J&K situation not yet normal, says Chidambaram.Jones' visit fortifies strategic partnership: U.S.
US pushes for India-Pakistan dialogue despite ISI-Taliban links
Monsoon session: It is raining losses in parliament.
Price issue rocks Parliament, both houses adjourned till Monday
Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams, chapter 533
Palash Biswas
http://indianholocaustmyfatherslifeandtime.blogspot.com/
Acknowledging that situation in Jammu and Kashmir is "not yet" normal, the Centre on Friday made it clear that it was committed to holding quiet dialogue with all shades of opinion in the State and said "we are willing to hold talks with our own people."Meanwhile,a range of bilateral, regional and global issues including the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan were discussed during the two-day visit of U.S. National Security Adviser General (Retired) James Jones in New Delhi.Gen. Jones, who came on Wednesday at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Shivshankar Menon, called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Defence Minister A.K. Antony, Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Naik.Mind you,India and the U.S. on Friday signed the Counter Terrorism Initiative (CCI) to forge close and effective cooperation in counter-terrorism, information-sharing and capacity-building.
Meanwhile, the issue of price rise rocked the fourth day of Parliament's Monsoon Session on Friday. Both the houses were adjourned till Monday.An unrelenting opposition continued its vociferous protest on the issue of price rise leading to the adjournment of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
The United States says it encourages a dialogue between India and Pakistan despite 'revelations' of known links between Pakistani spy agency ISI and the Taliban as it is in the interest of all three nations.
'We are simply encouraging Pakistan and India to pursue a dialogue that we think is fundamentally in the interest of both countries,' State Department spokesman Phillip Crowley told reporters Thursday when asked why the US was nudging India for talks when it knew that ISI was funding Taliban to kill Indians in Afghanistan.
'Pakistan's relationship with elements that morphed into the Taliban go back to the Soviet occupation were very well known,' he said asserting like other US officials from President Barack Obama down that there was nothing new in the over 90,000 secret US military documents leaked by WikiLeaks.
'They're known to the United States, they're known to India, and they're known to Afghanistan,' Crowley said when asked if the US had shared with India intelligence about ISI's relationship with the Taliban before it asked India to go in for talks with Pakistan.
Asked if the US would now be putting more pressure ally Pakistan to bring those responsible for Nov 26, 2008 Mumbai terror attacks as the US now acknowledges the relationship between the ISI and the Taliban extremist groups of which India had provided proof, Crowley repeated: 'It is not a new revelation.'
'Our concerns about the ISI and its contacts with some of these elements has been well known,' he said. 'It has been a part of our conversation with Pakistan for some time. Pakistan itself has commented publicly about this.
'But we are focused on the decisive action that Pakistan must take to deal with the threat that is within its borders and has, in the last year or two, become clear that it's a threat to Pakistan, and we are satisfied with the aggressive action that Pakistan has taken in response,' Crowley said.
'We want to see that aggressive action continue,' he said. 'Where we have concerns about ongoing contacts, we will not hesitate to raise them with Pakistan.'
But ultimately, as we seek a military and political solution to this challenge, it will take the leadership of Afghanistan, as was outlined last week in the Kabul conference, he said. 'But Pakistan will have to play a role in this, as will other countries in the region.'
Unions opposed to SAIL disinvestment: Government
Unions are opposed to disinvestment in Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), the government today informed the Rajya Sabha.
SAIL's 20 per cent share sale plan to mop up about Rs 16,000 crore, earlier planned in October-November this year, already faces some regulatory hurdles.
"It is informed by SAIL that some of the unions have resorted to distribution of pamphlets and also staged demonstrations protesting against the decision regarding disinvestment of SAIL," Minister of State for Steel A Sai Prathap told the Upper House in a written reply.
He, however, said, "the disinvestment of Government of India's shareholding in Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) is in line with the Government's policy to develop larger people's ownership of Central Public Sector Enterprises with Government retaining majority shareholding and control."
In April, the government had cleared a proposal to sell 20 per cent equity in the country's largest steelmaker. The share sale would see the government offloading 10 per cent of its stake in the steel maker, while the company would raise fresh equity in the same proportion.
On share sale timing, Prathap said the Government has decided to disinvest its shareholding in SAIL besides raising additional equity by SAIL, "in two discrete tranches to be issued at appropriate times in consideration of SEBI guidelines and prevailing market conditions."
The government, at present, holds a little over 85 per cent stake in SAIL and post-FPO, its equity in the company is expected to go down to about 69 per cent. Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh had said the FPO could fetch Rs 16,000 crore.
Prathap, however, said "the actual amount that would be raised through disinvestment as well as from FPO would depend upon a number of factors including inter-alia the prevailing market conditions, share price and investors' interest."
A top government official had last week said that SAIL share sale, earlier scheduled in October-November may not come in 2010 as it is still not SEBI compliant for the FPO as its proposal to appoint independent directors on its board is lying with the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).
The country's largest steelmaker has 12 official directors onboard, besides two independent directors. The company would have to hire at least 10 more independent directors to become SEBI compliant.
However, the company has proposed to trim the total board strength to 18, consisting of nine officials and an equal number of independent directors and a nod for restructuring of SAIL Board is awaited from the ACC.
