ROUND THE STATES

New Delhi, 20 September 2006

Fifth CM In Six Years

CHRONIC INSTABILITY IN JHARKHAND

By Insaf

Jharkhand has its fifth Chief Minister since the tribal-dominated State was carved out of Bihar six years ago, on December 20, 2000.  This time he is an Independent, first-ever in India to get the CM’s chair.  Thirtyfive-year-old Madhu Koda was sworn-in on Monday last, along with three others (two Independents and one NCP MLA) who had revolted against the BJP-led Arjun Munda Government.  Nevertheless, the big question remains: How long will his Government last in the new State’s chronic political instability.  Koda may have tactically won the confidence vote 41-1 in the 81-member Assembly on Wednesday as he did not name his full Ministry before the floor test. Interestingly, the NDA did not participate in the voting and the lone CPI (ML) MLA voted against him. Given the composition of the Assembly and the fact that he has to restrict his Ministry to 12 Ministers, including himself, Koda’s problems will remain unending.

Bickerings in the Koda camp, comprising eight parties---JMM 17 MLAs, Congress 9, RJD 7, Forward Block 2, UGDPR 2, CPI-ML, NCP and Jharkhand Party one each and two Independents---began even before the new CM was sworn-in.  While the Congress took a measured step by deciding to support the Koda Ministry from outside, the JMM and the RJD decided on extracting the maximum. Both demanded Dy. Chief Ministership for their party.  Moreover, almost all the RJD MLAs are keen on a Cabinet berth.  One of them was quoted as stating after the swearing-in ceremony: “I will take the extreme step if I am not offered a Cabinet post”. Another wanted due place for dalits and minorities.  Against this background, stability of the Koda Government is doubtful, giving credence to the CPM Chief Prakash Karat’s solution: fresh election for the Assembly.

*                         *                                               *                                          *

NCP Spreads Political Clout

Uttar Pradesh and its erstwhile hilly region, now a separate State of Uttaranchal will have one more serious player in the Assembly poll early next year: the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) of Sharad Pawar.  The party, which is an important ally of the Congress-led UPA at the Centre and is sharing power with the Congress in Maharashtra, has resolved to spread its clout in all the States and work out anti-BJP and anti-Congress alliances with like-minded smaller regional parties in the States.  It has started its political mission from the poll-bound States of UP and Uttaranchal.  The first step in this direction was to hold its National Convention in the new hilly State’s capital Dehradun last week.  It has decided to field candidates of its own in Uttaranchal and to negotiate electoral arrangements with V.P. Singh’s Jana Morcha and Ajit Singh’s RLD in U.P..

*                               *                                               *                                          *

Setback To NCP In Kerala

Meanwhile, the NCP’s effort to find a stronger foothold in Kerala has run into difficulty. Presently supporting the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the State, the party Chief Sharad Pawar has been trying to work out a merger of the former Congress veteran and ex-Chief Minister Karunakaran’s new Democratic Indira Congress (DIC) with the NCP. But the negotiations, which had reached an advanced stage, seem to be failing. Some of the senior members of the DIC have vehemently opposed the move and threatened to leave the party and rejoin the Congress in case the merger takes place. Even the Left parties have threatened to break their understanding with the NCP in the event of the proposed merger. Some of the members of the DIC have even favoured the merger of their new party with the parent organisation, that is the Indian National Congress.

*                               *                                               *                                          *

Ludhiana City Scam?

Charges and counter-charges between the ruling Congress and the Akali Opposition have become the order of the day in the run-up to the Assembly elections in Punjab early next year. The Akali Dal (Badal)-BJP combine is going all out to exploit the so-called Ludhiana City Centre scam to attack the Congress Government, led by Amarinder Singh, for its alleged involvement in the scam.  Arun Jaitley of the BJP and Sukhdev Singh Badal have filed a 17-page complaint against the Chief Minister, Local Government Minister Jagbir Singh and others allegedly involved in the scam with the Sarabha police, seeking registration of an FIR against them. Amarinder Singh has rubbished the complaint, describing it as politically motivated.  But he has announced that the police would first examine the complaint legally. The State Government has also ordered a Vigilance Bureau probe into the multi-crore real estate scam, involving the sale of prime plots at the Ludhiana City Centre.

