EDITORIAL

Friends
As usual October shall mark the completion of one more year of useful existence of ISSUES & CONCERNS. Yes, we are completing 9 years of our eventful foray into the world of print media.
In retrospect, its been indeed very satisfying that despite innumerable hurdles we have been able to sustain and grow. Lot of kind souls reverted back to us with accolades echoing sentiments of participative spirit. Although such kind souls have been many, we will be failing in our duty, if we do not mention by name one such soul who reached out magnificently. We have been sending complimentary copies to lot of prospective readers, with the hope that they may participate as subscribers. Yes, some did early, some did late and some never did. Our Bangalore representative Shri Sanath Kumar Punja, had given us a list of 50 gentlemen from the Bangalore Bunts Directory, which to our good fortune, included the name of retired Honourable Supreme Court Justice Jagannath K. Shetty. His, no holds barred, approbation of our commitments to the objectives of I&C has really bucked us up. Coming from the judicial luminary of his probity and eminence, was no less than a testimonial for all that we have been doing for all these 9 years. But the icing on the cake was when we called on Justice Shetty at his Bangalore residence. We were truly humbled by his graciousness and large heartedness. At the end of our exchange of thoughts of over an hour on issues and concerns, we were left speechless by one of his incredibly noble gesture. He handed over a cheque of Rs. 25,000/- for our child centric reach out programmes, a generosity we never expected. Justice Shetty shall be remembered for all time to come at I& C. We invoke almighty god to grant him good health and long life for years to come.
Month began rather very shockingly. YS Rajashekara Reddy, the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, died under tragic circumstances, in a copter crash. The death has left many questions unanswered and a mammoth trail of uncertainties. Most important being that of a successor to the Chief Minister’s ‘Gaddi’. It is true Rosaiah has taken over as acting CM and may be even continued for sometime, with Jaipal Reddy declining the offer. Having known the power that YSR acquired over a period, whether rightly or wrongly, it is only to be expected that, his untimely death, can only make his progeny think of taking over the reins of the state. The money clout acquired by the family being what it is, for son Jaganmohan Reddy, the first time M.P., supported by the boneless wonders in A.P. Congress, it would have been fairly a cake walk. Even Mr Moily, the Union Law Minister in his wisdom thought and has reportedly favoured the junior Reddy to take over the AP stewardship. In the event, only the Congress President could stem the sycophancy shrill of MLAs supporting Jagan Reddy. While Congress President needs to be commended for her unequivocal stand, its shocking that the oldest political party seriously lacks the democratic approach in coming to some kind of consensus based on proper debates in such circumstances. Coming to the untimely accidental death of YSR, there have been under currents of feelings coming to the fore from certain sections of society who were at the receiving end of some of his controversial steps. Whatever transpired that prompted former Chief Minister Chandra Babu Naidu to say what he said, gave grist to the unpopular side of the man. He has, as reported in a Mumbai based English News paper, stated. "The CM-YS Rajasekhara Reddy would face the wrath of Lord Balaji as he remained indifferent to the sacrilegious acts being committed in Tirumala, the Lord’s abode. Lord Balaji is very powerful. Anyone who swindles the Lord’s funds or tries to deceive him by any means has not prospered. This is a proven historical fact." This appeared in the print media on 30th Aug, and YSR went missing on 2nd Sept. How do we react to this is a wide open question.
Although the scrapping of the Xth std examination by Union Minister Kapil Sibal can be taken positively on its face value, the CBSE students, per se, are not likely to be benefited greatly by this ‘reform’ move. These students in CBSE classes are generally of better IQ and are endowed with better infrastructure, and hence did not suffer much the inadequacy of the present state system. Reform, if any, is required in the state schools, where vast majority of students are going to government and non government schools where exams are controlled and conducted by the government. It is here that these students are exposed to vagaries of the examination, which rewards learning by rote. Beside the individual idiosyncrasies of question paper setters, the marking by the ‘learned’ teachers have come into sharp focus these days for its wayward handling by government functionaries. It is here that contemplating doing away with examination system and replacing it with grading system can have far reaching positive spin offs. Mr. Sibal shall do well to look into this. It can surely win him the goodwill of millions of students.
