on shaky foundation

8/12/2019 On Shaky Foundation

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THE HINDU:1 ST JAN -2013

On shaky foundation The draft of the 12th Five Year Plan covering the period 2012-13 to 2016-17, approved by the

National Development Council last week, aims to achieve an annual average growth rate of 8 percent, scaled down from 8.2 per cent. The Prime Minister has called t he target aspirational, whilea few Chief Ministers, notably Narendra Modi, found it lacking in ambition. Political statementsapart, it is clear that the focus on growth rates has tended to distract attention from the rest of the

planning exercise. In retrospect, most official projections have been over-optimistic. The approach paper of the 12th Plan talked of an annual average growth rate of between 9 and 9.5 per cent. ThePrime Minister had gone even further, hoping for double-digit growth rates during the latter part ofthe Plan. What made those projections totally unrealistic was the fact that the economic slowdownwas already getting reflected in successive quarterly GDP data. The Union Budget (2012)

projected an ambitious growth rate of 7.6 per cent, way above what most other forecasters hadestimated at that time. The government has been slow in lowering the forecasts even whenconclusive evidence of deceleration has been coming in. True to form, the government expects theeconomy to grow by between 5.7 and 5.9 per cent this year the first year of the 12th Plan when the growth during the first half has been at just 5.4 per cent. Considering that a revival inmanufacturing where the slowdown is most pronounced cannot happen that quickly, an annual

average rate of 8 per cent over the plan period can be achieved only if the growth rate in each ofthe last three years is well above 9 per cent.

The Planning Commission is banking on reinvigorating a few existing policies while expectingvastly improved performance in certain key areas: gross fixed capital formation rate to go up to 35

per cent from the present 32 per cent, with the private sector playing a major role in catalysingsuch investment; a new look industrial policy that focuses on better coordination between thegovernment and the private sector to vastly improve business sentiment; stressing the importanceof national industrial manufacturing zones in a scheme of reviving industrial output. More

controversial are suggestions to streamline l abour laws by increasing the threshold employmentfor labour legislation to 300. The case for increasing agricultural growth to 4 per cent largelythrough technology absorption is unexceptionable. Yet all these and more may not be sufficient toachieve an annual growth rate of 8 per cent. Since any likely shortfall will reflect adversely on the

planning process itself, the question then is: is the obsessive focus on growth ratescounterproductive?


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France leads the tax debate The December 28 decision by the French constitutional court, the Conseil Constitutionnel, thatPresident Franois Hollandes showpiece 75 per cent income tax for high earners is unfair andtherefore unconstitutional may look like a severe political setback, but when examined moreclosely turns out not to be quite that. The court rejected the tax, which would have affected all withan annual income above one million, because French income tax is levied on households and notindividuals, so it would not apply, for example, to a couple eac h of whom earns 900,000 butwould apply to any individual earning a million euros or more. Only about 1,500 people wouldhave had to pay the new rate, which was due to take effect today and was expected to raise 500million in a crucial contribution to M r. Hollandes plans to reduce the budget deficit to 3 per centof GDP by 2014. One high-profile opponent is actor Grard Depardieu, who says he now plans to

move to Belgium, apparently for tax reasons, and has responded to Prime Minister Jean-MarcAyraults criticism of his move as shabby with an angry open letter claiming that the Socialistgovernment is punishing success and talent.

Mr. Depardieus position has, however, been criticised by, for example, the award -winning actorPhilippe Torreton, who says that the move amounts to leaving the French boat in the middle of astorm. Unemployment, at 3 million, is at a 15-year high and has crossed 10 per cent after rising for16 months in succession; the French central bank estimates an economic shrinkage of 0.1 per centin the third quarter of 2012. Much of the public argument among artists and other celebrities isfocused on the division between those who see paying the higher rate as a patriotic duty and thosewho consider it an unfair imposition, but the court decision itself has been made by a largelyconservative-appointed court, which also includes three former presidents ex officio , all of whomare also conservatives. That fact will add fuel to the political flames, not least because in August2011, 16 of Frances wealthiest people, including the LOral heiress Liliane Bettencourt andseveral major chief executives, published an open letter in the magazine Le Nouvel Observateur calling for higher taxes on the rich as a matter of national solidarity in a time of economic crisis.Mr. Hollande and his government plan to revise the tax proposal and reintroduce it, but whatever

the outcome, France is leading the way by showing that tax rates are about the nature of societyand not just about technical issues.

In Myanmar, a winning hand for America


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While Washingtons engagement with Burma is a demonstration ofthe triumph of diplomacy over isolation, the future depends onYangons commitment to democratic processes

The recent upturn in the United States relations with Myanmar a key neighbour of India was the outcome of years of diplomatic manoeuvring following the 1988 democracy uprising andthe State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) military government s refusal toacknowledge the 1990 general election results. It was also a result of the U.S. governments dual -track policy of using carrots and sticks.

Unlike India, which moved to normalise relations with SLORC by the mid-1990s, the U.S. madesome fundamental demands as a condition for normalising bilateral ties. These included: the

release of all political prisoners (over 2,000 held in different prisons across Myanmar in the beginning of 2012), inclusive dialogue with opposition parties and ethnic minorities, adherence toUnited Nations non-proliferation agreements on nuclear weapons and an end to any illicitcooperation with North Korea, greater accountability on human rights issues, and an end toviolence against ethnic minorities. The U.S. also asked the Myanmar government to hold free andfair by-elections.

Steady steps

On January 13, 2012, a total of 651 political prisoners were either released or offered presidential pardon by the Myanmar government. Those released included prominent political prisoners,including leaders of the 1988 democracy uprising, the ex-military intelligence chief and deposedPrime Minister General Khin Nyunt, and ethnic Shan leaders Hkun Htun Oo and Sai Nyunt Lwin,who were sentenced to 93- and 85-year prison sentences respectively.

Second, the Thein Sein government signed ceasefire agreements with several ethnic armed groups:the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), Chin National Front (CNF), Karenni National ProgressiveParty (KNPP), Karen National Union (KNU), Karen Peace Council (KPC), National Socialist

Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K), New Mon State Party (NMSP), Pa-O NationalLiberation Army (PNLA), and Shan State Army North (SSA-N).

