What Happens When UNMIN Exits From Nepal ?

By Divas

UN Under Secretary General for Political Affairs B Lynn Pascoe wrapped up his 40-hours visit to Nepal after talking to more than 40 personalities directly involved in the integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants within UNMIN's Jan. 15, 2011 deadline. The visit is significant as an indication of the Security Council's intention to follow closely developments in the Nepal's peace process during the final months of UNMIN. Pascoe will report his findings to the Security Council on Wednesday.  During his earlier visit to Nepal in March, Pascoe had strongly objected to the criticism of UNMIN as unfair and absurd and criticized the present Madhav Kumar Nepal Government and his political allies for blaming the UN mission to “cover up their failures”.

The debate on the fate of Maoist Army has intensified with the Maoist Party’s insistence on integrating the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) guerillas into the National Army, and on the other hand, the opposition Nepali Congress’s  strong reservation over integrating PLA into the National Army. The Terai parties like MJF & TMDP also have strongly objected to what they call “wholesale integration” of the Maoist guerillas into the Army. Similarly, Nepal Army Chief Chatraman Singh Gurung  has reiterated his predecessor Rukmagad Katwal’s Army policy of accepting only those “deemed fit through free competition.”

Tackling the issue of “integration” or “rehabilitation” of around 20,000 UNMIN certified Maoist combatants would be the most daunting task for the political leaders after the peaceful abolition of monarchy and promulgation of republic in Nepal two year’s back. However, some Nepal Army officers claim that “integration” of the guerillas would not be of much concern provided the politicians refrained from attaching their personal egotism with the issue and begin vigorous but informal track-three consultations among the stakeholders.

There is a widespread concern among the commoners that if the UNMIN really exits from Nepal in January 2011 and if the integration issue is not resolved by then, there is a real danger of the issue flaring up into another armed conflict.

India Votes 2009: Billionaires' Polls: Hindutva, Islam, & Democracy

By Dr. Abdul Ruff

I

Essentially the billionaire' poll going on in India to make way officially for the rich people among others to enter Parliament as people's representatives is indeed a mockery of democracy. On the one hand the poll is being imposed on unwilling Kashmiris as the freedom leaders have announced a boycott of the Indian poll in an alien Jammu Kashmir now under hegemonic and brutal Indian occupation.. One other, the crucial issues of Babri Mosque reconstruction and surredering of Kashmir soverignty have not been raised in the campign, but the nation has to resolve the issues at the earliest.

Biggest joke is Indian polls being “free & fair”, while the opposite is true. Power of money and muscle as well as blackmail politics is the hall mark of Indian poll and politics and Muslims are the sufferes. India is being literally ruled by the billionaires and other varieties of multinational industrialists by keeping a regime of its liking. They finance national and regional politics, polls, cricketism, nuclearism, terrorism and many other activities both openly and hidden. Earlier these "special" category of "democrats" used to employ politicians as candidates for polls both for the Parliaments and state legislatures, but now many of them have popped up themselves as the prospective Parliamentarians for the next Parliament. Many of the today’s candidates for Parliament to make law for the Indian nation have criminal records, some of them alarmingly serious ones.

Indian billionaires and multi-nationals and other big industrialists are holding a poll to reelect a regime to pursue their global interests with the help of political outfits in the country through a properly constituted election commission to support their cause. Major issues like Kashmir and reconstruction of grand Babri Mosque destroyed during the Congress regime in 1992 are not at all raised in the poll in consensus efforts by all politicians-bureaucrats-intelligence with a view not to appeasing the Muslims in any way but only use them just as the usual vote banks. It means, the Hindus consider Muslims as fools of the worst category and Muslims also seem to admit that.

II

Both Hindu Congress and Hindutva BJP have same or similar agenda in India and one uses the other to stay in politics while the Hindutva elements control both these national parties. Destruction of Grand Babri Mosque was indeed a joint agenda of both and the operation was meticulously engineered by entrusting the Congress premier Narasimha Rao to “do the job” and he did by using the Hindu terrorists, military and polices forces to pull down the historic Mosque in Uttar Pradesh. No party, right, centre or Left, now talks about the Hindu agenda of Babri Mosque and Indian Hindus think the matter is closed for now. Indian premier pledged before Indian nation that the Mosque would be reconstructed at the very site where it stood, but till date Indian government has not done it. Congress is using BJP & co to save its skin. They only threat to pull down some more Mosques.

Israel is used by the USA and Europe as a regional weapons depot to transfer arms to the needy customers in the Third world. India has emerged as one of heaviest purchasers of Israeli arms. In order to track Muslims in India and Kashmir Indian leaders, both Congress and BJP, entered into military contract with Zionist Israel for weapons worth thousands of crores of rupees in which many party bigwigs get lucrative commissions. The BJP regime went for a 5,000 crores for “Barak missiles” and when the Congress came to power a CBI enquiry was instituted on the contract and bribery, but the congress recently signed a contract with Israel for 10,000 crores of weapons, obviously to kill Muslims in the region, and asked the CBI to get out of sight. That is Congress and BJP and their Hindutva links against Muslims and Islam.

As it was expected when offered the premiership to him, Manmohan and the likes have been serving the multinationals in the country and west. A recent report highlights the fact that now many of the aspiring Parliamentarians are billionaires themselves, but the political outfits who float them now rather boldly as the best stuff for the Parliament also claim they want people to elect them to serve the ordinary people. An old Joke? Can mafias, criminals, terrorism financiers, frauds and the likes offer any better governance? Indian Muslims are least bothered about all this, they just want their "favorite party" to win by all "means" and they are satisfied with a few coins offered by the Hindu leaders for their "services". They don’t mind if the Congress-BJP combines pulls down some mosques and keep the Muslims fully terrorized.

III

A vote for Congress party by a Muslim in India is a vote against Mosque and, hence, against their religion Islam and fellow Muslims. Both Congress (and BJP), the Hindu parties, are using some Muslim agents to use internet to mischievously make them vote for Congress automatically just by opening their dirty emails. If one opens the dubious email your vote is automatically cast for UPA- Congress. Though it is only a joke and does not mean anything in reality, still such dubious means being employed by Congress and BJP and other Hindu parties without even raising the issue of Babri Mosque and Kashmir problem is illegal and immoral. It is shameful that Muslims, unable to make Congress recommit itself for the reconstruction of Grand Babri Mosque still, shamelessly canvas for the Hindu forces that destroyed the Babri Mosque on false notions and annexed Jammu Kashmir and killed thousands of innocent Muslims in Kashmir as well as in India.

