PPP, PML(N) part ways in Punjab

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) was expelled from the ruling coalition in Punjab on Friday after the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) shored up its government with the help of a breakaway faction of the PML (Quaid).

The break-up of the “blow-hot-blow-hot” relationship between the two main political parties of the country was announced by the PML (N) chief and former Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, and the reason cited was failure of the PPP to implement a bulk of the 10-point agenda presented by his party in January as a pre-condition for continuing with the ruling arrangement in Punjab.

The announcement came at the expiry of the 45-day deadline set by the PML (N) and after an eleventh-hour meeting between the leaderships of the two parties on Thursday. The PPP as always stressed the need to continue with the policy of reconciliation to ensure that the democratic set-up was not destabilised. This was reiterated after the break-up by federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Raza Rabbani when he was fielded by the PPP to provide a point-by-point response to the PML (N) charge of failure to implement the 10-point agenda.

Mr. Rabbani said his party would play the role of an “effective opposition” in Punjab. Maintaining that the PPP would not play the politics of the 1990s when political parties were busy destabilising democratically elected governments, he said his party would, however, hold the Punjab government accountable for its actions.

As to whether the break-up would impact the federal government, Mr. Rabbani was confident there would be no mid-term election and asserted the PPP-led ruling dispensation would complete its term. While the failure to implement the 10-point agenda is being cited as reason for the PML (N) to dump the PPP in Punjab, the primary reason is to create a distance with its principal political opponent in the country.

Ever since it decided to have a coalition with the PPP in Punjab and became part of the ruling alliance at the Centre before leaving it over the issue of reinstatement of the superior judiciary, the PML(N) has had to face ridicule for being a “friendly opposition party”.

With elections due in two years, pressure is mounting on the PML(N) leadership from its workers to distance itself from the PPP.

Source:-http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/26/stories/2011022654021800.htm

Centre to set up 1,000 MW power station in Pathankot

To cope with the power shortage in the state, the Centre has decided to set up a 1,000 MW power generation station in Pathankot in Punjab.

Addressing a function organised by the Pradesh Congress Committee in connection with the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi here today, the Union Power Minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde, said either a gas or a thermal power project would be set up at Pathankot with a capacity of generating 1,000 MW of power.

“The station will be set up exclusively for Jammu and Kashmir and the matter in this regard has already been discussed with the Chief Minister,” he said.

However, he did not mention whether the matter had been discussed with the Punjab or the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister. He said the Centre had been liberally giving all support to the state for its development.

Referring to the Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan, the Union Power Minister said due to some problems in generating power through the hydroelectric projects in Jammu and Kashmir, the alternative sources would be invented to solve the power crisis in the state. He also pointed to the sanctioning of a few hydroelectric projects in the state and made a special mention of the Pakaldul Power Project of Kishtwar.

As a few leaders highlighted the issues regarding the implementation of the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidhotikaran Yojna in the rural areas of Jammu, the Union Power Minister said funds would not be any problem as far as the state was concerned.

Paying tributes to the Father of the Nation, Shinde called upon the youth of the state to join the mainstream. He said the real tribute to Mahatma Gandhi was to spread the message of peace and brotherhood.

Source: The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Jammu & Kashmir

BJP MP threatens economic blockade against CIL, NTPC

BJP Lok Sabha MP from Godda (Jharkhand) Nishikant Dubey has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, threatening to block coal mining operations of Coal India Ltd (CIL) and enforce economic blockade against the CIL and NTPC in Santhal Pargana region as these two are “not doing” enough for the betterment of the local people.

“I am informing your good office about the economic blockade from 15th February, 2011, onwards against Coal India Limited and NTPC for not doing any CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities in Naxal-affected most backward Santhal Pargana region of Jharkhand,” Dubey wrote to the PM on Thursday, alleging his repeated attempts to secure desired attention from both the PSUs for the local people had failed.

“We will stop coal mining operation of Coal India Limited in this region and supply of coal to NTPC’s Kehlgaon and Farakka Super Thermal Power Plant will be completely stopped. The supply of coal to NTPC plants based in Punjab will be stopped as well,” he added.

The BJP MP said the NTPC had incurred an expenditure of only about Rs 2 crore in his constituency since the inception of its plant about 29 years ago. “Coal India says that they are in loss but the fact is that the operation in Santhal Pargana region is very profitable for them and they simply cannot escape/elude/avoid their CSR responsibilities in this region,” the letter noted.

He alleged that the NTPC had failed to provide jobs to the people displaced during the setting up of the NTPC project in Santhal region.

Source: BJP MP threatens economic blockade against CIL, NTPC

Primary school intake drops, UP prime culprit?

NEW DELHI: The mysterious decline in enrolment of more than 10 lakh children in class I to V in Uttar Pradesh alone over a year has pulled down India's primary admission by over nine lakh in 2009-10 as compared to 2008-09.

However, there has been an increase in enrolment of Muslim children both at primary (class I-V) level at 13.48% in 2009-10 from 11.03% in 2008-09, and upper primary (class VI-VIII) level 11.89% in 2009-10 from 9.13% in 2008-09.

Karnataka has shown a big improvement from 14.67% in 2008-09 to 35.52% in 2009-10. Muslim girls form nearly 50% of the community's enrolment at both primary/upper primary level. Enrolment of children belonging to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Other Backward Class has seen a marginal decline.

There has been improvement in percentage of schools with computers — Kerala, Punjab, Puducherry, Chandigarh, Lakshadweep and Delhi schools have computer coverage ranging between 85% and 100%. Bihar brought out the rear. The state has only 2.5% schools with computers. Mid-day meal is being provided in 87.45% schools. Karnataka fared poorly on this count, where the coverage extended to only 45.87% schools.

The exhaustive statistics on primary/upper primary education by National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA) — to be released on February 1 — says in 2009-10, 13.34 crore children were in class I-V. In 2008-09, the corresponding figure was 13.43 crore.

While Uttar Pradesh made the maximum contribution, marginal decline was noticed in Uttarakhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and a few other states. While maintaining that decline in UP is a cause for concern, experts in NUEPA attribute the marginal decline to stabilization in enrolment at primary level, but point to parallel increase in upper primary (VI-VIII) admissions. "Enrolment at primary level has almost become constant nationally at 1.34/1.33 crore, but at upper primary it will go on increasing," said Arun Mehta of NUEPA.

In 2009-10, enrolment in upper primary was 5.44 crore — an increase of 11 lakh — as compared to 5.33 crore in 2008-09. Enrolment in government and private management schools stood at 69.51% and 30.42%, respectively.

Bihar and Lakshwadeep have almost 100% enrolment in government schools. But private schools (aided by government as well as unaided) dominate in Goa, Kerala, Puducherry, Meghalaya and other states. Percentage of private share to total schools was 19.49%.

Between 2002-03 and 2009-10, the government added 1.32 lakh primary and 58,720 upper primary schools. More than 40% primary schools have pupil-teacher ratio of more than 30:1 and 33.17% upper primary schools have pupil-teacher ratio of more than 35:1. Survey also showed that 14 days were lost on account of teachers being asked to perform non-teaching jobs.

Source:-http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Primary-school-intake-drops-UP-prime-culprit/articleshow/7368964.cms