Third, the government successfully held by-elections in April last year. Pro-democracy leaderAung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy won in 43 of the 44 seats it contested. Oneseat each was won by the ruling USDP and the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP). The


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Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) candidate captured the seat where the NLDcandidate was disqualified. The SNDP won a seat from the Shan state. The participation of the

NLD and other political parties associated with ethnic minorities boosted the governments claimfor legitimacy and credibility of its seven- step road map towards democracy that initially began

in 2003.

As the Obama administration promised to reciprocate action for action, Derek Mitchell, SpecialRepresentative and Policy Coordinator for Burma, was confirmed as the new U.S. Ambassador onJune 29. U.S. investment sanctions were lifted on July 11, which was followed by the suspensionof import bans on goods from Myanmar on September 27. The lifting of investment sanctionsenabled U.S. companies and international financial institutions such as the World Bank andInternational Monetary Fund to begin re-establishing links with Myanmar.

The U.S. made four important achievements from the improvement in relations: it demonstratedthe triumph of diplomacy over isolation; it won an assurance that Myanmar had not engaged inany illicit engagement with North Korea on nuclear programmes; it was able to emerge as asymbol of democracy and human rights around the world; and it got to build a firmer foundationof its presence in Southeast Asia.

In addition, the improvement of relations enabled the U.S. to re-establish the U.S. Agency forInternational Development (USAID) mission to Myanmar, to lend support for a normal UNDPcountry programme, and to facilitate travel to the U.S. for select Myanmar officials and

parliamentarians. It also paved the way for the U.S. and Myanmar to cooperate on the recovery ofthe remains of Americans missing in action or taken prisoners of war during World War II.

By improving bilateral relations with the United States, the Myanmar government achieved thegoal of legitimacy it had long sought. Until the April by-elections, the U.S. and other westernnations still considered the results of the 2010 general elections unrepresentative of the people.The other major achievement was the lifting of sanctions.

Obamas visit

The positive diplomacy culminated in President Barack Obamas visit to Myanmar on November19, the first ever visit by a sitting U.S. President. His historic tour was, however, criticised byseveral rights groups, which argued that it was premature to make such a high-profile visit whenviolence still continued in the Kachin and Rakhine states, and when political prisoners remained


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behind bars. The Obama administration said the Presidents visit was to acknowl edge thedemocratic reforms and to encourage further reforms.

On a positive note, both governments must be congratulated for taking the necessary steps to

improve bilateral relations. However, the primary concern now is whether political gestures fromthe Myanmar government will lead to addressing ethnic minority problems, which remains at theheart of decades-old conflicts in the country. When can the Myanmar government sign a ceasefireagreement with ethnic Kachins, and will the signed ceasefire agreements with various groups leadto guaranteeing autonomy?

Moreover, will the 2008 constitution be amended to remove the inherent role of the military in politics, which is currently guaranteed 25 per cent of seats in Parliament without election? Will allremaining political prisoners be released unconditionally? Can the Rohingya problem be resolved

amicably? Uncertainty remains as to how the U.S. government will respond in case of the non-fulfilment of these expectations.

Overall, 2012 was a significant year in terms of diplomatic rapprochement. Nevertheless, thelongevity and durability of bilateral relations between the two nations will be contingent upon howdemocratic transition progresses inside Myanmar.

(Nehginpao Kipgen i s general secretary of the U.S.-based Kuk i I nternati onal F orum. H isresearch focuses on the politics of South and Southeast Asia, concentrating onBurma/Myanmar.)

Now, the tragedy of the common species


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NOT RARE ENOUGH: With their low economic values in the illicit trade, common species are not gettingthe protection of enforcement. Photo: K. AnanthanTOPICS

India needs to shed its blinkers and recognise that the widespreadhunting and trapping of species not on the mainstream protectionradar is being grossly ignored

Last month, a video set in Nagaland went viral. It traced villagers in Nagaland fastening nets onthe banks of a reservoir. Trapped in them were small, indignant, shrieking birds; falcons that hadflown in from Siberia. Amur falcons, insectivorous birds of prey, stop at Nagalands Doyangreservoir each year on their way from Siberia to southern Africa. They spend a few days in

Nagaland to fatten up for their transoceanic journey to Africa. This year, an estimated one lakh

Amur Falcons were trapped and killed by villagers for the commercial meat trade. Both the tradeand the appetite for the Amur falcon seem to be growing: while some birds were transported intrucks for sale in places far from the trapping spot, others were discarded, simply because toomany had been caught.

Year after year, India speaks out at international fora about its culture of tolerance, particularly atmeetings for wild species conservation. Being a diplomatic norm, platitudes of this sort are notsurprising. There is merit too, in this argument: the same philosophies have led India to saying a

blanket no to hunting of animals on the mainland, as per law. The country has also said no to policies of sustainable wild animal use, which other countries with meat eating histories haveadopted: with quotas on hunting, or (theoretically) controlled bushmeat/wildmeat consumption.But there is reason to believe that we are ignoring a burning problem in our midst thewidespread hunting and trapping, especially of species that do not figure on the mainstream

protection radar. Our policymakers are uncomfortably close to believing that the land oftolerance, does not in fact hunt its animals.

Indiscriminate

The word hunting evokes several connotations. The activity of stalking an intended victim, thewait for the prey, and the allure of the strength of the hunter-predator have held central, forcefulvalue in many civilisations. The Mughal emperors hunted to showcase their pomp and theirstrength, and the British hunted man-eating tigers, or problem animals, in India and other countriesto exercise a tightly orchestrated symbol of control and power. As an independent nation with agleaming set of environmental laws, we have declared these symbols as an anachronism.


