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Mixed response to Left protest
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Karat: Left in no mood for another NDA govt
Sonia talks to Karat
BJP to expose Left on fuel price hike
NCP urges Left to review boycott decision
Good governance must for desired results, says PM
BJP for reforms in Muslim Personal Law
BJP leaders meet Sangh leader before Surat meeting
Babbar Khalsa activist held
Satnam Singh, member of the Babbar Khalsa militant group, arrested by the Delhi Police Crime Branch, in New Delhi on Tuesday.
— Tribune Photo by Rajeev Tyagi
Manmohan, Singapore PM hold talks today
India, Pak hold talks on Tulbul project
Punjab seeks Rs 600 cr annually for rural sector
Bal Thackeray buzz whips up excitement for ‘Sarkar’
RSS ‘pranth pracharaks’ meeting in Surat
Consumer rights activist H.D. Shourie dead
Telgi case: CBI seeks nod to prosecute 3
Maharashtra to increase water usage charges
Relief inadequate, say farmers
Centre to share cost of nutrition for children
Number of foreign visitors to Taj falls
ULFA back in action
Congress activist shot dead
Fast attack Navy craft launched
Hooda for online power exchange
Kidnapped boy rescued
Godhra key accused nabbed
Dawood to throw party in B’desh!
‘Diamonds’ cost them their lives
Panchayat expels 7 families after rape of minor
Women empowerment programmes
in Rajasthan
One killed in building collapse
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Mixed response to Left protest
New Delhi, June 28 Hundreds of activists of the CPM, the CPI, the RSP and the Forward Bloc, many of them women, held a protest demonstration as part of the ‘action day’ of Left parties near the ITO intersection in Delhi. Leaders of the Left claimed that in most of the state people’s response was “enthusiastic” clearly indicating that they were not happy with the policies of the government, particularly the economic policies. Strike by transporters and truckers in some places gave further boost to the ‘chakka jam’ in several states, CPM Politburo member M. K. Pandhe said. In the Capital, party activists broke through barricades and took on police personnel, but the situation was brought under control by senior officials and leaders of the Left who were present at the demonstration. Addressing the protesters, CPI National Secretary D Raja said “If sales tax, customs duty and excise duty are reduced in Delhi, a litre of petrol will cost only about Rs 17 and not at around Rs 40 at present.” “If you think that oil is a revenue-generating product, you are wrong Manmohan Singhji, Chidambaramji,” he said and asked the government to be “rational and realistic” in order to raise revenue. He said, if the suggestion given by the Left had been carried out, the hike in prices of petrol and diesel would not have been necessary. Launching a direct attack against Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, who reportedly said there could be no rollback in prices, Raja said “This is not the voice of democracy but that of authoritarian rule.” “We don’t want the UPA government to become a clone of the NDA government. The interests of the people will be compromised by the increase in fuel prices,” said CPM Politburo member Ms Brinda Karat. Senior RSP leader Asim Ganguly said the common minimum programme had promised not to hurt needs of poor people but the UPA
government had gone back on this. “The Left will not blindly support
the government. The Prime Minister should realise that we (Left parties) made the government and can bring it down too,” he said. “You cannot take our support to trouble poor people,” Ganguly
said. |
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Karat: Left in no mood for another NDA govt
Lucknow, June
28 Speaking on “UPA government completing one year and the Left” at Hindi
Sansthan, Mr Karat said the Left could not support the UPA’s decision of disinvestment in a profit-making public sector company like BHEL. He said the Left had repeatedly criticised the UPA for not taking up many pro-people policies mentioned in the common minimum programme — women’s reservation Bill, delay in the employment guarantee scheme, etc. Explaining the Left stand on the petrol and diesel rise, Mr Karat said the Left had sufficient evidence to prove that the recent rise was not due to the rise in international crude prices. It is due to the government’s own excise tax levied during the Budget. The government had imposed Rs 1.50 per litre on diesel and Rs 1.50 per litre on petrol. This was giving huge profits to oil companies, including a private one which has entered oil and gas exploration, he pointed without naming the
company. |
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Sonia talks to Karat
New Delhi, June 28 Sources in the Left parties said Ms Gandhi assured Mr Karat that she would discuss the BHEL divestment issue with her party colleagues on returning from Shimla and the concern of the Left would be addressed. Indications are that a meeting of the Congress core group would be held after her return to find a solution. Left party sources said Mr Karat informed the UPA Chairperson that “the boycott will continue, though they shall wait for her return for further discussions on the issue.” |
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BJP to expose Left on fuel price hike
