Round The States

New Delhi, 3 May 2012

IAS-IPS Crunch

States Short Of Officers

By Insaf

The much-flogged challenges of good governance and internal security are unfortunately bound to take a beating. Thanks to States are facing a shortages of officers—All India Service (IAS), and Indian Police Service (IPS) across the country. This has been shockingly acknowledged by the Centre on Wednesday last. It informed the Lok Sabha that while the IPS is short of 1,327 officers, the IAS has 1,777 less officers. While it listed the maximum vacancy of IAS officers being in Uttar Pradesh (216), followed by Bihar (128), Madhya Pradesh (118), Rajasthan (112), Jharkhand (100), Andhra Pradesh (92), Karnataka (80), Odisha (78) etc, it would need to go beyond statistics. With the shortage of numbers in hand, the Centre should stop sitting pretty on the suggestion of some States to increase the quota  of IAS officers, in view of their increased administrative, social and other obligations. A cursory look shows that the total strength of the IAS is authorised at 6,154, against which there are 4,377 today and the IPS had a mere strength of only 4,720! For a huge nation as ours, is this enough? Time for Government not only to fill the vacancies, but look beyond and perhaps carry the States with them to ensure the country doesn’t lack in good officers.  

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Uttarakhand Governor

Uttarakhand Raj Bhawan shall be in the spotlight for days to come. Its new incumbent has unwittingly ensured it. Senior Congress leader and a former Madhya Pradesh Minister Aziz Qureshi, has at the outset clearly embarrassed 10 Janpath. On Sunday last, he brazenly stated in Bhopal: “It is only because of the blessings from Sonia Gandhi that I have become Governor of Uttarakhand.” Additionally, he chose to show-off that he has always been loyal to the Gandhi-Nehru family and that his appointment “showed that loyalty was rewarded!” The statements led to an angry Opposition in the Uttarakhand Assembly demanding an apology from Qureshi, for “having lowered the dignity of the Governor's office” and some even openly saying he didn’t deserve the job. While Qureshi seems to have put his foot in the mouth, another new appointment, B V Wangchoo as Governor of Goa, has too caught some attention. A 1976-batch IPS officer and former SPG (Special Protection Group) chief, Wanchoo, is known to enjoy the trust of the Gandhi family. However, Congress circles are not too worried in this case. In keeping with his past job, the new Governor, they expect will automatically prefer to be low-key!  

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US No To Modi

Gujarat’s Chief Minister Narendra Modi has reason to feel affronted. The United States of America refuses to allow him to set foot on its territory. The timing couldn’t have been more ironical. While Modi got a clean chit from the SIT in the 2001 riot cases and was in celebration mode, two weeks later the US State Department saw no reason to change its policy denying him a visa. The CM had Congressman Joe Walsh pleading his case with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for a review of its 2005 decision, but the latter has chosen not to respond. Walsh’s argument, however, may be of some consolation to Modi and his supporters in Gujarat. Not only did he make a note that “10 years had passed” since the violence in Gujarat and much progress made, but that Modi has been “recognised across the world for establishing Gujarat as the most business-friendly State in India.” While many back home would agree, some may have been left wondering where the Congressman’s contention that Modi was “widely believed to be a serious contender for the 2014 election for Indian PM” came from! News does travel fast and wide.

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UP CM Supreme   

Uttar Pradesh’s hope of ‘clean governance’ appears to have had its first casualty. Its Chief Minister cannot be one among equals. At least, that is the message its youngest incumbent Akhilesh Yadav’s seeks to send for now. Last week, he is said to have ruled out bringing the CM’s office under the Lokayukta’s ambit, raising doubts over his takeover promise. Interestingly, the Jr Yadav has turned down the suggestion from Lokayukta Justice (Retd.) N K Mehrotra, who had till recently claimed almost 24 ministers in the previous government of Mayawati and in fact was asked to give his suggestions on how to further strengthen the State’s institution. The Lokayukta accordingly advised that other than the CM, the village headmen, universities, NGOs, trusts societies and medical institutions be brought under its purview and an investigating agency be placed under it. Will Akhilesh oblige at least this or will he disappoint the Lokayukta, who incidentally had been appointed by Sr Yadav, Mulayam Singh, when he was CM in 2006 and is on an extension. Time will tell. 

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West Bengal Fuss

West Bengal and its Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee continue to give the Congress and the Centre a run for its money. With the election of the President of India on the anvil, the TMC chief proposes to extract her pound of flesh. On a visit to the Capital, she demanded a financial bailout package for the State, with a 15-day deadline, ending on Sunday. Claiming that she has inherited a debt burden of loan adding up to Rs 2,00,000 crore by the previous Left government, Mamata wants a three-year moratorium on the State’s outstanding loans. But can the UPA afford to appease her in return for her share of the votes for its presidential candidate, is a question worth a debate. For if UPA agrees to her moratorium then it would lead to other similar demands from States, including Bihar, and Punjab, which are seeking a financial bailout package. How much of a kitty can it dole out?

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Maharashtra Suicides

The woes of farmers in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region seem never-ending. The news of five farmers committing suicide on Tuesday last, International Labour Day, evoked a sharp response in Delhi, with the Opposition in Parliament seeking urgent steps from the Centre. While 900 farmers have reportedly committed suicide in six districts of the State in the past eight years of UPA government, over 370 farmers “have committed suicide” since January itself, were figures reeled out by BJP and Shiv Sena leaders. Worse, they alleged that the Prime Minister’s package of Rs 3,000 crore to the farmers had been devoured by the State’s bureaucracy and the Chief Minister’s relief package too remained on paper. The leaders were apparently aided by a report of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS), working in the region, which has claimed that standing crop on nearly 90 lakhs hectares, including 40 hectares of the cotton crop, was damaged due to poor monsoon and a dry spell in September last. Therefore, the fresh spurt in suicides. However, much that the Government would like to dismiss the figures as an “exaggeration,” it did lift the ban on cotton export. Can it deny its decision had no link with the farmers?  ----INFA

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