Kolkata : Charming one and all who visit it!

The best dose of Indian culture! If that’s what you are on the lookout for whilst on vacation, then Kolkata is the destination for you! One of India’s famous tourist attractions known for some spectacular monuments, this charming city, formerly known as Calcutta is said to have something to offer every kind of tourist visiting it!

Delighting one and all is the magnificent Victoria Memorial, a majestic structure designed by Sir William Emerson in the early 20th Century. Set amidst spectacular gardens, this stunning monument built in white marble is said to be modeled on the Taj Mahal and is known to house some breathtaking statues that were brought in from Italy. This beautiful heritage building along with the Howrah Bridge is often seen representing the face of the city  is and known to be captivating  at  nights and under floodlights!

At 705 meters long and 97 feet wide, the Howrah Bridge a cantilever truss bridge, constructed without the use of nuts and bolts, is nothing short of an engineering marvel! One of the busiest in the world it has been nicknamed the ‘lifeline’ of Kolkata and is one of the cities identities!

Also connecting Kolkata to its twin city is another engineering marvel, the Vidyasagar Setu, also known as the 2^nd Howrah Bridge, built to reduce the vehicular traffic on the Howrah Bridge. Standing on four pylons, this bridge is 457

meters long, 115 meters wide and is supported by 121 cable wires.

It’s the second largest in Asia, while it is India’s largest library housing nearly two million books and over half a million manuscripts and documents! The National library of Kolkata considered an institution of national importance under the ‘Department of Culture, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India’ is a treasure trove containing rare collections of books, lelall tters by noted personalities, periodicals from the 19^th century, and more.

The first of its type in India, also said to be the largest in Asia, the MP Birla Planetarium in Kolkata is a must; not just for those interested in celestial bodies but for all tourists visiting Kolkata. Courses here range from Post-Graduate Diploma course in Astronomy and Planetarium Sciences and M.Phil course in Astronomy and Planetarium Sciences. Free lectures conducted in the evenings include a wide range of topics from eclipses to life forms in the universe, galaxies to telescopes and more.

Another prominent attraction of Kolkata is its Eden Gardens, which has been witness to some of the finest cricket played in India. The oldest and finest cricket playgrounds, it definitely is a must visit whether you’re an avid cricket fan or not.

Art lovers here’s something for you!… The stunning Marble Palace is not just known for its arts, sculptures, paintings and more but also for a zoo that houses some rare birds. Found here are also original pieces from celebrities such as Van Goyen, Rembrandt, Reynolds and more.

Another first of its kind in India and Asia, the Zoological Garden in Kolkata is one of the oldest and largest zoos in the country housing some rare species of birds and wildlife. Besides playing a successful role in breeding the Manipur Brow Antlered Deer, a species almost extinct, it was also one of the first to breed Litigons and Tigions. The variety of rare species housed here makes this attraction a delight for children of all ages.

A land of many museums, some prominent ones here include the Rabindra Bharti Museum, also known as ‘Jorashanko Thakurbari’. A museum of major significance it houses original paintings and photographs of Rabinath Tagore, as well as personal belongings of other famous personalities.

Gurusaday Museum,  is known to house crafts from across the state including paintings from the Kalighat School, Dhokra crafts, sarees of Bengal, terracotta works.

Some other significant monuments here include the Writer’s Building which served as an office for writers of the British East India Co., Birla Industrial Museum, Raj Bhavan etc…

Standing at approximately 48 meters, the Shahid Minar literally translates to ‘The Tower of the Martyrs’, is indeed a stunning tower lighting up Kolkata’s night sky. Formerly known as the Ochterlony Monument it was constructed in 1948 to by Sir David Ochterlony to commemorate his win during the Nepal War. A perfect blend of Egyptian, Syrian, and Turkish engineering, a climb up this tower provides tourists with a bird’s eye view of the city.

Kolkata is also known to house some beautiful gardens, the Botanical Garden covering about 110 hectares is a one such garden that has a large variety of trees, plants and flowering shrubs, some nearly extinct species. Besides this also found here are over 2.5 million dried plant species from various parts of the world. Another attraction here is a tree (Ficus Bengalhensis) said to be nearly 250 years old; this magnificent tree is over 98 feet high, with a circumference of nearly 1,300 feet.

The brainchild of the National Council of Science Museums, Science City provides not just fun but is a wonderful learning experience for one and all. Some sections here include the Science Park, Dynamotion, Space Odyssey, Ropeway, Dinosaurs Complex, Life Science Corners and the Toy Train.

