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p40 Mercenary Unions
The New Praetorians, II
By John Taylor; 2008 Feb 29, 4 Ayyam-i-Ha, 164 BE
In yesterday's "New Praetorians" I talked about the special elite soldiers who guarded the Roman emperor. They ended up getting so greedy that they murdered and decapitated the emperor, Pertinax, and when a successor suggested himself, in Gibbon's words,
"the more prudent of the Praetorians, apprehensive that, in this private contract, they should not obtain a just price for so valuable a commodity, ran out upon the ramparts, and, with a loud voice, proclaimed that the Roman world was to be disposed of to the best bidder by public auction." (Decline and Fall, 58)
The results were less than satisfactory, to say the least, leading eventually to the accession of Septimus Severus, one of the most bloodthirsty tyrants ever to graduate from run-of-the-mill murder to what we now call genocide.
I woke this morning with an idea, a connection that I had not thought of before. I recalled that a couple of months ago I asked the following question on this blog:
"'Abdu'l-Baha's advice shows how to keep owner-worker relations from becoming politicized. He ends with a story of a Turkish worker's revolution that took place in `ancient times.' Does anybody know what specific event He is talking about?" (Badi' Blog Essay; 2007 Dec 13, 2 Masa'il, 164 BE; Housing and World Federation, My Story of Stuff)
I was referring to this passage, from a conversation that the Master had while visiting the New York home of a Presidential cabinet minister,
"... They (workers) will strike every month and every year. Finally, the capitalists will lose. In ancient times a strike occurred among the Turkish soldiers. They said to the government: `Our wages are very small and they should be increased.' The government was forced to give them their demands. Shortly afterwards they struck again. Finally all the incomes went to the pockets of the soldiers to the extent that they killed the king, saying: `Why didst thou not increase the income so that we might have received more?'" (Foundations of World Unity, pp. 43-44)
I thought, boy, the angels that whisper in my ear in my dreams sure are stupid, since He says that it was a bunch of Turkish soldiers. But then I thought, hey, there was no such a thing as a Turk back in ancient times, and is not the Persian word for Turk "Rumi," meaning Roman? This is in recognition of the fact that Constantinople, now Istanbul, was the head of the Roman Empire for as long as or longer than Rome was. So, probably the Master was indeed talking about the Praetorians. Sorry about that, angels. Interesting though that labor unions should have been compared to the Praetorians, and by none other than Abdu'l-Baha!
Anyway, since I brought this up yesterday, let us follow it through. As I see it, the comparison between Blackwater and the Praetorians is a symptom; it is just the latest form of political corruption in the West. It is being called the "demilitarization of the military," which sounds like an oxymoron, I know, but I am not making this up. Privatization has already taken over the spy industry (today's CIA has more private contractors than employees) and is creeping into other branches of the protective professions. A privatized army is known as a mercenary force, private soldiers hired by a foreign government to fight its battles. Mercenaries, of course, are not there for the good of their nation, nor are they after anybody else's good, except that of their own wallets, hence the term "soldiers of fortune."
Mercenaries are not exactly new. Niccolo Machiavelli helped bring about the modern nation state by his tirades against mercenaries. Had he not done so it is unlikely that government as we know it would have come about. Until Machiavelli, the widespread use of mercenaries in war had choked the vitality of governments, which had to constantly wrestle with the old question of Juvenal, "Quis custodiet ipsos custodiens?" Who will guard the guards? In fact this is where we get the adjective "mercenary," meaning someone dedicated to his own interest and callously destructive of all that opposes it. As Gibbon said, the use of mercenaries brought about the fall of the Roman Empire. Then they kept Europe dark for at least a thousand years afterwards.
Today the same leaders who eliminated financial restraint simply by borrowing unlimited funds from future generations have come up with another slam-dunk solution. They hired hundreds of thousands of mercenaries to fight the war in Iraq. Hired guns have not been used on this scale since the time of Machiavelli, and for that reason there are few old-timers from the Renaissance left over who might say, "Hey, maybe soldiers of fortune are not the safe solution that they seem to be at first blush." As it is, there are more Blackwater operatives in Iraq than regular troops, has been for some years.
This is all documented in last year's book, "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army." This Wikipedia article about the book has links to several audio interviews with the author, investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackwater:_The_Rise_of_the_World's_Most_Powerful_Mercenary_Army
Scahill calls Blackwater the "Praetorian guard of the war on terror." Unfortunately, he does not have time in the interviews linked here to explain to his history-challenged compatriots what this means. Still, what Scahill does point out is scary enough.
What got him interested in Blackwater was an incident that took place on March 31, 2004 where four Blackwater contractors were killed in Falujah. The Bush administration retaliated out of proportion, by destroying the entire village, thus rekindling resistance on a wide scale. Why did the Bush Administration come down so hard, especially when the victims were not American soldiers? Why were the relatives of the victims stonewalled when they tried to find out what happened? What is going on?
He found out that the Bush administration has outsourced the war on terror by diverting money from the military budget into the State Department, who then hire mercenary corporations like Blackwater. No need to start a pesky and unpopular draft; these soldiers are already trained, armed and ready, for a price. And because they are secret and unrestrained by bothersome considerations like accounting for their actions, leaving paper trails, or even obeying laws like those against murder, this gives the modern day mercenaries many specious advantages over open, legal, governmental ways and means. Most notably, privately-owned corporations like Blackwater, unlike government departments, pay a percentage of their profits right back into the political campaign coffers of the politicians who smooth their way to fortune. This was all planned and executed by Dick Chaney and Donald Rumsfeld, whose entire careers are dedicated to this initiative.
In fact, though Scahill only hints at this, an argument could be made that the entire insurgency in Iraq was consciously planned and provoked by the new corporate mercenary forces and their handlers, who well know what side their bread is buttered.
Scahill mentions his many interviews with real soldiers, who all say that as soon as they got things under control and started cooperating with the Iraqis in rebuilding, in would come the mercenaries, guns blazing, killing anything that moved; then suddenly hatred boiled up around them and the insurgency was back in full flame.
Why stabilize when you can make 750 million dollars just to guard officials and diplomats from the chaos when they visit the area? Use the regular army as the broom and mercenaries as the scoop, and the result: bursting moneybags. Forget "give peace a chance," war is profitable. Hmm, I always wondered why Saddam's massive stores of munitions were not confiscated and destroyed right away by the "responsible" authorities. This insurgency is not a "mistake," it is central to the Rumsfeld-Chaney plan for success. How mercenary of them! As Gibbon might have said, "A spirit of profit-making spread among the populace..."
The mercenary business has a wonderful future, what with climate change just over the horizon. Mercenaries are rapidly expanding their operations all around the world. They have the perfect business plan, and are even broadening out to crisis management. They are being hired to protect the lives and property of the filthy rich during emergencies like hurricanes, riots, famine, and so forth. They even offer to save your house if there is a forest fire -- yours stays standing while all your neighbors walk around homeless. How long will it be before they frag Smokey the Bear and start chasing up business by lighting fires on their own? And, in view of what the Master said at the start, how long will it be before there is a mercenary's union, and they start really getting greedy.
p22 The New Praetorians
Justice at the Tip of our Tongue; Yet Another Plea for Peace; The Praetorian Blackwater Guards
When Abdu'l-Baha left for America there was a war going on not unlike the situation in Iraq today. Instead of America attacking Iraq, it was Italy that broke international laws by attacking a sovereign nation, in this case Turkey. This military conflict was a precursor to the huge conflagration now known as the First World War. Like present-day America, the Italians soon found that they had bitten off more than they could chew and soon were bogged down in a bloody, pointless and seemingly endless quagmire. Unlike today, though, the West unitedly sided with the aggressor in the war in Tripoly, not because Italy was in the right but because it was a white European power. Italy was "us" and Turkey was "them."
On at least one occasion Abdu'l-Baha and His entourage were refused hotel accommodation, not for the racial reasons one might expect from Jim Crow America, but because their foreign-looking dress was mistaken for Turkish native costume. The fever of war had spread hysteria even to the shores of America. It was ironic that these Persian Baha'is, the greatest victims of Turkish tyranny (the worst of the Armenian genocide was yet to come), were discriminated against because they were mistaken for Turks! I just noticed that Abdu'l-Baha did not mince words about who was to blame for this war. He said,
"Consider what is taking place in Tripoli owing to Italy's disregard for law." (Mahmud's Diary, 95)
If you break the law you lose, even if no normative punishment is in the offing. Crime does not pay. The whole world is the loser, no matter if you are Europe's weakest power (Italy) or the world's greatest superpower (the United States). It is axiomatic: neither criminality nor war could happen if we all recognized what it means to be human and renounced the territorial instincts of the beast. Abdu'l-Baha held that,
"The most important of all intentions is to spread the love of God, to establish harmony and oneness among the people. This is what distinguishes man from animals." (Mahmud's Diary, 17)
A specter of artificially generated fear persuaded Americans that attacking Iraq was somehow in their defensive interest. The media went on endlessly afterwards about how it was all a lie, how the people had been swindled by -- somebody counted -- over two thousand mentions by White House officials of non-existent weapons of mass destruction.
