<b>UPA to make communal violence a federal offence</b>

May 21, 2004 22:39 IST

The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance proposes to enact a separate comprehensive law on communal violence under which investigations will be carried out only by central agencies and prosecution by special courts.

On Ayodhya, the UPA will await the verdict of the courts while encouraging negotiations between the parties to the dispute for an amicable settlement, a draft of the common minimum programme circulated among allies and supporting parties today said.

The draft said the government would enact a comprehensive law on communal violence providing for investigations by central agencies, prosecutions by special courts, and payment of uniform compensation.

The draft said the UPA is committed to the implementation of the Protection of Places of Worship Act, 1992.
<b>It said the UPA would amend the Constitution to establish a commission for minority educational institutions that will provide direct affiliation for minority professional institutions to central universities</b>.

<b>The document said the UPA would promote modern and technical education among all minority communities and the social and economic empowerment of the minorities through more systematic attention to education and employment will be its primary concern</b>.

It proposes to set up a national commission to examine the issue of backwardness and adequate representation of <b>all religious and linguistic minorities and to make recommendations on the issue</b>.

On administrative reforms, the draft said the UPA would prepare a detailed blueprint for revamping the public administration system and promotion of e-governance on a massive scale.

The Right to Information Act will be made more progressive, participatory, and meaningful, it said.

<b>It also said the UPA would take a leading role to drastically cut delays in high courts and the lower judiciary and expand their legal aid services.</b>

in.rediff.com/election/20...21cmp2.htm

<b>9 farmers commit suicide in 4 days</b>

Hyderabad, May 19: As many as nine farmers have committed suicide in the last four days, sending out signals both in the government and the Congress that Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy’s package on farmers’ suicides may boomerang.

Two farmers — G Ayyanna Goud, 45, of Mathurapur village in Mahbubnagar district and K Pullaiah, 36, a cotton farmer in Timmineni Palem of Khammam — committed suicide due to severe indebtedness on Wednesday, a day after the Chief Minister announced the package of Rs 50,000 for settlement of loan and Rs 1 lakh fixed deposit for the kin of the deceased.

On Tuesday evening, even as Reddy was urging farmers not to commit suicide, a farmer couple attempted to end their lives after writing a leter to the Chief Minister. Srinivasa Rao, 45, and his wife Venkata Rathnam of Nagarajupalli in Martutu mandal of Prakasam district said they were ending their lives because of pressure of debtors. They are fighting for their lives in Chilkaluri pet.

Rao had one-acre land where he dug a well and had taken four acre on lease for cultivation. Continuous drought and poor returns forced him to borrow money, which he was unable to repay.

Two farmers from Karimnagar and one each from Medak and Anantapur committed suicide on Monday and one farmer each from Karimnagar and Warangal resorted to the extreme step on Tuesday. Murmurs have begun in the party over the sudden spurt in farmers’ suicides and the Chief Minister’s “unilateral” decision on the package, while suggestions came in from farmers’ organisations that rescheduling of repayment of loan, both in banking and private sectors, for a few months could work as an effective preventive measure.

The Telugu Desam has been maintaining a stoic silence over the issue but is closely following the developments to strike at the government. Reddy fought for five years as Opposition leader for a package for the kin of farmers who have committed suicide, made it a prime electoral slogan. On a dramatic note, he announced from the dais of his swearing-in ceremony as Chief Minister on May 14 that no farmer in the State should commit suicide henceforth.

Reddy, who held a preliminary meeting on the issue on May 16, rushed the officials to prepare the package on May 17 following the suicide of P Suresh Kumar, a farmer in Medak. As many as four farmers, two from Karimnagar and one each from Medak and Anantapur committed suicide on Monday and one farmer each from Karimnagar and Warangal resorted to the extreme step on Tuesday.

“We are only worried that spurt in suicides may lend credence to the TD’s argument that any package would encourage the debt-ridden farmers to end their lives,” a senior Congress leader said.

Congress sources also said the CM did not make any mention about the package when he discussed the State’s financial situation with senior Congress leader K Rosaiah and a host of State officials on May 16. “Though the CM signing the first file on free power is justified, other policy decisions need to be discussed in the Cabinet before making any announcement,” another leader said referring to package to prevent suicides and taking up irrigation projects in a big way.
......
“The package is more focussed on relief to the kin of farmers who committed suicides, while it did not contain any preventive measure,” association president Mallreddy said.

