India's Power Situation Grim As More States Face Crunch

Shortage of power in states such as Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka Friday threatened to cascade into a pan-India crisis with coal supplies hit due to varied reasons, including rains and civil strife.

Several states have been facing three-four hours of power cuts a day and the situation appeared to be worsening despite some steps to spruce up feedstock supplies announced by Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal Thursday.

"In order to ensure greater availability of coal for the power sector, the ministry of coal has decided to offer some of the e-auction coal to the sector during the current month," said a statement issued Wednesday evening.

As per the existing policy on supply of coal, 10 percent of the total available quantity of this feedstock is kept for e-auction. Jaiswal also directed officials to increase immediately loading of coal to 180 rakes per day from the present 153 rakes.

Out of these 145 rakes were earmarked for the power sector.

"We welcome this first step from the government. This will definitely help mitigate the immediate coal crisis," said Ashok Khurana, director general of the Association of Power Producers, an lobby mainly for private players.

The main reasons behind the shortage of feedstock are heavy rains in some coal producing areas, a two-day strike by workers of state-run Coal India last week and the disruption of mining in Andhra Pradesh due to a strike to press for a separate state of Telengana.

As a result, many of the units of the country's largest power producing utility, the state-run NTPC, have been left with coal supplies for no more than two days. Some units were also operating at sub-optimal levels, power ministry officials said.

In the national capital, one of the two distribution companies said the situation was set to improve by weekend. "But during the interim, to the extent of the shortfall, the Delhi discoms will be constrained to undertake load shedding on a rotational basis."

In West Bengal, though, the situation was caused by Coal India's subsidiaries halting supplies to state-run utilities due to default in payment, prompting the state's power minister to assure people that the situation will improve in three days.

Gujarat, on the other hand, while not facing a power crisis decided to stop distribution to other states as a precautionary measure, claiming a 30 percent drop in coal supplies to the state from central government-run coal mining entities.

Manipur Rift Reaches Delhi

Ibobi Singh skirts blockade issue

Naga students protest in Delhi on Thursday.

New Delhi, Oct 14 : Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh today claimed that reports of blockade-induced price hike were unfounded, even challenging Delhi-based reporters to visit Manipur and find out the truth for themselves.

“You people sit here and report, come to Manipur tomorrow and see it is not true,” Ibobi Singh told reporters waiting outside North Block, where he had a meeting with Union home minister P. Chidambaram.

For more than two months now two arterial national highways from Assam to Manipur and Mizoram are under siege, with Kuki activists demanding a separate district called Sadar Hills and the Nagas who have been opposing such a move without the consent of the community which has been living there for years.

The chief minister was here to deliberate on the crisis.

Reports having been doing the rounds that the price of petrol was Rs 120 in Imphal and that of an LPG cylinder prices touched Rs 1,500.

Though Ibobi Singh did not even hint at a solution to the blockades, he confirmed the date of the Assembly elections in the state.

“Elections will be held in February,” Ibobi Singh told The Telegraph after a meeting with Chidambaram today, ruling out any chances of early polls.

While Ibobi Singh deliberated on the poll, protesting students in Delhi shouted slogans against the Manipur government to pre-empt any decision to carve out a separate district as demanded by the Kukis.

The Kuki organisation, the Sadar Hills District Demand Committee, imposed the economic blockade on the national highway from Dimapur to Imphal in the first week of August.

A “counter economic blockade” was declared by the United Naga Council on August 21, against the demand.

The government has not tried to broker peace so far.

Instead, Ibobi Singh formed a committee to reorganise all districts and left for Tokyo in September, leaving the divisions to fester and grow.

“There is a trust deficit among the communities. It is up to the statesmen in India (to find solutions) as we have a poverty of ideas,” Prof. Gangumei Kamei, national fellow at the Institute of Advanced Study, said from Shimla.

The trust deficit was glaring at a protest here.

Naga Students Union Delhi protested at Jantar Mantar to thwart any decision in favour of the Kukis. Placards saying “No Sadar Hills without Nagas’ consent” were displayed. Their fears were unfounded, of course.

“No decision will be made until the district reorganisation committee submits its report. Only after that action will be taken,” said Ibobi Singh after meeting Chidambaram.

Asked if he considered the continuing economic blockade a failure of the state government, Ibobi Singh said it was a “very sensitive issue”, so he was not taking a decision.

Ngaranmi Shimray, an activist at the protest, said what was needed was a dialogue between the Kukis and the Nagas. The Manipur government has not done anything to facilitate dialogue between the communities, he complained.

Burmese President Visits India as Ties Between Neighbors Deepen

By Anjana Pasricha

Burma President Thein Sein, center, visits Buddhist pilgrimage site Sarnath, 13 kilometers (8 miles) east of Varanasi, India, October 13, 2011.

