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India, US ink aviation pact
PM to open meet on internal security today
Gorkha Hill Council to get more powers
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Cultural academies facing hardships in Rajasthan
Dance bars make hay before shutdown
Ministry in a fix over gifting of elephant
Rabri govt to be installed soon: Laloo
Cong’s new strategy for UP Prasar Bharati chief hints at regulations on content
Tributes paid to Ambedkar
Ram Navami holiday on April 18
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India, US ink aviation pact
New Delhi, April 14 The landmark aviation treaty, which is the most “liberal” one which India has signed with any country till date, would also ultimately lead to enhanced competition and lower fares. The agreement, signed by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel and US Transportation Secretary Norman Y Mineta, would also weed out third country airlines offering flights to the US through their countries. After signing the new Air Services Agreement (ASA), Mr Mineta said the historic accord “completely opened up the skies” not only to passenger flights but also for cargo operations. “This agreement will stimulate new passenger and cargo services, new partnerships, innovation and lower prices — to the benefit of our countries, our economies, our businesses and our citizens”, he said. The new agreement has been signed almost five decades after the first one was signed in February 1956. It will replace the agreement which so far allowed Indian carriers to mount only 28 flights a week. The details of the agreement were presented to the Union Cabinet which cleared it last night. “This is the most liberal air services agreement we have ever signed with any country,” Mr Patel said after signing the agreement. He added there were no restrictions in this accord, whereas those with the UK and China, with whom India upgraded its aviation ties recently, were capped though at a much higher level than before. Mr Mineta, while pointing out that India and the US had signed a landmark agreement, said, “The US was committed to help India become a major power in the 21st century and civil aviation is a core component of that goal”. While America’s Continental Airlines recently announced its plans to start a daily non-stop flight between New Delhi and New York, Mr Mineta disclosed Delta Airlines was looking at starting a daily non-stop flight between New York and Chennai and Northwest Airlines was looking at starting one between Minneapolis and Bangalore. With the new accord coming into operation, Air India and other carriers will also have additional ports of call other than the existing ones like Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Newark (New Jersey). Jet Airways has also been allowed by the government to operate flights to New York. After this agreement, “whoever wants to fly to the US can just file their flight plans (with his Ministry) and go”, Mr Patel said. However there remains the government restriction of a minimum number of years of operation and the minimum number of aircraft in the fleet. Reports here suggested that with the new agreement in place Air India now plans to start services to Washington, Houston, San Francisco and some other American cities. |
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PM to open meet on internal security today
New Delhi, April 14 Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who will preside over the conference, held a high-level “preparatory” meeting here today to fine-tune the agenda for tomorrow’s crucial meeting. Besides Chief Ministers of all states and Union Territory of Pondicherry, Lt-Governors of other UTs have also been invited to attend the conference. Bihar and Goa will be represented by Governors as both the states are under President’s rule. According to the agenda paper prepared by the Union Home Ministry, the meeting would debate and decide among other things setting up of a unified/joint command for Naxal affected states for effective and sustained police action against Naxal groups, have an overview of internal security and law and order situation in the country, border management, and police reforms and review progress in Multi-purpose National Identity Card Scheme and Scheme for Modernisation of State Police Forces. “The meeting would consider whether there was a need to set up a Standing Committee of Chief Ministers of four to five badly affected states like Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand and to be headed by the Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil to ensure a coordinated approach,” sources said. Another Naxalism related issues to be taken up for discussion included the merger of the CPML-PW and the MCCI into the CPI (Maoist), the use of IEDs/landmine blasts, attacks on police and looting of weapons, targeting of unarmed policemen and unguarded police posts, militarisation of Naxal groups and links with the CPN (Maoists), Nepal, sources said. The meeting, which is being held a day ahead of Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf’s visit to New Delhi, is also expected to have a debate on the security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir and also the socio-economic development of areas affected by extremism in Jammu and Kashmir and the North-Eastern states.
