The Supreme Court does CLEAN-UP ACT

In a ‘landmark judgment’, the Supreme Court of India has said people convicted of crime cannot hold parliamentary positions.

The ruling is indeed a milestone in the country’s political history since there are quite a lot of corrupt and convicted politicians holding offices and important parliamentary positions in India. This is probably one of the many characteristics the countries politics is wrongly known for.

This judgment broadly states that a person cannot fight the Lok Sabha or assembly elections from jail even if not convicted, the Supreme Court has ruled, signaling an end to the practice of politicians contesting polls from behind bars awaiting trial.

Though legislation in India pertaining to convicted lawmakers was more or less the same, that is, the politicians found guilty of a crime were allowed to stay as long as their cases were pending in courts. The different clause this time around is that they can't stay on regardless of appeals to higher courts which is a good step since many politicians in India use their influence and ‘resources’ to constantly keep the appeals alive.

While According to a report out of the 4,835 MPs and MLAs in the country, 1,448 are facing criminal cases. This staggering figure is the highest in the world.

The ruling, which spells more trouble for the political class in an election year, may be yet another check on criminalisation of politics but has the potential to be misused. Political rivals, especially the ruling party or combine, can target each other in the run-up to elections.

Corruption cases mostly don’t even enter the judicial system in India. Even if they make it, the entire process is incredibly slow. Sometimes the documents get lost, witnesses change their statements or complainants withdraw their allegations over death threats.

Apparently this particular ruling passed by the Supreme Court will not allow the corrupt politicians to prolong the cases filed against them. They will not be able to buy time to complete their term in office which is great for the people and will definitely help to clean up the political system but only if the legislation is actually used.

The Election Commission has, in its reports from time to time, been seeking amendment of the law for removal of the incumbent advantage to elected MPs and MLAs convicted of various offences.

But political parties have been resisting change on the ground that ruling dispensations bring false charges to keep rivals out of election process. The political class has welcomed the verdict the Supreme Court verdict.

Yet the fact that a cleansing of the political system was long overdue cannot be denied. This might be a signal to political parties themselves to develop their own internal checks.

The Supreme Court has only made an effort to check the creep of criminality in the legislatures as there has been progressive erosion of public trust of politicians, reinforced by the widespread belief that nothing will set right the political system in control of corrupt politicians. Amidst this cynicism, the Supreme Court’s judgment is a beacon of hope. The right way forward is surely for the top court to devise and enforce procedures that ensure quick, time-bound justice.

Securing the Food Right in India

At a time when the nation is undergoing an economical crisis, a ray of hope shines above the gloomy economy “The National Food Security Bill 2013”.The food security programme when implemented will be the biggest in the world with the government spending estimated at 1.2 lakh crore rupees annually.

The bill is aimed at giving legal rights to 67 percent of the population for a uniform quantity of 5 kg food grains at a fixed price of Rs 1-3 per kg through ration shops.

At a grim current situation where the Indian currency has taken a toll and economy fails to get back at its suitable place, it’s the poor who are stricken by the grave economic trough. This programme, which would provide highly subsidized food to about two-thirds of India’s population, is seen by many as a means of relief to India’s poor.

If the food security bill is implemented properly it will benefit the country by raising the poor households’ expenditure of education, health, and nutritious food, according to a research report from CRISIL. Thus providing households with additional disposable income, households will in effect move up the income bracket. In the case of rural households, spending on education and medical expenditure will increase as income increases. If this happens; this will help increase investments by households in their future.

Here are some of the highlights of this bill:

·         Up to three-quarters of people in the rural areas and up to half of the urban population would get five kilograms of grains per month at subsidized prices (3 rupees per kilo for rice, 2 rupees per kilo for wheat and 1 rupee per kilo for coarse grains).

·         The poorest households would continue to receive 35 kilograms of grains per month under the “Antyodaya Anna Yojana” at subsidized prices.

·         Pregnant women and lactating mothers would receive a maternity benefit of at least 6,000 rupees.

·         Children aged six months to 14 years would get take-home ration or hot cooked food.

·         The central government also would provide money to states and union territories if it runs low on grain.

·         The central government also would provide “assistance” towards the cost of intra-state transportation, handling of grains.

·         In a bid to give women more authority in running their households, the oldest adult woman in each house would be considered the head of that household for issue of ration card.

If the exercise is carried out correctly, several BPL households, which currently do not have access to the PDS, will be given some form of identity proof that will, for the first time, make them eligible for purchasing food grains at the subsidized rate from the PDS.

