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Celebrations of 60th anniversary of Independence

	August 13, 2007

In the midst of the Monsoon session of Parliament, which is likely to see stormy scene because of controversial issues coming up for discussion, the Nation will be celebrating its 60 anniver¬sary of Independence on August 15.



There will be a special function in the Central Hall of Parliament at 7.30 p.m. on Independence Day. Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, who had mooted the idea, wanted the programme to be held at the mid-night of August 14 in an exact recall of the Transfer of Power in 1947, but logistical problems forced the authorities to hold the function in the Central Hall of Parlia¬ment the next evening. It was felt that there would be very little gap between the midnight programme and the traditional flag hoisting by the Prime Minister at Red Fort early in the morning.



The function in the Central Hall will begin with the Nation¬al Anthem.



Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Aman and Ayan will render two of Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite bhajans on the occasion. Poet Javed Akhtar will recite the poem ‘Pandrah Agast’. His wife and actor Shabana Azmi will recite the poem’s English transla¬tion. Classical vocalist Pandit Jasraj will present his new composition ‘Aadhi raat mein suraj’. He will follow it up with Vande Mataram.



President Pratibha Patil, the Vice President, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chatterjee will address members of both Houses and distinguished guests.



The whole event has been planned along the lines of the special function held at the Central Hall on May 10 this year to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the First War of Indepen¬dence (1857).





Gandhi still relevant : PM



Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi have emphasised the continuing and universal relevance of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi’s message in the contem¬porary world. Speaking at the launch of a commemorative volume - Gandhian way to Peace, Non-violence and Empowerment in New Delhi on August 9, they welcomed the UN General Assembly’s deci¬sion to declare Oct. 2 as International Non-violence Day. The publication is based on the deliberations at Satyagraha confer¬ence in New Delhi in January which several world leaders attend¬ed. Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who will be addressing the United Nations on Oct. 2, to launch the International Day of Non-violence, said, Gandhi’s message is timeless and eternal.



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Mahatma Gandhi voted greatest national icon



Mahatama Gandhi has been voted as the greatest national icon in an opinion poll of events and landmarks, conducted by a tele¬vision network, NDTV, for a programme, “India at 60.”



Other findings are: democracy is the greatest national pride and bribery its worst shame; the IT revolution is the one event that changed the country, while Operation Bluestar and the anti-Sikh riots are its greatest political blot. The poll was conduct¬ed using direct questionnaires administered at street corners in 13 cities, SMS responses, and voting on the worldwide web.



Sachin Tendulkar was voted the country’s greatest sportsper¬son; Mother India the greatest film; and the patriotic ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon’ the greatest song.



In the perception of the respondents, the Mahatma was ahead of Mother Teresa. Other personalities in the list of icons are JRD Tata, Indira Gandhi, Narayana N.R. Murthy, Amitabh Bachchan, and Jawaharlal Nehru.



The poll found that the national achievements, besides democracy, that give Indians the greatest pride are secularism, the IT industry, the armed forces, the Railways, and the judici¬ary. Hunger comes next only to bribery as the worst shame, fol¬lowed by untouchability, dowry, and manual scavenging.



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Jobs growing faster than population



For the first time since Independence, a survey report has brought out that employment grew at a faster rate than population during the five year period between 2000-2005. This is a rever¬sal of the trend in the past.



Despite the growth in jobs, unemployment has also grown. An increasing number of women and elderly are now joining the work¬force, while the earlier trend of child labour decreasing has slowed down. In fact, among urban male children, there is a slight increase in the proportion of those working compared to 1999-2000. Casual labour is also down and self-employment is up. And the industrial sector is generating more jobs than the serv¬ices sector.



These apparently paradoxical conclusions emerge from the National Sample Survey Organisation’s 61st ground survey report on employment and unemployment. It was carried out during 2004-2005, covering a sample of over six lakh people spread over rural and urban areas.



According to the report, the workforce participation rate, that is the number of persons working as a percentage of the total population, has increased by 2.85% a year between 2000 and 2005, which is well beyond the current population growth rate. This increase has been more significant in urban areas, and among males. However, the report reveals that the unemployment rate has also gone up, especially among females in both rural and urban areas. According to the report, 77 per cent of the population is poor and vulnerable, surviving on Rs.20.30 or less per day.





Flood of apologies on partition



There has been a tremendous response from people across borders to an online signature campaign seeking an apology for the heinous crimes of 1947 when the sub-continent was parti¬tioned.



The Association for Communal Harmony in Asia (ACHA), formed in the US in 1993, has initiated the campaign to empathise with and apologise to the victims and survivors of the 1947 Hindu-Muslim riots. Its petition, launched on August 1, has been signed by hundreds of netizens and will be wrapped up at the end of this year. ACHA has as its members Indians, Pakistanis as well as Bangladeshis.



India, after it gained freedom from centuries old British Rule, was divided into two countries on the basis of religious affinities and Pakistan, a federation of Muslim majority states, was born. Pakistan was later partitioned to form Bangladesh.



In the frenzy of communal violence, the petition says, around 15 million people were forced to leave their homes. Millions lost their lives. The horrific memories of mass mur¬ders, rapes, pillage and sufferings are unforgettable for the victims.





Police on alert following suicide bomb threats



With the Intelligence Bureau reportedly cautioning that suicide bombers in cars may target VVIPs on Independence Day, security forces have made unprecedented arrangements to avert and foil such attacks. Around 100 commandos with 5,000 paramilitary personnel will be deployed around Red Fort during the Indepen¬dence Day celebrations.



Meanwhile, India has played down the latest Al Qaeda threat warning that diplomatic missions in New Delhi were among the terror outfit’s new targets. Minister of State for Home Sripra¬kash Jaiswal has said that there is no confirmed news of any such threat, but the forces and the state machinery are ready to avert any such attempt.



In a video released on August 5, the Al Qaeda said that it would be targeting Tel Aviv, Moscow and Delhi. It accused India of killing more than one lakh people in Kashmir with US bless¬ings.