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Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Drawing the line on Google -Tarun Vijay
The Hindu
Published: May 8, 2013 01:57 IST | Updated: May
8, 2013 02:10 IST
The aura around the iconic search engine should
not stop us from asking why it should be exempt from the law of this country
While the spirit of The Hindu’s editorial
on Google (“Wrong route,” April 29, 2013) is appreciable,
it is based on a flawed perception.
Google’s power and usefulness are
well-recognised. An entire generation reveres Google as the god of all
information. This aura makes it harder to understand the company’s conduct. It
has not only contemptuously ignored the queries raised by India’s Surveyor General,
but also put out a version in the media portraying those objecting to its
violations as Neanderthals.
The basic issues are these: is Google India
expected to follow Indian law or not? If there is a violation that is glaring
and which could compromise India’s military and nuclear secrets, should we
raise an objection or not? Can Google India be above all other mapping agencies
working in India just because of the cosmetic aura it has woven around itself
or should it be subjected to the same rules and norms applicable to others?
Google’s sin against the Constitution and the law
is this: it showed vital military installations, with annotations depicting the
core of the Apsara nuclear reactor, blast pens inside the Hindon airbase,
ammunition depots, markings of hangers meant for specific fighter jets as well
as those jets visible outside in the high resolution images, warships in naval
dockyards, and much more.
To make matters worse, defence systems and
infrastructure were marked over a period of time. This sensitive data showing
changes on a timeline can lead to a comprehensive and accurate/predictive
analysis of our defence preparedness and planned responses to a situation.
As facilitator
One of the arguments by Google enthusiasts is
that all this information can also be accessed on Google Earth. So what’s the
big deal if Google provides it on its maps? The very basis of this argument is
flawed. Satellite imagery available on Google Earth or through any other remote
sensing satellites can only give a viewer a vague idea of structures and
objects. But it needs a highly sophisticated mechanism to decipher these images
and have them accurately marked for actionable intelligence. For example, the
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre complex is huge, with several residential and
office buildings, and reactors. It is the specific marking of the Apsara
reactor that makes it vulnerable to a swift and precise attack.
Recceing an area is the key to preparing for
military or terrorist action. That’s exactly what David Headley did in Mumbai
before 26/11. Google is facilitating, unintentionally, a digital recce by
enemies.
The other serious aspect of Google’s conduct is
its brazen refusal to adhere to Indian law.
Besides the government’s Survey of India there
are more than a dozen national and international mapping agencies active in
India including Nokia, TomTom, MapmyIndia, etc. All of them follow the
prescribed law. Why should Google be an exception? The New Mapping Policy 2005
requires that all mapping data above 1:50 K collected by private agencies
should be vetted by the Ministry of Defence. While every other agency does it,
the query that Surveyor General of India Swarna Subba Rao raised was whether
Google had submitted the data collected through its Mapathon or its continuous
map-making process through crowd sourcing for vetting, as required by the law.
Surprisingly, Google has said everything except
answer this specific query. If Blackberry could be forced to provide access to
its BBM data, why shouldn’t Google be asked to do so? Let this incident trigger
a debate on India’s mapping policy and the changes it needs but till a
consensus is reached, the nation’s constitutional position and security
concerns cannot be compromised.
(Tarun Vijay is Member of Parliament, Rajya
Sabha, and hon. director, Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation, a
centre for civilisational values and policy research.)
Keywords: Survey of India, Mapathon 2013, Google, National Map Policy, Google mapathon
contest
Printable version | May 8, 2013
10:48:47 PM |
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/drawing-the-line-on-google/article4693193.ece
© The Hindu
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Saturday, May 4, 2013
NDA MPs meet Prez, express concern on Chinese incursion and the way govt handled Sarabjit case
Tags: Chinese incursion, BJP MPs, Pranab Mukherjee
 |
| Shri Advani ji addressing he mediapersons after meeting the President. With his are seen Shri Rajnath Singh ji,Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy ji, Shri Gopinath Munde ji, Shri Sharad Yadav ji,Smt Sushma Swaraj ji, Shri Arun Jaitley ji, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad ji, Shri Tarun Vijay ji |
The delegation, led by NDA working chairperson LK
Advani, met Mukherjee in the Rashtrapati Bhavan and submitted a memorandum
seeking his intervention on the two issues.
They demanded that Mukherjee discuss these issues
with the UPA government and ask them to take appropriate action.
