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Letters

China's PR

Vol - XLVIII No. 21, May 25, 2013 | N Menon

Neville Maxwell, who wrote “What Is Behind the Chinese ‘Incursion’ at Daulat Beg Oldie”? (EPW, 18 May 2013), has a history of being the chief public relations officer for the Chinese government on the India-China border issues. One of the Chinese claims is that the border was “imposed” on China. What is forgotten is that the border was also “imposed” on India which had no say where the boundaries were drawn by the British civilian, Henry McMahon, who also demarcated the boundary between British Burma and China.

Can the Subaltern Speak?

Vol - XLVIII No. 21, May 25, 2013 | Sanjeev Kumar

“Intervention, Identity and Marginality: An Ethnographic Account of the Musahars” by Shilp Shikha Singh (EPW, 18 May 2013) is fascinating to read but it also has some structural problems. The fi rst one is the absence of information about the relationship between the author and the project (ActionAid) about which she wrote uncritically. There are some problems with her claim about the success of the project, but let me fi rst correct some factual information she has provided.

The Lion in Gujarat

Vol - XLVIII No. 21, May 25, 2013 | Vinay Tandon

The editorial “The Lion in Gujarat” (EPW, 18 May 2013) was most apt and expressed a common sense which is rare. It was essentially a question of Gujarati pride and had little to do with the poor Asiatic lion now squeezed into a tiny corner of the planet called “Gir”. Yes, some good legislation to stop pompous local satraps claiming exclusive ownership over wildlife species would be in order, provided of course that it is enforced.

Criminalising Dissent

Vol - XLVIII No. 21, May 25, 2013 | Asish Gupta and D Manjit

Peoples Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) unequivocally condemns the undemocratic ways of the Odisha government in trying to further corporate interests under the rhetoric of deve­lopment, subjecting the locals to repression, displacement and a threat to survival. The arrest of Abhay Sahu, leader of the Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS) from Bhubaneshwar airport on 11 May in connection with a bomb blast case at POSCO’s proposed steel plant site in Jagatsinghpur district is symptomatic of the government’s attempt to eliminate all voices of opposition.

Incorrect ST Data

Vol - XLVIII No. 20, May 18, 2013 | Anil Kumar Verma

The recent data on scheduled tribes (STs) released by the Census of India (Primary Census Abstracts – Uttar Pradesh) puts the ST population in UP at 11,34,273 showing a decadal growth rate of 1134%. Compared to previous ST decadal growth rate figures for UP (1971-81: 17%, 1981-91: 23%, 1991-2001: 26%), this is very high. However, there appears to be a deliberate effort on the part of the census authorities to downsize the ST figures for UP.

Different Genetic Pool?

Vol - XLVIII No. 20, May 18, 2013 | R Srivatsan

Arvind Panagariya’s special article somewhat cutely titled “Does India Really Suffer from Worse Child Malnutrition Than Sub-Saharan Africa?” (EPW, 4 May 2013) argues that there must be genetic factors that result in poorer heights and weights among Indians. This would lead to the idea that the poor come from a different genetic pool than the rich.

Economists and Errors

Vol - XLVIII No. 20, May 18, 2013 | Srinivas Raghavendra

The famously infamous spreadsheet error by economists Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff and the following economic policy discussion on austerity has rightly or wrongly brought forth one important issue: the techniques, tools and methods that economists use to analyse economic data have immense consequence for economic policymaking and thereby directly affect people in many different ways.

More Mayoral Power

Vol - XLVIII No. 20, May 18, 2013 | Manu N Kulkarni

In “Revisiting the 74th Constitutional Amendment for Better Metropolitan Governance” (EPW, 30 March 2013) K C Sivaramakrishnan’s analysis of the governance deficit of emerging megacities in India has been more in the nature of how the 74th constitutional amendment could not empower the emerging cities adequately and how these constitutional inadequacies have disempowered the urban local bodies. The greatest bottleneck however is the non-empowerment of the urban bodies with adequate funds, functionaries and functions.

The Great Bengal Crash - I

Vol - XLVIII No. 19, May 11, 2013 | Arup Kumar Sen

The sudden collapse of the Saradha group in West Bengal testifies to the dark side of finance capital. With the group defaulting on payments and winding up its media business recently, and investors demanding their deposits, the collection agents of the group find themselves in a precarious situation. The agents are putting pressure on the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, for her intervention for the recovery of investments in various schemes they had marketed in the districts with attractive commissions.

The Great Bengal Crash - II

Vol - XLVIII No. 19, May 11, 2013 | Saroj Upadhyay

Subhanil Chowdhury’s article “The Political Economy of Shadow Finance in West Bengal” on the web exclusives section of the EPW website brings out the story of one of the greatest swindling episodes after Independence. The Saradha group had proximity with the ruling Trinamool Congress but the police investigations reveal that the group had interactions with the left as well. A news item (1 May) in Bartaman, a Bengali daily, reveals that many left leaders also attended functions sponsored by the Saradha group.