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8 EDITORIAL NOIDA/DELHI

THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2018

THE HINDU
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When development brings loss

A Kerala village’s struggle against land acquisition highlights the larger debate on striking the right balance
(NHAI) responsible for highway even the farmers are not morally
construction in the country ought entitled to take the final call in this

Curbing the khaps to be sensitive to both the geogra-

phies of the different regions and
the aspirations of the people who
The Supreme Court guidelines are welcome — populate them. Insistence on a na-
but we need a strong law on ‘honour’ crimes Pulapre Balakrishnan tional standard for our highways is
a form of dogmatism. It makes lit-
matter. There is always the greater
common good to be reckoned
with that limits the claims of priv-
ate ownership. We are all only
trustees of the natural world. The
paddy fields of Keezhattur are the

M
any crimes committed in the name of defend-

S
ome time in the 1990s the Co- tle sense to insist on roads of the commonwealth of the people of
ing the honour of a caste, clan or family may lombian anthropologist Artu- same specification in Kerala with India to be preserved as a source
have their origin in India’s abominable caste ro Escobar produced a text its fragile ecology of laterite forma- of food, for which by the way a
system, but there are other contributing factors as well. titled Encountering Development. tions and scattered population road is not a substitute.
Entrenched social prejudices, feudal structures and pa- It was searing account of the at- and the less densely populated al-
tack on the native peoples of his luvial plains of northern India. We The Chief Minister’s call

