Impact of New Mining Policy

Impact of New Mining Policy

Shikha Singh

India is rich in minerals. According to the Geological Survey of India (GSI), out of the 31.4 lakh sq km of our country’s mappable area, about 5.71 lakh sq km has been identified for scheduled mining of the non-fuel and non-coal major minerals. At present about 4,550 sq km has been leased for mining across India which excludes fuel, atomic or minor minerals.

Recently, the government has approved the National Mineral Exploration Policy (NMEP). The major highlights of the policy are:

*The government will offer the pre-competitive baseline geo-scientific data of the highest standards in the public domain free of charge.

*The government will conduct aero-geophysical survey of India in a mission mode. Initially, it will cover 8 lakh sq km of ‘potential’ areas, and then, move on to cover rest of the areas.

*All the baseline and mineral exploration information collected by various central and state agencies, and mineral concession holders will be collated in a digital geospatial database which will be known as the National Geoscientific Data Repository (NGDR).

*With an aim to find and unearth concealed and deep-seated mineral deposits, the government will establish a National Centre for Mineral Targeting (NCMT), which will work in collaboration with academia, industry and other geo-scientific organizations.

*The government will auction identified exploration blocks to the private sector. If the exploration leads to auctionable resources, they will be offered a suitable revenue sharing model. Otherwise, the explorative expenditure will be reimbursed on a normative cut basis.

The government has also made two laws to serve as pillars of support to the mining sector. These are:

Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2015

The MMDR Amendment Act, 2015 specifies that the mineral concessions for major minerals will be granted through auction or competitive bidding. It also states that the mines will be granted for a fixed tenure and will be made easily transferable; strict penalty provisions will be introduced to stop illegal mining; and a National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) will be established to conduct detailed exploration on a regional basis.

Atomic Minerals Concession Rules, 2016

The Ministry of Mines, Power, Coal, and New & Renewable Energy also said that the State Governments will now grant mineral concessions, where atomic miners are less than the prescribed threshold values, to the private sector by auction or competitive bidding.

Vision for 2030

The Department of Science and Technology (DST)  has released a report called the ‘Critical Non-Fuel Mineral Resources for India’s Manufacturing Sector: A Vision for 2030’. It offers a first-of-its-kind framework for India to identify the 12 critical minerals (including include beryllium, germanium, rare earths (heavy and light), rhenium, tantalum, etc. ) that can play an important role in the Make in India program, and assesses the impact of these critical minerals on the manufacturing sector. It also weighs the economic importance of these minerals and associated supply risks.

The critical minerals identified in the report are used in a number of industries to manufacture aerospace vehicles, automobiles, cameras, defense, entertainment systems, laptops, medical imaging, nuclear energy, and smart phones. They can also play an important role in the government’s low-carbon plans by playing an important role in manufacturing of hybrid and electric vehicles. They will be required to help the government achieve its 100GW solar target and to achieve the national domestic efficient lighting programme. These minerals also have an important role to play in the national security of India.

The report recommends that in the coming years, India will have to join hands with existing global players to secure assured supply of these critical minerals to aid the manufacturing sector of India in 2030. Knowing that we need, it will be possible to identify and collaborate with global players, and to direct our R&D efforts more easily.

It is to be noted that over the past year, the Government of India has made several efforts to boost the growth of the mining industry, such as speedy clearances, creation of an exploration fund, and introducing fair and transparent auctions. Allocation of mines for 50 years (instead of 30 years as stipulated earlier), and  setting up of District Mineral Foundations (DMF) which are responsible for the socio-economic development of people affected by Mines are other initiatives by the government that aim to boost the mining industry of India. Soon, the government is likely to also announce the Exclusive Economic Zone Offshore Concession Rules to attract foreign investors to the sector.

Present Scenario

Currently, the mining sector contributes 2.4% to India’s GDP. Minister of Mines Piyush Goyal said that the government aims to increase it by another 1% in the next 2-3 years. Only 10% of the Obvious Geological Potential (OGP) area identified by GSI has been explored till now. Mining is taking place in only 1.5 to 2% of this area. By involving the private explorers (who will be selected through a transparent e-auction process), the government hopes to undertake detailed regional exploration.

