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3 Sikhs forced to cut hair in Malaysia Uddhav Thackeray, working president of the Shiv Sena, and his cousin Raj Thackeray (right) interact with media after a meeting with Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray in
AP heeds Centre’s advice, bans Maoists
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India proposes to join nuclear fusion club India to build power projects in Afghanistan Employment Bill to be tabled today
NCW condemns 2-child norm
Cong
mounts pressure on Paswan
Speaker’s ruling cannot be questioned
Food Secys to meet today
Govt mulls law to regulate hospitals
South-Western Command is operational
Provogue MD remanded
in custody
Photo journalists assaulted in Jaipur
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3 Sikhs forced to cut hair in Malaysia
New Delhi, August 17 Minister of State for External Affairs, E. Ahamed in a written reply, said the workers were reportedly subjected to humiliation and deprived of food and money legitimately due to them. The employer also allegedly forced three of the Sikh workers to cut their hair and forbade them from wearing their turban, the minister said. The matter was taken up with the Malaysian Foreign Office, expressing India’s concern over the incident and seeking its intervention for the redressal of the grievances of the Indian nationals, Mr Ahamed said. Mr Ahamed said 18 workers from Punjab, recruited by a company called JUJU Power Sdn Bhd went to Malaysia in April 2004. They were subcontracted to another company PSEB Electronics Sdn Bhd. “The workers were subjected to humiliation and deprived of food and money legitimately due to them. The employer also allegedly forced three of the Sikh workers to cut their hair and forbade them from wearing their turban. Though they worked for four months, they were not paid their wages. The Indian workers escaped from further abuse of the employer and took shelter in a Gurdwara in August 2004”, Mr Ahamed said. “On being informed, a Consular Officer from the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur visited them on August 5, 2005, in the gurdwara. The High Commissioner had also met them during the second week of August 2004 and assured them of all possible assistance. The matter was taken up with the Malaysian Foreign Office on August 28, 2004, expressing our grave concern over the incident and seeking their urgent intervention for the redressal of the grievances of the Indian nationals.” He said 11 of the workers had since returned to India during the amnesty period declared by the Malaysian Government. To another question, he informed the House that India and Pakistan had agreed to increase the number of shrines within their territories, as also the number of pilgrims for visiting the religious places, as part of measures to foster people-to-people contacts between the two countries. Mr Ahamed said a decision in this regard was taken at the Secretary (Culture)-level talks held on July 26 and 27 in Islamabad.
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Raj, Uddhav patch up, crisis in Shiv Sena blows over
Mumbai, August 17 The elder Thackeray today summoned his nephew Raj to his residence where both were closeted for more than an hour. After that the Thackerays told reporters that all
differences between the cousins had been sorted out. Former Lok Sabha speaker Manohar Joshi, who brokered the peace deal between the Thackerays, said the new Shiv Sena would be visible in the coming days. “Today is a very auspicious day for the Shiv Sena,” Mr Joshi said. Later addressing a joint press conference, the cousins said they would work together in the interests of the party. “The result of today’s meeting will be seen through our actions in the future,” Raj Thackeray said. Meanwhile, his supporters insisted that Raj Thackeray would be given a senior post in the organisation to placate him. Uddhav’s elevation as executive president last year had caused much heartburn for Raj, who has been protesting
aloud in public. The simmering feud between the cousins came to a boil with Raj Thackeray demanding the removal of “incompetent” members from
the party. It was then inferred that his target was Uddhav who is known for his quiet unassuming style of functioning. |
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AP heeds Centre’s advice, bans Maoists
Hyderabad, August 17 Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who was huddled with Home Minister K. Jana Reddy, Chief Secretary Mohan Kanda and DGP Swaranjit Sen earlier in the day, signed on the order proscribing the extremist organisation. “Our sincere attempts at resolving the issue had been frustrated by acts of terror by Naxalites. The developments in the past few months have forced us to take this step,” Mr Jana Reddy told a press conference. The decision, which marks a radical departure from the bonhomie that the Congress government displayed towards the Naxalites in the early days of power, follows the advice of the Centre for hot pursuit against the extremists in the backdrop of increasing violence in the state. The state government has also outlawed the front organisations of the Maoists, including the Jana Natya Mandali, the Rytu Cooli Sangham, the Radical Students Union and the Revolutionary Writers’ Organisation. The Naxalites had killed three government employees and four Congress workers along with Maktal legislator C. Narsi Reddy and his son Venakateswara Reddy, a youth Congress leader on Independence Day. Concerned over the increasing violence in the state, the Home Ministry had communicated to the state government to harden its stand and ban the Naxalite outfit. The state Cabinet, which met yesterday, had authorised the Chief Minister to take all necessary steps, including the issue of imposing a ban, to contain the trail of blood unleashed by the Maoists. The move may not make much difference on the ground as the Maoists have been, since the collapse of peace talks, prevented from holding any political meetings or rallies. However, observers fear that the ban will arm the police with teeth enabling them to unleash terror in villages. The wheel has come full circle with the reimposition of the ban, lifted by the present government on July 21 last year, as a precursor to the peace dialogue, which held out the hope of permanent peace. Justifying the ban, Home Minister Jana Reddy said the Naxalites had killed 14 police personnel, 3 Home Guards and 140 others since the Congress government took over. Opposition parties in the state criticised the Congress government over its decision to ban the Maoist organisations. Meanwhile, the Maoists, who owned up responsibility for the Monday killings, have expressed regret over the death of innocent persons in the shootout.
