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Infiltration in J&K reducing, says Patil
‘Centre for unconditional talks with J-K separatists’
Barnala sworn in TN Governor
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Govt given 3 weeks to clarify stand on CCI
SC ruling in case of cheque bouncing
Centre apprises SC on revenue collection scheme
Zaheera turns hostile against Teesta
Nigerian President offers oil
Centre to eliminate poverty by 2012, says Raghuvansh
Storm over minister’s links with criminal
Cabinet ratifies US legal treaty
CPI demands probe into firing incident
Tikait blames MP Govt for ignoring farmers’ plight
PM to visit J&K on Nov 17
Karan Singh concerned over RS adjournments
Laloo opposes hike in petro prices
VHP questions Advani’s credentials on Ayodhya
NDA to meet over Hindutva
R.K. Singh chief of global rail body
Pesticides hit kids’ health in Bathinda cotton belt
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Infiltration in J&K reducing, says Patil
New Delhi, November 3 “A key factor in improving the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir has been a more effective check on infiltration, which till August this year, was less than half the figure in the corresponding period previous year,” Mr Patil said at the inauguration of Conference of the Directors General of Police here at Vigyan Bhavan. “While militancy in Jammu and Kashmir continues to be a matter of grave concern, here too several positive developments were brought about by a combination of effective security management, coupled with diplomatic and political initiatives,” he said. “Besides, the coordinated multi-tiered deployment of the Army along the LoC, para-military forces and the Jammu and Kashmir police has further reduced cross-border infiltration,” he said warning the security forces against complacency as militants retain their capacity to indulge in demonstrative actions. Referring to Leftwing terrorism, the Home Minister said in 2003, incidents of Naxalite violence increased by 8.5 per cent and resultant deaths by 6.4 per cent. “It (Naxalite violence) has been growing at a disconcerting pace. Available reports indicate that 125 districts in 12 states have now been affected by Naxalite violence in varying degrees and another 24 districts are being targeted by the outfits of Naxalites,” he said. Asserting that Naxalism needs to be tackled simultaneously on the political, economic and security fronts, Mr Patil hoped that the peace dialogue initiated by the Andhra Pradesh Government with the CPML-PW and some other Naxalite groups would succeed and bring in a lasting solution to the problem in that state. On the security scenario in the north-eastern states, he maintained that there had been improvement in the situation with a 24 per cent fall in violent incidents perpetrated by underground outfits between 1999 and 2001. |
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‘Centre for unconditional talks with J-K separatists’
New Delhi, November 3 Asserting that government’s policy “is to talk to those who wanted to talk”, the Home Minister said as the situation in the state improved, secessionist leaders would find it easier to participate in the dialogue, thereby making it broad-based. He said this in his inaugural address at a three-day Conference of Directors General/Inspectors General of Police and heads of Central paramilitary forces from all over the country here at the Vigyan Bhavan. Slightly deviating from his written text, Mr Patil said “...the government continues to hold out the offer for unconditional dialogue with the separatist leadership in Jammu and Kashmir...the policy of the Government of India is to talk to those who want to talk. But only talking will not solve the problem. Simultaneously, the government is engaged in implementing economic and administrative measures to improve the life of the common man.” Despite the open call given by the Home Minister there is lot of uncertainty over the resumption of dialogue between the Centre and the Hurriyat Conference. Yesterday, while speaking to a group of journalists, Mr Patil was non-committal on whether the Centre was keen on the resumption of talks with the Hurriyat Conference. “I have a list of 20 or 25 organisations which are willing to hold talks...but why are you only keen on the Hurriyat...I don’t want to remain focussed on one particular point,” Mr Patil had said when repeatedly asked about the possibility of the resumption of talks with the Hurriyat. On the other hand, the Hurriyat Conference has said it would resume talks only after its leaders are permitted to visit Pakistan. |
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Barnala sworn in TN Governor
Chennai, November 3 Madras High Court Chief Justice B. Subashan Reddy administered the oath of office to Mr Barnala at a simple and brief ceremony. While Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, her Cabinet colleagues and Speaker K. Kalimuthu were present, the Opposition too was in full strength to celebrate their “so-called victory” in getting Mr Barnala according to the wish of DMK President M. Karunanidhi. Judges of the High Court and diplomats were also present. Mr Barnala, along with his family members flew in from Hyderabad, and was received at the airport at 10 am by Ms Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu ministers and the top brass of the state administration and given a ceremonial welcome. He was the Governor of Andhra Pradesh but succeeded Mr P.S. Ramamohan Rao, who tendered his resignation amidst a controversy after the change of guard at the Centre. Mr Barnala is said to be very close to Mr. Karunanidhi, who wanted him as the Tamil Nadu Governor. |