Congress is a party with hidden agendas against Muslims in India and around and the BJP which s a byproduct of Congress, just support them. Destruction of Babri Mosque and other historic mosques in India has been the target of Congress party but it uses BJP to achieve that object. Muslims cannot deceive themselves and their religion or insult their beliefs by voting the Congress or BJP. It is not to suggest that others parties are better, they all are one and same rotten stuff but they are not directly involved in the ghastly destruction of Babri Mosque and invasion of Jammu Kashmir, however, they also don’t demand the reconstruction of Babri Mosque and vacating the Jammu Kashmir converted by terrorist India as a terror zone.

In projecting BJP as the big threat to Islam and Muslims, Congress has taken Muslim support for granted. Similarly, the Communists and other Third front parties have ensured the bulk of votes of the Muslims sandwiched between Congress and BJP extremist dramas. Congress, a covert Hindutva party, is using, by usual secret arrangement, the Hindutva BJP as a threat to woo the Muslims to vote for Congress which in fact is also a terrific threat to Islam. By just ignoring the calls for vote to these anti-Islamic political outfits, Muslims would in fact honor their religion, their God ALLAH and dignity of Muslims, without fear of backlash form these Hindu outfits, because worst has already been done to Indian Muslims all spheres.

IV

Most Muslims feel they have no proper choices and India has created all possibilities to elect only those the Indian regime offer to them. Muslims have, thus, have a choice among those who destroyed the Grand Babri Mosque, those who created the opportunity for the ghastly demolition by the Hindu terrorists and those who indirectly support tit and never opposed it or asked Indian regime to rebuild the Mosque as promised. The power-cum-benefits sharing tactics of Muslim League and other similar outfits have indeed harmed the Muslims genuine interests and emboldened the Indian state to honor the commit to the nation and world on Babri Mosque.

Grand Babri Mosque was pulled down in 1992 (on the false information supplied by the former Indian rulers from UK) by Indian Hindu terrorists with the backup of state and security forces. Politicians, essentially anti-Muslim, rule India on behalf of industrialists who finance their campaigns. After this poll, many industrialists would become ministers and occupy important positions. Can a poll meant to retain the billionaires in power through a government help the common people, especially the hapless Muslims in a basically Hindu India? Hindu parties and their governments have been fooling the Muslims for decades now. Muslims have to get away from their pressure tactics and ponder over their pathetic existence as well as threat plight in India at least while voting, if at all they choose to vote. Once Muslims begin to think one can expect a basic shift in Indian politics, for, Grand Babri Mosque would be back at its original site; Kashmiris will obtain their sovereignty back from an arrogant and hegemonic India. Muslims will get their legitimate dues in national development, hitherto denied by "secular & democratic" India.

V

As a strategic partner, India is like Israel and USA with hidden agendas to reduce the population of global Muslims and defame Islam by projecting it as a religion of terrorists and killing Muslims by branding them as terrorists, including suspected ones. India, basically ruled by Congress party and its allies, is employing all tricks to marginalize and terrorize the hapless Muslim population in the country. Indian industrialists once elected, don’t require the political MPs for advancing their interests around the world and now even get their own representatives as ambassadors and high-commissioners and other high officials abroad and indoors. Now elections are due shortly and many billionaires, private terrorists, criminals, national pick-pockets, liquor & other mafias and international frauds would reach the Parliament to make laws for “secular & democratic” India. They would use terrorism plank to loot the nation.

In fact, it does not matter who will be the next premier in India which has not so far produced any normal premier- let alone good or great with a vision- who is fare-minded and would take decisions independent of Hindu pressure groups and other capitalist lobbies, and capable of tracking Hindu terrorists and other trouble-shooters for minorities firmly.

The moot issue, therefore, is not which party or alliance would secure more seats and who would be the next premier. In fact, it does not actually matter whether a soft Hindutva regime led by Congress or an extremist Hindutva alliance led by BJP or even a third or fourth front without any program would form the government. But the real issue would be whether the Indian leadership would at all shed its anti-Islamic and anti-Muslim mindset first and then think about the genuine interest of Muslims including the Babri Mosque! Indian façade of democracy and secularism is fake is used to fool the world, but the leaders keep confusing the world with these concepts.

(PS. This is not my personal issue, but an issue concerning Islam and the Muslims across the globe)

European Scene: Poll & Crisis in Moldova

By Dr. Abdul Ruff 

I

Moldova or Moldavia, a former Republic of the Soviet Union and now a part of “democratic” Europe, however, remains, like the Central Asian states that also once formed the parts of the USSR, one of the pro-communist dispensations. Moldavians went to the polls on April 05 to vote for a new parliament that will in course choose a replacement for President Vladimir Voronin, the only Communist leader in Europe and the former Soviet Union. Voronin, in office since 2001, cannot stand for a third consecutive term but has made it plain that he wants to remain close to power by taking another senior post in the manner of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Russia.

The final election results released on April 08 showed the Communist Party with 49.5% of the vote, winning 60 parliamentary seats. That is one seat less than the number required for the party to control the presidential election. Three other parties are more amenable to working with the Communists, and they may pass the 6 percent of support needed to gain a seat in the parliament. The Communists need 61 seats if they want to vote through their candidate for the presidency. No candidate has been named so far. The Communists gain much of their support from the older generations and civil servants.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has already congratulated Voronin on his party's election win, and the Foreign Ministry said Russia was deeply concerned by the events in Moldova.  The Moldova parliament elects the president, and the Communists appeared very close to securing the 61 seats they need in the 101-seat assembly to secure victory for their chosen candidate.  Voronin's Communists, who held 56 of the 101 seats in the outgoing parliament, are far ahead in a field of 15 parties, with support of 36 percent. Three opposition parties, broadly favoring closer ties with Romania and the European Union, lie far behind. Voronin did not rule out forming a coalition in the parliament, saying, "It would be good for as many parties to get in ... then there'll be someone with whom to create a coalition."

