 |
|
|
Muslim leaders to
meet today
Fate of NJC Bill hinges on CJI’s stand
Reprieve for police chief
PSEB got excess payment from telecom circles: CAG
Amar Singh wants to resign from RS
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Pawar for media restraint in flashing bird flu reports
Backyard poultry farms safer: Narain
Plea to extend last date for filling ’84 riot relief forms
Cholera scare in Mumbai
Naxals kill 3 cops
Appropriation Bill passed
Interests of AAI staff to be protected
‘Rights abuse complaints on rise’
Ramdev to take special yoga class for legislators
Sadananda is
Karnataka BJP chief
|
|
Muslim leaders to
meet today
New Delhi, March 17 The conference will be attended by over 300 top Muslim clerics, scholars and religious heads to discuss ways and means to form a confederation that will take care of socio-economic problems of 160 million Muslims in the country. Hurriyat Conference chairman Moulvi Omer Farooq will also be present at the conference. He is expected to present his views on the current political scenario in Jammu and Kashmir. Jamait-Ulemai Hind chief Maulana Arshad Madni, vice-president of Jamaat Islami Shafi Munis, general secretary of Majlis Mushwarat Maulana Ameeduzaman Kairanavi, top Islamic scholar Sheikh Abu-Baker Qadri, Bharti Majlis chief Jawed Habib and Maulana Fazulul-Qasmi will attend the day-long meeting to iron out differences and work for common goal of launching joint movement for rights of the minorities, Syed Ahmed Bukhari said. “Our goal is to meet leaders of all political parties and to seek their support for removing economic and educational backwardness of minorities. For the past 59 years, nothing concrete has been done in this regard”, Qari Mian Mohammed Mazhari and Chaudhry Rahat, co-conveners of the conference said. They said a 10-point agenda has been circulated to the delegates, which would be the main focus of the deliberations. This includes compensation for victims of Gujarat riots constitutional amendment for restoring minority status of the Aligarh Muslim University and resolution of the Kashmir issue through dialogue. |
|
Fate of NJC Bill hinges on CJI’s stand
New Delhi, March 17 The present CJI Y.K. Sabharwal, who had earlier expressed reservations against the Bill, has reiterated his opposition to it when his fresh stand was sought to be known by media after the conclusion of Chief Ministers and high court Chief Justices' conference here recently. Though the Law Minister H.R. Bhardwaj was also present in the press meet where the CJI expressed his views, he had chosen not to speak on the issue even as Justice Sabharwal said he would give his comments if the government asked for it but would not seek to see it on his own. Sensing the tone and tenor of the CJI's statement, Mr Bhardwaj had later clarified that the government would like to send the draft Bill to Justice Sabharwal despite Law Commission's recommendations incorporated in it as per the advice of Justice Lahoti. The Law Minister explained that since the Supreme Court and high court judges were the "stake holders" in the whole exercise, he had "promised" to send the draft Bill to the present CJI as well. Justice Sabharwal had said "if they (government) send it, I will respond to it, if they don't, I will not ask for it. I believe firmly that some confidence be given to the people of this nation. Experience has shown that it is not necessary to have recourse to that remedy. The problem is not so grave. If there is a (existing) mechanism, we can have recourse to that mechanism". His predecessor's main objection was to bring the office of the CJI, the head of the judiciary under the purview of the NJC. His argument was that the people of the country should have some faith in the persons holding high constitutional offices otherwise they would lose their dignity and trust. The second major objection expressed by him was to have two Chief Justices of the high courts in the NJC to be set up for probing any complaint against Supreme Court judges as it would not augur well for the judicial hierarchy. Though the re-drafted Bill provides that a five-member NJC under the CJI with all other judges from the Supreme Court would probe any complaint against apex court judges, the Council of inquiry against high court judges will consist of the CJI, two senior-most judges of the apex court and two senior-most Chief Justices of the high courts, it is to be seen what stand Justice Sabharwal takes on it. The Bill empowered the NJC to impose minor or major penalties on an "errant judge" depending upon the gravity of the charges proved by it. Besides, provisions for issuing censure, asking him to retire voluntarily, issuing advisory and warning to him, withdrawal of judicial work and declaration of assets by the judges. |
