Why India must focus on Africa

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By Uddipan Mukherjee and Indira Mukherjee

This article has been published in Uday India --

http://www.udayindia.org/content_23oct2010/perspective.html

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One hundred and seventeen years back, a scraggy gentleman commenced his professional career in the 'dark continent'. Though he carried on with his vocation, the gentleman could not remain apathetic to the plight of the Indians residing in the southernmost region of the continent. In a letter to the Natal Advertiser, he asked: “Is this Christian-like, is this fair play, is this justice, is this civilization?”

It hardly requires any authoritative scholarship to discern the identity of the gentleman. Yes, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi left an indelible imprint in South Africa. His efforts against racial discrimination in South Africa are beyond praise. While sculpting a history of modernity, the 'tallness' of this man simply cannot be ignored. He was the first perceivable and visible link between India and Africa. 

Six decades have gone by, sixty three years to be precise; and the time has necessarily not come but surely gone past: the time to seize the opportunity to emulate Gandhi in order to weave a bond between the two (sub) continents. 

India's Foreign Policy

When an analysis of Indian Foreign Policy is carried out, one is a bit bewildered that it lacks a coherent framework. Arguments may be posited that foreign policy needs to be dynamical and cannot be subsumed in an overarching theory. No doubt, yes. However, it does not imply that a nation-state must not possess a set direction and consistent ideology. Twists and turns depending on the context are tactical moves and not strategic shifts in any manner. 

India though, does have a loose set of doctrines as far as foreign policy is concerned. And that ideology was proclaimed by none other than Gandhi's most favoured disciple; Jawaharlal Nehru. Successive Indian governments, whether the centrist-Congress or the socialist-Morarji or even the so-called 'reactionary' right wing have more or less followed it over the years without completely dismantling it. The lofty ideals of Non-Alignment gave India emotional and ethical space in the world podium undoubtedly, but snatched away from it the weaponry of realpolitik. Our leaders kept on receiving adulations (or did they?) from outside and as an 'insider' we felt the pangs of being left behind. 

The germane question is in a post-1991 and more so in a post-9/11 world, what is the viable formula for a developing nation's foreign policy? With a hegemonic America, a resurgent Russia, a 'rising' China and a 'belligerent' Pakistan lurking around, the Indian policymakers have their work cut out. In this scenario, in which direction should India move to generate maximum benefit to its masses without compromising on its core principle of 'live and let live'?

A feasible solution which India has hopefully at last started to implement is the 'soft diplomacy'. India is 'infiltrating' countries like Afghanistan and Bangladesh; but not with a target to subjugate or exploit. India's sole aim is to permeate the socio-cultural and economic matrix of a country without blowing the trumpets. 

Indian software, Bollywood films, our technical know-how and English-speaking workforce and a mammoth manpower are by every means intimidating. Instead of us being cowed down by Chinese forays into Africa or Central Asia or its alliance with ASEAN or even its flirtations in our immediate neighbourhood; India needs to pump up its own muscles since its tendons are strong enough. 

In this aspect, one thing is noteworthy. Some analysts view that anyone advocating India to be pro-active in Africa or Latin America or for that matter Central Asia is necessarily 'hawkish' in stance and an 'emulationist' in principle. To them, if one suggests India to be pro-active, then the person is basically asking South Block to follow China's footsteps. And since India is not 'strong enough' as China is, no point in imitating the dragon. However, even such commentators are not averse to India making inroads into regions of present Chinese dominance. 

Actually, we need to appreciate the fact that China is indeed a 'rising' power and our relations with that country are far from normal; the recent development in Gilgit-Baltistan is a case in point. Hence if we can counter China, then it would be to our benefit. 

So, there is no harm in framing a China-focused foreign policy and that does not make us 'hawkish'. 

Rather it is a security imperative. Even Lord Meghnad Desai seems to be wary of China when he says: “The Great Game is alive again. In the 19th century, it was Russia looking for a salt water port. Now it is China and China seems to be winning the great game.” 

Among other things, China has spread its tentacles in Africa in a big manner and India simply cannot afford to miss the bus.

The African Pie?

The 'Scramble for Africa' began during the period of New Imperialism (in the late nineteenth century). It led to the economic subjugation and political domination over the continent. Though most African colonies were faithful to the European powers during the two world wars but after 1945, they started to throw off the yoke of foreign powers and gradually emerged victorious.

 Thus, it is no surprise that in 2010, 17 African nations celebrate 50 years of their Independence. The 'dark continent' is now on the path to modernity and globalisation. From the Aswan dam to Kalahari Desert, Africa can be viewed as a tapestry of different cultures. From the geo-strategic and geo-economic perspective, there has been a significant rise in the importance of Africa owing to its location, oil deposits, mineral wealth, booming market and rich bio-diversity.

India's inroads into Africa

Viewed through the prism of history, trade links between India and Africa were restricted mostly to the countries in the 'Horn of Africa'. In the 6th century AD, Indian ships flocked to the Ethiopian ports to trade in silk and spices.  In recent years, the list of goods has leapfrogged and most of the focus has been on investment and economic relations.

Indo-African trade has reached $35 billion and the target is to double it by 2014. India launched the 'Focus Africa' programme under the EXIM (Export-Import) Policy 2002-07, thus providing financial assistance to various inter-regional trade promotion schemes. As a result, members of India Inc. have made substantial investments in Africa. 

In the defence sector, India assists countries like Nigeria, Zambia and Botswana through training. Co-operation in healthcare, agriculture, mining, hydrocarbon sectors are also on the rise. Interestingly, Nigeria is the largest African crude oil supplier to India. Recently, a $200 million project to lay a pipeline from Khartoum to Port Sudan on the Red Sea was also completed by India. Also in recognition of India's growing role as an industrial and economic power, last year Egypt offered India to set-up an 'India Zone' along the Suez Canal development area. 