Chennai, June 28 Talking to reporters here today BJP senior vice-president M. Venkaiah Naidu said: “We will bring a motion disapproving the action of the government, a motion denouncing the petrol price hike. We will show to the people who is on which side and whether Left parties are with the common man” He said power to the Communists meant only “veto power, that is power without responsibility. He felt Left opposition to the fuel price hike was in fact a sham and commented, ‘They want to exercise the veto power keeping in view the forthcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal and Kerala, where their stakes are high.” He said other National Democratic Alliance partners would be consulted regarding the nature of the motion, whether it would be a censure motion or a voting one. Criticising the Left Mr Naidu said, “Left aggression is becoming louder day by day, as elections in West Bengal and Kerala are coming nearer. They do not want to be part of any unpopular decision concerning prices and disinvestment. At the same time, they want to continue supporting the government.” He questioned the logic behind the Left organising transport strikes against the ruling coalition which they were supporting and remarked, ‘They (Left parties) wanted both position and play the role of opposition.” On the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president M. Karunanidhi’s remarks that his party concurred with Left parties on the issue of the fuel price hike he said it was against the principle of collective responsibility of the Union Cabinet since the DMK was a part of it. Answering to a question about the displeasure of NDA convener George Fernandes over the internal differences in the BJP, which might affect the future of the NDA he said Mr Fernandes had clarified the matter in a subsequent statement and felt that there was no threat to the NDA. Regarding situation in Karnataka, where sharp differences between the Janata Dal (S) leader Mr H.D. Deve Gowda and his colleague and Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over reports that the latter might join the Congress, Mr Naidu predicted that the state was heading for mid-term elections. He remarked: “The (Congress-JD (S coalition) government’s days are numbered. Interesting developments are likely in Karnataka in two or three days.” However, he refused say more in details. |
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NCP urges Left to review boycott decision
New Delhi, June 28 The NCP, however, qualified its support to the government decision by emphasising strict adherence to National Common Minimum Programme and expressing its appreciation for the concern of the Left parties. The party also sought inclusion of UPA allies in the coordination committee to make it more representative. NCP general secretary D P Tripathi said here today the decision to disinvest 10 per cent government stake in BHEL was taken under "special circumstances." He said 10 per cent disinvestment could be used to unlock capital and raise money for generating more profits. "All issues were discussed at the Economic Affairs Committee meeting of the cabinet," he said. Mr Tripathi said the NCP policy was that profit-making PSUs should not be disinvested. Appealing to the Left parties to come back to discussion, Mr Tripathi said all differences can be resolved amicably. Asked if the NCP considered disinvestment of stake in BHEL as violation of
NCMP, Mr Tripathi said the word `disinvestment' was rare in the CMP and `privatisation' appears quite often. However, he said the party did not wish to get into the "texture and idiom" of the
CMP. "Perceptions about it can vary," he said. Mr Tripathi, who was contacted by a senior Congress leader to help bring rapprochement with the Left, said the Left parties had never made an unreasonable demands on UPA government or tried to impose their view point. He said issues raised by the Left should be looked into. "The Left should not feel left out. Asked about the suggestion of DMK to the Congress of not overlooking issues raised by the Left as these concerned the people, Mr Tripathi said the NCP agreed with the basic stand of DMK that government must strictly adhere to the
CMP. |
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Good governance must for desired results, says PM
New Delhi, June 28 "Given the rising trend in the size of the government and the consequent increase in government expenditure, it becomes essential that governments function in an efficient, effective and accountable manner," Dr Singh said in his concluding remarks at the ninth meeting of the Inter-State Council (ISC) here at Vigyan Bhavan. The Prime Minister, who sat through the nearly four-hour meeting, said the success of various initiatives taken by the UPA Government under the ambitious "Bharat Nirman" programme depends heavily on the service delivery mechanism of governments. "Good Governance aims at achieving these desired objectives by bringing together people knowledge and technology... I am certain that, given the concern for good governance we all share, we can implement these initiatives effectively and realise our development objectives," he said. Stating that there is another level at which there is a need for good governance, the Prime Minister told the Chief Ministers attending the conference, "there is a need to ensure that our police forces and criminal justice systems are responsive, sensitive, caring and humane." "In the same manner, the service delivery wings of government --- such as those providing electricity, water