12/09/2017 TuesdayPrashant Mavani, is an expert in current affairs analysis and holds a MSc in Management from University of Surrey (U.K.). Above all he is a passionate teacher.

How to revive economy or how to create jobs or how we can become a developed country?

• From the fastest-growing economy in the world a year ago, we are now lagging behind many.

• What’s worse, the formal economy is not creating enough jobs.

• The annual job growth in the organised sector jobs has slumped to 0.1million.

• Not enough for the 8-10 million young adults that join the workforce every year and aspire to get a job in the organised sector.

• At that pace, it would take 100 years to get the 10 millions new jobs for the youth that Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised.

• We need to focus on policies that create well-paying jobs, increase exports and put India back on a high GDP growth track.

• Promoting tourism, in particular international tourism, could get us all three: 1. More jobs

2. Foreign exchange

3. GDP growth

• It will also improve India’s global image.

• There may be some other positive side effects such as a) Improved hygiene

b) Cleanliness

c) More gender-equal society

• Lets see where we stand in this sector or where we can reach

• We will use some data or numbers

The most recent Economic Survey can help us• In 2016, India received as many international tourists as the city of Singapore.

• Turkey received three times as many international tourists as India, even though India has more than double the number of UNESCO world heritage sites.

• Taj Mahal had half-a-million foreign tourists, the Statue of Liberty in NY received four times as many, and the Great Wall of China received six times as many.

Why?

• Despite India’s rich heritage, diversity of cultures, exotic cuisines and long history of civilisation, do we get such a small pie of global tourists and tourism revenue?

• Our quest can be answered by The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index.

• Out of a group of 136 countries, India ranked 40th in tourism competitiveness

• 55th in international openness

• 112th in information and communication technology readiness• 110th in tourist service infrastructure

• 114th in safety and security

• 104th in health and hygiene• 89th in business environment.

• Worse, tourism is not even a high priority for us. • WEF ranked India 104th in prioritisation of travel and tourism.

Potential of India• India is ranked 10th in price competitiveness,

• 9th in cultural resources

• 24th in natural resources

• 6th in UNESCO’s world heritage sites

Turkey

• Turkey is ranked 70th in price competitiveness

• 16th in cultural resources

• 70th in natural resources

• We are rich in historical monuments, but we do not care to restore them.

• There are hundreds of historical monuments that need to be restored, maintained and promoted as sites for tourism.

• The real problem is the sole responsibility of restoring them falls on the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

• Because ASI has no funds, these monuments are simply left to decay.

• Numerous historical sites in India are lost in the unorganised chaotic expansion of urban areas.

How to restore these monuments?

• The restoration of Humayun’s Tomb by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in partnership with the ASI is an example.

• Why cannot we contract them out to individuals or businesses that have the resources and willingness to restore and promote them.

• Let investment in restoration of historical monuments be counted towards corporate social responsibility (CSR).

• Sultanahmet area of Istanbul with Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and TopkapiPalace has done to convert Istanbul into a major international tourist attraction.

• Millions of domestic and international tourists visit the Civil War monuments in the US.

• We do not have a single monument to commemorate the Three Great Battles of Panipat.

• Three years ago, the Telegraph of London published a list of countries that deserve more tourists, and India was at the top of the list.

• Telegraph mentioned two problems of India

1. Visa problem: Visa problems have been reduced considerably with e-visas and visas on arrival. As a consequence, India’s openness competitiveness index has improved 14 points.

2. Attitude towards women: But we are long way from improving its image on how it treats women. Instances of attacks on foreign women have worsened this image.

• If we want to promote world-class tourism, we will have to improve our standards of hygiene, cleanliness and healthcare.

It is not just a law-and order issue: it has serious implications too for employment, tourism earnings, and India’s brand image.

• Sixty-seven per cent of the people in Indian jails are undertrials — people not convicted of any crime and currently on trial in a court of law.

• Among the larger States, at 82.4 per cent, Bihar had the highest proportion of undertrials, followed by Jammu & Kashmir (81.5 per cent), Odisha (78.8 per cent), Jharkhand (77.1 per cent) and Delhi (76.7 per cent).

• Three States from the Northeast also had a high proportion of undertrials: Meghalaya (91.4 per cent), Manipur (81.9 per cent) and Nagaland (79.6 per cent).

