vishal Dadlani tweeted: "Indian athletes put in a lifetime of effort
(dealing w/near-zero facilities and petty politics) to carry our flag to the
#Olympics! Not easy." n
Crorepati Cabinet
T
en out of 25 ministers in Gujarat's
new cabinet have criminal
charges, with half of them accused of
murder, attempt to murder and robbery,
according to the Gujarat Election
Watch and ADR. The Gujarat Election
Watch and Association for Democratic
Reforms (ADR) analysed the selfsworn affidavits of all 25 ministers including Chief Minister Vijay Rupani,
the ADR said. "Of the 10 ministers who
have declared criminal cases, five have
declared serious criminal cases. These
include murder, attempt to murder,
robbery and dacoity," it said. Of the 25
ministers, 21 (84 per cent) are
crorepatis, with average assets worth
Rs 7.81 crore. The minister with the
highest declared total assets is
Parshottmbhai Odhavjibhai Solanki
from Bhavnagar Rural constituency
with assets worth Rs 37.61 crores. He is
followed by Vallabhbhai Gobarbhai
Kakadiya who has assets worth more
than Rs 28 crore and Rohitbhai Jashubhai Patel with assets worth more than Rs
23 crore. A total of 18 ministers have declared liabilities, out of which the minister with the highest liabilities is
Jayeshbhai Vithalbhai Radadiya from
Jetpur constituency (Rs 7.94 crore). He
is followed by Vallabhbhai Gobarbhai
Kakadiya (liabilities of more than Rs 5
6 INDIA FIRST
crore) and Parshottmbhai Odhavjibhai
Solanki (more than Rs 3 crore). n
Keeping Calamities
at Bay
T
he Odisha government will install
Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) in six coastal districts to reduce the vulnerability of coastal
communities to natural calamities. The
government will install 122 towers in six
coastal districts to disseminate early
warnings about cyclone, tsunami and
flood to people, said Special Relief Commissioner Pradipta Mohapatra. The
EWDS will be commissioned in Balasore, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur,
Kendrapara and Puri districts and would
be directly controlled from the Special
Relief Commissioner's office. The project will be implemented under the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project
(NCRMP). The Rs 66 crore project is assisted by the World Bank. Odisha will be
the first state in India to install EWDS to
provide early warning to coastal people.
"The tender has already been floated,
and Larson and Toubro (L&T) has been
assigned the work. We have asked the
company to complete the work as
early as possible," said Mohapatra. He
said the towers, through which warnings would be disseminated to people,
can withstand up to 350 km/hr wind
speed. n
16 AUGUST 2016
POLITICALLY
INCORRECT
A fortnightly update on the faux pas of the movers and shakers of Indian politics
“In America’s Presidential
election, for the first time
a woman candidate is
contesting and the
complete reason for that
is Amma (Jayalalithaa)”
A Ramu, AIADMK’s
Coonoor MLA, says it was
his party supremo J
Jayalalithaa who inspired
Hillary to contest in the
Presidential elections.
“There is a certain sympathy for
people who are anti national ... One
actor said my wife wants to go out of
India ... it was an arrogant
statement”
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar
says he was complimented by
everyone for his recent comments,
targeting actor Aamir Khan.
“It must be investigated whether
people, with the opposite ideology
or those who want to come to
power, are behind this incident in
order to malign the government”
Senior Samajawadi Party leader and
Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan
drew ire for his comments suggesting
that the Bulandshahr highway gang
rape could be an outcome of a
political conspiracy.
16 AUGUST 2016
INDIA FIRST 7
Cover
Story
AS THE
VALLEY
BURNS
Has India finally found a way to
handle the Kashmir issue smartly?
A
bloody dark cloud has been
hanging over the Kashmir Valley ever since Indian security
forces gunned down separatist militant
outfit Hizbul Mujahideen’s young commander Burhan Wani along with his two
aides during an encounter last month.
The violence that has transpired in the
mean time between protestors and security forces amid a seemingly neverending series of separatist-called
shutdowns and government-imposed
curfews has claimed 57 lives and injured
several thousand so far.
Quite apparently unprepared to deal
with an agitation of such proportions at
such short notice, the Indian State
found itself on the back foot for a long
time as it did the firefighting. Stories
about the security forces’ pellet guns
handicapping protestors were making
more headlines than their deaths
caused by violent stone-pelters. While
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister
Mehbooba Mufti’s almost apologetic
stance for the death of the 22-year-old
social media-savvy militant cut no ice
with anyone, Pakistan and globally
banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant
outfit were stoking the flames in the Valley.
In a statement to Srinagar-based
newspapers, the LeT, based in Pakistan
and blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attack,
said that it "respects the aspirations of
Kashmiri people for their independence
from India".
"Make the hartal (shutdown) calls
successful and follow the programmes
issued by joint resistance leadership religiously," the statement said, referring
to Hurriyat leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and
Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front
(JKLF) head Yasin Malik.
In a bid to get the global community
on its side over the Kashmir issue, Pakistan did more than its fair share of
drama. And then some.
Top Pakistani foreign advisor on August 6 requested Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) - commonly known as
"Doctors Without Borders" - to immediately provide medical assistance to
thousands of people injured in the
Kashmir Valley due to "state aggression
by Indian forces".
Adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz
made the formal request by writing a
letter to the international president of
MSF, highlighting the state of medical
emergency in Jammu and Kashmir, said
a statement issued by the foreign ministry. It further notified MSF that the
emergency situation in the Kashmir de10 INDIA FIRST
veloped as a "result of the atrocious Indian brutalities against unarmed and
defenseless civilians".
Aziz particularly emphasised the urgent need of eye surgeons, as hundreds
of people were suffering from severe eye
injuries caused by the use of pellet guns
on peaceful protesters.
Three days later, Pakistan urged
United Nations Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon, and United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights Prince
Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein to make efforts to
end the "persistent and egregious" violation of human rights in Jammu and
Kashmir.
In two separate letters, Pakistani
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called
upon the world bodies to implement
UN Security Council Resolutions that
provide for the self-determination of the
Kashmiri people.
Sharif too highlighted the use of pellet
guns. He said that pellet guns "were
aimed with the deliberate intention of
causing serious permanent injuries",
adding, "this was unacceptable".
He said that force was being used to
prevent access to hospitals, to harass
doctors and prevent access to medical
facilities, which he said, was "a clear
manifestation of Indian state terrorism
to suppress the Kashmiris' struggle for
their inalienable right to self-determination".
Although no country of any repute or
consequence, apart from Turkey,
seemed interested in Islamabad’s selfassumed position as an upholder of
human rights in Kashmir, pressure was
building up at home for the Indian government to find a solution to the ongoing unrest in the Valley along with a
befitting response to Pakistan’s farcical
grandstanding.
Exactly a month after Wani’s death,
Opposition members in the Rajya Sabha
demanded a discussion on the ongoing
unrest in Jammu and Kashmir, and also
asked the government to call an allparty meeting on the issue.
"Today it's one month of curfew,
everything has stopped. I don't think
any state had curfew for 30 days after Independence. School, colleges are shut,
there is almost nil attendance in Secretariat,” Leader of Opposition in the
Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said
raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha.
"The government, and specially the
Prime Minister, are mute spectators.
India's crown is on fire but the heat is
not reaching the government in Delhi,"
he said.
Azad accused the government of
being silent on the issue.
"People are eager to hear what the
Prime Minister has to say on Kashmir.
This is not an ordinary situation. I urge
the government to call an all-party
meeting, and an all-party delegation
should go to Kashmir," Azad said.
Communist Party of India-Marxist
leader Sitaram Yechury questioned the
use of pellet guns against protesters in
Kashmir. "There has been curfew since
30 days. In such a situation how can we
remain silent? Why are we using pellet
guns? It's inhuman, it's criminal, even
Israel does not use it against Palestinians," Yechury said.
He also slammed the government for
remaining silent on the issue. "By
choosing to remain silent, the Prime
Minister is sending a message that this
government does not care," he said.
D. Raja of the Communist Party of
India also said the use of pellet guns
should be stopped.
Samajwadi Party member Neeraj
Shekhar said: "The youths killed were
Indians or not? There is no statement
from the Prime Minister or Home Minister ... What message are we sending?"
Janata Dal-United leader Sharad
Yadav added: "The government's silence
on this issue is hurting."
Following this, Minister of State for
Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas
Naqvi said the government is ready to
debate the issue.
"We want peace in Kashmir... and
people of Kashmir have repeatedly defeated powers that have tried to disrupt
peace. We are ready to debate on the
issue," Naqvi said.
The next day saw the Opposition parties seek a discussion in the Rajya Sabha
on the unrest in Jammu and Kashmir, to
16 AUGUST 2016
which the government agreed before
setting a date for discussion on August
10.
The government had not, however,
been sitting hand in hand. On the same
day, Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar
summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit and served him a
"strong demarche" protesting continued cross-border terrorism from Pakistan.
"Foreign Secretary Jaishankar called
in Pak HC Basit today, issued strong demarche on continuing cross border terrorism from Pakistan," External Affairs
Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup
tweeted.
"Demarche made specific reference
to LeT (Lashkar-e-Toiba) terrorist and
Pak national Bahadur Ali who was apprehended recently," he added.
The demarche stated that Pakistani
national Bahadur Ali alias Abu Saifullah
was arrested by Indian authorities in
Jammu and Kashmir on July 25 along
with weapons, including an AK-47 rifle,
live rounds of ammunition, grenades
and grenade launcher, as well as sophisticated communication equipment and
other material of Pakistani and international origin.
It said Bahadur Ali, born on December 17, 1995, is son of Mohammed Haneef, a resident of Jia Bagga village in the
Lahore district of Pakistan's Punjab
province. “Bahadur Ali has confessed to
our authorities that after training in
Lashkar-e-Toiba camps, he was infiltrated into India,” the demarche said.
“He was thereafter in touch with 'operations room' of LeT, receiving instructions to attack Indian security personnel
and carry out terrorist attacks in India.”
16 AUGUST 2016
The demarche said India “strongly
protests against the continued infiltration from Pakistan of trained terrorists
with instructions to carry out attacks”.
This was contrary to assurances given by
Pakistani leaders at the highest level, it
added.
It also said that Bahadur Ali wrote to
the Pakistan High Commission in New
Delhi seeking legal aid and assistance to
meet his family. “We are prepared to
grant the Pakistan High Commission
consular access to Bahadur Ali,” the demarche concluded.
However, on August 10, Pakistan
brazenly rejected India's claim of crossLOC infiltration, as usual.
Meanwhile, in a bipartisan discussion
over a deadly unrest in Kashmir, most
politicians from across the spectrum
urged the government to work out a political solution to problems and bring
peace to the restive Kashmir Valley.
Rajya Sabha MPs asked the government to call an all-party meeting over
the situation and then send a delegation
of parliamentarians to the valley for
talks with a cross section of the people.
Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad,
who initiated the debate, urged the government to integrate hearts and minds
of people with the "integral part of
India" to solve problems there.
"We always say Kashmir is an integral
part of India. But integral part should
not be on paper only. There should be
the integration of minds and hearts,"
Azad said.
The Congress leader slammed Prime
Minister Narendra Modi for not speaking in parliament about the situation in
the valley and choosing a Madhya
Pradesh rally to appeal for peace in
Kashmir.
"If something happens in Africa, you
(Modi) tweet, Pakistan is an enemy nation and still you speak when something
happens there. It is good to show sympathy with all. But the crown of India
(Kashmir) is burning. You must have felt
the heat on your head, if not the heart."
He said Kashmir wasn't a mere law
and order problem but "a complex
issue".
"Politics comes first, economics second, employment after that. If we talk
about electricity, roads and water, and
not about politics, it will be wrong."
Azad called for an all-party meeting to
discuss the issue. He also asked for a delegation to be sent to Kashmir. His party
colleague and former Jammu and Kashmir governor Karan Singh said the government and the house should
"introspect why thousands of youths
have embarked on a path of destruction" in the valley.
MPs from other parties joined the
chorus and wondered why the government was not taking a political initiative.
"We have to end the violence and the
current bloodshed in Kashmir. Start a
political process to bring an end to the
problems of people of Kashmir," CPI-M
General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said,
urging an immediate end to using pellet
guns to quell street protests there.
Swapan Dasgupta, a nominated
member allied to the BJP, said he agreed
with the view that a political approach
was required. "But the approach must
be considered and designed very carefully."
Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader
Sharad Yadav said a political initiative
was necessary to win the trust of the
people of the state. "(The) Prime Minister might say anything but it does not
make any difference. The condition in
Jammu and Kashmir is very bad. Modi
says that we all love Kashmir, but this I
would say is one-sided. We have to chalk
out such political measures that the
people of Jammu and Kashmir also start
loving us."
Nazir Ahmad Laway, a Kashmir lawmaker from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), questioned why the
nation remembered Kashmir only
"when it is burning".
