Round The States

New Delhi, 7 January 2010

Miracle Economies

BIHAR’S STUNNING GROWTH

By Insaf

Nitish Kumar’s Bihar is India’s new “miracle economy.” Notoriously known as a laggard State under decades of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD rule, Bihar has had a stunning 11.03 per cent growth in its GDP in the five-year period between 2004-05 and 2008-09. In 2003-04 the State had a negative growth of just 5.15 per cent, but with the change in regime under JD(U)’s Nitish, it has become the second fastest State, just a hair’s breadth behind Gujarat (11.05 per cent growth). The figures on the economic growth of the States were put out by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) last week, giving the hope that good governance can work miracles even for the most-backward States. Following in Bihar’s footsteps are Uttarakhand (9.31 per cent growth), Orissa (8.74 per cent) and Jharkhand (8.45 per cent) which have grown as fast or faster than the All-India growth of 8.49 per cent during this period. Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh are following suit with 7.35 per cent and 6.29 per cent growth respectively.

In effect, these are signs showing that the economic gap between the poor and rich States is gradually shrinking. The rural masses are benefiting and the reasons for this dynamism are: agricultural growth in 2004-09 averaged 4.4 per cent per year, the highest in any five-year; the minimum wages have been raised in most States; new thrust has been given to rural employment and infrastructure schemes and above all the country has witnessed a telecom revolution. Significantly, several incumbent Governments have recently been re-elected when for two decades these were regularly voted out. This suggests mass-based satisfaction in place of earlier disgust and dissatisfaction. Clearly, the emergence of “miracle economies”, defined internationally as those with over 7 per cent growth, is one of the biggest achievements of the decade. And many are of the opinion that Nitish should get an award for this most inclusive revolution in his State.

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Andhra’s Woes Continue

The Telangana issue continues to hang fire. With the Centre having no ready-made solution in hand to end the deadlock between the warring sides, Andhra Pradesh’s woes seem never ending. At a meeting of eight Andhra parties in the Capital on Tuesday last, the Centre at best could offer the setting up of a committee to break the impasse and hope for normalcy to return. The panel could comprise of either experts headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court, or a ministerial committee or a mix of both, offered Home Minister P Chidambaram. However, both the TRS Chief Chandrashekhar Rao and the BJP have opposed it and insist on the formation of a separate State immediately. The Congress and TDP have no one stand as the parties continue to be divided. Both the CPM and the Praja Rajyam, however, are pitching for a united Andhra. With no consensus in sight, the Centre has sought to buy time with its offer of a panel and also pleaded for “accommodation and goodwill’. 

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Telangana Will Help Maoists?

Even as the parties mull over the question of a panel on Telangana, the Centre now faces a new dilemma. Its security experts have suddenly woken up to the fact that creation of smaller States ends up benefiting the Maoists. A day before the all-party meeting, Home Ministry officials made it known to the political leadership that carving out Telangana would help the Maoists regroup in Andhra. The creation of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, they argued, had helped the Maoists entrench better, as they were able to take advantage of administrative problems in a new State. Apparently, Telangana forms a “geographically contiguous unit” with Maoist strongholds in Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Gadchiroli in Maharashtra. Not many remember that the Maoist leaders have repeatedly called for a militant movement to get a separate Telengana. Will small states really help the Maoists? The Centre’s final decision on the security angle is awaited with keen interest.

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CM Chavan In Trouble

Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan is in electoral trouble for having promised a special bonus of Rs.5 lakh each for the three Nanded villages where he polled the highest votes in the recent Assembly poll. The State’s Chief Election Officer, following an order from the Election Commission, has initiated a probe into Chavan’s assurances to the three villages during a felicitation function following his victory. The CEO has sought a report from the Nanded District Collector at the earliest and specified that the report be in English. The probe was ordered on a complaint by BJP legislator Vinod Tawde who said the CM’s promise amounted to bribery. Said Tawde: “The CM cannot be partial. He is in charge of the entire State’s welfare.” Interestingly, Tawde added: “I had complained to the State Election Office but they didn’t do anything. The Election Commission took cognizance of my complaints”. Chavan has denied making any statement that violates the code of conduct. However, he added: “I am ready for any inquiry.”

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Gujarat Turns Fifty

Gujarat celebrated the 50^th anniversary of its formation last Friday amidst remarkable bonhomie. Leader of all the political parties gathered together on a common platform in the Assembly where Chief Minister Narendra Modi moved a resolution and invoked the “Narmada Spirit” to appeal to all to “rise above party politics” for the State’s development. He was clearly referring to the united stand that the people of Gujarat had taken on construction of the Narmada dam decades earlier. The Opposition leader, Shaktisinh Gohil supported the resolution but hastened to add that the credit for progress of Gujarat could not go to any one individual as “development is in the genes of every Gujarati.” When anti-Narmada activists had assembled at Pherkuan to oppose the dam, he recalled, “every pujari and maulvi in Gujarat had united to realize the dam”! Nevertheless, Modi received bouquets galore on the occasion for his many initiatives, both developmental and political. Importantly, a fortnight ago, he invited Infosys’ Chief Mentor, Narayan Murthy, to come to Gujarat and guide the State Government as advisor. Will he? 

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Orissa Shows The Way

Orissa under Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and his BJD has brought governance closer to its people at the grassroots. On Saturday last week, the State Government adopted Oriya as the official language of communication at the block, tehsil and district levels. All administrative functions and transactions at these levels will henceforth be made in Oriya only instead of English. A top-level committee has been formed to oversee early execution of the decision and evolve a “simple and easily conceivable” document outlining Oriya words and terminology that is to be used in official communication. Significantly, Orissa has shown good sense and pragmatism in the matter and not allowed linguistic chauvinism to play havoc. It has decided at the highest level that largely used English words such as chair, table, engine and block office will be treated as Oriya terms as their translated forms are comparatively difficult to be understood by the masses and could end up causing avoidable confusion!  Three cheers! ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)