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Mar 08, 2007

The blood-red corridor

At a time when an MP gets wantonly killed by Maoist terrorists, one can only imagine the fate of ordinary citizens

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Member of Parliament Sunil Mahato's assassination should make politicians sit up and do something about the growing Maoist menace in the country. Parliament has, however, gone through the motions of debate on the subject and the Home Minister gave the usual reply about the steps taken by the Centre and the States to contain the Left-wing terror which has become a routine affair in 165 Maoist-affected districts in the country.

The Government suspects that Mahato's efforts to fight the Maoists may have brought his end. One can only imagine the fate of an ordinary citizen in Maoist-affected areas if an MP's life is so unsafe. The shocking manner in which the assailants came from behind the dais when Mahato was addressing the public and shot at close range shows the prevailing lawlessness in the State.

According to the Home Ministry, there were 652 deaths on account of Maoist violence in Jharkhand between 2001 and 2006. This is much higher than that of Bihar (540) and Andhra Pradesh (509) during the same period. When Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in 2000, a number of Maoist-affected districts went to the former. Since then, the Maoists have not only consolidated themselves but also spread their tentacles to other regions.

The same is the case with Chhattisgarh, which too was carved out of Madhya Pradesh in 2000. The merger of the Maoist Communist Centre of India and the Communist Party of India - Marxist-Leninist (People's war) which became the Communist Party of India (Maoist) has widened their area of operation. The two groups accounted for over 40 per cent of the Maoist violence in the country.

While the Maoist influence is quite strong in 18 of the 22 districts of Jharkhand, the worst affected include Chatra, Palamu, Gumla, Hazaribagh and Ranchi. Both topography and thick forests offer protection to the Maoists who intimidate the villagers. They have increased their operations these past few years. Only three months ago, a landmine, laid by the Maoists in Bokaro, killed 13 policemen. In June last year, 400 Maoists made a daring assault on a Central Reserve Police Force camp, killing one jawan. The political instability in the State has further emboldened them.

The red corridor has widened with the passage of time, with Maoists operating in several States, including Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Why do Maoists thrive in these States? It is because of the existing anomalies of governance, political system and social disparities.

Although Jharkhand is rich in minerals and natural resources, there is mass poverty in the State dominated by tribals. The people at large are poor, while the educated youth are jobless. Some experts feel that the lack of the administrative response and systemic failure at various levels are also responsible for Maoist violence.

As far as Jharkhand is concerned, while the successive Governments since 2000 have not done much to weaken Maoism, the current political scenario in the State is quite interesting. The present Government headed by an independent MLA, Mr Madhu Koda, has independents as Ministers. The mainstream political party like the Congress is supporting the Government from outside. Insiders now say that the Congress MPs and legislators are fed up with the new Government and will rather prefer President's Rule, which is bound to be imposed sooner than later. Can one expect any decisive anti-Maoist measures from such a State Government?

Neither Mr Koda nor his predecessors have been able to contain Maoists. The Koda Government had faced several Maoist assaults, including a December train incident where the Left-wing ultras stopped a train and killed policemen. Then the Chief Minister came begging to the Centre to give 12 more battalions of additional para-military forces to deal with the Maoists.

Moreover, the State Government had not been able to spend the Backward Districts Initiative funds and a sum of Rs 240 crore remains unutilised this year. Modernisation of police, too, had not been undertaken seriously, with the result the Maoists have become bolder.

What was the Home Minister's answer in Parliament? While acknowledging that inter-State police coordination would prevent Maoists from taking advantage of the contiguous border to escape, Mr Shivraj Patil passed the buck to the State Governments by saying, "But finally the States would have to cooperate. Otherwise, it will be very difficult." Can the Centre and the State not find a way to extend cooperation?

There can be no easy solution to the Maoist menace. Several problems are identified, but the pace of tackling them is painfully slow. For instance, lack of development and socio-economic initiatives continue to remain sluggish in the Maoist-infested region. Unemployment is one of the most important reasons, as also the widening gap between the rich and the poor. There should be cooperation not only between the Centre and the States, but also among different States to tackle this problem.

Time is running out and if the problem is not sorted out immediately, it may end up jeopardising the unity and integrity of the whole nation.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnist1.asp?main_variable=Columnist&file_
name=shankar%2Fshankar212.txt&writer=shankar

India Inc asked to focus on SC/STs

New Delhi: Industry chambers have begun to respond to the Government's call to address the issue of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) employees.

