The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Sops for IT units
Punjab needs to do more

The information technology (IT) sector fetches the country $70 billion in revenue annually apart from providing large employment opportunities to youth. Much of the IT business, however, is confined to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, though other states are trying hard to catch up. The fresh concessions that Punjab Industries Minister Tikshan Sud announced on Sunday to encourage IT units in the state should be seen in this context. The sops – exemption from stamp duty, electricity duty, land registration and change-in-land-use charges – are not insignificant. But are these enough to lure IT giants to Kapurthala and Nawanshahr, where the state government proposes to set up IT parks?

The effort to take the IT industry to neglected or under-developed areas is praiseworthy but one has to be pragmatic too. Mohali is one of the modern, planned cities of Punjab where an IT park was announced more than a decade ago. Yet it has made limited progress. In fact, the slow pace of development, lack of infrastructure and poor governance drove some big IT companies like Infosys out of Mohali to Rajiv Gandhi IT Park, Chandigarh’s much-delayed IT foray.

Instead of pinning the blame for the sluggish industrial growth or lack of fresh private investment in Punjab on either the state’s “geographical disadvantage” or the Central tax concessions to the hill states the Punjab political leadership needs to take a hard look at red tape, corruption and infrastructural bottlenecks that scare away investors. The promise of regular power supply to IT units may not be enough if employees and executives are not assured a quality of life available in places like Bangalore and Hyderabad. Skilled Punjabi youth are leaving the state in hordes for greener pastures elsewhere in the country and abroad. If industry is flourishing in Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, there may be some lessons for the laggard states provided they make honest efforts to see what is wrong and set things right instead of dishing out excuses, slogans and misinformation to hoodwink people.

Politics to prison
Politicians are learning a hard lesson

A prison term may no longer be a badge of honour for politicians but, thick-skinned as ever, politicians in prison are increasingly projecting themselves as martyrs to a cause. The former Telecommunication minister A. Raja, who is said to be catching up with some serious reading in Tihar Jail, will undoubtedly write a book to boast how it was he, and not the UPA, which made the mobile phones accessible to the rickshaw puller and the vegetable vendor. His companion in jail from Tamil Nadu, Kanimozhi, can similarly be trusted to come out with a book of poems, possibly a lament on injustice. Both can actually draw inspiration from Jeffrey Archer, the best-selling novelist and former UK minister, who profitably spent a few years in prison, without any dent to his image or publishing success.

The common man, of course, has never had it so good. Forced to cower before politicians all these years, the nation is clearly getting a huge kick at the spectacle of politicians cringing before television cameras before they are dispatched to prison. The courts also seem to have been infected by the national mood, merrily rejecting politicians’ pleas for bail and indicating that they must now pay for toying with public interest. But politicians are adept at swimming with the tide. Trust them to soon sport a mask of injured innocence, blame political conspiracies, convert adversity into opportunity and make good use of their convivial contact with the underworld in prison. They might also force the government to make prisons more livable. There are already airconditioned rooms and cottages, with a television thrown in, for political prisoners. The jailors surely will be allowed to put a fridge, a mobile and an iPad in the foreseeable future. With the growing number of politicians in prison, there might even be a jail-building boom.

On a more serious plane, it is heartening to see criminal jurisprudence evolving to address an essentially grey area. Misuse of public office and authority, dispensing favours and using their discretion were deemed to be their perks of power. That such acts are actually criminal in nature is sinking in only now.

Thought for the Day

A politician needs the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen. — Winston Churchill

ARTICLE

Anna’s drive against corruption
It must remain apolitical
by Kuldip Nayar

IT is always a problem for the people’s movement to stay within the contours of its original purpose. Too many hands join to bask in the glory and, like too many cooks, they spoil the broth. I had such an apprehension when Anna Hazare’s stir against corruption, more specifically for the appointment of Lokpal (ombudsman) to eliminate it, began.

So many marches ended at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and so many people sat on hunger strike at the same place. But nothing happened beyond creating a ripple or two. Suddenly, Anna’s call brought thousands of people on the streets. He gave a face to the general resentment which needed ventilation. The nation got a cause. I wish the movement had stayed on course. It was a call against corruption and was apolitical. In fact, intellectuals from different backgrounds and leaders from different movements came on one platform and they had just one purpose before them: to fight against corruption.

A few dissenting voices were rudely brushed aside because they were seen raising doubts expressed about the movement. The government was forced to invite Anna to discuss his suggestions to curb corruption. After nine rounds of talks, the two found that they were not on the same page. Both went their own way but promised that the end result, elimination of corruption, would be met.