Other interesting recreational parks include the Nicco Park, the first amusement park in the world to be certified with an ISO 9002 certification from a well known European Certifying Authority; Millennium Park is an amusement park for kids of all ages, its main aim being to promote tourism and enjoy the beauty the river provides.

Swabhumi is not only  one of India’s finest heritage parks, but also a great place to pick up some splendid ethnic arts, crafts and designer wears. Being India’s cultural capital no trip to Kolkata is complete without a trip to the Rabindra Sadan,a premier venue for ‘Bangla’ theatre and other cultural activities, where one can enjoy dance, dramas, exhibitions and more.

For the spiritually inclined there’s Belur Math, Armenian Church, Dakshineshwar Temple, Nakhoda Mosque, St. John’s Church, and plenty more! Last but not the least is the ‘Missionaries of Charity’ set up by Mother Teresa whose mission is to care for the unwanted, sick and dying.

One of India’s most amazing cities, it is a shopper’s paradise with just about anything found here. Take time out to visit the New Market, one of Kolkata’s most renowned markets. Other shopping areas include Park Street, the fashion street of the city, Chowringhee Rd for its roadside vendors that sell just about anything!

A foodie’s ultimate destination, it is said foods here are discussed just about as passionately as Leftist ideologies and Tagore, so make sure to indulge and try something new in this land of maachh and bhaat!

Come Durga Puja and this place is one of the best destinations in the country to be visited, so start making your travel plans today! For this is a city that offers the best of it all, from old world charm to magnificent monuments for a city that never ceases to amaze its tourists,try Kolkata!

Can Budget 2011 strike a balance between supply and demand?

Its February again, time for the Union Budget! As per Article 112 of the Indian Constitution, the Union Budget of India, that is the annual budget of the country, is also known as the Annual Financial Statement. The budget is required to be approved and passed by the Parliament prior to its coming into existence on 1^st of April, which happens to be the beginning of India’s financial year. Like every other year, the Union Finance Minister of India, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee will present the budget for the year 2011, on the last working day of the month of February

Although, the crucial budget document is prepared in complete privacy, yet each one of us is definitely interested to get an overview about the whole process and have an idea of the India Budget Expectations 2011. Some of you might also have started anticipating India’s Budget Results, 2011; isn’t it? Can Budget 2011 strike a balance between supply and demand? Let’s see!

There could be several reasons and thought processes that goes beyond our expectations from the Union Budget for 2011! Economic growth and development has been noticed in various sectors following the many proposals and initiatives mentioned in the Union Budget of India in the financial year of 2010-11, for the year 2010. This year the budget expectations are quite high unlike few years back, wherein the country’s economy was still reeling under the economic depression that was created by the economic meltdown, globally. Since the Indian Economy is slowly getting back to its track, it can be expected that the budget will bring something beneficial to us. It is being expected that this time, the budget would lay stress on controlling price hikes, controlling the inflation rate, cutting down on fiscal deficit etc.

Straightening up of the PDS and do away with the outflows!

In order to achieve and all-round development of the country and its people, the government should ensure that everyone has access to the essential and the very fundamentals of life such as health, food, education, infrastructure, and security. This calls for the growth and development of the skills in the country. The government has taken up several measures on this front such as the formation of the National Skill Development Co-ordination Board, Skill Development Mission, and NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act); now the need however is to ensure the effective and proper realization of the plans. Social welfare must count as the first priority for the Government, always.

Inflation – An intense and a burning reality!

Inflation is everywhere! So it’s quite possible that we gate to see its mention in several policy decisions in order to initiate some corrective measures. It could be anything from the usage of sophisticated techniques of farming, to monetary policy or even the budgetary policies that are framed to control the augmented pricing pressures.

As the Government commits towards the controlling of food inflation, the Finance Minister of India might be expected to unleash some of the major measures in the Budget 2011. This might include the opening of distribution and procurement centers for food grains, promote more investment in agri infrastructure, increase the expenditure on irrigation to enhance the overall productivity of the farm sector.

Simplification and Systematization of the Tax System!

Pranab Mukherjee has really done a good job by extending the tax slabs. This has helped people, specially the salaried persons immensely. The high limit of tax-exemption also has brought extra tax revenues for the exchequer since it doesn’t encourage the suppressing of the unaccounted money. There is still a possibility of improvement at the lower end income group, on the present no-tax limit for up to income of Rs.1.6 lakh.