I had to bite my tongue.
I got the most insightful war commentary of all just by strolling down the isles of our local public library. There, for all to see was a book by Wolfowitz or Rumsfeld or some other member of Bush II's unelected "cabinet" at the time called, "Why we should invade Iraq." It had been written in the early 1990's out of frustration with the first Bush's stopping at the Iraq border after the first Gulf War. As soon as that author entered his high unelected position alarm bells should have been going off.
"Hmm, a guy who wrote a book called `Why we should invade Iraq' is now in a leadership position. I wonder, what are the chances that we might someday, I don't know, invade Iraq?"
I tell you, there has not been such a surprise in political circles since Stalin was caught with his pants down by the author of Mein Kampf, a detailed plan to gain "breathing space" by an attack on Russia. Yet you still see the press stewing about the lies to the American people that allowed this war to get the get go.
No, I think the root of it all is fear. Fear dominated American life long before 9-11. Fear is the natural, unavoidable result of the over-concentration of wealth. As Baha'u'llah puts it in the opening paragraph of His Will and Testament, the Kitab-i-Ahd,
"By God! In earthly riches fear is hidden and peril is concealed. Consider ye and call to mind that which the All-Merciful hath revealed in the Qur'an: 'Woe betide every slanderer and defamer, him that layeth up riches and counteth them.' [Qur'an 104:1-2] Fleeting are the riches of the world; all that perisheth and changeth is not, and hath never been, worthy of attention, except to a recognized measure." (Tablets, 219)
Hoarding, yes, that is the financial side. As the Greek saying put it, steel always trumps gold -- that is, if you have arms you can take all the wealth in the world away from its owners. Which is why over-concentration of funds leads to inherent instability. The richer you get the more you have to spend on arms and armies to defend the hoard. And now that the wealthy insiders who own Haliburton and the new mercenary forces are ensconced in Iraq, what are the chances that there will ever be a smooth pullout? These people have invested their fortunes in continuing conflict, and as Jesus said, "He who lives by the sword dies by the sword."
But the Qu'ran quote in the Ahd mentions another factor: slander and defamation. These involve lying, don't they? I think they do. But they also involve the reverse of what Abdu'l-Baha says above distinguishes us from animals, the habit of spreading love, harmony and oneness.
If there were no gossip, backbiting or defamation, and if we used that time and energy to do the "most important intention," spreading the love of God, there could be no war, regional or otherwise. How could there be? The only way to fool people in a democracy into the mass murder that is war is by lies and cycles of lies. Thousands and thousands of lies, and not only by higher ups but by you and me. A commitment to peace demands a far deeper bond of love than the conscious mind can fathom. It demands an open, concentrated campaign to assert our humanity by transcending beastliness.
(later, after my daily table tennis practice session) As you can see from the above, I am heavily influenced by what I listen to as I practice ping pong. Baha'is are not supposed to breathe a word of politics, but I have been forced to listen to a PBS podcast on American politics over the past few days, and it is hard not to respond. Normally I avoid the American media because its obsessive navel gazing brings down an iron curtain on political discussion; anything that happened before Jefferson or any matter that rests outside direct American interests is blocked out completely and might as well not exist. When that happens my oxygen supply is cut off and I soon begin to suffocate. I am a citizen of the world and I long for a world media, concerned with the interests of the entire human race.
The reason I am settling for second choice was that I was happily listening to Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire when I reached a part that did not download. Then my cursed iMac failed permanently to connect to our network, or the Internet, so I have been delayed in downloading the rest of Gibbon's audio-book from Audible.
Anyway, my forced choice of entertainment makes me understand why fear is so predominant south of the border. Today's podcast is about Blackwater and the rampant privatization of military and other functions that various branches of government used to perform. I was listening to that rather frightening story of the end of the nation-state when suddenly it reminded me of something. What was it? Oh yes, the fifth chapter of Gibbon's Decline and Fall, the part starting "The Public Sale of the Empire to Didius Julianus by the Praetorian Guards." Believe it or not, exactly the same thing happened as the peak of the Roman Empire. The tyrant had to have some muscle to protect his person, so he hired these picked troops, paid them far more than ordinary Roman soldiers and installed them right next to his palace. Gradually, their power increased, and they well knew it. Finally the Emperor answered to them; not to the people or the senate or the laws, but to his hired guns, or spears, or whatever.
According to Gibbon, the "Praetorian bands (and their) … licentious fury was the first symptom and cause of the decline of the Roman empire." Their story is amazing, they dominated everything, and the richest and most powerful in Rome had to obey their slightest whim, since, as I quoted above, iron trumps gold. As you read your daily newspaper keep an eye out for a repeat performance in Washington. It got so bad in Rome that after the guards had assassinated one emperor for not paying them enough out of public funds, they actually auctioned off the position of emperor to the highest bidder. Corruption and money politics indeed is already getting so bad (here in Canada too) that I am sure there will come a point when a free and open auction of the presidency will seem like an improvement to many over what passes for democracy.
I found it interesting that the investigative reporter who was writing a book about Blackwater happened to be in New Orleans during the flooding and heard the name mentioned by a cop. He asked the officer where he could find them, and he said they were everywhere, just follow your nose. He ran across both Blackwater and Israeli mercenaries guarding the possessions of the rich. Once that happens in Washington, when you can find a Blackwater guard by following your nose there, watch out. What I call "gun-to-my-head democracy" will transform into a "gun-to-my-head auction. Gibbon says it far better than I ever could:
"Such formidable servants are always necessary, but often fatal to the throne of despotism. By thus introducing the Praetorian guards as it were into the palace and the senate, the emperors taught them to perceive their own strength, and the weakness of the civil government; to view the vices of their masters with familiar contempt, and to lay aside that reverential awe, which distance only, and mystery, can preserve towards an imaginary power. In the luxurious idleness of an opulent city, their pride was nourished by the sense of their irresistible weight; nor was it possible to conceal from them, that the person of the sovereign, the authority of the senate, the public treasure, and the seat of empire, were all in their hands. To divert the Praetorian bands from these dangerous reflections, the firmest and best established princes were obliged to mix blandishments with commands, rewards with punishments, to flatter their pride, indulge their pleasures, connive at their irregularities, and to purchase their precarious faith by a liberal donative; which, since the elevation of Claudius, was enacted as a legal claim, on the accession of every new emperor." (Decline, p. 57)
Labels: p12 p22
"Consider what is taking place in Tripoli owing to Italy's disregard for law..." (Mahmud's Diary, 95)
p34agr
Animal Rights, Food and Agriculture
Considering what matters strictly in terms of our long term survival in the natural world, I think that one of the most important thinkers today is Michael Pollan. He is a gardener as well as a writer, so what he has to say about the food chain is based on direct, hands-on experience. I have been auditing his 2008 book, "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto," and have already commented on it in this blog. He has made the introduction to this new book available online at:
<http://www.michaelpollan.com/in_defense_excerpt.pdf>
A few months ago I audited "The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View of the World (2001)," and, having a bad habit of not paying attention to authors, did not realize until now that it was the same writer. Between these two works Pollan also wrote "The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals," which I have not read yet, but I just skimmed over his "seed" essay for that book, called "An Animal's Place," at:
<http://www.organicconsumers.org/organic/010403_organic.cfm>
I highly recommend this essay. It talks more sense about the questions of food production, animal rights and vegetarianism than I have ever seen; he considers both sides of the argument in a scholarly, thoughtful and detached manner, without being caught up in the sticky allure of the competing ideologies staking contradictory claims on this territory. For example, he points to one study that found that if we all became vegans, it would result in more animal deaths than our present system. That is because grain production crushes and thrashes the beasts of the earth and poisons the fowl of the air. This would also render hilly, dry land areas useless to agriculture, destroying and impoverishing entire human as well as animal and plant ecosystems.
In the above essay, "An Animal's Place," he offers a simple solution to the massive, stomach-churning cruelty that has invaded industrial agriculture over past decades. All we have to do is require that glass walls be built into our abattoirs. That way, if we decide to eat meat it will be an informed decision, and food producers will feel the pressure of public scrutiny. As the saying goes, "Whatever is watched, improves." If we meet our meat and watch its slaughter, suddenly the sort of relatively humane, mixed organic farm that is featured in this article will have a marketing advantage over the industrial operations that presently predominate. I was reminded of Baha'u'llah's solemn injunction in the first Taraz,
"We cherish the hope that through the loving-kindness of the All-Wise, the All-Knowing, obscuring dust may be dispelled and the power of perception enhanced, that the people may discover the purpose for which they have been called into being. In this Day whatsoever serveth to reduce blindness and to increase vision is worthy of consideration. This vision acteth as the agent and guide for true knowledge. Indeed in the estimation of men of wisdom keenness of understanding is due to keenness of vision." (Tablets, 35)
Surely the reason we passively allow air pollution and other, less literal forms of "obscuring dust" to cloud our vision is that we are rapidly losing the habit of looking around, of smelling, listening, and using our senses for the purposes for which they were designed. And the purpose for which they were designed, ultimately, is to know why we were created in the first place.
