Parrikar Gets a Glimpse of Navy’s Operational Capability on Western Seaboard

MiG 29K Aircraft Carry out Manoeuvres from INS Vikramaditya BrahMos Fired from INS Kolkota Hits Target with Precision

The Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar today said the Indian Navy must remain a superior Force in the Indian Ocean Region and the Government will give all support to the Navy so that it becomes a truly Blue Water Navy. Addressing the sailors and officers of the INS Vikramaditya after witnessing two days’ of Theatre Readiness Operational Level Exercise (TROPEX-2015), off the coast of Goa in the Arabian Sea, Shri Parrikar said his stay on board INS Vikramaditya has helped him understand many a difficult situations that the Defence Forces especially sailors and officers of the Indian Navy face while ensuring the safety and security of the nation. TROPEX provides the Navy a valuable opportunity to validate its concept of operations and integration of new acquisitions with the Fleet. Shri Parrikar was accompanied by the Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh, the Chief Minister of Goa, Shri Laxmikant Parsekar, the Chief Naval Staff, Admiral RK Dhowan and Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command Vice Admiral AK Chopra. The two completely networked fleets of the Indian Navy- the Eastern and the Western- were kept widely dispersed across seas in the Indian Ocean, operating in a dense electronic environment to match their professional and technical proficiency. All the operations were facilitated by a robust and seamless communication network, including satellite communications under the Navy’s overall thrust on Network Centric Operations, aligned with the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Digital India’. Shri Parrikar also released a postage stamp commemorating the indigenous Naval communication satellite Rukmani, which is a dedicated Naval satellite, taking the Navy to the step in achieving complete digitisation of communications. The Stamp Release which took place on board the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya was relayed live to naval units at sea, as well as to Maritime Operations Centres ashore. Rukmani has been pivotal in ensuring seamless connectivity between the triad of surface, sub-surface and air platforms of the Navy. New weapons, sensors, communication systems and tactics were being tested and tried to optimize the net combat power of the fleets. Over forty surface combatants of various classes including the two aircraft carriers (Vikramaditya and Viraat), submarines including the INS Chakra, a large number of aircraft and UAVs are participating in the exercise. As would be the case in any operation of the twenty first century, the exercise had a jointmanship element of IAF with participation by aircraft such as Sukhois, Mirages and Jaguars. During the embarkation, the dignitaries were provided an overview of the multi-dimensional capabilities of the Indian Navy. The Navy demonstrated multiple facets of operations during the period which encompassed a variety of weapon firings, MiG 29K and Sea Harrier operations from the two aircraft carriers, integration of the P8I aircraft with fleet, and operations by the Navy’s Marine Commandos. Notably, after many years, the Navy has deployed two Carrier Task Forces during the exercise. The Defence Minister also witnessed a successful and impressive vertical launch of the Brahmos, supersonic long range anti- shipping cruise missile, from the recently commissioned stealth destroyer INS Kolkata, a major milestone in itself. This was particularly satisfying as the launch of the missile was an affirmation of our indigenous weapon capabilities. In pursuit of the Navy’s thrust to inspire the young generation, 30 NCC cadets from 8 Karwar NU NCC embarked onboard INS Mumbai and witnessed the operations. Two of these cadets also got an opportunity to be transferred at sea to INS Vikramaditya by ‘Jackstay’ – an evolution wherein ships transfer men and material between them. Shri Parrikar hoped this practice will be continued with larger number of cadets being given exposure to the ways of our Forces so that they understand their valour and inspire them to join the Navy, Army and Air Force in large numbers. Shri Parrikar’s embarkation provided the Navy an opportunity to re-emphasise the Indian Navy’s readiness, whilst showcasing the high levels of motivation and professionalism of the officers and men who man the Navy’s ships, submarines and aircraft. Whereas the quick integration of new ships was a reflection of the Indian Navy’s high standards of professionalism in operations and training, the sustenance of potency and combat efficiency of a couple of surface combatants over a few decades old, reflected the Indian Navy’s sound maintenance practices and technical prowess. The transformation of the Indian Navy to a future- ready network- enabled force was epitomised in the operations room of INS Vikramaditya, the Flag ship of the Western Fleet. The power of a networked force was demonstrated as operational plots and pictures from remote sensors were transferred and collated, in a flash, to present a comprehensive picture of the battle- space and effect optimal use of the weapons on board the various potent ships. A critical part of Anti- Missile Defence being Surface to Air Missiles (SAM), the Defence Minister witnessed the successful interception of a fast, low flying, Surface to Surface missile by a SAM. A clear dark night laid an ideal setting for this demonstration of precision targeting. Shri Parrikar also witnessed a full scale air power demonstration from INS Vikramaditya and INS Viraat with MiG 29 Ks, Sea Harriers, Seakings, UH3H, ALHs and Chetaks participating. The recently acquired MiG 29Ks proved their mettle by showing the STOBAR operations including the bombing runs. Shri Parrikar was also shown the reputed professionalism of the MARCOS as they carried out a demonstration of insertion and extraction in the middle of the ocean by slithering. During this battle, the Defence Minister also witnessed, first hand, the potency of the upgraded Sea Harriers particularly in the networked environment. In addition to operational activities, various in-house innovations and efforts towards increased indigenisation were also presented to the RM, which helped showcase the Navy’s efforts towards self-reliance. TROPEX 2015 will continue over the next few days and the successful missile launches and interceptions, uninterrupted seamless operations in a networked condition with BVR interceptions herald the emergence of a capable and potent `future ready` Indian Navy.

