Economic & Political Weekly: Table of Contents

Village as 'Class' and City as 'Mass'

Andhra Pradesh Capital Development Story

Vol - L No. 13, March 28, 2015 | S Ananth 

• Reports From the States
 
• Web Exclusives

Villagers explain why they call the “new capital” areas of Andhra Pradesh “class” while older cities like Vijayawada and Guntur are “mass”. The second in a series of photo essays documenting change in the peripheries of Vijayawada, slowly transforming into the Andhra Pradesh state capital. For the first photo essay in the series, click here.  

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Need for Protocols in Public Health

Vol - L No. 12, March 21, 2015 | Meeta Rajivlochan 

• Commentary

The deaths in Chhattisgarh during a state-sponsored family planning camp held in November 2014 show, yet again, that the lack of checklists and an ad hoc style of functioning can and does result in disaster. This article explains the need for standardisation and protocols in key government processes and talks about the pathetic conditions in which medicines and surgical supplies are procured in public hospitals as well as the failure of state agencies to detect and prohibit sale of substandard drugs.

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Commentary Tolerating Death in a Culture of Intolerance Shahidul Alam The daylight murder of Bangladeshi blogger Avijit Roy in Dhaka on 26 February reflects the culture of fear and intolerance that has built up in the country over the last few decades. As a result, the middle ground between the extremes has... Read more	Web Exclusives Ethics and Theatrics On "India's Daughter" Indira Jaising, Ritu Menon “India’s Daughter” reflects asymmetries of power and access, and of where and how discourses are generated and directed. Who represents whom, and how they do so, reflects many of these asymmetries and exposes many complicities.... Read more
Commentary Hashimpura Killings Is There Any Hope of Justice? Iqbal Ansari The members of the PAC who have been charged with the murder of 40 Muslims in Hashimpura in 1987 are yet to face the courts. Read more	Roots / Specials Meerut 1987 Reflections on an Inquiry K Balagopal "The Muslims started it" and therefore the administration decides that it is going to wreak vengeance against the Muslims and ensure that they learn their lesson for good This is the "theme" of Meerut 1987. Read more
Editorials India's Ocean? The right questions are not being asked about the country's (aggressive) Indian Ocean strategy. Read more	Editorials 'Rebalancing' Aggregate Demand China needs to return to the original formula of the "four modernisations" propounded by Zhou Enlai. Read more
Editorials Sending Whistle-blowers to Their Deaths Whistle-blowers continue to be murdered even as a law for their protection awaits notification. Read more	H T Parekh Finance Column The Rupee, Its Valuation and the Missing Trade Surpluses Avinash Persaud The rupee is one of the most undervalued currencies in the world. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), if you were to take a basket of goods bought in India, the exchange rate that would make that basket equivalent in price in... Read more
Commentary Farmers' Rights to Seeds Issues in the Indian Law Parameswaran Prajeesh While the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act 2001 is a progressive piece of legislation that recognises farmers' rights to seed, it demands payment of an annual maintenance fee by the farmers to protect the varieties... Read more	Commentary Tapan Raychaudhuri (1926-2014) A Personal Tribute Gyanendra Pandey Tapan Raychaudhuri was a scholar of deep erudition and a pioneer in exploring new paths and perspectives. A builder of institutions, he will be remembered by generations of students as an accessible teacher and supportive mentor. Read more
Budget 2015–16 / Special Issues Long on Announcements, Short on Intent Ajit Karnik, Mala Lalvani The first full-year budget of the National Democratic Alliance government announced a sharp focus on investment, growth and social security. In addition, Budget 2015-16 claims to have given a boost to cooperative federalism. The budget indeed... Read more	Budget 2015–16 / Special Issues Gold Monetisation Scheme for India ERROL D'SOUZA Currently India is the largest consumer and importer of gold in the world. Monetising the gold within the country is, therefore, important for macroeconomic stability, and requires a credible scheme for valuing, storing, and tracking the metal.... Read more
Budget 2015–16 / Special Issues Corporate Taxes and Exemptions What Does the Proposed Agenda Mean? Kavita Rao In the Budget Speech the finance minister announced a phased reduction in the rate of corporate tax alongside a removal of exemptions. What is likely to be the differential impact on large and small companies, those reporting large profi ts and... Read more	Budget 2015–16 / Special Issues Corporate Capitalism in the Name of Social Security K P Kannan The many schemes that have been announced in the name of social security are limited in scope and the quantum of security they prefer. The promotional schemes will also be linked to the market and will benefit the insurance companies. In the... Read more
Budget 2015–16 / Special Issues Finance Commission's Recommendations and Restructured Fiscal Space Pinaki Chakraborty Since it is neither feasible nor desirable to reduce central grants to the states equivalent to the increase in tax devolution, the award of the Fourteenth Finance Commission is certainly not revenue neutral for the union government. But the... Read more	Book Reviews Keynes Reconsidered Pulin B Nayak Keynesian Reflections: Effective Demand, Money, Finance and Policies in the Crisis edited by Toshiaki Hirai, Maria Cristina Marcuzzo and Perry Mehrling, New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2013; pp xxiv + 317, Rs 850. Read more
Book Reviews Environmental Law in India The Task Ahead Goutham Shivshankar Handbook of Environmental Law by P B Sahasranaman, New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2012; pp xiii + 352, Rs 950. Read more	Perspectives Branding Bill The Shakespearean Commons Pramod K Nayar Situating William Shakespeare within the study of brands, this article examines the process and results of Shakespeare-as-brand, which mediates the supply and demand of Shakespearean products whether about his life, his loves, his texts, his... Read more
Special Articles How Should India Reform Its Labour Laws? Simon Deakin, Antara Haldar This paper examines the current policy debate around the reform of labour laws in India, which has been stimulated in part by the success of the "Gujarat model of economic development." Gujarat's deregulatory reforms have included changes to the... Read more	Special Articles New Generation Start-ups in India What Lessons Can We Learn from the Past? M H Bala Subrahmanya An increasing number of new generation start-ups in the technology/knowledge-intensive industries have created something of an "euphoria" in major cities of India. This paper discusses the salient features of the start-up ecosystem that has... Read more
Economic Notes New Estimates of Saving and Capital Formation Larger Numbers in a Declining Trend J Dennis Rajakumar, Vijayata B Sawant, Anita B Shetty The new series of national accounts statistics raises the estimates of saving and investment, but it also reconfi rms the trend of a decline in domestic saving and capital formation in recent years. Analysing available data, this note attempts to... Read more	Postscript A Child’s Primer Sreenivasan Subramanian Children who aspire to become budding development economists would do well to imbibe some of these hints and pointers, whose soundness is matched only by the author’s zaniness. Read more
Postscript Down and Out in Ahmedabad Jan Breman Migrant workers, who are often landless labourers, seek succour and refuge in night shelters mandated by the Supreme Court of India. Read more	Postscript Veggie Myths Anirudh Deshpande The myth of India being a largely vegetarian country is shattered by the fact that across the country, the great majority of people consume meat and fish. Read more
Web Exclusives Teachers’ Work and Teachable Moments in the New Regime Shivali Tukdeo, Savitha Suresh Babu Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party government’s emphasis on Indianising, nationalising and spiritualising education calls for examining the role of teachers as imagined by the Hindu right.  Read more	Glimpses from the Past / Web Exclusives Demand for Total Ban on Cow Slaughter in Kerala and West Bengal Some Observations K N Raj The last few weeks have witnessed a ban on the slaughter and possession of bulls, bullocks and calves, in addition to cows, in Maharashtra and then in Haryana. The BJP, in power in both these states as well as the centre, has argued that they...

