TOPIC FOR GROUP DISCUSSION AND LECTURATE

                           
Fighting Poverty, Hunger and Malnutrition


1.    The bewildering paradox the world over, not excluding India, is that there is enough food, but not all have access to food.  The stark reality is that poverty and food security go together.  As we take pride in knowledge, Society and race at breakneck speed on the Information   Super highway and as we claim to have the entire world at our command, thanks to the internet.  we see at the other end of the spectrum, the piteous spectacle of thousands upon thousands of people leaving scarcity-affected or drought-affected districts in Orissa or Rajasthan for safer sanctuaries within the state or outside.

2.    Most of those affected by natural calamities are either poor or the protest of the poor who don’t have the purchasing power to have the basic nutritious food during normal times, let alone emergencies like natural disasters like floods, cyclone, drought or earthquake.

3.    Our godowns and silos may be overflowing with enough and more stocks of foodgrains and we are inured to talk glibly of surplus foodgrain production.  All the same, there are millions caught in the tentacles of malnutrition and diseases that malnutrition triggers.  Starvation deaths have taken place and do still take place in different areas of plight in Orissa, but the Government takes great pains to deny reports of such deaths.  But the Supreme Court of India has come to the rescue of the starving poor and has asked different States to identify families living below the poverty line (BPL).  If it was Kalahandi in the mid-1980 that was known for its abject poverty, frequent droughts and stark hunger, it was Bolangir’s turn in 2000 to cry for help.  The drought destroyed 80 percent of the crop and virtually dried up all sources of drinking water.  Where on earth do the people have the money to buy food ? Even government statistics admitted that 65 percent of the people in the district are below poverty line and with crops destroyed and  with no work to be found, over a lakh people from Bolangir migrated to other States.
4.    If  it was the ordeal of Bolangir to experience the pangs of hunger in 2000, it was some other district that cried for attention in 2001.  The people of  Orissa are paying a dear price in terms of hunger and starvation for years of neglect by the State Government.
5.    Medieval poverty still reigns supreme in many belts of India’s countryside.  Tribals have built thatched huts in front of the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, capital of Kerala, asking for an end to land alienation and minimum basic needs including food for survival.  Obviously, the poor have become vocal and they can no longer be fed on false promises.

6.    According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), there are 800 million chronically hungry people around the world as we have entered the threshold of the New Millennium.  No doubt, a sizeable number of these hungry are to be found in our own country.  Can we feed the hungry and root out the underlying causes that spawn the vast majority of underfed people ?  The FAO frankly admits that ending hunger is not simply a matter of growing more food.  There is already enough food to feed the world, if only it were distributed equitably.  Unfortunately, it is not.  About 20 percent of the people in the developing world including India struggle to survive on diets that do not provide the basic energy they need to be active and productive.  Raising food production is very important, but that alone is not sufficient.  Four out of five malnourished children in the developing world live in countries that produce surplus food.  The challenge facing us is to see that the food gets into the hands and mouths of those who really need it – the millions of poor, children and women, the most vulnerable group in any community, the isolated rural community and the flotsam and jetsam of natural calamities.

                                            Poverty and Hunger


7.    Statisticians would have us believe that the poverty ratio has declined, but the number of absolute poor remains the same, that is, 32 crores, thanks to our tardy progress in slowing down the population juggernaut.  Bihar has the highest ratio of poor (55 percent) with 50 million below the  poverty line, though second only to Uttar Pradesh with 60 million (41 percent).  Rural poverty is predominant in both the States involving some 95 million people.  The minimum daily wages of farm workers in most of the states in India are less than Rs 60.  When such is the depressing and bleak background, the poor can hope for only hunger and starvation.  Even a square meal a day would remain a pipe dream.  One would only wish if the foodstocks wasted every year is made available to those who are hungry and who cannot afford a morsel of food.  According to the Ministry of Food and Civil Supplies estimates made a few years ago, about ten percent of the total production, that is, 20 tonnes is wasted : either eaten by rodents and insects or spoiled by moisture.

8.    “Thus even as surplus food stocks are pouring out of our granaries, we continue to have hunger and malnutrition in astronomical proportions.  Half of all children are malnourished and one-third of all new borns are of low birth weight because their mothers suffer from anemia.”

9.    But the fundamental question is as to how to raise the purchasing power of the poor so that they can buy the minimum food requirements for themselves and the members of their family.  But the ground situation in rural India is indeed shocking with woebegone farmers committing suicide in different parts of the country on account of crop failure, inability to repay loans or sheer indebtedness.  The same is the plight of handloom weavers and people who depend upon home-based industries and other who depend upon cottage industries.  It is a moot question as to how far globalisation has contributed to the emasculation of  rural economy and more particularly, the agricultural sector.

10.    Food Security is attained when all people, at all times, have the physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to be healthy and active.  The affluent West may not know that hunger is yet another cause of illiteracy, poor enrolment of children in elementary schools and the chronic malaise of child labour.  Decades ago, the Government of Tamil Nadu launched the Midday Meals Scheme for school children to tackle three in one go : to provide nutritious food for needy children, to promote enrolment in elementary school and to tackle child labour.  The pioneering experiment launched by the Tamil Nadu government was subsequently emulated by a few other states.  The Government of India itself launched its own version of Midday Meals for school children on August 15, 1995.  Growing children cannot wait for the state to wake up to its responsibilities : the poor children must be fed at all costs at the right time if they are to survive as healthy children to learn now and contribute their mite to the nation.

                    Anaemic Mothers and Malnourished Children
11.    A recent nationwide survey sponsored by the Ministry of Health has revealed that only seven States – Delhi, Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Punjab and Sikkim – have levels of undernourishment below 20 percent among women.  The situation was worse in Orissa, West Bengal, where nearly one of two women was malnourished – 48 percent and 44 percent respectively.  Among children, almost half of them across the country were forced to be underweight, a clear picture of both short-term and long-term malnutrition.  It was most serious in children aged between one and three years. 

12.    Anaemia, in particular, was found to be highly widespread among women and children.  While, overall 52 percent of women in the age group of 15 to 49 and 74 percent of  young children were anaemic, the problem was most acute in Assam, where nearly seven in ten were anaemic followed by Orissa, West Bengal and Bihar, where the proportion was six in ten.  Anaemia is a major underlying cause for maternal and infant mortality and increased risks of premature delivery and low birth weight among children.

13.    Anaemia is a problem which can be controlled even under the existing socio-economic conditions either through systematic distribution of iron supplements to women and children, or through the fortification suitable items of food with iron.

14.    Let us not forget that malnutrition results not only from poor diets but also from poor environment.  The malnourished section of the population is susceptible to various infections and such infections further aggravate malnutrition.

Breastfeeding For Child Health and Survival

15.    There is no substitute for breastfeeding and a child which is properly breastfed should need no other nutrients during the early stages of infancy.  At birth, the new born infant passes from the warmth and safety of its mother’s womb into a germ-laden world which demands rapid adaptation for survival.  With its first gasp of life, the infant is exposed to chills and infections for which its body is not yet mature enough to fight.  The mother’s milk provides the infant with a variety of immunities and nutrients which, with regular feeding, are sufficient to sustain healthy, normal growth for the first four to six  months. 

16.    Why breast milk is superior to baby food of different kinds?  Breast milk contains different antibodies which protect the child against disease and infection while its own immunities are developing.  Breastfed babies have been found to be less vulnerable to allergies, more responsive to stimulus and less likely to be overweight in later life than those who are artificially fed.  Mothers who breastfeed are said to experience and especially close bonding with their children during the formative years and in later life.  Breastfed infants have been found to be more resistant to diseases like malaria and cholera and viruses like polio.  They are less prone to intestinal and respiratory infections and are less likely to suffer from anaemia and other vitamin deficiencies than are those who are artificially fed.  More than a dozen studies have shown that the vast majority of babies hospitalized with severe diarrhoea and dehydration – majority cause of infant mortality in developing countries – are bottlefed.

Many Faces of Malnutrition

17.    The fundamental causes of malnutrition are to be found in the structure and operation of society.  To be more precise, it is the inability of the social system to provide good health and nutrition.  Malnutrition is but one of many expressions of a deep-seated malaise in society, associated with poverty, lack of involvement, ignorance, and other widespread characteristics of underdevelopment.  The basic cause of malnutrition among the urban poor are the poor income, unemployment and poor housing and sanitation while malnutrition among the rural poor must be traced to the bleak socio-economic factors.

18.    The great majority of malnourished children can and should be treated in their homes.  Home visits and nutrition education in the home are key ingredients.  Nutrition treatment can never be isolated.  Most malnourished patients also suffer from associated diseases, among which diarrhoea, respiratory and urinary infections are the most common, and must be taken care of.  Diagnosis of malnutrition by lay personnel can easily be done through the use of weight and height .  A combination of weight for age and weight for height gives, for all practical purposes, a sufficient degree of accuracy to identify malnourished children.  Nutrition cannot be separated from health, and any nutrition programme has to have a very heavy health component.  There is nothing called pure nutrition.  One has to take a holistic approach.  Environmental sanitation and more particularly the supply of potable water to the home, latrines, health education, immunization, are among the health activities that bear upon improved nutrition.  Likewise, the adoption of the small family norm, too, has a bearing on the nutritional status of the family and society.

