Odisha’s economy contracted by 5.3% due to slowdown: CM

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Odisha’s economy contracted by 5.3% due to slowdown: CM

Odisha’s economy contracted by 5.3 percent compared to the 7.3 percent contraction in the national economy during the financial year 2020-21 due to the slowdown, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said here on Monday.

While making his statement on the motion of thanks for the Governor’s speech in the state Assembly through video conferencing, Patnaik said: “Recovery of the economy from the impact of the pandemic was a huge challenge, and we have met this challenge with resolve and we have been able to successfully reboot our economy.”

Over the last 10 years, Odisha has grown at an average rate of 6.5 percent against the national average of 5.3 percent. During 2020-21, due to the slowdown, Odisha’s economy contracted by 5.3 percent compared to the 7.3 percent contraction in the national economy and that would mean, the state was comparatively less affected, he said.

As per advance estimates for 2021-22, the state registered 10.1 percent growth compared to the 8.8 percent growth in the national economy, he stated.

He said Odisha is the only state to be fully FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management) compliant since enactment. Fiscal prudence and inclusive development are “our twin policy objectives” that guide “our growth trajectory,” said the chief minister.

Claiming that Odisha is the pioneer state in implementing international best practices in public financial management, Patnaik said his government is providing complete budget information in user-friendly formats on the website of the finance department as well as the dedicated Odisha budget portal.

In spite of the pandemic, Odisha has emerged as a leading investment destination by attracting over Rs 4.4 lakh crore investment intents during the last three years with more than 1.53 lakh employment opportunities, he said.

The state government has provided special financial support to the MSME sector to tide over the Covid crisis. The government had continuous engagement with the industry to ensure that their production and logistics are not hampered by the pandemic, he pointed out.

The chief minister said: “We aim to saturate all rural households with tap water connection by 2024 with a capital outlay of Rs 50,263 crore under the state saturation plan. Odisha is a trendsetter in the country in achieving universal coverage of tap-water connections.”

“Our food security mission has secured 4th place among large states in the third State Food Safety Index for 2020-21.”

About various incentives and aid provided to the needy people during the Covid-19 pandemic, Patnaik said a cash incentive of Rs 2,000 (in two tranches) to each of the beneficiary families has also been provided by incurring an expenditure of Rs 960 crore.

The government has distributed financial assistance of Rs 3,000 under Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana to each beneficiary for the repair, renovation of their pucca houses sanctioned since 2014. It is further proposed to provide financial assistance of Rs 5,000 each to eligible but left-out households of the state who are yet to get any rural housing assistance, he added.

Speaking about sports development, Patnaik said Odisha is playing a key role in the turnaround of Indian sports scenario with its continuous support for players and investment in sports infrastructure.

In recognition of the brilliant performance of the Indian hockey team at the Tokyo Olympics-2020, the chief minister said his government has decided to sponsor Indian Hockey for another 10 years till 2033. Transforming the sports landscape and empowering athletes is the vision of the government, he added.

Cong MLAs complain of police harassment at assembly gate

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Cong MLAs complain of police harassment at assembly gate

The Congress legislators of the Gujarat assembly on Monday complained to Speaker Nimaben Acharya about harassment by the police personnel while entering the Sachivalay complex as well as inside the state assembly building. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has promised action against the erring personnel.

Many of the legislators also complained of similar harassment at the MLA quarters in Gandhinagar.

Amit Chavda, former Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president, raised this issue to the Speaker and said, “While entering the sachivalay complex and at the state assembly building entrance, the police personnel was dealing with most of us as if we were terrorists.”

The Speaker said, “Amitbhai Bhagabhai Barad also visited me personally and made a similar complaint. I have instructed the officials to have this incident looked into and from now on, no one will be dealt with in such a manner.”

Shailesh Parmar, Deputy Leader of Opposition said, “We were forcefully stopped by the police personnel at the gate of Sachivalay and when asked we were told by the police that they were acting on the instruction from the Speaker.”

The speaker said, “I never gave any such instruction.”

Vikram Madam, a legislator from Jamnagar said, “Right in the morning, police officials arrived at the MLA quarters and one Police Sub Inspector (PSI) Jadeja said that they were acting on the instruction of the Speaker. Why was he named you?”

