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Uniform Civil Code- a Shocking Story of Political Inertia from 1950-2015
- Published on 25 October 2015
(Edited Image Courtesy: PIB)
The Supreme Court’s latest reminder to the Union Government to disclose its stance on enacting uniform civil code (UCC) has once again been seized by short-sighted activists to stir public misgivings. They are projecting UCC concept as covert Sangh Parivar’s agenda to impose Hindu Civil Code (HCC) on citizens of other faiths.
Facts are being trampled upon by activists who want the country to remain divided in numerous castes, sub-castes and religions. They rationalize archaic customs as an integral part of respective religions. They overlook the fact that this conflicts with the Indian Constitution’s provision for ‘Right to Equality’ for every citizen including women.
Their objective is clear: stonewall any discussion on UCC. It is no wonder that late Rajiv Gandhi, as Prime Minister, had to backtrack on putting in public domain the very idea of voluntary UCC in 1987 after Shah Bano case.
Anti UCC-brigade even views with suspicion the verdicts and orders issued by the Supreme Court since 1995 for launch of UCC, which is so crucial for forging national unity and for giving justice to women.
The situation today is more pathetic than what it was after the Independence when Constituent Assembly (CA) discussed whether UCC should be mentioned at all in the Indian Constitution. CA ultimately opted for the soft course: It put UCC in the Directive Principles of the Constitution (DPC), which is basically a deep freezer packed with good ideas to be pursued by the State at a pace that would even make ant laugh heartily.
CA did not visualize that vote banks-driven successive Governments would lack the courage even to issue a discussion paper on UIC and thus compromise national unity forever!
Climate Change Ferments Fiscal Policy Domain
- Published on 25 October 2015
(Edited Image Courtesy: climateinvestmentfunds.org)
With the Climate Change eclipsing all other global risk factors, its management through taxation, expenditure reforms and innovative projects finance has opened a new fiscal avenue for all the nations. And this avenue, paved with both challenges and opportunities, would become byzantine in the coming years.
The course of avenue would become clear after the Paris Climate Conference where 195 countries are set to agree on tough targets for greenhouse gases (GHGs) reductions under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
It would be for the first time that nations would strive to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate to limit global warming below 2°C.
This 21st annual Conference of Parties (COP21) on the UNFCCC, beginning 30th November 2015, would thus leave an indelible mark on climate change-centric fiscal domain. It has grown from a diffused pollution control imposts to a web of fiscal instruments, expenditure management tools and investment options since May 1992 when UNFCCC was adopted at Rio Earth Summit in Brazil.
International Chamber of Commerce believes that all countries will benefit from a climate agreement that facilitates worldwide adoption of environmentally sound technologies and climate-friendly solutions that contribute to sustainable development.
Time has thus come for finance ministries to make climate change management (CCM) a major, integrated objective of annual budget. It should encompass tax and non-tax revenue, capital and recurring expenditure and fiscal deficit.
Caste Politics Turns leaders Blind to Unique Fair Deal for Poor
- Published on 16 October 2015
(Image Courtesy: National Commission for Scheduled Castes)
If a Chaiwala (tea seller) can become Prime Minister of the country, what stops a beggar from aspiring for the same coveted post?
The answer lies in the conspiracy of silence among all political parties on India’s most revolutionary socio-political reform mooted by late V.P. Singh in August 1990. He, as PM, mooted the reform as an add-on to the National Front Government’s decision to implement Mandal Commission Report (MCR).
The public thus knows Mr. Singh best as provider of 27% reservation of jobs in Central Government and central public enterprises (CPEs) for other backward classes (OBCs) in keeping with MCR.
Very few persons know that he pitched for two vital caste and religion-neutral reforms for the poor as a class without encountering any opposition. He could not implement the two ideas as his Government fell in November 1990 after withdrawal of support by certain parties.
Mr. Singh’s two crucial forgotten reform proposals are: Reservation of 40% of seats in Parliament and State Assemblies for the poor and fixation of 5-10% jobs quota for poor in the Central domain.
Even Chief of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Mohan Bhagwat, has not mentioned this unfinished reforms agenda set by Mr. Singh.
Kejriwal Squanders Chance to ram PM on Team India Rhetoric
- Published on 08 October 2015
(Image Courtesy:gujaratindia.com)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has frittered away a golden chance to give a failure certificate on cooperative federalism to his bête noire - Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is evident from Kejriwal megaflop show called Chief Ministers’ conclave on Centre-State Relations organized recently.
Both Kejriwal and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the only other participant, turned the conclave into a launch pad for taking potshots at Mr. Modi. By confining their speeches to diatribe against Modi and the Centre, they failed to turn the conclave into a big picture on Modi’s colossal credibility deficit.
The two CMs did disservice to immense opportunities in cooperative federalism identified by Commission on Centre-State Relations (CCSR) and Finance Commission. The recommendations made by these commissions in April 2010 and February 2015 did not figure in their speeches.
They thus allowed Mr. Modi’s chest to remain bloated with pride after receipt of triple laudatory certificates: 1) India’s “best leader with best policies” certificate from global media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, 2) the Promises delivered certificate which he solicited from NRIs in Silicon Valley and 3) the “decisive leader” certificate from Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
If Kejriwal had applied his mind, he could have nullified three certificates by flaunting several instances of unfulfilled promises, indecisiveness and persistence of policy paralysis & projects holdups.
He could have sent a powerful message to Aam Aadmi by focusing on just one issue: Mr. Modi’s duplicity on cooperative federalism. Mr. Modi raised certain issues on cooperative federalism as Gujarat CM but shunned them like plague after becoming PM.