supply, health care, education, municipal services --- are wings which have a high degree of public interface. Here too the principle of good governance can ensure that government-citizen interactions are pleasant and responsive," he said. On Disaster Management, Dr Singh stressed on the need to move away from a purely relief-centric approach. "The Government is already moving in this direction. Necessary institutional and coordination mechanisms are in the process of being set up by bringing in Bill on Disaster Management, constituting a National Disaster Management Authority and putting in place a National Policy on Disaster Management," he said. Assuring that the Centre will provide all possible assistance to state governments for capacity building efforts in the field of disaster management, Dr Singh said "recurrent disasters are a grave threat to the economy of the country and economic development cannot be sustainable unless adequate attention is paid to all facets of disaster management." Earlier, in his welcome address, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil asked the states to strive hard for Good Governance and sought their suggestions for a continued interaction on matters of national interest so that the consensus building process could be expedited. "In the federal set up of Indian polity, issues of common interest to the Union and the states can be resolved through a process of collective discussion and mutual understanding and concensus building. In this context, the Inter-State Council provides a forum of cooperative federalism at the highest level," he said. Mr Patil urged the states to give their suggestive views on issues pertaining to good governance, which he described as "participation, rule of law, transperancy, responsiveness, equity, inclusiveness, effectiveness, efficiency and
accountability." |
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BJP for reforms in Muslim Personal Law
New Delhi, June 28 The main opposition party also asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his government and the Congress to make their stand clear on the issue which had provided an opportunity for “reform of the personal laws of Islam”. “The entire nation is concerned over the recent developments in relation to the case of Imrana, a helpless victim of rape allegedly committed by her father-in-law,” BJP spokesman Arun Jaitley said here. Advocating indirectly implementation of the uniform civil code, Mr Jaitley said the case opened several vital issues, ranging from sexual violence against women to the plight of a victim of the “obnoxious religious practices still prevalent”. “She has been raped by the culprit but condemned and discredited by her own. This is wholly unacceptable under any civilised notion of the rule of law,” he said. He said the BJP “believes that Personal Laws should be reformed so as to bring these in consonance with the constitutional guarantees of equality and dignity of women.” Noting that the Shah Bano case had thrown a similar opportunity for such reforms, he said the legislature then had failed in making use of the occasion. “The Imrana case gives the Indian society an opportunity to pause, think and reassert the need for Personal Law reforms in Islam,” he said, asking “right-thinking” people, including Muslim religious leaders, to speak up for the victim. |
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BJP leaders meet Sangh leader before Surat meeting
New Delhi, June 28 BJP Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu and general secretaries Rajnath Singh, Sanjay Joshi and Bal Apte went to the RSS headquarters here last evening and met the RSS joint general secretary, Mr Suresh Soni, party sources said here today. During the meeting, the BJP leaders are understood to have impressed upon the RSS leadership that it should restrain for being critical of Mr Advani over his remarks on Jinnah, they said. The provincial organisers of the RSS will meet for annual confabulations in Surat for four days from July 2. |
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Babbar Khalsa activist held
New Delhi, June 28 The police also recovered some arms and ammunition from the accused. The Delhi police had earlier this month arrested Jagtar Singh Hawara, Chief of Pakistan-based militant outfit's India operations and an accused in the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, along with two other militants in connection with May 22 twin blasts in cinema halls in the Capital. Satnam Singh was born in village Kasian Kalan, Amritsar in 1976. He studied up to Class XII. Thereafter he joined a computer course for 3 years but left the course midway due to a head injury. He took training in “Panth Katha” and Gurbani from Amritsar. The motive behind it was to instigate students for joining terrorist activities on religious grounds. Once he went to Hong Kong to make an attempt to sneak into Canada but could not succeed. The police has claimed that recently he received a consignment of 10 pistols, a plenty of hand grenades, RDX etc. on the direction of Jagtar Singh Hawara at village Balla Amritsar. Meanwhile, a city court further granted nine-day remand of Hawara to the Delhi police for interrogation. In the absence of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Magistrate Vinod Kumar extended the police remand of Hawara, Jashpal Singh and Vikas Sehgal till July 7. The court also recorded the application of the Punjab police in which it had sought the custody of Hawara for interrogation in several cases, including assassination of then Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh and the Burail jailbreak. However, the court sent accused Jagan Nath and Balwinder to judicial remand. |
