IPL8217;s USP

The Organiser disapproves of the circulation of big money in the Indian Premier League. An article by Sri Krishna says...

The Organiser disapproves of the circulation of big money in the Indian Premier League. An article by Sri Krishna says, 8220;And now for 44 days from April 18, India8217;s great cricket tamasha gets underway as the modern gladiators owned by Bollywood stars and industrialists battle for a prize money of US 5 million, which is five times the prize money at the 2007 ICC World Cup in the Caribbean8230; These figures only go to show how much money is being spent by Bollywood stars and industrialists on these modern day gladiators for what can be merely a momentary pleasure as Twenty20 is no game for the connoisseurs and may even not be able to help the Indian cricketers in the long run except to make them quick millionaires.8221;

For the poor?

A piece written by Organiser editor R. Balashankar says globalisation is only helping the rich. 8220;India8217;s accelerating economic growth is a matter of celebration. But many have expressed concern about the distributional impacts of the growth process. The vulnerability of India8217;s large population below poverty, the gap between the rich spending and the poor spending capacity have become the biggest failure of globalisation. The big story is that after globalisation, between 1993 and 2008 the rich-poor gap has widened, the growth was more equitable during the previous decade.8221;

Lalu8217;s shift

The editorial praises Lalu Prasad Yadav8217;s rail budget. 8220;Like it or not, Lalu has brought a paradigm shift. For many years before him, railways was a neglected area, a parking sanctuary for heavyweight politicians to satisfy their bloated ego trip. Lalu made a difference with his passion for power and the common touch. That he remembered the human side of the mammoth public sector behemoth speaks of the politician in him. For the country 8212; which is on a fast-track to globalisation 8212; it may not mean much that he upgraded the service of the lowest strata of the railway men or that he made a marginal difference in fare rates or that he thought of making railways compete profitably with low-priced airlines and tried to reduce the burden on road transport.8221;

Another article on the general budget says, 8220;The loan-waiver announced for farmers may prove to be a double-edged sword 8212; a loss for the banking sector and may close further financing from banks to the farming community. The budget has been communalised too in the name of doubling allocation 8212; Rs 1000 crore 8212; to the ministry of minority affairs. Several benefits to a particular religious community are certainly not in the interest of the nation. He announced multi-sectoral development plans in 90 minority-concentrated districts.8221;