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Reconstruction cost put at Rs 7,000 crore
Tourism largely unaffected by tsunami
India negotiating to buy 125 multi-role aircraft
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No conflict with SC on Roy’s transfer, says Bhardwaj
Govt to release 4 lakh tonnes of sugar
Fresh guidelines for technical courses
Mutt manager’s remand extended
Haryana BJP manifesto on January 10
NCC plans to induct more girl cadets
Suriname Vice-President
recollects Indian migration
Slain SP’s body cremated with honours
Lieut-Gen Vijan to head Eastern Command
Blair ’s office acknowledges letter on Shivaji’s sword
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Reconstruction cost put at Rs 7,000 crore
New Delhi, January 7 This has been revealed by central teams which returned here after visiting the disaster zones, a Home Ministry spokesman said. “These states and union territories have projected the damage and reconstruction cost at Rs 7,000 crore. The detailed damage assessment for Andaman and Nicobar Islands is being made where the Nicobar group of islands will require more or less re-building,” he said. While Andhra Pradesh Government has projected the damage and reconstruction cost at Rs 341.70 crore, Kerala has put it at Rs 1358.62 crore, Tamil Nadu at Rs 4799.54 crore and Pondicherry at Rs 500.65 crore. Observing that relief operations were continuing at full swing, the spokesman said the Air Force had launched massive efforts, including undertaking 343 sorties by 35 aircraft and airlifting 1214.64 metric tonnes of commodities and 10,840 people. The Navy has deployed 18 ships and the Coast Guard six, he said, adding that the defence forces had evacuated 9,284 persons in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 4,500 in Tamil Nadu and 9,950 in Kerala. They have also established relief and medical camps and one hospital on ship. Maintaining that the Petroleum Ministry was meeting the full demand of petroleum products in the disaster zones, the spokesman said Indian Airline and Jet Airways had undertaken 98 flights including 15 for transporting cargo and flown 7,353 passengers, including 216 infants. The Science and Technology Ministry, he said, was organising a workshop on January 21 and 22 here to evolve a road map for tsunami early warning system. The Sports and Youth Affairs Ministry has established 390 relief and response camps in the affected regions and 450 Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan volunteers were engaged in 20 such camps in A and N Islands. The Ministry has
allotted Rs 3.91 crore for the operations underaken by the volunteers. The spokesman said a joint team of the Department of Water Supply and Ministry of Water Resources was making an assessment of the damages and chalking out restoration plans for the islands areas. While 90 per cent of water supply has been restored in Port Blair and South Andaman Rural, 80 per cent has been done in Mayabandar and Winberlegung, 60 per cent each at Kadamtal and Deqreepur and 50 per cent in Campbell Bay. Restoration work is in progress in other islands except Katchal from where assessment is awaited, he said. As many as 117 doctors, 62 paramedics and 20 nurses have been deputed by the Health Ministry in the affected zones and the central medical teams have attended to 13,940 patients, he said, adding that additional teams including those of psychiatrists have been constituted. Children between six months and five years were being vaccinated for measles and being given recommended doses of Vitamin-A supplement, he said. |
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Tourism largely unaffected by tsunami
New Delhi, January 7 Unlike the 9/11 disaster, which had a rippling effect on the tourism and the aviation industry all across the world, the tsunami, which has now been identified as one of the worst disasters to hit the earth, has only forced the tourists to either alter their travel plans to India or defer them. However, there have only minimal cancellations, which again the industry experts say that would possibly be reconfirmed once the situation really settles down. Experts point out that the tourism world over took more than three years to recover from the shock of 9/11. However, such is not the situation now as most travelers understand that tsunami was a natural calamity and not one man-made or terrorist made like the 9/11 or the SARS epidemic. Incidentally, while the Government has come forward to help all stranded tourists coming from tsunami-hit countries by giving them visa on arrival, only the southern-eastern tip of India has actually been affected by tsunami and rest of the country remains untouched by any such calamity. The experts point out that although initially there was panic among the inbound travelers and the travel agents and tour operators were inundated with calls seeking to inquire about the situation in the country. But that has now died down and the inflow of tourist traffic has remained largely unaffected. Even in South India what has been a boon is that the tsunami affected Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry did not have many bookings but Kerala still remains a much sought after destination for tourists. The industry experts are of the view that tsunami effect on Indian tourism has been marginal specially as Rajasthan, Central India and the Himalayan destinations remain as much a favourite destination with the inbound tourists as much as the South India destinations. Most tour operators point out that they have received no cancellations of bookings. |
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MP gives
Rs 11 lakh for tsunami-hit
New Delhi, January 7 Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee appreciated the contribution by the member. |
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Kolkata, January 7
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India negotiating to buy 125 multi-role aircraft
New Delhi, January 7 The Air Chief Marshal while pointing out that there was no surety of Brahmos, the multi-role supersonic missile jointly developed by India and Russia, would be inducted into the IAF, said New Delhi was negotiating with a number of countries, including the USA, for acquisition of 125 multi-role aircraft. “The efforts are to keep IAF as a fairly potent fighting force in the region,” Air Chief Marshal Tyagi said in his first interaction with the media after taking over the reins at the Air Headquarters here. He said the IAF was evaluating various options, including the US F-16 fighting falcon, Swedish
