|
Price Rise
Mahanta met Cong high command for funds to defeat AGP: Gogoi
Counter-insurgency operations |
|
|
Munde made leadership in Delhi buckle: Thackeray
Mumbai, April 24 Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray today said BJP leader Gopinath Munde by raising the banner of revolt had made his party restore democracy in its functioning. “An important thing that had happened because of Munde is that democracy in the party, which had been lost, was restored,” Thackeray said, adding, the BJP leadership buckled when Munde flexed muscles because the party did not want to lose Maharashtra due to internal squabbles.
Relieve me, says Speaker
Parliament session may be curtailed
LS passes Appropriation Bill
9 Kanpur doctors suspended for neglect of duty
Protection of Emigrants
Ban on Indian Serials
Vir Sanghvi in race for Prasar Bharati top post
No regulatory mechanism for news channels
‘Give more funds to PRIs under rural job scheme’
Global jet makers woo India
Centre stops measles vaccine
Culling begins in Tripura
Tsunami blamed for reduced forest cover
24 killed in road mishap
|
Price Rise
New Delhi, April 24 The NDA has already called for a nationwide strike against inflation on May 2. The agitation rocked both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, with the Houses being adjourned just around noon. In the Lok Sabha, trouble started during the question hour with members of the BJP and allies, who had earlier formed a human chain outside the Parliament complex to protest the rising prices, stormed the House raising slogans against the government. Agitating Opposition members stalled proceedings of the Lok Sabha, forcing adjournment till 2 pm. In the Rajya Sabha, similar scenes were witnessed as BJP members walked in just five minutes before the question hour was about to end and started raising slogans in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who present in the House for question hour. Earlier, the Parliament complex saw NDA members led by L.K Advani forming a human chain to focus on “government’s incompetence to tackle the situation”. Agitating Opposition members, who had been agitating since morning, raised slogans like “mehangayi ko jo rok na paye, vo sarkar nikammi hai (the government which cannot check the price rise is useless), demanding resignation of the Prime Minister. Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani asked the government to quit and go in for general elections if it was unable to control inflation. Rajnath Singh, George Fernandes and Manohar Joshi were also part of the protest. Raising slogans against the government, when the Opposition members entered into the Lok Sabha, the atmosphere in the House was already surcharged. Speaker Somnath Chatterjee had pulled up a member for his behaviour while asking a question to fertiliser minister Ramvilas Paswan. Opposition members stormed the well and were in no mood to listen to repeated pleas of the Speaker. Amidst the din, the Speaker asked the members to lay their papers. However, pandemonium continued, forcing the Speaker to conclude that it was very unfortunate that members were not heeding his pleas despite assurances that he would allow price rise issue to be raised in the House. Strongly condemning the behaviour of the members, the Speaker adjourned the House till 2 pm. In the Rajya Sabha, BJP members, led by leaders Sushma Swaraj and Rajnath Singh, entered the House just before the conclusion of question hour, stalling proceedings. Chairman Hamid Ansari’s pleas to the Opposition members to allow question hour to proceed went unheard as Opposition members raised slogans. They demanded a reply from the Prime Minister on the issue. As the din continued, chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the House till 2 pm, stating that members were indulging in disorderly conduct. |
Mahanta met Cong high command for funds to defeat AGP: Gogoi
Guwahati, April 24 Just ahead of a crucial AGP meeting on unification slated for tonight, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has made a startling revelation ‘with full responsibility’. “The AGP (P) leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta approached the Congress high command for financial assistance to facilitate defeat of the rival AGP in the last Assembly election held in 2006. And I told the high command that it (Mahanta’s help) was not necessary as it would be sheer wastage of money and time” Gogoi today told newsmen here while trying to belittle unification move by the two AGP factions. “Leaders like Mahanta are very dangerous and are into the habit of hoodwinking the people of Assam. The Congress will not let the regional parties take the people of Assam for another ride,” Gogoi said