Mumbai, July 6: The 15th Finance Commission was asked to use the 2011 population census for deciding states’ share of central taxes. This may mean that states with higher populations will receive more central funds.

The decision has turned into a political controversy because it meant that the southern states — Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala — would see a fall in their share of central taxes. In these states, progressive health and education measures ensured the population fell four percentage points to 21 per cent of the national population in 2011 from 25 per cent in 1971. In comparison, the population of northern states — Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh — rose from 33 per cent in 1971 to 37 per cent in 2011.

T.M. Thomas Isaac, 66, Minister for Finance in Kerala’s Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, has been campaigning against the decision ever since it was announced. He believes its implementation would lead to financial disruption in the states. He also warned of a political fallout.

Isaac is also upset with the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST). Though the collections are high, states have not benefited from the bounty, he said. In an interview with IndiaSpend, Isaac discusses all these concerns and more.

Q: Although you’ve maintained that Kerala, as a consumer state, would benefit from GST, you have also expressed dismay at its implementation and the tax returns that Kerala has been receiving. What is the precise problem?
A: Since the introduction of the e-way (electronic way) bill, our checkposts have not been functional, leading to leakage of inter-state trade. This has badly affected Kerala’s revenue where nearly 80 per cent of commodities are brought in from outside the state. The return form [to file GST returns] is yet to be finalised. The 3B form [filed by everyone registered under GST] is only a summary statement of the voluntary declaration by the merchant. There is no way that we can check the veracity of input credit as some of the data is not available. Further, in order to scrutinise data, we do not want the annual return [of GST] to be postponed any further. All of this is affecting the collection of GST. The benefits that we were expecting in terms of revenue are yet to come.

Q: What are the presumed benefits of the GST, and have these been realised yet?
A: Taxes have reduced sharply, but this is not reflected in the prices. Very few commodities have seen a reduction in prices. It was a gain for corporates, while ordinary people did not benefit as much. The small-scale sector was hit partly because their excise exemption had to be given up. Then, there are region-specific problems. The present GST does not permit any kind of regional independence. Everything must be confirmed by the GST Council. Overall, we are yet to accrue the benefits of the decisions. I’m optimistic that things will improve, but, so far it is gloomy.

Q: You had said the attempt to implement the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act — it seeks to set targets for the government to reduce fiscal deficits — without consulting states and the move to limit the borrowing power of states is a challenge to their financial independence. How do you foresee the future for state governments?
A: Many policymakers at the Centre seem to be obsessed with the country’s [credit] ratings. To improve the ratings, they want the fiscal deficit ratio to be reduced so that there is fund flow from outside. I believe that the state governments play an important role in development, especially in welfare and social and economic infrastructure. So, they [Centre] are taking the easy route by asking us to reduce the deficit. It is preposterous. We can’t accept that this must done for the benefit of some foreign power. This cannot be done by using the FRBM Act to bring down the fiscal deficit ratio. Since 2008, the Centre has a real deficit of around four per cent. Even if you consider it to be 3.5 per cent, it camouflages the figure. For example, the states deserve half of the estimated Rs 150,000 crore in the integrated GST. But they [Centre] have put it in their kitty to claim a lower fiscal deficit ratio. If they want to rein in states, why have state governments?

Q: The details of the 15th Finance Commission stated that the 2011 population census would be used to consider allocations. What do you think of this?
A: We are not against the Finance Commission. All we are demanding is that the it be allowed to perform its constitutional duty. The Centre must not micro-manage it or the details by adding [clauses] that tax devolution must be curtailed, borrowing power must be made conditional, etc. These are not aspects to be put here. Every state’s share cannot rise, no matter what formula is used. It will vary. Let us create a rule that this variation is contained in a narrow band such that the finances of the state are not disrupted.

At present, Kerala receives 2.5 per cent of the central tax revenue. It would receive less than two per cent if it is assumed that the 2011 population census is used. If there is mechanical acceptance of the details of the commission, there is a danger of [financial] disruption at the state level. We want to avoid it. I want to make it clear that we will not accept any decision that undermines the state’s fiscal domain… If anything of the nature happens, I am certain there will be a serious political fallout.

Q: The latest NITI Aayog health index has placed Kerala among the best performers. If the index is used to fix incentives from the Centre in terms of money, infrastructure, technology and so on to reduce last-mile development problems, do you fear that a top performing state like Kerala would lose out?
A: Some of the states are [performing] much above the national average. But these achievements have raised many second-generation problems which require expenditure intervention by the government. For example, due to universal education everyone aspires to receive quality education which demands huge state resources. We are seeing an increase in lifestyle diseases which require investments in speciality care.

