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By Arun Srivastava

PLAYING SHABBY POLITICS FOR SMART CITIES

MODI SARKAR PICKS NAMES TO TRUMP RIVALS

By Arun Srivastava

The politics of vengeance has been the key factor in the Modi government denying the smart cities to the eastern Indian states. Except Bhubaneswar, Odisha’s capital, no city from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand or Bengal has made it to the smart list. Last year, when the names of the cities for including in the list of the smart cities were being finalized Bihar government was given the impression that at least three of its cities – Bhagalpur, Biharsharif and Muzaffarpur – are among the 97 shortlisted and would be upgraded. But none made it to the first list of 20 released by the Union minister Venkaiah Naidu.

Reacting to it Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar compared the Centre to the fabled “andher nagri (City of lawlessness)” for ignoring Bihar while picking the first list of 20 smart

RURAL INDIA NOT HAPPY WITH MODI RULE

GUJARAT RESULT IS A RUDE JOLT TO BJP

By Arun Srivastava

There is one common element in the peoples’ mandates of Bihar and Gujarat. In Bihar elections were for the assembly while in Gujarat it was electing the peoples’ representatives for the local bodies and municipalities. The common element in both the elections was the rural people decisively rejected Narendra Modi and his government. After its battering in Bihar, BJP’s loss in rural local bodies in Gujarat comes a year after Narendra Modi, who ruled the state for 12 years, shifted to Delhi.

The rural Gujarat rejecting Modi is most glaring as he had been systematically boasting for launching the Gujarat model of growth. In Bihar elections Modi initially had juxtaposed his model to Nitish’s Bihar model and claimed that it was inclusive and superior. Intriguingly the rural poor of Gujarat outright r

NITISH IS YET TO GALVANISE ADMINISTRATION

LAW AND ORDER, HEALTH ARE FOCUS AREAS

By Arun Srivastava

Performance of government, its outreach and initiatives matters but what is most important is the peoples’ perception of the government. It was perception of the Nitish led mahagathbandhan, of being peoples’ friendly and concerned of their aspirations that people voted it to power. But ironically after assuming power the grand alliance government has not made a serious move to consolidate it and make it the USP of the government.

Importance of the perception could be understood from the rout of the BJP in the assembly election. People perceived that the Prime Minister was following the RSS brief. Though it is too early to say that the Nitish government has not succeeded in coming up to the peoples’ perception within a period of fortnight, notwithstanding the chief minister Nitish Kumar personally has

RUSSIA-FRANCE ALLIANCE AGAINST ISIS IS A POSITIVE MOVE

TURKEY’S LINKS WITH TERROR FUNDS EXPOSED

By Arun Srivastava

French President François Hollande entering into an alliance with the Russian President Vladimir Putin with the objective to build a global military coalition to defeat Islamic State following the Paris attacks has unnerved the USA.  This is yet another major setback for the USA. The two leaders agreeing to share intelligence information and cooperate on selecting targets in the fight against ISIS has turned the Obama administration scared of losing its authority and policy of hegemony.

The French president has won public approval and international backing for his handling of the crisis so far. His poll ratings are up by eight points to 33%. Foreign leaders have lined up to express solidarity. For the USA coming together of the leaders does not augur well. So far France has been close to the USA. Fr

PM MODI’S CREDIBILITY ON TEST

BIHAR POLLS WILL DECIDE FATE   By Arun Srivastava   The RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat might have given him the clean chit…

US AMBITIONS COMPLICATE SYRIAN CRISIS

OBAMA HAS TO WORK WITH PUTIN TO DEESCALATE   By Arun Srivastava   By sending troops in support of the Assad regime…

LABOUR’S CORBYN FACES MUTINY THREAT FROM ARMY

ANTI-NATO STANCE MAY SEE HARDLINERS’ OPPOSITION   From Arun Srivastava   LONDON: Emergence of leftist Jeremy Corbyn on the political scenario of…

CHINA TAKING PROMPT CORRECTIVE ACTIONS

  INDIAN EUPHORIA MISPLACED AS OF NOW   From Arun Srivastava   LONDON: Even while captains of India Inc, the Prime Minister…

