Political Dynasties

People &  Their Problems

New Delhi, 17 September 2009

Food Adulteration

HUMAN HEALTH UNDER THREAT

By Dhurjati Mukherjee

 As if rising food prices was not bad enough, people have to deal with the growing problem of food adulteration and/or contamination in various forms or the other. These include pesticides in food, adulteration and colouring of food products. While rules are very much there to check adulteration, the enforcement is brazenly lacking, leading to the unusual increase in health diseases in all sections of society – whether rich or poor.

Sadly, a survey conducted some time ago reveals that the presence of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables has been increasing steadily. The survey showed that about 18 per cent vegetables and 12 per cent fruits, both home grown and imported, contained pesticide residues, including banned pesticides. Residues of DDT, DDE and HCE pesticides were found in samples from Mumbai and Hyderabad, while samples from Anand, Surat and Baroda in Gujarat had chlorpyriphos and monocrotophos residues above the maximum levels. Even imported apple and pear from the US and China were found to contain multiple residues of HCH isomers, DDT analogues and organophosphate pesticides at Mumbai and Chennai.

Experts are of the opinion that banned pesticides like DDT, which are still used in the malaria eradication programme, find illegal entry into the agriculture system, while the residue of other banned pesticides can be found in soil and water. But the figures quoted by the survey are not very realistic as it is generally believed that these are much more than projected.

Remember, a few years back pesticides in soft drinks created a huge controversy when the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in the Capital, compared the pesticide levels in the country with those prescribed by the EU standards for primary raw ingredients. It came out with startling revelations against 12 leading brands of soft drinks belonging to multi-national companies. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) thereafter proposed new standards that specify the maximum levels of various pesticides, potentially additive caffeine and acid content in soft drinks.

Insofar as the use of colours is concerned, its toxicity has an adverse effect on human health. Though Rule 26 of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act permits the use of colours, the rampant and illegal use of poor quality toxic colours, oils and flavours in sweets, snacks, biscuits, chips, pickles, ice creams and soft drinks has become a serious health problem. Not just this, but even fresh fruits and vegetables are too coloured to make them look more appetizing. It is even reported that coal tar is often added to powered spices to give them the right hue.

Clinically, chemical dyes such as Auramine are learnt to cause dysfunction of the liver and the kidney, while another dye, Rhodomine B, leads to growth retardation apart from degeneration of the two organs. Malachite Green causes a decrease in appetite, growth and fertility. Yellow G provokes asthma and Allura Red can lead to stomach cancer. Doctors and nutritionists are of the firm opinion that the common side effects of prolonged consumption of these colours are acidity, thyroid tumours, asthma, abdominal pain, eczema, liver and kidney damage. In urban areas, there has been a phenomenal increase in acidity amongst most people and the reasons are attributed to the intake of contaminated food.

The worst sufferers are children. Some pediatricians have contended that many children are also allergic to artificial colours. Heavy metals like lead, mercury and arsenic, which are found in sweets and snacks coloured with non-food grade dyes are worse as they are not excreted.

Shockingly, there is no strict, even proper enforcement of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act and most State Governments do not have the machinery to conduct checks from time to time. In recent times, consumer rights have become quite active but not much headway has been made in most parts of the country. While voluntary organizations are quite vociferous about land rights, water, sanitation and the likes, contamination of food has not been given requisite attention.   

Another major problem is the lack of awareness amongst most consumers. While buying packaged food, it is of utmost importance that they find out whether the colours are at the permissible level. However, this trend, unlike the West is not prevalent in our part of the world. This apart there is a lack of information about some basic dos and don’ts. For example not many are aware that keeping fruits and vegetables in water for about an hour (if not more) would help allow many of the contaminants to be absorbed in the water itself. Likewise, fish, rice and pulses too should be washed repeatedly to help remove the urea used to whiten these.  

Regrettably, there is little data about the connection between food adulteration and contamination and its effect on human health, especially of children and lactating women. However, the problem exists and importantly needs to be tackled in all seriousness. Unless this is done, the incidence of diseases would continue to rise. Even the well-informed urban consumer is not aware about the aspect of pesticide residues or the adulteration in food though there are some discussions of vegetables sometimes looking more fresh than expected. The scenario is obviously more distressing in the small towns and rural areas, where most adulterated food products have made their way.        

While research needs to be conducted regularly on the different types of adulteration in food and its effect on human health, it is equally important for consumer rights activists to build up campaigns. Last but not the least, the Union Government, which provides funds for scientific awareness generation through its Department of Science & Technology, should provide funds to NGOs to take up this work. Organizations such as  the All India Institute of Hygiene & Public Health should conduct regular research and publicize the findings, thus enlightening the people.