Grippen, Russian Sukhois and the French Mirage 2000”. He said that this was also necessary as the gap created by the phasing out of older MIG-21s needed to be filled at the earliest. However, when asked specifically whether and when the IAF could see the induction of the air force version of the multi-purpose supersonic missile Brahmos, the Air Chief said that before the induction a platform for it to be carried was to be identified. He said that since it was a “heavy missile” it was not necessary that the IAF would have a platform for it to be carried. So it is not necessary that the IAF could actually see the induction of the Brahmos supersonic missile. The missile which is the only of its kind in the world has the capability of being fired from land, air and sea. He also ruled out changes in the merit-based promotion policy and emphasised that force multipliers like the Air Early Warning and Airborne Command System (AWACS) and light attack helicopters would be inducted into the force by 2007. Simultaneously, he said work had been resumed on the development of India’s indigenous Air Early Warning System
(AEW), with the government giving the go-ahead to the joint project between the DRDO and IAF. On the old merit-based promotion policy in the force, the Air Chief said the decision of the new Promotion Board on six Air Marshals had been handed over to the Supreme Court. “We support the merit-based promotion policy and if some fine
tuning is required in it we may consider it” he said. While asserting that IAF respected the Delhi High court judgement in striking down the promotion boards of three Air Marshals, he said promotion policy in the force was not framed by only the Air Chief. “It is a collective decision. We all support a merit-based policy as it is the need of changing times to find the skilled manpower to man highly technological weapon systems”, he said. On the futuristic Aerospace Command, the Air Chief Marshal said the IAF had always been interested in star wars concept and it is no secret. “Space is an arena where warfare is heading towards and it is a natural progression that we get used to using this aerospace.” |
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No conflict with SC on Roy’s transfer, says Bhardwaj New Delhi, January 7 There was no point of disagreement as the proposal, as received from the collegium, was followed as per its views and sent to the President, he said. Since prior consultation with a judge to be transferred was compulsory as per the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) laid down by the collegium regarding judges’ transfers, the proposal was again referred back to it and was pending with it, he said. He said the matter was likely to be settled soon as the collegium was expected to meet in the next few days and take a decision on the transfer issue. He also disclosed that the collegium had also recommended transfers of two other Punjab and Haryana High Court judges — G.S. Singhvi and V.K. Bali — along with Justice Roy and some other Chief Justices and judges in October last, but due to ‘representation’ by one of them to the collegium, it had not materialised so far, he said. As the MoP regarding transfer of judges provided that the Chief Justice of a high court should not be from the home state and also that the transferred judge should also be consulted before ordering transfer, it could be the reasons for delay in the transfer of Justice Roy and other judges, he said. |
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Govt to release 4 lakh tonnes of sugar
New Delhi, January 7 Of the additional quota, 2 lakh MTs of sugar would be released in the current month and 1 lakh MT each in February and March, 2005, an official release said today. With the release of additional 4 lakh tonne of sugar, the total free-sale sugar quota for the current quarter stands at 38 lakh MTs. With a levy quota release of 6.5 lakh MT for the same quarter, the total availability of sugar for domestic consumption in the country for the current quarter would be 44.5 lakh MT, as against 39.94 lakh MT during the same quarter last year. With enough stocks in hand, the government will release further quantities in case of any requirement, the release said. |
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Fresh guidelines for technical courses
New Delhi, January 7 The new system will have an appraisal committee including advisers of an anti-malpractice cell and quality assurance to ensure that any complaints are not swept under the rug and are taken on board, the announcement said. A statement by the Human Resource Development Ministry acknowledged “serious concern” about the existing approval process for opening new technical educational institutions or introducing new courses. “There have been wide-ranging complaints about alleged malpractices, misdemeanour... Many references had been received from time to time in which allegations were made about erroneous approval of institutions lacking basic physical and human resources and infrastructure,” the statement said. It said all applications — for undergraduate or other courses — by an institution would be dealt with comprehensively by one screening committee at the AICTE headquarters. The applications would be considered region-wise and the process involve regional officers as well as representatives of state governments and affiliating universities. Applications rejected would have a order clearly outlining grounds of rejection in the interest of transparency and to remove scope for ambiguity. State governments would be asked to cite grounds not clearing an institution and in absence of “valid and cogent reasons”, the AICTE would be free to take a view on merit. Under the system, a single committee of experts — picked especially for integrity — would visit the institution and conduct a comprehensive physical inspection. Their visit schedule would be publicised well in advance through newspapers and other media to give stake-holders a fair opportunity to express their opinion. Such visits have hitherto been a closely guarded secret.