"The longer we take to resolve this
issue, the harder it will be. Kashmiri
people are not for guns, they are for this
country," Laway said. "They don't trust
us. They say delegations come and go,
but nothing is ever done for us."
Minister of State in PMO Jitendra
Singh said he was shocked over the
deaths, including those of children.
INDIA FIRST 11
"Children have no religion. If a child is
killed, it should awake the country's collection conscience."
The opposition as well as ruling lawmakers were also united in condemning
Pakistan over stoking trouble in the valley. Nationalist Congress Party leader
D.P. Tripathi said the house and the nation were "united against those causing
problems in Kashmir from across the
border".
This unity was once again in full display when the all-party meeting finally
happened two days later. And it was
here when the government finally
seemed to have a strategy in place for
tackling the challenge in Kashmir and
beyond. Prime Minister Narendra Modi
pointed out at the all-party meeting that
atrocities committed by Pakistani security forces in Balochistan and the Kashmir it holds need to be exposed to the
world.
Modi said the roots of tension in the
Kashmir Valley lay in cross-border terrorism sponsored by Pakistan.
"Pakistan forgets that it is bombing its
own people. The time has come for Pakistan to tell the world why it has been
committing atrocities on people in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Balochistan," the Prime Minister said in the
meeting that lasted for about four hours.
The Home Minister said all the participants at the meeting felt that normalcy
had to be restored in the valley. But
Modi stressed that "there cannot be any
compromise on national security".
"We have to win the confidence of the
people in Jammu and Kashmir. The central and state governments are committed to address all the genuine grievances
of the people and restore peace there.
But we will not lower the guard against
terrorism and anti-India activities,"
Modi said.
Most opposition parties urged the
government to start a dialogue with all
stakeholders, including separatist leaders, in Jammu and Kashmir. But the government appeared to have shot down
the proposal to talk to separatists.
"All parties were of the same approach and there will be no compromise
on terrorism or separatism," Jaitley said.
"As far as the dialogue is concerned, it is
already on with mainstream parties,
traders and civil society (in Jammu and
Kashmir)."
Ghulam Nabi Azad said former Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh, who also attended the meet, assured the government "full cooperation" on "any positive
step in the endeavour of solving the
Kashmir issue".
While the all-party meeting was a re12 INDIA FIRST
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti comes out of Home
Ministry after meeting Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi.
assuring success, the Prime Minister’s
claims about atrocities in PoK – in an
amazing coincidence – stood substantiated in no time.
That very day, protesters in PoK’s
Gilgit-Baltistan region took to the streets
protesting against human rights abuses
and crackdown by the Pakistani security
forces. Hundreds of youth, led by Gilgit's
top political activist Baba Jan, were
taken into custody by the Pakistani security forces.
Raising "anti-Pakistan" slogans, these
protesters held demonstrations in Gilgit
town, Astore, Diamer and Hunza of the
the Gilgit- Baltistan region, which is the
only Shia-dominated area in Sunni-majority Pakistan.
Many angry demonstrators were
quoted by the media as saying that these
young men were imprisoned for demanding political rights and asking the
Pakistani army to leave Gilgit's soil.
Turning a deaf ear to those calls, Islamabad continued sticking to its narrative as Pakistan High Commissioner
Abdul Basit stated on August 14, Pakistan’s Independence Day, that the
struggle of the people of Jammu and
Kashmir for "right to self determination" was legitimate and it cannot be
suppressed.
"Political aspirations of the people of
Jammu and Kashmir cannot be suppressed … Nor could anyone belittle or
wish away their legitimate struggle and
enormous sacrifices," a Pakistan High
Commission statement quoted Basit as
saying.
But India’s strategy seemed set this
time as it gave a befitting reply the next
day.
In his over 90-minute Independence
Day speech from the ramparts of the
Red Fort, Prime Minister Modi – in a first
for any Prime Minister – referred to Pakistani human rights abuses in both
Balochistan and the part of Kashmir it
controls.
"The world is watching. People of
Balochistan, Gilgit, Baltistan and occupied Kashmir have thanked me a lot in
the past few days. I am grateful to
them," Modi said, referring to his earlier
comments on excesses in Pakistan's
largest province and in the Pakistani
part of Kashmir.
He said the way people from these
Pakistani regions "wished me well, gives
me great joy".
In thanking an Indian Prime Minister,
"they have thanked the whole population of my country", he said. "I want to
offer my gratitude to these people."
Modi also hit out at Pakistan for supporting terrorism. This, he said, was in
contrast to the way Indians reacted with
sorrow when terrorists slaughtered
school children in Peshawar.
"That is the nature of India. But on the
other hand, look at those who glorify
terrorists. What kind of people glorify
terrorists? What kind of people celebrate
when people are killed?"
"All those who are killing innocents ...
I want to tell them that this country will
not tolerate terrorism and militancy. Return to the mainstream. The road of militancy and terrorism does not help
anyone."
When India First went to press, Pakistan seemed to have finally got a taste
of its own medicine. As for Kashmir, it is
to be hoped that every cloud, however
dark, has a silver lining. n
16 AUGUST 2016
Cover
Story
IROM WILL
Irom Sharmila’s decision to end her 16-year-long hunger strike to join active
politics is a practical one but has angered Manipur
16 AUGUST 2016
INDIA FIRST 13
I
t was with surprise and admiration
that the world was first introduced
to Manipuri activist Irom Sharmila
as she began a fast unto death against
the controversial Armed Forces (Special
Powers) Act. As sixteen years passed, the
44-year-old became an international
icon for her crusade against the draconian law, becoming the face of Manipur’s
despair against AFSPA. On August 9, she
surprised everyone once again, this time
by ending the world’s longest hunger
strike and voicing her political aspirations.
On July 26, Sharmila told the court of
the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Imphal
west, that she planned to end her fast on
the day of her next court hearing, contest elections as an independent candidate and also marry. The activist, known
as the Iron Lady of Manipur, termed a
‘Prisoner of conscience' by Amnesty International and recipient of various
prizes, has declined food or drink for the
last 16 years, has been force-fed by the
nose all these years.
Sharmila began a hunger strike in November 2000, following the killing of 10
civilians by security forces and was arrested by the Manipur government in
2000 under section 309 of the Indian
Penal Code, which prohibits an attempt
to commit suicide. However she has
been denying she was trying to commit
suicide saying that she is using the fast
as a weapon. The last 16 years have seen
her get released and rearrested as she
continued to fast.
LONE CRUSADER
Getting emotional as she licked some
honey to mark the ending of her fast,
Sharmila said: "I will never forget this
moment." She said she will use everything in her power to create a positive
society and the "foremost will be removal of this draconian (AFSPA) law".
"I am not a goddess, I want to be a
human being. I want to be Chief Minister of Manipur to make a positive difference," she said. Asked to comment on
the ongoing protests in Jammu and
Kashmir, Sharmila said "Let the Kashmiris have the right of self-determination".
Asked where she will stay now,
Sharmila said she will stay in an ashram.
She has been living at the J.N. Institute
of Medical Sciences for the last 16 years
where she was being fed through a nasal
tube.
Her mother Sakhi has refused to meet
her while her elder brother I. Shinghajit,
in an open letter, made an impassioned
appeal to her to continue the fast.
Sharmila said she will see her mother
14 INDIA FIRST
Irom Sharmila being brought to the court in Imphal.
only after AFSPA has been repealed from
her state. Sharmila and Desmond
Coutinho, a British citizen of Indian origin, have been exchanging letters since
2009. Sharmila has said he loves her and
has announced plans to marry.
Ironically, after leaving the J.N. Institute of Medical Sciences, Sharmila had
nowhere to go. Her mother and brother
Shinghajit and others have not welcomed her in their homes.
She told newspersons outside the
court that she will contest the 2017 assembly elections from Khurai Assembly
constituency as an independent. Re-
ports say that some local and national
parties have sent feelers to her. She has
not responded yet.
Doctors are not allowing her to eat
normal solid food immediately. One
doctor said: "As she has been staying
away from normal solid food for over 16
years, we have to take a step by step approach. It will take some days for her to
resume normal food."
PUBLIC APATHY
For a long time Sharmila has been appealing to all sections of the people to
16 AUGUST 2016
WHAT IS AFSPA?
The Act was enacted to bring under control what the government of
India considered disturbed areas. It was first implemented in Manipur and
Assam in 1958, following the Naga movement. In the following decades it
spread to the other seven states in the northeast. In 1983 Punjab and
Chandigarh was subjected to it only to be withdrawn in 1997, roughly 14
years after it came to force. The Act was passed in 1990 for Jammu and
Kashmir and has been in force ever since.
What sort of immunity does AFSPA give an Army officer?
According to AFSPA, an officer can exercise the following powers:
1. After giving due warning, an officer is allowed to open fire or use other
kinds of force even if it causes death.
2. Destroy any arms dump, hide-outs, prepared or fortified position or
shelter or training camp from which armed attacks are made or can be
made by the armed volunteers.
3. To arrest anyone without warrant who has committed cognizable offences or is reasonably suspected of having done so.
4. To enter and search any premise in order to make such arrests, or to recover any person wrongfully restrained or any arms, ammunition or
explosive substances and seize it.
5. Stop and search any vehicle or vessel reasonably suspected to be carrying such person or weapons.
6. Army officers have legal immunity for their actions. There can be no
prosecution, suit or any other legal proceeding against anyone acting
under AFSPA.
7. Government's judgment on why an area is found to be disturbed isn't
subject to judicial review.
extend support to her cause, but to no
avail. Except for some reporters, there
was nobody to meet her in the court
where she is produced every 15 days.
The government has now provided security to her as there is a perceived
threat from the insurgents because of
her change of stand.
Once Manipur’s most popular citizen,
Sharmila suddenly finds herself without
any friends after her court announcement to end her strike. From her family
to close friends and even neighbours, no
one wants to even shake hands with a
feisty woman who went without food
16 AUGUST 2016
and water these long years.
Ironically, she has returned to the
same hospital which had been her home
for 16 years. But this time it has nothing
to do with her health. It is simply because she has no place to sit or sleep.
Her own family doesn't want her. When
some good samaritans offered her temporary shelter, locals came out to object.
After being released by the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Imphal West, she was
taken to the house of an activist, Thiyam
Suresh, a former doctor who had filed a
petition in the Supreme Court against
the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act,
1958.
Local women have made it known
that she was not welcome in the locality.
She then went to two other places, only
to meet similar public resistance. Dejected, the 44-year-old and her police
guards then went to ISKCON, perhaps to
take temporary shelter. From there, she
was taken to a police station. And again
to J.N. Institute of Medical Sciences
where she had been warded for 16 years.
The "Save Sharmila Group" and others have distanced themselves from her.
There was nobody to console her at the
court complex. On her part, Sharmila is
INDIA FIRST 15
TIMELINE
November 2, 2000: Assam Rifles personnel gun down 10
people, including a teenage student who was a 1988
Bravery Award winner, at Malom near Imphal.
November 4, 2000: Sharmila, then 28, begins her indefinite fast in protest against the killings, demands withdrawal of AFSPA that gives sweeping powers to armed
forces.
November 8, 2000: Sharmila arrested by police on
charges of attempt to commit suicide under Section
309 of IPC. She has since been released and arrested
several times as the maximum punishment under this
Section is one year imprisonment. Technically, she in
the custody of Imphal's Sajiwa Central Jail but kept at
the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal, where a team of doctors, nurses and policewomen ensure she gets her injections of nutrients
through the nasal tube.
October 2, 2006: Sharmila goes to Raj Ghat, New Delhi,
to pay floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. Goes to Jantar
Mantar for a protest demonstration where she is joined
by human rights activists, students and others.
October 6, 2006: She is re-arrested by the Delhi Police for
attempting suicide and taken to the All India Institute
of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Sharmila writes to the
Prime Minister, the President, and the Home Minister.
February 24, 2010: Sharmila gets the Mayilamma Award
for the year 2009. Mayilamma Foundation secretary
M.N. Giri and great grandson-in-law of Mahatma
Gandhi, Yogendra S. Parikh, present the award to
Sharmila at her hospital ward.
March 2011: Desmond Coutinho, 48, a British citizen of
Indian origin, meets Sharmila in hospital. Sharmila
and Coutinho had been exchanging letters since 2009.
Sharmila says he loves her.
October 2011: All India Trinamool Congress' Manipur
unit announces support to Sharmila and calls on party
chief Mamata Banerjee to help repeal the AFSPA.
July 26, 2016: Sharmila announces she would end her
fast, join electoral politics and get married.
August 9, 2016: Sharmila ends her 16-year-long hunger
strike, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the Quit
India movement.
unhappy that people have not understood her decision to give up the hunger
strike, get into politics and also marry.
