With all due respect, My Lords

"It is not for the Supreme Court to decide how the government should ensure the right to water; in any case, the connection between this right and the river linking project is tenuous."

The Hindu : Opinion / Lead : With all due respect, My Lords: Supreme Court, in its order, explicitly directs the Executive Government to implement the Inter-Linking of Rivers (ILR) Project, and to set up a Special Committee to carry out that implementation; it lays down that the committee's decisions shall take precedence over all administrative bodies created under the orders of this court or otherwise; it (graciously) authorises the Cabinet to take all final and appropriate decisions, and lays down a time-limit of 30 days for such decision-making (though it has the saving grace to say “preferably”); and it grants “liberty to the learned Amicus Curiae to file contempt petition in this court, in the event of default or non-compliance of the directions contained in this order”.

The Supreme Court was clearly entitled to ask the government to state categorically where it stood on this project. What it was not entitled to do was to issue a direction to the government to implement the project. It has done so since the Supreme Court is convinced that the project is good and urgently needed; and that a very important national initiative is getting bogged down because of various reasons and needs to be galvanised.

The view that the country faces a looming water crisis; that the answer lies in augmenting supplies; that given the magnitude and distribution of India's future water requirements, the ILR project is the best possible answer; and that it is in the national interest to implement it quickly. It is that conviction that provides, in the Supreme Court's view, the justification for its intervention. If that view of India's water crisis and its solution is challenged, the whole basis for the Supreme Court's order collapses. There is a diversity of views on it, which the Supreme Court has failed to consider.

In China's parliament, a long list of millionaires

"Membership of the National People's Congress provides wealthy businessmen a powerful platform and secures their support for the Communist Party of China."

The net worth of the 70 richest delegates at the National People's Congress (NPC), the Chinese Parliament and top legislative body, the country's 3,000-member legislative house, rose by a stunning $11.5 billion last year. The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : In China's parliament, a long list of millionaires.

The 70 richest delegates' net worth was $89.8 billion. Their appointment to government bodies handed them a powerful platform in a business climate which values official contacts. The practice of bringing in China's wealthiest individuals into political advisory bodies largely serves two purposes. For the party, giving the business elite a voice in policy decisions was seen as a way of securing their political support. For the businessmen, there was “strong incentive to become ‘within system' due to the relative weakness in the rule of law and of property rights”

The marriage of business and politics that takes place at the highest levels has increasingly become a source of public anger and debate. This has been reflected in the growing resentment towards official corruption and renewed calls for economic reforms, amid concerns about fast-rising inequality.

China must not shut its eyes to the powerful, vested interests that have been monopolising the benefits of China's reform and opening movement, thus impeding deeper reform. The core of reform is not about opening coastal cities to boost the economy but about paying more attention to people's social welfare.

Online privacy in danger of turning an open book

"The edifices of privacy that we once thought we understood are melting like ice in a heatwave. "

It's not just in the narrow space of web browsing or apps that we're identifiable and losing privacy, supermarkets track your purchases.

The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Online privacy in danger of turning an open book

There's growing awareness among a number of people on social networks that there's value in keeping information about yourself, your whereabouts and life private. Not just to protect yourself from identity theft; also just because it's nice to have some part of you that isn't subjected to the panopticon of the web.

The announcement by the Obama administration that it would push for all browsers to have a “Do Not Track” button as part of a “consumer privacy bill of rights”, while the Californian attorney general said that apps would have to include privacy policies to tell users what data they would access.

But where does it all end? It's a systemic problem, and the situation will only change when it's not fashionable to give away your data, when it becomes sad to do so in front of your peers.

Putting the lid on a silent epidemic

"Preventing contamination of stored water can cut the incidence of killer diseases."

To truly understand the predicament of water-related disease in slums, you have to understand these storage practices. The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Putting the lid on a silent epidemic

High population density combined with a lack of toilets and open defecation means that slum residents are exposed to the faeces of hundreds of other people, and all of these bacteria can get introduced into stored water. Studies of urban slums from around the world have found diarrhoea to be one of the top two causes of death for children under five years.