Gender Atlas launched to promote girls’ education

To promote girls education even in the remotest area of the country, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of School Education and Literacy has recently launched digital gender Atlas, a tool developed by UNICEF.

The Atlas tool will identify the low geographic areas where there is limited or no access to education especially in the schedule castes, schedule tribes and Muslim minorities on specific gender related education indicators.

The Atlas is available on MHRD website and is ready to use by the states, districts, education institutions. The focus of the tool is to identify vulnerable girls and challenged girls and impart equitable education to them.

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Ecologist Madhav Gadgil wins Tyler Prize

Renowned ecologist Madhav Gadgil has been chosen for the prestigious 2015 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement.

The prize, instituted in 1973, is awarded by the international Tyler Prize Executive Committee with the administrative support of the University of Southern California.

Prof. Gadgil, who was Chairman of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), will share the $200,000 cash prize with noted American marine ecologist Dr. Jane Lubchenco for their work in changing policy and specifically for their “leadership and engagement in the development of conservation and sustainability policies in the United States, India and internationally”, said a release issued by the University of Southern California on Monday.

Both winners will receive the prize and a gold medallion at a private ceremony in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles on April 24. The day before, Dr. Lubchenco and Dr. Gadgil will deliver public lectures on their work at The Forum at the University of Southern California.

“Both of these laureates have bridged science with cultural and economic realities - like the impact on indigenous peoples in India or fishing communities in the United States - to advance the best possible conservation policies,” said the release.

