THE HINDU 8 EDITORIAL TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2019 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE A chessboard called It’s do or die for all three in U.P. — the BJP and its resurgent rivals, the SP-BSP combine and the Congress to overtake the BJP. But then came party’s deep coffers and the old it is arithmetic that clinched the the Modi Government’s announce­ chestnut of communal polarisa­ deal. Together the SP and the BSP ment of a 10% quota in education tion did the rest. In 2019, the rivals are match winners and have been Shot in the arm and jobs for the general category. are a savvier lot, with their own so in every election since 1993 Into this cocktail has now been ad­ caste arithmetic and PR tricks. when they first beat the BJP. In­ The Supreme Court’s ruling eases the ded the Priyanka Vadra factor, the It is a given that the Modi­Shah deed, statistics show that together implementation of the IBC in knotty cases V idya Subrahmaniam consequences of which are as yet pair will not stand by while their they will have likely stopped the unclear, aside from its electrifying opponents strategise to defeat BJP’s conquest of Delhi, whether ast week’s Supreme Court judg ment upholding effect on the morale of the Con­ them. Reports suggest that the in 1998, 1999, or even in 2014. In the validity of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy riyanka Gandhi Vadra’s gress cadre. The Congress, which 10% general quota has enthused 1998, the BJP’s vote share from LCode 2016 (IBC) in its “entirety” could have a ma­ bombshell induction into the had been left out of the SP­BSP the alienated upper castes. Wheth­ U.P. was 36.49%. In the same elec­ jor impact on the country’s economic landscape. The PCongress and her being gi­ deal, has since acquired a swagger er this group will be diverted in tion, the SP­BSP had a combined ven the charge of East Uttar Pra­ which it is showing off for all to AFP part to the Congress because of vote of 49.60%. In 1999, the partn­ fledgling IBC has been severely tested in the two years desh just ahead of the general see. SP­BSP alliance or the Congress, Ms. Vadra remains to be seen but ers had 46% to the BJP’s 27.64%. since its enactment, with the Centre being forced to election did the one thing pre­ Admittedly, there will be more must ensure precisely the oppo­ her entry undoubtedly poses a And in 2014, they lagged behind amend a couple of its provisions in order to plug some viously unimaginable. It caused a twists with the near certainty of site result because the stakes are threat to this previously solid BJP but only by a few decimal points. loopholes that enabled defaulting borrowers to chal­ little tsunami in the TV studios schemes tailored for U.P. in the equally high for them with three vote bank. A resurgent Congress Today, the two parties look for­ lenge the legislation. Any law of this nature that takes habitually glued to the movements Union Budget. The frantic one­up­ crucial objectives to be met: dis­ can also chip away at the SP­BSP’s midable. They have got the Rash­ over businesses and assets from defaulters and empow­ of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. manship between the parties in lodge the Modi g overnment, en­ Muslim support. The biggest plus triya Lok Dal on board, and are ers lenders to change the management is bound to face India Today TV set its fetching U.P. owes itself to the State’s fabled sure their own survival in the point for the Congress is the good­ looking to add smaller Other Back­ photo feature on Ms. Vadra to the role in deciding who wins and who State, and have a shot at forming will it has always enjoyed in U.P. ward Classes (OBC)­based parties. legal challenges. Borrowers were never going to take 1980’s Bollywood hit song, “ Bijli sinks at the national level. Alth­ the next government. On the other hand, it has no core Realising that the OBC castes are the IBC lying down, and that is exactly what happened; girane mei hun aayee (I’ve come ough at least three governments, With equations changing con­ constituency that can act as a pivot vital for victory, the BJP fused over the last two years, they have challenged various as­ like a thunderbolt).” Anchors led each by the Congress and two stantly and ever new inputs caus­ to attract other castes and them together brilliantly in 2014. pects of the law in tribunals and courts. In the event, across channels debated the ‘Pri­ versions of the United Front, in ing the poll arithmetic to undergo communities. This time the advantage of social the apex court’s stamp of approval on the entire Code is yanka game­changer.’ 1991 and 1996­1998, have made it rewrites, is it possible at all to engineering could be with the SP­ a strong signal to borrowers and banks even as it brings to Delhi bypassing U.P., the belief guess who will stand where in U.P. A deeper reading BSP alliance. If the combine’s vote a sense of relief to the Centre, which has been watching A fusion and shift remains that the way to the nation­ when the last vote is counted? On The SP­BSP alliance was not meant share crosses the one­third mark, Yet, for all the hype around Ms. Va­ al capital is via . The rea­ paper, the BJP is unassailable. But to happen, and if it has happened, it could even benefit from the one of its better economic initiatives being stifled by dra’s wild card entry, it is not the son for this is the BJP’s critical de­ the U.P. of today is not the U.P. of it is only because the situation was three­way split. vested interests. first big thing to happen this elec­ pendence on U.P. Whether in 2014 or even 2017. Demonetisa­ dire for both of them. The partn­ If the alliance brings itself to do One of the major challenges mounted against the IBC tion season. That credit goes to the 