19.    All said and done, we have to approach the problems of hunger, starvation and malnutrition in a pragmatic, way, recognizing that all the three problems do exist at the beginning of the 21st century .  Neither then powers-that-be nor the people  can run away from realities.  We can’t  window-dress our flaws and failures by our vaunted achievements in science and technology or information technology.  Any subtle attempt to camouflage the evil in a bid to present a façade of false publicity will boomerang on us.  Let us face facts.  When we admit there are millions of poor in our country, we have also to recognize that there is hunger, starvation and malnutrition that are caused by poverty or that are caused by our inept handling of poverty- alleviation programmes.  The crux of the matter is that garibi hatao has been an alluring slogan for political parties and politicians to help swell their vote banks while the population of the poor, the hungry, the starving and the malnourished has been on the rise just because the marginalized segment of society receive no more than lip service from those who are supposed to give them either the means to earn honest daily bread or at least a square meal a day.

Bureaucracy : Downsizing


1.    We have been hearing a lot about downsizing of the government or, to be more precise, to cut down the staff strength.  It is well known that the cliché. “Too many cooks spoil the broth”, is more applicable to the Indian bureaucracy than to any other group of people.  More people, less work and more delay.  In most organisation it has been seen that more than 70 percent of the budget goes as salary and very little funds are available to secure the objective of the organisation for which such a large work force is recruited.  This is invariably the case with most of the Central and State-level organizations.

2.    In the wake of economic liberalization, youngsters in many of the MNCs and well known private firms were paid hefty pay packets commensurate with their qualifications, quality of output and laborious work.  In the course of the several meetings preparatory to the submission of the Fifth Pay Commission Report, top bureaucrats in the Government of India pleaded with the Commission that they felt a bit odd, despite their commanding status, to deal with CEOs of different companies since the IAS officers’ monthly pay packet was thinner than that of the CEOs.  An obliging Gujral Government hiked the pay to an all-time high, but left out all other recommendations of the Pay Commission such as quality of work, accountability, etc.  Consequently, bureaucracy in India still remains the same steelframe of the British days, impervious to the sensitivities of the public, dilatory in tactics and trapping the poor public in the blind alleys of red tape.  The poor ordinary citizen is at the mercy of both petty babus and unapproachable high officials.  The colonial mindset still reigns supreme from the village office to the Central Secretariat or the other Departments in Delhi.  What is the guarantee that downsizing will ensure better quality and accountability in government departments ?  While addressing a full-fledged meeting of District Collectors, Heads of Departments and Secretaries of different departments in Thiruvananthapuram the other day.  Mr AK Antony, the Chief Minister of Kerala openly admitted that he was not getting the cooperation of most of the officials in implementing different programmes.  More or less the same sentiments were aired by the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Mr SM Krishna about his officials at a meeting a few weeks later.  If the Chief Minister cannot make the officials ‘behave’, who else can?  Not the poor chap who had to visit the RTO office thirty times in two years to get the registration of his vehicle changed, and still being asked to come on another day.  He knows he cannot afford to antagonize the babus howsoever times he may be asked to visit their office.

3.    Since Independence, the performance of bureaucracy has staggered from bad to worse, with the officials having no dedication to work, accountability or work culture.  A microscopic minority of officials who still retain qualities of honesty, dedication, hard work, make the government machinery run.

4.    It is high time that the Vajpayee government infused a much-needed work culture, involvement, dedication, efficiency, discipline, accountability and sensitivity to the problems of the people in the officials at all levels.  Similar steps need to be taken by the State Governments, too.  Officials on their part should feel that they are part of the people and should not sit in ivory towers looking down upon the millions who eagerly look for a better quality of life.  The people have been struggling for the basic necessities of life like drinking water , minimum sanitation, health care, education, housing and two square meals a day; the fact that they are not getting these even after more than five decades of Independence shows that the administration has failed them and in this the bureaucracy at all levels must share the blame for non-governance and the failure to deliver the goods.  It is not that things are not available at reasonable cost, but it is gross mismanagement that has made even basic things beyond the reach of the people.  When one Dr Varghese Kurien, who was conferred the life time “ Excellence Award”, from The Economic Times this year, for making India the No 1 milk producer in the world, can’t the officialdom in India, take a leaf out of the book of this great genius and make India No 1 in every field ?

A Decade of Economic Reforms

1.    Economic reforms are not an end in itself.  Its success is appraised on the whetstone of whether it has been able to better the quality of life of all the people for whom the reforms are meant.  While one school of opinion avers that effects of reforms on the overall population of India will be slow and steady, critics fear that reforms have made the rich richer and the poor poorer.

2.    The reforms were launched at a time when in the words of Mr Manmohan Singh, “it was recognized that the old economic instruments had become instruments of harassment, delay and corruption and had to be changed.  “ We had almost reached the nadir what with an acute balance of payments crisis and a total depletion of forex reserves.  Now ten years later, none cribs of a forex crisis and we have bounced back despite the US sanctions and the Asian meltdown.  We can be proud of trade reforms, abolition of licensing, opening up of industries to the private sector, financial reforms and the like.

3.    The changes are more perceptible in our urban landscape where owners of two-wheelers have switched over to Maruti, Santro, Sumo and Qualis, and a few to still higher Benz, Ford Ikon and more sleek brands.  As sleek cars zip through six lanes and highways, a communication revolution has removed the hassles in business and lent more punch in the entertainment world : cellphones, credit cards, Internet, E-mail, WAP, satellite  channels, etc.  A rise in salaries can be had for the asking with a virtual revolution in information technology.  Nowadays you talk only in terms of packages : tourism package, salary package.  While the famous Dal Lake in Kashmir has been lost to terrorists, the loss of Kashmir has been the gain of Kerala with the old country boats modified and decked up as houseboats to take tourists on the vast lakes and backwaters.

4.    There was, indeed, a change in the mindset ; those who are willing to take risk can make money.  In other words, there is a reward for enterprise.  India’s economic liberalization has coincided with a technological revolution too, and the small computer is fast changing Indian society.  There is empowerment for those who dare.

5.    A bit of statistics that must boost our morale : during the last ten years forex reserves have risen from less than $1 billion in June 1991 to over $44 billion now.  From 140 percent of forex reserves in 1991, short-term debt is 14 percent now.  Our astounding success has been in forex reserves and debt management.

6.    But the miserably poor performance in a variety of fields and affects the common man has overshadowed our gains.  Reforms have tended to bypass agriculture, the backbone of our rural economy.  As grain stocks are eaten away by rodents or just rot away in our godowns and silos, people die of starvation.  The Supreme Court has to  intervene (August 20, 2001) following a petition by People’s Union of Civil Liberties directing the Government to provide food to the starving populace.  The decade of liberalization has witnessed the maximum number of suicides by farmers in Punjab, Vidarbha, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.  In the  euphoria immediately after the launching of liberalization, people talked of agribusiness.  But you can’t probably talk of Kentucky Chicken Fry to those who cannot afford a single rice gruel a day.  How on earth can you talk about agribusiness to those who have lost all the crops due to the vagaries of climate or the use of a certain pesticide ?

7.    Even a big industrialist like Mukesh Ambani feels that reforms can succeed only if we go in for what he calls “social renewal” in the rural hinterland.  Swami Vivekananda used to say that you can’t lecture on God to daridranarayana (the poor).  For the hungry stomach, a morsel of food is God.    Likewise, economic reforms have no meaning when we cannot provide schools, midday meals for poor children, minimum health care for all sanitation, safe drinking water and power for domestic, agricultural and industrial needs.

8.    Years ago the Lok Sabha declared : “The basic criterion for determining the lines of advance must not be private profit but social gain, and that the  pattern of development and structure of  socio-economic relations should be so planned that they result not only in appreciable increase in national income and employment, but also in greater equality in incomes and wealth.”  Is the present pace of liberalization fulfilling this criterion ?

9.    Let us not miss the message of those hundreds and thousands of protestors who have been converging on several global meets in the last two years to focus on the ill-effects of globalisation.  The spirit of their opposition to a “faceless” globalisation is more applicable to India than any other country.  India has still to go a long way to provide the minimum needs of the people.  To illustrate one salient point: the fact we have the largest child labour force in the world speaks volumes for our failure on two fronts : failure to check the birth rate and failure to universalize elementary education.  And worse still, for the vast majority of poor, even education is a luxury when they cannot afford to provide a square meal a day.  You can’t fill a leaking pitcher with water any more than you cannot build an economic superstructure on weak social foundations.

Unbridled Migration in India : A Big Security Threat


1.    “To be always ready a man must be able to cut a knot, for everything cannot be untitled”.  Just because  we did not care and see through a problem assuming alarming proportions over the past three decades, the problem of illegal migrants in India has now become a knotty problem.  The Group of Ministers (GoM), in its report on reforming the national security system made public on May 23, 2001, has, among other things, devoted a chapter to internal security, expressing grave concern over the large-scale illegal migration from Bangladesh.  The report says that the law and order problems of the North-Eastern region have staggered from bad to worse with the influx of an estimated 12 million Bangladeshis since 1971.  Politically the Bangladeshi migrants are in a position to influence results of the elections in about 32 percent of the constituencies in Assam, says the report.

2.    “Illegal migrants are not only confined to the North-Eastern States and adjoining states such as West Bengal and Bihar, but  have spread to far off states like Tamil Nadu, Maharastra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Delhi.  According to the GoM report “there are about 15 million Bangladeshis, 2.2 million Nepalese, 70,000 Sri Lankan Tamils and about 1,00,000 Tibetan migrants” in India.