All the national and international reporters have left Imphal. She does not
know where to go. But she cannot stay
in the hospital for long. She is not ready
for now to talk about her "tactical mistakes". What seems to have dawned on
her is that it is not easy to win elections,
far less become the Chief Minister.
Women activists seem to be unhappy
with her plan to marry an NRI. Those
women who launched a relay hunger
strike in solidarity now say that Sharmila
must have been "brainwashed" by giving her a mobile and laptop in jail.
16 INDIA FIRST
In the past, the government had to
spend over Rs 80,000 per month for
nasal feeding. But she has to foot the bill
for food now. The issue is -- where will
she get the money? Who will support
her? The girl everyone loved in Manipur
finds herself more lonely than ever before.
AFSPA DEBATE
Sharmila's hunger strike did put the
spotlight on the human rights violations
in Manipur. AFSPA has been removed
from seven municipal constituencies in
the valley districts in Manipur. In recent
years, violence has also come down considerably.
Having lost considerable ground with
virtually no supporters except for some
reporters, Sharmila has been thinking of
a public debate on whether people still
want the AFSPA and if she should stop
the campaign against the act that absolves armed forces personnel of any
criminal responsibility for damages to
property or for loss of limb and life during anti-insurgency operations in an
area.
Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi
Singh said: "We may lift the AFSPA from
the rest of the state. On August 12, 2004,
we had lifted it from seven assembly
segments on experimental basis despite
objections from some circles."
16 AUGUST 2016
Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has
created a sand sculpture of Irom
Sharmila at Puri beach of Odisha.
Manipuri human rights activists
shout against the decision of Irom
Sharmila to break her fast in Imphal.
"If the insurgents intensify their violence after lifting it from the entire state,
we will have to approach the Centre
again to re-impose the AFSPA."
Official indications, however, are that
the dwindling public support to
Sharmila's campaign is allowing the
state government a sigh of relief.
Sharmila is also unhappy that police did
not permit the Manipuri students in
Delhi to talk to her in the court complex.
"It is denial of their fundamental
rights," she said, adding the student
groups in Manipur should also join the
campaign which is for the protection of
human rights.
Sharmila expressed her desire while
16 AUGUST 2016
interacting with a handful of reporters
when she was presented before a court
in the Manipur capital. She said: "I want
to tell the prime minister that only talks
could solve all the burning problems.
Besides, I want to highlight the objectionable policies of the Indian government."
Official indications are that there may
not be a positive response from the
Prime Minister's Office to her desire.
First, there has been no formal request
from her. Secondly, the prime minister
may not be ready to discuss the demand
she is likely to put up. Thirdly, Sharmila
herself has admitted that she has lost
considerable ground and virtually there
is no supporter at the court complex except for some reporters.
For now, the symbol of Manipur’s
struggle against AFSPA stands alone,
abandoned by the very people she has
been fighting for. Her decision to end
the fast seems to be a practical one
given that 16 years have not really
helped her cause. Given Arvind Kejriwal’s successful transition from activism to politics, Sharmila’s political
aspirations may be Manipur’s best bet
for change. But first, the people of Manipur need to throw their weight behind Sharmila instead of burdening
her fragile shoulders with their common cause. n
INDIA FIRST 17
Nation
The Right Road Ahead
Offering unconditional legal support to eyewitnesses and Good Samaritans can go a
long way in helping India tackle the rising menace of hit-and-run accidents
M
ore than 20,000 people lost
their lives in hit-and-run
cases nationwide last year,
according to government data, and the
reluctance of witnesses to be involved
because of legal entanglements illustrates the need for clear laws to support
Good Samaritans, as the state describes
them.
Hit-and-run cases accounted for 11.4
per cent of total accidents in 2015, an increase from 10.9 per cent in 2014, according to road transport ministry data.
While 57 accidents were reported and
17 lives lost per hour last year,
more than 54 per cent killed were
between 15 and 35 years old, in the
prime of youth.
On January 21, 2016, the government issued standard operating
procedures to prevent unjust examination of eyewitnesses to road
accidents, India's transport minister said, replying to a question by
G. Hari, a Lok Sabha member
Tamil Nadu, on February 25, 2016.
The standard procedures call for
non-coercive, non-discriminatory,
and time-bound inquiry into an
accident – and the examinee cannot be compelled to disclose personal information.
The guidelines also state that
the Good Samaritan does not have
to pay for treatment unless he/she
is related to the injured person.
The central government intends
to convert 52,000 km of state highways
into national highways. The upgrade –
without instituting adequate safety
measures on and along the national
highways – would be undesirable because the accidents and deaths in 2015
on national highways exceeded those on
the state highways in 2014, by 4.5 and 6
percentage points.
Two-wheelers were involved in more
fatal accidents (26 per cent) than other
vehicles; those riding two-wheelers accounted for 25.2 per cent of all deaths on
the road.
Uttar Pradesh (as on June 23, 2016)
became the latest state to make wearing
of helmets for pillions mandatory.
Controlled areas (manned by police18 INDIA FIRST
men or with machines installed for regulating traffic movement) witness fewer
accidents (32 per cent of the total) as
compared to uncontrolled environments.
More than 20 per cent of accidents
were caused by drivers either on
learner's licence or without licence, suggesting the need for remedial classes for
those who cause accidents while on
such licences.
As many as 52 per cent of 387 drivers
tested to discern a causal link between
visual defects and accidents failed in at
least one of the vision parameters
tested, according to a study by Ashish
Varma, Assistant Professor, Transportation Engineering, Indian Institute of Science.
The study also found that 60 per cent
of commercial bus drivers failed the
minimum vision requirements for driving.
As many as 74 per cent of respondents
expressed unwillingness to assist victims of road accidents, according to a
study, Impediments to Bystander Care
in India, conducted by SaveLIFE Foundation, an advocacy working for road
safety and TNS India, a global marketing
research company, in July 2013.
As many as 88 per cent of the unwill-
ing bystanders cited legal hassles, involving repeated police questioning and
multiple court appearances, for their
hesitation.
Nearly 90 percent of the study participants wanted the enactment of a law to
protect bystanders from harassment in
case of administration of help to the victims.
The SaveLife-TNS study also points to
another study by the Indian Journal of
Surgery published in 2006 where it was
found that 80 per cent of road accident
victims do not receive any medical care
within the first or golden hour after
the accident.
The absence of any protective
framework is in stark contrast to
legislations prevalent throughout
the world.
The 201st Law Commission report mentions that doctors say 50
per cent of accident victims could
be saved if timely intervention is
ensured.
The Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) formulated by the
United Nations on September 25,
2015 aim to halve the global deaths
and injuries from road accidents by
2030.
For India (a middle-income
economy), the target is less than
seven fatalities per 100,000 population from a baseline of 20.1 in 2010.
India became a signatory to the
Brasilia declaration on November
19, 2015, committing to halve road accident deaths by 2020.
A pilot project for cashless treatment
of road accident victims is already operational on NH-8 (Gurgaon-Jaipur and
Vadodara-Mumbai)
and
NH-33
(Ranchi-Mahulia). The service includes
free cashless treatment up to Rs 30,000
for road accident victims within 48
hours.
The government is also implementing
the National Highway Accident Relief
Service Scheme (NHARSS) to provide
cranes and ambulances for evacuation
purposes. As many as 140 advanced life
support ambulances have been handed
over to 140 identified state government
hospitals. n
16 AUGUST 2016
Politics
UP
WITH
HALF
A
CHANCE
Although the Congress leadership has created some ripples in Uttar Pradesh recently
with its well-organised campaigns, not many think the party’s efforts will amount to a
wave of votes during the state’s assembly elections
C
ongress
President
Sonia
Gandhi succeeded in grabbing
eyeballs at her aborted road
show in Varanasi earlier this month. She
briefly interacted with party workers
and supporters who thronged both
sides of the roads for a glimpse of her,
but her planned obeisance at the Kashi
Vishwanath temple and meeting with
local experts on the Ganga river fell
through as she took ill and was rushed
back to Delhi.
Now, the question: is the turnout she
attracted in Prime Minister Narendra
Modi's parliamentary constituency any
indication of a revival in the Congress'
fortunes in Uttar Pradesh, where it has
been on the sidelines for the past three
decades?
The question evokes mixed feelings as
the people by and large think that other
than "creating a flutter", the party will
not benefit much from the road show.
Political observers in the state say that
the crucial vote bank of the Congress,
which it lost to others in the 1990s, is still
guarded about the desperate overtures
of the party leadership.
The Brahmins are more or less wary of
the pro-Muslim tilt of the Congress and
the Muslims, who were once at the vanguard of the party's successive electoral
successes in the Hindi heartland, are
still "far from once again relying on the
16 AUGUST 2016
party, specially after the demolition of
the Babri mosque (in 1992)", a senior
Congress leader averred.
Not wishing to be named for fear of
being singled out as a "stumbling block
in the party's efforts to climb back to relevance", the leader said that the Congress strategy to project high-profile
leaders -- Sheila Dixit and Raj Babbar -has, however, succeeded in energising
its moribund cadres.
The newly appointed state Congress
chief Raj Babbar, prior to the road show,
was candid enough to admit that the
party needs a miracle to make an impressive comeback. An earlier show –
Udghosh – late last month presided over
by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi
was a runaway success where more than
40,000 party workers braved monsoon
showers to interact with the Gandhi scion.
These two shows, along with the bus ride
its chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dixit
took from New Delhi to Kanpur, have so
far succeeded in creating some ripples in
the state.
The fact that #SoniainKashi hashtag
was trending on Twitter recently indicated that the party has climbed some
notches in the public’s eyes.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) are making
light of the Congress efforts and say that
however desperately it may try to create
a political space for itself in the state, it
would ultimately be rejected.
"There is no dum (power) in Congress, it's a dead party," said a senior
minister in the Akhilesh Yadav cabinet
who maintained that the SP will romp
back to power in the 2017 assembly
elections.
BSP leaders, now a little chastised
about what they speak publicly, term the
talk of the Congress reviving as "Mungeri Lal ke haseen sapne" (day dreaming) and point out that the party's efforts
to woo Dalits and Muslims will fall flat.
"People of both these sections know
that the Congress has done nothing for
them in the last 60 years and have only
used them as vote banks," a senior BSP
leader said.
The BJP's state leaders are also dismissive of the prospects of a Congress
resurgence and joke that it was only
going to cut votes at best. "Congress is
the B-team of the SP and BSP and it will
only slip further this time as we go to the
people against this unholy nexus of
these three parties," state BJP general
secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said.
With the success of the road shows,
however, strategist Prashant Kishor
seems to have done well in giving the
Grand Old Party some hope to cling
on to. n
INDIA FIRST 19
T
here are two specific areas currently engaging the attention of
Odisha chief minister Naveen
Patnaik. While one has to do with the
condition of the primitive Juang tribals
inhabiting the Nagada village in the
mineral-rich Sukinda valley that was in
news recently following an uproar over
malnutrition, the other is a city-specific
problem – the management of e-waste.
First, about the Juang tribals who,
many think, have not tasted the fruits of
development yet. Soon after reports of
malnutrition in Nagada and its adjoining villages became public, the government swung into action with a number
of developmental initiatives being
launched in the area. The villagers now
have ample food as well as solar lamps.
Only about a fortnight ago people
were talking of underdevelopment and
lack of roads in the area with hilly terrain
being cited as one of the reasons for
delay in the construction of the road. “A
road could not be constructed because
of the hilly terrain and the fact that the
area falls in the restricted forest zone,”
one of the bureaucrats had said.
Now road laying work has already
begun.
Work has also begun to ensure that
the 85-odd families belonging to the
primitive tribe get their due under the
Forest Rights Act. There is also an attempt to persuade these tribals, who appear to be in love with the hills, to
descend to the plains to make things
easy for the government.
The lack of a road has been the
biggest problem. As per Pradhan Mantri
Gram Sadak Yojana norms, concrete
roads can be built for the village or hamlet having a population of 250 in Maoisthit districts (Jajpur is one of the left wing
extremism- affected districts). Similarly,
under the Mukhya Mantri Sadak Yojana,
roads can be built for the village or hamlet having a population of 100. According to official information, Nagada has a
population of 589.
Then there were those who said that
building a PMGSY road was not possible
as Nagada was located on the hilltop
with a 65 degree slope. Now alternatives
have been explored and work has
begun. That shows the will of the government. It is keen to change the life of
the tribals.
Eyebrows had also been raised as to
why houses under Indira Awas Yojana or
Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana had not been
built for the primitive Juang tribals who
are eligible for land rights under Forest
Rights Act.
Officials, too, had said that construction was not possible because of the
20 INDIA FIRST
State
More Walking,
Less Talking
From remote Nagada to smart Bhubaneswar, Naveen
Patnaik seems to have stepped up his government’s
focus on development in Odisha – without making
much of a noise about it
Saroj Mishra
16 AUGUST 2016
problems involved in carrying building
material to the hilltop.