Opposition leaders said the election result was fraudulent. Moldova's president has since called for a full recount of disputed elections won by the ruling Communist Party, bowing to a key demand of protesters who stormed the parliament. Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin said in an official statement: "I am convinced that a complete recount of votes will become a major argument for maintaining political stability, peace and mutual trust in Moldova".

Meanwhile, about 10,000 demonstrators massed for a second day in the capital of Europe's poorest country to denounce the vote as rigged. The opposition called for ballots to be recounted or the vote to be re-held. Most of the protesters are students who see no future if Communists keep their hold on the former Soviet republic of 4 million people -- located on the European Union's border but within what Russia sees as its sphere of influence. They hurled computers into the street while police took cover behind riot shields. Moldovan protesters ransacked the president's offices and the parliament on April 07in violent protests over parliamentary elections that President Vladimir Voronin said amounted to a "coup d'etat, referring to opposition leaders." RIA-Novosti reported that the authorities and opposition leaders agreed to a recount of votes cast in Sunday's parliamentary election, which was easily won by Voronin's Communist Party. Voronin said in a television address that opposition leaders had embarked on a "path to the violent seizure of power." He said the authorities "would resolutely defend the state against the leaders of the pogrom."

Some of the protesters had carried Romanian flags and called for the unification of Moldova with Romania, its bigger neighbour and even shouted "We are Romanians".  Protesters overwhelmed riot police protecting both the president's office and the parliament -- located opposite each other on the capital Chisinau's main boulevard -- and poured into both buildings through smashed windows. They heaped tables, chairs and papers onto a bonfire outside parliament, and fires could also be seen in some of the building's windows. Some people gathered to demand the release of the 193 people reportedly arrested. Vlad Filat, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, called the demonstrations "a spontaneous action by protesting young people". He said the opposition had tried to prevent excesses.

II

Protestors indirectly sought to end communist regime and also seek better ties with neighboring Rumania. They however did not demand the resignation of Voronin. The leaders of three opposition parties that won seats in parliament spoke to reporters after emerging from talks with Moldova's president and prime minister in the aftermath of protests that caused serious damage to government buildings. They sought to stop violence. "We must stop this violence, secure the right to a recount of all the votes. And we demanded the right to stage peaceful protests “Dorin Chirtoaca, leader of the Liberal Party and mayor of Chisinau, said. Vlad Filat of the Liberal Democrats said the opposition, which stands broadly for closer ties with neighboring Romania, was demanding the right to check all electoral lists.. "As a result of this, I can assure you that the elections were rigged and we will organize a new election."

Opposition leaders called for a halt to the protests and said they were pressing for a recount of all votes cast. Moldovan state television said one young woman choked to death from carbon monoxide poisoning in the parliament building. It cited a senior doctor at Chisinau emergency hospital as saying 34 other protesters had been injured, including two in a serious condition in hospital. Some 80 police officers also received treatment for injuries, it said. Some demonstrators were seen chasing police away after seizing truncheons and riot shields

Officials in Moldova and Russia accused Romania of fomenting the riots, but witnesses said they were spontaneous. Moldova's president has accused neighboring Romania of stoking the protests that erupted into violence in the capital Chisinau. Romania has rejected the accusation as a "provocation". Vladimir Voronin, a communist, was quoted by Russian agency Interfax saying: "We know that certain political forces in Romania are behind this unrest. The Romanian flags fixed on the government buildings in Chisinau attest to this." He ordered that Romania's ambassador be expelled, recalled the Moldovan envoy from Bucharest, and said Romanians would in future need visas to cross into Moldova. But Romania's foreign ministry said: "This accusation is a provocation aimed at the Romanian state." It is "unacceptable that the Communists in power in Chisinau shift the blame for internal problems in Moldova onto Romania and the Romanian people", the statement added.

III

International observers said the vote appeared to have been fair. The EU sent an envoy to Moldova to mediate in the dispute between President Voronin's Communist Party and the three centre-right opposition parties. Observers from the European security body, the OSCE, concluded that the vote had been generally fair, but opposition parties and many students accused the authorities of fraud. A report by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s vote gave a mostly positive assessment of the poll. But the BBC in Moscow says that any Romanian connection with the uprising is to do with economics, rather than politics. EU foreign policy Chief Javier Solana called on all sides to show restraint and to refrain from violence and provocation..

Moldova is one of six former Soviet states with which the EU is due to launch a new program of enhanced ties at a summit in Prague next month. Moldova, sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, is the poorest country in Europe, where the average wage is just under $250 (£168) a month. The people speak Romanian and the country shares many cultural links with Romania. However it was annexed by the Soviet Union in World War II and gained independence in 1991. There remains an unresolved conflict with the breakaway region of Trans-Dniester, which has run its own affairs, with Moscow's support, since the end of hostilities in a brief war in 1992.

President Voronin, in power since 2001, is governing a country where poverty has pushed a quarter of adults to work abroad. Voronin has overseen stability and economic growth since 2001 but has been unable to solve the rebellion in its Russian-speaking breakaway region of Transdnestr, where Russia has had troops since Soviet times. The region, like in previous elections, boycotted Sunday's vote. With little mineral resources, Moldova's economy depends on agriculture, including wine production, and remittances from the hundreds of thousands who left the country to work in EU states. The global economic crisis threatens to aggravate Moldova's poverty as workers' remittances dry up.

As it stands now, Moldova's liberal, pro-Western opposition on April 14 dismissed as a "trick" a planned recount of the recent disputed election won by the ruling Communist Party and said it would take no part in the process. Opposition parties demand a new election and say they expect no new results. They say their concern is fraud with voters' lists, which they allege contain the names of dead voters and Moldovans working abroad.

Word of the demonstrations was spread by text message, via the internet, and on social networking tools. Moldovans can see the success that Romania has enjoyed since throwing off communism and joining the EU. On average, Romanians earn five times as much as their Moldovan neighbours. The conclusion that many young Moldovans have come to is that a return to communist government and close friendship with Moscow has brought them nothing. Needless to state that the Western powers are instrumental in the post-poll troubles in Moldova but their merits or otherwise cannot be diagnosed here. Voronin is due to step down, having served the maximum of two consecutive terms.

