ROUND THE STATES

New Delhi, 19 July 2006

Terror Spreads Far & Wide

STATES REVIEW SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS

By Insaf

Mumbai’s killer blasts have triggered overdue introspection and soul-searching by the State Governments on the sensitive issues of security and intelligence. Outwardly, everything looks honky dory. Yet the situation is far from reassuring.  In fact, an authoritative assessment shows that the internal security scenario across the country is alarming, requiring urgent handling of three main sources of threat: militant outfits operating from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal; banned terrorist outfits at home like the ULFA and CPI (Maoists); and local frustrated people, described by intelligence agencies as the “sleepers”.  All the three sources, especially in the States bordering Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh have now joined hands under the command and control of outside agencies like the ISI of Pakistan.

The Mumbai blasts trail is veering to the India-Bangladesh border through the north-eastern States, leading to a terror chain. The grilling of two Maharashtra-based youths detained in Agartala, Tripura, revealed that they were part of a group of eleven Islamic preachers. They were rounded up by the police from a remote mosque.  The Naxalites, now called the CPI (Maoists), too are not only continuing their violent activities in as many as 13 States, but have stepped up their activities in the tribal-dominated States of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.  Despite the Centre’s repeated efforts to strengthen security forces in the Naxal-hit States, the dreaded outfit continues to strike. On Monday last, the Naxals massacred 31 men, women and children in Chhattisgarh. They even engaged a CRPF unit at their camp for two hours.

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Crucial Naga Talks July 28-29

Peace talks between the Centre and the Naga rebel group, NSCN (I-M) have now entered a crucial stage.  For the first time in five years, they are being held on a monthly basis, leading to significant progress in May and June.  Much is now expected in the next round at Bangkok on July 28-29.  With the Prime Minister firmly holding by his stand that the borders of the States cannot be redrawn without the consent of the concerned States, the NSCN(I-M) leadership appears inclined to give up its demand for Nagalim (greater Nagaland) and instead opt for a separate Constitution, on the lines of the Jammu & Kashmir Constitution.  The Group of Ministers, headed by Oscar Fernandes, alongwith the Centre’s interlocutor K. Padmanabhaiah, seem to be in favour of enlarging the scope of Article 371-A which gives special status to Nagaland.  Bangkok could well mark a possible breakthrough next weak.

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Madhya Pradesh Towards Progress

Madhya Pradesh has pulled out of the sick State syndrome.   Incredibly enough, it is now among the ten leading States in industrialization and infrastructure development. Industrial investments proposed in the State last year totaled Rs.73,608 crore and, importantly, the implementation of the proposed projects was as high as 72 per cent, according to a recent survey by the Tata Services. Several new roads have been constructed benefiting 4103 villages.  Many schemes have also been drawn up to attract investment in the industrial sector. These include provision of cheap land and labour resources, peaceful industrial environment and availability of unrestricted power.  All this has made Madhya Pradesh a model State for industrial investment.

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Punjab Congress Prepares For Poll

The ruling Congress in Punjab and its Chief Minister Amarinder Singh have started hectic preparations for the Assembly polls about six months away.  The CM, who will lead the poll campaign, has taken a policy decision that the party would field a large number of new faces.  For the sitting legislators, the criteria for the party tickets would be their performance during the last five years.  Importantly, all those who had been critical of the Government policies in the past participated in the Punjab PCC meeting last week and promised to work unitedly for the success of the Congress candidates. Amarinder Singh has also taken steps to look into the plight of the farmers, which would be the main poll issue.  He has sought a 25 per cent hike in the minimum support price (MSP) for wheat and paddy this year.

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Raje’s “Historic” Visit To America

Rajasthan Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje’s recent visit to the United States, described by her as “historic”, has proved to be successful beyond expectations.  Besides the super deal which Raje signed with Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, as reported in this column last week, for a massive Information Technology (IT) promotion plan, the Chief Minister has roped in the Rajasthan Association of North America (RANA) to invest in the State in a big way. At an international conclave in New York, RANA’s delegation evinced keen interest in the development of the State and assured Raje of their full and active cooperation. Raje has also signed an agreement with the “North Shore”, reportedly the biggest hospital in the US, for the establishment of a similar hospital in Rajasthan. A delegation of the Hospital would soon visit the State.

