Events & Issues

New Delhi, 6 December 2010

Second Green Revolution

NEED EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION

By Dhurjati Mukherjee

There is much talk about the need for a second green revolution as the country will have to increase its agricultural output by more than 340 million tonnes by 2020 in the face of increasing demand by a growing population. Given that the first green revolution was limited to five crops, primarily wheat and was restricted to mainly Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.

However, studies reveal that the cost-intensive green revolution helped the rich farmers while small and marginal cultivators did not receive the desired benefits and their conditions declined. Keeping this in mind, the Finance Minister had announced a four- pronged strategy, the most important being the extension of the green revolution in the eastern region of the country, namely Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, eastern UP, West Bengal and Orissa. Notwithstanding, Rs 400 crores allocated for the purpose, experts believe that the sum is too meagre to really make a dent in these States which are lagging behind in production and productivity.

Another important declaration was the proposal to organize 60,000 “pulses and oilseed villages” in rain-fed areas during 2010-11 and provide an integrated intervention for water harvesting, watershed management and soil health to enhance the productivity of the dryland areas. Indeed, the Rs 300 crores allocated is significant as the per capita availability of water is declining, thus dryland areas could produce pulses and oilseeds which are in heavy demand.

Shockingly, agriculture is a mere 18% of the Gross Domestic Product. Hence there is an imperative need to improve soil health, water conservation and management. Also vital are climate resilient agriculture, field research and experimentation. Though Rs 200 crores has been allocated much will depend on scientists to ensure implementation of the measures suggested.   

Whether all these proposals would be able to reach the small farmers and make a dent to the agricultural sector remains to be seen. In addition, agricultural research should be field-oriented so as to ensure efficient use of resources, conservation of soil, water and ecology with introduction of newer technologies, bio-fertilizers and bio-genetics for improved plant and horticultural products. Only then can the second green revolution become a reality.

Even the Eleventh Plan emphasized on certain measures for taking agriculture to a higher trajectory of 4% annual growth. But unfortunately schemes like the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund and crop insurance have failed because of lack of initiative from nationalized banks. Specific measures already outlined in the Plan but yet to reach the farmer.

Namely, improved water management, rainwater harvesting and watershed development, reclaiming degraded land for cultivation, effective extension at the grass root level; diversifying into high-value outputs, fruits, flowers, medicinal plants, bio-diesel etc,       providing easy access to credit at affordable rates and improving incentives and markets.

Recall, former President Kalam realized the potential of agriculture and highlighted this at the Global Forum on Agricultural Research in November 2006. Since then several workshops have been held and there is unanimity that the second green revolution must reach the farthest centres of the country. However, as experts point out it should ensure inclusion of small and marginal farmers whose numbers continue to grow.

Other aspects like agri-marketing, research, development and technology transfer, irrigation and water planning, food processing and diversification of agricultural products need to be given attention also. The problems of small and marginal farmers, who constitute the major segment of the farming community need to be supported .

Additionally, agro- processing centres in rural areas are vital as this would result in the minimization of post-production losses and availability of value-added products for consumers at an affordable price. If necessary, private sector participation should be ensured as they have played a significant role as developers of new crop varieties, specially hybrids, and providers of high quality seeds.

Importantly, agricultural development is possible by undertaking measures like: new and innovative technology for enhancing production; new technology for resource conservation; encouraging farmers’ cooperatives as is being done in Gujarat and Maharashtra; skill training and entrepreneurship development; value-addition of agricultural products and good marketing network, including development of future market.

Already, the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) has overd 200 experiential learning units at 43 agricultural universities in different parts of the country to impart requisite training. But more sincere efforts and networking are needed.

The second green revolution should also possible in rain-fed areas so as to improve the income levels of distressed farmers. The main challenges obviously lie in reaching new technologies to small and marginal farmers, providing them necessary credit and improving their incomes through better infrastructure and marketing strategies.

In such a scenario, positive steps are needed at this juncture. The first is to strengthen existing Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and setting up Kendras in all blocks of the country to reach all sections of farmers. For boosting production, facilitating adoption of improved knowledge on production, value addition and marketing and extending all types of help.

The crucial thing that remains to be ensured is that returns from agriculture have to be monitored so that the farmers are not put in a precarious situation of mounting debts leading them to suicide. Even in Punjab, where the average farm size is 3.8 acres which in 2.5 times more average size, farmers income is far less than the starting salary of a Government Class IV employee.

Questionably, how will farmers continue to be involved in cereal production with dwindling incomes, more so with rising fertilizer and electricity rates? There is thus an imperative need to substantially enhance the minimum support price for various crops. The higher rates would ensure better returns for farmers.

