Round The States

New Delhi, 9 January 2016

Supreme Court Wields Stick

STATES HAULED FOR RELIEF OPS

By Insaf

The Supreme Court has wielded the big stick by asking eight drought-prone States to submit relief efforts it has undertaken so far within ten days. Namely, provide free food grains and employment under MNREGA in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. More so against the backdrop that these States have registered pathetic uptake in the employment scheme unlike Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and West Bengal. Shockingly, these States have even failed to implement the Food Security Act. Citing the example of Bundelkhand in UP, the Court observed that 60 per cent of the poor were deprived of milk, 39 per cent any pulses and most scandalously, 14 per cent of the people had gone to sleep hungry in the last 30 days. In Jharkhand, tribals survive on roots or the carcass of wild or domestic animals. This is not all. The culprit States had abdicated their Constitutional responsibility under Article 21 which ensures the Right of Life and provides for dignified existence, guaranteeing at least two square meals a day. Will the States oblige?

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Tamil Nadu Shows The Way

On the obverse, the citizens of Chennai have every reason to rejoice as they woke up with a pleasant surprise of money in their banks. Thanks, to the Tamil Nadu Government keeping its promise of disbursing monies, Rs.5000 each to  people affected by floods who lost their property, household belongings and wealth. Already, the State Government has transferred Rs.700 crores to 14 lakh flood-hit families under Prime Minister Modi’s Jan Dhan Scheme. All credit to Chief Minister Jayalalitha who has lived up to her commitment of proving succor to her people.

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Lalu Land Does It Again

This can only happen in Lalu land. Outrageously over 1300 anti-cancer drugs are selling 1900 per cent over the maximum retail price in Bihar, thereby earning a huge profit at the cost of patients lives. Thanks to a nexus between pharmaceuticals companies and crime syndicates who have made mockery of the Nitish Kumar Government’s drug price control policy. An example, a vial of the Doxorubican Hydrochloride injection costing Rs. 216.94 is selling at Rs.9000 and I-Dox 50 mg injection priced at Rs.1064.70 at Rs.4313.13. Can you imagine? Clearly, life comes very cheap in this cow belt State infamous for Jungle Raaj!

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UP Wooes NRIs

Ulta-Pulta Pradesh is trying for an image make over. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav is busy selling a new dream of UP as a Land of Unlimited Opportunities boasting natural and human resources to the Indian Diaspora, especially the NRIs. Inaugurating the States Pravasi Divas in Agra Wednesday last, Yadav wooed NRIs hailing from the State to contribute to their motherland’s development. Happily for him he was able to garner 13 MOUs in various sectors especially trade investment, finance, education and technology. To show case his seriousness, his Government has set up a distinct UP NRI Department to provide a support structure and other services relating to their families who continue to reside in the State. Along side a migrant resource centre has been set up in the State capital Lucknow as a nodal agency. It remains to be seen how many NRIs will relish the carrot Akhilesh has dangled?

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Delhi Experiment To Curtail Pollution

Union Capital New Delhi is the first State to try and exorcise the demon air pollution. In a novel experiment Chief Minister Kejriwal has embarked on initiating an odd-even number car policy for 15 days as a trial wherein four wheel vehicles would hit the roads depending on the last digit of their number plates on odd-even days. For reasons best known to him the State Government has exempted two and three wheelers along with VIPs including the judiciary from this rule. To set an example Kejriwal and three of his Ministers have car pooled. His Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia cycles to the work as also the Supreme Court Chief Justice who shares a car with some brother judges. Predictably, this has led to chaos at various metro stations and bus stops. Happily for the Government the Delhi denizens are cooperating in full measure. Perhaps it has something to do with the steep Rs.2000 fine for violating the rule. However, despite this experiment there has been no visible drop in the pollution levels. The only upside being the roads present a smooth traffic free ride. Already Gujarat has taken a leaf of Kejriwal’s method.

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Tripura Governor In Controversy

Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy has landed in to a fresh controversy with his reportedly outlandish remarks pertaining to how the Pathankot terrorists should be treated. Asserting that they should be given “Russian treatment wherein militants are rapped in pigs skin and buried faced down in pig excreta”. Prompting a debate on whether a lakshman rekha should be drawn between a Governor’s personal opinion and that as a head of the State. But Roy continues to be unfazed by the avalanche of criticism in the social media, questioning why this sympathy for corpses of jihadis. In his defence, he calls himself a nationalist and justifies his remarks as “thinking out of the box”. What next? ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)