Didi's Dilli Chalo

Confident of a firm grip on Bengal, Mamata Banerjee now wants to replay poribartan in Delhi. Hoping to win a majority of the Lok Sabha seats in Bengal, she sees the Trinamool Congress playing a major role in government formation at the Centre as part of a “federal front” — an alliance of regional parties.
Mamata said “Dilli Chalo” — repeating Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s slogan — as a crowd of lakhs cheered on. The Trinamool chief virtually kickstarted her Lok Sabha campaign even before Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi and the Left started theirs.
She maintained equidistance from the Congress as well as the BJP, saying she intended to bring an end to “dynastic rule” in Delhi and at the same time made it clear that she didn’t want “riot-tainted” people take over the reins. “The BJP is not the alternative to the Congress. Trinamool is the only alternative at the Centre,” she said.
Sensing that projecting the Trinamool as the national alternative was a bit far-fetched, Mamata outlined her vision of a federal front with “friends from other states” — Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Manipur and Tripura — working together. She sees her party as the kingmaker in the coalition, dropping hints that she is in touch with leaders to prepare the ground for an alternative coalition. “We need to form a federal front with powerful states. This is imperative to retain the federal character of our nation,” she said.
The federal front has long been a Mamata dream and she has met or sent emissaries to Nitish Kumar, Naveen Patnaik and Jagan Reddy. “Trinamool will play a crucial role in it. We will fight not just in Bengal but also outside,” she said. The Trinamool chief urged her party to “target” all the 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal. “The fight begins right here, right now. It is a long battle ahead. More seats will bring more power for the state. The Lok Sabha polls are near and Bengal will show the way. Defeat Congress, BJP and CPM candidates in Bengal. We need a positive government in Delhi. Delhi needs a change. And this call will be heard from Bengal.”
Delhi, she stressed, needs “good governance, rule of law, and a united and pro-people government”, which Trinamool has achieved in Bengal in two and a half years, she claimed.
While elaborating on her “go-it-alone” strategy, Mamata accused the Congress-led UPA government of corruption and criticised its “anti-people policies”, but, unlike earlier, didn’t name PM Manmohan Singh or Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Mamata didn’t take Narendra Modi’s name either. She only hinted that “men with a riot blemish” do not deserve to form the government at the Centre.

Babus get fixed tenures

Exactly three months after the SC directed the Centre to insulate civil servants from political pressure by giving them a fixed tenure, the Centre has amended the rules governing IAS, IPS and Indian Forest Service officers, assuring them at least two years in a posting.
Every state will now have to make appointments of cadre officers on the recommendation of a Civil Services Board constituted by it under chairmanship of the chief secretary. Besides, what could spell relief for bureaucrats like Haryana cadre IAS officer Ashok Khemka and young IAS officer from Uttar Pradesh Durga Sakthi Nagpal, the transfer of a cadre officer before the minimum specified tenure can be done only on the recommendation of the board. The competent authority may reject the recommendation of the board, but the reasons thereof must be recorded.
According to the amendments effected to the IAS/IPS/IFoS cadre rules, a cadre officer appointed to any cadre post shall hold the office for at least two years unless in the meantime, he/ she is promoted, retired or sent on deputation outside the state or training exceeding two months. The fixed tenure may be specified by the state government in the case of cadre officer appointed to non-cadre posts.
The board shall examine cases of premature transfers, consider for transfer before fixed tenure based on circumstances it deems fit, and recommend to the competent authority names of officers for premature transfer with reasons to be recorded in writing.
The board can seek justification from the administrative department of the concerned state for premature transfers, obtain comments or views of the officer proposed to be transferred, and not recommend premature transfer unless satisfied with the reasons. The board shall also submit a quarterly report to the Centre giving details of officers recommended to be transferred before the minimum tenure and the reasons thereof.
A look at the minutes of a meeting of state principal secretaries (personnel) convened by the Centre in September 2013 shows that no more than 13 states had notified IAS (cadre) rules for stability of tenure, while 11 states were yet to do so.
The states of Bihar, Maharashtra, Gujarat and West Bengal were disinclined to notify the rules, citing reasons like legal complications, existence of a similar law and already stable tenures.
Even as the Centre pushed the non-committal states for their consent, the Supreme Court on October 31, 2013, passed an order ruling a minimum assured tenure for civil servant, thus paving the way for an amendment of the rules. The ruling was a petition filed by 83 ex-bureaucrats.
Central Indian Civil and Administrative Association secretary Sanjay Bhoosreddy on Thursday welcomed the new cadre rules as a small step towards good governance. However, adding a note of caution, he said, “These guidelines are there since 2008, but the states have not been implementing them. Let us wait and see if the new rules are followed in letter and spirit.”
The Civil Services Board for IAS officers would include chief secretary, senior-most additional chief secretary of chairman, Board or Revenue or Financial Commissioner, and principal secretary/secretary, personnel, in the state government. For IPS officers, it shall also consist of principal secretary (home) and the state DGP. For IFoS officers, the two additional members on the board would be principal secretary, forest, and principal chief conservator of forest. 

