Sun Sets On M ‘Kalaignar’ Karunanidhi

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam patriarch and former Tamil Nadu chief minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi is no more. The end came at 6.10 pm on Tuesday. The 94-year-old stalwart had been battling ill health for more than a year, not long after he was elected to the assembly for the 13th time in 2016.

His condition deteriorated on July 28 when his blood pressure dropped and he was hospitalised. Since then, his condition had been fluctuating and he remained in the intensive care unit till the end. Legions of party workers had been camping outside the hospital since he was brought in, raising slogans and praying for their beloved leader’s recovery.

In a chequered and eventful political career spanning over 70 years, Karunanidhi defined the ethos of an era. His political acumen, steadfast Dravidian ideology, writing and oratorical skills, besides his charisma, all in equal measure contributed to his emergence as one of the tallest political leaders of the country.

Karunanidhi had the longest stint as chief minister of the state; he was at the helm for 19 years, though with several breaks. He won every election he contested since 1957. At the helm of the party for nearly half a century, his shrewdness in stitching up alliances and performing tactical manoeuvres ensured that the DMK always had a strategic role in the state and on occasions became a force to reckon with at the national level.

Even when the party was not in office for 13 years (1976-1989), Karunanidhi held the DMK flock together by keeping their spirits alive through a daily dose of letters in the party organ, ‘Murasoli’, and fiery speeches to party workers. It’s only the second time in the DMK’s nearly 70-year history that a leadership change will take place, a testament to the firm control Karunanidhi had over the party after he succeeded C N Annadurai at the helm in 1969.

In 1975, when Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency and hounded every opposition party leader, Karunanidhi was the first chief minister to oppose it. However, his move to uphold democracy led to the dismissal of his government in Tamil Nadu and eventually his arrest along with scores of DMK leaders under the draconian MISA.

Adversity brought out the best in him. Karunanidhi had been jailed and controversies dogged him right through his career. He fought hard for his convictions and always bounced back through sheer grit, determination and hard work. His atheistic outlook and anti-Brahmin stand were not looked upon kindly by the devout.

Lok Sabha passes Bill to restore original provisions of SC/ST Act

Lok Sabha cleared a bill to overturn a SC order which allegedly ‘diluted’ provisions of SC/ST Act.

The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill, 2018, rules out any provision for anticipatory bail for a person accused of atrocities against SCs/STs, notwithstanding any court order. It also provides that no preliminary enquiry will be required for registering a criminal case and an arrest under this law would not be subject to any approval.

Social justice and empowerment minister Thawar Chand Gehlot said the amendment will strengthen legislative provisions to protect SCs/STs.

R K Dhawan dies

R K Dhawan played Indira Gandhi’s chief enforcer when she, after her resounding victory in the 1971 elections and the halo she acquired after the victory over Pakistan the same year, emerged as the all-powerful PM.

Indira’s power was pithily captured by a foreign observer who described her as the only man in the cabinet. And it was Rajinder Kumar Dhawan, or RKD, who projected her power, not just in the corridors of Delhi but across the length and breadth of the country when Congress was the leviathan.

Dhawan, who passed away on Monday at the age of 81, was the man who conveyed unwelcome news to those who sported high-wattage designations. The job of ensuring that members of the flock did not stray from line fell to him, a job he performed with aplomb, moving vigorously to squelch even the faintest whiff of dissidence.

But while he cracked the whip, he was also the harbinger of glad tidings, routinely breaking news of appointment of chief ministers, ministers and governors to the lucky recipients. He held the designation of personal secretary to Indira but that was a deceptive tag as he wielded more power than central ministers and the cabinet secretary put together. Such was his awe that powerful chief ministers and satraps were reduced to uttering a series of servile “yes sir” when he came on line.

Three words uttered by him, “prime minister desires”, his coinage and contribution to Indian political-bureaucratic lexicon, were the writ through which he ran the country.

His power flowed from the trust of his leader. He would look after the comforts of his leader, sticking blank notes to the study table, even to branches of trees she would cross during her strolls so that she could put down the thoughts swirling in her head. He did not betray secrets while deposing before the Shah Commission on the excesses committed during the Emergency. He fell out of Rajiv Gandhi’s favour and was ousted from the PMO but had to be brought back. So unquestionable was his loyalty that P V Narasimha Rao, when he was being harried by his detractors, brought him as a counterweight.

The grapevine has it that after he took over as urban housing minister in the Rao government, Priyanka Gandhi called him to say that 10, Janpath needed urgent repairs along with a coat of paint. He got it done in 72 hours.

Slavery Index

Services Sector Activity in July at 21-Month High

Buoyed by higher demand and new business orders, India’s services sector activity expanded to hit a 21-month high in July.

