बेलगाम खर्च
बेमिसाल मनमानी
निरंकुश खर्च बेहिसाब
कोई अंकुश नहीं संसदीय
भला हो,जब अमेरिका ही
बन गया यह उपनिवेश
जल्द से जल्द शाट डाउन
हो जाये भारत सरकार
तालाबंदी हो इस
बेअदब आर्डिनेंस
फैक्ट्री में
Abuse of an emergency measure? UPA-II issues 11 ordinances in 2013, highest in a decade
Confidence of 800 million youth sinks as jobs dry up in torpid economy
Frozen by shutdown, US warns of 'catastrophic' default
पलाश विश्वास
24 Ghanta
মরার আগে সুইসাইড নোটে প্রধানমন্ত্রীর নাম লিখলেন কর্নাটকের সেলসম্যান, নিচের লিঙ্কে ক্লিক করে পড়ুন বিস্তারিত
http://zeenews.india.com/bengali/nation/karnataka-salesman-ends-life-names-prime-minister-in-suicide-note_16968.html/?%2Cllal%3B%3Ba%3Baaaaa
बेलगाम खर्च
बेमिसाल मनमानी
निरंकुश खर्च बेहिसाब
कोई अंकुश नहीं संसदीय
जबकि अमेरिका में संसद
की सर्वोच्चता के शिकार
ओबामा अब मनोमोहिनी
विकलांगकता के हो गये
शिकार,सरकार तालाबंद
लो, अब ठप्प हो गई है
अमेरिका की सरकार
संघीय सरकार के
आठ लाख कर्मचारी छुट्टी पर
नेशनल पार्क, म्यूजियम सब बंद
रिपब्लिकन और डेमोक्रैट
सांसदों की खींचतान में
सरकार का बजट पास नहीं हुआ
अब अमेरिकी सरकार के पास
कोई पैसा है नहीं है
राष्ट्रपति की विदेश यात्रा
भी स्थगित
Obama has refused to negotiate with Republicans over raising the debt ceiling, saying Congress is simply authorizing borrowing to pay bills it has already run up and that offering concessions would set a poor precedent for future presidents.
In the minds of key players on Capitol Hill, the government shutdown and the debt ceiling fight have now merged into one massive political crisis.
भला हो,जब अमेरिका ही
बन गया यह उपनिवेश
जल्द से जल्द शाट डाउन
हो जाये भारत सरकार
तालाबंदी हो इस
बेअदब आर्डिनेंस
फैक्ट्री में, गजब
लोकतंत्र है इस
देश में इसवक्त
गजब राजनीतिक
नैतिकता है धर्मोन्मादी
कि अल्पमत सरकार
सुधार कर्मकांड के
नारियल फोड़ रही
एक के बाद एक
लाखों करोड़ का
बेहिसाब खर्च सरकारी
एक के बाद एक
चप्पे चप्पे में घोटाला
भ्रष्टाचार का बोलबाला
कालाधन प्रत्यक्ष निवेश
का अबाध विदेशी
पूंजी प्रवाह
अजब नपुंसक हैं
लोक गणराज्य के
संप्रभु डिजिटल
रोबोटिक बायोमेट्रिक
कैशलैस प्लास्टिक
कर्यशक्ति धारक
बाजार मुखी भारतीय
नागरिक कि वोट
डालने के सिवाय
टैक्स अदा करने
के सिवाय
इस संसदीय
लोकतंत्र में
उसका कोई नियंत्रण
होइबे नहीं करे
सब बरोबर
सब ठीकठाक
महिषासुर वध जारी है
भारतीय जनता के विरुद्ध
भारत सरकार का युद्ध
जारी है और साल भर में
संसदीय सत्र पर करोड़ों
के खर्च के बावजूद
किसी को वेतन पेंशन
मिले न मिले
सबसे ज्यादा
भौंकने वाले पत्रकारों
को मजीठिया मिले न मिले
सांसदों मंत्रियों के वेतन भत्ते में
इजाफा पलक झपकते ही
फिर सरकारी खर्च के अलावा
उनको भी बेहिसाब खर्च के
लिए लाखों करोड़
