| Issue 22 Vol I, August 31, 2006 | Archive |
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Right to
Information: Some
Reprieve WHO has finally won the battle? Those who uphold that the Right to Information as a fundamental instrument in the hands of the citizens to rein in an inefficient and corrupt government or those who wish to keep the government working under a cloak. There is no clear answer. Under an
unprecedented public pressure in which civil society groups, Left political
parities and many known public figures joined in, the government has only
stated for now that it would defer amending the Right to Information Act. It
has clearly not abandoned its plan to amend the Right to Information Act.
When the United Progressive Government brought in this law, it was hailed as
a major initiative of the National Advisory Council then headed by Sonia
Gandhi. But that resolve to make government functioning transparent and
responsible was This forced civil society activists across the country to stage protest marches, dharnas, fasts and was joined by political leaders, Left political parties, films actors and journalists besides common citizens. The government found itself in a bind when the Left threatened not to allow any amendments at all. It was already cornered on Indo U S nuclear deal and could not risk any more. Finally a call from Congress President Sonia Gandhi wished the government not to bring any amendments during the Monsoon session of the parliament. Still a debate on the "file notings" continues within the Government. Politically correct demands such as transparency and accountability appeal to those who are powerless. But the Government is dead opposed to official files being subjected to the new disclosure regime. Strange as it may seem our President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam had expressed his reservations on "file notings." He is well aware of the fact that every branch of the government reeks with corruption and the public is justified demanding information how and why decision are taken and delayed. It empowered the public to obtain bills, passports and other documents related to police and land records without paying bribes. Who is responsible in denying them their rights? Last week President Kalam was asked by school children on a Doordarshan programme, how to end corruption in government. He offered an amusing answer. "If your parents and elders are corrupt, please tell them not to indulge in this activity as it is very harmful for society. India can not be a fully developed country by 2020 if we are corrupt." He has been repeating this during his extensive meetings with school kids. Can children afford to be in direct clash with their parents. He has been careful not to mention that every Indian citizen could use this new Right to Information to check corruption and make government proficient. While assenting to the Right to Information Act in June 2005, President in a letter to the Prime Minister wrote, "This [disclosure of note portion of the file which contain advice/opinion tendered by officials] is not a fair approach and will harm the process of decision making, as officials would be more cautious or even refrain from rendering objective, frank and written advice on file." He drew some fine distinction that "sharing of information on decisions taken" was one thing and "sharing of information on how the decision is actually arrived at" altogether different. He thought that the second part "ought to have been handled differently." And, sadly Dr Manmohan Singh in his reply agreed with the President and pointed out that neither the National Advisory Council nor the Group of Ministers had included "file notings" as falling within the definition of "information." File notings tell why delays are occurring and what decision is benefiting whom. What is that he wants to hide? It is also a known fact that armed forces have their reservations which could have justification as full disclosure would be harmful. This is why civil society groups that struggled hard to get this RTI Act did not press for defence and security besides intelligence network to disclose their file notings. But this has emboldened all the officers to demand that file notings be not made public on a flimsy argument that this would encourage them from free and frank opinions for which they are trained and paid well. Why should they worry if they express their opinions honestly? They have clearly something to hide from the People who have given the country its constitution and are the final custodians. Are we not told this every day by leaders and political pundits and is it not written in the constitution itself. But perhaps that is to befool the public into believing as to who is the real master. The de facto masters are the bureaucracy and ruling classes. Even the Union Public Service Commission, a constitutional body has opposed by arguing, "Sharing of internal notes of the Commission's decision-making process would be impractical as it would affect the candour of expression of the officers concerned in dealing with policy and non-policy matters." Currently one thousand requests for information are pending with it. It should be abundantly clear that the government may in next six months or so build a case and incorporate the declared changes in the basic Act. It is indeed worrisome as the public is already finding it tough to get any information from the officials. In Punjab despite a robust Information Commissioner, Rajan Kashyap in seat, at the district level, it is a different picture. In fact, the public is yet to become