<b>1857 A Mutiny</b>

<b>The Revolutionary Upheaval of 1857 </b>
Although dismissed by some as merely a sepoy's mutiny or revolt, or as a protest against the violation of religious rights by the British, the great uprising of 1857 is slowly gaining recognition as India's first war of independance. And in it's broad sweep it was the greatest armed challenge to colonial rule during the entire course of the nineteenth century. Attracting people from all walks of life - both Hindus and Muslims, it triggered demands for radical social and economic reforms, calling for a new society that would be more democratic and more representative of popular demands.
<b>Early Precedents</b>

Neither was it a bolt out of the blue. Although not very well known, the period between 1763 and 1856 was not a period during which Indians accepted alien rule passively. Numerous uprisings by peasants, tribal communities and princely states confronted the British. Some were sustained - others sporadic - a few were isolated acts of revolutionary resistance - but nevertheless they all challenged colonial rule. Precipitated by the policy of unchecked colonial extraction of agricultural and forest wealth from the region - the period saw tremendous growth in rural poverty, the masses being reduced to a state of utter deprivation.

Even as official taxation was back-breaking enough, British officers routinely used their powers to coerce additional money, produce, and free services from the Indian peasants and artisans. And courts routinely dismissed their pleas for justice. In the first report of the Torture Commission at Madras presented to the British House of Commons in 1856, this was acknowledged along with the admission that officers of the East India Company did not abstain from torture, nor did they discourage its use. That this was a practice not confined to the Madras presidency alone is confirmed by a letter from Lord Dalhousie to the Court of Directors of the East India Company in September , 1855 where he admits that the practice of torture was in use in every British province. Click for more details

Desperate communities had often no choice but to resist to the bitter end. Armed revolts broke out practically every year - only to be brutally suppressed by the British. Lacking the fire power of the British arsenal - they were invariably outgunned. And lacking the means of communication available to the British - individual revolts were also unable to trigger sympathetic rebellions elsewhere. Disadvantageous timing led to crushing defeats. Yet, some of these struggles raged for many years. Click for more details

Amongst the most significant were the Kol Uprising of 1831, the Santhal Uprising of 1855, and the Kutch Rebellion which lasted from 1816 until 1832. There was also a precedence for a soldiers mutiny when Indian soldiers in Vellore (Tamil Nadu, Southern India) mutinied in 1806. Although unsuccessful, it led to the growth of unofficial political committees of soldiers who had several grievances against their British overlords

Please use this thread to keep track of how the market is responding.......

Right now on, rediff: <b>Sensex crashes 500pts, trading halted</b>


PS. No other discussion on economy. Just the political effect on the market. Thanks!

<b>Sensex slumps 330 pts on divestment threat</b>
Reuters
Mumbai, May 14

Indian shares slumped over six per cent on Friday as investors worried privatisation and foreign investment could be hit by a shift to a leftist-backed Government following the surprise election victory of the Congress party.

The slump in the Bombay 30-share index -- Sensex was led by selling in state-backed firms and banks, such as ONGC and State Bank of India. The Sensex ended down as much as 329.60 points to 5069.87. The Indian rupee fell half a per cent against the dollar.

The fall in shares extended a selling trend over more than two weeks, in which the Bombay index has tumbled 14 per cent since it became clear the pro-reform National Democratic Alliance (NDA) might not fare as well as had been expected in the election.

Congress and its allies, including some on the far-left, stunned pundits with a commanding victory and were trying to form a new Government on Friday, prompting the latest sell-off.

"It has reached a situation where people have given up hope. They have lost heavily," said managing director of Dimensional Securities, Ajit Suarana.

"But, I think it is being overdone and people should use this as a buying opportunity. Just because privatisation may not go through, doesn't mean the country will come to a halt."

India is Asia's third-largest economy.

Confirming the fears of many investors, the country's largest communist party described India's privatisation ministry as "unnecessary".

Congress says it will continue with privatisation, but only "selectively", and will not sell profit-making state companies.

"Clearly, the privatisation story is over for now," said director of Kotak Mahindra Asset Management, C Jayaram. "And the big India story, which was popular among foreign investors, will lose some its appeal."

The share slump knocked half a per cent off the value of the Indian rupee, which had gained gained five per cent against the dollar in 2003 as record levels of overseas money flowed into India.

Among those shares hardest hit were companies in which the NDA government had announced plans to sell a strategic stake.

Refiners Hindustan Petroleum Corp and Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd both dived 13 per cent, while Shipping Corp of India, the country's biggest shipping line, lost 17 per cent to hit a nine-month low of Rs 86.70.

Shares in ONGC, the country's top oil producer, in which the Government sold a record $2.3 billion worth of shares in March, dropped 11 per cent to Rs 731.40.

Foreign funds have sold a net $365 million worth of Indian shares in seven straight trading sessions through Wednesday.

<b>Banks were also hit on expectations crucial sector reforms will be delayed or shelved</b>. State Bank of India, the biggest commercial bank, slumped 14 per cent to Rs 516.9 and Punjab National Bank plunged 18 per cent to Rs 263.50.

Hello,

I am doing a school paper, and I would like some feed back from users on this board.

When Britain was in India (around 1850-1930) did they help the economy of India or ruin it?

