 |
Saturday,
May 18, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
|
Lashkar
was ‘involved’ in Kaluchak attack No survey
on funding to madarsas Lok Sabha
adjourned sine die NORTH INDIA IN
PARLIAMENT |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Front to
decide on Presidential poll next week Remove
pension anomaly, ex-MPs urge PM
Jagmohan
for revival of LTC to govt staff
HC
notice to CBI on Chandraswami’s plea Himalaya
Parivar to expand: Dhumal NSCN
leaders ‘offered amnesty’ Cop
stabbed to death in Ahmedabad
|
|
Lashkar was ‘involved’ in Kaluchak attack
New Delhi, May 17 Intelligence agencies swung into action after the Jammu attack and arrested Saeed while he was driving from Lahore to Islamabad to attend a meeting of the Jamaat-ud-Da’awa Pakistan, highly-placed sources said. The sources said the arrest of Saeed, whose name is on India’s list of most-wanted people, indicated that the Pakistani authorities believed that the Lashkar was involved in the attack. They said that the strike appeared to have been launched with full logistic support from the Pakistani Army’s Special Services Group. The attack could not have been carried out without the connivance of senior Pakistani intelligence officials, they added. The sources said wireless intercepts had indicated that the Al Mansoorian group, which claimed the responsibility for Tuesday’s deadly attack on the army camp, is believed to be an offshoot of the Lashkar. Saeed was first detained in December but released in April after a provincial high court in Lahore refused a government request to extend his detention. Thirtyone persons, including three military personnel, 16 army family members — women and children — and 11 other civilians were killed in the attack. Fortyeight persons, including 13 army personnel, 20 Army family members and 15 other civilians were injured. The Defence Ministry had yesterday released the names of the three ‘fidayeen’ involved in the attack. The three militants, who were killed by Armymen, were identified as Abu Suhail of Faisalabad, Abu Murshed, alias Mohammad Munir of Gujranwala and Abu Javed, alias Amzad Salam bin Mohammed Gisha, also of Gujranwala. Certain food items, such as biscuits and chocolate, found on the persons of these terrorists, who were aged 19 or 20, revealed that these articles were purchased from Zaffarwal in Pakistan. “With this, the involvement of Pakistan in perpetrating cross-border terrorism has once again been established beyond doubt,” a Defence Ministry press note said. The ultras had reportedly infiltrated across the Line of Control in the Samba area and boarded the Jammu-bound Himachal Roadways bus at Vijaypur.
UNI |
|
No survey on funding to madarsas New Delhi, May 17 In a written reply to a question from Mr Nana Deshmukh, she said a proposal to enact a new legislation, replacing the existing Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 1976, is receiving the government’s attention for strengthening the law regarding flow and utilisation of foreign contribution to madarsas. Replying to another question from Mr B.P. Singhal, the minister said since 1993-94, the Central Government had been implementing a scheme for the modernisation of madarsa education. Its objective is to encourage traditional institutions like madarsas and maktabs to teach subjects such as science, maths, English, Hindi and social studies along with the traditional curriculum. She said, “under the scheme grants are provided to them only to teach modern subjects while no grants are given for educating any religious subjects to the community.” She told R Ramachandraiah that grants were released to state governments for paying salaries of two teachers per madarsa. A lump sum grant for book banks and science and maths kits was also provided, she added. |
|
Lok Sabha adjourned sine die
New Delhi, May 17 The Lok Sabha adjourned sine die after a full-fledged discussion on cross-border terrorism following the ghastly terrorist attack in an Army camp near Jammu. The Rajya Sabha which is also taking up the same issue for consideration is expected to adjourn after Home Minister L.K. Advani replies to the discussion later in the evening. The three-month-long Budget Session saw proceedings of both Houses remaining paralysed for seven days as the government and the Opposition were locked in a procedural battle whether the Gujarat communal carnage should be discussed under a motion with provisions for voting. Amid stiff resistance from the government, the Opposition managed to have the discussion under a voting clause when Deputy Speaker P.M. Sayeed ruled in favour of holding discussion under Rule 184. The treasury benches had the last laugh when the Opposition-sponsored censure motion was defeated in the Lok Sabha by a margin of 94 votes.
