Will it bring in an inclusive growth?

Pranab Mukherjee has spoken through his budget proposals which, let us hope, would bring in inclusive growth, without which the country cannot claim actual progress.

A country with five million people living below the poverty line, meaning a lot of them are going hungry every day, should be able to say this country’s progress belongs to them also.

Micro financing companies would get Rs 100 crore and poor people would remain linked to that. Would they be left out of the bigger banking system?

Bringing back Rs 140 lakh crore black money stashed abroad by politicians, businessmen, and other worthies is not an easy task. The Finance Minister says some five-step process is being pursued. That will not bring back the money.

Maybe, no government can outrightly say let the black money be brought back to the country, we will pardon you, or there could be some sort of voluntary disclosure. Perhaps, it would be better than leaving the gargantuan amount of money being kept abroad.

The US could get back their money from abroad because of their strength, other countries would answer to its call. Otherwise, it would pester them. India has not reached that stage in arm-twisting.

So dealing with black money is as good as left out.

Middle class people are taken care of, income tax ceiling limit hike, considering 60 year-olds as senior citizens, special provision for very senior citizens etc are definitely good.

The government says there would be direct payment of subsidies regarding cooking gas, kerosene and fertilizers for below-the-poverty line people.
There is a provision of Rs 1.61 lakh crore for food security, which should indirectly help the farm sector as well as the poor people. Rural employment payment would be inflation figures-based.

Would it finally end up with winding up our public distribution system and the ration shops?

For Kerala, there is a grant of Rs 100 crore for a veterinary unit at Pookode and Rs 50 crore for Malappuram campus of Aligarh Muslim University.

Kochi Metro has not found mention whereas other Metros have got provision.

LDF Government means business, it is trying to nab more UDF leaders in palmolein case

Now it has become clear, the LDF Government would not spare anyone from being netted in the palmolein case, if there is slight possibility.

On Saturday, it filed a petition before the Special Judge and Enquiry Commissioner looking into Vigilance cases, to have a re-investigation in the palmolein case now that new revelations have come up.

It has also been mentioned that there would be other accused in the case.
The case has been posted to be heard on March 7, when it could be known what are the new grounds being bandied about.

After the demise of former Chief Minister K.Karunakaran, T.H.Musthafa who was the Food Minister during the palmolein import has become the first accused.

He has filed a discharge petition before the court mentioning that just as the-then Finance Minister Oommen Chandy was not included in the array of the accused, he should also be excluded from the case.

Now this mention has given a stick for the LDF Government to beat the UDF leaders with. Even as Musthafa has later been saying that he had not said anything against Oommen Chandy, his comparison has raised eye-brows.

Now the LDF Government is picking up from this point and trying to rope in others, possibly Oommen Chandy.

Sound and fury would aggravate in the coming days, prior to Assembly elections

Kerala is now witnessing a cacophony of allegations by the LDF against UDF and by the UDF against the LDF, particularly Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan and his son, Arunkumar.

It seems the UDF had a soft corner earlier towards the Chief Minister as he was involved, the UDF thought, in a diatribe against his detractors in the CPM. The UDF had given the party a long rope to entangle itself in the war cry among the leaders.

Now that elections are around the corner, that situation has changed, for the Chief Minister is going hammer and tongs against the UDF leaders and the CPM as a whole is jubilant about it. Now the UDF, particularly the Congress Party, has energised itself attacking the Chief Minister with allegations on a daily basis about his son’s alleged involvement in murky matters.

The LDF Government is issuing last-minute orders on a daily basis apparently to appease the electorate. There is no harm in it, for any government would be doing such things to refurbish its image as a welfare entity.

But then, the Opposition has every right to rip open the farcical exercise, if any, of the ruling dispensation. And the people at large would take a decision at the hustings.

But then the people should not be overburdened with an overdose of emotional largesse and the allegations and counter-allegations should not erupt out into a law and order problem.

Some people are like the ilk of M.A.John, Fate would not allow them in abodes of power

M.A.John was a well-read man, a scarce variety in politics, and when such few persons in politics with vast expanse of knowledge and thinking have got cosy positions, he was left without power and pelf.

People could say he was a maverick, the term the media confer on people who do not conform to ordinary and freely-available ways, even if the ways are evil to secure positions and pots of gold.

M.A.John was leading a movement in the seventies and there were slogans written on all conceivable places in Kerala saying M.A.John Namme Nayickum (M.A.John will lead us).

