Afraid?

Since past few days political scenario in India has been witnessing its lowest point. Being the largest democracy in the world, we are looked upon for examples. But certainly, we have delivered the adverse.

What people have seen is that the opposition party, BJP, in Loksabha has been raising its voice in favour of the CAG report which has pointed out to alleged loss of approx Rs. 1.86 lakh crore in the allocation of coal blocks in the country. BJP MPs have been using their right to protest to disrupt the sessions of the assembly and have been demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. The Leaders of Opposition Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Arjun Jaitley and others have been forerunners in stalling the proceedings of the house. I am not sure why are they afraid of discussions.

What is it with BJP and hatred towards assembly sessions? If you have closely observed, there has been a lot of similarities in working of both BJP and Congress, at the centre and at the state level respectively. Gujarat being my forte, I will focus on the scenario here. Dr. Manmohan Singh has clearly stated that he takes the responsibility of the decisions made by the then ministry under his command and he is willing to debate and discuss about the report openly in the House. But the Leader of Opposition and supporting MPs have been acting like hooligans in the House; constantly shouting and disrespecting the positions of the dignitaries sitting there. Similarly when we wanted to discuss and debate on the CAG report on the alleged corruption of more than Rs. 26,000 crore in the regime of Narendra Modi, the report was put to table on the last day of the assembly session. Further, no more sessions were allocated, rather allowed, to discuss on the report.

BJP and Allied parties have been ‘mis’using the medium of social network and paid media to exaggerate the real picture of the loss mentioned by CAG. Although people who were really interested in knowing the facts, have read the report through newspapers and know what I have been telling here. Even the BJP-led Chhattisgarh government has pronounced the Rs. 1,054 crore potential loss in the state by CAG, hypothetical! Frankly, the role played by the opposition parties in Gujarat and at the centre has been fairly opposite. The activeness of Gujarat Congress has brought the BJP government in Gujarat to their heels. Once the prowess of its Chief Minister, has turned into his woes. Watching Congress reaching to smallest of the small person in Gujarat and the kind of support we have been getting since past few weeks has given BJP insomnia.

All I know is that at the end common man will be the winner. He has seen that the BJP government that neglected his basic needs for survival, is now coming up with new ‘schemes’ to attract his attention. Common man in Gujarat is practically laughing at it…

Jai Hind!     

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Blinding the people: Misusing of EMPOWERment…

If you have been following the efforts of UPA-2 government to push India on the path of all-round development (and even if you haven’t), you should remember the existence of NSDC. National Skill Development Corporation came into being in 2008-09 after the then Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee announced in his budgetary speech. He envisioned the need of world-class vocational and developmental programme to impart skills needed to remain at par with the technological changes, both nationally and internationally, to people of India.
The objective of setting up NSDC was simple and sure. In its own words: “To contribute significantly (about 30 per cent) to the overall target of skilling / upskilling 500 million people in India by 2022, mainly by fostering private sector initiatives in skill development programmes and providing funding.”
NSDC, established as Public-Private Partnership (PPP), provides funding to organizations and companies that provide skill training. It gives all possible kind of support to help these institutions grow and impart skills to more and more people. National Skill Development Fund (NSDF) was set-up to manage the flow of funds. Other skill development initiatives by the current Government of India are: Khadi and Village Industries Commission, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Ministry of Rural Development as well as Ministry of Communications and Technology.
Today, 4^th of July, will witness the inauguration of Electronic Man Power (EMPOWER) Scheme by Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Narendra Modi, to provide computer and IT skills to youth.
Under the program, young people interested in working will be trained for the EMPOWER Scheme. For this EMPOWER Committee has been created. Although this Committee is not supposed to have any responsibilities, Gujarat government has been appointing BJP workers and office holders in the name of ‘non-government’ members. Gujarat has around 40 thousand booths. The members will be trained and ‘empowered’ on the scheme money allotted by the Central Government of India. Narendra Modi, till now, did not allow any BJP worker to hover around him. Now it seems his fear of losing is taking a toll of his mind!
Every taluka will have non-government members in the Empower Committee. These members have been instructed, rather ‘ordered’ to work on behalf of BJP until the elections.
Is it that only Gujarat Congress Party can see what is going wrong here?

Pranab Da : A legend of Indian Politics!

 It gives me an immense pleasure to know that our country’s beloved and most respectful politician, Union Cabinet Finance Minister of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee, has been nominated by UPA as its candidate for being the 13^th President of this great nation.
The other reason for my happiness is that every person who has been associated with active politics in India knows that Pranab Da (as we all call him fondly) has been one of the most dynamic, impactful and hardworking servant of the nation. The President, being the first citizen of a country, holds the most important office and it is very much necessary to have a potent Indian sitting on that chair. As the formal head of legislature, judiciary and executive branches of Indian democracy, it is no way an easy job to be on. It would be ridiculous to enlist the achievements and formal resume of Pranab Da here, but I would certainly like to throw some light on factors that make him the ideal candidate to be the President of India.