Development does not mean that the expenditure requirements have reduced. At the same time, we must ensure that there is a minimum level of service across the country. No one can deny the need to transfer resources from developed regions to under-developed regions. I accept that. But, it must be done with a sense of proportion and must not disrupt the development process keeping in mind that it needs substantial resources.

Q: In your budget speech, you proposed resource mobilisation for a comprehensive healthcare scheme using lotteries run by the directorate. The revenue receipt for lotteries is Rs 11,110 crore (budget estimate for 2018-19) and expenditure, Rs 7,874 crore. Will the government utilise the profit to include all beneficiaries in the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana and the new National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS)?
A: From what I understand, all households will not be covered in the new NPHS programme. We want to cover those left out too. A proportion of the households in the state are covered by employee and pensioners health programmes while the rest must be brought under health coverage. We do not want to just use an insurance programme. In Kerala, the public health system’s very important. Unlike the rest of India, we have a wide chain of government-run hospitals where service is provided. We want to link this programme to our public health system to handle the demand.

We are investing close to Rs 5,000 crore in the health sector hiring doctors, nurses and paramedics to handle the demand that we foresee, including speciality health services. We intend to provide people access and assured treatment at accredited and government hospitals. This would require a substantial premium which will be provided through the lottery. The only justification for the lottery is that the profit will go into a social good. Through the lottery we are trying to tell people in Kerala that you can try your luck, but if you do not win, consider the investment a donation to the health sector. We expect to roll it out this financial year.

[IANS]

Menswear fashion designer Kunal Rawal is happy to see the changing perspective of men towards fashion. He says that men are more aware of their personal style now.

Asked if the perspective about men’s fashion in India has changed, Rawal told IANS here: “Yes, the scenario is very different from what it used to be about five years back. I believe in do what you know best, so I’ve always stuck to my guns when it comes to menswear.”

“I’m definitely going to do androgynous women’s wear in 2019 and have showed that in the past but that all stems from my love for menswear. The market has also changed since the time I started. Even then lots of people told me to venture into women’s wear because the market for menswear was not that big.

“But there has been an evolution in the market today,” added Rawal, who will be showcasing his collection titled ‘Perspective’ at the ongoing Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2018.

“It is a great time to be a part of the menswear fashion story in India,” he said.

Rawal feels that more designers are coming out with menswear line now.

“The way men approach fashion and personal style is very different today from what it used to be. Men today are far more aware of their personal style and what works for them and what doesn’t and have far more of a say in what they wear as compared to a few years ago even.

“It was the lack of designers putting fun, versatile options out there, today you have a lot more younger designers putting out their aesthetic that cater to the different needs of the modern man,” he added.

However, Rawal, who will present over 60 looks starting from light versatile pieces to the festive looks at the fashion gala, is convinced that Indian men are no more nervous about experimenting.

“It used to be a phenomenon earlier. I guess it was (due to) lack of options. For really long it has been super opulent clothing for occasion wear and super simple looks. People today realise the gap in the market, which a lot of younger designers are filling today, which is having really detailed and versatile menswear that is adaptive to style and preferences,” he added.

Ever since he launched his label in 2006, the designer has been a favourite amongst Bollywood stars like Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan.

Do celebrities play a big role in driving any designer’s popularity these days?

“Oh, of course! We are living in a global world and celebrity endorsements are big all over and have an unparalleled reach with the wider audiences.

“The way we perceive Bollywood has changed in the last decade. I think, all the Bollywood actors today have their style game upped. They all have very interesting personalities and are trend drivers today and also have a lot to do with the market,” he said.

[IANS]

Ranchi Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das said on Sunday that a 26-member farmers’ team left for Israel on a four-day trip to study farming techniques.

” You (farmers) are going to Israel on the pious day of Raksha Bandhan with an aim to increase farmers’ income. Learn Israel’s technique of farming and adopt it in our state and share the experience with others,” Das said while seeing off the team.

“Israel is smaller than Jharkhand area wise but the country’s per capita income is more than India due to farming. We should always learn from a place where something better is happening. Today Jharkhand is a deficit state as far as foodgrain production is concerned. But those days are not far when Jharkhand will become self dependent and export foodgrains to other states.”

The farmers will learn dairy farming, production of vegetables and fruits, drip irrigation and other things.

