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It is crucial to align policy across sectors and upgrade the country’s social infrastructure In India’s highly segmented labour market, one can still discern at least three demographic groups that are in urgent need of jobs: a growing number of better educated youth; uneducated agricultural workers who wish to leave agricultural distress behind; and young women, who too are better educated than ever before. India is indeed the fastest growing large economy in the world; yet with investment low, credit offtake low, capacity utilisation in industry low, agricultural growth low, plant load factor low, it is hardly surprising that job growth is low as well. Although growth is relatively high (though slowing for last several quarters), it is the pattern of growth that is the problem. Among many dimensions of this problem is the fact that in the quarter century since economic reforms began, it is not manufacturing that has been the leading sector driving growth. Manufacturing should dri...

Biotechnology firm Biocon on Tuesday said the United States health regulator has issued complete response letter (CRL) for proposed biosimilar Pegfilgrastim, indicated for use in cancer treatment. The company, however said it does not expect this CRL to impact the commercial launch timing of biosimilar Pegfilgrastim in the U.S. This product is a part of the biosimilars portfolio being developed jointly by Biocon and Mylan. “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration [USFDA] has issued a complete response letter for Mylan’s Biologics License Application (BLA) for MYL-1401H, a proposed biosimilar pegfilgrastim,” Biocon said in a regulatory filing. It said: “The CRL relates to the pending update of the BLA with certain CMC [Chemistry and Manufacturing Control ] data from facility requalification activities post recent plant modifications. The CRL did not raise any questions on biosimilarity, pharmacokinetic/ pharmacodynamic data, clinical data or immunogenicity. “We do not expect th...

The disqualification of 18 MLAs in Tamil Nadu is highly questionable The disqualification of 18 dissident AIADMK legislators by the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker is a partisan decision aimed at securing a majority for the seven-month-old Edappadi K. Palaniswami government after a rebellion reduced it to a minority. The Speaker’s ruling comes at a time when there is an increasingly indefensible reluctance on the part of the Governor, Ch. Vidyasagar Rao, to order a floor test. It serves the political purpose of reducing the total membership of the House from 233 to 215 and, thereby, the majority threshold from 117 to 108. The disqualified legislators are loyalists of T.T.V. Dhinakaran, who heads a faction of the AIADMK opposed to the ruling dispensation controlled by Mr. Palaniswami and his Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam. The Speaker has interpreted their memorandum to the Governor expressing lack of confiidence in the Chief Minister as amounting to “voluntarily giving up” their...

A State-wide voter paper trail may silence the EVM’s critics, but is a regressive step The Election Commission’s decision to deploy the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail system for all the constituencies in the Gujarat Assembly elections is questionable. This will be the first time VVPAT will be used on a State-wide basis. A costly but useful complement to the Electronic Voting Machine, it allows the voter to verify her vote after registering it on the EVM, and the paper trail allows for an audit of the election results by the EC in a select and randomised number of constituencies. The implementation of VVPAT was to have been undertaken by the EC in a phased manner, but this blanket use appears to have been expedited after a series of unwarranted attacks on EVMs by some political parties and scaremongers. The EC had sought to allay concerns and confront allegations of voter fraud by running through the administrative and technological safeguards instituted to keep EVMs and the voti...

In India, a significant percentage of the population depends on traditional systems of medicine and homoeopathy. In India, a NEET examination is the entry point for all systems of medicines. Apart from basic subjects, every system of traditional medicine and homoeopathy has its own subjects. Irrespective of the system of medicine they practise, all medical graduates have an equal right to be called a doctor. Instead of splitting hairs, the authorities should be looking at those who obtain their medical degrees from Russia, China and other countries where the standards of medical education in allopathy are suspect. In the report, the sentence “MBBS doctors grumbling about traditional medicine practitioners and homoeopaths calling themselves ‘doctors’” was uncalled for. I am sure a prestigious newspaper such as The Hindu does not intend to be the mouthpiece of “some grumblers” (“The ‘Dr’ is in (or is it?)”, July 28). Dr. Beena Amar Bodhi,

Over the last two years, around 20 tigers have been poached in Corbett National Park, according to Rajeev Mehta, honorary wildlife warden of Rajaji Tiger Reserve. Mehta arrived at the figure by taking into account the poaching activities over the last two years. “Last year in March, five tiger skins were seized by the Uttarakhand police. After analysing the skins, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), found four to be of tigers from Corbett. Another poacher was caught with tiger skin from Corbett in May,” he says. On March 14, after the seizure of tiger skins, Mehta, along with other forest department officials, searched the area where the poachers hid the tiger parts in Kotkadar in Uttar Pradesh’ Bijnor district. “We found 32 holes used to bury tiger skins and bones. Apart from finding blood-soaked clothes, flesh and spears, we also found 130 kg of tiger bones,” he adds. One of the holes used to bury tiger skins and bones. Credit: Rajeev Mehta One of the holes used to bury ...