In sum, India can emerge as an agricultural power in the not-too-distant future if a better strategy is implemented. There is an urgent need to overhaul socio-economic and farm policies more so, with the implementation of the Food Security Act as also to tackle rural poverty.

The face of rural India has to be transformed keeping in view the need to improve the living conditions of the masses. As eminent economist Rangarajan, in 1982, “a mere one per cent increase in agricultural output led to a 0.7 increase in national income and benefited the small farming community. ----- INFA

(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)

Round The World

New Delhi, 14 December 2010

11^th EU-India Summit

INDIA’s RISING STATURE

By Monish Tourangbam

Research Scholar, School of International Studies (JNU)

India’s growing stature in world politics is reflected in the changing dynamics of its ties with major powers. New Delhi’s voice is increasingly being heard in major regional and international organizations thus giving it the confidence and the reason to seek, in conjunction with other like-minded countries the reform of various international organizations.

Importantly, New Delhi is an eminent votary of the conviction that international politics in this age of globalization is more inter-dependent than ever, and that major crises and problems cannot be solved in isolation. Hence, reflective of its own belief in multi-lateralism, democracy and diversity, Raisina Hill espouses policies that talk of cooperation and mutualism.

This is where the values India strives for finds a lot of meeting points with the kind of idea and goals on which the European Union (EU) is constituted. Indeed, a supra-national authority like the EU need not be perfect but it is a unique symbol of belief in consensus-building and an experiment in regional governance.

India as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious democracy has vast areas of commonalities and convergences with the EU which should be increasingly tapped. The EU has so far succeeded in pooling the resources of 27 countries without necessarily instigating fear of loss of sovereignty.

The recently concluded 11^th EU-India summit held in Brussels was another step towards cementing and diversifying India’s ties with the EU. The recent Summit, as expected was broad-based in nature covering a wide spectrum of issues that are of concern to both sides.

Significantly however, during media interactions, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well as European leaders seemed intent on toning down barriers to India-EU trade and focused on the optimism projected towards the implementation of a free trade regime soon.

For instance, regarding the issue of the seizure of generic drugs at European ports en route to third world countries, India’s Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar said while a broad consensus on resolving the issue had been arrived at, the lawyers of both sides were now examining the way forward in such a manner that each party’s “right to further legal recourse” would not be prejudiced.  If reports are to be believed, this dispute seems to have come to some form of resolution but the real test, as always, will be at  the stage of implementation.

Various rounds of negotiations have gone into the EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and officials are hopeful that it could be signed by early next year. Post the summit, Prime Minister Singh sought to keep away detractors by commenting that both sides were engaged in the last stages of what he calls a “complex exercise”.

Through the joint declaration, the two sides recognized “the value of an ambitious and balanced Broad Based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA), which will bring significant economic benefits to both sides and further strengthen the bilateral economic relationship.” According to reports, the BTIA will reduce duties on mutual trade, which aggregated about Euro 56 billion in fiscal 2009-10.

The declaration stated that the, “leaders welcomed the significant progress recorded during recent negotiations, agreed on the contours of a final package, and reaffirmed the importance of an ambitious and balanced conclusion in the spring of 2011.” Concerning fears that a FTA in agricultural products would adversely affect small and medium farmers in India; the Prime Minister averred that adequate “safeguards” would be put in place to take care of the concerns of farmers and small businesses.

There is no gainsaying, that global recession combined with the influx of skilled people mainly from Asia have created domestic political compulsions in some countries leading to protectionist tendencies resulting in clamping down on the legal movement of people. This is a matter of concern for a country like India boasting of a vast and a growing knowledge pool.

Taking this issue into consideration, the declaration stated:” Recognizing the important implications of the movement of people for India and EU, they agreed to explore initiatives that could lead to a regular, comprehensive and structured dialogue on migration issues, with a view to deepening cooperation in this field.” 

Recall, NATO has set 2014 as the time-line by which the NATO forces including the US “aspires” to end combat mission in Afghanistan and hand over responsibilities to the Afghan Establishment and its forces, of course taking into account the ground realities. Keeping these developments in perspective, both India and the EU expressed solidarity in their commitment towards a “stable, peaceful and inclusive Afghanistan free from terrorism”.

Both Brussels and New Delhi have major stakes in the conflict. Also, Pakistan’s assistance is crucial in ending this conflict. But, when it comes to tackling terrorism, one needs to call a spade a spade. Recently, India fared quite well in convincing major powers to demand more concrete actions from Pakistan. As such, both the EU and India agreed “terrorism must be combated firmly and expressed concern at the continuing existence of safe havens, including in the cross- border dimension.”

