Round The States

New Delhi, 16 May 2013

Bihar’s Special Status

CONGRESS, BJP SPAR ON NITISH

By Insaf

The Centre is leaving no stone unturned to woo Bihar Chief Minister and JD (U) Chief Nitish Kumar. First, Union Finance Minister Chidambaram asserted “granting Bihar  Special Category status was a possibility,” on his maiden visit to Patna. Then he hurriedly revised the definition of backwardness for determining a States eligibility to enhance Bihar's access to central funds whereby special assistance would now be judged on the basis of measuring a State’s distance from the national average on parameters such as per capita income and other human development indicators. Indeed, tailor-made for the State as it lags behind in the development index. Predictably, this has set the cat among the pigeons and opened another fissure of mistrust between coalition partners JD (U) and BJP. Worried that it was a Central ploy to wean Nitish,  the Saffron Sangh advised its ally not to be “tricked”. Taking umbrage to unsolicited opinion the CM hit out at those “conjecturing a growing bonhomie”' between Congress and JD(U).  Adding, "Those who see politics behind it are victims of ignorance." Clearly, the 16 year-old trust between the allies seems to be fast evaporating, advantage Congress? 

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Of Yatras & Poll Fever

In the rising tensions between BJP and JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar over the Congress’ promise of granting Special Status to Bihar, all Parties have started preparations for the forthcoming general elections. While Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is busy wooing his electorate by resuming his Sewa Yatra, RJD's Lalu Prasad has completed Parivartan Yatra while LJP's Ram Vilas Paswan is hoping to ring in a change with his ongoing Bihar Bachao Yatra. To underscore his claim that he is not a ‘has been’ Lalu Yadav at a massive rally  in Capital Patna unleashed his “T2” sons Tej Pratap and Tejaswi to carry forward the RJD flag, urging the crowds to throw out “dictator” Nitish, who is “behaving like a parrot sitting in the lap of BJP and RSS”. His message was clear: His successors were not wife Rabri, S2 brother-in-law, Sadhu and Subhash but his sons. Undeniably, dynasty is no longer the prerogative of the Congress alone, the regional satraps RJD and SP are not far behind. Leaving one wondering if Lalu’s charisma and days are numbered wherein he has to lean on the Gen Next for support? An unperturbed Nitish continues nonchalantly in the hope of making Bihar’s “Special status” his poll mantra.  What next?

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TN Celebration Mode

Tamil Nadu is in mega celebration mode. It’s Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalitha has completed two years of rule. The announcement on Thursday last, was splashed across full page (some six pages) ads in national dailies! For those who would have missed her blowing her own trumpet, it’s worth a recap. Not one, but many feathers in her cap is the unabashed message. The topmost being “CM Wins Cauvery waters for TN” wherein she states that 30 years in politics, “this is the first time that I have experienced a sense of fulfilment and achievement.” Perhaps, she would have done one better had she been magnanimous to acknowledge the Supreme Court’s role in resolving the TN-Karnataka dispute. But that is obviously not her style. What is, are the innumerable freebies that have been doled out ---“laptops to students, mixies, grinders and electric fans, milch cows, goats and sheeps, free rice to provide food security, four gms gold, Amma canteens giving low priced but quality food to poor …et al. To top it, Jayalalitha is all set to dwarf rival DMK, with the tallest statue in the State of Tamil Thai (mother of Tamil) at a cost of Rs 100 crore! Guess it’s only a fraction of the mega bucks being spent on the celebrations.

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Andhra-Centre On Collision Course

It was unthinkable that Congress-ruled Andhra would be on a collision course with the Centre. But, the cancellation of bauxite mining leases in tribal Vishakhapatnam district has lead to a whopping row. While the State has challenged the move, the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry headed by Congressman Kishore Chandra Deb first asked Governor Narasimhan to use his special powers under Scheduled Areas to cancel the mining leases due to adverse ecological impact May last. When that didn’t work he has now evoked the Forest Rights Act which bars non-tribals from getting mining rights and provisions of the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas Act
(PESA). Many State watchers smell a political rat as the mining leases were given by the late Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy in 2004 and 2009. Another stick to beat YSR’s son and Congress bête noire Jagan Reddy with?

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Drought, Flood States Get Relief

Three drought and flood hit States can breathe easy. This follows the Centre’s approval of Rs.511-crore assistance for Rajasthan, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh following their plight during last year’s natural calamities.  While Rajasthan gets Rs.320 crore, Arunachal Rs.147 crore and Nagaland Rs.44 crore under the National Disaster Management Fund. Further, an additional grant of Rs 256 crore was given to Maharashtra for rejuvenation of orchards in the State’s drought-hit regions. Another bonus is to provide feed concentrates for cattle under the National Mission on Protein Supplements during the current fiscal year. Recall, the Centre had given Rs 3,039 crore for Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Kerala earlier which too were affected by drought. Clearly, the weather God might play hooky but the Government is not leaving anything to Lord Indra.

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Baby Boom In Kerala

Kerala has once again notched up a new record in the country. Whereby it is the first State which has succeeded in reducing deaths of new-born between 28 days or less. According to the latest Sample Registration System the country’s neonatal mortality rate   decreased six per cent from 37 during 2004-10 to 31 per 1000 berths. Significantly,  neonatal deaths comprise the largest fraction of infant moralities. Shockingly, Madhya Pradesh has the highest neonatal deaths followed by Uttar Pradesh. But happily, taking a leaf from God’s own country, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh too have shown dramatic improvement in infant deaths. Thanks to new initiatives likes special new-born care units, new-born stabilization units, warmers and phototherapy units across villages.  Clearly this should help erasing India’s record of abysmal infant mortality.---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)