New Delhi, Oct 14 : The Burmese president is in India for a bilateral visit aimed at deepening a relationship that has been growing steadily in recent years. New Delhi wants to nurture ties with its neighbor, whose new, nominally civilian leadership has made tentative moves toward political reforms.

Burmese President Thein Sein visited Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India before arriving in New Delhi to hold talks with senior Indian leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

It is the first visit by the head of Burma’s nominally civilian government, which took office in March this year. He is accompanied by several senior ministers.

Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash says New Delhi is pleased that ties with Burma are gaining momentum.  

“Relationships are a process, it is a building process and I consciously did note that both in terms of content and substance and the sweep of the relationship, certainly it's an upwards trajectory, there is no doubt about that,” he said.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman says New Delhi will deepen ties with Burma in areas ranging from security, trade, energy, and infrastructure development, to education and agriculture. He called Burma an important partner in India’s quest for energy security. He says roads and a port being developed by India in the neighboring country will give remote northeastern Indian states easier access to port facilities and boost their economic development. The two countries also plan to increase bilateral trade from $1.2 billion at present to $3 billion by 2015.

Unlike Western countries, which have imposed sanctions on Burma for decades for its poor rights record, New Delhi has engaged with its neighbor since the 1990s because of its strategic importance to India. Burma, in turn, has promised India help in controlling insurgent groups in India’s northeast that often seek sanctuary on Burmese territory. Burma is also rich in resources that India needs, such as oil and natural gas, and provides India with a link to other Southeast Asian countries.  

The Burmese president's visit to India comes after the new government in Burma has made tentative moves toward political reform. It has released some political prisoners, opened more dialogue with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and loosened some media controls. Analysts say the new leadership is trying to end its isolation.  

C. Raja Mohan, a foreign policy analyst at the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi, says such steps will further strengthen the India-Burma relationship.   

“What’s more exciting at this point, is the fact that Burma is changing," said Mohan. "The present leader, Thein Sein, has signaled a strong commitment to reform, so things have moved fairly fast. So, as some of the constraints, the international constraints, as they get removed, then there is even greater possibility for India and Burma to cooperate.”  

Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash says India is supportive of Burma’s transition to democracy and hopes it will be “broad based and inclusive.”  

Hours before the Burmese president arrived in New Delhi, Burmese pro-democracy groups based in India held a demonstration in New Delhi asking India to encourage Burma's new government to affirm its commitment to democracy by engaging in a meaningful dialogue with the people, including ethnic minorities.

Some analysts say that India is competing for influence with China, which has developed close links with Burma as it has been isolated by Western countries.

Eating a Ghost Chili Pepper with severe consequences

Eating Sap Hmarcha (Naga Mircha/ Bhut Jalokia) has severe consequences

Assam-Nagaland Border Row: Naga Police Moves Out Battalion

Guwahati, Oct 14 : The simmering tension at Merapani along Assam-Nagaland border in Assam’s Golaghat district appears poised for a reprieve with Nagaland agreeing to shift out an armed battalion of its police force from the border.

The armed battalion of Nagaland Police has already started moving out of the border today following the Assam government’s intervention.

The battalion was shifted to the border much earlier following skirmishes between the two states. Assam Police personnel were also based at the border at that time, but had later moved out after normalcy was restored.

The disputed areas along the inter-state border, including Merapani, are guarded by neutral forces.

Mounting tension at Merapani for over a fortnight had seen Assam’s Border Area Development minister Siddique Ahmed and state Home Secretary GD Tripathi visiting the area earlier this week.

They had assured of taking up the issues with the neighbouring government and ensuring safety of the border residents.

Accordingly, the battalion of the Nagaland Police is being shifted out following meetings between officials of the two states.

A disputed taxi stand, allegedly set up by Nagaland inside Assam territory, has not be moved after both states agreed that it was set up on a disputed stretch of land and not on land belonging to either state.

Tension has been mounting in Merapani area following reports of alleged encroachment by Nagaland.

Reports had claimed that Naga people were setting up residences in the area, with the tactic support of their government.

The Nagaland government was also accused of setting up offices inside Assam territory.

The two states have border disputes at several places and skirmishes are often reported from such areas.

Tiny Bhutan's Big Royal Wedding

Bhutan's popular King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck today tied the nuptial knot with his childhood sweetheart and India-educated commoner Jetsun Pema in a traditional Buddhist ceremony at a stunning fortress in this historical city, 71 km from capital Thimphu.

Amid chanting of hymns by red-robe Buddhist monks and clanging of drums by Bhutanese, the 31-year-old dashing Wangchuck placed the crown on the head of 21-year-old Pema, whom he met when he was 17, as the Chief Abot (head of the monks) of Bhutan Je Khenpo led the proceedings.

