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Indian State Economies
#21
BB hasnt done badly in the few days since he assumed office.

first came the TATA nod for the 1 lac rupee car factory and office.
then came the Videocon IT park and plasma screen factory.

thats a cool half a billion USD (2250 crore rupees) worth of investment on the day he assumed office.

now Rajiv Singh of DLF has been given the go ahead to make a Gurgaon style township in Rajarhat or Dankuni off Calcutta.


the main ethos in urban middle class citizens in WB today is "to hell with communism but long live BB" !!

too bad Jyoti Basu didnt let BB have his way and get a new look state cabinet. JB threw his weight and ensured BB had to induct old timers (with dubious records) and certain "new kinds on the block" (who have his patronage), despite BB's opposition.

BTW whats BB's age?? i hope he stays there for this and one more term at least. too bad that terrible leaders like JB live till 90+ while good ones often have their careers cut short.i am caught between two stools now - i hate commies but i like BB's performance.
  Reply
#22
Can anyone help me find this publication RK Swamy Guide To Urban Marketing. I wish to buy it but cannot find anyway of ordering it online. Any help appreciated. Please reply through Personal Message fucntion. I will be checkin it frequentlyl

Thanks

Charles
  Reply
#23
<!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<b>Mittal to set up $8.5 bn steel unit </b>
Source: IANS.
Bhubaneswar, July 7: After winning the battle to take over rival Arcelor, Indian-born global steel magnate Lakshmi Niwas Mittal Friday said his group will set up a 12-million-tonne steel unit in Orissa with an investment of about Rs.40,000 crore (around $8.5 billion).

"Soon we will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Orissa government for the plant to be build in two phases," he told reporters at the state secretariat prior to his departure to New Delhi. "As I have said, we will focus on China and India to grow."

Mittal, who arrived here at around 9.30 a.m. in his private jet along with top officials of his group, held discussions with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and senior officials for over 90 minutes on his investment plans for this mineral-rich eastern coastal state.

The state has attracted other steel companies including the South Korea steel giant POSCO - whose investment plans are however dogged by controversy due to opposition from locals.
Describing Mittal's proposed project as a venture that will create more job in the state, Patnaik said his government would constitute an empowered committee to facilitate the newly announced investment intent.

The owner of Mittal Steel flew in from London to the Biju Patnaik International Airport here, where top state government officials, including Steel Secretary L.N. Gupta, received him and his team.

"Though the Jharkhand government is extending all its cooperation I am not happy with the progress of the project," Mittal said.

Mittal had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Jharkhand government last year to set up a 12-million-tonne steel unit in that state with a proposed investment of Rs.400 billion ($8.5 billion).

The proposed plant in Jharkhand is the first of Mittal's projects in India. The Friday tour is his first India trip after successfully concluding the Arcelor deal that made headlines around the world.

During his visit to New Delhi, Mittal - who is set to acquire European steel giant Arcelor - is expected to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora and other federal ministers.

Officials said his scheduled trip to the Indian capital was a "thanksgiving visit" for the support India had extended during his takeover bid for Arcelor, especially by Commerce Minister Kamal Nath.
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#24
Not sure about the numbers of Katrina but currently there is a major disaster unfolding in Surat, Gujarat of a comparable scale. About 35 lakhs people are affected. 50-75% population of Surat has been evacuated etc.. Hospitals/Rlwys/u-name-it has been affected. The disaster recovery process should be interesting to watch.
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#25
The human tragedy is unbelievable and from talking to an involved person in recovery process the recovery process is also unbelievable. No matter how much we flog the babus and netas they are doing a commendable job here. There are even plans for setting up a special neo-natal unit which is going to handle all the kids born before waters recede. The person was throwing stats left and right - I have asked the person if more details can be collected for this process - right now there is no time but later maybe the person might send us some details..