जो राजनीतिक समर्थन
जनाधार और वोट बैंक
बनाने का काम आते हैं
और उसपर संसद
का कोई नियंत्रण नहीं
सरकारी खर्च पर
विडंबना यह कि
सरकार काभी कोई
निंत्रण नहीं
संसदीय कार्यवाही पर
इतना भारी खर्च और
फिरभी राजकाज के लिए
शासनादेश अध्यादेश
कानून बनाने का काम
संसद में नहीं, केबिनेट बैठक
कारपोरेट लाबिंइग से
हो जाता पूरा और मजा
देखिये सालभर में
अल्पमत सरकार ने
धड़ाधड़ जारी कर दिये
ग्यारह अध्यादेश
युवराज ने हंगामा
बरपाया न होता तो
दागी अध्यादेश
भी जारी हो गया होता
इस संसद में न सरकार
की कोई भूमिका है
और न संसद की कोई
भूमिका है सरकार में
आम जनता तो
सीधे हाशिये पर
अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति
राष्ट्राध्यक्ष और सरकार
के मुखिया दोनों
उनके विशेषाधिकार अनेक
वीटो लगा सकते हैं
अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति
लेकिन नीति निर्धारण
से लेकर सरकारी खर्च
विदेशी संबंध,समझौते
और संधि के लिए
वहां संसद में कानून
बनना सबसे जरुरी ही नहीं
अनिवार्य अपरिहार्य
ओबामाकेयर पर विवाद है
जिसे सिनेट ने मंजूर नहीं किया
हाउस आफ रिप्रेजेंटेटिव में
मंजूरी के बावजूद
संसद को बायपास करके
मजे से हो जाते कानून लागू
सुधारों का हो जाता
कार्यान्वयन और संसद को
खबर ही नहीं होती
खर्च का फैसला हो जाता
चुनावी समीकरण के मुताबिक
आर्थिक पैकेज जारी हो जाते
क्षत्रपों की क्षमता के मुताबिक
करों में लाखों करोड़ की
सालाना छूट बिना कानून
बनाये और संसद को अंधेरे में
रखकर होते सारे सौदे, समझौते
जबकि भारत लोक गणराज्य
और सरकार संसद के प्रति
जिम्मेदार,संसदीय जनादेश
के बिना अल्पमत सरकार
जारी करती शासनादेश
अध्यादेश एक के बाद एक
बिना संसदीय मंजूरी मंत्री
सपरिवार करते विदेश यात्राएं
तमाम राजनेताओं,अफसरों की
विदेश यात्राएं भी सरकारी
तमाम असंवैधानिक अध्यक्षों
सत्ता समर्थकों,विशेषज्ञों
और समितियों की
विदेश यात्रा, चिकित्सा
सरकारी, कोई नहीं पूछता
थैलियों का हिसाब
हिसाब मांगो तो
हिसाब कर दिया
जाता है और इसी
दहशत में अंधभक्ति
और आस्था में
शुतुरमुर्ग बन जाते
हैं बेहद डरे हुए लोग
क्या हम इस लोकतंत्र
के काबिल हैं,अपने से कोई
नहीं पूछता और इतने लंबे
संघर्ष के बाद जो बना
भारत का संविधान
उसको लागू करने
की मांग भी नही ंकरता कोई
लड़ने का जिगर तो
होताइच नहीं
तमाम राष्ट्रीय संसाधन
बेच डाले बिना संसद
की कोई परवाह किये
बिना संसदीय अनुमति के
आधार योजना के तहत
मानवाधिकार हनन
सत्यानाश गलियारे
युद्ध और गृहयुद्ध सारे
सरकारी किसी फैसले के
लिए संसद के प्रति
कोई जिम्मेदारी नहीं
भारत सरकार की
लोकतांत्रिक पद्धति नहीं कोई
नहीं वित्तीय पारदर्शिता कोई
न है वित्तीय नीतियां कोई
मौद्रिक कवायद के लिए भी
संसदीय अनुमति जरुरी नहीं
जब चाहे तब बिना संसद
अनुमोदित अनुदान और उत्सव
मुआवजा और पुरस्कार
सम्मान और प्रोत्साहन
सत्ता समीकरण के हिसाब से
स्टीमुलस जब तब
अनिधिकृत आंकड़े जब तब
अनिधिकृत परिभाषाएं जब तब
सरकारी सारे कदम राजनीतिक
