Kill Bill

• A journalist hurled a shoe at Chidambaram when he refused to answer a question related to Jagdish Tytler’s
• A school principal threw a shoe at Naveen Jindal because he was fed up of the congress policies
• A suspended Cop threw a shoe at Omar Abdullah during the Independence Day function

The media said it’s the anti politician rage, the critics said it’s misusing the democracy, it’s debated, discussed for a couple of  weeks. And then something else happens, the “Slap” happens. There is a very strong underlying message and that is people are showing their dissent and are ready to show it openly without any fear or inhibitions. Jayram Ramesh had to face a similar wrath when he introduced the BT Brinjal bill.

Heard Loud and Clear

Why do such incidents happen ? Why does a debate on a nuclear bill take higher priority than any other regular media masala ? Because it’s controversial and controversy, be it in politics, be it in cinema or be it in cricket, or be it in personal life, it always is generating curiosity. And if you think why do controversies happen, most of the times it’s due to lack of communication amongst the participants. He said, she said, they said and then the media says and when the media says, it’s heard by every body, loud and clear. In the recent 2-3 years, there have been so many such incidents especially around proposals for new bills.

The Bill

Simply put, a bill is a draft law that the parliament proposes to make. When approved by parliament, the bill becomes an Act. The lifecycle of a bill goes through

• Introduction Stage
• Discussion Stage
• Voting Stage

While the different stages are self explanatory, the discussion stage needs special mention here. This is the stage where, the bill is subject to discussions/debates/amendments/ and this is done by and large via a Standing Committee and/or by seeking general opinion. This stage is really critical as there are subject mater experts outside of the parliamentary structure who can provide valuable inputs that can help make the bill serve the purpose for which it’s really intended for. This in other words can also be called “socializing” the bill. Socialize with peers, with subordinates, with superiors and the people for whom it’s intended for. The constitution clearly laid out this in black and white leaving no ambiguity.

In this day and age of technology, such consultations , if well led by the government, can bring in the desired effect of involving the right people in the drafting process. The BT Brinjal is a very good example where only through active participation from the people, the environmentalists, NGO’s etc a moratorium on the release of Bt brinjal was placed by the then environment minister. The RTI bill was another example where through active public consultations the bill took the form a very powerful law. But in both these examples, the consultations didn’t happen automatically i.e. they didn’t happen because the constitution said so, they rather happened because the government was forced to do so.

The Government’s view of a bill

The government seemed to have defined it’s own life cycle for the bill.

• Introduction Stage
• Voting Stage

With no or very limited Discussion stage. I personally am aware of two bills where public consultations were sought within a month and that too in a language that was not local to the region. Now what good is this going to do unless the government is just trying to go through mere formalities and save itself some difficult questions in the future. When the bill gets introduced in the parliament without the second or the discussion stage, the bill faces umpteen road blocks, not just from the people alone, but also from the opposition, from the Special Committees and literally from everyone other than the ruling party.

A Shameful Act

The drama surrounding the nuclear bill was another unforgettable incident for these very reasons. The showdown involved bribing the ministers with money being exchanged in the house of the parliament, a real unforgettable day in Indian History. It put the whole country to shame.

Kill Bill

The bill has been reduced to a mere revenge taking game played between the opposition and the ruling party where most of the time is spent to “Kill Bill”, rather than to socialize, understand, debate, discuss, contribute and formulate the bill for the general good of everybody. Any bill presented by either civil society or the parliament today receives stiff resistance. As I said its the Kill Bill notion. when it gets to the parliament.

Hundreds of crores of rupees are wasted when the parliament sessions are disrupted. Instead if the government spends even 5% of that money in educating, socializing the bills and it’s important aspects, it will help reduce the controversies , increase transparency and also  smoothen the whole process leading to some meaningful debates in the parliament.

The current winter session is really important as the government is supposed to introduce the “Lokpal Bill” in the parliament. Hopefully, things don’t get sidelined, don’t need another “Kill Bill”, else the shoe gates, the slap gates and who knows what other gates will be opened.

FDI in multi brand retail – Discussion Paper

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion has conducted this discussion in July 2010.

7.1 Should FDI in multi brand retail be permitted? If so, should a cap on investment be imposed? If so, what should this cap be?

7.2 To develop the retail trade in food grains, other essential commodities and multi-brand retail in general; should FDI be leveraged for creating back-end infrastructure? To ensure that foreign investment makes a genuine contribution to the development of infrastructure and logistics, should it be stipulated that a percentage of the FDI coming in (say 50%) should be spent towards building up of back end infrastructure, logistics or agro processing?

