#EVERYDAYQUIZ #thehindu #business Standard #indian Express
The Hindu: Time for a national security
doctrine
By restarting dialogue with Pakistan and
acting with diplomatic restraint following the Pathankot attack, the Narendra
Modi government has wisely differentiated between the Pakistan government and
non-state actors.
The challenge thrown up by the terrorist attack on the Pathankot air
force base is to evolve India’s
national security doctrine to include its response to non-state actors. While
carrying on diplomatic engagement with Pakistan, India needs a firm strategy to
deal with terrorist threats that are now the prime challenge to the state.
Political consensus must be evolved, in a publicly transparent manner, to
reflect the complex challenge facing the country, detail its thresholds,
interests that would be protected at any cost and response calibration vis-à-vis armed aggression. The doctrine must be
accompanied by a national security strategy that spells out the command and
control structures for meeting eventualities such as terror strikes, so that
last-minute goof-ups such as thosethat have been evident at the Pathankot
airbase are not repeated. In the
absence of such a clearly articulated consensus, India’s response is
qualitatively linked to the government of the day, its key leaders and their
personal ability, or inability, to understand and appreciate security
challenges.
The proposed security
doctrine must be anchored in the foundational values of the Constitution. India
enjoys Westphalian sovereignty, which grants it exclusive right to its domestic
affairs and security but also comes with a huge bundle of responsibilities.
India still has no written national security doctrine, and whatever is
practised as the doctrine, and strategy, is vastly inadequate. The political
class across the spectrum needs to come together to define India’s permanent interests. It is time to move on
from the unwritten grand strategy
of working only towards the political unity and
preservation of India to a written doctrine that defines India’s role in the
world and its commitment to protecting the life, liberty and interests of its
people. After every terrorist attack, there are shallow attempts by the
establishment to fit episodic responses into academic frameworks and proposals
for security establishment reforms, but in no time things go back to default
mode, until the next terrorist attack. The recurring terrorist attacks are not
just a humiliation for the country but also a nightmare that is repeatedly
disrupting daily routines and taking away precious lives. The very foundations
of India’s security establishment need to be reformed if a robust national
security doctrine is to be implemented. The intelligence agencies are cloaked
in mystery, and with no credible external audit. Given the opacity of these
agencies, intelligence alerts often emerge that have no credibility. In the
process, credible intelligence
inputs, such as the one about Pathankot, are not treated with enough
seriousness. The agencies that are to provide security cover and neutralise
terrorist threats do not have a cohesive command and control structure. It
varies according to who is in control in New Delhi. It is time to finally show
that India can be more than a functional anarchy.
doc·trine
A belief or set of beliefs held
and taught by a church, political party, or other group.
dip·lo·mat·ic
Of or concerning the profession,
activity, or skill of managing international relations.
re·straint
A measure or condition that keeps
someone or something under control or within limits.
e·volve
Develop gradually, especially
from a simple to a more complex form.
thresh·old
A strip of wood, metal, or stone
forming the bottom of a doorway and crossed in entering a house or room.
cal·i·bra·tion
The action or process of
calibrating an instrument or experimental readings.
goof
A mistake.
an·chor
Moor (a ship) to the sea bottom
with an anchor.
spec·trum
A band of colors, as seen in a
rainbow, produced by separation of the components of light by their different
degrees of refraction according to wavelength.
hu·mil·i·a·tion
The action of humiliating someone
or the state of being humiliated.
re·peat·ed·ly
Over and over again; constantly.
cloak
Dress in a cloak.
co·he·sive
Characterized by or causing
cohesion.
co·he·sion
The action or fact of forming a
united whole.
The Hindu: Dress code by judicial diktat
Seeking to preserve the ‘spiritual
ambience’ in temples by prescribing a dress code for worshippers may appear to
be a laudable objective. However, courts of law should be cautious about
framing their own rules in the guise of passing judicial orders. A fiat from
the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court
prescribing the sort of clothing that devotees should wear while visiting temples has come into
effect in Tamil Nadu from January 1. A single judge decided on November 26,
2015 that to curb the wearing of “improper clothing” by temple-goers, a dress
code was “inevitable”. Even though what was before him was only a petition for
permitting a folk cultural performance on the premises of a village temple, he
impleaded the State Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department as a
respondent and proceeded to prescribe an interim dress code straightaway. The code, that sets down dhotis or pyjamas with upper cloth, or formal trousers and shirts, for
men, and saree or half-saree with blouse, or churidars with upper cloth, for
women, and any fully covered dress for children, will be in force until the
State government decides on implementing a code on the lines given in the court
order. The department has now decided to appeal to a Division Bench against the
single judge’s order. It has rightly taken the position that the order was not
in consonance with the Tamil Nadu Temple Entry Authorisation Act, 1947, which
permits individual temples to frame rules relating to attire based on their own
customs and traditions.