3.    “There is an all-round failure in India, to come to grips with the problem of illegal immigration,” says the report.

4.    We have over the years developed the habit of letting a problem fester to such an extent that it becomes intractable in course of time.  The classic example is our bungling of the Kashmir issue that now threatens to bring India and Pakistan to the nuclear flashpoint and has caused several conflicts including the on-going proxy war resulting in bloodshed of innocent populace as also military and para-military personnel.  One can never compute the cost – in terms of social and economic losses and the huge defence expenditure involved.  None knows the numbers of those killed and injured, the families ruined, the number of women who have become widows and the number of  children who have become orphans.  And lakhs of Pandits have fled from the valley of fear never to return to their home and hearth.  Kashmir is, indeed, a product of indecision, bungling, procrastination and myopic vision.  Should we allow the problem of illegal migrants to assume the proportions of another Kashmir at a time when we do not have so friendly relations with most of our neighbours.  We saw in April 2001 when our BSF jawans were mutilated and killed by a “friendly” neighbour in whose creation many of our jawans had to sacrifice their lives.  And the Bangladesh Government was dilly-dallying to have border delineation  talks to settle the 6.5 km disputed border (out of a total over 4000 km border)  despite numerous requests by India.  It was only in July- August that Indo-Bangla talks for settlement of border were resumed in New Delhi and later in Dhaka, but with no tangible results.  In the recent palace massacre in Nepal, too, anti-India feelings were whipped up for no rhyme and reason.  There are enough red signals and let us take care in the interests of our own internal security.

5.    Bangladesh has steadfastly denied that its citizens cross over to India, but the country’s census figures tell a different story of the missing millions.  Sharifa Begum, a demographer at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies in Dhaka, calculated that nearly 3.5 million people “disappeared” from East Pakistan between 1951 and 1961 probably as a result of partition.  She indicated that another 1.5 million may have entered India between 1961 and 1974.  Another fact kept under wraps is that a quarter of the 10 million refugees who came to India during the 1971 Bangladesh war of liberation probably did not go home.

6.    The problem of illegal migration has become complicated by the fact that the 4,069 km Indo-Bangladesh border is largely unnatural and  consequently, porous.  The fencing has been completed only in respect of a distance of only 841 km so far.

7.    The then Home Minister in the United Front government, the late, Mr  Indrajit Gupta, made a shocking revelation in the Lok Sabha on May 6, 1997 that the Government estimated the number of illegal migrants at nearly one crore !  The Intelligence Bureau estimated the number of illegal immigrants in 1998 at 1.1 crore, with the greatest concentration in West Bengal and Assam.  In 1992, an internal note prepared by the Union Home Ministry feared the unchecked flow of illegal migrants from Bangladesh could have changed the demographic profile of the eastern border States.  The Census figures till 1991 forebode the calamity in the making.  In West Bengal, for example, border districts such as Nadia, North 24 Parganas, Mirshidabad, Malda and Jalpaiguri witnessed a population growth of 15 and 20 percent during 1981-91, whereas the interior districts recorded only 6 to 8 percent growth over the same period.  The impact of illegal immigration has been equally profound in Assam.  From 1891 till Independence the State’s population grew at around 20 percent each decade.  It shot upto 35 percent between 1951 and 1971, and now touched 53 percent.  Here is the wry remark of the All Assam Students’ Union Pesident : “We used to say Assam is an integral part of India, but  now we should be saying it is an integral part of Bangladesh.”

8.    According to the Union Home Ministry sources, the number of Bangladeshi immigrants in Assam is 40,00,000, 54,00,000 in West Bengal,8,00,000 in Tripura, 5,00,000 in Bihar, 3,00,000 in Delhi and 50,000 each in Rajasthan and Maharastra.

9.    Many Assamese feel betrayed that by signing the Assam accord the Central Government made all Bangladeshi nationals who entered India before  1971, Indian citizens.  The illegal Migrants (Determination Tribunals) Act, 1983 was passed by parliament, the critics say, against the will of the people of Assam, and the Tribunals set up under the said act served no purpose.

10.    The Supreme Court of India, too, has expressed fears that the unchecked migration of Bangladeshi citizens to India might pose a threat to both the economy and security of the country.  During the  last week of February  2001, a bench comprising Chief Justice A.S. Anand, Justice R.C Lahoti and  Justice Brijesh Kumar observed that these illegal migrants “are eating into the economy of the country and, to a large extent, have become a security threat,” while hearing a public interest petition filed by lawyer, Mr O.P. Saxena, seeking a direction to the government to stop the menace of illegal migration of foreign citizens into the country.

11.    The supreme Court Bench said that the government needed to take exemplary steps like deporting some of the illegal migrants.  Till such steps were taken, there would be no stop to this kind of migration from the neighbouring country.  The apex court criticised the Union Government for not taking any step to curb the influx.  “If this is not checked, the problem will go on aggravating,” the apex court observed.

12.    The Solicitor-General, Mr Harish Salve said that the main stumbling block to stopping the influx was the illegal Migrants (Determination Tribunals) Act 1983, operating in Assam which gave a long rope to the migrants to stay on in India.  Mr Salve said that both the State Government and the Centre were of the opinion that the Act was discriminatory  and had to be repealed, but there is no consensus on the issue of repealing.  And the NDA Government, bereft of majority in Rajya Sabha, cannot repeal the Act.  But look at Indian politics!  The new Congress Chief Minister of Assam, Mr Tarun Gogoi, has opposed the repeal of  IMDT, saying that it would prove counter productive.  He even plans to move Supreme Court in this regard.  He is also opposed to PM Vajpayee’s proposal to issue work permits to Bangladeshi workers.  Meanwhile, the center proposes to fence the entire length of the Indo-Bangladesh border by March 2007.  Whether they will be able to meet this deadline remains to be seen.  It depends whether Awami League under Sheikh Hasina comes to power in October 1, 2001 Parliamentary Elections or Begum Zia’s BNP.

13.    The warning given by the Supreme Court of India in February 2001 and the observation of the GoM on internet security, with particular reference to the menace of illegal migrants, have to be given the importance they merit.  The entire North-East has become a seething cauldron on account of persistent insurgency; the problem of illegal migrants has further compounded the misery of the people.  If the menace is not tackled right now, it will destroy the political, economic and social stability of not only the North-East, but of the entire country.
Air Pollution


1.    At the threshold of the New Millennium, mankind is left with only two choices : a slow lingering death or a sudden death as Nature and Mother Earth have started reacting violently to man’s steady, callous and ruthless destruction of the ecosystem that supports all forms of life.  At long last Nemesis has overtaken us as we stopped hearing the alarm bells in the course of our so-called progress that saps the very foundations that support civilization.

2.    The doomsday is nearer than what we had initially feared.  Fear of impending doom brought the nations of the world at Kyoto in 1997 to take stock of the climate changes brought about by global warming and ozone depletion, all caused by air pollution, and take remedial measures.  Nothing fails like failure and failure has been daunting all the Kyoto Protocol meetings since then just because most industrialized nations, particularly the United States, were not willing to match their platitudinous sermons with sincere action to cut down greenhouse emissions.  At the last International Meet on Climate Change held in Bonn in July 2001, an imperfect deal was struck to salvage the Kyoto protocol with the world’s biggest polluter opting out of the protocol.

Bhopal Gas Tragedy Still Lives On

3.    Sixteen years on, the scars of the Bhopal gas tragedy, the worst industrial pollution in history, still remain on the psyche and society.  The mammoth disaster snuffed out the lives of over 3000 people in the eerie quiet on the night of December 2 and 3, 1984, leaving thousands upon thousands disabled for life and hundreds orphaned and widowed.  For lakhs of citizens, life had to be started anew on the debris of a sudden calamity.  It all started when on the dreadful night routine maintenance operations in the methyl isocyanate (MIC)  plant of the pesticide factory of the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL), the Indian subsidiary of the multinational, Union Carbide Corporation, went haywire and a large volume of water entered a storage tank containing sixty tones of toxic gas.  This set off an abnormal rise in the temperature and pressure inside the tank, resulting in the release of a lethal mixture of MIC, hydrogen cyanide, monoethylamine and other chemicals into the  Bhopal environment.  The Capital of Madhya Pradesh was in the icy grip of death as a northerly wind carried close to 40 tones of chemical fumes across 40 sq km.

4.    The fallout of Bhopal gas disaster is said to have claimed a toll of another 16,000 deaths in subsequent years as a result of the after-effects of gas poisoning.  It was estimated that more than 5,00,000 persons suffered injuries in the aftermath of the gas tragedy and that exposure-related complications claim 10 to 15 lives every month.  Breathlessness, diminished vision, loss of appetite, recurrent fever, persistent cough, neurological disorders, fatigue, weakness, anxiety and depression are common symptoms among the survivors.

5.    Girls who had been exposed to the gas as infants had painful menstrual cycle on attaining puberty.  Several girls have three to four cycles in a month, and there are girls in their late teens who have not yet attained puberty.  There have been a few cases where women who had developed disorders of the reproductive system have been deserted by their  husbands.

