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The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Congress releases BJP's '11 year' report card, flags rising hunger, inequality
The Congress on Monday (June 9, 2025) released a booklet to mark Narendra Modi's 11 years at the Centre, highlighting stagnated growth rate, rising hunger, and his "unfulfilled promises". Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, said that the booklet, '11 Saal, Jhoothe Vikaas ke vade', commemorates "some of the biggest lies of this Government." Addressing a press conference, AICC research department head Rajeev Gowda, who prepared the booklet, alleged, "This government is very good at fake news and propaganda. It is our job as the Opposition to get people to know this grim reality." He said that to expose the BJP's on its promises the party was releasing two sets of documents. The booklet, 'Ek Aur Baar Jumla Sarkar', he said, looks at the promises made by the BJP in its 2024 manifesto, and has since made. The other one, he said, is '11 Saal Jhoote Vikaas Ke Vaade', which is a "detailed exposé" of the "hollow promises" of the BJP. "In the 11-Saal document, one of the first themes that they (BJP) highlight is taking care of the poor and the marginalised. They are very happy that 81 crore people are getting free food grains under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY). But the basic problem of hunger is a much larger crisis in India, and it puts us at 105th out of 127 countries in the World Hunger Index. "Its implications: malnutrition is affecting our children in a horrible way, crippling their growth. Stunting is at 35.5%; Wasting is at 19.3%; Underweight is at 32.1%," Mr. Gowda said. He said that nearly a third of Indian children are suffering from malnutrition, even as the BJP insists on Viksit Bharat. "Let's remind our PM that he has a duty to our children and their future. They (BJP) claim that they have created 4 times the Eklavya residential schools since 2014. They have announced 700+ schools, out of which 300 are still non-functional. Is it rocket science to set up and run a school?" he wondered. The Congress leader also alleged that the Centre's claim that India added over 5,000 defence items to the indigenisation list was also not true. "Sadly, 40% of the items listed for indigenisation have not been indigenized as of now. India remains one of the top importers of defence rather than a producer and exporter. "If you look at 'mission mode DRDO projects', 23 out of 55 have been delayed, and the share of R&D in our defence budget is only 5.45%," he said. Neither is the claim that India was the fastest-growing large economy was true, he said. "This is true, but what rate are we growing? Are we able to encash our demographic dividend? Any economist will tell you that if we grow below 8.5% a year, we are sacrificing the future of crores and crores of our youngsters because we will not have enough growth, jobs and opportunities that are required to just fulfil the target—the great jumla — 2 crores jobs per year," he claimed. He said India's growth is 6.5% over the last year, which is the lowest rate after the COVID period. "So, what is happening in this 11th year of your Sarkaar, PM Modi? What is happening is reflected in the response of the private sector. Is the Indian private sector investing in India? If you look at the investment figures, after you have given the bonanza tax cut, nothing has changed. They still don't have confidence in the management of your economy to invest," the Congress leader said. He said the fixed capital formation has come down to 32.4%, which was an 11-year low. "There is another legacy: the glaring inequality. The share of wealth in India's top 1% of people is 40%. And the bottom 50% have to make do with just over 3%," the former Congress MP said, adding that this is not the economy the country wants. Mr. Gowda said that at top universities, 5,000 teaching posts were vacant as of November 2024 and 35% of faculty posts at AIIMS-Delhi and the new AIIMS had over 40% faculty vacancy. He sought to blow a hole also into the Centre's UDAN Scheme and the ease of living standards for middle-class India in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. "More than 50% of approved routes never took off by 2023. Of the 619 routes under the UDAN Scheme, only 323 are operational. After ₹4,500 crore spent, UDAN is still struggling to fly," he said. Mr. Gowda said 142 crore trees were planted under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam', but the highest tree cover loss has been recorded under the BJP government. Congress leader Mahima Singh said in the last 11 years there have been only 'jumlas'. She said that though the BJP claimed that the government distributed ₹3.7 lakh crore to PM Kisan beneficiaries between April 2022 and November 2023, about 2.25 crore beneficiaries were removed from the list.