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Govt given 3 weeks to clarify stand on CCI
New Delhi, November 3 Adjourning for the November 29 the hearing on a PIL, challenging the CCI Act, which provided for the appointment of non-judicial person as head of the
CCI, a Bench of Chief Justice R. C. Lahoti, Mr Justice G. P. Mathur and Mr Justice P. K. Balasubramanyam asked the government to clarify whether it would have the right to dissolve the
CCI. The appointment of former Commerce Secretary Dipak Chaterjee as head of the
CCI, by the previous NDA government and the Act that provided no role to the judiciary in the selection of the Chairman, had snowballed into a major controversy with the apex court taking serious note of it. The UPA government in reply to the court’s notice, had come with a slight modification in its reply, saying that the Chairman would be an “expert” rather than a bureaucrat, who would be appointed by a six-member committee, headed by a retired judge. Senior advocate R. K. Jain, appearing for petitioner Braham Dutt, who had filed the PIL challenging the CCI Act, said the Chairman and members of any quasi-judicial body, which had the “trappings” of a court, had to be appointed in consultation with the judiciary under the Article 323 of the Constitution. Centre’s counsel Vivek Tankha sought an early resolution of the issue by the court, saying that the government was bound to meet the January 1, 2005, deadline about setting up of the CCI under the WTO agreement. |
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SC ruling in case of cheque bouncing
New Delhi, November 3 “Where the sender has despatched the notice by post with the correct address written on it, then it can be deemed to have been served on the addressee unless he proves that it was not really served and that he was not responsible for the non-service of it,” a Bench of Mr Justice Arijit Pasayat and Mr Justice C.K. Thakkar said. The court said such interpretation of the provision about the service of notice was necessary otherwise “it can lead to a very tenuous position as the drawer of the cheque who is liable to pay the amount would resort to the strategies of subterfuge by successfully avoiding notices.” If any other interpretation was given to the provision of service of notice by the complainant for the offence under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instrument Act, “a trickster cheque drawer would get the premium to avoid receiving the notice and escape legal consequences,” the court said. The judgement came on an appeal of Raja Kumari from Andhra Pradesh, who faced prosecution for dishonouring a cheque for Rs 80,000 issued by her to P. Subbarama Naidu and the High Court rejecting her appeal against the lower court order, which said that the notice on her was deemed to have been served after it was mailed to her. Rejecting her appeal, the apex court said there was no infirmity in the High Court and the lower court orders. |
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Centre apprises SC on revenue collection scheme
New Delhi, November 3 scheme to plug the loopholes in the system that had led to Rs 33,000 crore fake stamp paper scam, masterminded by Abdul Karim Telgi. In a reply filed before a Bench, headed by
S.B. Sinha, the government said as per the amended Stamp Act, all states and union territories would send to the Centre within a month, a time bound programme to introduce a foolproof modern method of revenue collection. Under the new scheme the states have to re-work their long-term requirement of the stamp papers well in advance, so that appropriate decision regarding printing, could be planned well in advance in accordance with their demands by the Centre. The government is planning to put into operation a pilot project .The scheme will initially be introduced in 10 to 12 cities for dematting the stamp papers. The states will then be free to join in the system or introduce identical scheme in their territorial jurisdiction. To ensure fool-proof security features in the production of stamp papers, a new strategy regarding transition to new series by the states was required to be developed, which would be given wide publicity so that people who were using the stamp papers were aware of it, the reply said. Maharashtra and Karnataka, which were the most affected states due to the Telgi scam, had already taken a decision about the centralised system of revenue collection without stamp papers, it said. The other states that had forwarded their proposals on the issue included, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Many of the states had preferred the Karnataka model, which had done away with the use of stamp papers and instead used document sheet with state emblem of the value of Rs 2 on it. The Karnataka scheme further provides that up to Rs 500, the banks can issue paper on their own for registration and not to use court fee stamps up to the denomination of Rs 10. |