In a letter to the industry bodies, the Industry Secretary asks them to furnish details of SC/ST employees on their member companies' rolls as well as how to proceed with affirmative action.

"The industries which have more than 400 workers should give the list of reserves class people in the balance sheet," says President of ASSOCHAM, V Dhoot.

For now, ASSOCHAM and the CII has formed a committee to look into how to improve SC/ST recruitment in their member companies.

And all three chambers — ASSOCHAM, CII and FICCI — are speaking on the need to focus on skilling before recruitment.

"Anything that has to be changed cannot be done abruptly," says Dhoot. But the response hasn't been uniform across the industry spectrum.

Industry body FICCI has not replied to the Government. "Neither do they keep this kind of information in the first place, nor do they have this information in their employment form," says President of FICCI, Habil Khorakiwala.

FICCI says affirmative actions is indeed necessary at the workplace. "If there is a law, as businessmen, we have to follow and it would be the most unfortunate thing happening," says Khorakiwala.

But they have made it clear to the UPA Government that reservations should not be forced on the corporates. And as Dhoot says, there is complete consensus on this: "Even it is not liked by the industry, if the Government asks us to, we will do that."

Industry ministry sources say the responses have been sought from industry bodies on the matter once the UPA and especially the Congress have formulated a line on this matter and that decision may forever change the meaning of corporate social responsibility in India.

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/india-inc-wakes-up-to-scsts-on-rolls/35566-7.html

It doesn't pay to be an arts graduate

Economy Bureau

New Delhi, Mar 7 Those pursuing courses in English, history, education or other subjects in the arts stream have bad news. A government estimate says the maximum number of unemployed graduates or post-graduates come from this stream. Citing December 31, 2004 figures, minister for labour and employment Oscar Fernandes said on Wednesday the total number of graduates and post-graduates without a job was 52,530,00.

But there are only 7,000 unemployed veterinary students and 21,000 law graduates. The total number of unemployed youth in the age group of 15-29 on December 31, 2004 was 2.87 crore. They are registered with the employment exchanges across the country. The highest number of job-seekers, according to government estimates, is in West Bengal (4,490,000) followed by Maharashtra (3,325,000) and Tamil Nadu (2,971,000). Despite a migrating population, Kerala has 2,558,000 unemployed youth followed by Andhra Pradesh's 1,879,000, Assam's 1,242,000, Bihar's 1,174,000 and Jharkhand's 1,033,000.

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=157069

The Big Old Reservation Debate

The reservation debate is back! The government has brought back the reservation issue, this time by insisting that the private sector share data on the number of employees hired under the reserved quota. The government had asked India Inc to share data on the number of SC/ST's recruited since Jan 1 2007. If they are unconvinced with the action taken by the companies, they are planning to bring in a legislation to mandate such reservations in the private sector.

Bringing in a legislation is going to be disastrous, specially if the bill implements reservation as has been done for almost 60 years now. The current form of reservation or affirmative action is not merit based. It does not reward hard work. Meritocracy is really not an issue here. Neither does it look at your economic condition to help you. Rather, it looks at the caste you were born into!

This is nothing new, anybody living in India will know how the reservation works here. The aim of government policies should be to erase the importance of caste in our country, make one's caste irrelevant. But on the contrary the reservation policy has made the caste you were born into very relevant. It seems like every caste wants to be part of the OBC category.

In this article, Chandrabhan Prasad has claimed that reservation is the legitimate right of Dalits even in the private sector. If we were to go by the constitution, then I do not believe that Dalits can claim a legitimate right in private sector. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the constitution will have to be amended for this, just like reservation in private educational institutions have been brought in.

If we were to go by the constitution, then reservations were to stop in 10 years after it was first implemented. Successive governments have been extending this deadline and 60 years have passed by now. The castes eligible for reservation have grown rather than reduced, as would have been expected. My biggest fear is that once legislation for private sector reservation is brought in for SC/STs, it wont remain there. It'll be extended for OBC, creamy layer OBC and for any caste as long as politicians get votes out of it. It'll ruin our private sector and make it like the government bureaucracy where efficiency or innovation isn't really valued. All that is important is the caste you were born into.

