January 2010

Vol 54

Chief Editor : Neeta Prasad Joint Director (Prod) : J.K. Chandra

Senior Editor : Rakeshrenu Cover Design : Sadhna Saxena
Editor : Manogyan R. Pal E-mail (Editorial) : editoryojana@hotmail.com
: yojanace@gmail.com
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Website : www.yojana.gov.in

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

Rig Veda

CONTENTS

Towards Progress, Prosperity and Indian Women and the Journey of Six
Inclusive Growth.................................................................... 5 Decades....................................................................................... 30
Nirmala Buch
H.E. Pratibha Devisingh Patil
do you know? . ...................................................................... 33
Indian Economy over the years...................................... 8
Dr Yaga Venugopal Reddy Education Sector in India: Progress,
Challenges and Way Forward ....................................... 35
Agricultural Evolution during the Deepa Sankar
last Sixty Years..................................................................... 12 North east diary . .............................................................. 37
Prof M S Swaminathan
India on the Technology Front . .................................. 40
Citizen-centered Governance: A Tribute Vijay Thakur
to Our Founding Fathers................................................... 17
A Boost to Indian Aerospace Sector ........................ 43
Dr Jayaprakash Narayan
Radhakrishna Rao
Transport Infrastructure : A roadmap
Challenges to Democracy in India ............................ 47
for the future........................................................................ 21 Shashank Chaturvedi
Dr. E. Sreedharan
shodh yatra Reversible Reduction
best practices Siddhpur Nagarpalika Gear for Marine Diesel Engine and
Protects the Environment............................................... 28 Z- Drive Propeller ................................................................ 50
Sanjay Dave J&K Window . ........................................................................ 52

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YOJANA January 2010 1

 *Only at Khan Study Group

YE-1/10/1

2 YOJANA January 2010

 About the Issue

S
ixty years for a republic is a small step on the road global civilizations have
travelled. But when a billion people find good reason to celebrate sixty years
of their country becoming a republic, the celebration becomes especially
significant.
For a long time, the story of the Indian republic was one of promises and
possibilities. But as you turn to our articles, you will find that the distinguished
authors are not talking about possibilities only. A large number of them are
discussing the achievements already made and others pretty much expected to
happen very soon. The India story, in most sectors has started happening. This is
the reason to celebrate.
This does not mean however, that there are no reasons to be concerned about
the tasks that still seem mighty difficult to achieve. That is inevitable. Getting a billion people on the move
and achieving the milestones for them takes much more than sixty years. But what has been achieved is
fabulous as most of them have no parallel in human history. A few days ago, India has made available phones
to more than half of her population. She has spread the first example of right to work through the NREGA
scheme to at least ten crore people.
In the middle of all that, the country has pushed up its per capita income to about Rs 38,000 per annum
and the growth rate of GDP to above 6.5% in the most difficult year for the global economy when the rest
of the world, except China was struggling to achieve any growth at all.
The Indian story has started taking on a most interesting path in recent years. For example, bringing daily
wagers and vegetable sellers into the banking system through the financial inclusion model is a fabulous
story to tell.
There are several such stories penned in the pages inside, demonstrating that it is the bottom of the pyramid
approach that is sure to bring in the profits for entrepreneurs in any sector. This is also as it should be. The
constitution of India promises justice - social, economic and political. The political story was what had held
everybody interested till the beginning of this decade. Moving from there to economic justice is what the
current decade was all about. As that gets done, the most difficult of the three justice—social will take route.
This is not the promise of a new India but of the shape of things that are getting done. Yojana brings to you
an insightful set of readings from authors who have each grappled with a set of issues typically germane to
this India story.
We wish our readers a very happy new year. q

YOJANA January 2010 3

 VISION INDIA
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“KNOWING YOUR DESTINATION IS HALF THE JOURNEY”
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the crowd and we constantly work upon them to make
your preparation as smooth and comfortable..........
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GENERAL
by
STUDIES
a Team of Experts

SOCIO HISTORY ANTHRO

by by by
Praveen Kr. Pandey Vijay Kumar Vaid Sir

PUB. ADMN. by
M. Puri
21 Selections in IAS-2008
including

Daljeet Singh Sukhchain Singh Gaurav Sharma Shilpa Prabhakar Sandeep Rathod
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Under the guidance of
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Mr. M. Puri(Faculty of Pub Admn.)

4 YOJANA January 2010

celebrating 60 years
Towards Progress, Prosperity and
Inclusive Growth
L
iberty, e q u a l i t y
and justice together
compose the soul of a
true democratic nation
as it perseveres in its
commitment to social
welfare and progress. We as a
nation made a similar commitment
to ourselves six decades ago to be
guided by these very principles
as we march ahead on the path of
progress, prosperity and inclusive
growth. In the course of the last
sixty years we have achieved
Standing at much, but our successes so far
this 60th must not prevent us from focusing
on our shortcomings with a spirit
milestone, let of resolve, so that we may be able
to shape a still better future. As a
us rededicate nation we must introspect over both
our strengths and weaknesses and
ourselves to the dedicate ourselves to ensuring the
continued happiness and prosperity
cause of ensuring of our country and in doing so be
the prosperity of guided by those very principles
of humanism and compassion
our nation and that inspired our struggle for
independence and our desire to
the well-being of form a democratic nation.
every individual The formation of our Republic
in 1950 marks the beginning of our
The author is the Honourable President of India.
YOJANA January 2010 5
perspective
H.E. Pratibha Devisingh Patil
journey that has brought us today to
where we are. This extraordinary event
in itself symbolizes the extraordinary
nature of the achievement as never
before in the history of mankind had
so many people come together and
united in their resolve to freedom
and democracy. A land divided
by language, culture, history and
local identities became united and
turned this diversity into its greatest
strength.
The people of this nation shared
a dream of a robust India of the
future, and it is this dream that
brought them together. But if the
achievement was extraordinary
then the challenges facing the new
republic were also overwhelming.
Illiteracy, hunger, social bias and
poverty were the core problems that
demanded the immediate attention
of the nation and its people. The
first President of our nation,
Dr. Rajendra Prasad, summarized
this situation when he said, “In
India today, I feel that the work
that confronts us is even more
difficult than the work we had when
we were engaged in struggle. We
did not have then any conflicting
claims to reconcile, no loaves and
fishes to distribute no powers to
share. We have all these now.”
Thus the initial challenges faced
by our nation primarily required the
creation of basic infrastructure, both
physical and institutional, in order
to ensure the proper functioning of
the various aspects of society. This
phase of nation building required
immense hard work and dedication
and we were fortunate to have
leaders who accomplished such
difficult challenges in the face of
overwhelming odds.
Today our nation stands at
different crossroads and the
challenges we face today are
different from those sixty years
ago. Yet the principles that form
the foundation of our republic are
still the same and we continue
to be guided by them. There are
few countries, especially in the
developing world that can boast
of strong democratic institutions
like ours, which have stood the
test of time. But both institutions
and mechanisms must continually
be reshaped to suit the needs of the
present so that they continue to be
effective in ensuring the welfare of
the masses. Initiatives such as the
establishment of Panchayati Raj
by the Constitutional Amendment
of 1992 symbolize the evolution of
democratic practice in our country
as power and authority devolve
to grassroots levels in order to be
more effective and efficient. Today
there are 3.2 million representatives
who have been elected from
villages, towns and cities under
this system. It is worth noting
that 1.2 million of these elected
representatives are women. This is
by far the largest number of elected
representatives in the history of
democracy. Democracy as the tool
that empowers the people finds
its expression in India in its own
unique and indigenous ways.
The economic well-being of a
nation is also integral to its progress
6 YOJANA January 2010
and development. Today we live
in a world where globalization and
global integration are changing the
economic landscape of the world.
Our economic infrastructure must
also adapt accordingly. From the
nascent beginnings where the
public sector created the immediate
necessary infrastructure for the
launch of our development process,
today the rise of a robust private
sector is slowly but steadily
becoming an equal partner in
ensuring the economic prosperity
of our nation. We can be confident
that we will be able to achieve
the growth targets we have set
for ourselves. The impressive
performance of our economy has
resulted in India’s emergence as a
powerful player in the international
arena.
H o w e v e r, w e m u s t n o t
be complacent about our
achievements as there are still
greater challenges before us that
we must confront in order to ensure
sustainable progress and inclusive
development. Some of the areas,
that need particular attention,
are the fields of education,
health and nutrition, women’s
empowerment, rural development
etc. The benefits of development
are still to reach all sections of
our society. We cannot look at
the future without addressing the
needs of the underprivileged and
the disadvantaged sections of our
society, with special emphasis on
the empowerment of the Scheduled
Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and
other weaker sections of society.
We must ensure that they too find
their rightful place and enjoy the
fruits of the progress our nation
has been making. Our efforts and
our commitment, while pursuing
the goal of high growth rates,
should be to ensure that all people
of our country benefit from it.
The future of the world
will be shaped by advances in
Science and Technology as our
integrated planet is becoming
increasingly knowledge-based.
Though we have a strong
lead in the Information and
Communication technologies
and bio-technology sectors, we
must continue to invest further
in Research and Development.
We must strengthen and upgrade
our educational institutions.
Students should be encouraged
to pursue basic sciences. State
Governments and educational
institutions should make special
efforts to attract students to
science disciplines. Education
is the most important tool for
empowering the people of a
country. The quest for knowledge
has always been a part of the
ethos of our country. It is for these
reasons that since independence
we have consistently sought to
build a strong infrastructure for
education. As we work towards
the goal of universal primary
education by 2010, we should
also aim to increase enrolment
in higher education and technical
education. I firmly believe that
the light of modern education
should touch every person - man
and woman, boy and girl.
Women constitute about half of
our population but face a number
of challenges. The legislation
meant for the empowerment and
protection of women should be
enforced effectively. We also need
to address social evils like child
marriage, female foeticide, female
infanticide and dowry. Another
issue of concern is the debilitating
effect of alcoholism and drug
addiction on individuals, families
and societies.
However, progress cannot be
sustained without social harmony.
It is like the thread which holds
together a garland of beautiful
flowers, made of different colours
and fragrance. Let us ensure that
the unity that brought us together
to constitute this great democratic
republic is maintained and we stand
together under the banner of liberty
and equality. As development takes
place we should not forget that the
objective is not merely to create
wealth. It should be to build a
humane society. We cannot afford
to have insular attitudes and be
unconcerned about the needs of
others. Society must have a helpful
and positive attitude towards the
disabled and older citizens as
well.
The Government has initiated
measures to not only stimulate
faster but also more inclusive
growth in the 11th Five Year Plan
period from 2007 to 2012. This
will be important for the overall
progress and prosperity of all. The
Government has also introduced
several flagship programmes like
Bharat Nirman, the National Rural
Employment Guarantee Programme,
the Rural Health Mission, the
Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban
Renewal Mission and the Sarva
Siksha Abhiyan. These are designed
to improve the lives of the people.
But their implementation remains
a challenge. A question that we
need to ask is how effective are our
delivery mechanisms and what are
the weaknesses that they face. The
entire Government machinery has
to work to fulfill the aspirations of
the people. I believe that people's
participation is key to the effective
implementation of programmes and
projects. Everyone should work in
a time bound manner as well as
work with accountability and in a
transparent manner.
We as a nation are also conscious
of our role in the larger global stage
and our responsibilities to humanity
at large. From the very beginning of
our civilization, we have believed
that the world is one and humanity is
a single family. India is committed
to establishing ties of friendship
and co-operation with all countries.
India's engagement with the world
is intensifying both in the economic
and political fields. India is a
country that always has and will
continue to promote regional and
global peace and stability.
Thus today, we as a nation stand at
an important juncture of our nation’s
history. While we acknowledge the
contribution of our predecessors in
building the strong foundations of
our Republic, let us also own up to
our responsibility in giving a new
direction to our country’s growth
and progress. Our decisions today
will have a lasting impact on the
generations to come and will shape
the future of our country. Let me
conclude with the words of our first
Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal
Nehru from his famous ‘tryst with
destiny’ speech, delivered on the
midnight of August 14th and 15th, as
India gained her independence:-
“The service of India means the
service of the millions who suffer.
It means the ending of poverty
and ignorance and disease and
inequality of opportunity. The
ambition of the greatest man of our
generation has been to wipe every
tear from every eye. That may be
beyond us, but as long as there are
tears and suffering so long our
work will not be over.”
The journey has been long, but
we have travelled far. Like any great
journey, we have had our moments
of triumph and glory as also our
share of sorrows and travails. We
have overcome obstacles and have
crossed over hurdles, because
we have consciously and firmly
believed in India - our Motherland,
a nation with a great civilizational
strength, an underlying unity and a
promising future. All along we have
had an abiding faith in the talent and
resilience of the people of India. We
were inspired during this journey by
the values of freedom, tolerance and
plurality, which have given to India
its defining identity - a country with
unity in diversity. India, consisting
of people with different religions,
languages and customs, draws its
inherent strength from each and
everyone of its diverse units.
Today, as a nation and as
individual citizens, we must pledge
to uphold this spirit of solidarity
and respect for the multi-cultural,
multi-religious and multi-ethnic
character of India. Standing at this
60th milestone, let us rededicate
ourselves to the cause of ensuring
the prosperity of our nation and
the well-being of every individual
in this country and of humanity at
large. q

D
r. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of Independent India, in his special message to his countrymen,
on the birth of the Indian Republic, said:
"We must re-dedicate ourselves on this day to the peaceful but sure realization of the dream that had
inspired the Father of our Nation and the other captains and soldiers of our freedom struggle, the dream of
establishing a classless, co-operative, free and happy society in 'his country'. We must remember that this is
more a day of dedications than of rejoicing - dedication to the glorious task of making the peasants and workers
the toilers and the thinkers fully free, happy and cultured."

