American newsmagazine Time has described Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh as an 'underachiever', three years after describing him as the man who changed millions of lives for the better.Dr Manmohan Singh appears on the cover of this week's issue of Time, and in the accompanying article, the magazine has raised questions about his ability to act in the face of slowing growth, policy inaction and unpopularity of economic reforms."India needs a reboot. Is Prime Minister Manmohan Singh up to the job?," asked Time.The magazine flays Dr Singh for having "squandered" the last three years, his lack of confidence, inability to rein in his ministers and "unwilling" to carry out reforms that would continue the process of liberalisation he helped start in 1991.Criticising the UPA the article says, "The laws that could help create growth and jobs are stuck in parliament, sparking concerns that politicians have lost the plot in their focus on short-term populist measures that will win votes.""India is stalling. To turn it around, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh must emerge from his private and political gloom,” elaborates the write-up, calling the Prime Minister "a man in shadow".The magazine says retaining the finance portfolio following the exit of Pranab Mukherjee gives an opportunity for Dr Singh to turn the economy around, though it is not sure if he could manage that.
Veteran journalist and head of interlocutors team on J&K Dalip Padgoankar tried hard to defend their report, in a first ever free public interaction on it, here on Saturday. He failed miserably when he chose to keep mum on a commoner’s question, ‘what recommendations in the report are in the interest of the nation?’
While defending the report, though Padgaonkar claimed that he has not ignored the issue of Kashmiri Pandits or refugees. He accepted Islamic radicalization of youth in Kashmir is a fact but has not found any place in the report. For the first time after the release of interlocutors report to public on May 24 the head of interlocutors team on J&K Dalip Padgoankar had offered himself to a free public interaction at a seminar organised by India Foundation at India International Centre.
The seminar was well attended by intellectuals from across the country and many retired military officers. The Opposition Leader in Rajya Sabha and senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley was the principal speaker in the seminar and four member panel of speakers consisted of Dilip Padgoankar, BJP National Executive Member and chief spokesman of J&K Dr Jitendra Singh and former Union Minister Arif Mohammed Khan. The interaction was moderated by BJP national spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman.
Addressing the seminar Mr Jaitley said that the entire problem of Kashmir is because of faulty Nehruvian vision that has proved costly for nation. He said that Kashmir is an unfinished agenda for Pakistan and Government of India has run out of ideas which is evident from the fact that the UPA Government under Dr Manmohan Singh has been appointing Working Groups and interlocutors without any fair policy.
Mr Jaitley was very critical of Justice Sageer Ahmed report which according to him was prepared when Sageer Ahmed was ailing and finally died after which the report was submitted to State Government without placing it before the leaders who were the members of the Working Group including him (Jaitley).
The BJP leader said that the cross border terrorism is an important factor supporting militancy in J&K and it suits the separatist leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani for whom their politics survives only if Kashmir remains tense. He said the concessions can be made to the common people and not to the separatists of Kashmir. He also pointed out that the Kashmir issue might have not existed had veteran freedom fighter and then Home Minister Sardar Patel not been kept out from the scene. He said it was unfortunate that the veteran leader was not given the charge to deal with J and K.
The most dangerous thing in the report is that they (interlocutors) have diluted India’s stand on PoK by changing the nomenclature to Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Jaitley said. It is legitimising Pakistan's claim on the occupied territory, he said. He also pointed out a number of similarities between the recommendations made by the interlocutors and those suggested by former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. Musharraf talked about things like joint administration and control and soft borders. This report also touches on opening up the LoC for trade and tourism, he said. The interlocutors' report would take the state back to its 1953 position and this was unacceptable, Jaitley reiterated.
Dr Jitendra Singh forthrightly questioned the psyche and intentions of the interlocutors. He said, “we don’t look at J&K as a dispute or an issue because our position is that J&K is very much a part of Indian Union like any other state. We also reiterate that those who look at J&K as a dispute or an issue are ones who have a vested interest in keeping the Kashmir pot boiling and projecting J&K as disputed for their personnel interests. There is no dispute over J&K either historically or Constitutionally particularly after the 1994 Parliament resolution stating that only un addressed aspect of J&K is how to retrieve the PoK.
