 |
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Rural health, development schemes announced
Ghising to meet PM, ministers on
grievances
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Rly hospitals come under Consumer Act:
SC
Beware! Your mobile could
be ‘cloned’
DRDO keen on ties with pvt
industry
India opposed to US special security
audits
Congress searching for ‘‘strong’’ Bihar
seats
Cong pacts to split anti-Laloo
vote
Yadavs giving Cong rough
time
Thackeray shuns Cong, woos
Pawar
Rural Rajasthan agog with panchayat
poll
Basu’s remarks create
controversy
SC discharges rice mill owner
Astrologer commits suicide to avoid own
prediction
Sikh Regiment officer to be DG Infantry
53 new CRPF battalions by year-end
Id celebrated with
gaiety
Advisory panel on energy set
up
Naval ships being deinducted from Lanka,
Maldives
Wage board for journalists
soon
BJP leaders held during
bandh
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Rural health, development schemes announced
Bangalore, January 21 Mr Chaturvedi cut short his address due to fatigue and giddiness. He later collapsed into his chair when the National Anthem was about to be sung. He was quickly administered medical attention in the Speaker’s chambers and was later declared to be in good health. Fatigue was the only reason for his indisposition. The House was adjourned till Monday. BJP legislators, led by Opposition leader B.S. Yediyurappa held up black banners in protest against the permission given to American evangelist Benny Hinn to hold a prayer festival in Bangalore, scheduled to begin tomorrow. They later walked out of the session. Protests were also raised demanding that the Governor make his address in Kannada. Among the other highlights of the Governor’s address were upgradation of 700 km of state highways, the setting up of a ‘high-tech’ park near Sarjapur Road to the south of Bangalore city, implementation of the Cauvery fourth stage, phase two, water supply scheme for Bangalore, and augmentation of small irrigation schemes. Along the lines of the acclaimed Bhoomi kiosk database for farmers, the new data base would service birth, death, caste, and income certificate requirements. The upgradation of the state highways would be done with the help of Rs 550 crore of World Bank loans. Several rural roads would also be upgraded at a cost of Rs 200 crore. A Rs 20 crore butterfly park at Bannerghatta would be set up. A tourist circuit augmentation exercise would be undertaken at a cost of Rs 36 crore, covering Shravanabelagola, Melkote, Belur-Halebid and other areas. |
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Ghising to meet PM, ministers on
grievances
Kolkata, January 21 He will also meet the home minister, Mr Shivraj Patil, and the defence minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, to lodge a complaint against the left front government and the CPI(M) leadership. On the eve of his departure to the capital, the state chief minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, now in Siliguri town , suddenly invited Mr Ghising at a meeting to thrash out a solution to his grievances - to which the GNLF The meeting ,which was held at the Sukha forest bungalow near Siliguri, lasted for about an hour in which other GNLF and the district CPI(M) leaders and the officials were also present. After the meeting at a joint press meet, both Mr Bhattacharjee and Mr Ghising expressed their satisfaction at the outcome. But before boarding the flight to delhi, Mr Ghising told mediapersons that the future stand on the movement in the hills now depended much on his meeting with the prime minister and other union ministers and the proposed tripartite meeting. The chief minister left
for Kolkata by the afternoon flight. at the Sukha bungalow meeting , the chief minister, as demanded by Mr
Ghising, agreed to institute a CBI probe into the killing of three GNLF members and the attempt on his life at Pankhabari in 2001, allegedly by the CPI(M) , it was stated officially. Mr Bhattacharjee also agreed to participate in the tripartite meeting to review the 1988 Gorkhaland Accord to be held in Kolkata on January 28. It was stated from the chief minister’s side that the elections to the hill council would be by March 15 at the latest. Mr Ghising, however, already opposed to the poll decision on the plea of the deteriorating law and order situation and the ISI activities in Darjeeling, stated that the situation was not favourable for holding peaceful,free and fair elections. But the chief minister assured that all necessary steps would be taken to normalise the situation and hold a free and fair poll in Darjeeling. Mr Ghising’s grievances , among others, include not honouring the 1988 accord
agreement, withholding due share of funds by the state government meant for Darjeeling's development, gradual reduction of budgetary allocation to the hill council and denial of greater autonomy to the council. |
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Ashwani meets PM
New Delhi, January 21 Mr Kumar, who had a 20-minute meeting with the Prime Minister, also demanded early payment of Punjab's dues by the Food Ministry. Mr Kumar had earlier taken up the issue of release of two Indians with the External Affairs Ministry. He urged the Prime Minister to issue suitable instructions to secure their early release.