Indo-US Economy: Economic Stimulus May Bypass Poverty Eradication?

Obama Injects Stimulus: But will it work?

Economic Stimulus May Bypass Poverty Eradication?

Prof. J. George and Ayushya Mohan George

The announced economic package is primarily aimed at avoiding bankruptcy of a few at the cost of neglecting poverty eradication. The 836 million ‘aam adami” appears to have lost relevance with this spectrum of economic activities targeted as the main recipients.

Public service delivery mechanism as domestic demand stimulant, hence, attains exceptional significance when global meltdown in market fundamentals leads to loss of confidence along with depression. A close reading of Paul Krugman’s columns in the New York Times should convince any hard core sceptics.

Poor people in particular should not despair if appropriate economic stimulus as public expenditure is stepped up. Or will fiscal prudence driven public expenditure protocol make a mockery of even recent enactment of the social security law for the unorganised sector? Fiscal profligacy, though, will accelerate movement towards mocking the poor people.

It is extremely momentous, however, to ensure modest mechanism to access basic public services like health care, sanitation, drinking water and education; and access to meaningful political participation (73^rd and 74^th amendments to the constitution), respectable work and modest security in addition to adequate access to income to steer the stimulus package indeed towards a sustainable and real social protection.

The Indian Constitution and the millennium development goals (MDGs) has mandated to ‘Take Action’ to end poverty and inequality. Did we succeed in either? Should not poverty/BPL be such an emotive issue today as well? Why does it not keep popping up in a typical Gresham’s Law fashion every day in the media?

A plausible explanation is available if we cared to revisit Nobel Laureates Amartya Sen and Eric Maskin or the 2008 commemoration theme of the International Day (17 October) for the Eradication of Poverty (IDEP), namely, ‘human rights and dignity of people living in poverty’.

Income is essential to acquire material personal effects in this consumer driven world. The famous 17^th century philosopher Immanuel Kant posited that whereas material possessions are replaceable, dignity of the human beings is distinct and hence irreplaceable.

Prof. Amartya Sen is very categorical in stating that all development agenda must underscore ‘dignity of human beings’. His treatises on famines and social security, etc. are prime examples suggesting protocols for practicing such precepts.

Eric Maskin through his “theory of mechanism design” has demonstrated that to attain a given goal, suitable and appropriate mechanisms need to be designed.

UN (Division of Social Policy and Development) maintains poverty as “a human condition of deprivation of resources, capabilities, choices, security and power necessary for the enjoyment of an adequate standard of living and other civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights”.(42 words)

The bottomline is to move away from exclusionary to inclusionary platform of actions and deeds. The interdependence of three factors, namely, access to income, basic services and level of people’s participation makes or mars goal attainment, albeit with people’s dignity, of the economic stimulus package.

The received global wisdom and thesis is that faster economic growth is the only remedy to come out of poverty. The Planning Commission and all international development finance institutions subscribe to this flawed obsession and theory. In tune with the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-12) objective of faster and inclusive economic growth, some states, Haryana for instance, has added now a ‘social revolution’ spin.

The average year to year economic growth, such as in Haryana, during the period 1999/2000 to 2007/08 has been estimated to be about 8.67 per cent. The derived per capita income surely is higher than the notional poverty line. Under these economic circumstances consumption will soar to raise the volume in the own tax revenue kitty. This and other associated steps in public expenditure control template advocated by the Bretton Woods institutions lead to the much celebrated fiscal governance outcome of actions diligently taken under the fiscal responsibility and budget management (FRBM) circuit in the country.

The immediate question that will follow is at what cost to the society. The bitter truth, however, is that recently one in every four households in Haryana has been officially declared to be poor. Hence the nagging concern that the economic stimulus will impoverish more than ameliorate the targeted as well as the general masses.

Can it be mere neglectful that this new poverty estimate is different from the Planning Commission reckoning? Is this contradiction valid given the economic prosperity ushered in by the new ‘growth story line’? Should rise in poverty follow rise in income? Will current economic slowdown adversely impair all good work expected out of the social security law enactment or enhanced public expenditure?

This is grossly undesirable and yet a practical contradiction witnessed in a fiscally prudent and high economic growth state. If we consider attainment levels in the 18 targets of the UN millennium development goals (MDGs) the emerging social regression sends chill down the spine. How does one justify the feasibility of this paradox?

The paradox is made feasible due to the limitations inherent in the income measure of poverty. A poor delivery mechanism across programmes invariably explains the reality. It is explained also by the crucial interlocking mechanism between poverty reduction and human rights. Both are issues of societal rights and obligations rather than mere welfare or selflessness of the public institutions’ service delivery dictum. This query attains frightening dimension right across developing countries that is growing slower than the Haryana state economy.

A foolproof, transparent and painless mechanism to ensure comfortable access to basic public services is the answer. The social construct, for instance,does not follow a narrow and beaten path of ‘ceteris paribus’ so wantonly used in the economic growth calculations.

The social profile in liaison with the economic milieu does provide useful and crucial insights to the paradox. In a more functional term, however, current status of mechanism to access the delivery of myriad public services by the states vindicates feasibility of this inconsistency.

A more cerebral explanation to this absurdity is found in the ‘capabilities’ and ‘functionings’ treatise of the Nobel laureate Amartya Sen. Capabilities are tangible and intangible resources or endowments with the household, while ‘functionings’ are the activities, operations or performance rooted in the capabilities of the household.

Thus higher income should encourage better access (demand segment) to basic services and better functioning (supply segment) of the public delivery institutions. Latter has not happened and the former, given a chance, forcefully get articulated at the hustings. The economic stimulus package must address this dichotomous challenge. The interim budget of the central government did make a beginning by raising the threshold support level to the rural employment guarantee scheme and the rural infrastructure flagship scheme called “Bharat Nirman”. The urban renewal missions too see a heightened support along with a number of soft social sector schemes and programmes in health and education. Increased and higher budgetary support will only be one part of the stimulus package. The other part will be the triology of accessibility mentioned earlier.