The government and the ruling Congress gave an undertaking that the Lokpal Bill would be stricter than Anna’s demands. People stayed behind him because as a Gandhian he led an austere, simple life and spoke about values, an idiom which the political parties had forsaken. He did prick the nation’s conscience which was appalled over the system that seethed with corruption. Even when Anna praised Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, he was forgiven because the people’s eyes were fixed only on the agenda of eliminating corruption. He too realised his make and withdrew the remark. This once again underlined the point that the movement was meant only for eliminating corruption.

The BJP and the RSS owned him and gave him all the support through their cadres and leaders. Liberals did not like it. The Congress indulged in “we-told-you-so” attitude. Still Anna’s candid statement that if the BJP or the RSS supported him, it did not mean that he had asked them for support allayed most fears on his tilt towards the saffron brigade. Both the BJP and the RSS did not like this but continued their support. Yet the movement stayed on course, more or less apolitical.

I think the biggest mistake was made when Anna and his 26-member team announced that they would oppose the Congress candidate in the Hisar by-election. I did not know till then that Arvind Kejeriwal, the right hand man of Anna, was from Hisar. There would have been some kind of defence if they had said that corrupt candidates should be defeated. In fact, the call was to defeat the Congress candidate. An apolitical body began to acquire political colour. The complexion changed from then onward.

Where it was said that the persons from different backgrounds had come together on one platform to fight against corruption, it began a trend of thought whether most of them were pursuing their own agenda. This impression got strengthened when Prashant Bhushan made certain remarks on Kashmir. I am not commenting on their merit but I am surprised that he made them when, as Anna’s top man, he had to be discreet.

This unnecessarily clouded the real purpose. I condemn the physical attacks on him. This only indicates how society is increasingly taken over by lumpen elements. Yet his remarks were bound to take away attention from Anna’s original purpose to fight against corruption because they were political. It was not surprising that the BJP jumped into the arena and pointed towards the L.K. Advani-led rath yatra against corruption as if his was the real movement. Even former Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa was mildly criticised.

I was not surprised to find the Congress making snide remarks. The party is so corrupt from top to bottom, to use its spokesman’s words against Anna, that anything derisive against the movement is to its liking. I still hope that Parliament’s Standing Committee, going through the exercise of drafting a Lokpal Bill, may ultimately come out with a Bill which would aim at silencing the critics and meet Anna’s aspirations.

The problem with the two main political parties, the Congress and the BJP, is that both are corrupt and raise dust all the time to cloud the real issue. Their dishonesty in governance and the scams during their regimes are before the people to see. My worry is that Anna’s platform which had opened a window of opportunity and hope is beginning to shake. And there are doubts about its credentials. The two members, Rajinder Singh and P.V. Rajagopal, who have dissociated from Anna’s team, are well respected. They found the original purpose of fighting against corruption without being political going awry. This is where persons like Medha Patkar and Swami Agnivesh, however critical, have to intervene to reassemble the elements which met first under the leadership of Anna to draft the Lokpal Bill. At that meeting, it was enunciated many a time that the movement would not resile from its determination to stay away from politics.

People are still awaiting the dust to settle down so that the campaign to eliminate corruption has the centre-stage once again. Anna or his team cannot change the goalpost because they got the public support on that understanding. Going to UP to oppose the Congress or to even cleanse politics will be a mistake. Politics cannot be cleansed if the platform constituted for the purpose gets politicised itself.

An alternative to the Congress and the BJP is needed. But first thing’s first. Anna and his team have to have Parliament pass the Lokpal Bill which retains most of the things demanded: accountability of the judiciary, control over the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Enforcement Directorate and other vigilance bodies and the supervision of staff below the Under Secretary. As days go by, Anna and his shrivelling team may be more and more vilified. Kejeriwal has been attacked. Such instances can increase. The team has to adhere to the original purpose.

As for Anna, I draw his attention to the words recorded about Isaac Newton: “He lived the life of a solitary, and like all men who are occupied with profound meditation, he acted strangely. Sometimes, in getting out of bed, an idea would come to him, and he would sit on the edge of the bed, half dressed, for hours at a time.”

MIDDLE

My ‘affair’ with music
by Harish Dhillon

It began in 1953. In a school where boys were admired for their prowess in games, I was particularly hopeless on the games field. But then, neither was I good at anything else. This made for a tremendous loss of self- esteem.

Fortunately, I had a very sensitive Housemaster, Mr Kemp, who encouraged me to learn how to play the piano. For the next five years music became the very centre of my very existence. I had found my slot, found the one thing that I was good at. And I was very good. I won the music prize every year and passed each level of the Trinity College of Music exams, with honours. I began to dream of a career as a concert pianist.

