Beyond Sachar......

In 2005, in lieu of the critical situation of Muslims, Government formed a committee named Sachar Committee which was asked to collect all relevant data which could provide relevant information on the backward situation of this minority. As per the government, this committee did an appreciable job when it submitted its report in 2006 before the lower House. Definitely it went through enormous amount of criticism because of it's only cynical views and no specific solutions for that. Now let us have a brief look over what Sachar revealed.

Results of Report

In it's report, committee well highlighted the critical situations of Muslims, a few of which are as under:

Identity-related issues: Muslims carry a double burden of being labelled as “anti-nationalists” and being appeased at the same time. The fact that the so-called appeasement has not resulted in any benefits is ignored. The feeling of insecurity among Muslims is high, especially in communally sensitive states and among women. The discriminatory attitude of the police and others compounds this feeling; ghettoisation is a result of insecurity and discrimination in housing, schools and jobs. The perception of discrimination is widespread, leading to a sense of alienation and thus appears as an important cause of inequity.

Analytic Interpretations : 

Muslims constitute about 13.4% of the total Indian population and 15.7% of the OBC population. A larger proportion of Muslims live in urban areas (36%) as compared to the population average (28%). The community is also geographically concentrated in specific areas – Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Maharashtra. Studies suggest that the population share will stabilise at less than 20% by the end of the century. Fertility rates among Muslims are higher than average but are declining, and converging towards the average. Muslims use family planning methods and the contraception prevalence is about 10% points lower than average. Definitely education has to take its concern over here. 

Literacy rates among Muslims are lower than most other SRCs (except for SCs/STs) and are not increasing fast enough to converge with literacy rates of other groups. In-fact in recent years, the growth in literacy rates among SCs/STs has been higher than for Muslims. Dropout rates are the highest among Muslims and this seems to go up significantly after middle school. School enrollment rates are among the lowest but interestingly have improved in recent years.

When we come to employment profiles, than as compared to others, Muslim workers (especially women) are concentrated more in self-employed (home-based) activities and their share in regular work, especially in the government, public sector and large private sector, is very low. Some even complained for discrimination in interview. Also in case of Bank related concerns, the share of Muslims in loans is relatively low but deposits relatively high, at times almost close to their population share. Thus, the notion that Muslims do not participate in banking is a myth but their participation is lower than that of other SRCs. One obvious explanation for this low share in number of loans and loan amounts is the lower demand for credit due to high levels of poverty within the community. For participation in government programmes, coverage of Muslims in regular programmes is generally limited. But participation varies with programmes. For example, the coverage of Muslims in the mid-day meal programme is decent in relative terms but the overall coverage is low while the coverage of Muslims in ICDS is low and so is the overall coverage.

Also, in general, the mean per capita consumption expenditure (MPCE) is lower for Muslims than for all SRCs except SCs/STs and the incidence of poverty (headcount) is also higher for Muslims than for all SRCs except SCs/STs. Internal differentiation in the community is a reality. Several studies over the years have distinguished three broad groups within the Muslims that roughly correspond to high-castes, OBCs and SCs in the Hindu community. These are ‘ashraf’, ‘ajlaf’, and ‘arzal’. In large data sets only the Muslim – general and Muslim-OBCs can be meaningfully distinguished; the sample of Muslims with SC/ST background is too small to undertake any meaningful analysis. Thus, the “socio-economic hierarchy” among these SRCs is reasonably clear: Hindu-OBCs are on top followed by Muslim-general and then Muslim-OBCs. Thus, if reservation is seen as the policy option, a “most backward” class (MBC) status for arzals would make sense.

These all analysis has led to a very important conclusion : Should there be any margin in the OBC reservation for Muslims ?