From slide show here..

http://specials.rediff.com/news/2006/aug/0...?q=tp&file=.htm

<img src='http://specials.rediff.com/news/2006/aug/09rain4.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
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#26
Chamchagiri has already started.. Read the stuff here..

http://specials.rediff.com/news/2006/aug/1...?q=tp&file=.htm

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Surtis, who have come out on the streets today after five gruelling days, are blaming the Gujarat government for remaining insensitive to their plight.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

It is extremely critical that Modi responds with a rehab program of massive scale along with good transparent PR campaign. Others can sense an opening here.
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#27
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Learn from Gujarat </b>
The Pioneer Edit Desk
Modi shows why he's CM No. 1 ---- The Gujarat floods sent a shiver down the spine of the national economy. Production in the State's industrial belts was down to minimum and the export market was hit hard. The oil fields were shut for three days, putting a squeeze on retail outlets. The brunt of the crisis was felt by consumers of natural gas because production of this important energy source for industry had to be virtually stopped. There were power outages in the State and beyond - even all the way to Delhi - because gas-fired turbines ground to a halt. But, in spite of all the adversities, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi displayed remarkable grit and sense of urgency in coming to grips with the natural disaster. Unlike other Chief Ministers and Central Ministers who make ritual helicopter flights over flood-hit areas - as if the sight of flying machines is enough to mitigate people's problems - Mr Modi travelled by road and mingled incognito with the people to manage the crisis over five days. He summarily dismissed the unfounded charge made by the Congress that Surat, the worst affected town, was a "man-made tragedy" not with words but by giving precedence to service over petty politics. Then, there was deliberate disinformation spread about the State Government releasing water from the Ukai dam earlier than necessary. Such accusations are not new. It is virtually impossible for administrations to time the opening of the sluice gates to a nicety considering the fact that what one is dealing with is the force of nature. In any case, <span style='color:red'>the argument proferred by Mr Modi's critics does not stand because there was not a single death reported in Surat.</span> The Chief Minister personally supervised the relief operations and ensured that officials and self-serving minor politicians did not interfere with higher authority. Usually, VIP visits during relief operations cause needless diversion of resources. Mr Modi, on the other hand, has shown how other States and their leaders must handle such natural calamities.. He shunned rhetoric and concentrated on rescue operations, one of which saved the lives of 350 children. <b>He has established yet again what it takes to be regarded as the best Chief Minister in the country.</b>

What, on the other hand, did Mr Modi's critics do? Congress president Sonia Gandhi, accompanied by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, tried their best to cash in on people's misery. <b>The look of anxiety on Mr Mukherjee's face, it seems, was triggered by the lack of crowds to greet his supreme leader. Feeling snubbed by an indifferent public, the Centre has released a paltry Rs 350 crore for Gujarat which Mr Modi has rightly described as insignificant and insulting. The Congress has still not realised that playing politics with disaster aid does not pay in the long run.</b> Partisan federalism, especially in times of natural calamities, is revealing of the Congress's deeper mindset. The people of Gujarat ware watching.
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Rajesh,
Media is after Modi. And they can't resist. Compare Gujarat handling of Flood with Maharastra or even Bihar.
Its time, media should go to hell for good.
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#28
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Delhi tops per capita income in country </b>
Pioneer.com
Rajesh Kumar | New Delhi
Delhi's economy is booming as per capita income has crossed over Rs 53,000 annually <!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo--> while its share in total national employment is 4.12 per cent which is more than 25 States in the country.

As per report released by Directorate of Economics & Statistics-2005, the Capital per capita income is over Rs 53,976 a year as compared Rs 49,494 in 2003-04.

Delhi per capita income has left the national per income way behind. Similarly, the total number of persons engaged have increased from 35 lakh in 1998 to 41 lakh in 7,53,795 enterprises in 2005, <b>registering a growth of about 17 per cent.</b> Delhi Finance Minister Dr AK Walia has recently released the report. According to report, the average number of persons working in each enterprise has increased from 5.10 per cent in 1998 to 5.41 per cent in 2005.

