FOOD SECURITY BILL INTRODUCED
Soon after being forced to
overturn its decision on multi-brand-retail FDI, the government has rolled out
a new Food Security Bill. If cleared by Parliament, this will see 62.5% of the
country’s population receive subsidised food - at Rs 3/kg for rice, and Rs 2/kg
for wheat. Even as the government claims this is a pro-poor measure, critics
have accused the ruling UPA of keeping the upcoming UP state
elections in mind before
taking the decision. The Agricultural Ministry is also said to be against the
bill in its current form over concerns of difficulty in acquiring food for resupply.
The new measures are expected to add `27,663 crore to India’s subsidy bill.
Meanwhile, the government will try and re-introduce the changes to the retail
sector sometime next year. In other major political news, Rashtriya Lok Dal
chief Ajit Singh has been named as the
new Civil Aviation Minister.
OVER 90 DEAD IN KOLKATA FIRE
Around 93 people were killed
when a deadly fire raced through the AMRI Hospital in Kolkata. Reportedly
caused by gas cylinders and waste that was kept in the hospital’s basement, the
fire resulted in the deaths of several staff and patients in the ICU and other
wards. According to reports, AMRI Hospital also lacked fire-fighting equipment
and was functioning without clearance from the fire department. Relatives of
those who died in the tragedy have blamed the hospital authorities for not
calling the fire department or ordering an evacuation even after they were
alerted to
the presence of smoke. The
toll would also have been higher had it not been for the initiative shown by
residents of the nearby slums, who attached makeshift ladders in a bid to
evacuate people. State governments across the nation have now ordered a
thorough investigation into fire safety measures
at hospitals.
ILLEGAL ALCOHOL TRAGEDY
STRIKES WEST BENGAL
Soon after the deadly fire in
a Kolkata hospital, West Bengal was hit by yet another tragedy. Over 150 people
are feared dead after having consumed locally-brewed alcohol. According to
reports, the victims had consumed illegal ‘hooch’ at liquor vends in the the
Mograhat area, near Kolkata. Most of
those dead were found to be
affected by methanol poisoning. Methanol is a by-product of the distillation
process and is highly poisonous. It can cause blindness and death if consumed
even in minute quantities. Later, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee
said, “I want to take strong action against those manufacturing and selling
illicit liquor. But this is a social problem and has to be dealt with socially,
along with action.” The tragedy has deepened political rifts in the state, with
both the opposition Communist parties and the ruling Trinamool Congress blaming
each other for sheltering the accused, who are on the run from police.
NORTH KOREAN LEADER PASSES AWAY
North Korean leader Kim
Jong-il has passed away. The 69-year-old ‘Dear Leader’ reportedly died of a heart attack while on tour of
the nation. While some commentators have hoped that his passing could lead to
an era of openness and reform in what is regarded as one of the world’s
poorest, most closed, and repressive societies, others have warned of
instability. “We have to be very worried because whenever there is domestic
instability North Korea likes to find an external situation to divert the
attention away from that - including indulging in provocation,” said a Yonsei
University analyst.
INDIA WIN SOUTH ASIAN FOOTBALL
Hosts India have retained the
South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup. The tournament, held in New Delhi,
saw the Indian side defeat Afghanistan 4-0 in the final. This was the Indian
side’s first international outing since erstwhile skipper Baichung Bhutia
announced he was stepping down. The team was led by Climax Lawrence, while
striker Sunil Chhetri emerged as the tournament’s top scorer. The Indian side
will now be seen playing German club Bayern Munich in January in a farewell
match for Bhutia.
SAINA GOES DOWN BATTLING
Badminton star Saina Nehwal
seems to be recovering her form after a lowkey season. The Commonwealth Games Gold
medallist went down battling in the final of the World Super Series Finals in
China. Nehwal won the first set, but eventually lost 18-21, 21-13, 21-13. The
outing can be viewed as a good one for Nehwal, who recorded wins against four of the world’s top eight players.
PUTIN FACES PROTESTS
In what may be an
unprecedented show of democracy in Russia, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin found
himself at the receiving end of protests over the past two weeks. This followed
his United Russia party’s disastrous showing in the Parliamentary elections
held in the first week of December. However, opponents of the Prime Minister -
who is also the former President and is expected to stand for that office again
- say that his party had rigged the polls to ensure a slim Parliamentary
majority. Reportedly, over 50,000 people attended protests in Moscow, with even
Putin’s hometown of St Petersburg witnessing marches and rallies. Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev has ordered an investigation into the poll result and attempted
to pacify the protestors. “We need to change the model, and only then will there
be dynamic development in our country,” Medvedev stated, while warning that
reform could not be pushed through under pressure.
ANNA DRAWS LOKPAL ‘RED-LINE’
Even as negotiations continued
on the fate of the Lokpal Bill, veteran Gandhian Anna Hazare threatened to
launch a jail bharo agitation if his recommendations were not accepted by Parliament.
The issue, which resulted in
stalling Parliament proceedings yet again,
has flared up after Anna said he would be launching fresh protests from 27
December “If a Bill that is capable of putting a
stop to corruption is passed
and we are all very happy with it, then the fast I have planned for the 29th
and the jail bharo andolan on the first can be stopped. The government's Lokpal
Bill is
weak. If the Lokpal Bill as
per our demand is brought in the winter session then we will not agitate from
27 December.”