*                                *                                               *                                          *

W. Bengal Bypoll Outcome

The results of the four byelections, three for the Lok  Sabha and one for the Assembly, in West Bengal have gone on expected lines.   The ruling Left Front has retained the Katwa and Purulia Lok Sabha seats, the Congress the Malda seat and the Trinamool Congress the Bongaon Assembly seat. The outcome is politically significant for both the Congress and Trinamool Congress of Mamata Banerjee.  Both had agreed not to put up candidates against the other in Malda and Bongaon. Consequently, the late Ghani Khan Choudhury’s younger brother, Abu Ashem Khan Choudhury won Malda and Saugot Roy Bongoan. The poll has strengthened the prospects of future cooperation between the two parties, thanks to Union Information & Broadcasting and  Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi, who worked out the electoral understanding with Mamata Banerjee. Much will, however, depend upon Mamata’s willingness to snap links with the NDA and its BJP

*                               *                                               *                                          *

M.P. Bill On Religious Conversions

An amendment to the Freedom of Religion Act which the Madhya Pradesh Assembly passed recently has run into difficulty.  The Governor, Balram Jakhar has withheld his assent to the Bill and sought information from the Government on the need for the amendment. He has asked for details of religious conversions district-wise over the last four decades. The Congress MLAs had earlier complained to the Governor that the Bill was passed without any discussion in the Assembly.  It is intended to curb religious conversions through force, pressure and allurement. The amendment makes prior permission from competent authorities mandatory and provides for jail terms and penalty for both the priest and the convert.

*                             *                                               *                                          *

Stalemate In Centre-ULFA Talks

The United Liberation Forum of Asom (ULFA) has now put the ball in New Delhi’s court for the delay in peace talks between the Centre and the dreaded underground outfit. It has urged the Centre to create a level playing field for talks by releasing the outfit’s top five jailed leaders.  The outfit has communicated through its People’s Consultative Group (PCG) that the “Government of India must create an air of trust and show eagerness for talks where the issue of sovereignty of Asom would be discussed.”  The Centre, on its part, has made two things clear. First, the talks will be held within the framework of the Constitution of India and, secondly, the leaders will be released only after the ULFA cadres stop violence and other activities.

*                               *                                               *                                          *

Rajasthan Congress In Disarray

The Rajasthan Congress, the main Opposition in the State, seems to be in poor health.  Increasing cases of the party cadres indulging in anti-party activities have been reported in the recent past.  Several of them have been expelled from the party. The latest is the expulsion of partymen from Bharatpur and Alwar districts for anti-party activities. The immediate provocation for action was the attempts by a group to disturb a meeting at Kaman, called to offer tribute to those killed in a water tank collapse last month.  The public meeting was being addressed, among others, by the AICC General Secretaries, Mukul Wasnik and Ashok Gehlot and the PCC Presidents of U.P. and Rajasthan, Salman Khurshid and B.D. Kalla. Stones were thrown at the dias, resulting in commotion and abrupt ending of the rally.---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

ROUND THE STATES

New Delhi, 13 September 2006

U.P. Main Attraction

PARTIES READYING FOR ASSEMBLY POLLS

By Insaf

All political parties have girded up their loins for the upcoming Assembly elections less than six months away in four States: U.P., Uttaranchal, Punjab and Manipur.  The BJP has held its National Executive meeting in Dehradun last week and worked out a detailed strategy for the poll campaign. So also the Congress, the Samajwadi Party (SP) of Mulayam Singh and the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) of Mayawati. These four parties are mainly concentrating on U.P., the most politically significant State at the national level.  The ruling SP and BSP seem to be running neck-and-neck in the race for power, while the BJP and the Congress are trailing behind as of now.  In the present Assembly of 403, the BJP has only 88 MLAs and the Congress just 16 against the SP’s 187.   The BSP too is far behind with its 65 MLAs, but has gone up in popularity chart considerably during the last three years. 

