Monday, November 22, 1999
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Faleiro govt: Cong makes last
ditch effort PANAJI, Nov 21 — The Congress High Command tonight mounted a last-ditch effort to save the beleaguered Luizinho Faleiro government in Goa seeking a possible patch-up with the breakaway group headed by Francisco Sardinha, three days ahead of a confidence vote the Chief Minister was ordered to seek. APHC decries media apathy NEW DELHI, Nov 21— The all Party Hurriyat Conference leader, Mr Abdul Ghani Lone, today expressed a sense of shock at the “silence of the civilised structure” in the country over the arrest of over 30 Hurriyat leaders under the Public Safety Act for an indefinite period. |
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 A baby is administered polio drops on the second-phase Pulse Polio Immunisation Day in New Delhi on Sunday. — PTI
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Govt can relax terms for SCs, STs:
SC NEW DELHI, Nov 21 — The Supreme Court has held that the government could lower qualifying marks for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates in examinations held for higher posts exclusively reserved for them in a department. Pak for unconditional talks Central
aid to be used for shelter to victims Second
pulse polio programme ends No
President’s rule in Tripura: PM Gill
favours 3-member EC Vananchal
certain: Thakre Nomination
of Cho flayed Probe
party-ultra nexus: CPI (ML) Balayogi
is APPC Vice-Chairman Ex-minister
dead |
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Cong makes last ditch effort to save Faleiro govt PANAJI, Nov 21 (PTI) — The Congress High Command tonight mounted a last-ditch effort to save the beleaguered Luizinho Faleiro government in Goa seeking a possible patch-up with the breakaway group headed by Francisco Sardinha, three days ahead of a confidence vote the Chief Minister was ordered to seek. Congress central observer Govindrao Adik, who flew in to bring about a rapprochement between the Faleiro group and breakaway Congress leader Francisco Sardinha, held talks with the former, Congress sources said. It was, however, not clear whether Mr Adik would meet Sardinha faction and if so when. Sardinha however ruled out going back to Congress even if there was a change of leadership and the party offered Chief Ministership to him. Meanwhile, state BJP, which had supported Sardinha-led faction, has favoured taking part in the new government if the Faleiro government falls. Briefing mediapersons here after the party’s state executive committee meeting, Leader of the Opposition in Goa Assembly, Manohar Parrikar said most of the committee members expressed themselves in favour of participating in the formation of an alternative government, but the final decision was left to the party’s central leadership. Mr Parikar said the party’s North Goa MP, Sripad Naik, who was present at the conference, has been entrusted with the responsibility in the matter and would take a decision in consultation with the central leaders. Lone independent MLA
Isidore Fernandes has also extended support to the
Congress breakaway group. Mr Fernandes submitted a letter
to this effect to the Governor Lt Gen (retd) J R F Jacob
last night, Raj Bhavan sources said. |
Pak for unconditional talks NEW DELHI, Nov 21 (PTI) — Pakistan today expressed keenness to resume dialogue with India at the earliest but said such an exercise should be without any "precondition". "It will be irresponsible to make preconditions for resumption of talks," Pakistan High Commissioner Ashraf Jehangir Qazi said while participating in a discussion in Star News. India, while maintaining that it has dealt with military regimes in Pakistan before, has categorically stated that the dialogue process could be resumed only after Islamabad stopped cross-border terrorism. Replying to questions on the fate of deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who has been charged with treason and kidnapping, Mr Qazi said Mr Sharif would be tried in a civil court in an "open, fair and transparent" manner and the news reports on this count in India were ill founded. Countering Mr Qazi’s arguments on restoration of democracy in Pakistan, former Foreign Secretary Muchkund Dubey said whenever a military dictator toppled a duly elected government in Islamabad he had done so to entrench himself to rule the country for decades in the name of "saving democracy". Both Mr Qazi and Mr Dubey agreed that dialogue between India and Pakistan, both nuclear powers, was a must but the former Foreign Secretary said Islamabad should first stop sending militants to India who were killing innocent people. Mr Dubey said by allowing Lashker-e-Toiba and other terrorist groups to hold conventions, Pakistan was sending wrong signals. Mr Qazi, however, claimed that views expressed by individuals at ‘religious conventions’ were not necessarily views of the Pakistan Government. He said Gen Pervez
Musharraf and Foreign Minister Abdus Sattar had
categorically said they would honour international
commitments, including Lahore declaration and that there
was no change in Pakistan’s foreign policy. |