S. K. MOHAN
triarchal attitudes are behind what are referred to as
‘honour killings’. While these cannot be eradicated continent by the power elites who should aim at the highest attaina- It is indeed difficult to read the
had commandeered it. An Indian ble quality of road across the mind of the Pinarayi Vijayan go-
overnight through law or judicial diktat, it is inevitable
economist nourished by the idea country but cut according to the vernment on this matter. It has re-
that a stern law and order approach is adopted as the of the liberating impact on the situation must be stated at the out- leave alone restrain its cadres on lay of the land. mained aloof when it has not been
first step towards curbing groups that seek to enforce country of the Green Revolution set. First, not all the farmers are the ground. All this is of a piece At Keezhattur the local CPI(M) disingenuous in its response. The
such medieval notions of ‘honour’ through murder or and conscious of the role of the unwilling to sell their land. Se- with the general attitude of the CPI cadres have dubbed the protest Home Minister has said that the
the threat of murder, or ostracisation. It is in this con- policies of the Nehru era in ending cond, there is a strong presence of (M) towards those who oppose its against the land acquisition as ‘an- State government is merely res-
text that the Supreme Court’s strident observations over a century of stagnation under a political party, the Communist plans. It was observed at Nandi- ti-development’. This is pro- ponding to the demands of the
against khap panchayats and guidelines to deal with colonialism, I had not given it Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M), gram, West Bengal in 2007 when claimed on billboards at periodical NHAI. Well, it must not do so pas-
much importance at that time. So which is not only aggressively the government of Buddhadeb intervals leading up to the fields all sively. It must not grant consent to
them acquire significance. It is not the first time that the
it came as surprise to read of abetting the land acquisition but Bhattacharjee had tried to acquire the way from the main road. It is the project in its present form. At a
apex court has voiced its strong disapproval of khaps, events in a corner of Kerala that also attempting to break the oppo- farm land to be handed over to an abject propaganda. The agitating uniquely non-party political rally
or village assemblies that assume the authority to disci- corresponded quite closely, albeit sition to it. No action has been left Indonesian chemical firm. farmers have categorically stated held at Keezhattur on March 25 Su-
pline what they deem behaviour that offends their no- on a far smaller scale, to what Es- uncontemplated. The samara pan- that they are not against roads, on- resh Gopi, Rajya Sabha member
tions of honour. Previous judgments have made it clear cobar was alluding to. dal, a temporary shelter from the When alternatives exist ly that they wish to avoid to the from Kerala, said that he had spo-
that the life choices of individual adults, especially with heat, erected at the site by the Is it absolutely necessary to build a destruction of not just cropland ken to the national leadership of
regard to love and marriage, do not brook any sort of in- Keezhattur’s case farmers agitating against the take- bypass through the paddy fields of but an entire ecosystem that en- his party, the BJP, and that they are
In the village of Keezhattur in Ker- over was burned down and the Keezhattur? By at least one ac- compasses the Western Ghats, the by no means adamant on the is-
terference from any quarter. In the latest judgment, a
ala’s Kannur district, a section of house of Suresh, their leader, was count it is not. The Kerala Sasthra hillocks and food-producing wet- sue. Further, in an extraordinary
three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra farmers is holding out against the stoned at night by goons who Sahitya Parishad, which as its lands. They have also stated a mo- gesture he offered to “touch the
has located the problem as one that violates the liberty announced, but yet to be imple- made a cowardly getaway on mo- name suggests is a body devoted ral responsibility to future genera- feet” of the Chief Minister to seek a
and dignity of individuals, and something that requires mented, acquisition of their farm torcycles. That the opponents of to bringing scientific reasoning to tions. review of the present plan. Eve-
preventive, remedial and punitive measures. land. This is to enable a bypass for the agitation are members of the bear on public issues, has present- While much of this might ap- rything — economics, natural con-
The High Courts of Punjab and Haryana and Madras the national highway that already CPI(M), which rules Kerala today, ed to the Kerala government an al- pear mere sentimentality to the servation and concern for food
have laid down guidelines to the police on creating spe- exists. Long-cultivated farmland is gives them an unfair advantage. ternative. This involves building hard-boiled economist, even he is production in a State where paddy
to be layered over with concrete to Under the circumstances it must an elevated expressway that likely to ask the straight question: cultivation could become extinct if
cial cells and 24-hour helplines to provide assistance
