Civil Society, Civil Society … Lokpal, Lokpal….Do we really need a “Lokpal bill”??

The term “Civil Society” has come to enjoy much political, administrative and intellectual currency in the recent years. However it has a fairly long history. Various political philosophers differentiated and separated civil society from the State. In words of S.K.Das “Civil society is the organized society over which the state rules” where as Jeffrey Alexender defined it as “an inclusive umbrella like concept referring to a plethora of institution outside the state. But in the context of the recent political chaos in India, the so called the civil society representatives under Anna Hazare is beyond the concept the above mentioned kind of civil society. The very basic reason is the that they are self proclaimed representatives of 1.21 billion people, who had democratically elected a government by spending around 1,120 crores of tax payers money, as budgeted by the parliament as election expenses in Feb,2009. Well I agree to the fact, that the civil society plays an important role in the welfare and development administration, as it forms a public opinion. To my understanding, Civil Society is nothing but “Us”. In a democracy- in particular, a healthy liberal democracy like India I think we require a public which is organized for democracy, socialized to its norms and values and committed not just to its myriad narrow interests but to larger, common, civic ends. Such a public is only possible with a vibrant civil society. So the question is “Are we a vibrant society”? Or only few among us like Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi etc. are enough to represent the largest democracy in the world. India’s effective literacy rate according to the provisional census of 2011 is 74.04 % with an increase of 9.2%, where Literacy, as defined in Census operations, is the ability to read and write with understanding in any language. Whereas I think Literacy involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and wider society. Hardly, any percent of the society is aware of their rights and duties as citizens. And even if they are aware of it, there is so much in everyone’s life like kids, inflation, job-shifts, un-employment, crime etc they delegate their part of responsibility to others, or say to the voluntary organizations in the society to act as the watch-dog of the public interest.

Modern democratic states are characterized by welfare orientation .Hence; the government has to play an important role in the socio-economic development of the nation. This has resulted in the expansion of the bureaucracy and the multiplication of the administrative process, which in turn increased the administrative power and discretion enjoyed by the government officials at different levels of the government. The earliest democratic institution created in the world for unfair administrative practices is the Scandinavian institution of Ombudsman. It was first created in Sweden in 1809, ‘Ombud’ is a Swedish term and refers to a person who acts as representative or spokesman of another person. The Ombudsman in India is called as Lokpal / Lokayukta. The Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) headed by Moraji Desai submitted a special interim Report on” Problems of Redressal of Citizens Grievances’ in 1966. In this Report, the ARC recommended the setting up of two special authorities designated as ‘Lokpal’ and ‘Lokayukta’ for redressal of citizens grievances. The government of India accepted the recommendations of ARC in this regard.So far, 8 official attempts have been made to bring about legislation on this subject. In May, 1968 by the congress government headed by Indira Gandhi for the first time introduced the Bill in the Parliament. However, none of the bills afterwards were passed by the parliament due to one or the other reasons. No doubt, the Lokpal has not yet come into existence in our country, though its need was felt long ago that is 42 years back. With so much of the Political Chaos in the country recently by the Anna’s and the Baba’s, my question is do we really need a “LokPal Bill”?

I think the recent exposure of scams starting from CWG, 2-G, Adarsh society to the recent irregularities noticed by the CAG in the allocation of KG basin to the Reliance. The Government was under pressure to act, was it because of the agitation by the Civil Society? Or by the fear of impending Lokpal Bill? Well if we think away from the “Shor in the country”, It’s because of the democracy and the powers conferred to the institution like CAG, CVC and the Supreme Court of India that the State had to act. It is because of the existing Checks & Balances, the Political and Administrative reforms we had since Independence that we have the Ex-telecom minister in jail, the Daughter of the head of the Coalition party to the government in the Jail, along with the Babus. The hearing in the Courts are public, the Media is more than active to flash anything spicy as ever. So how can “Lokpal” make it look better? Is it the fact that we would feel proud of the fact, that we being the largest democracy in the World would have an establishment of the institution of Lokpal to inquire even the head of the State of the Country, who is elected by 1.21 billion people. I must say” What kind of a Lokpal we are talking about”? Who will be the Lok pal ? The 2001 Lokpal bill by the NDA government features, a Lokpal to consist of a Chairperson who is or has been a Chief Justice or Judge of Supreme Court and two members who are or have been the judges of the Supreme Court or the Chief justices of High Court. I wonder how exclusive it would be!

