microsoft word - essays

7/27/2019 Microsoft Word - ESSAYS

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Drug Abuse is a Social Evil

"Drug is Death: Say no to Drugs " and other similar slogans visible on billboards and newspapers proofs of the social awareness drug abuse has attracted. Drug related crimes are equally conscience stirr

and have made people much over

We all have relied on the drugs. Our doctors have prescribed for the various diseases, so, how can its u

be an abuse. The use of psychoactive substances for obtaining relief from mental tension or physidiscomfort i.e. for therapeutic uses is legitimate use of drugs. Contrary to this, when used for attaini

pleasure or new experiences and consequent physical or psychological harm is termed as drug abuse. Su

drug abuse induces drug dependence and ultimately addiction and habituation. In drug addicts thereenslavement to drugs and compulsion to obtain and consume it by any means. They develop

psychological and physical dependence on the effects of the drugs and an effect detrimental to

individual and to the society.

The abusable drugs are of various types; sedatives or depressants that relax the central nervous system

induce sleep and provide a soothing effect. Stimulants activate the central nervous systems and relitensions, make them aggressive and counteract fatigue. Narcotics, like depressants affect the cent

nervous system and produce feelings of pleasure strength and lesson inhibitions. Hallucinogens produdistortion of perceptions and dream images.

Drug abuse has been explained by psychologists and sociologists. It is generally regarded that pleasura

sensations produced by drugs reinforce their use or it satisfies certain psychological needs, or is a responto fear and insecurity to the conditions of modern life, often association with users is also regarded a

reason for accepting drugs. Drug abuse can also be explained in terms of weakening of social bon

between individuals and society due to maladjustment alienation and noncommitments.

A new dimension in drug abuse has been its use by sports persons to enhance their potential beyohumanly endurable limits. The incident of Ben Johnson was a jolt to the sports lovers all over the wo

and has caused much thinking on effort to curb the recurrence of such incidents. However, with unfailiregularity such controversies erupt, for example Katrin Kra

It would be appropriate here to search for the causes of drug abuse. Among sports persons it can be safattributed to the search and urge for glory. It can be an attempt to gain an unfair advantage over the oth

in the achievement orientation of modern society. The ends have become all powerful and means have be

relegated as secondary.

The use of drugs among children which is most shocking and astounding can be variously explain

Juvenile delinquents take to it in defiance and deviance to the social values. Some children accept it unpeer group pressure and as an act of proving their 'masculinity. Others take to this due to weakening

emotional bonds between parents and siblings. The children who are in an impressionable age requ

much effectual and emotional bond to wean them away from such antisocial activitIn rural areas the use of psychoactive substance is for religious purposes and on ritual occasions. Howev

it is also used to relieve fatigue and also a source of entertainme

In industrial urban setting the use is for more or less the same reasons.

Apart from the health and physical disadvantages drug abuse causes, it has also led to e acceleration

crime. An addict would stop, nothing to get his dose of the drug. There has been a spurt in thefts amurders by these addicts whose dependence physical and psychological upon the drugs is so great that


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accepted values and norms of the society are shelved and their prime concern becomes acquiring thdosage.

There has been an increase in smuggling and peddling of those drugs as the economic advantages

numerous. It has also made the gangs engaged in such activities more vicious and violent as the economstakes are very high.

This delineation of drug abuse brings us to the point where reference must be made to efforts to curb thevil. Given that the use of drugs have historical and cultural context makes prevention more complicat

Efforts have been made to combat drug trafficking, treat addicts and prevent drug abu

India being on the transit route faces a challenging and unenviable task. However, our Narcotics Drugs aPsychotropic

Substances Act has not been very effective, Seizures have increased and so have indictment for offenbut that is reflective only of the increase in those activities and not any positive development of control

drug abuse. Other legal sanctions are merely suggestions of intention and not actio

Government regards drugs as a source of revenue and therefore its cultivation cannot be stopped. Tinefficiency of administrative machinery in policing and preventing abuse needs no highlighting.

The only positive development is the establishment of de-addiction and detoxification centers which, haenabled us to salvage some people from destruction. However, these centers are expensive and the add

have a tendency to relapse unless they have a strong will power and a desire to abdicate the malaiVoluntary associations have also been doing a commendable task.

In conclusion, we can say that drug abuse has been realized as a major evil. It is a social problem and

legal ramifications. It has been given a high profile now and mass media has been disseminatinformation to educate people with the intention of preventing drug abuse. The battle continues and war

drugs is on.


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Scientific Temper and Rational Plannin

"Realizing these limitations of reason and scientific method, we have siill to hold on to them with all strength, for without that firm basis and background we can, have no grip on any kind of truth or realit

These are a large number of people in our society who have formally studied or are studying scien

clearly driven by job expectations. This has caused the retreat of traditional values and a degreemodernization and homogenization of society, it Is now certainly far less segregated along lines of ca

language or religion. Those who are engaged in industry, business and' commerce have no time

determine what identity their counterparts belong to. This is certainly a major achievement in free IndHowever, if one looks at some of our fundamental problems, there is much cause for dismay adisappointment. Take the question of population. Even 50 years ago. At the time of Independence,

Indian subcontinent was already crowded. Today's India is adding in population in terms an Australia ev

year. But we are not adding to our resource base in the same proportiIrrationality is the lack of access to safe drinking water and sanitary toilets for a large majority of

population, while a small segment is busy with star TV, CNN, MTV and so

After independence a substantial and comprehensive base of science and technology has been created aseveral scientists and technologists trained. Among the laboratories of the Council of Scientific a

Industrial Research, there have been some very good examples of integration with application. To ment

only two : the Central Leather Research Institute has done well to help export leather goods; the Natio

Chemical Laboratory too has a good record of working with indusThe other laboratories, in spite of high quality manpower and facilities, have not yet been able to upgra

industry or provide new designs and processes. A recent move to make them earn fifty percent of th

operating cost outside of the government funds, may force them to integrate with industAgriculture has seen a really successful tieup between the laboratories and the farms. We must contin

their association as agriculture will now face another revolution based on biotechnological innovations, i

in atomic energy and space sciences, where the applications have been tightly knit with laboratory wothat progress has been really very impressive. Indian scientists and technologist expected that lin

between thelaboratories and application areas would be strengthened, and that we would soon see a stro

selfreliant industrial and agricultural developmeBut now we face irrationality. The opening up of the economy and liberalization, after four decades

regulation and control, has been widely welcomed. If the new open door policy succeeds, India Is expecto have large manufacturing bases for products of multinationals, hopefully supplying an overseas mar

with goods that will compete globally in price, quality and performance. This could happen at least irange of products where our resource base would augment the advantage of lowcost skilled lab

On the other hand, we will only be manufacturing to designs evolved in one of the advanced countries. T

design capability we have built up is in danger of wilting. The exceptions would be where the MWCs fit' profitable to integrate Indian design effort into their mainline work. This is likely to be limit

What are the prospects of product of Indian technology breaking into the export market? Software exp

has been growing well and there is considerable scope for expansion. As a general rule, the scalemanufacture has been small. Even our larger activities would be mini or micro in international comparis

Many of these industries have been too small to support independent design effort, let alone research a

development. There is a real danger to the survival of many of these industries In the face of competitfrom overseas giants who can indulge in price cutting and dumping with takeovers, dismantling of any lof manufacture could easily happen in the guise of rationalizati

Why is it important for India to continue its faith in selfreliance? Many people would point out that ma

economics such as those of South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and others have done win growing as part of international division of labour. Let us recall that Indian with a population of 8

million and China with over one billion are the two potentially largest economies. They will grow for

next several decades. They will therefore, be large markets for both capital goods and consumer artic


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review in such areas of critical public interThis inevitably raises the question of the direction in which the Indian democracy is heading. Sooner th

later, the question which Mr. Thackeray asked "Who rules this country, the executive or the judiciary," w

have to be answered in no uncertain terms. It is the rule of law which governs the country. The executivethe judiciary or Parliament are mere instrumentalities. It is a travesty of truth to say that during the 5

anniversary of our Independence, answers to such basic questions are still unclear to the ruling politi

elite.