7.3 It is necessary to encourage only genuine players in this sector and avoid a situation where retail outlets are run through working capital support from financial institutions. Should a minimum threshold limit for investment in backend infrastructure logistics be fixed? If so, what should this financial threshold be?

7.4 To develop our rural sector, should conditionalities be put on the FDIfunded chains relating to employment? For example, should we stipulate that at least 50% of the jobs in the retail outlets should be reserved for the rural youth?

7.5 Similarly, to develop our SME sector through local sourcing, should we stipulate that a minimum percentage of manufactured products be sourced from the SME sector in India?

7.6 How best can small retailers be integrated into the upgraded value chain? Can they be provided access to the logistics/ supply chain set up by the FDI funded retailers? Should it be stipulated that a minimum percentage of the latter’s sales should be made to retailers through special wholesale windows?

7. 7 As a part of a calibrated reform process, should foreign investment for such stores be initially allowed only in cities with population of more than 10 lakhs (2001 census)? As there may be difficulties faced with regard to availability of real-estate in such cities for setting up such ventures, should an area of 10 kms around the municipal/urban agglomeration limits of such cities be included within the definition of the city?

7.8 Will any of the conditionalities mentioned above be inconsistent with our commitments under the agreement on TRIM at WTO? If not, to ensure national treatment, can such conditionalities be extended to all retail chains in India above a certain size? Will such extended conditionalities be consistent with Article 301 of the Constitution?

7.9 What additional steps should be taken to protect small retailers? Should an exclusive legal and regulatory framework be established to protect their interests? Is a Shopping Mall Regulation Act required? Does this require intervention at national level or should this be left to the States?

7.10 The present public distribution system provides a valuable safety net to vulnerable sections of society. To ensure that the integrity of the PDS system is not
weakened and buffer stock is maintained at the desired level, should Government reserve the right of first procurement for a part of the season or put in place a
mechanism to collect a certain amount of levy from private traders in case the level of buffer stock falls below a certain level?

7.11 How should compliance be ensured with the above stipulations? Should a centralised agency, to be nominated by the State Governments concerned, be
empowered to grant permissions to every outlet to be opened? The onus of proving compliance with these conditions could rest with the concerned retail chain. The
chains could submit an annual statement to such State Government agency providing proof of compliance. Should this agency be empowered to monitor
compliance of the present cash and carry outlets too?

7.12 The penalty for non compliance could include cancellation of approvals as well as denial of future permissions for such activities. What additional penalties could be levied? Should civil penalties be imposed? Or criminal? Or both?

Source:http://dipp.nic.in/DiscussionPapers/DP_FDI_Multi-BrandRetailTrading_06July2010.pdf.

Six feet under and yet not safe !

An army Subedar knocked at the door sometime during the middle of the day. The door was opened after a few minutes. After a brief introduction, he disclosed the purpose of the visit. As soon as he finished saying it, the people in the house looked at him with utter disbelief. It was anger, frustration, disgust and even to certain extent hatred. A few youngsters even tried to land a blow or two, but the elders in the house stopped them. The next few days after that were very disturbing.

What did the Subedar Say ?
The elders were actually the mother and father, who were mourning the death of their young son. The youngsters were friends of their deceased son. When the Subedar was greeted at the door, he said something on the lines of “I’m sorry about your sons loss. I know it’s very painful to ask this, but I’m helpless. You have lost your son, I’ve lost my land. The land where your son was cremated belongs to me. So can you please dig up the remains and put it somewhere, so I can have my land back”.

This is why the youngsters jumped at him. The parents were angry as well but they were too traumatized from their sons death to fight back, at least at that moment. After some very heated arguments, the situation came down to normalcy with the Subedar backing away from his request.

An Act of Desperation
The Subedar was posted in another state on the army duty. It could have been his family who informed him of the developments and so he came rushing. He was in the uniform when he showed up at the house. A couple of days after this incident he apologized profusely saying and said that his helpless situation had forced him to make such a request. All his savings were put into buying this land and his family’s future was directly tied to this. He bought the land many decades ago when through a middle man, who claimed to the legal rights of the land. And since it was very closed to the cemetery it was also being sold for less than the market price. The cemetery did not have a clear boundary either.