Dr Jitendra Singh said the accession of J&K with Indian Union was never conditional and in fact ratified by J&K Assembly in 1954, which consisted of 75 MLAs from NC. The Constitution of J&K applicable from 1957 states in Section 3 that J&K is an integral part of India and there can be no amendment to that. He said Kashmiriyat stands for composite culture and it can’t be restored without the return of Kashmiri Pandits to Valley.
Arif Mohammed Khan said that from his experience as a Minister during the Indira Gandhi’s regime he understands that Kashmir has to be seen from wider perspective. From last 30 years Pakistan and ISI has been working to destablise the region in the name of religion, he added. Expressing his concern on this he said that the issue of J&K requires a deeper analysis and approach.
Defending the report submitted by the Interlocutors Dilip Padgoankar claimed that false allegations are made that the report is partisan. He referred to several pages of report to claim that all the regions have been equal mention in the report. The suggestions to review the provisions of post 1953 Indian Constitution was not made with the intension of encouraging separatist sentiment, he added. He said as of today whatever is the locus standi the report has tried to give the best possible suggestions on each aspect.
He said certain suggestions have been made about AFSPA but not clearly recommended its revocation. In the question answer session that followed several retired army officers were aggrieved at the manner in which the issue of Army and AFSPA in J&K is being handled.
When a resolute MP chaperones Rohingya Muslims from far eastern Myanmar to Hyderabad in the south without a hitch en route, it is obvious the Centre has consented to compromise nationality. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should explain if the entrenched complicity with the demographic invasion from Bangladesh is the template for his quest for open borders with our western neighbour, and if New Delhi is determined to disregard the communal and civilisational challenges posed by the Assam crisis.Bodos and other native tribes are tormented by the unending deluge of illegal immigrants who have grabbed all government and vacant land and are now squeezing the native populace. The arrest of Kokrajhar MLA Pradip Brahma (Bodoland People’s Front) in the wake of the recentviolence there has enraged locals as no one has been apprehended for the 20 July murder of four Bodo youths who were publicly snatched away from the police.
Bodoland Territorial Council leader Hagrama Mohilary alleges that the only radical groups operating regionally are HUJI, Muslim United Liberation Tigers of Assam, and United Muslim National Army. He says the growing Bangladeshi population threatens Bodo culture, way of life, and peace in the entire region, and the only solution is to completely expel the illegal immigrants; seal the border with Bangladesh; and curb Dhubri MP Badruddin Ajmal’s help to the infiltrators.Dhubri district bordering Kokrajhar is full of Bengali-speaking Muslims, alleged to be illegal immigrants. All flaunt apparently valid legal documents: electoral rolls with their father's name on it; birth certificates; ration cards; and judicial stamp papers signed legibly by magistrates. Some have land tax records and Indira Awas Yojana houses.The Assam riots were followed by grim violence over the Assam situation at Azad Maidan, Mumbai. In this backdrop, a delegation of the National Commission for Minorities visited the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts and Dhubri district on 11-12 August. The Asian Centre for Human Rights has denounced its report as ‘inflammatory’ and demanded a probe by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes as Bodos are STs.ACHR director Suhas Chakma questions NCM’s wisdom in sending Planning Commission Member Syeda Hameed and Adviser G.B. Panda (with NCM Member Keki Daruwala) for the probe when NCM Member H.T. Sangliana hails from Mizoram and knows the regional demography. Ms. Hameed, interestingly, participated in a seminar hosted by the UN Information Centre at Delhi in September 2010, where rabid secessionists from Srinagar raised anti-India, pro-azadi slogans without hindrance from the organizers or panelists.The NCM report claims the displaced in camps include 300,000 Muslims and 100,000 Bodos; the cause of conflict is a half-century of immigration. The Bodoland Accord of 2003 was to give Bodos autonomy and constitutional protection under the Sixth Schedule to people of the four contiguous districts carved out as BTAD. The delegation visited one Bodo camp and noted that they feared to return home as they were surrounded by Muslim villages which had weapons like talwar and dao. It visited six Muslim camps and expressed dissatisfaction with facilities there, and recorded allegations that policemen in some camps were terrorizing Muslims.The NCM report says that besides Muslims, Bodos have a history of conflict with non-Bodo tribes. It notes ‘public opinion’ that Bodos (30%) want to drive out other ethnic groups to increase their population to 50% or more, so