India April-June fiscal deficit at $8.64 bn: Govt
India's fiscal deficit for the April-June quarter touched Rs 401.96 billion ($8.64 billion), or 10.5 per cent of the full-year target, mainly due to receipts of about Rs 1 trillion from sale of radio spectrum, the government said on Friday. The fiscal deficit during the first quarter in the 2009/10 fiscal year stood at 31 per cent of the full-year's revised gross domestic product estimates. Tax receipts were Rs 839.94 billion and total expenditure was Rs 2.42 trillion for the first three months of the 2010/11 fiscal year. In February 2010, the government had forecast a fiscal deficit of Rs 3.81 trillion, or 5.5 per cent of gross domestic product for the current financial year. |
The government spends Rs.7.65 crore for each day of a parliament session, and with the first five days of the ongoing monsoon session being washed away due to unending opposition protests over rising prices, this translates into a loss of Rs.38.2 crore ($8.5 million) for Indian the taxpayer, to go by official figures. Consider this: The total budget of the two houses of parliament and the ministry of parliamentary affairs for 2010-11 is nearly Rs.535 crore. In a year, parliament meets thrice, for the budget, monsoon and winter sessions. In the past five years (2005-2009) there have been an average of 70 sittings per year. That means the expenditure for each day of a session is nearly Rs.7.65 crore.
In the Lok Sabha, Speaker Meira Kumar called for Question Hour prompting BJP members to troop to the well and raise slogans against the government. She then adjourned the proceedings till noon.
After the House reassembled, the opposition members persisted with their protests in the well and forced adjournment for the day.
Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj said: "We have been pressing for a debate on price rise for the past four days either under adjournment motion or Rule 184, but the government is adamant on not having a debate under any rule that entails voting,"
Rajya Sabha also has been adjourned till Monday following uproar over the price rise issue.
On Wednesday, Meira Kumar rejected the opposition's demand for a vote on the price rise issue.
Kumar said the price rise is a matter of concern and may be discussed in any form other than the adjournment motion.
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New Delhi: Acknowledging that situation in Jammu and Kashmir is "not yet" normal, the Centre on Friday made it clear that it was committed to hold quiet dialogue with all shades of opinion in the
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Islamabad/Peshawar: Nearly 300 people have died in floods and landslides triggered by torrential monsoon rains in different parts of Pakistan, with most of the deaths reported in the countrys
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New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will take over the probe into the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast, Home Minister P. Chidambaram announced Friday while also saying the government aimed
Asked whether any political party was also involved in disrupting peace in the Valley, Mr. Chidambaram nodded in agreement and said "presumably".
Briefing reporters here after presenting his report card for the month of July, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said the stand of the Government was clear. "From the day one I have favoured a quiet dialogue with all sections of opinion, all groups, all political parties."
He was replying to a question whether the Centre was willing to hold talks with separatists groups including Hurriyat Conference in the State.
"I continue to meet leaders of different groups and political parties," he said but admitted that "there has been some interruption in the process... I do not deny that."
"But we are always prepared to meet everyone who is willing to meet us. The Prime Minister said he favours a dialogue with all groups. Chief Minister of the State is encouraged to meet all groups. Talking to our won people — what is the reservation? There is no reservation at all.
"We are willing to talk to our own people," he said.
Asked whether any political party was also involved in disrupting peace in the Valley, Mr. Chidambaram nodded in agreement and said "presumably".
Mr. Chidambaram had announced last year that he would be holding quiet diplomacy with separatists organisations and also met Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq on three occasions. However, the separatist group backtracked from the process after terrorists shot at a moderate leader Farl-ul-Haq Qureshi earlier this year.
He disagreed with a suggestion that separatists' writ was running in the State. "I don't agree with you that the writ of the separatists is running. Yes, in Srinagar and some other towns, they are able to mobilise support, urge people to indulge in stone pelting and are able to call bandhs."
According to the State government, he said, there are many areas in the Valley which are "quite normal or by and large normal.
"...They (State government) have announced a few measures. They have appointed a Commission of Inquiry, they are formulating a surrender policy, they have offered compensation and jobs… hope these measures will help in normalising the situation," he said.
In his written statement, Mr. Chidambaram said the situation in the State is "not yet normal. Repeated calls for bandh have paralysed normal life in the Valley. Security forces continue to operate in a difficult situation exercising maximum restraint."
Obama to address joint session of Parliament
To accomodate Obama's plan to address the MPs, the Winter Session of Parliament that usually starts in the second week of November, is likely to be advanced.
U.S. President Barack Obama, who will undertake his first state visit to India in November, is expected to address a joint session of Parliament.
Mr. Obama is expected to address the joint session on November 9, government sources said here on Friday.
In view of this plan, the Winter Session of Parliament, that usually starts in the second week of November, will be advanced, they said.
Mr. Obama, who took over as U.S. President in January last year, will be undertaking his first state visit to India with an aim of pushing the bilateral ties to new heights.
Mr. Obama's predecessor George W. Bush, who visited India in March 2006, could not have the honour of addressing the joint session of Parliament of the world's largest democracy.
Initially, Mr. Bush was tipped to address the joint session but the plan was dropped when the Left parties threatened to boycott it.
The Left parties were critical of Mr. Bush over the war in Iraq.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton had addressed the joint session during his visit in 2000.
Among others to have addressed the Indian MPs at a joint session was the then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who visited India in August 2007.
"International terrorism, the global governance architecture and emerging threats to international security were also discussed," an official release said.
India said General Jones' visit was part of the mechanism of institutionalised dialogue between the NSAs and that it served as a useful channel of communication between the countries.
The two sides reviewed the status of the strategic partnership and discussed preparations for the President Barack Obama's state visit later this year.
Common values
U.S. Deputy National Security Council spokesman Ben Chang said Gen. Jones' visit also served to "reinforce the strategic partnership — defined by a foundation of common principles and values — and to map out further those areas in which mutual cooperation can lead to greater prosperity, security, and progress for both our countries and the world."
Gen. Jones said Pakistan would have to take a 'tough' call of going after the terror groups on its soil without any discrimination.
"In our bilateral relationship with Pakistan, we have expressed strong concerns over the existence, within the borders of Pakistan, of terrorist organisations that have goals to destabilise and attack our way of life, your way of life, to prevent strategic goals from being achieved in Afghanistan," Gen. Jones told CNN-IBN.