6.    If it was India’s ordeal to suffer the worst form of industrial pollution, it was the fate of the former Soviet Union to suffer the world’s worst nuclear disaster during peacetime.  Reactor No 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear complex in Ukraine in the former Soviet Union exploded on April 26, 1986, killing 31 workers instantaneously, with thousands of Ukrainians dying since or suffering from thyroid cancer or leukemia directly associated with the radioactivity spread by the explosion.  The Chernobyl plant was shut down in December 2000.

Air Pollutants

7.    The term “air pollutant” generally connotes the  contamination of the ambient air by substances that are released into the atmosphere as a result of human activities.  Air pollution affects the health of human beings and plants.  Norms for the quality of the ambient air fix the limits of the three main pollutants, viz, carbon monoxide, the hydrocarbons and the nitrogenous oxides.  The problem of air pollution has been rendered acute by the industrial revolution, the consequent increase in the production of organic chemicals, the increasing use of fossil fuels and the automobile boom.  Runaway urbanization, with larger and larger number of people residing in limited geographical areas, has heightened the problem of pollution.

8.        Air pollution occurs in solid form (e.g. dust or soot particles), as drops (e.g. sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, etc).  Increasingly, high contents of carbon monoxide are present during rush hour in all major cities in countries where the automobile is more and more in use.  Lead is emitted in exhaust gases owing to the increasingly common practice of adding tetraethyl lead to motor fuel.  Carbon monoxide forms an important percentage of exhaust gases from combustion.  High motor vehicle density often results in considerable contents of carbon monoxide in the ambient air.  Its incidence is the highest during peak traffic hours.

9.    The Central Pollution Control Board maintains records of atmospheric pollution levels in most of our cities.  Available data show that the pollution level in most of the cities has reached such a stage as to be detrimental to the health of the people.  With greater awareness among all concerned, emission norms for new vehicles have been made more stringent and unleaded petrol is now available in more cities and pollution check of all vehicles has been made compulsory in most of the cities.  Perhaps, Mumbai took the lead in this respect as early as in mid –80’s when the transport authorities reframed the Mumbai Motor Vehicles Rules imposing restrictions on emission levels.  According to the rules framed in 1985, any vehicle emitting more than 3 percent of carbon monoxide was liable to be forced out of the road.  For old vehicles, the  limit was 4.5 percent.  According to a study conducted in 1985, the gross quantity of pollutants in Mumbai’s atmosphere every day was estimated at over 1,500 tonnes.

10.    In curbing atmospheric pollution, the Supreme Court of India has done what the Executive couldn’t do all these years in the areas of both industrial pollution and automobile pollution.  On October 8, 1993, the Supreme Court directed the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) to inspect the Mathura Refinery to determine whether satisfactory pollution control devices had been installed by it in order to save the Taj Mahal from decay.  On March 11, 1994, the Supreme Court ordered the closure of 11 small and medium industries located in the “Taj trapezium” for discharging toxic effluents into the Yamuna and for not installing air pollution control devices to save the Taj Mahal from turning yellow.

11.    On April 29, 1999, the Supreme Court advanced the deadline for meeting the year 2000 norms on auto emission (called Euro I) from that set by the Government in  a gazette notification (April 1, 2000) by almost a year.  The apex court’s decision was based on the report of the Bhure Lal Committee constituted by the Court on January 7, 1999.  A few months before in July 1998, the apex court issued an order directing the  conversion of the entire diesel-run bus fleet of the National Capital into the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) mode by March 31, 2001.  The non-compliance of this order by both the Delhi Government and bus owners created chaotic conditions in Delhi early in 2001.

12.    The experiment  with CNG in Delhi has been successful since at one important traffic intersection which sees a lot of bus traffic, the levels of carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and suspended particulate matter have come down significantly.  The crux of the matter is the long queues for CNG and the great hardships to which commuters have been put since the Delhi Government has failed to provide the infrastructure needed to supply CNG at the  pace required by the vast number of vehicle owners.  As it is it may take a long time before the transport system in the city, already in a total mess, becomes normal in terms of providing a pollution-free and hassle-free service.

Industrial Pollution

13.    The industrialization of Delhi has been haphazard.  In 1951, there were merely 8,000 industries and by 1996, the number of industries had grown to a mind-boggling 125,000.  According to the  Central Pollution units in Delhi in 1996.  The three thermal power plants located at Indraprastha Estate, Rajghat and Badarpur contribute 16 percent of the air pollution.  The total quantity of fly ash coming from the three power plants is about 6,000 tonnes per day.  The fly ash is generally disposed of in ash ponds.  These, located near the river, tend to overflow, particularly during monsoon.  The efforts made by the Supreme Court to get the polluting units relocated far away was resented by both the employees and the employers, but the apex court has to take a stand when the Executive failed to act on time and especially when it was a  fundamental question to afeguard the health of  the people, exposed to steady air pollution as a result of unplanned industrialization.

Act Now Before It Is Too Late

14.    Climate change has now become a hard-headed reality and according to the prognostications of the UN Inter-governmental Penal on Climate Change (IPCC), global average temperatures could rise between 1.4 degree centigrade and 5.8 degree centigrade over the next century.  It would mean more droughts, the disappearance of coral reefs, the melting of glaciers and the extinction of species.  For many small island countries it could be an ordeal of death by drowning.  Take the case of Maldives comprising 1,180 islands in the Indian Ocean ; eighty percent of these islands sits less than 3 feet above the water’s surface.  If ever the sea level rises, the entire Maldives could vanish, Atlantis-like, into the sea.  For countries such as Maldives, the Solomon Islands, Samoa, Fiji and others,  even a small rise in the world’s sea levels could mean not just national catastrophe and even extinction.

15.    A 35-nation Alliance of Small Island States is asking the industrialized countries including the  USA to go for a 20 percent cutback from 1990 levels by 2005.  Influenced by the lobby of the corporate world, the USA  is least prepared to oblige the small island nations as is evident from its decision to stay out of the Kyoto Protocol meeting in Bonn in July 2001.  The IPCC has already predicted that by 2100, sea levels could rise anywhere from six inches to three feet.  Maldivians have begun to prepare for the worst.  While the total submersion of Maldives would take a century or more, the consequences in the meantime would be grave.  So with the help of a $30-million grant from Japan, the Maldives is building a 9-foot high concrete wall around Male to protect it.  Other islands have already been ringed with breakwaters.  The government has banned most coral mining because the stony skeletons act as a natural barrier.  Back home, India, too, needs to adopt a holistic approach towards economic development without destroying the life support system that sustains human life.  There is no denying that we have to better the quality of life for all citizens, but any kind of development has to see that it does not create fresh problems while addressing the development issues of the country.  We have our pollution control boards at the Centre and in the States and the ever vigilant vocal NGO groups who aren’t afraid of taking the issue to the courts if the governments are found to be less vigilant in protecting the environment.  Eternal vigilance is the only way by which we can save our natural heritage.


                                POPULATION EXPLOSION

1.    Although confronted with innumerable problems, the population growth poses the gravest threat to the development of the country.  Bigoted beliefs of the orthodox Indians and the inefficient political set-up have contributed to the problem.  This has led to a rise in unemployment among the youth.  The cities have become the refuge of people migrating from the villages.  To feed the teeming millions, technology was upgraded but this resulted in pollution of the environment.  The BIMARU states have posed a grave problem for India.  The high rate of population could soon make us the most populous state of the world. Population control necessitates empowering the women.  NGOs should work with the govt to achieve the targets.

2.    With every passing year, India adds 17 million people to its already teeming population. If the current trend remains unchecked, by 2050 India would become the most populated country, with an estimated population of around 1.62 billion.  The country’s population rose from 345 million at the time of independence to a whopping 846 million in1991. India accounts for only 2.4 per cent of the world’s land area which is inhabited by 16 per cent of the world’s population.  Although India is confronted with a myriad of problems, the extraordinary growth of population has posed a grave threat to its sustenance.  It has put a pressure on the infrastructure and the economy of the country, apart from the environment, primary health care and sanitation. During the infamous Emergency, coercion to meet the alleged sterilization quotas was resorted to but it failed in its objectives.  Education and convenient contraceptive choices are found to be more effective in controlling population growth.

3.    The rapid population growth has been witnessed because of the orthodox beliefs held by the Indians.  The bigoted belief that children are the blessings of God and any effort by man to challenge Him would mean the invitation of His wrath, has led to the population growth.  More children means more hands to supplement the family income.  They somehow ignore the fact that it also means more children to feed and clothe.  After independence, concerted efforts to implement family planning programmes were not undertaken.  Even after fifty odd years of independence, total literacy among the masses has not been achieved.  According to a survey conducted by a Non-governmental Organisation called Arth in Udaipur, less than one per cent of the young couples in rural Rajasthan use contraceptives.  Early marriage of girls results in motherhood at the tender age of 16.  Education leads to awareness, but in many states the educational system, along with the bureaucracy, has become perpetually non-existent.  The political setup in India being unaccountable to the people, has made the politicians apathetic towards the plight of the citizens.