|
Reprieve for police chief
Chennai, March 17 The EC, which directed the Tamil Nadu Government to send a panel of three names by this evening for appointing the successor, said pursuant to the letter dated March 16, it would not insist upon the panel until March 23. Senior counsel G. Rajagopal gave the undertaking on behalf of the EC, when a writ petition filed by the state government and two public interest litigations by former DGPs, W.I. Dawaram and Pon Paramaguru, challenging the commission’s order came up for hearing. After recording the undertaking and ordering notice to the EC, the Bench comprising Mr Justice P.K. Misra and Mr Justice F.M. Ibrahim Kallifullah posted the petitions for further hearing to March 22. State Principal Home Secretary Pavan Raina prayed for a stay on all further proceedings in pursuance of the EC’s order dated March 14 and to quash the same, pending disposal of the writ petition. The ECI had ordered the transfer of Mr Nataraj, after DMK Union Minsiter A. Raja lodged a complaint that he had showered praise on Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa and violated the model code of conduct. — UNI |
|
PSEB got excess payment from telecom circles: CAG
New Delhi, March 17 The report tabled in Parliament today rapped seven telecom circles of BSNL in the state for its failure to claim 7.5 per cent rebate admissible for power supply at 11 KV. The report found that PSEB did not give the admissible rebate on billed amounts to seven secondary switching areas (SSAs) at Amritsar, Ludhiana, Pathankot, Patiala, Hoshiarpur, Ferozpur and Sangrur under the Punjab Telecom Circle, though power was supplied at 11 KV and BSNL had installed its own transformers. The SSAs failed to claim the admissible rebate resulting in excess payment of Rs 2.31 crore for the billing months from January, 1998 to April, 2005. The report said the PSEB had notified in January, 1997 that power consumers falling under the non-residential supply category were to be allowed a rebate of 7.5 per cent on the billed amount if the supply of power was given at 11 KV, provided the consumer installed its own transformer. The units of the company fall under the NRS category. The general managers, telecom, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Hoshiarpur, Ferozpur and Sangrur stated that the matter would be taken up with the PSEB for adjustment of excess paid amount, while the Pathankot general manager stated that the matter had been taken up for grant of rebate. |
|
Amar Singh wants to resign from RS
New Delhi, March 17 Mr Amar Singh, also facing an inquiry from the Election Commission for holding an office of profit as chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Development Council, said the Samajwadi Party accepted the decision of the President and the recommendation of the Election Commission for disqualification of Ms Bachchan. Mr Amar Singh said the party would seek information under the Right to Information Act about how many complaints had been made against MPs for holding offices of profit and in how many cases had the Election Commission given its recommendation to the President. He said NAC chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi and ICCR chairman Dr Karan Singh should resign as MPs on moral grounds following the decision taken by the President today in the case of Ms Bachchan.
|
|
|
Pawar for media restraint in flashing bird flu reports New Delhi, March 17 Mr Pawar told reporters on the sidelines of the World Consumer Rights Day celebrations here that there was nothing to worry and the situation was under control. Culling operations according to existing international norms were on at the villages affected in Jalgaon district of Maharashtra, he added. A total of 17,150 birds were culled in four talukas of Jalgaon district till yesterday. There were no reports of human case so far, officials said. The governments of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh had stepped up the surveillance mechanism against bird flu. On the recent rain spell and dip in mercury, he said it would benefit the wheat crop in North India. Wheat crops in Punjab and Haryana would benefit from last week’s cold spell, he said, adding that the foodgrain output prospect remained the same. The latest official estimate put the country’s foodgrain output at 209 million tonnes for 2005-06, with wheat output pegged at 73 million tonnes for the rabi season.