India on Wednesday once again called on the U.S. to ease controls on export of hi-tech but dual use technology now that India had been accepted in the global civil nuclear commerce mainstream on the basis of its non-proliferation commitments and record.
In a meeting between National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon and his visiting American counterpart General (retired) James Jones, the two officials also discussed the Afghan situation in the run-up to the Kabul conference next week. The U.S. has made it a point to take India onboard after New Delhi was upset over being largely ignored in the earlier international meetings on Afghanistan in Ankara and London. Sources here said U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke separately briefed Indian Ambassador to U.S. Meera Shankar in Washington on his recent visit to the region.
India is reported to have reiterated its unhappiness on continuance of technology sanctions against some prominent Indian private and public sector companies nearly two years after the India-U.S. civil nuclear deal. Analysts here pointed out that in contrast, Japan, where public opinion is much more sensitive on nuclear issues, has removed several Indian entities from the end users list days after beginning talks on a civil nuclear agreement.
The issue of curbs was raised prominently during the Indo-U.S. Strategic Dialogue co-chaired by External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington last month,
General Jones is believed to have referred to the difficulties posed by U.S. domestic laws and hoped that Washington would be able to have some news on the issue by the time President Barack Obama arrives here in November. The U.S. official, in turn, sought information on the status of the Limited Nuclear Liability Bill. He was told the Bill is being examined by a select parliamentary committee. U.S. companies will be unable to set up civil nuclear reactors in India till the law is passed.
General Jones also called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and is likely to meet Defence Minister A.K. Antony and Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Thursday before flying back. Sources said his visit should be seen as preparing the ground for Mr. Obama's visit and keeping the dialogue going with India on Afghanistan.
Another important regional issue touched upon by both sides was Iran with Indian conveying its reservations about the West attempting to squeeze Iran through sanctions. India has opposed sanctions, from Myanmar to Iran, as it feels past experience has shown that the brunt is borne by the common man while the ruling dispensation is not so hard hit.
CBI files status report in Sohrabuddin fake encounter case
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday in the Supreme Court a status report on the progress of the probe in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case in which former Gujarat Minister and Chief Minister Narendra Modi's close aide Amit Shah has been arrested.
Supreme Court sources said that CBI officials had submitted the report in a sealed cover to the Registry.
In addition to Mr. Shah, the other main accused in the case are suspended DIG D.G. Vanzara and Rajkumar Pandian, both Gujarat cadre IPS officers and Dinesh M.N., a Rajasthan cadre IPS officer.
Sheikh was killed in 2005 allegedly by Gujarat police with the help of Andhra Pradesh police claiming he was planning to assassinate Mr. Modi.
The Supreme Court had handed over the investigation in the case to the CBI after not being satisfied with the probe carried out by the Gujarat police's special investigation team headed by Inspector General Geeta Johri.
Though parliament's establishment works round the year, the expenditure per day has to be worked out according to the number of sittings because the entire staff, logistics and any other expenses are there solely for the institution to conduct its legislative business. Otherwise, there would be no need to have parliament and its sprawling office and secretariat. The budget (figures available on indiabudget.nic.in) for the current financial year the Lok Sabha has listed: * Rs.67 lakh for speaker and deputy speaker * Rs.93 lakh for leader of opposition and his/her secretariat * Rs.171 crore for 545 members * Rs.175 crore for Lok Sabha secretariat * Rs.29 lakh for secretariat of chief whips of different political parties * Rs.87 lakh for other expenditure The provision for speaker, deputy speaker and leader of opposition is for their salaries and allowances. For MPs, it includes their salaries, allowances and expenses on account of facilities, their visits abroad and foreign parliamentary delegations visiting India. The provision for the Lok Sabha secretariat includes salaries of the staff and officers, establishment related needs, subsidy for canteen and expenditure towards the Lok Sabha TV channel. Similarly, the budget for the Rajya Sabha includes: * Rs.72 lakh for chairman and deputy chairman * Rs.88 lakh for leader of opposition and his/her secretariat * Rs.75 crore for 250 members * Rs.96 crore for the secretariat * Rs.17 lakh for chief whips of parties * Rs.61 lakh for other expenditure This apart, the ministry of parliamentary affairs that is responsible for the functioning of the institution has a separate budget of nearly Rs.8.5 crore. Now, when the first week of monsoon session has already been wasted, the exchequer has suffered an irreparable loss of Rs.38.2 crore. Opposition parties for the fourth consecutive day Friday continued to force the adjournment of both houses of parliament, marking the end of the first week of the monsoon session with no real business conducted due to demands for a discussion on rising prices as an adjournment motion that entails voting. Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has already rejected their demand but an adamant opposition has refused to allow the parliament to function till a discussion followed by voting is held. Apart from government papers being laid on the previous four days, the only business transacted was the approval of president's rule in Jharkhand. Twenty-four sittings of the monsoon session have scheduled, of which five have been lost, leaving 19 more. Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shahnawaz Hussain put the blame on the government for the disruptions in the monsoon session. 'We are fighting for the common man. The government is adamant. It is our duty to wake up this arrogant government. We will continue to press for it,' Hussain told IANS. Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) member M.B. Rajesh said 'the government is the main culprit'. The government dismissed the opposition actions as a 'hoax'. 'This protest is a mere hoax, to show people that they are fighting, to gain media attention,' Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi told IANS. 'These disruptions don't help. This is violation of democracy. Democracy is about agreement and disagreement not about threatening,' Ravi added.
Food security law could cost up to $23 bn: Govt
30 Jul 2010, 1452 hrs IST,REUTERS
NEW DELHI: India's proposed food security act could nearly double its food subsidy bill from targeted levels, according to a statement given by Farm Minister Sharad Pawar in parliament on Friday.
Pawar said the cost of the new welfare scheme could be between 767.2 billion rupees ($16.5 billion) and 1.07 trillion rupees ($23 billion). The budget target for food subsidies for the fiscal year to end March 2011 is 555.78 billion rupees. The law, an election promise of the ruling Congress party, is currently being drafted.
