The Daily Indian

Policy making becomes too complex a task to be handed
over to a group of ministers

Prasoon S Majumdar

Across the world, it’s not for nothing that think tanks are called the ‘Idea Industry’. Almost everywhere (albeit exceptions) thinks tank are considered idea generators and are given adequate considerations in policymaking. As with time, the complexity of policy and political issues are widening, countries are leaving no stone unturned in advantageously drawing upon the repository of intellect, knowledge and competencies to successfully tackle the pertinent issues and attain a decisive competitive edge. Realising the same, even the present President of the US, Barack Obama chose the key members for his transition team from the think tanks spread across the US. In fact the existence of think tanks is just not confined to developed and western nations only. There are around 5,500 think tanks worldwide with 1800 in the US itself, which is more than double of all think tanks combined in whole of the Asia! United Kingdom has 283 think tanks while Germany has 186, France 165, Japan 105 and India has around 121 think tanks!!!

The need for these types of guilds is primarily to address the challenge of specialisation, which most of the contemporary Governments face across the world. think tanks specialise upon specific domains on a continuous basis, which any policymaker (both politicians and bureaucrats) cannot, on account of paucity of time and interest. For anyone associated with Indian policymaking or for that matter, Indian bureaucracy, might find it extremely challenging to address diverse issues like economic slowdown, terrorism or say a moon mission, all at the same time.

Moreover, for a country like India, where demographics change every 50 kilometres, policymaking becomes too complex a task to be handed over to a group of ministers, who as such are bereft of any adequate track record. This is where the role of think tanks gets defined. No doubt, there are several think tanks in India, and few of them are sponsored by the Government too, but then their role in policy making is too very limited.

Unfortunately, unlike in developed nations, most of these think tanks do not pro-actively promote their ideas, and above all have an ageing workforce. Except for few think tanks like IDSA, ICRIER or CCS, none have the capability of filling the talent vacuum. Indian, since long, is in crying need of young and talented political leaders but then such leadership can’t be bred in an environment where there is an intellectual vacuum.

If these think tanks are provided with an opportunity to participate in policy research, it would not just help in better policy making but also help in grooming of future and wanna-be political leaders. That’s just one side of it. The other side of it is — as of now most of the think tanks are Government funded and are completely devoid dynamic thought leaders. Thus it is by design that most of these Government-funded think tanks rarely come out with radical ideas as they need to safeguard their funding sources. The matter worsens, when one looks at the kind of white papers and research that they finally churn out. It is not the quality but the irrelevance of such researches which is a matter of bigger concern.

All in all, the Americans call their think tanks ‘Government in making’ while in India, we treat them as institutions meant for marginal activity like doing researches just for the heck of it. It does not require much argument to prove that think tanks can serve as ‘knowledge black books’ for our economy, provided it is managed with an intent of nation building.

(Prasoon S Majumdar is Editor Economic Affairs of Planman Media)

In the last week of February, when the news of the revolt by the personnel of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) started pouring in, India’s Border Security Force (BSF) was put on alert as per the Standard Operation Procedure. A mutiny by a border guarding force of a neighbouring nation is no ordinary incident and could have had many ramifications. Yet what sent a near shockwave across the BSF top brass was the news of the brutal killing of the BDR Director General, Shakil Ahmed, a man BSF would find difficult to forget for quite sometime to come.

Circa 2001 — April 18 was a red letter day in the history of BSF. On that day nearly sixteen BSF jawans were brutally murdered by personnel of BDR in the Kakripara border outpost on the Indo-Bangladesh border. More shocking was the manner in which some of the dead BSF men were then tied to poles like animals and carried away in Bangladesh. Initially, despite the outrage, the Government of India prevented the matter getting blown out of proportion by simply sending a strong message to the Bangladesh government. But spouting Indo-Bangla friendship was quite difficult for those at BSF to digest. So while the relationship between India and Bangladesh wasn’t much affected, in between BSF and BDR, unofficially albeit, relationship reached its nadir. And occasionally BSF, with its superior firepower, continued to prove to BDR as to who the big brother was. No one then had perhaps dreamt even in a dream that in a few years’ time, it would be the same BSF which would grieve with moist eyes the death of the BDR top brass.

In the last couple of years, things took a complete U-turn for the better between the BSF and BDR. When Major General Shakil Ahmed took over the reign as the Director General of BDR, it was a major initiative on his part ably complimented by the previous Director General of BSF; AK Mitra who decided to take matters ahead keeping aside the baggage of the past. The deteriorating security condition inside Bangladesh and the subsequent coming into power of the army backed caretaker government in Bangladesh also helped the matter. As a senior BSF officer on condition of anonymity stated, “the most horrifying fear is always the fear of the unknown. If you know what’s on the other side, much of the fear aroused by suspicion generally gets taken care of.”

And that was exactly what Shakil Ahmed and AK Mitra started working on. Regular meetings at the Director General level, at the battalion commander level, at the sector commander level and flag meetings were institutionalised where all the pertinent cross border issues are discussed to make sure that issues don’t get blown out of proportion. The confidence building measures were taken a step ahead when 25 children (mostly of BSF personnel) from India were sent to Bangladesh where they were received at Benapole by BDR.

