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8/12/2019 We The State - Issue 24 Vol 2
1/12
20 jawans killed
inNaxal attack
in Chhattis-garh;CM
calls emergency
meet
e-newspapers also toget political ads certifiedBHOPAL: The Election Commission has
clarified situation regarding paid news and
political advertisements on social media. As
per recent directive of the commission,Media Certification and Monitoring
Committees (MCMC) will be constituted Lok
Sabha constituency-wise. The committee
will comprise concerning constituency's
Returning Officer (R.O.) and A.R.O., who will
be not below the rank of SDM.
The commission has clarified that R.O. can
co-opt members in the committee from all
districts in the Lok Sabha constituency.This
will not only help elicit maximum
suggestions, but representation of all
districts will also be ensured. The
commission has also clarified regarding
political advertisement. Now certification of
political advertisements on social media has
also been made mandatory. Making
structure of district-level MCMC for
screening paid news, the commission has
made it clear that its members will include
district election officer (DEO), A.R.O. (not
below rank of SDM), an officer from
Information & Broadcasting Ministry (if
available in district), independent
citizen/journalist recommended by Press
Council of India (if not nominated by PCI)
and District Public Relations Officers/District
Information Officer will be its Member-
Secretary. Meanwhile, after receiving
suggestionsand reactionsof CEOsof various
states, Election Commission has changed
existing system of publicizing part-II of
affidavits filed with nomination forms of
candidates. At present, these affidavits are
displayed on the web site of Chief Electoral
Officer. Hard copies of affidavits are
displayed on the notice board of Returning
Officer. The commission has decided thatapartfromexistingplaces,part-IIof affidavits
should be displayed at 7 other public places.
These include collectorate, Zila Parishad
office, SDM office, Panchayat Samiti office
(i.e. Block office), offices of urban bodies in
the constituency, Tahsil/taluka office and
Panchayat office.
We MARCH 10 TO MARCH 16, 2014
Online edition available at wethestate.com and wethestate.blogspot.in
Vol-02. Issue-24. Bhopal. Monday Page-12. Price-05/-
heStatePublished simultaneously from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
POSTALREGD. MP/BHOPAL/4-323/2013-15
08
09
0502
e-governance
stategovt's
priority:CM
BothCongandBJPfacechallengesinCG
Withdrawremarks onRSSlinktoGandhikilling:Rajnath tellsRahul
AAP hasn't
lost its
appeal
in Delhi
KanganaRanaut,you
rock in
Queen:
AamirKhan
How WE look it !
...Cartoon by K G OJHAkgojha@rediffmail. com
03
Youth ready to play
decisive role in scriptingIndia of their dreams
T
he nine phase polling
schedule announce-
ment comes at a time
when the youth in the country
had demonstrated a visible in-
terest in the political process
coming out to vote in large
numbers in five state assembly
polls conducted late last year.
The young have traditionally
been rather indifferent to the
voting process, especially in
big cities of the country. How-
ever, this trend is now chang-
ing and the youth want to have
their share in the formation of
governments.
As the Election Commission
is pushing yet for fresh voter
registrations of those aged 18as of January 1, 2014, esti-
mates suggest that in overall
number terms, around 2.32
crore voters this time will be
between 18 and 19, accounting
for 24 per cent of the increase.
Those between the ages of 18
and 23 are estimated to be 4.87
crore.
Six states-Rajasthan, Chhat-
tisgarh, Madhya Pradesh,
West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh
and Assam-that account for 201
Lok Sabha constituencies, the
number of voters between 18
and 19 years of age per con-
stituency is higher than the
national average.
The recent assembly polls
saw an upsurge in youth par-
ticipation, especially in Delhi.
While it was still below the na-
tional voting average, which
by and large has been on the
rise, the 20 per cent enrolment
for the youth increased to al-
most 80 per cent in places like
Delhi, in other places 60 to 70
per cent in that age group.
The flair with which the
young have embraced the tech-
nology in the country shows
their penchant for quick re-
sults.
Therefore, waiting for the
outcome of an action for more
than a month or more (the
counting is on May 16), is
bound to tire out the interest
level. But the modern youth
doesn't want to passively
watch all that is happening in
the country.
Let there be hope that even a
nine phase poll would be en-
dured by the young as they
play a decisive role in scripting
India of their dreams.
04
8/12/2019 We The State - Issue 24 Vol 2
2/12
Chhattisgarh BJP togive candidates' listto high commandon Mar 10Raipur/Bilaspur:The ruling BJP in
Chhattisgarh has finalised the list of its
candidates for Lok Sabha elections
and will submit it to the party's central
election committee in New Delhi on
March 10. The panel of the names of
contestants from Chhattisgarh will be
presented during the national election
committee meeting on March 10 and
party high command will take a final
call on it, Chief Minister Raman Singh
said today. Expressing confidence of
victory in all 11 parliamentary
constituencies of the state going to
polls next month, Singh said, "People
of the state ensured win for the party
in Assembly elections, which was a
semi-final." "Now, they will help us to
register a thumping victory in the final- Lok Sabha polls - to establish
Narendra Modi's government at the
Centre," he said.
"Congress' slogan is Congress ka
haath janta ke saath (hand of the
Congress is with people), but contrary
to this escalating prices are worrying
the people," Singh pointed out.
"Looking at the huge support of
people across the nation, it is evident
that BJP will form government at the
Centre with full m ajority," he claimed.
Notably, in 2009 Lok Sabha elections,
10 seats were won by BJP while
Congress had managed to secure only
one. This time again, the key contest
will be between ruling BJP and
Opposition Congress.
Minor girl gang-rapedby five youths in CGA 14-year-old tribal girl was allegedly
gang-raped by five youths, who also
attacked her cousin brother at
Ghoghardih village in Chhattisgarh's
Jashpur district. Three of the accused
have been arrested in the case, police
said. The minor school girl was gang-
raped by five youths- Shyam
Naagwanshi, Pintu Paikra, Munna
Kumar, Chakku Urao and Kanel at
Ghoghardih on March 2, Station HouseOfficer of Kansabel, Anita Prabha Minj
said. The incident took place when the
victim was returning to her native
place from the weekly market at
Kansabel along with her elder cousin.
The accused stopped them on the
way and when the victim's brother
tried to resist, they assaulted him
following which he fell unconscious.
He was later thrown in a pit, the SHO
said. They later dragged the girl to a
nearby secluded place where they
sexually assaulted her through the
night, the SHO said. Before letting her
go in the morning, the accused
threatened her with dire
consequences and asked her not to
reveal the incident to anyone.
However, the girl later narrated the
incident to her parents and lodged a
case against the accused, she said.
Three accused- Shyam, Munna and
Pintu were arrested on Monday, the
SHO said adding that efforts are on to
nab two others accused.
02 (MP&CG)March 10 to March 16, 2014Chhattisgarh Explore
Steep rise in number ofvoters in Chhattisgarh
RAIPUR
Chhattisgarh has witnessed
a steep rise in number of
voters, both male and fe-
male, compared to last Lok Sabha
polls in 2009. While there were
1,54,71,253 total voters last time,
this time 1,75,29,148 voters have al-
ready registered and the number is
expected to increase with more reg-
istrations in voters' list. Chhattis-
garh chief elect oral officer (CEO)
Sunil Kujur said that there are over
1.75 crore voters in 11 constituen-
cies of state of which more than 88
lakh are male, about 86 lakh fe-
males and 1,535 fall in 'others' cate-
gory.
Hence, there are 973 females on
the ratio of per thousand males.
"Kanker and Bastar are two re-
gions which have more female vot-
ers than males," he said adding that
registration of new voters is un-
derway. Those who want to add
names to voters' list and those who
have completed 18 years of age by
January 1, 2014 can also get their
names registered.
Kujur said that Chhattisgarh
would have three-phased elections
for 11 parliamentary constituen-
cies. Naxalism affected Bastar
would undergo polls on April 10.
Gazette notification for April 10
polling in state will be issued on
March 15, with filing of nomina-
tions beginning the same day while
last date for filing nominations will
be March 22 and scrutiny of the
nominations will be completed on
March 24. Contestants can with-
draw their name till March 26 be-
fore polling on April 10.
Likewise, notification for April 17
polling will be issued on March 19
with last date for filing nomina-
tions March 26 and for April 24
polling, the notification will be is-
sued on March 29.
On April 17, Mahasamund,
Kanker and Rajnandgaon con-
stituencies would witness polls
while rest seven constituencies of
Sarguja, Raigarh, Janjgir-Champa,
Raipur, Durg, Korba and Bilaspur
will undergo polls on April 24. Ku-
jur said that special arrangements
would be made at polling booths to
beat the heat. "Voters would be fa-
cilitated with shade, water, wash-
room facilities so that participation
doesn't get affected due to summer
and standing in long queues," he
said. All district election officers
have been directed about effective
implementation of model code of
conduct and that no photographs
of any political entity shall be dis-
played at government offices and
its premises in state.
