Caste data in 2011 census ?

The stage is set for the inclusion of caste in the national headcount after a gap of 79 years after high-pressure lobbying by OBC satraps and an intervention by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi saw Prime Minister Manmohan Singh promising a decision “soon’’. The remarkable turnaround in the government’s stand, which even on Friday morning reflected caution with home minister P Chidambaram elaborating logistical and practical difficulties, came about after Yadav leaders Mulayam Singh, Lalu Prasad and Sharad Yadav angrily rejected the minister’s statement. The Yadav trio, who had the support of a large majority in the House, felt that the home minister’s promise that their views would be heard and kept in mind were evasive, and wanted a clear assurance on whether caste enumeration would be part of the ongoing decadal census. This prompted Sonia to beckon the Yadavs over on the floor of the Lok Sabha itself. She placated the OBC chieftains and this was followed by discussions in finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s chamber. Shortly after,Singh told the LS,“I am aware of the views of members belonging to all sections. I assure you that the cabinet will take a decision soon.’’ The three Yadavs urged the Congress chief to take the initiative and felt she was supportive. They are confident that the next meeting of the cabinet could take the decision to include caste in the census. They told Sonia to use the powers vested in her to clear the “confusion’’ caused by the home minister’s statement. The inclusion of caste in the census would be a signal victory for OBC politicians who are confident that their numbers are significant and will help stake claim to greater political benefits.Though not tested, the data will impact the future course of politics as backward groups base their demands on the basis of the numerical strength the census will throw up. The backward population is claimed at 52% but the NSSO survey pegged it at 41% while the ministry of rural development’s BPL survey showed rural OBC population at around 38.5%. Mukherjee explained it was not late to include caste in the decennial census which rolled out on April 1. He said, “It (census) has just started. All we need to do is to include a column on OBC. There are already columns on General, SC/ST.’’ He also rebuffed apprehensions that collection of data on caste would lack authenticity as people could lie about their castes. It concludes a serious onslaught by backward leaders who brought Parliament to a halt in the last few days to demand that the census include caste as a criteria to count the number of OBCs in the country.

Somewhere in Kanyakumari....

The lit-up Vivekananda Rock and Thiruvalluvar statue in Kanyakumari are a feast to the eyes of summer tourists

Mixed bag

India’s merchandise shipments jumped by over 50% in March to $19.9 billion on the back of a low base. However, the value of exports for the entire 2009-10 fiscal declined 4.7% to $176.5 billion as demand from traditional markets in the West had dried up during the global economic slowdown. Exports between April 2009 and March 2010 were valued at $176.5 billion, while imports stood at $278.7 billion during this period, marking an 8.2% decline from the previous fiscal’s $303.7 billion. As a result, the trade deficit too shrunk to $102 billion from $118 billion in the year-ago period. Exports for March, however, grew over 50% to $19.9 billion compared to the same month last fiscal. Exports have grown steadily for the last five months. The government has set an export target of $200 billion for the 2010-11 fiscal, Anand Sharma said, adding that India wants to double exports by 2014 from the current levels. Sharma also said the rupee’s steady gain against the dollar has not adversely affected Indian exports. The rupee has appreciated by 4.4% so far in 2010. Exports in 2008-09 stood at $185.3 billion. The looming Eurozone economic crisis and the continued poor performance of several sectors could have an adverse impact in the coming months. Sectors like engineering, readymade garments, leather, carpets, oilmeals, petroleum products and gems and jewellery, which together account for 70% of India’s exports, either showed no growth.

Nuke liability bill to be introduced in LS today

The government is likely to introduce the contentious Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2010, in the Lok Sabha with an intent to send it to the parliament standing committee on Friday—the last day of the Budget session. The bill is listed in the schedule of business for the Lower House for Friday. The government was earlier forced to defer the controversial bill as it did not have the requisite number to see its introduction in the Lok Sabha on March 15 when the opposition had united against it. The bill is key to the implementation of the civil nuclear cooperation initiatives India has entered into with several countries, including the US. The bill pegs the maximum amount of liability in case of each nuclear accident at Rs 500 crore to be paid by the plant operator. It has provisions for civil liability for nuclear damage, appointment of the claims commissioner and establishment of the nuclear damage claims commission.

Kasab gets death

5 Counts On Which He Got Death Rap
For seven people killed directly by bullets fired from Kasab’s AK-47
For 65 other deaths in which he was an accomplice of Abu Ismail
For LeT conspiracy which led to 166 deaths
For waging war against the Indian state
For a ‘terrorist act’ under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act

5 Counts On Which He Got Life Term
Attempt to murder
Kidnapping of boat Kuber’s navigator
Conspiracy to wage war against India
Collecting arms, etc, with an intention to wage war against the government of India
Under the Explosives Act