Further, while sharing hope for a democratic and prosperous Pakistan, leaders from both sides also “called upon Pakistan to expeditiously bring all the perpetrators, authors and accomplices of the Mumbai attacks to justice.” In fact, the shared concern for terrorism could prove a major catalyst in building convergences between the Indian intelligence and their counterparts spanning across the European continent.

Leaders also dwelt on the state of the global economy, particularly in the context of developments registered in the G20 forum. As such, they welcomed the significant agreement reached on IMF reform at the G20 summit earlier in Seoul. The Seoul Summit document elaborates that there will be a shift in quota shares to dynamic emerging markets, developing countries and to under-represented countries of over 6%, while protecting the voting share of the poorest, which the G20 leaders have committed to work to complete by the Annual Meetings in 2012.

Particularly, as world politics has witnessed a mushrooming of various associations within and across regions. As such, countries should strive to prevent a zero-sum game where one association’s successes eat into the development of another. This is germane to the furtherance of mutual interest in a globalized world presenting a state of complex inter-dependence.

The influence and power of one association should not become a liability for another. The same set of countries (especially in the case of major powers) are simultaneous members in many associations. Hence, the understanding reached in one association should become a stepping stone towards further milestones in others.

On his way back from the EU-India Summit in Brussels, Manmohan Singh made an important stop-over in Germany. There, he along with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel reviewed the state of the strong India-Germany relationship discussing issues ranging from combating terrorism, prospects for high technology trade, trade laws and the possibility of cooperation in the field of civilian nuclear energy.

They also deliberated on cooperation towards UN reforms which should assume more vigour as both are newly elected as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. In sum, keeping in mind President Sarkozy’s recent successful India visit, Prime Minister Singh’s sojourn in Germany should serve as another major fillip towards stronger EU-India ties. ----- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

Round The World

New Delhi, 8 December 2010

Sarkozy’s Visit

SEALING BROAD-BASED TIES

By Monish Tourangbam

Research Scholar, School of International Studies (JNU)

World politics in this globalized age is defined by increasing inter-actions and engagements in diverse sectors. Even if alliances are formed regionally or otherwise, it is not necessarily seen as coming at the expense of other relations. Though the reason behind the policies of nation States is often explained as driven by the vague word ‘national interest’, there remains different set of factors effecting decisions that are hard to authoritatively define.

In this complex maze of inter-secting mutuality and conflict of interests, even allies have challenges to face in their relations while traditional foes have opportunities to ease their edgy relationship. As such, diplomacy is built around the idea of toning down differences and amplifying convergences.

The recent visit of the flamboyant French President Nicolas Sarkozy was his second to India since he came as Chief Guest at India’s Republic Day Celebrations in 2008. The visit, besides being an expected step towards cementing France’s broad-based ties with India (a strategic partnership was established in 1998) should also be seen in the context of India’s improving stature in world politics and the corresponding interest shown by leaders of major countries around the world. Evident by the list of leaders that India has welcomed this year alone, US President Obama came last month.

With the end of the Cold War, world politics has increasingly taken a different turn. There has been a paradigm shift toward multi-lateralism. Often, countries otherwise inter-linked and cooperating in some issues are seen logging horns in others, the vice versa also being true. In this scenario, diplomatic shock absorbers are of prominent importance and that comes only through regular talks and meeting of minds.

Rhetoric and diplomatic niceties play important parts in relations but projected goals and vision of cooperation need to be backed by convergences in material terms, in the form of increased engagement in the political and the economic fields. Lately, as Indo-US ties have managed to hog the limelight when it comes to Indian engagement with the western world, India-France relations need to find its own space.

It entails re-assessing the areas of convergences and divergences to create an atmosphere where New Delhi and Paris would pragmatically raise the levels of engagement. India’s emergence as one of the most lucrative markets in the world has attracted the attention of multiple countries and it is in the interest of both Paris and New Delhi to qualitatively and quantitatively increase the ties in diverse areas. France has been quite proactive on investing in the area of nuclear commerce with its consistent support for India’s primacy in this field. It needs to build on this image of reliability. 

For one, President Sarkozy has been very generous when it comes to supporting India at the international stage, be it endorsing India’s candidature for the permanent membership of the UN Security Council, commenting on India’s increasing stature at the international scenario, praising India’s clean record on non-proliferation, or be it speaking in tune with India on tackling terrorism in all its facets. Reminiscent of how President Obama described India as not an emerging power, but an ‘emerged’ one, President Sarkozy in an interview to a national daily said, “India is not the giant of tomorrow; India is already a giant today: a demographic giant, an economic giant, a political giant.”