It is true that many
places of worship belonging to all religions do have and enforce some sort of
attire for worshippers and visitors. There are temples that insist that male
devotees should be bare-bodied above the waist while inside their precincts, and
many that allow only dhotis and bar trousers. However, these restrictions are
framed by temple authorities based on local tradition and customs. The
acceptability of the worshippers’ clothing is decided by local circumstances
and ought not to be based on external decree, much less through a judicial
diktat. In Tamil Nadu, tens of thousands of temples do come under the State
government through the HR & CE Department, but that does not automatically
mean that a writ of mandamus can
be issued by the court to the
authorities without sufficient cause or any public law principle. There is
nothing to show that public authorities had failed to do their duty of
protecting the ambience of temples all over the State. The judge’s code may not
be unduly restrictive, but it raises the question whether there is any
religious rule linking dress with devotion. It is not clear why the prescription
is gender-based, when some kinds of apparel — shirts and trousers, for instance
— are worn by both men and women. Judicial activism undoubtedly furthers public
interest, but it is equally important that it is not used to impose a
particular world view on the public.
laud·a·ble
(of an action, idea, or goal)
deserving praise and commendation.
guise
An external form, appearance, or
manner of presentation, typically concealing the true nature of something.
curb
A stone or concrete edging to a
street or path.
in·ev·i·ta·ble
Certain to happen; unavoidable.
impleaded
(Implead) Impleader is a
procedural device before trial in which one party joins a third party into a
lawsuit because that third party is liable to an original defendant. ...
en·dow·ment
The action of endowing something
or someone.
con·so·nance
Agreement or compatibility
between opinions or actions.
at·tire
Clothes, especially fine or
formal ones.
pre·cinct
A district of a city or town as
defined for police purposes.
de·cree
An official order issued by a
legal authority.
dik·tat
An order or decree imposed by
someone in power without popular consent.
de·vo·tion
Love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for
a person, activity, or cause.
BUSINESS
STANDARD: India needs to
catch up on R&D
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the Indian Science Congress at Mysuru on
Sunday comes in the context of various controversies over knowledge drawn from
classical texts, including his own reference in the past to plastic surgery in
ancient India. But, there can be no quarrel with the PM’s assertion that the
country must “bridge the distance between traditional knowledge and modern
science” and must also “use scientific techniques and methods to delve deeper
into traditional medicines and practices like Yoga.” The discipline of
scientific enquiry will remain central, and traditional knowledge must be
subject to the scientific method. In fact, since the prime minister has also
mentioned issues like treatment and wellness, it will be a great gain if large
clinical trials are run to validate traditional remedies. Some of what
traditional medicine has to offer is so obviously useful that its efficacy is
simply waiting to be recorded and documented in a manner acceptable to modern
science.
Mr Modi has also underlined the commitment of his government to the revival of rivers and securing their future. Signalling a shift in paradigm, he has said that they are the soul of nature which has to be sustained, and man is part of nature, not superior to it. The implication is that the role of the civil engineer changing geography belongs to the last century. If this is indeed a paradigm shift, then it must be considered necessary also to discard at the highest level the ill-conceived idea of his ministerial colleague, of building several barrages across the Ganga. Such action, if undertaken, will take away whatever little life is still left in the river. In fact, the highest priority should be given to the idea of ensuring an abiral nirmal dhara which also includes the resolve not to dump waste in the river.
What the prime minister did not touch upon is the fact that the Indian scientific effort has a long way to go. How far the distance is can be gauged from the wide difference between India and China on several parameters like spending on research and development (R&D), research papers published and patent applications filed. China is now among the global leaders in the design and manufacture of smart phones, solar panels and high-speed trains. India has a lot of catching up to do — and both the government and the private sector have a role to play. Both must spend more on R&D, and the latter must tie it up with innovative efforts to gain global competitiveness. Making such efforts in generic pharmaceuticals and information technology solutions is not good enough. As for the productivity of government scientific establishments, which leaves a lot to be desired, the promise of a scientific audit should be followed through rigorously. The hierarchical culture in many government laboratories needs to be addressed. Innovative methods must be found to stimulate R&D. Providing tax incentives that are easily misused is not a sustainable solution; R&D superpowers like Germany have practically no such incentives. There are few alternatives to strengthening government-funded basic science and creating an ecosystem around that, which privileges intellectual property rights and innovation.
Mr Modi has also underlined the commitment of his government to the revival of rivers and securing their future. Signalling a shift in paradigm, he has said that they are the soul of nature which has to be sustained, and man is part of nature, not superior to it. The implication is that the role of the civil engineer changing geography belongs to the last century. If this is indeed a paradigm shift, then it must be considered necessary also to discard at the highest level the ill-conceived idea of his ministerial colleague, of building several barrages across the Ganga. Such action, if undertaken, will take away whatever little life is still left in the river. In fact, the highest priority should be given to the idea of ensuring an abiral nirmal dhara which also includes the resolve not to dump waste in the river.
