10 DEMOCRACY AT WORK MUMBAI | 31 MARCH 2019 >

Read between the lines DID THEY REALLY SAY THAT? CHECKLIST In this age of jumle-baazi, it might take a jumla to beat all other jumlas. But still, CONSTITUENCIES TO WATCH: MAHARASHTRA (48 LOK SABHA SEATS) what exactly did Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav mean when he told a TV channel in an interview: “The chowkidar is just a slogan, like the chaiwala. And n Hatkanangale: The politics in this constituency fielded as a candidate in 2009 and held the seat chai doodh ke bina nahin banti!” (Tea cannot be made without milk). Given that revolves around sugarcane and sugar prices. till 2014. But since then, the Rane family has quit Yadavs supply the doodh, and the chai is in the making, what was he hinting at? Cooperative sugar mills are owned by politicians, the Congress and has now floated its own party mostly Congress and Nationalist Congress Party, and called the Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha that is CHATTERBOX Tit for tat they pay the farmers less than the government- neither with the NDA nor the UPA. Politics centres Say this for Priyanka: She always has an answer. Recently, a journalist in Uttar mandated fair and remunerative price for around the Nanar refinery that the Shiv Sena Pradesh pointed out that the Bharatiya Janata Party President (BJP) Amit Shah sugarcane. The seat is currently held by Raju Shetti, forced the BJP to withdraw robbing local sea- had stated that she was largely absent from the electoral battlefield. She just the rabble-rousing MP who heads the Swabhimani faring communities of their livelihood. If the Rane laughed and said: “I have not been to visit my grandmother in Italy for a while Shetkari Sanghatana and has been demanding a stranglehold over the constituency is destroyed, now. Maybe I should plan a visit soon”. fair deal for farmers. In the 2014 elections, he was NDA might retain it. part of the BJP-Shiv Sena front, cornering 53.8 per n Madha: After Sharad Pawar represented the Reminiscing Advani’s words cent of the votes. This time, he is playing coy, constituency in the Lok Sabha 2009-2014, the most Veteran journalist Pankaj Vohra has a lovely story about BJP senior leader L K "The son-in-law of Azhar Masood has entered though his party has been organising massive important family in the region, headed by Vijaysinh the constituency and speaks the language of a Advani. Once, in the Parliament house premises, a British journalist asked Advani terror mastermind. You people have to ensure rallies of farmers in the run up to the elections. Mohite Patil (NCP) asked for the seat for his son. The whether he intended to make India a Hindu nation, thus deviating from the prin- that the person who speaks the language of n Ratnagiri: The most important seat in the request was rejected. His son joined the BJP and has ciple of secularism. Advani retorted that India was a Hindu country in the same Masood is defeated in the Lok Sabha elections" Konkan region of Maharashtra could see a sea announced his support for the BJP candidate, way Britain was a Christian country; just as in Britain, people could follow and UP CM Adityanath about Imran Masood, the Congress change. The Rane family led by erstwhile chief Ranjitsinh Naik Nimbalkar (who ironically joined the practice any faith, in India too, it was the same. But, he added, India was secular candidate from Saharanpur, at a public meeting in minister Narayan Rane controls the seat. It was Congress two months ago but switched to the BJP only because it was predominantly Hindu. Saharanpur, March 28 held by the Congress when Rane’s son Nilesh was recently). Nimbalkar is likely to win.