My cynic view ON Sachar Report

As per my view, many jobs in which Muslims have remarkable dominance have been left out, for example, in Bollywood which may employ very less number but the dominance, is it discrimination ? What report failed to distinguish is the contribution of the migrants from Bangladesh who are coming under this purview. They constitute to the 8% (estimated on the data provided by previous governments : UPA gave 13 million and NDA projected it 15 million, but let us take the lower one, to be on worse calculations ). According to the Sachar report (appendix table 4.1), Indian Muslims have a 59.1% literacy rate, which places them well below the national average of 65.1%, with a literacy rate even below that of SCs/STs. If, for the sake of argument, however, we were to assign the 2002 Bangladesh literacy rates – 31% for women and 50% for men – to 8% of this total, then the literacy average for the remaining Indian Muslims would rise by almost a full percent nationally, and by somewhat more than this in states such as Assam and West Bengal in which illegal migration has been the greatest. On other factors such as our estimates of Muslim poverty levels the difference might potentially be even greater. Much of the analysis March 10, 2007 in Sachar focuses on education, but the report still leaves the reader without a good sense of which factors leave Muslim children, and especially Muslim girls, without sufficient access to primary, secondary and higher education. But this cannot be the total answer, because in some states Muslim participation in education is much higher than the norm. In fact, on many measures Muslims are doing better in western and southern states than they are in the rest of the country. Just to give one example, although in general Muslim literacy rates are below the Indian average, in 10 of the 21 states studied (including Maharashtra Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka) Muslim literacy rates are actually higher than average (SCR: 53). So there is clearly something that is state- or region-specific that seems to be making a major difference to Muslims’ life chances.

Now comes a 65000 dollar question, is it necessary to give a special concern to Muslim OBCs in terms of reservation. My answer, "NO", perhaps there should be no reservation at all, let me put it this way:

Nehru said once 

"The only real way to help a backward group is to give opportunities for good education.  That includes technical education, which is becoming more and more important. Everything else is provision of some kind of crutches, which do not add to the strength or health of the body.”

“But if go in for reservations on communal and caste basis, we swamp the bright and able people........ I am grieved to learn of how far this business of Reservation has gone on communal considerations. It has annoyed me to learn that even promotions are sometimes based on communal or caste considerations.”

“This way lays not only folly but disaster. Let us help the backward groups by all means, but never at the cost of efficiency.”

Hindu India : Future and Perceptions

With the outbreak of Muzaffarnagar riots and the recent disturbance in Bihar over communal issues, a wave arose among those whom I consider as educated goons that why not to go for a Hindu India, 100% Hindu people so that there should be no similar disturbance or pogroms and everybody will be in a 100% peace? Well I know, casting pearls in front of swines should not be anyone's priority. But still, let me try. Suppose India becomes 100% Hindu, and according to my Genius buddies, a dream Nation which anyone posses. Definitely after India becomes 100% Hindu, they (those who made this dream come true ) will go for few major reforms because everything in this country has been established to make Mahatma's dream come true : A person who was shot dead by a Hindu extremist, oopssss!! Sorry, a Hindu Hero, Nathuram Godsse .(Protagonist, O yeahhhh !!!!!)

Let us consider those reforms.

Reforms : 

Shutting down every mall which has western content, particularly the apparels, new dress codes for our derailed youths, particularly girls, rectified age limits for marriage, shutting down the co-ed institutions, even those which are research ones because they may interfere in their way, youths will be forced to join the new Gurukuls and abandon the old Schools, if not suddenly then gradually because gradual change is stable, a "banned" Discovery of India and "eulogised" Discovery of New India and so on.

I am pretty sure that this won't be enough to quench their Hindu thirst, a few sector may move to so called " Rajtantra" because things were so perfect those days. If the number favours one side, then definitely one can expect only one caste or creed, may be Dalit or may be the Upper ones. All sins will be rectified and doors for any outsider will be shut down because he/she may bring back the Old School. Since my knowledge regarding their sentiments is limited, I should not write further, only a thorough observation will work.

Conclusion

Its up to you !!!!!

Why Food Security is Justified !!

The day National Food Security Bill (NFSB) was passed, stocks crashed 600 points and it lead to a national agitation, with so many negative posts on Social media regarding the future of country. These comments were vague as per my view, because most of the posts failed to convey on what assumptions did they blame government over the NFSB. Many economists argued on the cost of implementing NFSB, many of them said that one needs not to implement it if we rectify our food storage problem which incurs a loss of 44000 crore rupees just because of lack of storage. May be they are true, but what do they failed to realise is the short term demands of the country and only took into account the longer one.

