UPA - United Progressive Alliance

Miles to go: As of March, only half of the four-year programme's targets were met in irrigation, 60% in drinking water and about 33% in rural roads and eleetrification, a planning Commission review shows.

Five months from a looming deadline, the Congress party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is unlikely to meet its own targets in four of the six components under Bharat Nirman, the ambitious Rs1.76 trillion rural infrastructure programme that is scheduled to be completed by April, according to latest data available.

As of March, according to a review by the Planning Commission, only 50% of the fouryear programme's targets were met in irrigation, 60% in drinking water and about 33% in rural roads and electrification.

"The situation is particularly bad in irrigation, rural roads and connecting rural households with electrification.

There is no way the targets can be met in these areas by April 2009," said a senior Planning Commission official, who didn't want to be named.

Housing and rural telephony, however, are on track, according the review.

The news that the government has fallen behind on one of its core promises is likely to become big political fodder, as several states head to polls fol lowed by national elections likely in early 2009.

"The programme has been a big failure and the UPA should not have taken up this ambitious project if it did not have the right people and wherewithal to push it," insists Laveesh Bhandari of research firm Indicus Analytics Pvt. Ltd.

Indeed, as late as April, the government even launched a mega ad campaign on Bharat Nirman tapping into large audiences that were watching the 20-over Indian Premier League's debut season.

While the execution of Bharat Nirman is done by respective nodal ministries, such as water resources, rural development and power, it is monitored by the Planning Commission as also by Prime Minister`s Office.

On 3 November, rural development minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh had emphasized the need for strict punitive measures for lapses occurred during the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sarak Yojana, responsible for construction and upgrade of rural roads. Part of Bharat Nirman, the scheme also aims to cover 66,800 habitations and upgrade or build 3.4 million km of roads.

Prasad's claim that 178,000km of roads have been constructed so far means that only half of the 340,000km target for rural roads has been met.

"With acute shortage of engineers, contractors, equipment as also the failure to pro duce detailed project reports, how can you expect the rest 50% to be completed in the last leg of the programme?" asked the commission official.

The government is also very unlikely to meet the targets of providing electricity to 125,000 villages and connecting 23 million households below the poverty line (BPL) with electricity under its ambitious Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana, also part of Bharat Nirman.

While 38% of the target has been met in the case of villages, only 10% of the target was achieved in the case of BPL households as of March.

"As of today, we have provided electricity to 27 lakh BPL households, and 51,000 villages. How will the scheme work when no finances were made available? Targets are dependent upon funding. This sends a wrong signal to the industry and the vendors, as we had earlier told them not to worry about finances," said a senior power ministry official, who also didn't want to be named.

The electrification scheme had an initial total outlay of Rs5,000 crore. From April 2007 until 3 January, no further funding was allocated, the official said.

The scheme has a total financial requirement of around Rs33,000 crore as grants spread over the 10th (2002-07) and 11th (2007-12) Plans. Of this around Rs10,000 crore has been spent.

The Union government provides 90% of the capital cost involved in rural electrification of the states, with the balance extended as loans from stateowned Rural Electrification Corp. Ltd.

"We have been told to manage this year (2008-09) with Rs5,500 crore, while the requirement is for Rs13,000 crore. We have been asked not to make any contractual commitments over this amount as even the finance ministry is unsure about the next year's budget," the power ministry official said. "The scheme was announced to showcase the UPA government's achievements over its tenure. Not just this, all major components are faring poorly. Political promises are just like that." Funding is also being seen as a major hindrance in the irrigation component, run through the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP), also part of Bharat Nirman. Both the ministry of water resources and the Planning Commission have been demanding higher allocations by the Centre to run this programme. A sum of Rs50,000 crore has been allocated to AIBP in the 11th Plan.

While most of the financial sector reforms were introduced in either of the two houses during the last four years, opposition by the UPA's erstwhile ally-- the Left parties--ensured none saw the light of the day. The Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, Pension Bill, the Bill to amend the Forward Contracts (Regulation) Act for the commodities markets,and the SBI(Amendment) Bill are the key legislation pending in the financial sector.

The UPA does not have a clear majority in Rajya Sabha either. So, though the government will be able to implement executive decisions, it will face difficulty in getting the support of sundry political parties. Principal opposition parties such as the BJP and the BSP are unlikely to extend a helping hand at this juncture.

Almost one-fourth of the total number of 47 bills to be introduced in Parliament deal with finance and economy. Government managers said money Bills would sail through since they are vital for transaction of business within the establishment and no parties will push for a vote on this.

The UPA Government may also consider a new anti-terror law.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will hold a special meeting with the Union Cabinet on Wendnesday evening. The meeting has been called a day ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting.