Out of 12 minerals critical for India’s manufacturing sector and national security, India is 100% dependent on import for 7 minerals. Our country does not have any declared sources for these minerals yet. Hence, it is our priority to domestically explore critical minerals, strategically acquire overseas mines, and sign trade and diplomatic agreements to cover any supply risks. We also need to promote research and development to find better substitutes of priority minerals, and scale up innovation in the recycling and metal recovery sector.

Challenges and Opportunities of the Mining Sector

Despite the high level of development, the mining sector in India has been unable to realize its potential due to outdated technology it depends on. Right now, we can only be mining to the depth of 300 meters. There are many opportunities of discovering sub-surface deposits using the latest techniques and processes available these days.

The opening up of the sector for private players and foreign investment is expected to make the mining and minerals industry more competitive now. India’s numerous technology research institutes are already working on energy-related Research & Development, and there are several other aspects which need to be studied more minutely.

At present, the mining industry employs more than 11 lakh people, and offer wide-ranging career opportunities – from mining engineers to unskilled labour. It offers high rate of wages, provides raw material to other industries, and contribute about 16% of India’s total exports.

India is the world’s largest producer of mica, third-largest producer of coal and lignite, and is among the top producers of iron ore, bauxite, luminium and manganese. It has around 20,000 known mineral deposits and the labour is cheap here. Hence, the future of those who work in the mining sector in India is quite secure.

Funding of NMEP

It is estimated that in the next five years about Rs 2,116 crore will be needed to implement the National Mineral Exploration Policy (NMEP). It is expected to be funded from the regular annual budget of the GSI, Ministry of Mines and additional grants (such as funds from NMET and budgetary support by the Central Government).

The GIS has identified 100 blocks to be auctioned in the first phase, which include:

*27 Blocks of Base metals (such as aluminum, copper, lead, tin and zinc),

*21 Blocks of Gold,

*8 Blocks of Limestone,

*7 Blocks of Platinum Grup Elements (PGE) such as Palladium (Pd), Iridium (Ir), Osmium (Os), Rhodium (Rh) and Ruthenium (Ru), Nickel, and Chromium,

*6 Blocks each of Iron Ore, and Diamond,

*5Blocks each of Manganese, and Tin & Tungsten,

*3 Blocks of Rare Earth Elements and Rare Metals (such as columbite-tantalite, beryl, lepidolite, betafite, zircon, rutile, sphene and xenotime etc.)

*2 Blocks each of Chromite, and Graphite,

*1 Block each of Bauxite, Phosphate, Andalusite, Dunite, Vanadium, Barium, Glauconite, and Dolonite.

In the first phase, 43 of these major mineral blocks across eight states have been notified for auction. These include 6 blocks of limestone in Andhra Pradesh; 5 blocks in Chhatisgarh including 2 of gold and 1 of gold; 14 blocks of iron ore in Karnataka; 4 blocks in Maharashtra including 1 of bauxite, 1 of iron ore, 1 of limestone, and 1 of tungsten; 3 blocks in Odisha including 2 of limestone and 1 of iron ore; and 3 blocks of limestone in Rajasthan.

Impact of New Mining Policy on Creation of Jobs

The new mining policy is expected to create at least 60 lakh new jobs by 2025. Each mine employs hundreds or even thousands of skilled and unskilled people. In the 50-100 km radius of a mine, local service sector jobs get boosted and it has been observed that the nutritional outcomes for the poor improve considerably. Exploration of minerals and their mining on a large scale will surely lead to creation of lakhs of jobs in mineral processing and use too.

The vast potential of the mining sector cannot be ignored. Mineral and energy consumption per capita is one of the key indicators of prosperity. Till now, we have been importing basic minerals like coal and iron ore – even though we have some of their largest known reserves. The new mining and mineral policy seeks to change this scenario.

