PM turns agriculturist, shifts gear

Harish Gupta. NEW DELHI

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh seem to have shifted gear and the focus of the economy is shifting to agriculture. In a major development which raised eyebrows, the Prime Minister has directed Union Agriculture and Food processing Minister Sharad Pawar to present a comprehensive report card on the “State of Indian Agriculture” in Parliament.

The “State of Indian Agriculture” will be an annual feature like the Economic Survey, Railway Budget and the Union Budget during the 12-week long Budget session  in February. This will be first time when status paper on agriculture will be presented.

Highly placed sources in the Prime Minister’s office confirmed that the step has been taken to focus on the rural India where more than 70% population is dependent on agriculture. Though Economic Survey of India presented by the Union Finance Minister every February does a chapter on agriculture and also Annual Reports of the departments

Concerned, it was felt that there had hardly been any serious discussion and debate in the house on the agriculture.

The decision also stems from the fact that despite falling investments in the agriculture and allied sectors to the total of the GDP over the past ten years and agriculture land shrinking at a faster pace, the sector has shown resilience. The review undertaken by the Prime Minister with Sharad Pawar and concerned ministries revealed that investments in agriculture has fallen in real terms. If it was 24% of the GDP in 2001-02, the investments went down to 14.62% during 2009-10. Yet, the foodgrain production jumped to a record 242 million tonnes – almost 11% more than last year. With food security bill becoming a reality sometime next year, the country’s needs would jump to 300 million tonnes. This will be possible only when huge investments are made in the agriculture and allied sectors.

Thus, Dr Manmohan Singh decided to focus on the agriculture for the growth story keep going in a big way as manufacturing, mining, electricity, gas and power sectors have slowed down. The state of agriculture report will contain inputs from all the allied sectors such as  Ministries and departments of fertiliser, water resources, power, rural development, science and technology, harvest management and food processing etc.

It has been admitted by government’s policy makers that if the target of 9% plus GDP growth is to be achieved, the focus has to be on the agriculture sector. Even in the present 8.5% GDP growth achieved this year, the contribution of agriculture sector had been 6.6%. With the current monsoon season on track and satisfactory so far, the agriculture ministry expects that the crop will be all time high and agriculture growth would touch 7% mark.

Jayanthi Natarajan as Union Minister IN PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE - CONGRESS IN MINORITY WHILE BJP GAINS MAJORITY

The promotion of Jayanthi Natarajan  as Union Minister has created a piquant situation for the Congress as the UPA will lose a majority in the crucial Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

Jayanthi quit from the PAC and now a fresh election has to be held for the body whose report on 2G has been held up due to proper voting and passage.  Her resignation should gladden the hearts of the NDA and the Opposition which will join hands to ensure that the UPA loses in the election.  It was her one vote that had ensured that the Murli Manohar Joshi's report got got rejected and created a political crisis in the body.  

The Congress will have to seek the support of the SP, BSP or the AIADMK and other such allies who have been unhappy with it for some time.

 

The Congress is likely to propose the name of Oscar Fernandes. But it does not have a majority in the Rajya Sabha where the UPA is hopelessly short of 30 in a house of 240. The Congress leadership did not realise this when it picked up Jayanthi Natrajan for the ministry.

 
The Left parties, the SP and AIADMK are allies and even if the Congress gets the BSP on its side, it won't be able to win the PAC seat in the contest.

Send your resignation right away, Kapil Sibal told solicitor general

Published: Tuesday, Jul 12, 2011, 0:40 IST
By Harish Gupta | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_send-your-resignation-right-away-kapil-sibal-told-solicitor-general_1564831

The prospects of solicitor-general Gopal Subramanium’s continuation in the government are uncertain as prime minister Manmohan Singh has declined to intervene in the controversy and left it to the wisdom of the administrative ministries concerned.

It also transpires that when law minister M Veerappa Moily met the PM, the issue was not confined to the resignation of solicitor general. The two discussed the over-activism of the judiciary and the way some of the orders have been passed by the highest court of the country.
Whether it was the duty of the law officers of the country to put the government’s view point forcefully or and whether they did so, should be assessed by the law ministry.

There have been reports that it was HRD and telecom minister Kapil Sibal who curtly told the SG to “send in the resignation right now if you so desire” when he protested against the appointment of senior advocate Rohington Nariman in the 2G case. Sibal refused to budge and made it clear that he would have law officer of his choice to defend his department.