Information Technology and Small Entrepreneu

A small scale enterprise is the dream of an ambitious individual who does not want to be employed by others

to stand on his own legs. Such a person wants to have guidance in the task of setting up the enterprise. If

succeeds he becomes wealthy and if he loses he has lost everything. Therefore all his decisions should be sou

and there is the importance of information. Entrepreneurs require varieties of information when they get invol

in the process of identifying and formulating the project, raise various resources, implement them and keep t

same grow

While in the process of identifying the project he needs to have a checklist of projects that may suit his backgrou

within his capacity to invest, relevant to the location he prefers, and so on. Then, with the list of products

projects he has to undertake market research, and by process of elimination select that single project of his dre


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and .prepare a detailed project report, thereafter he has to raise resources, arrange for land building, plant a

machinery, recruit personnel, eject and commission the equipment, develop products, establish market

channels, sell his products, get customer feed back, keep competing in the market and grow. All these activit

require a mass of accurate and uptodate informati

For a given investment the employment potential of the small industry is the highest. Since a government has

give high priority to solving the unemployment problem so as to remain in power the State and Cent

governments have established a number of organizations to undertake development of large, medium, small, t

and cottage industries. Since the last three are very large in numbers running to millions spread far and wide th

are hundreds of organizations functioning at the district level, state Capitals and throughout the country also. TSmall Industry Development Organization of the Government of India with its vast network of institutions acr

the entire country, state level industry departments, district industry centers, small industry developm

corporations, state financial corporations, village and khadhi industries commissions and boards, and many m

such organizations are spending enormous amount of resources. All these organizations are supposed to prov

varieties of crucial information to the entrepreneur and help him take the right decision every tim

Some organizations have the mandate to provide uptodate project profiles for entrepreneurs to make investm

decisions. For about 8000 project profiles containing number of variables with respect to item, location and cho

technology there is no one to provide a reasonably uptodate project profile when demanded by the entreprene

The same is the fate unreceptive of getting market research data, analysis and reports, industrial potential repo

area development study reports, requirements of product and services from small industry by large and mediindustry, central and state governments, are also supposed to be within the reach of small entrepreneurs. T

there is the need for the small entrepreneurs to know about foreign trade information concerning importe

exporters, countries, their industry and business profiles, sources of technology, raw materials, equipme

patents, quality standards, pi ices, government rules and regulations, taxes and duties, and so on. But

entrepreneurs do not get the information. The export promotion councils, and government undertakings h

severe limitations to fulfilling the needs of small entrepreneurs who themselves cannot afford to gather the sam

Now information services are well organized in the developed world due to the developments in electron

computers and telecommunication. The development in electronic data processing, personal comput

networking, linking pc. modems and telephones have now made it possible to collect large magnitude of da

Instant on

retrieval of information and storage through what are called CDROM desks have become a reality, in the develo

world data base companies such as Knight Ridder information inc., Compuserve, America Online and World Tr

Centre network are revolutionizing business. Internet is proving to be a fantastic for not only information but a

communication through Email, fax possibilities. Business publicity through Internet is spreading like wild fire. Th

are something like ten thousand database companies collecting daily global information, updating and making

same available worldw

Although many organizations in India, both government .and private are in the business of providing informat

they have severe limitations with regard to resources, expertise, technology and vision. A few organizations such

the centre for monitoring Indian economy, BISNET of rICCI, India on line by DART, INSDOC, National Inform

Centre, and others have appeared on he scene. Internet has been introduc

But these developments have hardly been of any help to the small industry sector. Electronic data processing is

to be known to the small industry development organization. National Informatics centre is nowhere n

developing database for small industry. Enormous information was gathered when the CENSUS of small indus

was organized. This was supposed to be for understanding the sector and taking policy decisions for

development by the official machinery. While no one knows of any policy decisions haying revolutionized


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sector, it is quite obvious that an excellent opportunity to develop a database of small industry was lo

About two decades ago the National small industry extension training institute had put in a lot of effort to bui

documentation centre. But due to various reasons it has not emerged as a national institution for coordinating

information needs of small industry. It is time there is an apex organization network with all the promotio

institutions in India as well as abroad to build a specialized database centre for small indus

The single most important database of crucial interest to millions of Indian entrepreneurs is the project pro

database. It should cost around hundred million rupees. There is need to database concerning government pol

procedures, taxes, finance, technology, markets and company profiles. Specialized database industry wise, a

wise, and so on will also be needed. Since small entrepreneurs individually cannot afford to spend on their ownestablish information centers there is a need for the Governments or nongovernmental organizations to take

the initiative in the matter. Considerable investment may be required to bring in equipment and expert

Hundreds of organizations across the country will have to network with each other and share the cost and wo

But who will bell the c

To meet the needs of millions of small entrepreneurs it may be required to establish hundreds of database. T

Investment required will be substantial. The existing organizations work in water tight compartments and have

idea of the magnitude of the task. There is a widespread view that information should be provided to

entrepreneurs when asked for without any cost. There is no way for organizations to share the information a

cost.

Neither the official machinery nor the small industry associations understand the importance of information. Wthe official machinery plans for making stringent rules and regulatory laws to ration the concessions, reliefs a

subsidies the entrepreneurs and their associations develop expertise to find shortcuts to get doles fr

government departments. The infrastructure needs such as information, power and roads, are easily forgott

There is tremendous scope for service industries all over the world. Information services can also be profita

when millions of persons are seeking the service, it is true that the poor quality of service organized with lot

investment but offered almost free of cost at present is a discouraging factor. But it is the experience of alm

everyone who has involvement in the extension services to the small industry that entrepreneurs do not m

paying as long as the information is uptodate, available when asked for and reliable. The technology tha

emerging is exciting and can be easily marketed. The country is moving towards an information revolution. Hig

trained manpower is easily available. Science and technology parks are being established. Therefore it is a matte

time that this service sector gets noticed by the entrepreneurs themselv

Millions of unemployed persons need net get frustrated and keep hunting for jobs. Upto date informati

available at affordable cost when asked for, will act as motivation for them. So many small industries need pot

for having taken decisions based on wrong or insufficient information. Instead of looking for local markets

industry can hope to get overseas markets. Networking with global entrepreneurs means better quality product

cheaper prices for the consumers. It is not only empowering the entrepreneur but also enriching him or h

Major restructuring of promotional institutions is necessary to establish an apex organization to coordinate

development of database centers for small industry in India. It is also necessary to encourage private and n

private institutions to join hands with government departments to promote information services. T

entrepreneurs should understand the importance of information and be willing to pay for it. Such developme

will benefit millions of persons.


