Indian Innovation Mantras: Economic growth is not enough to invite and nurture ideas

IIPM Professor Arindam Chaudhuri on 'OBAMA and OSAMA'

The National Innovation Council of India has proposed a $1 billion innovation fund to boost innovation for India's inclusive growth. Although India witnesses exponential growth, it has been grossly underperforming when it comes to innovation in technology, method or structure. India ranked abysmally low in innovation rankings 56 out of 132 nations in the 2010 Global Innovation Index published by business school INSEAD in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry. India's ranking has actually slipped from 41 in 2009. In another index by the Economist Intelligence Unit, it ranked 58 out of 82 nations.

While such rankings are not entirely flawless, there are scopes for India to improve when it comes to incorporating adequate policy initiatives to encourage innovation. Firstly, almost 90 per cent of the workforce is in the unorganised sector. They are involved mostly in unskilled or low productive jobs. Though half of the Indian population is still young, around 17 per cent of them have just completed their secondary education. Secondly, in-service training remains very poor in India. Merely 16 per cent of the manufacturing firms provide on-the-job training to their employees while 92 per cent of employees in China and 42 per cent employees in Korea get on-job-training. Third is the unsystematic and inadequate information flow. According to a report by IBRD/World Bank “average enterprise productivity of finance, insurance and real estate companies is 23 times higher than that of agriculture.” But these sectors employ rarely 1.3 per cent of the total workforce while 60 per cent of the workforce depends on farming. The fourth is investment in R&D. Investment in R&D has never exceeded 1 per cent of the GDP.

Thus, there is a need to revolutionise the information flow across the nation. Mobile and broadband connections have reached 700 million and around 10 million respectively which are still very low compared to US, Japan or China. In addition, there is need to encourage competition. Competition encourages innovation. It is essential to motivate private players to invest on R&D. Moreover, we need organised efforts for in-service as well as Government initiated skill development programs. ITIs never proved to be adequate. So, the $1 billion is a nice proposal. If the Centre approves, it can be a nice beginning — provided there is least leakage. But just a right beginning is not enough!

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Resource war: Rare earth elements

IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management

Rare earth elements can fuel the next war among nations

There seems to be a new entry in the catalogue of war for resources. After oil, gold and water, the latest addition are the rare earth elements. Rare earth element is a collection of seventeen chemical elements like scandium, yttrium and the fifteen lanthanides. They are the key minerals used in green technology and precision weapons production — from iPads to electric cars, precision weapons to electronic goods.

China gained monopoly after mines of rare earth elements across the world were closed down owing to low cost exports of the same by China. When China instituted an export ban on rare earth elements to Japan on Sept 22, 2010, it intensified concerns on worldwide production of major electronic products and defense equipments. China today controls 36 million tons of the world's 88 million ton rare-earth element deposits, more than the combined deposits of the US and Russia. It also supplies over 97 per cent of rare earth elements to the world. According to surveys, over 1,24,000 metric tons of rare earth elements were produced in 2009 while the global demand was more than 1,34,000 metric tons. This demand-supply gap is encouraging black marketing and illegal trading; more so, as the worldwide demand is expected to rise to 1,80,000 metric tons by 2012. The global trade in rare earths is estimated to reach $3 billion by 2014.

These elements are so diversely spread that mining alone would fetch no economic benefit. Even the US for the last 15 years, is completely relying on imports. In spite of other countries crafting policies to make their rare earth elements mines more economical, the monopoly will be there with China — at least for next few decades. Since rare-earth mining produces radioactive waste and discharge of such waste calls for strict guidelines in developed countries, China seems to be the best option. The country has allotted billions into basic and applied research on rare earth elements; China also has two state laboratories exclusively for R&D on rare-earth elements and own two journals dedicated to rare earth metals. Japan has come out with an innovative alternative that can alter the rules of trade in this sector but unfortunately is expensive and calls for huge investment as of now. This Japanese alternative will extract rare earth elements through recycling. It is estimated that around 3,00,000 tons of rare earths stored in unused electronics can be tapped after recycling.

China since July 2010 has reduced export quotas of rare earth elements by 72 per cent, thus inflating prices by six-folds which will make a major dent on global availability and pricing and eventually jeopardize defense and electronic goods production. What is worse is that mines across the world would take a minimum of 10-15 years before they become operational. Hence it makes more sense for countries to go the Japanese way as it can guarantee both economic and environmental benefit.