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Manmohan, Singapore PM hold talks today
New Delhi, June 28 Besides CECA, an agreement on the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) in criminal matters will also be signed in the presence of the two Prime Ministers. This will be followed by a banquet hosted by Dr Manmohan Singh in honour of the visiting dignitary. The two Prime Ministers will discuss a range of bilateral and multilateral issues, including the exchange of visits, bilateral trade and economic cooperation, security and defence cooperation, regional cooperation within the framework of ASEAN and UN reforms. The Singapore Prime Minister is here on a three-day state visit. During his stay, Mr Loong will call on the President and Vice-President. He will also meet United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh, Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Leader of the Opposition L. K. Advani. The balance of trade has traditionally been in favour of Singapore. However, during 2004-05, the balance of trade tilted in favour of India to the tune of $ 1.2 billion. Singapore’s trade with India constitutes about 37.5 per cent of India’s total trade with ASEAN and approximately 3.4 per cent of India's global trade. |
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India, Pak hold talks on Tulbul project
New Delhi, June 28 The Indian side was led by Water Resources Secretary J. Hari Narayan. The eight-member Pakistani delegation was led by Secretary for Water and Power Ashfaq Mahmood. The talks will continue tomorrow also. A joint press statement is expected to be issued at the end of the two-day talks tomorrow. The current feel-good condition between the two countries and the fact that a joint press statement is likely to be issued tomorrow is being perceived as a positive signal by the observers. The last round of talks on the project were held at Islamabad in July 2004, nearly six years after the previous round. It was agreed at that time that the discussions would continue in the next round of dialogue process for finding a solution to the issue as per the provisions of the treaty. The secretary-level talks are the 10th-round of such talks since 1988, after the dispute arose over the project in Jammu and Kashmir. The Wullar Barrage/ Tulbul Navigation project is one of the eight issues of composite dialogue process currently underway between the two countries. The Tulbul Navigation Project comprises a navigation lock-cum-control structure on the Jhelum downstream of the Wuller Lake near Ningli village, upstream of Sopore town. The project envisages regulating the release from the natural storage of the Wuller Lake to maintain a minimum draft of 1.37 m (4.4 feet) in the Jhelum below the lake up to Baramula to ensure round-the-year navigation from Anantnag-Srinagar-Baramula. The dispute relates to the construction of the barrage to retain enough water-level in the Jhelum for a 20-km navigational route in the state. Work to construct barrage on the Wullar Lake began in 1984 but was halted three years later after Pakistan raised objections, calling it a violation of the 1960 Indus Water Treaty. Pakistan’s objection was that the water flow in the lake would be obstructed once the barrage was constructed. India, however, dismissed the objection, saying that the aim of the project was not to store water but maintain better water-level between October and February, the lean season. |
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Punjab seeks Rs 600 cr annually for rural sector
New Delhi, June 28 Addressing the 51st meeting of the National Development Council here today, Mr Singla said the crop adjustment programme was for rejuvenating the rural economy and
diversifying agriculture. The board was for the welfare of farmers, especially as rural indebtedness had become a problem. Underlining the need to waive the internal security related term loan of Rs 3,772 crore forthwith, the minister wanted the Centre to provide Punjab Rs 600 crore per annum for developing rural infrastructure under the Prime Minister’s Bharat Nirman Programme. Simultaneously, the UPA government should allow the states to design their own interventions to suit local requirements. Mr Singla sought structural adjustment loan from the World Bank and other sources for infrastructure development projects. “Three years have gone by and there is no sign of money flowing in from the World Bank,” he observed. He felt that quick Central assistance should be provided for viability gap funding to encourage public-private partnership which was picking up in Punjab for developing quality infrastructure. While demanding that allocation of power from the Central pool should be need based, Mr Singla desired liberal financial assistance for strengthening the transmission and distribution system to ensure durable and sustainable power sector reforms. In this connection he suggested the setting up of a mega Central power plant for increasing the generation capacity in the state coupled with extending the gas pipeline from Panipat to Ludhiana to attract private investment for a 1000 MW gas-based power plant. Mr Singla wanted the Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) project being run by the state government to be made part of the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan for promoting computer literacy. Along with this the rail freight corridor should be extended from Delhi to Amritsar. The Centre should also initiate the process to construct an expressway connecting NCR to Amritsar and Srinagar along with expediting the process of building an international airport near Ludhiana. A six-lane speedway linking Pakistan border with the “Golden Triangle” may also be taken up. The minister said to stop flight of capital from Punjab the Centre should extend the territorial incentives to industrial investments in the state. If there are problems in this regard, then the Manmohan Singh government should provide freight-based incentives to Punjab exporters, Mr Singla added. |
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Bal Thackeray buzz whips up excitement for ‘Sarkar’
Mumbai, June 28 Saturday night saw Thackeray accompanied by senior Shiv Sena leaders arrive at a Mumbai preview theatre where Varma held a special screening of the film that was for long believed to be a biopic of the Shiv Sena chief. Thackeray, his son Udhav and nephew Raj were among those who attended the special screening. The media was kept completely out of the picture. Essayed by Amitabh Bachchan, 'Sarkar', is the story of Mumbai’s most powerful leader who holds immense power over the city. Though the film does not overtly claim to be a story of Thackeray, the Shiv Sena supremo himself gave his blessings to the producer. “Many of the events depicted here were drawn from my life,” Thackeray told reporters thereby ensuring that his party workers flock to the theatres when the film opens on Friday. The movie brings together Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek who play father and son in the film as well. Varma himself has held that the lead character in the film was inspired by Marlon Brando in 'The Godfather'. Varma told reporters that the film presents a stark image of the lead character who frequently breaks the law to uphold his powerful position in society. “He lives life according to own certainty and nevertheless has a sense of right and wrong,” Varma says of the lead character. There was speculation that the Thackerays forced Varma to hold a special screening for the Shiv Sena chief. However, Varma insisted that he was the one who invited Thackeray for the screening. |
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RSS ‘pranth pracharaks’ meeting in Surat
New Delhi, June 28 Though this is not a decision-making forum of the RSS and no formal resolutions will be adopted at the meeting, the meeting of about 150 top leaders of the Sangh, which is the parent organisation of the BJP, assumes great significance as the conclusions arrived at the conclave on many major issues will be taken up at the RSS’ highest decision taking body, national executive, which would meet some time in October in
Chitrakoot. “There will be discussion on the current situation prevailing in the country, including various ideological issues and the recent controversy arising out of the remarks made by Mr Advani on Jinnah,” RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav said here today. “Since it is an informal kind of a meeting, pranth pracharaks from all over the country have a free-wheeling debate on all the relevant issues and arrive at some kind of a conclusion, which would be taken up in the next national executive meeting of the RSS to be held in October,” Mr Madhav told The Tribune. Besides provincial
pracharaks, all the all-India functionaries of the Sangh and important pracharaks from the parivar organisations, including VHP leaders Ashok Singhal and Praveen Togadia and BJP’s general secretary (organisation), will also attend the meeting. In a related development, which amply reflect the soaring relationship between the RSS and the BJP, the coordination committee meeting between the top leaders of the two organisations scheduled to be held here today has been postponed indefinitely. |
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Consumer rights activist H.D. Shourie dead
New Delhi, June 28 Shourie, who was the father of former Union Minister and journalist, Mr Arun Shourie, was awarded the Padma Bhushan apart from many other honours for his exemplary work. Founder member of the right’s forum “Common Cause” and Founder Chairman of the Consumer Coordination Council
(CCC), Mr Shourie had filed several public interest litigations on consumer rights, especially in cases involving medical negligence and denial of pension benefits. He was also the recipient of the CCC’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the consumer rights movement in the country last year. He has also authored a book “Romance with the Ordinary Consumer in India”. Members of the CCC mourning his demise said Shourie never retired from public service till his very last. He is survived by three children, Arun Shourie, Nalini Singh and Deepak Shourie. He served as an ICS officer for more than 30 years. Known for his steadfastness in bringing to the law’s notice the violations of fundamental rights of common man, Shourie, through his 25-year-old NGO “Common Cause”, filed close to 70 writ petitions before the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court. Among the best remembered cases is when in 1980 he