Was communication the biggest failure in farm laws being repealed?

India saw a year long protest over the central government's efforts to reform the agriculture sector. There were several reasons on why the government backed down and finally withdrew the implementation of the three controversial farm bills. 

Lack of stakeholder consultation, ambiguity in implementation, fear of corporatization, weakened MSP safeguards and political opposition. 

But it's the communication, or the lack of it, that I wanted delve more into.

Effective communication is crucial in the implementation of any policy, especially one as sensitive as agricultural reform. 

The government's failure to effectively communicate the benefits of the farm bills and address the concerns of the farming community exacerbated the mistrust between the two parties. This communication gap allowed misinformation to spread, further intensifying the protests.

While the intention behind agricultural reforms may have been noble, the implementation process fell short of addressing the genuine apprehensions of the farming community.

The government's attitude of bulldozing its way into passing the bills with an absolute disregard to parliamentary procedure and lack of public consultation created a cloud of suspicion rather than trust. The Farm Laws Repeal Bill was passed in nine minutes in the Rajya Sabha and just three minutes in the Lok Sabha, meaning Parliament did little to fulfil its role of holding discussions on the proposed bill.

The vilification of farmers - where farmers were called khalistanis, stalled discussions, and the heavy-handed response from security forces led to a trust deficit between the two sides.

Communication breakdowns were also evident in the form of clashes between protestors and law enforcement, further escalating tensions. The situation was complex, involving economic, social, and political dimensions.

The perception that the government had not adequately consulted with the farmers and other stakeholders before implementing the reforms. The lack of consultation and dialogue led to a trust deficit between the government and the farming community.

Moving forward, any attempts at agricultural reform must prioritize inclusivity, clear communication, and a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced by the farmers to ensure the sustainable development of the agricultural sector.

It's loud, but no one's listening!

 

I landed at the Delhi airport in February this year, on my first visit to the city after 10 long years. I was impressed with the new airport, the connectivity to the city via airport express and the expanding metro. As I got into an auto-rickshaw to complete the last mile of my journey, my eardrums vibrated vigorously with an annoying sound of honking by a biker at the traffic light. He must've been in a hurry, I thought, trying to navigate the traffic to reach his destination. But what I found surprising was, this was supposed to a silent zone, since a general hospital was in the vicinity. 

It got me thinking, are there rules to keep a check on noise pollution? If there is, then are we adhering to it?  

The airwaves in Indian media are filled with stories on the deteriorating quality of air. While air pollution, which is more harmful, gets a substantial amount of air time, noise - the other big pollutant in modern cities in India is rarely heard. 

Noise pollution is often overlooked despite being linked to an increased risk of hearing loss and sometimes leading to premature death. Long-term exposure to noise can cause a variety of health effects including annoyance, sleep disturbance, negative effects on the cardiovascular and metabolic system, as well as cognitive impairment in children.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that noise exposure levels should not exceed 70 dB over a 24-hour period, and 85 dB over a 1-hour period to avoid hearing impairment. In India, the Central Pollution Control Board, within the Ministry of Environment has laid out its guidelines, which are then monitored by authorities in the State government. 

Some of the major causes of noise pollution in cities are vehicular horns, construction activity, industrial activity, rail and aircrafts, generator sets, loud speakers, public address systems, music systems, and personal music devices. 

While there are restrictions on time, and designated silent zone to prohibit the use of loud speaker or a public address systems, the decibels peak during festive or election seasons, when there's an absolute disregard for guidelines. 

In order to curb this growing menace the central government should formulate an action plan, in line with WHO guidelines, to tackle noise pollution within a specific time period. A well laid out policy, regular campaigns like no-honk day, decibel meters at major traffic signals and creating more quiet areas, installing noise barrier technology during construction of roads, bridges, and buildings will help reduce noise levels.

In the long-run, the government should encourage and incentivize use of public transport vehicles, creating more infrastructure for electric cars in cities, and promote active travel like walking or cycling and pedestrianization of streets.

These measures are likely to bring in more awareness and encourage responsible behavior among citizens. 

Tum do tumaare ek!

