Special Privileges for VIPs irk Pilgrims at Tirumala

It is reported that Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L Narasimhan's sixth visit to the Tirumala Temple since 6th January, 2012 had yet again delayed the entry of pilgrims to the shrine on March 18, 2012. Special arrangements for VIPs like the governor have made such delays at the shrine a routine affair. Lord Venkateswara's Darshan at the shrine is sought after by all the devotees - rich, poor, VIPs alike. Darshan once a year itself gives a great privilege for any normal human being and such a facility should be available to other individuals too who are yearning for such a darshan. It is nothing but the misuse of office or power to over-take the wishes of other people again and again which only goes to show that those individuals (i.e the so-called influential and powerful V.I.Ps) are bent upon misusing such powers dirsregarding the claims and aspirations of the ordinary and common devotees visiting Tirumala. Probably the VIPs need to be controlled and regulated by a High Court dictat as it happens usually in other cases.

COALGATE

Hats off to the present incumbent in the post of Comptroller and Auditor General, namely, Mr. Vinod Rai who has been extraordinarily vigilant and vigorous in exposing the extent of flaw prevalent in policy and procedure involved in implementation of different schemes of government or its agencies. The latest exposure of the series refers to a draft report prepared by CAG at allocation of coal blocks by the Ministry of Coal in New Delhi from 2006 to 2009. As early as July 28, 2006, the CAG draft report notes, the Department of Legal Affairs told the ministry that the government could, if it wished, introduce competitive bidding by amending the "administrative instructions".

According to the lists of allotment in the CAG's draft report, 61 coal blocks were allotted to private companies in 2006. This is the highest number of allocations made between 2004 and 2009 in terms of how many blocks were given away in a year. However, in terms of reserves, 2009 stands out inasmuch as the government gave away a reserve of 5,216 mt (million tonnes) through 12 mines against 3,793 mt in 2006. Of this around 3,000 mt was given away to two private parties, a Tata group joint venture and a Jindal group unit, on a single day, namely, February 27, 2009, barely a month before the Lok Sabha elections that year. It speaks volumes of the power wielded by and the influence exercised by the industrial giants on the eve of General Elections.

Top level CAG sources have indicated that the draft estimate on allocation of coal block was 'conservative'. They were based on an elaborate calculation that took account of mining costs and notified prices of Coal India Ltd. (CIL) in a continguous region, while assuming 90% extractable reserves and uniform behaviour of output, costs and prices over the 25-year life of the mining lease.

Plan Panel Waging a War With the Poverty Figures?

Planning Commission of India under the Vice-chairmanship of Montek Singh Ahluwalia stuck to its stand that poverty had declined by 7.3 per cent between 2004-05 and 2009-10, a period when the Congress-led U.P.A has been in power. He further asserted on Tuesday, March 20, 2012: " You can put whatever poverty line you want, the fact is ... the decline in poverty is twice the decline in the previous 11 years". He argues that the poverty line he is referring to is meant to reflect conditions of 'absolute poverty' in the country. In other words he identifies it as a rock-bottom bare subsistence kind of line which we can safely call it destitution. Planning for the poor in the country is not to keep the humans on survival kits but to ensure a reasonable standard of life to the citizens of this democratic country. So his definition of poverty has no utility both from planning angle and implementation purpose.

On the political front his posture has become a subject of ridicule and powerful joke of the day both inside and outside the Parliament.

The Planning Commission tries to take shelter for the current predicament from the difference of data of 66th round of National Sample Survey (2009-2010) on household consumer expendtiture and the national accounts data provided by the Central Statistical Organisation. The Commission could have resolved the issue by using the expertise at its command. There seems to be no bottom-to-top approach in its work schedule till now.