Package for a price

Package for a price

Posted: 19 Sep 2009 06:08 AM PDT
By Sushil Vakil

After much dilly-dallying the Jammu and Kashmir government has announced the implementation of a special package for the Kashmiri Pandits living in exile for the last two decades. As a matter of fact, the relief and rehabilitation package was first unveiled by Prime Minister Mr Manmohan Singh himself when he visited the state last year. However, Mr Abdul Rahim Rather, Finance Minister informed the state Assembly last month that the government will provide 15,000 jobs in public and private sector, and financial package of Rs 7.5 lakhs for renovation and reconstruction of houses to Kashmiri Pandits who are willing to return to valley. So far, all was well but the condition-after return to valley- has raised many eye brows and attracted all round criticism.
Evidently, the package lacks empathy as the return this time around wouldn’t only make Kashmiri Pandits vulnerable to militant attacks but lead to another uprootment. Moreover, the ground level conditions suggest that there has been no significant decline in terrorist violence and infiltration from Pakistan side. The revival of militant attacks have not only sent disturbing signals to security brass only but to higher echelons of power as well.
The conditional package has created a realization among Kashmiri Pandits that the state government is not sincere in implementing the scheme conceived by the Centre for mitigating the sufferings of the community but is playing political games. Almost all the Kashmiri Pandit organizations have turned down the package as they don’t want it to be linked with return. They have also refused to cooperate with the Apex Committee formed on September 15 to monitor the effective implementation of Rs 1,618 crore taking it as a process of political blackmailing.
Kashmiri Pandits aver that instead of constituting Apex Committee the Government should be sincere in implementing employment package with age relaxation and enhancement of cash relief etc. to regain the confidence of the community. There is no denying the fact that many of the Kashmiri Pandits, are living in a pitiable condition in camps in Jammu, Delhi and some other places. Keeping in view the above facts the government must desist form such policies and show a humane approach to the problems of the displaced Pandits who are leading an exiled life for the last more than 20 years now.
It is unfortunate that Pandits are on roads for last several weeks protesting against the Government’s apathy towards employment, relief etc but there was no one from the government side to visit them and work out an amicable solution. Amazingly, instead of settling their problems of unemployment and enhancement of cash relief etc. the Government has constituted the Apex Committee to turn the attention from real issues. The Government must display sagacity by fulfilling the just demands of the community. This will be first confidence building measure towards the return of exiled people.
Not surprisingly, while many KP organizations including Panun Kashmir, All State Kashmiri Pandit Conference and others have disassociated themselves from the Apex Committee a plethora of other small groups are vying with each other for getting on board. The rat race for the political upmanship is likely to wreck the interests of the community.
Again, it is unfortunate that Delhi based mainline KP organizations, All India Kashmir Samaj and Kashmiri Samiti have not held any demonstration or strike in the capital city to express solidarity with hundreds of youth holding dharnas and demonstrations across Jammu. Instead of expressing their support and sympathies with their brethren fighting for community cause in Jammu they are paying courtesy visits to HM officials to fix meetings and photographic sessions. It is high time that all KP organizations come under one banner and ask for immediate relief. Otherwise the state government would, as usual, take the undue advantage of infighting among the KP leaders.
There is no denying the fact that Kashmiri Pandits’ present plight is due to the negligence of state government. If the state government has audacity to rehabilitate and resettle the militants and their families why it is dithering in rehabilitating the patriotic Kashmiri Pandits who are languishing in camps outside the valley.
This is the right time for all Kashmiri Pandit organizations to work in unison and coerce upon the centre and state government that the economic package be given to the displaced Pandits at present place and treat the return as a separate issue.