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Mayawati Off Poll Block

In U.P., which goes to the Assembly poll along with Uttaranchal and Punjab early next year, the BSP supremo Mayawati is the first to take off the poll block.  Even as her main rival, the ruling Samajwadi Party and Chief Minister Mulayam Singh are busy consolidating their vote banks, Mayawati has gone one step further by finalizing the first list of 300 of the BSP candidates. This list has two significant features. One, it includes five Samajwadi Party and 13 BJP MLAs who cross-voted in favour of the BSP in the recent Rajya Sabha election. These MLAs have shifted their loyalty on the ground that the Mulayam Singh Government had failed on the law and order problem and that the BSP was the only option for the people.  Two, the list includes considerable number of Brahmin and Muslim candidates. 

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Kerala Seeks Central Aid

Kerala’s new Left Democratic Front Government has demanded from the Centre a Vidarbha-like relief package which Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has offered for the farmers in the western region.  Chief Minister Achuthanandan rushed to New Delhi the other day and sought Rs.2,000 crore for the farmers in four hardest-hit districts of the State.  In his first meeting with the PM after assuming charge as the CM, Achuthanandan made out a case for the relief package.  The CM also urged the Centre to include Idukki among the 31 districts identified in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala for grant of a rehabilitation package to ease the plight of farmers. In his detailed wish-list, Achuthanandan also sought an additional Rs.991-crore Central assistance over the next five years for rehabilitation and reconstruction of the ravage-prone coastal areas of the State.

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Delhi’s Power Woes

Delhi’s Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s much trumpeted and highly appreciated “Bhagidari Scheme” (Citizen-Government partnership in governance) is slowly losing its popularity.  The reason?  Unscheduled and prolonged power cuts by the private power distribution companies. The privatization move, which was criticized even by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), has actually brought much trouble for the ruling Congress Government.  Besides, prolonged power cuts, inflated bills and fast-running meters have added fuel to the fire. In fact, an NGO, People’s Action has written to the Congress President, Sonia Gandhi, demanding a CBI probe into the power privatization deal, described as a “sell out” of the erstwhile Vidyut Board to private power distribution companies. ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

ROUND THE STATES

New Delhi, 11 July 2006

Orissa Gallops Ahead

MASSIVE INVESTMENT BY GLOBAL GIANTS

By Insaf

Orissa and its Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik have reason to rejoice. The State is on a roll. With the international steel sultan Lakshmi Mittal announcing last week his company’s decision to set up a 12-million-tonne plant in Orissa at an estimated cost of Rs.40,000 crore, the total quantum of investment in the steel sector in the State has shot up to Rs.1,78,000 crore.  As many as 43 MoUs have already been signed, and the one with Arcelor-Mittal is awaiting some formalities to be completed. Those which have inked the MoUs include the Pohang Steel Company (POSCO) of Korea, at an estimated investment of Rs.51,000 crore, Tata Steel, Essar Steel, Jindal Steel and Power and Bhushan Steel.  With the commissioning of the POSCO and Arcelor-Mittal plants, Naveen will have earned a special place for himself in the State’s history.

The two deals with the global giants in the steel sector provide personal satisfaction to the Chief Minister on two other counts, besides putting the backward State on a fast track towards prosperity.  First, he has succeeded in fulfilling his father Biju Patnaiak’s dream for securing big foreign investment. Kalinga Bull, as Biju Patnaik was known, had invited as the Chief Minister Swaraj Paul to invest in the State.  That did not work.  Naveen has now got Lakshmi Mittal, who used to be a great friend of his father.  When Mittal acquired a 65,000 tonne steel plant in Indonesia, his first foreign venture, Biju Patnaik inaugurated it.  The, then, Chief Minister had close ties with Sukarno of Indonesia.  That plant made huge profits and the acquisition became a hallmark of Mittal’s successful business strategy. Mittal has now returned the compliment to Biju’s son and political heir.