The deadlock on GST (Goods and Service Tax) should not be extended any further by the Government of India. The Government should rather take initiatives to introduce the new tax system from 1^st April, 2012. This would allow the current players to plan their ventures thereby including the cost of operation. It is highly recommended that the Government should cut down on CST that is the Central Sales Tax rate should be cut down to minimum 1% with effect from April 1, 2011.

Deregulation of the Fuel price!

Last year, the price of petrol was deregulated by the UPA government in order to shrink the fiscal deficit of the country, thereby helping the oil marketing companies to reduce their losses on the selling of fuel at subsidized rates.

Is the Government now thinking of deregulating the price of diesel now that constitutes a major share of fuel subsidy bills?

Retail FDI – Tighten Supply Chain!

The recent increase in the price of food has been the result of hoarding up of stock by the intermediaries or because of the supply shortage in the farm production. In order to manipulate the price, FDI can definitely support the government to de-bottleneck the chain of supply that is hindered by the not so effective distribution channel.

Focus on Infrastructure Growth!

A sustained infrastructural growth and development is essential in order to provide that momentum to India’s economic activities, thereby achieving optimum utilization of resources. In order to promote the joint ventures of the public and the private sector and the entry of FDI or Foreign Direct Investment into the infrastructural domain, an appropriate, genuine, organizational, and reliable model must be introduced. The Government should aim at increasing the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It should take initiatives to plan and develop large amount of corpus for a long term towards the development of infrastructure by the use of debt funds.

Cut down on Excise and Service Tax!

Last year, the excise duty was raised to 10% by the Government, on the non-oil products for withdrawing stimulus, thereby creating sources for the funds that would cut down on the extensity of the fiscal deficit condition. Owing to inflation and rising cost of commodities, India should try and cut down on the Service tax and the excise duty. Corporate tax rates should also be brought down.

Education – Learn as you grow!

Education and Growth can be said to be the two sides of the same coin! While Education results in higher employment, this is turn paves the way for growth and development of the country. In the past few years, the education sector has witnessed several reform measures both at higher as well as primary level of education.

The implementation of the PPP model that is the public-private partnership model can prove very beneficial for the education sector and help in bringing success and sustainable momentum in the long run. The Government needs to fund the projects and encourage and trust the private sector for the final delivery of the models.

Agriculture!

For ensuring the economic growth and development of the country, it is important that India’s agriculture sector grows at a fast pace. Many people in the country still suffer from food insecurity and malnutrition. The Indian Government of India already undertook the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) in the year 2008 but it was not properly supported. The Government should now take the responsibility to support the mission properly for eradicating the malnutrition from the nation. One of the best possible ways would be to combine the mission with other flagship projects such as NREGA etc for reliving the underprivileged people in India, especially those in villages, from nutrition problems.

Since agriculture contributes immensely to the GDP of India, the Government, this year is expected to focus on the problem of rising prices. Higher should be the aim of the government. Favorable policies in the agro input sector, etc would surely help in utilizing the business potentials, in the future.

Indian Railways!

Couple of years back, India’s Railway Department had managed to bring around a good financial turnaround without any hike in the passenger fares. But this year, estimates say that the Indian Railways might miss out on the target for the year 2010-11. In the year 2010, Railways incurred a huge loss of Rs. 4000 crore. This was mainly because of the negative impacts on freight earnings and the setback on passenger earnings owing to the Naxal activities in several states of India.

The question that crops up in this situation is that will India’s Railway Department suffer a setback this time?

Information Technology!

The IT industry in India has shown amazing resilience during the period of recession.  The demand for the IT Services exports is being expected to go on with countries like Europe and US recovering and also due to the increase in discretionary that the consumers spend on IT infrastructure. As per the reports by NASSCOM, it is expected that the exports would dominate the IT industry in India that comes to about USD 59 billion out of USD 76 billion in the software industry.

However, there are certain concerns and fear as well for the IT sector such as slower recovery that the developed markets of US etc, high wage inflation and attrition, pricing pressure owing to competition in the domestic markets and protectionist stance on the part of the Government of US etc. With such a scenario in the backdrop the IT industry must be eagerly awaiting for the proposal in the budget, by the Government.

Construction!

Construction & Infrastructure contributes to about 8-10% in the GDP of India. For an overall development of the country, the importance and role of infrastructure is not unknown to us. However, a big gap has been created in the targets that have been set up for the infrastructure industry and the achievements. This has been due to the slow functioning of the several related sectors, shortfall in the awarding projects, funding potential shortfalls, time and cost overruns in the construction phase etc. Government should now start addressing these problems in the Construction and Infrastructure industry. This year, as per the signals from the Finance Minister, the infrastructure sector is expected to restrict itself from its expectations on tax relief and tax breaks, thereby focusing on how to raise capital and engage in project development.