UNI |
|
NORTH INDIA IN PARLIAMENT New Delhi, May 17 In a written reply, Minister of State for Textiles V. Dhananjaya Kumar told the House that the woollen (excluding carpets) exports during April to December 2001 stood at Rs 1115.44 crore. The exports of woollen products during 2000-01 stood at Rs 1665.84 crore, while the corresponding figure during the year 1999-2000 stood at Rs 982.18 crore, the minister said. The government has taken various steps to boost the export of textiles, including woollen textiles. The steps include Technology Upgradation Fund (TUF) scheme for modernisation of the sector to boost its competitiveness in international trade, dereservation of garment sector, increase in limits of investment for small scale units in knitwear sector, integrated apparel parks scheme, the Textile Infrastructure Development Scheme, development of new blends and products to meet greater overseas demands, creation of a design bank by the National Institute of Fashion Technology, rationalisation of tariff structure on machinery and raw materials etc., the minister said. During the 9th Five Year Plan, Rs 61.17 crore has been released under different schemes, but access of funds by the states depends on receipt of proposals and proper utilisation of the funds released earlier. Rs 14.51 lakh has been released during the current financial year, the minister said. The yield rate of wheat during 2000-01 in Punjab was 4,563 kg per hectare. During the same year, the yield rate in Haryana was estimated at 4109 kg per hectare, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Mr Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav, told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply today. The yield rate in Himachal Pradesh was estimated 1,554 kg per hectare, while that in Jammu and Kashmir was 524 kg per hectare, the minister told the House. The minister said productivity depended on several factors like level of technology, timely application of inputs, farm management skills etc. Given the existing level of technology, according to the assessment of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), there was a possibility of increasing the yield rate of wheat in West Bengal, Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. In case of paddy, the average yield could be increased in West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. For sugarcane, the yield rate could be increased in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. As regards cotton, productivity can be increased in Maharashtra, Punjab and Haryana, the House was told. |
|
Front to decide on Presidential poll next week New Delhi, May 17 The meeting likely to be held on Monday or Tuesday here will be attended by Front Chairman and veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu and CPM General Secretary Harkishen Singh
Surjeet. Though the Left parties have come out in support of President
K.R. Narayanan, the Front will take a final decision on the matter at the meeting, CPM leader Somnath Chatterjee told newspersons here today. Interestingly, Front convener Mulayam Singh Yadav had recently met Prime Minister and proposed the name of noted scientist
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam for the post. |
|
Remove pension anomaly, ex-MPs urge PM New Delhi, May 17 In a three page memorandum to the Prime Minister, the former MPs have asked Mr Vajpayee to get the salary, allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament Act (S.A.M. Act) amended which in its present form deny pensionary benefit to former MPs of the fourth, sixth, ninth and 12th Lok Sabhas, former Lok Sabha MP Bhanu Prakash Singh told TNS. The former MPs told the Prime Minister, who gave them a patient hearing, that while the MPs of these above mentioned Lok Sabhas were directly elected prima facie for a normal term of five years and were more representative in character and vested with more powers than the provisional Parliament, they are being denied pensionary benefits, Mr Bhanu Prakash Singh said. If these Lok Sabhas were dissolved pre-maturely, their members were the last to blame, the memorandum said adding that their members should not be doubly punished firstly by shortening their terms and then by denying them the pensionary benefits also. They requested that the minimum pension should be raised to Rs 6000 a month 50 per cent of the salary of a serving MP and the pension should be made a family pension and linked to price index. |
|
Fire breaks out in Shastri Bhavan
New Delhi, May 17 Twelve trapped persons were promptly rescued by Delhi Fire Service personnel. The fire was reported at 11.30 a.m. from room numbers 728 and 729 on the seventh floor of the building, which houses several Central ministries, and was put out within half an hour, Delhi Fire Service chief R.C. Sharma said. Describing the fire as “less than medium,” Mr Sharma said it was a fire for “just one jet operation. But taking into account the importance of the building, we took no chances and pressed into service 12 tenders, including two hydraulic platforms,” he said. He said 12 trapped persons were rescued from the floor as the smoke had spread into seven adjoining rooms housing the ministries of Social Justice and Tribal Welfare.
