Indian coal consumption is mainly being driven by the power sector and the demand is outstripping the supply. There is a fear that with more power plants coming in the next decade it could deplete the coal reserves of India. What is your opinion?

With the current production level of around 550 million tonnes our coal reserves are expected to last over 100 years and there should not be any fear of depletion of reserves due to installation of more number of power plants in future.

Many power sectors have partially shut down for want of coal, the Coal ministry is often blamed for this. Is it justified?

The blame is unjustified. Power is a priority sector and as per the annual contracted quantity (ACQ)/ allocation, coal is being supplied to power plants. However, due to production constraints, Coal India Limited/Singareni Collieries Co. Ltd. is not able to meet 100% of the normative requirement. Hence, coal is imported to bridge the gap between demand and supply.

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Dr Jayaprakash Narayan, widely known as JP, is the founder and president of Lok Satta Party – new politics for the new generation --- and currently a Member of the Legislative Assembly from Andhra Pradesh's Kukatpally constituency. JP's experience in government convinced him that the faulty governance process is the biggest hurdle to India's progress. He resigned from the I.A.S in 1996, as he wanted to work at grassroots for good governance. He emphasizes that democracy is for the people, of the people and by the people. He has also written columns in Indian dailies like Times of India, The Economic Times, Financial Express, The Hindu and Eenadu. He also anchored election coverage on TV along with and political programmess like "Pratidhwani".

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Arjya Patnaik spoke to the Tourism and Culture Minister of Odisha, Shri Prafulla Samal. Excerpts of the meaningful discussion.

Arjya: How do you rate Odisha as a tourist destination?

TM: Odisha is a magical State with myriad treasures. It boasts a little about everything. Visitors can choose from a variety of experiences – culture, heritage, monuments, nature, wildlife, beaches, tribal life, etc. Grand temples like Konark Sun temple, the ecospheres of Chilka and Bhitarkanika, the stupendous cart festival and so on. One has to see it to believe in it. My ratings will be a 10/10, I would ask the tourists to visit this State and rate themselves.

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Jay Narayan Vyas, the current Cabinet Minister in BJP ministry of Gujarat state of India. He is minister in charge of Tourism & devsthan pilgrimage and also takes care of health & family welfare, development, co-ordination of voluntary organizations, non resident Gujarati division. He is a post graduate in civil engineering from IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) Mumbai and also holds post graduate qualifications in marketing management and a degree in Law.

Under his leadership, he planned out the month-long Rann Utsav (Desert Festival) in Kutch district which has given a boost to the tourism industry in Gujarat. There has been 70 per cent increase in the tourist arrivals, which was a result of aggressive campaign. The ad campaign by Gujarat Tourism brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan was also a major factor in the growth of the sector.

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