FMCG!

The FMCG sector saw a series of new launches as well as acquisitions in the year 2010, which contributed phenomenally to the sector with a growth of about 15%. The GDP growth was estimated to be 8.75% in FY11. Hence the sector is expected to continue this way, although it will be faced with several challenges such as irregular monsoon and inflation. After the harvest of the Rabi crop, we can expect the situation to get reversed. With a shift in demand from need to want, it is being expected that the categories associated with home care and personal care would grow at a rate of 15% and 20% correspondingly, in CY11.

Telecom Services & Equipments!

At the moment, the telecom industry in India is characterized by high operating cost, stagnant revenue, huge debt, dwindling earnings, regulatory uncertainty etc. There has been a very slow revenue growth at about 0.4%. The launch of 3G and MNP might act as the immediate momentum. With key metrics declining at an abating rate, it is expected that the telecom sector would do better in FY12E in comparison to FY11E. Companies having foreign market exposure might experience higher growth. During FY12, while the telecom stocks may stay subdued, but at the end of FY12E we might witness the narrowing down of discounts in the broader markets.

Radio-trackers on Indian students: Bartering self-respect for safety!

Recently, a University in California, namely the Tri-Valley University was accused of duping many Indian students after which the University was declared “sham” by ICE that is the Immigration and Custom Enforcement.  As per the federal complaint that was filed in California, the University was believed to assist the foreign nationals to obtain the immigration status illegally. It was reported that the students paid huge amount of money in order to obtain their visa and the work permit.

The Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) investigations revealed that students were enrolled into the University for the online and residential courses. While officially and in paper the University is located in California, however, the university was found to work illegally in different regions of the country such as Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Texas.

Blame on Indian Staff

Following the incident, the Tri-Valley University has made the Indian staff working at the University, responsible for the entire incident. The Founder and the President of Tri-Valley University, Susan Su was found saying that the Indian people who worked at the University were responsible for cheating on the Indian students of the University in regards to immigration fraud. To quote her:

“We make millions of dollars that is true. You are calculating the number, calculating our income. But we do not do cheating, its supposed to be right. This is the standard we charge. We have so many students signed up. We never forced anybody to sign up with us.”

Post this incident, the Tri-Valley University was shut down, with regards to charges of immigration fraud in large numbers. The university was having 1555 students out of which 95% were Indian nationals. Most of the students of the University were found to be from the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. The Indian students have also lost their visa as a consequent of this. The US Immigration Department however said that the immigration status of these duped students could be considered for reinstating.

Forced Radio Tagging

As the ‘sham’ University was accused of duping the Indian students, the affected students as a result of this, was then forced to go for radio tagging. To the utter disappointment of the Indian community, the students were asked to wear radio trackers in their ankles, so that the authorities can keep a track of the activities and movements. Ankle monitors are capable of sending radio frequency signals to the receiver that would contain the location and several other information. The students also had to face severe interrogation process by the authorities.

Jayaram Komati from the Telugu Association of North America was found saying to a private channel in India that although the university was completely at fault, yet the Indian students became the victims of the entire situation.

To quote Jayaram Komati

“We heard that (External Affairs Minister) S M Krishna is trying to talk to the State Department. Hopefully this type of pressure will make this much easier (to resolve the issue).”

One of the Indian students who were also duped by the University said that the University was suddenly shut down. The students were not aware of what was taking place between the US government and the University. He also said the about 100 Indian students at the University were duped.

To quote the student:

“We don’t know what is happening with the university and the US government. We have been told that we are illegal immigrants………We went to the local Senator and the Indian embassy. We also met the local attorney to help us but everyone is saying that this is the deportation process. People from immigration office came to my room and said they needed some information about our college. Before going, they put tags on our ankles and said this is the tracking system.”

The duped students have been facing deportation threats threat of going back home as a result of losing their visa status.

India Protests

The radio tagging incident that happened with the Indian Students, following the incident of getting duped by a fake university, has triggered outrage and sharp reactions in India. India said that it would ask US about how a dubious educational institute was allowed to operate. The Indian community in Washington also expressed anger and shock over the issue.

S M Krishna, the External Affairs Minister stressed the fact that the issue of the Indian students being radio tagged, has been taken up by India with USA, very strongly and at the highest level. He also said that India’s Ambassador and Consul-General in San Francisco have been in constant touch with the duped Indian students. Krishna also termed this radio-tagging incident as “unacceptable”.

