7/28/2019 American Eagle, Afghan Cage The Indian Express 28 April, 2011

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TheIndianEXPRESSwww.indianexpress.com

10NEW DELHI I THURSDAY I APRIL 28 I 2011

TheIndianEXPRESSBECAUSE THETRUTH INVOLVESUS ALL

T

HE Union government hasannounced two welcomedecisions. One is the deci-

sion to continue with the Jaitapurnuclearproject,whereIndiais plan-ning to build six nuclear reactors,beginning with two in the firstphase. Fast-growingeconomies likeIndia, and heavily populated onesat that, have no choice but to de-pend on more and more of nuclearenergy in near future to meet theirenergyrequirementsas bothaneco-nomic and clean option. The otherdecision to convert the AtomicEnergy Regulatory Board (AERB)into an independent and statutorybody willhave far-reaching con-sequences for the nuclear industryinIndiaas wellas public perceptionaboutnuclearplants,the latter stilldrivingthe Jaitapurprojectthroughrough weather.

While the necessity of nuclearenergyin nearfutureisundeniable,the same goes for raising questions

aboutnuclear projectsand demand-ing sufficiently adequate answers.In the wake of the Fukushimanuclear disaster in Japan, nuclearnations are undertaking reviews oftheir reactors. India had immedi-ately announced the same, the aimbeingnotjusttakingstockof thingsas they stand but also upgradingsafety standards and preparing todealwith multiple and evensimulta-neousincidents. In thiscontext,this

is the perfect time to separate theAERB from the Atomic EnergyCommission (AEC), to which the

regulatorhasbeenreportingall thiswhile. It has been argued earlier inthese columns that the AERB currently the only body in Indiacapable of assessing the radiologi-calimpactofany nuclearactivityneeded to be freed from any defer-ence to the nuclear establishment.Thenuclearindustry istoo complexand demanding to house its estab-lishmentand regulatortogether. Anindependent and autonomousbody, as the proposed NuclearRegulatory Authority of India issupposed to be, should not onlytighten the checks on projects butalso convey the right message toboth the nation as well as Indiasnuclear partners.

A large part of the public natureof the nuclear question owes itselfto the psychological impact of thevery idea of a nuclear plant on soci-

ety. Thatiswhy itisalwaysimpera-tiveforthegovernmenttoreach outand engender nuclear literacy. In aweekthat sawthe 25thanniversaryof the Chernobyl disaster againstthebackdrop ofFukushima,thede-cisionon anindependentand statu-tory nuclear regulator is a mark ofIndiasseriousnessabout itsnuclearindustry the recognition of boththeneedfor nuclearenergyand thenecessityof enhanced safety.

NO team sport has perhapsbeenas determinedas fieldhockeyhasbeento keepit-

selffrom becomingboring.In whatisbeing describedas theIPL effect,hockey has been quick to propose

an InternationalSuper Series.Over-seen by the International HockeyFederation, the matches will beabbreviate, more interactive andjustmore fun.The firstcompetitionis to be held in Perth this October,and besides hosts Australia com-petitors would include India, Pak-istan, Malaysia andNew Zealand.

How the first season fareswill beinteresting, because hockey, one ofthemost entertaining sports on theground, too often struggles to keepenough television audiences inter-ested to consolidate its popularity,and also reap the financial benefitsof broadcast rights. The SuperSeries is attempting some innova-tions that may help: music on thepublic address system, and ear-pieces for umpires and some play-erstomakethegamemoreinterac-

tive. In addition, the game willbe abbreviated as well as madefaster by some changes: 30-minutematches in 15-minute halves, nineplayers on field with a minimumtwo in the attacking half and a less

crowded fray for penalty corners.Before thepuristsstartgasping,itsworthwhileto recallthe innovationsthat have made hockey ever moreathletic and pacier: astroturf gavethe sport speed as well as portabil-ity, rolling substitutions and theno-offsideliberation,and therecentself-pass allowance.

How it goes in Perth is bound tohaveconsequencesfor internationalhockey. For one, if such comple-mentary formats work, it will bevaluable for Indian players, onwhose behalf its often argued theydontget enough big-match experi-ence. It could make viable club-based leagues to fill in gaps in theinternational calendar. If it doesntwork, be sure that hockey willfindanotherway to innovate itsintheDNAof thesport.

Another goalInternational hockey flirts with

a short, pacier format

AS one of the largest jobprogrammes in history,NREGA often gets a bad

rap from those who think it doesnot contribute to growth that itamounts to giving people fish,rather than teaching them to fish,touse theChinese expression.