Advani told reporters that Sarabjit had initially
been given a death sentence which was commuted to life imprisonment.
"Sarabjit had reportedly completed his
sentence and had received a condonation of his death sentence, as its execution
had been delayed for too long. We are given to understand that he was due to be
released but held back in Pakistan as a retaliatory gesture," Advani said.
The NDA alleged that Sarabjit's murder could not
have taken place without "official connivance" in the Lahore jail and
at least, some authorities were involved.
"What distresses us very greatly is the
inaction of the Government of India, the Ministry of External Affairs and the
officials concerned of not having constantly monitored this case... We are
persuaded to emphasise this because we hold that our government's inaction in
this case cannot be condoned. They owe the country an explanation and an
apology," Advani said.
On the "unilateral and forceful Chinese
occupation" in Ladakh, the NDA expressed concern that this may escalate
into a 1962-like situation when there were similar incursions before it turned
into a full-blown war.
"Government and the Prime Minister have
repeatedly announced that this is a 'localised' incident. May we submit this
would tantamount to a disingenuous evasion of government's
responsibility?" Advani said.
"We would like to remind the government that
silent acquiescence in the face of fait-accompli, whether of Pakistan or China
is unforgivable pusillanimity. This is simply not acceptable," the NDA
memorandum said.
Opposition parties submitted to the President that
just because the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is undefined does not mean China
can give it a unilateral physical definition through unilateral and forceful
occupation.
Terming this as unacceptable, the NDA said,
"This manner of unilateral 'localised' actions, resulting in seizure of
land, amounts to giving a forcible and physical definition to the LAC."
The NDA leaders maintained that the "arbitrary
and unilateral breach" by China cannot be viewed as normal conduct.
"It is violative of agreed principles
governing the conduct of forces of China in respect of the LAC," the
memorandum said.
NDA also emphasised on the need for recalling a
resolution adopted by both Houses of Parliament in November, 1962.
"The government must govern, or it must
go," the NDA said.
Advani insisted that the government should clarify
both the Sarabjit case and the Chinese intrusions in Parliament next week.
"Is it true that Sarabjit should have been
released as he had completed his life sentence?" Advani said, adding the
NDA hopes government will give a response in Parliament on this issue.
BJP president Rajnath Singh pointed out to
Mukherjee that before 2010 army was deployed in the Ladakh region where these
incursions are taking place.
He requested that India should revert to the 2010
position and again post the army in the region. He also told Mukherjee that
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid should cancel his proposed visit to
China on May 9.
PTI
Monday, April 29, 2013
Border crisis: Why China won't back off
http://www.rediff.com/news/column/border-crisis-why-china-wont-back-off/20130429.htm
Last updated on: April 29,
2013 08:44 IST
Whether
Salman Khurshid goes to Beijing [ Images ] or cancels the trip, the Chinese won’t return from
their present, newly occupied position, says Tarun Vijay.
I agree that the Chinese
incursion issue must not be hyped and efforts should be made to find a
diplomatic resolution.
I also agree that, in a moment of national
crisis, no politics should be played. The government’s efforts to safeguard the
nation’s boundaries should get unanimous support.
It helps to boost the morale of the armed
forces who are facing a hostile situation in a very uncharitable terrain. They
are our sons, brothers and daughters. They belong to us. They are us.
In a moment of filmi frenzy, we
shouldn’t forget that they listen to and read what we say and write.
India [ Images
] must behave as one unit instead of creating scenes of street fights during
such crises. And I am proud to say, we have always shown the ability to do so;
whether it was 1962 or Kargil [ Images
].
Secondly, 2013 is not 1962.
We are much stronger, people are much more aware
and the soldier is prepared to win a war against the Chinese if the situation
reaches that point.
But a war is not won by comparing the list of
nuclear bombs and other arsenal with the enemy. Wars are won in the minds of
those who have an unflinching commitment to their motherland and a decisive
fire in their heart to punish the wrongdoer foe.
The most significant fuel of
this victory is the ruling political power’s support and leadership, which must
not dither midway.
That is exactly the problem today.
One remembers Indira Gandhi
[ Images
] and Atal Bihari Vajpayee [ Images
], who had resolutely stood behind their armed forces with a steel spine and
given the go-ahead that brought the honour of victory to the nation.
The
Ladakh issue will be resolved, but the political mishandling of the incident
has cost us very dear.