Mineral exploration is an extremely high-risk venture. With the new mining policy in place, the profitability and viability will be ensured and the mining sector will be able to take off more smoothly. With the full mapping of mineral deposits done, the policy will make sure that the mining licences that are granted comply with the environmental protection requirements of the community.

According to the experts, easy transferability of Mining Licences is one of the most important aspects of this policy. They believed that if the mineral exploration companies are listed in the stock market, the open market will certainly push any unethical companies out of business.

The large-scale mapping of mineral resources will also encourage potential investors as it will reduce the ‘uncertainty’ involved in such ventures. This, in turn, will give a huge boost to employment in the mining sector.

The new mining policy focuses on ‘exploration’ which is the first step in the lifecycle of mining and oil & gas production. Unlike China, India has the advantage of a plentiful reserve of good to medium grades of ore, which means that our ‘exports’ can improve considerably too. The infrastructural growth and development in India means that the consumption of steel and aluminium in the country is growing too.

(The author is a senior journalist.email: singhset@gmail.com)

Source:: employmentnews 

Goods and Services Tax the Road map Ahead

Goods and Services Tax the Road map Ahead

Jayanta Roy Chowdhury

India  moved a step closer to rolling out the much talked about Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime when Parliament passed the 122nd Constitution Amendment Bill earlier this month. “GST is an important move to free the nation from tax terrorism. This can’t be seen as a victory of a party or a government, it is a win for the democratic ethos of India and a victory for everyone,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi told lawmakers as he hailed them for supporting the key legislation in the national interest. The bill which was passed first by the Rajya sabha also called the Upper House, where the National Democratic Alliance  lacks a majority, after the government agreed to some of the key changes suggested by opposition lawmakers.  The sagacious move united most parties behind this landmark legislation which aims to turn India into one common market, scrapping a host of taxes – excise, sales tax, VAT, octroi and entry fees, and replacing it with a single tax the GST.

The amendments to the GST Constitutional Amendment Bill scrapped an earlier decided upon 1 percent inter-state levy, provided for compulsory 5-year compensation to states for revenue losses from bringing in GST, besides providing for a dispute redressal mechanism to be set up by the GST Council. The set of changes brought in by the Government to an earlier bill, proposed among others to delete Clause 18 of the original bill that intended to compensate the manufacturing states with one per cent additional duty for a period of two years or more for revenue losses.

It also made changes in Clause 19 of the Act dealing with compensation to states and now says that states will be compensated for a period of five years or more towards the losses they may suffer due to a shift to the new regime. To give it a greater specificity, the amendment now says Parliament by law “shall” compensate states, as opposed to the earlier choice of the word “may”.

The Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who piloted the bill also amended Clause 12, which dealt with dispute resolution between and among the Centre and states. “The Goods and Services Tax Council shall establish a mechanism to adjudicate any dispute.  a) Between the government of india and one or more states, or b) between the Government of india and any state or states on one side and one or more states on the other side; or c) between two or more states, arising out of the recommendations of the council or implementation thereof.

The Congress and several other opposition parties had demanded a standing appellate authority headed by a serving or retired Supreme Court Judge to adjudicate on such cases. The bill seems to concede as much without spelling out the terms of the authority. “We have left the terms and conditions to be decided by the GST Council, where the centre and states are both represented,” pointed out officials.

The amendment also clarifies that state’s share of GST tax will not form part of the Consolidated Fund of India. “The amount apportioned to a state shall not form part of the Consolidated Fund of India ...”, the amendment said.

GST itself has been in the works for more than a decade now and had been held hostage for long due to apprehension of states as well as bickering over its terms and specific wording between parties. However, the interesting point is that almost all parties as well as Indian business and intelligentsia were united in the need for the taxation measure. The move is expected to reduce black money flow as the tax measure will capture trade and industry better, eliminate roadblocks at border crossing by abolishing octroi and reduce double taxation, making the economy more efficient. The action on the GST front will now shift to the states as the central government will now have to seek to get the bill ratified by a majority of the 29 Indian states within the next one month to stay on course for its 1 April 2017 deadline on implementing the seminal tax reform. After this the President will then sign a notification to say that the constitution has changed. Once that happens, the Union Cabinet will have to approve the establishment of a GST Council–the key decision-making body on the new tax—which will be headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and have state finance ministers as members. The government will have to train some 60,000 tax officials by end of the year on the new tax structure. After all this the actual GST bill which sets out the tax rates and how the tax will be completed will be brought in , possibly in the winter session of parliament. The Government’s aim is to bring in the GST tax by April 1, 2017.