construct a motorable road. The take immense courage to just would leave the paddy fields of What awaits those who reach the current trends continue — points
and protection to young couples. The Supreme Court farmers agitating against the ac- mount an agitation. The Malaya- Keezhattur undamaged. The go- northern extremity of the State to the need for statesmanship on
has now gone a step further and asked the police to es- quisition have come together un- lam media is often not just close to vernment must treat this proposal once this bypass has been built? the part of Mr. Vijayan. He could
tablish safe-houses for couples under threat. The direc- der the banner Vayalkillikal which but actually part of the political es- with seriousness and educate the This is not been asked yet, leave listen to his party members and,
tion asking police officers to try and persuade khaps to translates to ‘birds of the field’, tablishment. High economic re- public on all aspects of the issue. alone answered. Keezhattur is al- wielding state power, win the bat-
desist from making illegal decisions may appear soft. flagging the assault on nature that wards are said to be associated The point to note is that a north- ready close to a highway to which tle against an unarmed group of
But in the same breath, the court has also empowered it represents. They speak not only with managing the transfer of the south highway across Kerala alrea- there is a motorable road, though agitators or he could hear the
the police to prohibit such gatherings and effect pre- of the economic loss that the ac- land to the final builder and there dy exists. For a State that is not perhaps a somewhat narrow one. birds of the field at Keezhattur and
quisition means to them but their is the ever-present threat of vio- particularly wide, the coverage of And a narrower access to the high- win the hearts and minds of his
ventive arrests. How far it is feasible to videograph the
opposition to the loss of habitat, lence. The present State govern- this existing road should be way is the price you would have to people.
proceedings of such assemblies remains to be seen, but water sources and other natural ment has not shown itself to be deemed good enough given the pay if you want to conserve natu-
it may be a deterrent against any brazen flouting of the capital that they value for its own sympathetic to those who wish to environmental damage that a new ral capital, and a set of farmers has Pulapre Balakrishnan is Professor,
law. The verdict is also notable for dealing with some sake. hold out. It has not even publicly one would entail. The National already indicated that they are rea- Ashoka University and Senior Fellow, IIM
points made often in defence of khap panchayats, re- Two aspects pertaining to the asked that peace be maintained, Highways Authority of India dy to pay the price. But maybe Kozhikode
jecting outright the claims that they were only engaged
in raising awareness about permissible marriages, in-
cluding inter-caste and inter-faith ones, and against sa-
pinda and sagotra marriages. The court has rightly laid
Sending the wrong signal
down that deciding what is permitted and what is not is
the job of civil courts. While these guidelines, if they are
The government must file a review petition of the Supreme Court order in the SC/ST Act case
adhered to, may have some salutary effect on society, adopting ‘purposive interpreta- cused, the protection of anticipa- of offences against Dalits. He has
the government should not remain content with asking tion’ and invoking Ambedkar on tory bail should be extended to the quoted judgments from the Guja-
societal fraternity, have diluted accused in all cases and under all rat High Court at length. Gujarat,
the States to implement these norms. It should expe-
the stringent provision of denial of statutes. incidentally, has a low conviction
dite its own efforts to bring in a comprehensive law to anticipatory bail in the SC/ST Act. As far as facts of the case in rate under the SC/ST Act.
curb killings in the name of honour and to prohibit in- The judgment gives no promi- hand are concerned, the court is Only three small paragraphs
terference in the matrimonial choices of individuals. Faizan Mustafa nence to caste atrocities and ig- absolutely right that an adverse (27, 28, 29) have been devoted to
nores untouchability, which is still entry by non-SC officers in itself as arguments in favour of the provi-
GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO

prevalent. The mischief that Par- to the character or integrity of the sion. Even the government argu-

Out of favour
I
ndia has over 180 million Dalits. liament wanted to address too was Dalit employee or routine denial of ments were not considered wor-
A crime is committed against a ignored by the court. In the State- sanction of prosecution in good thy of more than one paragraph.
The bond rout is a warning as the Centre looks Dalit every 15 minutes. Six Dalit ment of Objects and Reasons of faith may not amount to a crime The government did not put its
women are raped every day. Over the Prevention of Atrocities Act, under the SC/ST Act. But then in best foot forward. But why should
at ramping up spending ahead of elections the last 10 years (2007-2017), there Parliament had clearly noted that this case the accused was indeed we be surprised?