But now things have changed.
Ironically, though the state government has set up a micro project for the
endangered Juang primitive tribe at Gonasika area in Keonjhar district, those
living in Nagada village had not been
covered under this because it is not located in scheduled area and situated in
a district where tribal population is less
than 50 percent. That, too, is likely to
change now because the government is
keen to ensure development.
Now, cut to Bhubaneswar where
“smart” is the buzzword. As authorities
put the smart city project work in the
top gear, the state pollution control
board have decided to make e-waste
management and recycling rules stricter
following a notification in this regard by
the union ministry of environment. The
rules will come into effect from October
1.
The new rules, to be called E-Waste
Management Rules, 2016, will for the
first time bring the manufacturers of
electronic equipment under what is
being described as the Extended Producer Responsibility. This means the
producers will be made responsible for
16 AUGUST 2016
collection of e-waste failing which they
will incur heavy penalty.
Compact Fluorescent Lamp and other
such mercury containing lamps have
also come under the ambit of this law
which has been amended after five
years. Earlier the city was following the
E-Waste (Management and Handling)
Rules, 2011.
According to an environmental scientist the state generates roughly around
5,000 tonnes of electronic waste per
annum, the bulk of it comes from the
capital city as it houses a number of
giant government and private institutions.
One of major component of the new
rules is the extended producers responsibility. “If someone is purchasing an
electronic item he or she will have to pay
some amount towards recycling of the
same. When the goods will be returned
to the seller, the amount paid at the purchase will be refunded to the purchaser
with interest,” explained the environmental scientist.
The pollution control board has also
asked producers of electronic goods to
seek authorization from the central pollution control board. “The producers are
to implement deposit refund scheme for
effective collection of e-waste through
their dealers,” says a pollution board notice.
The effort is to keep the city free of
electronic waste so that it can justify its
smart tag. The bulk consumers of electronic equipment such as government
departments, public sector undertakings, banks and educational institutions
will ensure that e-waste generated by
them is processed properly.
Sources in the pollution control board
said that Odisha doesn’t have any major
producers of electronic items but products are being sold here in bulk. “In the
present scenario, dealers and the sellers
will be responsible for the management
of e-waste in the state,” said sources.
Ironically, the state till now doesn’t
have any e-waste handling plant even
though one had to been proposed in
2013. While efforts have been stepped
up now to set up one presently, the pollution control board has different collection centres for the electronic waste and
one authorized dismantler in Khurda.
Authorities said with chief minister keen
to see that Bhubaneswar turns into the
best smart city of the country the government will pull out all stops to ensure
that the city is free of e-waste. n
INDIA FIRST 21
F
or someone whose cow – valued
at Rs 20,000 – was killed by a
tiger in August 2015, Mahadeva
Gowda is calm, as is Shiva Murthy,
whose sugarcane crop was trampled by
elephants in July 2016, the fifth such
pachyderm raid over the past year.
Gowda and Murthy are the latest beneficiaries of a new programme called
Wild Seve, or wild service, which deploys
specially trained locals called "field
agents" who hand-hold villagers to navigate formidable government compensation procedures. What once took up to
15 days – if farmers bothered to apply at
all – now takes as little as four days.
In doing so, Wild Seve – run by the
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), a
nonprofit that works with the government's forest departments in 284 villages in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu –
helps soothe the tension and violence
evident between India's rising human
population and falling population of
wild animals.
"Earlier it was difficult to interact with
villagers when there was wildlife conflict, as they used to get aggressive. From
the time Wild Seve started, it has educated them about the importance of
wildlife and sustainability," said a forest
official, who asked not to be named, as
he is not authorised to talk to the media.
"It has brought a sense of calmness in
villagers while dealing with our department."
In Murthy's village of Chillakahalli
and Gowda's Vadeyannapura on the bucolic outskirts of south Karnataka's
largest national park – as on populated
forest fringes nationwide – human-animal conflicts are a growing issue.
Gowda received Rs 9,000 as compensation for his cow, but he is satisfied.
"Previously, we had to pay money to get
compensation," he said. "First, we had
to hire a photographer to take photos of
crop raids or cattle kills. Then we had to
travel by bus to the forest department,
and there was no guarantee we would
find them (officials)."
Murthy used Wild Seve's toll-free
number when elephants destroyed his
sugarcane crop. Field agent Mahadevaswamy – who also attended to
Gowda's call – informed and brought
along a forest official to validate and
document the claim. Photos must be
taken and official documents filled, all
of which are handled by field agents.
Mahadevaswamy said he gets a call a
day – if not more – for crop raids and
more occasional cattle or poultry kills.
His jurisdiction extends to 70 villages
within a 20-km radius of Bandipur's
forests, and he attends to a call within
22 INDIA FIRST
Wildlife
RINGING THE
CHANGES
With its simple but smart efforts towards making life
easier for villagers living around forests in Karnataka
and Tamil Nadu, the Wildlife Conservation Society has
been setting an example for the rest of the country
16 AUGUST 2016
eight hours of receiving it.
Since its launch last year, Wild Seve's
team of seven field agents has helped
file claims for 3,261 incidents of crop
and property damage by elephants and
other herbivores, 148 cases of livestock
predation by big cats and wild dogs, 11
cases of injury and two human deaths.
Of these, 2,998 toll-free calls came
from Bandipur and 422 from Nagarahole. Until July 2016, nearly 1,000 families have either received or are about to
receive compensation.
The hope is that as villagers receive
compensation for their losses quickly
and clearly, they will be more willing to
live with wildlife. "The compensation is
now coming in good time, and so it has
built a sense of relief and confidence in
us," Gowda said. "Even if the crop is
raided several times, we believe it will be
compensated."
In the absence of easy compensation,
many species are attacked. There have
been reports of villagers retaliating by
poisoning tigers or forcing the government to shoot big cats.
The Man Behind
In 2014, conservation scientist Krithi
Karanth found that between 74 per cent
and 86 per cent of households around
five areas in Karnataka (Nagarhole,
Bandipur, Dandeli, B. R. Hills, Bhadra)
and one each in Madhya Pradesh
(Kanha National Park) and Rajasthan
(Ranthambore National Park) reported
16 AUGUST 2016
“Earlier it was difficult to
interact with villagers when
there was wildlife conflict, as
they used to get aggressive.
From the time Wild Seve
started, it has educated them
about the importance of
wildlife and sustainability”
– A government forest official,
speaking in praise of the WCS
programme, on the condition of
anonymity
conflicts with wildlife. Her previous research found that less than a third of villagers who lost crops, livestock, property
and family to such conflict received government compensation.
"Along with mitigation, compensation has a role to play, as conflict will
continue to occur," said Karanth. "My
research showed that although people
were trying multiple mitigation measures – fences, guarding fields, noise (firecrackers or drums) – very few measures
worked. Hence, the solutions have to include both pre- and post-conflict assistance to people."
Using her data and research, Karanth,
in July 2015, in collaboration with the
WCS, launched Wild Seve, now running
in 284 villages around Bandipur and its
contiguous area in Tamil Nadu, the Nagarhole National Park.
Wild Seve is challenging because
compensation procedures vary across
forest ranges in Bandipur and Nagarhole. Some require a certificate from a
veterinarian, confirming that cattle were
indeed killed by wild animals. Others
ask for proof of land ownership.
Field agents now take care of these
procedures, which often deterred villagers from seeking compensation.
Recently, Wild Seve distributed identity cards with unique identification
numbers to villagers who face repeated
wildlife conflicts. Every conflict is now
recorded against this number, building
a conflict database, which allows easy
tracking and follow-up of the compensation processes
"Basically, Wild Seve has helped in
simplifying the logistics and cutting
down bureaucracy," said Ghanshyam
Iyer, project coordinator of Wild Seve
and a WCS member.
Back in Chillakahalli village, near gently swaying saplings of sugarcane and
cotton, women chat as they harvest
tomatoes, aware that they share space
with tigers, leopards, wild dogs and elephants and that, at some time, damage
from visiting animals might set off a burdensome compensation process.
As Gowda said, "Now, all it takes is one
phone call." n
INDIA FIRST 23
I
t's not just the marauding Islamic
State which poses a great threat to
the heritage sites like Palmyra, but
climate change too can wreak havoc in
cities like Venice, according to Mechtild
Rossler, Director of the Unesco World
Heritage Centre.
Not just that, climate change can also
destroy heritage sites such as the Statue
of Liberty and other structures that have
been part of human history, Rossler
said.
"Probably in my lifetime many of the
natural and cultural world heritage sites
would parish or become marine sites.
Florida may sink. In Venice, people
might not be able to live as they used
to," Rossler he added, expressing deep
concern.
The Unesco official was in Delhi recently to award Certificates of Inscription to the Khangchendzonga National
Park and the Nalanda Mahavihara, two
of the three new World Heritage sites
from India chosen at the 40th Unesco
World Heritage Committee session in Istanbul on July 20.
The third comprises 17 sites, including the Complexe du Capitole in
Chandigarh designed by Swiss-French
architect Le Corbusier.
The event was held by the Wildlife Institute of India, which is a Unesco Category-2 centre on world heritage
management and training.
Rossler was in Syria recently to see
Palmyra, around 30 km from Islamic
State territory. "The biggest threat to
monuments in the 21st century is the intentional destruction by the terrorists.
But globally it's the climate change
which will affect our lives."
Unesco recently released the "World
Heritage and Tourism report", showing
how climate change is quickly becoming
one of the most significant risks for natural and cultural heritage sites.
"The impact is enormous. If you think
of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, we
have bleaching all over. The places of indigenous people, in the Pacific or in the
Andamans, must be prepared for the
upcoming risks," Rossler stressed.
The list of vulnerable sites includes
Statue of Liberty and several forests in
Peru and Brazil. The list also includes
the Yellowstone National Park in the
USA.
Speaking of the reconstruction attempts in conflict zones, Rossler said:
"In Syria, the city of Aleppo is totally destroyed. Last year we held a meeting on
its reconstruction."
There are a total of 1,052 World Heritage sites globally. Of these, nearly 50
are listed as World Heritage Endangered
24 INDIA FIRST
Heritage
HISTORY IN
DANGER
Terrorism, climate change and illegal art trade pose the
biggest threats to heritage sites across the world. With
two dozen monuments under government protection
having gone mysteriously missing on its soil, India has
much to save and salvage
Sites. Many of them are in conflict
zones.
"There are six vulnerable sites in Syria
alone. Others are in Iraq, Yemen, Mali
and Congo. We have to restore them all.
We had already restored Mali's mausoleums and recovered many manu-
scripts," she said.
Some sites such as Sukur Cultural
Heritage in Nigeria are also reeling
under threat due to Boko Haram, she
said.
"In Syria, both listed or tentative heritage sites are seen as sources for fund16 AUGUST 2016
ing. The so-called Islamic State forces
the archaeologists to dig at gunpoint so
that they can sell the artefacts in the
black market."
Unesco is also worried because of the
military airstrikes in these areas which
may destroy the heritage sites.
"To protect the sites from bombing,
we work with the military. We give them
the coordinates of the sites which
should not be touched at all. I had spoken with the head of NATO generals. I
think the military needs to be aware of
the cultural heritage and how to protect
it better," Rossler said.
Referring to India, she noted that the
country is a source of illicit trafficking of
artefacts. India should enforce the provisions of Unesco's 1970 Convention on
the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing
Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of
Ownership of Cultural Property.
"India requires to reinforce the national laws to stop illegal trafficking. It
would require more customs officers
and people to watch over the trading in
the art market. But above all, it requires
ethics in the art market," Rossler said.
The Unesco is working closely with
the art markets to stop illegal trading
and the recovered artefacts will be re16 AUGUST 2016
turned to the countries from where they
were stolen, she added.
TROUBLE AT HOME
As many as 24 monuments under the
charge of the Archaeological Survey of
India (ASI) – the government agency responsible for national heritage – are
"missing", half from Uttar Pradesh, according to a reply in the Lok Sabha earlier this month.
The missing monuments include prehistoric megaliths in Maharashtra, rock
inscriptions, megaliths, Buddhist and
Hindu temple ruins in Uttar Pradesh,
guns of the 16th-century Afghan emperor Sher Shah in Assam, medieval
milestones (kos minars) in Haryana, a
temple in Uttarakhand and sundry
tombs, cemeteries and other ruins.
Missing monuments are first declared
"untraceable", after which a detailed
procedure commences. "The procedure
to find out untraceable monuments involve verification of old record, revenue
maps, referring published reports, physical inspections and deployment of
teams to trace the missing monuments," Minister of State for Culture and
Tourism Mahesh Sharma told the Lok
Sabha.
Since many monuments are not monitored or physically protected, several
have been dismantled or torn down, either as building material or to provide
space in expanding towns and cities.