As a result of this apathy and ignorance, we do not know or care what is going on around us, where our food is coming from and what our place is in the natural order. It is no longer fashionable to say that we are over-civilized or too citified, but we are more so than any population ever in the past. That leads to imitation, the true root of all evil. Imitation worsens as our addiction to screens and electronic media increases. Our devices artificially filter and dull our senses, systematically directing attention in directions at variance with truth and survival. As I was listening to "In Defense of Food" I was constantly reminded of the following informal discussion that Abdu'l-Baha led in America,
A little later a group of philosophers, doctors and journalists met with 'Abdu'l-Baha. He spoke to them in detail about composition and decomposition and the diagnosis of disease:
"If one is fully cognizant of the reason for the incursion of disease and can determine the balance of elements, he can cure diseases by administering the food that can restore the normal level of the deficient element. In this way there will be no need for medicines and other difficulties will not arise."
After a detailed discussion of this subject, He asked them,
"Although animals do not know the science of medicine, why, when they are sick, do they abstain instinctively from what is injurious to them and eat foods that are beneficial, while man, when ailing, inclines more to that which is injurious to him?"
They had no answer to this question and stated that the Master knew the answer better than they. 'Abdu'l-Baha then gave a description of the extraordinary power of the world of humanity and the freedom of man from the limitations of nature:
"Since man's attention is not confined to one interest, his negligence is greater; while his comprehension is greater than that of all other creatures when it is focused and fixed on one subject."
Thus did the Master speak to the group of journalists, philosophers and doctors, who thanked Him for His discourse.
(May 7, 1912, Mahmud's Diary, 84)
This point Pollan draws out at length in his "In Defense of Food." We no longer smell or taste our food, it is loaded with artificial flavors designed to fool our senses.
A while back I bit into a chocolaty confection that tasted far more like a coconut than any real coconut I had ever tasted; instead of pleasure, I felt cheated. What right does a piece of chocolate have to taste more like a coconut than a real one? What is going on? This systematic swindling of our senses has the advantage that it frees the factory to put into its artificial muck whatever is cheap or convenient for short-term profits. But from an eater's point of view, it makes no sense, not just esthetically but also practically.
For millions of years edible plants have evolved particular smells, colors and tastes in cooperation with our changing bodies. As the Master points out, an animal feels sick and naturally feels a desire for a certain taste to cure its bodily imbalance. We need to relearn that too. That is why natural foods are safest, natural drugs are most efficacious, for if a plant were harmful to our bodies, would not have its seeds spread as much as if it helped. By means of an exquisite sensitivity to smells, colors and tastes we grew, in cooperation with these plants, into the form that we are in today.
And now we sit back as the whole process is nullified. The best, most nutritious foods are robust, they defend themselves. That is why they are so good for us. Presently agriculture encourages quantity over quality by pumping plants and livestock full of chemical protections which reduce nutritional value. As Pollan says, we have stopped eating food, most of us, since what comes out of a factory is only an adulterated imitation. Then we are surprised when, in spite of our vaunted technological smarts, we get sicker than ever.
In order to survive, then, we need to re-connect with the process of co-evolution with plants and animals that made us what we are, both physically and psychologically.
The Master hints at how we might end the corruption of agriculture that Michael Pollan's work documents, especially in the "food manifesto." Abdu'l-Baha states that humans' "negligence is greater" than animals, but that we also have the advantage of not having our "attention confined to one interest," which I take to mean the division of labor. We have farmers, scientists and other specialists who can use our natural senses to grow what is good for us.
But that does not mean that we should stop using our sensory apparatus. Recall what Baha'u'llah says about the "powers of perception" above. No, we need to actively use our noses, taste buds and other senses in choosing our food. That will never become obsolete, because that is how we will carry forward the co-evolutionary process.
What I think we should do (Pollan implies this in the Manifesto) is toss out the factory and start with ethnic and traditional diets, since they have been proven far more healthful than the factory diet sweeping the world right now.
Pollan is right: we must be conservative with all long term considerations, such as diet and reproduction.
But that is only a start. We need to add science into the mix by improving the whole food production system at a shot. Also, there is a place for religion too. As the above essay mentions, priests used to bless animal slaughter as a "sacrifice," now minimum wage workers kill away behind locked doors. Science and religion both should participate in one of life's most vital activities, food and eating.
The first improvement would be diversification of our means of nourishment. The development of the agricultural robot will soon allow far more labor-intensive farming than is possible now. With robots we will be able to domesticate highly nutritious semi-wild plants in a natural setting; now that is impossible because it takes far too much time, knowledge and work. Agricultural robots will allows us to follow the model of the gardens and terraces on Mount Carmel, that is, we will alternate rows of formal gardens with rows of natural areas. Automation, for the first time will combine the health advantages of a traditional hunter gatherer's diet with the massive productivity of mono-culture.
Getting back in touch with our senses will permit forests and fields to take the place of our medicine cabinets as well as our larders.
Let me close with a passage from "An Early Pilgrimage," by May Maxwell. Those who read carefully the arguments about animal rights in the above-linked essay by Pollan, "An Animal's Place," will appreciate the implications of the Master's reported mention of the principle of "doing nothing to diminish or exterminate any order of living thing." This is a decisive split with animal rights as defined by utilitarians like Peter Singer, who consider cruelty only to individuals, not species. It also explains why the Master on at least two occasions plumped meat onto to the plates of vegetarian Baha'is (presumably they were physically able to digest meat, unlike myself).
In a large hall where we dined, were hanging two parrots in cages, and these, besides all the sparrows that flew in at the windows, twittering in the rafters overhead, made a great noise, so the Master bade one of the Indian boys remove the cages; and then the conversation turned on the treatment of animals. 'Abdu'l-Baha said we should always be kind and merciful to every creature; that cruelty was sin and that the human race should never injure any of God's creatures, but ought to be always careful to do nothing to diminish or exterminate any order of living thing; that human beings ought to use the animals, fishes and birds when necessary for food, or any just service, but never for pleasure or vanity and that it was most wrong and cruel to hunt.
Then Mrs. Thornburgh asked permission to tell a story of a little boy who had stolen a bird's nest full of eggs, and a lady meeting him on the road stopped him and rebuked him: 'Don't you know that it is very cruel to steal that nest? What will the poor mother bird do when she comes to the tree and finds her eggs all gone?' And the little boy looked up at the lady and said: 'Maybe that is the mother you have got on your hat.' How the Master laughed, and He, said: 'That is a good story and a clever little boy.'
(pages 29-30)
p14 Day One
Seizing the Ayyam in Ayyam-i-Ha
It is Day One of Ayyam-i-Ha, the time set apart between the Badi' months of Mulk and 'Ala, the eighteenth and nineteenth months of our Calendar year. Since we know that in the Dispensation of the Bab there were also nineteen Letters of the Living, I just had a thought: could it not be that Ayyam-i-Ha is a symbol of the world of difference between the eighteenth disciple, Quddus, and the nineteenth, the Bab Himself?
The Days of Ha, Ayyam-i-Ha, are devoted to the Godhead, and that direct relation with God is the mark of the difference of station between the saintly but human Quddus and the Manifestation we call the Bab, the Manifestation, in fact, who gave us the very term "Manifestation" in the first place.
When you think of the torture and suffering that Quddus went through before his martyrdom, a suffering that continues even today as the Iranian fanatic continues to desecrate his birthplace -- and recall that one of the Central Figures said that Quddus's agonizing end was more painful than the Passion of the Christ. All that gives an idea of what it must cost in human terms even to border upon the gap between the human and the high station of a Manifestation of God. Then you think of how much more pain the Manifestation goes through, knowing all and pardoning all, being possessed of all knowledge and all love, and therefore of all suffering, even as the proverbs say:
"He who is surety for a stranger will suffer, but one who hates being surety is secure." (Proverbs 11:15)
"No suffering befalls the man who calls nothing his own." (The Dhammapadha)
The Manifestation has all surety, and stands in the place of God, the All-Possessing. That is why the Manifestation's suffering is an order of magnitude above what we go through. Little wonder that the fast follows; for those who can bear it, the whole time when the sun is on high during the entire coming nineteenth month of Ala', or Exaltedness, we keep our stomachs empty, void of new activity. That too is a symbol of the One who gives depth to our lives and hearts. Over the past few years it has been found by scientists that the stomach contains bacteria comprising well over 95 percent of the genetic material in our bodies, and that matter is foreign to our genome. Keeping the majority of what we are, in genetic terms, idle for one nineteenth of the year is surely a sign with huge, holistic implications to our place in nature.
