May 25 2015 : The Times of India (Delhi)

NORTHEAST STATES - Looking Northeast, eyeing development

Keshav Pradhan





For any PM, handling the Northeast is an uphill task.For Narendra Modi, it was even more difficult when he became PM, carrying the riots baggage and BJP's pro-Hindu slant. In his case, many saw a challenge in Northeast's religious profile. Three of its seven states -Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya -are Christian. In Arunachal, Buddhists and followers of animism and other indigenous religions are in a majority.
The region's economic backwardness, history of insur gency, ethno-religious conflicts and psychological alienation from the rest of India make it complex. Hemmed in by China, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan, it has intricate problems of regional, national and international dimensions.
A year into Modi's first term, people seem enamoured of his pro-development stance. His projects, promise of financial support and coinage of a sobriquet for the region: NEZ (natural economic zone) caught attention.His credibility hinges on how he matches words with action. “People here are not interested in ghar wapasi,“ says Ashok Dey , a Guwahati eco-conservationist.
Some key Modi projects are 14 railway lines, a sports university in Manipur, six agriculture colleges, Ishan Uday (scholarships for 10,000 students) and 18 FM stations. He's allocated Rs 53,000 crore for NE in his first Budget, appointed Kiren Rijuju and Sarbanand Sonowal ministers. He sends 3 ministers to NE every 15 days. Many appreciated his support for the Indo-Bangla Land deal which BJP had earlier op posed. This has revived hopes of turning NE into a base for trade with Southeast Asia, what Modi calls Act East Policy. “He's done well on the diplomatic front. His economic policies will put us on a par with China,“ says Lalthlamuana Ralte, economics teacher at Aizawl's Patchhunga University College.
The test of Modi's leadership will start once he starts tackling Bangladeshi infiltration, AFSPA, boundary disputes and insurgency . Many question his description of Hindu migrants from Bangladesh as refugees who can settle in India.

Online admission tests likely for Presidency

Online admission tests likely to be introduced by Presidency University this session. Apart from the Common Admission Test and WBJECA (entrance test for MCA courses), no other admission tests are held online at present in the state. After a proposal from education minister Partha Chatterjee, the Joint Entrance Examinations (JEE) board is gearing up to hold admission tests to all undergraduate courses in Presidency University. The board has, however, agreed to conduct the tests only if they are online.

The board wants one set of question paper for all students applying for a particular subject. It will ensure the same standard of questions for all students. Candidates are not judged on the same aptitude if various sets of question papers are prepared. According to sources, questions will be framed by teachers of the university. There will be multiple choice questions so that they are can be auto-corrected and there is no hassle of physical correction. However, the question pattern for some subjects, like sociology, history, political science and others in humanities may be altered.

The JEE board has asked the university to provide them with information on how many departments are interested in holding ada mission tests and which departments will admit students on the basis of HS results. They have also sought information on the number of candidates likely to appear for admission tests. “The JEE board has also asked Presidency University about how many subjects a candidate can appear for admission tests,” added a senior faculty member of the university.

Meanwhile, Presidency University has tied up with Edward Food Research and Analysis Centre Ltd (Efrac), an integrated testing and research facility for food and drugs, to make students industry-ready and help them land a job right after college. Presidency has decided to start the process with physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics students.

Re-skilling skill development

Rigorous evaluations are needed to ensure vocational training results in desirable outcomes in terms of jobs and wages.

In July 2013, 18-year-old Rajesh passed out of an ITI in Rajasthan, completing a vocational course in computer hardware. Today, Rajesh works as an assistant in his neighbour’s car garage. After six months of a fruitless job search, he took up this one, earning Rs 5,000 a month. Rajesh’s training has gone to waste, with both his time and the government’s resources spent to no avail. This is not a unique story.

There are hundreds of youth like Rajesh who complete government training schemes but cannot find employment commensurate with their new skills.

Over the next few decades, India has an opportunity to reap a potential demographic dividend. The working-age (15-59 years) population is growing. India’s median age is 27 years — a decade less than China’s. As per a recent UNFPA report, 356 million Indians are in the age group of 10-24 years — more than the total population of the US. India needs to equip this large youth pool with industry-relevant skills. Failing to do so could lead to a huge demographic burden.