M
ore people are losing their love for Indian has been a 66% growth in crime when Dalits assert their rights, granted anticipatory bail. He had In any case, as for the case in
bonds. Foreign investors have been net sellers against Dalits. Further, data from vested interests try to terrorise come to the apex court after the hand, Section 22 of the SC/ST Act
of over $1 billion in Indian debt this month, al- the National Crime Records Bu- them. Accordingly, keeping in tion rate too has in fact improved high court had refused to quash already protects public servants
reau on which the Supreme Court view the special nature of crimes — from 23.8% in 2013 to 28.8% in criminal proceedings against him. from prosecution if they acted in
most cancelling out inflows since the beginning of the
based its recent judgment that against Dalits, anticipatory bail 2014. Why it dropped in 2015 after The high court rightly noted that ‘good faith’. But now even a First
year. Domestic investors were already spooked by a wi- sought to protect public servants had been excluded. A cursory the Bharatiya Janata Party came to in spite of possibility of misuse of Information Report is not to be re-
dening fiscal deficit, so foreign selling now has man- and private citizens from arbitrary glance of crimes made punishable power has to be probed. But com- the SC/ST Act, its penal provisions gistered without preliminary in-
aged to add pressure on the market. The deserting of arrests under the Scheduled under the SC/ST Act would ex- paring conviction rates of hate cannot be faulted as it would send quiry. Moreover, even after the re-
the Indian market by foreign investors comes at a time Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Pre- plain why. Moreover, constitution- crimes with that of ordinary the wrong signals to the downtrod- gistration of FIR, the accused
when the Centre is looking at tapping the bond market vention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, ality of this exclusion had been crimes is neither rational nor den. The apex court has indeed cannot be arrested without writ-
aggressively to finance its election-year spending. The show that the rape of Dalit women upheld by a five-judge bench of reasonable. sent wrong signals. ten approval of the appointing
has doubled in the last 10 years. the apex court in Kartar Singh, The court has deviated from the authority. No FIR can be regis-
yield on the benchmark 10-year bond has risen by al-
The figures represent only a tip of which Justice Goel noted in What is the message? established judicial opinion on the tered against anybody without
most 100 basis points since late-July amid lacklustre in- the iceberg since most Dalits do passing. Moreover, low conviction rates subject. The Supreme Court had permission of the senior superin-
vestor demand. The rise in yields is due to a variety of not register cases for fear of reta- The decline in the conviction show poor investigation and in- clearly said that anticipatory bail tendent of police.
reasons that have pushed both foreign and domestic in- liation by higher castes. Even if a rate for crimes against Dalits has competence of prosecution. Wit- provision for the first time was in- The judgment will have a chill-
vestors to re-price Indian sovereign bonds. For one, the case reaches court, the most likely created an impression that this nesses routinely turn hostile in troduced in 1973 and it is merely a ing effect on the already underre-
government is expected to step up borrowing ahead of outcome is acquittal due to caste may be driven by false filing of cas- such cases. We have low convic- limited statutory right and not ported crimes against Dalits. The
elections; in fact, the fiscal deficit targets for the current biases at every stage. es. But data from NCRB do not tion rates in terror crimes as well, part of right to life and personal li- government must go for a review.
seem to support this contention. but will the court similarly dilute berty under Article 21.
as well as the coming fiscal year were revised upwards
Why the dilution? In fact, the share of false cases un- stringent provisions of terror laws? Justice Goel’s judgment has gi- Faizan Mustafa is Vice-Chancellor,
in the Budget. This has fuelled market fears about a rise Strangely, Justices A.K. Goel and der the SC/ST Act has declined ov- If there is concern about the ‘pre- ven too much space to the argu- NALSAR University of Law, Hyderbad.
in inflation. Further, the public sector banks, typically U.U. Lalit in Kashinath Mahajan, er time (2009-2015). The convic- sumption of innocence’ of the ac- ments in favour of those accused The views expressed are personal
the biggest lenders to the government, have turned wa-
ry of lending. As the losses on their bond portfolios
mount, they have turned net sellers of sovereign bonds
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters emailed to letters@thehindu.co.in must carry the full postal address and the full name or the name with initials.