There is growing international public health consensus about the need to make household water storage safer. A safe water system has the potential to greatly decrease child deaths, hospital visits, and missed days of work, resulting in increased economic productivity.

While addressing the tap water contamination is important, the tragic reality is that there is an even larger silent epidemic of household water contamination that remains unaddressed. This epidemic undoubtedly extends to innumerable other city slums and villages across India with intermittent water supplies, which lead to prolonged water storage. It presents a unique opportunity for the government to intervene on a mass scale with simple, cost-effective interventions to reduce diseases that are major killers of children. 

When insanity rules the world

"India should resist the West's brazen efforts to use championship of democracy as a cover for regime change."

Tired of unending economic woes at home and fighting a losing battle against the Taliban, the U.S. and the EU have seized upon the Arab Spring in a desperate bid to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. To do so, they are posing as champions of democracy and human rights. The Hindu : Opinion / Lead : When insanity rules the world: In their eagerness to don the mantle of saviours they have trampled upon the  doctrine of national sovereignty upon which the international law and order, has been based for the last 350 years.

India has a duty, to not only its own people but the rest of the world, to become an independent voice of sanity and moderation. As the most open and democratic and the least threatening large country in the world, it has far better credentials to do so than Russia and China. It must not leave this task to them alone.

Allowing Israel to trigger a ruinous war with Iran will not make the world "safer for humanity", instead it will  only unleash the fury of Shia terrorism on the West.

Chasing a mirage

"The Supreme Court direction to the Centre to constitute a special committee to pursue the outdated plan of linking India's rivers is based on a misplaced premise. "

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : Chasing a mirage: The national record on resettlement of people displaced by mega dam projects does not inspire confidence. As importantly, the plan's environmental aspects or cost-benefit calculus have not been considered. There is the additional challenge of taking along states let alone neighbouring countries.

The way forward to improve the prospects of water-deficit basins is to work on more efficient and less destructive options, like devoting resources for rainwater harvesting programmes of scale, raising irrigation efficiency, curbing pollution.

Syrians pay the price

"As ferocious fighting continues in Syria, it is imperative that the international community strive for an immediate ceasefire of some kind. President Bashar al-Assad's regime is increasing its use of heavy weapons, while continuing to claim legitimacy."

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : Syrians pay the price: Since the constitutional changes are coming via a questionable referendum at a time when Syria is at war with itself, the promises held out by the new constitution seem utterly farcical.

The failure of the Arab League mission and the absence of consensus and even credibility at the U.N. Security Council mean that international options are fast disappearing. Given the interests propelling U.N.'s most powerful members, its helplessness should not surprise anyone.

Vodafone is a misunderstood case

"The demand for tax in the Vodafone case was a result of failing to understand the difference between the sale of shares in a company and the sale of assets of that company."

The demand for tax in the Vodafone case was a result of failing to understand the difference between the sale of shares in a company and the sale of assets of that company. It is an elementary principle of company law that ownership of shares in a company does not mean ownership of the assets of the company. The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Vodafone is a misunderstood case

The shares owned by Hutchison were sold to Vodafone indirectly purchasing 51 per cent of the share capital of Hutchison Essar Ltd., a company registered in Mumbai. Not a single asset of this Mumbai based company was transferred either in India or abroad. Indeed, there would be no transfer of any asset in India.

Prashant Bhushan responds:
The stated purpose of the sale purchase agreement between Hutch and Vodafone was to transfer the shares, assets and control of the Indian Telecom Company HEL, but they claim to have achieved this by transferring a single share of a Cayman Island-based holding company. This "device" of using the transfer of the Cayman Island company in the bid to avoid Capital Gains tax is clearly a tax avoidance device.