Be that as it may, the apex 16 member expert group constituted recently (August 2008) in the union ministry of rural development must be seized of the quibble over numbers in all seriousness. Their task however has been made easier and feasible with the groundbreaking recommendations of the National Commission for Enterprises in Unorganised Sector (NCEUS) headed by Prof. Arjun Sengupta. NCEUS has estimated vulnerability of at least 836 million ‘aam adami’ spread across rural-urban spaces to livelihood and food security concerns in India. Cavil over numbers, in comparison, will merely serve the livelihood security of a handful of number crunchers.

We must recall here that the erstwhile PRSP intervention of the World Bank suggested that poverty data can and must be ignored. The current World Bank flavour, District Poverty Intervention Programme (DPIP) also suggests the same bold inference. The flawed enthusiasm for poverty data per se alone hence is misplaced and motivated. Hopefully, the 16 member committee appointed by the rural development ministry will not fall into this precipice.

At the recent UN meet fears were indeed, expressed about funds shortfall to successfully meet 2015 deadline for the 8 Millennium Development Goals. The current financial crisis sweeping the world is certain to heighten worries of donor agencies and the poor alike. Besides, paradox of increasing capital flow from south to north has already led to new belt tightening procedures in the development financing approaches. Market failures and abdication by the state of her leadership in the public service deliver domain is the intimidating backdrop.

Given the contemporary discourse, corruption in the delivery of public services must top the agenda. For example, imagine that the front level functionary disbursing the old age pension sum of say, Rs. 500 per month illegally demands Rs.100 per month as part of the rent for delivering the service. In a year the same person is deprived of Rs.1200/- on account of a miniscule proportion of the poverty reduction programme.

The Indian Constitution’s 11^th Schedule lists 29 functions for rural and 18 functions for urban development. Each element has a number of subgroups, either exclusively or in association with others, making engagement with poverty reduction challenges. The myriad and opaque procedure to access these functions only enhances rent seeking premiums.

The stimulus packages and high stakes do not necessarily yield automatic stimulus to basic ‘poor-performance’ services delivered by the public services system. The leadership, depth and spread of delivery by public agencies, it may be recalled, have no parallels and cannot be matched by private operators. Keynes and George Stigler demonstrated this a long time ago.

The West Bengal Governor firmly recommended that ‘Land cannot be treated as a dematerialised share certificate’ to ‘swing in tune with the Sensex’ as many poor people eke out their livelihood in dignity using diminutive ‘capability’ and ‘functioning’s.

The deprivation index based new approach of the Planning Commission may appear promising provided explicit measures to factor in access to education, healthcare and other basic services emerge in the public domain. We know that even the half measure outlay-outcome attempt by the state can bring relief to the poor.

The key challenge therefore is to figure out transformation pathways for public service delivery functions and functionaries. SAARC development goals makes a fervent plea towards this direction.

The bureaucracy and members of the local bodies will be necessary evils in any strategic measure attempting to engage with worrisome issue on poverty eradication. Their partnership in pelf must give way to progress for poverty eradication. Concentration on three entities - ‘competent authority’, front level functionary and their standard operating protocol - become imminent.

A partnership with sensitive civil society grassroots bodies has enabled a few of the ‘competent authority’ to transform the public services delivery mechanism. The authority specific SEA – service efforts and achievements – can be mapped to clearly correct a number of ‘service delivery disabilities’.

The functionary strength deficit has been mounting since 1995. The norms for these cadre level public servants are based on the 1951-55 vintage community development block days. At these dated norms the current deficit may range upto 40-50 per cent in most of the states. The concerted drive towards ‘outsourcing’ and ‘rightsizing’ have, albeit, worsened the situation.

The poor equity and efficiency observed in the public service delivery is fully explicable by the dearth of LOADS, namely, leadership, ownership, accountability, decentralisation and sustainability. Absence of LOADS, for example, explains why many high income growth states have high incidence of manipulation in the poverty reduction programmes; social regression far surpasses economic growth, implementation is mired in corruption. A poor service delivery protocol is the general outcome across India.

Increasing vulnerabilities in the society, ‘targeted growth fixation’ scenario amid market failure episodes have imparted a new spin of uncertainty to the delivery of basic services. These vacillations need to be now taken gravely because ‘aam adami’ will decide livelihood and food security issues of many people except the babudom and the number cruncher. This handful should not be allowed to tread on the dignity of people living in poverty.

When push comes to shove, public services must ensure easy mechanism to access. Failing which even the less than 2% of GDP demand (Rs. 58,000 crores) put forth by NCEUS as a bailout package may not suffice.

[The first author teaches and consults on Strategic Economic Management in Delhi and the second is an avid student of public economic analysis.]

Click the link to Download the doc file :economic_stimulus_may_bypass_poverty_eradication.doc

CIA-Zionist Global Agenda

By Dr. Abdul Ruff

Palestine Holocaust & Western Democracy

Post-Holocaust scene in Mideast after the new US administration took office is depressing, to say the least, with the Arabs still undecided about their coordinated security action against enemies of Islam and Islamic nations and, worst, fact that the Palestinians claming a vague “victory” in Israeli holocaust in the face of a strong roguish and state of Israel unleashing intermittent terror attacks on Palestinians, against all human norms. There has been a strong notion in the Islamic world that nothing would change in White House and the world art large. This means the status quo of the new presidency in Washington would continue as before.

What would amount to mean the new US President’s resolve for peaceful resolution of regional crises, Barack Obama named his two key envoys to the Middle East: Pakistan and Afghanistan. George Mitchell, who negotiated an end to Northern Ireland's Troubles, has been charged with moving the Middle East peace process forward. Richard Holbrooke has been named envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan. He brokered the 1995 deal that ended the war in the former Yugoslavia. Earlier, Obama ordered Guantanamo Bay prison camp to close within a year. Barack Obama's first statement, however, did not significantly depart from earlier US policies. Obama made his first public statement on the Middle East as US president. He named former senator George Mitchell as a special envoy to the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabian leaders have warned the US that it needs to change attitudes over the Arab-Israeli conflict. Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former Saudi intelligence chief and former ambassador to the US said ex-President George W Bush had left a "sickening legacy" in the Middle East. He accused the US of contributing to the killing of Gazans. Prince Turki's abruptly resigned and left Washington after just 15 months in the job. The post of ambassador to Washington is one of the most important for Saudi foreign relations. In recent years, the US-Saudi relations have occasionally been uneasy. Saudi Arabia opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq, and has been dismayed by events across its northern border since. US-Saudi relations became strained after it was revealed that most of the hijackers involved in the 11 September attacks came from Saudi Arabia. Prince Turki's departure left a void in US-Saudi relations at a moment when the Middle East faces crises on several fronts.