Indian firms have invested around $3 billion in Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique and Madagascar to produce wide variety of food and bio-fuel crops. Indian government also provides cheap lines of credit to these countries.  Furthermore, in 2009, India signed a civilian nuclear deal to trade in Uranium and build nuclear power plants with Namibia.

In July 2010, an Indian delegation participated in the 15th summit of the African Union (AU), which is an association of 53 African countries. Emphasis was laid on various aspects of the decisions taken in the India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) of 2008. 

But is India doing enough? Is it not falling back in the race vis-à-vis China?

In 2009, China emerged as the largest trading partner of Africa, with bilateral trade touching $ 90 bn. The forum on China-Africa Cooperation was initiated way back in 2000. China is also involved in multiple infrastructural projects like dams, bridges, roads etc often in exchange of future mineral rights. It also constantly provides African countries with 'soft loans' and economic packages. Thus, the Chinese footprint is deeply and clearly visible on the African soil.

China is a permanent member of the UN security council whereas India is still struggling to be one. At present, India is all set to contest the post of a non-permanent member in January 2011. Thus, it becomes imperative to garner the support of AU. Possibly, this was the raison d'etre for Vice President Hamid Ansari's visit to Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, Mauritius and Mozambique early this year. 

Recommendations

India and Africa, both being members of the Commonwealth, the tri-continental India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) and NAM, can also try to improve their relations through these associations. In an effort to boost trade ties, India can plan to provide duty-free access to products from African countries. It can also work on double taxation avoidance mechanism with member countries. Also, in the wake of piracy attacks in the Gulf of Aden, Indian Navy has a scope to play a bigger role.

It will also be praiseworthy, if India can hold regular summit level meetings with African nations. India can also set up more consulate offices in AU countries. Organizing Indo-African games would be an innovative idea as well. Increasing contact with the Indian Diaspora in Africa would be a welcome step as they can play a large role in strengthening bilateral ties. Also, significant efforts should be made to increase ground contacts i.e. Indian officials in Africa should be appropriately trained in local languages.

Another area which can be strengthened is Indian Technical and Economic Co-operation Programme (ITEC) which aims to develop human resource through various trainings and workshops in target countries. Additionally, initiatives like the India-AU Pan-African e-Network [linking 53 countries through tele-medicine, education and governance] which plays a crucial role in developing skills and resources critical for Africa's growth, can be enhanced and newer projects can be added to this list.

Conclusion

India has emerged as the largest contributor to UN mandated operations in Africa, with a cumulative effort totalling more than 30,000 personnel. Its operations are spread across Congo, Somalia, Sudan, Sierra Leone etc. UN has also expressed satisfaction with India's performance and role in these missions. Events like the latest developments in Congo in August this year where three of its officers were killed by rebels, should not discourage India in any manner.

India has to convince Africa of its long-term commitments in the continent which are unlike the 'short term' Chinese interests. There are rising fears in Africa of China's aggressive economic policy which threatens to take over its resources and means of production. The Chinese supply of arms to local elite, involvement in regional conflicts and its record of human rights violation could also boomerang in the long run. 

India and Africa can share a symbiotic relationship. And the onus is on India to convince the Africans.

As Sunil Bharti Mittal aptly points out in an interview: “I believe the next decade is going to belong to Africa. India and China are driving the economy but where will it all move next? Africa is the next continent.”

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Uddipan Mukherjee writes in diplostratics while Indira Mukherjee can be contacted at indianpolicy2010@gmail.com

Random Walk: History and Stones

Dear All,

It seems that today was a day of silence, at least in terms of activity at our blog. Nobody has posted anything. Hence, as an editor(?), I take up the onus. You might have started disliking me by now. However, by the time you start despising me, let me finish off this piece.

As I told you before, going through the websites of DAWN and other media outlets of Pakistan; for instance Newsline, provides me with some exposition about our 'childhood enemy'. Today, when I was about to switch over to other serious sites pertaining to guerilla tactics (these days, among other things, I am studying the Maoist movement in India), my attention was grabbed by the picture of a handsome hunk placed at the right hand corner of the DAWN website.

Believe me, I am straight and in no way was physically attracted to that picture. Nevertheless, it was an eye-catcher as it was the snap of the editor of Granta. And why was he being carried by DAWN? Because Granta had carried Pakistan as a cover story in its latest edition. So, the editor becomes an instant celebrity in 'the land of the Quaid'.

What is Granta? It is a literary magazine which boasts of names like Salman Rushdie and Arundhati Roy et al. I was feeling chilled while I perused its website. Again, accidentally, as it quite often happens while one is browsing the internet, I came across an essay by one of the future Rushdies at Granta. The author's name was unknown to me though. So what? As I have already stated, and don't want to repeat it in any future conversation with you, that I do not know everything.

Whether Newton (err, Sir Isaac Newton) was an alchemist or Basharat Peer is an author or for that matter, Nadeem Aslam is already a name to reckon with in literary circles, I should not carry the burden of knowing everything. You know, sometimes lack of knowledge is also a virtue. Who am I in that regard? For instance, a scholar of the level of Francis Fukuyama can be ignorant and still enjoy the bliss of being an acclaimed intellectual.

You will be shocked to discover that in his 1989 paper, "The End of History", Fukuyama calls Netaji a fascist collaborator!

No yaar, not the Netaji of your local constituency. What does he know of fascism? Or for that matter communism; though, yes I fully agree with you that he belongs to the Marxist party of our emaciated province.

I am referring to our Netaji; aare bhai Chandra Bose, as he was addressed by the Japanese. The person who gave up his job in the Raj-bureaucracy to join the freedom movement. Do you remember him? Yes, I understand that your knowledge of History was not upto the mark. You barely passed your standard tenth examinations in that subject.

Okay, okay. No offence please. I am not proscribing you for that. You can very well forget History. A pretty useless subject. As long as you know how to decode 'programs', you shall hop from one job to the other. A nice apartment. A cool car. A plum wife. Sauna bath. Or may be Hamams. All at a considerably young age. So, enjoy.