The BDR then made arrangements for a trip for them to Khulna in Sunderban area and then to Dhaka. As a quid pro quo, 25 children of BDR personnel came for a similar seven day trip to West Bengal. After the incident of 2001, that someday each would trust the other with their children was unimaginable at one point of time. But then it did happen. Yet it would not be prudent to presume that simply because the relationship between BSF and BDR has improved, things are calm on border. In most of the stretches along the Indo-Bangladesh border, after night curfew is imposed, the situation is much akin to the “Wild Wild West”. Smuggling of items from India (especially cattle) goes on rampantly, thanks to the porous, unfenced and unlit borders.

New Delhi, Mar 31: Arguing that the mere presence of political parties which are neither with UPA nor NDA does not mean there is a Third Front, BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani says many of these regional parties would join NDA if it is in a position to form a government.

“The mere presence of political parties other than those which are with the Congress or the BJP does not mean there is a Third Front. I don’t think a Third Front exists,” Advani told in an interview.

Advani said for most of these parties — like the Left, TDP, TRS, BJD and JD(S) which call themselves the Third Front — Congress was the main political opponent in the states where they had a strong presence.

The former Deputy Prime Minister said some of the regional parties did not want to ally with BJP-led NDA before the elections. “These parties fear that if they join the BJP alliance Muslims will not vote for them. But JD(U) is one example where it did not lose Muslim votes,” he said.

Advani expressed confidence that such parties would join the NDA after the elections but refused to name them.

“The BJP has made India a bi-polar polity by ending Congress monopoly. Though I cannot say India has a two-party system, it is definitely not multi-polar,” Advani said.

The Sun Temple, Meenakshi Temple, Khajuraho, Red Fort, Jaisalmer Fort, Nalanda university and the Dholavira site were Monday named the ‘Seven Wonders of India’ after a nationwide poll.

The NDTV, in association with the tourism ministry’s Incredible India campaign, announced the final winners at a gala ceremony here after this first-of-its-kind initiative brought millions of Indians together to vote for their favourite natural and manmade marvel of the country.

Apart from honouring the top seven architectural beauties of India, NDTV also awarded the ‘Peaceful Wonder of India’ and ‘Spiritual Wonder of India’ to the Golden Temple and the Tawang Monastery respectively, the TV network said in a release.

The monument of love Taj Mahal was honoured as ‘The Wonder of Wonders’.

New Delhi, March 31: Tata Communications Tuesday said it has tied up with Cisco and Philippine Long Distance Telecommunications (PLDT) to roll out telepresence services, the next generation video-based communication technology, in the Philippines.

As per the agreement, the companies have decided to open a public telepresence studio in the Philippines, which will be operated by PLDT.

The studio will be connected to Tata Communications’ public telepresence network in cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Gurgaon in India and Boston and London, the company said in a statement.

Cisco telepresence provides life-like, high definition, conferencing facilities with superior audio, video and environmental qualities, it said.

The studio will also be connected to Cisco’s public telepresence suite in Santa Clara in the US.

“We are very excited with this collaboration with PLDT and Tata as it makes Cisco TelePresence more accessible to the Philippines,” Cisco Philippines country manager Stephen Misa said.

PLDT will also offer private managed telepresence services for organisations that want to have their own telepresence rooms, the statement added.

Added Sunil Joshi, president (Asia Pacific region), Tata Communications: “We were the first global service provider to bring public Cisco TelePresence rooms to the market and we continue to open up more rooms in Asia Pacific, North America, Europe and also the emerging markets in 2009.”

The Supreme Court Tuesday dashed film star Sanjay Dutt’s hopes of contesting the Lok Sabha elections by refusing to suspend his conviction for owning illegal arms in the run up to the 1993 serial bombings in Mumbai.

A bench headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan refused to suspend Dutt’s conviction terming his crime as a “serious offence” and saying that his case is not on par with that of cricketer-MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, whose conviction in a case of unintentional killing was stayed by the apex court in 2007 to enable him run for elections.

The bench, which also included Justice P. Sathasivam and Justice R.M. Lodha, dismissed Dutt’s plea for suspension of his conviction, saying that electoral laws that bar a person convicted for a crime and sentenced to jail for over two years are aimed at stopping criminalisation of politics.

“In view of the serious offence for which he has been convicted by the special judge (of the Mumbai anti-terror court), we are not inclined to suspend his conviction and sentence,” said the bench.

The Samajwadi Party had announced Dutt as its candidate for the Lucknow Lok Sabha seat, represented in the outgoing parliament by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Dutt has been campaigning in Lucknow.

The bench also refused Dutt’s plea for parity with Sidhu’s case, saying: “In that case, Sidhu was a sitting MP, when he was convicted and he could have continued as an MP even after his conviction and sentence.”

But following his conviction, “he resigned and expressed his desire to contest the elections”, pointed out the bench. “In fact, that was a case, where the trial court had (first) acquitted the petitioner (Sidhu) and the Punjab and Haryana High Court in reversal found him guilty.