The ruling Samajwadi Party is slowly losing its popularity and allies, notwithstanding all the sops Chief Minister Mulayam Singh is offering to the voters one after the other.  His latest is the financial assistance to MISA and DIR detenus during the Emergency days from 1975 to 1977. The CM distributed cheques of Rs.2,500 each to 5,642 detenus whom he called “Loktantra Senanis”.  It is against this political scenario that the BJP has planned to stage a comeback to power in the State.  The National Executive meet at Dehradun has decided to organize countrywide demonstrations to highlight the dismal state of affairs on three fronts: price rise, increasing farmers’ suicides and faulty farm policies of the UPA Government at the Centre and the deteriorating security scenario.  The party has accused the Centre and the Congress-ruled States of playing vote-bank politics  recklessly and pushing the country towards divisiveness.

*                                *                                               *                                        *

Congress Strategy

The Congress’ main strategy is to spearhead its poll campaign with its “young brigade”, led by Rahul Gandhi. The decision is expected to help the party considerably since about 57 per cent of the electorate is under the age of 35.  The Congress leadership has planned to use Sachin Pilot, a Gujjar in Western U.P., Jatin Prasad for the Bareilly Division and greater Lucknow (Sitapur, Lakhimpur and Shahajahanpur), Sandeep Dikshit for the Brahmin-dominated Unnao and Kannauj, Jyotiraditya Scindia for the Bundelkhand region bordering Madhya Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi will campaign all over the State, while sister Priyanka will extensively work in the Lok Sabha constituencies of Sultanpur, Rae Bareilli and Amethi.

*                                 *                                               *                                        *

Malegaon’s Rebuff To Politicians

Terrorist-scarred Malegaon in Maharashtra has given a much-needed rebuff to politicians eager to somehow exploit tragic happenings to feather their vote bank nests. Congress President Sonia Gandhi was at the receiving end when she visited the town following the blasts, which took 38 lives and seriously injured 200 persons. The people, mainly Muslims, angrily threw cheques of Rs. 1 lakh at her and other Congress leaders, including Chief Minister Vilas Rao, shouting: “We don’t want your bheekh (charity). Give us development and we will give you Rs. 10 lakh!.  Malegaon, they yelled, does not  figure in your development map and now we have been marked on the terror map”, They pointed out that following the riots in 2001, Malegaon was promised a 60-bed hospital. But there was still no sign of it. What is more, the town is languishing and  crying out for development.

*                                  *                                               *                                        *

Significant Bypolls In W. Bengal

Four byelections in West Bengal---three for the Lok Sabha and one for the Assembly--- on September 16 have acquired greater political significance than bypolls normally do. The Congress and the Trinamool Congress of Mamata Banerjee have joined hands to fight the CPM candidates for the Malda Lok Sabha and Bangaon Assembly seats.  The Malda seat, which fell vacant following veteran ABA Ghani Khan Choudhury’s demise, is to be contested by his brother Abu Hasrat G.K. Choudhury and the Bangaon seat by Trinamool’s Sougata Roy. This contest is significant for the Trinamool. If the party wins (counting is on September 19), its strength in the 294-member Assembly will go up to 30. This would entitle it to be recognized as the main Opposition party.  Easy victory is predicted for the CPM and its ally Forward Block for the Katwa and Purulia seats respectively.

*                                  *                                               *                                        *

Deadly Weapons For Naxalites

Andhra Pradesh has now become a major centre for storage and distribution of arms and ammunition to the terrorists and Left wing extremists. A consignment of as many as 875 rocket launchers, 50 gelatin sticks, spares and ammunition stuffed in 53 gunny bags has been seized by the Special State Police in Mahabubnagar and Prakasam districts.  The rocket launchers can be mounted on any vehicle and rockets fired to cover an area of upto 10 kms.  According to the Director General of Police, the deadly consignment was loaded in trucks at Vijayawada and was meant to be delivered in four different places.  The local person, who was handling the largest-ever haul seized, was reportedly hired by the top Maoist leaders of Mahabubnagar. It is intended to be delivered to their hide-out in Nallamalla forest area, where the Naxalite camp in large numbers and train.