Text of PM’s address

Text of PM’s address at the concluding Sesquicentennial Function of the Advocates’ Association of Western India

सभी आदरणीय Judges, बार के सभी मित्रों, देवेंद्र जी ने तो गर्व के साथ कहा कि वे भी किसी बार से जुड़े हुए हैं लेकिन मैं बार के बाहर हूं। लेकिन बार के बाहर का लाभ मिलता रहता है। मुझे आज जीवन में पहली बार मुंबई हाईकोर्ट के परिसर में जाने का सौभाग्य मिला। वैसे अच्छा है वहां जाना न पड़े। और वहां एक म्यूजियम का लोकार्पण करने का मौका मिला। मैं मोहित भाई और उनकी पूरी टीम और विशेषकर के श्रीमान जयकर जी का हृदय से अभिनंदन करता हूं कि उन्होंने एक उत्तम काम किया है। स्वभाव से हम हिंदुस्तान के लोग History conscious नहीं है। हो सकता है हमारी मूलभूत आध्यात्मिक Philosophy का प्रभाव रहा होगा। लेकिन History conscious न होने के कारण हमने बहुत कुछ गंवाया है। ये छोटा सा प्रयास भी, जो भी उस म्यूजियम को देखेगा उसको भारत की न्याय परंपरा की अनेक-अनेक पहलू, इस परंपरा से जुड़े हुए मनीषी औऱ इस व्यवस्था का कहां से प्रारंभ हुआ, कहां तक पहुंचे उसकी पूरी यात्रा का एक छोटा से प्रयास है। मैं जरूर चाहूंगा कि भविष्य में, खासकर के लॉ के विद्यार्थी उस म्यूजियम को देखें, बारीकी से उसको समझने का प्रयास करें, और अपने आप को भी उस गौरवपूर्ण परंपरा में कभी न कभी कदम रखने का अवसर मिलने वाला है, और कितना बड़ा दायित्व है उसका अहसास करे, तब मुझे लगता है कि जिस क्षेत्र में वो जा रहा है, जिस Profession में वो जा रहा है। उस Profession की क्या ऊंचाई है, कितनी महान परंपरा है, कितने श्रेष्ठजनों का उसमें योगदान है। उसके साथ वो अपने-आप को जोड़ सकता है और उस अर्थ में मैं सोच सकता हूं कि ये प्रयास अभिनंदनीय है। मैं प्रार्थना करूंगा कि इसका कोई Digital version भी बने और ये प्रदर्शनी online भी किसी को देखना हो, तो शायद काम आए। दुनिया में अधिकतम देश ऐसे हैं कि जहां म्यूजियम को समाज-जीवन का एक महत्वपूर्ण हिस्सा माना गया है और हर व्यवस्था में म्यूजियम को महत्व को समझा गया है। म्यूजियम के क्षेत्र में पढ़ाई करने वाले लोगों का भी आदर-सत्कार होता है। इन दिनों China में बहुत बड़ी मात्रा में म्यूजियम बनाने का काम चल रहा है। हर वर्ष बहुत बड़ी मात्रा में नए म्यूजियम वहां आ रहे हैं, और वो अपनी पुरानी विरासत के साथ नई पीढ़ी को जोड़ रहे हैं। आधुनिक Technology का उपयोग करते हुए कर रहे हैं। भारत के पास तो संजोना, संवारने के लिए क्या कुछ नहीं है। हमें भी कभी न कभी हमारी इस महान विरासत के प्रति गर्व के साथ जुड़ना होगा और आने वाली पीढ़ी को इस महान विरासत को देने का प्रयास हो, ये प्रयास करना होगा। और इसलिए मैं मानता हूं कि इस उत्तम काम के लिए मुंबई हाईकोर्ट हृदय से अभिनंदन के अधिकारी हैं। बार एसोसिएशन के 150 साल, एक छोटा कालखंड नहीं है, एक बड़ा कालखंड है ये। मैं नहीं जानता हूं कि इस पूरे वर्ष भर क्या-क्या कार्यक्रम हुए, किन-किन चीजों को प्रस्तुत किया गया लेकिन 150 साल का इतिहास अपने-आप में कितनी बड़ी घटना होगी, कैसे-कैसे बदलाव आए होंगे, कैसे-कैसे ठहराव आए होंगे, कैसे-कैसे उतार-चढ़ाव आए होंगे। अगर उसे एक History के रूप में बार में तैयार हुआ होता या किया गया होगा तो मेरी तरफ से बधाई। लेकिन ये विरासत छोटी नहीं है और मैं देख रहा था कि राव जी इतना रिसर्च करके आए थे और इतनी गहराई से कब शुरू हुआ, कैसे शुरू हुआ, कितने-कितने लोग उसमें जुड़े और एक-एक नाम सुनते कितना गर्व हुआ और आप भी कह सकते हैं, “मैं उस बार में हूं जहां कभी महात्मा गांधी हुआ करते थे, मैं उस बार में हूं जहां कभी सरदार वल्लभ भाई पटेल जुड़ा करते थे।“ आप कल्पना कर सकते हैं ये अपने-आप में कितनी बड़ी गर्व की बात होती है और यही चीजें हैं तो व्यक्ति के जीवन में प्रेरणा देती हैं। कभी कोई labour union बनाएं हैं तो समझ सकते हैं कि कुछ मांग करने के लिए होगा। लेकिन 150 साल पहले इस legal profession का Association क्यों बनाया गया होगा। ये यूनियन तो है नहीं। “हमारी मांगें पूरी करो, फलां-फलां मुर्दाबाद” - ये तो कोई आपका क्षेत्र नहीं है। मैं अनुमान करता हूं, मेरा कोई अध्ययन नहीं है। राव जी जरा उस पर अच्छी तरह प्रकाशित कर सकते हैं। मैं अनुमान करता हूं कि उस समय के महापुरुषों ने जो इस कल्पना को किया होगा उसके मूल में ये Profession के लोग मिलकर के Qualitative change के लिए ये Dynamic रूप से ये किस प्रकार निरंतर काम करते रहे, अपने आप को well-equipped कैसे कर सकें और अधिक ज्ञान को प्राप्त करने के लिए सामूहिक चिंतन-मनन का गहन कैसे प्राप्त हो। वो एक उत्तम आदर्शों के लेकर के इस परंपरा का प्रारंभ हुआ होगा। अकेले अगर कोई वकील हुए होते तो कोई वकालत करते होते तो शायद देश को जितने उत्तम महापुरुष मिले बार में से वो शायद न मिले होते। ये इतने महापुरुष शायद इसलिए मिले होंगे कि सामूहिक रूप से न्याय और अन्याय की बहस हुई होगी। देश को गुलाम क्यों रहना चाहिए इसकी चर्चा हुई होगी, भीतर एक आग पैदा हुई होगी। और तभी सनत को छोड़कर के जो औरों को जेल जाने से बचाने के लिए जिंदगी खपा रहे थे खुद ने जेल में जिंदगी गुजारकर के देश को आजादी दिलाने के लिए जिंदगी खपाई। ये छोटी बात नहीं होगी और देश की आजादी के आंदोलन को हम देखें - दो लोगों का सबसे अधिक उसमें Contribution नजर आता है। दो परंपरा से जुड़े हुए लोग। एक Legal Profession से आए हुए लोग और दूसरे शिक्षा के क्षेत्र से आए हुए लोग। इन दो क्षेत्रों से आए हुए लोगों ने आजादी के आंदोलन का नेतृत्व किया, आजादी के आंदोलन को ताकत दी। हम कल्पना कर सकते हैं उस समय जब अंग्रेजों का जुल्म चलता होगा अगर Legal Profession के लोग हिंदुस्तान के सामान्य नागरिक के साथ कंधे से कंधा मिलाकर नहीं खड़े हुए होते, तो इस युद्ध में कौन उतरता। आजादी की लड़ाई के लिए जो सैनिक निकले होंगे, उनको भी एक बात का भरोसा रहा होगा कि अंग्रेज सल्तनत अगर गलत भी करेगी तो यहां का बार एसोसिएशन है, यहां के वकील हैं वो मेरे लिए लड़ मरेंगे, मुझे बचाएंगे, ये भाव पैदा हुआ। यानि कि आजादी की ज्योत को जलाए रखने में इस Profession के लोगों ने बहुत बड़ा योगदान किया होगा। उस महान विरासत से जुड़ी हुई ये परंपरा है और उसके 150वीं जयंती के समापन समारोह में आने का मुझे अवसर मिला है। आप ने जब प्रारंभ किया था तब राष्ट्रपति जी आए थे। प्रारंभ किया था तब सरकार एक थी, समापन किया है तब सरकार दूसरी है। उधर भी दूसरी है, यहां भी दूसरी है, लोकतंत्र की यही तो विशेषता है। लेकिन मैं मानता हूं अब वक्त बहुत तेजी से बदल रहा है। 