fully aware of the new power and to make full use of it. Kashyap has been touring the state and telling the public to take benefit of it and officers to follow the law. Aruna Roy, who is in the forefront of the campaign against the amendments, finds a tough battle ahead. "Rebutting the notion that file notings could be misused or that their disclosure could open the flood gates of complaints and recriminations, fuelling intra-departmental tensions in the civil service means that you can only blackmail those who have something to hide. As for frivolous resort to file notings, for every one mischief maker, there are 99 others for whom the information is relevant.'' There were enough sections under the Indian Penal Code to proceed against misuse. The amendments have been shelved under intense public pressure. There is no one and no area that the issue does not touch. Anyone could observe from the people who have been drawn to it — from industrialist Narayana Murthy through the Left parties, V.P. Singh, jurists, journalists , peasants, women activists, performing artists, human rights activists, electoral reform advocates to thousands of young people. Signature campaigns showed keen interest of the new generation. Activists feel that this is not about one or two voluntary organisations; it is a whole, wide movement. "Yet precisely because this is a mass movement, the establishment will hit back. They will hit back because they are losing power, losing control." Aruna Roy sums up the fight. Could anyone disagree! |
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Punjab
Agriculture - Need for a Balanced Approach
It is a different matter that diversification has not made any perceptible progress so far. This need not lead to a conclusion that simply because it has not happened at a large and expected scale, it is faulty in principle. It is in this context that I look at the merits of Dr. Shergill's arguments and their inherent weaknesses to prove that there is nothing wrong in the proposed solution of diversification though there are problems in its implementation which is not surprising in Indian context of agricultural and rural development. But, the implementation failure should not blind us to the very merits of the proposed solution i.e. diversification of not just crops, but agriculture including allied activities, both from economic angle as well as sustainability perspective. First of
all, Dr. Shergill's perspective on diversification is mistaken as what is
being attempted is not diversified cropping pattern at the level of each and
every farmer, but at the state level to tackle state level issues like
ground water depletion, chemical residues in food, chemicalisation of
groundwater, and over-mechanisation. Of course, there are farmers who are
already growing new crops which shows that diversification is workable at
the farmer level as well. It is a question of resources and awareness
including market orientation. Another argument against diversification made
by Dr. Shergill is that specialisation is preferable over diversified
cropping pattern. Is growing organic produce and high value crops not part
of commercialisation and specialization? Do not other sectors and
enterprises diversify and move to newer levels of activity with changing
markets? The argument that Punjab farmer cannot be taken back to subsistence
type of farming from commercialised one (p. 9-10) is total misinterpretation
of diversification. It is no body's case that the Punjab farmer should go
back to non-commercial farming. What is being attempted through
diversification is a new commercial farming in the state. Who says crops
like organic basmati and high value fruits and vegetables are not for
commercial and very Secondly, Dr. Shergill argues that there is no other crop at present which competes with paddy and rice on profitability at farmer level. That is exactly the point. How did this come about? Due to MSP, free/subsidised supply of electricity for irrigation, R&D investment in these two crops and the policy support for mechanization of these crops. Can not these same facilities be provided to new crops which are more risky in terms of production and market risk? The loss of farmer income being calculated is based on MSP for wheat and paddy and its absence for new crops. Is that logical and justified? So, the issue is that of finding more profitable crops for Punjab which depends not on yields but markets for crops, which are quite lucrative in crops targeted for diversification. The competitiveness has to be seen in a larger context of India, not just Punjab as what matters for competitiveness is accessing the market with lower cost and better product quality, not just producing more. Further, many studies have shown that in international markets, Punjab rice or wheat are not really competitive. Thirdly, progress on diversification front is also hindered due to the bias in the state government policy and the private players' practices. For example, even an agency like Markfed specifies in its ads for contract farming that the farmer should be willing to spare at least three acres for the contract crop. If 36% farmers have holdings below 5 acres each, how can such a small farmer spare three acres for one crop, that too a contract crop? Similar is the case with private contracting agencies like MSSL, Rallis, Pepsi, and Indomint which prefer larger farmers. Surprisingly, even the extension service reimbursements by the PAFC are being made irrespective of the contract farm size. Is it not true that if any farmer needs state support to diversify into new crops, should