Now, theres an interestingproposal in the works, floated bythe Prime Ministers NationalCouncil on Skill Development, toimpart greater sustainability toNREGA employment by investingin skill-formation. However, tomake sure that the original intentof the scheme is not diluted, itsgoing to be rolled out in a cali-brated way and meant for thosewho have already completed ther equi re d n um be r of da ys of unskilled manual labour. Also, itwill focus largely on artisan skills,because NREGA was felt to

have unwittingly contributed to ade-skilling as many craftspeopleabandoned their work to shovelsoil and build ditches, because itwasa reliable sourceof income.

Meanwhile, as far as the skilldevelopment mission goes, hitch-ing its wagon to NREGA is a great

idea, givingit a country-widehori-zontal reach to scale up. Apartfrom themajor craftsclusters,likeweavers in Varanasi or Chanderi,brass workers in Moradabad, etc,we dont know the dimensions ofour artisan community. NREGAhas phenomenal scale and coversall the districts across India, andwillhelpprovidea realdatabasesothat the skill development pro-gramme can have greater rangeand depth. This will add greaterheftto theprogramme, whichaimsto massively expand the skilledpoolof workers inhealth,informa-tion technology, tourism andhospitality, with private sector co-operation. So this plan would notonly raise the NREGA profile andmake it a productivity-enhancingschemeratherthansimplywelfare,it would also make a huge differ-ence to the skilling project, so

crucialifIndiais tomakeuse ofitsdemographic advantage. At a lessabstractlevel,it couldstop thefreefall of Indian craftsmanship, theslump in self-belief among ourartisanswho nowfeelthat diggingawell gives them greater returnsand security.

Work betterAdding a skills component to NREGA

would achieve several ends

WORDLYWISE

LechWalesa

Hewhoputsouthishandtostopthewheelofhistorywillhavehis fingerscrushed.

Outofthebox BOTH Arun Jaitley (Check-ing on the House,IE, April25)and JayanthiNatarajan (TheMPs you dont see,IE, April26) have pointed out that livetelecast ofParliament has hada positive effect on proceed-ings.I disagree. Live telecasthas led to an increase in MPstheatrics.Natarajans articlehelps my argument: she refersto the commendable workbeing done by parliamentary

committees.The reason for thesuccess of standing commit-tees is that during live tele-casts the members play to thegallery and take populiststances.On the other hand,standing committee meetingsare not telecast and thereforemembers can,as Natarajanstates,hold shared viewsirrespective of party lines andtake stances that may not bepopulist but are neverthelessin the larger national interest.

ManasUpmanyuShimla

Showus ITis encouragingto knowthatwhileParliamentmay nottransact businessdue topoliticalgrandstanding, MPsholdsharedviews,irrespectiveof partyaffiliation,andtend toachieve consensuson issuesincommittees. Itsdisappointingtoknowthata majorityoftherecommendationsarenotimplementedby anygovernment.Bureaucracy isan instrumentand MPsshouldknowhowtouseit.Itwouldbe agoodideatotelecastthe committeemeetingsastheydoin theUS.Thecommitteesthereinviteexpertsfrom outsideto giveevidence.It educatestheelectorate.Whenevera billispreparedby a committee,itshouldgetinputsfrom thesection whichwillbe adverselyaffected,so thatit getsaccep-tanceeasilywhenits enacted.

M.D.Kini

MumbaiHouse in orderYOUR editorial Houserenovations(IE,April 26)rightly says the Congress andthe BJP must share the blamefor the manner in whichdebate has been allowed toescape the House.They havethe power to reverse this byreconfiguring parliamentaryprocedures. By uniting onissues for the larger commongood,the two parties canmake the much neededparliamentary,electoralandeconomic reforms a reality.Would they? They must.

M.C. JoshiLucknow

Talkit out

THIS refers to Silentcoalition (IE, April 27). TheUPAs silence is deliberate anddriven by its mis-steps. Withits credibility at its lowest, theUPA hesitates to engage withthe people or even take on theopposition. Had the govern-ment ordered an inquiry intothe 2G spectrum scam and theCommonwealth Games withsome degree of alacrity, itcould have earned cheersfor walking the talk oncorruption instead of jeers forits flip-flops and indifference.The Congresss susceptibilityto pigeonholing controversialand inconvenient issuesfor expedient reasonsleads it to bigger problems.The party is oblivious to thefact that its political interests

are more at stake than thoseof its allies.