20 jawans killed in Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh; CM calls emergency meetRAIPURIn a major attack, Naxals Tuesday
ambushed a joint team of the Cen-
tral Reserve Police Force (CRPF)
and state police in Chhattisgarh's
Sukma district, killing at least 20
jawans and injuring several others.
Dipanshu Kabra, DIG, State Intel-
ligence Bureau told ANI that 20
jawans have been martyred in the
attack while three have been in-
jured.
A civilian was also reported killed
in the attack. Officials on the spot
say some Naxals may also have been
killed in firing, Kabra said.
It was an ambush. There are re-
ports of around 150 Naxals present
there, Kabra said further, making
clear the scale of the attack.
CRPF sources had earlier said that
15 of their personnel and five from
the state police may have been killed
in the ambush. An assistant com-
mandant rank officer of CRPF is be-
lieved to be among those feared
killed.
The attack took place in a dense
forest at Tahakwada between Ton-
gapal and Jeeram Ghati in Sukma
district.
Chhattisgarh Police ADG (Intelli-
gence) Mukesh Gupta informed that
a joint team of CRPF and state po-
lice was attacked by a large group of
Naxalites at the 'Jeeram Nullah' un-
der the Tongapal Police Station area
of the district.
Sources said a squad of 44 person-
nel, including 30 CRPF and 14 state
police, were out for an operation
when Naxals triggered landmine
blasts and firing leading to the
killings.
We are getting reports of blasts
and firing. For the time being the
firing has stopped. Reinforcements
have been sent, RK Vij, ADG (Nax-
al operations), said.
Exact situation will be assessed
once we reach the spot of en-
counter, he said further, adding,
Exact location of the ambush is be-
tween Tongapal and Jeeram; the
spot is 5 kilometres from Tongapal.
Following the attack, an encounter
broke out between the CRPF-police
personnel and Maoists. Reinforce-
ments have also been rushed to the
spot, where fierce firing was report-
ed between the two sides. The area
is reported to be 'heavily mined'.
Chhattisgarh Home Minister
Ramsewak Paikra confirmed the at-
tack, but did not specify the death
toll. Union Home Minister
Sushilkumar Shinde said they are
getting information, (but) cannot
say anything right now.
State Chief Minister Raman Singh
has called an emergency meeting of
the Chief Secretary, ACS Home,
DGP and other high ranking offi-
cers to asses the situation.
Police sources had earlier said
that the firefight started at around
10:30 am this morning, adding the
death toll is expected to rise.
The incident took place in the
same area where Naxalites had
killed 76 police personnel in April
2010.
2014 elections:Chhattisgarh
Police gear up totackle Naxal threatRaipur: Ahead of the Lok Sabha
elections, Chhattisgarh Police have
started chalking out strategies in
coordination with the adjoining
states to tackle Maoist threats in
inter-state border areas, officials
said on Saturday .
Top police officials of the Bastar
region, including the Inspector
General, SP and ASPs, held a high-
level meeting with their Odisha
counterparts yesterday and draft-
ed a plan to take on the rebels in
run-up to the election and on the
voting days, they said.
On the direction of Election Com-
mission a meeting was held with
police officials of Odisha for a well-coordinated effort to ensure peace-
ful polling in the Naxal-hit regions,
Bastar Superintendent of Police
Ajay Yadav told PTI.
Several districts of south Chhat-
tisgarh like Bastar, Kondagaon and
Sukma have links with the Naxal-
hit districts of Koraput and Malka-
ngiri in Odisha in terms of move-
ment of cadres, arms and ammuni-
tion. A coordination is necessary
to curb the activity of Maoist
cadres, he said.
"We have mutually (police offi-
cials of both states) identified
some sensitive pockets in the inter-
state border regions where there is
a need to focus more," the SP said.
"There are several areas on both
sides where mobile check posts re-
quire coordinated support from se-
curity personnel of the two States,"
he said.
Insurgency-hit Bastar and adjoin-
ing constituencies like Koraput,
Nabrangpur (Odisha) and Gadchi-
roli, Chimur and Chandrapur (Ma-
harashtra) will go to the polls on
April 10.
8/12/2019 We The State - Issue 24 Vol 2
3/12
03(MP&CG) March 10 to March 16, 2014 Bhopal
Man killed over Rs300, 3 arrestedIndore:Three men were arrested on
Saturday on the charge of killing a
friend here after he refused to pay Rs
300 lost over a game of carom.
On February 27, the accused
mercilessly beat to death Prakash
Suryawanshi alias Munna after he
refused to pay the money betted
during a carom game, Superintendent
of Police OP Tripathi said. The accused
were identified as Pradeep
Suryawanshi (24), his brother Deepak
Suryawanshi (30) and Praveen Solanki
(19). They beat Prakash with a pipe
and later dumped him at his house
where he died. Then they absconded.
Acting on a tip-off, police traced and
nabbed them today. All the three
confessed to the crime during the
questioning, police claimed.
Rs 22 cr treasure found
in Lokayukta raid atPWD guard's houseIndore: In an eye-opening raid, a
chowkidaarwith the Public Works
Department here was found to be in
possession of disproportionate assets
worth over Rs 22 crores. As per
reports, Guru Kripal Singh's house at
Tilak Nagar was raided this morning
following a tip-off. Lokayukta officials,
who are still carrying out the raid, have
found cash, jewellery and several
property papers from the house.
Reports said cash worth 12 lakh 44
thousand was recovered, apart from
documents of Rs 35 lakh worth of
investments. Officials also seized three
four-wheelers, including Tata Safari
and Toyota Innova, as well as two two-
wheelers from the PWD guard. He
also has 14 houses and 11 agricultural
land totalling nearly 20 acres in his
name. The worth of Singh's immovable
property is estimated to be worth over
Rs 10 crores. Twenty bottles of
imported liquor were also seized from
his residence, while officials have also
found that he has a locker in a UCO
Bank which has yet to be opened.
Ironically, the guard's monthly salary is
mere Rs 22,000
Cong accuses BJP ofviolating model codein Madhya PradeshIndore:The opposition Congress
accused the ruling BJP in Madhya
Pradesh of violating the model code
of conduct by organising statewide
shut down. State Congress
spokesperson Narendra Saluja said
here today that BJP leaders organised
vehicle processions, demonstrations,
road blockades and rallies during the
strike, thus violating the model code
of conduct. Alleging that these actions
not only violated the model code of
conduct, but also the Criminal
Procedure Code, he demanded that
cases be registered against all BJP
leaders. Yesterday, the ruling BJP had
called a half-day strike demanding
that the Centre provide a Rs 5,000-
crore package for Madhya Pradesh's
farmers, who suffered crop damage
due to rains and hailstorms.
Model code of conduct strictly enforced in MP
BHOPAL
Model code of conduct is being
strictly enforced in Madhya
Pradesh to ensure free and fair Lok
Sabha election. On the second day
after announcement for Lok Sabhaelections, posters, banners, wall
paintings etc. were removed
promptly in cities and towns of the
state. Under the provisions of Pre-
vention of Defacement of Public
Property Act, 30 thousand 758 wall
paintings, posters, banners etc
have been removed from public and
private properties. As many as 28
thousand 502 posters, banners and
wall paintings have been removed
from public properties and 2256
publicity material from private
properties.
So far, 9 thousand 559 wall writ-
ings, 8 thousand 440 posters, 6 thou-sand 58 banners and 4 thousand 445
other materials have been removed
from public properties. During the
action, one case has also been reg-
istered. Similarly, 1376 wal l writ-
ings, 693 posters, 680 banners and
506 other materials have been re-
moved from public properties.
As many as 2 cases of misuse of
vehicles have come to the fore in
districts. Similarly, 2 cases have
been registered for holding of
meeting speeches without official
permission.
Action under Motor Vehicle Act
has been taken by SDM of Chan-
deri in Ashok Nagar district
against Union Minister of State for
Energy Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia
for violation of code of conduct.
Shri Scindia's video film-equipped
vehicle was being plied without
permission from RTO. In another
case, Bhopal Collector is investigat-
ing a complaint lodged by Indian
National Congress against Chief
Minister and others regarding vio-
lation of permission for dharna.
SDM Amarwada is enquiring into
complaint by Smt. Kamini Shah
(Congress) of Chhindwara alleging
that Amarwara's SDO Forest ShriBasant Kakre is posted since June
2011 and indulging into political ac-
tivities.
Meanwhile, printers and publish-
ers were asked to comply with pro-
visions of section 127A of Repre-
sentation of People Act 1951. Print-
line on general electioneering ma-
terials printed by printing presses
must carry names and addresses of
printer and publisher clearly. This
was directed recently during a
meeting with printers and publish-
ers at the office of the Chief Elec-
toral Officer in the context of Lok
Sabha elections.
Chief Electoral Officer Jaideep
Govind has apprised district collec-
tors about the commission's direc-
tives. They were informed that gen-
eral electioneering materials like
cardboards, badges, paper caps,
mobile stickers etc. and other relat-
ed materials must have names and
addresses of printer and publisher
as per the Act. Four printed copies
and one copy of publisher's agree-
ment should be sent to CEO's Of fice
or district election officer in the
district within 3 days after print-
ing.