The team is being led by Agriculture Secretary Pooja Singhal.

[IANS]

New Delhi To keep a check on the sweet quality in the national capital, the Delhi government will encourage more number of sweets sellers for registration and will also issue more licences ahead of the festive season.

“As the festive season is coming, a number of sweets shops will come up and the chances of selling of substandard sweets will also go up. To keep a check, we will be issuing more licences,” an official from the Delhi Food and Safety Department’s Licencing unit told IANS.

The Food Department will also run a special campaign under which teams will be formed to raid and collect samples from shops across the city.

To create awareness among the people, the Department will publish advertisements regarding food safety.

“The demand for sweets products go up tremendously during this time of the year as the festivals are approaching. To meet the demands, sweetmeat shops will be mushrooming in the city,” he said.

In the past three years, the Department has also done various raids to check the food qualities.

“In the past three years, 884 samples were collected from different parts of the city, of which 148 samples failed to match the standards. Actions were taken against those found guilty under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006,” the official said.

The registration and licensing of the street food vendors is also being done, he said.

“We are encouraging more street food vendors for licensing. The Department also checks sample of these foods from time to time,” he added.

Thiruvananthapuram, With the state government cancelling the Onam celebrations, it is unlikely that Kerala households within the country or overseas will witness any festivities this year ignoring the huge loss of life and property in the devastating floods.

The Kerala government has already diverted the Rs 30 crore earmarked for state-sponsored celebrations to extend relief to the survivors of the worst floods in the state in nearly a century.

Similarly, reports of cancellation of the Onam celebrations by Kerala expatriates have come from the Middle East and even Canada.

Around 370 persons have lost their lives since the monsoon rains began on May 29, with widespread destruction to public and private property, which the state has pegged at more than Rs 20,000 crore. More than one million people have taken shelter in relief camps in Kerala.

Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran, who was overseeing the Onam festivities, said that he too failed to recollect any instance when the celebrations were called off.

“This tragedy has damaged our state immensely as lakhs of people continue to suffer. Many people have lost their life-long savings… thus, the celebration of Onam by the state is out of the question.”

Cardinal Moran Mar Baselios Cleemis Catholicos, head of the city-headquartered Syro Malankara Catholic Church, told IANS that this could be the first Onam with no festivities in the state.

“Onam provides a sense of unity as everyone celebrates the festival. However, this time too there is ‘unity’ but it is about people coming out in huge numbers to help those affected by floods,” he remarked.

Celebrations of Onam start on ‘Atham’ day, 10 days before ‘Thiruvonam’ (which falls on August 25). However, on that day, the state was grappling with torrential rains and their aftermath as a red alert was issued in several areas after dams overflowed and rivers were swollen.

Onam, the harvest festival, is marked by three important days — First Onam that falls on Friday (today), followed by Thiruonam on Saturday, and third Onam on Sunday.

According to a legend, the state witnessed its golden period during the reign of King Mahabali. Onam is celebrated to mark King Mahabali’s annual visit to see his subjects.

A traditional 26-dish ‘Onam Sadya’, often dubbed the ‘mother of all vegetarian meals’, is served in every household on the three Onam days.

Onam falls in the month of ‘Chingam’, the first month according to the Malayalee calendar. On that day (August 17), thousands of Kerala residents in several districts were fleeing their homes to find shelter in relief camps.

As many as 12 of the 14 districts in the state have been devastated by floods, with Kasargode and Thiruvananthapuram the exception on this count.

“I am 93… I cannot recall any year when the Onam festivities were called off. I also cannot recall any tragedy of this magnitude ever hitting Kerala in my lifetime,” a retired teacher told IANS.

However, a few old-timers recall the Vypeen hooch tragedy in 1982, in which 77 persons were killed near Kochi on Onam day. The victims were mostly fisherfolk and labourers.

Sarala Devi, a retired government official residing near Thiruvalla, which was badly affected, also sounded gloomy over Onam celebrations this year.

“I don’t think anyone will be able to savour a sumptuous Onam Sadya, as one or the other you know has been affected by floods. Besides, one has been witnessing on TV channels the huge loss of lives and destruction caused by floods. I doubt if anyone will be able to enjoy the Onam lunch after all this,” she said.

The business of sellers of flowers in various places on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, has been clearly affected. “Even in the state capital, which has not been much affected by floods, people are not coming out to buy flowers,” a retailer in the city pointed out.