aising the Sardar Sarovar dam to its full height will result in more large-scale submergence of habitations Since Independence, between 25 and 60 million people have been displaced from their homes and uprooted for India’s development projects. Most end up living in abysmal poverty and deprivation. That we do not even know the exact numbers of those affected — in a country that prizes bureaucratic record keeping — is a clear indication of the callous disregard we have for these lives. Disregarding years of sustained non-violent protest and an iconic mass movement that drew national and global attention, the Narmada Control Authority decided on June 17, 2017 to raise the height of the Sardar Sarovar dam to its full height, by ordering the closure of 30 gates. It was announced in time with the arrival of the monsoon. Once the dam is at its full height, it will submerge one town and at least 176 villages, displace close to 20,000 families, flood productive agricultural land, and dest...

To brandish genetic studies as the clincher to the Aryan debate is hasty, if not misplaced Tony Joseph’s article (“How genetics is settling the Aryan migration debate, June 16) on how recent genetic studies of Indian populations might be “settling the Aryan migration debate” attempts to summarise polemical as well as technical aspects of the contribution of genetics to the debate in question. I will focus here mostly on methodological issues to argue that the conclusions of two recent studies Mr. Joseph’s article heavily leans on are much shakier than conveyed. (Those are “A genetic chronology for the Indian Subcontinent”, published earlier this year in BMC Evolutionary Biology, which I will refer to as “Silva et al.” after its first author, and “Reconstructing Indian population history” by David Reich and four co-authors, published in Nature in 2009, henceforth “Reich et al.”) To begin with, most studies of population genetics suffer from shortcomings and flaws, some of which are...

K. Srikanth, Sai Praneeth and H.S. Prannoy have transformed men’s badminton in India K. Srikanth brought joy in two equal helpings. The 24-year-old won back-to-back badminton titles in the space of eight days, on Sunday adding the Australian Open title to the higher-rated Indonesia Open he had clinched on June 18. Success is not new to Srikanth, and in Sydney his domination of an elite field could be gauged from the fact that he dropped just one game in five matches. Even more heartening, he is part of a cohort in Indian men’s badminton, with the likes of B. Sai Praneeth and H.S. Prannoy, who have been beating elite players this season. For instance, Srikanth has upstaged the current World No. 1, Korea’s Son Wan Ho, twice in two weeks and raced past the reigning World and Olympic champion, Chen Long, in Sunday’s final at Sydney. He will be back in the world’s top 10 ranking this week, having also beaten World No. 4 and the topmost Chinese, Shi Yuqi, twice this year. In fact, Srikant...

Augmenting foods with nutrients can improve overall health, but it must be regulated Since a diversified diet that meets all nutritional requirements is difficult to provide, fortification of food is relied upon by many countries to prevent malnutrition. The World Health Organisation estimates that deficiency of key micronutrients such as iron, vitamin A and iodine together affects a third of the world’s population; in general, insufficient consumption of vitamins and minerals remains problematic. Viewed against the nutrition challenge India faces, processed foods with standards-based fortification can help advance overall health goals, starting with maternal health. It is imperative, for a start, to make iron-fortified food widely available, since iron deficiency contributes to 20% of maternal deaths and is associated with nearly half of all maternal deaths. The shadow of malnutrition extends to the children that women with anaemia give birth to. They often have low birth weight, a...

The government will have to take a call, and quick, on how to engage with the U.S. on Afghanistan During his inaugural address in January 1961, U.S. President John F. Kennedy famously asked his fellow Americans: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” In 2017, it is a question that U.S. President Donald Trump is posing to the world, as he begins to set his imprint on American foreign policy. In the past few weeks, the one campaign promise Mr. Trump’s actions have held fast to is “America First” and to make every other country “pay its dues”. As a result, he has backed away from his earlier tough position on declaring China a “currency manipulator” after his meeting with President Xi Jinping, but the quid pro quo is clear: China must rein in North Korea, particularly its plans for a nuclear test. Asked to pay up Mr. Trump’s decision to dispatch Vice President Mike Pence, Defence Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson...

Medical stories should be complete and carefully verified Since the office of the Readers’ Editor was established in The Hindu in 2006, one reader has been relentless in his pursuit for accuracy. He has an excellent eye for detail and a phenomenal memory of sporting events. Dr. Maniyur Raghavendran is a consultant urologist and transplant surgeon. While most of his letters are about slip ups in sports stories, his recent mail questioned the credibility of a journal cited in a medical story. The report, “Woman takes risk, achieves motherhood after 20 miscarriages” (April 15, 2017), was filed by the Nellore staff reporter. It was a moving story about a woman who wanted to have a child despite difficult medical conditions, and who was ready to take a risk because her husband’s family was pressuring him to marry again. The report was based on interviews with the woman and her doctor. It was a good human-interest story, but was marred by the strapline which read: “In view of the rare n...