Govt can relax terms for SCs, STs: SC NEW DELHI, Nov 21 (PTI) — The Supreme Court has held that the government could lower qualifying marks for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates in examinations held for higher posts exclusively reserved for them in a department. By this ruling, a three-judge Bench headed by Mr Justice S.B. Majmudar upheld the Madhya Pradesh Government decision to bring down general passing marks from 50 per cent to 40 per cent for SC/ST candidates in an examination for promotions to a post reserved for them. The Bench said it is "patently erroneous" to hold that the government’s decision to relax passing marks for SC/ST departmental candidates at the departmental examination could be applicable only in examination where the general category candidates of the department compete with SC/ST candidates. The Madhya Pradesh Administrative Tribunal had held that as the posts were exclusively for reserved category candidates the government was not permitted to lower the general passing marks. A writ petition against the order of the tribunal was dismissed by the high court. Setting aside the order of the tribunal as well as that of the high court on Friday last, the Supreme Court directed the state government to give effect to the promotions of the reserved category students who passed the Transport Department examination in 1993. The court also directed the government to give these candidates all consequential benefits including difference of salary from the date of promotion before the same being quashed by the tribunal. The apex court,
referring to the decision of the state government to
reduce passing marks for the SC/ST candidates, said,
"This was a clear-cut government policy legally
permitted under Article 16(4) of the Constitution for
giving 10 per cent relaxation of passing marks to such
reserved category candidates as compared to the general
category candidates". |
Central aid to be used for shelter to victims BHUBANESWAR, Nov 21 (PTI) — Defence Minister George Fernandes today said the Rs 300 crore central assistance to Orissa would be utilised for providing shelter to the cyclone victims immediately. "It is time for shifting focus from supply of food to programmes like getting houses in position, providing employment to the affected people and draw up plans to deal with such eventualities in future," Mr Fernandes told newsmen at the Biju Patnaik Airport here before leaving for Delhi tonight. Mr Fernandes, who heads the taskforce set up by the Centre to coordinate and monitor relief and rehabilitation programmes in the areas devastated by the twin cyclones in the state last month, visited several affected areas today before holding discussions with the state government on the relief work undertaken so far. "I made an aerial survey of some of the areas and landed at Paradip to visit few nearby villages and also the worst-hit Ersama block in Jagatsinghpur district," the minister said. The Defence Minister
said he had spoken to residents, officials and also
workers of various voluntary organisations who have been
working in the devastated areas. |
Second pulse polio programme ends NEW DELHI, Nov 21 (PTI) — The second phase of the pulse polio immunisation programme of the Delhi Government concluded here successfully today. The state government had set up 4,000 polio kendras and deployed 16,000 healthcare personnel for immunisation work, the Delhi Government said in a statement quoting Health and Family Welfare Minister A.K. Walia. Mr Walia said about 2 per cent children could not take the polio drops. The countrywide pulse
polio programme was striving for 100 per cent
immunisation. |
Kids administered polio drops NEW DELHI, Nov 21 (PTI) — Children under five years were administered oral polio drops across the country today in the second phase of the pulse polio immunisation programme. The drops were administered to the children at a large number of booths including those set up at bus stands, railway stations and airports. In the national capital, 16,000 health care personnel were deployed at 4,000 polio kendras for the exercise, Delhi Health and Family Welfare Minister A.K. Walia said. In Kerala, more than 28 lakh children were given polio vaccine at 25,578 booths while in Tamil Nadu 900 centres were set up for the purpose. About 70 lakh children were given polio drops in Rajasthan while in Haryana 32 lakh children were vaccinated against polio. Two more phases of the
programme will be held on December 19 this year and
January 23 next. |
No President’s rule in Tripura: PM AGARTALA, Nov 21 (UNI) — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has rejected the demand for imposition of President’s rule in Tripura. Official sources said here today the Prime Minister assured CPM Lok Sabha MP Somnath Chatterjee in New Delhi yesterday that the centre would help the Tripura Government to curb militancy and was against imposition of President’s rule in the state. A four-member parliamentary delegation, led by Mr Chatterjee, visited the state on November 18 and 19 for an on-the-spot study of the prevailing situation. The CPM leader along with three other MPs, in a joint faxed message and letter to the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister, had urged an additional 54 companies of the Army and Assam Rifles should be sent to intensify the counter-insurgency operation in the state. Chief Minister Manik Sarkar told UNI here this morning that he would soon visit New Delhi to meet the Prime Minister and apprise him of the prevailing situation besides the state government’s needs. “We need an additional 54 companies of paramilitary forces or the Army for the anti-insurgency operation and additional nine battalions of the Border Security Force to intensify the vigil along the Indo-Bangla border with Tripura,’’ he said. The opposition Congress, BJP and Trinamool Congress had separately demanded imposition of President’s rule in the state. BJP president Kushabhau Thakre in a press conference at the Calcutta Press Club on Friday had demanded promulgation of President’s rule following what he described as “deterioration of law and order situation in Tripura in view of the growing militants’ violence.’’ Reacting to Mr
Thakre’s demand, the ruling CPM here and the
party’s central committee in New Delhi had said that
the Union Government instead of providing adequate Army
and other security forces had withdrawn existing ones.