1-      Pranab Da has been an exceptional student, an eminent lawyer as well as a dedicated teacher in this career. He was also a noted journalist who was looked-upon as a responsible writer. A President who is a bank of knowledge will definitely lead the country to new heights.
2-      His parliamentary record spans over four decades! He was elected as a Member of Rajya Sabha from Congress Party in 1969; re-elected in 1975, 1981, 1993 as well as 1999. In 1997 he was voted “Outstanding Parliamentarian”. He also served as President of West Bengal state unit of Congress from 1985 to 2010, when he resigned because of work-load. A President of the country who is loved by people and well-known is always a good idea.
3-      During his political career he has held many important parliamentary and cabinet posts. He has been given the responsibilities of various Ministries and departments including Industrial Development, External Affairs, Planning Commission, Defense, Finance, Revenue, Shipping, Transport, Communication, Economic Affairs, Commerce and Industry and so on. Where can we find such a prominent personality, who has been successfully able to lead so many departments, in this democracy?
4-      In 1984, Euromoney magazine rated him as the “Best Finance Minister in the World”. In 2010, he was awarded “Finance Minister of the Year for Asia” by Emerging Markets, the daily newspaper of record for the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. In December same year, The Banker pointed him as “Finance Minister of the Year” because of his work during the economically turbulent year which helped India stabilize itself. These achievements and honours do not measure the capability of Pranab Da as an efficient administrator.
5-      It is because of his hard work that India has been able to refrain itself from getting harmed in an extreme manner by the international economic crisis and market ups and downs. It is because of the ingenious policies crafted by Pranab Da and Dr. Manmohan Singh that this nation was able to miss the ‘iceberg’. Such a President would be very much capable of guiding India during any emergencies that come up.
6-      Received Padma Vibhushan in 2008 and “Best Administrator in India” award (by K. Karunakaran Foundation) in 2011 apart from various other honours. Do I have to say anything more?

We could go on and on and still never end. But the fact can be summoned up in just one line: We may not find a better President for the Indian Republic.
I had the pleasure of meeting him on numerous occasions. One of his positive characteristics was that he was very receptive and attentive towards the problems of Gujarat. Whether it was the issue regarding fishermen of Gujarat or the issues regarding cotton exports, he always found time for it and took decisions within a very short duration of time. Due to his immediate response many problems of Gujarat were solved within days of its inception. His oratory skill was also very much appreciated, not only by the fellow partymen but even by the opposition parties in the parliament. His speech was always a thing to look forward to.
I am sure India will miss his best Finance Minister till date. I am sure the UPA government will miss its master administrator. I am sure India will miss his active participation in its glorious political history.
I again congratulate Pranab Da for this achievement and wish him all the very best for future endeavours.
Jai Hind!

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Even the Centre knows what Modi did… and what projected!

Even New Delhi could see what is going on in Gujarat. On June 13, 2012, we were fortunate enough to play hosts for the highly respectful leaders of Indian National Congress and Ministers in the Union Cabinet, Dr. P. Chidambaram, Shri Salman Khurshid and Smt. Ambika Soni. It was really pleasant and fruitful to interact with them.

Their visit gave an unexplainable boost to Gujarat Congress’s fight against the unruly dictatorship of Chief Minister Narendra Modi that has been going on since about a decade now. People are been offered an ‘unreachable’ carrot, luring them to his charm through marketing gimmicks and lavishly spending people’s money on entertaining a handful of industrialists. I was really encouraged by the words of Shri Chidambaram that the people of a state are the most powerful factor to decide on governance. If given a fair arguement, the people will definitely have their word in giving the reigns of the state to the opposition party. We have to show how we can be more productive than the current BJP-led government.

The leaders were very accurate in their figures. They pointed out on various points that showed the mis-governance of Narendra Modi. Smt. Ambika Soni, Union Cabinet Minister for Information and Broadcasting, gave out the details about the condition of people residing in Gujarat and compared it to the figures that were being projected outside Gujarat. There is high gender discrimination in Gujarat; it can be seen from the skewed sex ratio. The people ratio of poverty is more than 31% which is higher than the national average. Malnourishment among children gives out a very sad picture. What can be said about the ‘development’ of the state whose 45% children are not able to get the required quantity of necessary vitamins?

Shri Salman Khurshid, Union Cabinet Minister for Minority Affairs, threw light on the poor state of minority communities, SC, ST and women in Gujarat. BJP has been overlooking these important classes of people and remembers them only when they seem to be potential vote banks. There has not been inclusive economic growth. Each year 5-6 news about communal classes in Gujarat is received nationally. Due to social boycott and unhelpful government, a high ratio of migration has been seen in SCs and STs. Minorities are totally neglected. There has been no implementation of Forest Right Act for Tribals. The students of minority community are entitled to pre-metric scholarships; that has never been implemented. The attitude of Narendra Modi and his governance has forced his fellow partymen like Sanjay Joshi and Keshubhai Patel to revolt against him. At this moment BJP is breaking and we have to strike harder!