‘‘You have been sentenced to death on five counts. You will be hanged by the neck till you are dead. Yeh hamara tareeka hai (This is our way),’’ judge M L Tahaliyani told Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab, 17 months after he and his nine accomplices held Mumbai to a 60-hour siege and killed 166 innocent men, women and children. The mood in the courtroom was sombre. Kasab did not react. He kept his head down and was whisked away after the pronouncement of the sentence. Throughout the afternoon, the baby-faced killer sat absolutely still in the box while the judge gave detailed reasons why it was necessary to give him the harshest possible penalty under the Indian law. ‘‘This man has lost the right to get any humanitarian relief,’’ the judge observed. Tahaliyani held that in view of the depravity of Kasab’s crimes, any chance of his reform or rehabilitation was ‘‘totally ruled out’’. Describing the 22-year-old Lashkar-trained terrorist as ‘‘a menace to society’’, He specifically alluded to the 1999 Kandahar case in 1999, when an Indian plane was hijacked to free dangerous terrorists who were imprisoned at the time. ‘‘Keeping him alive would be a constant danger to government and the state,’’ he said. He also pointed out that ‘‘Kasab voluntarily went to LeT and offered his services as a mujahideen”. Throughout the day, Kasab sat quietly, face nestled in his palm. He spoke to a guard just once to ask for water. Before sentencing him, judge Tahaliyani gave him one last chance to speak. He explained to him that his crimes warranted death, and he could tell the court if there was anything on his mind. Kasab declined the privilege and slumped back on his bench slowly.
Even as Kasab wore a downcast look and didn’t utter a single word in court, , the city rejoiced in the verdict against the ‘butcher of Faridkot’ who killed scores and scarred Mumbai’s psyche for ever. Mumbaikars were unanimous that Kasab had got the punishment he deserved, but felt that the verdict could have come in much earlier. The families and friends of the victims echoed similar sentiments, but many also expressed apprehensions about the possible delay in his execution.

Maharashtra & Gujarat turn 50

As they celebrate the 50th year of formation, Maharashtra and Gujarat, the two leading states, are seen floundering on the financial front. Though both have maintained a steady growth rate, their recent financial adventures may pull down the growth trajectory. After a bloody feud over Mumbai, the earlier central province was bifurcated into two states, Maharashtra and Gujarat, on May 1, 1960. Since they were formed, both states have contributed substantially to the national economy. While Maharashtra contributed 13.3% to the country’s GDP in 2007-08, Gujarat’s share was 6.8%. Together, the contribution of these two states was more than 19% which makes them significantly important. In terms of GSDP growth rate, both the states had robust growths. For the period FY00-FY07, Gujarat had the fastest CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) at 13.6%. Maharashtra was not too far behind at third place with a CAGR GSDP growth of 11.3% during the period. Both states incidentally have recorded robust growth in secondary and tertiary sectors. In Gujarat, the share of primary, secondary and tertiary sectors has been reported as 17.76%, 41.05% and 41.19%, respectively in 2008-09 while for Maharashtra, the state income composition was 11.7%, 29.2% and 59.1%, respectively for the same period. In terms of per capita income, both the states have recorded far better performance than the national average. In Gujarat, the per capita income stands close to Rs 50,000 when Maharashtra is ahead by a few thousands. The state’s per capita income is close to Rs 57,000. Of late, both states have been vying for a bigger pie of industrial investment. Gujarat has recorded 27% industrialisation, whereas Maharashtra — which is much bigger in size — is ahead with 37.78%. As regards to literacy rate, Maharashtra ranked second after Kerala. Gujarat was placed at No. 5. Again, they fared much better than the national average. Both the states are also highly urbanised, better than the national average. Gujarat has 37.36% of its population living in cities whereas in Maharashtra the number is 42.41%. This at a time when the national average is 27.81%. Both states share a coastline. But when it comes to making the best of it, Gujarat has piped Maharashtra. Gujarat’s share of total cargo handled by ports was about 27% and that of Maharashtra was about 14%. Positives, however, end here. Financial fortunes of these states of late have been found taking a negative turn. With a significant chunk of the total revenue receipts going towards non-plan expenditure, the financial flexibility of both states has been restricted. For Maharashtra, with a servicing debt that’s a kissing distance away from Rs 2,00,000 crore, it takes away half of its revenue. In 2001, Gujarat’s debt was Rs 14,000 crore which went to Rs 1,05,000 crore in 2009. The state’s outgo in servicing this debts is over Rs 8,000 crore which is more than onefourth of its annual budget. After showing a significant improvement in FY08 with a revenue surplus position, Maharashtra finances witnessed a significant deterioration in FY09. Delays in debt servicing on state government-guaranteed debt in the past led to a creation of a sinking fund. However, unlike Gujarat, it has not set up a guarantee redemption fund.

3G auction update

The bid for pan-India 3G spectrum crossed Rs 11,000 crore on Day 22 of the auction on Wednesday, assuring the government a revenue of over Rs 44,500 crore. According to the latest figures on the website of department of telecom (DoT), the pan-India 3G bid touched Rs 11,045 crore with Mumbai being the costliest circle at Rs 1,909.18 crore. DoT, however, said that operators would be asked to bid for ‘B’ and ‘C’ category circles also after another four rounds of the bidding. This means, the auction for 3G spectrum could get over in the next 2-3 days. With all leading mobile operators, such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Essar, Idea, Reliance Communications and Tatas, among others, in the fray for procuring spectrum for pan-India operations, the bid may go up further in the next few rounds. The government had originally estimated to collect Rs 35,000 crore from sale of spectrum (airwaves) for the 3G mobile services and broadband wireless access (BWA). With BWA spectrum auction yet to start, the total collections could be much more than originally estimated. Telecom minister A Raja had stated earlier that the government may garner around Rs 50,000-55,000 crore by selling 3G airwaves and BWA spectrum. In all, nine mobile operators are up against each other for spectrum for 3G services, which allows subscribers to download hi-speed data and stream videos on mobile phones.