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Jharkhand’s Loss

Orissa’s gain may well turn out to be Jharkhand’s loss.  Although Mittal has denied that he is going to pull out of the State, he candidly told a Press Conference in New Delhi that Jharkhand had disappointed him by the slow pace of land allotment for the Rs.40,000-crore, 12-million-tonne steel plant for which he had signed an MoU last year. "The position in Jharkhand is not satisfactory……We are keeping our fingers crossed”, he said. Politically too, the BJP-led NDA Government is facing a major problem of sheer survival.  A group of five independent MLAs, whose support is crucial for keeping the Government afloat, have threatened to review their support.  They are upset by Speaker Inder Singh Namdhari’s accusation that Home Minister Sudesh Mahto was inducting “criminals” in his All-Jharkhand Students’ Union.

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Setback To Telangana Demand

The Andhra Pradesh Congress and its Chief Minister, Rajasekhara Reddy have proved the party’s solidarity and popularity, if the recent local body elections are any indication. It has won a majority of seats in the three-tier Panchayati Raj, leaving its main opponent TDP far behind. The Telangana Rashtriya Samithy (TRS) too suffered a crippling rout, thanks to Reddy’s two-pronged strategy --- fast-track development and little forward movement on the statehood issue. The TRS, despite its President Chandrasekhar Rao’s statement that it was a “do or die battle” for the Telangana state, has suffered a further setback. The long-awaited report of the Group of Ministers (GoM), headed by Pranab Mukherjee, shows a lack of consensus among the UPA allies for a separate State, which was put down as a “must” in the Common Minimum Programme.

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Terror In Mumbai

July this year has turned out to be a month of misery for the Mumbaikars--- and the Maharashtra Government.  It started with the monsoon fury and unprecedented water-logging across the financial capital of India.  Shiv Sainiks thereafter took the streets after a gap of three years, violently protesting against the desecration of the bust of Bal Thackarey’s wife Meenatai.  The city and several other towns in the State were brought to a standstill. But the bloodiest worst happened on terror Tuesday.  Eleven-minute bloodshed on local trains was caused by a series of seven bomb blasts during the afternoon rush hour.  More than 200 people died on the spot and four to five hundred commuters injured.  The terror has stunned the world. The finger of suspicion points to the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and the Pak-based Lashkar-e-Toyyeba. Is India being soft towards the terrorists?

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ULFA Scores A Self-Goal

The ULFA cadres in Assam have scored a self-goal. At a time when the Centre was all set to have direct peace talks with the underground outfit, they have struck once more in Guwahati.  Three of the cadres were arrested by the police last week-end for serving an extortion notice for Rs.15 lakh on the Reserve Bank Regional Director and for other unlawful activities. A hand grenade was also recovered from their possession.  This has prompted the Union Home Ministry to make it clear that it would consider the outfit’s demand for release of its top leaders only if it publicly abjures violence and sets a definite timeframe for initiation of the dialogue.  The Ministry has reiterated its stand to ensure that the freed leaders do not pull a fast one on the Government by dumping the peace talks half way, perhaps under pressure of Pakistan’s ISI.

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Ghulam Nabi’s Landmark Decision

Even as grenade attacks on innocent people continued in Jammu and Kashmir all of last week, intense celebrations were held in townships elevated to the status of district headquarters and tehsils in a landmark decision by Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad.  Eight new districts, thirteen tehsils and three sub-divisions have been created, taking the number of districts to 22 and tehsils 81.  The people of most of the militancy-hit townships have been demanding upgradation to district level to ensure better security management and greater employment potential. The creation of four more regional districts was recommended by the J.N. Wazir Commission --- three in Jammu and one in Kashmir. The Azad Government reconsidered the recommendation and looking at the “changed political scenario”, decided to give four districts each to Jammu and Kashmir. Now the two regions will have ten districts each, with Ladakh comprising two districts of Leh and Kargil.

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Separate High Court For Haryana

Haryana will soon have a separate High Court --- as soon as the State Government identifies the site and provides the required funds for the purpose. Union Law Minister H.R. Bhardwaj has ruled out an earlier suggestion to have the Court in the State’s present capital, Chandigarh, on the plea that two High Courts cannot operate from the same city (Punjab will retain its High Court in Chandigarh).  Bhardwaj has already written to the State Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, to locate a site. The strength of judges for the new High Court would initially be the same as the number of judges presently handling the work in the present Punjab-Haryana High Court. It would finally depend upon the disposal of cases.  The disposal rate for a High Court Judge works out to 2,000 cases per year, which is the national average.

