ENGLISH SHORTHAND DICTATION-256

 

The preparation for the first assembly election in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir began this week after the Election Commission initiated the process of revision of electoral rolls and asked officials to complete the process by August 31. This comes after the delimitation process, which added six extra seats in the Hindu-dominated Jammu region and one in the Muslim-majority Kashmir. This has narrowed the gap between the two divisions and stoked the ire of Kashmir-based political parties and citizens. The revision of electoral rolls is a welcome step. The restive region, which lost its special status three years ago, has seen an increase in violence in recent months. This underlines the importance of political, social and humanitarian outreach¹²⁰ to go hand-in-hand with security and administrative responses. It is clear that repairing the fraying social fabric and reversing the¹⁴⁰ (1) panic felt by Hindu minorities in the Valley will need not only a muscular security posture, but also a soft touch and political engagement with the mainstream parties. A free and fair election can not only give voice to the aspirations of people, it can also provide a vent for bottled resentment and temper the alienation felt by sections of the population. For this, mainstream parties will need to be seen as stakeholders in administrative and political processes and the poll process will not only need to be legitimate and just, but also seen to be so. An open process²⁴⁰ of preparing the electoral rolls, along with taking mainstream leaders into confidence and having a robust mechanism for grievance redressal, can go a long way in improving the health of democracy in the Valley and forge a durable social compact.²⁸⁰

In the upcoming election for the next President of India, (2) the ruling coalition has a glide path to victory. The National Democratic Alliance is within striking distance of a majority in the electoral college and with the support of some regional parties, its nominee is almost certainly the next President of India. Yet, for the opposition parties, the poll is the most important test on whether they can resolve internal and longstanding contradictions and come together on one platform to³⁶⁰ take on the might of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Seventeen Opposition parties took the first step towards this goal on Wednesday when they decided to field a consensus candidate, though they indicated that it will take some more weeks to zero in on a nominee. The post of President of India is a position more encased in prestige and symbolism⁴²⁰ than material political power. In this election, the challenges are naturally different for the two blocs. For the Opposition, the stakes are higher. The ruling party has been immensely successful (3) in setting the political narrative over the last eight years. This election is a test for the Opposition to prove that it can set the narrative, that it can forge⁴⁸⁰ a minimum common programme for regional forces and the Congress to come together, that it can pursue a national agenda even when competing with each other in some states, and that leaders can temper their personal ambitions and dislikes to come together. At a time when Opposition leaders allege political vendetta in central agency, such unity can become an important political counterweight. For the Government, it is almost a certain victory, but the challenge is to nominate a candidate who⁵⁶⁰ can encapsulate the social and political messaging that has become an innate part of the presidential election. After a political signal to the Dalit communities in 2017, the ruling coalition will be looking at another symbolic coup. Symbols⁶⁰⁰ matter in politics, and there is none more prestigious than (4) the office of the President. Despite the relative lack of suspense over its outcome, the July 18 election will be important to see who gets their symbolism right, and what the larger message to the nation is.

The Government of India has introduced a new recruitment scheme called Agnipath for armed forces. The main advantage of this scheme is that India's youth will be exposed to a disciplined life and a pool of young talent will be available for the defence forces. Agnipath has struck at a basic⁷⁰⁰ fundamental of the armed forces - how does a nation equip its fighting forces? It is a radical departure from⁷²⁰ a methodology that was arrived at over two centuries ago for the Indian Army and many decades for the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force. Such a fundamental churn should have been implemented in stages through pilot projects, just the way short service commissions and the entry of women (5) was done in different branches. Of course, there is likely to be no dearth of volunteers, considering the high rate of unemployment, and this may be seen as a success of the scheme. But we should spare a thought for the 75 per cent of new young recruits who will be looking for a new job after four years. Lateral movement into the police forces and Government departments has⁸⁴⁰ been a mirage till now. It can be done only if the Government issues orders with enforceable, judicially acceptable reservation quotas, and not just preferential consideration for the recruits under this new scheme. A good first step is the Government announcement of 10 per cent reservation for these recruits in the Central Armed Police Forces, Assam Rifles, and MOD. Let us talk about the professional upliftment of the forces that Agnipath is supposed to bring in. If you ask any field commander who his selected people will be for (6) executing tasks, he will tell you that they are personnel with four to five years of service who have the right mix of training, experience and youthful exuberance. In Agnipath, ⁹⁶⁰ 75 per cent of such recruits would be bid goodbye; the armed forces would be losing human resource at⁹⁸⁰ a stage when combatants would be ideally placed to form the business end of the stick. In Indian Air Force, at the four-year service stage, an aircraft technician is barely reaching the expertise of signing for the servicing of an aeroplane. Till then, he is an apprentice working under the tutelage of a senior. Thereafter, he undergoes training again for the more specialized second-line servicing and comes back to add experience to the unit pool; any short-cut here would be disastrous. The same would hold true for the other two services.

Sometime in the beginning of this century, the Indian Air Force¹⁰⁸⁰ tried the Just in Time Training concept. At the training (7) stage, airmen were given basic aircraft knowledge and sent to flying units. These airmen were to work and learn in the field under experienced tradesmen, and after two years, go¹¹²⁰ back to training institutions for the next qualification. But, practical realities required airmen to do guard and escort duties and other routine unit tasks. Since the experienced technicians could not be spared, these airmen were detailed, resulting in them not being trained in the field. To cut a long story short, no commanding officer wanted these airmen under him and the Indian Air Force had to recall this profile. A new idea failed because it was not well thought through.¹²⁰⁰

The Agnipath scheme is much more complicated. It may have a raft of social ramifications when a large body of trained men and women are sent back into society, many of whom without a stable job for the next four to five decades of active life. The talk of having (8) instilled discipline, valour, nationalism and passion during the four years¹²⁶⁰ in uniform will weigh heavily against the pressures of an unemployed existence. Would any corporate firm hire a person seen as a reject of the armed forces? A key aim of this whole exercise appears to be reducing the ballooning pension bill of the armed forces. This is short-sighted approach. This reminds me the statement of an Indian Navy veteran who said, "If you think pension is expensive, try defeat." There is one more important point. At present, a recruit is called a soldier, sailor or airman. Why, under Agnipath, should he or she be called by a different name if the nation expects both to be combatants ready to offer the supreme sacrifice? Why should there be a different class of soldier in the only organization where there is a common solitary dharma - service before self.

Human civilization¹⁴⁰⁰ (9) has been in existence from time immemorial. It has survived the test of time through human intelligence and ancient knowledge on countless instances. The reliance of humans on nature has remained the solution for several problems encountered by human race in different ages. For instance, different plants were always known to humans for their medicinal and healing properties. They are still widely used for their medicinal benefits. Many would have looked askance at the fact that 80 per cent of the world's population, in this age and time, uses traditional medicines and systems. In a way, this means that the majority of the world's population still relies on ancient traditional medicine. From the twentieth century onwards, human civilization has progressed so rapidly due to advancements in science and technology that many old ways of doing things have become unexciting or even obsolete. (10)

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