The Nikkei India Services Business Activity Index rose to 54.2 from 52.6 in June.

A reading of over 50 on this survey-based index indicates expansion and below that means contraction. Manufacturing purchasing managers’ index released earlier showed a marginal decline in July to 52.3 from 53.1 in the previous month, but underlying momentum remained strong.

The Composite PMI Output Index, which comprises both services and manufacturing, rose to 54.1 in July from 53.3 in June.

The services activity index is based on a survey conducted among purchasing executives of more than 400 services providers divided into six categories: consumer services, transport & storage, information & communication, financial & insurance, real estate and business services.

Companies hired at their fastest pace since April as demand improved. Panellists cited higher output requirements as the key factor behind job creation.

Jobs growth was evident across all broad sub-sectors. Business confidence regarding the 12-month outlook also picked up from the low recorded in June.

The survey highlighted “some warning signs” that could lead to further monetary tightening.

An uncertain global climate, currency weakness and strong inflation may continue to place pressure on the central bank to hike interest rates over the coming months. RBI had raised key interest rates on Wednesday by 25 basis points, its second tightening after the previous policy announcement in June.

Google Accepts Blame for UIDAI Helpline Number mystery

Google has admitted that it is to blame for the mysterious appearance of an outdated Aadhaar helpline number in the contact lists of phones, and clarified that it wasn’t an unauthorised breach of the Android devices. The US Internet major added that the issue would be fixed over the next few weeks.

“Our internal review has revealed that in 2014, the then UIDAI helpline number and the 112 distress helpline number were inadvertently coded into the SetUp wizard of the Android release given to OEMs for use in India and has remained there since. Since the numbers get listed on a user’s contact list these get transferred accordingly to the contacts on any new device,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement late Friday.

“We are sorry for any concern that this might have caused, and would like to assure everyone that this is not a situation of an unauthorised access of their Android devices,” the company added.

It said that users can manually delete the number from their devices.

“We will work towards fixing this in an upcoming release of SetUp wizard which will be made available to OEMs over the next few weeks,” Google said.

Earlier in the day, the Unique Identification Authority of India, telecom operators and handset vendors said they had no role in the mysterious appearance of the Aadhaar helpline number.

They were responding to a social media storm on Friday over the appearance of defunct UIDAI helpline number 1800-300-1947 on Android and some iOS devices, with many citizens fearing a breach of privacy amid the ongoing debate around the security of the Aadhaar system.

UIDAI, which manages the country’s Aadhaar project, said in a statement that it has not asked handset makers and telecom service providers to include its tollfree number on mobile phones. It clarified that the number that showed up in the contact lists of some phones was an outdated and invalid helpline number.

Some vested interests are trying to create unwarranted confusion, UIDAI had said.

Telecom operators denied any role in the matter. The inclusion of a certain unknown number in the phonebooks of various mobile handsets “is not from any telecom service provider,” the Cellular Operators Association of India said in a statement.

Below normal rain for rest of season

An evolving El Nino in the Pacific Ocean will impact the rest of the monsoon in the country.

The rainfall for the August to September season could be below normal, 95% of the Long Period Average with a model error of plus or minus 8%, the India Meteorological Department indicated in a forecast.

Tercile probabilities in the forecast for the same period indicated a 47% probability for below normal rainfall, and 41% probability of normal rainfall. The probability of an above normal rainfall was just 12%.

Rainfall over 106% of the LPA is above normal, less than 94% is below normal and between the range of 94-106% for the August to September period is normal.

A senior met department official said that a warming trend has been noticed in the sea surface temperatures of the Pacific Ocean. Such warming is an indicator of the development of El Nino in the latter part of the season.

“The warming in the sea surface temperatures can induce some changes in the atmosphere which may affect the second half of the monsoon,” the official added.

Meteorologist and all-India Internet Weather Radio Station founder J R Kulkarni said, “ Normal and above normal probabilities in the tercile forecasts add up to 53%, so there is more probability of normal rain during the second half.”

IMD additional director general M Mohapatra said the probability of above-normal rain in the second half of the season has been ruled out.

“The probability of below normal rain in the second half of the season is 47% and that of normal rain is 41%. There is little difference between the two forecast probabilities. So, the latter part of the monsoon season could have either normal or below normal rain,” he said.

The forecast said mid-season rainfall over the country till July end suggested that distribution of rainfall is “very good over of the country except Bihar, Jharkhand and northeastern states.”

Rainfall during August is likely to be 96% of LPA, plus or minus 9%, and higher than the 94% forecast in May.

Meanwhile, there are now eight deficient districts with below normal rain. These include Aurangabad, Nandurbar, Jalna, Buldana, Sangli, Beed, Solapur and Dhule.