YOJANA January 2010 7

celebrating 60 years
Indian Economy over the years
S
ome hold the view
that India was a poor
country for the most part
of human history, though
there were pockets of
prosperity and islands of riches.
However, accounts of others,
especially global travelers and
those who invaded India, indicate
that India was a prosperous country
till at least the seventeenth century.
According to an Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) publication,
in AD 1700, broadly defined,
The imparting of India’s GDP at US$ 90.8 billion
was 24.4 per cent of the world GDP.
dynamism to the mix (Angus, Maddison. 2001. ‘The
between private and World Economy: A Millennium
public sector of mixed Perspective’, OECD).
economy is the true Further, in a book titled The
National Income of India in the
mandate of planning Twentieth Century, Professor
– a mandate that is Sivasubramonian observed that in
the first five decades of the twentieth
fully consistent with century (1900-1 to 1946-7), before
economic reforms we got our independence in 1947,
The author has served as the Governor of Reserve Bank of India from September 2003 to September 2008. He is currently
Emeritus Professor, University of Hyderabad.
8 YOJANA January 2010
evaluation
Dr Yaga Venugopal Reddy
the per capita GDP in India was
stagnant, as the trend growth in
GDP during this period was 0.9 per
cent with the population growing
by 0.8 per cent (Sivasubramonian,
S. 2000, The National Income of
India in the Twentieth Century,
New Delhi Oxford University
Press)
As compared with near stagnant
growth in the first fifty years of
the twentieth century, the annual
growth, averaging around 3.5 per
cent during 1950 to 1980, was
comparatively better, while the per
capita growth broke out of the long
period of inertia and averaged 1.1 per
cent till around 1980. The average
growth rate of around 6 per cent
since the 1980s, while embarking
on a higher average growth path of
9 per cent is a paradigm shift in the
years preceding the crisis. It is also
noteworthy that India withstood
the serious effects of the issues so
far and is poised to click a GDP
growth of around seven per cent in
the two difficult years 2008-2009
and 2009-2010.
The Indian experience clearly
suggests that the mixed-economy
model and planned development
strategy in the first phase during
the 1950s and 1960s improved the
growth rate dramatically relative
to previous decades, and also
provided the essential building
blocks and laid strong foundations
for an indigenous industrial
base, a vibrant entrepreneurial
class and knowledge economy,
with considerable improvement
in vertical, social and economic
mobility. However, the inward-
looking import substitution strategy
pursued during the initial decades
of the planning period resulted
in declining productivity and a
high-cost economy. Realising this,
significant changes in policy were
initiated in the early 1980s, taking
account of the oil shocks in the
1970s and early 1980s. These policy
measures took India to a higher
growth trajectory in the 1980s,
but created some macroeconomic
imbalanaces in its wake, leading to
a crisis in 1991 that triggered more
comprehensive and sustainable
reforms. The policies since 1991
have provided ample opportunities
to build on the strong foundations
in the economic, political and social
spheres, laid during the pre-reform
period of planned development.
Unique Features of Reform
Here, it may be interesting to
enumerate some of the unique
features of the economic reform
process undertaken by India since
1991.
First, the approach towards
reforms in India has been cautious,
YOJANA January 2010 9
with an appropriate sequencing of
measures, complementary reforms
across sectors (for example, the
monetary, fiscal and external sectors)
and development of financial
institutions and markets. The
objective has been to progress with
some harmony across sectors.
Second, the pace and
sequencing of liberalization has
been responsive to domestic
developments, especially in the
monetary and financial sectors, and
the evolving international financial
architecture. The reforms were
debated intensely and designed
essentially indigenously.
Third, the approach to reform
was ‘gradual but steady’, rather than
a ‘big bang’ approach. The reforms
have generally been viewed as a
process and not as an event. In this
approach, the pace and sequencing
of liberalization could be tempered,
keeping in view the degree of
comfort in moving forward in a
credible way.
Fourth, the major thrust driving
the reform process was the quest for
higher growth and efficiency, along
with macroeconomic stability. At
the same time, the reforms had to
be ‘inclusive’, in the sense that
the benefits of reforms were to
be demonstrably shared by all
sections, in particular the vulnerable
ones. This has easily been a very
significant electoral issue in both
provincial and national elections.
Current Status
The pattern of growth of Gross
Domestic Product of India is
characterized by its self accelerating
nature. The variations in the road
of growth have also moderated.
Both savings and investments as
percentage of GDP have increased.
The productivity has been increasing
and capital output ratio is favourable
when compared to China. While
there have been large variations
in prices, they were mainly on
account of shocks due to oil prices
or food prices. Financial sector has
shown remarkable stability and has
withstood several shocks including
the recent global financial crisis.
Financial sector has successfully
financed unprecedented growth
with stability. The external sector
has strengthened considerably.
There are comfortable levels of
foreign exchange reserves. All
these are significant strengths based
on which it is necessary to build
the future.
While planning to build on the
positive features indicated above, it
is also necessary to recognize some
important problems that persist.
Agriculture continues to stagnate.
Manufacturing is not growing as
rapidly as it should. Prospect for
employment, especially of skilled
and semi skilled labour are not
bright. The public debt continues
to be, as a percentage of GDP, one
of the highest in the world. The
structural component of the fiscal
deficit appears high. The bottlenecks
in physical infrastructure such as
power and ports are well known.
The conditions in regard to public
health, education and environment
need a large measure of finances
and policy-changes.
Outlook
Progress in India is essentially
one of shifting balances. These
balances shift almost continuously,
and often imperceptibly, and it is
possible to hold that one way of
assessing the outlook for the Indian
economy is to appreciate these
changing balances.
First, there is a changing
balance in the debates on economic
reforms. So far, the discussions
have percolated from the English
media to the vernacular (with the
divide between the English media
and the vernacular corresponding
roughly to a socio-economic/
urban-rural divide). Important
economic issues are more and
more articulated and shaped by
the vernacular media and distilled
up to the English media, since it is
the vernacular that predominantly
represents the rising 200 million
middle class.
Second, there are changes
in the vertical balance between
Central and provincial or state
governments. The trends towards
globalization results in many of the
discretionary powers of the Union
government in the economic arena
becoming aligned with bilateral or
multilateral requirements, while
critical areas in the economy
where the government can play a
role, like law and order, education,
health, power, water and so on,
remain substantively in the domain
of the provinces. The fact that
even a few years ago many in the
world would not have heard of the
state chief ministers while they
do so now points to an increasing
decentralization of economic
reforms.
Third, the horizontal inter-
provincial balance is also changing.
States are now competing for
private investments-the drivers
of growth-whether domestic or
foreign. Competition among states
for Central government assistance
on the basis of backwardness
10 YOJANA January 2010
or need has been replaced with
competition for private investments
facilitating growth.
Fourth, within governments,
both at the Union and provincial
levels, regulatory agencies are
expanding their role to reduce
the discretionary authority of
governments of the day.
Fifth, the most dynamic element
of reform is the mix between
public and private ownership of
enterprises. The rebalancing of
public enterprises is not dramatic,
but the entry of, and threat posed by,
the private sector and a diversified
ownership of public enterprises
through partial disinvestment have
meant a change in both the operating
environment and internal business
culture of these enterprises-which,
had employed and retained the
largest pool of the best and the
brightest.
Sixth, there is a dramatic—
though not fully appreciated—
rebalancing within the private sector
in terms of what may be called the
‘professionalisation’ of industrial
houses. A new, highly qualified
and professional generation of
leadership has replaced the older
order in established industrial
house. At the same time there has
been an explosion of an entirely
new set of industry leaders
particularly in newer field such
as software, pharmaceuticals
biotech and financial services.
This professionalization is also
accompanied by the globalization
of operations of Indian industrial
houses.
Finally, the relationship between
labour and management is being
gradually rebalanced. It has
certainly improved since the 1991
reform. The recent data on strikes
and the number of working days
lost bear testimony to the maturity
and wisdom of all concerned.
Challenges for Planning and
Public Policy
For a large and diverse economy
with low per capita income, yet
one that is undergoing structural
transformation in a highly uncertain
global environment, challenges
for planning and public policy are
manifold.
First, while over 60 per cent
of the workforce is dependent on
agriculture, the sector accounts for
20 per cent of the GDP. Further,
the GDP growth generated from
agriculture is only marginally
above the rate of growth of the
population, which is not adequate to
ensure rapid poverty reduction. Not
only does volatility in agricultural
production have implications for
overall growth, but, as experience
amply demonstrated, also for
maintaining a low and stable
inflation. Enhanced growth of
the agricultural sector is vital for
ensuring food security, poverty
a l l e v i a t i o n , p r i c e s t a b i l i t y,
overall inclusive growth and
sustainability of growth of the
overall economy.
Second, the manufacturing
sector has recorded robust growth,
despite several infrastructure
deficiencies. The inadequate
availability of modern
infrastructure and shortage of
skilled manpower are the most
critical barriers to the growth
of the manufacturing sector.
It is essential to augment the
existing infrastructure facilities,
particularly the roads, ports and
power to provide an enabling
environment for industry to
prosper. The most important issues
here are the regulatory framework
and the overall investment climate.
One other concern has been cost
recovery, which may improve
with enlightened public-private
partnership.
Third, a salient feature of the
fiscal consolidation process in
recent years, even after accounting
for cyclical elements, has been
the significant reduction in the
key deficit indicators. These
are two important areas which,
if addressed, would result in
fiscal empowerment. One is the
elimination of subsidies that are
inappropriate and not directly
targeted to the poor, and the other
is the elimination of most tax
exemptions, which are patently stake in improving and empowering
distortionary. Moreover, the public institutions.
delivery of essential public services
Conclusion :
such as education and health to a
large section of our population is To conclude, planning is
a major challenge. rationalist in approach and
interventionist in operation. The
Fourth, there is a growing
rational element will constantly seek
recognition in India that governance
to rebalance the relative roles of state
reforms are critical to strengthening
intervention and free markets to suit
state capacity and enabling it to
the evolving national and global
perform its core functions. The
circumstances. The interventionist
task of improving the institutions
element will keep refining the
of economic governance comprise,
tools of state intervention as
among others many organizations
appropriate to changing social and
and actions essential for the
technological conditions. Thus,
good functioning of markets. It
the imparting of dynamism to
must be recognized that good
the mix (between private and
governance can coexist only
public sector) of mixed economy
when the public sector functions
is the true mandate of planning – a
fairly and efficiently, which can
mandate that is fully consistent
be achieved by improving and
with economic reforms. q
not undermining it. The business
community therefore has a vital (E-mail : office.dryvr@gmail.com)

A Mathematical Mind

A
lgebra originated in India . Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi learned the technique of Indian
mathematics and introduced it to the world through his famous book on arithmetic text, the Kitab
al-jam’wal tafriq bi hisab al-Hindi ("Book on Addition and Subtraction after the Method of the
Indians"), around 780-850 A.D The first use of algebraic transformation was described by Brahmagupta in his
book Brahmasphutasiddhanta, where he first proposed solution of Linear Algebra and Quadratic Equation.
The ancient Indian mathematicians were also very familiar with Trigonometry. Aryabhata in 499, gave
tables of half chords which are now known as sine tables, along with cosine tables. He used zya for sine,
kotizya for cosine, and otkram zya for inverse sine, and also introduced the versine.
The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas numbers as big as 10 to the
power of 53 with specific names were used in ancient India.
The Place Value System' and the 'Decimal System' were developed in India in 100 B.C.

The Peace Loving Country

I
ndia never invaded any country in her last 100000 years of history
India provides safety for more than 300,000 refugees originally from Sri Lanka, Tibet, Bhutan,
Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who escaped to flee religious and political persecution.

YOJANA January 2010 11

celebrating 60 years
Agricultural Evolution during the last
Sixty Years
S
tarting with the
First Five Year Plan,
agriculture and allied
sectors have received
considerable attention
in both strategy development and
resource allocation. The Sixth
Five Year Plan (1980-85) was
particularly significant since for the
first time agricultural growth rate
(5.7%) exceeded the rate of growth
of the economy (5.5%) as a whole.
Indian agriculture There is a saying in farming, “we
is at the crossroads. reap as we sow” and this is very true
of planned development. The Indian
Our population independence in 1947 was born in
the backdrop of the great Bengal
may reach 1750 famine of 1942-43. This is why
million by 2050. Jawaharlal Nehru said soon after
our independence, “everything else
Food grain can wait but not agriculture”. This
production must principle is reflected in different five
year plans. As a result, we have not
be doubled and had any major famine since 1947,
although our population has been
the area under increasing at a fast rate. It is only
irrigation should during the last twenty years that
both public and private investment
go up in agriculture has shown a decline,
The author is Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and Chairman, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation.
12 YOJANA January 2010
perspective
Prof M S Swaminathan
as a result of which agricultural
growth has also declined. More
recently, steps have been taken in
XI Plan to reverse the trend.
The Sixth Five Year Plan
also introduced for the first time
separate chapters on “Women and
Development” and “Environment
and Development”. Thus
emphasis was accorded to the
conservation and enhancement
of the ecological foundations
essential for sustainable agriculture
such as, soil, water, biodiversity
and climate. The importance
of women’s technological and
skill empowerment was also
emphasized, taking into account
the increasing feminization of
agriculture. Also a sub-chapter
was introduced on a New Deal for
the Self-employed. The largest self
employment sector in our country
is agriculture including crop and
animal husbandry, fisheries forestry,
and agro-processing. The next in
importance is the trading sector
with numerous micro-enterprises
and retail shops supported by
micro-credit.
Today, our agriculture is in the
midst of an ecological and economic
crisis. The heartland of the green
revolution namely, Punjab, Haryana
and Western Uttar Pradesh is facing
both ecological and hydrological
distress. The National Commission
on Farmers in their report submitted
to the Government in 2006 had
recommended a shift to conservation
farming in this area. A National
Policy for Farmers has also been
developed and placed in Parliament
in November 2007. This is the
first time that a National Policy
for Farmers has been developed,
since all earlier policies related to
agriculture and not specifically to
the women and men who work night
and day in sun and rain to produce
food for us. The National Policy
for Farmers calls for a paradigm
shift from measuring agricultural
progress purely in terms of growth
rate in production, to measuring
progress by the actual increase in
the net income of farmers. Thus,
there has to be an income orientation
which implies remunerative price
and assured marketing opportunities,
if farming and farmers are to survive
in our country. Compounding the
existing problems there is also the
threat of climate change which will
further reduce the productivity of
small holdings. We thus need a New
Deal for the farmers of India.
I would like to briefly summarize
the different phases of our
agricultural evolution during the
last sixty years, which has marked a
transition from the green revolution
to an ever-green revolution:
In India, the 20th century
was a period of agony and
ecstasy on the farm front. The
YOJANA January 2010 13
colonial period (1900-47) was
characterized by insignificant
growth in food production and
frequent famines. The Nehru
period (1947-1964) was marked
by emphasis on irrigation, power
generation, production of mineral
fertilizers, chemical pesticides,
community development, national
extension service, and above
all strengthening of agricultural
research and education through
the establishment of agricultural
universities. A post-graduate school
was set up at the Indian Agricultural
Research Institute, New Delhi,
which was conferred in 1958 the
status of a deemed university under
the UGC Act of 1956. The first
Agricultural University based on
the Land Grant University system
of the United States of America
started functioning in 1960 at Pant
Nagar in Uttar Pradesh (now in
Uttarakand).
Inspite of all the measures
taken to strengthen agricultural
research, education, extension and
development, the gap between food
production and food requirement
continued to grow between 1950
and 1960. Consequently, food
imports, largely under the PL-480
programme of the United States,
grew year after year, reaching a peak
level of 10 million tonnes in 1966.
Globally and nationally, there was
skepticism about India’s capacity to
feed its growing population.
To meet this challenge, an
Intensive Agriculture District
Programme (IADP) was started in
the early sixties to maximize the
output of cereals like rice and wheat
in districts where irrigation water
was available. The strategy was to
provide seeds, fertilizer and other
inputs to improve productivity.
During the first 15 years after
independence, production increase
was largely associated with area
expansion and not due to higher
yield. Consequently, the average
yield of rice and wheat continued
to stagnate at less than 1 tonne
per hectare. It is under such
circumstances, that I pointed out
that the IADP, also referred to
as the package programme, had
one important missing ingredient,
namely a genetic strain which can
respond to the rest of the package,
particularly soil nutrients and
irrigation water.
The search for high yielding
varieties which can convert sunlight,
water and nutrients into grains in an
efficient manner first began in rice
with the initiation of the indica-
japonica hybridization programme at
the Central Rice Research Institute,
Cuttack, in the early nineteen fifties.
Similar work was started in wheat
in the mid-fifties, using mutation
breeding techniques as well as
hybridization between Triticum
aestivum varieties and sub-species
compactun and sphaerococum.
The indica-japonica hybridization
programme resulted in varieties like
ADT-27 in Tamil Nadu and Mashuri
in Malaysia. The programme did not
make much headway due to sterility
problems. In the case of wheat
also, the expected improvement in
yield potential did not take place,
since a short plant stature was also
associated with short panicles and
reduced yield potential. Fortunately,
Japanese scientists led by Dr Gonziro
Inazouka identified the Norin 10 and
other genes which helped to break
the negative correlation between
plant height and panicle length.
The Norin dwarfing gene was used
by Dr Orville Vogel in Washington
State University, Pulman, to breed
high yielding winter wheats like
Gaines. The same genes were used
by Dr Norman Borlaug in Mexico to
develop semi-dwarf spring wheats.
By adopting a shuttle breeding
technique, Dr Borlaug also made
the wheat plant insensitive to photo-
period and temperature. This gave
birth to high-yielding spring wheat
varieties Lerma Rojo-64A, Sonora
63, Sonora 64, Mayo 64 and other
strains in Mexico. We obtained seeds
of these varieties, as well as a wide
range of segregating material from
Dr Borlaug in September 1963. The
details of the semi-dwarf wheat
programme initiated with the Norin
dwarfing genes are contained in the
publication “Wheat Revolution - a
Dialogue” (Macmillan India, 1993).
Production advances were rapid
resulting in the green revolution in
1968, due to the growth of a Green
Revolution Symphony, consisting
of mutually reinforcing packages
of technology, services, public
policy in input and out pricing and
marketing, and above all farmers’
enthusiasm.
In the area of technology,
some of the significant steps
taken included a) the organization
of multi-location trials with 4
Mexican Semi-dwarf varieties
during 1963-64; b) the organization
of National Demonstrations in the
fields of resource poor farmers
with small holdings from 1964-
65 onwards; c) the import of
200 tonnes of seeds of Lerma
Rojo-64A and Sonora 64 during
1965-66 to expand the National
Demonstration Programme
throughout the wheat growing
areas; d) import of 18000 tonnes
of seeds from Mexico, mainly of
the variety Lerma Rojo-64A for
increasing the area under semi-
dwarf wheat varieties; e) selection
of amber grain wheat varieties from
14 YOJANA January 2010
the segregating populations sent by
Dr Borlaug and development of
high-yielding amber wheats like
Kalyan Sona and Sonalika, and
initiation of a dynamic programme
of cross-breeding both in aestivum
and durum wheats in order to
incorporate the Norin dwarfing
genes into high quality Indian
Wheat varieties like C306, bred
by Chaudhury Ram Dhan Singh
in the Punjab.
In the area of services, the
important measures taken included
a) the setting up of a National Seed
Corporation; b) rural electrification,
c) rural communication, and
d) enlarged credit supply. The
public policy measures led to
establishment of an Agricultural
Prices Commission, enforcement
of a minimum support price through
the Food Corporation of India, and
the building up of grain reserves
to feed the public distribution
system. Since the new technologies
are scale neutral but not resource
neutral, special programmes like
the small and marginal farmer
support programmes were initiated.
The aim was to ensure social
inclusion in access to high-yield
technologies.
The integrated packages of
technology, services and public
policies ignited farmers’ enthusiasm
and a small government programme
became a mass movement. Writing
in the Illustrated Weekly of India
(May 11, 1969), I made the
following remarks on the Punjab
Wheat Miracle.
“Brimming with enthusiasm,
hard-working, skilled and
determined, the Punjab farmer
has been the backbone of the
revolution. Revolutions are usually
associated with the young, but in
this revolution, age has been no
obstacle to participation. Farmers,
young and old, educated and
uneducated, have easily taken to
the new agronomy. It has been
heart-warming to see young college
graduates, retired officials, ex-army
men, illiterate peasants and small
farmers queuing up to get the
new seeds. At least in the Punjab,
the divorce between intellect and
labour, which has been the bane of
our agriculture is vanishing”
To bring this significant
development in India’s agricultural
evolution to public attention, the
then Prime Minister Smt Indira
Gandhi released a special stamp
titled “The Wheat Revolution” in
July 1968.
Similar opportunities for
enhancing production through
productivity improvement soon
became available in rice, maize,
sorghum and peal millet. Hence,
the US scientist, Dr William
Gaud coined the term “Green
Revolution” to indicate productivity
triggered production increase. In
order to ensure that a productivity
based agriculture does not result
in ecological harm due to the
unsustainable exploitation of land
and water, adoption of mono-
culture and excessive use of mineral
fertilizers and chemical pesticides, I
appealed to farmers in the following
words, not to harm the long term
production potential for short term
gains in my address to the Indian
Science Congress held on Varanasi
in January 1968.
“Exploitative agriculture
offers great dangers if carried out
with only an immediate profit or
production motive. The emerging
exploitative farming community in
India should become aware of this.
Intensive cultivation of land without
conservation of soil fertility and soil
structure would lead, ultimately,
to the springing up of deserts.
Irrigation without arrangements for
drainage would result in soils getting
alkaline or saline. Indiscriminate
use of pesticides, fungicides and
herbicides could cause adverse
changes in biological balance
as well as lead to an increase
in the incidence of cancer and
other diseases, through the toxic
residues present in the grains or
other edible parts. Unscientific
tapping of underground water will
lead to the rapid exhaustion of this
wonderful capital resource left to
us through ages of natural farming.
The rapid replacement of numerous
locally adapted varieties with one
or two high-yielding strains in
large contiguous areas would result
in the spread of serious diseases
capable of wiping out entire crops,
as happened prior to the Irish potato
famine of 1854 and the Bengal
rice famine in 1942. Therefore the
initiation of exploitative agriculture
without a proper understanding of
the various consequences of every
one of the changes introduced into
traditional agriculture, and without
first building up a proper scientific
and training base to sustain it,
may only lead us, in the long run,
into an era of agricultural disaster
rather than one of agricultural
prosperity.”
I pleaded for converting the
green revolution into an ever-green
revolution by mainstreaming the
principles of ecology in technology
development and dissemination. I
defined ever-green revolution as
increasing productivity in perpetuity
without associated ecological
harm. I pleaded for avoiding the
temptation to convert the green
revolution into a greed revolution.
U n f o r t u n a t e l y, e c o l o g i c a l l y
unsound public policies, like the
YOJANA January 2010 15
supply of free electricity, have
led to the over-exploitation of the
aquifer in the Punjab, Haryana and
Western UP region. The heartland
of the green revolution is in deep
ecological distress (Science VOL
325 31 JULY 2009). The need for
adopting the methods of an ever-
green revolution has therefore
become very urgent.
The following three steps are
urgently needed for ensuring
adequate availability of home
grown food.
First, we must take steps to
defend the gains already made.
This will involve integrating
ecological principles in technology
development. At the same time,
public policies should promote
the sustainable use of land, water,
biodiversity and common property
resources through conservation
farming. If the regions, which
now provide most of the grains
for the public distribution system,
do not shift to an ever-green
revolution pathway of productivity
improvement, the nation’s food
security system will be jeopardy.
Second, we must extend
productivity gains to the “green but
no green revolution” areas like the
entire eastern India, where there is
adequate water availability. These
areas constitute the “sleeping giant”
of Indian agriculture and should be
enabled to take to green agriculture
in a big way through appropriate
packages of technology, services
and public policies.
Third, we should make new
gains, particularly in rainfed areas,
which constitute 60% of the farm
area in the country. Available
data show that the yield gap (i.e.
gap between potential and actual
yields) in such rainfed semi-arid
areas is as high as 200 to 300%
in the case of pulses, oilseeds,
millets, semi-arid horticulture,
etc. Work on “more crop and
income per drop of water” and on
planting a billion fertilizer trees
like Faidherbia albida should be
promoted. Water harvesting and
efficient water use should become
a way of life in such areas. A Pond
in Every Farm should become
a habit and where appropriate,
labour from the National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act
(NREGA) programme should be
utilized for constructing farm ponds
in the fields of small and marginal
farmers in drought prone areas.
India has nearly a billion farm
animals including poultry. Livestock
and livelihoods are intimately inter-
related in all major agro-ecosystems,
but more particularly in arid and
semi-arid areas. Also, the ownership
of livestock in more egalitarian
than that of land. Therefore, crop-
livestock integrated farming systems
should be promoted, since this
confers multiple benefits, like
income and nutrition security.
To sum up, Indian agriculture is
at the crossroads. Our population
may reach 1750 million by 2050.
Per capita crop land will then
be 0.089 ha and per capita fresh
water supply will be 1190 m3 /
year. Food grain production must
be doubled and the area under
irrigation should go up from the
current 60 million ha to 114 million
ha by 2050. Degraded soils should
be restored through increase in
Carbon pools in soils. We should
again recall Nehru’s famous words,
“Everything else can wait but
not agriculture”. q
(E-mail : swami@mssrf.res.in /
msswami@vsnl.net)
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16 YOJANA January 2010