To grab this opportunity, the government has set an ambitious target of skilling 500 million youth by 2022, a number first predicted by C.K. Prahlad in 2007, and thereafter adopted as the target in the National Policy for Skill Development (NPSD), 2009. The present government has gone a step further by creating a ministry for skill development and entrepreneurship. The skills mantra has caught on, with the government soon to launch a national skills mission. Over 20 Central ministries are funding skills training through 70-plus schemes. State skill development missions are busy meeting their own targets. But in some states, the missions exist only on paper. The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) is striving to meet its target of skilling or up-skilling 150 million people by 2022.

But are these programmes working? Are they leading to better employment opportunities and wages? Are they increasing the productivity of firms? The success of most government schemes is judged by whether input and output targets are met — numbers enrolled and numbers of trainees certified. The government is yet to develop a central system for tracking outcomes. There are no central checks to verify whether placements reported are accurate, no monitoring system to see what wages are earned or whether jobs are commensurate with training and aspirations.

There is a need for a more nuanced understanding of the impact of vocational programmes on labour market outcomes. However, there is a dearth of such rigorous evaluation in developing countries. For instance, results from randomised evaluations of two similar skilling programmes in Latin America are inconclusive. “Youth in Action”, a programme that provided disadvantaged youth in Colombia a combination of in-classroom and on-the-job training, significantly raised both employment and earnings among 

The Deepening Furrows

Poorly designed policies are largely to blame for farm distress.

Successive governments have transformed an unevenly prosperous rural society to one which is evenly distressed. Small and marginal farmers now feel worse off than the landless. Most suicides have taken place in the families of such farmers, especially those with no source of non-farm income. For the sense of desperation that now pervades rural India, all political parties are to blame.

Politicians disconnected with reality often take for granted that the policies prepared by bureaucrats will guarantee targeted objectives.

Yet, in the farm sector, a policy based on pure logic may not succeed — too many unpredictable facets of behavioural economics and climatic circumstance are involved. Even regional diversity is not accounted for when policies are designed. A more federal system could help solve that. Moreover, the implications of the fine print of a policy could be highly detrimental to its working. For instance, welfare objectives remain unmet when the fine print is written without consulting those implementing the programme and those affected by it.

More FromAJAY VIR JAKHAR

• If You Do Not Hear The Farmer
• Progress On The Farm
• How To Reap A Good Harvest

MGNREGA and the farm loan waiver were not the benevolent acts they were made out to be. Whatever the data might say, farmers feel that one of the main reasons for farming becoming non-remunerative is increasing labour costs, pushed up by MGNREGA. On an average, labour accounts for 40 per cent of total farm input costs. During harvesting and sowing seasons, labour requirements shoot up and the cost doubles. Increased wages also fuelled food inflation. I will not claim yet that a badly designed MGNREGA was responsible for the unravelling of UPA 2, but the possibility must be considered. The UPA seemed to calculate that poverty could be reduced by increasing rural wages. But the wage gains were negated by high inflation. Similarly, the hefty minimum support price increases could not offset higher farm input expenses. With a little tweaking, MGNREGA could be the great programme it was supposed to be. If 100 days of labour had been reserved for the 250 days of the lean season, it would have doubled the employment generated, without more investment.

Lately, there has been talk of another farm loan waiver to alleviate distress. But it is not the solution we need. Only farmers who defaulted on institutional credit gained from the last farm loan waiver. The benefits of loan waivers and MSPs do not trickle down to millions of marginal farmers and those surviving in rain-fed areas. Now that it is apparent industrialisation will not create the millions of anticipated jobs soon enough, the only way to help those abandoned on the margins is to help them be meaningfully self-employed. The biggest challenge is to design support programmes where small and marginal farmers are not left out. A strategy based on dole-outs of food or governmentwork, or on the use of force, is bound to fail. So-called populist programmes do not necessarily deliver the promised benefits. Short-term measures tend to become long-term fixtures and restrict progress. Government announcements of ad hoc compensation for crop loss won’t solve the problems either; they will only address the consequences of a deep malaise. A government that is seen to be merely reacting to political jibes or a crisis will always lose out.

After its first anniversary, the BJP will showcase its soil health cards, kisan channel, crop insurance proposals and land acquisition bill as pro-farmer initiatives. But look closely and its seems apparent that these will not translate into the intended outcomes. It will take much more to deliver real benefits and check the perception that welfare programmes and farmers are being abandoned. The BJP cannot afford to proceed with farm policies without listening to critical inputs from farmers. After all, the farmer cannot survive on lip service and political posturing.

