The killing of 75 CRPF personnel and a local policeman in a Naxalite ambush in Dantewada clearly indicates that the Operation Green Hunt launched to flush out the Naxalites was not properly evaluated, planned, and carried out. The Army Chief recently said that the men were not fully trained to operate in jungle area. In any case it is doubtful that they were familiar with the area. It is not clear what was the aim of the movement of so many soldiers together and their returning following the same path. Who provided the intelligence to them, if any? These issues were recently discussed in a meeting of retired senior officers. The discussion was initiated by Shri R J Khurana.
The governments for the last over 60 years have created many Para-military forces but by and large ignored the need for increasing the number, capability, training, weapons and proper usage of the police force in the police stations. They are the one that are closest to the criminals. Even if the outside forces are required and sent, they have to get the input from these local policemen.
Today, it seems there is more threat from Naxalites than from terrorists. You can get intelligence and engage the terrorists but the naxalites not only ensure that they get all the information but they ensure through the element of fear that the forces get no such inputs. The terrorists may get some help from ‘sleepers’ but not from general public. They can be, in many cases, identified. But here there is no difference between an ordinary resident and a naxal.
Most of the weapons of the naxals are from looting the police armoury or through clandestine means from across the border. As per the figures given out by the Home department, over 200 districts are naxal affected and some 90 of them have no government administrative presence in large areas. Unless these districts are ‘liberated’ no long-term initiative can be taken to bring the residents in the main stream. Then the main task would be to ensure that the administration does not once again misgovern through corrupt practices, inefficiency, delays in attending to their problems, not initiating urgently needed developments and violating their freedom. These were the very causes of the development of Naxalism.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Make initial medical consultation easy and free
The other day our house-maid mentioned how the private doctor charged Rs 200 consultation fee for ordinary fever and cold. The medicines cost was Rs 50. When I asked her why did she not go to the government hospital, her answer was predictable. Ordinary Indians have to stand in long queues and spend almost the full day in government hospitals or pay high consultancy fee to private medical practitioners/consultants. The medicines are rarely available free and in serious cases the cost is also prohibitive. Tests are routinely advised by private practitioners and are a big drain on the hard earned money of non-organized labour.
The primary health centers and government hospitals are run more like government offices. They are reasonably well kept only at places within the constituencies of high and mighty. What we need is the establishment of a one room Medical unit in each urban ward and village. This should be manned 4 hours in the morning and four hours in the evening. A general medical practitioner and a nursing assistant with minimal furniture and facilities is enough.
This MI room can provide to anyone, and specially the poor among the unorganized labour just the initial examination of the patient and prescribing of common medicines. If a test is essential it can be prescribed and the person can get it done either from government hospital (if it is convenient and available!) or private center. For more serious cases the person can be referred to the next level of government hospital or if the patient requests to a private nursing home.The main advantage would be the saving of high consultation fee. One important fall out would be that many such persons, who avoid going to doctor until the case becomes serious, would visit the MI room as soon they get ill. The health statistics would become more reliable as more cases would come on record.
The primary health centers and government hospitals are run more like government offices. They are reasonably well kept only at places within the constituencies of high and mighty. What we need is the establishment of a one room Medical unit in each urban ward and village. This should be manned 4 hours in the morning and four hours in the evening. A general medical practitioner and a nursing assistant with minimal furniture and facilities is enough.
This MI room can provide to anyone, and specially the poor among the unorganized labour just the initial examination of the patient and prescribing of common medicines. If a test is essential it can be prescribed and the person can get it done either from government hospital (if it is convenient and available!) or private center. For more serious cases the person can be referred to the next level of government hospital or if the patient requests to a private nursing home.The main advantage would be the saving of high consultation fee. One important fall out would be that many such persons, who avoid going to doctor until the case becomes serious, would visit the MI room as soon they get ill. The health statistics would become more reliable as more cases would come on record.
Friday, April 2, 2010
A call from a Muslim to Muslims
A Muslim wrote this on Internet.
“I have to admit that our current Islamic teaching creates violence and hatred toward Non-Muslims. We Muslims are the ones who need to change. We have never had a clear and strong stand against the concept of slavery or wars, to spread our religion and to subjugate others to Islam and force them to pay a humiliating tax called Jizia. We ask others to respect our religion while all the time we curse non-Muslims loudly (in Arabic) in our Friday prayers in the Mosques.