successfully challenged in the Supreme Court the upward revision of pension only to government employees, who retired after April 1, 1979. The apex court allowed his petition and directed the government to pay all retired employees their enhanced pension. The legal right to information is another example of Shourie’s tryst against the iron curtain over what happened in the government as was the detailed inquiry ordered in 1996 by the Supreme Court into the “misuse” of official position by then Petroleum Minister Satish Sharma in the allotments of petrol pumps and dealership of LPG. The result was that the allotments of hundreds of petrol pumps sanctioned out of the minister’s discretionary quota was cancelled and were auctioned in public. The Delhi Rent Control Act, pollution, regulating the election expenses by the political parties, regulating broadcast by cable operators, Delhi Master Plan, iodisation of salt were some other causes that he brought into focus. His last rites, which were performed at the Lodhi Raod Crematorium here today, were attended by dignitaries, including former Jammu and Kashmir Governor, Mr Jagmohan, former RBI Governor, Mr Bimal Jalan, former LG of Delhi, Mr P. K. Dave, among others. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today expressed grief over the demise of
H.D. Shourie. In a condolence message, the Prime Minister said Shourie was a rare individual who put public interest above everything else. |
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Telgi case: CBI seeks nod to prosecute 3
New Delhi, June 28 The agency sought prosecution of Deputy Inspector-General of Police A.P. Mohammad Ali, Assistant Commissioner of Police S. Sankar and LIC official S. Ramaswamy from the Tamil Nadu Government, CBI sources said here today. The three accused persons were arrested last year and raids were conducted in their official and residential premises. They are accused of helping the king-pin in the scam Abdul Karim Telgi in spreading his fake stamp paper network. The CBI has claimed that during investigations into the cases, it was found that fake stamps were being sold by licensed vendors through Telgi’s firm, Marina Services, operating from Anna Nagar in the city. The cases were registered by the crime branch of the Chennai Police in 2002 but the investigations did not progress well despite the fact that STAMPIT of Karnataka had recovered fake stamps to the tune of Rs 170 crore in the state. The CBI had charged that as a result of “improper” probe by the local police, a stamp vendor, who was arrested, managed to come out on bail and continue the illegal operations as a part of the organised network. |
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Maharashtra to increase water usage charges
Mumbai, June 28 In a statement released in Washington, the World Bank announced that it had sanctioned a loan of $ 325 m (Rs 1,462 crore) for the Maharashtra Water Sector Improvement Project. The institution added that the objective of the project was to strengthen the capacity for multi-sectoral planning, development, and sustainable management of the water resources and to improve irrigation service delivery and agricultural productivity. “The project will contribute towards achieving the objectives of sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction by maximising the productivity of water through the improvement of water resources management and irrigation service delivery,” said Michael Carter, World Bank country director for India. The sanction of the World Bank loan follows the state legislature passing the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority Bill to pave the way for regulating water usage. The legislation paves the way for ‘pani panchayats’ to be set up across the state to monitor usage of water and levy water charges. Sources say water usage charges will be rationalised to reflect the cost of delivery. However, the quantum of hikes are still being debated at Mantralaya and the new rates may be announced in the coming weeks. |
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Relief inadequate, say farmers
Jaipur, June 28 After the much-maligned starvation deaths of Sahariya tribals in Baran district and the violence-ridden agrarian agitations in Sriganganagar and Tonk district, now farmers of villages Nivaru, Boltawala and Mansarampura in Jaipur district are up in arms to fight against the ‘injustice’ being done to them in respect of payment of compensation for the acquisition of their land for the firing range of the Army. As per dictates of the Defence Ministry, the state government has to hand over nearly 1300 bighas to the Army. Out of this, about 127 bighas belong to small farmers and proceedings are in progress for taking over its possession by the district administration. The villagers have been asking 15 per cent developed commercial land in lieu of their agricultural land under acquisition whereas the government has declared a paltry package of only 5 per cent at Lalchandpura village, which has hardly any significant commercial value. The families of the farmers who would be displaced following the acquisition are reacting furiously to the ‘indifferent attitude’ of the Chief Minister, who according to them, is not even ready to meet them and listen to their grievances. Representatives of the affected farmers stated here on Friday that the state government had not learnt any lesson from the Rawla, Ghadsana and Suhela tragedies. If the authorities did not concede to their reasonable demands, they would soon launch a stir and would not allow the administration to displace them, they asserted. While this dispute over land for the firing range continues, the government is reported to have requested the Defence Ministry to establish two regiment centres in the state in view of the fact that the South-West Command of the Army has recently started working in Jaipur. |