After its nuclear tests in 1974 and 1998, India faced nuclear isolation for years. But today, the picture is entirely different and many countries are galloping towards clinching nuclear deals with India. This windfall can largely be attributed to the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) waiver granted to India. The NSG waiver has opened the floodgates. And France has come out as one of the strongest and earliest supporters of India joining international nuclear commerce. Cementing ties in this field was top priority for President Sarkozy during his visit.

There have been some lingering concerns vis-à-vis the Nuclear Liability Bill passed by Parliament, but its implementation has to be worked out by both sides in a graduated manner, without hampering vital interests. An “early works” agreement was signed between French nuclear giant Areva and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) for implementing the reactors' unit at Jaitapur nuclear plant in Maharashtra.

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and French National Space Agency (CNES) signed a MoU for cooperation in the field of earth science and climate change. India’s Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and France's atomic energy commission CEA also agreed to cooperate in the field of nuclear science and technology.

Looking for an increasing foothold in the Indian market, France announced that its companies would invest nearly 10 billion euro by 2012. French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said that French commitments could increase if opportunities come up by the opening of insurance and multi-brand retail. A joint statement said that the two Governments were committed to more than doubling their trade by 2012 to 12 billion euro from 5 billion euro in 2008.

The seriousness of any strategic partnership is defined by the range and depth of the defence cooperation. India and France decided to further intensify their defence cooperation, particularly in the field of anti-piracy and maritime security and are expected to finalise soon a deal for upgrading IAF's Mirage-2000 fighter aircraft. Joint military exercises are underway and major strides undertaken with the intent to move further towards co-production and partnership in R&D, namely in co-developing the Short Range Surface-to-Air Missile (SRSAM) missile and the Kaveri engine (for India's indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) or 'Tejas').

The issue of terrorism has almost become ubiquitous in all bilateral and multilateral meets with some good reason and Sarkozy’s visit was no different as he went out to speak against the perpetrators of terrorism and honoured the martyrs of the 26/11 attacks. The French President was quite categorical in his stand against terrorism when he said, “I count on Pakistan authorities to show that they are resolute in combating terrorism.” Both the countries also support the early conclusion of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism at the UN.

As President Sarkozy tries to maneuver a not-so-rosy image of the French domestic political scene, France-India relationship has the potential to serve as the succor in his foreign policy. India has sailed through global recession relatively unscathed and its stature in the increasingly influential G20 might serve as a soft landing spot for French interest.

As France has just assumed the rotating Presidency of the G20, its ties with an economic power-house like India should look enticing. New Delhi’s ties with Paris are also important seen from the perspective of India’s ties with the EU. Common adherence to the ideas of pluralism, multi-lateralism and democracy has surely put the India-EU relationship on a firm footing. And France being one of the most important players in the EU could find ample opportunities to improve ties with India singularly as well as within the ambit of the rapidly galloping India-EU relations. ----- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

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Round The World

New Delhi, 30 November 2010

Krishna’s Sri Lanka Visit

PRO-ACTIVE FOREIGN POLICY VITAL

By Monish Tourangbam

Research Scholar, School of International Studies (JNU)

Coming close on the heels of President Mahinda Rajapaksa being sworn-in officially for his second term, India’s Foreign Minister S M Krishna’s visit to Sri Lanka should be seen as giving credence to the priority accorded to the island nation in India’s foreign policy. The visit of Krishna is an affirmation of the confidence that the Manmohan Singh Government has shown in the Rajapaksa Administration for building a new Sri Lanka based on mutual trust between the Sinhalese and the minority Tamils.

The regularity of the high level visits from India since the end of the Tamil Tigers besides giving support to the ruling junta also shows the concerns that New Delhi harbours for the way the Tamil question is handled in post-conflict Sri Lanka. No real peace or prosperity can come in the island nation by sidelining the needs and causes of the Tamils.

The country under a powerful President is giving every sign of growth. But with greater power comes greater responsibilities. So, the Sri Lankan Government needs to introspect on its policies towards the Sri Lankan Tamils on a daily basis. Earlier this year, the controversial amendments to the 1978 Sri Lankan Constitution included lifting the two-term limit on the post of the President, which literally means that strongman Rajapaksa is in for a long innings.