At the State level too, awareness campaigns must be organized with the help of the NGOs and the Government departments should publish related literature. If awareness is built up effectively and the food inspectors carry out their duties sincerely, food adulteration is bound to come down drastically. But for all this to happen, there is need for alertness among the monitoring agencies and a proper understanding of the adverse consequences of adulterated and/or contaminated food on human health by the authorities. It is never too late. ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

Round The World

Indian Airspace Violation

DECODING THE CHINESE INTENT

By Hina Pandey

School of International Studies, JNU

The recent reports of Chinese violations of the Indian airspace in Leh region in Jammu and Kashmir has become a daily norm in the Indian Media. It is now officially confirmed by military officials too that indeed the Chinese copters violated the country’s territory. It is interesting to note that few years ago during the same time, the Indo-China Joint Working Group met for the second time in New Delhi, to maintain and promote peace on the border. It resulted in taking up of measures such as prior notification of military exercise, prevention of air intrusions and redeployment of forces along the Line of Actual Control.

This process was continued further and followed by another meeting in 1993 in Beijing, which further sought greater transparency about the activities along the LAC. The same year, Prime Minister Late Narasimha Rao too visited China (6^thSeptember) and both sides pledged to “strictly respect and observe the LAC.  Again, 1995 saw one of the most significant agreements on border peace, wherein the two sides mutually agreed to withdraw from Sumdorong Chu Valley. It could only be a coincidence that “acts of breach” occurred almost the same time when “pledge to not to breach” had been taken.

According to a leading English daily, military officials also acknowledged that activities along the border are seen every year around August-September and hence need not to taken as “alarming signs”. However, this time the People’s Liberation Army has set a record of breaching the LAC approximately 26 times in the same month. Is the Indian Military acknowledging Chinese presence in the border region? If not, then why has border patrolling been intensified in recent days? What are Beijing’s intentions in blatantly violating the Indian airspace?

Similar signs occurred before the Indo-Sino war of 1962 and yet the Government wants to keep mum and is busy down-playing the issue by blaming it on the difference of perception on the LAC by both countries. Reports of such incursions are not new. In August last year too, the Chinese patrols entered Indian territory and made as many as 223 attempts to violate it. However, this time the tension seems to be building up along the border.

The graph of the Sino-Indian relationship has from time to time always oscillated from “being potential friends” to “being potential enemies.” Beijing has always maintained its record of following a slightly aggressive foreign and domestic policy as compared to New Delhi, and is never ashamed to makes use of its might to resolve political issues, be it border disputes with India, Taiwan Straight, Tibet or curbing of human rights in Tiananmen Square and media rights in Tibet. The Chinese have vehemently reacted on many such issues which have played a role in deteriorating Indo-Sino relationship.

One such major issue is the assistance to Pakistan’s nuclear programme. This is not to suggest that the two countries have never come closer, In fact, both the countries experienced a phase of normalization in   relations since 1988. The process of improvement began with Prime Minister Late Rajiv Gandhi's visit to China which resulted in India’s recognition of Tibet as a region of China which enjoyed autonomy. New Delhi decided to push ahead with Beijing without waiting for a border settlement.

This momentum continued with several other high-profile visits, including that of former President R.Venkataraman, resulting in a significant acknowledgment by Beijing as well that the border problem wasn't a serious one and that both India and China must resolve it through peaceful means. Gradual exchanges and reciprocal visits by both countries’ officials brought the Sino-Indian relations closer in the fields of arts, science, technology, health, trade and others. Historically too, both the countries have existed as nations since a very long time and have expanded themselves to become the world’s massive storehouse of human resource.

Both embraced modern governance almost at the same time. China declared itself as People’s Republic of China on 1^st October 1949, whereas India became an independent nation on 15^th August 1947. However, despite the convergence of historical experience and cooperation in many sectors, there have remained certain unfilled possibilities due to which the two have never been able to maintain a sound foundation such that their association can be translated into a strong marriage.

It is the residual effect of those unresolved issues, combined with the obscure understanding that New Delhi has about Chinese behavior which makes it rather difficult to perceive Beijing’s intention in a good light. Besides, accessing Chinese intention and power incorrectly have always proved harmful in the past. This accentuates the importance to carefully decode recent Chinese air space violations. Also both the Governments have downplayed this issue and have maintained a diplomatic position.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu declined any such reports and said its border patrols are conducted strictly in accordance with the law. He reiterated that the two countries had arrived at a consensus about making efforts to safeguard peace and tranquility on the border, while the border issue is being negotiated. The Ministry of External affairs too, on September 7th maintained that this wasn't an issue at all and that India and China shared the most peaceful border. However, it has asked for the clarification from Beijing, and is awaiting its response.