HOW WILL GST WORK

The tax will be imposed on both goods and services and will be vatable. i.e at each stage of manufacturing or selling taxes paid earlier can be set off against taxes to be paid at that point of manufacture or sale. Keeping in mind the federal structure of India, there will be two components of GST – Central GST (CGST) and State GST (SGST). Both Centre and States will simultaneously levy GST across the value chain. Tax will be levied on every supply of goods and services. Centre would levy and collect Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST), and States would levy and collect the State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) on all transactions within a State. The input tax credit of CGST would be available for discharging the CGST liability on the output at each stage. Similarly, the credit of SGST paid on inputs would be allowed for paying the SGST on output. No cross utilization of credit would be permitted.

Thus the GST tax will be a dual tax. For example if the tax on a product is 20 percent. 10 percent will be payable to state as its GST and 10 percent to centre as its share of the tax. Out of the central GST, the central government will also have to share some part of the revenue according to the centre state devolution formula to be decided by the finance commission.

To explain the nature of its vatability, an example will suffice. Let us take the example of a mobile phone maker “ A” . “A” buys chips from “B” for Rs 500, on which he pays GST at the rate of 10 percent or Rs 50/-.  The mobile phone maker also buys the services of a software firm for Rs 300/- in designing the mobile phone and pays a tax of 15 percent or Rs 45/-.   A finally sells the phone for  Rs 1200 to a wholeseller. While selling it, A has to pay a tax of 20 percent of Rs 240, making the final price of the phone Rs 1440 for a mobile phone. However, the firm gets a tax set off for the Rs 95 already paid as tax. So net tax which A has to pay is Rs 240-95 = Rs 145. In case the tax was not vatable the final price would have been higher by Rs 95.

The Government will have at least four GST rates:-1. The first will be a zero duty rate on essential goods such as life saving drugs and essential foods.2. A lower rate of say 10-14 percent for goods, which are of a mass consumption nature.  3. A standard rate of say 18-22 percent at which most Goods will be taxed.4. A higher rate for those goods, which are considered a luxury.

GST ROAD MAP AHEAD & CHALLENGES* Ratification of GST Bill from at least 16 states in 30 days* Cabinet nod for GST Council after President's assent* Recommendation of model GST laws by GST Council* Cabinet nod for the CGST and IGST laws* Similar approval for SGST by all states*Passage of CGST, IGST laws in the upcoming winter session* Notification of GST Rules by March 31, 2017* Software for GST to be ready by December 2016* Testing, integration of GST software from January–March*Training of state, central officials to be over by December*Stakeholder consultation to be completed by March 2017* VAT/Service tax/Central Excise to migrate to GST system

Fixing the GST rate is likely to be the biggest challenge for the government with states unwilling to accept the median rate suggested by the Government and the Congress. The government may well try to negotiate a median rate of near 20 percent. Finance minister Arun Jaitley accepted as much telling newspersons after the passage of the bill that “the Chief Economic Advisor believes a more reasonable rate is possible. Some states have a contrarian view. We are trying for a convergence.”  The CEA Arvind Subramanian had recomended a GST standard rate of between 16.9-18.9 percent with a `Sin rate’ above this and a rate lower than this for essentail commodities. The Congress had sought to cap the median rate at 18 percent citing the CEA’s report.  However, sources said the Empowered Committee on GST which had met last month had advocated “there should be no cap on the revenue neutral or standard taxation rate.” With most states seeking a standard rate between 20-24 percent. Officials said the attempt would be to negotiate with states to try and keep the rate near 20 percent. The 20 percent rate is crucial as North Block calculations showed that fixing a standard rate of between 18-20 percent would have negligible impact on inflation. Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian said ”Our calculation suggests that if you allow 18-20 percent, there is no inflation impact on average.” 

