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New Delhi, April 6 Foreign Secretary Shashank today did not make any policy announcements while speaking on “Possibilities in India-US Economic Cooperation” but his averments clearly demonstrate that New Delhi does not see its relations with Washington through the prism of American move of granting major non-NATO ally status to Pakistan.
Govt on way to Ayodhya solution, says
Advani
Cong seeks judicial probe into AK-47
purchase
Cong campaign targets PM’s
health
Congress challenges
PM’s statement
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Soren told to pay half of phone bill
arrears
Central security forces for Santiniketan
State must safeguard undertrial’s life: NHRC
Higher scale for Punjab printing
SC notice on bonded labourers
12 journalists get Chevening Scholarships
Tributes paid to Devi Lal
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Foreign Secy asks Pak to extend MFN status to
India
New Delhi, April 6 Mr Shashank said at the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce here that traditional economic partners like the US will always be important in India’s external trade relations. “We do believe that the moment has arrived for strong growth in our economic ties with the US. And, the growing ties of commerce and investments, the expanding web of cyber linkages against the backdrop of common commitment to democracy, will bind our two countries into a close relationship of shared prosperity and political understanding”, Mr Shashank said. The Foreign Secretary, in his address, made a specific mention to the recent visit of US Secretary of State Colin Powell to India and said “economic relations constituted a major theme of discussions”. It was during this visit of Mr Powell to South Asia that within 48 hours after leaving India, Mr Powell had declared in Islamabad his government’s intention to confer MNNA status on Pakistan, an announcement, which made the Indian leadership livid. Mr Shashank stressed on the need of further boosting Indo-US economic relations, saying that such ties were “nowhere near their perceived potential”, and also sought to allay the US fears on the Business Process Outsourcing controversy. The US happens to be India’s dominant economic partner, accounting for nearly one-fifth of India’s exports, six per cent of imports, over three-fifths of information technology exports, 16 per cent of cumulative foreign direct investments since 1991 and about half of foreign portfolio investments in India. The Indo-US bilateral trade in goods is today pegged at about US $18 billion, trade in services of about US $8-10 billion and US direct and portfolio investments normally pegged between US $1 billion-1.5 billion annually. The Foreign Secretary described overseas outsourcing as “an inescapable reality of globalisation” and said experts saw a win-win situation in the cross-border distribution of business processes for economies and businesses around the world. He highlighted the fact that in recent years foreign investment outflows from India had been about US $1 billion with the US being the leading recipient of Indian investments as Indian businesses strive to move up the value chain. While addressing members of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, the Foreign Secretary also asked Pakistan to extend the Most Favoured Nation status to India to fulfil its international trade obligations and expressed India’s readiness for cooperation with Pakistan in the field of energy. Mr Shashank also stated that experts from both India and the US could look at the possibility of a Free Trade Area (FTA) agreement between the two countries. |
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Govt on way to Ayodhya solution, says
Advani
Ayodhya, April 6 “I believe that a negotiated settlement will be the most desirable way to resolve the Ayodhya issue. We have already made some quiet progress. I am confident that we will be able to reach an agreement involving Hindu and Muslim representatives shortly after the new government is in place,” Mr Advani told a press conference here shortly after offering prayers at the make-shift temple of Ram Lalla at the disputed “I am in government and I am saying with authority that a solution to the Ayodhya issue will be found soon after the elections,” Mr Advani said, replying to a question on what was the basis and with whom the government was negotiating. However, he refused to say whether the grand temple would come up at the disputed site, where the Vishwa Hindu Parishad claims the “Garbha Griha” is located, or the temple and the mosque would be constructed side by side. “I know you are interested in good news copy, but I am interested in the settlement of the issue,” Mr Advani said,
refusing to elaborate on the government’s plan. Mr Advani claimed that the Ayodhya movement proved a very effective antidote against the fragmentation of the Hindu society on caste lines. Mr Advani further said that in the course of the past six years, the NDA government led by Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee had attempted to find an amicable, negotiated settlement to the problem. “Various public-spirited individuals, including the Shankaracharya of Kanchi and the Dalai Lama, have used their good offices to try and bring the two sides in the dispute together for a negotiated settlement,” the Deputy Prime Minister said, adding, “The Government too has joined the efforts”. Mr Advani, who arrived here from Lucknow via Barabhanki as part of his Bharat Uday
Yatra, claimed that the BJP had decided that it would not make Ayodhya an electoral issue to ensure that the “environment for a settlement is neither unsettled nor vitiated by politics”. Mr Advani was accompanied by former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh and BJP Uttar Pradesh unit president Vinay Katiyar. To a specific question whether his statement meant that the BJP had rejected the options of settling the issue through court or legislation, Mr Advani said whether it is a court judgement or legislation, one group would always remain angered and could continue to agitate. In issues like this the implementation of a court verdict was not
