Nearly half feel 'no change' after 2 years under Modi govt

NEW DELHI, May 1, 2016, DHNS:

Performance test

As Modi government completes 2 years, a survey by Centre for Media Studies (CMS) released on Saturday showed 49% respondents saying there was “no change” in their living standards.

At the same time, the survey found 62% respondents appreciating the performance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, particularly the focus on development and national perspective.

“On a five-point rating scale, 30% respondents gave Modi 5 out of 5, while another 32% rated his performance as PM, four out of five,” said the survey titled ‘Union Government’s Performance Appraisal’ released by CMS here.

The sample size for the survey was around 4,000 covering rural and urban areas of 15 states. 

The respondents include those engaged in income generating activity, home makers and students.

Despite the Modi government’s thrust on zero-tolerance to corruption, the survey found that 56% felt that the level of corruption has either increased or remained the same during the last 2 years.

Less than one-third respondents said that the promises made by Modi have been fulfilled, while 48% felt the promises have been fulfilled partially.

“A significant percentage (43%) feels that poor people are not benefiting from the programmes and the schemes under the Modi government,” said the study.

Failure to tackle inflation/price rise (32%), inability to provide employment (29%) and the inability to bring back black money (26%) were listed as major failures of the government.

Among major achievements cited in the survey included Jan Dhan Yojna (36%), Swachh Bharat Mission (32%) and efforts to bring foreign direct investment (23%).

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj topped the ranking of Union ministers’ performance assessed on four parameters – media presence, extent of activity on social media, utilisation of MPLAD funds and peoples’ opinion.

Swaraj was followed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

The low-ranked ministers were Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, Health Minister J P Nadda and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar

End of road for diesel taxis in NCR

NEW DELHI, May 1, 2016, DHNS:

All taxis, including those operating under aggregators like Ola and Uber, would have to be run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) only in the National Capital Region. 

The Supreme Court on Saturday declined to extend the April 30 deadline fixed for their conversion from diesel to the CNG mode of fuel. In an effort to curb Delhi’s pollution, a three-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice T S Thakur rejected the plea for modification of the court’s orders issued on December 16, January 5 and March 31, fixing the deadline for conversion of all taxis into the CNG fuel.

Appearing for taxi owners, senior advocate Shyam Divan contended there was no technology at all for converting diesel vehicles into the CNG mode. “We will not be able to earn our livelihood. Moreover, we have to pay the bank also,” Diwan said, seeking modification of the orders.

“We are not going to extend the deadline,” the bench, also comprising Justices A K Sikri and R Banumathi, said in a special hearing on court holiday. 

The court had earlier fixed March 1 as the date for converting all diesel taxis into the CNG mode but subsequently extended it to April 30.

Meanwhile, the court pulled up the Centre for “waiting for someone to wake it up from deep slumber” even as the Union government agreed to examine a proposal to install a catalytic converter in the vehicles to reduce the pollutants in the emission.

Senior advocate K K Venugopal submitted that of the 25 lakh vehicles, including those that run on diesel, plying in the National Capital Region, can be fitted with catalytic converter with a minimum cost of a few thousand rupees. 

He also cited a study done in California and claimed that with this, emission norm of BS-I vehicles could be raised to BS-IV standard. 

This would also solve the problem of disposing old vehicles, he submitted.  

Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh, appearing for the Transport department, submitted that the government was ready to coordinate and examine the efficacy of the device and the cost incurred by it.

Good health is fundamental right: Court

New Delhi, May 1, 2016 (PTI)

"Good health is a justiciable fundamental right", a Delhi court has said while observing that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious project for health insurance cover for everyone would bring about an "evolution" in India's health insurance model.

The court's observations came while pulling up the United India Insurance Company Ltd, a Public Sector Unit (PSU), for rejecting the mediclaim of a person for heart ailment on the ground of genetic disease exclusion clause.

"I hold that a genetic disease exclusion clause in a mediclaim insurance policy which is a contract between the insurer and the insured and which totally excludes the grant of insurance in case of genetic diseases, is liable to be struck down being violative of the constitutional mandate, the fundamental underlying constitutional scheme, policy of the State and public good.

"Such clauses are arbitrary, discriminatory and unfair as they discriminate persons suffering from genetic disorders/ diseases from state assistance," Additional District Judge Kamini Lau said.