celebrating 60 years
Citizen-centered Governance: A Tribute to
Our Founding Fathers
T
he 60th anniversary
of Indian Republic is
a fitting occasion to
recollect the spirit of
our founding fathers, for
which the Constitution of India was
the culmination. Responsibility and
accountability were the two values
of governance that B.R. Ambedkar
citied as reasons for preferring
parliamentary system to that of
presidential one. The architect
of the constitution explained that
a parliamentary executive, who
was dependent on majority in
Reforms do Parliament, would act with more
responsibility. He was convinced
not necessarily that, at least as matter of possibility,
bring in progress, the daily assessment would be
done by members of Parliament,
but no progress through questions, resolutions, no-
confidence motions, adjournment
is possible minus motions and debates on addresses.
well thought of, Dr. Ambedkar incorporated the
values of the national movement,
well meant which were embedded in the
Constitution of India Bill proposed
reforms by Annie Besant and Lokmanya
The author is the President of Lok Satta Party. He was Member, Second Administrative Reforms Commission, Constituted
by Government of India.
YOJANA January 2010 17
view point
Dr Jayaprakash Narayan
Tilak in 1895 and the Nehru Report,
drafted by a committee under
chairmanship of Motilal Nehru in
1928; into the constitution. Civic
rights such as universal suffrage
and fundamental rights irrespective
of the creed, class, caste and gender
were results of advocacy by the
leaders of national movement.
Despite the successful
incorporation of values and
standards into the constitution,
Ambedkar warned that the state will
fail, despite the constitution, if the
people and the parties that represent
them act irresponsibly. He said,
“However good a Constitution may
be, it is sure to turn out bad because
those who are called to work it,
happen to be a bad lot.”
The values adopted in the
foundational cannons of the
republic were gradually diluted by
unprincipled politics. The result
was a severe crisis of governance.
The manifestations of this crisis
– the all-pervasive inefficient
state, increasing lawlessness,
directionless populism, ever-
growing criminalization and
commercialization of polity,
excessive centralization, serious
erosion of legitimacy of authority,
tardy and inefficient justice system
– all these are only too evident to
all of us.
Root of Crisis - Design of
Democracy
Our founding fathers were
undoubtedly men and women of
great caliber, commitment, depth
and understanding. However, the
compulsions of establishing and
maintaining order at the earliest in
the wake of the trauma of partition
forced them to opt for continuity
in the instruments of governance.
Given these cataclysmic events at
the time of partition, restoration
of order and maintaining the unity
and integrity of India were of
paramount importance and our
leaders understandably opted
for continuance of time-tested
instruments of governance. Many
scholars have pointed out that there
is about 80 per cent congruence
between the Government of
India Act of 1935 and the Indian
Constitution of 1950 because of
these compulsions.
In addition, the euphoria
accompanying the transfer of
power led to a general belief that
the moment the Indian leaders
acquired power, things would
automatically improve even with
the old instruments of governance.
However, the subsequent events
belied these hopes. In the early
years after the independence,
the aura of freedom struggle, the
towering stature of the early leaders
associated with that struggle, the
hope of better things to come and
18 YOJANA January 2010
the inadequate understanding of
the loopholes in the mechanics of
governance ensured certain measure
of stability, hope and harmony. As
all such hopes are dashed, and
persistent rejection of parties in
power does not seem to result in any
significant tangible improvement,
people are increasingly sullen and
resentful.
Essentially, the crisis is a result of
two major flaws in our governance
structure. Firstly, good behavior
is not consistently recognised
and rewarded by the state and
bad behaviour is not checked and
punished. In fact, the contrary is
true, and there is a strong feeling
throughout that corrupt behavior
ensures rewards and successes in
our system. The second major flaw
is the nature of power in governance
system and its exercise by the
officialdom. If power is defined
as the ability to influence events,
processes, resources and human
behaviour for the larger public
good, then such power is severely
restricted to state functionaries at
every level.
However, if power is defined
as pelf, privilege, patronage, petty
tyranny, harassment, or nuisance
value, then almost all our state
functionaries enjoy this negative
power in abundance. As a result, all
state functionaries have perfectly
plausible, rational and realistic
explanations and alibis for non-
performance. The hapless citizen,
who expects results, is perpetually
frustrated.
Due to these characteristics,
all institutions of state have failed
grievously and are on the verge of
collapse. This collapse encompasses
the political executive, the
legislatures, the bureaucracy and
the judiciary. None can be blamed
in isolation, nor can any segment
escape the blame. However, this
failure is not because individuals
have failed, nor is it because the
society lacks values, but it is a result
of the fundamental flaws in our
governance structure, which make
this crisis inevitable.
In the face of the state's failure to
optimize results, and its incapacity
to check malignant use of power,
the citizen is increasingly frustrated.
Unlike the elites, who laud the
modest accomplishments of state
functionaries against heavy odds,
the ordinary citizens are deeply
discontented as they perceive the
vast area of non-performance,
and the pervasive insensitivity,
corruption and unresponsiveness.
As repeated rejection of status quo
and voting out the party in power
do not yield any positive results,
there is increasing frustration, and
recourse to violence.
Holistic Reform – The Way Out
The crisis of governability is
undoubtedly grave. The nature
and magnitude of our problems are
daunting. What we are witnessing is
the collapse of the Indian Republic.
However, the Indian crisis is by no
means intractable or immutable.
There is no reason why India should
inevitably succumb to the spectres
of anarchy, authoritarianism which
could lead to eventual balkanization
of the nation. Over the years,
the intractability of the Indian
crisis, and the impossibility of
successful reform have been
overemphasized.
India has the strength, resilience,
intellectual and moral resources to
respond to this crisis with courage,
imagination and creativity. However,
we must first recognize that the only
realistic and enduring solution to
the crisis engulfing the Indian state
is a holistic, peaceful, democratic
transformation of the republic, with
the objective of building at all levels
free, self-governing, empowering,
s e l f - co r r e ct in g i n s ti tu t i o n s ,
capable of maintaining peace and
harmony, preserving order and
stability, strengthening unity and
integrity, enabling freedom and
participation and promoting growth
and prosperity.
Limitations of Isolated Reforms
Isolated efforts to correct
individual ills have largely been
frustrated or failed because of the evil
engulfing all facets of governance.
Even the egalitarian discourses
such as inclusive development and
governance innovations such as
Unique Identity Card would only
reduce the absurdity in governance,
but will not result in a paradigm
shift. No matter how well meaning
and necessary an isolated reform is,
it will not yield adequate dividends,
when it is unaccompanied by the
other necessary changes.
In this backdrop, parties with
vested interests can argue for status
quo citing the failure of the partial
reform, can use it against any
serious reform. Time and again,
isolated, necessary but insufficient
reforms have failed to energize
the polity and improve the content
of our governance. The sporadic
attempts to improve conduct of
elections, repeated attempts of
various Administrative Reforms
Commissions, Law Commission
Reports, introduction of Panchayati
Raj institutions in the 50s, anti-
defection acts, 73rd and 74th
YOJANA January 2010 19
constitutional amendments in the
90s, and efforts like the amendment
of the constitution are all examples
of sporadic, isolated, insufficient
and ultimately ineffective efforts
to reform the governance system
over the years.
In this all-pervasive crisis of
governability, the only realistic
way out is a peaceful, democratic,
holistic transformation of Indian
governance structure. Such a
transformation must address the
basic processes of power and
ensure that truly democratic, self-
correcting mechanisms are in
place. Every facet of reform must
adequately counter the elements
of crisis in Indian governance.
This includes non-performance on
account of the disjunct between vote
and welfare of citizens on one hand,
and authority and accountability
on the other; the incapacity of the
administrative and legal structures
to reward good behaviour and
punish bad behaviour consistently;
and increasing incompatibility
between honesty and survival in
political executive office.
In such a comprehensive
reform process, each element of
reform will reinforce the other
elements, bringing out synergies
and minimizing risks. A holistic
reform also ensures the placing of
adequate checks and safeguards
against failure of any institution
individually. Instead of letting
failure at one level lead to failure
at other levels, arresting failure
quickly and effectively can prevent
it from posing a serious damage
to the polity. All the elements of
transformation of our governance
structure, together, must be capable
of strengthening every facet of
our democracy - freedom, self-
governance, empowerment, rule of
law and self-correcting institutional
framework.
Reform Agenda - Stakes for all
We must always keep in mind
that the objective is to transform
our governance structure. Such
an effort calls for the broadest
measure of agreement among all
segments of society, irrespective of
competing, sometimes conflicting,
sectional interests. All segments
of society must have stakes in the
agenda, and highly divisive and
contentious issues must be left to
public choice through the normal
competitive electoral process.
We should aim at creating a truly
democratic framework that offers
a platform for various ideologies
and policy options to be discussed,
debated and chosen by the people
from time to time. It necessarily
follows that policy issues should
be left out of the national reform
agenda. To be precise, those issues
that have a bearing on the basic
process of governance and the
five ingredients of democracy
- freedom, self- governance,
empowerment of people, rule of
law and self correcting institutional
frame work, should constitute the
agenda for democratic reform.
Those issues which have no
universality in their application
and form part of the `zero sum
game', whereby one segment gains
at the cost of the other, must be
excluded from the reform agenda
and must be left to the competing
political forces of the day. Only the
essential principles of democracy,
the basic rules of governance
and constitutional safeguards are
sacrosanct and non-negotiable and
must be constitutionally sanctified
in order to provide the basic
framework for competing political
parties and individuals to acquire
power and pursue those policies
which have the broadest measure
of public support from time to
time. The reform agenda has to be
minimalist and non-partisan, and
must deliberately eschew highly
contentious and divisive issues,
so that the widest measure of
consensus is possible. It must be
practical and rooted in the Indian
ethos, and must take into account
our experience of working of the
Constitution so far.
Democracy and Responsive
Governance
Democracy should become the
philosophical basis for the reforms
of governance, which can make it
responsive. Freedom is the right
of any individual to do as she
pleases as long as her actions do not
impinge on the freedom of others.
The Indian state can be ranked, over
all, quite high in terms of freedom
its citizens enjoy. However, there
are serious limitations to enjoyment
of freedom for the bulk of our
poor due to inadequate resources
and skills, which is a result of the
failure of the Indian state. Each
citizen should be provided with the
opportunities, which enables him to
be free in every aspect of life.
Self-governance is the right
of citizens to govern themselves
directly or indirectly. What
happened in 1947 was mere
transfer of power from the
colonial masters to the indigenous
oligarchies. In our anxiety to
preserve unity and order at all
costs, we accepted centralization of
power and bureaucratization, and
marginalised the role of the people.
As a result, self-governance is
20 YOJANA January 2010
limited to an occasional exercise
of franchise, when permitted by
the local bigwigs. As the choice
is often between Tweedledom and
Tweedledee, this franchise has no
real impact on the outcome, and
self-governance became largely
illusory. Proper implementation
of the existing constitutional and
legal provisions should be the first
step in this direction.
Empowerment is the ability of
citizens to influence the course
of events on a sustained basis
and make meaningful decisions
on matters of governance that
impact their own lives. In a highly
bureaucratized and centralized
milieu most local institutions
are beyond the reach of stake-
holders' influence, as stake-holders
and power-wielders are distinct.
Hence, empowerment of citizens
is at a low-level.
The local school, Primary
Health Centre, or civic services -
are all beyond citizen's influence.
The local public servant is
unaccountable to people, and is
often their master, rather than
their servant. Many procedures
are rigid, incomprehensible and
highly formalized, preventing
access to, and influence by, most
ordinary citizens. Citizens should
be given utmost importance in
decision making on each aspect of
governance, and no decision shall
preclude just demands of citizens.
Rule of law is the concept of
people being governed by law, and
all citizens, irrespective of station
and rank, being subject to the same
laws to the same extent. It is the
basis of all democratic governance,
and all our institutions, including
the executive and judiciary, swear
by it. However, in reality, the
centralised autocratic functioning
of the political parties, the flawed
electoral system, highly secretive,
opaque functioning, the ubiquitous
patronage system, the all-pervasive
corruption and the excruciating
delays in obtaining justice in law
courts - all these made sure that
the people with access to power,
muscle and means are more equal
than the ordinary citizens. As a
result, rule of law has been given
the go by in most cases and most
citizens have resigned themselves
to lives of indignity and quiet
desperation.
Self-correction is the ability of
institutions of state to constantly
learn from past experience and
improve them selves in order to
serve the people better. No design is
ever perfect and no system, however
well-constructed, can ever conceive
of all possible eventualities, and
provide for them. In any reasonably
efficient and responsive governance
structure, there must be a high
degree of flexibility and self-
correcting mechanism, so that the
system is functional. In India, almost
all institutions of state have become
moribund and dysfunctional. There
is no real self-correction visible on
an enduring basis or in a meaningful
manner.
Any reform that does not factor
in the ideals of democracy can
have serious repercussions. The
failure of reforms initiated in the
past should not prevent us from
initiating reforms in governance.
Reforms do not necessarily bring in
progress, but no progress is possible
minus well thought of, well meant
reforms. q
(Email : jp@loksattaparty.com)
celebrating 60 years
overview