राजकाज असंसदीय
संसद की मंजूरी के बजाय
वैश्विक व्यवस्था नियंत्रित
बेहतर हो कि इस सरकार
की तालाबंदी हो जाये फौरन
जनविरोधी नीतियों पर
अंकुश लगे फौरन
बेलगाम खर्च,राष्ट्रहित में
सौदे रंगीन और देश विदेश में
जनता के खर्च से
जनता के पैसे से देश बेचने
का यह धंधा बंद हो फौरन
যে দেশ 'মুক্ত অর্থনীতির অধিনায়ক' হিসেবে বিশ্বের দরবারে নিজেকে প্রতিপন্ন করে, অর্থনৈতিক অচলাবস্থার জন্য আজ সে দেশেই বাণিজ্যিক লেনদেন বন্ধ হওয়ার মুখে৷
এ জন্য একমাত্র দায়ী মার্কিন কংগ্রেসের চরমপন্থী মনোভাব৷ দেশ জ্বলেপুড়ে যাক, সে-ও ভালো৷ কিন্ত্ত কিছুতেই 'ওবামাকেয়ার' সম্বলিত বাজেট পাশ হতে দেওয়া যাবে না৷
রাজনৈতিক প্রসঙ্গ হোক কিংবা ঋণের বোঝা কমাতে নতুন বিনিয়োগের প্রস্তাব - বিরোধী শিবিরের সঙ্গে প্রেসিডেন্ট ওবামার মনোমালিন্য অব্যাহত থেকেছে৷ আর এই মতানৈক্যের চরম মূল্য দিয়েছে আমেরিকা৷ দুনিয়ার অন্যতম মজবুত অর্থনীতিতে ফাটল ধরিয়ে দেখা দিয়েছে নিরাপত্তাহীনতা৷
बजट को लेकर डेमोक्रेट तथा रिपब्लिकन के बीच राजनीतिक गतिरोध गुरुवार को भी दूर नहीं हो सका और लगातार तीसरे दिन अमेरिका सरकार का कामकाज ठप रहा। राष्ट्रपति बराक ओबामा और सांसदों के बीच पहली बातचीत बेनतीजा रही। इससे अमेरिकी अर्थव्यवस्था पर गंभीर असर पड़ने की संभावना है।
इस बीच, वित्त विभाग की रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है कि अक्तूबर के मध्य तक सरकार का नकद कोष समाप्त हो जाएगा और खजाने से रिण के भुगतान में चूक हो सकती है। इससे देश फिर से 2008-09 जैसी मंदी की गिरफ्त में फंस सकता है। बैठक के बाद व्हाइट हाउस ने एक बयान में कहा कि ओबामा ने सांसदों को बताया कि जबतक अंतरिम बजट पारित नहीं किया जाता और ऋण सीमा नहीं बढ़ाई जाती, वह सरकार चलाने की जरूरत के विषय में अब संसद से कोई बात नहीं करेंगे।
ओबामा ने कहा कि सरकार चलाने के लिए धन संबंधी स्पष्ट विधेयक संसद पारित करे जो सीनेट में पहले ही पारित हो चुका है। सरकार चलाने के लिए सदन आज कार्रवाई कर सकता है और इस संकट से देश की अर्थव्यवस्था और लोगों को हो रहे नुकसान से बचा सकता है।
एक टीवी साक्षात्कार में ओबामा ने कहा कि वह ऐसे घटनाक्रमों से व्यथित हैं जिससे उनकी सरकार का कामकाज ठप पड़ गया है। उन्होंने वित्तीय बाजार को चेताया कि वह भी इस घटनाक्रम को लेकर चिंतित हो। ओबामा ने कहा कि मेरे लिए यह कहना उचित होगा कि राष्ट्रपति रहते हुए मैं रिपब्लिकन पार्टी के साथ काम करने के लिए काफी झुका हूं। मैं समझता हूं कि लोग मुझे मेरे शांत स्वभाव के लिए जानते हैं। कभी कभी लोग सोचते हैं कि मैं जरूरत से अधिक शांत हूं।
অস্বস্তি কাটাতে আন্তর্জাতিক মহলের সামনে গণতন্ত্রের ঢাক পেটানো শুরু করেছিলেন মার্কিন বিদেশসচিব জন কেরি৷ কিন্ত্ত প্রেসিডেন্টের মন্তব্যেই তাঁর সব উদ্যোগ জলে গেল৷
