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Encourage Sanskrit

It refers to Union HRD Ministry studying proposal from The Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan to introduce Sanskrit as compulsory subject in Hindi-speaking states in three-language formula on Gujarat model with 25-percent marks for Sanskrit in Hindi papers in non-Hindi states where language of state is the third language.
Sanskrit is the originating language for many modern Indian languages, and is still enriched with valuable treasure in its ancient books which if analysed and studied can perhaps provide much more advanced studies in various fields including technology and medical science. Advanced study of Ayurveda is rather necessity of time for medical research which can be done only through ancient Sanskrit literature. Technological advances of ancient Ramayana or Mahabharat age are lying hidden in Sanskrit literature. Need is rather for encouraging study and use of Sanskrit at global level with aid of UNESCO not only in India but worldwide in the broader human interest.

Nariman on Collegium System
Union government should take immediate and serious note of speech delivered by country’s top legal luminary Fali S Nariman at National Law University (New Delhi) wherein he made bold exposure on drawbacks of collegiums-system of appointing judges. The speech delivered in presence of Chief Justice of India directly hinted at personal equations and not merit being followed in recommending elevation of judges at Supreme Court.
The eminent lawyer gave two recent examples which echo views of right-thinking persons of the civil society. First was superseding country’s known-distinguished judge Justice AP Shah in his elevation as Supreme Court judge, who will soon retire in February 2010 from Delhi High Court if Supreme Court collegium does not meet immediately to give him due justice. Fali S Nariman justified his comments with example of Justice AK Patnaik who after being overlooked three times, was at last elevated to Supreme Court just after retirement of the collegium-member opposing him from the Supreme Court.
Interestingly all such injustice to country’s distinguished judges was there despite reported intervention by Prime Minister’s Office in present non-transparent mode of appointing judges which could even place any controversial judge at the Supreme Court while doing injustice with the deserving ones.

India Now on 84th Position on Honesty Index
India has ‘strong’ reason to feel satisfied by ‘improving’ its position in global honesty-ranking from 85th last year to now 84th this year that too much better than that of Pakistan! Our political rulers and bureaucrats are fond of enjoying luxurious ‘study-tours’ on public-expense in ‘national or public’ interest. High-level delegation should be sent to world’s least corrupt nations like Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Singapore and Sweden. At least Indian virus may raise corruption-level of honest countries to induce socialism in global corruption if India itself cannot match the honest ones! If Indian government wishes to induce honesty in the system, there should be provision of death-penalty and life-imprisonment for persons involved in big scams. Properties of the culprits and their near relations should be confiscated. Since currency is the oxygen to corruption, stringent steps may be taken to drastically transform currency circulation in banking transactions in a manner people may find excess currency as ‘paper’ of no practical use! But who will bell the cat when law-makers themselves are biggest beneficiary of a system prone to corruption!

Timely Advice from Vice President
Vice President of India has advised political parties to minimise use of whips over their Parliamentarians. Party-based political system has witnessed serious loopholes when party bosses of small regional parties take Parliamentarians as bonded persons by frequently shifting loyalties just for their personal gains. This attitude is mainly responsible for toppling of governments and hung legislatures apart from inducing high-level corruption and en-block horse-trading of legislators. Most recently, a Parliamentarian Suman Kabir of Trinamool Congress (TMC) has publicly expressed displeasure on bossism in his party. Such corrupt system was responsible for emergence of now-exposed corrupt Madhu Koda as Chief Minister of Jharkhand.
Best way to end with malpractices of a party-based political system is to elect Chief Ministers and Prime Minister by secret and compulsory votes of all members of lower House through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) on nominations signed by at least one-third electing members. Such an elected leader may only be removed by a no-confidence motion passed in the same manner but with compulsion of naming alternate leader in the same motion. Speakers and Deputy Speakers should be elected simultaneously with Chief Ministers/Prime Minister in the same manner. Only those should be appointed as ministers who might not have contested any elections in last say five years to eliminate lust for money-minting ministerial chairs from amongst legislators.