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are some well documented causes of educated unemployme

Let us now look at some aspects of rural unemployment. Seasonal unemployment in the farm sector is a norm

occurrence in India. Indian agriculture being a gamble with monsoons and the existence of a very small proport

of irrigated land ensures that the persons working on unirrigated tracts remain unemployed during the dry mon

unless they get some employment elsewhere which is very diffic

A widely acknowledged fact about Indian agriculture is that it is characterized by the existence of considera

amount of surplus labor. In green revolution belt, demand for wage labor has increased and agricultural labor

have had to be brought in to meet this dema

As already mentioned most of the unemployment in India is structural. Its main causes need a deeper insigEvidently, the demographic factor has played a major role in contributing to the rapid growth of labor force in

country since independence. However, in the Indian context social factors affecting the supply of labor are

important as demographic factors. The emergence of educated women has added a new dimension to the sup

of labor force. These women have a changed perception of employment and they have come forward in a big w

to compete with men for the few jobs available. The breakdown of the Jajmani system of tradition order, upcom

new occupations and the expansion communication and transport facilities have increased the mobility of lab

This has resulted in an exodus from rural dwellings to urban locales thereby expanding the labor supply in urb

areas. Evidently, economic development in cities has failed to cope up in providing additional jobs to these n

urban entrants. Thus, in a way, at least some unemployment in the cities can be definitely characterized a

spillover of unemployment in the countrysThe size of employment in any country depends considerably on the level of development. As the country devel

a large proportion of workhorse gets absorbed in the secondary and tertiary sectors. This has happened in India

but not at the desired rate because barring a few exceptions the actual rate of growth of national income has fa

short of the targeted rate in all successive Pla

Moreover, the Indian planners seem to have overlooked the argument that in the early phase of developm

there exists a real conflict between the objectives of economic growth and employment. Another argument rela

to the choice of technology mix. Though no longer very fashionable, the argument rests on the premise that fo

labor abundant country like India labor intensive techniques of production should have been employed which

not happened. The situation has been because of stewed administering of factor prices in favor of capital. T

distorted factor price .structure encouraged greater capital absorption at the cost of lab

As already mentioned the education System in India is also responsible for our predicament. We have b

following the Macaulay scheme which makes no attempt at development of human resources. It is structured

provide clerks and lower level executives to the government; .and government's needs are limited. Thus,' th

who receive this kind of education are according to Gunnar Myrdal, not only, inadequately educated but a

wrongly educat

Unemployment has a very high linkage with poverty and income distribution. It not only leads to tremend

economic hardships but also a traumatized individual existence. It reduces the self esteem of the individual a

inevitably leads to his alienation from the society. The roots of the current problems of youth unrest, juve

delinquency and growing crime rates can to a large extent be traced back to the problem of unemployment.

already mentioned unemployment underemployment in the countryside leads to urban migration. This put a

immense strain on civic amenities in these areas thereby reinforcing the spirit of despondency and alienati

The Government is awake toward this scourge on civilization and it has launched various schemes like Jawa

Rozgar Yojana, Nehru Rozgar Yojana, etc. But these Yojanas though necessary because they open direct assault

poverty need to be streamlined and supplanted. Streamlined because these plans have a tendency to overlap, t

are manned by unmotivated, uncommitted and corrupt personnel and they do not have a clear line of action,

such they are incapable of rising to the challenge. In any case, they have to be supplemented by a vigorous att


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at the root of the disproportionate rise in labor force problem viz. population explosions. However, , even the m

effective population control drives will take a long time to overcome the 'population momentum'. Therefore in

short run the need of vocationalizing of education and expanding self-employment cannot be overemphasized.

Where Does Capitalism Go from Here

But where does capitalism go from here? Always a broad crunch, it seems all the broader now that the compet

paradigm (the command economy) is dead. Will the various species of capitalism American, European, E

Asian, to name but three come together or move further apart? Given the new demands that will be put

developed economies over the coming decades, will western capitalism of a recognizable sort even survi

The main varieties of capitalism have always differed in significant respects. In America, for instance, sharehold

have a comparatively big say in the running of the enterprises they own; workers, who are for the most part o

weakly unionized, have much less influence. In many European countries, shareholders have less say and work

more. In Germany, for example, the representatives of unions serve on supervisory boards; the compan

principle bankers also have plenty of clout in the strategic decisions of management. On this spectrum, Japan

capitalism lies even further away from the American variety no role except to provide capital, managers have b

left alone to run their companies as they see fit namely, for the benefit of employees and of allied companies

much as for sharehold

Despite these differences, all species of capitalism have had certain essentials in common. These are the things t

will need to be preserved if liberal economics is to go on to further success. First and foremost, capitalist count

have separated, to a high degree, the realms of politics and economics. As a result, in capitalist countries it ma

sense to think of each of these realms in its own right. Decisions about what goods and services are provided,

whom, to whom and for how much, are made for the most part in markets, by willing buyers and selle

Governments in capitalist countries participate in markets, often in big way, either as buyers or sellers, or

regulators. But they do not (except in certain narrow areas) usurp the price system altogether. When they hire c

servants, for instance, they pay a market wage according to the kind of worker they wish to attract. Put it this w

in capitalist countries, the extent of government intervention is a matter of politics; the manner of its intervent

is, by and large, a matter of econom

Under communism (as under feudalism), by contrast, the political and economic realms were essentially one a

the same. Those in power exercised their claims over resources in fundamentally nonmarket ways. Il

transactions aside, these systems left little scope for voluntary economic arrangements. Private ownership

usually been a feature of capitalist economies. Certainly, it is a natural counterpart, a reflection of the separatio

politics and economics. But it is not in fact a necessary counterpart because, in achieving that separation, con

matters more than the ownership does not guarantee cont

That is why you could argue, for example, that for much of the 1980s southern China was a more capitalist pla

than India. In southern China state ownership of property was (and still is) the rule, but enterprise managers (

farmers throughout China) were given increasing freedom to run their business themselves. Even without priv

property, a separation o politics and economics was achieved, and the price system began to direct the allocat

of resources. India, on the other hand, has much more private ownership, but until the reforms of the early 1990

also had a system of state control that rivaled that of the Soviet Union. A factory making bicycles need

permission to increase its output, or to reduce it, or to start making a new kind of bicycle. This "license raj" was

pervasive and intrusive that, in effect, it unified the realms of politics and economics, despite the existence

private prope

Capitalist economies, despite such institutional differences, also have much else in common. In the market syst

that flourishes when politics and economics are kept apart, decisions about the allocation of resources are hig


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decentralized. Instead of an explicit organizing intelligence, there is spontaneous and unwitting coordination

invisible hand. Instead of planned cooperation, there is competition. This competition extends far beyond the st

rivalry of elementary economic theory that is, far beyond competition among existing producers and th

products. It also encompasses competition among new, would be producers, ideas of the products yet to

invented, alternative means of production and different nodes of industrial organizati

Because capitalism is decentralized and competitive, it is especially good at conducting experiments. This may be

greatest strength. Experiments can be conducted on a small scale and at correspondingly small expense

resources. Successful ones reap big rewards. That, of course, provides the incentive to undertake the experimen

the first place. But profits are also the signals for others to follow, so successful innovations (of product, servmethod of production of mode of organization) are quickly taken up elsewhere. Equally important, experime

that fail as the overwhelming majority do can usually be abandoned with comparatively little pain, and at

cost to the politically power

These conditions offer the maximum encouragement for efficient innovation. It is unsurprising; therefore, t

western capitalism has been relentlessly innovative. Rapid development in East Asia has already caused mu

tension over trade in America and European Community. As economic liberalization spreads, the pressure

competition on the west's low and medium tech manufacturers will increase. The US already runs large bilate

trade deficit with China, a fact the., weighed as heavily in last year's debate about what tariffs to set on Chin

exports as did protests over China's infringement of civil rights. Opponents of America's free trade agreement w

Mexico emphasize the threat that cheap imports pose to America's manufacturers. In the same way, the EuropeCommunity has been inexcusably slow to grant the reforming countries of Eastern Europe liberal access to

Community's markets. These are disturbing, if unsurprising, signs that the spread of capitalism in the poorest p

of the world may undermine support for the market economics in the countries where it has already worked w

Against the pressures threatening to undermine capitalism in the coming years, the strongest countervailing fo

is likely to be technology, and especially the revolution in communications. In many industries technolog

progress has reduced the fixed costs of production, making it easier for smaller firms to compete with larger on

or else it has developed new products that broaden the possibilities of competition in another way. T

communications industry itself is a striking example. Where there was once a natural monopoly needing to

regulated, namely the telephone company, there will be competition in the futu

The same phenomenon is likely to become more common in other sectors. To deal with it, governments will try

cooperate with each other in devising new systems of international regulation (for example, the BASLE cap

standards for banks, or the harmonization of national rules in the European community). But this is difficult, as

likely that technology will continue to move faster than governments. As these opposing forces work themsel

out, governments of every political complexion ought to keep two broad choices in mind. One, in effect, is to g

way to the pressures that will tend to impede the market system that is, to favor more trade protection, help

declining industries, an eve: expanding welfare state, and measures to limit cross border regulatory avoidan

This may well be the course that best responds to popular demands. But it is also the option that operates aga

change, and hence against grow

The alternative is to continue the work of the 1930s, in both rich and poor countries, to extend the scope of t

market. It means, among other things, free trade; policies to protect workers unlucky enough to be in declin

industries, rather than policies to save their jobs; and a welfare state that helps the poor, not the middle class. T

may be politically impossible; capitalism is held in low esteem in the countries it made rich. It is, nonetheless, t

pro-change pro-growth choice.