অর্থনৈতিক অচলাবস্থার নাগপাশ থেকে মুক্তির উপায় খুঁজতে হোয়াইট হাউসে বৈঠকে বসেছিল রিপাবলিকান এবং ডেমোক্র্যাটরা৷ সমাধানসূত্র তো দূর স্থান, বৈঠকে আরও প্রকট হয়ে পড়ে দু'পক্ষের কাদা ছোড়াছুড়ি৷ এমনকি প্রেসিডেন্ট বারাক ওবামা স্বয়ং সে তরজায় সামিল হন৷
সঙ্কটমোচনের সন্ধানে বসে যে ভাবে শীর্ষ মার্কিন রাজনীতিকরা বিতণ্ডায় জড়িয়ে পড়েন, তা আন্তর্জাতিক মহলে রীতিমতো আলোচনার বিষয় হয়ে দাঁড়িয়েছে৷ বিশেষ করে আমেরিকা-বিরোধী দেশগুলি গত ২৪ ঘণ্টায় অহরহ কটাক্ষ করে চলেছে৷ এই অবস্থায় ইন্দোনেশিয়ায় 'অ্যাপেক' শীর্ষ সম্মেলনে দেশের মুখ বাঁচাতে গণতন্ত্রের ধ্বজা ওড়ানোর চেষ্টা চালিয়ে যান বিদেশসচিব জন কেরি৷ তাঁর ব্যাখ্যা, 'কোথায় ঝগড়া! আমাদের গণতন্ত্রের ভিত্তি কতটা মজবুত, এটা (বিতণ্ডা) তারই প্রমাণ৷'
দেশের ভাবমূর্তি উজ্জ্বল করতে কেরির এই প্রয়াসের কয়েক ঘণ্টাও কাটেনি৷ টিভি এবং রেডিয়োয় নিজের সাপ্তাহিক ভাষণে বিরোধীদের তীব্র ভাবে বিঁধে কেরির কূটনৈতিক উদ্যোগ ভেস্তে দিলেন ওবামা-ই৷ বিরোধীদের প্রতি মার্কিন প্রেসিডেন্টের বার্তা, 'বন্ধ করুন প্রহসন৷ বাজেটে সম্মতি দিন৷ এই অচলাবস্থা কাটান৷' তাঁর স্পষ্ট হুঁশিয়ারি, 'সরকারকে সচল করতে কোনও অবস্থাতেই আমি মুক্তিপণ দিতে রাজি নই৷ আর ঋণের ঊর্ধ্বসীমা বাড়ানোর ক্ষেত্রে তেমন কিছু করার তো প্রশ্নই নেই৷' বিরোধীদের সতর্ক করে তিনি বলেছেন, 'সরকারকে অচল করার স্বাভাবিক পরিণতি হল তীব্র অর্থনৈতিক সঙ্কট৷ আমাদের গণতন্ত্রের পক্ষে সেটা সবচেয়ে বেশি ক্ষতিকর৷ দায় কিন্ত্ত নিতে হবে আপনাদেরই৷'
এর আগে কেরির মুখে শোনা গিয়েছে আরেকটি সতর্কবার্তা৷ অ্যাপেকে মার্কিন বিদেশসচিব আশ্বস্ত করেন, 'এই অচলাবস্থা নেহাতই সাময়িক৷ এশিয়ার উন্নয়নের প্রতি আমেরিকার দায়বদ্ধতা এতে বিন্দুমাত্র কমবে না৷' সেই সঙ্গে তিনি এ-ও বলেন, 'আন্তর্জাতিক মহলে আমেরিকার সম্মানের কথা যেন বিরোধীরা ভুলে না যান৷ এই অচলাবস্থার প্রভাব কিন্ত্ত আমাদের বিদেশনীতিতেও পড়ছে৷' কী ভাবে, ইন্দোনেশিয়ায় দাঁড়িয়ে কেরি সে ব্যাখ্যা দেননি৷ তবে হোয়াইট হাউস সূত্রে যা বলা হয়েছে, তাতে কেরির কথার ব্যাখ্যাই স্পষ্ট৷ হোয়াইট হাউসের মুখপাত্র জে কার্নি বলেছেন, 'অচলাবস্থার ফলে সিরিয়া এবং ইরানের বিরুদ্ধে পদক্ষেপে বাধা আসছে৷'
এত কিছু সত্ত্বেও বর্তমান রাজনৈতিক অচলাবস্থায় দাঁড়ি পড়বে, এমন সম্ভাবনা আপাতত নেই৷ গত পাঁচ দিন ধরে অনড় যুযুধান দু'পক্ষ৷ জটিলতা কাটাতে নিজের দলের (রিপাবলিকান) সদস্যদের সঙ্গে বৈঠকে বসেছিলেন হাউস অফ রিপ্রেজেন্টেটিভসের স্পিকার জন বোয়েনার৷ কিন্ত্ত তাতে কোনও কাজ হয়নি৷ বৈঠক শেষে হতাশ বোয়েনারের মন্তব্যে ফুটে উঠল সামগ্রিক পরিস্থিতির যথাযথ সারাংশ- 'একটি মহাকাব্যিক যুদ্ধে আমরা সকলে ফেঁসে গিয়েছি৷
Abuse of an emergency measure? UPA-II issues 11 ordinances in 2013, highest in a decade
By Avinash Celestine & Shantanu Nandan Sharma, ET Bureau | 6 Oct, 2013, 06.45AM IST
Key legislative changes have been made this year, with a tool that was supposed to be used only sparingly, and at times when 'immediate action' is needed.