But you see, I feel that History is rather pretty; may be not as pretty as my crush in the sophomore days, but in exactitude, something more than her pulchritude.

History is beyond the boundaries of delusion. It teaches us to imagine, by situating us within the realm of reality. It is not a mere collation of factoids, rather an epistemological discovery of human progress, at times being propelled by causality. It does not merely teach us but exalts us.......

Okay, I empathise with you. No more definition, no more scholarly jargon.

What I was trying to point out to you was the fact that even Fukuyama did err and his knowledge was abysmally poor regarding our Netaji: one and only one Netaji that our country has created, if at all our country did 'create' anything substantial for that matter in its lifetime of thousands of years. However, I have forgiven Fukuyama. I am a kind person, as you very well know.

Going back to Granta and Basharat Peer: though the author was unknown to me, the subject was familiar. More so, because I wrote an essay on the very subject a couple of months back. Ah, right; you are too good in guessing, my dear. Your guesswork used to catapult you to successful heights in the competetive examinations that you sat after plus two. Well, I could not qualify. I know that. No need to remind me of those 'horror' days when all my classmates, my seniors, my relatives had brushed me aside as a mere single-film jubilee hero. And you had given me that crooked smile.

Fine, I agree with you that you are indeed successful and I am slowly proceeding toward the dungeons of failure.

Thik hai bhai, I know that you don't have much spare time. And we need to finish off the conversation, as assured at the outset, very soon. Yeah, so we were into Basharat Peer's topic. Yes, his topic was Kashmir. The Indian-occupied part, according to him, not me; I am also a true Indian and patriot like you. Don't doubt my integrity.

He wrote a gripping piece, travelling through the lanes and alleys of Srinagar, lined with walnut trees and turrets and then climactically watching the Kashmiri Intifada at the boulevard of the city. He has given graphic details of the history of the militant movement since 1989. The sad part of the whole piece was the title of the story. It read "Kashmir's Forever War".

Another sad part is the grotesque revelation, to me at least, that there might be mass graves in Kashmir, dug up by the Indian forces.

First, Peer terms it as a 'war', a war with the Indian state. Apparently, he presents an unbiased picture of the stone-pelting Kintifada. However, at closer scrutiny it appears that he might have missed a couple of points. Like, he does not talk about the plight of the Kashmiri Pundits. He does not talk about any demographic cleansing. As a mainland Indian, I felt disheartened to know that Indian forces could be so brutal, so Nazi-like as portrayed by Peer. Or may be, that is the very essence of Realpolitik, the very ingredients of counterinsurgency, which we as city-bred, potato-fleshed, chicken-hearted individuals are not able to fathom, let alone digest.

Would war continue in Kashmir? Can there not be any solution? Can there be a referendum in Kashmir? Or that the people can decide their fate, ever? Would that be detrimental to India's prestige in the world fora?

As a believer in Realism in foreign policy, I think so. On the other hand, as a humanist, I feel a referendum is neccessary, however, not before relocating the Pundits in Jammu.

Geopolitically, India may not afford the loss of Kashmir. But who would be held responsible for the reddening of the orchards in the times to come? The Indian state, the Kashmiri separatist strand or the western importation of the concept of nation-state itself?

The malicious campaign is on. I had actually written this post yesterday, but it is showing a different date. May be a virus!

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Uddipan Mukherjee is a late riser. Still, he works 'very hard' to edit Indian Policy. By the way, he writes in diplostratics

Random Walk: Hillary and Zardari

Dear All,

I am back. Yes, after exactly 24 hours, I am back. Oh, not exactly 24? So what? In India, approximations work very well and I am a true Indian.

However, that does not deter me to glean through newspapers of enemy nation-states. Or even to jot down a few opinions for them. Enemy; who? Don't ask that question. We have only one enemy, our 'childhood enemy', about whom we keep on muttering the standard Bollywood dialogue:
"Main Us-e Zinda Nahin Chhoroonga".

Now today, a news item in the website of DAWN, caught my attention. It reported that "US drone attacks kill four in North Waziristan". A sentimental freak would lament; "Oh my God, these Americans Na....."

On the other hand, our so-called 'hawkish' patriots would not shy to dance 'balle balle' at the fall of the enemy. Isn't it a wonderful game to watch? US kills the Taliban-Qaeda militants; who are our enemies. More Taliban-Qaeda guerillas being killed in Pakistani soil means they lose confidence in the military establishment of our 'childhood enemy'. And furthermore, as Pakistan does not take stricter action against the terrorists in North Waziristan, the US-Pakistan 'trust deficit' widens. Wow, we relish it.

We just need to fix our fiscal deficit, that's it. Rest leave it to the 'war on terror'.

Hillary Clinton looks nice. Doesn't she? However, her rosy cheeks are slowly transforming into bony ones; which I specifically hate and presume that is due to the tremendous pressure she is in. The tensorial pressure far outweighs that of the 'Naughty-Bill' days. Nevertheless, her hairstyle is in synch with that of 'successful' women who are romping around. Let me not get deep into this. I have no means to get embroiled into any legalities pertaining to anti-feminist agenda.

Yesterday when I was looking at the DAWN's website, not furtively though, I read that Hillary had spoken about Pakistan. No wonder, she does that quite often these days. Both Obama and Hillary are confounded with this 'live-in relationship' with our 'childhood enemy'. The latter is asking far too much for some temporary hanky-panky by the Americans. Hence, she sternly warned the Zardaris to fetch for their own funds.

Then Zardari humbly asked; "Madam, from where we get funds? Flood ne to hum-e kahin ka nahi chhora"

Hillary was very polite. "Enhance your tax base. Rope in the wealthy".

"Thank you Madam. May Allah bless you".

And how obedient is Zardari. Today his Foreign Affairs Minister proclaims, reported in the same newspaper, that Pakistan is to go ahead with tax reforms.

Please consider the above conversation as a mere fiction.