Violation of Representation ofPeople Act will be taken seriously
and strict action will be taken
against the violator. In the Perfor-
ma under which 4 printed copies
and declaration form to be attached
with it must have printer's signa-
ture and seal. Joint Chief Electoral
Officer and other officers were
present on the occasion.
e-governance state govt's priority: CMBHOPAL
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh
Chauhan has said that good gover-
nance is priority of the state gov-
ernment. Its basis is e-Governance.
These days, charisma of informa-
tion technology is visible every-
where in the state. Chauhan was
addressing a function where Infor-
mation Technology Excellence
Awards were distributed. On the
occasion, he announced Rs. one
lakh award with citation for Secre-
tary Information Technology Hari
Ranjan Rao. He directed that Secre-
taries doing excellent work should
also be awarded. Farmers Welfare
and Agriculture Development Min-ister Gaurishankar Bisen was also
present on the occasion.
Chauhan said that e-Governance
is state government's priority. This
sector has immense potential. It
should be our goal that Madhya
Pradesh leaves behind Silicon Val-
ley in information technology. He
said that innovations in IT sector
have been made in Madhya
Pradesh. Complaints are being re-
dressed immediately through
Samadhan Online. Relief amounts
are being deposited directly in
farmers' accounts. Time and mon-
ey in administrative works are be-
ing saved through video-conferenc-
ing. Major IT infrastructure with
immense employment potential is
coming up in the state, he added.
The Chief Minister said that in-clusive culture is developing in the
state under which all including
farmers and employees stand side
by side in hour of crisis. He said
that employees in Madhya Pradesh
also stand by farmers in their cri-
sis. They are donating their one-
day salary for relief to them. He
said that state government is en-
suring welfare of all sections of so-
ciety. Economy has been strength-
ened. He said that state govern-
ment had given Rs. 600 crore relief
to farmers when their soybean
crops were affected in the past.
Now, Rs. 2000 crore has been provi-
sioned for relief to hailstorm-af-
fected farmers.
Transport and Information Tech-
nology Minister Bhupendra Singh
said that state government has un-
dertaken unprecedented works for
expansion of information technol-
ogy. Department's budget has been
increased to Rs. 190 crore, which
was Rs. 93 lakh in year 2003. He said
that Madhya Pradesh has emerged
as pioneer state in information
technology sector. Chief Secretary
Anthony de Sa said that atmos-
phere of IT has built up in the state.
It is perhaps the first state in the
world where innovation like virtu-al cadre in information has been
undertaken. He said that wide pub-
licity of innovations is also neces-
sary.
At the outset, Secretary IT Hari
Ranjan Rao delivered the welcome
address. Deputy Secretary O.P. Vas-
tava proposed a vote of thanks. The
programme was conducted by Sud-
hir Kochar. At the programme, the
Chief Minister distributed 23
awards for year 2012-13 in 9 cate-
gories including good governance,
empowerment and progress.
Notice to MP BJP unitfor non-complianceof RTI mechanismBhopal: Madhya Pradesh Informa-
tion Commission today directed is-
suance of notice to state BJP unit
for alleged non-compliance of RTI
mechanism at its office here.
The action came following a com-
plaint by RTI activist Ajay Dubey,
who approached the State Informa-
tion Commission (SIC) after he al-
legedly did not find any mechanism
by BJP here for facilitating RTI
queries from people. He had ap-
proached the SIC on the basis of
Central Information Commission's
(CIC) last year order which held that
six national political parties--Con-
gress, Bhartiya Janata Par ty, Com-munist Party of India (Marxist),
Communist Party of India(CPI), Na-
tionalist Congress Party (NCP) and
Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP)--come
under the ambit of Right To Infor-
mation Act.
While hearing D ubey's plea today,
the Commission directed that a no-
tice be issued to the state BJP unit
and it may be asked to file its re-
sponse before the transparency
watchdog on the next date of hear-
ing scheduled for April 4, officials
said. "I had gone to file RTI applica-
tion at BJP office in Bhopal. But
there was no mechanism in place
for it. I then went to State Informa-
tion Commission ag ainst BJP," said
Dubey. The CIC had in June last
year held that the six national par-
ties have been substantially funded
indirectly by the central govern-
ment and were required to appoint
public information officers for giv-
ing information under the RTI Act.
Bhopal: A five-year-old girl was al-
legedly raped by his 22-year-old
neighbour in Jehangirabad area
here on Saturday, police said.
Moon Bahadur, who lived near
the girl's house, lured the victim by
offering to buy her a toffee and
raped her at an isolated place, they
said.
The accused has been arrested
while the girl was admitted to a
hospital in a serious condition, po-
lice said.
A case of rape under the Indian
Penal Code and under the Protec-
tion of Child ren from Sexual Of-
fences Act (POCSO) was registered
against the accused, they said.
Five-year-oldgirl rapedin Bhopal
8/12/2019 We The State - Issue 24 Vol 2
4/12
04 (MP&CG)March 10 to March 16, 2014Raipur Trail
Chhattisgarh to holdrecall vote for twomunicipal bodiesRaipur: An election for recalling
elected chairmen of two municipal
bodies will be held under 'Right to
Recall' in Chhattisgarh.
In accordance with the
Chhattisgarh Municipalities Act 1961
that gives a voter the 'right to recall',
the Chhattisgarh Election
Commission has initiated the process
to recall chairpersons of Saria
municipality in Raigarh district and
Vishrampuri municipality of
Kondagaon district, an official here
said. The State Elec tion Commission
has recommended the government
to conduct polling under the process,
he said. In this line, the process of
preparing voters' list in both
municipalities has been initiated. The
collectors of the concerned districts
have been directed to ensure the
completion of publicity ofpublication of voters list,
appointment of authorised
employees and their training,
providing format of voters list and
recall poll related information to MP,
MLAs and corporators by March 13.
The motion for right to recall against
Vishrampuri municipality chairperson
Suman Markam and Saria
municipality chairperson Kamla
Swarnkar, was passed recently for
their alleged under-performance. If
more than half the total number of
voters favour the recall, the elected
position of chairman will be nullified,
the official added
Rs 29 lakh cash,ammunition seizedfrom Naxal hideoutsRajnandgaon: In a major haul, a
whopping Rs 29 lakh were seized
from a Maoist dump in
Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district,
police said Tuesday. Besides,
ammunition and electronic gadgets
were also recovered from two
separate Naxal hideouts in the
region. "A joint squad of security
personnel busted two Naxal camps in
Sitagaon and Aundhi police stationlimits in the past two days and seized
cash, live cartridges and electronic
items," Inspector General of Police
(Durg Range) Pradeep Gupta told
reporters here. Cash worth Rs 28.95
lakh was recovered from a Naxal
hideout in Nideli village forests under
Aundhi police station limits last
evening, he said. The joint
contingent of Indo Tibetan Border
Police (ITBP), Border Security Force
(BSF) and local police team was on a
search operation along the border of
Rajnandgaon-Kanker district for past
several days. On Sunday, it unearthed
a Naxal dump in Pitemeta-Amakoda
forests under Sitagaon police station
limits and yesterday in Aundhi. The
other recovered material include 10
live cartridges of 9 MM pistol and 12
bore gun, a magazine of Insas rifle,
steel containers used in planting
landmines, three cellphones, data
cable, radio, batteries, Naxal literature
and other rela ted items, Gupta said.
Cases of assault on women overwitchcraft practices on rise
RAIPUR
Chhattisgarh witnesses frequent
cases of assault on women over
witchcraft practices, many of which
go unreported. Three major cases
have been reported in the state in
last one month.
Dr Dinesh Mishra, who is working
against superstition and blackmag-
ic, said psychology behind such ex-
treme step is usually to end the
cause, as just a suspicion on some-
one would not serve the purpose
and villagers' problem would re-
main intact. Hence, without giving
second thoughts, they either humil-
iate, assault or kill women under
suspicion. He said that it was high
time for administration to take a
call.
"Acting against accused and work-
ing according to prevention Act is
fine but there's an urgent need to
make people aware about how inno-
cents are being killed over ground-
less issues," he said. However statecommission for women said that
commission was working sans
chairperson as the former serving
Vibha Rao's tenure ended in Decem-
ber and no other official preferred
to comment. Subrat Sahu, secretary
department of women and child
said that cases of assault had come
down. "Consistent awareness pro-
grammes are going on in affected
areas which need to be intensified.
We would call for registered cases
and after conducting surveys, would
act swiftly against the issue."
In a latest incident a woman was
killed under suspicion of being a in-
volved in witchcraft practices in Up-
arwara village of Naya Raipur re-
cently. Police have arrested four per-
sons, all of whom are woman's im-
mediate relatives. It's a case similar
to one of Balrampur where a
woman was killed by her neigh-
bours when their kin was suffering
from prolonged disease.