*                                  *                                               *                                        *

Tamil Nadu Towards Prosperity

Tamil Nadu’s DMK Government, led by M. Karunanidhi, has drawn up a five-year plan (2006-2011) to convert the State from “poverty to prosperity”.  The plan includes the “All Villages Anna Renaissance Scheme”, the biggest-ever rural development programme that will cover all the 12,618 village panchayats in the State over the next five years with an allocation of Rs.2,500 crore. Special promotion schemes have also been worked out for information technology, energy development, and social welfare and nutrition programmes. Meanwhile, the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group has offered a Rs.12,000-crore package to the State Government to develop a multi-product Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the State. The offer is to be studied by the Government and details worked out.  The proposed SEZ will include a 1,000 MW power plant, a desalination plant and an IT park.

*                                 *                                               *                                        *

New Rail Line In Haryana

The under-developed, water-starved Rohtak-Rewari region is all set to get a broad gauge railway line. The Railway Construction Division has finalized the plan.  The demarcation work has already been completed and the Haryana Government has released last week the first instalment of Rs. 15 crore for laying the line. An equal amount has been released by the Centre for the project, estimated to cost Rs.194 crore --- Rs.97 crore by the State and the rest by the Centre. The project is proposed to be completed in three years.  Construction work on the 73-km line would start by the end of the month and the ground work and construction of bridges on canals and channels would be complete in one year-and-a-half.  The new line would start from Asthal Bohar and five stations would be constructed between Rohtak and Rewari via Jhajjar.

*                                  *                                               *                                        *

Bhagidari scheme For Slums In Delhi

Slum dwellers in the Union Capital region of Delhi would soon be able to have their say and also get a platform to interact with Government functionaries for resolving their problems. Sheila Dikshit-led Congress Government has decided to extend its popular “Bhagidari” Scheme to the slums. Under this programme, over 1700 Resident Welfare Associations have been formed under the Societies Act, 1986. They are bound to its legal provisions. But over eight lakh people living in 200 slums in the Union Capital, as well as 50 resettlement colonies and 15,000 unauthorised colonies, have hardly any say in the functioning of the Government.  Their representatives will now be recognized by the administration and their problems will be resolved by the concerned officials, as is being presently done in the case of recognized RWAs.---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

ROUND THE STATES

New Delhi, 7 September 2006

CMs Review Security Scenario

TERRORISM SPREADS, INFILTRATION UP

By Insaf

The security scenario in the States has been reviewed at the highest level. At a conference of Chief Ministers in New Delhi on Tuesday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has alerted the States once more to the threat of terrorists who have set up bases in some urban areas to target important installations, religious places and army camps. Intelligence reports have revealed that the “extremely inspired and directed” terrorist outfits are being assisted in some States by the local insurgent groups and Naxalites help them create terrorist modules and “sleeper cells” in urban areas. At the end of the day-long meeting, attended by 27 Chief Ministers (other five CMs were represented by their senior Ministers), arrived at a consensus that a Group of Ministers, headed by the Home Minister and comprising some selected CMs, be constituted to check the spread of terror and Naxal menace.

While most Chief Ministers talked of financial constraints, they unanimously supported the Prime Minister’s proposal for decentralization of intelligence gathering at the “thana” level and to bring the “beat constable” into the vortex of counter-terrorist activity.  A massive expansion of the police forces in the States has also been proposed.  The present police-population ratio is very low.  For nearly 8.5 lakh villages in the country, there are only about 12,000 police posts.  In this context, the Centre has asked the States to fully utilize the funds meant for police expansion and modernization.  Regarding the issue of coastline security, raised by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the Home Ministry has worked out a special Rs.500-crore package for the purpose. Another scheme for 17 States having international borders is also being prepared.