LPG cap upped to 12

The government has decided to allow 12 subsidised cooking gas cylinders to households, removing the annual nine-cylinder cap, besides putting on hold subsidy payments directly into bank accounts—a move that deals a crippling blow to the UPA’s much-touted Aadhaar-based direct benefit transfer scheme.
The scheme was supposed to be a game-changer for the Congress in the lead-up to the elections and help the government check leakages from the subsidy schemes. However, Thursday’s cabinet decision prompted by Congress vicepresident Rahul Gandhi’s public demand has virtually put a question mark on the ambitious subsidy trimming programme. 

The T Tangle continues....

The Congress-majority Andhra Pradesh assembly rejecting the Telangana bill has come as a major embarrassment for the party in a state which was crucial for its wins in two LS polls. But it should rankle even more because of the growing fear that the expected gains from Telangana may not be there to compensate the losses the party is set to suffer in Seemandhra region.
The disappointment will deepen if the BJP insists that the reorganization bill be treated as a legislation aimed at amending the Constitution. The BJP has been among the original Telangana enthusiasts, and will be seen as obstructing statehood for a region where it has pockets of influence. However, it is under pressure from its likely ally N Chandrababu Naidu of Telugu Desam Party to calibrate its enthusiasm at least until Lok Sabha elections. Naidu has see-sawed over Telangana to settle for a position which opposes the central move without rejecting statehood for Telangana.
BJP has not announced its stand yet. Sources said with trends suggesting that it can get handsome returns from the state in partnership with Naidu, it may get tempted to nuance its position. The view that creation of Telangana will require rewriting Article 371D of the Constitution to ensure that people from the region continue to avail of preferential treatment they are guaranteed under the provision, is seen as legitimate. The BJP can cite this to insist that the reorganization bill should clear the test prescribed for constitutional amendment bills if only to avert the delay likely to result from legal challenges on the ground of procedural infirmity. 

IIT-H snippets

The Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad is all set to receive a grant of Rs.1,336 crore (23,035 million Japanese Yen) from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), officials said following an MoU signed between the agency and the Union government. As per the agreement, IIT-H would use the aid to develop its campus by 2018.
The loan will be given at a concessional rate of 1.40% and the repayment period is 30 years with a grace period of 10 years. The loan proceeds would be utilised for constructing permanent buildings on campus and procurement of high-end research equipment. Further, the agreement entails technical cooperation under which eminent professors from the University of Tokyo would aid in developing concept designs and architectural plans for some of the important campus buildings. The agreement was signed in New Delhi by Shinya Ejima, chief representative, JICA India Office and Rajesh Khullar, joint secretary (Bilateral Cooperation), ministry of finance, Government of India.
“This is a phenomenal boost to IIT-Hyderabad and it will put the institute within the world class category,” U B Desai, director of IIT-H said. “The buildings that will come up with the Japanese collaboration and design include a library, guest house, convention centre, sports and cultural complex, research park and incubation centre, and a research centre complex, among others,” he added. The IIT is also expected to purchase a significant number of research equipment with the loan.
The IIT-H and Japanese universities are already collaborating in five key research areas, Desai explained. “The areas include next generation communication technology, sustainable development, design and manufacturing, nanotechnology, and energy and environment. These are the cutting edge research areas of the times,” he said. The Japanese collaboration would give the institute grants for faculty and student exchange programmes, he added.
According to the MoU, technical cooperation project envisages enhanced academic, research and human exchange network, besides carrying joint research under SATREPS (Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development). The project is a result of the understanding reached between the Prime Ministers of the two countries last year.
Shinya Ejima said that India should provide its youth with skills and education that help them work in the rapidly developing economy. “The loan for the development of IIT-Hyderabad would go a long way in providing quality infrastructure to this newly established IIT. Further, with the technical cooperation with University of Tokyo, the project will contribute to improve the quality and quantity of higher academic institutions in the area of science and engineering in India,” he said.