1996, when it emerged as the lar­ tion, which powered the BJP’s ers had no future individually. The one more thing, it could become was by operational creditors, who are owed money by Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Ba­ gest single party and briefly held 2017 victory, has recoiled on the BJP’s vice­like hold on the State unbeatable. And that is to stop the company in the normal course of operations for hujan Samaj Party (BSP) which power for 13 days, or in 1998, 1999 poor. State Chief Minister Yogi Ad­ and its resources meant that the chasing the chimera of upper supply of goods and services. In the payment waterfall closed a breathtaking deal just and 2014, when it formed full­ ityanath’s cow­centric policies respective cadre of the SP and the caste votes and pitch itself as a prescribed under Section 53 of the IBC in the event of li­ weeks earlier. The alliance was fledged governments at the have deepened the woes of farm­ BSP had no hope for the foreseea­ protector of OBCs and reservation, quidation of the company or its sale to another entity, between two subaltern forces, Centre, U.P. has been central to ers already in distress even as the ble future. No party can indefinite­ as against the BJP which has re­ each with a committed vote base, the party’s successes. targeted killings of Muslims, sizea­ ly retain its rank and file without turned to its u pper caste roots their dues rank below those of financial creditors, work­ the fusion of which was capable of ble at 20% of the population, have the carrot of an electoral triumph with the 10% general quota. Will men and employees. This was challenged by the opera­ effecting a tectonic shift in the State’s poll arithmetic left the community feeling under and a realistic chance at the loaves they do it? tional creditors, who wanted equal treatment with fi­ power politics of U.P. The two had Consider U.P.’s role in making BJP siege. and fishes of office. The arithmetic At the time of writing , Rahul nancial creditors in the waterfall mechanism. Several been bitter enemies before but governments at the Centre. In So even in a static political situa­ of togetherness, ignored earlier, Gandhi had promised a minimum landmark cases that were referred to the National Com­ have buried the hatchet realising 1996, 52 of the party’s total seats of tion, the BJP would have found it could no longer be overlooked. Af­ income for the poor. How the BJP pany Law Tribunal under the IBC remain stuck there, the match­winning potential of 161 came from U.P. In 1998, 57 out hard to repeat its 2014 perfor­ ter the failure of their last unity ex­ tops that will be known on Febru­ including that of the high­profile Essar Steel, as a result their combined strength. The sto­ of 182. In 1999, 29 out of 182. And mance. In 2014 as well as in 2017, periment in 1993, the SP and the ary 1. ry of the SP­BSP threatened to be in 2014, exceeding all expecta­ the BJP beat its opponents in every BSP had resolutely resisted team­ of its operational creditors seeking equal treatment. the story of the fall of the Bharati­ tions, 71 out of 282. In sum , no department — in caste arithmetic, ing up, largely due to deep perso­ V idya Subrahmaniam is Senior Fellow at With the Supreme Court now ruling that there are “in­ ya Janata Party (BJP) in U.P. and it U.P., no government for the BJP. So in booth management and in be­ nal animosities. A change of guard The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public telligible differentia” between operational and financial triggered a furious rejig of calcula­ if the BJP must win all it can in U.P, ing visible 24 into 7 via a captive in the SP in the form of Akhilesh Policy. E-mail: vidya.subrahmaniam creditors, an avenue that defaulters used to stymie pro­ tions: the alliance did look poised its rivals in the State, whether the media. Mr. Modi’s charisma, the Yadav did a lot to ease things. But @thehinducentre.com ceedings has been closed. Repayment of financial debt by borrowers infuses capital into the economy as len­ ders can on­lend the money that has been repaid to oth­ er entrepreneurs, thus aiding economic activity, the Capable even if disabled judges observed. The apex court has also clarified that a An institutional display of pure and simple discrimination dressed up as legal reasoning is unacceptable mere relationship with an ineligible person cannot dis­ qualify someone from becoming a bidder for a troubled nesses and reading and analysing people who inhabit this world. things were, and continue to be, asset. It has to be proved that such a person is “connect­ evidence. It also accepted that ask­ As Judge Szumowski asks Indian comparatively more difficult. But ed” with the business activity of the resolution appli­ ing a blind judicial officer to per­ judges, “if you went blind while on those experiences also helped me form such administrative func­ the bench, and were able to effi­ cultivate the ability to assert my­ cant. The court used strong words: “…[T]he experi­ #70929 tions as recording dying ciently discharge your responsibil­ self and to find ways of thriving in ment conducted in enacting the Code is proving to be declarations and conducting in­ ity before this, how would you feel a world not designed for me — largely successful. The defaulter’s paradise is lost.” This R ahul Bajaj quiries can result in avoidable if told that you can no longer conti­ qualities that many able­bodied constitutes a clear signal of its backing for the IBC complications. The judgment is nue as a judge, even if you are able persons do not possess to the which, despite all the challenges that it has faced, has problematic for four key reasons. to perform your functions with same degree and qualities which been successful in sending a message to recalcitrant