*                                   *                                               *                                       *

Orissa A Naxal Citadal

Orissa has now become a Naxal citadel. Several forest and tribal areas of the State have turned into safe hideouts for the Naxalites on the run from Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The rebels, previously confined to southern Orissa bordering Andhra Pradesh, are now fanning into several districts like Sambalpur, Deogarh, Mayurbhanj, Angul and Jajpur, the State’s new industrial hub.  In fact, out of 30 districts in the State, 14 are Naxal-affected. Most worrisome is that the rebel group has as many as 30 zonal Dalams (battalions) in Orissa with an estimated cadre strength of about 600. Women constitute about 25 per cent of the total strength.   Each Dalam is equipped with an AK-47 rifle, two to three self-loading rifles (SLRs) and several .303 rifles. They also have a few experts to carry out IED blasts.

*                                  *                                               *                                       *

Jharkhand Crisis

The BJP-led NDA Government appears to be on its way out in Jharkhand.  Four Independent Ministers had put in their papers to Governor Syed Sibte Razi at the time of writing. The revolt has reduced the Munda Government to a minority, leaving with him 39 MLAs in the 82-member Assembly.  However, unlike Razi’s controversial action last year in inviting JMM Chief Shibu Soren to form the Government, despite a fractured mandate the Assembly, the Governor has been careful not to fault this time.  He has asked Munda to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly by September 15.  With the UPA allies backing the Independent MLAs (JMM-17, Congress-9 and RJD-7), it would be difficult for Munda and his BJP to drum up the required strength within a week. Nevertheless, the stability of the new Government would also have to be watched, given the politics of the State and the composition of the Assembly.

J&K Coalition Gets Breather

The Congress-People’s Democratic Party (PDP) coalition Government in Jammu & Kashmir has got a breather, with the controversial Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig finally resigning.  He had earlier triggered a rift between the coalition partners, when Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad decided to retain Baig as the Finance Minister in his reshuffled Cabinet, ignoring a request by PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti to take away the Finance portfolio from him.  Mehbooba accused the State Congress leaders of meddling in the internal affairs of the PDP and trying to break the coalition partner. Nevertheless, CM Azad was quick to act and convinced both Mehbooba and his predecessor, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, that nobody wanted to break the PDP.  Baig sensed the mood of Azad and promptly resigned.   But the seeds of intra-party differences in the PDP have been sown, as Baig has threatened to quit the Assembly and the PDP.

*                                   *                                               *                                       *

Centre-ULFA Talks Impasse

Uncertainty continues to prevail over the direct talks between the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the Centre, despite the latter’s decision to extend suspension of the army action against the underground outfit until September 15.  After discussing the issue with the Peoples’ Consultative Group (PCG), which has been talking to the Centre on behalf of the ULFA, on Tuesday last, Home Secretary V.K. Duggal said that the “rough edges are yet to be smoothened”.  He warned that the suspension of the army action would be reviewed if the ULFA indulged in extortion, killing or violence.  The Government wants this assurance in writing, while the ULFA leaders want release of their top leaders.  The Government is hoping that the ULFA would communicate before September 15, so that the process of releasing them is started. 

*                                   *                                               *                                   *

Bonanza For Amarinder

The Congress-Government in Punjab and its Chief Minister Amarinder Singh have got a bonanza in the run-up to the Assembly elections around mid-March.  The State has been adjudged as the “Overall No.1 State” in the country, following a survey on governance in the States by a leading media group.  The award was presented to the Chief Minister by President Abdul Kalam in New Delhi last week. The State has also been chosen as “Number One” in agriculture, infrastructure, budget planning, prosperity and consumer market planning. The Amarinder Government has been especially complimented for its agriculture and infrastructure development performances during the last five years.  These two have considerably helped the industries to progress in the State.

*                                  *                                               *                                       *

MP Fastest Moving State

Madhya Pradesh, until recent known as one of the “BEMARU” (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and U.P.) States for its backwardness and poverty, has been adjudged as the “fastest moving State” in the fields of agriculture, infrastructure, overall development, with its maximum growth rate. The State has also been placed second in “good governance”, third in “law and order” and fifth in terms of “physical potentials”. The  media group study had made comparison of the progress made in all the States from 1991 onwards.  The progress of Madhya Pradesh has been found to be much faster during 2002-06, when the State Government gave top priority to the roads, electricity and agricultural sectors.