|
|
|
Backyard poultry farms safer: Narain
New Delhi, March 17 She adds that it will be a mistake to think that the disease can be tackled the way it is being done as the root of the problem lies elsewhere. As per the Centre for Science and Environment director in the latest in-house publication “Down to Earth”, the world is becoming more vulnerable to avian influenza because of the nature of the business. “It will be a mistake to believe that we have contained the problem because we have culled some hundred thousand birds and may vaccinate some hundred thousand chicken”, she says. “Chicken is increasingly being grown in factory farms, where operations are highly automated and industrialised and thousands of birds are squeezed into spaces so small that they cannot move”, she adds. “The chicken is vaccinated and fed antibiotics and additives. A few large companies franchise growing chicken to contract growers”, Ms Narain says. She says the business is highly integrated and it is virtually impossible to regulate it. In this model, there is a highly conducive environment for the virus and the birds have lowered immunity. “Farmers have coped with avian diseases for centuries. People travel widely now and can carry the virus with them, turning the problem from local to global within days, even hours”, she cautions. Calling for better regulation of industrial processes to grow chicken so that the virus does not breed and grow, she says the business needs to improve the genetic stock of birds and raise their immunity against diseases, like traditional backyard poultry farmers do. |
|
Plea to extend last date for filling ’84 riot relief forms
New Delhi, March 17 “The forms are not available at one place and people are looking for forms. The deadline should be immediately extended, otherwise the package will mean nothing to them”, All-India Riot Victim Relief Committee president Kuldip Singh Bhogal said here today. On February 6, the government issued a notification, giving 22 days to riot victims to file their claims, which was totally inadequate. “Many have moved away from their homes in these 22 years while some have died. The time-frame to file claims should be extended, especially in view of the small number of forms being received by the government”, Mr Bhogal said in a press note. He urged the government to ensure that compensation reached all 1984 riot victims, irrespective of their state of residence and whether they had been given some compensation before. |
|
Cholera scare in Mumbai
Mumbai, March 17 Meanwhile, the number of patients admitted to government hospitals for gastroenteritis had increased to 129. The number of people undergoing treatment in private hospitals and nursing homes was yet to be tabulated, officials said. Two persons have died so far. |
|
Naxals kill 3 cops
Ranchi, March 17 The ultras torched the private bus after asking the passengers to disembark near Harhanj-Kori-Mati area in the district. The bus, coming from Daltanganj, was headed for Ranchi via Panki. Later the naxalites blew up the bridge on the Panki-Balmuth road. The extremists blew up their vehicle by triggering a landmine, in which three JAP jawans were killed and two injured critically. Another jawan was missing.The deceased were identified as Aklesh Pandey, Infan Khan and Niraj Kumar Singh.
— UNI |
|
Appropriation Bill passed
New Delhi, March 17 The House also passed by voice vote the relevant Appropriation Bill moved by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram. Appreciating the government’s decision to increase the budgetary support for rural development, the members called upon raising funds for rural development through checking tax evasion, by imposing health cess, and some new taxes on rich class. With the guillotine, demands for as many as 49 ministries were approved without any discussion as the House took up for debate only Home, Agriculture and Rural Development ministries. It was unprecedented that due to Assembly elections in five states, the demands for grant were approved for the whole year instead of the first few months as in the past. |
|
Interests of AAI staff to be protected
New Delhi, March 17 Expressing dissatisfaction with Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel’s reply in the Rajya Sabha, the Left parties staged a walk out. The members said the bulk of the revenue of the AAI came from the two airports, which were being “privatised”. Refuting charges about any land scam, the minister said the government was not selling any land but giving it on lease for development according to the norms. Mr Patel said the reason for initiating a joint venture in modernising the two airports was to enable the AAI to spend on the modernisation of other airports in the country. He said the government not only wanted to modernise airports in Delhi and Mumbai and other metros but also 35 non-metro airports. He said aviation was no more elitist but had become an essential tool of transport. The minister said the 126 airports in the country were not in the best of condition. He said the AAI was a premier institution and had potential for great future.
|
|
‘Rights abuse complaints on rise’ New Delhi, March 17 Addressing a gathering of chief secretaries and DGPs here today, Justice Anand drew attention to the diminishing level of sensitivity shown by the state machinery and lack of promptness in addressing human rights concerns. The NHRC chairperson said apart from media reports, the NHRC had been receiving complaints about instances of harassment of vulnerable sections of the society by the state machinery. He said the commission had been receiving complaints from citizens about cases of alleged human rights violations. The number of such complaints had steadily increased over the years since its inception. He said this increase was not an indication that violations had increased over the years but that the citizens had found a forum in the NHRC to voice their grievances. He said the commission was trying to develop a culture of human rights especially in this country that had a cultural and linguistic diversity.
|
|
|
Ramdev to take special yoga class for legislators
Patna, March 17 The ruling NDA has accorded the status of state guest to Baba Ramdev. Interestingly, Swami Ramdev has agreed to address a special session of legislators of both houses in Bihar Assembly on March 21.Many legislators were reportedly busy rescheduling their appointments and plans not to miss the rendezvous with the Swami — TNS |
|
Sadananda is
Karnataka BJP chief
New Delhi, March 17 |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Videos