Jubilant IAS aspirants celebrate Govt decision on CSAT exam 

New Delhi: Jubilant aspirants of IAS and Civil Services Examination held a public reception here today to felicitate Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh for his role in facilitating the Government decision to declare the Civil Services Preliminary Examination  General Studies Paper-II (CSAT) as a qualifying paper and appoint a Committee to revisit the syllabus, pattern and other aspects of the Civil Services Exam. Local MP Shri Manoj Tiwari, who is also a popular Bhojpuri film actor and singer, was present on the occasion.

Dr. Jitendra Singh said, the Narendra Modi government is committed to provide maximum governance with minimum government and in order to achieve this objective, improvement in the functioning of Civil Services is as equally important as ensuring that the future IAS officers entering into services are adapted to the changing requirement of 21st century India and have a natural aptitude to provide the kind of administration that the contemporary India requires.

Dr. Jitendra Singh said, while taking decision on the demand of the students with regard to the IAS examination pattern, the important consideration that weighed on the part of the government was that a level playing field should be provided to all the student groups regardless of their background, their rural or urban upbringing, their stream or subject of study in high school or graduation, etc. In addition, care was also taken to ensure that there was no bias in favour of any group of students on account of language and that no group of aspirants should find itself at disadvantage for not being perfect in a particular language or not having chosen a particular stream of subjects, he observed.

Dr. Jitendra Singh appealed to students that now, since the government has agreed to revisit the pattern of the IAS and Civil Services Examination, the society and the parents of the children expect them to wholeheartedly concentrate in preparing for the forthcoming exam and cultivate in themselves the human and administrative skills to provide and develop a bureaucracy which ensures easy and people-friendly governance.

On the occasion, local MP Shri Manoj Tiwari said that Dr. Jitendra Singh is a highly literate person with insight into different issues but from his humility, nobody can make out that he has such a versatile grip over diverse subjects.

The student leaders profusely garlanded Dr. Jitendra Singh and said that he had demonstrated extraordinary concern and courage by taking into cognizance the longstanding demand of the student community.

Citings - Win Hearts and Minds

LISA LAI





The art of persuading by winning hearts is about connecting people emotionally to your idea or position. In any persuasive dialogue, you need to connect with others to some degree.This approach is highly effective in circumstances such as introducing a new idea and trying to pique interest; gaining support for a decision already been made; raising the bar on performance or commitment; leading a team struggling with discord or conflict; aligning with creative colleagues, like those in design or marketing.The best method of persuasion in these circumstances is to connect with people on a very personal level. This is often referred to as a `hook'. Use vivid descriptions and metaphors to draw others into your vision.Share personal stories and experiences to demonstrate that what you're suggesting is the right choice. Make sure you highlight what's in it for them personally if they adopt your perspective or make a change.
What fears can you address to build trust and cultivate a feeling of safety in supporting your position? What motivations can you tap into to create alignment? Where can you find common ground to unite viewpoints? You are at your most convincing when you first appeal to the perspective, fear or motivation of your audience. Your goal in winning hearts is to make whatever you have to say matter on a personal level.... The science of persuasion lies in winning minds with logical, well-articulated positioning and analysis in favour of your idea. To win minds, you have to do your homework. You certainly need a logical argument to support your perspective. Start by describing a situation everyone can agree is worth discussing, including both what it is and why it warrants attention.From “Focus on Winning Either Hearts or Minds“

Vedanta - Choose: Mud or the Stars?

NITI PAUL MEHTA





Optimism is not a deep, complicated philosophy or a school of thought. It is more a matter of our general attitude to life.We find that some people always look at the bright side of things while there are some others who always see the bad, dark side of things. To an optimist, every cloud has a silver lining. A pessimist, on the other hand, misses the silver lining and sees only the cloud.Frederick Langbridge sums it up, “Two men look out through the same bars: one sees the mud, and one the stars“.One Sunday morning, when William Dean Howells and Mark Twain came out of the church, it started raining heavily . “Do you think it will stop?“ asked Howells. “It al ways has,“ re plied Twain.
An optimist hopes for the best. Optimi sm nurtures two things most: hope and cheerfulness.Alexander regarded hope as the greatest possession of mankind. He held that if you destroy `hope', you destroy `future'. Hope strengthens will to survive calamities, so that we never give way to despair.
It helps us count our blessings, and hope persistently goads us to `go on'. It is rightly said that “an optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity“.
An optimist reacts to situations differently . He thinks and acts in a positive manner. Urdu poet Asar Lakhnavi wrote, when I do not succeed in achieving my aim, I think of attaining it through a different approach, and so I try again.