Muslims denounce terrorist attacks to look good in front of the media, but condone the Islamic terrorists and either sympathise with their cause or just keep silent. Till now our religious authorities have never issued a Fatwa to proclaim Bin Laden as an apostate, while an author, like Rushdie, was declared an apostate who should be killed according to Islamic Shariia law just for writing a book criticizing Islam.
Our religious leaders have to show a clear and very strong stand against polygamy, pedophilia, slavery, killing those who convert from Islam to other religions, beating of women by men, and declaring wars on non-Muslims to spread Islam.”
Would the moderate amongst the Muslim community take up this ‘change of attitude’ task? Would they have the courage to face the opposition from their religious leaders?
“I have to admit that our current Islamic teaching creates violence and hatred toward Non-Muslims. We Muslims are the ones who need to change. We have never had a clear and strong stand against the concept of slavery or wars, to spread our religion and to subjugate others to Islam and force them to pay a humiliating tax called Jizia. We ask others to respect our religion while all the time we curse non-Muslims loudly (in Arabic) in our Friday prayers in the Mosques.
Muslims denounce terrorist attacks to look good in front of the media, but condone the Islamic terrorists and either sympathise with their cause or just keep silent. Till now our religious authorities have never issued a Fatwa to proclaim Bin Laden as an apostate, while an author, like Rushdie, was declared an apostate who should be killed according to Islamic Shariia law just for writing a book criticizing Islam.
Our religious leaders have to show a clear and very strong stand against polygamy, pedophilia, slavery, killing those who convert from Islam to other religions, beating of women by men, and declaring wars on non-Muslims to spread Islam.”
Would the moderate amongst the Muslim community take up this ‘change of attitude’ task? Would they have the courage to face the opposition from their religious leaders?
Make this our Political Agenda
Make this our Political Agenda
This is what a foreign visitor wrote about our great country after a few visits.
“In my opinion the filth, squalor and all around pollution indicates a marked lack of respect for India by Indians. I don’t know how cultural the filth is, but it’s really beyond anything I have ever encountered.
At times the smells, trash, refuse and excrement are like a garbage dump. Right next door to the Taj Mahal was a pile of trash that smelled so bad, was so foul as to almost ruin the entire Taj experience. Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai, to a lesser degree, were so very polluted as to make me physically ill. Sinus infections, ear infection, bowels churning were an all too common experience in India. Dung, be it goat, cow or human fecal matter, was common on the streets.
In major tourist areas filth was everywhere, littering the sidewalks and the roadways. Toilets in the middle of the road, men urinating and defecating anywhere, in broad daylight were common sight. Whole villages are plastic bag wastelands. Roadsides are choked by it. Air quality that can hardly be called fit for breathing. Far too much coal and too few unleaded vehicles on the road. The measure should be how dangerous the air is for one’s health, not how good it is. People casually throw trash in the streets, on the roads.”
We take a bath everyday, our homes may be clean but we throw away filth all around us. We take holy dips in rivers that we worship, God knows on how many festival days. But we dump everything and anything in the same river. We have paper tigers burning effigies of anyone who goes against what we consider is against our ‘culture’ but do nothing to make our country clean, green and filth-free.
Here is a suggestion that I know will be laughed at. All political parties loosing a state or central election should earmark for one full year for all members and supporters to spend in cleaning our country of filth and educating citizens by example. During this period there should be no political agitation of any kind by them. Only the top leadership should attack the party in power in the center and states in the respective assemblies for policies and decisions that they consider wrong. If just Shrimati Sonia Gandhi and Shri Gadkari take the initiative, other party heads will fall in line. I appeal to them just do it for one year and see the difference.
This is what a foreign visitor wrote about our great country after a few visits.
“In my opinion the filth, squalor and all around pollution indicates a marked lack of respect for India by Indians. I don’t know how cultural the filth is, but it’s really beyond anything I have ever encountered.
At times the smells, trash, refuse and excrement are like a garbage dump. Right next door to the Taj Mahal was a pile of trash that smelled so bad, was so foul as to almost ruin the entire Taj experience. Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai, to a lesser degree, were so very polluted as to make me physically ill. Sinus infections, ear infection, bowels churning were an all too common experience in India. Dung, be it goat, cow or human fecal matter, was common on the streets.
