Maha farm crisis (The Hindu- 6 June 2017)

     Reforms that de-risk agriculture are required for a long-term solution to agrarian distress

   Astrike by farmers in Maharashtra continues to affect normal life, despite the State government’s announcement of an end to the strike last week. The farmers, whose demands include full waiver of farm loans, hikes in the minimum support price for agricultural produce and writing off of pending electricity bills, have been on an indefinite strike since June 1. As the strike nears the end of its first week, prices of essential goods such as milk, fruits and vegetables have risen steeply, causing distress to consumers. Some farmer groups agreed to call off their strike after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis promised that his government would waive farm loans of small and marginal farmers worth about ₹30,000 crore, increase power subsidies, hike the price for milk procurement, and also set up a State commission to look into the matter of raising the MSP for crops. He also promised that buying agricultural produce below their MSP would soon be made a criminal offence. Other farmer groups, meanwhile, have stuck to their demand for a complete farm loan waiver and continued with their protest. It is notable that the protests have come soon after the Uttar Pradesh government waived farm loans earlier this year, setting off similar demands in other States. Yet, while Maharashtra’s farmers have caught the attention of the government, the focus on quick fixes has pushed aside the real structural issues behind the crisis.

     At the root of the crisis is the steep fall in the prices of agricultural goods. The price slump, significantly, has come against the backdrop of a good monsoon that led to a bumper crop. The production of tur dal, for instance, increased five-fold from last year to over 20 lakh tonnes in 2016-17. Irrespective of price fluctuations, MSPs are supposed to enable farmers to sell their produce at remunerative prices. But procurement of crops at MSP by the government has traditionally been low for most crops, except a few staples such as rice and wheat. This has forced distressed farmers to sell their produce at much lower prices, adding to their debt burden. Not surprisingly, the whole system of agricultural marketing has led farmers to feel cheated, and it was only a matter of time before they organised themselves to protest. Going forward, any long-term, wide-scale procurement of crops at MSPs looks unlikely; even a one-time full loan waiver is considered unrealistic by the Chief Minister, given the State’s finances. The possible ban on buying produce below the MSP would just worsen the crisis by making it hard for farmers to sell their produce even at the market price. The only long-term solution is to gradually align crop production with genuine price signals, while moving ahead with reforms to de-risk agriculture, especially by increasing the crop insurance cover. Expediting steps to reform the Agricultural Produce Market Committee system and introduce the model contract farming law would go a long way to free farmers from MSP-driven crop planning.

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Diplomatic mayhem (The Hindu- 6 June 2017)

     The Saudi-led bid to isolate Qatar could have far-reaching economic-political consequences

     The dramatic decision by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Yemen to suspend diplomatic ties with Qatar could have far-reaching economic and geopolitical consequences. Tensions were brewing within the Gulf Cooperation Council for the past six years ever since Qatar started actively supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, a political Islamist movement that the Saudis and their close allies see as a threat to stability in West Asia. In 2014, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain had temporarily withdrawn their ambassadors from Qatar over this. But a suspension of diplomatic ties as well as air and sea travel to and from Qatar is unprecedented. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain on Monday asked Qatari diplomats to leave their countries within 48 hours and Qatari citizens within 14 days. Saudi Arabia blames Qatar for “harbouring a multitude of terrorist and sectarian groups that aim to create instability in the region”. But such allegations can be raised against most Gulf countries. It is an open secret that both Saudi Arabia and Qatar back their proxy militant groups throughout West Asia. Take the case of Syria, where the Saudis back Salafi groups such as Ahrar al-Sham, while the Qataris bankroll the armed wing of the Muslim Brotherhood. Both share the same goal: to overthrow the regime of Bashar al-Assad. In Yemen, Qatar is part of the Saudi-led coalition that has been bombing the country for over two years.

     It is not immediately clear what drove Riyadh to take this extreme step. Emboldened by President Donald Trump’s open embrace and anti-Iran agenda, the kingdom could be making a renewed attempt to rally Sunni countries under its leadership against Tehran. Qatar has historically played off both sides of the Saudi-Iran rivalry. Even as it joined the occasional GCC outbursts against Tehran, it maintained sound economic and diplomatic ties. Qatar’s ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who had a phone conversation with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani last week, is reportedly critical of the Saudi-led efforts to drive up an anti-Iran agenda. It is to be seen whether Saudi Arabia has overplayed its hand. If Qatar continues to resist the GCC line, it could trigger a wider crisis in the region. Qatar is an economic powerhouse in the Gulf and hosts the headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command. The air war command for the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is also in Qatar. So any prolonged attempt to isolate the country would not only have economic consequences — oil prices fluctuated soon after the decision was announced — but also complicate the fight against the IS yet more. What West Asia requires is a united front against terror and lowering of Saudi-Iran tensions. Opening new fronts in the rivalry will only destabilise the region further.