Walia said that out of 75,3795 enterprises, only 27,695 were in rural areas and the rest of the enterprises are operating from urban areas. The interesting figure is that of these 96,238 enterprises in Delhi are operating without premises and 87.23 per cent were enterprises operating with fixed premises.

Out of 40.80 lakh persons working in total enterprises, 6.86 lakh working in South district followed by 5.86 lakh in North-West district, 4.64 lakh in West district, 4.32 lakh in North East district, 4.05 lakh in East district and 3.89 lakh in New Delhi.

It is for the first time economic census has been conducted district wise in the city. The census reveals that the north-west district has the maximum number of enterprises. About .31 lakh enterprises were operating in north-west, followed by 1.07 lakh in south district.

"In rural, 77.82 per cent of the rural enterprises were operating from fixed premises and in urban areas this share was 87.59 per cent. About 2.68 per cent of the total enterprises were found to be employing more than 10 workers," the report said.

Walia also said that it is for the first time that a business register will be prepared for the enterprises having 10 or more workers in the Capital. Out of 7.54 lakh of the total enterprises, 20,177 enterprises have 10 or more workers. "In South district, 4,501 enterprises have 10 or more workers followed by 3,826 enterprises in north-west district, 2,236 in West district, 1,866 in New Delhi, 1837 in East district," the report said.

According to Walia, Delhi's share in the total enterprises in the country is 1.79 per cent whereas Chhatisgarh's share is 1.56 percent and 1.17 per cent of Jharkhand
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#29
<b>Modi sets up panel to probe Surat floods</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi late on Thursday decided to set up a one-member panel to investigate circumstances that led to last week's heavy floods in Surat, following allegations that the administrative negligence was responsible for the tragedy
...........
<b>Experts alleged that the disaster could have been avoided if the water had been released in advance in a phased manner.</b>

The panel is expected to look into the communication among agencies of the state government, the Maharashtra government and the central government about water levels at upstream dams during the period.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Looks like other states may have tried worst crime ???????
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#30
<b>Rs 4,49,000 crore windfall for Gujarat</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The Vibrant Gujarat summit, in which investors from across the globe took part, ended in Ahmedabad on Saturday. And the curtains dropped with the participants promising to pump in investments worth Rs 4,49,000 crore – a record – over the next three to five years.

Addressing the valedictory function on Saturday evening, state Chief Minister Narendra Modi announced that a total of 308 Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) were signed with entrepreneurs during the two-day event.

<b>He also said that the 330 projects that these MoUs have given birth to would generate employment for nearly 12 lakh youngsters from Gujarat.</b>

<b>"As many as 15 of the projects are expected to increase the human resources available at medical, nursing and marine engineering colleges, and pharmacy institutions,"</b> Modi said.

He added that human resource development is of vital importance, since the projects on the anvil cannot be implemented without adequate manpower.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> <!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Lets see how UPA will react, I hope they are not calling midnight cabinet meeting. <!--emo&Tongue--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo-->
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#31
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Rs.2 trillion investments promised at Gujarat expo
India Gazette
Friday 12th January, 2007 
IANS

Indian entrepreneurs, including Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, Friday committed investments and projects in Gujarat totalling Rs.2.1 trillion ($46.6 billion) over the next four-five years at the Gujarat business expo.

Ambani committed a whopping Rs.350 billion in modernising his refinery in Jamnagar and another Rs.320 billion by signing memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with Indian and foreign collaborators.

Recalling the words of his late father Dhirubhai Ambani at the third 'Vibrant Gujarat 2007' Global Investors' Summit here, he said Reliance was 'a Gujarati enterprise, an Indian enterprise and a global enterprise'. He also announced the setting up of 'a world-class university' in Gujarat.

Tata Group chief Ratan Tata, who made no fresh commitment, recalled the indebtedness of his family and the Parsi community of fire worshippers, who migrated from Iran in the eighth century, to be welcomed in Gujarat.