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Rajasthan Towards e-Governance

Rajasthan is all set for a leap forward in the Information Technology (IT) sector.  Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has finalized a deal with Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates in Redmount, USA last week.  The State Government and the Microsoft Corporation have decided to work together in IT education, e-governance, healthcare and women empowerment through information and computer technology. This would enable Rajasthan to enhance its status to that of a progressive IT State.  Raje is making an all-out effort of devising an effective plan for technical development in the State.  The Chief Minister would soon set up a working group to prepare inputs for e-governance framework. Bill Gates is taking great interest in working towards an effective government-private sector partnership in making Rajasthan an IT progressive State. . ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

ROUND THE STATES

New Delhi, 6 July 2006

Directions to Congress CMs

RISING PRICES CAUSE ANGER, CONCERN

By Insaf

The Chief Ministers were unanimously of the view that the sudden spurt in the prices of grains and pulses was mainly caused by low procurement, hoarding and speculation in forward trading.  The procurement of foodgrains was low to the tune of about five million tonnes during the current year.  It was unprecedentedly low in U.P. and Andhra Pradesh.  The latter’s Chief Minister Rajasekhara Reddy attributed this to low minimum support prices, which he wanted raised. Interestingly, the CMs unanimously held the NDA Government responsible for it through its order of 2002, rescinding all control orders under the Essential Commodities Act. They want the order reconsidered and the State Governments empowered to intervene effectively in cases of hoarding of essential commodities.

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New Terror Trend In J&K

Jammu & Kashmir is experiencing a sudden spurt in violence and increasing infiltration attempts from across the Line of Control (LoC). Especially worrisome for both New Delhi and the State Government is the new terror trend.  Most of the bloody attacks during the recent weeks have been high profile, aimed at soft targets, including tourists, minorities, small-time labourers and, above all, security installations. The State Police chief holds Islamabad responsible for it as “there cannot be any movement near the LoC without the Pakistan Government’s knowledge”. The J&K Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, has therefore justifiably and appropriately drawn Gen. Musharraf’s attention to this development. He has hoped that the Pakistan President would keep his solemn commitment to India and not allow infiltration to continue.

Note has specially been taken of the fact that there are more and more instances of grenade attacks nowadays instead of the earlier bomb blasts. In fact, the Army Chief, Gen. J.J. Singh, convened a high-level meeting on the subject in Srinagar last week. This meeting decided to intensify operations to unearth grenade dumps and identify the supply-chains across the State. The meeting, attended by Union Home Secretary Duggal, Army Commanders based in the State and Chiefs of BSF, State Police and the intelligence units, also decided to concentrate on apprehending the grenade carriers and those recruited by the jehadi groups to lob them at chosen targets.  A detailed assessment has been made of the causes of rising infiltration attempts, despite increased vigil all along the LoC and the international border.

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PM’s Roadmap For Rural India

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s much-hyped visit to the rural areas of Vidarbha was not merely to provide a Rs.3,750-crore package of relief measures for farmers of six districts in the region. It was equally to unveil the UPA Government’s roadmap for the development of the rural areas, especially the agricultural promotion programmes which have not received the attention they deserved after the early 1980s.  Based on the report of a fact-finding team of the Planning Commission on the farmers’ plight, the Prime Minister announced several programmes at the end of his two-day visit to Vidarbha. These include higher procurement price, writing off of debts, assured supply of good quality seeds and close monitoring of credit institutions. However, it is still to be seen how far and how soon the PM’s package begins to yield results. Seven farmers ended their lives within three days of the PM’s announcement.

Meanwhile, Vidarbha itself continues to suffer, as discovered by the Planning Commission’s team.  Its backlog of investments totals 14,434.64 crore.  This clearly shows that the region has not got its share of Government funds for several years, compared to the Marathwada region and the rest of the State. Ironically, Vidarbha was solemnly assured at the time of its merger with Maharashtra that it would receive its due share of funds vis-à-vis the other regions under Article 371(2) of the Constitution.  Vidarbha’s backlog of irrigation alone has more than doubled during the last 20 years in percentage terms from 38.05 per cent. In sharp contrast, the backlog for the rest of the State declined from 31.1 per cent to 4.7 per cent.  Shockingly, the provision of agricultural pumpsets in Vidarbha is less than 20 per cent of over two lakh pumpsets installed in Nashik district alone! 

