Modi sarkar has literally offered bitter pills to the aam admi by increasing import duty on sugar. This worrying news though failed to create much ripple as all eyes were on the very public tussle between UGC and DU. It has currently left thousands of students uncertain about their future.
DU-UGC faceoff:
The war between UGC and Delhi University over scrapping of four year undergraduate programme (FYUP) has escalated. UGC gave a deadline till Monday afternoon for DU to scrap FYUP and go back to the conventional three year system. But DU which switched to the new system only last year has refused to comply so far. DU authorities are unwilling to let UGC dictate terms to them.
But this tussle is now affecting the admission process. Principal’s body today decided to delay publishing cut-off list till the issue gets sorted out. Government is saying that they don’t have anything to do with this matter as it is between UGC and DU. But it is no secret that BJP is firmly against FYUP and UGC has acted in behest of HRD ministry. It’s time government takes an active step to solve the problem rather than pulling strings from behind.
Governance:
Modi sarkar is just one day short of completing one month in office. It has gone through some ups and downs even in this very brief period. It has come for some stinging criticism from its detractors already. But Narendra Modi wants his men to work with unflinching zeal to engineer fundamental changes in the country. He has identified clear cut goals for PMO officials too.
According to Sanjaya Baru’s book PMO’s office got much weakened during Manmohan Singh’s period. Modi wants to change that. He has instructed his officials to closely work with state governments for smoother coordination. PM wants review meeting to take place every three months. No files pertaining to states should also be left pending post three months.
Modi wants his officials to increase interaction with the common folks. Every day Prime Minister’s e-mail, Facebook page and Twitter handle gets flooded with complaints especially related to the service industry. Modi has now constituted a special cell to look into these grievances.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a stickler for cleanliness. On his insistence, government officials are also getting their act together. They have already destroyed nearly 1,50000 files which have outlived its utility.
Prime Minister has already shown keen interest in defence related matters. Thus he has decided to expedite the process of acquisition of new equipment for the armed forces. Acquisition was practically stalled when AK Anthony was the Defence Minister. In another marked change from Manmohan era, Modi has decided to meet service chiefs atleast once a month to get first hand report.
Government has decided that the budget session of parliament will start from July 7 and continue till August 14. Rail Minister currently facing flak for hiking fare will present budget on 8th July. Arun Jaitley will present his maiden general budget on 10th July, a development likely to be keenly followed across the globe. Meanwhile planning commission which normally plays a key role in budget preparation has been completely left out of the loop this time. Some sources suggest that Modi finds very little worth in the way Planning Commission works currently. It is likely to be completely disbanded or reconstituted with different goals.
All eyes will be on Congress in the Budget Session. Many believe the grand old party will go hard against Modi sarkar on the issue of train price hike. Modi will have to face tough questions on why rape accused minister Nihal Chand continues to be a part of the government. Speaker Sumitra Mahanjan has to decide on the issue of granting Congress the post of Leader of Opposition in the Loksabha .
Economy:
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today refuted the news that Swiss authorities have provided names of individuals suspected to have stashed unaccounted money in their banks. Over the weekend lot of buzz was created when news trickled in quoting sources in the Swiss government that names are being shared. However, Jaitley has denied the news but he hopes that Swiss authorities do share the names quickly. Reserve Bank of India today instructed all the banks and financial institutions to furnish relevant information to the SIT formed to bring back black money to the country.
Government today increased import duty on sugar from 15% to 40%. This is a decision taken to help the cash strapped mill owners. Interest free loan of nearly 4,500 crores will also be provided to them. This sweet deal will make the businessmen happy but is unlikely to go down well with the common folks already bearing the brunt of inflation. Sugar prices increased today after the decision was announced. The trend is likely to continue in the coming days.
Foreign policy:
The situation in Iraq continues to remain tense. According to Ministry of External Affairs they are doing their level best to reach out to the Indians who are currently caught in crossfire. New passport are being issued to those whose documents are with their employers. Many Indians though are in two minds over returning home as they will forfeit their salary if they decide to do so.
According to MEA the nurses in Tikrit are safe and no ransom has still been demanded for abducted workers in Mosul. Foreign ministry is in contacts with Saudi Arabia to facilitate their release.
India is in the process of granting International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) more access to scrutinize its civil nuclear programme. This move is seen as a goodwill gesture from India to USA before the summit level talks in September. India wants to be a part of the Nuclear Suppliers Group and this ratification of its Additional Protocol by IAEA is seen as a step in that direction.
Finally, a look at the key economic parameters as of today…
| Indicators | Value | Rise/ Fall |
| Sensex | 25031.32 | -74.19 |
| Nifty | 7493.35 | -18.10 |
| Rupee/ Dollar | 60.20 | 0.01 |
| Gold | 27,669.00 | 1.00 |
| Silver | 44,427.00 | -143.00 |
| Brent Crude | 6404.00 | -56.00 |
| WPI (May) | 6.01% | 0.81% |
| CPI (May) | 8.28% | -0.31% |
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Narendra Modi
