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THE HINDU: Mounting grievances, little regulation
The suspected suicide last week of three women
students, who were monetarily exploited by the management of an
ill-equipped private naturopathy and yoga college in Tamil Nadu, is a dark
reminder of the absence of an effective regulatory or grievance-redress
mechanism in the higher education sector. Similar tragic episodes have played
out in other parts of the country as well.
Yet, regulatory authorities have
displayed little urgency in trying to rescue students trapped in vicious
environments that put their families in financial hardship and deprive them of
a meaningful academic life. There is no dearth of regulatory agencies governing
colleges. A private institution can be established only after multiple
clearances — ‘no objection’ and essentiality certificates from the State
governments, approval from apex bodies such as the AICTE and the MCI, and
affiliation from the respective regional universities. What is lacking is
honest and meticulous scrutiny of an institution’s real strengths by academics,
officials and experts vested with the responsibility of inspecting and
certifying colleges. In a context where colleges have proliferated, regulatory
agencies that lack the wherewithal to physically inspect institutions grant
approval mainly based on documents submitted by them. They undertake only
random on-site inspections. Many universities grant affiliation if a college
fulfils even 60 per cent of the stipulated requirements. Such porous systems
are exploited by unscrupulous colleges to submit fabricated records and obtain
approvals. There have been numerous cases of medical and engineering colleges
employing ghost faculty members, or ‘renting’ teachers, laboratory equipment,
furniture and books for libraries during inspections. No concrete steps have
been taken to plug the loopholes in the enforcement of regulations. A simple
proposal to assign unique identification numbers to teachers of professional
colleges to prevent duplication in faculty rolls has been pending for years.
In another
unhealthy trend in the pre-approval stage, courts often step in in favour of colleges
after regulatory agencies reject approval or universities refuse to grant
affiliation citing infrastructure and academic deficiencies. This despite the
Supreme Court ruling in AICTE vs. Surinder Kumar Dhawan(2009) that “the courts
are neither equipped nor have the academic or technical background to
substitute themselves in place of statutory professional technical bodies and
take decisions in academic matters involving standards and quality of technical
education.” Post-approval, there is no enabling environment to encourage
students to raise grievances relating to over-charging and academic
deprivation. Universities and many State governments have conveniently adopted
a hands-off approach, leaving students in irredeemable distress. Such a
lackadaisical approach to regulating higher education is equally responsible
for colleges producing unemployable graduates. What is needed is not only the
strengthening of regulatory systems but also the appointment of academicians
with uncompromising integrity to head regulatory bodies and universities.
mount
Climb up
(stairs, a hill, or other rising surface).
griev·ance
A real or
imagined wrong or other cause for complaint or protest, especially unfair
treatment.
na·tur·op·a·thy
A system of
alternative medicine based on the theory that diseases can be successfully
treated or prevented without the use of drugs, by techniques such as control of
diet, exercise, and massage.
vi·cious
Deliberately
cruel or violent
de·prive
Deny (a person
or place) the possession or use of something.
dearth
A scarcity or
lack of something
me·tic·u·lous
Showing great
attention to detail; very careful and precise.
scru·ti·ny
Critical
observation or examination.
vest·ed
Secured in the
possession of or assigned to a person.
pro·lif·er·ate
Increase
rapidly in numbers; multiply.
where·with·al
The money or
other means needed for a particular purpose.
po·rous
(of a rock or
other material) having minute spaces or holes through which liquid or air may
pass.
un·scru·pu·lous
Having or
showing no moral principles; not honest or fair.
ir·re·deem·a·ble
Not able to be
saved, improved, or corrected.
lack·a·dai·si·cal
Lacking
enthusiasm and determination; carelessly lazy.
THE
HINDU: Oommen Chandy must resign
More than two years
after it first broke, Kerala’s ‘solar scam’ appears to have come to a head with
a vigilance court in Thrissur ordering an investigation and the registration of
a first information report against Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. The immediate
reaction of the Chief Minister was to dismiss demands for his resignation, but
this development has obviously rocked the United Democratic Front government
and further chipped away at its legitimacy. Till this week, Mr. Chandy had remained in the scandal’s penumbra, shrugging off allegations
about his personal involvement after packing off three official aides soon
after they were named as alleged go-betweens in the scam. The case draws from charges that prime accused Saritha S. Nair and her former partner Biju Radhakrishnan had duped investors in
a solar power company they had floated. They had allegedly persuaded investors
to put in money by flaunting connections with the Chief Minister’s office.
Police investigators have since estimated the amount thus swindled to be around
Rs.6 crore. Thursday’s court order comes on a petition by an activist after
Saritha Nair deposed before the judicial commission investigating the case that she had paid a bribe of Rs.1.9 crore to the Chief Minister through an aide. Mr. Chandy had been questioned for more than 11 hours by the commission a day earlier and he had claimed
innocence, but stopped short of agreeing to a lie detector test. With an FIR
ordered, the issue has now moved beyond questions and answers. For the
legitimacy of the government, in deference to the post he holds, and in the
interest of a fair investigation, Mr. Chandy must resign forthwith as Chief
Minister.