Yesterday I promised to highlight a passage about Ayyam-i-Ha written by someone who evidently has access to materials in the Arabic and Persian originals. Since I do not speak these languages, I can only quote her directly,
From: Ayyam-i-Ha: Days Outside of Time by Karla Jamir
"Ha" is also the first letter of an Arabic pronoun commonly used in Arabic religious writings to refer to God, or "the Divine Essence." "Ha" by itself is used as a symbol of "the Essence of God," and was the subject of many an Arabic essay on its mysteries. In Baha'u'llah's Tablet of All Food the realm "beyond which there is no passing," or the realm of the Divine Essence is designated as "Hahut." In the Bab's interpretation of the letter "Ha" (quoted by Baha'u'llah in the Kitab-i-Iqan), the Bab speaks of martyrdom in the path of God and warns "even if all the kings of the earth were to be leagued together they would be powerless to take from me a single letter..."
Baha'u'llah has designated the intercalary days "amid all the nights and days" as manifestations of the letter Ha" -- that is, as Days of the Divine Essence. These extra days stand apart from the ordinary cycle of weeks and months and the human measure of time. They are not "bounded by the limits of the year and its months"--just as the infinite reality of the divine Essence of God is unbounded and cannot be captured or comprehended within the cycle of time or any other human measurement.
Thus Ayyam-i-Ha can be thought of as days outside of time, days that symbolize eternity, infinity, and the mystery and unknowable Essence of God Himself. Contemplation during these days of the timeless mystery of the Essence of God provides us the "joy and exultation" with which to "sing His praise and magnify His Name."
The anti-theists often complain about how we believers are so all-fired concerned to please our God by praising Him. What, they ask, does an all-powerful Being care if its creatures praise it or not? Indeed, if God were on the mineral level He would not care, but since we believe that God is higher than anything we can conceive of, we offer Him what pleases us. We offer Him that especially during Ayyam-i-Ha, for what greater pleasure do so many human "party animals" enjoy than celebration, social intercourse and hospitality?
If God is above us, He can surely participate in our joy, even if it is a virtual participation. After all, when we see a puppy wagging its tail and falling all over itself in joy at seeing us, we do not say, "Hey, humans do not even have tails, so what do I care about what this beast is doing? Humans do not greet one another by falling on the ground. So what then do I have in this strange behavior?" No, we understand that this is a tribute to us, and we reciprocate the feeling, albeit without wagging or falling on the ground.
That is why we need in our time of good cheer not to forget the "ayyam" (days) in Ayyam-i-Ha, for we may not have access to the Ha, but we can live our days, and treat each day as it comes, and know in our heart that each moment is a free gift from our Beloved. That is what puts the ayyam not only in Ayyam-i-Ha but also in all our days, and especially our holy days. The Qu'ran says it all:
"And it is He Who made the Night and the Day to follow each other: for such as have the will to celebrate His praises or to show their gratitude." (Q25:62, Yusuf Ali)
We have to have the will, the will to celebrate. That is what makes it holy. In our days we thank him in the manner of the boisterous puppy, feeling the joy of meeting Him and His loved ones, by participating fully in the occasions of joy that the days of our lives provide, but also by exercising our will to act when the time comes for deeds, and to sacrifice in the time of sacrifice.
True, occasions of joy are fewer and farther between as the years go by, but that gives the wise even more joy. As worldly joys fade and disappear, there is all the less to distract us from devotion to Him. We always have the consolation of what He gave us, the Writings, the prayers, His meditations. Let us never deprive ourselves of the devotional bounty of the Long Obligatory Prayer --as I have done for several days during recent brushes with weather and migraine. For the time of fasting soon to come is the sun, and that prayer is the moon of our cheered and cheering hearts. As Rumi puts it:
"From weakness of vision you see not the new moon,
If I see it, be not angry with me,
O friend, within me is a proof
Which assures me of the transitoriness of the heavens,
I hold it for certain, and the sign of certainty,
In him who possesses it is entering into the fire.
Know this proof is not to be expressed in speech,
Any more than the feeling of love felt by lovers.
The secret I labor to express is not revealed,
Save by the pallor and emaciation of my face,
When tears course down my cheeks,
They are a proof of the beauty and grace of my beloved."
(Mathnavi, Whinfield, 208)
p14 epagomenality
Happy 'Ayyam-i-Ha!
By John Taylor; 2008 Feb 25, 19 Mulk, 164 BE
Tomorrow is the first day of a leap year Ayyam-i-Ha celebration, so we will have to suffer through five days of feasting and celebration instead of the usual four. Brace yourself. The kids were pleased to learn that they will be getting five presents instead of the usual four this year. Their first treat will take place tomorrow, when I plan to take them to the Cineplex in Ancaster; my brother, a carpenter, helped build it, but I have never been there yet. Several kids' films are available at this large place, and there is a favorite bookstore right next door, so all will be happy.
A few years ago I made a quibble that technically the interposed days should be called epagomenal days, not intercalary days, since only the fifth day on the leap year, which happens this year, is a true intercalary day. I thought that this had sunk irrevocably into the limbo of whacko ideas and obsolescent doctrines where all my writing goes; but no, to my surprise I just found out that my name has entered the exclusive realm of the Wikipedia, albeit only in a footnote. Check it out yourself at:
< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayyám-i-Há>
Anyway, if you are looking for ideas on how to celebrate this occasion, the best place on the web that I found was Sue Mitchell's collection at:
<http://www.geocities.com/cwynne19/feast/ha/ayyamiha00.html>
I warn you, this is a female-dominated website. I did not find any men making helpful suggestions for crafts you can make up or activities for the kids on Ayyam-i-Ha. Why is that? Surely celebration is not foreign to male genes, or gonads, or whatever it is we have?
The most interesting essay here for the devotee of philosophy is the essay explaining the meaning of the term "Ha" in Arabic, called "Ayyam-i-Ha: Days outside of Time," by Karla Jamir. She gives a fun definition, even a funny definition, but not a funny ha, ha, definition, if you catch my drift. I will return to this later this Intercalary, though I fear that even a five day celebration is not going to be enough time to grasp this profound meaning "outside of time."
In any case, the American NSA, which may well have included some men, offers the following suggestion for communities celebrating Intercalary:
"Many churches distribute food baskets to the needy during their holiday season. The Baha'is can help with such projects and can observe Ayyam-i-Ha or various Baha'i Holy Days in a similar manner." (Developing Distinctive Baha'i Communities)
The Master offered a more general principle, that we try not to restrict our observances to something that impacts upon ourselves alone.
"... Undoubtedly, the friends of God, upon such a day, must leave tangible, philanthropic or ideal traces that should reach all mankind and not only pertain to the Baha'is." 'Abdu'l-Baha, Star of the West, Vol IX No 1, p9, quoted in Notes For Guidance for LSAs, p29.
And surely the greatest trace we can leave is that of happiness, both in ourselves and those whose lives we can reach out and touch during this time. Baha'u'llah, in ordaining this celebration in the Aqdas, writes,
"It behoveth the people of Baha, throughout these days, to provide good cheer for themselves, their kindred and, beyond them, the poor and needy, and with joy and exultation to hail and glorify their Lord, to sing His praise and magnify His Name; and when they end -- these days of giving that precede the season of restraint --let them enter upon the Fast." (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 25)
Note that He is ordering us to be of good cheer. Inclined as I am to an attitude of philosophic misery and pessimism right now, in emulation of a philosopher I have been reading lately, Arthur Schopenhauer, I have no choice, I am forced to ditch my exquisite melancholia and become a happy and cheerful being. I know, I will save it for the fast. Judging my violent reactions to missing meals in the past, there will be more than enough funk to go around then. In any case, as a way of cheer-leading myself, I am planning an essay on the Ayyam-i-Ha duty of cheer, due out before the end of this Ayyam-i-Ha.
I will finish with an account of what must be among the Most Greatest Ayyam-i-Has ever, that of Haji Muhammad Tahir-i-Malmiri in 1878 or 1879, as passed on by his son, Adib Taherzadeh, whose last name means "son of Taher." Muhammad Tahir had a luncheon on that first day of Ayyam-i-Ha in the same tent with Baha'u'llah, and, as you will see, even got to share His leftovers. The only way it could have been better was if Abdu'l-Baha had been present. No doubt He was spreading cheer somewhere else at the time. He mentions a fasting prayer that was read before this meal; it would be nice to know which prayer that was. Anyway, here is the story:
When asked by the friends to describe His impressions of the Blessed Beauty, he always recited in answer a Persian poem:
"And wonder at the vision I have dreamed, a secret by my muted tongue concealed; Beauty that is beyond the poet's word, by an unhearing world remains unheard."