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Uddipan Mukherjee is a late riser. Still, he works 'very hard' to edit Indian Policy. By the way, he writes in diplostratics

Spare the Rod, Kill the Child

Offsprings are different between the same set of parents. One responds to love and may be, the other to hate. Can't possibly treat them all similarly, in fact none with the intention of breaking bones or leaving indelible scars or bleeding faces. An occasional  thwack on justified grounds are more potent. But why am I talking about this?

My intention is to see whether the Principal of French traitor's school is to be held responsible for the death of 14-year-old boy.

His teachers say that he was a naughty boy just like any other boy his age in school. He was caned by the Principal over disciplinary grounds. Twelve days later he committed suicide.

Read this way and there seems to just one plausible reason for suicide with a clear list of suspects. The child was suffering mental trauma because of the treatment meted out to him in school. He tried to run away from it but seeing his imminent return to school he took his own life.

There is a lot of speculation on the topic of Suicide. A fool proof theory is still awaited. Nonetheless there a few substantial theories discussing different probable causes.

Physiological: When a person grows old they opt for euthanasia. For obvious reasons this can ruled out in the boy's case right at the onset.

Psychological: Depression induced suicide tops the chart. People, more often than not, carry strains of depression in their genes. The others develop these traits over time stimuli provided externally. In such cases there are obvious traits. Insomnia, Avoiding social gatherings, bipolarity, erratic mood swings et al. Going by the Father's words and the word of his schoolmates, the boy was anything but a depressed soul.

Drug abuse: Not applicable on an a priori assumption given the age of the deceased

Sociological: Anomie caused due to sudden changes in lifestyles. The sudden change needs to be drastic too. Some examples would be the farmers committing suicide due to sudden weather anomalies rendering them incapable of feeding their loved ones. Nothing as drastic took place. Then it could a display of defiance and requirement of avoidance. The last one seems the most plausible of them all.

Defiance and avoidance need to be again seen in the light of different social structures in which the boy was participating. The social institution of school was a big part of his life but wouldn't the love for friends be a stronger cohesive force than the respect for teachers and authority. According to reports and parents' version, he had no dearth of friends and he was a socially amicable chap.

So if we try to look at the school the way he did, we might a see an institution where I have a lot of friends...I have a lot of fun with them...my teachers keep stopping me...I am a defiant boy so I pay little or no heed to warning which inevitably lands me in trouble (according to one of the teachers he came to school three days after being canned by his Principal with stink bombs). But according to the evidence collected (after the death that is) by his parents he stopped going to school because he didn't wish to face his teachers.

There is a view that defiance coupled with fear might have been the reason. I wouldn't mind buying this theory but then I have one question. How come his parents didn't arbitrate?

They didn't even get an inkling about their son's stress. If he was being caned in school and was suffering existential issues due to it and he didn't share his woes with his parents who is to be blamed? If he couldn't take the stress of being publicly punished (something which many in my school took lightly enough to be again at the receiving end soon) are the parents to be blamed?

Given an ideal situation a single child in the absence of siblings needs either of the parents to play the role of a confidante. If not then at least someone whom the child can go for help. Besides if a child can't tolerate public punishment in school its obvious that the parents never reprimanded their son so he never developed the adequate resistance. Social sanctions are a strong part of socialization. A child is taught whats right and whats wrong. A role to be played essentially by parents the absence of which can cause problems.

Punishment of any order make the child psychologically resistant to censure and castigation elsewhere. The possibility of being disgraced gets institutionalized. In the absence of which a child  grows up into a man who can never take the loud rantings of his boss casually, or worse a man who becomes intolerant to criticism. I know improper socialization, there is a possibility of absolutely normal growth but parents' lack of ability or interest is like smoking cigarettes. There's a strong chance of getting cancer but a smoker just might not get it.

Icing on the cake: The boy gave his mother at least three call on her mobile on that fateful day. Mom was busy learning golf and the caddy was given clear instructions of not taking any calls. This boy was a different version of Jeremy. Heard by none but loved by all.

I am not saying the Principal and teachers are faultless. All I done is I have presented a possible interpretation.  And according to this reading, the parents need to be sharing the cell along with the Principal.

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Pritish Mukherjee believes he has poetic abilities. However, presently, he is more inclined to be a "Bengali Babu"; i.e. a Civil Servant. We have stolen this analysis from his blog

The Slave Ship: Fashioning a Maritime Future

 Why a Ship?  In ways more than one, this age has been defined and fashioned by the existence of ships. The sight of a ship, sailing lonely and resolutely, in an ocean marked by its openness and vastness has been a potent imagination for mankind.

One of the greatest philosophers of our age, Michel Foucault, in his Heterotopias: or Other Spaces identified the ship as one of the prime examples of a heterotopia. Heterotopias, as understood by Foucault, are a space, which are at once, a curious conglomeration of multitudinous spaces. The anthropometric identification of space is defined by the occupant (both physical and ideological) of the space.


The ship is primarily a vessel, a container which contains within its hollow belly people, individuals, items, cultures, symbols, politics, possibly every imaginable symbols of humanity, each marked by their obvious differences. It travels an uncharted landscape marked by the absolute absence of humanity and the symbols that define humanity. It is a sole representative, an ambassador of humanity. It etches its mark in the ocean, the ports and cultures that it touches.


The West imagines itself as a ship. It gives the West an ever mobility; it is a verb of movement. And since the West predominates everything that is not the West, the ship has come to define the culture of modernity. It is an absolute symbol of presence, of belonging and possession.

How does therefore the East imagine a ship? One is indeed appalled by the absence of ideas. A ship that sails the East, and from the East, travels with the intention of always coming back. A journey from the East is marked by a metaphor of returning. In a technical parlance, it is called sedentary travel; one travels only to come back. The West simplifies it by calling it insularity. Since her metaphors of travel are always already designed by a desire to come back, the ship is imagined richly in terms of flow, not from within, but from without. It signifies transaction, mercantilism, riches and fertility.