After all, Lokpal would be just another institution like CBI, CVC, Lokayukta and various tribunals. On a funny note, I am sure “Lokpal would surely be a Human Being” or ‘an Individual’? I hope so. It will be an authority just like the existing ones. But the question, Are the existing one functioning to their capacity? If so, then do we need another one? After all, the question of inclusion of Prime Minister is not going to curb the moral and ethical conduct of all of us. Who will define the so called” Corruption”? The words corruption and corrupt have many meanings starting from Political, Police, Corporate, Corruption(The philosophical concept) often refers to spiritual or moral impurity, Bribery, Systemic and the Rule of Law. And if the above definition is true, “Will Lokpal really curb the above mentioned forms of Corruption”? Or by including the Head of the State, i.e the Prime Minister will make a Statement in the International World Order. I think it’ll be a mockery of the status of the Head of the government of the Republic of India. In today’s modern democratic states, the existing Ombudsman is nothing more or less than a constitutional authority to supervise the compliance of laws and regulations, by the public officials and see that they discharge their duties properly. So I think, to include Prime Minister who is the de-jure executive and the head of the government under Lokpal, will be undermining the status of the Office of the Prime Minister. Today, PM is defined as ‘Primus inter pares’ (first among equals) and’ key stone of the cabinet arch’ and all the roads in the constitution lead to the Prime minister only. So, he cannot sit and answer the issues raised by an institution like Lokpal because of the nature of the duties which the Prime Minister has to deliver. In a parliamentary democracy, where the ministers of the executive branch get their democratic legitimacy from the legislature and are accountable to that body, such that the executive and legislative branches are intertwined we don’t need a “Lokpal” at all. What we need is people’s participation in the electoral, administrative and the accountability of the various authorities.

People’s participation means citizens control over the administration or the public influence on administration. It is essential for the smooth and efficient performance of the administrative machinery. And for that matter, we need people‘s participation even if we have a Lokpal tomorrow. It makes the administration responsive to the needs of the people. I believe that a democratic government is based on the “Doctrine of popular Sovereignty” which means people are supreme in a democracy, or the final authority in the democracy is vested in the people. It transfers the representative democracy into participatory democracy. It facilitates what is known as “Bottom –up rule”. In real, people being ignorant and unorganized, cannot generally have a definite and regular influence on administration. Hence the public influence on political and administrative process is mainly indirect and informal. It exists in the Constitutional space which was very efficiently used by Mahatma Gandhi for the freedom of the India from the colonial rule. It is through prolonged popular struggle on moral, political and ideological level, where reserves of counter-hegemony builds up over the years through progressive stages. We can really use the constitutional space offered by the government without getting co-opted by it. People’s participation was and is the biggest need for a democracy to survive its dynamic phases of change and development. And in a democracy, we already have the power to express our opinions in relation to government policies via televisions, cinema, educational institutions, radio, press and public platform. What we need is a change in the attitude of the people this country, a change in the mindset which really does not come with the Lokpal bill. It took us 15O years during the colonial era, to build up a change in mindset to have what we wanted then. And today, we still need a change in mind-set to build the India of tomorrow.

The One and Only Kashmir

India even after 63yrs of Independence is facing major issues tied to past unresolved agendas of boundaries, areas, rivers etc. Let it be the situation with the Pakistan or China the question is “will there be any Outcome ever”? Or it is transforming into a diplomatic glitch! The people of Kashmir are not doubt citizens of the Republic of India, according to the Constitution as well from the psychological concept of Nationality. No matter what different pressure groups, political sides may have to say, the question is about the lives of 4millions Indians. Today Kashmir denotes a larger area that includes Indian administered part of Kashmir (Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh), the Pakistani administered Gilgit-Baltistan and the Azad Kashmir provinces, and the Chinese-administered regions of Askai-Chin. People living in Kashmir are characterized by a distinctive “mix”of attitudes, values, emotions, and abilities which is culturally reinforced by the family, schooling, the state and the media. Kashmir has a vast history of different kinds of rulers from Brahmins, Bhuddists, Mughals,Afghans, and Sikhs. But Kashmir has grown ever since with all the blunders, militancy and the political turmoil.