The leak of audio tapes wherein the voice
allegedly of KPCC general secretary Thampanoor Ravi was heard tutoring Saritha
Nair over the telephone, asking her to ‘play safe’ in her testimony to the
inquiry commission, has compounded the case against Mr. Chandy. Significantly,
two of his senior Cabinet colleagues, K.M. Mani and K. Babu, had recently put in their papers as Finance Minister and Excise Minister, respectively, after
adverse court orders in a bar bribery scam. (The Kerala High Court has since
stayed the orders in Mr. Babu’s case.) There is no space left for Mr. Chandy to
try to brazen it out and resist demands for his resignation without
compromising the moral and ethical dignity of the Chief Minister’s office. It
is said in Mr. Chandy’s defence that previous charges of graft and sexual
favours levelled against him by
Biju Radhakrishnan before the
same inquiry commission did not hold up against scrutiny. Nonetheless,
Thursday’s order leaves Mr. Chandy no option but to fight his case legally. By
doing so politically, and perhaps by pleading his case to his party in the
run-up to Assembly elections a few months from now, he would risk drawing
Kerala into a constitutional crisis.
vig·i·lance
The action or
state of keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties.
chip
Cut or break (a
small piece) from the edge or surface of a hard material.
shrug
Raise (one's
shoulders) slightly and momentarily to express doubt, ignorance, or
indifference.
al·le·ga·tion
A claim or
assertion that someone has done something illegal or wrong, typically one made
without proof.
dupe
Deceive; trick.
float
Rest or move on
or near the surface of a liquid without sinking.
flaunt
Display
(something) ostentatiously, especially in order to provoke envy or admiration
or to show defiance.
swin·dle
Use deception
to deprive (someone) of money or possessions.
forth·with
(especially in
official use) immediately; without delay.
tu·tor
Act as a tutor
to (a single student or a very small group).
bra·zen
Bold and
without shame.
plead·ing
The action of
making an emotional or earnest appeal to someone.
BUSINESS STANDARD: Raising EPFO interest
rates makes no sense
It has been reported that the government is
considering a significant increase in the rate of interest associated with
deposits in the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation, or EPFO. It is said
that the EPFO has recommended that the interest rate on provident funds, which
is 8.75 per cent at present, be raised to 8.95 per cent for 2015-16. The
current interest rate on fixed deposits in the State Bank of India is 8.5 per
cent. The differential is much greater when tax savings associated with
provident fund deposits are considered.
The EPFO interest rate is just one of the many complex and strikingly persistent administered rates for various state small savings schemes. Banks have to compete for depositors with these tax-saving schemes. The high rates that such schemes offer their depositors are often cited by banks as one reason why they cannot easily drop borrowing rates – and thus lending rates – in spite of repeated cuts in the repo rate by the Reserve Bank of India. It is important, therefore, from the point of view of strengthening the monetary transmission mechanism, that such rates be more explicitly linked to the market. Recent committee reports, including from committees chaired by Shyamala Gopinath and Y V Reddy, have strongly recommended as much. But the government has been reluctant, for political reasons, to cede control. In fact, the last major alteration to administered rates in the small-savings system was in 2002. A recent research report from the State Bank of India suggested that the small savings rate should be uniform and linked to the average of deposit rates with the top five banks. The RBI has also indicated that the government must take action to correct problems in monetary policy transmission – indeed, in September 2015, when the RBI cut repo rates by 50 basis points to 6.75 per cent, the finance ministry had explicitly said that the Centre would review and rationalise small savings schemes. Even subsequently, the finance ministry has indicated that a plan to liberalise the interest rate regime for small savings schemes is under consideration.
It is to be hoped, therefore, that the suggestion that the EPFO interest rate be increased is viewed in the light of the larger project of reforming small savings and cleaning up the transmission of monetary policy. The interest rate on provident funds must be depoliticised, which would require it to be linked to some market-based formulae instead of the current, essentially arbitrary system where a government-influenced board of trustees makes recommendations about the rate and the government chooses to notify it. Certainly, given low inflation at the moment and the fact that most other rates are lower, it is difficult to argue that the EPFO rates should be increased—especially at the cost of maintaining stable reserves of cash. The EPFO has cautiously begun to invest in equities – it put Rs 5,000 crore into SBI Mutual Fund-managed instruments last August – and maintaining stable reserves is even more important under such circumstances. If the government is concerned about protecting the common man, it should note that an increase in interest rates of provident funds is more beneficial to those who have larger PF accounts.