Deceased Dulari Bai, 52, wasfarmer Hariram Sahu's wife and the
couple didn't have kids. Her hus-
band's brother Mehattar and his
family always accused her of being
a witch and used to beat her fre-
quently. Things turned worse when
Mehattar's daughter-in-law fell sick
and murmured Dulari's name in un-
conscious state, which enraged all
family members.
They suspected that Dulari was
working spells on the woman to
make her sick. Early on Wednesday,
Mehattar with his wife Rajwanti,
son Madan and another person
Manoj went to Dulari's house with
traditional weapons and beat her to
death. On complain of deputy
sarpanch of village, police acted
swiftly and arrested all four accused
under sections 302, 34 of the IPC
while after further investigations,
case would be registered under rele-
vant Sections of Witchcraft Preven-
tion Act 2005, police said.
Both Cong and BJP face challenges in CGRAIPUR
Both in assembly and Lok
Sabha polls, BJP has been
in control in Chhattisgarh
for over a decade. The Raman effect
that proved so effective during the
assembly elections and the Modi
factor, will work in BJP's favour.
The party is high on confidence
and has a strong organizational
network.
However, it will no t be a cakewalk
for BJP. The party f aces many chal-
lenges in the state. Retaining the
Lok Sabha seats the BJP won in
2004 and 2009 elections could be dif-
ficult, since the tribal areas are not
too happy with the party's regime.
The party has failed to connect
with the SC voters as well. Gover-
nance and corruption are still key
issues and the report cards of
many sitting MPs are not satisfac-
tory on those counts.
Meanwhile, the Congress is
emerging strong in three areas--
south Bastar, north Sarguja and Ra-
jnandgaon. It has gained the trib-
als' confidence in backward areas.
Anti-incumbency against the rul-
ing BJP might help if CM Raman
Singh fails to curb corruption.
No doubt the Congress faces
greater challenges in the state com-
pared to BJP.
The party still suffers from lack
of effective leadership. The organi-
zational set up is weak as well. Fac-
tionalism persists and poses a ma-
jor problem during ticket distribu-
tion. The party is held responsible
for the UPA's failure and weakness-
es at the Centre. It has failed to im-
press voters in urban areas.
So both Congress and BJP have
their strong and weak points in
Chhattisgarh. But the prospects of
BJP are certainly bright in the
state and Congress is unlikely to
gain too much from BJP's weak-
nesses mainly because of in-fight-
ing within the party.
The UPA government's scam-hit
tenure may reflect on the Congress
in the state. At the same time the
anti-incumbency against the state
BJP government may prove to be
beneficial for the Congress in
Chhattisgarh.
Villagers opposeJindal-promotedNSPL public hearing
RAIGARH
A public hearing organised to give
environmental clearance to the OP
Jindal Group-promoted Nalwa
Steel and Power Limited (NSPL)
for expansion of its capacity was
opposed by villagers who accused
the firm of short- changing them.
At the hearing held yesterday, the
villagers alleged the company was
utilising water without any per-
mission and has also not given jobs
to those affected by the project, Re-
gional Environment Officer John
Lakda said on Saturday.
He said nearly 3,000 people at-
tended the hearing, a requisite for
securing a green nod for expan-
sion of capacity.
During the hearing, most vil-
lagers alleged that the plant was
affecting environment and the
company is not using its CSR fund
for the affected areas, he said.
Lakda said the villagers also de-
manded that the hearing be
termed illegal and cancelled.Rajesh Tripathy of Jan Chetna
NGO, which is opposing the com-
pany's expansion plans, alleged
the public hearing was akin to vio-
lation of pol l code currently in
force.
Another agitator Radheshyam
Sharma alleged the company man-
agement was colluding with the
state government and tried to rig
the hearing by bringing people
from outside.
When contacted, Raigarh SP Pra-
ful Thakur said the public hearing
was by and large peaceful.
Meanwhile, the OP Jindal Group
dismissed reports of the project
facing opposition from villagers.
"On the contrary, villagers are
supporting us. The expansion of
capacity entails development of
this area," the company said in a
press statement.
The plant is located at Taraimal,
nearly 17 kms from here.
8/12/2019 We The State - Issue 24 Vol 2
5/12
05(MP&CG) March 10 to March 16, 2014 Madhya Pradesh
Congress candidatein MP joins BJPBhopal: In a huge embarrassment
for the Congress, one of its Lok Sabha
candidates from Madhya Pradesh
joined the BJP Sunday.
A day after he was nominated in
the Congress' first list to contest the
Bhind (reserved) constituency,
Bhagirath Prasad joined the BJP at a
function at the party headquarters
here in the presence of its state chief
Narendra Singh Tomar.
"Happy to welcome Bhagirath
Prasad in the BJP," Madhya Pradesh
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
said on Twitter.
Prasad, a former Indian
Administrative Service (IAS) officer,
contested the last Lok Sabha
elections from Bhind on a Congress
ticket but lost. The Congress hadSaturday announced 22 candidates
for Madhya Pradesh, which has 29
Lok Sabha constituencies.
Cong LS nomineefrom Bhind BhagirathPrasad joins BJPIn a jolt to the Congress ahead of Lok
Sabha polls, retired IAS officer
Bhagirath Prasad, whom the party
had declared its candidate from
Bhind seat in Madhya Pradesh, on
Sunday joined the BJP. Prasad, who
was announced the Congress
candidate from Bhind seat only
yesterday, had unsuccessfully
contested the last Lok Sabha
elections on the party ticket from the
same seat. This time also Congress
relied on him and nominated him
from the same seat, but today he
switched over to the saffron party.
MP farmers' woes: CMembarks on fast againstCentre's apathyWith a firm eye on Lok Sabha polls,
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj
Singh Chouhan, along with his cabinet
colleagues on Thursday began his fasthere against the Centre's "apathetic"
attitude towards rain-hit farmers in
the state.
"The people of the state stood
behind farmers in their hour of crisis
and provided them all possible help to
deal with the calamity," the Chief
Minister said addressing the sit-in
protest scheduled to go on till 2 PM.
"We have already earmarked Rs 2,000
crore for providing relief to f armers
and this is just the beginning. We will
take all possible measures to provide
aid to the affected farmers," Chouhan
said. "BJP leaders and ministers are
observing fast to draw the attention of
the Central Government towards the
plight of farmers," he said. The ruling
BJP, which had demanded declaration
of extensive damage to crops by rain
and hailstorm in MP as a "national
calamity" has given a call to observe a
shut down until 2 pm today in order
to highlight the alleged apathy of the
Centre towards the state's farmers.
BRIEF
Siddique Hassan Talab: BMC yet to start surveyBHOPAL
The Bhopal's civic body hasn't done
the survey work of encroachments
on and around Siddique Hassan
Khan Talab. The National Green Tribunal
(NGT) had asked it to complete the survey
before Model Code of Conduct comes into
force. But the civic body kept delaying the
issue and now the survey is likely to be de-
layed further on account of code.
NGT has asked civic body not to ignore
dismal condition of lakes and its conserva-
tion work in a bid to improve their status.
Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) is
yet to get on with survey of encroachments
at Siddique Hassan Khan Talab. Of the
11.99 acres of land of the talab, around 7
acres of land is under encroachment com-
prising around 159 houses, 14 hospitals, 20
shops and hotels. Also, the state govern-
ment hasn't yet drafted a rehabilitation pol-
icy for encroachers around the water body.
BMC has said it was unable to carry on
with the survey because of unavailability
of revenue records. Taking a serious view,
National Green Tribunal (NGT) central
zone bench ordered the BMC and the state
government to expedite work around the
talab.
NGT has said the delay is negligence of
the government and told the civic body
they should finish the task in two months.
After the survey, "Notices for removal of
encroachments and unauthorized con-
structions shall be served by the municipal
authorities and after affording reasonable
opportunities given to hear, the municipal
authorities shall proceed in accordance
with the high court's order. Earlier the high
court had also ordered the BMC to take all
necessary steps for removal of encroach-
ments. The case was later transferred to the
NGT for follow up action.
Withdraw remarks on RSS link toGandhi killing: Rajnath tells RahulINDORE
BJP president Rajnath Singh on
Monday asked Congress Vice-
President Rahul Gandhi to take
back his "baseless" allegation of
involvement of RSS in the assassi-
nation of Mahatma Gandhi.
"Rahul had levelled the allega-
tion against the world's largest so-
cio-cultural organisation sayingRSS men were behind the assassi-
nation of Mahatma Gandhi. The
fact is that the Kapoor Commis-
sion, which probed Gandhi's as-
sassination, had stated in its re-
port that the allegations against
RSS on the issue were totally base-
less," Rajnath said while address-
ing party workers at parliamen-
tary area meet on Dussehra
ground here.
Taking a dig, he asked Congress-
men to study history to know the
correct facts. "After the assassina-
tion of Mahatma Gandhi, the then
government had imposed a ban on
RSS but within six months Con-
gress admitted that RSS had no
role in the Mahatma's killing and
all allegations levelled against
RSS on the issue are baseless," he
said.