Ashwani Kumar to take up turban issue
New Delhi, January 21 According to a press release, Mr Ashwani Kumar will again take up the issue of the French ban on the wearing of turbans by the Sikh students in the French public schools. Mr Kumar will impress upon the French political leadership, the sensitivities of the Sikhs all over the world on this issue. Mr Kumar had earlier also taken up this issue with the French authorities. |
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Rly hospitals come under Consumer Act:
SC
New Delhi, January 21 A Bench comprising Ms Justice Ruma Pal and Mr Justice C.K. Thakker said where medical services were rendered as part of the terms and condition of service, it would not amount to be given as free of cost and would constitute a service rendered for consideration. This would bring the railway hospitals under the CPA, the Bench said citing apex court’s similar findings earlier in the V.P. Shanta’s case. The ruling came on an appeal against the National Consumer Commission’s order which had rejected a claim of Mr Laxaman Thamappa
Kotgiri, a railway employees. Mr Kotgiri had filed a complaint against B.R. Ambedkar Railway Hospital of Central Railway under the CPA for not providing his wife proper treatment, resulting in her death in 1986. He had claimed adequate compensation from the railway hospital for negligency in his wife’s
treatment. Accepting his appeal, the court referred the case back to the National Consumer Commission to decide it on merit, saying the medical service to Mr Kotgiri and his family was being given by the Railways as part of the condition of service and not as a charity. |
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Beware! Your mobile could
be ‘cloned’
Mumbai, January 21 The Mumbai police has busted two separate rackets this week alone and arrested employees of mobile phone service centres for running the racket. The police said, the employees used the Quantum software downloaded from the Internet to ‘burn’ the electronic serial number (ESN) and the mobile identification number of their victims’ phones on to other phones. The “forged” phones were then used to make illegal national and international phone calls. The unsuspecting original telephone owner would notice only when inflated bills were received for calls never made. The police said, the victims were usually users of the CDMA telephones. Only telephone subscribers who had opted for the unlimited talk plans of the CDMA phone companies were targeted. Incidentally, the telephones of the original subscribers would go dead whenever the ‘cloned’ telephones were in use. Attempts to trace the calls would, however, lead investigators to the original phone. The police said, it usually took the crooks less than 45 minutes to ‘clone’ a mobile phone. The cloned telephones were then sold for around Rs 2,000. The police said, the crooks also developed software to illegally re-charge pre-paid CDMA telephones though it was not clear to what extent the software was used. |
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DRDO keen on ties with pvt
industry
Bangalore, January 21 The automobile industry was a specific target, he said. “The sector is doing well in India now and many of the technologies we have developed including those in avionics, can be used by automobile manufacturers. Every technology of oasis is on offer.” The DRDO was keen on developing new unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAV) and private partnership would be welcome in this area also, he said. “The Aeronautical Development Establishment
(ADE) has some designs, but none have reached maturity yet. We can collaborate in the design phase also.” ADE’s Nishant UAV has been ‘productionised’ and there is a token order from the Army, but the bulk of the UAV requirements of the armed forces are actually being met by imports, notably from Israel. All three forces are currently putting up requirements for short, medium and long range
UAVs. Bangalore aerospace laboratories were currently handing more than Rs 10,000 crore worth of projects, he noted. These include about Rs 5,500 crore for the LCA, Rs 2,800 crore for the Kaveri engine, and Rs 1,500 crore for the new airborne early warning system project. Meanwhile, the DRDO is organising an international seminar on ‘Aerospace Technologies Developments and Strategies’ as part of the Aero India-2005 airshow here in Bangalore. Unlike in the earlier editions, the seminar will be held before the start of the
