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New twist to Cong
infighting
Sonia’s foreign origin political issue:
Advani
BJP asks EC to reconsider order on
hoardings
NDA govt undermined fiscal federalism:
CPI
Govt employees to pay back Jaya in
poll
Cong hoping to strike poll alliance in UP
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JD(U) may tie up with BJP in Karnataka
Mangat Ram hints
at action against Panthers Party Govt bending foreign policy to please USA: CPM Orders issued on merger of 50 pc DA with basic
pay Action against
touts at Delhi airport ordered
Ex-Municipal Commissioner gets bravery
award
Low conviction rate of traffickers worries
USA
Four fast-breeder N-reactors by
2020 HC reserves order on disbanding of districts SC admits appeals in Parliament attack case
Coast Guard rescues 19 tanker crew members
Bihar woman performs ‘sati’
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New twist to Cong
infighting New Delhi, March 19 Mr Khursheed had gone to Hyderabad recently. His visit coincided with reports in the local newspapers that Mr Khursheed had been deputed to oversee the functioning of the organisation in Andhra Pradesh as the party leadership was unhappy with the state of affairs here. Mr Azad, who is AICC General Secretary in charge of Andhra Pradesh, took this as a personal insult and is reported to have conveyed his unhappiness to Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Thursday. It is learnt that Mr Azad even threatened to quit his post and told Ms Gandhi that his charge could be handed over to a more competent person. The matter was eventually sorted out and Mr Azad suitably placated after Mr Khursheed was asked to explain the veracity of these media reports. Mr Khursheed is learnt to have denied that he had anything to do with them. He also maintained that Mr Azad should have first checked with him before complaining to Ms Gandhi. This matter, seemingly minor, might have blown over but party sources said it is a pointer to the strong undercurrents in the party. Mr Khursheed and AICC Secretary Jairam Ramesh have earned the wrath of party colleagues after they were given virtual charge of the party's publicity campaign. The party's old guard is upset over Ms Gandhi’s total reliance on these two "young turks." Mr Khursheed, however, is also in the firing line of UP Congressmen who hold him responsible for the mess in the state. They believe that Mr Khursheed has unnecessarily alienated Samajwadi Party leader Mulayum Singh Yadav. As a result, the Congress has been left friendless now that the Bahujan Samaj Party rejected the Congress overtures for an alliance. Desperate for an ally in Uttar Pradesh, state leaders Pramod Tiwari and Jagdambika Pal are learnt to have got in touch with Mr Yadav to discuss the possibility of a tie-up. Party sources said Mr Yadav had placed tough conditions, virtually making it impossible for the Congress to have any understanding with the SP. Mr Yadav is reported to have said he would give 18 Lok Sabha seats to the Congress but he would determine the choice of these constituencies. Most senior UP leaders are presently camping in Delhi in view of the prevailing uncertainty over alliances. Congress President Sonia Gandhi is expected to call them for a stock-taking exercise. Some of them who did meet her today are reported to have told her that the Congress could find the going tough in UP in case of a four-cornered contest. |
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Jain praises PM from Cong forum New Delhi, March 19 “I am a patriot. I always praise those who protect the country.....I have always kept myself away from party politics,” Mr Jain told reporters at the AICC headquarters. Stating that he believed in “Sarv Dharma Sambhav” (equal respect for all religions), Mr Jain said he was always for a party which was secular in views. Mr Jain, who apparently received a call from the Prime Minister’s residence shortly before he came in for the Congress briefing, described Mr Vajpayee as a non-controversial leader. The music composer said he had campaigned for the BJP and the Shiv Sena but did not join them. He said he would also be calling on former Lok Sabha Speaker and Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi. |
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Sonia’s foreign origin political issue: Advani
Yavatmal, March 19 “The foreign origin (of Sonia Gandhi) is a political issue. It can be raised during the campaign. In several countries, including the USA there are provisions touching upon these kinds of matter”, he told a a press conference here on the tenth day of his “Bharat Uday Yatra”. He, however, appealed to parties to refrain from personal attacks and to maintain the dignity during the poll campaign. On Ms Sonia Gandhi’s view that coalitions are temporary, Mr Advani said, “This is a wrong analysis. She has to reconsider her view”. Calling for delinking the Ayodhya issue from the election, he expressed confidence that a solution would be found to the vexed problem through negotiations between the two communities. Answering a question, he said the BJP had “not given up” any of its core issues like uniform civil code, Ram temple and Article 370, but was committed to the NDA agenda. Wardha: Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani said on Friday that the NDA government had made road linking a reality through the Golden Quadrilateral Highway Project, linking four metros. Addressing a rally here as part of his yatra, he said once the river-linking project gets completed many of the farmers’ problems would be over. Coinciding with the completion of six years in office of the Vajpayee government, he sought a decisive mandate to help achieve a hat-trick. Apart from providing political stability, the NDA government had succeeded in giving a major thrust to economic development focussing on infrastructure, agriculture and rural development sector, he added. Quoting from the World Employment report by the London School of Business, Mr Advani said 1.7 crore jobs were created in 2003, the highest number of jobs ever created. Shetkari Sangathan leader Sharat Joshi and former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde were among those who spoke on the occasion. —
PTI
Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani was forced to travel by car on the tenth day of his “Bharat Uday Yatra” today following breakdown of the air conditioning and public address system of his specially designed rath.