in 2018. Another tailwind affecting bonds is the pros-

pect of higher interest rates in the West, which has Data breach
made Indian bonds look a lot less lucrative in the eyes Emerging information of
the possibility of political
of foreign investors. The weakening rupee, probably a
parties having links with
reflection of higher domestic inflation and fund out- Cambridge Analytica is
flows in search of yields, has added to selling pressure. disturbing (‘World’ page–
Given these pressing concerns, it is no surprise that “‘Congress was Cambridge
Indian sovereign bonds have witnessed a relief rally Analytica’s client’,” March
since news broke on March 26 that the Centre will trim 28). They seem to have
its market borrowing during the first half of the coming compromised the integrity
of the nation by way of
fiscal year. The yield on the 10-year Indian sovereign
utilising the services of
bond has dropped by more than 20 basis points since such companies in “all
that day. The Centre’s borrowing target for April-Sep- kinds of projects in India,
tember was cut to ₹2.88 lakh crore, which is about 48% including regionally”. Over
the past few years,
of the total budgeted borrowing for the year, in contrast
to ₹3.72 lakh crore in the first half of this year. Interest- hundreds of non-
ingly, first-half borrowing was more than 60% of the an- government organisations
have lost their registration
nual borrowing target in each of the last two years. The
and have been forced to
government also announced a cut of ₹50,000 crore in close down for some reason
the total amount of market borrowings for the year, opt- or other. Their access to
ing instead to dip into the National Small Savings Fund foreign funds has become
to meet its funding needs. Cutting down on market bor- extremely difficult. Since
rowing is a decision linked to the market’s ‘decision’ to political parties are not
transparent about their
punish the government for profligacy. The bond rout
source of funds, can civil
should thus serve as a timely warning as it looks to
society now demand an
ramp up spending ahead of elections. Lastly, with the investigation into all
vacuum created by the state-run banks, it may be time political parties involved in
for the Reserve Bank of India to re-examine the rule lim- the mining of data?
iting the role of foreign investors in the bond market. Hemachandra Basappa,
Bengaluru
■ Yet another complicated
story, of a data breach,
appears to be leading to the
doorstep of a major political
party. If true, the Congress
president has a lot of
questions to answer. The
“disclosures” also give rise to
more questions. How safe is
the average Indian’s personal
data especially as Facebook
has become a part of our
daily life? And what steps is
the government taking to
safeguard our Aadhaar data?
Malay Panchal,
Ahmedabad
Federal polity
In the context of ongoing
attempts to recast India into
a monocultural entity, the
“shots” fired by Chief
Minister Siddaramaiah in
Karnataka are bound to
reverberate in the country
beyond the Assembly
election (“Birth pangs of a
new federal polity”, March
28). The insensitivity of the
new crop of BJP politicians
from the Hindi belt appears
to have engendered strong
resentment in the southern Adivasi players fails. The democratise the selection underprivileged, Adivasi and
States. A look at proceedings need for a quota system may process, but we can also Dalit players from rural areas
in Parliament are a pointer. give rise to an opportunity argue that the team has is an acceptable truth. The
The strange names assigned for an undeserving player to never won any major ICC lack of infrastructural
to various institutions and get selected. Caste quota has tournament. On the other facilities, right from school,
Central government- no place in sports. South hand, the Indian team has is one of the main reasons
sponsored schemes are Africa, no doubt, has a quota seen a meteoric rise. Players for their “backwardness” in
totally unintelligible to most for black Africans. But only a from minority communities sport. The government
people from the south. A handful of them have made have proved their mettle in appears to have failed in
major shake-up is overdue in the grade. Players like different formats of the providing sufficient
the federal set-up. Hashim Amla and Makhaya game. This goes to show that infrastructure right from the
Manohar Alembath, Ntini have been hugely selection is not school level. The cricket
Kannur, Kerala talented to represent South discriminatory. On the boards concerned have also
Africa. The two new contrary, it is based on merit. failed to encourage players
Cricket and quotas sensations were selected not Aakarsh Dhawan, from these sections. The
The strange argument by the because they are black Noida system has to change
writer (“Does Indian cricket Africans but because they completely. Quotas can be
need quotas?” March 27) deserved to be selected. ■ It was only after I thought of if such measures
needs to be rejected V. Lakshmanan, completed reading the fail to have an impact.
Tirupur, Tamil Nadu
outright. In any sport, article that I was able to Sai Subrahmanyam Pudipeddi,
excellence is to be displayed understand the writer’s Visakhapatnam
continuously over a period of ■ There are two ways of argument. The point is that more letters online:
time to play for one’s looking at the issue. If there the absence of www.hindu.com/opinion/letters/
country. In Indian cricket, are quotas, the selection
there are domestic levels of process will be focussed on corrections & clarifications:
tournaments where a fulfilling the quota. In turn, An Op-Ed article — “A perfect storm in the cotton field” (March
27, 2018) — referred to the extent of hybrid cotton cultivation in
cricketer needs to establish this is bound to affect the
crops per acre. It should have been per hectare.
his credentials to stake a quality of players in the
strong claim to represent his team. However, the positive It is the policy of The Hindu to correct significant errors as soon as possible. Please specify
country. Just 11 players get side is that is enables equal
the edition (place of publication), date and page. The Readers’ Editor’s office can be
contacted by Telephone: +91-44-28418297/28576300 (11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to
picked. On this ground, the opportunity for marginalised Friday); Fax: +91-44-28552963; E-mail:readerseditor@thehindu.co.in; Mail: Readers’
Editor, The Hindu, Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860 Anna Salai, Chennai 600 002, India.
argument on the need to communities. Cricket South All communication must carry the full postal address and telephone number. No personal
accommodate Dalit and Africa’s policy does visits. The Terms of Reference for the Readers’ Editor are on www.thehindu.com
https://t.me/pdf4exams https://t.me/TheHindu_Zone_official
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THE HINDU
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2018
NOIDA/DELHI

