Jaipur, (IANS) Congress leader Ashok Gehlot was sworn in on Monday as the 12th Chief Minister of Rajasthan, while the party’s state president Sachin Pilot took oath as his deputy at a ceremony here.

It is Gehlot’s third innings as Chief Minister.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Nationalist Congress Party’s chief Sharad Pawar were some of those who attended the ceremony in Albert Hall.

Former Chief Minister of Rajasthan and BJP leader Vasundhara Raje was also present at the event.

 Eschew loan waivers that divert resources from much needed investment in India, says a report prepared by 13 noted economists, including former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, which was released here on Friday.

Releasing the report titled “An Economic Strategy for India”, Rajan said that farm loan waivers should not form part of election promises and that he has written to the Election Commission to put a bar on such a practice, which inhibits investment in the farm sector, as well as putting pressure on the finances of the concerned states. 

“I have said forever, even written a letter to the Election Commissioner saying they should be taken off the table. I mean, certainly there is reason to think about farm distress. But, the question of whether the flows to farmers is best affected by waiving loans, after all, there is only a subset of farmers who get those loans,” he said. 

“It’s no surprise to you that there is fair amount of agricultural distress which we have seen being highlighted by farmers, and also political parties are responding with variety of measures such as loan waivers.

“So, it often goes to the best connected rather than those most poorly off. Second, it obviously creates enormous problems for the fiscal of the state once those waivers are done. And I think, unfortunately, it inhibits investment down the line,” he said. 

“We need to create the environment in which they (farmers) can be a vibrant force and I would say more resources are definitely needed. Whether loan waivers are the best? I think it’s highly questionable,” he added. 

Rajan, who is currently teaching in the US, also said an all-party agreement to eschew farm loan waivers would be in the interest of the nation. 

The report, which outlines the challenges facing the economy, says that the country’s economic history is full of instances which demonstrate that protecting macroeconomic stability is essential for strong and sustainable growth.

“Every time macro stability has been traded off to boost growth, the economy has been pushed towards a crisis, the consequences of which have undermined the very growth that was the initial policy focus,” it says. 

Rajan said although India has had 7 per cent growth, the economy is not clearly creating enough jobs, citing the example of how 25 million people had applied for 90,000 railway jobs. 

“So many applicants… 250 per job and these are not priced jobs. These are actually low level jobs. So, it does suggest enormous demand for jobs,” he said. 

He pointed out that growth is not benefiting all sectors and all people, while inequality is increasing. 

“We should ask the question that is this growth path viable and clearly more needs to be done on macro stability, on fiscal deficit, there are proposals in the paper that how we can do that,” the former central bank Governor said. 

He said there had been no improvement in the fiscal deficit of the Centre and the states in the last five years. 

“In terms of public sectors borrowing, it is still as big as it was and that is source of concern especially as states budgets are going out of balance. We see trade deficit is large even after taking out the effect of borrowing,” he said. 

“We absolutely need to enhance growth beyond 7 per cent… with a lot of back and forth on what the true growth numbers are, whatever they are, they are not enough,” he said, making a reference to the recent controversy regarding the back series GDP data released by the government. 

IANS

The Mizo National Front (MNF) government led by Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Saturday assumed office in Mizoram, ending the Congress’ 10-year rule in the state.

Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan administered the oath of office and secrecy to Zoramthanga and his 11 Council of Ministers at a ceremony at the Raj Bhavan here.

Zoramthanga, 74, took office as the Chief Minister for the third time. Earlier he headed the state from 1998-2003 and 2003-2008.

Outgoing Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) leader and former Assam Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, leaders of various political parties and senior civil and security officials were present in the ceremony.

“The Chief Minister would distribute the portfolios among the ministers soon after a cabinet meeting,” an official of the Chief Minister’s secretariat told the media.

The MNF in the November 28 Assembly polls secured 26 seats, five more than an absolute majority in the 40-member Assembly, ousting the Congress from power in its last bastion in northeast India.

The MNF had got only five seats in the 2013 Assembly polls, while the Congress had won 34. This time, the Congress got only five seats.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the first time made its entry into the Mizoram Assembly, winning the lone Tuichawng seat.

