Rains ruin farmers' dreams

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After the deluge, paddy shortage stares the state

Kuttanad is the rice bowl of Kerala. The paddy fields in this vast area of 75,000 hectare feed thousands of Keralites. Kuttanad and Palakkad areas produce rice to meet the majority of the total demand of rice which is about 14 lakh tonnes. The rest comes from adjacent states like Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

To meet the demand, farmers of Kuttanad decided to cultivate the supplementary (second time) cultivation just after the main cultivation of this year's season. Earlier, there was two time paddy cultivation in some areas, but this practice was stopped after heavy losses in the agricultural field. However, after the success of paddy cultivation last season, farmers decided to try their luck. And more than 25,000 hectares of paddy field was prepared for supplementary cultivation.

The unusual rain during the initial period helped the farmers, and the experts projected an unexpected crop of 30 quintal per acre. Usually, farmers get only 20 quintal of paddy per acre. But the harvest season saw rains wreaking havoc and spoiling the farmers’ dreams. With rivers flooded with water, the Kuttanad paddy fields are deluged. Further, the power cut-offs hampered the pumping out of excess water which added to their woes. Heavy rain caused hurdles in reaping paddy. The net result is the heavy loss for the Kuttanad farmers and big loss for the rice procurement system of the state.

The heavy damage in paddy fields due to deluge and spate has a cascading effect on the next seasonal cultivation too. As per the agricultural calendar of Kuttanad, the time to start sowing for seasonal cultivation is already over. Now, it is already three weeks late; and it will take at least two more weeks to start sowing in normal course. This will lead to a late harvest. Sadly, this will cause another blow to paddy cultivation and lead to another heavy shortage of rice in the state, experts opine.

Since the demand and supply ratio is not so hopeful, the state government is implementing a project to control the price of rice in the market by supplying rice at low prices. But for how long can this continue? Certainly not for ever. At present the price of quality rice in the open market is Rs 30 per kilogram. But farmers and rice merchants predict a steep hike in the prices soon. The state government, with the help of the central government, is funding several agricultural schemes to cultivate more rice through the projects like those started by Dr. Swaminathan.

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CPM forced to reconsider as many as 150 candidates

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Mamata Woos Industry

Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee's activities to dent the traditional vote banks of the Left are in full swing. At the same time she is out to woo the industry too. Banerjee recently toured three districts— Bankura, Purulia and Burdwan— in two days and managed to pull huge crowds. Just after the whirlwind tour, she visited Kakdwip at the extreme south to console the bereaved families of a recent boat-capsize accident, and the next evening she saw the cream of West Bengal’s industry and commerce at a specially organised meet.

The meet, organised by Mamata Benerjee’s trusted lieutenant Partha Chatterjee at 27, Ballygunj Place, saw the presence of industry big shots like Harsh Neotia, Sanjiv Goenka, Sanjoy Budhia, AV Lodha, Rahul Todi, Prasun Mukherjee and Sandipan Chakraborty. Tata Motors' Sandipan Chakraborty later admitted that he was not in a mood to attend the dinner, but could not avoid Mamata Banerjee’s personal request. Nascom chief Suparna Moitra said, “She was behaving like an elder sister. Gifted us a copy of Tagore’s Gitanjali and a signed greeting card. We are really happy.” And the next day, she met top intellectuals and cultural personalities; and again single-handedly managed the show.

Her rally at Bankura was held at the bank of Gandheshwari River one day after Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s rally. And the people's turnover at Mamata's rally was about four times of that of the CM's rally. The CPM had bagged all the seats of Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum and Burdwan districts sans one — the Birbhum seat where TMC candidate Tollywood actress Shatabdi Roy won. Bagging almost all the 44 seats in the last Assembly election, the CPM still hopes to bag most of the seats with the help of joint forces. TMC and Pradesh Congress leaders have been exposing such designs. Echoing their concern, Hapan Murmu of Panchmura, Bankura, said, “We have been voting for CPM till the last Lok Sabha polls. But CPM cadres are torturing us, killing our youths. Now we will vote against them, we need change.”

While Mamata was on her whirlwind tour, the CPM top brass was busy discussing the situation in a close door meet at the party headquarters. Judging the unacceptability of most of the MLAs, the CPM has asked its district bodies to change the candidates for as many as 150 seats out of 294. Under pressure from the partners, the party is ready to concede 24 more seats to them, just to save the Front from Mamata-led opposition’s onslaught.