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OPED 9

Cousins under the skin A solar gear shift

The government needs to tilt its green manufacturing mix
The obsession for a male child in many parts of Asia can be changed. South Korea shows the way
in favour of nascent industries of the future 
taking place. The SRB has crossed DCR scheme did not impose any restrictions
this range in many parts of Asia and on imported sources and only sought to se-
the Caucasus ever since sex determi- cure an assured market for domestically ma-
nation technology became easily nufactured panels. Other countries opposed
available, so Vietnam and India are the scheme as it discriminated against fo-
not alone. reign solar cell suppliers. A draft policy
Alaka M. Basu I suppose this is cultural, someth- (2017) aimed at promoting domestic solar
Manu Aggarwal &
ing to do with our common Asian Anjali Viswamohanan manufacturing through a proposed 12,000
heritage. There is a lot of writing MW DCR component may evoke similar op-
On the Vietnam Airlines flight to Ha- about how the patriarchy, patriliny position at the WTO. CEEW analysis suggests
noi, I did the opposite of what I and male dominance in Asia outdo The Indian government is switching gears on that backing this programme could generate
usually do at take off — loosened my the patriarchy, patriliny and male do- solar energy. The 2018 Economic Survey only 31,200 jobs as against one million full-
seat belt fully before I could buckle it. minance in the rest of the world and identifies renewable energy as a champion time job opportunities had India followed
On most other flights I have to tight- make families think that it is impera- sector under the Make in India 2.0 pro- through in achieving its solar and wind ener-
en the belt to make up for the passen- tive that they have sons; that daught- gramme. India currently meets almost 90% gy targets of 160 GW. Prioritising domestic
ger who occupied the seat before me. ers are dispensable if a choice has to of its annual requirement of solar panels goals without complying with international
But the Vietnamese are so slender be made. In the past, female neglect through imports (mainly China), impeding trade rules affects the much-needed stake-
that one can only buy their elegant and to some extent female infanti- the growth of a nascent domestic solar ma- holder confidence required to achieve In-
Ao dai at stores that say ‘foreigner cide were expressions of this mind- nufacturing sector. Policy support for the so- dia’s clean energy target.
sizes available’! set — now we have less guilt-inducing lar sector is increasingly focussed on domes- Third, India’s solar sector is currently
Equally non-threatening are the and less visibly callous ways of satis- tic manufacturing, both in the form of caught in inter-ministerial cross-fire. The se-
streets full of two-wheelers in Hanoi fying it. capital subsidies and considerations of trade verity of the issue is evident in the power gi-
and Ho Chi Minh City. Used to feeling Pallid national slogans like ‘Beti regulation. However, are these interventions ven to both the Ministry of Finance (MoF)
extremely nervous at seeing groups Bachao, Beti Padhao’ or internation- the right signals to send to an already uncer- and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry
GETTY IMAGES