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It is argued that trapping is different from hunting. Trapping animals in nets and snares suggests acer tain opportunism, and with unerring certainty, a by -catch (a term used most regularly forfishing) of non-target species. Depending on the way you look at it, trapping with the intention toeat whatever gets caught is a source of bushmeat; trapping with the intention of poaching a target

species invariably leads to the ensnaring of non-target species: like deer being caught in snaresmeant for tigers. We have had a corporeal, intense focus on the poaching of charismatic species(the tiger, leopard, lion, snow leopard, elephant) which are trapped for a lucrative and well-funded

poaching trade. What we seem to have lost, both as spectators as well as enforcement direction, isa focus on common or widespread species which are being trapped and killed all over India, andindiscriminately.

In 2010, the Munia, a small colourful melodious finch, was found to be sold for as little as Rs.150for 100 birds by investigators from poaching watchdog TRAFFIC India. That is a value of lessthan Rs.2 for each bird one that is endemic to India, threatened, and found in increasinglyfragmented landscapes. Nesting in bushes and shrub, the Munia, much like the House Sparrow, islosing habitat all over the country, which is its only natural range. The fact that it is sold for nearly nothing, and perceived as common, demonstrates the ease with which it is caught. Similarinvestigations reveal that it is birds that dont have to be displayed that are increasingly beingfound in the meat trade. These are birds that are concealed, kept in half-dead conditions, and thensold for a pittance: reducing the risk of detection. This also means that a boggling number of small

birds are in this meat trade victims of trapping, trapping of any and every species that gets

caught. Up to 450 species are in this illegal trade, with birds being the single genus most widelytraded illegally among all the hunted species. The Francolin, wading birds, Pintail, Shoveler andSandpiper are other birds, still plentiful, which disappear in this way.

Peaks in winter

The trade peaks in winter, where meat-eating is at a premium. This coincides with the migratoryseason, and as in the case of the Amur Falcon, has meant a calibrated, site-specific effort to kill. Inthe late 1960s, Garrett Hardin, an ecologist, coined the term, the tragedy of the commons. He

was referring to how people, users of resources, tend to overuse and exploit commons: likemeadows, even if they knew that doing so would deplete the resource for all its users. The termhas been used most often in contemporary times to refer to the overexploitation, intense andcontinuous, of the sea and marine resources.


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I would go a step further in saying that what is happening to our birds, and the killing of these birds, is the tragedy of the common species . Few species are common any more, but it does follownearly often that the common species gets disregarded, overlooked or otherwise not valued asexciting, simply because there are so many individuals of that species.

The anthropogenic allee affect is a theory that suggests that with human-induced rarity of aresource (like poaching or trapping), human attempts to extract that resource (i.e. more trapping)increase even as resource availability goes down. This explains why items that are so rare arealways higher priced, corresponding to their high demand. It further explains why the increased

price (the belief in desire stemming from rarity) causes even more exploitative measures towardsextraction of the commodity. This has been the sad course of human desire resources like gold,illegal wildlife contraband like ivory, to pink diamonds, to unblemished natural pearls, are alldown to a few sources, deemed even more precious due to their uncommonness .

The tragedy of the common species is that these species, with low economic values in their illicittrade, are escaping the radar of enforcement. Conversely, they are escaping the radar ofenforcement as the anthropogenic allee affect has not set in so far, and subsequently these speciesare not considered rare enough to bother worrying about.

Common species do not stay common forever. Such is the case of the house sparrow and the Gypsvulture, both of which are vanishing all over their range in India, and the now extinct Passenger

pigeon, once crowding skies in the United States. This year, one lakh less Amur Falcons will reachtheir destination in southern Africa. At this point, we dont have to start debating hierarchies of

protection afresh. Instead, we must act on keeping the common, common.

Ring out the rhetoric, ring in results


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Many women have had to leave education and jobs because of the harassment they face in buses or on roads.This is especially true of poor or middle class families where girls are emerging from their homes or traditionaloccupations.

Creating a safer environment for women is not only the responsibilityof the police or the government, but also a matter for us. With womenentering public spaces in greater numbers, changing the capitalsentrenched culture of violence is necessary and possible

Less than two weeks after the brutal gang rape of the 23-year-old student on a Delhi bus, the issueof womens safety has been overshadowed by other incendiary fallouts and squabbles over the

protests, which were carried out by thousands demanding justice for the victim. In the year ahead,it is imperative not to lose sight of the overarching challenge of protecting Indian women against

the rising tide of dangers. Devising and enforcing an agenda for womens safety is a daunting task, but the call for we want justice, which rang out over India Gate, needs a clear agenda and

practical action.

Women today are entering public spaces in large numbers. Every family, however poor, attemptsto send its girls to schools. Girls today aspire to a better and higher education and indeedoutnumber and outperform boys in colleges and universities. For a young woman, of every class,marriage and children and the kitchen are no longer her only aspiration, but many dream of a job, acareer and a place in society outside the home. Unlike earlier generations, young women today areno longer cowed down by society and are not afraid to speak their minds. Nor do they meeklyaccept that they are inferior to men and must bear whatever punishment is imposed on them in

public or at home.

Accepted culture

However, Delhi has always had a culture of various forms of violence against women in public places. It is accepted that a group of men may pass a lewd comment against a woman in public,or that they may brush up aga inst her in a bus. For young men, harassing women is a right of

passage, and is covered up in the mild word teasing. It is not uncommon for this form of openharassment to lead to actual molestation and even rape. Every girl and woman living in Delhi cantestify to cases of sexual harassment in public space, while the capital also has the highest numberof reported rapes in the country and a dismal conviction rate.


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The attitude of the general public in Delhi supports this anti-woman culture. Women today oftenfight back, but are rarely supported by others, even in crowded places. Every incident, whether in a

bus or the metro or on the road, has some men muttering look at the way she is dressed or youshould be silent, these things happen or she invited it, or girls should remain at home, why is

she out on the streets? These kinds of comments are echoed by public personalities where onlydented and painted women protest!

If women are to continue on this path towards becoming useful and equal members of society, it isimperative that their safety in public places be guaranteed. We have seen many women who havehad to withdraw from schools or jobs because of the harassment they face in buses or on roads.This is especially true of poor or middle class families where the first generation of girls areemerging from their homes or traditional occupations.