There are strong suspicions that certain
external factors have worked hard to make the matter look graver -- almost as
if an aggression has taken place -- to incite an exchange of fire between the
two forces at Ladakh.
Whose interest would have been served if the
Chinese prime minister’s first visit to India had been cancelled?
Who were shamelessly putting the Indian
soldier at a much inferior level while comparing him to China’s People’s
Liberation Army?
Was that kind of defeatist ranting on
television screens helping the jawan camping before the Chinese at altitudes as
high as 17,000 feet?
The culprit is the nation’s political leadership that has
not concerned itself with ensuring adequate military preparedness.
It is the same lethargic, Nehruvian delusion
that had led ordnance factories in the '50s to make coffee machines and had led
to the utterance of those infamous words at the loss of Aksai China that not a
blade of grass grows there.
It’s a government that fails to protect the
life of an innocent Indian, Sarabjit Singh, while sharing biryani with a savage
country’s prime minister.
It’s a powerless, visionless and aimless
government that dithers when it comes to protecting the honour of its honest
and patriotic surveyor general against the lies of an American mapping agency.
Such
a leadership is an embarrassment to the nation and to the dictionary, which
provides a different meaning to the word ‘leadership’.
Whether Salman Khurshid
goes Beijing or cancels the trip, the Chinese are not returning from their present,
newly occupied position. Their statements are a clear indication of their
attitude.
They feel they are in their territory; that
Indians are making a foolish hue and cry over nothing. In fact, the official
Chinese position holders have said that Indians are fishing in China’s troubled
waters.
It’s
important to read what the official position of the Chinese is on this issue.
The Global Times, the official English language news daily from Beijing
has published a detailed report on the Ladakh incursion quoting three
officials.
The foreign ministry first said it couldn’t verify the matter,
because it doesn’t have the relevant information.
The spokesperson for the foreign ministry
simply dismissed the Indian complaint and sought to portray the issue as a
small matter, saying that in the absence of the final demarcation of the
border, such incidents are inevitable.
But the director of the Center for Arms
Control and Disarmament at the School of International Studies under Peking
University, Han Hua, took an offensive stand and blamed India for ‘fishing in
troubled waters’.
This line has been picked up by the local
twitterati in China. Once again, an anti-Japan like passion against India is
seen to be dominating Chinese social media.
The three comments must be read to
properly assess the tone and tenor of the belligerent Chinese response on an
issue that has aroused so much anger in India.
For the Chinese, the whole
issue is an Indian creation; it is a false accusation; no Chinese has ever
crossed the Line of Actual control. India has unnecessarily hyped this issue,
they feel, that too just before the Chinese prime minister’s Delhi [ Images
] visit which, if it materialises, will be his first foreign trip after
assuming office.
Reaction no 1: When contacted by the Global Times
on Thursday, China's foreign ministry said it couldn't verify the news, as it
doesn't have the relevant information at present.
The Indian embassy in Beijing referred the
inquiry to China's foreign ministry without confirming the report. If verified,
it would be Li's first overseas visit as premier.
Reaction no 2: After
dismissing reports about alleged trespassing by Chinese troops for three days
in a row, on Thursday, Hua Chunying, spokeswoman for China's foreign ministry,
once again refuted accusations that China had provoked border tensions.
"China and India are neighbours. Given
that their lines of demarcation haven't been finalised, it's inevitable that
problems may arise in the border region.
Reaction no 3: Han Hua,
director of the Center for Arms Control and Disarmament at the School of International
Studies under Peking University, told the Global Times that choosing
India as the first stop of the premier's visit shows China's will to improve
ties, but that the current standoff may cast a shadow on the visit.
‘Reports about Chinese troops' cross-border
patrols are not rare in Indian media. However, the latest hyping came at an
inappropriate time before the premier's visit, and it was also inappropriate to
summon the ambassador,’ Han said, adding there had been speculation that New
Delhi may hope to ‘fish in troubled
waters’ as Beijing is caught in an island dispute with Tokyo.
India
loses nothing by showing a little patience and even as she reinforces her
fortification.
But this government is mired in too many
domestic issues and is showing a tendency of ‘giving up’. It needs to hold on
till the next government is chosen more wisely by the electorate but seems to
be incapable of even doing that.