He strongly protested and condemned this radio tagging activity and said that it is “inhuman”. He also demanded for the US government to take severe actions against the officials who were involved in this inhuman act.

To quote Krishna

“Indian students are not criminals. The radio collars should immediately be removed,”……… “All help will be extended to the students. Parents need not worry since the matter has been taken up with appropriate authorities.”

Raising this issue with the Deputy Ambassador, US, the external affairs ministry also stated that the radio trackers were completely “unwarranted”.

To quote Vishnu Prakash, spokesman for the Indian external affairs ministry:

“We have conveyed to the US authorities that the students, most of who are victims themselves, must be treated fairly and reasonably, and that the use of monitors on a group of students, who were detained and later released with monitors in accordance with US laws, is unwarranted and should be removed.”

A well-known community leader, Ramesh Annamreddy said that the affected students should be provided with sufficient scope to elucidate and clarify their individual positions thereby presenting their case. Further, those students who wish to come back to India, must be permitted to do that voluntarily while those who did not violate any immigration or visa laws, must be provided with the opportunity to adjust and clear their status. Those students who are eligible for seeking transfer to some other universities must be offered appropriate opportunity and the required time to be able to do so.

To quote Ramesh Annamreddy:

“Not only are their dreams shattered, but they are undergoing the worst treatment they could never imagine on the land which is very sensitive to human rights,”

He further added that all the affected Indian students came down to United States of America with the aim to obtain quality education. It’s very unfortunate on the part of the students that they are being dealt as if they are criminals that to without any fault of theirs.

The CPI-M also severely condemned US for making use of radio trackers in order to keep track of the Indian students. They also criticized the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh and hold him responsible for the entire situation.

In an editorial of a Newspaper in West Bengal, Ganashakti, which is unofficially regarded as the mouthpiece of CPI-M in West Bengal, it was said that

“Now the Indian students in the US are reaping the dividends for the fondness. The future of a large number of Indian students has become uncertain because of the policy adopted by the country our prime minister is so fond of……..Radio collars are used to track animals and now they are using such kind of devices to keep a track on Indian students in the US. It’s an insult. The use of these devices is making Indian students vulnerable in that country.”

Strongly criticizing this forced radio tagging activity on the Indian students, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) called upon the authorities from US to take away the radio tracking monitors from the Indian students who have been the victim of a situation whereby they were defrauded by one of California’s sham university. This prominent political party in India also made the officials involved, responsible for this “inhuman treatment”. They said further that the officials should definitely be punished. Timothy J. Roemer, activists of the human rights cell of Bharatiya Janata Party in one of the memorandums to US Ambassador stated that the State Department, US must take up lenient view since the students were not at fault.

Sudhir Aggarwal, the National Convener of the human rights cell of Bharatiya Janata Party stated that

“The radio collars forced on the students are unwarranted monitors which should be removed immediately and officers who are guilty of this inhuman treatment should punished. The students should be provided legal help free of cost and the students must be treated fairly and reasonably.”

India also asked the US officials and authorities to keep them updated about all the information, investigation process and prosecution against the fraud university that is California’s Tri-Valley University.

Ravi Madala, the president of the North America Telugu Society (NATS) said that:

“Telugu community in North America is deeply disturbed” at the happening of the incident.

US Defends

In reply to the reactions and anger on the part of the Indian communities, however, the United States of America reacted in a very defensive way stating radio tagging is generally a “standard procedure” that is followed as a part of different investigations. The same has been the case with the duped Indian students who have been asked to wear radio trackers in their ankles.

To quote the US Embassy:

“Use of ankle monitors is widespread across the United States and standard procedure for a variety of investigations, and does not necessarily imply guilt or suspicion of criminal activity.”

A helpline was opened by the US authorities for the Indian students. Lari K Haley, the spokesperson of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said that a voicemail and email address has been set up for the Indian students at the Tri-Valley University of California. This would enable the students to directly contact the ICE Homeland Security Investigations for any types of query or problem.

Haley also added that the affected students can just make a call at the US number “415-844-5320” and place their query through voice messages. The call would be answered by a representative of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Students seeking help can also mail their problem or questions at ‘SFRHSIFraud@dhs.gov’.

Owing to the incident of Indian students being duped by a sham university of California and the reactions of anger and shock that triggered in as a result of this, the US authorities assured that if the duped victims goes back to India and thinks of applying for the new visa, then he would be treated in the same way as any other candidate would be treated.

Dreams Shattered?

