I/III. http://www.thehindu.com/sunday-anchor/kapil-sibal-on-narendra-modi-one-year-at-office/article7239361.ece
Updated: May 24, 2015 00:26 IST Promises unmet KAPIL SIBAL Mr. Modi sold promises and dreams during his campaign speeches but the reality has been vastly different. Narendra Modi believes he has transformed India in the last one year. In his speeches abroad, especially to NRIs, he has repeatedly made this point, though he chooses not to do so in India. Mr. Modi catapulted to the position of Prime Minister by selling a dream of bringing succour to the lives of the marginalised millions. At the end of one year, we need to assess the transformation he promised. Business as usual Mr. Modi promised that when he came to power, the economy would grow at 10 per cent or more. He promised to put in place procedures to ensure ease of doing business. After one year, it is business as usual. In fact, a recent study reveals that profitability of 2,941 major companies in the quarter ending December 2014 declined by 16.9 per cent compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Indeed, key drivers of corporate profitability, namely investment, household consumption and corporate dividends, continue to be weak. Many analysts have in fact downgraded the earnings forecast all the way till March 2016. Latest figures from the Finance Ministry (March 2015) indicate that 2,099 mega projects involving an outlay of 18.13 lakh crore are stalled with the Project Management Group directly under the control of the Prime Minister. The government's claim about reversal in the economic fortunes of India is hollow. It is because of the abysmal performance of the corporate sector and the non-professional way in which state-owned banks give loans that PSU banks are deeply crisis-ridden with bad loans and restricted assets reaching a gigantic Rs. 7,12,000 crore (13.2 per cent of total advances), a figure higher than our fiscal deficit. Mr. Modi, instead of making outlandish statements beyond our borders, should focus on, or at least have his Finance Minister deal with, the reality of economic stagflation that is bleeding us. Before the elections when inflation was a real problem, Mr. Modi continuously proclaimed that when in power, he would ensure inflation was controlled and households did not struggle. His government was fortunate to see the crude oil price fall. From $108 a barrel in May 2014, it is now $60. This helped the Finance Minister reduce the deficit and the wholesale price index came down. Unfortunately, the inflation that touches the aam aadmi was not addressed. The average price of select items consumed daily by people is higher today than a year ago. The price per kilo of wheat flour, pulses, milk, mustard oil, vanaspati, onions and potatoes has increased, in some cases by 10-15 per cent. In September 2013, when the rupee depreciated to Rs. 66 a dollar, Mr. Modi had said, "[Due to] the failure of Manmohan Singh, the rupee has landed in hospital, where it is battling for life on a ventilator." Today, it continues to be on a ventilator, hovering around Rs. 64 to a dollar. Mr. Modi made promises knowing that fulfilling them would be a tall order. Amit Shah has now admitted that the vow to bring back billions of dollars of black money was just a chunavi jumla (electoral gimmick). Statements like these shake people's confidence in the credibility of politicians. There are huge procedural wrangles in bringing back black money. The promise to put Rs. 15 lakh in every citizen's bank account from the recovered black money was an unethical and dishonest attempt to garner votes. Now that they are in government, both the Finance Minister and Mr. Modi realise the difficulties and no longer talk about it. Mr. Modi also promised to remove corruption. On April 21, 2014, he said he would personally ensure the removal of criminals from Parliament. We are yet to see that happen. In fact, the Lokpal Bill, an emotive issue that caught the attention of the people, saw the BJP supporting the Aam Aadmi Party to up the ante against the United Progressive Alliance. Now, the Prime Minister appears to have forgotten about it and is even silent about its introduction in Parliament. Foreign policy failures Despite the hype, on-ground delivery is not visible here. Mr. Modi's policy on Pakistan has been a failure; he does not know how to deal with Pakistan. He would have us believe that all is quiet despite the fact that incidences of cross-border intrusions have increased and Nawaz Sharif has expressed anguish and alleged that the Prime Minister has let him down. There is no change on the ground and yet our Foreign Secretary went to Pakistan in March under the garb of a SAARC meeting. No breakthroughs followed. Mr. Modi recently returned from China. In his election campaign, he had said it was shameful for the External Affairs Minister to go to China despite repeated Chinese incursions across the border. The incursions continue, but Mr. Modi himself happily visited China, despite the Chinese reaction to Mr. Modi's Arunachal Pradesh tour in February. On the issue of incursions, the Finance Minister said recently, "As far as China is concerned, on the line of actual control, China has a different perception on what the line of actual control is, India has a different perception." It seems that incursions by Chinese are no longer an issue, legitimised because the perceptions of the two countries on the line of actual control are different. In China, Mr. Modi unilaterally made a statement that e-visas would be granted to Chinese tourists, despite the Foreign Secretary stating the opposite a few hours earlier. Mr. Modi has lost a great opportunity to use the e-visa as a bargaining chip to settle our concerns