Agriculture and small industries worst hit by recession
The crippling monsoon failure, the crisis in the recession-hit fabrication industry and poor urban infrastructure are dominant concerns among voters of the Tiruchirappalli Lok Sabha constituency that straddles an emerging Tier-II city and a backward agricultural belt.
The constituency spreads over Tiruchi East, Tiruchi West, Srirangam, Tiruverumbur, Gandharvakottai (SC) and Pudukottai Assembly constituencies and has a blend of urban and rural voters.
For all its much-touted advantages of being an education hub and its central location in the State, Tiruchi is widely seen to be lagging behind other Tier-II cities in terms of infrastructure development. Despite promises, the city was not included under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.
Plans to decongest the city by establishing an integrated bus stand and shifting the wholesale trade of the Gandhi Market to the outskirts have remained on paper for more than two decades.
“We have lost out on many Central government projects, including the proposed upgradation of the government hospital on a par with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences. Tiruchi also remains neglected in terms of rail and domestic air connectivity. We need a Member of Parliament who can lobby effectively for the city’s cause,” says M. Sekaran, president, Federation of Consumer and Welfare Organisations.
The poor monsoon over the past three years has crippled farming in rainfed and well irrigated areas in Srirangam, Gandharvakottai and Pudukottai segments.
“With wells and borewells going dry, we have not been able to raise any crop for the past two years in Manapparai area,” says R. Renganathan, district vice-president, Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam.
Coconut, mango and banana crops have withered in several acres. Farmers have been forced to sell off some of their cattle owing to fodder and water shortage.
Linking of rivers and remunerative price for agricultural produce remain major demands.
“Let the government just create the irrigation infrastructure and give remunerative prices for our produce, we demand nothing else,” says P. Ayyakannu, State vice-president, Bharathiya Kisan Sangam.
Tiruchi’s claim of being a fabrication hub of the country has also come under threat in recent months.
The 400-odd fabrication units, dependent on the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, have been going through a crisis as orders have been dwindling from the public sector major.
Many small units have closed down. The industry has been seeking a push and demanding preferential treatment to the public sector major so that they could benefit in turn.
The constituency has been a favoured turf of national parties with the Congress and Communists winning four times each in 15 elections since 1957.
The BJP too has had its share of success winning twice in 1998 and 1999.
The AIADMK won the seat for the first time in 2001 by-election only to lose it to the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in 2004. The party reclaimed the seat in 2009 when P. Kumar, scraped through in a close finish. Mr. Kumar has been renominated by the party for the 2014 polls.
The DMK, which has won only once in the constituency in 1980, has entered the fray after three decades, fielding NMU Anbazhagan and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) after 1996 has put up S. Sridhar now.
The entry of the DMDK and the Congress (the latter announced Ms. Sarubala R. Thondaman, a member of the Pudukottai royal family, as its candidate on Thursday night) has thrown the field wide open for a multi-cornered fight this time around.
Actor Karan Tacker likes to keep fit through yoga and swimming
“Healthy mind is the source of a healthy physique,” says Karan Tacker, a television actor known for his role in Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai.
The actor says he is not choosy when it comes to food, and does not observe a strict diet. He eats whatever he likes. “Light food is the best thing to keep body active,” he says with a content smile, adding that though he likes both vegetarian and non-vegetarian fare, he leans towards home made food.
“I am a gym lover and regularly spend my time in gym, and this is my basic mantra — to be active all day long,” Tacker says, adding yoga keeps him energetic and active. “It keeps you mentally peaceful too.”
Emphasising the virtues of swimming, he says, “It is also a good option for exercise…Whenever I get time, I just do swimming.” Asked about his fitness mantra, he says “Be happy and smile”.
Tacker is now hosting Halla Bol, which airs on Bindass every Friday. The 13-episode-long serial is a youth oriented show about women who have fought against eve-teasing and sexual harassment. Based on real life incidents, it features a youth icon in every episode based on real life incidents. “It creates awareness not only among women but also makes men more responsible towards women and society. It’s also my way of contributing to the society,” says Karan.
The Central Government on Friday sold its 9 per cent stake in Axis Bank, the third largest private sector bank in the country, through a block deal in a price range of Rs.1,313-1,341 per share.