de­ ne of the darkest moments some amount of retraining and were recently recognised by a sit­ faulters that there can be no more business­as­usual in the American disability Examples of success adaptive tech?” ting Supreme Court judge in open when they default. Orights movement was the First, the view that a totally blind court. American Supreme Court’s deci­ person cannot thrive as a judge is GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO Reasonable accommodations When my Supreme Court tells sion, in 1927, upholding the forced belied by several examples of suc­ has access to the courtroom and Fourth, as to obviating avoidable me that my blindness makes me sterilisation of a mentally infirm cessful judges who are blind. One the legal library, as well as to wha­ complications, the reasonable ac­ intrinsically incapable of becom­ Effortless brilliance woman, reasoning that it helped is former South African Constitu­ tever other places and material or commodations required by a blind ing a judicial officer, when it arro­ get rid of those who would sap the tional Court judge Zak Yacoob, equipment that are necessary for judge may be considered irksome. gates to itself the power to stamp a Djokovic beats an error-prone Nadal for a state of its strength by swamping it who has repudiated the notion her to do her job well.” However, it bears noting that badge of incompetence on thou­ with incompetence. Similarly, in that one needs to be sighted to as­ Those voicing such a statement “there is a distinct exhortatory di­ sands like me about whom it record-breaking seventh Australian Open title India, the Supreme Court’s ruling sess a witness’s demeanour as be­ of cynicism might find it equally mension to be recognised in decid­ knows nothing, its declaration ovak Djokovic, at his absolute best, can make last Tuesday, in V. Surendra Mohan ing nonsensical, to U.S. Court of hard to imagine how a blind per­ ing whether an adjustment to as­ cuts to the core of my confidence v. Union of India, has to be regard­ Appeals DC Circuit judge David S. son can write an article for The sist a disabled person to overcome about the fairness and robustness even the most fiercely competitive of draws ap­ ed as one of the darkest in India’s Tatel, who thinks that it is neither Hindu, as this writer is doing, or the disadvantage that she or he of our judicial system. Indeed, it is Npear enervated. From the start of 2015 to disability rights movement. fair nor accurate to impose low ex­ study computer science, as many has in comparison to an able­bo­ telling that even the applicant in mid­2016, when he won five of the six Grand Slam The Court had to rule on the le­ pectations on what blind lawyers blind Indians have done or be a died person is reasonable.” It does this case took it as a given that events, he arguably played at a level unmatched in ten­ gality of the Tamil Nadu govern­ can do. There is also former San successful civil servant, as Beno not lie in our mouth to say that we those who are completely blind nis history. With his merciless demolition of Rafael Na­ ment’s policy of reserving the post Diego County Court judge David Zephine N.L. is. are truly committed to ensuring for all intents and purposes, like dal in Melbourne on Sunday, which gave the World No. of civil judge only for people Szumowski, who has described Third, the Court’s unreasoned that the constitutional promise of me, cannot become a judge; it on­ 1 a men’s­record seventh Australian Open singles tro­ whose percentage of blindness the view that a blind person lacks assertion is an outcome of their ig­ equality is fully realised, if we lack ly argued that a partially blind per­ does not exceed 40­50%, resulting the wherewithal to become a norance about the capabilities of the ability to even pay the price of son can become a judge. I have phy, and his 15th Major overall taking him past Ameri­ in the exclusion of the applicant judge as an unfair characterisa­ the disabled. However, as Laura making reasonable never had any interest in becom­ can great Pete Sampras, he is on the cusp of repeating who was 70% blind. It held that tion, to Yousaf Saleem who, last Wolk notes, ignorance simply can­ accommodations. ing part of the judiciary. However, that golden run spread across 2015 and 2016. The Serb’s the government’s decision was ra­ year, became Pakistan’s first blind not be an excuse in 2019. It is simp­ This is not just of academic in­ I earnestly believe that how we transformation, in just over six months, from a physi­ tional and reasonable. It ruled that civil judge. ly unacceptable to condemn dis­ terest for me. On my path to be­ choose to respond to this institu­ cally compromised and mentally withdrawn state to a judicial officer has to possess a Second, how, some contend, abled legal professionals, coming a blind postgraduate law tional display of pure and simple having a shot at sporting immortality, has been stagger­ reasonable amount of sight and can a blind person be reasonably possessing the intellectual where­ student at the University of Oxford discrimination dressed up as legal ing. Against Nadal, he did not quite have to hit his peak; hearing to discharge her func­ expected to thrive as a judge with­ withal to be a judge, to the status as a Rhodes Scholar, I have often reasoning will be reflective of what the World No.2, despite having looked the better player tions. It accepted the claim that out being excessively dependent of outcasts only because the judg­ been compelled to engage with kind of a society we hope to be. impaired vision makes it impossi­ and inefficient? However, as the es delivering the judgment in this the cynicism of those who thought leading up to the final, never truly arrived, with his ble to perform the functions re­ Supreme Court itself