150 के बाद का बार का रंग रूप क्या हो, उसका एजेंडा क्या हो, उसकी गतिविधिय़ां क्या हो, उस पर कभी न कभी गंभीरता से सोचना चाहिए, ऐसा मुझे लगता है। आज देश में मैं एक आवश्यकता महसूस करता हूं और वो Quick Justice की बात तो बराबर होती रहती है, लेकिन Quality Justice की और ध्यान कैसे दिया जाए। अब Quality Justice, Judiciary का हिस्सा नहीं है, Quality Justice उस बहस करने वाले वकीलों पर निर्भर करता है। वो कैसा अध्ययन करके आए हैं, वो कैसे Reference लेकर के आए हैं, कितनी तेज-तर्रार Argument के साथ उन्होंने एक नया राह दिखाया है और एक Progressive unfoldment उस मथन में से, Court के भीतर वादी-प्रतिवादी के बीच जो मंथन हो रहा है, उसमें से वो अमृत निकले जो आने वाली पीढ़ियों तक काम आ जाए। और तभी तो आपने भी देखा होगा। आप दुनिया के कई देशों के Judges के, Judgement को Quote करते होंगे, किसी और देश का होगा Quote करते होंगे। मैं तो कभी Court गया नहीं, मैं तो कभी वकील रहा नहीं, ऐसा करते ही होंगे। आप सामने वाले को Convince करते होंगे कि ये परंपरा रही है, ये माना गया है, उस समय ऐसा किया गया होगा ये सारी जो Process हैं वो Quality Justice के काम आती है। और Quality Justice शासकों के लिए भी एक प्रकार का सीमा चिह्न बन जाता है और मैंने देखा है हमारे यहां संसद में और विधानसभा में भी चर्चा होती है तो Court के Judgement को Quote किया जाता है किए गए Argument को Quote किया जाता है, रखे गए Quotation को Quote किया जाता है। क्यों? क्योंकि हर कोई अपनी बात को ताकत से रखना चाहता है। आज जब Digital world है, हमारे पूरे legal world की पूरी व्यवस्थाएं Digitally Available हैं। हम उसे उपयोग कैसे करें? उसको हम कैसे ताकतवर बनाएं? एक जमाना था, गांव में एक वैद्यराज होता था, पूरा गांव स्वस्थ रहता था। आज शरीर के हर अंग के लिए डॉक्टर है। बांयी आंख के लिए अलग डॉक्टर, दांयी आंख के लिए अलग ऐसे भी डॉक्टर हैं। जिस प्रकार से Medical Profession में इतनी बारीकी बढ़ती गई है, इतने Specialise Subject बढ़ते गए हैं, मैं देख रहा हूं Legal Profession में भी अनके विविधताओं से भरी specialization की दिशा में ये जाना वाला है। और ये बार का काम कहां रह गया है क्योंकि सब लोग एक ही प्रकार की डिग्री लेकर के आते हैं, सब लोग एक ही प्रकार की यूनिवर्सिटी से आते हैं और वो ही पुराने Syllabus से गाड़ी चलती हैं। लेकिन बार का काम बनता है वो समयानुकूल डिबेट रखते हुए, सेमिनार करते हुए, वर्कशॉप करते हुए अपनी इस Skill को Expertise की ओर कैसे ले जाए। आज से कुछ साल पहले IPR के लिए किसको लड़ना पड़ता था? Intellectual property right के लिए शायद आए दिन जंग होती रहती है और जब तक Expertise नहीं होगी तो IPR की लड़ाई हम कैसे लड़ेंगे? कोई एक जमाना था अपने गांव के मुद्दे रहते थे, अपने अड़ोस-पड़ोस के मुद्दे रहते थे या दो व्यापारियों के रहते थे। आज सारी दुनिया बदल चुकी है, वैश्विक परिवेश में हमें काम करना पड़ रहा है। और इसलिए अंतरराष्ट्रीय कानूनों से सीधा-सीधा संबंध न हो तो भी Reference अनिवार्य बन गया है, आपके सारे litigation के साथ वो जुड़ा हुआ है। Crime की दुनिया पूरी तरह बदल रही है। आज Cyber crime एक नया जगत शुरू हआ है। और Cyber crime जब एक नया जगत शुरू हआ है तो ये हमारी पुरानी किताब के आधार पर हम ये Cyber crime क्या लड़ेंगे? किस तरीके से हम सबूत लाएंगे? और तब जाकर के Forensic Science से हमारा परिचित होना समय की मांग बनी है। मैं जब गुजरात में था हमने एक Forensic Science University बनाई थी। दुनिया में मात्र एक Forensic Science University है। और Judges वहां पढ़ने के लिए आते थे, बार के मित्र वहां पढ़ने के लिए आते थे Regularly. क्योंकि उन्हें मालूम था कि आने वाले दिनों में Justice की Process में Forensic Science एक बहुत बड़ा Role play करने वाला है। आज Economical Offences बढ़ रहे हैं। एक बहुत बड़ा क्षेत्र Financial world से जुड़े हुए litigation का बन गया है। उसकी Specialise होने वाली है। और उस अर्थ में पूरा Legal profession एक नए रंग-रूप में सज रहा है। और बार में वो ताकत होती है कि इसको अधिक सक्षम कैसे बनाए, अपने बार के साथियों को। जगत के लोग इस प्रकार को जानते हैं, हर महीने उन्हें बुलाकर के, उन्हें सुनकर के, उस प्रकार की किताबें मुहैया कराकर के या तो E-Library की Membership दिलाकर के, हम अपनी सज्जता को कैसे बढ़ाएं और हमारे सामर्थवान Legal profession होगा तो Keep Justice के साथ Quality Justice भी और तेज गति से काम बनेगा और जब इतनी बारीकी से होगा तो Litigant कोई भी क्यों न हो, हार-जीत किसी कि भी क्यों न हो लेकिन कम से कम संतोष जरूर होगा। और आखिरकर इस व्यवस्था पर विश्वास तब बना रहता है कि जब हारने वाले को भी संतोष हो कि चलिए भाई मैंने अपने पूरी ताकत लगाई, मेरा नसीब ऐसा था। कम से कम विश्वास तो बना रहता है। अगर हमारी व्यवस्था पर से विश्वास टूट जाता है तो व्यवस्थाएं चरमरा जाती हैं। और इसलिए व्यवस्थाओं में विश्वास होना - Institutional