Whereas the East is pregnant with the idea of completion which is defined by returning, the West finds itself desiring a structural incompleteness which it views as a possibility for further development. This philosophy of different imaginations is reflected in the maritime history of these two cultures. The vocabulary of conquest is therefore missing in its entirety from Eastern maritime history.

The oceanic landscape of the world is dotted by the presence of small landmasses breaking the monotonousness of blue water with curious names; many of them are indeed naval bases of western nations, some developed, some underdeveloped, some past the prime in the index of development.


A vocabulary of globalisation based on scarce, resource based economics interprets them as strategic geopolitical sites, as sites of hegemony, control. They control and direct the flow of resources and strategies. True. But they are also wastages. Some of the Western nations can ill afford them in an age which is defined by the general decline of West. But, these nations have clung to them. This is perhaps bad economics, a contradiction in terms in the rulebooks of classical and even neo-classical economics. I call them the relics of the past...a resultant of the differential imaginations that have shaped both the West and the East. The outbound journey, which is also an expansion, has exhausted itself with the emergence of a new world with even newer players, and now it exhausts the site of its emergence.

P.S. This very brief piece fails to be a foreign policy commentary by consciously desiring to avoid that trajectory. :-)


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Rajarshi Mitra takes cursory interest in the general human condition, from politics to poetics. He generally means no harm, but is an avowed sceptic. A versoholic of sorts, he also teaches English Literature in a college.

Random Walk: Newton and India

Dear All,

Celebrations of Durga Puja seems to have been marred a little by "God" himself (err, herself). Droplets of water are slowly assuming ominous diameters. And those droplets are falling downwards under gravity from the heavenly abode. 

In the mornng, Indira, as usual, sent us a newslink. It was an Op-Ed published in The Hindu (nothing Hindu about it). Actually, myself and Indira keep on perturbing our more serious partners of Indian Policy almost every calendar day by bombing them with newslinks, pdf files, zips et al. 

The Op-Ed seems to have unravelled a mystery about our Newton, aare bhai our own Newton, Isaac Newton. No No. He is not a relative of Isaak Muivah. He is Sir Isaac Newton, the famous mathematician and physicist. Remember?

Yes, yes. Correct. The Father of Gravity. The Op-Ed said that he also tried his hand to be an alchemist. Now, this is something which I was not aware of. So what, who am I? That I need to be aware of everything. By being a student of physics, that too once upon a time, does not make me an expert on Newton. 

Leave it aside. What really enthused me in that Op-Ed was the fact that Sir Newton (I hardly address anyone by the 'title' Sir, Newton is one of the exceptions) was extremely hard working. Once he went for an opera. However, ran away feeling claustrophobic. Passed away at the age of 85, almost unscathed in terms of virginity. What a Man! 

Extremely difficult for me to follow his footsteps. That is natural. That is why I am not, and can never be Sir Newton. Nevertheless, I feel he can be promoted by our Government in the Family Planning Schemes.

The slogan can be simple: "Bachhe paida mat kijie, Newton Ban Jaie"

Period.

The lad who distributes newspaper in our apartment studies History in the local college. However, he hardly has any idea of the subject. Yesterday, I grilled him about French Revolution. He seemed to be oblivious of the term. And he says that he writes answers in the University Exams in Bengali. 

I was literally shocked. In our days (barely 10 years ago; I am not an old man), University Exams had to be written in English. 

Gone are the days of the Imperial Raj. We are inside the Red bastion. Why red? India is being Indianized. Even in the exams for the covenanted services; aare bhai IAS, IPS: one can write answers in any of the twenty two languages as enlisted in the 8th Schedule of our Constitution.

Nevertheless, I asked Tirtha (the lad's name) to drop in The Asian Age in my flat regularly, at least for the time being. In it, I found that today's editorial section has given sabaashi to India in grabbing a 'non-permanent' membership in the UNSC. 

According to me, this is a sign of abject failure. We set out for a permanent position, with the veto power. Aur Kya Mila hume? Agar permanent post mil jata without veto, to bhi chal jata. Abhi kise muuh dikhae?

I think the controversy regarding the Pokhran II seems to have worked against India in the world forum. Secondly, if India construes this to be a victory of diplomacy by pushing aside Kazakhstan from the fray, then it shall be seriously mistaken. No doubt, this is a victory, but a superlatively minor one. If India needs to be wary of a two decade old Central Asian Republic, then it goes to indicate India's clout in world fora. 

Post-Bush America has not actually been kind toward India. Hence, it needs to extract 'friendship' from Obama when the latter visits India during Diwali. The crackers must fire and the foreign policy crackpots must be fired. 

A far more involved India in Afghanistan and a cunning India fomenting US-China 'trust deficit' may actually win in the long run. The strengthening of defence and economy does not require an additional mention.

::: I wrote this yesterday. Our copy-editor Indira seems to have done some ghapla. There is a malicious campaign against me :::

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Uddipan Mukherjee is a late riser. Still, he works 'very hard' to edit Indian Policy. By the way, he writes in diplostratics

Aar Tee Aai and the Aam Aadmi

On 12th October 2010, India celebrated five years of functioning of RTI Act, 2005. How this act came into being? Did it achieve expected results? Do we have enough protections for RTI activists? This article attempts to answer these questions.

Five long years have passed since our Government enacted the Right to Information Act (RTI), 2005 to consummate its dream to promote transparency and accountability in governance. This journey of five years has not been full of encouragement but at the same time was able to merit attraction. So the general feeling is mixed. A formulation of proper governmental policy and effective implementation, tightening security of the applicants are the priorities of the day.

Brief Background:

RTI movement started in India since 1975. In the State of U.P. Vs Raj Narain, SC, 1975, Supreme Court stated that “Right to Information” is embedded within the Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression guaranteed under Art  19 of our Constitution. In the 1990s, the RTI movement gained currency with various attempts. To name a few, Consumer Education and Research Council (CERC, Ahmedabad) in 1993, Press Council of India in 1996 came up with model laws. Government was reluctant to respond to these proposals.