Creating a safer environment for women is not only the responsibility of the police or thegovernment, it is a matter for us all. Changing the Delhi culture is a long process that needsconcerted effort over months, years and decades. The police and courts need to be active allies inthis.

The steps needed

First, it is necessary for women to speak up. Silence encourages the perpetrators, and ensures thatthey behave worse next time. Second, men must support women when they speak up. They mustmake the perpetrator feel ashamed and apologetic. Third, the police must play an active role.Sexual harassment is not teasing, it is a crime, and the perpetra tors cannot be treated with asmirk and that boys will be boys. Finally, when such crimes reach the courts, it is necessary forthe courts to also treat them seriously. Many judges view molestation and rape cases as thewomans fault and treat her like t he criminal, rather than the victim, often using words in their

judgments which betray their biases. At the same time these cases are allowed by a court to dragon for years, so that the victim never gets justice, but continues to be harassed by the criminal whois out on bail. Delhi had 635 reported rape cases in 2012 with only one conviction. It had 193

cases of eve teasing reported with zero convictions.

The goal should be results over rhetoric. To begin with, certain public areas in Delhi should beidentified to execute a targeted response. Some public spaces where harassment occurs are busesand bus stops, metros, spaces outside schools and colleges and market areas. It is important to

protect women and change the culture in these areas. The Delhi Metro has had a remarkable recordin making it safe for women, but conditions are deteriorating in Metros and much more needs to be


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done. The protection of women needs a programme that involves increased patrolling, increasinglighting of dark areas, introducing CCTV cameras and GPS in buses and trains.

Additionally, there should be police booths in areas where there are schools and colleges for an

immediate response to women-safety related complaints; and a helpline for women with a setresponse time to be accessed via phone, emails and texts with photo/s of the offenders sent bymobile phone. Perhaps most effective would be immediate punishment or fines on the spot as isdone in traffic-related offences.

Posters, hoardings, announcements and advertisements make an important difference in peoplesconsciousness. Posters inside metros and buses can encourage men to behave properly and respectwomen an image with a big cross for a man staring or groping a woman. A sustainedadvertisement campaign must follow. Besides public service messages and private companiesfeaturing womens products should focus on messages encouraging women to speak up.

Using information

However, most important is the need for citizen patrolling and citizen-police cooperation. Parentsof school and college girls are often willing to work with police to protect their children. Theyneed to be tapped in large numbers. Womens organisations, and non -governmental organisations(NGO) working with women and girls are able to mobilise and provide information to the policeon areas where women face harassment. These NGOs need to be drawn into partnership with the

police and government efforts.

Changing the culture of a city is hard work, but it needs to be done. Otherwise, women willcontinue to face the continuum of sexual harassment from lewd remarks to brutal rape. Decades ofefforts to empower women will fail as fear forces them out of public spaces.

I -T Department to tackle tax evasion in real estatesectorThe Directorate General of Income Tax (Investigation), Karnataka and Goa, is now training itsradar on the booming real estate sector, particularly in Bangalore.

The directorate has found that over 3,500 land owners have entered into joint developmentagreements with developers in Bangalore in the last couple of years, said S. Ravi, Director-


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General of Income Tax (Investigation), Bangalore. The directorate has also detected one lakhcases of devalued registration of properties between 2006 and 2011, he said.

Mr. Ravi was interacting with presspersons here on Monday along with Chief Commissioners of

Income Tax, Bangalore I and III, K. Satyanarayana and I. Suresh Babu. He said there have beenhundreds of instances of joint developments of properties with sellers appearing to be 'ignorant' oftax implications.

He said a valid contract for sale, with a consideration and handing over of the possession of the property to the developer, results in tax liability.

However, the tax is not paid, perhaps owing to lack of awareness, Mr. Ravi said. The year ofagreement is the year of tax liability, and this proposition has been upheld by the Karnataka and

Bombay High Courts.

In November, inquiries by the directorate revealed that 180 such transactions were made and the practice was rampant. In two cases alone, an evasion of Rs. 255.38 crore tax was detected, Mr.Ravi said, and added that it was an ongoing process.

Meanwhile, the directorate is also looking into devalued registration of properties, where the properties are registered below the guidance value set by the State government. In such cases, weconsider the guidance value as the sale price and compute tax liability on its basis, Mr. Ravi said.

Owners selling such lands are liable to pay capital gains tax. The directorate advises them to paythe tax, Mr. Ravi said.

Airport surveillance

The directorate had also investigated possible tax evasion in the mining sector. It has set up amechanism at the Bengaluru International Airport to monitor and intercept the movement ofunaccounted cash and valuables, including jewellery. It is also zeroing in on various financialtransactions, including banking, mutual funds, investments on immovable properties and shares,

without the investors quoting the PAN.

Tax collection hit

Mr. Satyanarayana said the ban on iron ore mining has brought down tax collection by about Rs.3,000 crore and the impact was more in Goa region as compared to Hubli/Bellary in Karnataka.


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The Karnataka and Goa region has stood third in tax collection, after Mumbai and Delhi. Thetarget for this financial year is Rs. 53,000 crore and Rs. 32,830 crore has been collected so far.

Though this is higher than last years collection of Rs. 30,328 during the same period, it is less

than the national average of 14 per cent, Mr. Satyanarayana said.

He said a large number of government departments have not been remitting tax deducted at sourceto the I-T department. Also large corporates are shying away from paying advance tax.

Caste plays dominant role in SHGs: studySelf-help groups might have resulted in significant upward movement in the status and role ofwomen in society, but a recent study reveals existence of casteism in the SHGs.

Conducted across eight States covering a sample of over 1,942 groups, the study indicated thatcaste played a dominant role in the formation and functions of the SHGs. At least 29 per cent ofthe groups surveyed reported different etiquette for different social categories and preference tosame caste could be seen in the selection of members of the respective groups.

According to C.S. Reddy, CEO of AP Mahila Abhivrudhi Samakhya (APMAS ), whichinstrumental in the study, from the initial stages when the groups had representation from differentsocial categories, a majority of them were now found to be homogenous. As a result, there is asharp decline in the number of members in individual groups -- from over 20 a decade ago toaround 10 at present, he told The Hindu .