Credibility - ये समय की बहुत बड़ी मांग होती है और Institutional Credibility के लिए हम जितना प्रयास करे। और ये एक जगह पर नहीं होता। और एक क्षेत्र है जो सबसे बड़ा चिंता का है और मैं बार के मित्रों से विनती करता हूं कि क्या आप हमारी मदद कर सकते हैं क्या। आपको हैरानी होगी सरकार में, सरकार का मुख्य काम होता है कानून बनाना। लेकिन सरकार के पास कानून Drafting के लिए जिस प्रकार का Manpower होना चाहिए, मैं हमेशा कमी महसूस करता हूं। और आज जो कभी-कभी Pendency को लेकर के Judiciary पर आलोचना होती है - कि काम नहीं हो रहा है, Pendency नहीं है लेकिन Pendency के मूड में मुझे कभी-कभी लगता है कि हम लोग ज्यादा जिम्मेवार हैं। उन्होंने ऐसे कानून बनाएं हैं कि जिनके 10 अर्थ होते हैं। और उसी के कारण ये समस्या बढ़ती है। हम शुरू कहां से करें? अच्छा कोर्ट का बिल्डिंग बनाएं कि अच्छा पार्लियामेंट में कानून बनाएं? और इसलिए इन दिनों मैं आग्रह करता हूं कि कोई भी नए एक्ट का ड्राफ्ट है उसको ऑनलाइन रखो। बार के मित्रों को कहा कि इसकी बराबर बाल की खाल उधेड़कर रखो कि भई देखो इसमें क्या गलती हो रही है, निकालो, हमें बताओ। तब ही जाकर के एक्ट अच्छे बनते हैं और एक्ट जिसमें मिनिमम और हम मनुष्य हैं, हम जीरो ग्रे एरिया तो नहीं कह सकते, हम मनुष्य हैं, मनुष्य से गलती हो सकती है। लेकिन मिनिमम ग्रे एरिया हो ऐसे हम कानून बनाते हैं तो मैं नहीं मानता हूं कि Judiciary को निर्णय करने में कभी देर लगती है। वो फटाक से कह सकते हैं कि भई ये हो सकता है, ये नहीं हो सकता है। और इसलिए हमारे यहां जो कानून बनाने की प्रक्रिया है उसको भी बार एसोसिएशन की मदद से अच्छा बनाया जा सकता है। हमारी जितनी Law Universities हैं, वहां पर Drafting के Special Courses चलाने की आवश्यकता है। वहां पर Legal Profession में जाने वाले व्यक्ति को Act Draft करना उसकी भी एक Professionally training होना चाहिए। सरकारों का भी एक स्वभाव रहा है। अच्छी सरकार वो नहीं है जो कानूनों के जंगल खड़े कर दे। हर दिन एक नया कानून बनाए, हम सीना तानकर के कहते रहें हमने ये कानून बनाया है, हमने वो कानून बनाया है। इसलिए मैं हमेशा कहता हूं कि मेरी सफलता ये है कि अगर हमने पांच साल में हर दिन एक कानून खत्म करू। और मुझे खुशी है कि मेरा पांच साल का जितना कोटा है वो मैंने आठ महीने में पूरा कर दिया है। 1700 कानून खत्म कर रहे हैं, पता नहीं कैसे-कैसे कानून बने पड़े हैं जी और कोई भी एक कानून 1880 का एक कानून लेकर के आएगा और वो खड़ा हो जाएगा और वो दो-छह महीने कोर्ट के खराब करता रहेगा। ये भी पूरी तरह से व्यवस्था में बदलाव। हम लगे हैं, और मैं मानता हूं कि पूरी तरह से, मैंने अभी मुख्यमंत्रियों से राज्य में भी कहा। मैंने कहा भई ये अब बहुत हो गए, अब कुछ कम करो, जितने कानून कम होंगे, उतनी न्याय की सुविधा बढ़ेगी। कानूनों को जंगल से न्याय पाने में कभी कभी कठिनाई हो जाती है। और इसलिए कानून सरल हो, कानून सामान्य मानव को विश्वास दिलाने वाला हो, और निष्पक्ष भाव से बना हुआ हो तो सरकारों को भी ये जिम्मेवारी है। और जैसे हमारे Law minister कह रहे थे कि बार, ज्यूडिशिरी और गर्वमेंट – ये तीनों का Functioning अगर एक समान रूप से चलता है, और सही direction में चलता है तो फिर देश को परिणाम मिलता है। उन परिणाम की प्राप्ति करने के लिए हम आगे बढ़ना चाहते हैं। इन दिनों सारा विश्व का ध्यान भारत की तरफ है। हम पिछले कई वर्षों से सुनते हुए आए हैं कि 21वीं सदी एशिया की सदी है। और हम ये भी देख रहे हैं कि दुनिया के लोगों को आर्थिक गतिविधी के लिए एशिया की तरफ ध्यान केंद्रित हुआ है और पिछले कुछ महीनों से भारत के प्रति आकर्षण बढ़ा है। भारत के प्रति बढ़ी आशा भरी नजर से दुनिया देख रही है। कारण क्या है? आप बार मित्रों को जानकर के खुशी होगी विश्व भारत पर भरोसा इसलिए कर रहा है कि दुनिया के लोगों को हिंदुस्तान की न्याय प्रणाली पर विश्वास है। उनको लगता है कि मैं पूंजी निवेश करूंगा तो भारत में Democratic System है, भारत में कानून का शासन है और भारत की Judiciary System है। जहां पर कभी कोई गड़बड़ हुई मैं दूसरे देश में जा रहा हूं, मुझे न्याय मिलेगा। आज अन्य देशों की तुलना में भारत का सबसे ताकतवर जो मुद्दा है, विश्व को प्रभावित करने के लिए वो ये है कि हमारे पास हमारे legal system हमारी Judiciary, totally independent है। और दूसरा उनका आनंद आता है हमारी यहां न्याय प्रणाली में अंग्रेजी का महातम्य है। उनको संतोष होता है वरना हम अपना भाषा में कुछ कह दें और वो बेचारा फंस जाए, उसको विश्वास है कि चलिए कम से कम उस language में मैं न्याय मांग रहा हूं जिस language से मैं परिचित हूं। एक ऐसी अवस्था बनी है और इसलिए भारत के आर्थिक विकास में भी सिर्फ सुशासन और सरकार नहीं, न्याय प्रणाली भी बहुत बड़ी ताकत के साथ आज विश्व में हमारी बात पहुंचाने का आधार बनी है। और इसके लिए ये सारी महान परंपरा और ये कोई एक दिन का काम नहीं है। अब तक न्याय प्रणाली से जुड़े हुए सभी लोगों ने जो योगदान किया है, इसकी प्रतिष्ठा बनाई है। किसी ने Judiciary में रहकर के किया होगा, किसी ने बार में रहकर के किया होगा उन सबका ये योगदान आज हिंदुस्तान की भलाई के काम आ रहा है, विश्वास बढ़ रहा है। और उस अर्थ में भी मैं पूरी न्याय प्रणाली में जुड़े हुए और अब तक जिन्होंने काम किया है वो और आज जो काम कर रहे हैं वो, वे सब अभिनंदन के अधिकारी हैं। वो देश को कैसी ताकत कहां-कहां से मिलती है। हम ये न सोचें कि देश को ताकत किसी एक कोने से मिलती है एक Multiple ताकत होती है जिसके कारण हम Ultimately लोगों को आकर्षित करते हैं और वो काम आज हो रहा है। और उस अर्थ में भी हमारी बहुत बड़ी भूमिका स्वतंत्र न्याय प्रथा प्रणाली जो दुनिया को स्वीकार करने के लिए हमारा एक कारण बन रही है।

