Opinion on economic issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Opinion on economic issue - Essay Example Thomas Piketty, in his book, Capital in the Twenty-First Century, warns that income inequality will continue increasing because the rate of capital return in developed countries exceed their respective economic growth rates. The book, by analyzing data of the past 250 years, notes of the problem of wealth concentrating in few hands. S&P reports that income inequality has grown in the US thereby excluding a huge part of the population from enjoying the benefits of a large economy. Income inequality is a great problem in the context of the recent recession that made many people lose their hard-earned wealth. It is crucial to highlight that income, in this sense, is assessed in terms of earnings. Economists and other intellectuals have hypothesized that gaps in technology and education are responsible for corresponding gaps in income earnings. This happens as highly educated and specialized people receive high-income incentives for their work while the lowly skilled receive relatively low pay. It is essential to highlight that firms have different calibers of workers. The workers who receive very high pay are highly likely to possess a larger bargaining power than the employees with lower skills. This seeps into the society and create a persistently unequal community. Numerous problems stem from income inequality in the society. In the American recession of 2007 to 2009, many individuals lost their job. Loss of jobs makes it difficult to ascend the job environment, especially, for those with relatively low skills. A generation’s inequality has high chances of moving into the next generation in case of no mitigation measures against the same. For instance, a family with low income has limited chances of accessing quality healthcare and education. This further entrenches inequality because talented but unprivileged people cannot access

Bounce height when a ball is dropped Essay Example for Free

Bounce height when a ball is dropped Essay There maybe the odd factor of staying away from units and corners of tables as you could have a nasty head accident since you could be leaning down to record the results of the bounce height. But I am almost certain that nothing serious can happen unless stupid behaviour occurs. Items During this investigation some items will be needed in order to perform the experiment efficiently and easily as possible. Here is a list of the main items being used throughout the investigation: Metre ruler stick Ball of some type   Pencil and paper to record results Plan cont. Now with the basic outline of the plan sorted all we have to is sort out the variable I will change during the investigation in order to find the best results to conclude my prediction or theory. Here is the list of recordings I will use for the investigation: Height (m)   We felt these would be the right amount of results and would give us a wide range of results good enough to prove and test my prediction or theory and be satisfactory enough for our targets. One more factor we had to consider is how we would make the recordings. Of course all you had to do was drop a ball from a certain height and then see how high it bounces back up again, then work out the energy factors involved, but we were faced with another problem. We had to work out, since it was a rounded tennis ball (a sphere), where we would make the recordings from. We had three options to choose from: the top of the ball, the centre of the ball or the bottom of the ball. After a short discussion we decided to use the bottom of the ball as it would be easier for us to calculate the bounce height and drop height. While doing this a partner would then record the results onto paper while the other performed the experiment. Last of all we had to decide how many times we were going to repeat the experiment. Since we had a good range of recordings, we decided to repeat the experiment six times at each height and therefore leaving us with a nice set of results along with a good average result. We also felt that it was enough to perform this investigation properly with a good set of results. Since we had already done the experiment three times (preliminary work), we only had another three set of results to do. But little did we know that we were not allowed to include our preliminary work with our results and therefore only had three sets of results. Results Height (m) Exp 1 (cm) Exp 2 (cm) Exp 3(cm) Average (1dp) Height (m) Engy Conv 1 (%) Engy Conv 2 (%) Engy Conv 3 (%) Average (1dp) 0Key (m) = metres Exp = Experiment (cm) = centimetres (1dp) = 1 decimal place Engy Conv = Energy Conversion (%) = Percent Conclusion Now from the results you can definitely see many factors that need to be taken into consideration. You can patterns occurring and also see where mistakes were made and need to be fixed. First of all I am reasonably happy with the results except maybe a few values, but then again nothing is perfect and without mistakes, it makes your evaluation shorter. You can see from the first set of results from the first table that there is a wide range of results, enough to perform this investigation. But then once you work out the energy conversions you can see a pattern occurring throughout the table, except for a few values. These values are from Experiment 1 Height 1. 6m, Experiment 2 Height 1. 6m and the first few values in Experiment 3. Now these mistakes can easily be made due to they are recorded by the naked eye and therefore and not all perfect by any point. But since there only a few extreme values, you can cancel them out and take the rest of the appropriate data to create many patterns. For instance in table one you can see from the averages column that the height two of the ball is about twice as great each time you increase the height by 20cm. For example, at 1. 0m, the average is 54. 3cm, then at 1. 2m, the average is 64. 3cm; therefore making a 10cm increase in drop height 2 when you increase the height 1 by 20cm. This means that it loses about half its potential energy from its original drop height. About a 50% energy conversion. In table 2, the energy conversion table, you can also see a regular pattern occurring. But this time its not through the averages as much, but per column. You can see that the energy conversion from a certain start point (0. 2m) gradually increases to another certain point (around 1. 4m) then begins to decrease again. It is a gradual decrease but you can still see that the average energy conversions all stay around 50% which therefore shows you once again, that the potential energy loss is about 50% each time from drop height 1 to drop height 2. Evaluation During this investigation I manage to find many errors and corrections in which needed to be fixed and found much room for improvement in which would benefit the experiment if it was to be performed again. I felt that the experiment did go well in many ways, but then again, improvements can be made from place to place. One thing I would definitely change is the amount of experiments made for the experiment. After I have done my first three experiments I then was told that they are for the preliminary work and therefore couldnt use them in my official experiment and report. This is a shame, because I would liked to of added them to my report as it would have given me a wider range of results. But due to lack of time I was un-able to do this and therefore time was against me. Nevertheless I carried on with the time I was given and managed to produce three separate experiments and put them into tables. You can see from the results, that there is the odd value or values out of place, due to the fact that the figure is different to what it should be. This basically means that the naked eye is not always the best option to use for this experiment. To perform this experiment with the utter most perfection, a machine or tool of some type could be used to record the exact height of both height 1 and 2 to perfection. With this you know your results are done properly and no major mistakes were made. Luckily since I had enough results, I could spot where mistakes were made in judging the height 2 of the ball and therefore you can count them as extreme values but mistakes are always going to be made by accident. Therefore there is not much we could have done to have changed this factor. Another thing I would have liked to have done is to have tried to record the exact mass of the tennis ball, with doing this I can work out Potential and Kinetic Energy at each height and worked out the Potential Energy Loss per result. With this I could have produced more figures in my report which could have supported my prediction with more facts. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Electricity and Magnetism section.