Sources say the meeting has 'no agenda', implying its urgency.

The UPA has been under flak from the Oppossition for its handling of the recent bomb blasts in Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Delhi. The BJP has been demanding Home Minister Shivraj Patil's resignation.

The party also wants the Prevention of Terrorism Act or POTA to be reinstated.

The latest publicity campaign of the government, aimed at Election 2009, does not focus on the Indo-US nuclear deal. Instead, it aims to reach out to the common man.

   *  The committee of secretaries has drawn up a note that will be the basis of the campaign
    * The focus will be on price rise
    * The planned campaign will highlight the steps taken by the government to check prices of essential commodities
    * The rise in global prices of foodgrains will be compared with that in domestic markets to show that inflation has been kept at a minimum.

    * The N-deal will be only be cited as one of the achievements of the UPA
The UPA government may have staked its life on the high-sounding Indo-US nuclear deal.

But it knows well that, as a poll plank, the deal is not likely to have much resonance with the aam janata. So, even a week before the trust vote was won, as its publicity wing brainstormed on issues to be highlighted in the run-up to Election 2009, the irony
is that it was the Congress-led UPA government's humbler pro-people programmes that topped the agenda.

The committee of secretaries, which met a week before the trust vote in Parliament on July 22, decided that no effort should be spared in convincing the public of the government's sincerity about bringing down the prices of essential commodities. The Principal Information Officer (PIO) in charge of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) was directed to use all means of communication at her command to drive home that message. Characteristically downplaying the drive, Deepak Sandhu described it as a routine affair: "We do it from time to time. We've also decided to put the information online." She also said that key ministries, like agriculture and finance, had been roped in as part of the effort.

The buzz in the relevant corners of bureaucracy has just one sense: the government means business. Last September, when relations between the UPA and the Left had plummeted and talk of a mid-term election was in the air, the government had hired Percept, a Mumbai-based advertising agency, to publicise its flagship programmes. The focus then had been on projecting the achievements of the government through a unified campaign. This time, the perception is that the focus should be on the hinterlands and the remotest corners of the country. "The government feels it is not enough to just focus on the national media and the mainstream newspapers. It is time to actively woo the regional press and the radio to carry the message of the government," an information & broadcasting official says.

But what exactly does the government propose to convey? The note from the committee of secretaries marks out the contours of the proposed campaign. Here's what it says about the UPA government trying to keep a check on the price rise: "Wheat prices have increased by 68.5 per cent internationally, while the increase in the domestic market is only 8.4 per cent. Similarly, rice prices have gone up in international markets by 169.9 per cent, while the increase in domestic price is only 8.4 per cent." It describes how prices of petrol, diesel, and domestic lpg have been kept under control. Global prices versus domestic prices--that's what the government wants highlighted.

The subtext is that, given the global economic and food crisis, things could have been a lot worse without effective government intervention. The campaign is also aimed at showing that the government has increased the amount of food supplied through the public distribution system (PDS).

The English version of the interview was being carried by some English television channels. In his interview Karat said, "there is no question of a tie up with the Congress at all."

He also conceded that the Left had made a miscalculation in trusting the Congress party on the Indo-US nuclear deal. He said, "It seems it was a mistake."

Karat's assertion comes in sharp contrast to the stand taken by several UPA partners, including many Congress leaders who are still hoping to strike an alliance with the Left after the next general elections, despite the recent bitter parting of company between the two, earlier this year.

The CPM general secretary explained that, "Political parties which were not a part of the Congress and the BJP-led coalitions joined forces with the Left only after realising they had a common agenda - opposition to the nuclear deal."

The CCPA, headed by external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, met today, but the discussions were inconclusive as Union ministers Sharad Pawar and Ram Vilas Paswan, who are also members of this panel, could not attend because they were travelling. The meeting was also cut short as Mukherjee was to take the afternoon flight to Tehran.

Government sources, however, indicated that the next session may not be held on August 11 as decided earlier as several UPA allies did not want another run-in with the Opposition so soon after last week's two-day session called especially for the trust vote.

Parliamentary affairs minister Vayalar Ravi maintained that though the CCPA had decided to commence the monsoon session on August 11, the government did not communicate its decision to the President as it was overtaken by events and had to convene a special two-day session for the trust vote. Ravi said the schedule for the monsoon session would be taken up at the next CCPA meeting, which may now be possible on Pranab Mukherjee's return from the SAARC summit in Colombo on August 3.

UPA sources admitted the government was keen on deferring the session as it could prove to be an exercise in futility because the Opposition was unlikely to allow any business to be conducted. Besides the BJP, the UPA would also have to face the wrath of belligerent Left parties.

