Global Integrity Report: India scores a middling 70

An interesting report by Global Integrity (a not for profit organisation that generates information about governance and corruption trends around the world).  In its score-card, India is at a moderate 70 scoring low on legislative and judicial accountability, civil service regulations, whistle blowing, rule of law and enforcement.

Why doesn't our government focus on good governance?

Good governance is the buzz word everywhere except among the political classes! Is it because they don't have their ear to the ground or they just don't care?  I think its a mixture of the two.  There are some politicians who understand that the voters are fed up of bad roads, lack of electricity, lack of quality schools, lack of law and order in many parts of the country, malnutrition and hunger and are making efforts to remedy the situation in their own small way.  Nitish Kumar in Bihar is a good example.  However, the majority, across the spectrum, are mired in old mind-sets and caste politics.  How do we put the message across to these politicians that their game is up? If they want to be re-elected, they have to perform.  For this, there needs to be consensus building across the political spectrum to bring about reforms in the structure of our civil service, the back bone that is supposed to deliver the goodies allocated to the people.  There also needs to be reform in the way political parties function internally as well as in Parliament.  For this, we need to amend the Anti-Defection law and bring in inner party democracy.  Lastly, law and order has to be strengthened.  We cannot have sundry goons hijacking an issue on the threat of violence without any repurcussions -- be it Valentine's Day celebration or women going to pubs or even larger issues such as Telangana.   

Aligarh Muslim University professor suspended for being gay

The news of the professor from Aligarh Muslim Univesity was caught on camera having consensual sex with a man is indicative of a far larger problem in our society than homophobia (which is not to say it is not a problem in itself).  The way the professor was caught through hidden camera (whether set by students or some news company) shows a basic contempt for individual choice, privacy and more importantly the law of the land.  This means any group of people can dictate the mores in society based on their lifestyle choices if they have the backing of people in positions of authorities. You may say that this has been a trend for a long time between goons and politicians.  But such behaviour is not expected from an institution of learning.

THE GLOBAL “GO-TO THINK TANKS"

The University of Pennsylvania has published a global database of think tanks. You can access it here.

Controversy over Bt Brinjal

Bt Brinjal is in the eye of the storm. While Jairam Ramesh has put a moratorium on its commercial cultivation, there is need to understand the issues at hand in more detail. Is the opposition to the plant valid? Is the Minister justified in ignoring recommendation from the Genetic Engineering Approval Council, which is a scientific body set up to govern genetically modified food? For more on the issue, please read the entry on the PRS Blog.

Focus on marriage, not so much on children

Do parents who focus too much on their children have less happy and demanding kids? Apparently so. For more information, please read http://bit.ly/a6Ggnd

Ayan Hirsi Ali at Jaipur Lit Fest

Jaipur Lit Festival included a surprise visit by Ayan Hirsi Ali. Here's an account of what she said

A tale of female bonding

This article in Indian Express discusses the issue of female bonding beautifully exemplified by the real life case of Ruchika Girhotra (molested when 14 by SP Rathore a police officer) and Aradhana Prakash (the sole witness to the act).

We hear stories and get reams of paper about male bonding and male friendships but very little about female friendships. It is strange because in real life, female friendships seem to endure much more than male friendships which fizzle out quite easily.

Underwear makes the moral police see red (or is it saffron?)

Apparently, women's lingerie is "obscene" in Madhya Pradesh!

Shopkeepers in Bhopal cannot display mannequins wearing women's underwear. Why, you may ask! The answer is because the Sanskriti Bachao Manch deems them to be obscene. You may then ask, who the f*** are they to decide on what is and is not obscene. There you have me flummoxed! I have absolutely no clue why they should get away with these decrees except that they seem to have the support of the state's BJP Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

The side-effect of any kind of ban in India is the threat of violence and hooliganism. Most people comply with the dictats of such groups because they know the police would not come to their rescue when the hooligans attack. The police would not take any steps because these hooligans are backed by powerful politicians including the Chief Ministers.

In the midst of rising food prices, malnutrition, illiteracy and sundry other problems, why would politicians and their satellites think that anyone would care for such ridiculous moral policing? We need to seriously ponder over this question. Is there really a vote bank that gets all riled up about women's underwear? If so, who are these people? If there is no vote bank, then we need to ask what are the politicians getting out of such gestures? Is it a tactic to throw sand in the eyes of the voters to keep them occupied with inconsequential issues?

Unless, we look at these questions with a clear eye and expose this nexus, there is no hope for us.

Pakistan's school education in doldrums

An interesting article in the Washington Post caught my eye.

We have all heard about the faulty history taught in Pakistan's public schools. But the effects of such teaching is being felt now. This should make us re-think our history textbooks which mostly teach the Marxist interpretation of history.

From From critical, very critical, very very critical, extremely critical to dead - Jyoti Basu RIP

Finally, the CPI(M) patriarch is dead at the age of 95!


It might be churlish to crticise him on the day of his death, but his horrendous legacy in West Bengal cannot (and should not) be brushed under the carpet just to preserve the niceties. I don't know what Marx originally had in mind when he propounded his theories of Communism, but his followers have in most part left a legacy of bloodshed, violence, mass poverty, and corruption. Basu was no different. From a fairly well to do state, he took Bengal into the depths of poverty and despair that it is in today. So, like Kanchan Gupta, I cannot mourn his passing.