Inability To Store Food Stocks

Rajya Sabha in Delhi is concerned that food grains are rotting in Government Godowns and sub-standard food grains are being supplied to the tribals in many parts of the country. Mrs.Brinda Karat, CPI leader raised this issue in the Rajya Sabha and lamented that the Government was not listening to the demand for distributing food grains among the poor while allowing them to rot in Godowns. While entire House shared her feelings alongwith the Dy.Chairman, Sri K.Rahman Khan, the nominated member Sri A.K.Ganguley exclaimed, “country is sitting on a Grain Bomb” as the good monsoon was expected to result in a record wheet output of 82 million tonnes in the current season while storing capacity was very low. It was revealed that the country needed extra storage capacity of 1.5 lakh tonnes while only 1% construction of warehouses was completed last year. The whole House jointly expressed a concern “Let us not convert the fortune of plenty into a calamity”.

What to talk of this country's policy makers and executing agencies? Planning Commission with its big paraphernalia is unable to guide the ministries and the latter are adament in their inimical style and inefficient execution of schemes with the result productivity is not keeping pace with the worlds' best or even the average and while the production is more thanks to good monsoon our friends are not in a position to store the food stocks either. What an anamalous situation in the country? Who has got the time and the guts to execute such useful and utilaterian scheme without further delay?

Manmohan Singh & Digvijay Singh

Dr Manmohan Singh & Mr. Digvijay Singh are great personalities. The former is the sitting P.M of this country while the latter was the longest -serving C. M of the Madhya Pradesh State so far. He had expressed a desire on Sunday, March 27, 2011 at Bhopal that Mr Rahul Gandhi should become the P.M of this country. One remembers a similar sentiment expressed by the late Congress leader Mr Arjun Singh in early eighties first about Mr Sanjay Gandhi and later his brother Mr Rajiv Gandhi which materialised ultimately. Rahul is going to be the P.M very soon, nobody can deny as long as Congress is in power.

Digvijay Singh has praised Dr Manmohan Singh for his courage to put his cabinet colleague behind the bars. Every body knows the person or institution responsible for the arrest of Mr A.Raja. He is particularly appreciative of PM's action because he (as the CM )himself saved two of his ministerial colleagues from charge-sheet and prosecution despite strong recommendations from Lokayukta of M.P State. He indirectly meant to convey that he wouldn't have done so but protected Raja at any cost.

Florida Keys and Key West (USA)

Key West is a group of 108 islands located in a row in the Southern Florida. Overseas High Way No.1 connects these islands with Miami International Airport. It has grown into an international tourist Center with a number of shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, gift shops, boats, boat houses and apartments. Battery-driven trains with some 4 – 5 decorated coaches are found plying and carrying pleasure-loving tourists on roads around the beaches that are well-developed, lined and paved in proper Key West Town. All the keys have otherwise been fully developed, connected and facilities provided for T.V channels / connections, reliable internet connectivity, gas supplies, potable and drinking water near homes, hotels and roads. Some of the famous keys are as follows:

Key Largo, the Dive Capital of the world

Islamorada, the Sport Fishing capital of the World

Marathon, a Town in the Heart of the Keys

Lower Keys, A Natural escape

Key West, the Uncommon Place.

The Marathon (the place where I stayed) Airport is nearly 110 miles and Key West airport is 158 miles south of Miami.

Andaman & Nicobar islands of India in South Asia can also be developed like Florida State ( Sun shine State) with spots equivalent to Miami, Key West and Singapore.

The Butchart Gardens:

Over 100 years in Bloom -- open every day of the year

When Robert and Jennie Butchart came to live at Tod Inlet on Vancouver Island (Canada) they named their home “Benvenuto” (welcome in Italian). With great vision, Jennie transformed the barren limestone quarry (excavated to supply the cement factory owned by her husband nearby). Now 22 hectares of breathtaking gardens on the 53 hectare estate are visited by close to a million people each year. In 2004 during 100th anniversary, the Butchart Gardens, still family owned, was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. The Gardens , through the skilled mixture of rare and exotic shrubs, trees and flowers, often collected by the Butcharts during their extensive world travels, continually expanded over the years to become the world famous Sunken, Japanese, Rose, Italian and Mediterranean gardens.

