ROUND THE STATES

New Delhi, 23 August 2006

Delimitation Of Constituencies

REDRAWING POLITICAL MAPS OF STATES

By Insaf

Several States have mounted protests against the proposals of the Delimitation Commission for redrawing their Assembly constituencies and reviewing seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.  U.P., Uttaranchal, Maharashtra and Haryana have so far loudly taken up cudgels against the Commission.  Several political parties in these States have challenged the Commission’s criteria for redrawing the boundaries on the ground of massive migration of population from the rural areas to the cities. So also the population criteria for determining the reserved seats for the SC/ST candidates.  In U.P., for example, if the seats are to be reserved on the basis of the population of the Dalits then the entire western region of the State would be without any reserved constituency. 

The Commission’s decision to ensure that all constituencies for the Assembly and the Lok Sabha have equal or near equal number of voters has also come in for sharp criticism by the political leadership. (The total number of seats in the Assemblies and the Lok Sabha can be altered only after the 2026 Census because of two Constitutional amendments). In Mumbai, for example, this criteria for delimitation, has led to the change of names and areas of all the seven existing Parliamentary constituencies. Haryana politicians, especially some Congress leaders like the firebrand MLA Karan Dalan, feel that the present criteria of the Commission goes against the public interest.  Most constituencies are in a zig-zag manner and proper guidelines need to be framed for their delimitation according to the population.

*                                    *                                   *                                              *

SC Status To Rai Sikhs

Rai Sikhs may soon get de jure status of Scheduled Castes, thanks to the tiring efforts of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, backed by his wife Preneet Kaur, a prominent member of the Lok Sabha.  The Chief Minister made it a poll issue in the recent Ajnala byelection and subsequently followed it up with the Registrar General of India and the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.  Both have approved the proposal and forwarded it to the Ministry of Social Justice, which is expected to take the issue to the Union Cabinet for its nod before a Bill is moved in Parliament under Article 341(2) of the Constitution.  Preneet Kaur is following it up vigorously with the concerned authorities at the highest level and the MPs in New Delhi.  The SC status is overdue to the impoverished community which needs benefits due to the Scheduled Castes legally.

*                                     *                                   *                                              *

Political Battle In Karnataka

The ongoing political battle in Karnataka is now being fought in the courts of law.  A judicial magistrate of Bellary has summoned Chief Minister Kumaraswamy, Home Minister M.P. Prakash and Forest Minister Chennigappa to personally appear in the court in a defamation case filed by the BJP MLA and mine owner G. Janardhan Reddy.  The charge? The Ministers allegedly called Reddy “mentally unstable” when he accused of the CM and his colleagues of accepting bribe of Rs. 150 crore from some Bellary miners.  While Reddy and some other MLAs of the BJP, a coalition partner in the JD(S)-ruled Government in the State, have announced they would produce evidence for the bribe on September 7, the Ministers have filed defamation cases against Reddy in other courts.  The court battles are increasingly threatening to bring down the coalition Government at Bangalore.

*                                    *                                   *                                              *

Insurance For BPL Families In Rajasthan

Rajasthan’s Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has initiated yet another scheme for the welfare of BPL (below poverty line) families. Called “Panna Dhai Jeevan Amrit Yojana”, the scheme will provide life insurance cover to nearly 23 lakh BPL families in the State.  The Chief Minister has already given a cheque of Rs.22.23 crore to the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India as the State Government’s share to implement the scheme, first of its kind in the country.  It provides for assistance to BPL families on the death or permanent disability of the head of the family.  The insurance policy will pay Rs.20,000 to the next-of-kin in case of natural death of the insured and Rs.50,000 on an accident death.

*                                   *                                   *                                              *

Developing Orissa’s Backward Region

Orissa’s Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is determined to uplift the perpetually backward Kalahandi-Belangir-Koraput region of the State. He has worked out two schemes in quick succession after extensively touring the eleven districts of the region.  The first scheme will cover the districts entitled to additional assistance under the Central Government’s Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF) from the current financial year.  The second scheme, “Gopabandhu Gramin Yojana”, is aimed at providing additional funds to critical infrastructure, electrification, roads and water supply.  A sum of Rs. 600 crore has been earmarked for this project during the current financial year.  The progress of these schemes would be monitored on regular basis and more funds would be provided, if required, assured the Chief Minister during his visit to the region.

*                                      *                                   *                                              *

Dry Spell In Rain-Heavy Meghalaya

This year’s monsoon continues to be incredibly whimsical. While it has been raining mercilessly in spells in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, creating havoc for the populace and property, some other parts of the country’s south-west areas are in the grip of dry and debilitating spells. The rain-heavy Meghalaya normally boasts of Cherrapunjee and Mawsyuram as the world’s wettest places and Guinness record holders in regard to the rainfall in the world. But this monsoon, Cherrapunjee has till the time of writing received only one-eighth of the normal rainfall---only 21 mm as against the average rainfall of 1839 mm during the month of August.  In fact, this has saved Assam, Tripura and the foothills of Arunachal Pradesh their annual flood fury!

*                                      *                                   *                                              *

Bihar Prepares For Drought

Bihar too is presently facing the possibility of drought this year, since the depression over the Bay of Bengal has diverted its course bypassing Bihar.  It is shifting to the north-west direction.  Apprehending a grim drought situation, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has earmarked Rs. 50 crore for the farmers.  He has also announced Rs. 10 per litre  subsidy on diesel purchased for irrigation.  He has advised the farmers to “save the crops as much as you can”.   In view of the depleted rainfall, paddy had been sown only in 22 lakh hectares against the target of 37 lakh hectares.  In fact, the RJD Chief and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has pleaded for an all-party meet to work out a strategy in view of inadequate rains this month with the drought conditions already prevailing.

*                                      *                                   *                                              *

Mumbai’s Dream Project

Maharashtra capital Mumbai may hopefully turn into a world-class city like Shanghai by 2020, if the seriousness of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about it is any indication. The PMO has taken steps last week to turn the “dream project” into reality.  In a communication to all the Central Ministries and the State Government it has sought reports on the projects either in the process or on drawing board for the transformation of the country’s financial capital. The focus in the first stage of development will be on redeveloping slums, easing traffic in the rail system and roads, rationalization of environment clearances, modernization of sea links and development of the eastern sea front.  According to a presentation in the PMO, the Centre would pump in Rs. 120,000 crore via the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (NURM) in the Rs.228,000 project.  The amount would be raised through private equity and public sector enterprises. ---INFA

 (Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)