What’s in a unique number?

Linking of Aadhaar to a growing number of government entitlements is misguided

LAST week the Union food ministry issued an unprecedented diktat. It has insisted that each family member must possess an Aadhaar number within four months, to be eligible for subsidised foodgrains under the National Food Security Act. This ties in with the larger plan for all ration shops by 2019 to verify Aadhaar biometrics at every transaction. So, not only must 210 million families possess unique numbers for each member, they must also queue up every month to prove their thumbprints. But does this make any logical sense?

First, the ration dealer can still give less grain than the printed receipt. Only in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are electronic weighing scales connected to stem “quantity deception”. But they too work only when there is electricity. Besides, the greatest pilferage occurs from godowns, not ration shops.

Second, to weed out ghost cards and “identity fraud,” a one-time exercise to match ration cards with the population
census would have been more than sufficient. Already, every single card nationwide has been digitised and two-thirds Aadhaar-seeded to purge 20 million fake cards.

Finally, if the aim was to ensure that unsold foodgrains are not siphoned off with “accounting dodges”, there are far simpler alternatives. Bihar’s barcoded coupons have reduced leakages from 91 to 24 per cent within six short years. Previously, Tamil Nadu had relied on offline handheld billing devices (similar to those with bus conductors). Andhra’s ration shops now use iris scanners, with a lower error rate than biometrics. Instead, the insistence on Aadhaar biometrics has already wreaked havoc. The Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan estimates that in the last few months, 38 per cent of households in Rajasthan have not been able to match fingerprints. In Madhya Pradesh, 20 per cent of devices have malfunctioned and have been returned to vendors. Similarly, in Jharkhand’s capital, at the outset almost half the cardholders were not able to prove their identity. Five hundred leprosy survivors without fingers in Ranchi were insensitively denied foodgrains for three months — for want of fingerprints.

The ouster of these eligible, impoverished families is often then heroically projected as savings. But even the best of technologies are often no match for large-scale insider fraud. Recently, across Karnataka, 45,000 bogus
ration cards linked to fictitious 12-digit Aadhaar numbers were discovered. Biometrics are not foolproof — the calloused fingers of labourers and the elderly frequently throw up errors. Aadhaar also requires continuous access to mobile signals or the internet, which is a tall order in rural areas that barely have electricity.

A decade ago, the British Parliament passed the Identity Cards Act. The intent was to create a National Identity Register database of all citizens with biometrics, iris, face scans and longitudinal records of residence. But after public outcry and escalating costs, in 2010, a new coalition government repealed the law and the nascent database was permanently destroyed. Australia and New Zealand too have abandoned the idea of national biometric archives.
India’s Aadhaar project, however, has ballooned since its birth. From April, Aadhaar will also be a must to demand work under the MGNREGA. The Karnataka government plans to track the progress of every school child with fingerprints. Soon newborns in Maharashtra will also be enrolled for the magic numbers in hospitals. Never mind that their fingerprints and irises are yet to be fully formed.

In this “Big Brother” Aadhaar mania, the HRD ministry has finally sounded the alarm bell. It has questioned the Centre’s push to link these unique numbers to student scholarships, which is in clear violation of earlier Supreme Court orders. Despite the furtive enactment of the Aadhaar Act through the backdoor as a money bill, the apex court has repeatedly pronounced that the unique number must be “purely voluntary” and cannot be made mandatory for any government entitlement, till the matter is sub judice.

India ranks 97 of 118 countries on the Global Hunger Index. Two of every three Indians are guaranteed foodgrains under the National Food Security Act. One of every five rural households depends on MGNREGA work. Let an increasingly Orwellian “Digital India,” in the guise of Aadhaar, not eat into these lifelines.

Written by Swati Narayan

The writer is a visiting research scholar at the London School of Economics and Political Science from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Source: Indianexpress, 14-02-2017

On Indian writing in English

Even as literature festivals mushroom, Indian literary fiction in English may have hit a rough patch

The speakers’ list at the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival (Zee-JLF) generally works as a useful guide to what is happening in the world of books. Follow the list and you are sure to come across several new authors, and old established names that have been making waves because they have had, or will have, books out soon. Judged by this yardstick, what the speakers’ list at this year’s festival has to say must give the world of Indian publishing some pause, if not cause for worry. At least, when it comes to literary publishing.