The government will no longer be guided by the Left parties which have been taking a consistently anti-American and, therefore, anti-nuclear deal position. Not only that, it will also be free to implement measures like pension reforms and liberalisation of insurance which the Left parties have been opposing. In fact, the little time the government has at its disposal before the next elections are called can be utilised for carrying out economic reforms which stood stymied. It will also be in a position to choose an appropriate time for holding elections. Of course, this does not overlook the fact that the UPA will have to listen to new allies like the Samajwadi Party which has its own agenda be it on the Women’s Bill or on the windfall tax.

The two-day debate on the confidence motion had its high and low points. While some speeches were of a high calibre, the spectacle of a BJP member bringing to the House wads of currency notes to show that attempts were made to buy Opposition votes marked a new low in parliamentary practices. It is for the Speaker to ensure that whoever is guilty is given exemplary punishment. The vote has ended the political instability ever since the Left withdrew its support to the government. For the BJP, the UPA government’s victory is a major setback inasmuch as it won on the issue of the nuclear deal with which it has little complaints. The vote marginalises some of the smaller parties which thought they could call the shots in a situation of political instability. The unwarranted projection of UP Chief Minister Mayawati as the Third Front’s prospective leader and, perhaps, the next Prime Minister only helped the government to fortify its position. Having won the vote, nothing prevents Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from concentrating his attention on issues like the price rise.

CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan asked party cadres here on Monday to make preparations for Bharat bandh. He was speaking at an impressive rally organised by four Left parties jointly here. The Left declared their intent to fight the government they were supporting till the other day "inside and out of Parliament."

A fully charged CPM general secretary Prakash Karat told a responsive audience, "They contested the last elections on the slogan of `Congress ka haath Aam Aadmi ke saath,' this time their slogan will be `Congress ka haath America ke saath'."

Referring to his recent meetings with BSP chief Mayawati and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders he also announced that "In the coming days more forces will join us."

Karat recalled, "We supported this government on the Common Minimum Programme (CMP)," and complained that the present government had made "India a junior partner of America." "Our stand has been consistent for last three years. If you compromise with the US, it will be a violation of the CMP and we shall withdraw support."

"The popularity of President George W. Bush in the US is 20-25 per cent. He is the President of a minority. We have a Prime Minister, who is heading a minority government. A minority President and minority Prime Minister are trying to hook this country to US hegemony," the senior CPM leader said.

Karat dismissed Congress allegations of the Left joining forces with the BJP to topple the UPA government and said, "The Congress has no right to accuse us when it toppled the V.P.Singh government, then Deve Gowda government and then I.K. Gujral government joining forces with the BJP."

Claiming that the government and the Congress want to fulfil their promise to Bush, he said, "It is their primary aim and not tackling inflation or price rise...The deal and the price rise were the issues on which we withdrew support." "We were tolerating them (UPA) because we did not want the BJP and other communal forces to come to power," he said.

Other Left leaders like Forward Bloc leader Debabrat Biswas were even more strident in their criticism when he said, "This government has nothing to do with the people of India. It is run by Washington."

He announced, "We are all united behind Karat and determined to pull down this government."

The session will be convened on July 21 when the vote of confidence motion will be moved and the voting will take place the next day, they said.    

The CCPA meeting came a day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met President Pratibha Patil and handed over a letter stating that his Government wishes to seek a trust vote as soon as possible.    
At a meeting of coalition partners, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi today exuded confidence that the Government will sail through.    

"I have no doubt that we shall prove our majority...," she said.

All the Left parties plan to call meetings of their top policy bodies after this. Left legislators are also against early elections, despite the hawkish line of the CPI(M)'s Prakash Karat. External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, now in Australia, returns on Tuesday.

Under CPI(M) pressure, the Samajwadi Party plans to call a meeting of the UNPA. SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's unilateral "tilt" towards the Congress had upset the Reds. Mr Yadav will waits till his lieutenant Amar Singh, now in the United States, comes home.

The SP is keen to join hands with the Congress, but doesn't want to upset the Marxists. "I am in touch with Prakash Karat," Amar Singh kept saying in interviews to TV channels all day. The CPI(M) said it would be difficult for the SP to back the deal as it would affect its Muslim votebank. DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, meanwhile, put off plans to visit Delhi for talks on the nuclear deal.

The Left too was present at dinner. CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat and CPI(M) leaders Brinda Karat and Sitaram Yechury, and CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan walked into the Prime Minister's 7, Race Course Road residence only after the function to release the Report to the People had concluded and joined the dinner. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who released the Congress report card, presented the first copy to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

"My respect for the Prime Minister is very old. This is a reinforcement of our old rapport between him and me," said Mr Amar Singh.