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Abductions rock Tamil Nadu

While Tamil Nadu was reeling under the shock of the incident where two siblings were abducted — one of whom was raped and later killed — another incident of abduction of a Chennai schoolboy came to light. Although in the second case the boy was released after his family paid the ransom, the two incidents have changed the lives of school-going children. The schools have been instructed to be more vigilant.

In Coimbatore, on October 29, 10-year-old school girl Muskan Jain and her seven-year-old brother Hrithik Jain were reported missing. They were children of a textile merchant. The children were waiting for their van to school when Mohana Krishnan came in another vehicle and told them that he was their substitute driver for the day since the regular driver P Renjith Kumar was not on duty. The children got in. Two days later, their bodies were fished out of the Tirumurthy Dam, 77 km from Coimbatore. It was found during the postmortem that the girl was raped before she was killed.Mohana was shot dead by the police in an encounter early on November 9 as he tried to flee from the police custody after snatching a sub-inspector's revolver.

Just as this gruesome incident ended in Coimbatore, another incident of abduction was reported from Chennai. Keerthivasan, a class nine student of a private school was abducted for ransom. His father Ramesh is a businessman. When Keerthivasan boarded the car that had come to take him home from the school, two persons approached and attacked the driver. Then they took away the car along with the boy. As the incident was reported to the police, a big hunt was launched.

Meanwhile, the call for ransom came. It was negotiated to one crore. The money was taken and the boy was released. “We did not like to take a risk with the boy's life. We did not know the exact strength of the abductors. So, though we had enough strength to launch a massive search operation in the area where they were hiding, we played a waiting game” said T Rajendran, commissioner of police, Chennai city.

The schools and parents have been instructed to be more vigilant about the drivers who they employ to drop their wards to schools. “We have instructed the schools to pick up the students by school buses. If a student does not turn up, schools should send message to their parents immediately. And more importantly, we have told the schools to allow the buses inside the school premises to drop the students instead of dropping or picking up them up outside,”says Sylendra Babu while speaking to TSI. “Parents should get their students admitted to the schools near their homes. Preferably, they should drop their children to the school themselves,” adds Babu.

“Impart life skills like swimming and running to children,” stresses C Sylendra Babu, commissioner of police, Coimbatore. Perhaps the students who were abducted and pushed into a canal, could have survived had they known swimming.

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Countries pump in monetary assistance for political objectives

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Business of global aid

The World Bank acknowledges that “during the Cold War years, aid was politically motivated.” Surprisingly, in spite of being the world's second largest economy, China gets more than $2.5 billion a year as foreign aid. What is more surprising is that even as recently as 2007-08, a more needy nation like Ethiopia got merely $1.6 billion, while Iraq got $9.462 billion and Afghanistan $3.475 billion.

Aid is clearly used for political favour. Most of the time, developmental aid is given to countries for ally formation and buying votes in forums like the UN Security Council. As per a paper by Kuziemko and Werker, US foreign aid increases when countries serve on the UNSC. Ten temporary members of the UNSC were more likely to receive IMF assistance [than others]. Being frontrunners in such moves, America’s primary purpose of economic assistance has always been to promote US policy objectives. According to Hans Joachim Morgenthau (leading international politics expert), “The transfer of money and services from one government to another performs the function of a price paid for political services rendered or to be rendered.”

With so much developmental and humanitarian aid coming in from various nations, rampant duplication of work is reducing the effectiveness and efficiency of the whole concept. According to a UN investigation report, around 50 per cent of the UN World Food Programme in Somalia has been stolen. A large pie out of $2.5 billion relief fund for Haiti was siphoned off by locals as well as UN officials. As per Gerbert van der Aa, a historian and noted journalist, out of the total money that Netherlands donates as humanitarian aid, only 33 per cent is effectively used while another 33 per cent simply fails to reach [the beneficiary]; and there is no clear evidence whether the remaining 33 per cent is used effectively or not.

Until the US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan in 2001, Israel and Egypt were the leading recipients of US aid (more than 30 per cent) but after invasion, things got reversed. Among the top 15 recipients of US foreign aid, only four (Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda) are among the 'least developed' while none of the world’s poorest countries make it to the list. Strom Thacker of Boston University opines that IMF loans “more often to countries that move toward the US position in UN General Assembly roll-call votes.” According to UNFAO Director-General Jacques Diouf, “Food aid is mostly donated on condition that it should be purchased and processed in and shipped from donor countries, even if adequate supplies are available in the region where it is needed.” Aid is generally disbursed for lobbying, domestic interest or international diplomacy. Foreign aid rarely promotes economic development. Instead, it reduces the urge to adopt innovative technologies to address problems. Rather than pumping aid, the West should relax trade barriers and restrictions, and encourage imports from the developing countries. But that’s a boring premise we’ve been chaffing since ages..