While the SHG movement was founded on social, political, cultural and economic empowermentof women, overemphasis on the economic aspects corrupted the concept. The members arefound to be pre-occupied on loans and other financial aspects rather than focussing on broadspectrum of issues including caste related aspects.

Same leaders

This is manifest in the form of resistance to leadership change in the SHGs as the dominantmember of the group could manipulate the other members who are either from the same caste,relatives or have some working relationship with the leader. The study revealed that 59.2 per centof groups continue with same leader, while over 36 per cent opted for a change once/twice.


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The groups where leadership change took place more than four times is pegged at 0.8 per cent.

One of the main reasons for the situation, according to Mr. Reddy, is the governments treatmentof the SHGs as channelising agencies for delivery of welfare schemes. Once they look at the

government as benefactor, their strength to question the system automatically sub sides, he says.

The larger issues such as caste-related and other social inequities will continue as long as theSHGs remain beneficiaries rather than emerging as a demand system.

Cameron invokes fear of losing economic race toIndia

The New Year could see Britain lose the global economic race to India and other emergingeconomies if it did not take tough decisions, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron warned onTuesday as he sought to rally public support for his governments unpopular austerity programme,which has seen millions lose their jobs and his partys ratings fall to a new low.

His warning came as an opinion poll showed that a majority of Britons feared their circumstanceswould get worse over the next 12 months. They rejected government claims that its policies wereworking and the country was on the right track.

Using his New Years message to justify his controversial deficit -cutting plans that would causemore people to lose their benefits, Mr. Cameron said that Britain could not expect to win the racewith countries like China, India and Indonesia if it did not take urgent steps to reduce its debt.

Britain is in a global race to succeed today. It is race with countries like China, India andIndonesia; a race for the jobs and opportunities of the future. So when people say we can slowdown on cutting our debts, we are saying no. We cant win in this world with a great millstone ofdebt round our necks, he said.

Justifying the crackdown on welfare benefits, he said: When people say weve got to stop ourwelfare reforms because somehow it is cruel to expect people to work, we are saying no. Getting

people into good jobs is absolutely vital, not just for them, but for all of us.

He said there were no quick fixes and urged the people to greet the New Year with realism andoptimism.


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U.S. regulators approve new tuberculosis drug The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a Johnson & Johnson tuberculosisdrug that is the first new medicine to fight the deadly infection in more than four decades.

The agency approved J&Js pill, Sirturo, for use with older drugs to fight a hard -to-treat strain oftuberculosis that has not responded to other medications. However, the agency cautioned that thedrug carries risks of potentially deadly heart problems and should be prescribed carefully bydoctors.

Roughly one- third of the worlds population is estimated to be infected with the bacteria causingtuberculosis. The disease is rare in the U.S., but kills about 1.4 million people a year worldwide.Of those, about 150,000 succumb to the increasingly common drug-resistant forms of the disease.About 60 per cent of all cases are concentrated in China, India, Russia and Eastern Europe.

Sirturo, known chemically as bedaquiline, is the first medicine specifically designed for treatingmultidrug- resistant tuberculosis. Thats a form of the disease that cannot be treated with at leasttwo of the four primary antibiotics used for tuberculosis.The standard drugs used to fight thedisease were developed in the 1950s and 1960s.

The antibiotics used to treat it have been around for at least 40 years and so the bacterium has become more and more resistant to what we have, said Chrispin Kambili, global medical affairsleader for J&Js Janssen division.The d rug carries a boxed warning indicating that it can interferewith the hearts electrical activity, potentially leading to fatal heart rhythms.

Sirturo provides much -needed treatment for patients who dont have other therapeutic optionsavailable, said Edward Cox, director of the FDAs antibacterial drugs office. However, becausethe drug also carries some significant risks, doctors should make sure they use it appropriately andonly in patients who dont have other treatment options.

Nine patients taking Sirturo died in company testing compared with two patients taking a placebo.Five of the deaths in the Sirturo group seemed to be related to tuberculosis, but no explanation wasapparent for the remaining four.

Despite the deaths, the FDA approved the drug under its accelerated approval program, whichallows the agency to clear innovative drugs based on promising preliminary results.


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Last week, the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen criticized that approach, noting the drugsoutstanding safety issues.

The fact that bedaquiline is part of a new class of drug means that an increased level of scrutiny

should be required for its approval, the group states. But the FDA had not yet answered concernsrelated to unexplained increases in toxicity and death in patients getting the drug.

The FDA said it approved the drug based on two mid-stage studies enrolling 440 patients takingSirturo. Both studies were designed to measure how long it takes patients to be free oftuberculosis.

Results from the first trial showed most patients taking Sirturo plus older drugs were cured after 83days, compared with 125 days for those taking a placebo plus older drugs. The second study

showed most Sirturo patients were cured after 57 days.

U.S. Senate approves last minute deal on fiscalcliff

Passes legislation to allow taxes on affluent to rise

The U.S. Senate, in a pre-dawn vote two hours after the deadline passed to avert automatic tax

increases, overwhelmingly approved legislation on Tuesday that would allow tax rates to rise onlyon affluent Americans while temporarily suspending sweeping, across-the-board spending cuts.

The deal, worked out in furious negotiations between Vice-President Joe Biden and RepublicanSenate leader Mitch McConnell, passed 89-8, with three Democrats and five Republicans votingno. Although the proposal lost the support of some of the Senates mos t conservative members, the

broad coalition that pushed the accord across the finish line could portend swift House passage asearly as New Years Day.

Quick passage before the markets reopen on Wednesday would likely negate any economicdamage from Tuesd ays breach of the so -called fiscal cliff and largely spare the nationseconomy from the one-two punch of large tax increases and across-the-board military anddomestic spending cuts in the New Year. Mr. Biden, after meeting with leery Senate Democrats tosell the accord, said, You surely shouldnt predict how the House is going to vote. But I feel very,very good.