of young men on two-wheelers in In- al calls for women’s economic empo- tain solar sector? Do they comply with the (MoCI) to implement trade remedies (safe-
dia, especially those that wave werment are unlikely to change global trade regime? And will they keep our guard duties and anti-dumping duties or
brightly coloured flags and matching things much. As the high levels of fe- renewable energy (RE) ambitions on track? ADD, respectively). Further, the Ministry of
scarves, it felt strange to have these male education and labour force par- These questions warrant examination New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has
Vietnamese young men negotiate my tors and a country’s attitudes pared to India’s 51%); of seats in ticipation in Vietnam show, both through four lenses. been grappling with issues posed by the MoF
jaywalking without honking, without towards its women. Parliament occupied by women (27% education and jobs can coexist with a First, implementing trade remedies that regarding the re-classification of solar panels
shouting slogans, and without baring In spite of a per capita GDP that is compared to India’s 12%); of females continued obsession for sons. have anti-competition implications has be- as electrical motors (the current classifica-
their teeth. I am not sure if it was the similar to India’s, the difference in above 15 being literate (91% com- But culture is not immutable. This come commonplace, with clean energy be- tion is photosensitive semiconductor devic-
men or their two-wheelers — mopeds quality of life between the two coun- pared to India’s 59%); of women hav- obsession for male children can be coming its newest victim. Two large solar es), imposing additional duties and cesses on
and scooters rather than the more tries is stark on a number of indica- ing experienced domestic violence in diluted with more practical policies energy markets, India and the United States, importers. An inter-ministerial committee
popular motorcycles in India — that tors over the past few years, although the last year (9% compared to India’s to increase the substitutability of have either imposed or are contemplating headed by the MNRE must be constituted to
had this effect. It was probably both. it may be narrowing, both because 24%); of women believing that men sons and daughters as well as the the imposition of safeguards duty on solar coordinate moves among the MoF, the MoCI,
It felt as though the ravages of years India’s quality of life is improving have a right to beat their wives for ability to manage with neither. This panels. Trade remedies are attractive be- the Ministry of Power, and the Central and
of war had led the population to and because Vietnam has been fast one of five (usually petty) reasons is best evidenced in the recent and cause they create tangible short-term bene- State Electricity Regulatory Commissions.
abandon rage for smiles. shedding many of its Communist-era (28% compared to India’s 47%). rapid return in South Korea of the fits such as job creation, reduction in trade
Shopkeepers joined me in the commitments. Thus, according to As I scrolled down these indica- SRB from a peak of 116.5 in 1990 to a deficit, and higher local tax collection. Ho- Case for unified voice
game of endless bargaining, but they the latest available figures of the tors, I felt increasingly embarrassed more ‘normal’ 107 today. Broader ac- wever, such a move would also result in high- Fourth, developers and manufacturers need
didn’t nag me or block my way if I World Bank and of various demo- about India’s state. Obviously eco- cess to old age security, better prose- er tariffs and make solar power less attrac- to voice their needs clearly and respond to
moved on without buying someth- graphic and health surveys, the Viet- nomic growth is not doing enough to cution of violators of laws against sex tive for the already financially strained and policy implications in an unequivocal man-
ing. Perhaps this had something to nam government spent 3.8% of its improve some important things in determination and sex-selective RE-sceptical utilities. Analysis by the Council ner. The industry needs one unified voice re-
do with the fact that a majority of GDP on health compared to India’s India. The Vietnamese know someth- abortions, better enforced equal in- on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW) presenting the key concerns of each stake-
petty shopkeepers were women. At 1.4%, and 5.7% on education com- ing that India does not. heritance laws, and ‘cultural’ induce- suggests that had a safeguard duty of 70% holder-category, without ignoring the
about 77%, Vietnam has one of the pared to India’s 3.8%. In Vietnam, ments such as allowing parents to been implemented at the time of the Bhadla broader interests of the sector.
highest female labour force partici- 78% of the population has access to Preference for sons choose either maternal or paternal bid (₹ 2.44/kWh), the lowest bid would have In supporting the domestic manufactur-
pation rates in Asia. basic sanitation compared to 44% in Then, suddenly, I stopped short. In- surnames for their children seem to been pegged at ₹3.46/kWh. The more than ing industry, the government may be back-
India, 46% are covered by safety net dia and Vietnam are, after all, cou- have all contributed not only to im- 40% spike in solar electricity prices would ing a horse which may not run for long. In-
Some comparisons programmes compared to 11% in In- sins under the skin in at least one im- proving the status of daughters but be accompanied by diplomatic tensions that stead, the government could tilt its green
It felt good to be in a place where dia, and 12% of the population is be- portant way. Women might get a also to lowering the value of sons. In follow the implementation of such mea- manufacturing mix in favour of nascent in-
worth is not measured by girth, in low the poverty line of $3.20 pur- better deal in Vietnam than they do turn, these measures have made wo- sures, encouraging other major economies dustries of the future such as energy storage,
humans or in vehicles. But first im- chasing power parity per day in India, but not in one crucial as- men and families more indifferent to to retaliate with their own protectionist mea- electric vehicles, and IT solutions for grid in-
pressions can be misleading, so I compared to 60% in India. The infant pect: at 111, the sex ratio at birth, or the sex of their children. sures. tegration. To get ahead in that race, India
turned to data. When I travel, I have mortality rate in Vietnam is 17 per SRB (the number of males born for There are important lessons here will need a comprehensive strategy on issues
the habit of comparing the place I am 1,000 live births (India’s is 35). every 100 females), is eerily similar for both the otherwise progressive Ensuring compliance such as effective sourcing of critical miner-
in with my home country — and rank- On other measures too, Vietna- in both countries. For perspective, in Vietnamese as well as the still regres- Second, it is vital that India remains com- als, investment in R&D, access to patient ven-
ing. But I do not look for data on the mese women have a clear edge over countries that do not actively pre- sive Indians. pliant with the global trade regime. Previous ture capital, and fiscal benefits for the indus-
ease of doing business. I have no Indian women: a female life expec- vent the birth of female babies, the measures (for example, the domestic con- tries of the future.
urge to do business and in any case, tancy of 85 years (India’s is 70 years); SRB hovers between 106 to 108. If it Alaka M. Basu, a professor in the department tent requirement or DCR scheme) to assuage
business ease is a poor way of mea- a maternal mortality ratio of 54 (In- crosses this range, it strongly sug- of development sociology at Cornell the concerns of the domestic solar manufac- Manu Aggarwal and Anjali Viswamohanan are
suring the well-being of a people. In- dia’s is 174); of women of reproduc- gests that there is sex determination University, is Senior Fellow, United Nations turers were challenged and overturned at Programme Associates at the Council on Energy,
stead, I look at quality of life indica- tive age being anaemic (24% com- followed by sex-selective abortion Foundation the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The Environment, and Water