be small and marginal grower? It is well known now that contract crops (high value) are more costly to cultivate though they are also more profitable. Therefore, their resource requirement demands state support in terms of cheaper finance, other inputs, cost effective extension, assured market and price, and so on. Fourthly, it is true that when we discuss farming in the state, we should include farm labour interest also into our concerns. But, the picture being painted by Dr. Shergill is not correct so far as earning loss for farm labour is concerned. The crop cycle chosen for comparison (moong –oilseeds) is not very representative. Further, the new crops under contract farming and diversification especially vegetables are more labour intensive than wheat or paddy as there is more labour use and lower mechanization due to the nature of produce, especially in harvesting. That contract farming has led to more and better employment opportunities for labour, especially women, is true and acknowledged by the labourers (Singh, 2005). The labour intensity of vegetable crops, except potato due to mechanisation of its sowing and harvesting, is much higher than that of traditional crops like wheat or paddy. The labour intensity is 3,600-4,000 hours per hectare for tomatoes (depending on whether it is a summer or winter crop), compared with only 740 hours per hectare for paddy (Gill, 2001). This has created a big employment boom in the contract production areas of the state. According to Gill (2001), during the mid-1990s, three-quarters of all workers employed in the state's vegetable production sector were hired labour. Further, female labour accounted for 58% of total labour hours, compared with 34% in paddy. And 49% of all those working in the vegetable production sector was hired female labour, compared with 25% in paddy. In tomato production alone, female labour accounted for almost 60% of the total labour hours. This shows some gender justice in the Punjab countryside at last which should not be ignored. Also, post-harvest labour component and the wages are higher in new crops. Therefore, the loss being calculated and reported is over estimated. Dr. Shergill argues for labour interest to be protected while making a case for wheat paddy rotation. It is important to note that the dependence of the state on migrant labour for wheat and paddy crops is unsustainable as seen recently when the implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Program (NREGP) in some of the supplying states led to labour shortage for paddy transplantation. This is because local labour is not interested in this backbreaking job. Therefore, even the labour argument does not stand much ground. It is also important to remember that value addition possibilities are much higher in new crops as compared to those in wheat and paddy. Therefore, there is likely to be much larger non-farm employment generation – a must to move people away from farm land which Dr. Shergill also recognises as necessary. Fifthly, the loss of work/business to mandi labour, commission agents, and processing units due to diversification should not really matter as the objective is to improve and sustain the farm sector. We have to recognise the real stakeholders of the farm sector reforms i.e. the farmers and the labour. The others have to become partners in the sustainability of the farm enterprises. If primary producers are better off, others will automatically be so in the medium term due to linkages and spread effects. Has not this happened during the Green Revolution when grain traders and processors, along with most of the farmers, made fortunes? It is a different matter that now it is only farmers who are resorting to suicides. When farmers are bearing the costs of Green Revolution now in terms of non-viability of farming or shifting from wheat and paddy (diversification), is it unjustified to ask other stakeholders to share this cost? It is also being assumed by Dr. Shergill as if the other stakeholders will get out of business altogether which is never the case as the sector dependent on farm produce change their operations and activities. How did the oil milling industry survive when there was hardly any oilseeds production in the state? Punjab has always had foot loose industries which came up and grew for reasons other than raw material availability. Sixthly, when Dr. Shergill argues for mechanisation and scale economies while arguing for labour withdrawal from agriculture (P. 72-73), where does the concern for farm labour go? We all know that the farm sector is highly mechanised and that is, in part, the reason for farmers' indebtedness and suicides. The thriving second hand tractor markets in the state for years now are a proof of over-mechanisation of the farm sector of the state. The cost increase came largely from over-mechanisation, labour and irrigation costs, and not from modern (green revolution) inputs like fertilisers, seeds or pesticides, so far as wheat and paddy crops are concerned (Gandhi, 1997). The capacity utilisation of tractors has been only 60 per cent (600 hours per year) of their required viability (1000 hours per year). Finally, what is needed are not just new crops, and new ways of managing the same or new crops, but also new institutions of organisation and governance of the farm sector of the state. Diversification can mean doing same thing differently or doing different things altogether. But, in Punjab, the different things are being done in the same way, i.e., new crops are being grown with the same or higher chemical input intensity, by individual growers working with companies or state agencies which is unworkable and unsustainable in the given agrarian crisis of the state. The state has invested so much into diversification initiative that it will be suicidal to take the road back to paddy which is playing havoc with state's limited natural resources especially groundwater. The MSP provision or fixed price contracts for new crops under diversification program is a must to make a progress on the diversification front. Associate Professor, Centre for Management in Agriculture, IIM, Ahmedabad. E-mail: sukhpal@iimahd.ernet.in |