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 Moves On Poll Chessboard in U.P.

New calculated moves have been made on the electoral chessboard in U.P.  While Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav is announcing sops after sops in an obvious bid to keep his vote banks in good humour, the Congress High Command is concentrating on strengthening its popularity at the grassroots.  Mulayam Singh, who announced a few days ago an increase in the unemployment allowance from Rs.500 to Rs.1,000 per month if voted to power again, has now promised an unusual allowance of Rs.500 per month to those who suffered excesses during the emergency of 1975-77. The Congress High Command, on its part, has effected massive changes in its district and city units. About 85 per cent of the district and city unit presidents have been changed, making place for new faces in the first major overhaul after 17 years.

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Political Crisis In Karnataka Again

Karnataka’s political scenario is suddenly changing once more.  Initially, the unholy alliance between the Congress and its rival JD(S) following the fractured verdict in the 2004 Assembly poll ended in a disaster. The marriage of convenience for power between the JD(S) and the BJP is also heading for the rocks.  A fresh realignment of forces and leaders is on the cards and so also another election to the Assembly even if Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy manages to survive longer than expected in the company of what his father, former Prime Minister Deve Gowda chooses to label as the “communally evil BJP”.  Former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is all set to join the Congress with eight of his MLAs. Once this happens, none of the three major parties --- the Congress, the BJP and the JD(S), will be able to cobble up a majority. Dissolution of the Assembly will then become unavoidable.

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Kerala Act To Stop Farmers’ Suicides

The new Left Front Government in Kerala, led by the veteran CPM leader, V.S.P. Achuthanandan, has prepared a legislation to institutionalize monitoring and control of farm loans and provide a support mechanism during any crop failure.  This has been done to cope with a spiraling agrarian crisis that has been driving hundreds of farmers to suicides. The legislation is designed to end the current knee-jerk approach and resolve the farmers’ problems by offering loan waivers, moratoriums, compensations and subsidy hand-outs. At the same time, the State Government has sanctioned Rs.50,000 each to the families of 137 farmers of the dead who have committed suicide It is also trying to get the Banks to write off all farm loans upto Rs. one lakh. ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

ROUND THE STATES

New Delhi, 21 June 2006

Haryana Towards Progress

POLL POLITICS HOTS UP IN U.P.

By Insaf

Pre-poll politics in U.P. has suddenly hotted up.  All political parties have swung into election mode for the next battle for the Assembly early next year.  In a financially audacious move, Chief Minister Mulayam Singh has announced a hundred per cent hike in the unemployment allowance – from Rs.500 per month to Rs.1,000 – if his Samajwadi Party is voted back to power.  Denouncing this as a “cash-for-votes” scheme, the Opposition parties too have fired their first salvos. The Congress Chief, Sonia Gandhi, focused on the Mulayam Government during her two-day visit to her constituency Rae Bareli, last week and lambasted it for victimising her voters. She alleged that they were being singled out for “maltreatment” and, among other things, were being deprived of uninterrupted power supply.  She has urged them to spread out and work hard for regaining power in the State.

Former Chief Minister and the BSP supremo Mayawati, presently considered to be a strong favourite as Mulayam’s successor, has launched an anti-Congress and anti-Samajwadi Party offensive. She has planned to hit the road against the Congress-led UPA Government’s reservation and economic policies.  Smaller parties too have started a realignment process.  The Left Front, which is presently supporting the UPA Government at the Centre, is talking to Mulayam Singh for a possible electoral adjustment. The CPM General Secretary, Prakash Karat announced at Lucknow that the Left parties were behind the Samajwadi Party for taking up the issues that concern the common man. The JD(U) Chief Sharad Yadav has declined to have any poll ties with the BJP in U.P., without affecting its relationship at the national level.

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Haryana Towards Global Economy

Haryana has taken a giant step towards a place in global economy, thanks to the untiring efforts of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. It has signed a landmark deal with the Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) for setting up a massive Special Economic Zone (SEZ), spanning 25,000 acres in Gurgaon and Jhajjar districts adjoining the Union Capital. According to the RIL Chairman, Mukesh Ambani, the massive project involves an investment of about Rs.40,000 crore and would have a potential of creating about ten lakh jobs.  It will have low polluting units in 6,500 acres, institutional and recreational area in 1250 acres, a cargo airport and a residential complex in 3,750 acres. About 500 companies are expected to invest in the project, including 10 to 15 of the world’s best companies.