adding that “These are not regional parties but seasonal parties sans any ideology. They change their colour according to changing political situation. The AGP unification bid is nothing but an attempt to put old wine in a new bottle”. When contacted, Mahanta dismissed the allegation leveled by Gogoi as a ‘white lie’ that reflected the frustration of a ‘failed Chief Minister’. Mahanta said, “I have never met Congress high command or Sonia Gandhi in my political career though I had a very cordial relation with her husband and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The question of approaching the Congress to defeat the AGP in polls doesn’t arise. It is nothing but concocted charge”. “The Congress is afraid of me and hence Gogoi is making the wild allegation out of desperation. Gogoi better clarify on serious charges levelled in the Parliament against some of his ministers for having nexus with militant outfits,” Mahanta countered. He said, “Gogoi hitherto hasn’t been able to give a convincing clarification on charges levelled against his government for paying money to a militant outfit to facilitate smooth holding of National Games and the last India-Pakistan One-Day International match in Guwahati”. Meanwhile, the AGP is holding a crucial session tonight to decide on the road map for unification with like-minded regional parties including the AGP(P) led by Mahanta to put up a joint challenge against the Congress. |
Counter-insurgency operations
Guwahati, April 24 Gogoi said today the fight against insurgents in Assam would have been much more effective had the state been provided with a Jammu and Kashmir type counter-insurgency apparatus by the Union government in respect of men and logistics. He said there was a presence of much more number of troops and paramilitary force personnel and better logistical support to fight militancy in Jammu and Kashmir than in Assam. He, however, was quick to add, “I don’t grudge the Centre for not being able to provide equal assistance to Assam as it has given to the J-K to fight militants, but similar help would have definitely gone a long way to fight insurgents in a more fruitful way in Assam.” “I understand the compulsion and handicap of the Centre. Militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, which is aided and abetted from across the border and hence requires much tougher handling. No doubt, the Centre is helping us to fight insurgents as much it can do,” he said. The Chief Minister admitted that the internal security scenario in Assam was worse than that was in Jammu and Kashmir in the last year giving credence to what is mentioned in a latest Union home ministry report. According to the ministry of home affairs (MHA) report titled, Status Paper on Naxal Activities, the northeastern states recorded 1,489 incidents of insurgency-related violence last year while Jammu and Kashmir recorded about 500 incidents less in the same year. The report said the northeastern states, which witnessed lesser number of civilians being killed in terrorist violence in comparison to Jammu and Kashmir till the year 2006, registered 498 civilian casualties last year compared to 158 civilians killed in J-K the same year. As per the MHA report, Assam was worst affected by insurgency related violence among all the northeastern states in the light of higher casualty figures. The state witnessed the highest number of 314 insurgency-related killings, including that of security personnel last year in the region. The state witnessed 584 incidents of violence last year. He asserted that situation was improving in the state and efforts were on to facilitate talks with the proscribed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), even as operations against insurgents would remain intensified. |
Munde made leadership in Delhi buckle: Thackeray
Mumbai, April 24 “An important thing that had happened because of Munde is that democracy in the party, which had been lost, was restored,” Thackeray said, adding, the BJP leadership buckled when Munde flexed muscles because the party did not want to lose Maharashtra due to internal squabbles. After the episode Munde has emerged as a very strong leader in the state, Thackeray said in an editorial in Shiv Sena mouthpiece Samana. There were attempts to finish off Munde politically but he rebelled and succeeded to make the party heed to his demand. Headlined “Dilli bhi Jhukti hai”, the editorial said people like Uma Bharati and Madanlal Khurana did rebel but they were shown the doors. “Uma Bharati, who rebelled, was shown the door while the rebellion of Khurana was crushed. Similarly, the rebellion of Shankarsinh Waghela did not last long while rebel leader Keshubhai Patel failed to make any impact in the party.”