4.    The implications of the population growth are being witnessed in the alarming growth of unemployment.  The country has failed to generate new employment opportunities in proportion to the growth of population.  This has created undue pressure on the land and has resulted in the migration of people from the villages to the cities and town.  Poverty has forced them to seek refuge in slums and eke out a livelihood in a foreign land and live in inhuman conditions.  The slums lack the basic amenities of potable water, health care and sanitation.  India has been able to achieve self sufficiency in agricultural yield at the expense of its future.  According to Paul Ehrlich, a renowned biologist, “they (India) managed to up their grain production by throwing away their soil and their underground water, and that makes the long term situation worse.  He believes that in a country with teeming population, technology does not solve any problem, it merely postpones them.  The forest cover in India has been drastically reduced to give way to new residential areas, posing an ecological imbalance.  Pollution has further deteriorated the ecological balance and is the next big threat after population.

5.    On observing the demographic pattern of the different states of India, some interesting features emerge.  States down south, viz. Kerala, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Goa and Andhra Pradesh, have shown a significant drop in birth rates, while the states lying in the cow-belt show birth rates higher than the na;tional average.  These comprise Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, also called the BIMARU states, so labeled by India’s renowned demographer, Ashish Bose.  These four states contribute 40 percent of India’s population, 42 per cent of the population growth and 48 per cent of the illiterate class.  According to the Population Projections for India and States 1996-2016,India would be able to achieve the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of around 2.1 only in 2026 AD.  The BIMARU states would reach the target in 2039, 2060, 2048 and 2100 respectively.




6.    Kerala is one state which has achieved its targets, comparable with some of the developed countries of the world.  The female literacy rate is above 90 per cent, infant mortality rate around 13 per 1000 live birth, male lift expectancy of over 70 years and a population growth rate of just 1.2 per cent per year.  All these targets have been achieved despite the fact that the state’s per capita income is lower than that of the economically advanced states like Gujarat, Haryana and the Punjab.  The state has made considerable efforts to improve its education system.  It has allocated state funds to educate the people in masses.  By achieving the highest literacy level the women have become aware of their responsibilities as the citizens of India.  Most of them have adopted the ‘small family’ system for themselves.  The state of Kerala has also been able to eradicate child labour through its policy of mass education.  If all the states follow the example set by Kerala, India would be able to control its growing population in a less time than planned.

7.    The high rate of population growth has thwarted the efforts towards development of the country, both in the urban and the rural sectors.  The alarming rate of crime is also the result of the population explosion.  The baby boom has resulted in a scramble for admissions to schools and universities.  Long queues before fair price shops and railway reservation booths are the results of the growing population.  After graduating from universities people find it difficult to secure a job.  Darwin’s theory of the ‘survival of the fittest’ can be witnessed when people resort to nepotism or bribery to secure a job.  Political instability in the country has pushed the important issue of population growth to the background.  If efforts are not made to control the growing population, by the first quarter of the next century we would reach the one billion mark and gain the distinction of being the most populous country in the world.
8.    Population control in India should not be undertaken as family planning alone.  States of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are vehemently working towards empowering the women by launching several social welfare programmes.  The Non-Governmental Organisations are working for the emancipation of the rural women.  The evil of child marriage in India which has contributed to the increase in population as well as marred the health of the mother and children, should be done away with.  Orthodox families profaning population control, should be made to understand the benefits of keeping their families small.  They should be made to understand, that since they consider the child as a blessing of god, efforts should be made to secure a good future for all the children alike.  The Govt of India should make it mandatory for all its employees to adopt the ‘small family system.  Benefits of free schooling and medical aid to the children should be provided to the parents adopting this scheme.  Allocation of ration benefiting only two children of the family should be made.  Simultaneously, steps to make India a totally literate state should also be taken.  Only a literate country can march forward towards new goals or we would be plagued by the evils of the population growth.  Efforts if delayed, could be pernicious for the country.   




                CONSITITUTION OF INDIA
                AT A GLANCE

Introduction

1.    The constitution of India was framed by a Constituent Assembly  consisting of  representative of the people of India.  There had been a demand for such an Assembly for a long time in British India.  It was during first World War that a few advanced Indian Nationalist demanded that the people of India should be given right of framing constitution by themselves. However the Indian claim was not conceded by the British Government.  During the second World War British government in order to win confidence of the Congress promised Dominion status to India in August 1940.  This declaration was known as “August Offer”.  Again in 1942 Sir Stafford Cripps was sent to India by the Government of England to solve the problem in India.  The plan presented by the Mission in 1942 was rejected by all Indian parties in totality.  In 1944 Lard Wavell, the then Viceroy of India presented  a plan in June 1945.  According to this plan the executive council of viceroy was to be reorganized with representation of Congress, Muslim League and the untouchables.  But Wavell plan failed .

2.    To remove this political stagnation in India, in March 1946 a “Cabinet Mission” consisting of three members of British parliament under the chairmanship of Lord Patrick Lawrence was sent to India by Lord Attlee. The mission had discussion with Indian leaders.  It presented its report in May 1946.  This plan rejected the demand for Pakistan.  The Muslim league members refused to take part .  The cabinet mission plan failed because Muslim League did not accept it.

3.     The constituent Assembly was constituted under the chairmanship of Dr Rajendera Prasad on 11 Dec 1946.  The objective of constituent Assembly were :-

(a)     India was to be an independent sovereign republic in which both British India and the Princely state to be included.

(b)     All authority and power of the state was to be derived from the people who were to be guaranteed freedom of economic and political justice, equality of status and opportunity before law.

(c)     The minorities and backward and tribal people were to be provided adequate safeguard.


The Indian Independence Act 1947

4.    In March 1947, Lord Mountbatten  was appointed Governor General in place of Lord Wavell. The Indian Independence Act, 1947 based on the Mountbatten plan was passed by the British parliament in July 1947.  This Act formed two separate state called India and Pakistan. Mountbatten while making his plan, declared  that India should be declared Independent on 15 August 1947 instead of June 1948 as declared earlier by Lord Atlee.  So the two nation theory of Muslim League was accepted at last.  In accordance with the Indian Independence  Act of 1947 the Constituent Assembly became a sovereign body.  It appointed Lord Louis Mountbatten as the first Governor General and Jawahar Lal Nehru as the first Prime Minister of India.  The constitution was adopted on November 26, 1949 and it came into effect on January 26, 1950.

5.     There are 395 Articles in the original constitution divided into 22 parts (Sections) and 9 schedule.

Preamble of the Indian Constitution

6.     Preamble of the Constitution is 'Soul' of the constitution.  The Supreme Court has said in a Judgement that if any provision of the Constitution is vague or ambiguous then the help of the preamble may be taken.

7.    Some of the characteristic of the preamble are as follows :-


(a)     Final power rests with the people:    The word of the preamble, “We the people of India”,  “ Adopt , Enact and give to ourselves”, give a stress on the point that the Indian Constitution was enacted and adopted by the Indian people themselves.

    (b)     India is a sovereign, socialist, secular, Democratic Republic:    The word socialist and secular was added by the 42nd amendment in 1976.

India is a fully sovereign state ; and did away with the dominion status of India and made India fully sovereign as France or USA. Thus independent India became fully independent in deciding her internal or external policy.

(ii)    India     is a socialist state ; The word socialist was not there before 42nd amendment act 1976 was passed. The word “Economic Justice” sought to give effect to the idea of socialism. It implies that a state will act for social and economic development.

(iii)    India is a secular state ; Added by 42nd amendment, this implies that state will not recognize any religion as the state
religion. Every indl was given freedom to religious practice in Art 25 –28.

There exist democratic government in India; In the Preamble establishing a Democratic government has been envisaged. In democracy people choose their ruler. Rulers can remain in power as long as they remain in confidence of the people. In India  representative government has been established. People elect their representative. The word Democracy denotes not only political democracy but economic and social democracy as well.

(v)     India is a Republic.  Democracy exist in two forms in the world :-

(aa)     Monarchial Democracy - Head is King e.g. Japan and England

(ab)     Republican Democracy - President is elected.



(c)     Five Objectives :-

(i)     Justice : Social, Economics and political.

(ii)     Equality of status and opportunity.

(iii)     Liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship.

(iv)     Fraternity.

(v)     National Integrity.

8.     Preamble is not integral part of the constitution.  It is not backed by any legal sanction.  So the government is not bound  by law to enforce the provision of the preamble.  The Judiciary cannot enforce it.  It is simple an ideal that will inspire the government to fulfill the aspirations of the present and future generation.

Salient Features of the Constitution.

9.    Detailed and voluminous constitution of India have many salient features with detailed description of Fundamental Rights of citizen. Directive principle of state and organization and function of the Executive. Legislature and the judiciary of the Union and the state government.  There are 395 Articles, 22 Section and 9 Schedule. Some of the salient feature of the constitution are as follows :-

Detailed and Voluminous constitution :    There are 395 Art in the original constitution divided into 22 sections and 9 schedules. The constitution becomes so voluminous because of detailed description of the fundamental rights of citizen, directive principle of state policy and the organization and function of the executive legislature and the judiciary of the union and the state government.

Establishes federal government :    All feature of federal government exists. They are

i.    Firstly Indian constitution is written and rigid.
ii.    Secondly power has been clearly divided between centre and the state.

iii.    Thirdly an Independent Supreme Court has been established to settle dispute between centre and state or between state.

The supreme court has been given power to reject the legislation which is against the provision of the constitution.

(c)    Tendency towards unitary form of government.

(d)     Parliamentary form of government :    Usually in a federal form of government there is Presidential system. The President, the highest executive is elected by the people. He holds all the executive powers. He s not responsible to legislature of the state. This system prevails in the USA. There the President is very powerful. In India the President is the head of the state but he is elected in an indirect way. Unlike the American President he does not Govern himself. He is like the monarch of England.  