Transport Infrastructure : A roadmap for

the future
Dr. E. Sreedharan

F
or one of the world’s
oldest civilizations
with a culture spanning
centuries, sixty years
is not a long time. But
as a nation, the last six decades
since India became a republic
have been truly momentous as the
country has witnessed far-reaching
developments in many spheres.
However, development of transport
It's time to infrastructure was probably not
given the importance it deserved
devote adequate initially as our planners did not
realize that investments in transport
attention to sector come back to the nation
development of manifold fueling growth in many
other sectors.
our transport As time passed, it was realized
infrastructure if that mobility is an important
requirement for economic
we want our growth of the nation as economic
country to take its activities flourish in areas where
accessibility is good and mobility
rightful place in fast. Gradually, the spotlight has
is an opportune time to analyze how
better transport facilities can be
provided to citizens in the future.
Urban Public Transport
Since Independence, India has
undergone a fundamental change in
the way its citizens live and work. A
primarily rural society for countless
years, India has seen a spurt in the
pace of its urbanization. Since job
opportunities have increased in
urban areas at a much faster pace
than in villages, attracting millions
to the already-overcrowded cities,
the proportion of urban population
went up from just 17 % in 1951 to
28 % in 2001, according to the latest
available Census figures. Currently,
the proportion of urbanization is
estimated to be about 35 % and
this figure is likely to go up to 45 %
by 2020. Thus, by that year, more
than half a billion people will live
in India’s teeming cities.

the comity of shifted to development of transport

infrastructure and the sixtieth
According to recent Government
estimates, 14 cities already have
developed nations anniversary of the Indian republic populations in excess of three

The author is Managing Director, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.

YOJANA January 2010 21

million while seven have more than
five million residents. However,
urban public transport facilities
have failed to keep up with the rapid
rise in population. Public transport
is fully road-based in almost all
our cities with the exception of
Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata
where sub-urban trains play a
limited role. The result is that our
roads are heavily congested with
an explosion in the number of
vehicles, causing heavy pollution
and keeping the average speed of
vehicles low. The most disturbing
effect of the dependence on road-
based transport is the high fatality
rates on city roads. According to
estimates, almost 120,000 people
die every year across India in road
accidents, including 2,000 in Delhi
alone. A possible solution is to
increase the capacity of roads but
cities are already so congested that
there is little scope for this.
Metro systems
The only way out, therefore,
is to plan high-capacity public
transport systems that are energy
efficient, do not encroach on the
limited road space available and
connect commercial and residential
areas effectively. Across the world,
public transportation systems in
heavily populated cities are rail-
based Mass Rapid Transit Systems
(MRTS) or Metro systems, as they
are the most appropriate since they
can carry up to 90,000 passengers
per hour per direction of traffic
(phpdt).
At present, India has only two
cities with MRT systems - Delhi
and Kolkata. The construction of
the Kolkata Metro overshot its
target schedule and cost and the
resultant problems for citizens,
perhaps, acted as a dampener for
22 YOJANA January 2010
the Metro culture to spread to other
cities.
This negative perception about
MRT systems, however, changed
with the coming of the Delhi Metro.
India’s largest urban intervention
in the transportation sector since
Independence, this mammoth
technically complex project is
being completed ahead of schedule
and budgeted cost.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
(DMRC) has introduced India to a
truly international transport system
which is safe, fast, comfortable and
reliable and is today acknowledged
as a resounding success. Many
Indian cities have lined up to take
advantage of DMRC’s experience
to build Metro systems. DMRC
has prepared Detailed Project
Reports (DPRs) for Bengaluru,
Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata
(extension), Ahmedabad, Kochi,
Pune and Chennai. In fact, Metro
construction has already started in
Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and
Kolkata. For Ludhiana, Lucknow,
Kanpur, Jaipur, Navi Mumbai and
Greater Noida, DPRs are under
preparation and DMRC is also
associated as a Prime Consultant
for Chennai Metro and Bengaluru
High Speed Airport Line.
However, many hurdles remain
before Metro systems in most of
these cities become a reality.
Institutional arrangements in
the form of active support of the
Government are vital. At present,
the Urban Development Ministry is
entrusted with the task of expanding
the Metro footprint and it is
performing exemplarily. A National
Metro Rail Policy has already been
drafted which has been considered
by the Committee of Secretaries.
Legal cover for Metro projects has
also been provided by enacting the
Metro Railway Amendment Act,
2009, to amend the Metro Railways
(Construction of Works) Act, 1978
and the Delhi Metro (Operation and
Maintenance) Act, 2002 and extend
these Acts to all million plus cities
in India.
However, the need of the hour
is a major policy thrust by the
Government to spread the “Metro
culture” and this is a full-time job
which cannot be performed well
by appending a small team to the
Ministry. A separate Ministry for
Metros has become essential.
There are other vital issues to
consider. Today, taxes and duties
account for about 15 % of the total
cost of Metros in India. This is
totally avoidable expenditure that
can easily be saved by exempting
Metro systems from the ambit of
these taxes and duties. Moreover,
property development has to be
allowed on a large scale which can
help augment the Metro incomes
and help keep their fares low.
Trained manpower is essential
if the hundreds of kilometers of
Metro networks planned now
are to be executed. It is true that
DMRC personnel have gained
considerable expertise while
working on the Delhi Metro project,
but they are few in number and
too focused on the expansion of
the capital’s network to provide
more than consultancy services.
DMRC has collaborated with the
Indian Institute of Technology,
Delhi, to start a post-graduate
course in Metro Technology and
the Executive Trainees will be
absorbed as Assistant Engineers
in Delhi and other Metros. Such
courses can be started in other IITs
and engineering institutes as well
so that the experience of DMRC
personnel can be better utilized.
There is a particular need for
standardization and indigenization
of technology to be used in Metro
systems across Indian cities as
bringing in new technology and
designs for every project is neither
necessary nor desirable as it would
only push up costs and time. The
advantages of standardization
are apparent in Russian and
Eastern European cities where
Metro systems could spread fast
because no time had to be spent
on finalizing designs and finding
vendors. Countries such as the
Czech Republic and Yugoslavia
have standard rolling stock (trains)
and signaling equipment because
of which their maintenance and
services are much better. This is
the model that should be followed
in India as well and this important
aspect should not be left to
innovation and individual initiative.
Only the Government can ensure
that standard gauge is used by all
Metros in India in the future as this
is the norm across the world. The
Government can utilize DMRC’s
expertise for standardization and
indigenization. Already, two units
to manufacture rolling stock have
been set up in Bangalore and in
Salvi near Vadodara to service
DMRC’s needs. These units can
easily meet the requirements of
other Metros provided they get
necessary Government support.
One unexpected problem that
DMRC had to face while executing
its project was resistance from
regulatory and local bodies of the
Government itself. While municipal
bodies often fund Metro works in
other countries, DMRC had to
contend with delayed clearances
YOJANA January 2010 23
and demand for property tax from
local bodies in the city such as
the Delhi Development Authority
and the Municipal Corporation of
Delhi. Government bodies working
at cross-purposes will definitely
not help the expansion of Metro
systems and the authorities must
step in to ensure that there is no
interruption in the Metro work.
Suburban trains and buses
Besides modern high-capacity
systems such as Metros, there
is scope to develop sub-urban
railway and bus rapid transit
(BRT) systems in some cities to
a limited extent but these avenues
have not been fully exploited. For
example, Delhi has a wonderful
surface Railway system converging
into the city from five different
directions and inter-connected with
a Ring Railway. Unfortunately,
this Railway network carries
only 2 % of the city commuters.
Strengthening, upgrading and
modernizing the Railway system
are low cost solutions to attract
commuters to the suburbs and to
de-congest the city. Unfortunately,
Railway’s unwillingness to run more
suburban trains and Government’s
helplessness or inability to tread
on Railway’s possessive turf is
preventing any improvements to
the suburban system.
As for BRT systems, these
are good options in cities where
the passengers per hour per
direction of traffic (phpdt) is
around 10,000. In fact, DMRC
has itself recommended BRT
systems in Thiruvananthapuram
and Kozhikode. However, BRT
systems are not suitable for cities
with large populations as it is
not possible to run buses with a
frequency of less than 30 seconds
(though the actual will probably
be around 2-3 minutes). Thus, a
maximum of 120 buses can be run
per hour which will have a capacity
of 12,000 phpdt. A system like the
Delhi Metro, on the other hand, has
a capacity of 75,000 phpdt.
National road network
India is a vast country and roads
fulfill the majority of its transport
requirement by carrying more than
70% of goods and population.
Reliable and safe roads are,
therefore, essential for economic
growth. For many decades, the focus
remained only on development of
the national highways but the rise
in vehicular movement has meant
that the pressure on these has
increased manifold. A lot needs to
be done to lay down new roads and
improve and widen existing ones,
including the national highways.
The golden quadrilateral project is
a beginning in this direction and,
hopefully, such projects will gather
momentum.
One such project which has great
importance for the nation is the
ambitious Pradhan Mantri Grameen
Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), a part of
the Bharat Nirman programme.
For decades, lack of infrastructure,
particularly roads, prevented the
rural economy from developing
which perhaps forced more and
more people to go to cities. The
PMGSY was started to address this
problem but sadly, it has managed
to achieve only 49 % of its target for
new roads and 55 % for upgradation
of roads (Source: The Times of India,
03.06.2009). Clearly, a lot remains
to be done. The main obstacle to
the scheme, possibly, is that there is
no centralized command and state
governments are responsible for the
actual work. If the Government can
bring the PMGSY under a single
administration under the charge
of a leader chosen on the basis of
merit, integrity and track record,
the scheme would definitely be far
more successful. Of course, there
are legislative constraints which
will need to be addressed before
this can happen.
The Indian Railways
The Indian Railways are perhaps
the most beneficial legacy of the
British Raj but unfortunately, little
has been done to improve the system
in post-Independence India. The
only notable projects to expand
the rail network in the last 60 years
have been the Konkan Railway and
the ongoing work in the Kashmir
Valley. The Railways have also
not adequately utilized available
technology for improvement in
services and an ordinary train traveler
from the 1930s’ would probably not
see too many significant changes
even today.
Therefore, an aggressive policy
for modernization and improving
the safety record of Railways is the
urgent need of the day. At present,
the focus of the Railways is on
dedicated freight corridors and a
separate corporation has set up
for their development. However,
priority should be given to the
development of dedicated high-
speed passenger corridors to which
all mail and express trains should be
diverted. The capacity thus released
will be more than that is needed for
freight movement.
Aviation
India’s aviation infrastructure
leaves much to be desired, considering
its growing economic clout and the
sheer volume of passenger movement.
Happily, the Government has taken
steps recently to upgrade major
airports such as Delhi and Mumbai.
But, the policy makers still do not
seem to be looking at the future. The
country needs modern airports and at
least three to four times more than the
number available today. Greenfield
airports are coming up at Devanahalli
near Bangalore and Shamshabad near
Hyderabad, but many more such
projects, especially in remote areas,
are required so that air connectivity
to all corners of the country becomes
a reality in the future.
Conclusion
In the last 60 years, India
has emerged as one of the major
economies of the world with its
growth rate second only to China.
It needs to be pondered that China
has invested heavily in its transport
infrastructure while India has failed
to keep pace. Its time to devote
adequate attention to development
of our transport infrastructure if we
want our country to take its rightful
place in the comity of developed
nations. q
(E-mail : anuj@delhimetrorail.com)

Yojana
Forthcoming February 2010
&
Issues March 2010

February 2010
Banking
Banking plays significant and challenging role in steering the pace of the economy. In India, Banking
sector itself has grown manifold during the recent past. February 2010 issue of Yojana will cover various
aspects of Banking and the challenges before this sector.
March 2010
Budget (Special Issue)
Union Budget every year mirrors financial vision as well as immediate developmental plans of the Central
Govt. It also elaborates resources through which the Govt. plans to generate revenue for its financial
activities during the fiscal. Our March Special Issue will explain and analyse the Budget in detail.

24 YOJANA January 2010

 YE-1/10/6

YOJANA January 2010 25

 DO’S
Cover your mouth and nose while coughing and sneezing with a
hankie or cloth.
Wash your hands with soap frequently before and after touching
your nose, eyes or mouth.
Stay away from public places and visit a health screening
centre or a doctor if you have flu symptoms. Stay at home till you
have fully recovered as advised by the doctor.
Look for the following early warning signs and visit a designated
hospital immediately, if you have:
Constant high fever Cough with traces of blood
Disoriented behaviour Purple or blue colour change of lips and skin

DONT’S
Shake hands, hug and kiss socially, or use other contact greetings.
Take medicines without consulting the physician.
Spit in public places.

26 YOJANA January 2010

PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR
FAMILY FROM SPREADING

(Swine Flu)
Symptoms
Fever Cough Sore throat Difficulty in breathing

davp 17102/13/0258/0910

Contact:
Outbreak Monitoring Cell, or call
National Center for Communicable Diseases
at 011-23921401
YE-1/10/3

Issued in public interest by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.