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SINGLE FILE FROM ARCHIVES

FIFTY YEARS AGO MARCH 29, 1968
Baseline injustice Gagarin killed in test flight
Weighing in on the gender pay gap Soviet Cosmonaut, Colonel Yuri Gagarin, the world’s first spa-
ceman, was killed during a test flight yesterday [March 27]
debate nearly seven years after his historic orbit of the earth aboard
Vostok-1. Another flyer, Colonel Vladimir Seryogin, died in the
Preethi Ramamoorthy
accident, according to a brief official announcement, which
Tennis icon Martina Navratilova re- gave a few details of the disaster and did not say where it took
vealed recently that “she found herself a place. The announcement, broadcast intermittently by Mos-
victim of a gender pay gap at the hands cow Radio amidst the playing of solemn music, said the two
of the very studio behind the report, the men would be buried in a place of honour at the Kremlin Wall
GETTY IMAGES

BBC”. During a recent segment for a te- after a State funeral. When Colonel Gagarin returned to earth
levised special report titled ‘Britain’s from his flight round the world on April 12, 1961, he was feted
Equal Pay Scandal’, she said that while by the country’s then leader, Mr. Nikita S. Khrushchev, now liv-
she was paid around £15,000 for her work providing com- ing in retirement outside Moscow. Col. Gagarin’s death was the
mentary on the BBC for Wimbledon, she believed her fellow second tragedy known to have hit the Soviet space programme
pundit John McEnroe received much more: around within a year. Col. Vladimir Komarov was killed on April 24,
£150,000. 1967, when his Soyuz spacecraft crashed to earth.
The BBC did not deny the pay discrepancy, but said gen- A HUNDRED YEARS AGO MARCH 29, 1918.
der wasn’t a factor, adding that McEnroe’s role was of “a dif-
ferent scale, scope and time commitment” to Navratilova’s. Soviets Recapture Odessa.
“McEnroe is regarded as the face of our Wimbledon cover- CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
Simultaneously with the news of the triumph of Bolsheviks
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age. He is widely considered to be the best expert/commen- forces at Odessa over the Ukrainian Government which con-
tator in the sport,” the BBC said. CONCEPTUAL FAQ cluded a separatist treaty with the Central Powers, comes the
This is not the first time the gender pay gap debate has hit information that the Russian Black Sea fleet has been bom-
the BBC. Last summer, women BBC personalities wrote an
open letter to the BBC’s Director about the pay difference
Drunken
monkey On the electric highway barding Sukhumkale port in Caucasia, which has been adopt-
ing a separatist regime. The news appears to imply the revival
they had personally experienced. The British government Biology Charging infrastructure for vehicles must be scaled up of military spirit against both the Central Powers and separa-
forced the BBC to disclose the salaries of their top on-air ta- tists. Soviet troops have recaptured Kherson and Nicolaieff.
This refers to a hypothesis
lent, which showed a stark gender pay gap, with male an- G. Ananthakrishnan dia (FAME) programme, a barrel, shared, electric, The Germans have occupied Krementchug. Commissaries are
regarding why human be-
chors making in, some cases, twice as much as their female since April 1, 2015, under and connected mobility removing the ex-Tsar and his family to Ural region. M. Trotzky
ings tend to be attracted
co-anchors. Does India have a policy to which end users and con- options would help the appealing to the population to co-operate in the organisation
towards the consumption
How do you define value in such cases? Doesn’t expe- promote electric vehicles? sumers pay a reduced country save $60 billion of Red Army announces that a decree is impending enforcing
of alcoholic products,
rience count when deciding who the “expert” in a field is? The Central government is price. So far, 1,89,482 elec- (₹3.9 lakh crore) in 2030, universal service and calling up ex-officers as instructors. Che-
even to the level of addic-
Navratilova’s astounding tennis record includes 18 Grand not pursuing plans for a tric or hybrid vehicles besides eliminating cumu- chen tribes under Russian officers have risen against the So-
tion. It states that the pri-
Slam titles, compared to McEnroe’s seven. separate policy on electric have been covered by the lative emissions of 1 giga- viet authorities in the Caucasus.
mate ancestors of modern
One could argue that perhaps McEnroe’s public profile, vehicles (EVs) although it incentive scheme, which tonne of carbon dioxide.
human beings depended CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
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his popularity as the face of BBC’s coverage would boost his did think of introducing is in force until March 31,
on various fermenting
billing. But could the difference realistically amount to over
fruits, which contained
one. It has now left it to 2018. It is expected that What are the challenges DATA POINT
a hundred thousand pounds more, for a couple of weeks’ the automotive industry to the promotion of EVs and benefits?
ethanol, as a major source
work? determine the scale and through policy initiatives One major challenge in
of food to help them in
The gender pay gap is an unfortunate feature of many in- pace of a transition from will continue beyond that scaling up electric mobili-
their daily survival. This
dustries, from banking to Hollywood. It recently emerged fossil fuels to electric mo- date. Mahindra and Ma- ty is the availability of
eventually led to behaviou-
that Claire Foy earned less than Matt Smith for the Netflix tors. hindra, Mahindra Reva charging infrastructure
ral modifications that were
drama The Crown, despite Foy starring as the Queen, the Union Minister for Road Electric, Maruti Suzuki, across the country. As part
inherited by human beings
show’s protagonist. Transport Nitin Gadkari Toyota Kirloskar and Tata of a FAME pilot project, 25
who descended from
Some argue that the remuneration of celebrity athletes said recently that the Motors are participating in charging stations were
these primates to develop
and anchors is an unviable rallying cause when the same ob- move towards EVs would the demand incentive created in Bengaluru by
an intense liking towards
servation might be made more pertinently of other, perhaps anyway be accelerated by scheme. one automaker. Since
alcohol. The hypothesis
less glamorous professions. Why fret about wage discrepan- the higher efficiencies and 2015, the Department of
was first proposed by
cies measured in millions? Such debates nevertheless mat- lower cost of EVs com- How can a shift to EVs Heavy Industry has sanc-
American biologist Robert
ter because if women of such heft and leverage are being ex- pared to those with inter- help? tioned 435 charging sta-
Dudley and elaborated la-
ploited, it says much about just how pervasive this rot has nal combustion engines. Converting a significant tions. Infrastructure is
ter in his book, The Drun-
been across the work force. Navratilova was upset less for There is no target for a part of the transport fleet, needed to produce, main-
ken Monkey (2014).
her own sake than for others with more at stake. “For me it’s shift to electric vehicles by led by public transport, to tain and recycle a large
a part-time job, it’s two weeks of my life,” she said. “For the CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC the year 2030, the Minis- electric or hybrid vehicles number of batteries as the
women that work there full time, it adds up over a lifetime.” try of Heavy Industries is predicted to sharply cut population of EVs rises.
MORE ON
3
The call for equal pay is the call for better coverage and and Public Enterprises dependence on imported The current economics of
reporting. Men are still making broadcasting decisions and THE WEB clarified on March 8. The oil, and reduce carbon EVs favour larger vehicles
controlling narratives. Pay women equally, and more wo- Blog: Who is to blame? government is, however, emissions. A 2017 report in the longer term, given
men will stay in the business. This will allow for a clearer re- Cambridge Analytica? incentivising purchase of issued jointly by NITI the high capital expendi-
presentation of viewpoints, perhaps even lessen the impor- Facebook? Users? electric vehicles through Aayog and the Rocky ture involved. But it has
tance of the “male gaze”. the Faster Adoption and Mountain Institute in the good cost-benefit out-
http://bit.ly/ Manufacturing of (Hybrid U.S. projects that, for an comes even now for two-
Preethi Ra moorthy writes on tennis for The Hindu CambridgeAnalyticaBlogpost &) Electric Vehicles in In- oil price benchmark of $52 wheelers and rickshaws.