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Gorkha Hill Council to get more powers
New Delhi, April 14 “The Centre has proposed to give constitutional status and additional powers to the Council either under the provisions of Schedule VI of the Constitution or under Article 371 of the Constitution... There are some technicalities and we have decided to pursue both the options simultaneously,” Union Home Secretary V K Duggal told newspersons after a meeting between with the GNLF delegation led by Mr Ghisingh and the West Bengal Government representatives led by state Chief Secretary Kaushal Gupta. “Mr Ghisingh has also agreed in principle for the conduct of elections to the Council as soon as possible after an alternative to the DGHC comes through,” Mr Duggal, flanked by Mr Ghisingh and Mr Gupta said. The Union Home Secretary said he had assured Mr Ghisingh to personally ensure speedy probe of two CBI cases- pertaining to attempt on the life of Mr Ghisingh and murder of a councillor. Both Mr Ghisingh and Mr Gupta expressed happiness over the decision taken at the meeting today. “We have been assured of an autonomous council and we are happy about it. The modalities to be adopted are subject matter of further debate as the Centre has proposed twin alternatives-under Schedule VI of Constitution or under the provisions of Article 371,” Mr Ghisingh said. Mr Gupta said the West Bengal Government had no objection to the Centre’s suggestion.
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Cultural academies facing hardships in Rajasthan
Jaipur, April 14 During the reign of the present BJP government, the way these institutions have been politicised is unprecedented, they lament. The most glaring example of tampering with the autonomy of these government funded academic bodies is the installation of Sant Raghvacharya of the Revasa Peeth as the Chairman of the State Sanskrit Academy. Raghvacharya has been known for his active participation in the Ram Mandir Movement. Besides the Sangeet-Natak Academy and Lalit Kala Academy, Rajasthan has as many as seven academies of various languages, including Hindi, Sanskrit, Brij, Rajasthani, Urdu and Sindhi. Immediately after the Raje government came into power, it started dismissing the Chairpersons of the academies or created such difficult working conditions that some of them tendered their resignations. Two petitions challenging the dismissal of the Chairpersons of Hindi Granth Academy at Jaipur and Rajasthan Sahitya Academy at Udaipur are pending with the Rajasthan High Court. While these two academies are virtually lying dormant, administrators have been appointed in four academies with the result that all literary programmes and schemes have come to a stand still. Apart from the plight of these academies, three other culturally significant departments, including the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums at Jaipur, the Directorate of Archives at Bikaner and the Rajasthan Oriental Research Institute at Jodhpur - being the biggest repository of old manuscripts in Asia - are also in shambles.
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Dance bars make hay before shutdown
Mumbai, April 14 At the Top Star dance bar at Borivli in north of city, employees are resigned to losing their jobs. "We have to look for other jobs or work for lesser salaries," says Sadashiv Gaud, a waiter. Lounging outside the bar, Gaud is waiting to begin his workday. With the scene hotting up a little after 8 pm, Gaud and other colleagues will be busy till past the official closing time of 1 am. A little after sundown, young women sporting the latest fashions will start arriving in auto-rickshaws, Marutis and even costlier vehicles to earn their night's livelihood. The crowds that throng places like this one are bigger now since the clock is ticking on this brand of fun. "People want to make the most of this before the bars shut down," says Gaud. Small denomination 10-rupee notes are popular here. The men who come to watch the girls sway to Hindi film numbers will shower them with these notes. A few lucky girls will even take 100-rupee notes. The money will be deposited with the cashier and later shared with the bar owner every month. With the Maharashtra Government's notification to shut the bars expected by this weekend, dance bars will soon down shutters rendering more than 75,000 bar girls unemployed.
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Ministry in a fix over gifting of elephant
New Delhi, April 14 In fact, it has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, seeking help and directions for a way out of the Catch-22 situation. As also reported in The Tribune a few days ago, when Mr Vajpayee was the Prime Minister, he promised to gift a female elephant to the Armenia zoo for pairing a male Asiatic elephant. In view of the decision taken by Dr Manmohan Singh to abolish the gifting of animals in the National Wildlife Board meeting held on March 17, animal rights activists decided to take up the matter and also write to the Prime Minister, urging him to cancel the transfer of Veda, a six-year-old female elephant, to the Armenia zoo as it would cause her emotional and physical stress. Meanwhile, the MoEF is finding itself in a quandary after being inundated with letters from the Armenia zoo, saying the country was sending an aircraft to ferry Veda from the Bannerghatta National Park in Bangalore to the Yerevan zoo. An MoEF official said a letter had been sent to Dr Manmohan Singh, briefing him on the former Prime Minister’s promise and asking advice. The Prime Minister is already aware about Veda’s condition, Armenia’s climatic condition and the situation that has arisen from the decision taken on March 17, said the official, adding that most likely Veda will not have to go to Armenia. |
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Rabri govt to be installed soon: Laloo
Patna, April 14 “I am confident of a Rabri Devi-led government within a month or a month and a half,” he told reporters here. He said talks were being held in a congenial atmosphere with like-minded parties for the formation of a popular government. The Railways Minister, however, refused to divulge the details about the like-minded parties with which the RJD was in touch. He clarified that the RJD would not make any compromise on the issue of Rabri Devi becoming Chief Minister saying “she is fit to rule the state.” Mr Yadav said he had also taken up with Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil the issue of providing salary and allowances to the newly elected MLAs of the state. “Even my wife who got elected from Raghopur for the second time in row is not getting salary and railway coupons. You can imagine the plight of the MLAs.” Meanwhile, Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav urged Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil to dismiss the Narendra Modi government and impose President’s rule in Gujarat in view of the charges levelled against it by additional DGP R.B. Sreekumar.