It is interesting to note that reports of incursion coincided with the visit of spiritual leader Dalai Lama to Taiwan to comfort typhoon victims. This has evoked a reaction by the Chinese, who have suspended certain dealings with Taiwan. New Delhi too has received an upsetting reaction from Beijing regarding His Holiness’s forthcoming visit to Arunachal Pradesh. Are these reactions from the Chinese Government signaling towards something that New Delhi should become apprehensive of?

In International politics, power is defined as the ability of a State to advance and defend its interests. This capability gets highlighted even more when put to comparison with another State. Hence, power is defined as a State’s relative ability to another, which can be articulated through military, economic or cultural means. Given this backdrop, the recent Chinese violation of Indian airspace does raise many questions regarding the Chinese intentions.

Are these recent incursions symbolic with the power projections? Is this one of the Chinese ways to convey its hegemonic ambitions to New Delhi in the Asian continent, given that both India and China are the only two candidates having a potential of being a global power in the near future? Or, is it a means to challenge Indian regional hegemonic tendencies in South Asia? This unpredictable Chinese nature and carefree attitude of the Indian Government has created a labyrinth of questions for the strategic community to answer. ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

Round The States

New Delhi, 17 September 2009

Worrying Internal Security

STATES STERNLY TICKED OFF

By Insaf

 
The States have been sternly ticked off by the Centre as never before for not doing enough to tackle the country’s internal security. Little has been done by way of reforms, despite repeated reminders. Nothing has, for instance, been done to set up police establishment boards to decide transfers and postings of police personnel. Some States have even reduced cops to “a football to be kicked from one post to another.” Worse, most State governments have failed to provide adequate funds for the police, whereas security should be the first charge on the State exchequer! Importantly, the Centre’s despair was first spelt out candidly by the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram while inaugurating a three-day Conference of Directors General of Police and Inspectors General of Police on internal security in the Capital on Monday last. At the same time, he offered a solution to the top cops: “Why do you remain silent when arbitrary postings and transfers are made by the State Governments?...Is it not your duty, as heads of State police to raise your voice not only on behalf of your officers but also on behalf of the people that you are duty-bound to protect.” The big question is: When will mindsets and old habits change?

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Mamata Scores Again

Winds of change continue to blow in West Bengal with the Trinamool Congress giving the ruling CPM yet another crushing blow. This time in Siliguri, the nerve centre of North Bengal politics and the State’s second most important commercial hub after Kolkata. The formidable TMC-Congress combine got a clear majority on Tuesday last bagging 29 of the 47 seats in the Municipal Corporation elections, demolishing the Left Front’s three-decade rule. The CPM managed to win only 17 seats against its strength of 36 in 2004. This, despite Siliguri being one of the few corporations which has a good track record, with the State’s Urban Development Minister Ashok Bhattacharjee, who hails from here and is its MLA. Besides, not only did the minister campaign actively, but so did Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. In sharp contrast, the TMC chief, Mamata Banerjee, did not go there even once. Indeed, it is a decisive victory for Didi, who joyously proclaimed that they had captured the “Red Fort.”  

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Gujarat Booster For BJP

Gujarat’s Narendra Modi has given the demoralized BJP a much-needed morale booster. After a string of defeats since the Lok Sabha polls, the party wrested five Assembly seats from the Congress in the State’s byelections held for seven seats. The Congress retained one and managed to take one from the BJP. With this recent victory, the strength of the saffron party in the 182-member Assembly has gone up to 122, the Congress trailing with just 54 and the rest six others. Clearly, the bypoll has provided Modi a breather too after his party’s defeat in the Junagadh municipal elections this June. Addressing a rally on Monday last, the Chief Minister felt emboldened enough to warn “that the people of Gujarat support us strongly.” Meanwhile, the BJP has added a seat each to its kitty in Madhya Pradesh and Uttaranchal bypolls. The Congress has to find solace in retaining one seat each in Madhya Pradesh and the Andhra Pradesh bypolls.   