Can you please place links of your source/idea.

My thought: Ruin the economy - 1. Cottage Industry 2. Monopoly

Thanks

`Linking rivers will solve water crisis'

By the end of 2020, NDA will make India a totally developed nation by connecting each of the six lakh villages with road besides ensuring electricity, water, irriga- tion, healthcare and housing.

Vajpayee has Ambitious project of interlinking rivers. Actor Dharmendra, BJP candidate from Bikaner wants to talk Punjab Chief Minister for bringing water from Punjab to Bikaner. Actor Rajnikant donated one crore for the said project and promised to vote BJP.
Government encourages students to think their future with the India’s Vision 2020.
Narayan Agrawal, 3rd year B.Tech (Civil of IIT-Delhi presented an example to select the topic of his project: \"Least Cost Canal Path Simulation Using Geographical Information System". The topic comes under Water Resources Management and minimizing the cost of transportation of water to the people. Presented papers by him in International Conferences: MapIndia2004 held in New Delhi on topic, “How MapIndia2004 can become Geospatial Democratic country before 2020”.
International Conference, GSDI-7 held in Bangalore, organized by ISRO and DST on how GIS could be used for National Spatial Development Infrastructure programs.
International Conference, ISSMA-2004 held in Manali, organized by ISRO and DST on Avalanche forecasting using GIS-PP.
"In a project with an expected cost of hundreds of crores, private participation could be sought and some charges might be levied on direct beneficiaries too", Chairman of the Task Force on Interlinking of major Indian rivers, Suresh Prabhu said February 10, 2003 at a round table session on "Networking of Indian rivers" organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry here in New Delhi. Elaborating on the progress made so far, Prabhu said "latest technology including GIS and satellite imagery would be used during preparation of feasibility reports to achieve greater degree of accuracy. he said adding sociologists and NGOs were welcome to give in their suggestions on the same.

By Premendra Agrawal, Raipur, India
Comindia2000@hotmail.com

/*
** Goes here.
*/

Hello all,

I'm kind of new to this forum though I've lurked for a while. I think a dedicated thread about India's civic development -- building and construction projects, city infrastructure development, city economic development -- should be created so that city-development-specific information can be compiled, from news and other economic threads.


Anyway, to start the thread off, here's an article about Mumbai I found

A megapolis in regeneration mode

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->BANGALORE, Hyderabad and Chennai may have stolen some of the limelight from the commercial capital of the country. While techies love the cooler climate of Bangalore, some manufacturers have opted for the lower real estate prices and better logistics of the South. But can Mumbai regain some of its lost charm?

Mumbai has been drudging along at a GDP rate of 2.4 per cent in recent years; the choc-a-bloc traffic and the particulate matter in the air are not helping. Mumbai's GDP growth fell from 7 per cent to a surprisingly low 2.4 per cent per annum between 1998 and 2002 while India's growth rate was higher at 5.6 per cent. But enthusiasts do believe that the city is nowhere near saturation levels and growth rates can scale up.

"There is considerable opportunity available for Mumbai if one were to look at the huge gap in financial trading time zones between Zurich and Singapore on the ring of global trade, which can be best filled by Mumbai considering its geographical location, time zone and the economic growth achieved so far," says Dr Subir Gokarn, Chief Economist, Crisil.

This ring now consists of Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York, London and Zurich, after which there is a huge gap in time till the markets open in Singapore. "But the city needs to offer some bait for trading to shift here. Pretty much like the way the NSE offered incentives to attract trade from the BSE when the former was launched," says Dr Gokarn.

The Indian bourses have certainly caught the flavour of prominent foreign institutional investors and the NSE registers the third largest number of transactions in the world after the NYSE and the Nasdaq.

The full convertibility of the Indian rupee and the removal of curbs on FII investment limit in the domestic debt market are the hurdles to be cleared to make Mumbai more prominent from a global standpoint. But the Reserve Bank of India has made it amply clear that it is in no hurry to set the rupee on a free float. The depth and volumes in the debt, currency and derivative markets also do not match global standards.

Said the treasury head of a leading foreign bank in the country: "Mumbai is far from getting on the global map, although we do have plenty of talent and, of late, good communication systems. The foreign exchange and debt markets are lacking in terms of depth, liquidity, and volumes. Dubai is fast taking the slot between Zurich and Singapore on the global map."

The Indian debt market is the largest after Japan and South Korea, says Mr Jayesh Mehta, Head, Debt Research, DSP Merrill Lynch. However, it lacks the variety of investor profiles and the number of investors that Singapore enjoys because of the regulatory constraints and the nascent state of several financial intermediaries.

The foreign exchange market, though set in the right direction today, grosses well below a billion dollars daily while active global markets run into several billions of dollars.