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Stadiums... Post CWG?

According to a Delhi based NGO, Hazards Center, the total cost of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) was Rs.55,398 crore; this eclipses even the cost of Beijing Olympics! For records, Delhi hosted the most costly CWG till date, surpassing Melbourne in 2006 whose approximate expenditure was $1.1 billion. There is a lot of apprehension regarding the maintenance of the world class stadiums like Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and National Stadium post the CWG. The government, after lot of deliberations, has come out with a plan called “legacy planning” where it will involve private partners. According to the plan, the government will retain the ownership of the stadiums; and private players – who will be responsible for maintenance of the stadiums – can use them for sporting events. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has included five stadiums in this mode.

The total cost of upgrading the stadiums stands at a staggering Rs.4459 crores; these include Indira Gandhi Stadium at Rs.669 crores and Dr. Karni Singh stadium at Rs.149 crores! Remarkably, building an entire new state-of-the-art Lal Bahadur Stadium in Hyderabad cost less than one-sixth of the amount spent on renovating the Delhi based Indira Gandhi stadium! The list of expenses also included the facelift that the entire city of Delhi got for CWG. The total cost apparently has been Rs.41,212 crores, meant specifically for a facelift during the games. It include Rs.16,887 crores for Delhi Metro phase 2, new DTC buses worth Rs.1,800 crores, new power plants for the CWG with an accumulated cost of Rs.12,000 crores, and Delhi’s sewage and drainage renovation with an outlay of Rs.4000 crores. However, one wonders whether the same ‘kind’ of fund allocation would continue now that the games are is over – or would the state of infrastructure return to the ill maintained, unkempt form, which is a norm for public sector operations.

Coming back to the stadiums – in spite of the advantages of Private-Public-Partnership (PPP), there are certain issues about the usage of the stadiums if given to private hands! In the past, world class stadiums have often been used for non-sporting events like entertainment concerts, marriage parties, et al. Fortunately, the government has prepared a list of activities that will not be allowed on these grounds/venues so that private programs do not misuse the costly infrastructure.

The importance of PPP is particularly significant in India because of the fact that preserving our infrastructure is not really the strong suit of our governments. For instance, the Government has miserably failed to maintain the stadiums built for Asian Games in 1982 primarily because of poor planning and sheer ignorance of the importance of the issue. SAI is hopeful that private players' participation can be more effective in maintaining the stadiums, while they will get the branding and sponsorship rights on any event that takes place in the stadiums. The track records of PPP initiatives substantiate that PPP has wonderfully refurbished tainted image of many social and infrastructural initiatives. Can something similar be expected in this case too? For that, one would have to wait and see the private parties that get the contracts – well, not every group in this country has as high ethics as the Tatas..

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For The Love of Ranbir Kapoor

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He's a true blue romantic Kapoor boy who's made instant impact on Bollywood, whether it be as Samar Pratap Singh in 'Rajneeti' or Harpreet Singh Bedi in 'Rocket Singh'. Ranbir Kapoor talks about his love for everything from fans' adoration to chocolates with Subhash K Jha

How do you handle all the female attention?
I love women. My favourite person in the world is my mother. Through her I’ve come to respect women a lot. My closest friends are girls. I like hanging around with them. My closest friend Ayesha is a girl.

And is there someone more special?
I don’t have a girlfriend at the moment.

So, is that a blessing for your career?
Not at all. It isn’t as if I’ve made a conscious effort to be single. And I don’t think love would come in the way of my career. There’s no greater feeling than to love and be loved back. I’d love to be in a relationship. But I’m not. I’m not looking for it. But if love happens I’d be really happy.

Do you love the love of your fans?
I’ve a disease. I want everyone to love me. And it’s not just fans. I make a sincere effort to win everyone’s love.

Which is the most exciting experience you’ve had with fans so far?
Every city has brought its own excitement. I’ve enjoyed the interaction with the female fans because they really seem to like me. And signing pictures and autographs feels nice. I’ve been practising for years!