Editor's Pick
ET SPECIAL:
Get latest Dollar price updates on your mobile
In the same week that the cabinet decided to withdraw a controversial ordinance designed to benefit convicted MPs, another ordinance was quietly pushed through. Far less controversial than the now infamous ordinance attacked by Rahul Gandhi, this one was about redrawing electoral constituencies to reflect legal shifts in the definition of scheduled castes (SCs) and scheduled tribes (STs), as well as changes in the population of SCs and STs in the last decade. It was introduced following a Supreme Court order in 2011, asking the government to make the relevant changes.
What's interesting about this ordinance is that this was the third time it was being introduced (or 'promulgated') this year. Under the Constitution any ordinance lapses automatically six weeks after parliament meets, and if MPs don't vote to pass the required changes. Effectively the government, unable to get those changes passed in parliament, was rolling over the ordinance each time it lapsed.
It was thus able to make the legal changes it wanted, without having to rely on parliament. This is not the only ordinance which has been rolled over this year. A law giving the securities regulator Sebi greater powers to act against violators has been promulgated twice. As has a law making changes in the Indian Medical Council, the apex regulator of medical education in India.
Indeed, the UPA government has issued 11 ordinances so far this year, the highest since 2001. Key legislative changes have been made this year, with a tool that was supposed to be used only sparingly, and at times when 'immediate action' (the specific term used by the Constitution) is needed.
Former cabinet secretary TSR Subramanian says: "An ordinance per se is a necessary tool in case of an emergency situation. The problem lies with its misuse." Even serving law officers of the government seemed uncomfortable with the ordinance shielding convicted MPs that the UPA eventually withdrew — the Union cabinet had cleared it in the last week of September, two and a half months after the Supreme Court had ruled that an MP or MLA should be disqualified if convicted by a court for a criminal offence and sentenced to a minimum two-year jail term.
Solicitor general of India Mohan Parasaran says that there were problems from day one. "The problem with the ordinance was that it sought to overturn a Supreme Court judgement. We are mere law officers. We advise the government on the constitutionality of any law. We can't go beyond it." It's evident from this statement that a section of top law officers wasn't exactly in favour of the ordinance.
In fact, on the day the cabinet revoked its earlier decision and withdrew both the ordinance and the bill, Parasaran's father K Parasaran, who had served as attorney general of India under Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, wrote in a newspaper column that "the Bill, if enacted as law, and/or the Ordinance, will also be violative of Article 14 of the Constitution as being arbitrary, discriminatory and irrational". Parasaran senior is a nominated MP in Rajya Sabha, and is known to be close to the Gandhi family.
Used Ordinarily
Originally, the power to issue ordinances was part of the 1935 Act under the British Raj. The move to make it part of the Indian Constitution was supported by BR Ambedkar who made it clear that he saw the power as one that should be used only in case of an emergency: "The emergency must be dealt with, and it seems to me that the only solution is to confer upon the President the power to promulgate the law which will enable the executive to deal with that particular situation...because the legislature is not in session."
Since then, however, successive governments have sought to stretch the definition of those terms 'immediate action' and 'emergency'. The Bihar government, for instance, was at the centre of a key constitutional case in 1987, where the Supreme Court found that the state government was routinely issuing ordinances, and then repromulgating them again and again, thus effectively bypassing the state legislature.