You might think I'm against reservation, but I really am not. But I'm against the current form of reservation. My problem with it is just this. Let's assume there's a 20 something guy born into a dalit family. His parents were dalits who have benefited from our reservation policy. They have a respectable job and earn a decent salary. Now why should the benefit of reservation be extended to their son? They can afford good education for their child, but still the state gives them reservation. Why should jobs be reserved for him? And now the government is also keen to remove the creamy layer distinction from OBC reservations too! This form of reservation is inherently unfair to those who do not benefit from this policy. No wonder then every other caste wants to be labelled 'Backward' now.

So what is the solution? Do we have one? First, exempt creamy layer from all forms of reservation. Do you really think they need state help to gain education or get a job? How about granting reservations based on your economic condition, irrespective of caste, creed or religion? Politicians would be averse to this. They have divided us on religion and have garnered votes. Now they need to further divide Hindus on their caste and build their vote bank. What better way to do this than by extending favors to one caste and denying that to another.

Secondly, instead of forcing private sector to accept reservation, give them incentives to set up schools, colleges and vocational institutes where majority of the seats are reserved for the SC/ST and OBC candidates. Let them be trained by the best. Let them get great education. But later, they need to get a job based on their skill, knowledge and merit. Not on the basis of their caste or religion. Instead of having quotas, use affirmative action for selecting employees. If you have 2 candidates of same skill set, prefer the SC/ST candidate over other. But please, for the sake of our country, do not extend same old reservation policy to the private sector.

The reservation policy was supposed to bring down the number of people requiring such help by the state over a period of time. But what has happened over the last 60 years is the exact opposite of this. We now have more people clamoring to benefit from reservation than ever before. Does this indicate that our reservation policy isn't working and needs a re-look? Or does it mean our politicians are playing games with us and dividing us? Or is it both?

I believe it's time we thought differently regarding this reservation policy of ours. It's time to come up with other methods to help the socially and/or economically backward of our society. But for this, our political class needs to come out of their narrow minded divisive politics and look at what will actually help those who have been left behind by our development. They need to stop thinking of their vote bank and work for the welfare of the people.

Do I see this happening? I'm an optimistic person, but I do not see any change in our reservation policy happening for a long time now. With people like Arjun Singh at the helm of affairs, it's just going to get worse and divide people more on caste lines. And this leaves people like me confused. I'm a product of an inter-caste marriage, I really don't know which caste I belong to. But I'm glad I don't know it.

http://desicritics.org/2007/03/08/003709.php

Tantia bags projects worth over Rs 150 cr in Bihar, Bengal

Mumbai, March 8. (PTI): Tantia Constructions on Wednesday said, it has multiple projects in the States of Bihar and West Bengal for infrastructure totalling Rs 159.99 crores in the months of February and March.

Tantia informed the BSE that it has secured a project entailing construction of major State Highways in the districts of Buxar and Bhabua from the Central Public Works Department. Valued at Rs 113.18 crore the work has to be completed in 20 months.

The company also said, it has further forayed into transmission line space by bagging a project from the West Bengal State Electricity Board for 33KV line in Rajarhat in the outskirts of Kolkata. The project is valued at Rs 8.20 crore and is to be completed within 8 months time.

Tantia Constructions said after the completion of the project, it would qualify for projects having a value up to Rs 100 crores.

Further the company has also secured a order for a construction project of a proposed 6 lane-road over bridge at Bailey Road in Patna from East Central Railway valued at Rs 19.11 crores. The time allotted for the completion of the project is 15 months.

The company has also bagged another project from Eastern Railways worth Rs 19.50 crores for two regrinding jobs at running track of Kalinarayanpur and Dhubulia in the Sealdah-Lalgola section in West Bengal. The project is to be completed in 12 months, it added.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/006200703080342.htm

We want to take IT to the remotest corners of Bihar

Established in 1992, Astric Computers is a leading name in the IT channel business in Patna. Lead by Prabhat Kumar Sinha the company has successfully established itself and is recognized as one of the most steadily growing companies in the region.
Sinha, who is a computer science engineer by profession, launched the company along with his two friends-Pravin Kumar and Rajeev Ranjan. Launching the company was itself a bold decision for the three young entrepreneurs as they were about to tread the path where few dared to go as the
IT industry was at a nascent stage then.

Getting started

Sinha completed his intermediate in science from Magadha University and took admission in computer science at Siddaganga Institute of Technology (SIT) in Karnataka.