Pema, who wore a yellow jacket and a skirt according to the traditions, was proclaimed the 'Queen of the Kingdom of Bhutan' as the King bestowed the crown on her after a series of ceremonies that was attended by 300 guests, including Indian Ambassador to Bhutan Pavan K Varma and West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan, and members of the Royal Family.

Wearing a raven crown, the King stood with a smile on his chuckle as Pema prostrated herself before him thrice according to the traditions and was served with a liquid that according to belief is for longivity of the couple.

Outside the stunning 17th century fortress, located between two rivers - Fochu (Father River) and Mochu (Mother River), thousands of Bhutanese, including children and women, thronged the ground near the monastic fortress to catch a glimpse of their King and the Queen.

The people, including nomads and villagers who live in remotest parts of the country, started assembling at the ground as early as 5 AM (local time) braving intense cold conditions, even as majority of the 7 lakh population glued to their television sets to watch the wedding ceremony live.
The elaborate wedding ceremony, that is being conducted according to Bhutanese Buddhist traditions, began at 4 AM with initiation of special prayers by 100 monks led by by His Holiness Je Khenpo, the head monastic preceptor.

The Oxford-educated mountain-biking fanatic Wangchuck emerged from his palace at around 8.20 AM accompanied by Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley and the Chief of Bhutan Royal Police and proceeded straight to the large monastic fortress.

Minutes later, the Royal Bride, who did her higher secondary schooling in Himachal Pradesh's Sanawar, walked to the fortress through the wooden bridge across the river in a procession of 100 people beating drums and chanting hymns.

After her arrival at the Dewa Chhen-Poi Phodrang (Palace of Great Happiness), Pema lit a golden lamp, offered prayers and proceeded towards Wangchuck, whom she has been accompanying on official tours for the past few months.

After a two-hour ceremony, Wangchuck and Pema were declared husband and wife and posed for television and still cameras at a specially-arranged room in the monastery.

Later, the King and the Queen joined thousands of Bhutanese at the huge ground near the palace in celebrating the Royal Wedding by dancing and singing with their subjects.

While the guests, including envoys of various nations and personal invitees of the King, were served a traditional Bhutanese lunch that also had Indian items like roti.

Around 60 culinary experts from all 20 Valleys of Bhutan have been engaged in preparing the food items for the guests.

After the Wedding today, the Royal Couple will set out on road from Punakha to Thimphu tomorrow and are likely to be welcomed by people through the way.

Known for his simplicity, Wangchuck, who was coronated as King of Bhutan on November 6, 2008 after his father Jigme Singye Wangchuck transferred the throne to him, likes to cycle across the capital and invite his subjects for a cup of tea, a thing which is uncommon with monarchies.

King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, left, greets the media and guests as Queen Jetsun Pema looks on after they were married at the Punakha Dzong in Punakha, Bhutan, Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011.

Anna Hazare 'Helping' Tainted Candidates

Campaigning for 'criminals'?

Team Anna's aggressive campaign against the Congress in the Hisar by-election is tilting the scales in favour of two very wealthy candidates facing a host of criminal charges. Both candidates are from controversial political dynasties opposed to the Congress party. Kuldeep Bishnoi is from the late Bhajan Lal's Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC). Ajay Singh Chautala is from Om Prakash Chautala's Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).

In picture, Team Anna members Manish Sisodia and Arvind Kejriwal at an election rally in Hisar.

Kuldeep Bishnoi

The Congress never really had a chance in the bypoll to this Lok Sabha seat, said political sources. It stood third in the last general elections. The seat had been in the HJC's kitty and the election was announced after Bhajan Lal's death on June 3. Any campaign against the Congress would therefore benefit either the HJC or the INLD, principal Opposition parties in the state.

Kuldeep Bishnoi from HJC has a case of attempted murder against him. His declared assets in 2009 were to the tune of Rs 17.3 cr and the value jumped to Rs 48.85 cr this year.

Ajay Singh Chautala

INLD's Ajay Singh Chautala has two pending cases of corruption, cheating and criminal conspiracy against him. Affidavits made available by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) on Tuesday put Bishnoi as the richest candidate in the Hisar by election. He has declared assets of over Rs 48.85 crore while Chautala has assets of Rs 40.16 crore. Bishnoi and Chautala's assets have increased by over Rs 31.5 crore and Rs 10.19 crore respectively since 2009. Chautala has a case of illegal assets against him.

Jai Prakash

Congress candidate Jai Prakash is way behind with declared assets worth Rs 3.16 crore. He has shown an asset increase of Rs 2.5 crore. He does not face any criminal charges, according to his affidavit.