Why Is HRT Prescribed For Menopausal Women

Why Is HRT Prescribed For Menopausal Women This dissertation to answer the research question (Why HRT is prescribed for menopausal women despite the risk of breast cancer?) was carried out as mentioned in the methodology section using the literature review methodology. The selected studies were appraised with the critical appraisal tools by the Public health resource Unit. The methodology of literature review had well assisted to review all the studies in the perspective of the other and divulge meaningful evidence and information which in a single study capacity would have been otherwise unnoticed. The Critical appraisal tools have assisted to review all the studies comprehensively to ensure there validity, reliability and applicability so that the result could be generalized to all the menopausal women population. The studies which have been reviewed were conducted in various settings with participants from all types of study population hence the results are a wholesome reunion of the existing predisposing factors with the associated risk of HRT in the incidence of breast cancer. ANSWER TO THE RESEARCH QUESTION Every doctor has the relief of the patient of utmost importance while prescribing a treatment and every treatment is meant to bring relief. And treatment has dose schedules, administration guidelines and perhaps side-effects which are generally explained by the doctor. But unlike other medicines there is a lot of unrest around the use of HRT though the associated risk when evaluated with other factors is not high. Keeping the results and conclusions derived from these studies in the present and elements for further research in front, it is seen that HRT does have benefits. These associated benefits with use of HRT according to this study are: 1) Use of HRT decreases the risk of death overall (Sellers et.al,1997) (Sener et.al, 2009) and is associated with recurrence, metastasis-free survival and better overall and disease-free survival than HRT nonusers in the univariate analysis irrespective of the start of menopause (Sener et.al , 2009) (Bonneir et.al, 1998) 2) HRT does not increase the risk of breast cancer when administered to women for whom other risk factors have been excluded (Tzingounis et.al, 1996). 2) There is an inverse relationship between HRT and mortality due to coronary heart disease, stroke and cancers other than breast (Sellers et.al, 1997) 4) Use of HRT gives fewer locally advanced cancers and smaller and better-differentiated cancers compared to non-users (Bonneir et.al, 1998). 5) HRT is a favourable prognostic factor for breast cancer. (Bonneir et.al, 1998) 6) Use of HRT counteracts the increased incidence of breast cancer with the lower incidence of other tumors. (Olsson et.al, 2001) 7) Long term HRT use has a favorable effect against colorectal and endometrial cancer. (Writing Group for the Womens Health Initiative Investigators, 2002) (Corrao et.al, 2008). 8) Use of trans-dermal HRT compared to the oral use of HRT is associated with lesser risk of breast cancer (Million women study collaborators, 2003) (Corrao et.al, 2008) which is presumed by the WHI, 2002. However these benefits depend on many other inter-connected factors of duration of use, age of the menopausal woman, past personal history of HRT used, family history related to breast cancer, dose of the HRT administered and type of HRT regime prescribed. These same factors affect the element of risk as well in the following way. 1) Risk of breast cancer may be increased with HRT use for duration of 5 years or less in women with family history of breast cancer (Sellers et.al,1997) (Olsson et.al, 2001). 2) Increased risk of breast cancer after prolonged use of HRT (Olsson et.al, 2001) (Sellers et.al, 1997) (Corrao et.al, 2008) (Sellers et.al, 1997) (Olsson et.al, 2001). This risk increased with increasing duration of use and decreased with time and reached at baseline with 5 years time. (Ewertz et.al, 2005) (Million women study collaborators, 2003) 3) Higher risk in current users than in past users which was greater for combined therapy than for other oral types of HRT (Million women study collaborators, 2003). 4) Women who used combined estrogen and progestin HRT regime are at increased risk of breast cancer (Stahlberg et.al, 2004) (Million women study collaborators, 2003) and Oral HRT use for long term had a higher risk of breast cancer than trans-dermal use of HRT (Corrao et.al, 2008). 5) Increased risk of breast cancer with current use of HRT in women of 50 years of age and above which increased with increased use. No increased risk in women between the ages of 40-49 (Ewertz et.al, 2005) (Million women study collaborators, 2003). 6) The risk of breast cancer increased in women who were current HRT users and had used OC in the past. (Lund et.al, 2007) 7) HRT users developed breast cancer at a younger age than non HRT users (Sener et.al, 2009). According to the synopsis of the issues and factors derived it can be concluded that there are benefits associated with use of HRT which mutually depend on the risk factors. And this is the reason why HRT is prescribed for menopausal women despite the risk of breast cancer. And these will again depend on gynecologist judgment and patients level of knowledge and awareness (2006). RECOMMENDATIONS To bring the optimal benefit with minimally associated risk, HRT could be prescribed to menopausal women for lesser duration which the studies present as 5 years. This duration which could be disputable and the age of the women also has to be considered with the link of different effects of HRT in different age groups would again depend on the individual gynecologists judgment and the patients compliance for regular follow up and mammographic screening. An attempt has been made to clear the otherwise existing dilemma of prescribing HRT or not but this again depends on many other factors which are most importantly the patients follow up and the doctors perception of the associated prescribing strategies. However more research is needed as within the limitations of this dissertation though it is possible to conclude that there are benefits associated with the use of HRT despite the risk of breast cancer; it is not possible to chalk out an effective prescribing strategy. And to bring any considerable changes a prescribing strategy and better patient compliance for follow-up would be needed. LESSONS LEARNT These total results, conclusions and opinions from the studies have presented some principle elements which could guide through the dilemma of prescribing HRT to yet another menopausal woman. 1) It is evident that duration has a role to play in the increase of the foresaid risk of breast cancer and that there is no risk with the use of HRT in the past. 2) A lot would also depend on the gynecologist or the physicians prescribing principles. It would be needed by them to follow some guiding factors like evaluating high-risk and low-risk women, family history and previous history of Oral Contraceptives which would vary for each patient. 3) A regular follow-up and timely check up as mentioned would help to catch otherwise unnoticeable breast changes. 4) Another factor which needs to be pursued for future research and studies is the type of HRT regimes. In routine HRT is prescribed orally hence less is known about other methods of administration which could perhaps assist in reducing the risk. 5) It would also be helpful to find if there is a link with the BMI and use of HRT. Generally obesity is linked to many diseases and unhealthy conditions and this would help to categorize women into high or low risk group. This dissertation has tried to bring up some associating factors which could help to extract the optimal benefits with lesser risk. This systematic approach has helped conduct this dissertation so as to answer the research question. However research in healthcare is never ending and is expanding every day (Aveyard, 2010). New studies with various designs are being conducted around this topic as I write my dissertation which will bring in more new opinions and evidences which will form base for yet another dissertation or study tomorrow to help develop a successful prescribing strategy.