qua Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. As for the U.S., Mr. Modi suggests there has been a transformation in relations since President Barack Obama accepted the invitation to be a Guest of Honour on Republic Day. Relations between countries are not transformed through ceremonial visits. It is only when Americans invest in our economy that the relationship will be considered transformative. From the U.S. standpoint, road blocks to investments in India remain. Unless bold policy decisions are taken, real transformation will not happen. Social sector setback The real failure of this government has been its complete disregard of the social sectors. Agriculture, education, health, and the concerns of small traders, who represent the backbone of the economy, have all been sidelined. Allocations on education and health have been drastically reduced. Agriculture is in distress. The growth rate in agriculture has come down to 1.1 per cent from 3.7 per cent in 2014. More farmers are committing suicide than ever before. The average debt of 52 per cent of all agricultural households is Rs. 47,000, of which 26 per cent is owed to private moneylenders -- the root cause of farmer suicides. There has been no attempt to have a crop insurance scheme. Mr. Modi should know that 80-85 per cent of all farmers own less than 1 hectare of land, which means that land is their only source of livelihood. If they lose that, they will be deprived of their livelihood and, in the absence of skills, they cannot be absorbed in non-agricultural sectors. Therefore, the amendments to the Land Bill are ill-timed. This legislation should only move forward when there is enough capacity created in the non-agricultural sectors and enough skills imparted for surplus rural labour. It is clear, therefore, that this government has no clue how to deal with the endemic problems that confront the agricultural community. Mr. Modi is instead showering benefits on a few industrialists, which is the worst form of crony capitalism. There is also a sinister transformation taking place in India; a silent but sure-footed saffronising of both polity and institutions, particularly in education. This does not augur well for our democracy. Vicious attempts by the saffron brigade to create conflicts through 'love jihad' and 'ghar vapasi' are matters of deep concern. The essence of India must be protected at any cost. The government by fair means and foul is attempting to destroy what our civilisation has always stood for. (Kapil Sibal is senior Congress leader and former Union Minister.) II/III. http://www.thehindu.com/sunday-anchor/sitaram-yechury-on-narendra-modi-one-year-at-office/article7239370.ece Updated: May 24, 2015 07:31 IST Regressive phase SITARAM YECHURY More dangerous than unmet economic goals is the ideological chauvinism. The King of France, Louis XV, achieved notoriety for saying, "After me, the deluge". As the first year of this Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government ends, Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to be amending this to read as: "Before me, the void: After me, the deluge". He has gone as far to say, twice on foreign soil in May, that NRIs were "ashamed" of being called Indians before he got elected. During the course of this one year, we are being told ad-nauseum that Mr. Modi is rebuilding India from the ruins left behind by six decades of successive governments. Alas, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the six-year long NDA government have been confined to forgotten history. Undoubtedly, there has been a plethora of unfulfilled promises, a merciless loot of our resources and growing exploitation of our people during these decades. This, however, is not the point of this Modi government's public relations exercise. Their point is to portray the Prime Minister with the arrival of a messiah a la the mythological Kalki avatar. Never mind that the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India has recently said that Mr. Modi must not be thought of as "Ronald Reagan on a white horse". The myth-manufacturing PR wheel continues to turn. It is now clear that what has been attempted this year is an attack on whatever rights common Indians have managed to achieve through struggles for so far. The government is in retreat, with huge cuts in the budget, in vital areas of health, education, social welfare, Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes sub-plans etc. There is a new trident of challenges that is being constructed before both the country and the people: there is an aggressive pursuit of neoliberal economic reforms, an onslaught on the secular democratic foundations of the Indian republic by the sharpening of communal polarisation, and a the slow but certain movement towards authoritarian rule. The last is easily seen in the damaging of democratic institutions and the bypassing of methods sacrosanct in a parliamentary democracy. Economic challenges This NDA government is aggressively pursuing neoliberal economic reforms followed by the previous Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh. All key sectors of our economy have now being opened up for greater Foreign Direct Investment inflows. The government is backtracking on many issues that it had opposed earlier such as permitting FDI in retail trade. The most brazen U-turn has been the new Land Acquisition Ordinance that it has pushed through thrice after having supported the 2013 Bill. The urgency to hand over real estate to foreign and domestic corporates for profit maximisation is driving the government's agenda at the expense of ruining vast sections of our peasantry. Precious mineral resources are being handed over for private profit along with ambitious targets of the privatisation of the public