This sale is expected to garner around Rs.5,500 crore with a sale of 4.20 crore shares held by the government through Specified Undertaking of UTI (SUUTI) in Axis Bank.
SUUTI, formed in 2003, is an offshoot of erstwhile UTI, held 20.72 per cent in Axis Bank. Following Friday’s deal, SUUTI’s holding will come down to 11.72 per cent in Axis Bank. Shares of Axis Bank closed 2.69 per cent higher at Rs.1,393.40 on the BSE.
However, shares of Axis Bank fell to the day’s low of Rs.1,313.25, down Rs.44 per share compared to its previous close in early trades. The investment bankers had fixed a price band of Rs.1,290-1,357 for the deal. JM Financial, JP Morgan and Citibank were handling the share sale.
LIC has emerged as the single largest investor, buying over 85 lakh shares at Rs.1,313.25, thereby pumping in over Rs.1,116 crore. New World Fund bought 26.88 lakh shares at Rs.1316.13 per share, Goldman Sachs 23.5 lakh shares at Rs.1,323.57 per share and City Group Global 38.2 lakh shares at Rs.1,316.13 per share. Several other institutional investors also bought shares in the block deal.
PTI reports:
About 4.2 crore Axis Bank shares were sold at an average price of Rs.1,315.13 apiece. This is at a 3.07 per cent discount to Thursday’s closing price. The share sale fetches Rs.5,557 crore to the Exchequer.
“The stock will bounce back on strong fundamentals of the bank. There was demand in the counter and now with the stake sale supply has come,” CNI Research Chairman and Managing Director Kishore P. Ostwal said.
Sources said there would be a six month lock-in period following the share sale.
The benchmark sensex on Friday frittered away most of its early gains on profit-taking in bluechips, including RIL and ONGC, to end with a mere 14-point rise.
After losing 93 points in the previous session, the BSE index sensex shot up by 130 points at the outset before reducing gains to end 13.66 points higher, or 0.06 per cent, at 21,753.75. From last Friday, the index lost 56.05 points even though it hit lifetime high of 22,040.72 on March 18.
Brokers said the market remained volatile as cautious investors and foreign fund managers were seen adjusting their portfolios before the ending of current fiscal year.
“After the initial uptick, the benchmark indices remained lacklustre for the ninth successive trade. However, considerable buying in metal and realty space alongside with rise in cash counters kept market breadth on advancing side,” said Jayant Manglik, President-retail distribution, Religare Securities.
In 30-share sensex, 19 stocks gained while 11 settled with losses. Reliance Industries dropped 2.20 per cent on reports of drop in production at its eastern offshore project.
ONGC fell over 2.6 per cent, Sun Pharma by 1.7 per cent and Bharti Airtel by about one per cent.
The 50-share NSE index Nifty rose 10.10 points, or 0.16 per cent, to end at 6,493.20, after touching high of 6,522.90.
Axis Bank, which tumbled three per cent intra-day, ended 2.69 per cent higher after the government sold 9 per cent stake through block deal trades.
Metal stocks rose on value buying while State Bank of India was up 1.47 per cent on hopes of gaining weight in FTSE index series, market participants said.
The domestic market sentiment was positive on a firming trend in the Asian region and higher opening in Europe as global investors steadied after Federal Reserve’s signal on hiking interest rates.
Sectorally, the BSE Metal sector index gained the most by rising 1.93 per cent, followed by Realty index (1.86 per cent), Consumer Durable index (0.70 per cent) and Power index (0.67 per cent).
13 November 2013, WikiLeaks released the secret negotiated draft text for the entire TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) Intellectual Property Rights Chapter. The TPP is the largest-ever economic treaty, encompassing nations representing more than 40 per cent of the world’s GDP. The WikiLeaks release of the text comes ahead of the decisive TPP Chief Negotiators summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 19-24 November 2013. The chapter published by WikiLeaks is perhaps the most controversial chapter of the TPP due to its wide-ranging effects on medicines, publishers, internet services, civil liberties and biological patents. Significantly, the released text includes the negotiation positions and disagreements between all 12 prospective member states.
The TPP is the forerunner to the equally secret US-EU pact TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), for which President Obama initiated US-EU negotiations in January 2013. Together, the TPP and TTIP will cover more than 60 per cent of global GDP. Both pacts exclude China.
