VOX POPULI

by

Aam Admi

Issue: 146

Date: 05.01.2013

Contents:

1. Indian Cricket At Its Nadir

2. Can We Say – In Aadhaar We Trust

3. Rape Helpline 181

4. Nirbhaya Rest In Peace (R.I.P.)!

Indian Cricket At Its Nadir

The Indian cricket team has gone and done it again by meekly surrendering the ODI series against Pakistan. This comes in a long line of losses culminating earlier this winter with the loss of the Test series against England. Apart from a serious revamp that is desirable in the composition of the Indian team in all 3 formats of the game there is a need to introspect also whether the BCCI in its haste and greed to fill its coffers is asking the players to play too much cricket. There was actually no need for the Pakistani team to come at this time since one thinks that our boys deserve as much rest as the English players wanted before the ODI series against England commences in the New Year. This very much needed rest would have got our boys to put on their thinking caps about their own game before getting together and redeem some of the face they lost to England in the Test series. Now our boys tired in body and mind will go through the motions of going through the matches against England and it would not be surprising if they are white-washed in this ODI series also. The players have nothing much to say if the BCCI signs up for a series like against Pakistan this time but BCCI need to recognise that they are doing nothing to promote Indian cricket and to enhance India's fair name in the game and particularly its rankings. The earlier that BCCI comes to the conclusion that money is not the end of all objectives on its charter, it will be better for all the lovers of the game in India. Another issue is that one believes that gate receipts and advertising revenues for the current India - Pakistan matches may not have been too great since serious lovers of the game would have preferred the Australia - Sri Lanka or the South Africa - New Zealand series available on satellite TV where you can at least see good cricket being played and less excuses are given for miserable performances. Those who were also gunning for Dhoni's head as captain in all formats of the game need to back off at least for the shorter formats since in this series it is more of Dhoni vs. Pakistan capped by an imperious century in the ODI at Bangalore. Again in the context of encouraging sporting ties with Pakistan, the ongoing series is a complete no-no since Pakistan has done nothing on the 26/11 investigations on their side then we have had Rehman Malik, their Interior Minister coming here just about ten days ago and creating a diplomatic incident with his various comments to the extent of saying that one of the persons arrested in India for the 26/11 incident and extradited from the Gulf countries was none other than an Indian 'agent'. In fact after Malik's visit the Pakistan team visit should have been cancelled and what took the cake recently was that the Health Services Director in Punjab, Pakistan blamed India for supplying some ingredient in the cough mixtures which had caused some fatalities there when the particular ingredient is what is used around the world by MNC's and others in making cough mixtures. And we have the Pakistani cricket team here and we go through the charade of a game with them!

Can We Say – In Aadhaar We Trust

The Aadhaar based cash transfer scheme for beneficiaries eligible for subsidies and facilities has taken off from 1st Jan 2013 in the pilot districts. The methodology issue is going to be a major hurdle of ensuring that a majority if not all beneficiaries have Aadhaar numbers and additionally bank accounts. Coverage of banking facilities in the rural areas being low the proposal of having 20 monopoly agencies to facilitate opening bank accounts etc. will create a new class of people that the rural and/or illiterate people will have to beg to for obtaining their own funds or entitlements. Hitherto the need to grease palms was at the panchayat office or BDO office or whatever, now a new class will get rich at the cost of the poor. Thus the Congress policy of spreading economic prosperity instead of trickle-down seems to be one group or class of people at a time. The unfortunate aam admi remains at the bottom of the economic food chain crushed as usual and with no recourse. However, the proposal to consider the authorizing of 100,000 kirana shops and equipping them with micro-ATM’s is a welcome gesture and at least they will be involved in facilitating the cash transfer mechanism. Here also the chances of cheating the rural and/or illiterate people exist but then we will never know to what extent unless the scheme is implemented. But the curious thing is that our government does not want to recognise these same kirana shops when it comes to announcing the FDI policy in multi-brand retail calling them ineffective and prone to black-marketing but at the same time for the cash transfer scheme they would like to use these kirana shops for their spread and logistical advantages which is essentially why they exist in the first place and that is to facilitate retail business.

Rape Helpline 181

Pursuant to the massive public protest in Delhi and across the nation after the Nirbhaya gang-rape, the government in one of its measures to show its desire to respond quickly to such cases had announced that it will launch a helpline – 181 that people can call in the event of rape threats and/or such incidents that they happen to observe. However, the government should remember to deal with these calls in a prompt and efficient manner since the experience of common citizens for access of public facilities through telephonic helplines is rather sad. The first problem is that you have to go through so many choices of language and options that the facility lives up to its name of being truly ‘interactive’ and because of this the emergent nature of the issue at hand like in the instance of rape will be lost. The other thing is that particular to government helplines there is a callousness of employees not picking up the call when operator assistance is required and the call is automatically terminated either deliberately or after a fixed time has elapsed. If 181 deals with incoming calls like this then there is not much hope for Nirbhaya type of victims.

Nirbhaya Rest In Peace (R.I.P.)!

Nirbhaya, the braveheart victim of the Delhi gang-rape is dead. All those in the political and administrative establishment in the Delhi and the Central governments would have breathed a sigh of relief considering that every day she was alive would be like a sword hanging over their heads. They now know with her death that the public protests would also die down taking off the pressure from the powers-that-be. Thus death is something that is sometimes desirable. Like for the victim, who if she had lived would have been maimed for life considering the damage done to her intestines or given the brain damage reported she would have been reduced to a vegetable-like existence. Death in this instance is like a saviour for the girl and her family relieving both from the long-term trauma and distress. While for all those in the peripheral area related to the incident like the police etc., they have less to answer for since now that Nirbhaya is dead there are no longer any deadlines to meet for any action. This incident will be yet another in the rape history of India as reported in many such cases around the country which even after many long months and sometimes years are yet to deliver justice to the victims and sentencing to the culprits. Fast-track courts are for name only and the wheels of justice even in these grind slowly governed by cumbersome procedure. Let this not be so in Nirbhaya's case and in fact let this case set the benchmark for speedy justice for rapists hereafter in this country who particularly for minor victims below 10 or 12 years and for heinous instances like the Delhi gang-rape should deservedly be given the death penalty. Amen! Nirbhaya Rest In Peace (R.I.P.)!

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