We reached out to the EC proactively because prospects in India. OPINION it has one of the biggest jobs in this country — running elections. We wanted to let them You’ve been banned in Indonesia and COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA (MARXIST) know that we have an escalation mechanism. fined in the United States. How are you There are people they can reach out to 24x7. looking at these issues. Why do you think Further, we have also given them an explicit this is happening? way to reach us in person. Indonesia is a very interesting case. We were They have not raised any issues with us. blocked for less than four days and then we Economic policies We are working on an election task force, had very good conversations with the govern- which looks at all the issues across India — ment in Indonesia and by now we enjoy an hashtags, news, what is going viral so we excellent relationship with Kominfo (the IT need to be in the make sure that we can run a responsible elec- ministry of Indonesia). tion on the platform. In Indonesia, the situation has turned We also do not do political advertising. A around so much that now we are a fully gov- people’s interest lot of focus of the EC is on transparency in ernment supported platform, and Kominfo political advertising and we don’t do political actually is now on TikTok. he Congress-led UPA government has provided a advertising at all. We are also not engaging We are expanding our teams so we abide bonanza to the corporates and the richer sections. with politicians or parties on their cam- by the local laws and have escalation mecha- T From 13 billionaires (with net assets of ~5,000 crore paigns. So we don’t do paid hash- nisms in place. and above) in 2003, by 2012 there were 122 such billionaires. tag campaigns with political par- The issue in the US comes Between 2009 and 2013 a massive ~21 lakh crores of central ties at all. from the Musical.ly days (which government tax revenues were given away as taxes forgone We are engaging with the TikTok acquired), which we have or in tax concessions. The government has resorted to massive nodal officers of the EC and are settled with them. disinvestment selling more than ~91,000 crores worth of here to abide by the local laws We are a responsible player. shares of public sector units between 2009 and 2013. The gov- and model code of conduct. We know we need to be ahead of ernment has allowed the loot of natural resources of the coun- HELENA LERSCH these issues, we need to engage Could you please elaborate on try whether it be land, minerals, gas or spectrum. Windfall Global Public Policy with the government and we the election task force? profits have been made by big business houses and private Director, TikTok need to understand the local

companies through this plunder. ILLUSTRATION BY BINAY SINHA We have a cross functional elec- challenges. The government did not take measures to tap the tax tion task force, which means there potential — either by raising effective rates or cracking down is public relations, public policy, We are not doing How are you engaging with on massive evasion of taxes by the wealthy. The tax-GDP ratio With the Lok Sabha election two months away, Helena Lersch, global public policy director of TikTok content moderation, escalation. proactive outreach the government in India? has remained lower than they were in 2007-08. Instead of is a busy woman. Lersch has working to set up a war room that will monitor Indian election related There are a lot of functions to the government We are engaging with the rele- raising resources, the curbing of government expenditure activity in real time, and keep all possible channels of communication open with not just the working on the India task force institutions or vant ministries — the IT min- became a priority. There have been cuts in expenditure bear- Election Commission of India but also other government agencies. In a conversation with Neha to ensure that the election is safe. parties. They are istry, the Ministry of Home ing on the lives of people such as on agriculture and rural Alawadhi and Karan Choudhury, Lersch talks about the challenges facing the Chinese content That is a real time task for us. really not our focus. Affairs, and the Election development (which includes MNREGA); health and educa- platform and how it is here to stay. Edited excerpts: When the EC observes an issue They can use our Commission. We’re making sure tion. Fertilizer, food and petroleum subsidies have been cut on TikTok, they can reach out platform as any that they know how to reach us, down. Subsidies on food and fuel were cut by ~78,000 crore using an escalation email that is other user and have a proactive strategy to in the last three years. monitored 24x7. They have three engage with them. It is very The entry of Foreign Capital (FDI and FIIs) has been allowed nodal officers on the EC side, and important for us to be here. We in all spheres. FDI caps have been enhanced in the banking, ‘It is a decisive year we have opened up several ways of commu- have an India based grievance officer. infrastructure, real estate, defence production and agri-busi- nication with them including my personal ness. The FDI in multi-brand retail is a graphic example of phone number. If someone reports certain content, how how the interests of Walmart and other foreign supermarket We have been working on this task force soon can you take it down? chains supersede the livelihood and employment of 4 crore for weeks and made sure everyone on the job Very soon. We have the task force looking at (40 million) people in retail trade in India. has read the model code of conduct and all that and the reason we reached out to the Faced with an economic slowdown the UPA government for being in India’ understood them. EC was exactly because