Run a quick check of the big-ticket names at the Festival this year, specifically for those who practice the art of ‘literature’, as opposed to churning out quickies that can be read cover to cover in the space of one longish flight or books on economics, history, strategic or political affairs, that one sees so much of at the Zee-JLF every year. There was Paul Beatty, the latest Man Booker Prize winner, as the main draw, backed by a few earlier winners of the coveted Prize – Alan Hollinghurst and Richard Flanagan, eminent, established writers with substantial oeuvres. And then the poets: Anne Waldman, reknown American experimental poet, but more of a cult figure we know of from history of literature classes. And Kate Tempest, who is among the brightest of young sparks around, a billing she more than justified with a mesmerising performance of her long-form verse Let Them Eat Chaos.

Yes, where were the Indians? Sadly, few and far between. Among the best known were Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, venerable writer of feminist-themed (mostly) novels who is out with a book this year; and Karan Mahajan, who’s The Association of Small Books has been the unexpected recipient of rave reviews in the West (even as it has been largely ignored back home here). Among the significant others were Tabish Khair, much-feted novelist, poet, writer, whose latest novel, Jihadi Jane, tackled the burning issue of our times – what makes young men and women, brought up with every privilege and liberty in the West, join extremist Islamists? And there was Manju Kapoor, who, too, had a book out this year. For the rest, there were Manu Joseph (as moderator of a few sessions, rather than panelist), poet-novelist Keki Daruwalla, Vikram Chandra, Mridula Koshy, Tishani Doshi, and Chandrahas Choudhury. None, really, of the top rung.

The point here is not to run down any of these authors, but to ask – where are the Indian Writers in English, the ‘IWE’ category that was once a darling of the English publishing scene internationally? Are there fewer books in the category coming out, or is it that they are coming out to less and less acclaim? Last year, for the first time in many years, not a single book by an Indian writer, even one of Indian origin such as Sanjeev Sahota who was on the 2015 shortlist, made it to the Man Booker Prize longlist. Publishers might well say that the Man Booker is no arbiter of merit – indeed there are many things to be said about the politics of international prizes. But the absolute no-show must say something about the general state of fiction writing in English in these parts. Have English writers, in a sense, run out of new stories that will take the world by storm? Or does the problem lie with our publishing industry that has become too accustomed to the easy profits of pulp fiction and does not want to risk its money on something unconventional?

It is possible, of course, to look at the phenomenon in terms of the global turn towards non-fiction, which now accounts for nearly two-thirds of all books sold (with self-help and colouring books as the two largest categories!).

And indeed, with the likes of Rishi Kapoor and Aishwarya Rajnikant Dhanush trying their hand at writing, it is no wonder that the publishing industry has so little time for the staid literary novelist. Perhaps, Arundhati Roy, who is out with her first novel in 20 years, will turn the tables in favour of the literary novel this year. What are the chances Roy will be in Jaipur next year?

The author is Features Editor, DNA.

Source: DNA, 15-02-2017

UPSC Civil Services Prelims 2017: Your guide to cracking the examination

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is likely to conduct the civil services (CS) preliminary examination on June 18 this year. The commission conducts the CS exam every year to select officers for Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), among others.

The exam is held in three stages - preliminary, main and interview. Not surprisingly, the prelims draw a horde of candidates.

The syllabus is vast. A student may be very good in the optional subjects he has chosen for the mains examination but the inability to clear the prelims will end his dream at this stage itself.

But how to prepare for the prelims?

With just four months left to prepare for Civil Services Prelims 2017, it is important that candidates not only work hard but also work smart.

Thorough understanding of the pattern and syllabus of the prelims is the first step in preparing for the exam.

The preliminary examination consists of two papers consisting objective type or multiple choice questions: General Studies or Paper 1 and Aptitude or Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) or Paper 2. The GS paper has 100 questions carrying two marks each while the CSAT has 80 questions carrying 2.5 marks each. There is a penalty of 33% marks out of the allocated marks for every wrong answer. The CSAT paper (paper 2) is evaluated first and GS Paper or Paper 1 is evaluated only of those candidates who have qualified in Paper 2 or got 33% or 66 marks in CSAT. The candidates are shortlisted for the mains on the basis of their scores in paper 1.

According to DP Singh, consultant Rau’s IAS study circle, candidates scoring around 125-130 marks in Paper 1 are expected to qualify for the CS main examination. The number of candidates shortlisted for the main examination is about 13 times of the vacancy for the jobs, Singh said.

