|
Round
The States
New Delhi, 25 April 2020
Cong States Vs Centre
INVISIBLE ENEMY SURPASSED!
By Insaf
The battle has sadly shifted from fighting
the invisible enemy to gloves being off between the States and the Centre. New
Delhi is not providing financial assistance to Opposition Congress-ruled
States, an accusation which has come into sharp focus in lockdown COVID-19 II,
dashing hopes of cooperative federalism seen in early stages of the epidemic. At
the Congress Working Committee meeting via video conferencing on Thursday last,
Chief Ministers of Rajasthan, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Puducherry spelt out
grievances of the Centre not paying heed to their demands respectively: Gehlot
said the rapid testing kits have failed and there is urgent need for
centralised procurement of kits, ventilators to ensure availability, quality
and quantity; Amarinder Singh pointed out to resources of Rs 4,400 crore of GST
not having been released by the Centre and instead of 1 lakh rapid testing
kits, they got only 10,000; Baghel warned of situation arising out of return of
students and migrant workers stuck in other States and sought a policy by the Centre,
which “unfortunately was silent”. V Narayanasamy accused the Centre of not
giving any aid, “How will the state survive in times of crisis…We are not
enemies but have to act, work together.” Does more need be said?
* * * * * * *
West
Bengal Hits Back
West Bengal is back to its devious tactics.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday last has accused the Centre of
dispatching faulty COVID-19 testing kits, and is ignoring the two
Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) request for a detailed presentation, inspection
visits to 12 hotspots, nine COVID-19 hospitals, six markets, and four
quarantine centres across Kolkata, Howrah, East Midnapore and North 24
Parganas. This follows among others, a report of National Institute of
Epidemiology, showing the State in bottom of the list with just 5000 tests,
though the proportion of people testing positive was 6.8%, 2nd highest after Delhi with 8%. The one-man army
of the State remains Mamata didi, who
is either attacking the Centre or just talking about her intense ‘concern’ for
the people. Her drama of moving around the city is indeed unique but doesn’t
really help contain the epidemic. The poor health infrastructure, virtually
non-existent in many rural areas, has complicated matters. Necessary tests are
not being conducted in rural areas or even in small and medium towns. Only time will tell how the ever-enterprising
Mamatadidi will hide vital statistics
and tackle the situation?
* * * * * * *
Gujarat
Faux Pas
The Gujarat government comes in for a rude
shock. All set to do a good deed --disburse Rs 1000 through direct bank
transfer (DBT) under its “Mukhyamantri
Garib Kalyan Package” (CM’s welfare package for poor) during the lockdown,
the food, civil supplies and consumer affairs department woke up to the fact
that over 26 lakh ration cards holders of the over 68 lakh have been found to
be “unverified”. The scheme costing Rs 680 crore was announced on April 18 and money
to be disbursed April 20 onwards. Instead it has now had to deploy a workforce
of 17,000 government teachers for a ‘door-to-door’ survey since Thursday last
to verify 38% of these cards under National Food Security Act as these neither
have verified bank accounts nor Aadhar numbers are linked to their accounts nor
are they availing LPG subsidy through Aadhaar numbers linked to ration cards!
So what were they doing all this while? Their explanation: “we have never used the
data we have to transfer money directly to their bank accounts!” Not only is be
time consuming, but defeats the very purpose of reaching out to the needy when
they most need it. Worse, besides Ahmedabad, “unverified” beneficiaries exist
in other districts—Bhavnagar, Banaskantha, Kutch, Surat, Rajkot, and Kheda. At
the end it may be too little too late!
* * * * * * *
Jharkhand,
Bihar PDS Scam
The needy get short changed in Jharkand and
Bihar too! Leakages in Public Distribution System have come under sharp focus.
The governments have had to act against PDS dealers. In Jharkhand, which has 25,445
PDS dealers for 2.63 crore families, licences of 865 dealers are in the dock-- 297
suspended, 9 dealerships cancelled, 524 given show-cause notices and 44 face
FIRs. The helpline hasn’t stopped ringing as though the State promised double
ration of 70 kg rice in April, dealers weren’t giving the entire amount and some
even confiscating ration cards. In Bihar, which had decided to give 5 kg rice
and 1 kg pulses for three months as lockdown relief, so far 200 dealers’ licences
are suspended. But there is the other side too: dealers complain the
commission/compensation agreed on remains on paper! Clearly, the system needs
transparency. There can be no justification of siphoning off the ration, specially
not now. The needy must get their due come what may. Once the lockdown is
lifted, system must be overhauled and not be left till another rainy day.
* * * * * * *
Maharashtra’s
Police Shame
Palghar in Maharashtra should make the
nation’s police force hang its head in shame. It was yet another shameful
abdication of duty by the men in Khaki. They looked the other way when three
men were lynched with stones, logs and axes in Gadchinchle by a mob of 400-odd villagers,
belonging to a tribal community, on Thursday night. The two sadhus and their driver
were travelling from Mumbai to Surat to attend a funeral, but villagers
suspected them as thieves as rumours were floating that organ-harvesting gangs
and child-lifters were on the prowl! Videos, which went viral, show the small
police team failed to intervene, rather surrendered to mob violence! So far,
101 people have been arrested and cops suspended. Chief Minister Uddhav
Thackeray needs to do more and ensure there is rule of law. To allow it to
collapse will invite trouble. Memory of lynchings in UP, Rajasthan and Jharkhand
over suspected illegal cattle trade is very much alive.
* * * * * * *
5
States & The Republic
The nation is watching. The big fight from within
five States against Editor-in-Chief and founder of Republic TV channel, Arnab
Goswami reached the Supreme Court on Friday last, with the latter urging quashing
of FIRs filed against him, accusing him of “deliberately making inflammatory
statements to invoke hatred” and using derogatory language against Congress supremo
Sonia Gandhi. In his show on Palghar case, Goswami reportedly made personal
remarks on Sonia, her family and Italian connection and that she would boast of
getting sadhus lynched in a State where she formed government! Peeved rightly,
Congress had its cadres react. In all 16 cases were registered in Madhya
Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and J&K under IPC Sections 153
(a) (promoting enmity on grounds of religion, race, etc), 295 (a) (deliberate
and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) and 505 (statements
conducing to public mischief). Though the SC refused to quash the primary FIR,
it passed directions that no coercive action be taken against him for 2 weeks,
stayed any further FIRs filed and asked Mumbai police to give him and his
office protection. He was permitted to move anticipatory bail before trial or
High Courts. Expectedly, it will be a long drawn battle given the political
agendas. ---INFA
(Copyright, India
News & Feature Alliance)
New Delhi
24 April 2020
|
Archives 