The economic climate under Modi was such that 'it would be stupid not to come here', he told a large gathering, including 200 foreign delegates.

Announcements of fresh investments were also made by Kumar Mangle Burlap of the Adyta Burlap Group, Torrent and others.

Exhorting all industrialists to invest, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said: 'Try your luck here. You will earn enough to feed your generations.'

This is Modi's third expo with domestic and foreign investors. Some of those who made commitments in 2003 and 2005 came forward to say that the state government had allotted them land within 30 days of application and cleared all formalities in 90 days to enable them put up factories and a project in a matter of months.

The chief minister completes six years in office in December when the state is slated to go for assembly elections. Though his handling of the 2002 communal riots was severely criticised at home and abroad, there was not even a remote reference to it in the proceedings at the 'Vibrant Gujarat 2007'.

The chief guest, Balaji Sadasivan, Singapore's senior minister of state for foreign affairs, recalled the role of the Gujarati community in his city-state in setting up the first Indian Chamber of Commerce 50 years ago.

Even the Gujarati school in Singapore would be celebrating its 60th anniversary, Sadasivan said, adding: 'Singapore's investors and entrepreneurs have a lot to learn from Gujarat.'

Habil Khorakiwala, president of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), who also heads pharma giant Workhardt, said Gujarat, with six percent of the geographic space and five percent of the population, was contributing to 21 percent of the country's exports.

With the economic momentum in Gujarat and at the national level, Khorakiwala said India could surpass the economies of Italy and France by 2020, Germany by 2025 and Japan by 2030.

In his key-note address, ICICI Bank chief K.V. Kamath praised Modi's 'pro-active' role in guiding the state's economy. More like a CEO'. He said, however, that it was necessary to concentrate on the rural areas in augmenting human resources like education and health at the same level as the economy if the country was to achieve balanced growth.

Investors from across the world, including China, the US and Britain are attending the expo. Many of them are non-resident Gujaratis who have done well abroad. Like Mukesh Ambani said they were 'regulars' and hoped to consolidate their gains made earlier.

http://story.indiagazette.com/index.php/ct...id/224201/cs/1/<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I wish BJP would project Modi as the PM in the next elections and kick out the oldies like Hajvani and Hajpayee.
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#32
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Modi draws global flock </b>
Pioneer.com
Ashok Malik | Gandhinagar
In March 2005, the US famously denied Narendra Modi a visa and the British Government followed Big Brother's lead in saying that the Gujarat Chief Minister was unwelcome. The instant assessment was that the American ban was a black warrant for Modi's political career and that he would be isolated and ostracised by the rest of the world.

Two years on, reality has turned out otherwise. As was apparent at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors' Summit on January 12-13, Modi's stewardship of Gujarat's red-hot economy had foreign business and Government delegations flocking to Gandhinagar.

From Balaji Sadasivan, Singapore's minister of state for foreign affairs, to top functionaries from the <b>governments of Shenzhen and Sichuan, from American water treatment giant ITT - which sent its CEO, CFO and CIO in a private plane - to companies from Norway and Israel, from America's Dow Chemicals to Port of Singapore Authority: Vibrant Gujarat was a global village.</b>

The Chinese and Singaporean delegations came after Modi's visits to those countries in October-November 2006. Since March 2005, the Gujarat chief minister had also visited Russia - studying agricultural technology in the province of Astrakhan - Israel and Switzerland. In 2004, he had travelled to Australia and, early in his term, to the United Kingdom.

In April, Modi goes on a business visit to Japan, with a trip planned for Sri Lanka later in 2007. The chief minister is said to be keen to visit Africa - which has a large Gujarati expatriate community and from where he has many invitations pending - but is unable to find the time.