The Indian students who have been duped by one of Californian University declared fake is facing an uncertain and doubtful future as the court would not hear their appeal is prior the month of September. The affected students who are mostly from the state of Andhra Pradesh strongly feel that they have been treated in a bad and inhuman way, without even being at fault. They also want that the Government of India intervenes into the matter and help the students to get a transfer in the other universities of US.

The family members of the students are also worried of the fact that, their children have been tied down with radio trackers, which may lead to deportation issues. As a result of this entire incident that happened, not only the dreams for higher education of the students crashed down, but they are now facing a bleak future as well. The also had to face a huge amount of monetary loss. With the appeal of the affected students not coming up for hearing prior the month of September, the deputed Indian students might also have to go through an agonizing wait!

The moot question that the situation has placed us with is, paying the price of someone else’s fault, to what extent is this justified? The Indian students at the Tri-Valley University of California enrolled themselves for higher education at the university, just like any other normal student would do. Then why would they pay the price of the illegal activities on the part of the University and the officials? Why would they batter their self respect for safety, is a matter of great concern and must be thought of well! Radio-trackers on Indian students: Bartering self-respect for safety- Is that justified?

Cabinet Reshuffle: Old players in a New Game!

An informal term, Cabinet reshuffle or shuffle is an event that takes place at the Parliament whereby the head of the Government changes or rotates or rather shuffles the composition of the existing ministers in the cabinet and their responsibilities.

Generally, a cabinet reshuffle refers to that where few ministers from the cabinet are shifted from the existing portfolio to some other. The cabinet shuffle may take place periodically depending on whether there arises the need to replace the ministers who have retired or might have resigned. Forming the cabinets or reshuffling of cabinets also serves as a major way for the Government to punish or reward any supporter. It is a practice leading to shuffling of ministers when a new section or group in a party happens to takes over. Cabinet reshuffles are less common in those systems where the members of the Cabinet are not selected from the legislative branch.

Speculations on Cabinet Reshuffle, 2011

The Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh’s comments regarding the reshuffling of the cabinet prior to the winter months, triggered lot of speculations on the cabinet reshuffle of 2011. Several theories were being put forward behind the reasons for such a move by the Government.

Although Manmohan Singh expressed the desire to pull down the age of the Cabinet, yet the Congress was of the opinion that this would require a major and big shake-up. Many in the party also felt that the Prime Minster should wait for the coming year in order to undertake a proper and meaningful reshuffle, thereby providing the people with a strong and good political message!

To quote one of the Congress leaders:

“He may be able to do some cosmetic changes like induction of two or three ministers, but a major exercise appears very difficult,”.

In a question as to why did the Prime Minister at all give indications for reshuffling, it was believed that may be Manmohan Singh wanted to fill up the 4 vacancies created by resignation of Shashi Tharoor and Meira Kumar’s election as the speaker  of the Lok Sabha.

According to some other source, reshuffling was needed in order to address certain situations in few states. Another possible reason, sources said, could be the need to address the situation in certain states.

Speculations were on high and it is being believed that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would induct several new faces while some of the ministers from Congress would be sent for the party work. Speculations were also that owing to his deteriorating health, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, K. Rosaiah would be replaced by Jaipal Reddy, Union urban development minister. It was also speculated that Sheila Dikshit, the Delhi Chief Minister would be moved to the Union Cabinet, post the Commonwealth Games, 2010.

Finally the Cabinet Reshuffle Happened!

The 1^st ever cabinet reshuffle for the nineteenth months of United Progressive Alliance (UPA)-II government, finally happened on Wednesday 19^th 2011 at New Delhi thereby offering an end to the many speculations that cropped in prior the reshuffle.

Sonia Gandhi, the Congress president was seen meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday 18^th 2011 for about two hours in order to finalize and decide on the cabinet shuffle for the union council of ministers.

Although several speculations were there prior the reshuffle regarding the nature of reshuffle and different versions were also being put up for the same, yet it was very clear for all that the “big four” at the cabinet ministry – Defence Minister A.K. Antony, Home Minister P. Chidmabaram, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna – will surely retain their responsibilities and portfolios.

Three new ministers from the cabinet were elevated from their rank of minister of state while 3 new ministers of state were inducted in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) II government, which is about 19 months old. The reshuffle is being looked up as an exercise by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to better the image of his ministry and free it up from the charges of corruption scandals and non-performance. The new ministers took the oaths of office and secrecy at the Ashoka Hall in Rastrapati Bhavan in the presence of President of India, Pratibha Patil who administered the whole process. Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Cabinet ministers and several dignitaries were also present at the oath ceremony.

