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Rise in GDP rate not helping poor: Experts
Jats block rail traffic at three places
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Budget reflects no policy decision
Rare bonhomie in House
Roads, water and
health issues dominate question hour
HC comes to nursing students’ aidSaurabh Malik
Notice to Selja in Mirchpur case
Chhillar victims to get aid, says Makkar
Residents begin relay fast against acquisition
6 held for betting
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Rise in GDP rate not helping poor: Experts
Kurukshetra, March 10 Inaugurating the UGC-sponsored “National conference on poverty and inclusive growth in India: measurement, policy, issues and regional studies”, he said: “The problem lies in delivery, governance and implementation and the larger issue is equitable distribution of resources. “We can pump in money but the problem is about equitable distribution with corruption the main hindrance to growth as 85 paise out of a rupee go into corrupt hands.” Voicing concern at the indifference of the well-to-do people to the plight of the poor, he cautioned that there could be a “violent revolution” if inclusive growth was not ensured. Former UGC Chairman and president of Indian Economic Federation, Sukhdeo Tharot, who was the guest of honour, said “inclusive growth” meant increase in the GDP rate leading to a decrease in poverty but this was not happening in India even as the monthly per capita expenditure had risen from 1.2 per cent in 1983 to 1.9 per cent in 2005. This was because income distribution suffered from bias with the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Muslims not getting their due. Observing that the growth of the farm sector had been positive, he said while the small farmers had gained, the farm labour had not and poverty among the Scheduled Tribes was the highest in spite of the fact that 40 per cent of them owned land. “Forty-five per cent of tribals are living below the poverty line as no technical guidance on soil and climate is being given to them to increase production,” He said 95 per cent of Scheduled Castes did not possess land and those working in urban areas were uneducated and unskilled. The Muslims, mainly concentrated in urban areas, were not getting jobs due to discrimination and 52 per cent were engaged in petty businesses.
In her keynote address, Prof JV Minakshi, Delhi School of Economics, dealt with the problem of under-nutrition which, she said, was directly linked to poverty and was a hurdle in inclusive growth. Expressing concern that 40 per cent children were born under-weight , she said those weighing less than 2 kg at birth had a higher mortality rate. The increase in income had not resulted in an increase in calories and the nutritional status of the second child was poorer than the first, and so on. Observing that the nutritional status of SC and ST families was dismally poor, she called for a “collective and multi-dimensional intervention” by the central government. Kurukshetra University Vice Chancellor DR DDS Sandhu said the people were over-dependent on the state. He called for active private participation in the growth process as the government could not be the sole delivering agency. At least 100 scholars and economists are participating in the conference. A book entitled “Fiscal Policies, Decentralisation and Economic Growth in India” by Pradeep Chauhan was released by Chengappa and Tharot on the occasion.
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Jats block rail traffic at three places
Hisar, March 10 He said the samiti had decided to block more rail tracks all over Haryana but in a phased manner. However, no additional tracks were obstructed today. The samiti chief said a delegation of the Jats had met Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrasekhar in New Delhi yesterday to discuss the demand for reservation for Jats. However, the talks proved inconclusive and the samiti leadership had decided to continue the agitation. He said different panchayats all over Haryana were extending support to the agitation which would be gradually intensified if the demand was not met. FATEHABAD: Activists of the Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti on Thursday continued their dharna on the railway track near Gajuwala village in this district. The Jat activists have been sitting there since Tuesday and have blocked the Jakhal-Hisar route. Railway sources said 10 passenger trains shuttling on the Hisar-Jakhal route had been suspended due to the protest, resulting in a huge loss to the Railways. Several goods train running on this route on way to Delhi, Jaipur and Gujarat have been diverted.
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Budget reflects no policy decision
Chandigarh, March 10 This is how a senior bureaucrat described the Budget presented by the Finance Minister, Capt Ajay Singh Yadav, in the Assembly yesterday. The growth rate of the state declined to 7.9 per cent in the past two years. Now, it has again touched nearly 10 per cent. The revenue deficit is down from Rs 3,941 crore last year to Rs 2,660 crore. Yadav and Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda claim that the Budget is for the common man as not only has he been spared from any fresh tax or increase in the existing tax rate but also the government will spend more on the social sector. The state need not use the Budget to raise its revenue. Over the years, the government has found a number of ways to mobilise additional resources round the year and yet gain publicity by claiming that it has presented a Budget free of any fresh taxes. Every year, the collector rate of land is raised at the beginning of the financial year. The collector rate is the minimum rate at which a buyer has to pay stamp duty, irrespective of the amount of consideration for the transfer of property. The revenue collection from stamp duty, no wonder, is galloping every year. Similarly, just a couple of months ago, the government had increased the registration charges of motor vehicles. Yadav cited these two sources, among others, which would help him bridge the gap between the state’s income and expenditure. Though the Budget, whether of the Central Government or of a state government, lays out policy initiatives, which a government would take in the ensuing financial year, over the years the state budgets have been reduced to a mere statement of accounts and appropriation of funds for various departments. In that sense the Haryana Budget is no exception. It has not tinkered with the tax structure this year. Last year, a surcharge on VAT was imposed for assisting local bodies. Nor any new policy initiatives have been announced this year in the Budget like last year when the setting up of an infrastructure development board was announced. The North-South and East-West expressways and a pension scheme for members of milk producers’ societies and sugarcane growers were some of the other policy announcements. It seems the recent criticism of the state’s land acquisition policy by Yadav may be responsible for it. Meanwhile, former Haryana BJP president Rattan Lal Kataria has said that the Budget has disappointed unemployed rural and urban youth as he has not earmarked even a single penny for employment generation. He said Yadav seemed to have done a miracle by limiting the deficit, but this had been achieved more by manipulation of numbers rather than by actual increase in the revenues or reduction in government expenditure.
