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THE Delhi Policy Group (DPG), under the dynamic stewardship of Gen V. R. Raghavan, former Director General of Military Operations, has been doing yeoman service in promoting public awareness of the concept of a holistic approach to security. Global interdependence, concomitants of convergence, IT revolution, knowledge explosion and nanotechnology are making nonsense of human affairs being cribbed, cabined and confined in the old conventional moulds.

In a world without walls, it is unwise and even dangerous to take a fragmented view of security. It can no longer be construed as merely an array of uniformed formations and associated weaponry. It has become inextricably intertwined with political management, economic performance, social integration, ecological balance, scientific and technological competence, quality of governance available from the three branches of government, the Panchayati Raj institutions and the corporate sector, and the involvement of an alert and awake civil society.

Security, in short, is indivisible, and does not lend itself to being cast into neat, little boxes like internal and external security. Food, energy and environmental security, and people's participation have become inalienable components of an effective and durable security system. In fact, it has to be integrated with the country's total developmental effort and its financial, industrial and agricultural policy framework.

In the US, for instance, the mandate of the National Security Council goes beyond intelligence and military areas listed in its charter to economic, social, informational, scientific, technological, legal and other determinants of national interest, and senior representatives of the Treasury and the Office of Management and Budget invariably participate in its meetings.

Two factors militate against the effectiveness of security management in India in this comprehensive sense. The first is the absence of a clearly articulated national consensus on security or defence-oriented issues among opinion leaders in representative bodies, academia and the media, leave alone the lay public.

This has led to a yawning gap in the perception and grasp of such issues and a general readiness to accept the official version in the spirit of "the Government knows best". The role played by Parliament itself, as the repository of the people's will, is fitful at best, and provides no pointers to either Government or the people.

A national consensus is not only an invaluable adjunct of a comprehensive security policy, but also an essential bedrock of morale of the country's armed forces as well. It cannot be forged in any meaningful manner unless there is more openness on the part of the Government and a willingness to regard Parliament and the civil society as coequal partners in policy making. A strong and enlightened base of citizen awareness is imperative to guard against the Government acting on momentary prejudices or pressures.

The solid, sustained and path-breaking efforts the DPG is making in these hitherto neglected directions deserve high praise.

B. S. Raghavan

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