It
is indeed a sad moment in our history.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Horrible tales of the Pakistani Hindus and the King of the lions- Nahar Singh
 |
| Shri Nahar Singh, the King of the Lions |
 |
| Shri Tarun Vijay speaking to JNU students. to his right are Shri Vinod Bansal and Shri Nahar Singh and Shri Ravindra Gupta. On right Pakistani Hindu youth are wearing the T shorts with a message-' Left the land but not the Dharma. ' |
 |
| Seema from Karachi speaking about the torture they had to suffer in Pakistan, we may die but never return to Pakistan. |
 |
| A group pic out side the Tapti hostel, JNU. |
 |
| Another Group pic |
Shri Nahar Singh, from Haryana said that when he heard of Pakistani Hindus being harassed by Indian police he offered his house, having 28 rooms in Haryana free of cost.. In fact all the rooms were rented out to various families but he got them vacated in two days, suffering a loss of about 50 thousand rupees per month, and gave 150 Pakistani Hindus shelter in his house. He was cheered by the students. Shri Nahar Singh said that Muslims got 25% of land with 100 % reservation in the form of Pakistan, now why do they remain silent when the Hindus are tortured in Pakistan? Why should they demand more reservation in India?
One Pakistani Hindu mother said that his 21 year old son was taken away by Taliban and he never came back, Only the picture of his son's dead body was shown to her. She couldn't even know whether he was buried ? The Hindus are denied permission to the last rites of their dead because the local Muslims object . There is no cremation ground in Lahore. Another mother told about Bharati, who fled Pakistan leaving behind her three day old son with her parents.
The students, all belonging to ABVP, said that the left wing students organisations, often too vocal on human rights issues have kept a studied silence over the plight of Pakistani Hindus. For them, unless you are a Muslim you have no right to complain about the human rights violations.
Students leaders Vikas Yadav, Mamta Tiwari, Ravindra Gupta, , several Pakistani Hindus and media incharge of VHP Shri Vinod Bansal also spoke.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Why Google lied?
Google case referred to MHA for investigations by CBI-cyber crime cell
Will ensure Google India abides by Indian law- Tarun Vijay , MP
20th April 2013- New Delhi- Mr Tarun Vijay, Member of Parliament and Member, Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of External Affairs told today that he has been informed by Delhi Police Commissioner Mr Neeraj Kumar that the case against Google India for violating Indian mapping laws has been recommended to be investigated by the cyber crime cell of the CBI and sent to Home Ministry for taking further action as the case is a national issue,far bigger than the Delhi territory.Mr Tarun Vijay said that he will ensure that Google India abides by the Indian laws and is not allowed to spread half truths making a mockery of the Survey of India's legitimate complaint. He said that he has already given a call attention notice in Parliament in this regard and hopes govt will come out with a statement on this issue which has made the Indian defence establishment and intelligence agencies see red in the Google's arrogance that has publicly shown Air Force stations, ammunition depots, identifying the positions of the fighter planes making it possible to compare their location changes on the time line.
Mr Tarun Vijay said that the Google has sent a sort of reply to the Surveyor General of India and released the content to the media which depicted the time honoured institution of Survey of India in a poor light falsifying the message as if the onus lies on the Survey of India . He applauded the befitting reply given by the Surveyor General of India to Google which exposed the lies of the Google India . He also quoted from this letter ( dated 17th April 2013) which said,"In your response to Sh. MI Mallik, Director, Survey (Air) & Dehli GDC, Survey of India, R.K Puram, New Delhi you have stated that you had a discussion with him, which is false. In fact, neither you nor any of your representatives have met Sh. MI Mallik, Director, Survey (Air) & Delhi GDC nor visited his office."
Mr Tarun Vijay said that he fully supports the Govt action in this regard and has also spoken to the Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technolgy Mr Ramasamy urging him to be firm in protecting the national interest. He said that the govt., through the Surveyor General of India's latest letter has clearly told Google that their action is "jeopardizing the national security. In matters of national security any responsible citizen or agency takes necessary corrective action as suggested by the Government of India agency immediately. Your continued activities with implications leading to compromise of National Security are objectionable and could amount to serious offence."
Can we take the objection of India's premier state agency in mapping lightly and allow Google to play with the India laws and defence sensitivities? Vijay asked.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Mr Katju is a very busy man
http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indus-calling/entry/mr-katju-is-a-very-busy-man
19 February 2013,
01:10 PM IS
Having termed 90% of Indians as
'idiots', Mr Markandey Katju, the headline-grabber chairman of the Press
Council of India has been supported by the Congress for his recent utterances.
Nothing surprising.