Who is responsible for this situation

• The family who buried their son for not verifying where is he is being buried.
• The army Subedar for not doing his due diligence before buying the land.
• The middle man whose greed made him indifferent to his human side.
• The municipality for not securing the boundaries of the cemetery. All it could have taken is one signature by an officer in the department.

So what happened next ?
The family took a while to come out of the shock, the army Subedar never showed up after the second visit, the middle men, of course was not be found anywhere, but the municipality did build the boundary around the cemetery.

It’s actually a plot of a movie. I wish I could say that. Unfortunately, It’s a real life incident and I personally know the family who lost their son.

It’s not safe even 6 feet under the ground, after all !

It’s not in Salim Javed’s Hands

The Rumble in the Jungle:

Police cars, CBI raids, politicians in and out of courts, massive corruption scandals, media reports, secret recording of the lobbyist tapes, opposition slamming the government and the government returning the punches, flash lights, phone calls, phone trappings, bribing,  you name it, its happening, it’s all happening !

The Invincibles: 

Somewhere in ralegan siddhi, a stubborn old soldier, somewhere in the city, an RTI activist, an honest police officer, a lawyer with a heart and a few other people cross paths. They talk, they discuss, they debate, they argue, they agree, they disagree, they write, they formulate and they come up with a historic bill which can help put checks in place to prevent corruption.When the common man was not common anymore:
The sincerity, the dedication, the honesty, the selfless attitude, the sacrifices of the team made them strike a cord with the common man. The team of invincibles took the country by storm. When the old soldier stepped out and held a fast, the common man joined him, when the old soldier was arrested, the common man got angry and took to the streets, when the old soldier would walk, the common man joined him in the walk.

The common man for the first time, felt empowered, even if it meant only for a few days or even for a few hours, but the common felt it. For most of them, it may have been the first time ever in their life.

Everybody talking sides:
The opposition would sometimes support, would sometimes oppose. The Media would invite the team, sometimes to seek their opinion sometimes to oppose their opinion and sometimes to insult their opinions. The government would write letters, send emissaries, make statements in the media, but didn’t dare talk to the team. Some movie stars came in support of the team, some stayed away from them. Some criticized the team with good intentions, some criticized with no good reason.

Entered the villain:
Allegations against the team members of wrong doing, tax evasions, false accusations, name callings, blame games, personal attacks, pitching the team members against each other, media playing a perfect role in magnifying every single one of these. In some cases, not doing their due diligence and when proven otherwise, even failed to apologize. The invincibles were not any more invincibles after all.  A team formed without any inhibitions, any barriers, any prerequisites now started to draw boundaries, define the rules, the right and wrongs. The team started to disintegrate.

The Upper Hand:
The government, the politicians, the bureaucrats, the wrong doers, the corrupt, the big players gained the upper hand, yet again. If the government doesn’t take up the bill, then there is no formidable force that could question them. It’s coming down to the wire.

The End:
It’s all going to come to a logical conclusion, either way. If this was a movie, I would have scripted in a way, that the team of invincibles would fight back and have the last laugh.

Unfortunately, while the incidents that took place in the last one year, which by the way is nothing less of a Salim Javed blockbuster movie, are all real life incidents happening in the real world, in the big ugly world out there. Remember there is only one winner and its now or never. So how do you want this to be scripted ?

It’s not in Salim Javed’s hands, it’s in our hands.

Mera Baap Kisaan Hein

When Ravi asks Vijay to sign the confession letter, he refuses to sign saying he needs the signature from the man who had once written on his hand “Mera Baap Chor Hein”. I don’t have to tell you that this a scene from the classic movie Deewar.

Vijay, at least had someone to blame for his ill fate.

Who is to be blamed ?

These days the first thing that comes to my mind when i hear farmer is Suicide ! This is no exaggeration.

I tried calling our agriculture minister but I couldn’t get to him even after several attempts, I wanted to ask him the same question. There is a PM who says inflation could be due to prosperity, there is an agriculture minister who is more into cricket than agriculture, there is an opposition who is doing a rath yatra and there is me who is simply blogging and there is a farmer committing suicide.

Refugee in ones own country:

I know the farmers in our country had quite a distressing turn around from being the nations pride to becoming the most neglected and most ignored section of the society. I wonder what their children will be going through. Will they feel proud that despite all the hardships, their parents continue to plough the fields, sow the seeds, grow the crops, harvest them and manage a “Do Waqt ki Roti“. Or would they be thinking why bother go through all the pain, instead just sell the land, migrate to the city, pick up odd jobs and continue to live like a refugee in their own country. What is better of the worst. It’s hard to pick right ? The children must be facing a real tough time coming to terms with the situation.