Calculating Food Security

One of the most magnified calculation is that of Surjit Bhalla which argues that the cost of implementing the Food Security will be somewhere near 3 lakh crore a year. Well it has been already challenged on the grounds of the "Leakage" assumption which it has put. And the leakage he has assumed is quite appreciable, it's 40%, and it's an accepted one, many schemes run at a leakage of more than 60%. But what he failed to realise is that, those schemes which run at a leakage of 40% or more or whatsoever, they don't take into account those leakage for their calculation. What he projected is 8.3 kg per person instead of 5 kg per person, I guess government policies don't run this way. People may get less than 5 kg but they are never going to get the desired target. Leakages are addressed by reforms not surplus calculations.

Similarly, many other calculation including that of CACP ( Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices) assumes 75 mn tonnes of commodities while what is required is just 62 mn tonnes. CACP has projected a cost of 6.8 lakh crore for 3 years. Another vague assumption is the Production Enhancement cost which go up to by 25 mn tonnes which arrives in the wake of minimum 30% procurement which must be maintained. How could they take this into analysis when the procurement is already around 30 % ?

Another estimate comes from Ministry of Food, which projects the cost, at what I suppose a justified one, around 44,411 crore to 76486 crore. This has also been challenged by EPW author Dipa Sinha on the grounds that it takes into account the Centre-State conflicts and many other parameters.

Declining Leakages and Moving Agriculture

In recent years, there has been much changes after 2002-03 where the leakages has come down from 54 % in 2004-05 to 44% in 2007-08 and 35% in 2011-12 (as per National Sample Survey Office). What is matter of concern is that still we have 35% leakage, which needs to be tackled with major reforms, I guess here digitisation of PDS will work 100%, that's how states like Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh (which has been acknowledged a lot for that), Andhra Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and others have worked. 

More than that, the quantity of damaged/non-issuable grain has come down from 1.35 lak tonnes in 2002-03 to just 1454 tonnes in 2012-13 as per Food Corporation of India (FCI). Likewise there has been many reforms at executive level despite we have a sharp decline at political level in governance. 

Moving Forward

Definitely, certain major level correction are required in the bill, such as identification of those who will be covered in the program, the commodities which NFSB will cover, the criteria for the historical setbacks which prevail even now, such as malnourished children, special attention for women and old etc. But, leaving criticism behind, one need to move forward and say a "go" for NFSB because in recent times we need it. We have still around 70% population for whom food is a lottery !!!

You Guys have some Manufacturing Defect !!

According to Mohan Bhagwat , the Supreme Chief of  Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, crime against women happen in India not in Bharat. He said this without taking into note that according to Court Data, nearly 75% of the India's rape convictions hailed from "Bharat" and not "India". The data was collated by Dr Mrinal Satish, associate professor of law at National Law University, Delhi.

He also failed to take into account that according to Census 2011 rural population constitute to nearly 68.84% of the population, and the convictions 75% (reported ones). India stands at 132 out of 148 in Gender Equity Index, and the reason attributed to such a critical situation, as according to major researches and surveys printed in various issues of Economics and Political Weekly, the best journal considered in India and one of the best in entire Globe, is definitely majorly due to the subdued position of rural women. Their inaccessibility to education, jobs, pathetic social security, forced marital sex, domestic violence, suicide and list goes on.... Definitely, the urban women are also prone to these(common, that is why we stand first among the G20 countries when it comes to most dangerous country for women), but the situation is much better than that of rural women because several factors such as inaccessibility to education is insignificant as compared to rural population.

In addition to these, the so called Bharat, almost 2500 years ago has written so many scripts on sex that it is worth of mentioning and also we have a special God of Sex like the ancient Greeks, but we have a very different statistics as compared to Greeks when it comes to Women. Perhaps, Mohan Bhagwat can answer this, you know, he is a Genius, he can interpret without any survey or any data.