A pregnant Chinese colleague of mine panicked after a call and informed us that she had to rush to the hospital. Without probing too much, I asked her if she was fine.

'It isn't looking good', she replied. 

I understood. 

The couple have a child, but she was hoping to have a second one. Quite natural, I thought.

My colleague was in her mid- 40s, she thought it would be a challenge, but they tried.     

This was 2016. Just a few months after China dropped the one-child policy, and 'allowed' couples to have two-children. 

I thought to myself, 'Can the state decide when should you have a child?'. 

Well in China, they do. 

In 1979, soon after economic reforms were ushered, the state introduced a one-child policy. A temporary measure to free up labour, but the move paid rich dividends. No, not because the State tightened birth control measures, but loosened its hold over the economy. The economic boom gave China a double-digit growth for close to two decades, lifted millions out of poverty, educated the young, and inspired generations to pursue their economic goals. 

While society transformed, the fertility rate declined - way below the 'replacement rate'. The state-planned economy had enough wealth, and the strain over country's welfare measure could be borne.   

But does the country have enough workforce to sustain the economic vigor?

Not really, by 2035, an estimated 400 million people in China will be age 60 and over, representing 30% of the population, and that's according to the government's own projections.

My colleague who wanted to have a second child, who could've contributed to a young workforce, wasn't lucky. Of course, the State could argue miscarriages are possible even at a younger age, even if data confronts that older women are more likely to experience a miscarriage than younger women (27% of pregnancies end in a miscarriage at age 40 compared to 16% at age 30 or younger).   

The misguided policy brought with it, its own unintended consequences. Since couples preferred having more sons than daughters, orphanages experienced a surge in girls. 

The gender-ratio skewed. 

Now, young men are struggling to find a bride. The families of eligible bachelors are willing to pay a handsome 'bride price', including property, to find a right partner in a marriage market that has millions of girls missing. Unlike in India, where the women's family pays a dowry, in China rural families pay a material guarantee for any future wife.               

When the 7th nationwide census came out in 2020, it was clear that the population was aging, fewer young children and an aging workforce. There was a demographic shift, which brings its own economic strains. This is even prompting the government to consider increasing the retirement official retirement age, currently 60 for men and 55 for women. 

In 2021,  the State further relaxed the family planning policy to have three-children, still keeping a 'leash' on a couple's choice. Moreover, some counties offered cash incentives, cracked down on 'bride price' and went as far as to ban private-tutoring industry. A move directed at making education less financially stressful.

Unfortunately, unlike doling out subsidies its indigenous industries, China hasn't been successful at incentivizing the 'human production' industry yet. High childcare costs,  a nascent parental leave policy, and less supportive childcare facilities, has not encouraged people to reproduce more.

As China launches a nationwide survey to find out reasons for its flagging birthrate, future generations, including my colleague's child, is likely to look back at the stringent one-child policy in daze and disbelief.   

P.S. I thought of former Union Health Minister's Ghulam Nabi Azad's statement to watch TV in order to keep a check on the baby boom as bizarre, when I think of it now, he does make sense! Campaigns like 'Hum do Hamaare do' are classic examples of educating your masses instead of snatching that choice from your citizens!       

Breathing is a 'crime'

 

In 2013, when I landed in Beijing, I could not miss the affect the air had on me- smelt like a residue of a milder chemical, a tingling sensation smacked my tongue as I stuck it out to taste. 'Is this what acid rain is?', I wondered. Never exposed to terms like air quality index or particulate matter. 

Conversations with friends would invariably drift towards the toxic air outside, the impact on our health and how AQI levels released by various local websites could be 'dodgy'. The impatient couples with newborns were plotting their way out of Beijing, young kids were not allowed to step out to play and the elderly would defy warnings to stay indoors.       

We bought an air purifier, stocked up on specialised filtering masks  and felt 'safe' within 'purified' walls as the world outside was darkening. 

An 'environmental crime' was inflicted on industrialised economies, like UK, in the past. It was China's turn in 2013. 

10 years on, the skies are blue, the AQI more true - apart from the occasional  sandstorms from Mongolia or a weak cold air current that makes smog engulf the northern China region, the air quality has improved considerably in the past decade. 