Appellations like rock star are being already applied to you…
Can’t say, I don’t enjoy the thought. I certainly don’t get embarrassed by such adulation. In fact, I enjoy it.

Is it a burden being warm and nice to fans all the time?
I enjoy interacting with people. I’m basically a people’s person. But I’m at a rather critical juncture in my life. If I am friendly then people say I’m putting on an act. If I am guarded, they say I’m already behaving like a star. It’s a Catch 22 situation. I just have to make sure I behave normally, be myself. The more I meet people, the more I want to live up to their expectations. The pre-release audience is a great confidence booster.

Who according to you are the prettiest heroines?
Madhuri Dixit and Sonam (Kapoor).

Your favourite films?
“Sri 420”, “Life Is Beautiful” and Bhansali’s “Devdas”. In fact, after seeing Devdas I developed a yearning to work with Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

Are you a foodie? What is your favourite food?
I’m a major foodie. All of the Kapoors are. My favourite is the paya cooked by my Daadi!

Your favourite memory of your grandfather?
I remember I was 4 or 5. He had a box of toffees. And he’d give me one if I kissed him or did salaam to him.

Going forward, what kind of films would you like to do?
I’m open to every genre, from comedy to action to suspense. My friends say that I’ve a great sense of humour. So, a comedy is nice. Hopefully I’ll be part of good cinema, always.

Your dream date?
Madhuri Dixit. I’d like to take her to dinner then a special show of “Saawariya”.
Anything that you’d like to change about yourself?
I’m always unsure about myself. I want to be more confident.

How do you like to chill out?
I love to lay on my bed….alone. Play video games. Play with my X- Box. I Love watching movies.

Do you like driving?
I love driving. It’s therapeutic. Often I tell my driver to stay back and I take off for unknown destinations.

5. points someone

1.Do you like to collect anything?
I love collecting caps.

2.Your passion?
Football. I can spend hours on the field kicking the ball. I’d love to do a film like Goal.

3.What do you hate?
Negativity

4.Love?
Chocolates.

5.Fear?
My father’s disapproval.


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India: Debate on goods and services tax

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A uniform tax policy

The irony with the nation called India is that it often has to compromise with national interests for political gain. Even the current debate surrounding the uniform tax policy which is garnering enough attention these days is not an exception. The current FM Pranab Mukherjee envisioned a uniform tax policy by proposing the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST). If applicable, it can simplify India's present rigid tax system. However, it is marred by debates, surprisingly not on how it will benefit India but on who among Centre and states gain more.

GST is tax over final goods and services which are ready for consumption. The most important feature of it is its simplicity to calculate. GST is expected to be the biggest reform in India's history of taxation. This will replace multiple taxations, including VATs imposed by the states, and two major central taxes – Central Excise and Service tax. People currently pay between 22 per cent and 24 per cent of their income, taking all central and state taxes together. But if GST becomes applicable, tax burden on the people will apparently come down signficantly. The Kelkar Committee, which advises the government on defence acquisitions, suggested that GST should be about 20 per cent. Experts believe that this in reality varies between 14 per cent to 16 per cent in those countries that have already implemented GST.
Mukherjee aimed to introduce it by April 1, 2011. Unfortunately, that can’t be met as he has failed to introduce it in the monsoon session. This is because some states are reluctant with the federalist format of the GST proposal. Tax is a big source of revenue for the states. The average tax revenue of states contributes around 6.7 per cent to the GDP. Karnataka generates 11 per cent of GDP through taxes. The speculation is that the current format of GST would grossly disbalance the Centre-state relation giving more power to the Centre; this is already a major concern for states as they feel that they anyway have little say over the policy formation in New Delhi. Karnataka and Gujarat supported GST but Tamil Nadu and MP opposed the GST implementation. Appeals from the states are not entirely irrelevant as development at the state level can only invite investments and prosperity. Centre did agree to propose dual GST where both the Centre and the state will charge different rates through mutual acceptance.

Interestingly, 140 nations across the world adopted GST as a part of their uniform tax policy. France had introduced it as early as in 1954. And we are still debating on whether to adopt it or not! India can learn from Brazil and Canada and in the way they have adopted the double tax bracket under GST. The Empowered Committee of the State Finance Ministers are supposed to meet in October to discuss it further. It’s time we realise the urgency of reforms and of adopting GST, not only for its simplicity but also keeping in mind the socio-economic objectives; we have to think beyond mere political interest.

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