sector. Crony capitalism is having a field day. The statistical base year for national income accounts has been changed in order to project the GDP growth rate in better light. Despite this, it is clear that manufacturing and industrial growth is just not taking off. Corporates have registered an unprecedented accumulation of inventories. This is leading to a fall in employment sharply. Coupled with the relentless rise in the prices of all essential commodities and successive big hikes in the prices of fuel, this is imposing severe hardships on the livelihood of our people. Agrarian distress The agrarian distress is deepening. For the first time since Independence, a fall in the total cultivated area has been reported. With the hike in the prices of inputs and the sharp decrease in subsidies, many farmers are abandoning agricultural activity as they are unable to survive. Forced to borrow, they suffer debts that they are unable to repay. This is resulting in continued incidents of distress suicides. The state of the workers is no better -- the share of wages as a proportion of GDP now stands a little over 10 per cent compared to over 25 per cent in 1990-91. On the other hand, the rich have become richer. As per the Forbes list 2014, the 100 richest people in India are all U.S.$ billionaires, i.e., 45 more than the figure of 55 in 2011. The combined wealth of these 100 billionaires comes to $346 billion. The share of the top 1 per cent in the total wealth of households has increased from 36.8 per cent in 2000 to a phenomenal 49 per cent in 2014. The promised 'better days' are turning from illusions into a nightmare for the vast majority. Communal polarisation Simultaneously, communal polarisation is being kept on the boil and is being sharpened through governmental patronage. The BJP, as the political arm of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, is advancing the project of transforming the modern secular democratic Indian republic into the RSS project of an intolerant 'Hindu Rashtra'. The communal campaigns of ghar vapsi and the stigmatisation of inter-religious marriages as 'love jihad' are accompanied with frenzied efforts to replace history by mythology and philosophy by theology. This is resulting in attempts to change the curriculum of schools and the nature of research bodies in the country. There are growing reports of communal tensions and even riots from various corners of the country. Attacks on Muslim minorities and targeting Christian churches in particular have grown exponentially. Mr. Modi has not assured even on the floor of Parliament that action would be taken against those who violate the law with impunity, by delivering inciting hate speeches. Using the strength of its majority in the Lok Sabha, albeit with just 31 per cent of the vote polled, the BJP bulldozed nearly 50 legislations without parliamentary scrutiny. Parliamentary scrutiny is exercised by the Parliamentary Standing Committees examining all legislative proposals. These committees have as their members virtually the entire political spectrum represented in both Houses of Parliament at any point of time. This enables them to suggest fine-tuning of these legislations and if necessary, to reconsider or redraft some. These are indeed ominous signals. This year has been marked by the NDA not being able to meet economic expectations, no doubt. But it has heralded a new and retrogressive phase in India, which is more dangerous. The government is stepping back from international commitments made in the spheres of environment, human rights and labour laws, the latest being the changes in the Juvenile Justice law. This government believes in reversing progressive economics by minimising government where it is most required -- pulling millions out of poverty -- and replacing it with policies for the already rich and powerful. This, along with a narrow and chauvinistic idea of India, threatens to push back even small social gains made. Social peace and harmony are undervalued goods, and any attempt to tinker with social amity as political design will have explosive consequences. Moreover, Mr. Modi and the BJP claim as their triumph the fact that no corruption scam has emerged during the course of this year. Does anyone recollect any such scam during the first four years of the UPA government? Just as time exposed the UPA scams, so will time expose this government's record in aggressively pursuing crony capitalism. Louis XV's infamous remark is widely believed to have anticipated the French Revolution. What Mr. Modi's attempts to paint India as the land of the void before him leads to, surely time will tell. (Sitaram Yechury is the general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).) III. Updated: May 24, 2015 07:31 IST A year of hope RAVI SHANKAR PRASAD A corruption-free, pro-poor government has put India on the global map. The biggest achievement of the National Democratic Alliance government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to restore confidence and hope in India. It is important to bear in mind the context in which the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government came to power: the entire country was in a state of drift and despair; the previous Prime Minister was in office but not in authority; decision-making was paralysed, and governance had become a serious casualty. Scams, scandals, corruption and rent-seeking had become the order of the day. India suffered a serious dent in its global image. Investment had almost dried up -- leave aside foreign investment, even India's domestic businesses were wary of investing in new ventures. Every decision smacked of corruption, whether it was coal blocks or spectrum auctions. Today, in a short span of 12 months, the NDA