— UNI
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Mutt manager’s remand extended
Kancheepuram, January 7 Judicial Magistrate (I) G Uthamaraj extended the remand when Iyer was produced before him today. He was then taken back to the Chennai Central prison. The special police team, which is probing the murder case, had arrested Iyer under the charge of conspiracy in the case.
— PTI |
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Haryana BJP manifesto on January 10
New Delhi, January 7 Talking to newspersons after the party’s state election committee meeting here, BJP general secretary Shivraj Singh Chauhan said the party had already declared 39 candidates, while the remaining candidates would be declared after a meeting of the central election committee on January 9. Mr Chauhan welcomed members of the Ekta Shakti Party who joined the BJP and also Mr Bakshish Singh, a leader of the ruling INLD from Nilokheri. Mr Chauhan said since the BJP had severed ties with the INLD and was now contesting the election alone, these new entrants would boost the party’s chances in the state, specially in the northern parts. The manifesto would be released from Chandigarh, Hisar, Rohtak, Panipat, Rewari and Gurgaon. |
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NCC plans to induct more girl cadets
New Delhi, January 7 This and a host of other measures have been outlined in a ‘vision document’ that suggests certain changes to the organisation’s profile, its composition and methods of training. Also proposed is an improvement in the weapons and equipment used by the cadets, besides the setting up of ‘NCC Nagars’ in select towns and cities across the country. The document observes that the percentage of reservation for girl cadets be raised from 15 per cent to 33 per cent. “It has also been suggested in the vision document that the weaponry be improved as also the other equipment used by cadets,” said NCC spokesman Lieut-Col R.S. Chettri. |
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Suriname Vice-President
recollects Indian migration
Mumbai, January 7 The chief guest at the third Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas, Mr Ajodhia spoke of the time when his ancestors were taken abroad as indentured labourers. Recalling the trials and tribulations of his ancestors who survived in an alien
land, Mr Ajothia said 34,000 Indians migrated to Suriname two centuries ago. Of these, 12,000 returned home. The descendants of the rest put down roots and prospered. People of Indian origin now form the majority of traders, industrialists and entrepreneurs in this tiny South American nation, Mr Ajothia said. Of the 500,000-strong population of Suriname, Indians are about 37 per cent of the population. The Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas here has drawn many like Mr Ajodhia. Mauritius Vice- President A.R. Burdhan, Malaysian Works Minister Samy Vellu, Singapore Education Minister T. Shanmugarathnam and South African Arts and Tourism Minister Narend Singh...the list is long. |
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Slain SP’s body cremated with honours
Hyderabad, January 7 Babu, a 1997 batch IPS officer, was on a combing operation when Naxalites triggered a landmine blast, killing him and six other policemen on the spot. A pall of gloom descended when the body was brought from Patna last night at Hyderabad airport and received by his parents and other family members, including his wife and daughter, amidst anti-Naxal slogans by his friends and relatives. Former TDP ministers, leaders of political parties and IPS officers attended the funeral.
— PTI |
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Lieut-Gen Vijan to head Eastern Command
New Delhi, January 7 Before assuming his new appointment, General Vijan was heading the recruiting organisation of the Indian Army as Additional Director-General at the Army Headquarters. |
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Blair ’s office acknowledges letter on Shivaji’s sword
Pune, January 7 This was informed here today by Barrister Bhaskar Ghorpade, who earlier in the capacity of official counsel for the Indian Government in Britain, had requested the British Government to hand over the sword to India as there were too many sentiments attached to the artefact. Talking to mediapersons, Mr Ghorpade, however, clarified that this was just an acknowledgement and now the ‘’ball is in their court’’. It is for them to decide whether they wish to return the sword. A similar request was made with the Queen of England a copy of which has been given to British Minister Of Culture Tessa Jowell with a request for a follow-up of the matter, he
said. — UNI |
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New Delhi, January 7