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Zaheera turns hostile against Teesta
Vadodara, November 3 Making this statement at a suddenly convened press conference, Zaheera said she had filed an affidavit before the Vadodara collector “seeking protection from Teesta Setlvad and other members of her NGO and that she wanted protection while testifying in the retrial.” “Zaheera has filed the affidavit and we are looking into the matter. She has said her original testimony before the Fast Track Court here was absolutely true and that Teesta was pressurising her to name innocent persons as accused during the retrial,” Vadodara Police Commissioner S.K. Sinha said. Zaheera said she was “forced into making false statements by her own people from Vadodara at the behest of Teesta and even threatened her with dire consequences if she had not cooperated.” She also denied ever meeting BJP MLA Madhu Shrivastav before the trial in Vadodara. She had earlier alleged that Shrivastav had threatened her against stating the truth before Vadodara Fast Track Court. She also told mediapersons that the judgement passed by the Fast Track Court judge H.U. Mahida was “correct.” Zaheera was the key witness in the case who had moved the Supreme Court for its re-trial outside Gujarat. Following her petition, the apex court had ordered transfer of the case to a Mumbai court and also rapped the state government regarding protection to riot witnesses. Zaheera was today provided police protection on her request. |
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Nigerian President offers oil
New Delhi, November 3 The Nigerian assurance, which India looks upon with keenness and immediate interest, is offer of providing more crude oil directly to New Delhi. President Obasanjo invited Indian companies to participate in bids for oil exploration and production. Besides, he has also invited Indian companies to participate in power generation and LPG. On the politico-diplomatic level, Mr Obasanjo offered support to India for permanent membership of the expanded United Nations Security Council
(UNSC) saying that India was a natural candidate for the membership, a Foreign Office spokesman said this in a statement. Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa (15 crore) is India’s largest trading partner in Africa with a bilateral annual trade figure of $ 3.5 billion which is more than India’s trade with Russia. The importance of Nigeria to India can be gauged by the fact that of India’s total oil imports of 60 million tonnes, as many as 10 million tonnes comes from Nigeria. President
Obasanjo, who is also the Chairman of the African Union, met Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh this morning along with his ministers. He was accompanied by his Foreign Minister Olu
Adeniji, Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo Iweala and Commerce Minister Adamu Adris
Waziri. At the talks, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was assisted by External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh, National Security Adviser
J.N. Dikshit, Secretary (West) in the MEA Shashi Tripathi, Secretary (Petroleum) S.C. Tripathi and Commerce Secretary
S.N. Menon. UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi also met President Obasanjo. Mr Natwar Singh called on him last evening. |
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Centre to eliminate poverty by 2012, says Raghuvansh
New Delhi, November 3 Talking to mediapersons at the Fifth Editors Conference on social sector issues, Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said resources were being mobilised to electrify those villages in the country, which were yet to experience the benefits of power. The minister said the Employment Guarantee Scheme was likely to be presented in the winter session of Parliament. As a prelude to the proposed scheme, the Centre will launch a new National Food for Work Programme in 150 most backward districts of the country. The minister said under the programme, to be fully sponsored by the Centre, 100 days of supplementary wage employment to one member of each below-poverty-line family in identified districts would be made available. Wages would be paid in cash and foodgrains. He said works could be executed by departments, Panchayati Raj Institutions or reputed NGOs and self-help groups. A strict monitoring mechanism has been developed, he added. The minister said for 2004-2005, Rs 2020 crore in cash and 20 lakh tonnes of food grains would be provided for the programme in addition to allocation under the Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY). The minister said efforts were being made at “war-footing” to remove poverty by the end of the 11th plan and create enough avenues of employment. The minister said under the Swaranjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) so far over 19 lakh self-help groups had been mobilised and more than 45 lakh persons had been given assistance. He said to provide drinking water to all villages in the country, the Indian Institute of Public Administration had been asked to undertake a survey and give a report at the earliest. He said efforts were being made to computerise the revenue records. |