The challenge of the States in achieving a debt ceiling of 20% by 2023 threatens overall fiscal responsibility targets It is no mean achievement that the daunting fiscal deficit target of 3.5% of GDP for the past year was met. Beyond the 3.2% fiscal deficit target for the current year, the government has accepted a 3% target thereafter. Continuing this trend in the future will enable the realisation of the preferred 60% debt-GDP ratio by 2023. The Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Review Committee report, now in the public domain, has preferred a debt to GDP ratio of 60% for the general government by 2023, comprising 40% for the Central government and 20% for the State governments. Given the recent track record, there is a reasonable probability of the Central government achieving the 40% debt to GDP ratio. The focus now is on the States. Can they, in partnership with the Central government, enable the near optimum of 60% to be achieved by the terminal date? For int...

The BCCI must take the message from the ICC’s course correction on revenue-sharing The last few months have been a chastening spell for the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The Justice R.M. Lodha reforms punctured the bubble of entitlements that some BCCI officials lived in. Even as the sport’s administrators struggled to come to terms with the diktats of the Supreme Court, a big shock wave has emanated from Dubai with the International Cricket Council voting overwhelmingly in favour of changes to its governance and revenue model. All that remains is a formal ratification at the ICC’s annual general body meeting in London in June. The decisions of the Dubai meeting effectively negate the BCCI’s ambitious move initiated by its then president, N. Srinivasan, in 2014. The proposal had envisaged a “Big Three” governance and revenue-sharing structure that co-opted Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board. It offered a maximum of 21% of the ICC’s revenue share to th...

The monsoon forecast should galvanise the country to make the most of a good season The ‘normal’ monsoon forecast of the India Meteorological Department brings the promise of a year of growth and good health for India’s economy and ecology. If correct, India will have a second consecutive year of normal rainfall, after two years of drought. The prospect that 2017 will be a good year boosts the prospects of enhanced agricultural output, healthy reservoir levels, more hydropower and reduced conflicts over water. It will also test the efficacy of the expensive water management initiatives launched during 2014 and 2015 by the Centre and the State governments to harness rainfall and build resilience for future drought cycles. As the IMD’s experience shows, forecasting the all-India summer monsoon rainfall is fraught with uncertainties and has often gone off the mark. The dynamic model that it is using this year to make a forecast that includes an assessment of two phenomena — a possible ...

While India and Pakistan have been unable to resolve the Siachen dispute, the new enemy is global warming It is 33 years since humanity established a permanent presence on the snow-clad Siachen glacier and converted the ‘land of roses’ into the world’s highest battlefield. On April 13, 1984, India launched Operation Meghdoot to capture the 76.4 km-long glacier on the Saltoro ridge, narrowly thwarting Pakistan’s own attempts in the process. A platoon of 4 Kumaon led by then Captain Sanjay Kulkarni planted the Indian flag at Bilafond La. The operation continues till date, making it the longest continuing one of its kind in the world. But the guns on the glacier have fallen silent following the 2003 ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) and the Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) across the Siachen. The LoC has flared up intermittently, but ceasefire along the AGPL has held since. Siachen is a legacy of Partition. While the LoC was delineated and accepted by India and Pakistan u...

Ahmadinejad’s bid for the presidency reflects the political uncertainties gripping Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sprang a surprise when he registered himself as a candidate in Iran’s presidential election scheduled for May 19. After leaving the office of President in 2013 at the end of two controversial terms, the firebrand populist has been largely inactive in politics. He began as a favourite of the ayatollahs, but during his second term he had a turbulent relationship with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, who asked him not to run for President again. Mr. Ahmadinejad’s defiant return to the race shows the growing significance of hard-line politics in a charged region. As successor to the mild-mannered reformist Mohammad Khatami, he toed a strident line on Israel and the U.S., refusing to meaningfully negotiate with the West over Iran’s nuclear programme despite crippling economic sanctions. This election is crucial for Iran as it is seen as a referendum on the nuclear deal i...

New guidelines cutting the number of MPhil and PhD students a professor can supervise will kill research The claim that something as innocuous as the number of MPhil students that a university teacher is allowed to supervise will determine the future of research in Indian universities must seem far fetched. However, the drastic cuts mandated by the latest (2016) University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines on MPhil and PhD are indeed alarming, and it is worrisome that they have not received the attention they demand.\ A three-tier balance For those unfamiliar with it, research in Indian universities is located at the top rung of a three-tiered structure. The bottom rung is made of undergraduates who account for the vast majority of students in higher education, and are enrolled in a range of disciplines in the arts, social sciences, sciences, technology, and so on. The second rung is expectedly much smaller and consists of student enrolled for two-year post-graduate degrees. Th...