of that. If someone seeks to woo foreign capital by giving more concessions and flags some content to us, we take it down in a providing big business with further tax cuts and incentives. How is it going for you in India? works on that 24x7. How much of political content have you very reasonable time. We don’t overly take What is required is massive public investment in rural devel- It is one of our biggest markets (TikTok has a We have a large content moderation team noticed on TikTok? down content, we only take it down if it vio- opment, agriculture, infrastructure and social sectors. This user base of 54 million users in India by some in place. In Tamil Nadu, we never got banned. We definitely have some political content on lates our community guidelines. would create demand and new jobs. But given its class bias, estimates). I honestly think we had an over- I don’t think they were even considering a ban. the platform. This is also user generated. So the government has refused to undertake this. whelmingly positive response in India. Very We have a grievance officer in place who is we are making sure (to monitor) especially How will you ensure the 48 hour no The pursuit of the neo-liberal policies by the six-year BJP- excited to be here. We are building and grow- engaging with the law enforcement agencies the most popular political content that we advertising guidelines are ensured on led government and the ten year Congress-led government, ing a bigger team in India. It’s a decisive year across the country. So we are in close touch know of. So we’re monitoring popular polit- TikTok in different regions? need to be reversed. What is required are alternative economic for being in India for us. with the government on such issues ical hashtags content and we look at it to It is a real challenge and the EC has recog- policies in the interests of the people and the country. We think this is very important, and are make sure there is no hate speech and vio- nised it. If you look at the code of conduct You have been in the news for a lot of working on getting this right. lence. If you look at the political content ver- (formulated by IAMAI) doesn’t involve that Food security issues around hate speech, porn, fake sus other content, it is very miniscule. particular challenge because the EC and plat- India ranks 94th out of 199 countries in the Global Hunger news, governments like Tamil Nadu How big are these content moderation forms recognise that it is extremely difficult. Index. The shame of chronic hunger and deprivation of food considering a ban. How are you looking at teams and how regional? There have been protests by the right constitutes a damning indictment of the polices pursued by these problems? Our content moderation team in India oper- wing organisations about you being of Have you asked any Indian institution or the UPA government and the earlier NDA regime. Both have This is a problem of huge importance, and one ates in 15 Indian languages. The teams in Chinese origin, and this intensifies the EC to join your platform? steadfastly refused to introduce a universal public distribution which other platforms face as much as we do. Delhi and Mumbai have grown 400 per cent when tensions escalate in the These are all public institutions. The EC is a system as it goes against the World Bank and market pre- We have robust measures in place. We have last year. We are aware that our platform is neighbourhood due to broader good example because they are a neutral body scriptions. The Food Security law enacted by parliament is reporting mechanisms, community guide- hyperlocal and are ensuring we cater to local geopolitical context. Do you see the and I am actually going to ask them to check cited as a major step towards food security. This is not true. It lines, and allow content that follows our com- sensibilities. Chinese tag becoming a liability? out our platform this week. However, we are continues with a targeted system. It provides for only 5 kg munity guidelines that forbid hate speech, We are really working on our Indian team. Our not doing proactive outreach to the govern- per individual per month. In urban areas 50 per cent of the violent content, pornographic content, Has the Election Commission of India teams in India comprise of Indians. We are ment institutions or parties. They are really people are excluded. The CPI(M) and the Left have consis- minors. So the moment we are made aware of (EC) raised any specific issues with not commenting on the broader geopolitcs but not our focus. They can use our platform as tently fought for a universal public Distribution System. We such content, we take it down with a team that TikTok? I am extremely positive about the broader any other user. need to provide a minimum of 35 kg of foodgrains to all fam- ilies at not more than ~2 per kg. The citizen’s basic right to food has to be ensured. Corruption & Mega Scams Teaching for a gender equitable society The last one decade of UPA rule has set an unprecedented record for corruption with one mega scam after the other from the 2G spectrum to the coal allocation and the KG basin gas This year’s Martha Farrell Award for the most promising individual has been won by a teacher who’s at the pricing. The government’s neo-liberal policies has spawned a forefront of devising innovative pedagogic support for increasing girl child education, writes Sneha Bhattacharjee nexus of big business-ruling politician-bureaucrats. CAG has estimated that the 2G telecom has cost the excheq- uer ~1.76 lakh crore while the coal scam around Rs. 1.86 lakh eing a teacher for 15 years, Manu Gulati up for discussion, often is dealt in hushed crore. The KG basin gas deal and the earlier concessions to was always determined to bring a tones or draws laughter, says Gulati. Through Reliance for