Subhash Kashyap, a constitutional expert and former secretary general of the Lok Sabha, points to correspondence between the first speaker of the Lok Sabha GV Mavalankar and prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru on the issue of ordinances. "He asked the prime minister not to resort to promulgation of ordinances so close to the start and end of a parliamentary session," says Kashyap. "There is little doubt that ordinances have been misused in the past."
"The misuse of ordinances today is like the misuse of Article 356 in the past," says Subramanian, referring to the move by successive central governments in the past to depose state governments. He recollects a 14-hour-long cabinet meeting in 1997 during IK Gujral's tenure as PM, mainly to frame the then UP government under Kalyan Singh. But then President KR Narayanan returned the cabinet's recommendation of imposing President's rule in UP under Article 356. While exercising his discretion, Narayanan referred to the Supreme Court judgement of 1994 on SR Bommai vs Union of India.
Whose Emergency?
A key use of the ordinance-making power has been to enable the government to pass legislation which is currently pending in parliament but has not yet been passed either due to constant disruption, as has been the case this year, or simply because the logistics didn't allow it. In 2001 the last time ordinances were used by the central government so extensively before 2013, the then-NDA government issued, among others, an ordinance declaring the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA, a Delhibased think tank governed by its own Act of parliament) an institution of national importance.
This ordinance too, like the others was issued, then lapsed, then re-issued again, with the main reason for the urgency being that the bill to replace the ordinance was still pending in parliament. The delay by parliament in passing the ICWA bill may well have created an emergency for the ICWA but it's not clear that this was a national emergency, which created the need for 'immediate action' by the government of India.
The ordinance route is now an option that is frequently on the table when existing legal changes are not being made. In the early 2000s, the proposal for a national-level Special Economic Zones Act was first mooted under the NDA government. Due to various delays the bill never reached parliament and bureaucrats, in December 2003 (months before India was heading to elections), suggested that an SEZ ordinance be moved instead.
The urgency arose from the fact that a number of private sector SEZ projects such as ones in Navi Mumbai, Indore, Dahej and Mundra were being implemented under state-level SEZ laws. However, funders and bankers were uncomfortable with such projects without the cover provided by a national SEZ Act. To enable such projects, which were already underway, to achieve financial closure and quickly, an ordinance was sought to be moved. Ultimately, even this did not go through, and the SEZ Act was passed by parliament under UPA-1.
Even then, special dispensation was sought by then commerce minister Kamal Nath from the Lok Sabha speaker to quickly pass the bill, rather than refer it to a standing committee as would have been the normal process. Eventually, the bill was passed in two days, with the support of the Left parties. Again, the need for financial closure could well have been an emergency for SEZ developers but it was unclear whether this was the kind of national emergency that the Constitution's framers had in mind.
Other key pieces of economic legislation pushed through by ordinance have included the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) ordinance, which set up the telecom regulator, and the securitisation ordinance, giving banks greater powers to seize assets of defaulters (aimed at resolving a problem which had dogged bankers for decades). The need to attract investment and offer confidence to foreign investors was a key reason cited for setting up TRAI through the ordinance route.
Indeed the mid-90s, with their unstable coalition governments, were a particularly fruitful time for ordinances. More ordinances were issued during those years than at any other time in independent India, including the emergency.
 * |
Frozen by shutdown, US warns of 'catastrophic' default
President Barack Obama demanded an end Thursday to a three-day government shutdown he decried as a reckless "farce," piling pressure on Republicans to climb down first on a budget impasse.
The US Treasury meanwhile warned of "catastrophic" consequences if there is no deal within weeks to raise the country's debtceiling, and the IMF's chief said navigating a way out of that next crisis was "mission critical."
And late Thursday the White House announced that because of the shutdown Obama was scrapping plans to attend two summits next week in Asia -- an APECsummit in Indonesia and an East Asia summit in Brunei. The tour had been designed to advance a central thrust of Obama's foreign policy.
The trip had already been truncated, as Obama canceled tail-end stops in Malaysia and the Philippines.
He traveled earlier Thursday to the Washington suburbs to lambast Republican House Speaker John Boehner, who emerged from a White House meeting late on Wednesday complaining that the president would not negotiate with him.
"Take a vote, stop this farce and end this shutdown right now," Obama said during a fiery speech in the Maryland suburb of Rockville, which is home to many federal workers laid off in the shutdown.