Government to work towards repeal of approximately 1700 obsolete laws

PM’s address at the concluding Sesquicentennial Function of the Advocates’ Association of Western India

• Government to work towards repeal of approximately 1700 obsolete laws • PM inaugurates Bombay High Court Museum; suggests a digital version of the Museum be also prepared The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today said the Government had identified about 1700 obsolete laws, and is working towards their repeal. In his address at the concluding Sesquicentennial Function of the Advocates Association of Western India (AAWI) in Mumbai today, the Prime Minister said the world is looking towards India with great hope. He said one of the reasons for this is that the investor community across the world trusts the independence of India`s judicial system. He said this is a great contribution of all those associated with the legal profession. The Prime Minister appreciated the role played by the AAWI over 150 years - the bar to which both Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel belonged. He said that the founders of this association would have created this bar, in order to pursue excellence in the profession. He said the country`s freedom struggle was led by people from the fields of law and education. The Prime Minister asked the AAWI to think about how the bar will go forward after 150 years. He said that along with quick justice, "quality justice" was also the need of the hour. And this depended a lot on advocates arguing the cases. He stressed the need for advocates to specialize, particularly in emerging areas of litigation such as international law and cyber crime. He said acquaintance with forensic science is now a must for those associated with the legal profession. He said the bar has the strength to raise the capabilities of the advocates to deal with these emerging areas. He said well-argued cases provide satisfaction to advocates, besides raising institutional credibility. The Prime Minister said laws are sometimes not drafted well, and therefore lead to multiple interpretations. He said the bar associations can play a significant role in drafting good laws with minimum grey areas. He said training in drafting of laws is essential. The Prime Minister also inaugurated the Bombay High Court Museum. He said visitors to the museum will learn a lot about India`s judicial history. In his remarks in the visitors’ book at the Museum, the Prime Minister said that “the High Court Museum is a commendable effort to preserve and perpetuate the rich heritage of this great institution.” He suggested that a digital version of this museum be also prepared. He said in many parts of the world, museums are a part of everyday life. He gave the example of China, which is building many museums currently. He said India too has a glorious heritage to preserve and showcase.

Transforming India’s Development By Way Of Structured Change through Cooperative, Competitive Federalism

India has changed dramatically over the past 65 years in terms of demography with the population increasing to 121 crores. With increasing levels of development, literacy and communication, the aspirations of the people have soared, necessitating changes and innovations in governance systems. Even the economy has undergone a paradigm shift with Agriculture’s share showing dramatic drop, from more than 50% to less than 15% of GDP and the private sector emerging as a vibrant and dynamic force with a global scale and reach. Even the central government’s Twelfth Five Year Plan size of Rs 43 lakh crore, is huge compared to the First Five Year Plan size of Rs 2,400 crore. Moreover in the last few decades, States have evolved from being mere followers of the Centre, to being the actual drivers of national development. Hence the nation’s progress lies in the progress of States.

This changing reality and growing mismatch has been recognized for years now; with experts, including many from within the erstwhile Planning Commission, recommending appropriate changes letting go of old practices and beliefs whose relevance had been lost, and adopting new ones based on the past experiences of India as well as other nations. Even the former Prime Minister and noted economist, Dr. Manmohan Singh - in his farewell address to the Commission in April 2014 - also urged reflection on "what the role of the Planning Commission needs to be in this new world. What additional roles should the Planning Commission play and what capacities does it need to build to ensure that it continues to be relevant to the growth process?

