100 days of Modi government : Tall claims, but disappointing performance
3092014
The discredited Congress-led UPA government was replaced by the BJP-led NDA government with a resounding mandate. However, if the first 100 days are any indication, its work has been anything but landmark and emphatic.
Given below is the Aam Aadmi Party’s assessment on main points :
Black Money
Prime Minister Narendra Modi';s top priority was to bring back the black money stashed in foreign banks, which he reinforced in every speech during the election campaign. The current Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said that he would bring back the black money from foreign countries within 100 days. BJP leader Subramaniam Swamy had claimed that only two months were needed to bring back the Rs. 120 lakh crore back to the country, and even advocated abolishing the income tax for 40 years, since we';d have enough revenue not to need this tax.
But the actions fall short and are insignificant compared to the promises. 100 days are up. Where is the black money? The government has only set up the cursory SIT on Black Money, that too following the directions of the Supreme Court.
The government has taken no action to fill the huge number of vacancies in the Central Board of Direct Taxes, Excise and Customs, which would thoroughly investigate claims of corruption across the country. The government hasn';t reverted, repealed or even commented upon the double tax avoidance treaties or participatory notes, which are important in smuggling black money away from India. It hasn';t implemented any of the key recommendations of the White Paper on Black Money tabled in Parliament in 2012.
Ache din have arrived but only for those who want to keep their black money.
Price Rise
Another important electoral issue that the BJP and Narendra Modi raised was price rise and its effect on the Aam Aadmi. However, in the first 100 days of the BJP government, the prices of diesel, kerosene, milk, tomatoes, onions, potatoes and nearly every essential commodity went up by astronomical levels. And it';s not as if farmers benefited from this price rise, as they received lower real minimum support prices, adjusted for inflation.
The Union Budget: Arun Jaitley or P. Chidambaram
For those looking for patterns of similarity, the Union Budget was a clear example of how the Modi government represented cosmetic change and not something more fundamental. Spending on education and health remained exactly the same, and so did the expenditure on women, children and the socially disadvantaged. There were tax deduction announcements, disinvestment, FDI allottment increases, PPPs, calls for modernization, but somehow the Aam Aadmi remained under the radar for Shri Arun Jaitley.
Criminalizing Parliament and Making India Corrupt
For all the talk of removing MPs with a criminal record from Parliament, there has been little action to follow it up. Twelve out of the 44 Ministers in the Modi-goverment have serious criminal charges against them. Nihal Chand, a minister of the government is facing rape allegations against him in a 2011 case. Yet, their cases aren';t even close to being solved and have not been fast-tracked. Lok Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath continues to make polarizing statements to flare Hindu-Muslim tensions even as the PM issues a 10 year moratorium on communal hatred. This doublespeak doesn';t go unnoticed. At the same time, the government has shown excessive speed in removing honest officers who fight corruption like Sanjiv Chaturvedi at AIIMS and clipping the powers of institutions that fight corruption like the Delhi Anti-Corruption Bureau. The government may make tall claims about fighting corruption but it has worked only to promote this social and economic evil.
Destroying the Environment
The government has proposed to loosen the regulations and make as many as 19 amendments in the Land Acquisition Act in a bid to please industrialists without taking care of the environment, farmers and the rural poor. The height of the Narmada dam will be raised. Irrigation projects requiring 2,000-10,000 hectares are now exempt from the scrutiny of the Centre and can be cleared by state governments. Those requiring less than 2,000 hectares will require no green clearance at all. The new government has also diluted the Forest Rights Act that requires the consent of the local tribal population for diverting forestland. Instead of gram sabhas (village councils) certifying that their rights had been settled and that they had consented to projects, the district administrations have now been asked to do the same. The process of reviewing the National Green Tribunal Act to reduce the judicial tribunal to an administrative one has been initiated. Slowly and steadily, the government is paving the way for the real backers of the 2014 election, the corrupt businesses of Indian industry to dictate the rules of government and the usage of public goods.
Which brings us to the most important point. A government which holds private interests above public good will end up being the same, even if its declared motives are Nehruvian socialism or Hindu nationalism. The fear with Narendra Modi';s government isn';t that they will do something radically different and crazy, but rather that they will end up being the UPA government. And the first 100 days, an indicator of a government';s priorities and policy goals, exhibit that this government is selling the public old wine in a new bottle, albeit with new leaky holes.
Rather, what we have seen is the same sort of governance or lack thereof, with excellent public relations management and high-definition photographs on Twitter. (ENDS)
Regards,
AAP Media cell
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Meet the Chugal Mughals!
3092014
Great camaraderie amongst the lady-brigade of Jodha Akbar …
Round the clock shoot schedules and a rather long commute from Mumbai take their toll on the actors who’re a part of Zee TV’s historical magnum opus Jodha Akbar. However, the one thing that keeps them going is all the bonding and the fun they have as a team on the sets.
Creating a Whatsapp group by the name of ‘Chugal Mughals’ (gossip queens), the girls on the show have found a new way to stay connected and have fun. Keeping all the men out consciously, the girls are tight-lipped of all the talks that happen on the group. The camaraderie between Paridhi Sharma, Lavina Tandon and four other female co-actors on the sets is such that the six of them always manage to find a lighter moment or a private joke to chuckle over even on the most strenuous, hectic days.
Being the notorious one in the group, Lavina aka Rukaiya Begum is the admin of the group and ensures that she keeps the girls entertained at all times. Staying away from family due to their work, these girls have managed to make a family away from their families.
Talking about the group and all the fun these girls have on the sets, Jodha Begum aka Paridhi Sharma said, “We are a fun bunch of girls and it’s really nice that I’ve found like-minded people on the set. We actors shoot in trying situations, with little access to our loved ones and miss little things like having your family around during your meal time. The six of us make it a point to have lunch together and in fact ensure that the entire cast shares their meals. There are times, when we are shooting for intense episodes, and just one look at these mischievous girls makes me crack up and lighten the mood in general. I love these girls to bits and I hope that we stay the way we are – a mad bunch!”
Do not miss, Jodha Akbar, Monday – Friday at 8:00 PM, Only on Zee TV!
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100 Days Zero Score – Anemic Economy on Iron Folic Acid Dozes
3092014Edit : Edit
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USDA assists in improving soil and water quality in Lake Champlain
3092014
WaterTech e-News Daily
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Use of Passenger and Freight Rail Grows, Impacts Magnified:
3092014
Worldwatch Institute
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3092014
Jamie, Middle East rail 2015
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