Will they have a childhood ? Will they go to school ? Will they play with their friends ? I think these questions never cross their minds, because they will be thinking, Will they get to eat today ? They have to live on the mercy of the politicians and the babu’s to give them the subsidies, the money, the schemes the government had allotted to them.

When suicide becomes the only way of survival

When a farmer is pushed to the brink, with no money, no land, no subsidies, no grants, but only and only debt to the private money lender, the only way of survival is to commit suicide. No he is not running away from the problems instead he hopes at least the compensation will reach the family and will help them survive, mind you not live, but just survive.
What more can the farmers do to show that their situation needs some serious intervention ?

The most difficult and skillful job and yet so poorly rewarded

A software engineer has requirements, a missile scientist has even more precise requirements, a teacher has a syllabus to go by, a doctor, by and large has a procedure to follow, a farmer knows only what crop he has to grow. But everything else that goes into that is a variable such as the weather, the pests, the peoples life styles and a government that is indifferent to his needs. Unlike other professions there is no or very little margin of errors and there are no dry runs either.

After managing all the variables if he manages to produce a good crop, there is no guarantee that it will fetch him a good price. He then needs to depend on the market and worst of all, yet again the government to guarantee a certain minimum price and protect its interests in the global market.

What the future holds ?

We know what the farmers future is ? But what about their children, the next generation. Would they be branded forever as farmers because it’s written in their fate that “Mera Baap Kisaan hein” or can they turn this into a prized possession and fight for their rights, their subsidies, their land, their fair share of the deal from the government. Obviously they can’t fight this fight alone as they are up against the Big Babu’s, so are we willing to take up this fight or are we happy to buy the genetically modified vegetables, the frozen vegetables from the big super markets, the imported Dal and Chawal ? Whatever the future holds it all depends on what we do today ?

So should the farmer become another Vijay from Deewar because it’s written in his fate that “Mera Baap Kisaan Hein” ?

Rejected, Rejected and Rejected !

After 2 visits by the Sub Inspector of Police to my house in hyderabad and 2 phone calls from the DGP, i got the response to the RTI application below. The intention behind the RTI was purely informational to find out how prepared our police force, our security personnel were after the aftermath of 2007 bombings in Hyderabad. In fact most of the information I was trying to seek was what was promised by the government after the tragic incidents in 2007.

The Public Information Officer
Administration department,
DGP Office
Saidabad, Lakdikapool, Hyderabad – 4

Sir,
Please provide us the below requested information, as per the Right to Information Act 2005, section 6(I). As per the RTI act Section 7(I) and section 2(J)(II), kindly send this at the earliest or within 30 days, through the certified copies at below mentioned address or through electronic mail (____________________________________). In case the information is available in a different office, as per the section 6(3)(ii), kindly transfer my request within 5days.

1) Provide details of the number of bullet proof vests currently available with the police force and the total expenditure on their purchase post the Aug 2007 Bombings.
[Response]:
Request rejected under article 8(1) of RTI Act 2005.

2) Provide details of plans if any to upgrade weapons used by the security personnel were upgraded to automatic or semi-automatic guns.
[Response]:
Request rejected under article 8(1) of RTI Act 2005.

3) Provide details if any of additional emergency response training to the security personnel.

[Response]:
The training wing has designed the syllabus and time table in respect of Stipendary Cadet Trainee Police Constables of both the Civil and AR to cover the subject of public security. The police training institutions have been imparting specialized training for all the SCTPCs on VIP Security to react on security aspects in emergency situations.

Further the additional DGP intelligence has been organizing specialized training on VIP security etc., periodically in respect of all the police personnel who are working in Intelligence Security Wing

4) Provide the following details with respect to any public awareness program planned to educate people about being aware of their surroundings for any unidentified packages etc
–>Names the programs
–>Duration of these programs
–>Areas where they have been conducted or plan to be conducted
[Response]:
Information requested is not pertaining to RTI Act 2005. Hence the same is rejected under 6(1) of RTI, Act – 2005.

Obviously due to logistical and other reasons i couldn’t follow up this response further. I wanted to seek clarification on
1) How seeking information on bullet proof vests can be rejected under 8(1) of RTI, Act – 2005 ?
2) How seeking information on public awareness programs not pertain to RTI Act 2005 ?

May be i will take this up in the coming days because getting Rejected, once , twice and thrice is not cool, that too without a valid reason.