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Education As a Short of Commodity Toda

Over the past three decades, there has been a sea change in the attitudes of people connected with educat

Teachers, administrators and planners, students and parents are all looking at education as a sort of commod

that leads on to better earnings and status in society. It is not surprising that it is so. But what is unfortunate

another development leading to an attitudinal change in society. The intrinsic value of education is no lon

recognized although pious platitudes are mouthed quite frequen

The main reason is that the flux of change has caught up with education much more dramatically than with ot

areas of activity. While the demand for education has been growing steadily in the developing countries includ

India, quality has not kept pace with it. Another factor, and an equally disturbing one, is the politicization of t

campuses. Not only colleges and universities, even high schools seem to be getting infected by this virus. It is

uncommon to find on many campuses pedagogues espousing the cause of one political party or the other, no

any academic sense, but with a fervor that would do a party spokesman pro

About 30 years ago, student unions and debating societies discussed live political issues. The debates were of a h

level with the participants thorough in their home work Communication skills too were good and even those w

set their sights on politics as a career went through this exercise with earnestness and sincerity. Similarly, mo

parliaments marked the academic calendar in many colleges; the professors in charge spent a lot of time

energy guiding students and training them in the art of debat

These debates attracted a large number of students who came to cheer their compatriots. There was on all side

desire to learn, be informed and to enlarge the mental horizon. This aspect, which made college life in the fif

and sixties valuable, is sadly missing today on a vast majority of the campuses. Yet another aspect is that

pedagogues were by and large scholars who believed in furthering knowledge. They had an abundant love for th

students and could spare time for those who cane to clarify their doubts. Thus, the mutual bond of affection a

scholarship helped cement a lifelong relationship between the teacher and the taught. This is conspicuous by

absence tod

These losses cannot be counterbalanced by an impressive infrastructure in the form of stately buildings and

array of instruments in laboratories. The human material of the earlier years did in a large measure fulfill the t

set out for it, namely becoming teachers in the true sense of the word and this was done in an environmen

virtual poverty of hardware. It is here that the mentors of the olden days score over the pedagogues of tod

Perhaps, the teachers of these days worked in a spirit of self-effacement. An inexhaustible love for learn

characterized their daily schedule and this got transformed into an abiding love or teaching, in a way, this was

next best that one could wish for in the place of the ancient "gurukula" pattern. But the institutionalized classro

instruction has degenerated in the last three decades or several reaso

The unholy preoccupation with things that are material (which, of course, is the result of the present consume

trend), the craving to get rich quickly, the closing of the avenues for certain fields of study to the youth w

genuinely pine for these and the decadence that has set in society as a result of the erosion of ethical values are

blame. Caste considerations in the selection of candidates to courses and jobs are also contributing facto

Educationists, by and large, feel that this type of affirmative action by the Centre and the State Governments

been carried to the extreme and need? to be modified to meet the aspirations of the rising generati

It is a pity that parents are now intent on pushing their children into certain grooves of academic activity. Thi

evident from the obsession of parents with getting for their wards seats in the professional institutions. There

instances of middle class parents becoming almost paranoid about seats in engineering and medical colleg

The proliferation of these "self-financing" colleges has in a way satisfied this great demand. But the categorizat


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of seats under the labels "free" or "payment-based" and "payment" has led to an anomalous situation. T

students selected ur.der the "free" seat quotas are perforce to pay tuition fees as prescribed for the Governmen

aided colleges. Often, the hapless scholars have to pay something more on the sly, especially while opting

preferred courses such as computer science arid engineering. But those selected under the "payment" categ

have to shell out three or four times more. Not unexpectedly, this type of differentiation two sets of stude

paying vastly different fees for the same course produces in the minds of the youth a distorted sense of valu

To be fair to the private managements, it must be said that the cost of establishing and running a professio

college has gene up steeply in the last few years. Also, the pressure on the managements to improve the facili

has increased, thanks to the statutory bodies such as the All India Council for Technical Education and the MedCouncil of India. The objective, no doubt, is to make the errant managements who are in the habit

commercializing education mend their ways. This has had a salutary effect in almost every State where the s

financing colleges came

The conduct of examinations by different agencies including the school boards and universities is another pric

issue. In the last few decades, the number of candidates appearing for various public examinations right from

SSLC through the higher secondary to the degree and postgraduate levels has grown up by leaps and boun

Indeed, it is becoming unmanageable (running into lakhs of candidates in certain categories) for any centraliz

agency such as the school boa

A strong case can be made out for decentralizing the system taking care at the same time that a modicum

uniformity in evaluation and assessment of answer scripts in maintained. What is to be guarded against is leakage of question papers that has come to characterize the modern scene. The "necessary evil" of examinatio

cannot in the present context be replaced by any other system: the only remedy is to make the entire process, r

from the setting up of question papers, invigilation, paper dispatch and valuation to the announcement of resu

foolproof. Whenever a reexamination is ordered, it is the hardworking, studious candidates who undergo grea

hardship. The curbing of malpractices is only one aspect, refining the techniques of evaluation and selection

teachers of integrity to be in charge of the process is the crucial p

Campus watchers are struck by the distortion that has crept into the academic field in the last three decad

namely the neglect of languages, the humanities and the social sciences. A study of subjects such as histo

politics, sociology, economics, psychology, philosophy, languages and literature provides for a dee

understanding of human relationships, behavior and social currents. A majority of students go in for sciences a

commerce. While this trend is in consonance with the science and technology age, the skewed preference for th

subjects may not in the long run benefit socie

There must be some way of making the humanities attractive to youth, both from the point of view of employm

opportunities and from a higher plane. Also, the teachers who handle the subjects must be men and women

exceptional ability, capable of sparking student interest. Unfortunately, such teachers are dwindling in number

over the country. A vigorous effort must be made to attract talented youth to the humanities which are essen

for the evolution of human development.