However, amid the gloom, there are many trying to cheer up the survivors. Those managing the relief camps plan to serve at least a decent Onam lunch to nearly a million persons still lodged in relief camps.

Jammu, Aug 21 (IANS) Twelve people were killed and two injured on Tuesday in a road accident in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, police said.

A vehicle carrying Machail Yatra pilgrims fell into a deep gorge in the Dool area, the police sources said. The driver apparently lost control over it.

While 12 were killed on the spot, two who sustained critical injuries were shifted to a hospital.

[IANS]

Thiruvananthapuram As rescue operations in Kerala on Monday entered its final stages, the biggest challenge before the authorities in the flood after

math turned into managing the over 5,500 relief camps housing more than 7,00,000 people across the state.

The weather looked promising with no major rainfall expected in the state. Many people though continued to wait for rescue to arrive in several parts of Ernakulam district and interior Chengannur in Alappuzha district.

The death toll stands at 370, from May 29 when Kerala got the first of the monsoon rains, with the bulk of the fatalities being reported after August 9.

A tragedy of unprecedented proportion gripped the state after sluice gates of several rain-filled dams had to be opened.

On Monday, helicopters started their rescue operations in places where people still remained marooned. Several of the other helicopters transported food and relief materials from here.

Chengannur legislator Saji Cherian said: “We have despatched 70 rescue teams in boats who have reached 60 places where people are still trapped. We are confident that by Monday evening all will be rescued.”

In Ernakulam, Paravur legislator V.D. Sateeshan said while a huge majority of those stranded have been rescued, at least 1,500 are still trapped in very remote areas. Accessibility is the biggest problem.

“We are sending individual rescue teams to these places and hopefully we will be able to save them,” said Sateeshan.

Some people trapped in water-logged Kuttanadu in Alappuzha had refused to board the rescue boats. A lot of persuasion was required from the police teams to bring them to relief cam

Congress leader P.C. Vishnunath told the media in Chengannur: “Bio-toilets have to be set up. In many camps they are overflowing. Engaging in basic needs has become a problem.”

Waters at the Cochin International Airport also receded on Monday. The airport was shut since August 15, after water entered the operational area. Authorities have started the cleaning up process.

On Monday, small aircrafts started operating from the Cochin Naval Airbase.

Rains in the catchment areas of the big dams in Idukki district have also subsided. The outflow of water from both the Mullaperiyar and Idukki dams have been reduced.

As a result, the water flow into the Periyar and its tributaries that flow through Ernakulam and Thrissur has come down considerably.

The railways started operations in the Kottayam sector and also to other sectors to Shornur.

The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation also began operations frommany depots and it was expected to be fully functional in a day or two.

Kerala faced the heaviest rains and consequent floods and destruction since 1924, and the state government estimates the loss to be around Rs 19,500 crore.

[IANS]

Greeting India on its 72nd Independence Day, US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo on Wednesday said a “fellow democracy and a friend” was taking its rightful place as a leading global power with its democratic values and inclusiveness.

“On behalf of the Government of the United States of America, I extend my best wishes to the people and government of India on their Independence Day. Since gaining its independence 71 years ago today, India has set an example for South Asia and the world by supporting democracy, diversity, and the rule of law-values shared by the US,” Pompeo said in a statement.

“As members of the oldest and largest democracies, the people of the US and India have always enjoyed strong bonds of friendship. We are grateful for the vibrant Indian-American diaspora and the growing number of young people strengthening ties between our countries as exchange students.”

He said the values shared by the two countries contribute to inspiring collaboration in health, energy, environment, science, and high technology that will fuel the jobs and prosperity of the future.

“On this Indian Independence Day, we congratulate India – a unique civilization, fellow democracy, and a friend – on taking its rightful place as a leading global power and continuing our shared efforts to sustain the rules-based order.”

“Matched!”, a digital short film collaboration between India and Pakistan, celebrates the Independence Day of both the nations.

Indian digital platform Arre joined hands with Pakistan’s digital entertainment brand Teeli to co-produce, co-write and co-create the short, filmed across New Delhi and Karachi.

The idea was an experiment to engage with shared cultural values like food, language, and social relationships, rather than the politics that has shaped the current narrative.

“Matched!” captures the unlikely friendship between an Indian girl from Amritsar and a Pakistani boy from Lahore, made possible through a dating app. What happens when two people who only associate India with Bollywood and Pakistan with Coke Studio, strike a conversation, is what the movie explores.