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Storm over minister’s links with criminal
Kolkata, November 3 Though the minister has denied having links with the criminal, police investigations revealed that Hatkata Dilip, who had been at large for the past four months was under Mr Chakraborty’s protection. The police arrested Hatkala Dilip from the village residence of footballer Sashti Duley at Haripalon last Thursday. Another footballer, Dipankar Roy of the East Bengal Club, who, too had been close to the minister and Hatkata Dilip, was arrested along with Sashti Duley on Sunday night in connection with the case. They were remanded in police custody till November 7. Both Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and CPM Secretary Anil Biswas said the law would take its own course. The party will institute a separate inquiry to probe links of the minister and some other party leaders and workers with Hatkata Dilip. The minister admitted that Dilip had worked in the last Lok Sabha poll in favour of party candidate Amitava Nandi from Dum Dum and was an instrumental in Nandi’s victory against BJP minister and sitting MP Tapan Sikhdar there. |
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Cabinet ratifies US legal treaty
New Delhi, November 3 As per the treaty, the assistance provided under it by India shall not be transferred to any international court or tribunal without the consent of the other country. According to an official spokesperson, no action under the treaty could be taken in the contravention of the Constitution of the two countries. The Cabinet also approved a proposal for signing an agreement to establish a joint commission of cooperation between India and Norway. The spokesperson said the agreement would not be a detriment of other cooperation agreements and would lead to a closer cooperation between India and Norway. |
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CPI demands probe into firing incident
New Delhi, November 3 A delegation of the CPI members which went to the district on a fact-finding mission, sought registration of cases against the police officials responsible and adequate compensation to the next of kin of the victims, a party press note issued said. The party also demanded the state government to invite the affected people for a discussion on the issue of water supply through a “transparent” policy. The delegation pointed out that the farmers and the local people were demanding equitable distribution of water as most of the standing crop had been destroyed due to drought. The party delegation, led by party MP and Kisan Sabha president C.K. Chandrappan, found that over 40 per cent of the agricultural worker population and farmers had left their homes in search of jobs in other areas. The CPI sought speedy steps by the BJP government to desilt the Rajasthan Canal and special funds for repairing others. “Without streamlining the canals the problems of the farmers in Sriganganagar cannot be resolved. If the Centre has to give a package this should be thought of,” it added. |
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Tikait blames MP Govt for ignoring farmers’ plight Sriganganagar, November 3 Mr Tikait was addressing a gathering of the Kisan Mahapanchayat at Surat-garh this afternoon to protest against the Gharsana-Rawal firing. Mr Tikait said water was always the biggest cause of concern for the farmers and urged local leaders to fight for the cause till farmers get what they deserve. Meanwhile, the state government has also removed the Additional District Magistrate (Administration), Mr Inder Singh Rao and the SDM, Gharsana, Mr Hitesh Kumar. They have been replaced by Mr Vasudev and Mr Hiralal Sarahan, respectively. With this number of official shunted out of the district has reached to five. No untoward incident was reported from the border district. The Kisan, Mazdoor, Beopar Sangharsh Samiti has further threatened to intensify their agitation and termed the removal of the officers as mere eyewash. A farmers’ leader and former CPM MLA, Mr Hetram Beniwal, criticised the Chief Minister, Ms Vasundhara Raje, for not taking the issue of irrigation water seriously. He has gone underground after the firing incident as the state police registered cases against him. Talking to The Tribune from his undisclosed hideout, Mr Beniwal said farmers in the area wanted sufficient water for irrigation. “The state government’s assurance to provide 5.23 cusues water to per 1,000 acre of land is unrealistic. It is too late as sowing season of mustard is already over and the farmers are forced to remain without sowing any crop in the season,” said Mr Beniwal. Cotton, mustard, gram wheat are the main crop growth in the Indira Gandhi Canal area. Over the past four years, situation in the area had deteriorated due to less amount of rainfall in the state. To add to their problem, the authorities were unable to provide enough water. The untimely action by the state government is just an attempt to appease the farmers, the CPM leader said.