Mathematics :: Personal Narrative Math Essays

Mathematics At the recent annual meeting of the Psychology of Mathematics Education--North America Chapter, held in Florida, Bob and I were playing Frisbee on the beach. The lure of the surf soon led us into thigh deep water where waves added to the fun we were having with the wind. We were throwing parallel to the shore but the waves were coming in at an angle so that a breaking wave first hit Bob before hitting me a few seconds later. Verbal communication was difficult due to the noise of the surf, so thumbs-up or down, applause, head-nodding or shaking, along with smiles or frowns took its place. Soon a game had evolved and the use of the signs mentioned above became structured. Entering Paul's Umwelt The waves are high and strong making it challenging to catch the Frisbee unless it is thrown accurately. But the waves are also high enough to make it interesting to try to throw the Frisbee such that it just clears a wave as its crest passes the halfway point between Bob and me. Shake the water off, wait...wait...throw! Alright! A thumbs-up from Bob. He's right I got really close that time--but I bet I can cut it closer--just have to get a feel for the timing--aim a tad lower. OK, here comes his throw. Oops! Too high--Arrgghhh-splutter...YES--got it! Big complimentary smile from Bob. Actually it's fun when he misses high because then I get to jump for it just as a wave crashes into me. OK, my turn, wait...wait...remember-low...now! Perfection--that one skimmed the crest of the wave!! Entering Bob's Umwelt The waves are high and strong enough to make it challenging to catch the Frisbee unless it is thrown accurately. Uh-Oh...another low throw...Arrgghhh-splutter--yes! Hangs on for the touchdown. Big smile and thumbs up from Paul. Hmmpf! Does he really enjoy making it so hard for me to catch it? He always seems to time it so that a wave crashes on me just as the Frisbee arrives. OK, back to him...have to clear the waves...wait for the calm between the waves...now! Yes! Right on target and high enough for an easy catch--not too high like last time. Hmmm...no response from Paul--doesn't he appreciate my accuracy? Umwelts in Collusion While walking back to the hotel we discussed our "game". Bob: You sure had a knack for timing your throws! Paul: It was challenging to see how close to the water I could throw it and have it still get to you.

Free College Admissions Essays: She is my Hero :: College Admissions Essays

She is my Hero Stepping out of the clinic into the broad daylight, tears ran down her face. She had actually done it. She had an abortion. She climbed into the back seat of the family station wagon and listened to the silence. What had she done? When most girls write about their mothers they talk about how wonderful of a childhood they had being raised by such a great woman. They talk about her accomplishments and how they want to grow up and be just like her. They talk about the soup sick babble that every "perfect" family has to offer. When I write about my mother, I speak of the pain, the fears, the learning and the salvation. My Mother has been a great inspiration to me. She is my hero. Not because of the wonderful things she has done. Not because of the marvelous childhood I was given and certainly not because of her upbringing. My Mother is my hero because she was led down a path of destruction, but with God's grace and mercy she was pulled from her perils; and blessed. As the youngest of five children she was often overlooked. The pride of the family often overrode the opportunity to receive health care, handouts and a decent chance to become something. My mother spent her childhood in a tiny house with her family and many relatives. She was never given the opportunities to excel in learning and life like my generation has. My grandfather was a carpenter and on that living fed many hungry mouths. But despite this already unfortunate lifestyle my mother maintained good grades and was on a path to overcoming her misfortune. When she was sixteen, my mother met and got pregnant by a boy that she attended school with. Ashamed and spiritually broken she gave into to her parents pleading to have an abortion. As time passed she grew older and wiser. She graduated high school and began working several jobs. Attending college was never a thought in her mind. She married young and moved on with her life. Eventually she became pregnant again, but this time she was ready. By now God had strengthened her life. She believed in him and sought is will. She had been given a second chance. To this day my mother is a strong and charismatic woman, full of God's love and joy for life.