The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Prashant Bhushan responds: "Tax avoidance devices have been honed to a fine art by clever lawyers and consultants advising such corporations. Unfortunately, in the Vodafone and the Mauritius cases, the court has winked at them instead of frowning upon"

It's time for India to revisit its time

"We have one time zone from Jaisalmer to Jorhat and beyond, at UTC plus five and a half hours, even though the nation embraces nearly 30 degrees of longitude (from 68° 7' to 97° 25' east) and the normal rule of thumb is one new time zone an hour apart per every 15 degrees of longitude."

It's time for India to revisit its time | Mail Online: This actually has negative consequences in such diverse areas as lifestyle habits and energy conservation. A sensible national system could give India three time zones: UTC plus 5 for places like Lakshadweep, Mumbai and Punjab; UTC plus 5 and a half, as at present, from Delhi to Chennai; and UTC plus 6 from Kolkata to the Burmese border, including the Andamans.

Think of the advantages: efficiency enhanced, electricity saved, bureaucratic rigidity reduced.

There is an elephant in the room

"Two conflicting narratives, both built around the BSP, dominate the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh."

The statement "This is an election where every party thinks it is forming the government" says it all.
The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : There is an elephant in the room:

Israel unveils sophisticated shelters in Tel Aviv

"Israel has put the finishing touches on a new gathering place that it hopes will never host a crowd — the country's most advanced public underground bomb shelter."

The shelter, four stories underground and with space for 1,600 people, is usually a parking lot. It is also part of Tel Aviv's elaborate civil defence infrastructure. The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Israel unveils sophisticated shelters in Tel Aviv: The shelter is part of the city's network of shelters that can give cover to 250,000 people.

Recent talk of conflict with Iran has given the safety measures extra relevance. Officials say the timing is coincidental. Israeli leaders have hinted they may mount a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, even as American military leaders urge Israel to wait for tough economic sanctions to take effect. Should Israel attack, Iran has promised a punishing counter strike.

The growth gamble

The sharp fall in economic growth in the third quarter of the current fiscal, is the sixth time in the last seven quarters that growth has declined and is proof, if any were needed, of the seriousness of the slowdown.

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : The growth gamble: "A reduction in rates will boost sentiment, which is desperately needed now, and encourage companies to resume investment activity. As for the government, the fiscal deficit is spinning out of control and it has to either cut spending or raise additional resources, both of which are tough."

Fatal attraction

"Plagiarism is a curse that afflicts every endeavour where pen is put to paper — journalism, literature and academic research — but when it shows up in the world of science, the consequences can be far more damaging. At stake are not just individual reputations but the robustness of scholarly findings. That is why every effort must be made to stamp out the rot. "

The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : Fatal attraction:  One of the ironies of our times is that the computer makes both plagiarism and its detection easier than ever.

Four insights that could lift the fortune of retailers in India

A massive part of the Indian population are retailers and they span various sociological bands and scales.

K Radhakrishnan provides 4 essential insights about customers that these retailers need to posses so that their businesses flourish.

Four insights that could lift the fortunes of retailers in India.

NCTC row: How to lose allies and alienate the opposition

The recent embarrassment regarding the formulation of the "National counter terrorism centre" is another chink in the armour for the centre which is already in a weak position.

P Chidambaram's black marks, Manmohan Singh's silence, Strong chief ministers, Dual ruling, lack of cooperation among allies and leaving the opposition out in the cold are some of the factors that has brought this system to such a fragile condition.

NV Subramanyam elaborates...

NCTC row: How to lose allies and alienate the opposition

Congress turning the UP gun on itself

Recently Jaiswal, leader of the union, said congress will demand president's rule if congress does not get a majority in the UP polls.

Neerja Chowdhary explains why is his statement a faux Pas...

"Political implications apart, it was highly objectionable for Jaiswal - he is not just a party leader, like Digvijay Singh, but holds a constitutional office as a minister of the Union - to talk of president’s rule in the midst of elections. After all, polls are held to enable an elected government to be formed, not with a view to impose Central rule, and that too before the election process is over."

Congress turning the UP gun on itself