News Wrap
AGD
Two years ago Niyamat
Ansari, the social activist, was
murdered in Latehar district (Jharkhand), for fighting against corruption in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). A strange connection has now emerged between the culprits behind Ansari’s killing and left-radicals. Local Maoists have threatened Ansari’s sister, Saida Bibi, and abducted and later released Bhukhan Singh, close aide companion to Ansari, the whistle blower, in his struggle on the corruption ridden Union Government’s programme. Seven accused for the murder are in prison. Some of those arrested have had close association with Rajan Yadav and Pappu, reportedly Maoist area commanders. Ansari’s wife has left Manika block, and is now living in Latehar town. The Maoists are now terrorising the family members of Ansari, like his sister, to deviate from their original statements. The pressure is on not to identify the persons languishing in jail, for murdering Ansari, and instead blame the Maoist Party for the crime. It would be impossible for the police to trace individuals working in a Maoist organization.
Agricultural Produce Wastage
There is no evidence to prove that there is any Genetically Modified (GM) crop, that actually increases crop productivity. The yields of GM corn and GM Soybean are less than the non-GM varieties. Studies in nuclear biology indicate the possible health hazards of GM foods. In India, wheat exports are touching 9.5 million tons every year; and rice exports have already crossed 9 million tons a year. The union food ministry is steadily withdrawing from procurement operations; and using surplus stocks in futures trading. Even with 66 million tons of food stocks in India, almost 250 millions of the world’s hungry live in India. Even though India has turned food surplus since 2001, the policy of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for procurement of food grains continues. Agricultural production has not been diversified to produce enough non-cereals, notably pulses and oil seeds, whose production has not gone up substantially. The rapidly rising consumption of non-cereals has resulted in import dependence of a high order, as it was for staple foods in the 1960s. Against a buffer stock norm of 21 million tons, and available storage space of 71.5 million tons, the food stock procurement by end June 2013, is expected 95 million tons. Private trade has been largely eased out of the grain market, and the government is the largest hoarder of staple cereals.
Air Pollution in Delhi
New Delhi is one of the world’s dirtiest cities. Earlier pollutants had fallen sharply after the state of Delhi switched diesel buses and taxis to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), a cleaner fuel ; built metro lines to serve 22 million people ; and moved factories from the city centre. The progress in pollution control has been reversed, with 1400 cars a day being added to the 6.5 million already on the streets of Delhi. Vehicles are responsible for over 70% of the deadly pollutants. Pollution levels are increasing steadily, and they have exceeded pre-CNG days. The biggest health hazards, including cancer, come from tiny particles of dust and exhaust residues, along with carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, benzene and ammonia. Dust and smog levels in Delhi are 10 times to 30 times the guidelines set by the World Health Organization. Employers often run their own generators, diesel driven, in the absence of regular electricity.
Somali Pirates
For more than half a decade, Somali men attacked Indian Ocean shipping from small boats with AK47s, grappling hooks and ladders. Piracy was an epidemic two years ago, when several ships were captured in a single week, for trading in air dropped multi-million dollar ransoms. Somali gunmen have attacked passenger and cargo ships with AK-47 assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades. Italian helicopters have been hit by small arms fire from pirate dhows. Of late merchant ships are carrying armed private contractors, when passing through areas of pirate risk. After more than half a decade the number of attacks from Somali pirates is falling fast. The last merchentship to be successfully hijacked was at least ten months ago. On board look out stands are manned by a ship’s regular security force, mostly Filipinos, who give warning of any suspicious craft. Ocean liners passing through the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and out towards Dubai routinely carry M16-type assault rifles and sometimes belt fed machine guns, often picked up from ships acting as floating off-shore armouries near Djibouti and Sri Lanka. The UK Marine Transport Operation co-ordinates international shipping, across much of Indian Ocean. The International Registered Transit Corridor, a protected route between Somalia and Yemen, has warships from USA, France, India and Australia. There are separate flotillas from EU forces, NATO, and US-led coalition forces, that often include Asian vessels. Along the ‘‘high risk zone’’ several other nations, including China and Russia, have ships. EU battle ships have conducted on shore raids, targeting suspected pirate groups on beaches. Even they, the nearest naval support can be eight or nine hours away, in more remote parts of the Indian Ocean.
Frontier
Vol. 45, No. 40, Apr 14- -20, 2013
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