noted in case appear simply not to have that something was simply too dif­ R ahul Bajaj is a postgraduate law student rhythm, timing and tactics all over the place. The 17­ quired of judicial officers, such as 2017, “A lawyer can be just as effec­ bothered to notice the compe­ ficult and messy for me to do as a at the University of Oxford, as a Rhodes time Grand Slam champion seemed smitten by anxiety, assessing the demeanour of wit­ tive in a wheelchair, as long as she tence of the millions of disabled blind person. And perhaps some Scholar a far cry from the 2018 Wimbledon semifinal when he fearlessly matched Djokovic shot for shot over five epic LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters emailed to [email protected] must carry the full postal address and the full name or the name with initials. sets. But that is probably what the mask of invincibility does to opponents, something that Djokovic wears so The next mandate ■ effortlessly. The writer appears to be opportunism. In fact, the world war will be fought over performances by world No.1 raise the issue of light The writer, a former Union living in an ivory tower as he greatest threat to democracy water, appears to be coming Novak Djokovic, as he pollution, which most To be sure, Djokovic had lost in each of the three Minister, needs to look at is totally disconnected from seems to arise from the true. The decline in demolished Rafael Nadal Indians are unaware of. A tournaments before the Australian Open — to rising his party’s own history of ground realities. The so­ intolerance of the Congress monsoon rain is bound to (‘Sport’ page, “Djokovic number of State youngsters in Karen Khachanov and Alexander Zverev, being in cahoots with the called ‘mahagathbandhan’ is which has been behaving as affect India, more so in the makes it seven with a governments in India are and the gritty Roberto Bautista Agut — suggesting a few mob in stifling the freedom non­existent as every one of if it has a personal score to drought­prone areas magnificent display”, now rolling out LED cracks. But the manner of victory over Nadal, where he of expression (Editorial its constituents is following a settle with the Prime (Editorial page, “India stares January 28). Djokovic’s win, streetlight plans, with the conceded a mere eight games and did not drop a set, a page, “The essence of the different trajectory. Voters Minister. Unfortunately for at water scarcity”, January yet again, reopens the debate result that there is intense first in 25 finals for the Spaniard, proved that the 31­ next mandate”, January face a catch­22 situation and the Congress, smear 23).The disproportional over who is the greatest male light seepage across cities 28). Who can forget how are befuddled. The BJP is campaigns and clever transfer of water between tennis player of all time. and villages. Have the effects year­old had lost none of his astonishing powers of re­ the party aided forces that bound to have an easy run in propaganda belong to the rural­urban areas will further However, the trio, of Roger of this scheme been covery. Nadal was on the path to recovery as well, play­ were against The Satanic the general election. pre­Internet era. worsen the already ruined Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, researched enough? People ing only his first tournament since his injury­forced re­ Verses? The present Deepak Singhal, V.N. Mukundarajan, agrarian sector. Farmers are have crafted a golden era in have the right to know how tirement in the U.S. Open semifinal last September. dispensation may be Noida T hiruvananthapuram already burdened with debt men’s tennis. safe such intense lighting is. Following Roger Federer’s loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas, the synonymous with a flaring traps and price volatility and R. Sivakumar, They should also be given 20­year­old sensation from Greece, the tournament up of communal tensions, ■ One­sided political ■ Since 2014, we have seen if the drought situation scientific data on such seemed open to further upsets, but the business end but the fact is the commentaries offer little in the preaching of a worsens, they will face even lighting and whether there Opposition too does not terms of new insights about majoritarian agenda for greater danger. Cutting Light pollution are any detrimental and demonstrated that the elite can never be written off. As have constitutional values election­related themes electoral gains, hits to our across party lines, politicians The article “Night shifts may long­term effects on humans. Nadal said after dismantling Tsitsipas in the semifinal, in mind. To gain the except the weaving of false secular ethos and pluralistic must constitute a cause DNA damage” (‘Life’ Raghavendra Rao, what fans can instead look forward to is an irresistible confidence of independent narratives tailored to bolster fabric, and a rise in social commission to study water page, January 28) was K akinada, Andhra Pradesh battle of the generations. On the women’s side, this voters who do not have any the prospects of a political and economic disparities. scarcity and look for interesting. In this more letters online: clash has seemed heightened in recent years, and Nao­ political predisposition, the party. It was amusing to read These are only a few practical solutions. connection, I would like to www.hindu.com/opinion/letters/ mi Osaka, with her gallant three­set win over Petra Kvi­ Opposition needs to be the ponderous and poetic examples. I hope ‘the soul of Sanjith M. Neyor, K ottayam, Kerala corrections & clarifications: tova in the final, firmly established herself as the next more vocal about evocations about the a suppressed nation’ does acknowledging its fatal perceived threats to assert its authority. A sentence in the