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told newspersons that an "unreasonable" cap would increase the revenue deficit and as Finance Minister, he could not afford to do so.  "There is a difference between being responsible at present and being responsible in past. A present Finance Minister cannot say that you collect less revenue but increase your spending," Jaitley quipped. The Government’s other big challenge will be to get the GST rolled-out by the deadline date of April 1, 2017. "The GST roll-out deadline is certainly stiff. ... "But we will try to be reasonably quick and hope to meet the target," Jaitley told news reporters.  He said this after a presentation by Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia made before the media, explaining the roadmap to implement the GST, while also spelling out the target date for its launch. 

Mr. Adhia listed seven challenges in rolling out GST These challenges include: calculation of revenue base of Centre and states and compensation requirements, structure of GST rates, list of exemptions, forming of consensus on Model GST Bill, threshold limits, compounding limits and cross empowerment to mitigate ill-effects of dual control.  Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that by the Winter Session of Parliament, North Block would get all bills connected with the GST roll-out passed, adding: "By December 2016, all the back-end and front-end IT systems required for GST are also expected to be ready, followed by testing."

(The author is a senior journalist. Views expressed are personal.)

Source:: employmentnews 

THE UNSUNG HEROES OF INDIA’S FREEDOM STRUGGLE

THE UNSUNG HEROES OFINDIA’S FREEDOM STRUGGLE

India’s long drawn struggle to free itself from the foreign rule has been a saga of valour. The untold miseries and sufferings of those who fought for the freedom of their motherland form a glorious part of the story of resolve and yearning for self rule. The fight was not merely for political rights, but for freedom from oppression of the alien rule in all walks of life. Over the years, the freedom struggle struck deep roots across the length and breadth of the country. It drew strength from every nook and corner of the country cutting across caste and creed, region and religion.

 The supreme sacrifice and selfless spirit of our freedom fighters have carved out a niche in the annals of history.

The freedom struggle is a part of recorded history, yet there are a large number of selfless, valiant freedom fighters whose contribution could not find mention or was ignored. The story of India’s freedom struggle is incomplete without these unsung heroes. We pay tributes to these great sons and daughters of our country as we celebrate 70 years of India’s independence.

Pingali Venkaiah: Pingali was born on 2nd August1876 in Bhatlapenimarru, Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. He was an accomplished person on many fronts. He served in the British Indian Army during the Anglo-Boer wars in South Africa. It was there he came in contact with Mahatma Gandhi and was influenced by his ideology. During the National conference of Indian National Congress at Kakinada, he suggested that we should have a flag of our own. Gandhi liked this idea and said it would be good if he could come up with a design. During the National Conference at Vijayawada, he proposed the Tricolour with a charkha at the middle. Gandhi liked the flag and this was later adopted as the National flag of India with the Ashok Chakra at the centre.  He died on 4th July,1963.

Moje Riba: He was a patriot and one of the noblest sons of our motherland. Known for his readiness to help others, people lovingly called him Aboh Nyiji. He was arrested by Britishers in 1947 for campaigning and distribution of Congress pamphlet in support of Gopinath Bordoloi by touring Aalo, Basar and Pasighat area. He was the first person from Arunachal Pradesh to hoist the national flag at dipa Village of Arunachal Pradesh on the 15th August, 1947. He was awarded Tamrapatra in 1974 at Shillong by Government of India in recognition of his sacrifices and contributions towards freedom struggle.

Chapekar brothers: Freedom fighters Damodar Hari Chapekar and his brothers Balkrishna and Vinayak Chapekar were born in Chinehawad, district Pune, Maharashtra. On June 22, 1897, the three brothers set out to kill British officer Walter Charles Rand who had handled the plague in Pune in a high-handed manner. Another police officer Lt Charles Ayrest who was passing by was also shot by Balkrishna Chapeker. Eventually, Damodar, his brothers and their friend Mahadev Ranade were caught and hanged.

