Is Asia’s oldest insurgency close to a resolution?

A peace pact is welcome. But bringing NSCN (I-M) on board is important

The Naga insurgency has been one of India’s oldest conflicts. Right from Independence, Naga groups have asserted their distinct identity and sought to break away from the Indian State. Led by Angami Zipo Phizo, the movement for secession took a violent turn in the 1950s. When some elements signed a peace accord with the government, a more radical outfit — the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) — was set up under the leadership of T Muivah, Isak Swu and SS Khaplang. The group eventually split.

The movement itself had two major strands: Recognition of Naga sovereignty; and the integration of all Naga-speaking areas (particularly of Manipur) into a Greater Nagaland. These were demands that no government in Delhi could meet. The first — sovereignty — would undercut India’s claim over the region; the second — integration — would create a backlash in Manipur. But since the 1990s, Delhi began engaging closely with NSCN, led by Isak and Muivah (I-M). A ceasefire was declared. Multiple rounds of negotiations were held. Violence dipped — even though the insurgents maintained a parallel government in the state. And, in 2014, a “secret” framework agreement was signed.

Delhi is close to signing a final peace agreement with a section of the Naga groups such as the Naga National Political Groups, but this does not include the NSCN (I-M). There has been an evolution in the Naga position. Demands for Independence have faded. But symbolically, they want a recognition of a distinctive Naga identity. This, for NSCN (I-M), means a recognition of the Naga flag and a separate Naga constitution — demands that Delhi finds hard to accept. It is also clear that Delhi will not redraw state boundaries. With a clever mix of engagement, coercion, co-option, and inducements, Delhi has managed to neutralise the Naga extremists. A peace agreement will be most welcome. But unless NSCN (I-M) is brought on board, sustainable peace and closure of the insurgency will be hard to achieve.

Source: Hindustan Times, 28/10/2019

Purpose of Challenges 

Problems in life serve a great purpose. When life is without challenges, we tend to take things for granted; we feel that all that comes to us is owed to us, and we develop a sense of entitlement to all of God’s gifts. In this state, we fail to remember God. By contrast, when we are faced with challenges that we cannot surmount on our own, we look to a higher power for help. It is challenges in life that also cause us to question the meaning of life and seek to understand our purpose for being here — all of which serve to ignite a spiritual thirst in us that helps us realise who we truly are, and brings us closer to God. When we learn to take our attention away from the world outside and focus it within through meditation, we are transported into the inner spiritual regions of love and light. Partaking of the spiritual treasures, we experience ourselves as soul, and are able to experience God’s love. Our first priority should be spending time in meditation. In meditation, we find a place of peaceful retreat within us. During that time, we are engulfed in bliss and joy far greater than any we know in this world. We are elevated to a place far removed from pain and sorrow. When we come out of meditation, we are pulsating with loving energy and peace. We then can radiate it to others. We spread that peace by our very presence, bringing calm and relief into the lives of those around us.

Source: Economic Times, 29/10/2019

Quote of the Day

“Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.”

‐ John F. Kennedy

“अपने दुश्मनों को माफ कर दें, लेकिन उनके नाम कभी न भूलें।”

‐ जॉन एफ कैनेडी

Safe, but not entirely: On milk safety survey

The presence of aflatoxin M1 in milk points to the need to regulate cattle fodder

The “most comprehensive and representative” milk safety and quality survey has demolished the perception of large-scale milk adulteration in India. It was undertaken on 6,432 samples collected last year between May and October, and picked from over 1,100 town/cities with over 50,000 population. The survey by an independent agency at the behest of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) found 93% of the samples were absolutely safe. The samples were tested for 13 common adulterants and three contaminants — pesticides, aflatoxin M1 and antibiotics. Only 12 adulterated samples were found to be unsafe for consumption. The adulterated samples — they were also subjected to confirmatory tests — were from just three States: Telangana (nine), Madhya Pradesh (two) and Kerala (one). The survey claims that quantitative analysis of all adulterated samples showed the amount of adulterants and contaminants in the dozen samples was not high and hence “unlikely to pose serious threat” to human health. However, it did find 368 samples (5.7%) had aflatoxin M1 residues beyond the permissible limit of 0.5 microgram per kilogram. Compared with aflatoxin M1, antibiotics were seen above the permissible level in 77 samples, from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