President Rajapaksa held the reins of the large-scale operations against the once-dreaded LTTE and presided over its final collapse following its leader Prabhakaran’s death. The international community including its big neighbour India has been consistently setting its eyes on how the Rajapaksa Administration restores normalcy. New Delhi has persistently assisted in the rehabilitation of Tamil civilians whose lives have been on the razor’s edge. The re-settlement of the Tamils and their proper inclusion into the larger growth story of Sri Lanka is something that India is highly concerned about.

This is in stark contrast to countries like China which seems to be far-removed from this complex question and concerned with only the economics of the story. As also how much foothold Beijing can gain in the region. As such, New Delhi carries a bigger responsibility that tries to balance its relations with the Sri Lankan Government with the deeper questions of power devolution and human rights.

The Sri Lankans are at a critical juncture. After being ravaged by civil war for years which hindered any chances of re-integration and re-generation of society, post conflict they have a unique opportunity to rebuild society, take things head-on and pave a future where Tamils no longer feel the need to have another Prabhakaran. Or else, Sri Lanka caught in the illusion of power; prosperity and growth figures can push issues under the rug and engineer a faulty peace that will only postpone another crisis.

Since the end of the long-drawn conflict, New Delhi has been in the forefront of providing assistance for relief and rehabilitation of displaced Tamil civilians and in de-mining operation in the erstwhile conflict zones. The Foreign Minister, who was on a four-day visit to Sri Lanka, said India hoped for the creation of a ‘structured dialogue mechanism' to work out a political solution to the ethnic conflict in the island nation.

During his stay Krishna inaugurated two new Indian consulates, one in southern Sri Lankan coastal city of Hambantota, a site of major Chinese investment and another in Jaffna, which was once the bastion of the LTTE. Besides, the High Commission in Colombo, India already has a consulate in Kandy in the central hill district to cater to the needs of the Indian origin Tamils.

This is a well intended step towards taking the depth of the bilateral relations forward and increasing the reach of Indian assistance to the regeneration of the post-conflict Sri Lanka. These consulates can serve as major centres that will showcase India’s intention to be Sri Lanka’s partner in its growth, without meddling in its internal affairs.

The visit also witnessed the signing of the credit agreement of some $416.39 million for the Northern Railway construction project and the exchange of Instruments of Ratification of the Agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Prisoners and of the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty being realized. The two sides reviewed the ongoing preparatory work on the project for the construction of 50,000 houses for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Northern and Eastern Provinces and also for estate workers in the Central Provinces with the support of India. A contract was signed with Hindustan Prefab Limited by the Government of India for commencement of construction of 1000 houses as a “Pilot Project” in the Northern Province.

Noting the importance of speedily restoring the traditional transport links between the two countries, New Delhi and Colombo welcomed the finalization of the agreement to resume ferry services between Colombo and Tuticorin and Talaimannar and Rameswaram and directed the concerned officials to put in place the mechanisms to start these services as soon as the agreement is signed.

As both sides agreed to explore ways to strengthen the safety and security of fishermen, they welcomed the decision to revive the meetings of the bilateral Joint Working Group on Fishing. Besides, a bilateral India-Sri Lanka CEO’s Forum was also constituted, indicating a future of enhanced trade cooperation and investment opportunities.

As a neighbouring country and as a regional power-house, bench-warming is not an option for India. Given that China is investing heavily with the full consent of the Sri Lankan Government, there is nothing much India can do to thwart it. The only way to handle this raging competition is to set in place a pro-active foreign policy decision-making mechanism and look at opportunities in the region that will bring positive dividends for India in future. Pro-activity in foreign policy is not a choice but a necessity for India. One should not be left to collect crumbs when it comes to investments in foreign countries.

With much diplomatic restraint and caution, Sri Lanka should be made to know that foreign assistance should be used to bring about a more inclusive Sri Lanka, and for that, the representation of ethnic Tamils in institutions of national importance should be increased, specifically the Sri Lankan army. It is entirely Sri Lanka’s decision as to what policy it follows and with what sort of countries it deals with.

But, it is again entirely in India’s hands to make Indian investments more enticing and showcase the dynamism and transparency of the Indian market. It is in New Delhi’s interest to make the neighbourhood safe for democracy. India lives in a complex enough neigbourhood surrounded by arch-rival Pakistan that consistently sees India as the No.1 enemy, a rising but antagonist China, an autocratic Myanmar with a shoddy human rights record, and by countries like Nepal and Bangladesh that passes into characteristic fits of instability. In such a scenario, a post-conflict Sri Lanka taking baby steps to normalcy and stability should be primary investment for India. --- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)