✌✌✌✌ THE HINDU ✌✌✌✌
✌✌ A law for equality ✌✌
By passing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, the Rajya Sabha has adopted a radically transformative piece of legislation that addresses the concerns of arguably the most marginalised section of Indian society. The Lok Sabha should lose no time to approve this Bill in the winter session, bringing to fruition a process that started with India’s ratification of the relevant UN Convention in 2007. A measure of the expansive reach of the Bill that the Upper House passed unanimously is that it is covers as many as 19 conditions — nearly three times the number of disabilities accorded legal protection under the 1995 law. Included are a large number of individuals with multiple impairments, who are the most disadvantaged sections among the disabled. Another welcome provision is the power to notify additional disabilities, a clear recognition of the need to factor in conditions that may arise as a result of an ageing population, an inevitable part of the demographic transition. Relaxation of the upper age limit to access primary and higher education is clear evidence of foresight, given the disproportionately low and delayed enrolment of disabled children in formal schooling. In addition, the incorporation of penal stipulations, a major omission in the predecessor Act, should go some way towards ensuring more effective law enforcement.
The increase in the proportion of reserved positions in public employment and incentives for the private sector to hire disabled candidates are other important departures. The discretionary powers for authorities to determine appropriate avenues of occupation for the disabled would have to be exercised with sensitivity and openness. Experience shows that new technology enables people with disability to undertake tasks that may once have been outside their reach. In this regard, the decision to drop the proposal for the establishment of statutory disabilities commissions at the national and State levels is a lost opportunity. To vest in an advisory body the responsibility to monitor enforcement and violations of the law, as well as financial supervision, is not the most effective approach to promote equal opportunities and combat discrimination. The number of the disabled in India is anywhere between 5 and 10 per cent of the population. Their integration into the mainstream is a developmental and economic imperative. The Vision 2030 blueprint on sustainable development that is in the works is an opening for the Centre to spell out its priorities on disabilities.
✌✌ Well-oiled diplomacy ✌✌
In nominating Rex Tillerson, Chief Executive of the oil and gas conglomerate ExxonMobil, to the post of Secretary of State, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has provided another glimpse into his world view and decision-making process. Similar to Mr. Trump, Mr. Tillerson has no formal experience in political office, yet brings impressive heft in terms of deal-making across 52 countries over six continents. On his watch, the stock market value of ExxonMobil, the U.S.’s largest oil company, soared to over $360 billion. Yet the vast global reach of Mr. Tillerson’s work and the sheer complexities involved in drilling for oil, especially the sometimes messy geopolitics at play, have meant he has often been at odds with the agenda of the U.S. State Department. In Nigeria, for example, his company faced flak for lack of transparency in dealings with the government. Nowhere is the potential divergence from the hallowed traditions of Foggy Bottom’s diplomatic norms more visible than in Mr. Tillerson’s decade-plus engagement with Russia to secure oil drilling rights. Under him, ExxonMobil since 2006 signed a plethora of drilling agreements including through partnerships with the Russian oil behemoth Rosneft. Yet, as Mr. Tillerson’s star rose in the eyes of the Kremlin, U.S. President Barack Obama’s fell, especially since early 2014 when he authorised sanctions against certain Russian individuals and entities for violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
Thus, reactions to Mr. Tillerson’s nomination have been divided between relief, among those who would welcome the likely thaw in Washington-Moscow diplomatic ties, and alarm, of critics who fear that as in Mr. Trump’s case, Mr. Tillerson may find it difficult to disentangle his personal and official interests. In his confirmation hearing in the Senate he will be grilled, in all likelihood by John McCain and his peers, on his views on whether Russian hackers had interfered in the presidential election, as the U.S. intelligence community suggests they did, and whether these hackers could still launch cyberattacks on U.S. targets. His answers will provide clues about how he might carry out his duties as America’s top diplomat. They will also supply clarity on his apparent belief, contra-Trump, that human activity does cause climate change, necessitating mitigation and adaptation efforts. To India, the nomination of Mr. Tillerson, if successful, may smooth military cooperation with Moscow as Obama-era hostility towards Russia softens. ExxonMobil also has extensive oil business assets on Indian soil, so New Delhi may have reason to be sanguine about bilateral détente, especially in trade and investment terms.