Prof. Gadgil’s landmark report on the preservation of the unique ecosystem of the Western Ghats and the inclusion of local committees was especially noted as the reason behind his award that recognised his engagement with the public and other academic fields to “position him as a leading voice on environmental issues in India.”

Also noted were Dr. Gadgil’s contributions behind the crafting of India’s National Biodiversity Act, 2002.

Dr. Lubchenco, who was recently named first-ever U.S. Science Envoy for the Ocean by the United States Department of State, gets the award for her dedication to raising awareness of the importance of the ocean and the need to protect ocean ecosystems, notably during her tenure from 2009 to 2013 as administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The award commended her drive and passion in restoring fisheries and improving ocean health, which culminated in the unique “catch share” model – an alternative rights-based approach to fisheries attempting to change the economic incentives for fishermen that has been adopted by a number of regional fishery management councils in Alaska, along the Pacific Coast, the Gulf of Mexico and other regions across the American seaboard.

Keywords: Madhav Gadgil, Western Ghats, Tyler Prize

Vedanta - It's Good to be a Loser

SUDHAMAHI REGUNATHAN





What happens when you `lose'? Besides the fact that winning and losing are relative terms, it is really not so bad to lose once in a while. Sometimes, by losing, you could gain more. It is the one who loses, so to say, who actually keeps rolling. This is not to glorify losing, but to turn the focus to a balanced development rather than glorify the obsession to win always.Shiva and Parvati were playing dice. Each time Shiva rolled the dice, Parvati's supporters squealed with joy , while Shiva's companions cried in anguish. Parvati kept winning. Once Shiva lost the last piece of cloth he wore, to Parvati. “Why do you always lose?“ asked Shiva's supporters.
Shiva lost to win. In the be ginning, all was one, the undifferentiated, motionless One. When it separated into two, Purusha and Prakriti, there was Creation, there was activity .Narada taught them the game of dice. When Shiva plays with Parvati, it is the play of Purusha with Prakriti, inactivity with activity .
The wager was a hug. If Shiva won, he would embrace Parvati. Beautiful as that sounds, people were worried because once again, Shiva would envelop Parvati in himself and return to the inactive state of Ardhanarishvara. This would mean all activity would come to a standstill; it would be the end of the world. So, it was crucial for Parvati to win and for Shiva to lose, so that there's no break in activity .
To keep activity going, to maintain harmony and balance, we have to experience both, winning and losing. This way , the cosmic play ensures that the cycle goes on.

ICMR studies data to fight drug-resistant infections

Roli Srivastava

Pune:





Antibiotic resistance data from four big hospitals s being studied and analysed or the first time in India to help forecast drug-resistance patterns that may surface in uture.The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has been on the resistance trail since last year. It had set up six nodal centres at four hospitals -two at PGI, Chandigarh, and Christian Medical College, Vellore, and one each at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi and JIPMER, Puducherry .
The ICMR's antimicrobial surveillance and research network has been tracking resistance pattern of six pathogens causing diarrhoea, typhoid, fungal nfections and infections that patients acquire in hospitals.
“We initiated these pro ects in early 2014 and we are now analysing the first year's data. We did not have a nationally representative data on pathogens that cause 80% of infections. It is important to get a handle on what is the drug resistance prevalence n these six pathogenic groups,“ said Dr Kamini Wa lia from the division of epidemiology and communicable diseases, ICMR.
The data will be used to forecast the drug-resistance pattern to guide clinicians, she added.
There is alarm over rising resistance to antibiotics in India, largely attributed to their indiscriminate use to treat routine infections like cough, cold and fever and their over-the-counter availability. Using antibiotics inappropriately , such as stopping the dosage mid-course has added to the resistance.
There are broad estimates and observations so far -resistance to carbapenem (the strongest class of antibiotic) is 50 to 60% and in the case of acenotobacter (a hospital bug) seen among ICU patients, the resistance is 70 to 80%.However, there is no accurate resistance data, with most hospitals not reporting such figures, fearing an impact on patients' footfall.
“The project would help design a standard treatment guideline and physicians will be able to decide what antibiotic should be given,“ Dr Walia said.
The surveillance and research network will expand to 15 more hospitals across the country , which will feed their data into these centres that will in turn map the resistance pattern.
“In India, there are no statistics. Anyone who comes to the clinic or OPD is not tested for microbiological examination. A test is conducted only in the case of in-patients,“ V Balaji, head of microbiology , CMC, Vellore said.
Though there is an antibiotic policy in place since 2011, officials said that surveys have revealed the compliance was restricted only a to few hospitals.
For the full report, log on to http:www.timesofindia..com