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Monsoon
Runoff: Lakes for Tourism and Plenty of Ground Water
Chandigarh is located in a water scarcity area. When the city was founded, even at that time deep tubewells were needed to draw water from the underground reservoir. When the city was in its infancy, it had 24 hours of supply of potable water. But as the pressure of population grew, the existing deep tubewells became dry. New and deeper wells became a necessity and the yield became lesser and erratic. With the passage of time, things have gone so bad that water meant for irrigation from the Bhakra Canal System had to be diverted for domestic potable use under Kajauli scheme. By diverting monsoon runoff from the contributing drainage area located North of Chandigarh into the dry brooks (choes) of Chandigarh and by injecting it into the underground water table, the magnitude of shortage of water can be substantially reduced. The underground reservoir of water is like a deposit in the bank. A healthy balance needs to be maintained between withdrawals and deposits. During the days of Persian Wheel led irrigation, the withdrawals were smaller and the refurbishment happened during each monsoon season. Thus a healthy balance was maintained. The necessities of “Green Revolution” increased the demand for water, fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides. In non-canal irrigated areas, the Persian Wheels paved the way for high powered tube-wells, which increased the yield manifolds, but no effort was made for the injection of water into the underground reservoirs. We have formed the habit of living from day to day; we do not plan for the future. Such shortsighted policy must end now; otherwise Punjab will also become a desert state. One example of how the underground water-table can be recharged has been practically demonstrated in the “Kali Vein” area in Kapurthala District. The stream had gone dry several years ago, because all the water in the bed of the stream was drawn by the tubewells located on both sides of this water course. Recently due to the efforts of Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, the stream was desilted and 100 cusecs of water was released into it from the upper reaches of the Ravi and the Beas. Within days all the hand-pumps on both sides of the stream started working and the yield in the tubewells increased. We can do the same in Chandigarh. Due to rapid urbanization and industrialization of Tamilnadu, the consumption of potable and other water increased many-folds. This led to water scarcity of colossal proportions. The Government of Tamilnadu has called upon all those, who are building their new houses, to harvest all the rain water from their roofs and compounds and direct it into covered well type holes within their properties. This water accumulates in the pits during the rainy season and subsequently during the dry months; it keeps slowly percolating in to the underground water-table. This measure has been deemed a success. Experts are of the view that the water scarcity in Chandigarh would have been even worse, it Sukhna Lake was not planned as a part and parcel of the master-plan of this city. One well defined “choe” is passing through the “Leisure Valley” of Chandigarh, from the Civil Secretariat area into the “Bougainvillea Garden” of Sector 3. It subsequently passes through the “Leisure Valley” in sectors 10, 16 and 23 and then reaches Mohali before discharging into another larger “choe” near Kharar. Artificial cascade ponding of this “choe” can be used for water harvesting operations in Chandigarh. Now let us talk about eco-friendly tourism in the “Leisure Valley” of Chandigarh. Due to its geographical location, Chandigarh has become the base station for Shimla bound tourism. Every year thousands of summer time tourists on their way to Himachal Pradesh pass through Chandigarh. Their stay in the city is in the form of passengers in transit. Even during their short stay in the city, they do not miss to see the Rock Garden. A stroll at the Sukhna Lake is also quite popular. During the pleasant weather November to March season, thousands of NRI’s plus a handful of other foreign tourists throng to the City Beautiful to enjoy its pleasant weather and to do high end shopping. Surprisingly the museums of Sector 10 do not attract too many tourists. Either there is a problem with the publicity or they lack top grade exhibition skills, which the tourists see in plenty in their respective countries. I have observed that the leisure valley starting from Sector 16 Cricket Stadium and extending to the Bougainvillea Garden in Sector 3 is suitable for long strolls. There is a dearth of safe hiking trails in highly congested urban India. Of course, a lot of mountain trails do exist throughout Himachal Pradesh, but these are located in remote hill areas which are unsuitable for most of the tourists. There have been cases of murder of some of the tourists in the upper reaches of Kulu-Manali area. On August 17, 2006 President Abdul