Ordinance issued to regulate micro finance firms in Andhra

Andhra Pradesh Friday issued an ordinance to regulate micro finance institutions (MFIs) in the wake of a spate of suicides due to harassment to borrowers.Governor ESL Narasimhan gave his assent to the ordinance, the draft of which was approved by the state cabinet Thursday. It provides for three years’ imprisonment and Rs.1 lakh penalty for agents or working directors of MFIs harassing the borrowers.
Rural Development Minister Vatti Vasantha Kumar told reporters that the ordinance would prove effective to check the MFIs from resorting to illegal methods to force borrowers to repay loans.The ordinance makes it compulsory for MFIs to register themselves with rural development authorities, The institutions will have to register within 30 days. The registration will be valid for one year and the same will be renewed only if the MFIs adhere to the rules and regulations.It has also been made compulsory for all MFIs to display the rate of interest on their boards. This has been done in view of the complaints by borrowers that MFIs were collecting higher rates of interest than those at which they agree to provide loans.
The minister, however, said the state government had no jurisdiction over fixing the rate of interest.He said with the issuing of the ordinance, the MFIs can’t send their agents to the houses of borrowers.“We will deal firmly with anybody who violates this order. He may be jailed up to three years and the registration of the MFI will be cancelled,” the minister added.Even as the minister made the announcement, unable to bear the harassment by an MFI, a borrower committed suicide in Warangal district.K.Ramesh, a daily wage earner, ended his life at Venkatadripet in Station Ghanpur mandal.More than 25 people have committed suicide due to alleged harassment by MFIs in the state during the last two months.
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Food security bill to be brought soon: Sonia Gandhi

Congress president Sonia Gandhi Friday said that the central government would soon bring forth a food security bill for the benefit of the poorest sections of society.

Addressing a Congress workers’ ‘Sadbhavna Rally’ at Sewagram in Wardha district, about 85 km from here, Gandhi pointed out that the government has already legislated the Right to Education to ensure education for all children, and the food security bill will be the next major public welfare policy measure of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.She also promised to address the issue of farmers in Vidarbha, the state’s eastern region that has seen thousands of farmer suicides in the past few years.Earlier, Gandhi felicitated thousands of Congress activists who marched from various villages in the state to Sewagram in a march called ‘Gram to Sewagram,’ and converged at the historic Sewagram Ashram.“I congratulate (you) for this achievement. With the presence of such people in this country, nobody can stop us from becoming the world’s strongest power,” the Congress president said, urging people to follow Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals of peace, non-violence and universal brotherhood to achieve progress.She warned people against forces that sought to divide the country on grounds of caste and religion and urged Congressmen to be prepared to fight them.At the beginning of her brief address, Gandhi apologised for reaching the venue nearly four hours behind schedule on account of some technical reasons.Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said that despite speculation in some quarters, Sonia Gandhi said that she would attend the rally.His comments came in the backdrop of an alleged ‘money-for-rally’ controversy that erupted Thursday with a taped conversation indicating that money was collected from Congress ministers to cover the rally’s expenses. Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Manikrao Thakre, Mumbai Congress chief Kripa Shankar Singh, Union Minister for Heavy Industries Vilasrao Deshmukh and other prominent personalities were present on the occasion.
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Opposition tried to topple my government: Yeddyurappa

Much relieved after winning a second trust vote in four days, Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa Thursday slammed the opposition Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) for trying to topple the first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state.“Attempts to destabilise my government by the opposition parties began soon after its formation in mid-2008. I hope they will desist from such attempts and allow us to complete our term to fulfil the promises made to the people,” Yeddyurappa told reporters after again winning the trust vote in the legislative assembly.He said by proving majority on the floor of the house for the second time in four days, history was created in Indian democracy as no government was asked to take the floor test again and yet win.Noting that as per the constitution, a government need not take another floor test in six months after facing one, Yeddyurappa said that he agreed to the trust vote again on the request of the governor (H.R. Bhardwaj) and advice of his party’s high command in New Delhi.“The political crisis over a week when the opposition parties tried to topple an elected government has dented the fair image of the state and the people are hurt by such unfortunate developments. I deeply regret for what all happened,” Yeddyurappa lamented.Asserting that his government would hereafter only work for the development of the state, the chief minister appealed to the opposition parties to forget the bitterness of the past and join him in the task of building a vibrant Karnataka.Claiming that he knew which lobby was behind the latest bid to topple his government, Yeddyurappa asserted that he would not yield to such pressure.Asked if he suspected the hand of the mining lobby in destabilising his 29-month-old government as he banned iron ore exports in late July, the chief minister declined to admit this or take names but left no one in doubt in replying to the query.“It is well known which lobby attempted to topple my government with hundreds of crores of rupees and who was behind the opposition parties in plotting to overthrow us,” Yeddyurappa said.On filling the vacancies caused by his dismissal of seven ministers, including five Independents and two BJP ministers for revolting against his government, the chief minister said he would think about it after the Dussehra festival and the Karnataka High Court judgment in the disqualification case of the 16 rebel legislators, including 11 from the ruling party.“As the case is sub-judice, I would not like to comment on both now,” he added.
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Presernve habit of letter writing: veteran journalist exhorts

