View Articles

KOLKATA: There has been little progress in the execution of crucial infrastructure projects in the Northeast/Eastern states, mainly because of bureaucratic wrangles and confusion in India, for all the hyped up official rhetoric and promises.

Before the first round of poll in Bihar, it appeared the BJP is ahead of the grand alliance led by Nitish-Lalu combine. When arch enemies Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad joined hands and roped in Congress to stop the BJP from making inroads in Bihar, few expected the shaky Grand Alliance to last for long; soon cracks developed in the alliance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development plank appeared to be working. BJP leaders argued that Nitish-Lalu combine would not work on the ground. Lalu’s Yadav votes will never be transferred to Nitish who exiled the community (Yadavs) to political wilderness for the decades. They also believed that Nitish’s EBC and Mahadalit voters, who had drifted in significant numbers to the BJP in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, will ever return to CM.

Tens of thousands of Hindu Nepalis are in a pensive state as they are forced to observe their greatest socio-religious festival. Dashain, a fortnight-long celebration that began on 13 October amidst a pervasive economic crisis, thanks to the obstinacy of majority of law-makers to grant full freedom to the Madhesis and Tharus who dwell in the plains. The new Constitution – apparently progressive – denies full citizenship to any Indian married to a Nepali. Such spouses will be barred from higher posts in government jobs. Although the two nationalities account for 50 per cent of 27 million population of Nepal, they shall elect 65 representatives to the parliament while Pahadi (Hill) community will chose 100 members to the law-making body. The demand for a Madhesi province too has been shot down. The constituency delimitation is asymptotical towards the Madhesis. Furthermore, the constituency delimitation is asymptotical towards the Madhesis.

The verdict of the Special CBI court came as a shattering blow to general belief in integrity and morality of political institutions, administrative machinery, rule of law and investigations in misdeeds and violation of law as well as in honesty of office holders. The court held that investigating officer of CBI fabricated evidence in the case to falsely implicate the upright and honest civil servant Shyamal Ghosh and three others in allocation of extra spectrum in 2 G category in 2002. Ghosh was telecom secretary then and Pramod Mahajan was the minister for telecoms.

Much against the common perception, the Chinese Finance Minister Lou Jiwei described the slowdown in China’s economy as a healthy process. However he said policy makers needed to manage it carefully. According to him, “slowing of China’s economic growth is a healthy process, but it is a sensitive period. The Chinese government must make accurate adjustments, keeping the economy within a predictable space while continuing to promote internal structural reforms.”

Are the excessive accommodative monetary policy on the one side and a tight monetary policy on the other side anyway delivering the desirable results to the world economy is a question that the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) righty raised? In its flagship annual publication, Trade and Development Report (TDR) released recently, the Geneva-based UN body has examined in depth a raft of interconnected challenges confronting the international monetary and financial system. They range from liquidity provisions through banking regulation to debt restructuring and long-term public financing—all germane to the development concerns of emerging economies such as India at this juncture.

BHOPAL: Full facts about VYAPAM scam are still shrouded in mystery; fresh charges of irregularities in the process of giving admission in private medical and dental colleges have been made by parents of candidates who were seeking admission into these institutions. Tests for admission in private dental and medical colleges are held by the Association of Private Dental and Medical colleges of Madhya Pradesh.

LUCKNOW: Are the political parties instigating communal riots to divert attention of people from basic issues? Why are issues such as price rise, growing unemployment and unrest among farmers due to non-payment of sugarcane arrears and disillusionment from Land Acquisition Bill not getting enough television and media coverage since the Dadri incident?

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The seat-sharing talks in both the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the CPI(M)-headed Left Democratic Front(LDF) for the local bodies elections, scheduled for November 2 and 5 this year, present a contrasting picture. The battle is being billed as the dress rehearsal of the crucial assembly elections due in May 2016.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have received nothing afresh from President Barak Obama from his last hour-long meeting with the US president while according India’s full support to the US climate agenda. But, Pakistan Prime Minister is hoping to strike it really rich during his proposed 22nd October meeting with Mr. Obama extracting an India-Iran style civil nuclear agreement with lately a more willing America. Talks between the two governments are on. The US had earlier rejected such a plea by Pakistan after it signed a treaty on civil nuclear programme with India in 2005. Paradoxically, top US officials now want America to keep itself more deeply engaged with Pakistan despite their critical analysis of the latter’s rogue state image and go ahead with a nuclear deal. They argue that a civil nuclear agreement with Pakistan will enhance the US engagement with Pakistan to keep a closer watch on the country. Other international policy watchers, however, feel differently. They say the possible US civil nuclear engagement with Pakistan is intended to please not only Pakistan but also Saudi Arabia while preventing Pakistan from getting closer to China on nuclear cooperation. The US does not appear to be really concerned about India’s apprehensions against such a deal.