As it is known, the USA has a long cherished agenda for its military superiority in the world even before the Nazist Germany began its fascist terror voyage, devastating, to capture the whole world. Israel keeps clinging on to USA in executing its nefarious designs world wide through their secret agencies secretly. There are a few Jewish strategists who poison the American minds with anti-Islamic themes and rhetoric.

As the so-called democracies make tall claims about their Human rights records their terror forces test all routes of global terrorism. The recent installment of holocaust in Palestine unleashed by the fascist Israeli terror forces takes the world to route of anti-Islamic nations towards the goals if fully controlling the resources of Arab world and containing the global Muslims. Knowing that Palestinians and their “friends” in Arab world would claim some victory in Israel’s holocaust in Palestine, Tel-Aviv played its terror card quite effectively, began as Bush was getting ready to quit the White House and Obama, a lefty, was rising to power.

The Jewish control of the US Government apparatus and the mass media can be clearly seen the exact wording of the resolution: In three places this short resolution endorses the survival of the State of Israel as a Jewish State with secure borders. That's a JEWISH STATE, not a multicultural or multi-religious state but a state exclusively dedicated to Jews. The controlled media had not a word in criticism of the resolution supporting Israel as an ethnic and religious state exclusively dedicated to Jews! The resolution is the clear proof of Jewish supremacy over the U.S. government. One could not even imagine the U.S. Congress or the mass media tolerating a resolution, which called for the control immigration and secure American borders so as to preserve an overwhelmingly White and Christian America.

As per CIA-Mossad plan, Afghanistan was destroyed, its resources squandered and booty shared by the invading state terrorists form the West with help of Russia, among others in East.. A puppet regime was installed there in Kabul and the fascists want on rampages in Arab world by invading Iraq first. The further invasions are now on hold the neocons expect the Obama regime to pursue the US policy of controlling the global resources and therefore invade Iran and other “rogues”..

Resources of Afghanistan and Iraq are now under the invaders control and the people there under their terror custody. People are split by the occupying forces to make them kill each other thereby making the job the occupying forces fairly easier. USA, the most powerful country with all latest arms and remote technology frightened the world by creating Islamaphobia and hatred for Islam and Muslims. But all powerful USA having best remote equipment failed to track and make disappear any object pretended to be afraid of one Osama , the super man, rather Spiderman with his only military uniform and video tapes meant only for Al-Jazeera supposedly one of media creations of the USA to support its global terrorism designs.

In the democracy and rule of law many nasty developments have happened in the world. Democracies, like the autocracies, believe that their advancements depend on the destruction of other nations. Muslims nations have had a pathetic existence for centuries but with the oil hitting the Arab coasts, some improvement in the lives of Muslims was noticed. Over all progress in life conditions in Arab and other few Islamic nations became a matter of jealousy and animosity in non-Islamic world. US-led west along with Israel hatched plans to subvert the Islamic nations by creating proxy wars. US seeks a good portion of wealth for itself form every part of the world and hence creates tension every where and sell weapons there. Arabs also buy huge arsenals of arms form US-led west and of course from other nations. But they want to just control the energy resources for their own companies without paying any price to the Arabs. Hence they ignited troubles every where. Israel wants to keep the Palestine issue alive by killing ht innocent people there so that USA could bring the Arabs under its control. USA supports and aids the Jewish attacks in Palestine.

The global state terrorist networks have skilfully utilized the services of the media in propaganda business and Islamaphobia dramatics. The partiality of even the so-called impartial media like the BBC and VOA is not entirely unknown to the world, but the recent Israeli terror war in Palestine killing innocent people there including little children and women exposed the BBC partiality in favour of fascist Israel. More than 400 children have died, thousands are homeless and nothing short of a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in Gaza. It is shocking to know that the broadcast about Gaza reality could compromise the impartiality of the BBC's reporting from the Palestinian territory. BBC wants to shield the Jewish fascists, just as the Indian media try to protect Hindu terrorists involved in terrorist activities in Indian town, including Mumbai.

Bulk of the media in Islamic and Arab world is being controlled and managed by non-Muslims who are also anti-Muslims when situations warrant. This situation has catered to the onward march of the anti-Islamic forces globally, making it dents in countries like Israel and India. Baring one or two, the English newspapers in Arab world are fully equipped with Western staff, ideas and their propaganda machinery. They terrorized Muslims telling them they are indeed the terrorists and have to behave well. Lest the US-led forces would kill them. Muslims are terrorized in such a manner that most of the Muslims have shaven off their pet beards out of fear of fellow Muslims and anti-Muslims. This is no exaggeration.

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Osama Factor & Global Terror

Since sept11 when the western media including the TV medium began blasting the global Muslims and “Islamic fundamentalism”, a lot lost of water has flown under the under the anti-Islamic regional and national bridges, a lot more Muslim blood too. In fact the global media, essentially anti-Muslim by nature and in essence, have enjoyed a lot of bloody pleasures at the site of dead bodies of Muslims on international arena. The US-led terror wars exposed a few facts about Islamic world.

It is a known fact that many state agencies have recruited and employed Muslims and non-Muslims to be engaged in terrorism activities across the globe and blame the Muslims and Islamic fundamentalism for that. After the success of Sept 11 terrorism, it was tried out in many countries and Muslims were targeted for murder and torture. India does the same with its Parliament terrorism. Some Islamic groups are supposed to accept the claim for having “done” a particular terrorism. In Mumbai, thus, it was the turn of the Deccan Mujahideen to accept the blame, but Indians switched the blame on to Pakistan.

USA is supposedly fighting terror wars, but in fact its forces are engaged in slashing the Muslim population in the Islamic world and hence many anti-Islamic nations lent them support. Interestingly even several Islamic nations have joined the global state terror gangs for their own reasons. Ably supported by anti-Islamic media, the global terror networks by CIA-Mossad combine have indeed did the magic for the anti-Islamic nations and terror forces to attack Muslims and terrorize Muslim nations. After the Soviet withdrawal in May 1989 and fall of the puppet regime in Kabul, the Mossad agents manipulated the Mujahideen to fight with each other. This created hostility and distrust among their major groups, and the coalition government they belatedly set up in Kabul was unworkable from the start.