YOJANA January 2010 27

best practices
Siddhpur Nagarpalika Protects
the Environment
W
hile high level
discussions on
the crucial issue
of environment
and the effects of
global warming will dominate
national and international fora, an
initiative towards making the town
environment friendly has been
taken by Siddhpur Nagarpalika in
Gujarat.
Inspite of the government’s
This is restriction on production and
use of plastic bags less than 20-
how times microns thick, bags are blatantly
manufactured and used. It shows
are changing how callous we are about such
and most an important issue that will
benefit not only us but the
often it is entire eco-system. Sometimes
it requires a voice from within
one small to remind us, about the dangers
step that sets of polluting our environment,
and our own responsibility
the ball towards preserving it. In case
of Siddhpur, this voice has come
rolling from the Nagarpalika which
28 YOJANA January 2010
Sanjay Dave
has in a sense gone beyond
its routine duties to effect this
change.
The Nagarpalika staff formed
three groups to find out where
these bags came from, and found
that essentially they were brought
into the town by business people
who traveled from outside. A
crackdown followed. Teams fanned
out into the town, confiscating the
offending bags and sending them
for recycling. People found using
these bags were suitably chastised,
and coming from those in authority,
this helped.
Very soon, people stopped using
these plastic bags. The challenge
was now to provide a viable and
sustainable alternative. Officials
in the team hit upon an innovative
idea, one that would entail not only
an immediate solution but a long-
term one. One that would bring
about an awareness about the issue
amongst the local community and
ultimately a behavorial change.
47 Sakhi Mandals or women’s
groups had been formed as part
of the National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act. This was the perfect
network the Nagarpalika needed
to propose the use of paper bags in
place of plastic ones.
Rather than merely disseminate
their message through the existing
functionaries of these Sakhi
Mandals , the Nagarpalika went
a step further to select and train
a group exclusively for this. 50
women, from Below the Poverty
Line, keen to earn a living by
making paper bags, were identified
. They were put through a training
process and in turn formed a
women’s group. To their great
joy, members of this pioneering
group have started saving Rs 100
each month.
This was a good beginning
but not enough. It was important
to set a high standard of quality
for these bags to really form
part of the market and people’s
consumption patterns in the long
run. The Nagarpalika conducted
an extensive survey of the business
community and documented their
expectations of quality, design,
choice of material, thickness and
size. In all the idea was to cater
to what the customer would want
rather than imposing a uniform
model devised by the officials sans
‘market research’.
I
ntroduction of Shri C. Sajith, awarded the third prize for the Essay Contest "Unethical Food Marketing
to Children" published in December 2009 issue of Yojana was wrongly printed. The winner is working in
TCS E-serve, Chennai. The error is regretted.
YOJANA January 2010 29
It is indeed a mature market-
sense and purely professional
way of bringing about social
change that has marked the
progress of this initiative. The
production of paper bags was
not ad-hoc but based on the
sound findings of this survey.
The newly formed women’s
groups were literally partners in
progress. When it came to buying
raw material for paper bags and
other activities, they showed a
high level of enthusiasm and
participation. The idea of paper
bags had taken root, it had caught
the imagination of those making
it. And they were involved
in all stages of the production
process.
The women worked out the cost
of raw material, making charges
and profit before finalizing the
selling price of the bags. Based
on this calculation, the cost of
paper bags was fixed at Rs 54
per kg. Interestingly, the cost
of plastic bags in the market is
Rs 120 per kg. At once the dual
benefit became clear dispelling
the common notion that for
environmental protection, only
high-cost technologies can work.
In this instance, while saving the
environment, Rs 66 has also been
saved! Not to mention livelihood
options opening up for BPL
women.
CORRIGENDUM
Presently, the group is making
paper bags for provision stores to
hold products weighing between
250 gm and 2 kg. The three women
groups involved in making paper
bags earn Rs 15 as labour charges
for every kg of bag that is made.
And these women make between
two to eight kg of bags in a day.
Thus their earnings are anything
between Rs 30 and Rs 120 a day
sitting in their homes. They are
contributing to their family income,
and to the larger cause of the
environment.
There is yet another advantage
that indicates the ripple effect
of this path-breaking initiative.
Plastic bags now do not form part
of the garbage collected from
the town. The result is that the
task of garbage disposal has also
become easy. This effort by a
tiny band of Nagarpalika officials
has not remained confined to the
local context. Their effort and
its impressive impact is being
documented by the City Managers’
Association, Gujarat. Inspired
by the Nagarpalika’s efforts,
other local organizations are also
taking up this task of making
paper bags. This is how times
are changing and most often it is
one small step that sets the ball
rolling. q
(Charkha Features)
celebrating 60 years
perspective

Indian Women and the Journey

of Six Decades
Nirmala Buch

T
he people of India been the achievements for Indian
gave themselves a new Women in these 60 years and what
Constitution of the new has been the journey, its landmarks,
Indian Republic in 1950, frustrations, barriers, experiences
which included universal and lessons?
franchise, and guarantees of equality,
The First Five Year Plan saw
justice and non-discrimination.
women in social welfare and spoke
There was an assumption that
of their low levels of literacy and
with the non-discrimination and
need of some welfare centres. There
equal opportunities guaranteed as
was inadequate understanding
Fundamental Rights and the Social
of women’s needs and concerns.
and Economic Rights included
When the Community Development
The challenge in the Directive Principles of
State Policy the guarantees and
Programme (CD) was introduced
now is to opportunities provided by the state
as a massive programme of
comprehensive rural development
redefine tools will be accessed by everyone who
wanted. It was also hoped that
with community participation, the
in the light of the state would take leadership in
community was assumed to be male
and women were only included as
60 years promoting social and economic
rights.
participants in Mahila Mandals
experience The new Republic embarked
whose composition, functions and
objectives too did not touch vital
and lessons upon comprehensive planned aspects of women’s lives. When
learnt and development starting with the
First Five Year Plan in 1952.We are
Village Level Extension Workers
(VLWs), the gram sevaks, were
address the now implementing the 11th Five provided for grass roots extension
critical areas Year plan 2007-2012. What have work, these were 10 male VLWs

The author is Former Secretary, Rural Development, GOI and currently, Chairperson, Centre for Women’s Development,
New Delhi and Mahila Chetna Manch, Bhopal.

30 YOJANA January 2010

and only two female workers (gram
sevikas) in a development block,
which was the basic unit of CD
programme. While the 10 gram
sevaks were provided so that the
villages in the Development Block
were grouped into ten circles for
them, the two female workers were
left to form Mahila Mandals only in
selected villages.
In successive Five Year Plans,
education of girls and maternal
health were the first to receive
special attention. Thus the First
Five Year Plan itself noted that
“another feature of the situation is
the dearth of women teachers, who
are specially suited to Balwadis
(including pre-school and day
nurseries) and primary schools.
To remove this shortage facilities
for part time work in school should
be provided for married women,
who cannot devote their whole
time to the profession. Indigent
women should also be trained as
teachers”.
Besides development planning,
the state embarked upon legislation
in social matters and in matters
of concern to women workers.
General legislation on these subjects
invariably included features to help
women. So we had the Hindu
Succession Act, Hindu Marriage
Act, Hindu Adoption Act, The
Restraint of Child Marriage Act,
Prohibition of Dowry Act, on the
one hand, and Equal Remuneration
Act, Maternity Benefit Act and
provisions for child care for children
of women workers, in different
labour legislation, on the other.
The decade of seventies, the
International Women’s year and
YOJANA January 2010 31
then the declaration of the UN
Decade for Women 1975-1985, the
four world conferences for women
at the international level and the
Comprehensive Review of Indian
Women’s status by the Committee
on the Status of Women in India
(CSWI) indicated that the needs
of Indian Women required much
more comprehensive planning and
development to address them. Even
the whole approach to the subject
needed to be changed.
There was quest for institutional
mechanisms and their forms. There
was a National Machinery for
women, the Women’s Bureau, the
National Committee, the focal
points in Central Ministries and
in the State Governments. But
women continued to be the subject
of the Social Welfare Sector in the
Ministry as well as the division of
the Planning Commission. The
same continued to be the situation
in the states. The late eighties
saw evolution and adoption of
a National Perspective Plan for
Women (NPP) 1988-2000 and
the year 2001 saw adoption of
a National Policy for Women’s
Empowerment. A number of states
had already taken an initiative for
state policies of women. These,
however, lacked firm commitment
of resources. These generally
included programmes and
schemes for women already being
implemented in different sectors of
development with a few additions.
The discourse on women,
nationally and internationally, moved
from Women in Development to
Gender and Development and
Women’s Empowerment and this
was reflected in the Plans and Policy
Documents. The policy approach
on women is now of Gender
Mainstreaming on the ground that
women’s needs and concerns cannot
be limited to any particular sector
and have to be the focus in all
sectoral policies and programmes
with the main ministry, now WCD
and not Social Welfare, coordinating,
assisting and monitoring. The
question of resource allocation for
women in all sectors is addressed
by gender budgeting-- an approach
being aggressively promoted by
UNIFEM with its variations in
different countries.
The achievement of all these
efforts can be seen in most of the
social sector programmes. In school
education, enrolment of girls and
gross enrolment ratio show the
results with 87.8 million girls against
98.2 million boys in elementary
classes. The challenge is now of their
higher retention and improvement
in the quality of education. Female
literacy grew by 3% higher than
male literacy and illiterate women
were 190 million in 2001 against
200.7 million in 1991. Mean age
of marriage increased from 15.5%
in 1961 to 19.5% in 1997 but 44.5%
of women were still married off by
the age of 18 years.
The question of resources
allocation has been addressed by
efforts to introduce a Women’s
Component Plan advocating 30
percent allocation for women’s
programmes.
Indian Women now have
high visibility in the national and
states’ policies. Programmes and
approaches have been developed,
redefined and reworked. Laws have
been amended, new laws have been
enacted and efforts have been made
to include a well defined machinery
for their implementation. When the
executive had not looked at some
of the critical issues for legislative
action, the apex judiciary nudged it
e.g. in sexual harassment at work
place in the case of Visakha vs State
of Rajasthan and others.
The reservation in panchayats and
municipalities have brought at least
1 million women in these bodies.
With the recent moves to make the
reservation 50% from 1/3 positions,
this number will substantially increase
but these have given result only of
women’s presence and not so much
of their participation. Men continue
to speak of ‘Pradhan Patis’ and
‘Parsad Patis’ ruling on their behalf
ignoring the contribution of many
active women in these institutions.
Mobilisation of women groups
particularly of rural women and
women in the poverty households
has become a major successful
strategy bringing women in
the public domain, developing
leadership and increasing their
access to resources.
Some of the earlier approaches and
features however remain unchanged
despite move from welfare to
empowerment and from only special
women’s programmes to Gender
Mainstreaming. Programmes for
women even when introduced for
addressing critical needs continue
to be inadequately funded and
introduced for few districts or
few blocks in the country e.g. the
32 YOJANA January 2010
DWCRA programme. In major
programmes of poverty alleviation,
wage employment and promotion
of women’s enterprises, the criteria
and approach continue to be based
on selection of a household and not
individual men and women within
it. Even the statutory guarantee
for 100 days employment in the
NREGA as in its predecessor rural
wage employment programmes, is
for the household and not to men and
women separately. The programme
guidelines continue to speak of
efforts to give share of 30% or 1/3
to women but without any effort at
operationalizing or implementing
it.
Women’s unpaid work and
household work and caring
responsibilities are highlighted as
their contribution but continue to
be not valued or under valued. In
most of the matters women and
children are linked and discussed
together but child care services
which would be of immense
help to women as well as help in
addressing children’s needs do not
get adequately funded.
The reservations in political
institutions, in decision making
forums, in services and jobs have
been an important strategy but this
has been more a top down approach
introducing at local levels where these
do not affect the interests of powerful
factions or disturb the status quo.
There is hesitation when it is seen as
threatening the power structure and
positions and it is then kept on hold on
the ground of lack of consensus.
Women workers’ wage levels still
suffer from the ideology of their work
being less valued. So the Anganwadi
worker, and the Asha continue to be
remunerated as honorary workers
or volunteers though their role is
admitted as crucial at the grassroots
in the ICDS and in the NRHM. The
same treatment is not seen in the
case of male workers. Women still
do not have comprehensive social
protection which would increase their
bargaining power in the family and
the community.
The 11th Plan expresses concern
about women and children still being
victims of violence neglect and
injustice. It includes six monitorable
targets for women and children
including raising the sex ratio for 0-6
years age from 927 in 2001 to 935
by 2011-12 and to 950 by 2016-17,
ensuring atleast 33% of the direct
and indirect beneficiaries of all
government schemes are women
and girl children and reducing IMR,
MMR dropout rates for primary and
secondary education. One does not
know how the 11th Plan is going to
achieve these targets. It appears that
like the earlier targets and dates these
will also be extended for longer
periods.
The challenge now is to
redefine tools in the light of 60
years experience and lessons learnt
and address the critical areas and
women and girls in population
groups who have been difficult to
reach so far. Address the patriarchal
mindset and most importantly
move from multiplicity of new
programmes and initiatives to well
conceived programmes fully funded
commensurate with the goals,
objectives and targets. q
(Email :nirmalabuch@gmail.com)
do you know?
Journey of The Indian Republic
T
he birth of the Indian
Republic on the 26th of
January 1950 was the
culmination of a long drawn
struggle against British domination
and the realization of a long
cherished dream of sovereignty
for its people. As we celebrate
the sixtieth anniversary of the
republic, it would be meaningful
to look back and trace the nation’s
historic journey that led to this
moment of glory.
When was the idea of a Republic
first conceived ?
While the idea of total
independence from British rule
as opposed to a Dominion status
had started gaining ground in
the late 1920s, the declaration
for Poorna Swarajya was first
made at the Lahore session of
the Indian National Congress
on 31st December 1929, under
the presidency of Pt. Jawahar
Lal Nehru. The declaration was
officially promulgated on the
26th of January 1930. Since then
the architects of our freedom
started observing January 26
“Independence Day”. The
declaration paved the way for the
Civil Disobedience movement and
all that followed, leading to our
freedom from Bristish Rule. It was
to commemorate this declaration
that 26th of January was chosen
YOJANA January 2010 33
as the day for our Constitution to
come into force and for India to
become a Republic.
When was the Constituent
Assembly framed and how was
the Constitution Drafted ?
The Indian Constituent
Assembly was constituted as a
result of the negotiations between
the Indian leaders and members
of the British Cabinet Mission. It
had its first meeting on December
9, 1946. The Assembly consisted
of 389 members representing
provinces (292), states (93), the
Chief Commissioner Provinces
(3), and Baluchistan (1). Dr.
Sachhidanand Sinha, the oldest
member of the Assembly was
elected Provisional President. On
December 11, 1946, the Assembly
elected Dr. Rajendra Prasad as
its permanent Chairman. The
strength of the Assembly was
reduced to 299 (229 representing
the provinces and 70 representing
the states) following withdrawal
of the Muslim League members
after the partition of the country.
The Constituent Assembly set up
13 committees for framing the
constitution. On the basis of the
reports of these committees, a draft
of the Constitution was prepared
by a seven-member Drafting
Committee under the Chairmanship
of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. The draft
Constitution was published in
January, 1948, and people were
given eight months to discuss the
draft and propose amendments. In
all 7635 amendments were tabled
out of which 2473 were discussed
and disposed. After the draft
was discussed by the people, the
press, the provincial assemblies
and the Constituent Assembly
in the light of the suggestions
received, the same was finally
adopted on November 26, 1949,
and was signed by the President
of the Assembly. The members of
the Assembly however appended
their signatures on two hand
written copies of the constitution,
one in Hindi and one in English,
on 24 January, 1950. Thus it
took the Constituent Assembly
2 years, 11 months and 18 days
to complete the task. During this
period the Assembly had met in
sessions open to the public for
166 days.
Who were some of the prominent
figures in the Constituent
Assembly ?
Jawaharlal Nehru, C.
Rajagopalachari, Rajendra Prasad,
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Maulana
Abul Kalam Azad, Shyama
Prasad Mukherjee, Nalini Ranjan
Ghosh , Alladi Krishnaswamy
Iyer, B. R. Ambedkar, Benegal
Narsing Rau K. M. Munshi
 ,Ganesh Mavlankar were some
well known members of the
Assembly. Sarojini Naidu, Hansa
Mehta, Durgabai Deshmukh and
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur were
important women members. The
first president of the Constituent
Assembly was Sachidanand
Sinha later, Rajendra Prasad
was elected president of the
Constituent Assembly.
What were the main Objectives
of the Constitution ?
The objectives of the
Constitution were outlined in the
Objective Resolution moved by
Jawaharlal Nehru on December
13, 1946 and unanimously
adopted by the Constituent
Assembly on January 22, 1947.
The main principles outlined
in the resolution were to to
proclaim India as an independent
sovereign republic; establish a
democratic union with an equal
level of self government for all
the constituent parts; provide for
all power and authority of the
government to be derived from
the people; guarantee and secure
to all people of India justice,
social, economic and political;
equality of status, of opportunity
and before law; freedom of
thought, expression, belief, faith,
worship, vocation, association
and action.; provide adequate
safeguards for minorities,
backward and tribal areas and
depressed and other backward
classes.; maintain the integrity
of the territory of the Republic
34 YOJANA January 2010
and its sovereign rights on land,
sea, and air according to justice
and law of civilized nations;
secure for India its rightful and
honoured place in the world and
contribute to the promotion of
world peace and the welfare of
mankind. These objectives are
incorporated in the Preamble to
the Constitution.
In drafting the Constitution,
what were the ideas that influenced
the drafters ?
The framers of the Constitution
borrowed the good features of
other constitutions like those of
the UK, USA, Canada , Australia,
making necessary modifications
for its suitability to the Indian
conditions. The parliamentary
system of government, rule of
law, law-making procedure and
single citizenship were borrowed
from the British Constitution.
Independence of Judiciary, Judicial
Review, Fundamental Rights, and
guidelines for the removal of judges
of the Supreme Court and High
Courts were adopted from the US
Constitution. The federal system,
with a strong central authority, was
adopted from Canada. Directive
Principles of State Policy were
borrowed from the Constitution of
the Republic of Ireland. The idea
of Concurrent List was borrowed
from the Australian Constitution.
The provisions relating to
emergency were influenced by
the Weimar Constitution. Above
all, the Government of India Act,
1935, exercised great influence
on the Indian Constitution.
The federal scheme, office of
governor, powers of federal
judiciary, etc., were drawn from
this Act.
What is the significance of the
Preamble to the Constitution ?
The Preamble is brief
introductory statement that sets out
the guiding purpose and principles
of the document. Despite its
importance of the Preamble,
initially it was not regarded as
part of the Constitution and hence,
was not treated as a source of
any substantive powers. In the
Berubari case, the Supreme Court
specifically held that the Preamble
could not override the express
provisions of the Act. However,
in the Keshavananda Bharati case
of 1973, the Supreme Court took
the view that the Preamble is part
of the Constitution. Chief Justice
Sikri observed “the Preamble of
our Constitution is of extreme
importance and the Constitution
should be read and interpreted in
the light of the grand and noble
vision expressed in the Preamble”.
The court relied on the Preamble
while restricting the amending
power of the Parliament under
Article 368 of the Constitution. It
held that the basic elements of the
Preamble cannot be amended under
Art Article 368. Thus the preamble
may be used to interpret ambiguous
areas of the constitution where
differing interpretations present
themselves. q
celebrating 60 years
Education Sector in India: Progress,
Challenges and Way Forward
T
he role of education
in driving a country’s
economic growth and
propelling socio-cultural
and political reforms is
beyond doubt, well established. The
experience of India is no different.
India’s progress in providing access
to quality and relevant education
to its children and youth is a
story of mixed results, with some
remarkable outcomes and some
To make nonstarters. While India can boast
of contributing a large number of
India one of the human resources to the pool of the
major knowledge world’s most educated, scientifically
and technically qualified people, it
economies in is equally appalling that the same
the world in the country accounts for more than
a third of the world’s illiterates
near future, it also. The paradox lingers to
is important to within country variations – with
some states having educational
continue the current development comparable to many
level of focus and developed countries while others
rate worse than many poorest
commitment countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The author is Senior Economist, South Asia Education, The World Bank.
YOJANA January 2010 35
perspective
Deepa Sankar
It is not a surprise that the states
that have more educated people
have been able to address several
social and health issues better –
for example, states like Kerala,
Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh
have better sex ratios and have
reduced their fertility rates or
infant mortality rates faster than
the educationally backward States
like Bihar or Rajasthan. Addressing
the educational needs of its young
population is critical for reaping
the demographic dividends
and achieving the Millennium
Development Goals.
This paper briefly analyzes
India’s education sector progress
in the last six decades
Education Sector outcomes
The goal of any education
intervention is to ensure that the
targeted beneficiaries participate
in the programme and achieve the
expected literacy and numeracy
skills, higher order mental skills
related to thinking and reasoning
abilities, life skills, values and
develop emotional intelligence.
While it is difficult to measure
some intangible outcomes such as
values or emotional intelligence, it
is possible to gauge the progress
in reaching out to the children and
youth and their learning outcomes
related to literacy and numeracy
skills.
During the six decades between
1951 and 2001, India’s per capita
GDP increased three times, while
literacy rates increased 3.5 times
and Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER)
at elementary education level
increased 2.5 times. While India
has made tremendous progress in
improving its literacy rates and
has better literacy rates than other
countries in South Asia (except Sri
Lanka) and Sub-Saharan Africa,
it is a major concern that it is still
below the world and developing
country average. In providing
school education to its millions
of children, India’s experience is
one of mixed results. The Gross
Enrolment Ratio (GER) at primary
and upper primary level has
improved from around 42% and
13% respectively in 1951 to more
than 100% at primary and 70%
at upper primary now. However,
the enrolment rates at secondary
(52%) and higher secondary (28%)
is well below the desirable levels
of universal secondary enrolments
and that of other developed and
developing countries (for example,
Secondary GER in China is 81%,
Sri Lanka is 83% and in Brazil,
110%). The progress in elementary
education enrolments in the last
36 YOJANA January 2010
decade has been most remarkable.
The number of out of school
children in the age group of 6-14
years has declined from around
45 million in 2001 (Census 2001)
to only around 8 million by the
end of the decade (IMRB study,
2009). The improvements in
enrolment at elementary level
has been most remarkable among
girls, rural children, children
from marginalized groups and
children from economically
poor backgrounds, and these
improvements have been more
prominent in the educationally
backward States and districts.
While more children are attending
schools now, the share of those
who complete their education is a
matter of concern. The retention
rate at primary level or the primary
completion rate (till the last grade
of primary) is 75% and the gross
primary completion rate is 84%.
However, only 55% of the 15-
16 year olds were found to have
completed upper primary schooling
in 2005.
The indicators on learning
outcomes at elementary level point
to the real education achievements.
The first and second round of
learning achievement studies
for Grade III, V and VII/VIII
carried out by National Council for
Education Research and Training
(NCERT) as well as the Annual
Status of Education Rural Report
prepared year after year since
2005 by PRATHAM, a Civil
Society Organization, show that
children’s mastery of Math and
Language were well below the
desirable levels expected at their
grade levels, or even the Grade
II levels. However, the annual or
periodic improvements, though
small in increments provide the
silver line, as these improvements
are achieved despite the increasing
number of first generation school
goers in the sample. While so far
we do not have any nationally
comparable learning assessments
at secondary level, an analysis of
Secondary School Board exams
leaves much more to be desired.
A study of secondary school
children using international testing
tools (TIMSS) in two of the most
backward states of India shows
that while a small proportion
of children achieve mastery in
Mathematics comparable to the
best of children in the world,
majority perform poorly, which
is bound to affect their future
prospects to study and perform in
their jobs. .
Provisions, Interventions and
Policies
Much of the improvements
in access and participation in
elementary education achieved
so far is due to the policy
reforms and investment efforts
initiated by Central and state
governments, especially in the
last two decades. Education is a
subject in the Concurrent List of
the Constitution, with the onus of
financing and delivering school
education, especially elementary
education mainly on the state
governments. The expenditure
requirements of education sector
in states varied depending on
the level of development and
outcomes , while financing of
education sector and sub-sectors
depended very much upon the
fiscal capacity of the states to
mobilize resources and their
efforts towards allocating more of
it to this important sector. Some
of the major developments that
altered the way education policies
were developed in the country are
described below.
IN 1964, the Kothari Commission
Report provided comprehensive
recommendations to improve
India’s education sector. Though
many of the recommendations
remained on paper, the insights of
the report guided future discourse
of education reforms in India. A
similar effort came much later,
with the introduction of National
Education Policy in 1986 and the
subsequent Plan of Action in 1992.
The NEP had recommended that
the Governments earmark at least
6% of its GDP for education sector
spending. The Central government
decided to support education
proactively by introducing several
Centrally Sponsored Schemes
(CSS) in education in mid-1980s,
like the Operations Blackboard
(OBB) and Teacher Education.
The experiments from grassroots to
reach the educationally unreached
locations through decentralized
participatory planning and
provision, and the appointment
of local teachers through Shiksha
Karmi schemes have all led to the
District Primary Education Program
(DPEP), which was supported
by the World Bank and other
external agencies. The resolutions
of international initiatives of which
YOJANA January 2010 37
India was a part , like the World
Education Forum at Dakar (2000)
and the Millennium Development
Goals compelled India to think
more in terms of a time-bound
mission mode of programs aimed
at universalizing elementary
education. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
(SSA) was initiated in 2001,
aimed at universalizing elementary
education of satisfactory quality in
the country. The program is now a
flagship program of the government.
The year 2009 is also a landmark
year in the development history
of elementary education, with the
Government finally managed to
pass the 86th Amendment to the
Constitution that made Right to
Education (RTE) a fundamental
right.
Wi t h t h e p r o g r e s s m a d e
in increasing the number of
elementary school graduates, the
demand for secondary education
has been on increase in recent
years. The Rashtriya Madhyamik
Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA),
designed by Ministry of Human
Resource Development on the
lines of SSA, is expected to bring
in the desired investments in
secondary education and facilitate
the process of universalizing
secondary education in the
country.
A large share of education
expenditures are financed by state
budgets, most of which are in the
form of recurrent expenditures. The
Kothari Commission Report (1964)
and the NPE (1986) recommended
that 6% of GDP should be provided
to education. However, the real
challenge is not the share of GDP,
but what it actually translates into
and what could be achieved by the
money – that is, the transition from
outlays to outputs and outcomes.
States differ in their education
requirements as well as in their
capacity to mobilize resources. The
efforts and commitment to devote
a sizeable amount to education also
varies according to the political
will and popular demand. This has
led to imbalances across states not
only in terms of overall educational
outcomes but in terms of financing
also. Central government’s effort
towards transferring resources
through Finance Commission’s
grants awards to education or the
Plans or the Centrally Sponsored
Schemes are aimed at narrowing
these horizontal gaps across states
and the vertical gaps with the
Central government’s resources.
Major investment in education is
now initiated through CSS like
SSA, with State governments
being required to provide matching
grants. Overall, around 3.7%
of GDP has been invested in
the last couple of years (2006-
07 and 2007-08) in education
sector, within which 1.7% was on
elementary education alone. On
an average, around 50% – 55%
of all education spending is on
elementary education, around
28%- 30% on secondary education
and around 11%-12% invested in
university and higher education.
A fourth of these expenditure
requirements are provided by
Centre, while more than 75% of
the expenditures are met by state
governments.
 The Right to Education and the
RMSA program is going to increase
the financial requirements of the
Centre and states in both elementary
and secondary education sector.
Central government is already
collecting additional resources for
elementary education through the
2% cess on taxes. While resources
are currently not a constraint in the
sector, the concern should be about
targeting the resources, especially
where it is needed most in terms
of achieving the educational
outcomes.
Existing Gaps and Future
Challenges
Mobilizing political will and
resources and targeting them is a
challenge, even more challenging
are the systemic reforms required
to change the mindset of various
stakeholders about the quality,
pedagogy, governance and
accountability. There are major
challenges in education sector
pertaining to the outcomes. India
still has a large number of illiterates
and neo-literates. If the programs
that facilitate continued learning
are not effective, there is a danger
of the neo-literates lapsing their
skills. While elementary stage of
education has improved, there are
the last-mile challenges in reaching
out to the last child. The huge
gaps in access, infrastructure and
facilities in secondary education
would require considerable efforts
and funds. The quality of education
currently imparted in all levels of
education is a major concern.
One of the key factors that is
important to education access and
quality are the teachers, and there
are concerns about the quality of
teacher education and professional
development. School governance
and accountability issues are hot
topics of discourse not only in
academic circles, but also in civil
society. Despite the increase in
popular demand for education,
there is a huge concern about the
large number of children who do
not attend school regularly; and
the teacher attendance and efforts.
Private provision of education has
been increasing, either due to the
failure of government systems in
providing quality education as
perceived by the general population
or due to the huge aspirations of
people to have English education,
believed to provide the students
with upward mobility both in terms
of education and opportunities.
However, the private schooling is
of varying quality, both in terms
of provision and outcomes and in
terms of bridging gender and social
inequalities. Skill development
is also a major area that needs
attention.
Conclusion
The progress of education sector
in India (or the lack of desired
progress) is the result of a complex
mix of supply side and demand
side factors. The country has made
tremendous progress in improving
elementary education provision and
increasing participation. However,
its progress in improving education
at post-elementary stages, and
in improving quality outcomes
has been modest. To make India
one of the major knowledge
economies in the World in the near
future, it is important to continue
the current level of focus and
commitment, along with the right
amount of resources in an improved
governance and service delivery
framework q
(Email : dsankar@worldbank.org)