Hazare's associate Arvind Kejriwal claimed his team is not responsible for the outcome of the polls. He claimed that Team Anna is not responsible if their crusade against the Congress on the Jan Lokpal Bill has helped the Opposition.

Mukhtar Ansari

Not just Hisar in Haryana, Anna Hazare has decided to canvass against Congress candidates in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections as well. The direct beneficiaries of this campaign - the BSP, the SP and the BJP - are fielding candidates criminal antecedents without any qualms.

Mukhtar Ansari, independent MLA from Mau, will contest again with support from the SP. He is currently in jail in a murder case. His criminal connections in the Middle-East are no secret.

Raghuraj Pratap Singh

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has entrusted Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya, whose criminal activities range from murder to kidnapping and smuggling weapons, with the task of mobilising Thakur votes. Singh is the SP-supported candidate from Kunda in Pratapgarh.

Vijay Mishra

The party has also given ticket to Vijay Mishra who will be contesting from Gyanpur. He is a sitting MLA who is in jail and is allegedly involved in the bomb attack on state minister Nand Gopal Nandi.

Jaiveer Singh

The Bahujan Samaj Party is matching steps with the SP. Jaiveer Singh, minister for rural engineering, is a BSP candidate from Karhal in Mainpuri district. Although Mayawati is protecting him, his alleged role in the murder of a junior engineer is the talk of the town.
The BSP is also planning to field Sushil Singh in the elections. A mafia-turned-politician, he is the party's MLA from Dhanapur in Chandauli. Now he would contest from Sakaldiha seat. When Maya's Higher Education Minister Rakesh Dhar Tripathi was found misusing his power and amassing wealth, she told him to choose a member of his family to contest. So his nephew Pankaj Tripathi has got the ticket from Handia in Allahabad.

Political Motives?

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress general-secretary Digvijaya Singh wrote to Anna Hazare on Tuesday, but the tone of their letters was strikingly different. Digvijaya, in his open letter, attacked Hazare for singling out the Congress and virtually suggested that he was soft on the BJP because the party had promised to support him as a presidential candidate.

Caricature and cult

Digvijaya's fourpage letter attacked Hazare for singling out the Congress in his anti-graft campaign. He asked whether the anti corruption crusader was unaware that his campaign would benefit people who are steeped in corruption.

Cartoon is a take on the incident at a rally in Hisar where a youth was beaten up for putting tough questions to Team Anna.

PM in agreement

In reply to a September 21 letter from Hazare, the PM wrote: 'Our government is also working on a detailed agenda to combat corruption and improving governance. Many legal, administrative and technical elements will be incorporated in this agenda. The establishment of Lokpal is a part of this agenda,' the PM wrote.
Singh said the government was also 'actively considering' various proposals related to electoral reforms, including the right to reject, as suggested by Hazare. However, he pointed out that a political consensus was needed to be built to take these proposals forward.

Diggy in disagreement

In sharp contrast to the PM's conciliatory tone, Digvijaya's fourpage letter attacked Hazare for singling out the Congress in his anti-graft campaign. He asked whether the antcorruption crusader was unaware that his campaign would benefit people who are steeped in corruption.
'Are you not aware of the history of the family of late Bhajan Lal? Are you not acquainted with the history of the Chautala family? Are you oblivious to the fact that there were cases of corruption pending against them in courts?' he asked. Singh told Hazare that his team members were using him to further their own agenda.

Source: www.indiatoday.in

Assam Govt Constructed School On Mizoram Soil: Mizo Zirlai Pawl

Assam Government School Constructed in Mizoram Land

Aizawl, Oct 13 : The state’s largest students’ body Mizo Zirlai Pawl today claimed that the Assam Government had constructed an upper primary school (education guarantee scheme) along the inter-state border inside Mizoram’s territory.

MZP sources said acting on an information, it had sent a team which went to the place on September 16 and found that a school under Cachar (Assam) district SSA Mission had been set up near B Tlangnuam village inside Mizoram.

''The school building has been constructed at a cost of Rs 7,00,000. At present, it has 80 Bengali-speaking children and two regular teachers and some voluntary teachers,'' an MZP communiqué revealed.

The MZP alleged that another school looked after by Cachar district SSA had been constructed at Saihapui village inside Mizoram near Assam border.

''As Mizoram and Assam have border dispute, the construction of a school by the Assam Government inside what is understood to be Mizoram territory is a very serious issue which requires an intervention of the Central Government,'' MZP president V L Krosshnehzova said.

The MZP also demanded the Government of Mizoram to take immediate steps in this direction.

When contacted, a joint director of the school education department in Aizawl said his office was not aware of any such schools constructed by the Assam Government inside Mizoram.