increased gas price had led to a loss of around Rs. B change in the lives of her students, her mentoring sessions, she has been trying 100,000 crore to the government. The current revision pro- especially girl students. Knowing the prob- to break that stereotype. posed by the government, is twice this amount. The lems that came with educating a girl, Gulati “Children with special needs, coming Commonwealth Games scam was worth around ~60,000 crore. devised innovative strategies for teachers so from poor background need to be dealt with Contrary to the claim that privatization and free market they could generate interest among girls to more compassion. My challenge is how to reduce corruption, evidence shows that the “black economy” continue studies. Today, her efforts at creating make these girls self-sustainable,” she says. and the propagation of corruption has expanded under such a gender-neutral society by coaching boys and So, she tries to incorporate creative art in her policies, and is now almost 50 per cent of the GDP of the girls in Delhi schools have fetched her the 2019 teaching methodology. “I teach music and country. (Global Financial Integrity, 2010) Martha Farrell Award for Excellence in the dance or art and craft along with imparting Resources that belong to the people are being looted through most promising individual category. English language training,” she adds. One a range of corrupt practices. Illegal flows to tax havens and off- Apart from being an English teacher at a problem she encountered was that girls shore accounts have grown rapidly along with black money; Delhi Government school, Gulati is a mentor stopped coming to school months before any the post-reform annual flows are five times the pre-reform flows. teacher with the Directorate of Education. festival was to arrive. Why? Because they had The total accumulated capital and assets held by Indians abroad She has been instrumental in helping young to go with their parents to help them earn is estimated to be in the range of half a trillion dollars (~25 lakh girls receive formal school education. Her money. “So I would teach them how to make crore) to 1.4 trillion dollars (~70 lakh crores). efforts have also been extended towards things that could be sold during those festi- The outrage among the people and the protest against cor- working with boys and girls at vals, all the while also imparting ruption finally compelled the UPA government to bring an government schools in sensitis- process writing and speaking skills. WINNER ALL THE WAY Manu Gulati (fifth from the left) with her Martha Farrell Award amended Lokpal legislation which was adopted in parliament. ing them about gender neutrality The children would be taught to use However, the Lokpal Act needs to bring within its purview and bringing a positive change waste materials such as bangles, ice small as not being able to eat as well as their which she facilitates training programmes the PPP projects and the contracts given out to corporates in society. cream sticks, CDs and utilise them brothers because the parents cannot afford for beauticians, weavers, sales girls and the involving public funds. More importantly, the big business- Speaking to Business to make items for sale,” she adds. to feed both children well. “The curriculum like in Jalandhar in Punjab, Betul in Madhya politician-bureaucrat nexus spawned by the neo-liberal Standard, Gulati points at the With the thought that life is much has helped students connect with their own Pradesh and Baramullah in Kashmir. regime needs to be broken. The CPI(M) calls for the reversal marginalised sections of society beyond marks, Gulati is looking to self, which I feel is very important. Marks can The Martha Farrell Awards were first of the neo-liberal policies which have spawned such a nexus. where the school dropout rate is inculcate in the children the aware- come and go, but if you are unable to speak awarded in 2017. Instituted in the memory high especially among girls. THE OTHER ness and resilience with which they your mind and be true to your self, it becomes of Dr Martha Farrell, a prominent activist for Foreign Policy: Tilt to the US “This is where it becomes impor- need to lead their lives. Talking about difficult to face life,” says Gulati. gender equality and women’s empowerment, The decade long UPA government has shifted the course of foreign tant to generate critical thinking, INDIA the happiness curriculum being Talking about the Martha Farrell Awards, the Award is co-sponsored by Rizwan Adatia policy towards a pro-US orientation. In the first term, it surren- question and challenge the exist- introduced in Delhi schools by the Gulati says awards are just another way of Foundation and Participatory Research in dered the independent basis of foreign policy by entering into a ing norms, among the girls,” she Aam Aadmi Party government, recognition and does not mean one becomes Asia and supported by Martha Farrell strategic alliance with the United States of America, military coop- says. Reflecting on how important it is to get Gulati feels it encourages more interaction complacent having been recognised. Foundation. This year, the best organisation eration and signing the Indo-US nuclear deal. The consequence both the boys and the girls involved when it among students, teachers and parents. “Whatever has been done is just a drop in the for Gender Equality category has been won of these steps have unfolded in its second term. India acted comes to building a gender equitable society, “Today, teachers and parents can have a con- ocean, we are working for a larger purpose. by Mahila Jan Adhikar Samiti, a women-led against its own interests by curtailing its relations with Iran. Gulati stresses the necessity of having a dia- versation about how their child is behaving And, I shall continue on that journey with organisation, which started as a collective of logue about every topic associated with a in schools and how they can be a part of rais- vigour,” she adds. Gulati also collaborates rural women and eventually transitioned Edited excerpts from the manifesto of the Communist Party of India girl’s life. For instance, awareness about ing them well,” she says. She admires how with America India Foundation’s “Market into a registered organisation in 2000 to fight Marxist, released on March 28 in New Delhi menstrual hygiene. This topic, when it comes girls are coming up and discussing issues as Aligned Skills Training Program”, through against Violence against Women. OPINION 11 > Volume XIII Number 2 MUMBAI | 31 MARCH 2019