Tarsem SinghNewDelhi

LETTEROFTHE

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Letters to the

EDITOR

AS it receives today theUS SpecialRepresenta-tiveforAfghanistanandPakistan, Marc Gross-

man,NewDelhiwillbeeagertogeta first-hand account of the rapidlyevolvingAmerican policy towardsKabulandIslamabad.

This is Grossmans first visit toDelhi after US President BarackObamaappointedhim to thecur-

rentpositionfollowingthe deathofRichardHolbrookea few monthsago. That Grossman was part ofthe original team in the Bushadministration that launched thetransformation of the bilateralrelationshipwith India duringthemiddle ofthe lastdecade,willmakehimespeciallywelcomeinDelhi.

Grossman has the opportunitythen to set up a reliable and pro-ductivechannelof communicationbetweenWashingtonandDelhi onthe Af-Pak issues that are at the

very top of the national securityagendainbothcapitals.

India understands the manydomestic factors driving the US

Af-Pak policy and the difficultchallenges confronting Washing-tonacross theDurand Line.

As the US prepares to drawdown its military presence in

Afghanistan,startingfromJuly,aspart of a plan to hand over thesecurity responsibilities to localforces by 2014, Delhi and Wash-ingtonneed a preciseunderstand-ing of each others objectives intheAf-Pakregion.

Only then would it be possiblefor them to limit the potentialconflicts of interest and expandthe possibleareas ofcooperationin stabilising Afghanistan andPakistan.

Delhi must dispel the wide-spreadimpressionthatIndiais des-perateto carveout a specialposi-tionfor itself in Afghanistan. ThechatterinDelhisstrategiccommu-nityabout constructingan expan-sive Indian role beyond theDurandLine hasplayedrightintothe hands of Pakistans propa-gandathatprojectsIndiaas partoftheproblem inAfghanistan.

The current public refrain inWashington goes somewhat likethis: If only Delhi can stopcompeting with Rawalpindi in

Afghanistan, the Pakistan armywould be far more helpful to theUnited States. If only India canmakemajorconcessions onKash-mir, discard the Cold Start doc-trine,and perhapsstopgrowingitseconomytoo fast, Rawalpindi willfeel secure enough to end itssupport to the Taliban and otherextremistgroupsin Afghanistan.

Grossman, one can only hope,hasabetterbrief.Foritspart,DelhimusttelltheUSenvoythatitisfullyconsciousof thelimitsimposedbygeography on any Indian role in

Afghanistan. Grossman mustknowthatIndiaspursuitof itsna-tionalinterests in Afghanistanwillbe temperedby supreme realism.

AndthatDelhiisopentocollabora-tionwith anyone,including Wash-ington,in preventingthe re-emer-genceof Afghanistanas thehotbedof religious extremism, a havenforinternational terrorism,and asourceof regionalinstability.

Delhi would also have manyquestions to ask of Grossman.UntilitexitsfromAfghanistan,theUSwillremaintheprincipalexter-nal determinant of the strategicenvironment in the north-westernsubcontinent.

Amidst themany currentambi-

guitiesthathave enveloped theUSAf-Pakpolicy,Delhiwouldwanttoget a measure of Washingtonslatest thinking from Grossman.Onesetof Indianquestionswillbeaboutthe changing US approachtothe Taliban.

US Secretary of State HillaryClintonhas recentlyredefined theterms of engagement with theTaliban. Until now, Washingtonsaid renouncing the links to

Al Qaeda, laying down arms andrespectingthe Afghanconstitution

werepreconditionsfor talks. Nowtheyappeartohave beenrecastaspossibleoutcomesfrom a dialogue

withtheTaliban.InWashington,manyhavecome

to believe that embracing theTaliban is the only answer to

Afghanistansproblems.Therearealso unconfirmed reports of adirectcontactbetween Washingtonandthe Taliban.

Butthereislittleinformation,atleastin thepublicdomain,on thenature of these contacts. Delhi

would surely wantto knowWash-ingtonsassessmentofthe Talibansinterest in the dialogue and its

willingness to compromise withotherforces inAfghanistan.

India would also want to knowif there is any thinking at all inWashington about the conse-quences of accommodating theTaliban. The insertion of the

Talibaninto Afghanpower struc-tures is bound to alter the ethnicandsectarian balanceswithinandaroundthe country.

A secondset ofimportantques-tions forGrossmanare aboutthecurrent instability in the US-Pakistan relations. The last fewmonths have seen the repeatedboilingoverof bilateraltensions.