The EPFO interest rate is just one of the many complex and strikingly persistent administered rates for various state small savings schemes. Banks have to compete for depositors with these tax-saving schemes. The high rates that such schemes offer their depositors are often cited by banks as one reason why they cannot easily drop borrowing rates – and thus lending rates – in spite of repeated cuts in the repo rate by the Reserve Bank of India. It is important, therefore, from the point of view of strengthening the monetary transmission mechanism, that such rates be more explicitly linked to the market. Recent committee reports, including from committees chaired by Shyamala Gopinath and Y V Reddy, have strongly recommended as much. But the government has been reluctant, for political reasons, to cede control. In fact, the last major alteration to administered rates in the small-savings system was in 2002. A recent research report from the State Bank of India suggested that the small savings rate should be uniform and linked to the average of deposit rates with the top five banks. The RBI has also indicated that the government must take action to correct problems in monetary policy transmission – indeed, in September 2015, when the RBI cut repo rates by 50 basis points to 6.75 per cent, the finance ministry had explicitly said that the Centre would review and rationalise small savings schemes. Even subsequently, the finance ministry has indicated that a plan to liberalise the interest rate regime for small savings schemes is under consideration.
It is to be hoped, therefore, that the suggestion that the EPFO interest rate be increased is viewed in the light of the larger project of reforming small savings and cleaning up the transmission of monetary policy. The interest rate on provident funds must be depoliticised, which would require it to be linked to some market-based formulae instead of the current, essentially arbitrary system where a government-influenced board of trustees makes recommendations about the rate and the government chooses to notify it. Certainly, given low inflation at the moment and the fact that most other rates are lower, it is difficult to argue that the EPFO rates should be increased—especially at the cost of maintaining stable reserves of cash. The EPFO has cautiously begun to invest in equities – it put Rs 5,000 crore into SBI Mutual Fund-managed instruments last August – and maintaining stable reserves is even more important under such circumstances. If the government is concerned about protecting the common man, it should note that an increase in interest rates of provident funds is more beneficial to those who have larger PF accounts.
ex·plic·it
Stated clearly
and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt.
re·luc·tant
Unwilling and
hesitant; disinclined.
cede
Give up (power
or territory).
al·ter·a·tion
The action or
process of altering or being altered.
de·po·lit·i·cize
Remove from
political activity or influence.
INDIAN
EXPRESS: Give us your gold
The Danish
parliament’s passing of a controversial bill to seize refugees’ valuables to
pay for their upkeep is perhaps a classic case of how not to “welcome” people
who have already endured every conceivable ordeal in their flight from war,
starvation and near-death, and traversed thousands of miles to dignify what’s
left of their lives. Yet, the Danish government would argue that the problem is
one of semantics, compounded by the insensitive phrasing of the law, whereby
police would be able to confiscate valuables worth more than 10,000 kroner
(€1,340) to pay for said refugee’s housing and food. In fact, several EU states
have similar laws and Danish citizens aren’t exempt either, as exemplified by
unemployed Danes having to sell their valuables, above a certain benchmark, to
claim welfare benefits. Lawmakers point out the Danish welfare state is based
on the principle of everyone using up “their own” resources first. However, if
it were a mere case of miscommunication by the government or misunderstanding
by the rest of the world — which, including the UN, has roundly criticised Copenhagen
— the original draft wouldn’t need to be modified to increase the worth of
valuables asylum-seekers could keep.
While Prime Minister
Lars Rasmussen has called the law the “most misunderstood” in Danish history,
his Liberal Party has had to refute charges that Denmark was going to take
“jewellery away”.
Comparisons have,
predictably, been made to the Nazi seizure of valuables from European Jewry.
But hyperbole apart, how does the government plan to distinguish jewellery of
“sentimental value”, such as wedding rings that won’t be seized, from jewellery
that isn’t?
Europe, undeniably,
faces a crisis of mammoth proportions. The EU’s engine, Germany, is struggling
to cope with the influx of refugees, whose daily numbers are closer to 4,000
rather than the official 2,000. Nevertheless, when Denmark complains of
undeservedly getting a “dirty reputation”, it must remember compassion ranks
above convenience.
en·dure
Suffer
(something painful or difficult) patiently.
con·ceiv·a·ble
Capable of
being imagined or grasped mentally.
or·deal
A painful or
horrific experience, especially a protracted one.
trav·erse
Travel across
or through.
dig·ni·fy
Make
(something) seem worthy and impressive.
se·man·tics
The branch of
linguistics and logic concerned with meaning. There are a number of branches
and subbranches of semantics, including formal semantics, which
studies the logical aspects of meaning, such as sense, reference, implication,
and logical form, lexical semantics, which studies word meanings
and word relations, and conceptual semantics, which studies the
cognitive structure of meaning.
a·sy·lum
The protection
granted by a nation to someone who has left their native country as a political
refugee
re·fute
Prove (a
statement or theory) to be wrong or false; disprove.
Jew·ry
Jews
collectively.
hy·per·bo·le
Exaggerated
statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
mam·moth
A large extinct
elephant of the Pleistocene epoch, typically hairy with a sloping back and long
curved tusks.
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Newspaper editorials
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Link to Read it
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The NewYork
Times(USA)
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The Moscow
Times (Russia)
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The
Guardian (UK)
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The Dawn(Pakistan)
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