Reports about Chinese intracigence in border areas of both Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh have been appearing in the print media in recent days fairly frequently. The country is also privy to the response by the Indian government. If one has left us with impotent rage, rightly or wrongly, the other has left us little dumb and a bit shocked. Yes we do have an on going unresolved dispute with China regarding our border in the north and in the east. Its also true that general public are not privy to the details of periodic discussion both governments are having. Hence it is difficult to truly come to a concluded state of thinking. A kind of a last word on the issue too may be difficult for varieties of geo-political reasons. According to some available details, the present Arunachal Pradesh was a satalite area of Tibet prior to 1910, and Tibet was under the Chinese Kingdom during that time. Of course, no details are available how Tibet came under the rule of Chinese dynasty. Probably this explains why Chinese government is unhappy about Dalai Lama visiting Buddhist monastery in Arunachal Pradesh. Since border markings for India is the legacy of Britishers, how the issue has to be handled is a very tricky one. Like China has usurped many areas not really belonging to them, British too have done the same thing, probably thinking British sun may never set in India.
Under the circumstances, Indian pubic should really be told the official position of the country vis-à-vis, the Chinese incursion and attempts at brow beating Indian army in border areas. However it is heartening to note that there have been unpublcised troop movement to the border areas facing Chinese chickenery.
While on the subject, the visit by Karnataka Chief Minister and his party scouting for investments from China raises many questions. Ever since 1965 war with China and India

lost rather badly due to poor preparedness, China has always been our adversary. It continuously developed proximity with Pakistan and helped Pakistan both financially and militarily to the detriment of India. China even helped create port facilities in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to the extreme discomfiture of Indian defence forces. It has active presence in Burma and slowly inching its way into Nepal. If former defence minister George Fernandes has stated some years ago that China is India’s enemy No.1 he was not far from truth. The latest being the article by a Chinese strategist who floated the idea of balkanising India into many states so that China shall have no challengers to its Super Power status. Hence who advised and what prompted Mr. Yediurappa & Co. to go to China pleading for investment is a question nobody in the media has asked. Can somebody from Bangalore come up with some convincing explanation?
Suddenly there have been flurry of print media news on the ill gotten stashed away fund in tax havens. Union Government at New Delhi has started issuing statements to press for whatever it is worth, giving some indication that finally some degree of seriousness has dawned on the functioneries in New Delhi’s corridors of power. According to available report, Finance Ministry is likely to begin in December, its first round- after dragging its feet for too long - of consultation with the Swiss Government. Since there is a huge vested interest from the likely to be affected persons, whole exercise is likely to have a bumpy ride, since officials who shall be following up paper work, are for a good part buyable products. They are already talking of difficulties in prosecuting the offenders.
Here it is very important for the government to realize that, U.S has forced its way to pressure the Swiss authorities to part with some 5000 names of its nationals who’s list they had provided. Following U.S was France which too forced Union Bank of Switzerland to part with details of 3000 accounts of its nationals. There’s a clear lesson for India to learn. If there is will there is a way, is an old English saying. It is true for all times and is an universal truth. The current party in power, the Congress, is in the know of many crucial infor mation which can lead to UBS succumb. But the political will stymied by crass selfishness is the biggest stumbling block for it to come clean. Recently there was public reference in print media about the Pune based horse-breeder cum hawala operator, who is said to have laundered billions of rupees in black money belonging to some influential who’s who, close to politicians and the party in power. There are other information’s as well with Enforcement Directorate, which are not available for public consumption. Only way to make these mandarins to perform is to pressure through media, especially electronic. But would Rajdeep Sarderai, who had shown 50 times the ‘kissing episode’ ‘live’ involving Irfan Pathan, would have time for such ‘inane’ issues?