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Parties, Parliament and the Law A Real Conflict

For all its familiarity, a political party is a peculiar entity. Presiding officers recognize it by the number

elected members in a House. The Central Election Commission adjudicates when there is a dispute over

symbol by two groups. The courts have their own criteria for deciding the true claimant to the originomenclature and assets in the event of a split. It may exist at one level, like the TMC, in the Lok Sab

and not at all be officially recorded, in the Rajya Sab

Where you stand in Indian politics does not depend on where you sit in Parliament. Had Mr GMoopanar become Prime minister in the wake of Mr H.D. Deve Gowda's exit, the United front coalit

would have been led by a Congress party member of the Rajya Sabha. Ms Jayanthi Natarajan, Minister

state for civil aviation in the UF government, is also a member of the Congress in the Rajya Sabha recorThe Tamil Maanila Congress, of which Mr Moopanar is the president and Ms Natarajan a member, has

official presence in the Rajya Sab

Political parties are not an organic whole and this could be the cause when the Election Commissionersseeking stricter compliance with provisions, such as holding organizational elections, maintenance

proper accounts and filing tax returns. The suggestion by one of the Election Commissioners that partshould desist from issuing a whip in presidential elections, is yet another provision which may catch

with the conscience of political parties before they are prepared for this break with tradition. Tcumulative result of having to meet more external requirements will chip away at the "power of pa

bosses over membe

The situation is further complicated where parliament and courts do not accept each other's jurisdiction athe EC zealously guards its own domain. With the result, by the same set of laws, a party that is split

Parliament may be an undivided organizational body, and a split parliament party may be a unif

legislature bloc. Theoretically, there could be as many as six versions of a split party if it is affectedthese three levels. Parties are the result of their status being subject to different rules of recognition

different constitutional offices and by the judiciary. When the organizational wing of a party splits,

rival claimants seek to settle the matter in a court of law, or before the Election Commission whadjudicates on the symbUnder the anti-defection law, whether a party has split or hot is decided by the Speaker. But the ruling

the Lok Sabha could be at variance with that delivered in a state assembly. And these two wings of

party, split or otherwise, get legally disconnected from the general body and its organs which have to tuto the courts and the EC. Elections to the assembly and Parliament remain the ultimate test of vindicat

the true claimant. And. ironically, therein lie the root of the proble

To remain in the election process requires the party to adhere to EC rules and guidelines. This burdengreater on the party than on the candidate contesting the poll. It is the party that has to maintain accounts

income and expenditure and file tax returns. It is the party that has to exert itself to hold organizatio

elections and go through the forms to keep its members eligible for elections. And when a member jo

the elected elite the falls under the jurisdiction of the Speaker, and often the party needs him more thanneeds the party which is the bigger for

A group of MPs or MILAs can reduce their party to role and failing to achieve that, break away by invit

expulsion. Mr P.V. Narshima Rao; overcame the minority status of "his party in Parliament by winnover small groups of MPs from other parties. Mr V.P Singh's government was kept on tenterhooks ev

before it fell by a group of MPs who were controlled by Congress strings. The anti-defection l

institutionalized the primacy of legislators over the party organization, except for the minor distinctionmakes between a defection and a split. All that it did was legitimize wholesale defection and put re


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traders out of business. Regardless of a party's share of votes, en masse defection could nullify its vmandate.

It is a travesty of representative democracy when elected representatives can retain their parliament

status even after being alienated from the party's popular base on which they were voted in. In this situatof declining party power, the whip remains one of the few means of restraining errant members. A

parties resisting surrender of this slender rein on its elected members are understandable. The EC did w

in not hastily adopting the suggestion for this presidential electiIt is not the relative merits of a party whip, against conscience vote which prevented the matter from be

pursued any further. It was recognition of the fact that no master what a constitutional scheme may be,

workability depends upon the consent and cooperation of political parties, and not the clout of regulatbodies like the Election Commission. Political forces have always taken the view that constitutionalitaken to the extreme can mitigate against the spirit of the statutes. By the same logic parliamentari

carried to excess in the name of democracy can kill both conscience and conte

In a party democracy there cannot be partyless parliamentarism to its worst sense, which is where politwould drift to if elected members were freed of primary commitment to their parent bodies. This cannot

checked by asking Speakers, courts and election commissioners to keep out of party terrain, because tha

neither desirable nor possible. A practical way out is for political parties to take the initiative for evolvifunctional norms that meet the EC's terms for electoral purposes, do not clash with the jurisdiction

presiding officers, reduce areas of conflict between courts and legislatures and, strengthen th

organizational hold on members regardless of their place in elected bodi

Unless parties reform themselves, external regulations will continue to be viewed as the only option wthe bureaucracy gaining in primacy over political forces. Had political parties functioned as they sho

with regular elections, proper bookkeeping and filing of tax returns there would be little room for exter

intervention to enforce these. Compliance with procedures would strengthen their credibility and moauthority to resist interference in areas of political manageme

It would be in the interest of parties to begin addressing these issues now instead of waiting until they re

another flashpoint. On Article 356, parties have more or less arrived at a certain unanimity. In much same manner, issues of party management need to be resolved so that recurrent conflicts involving the E

courts, defections and splits are kept to the minimum. Parties which have to be disciplined by official fi

can hardly be effective in providing political leadership to the bureaucracy when in power.

Human Rights Violatio

The prevention of child labor has become a crucial issue because it is not merely a question of exploitation but a

creates the problem of juvenile crime. The recent legislative curbs have brought about some changes in the patt

of employment of children in the organized indus

Child workers fall mostly in the age category between 10 and 15 and are engaged in gainful occupation wh

exposes them to hazardous work hampering any chance of their development. According to the Labor Force

Planning Commission, the number of child labor had gone up to 3,765 lakhs till 1995 and by the year 2000, th

could be a threefold rise to 25 millio

At the root of the problem lies the question of poverty and the very low family income of child workers. In recyears, there has been a decline in the proportion of child labor in the organized sector but it has spread its tenta

in the unorganized sectors such as road construction, weaving industry and restaurants. According to the 1

census, Jammu and Kashmir had 10.53 per cent, the highest number of child labor incidence out of which about

per cent was engaged in handicrafts and handloo

Aristotle had compared the superiority of the educated over the unlettered and said that it was "as much as

living are to the dead." The importance of education for the physical, intellectual and moral will of an individ


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cannot be overemphasized and its success lies in releasing the individual from the clutches of ignorance in

possible permutation and combinatio

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has concentrated on eliminating child labor, particularly ch

prostitution, which in a way has become an organized, clandestine profession. The Commission has m

stupendous progress in eliminating child labor in the glass industry of Ferozabad district in Uttar Prade

The news of the deportation of 75 Indian children, including girls, from Saudi Arabia points the undergrou

functioning of a powerful syndicate which sells poor, deformed children, particularly female children, from

Murshidabad district of West Bengal. The Commission can play an active role by involving nongovernm

organizations and creating awareness among the general masIt is paradoxical that while the percentage of literacy is increasing, the total number of unlettered has also be

increasing. Besides, there is a tremendous difference between the male and female literacy ratio. In 1931, th

were 560 male literates for every 100 literate females In 1991, the tally was 63.9 and 39.31. Though there has b

a significant improvement in the literacy rate of the females and the difference has narrowed down to a cert

extent, the overall position of women has not improved much. Women workers are exploited in the private a

public sectors. In certain unorganized sectors, the womenfolk, especially those belonging to the Scheduled Cas

and the Scheduled Tribes, face sexual harassment and are denied equal wages. Concerted efforts by the NHRC a

nongovernment organizations are needed to remedy the situati

Another major challenge is the alarming population growth (16 per cent of the world's population), render

efforts towards tacking unemployment difficult. The International Labor Organization's report on WoEmployment, 1996-97 says that the economies of most countries have noticed a declining trend in employm

opportunities but the overall scenario of employment in India, the Philippines, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanma

particularly pessimistic. It is important that a major portion of the national resources should be used to gener

more job opportunit

A Home Ministry report, Crime In India, says that 5,692 cases of juvenile crime such as a criminal breach of tru

burglary and counterfeiting were registered in 1994,. Tamil Nadu reported the highest number of juvenile offen

(3.521) followed by Gujarat (703). Education can play a major role in removing these distortions and discrepanc

in society. Hence, an organized attempt to impart education to even the poorest is essent

Checking the abuse of power is a crucial strategy for maintaining human rights. On many occasions, the Army

the paramilitary forces have gone berserk while tackling terrorists and protesters. There are many instances w

they have not even spared the womenfolk and children. Besides, the armed forces have also been accused

atrocities including torture, rape and killing in fake encounters. The powers given to police are enormous t

incidents of custodial deaths, counter killings, missing persons and torture are increasingly being reported over

years. Besides, the prevalence of several repressive Acts is an indication of the interference of the State machin

in the lives of the people. The Terrorist and Descriptive Activities (Prevention) Act, 1985, originally enacted to tac

terrorists in Chandigarh, Punjab and Delhi, was extended to other parts of country. The main criticism against TA

is that the accused is considered guilty unless he proves his innocence. Under this Act, a police officer can even

as a magistrate while the identity of the witness produced against the detune is kept secret and confessi

(apparently extracted under torture) are permissible as evidence. Amnesty International has criticized torture

policemen and fake encounters and the inhuman conditions in jails. Police must advise a multilayered approa

based on a system checks and balances to gain credibi

The policy of transparency that the Government has adopted after NHRC urged it to allow the activists of Amne

international to visit the Kashmir valley has been helpful in reestablishing the Government's credentials. A lot

awareness has taken place after the establishment of NHRC but there are still myriad challenges requiring a care

handling.