report headlined “States put on high alert as big thing. For the 21­year­old to back up her maiden title swine flu cases spike across the country” (Jan. 23, 2019) erro­ flaws and make credible democracy. The use of high­ Kshitij Mani Tripathi, At Melbourne neously said that swine flu cases most commonly occurred in at the U.S. Open with a win in the very next slam is cha­ promises that it will not sounding metaphorical Lwuckno What promised to be a racter­revealing. She is now the World No.1 and also the people with direct exposure to pigs (e.g., children near pigs at a pursue such lines if it evocations not only fail to thriller of a men’s final in the fair or workers in the swine industry). The outbreak is not caused first Asian to get there. She has the temperament and comes to power. square up with the current Water crisis Australian Open, turned out by pigs. M. Nikhilesh, the poise to go much further. political realities but also The oft­mentioned to be a lopsided one. But, it The Readers’ Editor’s office can be contacted by Telephone: +91-44-28418297/28576300; Hyderabad smack of palpable prediction, that the next was one of the best ever E-mail:[email protected]

CM A ND-NDE YK EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

THE HINDU DELHI TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2019 OPED 9 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Think differently about healthcare Learning to probe early Why research should be made part of UG curriculum in India India’s public health system can no longer function within the shadows of its health services system doctoral and post­doctoral studies and teach While some fail due to the internal in their home country. In any sound higher validity of the intervention itself, ma­ education system, research and teaching ny fail from improper implementa­ should ideally go together. tion. Programme planning, imple­ Besides, the government has also floated mentation and evaluation matrices two ambitious projects towards internation­ will distinguish formative and out­ H arsh V. Pant & Antara Sengupta alising higher education in India: ‘Study in Ravikumar Chockalingam come evaluation, so valuable time India’ and ‘Institutes of Eminence’. Both and money can be saved. these will need institutes to become world The public health system looks at While addressing the 106th Indian Science class and carry out high­quality research on In India, public health and health the social ecology and determinants Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi un­ campuses. Only then will competent faculty services have been synonymous. focusing on optimising wellness. derscored the need for universities to get in­ as well as doctoral students from across the This integration has dwarfed the Healthcare services, on the other volved in research. While India has made world come to India. Internationalisation of growth of a comprehensive public hand, primarily focus on preventing considerable strides in achieving a near­per­ campuses is important if India wants to be in health system, which is critical to morbidity and mortality. A compre­ fect enrolment rate in primary education, it the global university ranking lists and this overcome some of the systemic chal­ hensive healthcare system will seam­ has failed to give higher education as much will not happen without encouraging an eco­ lenges in healthcare. lessly bridge the two. attention. As a consequence, Gross Enrol­ system that promotes high­quality research. A stark increase in population ment Ratio in higher education is 25.8%, growth, along with rising life expec­ A council for public health against China’s 48.44% and the U.S.’s 88.84%. Some strategic steps tancy, provides the burden of chron­ A central body along the lines of a Mr. Modi’s address alerts us to major lacunae However, given the impediments vis­a vis in­ ic diseases. Tackling this requires an council for public health may be en­ in the education system that need to be frastructure, teachers, funds and content, interdisciplinary approach. An indi­ visaged to synergistically work with looked at urgently if the higher education the government will need to take strategic vidual­centric approach within agencies such as the public works de­ system is to meet the demands of today. steps to roll out policies to promote UG re­ healthcare centres does little to pro­ partment, the narcotics bureau, wa­ search programmes . First, investment in mote well­being in the community. ter management, food safety, sanita­ The importance of research education needs to meet the world standard Seat belt laws, regulations around “ India certainly has a serious problem with health literacy and it is the tion, urban and rural planning, Research remains a significant weakness in of at least 6% of GDP, to upgrade infrastruc­ food and drug safety, and policies for responsibility of public health professionals to close this gap.“ Stubble burning housing and infrastructure to pro­ India’s higher education system, traditional­ ture, labs and resources, which are essential tobacco and substance use as well as in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh in 2018. * R.V. MOORTHY mote population­level health. In ma­ ly cocooned in specialised institutes such as to carry out high­quality research. Second, climate change and clean energy are ny ways, these agencies serve to the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research the University Grants Commission and other all intrinsic to health, but they are icy, environmental science, returns of $55 in the long term. bring in many facets of existing State (TIFR), the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science regulatory bodies will have to come out with not necessarily the responsibilities of behavioural