India min says premature to raise iron ore export tax
30 Jul 2010, 1430 hrs IST
India's junior finance minister S.S. Palanimanickam said in a written reply in parliament on Friday that it would be premature to raise tax on iron ore exports.
Centre, states to share RTE expenses in 68:32 ratio
30 Jul 2010, 0801 hrs IST
Underpressure from the states, the central government has agreed to bear a higher burden of the cost of implementing the Right to Education.
Reserve Bank may tighten rates till mid-2011: Credit Agricole
29 Jul 2010, 1435 hrs IST
The Reserve Bank of India's key policy lending rate may be raised to 6.25 percent by December and 6.75 percent by mid-2011, Credit Agricole said on Thursday
Need aggressive policy action: Reserve Bank of India official
29 Jul 2010, 1151 hrs IST
India's inflation cannot be tamed with current policy rates and more aggressive monetary policy action is needed, a senior central bank official said on Thursday.
Government's tall talk on prices since Nov '09 exposed
29 Jul 2010, 0648 hrs IST, Subodh Varma
Does the government really have any clue about how to control prices? A look at statements by everybody from the prime minister downwards shows a picture of groping in the dark, while handing out empty assurances from time to time.
RBI to strictly enforce cap on promoters' stake in private banks
29 Jul 2010, 0642 hrs IST, Dheeraj Tiwari
This comes after some interested players have conveyed apprehensions that new guidelines for licences may be stringent. Gainers & losers | All about rate corridor
ET in the classroom: All about rate corridor
29 Jul 2010, 0254 hrs IST
The RBI has raised repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.75% and reverse repo rate by 50 basis points to 4.5%. This has narrowed rate corridor from 150 basis points to 125 basis points. ET demystifies the concept of rate corridor.
Govt may keep PSU auction details under wraps to check rigging
29 Jul 2010, 0243 hrs IST, Surabhi
The government may seek market regulator Sebi's permission to keep bidding data on follow-on share sales by state-run companies under wraps, as it looks to curb stock manipulation that leads to volatility in the market.
Karnataka opposes changes in SEZ policy through DTC
29 Jul 2010, 0135 hrs IST
Karnataka today urged the Centre not to alter the SEZ policy through the proposed Direct Tax Code as it would create 'uncertainty' and force many investors to put their investments on hold.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Economy/Policy/articlelist/1106944246.cms
Speaker rules against adjournment motion, Oppn vows to continue blockade
The ruling, following strong arguments for and against the Opposition move to discuss inflationary impact of measures such as hikes in fuel prices, ended in the House being adjourned for the day as BJP insisted on a motion entailing a vote while MPs from BJP, SP and Left rushed to the well.
With the Speaker having ruled out an adjournment motion, political parties said they would not drop their ante when House meets on Thursday. Given the Opposition's mood, ruling party managers too suspected the deadlock may persist.
On the enthusiasm with which UPA-2's "outside" supporters like SP, RJD and BSP were supporting the Opposition cause, Congress managers claimed these parties, particularly Mulayam Singh Yadav and Lalu Prasad's outfits, would not actually want a division. But even if this were the case, Lalu took a sharp dig at Congress, remarking that it had returned to power by advocating populist "subsidies" but had now begun to see virtues in fiscal prudence.
There was a semblance of normalcy in the morning when the Speaker allowed parties to speak on admissibility of their adjourment motions. BJP, Left, SP, BSP, AIADMK and TDP argued that price rise was of extreme concern for the common man as the government failed to rein in prices during its year in office. UPA ally Trinamool Congress said it wanted a discussion but not under adjournment motion which involved voting.
Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, however, argued there were precedents to show that an adjournment motion could only be invoked if it was argued that there was a failure of government to discharge its constitutional duties. He cited rulings by former Speakers to say adjourment notices could not be a routine mechanism to force a discussion.
Kumar agreed that prices of commodities were a matter of concern which the House must discuss but not under adjournment motion.
Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj said she had restricted herself to price hike of kerosene and LPG which were specific and an immediate occurence. She said the objective was to censure government through voting. She said since defeat under adjournment motion does not lead to fall of government, even the ruling allies could vote for it.
Mulayam said the government was promoting profiteers while BSP leader Dara Singh Chauhan said the PM's statement that prices would fall in the event of a good monsoon was not good enough. Sharad Yadav of JD(U) said the anger against price rise was evident with the success of the recent Bharat bandh.
CPM's Basudeb Acharia said similar notices for adjourment over price rise had been accepted twice in 1973, 1986, 1994 and 2000. TMC's Sudip Bandopadhyay sided with government while DMK's T R Baalu said the Opposition could bring a no-confidence motion if it wanted to but would not be able to destabilise the Centre.
Opposing the move, Mukherjee said the decision to raise prices was a compulsion and the government did not get any "sadistic pleasure" in doing so.
On the issue of duties imposed by the Centre, he said states have been the major beneficiaries while the Union government gets the flak. Of Rs 1,08,000 crore collected as revenue from duties on petroleum products, Rs 24,000 crore went to the states. Besides, the states imposed their own duties on account of which they collected revenue to the tune of Rs 72,000 crore.
In all, the states earned Rs 96,000 crore while the Centre got the revenue of Rs 84,000 crore and still, he said, Centre got the "gaali" (abuse) from the MPs and states.
Inflation: A nation forced to go on distress diet
Since no systematic study has been done yet on changes in food habits since the beginning of the commodity price spiral in late 2008, TOI spoke to families across various cities and heard, first-hand, of the distress diversification they are being forced to undertake.