In our last issue we had commented "what has religion to do with the crookedness of an individual" while discussing the sister Abhaya murder case. We have another similar case of Ex-king Gyanendra’s wayward son Paras and fugitive Dawood Ibrahim joining hands in pushing crores of fake currency notes into India. Living deviant and decadent lifestyles, these so-called royals and their criminal associates have to have recourse to easy money to live their life 'King Size’. What better way than to print fake notes of a country where law can be an ass and its stringency is a matter of interpretation and application dependent on many factors of power and powerlessness. The Nepalese prime Minister recently spoke to Indian press where he reiterated that, he will never allow Nepalese soil to be used against India by any criminal groups. But the associates of this worthless criminal minded Paras were one Yusuf Ansari, son of a Nepalese Minister as well as one Majid Manihar a close friend of slain Nepalese don turned M.P., Mirza Dilshad Baig. Common factor is their anti Indianness supported by ISI, and Paras is a stateless operator, probably holding a Nepalese passport. Hope the incumbent Nepalese Prime Minister lives up to his word.
The newspaper report "With Governor’s nod, failed BDS student gets another chance" made amusing reading. Karthikeyan Gokul Chandran could have been any faceless Indian student, who would have done not so well in his final examination and therefore declared failed. But fortunately for him his father happened to be an IPS and the current Karnataka IB chief, with close proximity to RajBhavan. And the present occupant of RajBhavan, HR Bharadhwaj a lawyer and former Law Minister of UPA government at Delhi did not find anything illegal or unlawful in asking the university (RGUHS) to constitute a special committee to look into and report back in a week’s time, so that the student can be re-examined. It is true that most sources, including a former V.C of Bangalore University Dr.Thimmappa were aghast at the unprecedented gubernatorial intervention with procedural harakiri. Isn’t it the same governor who admonished recently the incumbent government in Bangalore on law and order and other issues, allegedly more to do with politics rather then law and order. Now how would bosses at the High command look at this proverbial fence eating the grass syndrome by one of their own and chosen, is to be seen.
In India some get eternally transferred in quick succession. Some get transferred around their terms of 2/3 Years. But some never get transferred. ‘I Scratch your back and you scratch my back’ is a time tested principle when it comes to transfers. There are always rule to be applied as per rules. But then there are also exceptions allowed to be made according to the need of situations. Thus all rules are meant to be enforced and broken at all times. If you don’t suite the administrative need of your seniors, bosses, politicians etc., you get transferred. But you also stay as long as the terms of reference are convenient to both, the transferee and transferor. There are instances where a person has not stayed even as short as 24 hours. Then there are person staying for 24 years and more. Recently there was this report on DG/IGPs office in Bangalore, the staying power of some of the staff. According to the report there are some 69 personnel who stayed put in this office ranging from 10 to 30 years, flouting all transfer rules. These semi permanent / permanent residents, reportedly are infamous for malpractices in the department. The term ‘malpractices’ is an euphemism for ‘scratch back’terms of reference where accommodation is mutual. But can any human enterprise completely avoid such state of affairs?
Karnataka has always been in the forefront when it came to computer education, thanks to I.T revolution. It was one of the early state governments which took I.T revolution to its rural schools and made rural students computer skilled. Development after all, is to enjoy its fruits right there, where you were born, grown and schooled. Yes, the latest initiative by the Karnataka government, has brought the BPOs to villages. Supported by the government, the BPO, Mpro solutions, has started its operations in the village Baburayanakoppal near Srirangapatna some 150 kms from Ba

ngalore. Karnataka government deserves to be congratulated for this unique and pathbraking initiative.
The real herbinger of the rainy season, the South West monsoon may not be around in less than two hundred years, is an alarming news. The study reportedly conducted by the IITM (Indian Instt of Tropical Meteorology) has indicated such a possibility, going by the study of the phenomena of climate change the world over. The current deficient rain is said to be indicative of the situation to come in the days ahead. The disturbed level of temperature between sea and land appears to be slowly increasing, leading to decreasing rain level which may altogether stop in another 150 or so years, according to IITM report. No doubt, most nations are concerned about the climate change that is taking place with increased pace unlike earlier years. One of the measures considered is the use of low-carbon technologies. But according to London School of Economics the cost of these technologies shall be almost 5 times that of introducing measures to curb population. Meaning thereby pressure on land due to population increase, which causes irrepairable damages to the environment and therefore climate change, is the major culprit. Therefore measures to decrease global population coupled with the low carbon technology in our daily life may after all save the world from the vagaries of 'Armageddon'. Yes, if all behave responsibly, reversing the climate change should not be a major problem. But the issue is, how many of us, whether at individual level or at government level are truly concerned and behave and act in a responsible way?