— PTI |
M’rashtra House rocked over cheerleaders
Mumbai, April 24 Rejuvenated from the recent crisis sparked off by its leader Gopinath Munde, the BJP has now decided to go on the offensive. None other than party president Nitin Gadkari, who has had his nose bloodied in his encounter with Munde, is leading the charge against the ruling Congress-Nationalist Congress Party government in Maharashtra. Gadkari raised the issue in the House, stating that if Patil, who is also in charge of the home ministry, could ban the bar dancers, then even the scantily clad cheerleaders be asked to stay away from the cricket grounds. A stung Patil has now promised to look into the matter. Gadkari has managed to put Patil in a spot since there is no way he can allow the police to file a case against officials of the BCCI, promoters of IPL. The BCCI is controlled by NCP strongman and Patil’s mentor Sharad Pawar and the BJP obviously has found Patil’s Achilles’ heel. “R.R. Patil of the NCP banned bar dancers in Maharashtra, saying their performances were immoral. Then how can they freely allow such cheerleaders with their vulgar dance moves? Isn’t this immoral also?” Gadkari said. In response, Patil could only promise to look into Gadkari’s demand. Joining Gadkari is actor-turned politician Shatrughan Sinha who says bringing in cheerleaders is making a mockery of cricket. Rather than the cheerleaders, the organisers of IPL should have brought in the unemployed bar girls, Sinha told a news agency. Meanwhile, there are reports that the cheerleaders themselves are complaining of sexual harassment by viewers who throng the match venues. A national newspaper today quoted the cheerleaders at yesterday’s match in Hyderabad saying that men passed lewd remarks at them. |
Relieve me, says Speaker
New Delhi, April 24 “I strongly denounce the way you are conducting yourself.... It’s shameful and disgusting behaviour,” Chatterjee told BSP member Brajesh Pathak who continued to agressively counter fertilisers minister Ram Vilas Paswan despite repeated requests from the Chair to resume his seat. “This is very very improper.... I condemn your behaviour,” Chatterjee said after a belligerent Pathak continuously challenged the figures of fertiliser quota for Uttar Pradesh provided by Paswan during the Question Hour. Pathak even shouted at Congress member V.K. Thummar who tried to come to the rescue of Paswan. As the slanging match started between Pathak and Thummar, the Speaker again requested Pathak to resume his seat and called for SJP member Ram Gopal Yadav to ask his supplementary. But Pathak refused to listen to the Chair, prompting Chatterjee to remark: “Hum yeh hone nahin deyenge... Hamko hataiye jaye yahan se (I won’t allow this to happen.... Relieve me from the Speaker’s post)”.
— UNI |
Parliament session may be curtailed
New Delhi, April 24 The Business Accounts Committee of Parliament will, however, meet again on April 29 to take stock of the situation and take a final view on the matter. The committee meanwhile, met today to deliberate on the business of the House over the coming days. Discussions on the finance Bill will start tomorrow and last till April 28. April 29 has been kept for the finance minister’s reply to the finance Bill discussion. The day may also see the introduction of two Bills - one on the extension of President’s Rule in Karnataka, which will end on May 19 and will therefore have to be extended by Parliament considering results of elections will be declared later than April 19. The Bill on the Jawahar Lal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, will also be introduced in this session. Parliament will resume business on May 5, which may see discussions on the controversial creamy layer issue. |
|
LS passes Appropriation Bill
New Delhi, April 24 The guillotine was applied to discussions to clear over Rs 75,000 crore for demand for grants for all the ministries except those of home, defence, rural development and information and broadcasting. Also listed for discussion today was grants for the ministry of sports and youth affairs, but the same had to be eventually guillotined due to paucity of time. Following the discussions on I&B ministry’s grants, finance minister P. Chidambaram introduced the Appropriation Bill saying it would “authorise payment and appropriation of certain sums from and out of the consolidated fund of India for the services during 2008-09.” During the question hour today, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee came down heavily on BSP member Brajesh Pathak for disregarding the Chair. Pathak irked the Speaker when he kept interrupting chemicals and fertilisers minister Ram Vilas Paswan during the latter’s reply to a question on fertiliser availability in UP. Despite warnings, Pathak didn’t desist, causing the Speaker to say, “I denounce the way you conducted yourself today.” |
|