government has not only succeeded in restoring India's image as a fast-growing economy, but also restored governance and transparency in decision-making. In the 2015 spectrum auction, the government fetched the highest ever price of Rs. 1.10 lakh crore. Earlier, only a few coal blocks were auctioned; now, a huge amount of Rs. 2 lakh crore was obtained, surpassing even the estimated value of the coal scam as projected by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. The zero loss theory raised by Congress leaders stands completely exposed. All this was made possible because decision-making is fair, transparent and lawful, good governance practices have been adopted, and rent-seeking has been eliminated. The single biggest achievement of the present government is that there is not the faintest trace of corruption in any government decision. There is a renewed thrust towards reform and growth. Inflation is low, fiscal deficit has been contained and government revenue is growing. FDI has increased from $20.8 billion (April 2013-February 2014) to $28.8 billion (2014-2015). Strengthening cooperative federalism In the past year, cooperative federalism has become stronger. As Prime Minister Modi believes that States must be given greater fiscal incentives, the government has readily agreed to the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission to give 42 per cent of tax revenue to the States. The role of the States in national development has been strengthened -- they have been given a direct representation in NITI Aayog. The government has also successfully brought the States on board on the issue of Goods and Services Tax, which will soon become a reality. The government's priority is the poor and marginalised. Social security is being strengthened. Banking the unbanked, funding the unfunded, and expanding the scope of pension are among the important initiatives that are aimed at making development truly inclusive. Over 15 crore Jan Dhan accounts have been opened in just six months. The insurance scheme for accidental deaths, launched on May 9, with a low premium of Rs. 12, has got 5.57 crore policyholders in a very short span of time. Life insurance schemes for a premium of Rs. 330 per year found 1.7 crore takers in the first 18 days. About 5.77 crore small and marginal entrepreneurs will get substantial help from MUDRA Bank. The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, which I have inherited, has taken initiatives to bridge the gap between the digital haves and have-nots through the Digital India programme, aimed at reducing red-tapism and human interface in providing services to citizens. To take the benefits of development beyond the cities and to boost employment opportunities in small towns, we have approved a policy for call centres in small towns. 'Digital India', 'Skill India' and 'Make in India' are all being executed in mission mode, and will change the face of the country. This is especially significant as the Ministry has been in the news for all the wrong reasons for the past several years. Rampant corruption had become its hallmark during the Congress government. We accepted the challenge to revive the Ministry and make it one of the most vibrant and growth-oriented ones in the government. BSNL, which made a profit of more than Rs. 10,000 crore in 2004, was suffering a loss of Rs. 7,000 crore in 2014. It has now embarked on a path of growth by setting up new infrastructure and providing new services with a special focus on the Northeast and on Left Wing Extremist affected areas. The Department of Post has today become the most effective vehicle for financial inclusion in the more remote corners. Riding on the e-commerce revolution, India Post is all set to become the largest logistics service provider and will take e-commerce to rural areas. The ambitious plan to lay 7 lakh kilometres of optical fibre network, connecting all 2.5 lakh village panchayats, is not only the world's largest broadband highway project, but also aims to empower citizens through IT. Our efforts to improve the quality of life for the common man has acquired a new dimension under the Digital India programme. Mr. Modi's call to provide government services on mobiles has started becoming a reality with services such as Jeevan Pramaan and the digital locker. The My Gov portal has successfully made the common man a partner in government. JAM (Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhar, Mobile) is aimed at ensuring easy delivery of entitlements such as pension and subsidies to citizens through technology. To ensure success of 'Make in India', electronics manufacturing has been given a big boost. About 21 manufacturing clusters have been approved across India with incentive schemes. Proposals worth Rs. 20,000 crore have been received, of which proposals worth Rs. 9,000 crore have been approved. Vigour in foreign policy The success of Mr. Modi in providing a renewed vigour to Indian diplomacy and foreign policy is unprecedented. Be it India's neighbours or the G-20 nations, India's prestige, moral authority and extraordinary potential for growth is being recognised world over. Under the dynamic leadership of the Prime Minister, the world stands convinced about the bright prospects of India's growth initiatives. The growing role of India as an emerging global power is being recognised. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, India has become a country of hope. There is no gloom and despair, no apprehension of rent-seeking. This, certainly, is an assurance of a promising future. (Ravi Shankar Prasad is the Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology.) -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. 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