From cap to council
With the Gorkha community enjoys an enviable electoral clout in at least 10 out of 70 seats in the Uttarakhand State Assembly, the Harish Rawat Government is intent on humouring them. The trend is not, however, new as many of the MlAs are inclined to sport Gorkha caps to show empathy for the community. Even a Cabinet Minister flouted laws to cross into Nepal a few months back, keeping the Centre in the dark. It is an imperative too. At least 10 per cent of present legislators just scraped through in 2012 hustings, wining by wafer thin margins of few hundreds or less votes.
Aware of its strength to make or unmake the results of so many seats up for grabs in the State, the community is now consolidating itself into a well-knit block. Sources privy to the CM say that Harish Rawat might contest next time-in 2017-from a Nepalese community dominated seat. Which is why he is a shade extra empathic for them. He is now mulling formation of Gorkha welfare council for the State. Things are progressing well having reached the stage of selecting the person to head the proposed council.
Bane of package politics
Sugarcane being reduced to a political crop thanks to both Centre and Uttarakhand Government manoeuvring things, the crop growers and mill owners are bearing the brunt. Things started this way after the State Government had declared minimum support Price (MSP) and State Administrative Price (SAP), acting on the erstwhile UPA Government’s bailout package given to the beleaguered sugarcane industry. This turned a bane instead of a boon as it landed the industry on the verge of closure. Currently, things have further worsened as the Union government has released Rs6000 crore to the sugarcane industry with the condition that those who have paid 50 percent of the farmers’ outstanding will avail it.
Forced, the private sugar mills are now selling sugar indiscriminately, resulting in the price hovering in the range of Rs2300-2500 per quintal. This is notwithstanding the fact that the production has cost the mills Rs4000 per quintal. It means they are incurring loss to the tune of Rs1700 per quintal. Now, they are saying that the Government should stop dabbling in the matter with SAP and the like while giving them free hand to deal with things. If things continue this way the day is not far- off when the mills would have their gates locked, they warn.