Ban ki-Moon: We must continue Mahatma Gandhi's battle for equality

Diversity is one of India's most outstanding features. It is home to a mosaic of peoples from different cultures, ethnic groups, religions and languages.

In India and all countries, individuals are born free and equal. People deserve respect, dignity and security regardless of their ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. The United Nations (UN) defends those rights everywhere - north, south, east and west. Development models must reach all groups. Inclusive growth brings shared prosperity. India has already lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and it can bring the benefits of inclusive growth to millions more.

Yesterday, I visited Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat. I was deeply moved by how they are conserving Gandhi's letters and other precious artefacts. And I reflected on our collective responsibility to conserve the spirit of Gandhi's teachings. He confronted many forms of injustice, including against people who were then called "untouchables". His struggle led to the historic resolution banning discrimination based on caste. Today, India has laws that not only enshrine equality, but also take positive steps to address past discrimination. But millions of Dalits, tribals and others still face discrimination, especially the women. In too many communities, religious minorities also suffer. We must continue Gandhi's battle for equality.

Since, as a young diplomat, I visited Raj Ghat many times, whenever VIPs came, I escorted. As Secretary-General and as foreign minister, I paid my own tribute. If politicians, businessmen or scientists, or whatever professions they do, they practise what he said, I think this world will be most harmonious, and there will be no conflict, no corruption.

I just admire, at that time already, he taught us to keep all this. When I went to the Ashram yesterday, again, I was humbled and inspired. Yesterday, in my speech, I told world leaders: "Let his teachings inspire all of us."

The world faces a global pandemic of violence against women. India has a special challenge. The UN will do everything possible to support government efforts to prevent this violence, protect women and punish the perpetrators. I started a global campaign called the "HeforShe" campaign to change mindsets and mobilise men for gender equality. I thank Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi for his support.

No country can advance as long as its women are held back. I have been saying that, while in our world we use lot of different resources, technologies, the least-utilised resource in our human lives is women. More than half the world's population are women. Then it is only natural that if we cannot give more, then at least they should be given equal treatment, equal status. That is why, as Secretary-General, I have been promoting gender equality and empowerment. I am proud to tell you the UN has changed a lot since I became Secretary-General. Lakshmi Puri is now deputy head of UN-Women [United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women]. It was I who established UN-Women. There were some fractured departments, offices, small or big. I just combined all of them together to establish one big huge department: UN-Women. I applaud the many civil society groups across India that work to empower women and minority groups. Two years ago, Justice J S Verma delivered valuable recommendations to end violence against women in India. I count on the government to act on them.

India has long displayed a commitment to gender equality. The world can thank a daughter of India, Hansa Mehta, for replacing the phrase in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It said: "All men are born free and equal." Now, it is changed: "All human beings are born free and equal". How appropriate, how fitting it is.

The third area where I see potential in India is sustainable development. When it comes to sustainable development and climate change, I become much more energised than when talking about security issues, because I see much more possibility and hope in the UN's contribution to sustainable development.

The world is now shaping a new agenda to succeed the Millennium Development Goals. I count on India to engage fully in this process. I welcome "Make in India" - I thought it was "Made in India", now it is "Make in India". It is a very good policy of Prime Minister Modi - this national programme to turn this country into a manufacturing hub of the world. I saw the possibilities of this yesterday in Gujarat at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit meeting. It was really vibrating. I think the whole world is now vibrating with this dynamism and vibration.

But, I would add two words to "Make in India" - "Make it Green in India". What about it? "Make it Green in India".

By respecting the environment, India can grow economically while enjoying greater human progress overall.

Climate action can power growth, reduce poverty, improve health and increase energy security. Renewable energy offers huge business opportunities. Energy efficiency reduces emissions and pollution, while increasing productivity.

This year, the world must seize the chance to achieve a meaningful global agreement at the Paris climate conference. That agreement can trigger large investment flows, spark innovation and push low-carbon technologies into global markets. India can be a major part of this new flow of goods and resources.