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Centre to share cost of nutrition for children
New Delhi, June 28 "So far this expenditure was being met by the state governments. My request to the Chief Ministers is that adequate provision is made in the state budgets also so that they are able to honour their commitment to provide 50 per cent cost of supplementary nutrition", Union Minister of Human Resources Development Arjun Singh said at a meeting of the National Development Council (NDC) here. He said two schemes of running creches for the children of working and ailing women were now being merged under a single scheme with upgraded financial norms. "The financial norms per creche per year are proposed to be increased. It is also proposed to open new creches during the next two years of the 10th Five-Year Plan. The income range for eligibility criteria will also be increased", he said. He also said a proposal for the expansion of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme had been moved and it was at a fairly advanced stage of proposal. |
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Number of foreign visitors to Taj falls
Lucknow, June 28 Speaking to The Tribune, the Agra-based Assistant Superintendent of the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) , Mr S.K. Sharma ,said on an average 10,000 to 15,000 tourists visited the monument every day. Ever since the ASI and the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Waqf Board had locked horns over its ownership, tourist visits had fallen by 10 per cent. This was after taking into account the off season and the summer heat. According to Mr Sharma ,the foreign tourist comprises 25 to 30 per cent of the season rush. Off season they constitute 10 to 15 per cent of the tourists. At the moment they are barely 5 per cent of the total visitors. This is clearly alarming as the foreign tourist pays Rs 750 a ticket to enter the monument. Of this the Agra Development Authority (ADA) keeps Rs 500 while Rs 250 goes to the ASI. If the trend continues, both the state government and the ASI, who share the Rs 15-crore Taj-generated revenue are bound to see heavy losses. Compared to the foreign tourist the Indian counterpart pays a mere Rs 10 per visit. The spiral effect of this decline in tourist flow can affect Agra's economy , warned Mr Sharma. Meanwhile, on Saturday the judgment in the ownership tussle was deferred till
July 13. Chairman of Uttar Pradesh Sunni Waqf Board Hafiz Usman said he needed more time to procure rare documents and manuscripts from various libraries in Kolkata and Hyderabad to establish the authenticity of his claim. Mr Usman underlined that the judgment would only decide the ownership issue and not who would be the caretaker of the monument. In protest a Firozabad businessman Irfan Bedar has unilaterally declared himself the Taj Mahal trustee. Seven years ago he had filed a PIL proffering that the Taj Mahal be declared a Sunni Waqf property and he appointed its trustee. Adding colour to the proceedings at the Board office was a 'prince' Yaqub Habeebuddin Tucy who declares himself as the great grandson of the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, claiming the trusteeship of the Taj as a matter of right. |
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ULFA back in action
Guwahati, June 28 On June 20, ULFA threw a grenade inside the high-security zone of the new secretariat building complex in the city. Even before the state administration could come out of the shock, on June 25 ULFA militants threw a grenade on a police station at Sivasagar in Upper Assam injuring six persons. On Sunday, ULFA attacked with grenades the group office of the CRPF on the outskirts of the city injuring 12, including six CRPF jawans. The series of attacks by ULFA again proved its penetration at various levels as well as the failure of the state government in containing it and providing security to the people in the state. Sources in the Intelligence said ULFA started showing its strength due to the dilly-dally attitude by the Centre to release its 10 jailed leaders as demanded by its commander-in-chief Paresh Barua. The Centre sent a letter through the Jnanpith awardee Mamoni Raisom Goswami recently inviting ULFA for talks. But ULFA demanded the release of its leaders so that the outfit could take a decision on the talks offer. On behalf of ULFA, Goswami requested Union Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee to suspend Army operations against it since the process of talks were on. On the contrary, the Army and paramilitary forces killed over 12 ULFA activists over the past few weeks. |
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Congress activist shot dead
Hyderabad, June 28 Two armed Maoists went to the house of M. Raju, a Congress worker, at Timmaipalli village and forcibly took him away, the police said. Later, the ultras shot him dead, the police said, adding the reason of the killing was not immediately known.