Laughter Therapy Essay

â€Å"Laughter is the best medicine!† We’ve all heard that before, but is it true? Studies show 20-25 minutes of laughter every day is healthy for the body. Laughing also helps with depression, cancer patients, making our hearts healthy. It also strengthens our immune systems, relieves stress, helps us look younger and so much more. Laughing Therapy relates to positive thinking. Most diseases are related to stress, tension depression. When we have tension, we start various problems in our body such as; high blood pressure, heart troubles, lowers our immune systems, etc. Laughing helps relaxes our muscles and helps in relieving stress. Muscular tension is released when you laugh. Your digestion is better. It helps heart rate and helps blood flow. The blood vessels carrying blood in our body expands which results in increased blood supply to various body parts. When we laugh, our mind stops the thought process, we don’t think of anything, keeping our stress at lowest possible level. Laughter also helps in keeping the level of stress hormones low. Laughing also helps in fighting against mental stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia and various other mental disorders. This reduces our dependencies up on various medications required to stay away from the illness. People who try laughter therapy say they feel much better, tension-free, mentally balanced and they sleep better than before. By laughing, it improves our immune system. As I stated above, the base of laughter therapy relates to positive thinking. It is proved scientifically that if a person has negative thoughts while he/she is sick or prey to depression or anger about his/her illness, then it results in weakening of his/her immune system and then it takes more high doses of medications to cure that person. At the other end, positive thinking helps a person improve his/her immune system and become healthy again as soon as possible. Laughter therapy helps in removing negative thoughts from our mind and not letting our immune system go down any further. â€Å"According to one research, laughter helps in increasing the number of Natural Killer cells, antibodies levels in our body which fight against diseases that attack us, improving our immune system many folds.† This has proved very helpful in fighting against some deadly diseases such as cancers, AIDS, some mental disorder. The treatment of which requires patient to have a strong immune system. It also helps you feel and look younger by exercising your facial muscles. Laughter provides support in curing some chronicle and hereditary diseases, asthma, obesity problems, addictions of various types by improving conditions of patients such by strengthening immune system, blocking negative thoughts, arresting anger and similar mental conditions. People who cannot exercise because of their physical condition, have found laughter to be very beneficial. Steve Wilson started the Laughter Therapy in 1964. He was a psychologist at the Ohio Reformatory for Women. Wilson was asked to teach his practices in other states and it became a hit! He went from Ohio across to California and he made it to India. In India, he met Dr. K in 1998, who was also a Laughter Therapists. The teachers’ in India who believes in the laughing therapy was completely different from the East side of the world. The East side thought it would just a study to go into for school and to help relieve stress. The West believed it healed the ill ones. With the influence of the India teachers and his colleagues from the East, Wilson decided to start his World Laughter Tour so the methods of the East and the West could be shown to the whole world. There are classes taught everywhere here in Utah. Most are called Laughter Yoga Classes. The Laughter Yoga Classes is learning the unconditional laughter with yogic breathing, also known as Pranayama. You will learn how to just laugh, without even hearing a joke, seeing something funny, or even thinking. Laughter Yoga is non-political, non-religious, non-racial, non-threatening, and non-competitive. It also teaches you to just take a breather and stay positive no matter what situation you are in. â€Å"Laughter Yoga combines laughter with yogic breathing exercises. It is a perfect way to laugh and get exercise at the same time. It approaches laughter as a body exercise so it’s easy to laugh even if you’re depressed or in a bad mood. I’ve tried it, and it works.† – Oprah Winfrey Laughing for about 20-25 minutes a day can make you feel fresh for the rest of the day. Not only does it make you feel fresh but also it helps keep you healthy. Laughing will help keep your blood levels downs, help the blood flow smoothly, relaxes your muscles, and help cure diseases. You will learn how to relax and think positive. Laughter Therapy is known all over the world. However, I have just found out about this. Classes are taught all over Utah. Take a class and get the feel of what Laughter Therapy can do to you. And remember, â€Å"Laughter is the best medicine!† Works Cited: 1. http://www.worldlaughtertour.com/sections/about/history.asp †¢ CeraNet, Inc. World Laughter Tour, Inc. – History  ©2011 †¢ Used September 24, 2011 2. http://www.laughteryoga.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=731:laughter-yoga-as-laughter-therapy&catid=263:laughter-yoga-for-healing-therapeutic-benefits&Itemid=457 †¢ Laughter Yoga International, Dr. Kataria – Last updated September 10, 2011 †¢ Used September 24, 2011 3. http://www.laughteryoga.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=180:what-is-laughter-yoga&catid=85:about-laughter-yoga&Itemid=265

Internal Security Challenges

Ved Marwah Shri N N Vohra, Shri K Santhanam, Director IDSA, Ladies and Gentlemen: I deem it a privilege to be invited to deliver the IDSA Foundation Lecture. Since inception in November 1965, under the stewardship of the late Shri Y B Chavan and the subsequent direction provided by Shri K Subrahmanyam, former Director, the IDSA has acquired a creditable profile. Over the years, the IDSA has played a commendable role in enriching the security discourse and deliberations in India. It is in this context that I propose to share my thoughts with you on a matter of concern to all of us, namely, â€Å"India’s Internal Security Challenges†. India was partitioned in the backdrop of large-scale communal riots, but the partition of the country on religious lines, without taking into consideration its multiple identities, instead of bringing the communal tensions down, in fact, worsened the situation. The two-nation theory created Pakistan, and it still survives on this theory. Pakistan finds it difficult to accept the reality that India continues to be a democratic, plural, multireligious society and that India today has more Muslim citizens than Pakistan. Read this  Chapter 2 – Why Security is Needed The Government of Pakistan has taken upon itself the responsibility of not only protecting its own citizens, but also the Indian Muslims. The power structure in theocratic Pakistan, dominated by the army, the feudal landlords, the bureaucracy and the religious leaders has been able to retain its hold over the levers of power by playing the antiIndia and Islamic cards. Pakistan plays the Islamic card in its foreign policy also. It misses no opportunity to club India as an anti-Islamic country where Muslims are not safe. The continuing tensions between India and Pakistan have a direct bearing on the internal situation in India. They have further complicated the internal security situation. * IDSA Foundation Day Lecture delivered by Shri Ved Marwah, Governor of Jharkhand on November 11 2003. Strategic Analysis, Vol. 27, No. 4, Oct-Dec 2003.  © Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses â€Å"India’s Internal Security Challenges† 503 The management of internal security, therefore, assumes great importance. If the internal security issues are tackled effectively, subversion by the external forces to that extent becomes more difficult. Unfortunately, the rise of contentious politics based on sectarian, ethnic, linguistic or other divisive criteria, is primarily responsible for the many communal and secessionist movements flourishing in India. The presence of hostile neighbours enables the internal conflicts to get external support, which includes money, arms and sanctuaries. The vested interests exploit these conditions to pursue their own agenda. In a well-established political system and a developed economy, conflicts between the various group identities are kept under check as in due course they get assimilated into the national identity. But that has not happened in India as yet, where the wounds of the partition and the colonial rule have still not fully healed. Moreover, the dependence on the government by a large section of our people for their very survival sharpens these conflicts among them. The democratic institutions and the state structures are still not strong enough to fully harmonise these conflicts in a peaceful manner. Violence erupts when conflicting interests cannot be consensually reconciled. The hostile external forces, taking advantage of this situation through subversive propaganda, further accentuate these conflicts. They give material and ideological support to aggravate this sense of grievance to such an extent that a small minority are willing to become tools in their hands to subvert the stability and security of the country. In addition, a number of secessionist and the so-called revolutionary movements are operating in India today. Their goal could be to overthrow the government and bring about revolutionary changes in the structure and functioning of the state, or even secession from the Indian Union. Ever since independence, India has been facing all types of violent conflicts based on religion, caste, language, ethnicity and regional loyalties. Political insecurity further compounds the problem. Preoccupied with the problem of survival, the governments in some of the most affected states are not looking at the problem from a long-term perspective. They have bought temporary peace by compromising with the subversive forces. Such shortsighted policies can have disastrous consequences in the long run. Instead of effectively dealing with them in the initial stages when the problem is manageable, they have allowed these anti-national forces to take roots and spread their tentacles far and wide. When a state government 504 Strategic Analysis/Oct-Dec 2003 is unable to effectively deal with them, instead of strengthening the state police machinery, it rushes to the Centre to hand over its responsibility at the first sign of any serious trouble. It is not surprising that in these states some sections of the police have actually joined hands with the subversive forces against the central forces. If you cannot fight them, join them†. Finding themselves at the mercy of these subversive forces, the people tend to change sides and start supporting them instead of supporting the security forces. It would be wrong to assume that all those supporting, directly or indirectly, these forces are sympathetic to their ideology. Far from it! For most of them, preoccupied with the daily battle of survival, this is the obvious choice, because the police are unable to protect them. Polarisation on caste and religious lines can further reduce the credibility of the police in the minds of the people. The police-politician-criminal nexus can embolden the criminal elements. Their activities can create an environment of lawlessness, where influential and rich people violate the law with impunity. The police is not the only component of the criminal justice system that has suffered because of this nexus. In fact, the entire criminal justice system is under strain. Not all crimes are being registered and those registered are not being properly investigated; and even out of those charge-sheeted, very few are ending in conviction. The conviction rate in case of heinous crimes is steadily falling. In some North-Eastern states it has reached almost zero level, where the police have stopped even submitting the charge sheets in the insurgency-related cases. When the fear of legal punishment disappears, organised crime finds it convenient to spread its tentacles. The crime syndicates are finding the new communication and information technology very useful. Extortion and payment of the so-called ‘protection money’ is more widespread than we would like to believe. According to some reports, direct extortion from the government funds runs into hundreds of crores of rupees. Many of the insurgent and militant groups are not driven by ideology, but by sheer greed. Money power is a bigger motivating factor than ideology. Vested interests have developed around these groups with active connivance of corrupt politicians, police officers and civil servants. Some politicians even take their assistance during election times. They have to return their favours when they come to power. This mutually beneficial relationship has seriously damaged the quality of governance in the interior areas. The real losers are the people. The development process â€Å"India’s Internal Security Challenges† 505 gets seriously hampered in a violent environment. When large development funds are siphoned out by this unholy alliance between the criminal and corrupt forces, even the delivery of the most basic services like water, power, healthcare, education and communications becomes a stupendous task. A vicious circle starts. The deprived and the marginalised sections of the society, unable to survive in the present system, get alienated. The militant and extremist forces thrive in this environment. The rise of Left extremism is more due to these compulsions than on ideological grounds. There are media reports about the carving out of a corridor by the Left extremist forces from Nepal to Tamil Nadu. Even if there is no truth in these reports, the involvement of hostile external forces in support of the Left extremist forces to destabilise the country cannot be ruled out. The mushrooming of armed ‘Senas’ on caste and ethnic lines in some parts of the country is a direct consequence of the polarisation of the society. This phenomenon has also affected the police and the administration in general. Loss of public confidence in the capacity of the state to protect their life and property is the primary cause of this dangerous development. Far from controlling them, a politicised and partisan police actually encourages this development. The tensions in some parts of the country, especially in the tribal areas, due to a perceived threat to their identity is not new, but the rise of so many violent movements is a relatively recent development. In the border states these movements become secessionist because of the support they receive from the hostile neighbouring states. The rise of fundamentalist forces is posing the most serious threat to India’s security. Fired with religious zeal these forces have created an entirely new situation. The intelligence agencies in our neighbourhood and the organisations, like Al Qaida, and Jaish-e-Mohammad, are encouraging the so-called ‘Jehadis’ to enter India from outside. After first targeting the border states they have now spread deep inside the country. These bands of fanatics are not only indulging in subversive activities, but are spreading the virus of fundamentalism among the Indian Muslims. The break-up of the Indian Union continues to be the main goal of Pakistan’s domestic and foreign policy. Easy availability of deadly weapons with the subversive groups operating in India has created new dangers for India’s security. With the ‘Golden Crescent’, and the ‘Golden Triangle’ in India’s neighbourhood, drug trafficking poses yet another threat to our security. 