they can demand statehood for Bodoland. It says Government must firmly tackle BTAD chief executive Hagrama Mohilary in this regard.The NCM report adds that though infiltration is continuing, the current conflict was not between Bangladeshi immigrants and Bodos, but between Bodos and resident Muslims of the BTAD. It claims (with no evidence) that Bodos have arms like AK-47s leftover from their militancy over a decade ago, while Muslims are poorly armed in comparison; hence militant Jihadi outfits may start supplying lethal weapons in this area.Incensed at this report, Suhas Chakma counters that the Commission’s mandate is to protect religious minorities. Bodos are Christians (15%) and native Bathou (50%) and both are minorities under the NCM Act. But the delegation reduced the Assam riots to Bodos versus Muslims and treated only the latter as minorities, blatantly violating the Act. NCM’s “inflammatory statements” aggravated the vulnerability of northeastern people, and though the exodus of nearly 50,000 northeast people (majority Christians) from some southern states in the third week of August falls within its mandate, it was ignored.Worse, though the Bodoland Territorial Council was created under the Sixth Schedule which prohibits transfer to tribal lands to non-tribals, Bodo land rights remain unprotected. The Bodoland Accord failed to bring the National Democratic Front of Bodoland on board. The Bodo Liberation Tigers signed the Accord, became the Bodoland People’s Progressive Front (BPPF), and has been in the Congress-led coalition for the past six years, but has had no positive impact. Bangladesh handed over NDFB leader Ranjan Daimary to India in May 2010, but the Centre failed to dialogue with him and seems reluctant to bring the peace process with all Bodo groups to a logical conclusion.The Gogoi regime failed to act when two Muslims were killed by unknown persons in Kokrajhar on 6 July, and on 19 July two leaders of the All-Bodoland Minority Student’s Union and All-Assam Minority Student’s Union were shot at near Kokrajhar. On 20 July, four ex-members of the Bodo Liberation Tigers were killed in retaliation; this triggered violence across Kokrajhar, Chirang and Baksa districts under the Bodoland Territorial Council areas and in Dhubri district outside the BTC. As the state government dithered, nearly 80 lives were lost and four lakh displaced (community-wise figures have been suppressed by the government to contain emotions).With no convenient scapegoats available, the media and civil society groups are clueless about whom to blame for the crisis. The Prime Minister offered a relief package of Rs 300 crore during his visit, but gave no details of how it was to be spent. Then Congress president Sonia Gandhi landed and advised people to remain in the camps, triggering fresh tension and violence as suspicions rose that the torched homesteads would be grabbed. The conveniently timed exodus of northeast persons distracted national attention from Assam. As those who quit their jobs out of alleged fear take trains back south (free both ways on humanitarian grounds), the crisis of Bodo land and identity remains unresolved, as does the issue of national security.
Last month’s violence in Kokrajhar district, Assam, which resulted in 77 dead (so far) and nearly four lakh uprooted from home, their humble hearths torched to cinders, possibly to prevent them from returning to reclaim the vacated lands, was both the consequence of the sharply changing population profile in India’s eastern States, and an attempt to perpetuate and entrench the demographic shift.
The Centre’s attempt to negate the “communal” angle by calling it an “ethnic” problem was disingenuous, if not unfair and incorrect. It hardly inspired confidence that the first to meet the Prime Minister on the issue was an all-party delegation of Muslim MPs, lobbying, of course, for the intruders.
The incontrovertible fact is that the violence involved the tribal Bodos (who have close cultural affinity with Assam’s other tribes and Hindu groups) and Muslim immigrants from present-day Bangladesh, who came in droves over the past century, and are still entering the State in quest of land and livelihood. They have been aided and abetted by lax border security (it’s a 3,437 km long border), helpful co-religionists, and political parties nurturing reliable votebanks. The result has been a steady squeezing of the native population from the most fertile lands, which caused the intense flare-up of the 1980s and the Bodo agitation of the 1990s. But no lessons were learnt.The current dispute began on July 6 when two Muslims were murdered in Kokrajhar, followed on July 20 by the killing of four Bodo activists in retaliation. Thereafter, the violence escalated leading to a predominantly Bodo exodus from their villages, and the torching of their hutments. To the surprise of their tormentors, however, the Bodos unexpectedly returned a few days later and indulged in tit-for-tat torching of rival settlements. Rattled, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi blamed the UPA Government at the Centre for delayed deployment of forces.