<b>In a recent visit to India - in the course of which his wife and he adopted a Gujarati girl child - the governor of Utah, John Huntsman, met Modi and praised Gujarat's achievements. </b>

The most important international friendship Modi has forged is, however, with Goh Chok Tong, former prime minister of Singapore and at one time said to be an American nominee for the UN Secretary General's job.

"He came to Gujarat on a private visit in 2004-05," Modi says of Goh, "and was very impressed by what he saw. We met and he told me he would do all he could to help us. He has now become Gujarat's unofficial ambassador."

When Modi travelled to Singapore, Goh arranged meetings for him and invited him over. He has promised to introduce the younger man to senior politicians in Japan, before the Gujarat chief minister's April visit.

As things stand, more than isolate Modi, the cussed babus at the State Department and in Whitehall seem to be the ones out of tune with major countries. Not that it stopped, of course, a representative from the US consulate in Mumbai turning up at Vibrant Gujarat.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
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#33
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>312 MoUs signed at Gujarat meet</b> 
Pioneer.com
RK Misra | Gandhinagar
The two-day Vibrant Gujarat urban summit, which ended here on Saturday, yielded 312 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) totalling a potential investment of Rs 2.5 lakh crore for a variety of urban development projects in the State, said Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

The Chief Minister who was delivering the concluding address at the summit in Ahmedabad on Friday said that 106 MoUs totalling an investment of Rs 80,995 crore had been signed for development of integrated townships in the State, 143 MoUs totalling Rs 11,4481 crore for infrastructure development projects and 63 MoUs totalling Rs 9,684 crore for setting up commercial complexes in the State.

Amongst the major companies involved in the urban development projects in the State were IL&FS which would be undertaking projects worth Rs 50,000 crores, DLF for Rs 30,000 crore, Subhash projects for Rs 5,000 crore and Reliance Retail for Rs 900 crore.

Modi said a pioneering step during the summit was the decision for pooled financing against the asset base signed with UTI bank which would open up a whole new world for 160 municipalities in the State which could now seek finance for various development projects. "This may well become a path breaking development which will show the way for financing a variety of development projects for various smaller local self government bodies in the country", he added
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
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#34
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Left-ruled States fail to achieve target</b>
Rajeev Ranjan Roy | New Delhi

<b>WB ranks 22nd, Kerala 24th among 30 States in terms of performance.</b>  The schemes under the Centre's 20-Point Programme are not progressing well in the States being ruled by the pro-poor political parties. Left-ruled West Bengal ranks 22nd among 30 States in terms of performance by achieving only 45 per cent of the targets, while Kerala ranks 24th by accomplishing 43 per cent of the targets during April-December 2006.

The schemes under 20-Point Programme deal with social and economic empowerment of the poor in general. The performance review done by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation puts Andhra Pradesh on top of the list, followed by Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh. These States have achieved 100, 93, 87 and 86 per cent of the targets.

Faced with criticism from the opposition for not carrying out pro-poor works effectively, Uttar Pradesh ranks 5th by achieving 83 per cent targets, followed by Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Karnataka. Other than UP and Himachal Pradesh, all other States are under the rule of National Democratic Alliance (NDA). <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
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#35
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>HUGE GOLD DEPOSITS </b>

<b>A 38.5 MILLION TON GOLD DEPOSIT FOUND IN BANSWARA, RAJASTHAN (INDIA</b>)

A little over two years after it set up shop in Rajasthan, Australian exploration company Indo Gold has struck Gold Deposits in a little known village some 124 miles from Jodhpur.
The Australian company has found a 38.5 million ton Gold Deposit in Banswara.

NOTE :
THE PRESENT MARKET VALUE OF THIS GOLD DEPOSIT = $ 847 TRILLION
@ $ 660 PER OUNCE or Approx. $ 22,000 per kg. i.e. $ 22 million per Ton works out as under :-

$ 22 Million/Ton x 38.5 Million Tons = $ 847 Trillion

This gold is going to make India again <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
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#36
<b>BIMARU states lag behind in Human Development Index: Par Panel</b>

<b>India's Road to Riches Is Running Out of Land: Andy Mukherjee </b>
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#37
<b>More than 50 per cent of India's poor live in five states: report</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Among the five states, Uttar Pradesh has been found to be biggest contributor to the 17.34 crore figure of poor people. Other states loaded with poor are Maharashtra, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal, whose poverty figures have not shown a huge variation as compared to 1993-94 figures. The states having done well on poverty indicator are southern states and Himachal Pradesh.

At the all India level, Orissa has earned the dubious distinction of having highest percentage of poor (46.4 per cent) in the total population of the state, followed by Bihar (41.4 per cent), Chattisgarh (40.4 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (38.3 per cent) and Maharashtra 30.7 per cent. “We need specific schemes for these poor states other than the backward regions fund and national employment guarantee scheme,” a commission official said.
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After 30 years of Commie rule in WB, people are still poor , how this happened?
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#38
<!--QuoteBegin-Mudy+Mar 21 2007, 09:41 PM-->QUOTE(Mudy @ Mar 21 2007, 09:41 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>More than 50 per cent of India's poor live in five states: report</b><!--QuoteBegin--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Among the five states, Uttar Pradesh has been found to be biggest contributor to the 17.34 crore figure of poor people. Other states loaded with poor are Maharashtra, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal, whose poverty figures have not shown a huge variation as compared to 1993-94 figures. The states having done well on poverty indicator are southern states and Himachal Pradesh.

At the all India level, Orissa has earned the dubious distinction of having highest percentage of poor (46.4 per cent) in the total population of the state, followed by Bihar (41.4 per cent), Chattisgarh (40.4 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (38.3 per cent) and Maharashtra 30.7 per cent. “We need specific schemes for these poor states other than the backward regions fund and national employment guarantee scheme,” a commission official said.
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After 30 years of Commie rule in WB, people are still poor , how this happened?
[right][snapback]65949[/snapback][/right]
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Nothing surprising that there are still poor people. Jyoti Basu regime destroyed the industrial sector and nearly plunged the state Govt in bankruptcy. Buddhadev has turned the situation around by reintroducing capitalism.
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#39
<!--emo&Sad--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--> Bihar woman among top 25 Asian farmers
Ambarish Dutta
Tribune News Service

Patna, May 6
She does not represent the who’s who of Indian business or industry. Her views are not being considered to chalk out the roadmap to bring the underdeveloped state of Bihar back on tracks of progress.

She is not even a member of the Bihar Development and Industrial Council (BDIC), formed last year to provide a common platform to business and industry tycoons who are concerned for Bihar and get together to deliberate and suggest ways for development of the state.

But the semi-literate, daily wage earner Lalmuni Devi of Azadnagar village in Patna district, now figures in the list of top 25 Asian farmers following her adoption of mushroom farming under the guidance of Indian Council of Agriculture and Research (ICAR).

It was the challenge to survive that prompted Lalmuni to take up mushroom farming despite the fact that she had no land of her own. But this did not deter her from undertaking the venture with a small initial investment of Rs 500.

This small step ultimately resulted in her recognition as an “enterprising” farmer and today her name figures among the top 25 Asians in Mexican Gallery of the CIMMYT, a well known Mexico based institute engaged largely in research for improvement of maize and wheat crops.

Lalmuni is not the only one to have taken up the venture. She has inspired 22 other women of her village to take up mushroom cultivation.

According to Lalmuni, turning point in her new profession came when a group of instructors from ICAR taught her the skills to grow mushroom. “The method taught by ICAR instructors convinced me that it did not require much land. I learnt to grow mushrooms in my house and later found that they yielded good profit,” she said.

Explaining the reasons as to why her indigenous method of mushroom cultivation has been widely acclaimed, Lalmuni says that she uses balls of wheat husks and rotten hay to grow mushrooms.