The vehicle, which had developed technical problems in Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh last evening, could not be repaired here and has been taken to Nagpur. The Deputy Prime Minister will be reaching Nagpur, 150 km from here, by evening. The AC failed to function at Gudihundrnoor village and Mr Advani shifted to another vehicle to travel to Yavatmal. On the way, he addressed an
unscheduled meeting at Panderkawada village in Maharashtra when the public address system also failed.
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BJP asks EC to reconsider order on
hoardings
New Delhi, March 19 BJP spokesperson M.A. Naqvi said the party had written a letter to the EC, seeking clarification whether its directive is for removing only advertisements or even normal signboards and structures which are not advertisement. Making a broadside attack on the Congress’ “feudal system” and “dynastic election campaign”, Mr Naqvi said, “It is important to have a clarification from the EC whether their directive will be comprehensive and inclusive of seeking the removal of such sign- boards and hoardings which are visible at all district levels highlighting the name of the dynasty.” “The NDA has already started to comply with the directive, however, the nature of the directive is ambiguous and its interpretation can lead to discriminatory methods of implementation,” Mr Naqvi said, adding that the BJP had requested the EC to reconsider it. In the letter to the EC it said the BJP as a party in power whether in Centre or states had maintained a tradition of not naming the projects and programmes on the name of certain dignitaries or families whereas the Congress has followed a feudal system of naming every single programme or activity of government after the name of one family such as Jawahar Rozgar Yojana, Indira Awas Yojana and many others. |
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NDA govt undermined fiscal federalism:
CPI
New Delhi, March 19 “By raising the interest rate charged on outstanding liabilities of the states, the interest payment burden of the states has been increased substantially. Secondly, in order to reduce its own fiscal deficit arising out of the tax concessions, it has made to the rich, the Centre has passed on its burden to the state governments by reducing the share of transfer to the state,”
Politburo member Sitaram Yechuri told reporters here yesterday. He said, “This is not only violative of the spirit of federalism, but strikes at the roots of our democratic set up, wherein the state governments have to bear the brunt of the political attacks against the fiscal crisis and the lack of resources for development, while the role of the Centre in precipitating the crisis seldom comes under scrutiny.” The party said the central taxes to GDP ratio, both in terms of gross tax revenue and net tax revenue as a per cent of GDP at market prices had declined from 9.14 per cent and 6.28 per cent in 1997-98 to 8.10 per cent 5.78 per cent in 2001-02, respectively. Similarly, the states share in central tax came down from 2.86 per cent to 2.29 per cent. The total transfer to the states from the Centre, including total share of the states in the central taxes, statutory grants, plan grants and discretionary grants as a percentage of GDP in market prices had come down during the NDA rule, he said. |
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Govt employees to pay back Jaya in
poll
CHENNAI: With the Lok Sabha poll round the corner, it is now time for Tamil Nadu Government employees to pay it back to Chief Minister J.
Jayalalithaa. They form a solid vote bank. Along with college students and unemployed youth, they will be a decisive factor in the elections.