In a nutshell, this seems to be the root cause of the administration’s tardiness in curbing the violence. The Bodos had been driven out of their lands, and were not expected to return soon. Quick Army deployment would keep people in the camps. The delayed deployment plus the unexpected return of the Bodos in militant mood turned the tables on aggressors and administration alike.Bodo leader Hagrama Mohilary claims that armed Bangladeshis from across the international border incited the violence; Bodos in the refugee camps say they can no longer coexist with outsiders. As Assam tribals and Muslims both comprise formidable votebanks for the ruling Congress, there is extreme reluctance to admit the existence of a deep ethno-communal fault-line. Caught in a cleft, Congress party president Sonia Gandhi has told the people to be prepared for a longish stay in the camps.The conflict centres on land. For over four decades, government char land, traditional grazing lands, and forest areas, have been encroached by illegal migrants in connivance with district officials at the cost of the indigenous people. Besides Bodos, other tribal communities affected by ethnic cleansing and territorial encroachments include the Karbi, Khasi, Jaintiya, Dimasa and nearly 50 others. Hagrama Mohilary says Bodoland Territorial Areas District is governed under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and tribal bloc rules and regulations apply. But no one is listening.
A television debate following the simultaneous failure of three grids on 31 July revealed India’s plans to integrate its power grid with China, and other neighbours. Not being a subject expert, one cannot opine if this conflicts with current moves by states to ensure ‘islanding’ so that sudden fluctuations in drawing power from the grid do not trigger total blackouts across states. Experts, however, point out that just as FDI dominance in the telecom sector is a permanent threat to national security and in the aviation sector in times of war; so also a critical sector like power should not be dominated by a nation with territorial claims on India.
One reason for the collapse of the northern, eastern, and north-eastern grids last month is inadequate power generation and obsolete, ill-maintained infrastructure. Now, as India gears up to meet the estimated increase in demand (an additional 315,000 MW by 2017; investment $600 billion) to support the desired 8% growth rate, doubts are surfacing over the service, operations & maintenance, and longevity of Chinese power equipment that is steadily dominating India’s power sector.
According to official figures, in the XI Plan period (2007-12), the total capacity added stood at 45,064 MW, of which Chinese equipment accounted for 17,772 MW (market share 39.4%). Of the 2012-onwards under-construction capacity of 96,650 MW of thermal power, Chinese equipment accounts for 38,900 MW (market share 40.2%), leaving the balance of 57,750 MW to BHEL and Joint Ventures which will import equipment, mainly boilers, turbines & generators, from established multinational partners and eventually reduce the market share of Chinese power firms. The government’s recent decision to impose duty at peak rates (~21%) may also affect future imports from Chinese firms. Hitherto, supplies to all domestic power projects above 1000 MW capacity invited 0% customs duty.
As of now, the high market share of Chinese power equipment is mainly because Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and other clients find them 20-25% cheaper than domestically manufactured equipment. It is also delivered on time, averting delays and cost overruns; a delay of six-12 months increases costs by roughly 10%. Above all, the deals are sweetened by easy financing.
A Forbes study noted that Indian regulations require power generation firms to have a debt equity ratio of 30:70. A company planning to expand capacity by thousands of megawatts over the next few years would have problems raising so much capital at high interest rates (Indian banks usually charge 10-13%). Chinese banks levy just 4-6%, but involve purchasing equipment from Chinese firms, a strategy that has enabled Shanghai Electric and Dongfang Electric to bag orders to the tune of 40,000 MW from private players.
China has also made rapid inroads in the local transformer market, putting established giants like Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd and others on the defensive. Recently, the Power Grid Corporation of India gave Chinese firms 46% of its orders for high-grade 765 kV transformers needed to support 765 kV transmission lines which transport power from super critical power plants with generation capacity of 660 MW and above.
The flip side is that serious problems have cropped up with Chinese equipment at many places. The Haryana Power Generation Corporation’s Yamuna Nagar thermal power station had to shut down both 300 MW units since April 2012, as also two 600 MW units at Khedar, Hissar (one was fixed later), causing a shortage of 1000 MW at the height of the paddy season.
At Yamuna Nagar – Haryana’s first awarded to the private sector – both turbines failed within just four years of commissioning. Last year, one turbine rotor failed and was sent to Siemens’ Baroda workshop for repair, at a cost of Rs. 5 crore. An enquiry by the Haryana Power Generation Corporation Ltd identified two major lapses in design / construction, but the firm that set up the plant is unwilling to accept or admit the lapses and has refrained from rectification work.