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The waiting game (The Indian Express- 6 June 2017)

     The London jihadi strikes indicate that there is no easy full stop to terror

     Enough is enough,” said British Prime Minister Theresa May in the wake of Saturday’s terrorist attack in London. But her fighting words only serve to mask the fact that there is no simple way to put a full stop to the wave of jihadist violence that has hit Europe since it went to war with the Islamic State. May, like other politicians before her, lamented the fact that there was “far too much tolerance of extremism in our country”. In the London case, though, there is evidence that the key perpetrator, who moved to the UK from Pakistan with his parents and his child, was far from tolerated. Members of the community not only expelled the alleged attacker from the local Ahlulistiqamah mosque for his political views, but his friends reported him to the police because of his pro-Islamic State views. “I did my bit, I know a lot of other people did their bit, but the authorities did not do their bit,” one of those who reported the perpetrator to the police told the BBC.

     From the point of view of the authorities, it’s hard to know just what to do in these cases. The perpetrator, father of a toddler, made no secret of his pro-Islamic State views, even appearing in a documentary last week. However, he engaged in no behaviour that would have justified placing him — as opposed to several other high-risk suspects — under expensive, human resource-intensive surveillance. If mere expressions of support to jihadists are to be made illegal, it will hinder, rather than help authorities, driving potential supporters underground. Even attempting to shut off all access to jihadist websites and messaging will do little to staunch the flow of jihadist ideas, because of easily available technology most teenagers can demonstrate to their parents.

     The simple truth is that the expensive investments in policing made incrementally after 9/11 have approached their limits. In London, after all, the attackers were shot in just eight minutes; plot after plot has been preempted. There is, however, no means of identifying those vulnerable to a toxic ideology — nor a quick-fix tool to catch all those willing to kill for it. The Islamic State’s toxic ideology will continue to appeal to the nihilistic urges of some Muslim youth until it is decisively defeated. Until then, societies must hold fast to their democratic values, instead of surrendering them to demagogues.

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The son also rises (The Indian Express- 6 June 2017)

     The birthday bash in Chennai last Saturday had the trappings of an Opposition conclave. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Sitaram Yechury and D. Raja representing the communists, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, representatives from the NCP and the IUML flew in to greet the DMK patriarch, Kalaignar Karunanidhi, on his 94th birthday. They extolled the virtues of Kalaignar at the public meeting later in the evening. Kalaignar, unwell and confined to home, didn’t take the stage, while DMK Working President Stalin played the perfect host.

     Such gatherings have, in the past, led to new political fronts. For instance, the National Front in the 1980s was born out of an initiative by Telugu Desam leader and then-Andhra Pradesh CM, N.T. Rama Rao. The NF eventually defeated Rajiv Gandhi’s Congress. With the presidential elections looming in the background, many felt the birthday lunch was an occasion for the Opposition leaders to come together and plot the future. Presidential polls, reportedly, didn’t figure in the conversations. As Kalaignar receded to the background, the meeting heralded a son rise in national politics. In his speech, Nitish predicted a government led by Stalin in Tamil Nadu soon. Others referred to his organisational abilities. The DMK’s backroom boys insisted that Rahul’s visit to Stalin’s Cenotaph Road residence was significant: Kalaignar’s Gopalapuram house was the only port of call for national leaders in Tamil Nadu all these years. At 65, Thalapathi (Commander) was turning the General.

     Indeed, it was a Stalin show, from the planning to the execution of the event. His refusal to invite the BJP, once allied with the DMK, for the function was a clear political statement. In his speech, he took on the Centre for its failure to create jobs, its obsession with Hindi and beef. It showcased a new Stalin, in total control of the DMK and ready to engage with national politics. Is the father complaining?

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Whose prestige? (The Indian Express- 6 June 2017)

The Centre’s notification on slaughter cattle trade will undermine multiple businesses. It must go

     One must welcome the Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan’s statement that the government is “carefully studying” the objections over its new rules on regulation of livestock markets and not making this a “prestige issue”. His government actually should go further and withdraw the May 23 notification that bans sale of cattle and buffaloes meant for slaughter in animal markets across India. Merely clarifying that there is no intention to prohibit bovine slaughter or target the country’s multi-billion dollar meat and leather processing industries isn’t enough. Truth be told, the rules would end up killing not just these two businesses, but even undermine the White Revolution by rendering dairy farming unviable.

     Those backing the new notification — both within and outside the government — claim that disallowing trade in animals for slaughter in markets will make no difference to abattoirs and meat processors. They can get their bovines straight from the farms, while the livestock markets would deal only in animals meant for milch and agricultural purposes. That logic may sound fine, but it betrays total ignorance of the way animal farming happens in India. In the West, there are distinct categories of “beef cattle” and “dairy cattle” farmers. The animals reared for meat are also typically Aberdeen-Angus cattle, which are different from the regular dairy cow breeds, such as Holstein-Friesian, Jersey and Brown Swiss. In India, the farmer who milks a buffalo till it is about nine years old sells the same animal for slaughter. The buyer is often a trader who aggregates the spent animals from other similar farmers in the area and takes these to the local livestock market. The trader is obviously doing a service by not only paying for the farmers’ unproductive bovines, but also saving them the cost of fodder and labour resources, which can be deployed towards animals that yield milk and incomes.