Secular state.

Combination of rigidity and flexibility : Unlike American constitution some Art can be amended by simple majority.

Single citizenship :    Usually in a federal country dual citizenship is essential which implies that an indl is a citizen of the country as also of the constituent state which he belongs to. Thus a person obtain double citizenship. But in India there is single citizenship. State can not grant citizenship.

Fundamental Rights.

Fundamental duties.

Directive Principle of State Policy.  This is taken from Irish constitution.  Unlike the Fundamental Rights the directive Principles are not right of the citizens.  In other wards the Directive Principles are beyond the purview of the Judiciary.

Independent Judiciary : Indian Judiciary is completely free from executive or legislative influence. It is due to this that Judiciary is functioning impartially and successfully.

Adult franchise.

End of Untouchability.

One National language.

Federal Constitution with Unitary Bias

10.    Indian culture has one unique feature – ‘unity in Diversity’ i.e. different language, cultures, food habits, dresses and people with different features, complexions etc.  The  basic feature of federalism, i.e. written constitution, division of  Power and independent judiciary do exist in our constitution.  So it is fully federal.  But at the same time many provision are included in the constitution that made the centre very strong.  These provisions are :-

Emergency power of the President :    The President has been given power to declare Emergency and do away with the federal character of the constitution and concentrate all powers in the centre converting there by into unitary government. No other constitution of the world has granted such extensive power to constitutional head.

Centre has much power in the lists of subjects : Power have been divided between centre and states according to three lists :-

(i)    The Union List – Centre.

(ii)    The State List – State.

(iii)    The Concurrent list – both but in conflict centre will rule.

(c)    Residual powers rest with the centre; the lists of subjects are
comprehensive.  But with the passage of time new subject or areas may appear. e.g. space.

(d)     Absence of dual citizenship.  All federal country has dual citizenship.

(e)     Uniform Judiciary; the entire judiciary system is under the supreme court.

Use of the term Union in the constitution.  Art 1 India is recognized not as a Federal Government but as ‘Union of States’

Power of changing of boundary of states; Centre can change the structure of the govt of the state or its boundary or can even form new state by changing the boundaries of state according to necessities.

Appointment of governor by the President.  Governor in the highest authority of the state who is appointed by the President.  He holds the post till the pleasure of President.

All India Services.  IAS, IPS and All India Services – runs the state machinery.  And they are transferred throughout India.

Allocation of Fund to States. Centre has adequate fund to assist the state. Centre has adequate fund to assist the state

11.    Amendment of the Constitution.   Three amendment provisions have been mentioned in the Indian constitution :-

    Amendment by simple majority in the parliament.

    Amendment by special majority in the Parliament.

Amendment by special majority in the Parliament along the consent of the states.

12.    End of the special power of the President ; Vide 24th amendment President has to put his signature to any Amendment Bill passed by the Parliament.,  Signature of the President is now a mere formality.

Fundamental Rights

13.    These rights are integral part of the constitution  and hence cannot be altered or taken away by the ordinary legislation.  The Fundamental Rights are classified under the following main heads :-

Right to Equality. No discrimination  on the basis of caste, colour, birth or sex

(i)    Abolition of Un-touchability – Art 17

(ii)    Abolition of Titles – Art 18.

Right to Freedom (Art 19) Mainly Six Freedoms

(i)    Freedom of speech and expression – Freedom of Press.

(ii)    Freedom to assemble peaceably and w/o arm

(iii)    Freedom to form association or union.

(iv)    Freedom to movement throughout India.

(v)    Freedom to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India.


(vi)    Freedom to practice any profession or to carry on any
occupation trade or business.

(c)    Right to freedom of Religion.

Right against exploitation : The right seeks to ban traffic in human being, beggar or any form of forced labour.  Prevent children below 14 years of age to be employed in any factory or mine or other risky occupation.

Cultural and Educational Rights.

    Right to constitutional Remedies : It guarantees the right to move to supreme Court for the enforcement of fundamental rights.  This right can however be suspended during emergency.

    Right to Property : Repealed by 44th Amendment.  wef  June 20, 1979.

Fundamental Duties

14.    For the first time, ten Fundamental Duties have been enumerated in the constitution with the 42 amendment in the constitution of 1976.  These have been provided in part (iv)A, section 51.

Directive Principles of State Policy.

15.    The Directive Principles of State Policy constitute the fourth part of the constitution and are unique and novel in so far as they depict the ambitions and aspiration of the founding father of the constitution.  The Directive Principles have not been properly classified in the constitution yet they can be conveniently divided into following categorioes: -  

    Economic Principles.

(i)    Equal distribution of wealth and resource and to prevent concentration in few hands.

(ii)    Adequate means of livelihood to all citizens.

(iii)    Equal pay for similar work for both men and women.

To ensure just and human conditions of work decent living, full enjoyment of leisure.

(iv)    To raise the level of nutrition and standard of living.

Gandhian Principles

(v)    Prohibition of intoxicating drink and drugs.

(vi)    Establish village Panchayats.

(vii)    To promote educational and economic interests of the weaker section of the people.

(viii)    Prohibition of slaughter of cows and calf.

(ix)    To promote cottage industries.

(c)    Principles for the promotion of International Understanding

(i)    To promote international peace and security.

(ii)    To maintain honourable relations between nations.

(iii)    To respect international law and treaty obligation

(iv)    To encourage settlement of international dispute by arbitration.

Miscellaneous

(x)    To separate judiciary from executive.

(xi)    To protect monument and historical buildings.

(xii)    Uniform civil code for its citizen throughout the nation.

Important Articles of the Constitution

16.    Part I    : Art 1 – 4 deals with territory of India, formation of new states, alteration of areas & boundaries or names of existing states.

17.    Part II : Art 5 – 11 deals with citizenship at the commencement of the constitution, Right of citizenship of certain migrant from Pakistan, persons voluntarily acquiring citizenship of foreign state and the right of parliament to regulate the right of citizenship by law.

18.    Part III  : Art 12 – 35      -deals with the Fundamental Rights.

    (a)    Art 14 – 18         - right to equality.

    (b)    Art 19        - six freedom of Indian Citizen.

    (c)    Art 20 – 22         - Protection to all citizen.

    (d)    Art 23 – 24         - Right against exploitation.

    (e)    Art 32 – 35         - Constitutional Remedies to citizens.

19.    Part IV  :  Art 36 – 51  deals with the Directive Principle of state Policy which aims at establishing socials and economic democracy in the country.

20.    Part V : Art 52 – 151 deals with the government at the union level.

    (a)    Art 52 – 73        - President & Vice President of India.

    (b)    Art 74 – 75         - Constitution of minister & PM.

    (c)    Art 76        - Attorney General of India.

    (d)    Art 124 – 147    - Union Judiciary.

(e)    Art 148 – 151    - Comptroller & Auditor General of                         India.

21.    Part VI : Art 152 – 237 deals with the government at the state level.

(a)       Art152         - Exempts J & K from the category of                     ordinary states.
  
    (b)    Art 153 – 162     - State Governor.

    (c)    Art 163 – 164     - CM & Ministers.

    (d)    Art 168 – 195     - Organisation of State Legislature.
  
    (e)    Art 214 – 232    - Org and Power of High Court.

22.    Part VII : Art 238 – Repealed 7th amendment Act 1956.

23.    Part VIII.  : Art 239 – 241 deals with the Union Territories.

24.    Part X.  : Art 244 deals with schedule and tribal areas.

25.    Part XI Art 245 – 263 Relationship between Centre and state.

26.     Part XII : Art 264 – 300 deals with Finance and Property, appointment of Finance Commission, Financial Provn,  Borrowing by Govt of India, State Property etc.

27.    Part XIII. Art 301 – 307  Relates to trade and Commerce.

28.    Part XIV : Art 308 – 323  Relates to services under union and states.  UPSC, and state PSC.            

29.    Part XV : Art 324 – 329   deals with Election Commission.

30.    Part XVI : Art 330 – 342  Reservation of seats for SC & ST in Lok Sabha and Assemblies.

31.    Part XVII : Art 343 – 351   Relates to Official Language.

32.    Part XVIII : Art 352 – 360 : Deals with Emergency.

Art 352 : Emergency due to external aggression or armed             rebellion.

            Art 356 : President Rule in the state.

            Art 360 : Financial Emergency.

( Note :    Presidents satisfaction in declaring Emergency is not justiciable.)

33.    Part XIX Art 361 – 366  Miscellaneous  provisions eg.

(a)     Exemption of President and Governor from criminal proceedings for their official act.

(b)    Privy Purses abolished. Art 363A

34.    Part XX : Art 368   deals with the power of parliament to amend the constitution.

35.    Part XXI  Art 369 – 392  Contains temporary, transitional and special provisions.

Art 369    - Accords power to Parliament to make law     to     certain matter in state list.
  
            Art 370     - Temporary provision relating to J & K.

Art 371    - Special provision for Nagaland, Assam, &                 various other states.

36.    Part XXII     Art 393 – 395  Concerns the shot titles, Commencement and repeal of the constitution.

Schedules to the Constitutions

37.    Constitutions of India now contains twelve schedule which are an integral part of the constitution.  A brief summary of these schedule is given below.