India’s Sporting Spirit

T
he game of Snakes & Ladders was created in India by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev. It was
originally called 'Mokshapat'. The ladders in the game represented virtues and the snakes indicated
vices. The game was played with cowrie shells and dices. In time, the game underwent several
modifications, but its meaning remained the same, i.e. good deeds take people to heaven and evil to a cycle
of re-births.
It is also widely believed that some forms of Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to
Asia by Buddhist missionaries.
Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years.

38 YOJANA January 2010

North east diary
Study-from-home programme

T
he Tripura Government has decided to introduce a home-based education programme (HBEP) for
the disabled children, who are unable to attend schools.
The HBEP would be launched as part of the government programme to bring all children (aged
6 to 14 years) in the learning process. All differently-abled children cannot be added in normal educational
set-up, because the government has not yet prepared the schools with adequate infrastructure and trained
teachers to take special care of those otherwise abled children.
The Tripura Government has appointed some education volunteers (EV) to serve the educational needs of
these hapless children with special needs (CWSN) at their homes from the next academic session beginning
January next year. Initially, 171 differently-abled children have been identified in different parts of the
northeastern State to provide this home based education.
According to the 2001 census, Tripura has around 60,000 people with various physical deformities and a
considerable number of them are under 15 years old. Meanwhile, according to Tripura Chief Minister Manik
Sarkar, the northeastern State would be declared fully literate in September next year. On the occasion of
World Literacy Day (September 8) next year, Tripura will be declared an entirely literate State.
According to the 2001 census, Tripura was the 12th most literate State in India with 73.66 per cent literacy
and the second most literate State in northeast region after Mizoram, where the literacy rate was 88.49 per cent.
According to a study by the Kolkata-based Indian Statistical Institute in 2006, the literacy rate in Tripura had
risen to 80.14 per cent. q

ADB fund FOR SIKKIM

T
he growing popularity of Sikkim as a Buddhist circuit destination has been endorsed by Asian
Development Bank (ADB) which is ready to bank-roll a project worth 20 million US dollars for
Sikkim-centric Buddhist circuit in India.
The ADB project was cleared by the bank board recently where India will receive a loan of $20 million
from ADB for its tourism infrastructure development projects, which will improve key tourism sites in the
country.
The project focuses on Sikkim where the report points out that Sikkim has a good road connection to
Bagdogra, a regional hub and an airport site with potential links to North Bangladesh, East Nepal, Bhutan
and other North Eastern States.
Sikkim is part of the sub-regional Buddhist circuit and the Great Himalayan State has been experiencing
high tourism growth rates at an average of 15 per cent annually at the aggregate, while international growth
rate is barely 10 per cent per year.
The ADB project for Sikkim involves creation of access and onsite infrastructure and visitor facility
improvements to well known Rumtek Monastery, nature-based tourism destination infrastructure and facilities
including trail development, signages, sanitation improvements and other tourist facilities. Funds would be
utilized for setting up a sub-regional training institute specialized in ecotourism and mountaineering in Sikkim and
also for related capacity building activities for public sector institutions and communities in tourism and heritage
management. q