First off, families are eating smaller quantities or less often than before. Saraswathi, a coconut-seller in Chennai, says that it has been six months since she ate three meals in a day. Dal and milk are off the tables of the urban poor across the country. In Mumbai, Shakuntala Chakrabarty, a domestic worker, has had to cut moong dal out of her family's menu while in Guwahati, peanut-seller Ram Vilas Lohar hasn't been able to afford masoor dal after its price touched Rs 96 per kg.
In addition, green vegetables and tomatoes are also increasingly unaffordable in cities. In Chennai, Valli, a domestic help, is forced to buy overripe tomatoes rejected by supermarkets, while in Mumbai, Shanti Yadav frets over not being able to give her children carrots and beans any more. Fruits are virtually a luxury. In Faridkot's Sanjay Nagar locality, Swaran Singh has since his childhood associated summers with mangoes, but his children have never tasted the fruit. In Chennai, Nagamma, a sweeper in a corporation school, can only afford bananas nowadays.
In a country with a large population of vegetarians, the absence of milk and dal from the daily diet means that the poor in India, the bulk of them employed in manual labour, are simply not getting adequate proteins. Non-vegetarian families, like the Prasads on the eastern fringes of Kolkata, are being forced to reduce their meat intake and eat the less nutritious parts of chicken and mutton.
Substitutes vary from region to region. Families are reporting that they dilute their food, whether it is kanji (rice gruel) in place of idlis and dosas (that require more rice batter) in Tamil Nadu or watery dal that is made to last six times longer in Madhya Pradesh.
Across the country, poor families also reported difficulties in accessing subsidized grain from public distribution system outlets — many also complained of poor quality of grain — strengthening the arguments for greater supervision and wider access of PDS. In states with a better functioning PDS, such as Tamil Nadu where the scheme is universal, poor families, like that of Valli in Chennai, said subsidized grain had served as a buffer against starvation.
Most worryingly, hapless parents across the country, including those in agriculturally prosperous Punjab, said that they were giving their children more nutritious food five-six years ago than what they are able to afford now. In Ahmedabad's Gokuldham settlement, Mona Rajput has had to make the painful decision to stop giving milk to her four-year-old son so that her five-month-old infant can get some. In a country in which half of all children are already malnourished, the seemingly unstoppable rise in food prices is threatening to sow the seeds of a dangerously malnourished future generation.
These retrograde steps have demoralized people who had hoped for a better life. In Bhopal's Mata Mandir area, Babybai Girmiye, a domestic worker, said, "As a child, I saw my father going to work in the fields with a couple of rotis, a piece of onion and salt tied in a piece of cloth. That was his lunch. I married a man working in the city hoping for a better life and a little more food. But over the past six months, I can see those days of roti and salt coming back to my life."
Neither the international commodity price spiral of 2007, nor the failed 2009 monsoon can explain away the food price assault. While food prices the world over escalated in 2007 and 2008, they stabilized in 2009. But in India, the spiral continued. Food prices in the country began to rise in late 2008, much before the monsoon forecasts of 2009, and have continued to squeeze family budgets well into 2010's much better monsoon.
No end in sight to price logjam in Parliament
The standoff is set to extend into the fifth day, with the Opposition insistent on a discussion on inflation under Rule 184 that entails a vote.
The government, determined not to allow a discussion under Rule 184 since voting against a motion on inflation could discomfit its allies, is equally categoric that this was out of the question. Contrary to the government's expectations, both BJP and Left are sticking to their positions while "outside" supporters of Congress like SP, RJD and BSP are also not breaking rank. This means that logjam is not likely to ease on Friday either.
The government is prepared for a discussion if it is under Rule 193 which would not mean a division in the House. It has taken a similar position in Rajya Sabha as well.
BJP sources said Speaker Meira Kumar's ruling on notices for discussion under Rule 184 would be awaited on Friday morning and if these were rejected, the House was likely to be adjourned. With the Opposition still united, Congress leaders also agreed that no business was likely to be transacted.
On Thursday, Lok Sabha was adjourned twice, the second time for the day after the Speaker heard out Opposition leaders calling for a discussion under the rule which would mean a vote. They were rebutted by parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Bansal who reiterated the government's opposition to such a move.
Rajya Sabha was also adjourned for the day after passing the budget for Jharkhand, a constitutional necessity in the state under central rule. The BJP leaders had returned to the House after delivering two truckloads of petitions on price rise to President's house.
I can't be frightened: Narendra Modi
"The war between nationalists and anti-nationalist demons has started in Gujarat. But remember this is Gujarat where anti-nationalists forces will be defeated", Modi said addressing a rally in Palitana town of this district.
"If you think that you can frighten me, you should open your ears and listen, Modi will bow down to truth and will fight 100 times against falsehood," Modi said in stepped-up offensive at a Van Mohatsav function.
"I want to tell Delhi Sultanat (central government), Gujarat is inheritor of legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who provided leadership to win our freedom. Gujarat will win in this war of nationalism and anti-nationalism", he said.
"This country never takes the side of those who stand besides terrorists, those fighting for rights of 'demons', anti-nationals and those related with underworld activities," Modi said.
Shah, former minister of state for Home, has been arrested by CBI for his alleged role in Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case and the agency is reportedly planning to question Modi too.
"For the last eight years, there has been peace and development in the state. They are trying to destabilise the progress of Gujarat," Modi claimed.
"They are jealous of progress of Gujarat and so they are not trying to derail the progress of the state", he said.
Addressing a rally in Ahmedabad, Modi yesterday had said Congress has already accepted defeat in the forthcoming local body polls and will have to field CBI officers as their candidates.
RJD loses national party status
Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has been derecognised as a national party by the Election Commission, a decision that comes ahead of the Assembly polls in Bihar.
Five other parties also lost their recognition as a State party.
Election Commission sources said on Friday that while the parties may retain their symbol, they would lose facilities like utilising All India Radio and Doordarshan for poll-eve broadcasts and free copies of electoral rolls.