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India proposes to join nuclear fusion club New Delhi, August 17 At present, the group is holding a $ 5 billion experimental project at France for an International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) based on nuclear fusion technologies. Union Power Minister P.M. Sayeed today informed the Rajya Sabha, “ The Government of India has decided to explore participation in the ITER as a full partner and letters expressing India’s interest have been sent to all ITER partners.” Official sources in the ministry said India and Brazil might be invited soon to join ITER project — the world’s newest effort to secure cheap nuclear energy. A senior official said the objective of ITER is to demonstrate the feasibility of producing electricity from a fusion reaction, which involves fusing atomic nuclei at extremely high temperatures inside a giant electromagnetic ring. It is the same process by which stars, including the sun, produce energy. Deuterium, the major fuel to operate the reactor, will be extracted from sea water. Proponents of the project argue that if it succeeds it will result in potentially inexhaustible and cheap supplies of energy, eventually replacing oil and gas. Opponents say the project is only experimental and it will be at least 50 years before a commercially viable reactor is built. Some also contend that fusion fuel is neither clean nor safe, although it would be a safer energy source than nuclear fission.
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India to build power projects in Afghanistan New Delhi, August 17 Power Grid will also sign an agreement by month-end with the World Bank to construct distribution lines from the Kabul power sub-station to the city and neighbouring towns. The current project, estimated to cost about Rs 479 crore, comprises construction of 220KV double-circuit transmission line and new 220/110/20 KV Sub-station at Kabul,” said Mr Ravi Arya, AGM, Power Grid. He said that Power Grid was already building up transmission lines in Nepal and Bhutan. Now it would extend its expertise to Afghanistan under the Centre’s programme of assistance to Kabul. An agreement between the Power Grid and the Ministry of External Affairs had been signed in this regard. he added. Talking to The Tribune, he said, “After the fall of Taliban government, the electricity is being supplied from 30 MW-40 MW diesel generator sets in some parts of the Kabul city. And the remaining area has no access to electricity. The new lines would help people in other parts access power in an environment-friendly manner.” The construction of transmission line would enable Afghanistan, to import power from generating stations located in Uzbekistan to Kabul to bridge the gap in demand and supply, he said. After more than two decades of war and chaos, and three years of drought in the late 1990s, Afghanistan’s primarily agricultural economy had been in a shambles. However, with goon rainfalls over the past two years and coupled with political stability, the economy was picking up leading to rise in demand for electricity. The official said Afghanistan’s power grid had been severely damaged by years of war, and less than 10 per cent of its population currently had access to electricity. He said another private Indian company, Webcos, was also reconstructing the Salma dam in Afghanistan. Other hydro-electric power dams including 66-MW Mahi Par dam, and the 22-MW Sarobi dam in Afghanistan were expected to be rehabilitated under a $16.9 million contract given to Voith Siemens in early 2004. The Afghanistan reconstruction programme had gained momentum after Presidential elections in the country, though there were various terrorist groups led by Al-Qaeda that threatened the security of the projects. The Power Grid transmission line would pass through snowbound tough hilly terrain, steep hills with altitude ranging from 1800m to 4000m above sea level and temperatures as low as -30 deg C (a part of Hindu-Kush mountain range), said Mr Arya. The material about 15,000 MT required for the project would be transported from India to Afghanistan by sea route via Bandar Abbas port in Iran and thereafter through 2500-km war torn roads of Afghanistan, he said. The U.S. Government was also encouraging India and other countries to set up infrastructucal projects in Kabul to curb opium cultivation. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that 40 per cent to 60 per cent of Afghanistan’s gross domestic product (GDP) derived from trade in opium.