India has shown remarkable global leadership from Gandhi's time until today. I applaud India for its commitment to the UN. India is ranked at the top of our troop-contributing countries, our corporate Global Compact members, our contributors to the UN Democracy Fund and many other UN initiatives.

The challenges here mirror our global challenges: poverty, gender inequality, discrimination, environmental degradation, extremism and other security threats. The UN is mobilising countries to rise to these challenges in this, our seventieth anniversary year. 2015 is a time for global action. If we rise to the moment, we can address suffering that has engulfed our planet for too long

Seven innovative steps by Suresh Prabhu to transform Railways' security record

The rail ministry last month launched a mobile application for ensuring safety and security of women passengers in Mumbai suburban trains. That, however, was just the beginning. Union minister for railways, Suresh Prabhu has chalked out at least seven key ideas that will be implemented soon to beef up the poor passenger security record of the railways.

The ministry is planning to create a data bank of criminals and ensuring intelligence gathering in advance. The idea is to track criminals expeditiously and arrest them for trial. Prabhu has already sought help from the forensic departments of multiple state governments for creation of the first-of-its-kind databank for use by Railway Protection Force (RPF) and General Railway Police (GRP).

Prabhu’s office is also busy chalking out a plan to roll out “Mahila Vahini”, a specially-trained force to check crimes against women in railway premises and trains. “A proposal for the creation of the Special Force has been sent to both the Finance Ministry and the Home Ministry , ” Prabhu recently said. The issue needs urgent attention of agencies given the recent rise in instances of attacks on modesty of women.

Also, Indian Railways is already working on installing Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras in passenger coaches and platforms after addressing privacy issues to keep a constant eye on criminal activity. Such electronic surveillance to detect criminal activity has already been deployed successfully in the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) network in the national capital.

Suresh Prabhu recently told a gathering of Director Generals of Police (DGPs) of two dozen states he also intends to use ex-army personnel to manage security on Indian Railways network and infrastructure. He has plans to put in place a mechanism for regular sensitivity training for railway security forces to sensitize them of the passengers safety related issues.

The rail ministry is also mulling working out a mechanism for immediate evacuation and shifting of injured persons from railway premises to hospitals so as to save precious human lives .  The recent spate of accidents on trains, including fire in coaches and derailments, highlight the need for such speedy action in the aftermath of an incident.

Lastly, the Railway Minister is exploring the possibility of imposing on-the-sport fine on the lines of traffic violation fine, in case of any security violation .  The ministry is trying to empower the Train Ticket Examiners (TTEs) to move quickly to get an First Information Report (FIR) booked in case of violations and also address the issue of jurisdictional complexities of forces – RPF, GRP and district police.

Jalan panel submits report on cutting expenses, fund distribution

The expenditure management commission, headed by former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Bimal Jalan, on Saturday submitted its first interim report to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. While the finer details of the report will not be known till Jaitley and his team of policymakers examine it and make it public, the broad proposals suggest ways for the government to reduce administrative costs and disburse funds for various schemes more efficiently.

A senior government official said the commission might submit a few more interim reports to the government, before presenting a final report early next year.

The panel, which includes former RBI deputy governor Subir Gokarn and former finance secretary Sumit Bose, is studying various government schemes, programmes, acquisitions and projects for which the Centre is spending substantially.

The commission is said to have suggested the Centre shouldn't carry forward pending expenditure from a particular year to subsequent ones to show better expenditure or fiscal deficit numbers. Sources say the panel isn't looking at the pros and cons of various programme or criticising the budgetary allocations towards particular schemes.

Rather, it is recommending ways in which the sum allocated can be spent in the most cost-effective manner.

The three broad areas the commission has examined are the delivery mechanism of programmes, the technology being used to implement these, and the accounting methods used by the government.

The government follows the cash-based accounting system, through which income is counted when cash (or a check) is actually received, and expenses are counted when actually paid. An alternative method is an accrual-based system, wherein transactions are counted as they happen, regardless of when the money is actually received or paid.