The great austerity drama

Posted: 19 Sep 2009 06:06 AM PDT
will the austerity drive adopted by the UPA Government truly inspire its politicians and bureaucrats to curb the menace of corruption rampant in all Government departments and increase accountability of those in authority?
By Sunita Vakil
Steele once famously declared that simplicity, of all things, is the hardest to be copied. Now that the UPA Government has woken up to the virtues of leading a simple life, one can only wonder whether our imperiously extravagant leaders, who have been basking in luxury at the cost of the exchequer, will switch their style of functioning and practice austerity measures initiated by the congress. It also remains to be seen for how long the UPA's austerity brouhaha lasts. The absurd austerity moralising by the Finance Minister seems to be just a token gesture for public consumption. There is no gainsaying that politicians are just paying lip service and hoodwinking people with such tactics. It speaks a lot about UPA's hypocrisy and tokenism that its leaders have done little to keep its non-plan spending under check. Recent hike in salaries and subsidies have taken the fiscal deficit to an alarming level on top of that, the cabinet's decision last week to increase the dearness allowance by 5% will cost the taxpayer Rs. 2300 crore per year, which comes to nearly 10 times the money saved on travel expenses of ministers. The media attention that the Congress leaders are enjoying for travelling economy class is not amusing, while the cost they save is negligible. Will the drought conditions ease if they travel by a lower class? Indeed, all the major news channels can't get enough on the austerity measures being enforced by the Government. But it is a sheer mistake to expect austerity from our Ministers. Media may have made heroes out of our politicians by cheering them for their "sacrifices" but frankly, whom are they trying to impress by making a show of shunning luxury? It may be true that they have decided to travel in economy class and stay away from five star hotels. But it is also true that they spend crores on renovating their bungalows every year. What about the money they spend on getting statues erecting in their states? It is for a fact that a majority of them live in palatial bungalows with many perkes besides their salaries and yet leave unpaid bills running into crores. And they even refuse to vacate Government accomodation when voted out of power. Besides, they do not refrain from throwing lavish birthday bashes and consider it their birthright to use official vehicles for running personal errands. It isn't just the truth of Steele's saying that is being brought home by such tokenism. It is also that the whole exercise seems to be a joke as the corrupt politicians and bureaucrats can never truly be motivated to give up their VIP privileges and stop misusing taxpayer's money. As things stand, there seems to be many a slip between preaching and practising.
While many believe that the call for austerity is a drought induced reflex, others hold the view that the elections that are to be held on October 13 in Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh and Maharashtra as the reason for this political stunt to earn brownie points for the Congress. Whatever the case, austerity has suddenly become the buzzword at all levels of the Government with every Congress man in a bind to prove himself more loyal than the king. The austerity drive seems to have gained momentum with the number of followers increasing. Congress MPs who have realised by now that the party prizes "simplicity" after two of its ministers were publicaly hauled up for their lavish spending, are making it a point to join the great austerity race, particularly when there are TV cameras about. Even knowing that old habits die hard, one vehemently hopes that the drive will be transformed into a habit.
Indeed, this is not the first time that the austerity theme has been played. The political establishment occasionally exhibits bouts of austerity. In the 1965 war with Pakistan, a devastating drought following year prompted prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri to call on people to miss a meal & cut down on wedding costs to tide over food shortage. Then again, Indira Gandhi's "Garibi Hatao" campaign urged politicians to avoid wasteful expenditure. The pre-independence Congress leaders also practised austerity in & out of jail during the freedom struggle. For Mahatama Gandhi, the epitome of simplicity, austerity meant living a simple life for the welfare of poor & not an election slogan. Former President Mr APJ Abdul Kalam maintained his frugal life-style even while living in Rashtrapati Bhawan. That said, never before has a call for austerity generated so much hype as we witness today as the main focus is on economy travel. The Congress needs to rethink the consequences of austerity measures initiated by Sonia Gandhi & Pranab Mukherjee. By choosing to fly the economy class & travel by train, Sonia Gandhi & Rahul Gandhi end up causing enormous trouble to the common man who is put to great inconvenience. This will lead to increased government spending on their security. Infact, Rahul Gandhi's train travel in Shatabdi has actually cost much more than a few thousand saved on travel. Further if the seats next to these high profile VVIPs need to be kept vacant, what is the purpose of austerity measures? If the government is serious about curbing lavish expenses, why don't our leaders shun their paraphernalia during their travel & downgrade their security, which is anyway more a status symbol than a necessity? But nothing undermines the campaign more than the propensity of the UPA leaders to make a fetish of their simplicity by making a great show of austerity.
In the larger reckoning, travel by economy or business class is really a non-issue. Instead of indulging in such gimmicks, the Congress should fix targets to cut down non plan expenditure. Resorting to piecemeal austerity will not help much other than making the UPA's senior leaders objects of ridicule. The Congress can concentrate on combating drought & control the spiralling prices on a priority basis. Working towards eliminating corruption & increasing the accountability of public servants is the need of the hour. Wastage of public money can also be curbed by scaling down the security of our VIPs and reducing the number of vehicles accompanying them. To be truly austere, politicians should curb their tendencies to hold public functions, attend inaugural and foundation laying ceremonies and other lavish but worthless exercises. These will help save more taxpayer's money than any number of economy travel measures.
Surely, the condition of the common man has not improved in 60 years. The corruption perpetuated by the Government officials as well as politicians has driven the common man to poverty and suicide.
No doubt the Government allocates funds for plenty of programmes in the budget but they do not reach their intended target. Even Rajeev Gandhi has stated that only 17 paise of every rupee spent by the Government on development projects reaches its intended recipient. That was two decades ago. But things have not changed since then. Its time for the UPA to walk the talk.