The growing problem of refugees has added a new dimension to the problem. The Chief Executive of the Unit


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the hegemony of Brahmins and Banias by mobilizing the shudders and other backward classes. The NGovernment's move on August, 1990 is very conspicuous in this regard. The Prime Minister was blam

dividing national unity on caste lines and promoting casteism for personal political gains,

circumstantial evidences raised a needle of suspicion on the intention of V.P. SinBut all these attempts at national level failed to mobilize a vote bank of more than 50% masses. T

reasons are quite simple. Firstly, the 52% of OBCs (as calculated by the M.C.R.) is not a homogeneo

category. There are economic, social, political, cultural and ritual differences within these groups. Thare depressed castes, communities juxtaposed with politically dominant and economically well of cast

The dominant sections have vested interest in the policy of reservation. But the really depressed are

backward that they are not educated enough to reap the benefit of reservatiIn fact, it is a political battle of two groups of elites; the elites who belong to "forward castes" and the eliwho belong to the other" backward castes". The third group of elites, i.e. the elites of SCs and STs h

already had their share. And they do not find any substantial gain by taking side of the OBCs as this wo

dilute their own interWhereas elites of SCs and STs have their own mass bases, the elites of forward castes and OBCs do

have distinct mass base. Now, this is clear that both the elites are trying to carve out their own mass base

as to ensure their political position. But, where the SCs and STs are homogeneous and distinct categorthe OBCs are heterogeneous hence their calculation is bound to f

Secondly, the nonacceptance of reservation policy by a vocal section of people of India could

understood in terms of regional variations. The policy of reservations for the OBCs is tremendou

successful for South Indian states whereas it failed in the North Indian states (i.e. Hindi belt, except BihaIt is because of the historical and ideological roots of the OBC movement in the state as it generated

socialist and secular political forms which has taken support from the masses of both SCs the STs as w

OBCs. This is mainly due to the social composition. The masses of South Indian states are largely deducand the OBCs are dominant there both numerically and politically. This is not the same for North Ind

states where dominant sections belong to the upper cas

There are various other reasons. The policy of job reservation could excite small sections of masses but the whole people." The "Economic Liberalization" has challenged the public sector corporations a

government jobs. Their absorption capacity is bound to decrease. In an open market, naturally merit will

given priority. Hence, there is a need to review the whole policy of compensatory discrimination, if we really concerned about social justice.

Mass Communication and Social Chan

"One of the objects of newspaper is to understand the popular feeling and give expression to it; another

to arouse among the people certain desirable sentiments; and the third is fearlessly to expose popu

defects". M.K. Gan

Historically, social structure and tradition in India remained impervious to major elements of modernuntil the contact with the west began through colonization. This contact had a special historicity wh

brought about many far reaching changes in culture and social structure of Indian society. There w

however, one important feature of Indian modernization during the British period. The growth of tprocess was selective and segmental. It was not integrated with the microstructure of Indian society, su

as family, caste, village community. At these levels, the British by and large followed a policy of le

interference, especially after the rebellion of 1857. Later, in the twentieth century, as the nationamovement gathered momentum which felt strong need to mobilize masses in the active policies. The pr

became the chief instrument for carrying out the task that is for arousing, training, mobilizing a


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consolidating nationalist public opinion. The influence of the media on Indian masses was tremendousnot only educated the masses politically, but also motivated them to discard irrational, old and evil soc

practices.

The media of communication which have accelerated the rate of growth and cultural diffusion modernization have also been introduced in India by the colonial masters. Printing was introduced by

Portuguese in the second half of the sixteenth century and incentive for this was provided by the Christ

missionaries. In the British territory, the first press appeared in Bombay in 1674 on the initiative of Indian named Bhimji Parekh. In early eighteenth century a printing press was established in South India

the Danish Lutheran Mission. Written newspapers called Akbar are known to have been in circulat

during the time of the Mughal Empire, but the printed newspapers came into existence only after contact with the west. A beginning in this direction was made about the first quarter of the 18th centuSimilarly, the British also introduced telegraph, railways and modern postal system in Ind

The changes which have followed since the expansion in these communication media in India constitute

indirect but concrete index of modernization. During 194041, India had between 3000 to 4000 prinnewspapers and periodicals published from a variety of centers in seventeen different languages, a f

bilingual. The number of newspapers and periodicals increased by almost 42.7 percent in almost twe

years. At the end of 1966 their number was 10,9Phenomenal increase has also been made in the means of communication such as postal service,, mov

radio and information media through" posters, hand bills, and mobile filmshow units. The increase in cos

facilities alone may be evident from the fact that in 1836 there were only 276 postoffices in India wh

increased to 74,596 in 1962. Similar increase has also been made in the other media of communication atransport. The expansion in transport by the railways, roadways, airways and waterways has contributed

the intensification in the volume of interaction and contact between one region and another; travelling

railways and buses was an immediate blow to the principle of caste hierarchy based; on the theorypollution and purity, since in the same railway coach or bus people of all castes, high or low, had to trav

In the beginning there was some resistance from the conservative section of the upper castes, but su

movements soon petered out, devaluing by railways and buses was not only accepted but these wincreasingly used for pilgrimages and for other socio-religious purposes. These technological innovatio

have, therefore, to some extent brought changes in the traditional outlo

How far this impression is valid in India of today? How far do the press, radio and television mould pubopinion and bring about a change in the attitude of the government and the people on important problem

The politicians and the bureaucrats acknowledge the importance of the press and its freedom, and about proper use of the government controlled electronic media but when the need arises, have no hesitation

putting curbs on the press and in using the electronic media for one sided propaganda. On its part, .press which claims to be free; conveniently forgets the constraints under which it functions because of

control and ownership by large business houses. These in turn are obliged to government for a number

things vital for publication of newspapers and the other business interests of the proprietor. The editor hlost the importance and freedom that he once enjoyed. In other words, the power of pen is no longer

powerful as it once was. The reasons are obvious. They lie in the changed political situation in the coun

as also the changes in the structure of the press during the year since independenIn his autobiography, Mahatma Gandhi defined the role of the press in these words; one of the objects o

newspaper is to understand the popular feeling and give expression to it; another is to arouse among

people certain desirable sentiments; and the third is fearlessly to expose popular defects." In preindependent days publication of a newspaper was a mission, it was another front of the freedostruggle. Circulation was small and so was the revenue from the advertisements. Now publication o

newspaper meant for the proprietor the opportunity to convey his point of view, influence public opin

and the government. Multiple edition newspapers, chain newspapers and new newspapers owned industrialists sprouted, professional journalism course has reduced the prestige of an editor o which he us

to enjoy earlier. Now his pen is directed in the direction of the publisher. Now publication of a newspap

has become a commercial enterprise.