The ASI has signed an agreement with
the Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) to use satellites to identify on
maps prohibited and regulated areas to
"facilitate procedure for grant of permissions for construction related activity
within prohibited and regulated areas of
all centrally protected monuments",
Sharma's statement said.
As many as 3,686 such monuments
are, or will be, monitored by ISRO.
The government has also added 17
sites nationwide for ASI protection,
Sharma told the Lok Sabha in another
reply.
These include the birthplaces of B.R.
Ambedkar, regarded as the father of
India's Constitution; Madan Mohan
Malviya, freedom fighter and educationist; and Dwarkanath Kotnis, an Indian
physician whose life is celebrated in
China for the assistance he rendered
during the Sino-Japanese war of 1938.
The other monuments cited for protection are largely Hindu and Buddhist
temples. n
INDIA FIRST 25
Food
The
Craft
Beer
Revolution
Microbreweries are mushrooming as Indians are slowly but surely acquiring a taste
for traditional – and healthier – types of beer
I
f the "Made for each other” blend
set the filter trend for a popular
cigarette brand in the 1960s and
after, beer, especially craft beer, has
been increasingly setting the trend in
the past few years, what with even hardened drinkers switching off from hard
liquor.
"The beer market is the fastest growing alcohol segment in India by consumption and revenue change,
especially with the entry of microbreweries about five years ago," said Debjeet
Banerjee, who manages the Lagom
Kitchen and Brewery in Gurgaon and
the Hype nightclub in south Delhi.
"Now, all that you need to do is get
yourself to the nearest microbrewery for
a couple of glasses of freshly crafted beer
that is free of synthetic preservatives
and, if made well, packed with flavour,
at reasonable prices.
"We are also celebrating the International Beer Day (held on August 5) with
a 1+1 offer on freshly curated beer,"
Banerjee said.
With the revolution of the microbreweries in the Millennium City, more and
more youngsters are opting for freshly
26 INDIA FIRST
brewed craft beer, ditching the traditional bottles and cans. Also, with the
rise in the number of global travellers
and health conscious people, "more and
more people are developing new tastes,
habits and look forward to consuming
unique and refreshing beer for a good,
stress-free day," Banerjee said.
Bottled versions of craft beer are also
in the market and it is not surprising
that the first one to hit the market two
years ago is a huge hit.
"Bira has evoked a very positive response and the feedback from the people has been excellent. With its white ale
and blonde craft lager versions, Bira has
become a big hit among the country's
young pub-goers who are increasingly
turning to international brews," Banerjee said.
Craft beer "has brought a revolutionary change in beer drinking which gives
a variety of flavours on offering and due
to live manufacturing it makes beer
drinking one good experience," said
Sameer Saroha of Boombox Cafe in Gurgaon's Sector 29, adding that it had encouraged more and more women to
patronise bars.
In coming days, a trend of cocktails
like beer mojito "will bring a change in
this sector", Saroha said.
Microbreweries, according to Sunil
Khera, General Manager of the Fortune
Select Hotel in Gurgaon's Sector 49 that
operates The Brewhouse, "have come as
a god-sent gift for the people who are
getting more comfortable with this new
culture".
The new trend has enriched the typical drinking experience among beer
zealots, who now understand their brew
and ditch the extra calories that come
with stored beverage.
"Fresh brew, as the name suggests,
has no chemicals or preservatives, and
can be very creatively crafted to cater to
various tastes and flavours," Khera said.
Changing lifestyles and longer periods of hot weather have had a positive
impact on the performance of beer in
both the on-trade and off-trade channels, said Nimit Mahajan of World Art
Dining in West Delhi's Panjabi Bagh.
"With increased leisure expenditure,
beer registered a rise in volume terms,
which was equally pronounced in the
on-trade channel," he added. n
16 AUGUST 2016
Neighbours
Doing Business as Unusual
War-torn Afghanistan has surprisingly seen many successful women
entrepreneurs, but none can live without fear just yet
F
or the bold, beautiful and ambitious women of Afghanistan, a
patriarchal society has not deterred them from being successful entrepreneurs amid the darkness of terror
in which the country lives. But they are
fearful for their security.
Hasina Aimaq, in her twenties, is yet
to finish her graduation at Kabul University and is the owner of a handicrafts
company. Hasina proudly calls herself
the executive director of 'Hasina Design', which employs more than 20 people, mostly women.
"There are nearly 4,000 Afghan
women indirectly associated with my
firm, doing embroidery, carpet weaving
and distribution, besides 20 permanent
employees," Hasina said at an exhibition organised in New Delhi under the
aegis of "Heart Of Asia" Rebuilding
Afghanistan process.
Hasina asserted that many Afghan
women like her have learnt to "stand on
their own". "Our income is increasing
day by day. Money is making us women
independent and self-sufficient," she
said.
Asked if women feel secure in the terror-torn country, Hasina said with a sad
look, "We are not secure at all. It is a big
risk to do business there. Every minute I
feel that someone may come and do
something horrible with me or my family."
16 AUGUST 2016
But the threat of danger does not stop
her. "Those people cannot stop me because I cannot wait for 10-20 years when
they may change their minds. So that is
why I keep going," Hasina added.
Like Hasina, many other women from
Afghanistan showcased their products,
including handicrafts, dry fruits and collection of leather goods at the exhibition
which they said would help them establish contact with Indian traders.
Nazifa Mirzad, 52, is the proud owner
of the firm "Elite Craftsmenship" which
is funded by an NGO.
"The situation is better now but there
is a threat that continues always," Nazifa
said. "The situation in Kabul is better
than the other provinces."
Nazifa, a mother of three daughters
and two sons, started the business eight
years ago to become "independent and
financially self-sufficient" when her
husband, a professor in Kabul University, insisted that she launch her own
start-up.
Not only Nazifa but her daughter
Mehri Mirzad, who has studied in Calicut University, Kerala, India, is an exhibitor at the "Made in Afghanistan"
conference.
"My company in Kabul is all about
handicrafts where we make carpets and
do embroidery. I am also looking forward to owning a boutique in Delhi,"
Mehri revealed.
"In my firm I have 2,000 workers and
among them only 15 are men," she said.
Despite being a successful businesswoman, Mehri finds it "too hard" for a
woman in Afghanistan to work.
"Being from a country which has been
in darkness for 30 years, acceptance of
having a job, being an entrepreneur,
going abroad and coming back are difficult. Though things are changing now,
but at a slow pace," she added.
"Families are comparatively supportive nowadays because they get a source
of income and the government is also
taking measures to assure security."
The threat of "extremist Islamists"
cannot even stop Mehri, as she said,
"There are only a few people who don't
appreciate what we are doing. We have
to get out of all this to make our own
identity as Afghan woman," she said.
Shamsam Sadaf, another women in
her 50s who is an employee in a dry
fruits firm, says it is "unfortunate" that
she does not feel secure in her country.
"I have achieved this freedom of being
a working woman after 50 years. But I
want to create an atmosphere for my
children where they will be free to do
what they want. I do not see that happening in the near future," Sadaf
lamented.
However, she added: "My daughter
and both my sons are very proud of
what I am doing." n
INDIA FIRST 27
W
hy Chinese? The screaming
headline on hoardings in
the capital and beyond
showcasing new US smartphone maker
InFocus clearly signals the beginning of
an era for the Indian consumers to look
beyond the high-end premium Apple to
affordable and mid-segment devices
from American players.
The truth is that amid 50 Chinese
players and several 'Make in India' vendors – and not to forget market leaders
Samsung and Apple – the space for a
new entrant is shrinking.
But then, a novel device coupled with
smart advertising and, voila, you have
created the right buzz. This is what two
new US smartphone makers – San Francisco-based Nextbit and Oregon-based
InFocus – are doing right now.
Both companies are dependent on
Taiwanese electronics contract manufacturing company Foxconn for their
supplies in the Asia Pacific region.
While NextBit has "Cloud first" Android device Robin for Rs 19,999 which
comes with 100 GB of free Cloud storage, InFocus has launched a bouquet of
smartphones – from affordable to midsegment range – in India.
According to experts, India is the second-largest smartphone market in
terms of users, though one of the most
underpenetrated, with just a fourth of
the potential population owning a
smartphone.
And this is where these two US players
are looking to make deeper inroads.
"We believe the only way to stand out is
to be more than a phone – to be a movement that people want to be a part of.
Nextbit has a style, a voice and a way of
doing things that people want to be a part
of and emulate," said Shankar Parasaram,
Nextbit's Head of India Operations.
"A personality fans can relate to is the
way for us to stand out, and a way for us
to build life-long fans – not one-time
buyers who focus on price or specs
alone," Parasaram said.
Nextbit is a startup backed by Google
Ventures and Accel partners. Robin automatically switches to cloud storage
when a user starts running out of space
on the device – a first such Android device.
"We are just getting to know the Indian market, having only entered it a
few months ago. We are still getting to
know India better. We have done a tour
already – with meet-ups in several cities
– and are on our way back to do another
in a week," Parasaram added.
On the other hand, with its affordable
BINGO Android series in the Rs 4,000-Rs
8,000 segment, InFocus has already cre28 INDIA FIRST
Business
DOUBLE
ACT
Two new American phone makers have entered
India to earn their share of the smartphone pie
ated a niche space. The company has
also launched Buddy, a portable notebook for Rs 14,999 that runs on Windows 10.
The truth is: The sub-Rs 7,000 segment contributes to almost 50 per cent
of the total smartphone market in India
and is one of the most competitive segments, driven by first-time smartphone
buyers and dominated by local players.
According to Tarun Pathak, Senior Analyst, Mobile Devices and Ecosystems,
Counterpoint Research, India presents a
significant opportunity for all the players in the mobile ecosystem to coexist
and grow at the same time.
"However, the device dynamics have
been changing very fast as hardware
ceases to be a differentiating factor and
players need to shift their strategies to
cover a wide variety of use cases as per
local needs and preferences to make
deeper inroads in the market," Pathak
said.
Some of the segments where original
equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can
differentiate themselves includes vernacular support, expertise in software
and services, and building a complete
ecosystem through successful partnerships with other players in segments like
Mobile payments, security, entertainment and hospitality, he suggested.
Can these smartphones actually give
Chinese players a run for their money?
"If they want to beat Chinese smartphone makers in India, they must keep
their specifications and features better
within a competitive price range," said
Vishal Tripathi, Research Director at
global market consultancy firm Gartner.
"If not the top-end Chinese players,
they will sure take down low-end Chinese phones if they offer devices with a
difference. They do have a US advantage," Tripathi added.
According to NextBit CEO Tom Moss,
Robin's premium design and performance are a natural fit for a demanding
market like India.
"Our commitment to fast OS updates
and smart storage is perfect for people
who constantly want more from their
phone," Moss said during the Robin
launch in the capital in May.
NextBit feels that their phones will be
popular with a younger generation in
the country.
"The time we spend in India teaches
us what the market is like and will reveal
more ways for us to stand out,"
Parasaram concluded. n
16 AUGUST 2016
B
ankers are looking forward to
the Reserve Bank of India's
(RBI's) new scheme to tackle
bad loans. But they are also keeping
their fingers crossed owing to its limited
applicability, as also the absence of provisions to cut down lengthy legal
processes.
Though previous tools to arrest
mounting non-performing assets
(NPAs) did not provide satisfactory results, bankers have started examining
the applicability of the 'Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets'
(S4A) introduced in June by the apex
bank.
Crisil has estimated weak assets in the
Indian banking system to touch a high
of Rs 800,000 crore by the end of the current fiscal. The RBI's latest Financial Stability Report suggested that the GNPA
(Gross non-performing asset) ratio
might rise to 8.5 per cent by March 2017
from 7.6 per cent in March 2016.
The new scheme envisages banks will
need to divide the existing debt of a
company into “sustainable” and “unsustainable”. The sustainable part is that
share of the debt that can be serviced by
the company on the strength of its current cash flows.
As for the unsustainable amount,
banks are allowed to convert that part of
the debt to equity or quasi-equity instruments. The scheme provides for determining the sustainable amount of the
debt through a techno economic viability (TEV) study to be conducted by an
independent body.
The TEV study is required by the
banks to understand the risks inherent
in any restructuring of loans.
“TEV study is important for the projects, because it helps to determine
which part is sustainable and which is
not. There are ifs and buts with regard to
S4A,” said United Bank of India's Executive Director Sanjay Arya.
“But shortcomings or weaknesses, if
any, would be detected after the scheme
is tested. Not many proposals have
come so far,” Arya pointed out. He also
expressed concern that the scheme may
not impact the lengthy legal and judicial
processes.
“The scheme is apparently fine but
the huge time taken for judicial and
legal processes is not going to go away,”
Arya said.
Another top banker said the applicability of the scheme to various stressed
companies was being looked into.