Packed in polythene bags, the balls are arranged in rows under her thatched roof which nourish the oyster mushroom shoots in humid setting.

For the first two years, it was the ICAR that provided free seeds to her. But now she purchases it from this institute at Rs 60 per kg. One Kg of seeds yield 12 to 14 Kg of mushrooms.

While winter variety fetches Rs 60-70 per Kg, the summer variety fetches around Rs 80-120 per Kg. It just takes about four weeks for the crop to be ready and it can be grown round the year with just a little effort.

However, unfortunately Lalmuni has failed to attract attention from Indian authorities despite the fact that she has international recognition in her kitty.

The BDIC, involving top industrialists of the country, which met in Patna on April 23 under the chairmanship of Nitish Kumar, identified agriculture and agro-based industries as one of the key areas to bring economic prosperity to Bihar. Lalmuni, as expected, was not invited to share her experience at BDIC.
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#40
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->MP stuns all, is now No 1 in growth
Rajeev Ranjan Roy | New Delhi
<b>State shakes off BIMARU tag with GSDP at 24%, followed by Gujarat at 12%</b>
Madhya Pradesh, unlike its other counterparts, has got rid of the tag of BIMARU State with the economy on the first track of growth. The State tops the Planning Commission's list of best performers in terms of <b>Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) by registering a growth rate of 23.50 per cent at the constant prices. Its nearest rival is Chhattisgarh with 12.30 per cent growth rate, followed by Gujarat with 12.17 per cent GSDP for 2006-07.</b>

Not a long time back, MP was dubbed as one of the country's BIMARU States, along with Bihar, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh where the GSDP growth rate at the constant prices has been pegged at 4.72, 7.96 and 6.07 per cent respectively. The other two States with the two-digit growth rate are<b> Uttaranchal 10.28 per cent </b>and Andaman & Nicobar Islands where the GSDP is growing at the rate of 10.78 per cent. Except A&N Islands, all these States have been under the BJP's rule for quite a few years.

The country's Capital, <b>Delhi, is growing at the rate of 9.18 per cent, while the Planning Commission puts the growth rate in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, and Kerala at 8.13, 8.02, 8.05, 4.93, and 8.01 per cent,</b> respectively. The strife-torn <b>Assam is registering a GDP growth rate at 5.94 per cent, while Himachal Pradesh tops the list among smaller States by recording 9.27 per cent growth rate.</b>

The GSDP growth rate in MP has substantially been increasing since 2000-01 onwards. From Rs 7,371,538 lakh in 2001-02, the total GSDP went up to Rs 10,305,674 lakh in 2004-05, and surged to Rs 11,217,742 lakh in 2005-06. The State has registered the growth rate, despite the fall in agriculture contribution to the State's GDP from 37.09 per cent in 1993-94 to 26.25 per cent in 2005-06.

As per the revised estimates of annual income for 2006-07 by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO), the annual growth rate of the country measured in terms of GDP at factor cost at constant (1999-2000) price is 9.4 per cent for the year.

Among the major southern States, <b>Tamil Nadu is registering the growth rate of 7.38 per cent, and Karnataka 7.90 per cent, while Maharashtra's GSDP rate has been pegged at 9.20 per cent,</b> which is more than the national growth target of 9 per cent yearly during the 11th Plan. The Centre's Approach Paper to the 11th Plan aims at putting the economy on a sustainable growth trajectory with the growth rate of approximately 10 per cent by the end of the current Plan.

"The growth rate of GSDP of many States like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other smaller States looks poised to improve in days to come, as the Centre aims at ensuring faster growth in all productive sectors -- agriculture, industry and services -- with suitable interventions in policy. It will entirely be a different situation when the country enters into 12th Five-Year Plan," a Government official claimed.
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Congress states-
Punjab - 4.93 <!--emo&:thumbdown--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Andhra Pradesh - 8.02,
Haryana, Punjab - 8.05,
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