State Congress chief and outgoing Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla lost in both Champhai South and Serchhip constituencies. 

Zoramthanga won the Aizawl East-I seat for the fifth term.

The MNF is a constituent of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA). 

However, both the BJP and MNF fielded candidates separately in 40 and 39 seats, respectively.

IANS

N A top Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of instigating violence in Kerala.

State CPI-M Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, while speaking to the media in Delhi, lashed out at Modi for interacting with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cadres in the state via a video call on Friday.

“Through supporting shutdowns, Modi is instigating violence and that’s what he did. All this is being done to unsettle the state government here,” he said.

Modi interacted with his party cadres when the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party was observing a statewide shutdown after a 50-year-old man set himself on fire at a BJP protest venue on Thursday and later succumbed to his injuries.

The BJP state unit has been protesting ever since the Kerala government has been trying to implement the Supreme Court order of opening the Sabarimala temple to women of all ages.

“The BJP in Kerala is trying to enter the Guinness with the record of holding shutdowns for anything and everything. Shutdown protests are called only in extreme cases,” added Balakrishnan, who is in Delhi to attend the central committee meeting of CPI-M. 

The petitioner submitted that the statement by Rahul Gandhi had hurt Amit Shah’s sentiment and tarnished the image of the party.

Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha leader filed the petition against Rahul Gandhi.
R

A local court on Wednesday issued summons to Congress president Rahul Gandhi for allegedly making a controversial statement against his BJP counterpart Amit Shah.

Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate Ajay Kumar Gudia, who had reserved the order after hearing a petition in this regard on November 28, directed that summons be issued against Mr Gandhi.

In his petition, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) leader Naveen Jha alleged that Mr Gandhi had made the statement against Mr Shah on March 18 during the national convention of the Congress.

The BJYM is the youth wing of the BJP.

The petitioner submitted that the statement had hurt his sentiment and tarnished the image of the party.

Earlier this year, the same SDJM’s court had rejected the petition of Naveen Jha, an executive member of Jha

He appealed before the court of Judicial Commissioner Navneet Kumar against the rejection order. Ajay Kumar set aside the SDJM’s order and directed the lower court to hear the petition again.

An IndiGo flight from Mumbai to Lucknow via Delhi was grounded after a woman passenger alerted the Mumbai Airport authorities of an alleged bomb threat on Saturday,

official sources said.The passenger, identified as Uma Narayan Kannadasan, 41, who was travelling to New Delhi on a GoAir flight G8-329, approached an IndiGo check-in counter and informed officials that there was a bomb on the airline’s flight 6E 3612, an airport source said.She also provided photos of some people claiming they were behind planting the bomb and could be “a threat to the nation”.The CISF immediately escorted her to the Airport Police Station and she was subjected to sustained questioning in the matter.

Meanwhile, the airport authorities declared the bomb threat as “specific” and a detailed search of all passengers was carried out.However, the IndiGo claimed in a statement later that the woman passenger “was found to be in a mentally unsound state”.Nevertheless, the airline said it had reported the matter to the authorities and implemented the normal security protocol and the flight departed after an hour’s delay, 

By : Pramesh S Jain

Temple tragedy,11 Dead, 82 Hospitalised After Eating Prasad in Karnataka .
As many as 11 people died and 82 were hospitalised after consuming religious food offering prasad at a temple in Karnataka’s Chamarajnagar district today, police said.
A district official claimed that some toxic substance may have got mixed with the religious offering being served at the Kichu Maranda temple in Sulivadi village, resulting in the tragedy.We have collected samples and sent them to a laboratory for analysis,” he said. 
The ailing have been hospitalised in hospitals across Chamarajnagar and Mysuru districts, and many of them are on ventilator support.
According to a witness, devotees decided to eat the rice-based offering although it was smelling of kerosene.Soon afterwards, they complained of stomachache and began vomiting,he added. 
The deceased belonged to Bidarahalli, Melathur and Doddani in Maratahalli hobli of Kollegal taluk. 
There are also reports that a few crows were found dead after consuming the leftover prasadam from the devotees’ plates.
Ex gratia announced:
The government has announced compensation of Rs.5 lakh to the family of the deceased. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy rushed immediately to the KR Hospital from Chennai as he been to Chennai to see and enquire health condition of Siddaganga Seer in Chennai and he said it is a inhuman act done by miscreants and a probe was ordered and two people have been taken into custody.