Such actions of the BJP-led government at the centre were
a part of their “political conspiracy’’
and Mr Thakre’s demand had a consistency with the
centre’s actions, the CPM stated. |
APHC decries media apathy NEW DELHI, Nov 21— The all Party Hurriyat Conference leader, Mr Abdul Ghani Lone, today expressed a sense of shock at the “silence of the civilised structure” in the country over the arrest of over 30 Hurriyat leaders under the Public Safety Act for an indefinite period. In a statement issued here, Mr Lone appealed to the national media, civil liberty champions and intellectuals and those citizens believing in freedom, justice and fairplay in India to “voice their protest and demand the release of the APHC leaders”. Stating that more than 30 Hurriyat leaders had been under detention under the Public Safety Act since September 8, 1999, Mr Lone said it was a matter of deep regret that the national media had allowed its perceptions on Kashmir to get obscured on its commitment towards civil liberties in the state. Their only crime was to appeal for a boycott of the Lok Sabha elections in the state, Mr Lone said and pointed out that an insult was added to injury by moving 15 of them to the Jodhpur Central Jail. The former Election Commissioner, Mr G.V.G. Krishnamurthy, had himself acknowledged the democratic right to urge the boycott of election in his statement in Srinagar immediately before the poll, Mr Lone said adding that exactly in the same manner, the Assam opposition leaders had issued a boycott appeal in the 1983 polls. Saying that the arrested
Hurriyat leaders were being denied facilities admissible
to detainees under the detainees general order of 1968,
Mr Lone said two chronic and known heart patients namely
the APHC Chairman, Mr Syed Ali Geelani and the KJLF
leader, Mr Yasin Malik, had not been allowed to be
examined by heart specialists. “There is only one
old type of bathroom for 15 Hurriyat” leaders at the
Jodhpur jail, he pointed out. |
Gill favours 3-member EC NEW DELHI, Nov 21 (UNI) — Chief Election Commissioner, M.S. Gill has expressed himself against increasing the number of three-member Election Commission to five saying a step would not be in the interest of democracy. Talking to mediapersons, Dr Gill stressed the end to quickly fill the vacancy caused by the retirement of Election Commissioner, G.V.G. Krishnamurti about one-and-a-half month ago. He said the commission had made it clear during a meeting with political parties last year that neither should the strength of the commission be increased or reduced from the present three. Experience too had shown that this was the best arrangement. He admitted that he had not been consulted by any one from the government side on this suggestion. About filling the vacant slot, he merely said it was the government’s prerogative. Dr Gill said the government was free to change the number of members of the commission under the rules, but in his opinion, the Chief Election Commission shared one-thirds power along with the other two two and this was the correct lawful position. He said he had always favoured a balanced multi-member body than a single-member Election Commission. Such a body where every member will have equal powers would bring stability. A larger body would entail much more wrangling and delays in decision making. The Constitution does not give any directions about the number of members in the commission in addition to the Chief Election Commissioner. It was a single-member commission till 1989. During that year, the caretaker government of Mr Rajiv Gandhi appointment two election commissioners — Mr Dhanda and Mr Sehgal — to assist acting Election Commissioner Peri Shastri. However, the successor
government of Mr V.P. Singh disbanded this arrangement
and reverted the commission into a single-member body.
During the minority P.V. Narasimha Rao regime, an effort
was made to rein in Chief Election Commissioner T.N.