Theconventionalwisdomis that

Washington and Rawalpindi arehostages to each other. Theirrecentdifficulties,it isargued, rep-resentat best a passingphase andthatthetwowill finda wayto worktogetherin Afghanistan.

There is an emerging counter-view which suggests that the cur-rentdivergencebetweenWashing-tonand Rawalpindiis structural.Itmight be rooted in the PakistanarmysbeliefthattheUS isa muchdiminished power a decade after9/11 andcannot setthe termsfor

Afghanistansfuture.The Pakistan army chief, Gen-

eralAshfaqKayani, might believethat the rise of China has alteredthecontextoftheGreatGameandprovides the resourcesto establishRawalpindislong-soughtprimacyinAfghanistan.

Rawalpindi and Beijing, this

argumentgoes, areconvincedthattheAmericanEagle trappedinthe

Afghancagemighthaveno optionbut to go along. Nothing elseexplains,accordingtothisview,thecurrent boldstrategicdefianceoftheUSbyKayani.

IfGrossmanwantstoexplainthecurrentdynamism in US-Pakistanrelations, Delhi will be all ears.Delhi inturn mustsignal itsreadi-nesstocooperatewiththe Obamaadministration in stabilising thenorth-westernsubcontinent.

ItsreallyuptoGrossmantosayiftheUSseesIndiaaspartofthesolu-tioninAfghanistanandif Washing-tonispreparedto workwithDelhiinchangingthestrategiccalculusofthePakistan army.

Thewriterisa seniorfellowattheCentre forPolicyResearch,Delhi

express@expressindia.com

Grossman must know that India is open tocollaboration with anyone, including Washington,

in preventing the re-emergence of Afghanistanas the hotbed of religious extremism, ahaven for international terrorism, and a source

of regional instability.

American eagle, Afghan cageDelhi must convey its

realism to Obamas newAf-Pak envoy

AMIDthe barbaricbloodlettingin Syria,claimsof direct AlQaedainvolvementin Yemenandassessmentsby AdmiralMikeMullen,chairmanof theUS JointChiefs,that theLibyanconflictis stale-

mated,itis nowonder influential USsenatorsare demandingmoredeci-siveaction, includingtargetingMuammar Gaddafi.WhetherUS President Barack Obama likes it or not, dealing effec-tively with Libya is a touchstone of Western resolve inhandling the continuingtumult acrossthe Arabworld. Thelikes of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad are encouraged intheirbrutalrepressionbythe realitythatdespitethe effortsoftheUSandthesixofits27 Natoallieswhohaveralliedto the

cause,Gaddafiremains inpower inTripoli.Even UN sanctions appear ineffectual, with new reports claiming

Gaddafihasrepatriatedbillionsofdollars toTripolitobe usedasa warchest,replicatingwhat SaddamHusseindid beforethe invasion of Iraq.In thebattlewith therebels,there is,as AdmiralMullensays,stalemate,

with Gaddaf i forces oust ed from pla ces like Misr atah one day only toresumetheirbombardmentthe next. TheinfluentialRepublicansenatorLindsey Graham argues that the way to end this stalemate is to cutoffthe head of the snake. He is supported by senator John McCain, who

has been at rebel headquarters in Benghazi and arguesfortheprovisionof money andweaponryon ascalesimilarto that given the mujahideen who fought the Sovietsin Afghanistan.

Mr Obamahas,from the outset,been extremely cautious.After Iraq and Afghanistan, this is understandable. He hasruledoutAmericanbootsonthegroundandis confinedby the

UN SecurityCouncilresolution.But,as SenatorMcCainhassaid,evenwithinthoseparametersthereismoretheUScoulddobeyondthemodesttwo unmannedpredatordrones thathave nowbeen committed.

From a leader inThe Australian

Stalemate in LibyaObama needs to do more within the parameters of the UNSC resolution

PRINTLINE

INrecentdays,severalmembersofParliamenthave

writtenin thesepagesaboutmeasurestoincreasetheeffective-nessof Parliament.SeveralstepscanbetakentoenableParliament

workbetter asthe premierinstitu-tiontoholdgovernmentaccount-ableforitsproposalsandactions.

ParliamentarycommitteesprovideaforumtoMPstoexam-inebillsandbudgetproposals.Specialisedfinancial committees

alsolookat auditreportsof min-istriesand PSUs.Thecommit-tees,however,are handicappedbythe lackof expertresearchers

workingfor them.Parliamentcancorrectthisby having subjectexpertsfor eachcommittee,andsupplementingthis expertisewithoutsideexperts wheneverneeded.The BritishParliament,forinstance,has researchstaffattachedto itscommittees.