sciences, healthcare Another study showed a $9 ROI for and federal agencies and force them Education, and the Indian Institute of a priority list of reputable journals. This will healthcare services. As most nations management, financing, and beha­ every dollar spent on early child­ to see through the lens of public Science (IISc). Unlike the world’s best higher rid the country of the problem of bogus jour­ realise the vitality of a robust public vioural economics. In the U.S., it is hood health, while tobacco preven­ health. The proposed council for pu­ education systems, there is hardly any inte­ nals and publications. Research institutes health system, India lacks a compre­ routine for public health graduates tion programmes yield a 1,900% ROI blic health should also work closely raction between these institutes and teach­ such as TIFR and IISc should mentor some of hensive model that isn’t subservient to come from engineering, social for every dollar spent. The impact of with academic institutions to deve­ ing universities. the well­performing universities and colleg­ to healthcare services. work, medicine, finance, law, archi­ saving valuable revenue through pre­ lop curriculum and provide license In India, about 80% of the students en­ es till they become aware of the nuances of tecture, and anthropology. This di­ vention is indispensable for growing and accreditation to schools to pro­ roled in higher education are concentrated conducting fair and high­quality research. A different curriculum versity is further enhanced by a cur­ economies like India. mote interdisciplinary curriculum in in undergraduate (UG) programmes. Re­ Once capable, these trained institutes can India’s public health workforce come riculum that enables graduates to public health. search and application­oriented education then help the second rung of colleges and so from an estimated 51 colleges that become key stakeholders in the Problem of health literacy As international health systems can substantially enhance the quality of UG on. Third, there should be planned ways to offer a graduate programme in pu­ health system. Hence, strong aca­ Legislation is often shaped by public are combating rising healthcare education. While the concept of UG research embed research in UG curriculum. Due to blic health. This number is lower at demic programmes are critical to perception. While it is ideal for legis­ costs, there is an impending need to is fairly new in India, it is now taken as a gi­ limitations in curriculum and the practice of the undergraduate level. In stark harness the potential that students lation to be informed by research, it systematically make healthcare in­ ven in many parts of the world. Several stu­ rote learning, most students in India, even at contrast, 238 universities offer a Mas­ from various disciplines will pros­ is rarely the case. It is health literacy clusive to all. While the proposed, dies on such programmes have shown a pos­ the Masters level, graduate without having ter of Public Health (MPH) degree in pectively bring to MPH training. through health communication that comprehensive insurance pro­ itive impact on students, such as enhanced attempted an original piece of research or the U.S. Investments in health and social shapes this perception. Health com­ gramme Ayushman Bharat caters to learning through mentorship, increased re­ dissertation. The UGC should make it com­ In addition to the quantitative pro­ services tend to take precedence ov­ munication, an integral arm of public a subset of the population, systemic tention, increased enrolment in graduate pulsory for students to submit at least a blem, India also has a diversity pro­ er public health expenditure. While health, aims to disseminate critical reforms in public health will shift the education, more prowess in critical thinking, 5,000­word research paper that should be blem. A diverse student population is benefits from population­level in­ information to improve the health lit­ entire population to better health. creativity, problem solving, intellectual inde­ assessed just as publication in serious re­ necessary to create an interdisciplin­ vestments are usually long term but eracy of the population. The World Regulatory challenges force govern­ pendence, and understanding of research search journals are. Unless students are ary workforce. The 2017 Gorakhpur sustained, they tend to accrue much Health Organisation calls for efforts ments to deploy cost­effective solu­ methodologies. Research at the UG level in­ made aware of the value of research from an tragedy in Uttar Pradesh, the 2018 later than the tenure of most politi­ to improve health literacy, which is tions while ethical challenges to creases the aptitude for research­oriented early stage, they will not recognise the true Majerhat bridge collapse in Kolkata, cians. This is often cited to be a rea­ an independent determinant of bet­ create equitable services concerns all career options as well as the employability of value of higher education. air pollution in Delhi and the Punjab son for reluctance in investing in pu­ ter health outcome. Data from the of India. With the infusion of technol­ students. Based on the nature of their asso­ The status quo in education has resulted narcotics crisis are all public health blic health as opposed to other U.S. show that close to half of Ameri­ ogy driving costs on the secondary ciation and the nuances of a research pro­ in education that is not only substandard but tragedies. In all these cases, the qual­ health and social services. This is not cans lack the necessary knowledge to and tertiary end, it is going to be pa­ gramme, the faculty can also gain by sharing also fails to open inquiring minds to the ity of healthcare services is critical to only specific