USA-Mossad do plan meticulously about the terror machinations across the globe and use the Al-Qaeda as their base tool to aggravate the tensions. Al-Qaeda had to be shown as having all the power and resources for committing the most terrible acts at the global level. Al-Qaeda is thus credited with “enormous capabilities” including use of chemical, biological, and tactical nuclear weapons, and of intricate computer technologies.

CIA and Mossad have established worldwide secret networks with poisonous tentacles and can deploy biological, chemical and nuclear weapons, but the Western media provide a bundle of disinformation and fabricated scenarios of past events and anticipated threats from Islamic fundamentalists. They make events and history too. In Afghanistan, within a short period the Taliban marched on to Kabul unopposed. Enemies of USSR suddenly started speak against USA. Mullah Omar, programmed for his role and surrounded by disguised Afghani Jews as his ministers and advisers, was invested with the image of an intolerant extremist Islamist, a mentor of Osama Bin Laden and a foe of the West. Simultaneously, Osama and his senior disciples, who had previously been programmed to oppose the Soviets, were now cultivated and programmed to speak and act as ‘enemies’ of the United States. The name, AlQaeda, meaning ‘the Base,’ originated. It was the title of the computer folder in which Osama Bin Laden, employed by CIA through the Saudi Intelligence in December 1979, began to keep the data of the Mujahideen, recruited and trained by CIA and Mossad for Afghan Jihad. USA and West derived “fundamentalism” out of this..

Israel’s Mossad and American CIA had already been setting up AlQaeda cells in the Muslim World and in other countries, such as, US, Canada, Britain, Germany, Spain, France, Kenya, the Philippines, to suit their schemes of engineering acts of terrorism before and after 9/11, to create the bogus threat of worldwide terrorism. It was not surprising that within a few weeks of 9/11, CIA produced a map of AlQaeda cells located in over 40 countries. CIA-Mossad agents, who can merge with the local people, control each cell. They decide the target, the timing and scope of each major operation, and they arrange for the required finances, technology, equipment, intelligence and hideouts. The cell’s militants may be local or foreign brainwashed, disposable minions, who have no idea of their controllers or of the real aims of the terror acts they are asked to undertake. Zionist stool pigeons go about recruiting emotion-charged volunteers for the cells in the name of Osama and Jihad against America and its allies/satellites.

The terror gangs, propped up by US-Israel combine that came to be known as Al-Qaeda were formed in the early 1930s by the Jewish Agency (JA) for a dreadful purpose. Established in 1929 in Jerusalem as an arm of WZO, the JA was to function as a ‘government-in- being’ for the future Zionist state. They operate under CIA cover. One of its tasks was to expel the Palestinians from Palestine and to compel the large numbers of Jews living in and around the Middle East to immigrate to Palestine to increase its Jewish population. They also targeted the British Mandatory Authority in Palestine to make it submit to various Zionist demands. Disguised as Muslims and operating with extreme secrecy, these gangs of Eastern Jews subjected selected Jewish communities in each country to frightful psychological propaganda and shocking acts of terrorism including burning their synagogues and homes and slaughtering the Jewish people to make them believe they could no longer live safely among the Muslims. These gangs were to later form the core elements of the body named as AlQaeda. They gained direct deep access into the secret agencies of all the pro-US Middle Eastern states. They had been trained to look, act and live like dedicated Muslim Mujahideen. Many Tajik, Uzbek, Afghani Jews, as well as Jews from Pakistan’s Tribal Areas were added to their ranks. When Mossad/CIA inducted Osama into the Afghan Jihad, the Arabian Jews as anti-Communism specialists had already established a firm footing in the Saudi intelligence service. As the game’s players in the field were all Afghani Jews.

The “terror mastermind”, Osama is silent these days, and only the USA and Israel and their allies know the reason for that. Rise of terrorism as the most important global theme for academic debates in fact enhanced the terrorism planks to survive as the dominant political instrument in the world and polls were fought on this issue. The Pentagon-CIA-Mossad combine aided by their predominantly anti-Islamic media, in fact is controlling the world almost in every sphere of activities. These media magnets promote not only terrorism but also fuel the crises by making the Palestinians fight with Israel and kill themselves eventually. Osama gives his secret taps only to Al-Jazeera, one of the US creations.

Global media, broadly speaking, are promoting state terrorism unleashed by their respective favorite nations, but they also are committed to defame Islam and help the anti-Islamic fascist regimes to kill and torture Muslims. The US-led West and its Eastern associates successfully created a firmly rooted anti-Islamic media to spread rumours and anti-Islamic propagandas. It is a known fact that Taliban and Al-Qaeda were created by the CIA-SIS combine to punish the communists, dismantle communist regime in Afghanistan and push the Soviets out of Afghanistan. Every terror operation by Mossad-CIA but cleverly ascribed to AlQaeda, in its real consequences and effects has been a severe blow to Islam, the Muslim Countries and the Muslims living all over the world.

When all of a sudden a few miscreants appeared in a Mosque in Srinagar and spoke about independence on behalf of the so-called Al-Qaeda and Taliban I wrote to expose the designs of anti-Kashmiris, anti-Muslim tactics to mislead the Kashmiris and get them killed by Indian terror forces supported with Israeli weapons. Soon they disappeared not to appear again in Kashmir. Al-Qaeda could be a powerful CIA-cum-Zionist Weapon against Islam. Most of the Muslims rightly perceive the so-called West’s War on Terrorism as a War against Islam. Already the so-called fundamentalists, Osama and AlQaeda are the greatest threat to the Muslims, not to the Western people. Has it not been proved already by the ugly events of the past four years since 9/11?

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Fascism & Media hypes

Maybe Osama is already a spent force for the USA and it might have already discarded him, but thanks to Osama’s timely terror assistance to USA, one of the outcomes of the Sept11 is to bring all secret services agencies of the world powers under CIA-Pentagon. The way the entire world kept their mouth shut and military arsenals closed down disallowing any arms movement to Palestine during the Israeli terror war in Palestine reveals the crude fact that USA-Israel control the world, its economy, military, intelligence and other arsenals.