Vanchinathan: He was born in Shenkottai, Tirunelveli district, Tamilnadu. Vanchinathan alias Sankara Iyer was son of Shri Raghupathy Iyer. He had studied upto primary standard and joined Forest Department. He took part in revolutionary activities against the Britsh. He also organised a society known as Bharatha Matha Sangam with the aim of killing all the British officers in India. He had attacked and killed Mr. Ashe, the Collector of Tirunelveli, on June 17, 1911. When British pressurized him he died immediately afterwards by committing suicide.

Raut Baji : Raut was born in 1926 at village. Nilkanthapur, Dhenkanal in Odisha. Son of Shri Hari Raut baji was a boatman and volunteer of the Praja Mandal in the Dhenkanal State. He undertook the task of keeping vigil on the movement of the State police and troops at the Nilkanthapur Ghat on the Brahmini river during the reign of terror let loose against the people by the State authorities in 1938. On the night of October 10, 1938, a number of policemen and soldiers tried to force him to take them across the river in his boat. The twelve-year- old boy refused to do so and told them that they were enemies of the people. A soldier struck him on his head with the butt of his gun and his skull was fractured. Despite his serious injuries, he raised an alarm and warned the villagers about the arrival of the soldiers and policemen. He died the same night due to excessive loss of blood. A mob on villages collected at the ghat and tried to prevent the soldiers from crossing the river. Several villages were killed in firing by the troops. The bravery and patriotism of young Baji Raut has been immortalized in the poem ‘Boatman’ by the famous Oriya poet, Sachi Routray.

Peer Ali Khan: He was born about 1812 at Patna, Bihar. He was a bookseller. Khan played a leading role in the organisation of the Great Revolt of 1857 in the district in July 1857. He was captured by the British after the defeat of the rebel forces. The British executed him by hanging.

Surya Sen:  Also known as masterda, Sen was born on October 18, 1893, at av. Noapara,. Chittagong, Bengal (now in East Pakistan). He was son of Shri Rajmani Sen. Sen joined the Revolutionary Party in 1918. Took part in the Non-co- operation Movement (1921). He become the leader of the Revolutionary organization known as part in organizing the political dacoity in the pahartali railway office on December 23, 1923. He escaped arrest and remained undrground. He set up revolutionary centers in the tea-garden areas of Assam- Silchar, Karimganj, Gauhati, Sibasagar, etc. Arrested again in 1924 and detained without trial for four years. Sen planned and executed the famous raid on the British armory at Chittagong on April 18, 1930. He also led the attack on the armory and seized the magazines and guard room. He fought against British soldiers on the Jalalabad Hill on April 22, 1930. He evaded arrest by the police and directed revolutionary activities from his secret hide-out. Detected in the house of Sabitri Chakrabarty at Patiya and surrounded by a military squad on June 13, 1932. He dodged the squad and slipped away after a brief encounter. Sen was again surrounded by armed police and soldiers at Goirala on February 16, 1933. He gave a tough fight but was family captured. Subjected to brutal beating and torture by the police. Sentenced to death. He died on the gallows in the Chittagong Jail on January 11, 1934.

Rani Gaidinliu: She was a Naga spiritual and political leader who led a revolt against the British rule in India and was also staunchly against the conversion of Naga religious practitioners to Christianity. At the age of 13, she joined the Heraka religious movement that her cousin had initiated, which later turned into a political movement that tried to drive the British away from Manipur and nearby Naga regions. She was 16 at the time of her arrest, and was put into life imprisonment by the British. Five years later, in 1937, Nehru visited and promised to get her out and gave her the title ‘Rani’. She was released in 1947after which she continued to work for the community. She was also awarded a Padma Bhushan.

Surendra Sai: The man died in obscurity despite protecting Western Orissa from the British rule along with a few other comrades. Eligible as the next in line to the throne of Sambalpur after the death of Maharaja Sai in 1827, he helped the lower caste tribal people in Sambalpur against the British by encouraging their language and culture development.  Affectionately called Bira by the local people because of his swordsmanship, he began protesting from the age of 18 and spent some 17 years in jail after that. But he continued the protest till 1862, when he surrendered and went to jail. He spent 20 years in prison after his surrender.  Also, Sambalpur was the last patch of land to be occupied by the British except for the princely state, and it is said that it was largely due to the efforts of Sai.