Unlike any agrarian state in North India, the number of government employees in the country is the highest in Tamil Nadu — over 1.2 million and their families account for more than 7.5 million votes. The AIADMK government’s crackdown on the striking government employees last year had earned it approval from select sections of the public. However, the emerging combination of these employees, college students and unemployed youth is certainly going to affect the political fortune of Jayalalithaa as well as her new ally, the BJP, in Tamil Nadu. The same combination was a decisive factor in 1967 when it threw its weight with the
DMK, which stormed to power by unseating the Congress. Realising the formidable damage it can cause to the ruling party, Jayalalithaa took back the 999 state government employees whom she had sacked because of organising the strike the moment it was known the poll were to be held in April and May. However, it has not assuaged the feelings of the state government employees. The BJP is riding high after dethroning the Congress in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In Tamil Nadu it might repent electorally for having tied up with the ruling AIADMK as the “anti-incumbency factor” is likely to play a larger role than the ruling national party’s “feel good factor”. In Dravidian Tamil Nadu the issues involving the “anti-imcumbency factor” are too many. Other than the government employees’ strike, there was also a strike by the medicos, which was also put down. The farmers are in a quandary after three years of drought and the state government has failed to procure water from the Cauvery despite court cases and strong protests throughout the state. The deteriorating drinking water crisis in all parts of the state, particularly Chennai and its suburbs, is another important issue which the ruling party has to tackle. The educated unemployed are cut up with the AIADMK because of fewer job opportunities in the state for all sections, including those with professional degrees in medicine and engineering. The ruling party has also alienated itself from the middle class by hiking the price of rice sold through the public distribution system and excluding those families with monthly income of more than Rs 5,000 from this scheme. To add to the list of woes of the Tamil Nadu voters are poor roads and transport services, collapse of the handloom sector along with the severe drought which together led to suicides, rising prices and unemployment. These have generated a feeling of distress amongst the electorate in Tamil Nadu and they are not feeling good about anything. Going by the performance of the Jayalalithaa government and changes in the political equations over the past few years since the AIADMK came to power in 2001, it is the Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) comprising the
DMK, the MDMK and the PMK, which seems to have an upper hand in the forthcoming poll. The DPA constituents were all part of the ruling NDA and had ministers in the Central government till a few months ago. Under the changed scenario, the Congress has allied with the DPA, while the AIADMK has tied up with the BJP for the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress is certainly going to gain because of its alliance with the opposition parties in the state, but the DPA has to work hard to explain to the voter about its role on matters in which the NDA had failed to deliver since they were very much part of the ruling alliance at the Centre. What is mind boggling for political watchers in Tamil Nadu is the way the BJP wooed, courted and ultimately tied the political knot with the Chief Minister once described as the “Imelda Marcos of Tamil Nadu” after her residence was raided in 1996 and the investigating agencies seized a large number of footwear, expensive clothes and jewellery. The AIADMK has not joined the NDA, which indicates Jayalalithaa wants to keep her options open and have a larger say during formation of the next government at the Centre. But still the BJP went in for an electoral alliance with the AIADMK. Thirunaavukkarasar was Jayalalitha’s mentor after the death of
M.G. Ramachandran. But once firmly seated on the saddle Jayalalithaa threw him out from the party.