Oct 15 : Veteran journalist T Kutumba Rao who released the inhouse magazine 'Likitha' of postal staff of Eastern Region of Andhra Pradesh today pointed out that the written word stays forever.Speaking after releasing the magazine, he exhorted all to cultivate the habit of writing letters instead of sending message over mobile phones.Lauding the efforts of the postal department for delivering letters for the last half a century, he said he had received more than 100 letters, written to him by former Prime Ministers Jawarahlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. He had also received a number of letters written to him by AICC President Sonia Gandhi.''A Japanese TV channel came to my house for these precious letters for their documentary film on letters of prominent personalities,'' he said.Mr Kutumbera Rao, who is also an entrant into Guinness Book of World Records for delivering the maximum number of public speeches, also recalled that people used to wait for the postman for letters as it was the only mode of exchanging information in earlier days.Post Master General M Sampanth lauded the postal staff for their efforts in carrying forward one of the country's biggest public sector organisations.
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TV channel employees stage dharna

Hyderabad, Oct 15 : Demanding justice, employees of a news channel staged a dharna in front of former Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu's residence at Jubilee Hills here.The management of Studio-N, owned by Nara Lokesh, son of Mr Naidu, was said to has taken a decision recently about sacking of about 90 employees from the channel on the pretext of excess of employees in the channel.The employees yesterday demanded the TDP President to intervene in the matter. Some employees also alleged that the management of the channel was indifferent towards a section of employees and majority sacked employees were from the Telangana region.
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3 Govt employees in ACB net

Hyderabad, Oct 14 : The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) offcials today arrested three government employees on bribe charges.Mr Vanga Vilaya Raja, Village Revenue Officer, Rangapuram of Reddygudem Mandal, Krishna District was caught red-handed by ACB when he demanded and accepted a bribe of Rs 7,000 from the complainant for processing complainant`s application for issue of Pattadar Pass Books.The accused officer Raja will be remanded to judicial custody, an ACB release here said.In another case K Gandailah, Sanitary Jawan, office of the Deputy Municipal Commissioner, Rajendranagar GHMC, was caught red-handed by the A C B Officials when he demanded and accepted Rs 5,000 as bribe for processing the sanitary contract bill pertaining to Jai Santoshi Matha Dwakra Group, Budvel Village of Rajendranagar Mandal in R R District.Gandaiah will be produced before the Additional Special Judge for SPE and A C B Cases, Hyderabad, the release added. Pereddygari Narsimha Reddy (43) Senior Assistant, Board of Intermediate Education, Nampally, Hyderabad was caught red handed by the A C B Officials when he demanded and accepted Rs 5,000 as bribe from the complainant for processing the file and to change name and address of the college located at Ramanthapur. Narsimha Reddy will be produced before the Additioal Special Judge for SPE and ACB Cases, Hyderabad, the ACB release added.
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Lok Satta moots united fight to save farmers

Hyderabad, Oct 14 : The Lok Satta Party has called for an all-party conference on October 16 to organise a united fight against ''anti-farmer policies of State and Union Governments''.Announcing this at a media conference here today, Lok Satta Party President Jayaprakash Narayan pointed out that the Union government was harming farmers' interests by not permitting export of rice and allowing duty-free import of palm oil, while the State government looked on helplessly. Dr JP reeled off facts and figures to depict the grim situation the farmers were facing in the context of the kharif paddy harvest. India as of today has a buffer stock of 46 million tons of rice and paddy. Since FCI's storage capacity, including the leased ones, is only 27.3 million tons, it is forced to keep the remainder under open storage with the attendant risk of damage by rains and rodents. The stipulated buffer storage for the country in July is 27 million tons and in October 16 million tons.
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Police inspector jailed for raping minor

Hyderabad, Oct 14 : A police inspector, accused of raping his colleague's 16-year-old daughter, surrendered Thursday before a city court after evading arrest for over a month.N.C.H. Rangaswamy, circle inspector of Madannapet police station in the city, surrendered before Ranga Reddy district court, which remanded him to judicial custody till Oct 28. He was taken to Cherlapally Jail on the city's outskirts. The accused claimed that he was innocent and the parents of the girl were trying to implicate him in a false case.Rangaswamy was on the run since Sep 1 when the Central Crime Station (CCS) registered a case against him for allegedly raping the daughter of a woman constable posted at the police commissioner's office. Hyderabad Police Commissioner A.K. Khan had suspended him soon after.Rangaswamy was a frequent visitor to the woman constable's house in Saroornagar. The inspector allegedly committed the act Aug 30, when he found her daughter alone. The girl's father returned home to catch the inspector red-handed.The Saroornagar police station refused to register the case, after which the girl's parents approached the police commissioner and lodged a complaint with the Central Crime Station.
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MFI offices attacked in AP

Hyderabad, Oct 13 : Offices of various Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs) were attacked in different parts of Andhra Pradesh today for allegedly harrasing rural people in the name of lending money.The attacks were reported in Srikakulam, Chitoor and Anantapur districts where some offices of private MFIs were ransacked by a section of people.Meanwhile, Opposition party leaders and APCC president D Srinivas appealed to the state government to initiate immediate action to prevent the alleged harassment of the rural people by agents of MFIs in the state.Mr Srinivas said it was unfortunate that the rural people, particularly women, were committing suicides unable to withstand harrassment of MFIs and appealed Chief Minister K Rosaiah to take steps to curb such incidents Meanwhile,Chief Minister Rosaiah appealed to the Banks to come to the rescue of the rural poor and SHG members in a big way. He said it is the joint responsibility of the government and the banks to help the poor people in distress who were being harassed by the MFIs.
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