Since the beginning of the TPP negotiations, the process of drafting and negotiating the treaty’s chapters has been shrouded in an unprecedented level of secrecy. Access to drafts of the TPP chapters is shielded from the general public. Members of the US Congress are only able to view selected portions of treaty-related documents in highly restrictive conditions and under strict supervision. It has been previously revealed that only three individuals in each TPP nation have access to the full text of the agreement, while 600 ’trade advisers’ – lobbyists guarding the interests of large US corporations such as Chevron, Halliburton, Monsanto and Walmart – are granted privileged access to crucial sections of the treaty text.
The TPP negotiations are currently at a critical stage. The Obama administration is preparing to fast-track the TPP treaty in a manner that will prevent the US Congress from discussing or amending any parts of the treaty. Numerous TPP heads of state and senior government figures, including President Obama, have declared their intention to sign and ratify the TPP before the end of 2013.
WikiLeaks’ Editor-in-Chief Julian Assange stated: “The US administration is aggressively pushing the TPP through the US legislative process on the sly.” The advanced draft of the Intellectual Property Rights Chapter, published by WikiLeaks on 13 November 2013, provides the public with the fullest opportunity so far to familiarise themselves with the details and implications of the TPP.
The 95-page, 30,000-word IP Chapter lays out provisions for instituting a far-reaching, transnational legal and enforcement regime, modifying or replacing existing laws in TPP member states. The Chapter’s subsections include agreements relating to patents (who may produce goods or drugs), copyright (who may transmit information), trademarks (who may describe information or goods as authentic) and industrial design.
The longest section of the Chapter – ’Enforcement’ – is devoted to detailing new policing measures, with far-reaching implications for individual rights, civil liberties, publishers, internet service providers and internet privacy, as well as for the creative, intellectual, biological and environmental commons. Particular measures proposed include supranational litigation tribunals to which sovereign national courts are expected to defer, but which have no human rights safeguards. The TPP IP Chapter states that these courts can conduct hearings with secret evidence. The IP Chapter also replicates many of the surveillance and enforcement provisions from the shelved SOPA and ACTA treaties.
The consolidated text obtained by WikiLeaks after the 26-30 August 2013 TPP meeting in Brunei – unlike any other TPP-related documents previously released to the public – contains annotations detailing each country’s positions on the issues under negotiation. Julian Assange emphasises that a “cringingly obsequious” Australia is the nation most likely to support the hardline position of US negotiators against other countries, while states including Vietnam, Chile and Malaysia are more likely to be in opposition. Numerous key Pacific Rim and nearby nations – including Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines and, most significantly, Russia and China – have not been involved in the drafting of the treaty.
In the words of WikiLeaks’ Editor-in-Chief Julian Assange, “If instituted, the TPP’s IP regime would trample over individual rights and free expression, as well as ride roughshod over the intellectual and creative commons. If you read, write, publish, think, listen, dance, sing or invent; if you farm or consume food; if you’re ill now or might one day be ill, the TPP has you in its crosshairs.”
Current TPP negotiation member states are the United States, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Chile, Singapore, Peru, Vietnam, New Zealand and Brunei.
15 January 2014, WikiLeaks released the secret draft text for the entire TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) Environment Chapter and the corresponding Chairs' Report. The TPP transnational legal regime would cover 12 countries initially and encompass 40 per cent of global GDP and one-third of world trade. The Environment Chapter has long been sought by journalists and environmental groups. The released text dates from the Chief Negotiators' summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 19-24 November 2013.
The Environment Chapter covers what the Parties propose to be their positions on: environmental issues, including climate change, biodiversity and fishing stocks; and trade and investment in 'environmental' goods and services. It also outlines how to resolve enviromental disputes arising out of the treaty's subsequent implementation. The draft Consolidated Text was prepared by the Chairs of the Environment Working Group, at the request of TPP Ministers at the Brunei round of the negotiations.
When compared against other TPP chapters, the Environment Chapter is noteworthy for its absence of mandated clauses or meaningful enforcement measures. The dispute settlement mechanisms it creates are cooperative instead of binding; there are no required penalties and no proposed criminal sanctions. With the exception of fisheries, trade in 'environmental' goods and the disputed inclusion of other multilateral agreements, the Chapter appears to function as a public relations exercise.
