Mayawati announces one lakh jobs for Valmikis
By admin | March 5, 2008
A day after Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram presented a populist Budget and announced Rs 60,000 crore loan waiver package for small and marginal farmers, UP Chief Minister Mayawati announced the recruitment of over one lakh sanitation workers in each of the 1.08 lakh revenue villages of the state. Sources said the employment scheme was an attempt to counter the goodwill generated by the loan waiver package.
The undue haste of the UP Government in announcing the scheme in the Assembly on March 1 was evident from the fact that none in the top echelons of the state’s bureaucracy was aware of the CM’s announcement. Sources said the formal Cabinet approval was obtained on February 29. The Cabinet note was prepared by the Panchayati Raj Department.
The state Budget for 2008-09, presented by Finance Minister Lalji Verma on February 12, made no mention of the ambitious scheme for providing employment to over one lakh unemployed youth of the Valmiki community (a Dalit caste), who are the traditional vote bank of the Congress. Moreover, such an ambitious scheme involves huge expenditure in terms of salaries and there is no provision for it in the Budget for the next fiscal 2008-09. As per the Government order, dated March 1, as many as 1,08,848 sanitation workers are proposed to be appointed in pay scale of Rs 2,550-3,200. Hiring these workers would entail an annual expenditure of Rs 850 crore to the state exchequer.
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The flood plains of Bihar
By admin | March 3, 2008
Press Statement
Revisiting the flood plains of Bihar
A Fact Finding Team comprising of ecologist, engineer, public health researcher, social scientist, environmental scientist, and journalists from different part of the country is visiting Kosi, Kamala, Bhutahi Balan and Baghmati river in Bihar and Nepal. The visit is scheduled from 1st March-8th March, 2008.
Kosi is a transboundary river between Nepal and India and is one of the largest tributaries of the Ganga.
The team aims to study the human relation with the river, unprecedented ecological rupture in the region, emergence of a canal colony and its impact in terms of diverse costs incurred.
Historically, two rivers in Asia, Huang Ho river in China and Kosi river in Bihar are known as the rivers of sorrow. The rivers were named so because these rivers have caused widespread human suffering in the past.
Coincidentally, the Fact Finding Team’s visit assumes significance in the backdrop of Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar having received the report of yet another technical committee headed by Nilendu Sanyal on 22 February, 2008 in Patna. The committee was formed in the wake of the last floods, which ravaged major parts of the state for suggesting measures to check recurring flood in Bihar.
This trend of examining the problem with committees after committees began in 1936 and repeated in 1954 without acting on its recommendations. Sanyal had already submitted a report in 1988 in this regard that too is gathering dust.
Not surprisingly, the committee and the government are once again looking for technological solutions to the problem. The team would examine the current situation in the light of 207 recommendations for improving the flood situation given by Rashtriya Barh Ayog (National Commission on Floods).
The team would study how interfering with its flow circuits has undermined natural drainage and examine the efficacy of the solution to the problem of floods that is offered by the government in the context of the ecological integrity of the rivers and a dependent relationship between people and their rivers.
This week long visit to Kosi, Kamala, Bhutahi Balan and Baghmati river by the fact finding team is significant since this river has moved westwards by 160 km in the past 250 years and is crucial to Interlinking of Rivers project. And of the Himalayan component, 6 river-link canals out of the 30 link canals in the Networking of Rivers are directly related to Bihar. Two of these links are related to Kosi.
As per the National Water Development Agency’s plan, a Multi-Purpose High Dam across river Kosi is proposed to be constructed near village, Barahkshetra in Nepal. Besides the High Dam, a barrage across Kosi river is also proposed below the Dam, to transfer water to Mechi river through the Kosi-Mechi link canal.
The team would witness and study the current status of the rivers, flood dependent agrarian regime, flood vulnerability, flood control measures, the agents of change who have attempted to comprehend whether the ecosystem of Kosi is healthy, is developing towards a healthy condition or is it falling apart since it has reached its carrying capacity. The findings of the team and its composition would be shared with media in due course.
For details contact after 9th March:
Dr Dinesh Kumar Mishra, 0919431303360, E-mail: dineshkmishra@
Dr Sudhirendar Sharma, 09868384744, E-mail: sudhirendar@
Gopal Krishna, 09818089660, E-mail: krishnagreen@
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Bihar
By admin | February 28, 2008
The above map shows the major towns/cities of Bihar. What do we know about the social situation in these cities? What is the economy in these cities. Do we have migration data for these cities? How many people have migrated to which part of India and for what reason? What do businessmen and industrialists in these cities feel about the doing business in these cities?
Topics: Statistics | No Comments »
About Gorakhpur
By admin | February 24, 2008
Land area
Male : female ratio
Employment figures
Religious representation
Age representation
Number of graduates
Students passing school
Dropouts
Mortality rates
Births
Deaths
GDP
Tax collection figures
Municipal Corporation
Police stations
Courts
MLA’s
MP’s
Councilors
Various developmental schemes
Other things about
Number of Schools
Colleges
Mosques
Church
Gurudwara
Social clubs like
Rotary
Lions
Industry associations
Chamber of Commerce
Other Associations
Topics: Statistics | No Comments »
Statistics and information
By admin | February 24, 2008
This section will store various facts and demographic and economic information relating to the Gorakhpur region (includes the complete belt) and other pertinent information like the number of people from this belt in each city, their contribution to GDP etc.
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Meeting at Mumbai University
By admin | February 24, 2008
The first Meeting of the Forum will be held as belows:
Date: 20th March 2008
Time: 5:30 pm
Place: University Hall, Kalina Campus
The agenda for the meeting will be to initiate preliminary discussion and develop a plan of action for the year 2008.
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Member Cities
By admin | February 24, 2008
Cities from which agree with the objectives of the Forum and will be working towards fulfilling the objectives are listed here.
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What events can we have?
By admin | February 21, 2008
The following kind of events can be organised:
- Sharing and discussing the real grassroots situation of the Gorakhpur region. These could be in Mumbai and Gorakhpur. People in Gorakhpur need to be as active as those in Mumbai.
- We an organise visits of delegations of sociologists, economists, businessmen etc. to Gorakhpur to better understand the reality there.
- College and school competitions around the theme. College students could be encouraged to do their own research and come with solutions for the area.
- Organising cultural events which will capture popular imagination around the theme.
Topics: Events | 2 Comments »
Active Coordinator list
By admin | February 21, 2008
The current Active Coordinators are:
None right now. Be the first one!
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Be an active coordinator
By admin | February 21, 2008
The effectiveness of the Forum will only be in terms of being active in organising meetings and events which will either help in understanding the revival or actually take activities for the revival.
If you are somebody for whom development and especially this theme then do consider being an active coordinator for the Forum.
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