This dream was given a quick and final burial by my father. After the Senior Cambridge Examinations when my future was being discussed, I suggested that I might go in for a full-time course in music. In answer I received a stinging slap and the curt, sarcastic remark: “So you want to be a ‘marasi’.”

I joined the National Defence Academy instead. But God was kind to me and my affair with music continued. We had a Battalion Commander, who was keenly interested in western music and was determined to promote the appreciation of western music among the cadets. Towards this end he introduced an inter-battalion music competition where each battalion had to field two entries – a solo item and a group item. My piece on the piano was always the solo entry for the battalion and always won the prize. The fact that I was the only cadet who could play the piano probably had a great deal to do with this.

Then my life changed its course and with this change the opportunity to play the piano also came to an end and sometimes later, even the desire to play faded away. I took it up again when I joined YPS Patiala. But I soon realised that though I still had the skill and the ability to master the most difficult of techniques, the passion had left me during those long difficult years. I knew that my affair with music had come to an end.

This year, Meenakshi Biswas, from the OS batch of 1961, met my daughter in the cloisters of Birdwood and on an impulse asked if she too was an Old Sanawarian. Naina answered in the affirmative and added:

“You might remember my father. He passed out of school four years earlier than you. His name was Harishpal Dhillon.”

Meenakshi’s reply was prompt and enthusiastic: “Of course I remember him. He used to play the piano so well that we had concerts specially arranged so that we could listen to him playing.” A sense of loss came sweeping over me and with it a deep sadness. Yet, paradoxically, there was an overwhelming feeling of elation too: my affair was remembered even half a century later.

OPED Agriculture

Reorienting village economy
Dr. B. S. Ahloowalia

The development of village-based storage, packaging and marketing of primary agricultural produce can lead to job creation, improved rural sanitation, diversification of agriculture and prevention of environmental degradation

All seeds can be produced in villages and delivered at the doorstep of farmers. Tribune photo

During the past 50 years, Punjab has achieved remarkable success in food production. This production is sustained on resources of its fertile land, water and adoption of new technologies by farmers. However, the added value from increased food production has not translated into an increased purchasing power of the rural masses mainly because it did not create the anticipated rural employment for Punjabis.

The adoption of many existing exiting technologies can increase rural employment and enhance incomes. These include village-based storage, processing, packaging and marketing of primary agricultural produce, thus creating a rural agro-industry sector. Much of the technical information and resources required to create rural employment already exist in India, and can be adapted or adopted with minimal costs. However, such technologies can succeed only if policy changes are undertaken and actively promoted by the state government to create “techno-villages”.

The three agricultural sectors that need to be located in the villages are: (a) grain storage, milling, processing, packaging and distribution; (b) seed production, packaging, storage and distribution; and (c) horticultural crop production, packaging and marketing.

Grain silos & other storage systems

It is ironical that whereas all primary agricultural products — grains, pulses, oilseeds, fruits and vegetables are produced in villages, their storage, milling, processing, packaging and distribution takes place in cities. This is in stark contrast to Europe and North America, where much of the grain storage is located in rural areas and in many cases, milling, processing, packaging and even distribution (at least to the surrounding villages) is undertaken in rural areas.

In the olden days, grain milling and oil extraction was undertaken within villages by using ox-drawn mills and later with diesel engines. As a starting point, groups of 10 to 20 villages around major cities should be selected for storage, processing, packaging and marketing of primary agricultural produce, particularly grains, pulses, oil seeds, and sugar. The establishment of grain silos and storage systems should be promoted through one-time subsidy.

For milling, processing and packaging, 10 to 20 per cent subsidy should be provided during the first two years of their operation. To establish modern steel silos, participation of grain and seed handling companies such as Cargill, known for its worldwide experience, should be sought in joint public-private ventures. Now that nearly all villages in Punjab have electricity and roads, such agro-industry can be mechanised and infrastructure upgraded. This would generate employment in villages at all levels from farmers, labourers, agricultural graduates to banks. Of course, quality assurance of packed products is essential to build consumer confidence in the rural-based marketing industry. The same model can be used for processing oilseeds, vegetables and fruits.

High-quality seeds

Seed is the very basis of crop production. Ensured high-crop yields require high quality seeds and planting material obtained from cuttings, bulbs, runners and graft buds. Seed production is a fast expanding area in India worth billions of dollars. Crop diversification in Punjab will require the availability of high-quality seeds and planting material of new crops, and its easy access to growers.

All seeds and planting material could be produced in villages, and delivered at the doorstep of farmers instead of them running to universities and extension centres. The opportunities in this sector include production, packaging, storage and distribution of high quality seeds of major crops and planting material of flowers, indoor ornamentals, decorative shrubs, and forest and fruit trees.