possible. Therefore, an enduring settlement to the issue was possible only through negotiations. Asserting that the BJP remained committed to the construction of a grand
temple to Lord Ram at his birthplace in Ayodhya, Mr Advani said the urge for a Ram Janmabhoomi temple united Hindus. |
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Cong seeks judicial probe into AK-47
purchase
New Delhi, April 6 If Deputy Prime Minister L.K Advani was willing, he could refer the matter to the CBI but “we want a probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge,” party spokesman Kapil Sibal told mediapersons here. Releasing documents in support of the allegations that the government chose to import the rifles from the Bulgarian company having links with international gunrunners, when “superior” rifles were available at much cheaper prices with a Russian firm, Mr Sibal expressed surprise that the Home Ministry had not responded to the query that the Bulgarian company M/s Kintex was no longer authorized to supply the assault rifles to any third party under the licences granted by the Russian Federation. It was stated that the Russian firm M/s Rosoboronexport did not meet the specifications of the tender, then the ministry should clarify what were the specifications, the spokesman contended. Rejecting the ministry’s claim that the Russian company had only submitted samples of AK 102/103 as “incorrect”, Mr Sibal said the samples submitted were AK 47, AK 74 (M), AK 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105 and 106. ‘‘These samples are still lying at the BSF headquarters’’, he claimed. Mr Sibal said the fact of the matter was that the Russian company was offering assault rifles along with additional equipment which included 40 mm under Barrel Grenade launcher and NPSU night vision devices. The cost of these additional items is about $ 95 to 100, he said. However, the Home Ministry chose to ignore this offer whereas the recommendations of the Bureau of Police Research and Development clearly stated the requirement of such equipment for para-military forces. “If such an assault rifle was to be purchased from international gunrunners, the same is available in the international black markets run by organised criminal groups and terror networks for $ 8 in Afghanistan and $ 4 in Iraq or Libya,” he said. On the Home Ministry, Mr Sibal said it had not responded to the allegation that the Bulgarian company was involved in international gun-running rackets as confirmed by the U N Security Council 2000 report, also known as Angola report. The common feature in an AK 47 is that the bore-caliber of the assault rifle is 7.62 mm both with regard to AK 47M (AK 47 Modernised) kland AK 47 (ex stock, not currently in production as of 1975 but with stockpiles being still maintained in the Russian armouries). These samples were never considered by the Home Ministry, he said. |
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Cong campaign targets PM’s
health
Jaipur, April 6 After the campaign to counter the “India Shining” series and then questioning the role of Mr Vajpayee in the Quit India movement the latest attack focuses on whether the country needs young leaders or those with failing health? The Congress seems to have pulled out all stops to hit out at Mr Vajpayee in its campaign which seems to be in reply to the initial attacks launched by the BJP on Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Congressmen have no inhibition in admitting that they have launched this campaign to counter the attacks on their party leader and the “emerging hope” of the Congress - Rahul Gandhi. They do not agree that the attacks on Mr Vajpayee should end now as he himself has shown restraint in going personal against Ms Gandhi. Their only argument is that if a war has been declared then one has to fight with whatever means even if it meant hitting below the belt. The BJP activists on the other hand are very agitated with this latest campaign and point out that the Congress was using unfair means to target a “very fair man”. They agree that after the embarassment which Mr Vajpayee faced due to the ‘Quit India’ campaign, the tirade about his health would only make things more murkier. Mr Vajpayee has been trying hard to explain his role in the “Quit India” movement in his recent addresses to the public. |
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Congress challenges
PM’s statement
New Delhi, April 6 “Mr Vajpayee gave an emotional statement in Lucknow in which he claimed having taken active part in the freedom struggle. The Prime Minister’s statement contradicts his earlier statements”, party spokesman Anand Sharma said here at the party’s regular media briefing. |
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Soren told to pay half of phone bill arrears
New Delhi, April 6 Mr Justice Manmohan Sarin, who was not inclined to entertain Mr Soren’s plea, asked the JMM leader’s counsel Barun Sinha to bring a bank draft for half the outstanding amount on the next date. Mr Soren, a member of the dissolved Lok Sabha, was asked to pay the remaining money within six months in four installments. The court asked MTNL counsel Dinesh Agnani to give copies of detailed bills to Mr Soren’s counsel after Mr Sinha said his client did not get the impugned bills. Mr Soren had approached the high court last month, seeking direction to the MTNL to restore the phone connection at his residence here, which was disconnected on the court’s order after he failed to clear dues. Stressing equal treatment for all citizens, a division Bench of Chief Justice B.C. Patel and Mr Justice B.D. Ahmed, on March 1, asked the MTNL and the NDMC to take appropriate steps to recover crores due from over 650 sitting and former MPs. The order had come during the hearing of a public interest litigation filed by Mr Krishak Bharat in 1998, seeking direction to the state agencies to recover their dues from the defaulting lawmakers. “All citizens should be treated equally”, the Bench observed. In December last, the NDMC had disconnected electricity supply to residences of 13 MPs of various political parties for their failure to clear dues running into lakhs of rupees despite repeated reminders and notices. —