9 Kanpur doctors suspended for neglect of duty
Lucknow, April 24 In the first incident, a Dalit woman, Maya, delivered a stillborn child outside the Upper India Sugar Exchange Maternity Hospital and died at Hailet Hospital soon after. She had been refused admission in the government maternity hospital, as she did not have any money to pay for blood and the doctors. Chief medical officers as well as eight junior doctors of the UISE Maternity Hospital have been suspended for refusing treatment to the Dalit woman, who had been referred from rural Banda in Bundelkhand Two doctors from the hospital would conduct an enquiry into the incident. After writhing in pain in front of the hospital for more than three hours, during the wee hours of Wednesday Maya delivered a stillborn-baby boy around dawn. Alarmed at the turn of events, some senior doctors shifted her from the pavement and got her admitted her to Hailet Hospital, where she died today. The hospital authorities today quietly transported her body to Banda after the news of the very public delivery and death of the stillborn caused a public outcry. Taking a serious view of the incident, the Chief Minister has announced Rs one lakh relief to the next of kin. The state SC/ST Commission has also taken note of the incident and is soon to conduct its won enquiry into the incident. In the second incident, Kiran, a resident of Kanpur dehat, delivered a girl child in the moving Lal Qila Express near Panki Rawilway station in Kanpur as her husband Vijay Kumar was rushing her to a Kanpur hospital for delivery.. Earlier, a nurse at Jhinjhak Primary Health Centre had refused to admit her after the husband expressed his inability to pay the Rs 500 being demanded by the nurse. Fortunately Kiran and her newborn daughter have survived the trauma unlike Maya and her stillborn boy, who died due to the neglect of the doctors. The third incident occurred at the Ursula district hospital in Kanpur this afternoon when a middle-aged man Baijnath Gupta admitted with severe stomachache died of splinter injuries, when the oxygen cylinder administering oxygen to him suddenly burst killing him instantaneously. Another patient on the neighboring bed has also received extensive splinter injuries. According to the hospital authorities, the cylinder was leaking from the nozzle, which probably caused the accident. Commenting on these incidents, CMO Kanpur
V.C. Rastogi tried his best to put up a brave face. Calling the incidents “unfortunate” all he said by way of explanation is that the enquiries would bring out the names of those responsible for these incidents. |
|
Protection of Emigrants
New Delhi, April 24 Tomorrow, the Bahraini labour minister and his delegation will be in India to discuss the proposed MoU with the ministry of overseas Indian affairs (MOIA). The three-day deliberations will end on April 27 and look at the possibility of evolving an agreement for the protection of Indian workers in Bahrain, considering they have been complaining of overcrowded and dangerous work conditions. The meeting is scheduled to take place at Kochi in Kerala, the state that sends maximum number of Indian workers to the gulf every year. It gets Rs 24,000 crore from this NRI population. Meanwhile, the government has finalised an MoU with Malaysia. Sources in the MOIA said the Cabinet approval for the agreement had been obtained and the Malaysian minister for human resources had been invited to India to sign it. Recently, there was serious concern in India over reports of Malaysia deciding to send home Indian workers and freezing the recruitment of new workers from India. The reports were recently denied by the MOIA in the Lok Sabha, though it admitted that the government of Malaysia would not approve work permit for any foreign worker who has worked in the country for five or more years. “The Malaysian government has not specified any number foreign workers who may be sent back by the end of 2010,” the ministry stated in the House in reply to a question in this regard. Malaysia plans to send back nine lakh foreign workers home by 2010. In the Gulf, meanwhile, India already has bilateral MoUs with major receiving countries. The first such agreement was signed with the UAE in December, 2006, 18 years after India signed a pact with Qatar for the welfare of its workers there. In 2007, an MoU with Kuwait was finalised, followed by the signing of an additional protocol with Qatar to supplement the existing arrangement of 1985. Bahrain will be the fourth Gulf country with which India will sign an MoU. Most of the Gulf NRIs have been accusing India of neglect. While their counterparts in the US and the UK have the facility of dual citizenship, they don’t enjoy any protection. Indians in the Gulf have been asking for a more liberal insurance scheme, new systems for skill certification and modernisation of emigration process. |
|
Ban on Indian Serials