The hospital expenses would be borne by the government He even expressed shock over the incident, and directed the authorities to ensure that the affected people receive proper medical treatment. I came to know about this while I was returning from Belagavi. Spoke to district authorities. At first I did not realise how serious it was.Our MLA, Puttaraju, went to the spot. There are reports that the food was deliberately poisoned. It is being tested. Action will be taken against whoever is behind this inhuman act,” Mr Kumaraswamy said.He further added that the concerned program officer is monitoring calls at 108 call centre and coordinating services of ambulances. The Karnataka CM also added that commissioner has instructed ADC Mysore to provide services of private ALP ambulances. Two senior officers are on way from state headquarters to coordinate and supervise activities he added. 
Police said the religious offering was distributed after the temple’s foundation-laying ceremony.Doctors think the toxin could be pesticide,” said an officer, adding that an investigation will confirm how the toxic substance entered the food. 
The district authorities confirmed 10 deaths and feared the toll could increase as some of the patients were critical. Chamarajanagar SP Dharmendra Kumar Meena and IGP Sharath Chandra said 68 people had been hospitalised in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts.They were given a rice preparation as ‘prasadam’ around noon, and a few of them immediately started throwing up. Soon, almost all those who had eaten it were taken ill he added. 
IGP,Southern Range,Sharath Chandra confirmed that two suspects has been taken into custody identified as Gowdruchinnatti,a member of the temple’s administration and manager Maadesh have been taken into custody for questioning.There was a dispute between people in the village regarding the installation of the Gopura.The suspicion is that they could have mixed the poison due to this It may be pesticide.The doctors at the hospital said that it could be a possibility.We are trying to find out who did this and why.The samples have been sent to FSL lab he added.
The cops have stepped up security as thousands of friends and relatives of the victims have thronged the hospital. The authorities have sent the food samples to forensic laboratory and are awaiting reports. With the government directed to shift the patients to Hospitals in Mysuru, the authorities have shifted them to private hospital in Mysuru.

Senior Congres leader Mallikarjun Karge is an angry man. Kharge says that they will summon Attorney General, CAG over ‘Lie’ to SC that PAC saw Rafale report. The 29-page ruling by the bench of the Chief Justice of India mentions pricing details of the Rafale being shared with the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India which, in turn, shared its report with the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). But Mallikarjun Kharge, who chairs the PAC, says no such report has come to him yet and “neither does the CAG know about it”. This is a twist in the tale.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy has responded to this and says, “PAC Chairman Mallikarjun Kharge saying he has not got CAG report then we have to take his word, he should file affidavit or review petition in court saying I did not receive and the committee has not examined it.”

Says Kharge, “Govt lied in SC that the CAG report was presented in the house and in PAC and PAC has probed it. The government said in SC it is in public domain. Where is it? Have you seen it? I am going to take this up with other members of PAC. We will summon AG and CAG.”PAC Chief Mallikarjun Kharge said, “CAG does not have their comments and there is no report” and he is not aware of any report, “neither does the CAG know about it”. He said he asked “the Deputy CAG today” since there was a PAC meeting in the afternoon.Asked about it, Union Minister Arun Jaitley said: “I think whatever are the contents of the verdict in terms of the procedural details or the direction which has been given, that’s not a subject matter of our comment.”If something is required to be done in that regard, he said, “I think the lawyers will examine it and do the needful”.On Page 21, in Para 25 of the judgment, the bench states: “The material placed before us shows that the government has not disclosed pricing details, other than the basic price of the aircraft, even to Parliament, on the ground that sensitivity of pricing details could affect national security, apart from breaching the agreement between the two countries. The pricing details have, however, been shared with the Comptroller and Auditor General and the report of the CAG has been examined by the Public Accounts Committee. Only a redacted portion of the report was placed before Parliament, and is in public domain.”