In the light of what Prime Minister Man mohan Singh has said about the severity of challenge posed by Naxalites, the revised package for surrender and rehabilitation policy need to be commended up- front. It is now being increasingly recognized, if not officially accepted, that violence-both from Naxals and the state-is not really taking us anywhere. We are in a bit of limbo. Like one of the interlocutors stated to NDTV the other day, that there has got to be two pronged approach simultaneously by the state. The state has to start with meaningful developmental steps that can bring about fence sitters among Naxal sympathizers back to the mainstream, so also those who are disillusioned with the violence prone movement. State should at the same time improve the fire power of state machinery without the free- run for fake encounters, so that the force can remain alive without becoming victims of ambushes and gorilla tactics of naxalites. Under the circumstances, the proposal by the central government is really welcome. The government has fixed a monthly stipend of Rs.2000/- for a period of 36 months with an immediate grant of Rs.1.5 lakh kept as bank deposit for 3 years with incentives for surrendering weapons. To oversee and to ensure that it reaches the real beneficiary, and not a turn-coat, the state has created committees with police and other officials. However, involving people like Dr.Binayak Sen
would really lend lot of credibility to the government move. Something the government should think, rather than go by its own wisdom, for the eventual success of the package.
First it was ‘Pranayam’ , then it was ‘Surya Namaskar’, then ‘Bhojan Mantr’ and now its ‘Rashtra Rishi’. Something is not quite OK with Madhya Pradesh government. On the face of it, the whole exercise of enforcing these rituals in schools across the state, look really whimsical, since none of these are going to be of any help to students in improving their skills or standard of their education. If non - Hindus accuse the government of their so-called Saugh Parivar agenda, they cannot be faulted. Yoga is indeed good for the development of both mind and body, but in a country like India, with accusations of all kinds are flying, back and forth, from all and sundry, it is best left to students to opt for ‘Pranayaam’ and ‘Surya Namaskars’. But ‘Bhojan Mantr' and now 'Rashtra Rishi' are sure to drive one nuts. Govt. at Bhopal should apply its efforts at more developmental issues like better infrastructure in schools than these irritating moves.
The report that "US to accept Iran’s offer of negotiation" is a welcome development. Ahmednejid for all his "Friday congregation type speech" has shown some political sagacity by offering to talk with U.S. On its part, U.S too didn’t waste time in responding to it. However, to make Nuclear issue as central to such talk is to derail the train even before the journey began. What’s important is to, walk-the-talk, and keep talking until some breakthrough is achieved. By insisting an talking on sensitive issues at the outset itself is to put the other side on defensive. And once the other side is on the defensive, it becomes difficult to make them flexible. One of the reasons, that talk with Pakistan never made any headway was only because, they kept Kashmir as central to all talks. With so much suspicion and uncertainty on the ground it is important that U.S intiates a flexible and friendly approach to start with. Hope U.S. do not try to brow-beat Iran with a Big Brother attitude.
There was this huge uproar by some political parties, repeated time and again, about the release of some hard core Harkat-ul-Mujahdeen operatives, Mohd.Azar and others, against the exchange for the release of IA aircraft at Kandahar. The then government of NDA at Centre had little choice, partly due to its own security bungling, except to release these convicts in Indian jail to get the entire contingent of 192 men, women and children, some of them foreigners, who were travelling in the illfated flight. So, here saving of some two hundred lives that was at absolute risk, was far more important than the punishment of these dreaded criminals. Unlike what Britain and Scotland did, only to save some huge business opportunity. Quoting agencies, a London datelined news informs, that Britain, Scotland and Libya connived to free the Lockerbie bomber Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, who was responsible for the death of 270 people. Three doctors allegedly paid by Libya gave a certificate that Megrahi, suffering from terminal prostate cancer shall live for only 3 months. A criminal/prisoner can be set free, according to Scottish law, if he has only 3 months or less to live, on compassionate ground. However independent sources informed that he could have lived for at least 10 months. But Britain, worried, if the prisoner dies in jail, there was a possibility that the Libya Investment Authority with some £ 83 billion to invest in UK would not have opened its office in London, as Libya had threatened. Hence sending the prisoner back alive was very important for the business interest of U.K. At least India negotiated animate lives of 192 passengers rather than
he inanimate business deal, which prompted U.K. to release a terrorist.