✌✌✌✌ THE ECONOMIC TIMES ✌✌✌✌
✌✌ It is time Rahul Gandhi must make his charge or apologise ✌✌
Have premia on earthquake insurance gone up in Delhi since Rahul Gandhi promised to make the earth tremble with the revelations he has up his sleeve against Prime Minister Narendra Modi? Not quite. Why does the Congress vice-president persist in this game of allegation and innuendo? After all, it is not doing anything great to boost his rating as a serious leader who could lead the Opposition to Modi in 2019. Opposition leaders have not waited for the forum of Parliament to open up for them to make serious charges against the ruling party and its leaders. VP Singh launched his Bofors missile against Rajiv Gandhi outside Parliament, after all.
Perhaps Rahul Gandhi wants to make it clear that the politics of allegation and innuendo, which the BJP and its leaders have been practising against the Gandhis in relation to the AgustaWestland helicopter deal, is something that can be used against the BJP, too. Perhaps, Gandhi wants to rupture the aura of moral superiority that the prime minister has managed to wrap around himself. Perhaps, he wants to build up some momentum and suspense before announcing whatever he has to announce.
Whatever his motive, this cannot continue forever. Gandhi must come out with whatever charge he has, regardless of whether he speaks in Parliament or outside. And Prime Minister Narendra Modi should call Gandhi’s bluff. He should attend Parliament Friday and dare the Congress vice-president to go ahead and rock the Richter scale.
That would totally remove any wiggle room for Gandhi, who would either have to make good on his threat or eat humble pie. That is what the people want: their leaders must walk the talk, whether on the ruling side or in the Opposition. Politicians’ words must not follow cash and lose all value.
✌✌ A law for equality ✌✌
By passing the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, the Rajya Sabha has adopted a radically transformative piece of legislation that addresses the concerns of arguably the most marginalised section of Indian society. The Lok Sabha should lose no time to approve this Bill in the winter session, bringing to fruition a process that started with India’s ratification of the relevant UN Convention in 2007. A measure of the expansive reach of the Bill that the Upper House passed unanimously is that it is covers as many as 19 conditions — nearly three times the number of disabilities accorded legal protection under the 1995 law. Included are a large number of individuals with multiple impairments, who are the most disadvantaged sections among the disabled. Another welcome provision is the power to notify additional disabilities, a clear recognition of the need to factor in conditions that may arise as a result of an ageing population, an inevitable part of the demographic transition. Relaxation of the upper age limit to access primary and higher education is clear evidence of foresight, given the disproportionately low and delayed enrolment of disabled children in formal schooling. In addition, the incorporation of penal stipulations, a major omission in the predecessor Act, should go some way towards ensuring more effective law enforcement.
The increase in the proportion of reserved positions in public employment and incentives for the private sector to hire disabled candidates are other important departures. The discretionary powers for authorities to determine appropriate avenues of occupation for the disabled would have to be exercised with sensitivity and openness. Experience shows that new technology enables people with disability to undertake tasks that may once have been outside their reach. In this regard, the decision to drop the proposal for the establishment of statutory disabilities commissions at the national and State levels is a lost opportunity. To vest in an advisory body the responsibility to monitor enforcement and violations of the law, as well as financial supervision, is not the most effective approach to promote equal opportunities and combat discrimination. The number of the disabled in India is anywhere between 5 and 10 per cent of the population. Their integration into the mainstream is a developmental and economic imperative. The Vision 2030 blueprint on sustainable development that is in the works is an opening for the Centre to spell out its priorities on disabilities.