Julian Assange, WikiLeaks' publisher, stated: "Today's WikiLeaks release shows that the public sweetner in the TPP is just media sugar water. The fabled TPP environmental chapter turns out to be a toothless public relations exercise with no enforcement mechanism."
The Chairs' Report of the Environment Working Group also shows that there are still significant areas of contention in the Working Group. The report claims that the draft Consolidated Text displays much compromise between the Parties already, but more is needed to reach a final text. The main areas of contention listed include the role of this agreement with respect to multilateral environmental agreements and the dispute resolution process.
The documents date from 24 November 2013 ─ the end of the Salt Lake City round. They were requested by the Ministers of the TPP after the August 2013 Brunei round. The Consolidated Text was designed to be a "landing zone" document to further the negotiations quickly and displays what the Chairs say is a good representation of all Parties' positions at the time. The WikiLeaks Consolidated Text and corresponding Chairs' Report show that there remains a lot of controversy and disagreement within the Working Group. The Consolidated Text published by WikiLeaks is not bracketed, as per the IP Chapter released in November 2013, as it is drafted by the Chairs of the Working Group at their responsibility. Instead, the accompanying Chairs' Report provides commentary on the draft Consolidated Text and is the equivalent of bracketed disagreements for the countries that have not agreed on certain Articles, and provides their positions.
Current TPP negotiation member states are the United States, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Chile, Singapore, Peru, Vietnam, New Zealand and Brunei. This is the third in the series of Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) leaks published by WikiLeaks.
15 January 2014, WikiLeaks released the secret draft text for the entire TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) Environment Chapter and the corresponding Chairs' Report. The TPP transnational legal regime would cover 12 countries initially and encompass 40 per cent of global GDP and one-third of world trade. The Environment Chapter has long been sought by journalists and environmental groups. The released text dates from the Chief Negotiators' summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 19-24 November 2013.
The Environment Chapter covers what the Parties propose to be their positions on: environmental issues, including climate change, biodiversity and fishing stocks; and trade and investment in 'environmental' goods and services. It also outlines how to resolve enviromental disputes arising out of the treaty's subsequent implementation. The draft Consolidated Text was prepared by the Chairs of the Environment Working Group, at the request of TPP Ministers at the Brunei round of the negotiations.
When compared against other TPP chapters, the Environment Chapter is noteworthy for its absence of mandated clauses or meaningful enforcement measures. The dispute settlement mechanisms it creates are cooperative instead of binding; there are no required penalties and no proposed criminal sanctions. With the exception of fisheries, trade in 'environmental' goods and the disputed inclusion of other multilateral agreements, the Chapter appears to function as a public relations exercise.
Julian Assange, WikiLeaks' publisher, stated: "Today's WikiLeaks release shows that the public sweetner in the TPP is just media sugar water. The fabled TPP environmental chapter turns out to be a toothless public relations exercise with no enforcement mechanism."
The Chairs' Report of the Environment Working Group also shows that there are still significant areas of contention in the Working Group. The report claims that the draft Consolidated Text displays much compromise between the Parties already, but more is needed to reach a final text. The main areas of contention listed include the role of this agreement with respect to multilateral environmental agreements and the dispute resolution process.
The documents date from 24 November 2013 ─ the end of the Salt Lake City round. They were requested by the Ministers of the TPP after the August 2013 Brunei round. The Consolidated Text was designed to be a "landing zone" document to further the negotiations quickly and displays what the Chairs say is a good representation of all Parties' positions at the time. The WikiLeaks Consolidated Text and corresponding Chairs' Report show that there remains a lot of controversy and disagreement within the Working Group. The Consolidated Text published by WikiLeaks is not bracketed, as per the IP Chapter released in November 2013, as it is drafted by the Chairs of the Working Group at their responsibility. Instead, the accompanying Chairs' Report provides commentary on the draft Consolidated Text and is the equivalent of bracketed disagreements for the countries that have not agreed on certain Articles, and provides their positions.
Current TPP negotiation member states are the United States, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Chile, Singapore, Peru, Vietnam, New Zealand and Brunei. This is the third in the series of Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) leaks published by WikiLeaks.