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PM to visit J&K on Nov 17
New Delhi, November 3 On his maiden visit to the state after assuming office in May, the Prime Minister will first travel to Kashmir and then proceed to Jammu, official sources said here today. According to the new schedule, the Prime Minister will flag off Uttar Sampark Kranti Express on the Jammu-Udhampur railway line, address Congress workers and hold public meetings in Jammu as well as Kashmir. At a public meeting in Srinagar, he is likely to announce an economic package for the state. Subsequently, he will deliver convocation speech at the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences. Besides interacting with Congress workers at Anantnag, he is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the south campus of Kashmir University there. The north campus of the university has started functioning in Baramula. The Prime Minister twice postponed his visit to the state - first on September 16 following the announcement of the byelection schedule for four Assembly constituencies in the state and then on October 25. Meanwhile, Home Minister Shivraj Patil is scheduled to visit the state for three days from November 6. Mr Patil described his proposed tour as “preparatory” for the Prime Minister’s visit. “I would return and brief the Prime Minister about the talks with various Kashmiri leaders and people,” he said. |
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Karan Singh concerned over RS adjournments
New Delhi, November 3 In a letter to leaders of various parties and groups, Dr Karan Singh has pointed out that solemn pledges made in the historic resolution adopted by the Rajya Sabha on the Golden Jubilee of Independence seems to be honoured more in breach than in observance. The committee has felt this was a matter of deep concern as it was not only counter-productive in itself but also tended to erode the credibility of Parliament whose proceedings were televised live and watched by millions of countrymen, including younger generation, he said. |
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Laloo opposes hike in petro prices
New Delhi, November 3 Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav is now opposing the hike in view of the coming Assembly elections in Bihar in February. He has reportedly told the government that since it had earlier postponed the oil prices in view of the Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh, the same logic should be applied for the Bihar elections. Further, he has told the government that the international crude oil prices had started falling and were now hovering around below $50 mark from $55 per barrel till last week. Finance Minister P. Chidambaram today said the government might take a decision in the next two days on the revising prices of petrol, diesel, LPG and kerosene, keeping in view of the rise in the international crude oil prices. Mr Yadav did not attend the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) that was specially called to take a decision on the oil prices besides other issues. Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar made a detailed presentation in the CCEA urging to increase the petrol, diesel, kerosene and LPG prices. Petroleum Ministry reportedly urged the Cabinet to raise petrol prices by up to Rs 0.77 per litre, diesel by Rs 1.25-1.84 a litre, LPG by Rs 20 per cylinder and kerosene by Rs 1 per litre. |
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VHP questions Advani’s credentials on Ayodhya
New Delhi, November 3 Launching a scathing attack on the BJP, the Sangh Parivar outfit also reiterated its wish to float a “Hindu Alliance” on the lines of the NDA and the UPA to “meet the aspirations” of the majority community. Addressing a press conference here, VHP Senior Vice-President Acharya Giriraj Kishore while attacking the BJP singled out, Mr Advani, for failing to fulfil his commitment. “What had happened earlier when the party was in power? If someone has a will, he should do it. They (BJP) got power through the Ram temple,” Mr Kishore, said when asked about new BJP President L.K. Advani’s assertion about the party’s commitment to the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya. “Who was stopping him (Mr Advani) when he was the Deputy Prime Minister. Instead, even the undisputed land was made disputed. It could have been handed over to us,” he said. |
