With price rise of essential commodities and decline in industrial production being blamed on erratic power supply, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Government has now advised States to tighten their belts and to ensure adequate power supply to farmers and the industrial sector.
Expressing serious concern over rising inflation and falling manufacturing activities and export, Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth has written to chief secretaries of States and Union Territories to provide prior information to industries and farmers where power cuts became essential.
The UPA Government is a worried lot over price-rise of essential commodities ahead of Assembly elections in five States in November this year and lok Sabha elections next year.
“During a meeting of the Committee of Secretaries to review the prices of essential commodities on July 26, 2013, it was brought out that manufacturing activities as well as exports have shown a declining trend in the recent months.
Non-availability of adequate power was cited as one of the main causes. What are considered critical are unscheduled power cuts without any prior notice or intimation to the industry. This unscheduled power cuts lead to greater loss as manufacturing activities can not be planned in advance,” Seth said in the letter that he wrote to the chief secretaries of all the states and UTs.
Strangely, instead of blaming poor policies, slow growth rate of economy, the Committee of Secretaries has attributed erratic power supply for price rise of essential commodities and decline in growth of the domestic products in the country. They blamed that long hour power cuts in agricultural areas and industrial areas was the reason behind the decline in manufacturing activities and export as well.
“Kindly look into the matter to see t hat where power cuts become essential these are as far as possible, planned in advance with prior notice or information being given to the affected industries,” the letter from the Cabinet Secretary stated.
Reacting on the letter, a senior Delhi Government official stated that power scenario in Delhi is much better than other States. “The power department has development a system which keeps informing about load shedding and power cuts across the city,” he said.
The latest GDP growth figures which was released in June this year tell the tale of a steep downward trajectory - from 9.32 percent in the 2010-11 fiscal year to 6.21 percent in 2011-12, and now, a decadal low of 5 percent for 2012-13.
Agriculture grew by a mere 1.9 percent in 2012-13 against 3.6% in 2011-12 and manufacturing expanded by just one percent.
The Indian economy, Asia’s third-largest, has slowed sharply from the scorching growth notched a few years ago due to a string of factors, including high inflation, high interest rates, slowing global economy, delay in implementation of projects, policy logjam, slowing industrial growth and declining business sentiment.
The Government initiated some reform measures since September last year hoping to script a turnaround in the India growth story. But fresh corruption scandals and the continued parliamentary logjam have dashed hopes of any reform measures being pushed through. Business confidence has taken a knock and experts say that urgent steps are necessary to reverse the slowdown.
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Bikers return on roads,
but afraid of fatal stunts
Sakshi Chand n New Delhi
The death of pillion rider Karan Pandey in police firing during bikers’ stunt last week and crackdown by police have reined in bikers’ menace on Capital roads. The weekend saw only a few bikers hitting the roads. A senior police official said, “The city roads witnessed a significant downfall in incidents of stunts.”
On Friday, 946 vehicles were checked, 105 challaned and 12 impounded. On Saturday 1,186 bikes were checked, 136 challaned and 25 impounded.
“Despite our security drill, some people are still riding bikes dangerously on roads,” added a senior police official.