✌✌ Well-oiled diplomacy ✌✌
In nominating Rex Tillerson, Chief Executive of the oil and gas conglomerate ExxonMobil, to the post of Secretary of State, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has provided another glimpse into his world view and decision-making process. Similar to Mr. Trump, Mr. Tillerson has no formal experience in political office, yet brings impressive heft in terms of deal-making across 52 countries over six continents. On his watch, the stock market value of ExxonMobil, the U.S.’s largest oil company, soared to over $360 billion. Yet the vast global reach of Mr. Tillerson’s work and the sheer complexities involved in drilling for oil, especially the sometimes messy geopolitics at play, have meant he has often been at odds with the agenda of the U.S. State Department. In Nigeria, for example, his company faced flak for lack of transparency in dealings with the government. Nowhere is the potential divergence from the hallowed traditions of Foggy Bottom’s diplomatic norms more visible than in Mr. Tillerson’s decade-plus engagement with Russia to secure oil drilling rights. Under him, ExxonMobil since 2006 signed a plethora of drilling agreements including through partnerships with the Russian oil behemoth Rosneft. Yet, as Mr. Tillerson’s star rose in the eyes of the Kremlin, U.S. President Barack Obama’s fell, especially since early 2014 when he authorised sanctions against certain Russian individuals and entities for violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
Thus, reactions to Mr. Tillerson’s nomination have been divided between relief, among those who would welcome the likely thaw in Washington-Moscow diplomatic ties, and alarm, of critics who fear that as in Mr. Trump’s case, Mr. Tillerson may find it difficult to disentangle his personal and official interests. In his confirmation hearing in the Senate he will be grilled, in all likelihood by John McCain and his peers, on his views on whether Russian hackers had interfered in the presidential election, as the U.S. intelligence community suggests they did, and whether these hackers could still launch cyberattacks on U.S. targets. His answers will provide clues about how he might carry out his duties as America’s top diplomat. They will also supply clarity on his apparent belief, contra-Trump, that human activity does cause climate change, necessitating mitigation and adaptation efforts. To India, the nomination of Mr. Tillerson, if successful, may smooth military cooperation with Moscow as Obama-era hostility towards Russia softens. ExxonMobil also has extensive oil business assets on Indian soil, so New Delhi may have reason to be sanguine about bilateral détente, especially in trade and investment terms.
✌✌✌✌ THE ECONOMIC TIMES ✌✌✌✌
✌✌ It is time Rahul Gandhi must make his charge or apologise ✌✌
Have premia on earthquake insurance gone up in Delhi since Rahul Gandhi promised to make the earth tremble with the revelations he has up his sleeve against Prime Minister Narendra Modi? Not quite. Why does the Congress vice-president persist in this game of allegation and innuendo? After all, it is not doing anything great to boost his rating as a serious leader who could lead the Opposition to Modi in 2019. Opposition leaders have not waited for the forum of Parliament to open up for them to make serious charges against the ruling party and its leaders. VP Singh launched his Bofors missile against Rajiv Gandhi outside Parliament, after all.
Perhaps Rahul Gandhi wants to make it clear that the politics of allegation and innuendo, which the BJP and its leaders have been practising against the Gandhis in relation to the AgustaWestland helicopter deal, is something that can be used against the BJP, too. Perhaps, Gandhi wants to rupture the aura of moral superiority that the prime minister has managed to wrap around himself. Perhaps, he wants to build up some momentum and suspense before announcing whatever he has to announce.
Whatever his motive, this cannot continue forever. Gandhi must come out with whatever charge he has, regardless of whether he speaks in Parliament or outside. And Prime Minister Narendra Modi should call Gandhi’s bluff. He should attend Parliament Friday and dare the Congress vice-president to go ahead and rock the Richter scale.
That would totally remove any wiggle room for Gandhi, who would either have to make good on his threat or eat humble pie. That is what the people want: their leaders must walk the talk, whether on the ruling side or in the Opposition. Politicians’ words must not follow cash and lose all value.
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