40 Narmada Adivasi Oustees in Jail since 4 days
9012014
Demand Unconditional Release : Announce intense struggle
Hundreds storm offices of Collector and SP, Alirajpur
Condemn Illegal Eviction from 2.5 year old Jobat Zameen Hak Satyagraha
The protestors were stopped at the gates of the Collectorate by a large contingent of armed police brought in from Alirajpur, Badwani, Dhar and Thandla, while the women, men, elderly and youth, tried to barge inside for a dialogue with the Collector. The women, who had come along with little children demanded that their family members must be immediately released otherwise, they would sit on an indefinite protest at the Collectorate.
The Collector, came down thrice and heard the issues raised by the oustees from behind the gates, but could not given concrete and correct answers. After many hours of intense action and heated discussions with the Collector, SP, Addl SP and the Rehabilitation Officer, NVDA, it was assured that the process of offering land to the Jobat-dam oustees would begin within 3 days and process of showing land to the SSP oustees would begin within 10 days.
Shouting down the false information provided to the Collector by the NVDA officers that ‘the oustees don’t want land, that all have been paid compensation, that many are non-affected and that oustees are being provoked, the oustees stated that illegal submergence in the hilly villages of Sardar Sarovar began since 1994 and submergence in Jobat began since 2003. However, till date, cultivable, irrigable, suitable and un-encroached land has not been provided to the affected families. The only land offered to the SSP-affected adivasis was bad, uncultivable, encroached land, which is in utter violation of law and orders of the Supreme Court.
It may be noted that the Collector of Alirajpur, deployed a large contingent of police force on 5th January, 2014 and illegally took into custody 40 Satyagrahis, including women, 75 year old and 2 children, who were camping at the Government Agricultural Farm, Jobat. It is well-known that hundreds of oustees have been on an indefinite Satyagraha, since the past 2.5 years and have been cultivating the land, not just as a protest, but also to feed their families, who have already faced illegal submergence since many years.
The Jobat Satyagraha is one of the longest non-violent, occupation struggles in recent history and has been resorted to by the oustees after umpteen attempts of petitioning, court cases and mass action by the adivasis. The oustees have been cultivating the land and have also reaped three harvests on this land. Infact recently the Collector also permitted the oustees to have a temporary power connection for irrigating the crop. However, since two weeks notices were being issued to the oustees to vacate the land, else they would be forcibly evicted. Our replies to these notices and appeal for a concrete dialogue were not responded to by the authorities and a brutal eviction drive ensued. It may be noted that the arrests are completely motivated and arbitrary, since the fact that the oustees have not yet been rehabilitated and the fact that all the officials, including the police have complete knowledge of the occupation since 2.5 years is well-known.
Infact, Dr. Afroz Ahmed, Director, Rehabilitation, Narmada Control Authority, indore and Kantilal Bhuria, Former Tribal Affairs Minister, Govt. of India also visited the Satyagraha and engaged in dialogue with the oustees. Dr. Afroz Ahmed also assured to raise the matter with the Rehabilitation Sub-Group, Delhi, after which a direction was issued by the Sub Group in its meeting on 12th September, 2013 to the Govt. of M.P. to offer Government farm lands in rehabilitation.
The arrests have been made seemingly under Section 151 Cr.P.C. i.e. ‘causing disturbance to peace in the area’, while the oustees were in the farm land and there was absolutely nothing they did to disturb peace in the locality. Secondly, an FIR registered against 100-150 ‘unknown people’ 2.5 years ago when the Satyagraha started, but no arrests were made, is now being used against these oustees in a wrongful and vindictive manner ! It may also be noted that in a similar case of illegal arrest and lathicharge at the Badwani Zameen Hak Satyagraha in June, 2007, the High Court, Jabalpur directed the Govt. of M.P. to pay Rs. 10,000 each to the arrested Satyagrahis and half payment has already been made, after the Supreme Court’s intervention and the case is still pending.
While in Sardar Sarovar, many hilly adivasis have not accepted any cash compensation, most of the Jobat Dam advasi oustees being illiterate, their signatures were taken on affidavits and were paid very meagre cash compensation, many years ago and their lands / houses were illegally submerged without being provided alternative cultivable land. In the presence of full media, the Rehabilitation Officer of the Narmada Valley Development Authority accepted that the applications of hundreds of oustees demanding land for land and for return of compensation, as per the Supreme Court’s orders in 2011 have not been attended to for more than one and a half year.
A day before, the oustees also marched to the office of the Superintendent of Police, Mr. Akhilesh Jha and questioned the arbitrary manner of arrests. He was convinced that the contentious issue is lack of rehabilitation and that the police has no role to play. The oustees also submitted a complaint under the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 demanding legal action against all the concerned officers for arresting the adivasis, evicting them for the land, causing destruction of the standing crop at the Satyagraha and submergence of their lands and homes, without lawful rehabilitation. The protestors issued an ultimatum to Government of Madhya Pradesh, through the Collector, Alirajpur to unconditionally release all the jailed oustees and begin the process of land-based rehabilitation, within 3 days, otherwise an intense struggle would follow.