Another parameter which he failed to take into account is about the hung posters in every office of RSS, Vivekanada and Ramkrishna Paramhansa. How did he forget about Swami Vivekanada who acknowledged West for its credibility for Women which India lacked through so many ages, how did he forget about Sri Ramkrishna Paramhansa who being an illiterate, always hailed and praised women as Durga and was perhaps considered as mad due to his over-attention. 

Was that a clamour from males due to their dismay which he spitted? Or was it a depraved satement?
Well, whatever it was, you Guys seriously have some Manufacturing Defect !!!!!!!

Why India was Conquered?

We all know how many times our country was invaded and how many times it bravely defended itself from falling into the hands of perpetrators. Definitely I am not going to talk about that in this blog, because repeating same type of history once in 6th, then again in 8th and once again (dedicated to our patriotism!!! Congrats) in 10th and finally for most, a Board exam which puts an end to that, clears our concept of "How India was conquered?" and a one line answer to " Why India was conquered?" (definitely due to its enormous wealth). Now, let us focus on the following paragraphs.

Discovery from Discovery of India

While I was going through the book Discovery of India, one of the best written books about India till now, by one of the best men of the world, Jawahar Lal Nehru, in an indigenous way, I discovered this question, Why India was conquered? Unfortunately it varied a lot with what I was taught in my secondary education, and the difference was completely having a profound impact on the way I had thought and the way I had grew. What added to the proof of my perception was an article in the most reputed and perhaps the most clean daily, The Hindu. The article, named "Inaccessible India" written by Rohan Mukherjee dated 13th August, 2013, without any doubt cleared my perverse about the knowledge sharing India. 

In his book, Nehru not only put the conservative Indians who secluded themselves from the rest of the world assuming that not only their culture is the greatest but also their knowledge is. They were so proud of the wealth they possess that only a few Indians bothered to look into the outer world and share knowledge, technology with them. People from nations far away came to India and also hold clergical posts, helped this nation and when went back to their country, went with translated manuscripts for their people. In Baghdad, perhaps a library was established which had a separate section for what their alumni had learned and brought from India. Even in modern days, you visit any library, there will be a massive collection in it which will be Indian. 

But, hail India!!!! What do we have from them, neither you can say nothing nor you can say something. 

From Inaccessible India

While I was having a discussion with one of my Sri Lankan friend on Visa related issue, he made his point that one has to go through relatively tougher rules in case of India as compared to other SAARC nations. I thought that it may be part of his hatred due to the old Tamil and Lankan controversy. But then came this The Hindu article followed by my own amateur research on this issue. Clear enough, we are strict followers and firm believers of "History repeats itself". When Britain denies visa for education we make an outcry so loud that within the next few days it is resolved. Well, vice-versa is not true. Many of them have stopped making any kind of outcry. Tourism visa is so easy to get but visa for internships, research, and accessing Indian article is so tough to get. Universities simply deny to put their outdated research paper on their websites, going digital is strictly against their principles and definitely, in many cases, it has much to do with sentiments of some of the residing sects. 

Let's Import

We all are completely aware of this fact that what inspired Vivekanada the most in his foreign trips, what imprint it had on us when we went global during Ashoka, and what value we lost when we denied to see Britishers as a threat because they were Alien for us and thus, powerless. For me, India was conquered not because it was invaded but because it secluded itself (and most of them still want to practice the same) in its conservative society. Technology it never practiced and never bothered to practice and test. The extent of negligence it showed and still continues to show when it comes to sharing of knowledge, the extent of underestimating one's culture and denying the forward loop it has on the sheer basis of its few backward, and the best part, being cynic to itself when it comes to financial markets and ingenious products. 

I guess sometime, why our other activities do not reflect as that of our financial market, I mean, we import a lot !!!!!!

Vague Feminists

This world starts with a soul statement and will definitely end with that,"Those who are strong will Survive." Many of us don't like this statement in its many contexts, particularly the way this statement puts those who end. 