ed ecosystem. The games will work only on iPhone sales have slowed. So have the sales of young populations enter the smartphone era. Apple devices, the credit card will be tied to the competing high-end smartphones. While this Apple must hope that gamers, who typically Apple’s new bite Apple Wallet and the streaming content will be may be a cyclical phase, some analysts suggest buy high-end expensive PCs, will opt for iPads available on Apple TV. The initial signup terms the high-end smartphone market is now sat- and Macs instead. A lot depends on whether Going off the beaten track won’t be easy and conditions appear attractive. The Apple urated, with few users seeing a pressing need gamers think Apple Arcade plus the cost of Card, for instance, will not have late fees or to upgrade their current devices. Apple already devices presents a value-proposition versus n a long presentation on Monday, Apple player in these diverse markets will sit up and penal interest charges, and there will be cash- has a significant presence in the services seg- high-end gaming PCs and more freely avail- Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook take note. It is worth remarking that this diver- back offers for use within Apple Wallet, and for ment. In 2018, it generated roughly $40 billion able games. That will depend on both content announced the consumer electronics sification is alien to the company’s corporate the purchases of Apple products and services. of its revenues of $266 billion from services. and subscription rates. Igiant was set to launch several ventures. DNA since it has hitherto preferred to be nar- However, the card would also work anywhere The high growth rates of Netflix and Spotify The new services are set to roll out over These will piggyback the Apple brand and row-focus. Changes will be required in the that MasterCard does. The Arcade games clearly indicate that content generation and the next six months or so. This announce- leverage the dedicated user-base while looking company’s mindset if it is to make a go of such library is new. Subscribers can download these streaming present a big opportunity. Apple ment creates a buzz but analysts will not have to make inroads into some new areas. Apple a portfolio of unrelated businesses. games on to their Apple device of choice and already has the popular iTunes service so this hard numbers until late autumn or winter. It will launch a credit card this autumn, in part- All the new ventures rely on the global play offline. The TV channel offers new content is, in one sense, an extension, though content will be interesting to see how the company nership with Goldman Sachs and MasterCard; club of 900 million-odd “iManiacs” who swear as well, while the news subscription services generation represents vast new challenges. manages the transition to becoming a more it will set up a cross-platform arcade gaming by Apple devices. Apple will be looking to that offer a wide range of magazines (though few Gaming is another high-potential area. diversified entity. The going will be tough, no service which is also due to launch in autumn; dedicated user-group to generate initial newspapers seem to have signed up as yet). Google is also entering the gaming arena, doubt, considering that the company, in an it will launch a streaming TV service, with signups to the new services and it must antic- The diversifications may seem unusual in although it is using a very different model of unprecedented retreat, on Friday cancelled its new content generated by icons like Oprah ipate that the new services will, in turn, boost isolation. But more broadly, the company is streaming. Most gamers are youngsters in the highly anticipated AirPower wireless charging Winfrey; and it is rebranding and re-launching demands for its gear. Insofar as information is seeking new revenue streams as the smart- 12-25 age cohort. Growth is expected to rise mat and apologised to customers who were its news service. Apple being Apple, every available, it is keeping users tied to its dedicat- phone and tablet segment slows. Apple’s exponentially as Third World nations with waiting for it. Guaranteeing urban jobs Mission Shakti: Going There is an urgent need to strengthen urban local bodies and re-imagine their functions as drivers of job beyond Pokhran creation, skill-building and ecologically sustainable development SHASHI S VEMPATI gic calculus. Few strategic analysts, both RAJENDRAN NARAYANAN, AMIT BASOLE domestic and international, have high- & MATHEW IDICULLA he prime ministerial announce- lighted the implications from a deterrence ment earlier this week of a suc- standpoint with India’s demonstration of ast year, more than 20 million people had applied T cessful anti-satellite kill by India ballistic missile defence capabilities for just 100,000 jobs in Indian Railways. This des- saw a curious comment from an interna- through this test. Of particular interest Lperation for employment was further revealed tional newspaper with the words “if con- should be the comments by Prof Vipin through