airshow, between February 7 and 9. The seminar will be inaugurated by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and will cover various aerospace-related topics, including aircraft and missile design, sub-systems, propulsion, maintenance, launch vehicles, airworthiness, training, operational concepts, structures, and education and research. Sixty-eight presentations will be made by speakers from 14 countries, spread over 18 technical sessions. While the inaugural session will feature Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi, the follow-on keynote session will feature speakers like Air Chief Marshal Sir John Day, Senior Military Adviser to Bae systems and former Chief of the Royal Air Force. A plenary session scheduled the following day will feature NASA Projects Director Dr Arun K. Sehra and Dr M.A. Lokshin, Deputy General Designer of the Russian Sukhoi Design Bureau. |
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India opposed to US special security
audits
New Delhi, January 21 While the travel pact between India and the USA will result in more commercial airline flights, lower fares and stronger economic ties, Mr Praful Patel informed his counterpart that New Delhi followed norms specified by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) which were good enough. The US authorities have urged airlines around the world to step up passenger security checks and provide advance passenger lists for the US-bound flights. The European Union has been supportive of a system like the no-fly list and other security precautions after September 11, 2001, terror attacks. Talking to reporters here following his return from Washington, Mr Patel said the new bilateral air services agreement reached between the two countries over the weekend would be signed formally next month. It would replace the existing pact that date back to more than 50 years. The Indo-US open skies agreement will also result in direct flights from New Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kolkata, said Mr Patel. Besides, Indian carriers will be able to land in Washington, San Francisco and Houston. An estimated 1.5 million passengers travel between India and the USA. No American airline currently operates a non-stop service to India. |
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Congress searching for ‘‘strong’’ Bihar
seats
New Delhi, January 21 Congress leaders involved in this exercise admitted to this problem. It was stated that as per its loose arrangement with RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav, the Congress is not to contest the 109 seats which his party won in the 2000 Assembly election. But the RJD has staked further claim on another 20 constituencies which were held by candidates of other parties which subsequently joined the RJD. Mr. Yadav, it was stated, is also treating these as RJD's sitting seats. Similarly, the Congress has decided to opt out of the LJP's six sitting seats. But, here again, LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan is bargaining hard for another 15 seats. Mr. Paswan, in fact, airdashed to Delhi from Patna today for another round of deliberations with Congress negotiators Arjun Singh, M.L.Fotedar and Harikesh Bahadur. However, a final view is yet to emerge. Congress sources said that if the party is to leave nearly 150 of the 243 Bihar Assembly seats for its allies, it is left with less than 100 seats to choose from. This is clearly not a happy situation for the Congress as most of these seats are considered ‘‘weak’’ seats. ‘‘It is almost like trying to find some ripe mangoes from a pile of rotting ones after everybody has already taken off with the best pick of the season," remarked a glum-faced Congress leader. With the UPA allies working at cross purposes in Bihar, the election scene here is more like a pot-pourri. For instance, of the 80 seats which the Congress proposes to contest, it will be fighting against the RJD in at least 60-odd seats. The RJD will find itself pitted against the LJP in about 160-odd constituencies. In fact, AICC sources said there will be some seats where all the UPA partners — the RJD, the Congress, the LJP and the Left parties — will be in the fray. This confusion has, however, left the Congress workers completely demoralised, who feel the AICC leadership was unable to negotiate properly with its allies. They also believe that if the party had been serious about going in for ‘‘friendly contest’’ with the RJD, it should have first done some spade-work and prepared the grounds for an election. But as it happens, the state unit is in a shamble and is just not geared up to meet this challenge. |
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Cong pacts to split anti-Laloo
vote