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Bundelkhand Wins Lottery

In the struggle for one upmanship between Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, the poverty-stricken Bundelkhand region has won a big lottery. On Monday last, the Prime Minister’s Office approved a Rs 30,000-crore special development plan for the region, notorious for dacoities, drought and starvation deaths. In fact, the package is a lot more than what Rahul asked for, Rs 8000 crore. However, his demand for a Bundelkhand Authority covering both UP and Madhya Pradesh is on hold. But this should not be a damper as all proposals for the region, covering parts of the two States will be directly implemented by the Centre. For starters, while the National Thermal Power Corporation will build a Rs 20,000 crore 4,000 MW power plant at Lalitpur in MP, the Water Resources Ministry has been asked to prepare the Ken-Betwa river linking project between the two States. In addition, the Agriculture Ministry is to plan a Central University to provide research inputs to farmers on alternative crops requiring small quantities of water. Interestingly, political warfare has its plus points!   

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Student Trouble In Sikkim

Is Sikkim going the Maharashtra way? Last week the N-E State’s Chief Minister Pawan K Chamling found his counterparts in Bihar, Nitish Kumar and Assam’s Tarun Gogoi complaining. The reason: Sikkim students had “abused and beaten up” non-local students at the Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology (SMIT) and the North Eastern Hills University (NEHU) respectively. While the SMIT’s director was forced to close down the college last week for 10 days, the police had to beef up security at NEHU. Trouble started at the SMIT, after a Bhutia student abused some non-Sikkim students and later a few Sikkim students beat up non-locals during a volleyball match, forcing over 600 of them to take refuge on the sixth floor of the hostel. The next day saw non-locals catching trains back to Bihar. Of the 2,000 students in the SMIT hostel, 1400 are non-locals with 800 from Bihar alone. At NEHU, Assamese students were attacked by local students. Is regionalism raising its ugly head in the North-East? 

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Rajasthan Rewriting History

History continues to be written and rewritten in Rajasthan with the change of rulers. Congress Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has got his Government to issue instructions to the State Education Boards to scrap controversial references from books that promote right-wing propaganda and also blame the Congress for encouraging insurgency in Jammu & Kashmir. The books were introduced during the BJP’s Vasundhra Raje’s Government in 2003 and are said to be written by academics who were sympathizers of the Hindu organizations such as the RSS, VHP and the Bajrang Dal. The Gehlot Government set up a three-member committee to look into the matter. This committee recommended that objectionable portions be deleted. Must politicians play duck and drakes with history, ignoring truth and age-old values? ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

Political Diary

New Delhi, 19 September 2009

Cops, Stop Being Kicked As Football

BRAVE WORDS, WILL IT LEAD TO CHANGE?

By Poonam I Kaushish

Until yesterday it was dubbed as yet another conference of DGP’s and IG’s on internal security last week. One more seminarian approach.  The same monotonous actions and reactions, with a minor change of a comma here and a full stop there. All to make it sound spanking new and different. Of a Government on the ball, talking and acting tough. Yawn.  Till the new Union Home Minister Chidambaram ‘kicked’ up enough food for thought  for the policemen: “Stop allowing yourself to being reduced to a football, to be kicked here and there.

“Why do you remain silent when arbitrary postings and transfers are made by the State Government?  Is it not your duty, as head of State police to raise your voice not only on behalf of your officers but also on behalf of the people that you are duty bound to protect. ” Leaving the stunned cops rubbing their eyes in disbelief.

But Chidambaram hadn’t finished. Next he rebuked the States for their ‘transfer raj’ policy “from one post to another, without regard to the damage done to the job as well as the officer.”  Not only that. Noting with concern the failure of the States to constitute the Police Establishment Board — a mechanism suggested by the Supreme Court for deciding on police transfers and postings, he wondered why the police Chiefs were silent when their men are transferred and posted on the whims and fancies of their State maibaaps. Further, he asked asking them to introspect on what really was the length of tenures of key police functionaries like the deputy superintendents of police and SHOs. Enough is enough, was his clear message.

Next it was the turn of the Prime Minister’s turn to pitch for police reform. He called for the creation of a “new-age policeman” who is more professional, better motivated, equipped and trained with the latest in tactics and technology. Highlighting the current state of cops where on an average a policeman gets in-service training only once in 20 years, he read out the riot act. “This is totally inadequate in the changed circumstances and this must be rectified …. Police training must keep pace with the best practices being followed in the world.” 

Brave words, indeed. Do the Prime Minister and his Home Minister mean what they say, and say what they mean? Are winds of change in the offing? Will are policewallah goonda really get a make-over? Importantly, will our leaders heed their advice and desist from transferring cops every time there is a change in Government? Questions abound.