Commercial activity is certainly on a roll in the city — which has a per capita income three times that of India's — with many companies, retail stores and residential complexes coming up. The maximum demand for property now is from IT and IT-enabled service companies.

The demand will only go up provided there is increased land availability at affordable prices and a host of infrastructure projects to fix bottlenecks in the city with a population of 11.9 million as per the 2001 Census. Real estate prices in the city have fallen to half in the posh South Mumbai addresses from the boom times of 1994-95 but some more reduction in valuations are expected as the textile mill land of Central Mumbai get released.

Several retail chains and malls have sprung up in the suburbs of the city. RPG Enterprises entered the city only recently. "We have entered Mumbai now since real estate prices have stabilised and there is plenty of land available with mill areas being released.

The rising mall culture will also create more opportunities," said the spokesperson of RPG Enterprises. RPG recently set up the Giant Hypermarket, Music World and Health & Glow stores in Malad, a northern suburb. For retail chains, Mumbai is a formidable market with a longer break-even period than in Chennai or Bangalore as not only are real estate prices higher but logistics is always a problem and labour is more expensive too.

Mumbai is undergoing a shift in activity from the manufacturing side in favour of the services sector, as do many large cities of the world as property prices hit the roof. The city has witnessed several corporates and small companies roll down their factory shutters to head out to the hinterland.

Says Dr R. H. Patil, the visionary credited with the success of setting up the world-class, National Stock Exchange and currently Chairman of the Clearing Corporation of India Ltd, "Mumbai will soon become purely a financial hub and all industries will move out of here. We are already seeing this happen. Only financial intermediaries and the support functions will remain in the city. Soon, companies will maintain outfits in Mumbai only for raising capital since all the banks and capital markets are based here. Urban infrastructure should not be much of an issue for the well-remunerated executives of financial firms as they can afford to create their own little world."

Over the years, several companies have shifted their manufacturing set-ups out of the city to escape the high taxes and octroi here. FMCG giant, HLL and automobile-maker, Mahindra & Mahindra are cases in point of companies that moved out its manufacturing units to relocate in the underdeveloped areas of various states of the country. Set-ups in backward areas come with tax incentives, which go a long way in cost rationalisation.

Textile mills shut shop in Mumbai due to a variety of reasons in the mid-1980s and even today many small and medium enterprises in the less-expensive North Mumbai are considering shifting base.

"The teeming metropolis is undergoing a desirable natural regeneration that had long been delayed.

"Just like New York, which saw its many garment manufacturing units pushed out to be replaced by services and, later, more high-end services, Mumbai too is undergoing that state of replacement and regeneration.

For very many years the textile mill areas were lying as idle assets in the midst of the city even as real estate prices were skyrocketing. These lands are now getting converted into commercial ventures, which is certainly a good sign," says Dr Gokarn.

"The next stage of development will take place in the mill areas of Central Mumbai. There is so much land in the mill areas that it will be used up only over the next 10 years," says Mr Tariq Vaidya, Head, Advisory Services and Asia-Pacific Research, Knight Frank India, the Indian fraction of the UK-based, international property consultant.

There are 500 acres of mill land in Central Mumbai in the areas of Mahalakshmi, Sion, Worli, Parel and Lower Parel controlled by private firms and the National Textile Corporation.

While some, such as the Kamala Mills, have been converted into commercial office spaces, Phoenix Mills hosts several retail stores and, more recently, the Nicholas Piramal group developed a mill area into a prominent office address.

Says Mr K. G. Krishnamurthy, Senior General Manager, Technical Services of Housing Development Finance Corporation: "For this city to grow further and to retain its position as the commercial capital of India, the State and Central governments need to make the mill lands of Central Mumbai and salt pan lands in suburban Mumbai available for development. Property taxes must be rationalised and the Urban Land Ceiling Act needs to be scrapped. Infrastructure projects are also critical to create linkages within the city."

It might be a few years before the implementation of the Bombay First-McKinsey report to transform Mumbai into a world-class city by pumping in $40 billion much like the transformation of Shanghai in the late 1980s.

Meanwhile, a few road linkages, such as the 25-km long, Sewri-Nhava Sheva link across the Arabian Sea, will help the city grow horizontally as against the vertical growth seen over decades.

The Worli-Bandra link would also help relieve bottlenecks and sustain growth in the interim period.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

A small experiment to foster some discussion on wide array of complex topics that ail our motherland. I was witness to some email exchanges on this topic and have requested the participants to discuss it here in this particular thread.

We all have a list of grievances and complaints about the all things wrong about India and have strong views on how things should be fixed. In a internet forum, we might not be able to solve any of these problems, but we can certainly learn the different and diverse perspectives we Indians hold about such issues and if possible list solutions for the same.

I envision this thread to be a hodge-podge mix of several different topics that we already cover on this forum, so might request one of the senior moderator/member to moderate this thread.