Theissueofasymmetricinfor-mationbetweenthegovernmentandMPsbecomesevenmorestarkwhenwe lookatthefacilitiesprovidedtoindividualMPs. TheydonothaveanyofficespaceinDelhi,andusuallyworkout ofhome(whichvariesfromabungalowtoa hostelroom).Theydonothaveanyindividualre-searchstaff thoughtherecent

increasein allowancesmay enablethemtoappointone juniorlevelresearcher. Contrastthiswith theinvestmentsmadebymaturedemocracies. TheUnited States

andthe UnitedKingdom provideofficespacenextto thelegislaturebuilding. EachUSSenatorhas15to20 researcherssupportingher

work,whilethefigureisthreetofivestaffforaBritishMP.In addi-tion,both thesecountrieshavelargeresearch staffattached totheirlegislativelibrarieswhoprovidedetailednotes onbills,currentissuesand anyqueriesraisedby members.TheUSCongressionalResearchService

hasabout700staff,and thecorrespondingnumber intheUKisabout100staff.

Otherissuesoftenraisedincludethe limiteddebateonbills, thelimitednumberofdaysthatParliamentmeets,as wellasthelackoffreedomforMPsto

votetheirconscienceas impor-tantmatters.Thesethreeissuesareinterconnectedwhenit comestothe incentivestructureforMPstoperformtheirparliamentaryfunctions.Votersdo notknowabouttheworkof theirrepresen-

tativesin Parliament,and rarelyusethatas a performance metricwhenMPscome forre-election.Therefore,thereisno directincentiveto workhardon under-

standingissuesanddebatingthemin Parliament. In anycase,thewhipand theanti-defectionlaware validreasonsforan MPto

justifywhy shedidnot actin aparticularway.Fourmovescanchangethe system dramatically.

First,the rulescanbe amendedtorequirethatall finalvotesonbillsor debatesbe recorded.Thatis,theseshouldnotbe decidedbyavoicevote butshouldhaveeachMPpressthe voting button.Such

astepwillleadtoavotingrecordforeachMP,whichwillbe avail-ableto theelectorate.Thus,the

voterswill seehow theMP voted(andwhetherthe MPvoted).Thisstepwillalsopreventthepassageof billsduringa commo-tionintheHouse,ashasbeenseenseveraltimes inrecentyears.

Second,Parliament shouldhavea pre-announcedannualcalendarof sittings.Suchameasurewill helpMPsandotherstakeholdersplan their sched-ules. Itwill alsomakeit difficult

forthegovernmentto shortensessionswhenit findsitinconve-nienttoface toughquestionsinParliament.This addressestheissuethat Parliamentmeetsfor

toofew dayseveryyear.Another ideais thata signifi-

cantminorityshouldhave thepowerto insist ona discussionorreferralof anissueto aparlia-mentarycommittee.Suchaprocedurewouldhave preventedthestalematein thewintersession lastyear overthe forma-tionof a jointparliamentarycommittee tolookintothe2Gspectrumallocation.Indeed,thisformula couldbe usedwhen

someMPswantto conveneasession.Currently,onlythe gov-ernmentcandecide whenParlia-mentmeets, withthe onlystipu-lationthatitshouldmeetat leastoncein sixmonths.Giventhatgovernmentaccountabilityisensured throughParliament,it isimportantthat itnot havecomplete freedomto avoidholdin-gsessionsor havingonly

veryshortsessions.Finally,it isimportantto take

stockofthe anti-defectionlaw,andthe proposalthatthe provi-sionsbelimitedtotrustvotesandmoneybills.This stepwillallowMPsto representtheinterestsoftheirvotersand voteaccordingtotheirconscience onmostissues.

Atthe sametime,it willpreservetheobjectiveof havingstablegovernmentsasenvisagedby

the anti-defectionlegislation.

Thewriteris withPRSLegislative,Delhi

express@expressindia.com

Parliamentshould havea pre-announcedannual calendarofsittings. Such a measurewillhelpMPs andother

stakeholdersplan theirschedules. It willalso make itdifficultforthe governmentto shortensessionswhen it

finds it inconvenient to face tough questions in Parliament.

M.R.MADHAVAN Fixing Parliaments problems can be quite simple

Raising the floor

A clearer orbitAn independent nuclear regulator will go a

long way in addressing public concernsC.RAJAMOHAN