Officials said the commission has studied the pros and cons of both methods. Their recommendations in this regard, however, couldn't be ascertained.

Jaitley had announced the formation of the commission in his maiden Budget speech, on July 10 last year. "The time has come to review the allocative and operational efficiencies of government expenditure to achieve maximum output," he had said.

The terms of reference of the commission, constituted on September 4 last year, include reviewing all matters related to central government spending, including suggesting space for increased developmental spending and reviewing the budgeting process and norms under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act and suggesting ways to meet a reasonable proportion of spending on services through user charges.

It is also to recommend ways to achieve a reduction in financial costs through better cash management, greater use of information technology and improved financial reporting systems.

THE WAY FORWARD

• Broad proposals suggest ways for the govt to cut administrative costs
   
• Panel has suggested ways to spend budgetary allocation effectively
   
• Delivery mechanisms, technology, accounting methods being studied
   
• Finer details will not be known till FM and team make it public

Not a fine approach, Emphasising hefty fines only enhances corruption

Economists understand that there are essentially two ways to monitor proscribed behaviour. Either supervision can be efficient, and most law-breakers are caught; or enforcement can have giant holes, but those who are caught are given excessively stiff punishments in the hope that this will be a deterrent and affect the gain-loss calculation of potential offenders. Weak states, incapable of proper enforcement, usually take the second route. This has been the state of affairs in India for most of its history. Yet it is being argued that, under the new government at the Centre, India will work towards being a better governed country, and not one that seeks short-cuts. Then why is it the case that the old and discredited method of excessive fines is being emphasised instead?

Several recent changes underline this problem - though not all of them emanate from the central government. For example, it is the National Green Tribunal that has last week imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on individuals seen putting waste, including "religious items" in the Yamuna river. This has understandably caused a great deal of concern - for example, will ashes or flowers both be cause for a fine? There is also a Rs 50,000 fine for throwing "construction material" in the Yamuna. There can be no question that such practices are problematic - but this will likely be a counter-productive measure, if a cleaner river is the objective. What is needed is more careful treatment of sewage - 2,400 million litres of raw sewage flows into the river between Delhi and Agra. This requires institutional intervention, and the building of sewage infrastructure for the rapidly urbanising floodplain.

Other recent suggestions emanating from the government itself are equally problematic. For example, the government has reportedly decided to amend anti-smoking legislation to include an outright ban on the sale of loose cigarettes. The minimum age for smoking has also been raised, from 18 to 21 - although the minimum age was already largely ignored, as is not surprising in a country where many cigarettes are sold through small retailers in the unorganised sector that it is near-impossible to monitor. And the fine for smoking in public is to be raised fivefold, to Rs 1,000 - and even designated smoking areas in restaurants and hotels are to be removed. This will do little but further enable the harassment of small entrepreneurs by agents of the state, especially beat policemen. There is even a suggestion in the draft amendment to the legislation that there be a ban and a hefty fine for spitting tobacco products in public. Paan stains deface this country - but they are near-ubiquitous. The idea that a ban and a fine will change this behaviour reveals a view of state power that needs to be revisited.

One of the most problematic interfaces between the urban Indian and the state is when it comes to traffic offences. The traffic policeman is often viewed as overlooking most offences unless the person committing the offence looks like an easy source of a bribe. This phenomenon will only intensify if the potential bribe becomes larger - as it will, if fines increase. Yet that was planned - even jumping a red light was to lead to a Rs 15,000 fine. The general approach is clear: to use hefty punishments as a method of dissuading wrong-doing. But the simple fact is that, in a country such as India, where the agents of the state do not maintain a good governance record, this will only intensify the harassment and petty corruption that marks law enforcement. It is unfortunate that the current government, which was voted into office on the promise of better but more limited government, has chosen the opposite approach

HDFC Bank, SBI now among top 50 most-valued global banks

Two Indian banks, HDFC Bank and State Bank of India (SBI), now figure in a list of the top 50 global banks in terms of market capitalisation. HDFC Bank, India’s second-largest private lender in terms of asset size, ranks 45th, with a market capitalisation of $39 billion, Bloomberg data show. With a market capitalisation of $38 billion, SBI is ranked 46th.