YOJANA January 2010 39

celebrating 60 years
India on the Technology Front
I
ndia might b e
considered a third world
country in terms of overall
development, however
when it comes to science
and technology it has not
only excelled but is considered even
far ahead than many developed
countries. Be it Information
Technology, Telecommunication,
Space and Nuclear Science, or the
The beginning field of Bio Technology, India has
of civilian established itself a leading world
player and proved its mettle. At the
nuclear trade time of independence, country’s
infrastructure on Science and
would help the technology was mere one crore
energy starved which has now crossed Rs 30
billion today. It has made significant
country to meet achievements in nuclear and space
science—the area where it received
the target of little help from the outside world.
increasing Today in the field of missile
nuclear power launch technology, India is among
the five top nations of the world, it
generation to has launched around 50 satellites,
installed 17 nuclear power plants. In
20,000 Mwatt telecommunication and Information
by 2020 Technology industry also India is
The author is Special Correspondent, the Statesman.
40 YOJANA January 2010
overview
Vijay Thakur
among the top five nations, and in
the field of Bio technology India is
at par with other developed nations
and is creating world class research
capacity in the field agriculture,
healthcare, bio-engineering.
IT and Telecommunication
Indian IT industry took off in
early nineties and within two decades
it emerged as a major world player.
The facts speaks for itself, in 1991-
92 Indian software industry was of
about USD 150 million, in 1995-96
the industry touched USD 1.2 billion
of which export component was 734
crores, and in last fiscal year the
export component of IT industry
touched 49,000 millions.
Interestingly, the meltdown has
made little impact to Indian IT
industry last year and it grew 16.3 %
in dollar terms and 31.6 % in rupees
term. Overall speaking no other
industry in India has performed so
well against the global competition
as this sector has performed over
the past two decades. While in
nineties India’s software export was
negligible, the sector started earning
major foreign revenue for the country
within a decade. And its exponential
growth is still continuing.
One look at the facts speaks for
itself, in 2000-2001 IT sector export
was Rs 28,350 crores, which crossed
Rs 2,16,300 crores in last fiscal year.
With E-governance taking shaping
in the domestic market, country’s
software industry is also expected
to register exponential growth.
Indian IT industry is exporting
software and services to over 95
countries around the world and
their clientele include one third of
world’s forture 500 companies,
who are outsource their software
requirements from India. According
to NASSCOM-Mckinsey report,
IT industry would continue to
contribute over 7.5 % to country’s
GDP and 35 % of country’s export
would come from IT sector alone.
Besides, the sector would attract
USD 4-5 billion FDI and the market
capitalization share of the sector
would be around USD 225 billion.
But in spite of exponential
growth in the IT software and
services sector, country’s hardware
sector has not performed up to
expectation. As against the estimated
IT software and services export of
Rs 2,16,300 crore in 2008-09, the
export of hardwares and electronics
is mere Rs 18,700 crores. The
situation would improve in the
coming years as the government
is laying special emphasis on IT
manufacture sector as well.
Indian telecommunication industry
is again one of the fastest growing
industry in the world. Its subscribers’
base has crossed 525.65 million in
October this year and is adding 15
million connections every month.
This is one sector, where its growth
rate has performed much better than
government’s expectations. Meltdown
YOJANA January 2010 41
did not affect its growth—when most
of the sectors were showing negative
or no growth, telecommunication
sector had registered a growth of
around 46 %. The tele-density of urban
areas is 101.38 % where as the rural
teledensity is 18.97 % in the beginning
of October this year. The rural area has
emerged as the new market for the
telecom service providers, lowering
of tariff and handset costs would act
as a catalyst in this direction.
Indian Telecommunications
started in 1851 when the first
operational land lines were laid
by the government near Calcutta.
Telephone services were introduced
in India in 1881 and at the time of
independence there were around one
lakh telephone connections only.
After independence its growth
rate remained at low pace till
nineties. In 1988 when tele-
density of American and European
countries was more than 50 %,
India’s tele-density was not even
0.5%. Pricewise also the telecom
tariff has witnessed a considerable
change and today it is one of the
cheapest services in the world. In
2000 National Long Distance tariff
for above 1,000 km was USD 0.67
per minute as against the present
tariff of USD 0.02 per minute.
Similarly the International Long
Distance tariff has also come down
form USD 1.36 per minute to USD
0.16 during the same period.
The first wind of reforms in
telecommunications sector began to
flow in 1980s when the private sector
was allowed in telecommunications
equipment manufacturing. Its
benefits started showing results
a decade later. The revolutionary
change in Telecom Industry started
after the opening up of telecom
services sector for the private
sector. National Telecom Policy
(NTP) 1994 was the first attempt
to give a comprehensive roadmap
for the Indian telecommunications
sector. New Telecom policies were
introduced later in 1999 and 2004
to help the industry grow.
The Foreign Direct Investment
has also seen a considerable growth
due to liberalized government
policies. According to a rough
estimate the FDI flow in telecom
sector from April 2000 to March
2009 was Rs 2,75,444 million. In
last fiscal year alone, the estimated
FDI flow was USD 2447 million.
But notwithstanding the
exponential growth in telecom,
India needs another telecom-like
revolution in Broadband sector
to help IT enabled services and e
governance to grow in small towns.
Government has set a target for 20
million broadband connections by
2010 covering all high schools and
above, gram panchayats and public
health care centres.
Bio Technology
Like IT and Telecocm, Indian
biotechnology sector is also one of
the fastest growing knowledge-based
sectors in India and is expected to
play a key role in shaping India's
rapidly developing economy.
Presently, India holds mere two per
cent share of the global market but
it has immense potential to emerge
as a global key player.
The Indian biotech sector’s
estimated turnover in 2008-09 was
USD 2.51 billion an increase of ,
as compared 15 % vis-à-vis 2007-
08. While Bio-pharma contributed
USD 1.6 billion, bio-agri nearly
USD 311.28 million, bio-industrial
segment USD 99.19 million and
bio-informatics grew 15 per cent to
touch US$ 45.65 million.
India is ranked among the top 12
biotech destinations in the world and
is third largest in Asia-Pacific in terms
of number of biotech companies.
With large pool of scientific talent,
world-class information technology
industry, and vibrant pharmaceutical
sector, India is well positioned to
emerge as a significant player in the
global biotech arena.
The population of over a billion
people and an agrarian society
has a huge market for products
and services here to attract bio
tech companies to shift their base
here. Besides, India has the most
varied species of flora and fauna.
A study shows that, in percentage
terms, India has about 7.6% of
total mammal species, 12.6% of
bird species, 11.7% of fishes and
roughly 6.0% of total flowering
plants that are present in the world.
Biotech companies can utilize
this immense Bio-diversity to get
samples and conduct field research
much more efficiently.
Besides, India produces
roughly 2.5 million graduates in
IT, engineering and life sciences,
about 650,000 postgraduates and
nearly 1500 PhDs qualified in
biosciences and bioengineering
each year. In order to increase its
market share, India has already
started an ambitious programme
to promote Bio-technology and
planned 50 “Centre of Excellence in
Bio-Technology” focusing advance
basic research, advance sciences
with translational research and
industrial partnerships.
Nuclear and Space Science
Nuclear and Space Science is
one area where only little assistance
would come from the outside world.
Space activities started in India in
early sixties under the leadership of
Dr Vikram Sarabhai and envisaged
a roadmap for utilization of space
research.
Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO), country’s
leading space research organization,
42 YOJANA January 2010
was founded in 1969 under the
Department of Atomic Energy
and continued under the Space
Commission and Department of
Space, created in June of 1972. Initially
it received assistance from Russian
Space Organisation, Glavkosmos,
but in ninties the cooperation reduced
to mere transfer of hardware. Its
first foray into space began with the
launch of its satellite Aryabhata in
1975 by a Soviet booster. The first
domestic launch was in 1980. It
received technical assistance from
Russian federation, but in 1992
when India was planned to acquire
booster technology, but US opposed
technology transfer on grounds of
nuclear proliferations and imposed
sactions on ISRO. Undeterred by the
sactions, India build its indigenously
designed robust Booster Technology
and research capability. While ISRO
still uses some Russian technology
for cryogenic stages on the GSLV, it
is in the process of replacing it with
their own designs.
During the past four decades,
ISRO has launched more than 50
satellites for various scientific and
technological applications including
mobile communications, Direct-
to-Home services, meteorological
observations, telemedicine, tele-
education, disaster warning, radio
networking, search and rescue
operations, remote sensing and
scientific studies of the space.
India’s first mission to the moon,
The Mission Chandrayaan-1, was
launched on October 22. It carried 11
scientific instruments build it USA,
UK, Germany, Sweden and Bulgaria.
And in a path breaking discovery,
the Lunar mission successfully
discovered evidences of water on
the surface of the water.
India being a non signatory of the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
was subjected to defacto nuclear
embargo from the members of
Nuclear Suppliers Group. However,
despite all these hurdles, Nuclear
Power is still the fourth largest
source of electricity in India.
The father of nuclear science in
India, Dr Homi Jehangir Bhabha,
persuaded Tata Trust to start Nuclear
Research in India and with his initiative
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
was inaugurated on December 1945 in
Mumbai.
On august 4, 1956, Asia’s first
research reactor--APSARA attained
criticality at Trombay, Mumbai, in
1960 another 40 Mwatt research
reactor, CIRUS attained criticality.
It was in October 28, 1969 that
India’s first commercial nuclear
power plant became operational
in Tarapur. Since then it has never
looked back. Today, India has
installed 17 nuclear power plants.
In 1985 it became the sixth nation
to have ingeniously developed Fast
Nuclear Breeder Reactor. Indian
scientists also did remarkable
works in the areas of Thermal
Breeder Reactors, the Thorium fuel
cycle, nuclear fuel reprocessing and
Tritium extraction & production.
The Nuclear scene in India
has changed after the Indo-US
Civilian nuclear deal. The IAEA
(International Atomic Energy
Agency) approved the safeguard
agreement with India and NSG
granted a waiver to commence
civilian nuclear trade. These new
developments has brought India to
the mainstream which otherwise
was finding tough to fuel the nuclear
power plants. India has nuclear
power generation capacity of 4,120
MWatt, another projects of 3,160
Mwatt is under construction.
The beginning of civilian
nuclear trade would help the energy
starved country to meet the target of
increasing nuclear power generation
to 20,000 Mwatt by 2020. q
(E-mail : vijaythakurx@gmail.com)
celebrating 60 years
A Boost to Indian Aerospace Sector
F
or long Bangalore,
the Silicon Valley and
high tech nerve centre
of India, with its
string of state funded
research and development
entities and industrial enterprises
including Indian Space Research
Organisation(ISRO), National
Aerospace Laboratories(NAL),
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd(HAL)
and Bharat Electronics Ltd(BEL),
has dominated the Indian aerospace
sector estimated to be growing at the
rate of 10% per annum. Presence of
Not even a large number of technical and
the sky seems engineering institutions and centres
of academic excellence focussing
to be the limit on frontier research and cutting
edge technologies along with a
for the high level of expertise built by
opportunities its world class IT and software
services industry, have gone to
coming in the provide a quickening impetus to
way of dedicated the qualitative and quantitative
growth of the aerospace industry.
aerospace SEZs Against this backdrop, it is
in the country little surprising that many of
The author was with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and is also a Science and Technology writer.
YOJANA January 2010 43
opportunity
Radhakrishna Rao
the leading players in the global
aerospace arena including Boeing,
Airbus Industries and Honeywell
have set up their technology
development and engineering
centres in Bangalore with a view
to leverage the advantages offered
by its highly skilled but affordable
manpower. Currently, the thrust of
the Indian aerospace industry is on
product development, design and
analysis of airframe structures,
manufacturing of precision
components as well as aircraft
parts and sub assemblies. The
advantages in terms of quality and
cost that Indian aerospace industry
offers has nudged the global aero
engine majors like Snecma and
Rolls Royce to source a part of their
requirements from India
A fact filled report prepared
by the Confederation of Indian
Industry(CII) in association with
Price Waterhouse Cooper(PWC)
describes the Indian aerospace sector
as the fastest growing and most
dynamic enterprises in the world.
In particular, this study reveals that
India is fast emerging as a potential
international hub for manufacturing
and MRO(Maintenance, Repair
and Overhaul) on the back of its
skilled technical workforce, fast
developing engineering services,
research and development expertise
and strategic geographical location.
As such, there is a growing clamour
for the creation of an Indian
aeronautical commission—on
the lines of the highly successful
Space Commission—to give a new
direction and fresh thrust to the
Indian aerospace sector and invest
with a globally competitive edge.
Currently, the Bangalore based
SIATI(Society of Indian Aerospace
Technologies and Industries) serves
as a platform for research and
development, manufacturing and
supporting organisations in the
field of aerospace with a view to
strengthen cooperation among
various stake holders in India and
abroad for enhancing the growth of
technology and business.
Setting up of the new
international airports through the
route of public private partnership
in various parts of India, putting in
place MROs by Indian players in
association with overseas aviation
firms, procurement of aircraft,
helicopters and air defence systems
by the Indian Defence Ministry
in addition to the setting up of
SEZs(Special Economic Zones)
catering exclusively to the needs
of aeronautical sector have all gone
to boost the prospects of Indian
aerospace industry. The Bangalore
International Airport(BIAL), the
promoter of the international airport
at Devanahalli on the outskirts of
the city, has announced a plan to set
up an SEZ in the proximity of the
44 YOJANA January 2010
airport. This SEZ will cater to the
needs of IT sector and aerospace
industry. In the neighbouring
Andhra Pradesh, an aerospace
and precision engineering SEZ is
being set up at Adhibatla village
near Hyderabad. This SEZ spread
over an area of 350-acres is being
promoted by Samuha Engineering
Industries Ltd, a conglomerate of
aerospace companies in association
with Andhra Pradesh Industrial
Infrastructure Corp(APIIC).Tata
Advanced Systems(TAS) will set
up a helicopter manufacturing
facility at this SEZ.
Not to be left behind world’s
first high tech helicopter city
,being promoted by Gujarat Vittal
Innovation City(GVIC), is all set
come up at Umargaon near Surat
in the state of Gujarat as a one
stop shop for all chopper related
services—maintenance, hire,
overhaul, research and development,
aerospace training as well as design
and avionics. This mega aviation
project, which is expected to attract
investment from across the world,
will also include a general airport.
According to Kapil Kaul, Chief
Executive Officer(CEO) of the
Indian chapter of the Australia
headquartered Centre for Asia
Pacific Aviation(CAPA), in addition
to providing maintenance, repair
and overhaul services, the project
will encompass an aviation institute
with facilities for research and
development, aerospace design and
avionics. CAPA will invest around
Rs.10,000-million in the project.
Indeed as pointed out by India’s
Civil Aviation Minister Praful
Patel, ”Had India not notched up a
faster growth in the aviation sector
and acquired a large number of
aircraft, its capability in aerospace
engineering would not have been
noticed by the world. The offset
clause forming part of the defence
and civilian aircraft procurement
programme had also helped foreign
majors to recognise India’s strategic
strength in the aerospace sector.”
Praful Patel is clear in his perception
that after IT, it is now the time for
the Indian aerospace sector to
demonstrator its prowess in the
global arena.
Against this backdrop the
unveiling of India’s first SEZ
focussing on aerospace industry in
November this year at Horatti village
near Belgaum in Karnataka marked
a major step towards creating a
high tech growth centre outside
Bangalore. This SEZ spread over an
area of 300 acres— and set up by
the Bangalore based aerospace and
precision engineering major QuEST
Global—has attracted an initial
investment of Rs.1,500-million.
The most striking aspect of this
SEZ, equipped with state of the art
facilities to meet the stringent needs
of the global aerospace industry,
is that the entire land acquisition
for the project was handled by
the promoter without involving
the government machinery at any
stage.
As stated by both Praful
Patel and Karnataka Chief
M i n i s t e r B . S . Ye d d y u r a p p a ,
in whose presence the facility
was inaugurated, this vibrant
SEZ will go a long way towards
boosting the economic growth of
backward pockets in Karnataka
and Maharastra. Over the next ten
years, this SEZ is expected to churn
out aerospace related business
worth around Rs.25,000-million.
“It could be the next big best in
the sector outside Bangalore,”
observed Aravind Melligeri,
Cofounder and Chairman of QuEST
Global. According to Melligeri,
this SEZ, projected as India’s first
aerospace precision engineering
and manufacturing eco system,
will offer its customers everything-
from design to manufacture of
components and systems under one
same roof. He is quick to point out
that Belgaum with more than 100
foundries catering to aerospace
and automotive sectors and the
presence of around 60 engineering
colleges and technical institutions
cannot but be an ideal location
for the SEZ. Moreover, Belgaum
is strategically located on the
Golden Quadrilateral highway
network, situated equidistance
from Bangalore, Mumbai and
Hyderabad. In the ultimate
analysis, Melligeri is optimistic
of giving a new flight path for the
global aerospace industry from
this SEZ.
The strategic advantage of
having players across the value
chain in the same location would
be the amount of time saved in
moving parts from one location to
another as well as the associated
cost of logistics, says Melligeri.
On another front, this SEZ seeks
to forge partnership to bridge
the capability gaps in the Indian
aerospace industry and provide
“built to suit “ facilities for the
aerospace industry.Among the
customers of QuEST Global are
European aerospace and defence
outfit EADS, Airbus Industries,
Pratt&Whitney, GE Aviation,
GKN Aerospace, Magellan and
Saab. For the global defence
and aerospace majors, QuEST
YOJANA January 2010 45
Global provides services such
as precision machining, sheet
metal fabrication, aerospace
special processing, design and
development of tooling and
fixtures.
According to Yeddyurappa,
Karnataka Government is
fully committed to the growth
of high tech ventures outside
Bangalore.”Bangalore is perceived
to be the Indian hub for aerospace
sector. But QuEST Global SEZ
in Belgaum has opened a new
avenues to attract foreign investors
in the manufacturing space as
well. We are now poised to offer
international level expertise with
competent local talent and corporate
commitment”.
Currently, this SEZ houses
an engineering services facility,
a precision machining facility,
a sheet metal facility within the
Aerospace Processing India (API)
unit. The API, which functions as
an independent entity, is a joint
venture with Magellan Aerospace of
Canada and is equipped to provide
approved aerospace treatments that
are not readily available in India.
QuEST Global SEZ has also signed
three MOUs for key aerospace
projects in the manufacturing
space. The first MOU that QuEST
has signed with Belgian aerospace
entity SABCA is for manufacturing
metallic parts and assembly work for
the Airbus A-350 XWB Flap track
structures. The contract extends the
relationship from the current A-380
manufacturing to the Airbus A-350
XWB.”This contract is significant
in terms of both magnitude and
the value which is expected to be
US$100-million over the next ten
years. SABCA has been out trusted
partner over the last four years and
this contract will be executed in our
SEZ which has been set up with a
view to providing complete end to
end eco system and design to build
services to our partners,” states
Melligeri.
The second MOU signed with
Magellan Aerospace is confined to
the evaluation of a project to set up
a new, dedicated facility at the SEZ
to manufacture components and sub
assemblies for aero engines.”Earlier
this year, we partnered with QuEST
Global to set up the API at SEZ.
The location proved to be very
convenient in increasing our
operational efficiency” says Konard
Hahnelt,Vice President of Magellan
Aerospace Ltd.
Yet another MOU that QuEST
SEZ has signed with Farinia,
a French foundry and forgings
company covers the setting up
of an aerospace forgings facility
in India.”QuEST is proud to be
associated with Farinia in setting
up of an aerospace forging facility
in QuEST Global SEZ. Farinia
is known for its expertise in the
foundry and forgings arena and
this partnership will enable us to
scale up operations by increasing
the value of supply chain” states
Melligeri.
As things stand now, not even
the sky seems to be the limit for the
opportunities coming in the way
of dedicated aerospace SEZs in the
country. And being the front runner,
QuEST SEZ is looking ahead with
confidence to emerge as a key
player on the global aerospace
frontier. q
(E-mail : rkrao1950@gmail.com)
 YE-1/10/4