Thirunaavukkarasar joined the BJP and during the last elections won the Pudukkottai Lok Sabha seat and became a minister. By denying him the ticket and giving it away to the AIADMK, the BJP has committed a political harakiri because it is the only seat which the party could have won. The Tamil Nadu BJP workers are not only angry but totally demoralised for their leadership’s fling with Jayalalithaa because going by the present trend the BJP-AIADMK combine is not going to cross the double figure out of the total 40 Lok Sabha seats (39 in Tamil Nadu and one in
Pondicherry). |
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Cong hoping to strike poll alliance in UP
Lucknow, March 19 “We are still hopeful that the Congress could strike an alliance with like-minded parties … some small parties have joined us and in a few days we may go in for seat-sharing arrangement with a regional party,” the state president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC), Mr Jagdambika Pal, told The Tribune here today. The Congress hopes have revived after some “positive” indications were given by the Samajwadi Party yesterday. Senior SP leader Shivpal Singh Yadav had said if the Congress does not field any candidate from Sambhal against Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav then the SP would also not field any candidate against Ms Sonia Gandhi in Amethi. Mr Pal said senior Congress leaders were in touch with leaders of other parties and would strike an alliance which would help the party (Congress) in the coming Lok Sabha elections. A section of Congress leaders were in favour of an alliance with the BSP as they claimed that the transfer of votes would be “total” in case of the BSP than the SP. “Though the BSP has declared 70 candidates, but still there is a chance that the Congress would forge an alliance with the BSP,” a senior Congress leader said. “We are an alliance partner with the SP in the Uttar Pradesh government, but this partnership has so far not bore any positive results for us,” he said. “The Congress is strong in 15 seats, and if the BSP joins us we will win at least 10 seats more.” The BSP state president Barkhu Ram Verma on the other hand said the party would go it alone in the coming poll. |
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JD(U) may tie up with BJP in Karnataka
New Delhi, March 19 JD(U) General Secretary Arun Kumar Srivastva told TNS here on Friday that NDA Convener and JD(U) President George Fernandes and Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani were holding talks on seat sharing in Karnataka. The two leaders met in Nagpur today to address a rally. He said the JD(U) was keen on contesting 10 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats and 95 out of 224 Assembly seats in Karnataka. Drawing attention to their experience in the last elections, Mr Srivastava said the JD(U) contested 10 Lok Sabha seats last time. It won the Chikodi, Chitdurga and Chamrajnagar Parliamentary seats. Besides, the party contested 95 out of the 224 Assembly seats. It also won 19 Assembly seats and two seats in subsequent byelections. “At the last minute, we left the Bellary seat for the BJP to enable Sushma Swaraj to contest against Sonia Gandhi,” he said. Sources in
JD(U) said the party would make the best possible effort to contest the polls unitedly under the NDA banner. In Bihar, the party wishes to contest 22 out of the 40 seats and the Kodrama seat in Jharkhand. Mr Srivastava said the position of
JD(U) was secure in Jharkhand. “We are considering only one seat there. |
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Mangat Ram hints at action against Panthers
Party New Delhi, March 19 Mr Sharma, who was in the Capital for discussions with the party’s central leadership about seat sharing with the People’s Democratic Party, said the “growing indiscipline” of Panthers Party was causing concern and the issue would be discussed with Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. Taking exception to some of the recent remarks of Panthers Party chief Bhim Singh, Mr Sharma said that these were against the spirit of coalition. The ouster of the Panthers Party, which has four MLAs, from the ruling coalition is unlikely to have any impact on stability of the state government as it will still have support of the majority in the Assembly. Two of the four MLAs of the Panthers Party are ministers in the Mufti-led government. Mr Sharma said the Congress had staked the claim on four of the six Lok Sabha seats in the valley. Besides Jammu, Udhampur and Ladkah seats, the Congress is also claiming Baramula, which the PDP is reluctant to concede. Panthers Party, which has four MLAs, has sought the Udhampur seat for Mr Singh. It has also declared its intention to contest four other Lok Sabha seats in the state. Mr Bhim Singh, who yesterday moved the Election Commission against Mr Sayeed and Mr Sharma demanding action for “their bringing the controversial women disqualification Bill in the state Assembly ahead of Lok Sabha poll,” has now written a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi suggesting that the Congress should withdraw from the coalition government. In his letter, Mr Singh has written about the “fall in Congress graph both in the and Jammu,’’ due to policies of the PDP-led government. |
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Govt bending foreign policy to please USA: CPM New Delhi, March 19 The Left party in a statement wanted to know whether the BJP led NDA
government intended to acquire the status of “major non-NATO ally” of Washington like Pakistan. “The Vajpayee government should explain what it proposes to do with its much-vaunted strategic relationship with the USA. Does it intend to continue with its unidimensional policy and hope to acquire a similar status as Pakistan, of a ‘major’ ally of the USA,” party’s Polit Bureau said in a statement. It also asked whether this would require “acceding to further demands such as joining the Proliferation Security Initiative of the USA or enmeshing India in the National Missile Defence system”. Referring to US Secretary of State Colin Powell’s statement that Pakistan would be accorded the status of “major non-NATO ally”, the
CPI(M) said the government “has reduced India’s foreign policy to that of a supplicant of the United States which is detrimental to India’s national interests”.