The news report "Kerala to set up Islamic Bank", has not really caused any ripples in any circle, least in the media. Frankly speaking it is not a comfortable thought. That it's capital going to be Rs.1000/- crores and that Kerala government in principle have cleared it, is certainly no music at all. Money is honey no doubt, and is needed in all activities, development and otherwise. However Kerala has been a place where questionable activities of some anti-national groups were going on for quite sometime, some with national ramifications. All these activities were also known to have been funded from across the Arabian Sea, especially sympathizers from the gulf states: Don't we read from Pakistani media that all organisations run by Hafiz Said are doing social work in Pakistan, and funding they are receiving in Pakistan is therefore valid. But these outfits are engaged in only anti-India activites. It is in this context that setting up of Islamic Bank becomes a matter of concern. Finance Minister Thomas Issac who informed the Kerala Assembly, the imminent setting up of such a bank need to talk to another Keralite, a Mr.Clean, A.K.Anthony , the Union Minister of Defence, who has his own take on issues concerning Kerala. Hope the government in Trivendrum shall peruse all relevant issues before arriving at any decision on the said bank.
That Pakistan is a deceitful country should never be in doubt. It dilly dallied for all the 10 months that have gone by in not making Hafiz Said accountable for his role on 26/11 Mumbai attack. Their modus operendi has been that they went to the market screaming there is no solid proof of his role in the Mumbai attack. However, smarting under the intense pressure by the Home Minister P.Chidambaram and his counter parts in the U.S., govt. in Pakistan is relenting. The arrest of Saeed is on the cards. However Islamabad, being a friend of this JuD Chief is dragging its feet to delay the inevitable. It looks, according to some sources, that game is up for Saeed. New Delhi datelined report quotes, Timothy J Roemer, the U.S ambassador to India that "Swift and Lengthy punishment for six suspects, including Saeed, of Mumbai attack in Pakistan is important for both the U.S. and India". Hope it does happen.
Then you have this 'La Affair AQ Khan' of illegal nuclear technology transfer deals with rogue states like North Korea, Libya and Iran. In a recent TV interaction aired in Washington he has reportedly stated that "Pakistani officials along with him had guided Iran to a network of suppliers to advance its covert nuclear programme, since Iran was an important Muslim country". Accusing Musharaf of forcing him to confess that he sold Pakistan's nuclear secrets to others, he remarked that "I never sold any secret to anyone, but Musharaf will sell Pakistanies in exchange for dollars". He even demanded that Musharaff should be tried for crimes, including murder. So you have a former Pakistani army general cum former President being publicly accused of wrong doing by a technocrat who himself has stolen nuclear secrets from his employers in Arnsterdam in 1976 and helped Pakistan develop nuclear capability. U.S. still accuses him to be a "Proliferation Risk". He was convicted in abstention by a court in Netherland for stealing nuclear designs. So whom do we trust, a disgraced President or a disgraced scientist. And mind you, over 70% Pakistanis want Musharaff punished. Incidentally both are Indian born, one in Delhi and the other in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Now Musharaf has spilled the beans. Reportedly admintted that he has diverted the American aid to fight terror and instead used it againist India. A fact always known but never openly admitted. But unfortunatly U.S. as usual didn't bother and agreed on a fresh aid package, That is international politics of big powers, putting one against the other in their own selfish interest.
Increasing media partisanship appears to have come to stay. This needs to be fought, since they apparently represent and promote some veiled thought process. This is certainly not good for the promotion of peaceful society. We have tried to discuss the issue of media intolerance under Focus, along with the recent controversy of identity politics. Hope readers would find it worth their time. Kindly revert with your inputs-both positive and negative, if any. Rest of issue are as usual.