The court said, "The ambitious project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi i.e. National Health Assurance Mission (NHAM) envisioning a scheme for health insurance cover for everyone is yet to effectively put in place and rolled out before it can be offered to everyone and this would bring about an evolution of the health insurance model in India as promised."

The court, while deciding the suit against the insurance firm, said plaintiff Jai Prakash Tayal was entitled to recover from the company Rs five lakh which he had spent for his treatment at the hospital.

The firm had denied mediclaim saying "genetic disease is not payable as per policy genetic exclusion clauses".

The man had told the court that he has already taken two claims for the same treatment and therefore, a third claim for the same disease was not liable to be rejected.

The court observed that a person suffering from a genetic disease, is as much in need of a medical insurance cover as others and the liability qua them is more. 

The court said, "No person can be discriminated or deprived of a State protection in case of an ailment, be it genetic or acquired....the courts of law are required to interpret the provisions of the private contracts in the light of these constitutional obligations."

The judge added that any failure on the part of service provider/ insurer would be a violation of the existing law and the repeated directions of the Supreme Court for which the regulatory authority i.e. IRDA would be obligated to intervene to ensure that needful is done by the service provider.

The court also said that a human society must be able to provide basic health access to its citizens irrespective of their paying capacity.

"I may observe that good health is not a privilege but a justiciable fundamental right...

"However, in our country the health care finances  have a poor record and only four per cent of the national budget spent on health.

"An alternative which has largely remained unexploited is providing health coverage via health insurance where the government rather than necessarily running its own health facilities is required to consider the alternative of providing health insurance to its citizens and time has come that India catches up with this alternative model of allocating resources and funding to its public health programs," the judge said.

Modi launches scheme to provide free LPG connections to poor

Ballia (UP), May 1, 2016 (PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched a Rs 8,000 crore scheme to provide 5 crore free LPG connections to poor families as he attacked previous governments for just paying lip service to reducing poverty.

Calling himself 'Shramik No.1' (Worker No.1), he listed out initiatives taken by his government for the welfare of labourers.

The launch coincided with May Day and Modi attacked previous governments for doing little for the poor. "Policies made by previous governments were not keeping in mind the welfare of poor but only ballot boxes," he said.

Poverty, he said, can be eradicated only if poor are empowered, given resources and opportunities as well as education, jobs, houses, drinking water and electricity.

He questioned the policies pursued by the previous government for poverty eradication, saying poverty has only increased during past years.

"We are working to fight poverty," he said, adding that under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, free LPG connections will be provided in name of women members of BPL households.

In the first year, 1.5 crore such connections will be released and the target of 5 crore will be completed in three years, he said, comparing it to the just 13 crore LPG connections provided in 60 years of independence.

"In my first speech in Central Hall of Parliament after BJP government came to power (in 2014), I had said my government is dedicated to poor.

"Whatever this government does will be for the benefit of the poor and for the welfare of poor," he said as he listed out various labour-friendly initiatives, including raising minimum pension to Rs 1,000 and introduction of labour identification number (LIN).

Also, the maximum wage that entitles bonus to workers has been raised to Rs 21,000 from Rs 10,000 per month previously, while the bonus limit too has been doubled to Rs 7,000.

Provident fund (PF) portability has been provided to help utilise the Rs 27,000 crore of retirement benefits lying unused because of workers changing jobs or cities.

On March 27, Modi had officially launched the 'Give-it-Up' campaign, urging the well-off to surrender their LPG subsidy so that it can be given to the needy. The aim is also to bring down the country's dependence on energy imports by 10 per cent by 2022.

"Responding to the call, 1.10 crore people have given up their subsidies," he said. Subsidy surrendered will be used to provide free LPG connection to BPL families.

Consumers are currently entitled to 12 cylinders of 14.2 kg each or 34 bottles of 5 kg each in a year at subsidised rates. A subsidised 14.2-kg cylinder is currently available at Rs 419.15 per bottle in Delhi while the 5-kg pack costs Rs 155.

Market-priced LPG is available at Rs 509.50 per 14.2-kg cylinder. Giving up subsidised LPG will help cut the government's subsidy bill, which was at Rs 30,000 crore for the fuel last fiscal.

Nearly Rs 5,000 crore of subsidy saved through the campaign is being used to provide LPG connection to the poor. "We have released 60 lakh new connection to poor in the last one year," he said.