ICICI Bank, ranked 53rd, is the only other Indian entity to figure in the list of the 100 most valued global banks.

The market capitalisation, or value, of an entity is calculated by multiplying the total number of its shares outstanding by its stock price.

The huge leap in the rankings of Indian lenders is due to a sharp rally in their stocks in the past year. During this period, shares of HDFC Bank gained 50 per cent, while those of SBI nearly doubled. ICICI Bank added about 70 per cent.

A year ago, no Indian bank featured among the 60 most valued global banks. At 65, HDFC Bank had the best ranking among Indian lenders.

The BSE Bankex, a barometer of the performance of banking stocks, has been one of the best-performing sectoral indices in the past year. It gained 75 per cent, against a 33 per cent rise in the benchmark Sensex. The rise in bank stocks was in anticipation of a revival in domestic economic growth, led by a reform push by the new government.

“Expectation that the domestic economy will revive has contributed to gains in the Indian stock market. Monetary policy action and hopes of government reforms have led to an improvement in investor sentiment,” said Vaibhav Agrawal, vice-president (research), Angel Broking.
 

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) tops the list of global banks, with a market capitalisation of $285 billion, over seven times that of HDFC Bank. Chinese banks dominate the list of the top 10 global banks, with Bank of China ($212 billion), China Construction Bank ($208.1 billion) and Agricultural Bank of China ($202 billion) also figuring in the list.

Wells Fargo ($263 billion) and JP Morgan Chase ($205 billion) are other major global banks, ranked second and fifth, respectively.

Experts say no Indian bank figures in the top 10 list because the country’s banking sector is quite fragmented, with a large number of players. “Compared to India, many Asian economies have fewer banks. China, for instance, has only four major banks. This gives an opportunity to these banks to grow in size. Also, the size of the economy is a factor. The economies of China or the US are much bigger in size than India’s,” said Ashvin Parekh, managing partner at Ashvin Parekh Advisory Services.

While the gross domestic product (GDP) of the US, the world’s largest economy, is about $17 trillion and China’s $9.2 trillion, India’s is $1.9 trillion. Analysts say typically, bank assets grow at about two times the economic growth rate.

In terms of asset size, Indian banks have a lot of catching up to do. HDFC Bank, for instance, has assets of $84 billion, only a fraction of ICBC’s $3 trillion. At $400 billion, SBI has the highest assets among Indian lenders, though it is still a far cry from $2.4 trillion, the average asset size of the top five global banks.