Talking about the strategy for preparing for the CS preliminary examination 2017, Singh said that candidates who are taking the examination for the first time should go through and analyse the question papers of the last 10 years. “There is a logic to the way questions are asked in the UPSC prelims and candidates should try and understand it,” Singh said. “Knowledge of current affairs has become very important for cracking the prelims examination but as it is a vast topic one must be able to understand the areas from which questions are expected to be asked,” Singh said.

“Half of the battle is won if candidates can decide what to study. Latest developments in the field of environment, latest legislations, knowledge of Constitution of the county, latest economic issues including the economic survey, role of governor in Tamil Nadu political crisis etc are some of the important topics from which questions can be expected,” Singh said.

Once this is done candidates should practice answering questions in an exam environment. They should also revise notes and try to shorten them as far as possible, says Singh. This will help them in revising for the exam during the last few days.

Advising students on how to prepare for CS prelims, Anil Nagar, Founder & CEO, Adda247 said, “Candidates should first form a good foundation with NCERT books, and read a good newspaper daily.” Like Singh, Nagar also lays emphasis on analysing the exam and subdividing it into ‘areas to prepare’ as far as possible, and allocate time and decide books/notes/online resources for these areas. “As aptitude exam has been made qualifying, focus should be on the GS paper but aptitude basics should strong for qualifying the CSAT paper, Nagar said.

“GS consists of Static GK and Dynamic GK. Static GK comprises of subjects like History, Geography, Economics, and Polity, the bulk of which does not change in the short-run. Dynamic GK is what is commonly called ‘current affairs’ and what we read in the newspapers. So candidates have to read the newspaper and magazines in such a way that both Static and Dynamic GK are covered,” says Nagar.

Nagar also suggests topic-wise list of study material to be followed for prelims:

*History Of Modern India - Bipan Chandra

*India’s Struggle For Independence - Bipan Chandra

*India’s Ancient Past - RS Sharma

*History Of Medieval India - Satish Chandra

*The Wonder That Was India - AL Bhasham

*Indian Art and Culture - Nitin Singhania

*Geography of India - Majid Husain

*Oxford School Atlas - Oxford

*Certificate Physical and Human Geography - Goh Cheng Leong

*Indian Polity for Civil Services Examinations - M. Laxmikanth

*Indian Economy - Ramesh Singh

*Economic Survey

*Science and Technology in India - Ashok Singh

*Environmental Studies: From Crisis to Cure - Rajagopalan

*Environment for Civil Services Prelims and Mains - Khuller

*India Year Book (Current Affairs)

*Manorama Yearbook. (Current Affairs)

*CSAT Paper - 2 Manual by TMH

*CSAT-II - Arihant

*Analytical Reasoning - M. K. Pandey (CSAT - Paper 2: Analytical Reasoning)

*Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning - R. S.Aggarwal (CSAT Paper 2: Reasoning)

*IAS Prelims 22 Years General Studies Topic-Wise Solved Papers - Disha

*IAS (Pre.) Solved Papers General Studies wih CSAT Papers - Arihant

Apart from these books, aspirants can also follow few magazines like Economic and Political Weekly, Yojana, Kurukshetra and Science Reporter, says Nagar.

Source: Hindustan Times, 14-02-2017

Let The Credit Go To Someone Else

Janina Gomes





God can make tremendous use of one who does not care to whom the credit goes, writes Pastor Robert H Schuller in his book on `Positive Attitudes'. That does not sound familiar, does it? After all, most of us are inspired to work harder when we are given full credit for what we have done and reap the rewards inherent in self-effort.There is however, a deeper principle at work here. We are linked to others and in fact to the whole universe which makes our self-effort part of a grander scheme of things. This deeper principle reminds us that humility requires us to downplay our achievements and to view our successes as stepping stones to the happiness of others.
We spend much of our time in building our careers. Long years of study followed by long years of work in a profession bring us expertise, experience and the fruits of our labour. I'm not suggesting that we become doormats for others to wipe their feet on and move on.But once we're mature and are sure of ourselves and our contribution to society, it will not matter to us if others take credit for what we have done.
Hierarchies are born and remain due to our subordination to others. Since work is often team work, it is quite natural that those that head institutions and companies galvanise the team and take credit for work that may have been spread down the line.Some of us may grow resentful and grumble. Others just treat it as normal. When we allow others to take credit we are not giving away anything without a larger purpose to it all. We merely become facilitators of a divine plan which makes the best use of resour ces, whether material or human, to achieve ends for the common good.
To place the common good above self makes us less self-conscious. We become emotionally mature when we do not expect to be patted on the back for every achievement. Does it matter then if the credit goes to someone else?
There are many shadow writers who prepare articles, speeches, addresses and other documents that are credited to someone else. This is not an act of irresponsibility but rather accepting the greater responsibility of acting like a public servant to whom duty and honour come before their own self-interest.
School teachers who have inspired their students to reach heights are often forgotten. It was they who sowed the seeds of success in their pupils. They do not claim any credit for their pupils' successes but continue in their noble mission of passing on their ideals and aspirations to newer generations.
So the pastor was right when he said that God can make tremendous use of those who do not care to whom the credit goes. This is also a pattern we follow in society by submitting ourselves to authority . We work, live and we grow under tutelage. Extreme individualism does not encourage such thinking. But, those who are really noble do not care about taking credit. By focussing their efforts instead on others they know that in the end in every human endeavour or choice, is embedded a lasting principle ­ that finally in everything that we succeed in and achieve, the final acclaim and credit goes to God.