The RJD which is a recognised party in Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur and Nagaland lost its national party recognition following its poor showing in Jharkhand where the party has been derecognised, the sources said.
To get the national party status, a party should be recognised as a State party in at least four States.
Vaiko-led MDMK is among the five parties which lost its State party recognition in Tamil Nadu where Assembly polls are due by May next year.
The Election Commission also withdrew recognition to Janata Dal (United), Samajwadi Party, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and Arunachal Congress in some States following their poor poll performance.
The Arunachal Congress lost its State party status in Arunachal Pradesh, the PMK in Puducherry and Samajwadi Party in Uttaranchal and Madhya Pradesh. The Janata Dal (United), a recognised party in Bihar and Jharkhand, lost its recognition in Jharkhand.
However, the PMK will continue to be accorded the State party status in Tamil Nadu and Samajwadi Party a similar privilege in Uttar Pradesh.
Trinamool Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which were also served notices earlier, sought more time to present their case, EC sources said.
The Commission had earlier issued notices to these seven parties asking them to explain why their recognition in some states should not be withdrawn as they failed to fulfil EC's conditions for being declared as a State Party.
The notices were served based on their performance in polls to Lok Sabha or State Legislative Assemblies since last year.
The Election Commission conditions for getting recognition include that the total number of valid votes polled by all the candidates of a party at the last Lok Sabha or Assembly election should not be less than 6 per cent of the total votes polled.
Prime Minister's statement at the Joint Press Conference with his British counterpart
July 29, 2010
New Delhi
It is my great privilege to welcome the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom His Excellency David Cameron on his first visit to India.
Prime Minister Cameron has a distinguished political career. He brings with him the finest qualities of leadership and a bold vision for Britain and a better and safer world. His presence here, so soon after his election victory in May this year, indicates the strength of the bonds that tie India and the United Kingdom. It also demonstrates the Prime Minister's strong personal commitment to take our partnership to an even higher level of understanding and purpose.
Our discussions were wide ranging, warm and extremely productive. We share the same vision for a renewed and enhanced partnership between our countries. To this end we have agreed on specific initiatives in the areas of economy and trade, science and technology, energy, education, defence, culture and people to people contacts.
We have decided to constitute an India-UK CEOs Forum and an India-UK Infrastructure Group. We will work towards doubling our trade in five years. Building upon past experience, we have also agreed to launch a new phase of the UK-India Education and Research Initiative. We will intensify bilateral exchanges at all levels.
India and the United Kingdom are natural partners to shape a better world. If we join hands together, we can make a meaningful contribution to addressing the challenges of poverty and development, reform of global institutions, terrorism and climate change.
We also reviewed the regional security situation and developments in Afghanistan. There was agreement between us that today terrorism constitutes the single biggest threat to the region and to open and pluralistic societies like ours. We have agreed to further intensify our cooperation in the area of counter-terrorism.
Finally, I conveyed to the Prime Minister that the people of India look forward to the Commonwealth Games in Delhi which we hope will further strengthen the spirit of the Commonwealth.
With Prime Minister Cameron's visit we have set in place a new momentum to drive our partnership forward. I have no doubt that this will be good for both our countries, and responds to the wishes and aspiration of both our peoples.
Thank you.
Revisiting Indian poverty
Even as India once more self-declares its "arrival on the world stage" with a symbol for the Indian rupee, a global assessment presents a depressing picture of India's actual economic performance. In a study whose conclusions were to be expected, the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHDI) has revealed that an appropriate index of poverty (and deprivation) finds its incidence in India and elsewhere to be much greater than estimated by the controversy-dogged measures of "income poverty" that abound.
Commissioned by the Human Development Report Office of the United Nations Development Programme to evolve a multi-dimensional approach to and define a more appropriate index of poverty for inclusion in the 20th anniversary edition of its flagship Human Development Report, the OPHDI has recently completed its study that provides a new assessment of the level and distribution of global poverty.
Authored by Sabina Alkire and James Foster, the new measures of poverty go beyond the income measures to capture the range of deprivations individuals suffer because of factors varying from inadequate education to ill health and poor standards of living. Thus, besides the conventional head-count of those below a certain income or calorie-consumption level the Alkire-Foster index attempts (as the Human Development Index had done) to aggregate measures of a range of deprivations. It also attempts to measure the intensity of poverty in terms of the average number of deprivations individuals in households suffer.
It is to be expected that as we move from purely income measures to more multi-dimensional indices the incidence and intensity of poverty would increase. But what is noteworthy in the evidence on the Indian case is not just the gap between measures of income poverty and societal deprivation, but the story it tells about the incidence of poverty in certain Indian regions when compared with other poor countries of the world and about the poor progress made over time in addressing certain kinds of deprivation. Thus, OPHI research suggests that as compared with 410 million multi-dimensionally poor people resident in 26 of the poorest African countries there are as many as 421 million in just eight of the poorer Indian states (Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal). Further, if we take an indicator such as the proportion of malnourished children, progress with dealing with acute malnourishment seems non-existent: the figure across India stood at 46 per cent in 2005-06 as compared with 47 per cent in 1998-99.
These and other similar pieces of evidence indicate that the policy establishment must exercise more than modicum of caution when advertising India's economic success and announcing its arrival as a second-tier global power. Moreover, since these developments occur in the midst of India's much-vaunted departure from the "Hindu rate of growth" and its climb to a 9 per cent rate, they raise two questions. First, does GDP growth tell us anything about economic performance defined to include some measure of economic well-being? Second, have we been experiencing in this country a process of growth which is hugely inaequalising, with attendant implications for social order?