When this statement is put to the human race , no doubt, analysis tells that it's male which has dominated female till now, and when female, if by any chance has dominated, rivers of  rumours have flown about her, may be about her character or about the way she dominated. Let us put that aside, and focus on this, why the title 'Vague Feminists' and why feminist as controversial? When it comes to female dominance, they have played a key role, no doubt about that.
Then let me be clear :  this is about those, whose role is apocryphal. 

What's Vague

The entire story concludes that a female should take care of household, and a male that of the outer world. This analysis completely supports this idea that a household job is inferior to that of the outer one, and more than that many of the feminist who support female dominated society thinks the same and wants those women to look out of the window, because its so suffocating inside.  Entire issue starts here.
First of all you all feminist missed the boat here itself, I mean, how can you consider household works as business, taking care of family as business, and let us assume for a while that its a business, then definitely there's an exchange, an what is that exchange - respect, a window which you rejected when you said it's suffocating. Many of you simply failed to realise that it was not what she had expected, what she had expected was sympathy, vitality and affirmation. But Alas!!! you feminists made her job (I will use the term job because you yourself say so, a job with no returns, which you consider detrimental) ascetic, a profession whose value only she can understand. It produced a vagueness of outlook, a divorce from outer world of that profession, a credulity. And definitely it was not what she had expected.

O feminists!!! when you criticise being housewive, you actually yourself are adding fuel to the fire, you yourself are adding number to your clans, who, when will get married to a housewife, will compare her to a business-women or any other working women, which she never wanted, again a feeling of insecurity, which you being a feminist, never wanted. You have to understand this fact that it's not a profession so you should never compare this with any profession. This is a sacrifice you should stop, which you should focus on, that it should not become a profession, may be perhaps a hobby.

The respect which you were never able to give her and perhaps with the prevailing situation you will never give her. Perhaps being a feminist you should focus on this:
those who were successful in assuring a paid work are living their life the way they wanted

And

those who became a housewife are living their life the way they wanted. There is no debt to be paid and there is no need of any sacrifice to be made. You create an anti-female society when you encourage your beloved ones to take as many plate as they want in order to finish their meal, without thinking for a second or warning them at the same time that it is she who will wash those plates.

Females : We simply hate being feminist

Now for those, who are particularly working women, I mean, who despite their equal work, are denied equal wages and respect. Often they lose respect because of their own counterparts which is a case to be weighed properly. Wherever I entered and heard any rumour regarding any female, and when I tried to find the root weed, unfortunately, don't know why it turned out to be a female. As if they have accepted their own helplessness. If you yourself admit that you have fallen, it means you are dead. And here I remember Shakespeare ,"Cowards die more than once." 

I am not tagging you as Coward, I am just making my point that if you despise yourself, then even God is not yours !!!

Checking Wrong Corruption

Well let us examine this point, is vigilance active today, more than ever, as it was in its past, the day it was formed? Well, the answer could be yes and those who say NO, will probably be talking about the era before the emergency in India, the result of which the "post Emergency", had profound impact on administration which led to nothing but supine inclination towards supremacy, whatever its form may be. Political and bureaucratic sycophancy increased to such an extent that every policy was nothing more than an economic elixir for those who were the Guardians.

Need of Vigilance
In India Central Vigilance Committee (CVC) was formed in 1964, and the norms of its operations were laid, that it was supposed to work through CBI or through other means, but it was not an investigating agency in itself. Well rules are the same even today and don't expect a Godly power for CBI, when it comes to execution of a case, policy makers and policy executors play their dice. Despite of these drawbacks we should take pride that till now it has arrested many bureaucrats, framed charges against puissant political figures (some positive aspects could be drawn from this), and so many official staffs. The best part about this is that the complaint you put against some government representatives are heard often. But despite its regular performance, which could be justified through news particularly of those which are printed in local press, it has always been considered imbecile. Why? I think its a sixty five thousand dollar question when one digs the causes deep within and the events turn out to be apocryphal.