“We are currently examining the applicability of this scheme to various
companies under stress. So far we have
not approved any proposal under the
16 AUGUST 2016
Finance
TRIAL BY TOXIC
The banking industry is cautiously optimistic about the
latest RBI scheme to see off bad loans
scheme,” State Bank of India Managing
Director (Corporate Banking) B. Sriram
said.
According to the scheme, it will cover
projects that have started commercial
operations and have outstanding loan of
over Rs 500 crore. Thus there is limited
applicability of the scheme.
“There are different schemes available. S4A is applicable to some stressed
corporates while some others will not be
eligible. The scheme is good and let us
see, how it pans out,” said Dena Bank
Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Kumar.
Sriram said it was a meaningful
scheme for some of the companies.
“It gives opportunity to the promoter
to restructure his business and service
the debt. At the same time the scheme
also ensures sacrifice on the part of promoters and incentivises the successful
implementation of the scheme due to
improvement in value of the company,”
he said. In a bid to deal with stressed
companies, the RBI had earlier formulated schemes like corporate debt re-
structuring (CDR), joint lenders forum
(JLR), strategic debt restructuring (SDR),
A5/25 scheme and sale of assets to asset
reconstruction companies. But the level
of non-performing assets has continued
to rise.
Asked to compare the previous
schemes with S4A, Sriram said: “The
schemes have different purposes and
benefits. They can be applied to different companies facing different types of
issues.”
Another leading rating agency was
bullish about the independent TEV
study envisaged by the new scheme.
“In the past, accounts, which were refinanced/ restructured after TEV studies, have not shown satisfactory
performance,” said ICRA's Senior VP
and Co-head Financial Sector ratings
Karthik Srinivasan.
The key difference between SDR and
S4A lies in that while the earlier formulation prescribes change in existing promoters, S4A as such does not prescribe
change in existing promoters, Srinivasan explained. n
INDIA FIRST 29
A
s floods ravage eastern and
northern India, agriculture in
115 districts across 15 states is
"highly vulnerable" to climate change,
according to a study published in the Indian Academy of Science journal Current Science.
The first to analyse 38 meteorological,
agricultural and social data across all of
India's 572 rural districts, the study creates a climate vulnerability index for
agriculture, divided into five categories
of vulnerability: Very high, high, moderate, low and very low.
The vulnerability index has already
been used by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research to demonstrate climate-resilient agricultural practices in
121 of either the "very high" or "high"
vulnerability districts identified by the
study, its co-author, Alok K. Sikka,
India's representative and principal researcher at New Delhi's International
Water Management Institute, told IndiaSpend.
While the study is possibly the most
comprehensive so far, independent observers said it may yet be inadequate to
inform local decision-making on climate change.
Most of the "very highly vulnerable"
districts come from India's western and
peninsular regions. Rajasthan has 25
"highly vulnerable" districts, the most in
this category nationwide. Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra,
Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, eastern
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar also exhibit
"very high" and "high" vulnerability, the
study said.
Least vulnerable to climate change
are districts along India's west coast,
northern Andhra Pradesh and the
northeastern states. Assam has the highest number of districts, 13, of "very low
vulnerability".
The new study's 38 indicators, used
nationally, are sub-divided into three
categories --sensitivity, exposure and
adaptive capacity. Some of the indicators that define sensitivity include degraded land, annual rainfall and
vulnerability to cyclones or drought. Exposure is defined by indicators such as
maximum and minimum temperature,
heat-wave or cold-wave frequency and
dry spells. Adaptation indicators included workforce in agriculture, literacy,
gender gap, rural electrification and
paved roads.
The index reflects relative vulnerability of a district, on a scale from 0 to 10,
with 0 being the least vulnerable.
The index furthers research into
India's climate-change vulnerability, at
a time when, as IndiaSpend reported in
30 INDIA FIRST
Agriculture
LANDS TO SAVE
The spectre of climate change hovers particularly
threateningly over a fifth of India’s agricultural districts
April 2015, extreme rainfall events in
central India, the core of the monsoon
system, are increasing and moderate
rainfall is decreasing -- as a part of complex changes in local and world weather.
Complex Subject
This is not the first time scientists
have tried to compute Indian agriculture's vulnerability to climate change,
but these have been localised.
An index of this kind holds the great
potential in helping formulate strategy
and even policy for climate-resilient
agriculture. A good vulnerability assessment should "help in identifying adaptation options".
"Our study chose to reflect the changing climate in terms of indicators like
changes in rainfall, dry spells, temperature etc, which are of actual use in adaptation research," said C.A. Rama Rao,
16 AUGUST 2016
study co-author and an agricultural
economist with Hyderabad's Central
Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture.
But assessing vulnerability to climate
change is a process so complicated that
even the wide-ranging datasets used by
the new study may be inadequate to inform policy on climate change.
The index should be used with "great
caution" since data has not been "obtained on all the variables/indicators for
a uniform reference period", said Ravi
Khetrapal, regional advisor of strategic
science partnerships at the Centre for
Agriculture and Biosciences International (South Asia), a non-profit organisation focussed on agriculture research.
He also said the data has "not been collected for a reasonable period of time
and averaged", a flaw the authors acknowledge in the paper.
While "district-level analyses are good
16 AUGUST 2016
to provide a snapshot of vulnerabilty,
more data at the micro-level is needed
for validating trends", said Divya
Mohan, science policy officer at the
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, New Delhi. Mohan has previously worked on vulnerability in the
Indo-Gangetic plain.
Timely Attention
Climate change could effectively
negate India's economic progress, pushing 45 million Indians into extreme
poverty over the next 15 years, according
to a November 2015 World Bank report.
It recommended the use of more climate-resistant crops and livestock to
counter a predicted drop in agricultural
productivity.
The Current Science study indicates
that climate-resilient agriculture is now
receiving attention from researchers
and policy-makers.
The vulnerability index paper is the
result of a 2011 central government programme called Nicra (National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture),
which enables research partnerships between 40 ICAR institutes in various agricultural sub-sectors, such as field crops,
horticultural crops, livestock, and fisheries.
Despite the research, farmers across
the country are unprepared for climate
change. "Thanks to ICAR, we are doing
well in terms of research but not enough
in terms of extension and development
programmes by state governments,"
Khetrapal pointed out.
The vulnerability index may have its
flaws, but it is possibly the only tool
currently available to assess Indian
agriculture's susceptibility to changing climate. How it will be used to
make a difference to farmers so affected is another matter. n
INDIA FIRST 31
W
hile more young women are
enrolled in higher education than ever before – and
apparently more successful in clearing
10th-standard board exams than young
men – they are either marrying early or
not finding or not looking for jobs, according to a recent study.
The enrolment of girls in higher education increased from 39 per cent to 46
per cent from 2007 to 2014, but female
participation in India's labour force declined to a low of 27 per cent in 2014
from 34 per cent in 1999, according to a
2015 study by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Almost 12 million women are enrolled
in undergraduate courses, but few continue to professional courses; 600,000
women were enrolled for diploma
courses in 2013, the latest year for which
data is available. Even fewer women –
only 40 per cent – sign on for PhDs.
In 2016, girls were more successful
than boys in clearing the 10th-standard
exams of a national education board, a
trend that has held over seven years.
While 428,443 girls appeared for the
10th-standard exams of the Central
Board of Secondary Education (CBSE),
379,523 were successful – a pass percentage of 88.5, according to CBSE data.
By comparison, 564,213 boys wrote the
exams and 444,832 were successful -- a
pass percentage of 79.
AGE-OLD PRESSURES
So, what happens to these girls after
the board exams?
The CBSE is one of many boards nationwide, but the trend of girls overtaking boys is probably being repeated
elsewhere. What could be responsible
for the trend reversing itself in higher
education and young women not making it to the job market is the push to get
married.
Although the median age of marriage
has increased, it continues to be low:
19.2 for women in 2011 (up from 18.2 in
2001), according to 2011 Census data.
Men got married, on average, at 23.5 in
2011, up from 22.6 in 2001.
The enrolment in higher education
has been estimated to be 33.3 million, of
which 17.9 million were male and 15.4
million female in 2014-15, according to
the All India Survey on Higher Education, released by the Ministry of Human
Resource Development in 2015.
Young women accounted for 46 per
cent of the total enrolment in higher education, an improvement from 44.3 per
cent in 2012-13.
The gross enrolment ratio (GER, the
number of college students in the 18-23
32 INDIA FIRST
Education
NOT STAYING
THE COURSE
The rising participation of women in higher education
stands in stark contrast to their diminishing presence in
the country’s labour force
age group as a proportion of all young
men and women in that age group) in
higher education in India was 23.6 in
2014-15, up from 20.8 in 2012-13. This is
lower than the global average of 27 and
lower than other emerging economies
such as China (26) and Brazil (36), according to data released by the Ministry
16 AUGUST 2016
of Human Resource Development.
While the GER for young men was
24.5, that for young women was 22.7 in
2014-15, an improvement from 17.9 in
2012-13.
The number of young men enrolled
for higher education increased 13 per
cent to 17.9 million in 2014-15, from
15.8 million in 2012-13. The number of
young women enrolled increased 21 per
cent to 15.3 million from 12.6 million.
GRAD LIMITS
The highest concentration of women
is seen among undergraduates, at 12.4
million, followed by 1.9 million for postgraduation. Only 0.6 million girls are enrolled for diploma courses.
As many as 14 million boys are enrolled in undergraduate courses (almost
17.5 per cent higher than girls), followed
by post-graduation (1.8 million, or 6.1
per cent lower than girls) and graduate
diploma courses (1.6 million, 61 per
cent higher than girls).
16 AUGUST 2016
The trend of more young men than
women is evident at almost every level
after high school, except MPhil, postgraduate and certificate courses, where
female enrolment is slightly higher than
male enrolment. Postgraduate courses
have 49 per cent males and 51 per cent
females, according to the data released
by Ministry of Human Resource Development. Women tend to focus on the
humanities, with 38 per cent of all
women enrolled in Bachelor of Arts
courses, followed by science and commerce; 28 per cent of men enrol for BA
courses. When it comes to bachelors of
education, women (2.8 per cent) once
again outnumber men (1.8 per cent).
Up to eight per cent of all young men
sign up for bachelor's courses in engineering, nearly double of women (4.1
per cent). There is a similar skew for
male (nine per cent) and female (4.5 per
cent) in bachelors' technology courses.
When the gender parity index – or
GPI, the ratio of female students to male
students – in higher education rises, it
should lead to higher female labour
force participation rates, typically measured as the share of women employed or
seeking work as a share of the workingage female population.
In addition to raising labour input, the
resulting human-capital accumulation
should boost potential output, according to a 2015 study by the IMF. But the
percentage of women in India's workforce is declining.
India's female labour force participation has dropped from 35 per cent in
1991 to 27 per cent in 2014, a rate below
the global average of around 50 per cent
and the East Asian average of around 63
per cent, according to a 2015 IMF study.
As incomes rise, women's labour
force participation often falls, only to
rise again when female education levels
improve; consequently, the value of
women in the labour market increases,
the IMF study said. That is not happening in India. n
INDIA FIRST 33
N
early eight in 10 Indian babies
are now delivered in hospitals
but 343 healthcare institutions across six states often lacked basic
hygiene, toilets, clean water and waste
disposal, according to a new survey released by the WaterAid India advocacy.
So, despite the fact that 79 per cent of
babies were born in hospitals in 201112, up from 41 per cent in 2005-06, according to government data, India
continues to have the highest rate of
maternal and infant mortality among
emerging nations.
Water and sanitation hygiene (WASH)
facilities – as they are collectively called
– were often absent; if pipes were laid,
water was often unavailable; and there
were largely no data or national planning for such facilities in PHCs, CHCs,
area and district hospitals surveyed by
WaterAid over 2014 and 2016 in 12 districts of Uttar Pradesh (UP), Madhya
Pradesh (MP), Andhra Pradesh (AP),
Telangana, Odisha and Karnataka.
As many as 167 Indian mothers die
during every 100,000 live births, a rate
higher than Cambodia with 161, and 22
infants die after every 1,000 live births,
according to Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare data.
We compared maternal and infant
mortality data in the six states that WaterAid surveyed and found that Andhra
Pradesh had the lowest percentage of
toilets in health facilities with 28 per
cent in hospitals followed by Telangana
with 47.6 per cent, according to health
ministry data.
More than 50 per cent of healthcare
facilities in the other states had toilets,
but the survey indicates that these may
not be maintained well or have water.
So what were the findings in these six
states?
Madhya Pradesh was found to have
very few toilets, and there was much
dumping of medical waste.
The survey was conducted in Bhopal,
Sehore, Panna and Tikamgarh districts
across 76 public health facilities on
WASH infrastructure.
Up to 27 per cent of sampled CHCs in
the four districts did not have a toilet in
the labour room; 50 per cent did not
have a toilet in the post-natal ward,
while 38 per cent PHCs did not have a
toilet in the labour room and 60 per cent
did not have toilets in the post-natal
ward.