In addition to guaranteeing food security to poor households, the bill could serve as a means to improve their discretionary spending and thereby improve their quality of life.

In the end I’d like to point out that the ‘Indian National Food Security Bill” is a great effort to arrest hunger and malnutrition in the country and such efforts are both affordable for the government, and in fact, beneficial for the long term sustainability of the Indian economy.

For more detail on the INDIAN NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY BILL 2013 click on the following link:

http://goo.gl/dUP14

Need of the hour

Even as the nation is yet to come to terms with tragedies that hit us within a few weeks’ time, it makes one relook at how ill-prepared we are to face such natural or man-made disasters.

The cloudburst on 16 June washed away from Uttarakhand lives of many people- snapping the backbone of a state, its infrastructure, into several pieces. The floods turned the once bustling cities into ghost-towns that need to be re-built carefully to return them to their former glory.

While the loss of human lives is irreplaceable, the aftermath of the floods is enormous with the economy of the region- which was held together by together- suffering immensely. The state, at present, might have been pushed back by a couple of years on the development front.

As the nation was somber with the Uttarakhand floods, it took another blow which came in the form of blasts at the Mecca of Buddhist pilgrimage, Bodh Gaya.

While elements in politics continue to politicize the matters by playing the blame game, it does make one introspect the system of which we are a part. The question is about the timing. It is about how well and how fast can action be taken whenever we are sounded off on a mishap.

Natural or man-made disaster strike without notice; the question remains why we are unprepared to deal with disasters—to forewarn people, handle the crisis and to rehabilitate the affected.

Every time we have a disaster, exacerbated by human mismanagement of the environment, we are caught on the wrong foot. Worse, government agencies make every possible excuse to shift blame. In all this, we lose precious human lives. Talking about Uttarakhand floods, we know that Himalaya, the world’s youngest mountain range is prone to almost all natural disaster. Therefore, clearly this is a spot, which needed attention and focus. But none came its way. Disaster management demands, firstly, scientific knowledge to understand and map our vulnerability. But the fact is that we do little to plan and prepare ahead.

What’s standing tall amidst the ruins and chaos of these disasters is the resilience of Indian spirit, a key factor that helps in re-building and soothing the wound. In the time of natural disaster or man-made calamities what is needed is a coherent and visible strategy to help people. The plan should not be driven by politics but the desire to help those who are affected by it and not for political gains. In current case, the priority should be the relief efforts without pandering to political leaders who will often do little beyond conduct aerial surveys. Disasters aren’t about how much each leader has done but how many lives are saved.

Troubled Toll Roads

Success is the road you take, not the destination; the question here is what if the journey you take is filled by frequent and high priced toll gates!

Toll gates are becoming a raging topic of discussion over their role in solving inter and intra state traffic woes- or creating one.  Toll gates/booths come under the National Highways Authority of India – a Government body responsible for the development, maintenance and management of National Highways and the toll roads in India. Though the body has an impressive reach of 33 lakh km (approx) in India however, it doesn't live up to the expectations when it comes to management of toll roads on the major high ways of the country.

Most of these are based on BOO basis - Build, Own & Operate. Although the construction company builds the road, they are not given a free hand to charge whatever they want. They are either allowed to earn a fixed RoE (Return on Equity). This method initially proved to be functioning smoothly but is on brink of collapse with millions of cars adding to the Indian road every year.

The bump on the roads doesn't come from just the regular halts at the toll, but also from overpriced toll challans, condition of the roads, non-availability of basic facilities on the toll stretch, less or no signages, and of course, the stray animals on the highways. Many of these prove to fodder a rather inconvenient journey-more so in the night when it’s dangerous.

Talking about India’s Largest Toll gate, the Delhi – Gurgaon Toll, with its 32 + 4 reversible toll lanes, succumbs to high traffic every day during rush hour and 20-30 minutes wait to pay for the toll is almost routine for travelers. To add to this is the lack of a comprehensive traffic management plan and faulty road design, traffic bottlenecks, lack of road space, non-functional traffic signals and unmanned crossings.

Unfortunately, cases like this perpetuate a stereotype of Indian bureaucratic incompetency on multiple levels. But failure in this model does throw light on other mode of collecting toll, for example Automated toll gate system using passive RFID & GSM technology is being preferred and is proposed to be deployed at maximum toll gate by the end of 2014. Then again, there are rumors of the toll being lifted completely. Either way, here’s hoping for a better journey on Indian roads- inter and intra state please.  Till then, start 15 minutes early from home.