UPA pricks Modi's growth bubble
Gujarat has 80% malnourished women against
national average of 51%, says Ambika Soni
The Union Group of Ministers on media focused on the achievements of
the UPAII, while countering the developmental claims made by Chief Minister
Narendra Modi.
Union Home Minister P Chidabaram did not dispute state's growth rate,
but claimed that when the average growth rate of the country is a certain
number it is natural for some states to have a growth rate higher than
the national average. He said that Gujarat's planned outlay was Rs 11,000
crore in 2005, which has risen to Rs 51,000 crore in 2012. “The outlay
has state resources and Central resources,” Chidambaram said.
Ambika Soni commented on the high rate of malnutrition in women and
children in Gujarat. “In all the BJP-ruled states we hear about the
vibrancy in Gujarat. Vibrancy is achieved only when women and children
live with self respect and without fear,” Soni said.
She claimed that against the national average of 51 per cent of malnourished
women, in Gujarat it was 46 per cent in 2004, which has risen to 80
per cent now.
Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid claimed that while the Centre gave
63 lakh scholarships to children belonging to the minority community,
the Gujarat government has refused the scholarship programme claiming
that they had adequate programmes to take care of the minorities.
Asked about the jolt to the UPA after the SC rejected 4.5 per cent sub-quota
for minorities in central educational institutions, including in IITs
this year, Khurshid claimed that the Centre will soon approach the regular
bench of the Supreme Court and that SC vacation bench always tends to
be a bit conservative. “There is no need to go to Parliament as such
decisions can be taken by the executive and we provided the material
needed to bolster the case. We will approach the regular bench now,”
he claimed.
PARENTS
OF MISSING KIDS MEET CHIDU
Members
of Search My Child, a campaign initiated by a non-profit organisation,
submitted a memorandum to Union home minister P Chidambaram requesting
him to assist the parents searching for their missing children at the
national level.
They requested Chidambaram for integration of regional efforts to search
missing children by forming a national database for missing children
and ask state nodal agencies to report to this agency.
DIGVIJAY
COMPARES MODI TO RAVAN
After
sympathising with Sanjay Joshi following his “forced” exit from
BJP, senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh has likened Modi to demon
king Ravan, asking him to shun vanity. “If you see Ravan, he had also
a good track record of development, he had made (Sri) Lanka of gold.
But what end he met with lot of pride and ego everybody knows,” Digvijay
Singh said on a question of Modi being projected as 'Vikas Purush'.
“In the same way Modiji should somewhat understand these things,”
Singh told reporters at the city airport last night during a private
visit.
“He should shun pride and ego and the picture for him will get clear,”
the Congress leader advised Modi.
GOVT LASHES
OUT AT MINISTERS
Health
minister and state government spokesman Jaynarayan Vyas hit out at the
three Union ministers who criticised Gujarat citing high rate of malnutrition
in women and children.
Vyas claimed that the UPA goverment that is facing several problems
such as inflation, corruption and non-performance and have therefore
visited the state. He claimed Gujarat only received 3.5 per cent of
the grants given by the Centre during the Eleventh Planning Commission
and it has come down to 3.06 per cent in 2012. The Centre takes away
Rs 14,000 per head from the state and gives back Rs 2,000 by way of
grant, he said. Vyas claimed that the figures of malnutrition given
by Union minister for information and broadcasting Ambika Soni were
that of 2005-06 survey and the figures of 80 per cent were that of anaemia
in pregnant women. On problems faced by minorities and allegations that
women are not safe in Gujarat, Vyas refused to comment.
