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LUCKNOW: Even as both the factions of Samajwadi party are fighting for symbol in the Election Commission, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has emerged as the tallest leader in the party enjoying support from all quarters.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi is absolutely right. Presentation of national budget by a government is a “constitutional work”. Selection of state election dates by the Election Commission can’t disturb or disrupt the government’s annual budget presentation, authorizing its annual expenditure and collection of tax and non-tax revenues, including borrowings, to pay for the expenditure. Budget making by the government is a constitutional process. Under the constitution, budget proposals, once passed by Lok Sabha, constituted of direct representatives of the country’s eligible adult citizens, can’t be stopped or amended even by the upper house of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, and the President of India.

That India’s export segment is afflicted with infrastructure inadequacies and the cognate cost it exacts in the export of merchandise goods where it commands competitive advantages in the overseas markets, are quite passé. But down the decades both the Centre and the States with the former markedly making strenuous efforts to capture new products and incentives to product diversification through its various export promotion schemes and its periodic Foreign Trade Policy (FTP), the results had not been commensurate with the efforts. Notwithstanding all the tall bids to capture a respectable share of world trade in proportion to the heft and clout India enjoys as an emerging economy and the so-called darling of overseas investors, its share in world merchandise plus services exports has inched from 1.9 per cent in 2011 to just two per cent in 2015, as conceded by the Minister of State for Commerce & Industry Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman citing WTO statistics.

Coming assembly elections in five states from February 4 is a high stake poll, seen as a test for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies. Voting to elect new assemblies in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh will be held over next two months. The polls are being watched to see if Modi can reap political dividend from the move to scrap 500 and 1000-rupee bills to fight black money as well as the decision to strike militant hideouts across India’s border with Pakistan.

Power plant of Gujarat’s Adani group has emerged as the focal point of Adivasi anger in Jharkhand. The Government of Jharkhand wants thousands of farmers to give up their multi-crop fertile lands for a power plant that Adani Limited will set up. The plant which will sell its entire electricity produce to Bangladesh. On February 17, the state signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Adani Limited. It pledged to invest Rs 15,000 crore to set up the thermal power plant.

At a time when domestic airlines are becoming unhelpful in pushing forward the Government’s regional connectivity scheme (RCS), the NDA regime has found a way that is bound to create tension among the Indian carriers. The government is considering allowing operational and management control to non-airline foreign entities after they put in 100 percent FDI in a domestic airline.

BHOPAL: On an average, three farmers are committing suicide in Madhya Pradesh every day and the state has also the second highest deaths state wise in the country during pregnancy. With 625 deaths, MP is also fourth in student suicides I the country. What is worrying is that Madhya Pradesh records most suicides due to mental disorders - 1227 deaths. Apart, MP is second in the country for accidental deaths while Bhopal tops among megacities for crimes, rise in rapes and vehicle thefts.

India will be participating in the coming summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as a full member in the middle of 2017 after the completion of the procedural full membership formalities. This new role of India offers the Modi Government big opportunities to play a dominant role in the affairs of the Eurasian region, especially focusing on the expansion of the economic and trade collaboration among the member countries.SCO had originally six members- apart from China and Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are member countries.

Whither Punjab?

The question arises in the backdrop of the unabated downslide in state’s governance and economy, which gained some momentum during 2016. With less than two months to go for 2017 assembly elections, uncertainties continue to mar Punjab politics.

Bangladesh has acquired a new importance in India’s foreign policy in the context of China’s determined efforts at spreading its influence in India’s neighbourhood. The recent acquisition of two Chinese submarines by Bangladesh made the expected impact in South Block.