WESTERN NATIONS DIVIDED ON STRIKES AGAINST SYRIA

CAMERON EDGY AS SUPPORT FOR CORBYN MOUNTS   From Arun Srivastava   LONDON: The European countries are gradually veering round to the…

CHINA BLAMES US FED FOR FINANCIAL CRISIS

WESTERN BANKS QUESTION BEIJING’S STRATEGY   From Arun Srivastava   LONDON: While the western mainstream media has described the present market crash…

JANATA PARIVAR LOSES THE SEMI FINAL IN BIHAR

NITISH’S ELECTORAL TASKS BECOME TOUGHER   By Arun Srivastava   The symbol of good governance (shushan), the chief minister of Bihar, Nitish…

AMIT SHAH WORRIED AT BIHAR POLL PROSPECTS

“MISSION BIHAR” FACES MANY HURDLES   By Arun Srivastava   BJP chief Amit Shah’s “Mission Bihar” primarily focused on demolish Bihar Chief…

RJD SUPREMO’S SOCIALIST SHAM EXPOSED

LALU FOREGOES LOHIA FOR PROGENY POLITICS   By Arun Srivastava   Lalu Prasad might have been swearing by the socialist legacy of…

INDIA GETS ITS WAY ON BLACK MONEY AT G-20 MEET

INDIA, NEPAL HOLD NEGOTIATIONS FOR 900 MW POWER PROJECT

CORE SECTOR GROWTH FALLS TO 8-MONTH LOW

ONLY 5 LIFE PRODUCTS CAN BE FILED IN A YEAR: IRDA

KEY POLICY DECISIONS BY MONTH-END

POWER MINISTRY MULLS FUND TO FINANCE HYDRO PROJECTS

NEW DELHI: The power ministry plans to create a fund to provide long-term finances to hydropower developers, and aims to play an active role in resolving state level sues that are blocking such projects.

“Hydropower did not get the desired attention as concerned ministries and departments were working in silos, and problems with states and central authorities could be resolved.

However, the new government is working in tandem as a team and we are hopeful to resolve pending issues to give conducive environment to hydropower sector,” power, coal and renewable energy minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday.

He said one of his first projects Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated was the

POOLED PRICES, SUBSIDIES TO REVIVE GAS-BASED POWER

NEW DELHI: The government is formulating a policy package aimed at infusing life into 26,489 MW of gas-starved power plants. The plan includes partially revisiting the gas pooling proposal, which the UPA government conceptualised but later turned wary about, given the huge subsidy cost it entailed.

As per the new plan, some 10,382 MW of administered price gas-based installed power capacity, running at a very low plant load factor (PLF) for want of the fuel right now, would get pooled gas — at a price higher than the APM gas price — with an assurance that the cost of power from these plants above a threshold of R5.50 per unit will be subsidised.

As for the balance gas-based capacity, sources said, some 7,000 MW bas

PETROL GETS CHEAPER BY RS 1.09 PER LITRE, DIESEL PRICES UP BY 56 PAISE

NEW DELHI: Petrol became cheaper by Rs 1.09 per litre in Delhi from Friday after state oil companies slashed the price of the fuel for the first time since mid-April because benchmark gasoline rates in the international market dropped.

Companies, however, raised the price of diesel by 56 paise in Delhi, helping to reduce the gap between pump and market rates by about Rs 1.50 per litre and increasing the prospects of deregulating the fuel soon.

If the trend continues, diesel pricing could be freed from state control in three months, government and industry officials said. Prices of diesel sold to bulk consumers such as the railways and state transport companies at market rates have been reduced, IOCsaid in a statement.

FIRST INDIAN AIR FORCE, NAVY ATTACHES TAKE CHARGE IN CHINA

BEIJING: In a sign of expanding military-to-military engagement between India and China, permanent representatives of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Navy have, for the first time, taken office in Beijing.

Group Captain Ashish Srivastava of the Indian Air Force and Captain Sushant Dam of the Indian Navy will begin their terms as the Air and Naval attachés in the Indian Embassy in Beijing on Friday.

Earlier, India only had a Defence attaché from the Indian Army, along with a Deputy Defence attaché, posted in Beijing.

The question of expanding India’s military representation had been discussed by both sides over several years, with China finally agreeing to the move this past year. Tr