Patna, January 21 The Congress will have straight contests with the NDA in only 14 seats where it has sitting MLAs and where RJD President Laloo Prasad has decided not to field his party’s nominees. In the rest 229 seats, partners of the Centre’s ruling UPA will cross swords with each other, besides the NDA. While the RJD has announced not to field its nominees in the 14 constituencies held by the Congress, as part of its alliance with the LJP, the Congress has been spared 80 seats. The LJP will contest 162 seats and both will support Independent Jagdish Sharma at Ghosi. In the first phase in which 64 seats are going to the polls on February 3, the Congress has been allotted 18 seats. Of the 18 seats which the Congress has announced to contest in the first phase, barring Kahalgaon which is represented by Speaker Sadanand Singh, its nominees had forfeited their deposits in 17. The party has this time chosen to field 16 new faces in the list of 18. While Sadanand Singh has been renominated from Kahalgaon, Abdul Qadir, who had lost from Goh by a margin of little over 10,000 votes, has also been given the ticket. The Congress has fielded its candidates for Kahalgaon, Nathnagar, Bhagalpur, Jhajha, Ara, Buxar, Dumraon, Karakat, Chainpur, Chenari, Nokha, Goh, Gaya Town, Hisua, Mohania, Sahar, Bikramganj and Obra, which are going to the polls in the first phase on February 3 as part of its seat-sharing arrangement with the LJP. The RJD had spared only the Kahalgaon seat for the Congress in the first phase. —
PTI |
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Yadavs giving Cong rough
time
New Delhi, January 21 The Congress’ state unit fears that the Samajwadi Party leader’s proposes to emulate the “West Bengal” model by virtually “capturing the panchayats.” As it is, the Samajwadi Party, it was pointed out, has perfected the art of using the state machinery for its political ends, having made inroads in the bureaucracy as well. Once it gets control of the panchayats, the party is unlikley to loose its grip on the state for another decade, it was pointed out. The UP Congress cadres have, therefore, urged the AICC to take remedial measures before this electorally crucial state is lost to it for ever. To begin with, they have asked its central leadership to ensure that the elections are held as per schedule in September which will give sufficient time to the Congress to streamline its party organisation in
the state. Congress leaders said this was one of the chief concerns of the party workers who participated in the two-day brainstorming session or “chintan shivir” held at Chitrakoot earlier this week. In addition, the young potential leaders who were handpicked for this camp are learnt to have pointed out that the party organisation in UP was in shambles and was in urgent need of an
overhaul. They wanted younger people to be given greater responsibility in the party and urged Mr Rahul Gandhi, who also participated in the camp, to play a larger vote in UP affairs instead of confining himself to his constituency. Although there were a host of complaints about the structure of this two-day programme and the selection of the participants, Congress leaders hope young leaders drawn from different castes and communities will now emerge to take a lead in the state organisation, which desperately needs infusion of young blood. Besides identifying potential leaders, this two-day exercise was also meant to acquaint the Congress heir apparent Rahul Gandhi with the party cadres in the state which the party believes holds the key to
its revival. |
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Thackeray shuns Cong, woos
Pawar
Mumbai, January 21 “Earlier, the elections were fought on principles, but it is not so now. There is no value for principles in politics and money has become a must,” he said. Denying that matters were bad in his own camp, the Shiv Sena supremo blamed the media for creating rift in his family. “The media is creating problems between Uddhav (his son) and Raj (his nephew) as both are popular among the masses,” Mr Thackeray said. He accused the media of plotting to destroy the Thackeray family after reports that he had ceded control of the party to son Uddhav. In the first part of the interview published yesterday, he invited Mr Pawar to join hands with the Shiv Sena.“
If Mr Sharad Pawar and I were together in Maharashtra no one would be able to touch us. The picture in Delhi would have been different.” He asked Mr Pawar to make the first move for an alliance. |
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Rural Rajasthan agog with panchayat
poll Jaipur, January 21 Rajasthan was the first state in the country to introduce Panchayati Raj over 45 years ago when the first Prime Minister, Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, inaugurated it at Nagaur on October 2, 1959, amidst great fanfare. The enormity of the forthcoming elections to be conducted in two phases — one on January 29 and the other on February 2 — could be imagined from the fact that 16 IPS officers have been exclusively deputed to maintain law and order during the poll. Soon after the notification while the election code of conduct has come into force, the state Election Commission has enjoined upon the candidates to submit affidavits in regard to criminal cases pending against them in the courts, their educational qualifications, property and assets and their financial liabilities towards the government and public institutions. The candidates would also have to submit two declaration letters regarding their eligibility. The first declaration would contain information about having not more than two children, whereas the second declaration would incorporate facts about the cases, if any, pending against them in the courts and the charges framed for consideration. Those who have been found guilty by the courts in any case and have been sentenced to imprisonment for six months or more would not be considered eligible for these elections. |