506 Strategic Analysis/Oct-Dec 2003 Drug syndicates are generating huge funds, a part of which is being used to give financial support to some of these subversive groups. The intelligence agencies like the ISI are recruiting a number of ‘carriers’ in drug trafficking as their agents. These agencies provide legal immunity for their criminal activities in their own country in addition to giving them financial and logistical support. Internal security challenges are not confined to any one area, but the North-East, Jammu and Kashmir, and the areas afflicted by Left extremism deserve special mention. North-East The Naga leadership under Z. A. Phizo had challenged their integration into the Indian Union even before India became independent in 1947. The Naga insurgency started way back in the early 1950s. Since then the insurgencies in this region have multiplied and spread to many new areas. In this extremely diverse and strategically sensitive region, there are different reasons for the ethnic upsurges and insurgencies in different states. Some seek secession from the Indian Union, some others seek separate states and yet others greater autonomy within the existing state. The number of such insurgent groups could reach three-digit figures. In Manipur alone, more than twenty-five groups are operating. Thousands have died in the insurgency-related violence. Insurgencies have seriously affected the economic life of the region. The whole developmental process is seriously hampered because of this unending violence. One can imagine the plight of the people who are already living on the margin. What to talk of getting a share of the fruits of development, they are deprived even of the most basic services. Unfortunately, unlike Jammu & Kashmir, these violent movements do not stir much response in national consciousness. Even serious incidents of violence hardly find any mention in the so-called mainstream media. The geo-strategic importance of the North-East is not sufficiently appreciated even in the security establishment. All the states in the North-East share an international border with other countries and the seven North-Eastern states are linked to the rest of the country only by a narrow strip of land. The lack of physical, cultural and emotional links has encouraged a feeling of alienation, which is being exploited by the nottoo-friendly neighbours to pursue their own agenda. They are giving support and sanctuaries to many of these groups to use them as leverage against a much bigger and more powerful neighbour. â€Å"India’s Internal Security Challenges† 507 The roots of these many insurgencies in the North-East lie deep in its history and its geography. But, it would be wrong to treat it as one homogeneous region with common problems, or social systems and customs. Even physiographically, the region can be divided into three broad areas — hills, plateaus, and plains. The many ethnic groups, speaking many different languages and dialects, who inhabit this remote part of the country consider themselves as separate people with little in common with the people in the rest of the country. The lack of physical, cultural and emotional links has encouraged this feeling of separation. The partition of the country seriously dislocated the old system of communications with serious demographic consequences. At the heart of the problem, however, is the new political consciousness and an urge for asserting their identity, especially among the fiercely independent tribal communities. The partition left the entire region land-locked, and even the old road, railway and river-waterway links with the rest of the country were severed, because they all passed through East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). The new rail link via North Bengal is circuitous and too long and expensive for easy access to the region. The air link is not only expensive, but also unreliable due to climatic conditions. The people have to bear enormous additional transport cost for all their supplies. Another intractable problem is created by the influx of migrants from East Pakistan and now continuing from Bangladesh. In the beginning it was confined to the Hindus leaving East Pakistan due to insecure conditions, but later, because of intense population pressure even Muslims started migrating. The fear that immigrant population will one day dominate them is keeping many of the insurgent and secessionist movements alive. The terrain in this region is eminently suitable for insurgency. The hilly terrain and dense forests provide convenient hiding places to mount ambushes on the moving convoys of the security forces. Large parts of the interior areas have little or no police presence. The insurgent groups virtually control the administration in these areas. After attacking the security force they can easily disappear into the local population. Because of deprivation and alienation, a large section of the people tend to be sympathetic to the members of these groups. It is the alienation of the people that has sustained insurgency all these years, though logistic support and sanctuaries provided by the neighbouring states play a vital role in sustaining them. The dispersion of ethnic groups across the international 508 Strategic Analysis/Oct-Dec 2003 boundaries has profoundly influenced the nature of political conflicts. However, it needs to be emphasised that internal-external linkages originate with the failure of the domestic political and administrative system in coping with the internal conflicts. Secessionist leaders often adopt alternative strategies to achieve their goal. They keep on changing their tactics and demands according to the ground situation. The intensity of the conflict depends very much on how strong the public support is. Ethnicity can become an important dimension of internal conflict when it becomes intertwined with other social, political and economic issues. As conflicting groups go from one crisis to the next, they learn by experience to raise their demands to increase their bargaining power. Political changes that offer new opportunities for personal gain and extending their influence can spark violent conflicts. Even though most of them are conscious of the fact that secession is not a viable option, they keep on raising this demand to bring together the various contending conflicts on one platform. Making common cause against the Indian state is how many of these groups with conflicting ideologies cooperate with each other in their fight against the Indian state. The United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) was born out of the demand to throw out the migrants from Bangladesh, and yet its top leaders are today finding sanctuary in that country. The South Asian ountries have more in common with India than with other countries in the region. They do not even have a common boundary with each other. But this reality has not made them friendlier towards India. History and geography have encouraged negative sentiments rather than positive sentiments about India in these countries. The big powers too have not hesitated to fish in troubled waters. Till the 1970s, China was directly supporting the ins urgencies in the North-East. Strategically, politically and economically the North-East is the most sensitive part