After completing his engineering, Sinha decided to take on the responsibility of his parents and stay in Patna. "After engineering college the big question was what to do in Bihar in IT field as scope then was very limited. I was in a dilemma, whether to opt for a job or start a business," he said. It was during this phase of his life that he with his friends, Kumar and Ranjan decided to start a business. And now the challenge was how to start it, as they had no background nor had any previous experience in business. "We were completely unaware of managing a business or its related tricks. Therefore we did all the necessary research and calculations beforehand," he informed.

Finally Astric was inaugurated in April 1992. Astric was a support and service providing company in IT hardware and peripherals. "Kumar worked at a company in Bangalore which used to provide computer training and solutions. He had gained good experience from there and we decided to use the experience in Patna under our own banner," Sinha elaborated.

Developing the expertise

Initially, Astric had to depend on pure trading; opportunity came knocking in July 1992 when TVS-E was in search of an experienced dealer who could handle sales and service of their products in Patna. "We took this opportunity but since we were novice it was not an easy task for us," remembered Sinha. He then used his TVS-E sources in Bangalore, which he developed during his engineering project, and convinced the printer major and bagged the deal. "That changed everything and we never looked back again," smiled Sinha.

The new role gave Sinha and his partners the required knowledge and experience in support. The rich customer-base of TVS-E helped them to improve their own client base. "We had our focus on service and our motto was service first and sales will automatically happen, as it would help us to win customer's satisfaction and confidence. Also, we did transparent business which helped us to gain market confidence," stated Sinha.

It took three years for Astric to establish itself as promising IT service providing company. In order to expand their business operation and product line the company partnered with Redington followed by partnerships with HCL, HP and Epson. Astric also became a service partner for these brands.

Solution providing

With the advent of the new millennium, the entire country witnessed a tremendous change in technology and communication industry. The industry saw many leading partners getting into solution providing. "We had a knack for solutions from the beginning and gradually we developed
our skills and expertise and
were ready to become an integrated solution providing company," informed Sinha. In July 2006 Astric launched a parallel company-IT Zone, for providing integrated IT solutions.

Future aspiration

Starting with a small office with just five people, today Astric is considered to be among the fastest growing companies in Bihar. "Our ultimate desire is to take Astric to the top most level where any young professional would dream to join it, giving it preference over other MNCs or government jobs.

Sinha's passion for IT gave him a vision to achieve. "I have a unique vision too. This is our one point agenda that in the next five years Astric will be dedicatedly involved in spreading IT to the remotest corners of Bihar," he quipped. According to him the local state government is also very aggressive in introducing e-governance within the state in a big way, "We want to support this mission with all our resources and technical expertise.

His fervor has helped him to achieve one major feat. He was appointed as honorary member of the Apex Committee (the highest authority of
the government of Bihar on science and technology) on e-governance headed by the chief secretary to the government of Bihar. He also guides aspiring students in IT and prepares them for competitive exams. "I do this completely free of cost as I feel it is my commitment towards the society," he explained.

http://www.dqchannels.com/content/successstory/107030401.asp

It's a Webel yell

It was a 'nite' with a difference for techies in Kolkata. It was Webel Nite, named after West Bengal's nodal IT agency, and state government officials were on their most hospitable behaviour, hosting cocktails and dinner for IT entrepreneurs and executives, as part of a show that included a classical dance performance by Dona Ganguly. But, given the odds that tech firms face in doing business in Kolkata, what with frequent bandhs, inflated bills and such things making it so difficult to meet hour-by-hour deadlines at low cost, will this sort of wooing work? Yes indeed, says senior Webel official Manish Mukherjee, who senses an IT boom waiting to happen: "I could not get any job when I passed out, and went to Bangalore to join ITI. But my daughter, holding an MCA degree from a private college, is working at Tech Mahindra. She did not have to leave the state in search of a job." So, there you have it, a state that has quietly been getting its act together—in ways none too obvious.

Billy kidding

The farm sector sympathiser that he is, Prabhat Patnaik is often chased by questions that range from the sublime to the ridiculous. And that's how the JNU professor, Leftist economist and vice-chairman of the Kerala Planning Board has created a treasure-trove of anecdotes. Seeking an audience with central leaders in Delhi, Patnaik was collared by a senior official. "Why don't you advise the farmers committing suicide to quit farming? At least, some other job would give them a better living!" Patting his salt-and-pepper beard, the good professor pondered that one for a few moments, and then responded, "Smart idea—the only problem is, it's like telling me I'd be better off as a Hollywood actor. Do show me the jobs waiting for farmers, and I promise, here they come!"