War of Sops between DMK and AIADMK

Two major political parties in Tamil Nadu, namely, DMK and AIADMK have announced their manifestoes on the eve of General Elections to the State Assembly scheduled for polling on April 13, 2011. DMK is known for such populist manifesto since its very first successful electoral battle in 1967 with Mr C.N.Annadurai, as its leader with a slogan of one rupee a kilo(measure) rice to the public. With every successive election the manifesto list kept on increasing with 2006 elections blatantly announcing too many sops alluring voters and succeeding in the end. Mr Karunanidhi and his ministry tried their best to fulfill those promises as far as possible. That had probably goaded the opposition party leader Ms Jeyalalitha too to announce a similar package with a vengeance. She can't be blamed for that. Since the majority of voters going to the booths are from lower middle and deprived sections of the society and they have no hesitation to accept the offer, the battle would remain otherwise incomplete without a level-playing field. Now however the point remains whether it is a good development for a mature democracy like India and that too with such an educated electorate in Tamil Nadu.

It reflects the general trend getting set over a period of time. The public knows that the rulers are not angels from heaven and they are not going to serve as Harischandras after spending so much in the hoostings and the system in the political partiews are not going to ensure clean and honest candidates as peoples representatives in the absence of money power. So they are complacent with whatever money comes on their way and whichever candidates are fielded by the political parties.

The moot point for one to ponder is whether the Indian electoral system would ensure that a limited number of proven parties alone are allowed to participate in the battle and the elections are funded by the state and also the political perties would in turn allow democracy within the party and choose candidates by selection not on the basis of money power, mussle power or family connections.

Hope for the best in the years to come!!

Land Grabbing by the Corporates

A news item from Gandhi Nagar, Capital of Gujarat State reports that over 250 women were protesting against the upcoming Cement Plant of Nirma Limited in Bhavnagar District and got detained by Police on Friday, March, 18th, 2011. The women were reportedly marching towards the State Assembly in Gandhinagar.

Nirma Limited is building a cement plant with a capacity of 1.91 million tonnes per annum, alongwith its captive power and coke oven plant, near Padhiarka village in Mahuva Taluka of Bhavnagar District. The protesting women alleged that the proposed plant was being built on a natural water body and the proposed cement plant would destroy their agricultural and animal husbandary practices besides causing irreparable damage to the environment.

The said report has however failed to mention the reaction of the political leaders in the State including the Chief Minister who is known for his development goal. India needs development and Vibrant Gujarat intends to attract huge investments from the Corporate Sector.

The hapless citizens and poor farmers are forced to sacrifice their homelands and hearths for the sake of such development. It is a bit disturbing to note that the women folk of Bhavnagar district is forced to take up cudgels with the powerful state government headed by Shri Narendra Modi. As a citizen and well wisher of progressive-minded Chief Minister, one would expect him to strike a balance between development and environment keeping the feelings and aspirations of the poor villagers especially the women folk in mind.

Landmarks of New York

Metropolitan Museum of Art

The museum has a fantastic collection of arts and artifacts from all over the world - both ancient and modern.

Statue of Liberty

America, always a nation of immigrants, look to Ellis Island as its greatest symbol of immigration. Advancing Ellis Island’s role, The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation is launching a new project, The Peopling of America Center with the creation and maintenance of "The American Immigration Wall of Honor" by inscribing the names of all the immigrants.

Empire State Building

The tallest building in New York is at the moment frequented by thousands of tourists every day. An Observatory on the 102nd Floor allowed with an extra fee of $ 15 to a basic price of $20 per adult allowed up to the 86th Floor. New York’s expanse is visible from the top on all sides – a feast to the eyes indeed!