Shri Chidambaram, Union Cabinet Minister for Home, said that the development cannot be marked as the same if the whole body is not nourished. What Gujarat is witnessing right now is called Headline growth. It means only a bunch of business houses get to benefit from the economic uprise. Has Gujarat government thought about those small and medium business holders who contribute the maximum in Gujarat’s annual domestic production? Did BJP even exist during the first 30 years of Gujarat as a state? Who was responsible for the social and economic development then? The current phase of economic growth is the result of strong political and industrial base laid during the regime of Congress in Gujarat. Even if you see the figures of national economics, the current UPA government has been monumental in pulling India out of the curbs of recession and economic depression. Again, false figures were highlighted by BJP. In the year 2010-11 the GDP achieved by India was around 8%. It was higher before but due to various factors it has slowed down, but not stopped. We will again bounce back soon. Three major factors have affected our economy:

1- International economic slowdown: It is because of the able governance of UPA-2 that India is not among the countries like Greece and Portugal who had to take grants of hundreds of billions of dollars just to revive their economy. We have taken harsh but decisive steps to get our economy on a stable state.

2- During the regime of NDA, crude oil prices were barely near 25$ per barrel. Today they are around 160$ per barrel. Still UPA-2 has been able to keep the prices on check with minimal required hikes in fuel prices.

3- We have been giving a huge amount of subsidies to various states including Gujarat, which has been a major factor for annual GDP slow down.

Inspite of these factors, UPA has been doing a commendable job but balancing between international economic turmoil and internal hiccups. Shri Chidambaram gave us a golden advice of staying united and giving good message to the people of Gujarat in one voice. I once again thank all three leaders for visiting Gujarat and being kind enough to spend some time with us. You are welcome back again!

Jai Hind!

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Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Dr. Mamohan Singh gifts the nation the future of infrastructure growth!

In the recently concluded meet about the infrastructural development of the nation, Hon’able Dr. Manmohan Singh declared various packages under PPP (Public Private Partnership) that would give a massive push to India’s growth in turbulent times. Following are the highlights of these declarations:

1. A total of about 2 lakh crore in investments!

2. Green signal to Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train corridor worth around Rs. 20,000 crore.

3. Contracts for 9,500 km of highways, port projects worth Rs 35,000 crore, pubic private partnership (PPP) projects for at least 20 airports; 2 new major ports on the east coast, and the Rs 20,000-crore project for Mumbai's elevated rail corridor.

4. PPP projects would be finalised for 10-12 existing airports and a similar number of greenfield airports, which would be awarded during the current fiscal year. New international airports to come up in the outskirts of Lucknow, Coimbatore, Trichy and Gaya.

5. Aim to add new capacity of 18,000 mw in the current fiscal year.

6. Award contracts for 9,500 km, up 18.7% over the previous year, and involving a 74% rise in investment. In addition, 4,360 km of roads will be awarded for maintenance.

7. 42 projects worth Rs 14,500 crore and a capacity of 244 MTPA, which is three times the previous year's achievement.

8. Coal India would disptach 470 million tonnes to all sectors, an increase of 8.8%. Of this, it will dispatch 347 million tonnes to the power sector in the current fiscal, up 11.2% from the previous year.

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Violent protests and Politics!

Government of India and the common man are worried about the rising fuel prices due to turmoil in international markets, and the opposition parties are taking political mileage out of this situation by organizing a national strike today. And more interesting is the manner in which these protests are being held.
To raise your voice in protest is one of the primary rights in a democracy but the agitation should be within the law and should not harm the general public. But the protests organized by BJP and other parties are violent and against the ethical definition of ‘protests’. In fact this protest against the increased petrol prices in India has burnt more petrol than what the nation uses in one day!
Did you know that the government of Gujarat earns Rs. 16.50 per litre of petrol sold in the state? The annual income of Gujarat government has seen a stupendous hike because of various taxes like VAT and CESS. Just from the sale of petrol Gujarat government profits Rs. 1980 crore per annum. Ironically apart from a heavy 23% VAT, Gujarat government currently levies 2% CESS on fuel charges. If the BJP government is so inclined towards the betterment of people and help central government run the country, why do they not abolish these extra taxes that just fill the state treasury?
Consider this: if Gujarat government decides against taking VAT on petrol charges, the cost of petrol would come down to Rs. 61.34 per litre. In percentages, if the state government decides to levy only 5% VAT compared to the current 25%, Gujarat would be making a profit of Rs. 480 crore per annum. Even if Gujarat government cuts down the VAT to even 10%, the profit it will make per annum would be around Rs. 960 crore from the annual consumption of petrol in Gujarat which is around 120 crore liters!
Tell me Mr. Modi how does motorcycle rallies, burning of tyres, destroying public property and manhandling traders justify the protest against fuel price hike? My advice to BJP-led Gujarat government would be to stop harassing people by using destructive measures and take constructive steps for easing the crisis situation.

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