Branding the crisis a "reckless Republican shutdown," Obama said that Boehner could reopen the government and get hundreds of thousands of people back to work "in just five minutes" by passing a temporary operating budget with no partisan strings attached.
"Speaker John Boehner won't even let the bill get a yes or no vote, because he doesn't want to anger the extremists in his party," Obama said.
The government ran short of funds on Monday, after Congress failed to pass a budget, forcing authorities to send all non-essential workers home and to close museums, monuments and national parks that are all popular with tourists.
The Democratic-led Senate had turned back repeated Republican efforts to pass a budget while defunding or delaying Obama's health care law.
The law dubbed Obamacare is a centerpiece of his political legacy and reviled by Tea Party conservatives.
The talks at the White House between Obama and congressional leaders made no progress, and there is no sign that the dispute will be solved before dragging into a second week.
The crisis rattled Wall Street on Thursday, where the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 136.66 points (0.90 percent) to 14,996.48, amid ongoing jitters from the shutdown and nervousness about a looming battle over Congress's responsibility to raise the $16.7 trillion US statutory borrowing limit.
If there is no resolution before October 17, the government could begin running out of money to pay its bills and an unprecedented US debt default could result.
But Republicans are again demanding concessions on Obamacare before voting to raise the debt ceiling, raising fears of unpredictable consequences, which the Treasury said in a report Thursday could plunge the United States into deep recession and rock global markets.
"In the event that a debt limit impasse were to lead to a default, it could have a catastrophic effect on not just financial markets but also on job creation, consumer spending and economic growth," the report said.
"Credit markets could freeze, the value of the dollar could plummet, US interest rates could skyrocket, the negative spillovers could reverberate around the world, and there might be a financial crisis and recession that could echo the events of 2008 or worse."
International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde said finding a way out of the debt limit dead end as soon as possible was "mission critical."
The New York Times reported Thursday that Boehner had privately told House Republicans that he understood the dangers of a default and was ready to pass a debt limit increase with the help of minority Democrats if necessary.
Obama has refused to negotiate with Republicans over raising the debt ceiling, saying Congress is simply authorizing borrowing to pay bills it has already run up and that offering concessions would set a poor precedent for future presidents.
In the minds of key players on Capitol Hill, the government shutdown and the debt ceiling fight have now merged into one massive political crisis.
There was some talk among Republicans that Boehner may try to craft a face-saving way out by reviving a stalled drive for a "grand bargain" on debt and spending with Obama.
But there is skepticism on the Democratic side that there is time to pull together a pact -- following repeated failed attempts in Obama's first term -- before the debt limit deadline.
Lawmakers meanwhile could pass a measure on Friday which will see federal workers receive back pay for the period when they have been off work since the shutdown.
Members of the House of Representatives and Senate filed bills that would ensure all federal employees receive retroactive pay for the duration of the work stoppage.
"They deserve their pay, not financial punishment," House Democrat James Moran said in a statement.
Dealing with Bitter Slowdown
Greek lesson: How to boost economy by wooing tourists
Despite severe personnel cuts, the agents welcome you warmly to the country — in sharp contrast to the scowls on display at our International Airports.
Confidence of 800 million youth sinks as jobs dry up in torpid economy
With jobs drying up in a torpid economy, the confidence of 800 million youth sinks. Are our politicians listening?Editor's Pick
ET SPECIAL:
Get latest Dollar price updates on your mobile
NEW DELHI: Young Indians - 800 million citizens are under the age of 35 - celebrated as the demographic dividend, aren't feeling celebratory these days. Post-reforms, it's never been as bad for us as now, says Young India.
And it could get worse, say pundits, if business sentiment doesn't improve in the next six months, and if Elections 2014 produce a horribly fractured verdict.
Three out of four young Indians reckon the economy is worse now than it was after the 2008 global crisis. More than half say it's the worst time for job-hunting. Nearly 60% are postponing decisions like buying a car or a house or starting a family. And more than 40% would take a pay cut if that improves job security.
 * |
These grim statistics are from a CII survey of young Indian professionals and entrepreneurs in 28 cities, conducted for ET.
The under-40 group that was polled gave answers that showed confidence levels of young Indians are probably the lowest in the 20-odd years since 1991.
Plenty of experts, employers, sector specialists and even politicians agree that there's a confidence crisis amongst the young.
