Anna Hazare begins fast-unto-death
Garnering impressive support from the public, veteran anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare embarked on a fast-unto-death at Jantar Mantar here on Tuesday, demanding passing of the Jan Lokpal Bill drafted through a civil society initiative.
He also rejected Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's appeal to call off the fast and engage in a discussion with a Sub-Committee of the Group of Ministers over the framing of the Lokpal Bill.
Visits Rajghat
Mr. Hazare first visited Rajghat, where he paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, before proceeding to India Gate atop an open jeep accompanied by several social workers and members of the public.
From there, he proceeded to the public meeting at Jantar Mantar with tricolour-waving students cheering him all along the way. Mr. Hazare demanded setting up of a joint committee with 50 per cent representation for citizens and 50 per cent for the government for formulation of a strong Lokpal Bill.
“We want a joint committee. If you want to end corruption, then why don't you constitute it? It means you do not want to end the corruption. I will fast till the joint committee is constituted and till there is pran (life) in me,” Mr. Hazare said in response to the Prime Minister's offer.
At Rajghat, Mr. Hazare said: “I have come to request Gandhiji to give good sense to this Government. So many sacrifices were made for this country. But everything is being destroyed. You [Gandhiji] gave direction to this country but these people are destroying it.''
PMO ‘disappointed'
The Prime Minister's Office had on Monday night expressed “deep disappointment” over Mr. Hazare's decision to go on fast. The statement from the PMO added that the Prime Minister had “enormous respect for Mr. Hazare and his mission.”
Mr. Hazare said he had got the same assurances from the Prime Minister at an earlier meeting on March 7. “He said we have faith in you; we respect you; then why did he not sit with us on this issue again?...If the Government alone drafts this bill, it will be autocratic, not democratic; there will be discrepancies,” Mr. Hazare added.
‘Not acceptable'
RTI activist and Magsaysay Award winner Arvind Kejriwal said the Prime Minister at that meeting had offered to pass on their suggestions to the Group of Ministers constituted to formulate the draft of the Lokpal Bill.
“This is not acceptable to us. We want to be part of the formulation. Who are the Ministers in this GoM? They include people like Veerappa Moily who drafted a weak Lokpal Bill, Kapil Sibal who could see no revenue loss in the 2G spectrum scam and Sharad Pawar,” Mr. Kejriwal remarked.
Former IPS officer and social activist Kiran Bedi echoed Mr. Hazare's demand for a joint committee with at least half the members chosen from civil society like senior advocates Prashant Bhushan and Shanti Bhushan and Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde. “The remaining members can be from the Government. This committee should treat the Jan Lokpal Bill as its working draft. It should submit its report by mid-May and the Government should then place the Bill drafted by the committee in Parliament,” Dr. Bedi said, adding that such a committee's work would plug all loopholes in the Bill.
A number of politicians from the Opposition parties and public figures visited Mr. Hazare during the course of the day to express solidarity with him. Marking a change from usual protest demonstrations where party flags dominate, both sides of Jantar Mantar Road were lined instead with rows of tricolour flags.
"Globalisation is a Continuous Process" P Balakrishnan - Director, CDS, TVM
The perception that globalisation had set in only two decades ago was flawed, said Pulapre Balakrishnan, Director of Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram.
Globalisation had been a continuous process and not something that could be inducted at a specific period, he said. He was delivering a lecture on ‘Some globalisation claims: two decades on' at Maharaja's College here on Friday (01-04-2011) . The country needed to learn the lessons of globalisation. It would be a challenge to ensure inclusive growth, he said.
Several reasons could be attributed to the rise of corporates and the weakening of nation states which culminated in rapid economic changes globally. While the distance between countries came down in terms of economic parameters, cultural homogenisation was not taking place. whether the transformation of economy meant transformation of the lives of people remained a crucial question.
competitiveness attained focus in the wake of emergence of global markets and establishment of new manufacturing hubs. corporate entities trying to woo government and equity markets exerting influence on governments were part of the emerging scenario. instances of corporate projects displacing tribal settlements indicated the overriding of the goals of civil society.
In the Indian Context, the performance of the agricultural sector needed to be examined against the celebrated growth of services sector. Pointing out instances of a government agency intended to protect the interests of adivasis playing a role in alienation of their land, he said globalisation might not always contribute to social capital.
Efforts aimed at generating employment opportunities and focusing on export failed short of attaining inclusive growth. initiatives for providing education and skill training to rural massess would help restrain migration to urban areas and stabilise the economy.
Source: http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2011040353630700.htm&date=2011/04/03/&prd=th& The Hindu, Sunday April 3, 2011 Issue.
Globalisation had been a continuous process and not something that could be inducted at a specific period, he said. He was delivering a lecture on ‘Some globalisation claims: two decades on' at Maharaja's College here on Friday (01-04-2011) . The country needed to learn the lessons of globalisation. It would be a challenge to ensure inclusive growth, he said.
Several reasons could be attributed to the rise of corporates and the weakening of nation states which culminated in rapid economic changes globally. While the distance between countries came down in terms of economic parameters, cultural homogenisation was not taking place. whether the transformation of economy meant transformation of the lives of people remained a crucial question.
competitiveness attained focus in the wake of emergence of global markets and establishment of new manufacturing hubs. corporate entities trying to woo government and equity markets exerting influence on governments were part of the emerging scenario. instances of corporate projects displacing tribal settlements indicated the overriding of the goals of civil society.
In the Indian Context, the performance of the agricultural sector needed to be examined against the celebrated growth of services sector. Pointing out instances of a government agency intended to protect the interests of adivasis playing a role in alienation of their land, he said globalisation might not always contribute to social capital.
Efforts aimed at generating employment opportunities and focusing on export failed short of attaining inclusive growth. initiatives for providing education and skill training to rural massess would help restrain migration to urban areas and stabilise the economy.
Source: http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2011040353630700.htm&date=2011/04/03/&prd=th& The Hindu, Sunday April 3, 2011 Issue.
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