Many crops are based on hybrid varieties which have high market value. Seed of many crops such as wheat, rice, cotton, pulses, millets, oils seed crops, vegetables such as carrot, cabbage, egg plant, radish, mustard (sarson sag), cauliflower, tomato, spices and medicinal plants such as cumin coriander, mustard seeds, ajwain, isbgoal (psyllium) and fennel offer a major opportunity for village-based marketing.

An advanced stage of production of high quality planting material is through test-tube multiplication (micro-propagation). Crops such as sugarcane, potato, banana, strawberry and mint, ginger and turmeric, ornamentals such as chrysanthemum, roses, jasmine and bougainvillea are ideally amenable to this technology. Small micro-propagation units can be established in villages near cities, and can be based on low-cost options. Many such units exist in Cuba, where village houses are converted into such units and can employ as many as 100 persons per day, often in two shifts.

Growing demand for shrubs

This will open up a whole new agro-industry for the production of nursery stock and forest trees based on a combination of micro-propagation and conventional multiplication — the latter can be done both under plastic or outdoors. There is a growing demand for shrubs and short rotation trees for agro-forestry. The will make Punjab cleaner and greener. There is also a major potential to produce mushroom spawn in centralised units that provide spawn-inoculated mushroom compost in black plastic bags to growers. Such a system has been used in Ireland and has grown worth millions of dollars.

Horticultural production under plastic has become a new source of income for small landholders and large corporate farming in Europe. Growing vegetables such as tomato, melon, cucumber, strawberries and banana, cut flowers of chrysanthemum and roses under plastic is widespread in Greece, Morocco, Spain and Ireland. Plastic dome-shaped tunnels and houses with drip irrigation are popular in Israel, Italy, Ireland, the UK and Spain. Often, soil within a plastic house or tunnel is covered with black plastic to keep off weeds and insects, and to provide extra heat and retain soil moisture, thus reducing not only cost but also leading to high quality produce with uniform size. This in turn allows easy packaging and quality assurance to consumers.

Since the system is labour-intensive, it leads to rural employment, particularly that of women. Such systems can be adapted into Punjab agriculture without much modification and a little innovation for the production and export of many vegetables, particularly winter tomato, flowers and small fruits. In Punjab several crops such as winter tomato, banana, strawberry, chili pepper, bell pepper, Chinese lettuce, red beet root, red radish and lettuce can be produced under plastic. Growing of crops under plastic is ideal for the production of high quality planting material free from viruses, and fungal and bacterial diseases.

Often plants multiplied from test-tube culture such as strawberry runners, citrus, rose, chrysanthemum and potato are first grown under plastic for hardening and then packed in clear plastic bags and sold by growers. The packaging and shipment of such short-life produce requires a highly streamlined cool storage system and road transportation for shipment to cities and airports.

Recycling village waste should be seen as an integral part of horticultural production and environmental improvement. When properly composted through wormiculture or turned into biogas, animal waste is converted into a high-grade fertiliser. The biogas saves firewood and cuts down the emission of carbon dioxide from dung burning. Above all, recycling will result in improved rural sanitation. The production of high-grade compost is important for the production of nursery stock, flowers and potted plants and trees, which would create rural employment and supplementary income. The sale of packed organic compost is a million-dollar business in the US and Europe.

Rejuvenate forests

Needless to say, that the production of forest trees is badly needed in Punjab to rejuvenate forests, provide wood for construction and fuel, and above all, to prevent soil erosion. Forestry in Punjab may be the way forward for many of the ecological problems relating to pollution, use of marginal lands, maintenance of soil fertility and reducing pressure on land. A combination of the existing and available simple technologies to handle rural waste can trigger a chain reaction for the benefit of health and wealth of rural Punjab. Additional rural employment and income can also be generated from village-based tourism. The establishment of entertainment picnic parks along rivers and canals can generate additional income for villages if rural waste is removed and recycled.

The farmers and growers have to be the key players in the storage, packaging and marketing of agricultural produce and should set up small and medium enterprises. They should control the management, purchase of equipment, technology adoption and marketing of the produce. Farmers can also establish cooperatives as in Switzerland. Such cooperatives undertake bulk purchase, marketing, packaging and sales. Many of these actions can be implemented by individual farmers and entrepreneurs on their own. However, the existing state agencies and boards should promote each sector. The agencies should establish standards for produce; for example quality for seed, packaged vegetables, flowers, grain and grain products.

The writer has formerly worked with the International Atomic Energy Agency, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN, Vienna, and Agriculture and Food Development Authority, Ireland