''Multiple threats to national security''

In his introductory remarks at the Roundtable on National Security, Chengappa pointed out that apart from the traditional threats to national security, countries like India were now confronted with an array of non-traditional ones. “National security can no more be concerned or confined to just the physical and economic, but also has to deal with the social and cyber,” he said.

 

“The questions that beg asking are: is India’s current national security policy and machinery geared up to meet the new challenges? Is the set-up accountable, flexible, responsive, contemporary and adequate enough to combat current and future threats?  Do we have lessons to learn from other countries and how they deal with such issues? In short, what would be the best set-up that could effectively meet the key national security challenges we face?”

Chengappa said the primary duty of newspapers was to ask the hard questions and then follow it up consistently to see that the readers get to know the answers, however uncomfortable these may be to those in power. “In the era of fast foods and instant gratification, unfortunately even news organisations succumb to delivering snap judgments on key issues and then move on to the next breaking news or prime time debate,” he said.

 “We set up the Tribune National Security Forum precisely for this reason so as to bring depth into the discourse on a vital area that affects everyone. In doing so, we hope to contribute to developing thought leadership across the country and also help people make reasoned choices on complex national issues,” Chengappa said.

He pointed out that with the country at a critical crossroads and a new government in the saddle, there were hard questions that “we need to face about India’s national security: do we, for instance, have a national security policy or a doctrine in the fullest sense?  Is our national security only about national defence? Or do we need to take a more holistic and inclusive concept of national security?” Even 67 years after Independence, India still imports 70 per cent of the defence equipment. “How does this impact our national security?  Take another fact. We import 90 per cent of our energy requirements at huge costs and yet we do little to make energy use efficient and sustainable,” he said.

 Earlier, recalling The Tribune’s contribution to the growth of the country, Chengappa pointed out that the paper was now in its 134th year of publication, and was amongst the oldest newspapers in the country.  “Over these many years, we have ensured that we remain independent in every sense of the word. We have always strived to maintain the highest standards of journalism and ethics while carrying forward the mission of our founder, Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, to make the newspaper the true voice of the people,” he said.