(a)    First Schedule.    Contains list of the states and the union territory comprising the union territories.

(b)    Second Schedule.     Deals with the salary and emoluments of the constitutional  functionaries :

                            Per Men sum

    (i)    President                Rs 50,000/-

    (ii)    Vice President             Rs 40,000/-

    (iii)    Governor of State            Rs 36,000/-

    (iv)    Chief Justice of Supreme Court    Rs 33,000/-

    (v)    Judge of Supreme Court &    Rs 30,000/-
    Chief Justice High Court.
  
    (c)    Third Schedule     Contains Oath and Affirmation.

(d)    Fourth Schedule    Contains the allocation of seats of each states and union territories in the council of state (Rajya Sabha).

(e)    Fifth Schedule        It provides for the adm & control of schedule areas.  It can be amended by simple majority of the Parliament.

(f)    Sixth Schedule     It provides for the adm of Tribal Areas in Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram.  It can be amended by simple majority of the Parliament.

(g)    Seventh Schedule     It gives the allocation of powers and functions between the union and the states.  It contains three lists.

        (i)    Union list         - 97 Subjects.

        (ii)    State list        - 66 Subjects.

        (iii)    Concurrent list    - 47 Subjects.

(h)    Eighth Schedule .    It contains 18 languages of India recognized in the constitution.

(j)    Ninth Schedule    It was added by the constitution (1st amendment) Act 1951.  It contains Act and Order relating to land, tenure, land tax, railways, industries etc passed by the union government and the state govt which are beyond the jurisdiction of the civil court.

(k)    Tenth Schedule    It was added by the constitution ( 52nd amendment) Act 1985.  It contains Anti – Defection Act.

(l)     Eleventh Schedule    Added by 73rd   (amendment) act 1992.  It lays down 29 items on which panchayat shall have powers and authority to function as institution of self government.

(m)    Twelfth Schedule     Added by 74th (amendment) act 1992.  It lays down 18 items on which municipalities shall have powers and authority to function as institution of self – government.

Important Amendment to the Constitution.

38.    Some of the important amendments to the constitutions are :-

(a)    1st Amendment of 1951     Amendment inserted two new articles 31A and 31B and the nineth schedule to give protection from challenge to land reform laws.

(b)    2nd Amendment 1952    Readjustment of the scale of representation in the Lok Sabha necessitated by the completion of the 1951 census.

(c)    7th Amendment 1956     Reorganisation of the states and the classification of certain areas as union  territories.

(d)    8th Amendment 1959    Extension of Reservation.

(e)    10th Amendment 1960    Dadar & Nagar Haveli added with in India (a former Portuguese colony).

(f)    12th Amendment 1962    Goa, Daman and Diu became part of the territories of India.

(g)    13th Amendment 1962     Created Nagaland as Sixteenth state.

(h)    18th Amendment 1966    Punjab & Haryana state created.

(j)    21st Amendment 1967    Sindhi included in Eighth schedule.

(k)    24th Amendment 1971    Golaknath and Keshavanand Bharthi Case Power of Parliament to amend constitution including Fundamental right.  Art 368 amended.

(l)     26th Amendment 1971    Recognition of the princes of erstwhile native states of India were withdrawn.  Payment of privy purses stopped.

(m)    27th Amendment 1971    The Northern – Eastern Areas Reorganisation act 1971.  New States Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya were formed & UT Mizoram & Arunachal Pradesh.

(n)    36th Amendment 1975    Sikkim, the 22nd state of India.

(o)     42nd  Amendment 1976   

    (i)    Supermacy of Parliament.

Primacy to Directive Principle over Fundamental Right.

Life of Lok Sabha & Legislative Assembly increased to Six years.

(iv)    Constitutional Amendment cannot be challenged in any court of law.

(v)    A set of Ten fundamental Duties for the citizens was enumerated.

    (p)    44th Amendment 1978   

        (i)    Right to property was omitted as Fundamental Right.

Armed Rebellion : Declaration of Emergency.

(iii)    Internal disturbance : No emergency.  


    (q)    52nd Amendment 1985    Anti Defection law.


(r)    70th Amendment 1992    Delhi & Pondichery were created as states.

(s)    84th Amendment 2000    Creation of states of Jharkhand Chhattisgarh and Uttranchal.



                            THE FOOD PROBLEM IN INDIA


Introduction

1.    Though India had made remarkable progress on all walks of life, still we are facing a lot of burning problems, which needs immediate attention.  Among these are, Rising Population by leaps and bounds, Unemployment problem, poverty etc.,

2.    The food problem is also one of the major problems which we are facing today.  Food situation in India still continue to be difficult.   It should, therefore, be of more than ordinary interest to understand the precise nature of the food problem which India has been facing almost all these years and also to review the measures which have so far been adopted to meet it.

Nature of the Problem

3.    After independence undoubtedly the most serious economic problem with which the country has had to contend has been the food problem.  Its nature is not simple.  Primarily it consists of a shortage of food grains grown in the country relatively to the peoples demand for them, but apart from this obvious quantitative aspect, there is its qualitative aspect that the average intake of protective food is meager.  These aspects are as follows :-

Insufficient Quantity or Quantitative Aspect

4.    The population is increasing very rapidly and we are not adopting effective policies to check it.  The food production on the other hand is not increasing as per the requirement of the country.  It becomes quite clear from the following data which   shows the food production in the recent years :-









Food Grain Production(Million Tones)


Crops    1995-96    1996-97    1997-98    1998-99    1999-2000     
Rice    77.0    81.7    82.5    86.0    87.5     
Wheat    62.1    69.4    66.3    70.8    68.7     
Coarse Cereals    29.0    34.1    30.4    31.5    29.2     
Pulses    12.3    14.2    13.0    14.8    13.5     
Kharif    95.1    103.9    101.6    103.3    103.2     
Rabi    85.3    95.5    90.7    99.7    98.9    


5.    This table shows that the increase in the production of food grains is not satisfactory and not sufficient to meet our requirements.  The population increase during these consequent years is more than 25% but the increase in the production of food grains is hardly six per cent.  Thus there is significant reduction in the availabilities of food grains per capita.  This shortage of food grains in relation to the requirements of the population constitute a serious problems in front of us.  In the last decade intensive measures were taken to boost the food production.  Thus the output of food grains went up by more than 30 per cent.

6.    The Ashok Mehta Food Grains Enquiry Committee (1957) drew pointed attention to get rid from the food problem.  The Committee suggested that the effective administrative measures of procurement and price distribution control and at times rationing and state trading in food grains be adopted.

Malnutrition or Qualitative Aspect

7.    Our people are not only underfed, but they are undernourished also.  That is so because their diet is unbalanced and consists mainly of less nutritious foods.  It is highly lop-sided towards cereals which account for about 2/3 of its total calorific value as against only about ¼ in the United  States.  The deficiency of the Indian diet is largely in respect of foods of animal origin like milk and meat, which contains protein of high biological value and food and vegetables, for their high nutritious value.  Our people are not getting the actual quantity of these foods prescribed by the experts.  Similarly the availability of meat, fish, eggs and fruits is about one-tenth of the recommended level.  This malnutrition is due to the insufficient production of protective foods, people’s poverty being such that they can not afford to purchase more nutritious food and also their ignorance about the nutritive value of different foods.  This malnutrition naturally results in lower national efficiency, high death rate specially among infants and women of child bearing age.

Continuous rise in the Prices of Food Grains

8.    The recent rise in the prices of food grains is basically the consequence of the rate of economic development and its mode of financing.  The high level of investment expenditure on public and private account, accompanied by deficit financing and large scale credit expansion has led to a general increase in the demand for food grains while the purchasing power among people has gone up, it has not been accompanied by corresponding increase in the supply of food grains.  On the contrary, in some year (1996-97) there was fall in production which led to a marked shrinkage in their availability.

Poor Administration and Organisation

9.    The problem of agricultural production in India is essentially of better organisation and Administration.  One of the main difficulty of Indian cultivator is that of securing supply of various essential services in time and inadequate quantities.  His enthusiasm for greater production is severely shaken when he finds that he cannot get food seeds, chemical fertilizers, improved implements and insecticides  in time either through the village co-operative or through the community development staff.  It is, therefore, imperative that earnest efforts be made to improve and streamline the organizational and administrative structure and bring about greater coordination between agricultural, irrigation and community development staffs.

10.    In this connection the Nalagarh Committee has made several recommendations which have also been accepted by the govt of India and Planning Commission.  But more important is their expeditious implementation by the State Govt.

11.    Uncertainty in Production.    Being largely dependant upon rain fall, the production of food grain is very uncertain.  It is described as a “Gamble in Monsoons” .   Rain fall in India is very uncertain in respect of its timing, place and quantity.  As a result, there are violent fluctuations in the volume of production from year to year.  For example, the production of food grains was 168.42 million tones in 1990-91 and 140.34 million tones in1993-94.

12.    Wastage of Food grains.  Not only that the production of food grain in small and uncertain, a large part of it is destroyed by insects, rats, locusts, etc.  According to one estimate, about 15% of food grains is destroyed by these and about 10% is destroyed in godowns by insects, etc.  Thus a sizeable part of food grains gets wasted.  To that extent in domestic supply available for consumption gets refused.