Please do call the Collector and SP, Alirajpur to immediately release all the oustees unconditionally and begin the process of rehabilitation.
Mr. N.P. Dehariya -Collector, Alirajpur – Ph – 09425188061
Mr. Akhilesh Jha, Superintendent of Police – Ph – 9753936277
Idibai Surbhan Bhilala Kamla Yadav Meera (09179148973)
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Attack on Aam Aadmi Party Office in Kaushambi, Ghaziabad
9012014- Tata Safari – DL 7C K 3230
- Mahindra Scorpio – UP 14 BW 0234
- Hyundai Eon – UP 14 CB 8565
- Skoda Fabia – DL 7C K 7092
- UP 14 R 4577
- UP 14 BJ 3482
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Categories : Business, Politics
President of Indian giving awards at PBD Day 3
9012014
Santosh Chowdhary at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2014: India has immense to offer in the healthcare sector
| Smt. Santosh Chowdhary, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare addressed the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, here today. Speaking at the occasion, the MoS (Health) highlighted several achievements of the Government in the healthcare area. She stated that with the 12th Plan allocations projecting a three-fold increase over the 11th Plan period, “Health” has become a central theme in our aim to achieve universal and inclusive healthcare for all our citizens. She also stated that India has immense to offer in the area of healthcare and there are tremendous opportunities for domestic and trans-national stakeholders to deliver in this sector, whether for health services, health research, infrastructure, medical equipment and technology or health insurance, pharmaceuticals, laboratories, etc. Smt. Chowdhary also said that healthcare industry in India is seen as booming in the last decades. Currently, it is estimated at US Dollar 80 billion and is expected to touch US Dollar 160 billion by the year 2017. She further said that India is now regarded as the ‘Pharmacy of the developing world’. It is because of our price and quality that we export drugs to more than 150 countries including highly regulated European Union, Japan and US markets, the MoS pointed out. The Minister pointed out that under the NRHM more than Rs.1,11,000 crores have been released to 35 State Governments and UTs; nearly 51,000 health facilities have been created, including new construction and up-gradation works to improve public health infrastructure; and more than 70,000 beds have been added in government health institutions for provision of essential and emergency services across the country. She also said that it is a matter of great pride that in the last couple of years the field of medical research and development has been revolutionized. India has developed testing strips for diabetes, diagnostic tests for TB, Lung fluke, Dengue, cancer and several other infections, and newer environment friendly methods of mosquito control have been developed. Highlighting the achievements of the AYUSH department, Smt. Chowdhary stated that with supportive Government policies and strategies, the country has developed a vast infrastructure of AYUSH facilities. She said that India is one of the 17 mega bio-diversity rich countries and has 7% of the world’s bio-diversity. It has one of the oldest, richest and most diverse cultural traditions, associated with the use of medicinal plants, she said. The affordability of most traditional medicines makes them all the more attractive at a time of soaring healthcare costs and nearly universal austerity, the Minister informed the gathering. |
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India’s government debt structure mitigates macro-economic imbalances: Moody’s
9012014
India‘s government debt structure mitigates macro-economic imbalances: Moody’s
According to Moody’s Investors Service the structure of India ‘s government debt which is largely owed domestically, in rupees, at relatively low real interest rates and at long tenors has mitigated the credit challenges stemming from India ‘s high fiscal deficits and large government debt burden during a period of slower growth, currency volatility, and rising interest rates.
The government’s debt financing profile benefited from an increase in India ‘s domestic savings during previous years of high GDP growth, as well as from capital controls and bank liquidity requirements which channel a portion of private savings into government debt. Over the last decade, the domestic financial system absorbed longer term government debt at relatively low real interest rates.
Interest rates paid on Indian government debt have been significantly lower than India ‘s GDP growth rate, and this interest-growth differential has led lowered the government debt/GDP and government interest payments/government revenue ratio over the last decade, despite wide fiscal deficits. In the last three years, as interest rates have increased and growth has slowed, India ‘s interest-growth differential has narrowed, yet it remains more favorable than in many similarly rated countries, and is a factor underpinning government debt sustainability.
As macro-economic imbalances have heightened in the last few years, the currency, maturity and interest rate structure of government debt has supported India ‘s sovereign credit profile and Baa3 rating. Although government bond yields have risen significantly in the last year, the overall effective interest rate paid by the government has remained relatively stable, since a major portion of government debt was contracted at long maturities and fixed interest rates.
In addition, foreign currency debt and debt owed to non-residents is a relatively small portion of Indian government debt. Therefore, currency volatility and global risk aversion has a more limited impact on Indian government debt service costs than in countries where reliance on external debt is higher.
However, if current lower growth and high inflation persist over the medium term, the domestic financial system’s capacity to absorb government debt could fall quite considerably. This is monitored that it could change the structure of government debt, raise debt financing costs and weaken government debt ratios.
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