From script, production, and post-production, teams on either side worked on Skype over a period of two months, with the purpose of exploring how to overcome barriers with digital content. The attempt was to deliver a joint expression of two neighbouring nations.

Sharan Saikumar, Creative Director, Arre, said in a statement:”‘Matched!’ is a product of the digital age. It suggests that even though our countries and politics may falter, as people we can always be true.”

Digital content has made borders irrelevant, according to Gul Zaib Shakeel, Head Writer, Teeli.

“It has shown and shared the thrilling, mundane and honest things that our regular lives are all about. The fact that content from either side of the border resonates with the other is testament to how truly similar we are at the core. This is what the video is about,” Shakeel said.

At a time when the world is battling one of its biggest refugee crises, India has its own share of the problem — thousands of Hindu migrants from Pakistan remain stranded at this Rajasthan transit hub. They have been awaiting their citizenship papers for years, despite submitting their passports, documents and hard-earned money too.

Although the world observed International Refugee Day in June, these migrants continue to run from pillar to post to check their status as a callous Indian bureaucracy works at its own inefficient pace unmoved by their plight.

Wandering like a nomad, one of these migrants, Anumaal, told IANS: “Our lives have become deplorable since the time we came to India. The longing to be a part of this country forced me to come here. But since then, from the year 2000 in April, we have been making untiring efforts to get citizenship, but to no avail.”

“My son has completed his 12th, but he couldn’t get admission in any college as the authorities demand domicile certificates and other identity proof. Eventually, he started working as a labourer to ensure we don’t die of hunger. His future has become dark and the same will be the case with my other son who is pursuing his 12th. Eighteen years of running from here to there has failed to bring any result for us,” he lamented.

“In a camp organised in the year 2005, we missed submitting our certificate by a day. The officials asked us to come with a certificate but it being a Saturday, we reached on Monday and since then, our grievances remain unheard,” Anumaal added.

“We surrendered our passports, our forms were duly filled, and they asked us to come along with a certificate. However, when we reached on Monday, we were informed that we can’t be given citizenship as they had received fresh instructions from the government. Since then, we have been meeting district collectors… the home secretary too, but to no avail. We have exhausted all our savings to pay these officials. We have even borrowed money, which has now exhausted. Now we are asked to fill in fresh forms and deposit fresh fees. When asked about the money we had already deposited, the officials said its gone, so forget about it and make a fresh start.

“There are many people like me who are running around in distress. We were doing agriculture in Pakistan but here we are forced to work as labourers. Initially, during partition, we lost our ancestral land which was seized by residents of Pakistan. Most of the Hindus lost their lands at that time. Now this is the second time we are losing a lot. We were initially in Jaisalmer. However, we left the place a long time back because of the water crisis. It is an irony that people consider us as Pakistanis now, which is quite sad to hear,” he added.

Then there is Dr Rajkumar Sharma, who practises medicine and was whose citizenship was confirmed on June 17. He said, “We came to Jodhpur in 2004. Since then, we have been working hard to make a decent living. There are thousands like me who have come here, their passports have been submitted, but they are yet to get their citizenship. The major challenge for them is getting a long-term visa (LTV) which gets stuck in red tapism,” he added.

Sharma said that he, being educated, managed to earn his bread and butter. “But when I think of other people like me who have migrated, I have tears in my eyes. They are really suffering. People refuse to give them a house on rent or a job to earn considering them as Pakistanis. More than 1,000 people are awaiting their long-term visas,” he informed.

“I belonged to Sindh and came here as Muslims were not so kind to Hindus in Pakistan. Radicalism was growing and so was their influence. Although we had land there, we preferred coming here leaving everything as we knew that things might become challenging in the coming days for Hindus,” he said, adding: “Now, when I have got citizenship, I will try to clear the Medical Council of India examination so that I can start my practice here.”

Dr Hindu Singh Soda, an activist for Pakistani minorities living in India, said that the number of Total Registered Migrants (TRMs) at various FROs in Rajasthan is 13,623. Of them, 12,253 are at FRO Jodhpur alone. Of them, 3,408 were granted LTVs in 2017 while rest of the applications are still under process.

On paper, an LTV is supposed to be granted within 120 days of applying; but in almost all cases, these are not granted for many years, he said, adding that 965 migrants were permanently sent back to Pakistan in 2016 and 2017.

Soda said red-tapism is to be blamed for this situation. Also, the processing of LTVs needs to be hastened to ensure the migrants get justice in India — a land for which they have left everything in Pakistan, he added.