Moily did request Subramanium to reconsider his decision. But sources close to him confided that Moily himself is under attack due to a series of adverse SC orders. Secondly, the relief to Sibal in the SC on Monday established that the minister’s decision was right.

It is also learnt that attorney general GE Vahnvati is also uncomfortable with the present SG and would like to have a new face. Therefore, the departure of Subramanium seems certain in the current political scenario.
Agency reports suggested that the government would decide on the SG’s resignation in the next “two to three days”.

Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA)

Harish Gupta. New Delhi

What happens when the director of  Indira Gandhi National centre for the Arts (IGNCA) once headed by Sonia Gandhi herself engaged in the pursuit of knowledge on arts and culture chooses to ignore a Right To information query?

The director is asked to appear before the Central Information Commission and personally explain the delay in furnishing information under the RTI application. The CIC was extremely up set that Prof S. Settar of the INGCA was responsible for denying the information when it was readily available.  What shocked the RTI activists was the fact that IGNAC was once headed by Sonia Gandhi who had brought the transparency law into the country in 2005. Therefore, how could her successors violate the very law and spirit of the act.

The problem occurred when Ms P Lochan from Bengaluru sought information relating to the sacking of some of the employees of the Southern Regional Centre, IGNCA, since April 2005. She filed the application in May 2010 but got no response within the stipulated period. The hapless applicant knocked at the door of the CIC in February this year.

When the CIC asked the IGNCA for the reasons for the delay, the PIO stated that he had sought the assistance of  Prof. S. Settar who is an Honorary Director having the required information. But the same was not provided by him and led to the delay.

The Information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi, in his order held PIO V. P. Sharma guilty of not furnishing information within the time specified under sub-section (1) of Section 7 by not replying within 30 days. “As per the requirement of the RTI Act, it appears that the PIO’s actions attract the penal provisions of Section 20.

As if this was not enough, the CIC ordered that Prof. S. Settar will present himself before the Commission either through Video Conference or by personal presence on 05 August 2011 at 4.30pm along with his written submissions showing cause why penalty should not be imposed on him as mandated under the law. “He may go to the NIC-Studio at Bangaluru at 04.30PM on 05 August 2011 if he wishes to attend the show cause through Video Conference. He may also send written submissions if he wishes to the Commission before 20 July 2011” said the CIC.

 Chinmaya R. Gharekhan is the chairman of IGNAC and board of trustees include Kanti Bajpai, Kapila Vatsyayan,  Anil Baijal,  Jawahar Sarkar, Dr Swati Piramal

Salman Haider and others.

Supreme Court on the question of setting up a Special Investigation Team

Harish Gupta. New Delhi

The Manmohan Singh government is in a serious dilemma whether to file a review petition in the Supreme Court on the question of setting up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by a retired Supreme Court judge with 10 top government officers and agencies reporting to him on Black Money.

Highly placed sources told the DNA late today that the Congress Core Committee held an unscheduled meeting to discuss the issue of go in for a review of the SC judgment and also on crisis in Telengana among other things.

When contacted, a senior official in the Prime Minister’s office said, “the matter is engaging the attention.”

While the union finance minister pranab mukherjee is extremely upset with the SC order as he had himself set up the high-powered committee comprising of heads of the RBI, CBDT, Revenue secretary, Enforcement director and other agencies on black money. The committee had been meeting regularly and making recommendations as well.

But the SC went ahead to set up SIT under its command and control under Justice B P Jeevan Reddy and M K Shah. However, another view in the government is that if it went ahead with the review petition, it will be construed of  government’s insincerity  in bringing black money stashed abroad. It may send a wrong signal  too and give the Opposition a handle to launch another attack at a time when it is facing problem on various fronts.

Sources close to the Congress president Sonia Gandhi say that if the SC-monitored SIT is handling the issue, the Opposition won’t be able to attack the government and the party for not doing enough on the issue. It will be the responsibility of the Supreme Court now to do it. Secondly, the government accepted several SITs in the past – whether on Gujarat or demolitions in Delhi and for other issues. So why shall the government challenge this SIT merely because its on black money.

“Let it be a test case for the SC SIT. The government should seek certain clarifications and it should be a time-bound SIT and not unlimited and continueous body,” said a source.