All these endeavours, coupled with successful campaign of Mazdoor Kishan Shakti Sansthan (MKSS, founded in 1990 with the efforts of Aruna Roy) to unearth corruptions in the village wage system catapulted success to RTI. National Campaign on People’s Right to Information (NCPRI) was formed in 1996 to act as a pressure group to legislate RTI.

Shourie Committee, under the chairmanship of H.D Shourie was constituted in 1997 and the committee also submitted its report in 1997 itself. Due to political instability in those days and concurrent governmental abeyance didn’t bring much out of it. “National Freedom of Information Bill, 2000” was passed in the parliament in 2002 in the form of “Freedom of Information Act, 2002” (FOI Act). But this act attracted diatribe from many groups, civil societies for its excessive exemptions and never came into force.

In National Common Minimum Programme mooted by the UPA-I government in 2004, the provision of “progressive, participatory and meaningful” RTI was assured. National Advisory Council (NAC), in consultation with NCPRI and other civil societies, amended the FOI Act in the form of “Right to Information Bill, 2004”. After a long and useful deliberation, RTI Act, 2005 was passed in both the Houses and finally came into force on 12th October, 2005.

It is also to be remembered that some State governments (Tamil Nadu (1997), Goa (1997), Rajasthan (2000), Karnataka (2000), Delhi (2001), Maharashtra (2002), Madhya Pradesh (2003), Assam (2002) and Jammu and Kashmir (2004)) enacted RTI Acts of their own variants. So, this was, in a way, culmination of long-standing demand of the common populace of India for a centrally-enacted legislation.

RTI Regime:

As per the section 12(3) of RTI Act, Central Government shall appoint a “Central Information Commissioner” (CIC) and “Information Commissioner” (IC). CIC is to work “autonomously” with assistance of ICs appointed by a collegium consisting of Prime Minister, Leader of the opposition and a Union Minister nominated by the Prime Minister.  Similarly “State Chief Information Commissioner” and "State Information Commissioner" are to be appointed under section 15(3). Every “Public Authority” (PA) has to appoint “Public Information Officer” (PIO) whom the applicant needs to submit a request for “Information”.  Additionally PA needs to designate “Assistant Public Information Officers” (APIO) who are also eligible to receive RTI requests and can forward the request to the concerned PIO.

Section 7 (3) provides for maximum time limit to receive the information as 30 days of the receipt of the request. If the information sought concerns “the life or liberty of a person”, then it has to be provided within 48 hours.

As per the sections 4(1) (b), 6(1) and 5(3), the PA is directed to provide certain information proactively. The Act explicitly mentions the definitions of “records” and also the right to “access” which might be questioned. Section 8 mentions some categories of information which are exempted from disclosure for mainly national interests.

Working of RTI so far:

13% of rural population and 33% of urban population are aware of RTI Act.  Only 12% of women and 26% of men are aware of it. 49% of the RTI applicant reported poor assistance from the PIO during filing of RTI request. 75% of the applicants are dissatisfied with the quality of information provided.  This is, in a nutshell, where the RTI stands (2009 June data).

Obviously, the implementation of RTI Act has not been meticulously made.  Considering the literacy rate around 65 percent (2001 census), this is abysmally low. Government probably lacked almost in every aspects of its implementation.  PIOs are not effectively trained and largely discharge their duties keeping “Officers Secrets Act, 1923” in mind. There is also lack of infrastructure, ill-functioning of government machinery, lack of training and quality, poor record management, among others. Amorphous attitude of the government in campaigning the benefits of the RTI, maimed security arrangements for the RTI activists exacerbated the fragility of RTI.

But, India also witnessed some positive results. For example, “Catalyst Trust”, an NGO campaigning for educational rights revealed that Local Bodies in Tamil Nadu are not utilizing the elementary education tax corpus through RTI petition. Huge corruption in Public Distribution System (PDS) was unearthed through an RTI application by the villagers of Nai Basti in Uttar Pradesh. “Commonwealth Human Rights Initiatives” was also successful in curbing the corruption in PDS in Gujrat using RTI. Similar issues of medical procurement, pension system, and environmental degradation achieved some isolated success. Studying all these cases, one can manifestly conclude that, collective attempts through Civil Societies achieved results notwithstanding the individual attempts.

Patriots who had laid their lives:

In last 2 years 12 RTI activists were killed; 8 of them were killed in 2010 alone. India needs to remember these selfless activists who gave up their valuable lives in order to uphold our “vibrant” democracy. We need strengthen our outcry for the formulation of a comprehensive Whistleblower Act to protect these patriots from the insidious pogroms. Lot of deliberations among the RTI Activists, Civil Societies, Media Houses and Government are required before finalizing the draft of Whistleblower Act which is expected to be passed in the winter session. Here are some great martyrs who selflessly gave up their lives:

Satyendra Kumar Dubey: A National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) engineer was killed in 2004 in Goya after sending a letter to Atal Bihari Vajpayee detailing the corruptions in road constructions. He had requested to conceal his identity, however, somehow his identity was revealed.

Manjunath Shanmugham : An IIM graduate and Sales Manager of Indian Oil Corporation, was killed in 2005 in Maharashtra, while unearthing the corruption in Petroleum industry.

Lalit Kumar Mehta: 36-year-old, Jharkhand-based prominent RTI activist was murdered for exposing the corruption in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in May 2008. He was an active member of the Right to Food Campaign and Gram Swaraj Abhiyan.

Satish Shetty : 39-year-old RTI activist was brutally murdered in January 2010 for divulging land scams in and around Talegaon, Lonavala and Pimpri-Chinchwad and black marketing.

Vishram Laxman Dodiya : 50-year-old RTI activist, shopkeeper, based on Surat, was brutally murdered in February 2010 for his stubbornness not to withdraw RTI application seeking information on illegal electricity connection by a private farm despite repeated intimidations.

Shashidhar Mishra: He worked tirelessly in exposing the wide-spread corruption in Block and Panchayat levels using RTI. He was murdered in Bihar in February 2010.