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Dibrugarh gears up for monsoon with pre-emptive food security measures
1 2 3 4 5 6 Dibrugarh: Food, public distribution and consumer affairs department in Dibrugarh has implemented comprehensive measures to ensure food security during the upcoming monsoon season, when the district typically faces flooding urgent preparedness meeting was convened on Tuesday, under the chairmanship of additional district commissioner Biraj Boruah, bringing together key stakeholders responsible for maintaining the district's food supply chain during potential flood gathering included representatives from multiple agencies crucial to food distribution logistics, including the director of the Dibrugarh branch of the Indian Food Corporation, transporters, secretaries of cooperative societies, and members of the fair price shop owners' stakeholders deliberated on strategies to ensure uninterrupted food supply to vulnerable areas that often become isolated during heavy flooding. The meeting specifically emphasised the importance of advance preparation for the months of June, July and Aug — typically the peak monsoon period in Assam.A significant decision made during the meeting was to expedite the distribution of rice under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY). All fair price shop owners and cooperative society secretaries were instructed to collect their rice allocations for the month of June, July and Aug well in advance from designated storage facilities."Our priority is to ensure that no resident faces food shortag during the monsoon season. We have adequate rice stocks to meet emergency needs. Our warehouses are strategically located to serve flood-prone areas, and we've already begun repositioning supplies closer to historically vulnerable zones. Fair price shop owners have been directed to maintain at least three months' worth of supplies beginning in May, so that even if roads are cut off, residents will have access to essential food items," the ADC preparedness strategy also includes identifying alternative transportation routes and establishing floating distribution centres that can reach isolated communities when conventional access becomes district administration has also established a 24/7 control room that will monitor water levels and coordinate food distribution throughout the monsoon season. Mobile phone numbers of all key personnel have been widely distributed to enable rapid communication during emergencies.
Time of India
28-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Compelling need for tax reforms in GST, says Congress' Jairam Ramesh
Jairam Ramesh NEW DELHI: Congress on Sunday attacked government, alleging that "sharpening inequality" is now firmly embedded in the nature of the country's economic growth. It also said there is a "compelling need for tax reforms in GST, ending brazen corporate favouritism and providing income support for families and incentives for household savings". World Bank has released its poverty and equity brief for India, and the report raises several concerns even as the Modi govt spins it to its benefit, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said. World Bank has said, "Over the past decade, India has significantly reduced poverty. Extreme poverty defined as living on less than $2.15 per day fell from 16.2% in 2011-12 to 2.3% in 2022-23, lifting 171 million people above this line." Ramesh said as per calculations , poverty has continued its downward trend in recent years to reach extremely low levels. "This reflects the success of India's growth story - which began with liberalisation in June 1991 and which has since taken a momentum of its own - and that of several social welfare interventions developed by Dr Manmohan Singh's govt during 2004-14," he said. The most important intervention was MGNREGA , which effectively set a floor on the annual income for crores of families, acting as a safety net to keep them out of poverty, and National Food Security Act that provides the foundation for Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, he said. He said, "Lack of clarity and transparency over prevalence of poverty in India is a result of this govt's confused and opaque policymaking". "Since the Rangarajan Committee Report submitted in 2014, govt has not set any updated poverty line," Ramesh said.
Time of India
27-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Compelling need for ending tax reforms in GST, says Congress' Jairam Ramesh
Jairam Ramesh NEW DELHI: Congress on Sunday attacked government, alleging that "sharpening inequality" is now firmly embedded in the nature of the country's economic growth. It also said there is a "compelling need for tax reforms in GST, ending brazen corporate favouritism and providing income support for families and incentives for household savings". World Bank has released its poverty and equity brief for India, and the report raises several concerns even as the Modi govt spins it to its benefit, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said. World Bank has said, "Over the past decade, India has significantly reduced poverty. Extreme poverty defined as living on less than $2.15 per day fell from 16.2% in 2011-12 to 2.3% in 2022-23, lifting 171 million people above this line." Ramesh said as per calculations , poverty has continued its downward trend in recent years to reach extremely low levels. "This reflects the success of India's growth story - which began with liberalisation in June 1991 and which has since taken a momentum of its own - and that of several social welfare interventions developed by Dr Manmohan Singh's govt during 2004-14," he said. The most important intervention was MGNREGA , which effectively set a floor on the annual income for crores of families, acting as a safety net to keep them out of poverty, and National Food Security Act that provides the foundation for Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, he said. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Bury Saint Edmunds: Born Between 1940-1975 You May Be Eligible For This Life Cover Reassured Get Quote Undo He said, "Lack of clarity and transparency over prevalence of poverty in India is a result of this govt's confused and opaque policymaking". "Since the Rangarajan Committee Report submitted in 2014, govt has not set any updated poverty line," Ramesh said.