Seshan, by once again making it into a three-member
commission through Mr Gill and Mr G.V.G. Krishnamurty. |
Mamata’s terms for tie-up
with Cong Calcutta, Nov 21 (PTI) — Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today hinted that her party might consider seat adjustments with the Congress for next year’s municipal elections in West Bengal, if the latter stopped “supporting” the CPM. “Our doors are open for those who want to openly fight the CPM. Let the Congress first decide whether they want to fight the CPM,” she said when asked about her party’s stand on the Congress during the municipal poll. She, however, made it clear that the present alliance of her party with the BJP would not break. Ms Banerjee, told newsmen on the second day of the party’s two-day state executive meet that its state extended working committee had been formed with Ajit Panja, MP, as chairman and Subrata Mukherjee as acting chairman. A policy-making body of the party had also been formed under chairmanship of Pankaj Banerjee. Sadhan Pandey had been made convenor of the body. Subrata Mukherjee,
Pankaj Banerjee and Sadhan Pandey campaigned for the
Trinamool Congress before the last Lok Sabha poll, but
retained their Congress membership in the state assembly. |
Vananchal certain: Thakre PATNA, Nov 21 (PTI) — The BJP President, Mr Kushabhau Thakre, today said a separate Vananchal state carved out of Bihar was a certainty but refused to give a timeframe for it. “A separate state will be created soon .... BJP, rather the NDA is committed to creating Vananchal,” he told a press conference here. He said the State Reorganisation Bill for carving out three states out of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh are likely to be tabled afresh during the winter session of Parliament. On RJD President Laloo Prasad Yadav’s stand against the creation of Vananchal, Mr Thakre said the BJP was “irrevocably committed to creating the new state .... The decision on the matter won’t be changed.” “Constitutional formalities have to be completed for bifurcation of the three states,” he said in reply to a query whether Vananchal would come into being before the coming Bihar Assembly poll. Asked whether the poll prospects of the BJP would be harmed in north and central Bihar following the move to divide the state, Mr Thakre replied in the negative. “The outcome of the Lok Sabha poll in Bihar has vindicated our stand on Vananchal...We pulled off a better showing, while the RJD came up with a dismal performance,” he said. He said the Centre would “definitely” provide an adequate financial package to Bihar once Vananchal was created. Referring to the
political situation in Goa, he said BJP would vote
against the Congress regime there during the trust vote
on November 24 to pave the way for installation of a
non-Congress government. |
Nomination of Cho flayed CHENNAI, Nov 21 (PTI) — The TNCC today condemned the Vajpayee government’s decision to nominate persons associated with the RSS as members of the Rajya Sabha, and asked President K.R. Narayanan to reject the nomination of RSS veteran Nanaji Deshmukh and journalist ‘Cho’ S. Ramaswamy. In a statement here, TNCC General Secretary K. Sakthivel said the BJP-led government’s action in recommending these two persons proved the Congress party’s charge that it was acting only under the diktat of the RSS. While Mr Deshmukh was a well-known RSS functionary, “Cho” Ramaswamy was “sympathetic” towards the “communal ideology” of the RSS, an opponent of reservations for backward classes, besides being “anti-women” in his writings, Mr Sakthivel alleged. If the government had
decided to honour an eminent journalist from Tamil Nadu,
there were several others who could have been considered
instead of Cho, he said. |
Probe party-ultra nexus: CPI (ML) NEW DELHI, Nov 21 (UNI) — The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) has demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into an alleged nexus between some political parties and extremist groups in Tripura. The party Politburo, in
a statement here, said certain extremist outfits were
being “aided and abetted” by the ruling CPM and
the Congress in the north-eastern state. |
Balayogi is APPC Vice-Chairman NEW DELHI, Nov 21 — Lok Sabha Speaker G.M.C. Balayogi has been unanimously nominated Vice- Chairman of the Seventh Asia Pacific Parliamentrians’ Conference (APPC) being held in Chiangmai, Thailand from November 20 to 22. The leader of the parliamentary delegation for Thailand, Mr Wanmuhamadnoor Matha and the President of the National Assembly, was nominated as the Chairman of the conference. The theme of the conference is “Waste treatment and garbage disposal in the cities”. It is being attended by 100 delegates of 24 countries of the Asia Pacific. The next conference will be held in India. Other members of the Indian parliamentary delegation participating in the conference are Col Sona Ram Choudhary and Mr B. Nagi Reddy, members of the Lok Sabha and Mr S.R. Bommai and Mr Ramdas Agarwal, members of the Rajya Sabha. Mr Balayogi presents the
country’s paper on the subject tomorrow. |
Ex-minister dead PATNA, Nov 21 (UNI): Former Bihar Minister and Journalist Shambhunath Jha died here on Sunday after a prolonged illness. He was 87. Mr Jha was the former
Editor of two leading publications — Indian Nation
and Aryabarta published from here. He was also the member
of the state legislative council and was a minister in
the Abdul Ghafoor’s Cabinet. |
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| Kids get Rs 1 lakh for
collage BHOPAL: A massive 20 x 8 metre fabric collage painting by children of the SOS village here had impressed an Austrian company so much that it adopted the painting for its Christmas cards and gave its creators Rs 1 lakh in appreciation of their work. The collage depicts Mahatma Gandhi with his walking stick and trademark spectacles, a sailboat crossing choppy waters, a man milking a cow, a Christmas tree adorned with a huge yellow star and a peacock in all finery. — UNI Koran recitation contest Actress’s
husband fined Exporters’
guild moves HC Herbal compound
to kill TB germ Request for
Tripura package Poachers’
hand suspected |
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