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House Speaker John A. Boehner and the Republican House leadership said the House wouldhonour its commitment to consider the Senate agreement. But, they added, decisions aboutwhether the House will seek to accept or promptly amend the measure will not be made untilHouse members and the American people have been able to review the legislation. Even with

that cautious assessment, Republican House aides said a vote on Tuesday was possible.

Under the agreement, tax rates would jump to 39.6 per cent from 35 per cent for individualincomes more than $400,000 and couples more than $450,000, while tax deductions and creditswould start to be phased out on incomes as low as $250,000.

Just last month Republicans in Congress said they would never agree to raise tax rates on thewealthiest Americans, Mr. Obama said before the vote at a hastily arranged news briefing onMonday.Democrats also secured a full years extension of unemployment insurance without

strings attached and without offsetting spending cuts, a $30 billion cost. But the 2-percentage pointcut to the payroll tax that the president secured in late 2010 lapsed at midnight and will not berenewed.

In one final piece of the puzzle, negotiators agreed to put off $110 billion in across-the-board cutsto military and domestic programs for two months while broader deficit reduction talks continue.Those cuts begin to go into force Wednesday, and that deadline too might be missed beforeCongress approves the legislation. To secure votes, Harry Reid, the Senate Democratic leader, alsotold Democrats the legislation would cancel a pending congressional pay raise. The nature of thedeal ensured that the running war between the White House and congressional Republicans onspending and taxes would continue at least until the spring. Under the deal, tax rates on dividendsand capital gains would also rise, to 20 from 15 per cent.

The deal would reinstate provisions to tax law, ended by the Bush tax cuts of 2001, that phase out personal exemptions and deductions for the affluent. Those phaseouts, under the agreement, would begin at $250,000 for single people and $300,000 for couples. The estate tax would also rise, butconsiderably less than Democrats had wanted. The value of estates more than $5 million would be

taxed at 40 percent, up from the current 35 percent. Democrats had wanted a 45 percent rate oninheritances larger than $3.5 million.

Many hiccups as cash transfer scheme is launched


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Several districts are lagging in Aadhaar cards and Aadhaar-linkedbank accounts

Tuesday was the kick- off of the pilot phase of the Union governments Direct Benefits Transfer

scheme and early reports show that despite scaling down the number of districts and schemes to becovered, much work still needs to be done to make the programme a success in the 20 districts insix States.

Symbolic events marked the day and functions were organised. While some districts such asMumbai were able to crank up the government machinery for the scheme, many others are stilllagging in the basic requirements of the programme creating Aadhaar-linked bank accounts.

Mysore in Karnataka seems well placed for success as it has a 95 per cent Aadhaar enrolment withover 80 per cent of the beneficiaries having Aadhaar-linked accounts. In Puducherry, with 14,400

beneficiaries through 15 Central schemes, cash payouts will begin Wednesday.

In Andhra Pradesh, the scheme did not take off in the five targeted districts. In Haryana, Ambalaand Sonepat districts are covered in the scheme. Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda praisedthe scheme in a speech but gave little indication of what the governments plans are.

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit formally launched the scheme in two districts with only fourCentral schemes covering 12,000 beneficiaries. Dharam Pal, Divisional Commissioner of Delhi,said cash transfers will go to Aadhaar-linked bank accounts by April.

An infrastructure for electronic transfers is already in place in the Capital for state schemes. Thisincludes disbursement of old age pension to four lakh beneficiaries and widow pension to around1.30 lakh.

In Vidarbha, Maharashtra, only around 25 per cent of the 10,82,368 beneficiaries identified haveAadhaar-linked bank accounts.

Rajasthan State Chief Secretary C. K. Mathew said direct cash transfer has started in Alwar,Udaipur and Ajmer. However, the State Government did not announce the number of

beneficiaries.

Right to Food Campaign activists from the three districts reported that the Aadhaar-linked bankaccounts were yet to be opened for large sections of the population.


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Dont spare the juvenile too, hand him exemplarypunishment

The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development will press for exemplary punishment tothe juvenile, who is among the six persons arrested for the December 16 gang rape in New Delhi.

Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath said here on Monday: We have soughtthe intervention of the government to make this an exceptional case and not treat this accused as a

juvenile while awarding punishment. The nature of his crime, we feel, is so heinous that there is anurgent need to send a strong, correct and direct message.

The Ministry had already held meetings with various activists and other stakeholders from the

government, non-government and private sec tors and most agreed that in this case an examplehas to be set, Ms. Tirath said. She would meet Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde to presenttheir recommendations.

Juvenile Justice Act under review

The Ministry is already reviewing the Juvenile Justice Act and we will take a re -look at the punishment accorded to juveniles in conflict with law considering the nature and seriousness ofcrimes they are involved in, she said.

Asserting that juveniles in conflict with law should be looked at comprehensively and not in termsof a single incident, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights Chairperson ShanthaSinha said: Last year we had a minor girl who battered a two -year-old child, which is a heinouscrime. Now there is this case [December 16 incident] where a juvenile is caught for a horrific,heinous crime. We would, however, not want to recommend anything at this stage and would liketo proceed with caution. There is need to look into several such cases that have come to lightrecently and understand the protection mechanism available to juveniles in conflict with law. Onlyafter this can we recommend something concrete to the government.

Meanwhile, several social activists and persons from civil society have joined in the demand for amore stringent punishment to the juvenile involved in the gang rape and murder of the 23-year-old

physiotherapy student.

United in grief and anger, divided on agenda


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Even though it is the second week of the continued agitations at Jantar Mantar, demandingstronger laws for violence against women and justice for the gang-rape victim, the protesters haveno concrete and unified plan on how to take the campaign forward except to protest until theirdemands are met. With the gradual decrease in the crowd, questions are being raised about how

the movement will be sustained, even though they claim that the protesters will make sure JantarMantar would not remain vacant even for a day. Unified as they are in their grief, frustration andanger against the government, which is widely perceived to be arrogant, insensitive andintolerant; they are strongly divided in their mode of protests, demands and agenda. While alarge group of protesters have opted to be apolitical, some have also sided with the students andwomens groups of political partiers like the CPI (M) and the CPI (ML).