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As Jamiat contends that Kashmir is an integral part of India, it is a bold first initiative taken by any Indian Muslim organisation

IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management

Troubled valley: Deoband ruffles Kashmir's separatist feathers

"Not only Kashmir but Kashmiri people are also an integral part of India," was the one-line message that came out of the Kashmir Conference convened by Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind in Deoband recently. On the need and purpose of the conference, Rajya Sabha member and leader of Jamiat-e-ulema Hind Maulana Mehmood Madni told TSI, "It is the history of Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind that it has always raised its voice against injustice and oppression. This conference is also a voice against the injustice being meted out to the Kashmiri people." He further added, "Excessive use of force is not a solution for any problem. It further complicates the problem."

The largest Muslim organisation of the Sunni school of thought, Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind, took an unusual decision of holding a Kashmir Conference in Deoband, thousands of kilometres away from the troubled Valley.

People in Deoband raised questions over this conference but the organisers were upbeat about the response. Kamal Farooqui, member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), said, "The decision to hold this conference was not a spontaneous and sudden one. We deliberated at length and even sent a delegation comprising several people including Swami Agnivesh and Mazhar Hussain to know the ground realities and get the feel."

He told TSI that "It is a very bold step of Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind because Indian Muslim organisations have always feared to take up the cause of the Kashmiri people." He further says, "The situation in Kashmir is totally different from the past because earlier there was the involvement of Pakistan-based ISI but now things have changed. There are certain issues which can be addressed within the framework of Indian Constitution."

On the question of the Kashmiri people having not welcomed the conference and that Valley people talk of nothing less than independence, Kamal Farooqui said, "The reaction that is coming from Kashmir with regard to Deoband conference is very positive. As far as the question of independence is concerned, the meaning of autonomy is nothing but independence only. The government has already given them some autonomy which means there is a scope for further negotiation. Thus, the things can be sorted out within the framework of the Constitution of India".

Throwing light on Jamiat’s role in the country's freedom struggle and praising the latest initiative, senior journalist M.J. Akbar, in his address, warned, "Any further partition of the country would be very dangerous for Indian Muslims because it is the Indian Muslims who have suffered maximum due to partition." Noted scribe Aziz Burney said, "This conference would send a message that atrocities on Kashmiri people should end." Former BJP leader Dr J. K. Jain said, "Every patriotic Indian is concerned about the developments in Kashmir and the Kashmiri people should not talk of a separate homeland because Kashmir is an integral part of India and Kashmiri people are our brothers." Secretary of Jamiat-e-Islami Hind Mujtaba Farooq said, "There is a need to win the hearts of the Kashmiri people without which this issue cannot be addressed."

Echoing similar sentiments, AIMPLB spokesman Dr Qasim Rasool Ilyas, said, "The beautiful face of Indian democracy has been tarnished in Kashmir." He added, "We are proud that we live in a democratic country and the Kashmir issue should be resolved through negotiations." In his address, Maulana Aijaz Ul Hasan Qasmi of Kashmir asked the audience: "What is the fault of the Kashmiri people? They only want which was promised by the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, at various forums. Prominent activist Swami Agnivesh demanded that an enquiry commission should be set up to probe the deaths of 110 people in the recent violence in the Valley. He further demanded, "Troops should be withdrawn from the Valley. If the number of police personnel in the state is less, then recruit local Kashmiri youths."

On the question that how fruitful this conference would be in restoration of peace in Kashmir, a resident of Delhi, Iqbal Zafar, said, "It is a complicated issue but it is a welcome initiative." He further said, "Instead of demanding independence, Kashmiri youths should ask for development, better educational facilities, more job opportunities and welfare of the common people."

At the end of the conference, an 11-point resolution was passed demanding restoration of peace in the Valley. An appeal went out to Kashmiri leaders and protestors to abjure the violent path and instead adopt peaceful democratic means for voicing their grievances. Jamiat sent a very strong message to the Kashmiri people that it stands with them and supports their lawful demands.

Though the Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind, which enjoys the largest following among Indian Muslims, played a very important role in India's struggle for freedom and is always ready to take up Muslim issues, it has always steered clear of commenting on Kashmir. Two years back, the organisation condemned acts of terrorism but like other Muslim organisations, it was scared of speaking on the Kashmir issue. That way this initiative is indeed a bold one. They have already started feeling the heat because anti-Jamiat voices from the Valley have already started making themselves heard.

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The elephant death toll in Orissa has risen alarmingly in recent Years with the state government ignoring the warnings of wildlife activists

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Elephant deaths: Corridor of death

The rulers of Kalinga were once called 'Gajapati' because of their formidable army of elephants. But in contemporary Orissa, the pachyderms are under such severe threat that the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has been constrained to caution the state government.