Pulse Polio Immunization Programme

President of India Launches Pulse Polio Immunization Programme

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee launched the Pulse Polio Immunization Programme by administering polio drops to children at Rashtrapati Bhavan today (January 17, 2015). The National Immunization Day is scheduled to be held on 18th January, 2015. Children of less than 5 years age will be given polio drops as part of the Government of India’s drive to sustain polio eradication from the region. India has been implementing the Pulse Polio Programme since 1995. In India, the last case of wild polio was reported on January 13, 2011. The South-East Asia region of WHO has been certified on March 27, 2014 as ‘polio free’, meaning that transmission of wild poliovirus has been interrupted in this block of 11 countries including India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste for the last three years. India is mindful of the risks that persist, both on account of indigenous transmission and importation. The risk of importation of wild polio virus from these countries with persistent ongoing transmission still persists and therefore high level of immunity in the population needs to be maintained. The Government of India, therefore, continues to vaccinate children with polio vaccine on the occasion of National Immunization Day (NID) and Sub-NID. Ministry of Water Resources to celebrate 2015-16 as Jal Kranti Varsh The Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ms Uma Bharati today said that the Year 2015-16 will be celebrated as ‘Jal Kranti Varsh (Year)’ across the country. Delivering the valedictory address at the 3rd India Water Week here, she said the programme will be celebrated in each district of the country and all efforts will be made to conserve and save water. She also informed that all the State Governments are on board in this noble mission. Referring to Prime Minister’s call for making Water Conservation a true Public Movement, She said, Centre and States should make joint efforts in this endeavour. Making a strong pitch for the revival of Yamuna, Ms Bharati said, inter-linking of rivers has achieved considerable progress and through Yamuna-Sharada link and Pancheswar project of Nepal, more water will flow in the Yamuna in the coming years. She said, Shri Narendra Modi during his Visit to Nepal in the middle of this year took the Pancheshwar issue with the highest authorities in Kathmandu. The Minister expressed confidence that by next year city of Mumbai will also get drinking water through linking of rivers. On Clean Ganga mission, She asserted that power mafia will be crushed and they will not be allowed to kill the holy river.

Scrap Padmas for sportspersons

The recent controversy stirred by national badminton star Saina Nehwal regarding her non-inclusion in the list of recommendations for the Padma Awards sent by the Ministry of Sports to the Union Home Ministry calls for some serious introspection.

From time to time, the Sports Ministry gets embroiled in some controversy or the other, which sends out a clear message to our countrymen that all is not well with sports. The malady of favouritism, corruption and unfair practices seems to have penetrated deep into the sports arena, which is proving to be malefic to the overall development of sports.

Sportspersons have started knocking on the doors of the courts to seek justice, as was done by Commonwealth gold medallist and pugilist Manoj Kumar who got the Arjuna Award ultimately through the court's intervention. When undeserving sportspersons are recommended and ultimately bag the Arjuna Award, it sends out wrong signals to other sportspersons that not fair play and impartiality, but corruption and favouritism, reign supreme in the Ministry of Sports. The Arjuna Award to little-known squash player Anaka Alankamony for her not-very-significant achievements is a case in point. Despite her not being a national champion in the senior’s league, she was recommended and got the award largely due to the fact that her case was backed by the head of the selection committee. The message sent out to the sports fraternity was loud and clear. Right connections in the selection committee and the Sports Ministry can do wonders.

Saina's grievance that She had been overlooked in the recommendations sent by the Ministry of Sports for the Padma Bhushan to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to be announced on the occasion of Republic Day this year. Instead, twin Olympics medallist  Sushil Kumar was recommended, though he had not completed the mandatory five years hiatus after the award of Padma Shri. He had been awarded the Padma Shri in 2012 and would have been eligible next year whereas Saina, having been awarded the Padma Shri in 2010, was eligible for the award this year.

The fact that the Union Sports Minister chose to concede her demand by announcing that he will recommend her case for the award of Padma Bhushan, even though the letter recommending her case from the Badminton Association of India (BAI) was received by him as late as on 3 January, reflects poorly on the Ministry, which showed itself to be weak-kneed and easily swayed. The damage inflicted to the prestige of the Padma awards by bowing to the wishes of the sportspersons needs to be fathomed by the powers that be.

What is intriguing is the fact that while on the one hand the Sports Minister claims that the letter recommending Saina's name for the award was received by him at his residence on 3 January, the BAI emphatically states that her case for the award was recommended as far back as August last year ~ well before the last date of 20 August set by the Ministry. The BAI had also received confirmation from the Sports Ministry regarding the receipt of the letter recommending her case. If, as claimed by the Sports Minister, the letter was not received earlier, how is it that Saina was told by some official in the Ministry that she had not been recommended, instead of clarifying that her case had not been received in the Ministry till the time the recommendation of Sushil Kumar was sent to the MHA? It is quite evident that either the Sports Minister had been misled or misinformed or a deliberate attempt was made to keep Saina out of reckoning for the award of the Padma Bhushan. The matter calls for an internal probe as to why the Sports Minister was misled and responsibility fixed for taking action against the official concerned for such misdemeanour.