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NDA to meet over Hindutva
New Delhi, November 3 Sources said Mr Fernandes, who is also the Janata Dal chief, wants the BJP to clarify the recent remarks of its top leaders about readopting Hindutva which had caused some concern among the NDA allies. The issue of Ram Temple at Ayodhya had figured prominently in the speech of BJP President L.K. Advani at the recently concluded national council meeting of the party. The BJP sources said the party welcomed the demand for convening a meeting of the NDA. |
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R.K. Singh chief of global rail body
New Delhi, November 3 Mr R.K. Singh, who is also the ex-officio Principal Secretary to the Centre, was elected for the prestigious post at a meeting of the World Executive Council on October 27 in Yokohama, Japan. According to a Railway spokesman, the 22-member council provides common platform for Chief Executive Officers of representative Railways to address issues like development of international freight corridors, emerging fields of technology and development of skills among railway managers. The spokesman said election of Mr R.K. Singh would provide an opportunity for the Indian Railways to play an active role in development of railways throughout member countries. It would also enable the country’s biggest public sector enterprise to assimilate beneficial features of international development. |
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Pesticides hit kids’ health in Bathinda cotton belt
Mumbai, November 3 Greenpeace and a local non-governmental organisation, Kheti Virasat, which studied the mental health of children from the 80-km cotton-growing belt of Bathinda, said the children here tended to suffer more from arrested mental development. The mental state of children from this belt was compared with another sample group from Ropar and the researchers said children from the former group tended to score lower on mental ability tests, including reasoning and analytical skills. The exposure to pesticides in Ropar is comparatively lower than in Bathinda’s cotton belt, according to Greenpeace. The study also showed that children from areas exposed to pesticides displayed poorer eye-hand co-ordination as compared to those elsewhere. Such children also tended to have a poorer sense of balance clearly visible at play. For instance, four and five-year-old children from areas less exposed to pesticides could stand longer on one foot than those from the cotton-growing belt of Bathinda. More startlingly, 30 per cent fewer children from the pesticide-affected areas could complete a simple test like walking straight on a plank without losing balance. Children studied from Bathinda’s cotton belt also displayed poorer stamina than the control group drawn from Ropar. Their stamina was assessed through the length of time that a child could do jumping jacks without tiring out. Children aged between nine and 13 in the group that was less exposed to pesticides performed this test for up to 100 seconds while those from Bathinda’s cotton belt could do so for less than 50 seconds, the study said. Similarly, children from areas exposed to pesticides suffered from problems of concentration and memory, according to the study. They could recall fewer objects during instant recall tests than children drawn from the relatively pesticide-free Ropar. In the longer 30-minute memory tests, these children scored a significant 38 per cent lower points than those living in areas less affected by pesticides. In all 23 tests were administered to two sample groups of children between four and five years of age in Ropar and Bathinda. In all tests, the children from Ropar who were less exposed to pesticides performed better, the study said. |
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Stating that a coordinated multi-tiered deployment along the Line of Control (LoC) has further reduced cross-border infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil today expressed concern over Naxalism “remaining” a serious threat to the internal security of the country.
In a major development in the Best Bakery case, key eyewitness Zaheera Sheikh today accused the NGO that was helping her of “pressurising” her into making statements and naming “innocent persons” during the ongoing retrial of the case at a special court in Mumbai.
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