Round The States
New Delhi, 30 June 2011
India’s Neglected
North-East
NEW INTEGRATING
POLICY
By Insaf
India’s strategic and sensitive North
East, which has tragically remained neglected over the decades, is at long last
receiving the attention of the UPA Government. Its Minister BK Handique, who
himself hails from the region, has come forward with plans to end this neglect,
and bring the region, bordering China
meaningfully closer to the rest of the country. Importantly, the Development of
North-East Region Ministry has prepared a new policy document “Multi-Utility Aviation
in the NE Region— An alternative innovative model for hastening development”
and sought the Prime Minister’s approval. The aim, says Handique is clearly to
have “a well-defined north-eastern perspective in civil aviation policy to put
air connectivity on the fast track. It’s our lifeline.” Crucially, he insists
there is need “to break the shell of isolation” within which the people of the
region live. This, can be achieved if only the N-E is ensured smaller airports
and aircraft, inter-regional connectivity and more frequent flights—all spelled
out in the Plan. Time for the Centre to act and end this isolation.
* * * *
States Bail Out
Centre
Most States have shockingly been asked by the Centre to pay
the price for its unfair but so-called “unavoidable” hike in prices of cooking
gas, diesel and LPG. While the Congress-ruled
States and UPA allies such as Rajasthan,
Delhi, Kerala and West
Bengal have taken the lead in lessening the burden by reducing the
value-added tax (VAT) on petroleum products, the BJP insists it would not tell
its Chief Ministers to do likewise. Its argument: “The hike in fuel prices is
because of the Centre’s mistake. So how can it ask us to bring them down?”
Additionally, it insists that while the Manmohan Singh Government will give
some part of its increased revenue to its States through the backdoor, the
BJP-ruled States will, as usual get discriminated. However, given the misery of
the aam admi, BJP-ruled Himachal and
Uttarakhand and NDA partners Punjab and Bihar
have decided to slash VAT to provide relief to the common man. It would be
worth watching how many others follow suit and not get bogged down with
Centre-State politics.
* * * *
Rajasthan’s Shelter
Call
Congress-led Rajasthan has coined a new initiative for the UPA
Government to add to its flagship. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has mooted the
idea of “Right to Shelter” in corollary to the UPA’s initiative to provide Right
to Information, Education and Food Security. He wants the Centre to ensure
affordable homes to the country’s citizens, like he proposes to do in his
State. Rajasthan has already taken the first step and set itself a target to
provide houses to five lakh people under the Affordable Housing Policy. This
apart, it has taken Rs 3,400 crore as loan from HUDCO for the “Mahamantri
Gramin BPL Awas Yojna.” Additionally, Gehlot has impressed upon the Centre to
revive its National River Link Programme, which for some reasons has been
abandoned. If a new initiative to provide shelter is announced, at least people
will know whom to thank.
* * * *
Battle Cry For
Telangana
The battle for Telangana appears to be building momentum
once again in Andhra Pradesh. On Wednesday last, President of the Telenagana
Rashtriya Samithi (TSR) K Chandrasekhar sounded the bugle, warning the Centre
against the reported move to constitute an autonomous regional development
council for Telangana on the model of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council. At a
meeting held in memory of Telangana ideologue Jayashankar in Hyderabad, the TSR chief promised to carry
forward an uncompromised fight for the separate State. He demanded that the UPA
keep its promise made in December 2009 or else Telangana will burn. How
seriously will Chandrasekhar be taken this time by the Centre or even his
people, only time will tell!
* * * *
Delhi’s Plea To Centre
Delhi is making all efforts to remove the
absurd situation of the Centre having a control over its local administration.
Last week, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit impressed upon Union Home Minister P
Chidambaram to give the nod for a three-way split of the Municipal Corporation
of Delhi. A
draft Bill, which shall replace the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957,
under which the MCD is administered by the Centre, already has the Delhi
Cabinet’s approval. If the Centre agrees, the Capital will soon have a Delhi
Municipal Authority, to oversee the work of three new municipal corporations--
in North, South and East. Additionally, Dikshit has sought a whopping 300 per
cent raise in the perks and privileges of her MLAs and Ministers. While the
MLAs salary is proposed to be raised from Rs 32,000 per month to nearly Rs 1
lakh, that of Ministers would increase from Rs 43,000 to about 1.2 lakhs.
Wonder how this will ensure “effective administration.”
* * * *
Gujarat Destroys Records
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has got yet another
breather in the ongoing probe into the 2002 riots in the State. In a shocking
revelation, the State Intelligence Bureau informed the Nanavati-Mehta
Commission that its records such as telephone records, registers of officers’
movements and vehicle log books relating to the riots were destroyed in 2007.
This, is as per “standard practice” of not keeping records beyond five years,
was its simple justification. It may be recalled that IPS officer Sanjay Bhatt
had claimed that Modi had asked officials to allow the Hindus vent their anger
against the Muslims after the Godhra train attack. He particularly sought that the
Commission call for the IB records to prove his allegations. Now with these
gone, what option the Commission has before it, is worth a watch.
* * * *
Shock Waves In MP
Indore has not only sent shock waves in
Madhya Pradesh but the entire nation. Top clinics and hospitals in the city are
converting girls into boys. The numbers are not handful but go into hundreds
every year and worse at ages when the children (1-5 years) cannot even give
their consent. The clinics are offering to “produce” a male child from a female
through genitoplasty, which involves correcting the genital abnormality through
surgery. This apart the kids are pumped with hormones, which makes the process
irreversible. The trend, which caters to the fetish for a son, has made couples
from other metropolis head towards Indore.
The crass misuse of genitoplasty, which is commonly used among fully grown
patients, has fortunately caught the attention of the Prime Minister’s Office.
It has ordered an inquiry into this unethical practice and is sending a team of
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. It’s report, obviously
is anxiously awaited. ---INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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