Arun Sawant : Thane-based RTI activist was shot dead in February 2010 while going to file an RTI application in connection with the Badlapur Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Sola Ranga Rao : A 30-year-old activist of Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh, was murdered in April 2010. He filed many RTI applications seeking information in order to bring out the irregularities on funds granted for village drainage system.

Venkatesh : A 48-year-old resident of Vijaynagar District of Karnataka, was murdered in mysterious circumstance in April 2010. He was instrumental in saving a property of worth 35 crore invoking RTI Act.

Vitthal Gite: A 39-year-old farmer and mill-owner exposed severe corruption in functioning in several schools in Maharashtra. He was beaten, seriously injured and then passed away few days later in April 2010.

Dattatraya Patil: He was killed in May 2010, for bringing out fake registrations of handloom societies through the RTI Act.

Amit Jethwa: A RTI activist was shot dead for filing a Public Interest Litigation against illegal mining in Gir Forest (Junagarh, Gujrat) in July 2010.

In most cases, Police department achieved miniscule results. Murderers are still unidentified, hinting lackadaisical approach. Still there are many enlightened activists who are working tirelessly notwithstanding life threats, political browbeats and ineffectual protectors. Aruna Roy, Anna Hazare, Krishnaraja Rao are few to mention.

Whistleblower’s Act?

All these atrocities, indiscriminate murders probably changed the nonchalant attitude of our Government and they in fact tabled Public Interest Disclosure and Protection to Persons Making the Disclosure Bill, 2010, on 26th August 2010. This has aimed for “eliminating corruption in the Government and the public sector undertakings” and to provide adequate protections to the whistleblowers. This Act also talked about mechanisms to encourage the people to disclose corruptions or “willful misuse of power or willful misuse of discretion by public servants or commission of a criminal offence”. Central Vigilance Commission will be authorized through this law to punish the public servant/concerned officer who will reveal the identity of whistleblowers. This 

is expected to be passed in the winter session.

What India needs?

India needs a countrywide RTI movement to weed out corruption, to consummate oaths of democracy, to restore rule of law, to destroy unlawful bonhomie between governmental apparatus and politics and moreover protection to the activists at any cost.Proper implementation of RTI, legislation for enviable protection to the valiant activists and mass awareness can fructify such apparently lofty ideals. Media of all forms, various Civil Societies are no doubt working hard in this regard but a political movement is also necessary to give it a relevant impetus.

This could be in line with the “Green Parties” in various countries who politicized their movements by treading traditional political routes to safeguard environmental interests.  This is required for India’s national interest and also for sustainable inclusive growth.

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Aviijit Maity is passionate about India and desires to contribute to its growth. He 'softwares' to earn his living in the city of joy and dilapidated palaces. Criticize him at indianpolicy2010@gmail.com

Environment and India

"The interest in conservation is not a sentimental one, but the rediscovery of a truth well known to our ancient sages. The Indian tradition teaches us that all forms of life - human, animal and plant - are so closely interlinked that disturbance in one gives rise to imbalance in the other"

                                   - Indira Gandhi

The two ministries which have been in constant news in 2010 are the Home Ministry - due to the issues related to the ‘Red Corridor’ and the Ministry of Environment and Forests [MOEF] - owing to its energetic leader Mr. Jairam Ramesh. Truly, in the recent years, environment has become a pressing issue in the national and international circuit. This is due to the increasing arm of the UN and its allied bodies, rise of 'biologically diverse’ countries like India, Brazil etc in the global arena and expanding role played by pressure groups like NGOs, activists, scientists and media.

Interestingly, the word making its entry in almost every discussion on environment is ‘sustainable’ - a term used by the Brundtland Commission [1983] which means ‘meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the needs of the future generation’. The three pillars of sustainable development thus, were identified as 'care and respect for People, Planet and Prosperity [ commercial activities ] '.

Sustainable development

Sustainable development in India now encompasses a variety of schemes in social, technological, environmental and human resources segment. As a result, it has caught the attention of central-state governments and also public-private sectors.

The MOEF is the nodal Ministry in the GOI for planning, promotion, co-ordination and overseeing the implementation of India's environmental and forestry policies and programmes. While implementing them, the Ministry is guided by the principle of sustainable development and enhancement of human well-being.

The Ministry is also the apex body in the country for the implementation of United Nations Environment Programme [UNEP] and all multilateral Environmental Agreements. Some of the important protocols/conventions to which India is a signatory are à


Ramsar Convention on wetlands - 1971
Vienna Convention for Protection of the Ozone Layer - 1985
Montreal protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer - 1987
Basel Convention on Trans-boundary Movement of Hazardous Substances - 1989
UN Convention on Biological Diversity [CBD]- 1992
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change [UNFCCC]- 1992
UN Convention to combat Desertification - 1994
Kyoto Protocol - 1997
Rotterdam Convention on import of hazardous chemicals  – 1998
Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety - safe transfer, handling and use of Living Modified Organisms (LMOs) - 2000

MOEF in 2010 - a recap

The year started with the controversy on BT Brinjal, which led to the emergence of two distinct groups – one supporting and the other rejecting its introduction in Indian markets. Despite the recommendation of Genetic Engineering Approval Committee [GEAC], the MOEF called for public consultations across the country and finally imposed a moratorium on its release.

In February, Parambikulam became the 38^th Tiger Reserve of India. Thereafter, in April, an expert group was constituted to examine the draft Plastic Rules, 2009 and make recommendations based on the comments received across the nation. The Green Action for National Dandi Heritage Initiative [GANDHI] Memorial Project was inaugurated in July, to commemorate the 80th year of Dandi March. This Rs 25 crore project is aimed at promoting Mahatma Gandhi's vision for sustainable development in Dandi and its surrounding villages.