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Employment Bill to be tabled today New Delhi, August 17 The agreement followed intense discussions between the Left leaders and group of ministers
(GoM) headed by Mr Pranab Mukherjee this evening. Mr Varkala Radhakrishnan, who was in the Chair announced in the Lok Sabha that the Employment Guarantee Bill, which seeks to provide 100 days’ employment to all rural households, will be taken up tomorrow in the Lok Sabha as decided at a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee
(BAC) of the House. The Left’s amendments included the fixation of minimum wages at Rs 60 per day, converting the scheme into an all-India scheme within five years, and ensuring that one-third of the beneficiaries were women had been accepted, said Mr Mukherjee. The government also assured that the states — the implementing agencies — would be taken into confidence and that it would ensure the “unhindered flow of funds.” In case the funds were delayed, the Centre would compensate the states, Mr Mukherjee added.
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BJP to oppose job Bill in current form
New Delhi, August 17 A meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Party, chaired by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, also favoured continuation of reservation for Scheduled Castes and Tribes in the five southern states affected by the recent Supreme Court Judgement against reservation in private unaided educational institutions. The hour-long weekly meeting also demanded that geography should also be a criterion along with population in the current delimitation exercise, BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman V K Malhotra said here. “The Employment Guarantee Bill, in its current form, providing jobs only to the rural poor and only 100 days employment is not acceptable to us. It should be for both rural and urban poor and guarantee employment all through the year”, Mr Malhotra said, giving party’s view on the proposed legislation guaranteeing employment to rural households. Asked whether the BJP proposed to bring amendments to the Bill, he replied in the affirmative saying, “Let us see first in what form they introduce the Bill. We will respond accordingly”. Mr Malhotra said the party strongly felt that rural and hilly regions of the country were getting a raw deal in the current delimitation exercise as it was being done on the basis of population. “We want the basis to be reconsidered. It should keep the geographical aspect in mind along with population. In the present exercise, rural and hilly constituencies are becoming smaller and urban constituencies bigger”, the BJP spokesman said. He said the party committee on legislations, which includes Mr Yashwant Sinha, Mrs Sushma Swaraj, Chief Whips in both Houses among others, would look into all legislations and issues including the apex court’s recent verdict against state quota in private, unaided and minority institutions. “We want the reservation in the five southern states to be maintained”, Mr Malhotra said hinting that the party may support any government legislation in this regard. The meeting also paid rich tributes to RSS Joint General Secretary H V Seshadri, who died in Bangalore on Sunday.
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NCW condemns 2-child norm
New Delhi, August 17 Speaking to The Tribune after inaugurating a two-day national consultation on “Collective strategies to combat declining sex ratio” here, NCW member Malini Bhattacharya said family planning programmes should be designed with an eye on the health of both mother and child. Some states, she said, in their effort to control population, had formulated population policies that defeated efforts being made to combat the skewed sex ratio existing in most parts of the country. Disincentives like exclusion of people having more than two children were in turn working against the implementation of the PNDT Act enacted to combat the declining sex ratio in the country, she said. Speaking at the function, she criticised low priority being accorded by most states to female foeticide and infanticide, adding that the infrastructure put in place was inadequate to implement existing laws to prevent the grave social evil. Everyday new advanced techniques were coming up for sex determination of the foetus for which the Centre and the state governments needed to take some immediate stringent action, she said, putting this as the reason why some of the most advanced and prosperous states like Punjab had a very poor sex ratio of 793 girls to 1,000 boys in the 0-6 age category. Calling for a better monitoring system with linkages to grass roots-level health workers and NGOs to check the ultrasound clinics mushrooming everywhere, she recommended an increase in the frequency of Census of the children up to six years of age. Since it was mandatory to register every birth, data collection should be done every year or even twice a year and proper records maintained at ultrasound clinics. Joint Secretary, Department of Woman and Child Development, Lovleen Kacker said Census statistics showed no progress in social indicators, adding that there was a need for a strategy for pilot intervention in districts and villages in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan where sex ratio was especially grim. The consultation was organised by NGO FORCES and Oxfam and was aimed at finding a common ground amongst different stake holders like policy makers, planners, representatives of civil society and international agencies to address the issues of declining sex ratio and violence against girls and women.