At 227, aflatoxin M1 was more widely present in processed milk samples than in raw milk (141). This is the first time the presence of the contaminant in milk has been assessed. According to the FSSAI, aflatoxin M1 in milk is from feed and fodder, which is not regulated. The highest residue levels of aflatoxin M1 in milk were seen in samples from three States — Tamil Nadu (88 out of 551 samples), Delhi (38 out of 262) and Kerala (37 out of 187). According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer the contaminant has been classified as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”. Its carcinogenic potency is estimated to be about a one-tenth of aflatoxin B1. Since the current survey has limited itself to milk, it is not clear how widespread aflatoxin M1 contamination is in milk products such as cheese, and hence the total exposure to it. Aflatoxin M1 in milk and milk products is a public health concern especially in infants and young children as milk constitutes one of the major sources of nutrients. According to the World Health Organisation, exposure to aflatoxin M1 in milk and milk products is especially high in areas where the grain quality used as animal feed is poor. Hence all attempts need to taken both before and after food crop harvest to reduce the toxin amount. Improper storage of food harvest in warm and humid conditions leads to aflatoxin contamination that is much higher than what is seen in the field. Equally important is in having facilities to regularly test for aflatoxin M1.

Source: The Hindu, 22/10/2019

Economics of poverty: On Economic Sciences' Nobel

The Nobel laureates made development economics more relevant to policy making

Development economics just got a boost with the award of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel to three economists who have worked, and are still working, to understand and alleviate poverty — Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Michael Kremer of Harvard University. This is only the second time a woman has bagged the prestigious award, popularly called the Economics Nobel, and it is a first for a husband-wife duo to win in this discipline — Mr. Banerjee is married to Ms. Duflo. In the words of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the experiment-based approach of the three laureates has transformed development economics and turned it into a “flourishing field of research”. One of their studies resulted in benefiting 5 million children in India through programmes of remedial tutoring in schools. The three adopted an evidence-based approach to apply theory to real-life situations using randomised trials and assessing the outcomes. The effort was to understand the impact of interventions to achieve desirable outcomes. The approach is derived from the concept of If this sounds like gobbledygook, the experiment that Mr. Banerjee and Ms. Duflo carried out in Rajasthan some years ago would explain the concept better. Despite immunisation being free, women were not bringing in their children for the vaccination shot. The two MIT economists decided to give a bag of pulses free to women who brought their babies for vaccination. Word soon spread and the rate of immunisation shot up in the region. Another experiment they did was in Mumbai and Vadodara to understand learning outcomes in the field of education. Was it lack of access to textbooks or hunger that caused poor learning outcomes? Through field studies, Mr. Banerjee and Ms. Duflo established that the problem is that teaching is not adapted to the needs of the students. Learning outcomes improved in schools that were provided with teaching assistants to support students with special needs. The importance of the work being done by the three laureates cannot be overemphasised. Governments across the world, including in India, spend big money on social schemes without the vaguest of ideas on whether their objectives have been met. The field-work based approach that these economists have perfected has revolutionised the field of development economics and made it more relevant in policy making. The government would do well to borrow from the research of these laureates to understand the impact of its several schemes, and where necessary, tweak them to derive maximum benefit for the thousands of crores of rupees that it spends.clinical trials in the pharmaceuticals industry.

Source: The Hindu, 15/10/2019

Money and Happiness

The role of money can’t be undervalued; at the same time, it can’t be overrated. Most successful business magnates don’t seem to be born with a silver spoon, and among those who have earned that silver spoon, many don’t seem to always ascent to cloud nine happiness, trapped as they are, in the trifling things of life. Those who ascend to cloud nine do not always seem to stay at that position and those who stay for long at that state don’t always seem to be running after money. It shows there is a distant connection between how much money one has and how long one can experience the bliss. Often, the pain and strain of earning and maintaining capital outgrows the happiness it can earn. The total happiness value money can produce can only be increased when it is shared with the causes that can bring happiness to others in need. Our scriptures say, ‘Let no one face the misery.’ Working for alleviating others’ pain is the simple key to personal happiness, since it takes away the mind from personal pains. Theological writer Hosea Ballou has written, “Real happiness is cheap enough, yet how dearly we pay for its counterfeit.” According to spiritual wisdom, real happiness is the natural byproduct of ceaseless service to God without any ulterior motives. If we can set aside our ego, then we can truly feel the bliss of the Soul surging in our consciousness. The experience of such a shelter within and sharing of that shelter through an exemplary life and practical help for others can make us truly happy

Source: Economic Times, 22/10/2019

Quote of the Day

“All that matters is Love and Work.”

‐ Sigmund Freud

“अगर कुछ मायने रखता है तो वह है कर्म और प्रेम।”

‐ सिगमंड फ़्रोयड