New Delhi, April 24 Afghanistan’s minister of information and culture Abdul Karim Khurram has written a letter to his Indian counterpart Priyaranjan Dasmunsi informing him about the ban on the serials and requested him that India instead provide them “high quality” programmes which reflect the “true picture of India’s rich culture”. Clearly, the banned programmes, which had become prime time favourites on private television channels, do not fit the bill as religious conservatives have pushed the government into banning the serials on the ground that they are un-Islamic and against Afghan culture. Khurram’s letter has not gone into the reasons for the ban but merely said the decision was taken at a joint meeting of the Ulemas, private television channels and journalists following criticism of the serials. Under pressure from the hardliners, Afghanistan’s parliament recently passed a resolution banning television programmes from showing dancing which is considered un-Islamic. Khurram, however, said this will not impact the friendly ties between India and Afghanistan. India is yet to respond to Khurram’s letter. |
|
Vir Sanghvi in race for Prasar Bharati top post
New Delhi, April 24 The chairman’s post fell vacant recently when the previous incumbent M.V. Kamath’s tenure was cut shaort after the government amended the Prasar Bharati Act to fix the upper age limit for the board chairman at 70 years and to cut the tenure of the office from six years to three. On the other hand, the the upper age limit of the executive members on the Board was rasied from 62 years to 65 even while their tenure cut down from six years to five. The UPA government came in for flak when this matter came up in Parliament as it was seen as an attempt to ease out Kamath, who was appointed by the NDA government and had been holding this office since 2003. The amended Act also laid down that once it came into affect, the incumbent chairman would cease to hold office if his appointment is inconsistent with the provisions of the Act. The statement of objects and reasons for cuting short the tenure of the chairman said that this would ensure “appointment of comparatively younger talent and experience” and “help to bring diversity of experience at the top-level for the benefit of the organisation”. Defending this move, information and broadcasting minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi had told Parlaiment that this was not about one man. “With all regards to the current incumbents, we felt that you cannot get a professional and competent CEO if you seal his age limit at 62 years,” the minister explained. |
|
No regulatory mechanism for news channels
New Delhi, April 24 “We are against controlling, regulating or interfering with any TV news channel as this could not be a solution in a free country. We will talk to them as we believe that issues should be resolved through dialogue,” information and broadcasting minister
P.R. Dasmunsi told the Lok Sabha. He was replying to the discussion on demand for grants of his ministry for 2008-09, which was subsequently passed by the House. His comments came at a time when the government has said it was re-drafting the Bill and has sought comments from the stakeholders. A fake sting operation involving a school teacher in Delhi recently had led to demands for regulating the news channels. On the demand by some members that cricket telecast by public broadcasters should be ensured, Dasmunsi said he had sought an approval for making DD Sports a terrestrial channel, which would entail an expenditure of about Rs 1,200 crore and he would seek the finance ministry's help in this connection.
— PTI |
|
‘Give more funds to PRIs under rural job scheme’
New Delhi, April 24 He was addressing a National Convention of presidents of zila parishads and intermediate panchayats organised by the Union ministry of panchayati raj here. He pointed out that a number of problems were being faced by the panchayats because of disparity in the wages of the workers in the states and urged that no condition should be imposed on the panchayats while executing the works under this ambitious RGRGY. While pointing out that great leaders like Mahatama Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru had dreamt of prosperity of people in the country and extension of all facilities in villages, he stressed the need for providing more facilities in rural areas to stop the exodus of villagers to urban areas. He reminded that former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi was of firm opinion that the country could not progress in real sense without the active participation of the panchayats. The chief parliamentary secretary said when Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister, he took a number of steps to ensure participation of the common man in the developmental process by strengthening the Panchayati Raj Institutions.