“It was in those circumstances that this court granted stay on the order of conviction and sentence,” said the apex court.

The bench dismissed Dutt’s plea even after noting his family background and his stature as a film star.

“The petitioner (Dutt) is a well-known cine artist and because of his contribution to the art and cinema, he has got a large number of fans throughout the country and abroad,” said the bench. “His father (late Sunil Dutt) was also a well-known film actor and he was deeply involved in politics.

“At one point of time, he was even a minister in the union cabinet,” noted the bench, adding that “the petitioner is not a habitual criminal.

“But despite all these favourable circumstances, we do not think this is a fit case where conviction and sentence could be suspended” to enable Dutt fight an election, said the bench.

It added: “The law – section 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, prohibits any person who has been convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years from contesting the the election and such person shall remain disqualified for a further period of six years after his release.

“In the face of such a legal provision, the power of the court under section 389 of the Criminal Procedure Code (to suspend conviction or sentence) shall be exercised only under exceptional circumstances.”

Colombo, Mar 31: At least 31 rebels were killed in fierce clashes with security forces in Sri Lanka’s north where an LTTE suicide bomber blew himself up fearing arrest by troops engaged in a search operation, even as the government exuded confidence that the war would be over within three weeks.

Troops also captured an LTTE truck carrying a 12.7mm Anti-Aircraft machine gun during operations in the Irnapali area, Puthukkudiyiruppu East, the army said.

As the military began the “final countdown” to capture the entire LTTE-held territory, troops captured an earth bund built by the rebels in Thevvadi area of Mullaittivu amidst fierce gun battles, it said.

The earth bund had been erected by the rebels to stall the advance of the troops into the LTTE area close to the ‘No Fire Zone’, the army said.

G L Peiris, Minister of Export Development and International Trade, meanwhile, said the war would be over within three weeks.

The foreign nations have also agreed to implement mega projects subsequently, he was quoted as saying.

His comments came amid a series of confrontations in Pudukudiyirippu in Mullaittivu, where troops inflicted heavy damage on the rebels.

London, March 31: Chelsea, the English premier league football club, is searching for young British Asian football stars of the future.

The club has teamed up with the Football Association, Kick it Out and the Asian Media & Marketing Group to launch the ‘Search for an Asian Soccer Star’.

Trials for 12-14-year-old South Asian hopefuls are planned for the first week of May with the most talented players being offered a three-day residential trial at the club’s world-class academy.

Kalpesh Solanki, managing editor of the Asian Media & Marketing Group, said talented South Asian footballers need high-profile support and encouragement.

“Chelsea have taken a huge step forward in this regard and shown what can be done when there is a will for change at the very highest club level. The club management, like us, recognise that a diversity on the field helps smash prejudice and inspires a future generation,” Solanki added.

The winners from each age group will be offered an initial three-day trial at the Chelsea Academy and any player meeting the required standards will be offered the chance to join some of the country’s most talented young players in the Chelsea youth system.

Aspiring football stars need to register for the trials by visiting the Chelsea website www.chelseafc.com/asiansoccerstar.

Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias has admitted that former Russian tennis player Anna Kournikova was the love of his life but the couple had no plans to tie the knot for now.

“She is enchanting, she is the ideal girl. If you ask me right now, I’d say she’s the woman in my life, but I don’t know if eternal love exists,” Iglesias said in a press conference in Mexico City Saturday.

“The reality is that lots of people who get married get divorced, but I’ll be able to answer that question when I’m 90, then I’ll be able to say if I was with her the rest of my life,” the singer said.

“Relationships are difficult and maintaining them is not easy. I believe in marriage, but I believe that today you don’t have to be married to be happy,” Iglesias said.

The 33-year-old singer said he was not yet ready to have children, but he did not rule out having a family in the future.

Iglesias and Kournikova have been together since 2002, when the Russian tennis babe played Enrique’s girlfriend in the video for his No. 3 hit “Escape”.

Over the years, reports have come out periodically that the two have split, but Iglesias and Kournikova have always denied them.

Lahore, Mar 30: Terror struck Lahore for the second time in a month today when heavily armed gunmen stormed a police academy near here killing at least 27 policemen in an eight-hour siege that ended with four terrorists being shot dead and six captured alive by security forces.

Clad in police uniform, the terrorists, numbering 10, attacked the academy at 7 a.M. And lobbed grenades and opened indiscriminate fire as trainees prepared for the morning drill, killing guards at the gate.

The audacious attack comes barely a month after the bus of the Sri Lankan cricket team was ambushed by terrorists on March 3 here leaving eight people dead. Six cricketers sustained injuries in the attack.

The gunmen moved into a three-storied building in the police academy premises in Manawan, 12 kms from the Indian border, and held unspecified number of policemen as hostages.

Elite commandos and security personnel surrounded the premises and used teargas shells to flush the terrorists out.

“The operation has ended with overpowering of a number of terrorists. While four were shot dead, several more were arrested,” Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik said.

One of the captured terrorist is 19-20 year old and speaks Pashto. A joint investigation team has been formed to probe the attack, Malik said.