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Basu’s remarks create
controversy
Kolkata, January 21 He regretted he had allotted land to some of them from his quota. It was a great mistake he had committed by allotting land to these ‘bogus middle-class Bengalis’, he said. He was inaugurating the Salt Lake ‘mela’ last evening at the central park, located near his residence. However, a controversy has arisen both at political and administrative levels over Basu’s allegations who do not like Basu’s calling Bengalis irresponsible and bogus. The CPI(M) leadership, however, has defended former Chief Minister. It has demanded that these ‘corrupt and irresponsible Bengalis’ should be brought to book. |
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SC discharges rice mill owner
New Delhi, January 21 A Bench comprising Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice B.N. Srikrishna noted that the rice mill owner Kailash Verma was discharged by the Chief Judicial Magistrate and the discharge order was upheld by the Sessions Judge after elaborately considering the facts and circumstances of the case. It also said as the corporation had also initiated steps for arbitration proceedings, the High Court was not justified in allowing prosecution of the mill owner observing that “there was a miscarriage of justice”. As per the corporation’s complaint, Verma’s Jagadamba Rice Mill at Sangrur failed to supply the advance rice against the paddy supplied for dehusking and that about 1440 tonnes of rice was outstanding against the mill in favour of the corporation. The Magistrate had said that there was no prima facie case to show that paddy was supplied to the accused and that there was shortage of rice supplied to the corporation. —
PTI |
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Give maintenance to father, sons told
Lucknow, January 21 A day after the court intervened to save him from destitution, a sobbing Liaqat Ali recounted his story on Friday: ‘‘I was a watchmaker and ran my own shop in the walled city until my fading eyesight and ill-health took over.’’ Two of his sons went to went to Saudi Arabia and the other three took over the shop. “But their
attitude changed after they got married and I was eventually left to fend
for myself.” Driven by abject poverty, the 70-year-old tried to end his life by jumping into the Gomati river. That was when two lawyers spotted him and pulled him away. They also filed a case in court, moving a petition before the local family court under Section 125 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which is normally invoked for neglected wives seeking maintenance from their husbands. —
IANS |
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Astrologer commits suicide to avoid own
prediction
Chennai, January 21 He was consulted not only by politicians, businessmen, actors and actresses for several decades, but dignitaries from different parts of the world too came to his home here for advice. The police said Parthasarathy hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his “anga vastram”, a cotton shawl for the upper part of the body. His wife saw his body hanging and cried out for help. Hearing her cries the family rushed to his room but by that time he was dead. He left a suicide note in English stating that he was taking the extreme step as he was destined to die on January 21. He was diabetic and suffered from high blood pressure. In the note he wrote: “When I was sleeping in the bedroom on the second floor of the building, I had severe chest pain. Holding my chest due to crucial pain, I climbed down the staircase and came to the first floor. I did not want to disturb my wife, daughter and son-in-law. |
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Sikh Regiment officer to be DG Infantry
New Delhi, January 21 Lieut-Gen S.K. Sahni, Commandant of the Army Service Corps Centre and School, has been appointed Director-General, Supply and Transport. All three will take over their new responsibilities from February 1, the spokesman said. According to reports, Lieut-Gen Gopal is tipped to be the new Director-General, Military Operations, succeeding Lieut-Gen A.S. Bahiya. Lieut-Gen Bahiya is expected to take over as the new Quarter Master General in place of Lieut-Gen V.G. Patankar who is retiring. 53 new CRPF battalions by year-end New Delhi, January 21 Of the 53 new battalions, 22 are undergoing training and 20 others are in the process of recruitment. By the year-end, we will achieve the target of 200 battalions from the present 147, CRPF Director-General J.K. Sinha told mediapersons. “The process is taking time as we have the facility to train just 8,000 personnel at a time.” With the induction of nearly 22,000 personnel receiving training at present, we hope to meet the ‘shortage’ by the end of 2005 in Kashmir while replacing the Border Security Force (BSF), he said after a parade preview function before the Republic Day. “In Kashmir, we are getting a very good response from the people who are fed up with years of violence and bloodshed.” |