He used to address packed audiences and I have seen him speaking to a packed Senate Hall in Thiruvananthapuram, with the audience remaining in rapt attention. And he was an icon for students and youths. Could be he was a fundamentalist in idealism, which might have divested him of all opportunities. Corruption was anathema to him.

He didn’t care about the consequences of his speeches and views and thinking people would be wondering whether there would be such human beings in Kerala again.
No doubt such people enrich societal life with their unblemished record.

Will the new media herald in a new political era in Kerala? After doing wonders in the Arab world

We had media over-play in the politicalscape in Kerala over the years, but can we say that the media played a substantial role in any churning process in the State?

At best we can say that the media could play a role in establishing one-term left rule succeeded by another-term right rule. Surely, there has not been a devastating change in the politicalscape in the state.

We may have scams, assertions of good deeds done, X is better than Y, but did we have a revolution of a change? Not at all.

But we do not know what the most- new media like social networks would usher in for the people of the most literate state of Kerala. Literacy does not mean it could be harbouring a high-potential knowledge society.

It was the knowledge-society that ripped open a cleavage in the politicalscape in the Arab world, right through Egypt, Tunisia, Sudan, Bahrain, Libya and the like. The tyrants may strike powerfully against the popular uprising, but there cannot be wiping out of the knowledgeable minds.

But in Kerala, the resentment is there for five years against one set of parties to be quickly followed by the same sort of resentment for another five years against the same set of parties which were earlier given the reins of power.
All the same, we don’t have tyrants and tormentors, and that is some mercy

There may have been outbursts many, but let there be a clean slate for Muraleedharan in Congress

At last the Kerala unit of the Congress Party has cleared the request of K.Muraleedharan for re-entry into the party. And there is no reason why the high command should say no. On the contrary, Sonia Gandhi may re-induct him soon.

In the realm of politics, there may have been a lot of bad blood between parties, groups and individuals on one count or the other. Particularly so in the Congress Party. There cannot be an eternal block for any individual in the Congress Party as in the CPM or so.

For some time, K.Karunakaran and K.Muraleedharan had entertained hopes of capturing the party for themselves. But time proved that it could not be per se. Now Muraleedharan appears to be a chastened man. Karunakaran had particularly wanted his son’s return to the party.

After a lot of bickering, it was not possible for the party to take him back on the dot as he had requested. Therefore, much talk of the delay in his being drafted back to the party would not be desirable.

In course of time, Muraleedharan would naturally get his due in the party to which he was the PCC president once. But now he should not be carried away by exhortations of his old acolytes who may not be that dependable always.

All the best for Muraleedharan

Want transparent judiciary with ills uncovered or ‘potent’ judiciary with ills covered up?

We have to live up to the times, no limb of the Constitution should be left untouched in the matter of corruption. At least that is what the people want.

If there is a grain of truth in what is being blared out by some people against some of the members of the judiciary, even if the revelations be for their own selfish interests, it would be high time to go in for correction.

At least the judges who are clean and who live a life within the constraints of the judiciary should take up the matter and call for a complete overhaul. If all people go on compromising, thinking why should I court trouble by interfering, corruption even in the judiciary would prolong until an explosion time.

The charges are that the kin of former Chief Justice of India K.G.Balakrishnan have amassed immense disproportionate wealth, meaning getting support of the former CJI himself, that two judges of Kerala High Court had received bribe in the ice cream parlour case, that MP K.Sudhakaran was witness to a Supreme Court judge receiving hefty bribe in the bar licence case etc, unless probed and finalized, would besmirch the judiciary.

There can be no justificiation now-a-days to enforce a rule to see that nothing should be said against a judge, even if he or she is patently corrupt.
Advancement of democratic governance in the world emphasises the need for an open judiciary and not a covered up judiciary.

No doubt, the higher judgement of God Almighty, to whom every good and evil is transparent, would not leave a judge who dispenses justice on the basis of an illegal purse being presented to him or her. God would not spare travesty of justice.

If one analyses the futility of acquiring a lot of money, and that too quite illegally and to the torment of innocent people, no one would be attracted to graft of any sort. But then, men have lost their reason and it has gone to beasts, Jawaharlal Nehru once said.

Political leaders caught in the quagmire of corruption litigation

Each day brings in fresh developments one way or other involving political leaders in corruption cases.