— PTI |
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Fast attack Navy craft launched
New Delhi, June 28 These vessels are being built as part of a follow-on-order to the Trinkat-class of ships built at GRSE in 2000-02 and currently deployed at Port Blair. The four new fast attack craft will be commissioned in batches of two in November and February next year. The craft displace 260 tonnes, have an overall length of 46 metres and are designed to attain speeds in excess of 28 knots. Fast attack craft are meant for interdiction duties in and around coastal waters and island territories, besides anti-poaching and anti-smuggling duties. The naval version of the CRN-91 gun is one of the most advanced weapons installed on these vessels. The gun and its support systems were indigenously developed by Ordnance Factory, Medak, and BEL, Chennai. |
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Hooda for online power exchange
New Delhi, June 28 Participating in the meeting of National Development Council here, he said the pricing of power was a sensitive issue. He said with an online national power exchange, the potential buyers would not only get instant information about availability and demand of power, but also have the facility to purchase electricity online. He appreciated the provisions in the Electricity Act, 2003 relating to power trading but said that surplus power was being sold by power trading agencies at very high margins. Mr Hooda sought the Centre's assistance for setting up Rajiv Gandhi Education city near Delhi. |
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Kidnapped boy rescued
Lucknow, June 28 An employee of the kingpin Rahul Tyagi, who was sent to collect the ransom, has been arrested. Tyagi, a contractor based in Ghaziabad, masterminded the kidnapping and is still to be arrested. The kidnapping had taken place at Kota on June 10, where Vaibhav, son of a Mumbai-based stock broker, Mr Ram Nath Aggarwal, was taking coaching for the IIT entrance examination. Tyagi approached Vaibhav and introduced himself as R.K. Srivastava, a Pondicherry-based plastic surgeon and a friend of his uncle. He told him that his son was also interested in taking coaching classes and asked for his help to arrange a room where his son could stay. Believing him, young Vaibhav decided to accompany Tyagi. As soon as he sat in his car he was offered a cold drink laced with sedatives. When Vaibhav became conscious, he found himself in a Ghaziabad Development Authority's officers colony flat in Patel Nagar. It is then that the teenager realised that he had been kidnapped. Next day, the kidnappers contacted his father and asked for Rs 10 crore as ransom. To confuse the police, they called from different cities — Hardwar, Saharanpur and Greater Noida. On the request of Rajasthan Police, the UP police
intervened. A joint operation of the Special Task Force in coordination with the SSPs of Saharanpur, Muzzafarnagar and Meerut finally managed to arrest a member of the gang and recovered the boy as well as the booty. The police laid a trap and followed the person who was to deliver the money. After arresting a member of the gang, the police reached the flat where the boy had been kept.| |
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Godhra key accused nabbed
Ahmedabad, June 28 “Irfan Abdul Majid Kalandar, alias Bhobho, a core group member that torched the S-6 coach of the Sabarmati Express train, has been arrested today morning following a tip-off. He will be produced before the court for police remand,” Deputy Inspector-General of Police Rakesh Asthana said.
— PTI |
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Dawood to throw party in B’desh!
Guwahati, June 28 While the proposed marriage is a known secret now, what has kept the intelligence agencies on tenterhooks here is the report that some top leaders of the North-East insurgent groups have been invited to the party. Highly placed sources disclosed that the intelligence agencies here and in Delhi were trying to find out when and where the party was going to be held. Sources also said that ULFA leader Deepak Barua and Kamtapur Liberation Front (KLO) leader Anwar Rehman were among those invited to the party. According to information, Dawood has business interests in and around Coxbazar in Bangladesh. The two militant outfits, ULFA and KLO, too have their own business interests in Bangladesh. |
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‘Diamonds’ cost them their lives
Mumbai, June 28 The rumours began on Saturday last when street urchins and hawkers started a buzz about diamonds being washed ashore after small shiny stones were found on the beach. At the peak of the rumours, the urchins were happily selling some of the bigger stones for as much as Rs 3,000 to willing buyers. However, the mania subsided yesterday when there were no more stones on the beach. Some persons are believed to have ventured deep during low tide and were swept away when the tide came in. The police said the shiny stones found on the beach were small American diamonds used in imitation jewellery. The police suspect that a film crew may have dumped a load of the shiny stones after a shoot. These stones are usually not worth more than Rs 5 each in the open market. |
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Panchayat expels 7 families after rape of minor
Muzaffarnagar, June 28 The decision was taken three days after Rahimuddin raped and killed a girl at Nirana village in the district. The panchayat, in its ruling yesterday, gave the families 15 days to leave the village. The body of the victim, who had been raped and strangulated, was found in the forests near the village on June 25. The police said it had registered a case against Rahimuddin who confessed to the crime during interrogation.
— PTI |
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Women empowerment programmes
in Rajasthan
Jaipur, June 28 Besides this, the government has embarked upon a stupendous programme of imparting computer education to girls in senior secondary schools exclusively meant for them. |
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One killed in building collapse
Nagpur, June 28 Earlier, the fire brigade personnel had managed to rescue six persons from the debris. The deceased was identified as Babu Dongre, a resident of the same area.
— UNI |
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