Deaths due to air pollution rising faster in India than in China: Study

Vishwa Mohan

New Delhi:





Country Can't Continue In Denial: Experts

India has been in denial mode on linking premature deaths to air pollution in the absence of conclusive data, but a new comprehensive global report by two US-based institutes may now trigger a rethink. The report claims the country's worsening air pollution caused some 1.1 million premature deaths in 2015 and it now rivals China in having among the highest air pollution health burdens in the world.The State of Global Air 2017 report, released in Bos ton on Tuesday , claims longterm exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) -the most significant element of air pollution -contributed to 4.2 million premature deaths in the world in 2015 where both India and China to gether were responsible for over half of the total global deaths. Though the report sounds alarm bells for entire Asia, it paints a particlularly grim picture for India where the rate of increase of premature deaths due to air pollution is even higher than in China. It noted that while the early deaths related to PM2.5 in China has increased by 17.22% since 1990, it has increased by 48% in India.
Ozone-related early deaths in India are, in fact, 33% higher than those recorded for China. India's deepening pollution problem, which hit home with a vengeance after Diwali last year as Delhi and NCR woke up enveloped in smog that refused to lift for days, has a death toll second only to China's, and together the two nations acount for over half the world's deaths from pollution.
According to the State of Global Air 2017 report, released in Boston on Tuesday , as many as 2.54 lakh deaths occurred in 2015 on account of exposure to ozone and its impact on chronic lung disease.India accounts for the highest number of premature deaths due to ozone pollution, its toll 13 times higher than Bangladesh's, and 21 times higher than Pakistan's.
An interactive website on the report also highlights that 92% of the world's population lives in areas with unhealthy air. “We are seeing increasing air pollution problems worldwide, and this new report and website details why that air pollution is a major contributor to early death,“ said Dan Greenbaum, president of the Health Effects Institute (HEI), the research institute that designed and carried out the study . He said, “The trends we report show that we have seen progress in some parts of the world, but serious challenges remain“.
The report was prepared by HEI in cooperation with the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington and the University of British Columbia. Involving more than 2,000 researchers, the report factored in the role of an extensive set of behavioural, dietary and environmental risk factors for more than 300 diseases in 195 countries from 1990 onwards.
Referring to the findings of the report, Anumita Roychowdhury of the Centre for Science and Environment, said, “India can't afford to remain complacent or in denial. With so many people dying early and falling ill... due to particulate and ozone pollution, it is a state of health emergency . This demands nationwide intervention to ensure stringent mitigation and a roadmap to meet clean air standards“.

Source: Times of India, 15-02-2017

Contributions to Indian Sociology: Table of Contents

A Note from the Outgoing Editors First Published October 26, 2016; pp. vii–vii |

Indisciplining sociologies, disciplining feminisms Towards a ‘deep’ and critical integration Gita Chadha First Published October 26, 2016; pp. 271–292 No full circle Revisiting my journey in feminist anthropology Kamala Ganesh First Published October 26, 2016; pp. 293–319

Feminist challenges to sociology in India An essay in disciplinary history Sujata Patel First Published October 26, 2016; pp. 320–342 Feminist research Redefining methodology in the social sciences Aparna Rayaprol First Published October 26, 2016; pp. 368–388

Theorising the interaction of caste, class and gender A feminist sociological approach Padma Velaskar First Published September 21, 2016; pp. 389–414