There are many aspects which divides Kashmir but the only thing that unites it is its “Culture” or say the ‘kashmiriyat. It’s the beauty, the Wazwan, Nishat-shalimar Bagh, gulmarg,the Chinar and above all the people. One thing which the Media never focuses on is “what does a father, a mother, a Child” really wants in Kashmir? Even when the protests where going on people where migrating to jammu for normalcy in their lives. Everyone wants their children to go to schools, prepare for the entrances, look for jobs etc. I don’t think anyone wakes up in the morning with the question of so called “Azadi” in his mind. It’s not about Kashmir only; it’s about all of us. People have suffered for so many years, the kashmiri pundits had suffered a lott, many lost their lives and homes. I believe that democracy is not what we understand by its political science, its what we see in our day to day lives. It’s not about being the Biggest Democracy in the world, its about the being the ‘Best Democracy in the world’.

Inclusive Growth: Growth with a Twist

THE PEOPLE AND THE ECONOMY:

There are two types of poor in India: the millions packed into India's growing urban slums and the even greater number eking out life in its rural heartland. The conundrum the country faces is that improving the situation in the countryside will likely make matters worse in the city."What do migrants want?" They want diversity of income, sanitation, drinking water, power, roads. But even when they get those, they will still want the life they see on their televisions. Human beings like to live in cities; they have done so for thousands of years".It is no secret that India needs to make its tremendous economic growth more equitable, to spread it more fairly among society - not just wealth, but infrastructure and educational opportunities. Roughly one quarter of Indians live below the poverty line, and almost 70% of Indians live in rural areas, where desperate farmers too often find solace in suicide.The rising discontent of these have-nots has already produced a political backlash. A radical Maoist insurrection, Naxalism, has spread through some states while, across the country, regional political parties are growing in strength, upsetting the dominance of national parties and forcing them to cobble together coalition governments - like the one now in power in New Delhi.

The proliferation of coalition governments that rely on consensus decision-making could also have a diminished ability to formulate and implement effective policies. "Coalition government has its own compulsions and its own limitations". "It can delay decisions".To achieve a broader mandate and regain political momentum, national parties need to boost regional chapters to embrace local interests; likewise, regional parties need to develop more robust national agendas.Achieving inclusive economic growth is a priority for India's current government. Its latest budget includes a 31% increase in spending on rural infrastructure - 15% of public infrastructure funds are expected to be allocated to rural irrigation and broadens access by farmers to credit. In doing so, it is helping to plug a gaping hole in funding for connecting rural Indians to the mainstream economy.


THE CORPORATE LOBBY (BANKS,FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS )
The private sector is also making great strides through microfinance, providing rural development capital while freeing many rural people from the grip of moneylenders. Instead, microfinance offers the rural poor a way to leverage their own industry and thrift by popularizing not only debt but also savings accounts. "The bank account has become a status symbol in the villages".To realize the potential microfinance has tapped, however, India needs greater deregulation. Existing rules, for example, prevent bankers from tying up with telecommunications companies to use established cellular customer networks to distribute financial services.Bankers concede, however, that their industry is also guilty of holding back. Microfinance typically charges relatively high interest rates, yet default rates among micro-borrowers remain near zero, indicating what bankers say is excessive caution on the part of micro-lenders. Part of that caution, they say, stems from the fact that there is no credit bureau to keep track of rural borrowers, nor a reliable way - such as driving licenses or birth certificates - to even identify them. Some have called for the government to issue national voter registration cards.Bankers also have an important role to play in filling the rural education gap, by teaching rural Indians the basics of finance. To be sure, education often serves as a politically correct panacea in debates about poverty relief.Improved vocational training is singled out as a critical necessity for India that would address its growing shortage of skilled trades workers while recognizing that a higher degree may not be a realistic aspiration for the bulk of the country's youth. Vocational training is an area, moreover, where companies can get more immediate returns on their investment, either by conducting their own training, financing vocational programmes or helping to develop curricula.

PAST-PRESENT-FUTURE
The good news for India is that its economy is largely driven by domestic demand as opposed to exports. The rural population, therefore, represents a critical source of new labour for India's services-led growth.But solving the riddle of how to raise income levels in the countryside without accelerating the rush to the cities requires new thinking on what urbanization means. In short, convincing rural Indians not to move to big cities will require moving the city closer to them. "If we can take opportunities to rural India, there's no reason why rural India would wish to come like lemmings to urban India".