So what did Beijing, a sprawling metropolis of 21 million inhabitants, do to improve its air quality. 

To begin with, the government addressed the problem head on and declared a 'war on pollution' by introducing the air pollution action plan in September 2013. 

A systematic plan to reduce the use of coal, better law enforcement mechanisms, publishing weekly air quality reports and increased level of public engagement helped  Beijing teeter out of the airpocalypse.

The campaign targeted all kinds of pollution: chimney smoking factories within the city were shutdown, crackdown on coal combustion, pollution from construction was kept in check and China's automakers rolled out a range of electric vehicles on the road for public transportation. 

While the campaign ensured people's anger was being assuaged, a Chinese  documentary on , Under the Dome, took the country by storm in 2015. The investigative feature by a former Chinese  journalist added fuel to the burning issue, urging officials to take a serious look. Surprisingly, the documentary was 'allowed' to be shared and watched by millions, despite criticising the politics and economics that led to the smog. 

In Delhi, it's that time of the year when the blame game over pollution is played out on the airwaves, while the quality of air gets worse by the day. The culprit- stubble burning by farmers from Delhi's near-by states, hoping to clear the residue and prepare their fields for the next crop in a short time. 

Is that the only reason? Then why does India have 39 out of 50 most polluted cities in the world.   

While crop burning is the usual suspect, vehicular pollution, coal-fired power plants, construction and industrial units are other sources of pollution that play a part in this 'crime'.

Should India launch a 'war' by proposing  a national environmental policy to target worsening air quality levels. Or wait until the environmental kuznets curve follows its own path. The popular chart shows the rise and decline of pollution in an industrializing nation's economy, but in a country where industrialization is still in its nascent stage, the ability to breathe clean air shouldn't become a 'crime'.  

P.S. As I speak the AQI in Beijing is 169 (PM 2.5) and Delhi just hit the roof at 500!  

A NEW BEGINNING!

Yes I have come back to Chennai again, but this time for a longer stay. I have got into an established news channel...believe me I am now a Correspondent. And I can call myself a journalist in the true sense. But I botched up my first live, but I am trying to work on out cause news channels are all about good television. Infact I dread why i did not learn theatre before I joined a channel.

When to hop?

Everyday after I complete my work and get back home I have just 1 sentence that I keep murmuring till I hit the bed...I WANT TO RESIGN....

But then the next morning I am already thinking on what woud be the big news of the day...a quick surf at all the channels and a flip through the newspapers...just to ensure that I don't be left behind before I hit the road to office..oh the metro infact...

But I still haven't answered my own question? When is the right time to hop...6 months---1year---4 years---a baffling question indeed?
And the kind of answers that you get from your seniors is certainly bizarre...everybody has his or her opinion...but why am I not able to decide?

But as of now things are going fine till I hit the bed infact...i shall let the world know when I quit?

Why do I dread to write?

Why do i dread to write?
Is it fear for writing... do i possess some kind of phobia

Do i fear that people after going through my script would laugh at it...but dont i have to tell the truth to the world in plain simple words...words that they(viewer) could understand..

Writing should come natural...Very True..but i am a compulsive writer...does it mean that i cant write good scripts...

Good scripts...hmmm...that is something that i lack...I wait not to write a story...i seriously feel so happy when I am told NOT to write a script...

Today when my boss asked me to write a story on the temple stampede i was clueless. Despite going through the visuals, words just didnt flow...i felt there was a clog in my brain...i was just yearning when my boss would say...dont worry ill write the story...

helplessly and rather shamelessly I had to meekly surrender...i had to submit a half baked story which at a point even i couldnt understand...

I seriously admire people who write naturally..like a friend of mine who has always encouraged me to write...but i being a lazy dud, i just dont feel like using the pen or the keyboard...
Is it reading and only reading that's going to improve my writing skills?

Well I being in a profession where writing forms a part of your life, i need to catch the bus at the earliest else ill be stranded in this burdgeoning space of media.

The only simple solution to rectify this defect is to WRITE...No two ways about it...Just keep writing and Reading....