Mr Katju is a very busy man. Except the Press Council,
everything gets his attention.
His job was to serve the cause of a
free and fearless media and turn the Press Council into an effective instrument
to safeguard the rights and privileges of journalists and address the
grievances of the people in this regard.
He has failed in that assigned duty.
It will be interesting to know how many days he actually attended the office
and addressed issues that affect the credibility of his institution and the
media at large.
Instead, he loved to become a political spokesperson enjoying
perks and privileges at public expense.
Some of his gems are like this:
"I say ninety percent of
Indians are idiots. You people don't have brains in your heads. It is so easy
to take you for a ride."
"First of all, let me tell you one thing --
Pakistan is no country. It is a fake country."
And the media reported
from Kolkata: "Press Council of India chairman Markandey Katju has
described west Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee as 'intolerant and
whimsical' and warned her that she would lose power if she did not
change."
And
the reply that came soon was this: "Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hit back at her critics with the remark
'raja chale bazaar, kutta bhouke hazaar' (the king walks unperturbed as dogs bark)." The
comment is believed to have been aimed at a letter by Press Council of India
chief Markandey Katju.'
In a country which has the world's
largest newspaper industry having more than 82,237 registered newspapers out of
which 4,853 new newspapers were registered during 2010-11 and according to the
annual report of World Association of Newspapers (WAN) 2011 an estimated 330
million newspapers are circulated daily in the country, the premier official
body concerning media affairs received only 90 complaints in the last four
years, and even 'out of the 90 complaints, more than 40 were filed four years
ago'.
On an independent media watch site,
The Hoot, Indira Akoijam writes, "delay in adjudications on the part of
the Press Council made the complainants to either stop pursuing the case or
such complaints to be disposed of depending on the Inquiry Committee. Three
pending cases from the year 2007 were taken up for adjudication in 2011 and
2012. The Press Council does not cite anywhere in its published index of
adjudications as to why the cases remained pending from 2007 until taken up in
2011- 2012."
An example of a serious complaint
which was taken up for hearing after 12 months, illustrates the 'active' nature of the PCI: "In one case, a suo motu
inquiry was directed on the reported attack on the offices of Kannada Prabha
and Jaya Kirna, which appeared in The Hindustan Times, The Hindu and The
Times of India. The complaint was filed on 22nd March 2010 …The complaint was
finally heard on 27th February 2012 where the complainants informed that they
had no grievances and hence, the Inquiry Committee dropped the suo motu inquiry."
Another example of how the issues of press and morality was dealt with is an
eye opener. "Two complaints were filed under this category ( Press and
Morality), one dealing with an inappropriate portrayal of women in an
advertisement by a local newspaper in Assam, and use of an indecent picture of
a woman in one of the articles in India Today, New Delhi. One complaint was
dismissed as no one appeared for the hearing and in the other case (Assam news
daily, Asomiya Pratidin) PCI advised the newspaper not to accept advertisements
that may corrupt young minds."
(http://thehoot.org/web/HoweffectiveisthePressCouncil/6292-1-1-9-true.html)
.
The Press Council under Mr Katju has
become so ineffective that newspapers and magazines against which the
complaints are filed often ignore its call to appear for hearing or remain
dismissive of its 'cautionary advises'. Mr Katju remains soft on
anti-national writings. In one case, filed by the Army against the highly
objectionable and seditious article published in a Srinagar daily, the Press
Council simply cautioned the editor to be more careful in the future and in
another case , the editor or the owner ignored its show cause notice. What did
Mr Katju do? Press Council 'expressed displeasure when the respondent did not
appear for the hearing on the show cause notice. The case was subsequently
dropped".
Indira Akoijam in her brilliant
analysis opines about the Press Council's conduct, "even in cases dealing
with morality, plagiarism, paid news and harassment, the strictest decisions
only amount to being censured ... More than the fate of the cases filed before
the Council, which often come to a tame end, the point to note is that several
recent controversies involving members of the print media do not even come up before
it. These include cases of election-time paid news, the controversies regarding
the Radia tapes where print journalists were involved, the publishing of mms
pictures by a leading Hindi daily, cases of regional newspapers reporting hate
speech, and so on."
But ostensibly a busy Mr Katju has
no time to devote on such issues for which he was appointed. Instead, he has
given an impression of being an applicant in a hurry to the media cell of
a political party. It's quite natural that like a mother comes to defend her
errand son, a national leader of the Congress has dutifully come to
rescue him.
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