Industries that rely on rural inputs - food processing, biofuel production and handicrafts - should move closer to their production centres. Doing so will encourage the creation of new urban centres, turning villages into towns, and towns into small cities. Technology can also be used to turn rural India into a service centre for urban India in the same way that India has become a service centre for the world. "The war for talent is such that we have hundreds of millions of people who cannot monetize their skills today because we haven't connected them".It's in everyone's interest that we unleash that capability and that talent".

Ultimately, it may take a more concerted push by government to make this shift out of the cities happen. Regulations and incentives may be needed to encourage companies to "ruralize". But it is clear that India can no longer afford to let investment and commerce remain confined within the city limits. "Rural and urban are not separate; both are connected !! "Until we see that, India will become prosperous and Indians will remain poor".

Ageing India: An asset or liability?

With India's health standards and services being a big concern for the state. Population ageing is kept in darkness so far.Population ageing has emerged as the grand challenge of this century: for policymakers, care providers and society as a whole.The proportion of the elderly in the total population had increased from 5.63 per cent in 1961 to 6.58 per cent in 1991 and to 7.5 per cent in 2001. India has thus joined the rank of “Greying nations” with over seven per cent of its population in the 60-plus years segment Currently, there could be around 100 million ‘senior citizens' in India.

PROBLEMS

It could be generalized that elderly people in India suffer a double-whammy effect; the combined burden of both communicable (usually infectious) and non-communicable (usually chronic and lifestyle related) diseases. This is compounded by an impairment of special sensory functions like vision and hearing that decline with advancing age. Thus, elders have a considerable burden of both infectious diseases like tuberculosis and chronic illnesses such as diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, and cancer.Notably, the majority prefer to use private health-care services, even though they are more expensive, service quality being an important reason for such a preference.While aging is not synonymous with disability, a large proportion of the Indian aged population is disabled, the severity of disablement increasing day by day.

ISSUES IN MODERN INDIAN SOCIETY

Traditionally, the joint family in India took care of its elderly. These traditional care arrangements have been lost in the context of rapid urbanisation and an exodus of people from rural to urban areas and from urban areas to foreign countries. In the absence of such community support in the form of kinsmen or the extended family, and an inability to continue to earn their living, the elderly are often rendered destitute, if not financially, from a pragmatic perspective. While these problems plague most traditional societies that are in transition, their rapidly enlarging scope and scale, demand and necessitate an urgent response from our policy makers.

The Government India, supported actively by civil society, unveiled its National Policy on Older Persons (NPOP) over 50 years after Independence. A comprehensive document covering every aspect of the elder's life, ambitious, with a clear cut action plan, it proposed a role for the State in the elder care: health, shelter, financial security and protection against abuse. It recognised the need for affirmative action favouring the elderly, viewing them as national resources, creating opportunities for their development. Training, empowerment and partnership with elderly were seen as important in providing equality and dignity to all groups of elderly. Unfortunately, a decade later, the NPOP awaits complete implementation in all States and Union Territories of India, much of its promise remaining unfulfilled, prompting the Government of India to seek its revision to suit contemporary needs.

Discussions among civil society groups and concerned senior citizens in the run up to a re-organised NPOP, reveal many consensus points for the future organisation of elder health care. There is little doubt that the care of the elder must remain vested within the family unit and based within the community the elder resides in. Incentives for families that care for their elders are necessary; as are the development of community health-care resources; doctors, nurses and paramedics specialised in elder health care; and rehabilitation facilities for those with disability. The importance of Government and civil society partnerships needs to be underscored here; as is regulation of such elder health-care services for quality and cost. While the focus is often on in-patient (hospitalisation) care, there is a clear need to develop other models relevant to the elder: out-patient care, day care, palliative care, rehabilitation care, respite care and step down care. Developing community level health-care worker pools that will both screen the elderly for risk factors, disease and disability; and provide simple home based interventions is necessary; as is tiered access for the elderly to a range of professionals: from generalist to specialist doctors. Most importantly, perhaps, those working in this area feel the need for unitary, sustainable and replicable models of screening and assessment: health checks that would address apart from routine risk factors like hypertension and diabetes, areas of potential disability: vision, hearing, falls, bone and joint, respiratory and cardiac disability etc.