In major tourist areas filth was everywhere, littering the sidewalks and the roadways. Toilets in the middle of the road, men urinating and defecating anywhere, in broad daylight were common sight. Whole villages are plastic bag wastelands. Roadsides are choked by it. Air quality that can hardly be called fit for breathing. Far too much coal and too few unleaded vehicles on the road. The measure should be how dangerous the air is for one’s health, not how good it is. People casually throw trash in the streets, on the roads.”
We take a bath everyday, our homes may be clean but we throw away filth all around us. We take holy dips in rivers that we worship, God knows on how many festival days. But we dump everything and anything in the same river. We have paper tigers burning effigies of anyone who goes against what we consider is against our ‘culture’ but do nothing to make our country clean, green and filth-free.
Here is a suggestion that I know will be laughed at. All political parties loosing a state or central election should earmark for one full year for all members and supporters to spend in cleaning our country of filth and educating citizens by example. During this period there should be no political agitation of any kind by them. Only the top leadership should attack the party in power in the center and states in the respective assemblies for policies and decisions that they consider wrong. If just Shrimati Sonia Gandhi and Shri Gadkari take the initiative, other party heads will fall in line. I appeal to them just do it for one year and see the difference.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Wake up call for the Government
"New Delhi:The Supreme Court has expressed anguish over the shabby treatment meted out to retired army officers, particularly disabled personnel, who are given a pittance as pension.
In its order, a Bench of Justices Markandey Katju and A.K. Patnaik said: “We regret to say that army officers and army men in our country are being treated in a shabby manner by the government.”
Pointing out that in the present appeal by C.S. Sidhu, who was posted in a high altitude field area and who met with an accident in the discharge of his duties, was granted a meagre pension of Rs.1,000 per month plus dearness allowance, the Bench said: “If this is the manner in which the army personnel are treated, it can only be said that it is extremely unfortunate. The army personnel are bravely defending the country, even at the cost of their lives and we feel thatthey should be treated in a better and more humane manner by governmental authorities, particularly, in respect of their emoluments, pension and other benefits.”
In the instant case, the respondent officer was given a Short Service Commission in June 1968. In November 1970, while on duty he met with the accident and his right arm had to be amputated and he also suffered a compound fracture in the thigh and jaw.
After he was discharged from service in 1978, the Army did not take into account the full Pay Commissioned Service, but considered only the period June 1968-November 1970 for pension. On a petition, the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered calculation of the disability pension for the full period. The Union of India filed an appeal against this judgment.
The Bench, dismissing the appeal, said, “We see no reason to interfere with the impugned judgment and order of the High court.” It directed payment of arrears to the respondent with eight per cent interest per annum within three months."
This is a proof, if any was required, indicating how we treat our soldier brothers. Apart from Babus, some of our own collegue may be party to this appeal. I hope that those in power , now and in future, would have a changed outlook.
In its order, a Bench of Justices Markandey Katju and A.K. Patnaik said: “We regret to say that army officers and army men in our country are being treated in a shabby manner by the government.”
Pointing out that in the present appeal by C.S. Sidhu, who was posted in a high altitude field area and who met with an accident in the discharge of his duties, was granted a meagre pension of Rs.1,000 per month plus dearness allowance, the Bench said: “If this is the manner in which the army personnel are treated, it can only be said that it is extremely unfortunate. The army personnel are bravely defending the country, even at the cost of their lives and we feel thatthey should be treated in a better and more humane manner by governmental authorities, particularly, in respect of their emoluments, pension and other benefits.”
In the instant case, the respondent officer was given a Short Service Commission in June 1968. In November 1970, while on duty he met with the accident and his right arm had to be amputated and he also suffered a compound fracture in the thigh and jaw.
After he was discharged from service in 1978, the Army did not take into account the full Pay Commissioned Service, but considered only the period June 1968-November 1970 for pension. On a petition, the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered calculation of the disability pension for the full period. The Union of India filed an appeal against this judgment.
The Bench, dismissing the appeal, said, “We see no reason to interfere with the impugned judgment and order of the High court.” It directed payment of arrears to the respondent with eight per cent interest per annum within three months."
This is a proof, if any was required, indicating how we treat our soldier brothers. Apart from Babus, some of our own collegue may be party to this appeal. I hope that those in power , now and in future, would have a changed outlook.
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