— UNI |
|
Global jet makers woo India
New Delhi, April 24 Importantly, in the frame will be India’s oldest defence ally, the Russians, who will be offering the latest version of the MiG. Even as the last date for submitting the request for proposals to supply the 126 medium multi-range combat aircraft is Monday, intentions of manufacturers of Eurofighter and F-18 super hornet were made public here today. European arms major European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) that manufacturers the Eurofighter and Boeing that manufactures the super hornet made separate statements seeking a long term partnership with India in its defence needs. The EADS said it would submit its proposal on Monday and invited India to become a partner in the ‘Eurofighter’ programme while Boeing submitted its 7,000 page proposal today and said “we are looking at a long-term partnership”. Boeing had offered its advanced F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to the Indian Air Force as part of India’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) competition, said the company. It is the most advanced and proven multi-role combat fighter in production today, said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (IDS). India issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for 126 new multi-role combat fighters in August 2007. Boeing completed its proposal before the initial March 3 deadline, which the ministry of defence rescheduled for April 28. It is $ 10 billion deal and is touted as one of the biggest in the history of the country. On the other hand, the EADS announced today that its proposal would be submitted on Monday. The EADS also manufactures the Eurocopter. This is chopper that the Indian defence establishment had intended to buy. However, the deal was scarped following alleged discrepancies. The company, meanwhile, has overcome the shock and is ready with a new proposal. Though other bidders have not made public statements, US aviation major Lockheed martin, French Dassault and Swedish Gripen could be other manufacturers that could send in their proposals before Monday. |
|
New Delhi/Chennai, April 24 “All state governments have been instructed to stop the use of the measles vaccine manufactured by the Indian Immunological Limited until further orders,” union health minister Anbumani Ramadoss told reporters here. An order of 90 lakh units of vaccine had been placed with the company, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board, out of which it had supplied 45 lakh units. Samples of the vaccine had been sent to the Central Drugs Laboratory, Kasauli for further testing, Ramadoss added. The union health ministry also sent a high-level team, led by director of National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) Shivlal, to the state to inquire into various aspects of the administration of the vaccine. The team comprising experts from the Indian Council of Medical Research, National Institute of Communicable Diseases and Directorate General of Health Services and the Drug Controller General of India will probe the testing of the quality of the vaccine, status of the cold chain, quality of dilutents and any other human error that may have occurred. — PTI |
Culling begins in Tripura
Agartala, April 24 Bird flu virus was detected in blood samples of dead birds from Nadilag village of Bishalgarh subdivision at the High Security Animal Diseases Laboratory in Bhopal
yesterday, official sources said. Culling would begin at Nadilag after it was notified by the central government, the sources said. Meanwhile, 60,000 birds would be culled from today in eight-gram panchayat areas, which fall within the 5-km radius of Mohanpur in Sadar subdivision of west Tripura district, from where samples had tested positive on April 21, director of the State Animal Resource Department said. Culling would continue in the area for the next five days, he added. A red alert has been sounded and import of poultry and eggs from outside the state, including neighbouring Bangladesh has been banned. Reports said a total of 43 districts in Bangladesh were affected by bird flu. Personnel of BSF and special surveillance teams were keeping vigil in the border areas. Five check posts were set up at Sidhai, Mantola, Khowa Chowmuhuni, Tarapur and Bijaynagar School Chowmuhuni to ban movement of
birds. — PTI |
Tsunami blamed for reduced forest cover
New Delhi, April 24 Minister of state for environment and forests S. Regupathy said the forest cover in 2001 was 653,898 sq km, which increased to 677,816 sq km. However, it came down to 677,088 sq km in 2005. The forest cover of the country has more or less stablised, he assured. The Forest Survey of India (FSI) carries out the forest cover assessment of the country using remote sensing technology once every two years. He said reasons for fall in the forest cover was Tsunami’s effect on vegetation in Andaman and Nicobar islands, construction of dam in Chattisgarh and Madhya
Pradesh. |
24 killed in road mishap
Jodhpur, April 24 The accident occurred near Kanodia village, about 100 km from here when a pick-up van carrying the people was on its way to Dechu from Setrawa and collided head-on with a truck at around 12.30 am, Jodhpur superintendent of police Sanjeeb Kumar Narzary said.
— PTI |
Mahila brigade stops trains to protest price rise Prostitution racket busted 3 injured in Manipur blast Father, 3 sons burnt alive 5 of family killed in LPG cylinder blast |
|||||
|
HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |