THE HIMALAYAN BEACON [BEACON ONLINE]

PHOTO BY BARUN ROY

Darjeeling Town - a few years ago and still the same! Photo by Barun Roy. Click on the image to enlarge

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Dear Friends,

Greetings from Darjeeling!

Well, I have been put up with a slammer of questions by many of you folks and I will certainly try to answer each question to the best of my ability. However, you must understand that while the answers to the questions by any one that includes me are always based on the allegiance of the person (answering the question), the answers may or may not be completely honest and therefore not completely true. It is thus, upon you, to extract the truth from the numerous answers to your one question.

Please note that I answer these questions not as a person but as a non aligned and non concerned eyewitness – so that my answers are not seemingly patriotic or seemingly partisan.

Why are the people of Darjeeling Hills demanding Gorkhaland? Just for Identity sake? Or are there other logical reasons?

The question of why do demands of Statehood arise in India and more so the demand for Gorkhaland may not be so easily answered. India is a country which may or may not be a practical unit to govern in terms of political ideologies due to the mere diversity of the people who populate it. The future of the nation lies in the fact that that the concept and consciousness of market economy lays roots in all the towns and villages of the nation and the people irrespective of what they are privately becomes a progressive contributing element, publicly. Today, the population is merely a complacent lot demanding one Right from the other while expressively withdrawing themselves from some of the smallest of civic duties. Read the rest of this entry »

FROM PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Manmohan Singh. A PTI Photo

New Delhi, Feb 28 (PTI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the Budget was aimed at consolidation of fiscal deficit and moderation of taxes and will meet challenges of the economic growth of the country.

On the controversial black money issue and lack of any amnesty scheme in the Budget to bring it back, Singh said there have been such schemes in past that have yielded little success.

“I don’t think they have succeed in providing permanent cure for black money. We need to have a systems reform in a holistic manner to deal with this menace,” he said.

Congratulating Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for doing a “commendable” job, Singh said, “You cannot please all the people. The Finance Minister has done as good a job as possible.”

He was responding to a query on why there was no increase in the income tax exemption limit for women. Read the rest of this entry »

The full text of Union Budget 2011 presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the floor of the Upper House of the Union Parliament today.

Madam Speaker,

I rise to present the Budget for 2009-10.

2. Just 140 days back, I had the privilege to present the Interim Budget for 2009-10. It is a rare honour that I have been called upon to present the regular budget after the new Government assumed office.

3. The Congress-led UPA Government has come back to power with a renewed mandate. As Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, said recently “It is a mandate for continuity, stability and prosperity. It is a mandate for inclusive growth and equitable development.” It is a mandate that we accept with humility and a firm resolve to do all that we can for the welfare of this nation.

4. I am deeply conscious of the faith reposed by the people in our government and the responsibilities that come with it. I am sensitive to the great challenge of rising expectations of a young India . It reflects a population that is restless, yet engaged and is ready to seize the opportunities that it is presented with. There are new and powerful reasons for us to create, facilitate and sustain those opportunities.  Read the rest of this entry »