*                                  *                                               *                                       *

Opposition To Delimitation Proposals

As the exercise for the delimitation of constituencies for the State Assemblies and the Lok Sabha continues, protests from various political parties and Governments mount. The latest to oppose the proposals are Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand.  As per the Delimitation Commission’s proposal, the Telangana region of Andhra would get an additional 12 Assembly and one Lok Sabha seats. The number will go up to 119 in the 294-member Assembly, while the number in the Andhra region will fall to 123 from 134.  The proposal has been opposed by the ruling Congress. Likewise, in Jharkhand, the Commission has proposed the reduction of reserved seats for Scheduled Tribes in the 81-member Assembly from 28 to 21 seats.  The ST leaders have warned of a social unrest in the State, if the ST seats are reduced. ---INFA

 (Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

ROUND THE STATES

New Delhi, 29 August 2006

March Poll In 4 States

NEW POLITICAL REALIGNMENTS

By Insaf

Political realignments are once again on the cards in U.P., Uttaranchal, Punjab and Manipur, now that the Chief Election Commissioner has announced Assembly elections in the four States by mid-March next year.  The BJP-led NDA faces a major threat. Its main constituent, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) has advised its units in the poll-bound States to work out their own electoral alliances and not necessarily be bound to the BJP.  In fact, the JD-U clearly distinguished itself from the BJP in New Delhi over the week-end. by asserting its secular credentials at a meeting of National Executive It declared that it was opposed to the BJP-led Arjun Munda Government’s move to ban religious conversions in Jharkhand. Fissures have been developing between the BJP and the JD-U since George Fernandes handed over the latter’s presidentship to Sharad Yadav. 

These developments are also beginning to affect the pre-poll scenario in U.P. Even as Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav highlighted with “great satisfaction” on Tuesday last  his Government’s achievements during the past three years, his main pre-poll worry is the changing mood of his alliance partners and opponents within his own Samajwadi Party.  Especially, one of his main allies, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) of Ajit Singh. The latter has once again hinted at his desire to leave the alliance. In fact, some Congress leaders have already initiated moves to work out an electoral understanding with the RLD. However, Mayawati, who was re-elected last week as the BSP President, continues to be the main challenger to the Lucknow gaddi. The Jan Morcha of former Prime Minister V.P. Singh and Raj Babbar has also been causing worry to the SP.  What is more, SP MLAs like Haji Yaqoob Qureshi, who has emerged as a prominent Muslim leader, are said to be on the verge of leaving the ruling party for greener pastures.

*                                              *                                              *                                              *

Uttaranchal To Be Uttarakhand

Chief Minister Narain Datt Tiwari and the ruling Congress in Uttaranchal have at long last succeeded in getting the name of their new State changed to Uttarakhand before the upcoming Assembly polls.  Tiwari had strongly advised the Central leadership to do so before the elections and thereby “respect the sentiment” of the people who had sacrificed much for the creation of the hill State.  They had specifically fought for “Uttarakhand” as these hills are called in the ancient Puranas. Most people were upset by the BJP-led NDA Government’s decision to call the State “Uttaranchal”. The Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre has now okayed the change under Article 3 of the Constitution.  A Bill, Uttaranchal (Alteration of Name) Bill 2006 will be sent to the President for referring it to the State legislature for its consent.  It will then be redirected to Parliament for final approval. The exercise is expected to be completed by December.

*                                              *                                              *                                              *

PM’s New Deal For Orissa

Orissa, one of the most backward States in the country, can now look forward to speedier progress.  It has now received the personal attention of the Prime Minister, thanks to his first ever visit to the State as the PM earlier this week. Although heavy rains forced him to cut down his visit by a day, Manmohan Singh has concernedly noted that over 4,500 villages in the State (sasural of his second daughter) are still not connected by road, over 9,000 habitations are not electrified and almost 5,000 villages do not have a telephone.   He has promised the State that this “development deficit” will be overcome and that the Centre will make massive investment in Orissa (details to be worked out later) for its development. It will help the State Government to provide road and telephone connectivity and electrification in each village. Efforts will also be made to develop all sources of energy, including oil, gas, coal, biogas and nuclear to ensure accelerated development of the State.

