September 26, 2009

This article appeared in the Washington Post.

India's plans to spend $100 billion on Defense over the next decade has been viewed in different colours at different places. Pakistan views it as an inimical sign since India is inclined to replace the erstwhile Russian arsenary with the U.S. version. This itself is almost 70% of the story which has several dimensions:

1. The question brought forward is whether the shift is clear-from the traditional Russian brotherhood to the common 'Big Brother'

2. Whether India's proposed modernisation is actually an expansive one-This story itself points out that India's spending on Defense is 2% of its GDP while Pakistan and China spend more annually.

3. Usually, any country thowing opportunities on Defense deals across the globe initially boosts the commercial side of the story owing to the huge amounts involved. The Political angle is quite en passe. Nevertheless, some introspection is needed out here.The Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh had envisaged 'modernisation' of Indian Intelligence and allied areas of equipment in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and the Policy Initiative in India should be taken on its face value. It is also true that India faces a stiffer challenge from china whose behaviour at times not withstanding the recent unprovoked firing on the borders neither allows for complacency nor does it leave much scope in terms of dialogue. However, if this premise calls for a review of the dynamics of the regionalbalance of power, well, it really does. The U.S shift of concentration is perhaps not owing to a serious Policy revival. It has more to do with what has happened to Afghanistan and what Pakistan has been experiencing in the recent past. Obviously, what the U.S itself has undergone owing to the overtures in Iraq and the menace of terrorist attacks is a subject which has not been debated adequately.

4. Well. It would be difficult to expect the U.S. to do a direct, open policy thrust but the air is pretty clear in this regard.

India certainly has a more professional job on hand. The deal involving Bofors is still fresh. The investigation has yielded little in terms of natural justice. Whether arms deals can be politically motivated is a debatable isuue. Further, the economics are bound to put the cat among the pigeons. For instance, asking for 50% of the deals to be farmed out for Indian labour and material are issues which are to be dealt more professionally and not in the usual Indian rhetoric for which the country is known for.

As matters rest today, given the markets and money ruling all Political activities including the global phenomena, this feature of modernising Indian Defense also looks more commercial at this juncture. The 123 deal saw the Nuclear construction companies in the U.S show up a boom in the countries stock market and perhaps the arms players worth their name have a booster yet again. You have a big market, a buyer bound by sheer necessity and well...the market does go up!

Come to think of it, like it or not, terrorism has a big role to play in the world economy...

UN: Record 1 billion go hungry

14.10.2009

The number of undernourished people in the world has increased from 0.8 to 1.02 billion from 95-97 to the year 2009.

This is all the more significant against the background that the target was actually to cut down the number of undernourished by half by the year 2015. A child dies every six seconds owing to malnutrition.

The FAO has pointed out the obvious though. Aid and investment on Agriculture has decreased vastly. India is no exception. India's GDP has taken a turn from reflecting the contribution of Agriculture to other significant variants these days. While 642 million people are going hungry in the populated areas of Asia and Pacific, the developing nations of these climes have been doing exactly the opposite-move away from Agriculture and increasing food production. The kind of policies currently in place are only a pathetic acknowledgement of a glaring fact that by the year 2050, if the projected 9.1 billion need to be properly nourished, we will need a growth of 70% in global food output. The impossibility is a mathematical certainty which ensures that statistically speaking, half of the population by that year will stand almost undernourished! This can be more in reality.

Well. The Indian context is almost a paradox. We haven't understood food at all. If 60% of the world's hungry population is in India today, we need some serious stuff to do in terms of our policies. Unlike China, we have drifted more out of our priorities and this can do real irrecoverable damage.

An article in the Indian Express reported an organisation's efforts (Health Aid Medicare) educating some children in Chandigarh regarding the statistics today and also about the prevention methods required especially in health and hygiene.

“Around 1.03 crore people die due to the lack of sanitation in our country. 7.8 lakh or around 7.5 percent of the total deaths are related to unclean drinking water and the lack of hygiene. Diarrhoeal diseases cause 4.02 lakh deaths, while malnutrition accounts for 2.17 lakh deaths. Intestinal nematode infection and water-borne diseases like malaria, dengue and encephalitis cause 19,000 deaths. Besides this, health hazards due to increasing consumption of junk food and product adulteration cannot be measured in figures,” said Dr Anju Gupta, a counsellor with the NGO.(quoted from the article)

India, it said, would have the largest population in the world by 2040 (even earlier) and food security is of utmost importance.

This apart, I was particularly dismayed at the Indian media and the press paying scarce attention to this alarming situation and the necessary review required in the minds of thinkers and policy makers alike.

Is it a case of the vital organs being less sensitive?

Amartya Sen has quoted a sweet poem by Seamus Heaney in his recent book, 'The Idea Of Justice':

'History says, Don't hope

On this side of the grave

But then, once in a lifetime

The longed-for tidal wave

Of justice can rise up

And hope and history rhyme'

Well. They shall...from opposite ends perhaps!

~Vedantam Sripatisarma