— PTI |
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Cong’s new strategy for UP New Delhi, April 14 Taking advantage of the fact that the Congress is in power in New Delhi, the UP state unit wants the Centre to fund the development of infrastructure and civic amenities in 10 identified cities as a centrally-sponsored scheme. This, it believes, will enable the Congress to project itself as a party known for delivering on governance. The 10 cities earmarked for the Centre’s urban renewal project are Agra,
Bhadoi, Ferozabad, Khurja, Malihabad, Varanasi, Aligarh, Kannuaj, Mathura and
Farrukhabad. These places are being focussed upon as each of them is either a well-known tourist destination or associated with a specialised
commercial activity. For instance, Bhadoi is world-famous for its carpet weaving industry, Varanasi for its silk, Ferozabad for glassware, Aligarh for locks and Agra for the Taj Mahal. “Most of the cities and towns in UP are in a pitiable condition. If we can persuade the Centre to fund development works in the 10 places we have picked, commercial activities here would automatically get a boost,” said Mr Salman
Khursheed, President of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC), tasked with the revival of the party in UP. He said Congress President Sonia Gandhi had approved this plan and it would now be routed to the Urban
Development Ministry for implementation. Explaining the change of strategy, Mr Khursheed said since the Congress was in power at the Centre, it had decided not to behave like the Opposition in Uttar Pradesh. Instead of working for the
dismissal of the Mulayum Singh Yadav Government, the Congress is hoping to improve its standing by putting development at the centrestage of political discourse.
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Prasar Bharati chief hints at regulations on content New Delhi, April 14 Talking to mediapersons at the Prasar Bharati headquarters here, Mr Sarma said: “The broadcasting industry is developing very fast-almost at the pace of IT and Bollywood. But it needs certain rules of the game to be set by a regulator.” Mr Sarma’s observations have come amid reports that the Information and Broadcasting Ministry is at an advanced stage of preparing a note for the Union Cabinet’s approval. The government is reportedly considering three options in this regard, reviving the Broadcasting Council as envisaged in the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990, setting up an independent regulatory authority in accordance with the Supreme Court directives for enlarging the scope of the Press Council of India. The Prasar Bharati CEO said India’s flourishing broadcasting industry promises enormous employment opportunities and tremendous private participation. “About one million persons are employed in 200 channels in the country. If a regulator comes for content, the scene will be much more organised,” he said.
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Judicial custody of Kohli extended
New Delhi, April 14 The accused in the rape-cum-murder case today appeared before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ravinder Dudeja, and pleaded not to extradite him to the UK, saying that he could become a "victim of racial bias" there. Investigation in the
case will be conducted by the Scotland Yard if Kohli is extradited to the UK. Mr C .S. Bakshi, the counsel of Kohli, also showed some clippings
of a London-based daily which had an article about a study conducted by the scotland yard police admitting
"racial bias". |
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Tributes paid to Ambedkar
New Delhi, April 14 The Vice-President, the Prime Minister, BJP chief L.K. Advani and Home Minister Shivraj Patil offered floral tributes at the statue of Ambedkar in the lawns of Parliament. Dr Kalam interacted with a group of students of Delhi University on the life and teachings of the late leader who worked for social justice and equality. |
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Ram Navami holiday on April 18
New Delhi, April 14 All Central Government offices would remain closed. The birthday of Lord Rama would be celebrated across the country on April 18.
— PTI |
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