The agreement for the massive project was to be signed a week earlier, but had to be deferred amid criticism by some political opponents, including Congress MP, Kuldeep Bishnoi, younger son of Bhajan Lal, who was thereupon pulled up by the party’s High Command. Surprisingly, the opponents of the project attacked the public-private venture as a sell-out, even though the State’s equity in the project is only upto 10 per cent. As Hooda explained after the deal was signed at Chandigarh on Monday, the project will benefit the entire country and help the State generate an additional revenue of Rs.10,000 crore.  The CM has accused the BJP and the INLD for misleading the public. And about Bishnoi, his own party’s MP? “Somebody might have a personal problem”, says the CM.

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M.P. CM’s Priorities

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chauhan has given top priority to development of the State and welfare of the people, unconcerned by the threats to his Government by his opponents.  Sharply reacting to the challenge by his predecessor Uma Bharti that she would bring his Government down by September, Chauhan told a Press meet in New Delhi that he would concentrate on his development priorities, leaving her to “focus on her job”.  The BJP has its base in Madhya Pradesh, since the 1960s, thanks to dedicated efforts of the party, not of any individual.   The party, he said, had won the Assembly poll in 2003 on the bijli, sadak and pani (electricity, roads and water) plank. The Government was, therefore, focussing its attention on all the three basic problems of the people.

Chauhan trots out “solid facts” in support of his claim. During the last two-and-a-half years, the BJP Government has laid 17,200 km of roads and is targeting to add another 22,000 km during the second half of its tenure. In fact, he is confident that by the end of his Government’s term in 2008, Madhya Pradesh would easily match the developed States in regard to roads.  Insofar as electricity is concerned, the Government has already generated additional 1700 MW and his aim is to add another 2,600 MW by 2008 through various ongoing schemes. Several irrigation schemes too have been developed, bringing about 24,700 hectares more under irrigation. The CM has planned to bring another 18 lakh hectares under irrigation by constructing small checkdams, stop dams, rejuvenation of village ponds through a “Khet Talab Yojana” and development of new waterbodies. A meeting of non-resident Indians to boost investments is also planned.  A “single table” system has been created for speedy clearance of investment proposals.

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Nitish’s Demand From Centre

Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has discussed in depth the law and order situation in the State with the Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil in New Delhi over the week-end.  He apprised Patil about the constitution of a Special Auxiliary Police Force for the purpose, but wanted more Central para-military forces to tackle increasing Naxalite menace in the State. The CM has also demanded re-deployment of several Companies of Central forces which were withdrawn from the State for duty in five other States for the recent Assembly polls. He has also demanded the setting up of a disaster management institute in Bihar, since the State frequently faces the twin problem of drought and floods. The Home Minister has assured the CM of early consideration of his demands.

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Rumbai Meghalaya’s New CM

A long-drawn political turmoil in Meghalaya ended last week with J.D. Rumbai replacing D.D. Lapang as the Chief Minister. Lapang failed to survive the second revolt against him in the 29-member Congress Assembly group.  He lost to Rumbai 12-17 at the CLP meeting.  A gentleman to the core, Rumbai was chosen as the Chief Minister for his unanimous acceptance by all the alliance partners of the Congress-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance.  The Alliance has 45 MLAs in the 60-member Assembly. The new CM has now included Robert Lyngdoh in his 12-member Cabinet. Remember, Lyngdoh was dropped by Lapang during the Cabinet downsizing two years ago. He was then a powerful and popular Home Minister and was coming to be projected as a potential Chief Minister.

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PM Monitors Rural Area Plans

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has now planned to personally monitor the progress in the implementation of a series of his Government’s expensive welfare schemes for the poor. He would start soon touring rural areas for the purpose. He has planned a three-day visit next week to Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region, one of the most backward areas where hundreds of farmers have been driven to suicide over the last few years. Bihar, Orissa and other States would be next on his itinerary to evaluate implementation of the Central programmes, like the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Bharat Nirman, Sarva Siksha Abhiyan and the Mid-Day Meal Scheme for school children.  The PM is strongly of the view that close watch on these mega plans is imperative to make a much-needed difference to the lives of the poor.---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)