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Central security forces for Santiniketan
Kolkata, April 6 Accordingly, the Vice-Chancellor, Dr Sujit Bose, was requested to write to the Prime Minister, who is also the university’s chancellor, and the Union Home Minister. The decision had been taken in the wake of the recent incident of burglary of Tagore’s Nobel prize and other valuables from Uttarayan Museum and the increasing criminal activities on the university premises. The sansad in its meeting held yesterday also set up an expert committee with former CBI Director Sujit Ghosh as the chairman. The committee would look into the security arrangement at Visva Bharati vis-a-vis Santiniketan and suggest measures to improve the situation. Meanwhile, the CBI and the state CID continued their joint inquiry into the Nobel theft case and interrogated seven more employees of the university. The police also conducted raids at several places in and around Santiniketan and arrested two dealers of antique goods. |
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State must safeguard undertrial’s life: NHRC
New Delhi, April 6 Harjinder’s death in police custody was reported to the Commission on September 20, 1999, by the Superintendent, District Jail, Khiri, Uttar Pradesh. The Commission has said that state agents should protect persons in custody even against self harm and take reasonable care to safeguard their lives. While directing the respondent state government to pay the compensation within four weeks, the NHRC has said that the UP government ought to appreciate that it has a `duty of care’ of the life and limbs of the citizens in its custody. In its report, the Home Secretary, UP government had said that a magisterial inquiry had concluded that the undertrial died due to carelessness while being taken to court in police custody. In its version, the police reportedly said that the undertrial escaped while being taken to court and died due to drowning. Not convinced with the report, the Commission said it was a fit case for award of immediate interim relief to the next of kin of the deceased under the provisions of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. It asked the Chief Secretary of UP to entrust investigation of the case to the CB CID and show cause within four weeks as to why suitable compensation should not be paid to the next of kin of the deceased. After considering all the facts, the NHRC observed that the police officers escorting the undertrial did not take reasonable care to prevent risk of avoidable harm to the undertrial and there was dereliction of duty on their part. |
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Higher scale for Punjab printing dept
staff
New Delhi, April 6 Disposing of state government’s petition against the Punjab and Haryana High Court order asking it to pay arrears to the workers from January 1986, the apex court said the skilled and semi-skilled employees of the Stationery Department “would be entitled to revised pay scales from January 1, 1986, notionally for the calculation of the retiral benefits but they will not be paid arrears of the difference in the pay scales from the date, as claimed,” a Bench of Chief Justice Mr V.N. Khare, Mr Justice S.B. Sinha and Mr Justice S.H. Kapadia ruled. The court said the workers were entitled to the pay scale of Rs 2000-3500 from 1986, not from February 14, 1989, as notified by the government because similar benefit had been given earlier to the workers of the Transport Department. It said though the Anomalies Committee of the state government had accepted the plea of skilled and semi-skilled workers for the enhanced Rs 2000-3500 scale as per the recommendation of the Third Punjab Pay Commission, the state government implemented it from February 1989. |
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SC notice on bonded labourers
New Delhi, April 6 The notices were issued yesterday on a PIL by an NGO, “Bachpan Bachao Andolan”, alleging that the Union and state governments had done little to rehabilitate them. The NGO said though they were rescued from the quarries of Shishuwala, Godana and some other places of the Charkhi Dadri area of Bhiwani last year, no steps had been taken to help them. —
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12 journalists get Chevening Scholarships
New Delhi, April 6 Those selected are: Archna Shukla (The Economic Times), Arun Ram (India Today), Chetan Chauhan (The Hindustan Times), Krittivas Mukherjee (Indo-Asian News Service), Meenal Dubey (The Hindustan Times), Partha Ghosh (The Economic Times), Prarthna Gahilote (The Indian Express), Rajas Kelkar (The Economic Times), Rajeev Bhattacharya (The Telegraph), Samar Khadas (The Indian Express), Sutirtho Patranobis (The Hindustan Times) and Tripti Nath (The Tribune). — UNI |
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Tributes paid to Devi Lal
New Delhi, April 6 A large number of people from Haryana and neighbouring states like Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar gathered to pay tributes to the leader. Floral tributes were paid to the farmer leader by a large number of admirers and followers. |
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