Somewhere in Zimbabwe....

Zimbabwe’s central bank has said it would add the Indian rupee to the basket of currencies to be circulated in the country.The decision has been taken keeping in view the growing trade and investment ties between the two countries, said the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe no longer has its own currency. The southern African country abandoned its local currency, the Zimbabwean dollar, in 2009 after it had been ravaged by hyperinflation, and introduced a basket of foreign currencies dominated by the US dollar.
“We wish to advise exporters and the general transacting public that in addition to opening of accounts denominated in Botswana Pula, British Sterling Pound, Euro, South African Rand or United States Dollar, individuals and corporates can also open accounts denominated in the Australian Dollar (AUD), Chinese Yuan (CYN), Indian Rupee (INR) and Japanese Yen,” said the Bank. India-Zimbabwe trade was $177 million, with balance of trade heavily in favour of India.
In a statement, Acting Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Charity Dhliwayo also said the decision should put to rest the widespread speculation surrounding a re-introduction of the Zim-dollar.
“As such, the Reserve Bank, in close collaboration with the government, has no plans to re-introduce the Zim-dollar as widely speculated,” said the central bank.
In his annual budget statement last December, Zimbabwe’s finance minister Patrick Chinamasa said the multiple currency system is to stay for the foreseeable future. 

NaMu Airport update

The process of global tendering for designing and constructing the Navi Mumbai airport will start on February 5 even as preliminary work to rehabilitate villagers has begun near the site.
Although the selection of adeveloper and the commencement of construction work will take a year, clearing and filling up land, laying roads, sewage, and water pipes and putting up streetlights has begun in Pushpak Nagar along Ghadi river, where the projected-affected persons will be rehabilitated with 22.5% land, extra FSI and funding for their houses.
The City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco), the nodal agency for the Navi Mumbai airport project, will initiate the ‘request for qualification (RFQ)’ process next Wednesday upon which multinational developers are expected to approach it to participate in the bidding. The RFQ issue was hanging fire for over 18 months since an agreement had not been reached with the PAPs.
The civil aviation ministry and the Prime Minister’s office have cleared the tender documents, said Cidco vice-chairman and managing director Sanjay Bhatia. “The process will take a year’s time. We have decided to go ahead with the RFQ process and simultaneously, negotiations are on with PAPs of six of the total 18 villages who are expected to give their consent for the land acquisition within a year’s time.”
However, Bhatia clarified that the final request for proposal (RFP) would be issued only after all the PAPs give their consent. Cidco is yet to acquire 260 hectares from these villages. Bhatia also clarified that the rehabilitation package cleared by the state government and PAPs won’t be changed further as it is one of the best offered in the country.
Cidco chairman Pramod Hindurao said goundworks worth Rs.2,000 crore such as building civic amenities, diverting rivers, shifting power transmission network, creating lagoons and clearing and filling up of land were being given to locals.
Following the government’s reworked offer, value of the land offered as compensation to the PAPs will go up to Rs.17 crore per hectare from the present Rs.20 lakh per hectare. Earlier, PAPs were set to get only 12.5% of the developed land, that too after 10-15 years. Also, as part of the rehab package, PAPs will get three times the footprint area of their existing house. They will also get the construction cost of the existing plot.

•According to experts, passenger traffic at Mumbai airport is growing at the rate of 10% annually and the airport is expected to reach full capacity of 40 million passengers per annum by 2015 under an unconstrained growth scenario.

•Owing to capacity constraints, experts rule out further expansion at Mumbai airport. The second airport in Navi Mumbai is expected to handle 10 million passengers in the first phase and overall capacity will be 60 million.

•The Rs.14,000 crore project will have two runways. The groundworks to divert rivers, shift electricity towers, bulldoze hillocks, create mangrove lagoons and fill up marshy land will cost Rs.4,000 crore. The remaining Rs.10,000 crore will be used to develop the airport