Hence it was time that priorities, strategies and structures dating back to 1950 when the Planning Commission was set up, were to be revisited. As a result the Government of India set up NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) in place of the Planning Commission, as a means to better serve the needs and aspirations of the people of India with the Governments’ transition from being a ‘provider of first and last resort’ and ‘major player’ in the economy, to being a ‘catalyst’ nurturing an ‘enabling environment’, where the entrepreneurial spirits of all, from small self-employed entrepreneurs to large corporations, can flourish. This would help the Government to focus its precious resources on public welfare domains such as food, nutrition, health, education and livelihood of vulnerable and marginalized groups.

The NITI Aayog comprises of the Prime Minister of India as the Chairperson; Governing Council comprising the Chief Ministers of all the States and Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories with the Regional Councils formed to address specific issues and contingencies impacting more than one state or a region. Experts, specialists and practitioners with relevant domain knowledge as special invitees nominated by the Prime Minister will assist this think tank comprising Vice Chairman, two fulltime and part time members among others.

Differences between NITI and Planning Commission

While Planning Commission enjoyed the powers to allocate funds to ministries and state governments, NITI Aayog will be an advisory body, or a think-tank.  Under Planning Commission, States' role was limited to the National Development Council and annual interaction during Plan meetings and the commission reported to National Development Council that had state chief ministers and lieutenant governors of UTs. But Niti Aayog’s Governing Council has state chief ministers and lieutenant governors as the all powerful body. Under Niti Aayog states are consulted while making policy and deciding on funds allocation. Final policy would be a result of thatconsultations unlike under Planning Commission when policy was formed by the commission and states were then consulted about allocation of funds. While Niti Aayog is a think-tank and does not have the power to impose policies, Planning Commission decided policies for states and tied allocation of funds with projects it approved, a methodology driven by "one size fits all" concept.

Objectives of NITI Aayog

NITI Aayog envisages providing a critical directional and strategic input into the development process. The centre-to-state one-way flow of policy, that was the hallmark of the Planning Commission era, is now sought to be replaced by a genuine and continuing partnership of states. The NITI Aayog will also seek to put an end to slow and tardy implementation of policy, by fostering better Inter-Ministry coordination and better Centre-State coordination. It is expected to help evolve a shared vision of national development priorities, and foster cooperative federalism, recognizing that strong states make a strong nation. In addition, the NITI Aayog will monitor and evaluate the implementation of programmes, and focus on technology upgradation and capacity building.

Comments

          The opposition parties as usual had mocked the launch of NITI Aayog as a cosmetic relabeling exercise. However, the ruling party  justified  by saying that, “With the new set of changes, the state governments no longer need to have a begging attitude and instead take independent steps for development,”  and it is one more of their key promises of robust federalism.

 Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi in the first Governing Council meeting called upon all Chief Ministers to work with the Centre to forge a model of cooperative federalism, whereby the Centre and the States – TEAM INDIA - can come together to resolve differences, and chart a common course to progress and prosperity. Noting that India cannot advance without all its states advancing in tandem, the Prime Minister said the idea was to bring up all states together in the spirit of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas. He added that he envisioned different states competing with each other in promoting governance initiatives, in a spirit of "cooperative, competitive federalism." He urged all Chief Ministers to focus on the cycle of investment, growth, job creation and prosperity. 

           The Prime Minister emphasized that the Centre wants to empower the states with finances, with technology and knowledge so that they are able to plan better and execute even better.  He said that for federalism to work well, states must also fulfill their role in promoting the shared national objectives. He said that the critical element for cooperative federalism to flourish is that states commit to the path they choose within the context of the shared national objectives and then deliver on that commitment.

             To conclude, adoption of new ideas, techniques, institutions, processes does not occur naturally but results from hard work, trial and error. The adoption of innovations involves altering human behavior, and the acceptance of change.  There is a natural resistance to change for several reasons, but change is inherent to development and a structured change through cooperative, competitive federalism can dismiss all resistance and usher in a New Vibrant India.

Budget as a Tool to Scale Up Economic Potentials

The annual presentation of the Union Budget mapping out in exhaustive details the income and expenditure of the Central Government for the fiscal year beginning on April 1 and how it proposes to spend and the ways and means to find the funds for spending will all be revealed on February 28, the last day of this month. This is a practice India inherited from colonial era though the earlier one of the Finance Minister presenting the budget sharply at five in the evening had been dispensed with. Instead, it is now presented sharply at 11 in the morning, doing away with other businesses of the House including the question hour to exclusively devote the proceedings for the budget and its presentation in the Lok Sabha. This year the Union Finance Minister Mr.Arun Jaitley will present his first full budget for the fiscal year 2015-16 on a Saturday, even as the maiden one he laid in Parliament in July last was only for eight month period. Much is expected of the full-fledged budget of the NDA government to take forward a raft of initiatives it had announced on the economic front ever since it was voted to power overwhelmingly in the May 2014 elections for a five year term under the leadership of Mr. Narendra Modi who subsequently became the Prime Minister of the country.

            It would not be out of place to demystify the book-balancing exercise billed as budget in governance parlance. Under Article 112 of the Constitution, a statement of estimated receipts and expenditure, commonly called the Budget Statement ought to be placed in Parliament every financial year that runs from April 1 to March 31. Along with the budget statement that includes the the estimates of expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India  that are required to be voted by the lower House (Lok Sabha) are presented in the form of Demands for Grants of the various departments and ministries of the Government. Each demand normally contains the total provisions for a required service i.e., provisions on account of revenue expenditure, capital expenditure, grants to States and Union Territories, and also loans and advances pertaining to that service. Estimates expenditure included in the Demands for grants are for gross amounts.

Estimates of revenue receipts embedded in the annual financial statement are further elaborated and analyzed in the Revenue Budget document. Revenue receipts of the Centre comprise net tax revenue and non-tax revenue. Tax revenue includes corporation tax, taxes on income other than corporation tax and other taxes that constitute the direct taxes. In the indirect taxes are included customs (import) duty, union excise duties, services tax and other taxes. Non-tax revenue includes interest receipts, dividend of public sector undertakings, other non-tax revenue and receipts of Union Territories. Capital receipts cover recoveries of loans and advances, debt receipts encompassing market loans, short-term borrowings, external assistance (net), securities issued against Small Savings, State Provident Fund and other receipts, while non-debt receipts include recoveries of loans and advances, disinvestment receipts and auction(sale) revenues of spectrum.