the leaked Periodic Labour Force Survey data, firmed”, leading one to wonder who the Narang, an associate professor of political according to which India is witnessing its worst unem- newspaper expected to provide confirma- science at the Massachusetts Institute of ployment crisis in the last 45 years, with open unem- tion of the orbital strike — Thanos or Darth Technology (MIT), made on social media, ployment of around 20 per cent among the higher edu- Vader ? where he draws attention to an earlier cated. In addition to massive agrarian distress, we are The kinetic kill that saw a low earth research paper on how India has been also confronted with a shortage of dignified employ- orbit satellite being taken down by an developing counterforce capabilities and ment opportunities in Indian towns and cities. A large indigenously built ballistic missile defence on how the current anti-satellite test has section of the urban workforce is informal and is hence interceptor, also saw several shibboleths “huge implications” for ballistic missile exposed to a variety of risks and vulnerabilities. being taken down both domestically and defence. This, in conjunction with rampant ecological degra- internationally, as India announced its One other respect in which the geo- dation, loss of green spaces and crumbling urban infra- entry into an elite club of a handful of political fallout of Mission Shakti is dif- structure and services, presents us with a set of unique major global powers. ferent from the fallout of Pokhran is in challenges. How do we create good-quality urban jobs The operation code-named “Mission international reactions. Most significant and skills for educated youth? How do we improve Shakti”, which combined capabilities among these is the statement from the urban infrastructure and public services, and reduce the across DRDO and ISRO, among others, United States State Department that saw a ecological stress on our towns and cities? was a striking echo of “Operation Shakti”, shared interest with India in space tech- Unlike big cities, small towns have largely been which saw India joining the club of nology and continued collaboration in neglected in policy debates. Administration of towns declared nuclear powers in the late 1990s. security and safety in space. Underscoring and cities falls under the purview of Urban Local Mission Shakti is however markedly dis- the strategic partnership with India, the Bodies (ULB). However, most ULBs are severely under- tinct from the Pokhran tests, underscoring US, it would seem, endorsed India's anti- staffed and financially constrained. There is an urgent how a new India is carving out geopoliti- SAT demonstration in a marked depar- need to strengthen ULBs and re-imagine their func- cal space for itself in the global order. ture from its reactions two decades back to tions as drivers of good-quality employment, skill- While the nuclear tests of the past were Pokhran-II. While legitimate concerns building and ecologically sustainable development. It conducted under the cloud of restrictive have been expressed on space debris, India is in these contexts that some members of the Centre The objective must be to generate quality urban jobs and equip educated youth with the requisite skills global treaties, the anti-satellite capability reiterated its commitment to responsible for Sustainable Employment, Azim Premji University, demonstrated by India development of defence have proposed an urban employment guarantee pro- Wages would be indexed to CPI-Urban and would be ment and the mechanism of payment of wages. comes ahead of such treaties Mission Shakti capabilities by ensuring the gramme in a policy brief titled Strengthening Towns adjusted upward in some towns based on cost of living First, the whole pool of Central funds would be trans- being drawn up. India’s entry sends a strong target was a low earth orbit Through Sustainable Employment. considerations. ferred to the states at the beginning of each financial into the club of declared signal within the satellite with most debris The proposed programme covers towns with a pop- Setting the wage scheme at the median of the wage year. State governments in turn would transfer the nuclear weapon powers immediate expected to re-enter earth’s ulation of less than one million. There are about 4,000 distribution would raise the earnings of the poorest. Wh- Central and the state share of the budget to the ULB in came belatedly, when signif- neighbourhood atmosphere within 30 days. such towns consisting of about 126 million people of ile this may adversely impact the cost of labour for small four tranches of one per quarter so that funds are local- icant costs were sought to be and beyond that a The deterrence capability working age. Five broad categories of works can be entrepreneurs, we however posit that a rise in wages for ly available. Thus the state government and the ULB imposed by the early new and assertive demonstrated by India undertaken through this programme: (a) building and the poorest workforce would increase the demand for would be the nodal agencies for ensuring decentralised entrants to the club on later India has its eyes through the A-SAT has anoth- maintenance of public works; (b) creation and restora- goods and services. The debate over the effects of a rise payment of wages and implementation. Second, the applicants. The sanctions on the likely er dimension to it beyond tion of green spaces, rejuvenation of water-bodies and in minimum wages in the context of the developed Centre would bear 80 per cent of the labour cost and the that followed the Pokhran conflicts of space and ballistic missile waste lands; (c) environmental monitoring, surveying, economies points to a strong positive role for demand, states the remaining 20 per cent. Third, the Centre tests