Under the scheme launched today, a financial support of Rs 1,600 for each LPG connection will be provided to the BPL households. The identification of eligible BPL families will be made in consultation with the state governments and the Union Territories.

The country currently has 16.64 crore active LPG consumers. Stating that LPG coverage is being increased, he said there are serious health hazards associated with cooking based on fossil fuels.

According to WHO estimates, about 5 lakh deaths occur in India alone due to unclean cooking fuels. Experts say having an open fire in the kitchen is like burning 400 cigarettes an hour.

Providing LPG connections to BPL households will ensure universal coverage of cooking gas in the country and this will empower women and protect their health, he said.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had in his Budget for 2016-17 provided Rs 2,000 crore to provide deposit free LPG connections to 1.5 crore women belonging to BPL families.

Further, the Budget announced that the scheme will be continued for two more years to cover 5 crore households. 

Modi said he had last year pledged to electrify 18,000 villages where even an electricity pole has not reached so far, in next 1,000 days.

Uttar Pradesh, he said, has given many Prime Ministers to the country and he was fortunate that the state has accepted him.

The state had 1,529 villages where even electricity poles had not reached. In 250 days since the scheme was launched, 1,326 villages have been electrified and power supply started, he said adding the remaining villages would be covered soon.

He asked people to pledge not to pollute river Ganga to protect the environment and heritage. 

Narendra Modi got first class in MA from Guj University: VC

Ahmedabad, May 1, 2016 (PTI)

Amid the raging row over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's educational qualification, the Gujarat University today shared details of his MA degree saying he scored 62.3 per cent as an external student of the varsity.

The details were shared by the Gujarat University after the Central Information Commission directed it to provide the same to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who had recently criticised the functioning of the transparency panel.

"Narendra Damodardas Modi passed his MA in Political Science in 1983 with first class, securing 499 out of 800 marks, which comes to 62.3 per cent as an external student," Gujarat University's Vice Chancellor M N Patel told PTI today.

Kejriwal, in a letter to CIC in response to an RTI application seeking details of his electoral photo identity card (EPIC), demanded that while he was ready to share information sought by RTI applicants, the CIC must also order disclosure of educational qualifications of the PM.

After Kejriwal's letter, the CIC had on Friday ordered Delhi University, from where he pursued his Bachelor of Arts (BA) course, and Gujarat University, from where he completed his MA, to reveal details of his education qualifications.

Vice Chancellor Patel said he has not received any order of CIC till now, but he came to know about it from media, and will give the details to concerned applicants if he receives the order.

"The details (of Modi's degree) were sought through several Right to Information (RTI) applications filed before the university, but we were not in a position to share the details under the RTI Act on technical grounds," Patel said.

"The details of marks can only be provided to the candidate himself, and we do not provide details of university records beyond 20 years," he said.

When asked about the details of Modi's BA degree, Patel said they do not have it.
"Modi did his MA as an external candidate. He secured 237 out of 400 marks in MA first year, and 262 out of 400 marks in MA second year," Patel said giving the details.

"The breakup of marks in second year MA shows that Modi obtained 64 marks in political science, 62 marks in European and social political thoughts, 69 marks in modern India/political analysis, and 67 marks in political psychology," he said.

The CIC, acting on the letter from Kejriwal, had asked the Delhi University and Gujarat University to "make best possible search for the information regarding degrees in the name of Mr Narendra Damodardas Modi in the year 1978 (Graduation in DU) and 1983 (Post Graduation in GU) and provide it to the appellant Mr Kejriwal as soon as possible".

The genesis of the case is in two previous CIC orders and a scathing letter from Kejriwal to Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu where he demanded that while he was ready to share information sought by RTI applicants, the CIC must also order disclosure of educational qualifications of the Prime Minister.

In a case related to one Neeraj Pandey, who sought information about electoral photo identity card of the Delhi Chief Minister, Acharyulu had sought explanation from Kejriwal why he as an MLA be not declared as Public authority under the RTI Act and why his party too was not brought under the Act.

Kejriwal in his response did not object to disclosure of information about him but raised a demand for information about Prime Minister's educational qualifications referring to Hans Raj Jain case, Acharyulu had noted.

"He stated that while CIC wanted Mr Kejriwal's information to be given, CIC was obstructing the information about degrees of Mr Modi, the Prime Minister. He expressed surprise over this and also doubted objectivity of the Commission," Acharyulu said.