India's elite did not require the OPHI to alert it on the need to pose these questions. It has for long been known that the official estimates of even income poverty had cynically misused numbers that were inter-temporally incomparable because of changes in the questionnaire used by the National Sample Survey Organisation in its quinquennial consumer expenditure surveys. This helped present a picture of substantial decline in the incidence of poverty over time, and especially during the years of liberalisation. Moreover, even measures of poverty that adjusted for the problem of incomparability were based on a poverty line so low that if we took an expenditure level of, say, Rs. 20 a day, the incidence of poverty more than doubled. As a result we now have a multiplicity of estimates of the number and proportion of the income poor in India.
But this too has not helped settle the controversy, because the evidence pointed to very different estimates. While the "poverty lines" for rural and urban areas are supposed to be (price-adjusted) representations of the income required to deliver defined individual calorific intakes, direct figures on actual calorific intake point to much larger populations being deprived of a minimum of nutrition than the income poverty measures do.
Finally, it has been known that once we went beyond pure income measures of poverty and looked at other indicators of deprivation, not only was the incidence of deprivation substantial in terms of indicators varying from literacy to child malnutrition, but the progress in alleviating certain forms of deprivation had slowed during the high growth years. The problem is not just that India has significantly underperformed when addressing poverty and deprivation over 60-plus years of post-Independence development, but that progress has slowed in precisely those years when the surpluses available to tackle this problem has increased substantially. The problem is not inadequate growth, but one of institutional inadequacy. It is also one of an increasing reluctance of the elite to address those inadequacies and, therefore, of the failure of what is undisputedly one of the most remarkable experiments with parliamentary democracy.
Keywords: Indian rupee, Human Development Initiative, GDP growth, poverty issue
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/Chandrasekhar/article520543.ece
J&K situation not yet normal, says ChidambaramThe Hindu - 2 hours ago PTI Acknowledging that situation in Jammu and Kashmir is "not yet" normal, the Centre on Friday made it clear that it was committed to holding quiet dialogue with all shades of opinion in the State and said "we are willing to hold talks with our own ... Ready to talk to Kashmiri groups: PCHindustan Times - 3 hours ago The government is ready to talk to different Kashmiri groups on the prevailing situation in the valley as there is no harm "in meeting our own people", Home Minister P. Chidambaram said on Friday. "I have been meeting those from different shades of ... Jammu & Kashmir situation needs more attention of the govt.: GBAInternational Reporter - 1 hour ago The situation in Jammu & Kashmur is still in tense, not yet normal, even though the Centre has agreed for the peaceful talks with the people. There may be some political parties, who do not want talks, but there is no other solution other than this. ...
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After Cameron, more high-profile visits from BritainSify - 1 hour ago Following in on a fairly productive visit by Prime Minister David Cameron, Britain has lined up a string of high-profile visits that include Prince Charles, Defence Secretary Liam Fox and Immigration Secretary Damian Green in the next few months to ... Miliband calls Cameron 'loudmouth' for Pakistan commentBBC News - 1 hour ago Former foreign secretary, and Labour Party leadership contender, David Miliband, has accused David Cameron of appearing as a "loudmouth". His accusation follows the prime minister's comments about terrorist groups operating in Pakistan, which he made ... British envoy to Pak to be summoned over Cameron's 'terror export' remarksSify - 2 hours ago British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Adam Thomson, is likely to be summoned to the Foreign Office amidst a growing diplomatic spat over British Prime Minister David Cameron's remarks that Pakistan is promoting the 'export of terror' in Afghanistan ... World weekly quiz Weekly world news quizBBC News - 2 hours ago It's the World News 7 days 7 questions weekly quiz - a chance to find out how much global news from the past week you've read, heard and watched... and how much has stayed lodged in the old grey matter. British PM David Cameron was asked during a trip ... Cameron''s Pak warning: FO mulling asking Prez not to visit UKIBNLive.com - 4 hours ago PTI Qureshi was more pointed in his response to Cameron's remarks, saying in a statement: "We take serious exception to any suggestion that falsifies facts and tends to put the entire onus of terrorism on Pakistan. This is totally unacceptable. ... UK delegation makes impressive last stand in Delhidomain-B - 1 hour ago New Delhi: Visiting UK prime minister, David Cameron, made an appeal Thursday asking New Delhi not to succumb to forces of economic nationalism that threatened to damage the world trading system at a particularly vulnerable time of economic weakness. ... Gilani says Cameron's remarks against Pak can affect war on terrorSify - 6 hours ago Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has said that the issue of hostile statements made by British Prime Minister David Cameron would be taken up at a diplomatic level, and warned that such statements could adversely affect the war against ... Pak, terrorism dominate Indo-UK talksIBNLive.com - 11 hours ago New Delhi: British Prime Minister David Cameron ended his India visit after some serious Pakistan bashing along with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh. The UK-India talks in New Delhi on Thursday ended with Pakistan and terrorism topping the agenda ... British PM rules out return of the KohinoorTimes of India - 8 hours ago NEW DELHI: British Prime Minister David Cameron, who is on a three-day visit to India, has clearly ruled out the return of the Kohinoor diamond to India, saying if such demands were agreed to, it would lead to empty rooms in British Museums. ... India, UK target Pakistan for terrorExpress Buzz - 7 hours ago NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday broke silence for the first time on the Islamabad peace talks fiasco even as British Prime Minister David Cameron did some more of his "clearly and plainly" talking, targeting Pakistan. ... | Timeline of articlesNumber of sources covering this story
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NIA probing Samjhauta blast links with other casesHindustan Times - 19 minutes ago The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will take over the probe into the 2007 Samjhauta Express blast, Home Minister P. Chidambaram announced on Friday while also saying the government aimed to contain Maoist violence in three years through "security ... Centre to hand over Samjhauta Express case to NIAOneindia - 3 hours ago New Delhi, Jul 30: Home Minister P Chidambaram has told that National Investigation Agency (NIA) will take over probes into the 2007 Samjhauta Express bombing and the Lashkar e Taiba's plan to attack Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu in Hyderabad. ... Samjhauta blast: Govt hands over probe to NIATimes of India - 17 hours ago NEW DELHI: With no breakthrough in the over three year old Samjhauta Express blast case which was being investigated by the Haryana Police, the government has finally handed over the probe to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). ...