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Orders issued on merger of 50 pc DA with basic
pay Chandigarh, March 19 A communique from the ministry’s Department of Expenditure received by several Central Government establishments here this week states that the merger will be effective from April 1. This will result in a significant increase in the employees’ Provident Fund, house rent allowances, retirement benefits and entitlement to various advances. As much as 50 per cent of the dearness allowance (DA) shall be merged with the basic pay and this would be shown distinctly as dearness pay (DP). The DP will be counted for purposes like payment of allowances, transfer grant, retirement benefits and contribution towards Provident Fund, etc. The entitlement to leave travel concession, travel allowance while on tour and transfer and government accommodation shall, however, continue to be computed on the basis of the basic pay alone without taking into account the DP, the communique adds. The Union Cabinet had cleared the proposal for merging 50 per cent of DA with the basic pay on February 20. Thereafter, the matter was referred to the Finance Ministry. The ministry has taken steps to ensure that employees retiring between April 1, 2004, and January 31, 2005, do not face any loss in fixation of pension. In their case, 50 per cent dearness allowance will be treated as the basic pay for computing pension in respect of the basic pay received by them prior to April 2004. In the case of existing pensioners, 50 per cent dearness relief will be merged with their present pension from April. |
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Action against
touts at Delhi airport ordered New Delhi, March 19 The Central Industrial Security Force is looking after the security of the airport. Earlier it was the Delhi Police which used to do this job. The Lt-Governor said no taxi operator should be allowed to operate at the airport after April 30 unless he secured a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) badge from the transport department of the Delhi Government which would open a counter at the airport for this purpose. At present no taxi is permitted from the airport except through the pre-paid system. In the pre-paid system, the record of the taxi operators is kept which helps in tracking them out if need be. In the Australian woman murder case, the suspect was arrested with the help of his record kept by the pre-paid taxi booth, he said. The government also decided to take steps for early operation of radio-cabs in the city and start shuttle bus service of Delhi Tourism between the airport and Connaught Place. |
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Ex-Municipal Commissioner gets bravery award
Mumbai, March 19 The awards, instituted by Godfrey Phillips India Limited are “aimed at honouring unsung heroes who have risen above and beyond the call of duty,” said Mr Sandeep Kunwar of Godfrey Phillips. Mr Bhatia was conferred a special award for championing the cause of reforms within the system, fighting against corruption and for his effective administrative services. In the physical bravery category, Rahul Ramdas Pawar, a resident of Nagpur, who lost his life while trying to save an old woman from a burning house after clearing LPG cylinders stored in the area was declared the winner of the gold medal. Mr Keshavan Mudliyar of Mumbai bagged the silver medal for nabbing a youth who had murdered a young girl after a quarrel. The bronze medal went to Mr Subhas Prabhale, who nabbed four robbers who were running away after snatching ornaments from a woman. In the Social Acts of Bravery category, Dr L.M. Chaudhary bagged the award for practising in a remote area where no doctor was available. He was also honoured for setting up a home for child labourers, school dropouts, neglected children and for working to eradicate social evils in tribal areas. Mr Satish Muskande of Yavatmal got the silver medal in this category for his efforts in establishing a cancer relief and guide centre. Mr Jagdish Ganpat More, a resident of Kandivali in Mumbai, got the bronze medal. Mr More, a physically challenged person, established a school for the deaf and dumb, started an ambulance service and assisted the disabled to seek employment. —
PTI |
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Low conviction rate of traffickers worries USA
Kolkata, March 19 “The Indian authorities recognise that the relatively low rate of convictions against traffickers is a barrier to the country’s ability to combat trafficking effectively,” US Ambassador to India Dr David C. Mulford said, noting that “although there is an increase in the number of cases filed against traffickers, legal action is significantly delayed when they are charged under statutes that permit bail pending trial or sentencing and providing opportunities for them to flee before completion of the judicial process.’’ He was speaking via digital videoconference during the inaugural session of a conference on “Corporate Social Responsibility: Addressing Trafficking in Persons’’ organised by the U S Consulate-General in Kolkata in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the international NGO Apne Aap Women Worldwide. Dr Mulford said the United States had committed itself to taking a leading role in combating the “global social plague’’ of human trafficking. In the past two fiscal years, the US provided over $ 54 million in assistance to more than 70 countries to strengthen anti-trafficking law enforcement, victim support, legislation, and regional cooperation. “India is a country which is both a source and destination for trafficking victims. Here young girls from Assam may be taken to brothels in Mumbai or girls from Nepal and Bangladesh may turn up in the Kalighat and Sonagachi red light areas of Kolkata,’’ he said. The U S envoy encouraged partnership of the corporate and NGO sectors to combat human trafficking saying, “to address the larger context, schools and families need to become involved, religious and political leaders to speak out vocally and, above all, we need NGOs and corporations to work together to make India and this world a better and a safer place for the most vulnerable among us.’’ Mr Ashley Varghese, attorney, International Justice Mission, said the network of the traffickers was so strong and so powerful and intimidating to these hapless girls that it was difficult to follow up the entire process. “In some cases the brothel-keepers in Mumbai even come to the court to intimidate the rescued girls. They at times bring the parents of these girls to the brothels and then force them to claim them so that they can be sent back to the trade,’’ said Mr Varghese. According to survey statistics, 45 per cent of the girls used in prostitution in Mumbai were minors while 28 per cent were on the borderline (aged between 18 and 19) and only 27 per cent were adults in 2003-2003 which in 2003-04 there were 43 per cent minors, 25 per cent in the borderline category and 32 per cent adults, Mr Varghese informed. —
UNI |
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Four fast-breeder N-reactors by 2020
Mumbai, March 19 The 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR), under construction at Kalpakkam is scheduled to be commissioned in 2010 and ‘’it would not be a big deal to commission four additional FBRs between 2010 and 2020 as part of the DAE programme for setting up an installed capacity of 20,000 MWe nuclear power by 2020’’, Dr Kakodkar said in the latest issue of Nu-power, a quarterly international journal of nuclear power published by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL). India has entered into the second stage of its nuclear power programme with the launch of Prototype FBR. Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd (BHAVINI), incorporated on October 22, 2003, is the fifth public sector undertaking (PSU) under the administrative control of the DAE and is responsible for the construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance of the 500MWe PFBR. “It can make a significant impact on the electricity generation scenario in the country’’, Dr Kakodkar said, adding that this potential is 3 1/2 times the current power generation capacity in the
country. — UNI |
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HC reserves order on disbanding of districts
Allahabad, March 19 A Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Tarun Chatterjee and Justice Ashok Bhushan, passed the order after the concluding arguments by the contending parties. The state government, vide a notification dated January 13, 2004, had abolished nine districts and four commissionerate in the state citing financial difficulties which triggered violent protests in some of these areas. The District Bar Association of the disbanded district Auraiya and several others had moved to the high court challenging the notification on the plea that the state government had taken the decision in an arbitrary manner. —
PTI |
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SC admits appeals in Parliament attack case New Delhi, March 19 A Bench comprising Mr Justice S.N. Variava and Mr Justice H.K. Senma admitted the Delhi Government’s appeals challenging the acquittal of Navjot Sandhu alias Afsan Guru and the Delhi University lecturer S A R Geelani. It also admitted the appeals filed by Shaukat Hussain Guru and Mohd Afzal challenging the high court order upholding death penalty against them. The high court on October 29 had acquitted two of the Parliament attack case convicts. |
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Coast Guard rescues 19 tanker crew members
New Delhi, March 19 The Coast Guard received the message that a vessel — MT Delta-l — which was bound for Bandar Abbas, broke into two. The crew of the vessel abandoned it and took recourse to a life raft. The Coast Guard coordinated the successful search and rescue mission by sailing two ships — CGS Sarojini Naidu and C-135 — and two hovercraft to the mishap area. The vessels reached the area around 8 am and rescued the crew of the ill-fated tanker. The tanker is presently located around 18 nautical miles north-west off Vadinar. The tanker was carrying around 60 metric tonnes of diesel and around 4 tonnes of lubricant oil. |
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Bihar woman performs ‘sati’
Samastipur, March 19 According to Rukiya Devi’s son Jagdish Yadav, his mother completely broke down at the death of her husband Raghu Yadav (90) on Thursday. Unable to bear the loss, she rushed to the cremation site quietly and jumped into the pyre. She was charred to death on the spot, Mr Yadav and other villagers, who witnessed the scene, added. SP Meghnath Ram, however, denied that the woman had committed “sati”, although he confirmed her death. Following spread of the report like wildfire, a large number of devout women thronged the site and offered prayers as a token of tributes to the departed soul. —
UNI |
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