IAF chopper sprinkles water to douse U'khand forest fires

Dehradun/New Delhi, May 1, 2016, PTI:

An IAF Mi 17 chopper today flew several sorties in Nainital district sprinkling water lifted from a lake to douse the raging forest fires that have destroyed vast swathes of forested land across Uttarakhand.

Low visibility, however, prevented a second chopper from being deployed in Pauri district for the aerial operations in the hill state which commenced today as part of efforts to control the fires that has killed seven persons and destroyed 2,269 hectares of forested land.  The fire has also spread to sparsely populated remote hill areas.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the situation in Delhi and held discussions with chief secretary and other officials of Uttarakhand government. He also offered all assistance from the Centre.

As the Centre's handling of the forest fires came under attack from the Congress, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said the government was taking the incident "very seriously" and making all efforts to control it.

"Government is taking the forest fires of Uttarakhand very seriously. 6,000 people have been deployed for fighting it. We also granted Rs 5 crore to the state yesterday," he said.

Taking on the Centre, Congress' Chief Spokesman Randeep Surjewala said, "while the Modi government is fuelling political crisis in a peaceful state, it has miserably failed to tackle a major environmental tragedy."

The Mi 17 chopper, which has a capacity to carry 3,000 litres of water, is collecting water from Bhimtal lake and making sorties over Almakhan, Kilbari and Nalena areas of Nainital district to douse the fires, Principal Conservator of Forest(PCF) and nodal officer BP Gupta told PTI.

However, another IAF chopper engaged for the same purpose in Pauri has not been able to take off due to low visibility, Pauri District Magistrate Chandrasekhar Bhatt said.

The chopper has collected water from Shrinagar dam but will make a sortie over areas where fires are active only when visibility improves, he said.

However, with the two choppers pressed into service and all security agencies besides locals involved in fire fighting operations the situation is likely to be brought under control in a couple of days, the PCF said.

Pauri, Nainital, Rudraprayag and Tehri are among the worst-hit districts, Gupta said but hoped with all agencies activated the situation was bound to improve.Three companies of the NDRF, one of SDRF besides PRD and homeguard personnel are currently engaged in the operations, he said.

With the MeT department predicting a significant fall in day temperatures after May 2, forest fires may get under control after a couple of days, he said but added that the administration will have to remain alert for the next 35 days to prevent fresh forest fire incidents.

Since the beginning of forest fire season in the state in February, 922 incidents have occurred so far.

Forest fires are natural during summer but this time they have occurred on a bigger scale as the fire season, which normally begins by February 15 and ends by June 15, started early on February 2.

Over 130 NDRF men deployed to combat U'khand forest fire

New Delhi, May 1, 2016 (PTI)

NDRF has deployed over 130 personnel as part of multiple fire fighting teams to combat the raging forest fire in the jungles of Uttarakhand that have destroyed about 2,269 hectares of jungles in several districts and claimed at least seven lives till now.
The teams of the specialised National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have fanned out in 13 affected areas of three districts of Pauri Garhwal, Almora and Chamoli to tackle the massive blaze.

"Our teams are working in 13 sectors in coordination with the officials and personnel of the state fire and forest department.

"The teams have been instructed to adopt the conventional method of cutting the fire line and containing the fire.

"We are using fire beaters and green bushes to cut the fire from spreading. About 135 personnel as part of multiple teams are working in Uttarakhand at present," NDRF Director General O P Singh told PTI.

He said while in Chamoli the NDRF is working in Pakhi and Gopeshwar areas, in Almora the teams are working in areas like Binsar, Someshwar, Bikisen, Siplakhet and Dhauladevi.

Each team is covering an area of 8-10 sq km, the DG said, adding additional NDRF teams have been kept in standby near here in Ghaziabad.

The force also saved a house in which a family of four lived from the blaze in the hilly area of Mehlchori in Pauri district.

Singh said he is in constant touch with his team leaders working in the state.
Earlier today, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh held discussions with the Chief Secretary and other officials of the state government on the situation arising due to the forest fire and offered all assistance from the Centre.

The Home Minister had yesterday spoken to Governor K K Paul, who briefed him about the situation in the hill state.

Mi-17 choppers of the IAF have also been sprinkling water in Nainital to control the forest fire.

Seven persons have been killed so far.
Pauri, Nainital, Rudraprayag and Tehri are among the worst-hit districts.