We are all non -political and non-NGO people. We will continue protesting until our demands aremet, which include hanging the rapists in the gang-rape case, besides enacting a law for the death

penalty for rapists, said Maneet Tyagi, an electrical engineer, who has become a prominent faceof the apolitical protests on television channels. Sunita, who was standing on the fringeintervened that she did not agree with Mr. Tyagis views regarding death penalty. We needgender sensitisation of the police, besides the common populace, through various media. Then weneed better policing, gender sensitive laws and strict implementati on, said Sunita, who workswith Oxford University Press.

Asked how death penalty can change the inherently patriarchal attitude of the police and the public

at large, Mr. Tyagi had no answer except that he has been collecting suggestions from the publicwhich he will submit to the Justice Verma Committee. He is going to lead the apolitical protest,along with a team of people who are mobilising people through social media campaigns andSMSes.

Talking about the future plans of the protests, he said, We w ould shift the agitation from JantarMantar to India Gat, once Section 144 is lifted.

Boycott Republic Day

Some of the protesters have decided to boycott the Republic Day celebrations by waving blackflags on that day.

Students who have been a part of the movement from the beginning, accept the absence ofleadership and problem of unity among the protesting groups. Wanting to do something like


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coming up with suggestions for amendments to women-related laws, instead of just asking forjustice, they find themselves in minority with nobody to guide them.

It is very unfortunate, every day several groups are formed with different sets of demands. There

is lots of infighting among these groups. They will fight for justice after they are free from fightingwith each other, said one protester.

Jharna Bhatnagar, who has been protesting along with her friends, said the impact would have been much more had there been unity among the protesters.

As for their future plans, Ms. Bhatnagar said: I will come to Jantar Mantar till the time it makessense. Even if I dont come here, I will continue to do something. She specifically mentioned theabsence of sense of public policy and the things the public need to demand from the government

among the protesters. Political groups like the All India Students Association, the Jawaharlal Nehru Students Union and the All India Democratic Womens Association have decided tocontinue organising protests after submitting their suggestions before the Justice VermaCommittee. They have also been demanding wider consultations with stakeholders on the issue ofgender violence form the government.

However, social scientist Professor Anand Kumar argued it would be wrong to expect thesedifferent groups to protest on a united platform. These are people who are expressing their angerspontaneously. They have several demands. It is up to the political, legal and social leadership ofthe country to come forward and gap the deficit which has arisen due to the absence of leadershipand law and order in the country. The leadership has to make sense of the protesters demands, notall of which may be politically, legally and morally viable, said Prof. Anand, who is a faculty atthe Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Once the political leadership takes concrete measures which the issue of violence against womendeserves, all these protesting groups will gradually settle down, he said.

ToD domestic power billing from New Year Time-of-the-day (ToD) metering of power consumption is being introduced for nearly 11,000high-end domestic connections in the State from the New Year to give them a financial incentivein consciously shifting a part of their overall electricity use from the hours of peak demand tothose of lean demand daily.


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The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) is introducing this metering and billing systemfollowing a direction given by the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission a few monthsago. The idea is to incentivise the consumer sector to help solve the systemic problem of the high

peak demand in the State.

The problem in Kerala is that from around 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., power consumption is too highcompared to the daytime consumption. Evening power consumption is naturally high everywherewhen all lights are switched on, but in Kerala the variation is too wide because the industriessector that draws large quantities of power throughout the day is not as developed as in States suchas Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

In a press release, the KSEB said the ToD metering would be applicable for all domesticconsumers drawing more than 500 units of power a month. The meters had been installed in all

such houses. The normal tariff for consumers in this category was Rs. 6.50 a unit. This rate would be henceforth applicable to them only from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., these consumers will have to pay 20 per cent more than the normal rate,which will come to Rs. 7.80 a unit.

During the lean consumption period from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., they need pay only 90 per cent of thenormal rate, which will come to Rs. 5.85 a unit.

The KSEB was introducing the system in the hope that the high-end domestic consumers would gosoft on their use of electricity during the peak hours by not using their power-guzzling homeappliances when lights were on everywhere.

Ensuring safe drinking water, sanitation andawareness on health issues need of the hour

Non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension, stroke,

cancer and respiratory illnesses are the top five causes for mortality and morbidity these days.Earlier, communicable diseases were the main causes of death.

The shift can be attributed to changing lifestyle, food habits and stress. Apart from these, anaemia,malnutrition, maternal/infant mortality are the other burning issues.


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Unfortunately, budgetary allocation for health sector in India is only 2.5 per cent of GDP, afraction of the allocation in the Western countries. The need of the hour is to address basic issuessuch as safe drinking water, proper sanitation, checking of environmental pollution, betterconnectivity and awareness about various health schemes.

To reduce infant and maternal mortality, intravenous iron therapy has to be popularised sincecompliance with oral tablet is very low. In rural areas, doctors need training in anaestheticmanagement so that deliveries are conducted with low mortality.

One of the biggest problems is very poor tertiary care management in semi-urban and ruralareas, doctors reluctance to work in villages due to interference, humiliation by local electedrepresentatives and lack of infrastructure.

ICUs

District and taluk hospitals should have well equipped intensive care units which can be linkedthrough telemedicine with tertiary care hospitals for consultation, treatment co-ordination andtransfer of patients for further treatment.

This mechanism will allow optimal initial treatment during golden hour which will substantiallyreduce death rates.

Wherever possible, public-private-partnership (PPP) models should be encouraged to set uplaboratory services, critical care units and tertiary care outlets.

Heart attack

Pre-hospital (in-ambulance) thrombolysis treatment for heart attack is important as the incidenceof heart attack is steadily increasing both in urban and rural population affecting more younger

patients in age group of 30-40. For every 30 minutes delay in treatment, the relative risk of deathincreases by 5 per cent. Although angioplasty is a superior treatment modality, it is not readily

available and accessible in rural, semi-urban hospitals.