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Rare bonhomie in House
Chandigarh, March 10 An innocuous speech aimed at “improving the working” of the House by INLD’s Ajay Singh Chautala triggered an avalanche of suggestions. While a discussion on a resolution was on, Chautala, deviated from the subject to extend a “hand of friendship” to the treasury benches. Stating that a slanging match between the treasury benches and the Opposition led to nowhere, he suggested a training programme for first-time MLAS to educate them about the House working. “We should participate in a constructive debate in the interest of the people,” he said. This suggestion was more than welcomed by Speaker Kuldeep Sharma as also the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, RS Surjewala. With a number of members raising their hands to speak on the matter, Sharma asked Surjewala to take note of these. Later, Surjewala said that Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had agreed to the demand for laptops and printers. “It will take 60-odd days to get these approved from the high-powered purchase committee,” he said. Surjewala said the government had already taken up the case of constructing more MLA flats with the UT Administration. He assured the House that the Chief Secretary would be asked to write to all the officers to respond expeditiously to letters received from MLAs.
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Roads, water and
health issues dominate question hour
Chandigarh, March 10 Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda announced introduction of the science stream at the graduate level at Government College, Bawal, in Rewari district from the next academic session. To a question by INLD MLA Rameshwar Dayal, Education Minister Geeta Bhukkal said that Bawal was just 20 km from Rewari. While KLP College, Ahir College and Government Women College in Rewari were running classes in the science stream, Bawal College had 1002 seats in the arts stream and 147 in commerce. Hooda intervened to say that students of Bawal College should have the facility of studying science. Haryana Public Works (Building and Roads) Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala said that two railway overbridges, each costing Rs 35 crore, had been sanctioned for the Palwal-Alawalpur road and the Palwal-Prithla-Mohna road. Sanction had been granted for the construction of the Hasanpur railway overbridge. Abhey Singh Chautala of the INLD said the issue of repairing the Sirsa-Ellenabad road had been raised during the previous assembly session and the Chief Minister had assured that the road would be repaired, but nothing had been done. To this, Surjewala said that repair work could not be undertaken due to shortage of raw material caused by the ban on mining in the state. “Since the court had now allowed mining operations up to July 30, the road would soon be repaired,” he said. Pradeep Chaudhry of the INLD sought to know if a dam would be constructed in the Morni block as villagers in the area were being deprived of clean drinking water. Public Health Minister Kiran Choudhry said the department had allocated funds for a feasibility study to address the problem. Health Minister Rao Narinder, responding to a question, said there was no provision for X-ray machines at community health centres. Meanwhile, immediately after question hour, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala proposed that two sittings of the House be held today to enable more members to participate in the debate on the Budget. Leader of the Opposition Om Prakash Chautala rejected the proposal outrightly. Terming this as unacceptable, he said that his paqrty members had not come prepared for
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HC comes to nursing students’ aidSaurabh Malik
Chandigarh, March 10 Richa and another student were granted admission in 2007, but the admission was cancelled by the university on the ground that they did not meet the eligibility condition, forcing them to file a writ petition. The university argued that the calendar provided for the eligibility criteria was not in conformity with the one given out in the form. Justice Mahesh Grover ruled: “The case of the petitioners, that they were not made aware of eligibility conditions as contained in the calendar, apparently does not seem to be “The form that was given out to them contained the eligibility clause which the petitioners fulfilled... If the eligibility condition as given in the form is at variance with the provisions of the ordinance of Kurukshetra University, it is the college which has to be faulted with and not the petitioners. “The University in its wisdom did not take action against the college, but has left the students to be penalised for it... here is no reason to deprive the petitioners of their right to complete the course.” |
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Notice to Selja in Mirchpur case
Chandigarh, March 10
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Chhillar victims to get aid, says Makkar
Traveri (Karnal), March 10 Makkar, who was here to lay the foundation stone of Gurdwara Gate, named after Bhai Jata Ji, said the manner in which cases regarding the massacre of Sikhs were given a silent burial was intriguing. He demanded that houses and property of the victims be immediately restored to the survivors. He welcoming the decision of the SAD (A) to contest the SGPC elections in Haryana. Senior vice-president of the SGPC RS Virk lashed out at the Haryana Government for not granting a no-objection certificate for Miri Piri Medical College and said the college would start functioning within a year’s time, provided the government did not further delay the NOC.
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Residents begin relay fast against acquisition
Fatehabad, March 10 Three women - Gurdeep Kaur, Savitri Devi and Krishna Devi - and two men - Raj Kumar and Mahabir - observed a fast today and sat at the dharna site outside the mini-secretariat. Ram Singh, president of the sangharsh samiti of Ekta Colony, said five persons would sit on the relay fast every day.
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6 held for betting
Karnal, March 10 The accused were operating from the courtyard of a building in Sadar Bazaar and had installed CCTV cameras to keep track of persons entering the premises. However, on a tip-off the police raided the premises. Two persons were arrested.
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Rampant corruption and an indifferent delivery system that resulted in disparities were the main hurdles in the way of inclusive growth. Escalated violence and crime were the result of these disparities, observed Raj Chengappa, Editor-in-Chief, The Tribune, at a conference at Kurukshetra University here today.