At Khedar, the turbine blades were damaged as a “sealing strip” inside the turbine came loose and dented the blades. In the absence of a service facility in India, the turbine had to be shipped to Shanghai Electric Co’s facility in China for repairs. Official sources say Haryana purchased the Chinese equipment at Rs 3.49 crore per MW at Yamuna Nagar, and Rs 3.19 crore per MW at Khedar; similar BHEL units would have cost Rs 4 to 4.5 crore per MW. But now, the apparent gains have been wiped out by poor performance and generation loss.
Other plants with problems include West Bengal Power Development Corp. Ltd’s Sagardighi Thermal Power Plant, where the turbine blades collapsed and the piping systems in the boiler had snags; and the Durgapur Thermal Power Project.
Obviously, the O&M costs of Chinese equipment vis-Ã -vis domestic companies with manufacturing and in-situ service facilities are higher. Hence, given their massive footprint in the Indian power sector, Chinese firms are moving to set up manufacturing facilities in India to service clients, supply spare parts and overhaul power plants.
Meanwhile, the public sector BHEL which has been on the back foot since the Chinese inroads, claims that its power equipment is more efficient, reliable, and suited for the mixed coal used in India; also, its plants consume less fuel than those of the competition. This is supported by a Bank of America-Merrill Lynch report which says that BHEL equipment is superior to Chinese products after accounting for parameters such as auxiliary consumption, heat rate, plant load factor and metallurgy. Auxiliary consumption is the energy used by auxiliaries like cooling towers, while heat rate measures the ability of a machine to convert heat into power. Plant load factor is the ability of a plant to perform to its rated capacity. These overcome the lower costs of Chinese plants in the long run.
BHEL’s core problem is low capacity which causes huge delivery delays and commensurate cost escalation for clients. But now, pushed into a corner by Chinese commercial aggression, it is planning a subsidiary to finance power projects from its Rs. 10,000 crore cash surplus. Supplemented by tax-free bonds up to Rs. two lakh per citizen, and interest-free bonds for money returned from foreign havens, we could finance all our infrastructure needs domestically. India does not lack resources, but needs the will power and wisdom to marshal them effectively.
Just a few days ago, Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, popularly known as GIFT did the entire nation proud when it was adjudged the ‘Best Industrial Development & Expansion Project’ by World Finance Magazine. A variety of considerations from infrastrusure, scope, size etc ensured that GIFT emerged victorious, ahead of Moscow’s Internatinal Finance Centre and Songdo in South Korea.Recent news in TOI states that, “a team from WN Media was in Gandhinagar for an for an on-site inspection of various sustainable processes that will be part of urban planning in Gift city. The WN-Media has three categories of awards, World Finance Banking awards, World Finance Legal awards and World Finance Infrastructure Investment awards. GIFT won in the third category.”
The last few years have witnessed unprecedented growth in India’s financial services sector. Both in terms of share if the GDP and in job creation, this importance of this sector is gaining pace and this is bound to increase even more as time passes. You may have noticed that several developed countries have created high-tech financial hubs serving as focal points of their nation’s development journey be it Shinjuku in Tokyo, Lujiazui in Shanghai or the London Dockyards in UK. With a condusive environment, these centres enhance capital flow and give a great impetus to talent.It was this vision to revolutionize India’s financial and infrastructure landscape that made Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi conceptualize GIFT and announced its launch on 28th June 2007.Situated on the banks of the iconic Sabarmati river, GIFT is located 12 km from Ahmedabad’s International Airport and 8 km from Gujarat’s capital Gandhinagar. GIFT primarily caters to India’s massive financial services sector by offering world class infrastructure, a business oriented and environment friendly atmosphere. With a target of more than 5,00,00 direct and the same number of indirect jobs, GIFT will provide opportunities to many bright youngsters of India.The implementation of GIFT marks a wonderful example of how public-private partnership can together script a new roadmap to economic development. Along with a determined vision comes state of the art infrastrucute. GIFT would have 24/7 water supply, electricity along with the communication and transport technologies.