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Apart from print media, electronic media has revolutionized the society. Television has altered lifestylliving patterns and indeed life itself. Some sociologists see this as a portent of the second dark ages;

most it is the onset of an exciting new millennium where information is the ultimate power tool. Al

Toffler, once said that" the power of the state has always vested on its control of force, wealth aknowledge. What is professionally different is the changed relationship among these three. The n

supersymbolic System of wealth creation thrusts a wide range of information related issues into

political agenIs the Indian nationstate ready for this paradigm shift? Are Indian media professionals ready for t

change? And will these farreaching changes actually affect a third world country like Ind

The sheer size and complexity of India makes it a difficult country for mass media. With over j (3million people talking in 16 major languages and a variety of lifestyles to boot, it is obvious one canaddress all of them together all the tim

The all pervasive influence of television cannot be denied. What is it that makes TV so very different fr

other media? Most obvious is that it is audiovisual, unlike newspapers or radio. It is a domestic mediwhere the images are received in the privacy of the home. It is low cost, reaches large numbers and giv

watchers a sense of participation. And, in a country like India, with its high rate of illiteracy, it informs a

educates, even as it entertaiEvery use of media presupposes manipulation. Each newspaper has an editorial policy which gives its ne

a particular slant. Here in India, already the parameters laid down by Doordarshan are wrapped, confu

and out dated. Similarly, the attitude of Zee TV, the Star TV has been disappointing. Despite the brouh

over its launch, it is obvious that Zee is still grappling with an identity problem. And because the ownhave other business besides broadcasting, they rekeeping away from hard ne

All news is elite centred; but TV news is usually more ethnocentric. Its accent is on people, places a

events. But TV news must go beyond mere reportage of facts, and capture the story between the linTelevision is also a great window to the global market place. Goods and services are continuously be

sold through TV's dreamworld. Doordarshan has created many products successes; Rasna, Nirma, Ma

etc. But they are all pointers to the power of the medium as well as its drawback. TV sells a lifestyle, just a product. This lifestyle must have an element of fantasy mixed with identifiable characters a

concepts. As is often said, TV spawns desire, not demand. What is true for soap and noodles is also true

politician and leadeThe expansion in the technological means of travel and transport and increase in the number a

circulation of the newspaper as forms of media exposure are directly associated with cultumodernization. In the Indian case, this media exposure results both in modernization and traditionalizati

Postal and telegraph services not only bring with them more information about distant places and relatives located distantly, thus increasing peoples mobility, but also the facility to organize ca

associations and other traditional group activities more efficiently. Hence the modernization of

channels of communication results into a kind of cultural between the value systems of tradition amodernity.

Resource Crunch In Educatio

"Education has produced a vast population able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth readin

Institutional education is the focal agency which 'socializes' the individual after his primary exposure within

family. Education does not mean attaining literacy, nor does it mean pursuing knowledge, nor does it me

pursuing knowledge merely for the sake of knowledge. It means much more than that. Ideally speaking educat


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must instill and transmit the norms and values of a society; it should prepare the young people for adult roles a

select young people in terms of their talents and abilities for appropriate roles in adult life. Moreover, educat

must realize its potential for creating a more equal and just soci

The imperative of the structure of education in a country are derived from its historical education pattern and

present priorities. In India, historically our education system was conspicuous by its specificity. For a long ti

access to learning was considered to be the preserve of higher castes and that too only for males. Although th

have been glaring exceptions to this but this has been the general trend. The content of education was non secu

and was oriented towards making the individual accept and conform to the structure of society and complet

subsume his individuality into the socieSeeds of modern education were sown by foreign Christian missionaries, the British Government and so

progressive Indians. The introduction of modern education in India was basically motivated towards catering to

politico-administrative and economic needs of the British colonizers. As such the system was geared towa

providing clerks and lower level white collar workers to the Raj and requisite attention towards vocationalizatio

education was not paid. Somehow, this system was maintained in post-independence period too, resulting in

immense proliferation of (substandard) institutions of higher learning, a drain on the exchequer and worse

creation of a vast population of educated unemployed youth thoroughly disenchanted with the system. T

inadequacies in terms of quality and quantity of primary education, the inaccessibility of education to sections

women and other weaker sections of society are apocalypti

Recently the education process has been further vitiated by the process of politicization of education. Politics crept into education at the level of academic appointments, as well as student activism and last but not the le

even to the 'content' of education imparted to students. On top of it all, is the financial burden thrown on

education system by the government by announcing reductions in educational allocatio

In fact the drying out of financial support from the government to education is only the logical fallout of

resource stringency faced by the government grants. In this context the talk of privatizing higher education a

even privatizing textbooks is gaining curren

In an era of prevailing financial exigency and the ongoing economic reforms, the need for devising strategies

ensuring cost effectiveness of educational schemes cannot be overstated. There are sufficient reasons

rationalize the funding of higher education on the grounds of equity and efficiency. In this context it would

worth mentioning that higher education enjoys government support to the extent of eighty five percent and

government decision to freeze grants has come as a blot from the blue to the university community. As it is,

education sector had been reeling under a less than adequate budgetary support (approximately 4 percent in

Eighth Plan as against a six percent upwards projection of the National Policy on Education Revised, 1992) and

double impact of rapid inflation and rupee, devaluation. The combined impact of all this is that the 'real' allocat

to education has declined over the ye

The university community can legitimately fell outraged because the level of funding has' been decelerated a

time when they are already plagued with underinvestment and fiscal deficits. Besides, the freeze has been slap

on, without providing alternative avenues of funding like liberal loan scheme or taking policy initiatives on the fi

front for mobilizing additional resources by universities as are generally available to autonomous bod

The most important issue therefore is to identify alternative sources of finance which could be exploited. At

same time effective and gainful utilization of available resources is essential. Thus, a two pronged strategy can

envisaged one relates to measures for effecting economy in expenditure and other to the mobilization

additional resourc

More than sixty five percent of university expenses go towards the salary bill of teaching and nonteaching st

Economy measures therefore largely affect the staff in terms of either retrenching staff or postponement

recruitment of faculty members. This not only undermines the university plans to carry out ongoing schemes


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also strikes at the root of the intellectual viability of the university system. However, since economy in budgetin

unavoidable one would be better advised to check nonacademic expenditure by scaling down dependence

nonteaching staff and cutting administrative expenses. Economy can also be affected by devising methods of in

institutional sharing and lending of facilities like libraries and laboratories on which huge investments are made

yet they are not fully utiliz

As far as the question of mobilization of additional resources is concerned, a case can be made out for rais

tuition fees. Though, the requirements of universities are too high even for raised tuition fees to sufficie

provide for, yet a beginning in this direction is most welcome. More so, because most' of the beneficiary gro

largely hail from the better off section of the society. In this context schemes need to be devised which woextract fees from beneficiaries according to their income ability or allow them to meet the educational expen

out of interest free loans while the education of poor sections of society should be suitably subsidized by

Government.

