Friday, December 4, 1998
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Govt hints at diluting insurance
Bill NEW DELHI, Dec 3 — Another ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Shiv Sena, today jumped into the bandwagon of those opposed to the opening up of the insurance sector for foreign participation even as the government indicated that it proposed to restrict foreign equity in the sector to 26 per cent. Security beefed up for Dec 6 NEW DELHI, Dec 3 — Several state governments have stepped up security to prevent possible trouble on December 6 when some political parties and organisations have called for observance of protest against the demolition of the Babri mosque on this day six years ago. |
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Wheat price hiked to Rs 550 NEW DELHI, Dec 3 — The Government has fixed the minimum support price of wheat of fair average quality at Rs 550 per quintal for the crop of 1998-99 to be marketed in 1999-2000 season, marking an increase of Rs 95 per quintal over the MSP of Rs 455 per quintal for the last year.
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HC: ban corporal punishment NEW DELHI, Dec 3 — The Delhi High Court today asked the city government to consider suitable amendment in the Delhi School Education Act to prohibit corporal punishment in schools. Pilot leads attack on soaring prices Prof
Dogra awarded EC
asks CID officer to explain CPWD
JEs launch strike |
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Govt hints at diluting
insurance Bill NEW DELHI, Dec 3 — Another ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Shiv Sena, today jumped into the bandwagon of those opposed to the opening up of the insurance sector for foreign participation even as the government indicated that it proposed to restrict foreign equity in the sector to 26 per cent. The Swadeshi Jagran Manch, which was the first member in the Sangh parivar to fire a salvo against the government’s decision on the opening up of the insurance sector, today intensified its lobbying and is understood to have told the Union Finance Minister, Mr Yashwant Sinha, that the government should not go ahead with the legislation. The leader of the Shiv Sena in the Lok Sabha, Mr Madhukar Sirpotdar, said that his party would oppose the IRA Bill. He said the government was duty bound to discuss the Bill with all its allies before moving it in Parliament. Without discussions, the government cannot expect its allies to support it, he added. Meanwhile, there were indications that the government was planning to cap foreign equity in the insurance sector at 26 per cent and reserve another 14 per cent exclusively for non-resident Indians. Earlier, the government had planned to allow 26 per cent foreign equity and another 14 per cent for NRIs, NRI-controlled overseas corporate bodies (OCBs) and foreign institutional Investors (FIIs). The adviser to the Finance Minister, Mr Mohan Guruswamy, clarified here that foreign equity of 26 per cent would include FIIs and OCBs and 14 per cent equity would be reserved exclusively for NRIs. He said in the original Cabinet decision, there was no separate provision for FIIs and OCBs but somehow these got clubbed with NRIs. Mr Guruswamy’s clarification came even when manch convener, Mr S.Gurumurthy, was in a meeting with the Finance Minister discussing the ramifications of opening up the insurance sector. Mr Sinha is understood to have explained the salient features of the IRA Bill and tried to convince the manch not to go ahead with its proposed agitation. Mr Gurumurthy later told newspersons that the Finance Minister had assured him that he would find a solution to the vexed issue. Mr Guruswamy’s clarification assumes significance as the government has requested the Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr G.M.C. Balayogi, to allow it to table the IRA Bill either on Monday or Tuesday. The fire-fighting exercise has been prompted by all-round opposition within the Sangh parivar to the tabling of the IRA Bill. Several senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party are also opposed to the Bill.The former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr Shanta Kumar, and a BJP General Secretary, Ms Sumitra Mahajan, are among those who have openly criticised the Bill. The Minister of State for Youth and Sports, Ms Uma Bharti, too has thrown her lot with the Swadeshi Jagran Manch by indicating that she would support them in opposing the legislation. Another major ally of the BJP, the Samata Party has also made it clear that it was opposed to the Bill. Several allies of the BJP have pointed out that the opening up of the insurance sector did not figure in the National Agenda of Governance. Besides the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, the RSS-controlled Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, has also come out strongly against the IRA Bill. It has said that the opening up of the sector for foreign participation would lead to loss of jobs in the nationalised sector of insurance. Smarting under criticism
from its own quarters, the BJP now seems to be veering
around the idea of introducing the IRA Bill next week in
Parliament and then have it referred to the Standing
Committee of Parliament attached to the Finance Ministry.