46 YOJANA January 2010

students speak
Challenges to Democracy in India
T
here should
be certain essential
conditions for the
successful working of the
democratic system. What
are they? Equality of opportunity,
literacy, tolerance and fraternity can
be counted as some essentials or
core to the idea of a well functioning
Democratic democratic system. . As a practice,
institutions in democracy is not alien to the
collective consciousness of India.
India have given Various practices of a republic
hope to millions form of government can be located
in the histories of Janpadas and
of people for Mahajanpadas. Arthashastra and
Dharmashastra strongly argue
struggle and for democratic values as core of
successes in all Indian ways of living. Ashok and
Akbar paved the way for syncretic
walks of life politics, the very soul of Indian
democracy, making it central to
The author is Research Scholar, Centre for Political Studies (SSS II), Jawaharlal Nehru University
YOJANA January 2010 47
view point
Shashank Chaturvedi
their state policies. Later, struggle
for independence gave a new
lease of life to the aspirations of
people in India for an egalitarian
society. India’s democratic set
up, which is constituted by the
Constitution, Parliament, and the
Judiciary, provides strong pillars
for absorbing any socio, economic
and political shocks. Having a
multicultural society, democracy in
India has to face various challenges
of accommodating the divergent
needs and voices of the people.
India after Independence
With the adoption of Constitution
on 26th of Nov 1946 and its
enactment on 26 January 1950, a
new republic came into existence.
The Indian constitution provides
an enabling framework for the
government to do certain positive
things, to express the aspirations
and goals of society. The preamble
of the Indian constitution declares
in unequivocal terms that the
source of all authority under
the constitution is the people of
India. The picture of a democratic
republic which the Preamble
envisages is democratic not only
from the political but also from the
social standpoint; in other words,
it envisages not only a democratic
form of government but also
a democratic society, infused
with the spirit of ‘justice, liberty,
equality and fraternity’.
Laden with the expectations
of more than 300 million people,
India put forward various small
but confident steps in its initial
years of independence to ensure
an egalitarian society. The aim was
to ensure a hunger free and literate
India in a decade or so. Abolition of
zamindari, new education policies
and reorganization of provinces
were few such steps. Various
positive discriminations were
introduced to ensure the interests
of marginalized sections, women
and children.
Challenges To democracy
The survival of Indian democracy
for well over half a century despite
the country’s diversities, is in many
ways a remarkable achievement.
However, no one can deny that
the country’s contemporary socio-
economic and political problems
are complex. There are a number
48 YOJANA January 2010
of serious challenges that need to
be met in the years ahead. .
l Divisive tendencies :In a country
of over a billion people, Indian
nationalism has for long survived
the divisive tendencies of caste,
class, religion and languages. But
in recent past growing violence
in the name of religion and sub
nationalism has posed a great
threat to the smooth functioning
of democracy in India.
l Extremism: Ther:e is an
organized attempt by forces
inimical to freedom and peace
in our region to destroy Indian
democracy by striking at the
very roots of our nationhood.
Over a period of time there
has been a systematic effort to
spread communal disharmony
and conflict in India. By
weakening the fabric of our
nationhood these terrorists seek
to destroy our well-being and the
foundation of our prosperity.
l Unemployment The employment
growth in organized sector,
public and private combined
has declined during the period
between 1994 and 2006, and
the situation has got aggravated
during the last year due to
the global financial crisis.
According to a report on “Effect
of Economic Slowdown on
Employment in India,” which
is based on a sample survey of
2,581 units conducted by the
Labour Bureau, Ministry of
Labour and Employment, during
October-December 2008, there
was decrease in employment
of about half a million workers
during the period.
l Regionalism : This is the main
weakness of Indian democracy
today. A large part of the Indian
politics has been reduced to
identity politics, be it caste,
religious or regional identities,
and this brings divisive forces
into play.
l Illiteracy : Literacy in
India, says UNESCO, is
an indispensable means for
effective social and economic
participation, contributing to
human development and poverty
reduction. India is one of the
countries (along with the Arab
states and sub-Saharan Africa)
where the literacy levels are
still below the threshold level
of 75% but gigantic efforts are
on to achieve that level. Without
literate and well informed
citizens, no democracy can be
participative in the true sense.
l Corruption and nepotism :
This is another major problem
in our country today. Many
of us have simply accepted it
as a sad reality. But unless we
are able to fight corruption, the
benefits of development can
never be shared equitably and
democratically.
What Can be Done ?
The yawning gap between
the rich and the poor must be
bridged. There must be equitable
distribution of the rich resources
o f o u r c o u n t r y. P o c k e t s o f
social turmoil due to caste and
religious differences, exploitation
and oppression of the poor and
marginalized, must be stamped
out. Our girl children should feel
privileged and our women secure.
Population figures can only be
controlled through educating and
infusing a sense of responsibility
in the masses.Our Democracy will
grow stronger when people’s minds
are emancipated from the shackles
of caste and the stranglehold of
religious fundamentalism; when
we maintain a political atmosphere
of unity and tranquility; when we
uphold the high ideals of socialism
and secularism; and when our
individual responsibilities to the
nation take precedence over our
demand for fundamental rights.
It is imperative on us to
understand that divisive forces can
be best eliminated by understanding
and eliminating the causes that
create and provide motivation for
these forces. Only 27.8% of the
Indian population resides in the
cities, but 3/4th of the unemployed
are in the rural areas. If the growth
rate of our economy is so good, then
why is 26% of our population still
below the poverty line? The real
challenge before us is to overcome
the imbalance in the distribution of
our resources and outputs such that
our including national income and
national growth no longer remain
skewed and are ‘‘democratized’’.
To my mind, the most significant
achievement of the first six decades
of freedom, in many ways, is that
we have sustained the vibrancy
of our parliamentary democracy,
which has survived in spite of
the prevalence of what seemed
to be inhibiting factors. Our poor
economic conditions, low literacy,
the hierarchical social structure,
and multiple ethnic, religious
and linguistic cleavages, were all
potent factors that could inhibit and
weaken the democratic fabric.
Today, having come through 15
general elections and experienced
a good degree of political stability
for almost six decades, we can
say with confidence that Indian
democracy is here to stay. This
democratic consolidation —
preserving and protecting the unity
of such a heterogeneous country
with one billion-plus people
practicing different religions, and
speaking innumerable languages,
and which is home to a wide
variety of customs and practices
— has indeed been a gigantic
challenge that post-Independence
India met successfully, to the envy
of many.
Any discussion on India’s
parliamentary democracy, when
we are completing 60 years of
republic, calls for some honest
introspection on part of everyone.
The Constitution clearly lays down
the institutional foundation for
a functioning democracy. It has
established a structure of power
relationships based on the system
of distribution of powers between
the Union and the States and of
separation of powers between the
three organs of the state. No doubt,
it is Parliament that has contributed
the most to the consolidation and
strengthening of democracy in the
country. Over the years, Parliament
has come to be identified, both in
theory and in practice, and rightly
so, to be the pivot of our political
system. Democratic institutions in
India have given hope to millions
of people for struggle and successes
in all walks of life.
(Email : jnushashank@gmail.com)

C
. Rajagopalachari, His Excellency the Governor-General in a broadcast talk from the Delhi Station
of All-India Radio on Jan 26, 1950 said:
"On the eve of my laying down office, with the inauguration of the Republic, I should like to tender
my greetings and best wishes to the men and women of India who will henceforth be a citizen of a republic.
I feel deeply thankful for the affection showered on me by all sections of the people, which alone enabled
me to hear the burden of an office to the duties and conventions of which I had been an utter stranger"

YOJANA January 2010 49

shodh yatra
Reversible Reduction Gear for Marine
Diesel Engine and Z- Drive Propeller
L
ocal fishermen from
Alleypey in Kerala were
facing problems with their
fishing boats. The boats
with diesel engine had a
long tail propeller system
without gearbox, which affected
their maneuverability. Boats with
kerosene run engines consumed
more fuel and polluted the water,
affecting the marine life adversely.
Moreover, beach landing was very
difficult using the conventional
inboard marine diesel engines.
Mohanlal, a local from the area,
saw this difficulty and resolved
to do something about it. After
He participated rigorous research and development,
he developed a gearbox and a
in various boat manually tiltable Z-drive system
shows exhibiting for small capacity diesel engines to
overcome the above problems.
his innovation. Mohanlal is an accomplished
All this helped boat mechanic and technician with
experience of over three decades
him to improve in repairing marine engines and
fabricating drives and assemblies
upon his used in fishing vessels.
innovation From a young age, he developed
his skills in repairing fishing vessels
50 YOJANA January 2010
while working at his uncle’s
workshop for five years. He then
moved to Mumbai to work in a
dye-making unit for a couple of
years. After that, he spent nearly
eight years working in the Gulf,
at a Mazda car dealership center
on an ad-hoc arrangement as a
lathe operator and bits-and–pieces
mechanic, before heading home to
Kerala. In 1987, he started his own
workshop “Kaveri Engineering
works” in Alapuzha dealing with
repairing of boats, drive and motor
systems. He also started repairing
the trolling boards, used in fishing
vessels for opening and spreading
of fish net under the sea.
Mohanlal started with his
trolling board business in a small
way in 1990. Having expanded
this, he purchased a new boat with
Yamaha engine for nearly thirty
thousand rupees. This kerosene
engine consumed thirty liters of
kerosene per day. Cost of one can of
kerosene is sixty rupees with only
a few liters of kerosene available at
subsidized rates and the rest from
the market at prevailing high costs.
He observed the profit margin for
two months and noticed that the
profit was negligible due to the
high operational cost of fuel. He
noticed that all the fishermen were
experiencing this. Thus, a large
amount of fuel had to be carried
aboard, also adding to the vessel
loading. The exhaust after using
this fuel polluted the water, and
affected the marine life adversely
resulting in lower catch. After a
few months, he decided to stop the
business and started thinking of
cheaper alternatives for kerosene-
based engines.
The other alternative viz. diesel
engines had poor maneuverability,
with rudimentary gearbox options
unable to handle various operational
modes of the fishing vessel. The
gearboxes fitted from the available
market options were a mismatch.
With the non-availability of a
gearbox, the propeller of the boat
was often directly coupled to
the diesel engine, making vessel
handling more difficult and
dangerous.
Mohanlal then decided to
develop dedicated gearboxes
suitable for the fishing vessels. In
2001, he started working on diesel
engine. He reduced the weight of
the engine from 83 to 63 kg and
further brought it below 30 kg by
using aluminum alloys instead of
steel components. Cost of mould
and pattern for the castings and
machining individual components
drove up his development costs.
Next, he focused on the boat
performance and optimization
and shortly achieved a speed of
18 km/ hour. He introduced the
clutches and two gears- one each
for forward and reverse operation
and an exhaust pipe.
When the news of his innovation
appeared in the newspapers,
YOJANA January 2010 51
Mr. P.H Kurian, Director of Kerala
State Industrial Corporation, invited
him to explain the advantages of his
innovation. Seeing the potential of
the product for the state fisheries
sector, the Kerala State Industrial
Corporation extended a loan of three
lakh rupees on a condition that, if
the project became successful,
he would pay the money back
to department. He continued his
experiments with more vigor.
Several field tests were completed
and problems were rectified. He
participated in various boat shows
exhibiting his innovation. All this
helped him to improve upon his
innovation.
Seeing the potential of his
machine he got an unexpected
order of a hundred engines from
a reputed engine manufacturer,
ELGI Equipments, of Coimbatore.
for relief work in Tsunami affected
area. But, due to lack of dedicated
production setup, they were not
able to deliver the order in time.
Meanwhile, ‘Matsyafed’, a
society established by government of
Kerala for the welfare of fishermen
got interested in this gearbox. They
decided to help in the field trials and
marketing efforts. Since Mohanlal
had submitted the entry to NIF, he
received assistance for technical
documentation, filing of patent and
financial support for developing
the prototype and liaison with
Matsyafed for marketing. NIF also
funded a specially designed gear
fabricated by Lakhsmi Machine
Works, Coimbatore.
The next round of tests revealed
problems of propeller damage in
beach landing and shallow water;
Mohanlal developed a Z drive for
solving these problems.
The gearbox has been developed
for a 12HP diesel engine with 2400
RPM idling speed and around 12
liters fuel tank capacity. The diesel
engine directly couples with two
reduction gears through flange
coupling with the engine flywheel.
The innovativeness lies in the
application of helical gears with
inner spline cut with dual sided
jaw and dog clutch. This provides
smooth running and better power
transmission for the marine diesel
engines.
The salient features of the Z
drive system to go along with the
gearbox for diesel engines are that
it is manually tiltable and can be
locked at 90 degrees while landing.
It also reduces loss of power through
horizontal shaft power transmission
and results in a smooth drive and
better maneuverability.
For his innovation, Mohanlal
won a National Award in NIF’s
Fifth National Biennial Competition
for Grassroots Innovations and
Traditional Knowledge organised
at IARI, Pusa, Delhi in November
2009. The award was given by
Hon’ble President of India, Dr.
Pratibha Devisingh Patil.
With the assistance of NIF, the
innovator has signed an agreement
with MATSYAFED, the Kerala
State Co-operative Federation for
Fisheries Development Ltd., for
commercialization of his innovation.
MATSYAFED now plans to
demonstrate the system at different
ports and coastal areas in Kerala.
This will give hands on experience
of the new system to the fishermen.
NIF has facilitated linkage of
innovator with the South India
Fisheries Federation (SIFF), for
promotion of the technology. Good
results are expected. q
(E-mail : campaign@nifindia.org,
www.nifindia.org)
J&K Window
Turtuk in Ladakh opened for foreign tourists

I
n a major move to boost tourism in Ladakh region, the Ministry of Home Affairs, has relaxed the
Protected Area Permit Regime (PAPR) enabling foreign tourists to visit Turtuk village in Nubra valley,
situated on the famous Silk Route. Opening of Turtuk area for foreign tourists would place Nubra valley
prominently on the world tourism map. The decision would go a long way in bringing the virgin locales of
the region into limelight.
From now on tourists would be able to travel along the banks of the Pangong Lake, right up to the village
of Man and Merak. Earlier they were allowed to go only up to village Spangmik. The route along the Pangong
Lake from Merak to Chushul and then across Tsaga La, Tsaga to Loma Beng would also be considered for
opening, once sufficient tourist infrastructure is developed there. A large number of foreign tourists are
already visiting Nubra valley for Bactrain camel safaris and hot sulphur springs of Panamik.
That the long pending demand of the locals of Kargil to open to Chiktan-Batalik area for foreign tourists
has also been approved by the Home Ministry. The approved tour circuits in the district are Kargil-Khangral-
Shaker-Chiktan-Sanjak-Leh and Dah-Garkone-Darchik-Batalik-Silmo-Kargil town, the area is also the home
of famous Drokpas, supposed to be pure Aryan tribe. Earlier, the tourists were allowed to travel only up to
Dah. Earlier tourists were allowed to travel in the PAPR area in groups of four, but after the present relaxation
tourists can also go in twos. The number of tourists visiting the region has touched 75, 000 from the modest
figure of 500 in 1974, when Ladakh was opened for tourism and the tourist season which used to be confined
to July-August, now extends from May till end of October. q

Project to save the Markhor

T
he Jammu and Kashmir’s wild-life department has started an ambitious project to save highly
endangered Markhor, the largest goat in the world, whose population has been affected by construction
of the Mughal Road in South Kashmir.
The department had objected to the historic road’s construction through the Markhor’s habitat saying it
posed threat to the goat. On the recommendation of the Central Empowered Committee, the Supreme Court
earlier this year allowed the road’s construction. However, it set a condition that five percent of the project
cost should be utilized for restoration of Markhor’s habitat.
The Apex Court had permitted the state to utilize Rs. 10.72 crores for implementation of the Markhor
Recovery Project. In the first phase, authorities have started fencing of the bastion of Markhors, the Hirpora
Wildlife Sanctuary, in south Kashmir’s Shopian district.
The Hirpora sanctuary has a strategic location as the old Mughal Road connecting the Kashmir valley to
the Rajouri-Poonch areas of the Jammu region passes right through. The fencing and other interventions will
help to stop grazing, smuggling and encroachments of the sanctuary and protect the Markhor’s habitat.
The Wildlife department will also be organizing awareness camps for Gujjars and Bakerwals. Thousands
of nomads from Poonch and Rajouri travel to Kashmir through the sanctuary. It is imperative to abreast them
about importance of Markhor conservation.
Known for its thick fur, flowing beard and corkscrew horns, Markhor has a limited geographical distribution
in the moist to semi-arid mountain tracts of Pakistan, India, Afghanista, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and
Tajikistan.
With its population estimated to be between 250-300, Markhor is mostly found only in sporadic areas of the State
including Banihal pass to Shamsbari area of the Kazinag and Pir Panjal range. q

52 YOJANA January 2010