If, as he contends, the recommendation for the award of the Padma Bhushan was received as late as 3 January, the Sports Minister Mr.Sarbananda Sonowal would have been well within the rules to reject the claim of Saina or pass on the letter to the concerned officials of the Ministry for further processing the case and sending a suitable reply to BAI. But he preferred to straightaway recommend her case and throw the ball in the court of the MHA to take a final decision.  The last date for receipt of nominations in the MHA was 15 September 2014. His contention that he was led by his sole motive of encouraging sportspersons in his final decision does not hold much water. Would the heavens have fallen if she was awarded the medal next year and not this year?  By his magnanimous gesture of sending her case to the MHA, Mr Sonowal has opened a Pandora's Box for other sportspersons too to stake their claims for the award. A step in that direction has already been initiated by ace boxer and 2008 Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh who has staked his claim for the award of Padma Bhushan as he feels that his achievements are at par with that of Saina. Will the Sports Minister make an exception this time too and send his case to the MHA for consideration?

It is sad indeed that our sportspersons demand honours for their efforts in the sports arena.  Though Saina avers that she did not demand the Padma Bhushan but merely sought clarification, the fact remains that she publicly aired her grievance. Such demands tend to belittle the awards and even the other deserving recipients as the message sent out to the people of the country is that these awards are there for the asking and all that one need is right connections and influence in the corridors of powers where the recommendations and conferment of these awards are decided.

What is interesting is the fact that those aspiring for these Padma awards are already recipients of the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award and the Arjuna Award, apart from Padma Shri and cash awards of lakhs of rupees. Not that we begrudge them the money, but some of them are lakhpatis and crorepatis considering the amount of cash they get with every medal won in the international events.  Gujarat government has a policy of paying cash award of Rs 5 crore, 3 crore and 2 crore for those who bag gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the Olympics. For the Asian Games medal winners, it is Rs 2 crore, 1 crore and 50 lakh for those who secure the first three positions. Gold, silver and bronze medallists in the Commonwealth Games get Rs 1 crore, 50 lakh and 25 lakh respectively.  In the Nationals, those who clinch the gold, silver and bronze become entitled to Rs 3 lakh, 2 lakh and 1 lakh, respectively.

The Haryana government's sops are more alluring. An Olympics gold medallist gets Rs 6 crore, a silver medallist Rs 4 crore and a bronze medallist becomes entitled to Rs 2.5 crore. These cash rewards are apart from the handsome amounts given by the Sports Ministry to all medal winners of various international events. Consequent to her raising the issue of non-payment of incentive amounts by the Telangana government on Tweeter, Saina was paid the amount along with others by the government last year.

Since the sportspersons of our country have a separate set of awards, that is, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award and the Arjuna Award apart from the other awards doled out by the States, the Ministry of Home Affairs could seriously consider keeping out sportspersons from the list of awardees of Padma Awards. Some of the more prominent sportspersons may in the years ahead go on to receive the Dhyan Chand Award for life time achievements and/or even the prestigious Dhronacharya Awards for training other sportspersons who bag medals in the international arena.

If it is still felt that prominent sportspersons need to be given due recognition by conferment of the Padma Awards, it should be done in very exceptional cases, rather than as a rule, and that too after due consideration to their contribution to the sports and to the country as a whole over a period of decades, rather than for a few years. Now that the portals to the award of Bharat Ratna have been opened to sportspersons too, this most prestigious award should be awarded to legends like Dhyan Chand as has been done in the case of Sachin Tendulkar. Had better sense prevailed among the powers that ruled the country after Independence, Dhyan Chand could have been honoured with the highest civilian award during his life time and the nation thus expressed its gratitude to him for his incredible and peerless contribution to the nation and the game. Better late than never, not just the sportspersons but the whole nation will laud the government if the hockey legend is honoured at the earliest.