"It's a jobs emergency," says Manish Sabharwal, chairman, TeamLease, India's best-known temporary employment agency. He echoes the findings of the CII-ET survey: the jobs crisis now is worse than that after the 2008 global financial meltdown.
Praful Patel, minister for heavy industries and Lok Sabha MP, says when he visits his constituency in Maharashtra, "every second young person wants a job...there are very few jobs".
Rajya Sabha MP and entrepreneur Rajeev Chandrasekhar says young, educated Indians looking for their first or second jobs are hurting the most. "This is the most disturbing micro impact of the macro slowdown," he says.
Sabharwal also says the low confidence level and dim prospects are affecting the consumption story. Home buying, one of the biggest post-reforms consumption/investment story, is down among the young.
"Many people are deferring real estate purchase. In the Rs 50-70 lakh segment, which 30-35 year-olds typically opt for, sales are down by nearly 40%," said Anuj Puri, chairman and country head of Jones Lang La Salle, a global real estate consultancy.
Puri says the days are gone when young white collar employees would buy homes that they couldn't quite afford, betting on a salary hike to make loan servicing affordable. "No optimism, no punts," he sums up the situation.
Figures for auto sales also show cheaper hatchbacks and sedans, the cars typically bought by the young, doing poorly in the market.
The following set of numbers shows the young have read the grim job market right.Andhra Pradesh has over 700 engineering colleges and 3.5 lakh seats - the highest in any Indian state. But just 2 lakh seats were filled up this year. Why? Because just 20% of the class of 2013 have got jobs. When young Indians give up the chance of getting an engineering degree, you know there's something very wrong.
 * |
All engineering and management colleges bar IIMs and IITs and a few other blue chip colleges are in situations similar to that in Andhra institutions. In Maharashtra, Karnataka andTamil Nadu around 2 lakh engineering seats have had no takers this academic year. Just 25% of Maharashtra's 46,000 MBA seats have been filled.
Unsurprisingly, many engineering colleges and B-schools are now shutting shop - 116 have sought an exit from the technical education regulator in the first six months of this financial year, compared with 100 in the whole of 2012-13.
Those entering the job market with engineering degrees or MBAs or other professional qualifications are confronted with employers shifting preference from new hires to those with some experience.
A TeamLease employment outlook report for the second half of 2013-14 says, "India Inc's focus has now shifted to hiring a 'productive workforce' that can hit the ground running. This leaves little scope for training and orientation... entry and junior-level hires have come down."
Educated young in tier-2 and tier-3 cities are particularly affected, employment experts say. And, strange as it sounds, the election season that's upon us isn't helping.
"Businesses that are especially sensitive to the political-economic fallout of the impending elections are the ones who have gone more slow on hiring," said Sangeeta Lala, senior vice-president and co-founder, TeamLease. Businesses that depend on administrative clearances - major infrastructure projects, for example - fall in this category.
Experts say with IT/BPO hiring down and freshers in the job market getting short shrift, the only option is re-skilling. Dilip Chenoy, managing director and CEO of the National Skills Development Corporation, says young job seekers need to get skills beyond engineering and MBA, "in specialised areas that are still growing".
Arun Kumar (25) will agree. Kumar was jobless for months after an electrical engineering degree from a Coimbatore college. A further degree in bio-medical engineering helped him land a job. He says students who were brighter than him but didn't go for re-skilling are still job-hunting.
The swelling ranks of educated unemployed can spell trouble. Ajay Jain, commissioner of technical education in Andhra Pradesh, says thousands of engineers going jobless every year can become "a major crisis" in two-to-three years.
The International Labour Organisation, ILO, thinks the near future is grimmer. ILO's figure for urban unemployment is India is a high 10%. Sher Singh Verick, senior employment specialist in ILO's Decent Work team for South Asia, says long spells of unemployment for educated young make them less employable even when the job market picks up and/or they tend to get lower salaries.
How can the young feel less despondent? Pundits say it's mostly up to politicians. The young are the largest voting bloc, says Sabharwal, make them the focus of your campaign, says Chandrasekhar.
The CII-ET survey showed over 60% of India's young has become extremely risk-averse, unwilling to bet on anything. Politicians should take serious note.
(Shambhavi Anand, J Srikant, Biswarup Gooptu and Shreya Jai contributed to this story.)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment