“I worry for my life every morning I go to work”

As the conflict in Afghanistan escalates and expands, healthcare comes under attack. Since January this year, 164 health facilities have been forced to close due to insecurity and conflict and 24 health facilities have been attacked and damaged either deliberately or as collateral damage. The forced closure of health facilities is currently affecting around 3 million people’s access to healthcare in Afghanistan.

“Before 2015, most of the attacks occurred in so-called traditional conflict areas such as Kandahar province in the south and Nangarhar in the east. However, in the past two years, attacks on health facilities and healthcare workers have become more common throughout the country,” said Dr David Lai, Health Cluster Coordinator at WHO Afghanistan.

“We have recently started to gather more comprehensive data on attacks on healthcare and the findings are alarming. In 2014, 25 attacks on health facilities were reported, whereas last year the number was 53, representing an increase of over 100%. Similarly in 2016, 189 health facilities were forced to close due to conflict, up from 72 two years before,” said Dr Lai.

“We live with violence all the time”

Health workers face the risk of assaults, abductions and killings as they carry out their work in health facilities and communities around the country. In a recent assessment carried out by WHO in four conflict-affected provinces, 42% of healthcare workers reported experiencing threats to their personal safety while at work. 

Since the beginning of 2017, 12 aid workers have been killed and as many injured while delivering healthcare and essential services to those in need.

“We live with violence all the time. It has become part of our lives,” says Sediqa (name changed), a vaccinator working in a health facility in Herat province in western Afghanistan. Sediqa has faced harassment, threats and physical violence at work.

“When I go out to the community to vaccinate children, I sometimes get shouted at, pushed and threatened. One time, a man threatened to shoot me when I was delivering vaccines to children in his community,” she says. Sediqa has also witnessed several incidences of armed men storming into health facilities while she was on duty.

Dr Yousefsai, a medical doctor in charge of a clinic in the outskirts of Jalalabad, is also experiencing the impact of conflict in his work. “I worry for my life every morning when I go to work, not only for myself but also for my family. We all could be targeted by criminals or be kidnapped or caught up in an explosion. We work in a stressful situation with an uncertain future,” said Dr Yousefsai.

An alarming increase in attacks

“There is a staggering and an unacceptable number of violent attacks on healthcare in Afghanistan and an alarming lack of respect for the neutrality and sanctity of healthcare and for international humanitarian law. Medical personnel are attacked or threatened, patients are shot in their hospital beds, hospitals are bombed. This must stop,” said Dr Richard Peeperkorn, WHO Country Representative in Afghanistan.

“These increasing attacks on health workers and health facilities bring about devastating effects for health service delivery which is already under-resourced in many parts of the country. Attacks put the lives of health workers at risk but they also deprive Afghans of urgently needed care,” Dr Peeperkorn adds.

Attacks against health workers in conflict areas are on the rise all over the world. In 2016, 863 health workers were injured or killed in attacks globally, an increase from the previous year. In Afghanistan, 154 health workers have been injured due to conflict this year.

Despite the growing insecurity and escalating conflict, brave and dedicated medical professionals continue delivering healthcare where it is needed the most, often risking their lives to treat the wounded and save lives.

Dr Sakhi, 48, has worked as a general surgeon in Nangarhar Regional Hospital for over 10 years. He worries for his life and for the safety of his loved ones.

“There is no security for us. There are often attacks and explosions in our area and many of the casualties are brought here. Sometimes we cannot take care of all of them. Beds and supplies are limited and I worry that if things get worse, we cannot cope with the situation anymore,” he said.

“There are threats against the hospital, there are abductions and overall the situation and our future is very uncertain.”

(Courtesy – WHO)

Gauri Lankesh, a senior journalist and activist in Bengaluru, has been shot dead at her residence in Rajarajeshwari Nagar. 

Reports suggest unidentified men shot at 55-year-old Ms Lankesh seven times from close range and three bullets hit her on the neck and chest. She collapsed at the door of her house in West Bengaluru.

The Press Club of India strongly condemns the dastardly and outrageous armed attack on Gauri Lankesh, a senior journalist and activist in Bengaluru, which sniffed out her life. 

The fact that she was shot dead at her Rajarajeshwari Nagar at a busy hour on Tuesday evening only indicates how fragile law and order situation has become in Bengaluru and miscreants and criminals are having a free run in the Capital city of Karnataka. 

A fearless and independent journalist who gave voice to many causes and always stood up for justice has been shot dead in a most brutal manner in order to silence her voice. Reports have pointed to the involvement of some men in her killing who shot her from close range at her residence. She was bringing out a Kannada weekly magazine “Lankesh Patrike”. 

The Press Club of India demands that her attackers be identified and brought to book in a swift manner. Whatever differences she had with anyone, it was certainly not the way to attack an outspoken journalist who was defenceless and had nothing to offer by way of resistance. Such attacks on the freedom of press will not be tolerated. . The PCI will hold a protest meet on Sept. 6 along with Press Association and Indian Women Press Corps (IWPC) against the killing of Gauri Lankesh. 

The World Health Organisation has launched an ambitious new strategy to reduce deaths from cholera by 90% by 2030. The strategy was launched by the Global Task Force on Cholera Control (GTFCC), a diverse network of more than 50 UN and international agencies, academic institutions, and NGOs that supports countries affected by the disease.

Cholera kills an estimated 95, 000 people and affects 2.9 million more every year.

The GTFCC’s new plan, Ending Cholera: A Global Roadmap to 2030, recognizes that cholera spreads in endemic “hotspots” where predictable outbreaks of the disease occur year after year.

The Global Roadmap aims to align resources, share best practice and strengthen partnerships between affected countries, donors and international agencies. It underscores the need for a coordinated approach to cholera control with country-level planning for early detection and response to outbreaks. By implementing the Roadmap, up to 20 affected countries could eliminate cholera by 2030.

“The World Health Organization is proud to be part of this new joint initiative to stop deaths from cholera. The disease takes its greatest toll on the poor and the vulnerable – this is quite unacceptable. This roadmap is the best way we have to bring this to an end,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization.

“Every death from cholera is preventable with the tools available today, including use of the Oral Cholera Vaccine and improved access to basic safe water, sanitation and hygiene as set out in the Roadmap,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization. “This is a disease of inequity that affects the poorest and most vulnerable. It is unacceptable that nearly two decades into the 21stcentury, cholera continues to destroy livelihoods and cripple economies. We must act together. And we must act now.”

Advances in the provision of water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services have made Europe and North America cholera-free for several decades.  Today, although access to WASH is recognized as a basic human right by the United Nations, over 2 billion people worldwide still lack access to safe water and are potentially at risk of cholera. Weak health systems and low early detection capacity further contribute to the rapid spread of outbreaks.

Cholera disproportionally impacts communities already burdened by conflict, lack of infrastructure, poor health systems, and malnutrition. Protecting these communities before cholera strikes is significantly more cost-effective than continually responding to outbreaks.

The introduction of the oral cholera vaccine has been a game-changer in the battle to control cholera, bridging the gap between emergency response and longer-term control. Two WHO-approved oral cholera vaccines are now available and individuals can be fully vaccinated for just US$6 per person, protecting them from the disease for up to three years.

The Global Roadmap provides an effective mechanism to synchronize the efforts of countries, donors, and technical partners. It underscores the need for a multi-sectoral approach to cholera control with country-level planning for early detection and response to outbreaks.

The BRICS leaders’ declaration for the 9th BRICS Summit calls for energizing the practical cooperation between the member countries. It states enhancing communication and coordination in improving global economic governance to foster a more just and equitable international economic order. It underlines international and regional peace and stability.

PM Modi Speech At 9th BRICS Summit

Let me begin by sincerely thanking President Xi again for his warm reception and the excellent organisation of this Summit. Our interaction during the restricted session was constructive. It enriched our mutual understanding and perspectives. After more than a decade of existence, BRICS has developed a robust framework for cooperation. We contribute stability and growth in a world drifting towards uncertainty. While trade and economy have been the foundation of our cooperation, our endeavours today touch diverse areas of technology, tradition, culture, agriculture, environment, energy, sports, and ICT. The New Development Bank has started disbursing loans in pursuit of its mandate to mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development in BRICS countries. At the same time, our Central Banks have taken steps to make the Contingent Reserve Arrangement fully operational. These are milestones of progress we can build upon. Looking ahead, it is important that our people remain at the centre of our journey. I am happy to note that China has taken forward the people-to-people thrust of our exchanges from last year. Such inter-mingling will consolidate our links and deepen our understanding.

India’s own far-reaching journey of transformation gives pride of place to our people. We are in mission-mode to eradicate poverty; to ensure health, sanitation, skills, food security, gender equality, energy, education and innovation. National programmes of Clean Ganga, Renewable Energy, Digital India, Smart Cities, Housing for All and Skill India are laying the basis for clean, green and inclusive development. They are also tapping the creative energy of our 800 million youth. Our women’s empowerment programmes are productivity multipliers that mainstream women in nation building. We have also stepped up the fight against black money and corruption. Moving forward, using the springboard of our national experiences, BRICS countries can deepen partnership for win-win results. Some thoughts come to mind for upgrading mutual cooperation. First, last year we discussed pooling our efforts to create a BRICS rating agency. An Expert Group has since been studying the viability of such an agency. I would urge that the roadmap for its creation should be finalized at the earliest. Second, our Central Banks must further strengthen their capabilities and promote co-operation between the Contingent Reserve Arrangement and the IMF. Third, affordable, reliable, and sustainable access to energy is crucial for the development of our nations. Climate resilient development calls upon us to utilise all available resource streams. Renewable energy is particularly important on multiple counts. Recognizing this, India, together with France, launched a major international initiative – the International Solar Alliance (ISA) – in November 2015. It will bring together a coalition of 121 countries for mutual gains through enhanced solar energy utilisation. BRICS countries can work closely with ISA to strengthen the solar energy agenda. Our five countries have complementary skills and strengths to promote use of renewable and solar energy. The NDB can also establish an effective link with ISA to support such cooperation. We would wish to see more clean energy funding, particularly in solar energy, from the NDB. Fourth, we are nations with large youth populations. We need to mainstream our youth in our joint initiatives as far as possible. Scaled up cooperation in skill development and exchange of best practices will be a valuable instrument. Fifth, at the Goa Summit last year we had exchanged thoughts on smart-cities, urbanization, and disaster-management in the context of cooperation between our cities. We need to further accelerate this track. Sixth, Technology and innovation are the foundations of the next generation of global growth and transformation. India has also found that technology and digital resources are powerful tools in fighting poverty and corruption. A strong BRICS partnership on innovation and digital economy can help spur growth, promote transparency and support the Sustainable Development Goals. I would suggest considering a collaborative pilot project under the BRICS framework , including private entrepreneurship. Finally, India would be happy to work towards more focused capacity building engagement between BRICS and African countries in areas of skills, health, infrastructure, manufacturing and connectivity.

In the last decade, two generations of leader of our countries contributed to the emergence and establishment of BRICS. We acquired credibility, wielded influence and spurred growth. Now, the next decade is crucial. In an environment where we seek stability, sustainable development and prosperity. BRICS leadership will be crucial in driving this transformation. If we as BRICS can set the agenda in these areas, the world will call this its Golden Decade. In our outreach segment with emerging markets tomorrow. I will share some of our ideas in this regard. I am confident that it will help the BRICS in our shared journey to scale new heights of partnership. 

The Rashtriya Janta Dal led ‘BJP Bhagao, Desh Bachao’ grand rally of ‘Mahagathbandhan’ in Patna came after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar untied the alliance with Mahagathbandhan and clubbed with his old ally, National Democratic Alliance. Although the turnout at Gandhi Maidan on last Sunday might have boosted up the moral of the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ and Lalu clan, they seem to pick a wrong turn at a very wrong time. Lalu Yadav organized the mega show at a time when 514 deaths have been recorded due to flood, close to 50 lakhs have been stranded and as many as 1.71 crores people have been affected in 19 districts of Bihar. 187 blocks and 2,371 panchayats are hit. In the last 24 days 42 deaths have been recorded. 

In a fresh blow to the RJD, the Income Tax Department on Friday issued a notice regarding the expenses of the mega show. 

Barely 6 hours away from the rally spot, Araria recorded hundred deaths due to flood, followed by a tragic bridge collapse washing away three lives of man, woman and girl. The state administration and NDRF have been deployed in the rescue. Prime Minister Narendra Modi did an aerial survey of the four flood hit districts, accompanied by CM Nitish Kumar, sanctioning a package of 500 crores. But the former CM of Bihar Lalu Yadav and most of the opposition political heavyweight choose to focus on their grand gala instead of standing with the nation in the fury of flood. 

More than 17 parties attended the rally. Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Samajvaadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Gulam Nabi Azad (Congress), NCP, CPI, RLD, JMM, JVM, DMK, Kerala Congress, RSP, AIUDF, NC, and JD(S) shared the dais with Lalu Yadav. Defying the guidelines of the party, JD (U) leader Sharad Yadav participated in the rally. BSP chief Mayawati and NCP President Sharad Pavar were not present. 6 former CMs attended the rally at Gandhi Maidan, Patna. This list includes Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, Akhilesh Yadav, Babulal Marandi, Hemant Soren and Gulam Nabi Azad.  

Taking a jibe on the anti-BJP rally, Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said it “unnecessary”. “The rally could have happened even two months later. Was it really necessary to conduct it now, when the people if Bihar are suffering? Lalu Yadav should have used the money he spent on this to help the people of his state,” said the Union minister.

Mamta’s state West Bengal has also been struggling due to flood waters in six districts and communal riots in Bashirhat. Flood conditions in the six districts of northwest Bengal have been severely affected. Of the 55 deaths in, 48 died of drowning, four died of snake bite and three succumbed to wall collapse. Water has receded from the most areas of Jalpaiguri, Coochbehar, Alipurduar, Uttar Dinajpur and dakshin Dinajpur, while some areas in Malda are still inundated. But the situation in Bihar is the worst. Over 55 lakh people have been hit by the floods in all the six districts.

On Friday, Bihar Water Resources Minister Lalan Singh in a bizarre statement that rats had damaged the river embankments, which caused floods. “Rats are the main reason behind the seepage of Kamla Balan River. Villagers tend to store their grains on the banks thus attracting the rodents. They then carve out holes in the embankments this weakening the base,” said the Minister. The theory of rats is not new in Bihar. Few months ago Bihar police alleged the rats to drink 9 lakhs liters of liquor kept in the store of police station.

Tejaswi Yadav and Misa Bharti have already been under radar of CBI and ED, for the charges on Benami property and disproportionate assets; cornerstone of Nitish divorce to RJD. These dynasts might have to face some serious implications for the serious charges of corruption. Being young politicians, they should have visited the marooned areas of Bihar which are hit by floods. 

After being convicted in the fodder scam, Lalu’s popularity in Bihar doesn’t seem to be fading away as the photographs of the rally started flooding the internet. Lalu uploaded one picture of the rally on his Twitter handle which became a laughing stock for his party. He boosted upon a photoshoped image of the rally showing more than the actual size of the crowd at Gandhi Maidan. 

Amid all such political show off and drama, the state was bleeding under the dearth of basic amenities of roti, kapda and makaan after the flood affected the livelihood of millions of people in Bihar. But demonstration of power through a political rally as mega show overtook adversity of flood in Bihar. And the credit goes to Mahagathbandhan, which after facing debacle in Bihar, fell abruptly again hitting a ‘self goal’ in the inappropriate timing of grand gala at Gandhi Maidan. Like Bihar seems to be destined to see the waters on their doorsteps every monsoon, politicians are busy in managing their vote banks. The opposition parties, mainly the Mahagathbandhan pact, are like empty vessels which sound much and act less. The grand ally will be suffering after Nitish’s sudden exit.

NEW DELHI: Focussing on his agenda of good governance, performance and last mile delivery, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday effected third expansion and reshuffle of  his Cabinet, elevating four ministers and inducting nine new faces which included four former bureaucrats.
The allocation of portfolio witnessed Nirmala Sitharaman being elevated to the Cabinet rank and stepping in the South Block as the first full-time woman Defence Minister. After Urban Development Minister Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu’s election as the Vice-President, the need was felt to give Southern States a prominent place in the Cabinet. Ms. Sitharaman who is from Tamil Nadu and her husband hails from Andhra Pradesh was eminently suited to fill the slot, indicating that maintaining regional balance was also a key factor.  
Along with Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, and External Affairs Minister Ms. Sushma Swaraj, Ms. Sitharaman will be a member of the powerful Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) which is headed by the Prime Minister. Mr. Jaitley was holding additional charge of Defence Ministry since Manohar Parrikar returned to Goa as chief minister earlier in March after the assembly polls in the coastal state.
Apart from Ms. Sitharaman, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Dharmendra Pradhan, and Piyush Goyal, who were all holding independent charge as state ministers, were elevated to the Cabinet rank on the basis of their peformance, taking the total number to 27 Cabinet ministers of which six are women, the highest in any Union Cabinet. There are 11 Ministers of State with independent charge and 37 Ministers of State.
The new ministers who were sworn in by President Ram Nath Kovind at a ceremony in the Rashtrapati Bhavan include Virendra Kumar, Anant Kumar Hegde and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, former IAS officers Alphons Kannanthanam and R K Singh, former Indian Foreign Service officer and diplomat Hardeep Puri and former Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh. Both Mr. Puri and Mr. Alphons are not members of any House and they are likely to enter the Rajya Sabha within next six months. While Mr. R K Singh, a former Home Secretary represents Arrah in the Lok Sabha, Mr. Satyapal Singh had defeated Mr. Ajit Singh to enter the Lok Sabha from Baghpat constituency.

Ashwini Kumar Choubey, a Lok Sabha member from Bihar, and Shiv Pratap Shukla from Uttar Pradesh are the two other new faces. Indications are that Mr. Modi may go for another expansion of his Cabinet as the BJP’s allies have not found place in today’s reshuffle.
Six Cabinet ministers had quit a couple of days before the reshuffle, making way for the new faces. The former ministers are likely to be given key responsibilities in the party work.
Induction of Mr. Alphons from Kerala and Mr. Puri, a Sikh, in the Cabinet and elevation of Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi as Minority Affairs Minister is a subtle message to the religious minorities from the BJP as the party is keen to make its presence felt in the Southern States, particularly Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Official sources said that induction of technocrats and former bureaucrats in the Union Cabinet was nothing new as the Congress had Dr. Manmohan Singh, a former Reserve Bank of India governor, as the Prime Minister and K. R. Narayanan, a former IFS officer as Science and Technology minister who rose to become Vice-President and later the President. Sources said that former bureaucrats bring their rich administrative experience and can be of significant help in implementation of the government’s schemes in an effective and time-bound manner.
While Dharmendra Pradesh who deftly and efficiently handled Oil and Petroleum Ministry now also gets the charge of Skill Development, Suresh Prabhu was shifted from Railways to Commerce and his place was taken by Piyush Goyal who was also elevated to the Cabinet rank. Mr. Goyal is credited with sterling performance in the Power ministry who implemented with zeal the Prime Minister’s pet programme of rural electrification.
Mr. Modi also kept in mind three States where assembly polls are to be held next year – Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. The exercise saw induction of  Gajendra Singh Shekhawat , Virendra Kumar and Anant Hegde in the Cabinet from these States. 

CABINET MINISTERS

1. Shri Raj Nath Singh – Minister of Home Affairs.

2. Smt. Sushma Swaraj – Minister of External Affairs.

3. Shri Arun Jaitley – Minister of Finance; and Minister of Corporate Affairs.

4. Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari – Minister of Road Transport and Highways; Minister of Shipping; and Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

5. Shri Suresh Prabhu – Minister of Commerce and Industry.

6. Shri D.V. Sadananda Gowda – Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

7. Sushri Uma Bharati – Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

8. Shri Ramvilas Paswan – Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

9. Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi – Minister of Women and Child Development.10. Shri Ananthkumar – Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers; and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.

11. Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad Minister of Law and Justice; and Minister of Electronics and Information Technology.

12. Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda Minister of Health and Family Welfare.

13. Shri Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati Minister of Civil Aviation.

14. Shri Anant Geete Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.

15. Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal Minister of Food Processing Industries.

16. Shri Narendra Singh Tomar Minister of Rural Development; Minister of Panchayati Raj; and Minister of Mines.

17. Shri Chaudhary Birender Singh Minister of Steel.

18. Shri Jual Oram Minister of Tribal Affairs.

19. Shri Radha Mohan Singh Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

20. Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment.

21. Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani Minister of Textiles; and Minister of Information and Broadcasting.

22. Dr. Harsh Vardhan Minister of Science and Technology; Minister of Earth Sciences; and Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

23. Shri Prakash Javadekar Minister of Human Resource Development.

24. Shri Dharmendra Pradhan Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas; and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

25. Shri Piyush Goyal Minister of Railways; and Minister of Coal.

26. Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman Minister of Defence.

27. Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Minister of Minority Affairs.

MINISTERS OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)

1. Rao Inderjit Singh – Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Planning; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

2. Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar – Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

3. Shri Shripad Yesso Naik – Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH).

4. Dr. Jitendra Singh – Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region; Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office; Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Minister of State in the Department of Atomic Energy; and Minister of State in the Department of Space.

5. Dr. Mahesh Sharma – Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Culture; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

6. Shri Giriraj Singh – Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

7. Shri Manoj Sinha – Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Communications; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways.

8. Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore – Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

9. Shri Raj Kumar Singh – Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Power; and Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

10. Shri Hardeep Singh Puri – Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

11. Shri Alphons Kannanthanam – Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Tourism; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

MINISTERS OF STATE

1. Shri Vijay Goel Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

2. Shri Radhakrishnan P. Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Shipping.

3. Shri S.S. Ahluwalia Minister of State in the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

4. Shri Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi Minister of State in the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

5. Shri Ramdas Athawale Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

6. Shri Vishnu Deo Sai Minister of State in the Ministry of Steel.

7. Shri Ram Kripal Yadav Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development.

8. Shri Hansraj Gangaram Ahir Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs.

9. Shri Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary Minister of State in the Ministry of Mines; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Coal.

10. Shri Rajen Gohain Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways.

11. General (Retd.) V. K. Singh Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs.

12. Shri Parshottam Rupala Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.

13. Shri Krishan Pal Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

14. Shri Jaswantsinh Sumanbhai Bhabhor Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

15. Shri Shiv Pratap Shukla Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance.

16. Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

17. Shri Sudarshan Bhagat Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

18. Shri Upendra Kushwaha Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

19. Shri Kiren Rijiju Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs.

 20. Dr. Virendra Kumar Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

21. Shri Anantkumar Hegde Minister of State in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

22. Shri M. J. Akbar Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs.

23. Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti Minister of State in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.

24. Shri Y. S. Chowdary Minister of State in the Ministry of Science and Technology; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

25. Shri Jayant Sinha Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

26. Shri Babul Supriyo Minister of State in the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises.

27. Shri Vijay Sampla Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.28. Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; and  Minister of State in the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

29. Shri Ajay Tamta Minister of State in the Ministry of Textiles.

30. Smt. Krishna Raj Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

31. Shri Mansukh  L. Mandaviya Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways; Minister of State in the Ministry of Shipping; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

32. Smt. Anupriya Patel Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

33. Shri C.R. Chaudhary Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

34. Shri P.P. Chaudhary Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

35. Dr. Subhash Ramrao Bhamre Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence.

36. Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.37. Dr. Satya Pal Singh Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

Narendra Modi government failing to achieve the much touted goals from demonetisation. The RBI annual report for 2016-17 is bound to be disappointing for the government. 

The Reserve Bank of India has been bold in acknowledging that the Narendra Modi government has not been able to achieve the much touted goals in the wake of demonetisation launched with much fanfare on November eighth last year. 

This measure was seen as a war aimed at weeding out at least Rupees three lakh crores of black money stashed away in the country along with containing terrorist financing. The RBI annual report for 2016-17 is bound to have been highly disappointing for the government. 