MoEF, which disallowed Vedanta’s mining plans in Orissa’s Niyamgiri hills while giving Andhra Pradesh the go-ahead for the Polaveram project, has accused the state forest department of apathy. The Union ministry has sought the Orissa chief minister’s intervention to stop elephant deaths in the state.

Official records have it that in the last 19 years in Orissa, 231 elephants fell victim to poachers, 166 were killed in accidents and 173 died due to natural causes. Worse still, in the last 10 years, 155 elephants have died due to electrocution. Most of these accidents have taken place in Keonjhar, Sundergarh, Sambalpur and Dhenkanal districts.

The recent death of three elephants due to electrocution in Keonjhar compelled Jairam Ramesh, Union minister for environment and forests, to write a letter to the Orissa chief minister requesting immediate attention. The letter reads, "I am told that occurrences of such incidents are very high in the state and 22 elephants have been electrocuted in the period 2008-09 to 2009-10. You will agree that it is a matter of concern…" Gajah, the annual report of MoEF’s elephant task force, has also identified electrocution as one of the principal causes of elephant deaths. High-tension electric lines passing through forest areas, specifically in elephant corridors, is a major threat. The electricity poles supporting the wires are placed far apart, causing the wires to hang low. An elephant passing under the wires often accidentally touches it and gets electrocuted. Though such incidents happen in North Bengal, Karnataka and many other states as well, nowhere is it more rampant than in Orissa.

Biswajeet Mohanty, secretary of Orissa Wildlife Society and member, National Board of Wildlife, says: "Immediate steps are required to protect the elephants. The animals are dying due to lack of proper official measures. We have written letters to power transmitting and electricity supply companies to find remedies as soon as possible. But the state forest department has not done little though this problem is a very old one."

The situation is so alarming that elephant deaths have occurred even in sanctuaries. Last April, poaching of 12 elephants came to light when wildlife activist V.M. Acharya and the honorary wildlife warden of Mayurbhanj Sanjukta Basa got to know of elephant killings inside Orissa's famous tiger reserve, Similipal. Initially a local forest staff reported the death of only one elephant, which prompted wildlife activists to investigate. During their field investigation inside the tiger reserve, bones and other remains of dead elephants were found. The carcasses were stinking.

Biswajeet Mohanty avers, "There were definite attempts to hide the bones. The investigation team found them concealed under huge rocks. Initially forest officials tried to cover up the incident but when the situation went beyond their control they accepted their complicity but didn’t confirm the exact number of elephants that were killed."

"The way elephants are dying is really alarming. The central as well as the state governments need to take urgent measures to protect these mammals," said S.N.Patra, working president of Orissa Environmental Society. The irony is that while the experts regard the situation as alarming, the government turns a blind eye to the gravity of the problem and furnishes conservative figures. "According to the latest census, Orissa is home to 1,886 elephants. In the last 10 years, 50 elephants on an average have perished every year. While six to seven elephants die from electrocution, six get poached every year. Accidents are causing more elephant deaths than poaching. Besides being electrocuted, elephants are sometimes mowed down by trains or fall into pits, said Priyanath Padhy, chief wildlife warden of Orissa. When asked about the Union Minister’s letter, he said, "I have not yet received a copy of that letter. I can only comment when I get it."

But state energy minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak has taken this issue seriously. He told TSI, "We have taken initiatives to increase the height of high-tension lines in the elephant corridor. But this is only a temporary solution to the problem since the movement of elephants is increasing in human habitation zones. I think a joint effort of the energy and forest departments is must. As this
endeavour requires a huge investment, it cannot be done without the Centre’s
active participation."

Sadly, the state government machinery has done little so far. The State Board for Wildlife, a high-power body chaired by the chief minister, has not met even once in the last two years though at least one meeting every six months is mandatory. Moreover, there has been no meeting of the honorary wildlife wardens in the last two years. What makes matters worse is that offenders are rarely convicted in wildlife cases even when caught red-handed. Many cases are pending for more than a decade.

There is the famous case of Ganesh Jew, an ivory trader who was arrested in 1991 at Baripada town of Mayurbhanj district after a raid on his house. The accused has yet to be chargesheeted even after 19 years! "This clearly reveals the abject apathy of the forest department to engage with wildlife experts and conservationists who can provide valuable inputs and advice for protection of wildlife in the state," said Mohanty.

The threat to wildlife in Orissa isn’t, however, limited only to elephants. The tiger population of the state dwindled from 226 in 1993 to 50 in 2008 as per the national tiger census done by Wildlife Institute of India. More than 1, 40,000 turtles have been killed during the last 14 years. Crocodiles, water monitors and snakes are trapped and killed for their skins. Lakhs of birds are poached and sold every year around Chilika lake.

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