Waste, including medical waste, was
thrown near 40 per cent of 48 borewells
across the four districts. Stagnant water
present around them raised the possibility of contaminated water.
Up to 75 per cent of PHCs and CHCs
34 INDIA FIRST
Health
TOO DIRTY
FOR SAFETY
Despite suffering from high maternal and infant
mortality rates, India continues to have numerous
healthcare institutions that are woefully wanting in the
cleanliness and hygiene department
in Bhopal, 87 per cent in Sehore and 95
per cent in Panna had dumped waste in
or near the compound walls. Less than
four of 10 PHCs and CHCs in Bhopal
and Sehore had soap in the labour
room.
Up to 75 per cent of PHCs and CHCs
in Bhopal, 87 per cent in Sehore and 95
per cent in Panna had dumped waste in
or near the compound walls. Less than
four of 10 PHCs and CHCs in Bhopal
and Sehore had soap in the labour
16 AUGUST 2016
room.
Only 43 per cent of 76 medical officers
(one per facility) interviewed reported
having training on preventing infections.
Odisha has poor-quality toilets and
waste water was released in the open.
The Odisha survey was limited to 34
public health facilities and one district
hospital in Ganjam district. More than
60 per cent of toilet facilities were found
to be unclean and non-functional.
Nearly half the facilities had never
chlorinated water tanks, making them
vulnerable to waterborne diseases; 73
per cent of health facilities did follow a
safe-filtering technique (reverse osmosis/ chemical process/ biological
process) for their drinking water. Waste
water was drained into open areas in almost 85 per cent of health centres.
Up to 96 per cent of the facilities had
wash basins inside the labour room.
Karnataka had adequate cleaning
equipment but its toilets were dirty because many staff posts vacant.
Up to 30 healthcare facilities were surveyed in the district of Raichur. With a
maternal mortality rate of 255 per
16 AUGUST 2016
100,000 live births, it was only slightly
better than Nepal with 258; with 71 infant deaths per 1,000 per live births, the
infant mortality rate was the same as
Nigeria (69), according to the zilla
parishad website.
Seven in 10 facilities had unhygienic
toilets because there was no one to
clean them: 76 per cent of cleaning staff
posts were vacant. Of 30 facilities, 12 did
not have a urinal and open defecation
was evident in 63 per cent.
Of 17 facilities with borewells, the area
around the wells was clean in 11 facilities; in the other six, the area was filled
with garbage.
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh suffer
from water and wash-basin shortages
and poor water quality.
Both the states were clubbed together,
with one districts from each state surveyed: 81 healthcare facilities from
Vizianagaram in AP and 59 facilities
from Nizamabad in Telangana.
Nearly 22 per cent of toilets were either not working or were broken, 25 per
cent were inaccessible, 24 per cent were
dirty, 24 per cent did not have enough
water and 24 per cent had no wash
basins within five meters of the toilet.
In Vizianagaram, 36 per cent of sampled PHCs reported inadequate water,
as did 47 per cent PHCs in Nizamabad.
Despite reports of poor water quality,
less than half the PHCs and CHCs in
both districts regularly chlorinated their
water.
Up to 19 per cent of facilities did not
have wash basins near toilets and patient-care areas and 25 per cent did not
have soap.
Uttar Pradesh, with dismal first- and
second-tier healthcare infrastructure,
was also found guilty of poor hand hygiene in its hospitals.
Conducted across 63 healthcare facilities in Varanasi, Agra, Lucknow and
Banda district, the UP survey was conducted on behalf of the Ministry of
Health and Family Welfare. Health facilities were scored on a scale of one to 10,
with 10 being the best quality.
PHCs and CHCs scored 0.83 and 3.75,
respectively; most were unclean. District
hospitals scored 3.75. The average handhygiene score in district hospitals was
4.35, and was 3.01 and 1.42 for CHCs
and PHCs respectively. n
INDIA FIRST 35
T
he brutal thrashing of four Dalit
youths by self-styled cow protection vigilantes was no isolated incident in Gujarat. As many as 409
incidents of atrocities on Dalits were reported till April this year.
But it took the July 11 Una incident,
and the national outrage it caused, for
the police to arrest six similar vigilantes
who had similarly attacked nine Dalits
in Rajula town in Amreli district in May.
The State Crime Records Bureau has
on record around 14,500 cases of attacks
on Dalits since 2001, making an annual
average of over 1,000 cases with at least
three cases daily in Gujarat.
Dalit rights activists say the sense of
impunity spawns from the fact that the
conviction rate is as low as 3 to 5 per
cent.
On the afternoon of May 22, a contingent of cow vigilantes swooped down on
a colony of Dalits in Rajula in SUVs and
two-wheelers. Like in Una, they carried
staffs and knives. A couple of them had
swords.
The vigilantes broke the hands and
legs of the Dalits, pushed and kicked
them around, says Rameshbhai
Babariya, a Dalit rights activist in the
area. Premabhai Rathod was also hit on
the head.
Like in Samadhiya in Una, here too
the toughies nonchalantly shot the
atrocity they committed. But the police
refused to accept the video when
Rathod and others took it to them while
lodging their complaint.
What is more, the Dalits were skinning cattle carcasses, and not live animals, at a place allotted to them
officially by the local municipality for
this purpose.
"Do you think we are going to believe
any such nonsense (video) that you
bring?" Rathod quoted the policemen at
the Rajula police station as saying. The
police registered the complaint only the
next day, that too against 19 persons
while more people were allegedly involved.
No action was taken after this. The activists and villagers went to the police
station again on May 31.
"We had lost all hope of the police
doing anything. There was another
round of thrashing too in front of the
police," Rathod says.
The Dalit activists, led by Babariya,
took out a big motorcycle procession
covering 70 km from Amreli to Rajula on
July 7 to demand arrests in the case.
"Then the Samadhiyala (Una) incident occurred on July 11. Now the police
got scared and they immediately got
into action and arrested six persons.
36 INDIA FIRST
Society
The Dalit
Exception
For one that has a pride of place on the national map
as a model state, Gujarat has come up woefully short in
giving justice to its highly harassed Dalit community
Earlier they used to tell us that everyone
was absconding and they had not been
able to find any one," Babariya said.
"There are many more. But at least
they have picked up six persons, even if
late," he added.
Three Dalit youths were shot dead in
police firing – it was learnt later that AK47 rifles were used – in Thangad town in
Surendranagar district in 2012.
The killings triggered a lot of noise,
nothing more.
But a fortnight ago, the CID (Crime),
which had been entrusted with the investigation, filed a summary report in
the Gujarat High Court saying no offence had been found against anyone.
"In all atrocity cases, a chargesheet
has to be filed in 60 days. It has been
four years, it has yet not been filed," says
Dalits activist and lawyer Jignesh
Mewani.
Three policemen were arrested and
released on bail. A police official has
been on the run for the past four years
in the case.
16 AUGUST 2016
After many complaints, the Gujarat
government told Principal Secretary
Sanjay Prasad to probe the case. His report was submitted in 2013 but it has
not been made public.
When RTI activist Kirit Rathod asked
why, he was told the report cannot be
made public since it "may harm the sovereignty and integrity of the country and
incite hatred among sections of the society".
In 2012 too, this was no isolated case.
A Dalit youth was burnt to death in a
house in Una. It was dismissed as an honour killing.
But the victim's family alleged that it
was a case of land grabbing by the culprits. A verdict is expected soon from the
trial court.
STARK STATS
As violent protests continued in the
Prime Minister’s home state of Gujarat
over the flogging of Dalit youth by
upper-caste Hindu vigilantes, an analysis by IndiaSpend – a data-driven, nonprofit, public interest journalism
platform – revealed a conviction rate six
times lower than the Indian average –
over 10 years – for crimes against scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled tribes
(STs).
In 2014 (latest available data), 3.4 per
cent of crimes against SCs in Gujarat
ended in convictions, against a national
rate of 28.8 per cent – one conviction for
every eight across the country. Against
STs, that conviction rate was 1.8 per
cent, against the national average of 37.9
16 AUGUST 2016
per cent – one conviction for every 21
cases.
Dalit unrest began on July 11 this year,
when four Dalit youth were tied to a car
and gau rakshaks, or cow protectors,
took turns to flog them as a crowd
watched. The crime: Skinning a dead
cow. Later, the upper-caste vigilantes
posted a video of the flogging on social
media as a warning of sorts to others –
Dalits and Muslims. The video of another attack in May has also now
emerged.
The Gujarat government has arrested
suspects, but the gau rakshaks’ courage
appears rooted in the failures of Gujarat’s criminal-justice system in addressing crimes against the lowest of
Hindu castes and tribes. A similar failure
is evident in Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Over the decade ending 2014, the average conviction rate in cases of crimes
against SCs in Gujarat was 5 per cent; in
crimes against STs, it was 4.3 per cent.
The national average was 29.2 per cent
and 25.6 per cent, according to NCRB
data.
This means that suspects in 95 of 100
cases are acquitted. Over 10 years, the
lowest conviction rate in crimes against
SCs in Gujarat was 2.1 per cent in 2011;
against STs, it was 1.1 per cent in 2005.
The conviction rate for all crimes registered under the Indian Penal Code nationwide was 45.1 per cent in 2014.
“If the conviction rate is low, people
who can afford a good lawyer know that
they can get away with their crime,”
Supreme Court lawyer Kamlesh Kumar
Mishra said.
Karnataka and Maharashtra are on
par with Gujarat, with a similar 5 per
cent conviction rate for crimes against
SCs/STs. In Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, about half of such cases end in
conviction.
“There is discrimination at each point
in the whole chain of access to justice
for Dalits and Adivasis (as STs are
called),” said Paul Divakar, Convener of
the National Campaign on Dalit Human
Rights, an advocacy group, pointing to
flawed chargesheets and investigations.
Mishra said it was up to the Gujarat
government to implement long-pending reforms recommended by various
commissions to improve convictions
and try pending cases. Lower courts in
Gujarat need 287 years to clear pending
cases.
SCs and STs endure widespread discrimination and lag the general population in education, jobs and income.
Crime against SCs/STs is also rising, a
reflection of greater reporting of cases,
and a consequence of upper-caste resentment against growing assertiveness.
“Society can now accept a Dalit crossing an upper caste area on a bicycle, but
it still hasn’t accepted the idea of a Dalit
riding a Royal Enfield,” Dalit writer
Chandra Bhan Prasad said in a Mint interview. “Upper castes feel threatened as
Dalits now feel equal to them and even
confront them.” n
INDIA FIRST 37
Science
Spirals of Reality
T
wo newly released spiral visualisations of global-warming data
reveal how human activities are
linked to rising carbon dioxide (CO2)
concentrations and rising temperatures.
Visualised by Robert Gieseke of the
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact
Research and Malte Meinshausen of the
University of Melbourne, the animated
GIFs (Graphic Interchange Format) and
interactive versions show how atmospheric CO2 concentration has increased
40 per cent since 1850 and two-thirds of
the carbon budget that the world can
use to limit global warming to 2 degrees
C has already been consumed.
Spirals were used as early as the 1880s
by Antonio Gabaglio, an Italian statistics
professor. Edward Tufte, an American
statistician and professor emeritus at
Yale University, who pioneered data visualisation, described it as "the whole
world of seeing and thinking, bringing
together how seeing and therefore
thinking could be intensified".
Speaking of their current work,
Gieseke said: "Visualisations have always been an important tool to make
complex and large data understandable
and to be able to spot trends here we
tried to make the (global warming)
chain visible and make it intriguing to
the viewer."
The current visualizations are an extension of a popular animated graphic,
spiraling global temperatures from 1850
to 2016, created by climate scientist Ed
Hawkins, an associate professor at the
University of Reading in the UK.
Hawkins used what is called the spiral
style, which mirrors the widening circles
38 INDIA FIRST
“Visualisations have always
been an important tool to make
complex and large data
understandable and to be able
to spot trends here we tried to
make the global warming chain
visible and make it intriguing to
the viewer"
– Robert Gieseke, from the
University of Melbourne, has
illustrated through his latest
data visualisation work, the
role of humans in global
warming
spawned by a stone plonked into a
placid lake.
"When we saw the original spiral by
Ed Hawkins, we were working on new
datasets with concentration and emissions data, so we looked into visualizing
them in the spiral style and putting
them together," Gieseke said of their effort.
Hawkins, meanwhile, spurred by the
interest in the temperature visualisation, has added the Arctic sea ice volume
and updated global temperatures spiral.
His work is detailed in the Climate Lab
Book. When the three visualisations –
temperature, concentration, and carbon-budget spirals – are juxtaposed and
viewed together, the connection between human-induced emissions, carbon-dioxide
concentrations
(represented as "carbon space") and in-
crease in the global mean temperature
becomes clear.