• In its most recent report, the Law Commission of India said that the situation is that “the rich and powerful to get bail with ease while the commoner and the poor languish in jail”.

• The success achieved by Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala in reducing cases pending for over 10 years in lower courts to less than 1% of total pendency is a significant achievement.

• Together these 4 States and 1 U.T. have just 11,000 cases pending for over 10 years against a corresponding national pendency count of 22.72 lakhcases.

• Of these, Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh are administered by the Punjab and Haryana high court.

• This is no overnight achievement but the result of unwavering focus over years.

How they did it? Let see the case of Punjab and Haryana• For a decade, Punjab and Haryana HC has fixed annual targets and action

plans for judicial officers to dispose of old cases and criminal cases where accused is in custody for over two years.

• The action plans also reveal how the HC is perfecting its processes by shifting from monthly to quarterly review of judicial officers’ performance to curb malpractices like hasty disposal which undermine the quality of justice dispensed.

• Recent years also indicate a focus on narcotics related cases, a particularly trenchant problem in Punjab. This is how a dynamic justice system proves itself responsive to societal needs.

• The laggards – Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar and Bengal – have some catching up to do.

• It is possible that these states have the highest number of vacant posts, poor infrastructure, and judicial recruitment examinations that do not match the standards set by better performing states.

• Ironically, it is at higher courts where answers to judicial pendency remain to be found.• 28% of cases (1.06 lakh) pending in Punjab and Haryana HC are over 10 years old.

• Most HCs are in a similar situation.

• The Centre-SC standoff has stalled judicial appointments and depleted high court strengths.

• Solution for appointment: The national district judge recruitment examination mooted by Supreme Court to raise quality of district judges and dispel perceptions of irregularities in judge selection deserve consideration.

• Incremental measures like restricting adjournments, curbing summer vacations, and audio-visual recording of court proceedings along with real-time data monitoring of case status will produce a transformative effect.

When justice is delayed it creates incentives to break the law.

For ordinary people, lower courts are the first stop for justice.

By raising the bar they make the Indian state work as it should.

Three River Interlinking projects to begin within three months

• The Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Shri Nitin Gadkarihas said that his Ministry will start work on three river interlinking projects within the next three months.

• Shri Gadkari said that the three projects are ready with all necessary approvals, and he will hold meetings with the concerned Chief Ministers soon to sort out inter-state issues so that the three projects can take off within the next three months.

1. Ken-Betwa Linking Project

2. Damanganga- Pinjal Link Project

3. Par-Tapi-Narmada Link projects

• Ken-Betwa Linking Project• Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh

• Damanganga- Pinjal Link Project• Gujarat-Maharashtra

• Par-Tapi-Narmada Link projects• Gujarat-Maharashtra

Cabinet approves MoU between India and Armenia on Cooperation in the field of Disaster Management

• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Armenia on Cooperation in the field of Disaster Management

• The MoU would enhance cooperation in the field of Disaster Management and contribute to the well-being and safety of the people of both the countries in the event of disaster.

• It will also result in exchange of information in the relevant fields of disaster management which is of mutual interest.

• Further, the MoU seeks to put in place a system, whereby both India and Armenia will be benefited from the disaster management mechanisms of the other country and will help in strengthening the areas of preparedness, response and capacity building.

UNSC tightens nooze

• China and Russia have joined a unanimous UN vote to impose new sanctions on North Korea after its sixth and largest nuclear test.

• The council voted 15-0 to back the US-drafted sanctions resolution banning exports of coal, lead and seafood.

• Pyongyang has claimed to have developed a hydrogen bomb and has continuously threatened to strike the US.

• North Korea is already under UN sanctions to force the leadership to curtail its weapons programme.

• The new sanctions were agreed on yesterday after the US removed some of the tougher proposals it had announced last week, including a complete oil embargo and measures to freeze the assets of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

• Permanent and Non-Permanent Members

• 5 permanent members:• China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States

• 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly (with end of term date)• Bolivia (2018)• Egypt (2017)• Ethiopia (2018)• Italy (2017)• Japan (2017)• Kazakhstan (2018)• Senegal (2017)• Sweden (2018)• Ukraine (2017)• Uruguay (2017)

The End

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