"I urge Congress leaders to re-
quest their Vice-President to take
back the baseless allegations lev-
elled by him against the RSS on
the issue," Rajnath said.
Addressing a rally in Thane dis-
trict of Maharashtra on March 6,
Rahul had said "RSS people killed
Gandhiji and today their people
(BJP) talk of him... They opposed
Sardar Patel and Gandhiji".
BJP has already moved the Elec-
tion Commission against Rahul
over his remarks. Meanwhile, Ra-
jnath also asked the Centre to
make public the report of the
Commission that probed the as-
sassination of then Prime Minis-
ter Indira Gandhi in 1984.
"I wanted to know under what
conditions this report was not
made public. I demand from the
Prime Minister and the Congress
leadership to make this report
public so that people will come to
know the circumstances behind
the assassination of Indira Gand-
hi," Rajnath said.
Rajnath charged Congress has
lost dignity and also control over
words. "Congress president Sonia
Gandhi's remark of zeher ki kheti
(sowing seeds of poison) is symp-
tomatic of state of depression in
Congress and because of this So-
nia sometimes terms BJP poison-
ous and sometimes a thief".
UPA Govt has no
respect for federalstructure: ChouhanIndore: Madhya Pradesh Chief
Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
today accused the UPA Govt of not
respecting the federal structure
and discriminating against the
BJP-ruled State in providing relief
to the farmers affected by recent
unseasonal rain and hailstorm. He
said the the Cong-led Govt at the
Centre has no regard for the coun-
try's federal structure. It is dis-
criminating against the hailstorm-
hit farmers of the State on the is-
sue of financial assistance due topolitical reasons. Chouhan was
speaking at a function of BJP
workers here where party Presi-
dent Rajnath Singh was also pres-
ent. "The UPA Govt fears that if it
provides relief to the Madhya
Pradesh farmers, the BJP may ben-
efit in the coming Lok Sabha elec-
tions," the CM said. The State Govt
has earmarked Rs 2,000 crore for
providing relief to the farmers and
if more fund is needed, that too
will be arranged, he said.
How long the people of Madhya
Pradesh will suffer this discrimi-
nation at the hands of the Cen-
tre,he sought to know and asked
the voters to decimate the Con-
gress in the elections to end this
trend. Referring to the condition
of Congress, he said the party is in
such a pathetic position that its
Lok Sabha candidate from Bhind,
Bhagirath Prasad, has refused to
contest, Chouhan claimed.
8/12/2019 We The State - Issue 24 Vol 2
6/12
06 (MP&CG)March 10 to March 16, 2014Editorial
ASTROLOGY
12-03-2014- Wednesday - Falgun
Mah Shuklapaksh-Ekadashi
Positive directions - North and West
Bad time - 12:37 pm to 2:06
pm
Good time - 6:40 am to 9:38 amand 11:07am to 12:36 pm and 3:35
pm to 6:33 pm
13-03-2014-Thursday- Falgun Mah
Shuklapaksh-Dwadashi
Positive directions - North and West
Bad time - 2:06 pm to 3:35 pm
Good time - 6:39 am to 8:08
am and 11:07 am to 2:05 pm and
5:04 pm to 6:34 pm
14-03-2014- Friday -Falgun Mah
Shuklapaksh-Trayodashi (Pradosh)
Positive directions - East and North
Bad time - 11:06 am to 12:36
pmGood time - 6:38 am to 11:05
am and 12:37 pm to 2:06 pm and
5:05 pm to 6:34 pm
15-03-2014- Saturday -Falgun
Mah Shuklapaksh- Chaturdashi
Positive directions-North and East
Bad time - 9:36 am to
11:06am
Good time - 8:07 am to 9:35
am and 12:36 pm to 5:05 pm
16-03-2014- Sunday - Falgun Mah
Shuklapaksh- Poornima (Holi)
Positive directions - South and East
Bad time - 5:05 pm to 6:35 pm
Good time - 8:06 am to 12:35pm and 2:05 pm to 3:35 pm
17-03-2014- Monday -Chaitra Mah
Krishnapaksh- Ekam
Positive directions- East and South
Bad time - 8:05 am to 9:35 am
Good time - 6:35 am to 8:04 am
and 9:36 am to 11:05 am and 2:05
pm to 6:35 pm
18-03-2014- Tuesday -Chaitra Mah
Krishnapaksh - Dwitiya
Positive directions-South
Bad time - 3:35 pm to 5:05 pm
Good time - 9:34 am to 2:05 pm
By AACHARYA SARVESH
E-Mail: achar [email protected]
Mobile: 9826609192
VASTU TIPS FOR STORE ROOMS
Store rooms should be placed
in North-West portion of
building as it is beneficial in
terms of providing good
provision of storage with
minimal chances of shortage in
grains.
Things like oil, ghee, refined
and gas cylinder etc should be
stored in South-East corner of
storage. The windows in this room
should be made on Eastern or
Western sides.
The color chosen in store room
should be tints of white, yellow
or blue.
More bomb blasts in India than Afghanistan or SyriaW
ith war waging in Afghanistan
and news of bomb blasts in me-
dia reports almost daily, we in In-
dia must be inclined to think that nations
like Afghanistan are very dangerous and un-
safe to live compared to a peaceful country
like India. However, you will be surprised to
learn that India is one of the most dangerous
countries to live in. The information from
the National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC)
states that you are more likely to die in a
bomb blast in Indian than in Afghanistan.
Surprisingly, a war-torn country like Syria
too is falling in a better place than India, as
far as bomb blasts are concerned.
Recent information from the NBDC says
that India suffered 212 bomb blasts in 2013,
which is nearly double than the figures from
Afghanistan which suffered 108 blasts in
2013. While Bangladesh faced 75 blasts, Syria
faced only 36 blasts - both owing to an inter-
nal strife than external forces responsible for
the same.
It is good news that the number of blaststhat occurred in India decreased from 241 in
2012 to 212 in 2013. At the same time, the num-
ber of deaths and casualties increased from
113 and 419 last year to 130 deaths and 446 in-
juries in 2013.
According to official data, over the past
decade, there have been an average of 298
blasts and 1337 casualties in India every year
between 2004 and 2013. This is again higher
than Afghanistan which in the past five
years witnessed a maximum of 209 such at-
tacks in 2010, according to the data.As far as the world figures are concerned,
India accounts for almost 75 per cent of
bomb blasts in the world along with Iraq and
Pakistan. Another finding for attacks within
India, of the official data says that its North
East region and Maoist areas have con-
tributed over 80 per cent of the IED attacks.
Amongst the North Eastern regions, Assam
and Manipur are the worst affected. Fur-
thermore, Jammu & Kashmir witnessed a 50
per cent rise in bomb blasts last year as com-
pared to 2012.Among the Indian states,Jharkhand, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Naga-
land, Karnataka and Jammu & Kashmir
have witnessed a rise in the terrorist attacks
through blasts. On the other hand, 15 other
states witnessed a declining trend, some of
which include Odisha, Bihar, Chhattisgarh,
Tamil Nadu and Manipur.
India faces seriouschallenges in health sector
Healthcare is a major con-
cern for the governments
around the world. Global-
ization brings with it increasing
threats to health including SARS,
avian flu, HIV/ AIDS, humanitari-
an emergencies and bio-terrorism.
These and other threats to health
know no boundaries as in an age of
widespread global trade and travel,
new and existing diseases can cross
national borders and threaten our
collective security.
India has both substantial
achievements as well as a daunting
unfinished agenda in the healthsector. Longevity in the country has
more than doubled since Independ-
ence. However, these achievements
do not mask India's failures. Mal-
nutrition and rates of infant and
maternal deaths have not reduced
to the expected level during the last
decade. Although India accounts
for 16.5% of the global population,
it contributes to a fifth of the
world's share of diseases; a third of
the diarrhoeal diseases, TB, respi-
ratory and other infections and par-
asitic infestations, a fifth of nutri-
tional deficiencies, diabetes and the
second largest number of HIV/
AIDS cases after South Africa.
The public health system is over-
whelmed by the co-existence of
communicable and infectious dis-
eases alongside an emerging up-
surge of non-communicable dis-
eases. The number of HIV/AIDS
cases is rising continuously as the
prevalence level of TB cases. What
is also of concern is the expected
increase in India's disease burden
due to non-communicable diseases.
Cardiovascular diseases and dia-
betes will more than double, can-
cers will rise by 25% and mental
health incidences will affect about
6.5% of the populace in the years to
come.
These and other non-communica-
ble diseases are expensive to treat
and India's focus will be on adopt-
ing preventive strategies. Access to
clean water and sanitation services
and better hygienic practices like
hand-washing will reduce diar-rhoea. Likewise, increasing advoca-
cy and awareness efforts against to-
bacco use will reduce CVD, lung
and oral cancers drastically. Pro-
motion of exercise and yoga is in-
creasingly acknowledged to reduce
stress and obesity, diabetes and oth-
er lifestyle diseases.