to India; most national act on health information and one­ ramount for India to reinvigorate its their research ideas with students, receive world of research. India must be innovative prevent morbidity and mortality. Ho­ health systems struggle with this co­ third of Europeans have problems public health system to maximise valuable feedback as well as help in the form in its approch if its demographic dividend is wever, a well organised public health nundrum. A recent systematic re­ with health literacy. India certainly prevention. India’s public health sys­ of assistantship and apprenticeship. Addi­ to be tapped into. Otherwise, what Mr. Modi system with supporting infrastruc­ view on Return on Investment (ROI) has a serious problem with health lit­ tem can no longer function within tionally, research also helps the faculty en­ said will remain a quotable quote. ture strives to prevent catastrophic in public health looked at health pro­ eracy and it is the responsibility of the shadow of its health services. hance their teaching abilities and content by #70929 events like this. motion, legislation, social determi­ public health professionals to close upgrading knowledge. Introducing and sus­ H arsh V. Pant is Director, Studies and Head of the Public health tracks range from re­ nants, and health protection. They this gap. R avikumar Chockalingam is a public health taining the culture of research at this level Strategic Studies Programme, Observer Research search, global health, health commu­ opine that a $1 investment in the tax­ Equally important is a system of scholar and psychiatrist at the Veterans can also help solve the problem of shortage Foundation (ORF), New Delhi, and Antara Sengupta is nication, urban planning, health pol­ ation of sugary beverages can yield evaluating national programmes. Affairs Medical Center, Saint Louis, Missouri of faculty, as more students will likely opt for a Research Fellow at ORF’s Centre

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC SINGLE FILE F ROM ARCHIVES Investment over subsidies FIFTY YEARS AGO JANUARY 29, 1969 Call for trade preferences A reconfiguration of public policy is The Council of Europe to­day [Jan. 28, Strasbourg] urged all needed to replace agricultural member­Governments of the U.N. Conference on Trade and subsidies with investment Development (UNCTAD) to proceed as rapidly as possible with the proposed scheme for a system of non­reciprocal tempor­ Pulapre Balakrishnan ary preferences in favour of raw materials, foodstuffs, semi­ finished and manufactured goods and processed farm pro­ We are witnessing something akin ducts of the developing countries. In a resolution based on the to lobbying for a universal basic in­ report of a committee of the council, it also called upon rich come whereby every Indian citizen members of UNCTAD to increase their financial aid efforts in gets money paid into their bank ac­ accordance with the new target figure of one per cent of Grass count. A recent proposal published National Product agreed to by them at New Delhi last year. in the print media is presented also

G.N. RAO as a solution to the current agrarian A HUNDRED YEARS AGO impasse. It argues for the removal JANUARY 29, 1919 of all agricultural subsidies, which range from fertilizer sub­ The Mad Hatter Again. sidies to those on interest, water and power, and distribut­ ing the saving among most of the rural population. To its (From an Editorial) authors, this scheme presents itself as addressing ‘rural’ and not just ‘farm’ distress. To evaluate what is being proposed That journalistic paragon, the Madras Mail, whose fairness in as a way out of the present agrarian crisis it would be useful comment is on a par with the brilliancy of its logic, has disco­ to understand what defines it and to recognise the originally vered a new epithet for The Hindu. “Our Home Ruin contem­ intended role for the agricultural subsidy. CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC porary” would strike most people as a somewhat vapid contri­ At its core the agrarian crisis is a case of agricultural activ­ NOTEBOOK bution to the vocabulary of vituperation, but if it pleases the ity not yielding enough returns for a section of the farming Madras Mail to work it overtime we can only wish it joy of its population. This group is facing a declining farm size due to modest ambitions in this direction... We quote this master­ partitioning across generations. As this population grows What reporters and rockets share in common piece in full so that our readers may not miss a syllogism the process of fragmentation of the family farm will conti­ which in its way is as perfect an one as they will find outside an nue, with succeeding generations staring at a shrinking pie. Covering rocket launches is a tricky affair, especially when deadlines beckon asylum for the mentally indigent: “When we originally de­ There are two solutions to this problem. One is the obvious scribed as a “Home Ruler” the traitor Sitarama Iyer, whose ap­ one of enabling some members of each household to shift T.K. Rohit the vehicle, a modified While the excitement in other hand, PSLVs were peal against the sentence of seven years’ imprisonment re­ out of farming. The other is to reconfigure public expendi­ rocket with two strap­on the air is palpable during fairly easy to cover as ISRO cently passed upon him had just been rejected, local ture on agriculture to raise the yield of land. Actually, the lat­ On a starry night last Fri­ boosters. rocket launches, journal­ has truly mastered them. Extremist journals howled protestingly in chorus that he had ter would serve both objectives. day, the reflection of the This was also the first ists are always filled with The C44 was also the no connection with the “Home Rule’’ movement... “We note A reconfiguration of public policy is needed to replace moon glimmered on the time in nearly 13 years that some anxiety. Covering first time I was covering a also that, Home Rulers apart, the aid of the Indian public was agricultural subsidies by capital formation or ‘investment’. dark waters of Pulicat Lake. I saw the separation of the rocket launches is a tricky near­midnight launch, also relied on by Sitarama Iyer. Would that not be a sufficient For three and a half decades now subsidies have progres­ It was close to midnight, rocket’s first stage and se­ affair, especially when dea­ which is a nightmare as it is reason for branding that public as at least potential traitors? sively replaced public investment for agriculture. Having but that didn’t stop enthu­ cond stage engine firing so dlines beckon. More than a close to the time when our Junkerdom must be hard put to it if it cannot find a more wor­ once been less than half that of investment it is now five siasts from lining up near clearly. The darkness of the decade ago, when I was edition is put to bed. With thy exponent of its cause than the Mad Hatter. times as large. Evidence points strongly to a case for moving the lake to watch yet anoth­ sky ensured a clear view: working at a news agency, the speeches of the ISRO CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC some distance back. The impact of public investment on er rocket go up from ISRO’s white fumes emanated the moments following the chairman and the launch both the yield of land and rural poverty, encompassing a co­ launchpad at Sriharikota. from the rocket, the fumes’ lift­off used to cause panic, team eating into the dea­ CONCEPTUAL hort wider than farmers, is far greater than that of fertilizer, Inside the spaceport, the tail accentuated by a dark as the news of the lift­off, dline, I had a window of on­ electricity, irrigation and interest rate subsidy. This crucial speakers blared with the red smoke, the first stage the announcements that ly about 15 minutes to cram P sychological warfare finding is due to the Sino­Indian team of economists Sheng­ countdown. When the shut off, there were a few followed, and the mission’s in as many details as possi­ Military words “ lift­off successful” milliseconds of darkness, success all had to be trans­ ble. It was then that my gen Fan, Ashok Gulati and Sukhadeo Thorat. In their study, This refers to the use of effective propaganda, threats and oth­ rung through the night air, and then a sudden surge of mitted almost immediately phone rang. Never a good the investments found most valuable were “educational” er non­combat psychological techniques to manipulate the the black sky turned orange light as the second to the subscribers. This had sign. “Rohit, where’s the and on rural roads. morale and the general behaviour of enemy forces. Psycho­ orange. Large trees always stage fired, powering the to be done despite patchy copy,” the copy editor The agricultural subsidies that are now found wasteful logical warfare may include using false media propaganda in block the view of the base rocket ahead on its path. mobile signals. Sometimes, asked. I was frantic. “Give were designed with a purpose. The plan was to place agri­ order to negatively affect the psychological well­being of an of the launchpad for us at While all this was taking one had to run from the ter­ me 10 minutes, I have two cultural production on a sound footing. It envisioned raising enemy population and carrying out covert military opera­ the media centre and this place in the distance, I was race to the nearest phone more paragraphs to go!” the yield of land, which works to generate rising output tions that are intended to mislead the enemy and cause men­ time I was in for a surprise: in for a third ‘first’: a flock to transmit the news. And The voice on the other side without inflation and with reasonable profit. The price of tal fatigue. It is often employed by governments to gain some unlike the GSLVs, which of birds sailed across the sometimes it also meant was calm: “In two minutes, food has historically been high for Indians at the bottom of level of mental advantage over the enemy and also, in several boom so much at lift­off sky. These migratory birds that we missed watching the edition has to go.” the income distribution. This has held back industrialisation cases, to influence public opinion within their own countries. and the desirable shifting of population away from farming that one waits in anticipa­ are regular visitors to the the launch and only heard “Damn,” I muttered to my­ to other activities. Even a total elimination of subsidies to tion for the spectacle that lake. This was such a beau­ the voice on the speakers self. I typed as quickly as I CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC enable this transformation via public investment may not be unfolds over the next few tiful sight to behold that I to know if it was a success could and mailed the copy. such a bad thing. However, eliminating them merely to im­ seconds, the PSLV­C44 urge everyone to gather on or not. GSLV launches in Sometimes we cannot M ORE ON THE WEB 3 plement a universal basic income would be unwise. soared soundlessly into the the other side of the lake if those days would give a lot write everything we want, sky. Only a few seconds af­ there is another launch of uncertain moments to but then there are other The Universe responds to #10YearChallenge Pulapre Balakrishnan is Professor, Ashoka University and Senior Fellow, ter it sped ahead did a during the migratory reporters as they were days. Who said only rock­ IIM Kozhikode booming noise come from season. prone to failure. On the ets have countdowns? http://bit.ly/NirujMohan

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