     If markets for spent buffaloes and cattle cease to exist — which is what the Environment Ministry’s rules effectively do — the ultimate victim would be the farmer. The ordinary dairy farmer who may need to dispose of one or two unproductive animals a year has no means to supply these directly to a slaughterhouse. The latter, in turn, cannot economically source from hundreds of scattered individual producers, each selling one or two animals a year (unlike the 5-10 litres of milk they would sell daily that also makes direct procurement a viable proposition). The institution that makes trade in unproductive bovines possible is the market, which brings together the sellers (whether farmers or primary aggregators) and buyers (butchers or agents of slaughterhouses) for these animals on a single platform. The loss to the country from closing down these thousands of markets extends beyond “prestige”.

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Revolutionary move: Army’s willingness to open combat roles to women is a welcome development (The Times of India - 6 June 2017)

     Army chief Bipin Rawat has said that the army will open up combat roles to women. This announcement comes a year after the air force inducted three women pilots into its fighter stream. These are welcome developments and signify dismantling of gender barriers in defence services, a move that’s especially revolutionary in a patriarchal country such as India.

     Women have been engaged in combat roles in a handful of armies across the world, mainly in parts of Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, Israel and Eritrea. Israel, which conscripts both men and women, even has mixed gender infantry battalions. The Indian army’s aim is to start the process by first inducting women into the military police. The induction of women into combat roles will necessarily have to be done in a gradual manner and military police is the best place to begin the process. Given the unique nature of the role of combatants and their need to function as a cohesive unit, it is essential that everyone meets the same qualifying standards. Experience in other armies shows that women can meet the same standards as men and their presence needs neither dilution in qualifying standards nor any other compromise.

     Currently, around 300 women are inducted as officers every year across the three arms of defence forces, but in roles that complement combat positions. The positive experience India has had in the last 25 years of inducting women officers on short service commissions provides enough evidence that women are as effective as men in defence services. It is to the credit of the army and General Rawat that they are opening up new avenues for women soldiers. Given changes in the army and air force, it is reasonable to expect the navy will soon deploy women in warships.

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London attack again: Democracies must coordinate better to get a grip on terrorism (The Times of India - 6 June 2017)

     The latest terrorist attack in England where three attackers drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before stabbing patrons in Borough Market – killing seven and injuring another 48 – shows how difficult it is to prevent such terror plots. This was the second attack on a bridge in London within three months. On March 22 a vehicle had similarly ploughed into pedestrians on the Westminster Bridge before the driver fatally stabbed a police officer, killing five people. The modus operandi of the attacks shows they are highly localised and carried out by radicalised individuals with little or no centralised networks, sophisticated weapons or bombs.

     In fact, it would be fair to assume that with the Islamic State (IS) terror group crumbling and losing territory in Iraq and Syria, such lone wolf, autonomous terror strikes will be IS’s chosen mode of operation. The use of cars, trucks and rudimentary weapons such as knives shows that hardly any training or equipment is needed for these individuals to carry out terror plots and get past sophisticated security systems. Second, plural and democratic societies are uniquely vulnerable to terror attacks, which often target citizens enjoying their economic and cultural freedoms.

     The best counter, therefore, would be for democracies to strengthen each other by improving anti-terror coordination and intelligence sharing. Moreover, there’s also a case for Western nations led by the US and UK to avoid radical swings and have a more settled and stable approach in their foreign policies, particularly with respect to volatile regions of the world such as the Middle East. There’s no denying that the US military intervention in Iraq under the George W Bush administration, aided by the UK, followed by a hands-off approach during the Barack Obama years, created conditions for the rise of IS. Today, President Donald Trump oscillates between threatening to bomb IS into history and urging travel bans on people from Muslim nations.

     

     Democracies must realise that Islamist terror groups want to provoke knee-jerk reactions from them so that the extremists can continue to peddle their ‘Islam-under-attack’ propaganda and recruit more foot soldiers to their radical cause. Hence, the best approach would be to deny them such an opportunity, defend democratic and secular values, and pool resources as well as coordinate counterterrorism policy, which must be sharp and specific instead of all-encompassing and vague.

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पेरिस समझौते पर डटे रहकर अमेरिका को चुनौती दें (Dainik Bhaskar - 6 June 2017)

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लोतांत्रिकहीनयान में गुंडागर्दी का महायान (Dainik Bhaskar - 6 June 2017)

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'ऊर्जा सेतु' जगा पाएगा नई ऊर्जा? (Rajasthan Patrika - 6 June 2017)

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केन-बेतवा लिंक: विकास या विनाश परियोजना! (Rajasthan Patrika - 6 June 2017)

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