*                                              *                                              *                                              *

Tackling Debt Crisis In States

The States have finally succeeded in pressuring the Centre to take a fresh look at their mounting problems in the agricultural sector, tragically reflected in increasing suicides by farmers. The issue was raised in various forms in both the Houses of Parliament during the recent monsoon session. Union Agriculture Minister, Sharad Pawar patiently replied to several questions and also took serious note of the special mentions time and again, culminating in a full-fledged debate in the Rajya Sabha on the penultimate day.  Prominent among the issues that got highlighted during the debate were rural indebtedness in totality, relief measures for farmers across the country and inadequate minimum support price for the foodgrains. Members from both sides of the House strongly criticized the manner in which the serious problem was being handled by the Government.

This prompted Sharad Pawar to announce a series of measures had worked out by the Centre for the States. Hardest hit States like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala have been promised special packages.  Beside, an expert committee has been constituted to recommend by November 30 ways and means to control rural indebtedness and provide one-time relief measures for the farmers and the families of those who have committed suicides. Earlier, an expert committee, known as the Vaidyanathan Committee had recommended a Rs.14,000-crore revival package, of which the Centre has decided to sanction Rs.12,000 crore.  In fact, Sharad Pawar shared with the House an important piece of information. The agricultural sector would need about Rs. 5 lakh crore of investment if it is to achieve 4 per cent growth, as recommended by the Planning Commission in its Approach Paper for the Eleventh Plan 2007-12.

*                                              *                                              *                                              *

Desert Into A Sea Of Disaster

An unprecedented downpour continuously for six days last week turned a part of Rajasthan’s sprawling desert, into a sea of disaster, 15 ft deep at several places. Ironically, the flash floods of the magnitude unheard of in at least 200 years, which claimed nearly 300 lives, came after six years of severe draught. The toll is estimated to be much higher as rescue workers and Naval divers are searching for bodies in flooded towns and villages. Most affected were districts of Barmer, Dungarpur, Banswara and Udaipur. The situation in Barmer continued to be critical till the time of writing.  Hundreds of villagers were missing in the five worst-hit villages in the Barmer district which remained under 15-20 ft. water for several days.  Preliminary loss from the tragedy has been estimated at Rs.1500 crore. And the State Government has demanded an immediate package of Rs.400 crore.

*                                              *                                              *                                              *

Gujarat Faces Epidemic

Gujarat too is hard hit by the unpredictable monsoon misery in three instalments since May last. After handling the disaster caused by the rainfall, the State Government is now facing a major health problem.  Water-borne diseases and the latest disease Chikungunya, first discovered among the birds, has now spread in an epidemic form in several parts of the flood-hit State.  Rough estimate put the number of people suffering from Chikungunya since May last at 30,000.  In Maninagar, Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency, nearly 5,000 suspected cases have been reported.  The Medical Superintendent of a hospital in Makwana has been quoted as stating that 50 per cent of the total cases in the hospital are of Chikungunya, which is now a widespread epidemic.

*                                              *                                              *                                              *

Nathu La & W. Bengal Concern

West Bengal is beginning to feel gravely concerned over one possible fallout of the recent opening of the Nathu La for trade with China, even as the event has brought much joy to the people of Sikkim.  The W. Bengal Government now fears that China may use the Nathu La route to dump large quantities of its cheap products, posing a threat to the State’s traditional cottage and other industries. This problem was once faced by West Bengal when Chinese products were dumped in Nepal and these then found their way into the State.  An alarmed Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee warned a workshop in Kolkata last week of this possibility and advised it to undertake programmes for development of micro and small industries.  The threat is greatest to West Bengal’s silk industry. Silk production in China is highly mechanized and, therefore, cheap.---INFA

 (Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)