The National Rural Health Mis-
sion is an attempt at building a sus-
tainable health system for the coun-
try. It attempts to address long
standing ailments of the health sys-
tem.
It is about decentralization and
empowering local communities be-
ginning at the village level to plan
for their own health care needs. The
Mission also attempts to fill critical
gaps in the system, systemic as well
as those relating to human re-
sources, finances, materials and
supplies and above all accountabil-
ity.
- (Editorial by Dilip Ojha)
Had Sanjay Gandhibeen alive ?
BIPIN SASI
Sanjay Gandhi was a controversial and polarizing figure.
At a political discussion an interesting remark came
from a Congresman , Had Sanjay Gandhi been alive there
would not have been threat of Narendra Modi. Does Congress
thinks that Rahul's image is not suf fice for handling NaMo Fac-
tor ? His son Varun is a BJP MP.
Wiki leaks cable reveals that Prime Ministers 30 year old Son,
Sanjay Gandhi abandoned back corridor politics to step into the
political limelight.
One thing is certain, had San-
jay's plane not crashed, he would
have become Indira Gandhi's
eventual successor
Sanjay was 'disowned' by Con-
gress Dynasty the day his widowwas thrown out of Indira's house.
Many people had doubts about
the reason for the plane crash
which killed Sanjay.
In June 1975 his mother, Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi, imposed
a state of Emergency. All opposi-
tion politicians were arrested,
and the press censored. Sanjay
himself quickly emerged as the second most powerful person in
India. Chief Ministers and Cabinet Ministers took orders from
him. According to sources , Sanjay had wanted the Nehru-Gand-
hi family to rule forever. He persuaded his mother to set up a 12-
member committee headed by Swaran Singh to draft a new c on-
stitution for India. The document under preparation apparent-
ly included a provision appointing Indira Gandhi as the Presi-
dent of India for life and conferring on her family the divine
right to uninterrupted rule. To push the process forward, San-
jay got the assemblies of Haryana, West Bengal and Punjab, all
ruled by his loyalists, to pass resolutions demanding a new Con-
stitution for the country. Fortunately, Emergency was lifted and
the Congress was voted out of power before his plans bore
fruition.
Today congress internally seems to miss a vibrant and PM
material like Sanjay Gandhi in the Nehru family.
8/12/2019 We The State - Issue 24 Vol 2
7/12
07(MP&CG) March 10 to March 16, 2014 Politics
Clash in Delhi set AAP's cash boxes ringingNEW DELHI
The recent clash between the BJP
and the AAP might have led to
widespread criticism for Aam Aad-
mi Party but it has also set the par-
ty's cash boxes ringing.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers
fought pitched battles with BJP ac-
tivists in Lucknow and Delhi,
hours after Arvind Kejriwal was
detained briefly in Gujarat--shortly
after election dates were an-
nounced. The former Delhi chief
minister is in Narendra Modi's
state to verify claims of develop-
ment.
Moments after AAP supremo
Arvind Kejriwal was briefly de-
tained in Gujarat, his party's anger
spilled onto the streets and resulted
in violent clashes between AAP
workers and members of the saf-fron party. The incident is being
seen as a blow to Kejriwal's serious
image. If reports are to be believed
the showdown also helped AAP
garner massive sympathy in the
form of online donations. The do-
nations to the AAP peaked to 260
per cent, a day after clashes be-
tween BJP and AAP broke out in
the Capital and spread to other
states.
Compared to Rs. 6,67,852 received
from 377 people as donations online
a day before, the detention day saw
Rs. 24,05078 being donated from
1,544 people, a hike of 260%. The
amount received online was the
highest for AAP in the last three
weeks or so.
And it's not for the first time that
supporters have extended mone-
tary support in times of either cri-
sis or happy moments.
Hours after Union home minister
Sushilkumar Shinde said in No-
vember last year that donations
made to AAP were being looked
into, contributions peaked mani-
fold.
Also, wishing a "happy new year"
to the party, 2,476 supporters had on
January 1 donated Rs. 41 lakh. Last
time, AAP had seen such a spike in
donation was when Kejriwal had
resigned from the Delhi Chief Min-
ister's post.
Instant feedbackto votersthrough VVPATBHOPAL: Voter-verified paper audit
trail (VVPAT) is a method of providing
feedback to voters using a ballot less
voting system. VVPAT is intended as an
independent verification system for
electronic voting machines that allows
voters to verify that their votes are cast
as intended and can serve as an
additional barrier to changing or
destroying votes.
Under VVPAT, a printer-like apparatus
is linked to Electronic Voting Machine
(EVM). When a vote is cast, a receipt is
generated showing the serial number,
name and symbol of the candidate. It
confirms the vote and the voter can
verify the details. The receipt, once
viewed, goes inside a container linked
to the EVM and can only be accessed
by the election officers in rarest of rare
cases.The system allows a voter to
challenge his or her vote on basis of the
paper receipt for the first time. As per a
new rule, the booth presiding officer
will have to record the dissent of the
voter, which would have to be tak en
into account at time of counting. The
VVPAT system was not manufactured
due to doubts on the EVM, but was part
of the up gradation of the system.
For the first time Voter Verifiable
Paper Audit Trail (VV PAT) with
Electronic Voting Machines was used
for the Noksen Assembly seat in
Tuensang district of Nagaland in
September, 2013. In a ruling in October
2013, the Supreme Court (SC), in the
case of Subramanian Swamy vs Election
Commission of India (ECI), has held that
VVPAT ( Vote Verifiable Paper Audit Trial)
is "indispensable for free and fair
elections" and thus, directed the ECI to
equip Electronic Voting Machines
(EVMs) with VVPAT systems to "ensure
accuracy of the VVPAT system". The
Supreme Court directed the Election
Commission to introduce a paper trail
in EVMs, in a phased manner, for the
next general elections in 2014, saying it
will ensure free and fair polls. The apex
court also directed the Centre to
provide financial assistance for
introducing Vote Verifier Paper AuditTrail (VVPAT) system. In pursuance of
the Supreme Court order, the Election
Commission ordered VVPAT systems to
be used in the New Delhi assembly for
the upcoming assembly elections. The
pilot project was launched across 186
polling stations that will cater to
1,18,596 registered voters.
The Commission will need about 14
lakh VVPAT machines to introduce the
system in all 543 Lok Sabha
constituencies during forthcoming Lok
Sabha elections. However, the
Commission is apprehensive that so
many machines can be produced and
testing them in such a short duration of
time. The Commission feels that
covering all Parliamentary
constituencies may not be possible
before 2019 General Elec tions. The
Commission has stated that
approximately 1500 crore rupees would
be required for procuring VVPAT and
installing it at all polling booths across
the country.
Literature on Gujarat's development
and Modi now available in Hindi
RAIPUR
Senior BJP leaders here have said
that Gujarat had become the focal
point of attention in the run up to
the Lok Sabha polls in the country
due to candidature of its Chief
Minister Narendra Modi as BJP's
prime ministerial candidate. Par-
ty's units in other states are also de-
manding literature on Gujarat's de-
velopment and the Chief Minister
himself in Hindi.
More and more state level leaders
have been asking for Hindi lan-
guage literature on Narendra Modi
as it would be easy for them to tell
people in their region about the
party's prime ministerial candi-
date in rural pockets of the coun-
try, the source informed. This liter-
ature was so far available in Gu-
jarati but has now been transl ated
into Hindi. As a result, the grass-
roots level poll campaign teams of
BJP workers in Chhattisgarh aren't
finding it difficult to learn about
Modi and how he charted the path
for Gujarat's pace of development.
BJP Chhattisgarh unit got mas-
sive amount of literature printed
in Gujarati translated into Hindi
comprising stories on how Gujarat
developed under Narend Modi be-
sides also his own life sketch. A
huge lot of literature on the Gu-
jarat's development is available in
Gujarati language which is unique
in nature. The Gujarat unit of theparty is co-operating in every way
with other BJP units across the
country to provide the kind of in-
formation they need on Gujarat
and Chief Minister Narendra
Modi.
Party workers visiting door to
door in other states need to know
why Gujarat Chief Minister Naren-
dra Modi is the BJP's prime minis-
terial candidate during their poll
campaigns. In rural areas, many
people in other states may not
know how Gujarat emerged as a de-
veloped state of the country and
under whose leadership, he stated.
Meanwhile, in the Chhattisgarh
unit of the party, huge emphasis is
being paid on knowing about the
Gujarat Chief Minister and his
achievements for a clear and effec-
tive communication to the people
for campaigns which are hinged on
party's prime ministerial candi-
date Narendra Modi.
Ram Vilas Paswan's return hasramifications beyond Bihar
PATNA
Ram Vilas Paswan's return to the NDA is good for both his party and the
BJP. The LJP will get to contest seven Lok Sabha seats from Bihar, have
the backing of the formidable Sangh Parivar cadre, and cash in on both
the strong anti-Congress and anti-Nitish Kumar sentiments in the State -
- the latter having become especially pronounced after the State's Chief
Minister decided to walk out of the NDA against the wishes of a large sec-
tion of the people of Bihar. The BJP, in return, will benefit from the sup-
port of the Maha Dalits that form a chunk of Paswan's vote bank.