            The budget document also contains two separate volumes on expenditure with the first one dealing with the revenue and capital disbursements and Plan outlay for each head. The second volume gives a perspective on the objectives underlying the expenditure proposed in the Demands for Grants with a concise note on the various items of expenditure on major programmes set out in the Demands coupled with the reasons for variation between the budget estimates and revised estimates for the previous year and the budget estimates for the current year.

            Besides the revenue and expenditure compendium to lend clarity to the budget proposals, there is also the Finance Bill. This is presented in fulfillment of the requirement of Article 110(1)(a) of the Constitution, setting out the imposition, abolition, remission, alteration or regulation of taxes proposed in the budget. It is tagged to a sleek booklet called a Memorandum explaining the provisions included in it.  The booklet serves a quite useful purpose to read the fine prints of the budgetary numbers and also a bird’s eye view of the taxation proposals contained in the Finance Bill, with the provisions and their implications decoded for clarity and understanding.  In essence, all these attachments to the set of Budget document constitute the bedrock of the budget papers for experts and economists to lay bare the hidden and open meaning and message of the important fiscal document the government of the day presents every year.  Separately but along with the main documents, the Finance Ministry also makes available highlights of the budget, spelling out the salient features, the milestones crossed and the new milestones to be set in the real sectors of the economy, new initiatives announced in the budget and allocation of funds to what are described as the linchpin legs of the economy such as agriculture, industry, financial sectors and defense, besides a brief summary of tax proposals.

            In a bid to lend more transparency to governance and macro-economic management, the Finance Ministry had departed from past practices by showcasing in recent years the real status of implementation of announcements made in the previous year budget speech by the Finance Minister as also a document dealing with Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2004 related reports.  Though the previous government did make a pause in the implementation of the important Act following the fiscal stimulus India had to administer in the wake of 2008 global financial crisis, the government continued to  make available three important reports subsumed under this Act that deal with macro-economic  framework statement, medium-term fiscal policy statement and fiscal policy strategy statement.   However, it needs to be noted that the previous Government in 2012 adopted revised roadmap for fiscal consolidation following the amendment to the FRBM Act 2012. In the revised roadmap, fiscal consolidation is designed with prudent mix of reduction in total expenditure as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and improvement in gross tax revenue as a percentage of GDP, the latest Mid-Year Review of the Economy laid in Parliament in December last said.    

            The Finance Minister Mr. Arun Jaitley who promised to keep the fiscal deficit target of 4.1 per cent of GDP in 2014-15 when he presented his maiden budget in July last, will not find the task too tough to succeed. A few fortuitous factors like a steep drop in global crude prices and a benign recovery in major markets like the United States and the United Kingdom this fiscal meant that the growth impulses in the economy would gain the requisite momentum to ensure that the economic revival predicted for the last quarter of the current fiscal did take place. The RBI too came out with a surprising 25 basis point cut in interest rate in mid-January 2015 to help industry and trade overcome their working expenses woes. The government‘s import cost of crude would come down by a massive 50 to 60 billion dollars which would help cut its exorbitant fuel subsidies substantially. Already, the government has decontrolled the prices of petrol and diesel so that as the global price of crude oil  plunges, the pump price of these fuels would also go down to make customers spend their saved money on other consumption expenditure.  The government had also wisely jacked up excise duty on fuel to mop up more than Rs 20,000 crore this fiscal. This coupled with rationalization of food subsidies by limiting procurement of cereals and other expenditure containment measures put in recent months meant that the next budget will have ample headroom to manage and kick-start development programmes particularly the ones like “Make in India” for driving manufacturing, infrastructure spend  and other employment-generation productive activities across the economy. The country can afford to lower import taxes on production inputs and intermediates that are indispensable to rev up manufacturing growth, leveraging duly the savings through the steep fall in the prices of global crude prices.   The time for using budget instrument to respond to the underlying potential growth impulses in the domestic economy is seldom ripe than in the present time of low crude prices, lower inflation and the lowest current account deficit. All eyes are naturally on the General Budget to be unveiled on February 28, 2015 in Parliament as to how far it will translate the congenial circumstances into helping push the economy into higher trajectory of growth, economists contend with gusto.

Double-action drugs: one key opens two locks

In the history of medicine, the hunt for drugs has been an empirical one. Substances from plant, marine and even animal sources have been tried and, over the years, several useful substances have emerged as medications against chosen illnesses as well as for specific medical conditions. More often than not, many of these are general-purpose ones used as tonics, such as gingko biloba or green tea in the Orient, Ashwagandha in Indian Ayurveda, or Zinda Tilismat in the Unani system. But in some ones such as the cinchona bark against malaria, or leaves from the periwinkle plant, used in traditional medicines against cancer, the ‘active’ principles have been confirmed by modern organic chemistry to contain quinine, and vincristine respectively. Yet all these attempts have been empirical, trial and error methods that have taken centurries to grow.

With advances in chemistry, it has become possible to separate individual molecules from such mixtures and synthesise them in pure form in the laboratory — a branch that bears the name natural products chemistry, an area that has been a fertile and focused field in India since the 1950s.

At the same time, advances in the medical sciences, particularly in the field of pathology, have led us to focus on the organ, tissue and cells which are affected and malfunction. And advances in biology have allowed us to get an idea of what has gone wrong at the molecular or cellular level during the malfunction, thus leading to the era of cellular and molecular medicine.

For example, the disorder diabetes is caused by abnormally high levels of sugar in the body. While sugar is essential since it is the fuel for the maintenance and growth of cells and tissue, excess levels of it go to “choke” the metabolism by modifying the chemical structure (and therefore the function) of several proteins’ molecules. One example is the chemical reaction between sugar and the oxygen-transport protein, haemoglobin. This reaction modifies the structure of haemoglobin in a manner that its ability to carry and transport oxygen to cells is affected. Once this choking action had been understood, researchers have developed drug molecules (such as metformin) that level down the production of sugar in the liver to acceptable limits.

Note that the drug that the researcher ‘designs’ should fit the relevant molecules/cell component specifically like a glove on hand or a key on a lock. That way, the specific step(s) are affected without disturbing other components in the cellular machinery in any manner, so that there are no side effects.

