View Articles

The union government’s decision to accept the seventh pay commission awards for central government employees and pensioners is most welcome. Though no one is too sure about the exact number of people to be benefitted by the salary hike in the absence of a single reliable roster for the purpose, it is said that the recommendations will benefit over 47 lakh central government employees and 53 lakh pensioners, of which 14 lakh employees and 18 lakh pensioners are from the defence forces. It has been roughly calculated that the pay commission award will mean a financial burden on the union government of over Rs.1,02,000 crore. The amount is hardly much as it accounts for only a little over five per cent of the union government’s total annual budget.

The BJP is facing really bad times in terms of its response to cooperative federalism. The day Prime Minister Narendra Modi was addressing the chief ministers at the meeting of the Inter-State Council, the saffron party got its second setback on Saturday when the rebel Congress MLAs of Arunachal Pradesh assembly went back to their parent party and supported the newly elected CLP leader Pema Khandu to form the Congress ministry in the state. All the bravado of the BJP came to a naught and the Party which was depending on the support of the rebel MLAs for forming its own government again, looked miserable.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ailing public sector units (PSUs) in Kerala are set to receive a shot in the arm from the new Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government.

The land-locked Himalayan state, Nepal, is into the throes of a constitutional crisis following the withdrawal of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) from the ruling coalition ministry with the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist) –nominee Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli at the helm. CPN (M-C) has joined hands with the Nepali Congress (NC) in having filed a no-confidence motion against the Oli government, looking forward to the success of the motion and subsequent formation of a new coalition. The United Democratic Madhesi Front, which has been adopting a wait-and-watch tactic, has also signed the no-confidence motion , responding to the request from the NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN(M-C) supremo Pushpa Kamal Dahal. The debate on the motion is scheduled to begin on July 21.

Once the then Principal Economic Adviser in Finance Ministry Dipak Dasgupta was asked what is the problem of Indian agriculture? He said in one word that Indian agriculture has to become “smart”. Seventy years after independence, Indian agriculture has not taken off to the desired level despite over all development of Indian Economy. It is not that Indian agriculture has been ignored. A lot has been done but the cutting edge development has not happened. The reason has been that a holistic approach has not been taken so far for the development of agriculture. The holding is getting fragmented, Technology has been inadequately utilised still 60 per cent of the population dependent on agriculture is accounting for less than 15 per cent of GDP. Average farm productivity is one of the lowest in the World in most of the crops though India's yield of various farm products in pockets matched the best in the World. This is a dichotomy.

The four nation tour of Africa by Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya) was not merely for an instant gratification for Gujarati Diaspora. Indeed, he was the first Indian Prime Minister to pin hope on Africa for new dimension in India’s economic and political outreach in the world, which was hitherto neglected by his predecessors. Taking a piece of lesson from the reformist and former Prime Minister Narashima Rao’s innovative bent towards East Asia as the wing for India’s global growth, Mr Modi is assertive to make a strong tie with Africa and hope for similar windfall.

The Central Government in the Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to continue with the scheme of Modernisation of State Police Force in view of outcry from the States, with renewed vigour and higher allocations.

First Uttarakhand and now Arunachal Pradesh. The Supreme Court has foiled the NDA Government’s blatant attempt to subvert the Constitution and topple governments of other parties by suborning their legislators. Money played a big role both at Itanagar and Dehra Dun.

Kashmir is burning once again. The immediate provocation came after the Indian security forces shot dead Hizbul Mujahideen's 21-year-old poster boy Burhan Muzzafar Wani, along with two of his accomplices in Kokernag area on Friday. The incident has provoked mass mourning across the valley even as each new death is only fuelling further anger. Protesters, mostly young men, (more than 30) are reported dead and 1,400 injured. Whether the police intended to kill him or not, the damage has been done, and the valley is simmering.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala is in the news once again, not for the right reasons, though. The State is hogging the headlines these days over the mysterious disappearance of 19 youths, including two pregnant women, mostly from Northern districts.