The GDP has dipped from 7.9 per cent to 5.7 per cent in the last five quarters. The silence from the government in this regard needs no elaboration as demonetisation caused a lot of pain and hardship to the people at large. What is worse is that more than a hundred people died all over the country waiting in serpentine queues to withdraw their money from the ATMs. 

And the damage caused to the economy thanks to demonetisation is now coming to the fore. The Congress as the main opposition party blamed the Modi government for not having wider consultations about demonetisation before implementing it. 

Discriminating observers believe demonetisation was unleashed at a time when the economy was beginning to contract. The country’s economy continues to decelerate and the reasons for the slowdown are many. 

The uncertainty connected with the July one adoption of the GST adversely affected economic activity. There is still doubt whether demand for industrial output is going to attain any meaningful strength.  

Union Finance minister Arun Jaitley has expressed concern about slower than expected expansion while acknowledging that the challenge before the government is to work out both policy and investment measures to boost momentum. 

The risks of fiscal loosening are manifold when state governments have announced farm loan waivers which can push up interest rates and block fresh lending. The perception gaining ground is that the much trumpeted demonetisation has proved to be a damp squib in the wake of the RBI’s fresh disclosure of the drop in GDP in the 13th quarter of Modi’s term. 

Modi’s tall claims at the time of demonetisation have been belied. At the same time the government believes it is nobody’s case that black money has been totally eliminated. While there is no cause for euphoria on the outcome of demonetisation, there are some positive aspects. 

These pertain to almost 99 per cent of the black money having come into the banking system. All those who held their wealth in the form of currency earlier can no longer escape the tax net. Another positive aspect is the increasing shift to digital transactions. 

There has been a small percentage of increase in the number of counterfeit notes that have been detected. As those having counterfeit notes are unlikely to surrender them to banks for being caught, it is not possible to know the percentage of those dealing in such notes. 

The chief statistician T C A Anant put the issue in perspective observing it is impossible to isolate the impact of any one measure of demonetisation as its ramifications are still unfolding on the economic activity. Resolving the banks bad debt problem is a pre-requisite for a generalised revival in private investment. 

Global experience shows that a cleaning up can be prolonged and painful involving loss of jobs and output. The government will be tested when it comes to reviving demand and investment.

(The views are personal.)

Nine new Ministers of state were inducted in the Union Council of Ministers today. Four Ministers of state were elevated to the cabinet rank. 

They are Minister of state for Commerce and Industries Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State For Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines, Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. President Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath of office and secrecy to them at Rashtrapati Bhavan. 

New Ministers include former IFS officer Hardeep Puri, former Mumbai Police chief Satyapal Singh and former IAS officer Alphons Kannanthanam. Lok Sabha MP’s from Madhya Pradesh Virendra Kumar, from Karnataka Anant Kumar Hegde, from Rajasthan Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, from Bihar Ashwini Kumar Choubey and Raj Kumar Singh. Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh Shiv Pratap Shukla also takes oath today. The portfolios of the Ministers will be announced later.

Former IAF Chief S P Tyagi was today charge sheeted by the CBI in a Delhi Court along with nine others in connection with a bribery case in the 3,500 crore rupees AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal.

72-year old Tyagi is the first chief of the Indian Air Force to be charge sheeted in a corruption or a criminal case by the CBI. Besides him, the agency has also charge sheeted retired Air Marshal J S Gujral along with eight others, including five foreign nationals.

The court has fixed September 6 to peruse the charge sheet in which the Anglo-Italian company, AgustaWestland, is also one of the accused. 

Others named in the charge sheet are Tyagi’s cousin Sanjeev alias Julie, advocate Gautam Khaitan, alleged European middlemen Carlo Gerosa, Michel James, Guido Haschke, former AgustaWestland CEO Bruno Spagnolini and former Finmeccanica Chairman Giuseppe Orsi.

Tyagi, who had retired in 2007, his cousin Sanjeev and Khaitan were arrested on December 9 last year by CBI in the case. These accused are currently on bail. This is the first charge sheet in the case by the CBI which came three years after it registered an FIR in 2013.