Velu Nachiyar: She was born in Ramnathpuram Tamilnadu on 3rd January 1730. The first queen to have ever actively opposed the British rule was Velu Nachiyar, who fought against the colonial rulers many years before the Sepoy Mutiny. In collaboration with Hyder Ali and Gopala Nayaker, she waged a war against the British and emerged victorious. Eventually she went on to produce the first human bomb as well as establish the first army of trained women soldiers in the late 1700s.

Peer Baksh : Peer was a resident of Delhi. He fought against the British forces at Delhi. Peer retreated towards Jaipur State after the defeat of the rebel forces. After that he was captured by the British at Hindan in Distt. Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan. Peer was rescued by soldiers of the Jaipur State Army stationed at Hindan, who rebelled against the British. He was captured again by British troops and imprisoned at Agra. This time Peer was sentenced to death and executed by hanging at Agra in 1857.

Potti Sreeramulu: Potti was born on 16th March,1901. He was an Indian revolutionary. Potti was a devout follower, avid supporter and devotee of Mahatma Gandhi. He participated in the individual satyagraha and the Quit India Movement and was imprisoned on three occasions. He died on 15th December,1952.

Maniram Dewan: He was born on 17th April,1806 at Rangpur, Assam (Now in Bangladesh).  He was one of the greatest freedom fighters of Assam. He was one of the first people to establish tea gardens in Assam. It was he who informed the British about the Assam tea grown by the Singpho people, which was hitherto unkown to the rest of the world. Initially, he was on friendly terms with britishers. He was interested in establishing private tea plantations in Assam. He wanted the restoration of Ahom rule in Assam. He saw an opportunity in the ongoing India’s first war on independence. He along with other activists like Peali Baruah hatched a plot to drive away Britishers. However, their plot was uncovered and he along with other leaders was arrested. Maniram was found guilty of mastering an anti-British plot. He along with  Peoli Baruah was publically hanged on February 26, 1858 at Jorhat Jail.

Basawon Singh: He was born in 23rd March,1909 at Jamalpur, Hajipur Bihar. He was an activist in the Indian independence movement and a campaigner for the rights of the underprivileged, industrial labourers and agricultural workers. He spent around 18 and half years in prison in British India. He absconded after the Lahore conspiracy case. He was coaccused in the Bhusawal, Kakori, Tirhut and Deluaha conspiracy cases.  He  died on 7th April,1989.

Veer Narayan Singh: He was born in 1795 at Sonakhar, Raipur District, Chattisgarh. He was a landlord. He spearheaded the 1857 war of Indian independence in Chhattisgarh. The British arrested him in 1856 for looting a trader’s grain stocks and distributing it amongst the poor in a severe famine year. In 1857 with the help of the soldiers of the British Army at Raipur, he escaped from prison. He reached Sonakhan and formed an army of 500 men. Under the leadership of Smith, a powerful British army was dispatched to crush the Sonakhan army. He was moved by the atrocities and the acts of devastation and destruction of the British. He surrendered himself to the British army to protect the lives of the people. He was charged with treason and sentenced to death. He was publicly executed on 10th December, 1857.

Pt. Neki Ram Sharma: Sharma was born on 4th September 1887 at Kalenga, Rohtak District, Haryana. He was a great orator. He was offered more than six hundred acres of land to stop freedom fight but rejected this attractive proposal offered by the then Deputy Commissioner for the sake of nation. He called on Gandhi and Nehru first time in 1915 and 1918 respectively and participated in their every movement with full enthusiasm. He was first arrested in the movement launched against Rowlatt Act in 1919 followed by non- cooperation, salt satyagrah, individual satyagrah and quit india movement. Significantly, Nekiram was arrested nine times in the freedom movement and served 250 days of rigorous imprisonment. he organized ‘Ambala Divisional political conference’ which was attended by Gandhi as chief guest .The salient feature of this conference was ‘Pandal without chairs’ which impressed Gandhi a lot and thereafter, in every conference hosted by Congress ,there were no chairs. He fought tooth and nail against the social evils like untochability child marriages, pardah system, dowery.