of the country and should receive the serious attention it deserves. The ongoing dialogue between the government and the NSCN (IM) is a positive development, but it is going to take a long and torturous route. The NSCN (IM)’s claim on the Naga-inhabited areas in the neighbouring states has created serious complications. The riots in Manipur in 2001 following the extension of the ceasefire to the areas beyond the boundaries of Nagaland are a pointer to the difficult road ahead. The situation in â€Å"India’s Internal Security Challenges† 509 Assam has shown some signs of improvement, but large-scale extortion by the ULFA and other groups is posing serious problems. The NLFT and the ATTF continue to be active in Tripura. They have sanctuaries in Bangladesh. Mizoram is quiet, but there are problems between the Mizos and the Chakmas, and the Mizos and the Reangs. Thousands of Reang refugees from Mizoram are staying in camps in Tripura. In spite of many rounds of negotiations between the Mizoram government and the representatives of the Reangs, so far no solution appears to be in sight. The unending internecine feud between the NSCN (IM) and the NSCN (K) has spilled over from Nagaland to the neighbouring states and even to Myanmar. A number of Meitie and Kuki groups have sanctuaries in the Chin Hills in Myanmar. The ULFA and the Bodo groups have sanctuaries in the forests of Bhutan. There are unconfirmed reports of some sort of tie-up between the ULFA and the LTTE. A number of groups have also come up in Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. Many experts have called the Naga insurgencies as the mother of all insurgencies in the North-East. The level of violence, however, in this explosive region continues to be high in spite of the fact that the ceasefire agreement with the NSCN (IM) has been in place since 1997. This only goes to show how difficult the road to peace is going to be in this trouble-torn region. It is truism to say that it is not only a law and order problem. It has many other dimensions. No strategy will succeed unless it strikes a right balance between political, economic and security measures. There is need for closer co-ordination among the policymakers. Ideally, there is need for a consensus among the major political parties. The pursuit of narrow political agenda can be exploited by the subversive groups. Many political leaders in this region indulge in double-speak. They mouth nationalist slogans in Delhi but have no hesitation in making strong anti-national statements and collaborating with the insurgent groups in the state. Nor do they have any reservation in changing parties. They frequently hop from one political party to another. In Manipur some politicians have changed sides as many as six times in a year. A chief minister changed his party three times in one month, and his coalition partners three times in 48 hours. A party label has very little meaning. Money and muscle power with active support of the insurgent groups play a key role in the elections. Most of these states are not financially viable. They hardly collect any revenue and depend almost entirely on the Union government for financial 510 Strategic Analysis/Oct-Dec 2003 support. This has caused lack of responsibility in incurring public expenditure. For example, Manipur has created a huge bureaucratic structure with a workforce of almost 100,000 on its pay roll. Over 80% of its total revenue (both Plan and non-Plan) is spent on payment of salaries and pensions. Extortion by the insurgent groups, the leakage’s of huge funds through corrupt practices leave very little for development. And they conveniently put the blame on the Centre for not giving them adequate funds. Through years of neglect this potentially rich region is today the most backward, almost primitive, part of our country. In these appalling conditions an alienated population becomes an easy target for the secessionist propaganda. Jammu & Kashmir The problem has been with us since independence even though Pakistan has no legal case. The ruler of this erstwhile princely state decided to accede to India. According to the Independence Act it was for the rulers of the princely states to decide to join India or Pakistan. Pakistan has been disputing the legality of the accession signed by the then J&K ruler, Maharaja Hari Singh. The initial hesitation of the Maharaja to accede to either India or Pakistan and the unilateral Indian offer to find out the wishes of the people of the state has given Pakistan an excuse to challenge the legality of the accession. It has been doing everything for the last 56 years to grab this state. It has not been able to achieve its objective through wars with India. So, it has started a proxy war since 1989. Waging of a proxy war fits into the Pakistani designs of bleeding India. Unfortunately, the weaknesses of the state and of the administrative systems have provided Pakistan with opportunities to fish in troubled waters. More interested in perpetuating their rule than governing the state, its rulers have been exploiting regional and religious differences. Anti-national forces thrived in this environment and Pakistan has missed no opportunity to support and encourage them. Over the years it has succeeded in building a proPakistan base in the state. Frustrated in their efforts to gain power through democratic means, some politicians joined the anti-India front, more to put pressure on the Indian government than on ideological grounds. In a state, where the overwhelming population was against communal politics at the time of partition, the fundamentalist forces have managed to penetrate into the secular polity. The many serious problems of the people have to be addressed. It is not a coincidence that Pakistan’s efforts to destabilise â€Å"India’s Internal Security Challenges† 511 he situation in the state received some success only when our own political mismanagement provided it with an opportunity to intervene, as in 1965 and again in 1989. One of Pakistan’s main aims is to divide the polity on communal lines. The attitude of the Pakistani military government is unlikely to change in the near future. But that does not mean that Pakistan should be allowed to set the Kashmir agenda. Moves will have to be made on all fronts to regain the initiative on both political and diplomatic fronts. The proposals made in the announcements by the Cabinet Committee on Security on October 22 are steps in the right direction, but the ground situation does not justify over-optimism. There are likely to be many ups and downs on this long torturous road to peace in Jammu and Kashmir. Left Extremism Making a beginning in Naxalbari in West Bengal and Telengana in Andhra Pradesh in the 1970s, the movement has since spread to many states: Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa. The root cause for the rise in Left extremism is the inability of the states to address the many genuine grievances of the people. The gap between the unrealistic expectations, fuelled by populist rhetoric, and their actual fulfilment has increased and not decreased over the years. The younger generation is no longer willing to put up passively with injustice and humiliation without a fight. The bitterness of the angry young man against the prevailing unjust socio-economic system is spilling over. The older generation is not unsympathetic to them. An educational system which produces unemployable young boys and girls has not helped. Pressure on land has made the task of survival on agriculture more difficult. A callous district administration, especially in the rural areas, a clogged judicial system and feudal attitudes have compounded the problem. The land disputes have multiplied, but the land records and the judicial system to settle them is in disarray. There is a sense of frustration and anger. The most prominent among the groups, that have mushroomed in the recent years, are the People’s War Group (PWG) and the Marxist Communist Centre (MCC) . But it is not ideology and revolutionary zeal that is driving them. For many, joining these groups is the only way to survive. Their main activity is extortion. Huge funds amounting to hundreds of crores of rupees are being extorted by them. What they cannot 512 Strategic Analysis/Oct-Dec 2003 get through legitimate means they obtain through arms and explosives. Their tactics are no different from the insurgents and terrorists. Create terror and extort money. They are, however, not secessionists. Their aim is to overthrow what they call an unjust socio-economic system. But they are in no hurry to achieve their ideological aims as long as they can extort enough money. Corrupt politicians, policemen and civil servants have made their own adjustments with these groups. A live-and-let live attitude is mutually beneficial to all of them. Who knows how much money goes to the extremists and how much goes to the others. The real sufferers are the very people for whom the extremists are waging this war against the state. In public perception a government that is unable to discharge all its responsibilities is more likely to respond when the demand is loud, organised and backed by acts of violence. The many progressive, wellintentioned legislations are not eing implemented effectively and sometimes have done more harm than good by creating more bitterness and frustration, e. g. , the Minimum Wages Act. The marginal and deprived sections of the society are the worst hit. Social and economic factors are important, but even more important are religion and identity. The secessionist movement in J&K is politically motivated, but its ideological base is built ar ound religious funda-mentalism. Fired by religious fervour, the young recruits have no hesitation in attacking ruthlessly what they consider the decayed political and moral order, which they perceive as hedonistic. Once the instruments of governance are discredited, it is not too difficult to justify their destruction as in J&K, the North-East or in the states afflicted by Left extremism. In another sense, however, the aim of all these movements is no different from the aim of legitimate political movements. They too seek to acquire power, measured in terms of exercising influence or control over the people and acquisition of wealth for them is the source of all power. Extortion, therefore, becomes an essential part of their strategy. Their goal and strategy could change during the course of the movement. In the initial stages some of them may only demand economic and political justice or more autonomy in the existing political system, like the Bodos in Assam, but they can take a more extremist stand and demand secession in the later stages. Effective steps to reduce ethnic and social inequalities, disparities in educational and employment opportunities, and for creating an effective machinery for the redressal of public grievance, are absolutely essential to â€Å"India’s Internal Security Challenges† 513 mprove the environment in which extremist violence flourishes. Steps to reduce economic deprivation and improve the delivery of essential services can erode the base of public support on which the extremist movements survive. It is relatively easier to find solutions to seemingly intractable political problems, like in J&K, in an environment where people are by and large satisfied with the function ing of the government agencies and are not deprived of essential services. More than anything else, it is the economic policies that would ultimately determine the future of these movements. A thriving economy, which gives hope and opportunity to the people, is more likely to defeat all types of extremist movements than any other strategy. The need for a well co-ordinated security apparatus can hardly be overemphasised. It should include the police, the paramilitary forces, the army and the intelligence agencies. A composite force on the lines of the National Security Guards (NSG) should be organised in all the states, even in those states where the internal security situation is not so serious. It is easier to deal with the problems at the initial stages, than later, when the state police is no longer able to cope with them. But in the states where the situation has gone beyond their control, the Centre, as laid down in the Constitution, is duty-bound to intervene, notwithstanding the fact that law and order is under the State List. The Union government is charged with the responsibility of protecting the states from internal disturbances under Article 353 of the Constitution, even though law and order comes under List-II, the State List. The Union government can issue directions to the state under Articles 257-258. Action for non-compliance of the directions from the Union government can be taken under Article 365. A state government can be dismissed under Article 356, if a situation arises in which the administration of the state cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. A national emergency can be declared under Article 352. But, even if the Centre decides to intervene, the state’s role cannot be minimised. The primary responsibility to deal with the security challenges must rest with the state governments. A situation should not be allowed to develop where the state government washes its hands off, or its forces instead of cooperating with the central forces, actually work against them. The many internal security challenges can be met effectively only with full cooperation between the central and the state governments. The police, 514 Strategic Analysis/Oct-Dec 2003 the paramilitary forces, the army and all the intelligence agencies must act in close co-ordination. The hostile foreign forces can and will take advantage of the internal situation to destabilise the country in pursuit of their own agenda. All serious internal security problems: communal and sectarian violence, organised crime, drug-trafficking, labour and students’ unrest, political violence and even economic crimes, if not checked effectively can develop an external dimension. There is an urgent need to make the police and the paramilitary forces more professional. The emphasis has to shift from ‘more numbers’ to ‘more professionally trained forces’. The internal security problems should not be treated as merely law and order problems. They have to be dealt with comprehensively in all their dimensions and at all levels — political, economic and social. They are all interlinked. At times, the required measures will conflict with each other. Going too far in one direction could be counter-productive. The security requirements have to be met, but that does not mean giving the security agencies a free hand. Striking the right balance is the key to success in meeting these challenges effectively. We need a comprehensive security policy that will be implemented effectively at all levels. Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you for your indulgence. It has been my endeavour to offer a personal perspective on the nature of the internal security challenges that India currently faces. I hope these thoughts and observations would encourage greater deliberations amongst you. From this interaction we could perhaps distil a collective perspective that would be relevant both to the policy makers and the civil society. And finally, my best wishes to the entire IDSA fraternity on this occasion — and may your stature grow.