How motivated and ill-equipped our police are was laid bare with deadly precision during the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai last year, when cops with lathis and antiquated rifles were seen battling terrorists armed with sophisticated weaponry. Think. There are 14.5 policemen per 10,000 people, when the desired manpower should be 22 policemen per 10,000 people. In Bihar, a Naxal-prone State, the ratio of policemen to the public per 10,000 is a meagre 0.9 i.e hardly one policeman for 10,000 people.

More. Shocking is the tenure of our khakiwallahs. In states like UP, the average tenure of DSPs is an abominable four months. Punjab, too, has a poor track record on this front. Notwithstanding States like Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Kerala who are not bitten by the transfer bug and believe in a stable tenure for police officers. Add to this poor salaries which has encouraged corruption.

Add to this the problem of Chief Ministers using transfer as a danda to get cops to do at their bidding. Those who refuse to follow orders are humiliated and given punishment postings. Besides, they are bereft of any out of the box ideas are content to wallow in inane, obsolete and muddle-headed formulations to complex and important strategic issues. Resulting in a complete  paralyses in policy-making and the operational command of our police personnel.

Not a few CMs argue that Chidambaram’s diktat infringes on the powers of the State as per the Constitution. As it undermines the federal structure and erodes the authority of the leader.  Asserted a CM: “A no-transfer policy would be disastrous. An incompetent or corrupt SHO could wreck havoc in the countryside as a State Government helplessly watches from the fringes. Besides, who would the DGP be accountable to? Given that the State Government decides the cops Annual Confidential Report? This is not reforming the system but deforming it.”

Arguably, is the police more sinned against than sinning? Are the main culprits the politicians? The truth is midway. Both work in tandem in furthering their own self-interest, with the result the system becomes self-perpetuating. Where criminalization of politics has given way to politicization of crime and political criminals. Resulting in the complete brutalization and dehumanisation of the polity and the police. We have come a full circle.

It is pointless to argue that the State has withered away. Shockingly, the police still functions according to the Police Act of 1861. This provides it with a negative role, basically that of protecting the establishment. Only if successive governments had fully implemented the recommendations of the National Police Commission, set up in 1971 under the Chairmanship of late Dharma Vira, ICS Retd, former Cabinet Secretary and Governor of three States, India would not have come to this sorry pass.

The Commission had recommended that the ethos of the Police force should be shifted from one of enforcement to enablement, called public relations today.  It wanted the Police Act of 1861 repealed and replaced by a new Act and law and order divided into two separate departments, with a separate police force for each.

Alas, successive governments have given a quiet burial to this report and instead opted for quick-fix solutions for chronic maladies. Result? Gross political interference. In 2000, the then Home Minister LK Advani set-up another Police Commission with a brief to look into four aspects: how to stop political interference and influence, change the mindset of the force, improve the public interface and image, prevent politicization, criminalization and corruption in the police. But this too was confined to the dustbin of history.

What next? The time has come to usher in drastic changes in the police administration to make it more accountable and to protect it from political interference. The Centre and States need to overhaul the outdated, 145-year-old Indian Police Act, and implement the Supreme Court’s seven-point directive in a landmark judgment last year. Namely, to prevent politically engineered mass transfer of officers on change of a Government, setting up of a National Security Commission to ensure that the selection of chiefs of Central police organizations was fair with a fixed two-year tenure and a State Security Commission to monitor transfers and postings.

In addition, over-centralisation should be replaced by decentralization and functional autonomy to the police from the Station House level onwards and their goals and objective set with the cooperation and consultation of the local population.  A properly structured and representative body of local residents should be associated with setting priorities and goals.

Besides, the standards prescribed for recruitment, training and emoluments for the police etc. also need radical revision, according to the National Police Commission. There should be a shift from quantity to quality of Police leadership.  It is better to have half a dozen officers of the rank of a Sub-Inspector in a police station to prevent and detect crime than to have 25 semi-literate and ill-paid constables. Competent officers should be posted in the affected districts and given a stable tenure of at least 2 to 3 years to make a difference. In addition, they need to be provided improved weapons and greater mobility.

In the ultimate analysis, a revolutionary change is the need of the hour. Merely mouthing platitudes will no longer work. The Centre needs to think beyond the headlines. The bottom line is clear. When push comes to a shove there is no easy option.  The Government has to tackle the basic issue first --- honest and effective modernization of the police force, with the constabulary getting its due. Are you serious, Mr. Chidambaram? The country wants action and results, not footballs being kicked around!  ----INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)