Varun Hari Prasad

In the earlier blog , I had recorded the broad features of the Rafale deal under the UPA and NDA Governments. In this blog, I propose to place a few facts pertaining to the two questions I had posed in the earlier blog: What makes the NDA's deal different and controversial? Why is Mr Modi being called a 'Chor'? Let us now look at both these questions in detail: What makes the NDA Government's deal different and controversial? The NDA Government's deal is different because of the following facts: There is no explanation for how Mr Modi arrived at this number - 36. As of 10 April 2015 (the date PM announced the deal), there was no clue as to what had happened to the RFP (for 126 aircraft) issued by the UPA Government. None of the aircraft were to be manufactured in India under Transfer of Technology The Government claims that it has purchased 36 aircrafts because there is an 'urgency'. The Air Force, in its demand had stated that it i...

Defence procurement has always been a matter of controversy in India. Starting from the Jeep purchase in the 1960s to Bofors to VVIP Helicopters (Augusta Westland); the Rafale is no exception. But what is it that makes this ‘deal’ more controversial than others? Why is the Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi being called a ‘chor’? I propose to answer to these questions in two parts. In the first part I will only place before you the features of the ‘deal’ under the UPA and NDA Governments. The Rafale Deal under UPA Government As per the requirements specified by the Indian Air Force (IAF), the UPA Government issued a Request For Proposal (RFP) on 28 th August 2007 for 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircrafts (MMRCA). This RFP was issued to six vendors and it was made clear that the bids were to be inclusive of cost of initial purchase (including that of weapons and missiles), cost of transfer of technology, licence royalty for manufacture in India and cost of initial traini...

Yesterday (i.e. 19 September), the Union Cabinet cleared the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights of Marriage) Ordinance 2018 which criminalises instant triple talaq. The ordinance was subsequently signed by the President. This Ordinance is a farce, a violation of certain principles of jurisprudence and most importantly it sets a dangerous precedent in legislation process. Let us look at each of these issues in detail. The Ordinance route The power to promulgate an Ordinance is an extraordinary power vested with the executive. Through the instrument of Ordinances, the government can make laws to meet urgent needs during a time when Parliament is not in session. However, such Ordinances have to be approved by Parliament within six weeks of the next session of the Parliament. On 23 July 2017, then President Shri Pranab Mukherjee, while addressing the Parliament made an observation regarding Ordinances which is as follows: “I am firm in the opinion that the Ordinance rout...

On 5 th September the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court delivered a unanimous judgement which decriminalised homosexuality to an extent. The judgement drew curtains on the debate pertaining to the core of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. But have we really reached the end? In my view there is still a long way to go. What is Section 377 of IPC? Section 377 of the IPC states: “ Whoever voluntarily has carnal inter­course against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with 1[imprisonment for life], or with impris­onment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine. ” This archaic British law dates back to 1861. The Current Position The five-judge Constitution Bench of the Apex Court delivered four separate judgements but arrived at a unanimous conclusion. In our quest for headlines we tend to forget the main takeaways of the judgement itself. The core of this judgement, for...

He was out of public sight for nearly a decade, yet the entire political class, cutting across party lines, stood in solidarity with him as he fought a losing battle for his life – that was the influence Atal Bihari Vajpayee had, on friends and opponents alike. It wouldn’t be wrong to describe him as the last among Indian politicians who were universally respected. Atal ji, as he was fondly called, was a unique personality. He was a staunch nationalist, a true swayamsevak of the RSS and yet rose to the stature of a global statesman. His majestic command over the Hindi language enabled him disarm his opponents with un-matching wit and made the nation fall in love with his oration. Above all, he was a true torch bearer of the highest standards of Indian democracy. This was possible because Atal ji had seen India before Independence. He himself had participated in the Quit India Movement and therefore, he knew the price at which we gained Independence. He understood the importan...

Yesterday one of the most contentious issues during the debate on the No Confidence Motion was the Rafale Deal. The Congress President Mr Rahul Gandhi, in the course of his fiery speech accused the Prime Minister of inflating the price of the aircraft and benefit an industrialist considered close to him. On hearing this, the ruling party did seem to be rattled as the entire treasury benches rose in unison including the Defence Minister. As the issue remains inconclusive, it is likely to become a major election issue in the three state elections scheduled later in the year and probable even in the parliamentary polls. The demand of the Opposition has been that the Government disclose the price of the aircraft. The Government’s response to this however, has been inconsistent giving room for suspicion. The Flip-Flops In a Press Conference the Defence Minister Mrs Nirmala Sitharaman said that she would reveal the price of the aircraft, infact, she even directed one of the ...

Having been to the wonderful state of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) and seen its people, I am extremely saddened by the way in which things are shaping up in the paradise of India. Since July 2016, J&K has been simmering with anger and exasperation. This has not happened overnight, the lava was slowly but steadily building up and Burhan Wani’s encounter just provided the trigger. Despite the fact that one of our state is in turmoil for nearly two years now, we as citizens, as a Nation, do not seem to have sensed the gravity of the matter. Unfortunately, even the Government of India doesn’t seem to have comprehended the situation. Day in and Day out we watch people shouting on prime time TV shows that J&K is an integral part of India, we heard the Prime Minister roar in the Parliament by making an hypothetical reference to J&K earlier this year; Ofcourse Jammu & Kashmir is an integral part of India! But are we as a Nation, as a society, awake and aware of the pain...

Last week, I had written about the cracks in our education policy. In this blog I wish to look at the possible policy actions that can plug these loopholes. Access The number of students enrolled in primary and secondary school is way below global average. Therefore the focus of the policy makers must be on increasing the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER). The Right to Education Act, 2009 has done a great deal in making enrolment in primary schools nearly universal. The trends noticed thereafter suggest that the children tend to drop out when they reach high school. Therefore the best policy approach, atleast for the foreseeable future, would be to amend the Right to Education Act and expand its scope upto Class 12. A rights/entitlement based approach is the best way forward for now. Quality To enhance quality we have already embraced e-learning, however it is a well-known fact that internet penetration in our country is very low. To enhance the use of ICT in schools, the go...

With knowledge being the currency of the 21 st Century, education is slowly gaining the strategic importance it deserves in policy making even though the pace is hopelessly slow. The Government’s decision to come up with a new education policy must be viewed in this direction. Any education policy stands on the three pillars of Access, Quality, and Equity. In this blog I wish to explore the cracks in these pillars and deal with the possible policy actions in the forthcoming ones.   Access The tried and tested way of measuring access to education is the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER). GER is the percentage of students enrolled in primary and secondary school. As of 2015 GER was as follows: Global Average 27% India 23% Europe and USA Over 50% The GER in India (as per 2015 data) is way below the global average of 27%. We now have the world’s largest working age population, if a sizeable portion of...