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Cong
mounts pressure on Paswan New Delhi, August 17 In an effort to build pressure on Mr Paswan, the Congress is learnt to have told him that his continuation in the UPA government could become untenable if he goes ahead with his plans to forge a third front in Bihar along with the CPI, CPI-ML and the Samajwadi Party. Mr Paswan, who has so far refused all suggestions of an electoral tie-up with his bete noire RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, is expected to convey his final decision to the Congress by this month-end. “By then, we will have a clear idea about whether Mr Paswan is with the UPA or not,” said a senior Congress leader. Mr Dig Vijay Singh, AICC General Secretary in charge of Bihar, is learnt to have asked him to make a final choice when he met him last Monday. The Congress would ideally like Mr Paswan to remain in the UPA fold as a split in the secular forces will only benefit the NDA. However, it is under pressure from the RJD to persuade the LJP chief to support the UPA partners failing which he should be asked to leave the ruling coalition. The Congress and the RJD are hoping that Mr Paswan’s reluctance to give up his ministerial berth could persuade him to abandon his plans of forming a third front. Besides Mr Paswan, the CPI is also holding out, having launched a frontal attack against the RJD chief in Bihar. The CPI, it is stated, is miffed with Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav for fielding dummy candidates against their contestants in the last assembly election. As far as the Congress is concerned, it has decided that it has no choice but to “sink or swim” with the RJD. Its last experiment of having a tie-up with both the RJD and the LJP was a failure and it does not want to repeat its past mistakes. Unlike the last time, the Congress is confident that a chastened RJD chief will be more generous when the two begin talks on seat-sharing this time round. “Lalu will be aggressive in the field but defensive in seat-sharing,” remarked a senior Congress leader.
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Speaker’s ruling cannot be questioned
New Delhi, August 17 “The Speaker’s decision is equally binding whether given in the House or on a departmental file. He is not bound to give reasons for his decisions,” a Lok Sabha bulletin quoting excerpts from Kaul and Shakdher on Parliamentary Procedures, says. Circulated by Secretary General
P.D.T. Achary, the bulletin says members could not criticise directly or indirectly, inside or outside the House, any ruling given, opinion expressed or statement made by the Speaker. Lok Sabha members have been informed about the parliamentary procedures with frequent instances of members clashing with the
Chair. “If a member desires to make a submission to the Speaker on the floor of the House regarding a ruling, the Speaker may permit the member to do so after satisfying himself that it does not unduly interfere with proceedings of the House,” it says. The member making such a submission cannot criticise the decision but can seek elucidation on any point, or request the Chair to consider the ruling in the light of the fact submitted by him, the Secretary-General said requesting members to observe these well-established norms. |
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Food Secys to meet today
New Delhi, August 17 An official release said today that Agriculture, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Sharad Pawar will preside over the day-long meeting to be attended by the Food Secretaries from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, West Bengal and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. As of August 8, 2005, the area coverage under rice all over the country has been reported to be 223.13 lakh hectares in the current year as against 227.33 lakh hectares in 2004. The states showing additional coverage over the previous years include Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Haryana. The area coverage has been reported low in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Orissa. The area coverage under total coarse cereals was 216.05 lakh hectares as of August 8, 2005 compared to 222.91 lakh hectares in the previous year. The area coverage this year is more in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. It is reported to be lower in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.
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Govt mulls law to regulate hospitals
New Delhi, August 17 As per the proposed law, all hospitals will have to be registered with the district authorities and will be governed by certain parameters and norms. This would ensure standardised treatment in private hospitals and clinics, the Minister said. He admitted that “since 80 per cent of the institutions are in the private sector and only 20 per cent are in the public sector, the government may think of public-private partnership to bring down the cost”. Earlier, in a written reply to a question on the allotment of government land to private hospitals at nominal rates, the Minister said health being a state subject under the Constitution, it is for the respective state governments to formulate guidelines for the allotment of land to private hospitals. “The Ministry of Urban Development allotted land to five private hospitals at pre-determined rates and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) allotted land to 50 hospitals at zonal variant rates”, he said. Of the 50 hospitals/institutions allotted land by the DDA, 23 hospitals were allotted land on the condition of providing 25 per cent free beds in the in-patient department (IPD) and 40 per cent free treatment in the OPD for poor patients. |
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South-Western Command is operational
New Delhi, August 17 Official reports here said with the South-Western Command becoming operational and having its headquarters in Jaipur, the Indian Army would now have seven commands. The new command, which would have force levels of two corps, including strike and holding formations, will now cover the key areas of Fazilka and Abohar in Punjab up to Ganganagar and Bikaner districts in Rajasthan carved out of operational areas of Western and Southern Army Commands. |
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Provogue MD remanded
in custody
Mumbai, August 17 Chaturvedi, who was produced before the Special NDPA Court, was remanded in judicial custody till August 31. He was arrested on August 2 following the recovery of cocaine from his residence in the western suburbs. His arrest was effected on the basis of information provided by his company employee Vishal Meghnani, who had been arrested on June 23 and is in judicial custody.
— UNI |
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Photo journalists assaulted in Jaipur Jaipur, August 17 Media Associations of the state capital have condemned the police misbehaviour and expressed their resentment over the incident. They would hold a token protest meet at the CM’s residence tomorrow.
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