This would prevent quick adoption of the Bill and give
considerable time for the BJP to thrash out the issue
with its allies. |
Wheat price hiked to Rs 550 NEW DELHI, Dec 3 — The Government has fixed the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat of fair average quality at Rs 550 per quintal for the crop of 1998-99 to be marketed in 1999-2000 season, marking an increase of Rs 95 per quintal over the MSP of Rs 455 per quintal for the last year. The increase would, however, be Rs 40 only when compared with the effective procurement price of Rs 510, which included Rs 55 as bonus, per quintal last year. The MSP fixed is also higher compared to Rs 490 recommended by the Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices. Announcing the MSP for the rabi season, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Mr Sompal, told the Lok Sabha today that the MSP of barley of fair average quality has been fixed at Rs 385 per quintal which marks an increase of Rs 35 per quintal over the price of Rs 350 per quintal fixed for the 1998-99 marketing season. The MSP of gram of fair average quality at Rs 895 per quintal marks an increase of Rs 80 per quintal over the previous year’s price of Rs 815 per quintal. The MSP of rapeseed / mustard has been raised by Rs 60 per quintal over the previous year’s price and fixed at Rs 1000 per quintal. The MSP of safflower has been fixed at Rs 990 per quintal which is higher by Rs 80 per quintal over the price of Rs 910 fixed for the previous marketing season. It is expected that these
MSPs would provide sufficient inducement to the farmers
for raising production and productivity of these crops. |
Security beefed up for Dec 6 NEW DELHI, Dec 3 (PTI) — Several state governments have stepped up security to prevent possible trouble on December 6 when some political parties and organisations have called for observance of protest against the demolition of the Babri mosque on this day six years ago. A thick security cover had been thrown around Ayodhya, Faizabad, Mathura and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, and sensitive areas in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh Home Secretary Naresh Dayal told reporters in Lucknow the police, the PAC and the Rapid Action Force were being deployed in strength in and around the three shrines — Ram Janmabhoomi (Ayodhya), Krishna Janamsthali (Mathura) and Kashi-Vishwanath Temple (Varanasi) — and mosques and idgahs in their vicinity. The law enforcement authorities had also taken into consideration the VHP’s proposed programme to gather in strength at Goverdhan town, some 24 km from Mathura, to observe "samkalp divas" to take a vow to "liberate" Sri Krishna Janmasthan, the police said. In Tamil Nadu, more then 6,000 people had been taken into custody as a precautionary measure in view of the bomb explosions on trains on the same day last year in the state in which 10 person were killed. Some 5,000 additional
police personnel, including those of the Rapid Action
Force, were being deployed in Hyderabad to maintain law
and order, Police Commissioner S. Sukumara said. |
Polity 'becoming bipolar' NEW DELHI, Dec 3 — The recently held Assembly election results are the manifestation of an emerging trend of bipolarity in the Indian political system which began with the defeat of the Congress in 1989, the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani said here today. Talking to media persons in his room in Parliament who had gone to elicit his views on the controversy within the BJP on the issue of proposed foreign equity in the insurance sector, Mr Advani said: "It has been sorted out". When asked to give his analysis on the recently held Assembly elections, Mr Advani, considered the main architect of the BJP’s phenomenal growth during the past one decade, said the best feature of the last Lok Sabha and recently held assembly elections was that the Indian political system had started crystallising with two nuclei, the Congress and the BJP, emerging. The germination and crystallisation of the bipolarity had begun in 1977-78, Mr Advani said pointing out to the emergence of the Janata Party as the other pole of the political system. But the Janata Party started fragmenting and disappearing because it was "a creation of pure negativism", Mr Advani said. "It was born out of anti-Congressism though its coming to power was because of Emergency", he pointed out. The Indian political system then reverted to the single party phase, he said. "It is since 1989 that the Indian political scene has witnessed not only the growth of the BJP but also the germination and crystallisation of bipolarity again", the Home Minister said. Other political forces were present because the BJP was growing and the growth of the BJP was not rapid enough, Mr Advani said there was a wide vacuum which was being filled by the third force. "It is these elections which make a change in this direction. The trend is manifested in the forfeiture of deposit of the Samajwadi Party candidate in the assembly byelection in Agra", he said. The Congress is a historical entity and "neither the Congress nor the BJP is based on negativism", Mr Advani said. The growth of the BJP in the past 10 years has been a positive one. Explaining the coming to power of the BJP, Mr Advani, who has been the party president for eight years, said "we came to power on the crest of very high expectations and not on the basis of disillusionment with the Congress". "Because expectations have been high from us, merely performing is not sufficient", Mr Advani said. Admitting that there has
been disappointment with the BJP, Mr Advani said:
"We were not able to communicate with either the
people or our support base". |
HC: ban corporal punishment NEW DELHI, Dec 3 (PTI) — The Delhi High Court today asked the city government to consider suitable amendment in the Delhi School Education Act to prohibit corporal punishment in schools. A Division Bench headed by acting Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal issued the direction following submissions of Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry in an affidavit that only the state government was competent to make an amendment in the Act after establishment of a legislative assembly in Delhi. The court order came on the petition of the Parents Forum for meaningful education, seeking to ban corporal punishment in schools. The affidavit said after the National Capital Territory (NCT) Act, which provided setting up of a Vidhan Sabha in Delhi, all legislative powers regarding education matters had been delegated to the state government. Clarifying the Centre’s stand on the issue, it said according to national education policy, 1992, the government was of the view that ‘corporal punishment should be firmly excluded from the education system.’ “First generation