The same believer has left to posterity an account of one of the feasts at which he had the honour to be present. These are his words recorded in his memoirs:
In the spring season Baha'u'llah used to stay at Mazra'ih for some time. Mazra'ih is situated at a distance of about two farsangs [about 12 kilometers] from the city of 'Akka. To attain His presence I used to go to Mazra'ih in the daytime and at night I stayed at the Pilgrim House.
On the first day of the Ayyam-i-Ha [Intercalary days] one of the pilgrims had invited Baha'u'llah and all the believers in 'Akka to lunch. I too went to Mazra'ih. Early in the morning a large tent was pitched in front of the entrance to the garden on a delightful open space. That morning all the believers, numbering almost two hundred, consisting of those who were living in the Holy Land and the pilgrims, came to Mazra'ih.
Around the time of noon, the Blessed Beauty came down from the Mansion and majestically entered the tent. All the believers were standing in front of the tent. Then Mirza Aqa Jan, standing in the presence of Baha'u'llah chanted a dawn prayer for fasting which had been revealed on that day. When the prayer was finished the Blessed Beauty instructed all to be seated. Every person sat down in the place where he was standing.
His blessed Person spoke to us and after His utterances were ended He asked, 'What happened to the Feast, is it really going to happen?' Thereupon a few friends hurried away and soon lunch was brought in. They placed a low table in the middle of the tent.
His blessed person and all the Aghsan sat around the table and since there was more room, He called some by name to join Him. Among these my name was called; He said, 'Aqa Tahir, come and sit.' So I went in and sat at the table in His presence. At some point Baha'u'llah said, 'We have become tired of eating. Those who have had enough may leave.' I immediately arose and His blessed Person left.
At first the food which was left over on His plate was divided among the friends, and then group after group entered the tent and had their meal. Everyone at this feast partook of both physical and spiritual food. I got the prayer of fasting from Mirza Aqa Jan and copied it for myself. Then in the evening all the friends returned to 'Akka. But the Master was not present that day. (Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 4, pp. 8-10)
Targeting the Theist Worldview
The Master's Disquisition at Stanford University
I want to discuss today the proof of God that `Abdu'l-Baha gave in His address to Stanford University. Shoghi Effendi, in his history of the first Baha'i century, spoke of the enthusiastic reception of a discourse on "some of the noblest truths underlying His message to the West." (God Passes By, 291) It was given on the eighth of October, 1912 to one of the larger audiences before which He had spoken. The Guardian spoke of, "His illuminating discourse before an audience of eighteen hundred students and one hundred and eighty teachers and professors at Leland Stanford University..." (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, 289). As had taken place at Howard University, they gave `Abdu'l-Baha a standing ovation afterwards. (Marzieh Gail, Dawn Over Mount Hira, p. 192) Abdu'l-Baha Himself gave this talk prominence. He advised at least one young believer, Ramona Brown, to memorize it. When, in the twilight of His Mission, He received an inquiry from an atheist as to whether he could in good conscience, "Yes or no?," become a Baha'i, He not only wrote back the major Tablet now known as the "Tablet to Dr. Forel," but also included a copy of this talk, as it had been published in the local newspaper, "The Palo Altan." Marzieh Gail writes that,
"The November 1st, 1912, issue of the Palo Altan is entirely devoted to 'Abdu'l-Baha's visit and His California addresses. The editorial is titled: `The New Evangel.'" (Id.)
In addition, this address is perhaps the only one where what the introductory speaker, university president Dr David Starr Jordan made a statement memorable enough to enter the modern Baha'i lexicon. Jordan declared, "`Abdu'l-Baha will surely unite the East and the West, for He treads the mystic way with practical feet." (H.M. Balyuzi, Abdu'l-Baha - The Centre of the Covenant, 287)
This Stanford address is certainly one of His weightiest and most representative summaries of the Baha'i view of God and the universe, and I will not presume to deal with everything in it. I am concerned only with what impacts upon the proofs of the existence of God.
Abdu'l-Baha starts by defining science as the "discovery of the realities of things," adding that the attainments of science have ever been the greatest part of the human legacy. Science illuminates our world and outlasts the sovereignty of kings and empires. The names of Plato and Aristotle are still on people's lips while the pomp that was Greece and Rome have passed away entirely.
"Kings have invaded countries and achieved conquest through the shedding of blood, but the scientist through his beneficent achievements invades the regions of ignorance, conquering the realm of minds and hearts. Therefore, his conquests are everlasting." (Promulgation, 348)
To give an example of my own of the eternal achievements of a scientist, the man who wrote Abdu'l-Baha just before His ascension, Dr. August Forel, and who received a "facsimile" of this speech as part of His reply, had his own list of undying "conquests." He was one of three researchers who established what we now call the neuron theory of the brain, and his meticulous work on one area of the brain in particular resulted in its being named for him. Now if you drill a hole through your skull and move your finger about you will come across a region named the "campus forelli." Let me know what goes through your thoughts when you hit it; maybe you will find something new and eternal too.
Having established the greatness and sanctity of science, `Abdu'l-Baha goes on to say that since the oneness of humanity is the fundamental teaching of Baha'u'llah, therefore He will speak about the oneness of all phenomena, an "abstruse" aspect of divine philosophy. Thus implying, I suppose, that in order to grasp our fundamental oneness as human beings we need a prior understanding of the singleness underlying the entire universe. So, let us plunge into the challenging first paragraph of His disquisition,
"Fundamentally all existing things pass through the same degrees and phases of development, and any given phenomenon embodies all others. An ancient statement of the Arabian philosophers declares that all things are involved in all things."
The fact that the Master mentions the "Arabian philosophers" is significant. As I began my engagement with the current "new atheist" debate a month ago, I happened to listen to a summary of this branch of the history of learning in an audio-book called "Avicenna and Islamic Philosophy." I was surprised at how much more sophisticated the discussion of this question was way back before 1000 AD than anything being said today in the West. For example, the first Arab philosopher al-Kindi summed up the relationship of science and religion by saying that "Truth is truth." It cannot contradict itself. Compare that three word unification of science with theology to the false, clumsy and rather silly dichotomy drawn by some secular scientific celebs of today, who follow Stephen Jay Gould in calling them "Non-Overlapping Majesteria." In the theist debate, how far backwards we have slid in a mere thousand years!
Abdu'l-Baha continues,
"It is evident that each material organism is an aggregate expression of single and simple elements, and a given cellular element or atom has its coursings or journeyings through various and myriad stages of life. For example, we will say the cellular elements which have entered into the composition of a human organism were at one time a component part of the animal kingdom; at another time they entered into the composition of the vegetable, and prior to that they existed in the kingdom of the mineral. They have been subject to transference from one condition of life to another, passing through various forms and phases, exercising in each existence special functions. Their journeyings through material phenomena are continuous. Therefore, each phenomenon is the expression in degree of all other phenomena. The difference is one of successive transferences and the period of time involved in evolutionary process."
This, it seems to me, is different from Aristotle's concept of a long chain of causation ending in a First Cause. It is a little closer to the branching tree of knowledge popularized by Descartes, Bacon and the encyclopedists. The Master's argument is perhaps closest to Leibniz's monadology, and later quantum mechanics, where each phenomenon is a mini-chain of causation holding in itself a mirror image of the whole. Difficult as this "super-overlapping majesteria" concept is, it is surely important to try to grasp it as clearly as we can. All the findings of modern physics and biology since He spoke have confirmed His vision of the nature of things, but I do not think much of it has entered the popular imagination as it should.
No single image I know of can convey the intimate inter-mixture of elements that the Master is describing, although in the following sentences He offers a hint by simply pointing to His own hand. We need but look at our own body to see that the atoms there not long ago were part of the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms.
In my slide presentation on the proofs of deity, I had to describe this idea as quickly and economically as possible. I meditated a long time and came up with the idea of a "target chart" to display how the machinery of our universe reflects and recycles itself. I was gearing up for a huge graphical imaging project, but to my surprise I discovered that you can churn out a target chart in PowerPoint with the click of a mouse; then you can customize its colors after only a few more seconds of fiddling. I would like to show the graph, but it is a pain to post pictures here, so I will describe it in words.
Imagine a target, a large circle with concentric rings of different colors inside. Look at the target face on and it looks flat, like a paper target at a shooting range, or maybe a dartboard. The only way you can distinguish levels is by color. But if you move your head to one side, you can see that this is a three dimensional chart. Each inner level is a higher plateau than the one outside. The outside and lowest level is the mineral kingdom. The next higher step up is the plant, then the animal, and finally in the center of the target chart is the human. All are made of the same material elements and atoms. But it takes depth perception to perceive that the inside levels are "higher" or more complex than the outside ones.
We know from our earlier discussions that among philosophers there have been worked out at least three major worldviews, none of which can be "proven" by reason alone, but one has to adopt at least one in order to take a reasonable and coherent stance in the face of a universe that nobody understands completely, or even adequately. It is not unreasonable to go beyond reason and fix upon matters of faith in uncovering the reality of things. That is why some faith based worldview is inevitable, whether we recognize it or not. The first and simplest worldview is that of materialism. This recognizes only sense impressions, and the evidence worked out by science. It is popular among secular thinkers and atheists, be they weak, strong or anti-theist. Among philosophers, though, it is becoming rare, having been discredited by, among other things, science itself. Two other possible worldviews are the idealist and theist.