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel also spoke on the issue in the House and said, “Every legislator deserves respect and the said incident is unfortunate. We will definitely enquire into the incident and those who are found guilty will be strictly dealt with.”

Odisha: BJD heading towards landslide victory in urban polls

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Odisha: BJD heading towards landslide victory in urban polls

Like the recently concluded panchayat election, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) led by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is heading towards a landslide victory in the urban election for which counting was underway on Saturday.

The counting of votes of 105 municipalities/notified area councils (NACs) and three municipal corporations of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Berhampur started at 8 a.m., and till evening, the final result had not been declared by the State Election Commission.

As per the latest trend for the post of chairman/mayor, the BJD candidates are leading in 76 urban local bodies (ULBs), followed by BJP which is leading in 16, Congress in 7, and independent candidates in nine.

The BJD mayor candidates are leading with a comfortable margin in all three municipal corporations — Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, and Berhampur.

Thanking the people for re-imposing faith in his party, BJD President Naveen Patnaik, in a tweet, said, “Thank all the people of #Odisha for the overwhelming support in #OdishaMunicipalElection. The win is a reflection of the outpouring of love for @bjd_odisha and the untiring effort of thousands of party workers. #OdishaLovesBJD”

He also congratulated all winning BJD candidates and appreciated the hardwork of party workers.

Modi to attend BIMSTEC summit on March 30

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Modi to attend BIMSTEC summit on March 30

To cement economic, trade, and security cooperation with friendly neighboring countries in South Asia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the fifth summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) on March 30.

BIMSTEC is a regional organization that was established on June 6, 1997, with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration.

“The summit meeting, which is being held in virtual mode, will be hosted by Sri Lanka, the current BIMSTEC chair,” the Ministry of External Affairs said on Saturday.

To prepare for the summit, meetings of BIMSTEC Senior Officials (SOM) will take place on March 28, followed by meetings of the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers (BMM) the next day.

The Covid pandemic-related challenges, and the uncertainties within the international system that all BIMSTEC members are facing, imparts greater urgency to the goal of taking BIMSTEC technical and economic cooperation to the next level.

This is expected to be the main subject of deliberations by leaders at the summit.

The leaders are also expected to discuss the establishment of basic institutional structures and mechanisms of the group.

The member countries of BIMSTEC are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

Being a sector-driven grouping, cooperation within BIMSTEC had initially focused on six sectors in 1997 — trade, technology, energy, transport, tourism, and fisheries — and expanded in 2008 to incorporate agriculture, public health, poverty alleviation, counter-terrorism, environment, culture, people-to-people contact, and climate change.

Subsequently, following steps to rationalize and reorganize sectors and sub-sectors, cooperation was reorganized in 2021.

Now, K’taka Legislative Council passes resolution against TN on Mekedatu

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Now, K’taka Legislative Council passes resolution against TN on Mekedatu

Condemning the Tamil Nadu Assembly’s decision against the commencement of the Mekedatu project, the Legislative Council of Karnataka has also passed a resolution unanimously on Friday.

The council has agreed to the resolution along with the amendment which stresses that the Central government should not give consent for the detailed project report (DPR) for the river-linking project until the Karnataka government agrees to it.

The resolution was presented in the upper house by the Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs J.C. Madhuswamy.

Congress Opposition leader in the house B.K. Hariprasad welcomed the resolution and declared that the Congress party supports the government’s move.

He also stressed that the Congress party had taken up padayatra (protest foot march) demanding speedy implementation of the Mekedatu project.

On March 24, Karnataka’s Legislative Assembly voted unanimously in favor of the resolution moved by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

Along with condemning Tamil Nadu for opposing the Mekedatu project, the resolution calls for putting pressure on the Central government for necessary environment clearance for the project.

The resolution noted that the project will not harm Tamil Nadu and would help stabilize the allocation of 24 tmc of water which includes 4.75 tmc for drinking water purposes of Bengaluru.

The resolution points out that Tamil Nadu is taking up projects illegally and unilaterally, without consulting Karnataka.