Re-inventing ‘public’ and ‘private’ in social experience of movements A case of Magowa group Mayuri Samant First Published October 26, 2016; pp. 415–434

Book Reviews

Book Review: Ananya Jahanara Kabir. 2013. Partition’s Post-amnesias: 1947, 1971 and Modern South Asia Annu Jalais First Published October 26, 2016; pp. 435–437 |  |

Book Review: Bhrigupati Singh. 2015. Poverty and the Quest for Life: Spiritual and Material Striving in Rural India. Geetika Bapna First Published October 26, 2016; pp. 437–440

Book Review: Tapati Guha-Thakurta. 2015. In the Name of the Goddess: The Durga Pujas of Contemporary Kolkata. Malathi de Alwis First Published October 26, 2016; pp. 440–442 |

Book Review: Aneeta Rajendran. 2015. (Un)Familiar Femininities: Studies in Contemporary Lesbian South Asian Texts. Jyoti Puri First Published October 26, 2016; pp. 446–448 |

Book Review: V. Sujatha. 2014. Sociology of Health and Medicine: New Perspectives. Kalinga Tudor Silva First Published October 26, 2016; pp. 448–450 |

Book Review: Ayub Khan. 2015. Eunuchs in Politics or Politics in Eunuchs? Pushpesh Kumar First Published October 26, 2016; pp. 450–453 |

Book Review: Asha Hans, ed. 2015. Disability, Gender, and the Trajectories of Power. Michele Friedner First Published October 26, 2016; pp. 453–456 |  |

Book Review: Meenakshi Thapan, ed. 2014. Ethnographies of Schooling in Contemporary India. Shalini Panjabi First Published October 26, 2016; pp. 456–458 |

Book Review: Crispin Bates and Alpa Shah, eds. 2014. Savage Attack: Tribal Insurgency in India. Madhuri Karak First Published October 26, 2016; pp. 458–460 |

Book Review: Srimati Basu. 2015. The Trouble with Marriage: Feminists Confront Law and Violence in India. Rukmini Sen First Published October 26, 2016; pp. 461–463 |

Our thanks to our referees (2012–2016)

Our thanks to our referees (2012–2016) First Published October 26, 2016; pp. 464–466

Empower teachers for a better society

It is a teacher who is capable of ensuring that this is done effectively and efficiently. A teacher is the cornerstone on which every society is built

A sustainable society is one which ensures that while satisfying the needs of the present generation, the needs of the future generation are not compromised. To ensure that this is done consciously and convincingly, all members must understand that resources have to be used judiciously and responsibly.

It is a teacher who is capable of ensuring that this is done effectively and efficiently. A teacher is the cornerstone on which every society is built. Unfortunately, today not everyone realises or even appreciates their role. Despite global recognition of the importance of teachers in an evolving environment, in changing the lives of children, and in building sustainable societies, they are often undervalued and less- empowered.

The important question is — how can we as a civilised society offer a platform for teaching and learning to both, teachers and students?

1. Ensure that teaching as a profession is treated on par with medicine, engineering, banking, accounting and the rest. Once the social pecking order is organised, then automatically salaries will increase and respect will follow.
2. Institute a NES(National Education Service) like the IAS/IPS /IFS and other such examinations, and ensure that the best talent in society competes in the same for selection. Once selected, put them through a rigorous training that ensures that the candidate delivers. (This has been said several times on numerous occasions.)
3. Free the teacher from non-academic jobs such as census duty, election duty and so on. Let them concentrate on their real competencies that is academics.
4. Yes, governments across the world over have budgetary constraints when it comes to education. But, this is where one needs to enter into a public/private partnership, and all the stakeholders must engage in a dialogue and intensify efforts to provide the society with qualified and motivated teachers, who will add value to the society, community and the child.
5. Ensure decent working conditions, a safe and healthy environment, professional autonomy and academic freedom.
6. This will ensure that teachers are valued, globally, as they rightly should be. They should be viewed as professionals who contribute to national growth and development and not be treated as ‘semi-skilled technicians’.

Currently our society is going through a value crisis and only what glitters seems to sell. Can we as a people work towards creating awareness that the size of the car is not as important as large heartedness in behaviour. Value inculcation should be given as much importance as learning Mathematics, Physics, or History.

Only a society that values its teachers, nurtures and empowers them as ‘gurus’ or ‘acharyas’, can progress.

(The author is Director-Principal of Billabong High International School, Thane.)
Source: DNA, 11-02-2017