UNI |
|
Jagmohan
for revival of LTC to govt staff New Delhi, May 17 Addressing the National Convention on Aviation and Tourism the minister said he had met Mr Vajpayee and recommended that the LTC be re-introduced to give a fillip to domestic tourism. This, he said was important since the number of international arrivals had fallen in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the USA. “I don’t want to speculate as to how long it will take. I have made the recommendation to the Prime Minister,” Mr Jagmohan said
. LTC was withdrawn by the government in the last Budget. The tourism industry has also been demanding that it be re-introduced to aid the growth of domestic tourism. Speaking on the occasion, Director General, Tourism, V K Duggal said the visa on arrival proposal had been put on hold for the time being because of the security environment in the sub-continent. “In due course it is going to happen. It has been deferred till the time is ripe,” he said. He also said tourism was going to get more allocation from the Planning Commission and added that the culture of governance would have to undergo a change if tourism was to benefit. The vast gap between the potential and performance would have to be bridged through a dynamic, effective and dedicated work culture. |
|
HC notice to CBI on Chandraswami’s plea
New Delhi, May 17 On March 7, the high court had given the last opportunity to Chandraswami to make efforts to get Mr Dymally examined within three months failing which the recording of statements of witnesses would be deemed to be closed. Today, however, counsel for Chandraswami alias Nemichand, G L Sanghi sought extension of the time limit till November this year. Justice R.S. Sodhi issued notices, returnable on May 22, to the CBI and also asked the agency’s counsel A K Dutt to inform the court by the next date if a mutual assistance (in criminal matters) treaty between India and the USA had been ratified and the possibility of examining the witness by sending a commissioner or through video conferencing. He asked Mr Dutt to take directions from the Bureau and suggest a way to expedite the case which had been pending since 1986. On March 7, accepting the undertaking given to this effect by Chandraswami’s counsel, Rajinder Singh, Justice Sodhi had disposed of the Godman’s plea against Additional Sessions Judge R K Gauba’s January 14 order closing the defence evidence following failure of the CBI to secure the presence of Mr
Dymally. UNI |
|
Himalaya
Parivar to expand: Dhumal New Delhi, May 17 Representatives from Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Tibet and Afghanistan and other Himalayan region countries will be inducted very shortly in the parivar, Mr Dhumal said while presiding over the meeting of its Central Committee here yesterday. Besides people from countries like England, France, Germany and the USA would also be actively associated in its activities, he said. According to an official press note, the Himalaya Parivar would take active part in the promotion of cultural and religious
activities. |
|
NSCN leaders ‘offered amnesty’ Kolkata, May 17 Prime Minister’s emissary K. Padmanabhanan former Union Home Secretary, who went to Bangkok to negotiate with rebel leader/Isak Chisi Swi, T. Muivah; returned to the country after his successful mission abroad and apprised Mr Advani accordingly, according to an official source of the Home Ministry. According to official indications, both Isak Swu and Muivah will be soon visiting New Delhi to hold talks with Mr Advani and the officials concerned for ending the decade-long insurgency problem in the region. |
|
Cop stabbed to death in Ahmedabad Ahmedabad, May 17 Police sources said here today that the body of a constable of the Vejalpur police station of Ahmedabad city, Parbatsinh Keshaji Rathod, was found in the Sarkhej police station area this morning. The constable had been stabbed to death. An FIR has been registered. This is the fourth incident in which a police constable has been killed since February 27. Earlier, a police constable attached to the Mehemdabad police station was burnt alive by miscreants in the Bapunagar area on March 1, while another constable of the Gomtipur police station was killed by rioting mobs under the same police station area recently.
UNI |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 122 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Videos