What the prime minister did not touch upon is the fact that the Indian scientific effort has a long way to go. How far the distance is can be gauged from the wide difference between India and China on several parameters like spending on research and development (R&D), research papers published and patent applications filed. China is now among the global leaders in the design and manufacture of smart phones, solar panels and high-speed trains. India has a lot of catching up to do — and both the government and the private sector have a role to play. Both must spend more on R&D, and the latter must tie it up with innovative efforts to gain global competitiveness. Making such efforts in generic pharmaceuticals and information technology solutions is not good enough. As for the productivity of government scientific establishments, which leaves a lot to be desired, the promise of a scientific audit should be followed through rigorously. The hierarchical culture in many government laboratories needs to be addressed. Innovative methods must be found to stimulate R&D. Providing tax incentives that are easily misused is not a sustainable solution; R&D superpowers like Germany have practically no such incentives. There are few alternatives to strengthening government-funded basic science and creating an ecosystem around that, which privileges intellectual property rights and innovation.
as·ser·tion
A confident and forceful
statement of fact or belief.
delve
Reach inside a receptacle and
search for something.
ef·fi·ca·cy
The ability to produce a desired
or intended result.
par·a·digm
A typical example or pattern of
something; a model.
dis·card
Get rid of (someone or something)
as no longer useful or desirable.
gauge
Estimate or determine the
magnitude, amount, or volume of.
rig·or·ous
Extremely thorough, exhaustive,
or accurate.
stim·u·late
Raise levels of physiological or
nervous activity in (the body or any biological system).
INDIAN
EXPRESS
The schism widens
The severing of diplomatic relations
between Iran and Saudi Arabia, after Riyadh expelled Iranian diplomats on
Sunday, giving them 48 hours to get out of the country, is not a surprising
development. It was long feared that things would come to this pass. Yet, little
was done to prevent it. Saudi Arabia’s execution of dissident Shia cleric
Sheikh Nimr-al-Nimr — along with 46 others, mostly Sunnis allegedly associated
with al-Qaeda — on Saturday resonated across Shia communities in the Middle
East, enraging Iran and provoking its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to
invoke “divine revenge” on the Saudi kingdom. While Iran had the upper hand
vis-a-vis an execution condemned across the world, the attacks on the Saudi
embassy in Tehran prompted Riyadh to seize the narrative and cut off ties.
As leaders of the Shia and Sunni worlds
respectively, Iran and Saudi Arabia have always been rivals, if not outright
enemies. They have certainly never been friends. After the Islamic Revolution
of 1979 and the hostage crisis at the US embassy, Tehran and Riyadh found
themselves in opposite Cold War camps. Although the late 1990s saw a
substantial improvement in relations under Mohammad Khatami’s moderate regime
in Tehran, the Iranian nuclear programme raised temperatures that refused to
subside even after the American rapprochement with Iran culminated in last
year’s nuclear deal. In recent times, Saudi Arabia and Iran have been on
opposite sides in the civil wars in Syria and Yemen, the latter conflict being
a proxy war between them. Since this rivalry had already been playing out in
the Arab street, if the current crisis escalates into a more direct military
confrontation, its impact on a volatile region devastated by conflict will be
indescribable. Already, Bahrain and Sudan have followed Saudi Arabia in
severing ties with Iran, while the UAE has downgraded ties.
Unfortunately, neither state seems to
be in a mood to step back. Riyadh is wary of plummeting oil prices and a royal
battle of succession. Tehran’s conservatives are afraid, post-nuclear deal, of
a bigger reformist push and Western “impositions”. As a result, nationalist
rhetoric and inflamed public passions directed outward serve both and the
competition for Middle Eastern leadership provides the perfect frame. Any Shia-Sunni
conflagration will spill over beyond the Middle East. But one of the first
casualties, as is already evident, will be the low price of oil, followed by
hopes for a political resolution in Syria.
sev·er
Divide by cutting or slicing,
especially suddenly and forcibly.
ex·pel
Deprive (someone) of membership
of or involvement in a school or other organization.
dis·si·dent
A person who opposes official
policy, especially that of an authoritarian state.
al·leg·ed·ly
Used to convey that something is
claimed to be the case or have taken place, although there is no proof.
ex·e·cu·tion
The carrying out or putting into
effect of a plan, order, or course of action.
con·demn
Express complete disapproval of,
typically in public; censure
prompt
(of an event or fact) cause or
bring about (an action or feeling
sub·side
Become less intense, violent, or
severe
cul·mi·nate
Reach a climax or point of
highest development.
dev·as·tate
Destroy or ruin (something).
in·de·scrib·a·ble
Too unusual, extreme, or
indefinite to be adequately described.
war·y
Feeling or showing caution about
possible dangers or problems.
plum·met
Fall or drop straight down at
high speed.
con·fla·gra·tion
An extensive fire that destroys a
great deal of land or property.
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