Hunting down the Wrong Parasites 

Vigilance, the day after it became active, developed a sense of hatred among those who were analysing its impact profoundly and even among those whose analysis were based on anecdotes. The reason, definitely is genuine. Of all the arrests which vigilance made till date, turned the table against them, instead of co-operation from public they beared the blame of turncoats. The reason, obviously, their failure in making the system "Holy". Now, if they are making arrests, whether of low or of those who are considered high (definitely autocratic), even then if they receive such a hospitality, then either the situations and conditions are vague or the results are. But in most of the cases the situations have been proved correct with full backup, then it definitely points to results. Let us look and examine some results.

Most of the public of this great India,young or old, which once had witnessed youths like Khudiram Bose and Bhagat Singh, unfortunately is under the shackles of those who just want their resources for themselves. Most of the population is directly or indirectly involved  in a business which runs on the government's mercy. So if Vigilance arrests public servants like Marketing Officers (who charge Rs. 6 per sack of cereal) or a Block Development Officer (who asks for a percentage in even the Widow pension scheme), then it certainly involves those who are a part of mob, may be just a bit powerful, because a chapati is not cooked with a lone hand, definitely you need the other. Now if you look at those who are arrested for such penalty, they have to pay the Godfathers who are certainly among those or controlling those who are making arrests. And after these arrests, those who belong to the class of being arrested, try to change their living conditions but fail to do so, reason- the unconditional demands from the Godfathers remain unchanged, trying to cope up with what it has lost from these recent arrests.  This sparks their wrath, among those who are arrested and among those who were earning through them, and since they constitute the majority, vigilance is praised only in the media uptill the next very day.

The demand is simple, instead of ruling among the hearts of local newspapers, vigilance should take leap among the nationals also the way today SC has taken in many issues. But alas! those days have become road-not-to-be-taken for Vigilance, may be because it's not autonomous or may be because it doesn't want to. The hatred among the common mob and its authenticity can not be justified but what could be and should be drawn is that CVC can not proceed this way. One example is of an IAS officer who when caught red handed while taking a bribe of Rs. 1 crore in Bangalore, threatened the vigilance officers of filing a case  against them under Harizan act, the blame being an obvious one, that he was being trapped and continuously harassed by them. They had no other option then to turn back because what Harizan act needs is just five witnesses and the ticket is booked for an unknown penalty. What could be drawn from here is, lawmakers have made it so weak that law can not protect itself from being misused.

Example could also be drawn from Indonesia which has emerged as a boisterous democracy where those who are the most powerful and most corrupt, are praying for favour and blessings not from God but from Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi or KPK, which is an anti corruption agency powered with all the desired tools, it has not only investigative powers but it is also empowered to punish culprits with punishments which are congenial to the country so that it can be safe from their milching. Due to KPK's strong hold, police and many others tried to frame charges against its members, but wide public protest in favour of KPK and the rigid behaviour of KPK members, the court came forward and absolved them from all those charges. The juggernaut of KPK in Indonesia after the downfall of terrific military dictator Suharto has changed the course of country to a very large extent, and it has started taking India on HDI parameters one by one.

But the best part is that KPK is the lone player, I suppose, because still Indonesia is 20 ranks behind India in Corruption Perceptions Index. If Indonesia can show its determinacy in reviving itself, then why not India which is enjoying democracy for 60 years.

Hope in the Future

Well with the job index falling in India one could definitely expect a reform. In 2001 the job index or the job proportion (government is to total workforce) was standing around 5.0 in India as compared to near 1.0 in most of the developed countries and in China it was around 1.3. Well it has certainly fallen from 5.0 but not that good even today. What it reflects is that if more no. of people are engaged in private sector when jobs are in required proportions, then definitely the demand for reform will be firmer. The demand for Janlokpal, the recent proposal of CIC for the inclusion of political parties under RTI, the ongoing debates on whether to make CBI a constitutional body or not, digitisation  of public policy and their successful executions like that of PDS in Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and digitisation of Rashtrapati Bhawan, these all are pointing towards a positive future, let us hope not for another crisis in this sector, because its running short.