It happens occasionally that the “side effects” may not only be harmless, but may prove helpful elsewhere in the body for some other malfunction, purely by happenstance. Aspirin is one such double-action drug. Introduced first as a pain-reliever, it has also been found to help dissolve clotting of blood. Its analgesic action is on the nervous system while its clot-dissolving action is through its action on platelet cells in blood. Aspirin is thus a master key that appears to open more than one lock. And it is not just a single example — there are others.

The molecule termed ELQ 300 is an antimalarial, which acts against the malaria parasite both in the liver stage and when the parasite has already entered the bloodstream as well, making it a double-action drug. Likewise the peptide M5 that Dr Anand Ranganathan has come out with (described in our last column of January 29, 2015, < http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/building-a-molecular-lego-to-fight-malaria-and-tb/article6830912.ece ), promises to be effective against TB and malaria.

A recent double-positive example comes from the University of Texas Health Science centre. Dr Shapiro and his group there have found that the drug retiganine, used to control convulsion in epilepsy patients, acts also as an effective drug to reduce acute stroke in mice. The group finds that mice affected by stroke, when treated with this anti-epilepsy drug, showed no difficulty in movement, balance and coordination.

Why did the group even try retigabine? “We thought if we could stop the neurons from firing, stopping their electrical activity, we could conserve their resources until the time their blood supply was restored. This proved to be the case”, Dr Shapiro is quoted as saying. . And his coworker Dr Bierbower says: “It is treating the first step in the sequence and stopping the more damaging secondary effects. These agents (like retigabine) directly affect the nerve cells themselves.”

With increasing knowledge gained about the detailed shape and architecture of proteins and other biopolymer molecules in the cell (the ‘locks”), and their computer-based modelling on one hand, and the electrophysiological steps on the other, the field of ‘in silico” or computer-projection and representation of the cellular players has become possible. This allows us to look for drug molecules (the keys) that fit in like Lego pieces — the possibility of finding more than one “ lock” increases and the number of double action drugs’ promises ( even triple-action ones) will be on the rise. The ‘vaidya’ or medicine man has now become the computer-savvy drug designer.

The old trial and error is modernised into “high throughput screening” of hundreds of molecules, and the time for ‘bingo’ here is in days rather than years. But the principle is quite the same. As the French have it: Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose, or “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”

Double-action drugs: one key opens two locks

In the history of medicine, the hunt for drugs has been an empirical one. Substances from plant, marine and even animal sources have been tried and, over the years, several useful substances have emerged as medications against chosen illnesses as well as for specific medical conditions. More often than not, many of these are general-purpose ones used as tonics, such as gingko biloba or green tea in the Orient, Ashwagandha in Indian Ayurveda, or Zinda Tilismat in the Unani system. But in some ones such as the cinchona bark against malaria, or leaves from the periwinkle plant, used in traditional medicines against cancer, the ‘active’ principles have been confirmed by modern organic chemistry to contain quinine, and vincristine respectively. Yet all these attempts have been empirical, trial and error methods that have taken centurries to grow.

With advances in chemistry, it has become possible to separate individual molecules from such mixtures and synthesise them in pure form in the laboratory — a branch that bears the name natural products chemistry, an area that has been a fertile and focused field in India since the 1950s.

At the same time, advances in the medical sciences, particularly in the field of pathology, have led us to focus on the organ, tissue and cells which are affected and malfunction. And advances in biology have allowed us to get an idea of what has gone wrong at the molecular or cellular level during the malfunction, thus leading to the era of cellular and molecular medicine.

For example, the disorder diabetes is caused by abnormally high levels of sugar in the body. While sugar is essential since it is the fuel for the maintenance and growth of cells and tissue, excess levels of it go to “choke” the metabolism by modifying the chemical structure (and therefore the function) of several proteins’ molecules. One example is the chemical reaction between sugar and the oxygen-transport protein, haemoglobin. This reaction modifies the structure of haemoglobin in a manner that its ability to carry and transport oxygen to cells is affected. Once this choking action had been understood, researchers have developed drug molecules (such as metformin) that level down the production of sugar in the liver to acceptable limits.

Note that the drug that the researcher ‘designs’ should fit the relevant molecules/cell component specifically like a glove on hand or a key on a lock. That way, the specific step(s) are affected without disturbing other components in the cellular machinery in any manner, so that there are no side effects.

It happens occasionally that the “side effects” may not only be harmless, but may prove helpful elsewhere in the body for some other malfunction, purely by happenstance. Aspirin is one such double-action drug. Introduced first as a pain-reliever, it has also been found to help dissolve clotting of blood. Its analgesic action is on the nervous system while its clot-dissolving action is through its action on platelet cells in blood. Aspirin is thus a master key that appears to open more than one lock. And it is not just a single example — there are others.

The molecule termed ELQ 300 is an antimalarial, which acts against the malaria parasite both in the liver stage and when the parasite has already entered the bloodstream as well, making it a double-action drug. Likewise the peptide M5 that Dr Anand Ranganathan has come out with (described in our last column of January 29, 2015, < http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/building-a-molecular-lego-to-fight-malaria-and-tb/article6830912.ece ), promises to be effective against TB and malaria.

A recent double-positive example comes from the University of Texas Health Science centre. Dr Shapiro and his group there have found that the drug retiganine, used to control convulsion in epilepsy patients, acts also as an effective drug to reduce acute stroke in mice. The group finds that mice affected by stroke, when treated with this anti-epilepsy drug, showed no difficulty in movement, balance and coordination.

Why did the group even try retigabine? “We thought if we could stop the neurons from firing, stopping their electrical activity, we could conserve their resources until the time their blood supply was restored. This proved to be the case”, Dr Shapiro is quoted as saying. . And his coworker Dr Bierbower says: “It is treating the first step in the sequence and stopping the more damaging secondary effects. These agents (like retigabine) directly affect the nerve cells themselves.”

With increasing knowledge gained about the detailed shape and architecture of proteins and other biopolymer molecules in the cell (the ‘locks”), and their computer-based modelling on one hand, and the electrophysiological steps on the other, the field of ‘in silico” or computer-projection and representation of the cellular players has become possible. This allows us to look for drug molecules (the keys) that fit in like Lego pieces — the possibility of finding more than one “ lock” increases and the number of double action drugs’ promises ( even triple-action ones) will be on the rise. The ‘vaidya’ or medicine man has now become the computer-savvy drug designer.

The old trial and error is modernised into “high throughput screening” of hundreds of molecules, and the time for ‘bingo’ here is in days rather than years. But the principle is quite the same. As the French have it: Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose, or “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”