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=156921

...back home they roll beedis

SAMBALPUR: They were part of the women's football team which bagged gold for the State at the recent National Games in Guwahati.

But recognition continues to elude the four for whom playing football is as important as contributing to their family's meagre income. And they reached Sambalpur unnoticed despite the laurels and there was no one around to receive them. They shared honours in the final beating Manipur 4-2 in a penalty shootout.

Meet Jhili Munda, Thunki Munda, Indira Munda and Rajashri Munda. All tribals with no background in sports, but took to the game hoping to get jobs and a secure life.

While media covered their victory in a big way, few know that Jhili, Thunki and Rajashri also bind beedis with their mothers to add to the family income.

For these girls, the day is divided into practising, helping mothers in household chores and binding beedi and studying. It's an uphill task for these girls to go to VSS Stadium every morning and evening for practice. The story of Indira is no different.

With ambition and craving to excel visible in their eyes, the girls said had they received financial assistance, they would have performed well in studies too.

Standing out as role models, today the girls have fought their way up the ladder fighting all odds.

She was barely 16 when Jhili of Dhuturapada started playing football five years back in the leftout position. And soon she found herself representing the State in games in Goa, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh and Puducherry.

Jhili was the highest scorer with 13 goals in the football meet at Chandigarh last year. A student of Municipal Girls High School, Jhili is now appearing for HSC examination.

Earning a place for her dribbling skills in centreforward position, Thunki Munda of Bhutapada has proved herself better than her male counterparts.

Thunki (17) started her football career when she was 11 and represented Orissa twice in the National Games at Hyderabad and Guwahati.

She had also played for Orissa in several tourneys and is now appearing for HSC exam.

Similarly, Indira (17) plays in centrehalf and performed well against Tamil Nadu and Goa in the National Games. A resident of Sakhipada, her passion for football started seven years back. She has played for the State.

Rajashri (16) has represented the State as a goalkeeper in the Guwahati National Games. An excellent defender, she is waiting to make her presence felt at the National level. A student of Class X, she is the youngest in the family.

Apart from being tribals, the two things common to this group of four is poor family background and their passion for the game developed by coaches Balram Matari and Gangadhar Behera who saw in them the stamina and dedication to make it big against all odds

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEQ20070307234926&Page=Q&Title=ORISSA&Topic=0

Police harassing tribals to give up land for Tata plant: CPI

Chhattisgarh's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is 'harassing dozens of tribal families to surrender farm land' to enable Tata Steel to set up a mega steel plant in Bastar, the Communist Party of India (CPI) has alleged.

'Tata Steel cannot walk away so easily with the fertile ancestral farmland of innocent tribals in Lohandiguda area,' Chittaranjan Bakchhi, CPI national executive member, told IANS Wednesday.

The Chhattisgarh government has assured the Tatas that it would provide 5,157 hectares - a mix of private and government land - in Lohandiguda, 32 km from the Bastar district headquarters of Jagdalpur, to set up the five million tonnes per annum plant and to develop the township.

'We are not against the Tata plant, but we definitely oppose the usurping of farmland by misleading local tribes. The government and the police are adopting all sorts of tactics to crush the tribal movement and seize their land,' Bakchhi stated.

He alleged that police had recently sexually abused several tribal women and beat up their male family members for not supporting government for a smooth transfer of their farmland.

'Police have crossed limits in Lohandiguda... we are reporting the sexual harassment case by cops to the National Commission for Women and other human rights bodies for a probe into the matter,' the CPI leader said.

However, police has denied that plocal people were being harassed to give up land as alleged.

'Extra forces have been deployed in the Lohandiguda area since the last week of February... but police presence is to just maintain law and order,' Bastar Range Inspector General of Police R.K. Vij told IANS over the phone.

Tata Steel, India's largest private sector steel maker, will bring in Rs.100 billion investment for Bastar's proposed Lohandiguda plant. A written agreement for this was signed between the company and the state government on June 4, 2005.

The Chhattisgarh government has also sent a recommendation recently to the Indian government for granting a prospecting license to Tata Steel for carrying out a survey in the 2,500-hectare area in Dantewada district's iron ore rich Bailadila hills in Bastar region.

http://www.indiaprwire.com/print/?type=news&id=20160

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