The first cabinet reshuffle of 2011 saw the promotion of Praful Patel, Salman Khursheed and Shriprakash Jaiswal to the cabinet ministry. K.C. Venugopal, Ashwani Kumar and Beni Prasad Berma were sworn in as new ministers of state.

Following this large-scale reshuffle, the responsibility of water resources was given to Khursheed along with the additional charge of minority affairs. Patel took over the charge of heavy industries and public enterprises while though getting promotion for the good work done, Jaiswal retained his portfolio.

The overseas Indian affairs minister, Vayalar Ravi, got the additional charge of aviation.

Surprisingly, S Jaipal Reddy was given the charge of petroleum and natural gas in the cabinet shuffle.

Beni Prasad Verma, who had been Cabinet minister in the 1996 United Front government, got the MoS Independent Charge at the reshuffle. He got the portfolio of steel.

Murli Deora was shifted from the portfolio of petroleum and natural gas to corporate affairs.

Reddy has been changed from the urban development ministry that now lies with Kamal Nath. Kamal Nath’s existing portfolio of road transport and highways has now been given to C P Joshi.

Praful Patel, NCP, was elevated to the Cabinet Ministry with a shift from the civil aviation to heavy industries and public enterprises and Khursheed has been shifted from corporate affairs portfolio to water resources.

Jaiswal retained his portfolio of coal while moving up to the Cabinet Ministry.

Maken, was shifted from his portfolio of MoS home affairs to youth affairs and sports as MoS Independent charge.

Prof K V Thomas, who was responsible for MoS consumer affairs, food and public distribution before the reshuffle, was elevated as MoS with Independent charge in the same section.

This cabinet reshuffle saw some induction of new faces and the coming back of some after a long gap. Ashwani Kumar came back to the government as the minister of state for the portfolio of parliamentary affairs, planning, science and technology and earth sciences.

K C Venugopal is among the new entrant who got the portfolio of Power as MoS.

M S Gill was moved from sports and youth affairs to the portfolio of statistics and program implementation.

The Congress veteran from Himachal Pradesh, Virbhadra Singh was changed from the portfolio of steel to micro, small and medium Enterprises. Vilasrao Deshmukh was changed ferom heavy industries and public enterprises to rural development. Vilasrao Deshmukh was also given the additional charge of Panchayati Raj.

The portfolio of Kamal Nath was changed from road and transport to urban development. The overseas Indian affairs minister Vayalar Ravi was given the additional charge of civil aviation.

Kapil Sibal, who was earlier responsible for telecom following the exit of A Raja, retained both HRD and telecom after the reshuffle. Pawan Kumar Bansal, who retained the parliamentary affairs, got science and technology and earth sciences.

B K Handique was changed from the mines portfolio and was given the responsibility of development of northeastern region. C P Joshi was shifted from rural development to road transport and highways.

Selja was moved from Tourism portfolio and was given the additional charge of culture ministry whilst keeping the housing and urban poverty alleviation.

Subodh Kant Sahay at the reshuffle has been shifted from food processing industries to tourism.

The minister of state with independent charge, Dinsha Patel, has been shifted from micro, small and medium enterprises to the portfolio of mines.

With this reshuffle Union Council of Ministers stands at a total of 81 ministers consisting of 35 Cabinet ministers, six MoS with Independent charges while the remaining are ministers of state.

In this cabinet reshuffle of 19^th January 2011, no minister has been dropped. This has been described by the Prime Minister Manmohan Sing as “minor”. He also said that a “more expansive exercise” will be undertaken following the Budget Session of Parliament.

Major Highlights

Coming Back of Ashwani Kumar as Minister

Ashwani Kumar had been a MP of Punjab MP, a Minister of the State, Science and Technology and Parliamentary Affairs. 50 year old, Fifty eight-year-old Ashwani Kumar, who joined UPA-II Cabinet list of lawyer-turned ministers, saw a major come back in the Union government following the recent cabinet reshuffle, after a long gap.

Ashwani Kumar happens to practice as a senior lawyer in the Supreme Court and has a political family back ground. Earlier one of the national spokes person for the Congress, Ashwani Kumar is the son of the former Punjab assembly Speaker, Prabodh Chandra. Born in the capital city of Delhi, Kumar has written many articles on economic reforms, law, democracy and international affairs and elections. Kumar was also India’s additional ex- solicitor general and got elected at the Rajya Sabha in the year 2002. He was then the minister of state of industries in the UPA-I. Apart from being an active parliamentarian Ashwani Kumar was also a renowned member of the committee on public accounts and external affairs.

Is Beni Prasad Verma Happy?

Beni Prasad Verma, a member of the Parliament from Uttar Pradesh, was given the charge of Minister of State, Steel (Independent Charge). For most part of his political career, Verma engaged in anti-Congress activism and after a long gap of about a decade, got back to the Union Council of Ministers. This 70 year old Beni Prasad Verma, a prominent leader from the state of Uttar Pradesh served as the Union minister for Communications in between the years 1996 and 1998, in the time of the United Front regime. Although entrusted with a new portfolio and new responsibilities, yet owing certain circumstances made people think as to whether Beni Prasad Verma is happy with his current role, following the recent cabinet reshuffle of 2011. Post the cabinet reshuffle process, it appeared like Verma was unhappy for not being made the Cabinet Minster. Just after the reshuffle, Beni Prasad Verma was found closeted with his close supporters at his home, following the swearing-in ceremony. He did not even come to receive the greetings from his followers who were present there with bouquets and sweets.

Later on however, he was found expressing to the media about his faith on Sonia Gandhi, the Congress president. To quote him- “I am a soldier of Congress party.” When questioned about his becoming the cabinet minister, he said- “May be. I will keep it as a suspense, I will not tell you what it is.”

He added further that “I have got more respect in Congress than in Samajwadi party,”.

Venugopal: The Young Face!

The single new minister to join the ministry of Manmohan Singh is K C Venugopal, the 1^st time Lok Sabha MP from the state of Kerala. With his ministerial appearance for the first time at the Centre, this young face at the Union government is an MP from Alapuzha. Forty Seven year old K C Venugopal was lucky enough to have got power very quickly by catching hold of the slot of minister of state in the power ministry.

Ashwani Kumar and Beni Prasad Verma, the new ministers at the UPA following the reshuffle and minor expansion on Wednesday 19^th, 2011, along with K C Venugopal, earlier have been Union Ministers.

A volleyball player at the university level and an ardent sports lover, K C Venugopal came in owing Shashi Tharoor’s exit from the ministry because of the IPL controversy. The entry of Venugopal into the ministry is being believed to be move to influence and persuade the Nair Community prior to the Kerala Assembly Elections in the month of May.

Cabinet Reshuffle: Old players in a New Game!

NEW DELHI: In the first major revamp of his Council of Ministers, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday inducted three new ministers of state and promoted three to Cabinet rank while reshuffling some portfolios. Here is the list of the changes:

Cabinet Ministers

• Praful Patel: Heavy industries and public enterprises
• Salman Khursheed: Water resources and additional charge of minority affairs
• Sriprakash Jaiswal: Coal

Ministers of State

• KC Venugopal: Power
• Ashwani Kumar: Planning and parliamentary affairs, science and technology, and earth sciences

Minister of State (Independent Charge)

• Ajay Maken: Youth affairs and sports
• KV Thomas: Consumer affairs, food and public distribution
• Beni Prasad Verma: steel

The portfolios of the following ministers have also been changed:

Cabinet Ministers

• Sharad Pawar: Agriculture and food processing industries
• Vilasrao Deshmukh: Rural development and additional charge of Panchayati Raj
• Virbhadra Singh: Micro, small and medium enterprises
• S Jaipal Reddy: Petroleum and natural gas
• Vayalar Ravi: Overseas Indian affairs and additional charge of civil aviation
• Kamal Nath: Urban development
• Murli Deora: Corporate affairs
• BK Handique: Development of north-eastern region
• Kapil Sibal: Human resource development and additional charge of communications and information technology
• CP Joshi: Road transport and highways
• Subodh Kant Sahay: Tourism
• Kumari Selja: Housing and urban poverty alleviation and additional charge of culture
• M.S. Gill: Statistics and programme implementation
• Pawan Kumar Bansal: Parliamentary affairs and additional charge of science and technology and earth sciences

Ministers of State

• Harish Rawat: Agriculture and food processing industries
• E Ahamed: External affairs
• V Narayanasamy: Parliamentary affairs and personnel, public grievances and pensions and Prime Minister’s Office
• Sai Prathap: Heavy industries and public enterprises
• Gurudas Kamat: Home affairs
• Bharatsinh Solanki: Railways
• Mahadev S Khandela : Tribal affairs
• Jitin Prasada: Road transport and highways
• RPN Singh: Petroleum and natural gas and corporate affairs
• Arun Yadav: Agriculture and food processing industries
• Tusharbhai Chaudhary: Road transport and highways
• Pratik Prakashbapu Patil: coal
• Vincent Pala: Water resources and minority affairs

Minister of State (Independent Charge)

• Dinsha Patel: Mines