It is horrid to think that we are covered by terrorists of all sorts and their local agents every where and anything could happened any where. Osama seems to have offered enough substance for the media to target Islam and Muslims. When there seems to be some logic when the state run media, including the newspapers trumpet about the achievements of the regime including state terrorism feats, the same practice by the non-state media is ridiculous as they fail to uphold the genius of being the fourth estate and declining to guard the genuine interest so people when hidden agendas are being pursued by the state against legitimate some sections of population (Muslims).

Although the concerned regimes have not yet admitted openly role in the terrorism activities to discredit Islam and torture Muslims, they now are aware of the crude fact that pseudo democracy facade has fallen off their faces exposing their real fascist terrorist faces. However, their media are still waging an intense life and death battle to hide the state terrorists and continue to implicate the Muslims and their organizations, real and fake, their own and those launched by the Pentagon-CIS-Mossad-RAW etc

The genocides and torture scene of Muslims at global level by the anti-Islamic forces and nations is not the fallout of terrorism as the global media try to argue with some filthy evidences manufactured by the USA, but the result of a deep rooted and planned conspiracy against Islam and Muslims. US-Israel led anti-Islamic forces began executing their long cherished agenda of Islamic holocaust in Arab (Islamic) world and torture them every where by branding them as “terrorists”, suspected and potential. Indians and Russians joined the band gradually to serve their own Muslim problems in their neighborhoods, like Kashmir and Chechnya etc.

Although the US-Israel and combine are yet to admit their role in Sept1 terrorism in USA, by now it is becoming clear to the world. Some of the western editors tell me as Israel gets more lands form Palestine, they would be less afraid of Arabs and more relaxed which in turn let them give away some lands for the Palestinians to establish their own state. That mean first of all let the Jews settle down in Palestine and decide what to be given to the Palestinians , but Tel Aviv would continue to control Palestine as India is doing in Kashmir. These sorts of arguments are common in West

Creation of Osama bin Laden as a “terrorist” with an anti-Islamic mandate was one of finest imaginative activities of the US-led West. Rise of Osama-bin Laden as “global terror” was only the beginning of western inspired terrorism and USA sought to project him and his own associates as “threats to America” to pursue the hidden agenda of the USA-Israeli strategists operating across the world infiltrating into every organization, including Islamic. Osama relocated himself in Afghanistan, as per CIA-Mossad ideas, because it was precisely fast emerging Islamic Afghanistan that was the target of the anti-Islamic nations. Saudi led Arab nations supported the USA and other masters of petrodollars to wind up the Taliban regime in Kabul and replace it with royal regime that would just follow the usual Islam followed the world wide, wealth creations, the corruption, nepotism, pro-Americanism, etc.

It seems the Palestinians indirectly oppose any punitive measures against the Jewish killers of Muslims in Palestine with their mischievous victory claims in genocides of children. By not demanding for punitive measures beginning with disarming of Israel but arranging quick money for reconstruction of Gaza, the Arab stats have indirectly financed the holocaust of Muslims confirming the wide speculations about their secret understating with Israel like Egypt is openly doing. Thus it looks like a joint terrorism efforts on permanent basis in Palestine with USA, UK-led Quartet, PLO led by Abbas of pro-US-Israel Fatah, Egypt and Arab nations while the entire Islamic world is watching the genocide shows along with UN and UNSC bigwigs.

USA and Israel are keen to make the world spend more resources on military equipment that they sell. Militarization of the world and heavy spending on military equipment remain the chief goals of Israel-US combine. USA and other advanced countries sell more weapons to the weak nations on terrorism pretext. If any country refuses to budge and help the US pursue its own interests, terrorism is tried out there too. (Indonesia)

Even while the Arabs are trying to compromise with the US-Israeli arrogance, the Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says Israel will protect from prosecution any of its soldiers accused of war crimes in Gaza. Many colonial terror nations like India are seeking protection under the commonly existing torture regimes around the world and they think nothing will happen to their terror forces and their leaders. This is what Olmert stressed recently.

Bulk of the media in Arab world is being managed by non-Muslims and Arabs are happy about because they need not do any thing about journalism, as they are busy in making petrodollars. This has crated an alarming situation in Arab world. Arabs think they are terrorists and culprits and that the anti-Islamic nations are the best ones in the world.

Now the world, largely seen as anti-Islamic, is not at all bothered about disarming a fascist Israel to deny it anymore chances of invasions and holocaust, rather the world leaders and media are blaming Hamas to stop any move to punish the aggressors and killers. Had any Islamic country invaded Israel, USA would have long ago passed UNSC resolution to attack the "rogue" state concerned, but now Israel and its supporters are not rogues. But the matter has to be settled in favor of world peace and Israel has to be punished for the war crimes and holocaust us9ng dangerous weapons.

With the Soviet system collapsing under its own weight and the Islamic nations weakening gradually for their own wickedness, the only super power of the world, USA emerges as the sole custodian of democratic and secular values and all like mined nations have to seek membership in its club. By using the terror environments in regions, USA wants to advance its economic goals. As a result, the US-led capitalist world is steering up to rope in as many third world nations as it is possible to advance their national economic and security interests by re-equipping the instruments of capitalism and imperialism world wide.

First, Israel should be asked to vacate the stolen Lands of the Palestinians immediately; enough funds should be raised by the UN and UNSC – and by any other sources- for Palestine Reconstruction and establishment; the leaders of Israel, including the military and strategists should be tried in special tribunals for their anti-human crimes and disregarding international law and UN and UNSC. A memorial should be raised at the entrance of Gaza dedicated to the children killed by the fascist Jews in Palestine.

US president Obama has a larger role to play now in resolving the Palestine issue first by making all efforts to disarm Israel and arrange, through the UN and ICJ in The Hague bind the Israeli terrorists to legal procedures to punish them in special tribunals for their crimes (war crimes and other wise) against humanity in its neighborhoods.

Side by side, Obama and UNSC have to put India also on notice for its cirmes committed aganst Kashmiri Muslims in Jammu Kashmir since 1947.