learners should be allowed to get their own pace and
given supplementary remedial instructions. The policy of
non-detention at the primary stage will be retained,
making evaluation as disaggregated as was feasible.” |
Pilot leads attack on soaring prices NEW DELHI, Dec 3 (PTI) — The Lok Sabha today began a special discussion on the issue of price rise which dominated the recent assembly elections with the Opposition attacking the government for its failure to hold the price line, saying it was busy keeping intact the "rickety" coalition. The discussion, being held under Rule 193 that does not require voting saw the Opposition claiming that never in the past during such a short span of a government, the country had witnessed such a sharp rise in prices. Leading the attack, senior Congress leader Rajesh Pilot said people had shown their anger against this government in the assembly poll who felt that the Prime Minister would not be able to complete the innings and the government would have to pack off. Referring to the rise in onion prices, he said from June to November the prices shot up from Rs 6 to Rs 60 and if the assembly poll were not round the corner, the trend would have continued. "The entire attention of the government was to send two ministers to Chennai and another to Calcutta to pacify agitated allies, thereby taking governance a backseat", he said adding that the recent verdict of the people was a mandate against "non-governance". He alleged that in Delhi a
letter of credit (LoC) was issued to import onions at Rs
10.70 but when the Chief Minister was replaced, the order
was cancelled and a fresh LoC was issued for its import
at Rs 30 per kg.\ |
Prof Dogra awarded NEW DELHI, Dec 3 — The Vice-President, Mr Krishan Kant today conferred the Lifetime Contribution Award in Engineering to Prof Rajinder Nath Dogra and Dr D.P. Antia. Addressing a function organised by the Indian National Academy of Engineering, the Vice-President wished the recipients greater success in their chosen fields. While Prof Dogra has been given the award for his contribution as planner, educationist, Dr Anita has been awarded for his work in metallurgy and as management consultant. Both Prof Dogra and Dr Anita could not receive the award in person due to health reasons. The award consists of a scroll and a silver plaque. Prof Dogra, born in 1908, is a distinguished civil engineer. He worked with the Punjab Public Works Department and was responsible for the highway system in the state. He carried out research on stabilised soil for construction purposes. He was also associated with the Chandigarh capital project as Chief Engineer. His career as an educationist commenced with his appointment as Principal, Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, and later as principal, College of Engineering and Technology, Delhi in 1961. Prof Dogra is the founding Director of the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi. He was the Minister of Education and Scientific Affairs, High Commission of India in London, and the founder-President of the Indian Society for Technical Education. Prof Dogra was awarded
fellowship of Imperial College, London, in 1971, and an
honorary doctorate by the IIT New Delhi. |
EC asks CID officer to
explain NEW DELHI, Dec 3 — The Election Commission has taken a serious note of the presence of a state CID officer during counting of votes Adampur last week and sought an explanation from the officer as also a detailed inquiry into the incident. The commission taking note of reports that Mr Jaskaran Singh, a senior officer of the Punjab CID, was present inside the counting centre, has directed the state administration to ask the officer concerned to explain his presence. In a communication to the
chief secretary, Punjab, the commission has also asked
the state administration to conduct a detailed inquiry by
an officer of a rank not below that of Revenue District
Commissioner and submit the report by December 8. |
CPWD JEs launch strike NEW DELHI, Dec 3 —Thousands of junior engineers working in the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) launched a nationwide agitation today to demand higher pay and allowances and regularisation of the 37-day strike period in 1987. CPWD junior engineers held dharnas in the capital and other major centres, including Chandigarh and Ludhiana, to press their demand. The CPWD is responsible for maintenance of all public works relating to offices run by the Centre, including Rashtrapati Bhavan and the Prime Minister’s house. According to the President of the CPWD Junior Engineers’ Association (India), Mr T.N.Pandey, the demands included the filling of vacant posts by seniority and a higher pay scale of Rs 6500-10,500. Currently draughtsmen and junior engineers were placed in the same grade of Rs 5000-8000, which was improper as the JEs were more qualified they are also demanding two assured time- bound promotions as there was acute stagnation at every level. A junior engineer remains a JE even after putting in as much as 22 years of service. The JEs will hold
countrywide dharnas tomorrow also and thereafter resort
to “work to rule” to press their demands. They
would also consider going on an indefinite strike if
their problems are not redressed immediately. |
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| Seven charred to death BHARATPUR: Seven persons, including a child, were charred to death and as many received severe burns when an overturned petrol tanker caught fire and exploded near Amoli village on the Jaipur-Agra national highway on Wednesday, the police said here on Thursday. The mishap occurred when one person struck a matchstick while the villagers were collecting petrol from the leaking tanker. The injured have been admitted to a hospital in Bhusawar. — PTI Ragging leads to suicide
attempt Contaminated water
causes 5 deaths Book translated by
Usha Narayanan Rao owes IAF Rs
5.52 crore TDP activists kill
Cong man ULFA kills two
cops Rebuild Babri
masjid: IUML |
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