Paswan's return has ramifications that go beyond electoral numbers and
Bihar. It has punctured the propaganda that the Bharatiya Janata Party-
led alliance is an untouchable for the 'secularists'. The Lok Janshakti Par-
ty supremo had quit the coalition in the wake of the violence that had
erupted in Gujarat in 2002 and had, like several other anti-Narendra Modi
voices, held the State Government responsible for the incident. But now,after the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team has given
Modi a clean chit, and after it has become amply clear that the hate-Modi
campaign has been motivated more by cheap politics than facts on the
ground, Paswan's party has rightly taken the position that it would be in-
appropriate to continue holding the Gujarat Chief Minister and now the
BJP's prime ministerial candidate responsible for that violence.
The social engineering that will consequently result could herald seri-
ous trouble for Lalu Prasad's RJD as well as the JD(U). The Congress,
meanwhile, is irrelevant on its own. Given that Modi's personal culpabil-
ity remains not just non-established but also rejected through the apex
court-appointed probe agency, there was no cause for Paswan to remain
outside the NDA fold. After all, he had been part of the coalition during
Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure as Prime Minister, shared an excellent rap-
port with leaders of the BJP, and had even served as a Union Minister. Of
course, his return has also to do with the shabby treatment he has received
at the hands of the Rashtriya Janata Dal -- with whom he had an alliance
in the 2009 election -- and the Congress, on the issue of seat-sharing. As he
has observed, neither of the two parties was willing to deal with him with
the respect and consideration that he deserved. This humiliation, along
with the fact that Modi is legally clear of the 2002 taint, propelled his re-
turn to the N DA. Paswan's re-entry has also put paid to the hopes the BJP's
rivals have been nurturing that the NDA will not be able to grow substan-
tially beyond what it is today. Not only has the LJP joined the coalition but
also that many more are expected to join the alliance from across the coun-
try in the weeks to come.
8/12/2019 We The State - Issue 24 Vol 2
8/12
08 (MP&CG)March 10 to March 16, 2014Politics
Meenakshiselected Cong
candidate fromMandsaur
BHOPAL
Sitting Congress MP from Mand-
saur in Madhya Pradesh,
Meenakshi Natarajan emerged as a
consensus candidate through the
primary, which is piloted by Con-
gress vice-president Rahul Gandhi,
to contest upcoming Lok Sabha
polls. Natarajan's victory came
against the backdrop of former
Neemuch district Congress presi-
dent and Lok Sabha aspirant
Surendra Sethi's allegation that
the primary was rigged. Sethi had
boycotted the election. The concept
of primary is aimed at decentrali-
sation of power and encouraging
inner-party democracy in Con-
gress. A total of 1,501 persons were
eligible to cast vote in the primary
election, which was held at hotel
Harsh Vilas in Mandsaur on Mon-
day. Natarajan secured 706 votesout of total of 781 votes cast, where-
as Sethi got 50 votes while 25 votes
were rejected.
Sethi had alleged at least 500 Con-
gress workers registered for voting
did not belong to either Neemuch
or Mandsaur, which according to
him has cast a serious doubt on au-
thenticity of the entire process. "It
is sad that Rahul's pilot project was
being sabotaged by those who
claim to be close to him," he had
said. Under the project being
steered by Rahul, nominees in 15
Lok Sabha constituencies across
the country will be chosen through
primaries or inner party elections
in a bid to strengthen democracy in
Congress. Natarajan, also AICC
secretary, was selected by Rahul for
contesting from Mandsaur in 2009
general elections, which she won
by over 30,000 votes defeating her
BJP opponent Laxmi Narayan
Pandey.
AAP hasn't lost its appeal in DelhiT
he AAP performed extreme-
ly well during the Delhi As-
sembly Elections. There are
mixed opinion about 49 days of
AAP government in Delhi. There
are some positive views and prais-
es for what Kejriwal's government
did in a short period. There are
many others who are critical about
how the AAP government per-
formed during its 49 days in gov-
ernment. Kejriwal's dharna, Som-
nath Bharati's mid night raid etc.
are some of the low points about
AAP's government as seen by the
people.
While these incidents have dam-
aged the image of the AAP, which
may result in their declining popu-
larity amongst Delhi's middle class.
However, the party has not lost its
appeal and its electoral supportamongst the lower and the poor
class. Large number of voters ap-
preciated the way government took
on the Delhi police. In Delhi the
AAP's popularity amongst voters
cutting across class remains more
or less intact, may even rise if Ke-
jriwal is able to convince the voters
that the Congress and BJP did not
allow him to fight corruption as he
wanted to do that by brining Lok
Pal Bill. The real question is what
kind of an impact can AAP make in
other states?
Whether AAP will be able to win
10 or15 or 20 or even more Lok Sab-ha seats is important , but also im-
portant is to note how much votes
party would be able to get. AAP is
likely to get reasonable percentage
of votes in many states, may not be
enough to convert those votes into
seats, but still enough to have its
national presence. Indian electoral
politics is heading for a scenario,
when post 2014 Lok Sabha elec-
tions, besides Congress and the
BJP the AAP may emerge as the
third party to have presence in
many states with their votes rang-
ing from 4-6 percent in many states.
If surveys are taken as a ther-mometer to assess AAP's populari-
ty, it is difficult is imagine that it
would be able to make a great im-
pact nationally. Going by the cur-
rent mood of the voters in Delhi, it
won't be surprising if the AAP
manage to win 5 or 6 of the total 7
Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. The par-
ty's popularity is also on the rise in
the neighbouring states of
Haryana and Punjab. In Haryana
the AAP can pose a serious chal-
lenge to the ruling Congress both
in the Assembly election which are
due later this year and in Lok Sab-
ha election.
Since BJP is not very strong in
Haryana and Chautala's Indian Na-
tional Lok Dal (INLD) is much dis-
credited, it is much easier for the
AAP to expand its base in Haryana
compared to other states. Assembly
constituencies being smaller in
size both geographically and in
terms of number of voters, it may
be easy for the AAP to win assem-
bly seats, but party still needs to
cover a lot of ground, in order to
make an impact in the Lok Sabha
elections in Haryana. At best, the
AAP may be able to win couple of
Lok Sabha seats from Haryana. The
AAP's popularity is on the rise even
in Punjab, but it is still below the
threshold required for winningseats in the Lok Sabha elections.
If surveys estimate about 10-12
seats for AAP which state can AAP
manage to perform well? AAP is
not likely to perform well in any
other state except Delhi and to
some extent in Haryana. The party
may be able to pull victories in
some urban seats in states like Ma-
harashtra, Karnataka or even in
Punjab, but some of those victories
may be more due to the candidate
and less due to the party.
Infighting in Cong intensifiesahead of Lok Sabha polls
RAIPUR
The decision of the former chief
minister and senior Congress leader
Ajit Jogi to stay away from electoral
politics for a year is likely to prove
crucial for the coming Lok Sabha
polls as infighting has intensified
again in opposition Congress. Jogi
was a star campaigner of the party
in the assembly polls.
But now various party factions are
at loggerheads over organizational
matters, including granting party
membership to a leader who desert-
ed Chhattisgarh Swabhiman Manch
to embrace Congress. Swabhiman
Manch, which was floated by a for-
mer BJP MP, late Tara Chand Sahu,
had fielded its candidates in Novem-
ber assembly polls but could not
make any dent in state's bi-polar pol-
itics. Subsequently, the manch was
merged with BJP last month. One of
the manch leaders, Rajendra Sahu,
however, broke away and ap-
proached state Congress president
Bhupesh Baghel, who pushed his
case for granting primary member-
ship of party.
Rajendra Sahu had contested last
assembly poll as a CSM candidate
against Congress veteran and AICC
treasurer, Motilal Vora's son, Arun
Vora, who had won Durg city assem-
bly constituency. Vora camp raised
its voice against the move to induct
Rajendra Sahu and they stalled hisentry in Congress, arguing that he
had led an agitation against Vora
and burnt the veteran leader's effigy.
Arun Vora's supporters are al-
ready peeved at decisions being tak-
en by Baghel, who became the party
chief after Congress drubbing in
November assembly polls, replacing
Union minister of state for agricul-
ture and food processing, Charan
Das Mahant. Few days back, the new
PCC chief appointed a vice-presi-
dent and two general secretaries of
state Congress and entrusted the re-
sponsibility of in-charge general
secretary to newly appointed Girish
Dewangan. Thus, PCC shunted out
Subhash Sharma, a known Vora loy-
alist, from the post of in-charge gen-
eral secretary and annoyed support-
ers of the veteran leader. Besides,
party sources said, the new PCC
chief was gradually trying to side-
line office bearers appointed by his
predecessor Charan Das Mahant.
