Kartik Lokhande's blog

  By Kartik Lokhande The first week of the winter session of State Legislature was marked by the usual drill of the Opposition parties raising the issue of farmers’ suicides, drought, compensation and the Government appealing to them to debate on the floor of the House. The only difference this time, however, was that the Government appeared to be more confident and hence more aggressive; while the Opposition was jittery. Every year, the entire State Legislature comprising the Government as well as the Opposition comes to Nagpur, the Second Capital of the State. Sadly, every year, the issue of either drought and farmers’ suicides or demand for statehood to Vidarbha dominates the Opposition charge. As a result, over the years, both these issues are getting diluted in public debate. This year, too, the Opposition parties – Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) – raised the issue of drought and forced adjournments demanding loan waiver and relief package to farmers, but...

Staff Reporter Deepak Kesarkar, Minister of State for Finance and Planning, strongly defended the supplementary demands of Rs 16,094 crore tabled before State Legislature. He said that the demands, which will be passed after discussion in next two days, were higher as the BJP-Shiv Sena Government was committed to providing relief to farmers affected by drought. When it was pointed out that the supplementary demands presented on Tuesday were a record for winter session, Kesarkar said, “The previous Congress-NCP Government had presented the highest supplementary demands of Rs 20,000 crore during monsoon session of 2014. However, they did it keeping an eye on ensuing Legislative Assembly elections. And, we have presented supplementary demands of Rs 16,094 crore to provide relief to farmers. There is a difference.” Talking to reporters at his Ravi Bhavan cottage on Tuesday evening, Kesarkar said that supplementary demands this time included Rs 9,374 crore of non-plan expend...

* Rs 4,002.82 cr has been proposed for drought relief, and more amount for related expenditures Staff Reporter Maharashtra Government, on Tuesday, tabled supplementary demands of a record-breaking Rs 16,094 crore for approval before both the Houses of State Legislature. As had been hinted by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, a substantial part of the supplementary demands has been proposed to provide relief to drought-affected farmers in the State. The supplementary demands tabled this time have broken the record of Rs 11,695 crore worth of demands presented by the previous Congress-Nationalist Congress Party led Democratic Front Government in the winter session of 2013. This time, the BJP-Shiv Sena led Government has surpassed that figure, and has tabled supplementary demands of a whopping Rs 1,60,94,14,83,000 that is a new record as far as supplementary demands tabled during winter session of State Legislature are concerned. Now, these supplementary demands will come...

By Kartik Lokhande   Supplementary Demands form an important legislative business during winter session of State Legislature held at Nagpur. Records reveal that the highest-ever supplementary demands presented before both the Houses was in the year 2013 during the regime of erstwhile Democratic Front (DF) Government led by Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) alliance. In 2013, the DF Government presented supplementary demands of a whopping Rs 11,695.58 crore. To be precise, the figure was Rs 1,16,95,58,70,000/-. Sadly, that year, there was little disussion on such a huge amount of supplementary demands as there was pandemonium in both the Houses of State Legislature. But, that was not the only year when supplementary demands were passed with little discussion. On several occasions, in the last 16 years, supplementary demands were passed in this manner. As is the case, supplementary demands are presented by the Government when it feels the need for approval of ...

  By Kartik Lokhande  At the start of the month of September -- ahead of Paryushan Parva of Jains, Ganeshotsav of Hindus, and Bakr-Id of Muslims -- there erupted a controvery over so-called meat ban in Maharashtra.  Soon, the ‘impartial’ media went furious with the tales of states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Haryana, and even the court in Jammu and Kashmir ‘dictating’ the eating habits of people. Sadly, the ‘secular’ media highlighted the issue placing religious identity politics at the core of the debate. This same media forgot what it championed at other times -- the cause of animal rights.   Animal rights always takes a backseat in media debate whenever the media finds more attractive packaging opportunity in the form of attaching political and religious significance to any development in the country. Another element is making an informed choice about one’s food habits, instead of laying emphasis on superstitious beliefs...