in the late 1990s and the the future defence. Not too long ago, and community-auditing; (d) administrative assistance while the negative effects in terms of loss of jobs are would bear 50 per cent of the non-labour costs and the global reactions that ensued India was faced with the and (e) care work such as in creches and assisting dif- either small or non-existent. Moreover, a multiplier effect rest would be split between the state governments and were an attempt to stare down India into threat of a communications satellite host- ferently-abled people. resulting from reduced unem- the ULB, depending on the size of the town. The shar- a submissive corner. An emerging India ing a foreign free-to-air DTH service with Two categories of workers have been identified. The job creation ployment will create conditions ing of monetary responsibilities is intended to increase however stood its ground and weathered its footprint over large parts of India. The Workers with varying levels of formal education up to scheme should for entrepreneurship in a dis- decentralisation, ownership of all government levels global opprobrium to chart a multi- free-to-air nature of the service meant sev- class 12 would be eligible for 100 days of guaranteed focus on building tributed fashion. and build local accountability. For participatory imple- decadal growth story. This time around eral channels could be downlinked and employment a year. This may include construction wo- public works, The following essential fea- mentation, a “Right to Timely Grievance Redressal” the story is markedly different. viewed within the land mass of India with- rkers, masons, plumbers, etc. And, workers who have ac- restoring green tures of MGNREGA can be has been proposed. A new and assertive India learned its out the service having to be licensed in quired formal education beyond class 12 would be pro- spaces and retained. First, 60 per cent of the We propose two possible variations of the employ- lessons well from Pokhran to act pre-emp- India. More significantly, it also meant vided guaranteed apprenticeship and skill-building rejuvenating total budgetary requirement ment scheme. Considering employment of one person tively with time on hand, on demonstrat- several channels carrying anti-India prop- works in monitoring, surveying, and other similar tasks water-bodies and would be labour cost and the rest per household, we estimate about 30 million jobs cre- ing its anti-satellite capabilities rather than aganda were being beamed into India, in public hospitals and offices for a contiguous period of waste lands in would be material and adminis- ated at a cost of 1.7 per cent of GDP. Considering wait to react belatedly at a later time when posing a national security threat, with lim- five months. While the first category of work is used to small towns trative cost. Second, this pro- employment of every adult, 50 million jobs would its hands were likely to be tied. By acting ited legal recourse. Deft diplomacy address the question of low-wage informal work and gramme is demand-driven, so potentially be created at a cost of 2.7 per cent of GDP. now at a time and place of its choosing addressed the issue with the satellite underemployment, the second category is designed to work would be available on demand and an unem- Programme costs are potentially high but we empha- India has kept its options open rather than provider ultimately shutting down the address skill-building and internship for educated youth. ployment allowance would be paid if work is not pro- sise the positive spillovers that will result from high- at a time when they would have been few service, but the incident underscored the According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian vided within 15 days of demand. Third, compensation er wage rates, increased productivity, skill-building, and far limited after restrictive interna- threat rogue communications satellites Economy’s (CMIE) Consumer Pyramids Survey 2018, would be paid to workers in case wages are not paid improved public services and reduced ecological tional treaties have been drawn up. In this could pose in the future. The A-SAT capa- the median wages of urban casual labourers is ~361 per within 15 days of completion of work. Fourth, proactive degradation. As a comparison, World Bank researchers respect, Mission Shakti goes beyond bility is a credible deterrent against infor- day. Self-employed tradespeople reported median earn- disclosure of information under Section 4 of the RTI Act had estimated 1.7 per cent of GDP allocations for MGN- Pokhran to establish a new benchmark on mation warfare being waged through such ings of ~462 per day, while clerical workers reported would be mandatory and periodic social audits and REGA for it to run robustly, but sadly, at present, only the new India’s will to assert itself geopo- rogue satellites. median earnings of ~1053 per day. The overall median da- public hearings involving workers would be conducted. about 0.33 per cent of the GDP is being spent on MGN- litically, while reserving a seat at the high In the wake of Balakot airstrikes, ily wage in urban India is ~500 per day. More recently, the Inadequate funds, massive delayed payments and a REGA. Moving away from reductive debates of “less table of space-faring nations. This demon- Mission Shakti sends a strong signal with- ministry of labour and employment (MoLE) has pro- highly centralised wage payment mechanism have state” versus “more state”, we propose a newly imag- stration by India while it remains commit- in the immediate neighbourhood and posed a national floor minimum wage of ~375 per day. wreaked havoc in MGNREGA. For example, the Central ined state intervention. The crisis is real and so it’s ted to non-weaponisation of outer space beyond that a new and