Increasing Price of Medicines
National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has allowed drug-manufacturers to increase prices of 119 medicines including some general medicines of day-to-day use like Detol, Insulin, Antibiotics, Pain-killers and Vitamins etc. NPPA should also have issued guidelines so as to prevent drug-manufacturers from gimmick-packaging that often mislead public about real price of medicines. Several companies pack cough-lozenges in packs like eight lozenges per strip in place of usual ten. Normal persons judge price of such medicines by price per strip overlooking the number of tablets/lozenges per strip. Likewise despite metric-unit of packaging now in force for last half of the century, some companies use metric-convertibles of old FPS units to pack medicines. NPPA should direct drug-manufacturers to compulsory pack medicines in units of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 or 500 gms/mltrs/kgs/litres/units unless exemption is sought for some dose-wise administration.
Many-a-times name of medicine is printed only once on a complete strip of tablets/ capsules, thereby causing great confusion when the tablet/ capsule under the printed name is consumed. It is difficult to recognise the remaining medicine in the strip having no name of the medicine. NPPA should make it compulsory to print name of the medicine on complete strip under every tablet/ capsule. Moreover it should also be compulsory to print/ emboss name of the medicine individually on each tablet/ capsule.

Piece-Meal Poll-Reforms
It refers to Rajya Sabha passing bill to raise security-deposit and ban exit-polls as part of piece-meal poll-reforms. It is not understood why Union government has failed to implement simple poll-reforms which are pending for decades now, and may have no controversy. Since a person cannot represent two constituencies or become member of both Parliament and state-Assembly, no person should be allowed to contest from more than one constituency or for both Parliament and State-Assembly. A sitting MP/MLA should resign first from his earlier post before filing nomination for the other seat. Parliamentarians on being appointed Ministers in states should automatically lose their Parliament seat and vice versa. Security-losing persons should be barred from contesting elections for next six years. Election-Commission’s formula of making it compulsory for recognised political-parties to give at least one-third party tickets to women can be the best compromised formula towards demand of reservation for women in legislature.

Women Reservation Bill and Politics of Consensus
Once again, Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily stated in Rajya Sabha that government will present much-delayed and long-awaited ‘Women Reservation Bill’ in the ‘current’ session of Parliament but only after achieving consensus! Such statements from Union government are usual at beginning of Parliament-sessions. Is every Bill presented in Parliament after achieving consensus? If not, then it is senseless to talk such never-to-be-achieved consensus for an aspect which is on records supported by parties commanding even more than three-fourth majority in Parliament.

Union government should march ahead to get Women-Reservation-Bill passed in its original form without any distortion or dilution. Unlike all other man-made aspects for ‘Reservation’ like caste or tribe, women constituting 50-percent of population are dominated section of society created by nature also in terms of body-built and physique, and do require ‘Reservation’ in present male-dominated society. Even Islamic world including Pakistan and many other democratic countries including fresh democracy in Nepal have adopted Women-Reservation in legislature. On one side, women-quota in Panchayats and local bodies has been raised from 33 to 50 percent, but on the other hand women are denied of 33-perecent reservation in Parliament and state-legislatures!

However Election Commission’s formula to make it compulsory for every political party to give at least 33-percent party-tickets to women can also be considered. But such compulsion should be state-wise so as to avoid parties fulfilling the formality by giving party-tickets to women in states where their poll-prospects may be dim. Move will also enable parties demanding ‘quota-within-quota’ to implement the same in ticket-distribution!
Staying at Five Star
It refers to Union Minister of State Sultan Ahmed enjoying luxury at suit in Ashoka Hotel at highly subsidised rate for six months costing just rupees 37 lakhs instead of about rupees one crore. The minister has stated that he was misguided by ministry’s officers about his entitlement for stay at the hotel. A person not knowing even his entitlements as minister has no right to be a minister. Sultan Ahmed should also name officials misguiding him, and reveal action taken against those having misguided him. Public-sector Ashoka Hotel should not allow any subsidy on the hotel-bill paid by personal pocket of the minister.

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