The alternative option is to initiate thrombolytic therapy (clot dissolving medicine) either inambulance itself or nearby hospitals whichever is quicker the ideal time is within the first sixhours of heart attack. The treatment co-ordination can be done through telemedicine links withtertiary heart institution. Mobile phone technology can also be explored for transferring ECG fromPrimary Hospital with bigger centre in case of clinical dilemma and decision making.


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After initial treatment with thrombolytic therapy, then patients have to be transferred to tertiarycentres for angioplasty/other interventions, which will also improve outcomes.

However, in larger cities with catheter laboratory facilities, primary angioplasty should be

encouraged and awareness has to be created regarding the benefit of this procedure within the firstfew hours. Quick mechanism for transfer of patients by ambulances, co-ordination and advanceinformation at the receiving tertiary care hospital will avoid unnecessary delay in performingangioplasty. Hence, it is preferable to conduct primary angioplasty within 60 minutes afteradmission for maximum benefits.

CPR

Basic and advanced cardiac life support training programmes (CPR) should be conducted for

doctors, paramedical staff, police and security personnel to attend and treat those in case of suddencardiac arrest. CPR devices, including defibrillators, should be made available at bus stands,railway stations, airports, stadiums and high-rise buildings. This system can save many lives.Mobile ICU units can be set up during bigger events.

Give up KKNPP, go for solar and wind energyThe Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project is totally unsafe and should not be commissioned,according to former Navy Chief Admiral L. Ramdoss.

With ample resources of renewable energy and over 300 bright sunny days, government agenciesshould tap the potential to generate wind and solar energy, instead of commissioning the high-risknuclear energy project at Kudankulam, he said.

The technology for generating solar energy was very competitive and cheaper than nuclear energy.However, the existing grid system was not suited to tap such clean energy resources. Whiledeveloped countries around the world had abandoned the nuclear energy option on grounds of

safety, the Indian government was pushing ahead with the commissioning of the risky nuclearenergy project, overlooking safety concerns raised by the people, especially the coastal population.

Admiral Ramdoss was addressing the media at Idinthakarai near Kudankulam on Monday.


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In my view no assurance on safety has been made by the Central government, the Russiangovernment, NPCIL, Department of Atomic Energy or any expert from the Indian officialdom, henoted.

In the past, experts had certified nuclear energy plants to be safe.

These included plants such as Three Mile Island in the US, Chernobyl in Ukraine and Fukushimain Japan. Yet these plants suffered accidents, he pointed out. Design of the equipment, naturalcauses beyond our control and human failure could cause accidents, Mr. Ramdoss warned.

People have the right to protect themselves from the risks of nuclear energy, but all these rightshave been scuttled. They have been told lies that the emerging nuclear plant is safe. It is time togive up this unsafe project and the government authorities should find alternative source of energy

to safeguard the lives of the people in the vicinity of Kudankulam and protect their livelihood,. hesaid.

Binayak Sen, national vice- president, Peoples Union for Civil Liberty, said the judicial processhad been misused and AERB norms were being flouted in the process of commissioning thisnuclear plant.

The protest by the people against nuclear energy was being suppressed. The PUCL and humanrights organisations had been engaged in the withdrawal of sedition charges levelled against the

protesters.

Praful Bidwai, senior journalist, said fake cases had been foisted on the protesters. As many as 325cases were filed against those involved in the agitation at Idinthakarai. Charge sheets were filedagainst 1,20, 000 people and 13, 350 were charged with waging a war against the State andcriminal conspiracy.

As many as 8,456 persons were booked on sedition charges, 18,143 persons accused of attempt tomurder and 15,565 persons charged with destroying government properties. Sixty-six persons

were arrested and nine imprisoned. Forty-five persons were released on conditional bail.

Children performed cultural programmes on the eve of the New Year. S.P. Udhayakumar,convener, Peoples Movemen t Against Nuclear Energy, and members of organisations againstnuclear energy from various States took part in the agitation. The agitation at Idinthakarai hascrossed 500 days.


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Why not name and honour her, asks Tharoor

Name the law after her, he says; Congress distances itself from his

viewsIn remarks that can stoke a controversy, Union Minister Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday favouredmaking public the identity of the 23-year-old gang rape victim wondering what interest is served

by keeping her name under wraps.

The Minister of State for Human Resource Development also said the revised anti-rape legislationshould be named after the victim if her parents did not have any objection.

Wondering what interest is served by continuing anonymity of #DelhGangRape victim. Why notname&honour her as a real person w/own identity? he asked on micro -blogging site Twitter.

Unless her parents object, she should be honoured&the revised anti -rape law named after her. Shewas a human being w/a name,not just a symbol.

Under the law, the identity of a rape victim cannot be disclosed and printing or publishing thename or any matter which may make known the identity of any person against whom rape iscommitted is an offence under Section 228-A of the Indian Penal Code.

Mr . Tharoors comments came close on the heels of the Delhi Police registering a case against anEnglish daily for publishing material which could lead to identification of the victim.

His comments sparked instant reactions on Twitter with people supporting and questioning hissuggestions.

Why are you after creating honours, idols and temples again instead of making real changes tocriminal justice system? Chirdeep, one of the users, asked.

Anil Wanvari, however, wrote: A good suggestion. This is exactl y what I had recommended fourdays ago. Cheers!

The girl was gang-raped and brutally assaulted on a moving bus in south Delhi on December 16.She died in a Singapore hospital on December 29.


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Activist Kiran Bedi said she supported Mr. Tharoors suggestion about naming the new lawagainst rape after the Delhi girls real name.

She said that in naming a law after her, we immortalise her will to fight and live, not on the act of

rape. This way, we may remove the stigma, she said.

Meanwhile, th e Congress steered clear of the Ministers controversial remarks.

It is his personal opinion, said party spokesman Rashid Alvi when asked to comment on Mr.Tharoors remarks.

A senior Congress leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, threw the ball in the governmentscourt noting that Mr. Tharoor was a member of the Union Council of Ministers. Let the

government react to it. We have nothing to say, he said.

In 2009, Mr. Tharoor had courted controversy when he tweeted saying that he would travel i n icattle class out of solidarity with all our holy cows.

The issue caused a lot of political uproar.

on shaky foundation

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