When R.Balakrishna Pillai has been given one-year rigorous imprisonment in the Idamalayar case, another development is with regard to Kuriarkutty-Karappara project involving T.M.Jacob. The Supreme Court has asked for the review report regarding the project from the state government.

It is noteworthy that the state government itself had challenged the exclusion of T.M.Jacob from the irregularities in the Kuriarkutty-Karappara project. That means when V.S.Achuthanandan remains in power, Jacob may also have to suffer going through various procedures.

When things stood like this, the palmolein case is throwing fresh dimensions with former Food Minister and Congressman T.H.Musthafa trying to wriggle himself out of the case roping in Oommen Chandy in the matter.

Musthafa has filed a discharge petition before the special vigilance court, Thiruvananthapuram, saying Oommen Chandy who was the Finance Minister, had given the green signal for import of palmolein.

So why Oommen Chandy was excluded and he was included in the case, asks Musthafa. All these developments are taking place because of the demise of K.Karunakaran. Otherwise he could have been receiving the butt of criticism, but he had managed to secure a stay from the Supreme Court against trying him in the palmolein case.

Lavalin case involving CPM state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan is also getting live. An open warrant has been issued by the special court against Claus Trendl, former vice-president of SNC Lavalin company. He has been eluding notices issued by the court earlier.

Now it is free-for-all, the situation opening up new vistas of campaign for the ensuing Assembly elections.

It would be interesting to note what Dr Thomas Isaac has to say through the budget

It could be a swan song for Finance Minister Dr Thomas Isaac n budget presentation for the time being, but he seems to be undeterred in his determination to present some innovative things this time as well, even as Assembly elections are around the corner.

Other puny figures may say what is the point in highlighting schemes which his government may not be there to execute. But it is the duty of any political governance not to concede defeat before the battle is over with.

And Dr Thomas Isaac says the people would decide let there be another stint for the LDF Government considering his budget proposals.

All the same, whether the LDF gets renewed mandate for governance or not, Dr Thomas Isaac has the right to speak through the budget, which he says would clear the path for Future Kerala.

Last time he had hoped to make some money for the state through sand-mining in dams, but at the end of the day he had the warmth to concede that the scheme did not yield much.

He had the good fortune to keep the treasury open on all days, for there was no want of money on crucial occasions. People may say there was stock money only because implementation of schemes was tardy.He cannot alone be blamed for non-execution of projects, for other departments also have to come up with vigour for carrying out deeds.

Of course, Dr Thomas Isaac’s coffer was immensely benefited by the hike in price of petroleum on several occasions during the last one year. There were five instances of hikes during the last half a year. The tax and duty on petrol would have resulted in considerable levy for the state. It is one thing you can go on berating the Centre for hike in price of petroleum, and it is another thing in economics when you get a lot of money out of it.

Politics apart, no one can say Dr Thomas Isaac is lacking in qualification and experience, theoretical as well as practical, for he has been doing a fine job. One hopes his image would not have been stymied by other mundane things like the lottery imbroglio.

Pepper spray, taser gun and the like essential for women travelling alone

We are living in an idioticm bizarre world, where everyone has fulminations, but no one acts timely.

The trauma suffered by Soumya, the girl who was attacked on train and raped on the tracks to death, presents inexplicable angles. The train guard could have spotted them jumping down the train. The youth who had told others about the episode should have been supported by fellow travellers and the railway officials. Nothing positive happened and the world is essentially poor once again of goodness.

People fall terribly injured on the roads bleeding when others look askance at the scene. They may help cats and dogs which are injured, but not human beings who fall down terribly injured. People are scared that the police would harass them and they have to go to courts all their lifetime if they help someone like this.

Speaking about morality and justice, one should not forget the fact that there are joints in various places where women are enticed and given away for flesh trade.

Young girls are trapped one way or other and they are presented to worthies in the society. No one would complain. In fact, operators of such rackets who are hand in glove with goons who protect them are roaming freely.
Drunkards and drug addicts are having a field day, for they have saviours belonging to the high echelons of the society.

For now, it is high time the authorities thought about providing pepper (red chillies) sprays and taser guns giving electric shock to women travelling alone. Employers should be asked to provide such protective gear to the women employees, for which legal and administrative provision should be created.

These should be available at ladies stores in plenty so that women can buy them at cheap rates.

There is no point in ignoring dangers prevalent in a tumultuous world.