* Government to table Action Taken Report on Kelkar Committee report during budget session of State Legislature * Guardian Ministers of various districts to be announced in a couple of days * 11 important Bills cleared during winter session By Kartik Lokhande  Returning the Opposition fire, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that his Government was ‘alert, positive, and sensitive’ but the Opposition parties were ‘divided, lacking in policy or vision, and scatterbrain’ during the winter session of State Legislature. Further, he said, the Government would table Action Taken Report on Kelkar Committee report during budget session of the State Legislature. Addressing a press conference after prorogation of the winter session of State Legislature on Wednesday evening, Fadnavis said that his Government was willing to discuss Kelkar Committee report. “The previous Government led by the parties that are in Opposition now, did not table Kelkar Committee report for three sess...

* Much-awaited report of Kelkar Committee on balanced development, to be tabled during winter session of State Legislature starting next week in city * Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar hints at special Industrial Policy for Naxal-affected areas like Gadchiroli * Mungantiwar to tour every district in State in January 2015 to assess developmental priorities for 2015-16 budget By Kartik Lokhande  “We have inherited empty coffers and a huge debt burden of Rs 2,36,000 crore from previous Government led by Congress. Every day, State has to pay Rs 63 crore as interest on the debt. There was criminal judgement on part of Congress-led Government as far as utilising the debt was concerned. Hence, we have decided to bring out a White Paper on debt burden,” said Sudhir Mungantiwar, Finance and Forest Minister of Maharashtra. How much of employment was created from the money spent out of such a huge debt burden, how many projects were completed, whether the State created capital...

  * BJP wins 44 out of total 62 seats establishing its clear dominance in the region, Congress biggest loser By Kartik Lokhande  It was a ‘Super Sunday’ for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in true sense in Maharashtra as well as Vidarbha region. Continuing with its spectacular performance in Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year, BJP bagged as many as 44 out of total 62 seats of Legislative Assembly. Congress was reduced to be the biggest loser, followed by Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) registering a decline in their tallies in Vidarbha. In a never-before success, BJP had won all 10 Lok Sabha seats in Vidarbha in the elections held earlier this year. Then, BJP and Shiv Sena alliance had secured a lead in 58 out of total 62 Assembly segments. Against this backdrop, it was anticipated that BJP-Sena alliance would outperform others in Assembly elections. However, BJP-Sena parted ways and so did Congress-NCP. As a result, these four parties cont...

By Kartik Lokhande While the campaign for Legislative Assembly elections this time is yet to get hectic, the data of past Assembly elections shows that among all the parties Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made deep inroads in Nagpur city and district over the years. With BJP and its long-term ally Shiv Sena parting ways, and Congress and its ally Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) also contesting independently, each of these major parties are testing their organisational strength in this Assembly elections in Nagpur city and district. Among these four major parties, BJP appears to be the strongest if one considers the official data of elections held in past 20 years. As far as Nagpur city is concerned, the best performance it delivered since 1995 was in the year 2004 when it won four out of total five seats. Then, BJP could register its lone victory in Devendra Fadnavis from West Nagpur constituency. In 2009, after increase in number of constituencies from five to six post-delimita...

* Disappointed and furious over their respective parties dumping them, many aspirants have switched over loyalties to get ticket of other parties * Some of these candidates may withdraw, and the picture will be clearer on October 1 The Hitavada Team One party’s rebel is another party’s candidate. This is the simple ‘sutra’ that all major political parties have followed this time in Legislative Assembly elections, which are being held against the backdrop of state-wide political stirring caused by break-up of long-term alliances. Of course, Vidarbha region is not left untouched by this phenomenon. In Nagpur Division, which comprises six districts covering 32 Assembly constituencies, there is not a single district that has not witnessed rebellion. There are 15 constituencies wherein rebels have filed nomination papers either as candidates of other parties or as Independents. Nagpur and Gondia districts have maximum four constituencies each affected by the ‘rebel’ factor. H...