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Id celebrated with
gaiety
New Delhi, January 21 The faithful, dressed in their best, filled mosque premises and even spilled out on to nearby streets as they prayed for peace and thanked Allah for his benevolence. The First Citizen of the country, President
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, offered prayers at the Rashtrapati Bhavan mosque on the occasion, also known as ‘Bakr-id’. —
PTI |
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Advisory panel on energy set
up
New Delhi, January 21 The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said in a press statement issued here on Tuesday that the committee would analyse various options of leveraging the strength of oil companies to optimally fulfil their required contribution to the national objectives of energy security, accelerated growth, sustained development and social objectives of the government policy. The committee would also identify the most appropriate structure of oil PSUs to secure these ends. The press statement said the government was committed to a strong and effective public sector whose social objectives were met by its commercial functioning. The members of the committee will include Mr G.K. Arora, Mr B.C. Bora, Dr Vijay L. Kelkar, Mr G.V. Ramakrishnan and Mr U. Sundararajan. The committee will also examine the core competence of the public sector undertakings in the petroleum and natural gas sector. |
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Naval ships being deinducted from Lanka,
Maldives
New Delhi, January 21 The ships, INS Taragiri at Galle port and INS Jamuna at Trincomalee, will be leaving Sri Lanka on January 26 while INS Taragiri will remain in Maldives till January-end, according to an official press note. Operation Rainbow for assistance to Sri Lanka and Operation Castor for assistance to Maldives were launched simultaneously. By the evening of December 26 after the tsunami waves had struck, the Indian Navy had deployed 19 ships, four aircraft and 14 helicopters. The main effort was directed towards Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the mainland coasts. At its peak, 32 naval ships, 21 helicopters of the Navy as also eight fixed- wing aircraft were deployed. A total of 5,500 Indian Navy personnel were deployed. Till now, 17 ships (three in Sri Lanka, one in Maldives and 13 in Andaman and Nicobar), 13 helos and four aircraft are engaged in relief Three survey ships were converted into hospital ships in a record time. They were INS Jamuna for Trincomalee, INS Nirupak for Indonesia and INS Nirdeshak for Colombo. —
PTI |
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Wage board for journalists
soon
New Delhi, January 21 Mr Rao was critical of the practice of wage board members going around the country for hearings. The hearings of the board, he said, should be held at one place. The delegation also raised the issue of illegal dismissal of 362 Hindustan Times employees and the closure of Patriot newspaper. The minister assured the delegation that he would look into the matter. Senior CITU leaders and Members of Parliament, Mr Chittabrata Mazumdar and Mr Dipankar and Mr
Varadarajan, among others extended total support to the Delhi Union of Journalists’
(DUJ) demands. The delegation consisted of DUJ President S K Pande, DUJ General Secretary, Javed
Faridi, AINEF treasurer Madan Talwar, Patriot Link Workers’ Union President Raj Kumar’s among others. |
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BJP leaders held during
bandh
Bangalore, January 21 Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly B.S. Yediyurappa and state party President Jagdish Shetter were also taken into custody for obstructing traffic. Life was not affected in the city as the bandh call given by the Hindu Jagaran Vedike evoked only a poor response. However, isolated incidents of stone throwing were witnessed at Ulsoor, near Banasvadi ring road, Malleswaram, Yeshvanthapura, Devayya park and Srirampura. The windowpanes of as many as 40 BMTC buses were reportedly damaged, but the buses continued to ply. According to City Police Commissioner S.
Mariswamy, the bandh was by and large peaceful. —
UNI |
Phones banned in schools Jawan commits suicide Serial blasts
by ULFA Bomb found in suitcase Plea for the disabled |
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