Kalam formally inauguration of a magnificent “Regional War Martyrs Memorial” inside the “Bougainvillea Garden”. This spot can be an ideal place to be the starting point for eco-friendly leisure valley tourism. Comparatively Chandigarh is a much safer place than the remote hill areas of Himachal Pradesh. India unfortunately does not offer too many urban trails for such active recreation. Due to unplanned growth, other older tourist cities lack open spaces. Chandigarh was planned by a French Le Corbusier and designed to offer such walking and jogging recreations in plenty. Chandigarh Administration and its Municipal Corporation should publicize its walking trails inside the leisure valley seriously. After the end of the Second World War, as a gesture of goodwill, the Japanese Government planted hundreds of saplings of the famous Japanese variety of Cherry Blossoms throughout the famous mall area of Washington D.C. Within a span less than a decade the Cherry Blossom trees had grown sufficiently big to become a tourist attraction in their own right. These trees are now more than fifty years old and are a major tourist attraction on Capital Region. These trees bear flowers in the first week of April. Thousands of tourists, from all over the U.S., converge at Washington D.C. and walk through the shade and beauty of these flowering trees. It is booming business for hotels and motels. In Chandigarh, the “Amaltas” trees blossom in April and the “Gulmohurs” bloom in May. This city must extend a general invitation to all Indians to see it when it is in its most spectacular glory. As it the landscape of the leisure valley is reasonably beautiful and considering the vast stretch of open space, it is capable of generating revenue by attracting walk through tourists. With some money and effort, we can create man-made ponds and hillocks. Being the only body of water in the city, the Sukhna Lake is one of Chandigarh’s prime tourist attractions. The leisure valley is capable of having a multitude of artificial bodies of water. There is at least one “Choe” passing through the leisure valley. During the monsoon season it is in spate and it creates erosion. That is the season when its water should be stored for recreation during the later part of the year. One small 10 foot high concrete dam each in Bougainvillea Garden, Sector 10 Leisure Valley North and Leisure Valley South and the Zakir Rose Garden Sector 16 can create four smaller bodies of water during the monsoon run off season. Let the water keep drying and percolating underground during the lean months. These dams will be a water conservation or water harvesting measure too. During the monsoon season, flooding of Mohali and other southern areas can be minimized and during the dry season, the water can keep recharging the underground water table. The lakes can be made deeper and bigger by digging deeper in the areas of the existing dry water course and dumping the soil a few hundred yards away to create artificial hillocks. These hillocks create charming effects and can be used to view the lakes and the urban skyline of Sectors 9 and 17. Such combinations of lakes and hillocks shall prove to be a magnet for the foreign and NRI tourists. The expense shall not be much. The principle of equal cut and equal fill can be applied without the need of carting anything far away from the site of excavation. We all know that massive erosion takes place during the season of melting of snow and during the monsoon season in the hill states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal. As a result the hilly areas are shrinking in height and volume apparently at an imperceptible scale. Creation of grass and tree covered hillocks in Chandigarh can help in reversing the process of erosion to a great extent. It will be good for the ecology of the area. In Punjab, only a few years ago, there used to be hillocks around Ropar. The land hungry folks have already flattened most of these. By creating a combination of tiny hillocks and rain water lakes in the “Leisure Valley” of Chandigarh, we can reverse to some extent the effects of climate change in the “Kandi Area” of the State. Harjap Singh Aujla is an American based
water resources expert. |
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DR.
H S Shergill argues forcefully, in his latest and coherent monograph
'Diversification of Cropping Pattern – A Re-examination', IDC, Chandigarh,
2006, that the wheat–paddy rotation is optimal for Punjab and its farmers
and for other stakeholders in Punjab's farm sector like commission agents,
farm labour, transporters and mandi labour. He also questions the rationale
for diversification and its feasibility. But, if the state has been
struggling with the issue of diversification for almost two decades now and
still continues, there must be something robust about the alternatives
proposed that by and large the parties and interest groups of all hues have
endorsed it.
IN
the past few weeks, we have been observing the fury of monsoons in Gujarat,
Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. These are the states, which suffer from
acute shortage of water during the post winter dry months prior to the onset
of monsoon season. A little more scientific planning can help in solving the
problem of repetitive flooding and droughts. All this water, which is
wrecking the lives of the people during deluges, in fact is the most
precious resource of our nation, which needs to be conserved not wasted.
There are ways to do banking in water, but lack of will power and tentative
approach at the federal and state level governments is our bane.