Poll promises: Partieswill have to tellrationale of financing
New Delhi:Lok Sabha polls 2014 for
16th Lok Sabha will be conducted
in 9 phases. The Election Commis-
sion on Wednesday announced the
schedule for the polls.
For the first time polling will be
held in nine phases, starting April
07 and the counting of votes will be
held on May 16. The term of the
current Lok Sabha expires on June
1 and the new House has to be con-
stituted by May 31.
Apart from the immense sus-pense over who will form the gov-
ernment, there are many interest-
ing 'firsts' that make this general
election unique.
EC has also issued guidelines to
political parties asking them to ex-
plain the rationale of financing the
promises they make in their elec-
tion manifestos.
Now, candidates in a parliamen-
tary constituency in bigger states
can spend up to Rs. 70 lakh on their
campaign, up from Rs. 40 lakh in
2011. In the 2009 elections, it was
Rs. 25 lakh.
Since the last general election
held in 2009, more than 10 crore
new voters have enrolled with the
election commission. In total, elec-
tions would see more than 81.4
crore voters exercise their ballot.
Introduction of "None of the
Above" (NOTA) option in voting for
the general elections has been in-
troduced this time.
LS campaign: Aggressionlevels turn highLok Sabha campaigning is official-
ly in full swing, with the aggres-
sion levels turned to high. This
much was evident from the recent
poll pitches of both Narendra Modi
and Rahul Gandhi who spoke in Ja-
graon, near Ludhiana in Punjab
and Dehradun, the capital of Ut-
tarakhand respectively. In what
was a clear poll pitch, Modi told the
people that if they made him the
PM, that he would act as a security
guard, and not allow the 'Panja' to
cast its shadow on the state treas-
ury. Modi heaped on the scorn onCong, slammed the 'one rank one
pension' initiative that was an-
nounced by finance minister P Chi-
dambaram, reportedly at the be-
hest of Rahul Gandhi, dismissing
the 'gesture' as nothing more than a
poll gimmick. Wondering aloud as
to why the govt did not bring this
proposal in previous budgets over
the last ten yrs, Modi said, The
speech was classic Modi. Dramatic,
hard hitting and full of scorn for
the Congress. Rahul Gandhi, who
launched a scathing attack on the
BJP, said Modi had the audacity to
talk about corruption even though
he never appointed a Lokayukta in
his state and did so only after a ju-
dicial order. Although this was not
the first time Rahul has aggres-
sively gone after the BJP, the man-
ner in which he took on the party
head on, gives some indication of
the tone of his speeches are likely
to take from this point on.
8/12/2019 We The State - Issue 24 Vol 2
9/12
09(MP&CG) March 10 to March 16, 2014 Glamor
KanganaRanaut, you
rock in Queen:
Aamir Khan
MUMBAI
Receiving praises from Bolly-
wood's Mr Perfectionist Aamir
Khan is a big deal in B-Town as this
talented actor seldom appreciates
somebody's work. Recently, the su-
perstar admired Kangana Ranaut's
brilliant acting skill for her latest
released film "Queen".
The super Khan took to Twitter to
express his take on the film which
released on March 7.
Aamir tweeted, "What a film!!!
Guys you have to watch QUEEN !!!
Anyone who hasn't seen it please
go now and see it. Such an impor-
tant film for every girl, every
woman to watch... and in fact every
male to watch too! Thank you to
Vikas Bahl and his team which
made the film. And Kangana... you
rock!!! Love. a.(sic)."
The film that is receiving amaz-
ing reviews has managed Kangana
to regain her position in Bolly-
wood. Kangana's "Queen" has suc-
cessfully managed to attract more
audiences than Madhuri Dixit and
Juhi Chawla starrer "Gulaab
Gang".
Well, congratulations Kanganafor Queen and hope that your next
brings you the same success.
Prachi Desai: Its golden time for female actors in BollywoodMUMBAIAs female-centric Madhuri Dixit
starrer 'Gulab Gang' and Kangana
Ranaut's 'Queen' being highly
praised by the viewers, pretty
Prachi Desai feels that it is a great
time for the actresses in Bollywood
as today they are free to choose
what they wish to do.
Prachi Desai was last seen along
with Sanjay Dutt in 'Policegiri',
however, the film fell flat at the box-
office.
"For all the female actors, it's avery good phase because today you
don't have to worry about a project
that you really like," said the gor-
geous actress while talking to the
reporters at the sideline of launch-
ing of a clothing brand Central's
spring summer collection on Sun-
day.
"Maybe at any other point and
time, the girls would have thought
twice before taking up a project,
but today I guess you can do just
what you like," she added.
Since her Bollywood debut in 2008
with 'Rock On!!', Prachi has been in
news for her looks and acting
skills. She has acted in some of fan-tastic films like 'Once Upon A Time
in Mumbaai'.
MUMBAI
Wherever Salman Khan goes, one question follows him and it is
of course about his marriage but, it is apparent that soon
everyone would get an answer to it! Bollywoods one among the
top three Khans has hinted about his marriage to a girl which is not
an Indian native. Yes, you guess it right! We are here discussing
about Romanian beauty Iulia Vantur, who has become Da-
banggs favorite since a quite long time from now.
Opening his heart over being single at the last
evening of media Conclave 2014 Salman said, Now
Im in transit period and I like it. From the age of
15, I did not get a transit period. For the first time, I
have such a chance to sigh. I am sighing more since
it has been two-and-a-half years. Its time to stop
sighing because something soon will happen in my
life...
He added, My father is Pathan, mother is Hindu,
second mother is catholic, and brother-in-law is
Punjabi. Wife, I am thinking to bring from outside.This was enough from Salmans side to shift every-
ones focus to Iulia who, he is dating from quite long
time. Its not only about dating and spending time
with each other as Salman, as a much senior actor
in the industry, is helping Vantur to make her a
more polished actress.
Recently, Salman visited the sets of Oh Teri
where the Romanian beauty was shooting her song
titled Ummbakumm. Actor keenly watched her
performance and gave necessary tips to come out
more clean on reel. So, it is probable that countrys
most eligible bachelor Salman Khan may tie knot to
the very beautiful Iulia Vantur in 2014!!!
Salman Khan finds 'wife'in Iulia Vantur?
Manish Paul, Mohit Raina win most stylishpersonality award in presence of B'wood stars
MUMBAI
Gone are the days when only B-
Town celebs use to bag all
awards for good looks and act-
ing, nowadays small screen ac-
tors are also giving them a tough
competition. Recently at an
award function television actors
Mohit Raina and Manish Paul
sweeped most stylish personali-
ty award at Hindustan Times
stylish awards.
'Devon Ke Dev...Mahadev' fame
Mohit Raina, who looked eye
pleasing dressed in formals
bagged the most stylish televi-
sion personality in Hindustan
Times Stylish awards. Mohit re-
ceived the award by television
actor Tisca Chopra.
The second award during the
evening went to small screen's
popular host Manish Paul for
the most stylish emerging tal-
ent. The actor looked amazing
dressed up in a metallic suit.
The elated actor said, "It's an ho-
nour to be selected for such an
award. What else can I say?"
Manish was also the host for the
evening.
Television actors bagging this
awards were a surprise for all as
the event witnessed the pres-
ence of few very good-looking
and stylish celebs like Anil
Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra,
Deepika Padukone, Kajol, Mali-
aka Arora and cricketer Yuvraj
Singh among others.
8/12/2019 We The State - Issue 24 Vol 2
10/12
10 (MP&CG)March 10 to March 16, 2014Commerce
No escapefrom middlemen
for farmers
The rising cost of food that has
hurt both Indian pockets and
politicians' electoral prospects
in the past year is often blamed on a
multi-layered system of middlemen
involved in the distribution of produce
from farm to fork.In late-December, Congress Vice
President Rahul Gandhi, was so
worried about the ballooning prices
that he asked all states where his party
is in power to remove fruits and
vegetables from the grip of the
middlemen-dominated agriculture
produce marketing committees by
Jan. 15.
Introduced in the 1960s, these
legally-enned committees prohibit
farmers from dealing directly with
buyers and require them to sell to
licensed middlemen. The aim was to
give India's huge farming community
a fair and consistent price for their
produce.
But over the years, the system has
created several layers of
intermediaries, lengthening the
supply chain and increasing the
opportunity for cartels to form, which
in turn drive prices down for farmers
and up for consumers.
Removing fruit and vegetables from
the control of these committees
would allow the produce to find its
true market value and damp down
inflation, according to analysts.
However, over a month after Gandhi's
deadline, little progress has been
made in this direction.
"The idea looks good. But, it can'thappen overnight," said Madan
Sabnavis, chief economist at Mumbai-
based Care Ratings.
A crop cultivated by a farmer in a far-
flung village goes through as many as
four intermediaries before reaching
the local vegetable market in a semi-
urban or urban area, according to
analysts. Many of these intermediaries
provide money in advance to the
farmers to cover cultivation costs and
recall their loan in the form of produce
after the harvesting. Unless the big
retailers decide to take the same
approac