Using the analogy of our three dimensional target chart, a materialist is a sort of Cyclops without depth perception who looks straight on at the chart and refuses to move his head. Plato portrayed him as a denizen of a den, his head chained so that it sees only shadows moving on the wall. In any case, to the materialist everything is made of atoms and that is the end of the story. Nothing is higher, more complex or precedent to anything else. All is atoms and their interplay, and causation is an illusion.
In our target chart image, an idealist would be someone who holds his head on the ground beside the chart and sees only its depth. He never sees or recognizes the surface colors of the target chart. For an idealist, then, all material reality is an illusion, nothing but "a tale full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." Matter is a mirage in comparison with the ideal, the depths and heights of the theoretical, highest plateau.
A theist has the worldview of a rubbernecker who tries to see length, depth and width by moving her head around as much as possible. This is why many historians of science describe the scientific quest as the reverse of "Non-Overlapping Majesteria," rather as a process of "triangulation," of calculating where you are between the fixed locations of scientific and religious points of reference. Pure materialists and pure idealists, while standing on ground that is utterly irrefutable, miss out completely on this interplay of dimensions. The greatest thinkers, like the two that Abdu'l-Baha mentions, Plato and Aristotle, performed that triangulation by combining spiritual and material science, and that, the Master once said on another occasion, is why their accomplishments were so powerful and memorable. By factoring in God as well as material reality into the equation, an investigator, as by a GPS device, can determine exactly where she is in the broader scheme of things.
We have taken a large bite into the Palo Alto disquisition. Let us chew and digest the implications for the time being and return another day.
p13 Why We Fight
p33 The One Gotcha
p13eth
Interfaith Advice
p03pr
p13 Brave New World
p13 Future of the Talk
p13 treachery
p13prax
p13 atheism
p31 Freedom of Conscience
p13opt Sleepers Awake
p13 Rationality of Religion
In defense of Agape
p13 Dawkins
tpm Moon


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Category Archives: Economic Dossier
Look Beyond Fuel Prices
Over last few weeks we have see lot of hue and cry by 'vested' interests over rising Petrol Prices and Diesel Prices. The fact is that, the fuel prices may be on the higher side, but the expenses in the common man's kitchen have been considerably under control.
Our Chief Financial Advisor Mr. Vivek Karwa, keeps mentioning this: 'Good Economics is Bad Politics and Good Politics means Bad Economics' Thankfully the government is adopting Good Economics instead of falsely pleasing people.
Read from the below table with an 'Open Mind'
Posted in Economic Dossier	| Leave a comment
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Budget 2017 Highlights
Highlights of Budget 2017, source: HCC
On demonetisation
1. Demonetisation is expected to have a transient impact on economy.
2. We will have a great impact on the economy and lives of our people . The effects of Dem. are not expected to spill over next year.
3. Demonetisation a bold and decisive measure and will lead to higher GDP growth.
4. The effects of demonetisation will not spillover to the next fiscal.
1. Sowing farmers should feel secure against natural calamities.
2. Rs. 10 lakh crore as credit to farmers with 60 days interest waiver says FM
3. NABARD fund to be increased to Rs. 40,000 crore
4. Govt will set up mini lab in Krishi Vigyan Kendras for soiling:
5. A dedicated micro irrigation fund will be set up for NABARD with Rs 5,000 cr initial corpus
6. Irrigation corpus increased from Rs 20,000 crores to Rs 40,000
7. Dairy processing infrastructure fund with be created initially with a corpus of Rs. 2000 cr
8. Issuance of Soil cards has gained momentum
9. A model law on contract farming will be prepared and shared with States
Rural sector
1. Government targets to bring 1 crore households out of poverty by 2019
2. During 2017-18, 5 lakh farm ponds to be taken up under MGNREGA
3. Over Rs 3 lakh cr spend for rural India. MGNREGA to double farmers income
4. Participation of women in mgnrega up to 55%
6. Using space tech in a big way to plan MGNREGA works
7. We propose to complete 1 crore houses for those without homes
8. Allocating Rs. 19,000 cr for Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana in 2017-18
9. We are well on our way of achieving 100% rural electrification by March 2018.
10. Swachh Bharat mission has made tremendous progress, sanitation coverage has gone up from 42% in Oct 13 to 60% now.
11. Sanitation coverage in rural areas gone up from 42% in Oct 2014 to 60% now.
1. Introduction of a system of measuring annual learning outcomes, innovation fund for secondary education.
2. There will be a focus on 3,479 educationally-backward blocks
3. Colleges will be identified based on accreditation
4. Skill India mission was launched to maximise potential. 100 India International centres across country.
5. Courses on foreign languages to be introduced.
6. Skill India Mission was launched in 2015 to maximise the potential of our youth. 100 India International Skill centres will be established across the country.
7. Steps to create 5000 PG seats per annum
For the poor; health care
1. Mahila Shakthi Kendras – Rs. 500 cr allocated.
2. Nationwide scheme for pregnant women – Rs. 6000 each will be transferred.
3. For women and Kids – Rs. 1,84,632 cr. allocation investment
4. Affordable housing to be given infrastructure status.
5. Surplus liquidity – banks have already started reducing lending rates for housing
6. Elimination of tuberculosis by 2025 targeted.
7. 1.5 lakh health sub centres to be transformed into health wellness centre.
8. Two new AIIMS in Jharkhand and Gujarat.
9. Structural transformation of regulator framework for medical education in India
10. Allocation for Scheduled Caste – Rs. 52,393 crore
11. Aadhaar-based smartcards for senior citizens to monitor health.
Infrastructure; railways
1. A total allocation of Rs. 39,61,354 crore
2. Total allocation for Railways — Rs. 1,31,000 crore
3. No Service charge while booked tickets with IRCTC
4. Raksha coach with a corpus of Rs. 1 lakh cr fore five years (for passenger safety)
5. Unmanned level crossings eliminated by 2020
6. 3,500 km of railway lines to be commissioned this year up from 2,800 km last year.
7. SMS based clean my coach service started
8. Coach mitra facility – to register all coach related complaints
9. 2019 – bio toilets for all trains
10. 500 stations to be made differently-abled friendly
11. Railways to partner with logistics players for front end and back end solutions for select commodities.
12. Railways will offer competitive ticket booking facility
13. 2,000 km for coastal connectivity of roads –
14. Rs. 64,000 crore allocation for highways.
15. Allocation of high speed Internet 1,50,000 gram panchayats
1. A strategic policy for crude reserves will be set up
2. Rs. 1.26,000 cr for energy production-based investments received
3. Trade infra export scheme will be launched 2017-18
1. FDI policy reforms – more than 90% of FDI inflows are now automated.
2. Shares of Railway PSE like IRCTC would be listed on stock exchanges.
3. Bill on resolution of financial firms to be introduced in this session of parliament.
4. Decided to abolish FIPB in 2017-18.
5. Foreign Investment Promotion Board to be abolished.
6. Revised mechanism to ensure time bound listing of CPSEs
7. Computer emergency response team for financial sector to be formed.
8. Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana lending target at Rs 2.44 lakh crore for 2017-18
9. Digital India – Bhim app will unleash mobile phone revolution – two new schemes to promote the app.
10. Govt to introduce two new schemes to promote BHIM App – referral bonus for users and cash back for traders: FM.
11. Negotiable Instruments Act might be amended.
12. DBT to LPG consumers , Chandigarh is kerosene free, 84 govt schemes are on the DBT platform.
13. Head post office as the central office for rendering passport services
14. Easy online booking system for Army, defence personnel
15. For big-time offences – including economic offenders fleeing India, the govt. will introduce a legislative change or new law to confiscate the assets of these people within the country
Fiscal situation
1. Total expenditure – Rs. 21, 47,000 crore
2. Abolition on plan, non-plan expenditure, focus on capital expenditure ( Capital expenditure will be 25.4 per cent)
3. Rs. 3,000 crore under Dept of Economic Affairs for implementing Budget announcements.
4. Defence expenditure, excluding pension, at Rs 2,74,114 crore
5. Expenditure in science and technology — Rs. 37,435 crore
6. Total resources transferred to States and UTs is Rs 4.11 lakh crore
7. Recommended 3% fiscal deficit for three years with deviation of 0.5% of GDP.
8. Revenue deficit – 1.9 %
9. Pegged fiscal deficit of 2017-18 at 3.2% of GDP and remain committed to achieving 3% in the next year.
On funding of political parties
1. Maximum amount of cash donation for political parties will be Rs 2,000 from any one source from Rs 20,000
2. Political parties will be entitled to receive donations by cheque or digital mode from donors.
3. Amendment is being proposed to RBI Act to enable issuance of electoral bonds that government will scheme. Donor can purchase these bonds from banks or post office via cheque or digital transactions. They can be redeemed only by registered political parties.