Pt. Prem Nath Dogra: He worked for total integration of the state with India. He was also known as Sher E Duggar. He formed Praja Parishad Party in 1947 along with Balraj Madhok and opposed policies of Shaik Abdullah.

K. Kelappan: Kelappan was born on 24th August,1889. He was a founding member and president of Nair Service Society, a reformer, freedom fighter, educationist and journalist. He is also known as Kerala Gandhi. He fought for social reforms on one hand and the British on the other. He  died on 7th October,1971.

Birsa Munda :  Birsa was born in Ulihatu, Ranchi District, Jharkhand on 15th November 1875. He was a farmer. He organised and led Adivasi movement against British rule from 1895 to 1900. He was arrested on 3rd February 1900 and died in jail on 3rd, June 1900. As a Munda youth, he raised his voice against the oppression and exploitation of landlords and British rulers who, in general, stood by the side of the landlords. Today, the Munda and other tribals of the Ranchi district hail Birsa as their God. They call him Birsa Bhagwan. Birsa was inspired and he kindled the flame of revolt among his fellow members.

Kittur Chennamma: She was born at Kakti Belgavi, Karnatka on 23rd October 1778. She was the Queen of Kittur. First Indian female ruler to lead an armed rebellion against the British East India Company in 1824.

When the British tried to confiscate the treasure and jewels of Kittur, a war broke out and in that war Collector and political age was killed along with British forces and two British officers were held hostages. During the second assault, she captured and imprisoned where she died.

Tirot Singh: He was one of the Chiefs of the Khasi people in the early 18 th century. He was born in Nongkhlaw, West Khasi hills, Meghalaya. He drew his lineage from the Syiemllieh clan.

He fought against British attempts to take over control of the Khasi Hills. He fought with only with native weapons such as a sword and shield, he was shot at by the British and died on 17 th July, 1835.

Tantia Mama: He was an Indian Robin Hood.  He was born in Badada, Khandava , Madhya Pradesh in 1842. He embarked on his career after the harsh measures taken by the British following the Indian Rebellion of 1857.  He was one of the greatest revolutionaries who waged an armed struggle against the British rule for twelve years and endeared himself to the masses by virtue of his indomitable courage and passion to uproot the foreign rule.  He became a symbol of the feelings of tribals and general people.  He used to plunder the government treasuries of the British government and wealth of their sycophants used to distribute it among the poor and needy.  He was skillful in Guerilla warfare.  He was ultimately arrested and take n to Jabalpur jail where the British officers tortured him inhumanly.  He was sentenced to be hanged till death on 19.10.1889.

Kartar Singh Sarabha: He was born in Ludhiana on 24.05.1896. He was Indian Sikh revolutionary who was amongst the most famous accused in the Lahore conspiracy trial. A leading luminary of the Ghadar Party, Kartar Singh was executed at Lahore in November 1915 for his role in the Ghadar Conspiracy in February 1915.

Vijay Singh Pathik: He was a great patriot and freedom fighter. Born in Bulandshahar, Ajmer, Rajasthan on 27.02.1882, he joined revolutionary organization in his teenage and took active part against British rule in India.  His non-cooperation movement was so successful that Lokmanya Tilak wrote a letter to Maharana Fateh Singh to meet the demand of the Bijoliya agitators.  Gandhi sent his secretary Mahadev Desai to study the movement.  It was Pathikji who fought for the cause of united Rajasthan.

Maganbhai Patel: He was born at Matwad Mokhala Falia, District Surat, Gujarat. He was a student of third standard and took part in the Quit India Movement. He received bullet wound in firing by the police on August 22, 1942 and he died on the same day.  

(Compiled by EN)

Source:: employmentnews