Pak National Assembly session adjourned till March 28

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Pak National Assembly session adjourned till March 28

The much-anticipated session of the Pakistan National Assembly (NA) to deliberate on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan filed by the joint opposition, has been adjourned till March 28, The News reported.

NA Speaker Asad Qaiser adjourned the session till March 28 citing parliamentary traditions.

“Prior to this, NA sessions have been adjourned 24 times due to the demise of fellow parliamentarians,” Qaiser said before announcing the adjournment of Friday’s session.

Amid claims of the joint opposition to have obtained the support of required numbers for the success of the no-confidence motion against Khan, a 15-point agenda was issued by the NA Secretariat for the 41st session on Thursday night, with the no-trust motion on the ‘Orders of the Day.

The opposition had submitted a no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister on March 8 and the 14-day constitutional deadline as per Article 54(3) to convene the NA session had expired on March 21.

“This House is of the view that the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has lost the confidence of the majority of the members of the National Assembly of Pakistan; therefore he should cease to hold office,” said the text of the resolution.

Nepal PM Deuba to visit India in April

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Nepal PM Deuba to visit India in April

Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is set to embark on a three-day official visit to India starting from April 1.

According to local media reports, Deuba’s trip comes on the heels of an invitation by his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, which the Nepali leader has accepted.

The visit will take place shortly after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi concludes his three-day Nepal visit on March 27.

As per the existing plan, Deuba will travel to Delhi on April 1, hold talks with Modi and other Indian politicians the next day and return home on April 3, the local media reports said.

This will be Deuba’s first official trip since his appointment as Prime Minister in July last year.

Earlier in January, Deuba was scheduled to travel to India to participate in a business summit in Gujarat. But the trip was cancelled after the summit was postponed in the wake of the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Deuba and Modi, however, met in Glasgow in November last year on the sidelines of the UN climate conference.

Officials said some agreements between Nepal and India, including on cross-border railway, which has been on the table for a while, are likely.

The Kurtha-Jayanagar railway is on a dry run since the second week of February for the lack of a law to guide the operations. The government, however, on Tuesday reissued the railway ordinance for the operation of the cross-border shuttle.

Officials who are preparing the agenda for Deuba’s visit said the two Prime Ministers are likely to inaugurate the Kurtha-Jayanagar railway which was reconstructed with Indian assistance.

A Memorandum of Understanding on rebuilding around 137 health posts with Indian financial assistance that New Delhi had announced in the aftermath of the 2015 earthquake is also likely, they added.

Nepal-India relations had hit a new low during Oli’s tenure after some of his statements.

Rapprochement efforts were made starting with Indian foreign intelligence chief Samant Goel’s visit to Kathmandu, which was followed by the visit of Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali to Delhi.

External Affairs Minister of India S Jaishankar also visited Kathmandu in August 2019 to take part in the fifth Nepal-India Joint Commission meeting.

In November 2020, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla also arrived in Kathmandu as an introductory visit.

But a political crisis was triggered by an infighting in the then ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) led by Oli, who unsuccessfully dissolved Parliament twice and was ultimately ousted from the government in July 2021.

Deuba returned to power with the backing of all anti-Oli forces.

As far as Nepal-India ties are concerned, some irritants continue to remain which Deuba and Modi are likely to discuss during their one-on-one meeting, the officials said.

The former Oli government’s decision to issue a new map of Nepal depicting Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura within the Nepali territory has not gone down well with New Delhi.

India has also built a road via Lipulekh to Mansorvar in Tibet, to which Nepal has taken exception as it is a tri-junction between the three countries.

Nepal has sent a slew of diplomatic notes to India in order to resolve the boundary row but no progress has been made.

All outstanding issues between Nepal and India will be discussed during Deuba’s visit, said Nepali officials.

BJP MP pushes for ‘One nation, One election’ in Rajya Sabha

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BJP MP pushes for ‘One nation, One election’ in Rajya Sabha

Pitching for ‘One nation, One election, BJP MP Dr. D.P Vats on Thursday demanded that all the elections be held at the same time to prevent the national resources from draining.

Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, the BJP lawmaker batted for simultaneous elections. He said that in 1967, the then government had dismissed many state governments and held fresh Assembly polls. “From then only, the nation got into an election mode with polls being held in different intervals throughout the year,” he added.