Tax proposals
1. India's tax to GDP ratio is not favourable.
2. Out of 13.14 lakh registered companies, only 5.97 lakh companies have filed returns for 2016-17.
3. Proportion of direct tax to indirect tax is not optimal.
4. 1.95 crore individuals showed income between Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.
5. Out of 76 lakh individual assessees declaring income more than Rs 5 lakh, 56 lakh are salaried.
6. Only 1.72 lakh people showed income of more than Rs 50 lakh a year.
7. Between Nov 8 to Dec 30: Deposits between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 80 lakh was made in 1.09 crore accounts.
8. Net tax revenue of 2013-14 was Rs 11.38 lakh crore.
10. 1.95 crore individuals showed income between Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.
11. Rate of growth of advance tax in Personal I-T is 34.8% in last three quarters of this financial year.
12. Holding period for long term capital gain lowered to 2 years
13. Propose to have carry-forward of MAT for 15 years.
14. Capital gains tax to be exempted for persons holding land from which land was pooled for creation of state capital of Telangana.
15. Corporate tax: In order to make MSME companies more viable, propose to reduce tax for small companies of turnover of up to Rs 50 crore to 25%. About 67 lakh companies fall in this category. 96% of companies to get this benefit.
16. Propose to reduce basic customs duty for LNG to 2.5% from 5%
17. SIT on black money suggested no cash transactions of more than Rs 3 lakh. Govt has accepted this proposal.
18. Income Tax Act to be amended. No transaction above Rs 3 lakh to be permitted in cash.
19. Limit of cash donation by charitable trust reduced to Rs 2,000 from Rs 10,000.
20. Net revenue loss in direct tax could be Rs. 20,000 crore.
1. Existing rate of tax for individuals between Rs. 2.5- Rs 5 lakh reduced to 5% from 10%
2. All other categories of tax payers in subsequent brackets will get benefit of Rs 12,500.
3. Simple one page return for people with annual income of Rs. 5 lakh other than business income.
Posted in Economic Dossier	| 1 Comment
Report Card of Central Govt
Below are few numbers compiled by Wall Street Journal to show case the hits and misses of Narendra Modi led government.
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New land bill will win, not lose votes for Modi
Swaminathan, Times of India 26/4/15
source: http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Swaminomics/new-land-bill-will-win-not-lose-votes-for-modi/
Rahul Gandhi wants to escalate the suicide of a farmer at a Delhi AAP rally into a national election issue, painting Modi as pro-industrialist and anti-farmer. Mamata Banerjee leveraged resentment against land acquisition in Singur and Nandigram to unseat the Marxist government in West Bengal. Can Rahul do something similar?
Some BJP stalwarts want to dilute the new land acquisition bill to win over enough opposition parties to ensure success in the Rajya Sabha. But hardliners call this submitting to blackmail on an issue that can, with proper communication, place the BJP on the moral high ground. They would rather risk defeat in the Rajya Sabha, and then clear the bill in a joint session of Parliament, where the NDA has a majority.
The hardliners are right. The analogy with Singur is false. The new bill will gain votes, not lose them in the 2019 election. The 2013 land acquisition act of the Congress had so many onerous clauses that acquisition (and related projects) came to a virtual halt across India. Economic growth and job creation crashed, so voters turned against Congress with a vengeance. Its supposedly pro-farmer measure boomeranged.
Modi has raised high job hopes. He cannot get re-elected without fast economic growth that creates jobs and business opportunities galore. For this, he must change the 2013 law to ensure smooth, speedy acquisition for government infrastructure and industrial corridors. Without that, the economy will not accelerate, and voter resentment at slow growth will far exceed any anger over cases of faulty acquisition.
Besides, faulty acquisition typically hits the electoral fortunes of chief ministers, not New Delhi. Maybe 90% of rural Indians have never met a central government official. Those they know — the police, revenue and administrative staff, canal and electricity staff — are all state officials. Even New Delhi's programmes are implemented by state officials. So, if implementation is good, voters applaud the chief minister, not New Delhi. Similarly, bad implementation sinks the CM, not the PM.
The Congress claimed that its farm loan waiver and MGNREGA (its rural job scheme) won it the 2009 election. Really? Congress won only nine of 72 seats in three very poor states where these schemes should have helped most — Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Seminal research by Poonam Gupta and Arvind Panagariya shows that voter behaviour in 2009 was explained overwhelmingly by the acceleration or deceleration of economic performance in a state, not doles or write-offs.
State GDP growth shot up between 2000-04 and 2004-09 from 4.5% per year to 12.4 % in Bihar, from 4.8% to 10.2% in Odisha, and from 6.1% to 9.7% in Chhattisgarh. Despite big overall Congress gains, voters in each of these non-Congress states voted overwhelmingly for their CM's party. By contrast, the Congress gained 42 seats in opposition-ruled states where economic growth had not accelerated — UP, MP, Rajasthan and Punjab.
Examining state GDP growth between 2004-05 and 2008-09, Gupta and Panagariya divided the major states into three growth categories — high, medium and low (relative to national growth). In high-growth states, a whopping 85% of candidates of the incumbent state party won in 2009.
The winning rate dropped to 50% in medium-growth states and 30% in low-growth states. Clearly, fast growth mattered most of all, though other factors (alliances, caste, regional pride, inflation) remained relevant. Rahul Gandhi can pretend that fast growth benefits only a few rich industrialists, but India's high-growth era lifted a record 138 million out of poverty between 2004-05 and 2011-12. Fast growth reflected good governance — less thuggery, corruption and leakages — and hence more satisfied voters.
In 2014, Rahul hoped to win mass votes through the food security act, promising wheat and rice at Rs 2-3/kilo for two-thirds of the population. This failed, mainly because implementation depended on state governments. Besides, many state governments already provided food at Rs 1-2/kilo, so Rahul's reduction of the central price merely subsidized the state governments, not consumers.
Some elections are won by a popular wave, as in 1984 and 2014. Gupta and Panagariya's fast-growth thesis does not apply to such elections. But nobody expects a fresh Modi wave, or Rahul wave, in 2019. So, the performance of chief ministers will once again be critical.
What does this imply for the land acquisition bill? All land acquisition is done by state governments. Farmers whose land is acquired will be happy or angry depending on the honesty and sensitivity of acquiring state government officials. Congress-ruled states can add the extra onerous conditions Rahul swears by — this will stall projects and ensure Congress' defeat in these states at the next election. Modi has nothing to fear, and much to gain.
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Is Rajasthan the next Gujarat?
Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje is trying to transform her state into an economic powerhouse with a raft of reforms. A chronicle of the change that's underway.
Anil Padmanabhan, 30/7/14 Mint
source: http://www.livemint.com/Politics/lP38BmsQE4btyhhHFkSv1K/Is-Rajasthan-the-next-Gujarat.html
A day after India celebrates its 68th Independence Day, Vasundhara Raje , chief minister of Rajasthan, and the rest of her cabinet will head out to the Udaipur division of the state—not on a junket, nor for an offsite, but for hard work at the grassroots level. Over the following fortnight, the cabinet will work out of Udaipur, and, between them, its members will cover 1,600 panchayats, or local administrative bodies, in the Udaipur division, reviewing infrastructure in the rural areas. "This is the third such trip we are undertaking since our government was re-elected. The idea is to review the state of the rural infrastructure, beginning with the panchayat bhawan (building), school buildings, teacher-student ratio and so on," explained Raje, who led the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a landslide win in Rajasthan in December.
For the two-time chief minister, the rather unique initiative of taking the government to the people is part of a strategy to radically overhaul the existing administration to ensure that governance doesn't suffer from last-mile problems. The rural outreach is a logical sequel to the Suraj Sankalp (promise of good governance) programme Raje launched in the run-up to the assembly election last December to drum up political support for herself and the BJP. In the six months ahead of the election, Raje travelled to every constituency in the state to interact with the electorate firsthand. It was an experience, she says, that changed her world view. What she heard led her to conclude that grievance redressal was a key demand at the grassroots; and she realized it could not be delivered without shaking up the local administration.
The upcoming review of the rural infrastructure, like the previous two, will be used to identify the problems and the agencies that can deliver the solutions without the usual red tape. "What we will do is create a database of officials dealing with specific issues. And this will be put online so individuals can directly approach these officials and thereby ease the pressure on members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) who are then freed (up) to devote their time for larger causes," Raje said. Alongside, the state government is moving to digitize land records and birth data. E-kiosks, to be set up in the next six months in panchayats, will facilitate delivery of such data on a real-time basis—doing away with the intermediation and delay that often took place when the transaction was routed through the local officer, called patwari. Clearly, Raje is looking to create a compact of trust with the people who so overwhelmingly voted for the BJP, not just in the assembly election but also in the 16th general election—the party swept all 25 seats, which was critical in the BJP getting to a record 282 seats in the Lok Sabha, winning a majority on its own.