NIA to probe Samjhauta Express blast caseTimes of India - Jul 29, 2010 NEW DELHI: With no breakthrough in the over three-year-old Samjautha Express blast case, the government has decided to handover its probe to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to unravel the conspiracy. "The Samjhauta blast case has been handed ... NIA to probe Samjhauta blastEconomic Times - 16 hours ago NEW DELHI: With the Samjhauta train blasts trail still running dry despite more than three years of investigation by the Haryana Police, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has stepped in to take over the probe and unravel the perpetrators behind ... Samjhauta blasts probe stuck, govt turns to NIAIndian Express - 17 hours ago With no headway in investigations into the Samjhauta Express blasts, the Centre has handed over the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). As many as 68 people were killed in the blasts that occurred on board the Pakistan-bound train near ... Samjhauta probe transferred to NIAAsian Age - 12 hours ago Inconclusive investigations into the February 2007 Samjhauta Express bombing have now been handed over to the National Investigation Agency following a request from the Haryana police which failed to make any breakthrough over the past three years. ... |
CWG construction: CVC asks CBI to register corruption case
Ashwini Shrivastava New Delhi, Jul 30 (PTI) The Central Vigilance Commission has asked the CBI to register a corruption case against certain MCD officials in connection with irregularities in a tender issued for a Commonwealth Games project worth several crores. Official sources said a letter of complaint has been sent to CBI asking for a probe into alleged criminal conspiracy by unknown MCD officials while granting work for upgradation of street lighting in the national capital.
They said the contractor who had got the job after quoting the lowest amount for the project was later allegedly allowed to change the figures to earn more profit. However, the exact amount of profits made by the contractor could not be ascertained but officials believe it may run up to Rs 20 crore.
The CVC has found serious discrepancies like award of works at higher rates to bidders, poor quality of construction and grant of work to ineligible agencies in different Games-related construction works being carried out by various departments in the capital. As per the assessment report prepared by CVC''s Chief Technical Examination Wing, large-scale procedural violations, including corruption, have been noticed in 16 projects.
The cost of the projects have been estimated to be about Rs 2,000 crore. Six of them are being done by Public Works Department (PWD), three by Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), two each by Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Delhi Development Authority (DDA), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and one by RITES, a Government of India Enterprise, the report said.
The CTE Wing has made the assessment of construction projects following complaint of alleged corruption in them. The CVC has asked Chief Vigilance Officers to re-examine all the tenders and procurement process related to the projects.
According to the report, "Almost all the organisations executing works for Commonwealth Games have considered inadmissible factors to jack-up the reasonable price to justify award of work at quoted rates citing urgent or emergent circumstances. Despite higher rates, poor site management and delays and quality compromises have been observed.
Shuttler Saina Nehwal to receive 2010 Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal was on Friday selected for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award.
The National Sports Award Selection Committee, headed by P T Usha, which met today decided to confer the honour on Nehwal after considering her brilliant performance in the last one year, including winning three back-to-back major titles and reaching a career-high World No. 2 ranking.
Nehwal was awarded the Arjuna Award last year and was recently chosen as one of six-brand ambassadors for the Commonwealth Games to be held from October 3-14.
In 2008, she won the World Junior Badminton Championships, followed by her first super series title in 2009 in Indonesia.
Saina also won a bronze medal at the Asian Badminton championships, and followed it up with the Indian Open Grand Prix.
She also won the Singapore Open Super Series, clinched the Indonesian Open once again. Just few weeks ago, she reached the World Number 2 spot in the sport.
The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award is India's honour given for outstanding achievement in sports.
Named after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the award carries a medal, a scroll of honour and a substantial cash component. (ANI)
India stays top-ranked Test side
Dubai, Jul 30 (ANI): India has retained the No.1 position in the ICC Test Championship table after the annual update and is now 11 ratings points clear of second placed South Africa.
By virtue of earning a draw in the second Test against Sri Lanka, India has also ensured that it will still be on top of the table following the conclusion of the current series irrespective of how the third Test pans out.
The result of Sri Lanka and India Test series will only reflect on the table at the end of the final Test on August 7 as the Test Championship can only be updated at the end of each series.
The annual update of both the Reliance Mobile ICC Test and ODI Championship tables take place so that both lists continue to reflect recent form with older results being discarded.
India has hugely benefitted from the annual update as it has gained six ratings points to jump from 124 ratings points to 130, 11 ahead of its closest rival South Africa which had dropped one ratings point to 119.
However, India's 11-point lead at the top will be short-lived following its failure to win its current series in Sri Lanka.
If India wins the third Test, which starts at P.Sara' Oval, Colombo, on Tuesday 3 August to draw the series at one-all, it will drop to 127 ratings points, while Sri Lanka will move into third place on 115 rating points, ahead of both Australia and England.
If the Test is drawn, India will slip to 124 ratings points, just five points ahead of both South Africa and Sri Lanka. However, Kumar Sangakkara's side will be placed just below Graeme Smith's side when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.
Another defeat for India will not only see it plummet to 122 ratings points but will lift Sri Lanka to 121 ratings points and into second position on the Test Championship for only the second time since the current Test ranking system was introduced in 2003.
Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship table (after annual update on 30 July. In brackets is rating points before the annual update)
1 India 130 (124)
2 South Africa 119 (120)
3 Australia 113 (116)
4 England 111 (108)
5 Sri Lanka 111 (115)
6 Pakistan 84 (84)
7 West Indies 79 (77)
8 New Zealand 78 (80)
9 Bangladesh 7 (9) (ANI)
--
Palash Biswas
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