The Paris climate change conference
last year reaffirmed "the goal of limiting
global temperature increase well below
2 deg C, while urging efforts to limit the
increase to 1.5 deg C".
On December 1, 2015, IndiaSpend, a
a data-driven, non-profit, public interest journalism platform, reported how
the world had used up two-thirds of its
carbon budget for a 2-deg-C temperature rise and on June 29, 2016, reported
how CO2 concentration levels breached
400 parts per million (ppm), a level that
will endure for our lifetime.
Gieseke and Meinshausen have made
the spirals interactive in the web version: You can pause, jump to specific
years by moving your mouse over line
charts at the bottom and observe
changes in concentration and temperatures.
For instance, the interactive carbon
budget – the amount of carbon you can
still burn and yet keep the temperature
below 2-degrees-Celsius rise – shows the
speed with which it is spent.
"Over a hundred years, from 1850
until the 1950s, CO2 emissions rose
from about 2 gt (Giga tonnes) of CO2 to
10 gt of CO2 per year," said Gieseke.
Within 50 years, yearly emissions tripled
to 30 gt of CO2 per year in 2000. That figure is now up to 40 gt of CO2 per year.
Despite the clear human influence on
the atmosphere, Gieseke is optimistic.
"Our emissions from fossil fuels are the
main cause of climate change, but if we
act quickly it's still possible to stop the
trends visible in the spirals." n
16 AUGUST 2016
Movie
Review
'Suicide Squad' is strictly for DC fans only
Troy Ribeiro
Director: David Ayer; Cast: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Jai
Courtney, Viola Davis, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Cara Delevingne,
Ike Barinholt, Scott Eastwood, Adam Beach, Common, Karen Fukuhara, David Harbour,
Jim Patrick, Alex Mera, Corina Calderon; Rating: **1/2
D
irector David Ayer's "Suicide
Squad" is strictly for DC
Comics' fans who don't mind
a convoluted, mindless and logic-defying plot. After all, it is a fictional, comic
universe -- a fantasy.
This superhero film, based on the
comics' antihero team of the same
name, is the third instalment in the DC
Extended Universe.
Stylishly mounted on an irrational
and nonsensical, wafer-thin premise,
the plot is intricately elaborate and complex. The narrative takes off after the last
edition, "Batman v Superman", where,
in the aftermath of Superman's death,
and warnings of terror attacks, Intelligence Operative Amanda Waller (Viola
Davis) assembles a team of "Psychotic
antisocial freaks," to be used as disposable assets in a highly risky mission for
the United States Government, in exchange for clemency.
The villains are: The exterminator
Floyd Lawton (Will Smith) aka Deadshot; Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), a
crazy and fearless psychiatrist who falls
in love with her patient, a psychopathic
criminal called Joker (Jared Leto); An
Aussie called Captain Bomberang (Jai
Courtney) who uses the boomerang as
his defence missile; Pyrokinetic Home16 AUGUST 2016
boy El Diablo (Jay Hernandez); Waylon
Jones (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) aka
Killer Croc "a cannibal with rage issues,
who suffers from a skin condition that
causes him to develop reptilian features;
the mask-faced Tatsy Yamashiro (Karen
Fukuhara) aka Katana, a martial art expert, who is deadly with the samurai
sword that's haunted by her slain husband's spirit; and Christopher Weiss
(Adam Beach) aka Slipknot, an assassin
expert in tactical grappling and scaling.
During an active terrorist attack, the
villains are forced to work together with
the Task Force X under the command of
the officer Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman).
How the super-villains fight the dark
monsters and battle their own survival
forms the crux of the tale.
Writer-director David Ayer's script actually follows the misadventures of the
group and attempts to have fun or at
least tries to with well-choreographed
action sequences and punch packed dialogues that internalise the humour.
And this is proved when, at one point in
the narration, Flag says, "We almost
pulled it off," and "Don't forget we are
the bad guys".
There are too many characters, yet a
precious few, who even come close to
resembling actual human beings. But
the script actually works on their human
traits of bad guys having a heart by sharing their weak moments. It especially
does with Floyd Lawton, who shines
from time to time when he spends some
precious moments with his daughter
portrayed effectively by Shailyn PierreDixon. Floyd hopes to reunite with her,
once his mission is over.
Of all the characters it is only Margot
Robbie as the unpredictable Harley
Quinn who stands out. In a figure hugging t-shirt and micro short, armed with
a baseball bat and a spunky attitude, she
saves the day for the Suicide Squad. Her
onscreen chemistry with her love interest, the Joker is short-lived as the Joker
is one of the many insignificant characters of the tale.
On the technical front, the film, with
its high production values which include 3D effects, keeps you hooked. The
pace in the first act is languid as the narrative does not move forward in any
meaningful way, despite being compressive. And as the story progresses in
the second and the third act the layers
peel the sheen and joy of viewing.
Overall, as mentioned earlier, the
film would appeal only to DC Fans. For
others it would be a loud and noisy affair. n
INDIA FIRST 39
Bollywood
Priyanka to play CIA agent
I
ndian actress Priyanka Chopra, who was seen essaying an FBI agent named Alex Parrish in the
first season of American drama series "Quantico", will now portray a CIA agent in the second season of the show. The 34-year-old star on Wednesday
took to Instagram and mentioned that the new season
will also come with a "new look" and "new faces".
In the poster, Priyanka features with actor Jake
McLaughlin, who plays Ryan Booth in the show. Season 2 of the show will air from September 25. She captioned the image: "From the FBI to the CIA... Alex
Parrish is back! New story, new look and lots of new
faces! Season premiere Sept 25th on ABC. Can't wait!"
The former beauty queen will also be seen as a guest
judge for season 15 of American TV series "Project
Runway", hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum.
Priyanka will join the series as one of the few guest
judges on the show, which will air from September. The
show focuses on budding designers who are given an
opportunity to create a collection for New York Fashion
Week. She will be seen in a negative role in "Baywatch"
-- the big screen version of the globally popular TV series featuring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron. n
Heartbreaking if
film doesn't
do well:
Prachi Desai
A
ctress Prachi Desai says she feels
heartbroken when any of her films
don't do really well. "A film not doing
well is extremely heart-breaking (for me)... I
know we repeatedly say that 'You have no idea
how much effort goes into every film', but trust
me a lot of our time, hope and effort is riding on
the film and it becomes a part of us," Prachi
said. "You spend so much time with the people,
role and everything about that film. Personally,
I will say it is very heart-breaking for me if a film
doesn't do as well, she added. Prachi was last
seen on screen in the biographical-sports
drama "Azhar", where she was seen portraying
the role of Naureen, first wife of former cricketer
Mohammad Azharuddin. Her next Bollywood
outing will be the musical drama "Rock On!! 2".
It also stars Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal, Purab
Kohli and Shraddha Kapoor. n
40 INDIA FIRST
16 AUGUST 2016
Hollywood
Moretz asked to remove ribs
A
ctress Chloe Grace Moretz was
told to have ribs removed to improve her figure. The 19-year-old shared
that Hollywood insiders frequently suggested that she should change her appearance in order to boost her chances
of success, reports femalefirst.co.uk. "I
used to get told to change my teeth all
the time, because I had a gap, and I was
told that to help give me more of a waistline, they could take out some ribs,"
Glamour magazine quoted Moretz as
saying. "Also, I had some acne when I
was younger so there was a lot of pressure to deal with that." The "Carrie" actress, who is dating Brooklyn Beckham,
says that she begged her mother to let
her have "a b**b job, the fat pad beneath
my chin removed and a butt reduction"
when she was just 16, but she is thankful
she was told no. "Luckily, my mum and
my brothers never let me get caught up
in all that. If I had done any of those
things I wanted to back then, I wouldn't
know who I am today. Anyway, you
shouldn't be allowed to have plastic surgery before you're an adult," she said. n
Streep tries to swim
a mile every day
V
eteran actress Meryl Streep says
she tries to swim a mile every
day to stay healthy. The 67-year-old
16 AUGUST 2016
finds doing laps of the pool the best exercise for her to keep active, reports
hellomagazine.com. "I do try to stay
Bar Refaeli
gives birth to
her first child
M
odel Bar Refaeli has reportedly given birth to her first
child -- a girl. The 31-year-old
model, who previously dated actor
Leonardo DiCaprio, and her husband Adi Ezra welcomed the
daughter, whom they have already
named Liv, into the world at Ichilov
Hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel, on
Thursday, reports mirror.co.uk. According to the Jerusalem Post
newspaper, the little one was born
healthy. n
healthy. Sometimes I let myself fall
apart, but generally I try to swim a mile
every day because I like the feeling and
it gets me into my body," Streep said.
"I'm quite conscious of keeping my
health because it doesn't last forever
and we're all of us lucky as long as we do
have it. I try to remember that," she
added. Streep, who is married to sculptor Don Gummer, also makes sure to
look after skin although she uses products to fight the advancing years. The
"Mamma Mia!" actress claims that her
fresh complexion is mainly down to the
good genetics she inherited from her
mother Mary. "I have the same skin as
my mother... she had beautiful skin.
When she got older it got wrinkled, but
who cares," she said. n
INDIA FIRST 41
Book
Review
The perils of business trips
to Pakistan's badlands
Vikas Datta
Title: The Warehouse; Author: S.S. Mausoof; Publisher: Hachette India;
Pages: 256; Price: Rs 399
P
akistan's border badlands, where a merciless conflict rages between militants, both
homegrown and foreign, and the army
(and the US and Afghans) under the relentless eye
of the drones, are the last place where an insurance
investigator would be of any good.
And is what is happening in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) solely a war against terrorism or are there other undercurrents involved?
Mausoof skillfully combines these two strands
into an engrossing tale about how even in one of
the world's most violent and lawless regions, some
human tendencies can never be suppressed or remain absent.
On a hot evening in September 2011, our protagonist, Syed Qais Ali Qureshi, a
certified insurance surveyor in
Karachi, is contacted by exlover Sonia, who has a job for
him on behalf of her insurance
company, despite bad blood
between him and her boss.
It appears simple - an insured
warehouse has burnt down and
he just has "do a survey, take
photographs, write a report,
and get the claim accepted".
But the site is in Jandola, capital
of Frontier Region Tank, next to
South Waziristan, and the
owner, a prominent Pukhtoon
transporter, does not want to
file a claim.
Adding to the complication is
that Sonia's company have already claimed reinsurance,
without paying the insurance
claim - which means severe legal problems for
them at least if found out.
Qais has misgivings as "the last surveyor sent to
Waziristan was beheaded by the Taliban. His body
was left by the roadside. The head was never
found", is persuaded by Sonia's wiles and dares,
which he is aware of but unable to resist. Also the
size of his payout is also a lure, as his own business
has not being doing very well, and he has to secure
the future of his teenaged daughter.
But as expected, his mission turns out but simple. Despite being accompanied by his friend, a
trigger-happy Superintendent of Police in Karachi
CID, and the local army commander in Mianwali,
42 INDIA FIRST
in nearby, relatively-safer Punjab where Qais bases
himself, a friend, there is trouble galore.
Qais doesn't endear himself to the local ISI operatives, the transporter, who lost his fire-breathing
son in a US drone strike, is not moved by his arguments, his moves to reach an arrangement with the
daughter-in-law cause animosity while when he inspects the spot, he finds something more lethal
than cigarettes were stored there.
And from there, events spiral out of control - Qais
ends up owing a large amount of 'blood' money to
a local army officer, and then abducted by the Taliban (his local associate is beheaded as a spy) and
taken into the interior. Freed by a drone attack but
caught by a US cross-border raiding party, he is
taken to Afghanistan, where
their convoy is ambushed and he, a widow twice over he
has befriended and a young
terrorist are the only survivors.
The trio manage to reach a
town but as they try to leave for
Kabul, there is a bomb blast at
the bus stop, and Qais, separated from his companion, is
arrested. Owning to be a "Punjabi suicide bomber" to avoid
remaining in an Afghan jail, he
is shipped to US custody in
Bagram.
Will he manage to clear himself, and get back home? At
what price? And even then, will
his troubles be over?
Mausoof, also an filmmaker
with an award-winning noir
thriller shot in Karachi, and
several screenplays and short stories to his credit,
crafts a captivating genre-hopping story with crisp
dialogue and cynical asides at Pakistani realities.
Beginning as classical noir with an amoral hero, a
sexy but wily heroine, and a crooked deal, it effortlessly segues into a terrorist thriller.
This is not the first novel to be set in FATA with
the likes of David Ignatius and Fatima Bhutto already having been there, but it stands out for the
vivid sense of how even visitors may get trapped in
its simple but lethal dynamics, the "dislocation" of
being wrenched from normal life and how here,
there are no ways to determine "good" or "bad"
guys - or any certainty that this distinction exists. n
16 AUGUST 2016
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