Armed with this social capital, Raje wants to push ahead on bolder reforms. Some, like the radical overhaul of decades-old labour laws that plague Indian industry, have already been initiated. Together, these could dramatically transform the province once identified as part of the Bimaru states. The term Bimaru—Bihar (BI), Madhya Pradesh (MA), Rajasthan (R) and Uttar Pradesh (U)—was coined by Ashish Bose, the demographer, in the context of the similarity in their demographic statistics. However, over the past three decades, they have come to signify the sad narrative of social and economic stagnation, and not only because of the phonetics (bimar is the Hindi word for illness). The new Gujarat At the turn of the millennium, Narendra Modi took charge as the chief minister of Gujarat with a similarly ambitious agenda. Luckily for him, the state's administration had, under the aegis of a structural adjustment programme sponsored by the Asian Development Bank, already gone through a major overhaul.
The tailwind of India's growth revival, again led by a global economic surge, created an even better context for Modi to exploit. The rest, as we all know, is history—something that propelled Modi to the national stage as India's 14th prime minister. Raje seems to be inheriting a similar constellation of circumstances in Gujarat's northern neighbour. Not only is the Indian economy beginning to look like it is ready for a second life, people across India (including Rajasthan) are now driven by their aspirations—as opposed to being happy with entitlements or handouts—leaving them better placed to appreciate the underlying ideology of reform initiatives: no gain without pain. This change in attitude, and the number of young people in the country (almost 52% of the Indian population is below the age of 35), are among the factors credited with the political resurgence of the BJP. Like Modi before her, albeit in a different state, Raje too is seeking the mantle of being a politician with a difference.
The proximity to Delhi will no doubt be a factor. The Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and more than a third of the 1,483km-long dedicated western rail freight corridor between Dadri in Uttar Pradesh and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Navi Mumbai, will pass through the state. Both are game-changing projects that will bring development directly to the state's doorstep. The traffic between Jaipur and Delhi is dominated by commercial vehicles—as opposed to the trend, say, even five years ago. It is a harbinger of things to come. The question is whether Raje will exhibit the same political will that Modi demonstrated during his three terms at the helm in Gujarat. Raje's first eight months seem to suggest that she is on course. She first came to power in 2003, lost the re-election narrowly in 2008, and came back from the political wilderness in 2013 to choreograph a spectacular win, giving her a second shot as chief minister.
Raje brings along tremendous passion to alter the status quo and is driven by the desire to propel her state to the top tier among the country's states. As she herself admits, her first stint, where her desire for accelerated reforms created politically undesirable disruptions, has prepared her for the second stint—to hit the right pace, not too fast, but not too slow either. Radical reforms Raje grabbed national attention after her government announced labour law reforms in early June; this was followed up with another round of reforms a month later. It has since moved legislation to amend four key national labour laws: the Industrial Disputes Act, the Factories Act, the Contract Labour Act and the Apprentices Act.
While Indian industry welcomed the move to amend the laws that allow firms to hire and fire—a long-standing demand—according to their needs, the chief minister herself is very circumspect of the objectives. To her, the labour law reforms were part of a package to create better opportunities for employment. "I believe if you look at reforms in this (labour) sector, it doesn't go towards hurting labour; it goes towards improving the habitat for employment and that I think this is very, very important," she said. The state's budget for 2014-15—presented by Raje, who has retained the finance minister's portfolio—seems to vindicate her claim. Presented in July, the budget accelerates the reforms process, touching upon a range of issues designed to lift the state's economy, streamline administration, facilitate a greater role for the private sector by putting the public sector on notice, and also initiate rationalization of user tariffs of politically sensitive items like water. It has initiated "de-nationalization" of the roads network, breaking up the monopoly of the state transport undertaking. (In most Indian states, the state-owned transport corporation has the monopoly to ply on inter-state routes).
Raje argues that competition is the key to improving service delivery, which will then justify the move to charge to user tariffs that reflect underlying economic costs. "The most important thing is to be able to create quality delivery. Why would you want to pay for electricity when you don't get the quality that you should be getting? You get five hours of power cut and you are still to pay electricity bills! Naturally you will protest," Raje explained. In an aspirational society, Raje's logic stands a better chance of gaining traction and provide political cover against critics. Like finance minister Arun Jaitley enunciated in the Lok Sabha during the debate on the Union budget, the Rajasthan unit of the BJP, too, is arguing that you can be pro-poor and pro-business—at the same time. Inclusion While the Congress owned the message of inclusion, pioneering the entitlement regime, the BJP, either by coincidence or design, seems to have married this with the philosophy of growth. And it is doing this by empowering people—as Manish Sabharwal, chairman of staffing company TeamLease Services Pvt. Ltd, put it, taking people to the jobs through a massive dose of urbanization and infrastructure creation.
Accordingly, Raje has come up with two solutions to deliver on her election promise of empowering the people of Rajasthan. One is a very ambitious financial inclusion programme, the Bhamashah scheme; the other is a restructured skill development programme that will be conducted in coordination with the top companies in the country and will not only train but also generate employment for those taken into the programme. The Bhamashah scheme seeks to leverage information technology and the Aadhaar programme (the previous government's unique ID project) to create a database to deliver individual and family-based benefits, including cash transfers under various public welfare schemes, to the beneficiaries directly and transparently.
Meanwhile, Raje is working on making people, especially the young, realize that there are better opportunities than a government job. "I explain to the youth that there are only 800,000 government jobs. What I can do, and I am doing, is to create an opportunity, especially through skill development," Raje said. To prove her point, in mid-July Raje inked a deal with several companies to train people. "In the next one year," Raje explained, "say, by around next March, 1.34 lakh people will be employed with good salaries. My target for the next five years is employment for 1.5 million people; some of the jobs will come from government, but a large number is coming from outside." Clearly, Raje has a strategy to propel Rajasthan onto the national stage. Since it relies on a strategy of making people stakeholders in the transformation, it holds out the promise of being the smart thing to do politically as well. It is now for her to walk the talk.
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Dim job creation prospects
Weakening economy dims job creation prospects for rest of 2013
Prashant K. Nanda, Mint 27/8/2013
source: http://www.livemint.com/Companies/FrrjXLwitRvlyveAhlqJcM/Weakening-economy-dims-job-creation-prospects-for-rest-of-20.html
Sectors like banking and automobile that already face a slowdown will see the maximum job loss, says a report
Fewer recruiters see more jobs being created in the second half of 2013, anticipating job cuts across sectors because of the worsening economy.
Some 54% of the recruiters surveyed in a new study by jobs website Naukri.com predicted more jobs will be created in the second half of 2013.
But that's lower than the 68% optimistic replies at the beginning of the year about job additions during the first six months, and the 62% positive replies in July 2012 for the second half of that year.
About 15% of the respondents in the new study, released Tuesday, have anticipated both hiring freeze and job cuts. Most sectors barring information technology (IT) and construction are expected to see a sharp decline in the creation of new jobs, according to the study.
Sectors like banking and automobile that already face a slowdown will see the maximum job loss, it said.
"The employment scenario in the country is not very upbeat and is closely following cues from the weakening economy, inflationary pressures and falling rupee. Recruiters across sectors have echoed a cautious hiring sentiment," said the Naukri job outlook survey conducted among 1,100 companies across sectors.
"The economy is certainly not in the best of shape; the macro-economic indicators are running weak, the rupee has stumbled to an all time low and inflationary pressures are strong. The hiring confidence can't overlook these parameters and hence reflects the slowdown," said Ambarish Raghuvanshi, chief financial officer, Info Edge (India) Ltd, the holding company of Naukri.com.
The automobile and IT-enabled services sectors saw the maximum drop in expectations, with only 43% and 64% of the respondents, respectively, forecasting job creation in the second half of the year. This number in January 2013 was 65% and 78%, respectively.
The sentiment is similar in the banking and pharma sectors, where only 49% and 44% of the recruiters, respectively, foresee new job creation in the second half, said the survey.
However, "replacement hiring would be considerable in the coming six months. Going forward, improvement in the economy will be factored in gradually by employers," said Raghuvanshi.
About 53% of the recruiters projected replacement hiring, compared with 45% in January and 48% in July 2012.
The survey estimated that salary increments in 2013 were muted. About 39% of the recruiters said the increments were in the range of 10% to 15%, while 33% said the increments given were less than 10%.
Lowest increments were given in the auto and pharma sectors wherein a majority of the employers said salary hikes in their organization were below 10%.
Some business schools, however, are expecting a better placement season this time. Debashis Sanyal, dean of the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, a leading private B-school in Mumbai, said the institute's students had already got 48 pre-placement offers at the beginning of the season. He expects the offers to surpass last year's number of 90 by the end of the season.
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