Besides an upward revision of fee structure (especially in professional courses) other resource augment

measures include full recovery of costs of education from foreign students, mobilization of resources from indu

by way of initiating relevant programs for managerial and technical staff of industries and other commer

organizations, undertaking consultancy projects from industry, revising users charges like hostel, laboratory fe

library

Thus, unless an equitable and efficient funding mechanism is devised the process of upgradation of human cap

the sine qua non of enhancing resource use and productivity will be seriously handicapped. Moreover, productienhancing new innovations and technologies will also be difficult to come by from the conveyor belt of instituti

of higher learning. Privatization of Textbo

Privatization or denationalisation of textbooks is put forward as an extension of the process of privatization

education. Let us first see what 'denationalization" of textbooks means and what its implications a

Nationalization in its classical sense means the state or its agencies like the National Council of Educatio

Research and Training (NCERT) and its affiliates in the states (SCERTs) are responsible for the editorial, printing

distribution of textbooks. In this light one can argue that the debate on denationalization of textbooks is irrelev

because firstly prescribed textbooks exists on!, for school level classes (I to XII) there are no 'textbooks' as such

higher classes and secondly because the state does intent the private sector to share the enormous load of print

of textbooks and is completely dependent on the private sector for their distribut

Despite, the at best 'partial nationalization' of textbooks that we presently have in India, to lobby of priv

publishers want this sector to be thrown open to them which means that they would be able to cater to

enormous demand of the growing school population. Normatively, there can be no objection to such a proposal

will lead to better textbooks in terms of language, style, subject matter and production. The ability of priv

publishers to singularly meet the enormous demand and the cost to the consumer can be the only ot

considerations in this rega

The prospects of private sector cunning out better textbooks are very bleak if the past performances of this sec

are any indication. Mostly, private publishing is.a one man show with a majority of publishing houses lacking

even the mandatory editorial departments not to speak of production staff, proofreaders e

The ability of the private sector to handle the vast magnitude of demand is also suspect because no single publis

can possibly have the requisite infrastructurein professional staff, warehousing spaces, sales outlets etc. besi

the huge financial investment required. As far as the price to the consumer is concerned we can expect a steep r

in prices because the private sector does not work on the ecclesiastic principle of 'noprofitnoloss'. Private sec

works only for pro

If what we have said above seems like an advocacy ofstatus quo ante then we would like to quickly state that w

is required is a rational costbenefit analysis of the two extremes. The private sector should weigh its merits visa


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the state endeavor and devise ways which maximize benefits to the society as well as the entrepreneur. Sur

entrepreneurship cannot be given precedence over the subjective quality of education. Efficiency of resou

utilization while at the same time ensuring quality in education so as to enable it to perform the sociological t

expected of true .education should be the only guiding criteria.

Proper Manpower Planning: A Must For Development

The third world countries are exposed to the process of change operating at the national and local le

simultaneously, extending and expending both geographically and socially, affecting both the form afunctions of groups and organizations, and evolving new patterns of living and thinking. The ruling el

of these countries are influenced by the liberal or revolutionary philosophies of the West either of th

earlier colonial masters or of their allies in their battle against Imperialism. They have been equaimpressed by the industrial strength of the West supporting its production machine. Leadership of the th

world countries is therefore endeavoring in every way to introduce change on this pattern and to strength

its process- the process of development. For its leadership development therefore is a recurring theme an

common idiom in the vocabulaDevelopment, basically, is change with a predetermined direction affecting various segments of the socie

Politically it expresses faith in individual development in the context of liberal or collectivist philosophy

adopted by the governing elites. It also encourages individuals' conscious participation in its decisimaking and decision implementing process. Economically it aims at increasing goods and services a

increasingly putting economic efficiency (cost-benefit relationship) and follows growth indicators of GN

Administratively it works for functional specialization amongst its operating organizational structures atries to support it by the concept of professionalism. Collectively it makes the whole proc

communitarian with increasing social mobility and with natural mobilization of community associatiomakes the whole process participative and pervading stable and enduriOn the eve of independence day as a third world country was stuck down in her efforts of developm

with low capital formation, low per capita income, low literacy rate including low functional literacy a

low level of production organization; but with very high population growth, high unemployment and un

employment maPlanning has not been new to Indian leadership and in administration a department of planning w

constituted even before independence. After independence, full fledged planning machinery was envisag

in the establishment ofPlanning Commission at the Centre with Prime Minister as its Chairman. It woon a comprehensive data, collected, compiled and classified on different indices of development a

provides rationale for plan targets and justification for plan implementation The National Developm

Council provides political dimension to the process of planning and makes it more responsive and therefmore adoptive. Member States also have similar machinery and their plans are discussed and finaliz

within the broad frame work prepared by the planning Commissi

The Prime objective of planned development is naturally economic growth-increasing the production

goods and services and increasing levels of individual consumption. To sustain this process, the econoequally needs increasing levels of capital formation. India adopted planning strategy with a positive role

public sector to realize the go

Human resources are an important variable in the overall efforts of development. Human beings are e


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and means at one and the same time and give meaning and justification to the whole gamut of activitThe objectives of five year plans therefore lay emphasis on policies of employment creating j

opportunities as well as modernizing production processes for higher per labor output. The plans also a

at increasing general literacy and functional literacy by providing facilities for acquiring technical skiThis is in addition to literacy drives. Basically committed to social justice, the plan programs take spec

care of backward classes and disadvantaged and unorganized groups of the population and draw them i

the main stream of development. Various poverty eradication progress like the National Rural Employmprogram (NREP) Plan, the integrated Rural Development Program (IRDP) 6th Plan, Rural landl

Employment Guarantee Program (BLEGP) 5th plan, The Jawahar Yojana (7th Plan), Development

women and children in Rural areas (DWCRA) 7th Plan, The National Scheme of Training of Rural Yofor Self Employment (TRYSEM, 6th Plan, Rural Training and Technology Centre (RTTC) 7th Plcollectively strengthen functional skills of working population and aim to make production efficie

Population adequate qualified is an asset, a productive as

Population of developing countries has always been growing and growing at a faster rate. This complicathe problem of development and the problem of balanced development. In these countries politi

revolution has preceded industrial revolution. Socialist revolution has increase anticipation from

people. But Government machinery in these countries is underdeveloped and ill-equipped to tackle problem of development with social justice in India today support: nearly 15 p.c. of the world populati

its population has been steadily increasing and the decadal growth rate has therefore been consisten

rising.

Population has functional and dysfunctions effects. Healthy and better equipped population can suppindustrial growth while poor population would make country poorer. Application of Malthusian law

ruled out and a positive strategy would be (a) the adoption of family welfare programs (b) implementat

of manpower planning (c) the diversification of productive activities in the secondary and tertiary sectoFamily welfare programs envisage a ne production rate of 1 p.c. by 2000 A.D. In demographic transiti

high growth in the second stage, but the third stage is characterized by lo birth rate, low death rate, sm

size families a leading to decline in the rate of population growth In rural areas primary health centprovide host of services under one roof. A massive nutrition programs with awareness of community hea

is operated through governmental and nor governmental agencies. The special Nutrition Program cat

children between 0-6 years an pregnant women and nursing motheIn manpower planning emphasis on investment in human capital is aimed at. This is realized through hea

and educational Program operated in rural urban areas. This will improve adaptability, productivity amobility of labor. The 8th plan aimed at universalization of elementary education and eradication

illiteracy in working age population. There was an extension of 'Open Learning System' Schemes lDWCRA, TRYSEM, RELEGP, CRTTC, NERP have a positive role to play in this field as ru

unemployment, underemployment, disguised unemployment is its main target. The 8th Plan expec

employment growth rate to reach 3 pDiversification of secondary and tertiary activities has been aimed at from the Second Five Year Pl

Within the frame work of mixed Economy the plans give priority to public sector, activities which aim

create infrastructure for development. In 1951, there were only 5 non-departmental public enterprises wan investment of Rs. 29 crores. By 1983-84 the number of public enterprises (central) has gone to 228 w

a total investment of Rs. 42.000 crores. Khadi and village industries also occupy a vital place in the proc

of industrialization and growth with balance. With a total investment of Rs. 2000 crores in the 7th planprovided employment to nearly 50 lakh peopDevelopment is a multifarious phenomenon and population policy .one of its variable. Proper manpow

planning would definitely make the available human capital more productive and would help to reduce

pressure on future growth. Properly linked with the strategy of industrialization and modernizatipopulation policy would open this vast potential growth resource available to the third world countr

extending the reach out of development benefits and making its face more human.


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School, Society and Fam

Discipline is a scheme which is designed to facilitate school and society both working of some activity whether

the acquisition of knowledge by students or any other field like craftsman. To each best possible end in each tenergy has to be harbored and canalized, time must be measured arid allotted and many of man's impu

temporarily curb

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