Continuous holding of elections, Vats said, also drains the administrative and national resources.

Referring to a media report, the BJP leader said that when the Covid pandemic broke out in China, many international manufacturing companies shifted their base to Indonesia and nearby countries. But India was left out as, according to the report, it is always in election or agitation mode.

He requested that the government, on the basis of consensus among all political parties, hold all elections at the same time.

Other Members are also associated with Dr. Vats on this issue.

Experts urge dialogue among South Sudan parties

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Experts urge dialogue among South Sudan parties

Experts have urged the belligerent parties to the 2018 revitalized peace deal in South Sudan to immediately resume dialogue after the main opposition party led by First Vice President Riek Machar withdrew from participating in the security mechanisms.

The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-in opposition (SPLM/A-IO) on Tuesday announced its withdrawal from the vital security mechanisms key to salvaging the fragile peace deal, citing “unprovoked attacks” from troops loyal to President Salva Kiir, reports Xinhua news agency.

On Wednesday, Abraham Kuol Nyuon, professor of political science at the University of Juba, urged the regional body Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), together with the Revitalized Joint Monitoring Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), to immediately convene a stakeholders’ meeting to break the current stalemate.

Kuol said there is a need for the two bodies to push for cooperation among the parties in order to have them accomplish such critical tasks as the graduation of the 83,000 unified forces.

He told Xinhua that the protest by SPLA-IO is sending a very strong signal to other signatories of the peace agreement.

“If SPLM/A-IO is dropping out when the peace agreement is coming to an end, it is going be difficult for the people to get consensus on either the extension of the peace agreement or accomplishing the milestones that are left.”

The protest by SPLA-IO came in the aftermath of intermittent fighting since August last year with its splinter faction led by Simon Gatwech Dual in Unity and Upper Nile states.

The SPLM/A-IO accuses the South Sudan army (SSPDF) of sowing seeds of discontent within its rank and file in order to weaken it.

Edmund Yakani, executive director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), said the withdrawal of the SPLM/A-IO from the security mechanisms puts the critical security arrangements in jeopardy.

The ongoing transitional period is expected to end in April 2023, and national elections are supposed to be held after that.

Yakani said the latest development could also be due to a lack of trust and confidence among the parties, which are vital pillars for the successful implementation of the peace deal.

Ter Manyang, executive director for the Centre for Peace and Advocacy, said the move by SPLM/A-IO goes against Article 1.4.2 of the revitalized peace deal that calls for collective responsibility among its signatories.

Manyang said the parties have an obligation to avoid any actions and provocations that could return the country back to war.

The RJMEC said now is a critical time in the implementation of the peace agreement as much needs to be done in less than 11 months of the transitional period.

It said security mechanisms, which are composed of representatives from across the different parties to the agreement, are an integral component of implementing the Transitional Security Arrangements of the agreement.

In a statement, the RJMEC reminded all parties that full engagement and inclusive dialogue within the framework of the peace deal is the only way of resolving disagreements.

PM Modi meets BJP MPs from Gujarat

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PM Modi meets BJP MPs from Gujarat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met the BJP MPs from Gujarat at his official residence here.

Sources said that all the BJP MPs from both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha were present in the meeting with Prime Minister Modi. It is learned that Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is a Lok Sabha member from Gujarat, was also present in the meeting.

The meeting lasted for around half an hour, sources said. A BJP MP from Gujarat said that Prime Minister Modi interacted with the BJP MPs from the state and asked about their work in the parliamentary constituency.

“It was a routine meeting which the Prime Minister holds during a Parliament session with MPs of different states. Today, he invited the MPs from Gujarat and discussed issues related to the state, and asked about the work we are doing in our area. He advised us to work for the people,” he said.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Modi had met the BJP MPs from Jharkhand and Bihar and discussed issues concerning both the states.

Prime Minister Modi regularly meets BJP MPs during the Parliament sessions. Sometimes, he meets the BJP MPs on a region-wise or state-wise basis.

“In these meetings, the Prime Minister listens to the concerns of the MPs and addresses them. He also guides them to improve their functioning,” a BJP leader said.

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