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ROUND THE STATES
New Delhi, 21 June 2006
Haryana Towards
Progress
POLL POLITICS HOTS
UP IN U.P.
By Insaf
Pre-poll politics in U.P. has suddenly hotted up. All political parties have swung into
election mode for the next battle for the Assembly
early next year. In a financially audacious
move, Chief Minister Mulayam Singh has announced a hundred per cent hike in the
unemployment allowance – from Rs.500 per month to Rs.1,000 – if his Samajwadi
Party is voted back to power. Denouncing
this as a “cash-for-votes” scheme, the Opposition parties too have fired their
first salvos. The Congress Chief,
Sonia Gandhi, focused on the Mulayam Government during her two-day visit to her
constituency Rae Bareli, last week and lambasted it for victimising her voters.
She alleged that they were being singled out for “maltreatment” and, among
other things, were being deprived of uninterrupted power supply. She has urged them to spread out and work hard
for regaining power in the State.
Former Chief Minister and the BSP supremo Mayawati,
presently considered to be a strong favourite as Mulayam’s successor, has launched an anti-Congress and anti-Samajwadi Party offensive. She has
planned to hit the road against the Congress-led
UPA Government’s reservation and economic policies. Smaller parties too have started a
realignment process. The Left Front, which is presently supporting
the UPA Government at the Centre, is talking to Mulayam Singh for a possible electoral adjustment. The CPM General
Secretary, Prakash Karat announced at Lucknow
that the Left parties were behind the Samajwadi Party for taking up the issues that concern the common man. The JD(U) Chief
Sharad Yadav has declined to have any poll ties with the BJP in U.P., without
affecting its relationship at the national level.
* * * *
Haryana Towards
Global Economy
Haryana has taken a giant step towards a place in global
economy, thanks to the untiring efforts of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh
Hooda. It has signed a landmark deal with the Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL)
for setting up a massive Special
Economic Zone (SEZ), spanning 25,000 acres in Gurgaon and Jhajjar districts
adjoining the Union Capital. According to the RIL Chairman, Mukesh Ambani, the
massive project involves an
investment of about Rs.40,000 crore and would have a potential of creating
about ten lakh jobs. It will have low
polluting units in 6,500 acres, institutional and recreational area in 1250
acres, a cargo airport and a residential complex in 3,750 acres. About 500
companies are expected to invest in the project, including 10 to 15 of the
world’s best companies.
The agreement for the massive
project was to be signed a week earlier, but had to be deferred amid criticism
by some political opponents, including Congress
MP, Kuldeep Bishnoi, younger son of Bhajan Lal, who was thereupon pulled up by the
party’s High Command. Surprisingly, the opponents of the project attacked the
public-private venture as a sell-out, even though the State’s equity in the
project is only upto 10 per cent. As Hooda explained after the deal was signed
at Chandigarh on Monday, the project will benefit the entire country and help
the State generate an additional revenue of Rs.10,000 crore. The CM has accused the BJP and the INLD for
misleading the public. And about Bishnoi, his own party’s MP? “Somebody might
have a personal problem”, says the CM.
* * * *
M.P. CM’s
Priorities
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chauhan has
given top priority to development of the State and welfare of the people,
unconcerned by the threats to his Government by his opponents. Sharply reacting to the challenge by his
predecessor Uma Bharti that she
would bring his Government down by September, Chauhan told a Press meet in New Delhi that he would concentrate on his
development priorities, leaving her to “focus on her job”. The BJP has its base in Madhya Pradesh, since
the 1960s, thanks to dedicated efforts of the party, not of any
individual. The party, he said, had won
the Assembly poll in 2003 on the bijli, sadak and pani (electricity,
roads and water) plank. The Government was, therefore, focussing its attention on all the three basic problems
of the people.
Chauhan trots out “solid facts” in support of his claim.
During the last two-and-a-half years, the BJP Government has laid 17,200 km of
roads and is targeting to add another 22,000 km during the second half of its
tenure. In fact, he is confident that by the end of his Government’s term in
2008, Madhya Pradesh would easily match the developed States in regard to
roads. Insofar as electricity is
concerned, the Government has already generated additional 1700 MW and his aim
is to add another 2,600 MW by 2008 through various ongoing schemes. Several
irrigation schemes too have been developed, bringing about 24,700 hectares more
under irrigation. The CM has planned to bring another 18 lakh hectares under
irrigation by constructing small checkdams, stop dams, rejuvenation of village
ponds through a “Khet Talab Yojana” and development of new waterbodies. A meeting
of non-resident Indians to boost investments is also planned. A “single table” system has been created for
speedy clearance of investment proposals.
* * * *
Nitish’s Demand
From Centre
Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has discussed in depth the law and order situation in the
State with the Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil in New Delhi over the
week-end. He apprised Patil about the
constitution of a Special Auxiliary Police Force for the purpose, but wanted
more Central para-military forces to tackle increasing Naxalite menace in the
State. The CM has also demanded re-deployment of several Companies of Central
forces which were withdrawn from the State for duty in five other States for
the recent Assembly polls. He has
also demanded the setting up of a disaster management institute in Bihar, since
the State frequently faces the twin problem of drought and floods. The Home
Minister has assured the CM of early
consideration of his demands.
* * * *
Rumbai Meghalaya’s
New CM
A long-drawn political turmoil in Meghalaya ended last week
with J.D. Rumbai replacing D.D. Lapang as the Chief Minister. Lapang failed to
survive the second revolt against him in the 29-member Congress Assembly
group. He lost to Rumbai 12-17 at the
CLP meeting. A gentleman to the core,
Rumbai was chosen as the Chief Minister for his unanimous acceptance by all the
alliance partners of the Congress-led
Meghalaya Democratic Alliance. The
Alliance has 45 MLAs in the 60-member Assembly.
The new CM has now included Robert Lyngdoh in his 12-member Cabinet. Remember,
Lyngdoh was dropped by Lapang during the Cabinet downsizing two years ago. He
was then a powerful and popular Home Minister and was coming to be projected as
a potential Chief Minister.
* * * *
PM Monitors Rural
Area Plans
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has now planned to personally
monitor the progress in the
implementation of a series of his Government’s expensive welfare schemes for
the poor. He would start soon touring rural areas for the purpose. He has
planned a three-day visit next week to Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region, one of
the most backward areas where hundreds of farmers have been driven to suicide
over the last few years. Bihar, Orissa
and other States would be next on his itinerary to evaluate implementation of
the Central programmes, like the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme,
Bharat Nirman, Sarva Siksha Abhiyan and the Mid-Day Meal Scheme for school
children. The PM is strongly of the view
that close watch on these mega plans is imperative to make a much-needed difference
to the lives of the poor.---INFA
(Copyright, India News and Feature
Alliance)
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