IITs: a dangerous move

THIS refers to the news item “IT bigwigs bid for taking over IITs” (December 13). The Prime Minister has reportedly agreed in principle to the take-over of the IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology) by private entrepreneurs. Accordingly, these institutes are proposed to be privatised for the stated purpose of raising them to the level of world-class institutions.

It appears that the government has been carried off its feet by the ideological winds of privatisation. Is there no other way to enable these institutions to emulate the best in the world than handing them over to private entrepreneurs? These institutions have been set up with the tax-payers’ money and are people’s property. The government has not received any mandate from people to transfer them to private parties.

If private parties are so keen on developing the technological competitiveness of Indian students, they can establish new institutes of technology and make liberal endowments to the existing ones.

It should be very clear to the political parties that the wider interests of society must be respected and safeguarded by the government as well as the Opposition. It is not only foolish but also dangerous to presume that the interests of all people are subsumed in the interests of a few and hence will be automatically protected.

Unfortunately, even the statesmen of today are not perceptive enough to see through the veneer of prevailing ideologies and perceive the discomforting reality. The whole logic of privatisation needs to be subjected to a wider, finer and continuing debate so that it can be seen that privatisation is not the answer to every conceivable challenge. Education and health in particular need protection against unbridled commercialism.

RAJESH SHARMA
Hoshiarpur

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Congress: debatable question

Mr Sunanda K. Dutta-Ray, in his article “Socialism and secularism; redefining Congress ideology” (The Tribune, Dec 16) highlighted Mr N.V. Gadgil’s note to Mrs Sonia Gandhi on “modernising, re-modelling and redefining Congress ideology”, arguing that “socialism and secularism no more appealed to the electorate” and thus the party can stick to these articles of its ideology only at its peril.

Well, I fully share and whole-heartedly endorse Mr Datta-Ray’s view that the Congress should, in no case and under no circumstances, give “secularism” a go-by. “Competitive communalism”, as the eminent writer has aptly observed, would prove ruinous not only for the historic party but also the country at large.

Whether “socialism” should be outrightly discarded or retained as part and parcel of party ideology as before seems debatable. Apparently, a pro-poor tilt to every economic policy of the government seems an imperative of the situation obtaining in the country at the moment. Even the much-trumpeted economic reforms need to be given a human face, failing which the freeplay of ruthless market forces would crush the poor.

Thus, to my mind, the party would be well-advised to hasten in the delicate matter very slowly and cautiously lest it should be accused of leaving the hapless multitudes in the lurch.

TARA CHAND
Ambota (Una)

Arrest moral degradation

At present the human life is engulfed with myriad problems. Due to severe moral degradation human life today all over the world has become quite insecure, tense and suffocating. Social order, peace and justice have been seriously jeopardised. Human living day by day is becoming horrible and meaningless.

In such a terrible and frustrating situation, it is heartening to learn through the media that an international organisation based in Bangladesh — the Foundation for Moral Development Approach (FMDA) — has launched a “global moral development programme” to curb the present moral degradation. The FMDA has very rightly diagnosed that today immorality is the number one enemy/problem of mankind as it is the mother of all crimes directly giving birth to the following acute problems: corruption, bribery, poverty, rape, AIDS/HIV, human rights violation, environment pollution, oppression and repression on woman and children, killings, terrorism, drug abuse, smoking, etc. So, the FMDA has genuinely argued that global moral development is the ultimate solution to all the above mentioned human problems.

Since this is a universally benevolent initiative to save mankind (irrespective of colour, religion and nationality) the United Nations should take up this matter immediately. The population of the globe should convert this moral development programme into a social movement everywhere for the sake of peaceful and meaningful existence of human beings.

We appeal to all the international organisations like the World Bank, the IMF, the ADB, the Commonwealth, Transparency International, ASEAN, the OAU, SAARC, etc, to come forward to cooperate in implementing this universally benevolent mission.

FERDAUS TALUKDER
Scarborough (Canada)

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Police torture cases

Apropos of the news item “Couple ends life after torture”, the harrowing case highlighted by your Jaipur correspondent is really heart-rending. The victim of the police torture, Ram Chander, and his wife Aasha finished their life after strangling their kid to death. However, this is not an isolated case; everyday a number of people face police atrocities.

The Sanganer police station cops humiliated the victim to the extent that he could not tolerate the highhandedness without any reason. As a result, he decided to end his life. The story given by the victim in the suicide note indicates that another key person involved in the altercation was close to some of the police personnel and was allowed to go scot-free.

Although after the formation of the National Human Rights Commission there has been a decline in police atrocities, people at some places are still ignorant about the autonomous body. Their cases should be dealt with by the NHRC itself.

The Centre should set up a cell to investigate the incidents of police atrocities and the NHRC should intervene in such matters.

DINESH KUMAR SHARMA
Dera Bassi

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Panel for pensioners

The Haryana government has set up a panel for pensioners. This is a welcome step. It will consider the cases of those who retired before January, 1986. The field of the panel should be widened to consider the anomaly cases of other pensioners, particularly of those who retired between January, 1996, and September, 1996. Also their pension should be fixed as per recommendations of the fifth Pay Commission as modified by the Central Government for its pensioners, without calling for fresh applications from the government servants concerned. It should be equal to 50 per cent of the last pay drawn in the revised pay scales or the minimum pension should be equal to 50 per cent of the initial of pay scale.

Thus the pensioners who retired between January, 1996, and September, 1996, are badly affected. They are getting less pension than those who retired after October, 1996 or before January, 1996. This disparity needs to be removed immediately.

H. S. PAUL
Ambala City