However, the BSP MPs who were invited were not present.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi showered fulsome praise on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "The Prime Minister's nature is such that he prefers his work, and not himself, to speak. His style of functioning is such that it takes time to understand, but time tells how effective is his leadership," Mrs Sonia Gandhi said, adding, "Four years ago, the mandate was to re-establish secularism in the country, which was being threatened under the previous NDA dispensation. Areas like health and education, which were neglected under the NDA dispensation, had to be given attention."

For the UPA, it was quite a feat that it managed to marshal all its allies; the SP came as a bonus as the UPA government stepped into election year. The leaders present included Mr Sharad Pawar and Mr Praful Patel (NCP), Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav (RJD), Mufti Mohammad Sayeed (PDP), Mr Ram Vilas Paswan (LJP), Mr T.R. Baalu (DMK), Dr S Ramadoss (PMK) and Mr Ajit Singh (RLD). All the senior Congress functionaries were present on the occasion, including AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi.

The Prime Minister acknowledged that terror was a cause for worry and all measures would be taken to tackle it. On price rise, the Prime Minister pointed to the global oil price hike and said there was a need to tighten belts.

Delivering the convocation address at the Jamia Hamdard University here, she said: "The UPA government has come up with many programmes to focus on traditionally disadvantaged sections, which is why it has vastly expanded scholarships for minorities, the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and girls."

Whereas in the Tenth Five Year Plan, eight per cent of the total allocation was for education, it was increased to 20 per cent in the 11th Plan, she said, largely because of the impetus given to higher and technical education.

"The fundamental responsibility of the government is to provide education. With increasing enrolment, we must improve the quality of all educational institutions, harness information technology and adopt state-of-the-art technology and equipment." She extended support to Jamia Hamdard's effort at setting up the Hamdard Institute of Medical Science.

Ms. Gandhi gave away 84 Ph.D. degrees and 93 gold medals to meritorious students for the academic period 2005-07. In all, 2,000 students received their degrees at the convocation.

Vice-Chancellor Shamim Ahmad honoured Haryana Governor A.R. Kidwai and nuclear scientist Anil Kakodkar with honorary D.Sc. degrees. Congratulating the University on its growth since the former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, inaugurated it in 1989, Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh said in these times, it was important to address the issues of access and equality.

While the NDA stood united in Jharkhand with its candidate getting elected without any problem, UPA looked confused on who to support till the last moment. Congress admitted on Friday that had UPA stood together the party would have been saved the embarrassment. Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed said: "Congress has just 9 MLAs in Jharkhand Assembly. So we couldn't win a seat on our own. There were three candidates against NDA and we decided to favour RK Anand, who has been with us earlier... It is true that had UPA stayed together our candidate would have won the seat."

There were three candidates opposite the NDA candidate viz. lawyer-turned politician R K Anand, group president of Reliance Industries Limited (Corporate Affairs) Parimal Nathwani and former MP Kishori Lal.

The proposal to go in for targeted intervention was born after the Sachar panel gave its report detailing the poor socio-economic and educational status of the country’s Muslims. The Union minister of minority affairs, A.R. Antulay in a statement in the Lok Sabha on August 31 2007 had stated: "Targeted intervention is proposed for improvement of basic amenities and employment opportunities in 90 identified minority concentration districts which are backward in terms of various developmental parameters." The money for the scheme will be spread out over the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-12) with states getting 100 per cent central assistance. While the Centre has already approved a slew of scholarship schemes for those belonging to the minority communities, the scheme for MCDs is by far the most substantial in terms of the money allocated for it. For 2007-08, the CCEA has approved assistance of Rs 117.60 crores with another Rs 2.40 crore being set aside for administrative and allied expenditure, the total bill for 2007-08 will be Rs 120 crores. For 2008-09, Rs 800 crores is the estimated expenditure while for 2009-2010, it is Rs 1,100 crore. It is Rs 1,100 crore again for 2010-2011 while it tapers off to Rs 660 crore in the final year (2011-2012)of the Five Year Plan.

An assessment about this deficiency figured during talks with experts in the ministry ofsocial justice and empowerment, at the launch of a health insurance scheme for persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation amd Multiple Disabilities. The health insurance scheme is aimed at addressing the health needs of a small percentage of the estimated 40 lakh citizens living with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities.

According to experts, these four developmental disabilities are caused due to insult in the brain and central nervous system.

Launched today by the minister of social justice and empowerment, Meira Kumar, the scheme will initially take care of one lakh persons with developmental disabilities in ten cities, including UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's constitutency, Rae Bareilly. It promises to improve the general health and quality of life of persons with disability.

The scheme named `Nirmaya' entitles beneficiaries in the age group of three months to 70 years, a cashless transaction in any of the 1,100 hospitals and nursing homes empanelled by the insurance company. This includes 400 hospitals in Chandigarh and Delhi.