13.    Holding and Hoarding of food grains.    Holding of stock of food grains by producers and traders and hoarding by consumers make the food problem more complicated.  As and when there is a possibility of shortage of food grains, producers and traders start adding to their stocks in expectation of rise in prices, and consumers by more to save themselves from further price rises.  In the process, demand of food grains rises, supplies available for consumption get reduced and prices start climbing upwards.  All this makes the food problem more  difficult and acute.

Measures for Solution

14.    To get rid from this problem, it is clear that the solution of food problem lies in bridging the gap between demand for and supply of food grains so that the two may balance.  In terms of this aspect of the solution of the problem, the following suggestion can be made :-

Increase in productivity.
Satisfactory credit facilities.
Fixation of minimum and maximum prices of Crops.
Satisfactory arrangement for sale and  distributions.
Curbs on wasteful consumption.
Improvement in the consumption patterns.
Control of population growth.
Providing employment to the poor.

Conclusion

15.    Seeing the seriousness of this problem, we will have to pay immediate attention to solve this problem.  The need therefore, is that the present have what easy position in respect of production and stock be consolidated, and the measures to further case the situation be continued.




16.    This required sound management of the economy and the acceleration of the efforts to increase and sustain production at higher level, as also to promote production and consumption of items of balanced and healthy diet.  While doing all these, the interest of the small man – the producer and the consumer – who has suffered the longest and the most, should be given high priority.


            UNEMPLOYMENT PROBLEM IN INDIA


1.    Unemployment has been the scourge of Indian economy for long.   With increasing automation resulting in a continuous decline in the employment – output ratio, and increasing growth of the labour force this problem has assumed dangerous proportion.   It has resulted in widespread inequality and a solution is desperately sought.   But before we analyze the nature of the problem and the possible solution, it is important that we understand the meaning of the term specifically.

2.    Unemployment is a situation where an able bodied person who is willing to work fails to get a job, which can provide him a regular income.  Hence a person who works for just a few weeks in a year and consequently doesn’t earn a regular income also can fall within the scope of unemployment and be classified as underemployment.  According to Raj Krishna, an economist there are four criteria which can determine if a person is unemployed or underemployed.  These are :-

Time Criterion.    According to this approach a person gainfully employed for less number of hours than the optimal hour during a year would be unemployed.
Income Criterion.     A desirable minimum income per year is defined and any worker earning less would be considered unemployed.
Willingness Criterion.    If a person is willing to do more work he can be deemed unemployed.
Productivity Criterion.    Here a person is considered employed only if he contributes significantly and to a level classified normal, to the output.
3.    Keeping in view these criteria of unemployment, different countries depending on their level of development, face different kinds of unemployment.  In short there are six types of unemployment :-

(a)    Cyclical Unemployment  :  As we know that the trade cycle go through different phases.  During the recession phase the nationwide unemployment exhibits an increase, which is mainly caused by a slack in business activities.  Such kind of unemployment are generally witnessed in developed countries.

(b)    Technological Unemployment  :  This is caused by changes in the techniques of production.  The new technology, if it displaces labour, results in unemployment.

(c)    Frictional Unemployment  :  This is caused by the ignorance of labours about job opportunity.  Imperfections in labour market often reflects in this ignorance.  This restricts, their mobility and they fail to locate a new job once rendered unemployed due to changes in technology, seasonal changes, shortages of raw material etc.

(d)    Structural Unemployment  :  It exists in countries with low rate of economic development, which fails to generate adequate employment for the labour force.  In these countries the factor of production require to engage the labour force are not sufficiently developed.

Disguised Unemployment  :  It frequently occurs in agricultural sector where marginal productivity of labour is very low or even zero. 

4.    The last three types of unemployment are witnessed mostly in developing and underdeveloped countries like India.  In the light of the above description of unemployment we can now proceed to elucidate on the nature of this problem prevailing in India.   Estimates of unemployment in India:  The three basic sources of India available are:-

(a)    Decennial census.
(b)    Various round of National sample survey organisation (NSSO).
(c)    Employment market information and employment exchange data collected by the directorate general of employment and training.  For classification purpose NSSO has developed and standardized the following concept of unemployment :-

(i)    The usual status. his concept refers to the activity status of a person over a long past period, say a year.  This it provides the lowest estimate of unemployment.

(ii)    The Weekly Status.  It refers to the activity status of a person over a short period of past seven days.  This if he fails to get work for even one hour in last seven days he will be deemed to be unemployed.

(iii)    The Daily Status.  It measures the activity status of a person for each day of the preceding week.  It measures the  ratio of unemployed labour days to total labour force day per week.  This concept gives the most appropriate measure of unemployment as it measures both chronic as well underemployment.

5.    These concepts have been implemented by NSSO for its survey on employment.  They have also been used by the planning commission for analyzing the dimension of unemployment

Analysis

6.    It has been observed that in India unemployment rates have gone up for both males and females.

(a)    Unemployment rates in general are much higher in urban areas, probably owing to the higher growth in labour force of urban areas, which in tern are caused by migration of workers from rural areas.

(b)    Unemployment rates among women are higher than the male which reflects the inherent bias in the employment of women.

Unemployment rates seem to rise with successive higher level of education.  Unemployment rate among graduates is more than it is among matriculates.

7.    For analytical convenience Indian unemployment can be classify as Rural and Urban unemployment.

8.    Rural Unemployment.   Most of this unemployment is in the agricultural sector and can be further classified as follows :-

(a)    Seasonal Unemployment.  At present two or more crops are prepared in 25% of the cultivable land in India.  This farmers cultivating around 75% of the land remain idle for 4 to 6 months unless they are lucky to find some other temporary job.  Such a situation occurs because of lack of irrigation facilities.  Irrigation facility in the country cover only around 32% of the cultivable land.

(b)    Disguised Unemployment.  Not much data is available in this regard but with the fragmentary info it can be concluded that except for green revolution belt, all other region are marked by a vast number of disguisedly unemployed workers.  There also seems to be consensus that disguised unemployment is higher in relatively smaller farms.

9.    Urban Unemployment.   This can be classified into two :-

Industrial.
Educated Unemployment.

10.    Industrial Unemployment.  Unemployment in the industrial sector has steadily increased.  It is a result of lack of requisite growth in the organized manufacturing the growth of labour force.  Concentration of industries in the cities is another malady.  This concentration has attracted more work force into the city that what can be observed.

11.    Educated Unemployment.  As reported by CMIE, the number of educated unemployment increased from 5.9 lakhs in 1961 to 224 lakhs in1991.  A close study reveals that the compound rate of increase among graduates and postgraduates were faster than that among matriculates.  This reflects the fact that in order to secure a job, there is a tendency towards over education in the Indian Society.   The higher number of unemployed matriculates in India reveal that matriculates have little vocational training and are not suitable for any skilled job.  Another phenomenon is the incidence of higher qualified workers employed in jobs not commensurate with their qualification.  They remain, by and large unemployed.


Causes of Unemployment

12.    Slow and unbalanced growth process.  The growth rate of economy has just averaged 3.9% per annum since independence.  Added to this is the employment generation capacity of the growth has been low and is still declining.  This decline can be ascribed to technological and composition effect.  With the improvement in technology less input is required to generate the same output.  The facilities extended by the govt, i.e., tariff exemption for capital goods, backward areas in vestment subsidy, depreciation norms for capital etc, have made investment in labour intensive goods unprofitable.

13.    Increase in Labour Force.  Rate of growth of labour force has exhibited steep rise since independence.  This is due to demographic and social factors.  Demographically country has reached the second stage of transition where death rate has steeply fallen but the fall in birth rate has not been adequate.  This has increased the labour force.  Similarly social factors have been as important in Indian context.  For example education among women has improved and this has given rise to their work participation rate there by augmenting the unemployment problem.  The competition for a given job has increased still further in this age where men as well as women are storming the job market with increasing frequency and two for a single employed person the possibility of the number of unemployed person has also increased.

14.    Inappropriate Technology.   In western countries where capital use of machine is rational.  Similar policy in India result in large scale unemployment.  Keeping policy in India  result in large scale unemployment.  Keeping in view of the above fact the Bhagwati Committee did not approve of indiscriminate mechanization.  The reason why capital is substituted for low cast labour in India has been listed above.  However one detail that needs to be mentioned is of the rate on interest which is widely admitted to be lower than what would be determined had the capital and money market been completely free.  Thus capital intensive techniques are preferred to labour intensive techniques.


15.    Inappropriate Educational System.  India’s educational percent of human resources.  Number of men and women coming out of schools and colleges having gained neither occupational nor vocational trg, that are required for professional and managerial undertakings aggravates the unemployment problem.  The Educational system in India is still the same as introduced by Macaulay, during the colonial period and has not been adapted to our current needs.

Low growth of Agricultural Sector

16.    Had agriculture output growth at the envisaged 4% as per the five year plans – employment in agriculture would have also grown at 3%.  This would have not only absorbed the growing labour force but also reduced the backlog.  New technology has increased the possibilities of substituting capital for labour.

17.    Keeping in mind the above causes it is imperative that the population control measures are made more effective to reduce the growth of labour force.  The population control has to be supplemented by encouraging labour intensive and productive projects in rural areas.  Govt has taken various stops in this in this direction.  For example 28th April 1989 Rajiv Gandhi launched Jawahar Rojgar Yojna.  However, due to structural deficiency these programmes have not produced the desired result and there is a wide scope for improvement.