Round The
States
New Delhi, 14 July 2018
States Business Acumen
AP TOPS, GUJARAT SLIDES
By Insaf
Three cheers for
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The two bifurcated States have shown tremendous
resilience since 2014 and given Modi’s Gujarat a run for its money. Chandrababu
Naidu’s AP, however, has been able to shown the thumb to neighbouring
Telangana’s KCR this year and taken the top slot in ease of doing business.
Last year, the two southern States had jointly shared the No 1 slot in the list
prepared by the World Bank and the Department of Industrial Policy and
Promotion (DIPP), but this year, Telangana has slid to No 2 position. Interestingly,
post Narendra Modi era, Gujarat has been slipping – from top post in 2015 to
third last year and eventually fifth this year! While it’s cannot be said with
certainty that Gujarat’s loss is the nation’s gain, the reforms ushered in to
attract both domestic and foreign investors have made the States go into fierce
competitive mode. Surprisingly, Haryana has bagged the 3rd slot,
followed by Jharkhand (4), Chhattisgarh (6), Madhya Pradesh (7), Karnataka (8),
Rajasthan (9) and West Bengal (10). The nation’s capital, Delhi has ranked a
poor 23rd, and will try to take solace that it isn’t exactly at the
bottom of the list which includes Meghalaya, Lakshadweep and Arunachal Pradesh.
These States have unfortunately not shown any inclination to improve business
climate. However, there is hope: in all 17 States achieved a ‘reform evidence’
score of over 90 per cent and 15 achieved a combined score of 90 per cent and
more. Which State will give the other a run for its money, is worth a constant
watch.
* * * * * * *
UP’s
Taj & Paris
Learn from the
French, is a terse message to both the Centre and Uttar Pradesh government. “There
is the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Perhaps it is nothing compared to Taj Mahal.
Eighty million people come there (Paris). This is eight times more than what we
have. You can destroy the Taj, we don’t want to do it,” is what the Supreme
Court told the authorities on Wednesday last. Exasperation was writ large as
the two-member bench, monitoring steps for preserving the Taj, further stated:
“UP is not bothered. No action plan or vision document has come yet. Either you
demolish it (Taj) or you restore it.” Obviously, its earlier order of putting a
moratorium on expansion of industrial units in the Taj Trapezium Zone and
checking impact of pollution on Taj’s marble seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
The court is to hear the matter daily and if the authorities come out
convincing by the deadline set, month-end, it would be the ‘eighth wonder of
the world!’
* * * * * * *
Maharashtra
Fails Miserably
Nothing can change.
That’s what the nation’s financial capital Mumbai has the country and the
outside world believe. Sadly, it’s the same old story every monsoon year after
year. The BJP-Shiv Sena government has failed miserably to fight the monsoon
blues. The city is flooded and the people’s misery finds no end. Satellite townships
of Vasai, Nallasopara and Virar were marooned on Tuesday last after rail and
road connections to Mumbai snapped. Over 1,500-odd passengers were helpless,
stranded for 4-8 hours before they could be rescued as long-distance trains were
stalled. Besides, nearly 400 residents of low-lying salt pan lands in Manikpur
had to be rescued on boats by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
Schools had to be shut, flights disrupted, office goers forced to stay home et
all, as it happens every year. And, what does the Fadnavis government have to
say? Prior to the rains, its local authorities assured they were prepared, now
during the havoc they say we are monitoring the situation and when the rain
Gods oblige and go away they will say ‘all is well’. The big question of
accountability gets drowned in the floods.
* * * * * * *
Bihar
Poll Strategy
No cracks in the
alliance in Bihar, is a message partners BJP-JD(U) seek to give to the people.
On Thursday last, Amit Shah finally put Patna on the radar and met ‘sulking’ Chief
Minister Nitish Kumar, who has recently been questioning the Centre’s moves.
While time will tell how ‘mutual respect’ and a seat-sharing agreement for 2019
poll will pan out, Nitish is in the meantime going all out to revive his
popularity, particularly among those impacted by prohibition. On Tuesday last,
his Cabinet approved amendments to Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016, to water
down provisions, such as arrest of all adults, seizure of house/vehicle where
liquor is recovered etc. so that people are “not harassed unnecessarily.” Apparently,
since April 2016 over 1.4 lakh people have been booked under this law of which
the SCs, OBCs and EBCs faced the most brunt. Nitish realises that the
marginalised section is his big vote bank, which he must hold on to come what
may.
* * * * * * *
MP
Poll Wary
Madhya Pradesh is
wary of any election as of now. Adversity should be kept at an arm’s length, seems
to be the BJP government’s strategy, till of course when it has to bite the
bullet, Assembly polls year-end. Not only have elections to 257 agriculture
produce marketing committees been deferred, but so also to five urban local
bodies. It managed to prevail upon the State Election Commission not to issue
the notification on Wednesday as ‘reservation of wards for SC, ST and women in
these five bodies hadn’t been published in official gazette.’ Who is the
culprit? The government of course as the responsibility to issue the notification
is its. The next obvious question: did it do so wittingly or unwittingly? Rival
Congress says it’s deliberate and ‘undemocratic’: “the BJP is scared of losing
as it has done precious little for the people” and doesn’t want a ripple effect
in the big battle. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan would do well to take
on the Opposition by doing the needful. Sooner the better?
* * * * * *
Himachal’s
Cow Sanctuary
Gaushalas (cow
shelters) will soon be passé. Himachal Pradesh is soon to set up cow
sanctuaries instead. On Tuesday last, BJP Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur inaugurated
such a project at Kotla-Barog, covering an area of 107 bighas, to cost Rs 1.55
cr. This says the government, will provide a suitable ‘natural living
environment’ and grazing facility to 500 stray cows. The animals will be ‘free
to roam in the area fenced’ instead of being kept indoors and fed in-house as
in existing gaushalas. Further, proper
sheds will be built, caretakers posted, veterinary services available etc for
the experiment to succeed. Insofar as funding is concerned, the government has
already thought of a kitty—it takes one rupee cow cess on each bottle of liquor
sold in the State and has made it mandatory on temple trusts to shell out 15
per cent of annual earning for existing gausadans/gaushalas.
All the name of protection and ‘enrichment’ of the cow! It would not be uncanny
if one heard beggars and the homeless in the State wishing for being born a cow
in the next birth. ---INFA
(Copyright, India
News & Feature Alliance)
|