In August, two major reports were published - one was a detailed assessment of the potential for reintroducing the Cheetah in India, mentioning potential sites for reintroduction; the other was 'Gajah', on securing the future for the Elephant in India laying out a comprehensive action agenda for protecting elephants in the wild and in captivity and for addressing human-elephant conflict.

The office of the Society of Integrated Coastal Management [SICOM] was inaugurated in September. This will be the nodal agency for the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project [ICZM] being implemented by the GOI. MOEF and the Defence Research and Development Organisation [DRDO] jointly launched a major new national initiative for seabuckthorn cultivation in the high altitude, cold desert ecosystems of the country. Sea buckthorn, also known as ‘Leh Berry’ has traditionally been used as medicine, nutritional supplements, fire wood and fence shrub.

The Vedanta deal

The subject of ‘Forests’ was transferred from the State list to Concurrent list under the Constitution in 1976 and soon after the Forest [Conservation] Act, 1980 was formulated. It regulates the indiscriminate diversion of forest lands for non-forestry uses in wake of the rising industrialization attempts by states.

The N.C Saxena committee in August categorically rejected the proposed Bauxite mining in Orissa’s forested Niyamgiri hills by Vedanta Resources as it trampled over the rights of Primitive Tribal Groups [PTG] such as Dongria Khondhs residing in those areas, as well as the ecological fragility of Niyamgiri.

Finally, the MOEF refused to give clearance to Vedanta as it ignored the protection that Scheduled Tribes enjoy under Schedule V of the Constitution, Forest [Conservation] Act, the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers [Recognition of Forest Rights] Act and Environment [Protection] Act. This was truly a momentous decision in the history of India’s environment litigation.

Biodiversity and threats

May 22 marked the International Day for Biodiversity, which denotes the variability of life forms on earth. India is one of the 12 mega-biodiversity centres in the world. Out of the Sixteen Biosphere Reserves designated nationally, 7 Biosphere Reserves have been included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves so far à


Nilgiri [Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu]
Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve [Uttarakhand]
Sundarbans national park [West Bengal]
Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve [Tamil Nadu]
Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve [Madhya Pradesh]
Nokrek Biosphere Reserve [Meghalaya]
Simlipal Biosphere Reserve [Orissa]

Global warming and Climate change pose threats to plant and animal species as many organisms are sensitive to carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere – it may lead to their disappearance. Pesticides, industrial pollutants also degrade natural ecosystems. Poaching is a cause of major concern as it leads to massive reduction in headcount of certain animals especially the Tiger, Elephant, Rhinoceros etc. In addition, India is also home to world’s two most ecologically threatened spots i.e. Eastern Himalayas and Western Ghats.

The Conference of Parties [COP] established under the CBD in 2002, will meet again in Nagoya, Japan in October this year. The COP-10 will review the progress made in biodiversity conservation targets and establish clearer rules. India being an Asian economic giant, with its active initiatives in the field of biodiversity conservation will have a very important role to play in upcoming meeting.

Climate Change and India

Climate Change is one of the most important global environmental problems. The Inter-governmental Panel on climate change [IPCC] has brought out the Fourth Assessment Report on climate Change in November 2007 which states that global warming will have a devastating impact on the climate of the earth and climate change can slow down the pace of progress towards sustainable development.

The Prime Minister of India released the National Action Plan on Climate Change [NAPCC] on 30th June, 2008. The Plan proposes to start 8 missions promoting deployment, innovation and basic research in renewable energy technologies. In alignment, the Union Budget 2010-11 announced the setting up of National Clean Energy Fund [NCEF] for funding R&D in clean technologies.

In the international field, the 15^th COP of the UNFCCC at Copenhagen failed to achieve anything conclusive owing to differences between developed and developing countries on reduction in carbon emission rates. A follow up session at Bonn in June, also did not end with significant results. COP-16 scheduled to be held later in the year at Cancun, Mexico will again try to come up with an equity-based policy of ‘Common but differentiated responsibilities’ for rich and poor countries.

Legal progression

The National Green Tribunal Bill, 2010 was passed by the Lok Sabha in May, paving the way for establishment of a Green Tribunal for effective and expeditious disposal of cases related to environment, conservation of forests and natural resources. This bill is meant to replace the National Environment Appellate Authority [NEAA] Act, 1997 and National Environmental Tribunal [NET] Act, 1995 which basically were set up to review administrative decisions on Environment Impact Assessment [EIA].

The tribunal will hear all disputes relating to Water Act of 1974, the Water Cess Act of 1977, the Forest Conservation Act of 1980, the Air Act of 1981, the Environment Protection Act of 1986, the Public Liability Insurance Act of 1991 and the Biological Diversity Act of 2002.

This is a historic step and is first of its kind in the world. With Public Interest Litigations [PILs] on environmental issues flooding the courts, the proposed legislation aims to take off the pressure by handling all the civil cases related to forestry and environment.

Conclusion

We all live on this little blue ball that tumbles through a space of unimaginable size, depth and complexity. The pressure on natural resources has increased in pace over the last decade especially for middle powers like India, China, and Brazil etc. India in particular, is a country which can boast of a rich and varied biodiversity from the sands of Rajasthan to the hills of Assam, from the snow-clad mountains of Uttarakhand to the lagoons of Kerala. And as citizens of India, it is our Moral Duty to preserve it.

With increase in environmental awareness, threats to ecosystem and in wake of efforts to protect our ‘national treasure’, the GOI and the Indian populace have started playing a positive role. However, we need to find newer ways to shrink overdraft living style which at times unnecessarily wastes resources.

We must look at every possible means to reduce our energy consumption by small ways like using resources judiciously. Projecting our environment, wildlife and rich biodiversity and promoting initiatives as individuals, as organizations and as a country is very important. It is attainable by most of us without much effort. It requires adjustment, not a radical change to ones’ lifestyle.

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Indira Mukherjee is a Computer Engineer and works in a reputed IT consulting company in Kolkata. She takes keen interest in India's history, foreign policy and domestic issues. She is passionate about quizzing as well. She may be contacted at indianpolicy2010@gmail.com