It is not only India but also the world that is seeing an ocean of opportunity in GIFT. Till now, GIFT has attracted a variety of investments from various sectors. Countries from Singapore, Malayasia to China are also serving as active particpiants in this landmark project. Companies such as Fortis and CISCO are among those that have signed MoUs to invest in GIFT.In December 2011, GIFT created history when it was notified as the International Financial Service Centre (IFSC) for its multi-service Special Economic Zone (SEZ). This accreditation affirms GIFT’s ability to emerge as an international financial hub. The future of the world economy lies in stellar infrastructure backed by top quality finance services. It is these international demands that propelled the launch of GIFT project. The project is a ‘win-win’ situation for both India and the world.
Brazil is the biggest exporter of Indian breeds of cows. Gir cow now records over 62 litres/day in Brazil...This majestic cow is from Brazil. Belonging to the Gir breed of Gujarat, this cow -- named She-ra -- clocked 62.033 litres of milk in a 3-day milk competition at the 40th Expaja in Brazil, beating her own record of 59.947 litres. While Indian cattle breeds are doing exceptionally fine abroad, the fascination of our own policy makers for exotic breeds seems to be never ending. Meanwhile, Brazil has emerged as the biggest exporter of Indian breeds of cows.
Recently "newspapers in Punjab reported that an American company -- World Wide Sires Ltd -- is planning to provide high quality semen to dairy farmers. Some days back, the Kerala minister for Animal Husbandry was thinking of importing some improved cattle breeds from Denmark for cross breeding with local cows."
A few weeks back, Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal announced the setting up of an advanced institute for dairy farming in Mohali. This will be a joint collaboration with an Israeli firm -- Dairy Farming Solutions -- and will impart latest technology to farmers to improve the milch cattle Punjab to have advanced institute of dairy farming.
Not only in Brazil, Indian cattle breeds have also been improved upon in the United States and Australia. In the US, the breed is called Brahman. Recently, after a study visit to Malaysia, Sagari Ramdas, the co-director of Anthra in Andhra Pradesh, wrote in the Down to Earth magazine: "On our visit to Malaysia, we were intrigued when we came across a cattle breed, which the farmers kept referring to as “the Brahman”. This was a complete mystery to us. Which Brahman came to Malaysia and named these cattle the Brahman?"
" visit to the government’s Department of Veterinary Services in the state of Selangor we saw photographs of the Grey Brahman, the Red Brahman and the Nellore—all part of a poster on cattle breeds of Malaysia. Not to mention that the Jamunapari goat also featured in the poster as a goat breed of the country. This intrigued us even further, but none of the veterinary officers could explain how the Nellore from Andhra Pradesh and the Jamunapari from Uttar Pradesh happened to figure in a poster on the breeds of Malaysia."
She came back and researched. "Brahman breed is a product of biopiracy of severalIndian breeds, which occurred over 100 years ago, when India was a colony of the British Empire, when “pirates” of today’s “Empire”—and modern day “Brahman”, the US—spirited out a nucleus of approximately 266 bulls and 22 females of several Bos indicus (Indian cattle), imported them to the US between 1854 and 1926, and developed the breed.
According to the literature, the Brahman is the progeny of four Indian cattle breeds: the Kankrej and Gir from Gujarat, the Ongole (earlier known as the Nellore) from Andhra Pradesh, with the fourth breed being the “Gujarat”. But no such breed exists in the list of Indian cattle breeds.
The Brahman has become the most popular beef cattle breed in the southern parts of the US and in South America, Asia, and Australia because of its excellent adaptability to sub-tropical climates and its production abilities.
Brahman-type cattle were, in fact, imported to Australia from the US, and today the Australian Brahman is the mainstay of the northern beef industry of Australia. The Brahman in Malaysia has primarily been imported from Australia, which has a virtual monopoly in exporting the breed to several south-east Asian countries. So much so that Malaysia’s beef cattle industry is completely dependent on continued import of the Brahman from Australia [You can read the full article The loss of our breeds, Down to Earth, 2012-7-15."
When will we begin to recognise our desi breeds of cows? Why is it that planners are averse to our own domestic breeds?
What is also little know is the fact that Indian cows and buffaloes produce a more nutritious milk than the exotic breeds like Jersey and Holstein-Friesian. A recent study by Karnal-based National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) showed Indian cows have a rich A2 allele gene which helps them produce healthier milk. The frequency of this A2 allele in Indian breeds is 100 per cent whereas in exotic cattle breeds it is less than 60 per cent. Imported breeds posses A1 allele, which is considered to be associated with diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases Indian Cow, Buffalo breeds give healthier milk. Why do we want the future generations to be sick with lifestyle diseases?