assertive India has Keeping the CMIE and MoLE regimes as reference, we government is yet to pay ~950 crore worth of arrears to time to actually get people employed. adds tangible heft to India’s ability to nego- its eyes on the likely conflicts of the future, propose a daily wage rate of ~500 for the first category of the government of Karnataka for over three years, and tiate future treaties on space governance. even as it sheds the strategic ambivalence workers and ~13,000 per month as stipend for the second an unacceptably high proportion (about 70 per cent) of Rajendran Narayanan and Amit Basole work at Azim Predictably, much of the commentary in its response to conflicts of the past. category of workers, i.e., educated youth. Based on the wage payments to workers have been delayed by the Premji University, Bengaluru. Mathew Idiculla is a in the wake of the anti-satellite test internship experience, this category of workers could Centre. Keeping these in mind, we propose three sig- consultant with the Centre for Sustainable Employment, focused on the optics of the announce- The writer is CEO, Prasar Bharati. The views later seek employment in the public or private sector. nificant departures from MGNREGA in funds manage- Azim Premji University ment rather than on the underlying strate- expressed here are personal

> OTHER VIEWS Pakistan’s Pulwama probe Spectacle in Panaji Fake news: A wire trap findings on expected lines Onus on BJP, Congress to raise the bar Digital media prone to politicisation Islamabad has no serious intention The numbers game in Goa which fought both the BJP The digital media are increas- a democracy. turned farcical yet again with and the Congress, ended up ingly being touted to be the In spite of the popularity of tackling terror networks two MLAs of the with three MLAs each and, future of information and of the digital medium, it Maharashtrawadi Gomantak along with independents, communication. Along with remains vulnerable to politi- Playing an all-too-familiar tape, Pakistan has claimed that no Party (MGP) merging their turned king-makers as the two this assertion, however, cisation. This is evident not terror camps exist on 22 “pin locations” shared by India. A outfit with the ruling BJP and national parties bid for allies. A comes an important ques- only from the fears expressed month after India handed over a dossier with details of Jaish- the new chief minister, favourably inclined governor tion: will such a digital future by consumers with regard to e-Mohammed’s (JeM’s) complicity in the Pulwama attack and Pramod Sawant, dropping meant that the BJP got to form be both free and inclusive? A airing their political opinions the presence of JeM terror camps and its leadership in the MGP leader, Sudin Dhavalikar, a coalition government with report by the Reuters online but also by the actual neighbouring country, Pakistan says it has found no evidence from his Cabinet, a mere five Manohar Parrikar arriving Institute throws up some number of times that puni- to prosecute 50-odd persons who were detained in connection days after he was appointed from the Centre to run it. worrying figures in response tive actions have been taken with the February 14 terror strike. After having denied access deputy CM. With the MGP Politicians frequently crossing to this question. Among oth- against citizens for doing so. to the media to the area where the Balakot airstrikes took place “merger”, the BJP now has 14 sides and constantly changing er factors, it found that 55 per A large section of Indian on February 26, Pakistan has finally expressed willingness to MLAs in the 40-member chief ministers have pointed cent of Indians who read users rely on digital news. allow visits — on request — to the locations. These spots have assembly. But given the way fingers at the size of the state. news in English are hesitant Given that the study also in all probability been duly sanitised over the past month. things have been going, this The onus is on the two nation- to air their political views shows that 57 per cent of Though these are “preliminary” findings, India can't expect may be no guarantee for polit- al parties, the Congress and online because they fear that users worry about whether the outcome to change once the investigation is complete. If ical stability in the state. the BJP, which now dominate doing so will “get them into the news they read is real or Pakistan is sincere about taking its purported counter-terror Goa’s polity has not settled the state’s political space, to trouble with the authorities”. fake, surely there is a case to operations to their logical conclusion, it should throw open the has laid bare Pakistan’s agenda to shield the perpetrators of the down since the 2017 assembly raise the bar, to ensure that The implications of this are be made for weeding out doors of its seminaries, some of which are notorious as breed- Pulwama attack, for which the JeM had promptly claimed elections threw up a hung fringe players do not get to deeply worrying, for they their anxieties while respect- ing grounds for terrorists. Amid the jingoistic din raised by a responsibility. India can go on providing evidence to Pakistan, assembly. The BJP was voted hijack government formation indicate a steady erosion of ing citizens’ online privacy section of the media, credible journalists with an unbiased but it will all be like water off a duck’s back. out but the Congress fell short or governance. the right to free speech and and right to free speech? approach could have shown the true picture to the world, but of a majority by four seats. The dissenting opinions that are they were denied the opportunity. Creating a smokescreen The Tribune, March 29 MGP and Goa Forward Party, The Indian Express, March 29 fundamental to the health of The Telegraph, March 29