PRESENT SCENARIO & CONCERNS

The majority of Indian elders are in potentially vulnerable situations without adequate food, clothing, or shelter.Providing health care that givesAvailability, Affordability, Accessibility, Acceptability and Accountability to such a large vulnerable group, is a challenge that has to be confronted. Insurance cover that is elder-sensitive is virtually non-existent; insurance premiums increase in an unsustainable manner with age and there is rampant age-discrimination in the health insurance sector.Further, pre-existing illnesses are usually not covered, making insurance policies unviable for the elder. Indeed, senior citizens point out that they pay far more for health insurance than their utilisation justifies; and that elders end up subsidising the care of younger citizens, who form the bulk of health insurance consumers.

The elder citizen is a national treasure; one who has contributed to both national growth and familial development. As they approach the autumn of their lives, they experience diminishing ability to generate income, increasing vulnerability to illness and disability, and increasing dependency on their families and communities. Rather than view this dependence as a burden to be endured, we must as a society embrace it whole-heartedly, as a pay back opportunity; to thank senior citizens for their many unconditional contributions. The organisation and delivery of elder health care must therefore be approached with enthusiasm, altruism and generosity. Mature health policy for the elder combined with a generous dose of pragmatism in organising, delivering and funding health care services is the need of the hour.We should be reminded about the challenge of population ageing; the looming burden of elder disability; and the need for a comprehensive and pragmatic National Policy for Older Persons.

NEVER ENDING CHASE OR INTENDED CHASE!!

Pakistan is geographically so important for all its keepers, that they’ll do anything to keep it in their interest. That why despite the so much turbulence in Pakistan, the billions of $ aid wont stop pouring in. It is very interesting to note the journey covered by Taliban so far in last few years. First of all USA is still carrying on its never-ending war in Afghanistan with Obama Administration sending more 30,000 troops. But for what? For years they have been after Taliban and what we get to see is, they have reached Pakistan! Now, the how is that possible? Simple Theory i.e. CHASE AND RUN THEORY! It is a second line diplomacy of US, which looks quite clear to me with the chronology of incidents happening. Lett me make it little more simple for everyone. Everyone knows about the tension between India and Pakistan, so why not create somewhat more? First of all incidents like 26/11 occurs in which all the evidences point to Pakistan thus making us the real angry guy! But then what we hear is so much of aid is given to Pakistan by USA to stabilize its economic condition. But the real point is, you create a situation where India goes for a return blow. But thanks to the Indian Diplomacy and its pillars that we handled it with our so called “lover letters to Pak Govt”. But from my point of view the patience and smartness shown by UPA Govt under Manmohan Singh is really appreciable. No doubt Obama want Mr. Singh sitting next to him at the World Economic Forum. Next thing what we see is Taliban which was chased by US military has reached Pakistan, so what I was thinking is that what will 30,000 more troops of USA will do in Afghanistan? Huh. I guess they‘ll wait for Taliban’s return. Then we hear someone called Headley is caught by the FBI who is supposed to involved in 26/11 attack in India. It was very surprising for me to know that FBI had been keeping keen interest in following the 26/11 . But you see, that’s what we call “mutual cooperation against terrorism” or say its “Global Terrorism”. But they don’t seem to have so much of a mutual interest to handover Headley to India. But in all this what we see is, when everyone knows that Pakistan is the most fertile soil for the growth of terrorists, which needs to be eroded at any cost, We see “Pak Keepers” ie USA, Japan etc coming up with billions of $'s . Well say, they want Pak to be more fertile or say if the money is ultimately comes back to them (USA) then what is the problem in creating a “Debt” . See the logic is quite simple the billions are spent on buying arms because you in a war like situation with India. So Pak which is an ally of US will buy arms from it private defence companies to secure itself, plus creating “debt” for themselves.The moment India and Pakistan goes for War the “Pak keepers” will become the World keepers!! Well how can US not interfere? Ha? Well then they might remind Pak of the debts and will not blink an eye before they set up a military base in Pak to control the whole of Asia.

But then lets go back to start, what about the 30,000 troops in Afghanistan?? Well they are chasing the Taliban those who are left there and will come along with them!!