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Floods wreak havoc in Assam, 17 killed
Creamy Layer
Early monsoon may hit plantation
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CBI: Arushi murder pre-meditated
Left firm on opposing pact with IAEA
Reckless Driving
Hindu Marriage Act
Monsoon comes to farmers’ rescue
DMK snaps ties with PMK
Syrian President arrives
Padmapriya Suicide Case
IIT told to explain expulsion of SC students
Tamta elevated to cabinet rank
FBI shares expertise with Indian agencies
Tension eases en route Hemkund
AIIMS recruitments arbitrary, says report
Arjun warns against fake varsities
Centre urged to relax norms for farm schemes
Goa staff call off stir
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Floods wreak havoc in Assam, 17 killed
Guwahati, June 17 Around 600 villages have been submerged in North Lakhimpur district alone, plunging the life of over six lakh people here into plight. State water resources department sources informed that all important rivers in north Assam, including Ranganadi, Pisola, Singora, Dikrang and Dropang, continue to inundate vast areas. According to deputy commissioner of the district, villages in as many as five revenue circles of North Lakhimpur district have been affected and the Army has been pressed into action. In Sonitpur district, the Jiabhorali river continues to submerge several villages and vast tracts of paddy fields. The situation is likely remain grim with the regional meteorological office here forecasting more downpours in Assam, especially upstream of Brahmaputra. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today made an air trip to the worst affected North Lakhimpur district to take stock of the situation. He went to the Ganeshmandir chowk area in the district where about 25 metres stretch of NH-52 was washed away by floods, snapping road link of the district with the rest of the state. The state PWD department informed that it would take 10-12 days for complete restoration of the breached NH-52 portion and in the meantime provision would be made, in coordination with the district administration, for transport of people and small vehicles through motor-engine fitted boats. There were reports that devastation caused by the floods was basically due to release of excess water from some of the dams in Arunachal Pradesh foothills. Assam relief and rehabilitation minister Dr Bhumidhar Barman, who accompanied the Chief Minister on the trip, informed that a team of officials would soon leave for Arunachal Pradesh to find out about the release of excess water from the neighbouring state’s dams. People and many NGOs from the flood-affected districts have alleged that water from an NHPC dam and two coffer dams of a NEEPCO’s hydropower project caused the floods. Meanwhile, Assam government claims that sufficient relief material was being distributed among the flood-hit people.
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Income ceiling hike unlikely beyond Rs 5 lakh
Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 17 Sources in the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC), currently reviewing for the government the income criteria to exclude socially advanced groups and sections (creamy layer) from the OBC list, today hinted against “more than double” (Rs 5 lakh) raise in the income ceiling. The indications are significant considering the commission is under tremendous pressure from all quarters to accommodate demands for a generous raise in the income ceiling determining the creamy layer in the OBCs. Enquiries reveal that 10 out of about 20 states that met the commission to discuss the issue sought the enhancement of the income ceiling to the “more-than-double” limit with Karnataka leading the pack. Chairperson of the Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission has represented to the NCBC for raising the creamy layer income limit to about Rs 20 lakh, Madhya Pradesh has asked for a raise to Rs 10 lakh. NCBC sources ruled out an unprecedented raise, saying they were considering the existing income limits of the creamy layer in the states to arrive at a final figure for the government. Many of the states already have a ceiling which is more than the Centre’s ceiling of Rs 2.5 lakh annual family income. In Andhra Pradesh, this ceiling is Rs Rs 4 lakh, followed by Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh where it is Rs 3 lakh each. The NCBC may, therefore, likely to have a central ceiling that is above the ones existing in the states, say sources. Also being considered before settling for the magic figure are per capita income, GDP, wholesale price index and rupee devaluation. The commission has held meetings with the Central Pay Commission’s implementation cell to factor in the expected hikes in incomes of salaried classes, following the commission’s recommendations. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and the National Samples Survey Organisation have also been consulted, the latter mainly for the rate of inflation and related issues. Significant also in this context is paragraph 154 of the Chief Justice of India’s judgement in the case relating to 27 per cent reservation for OBCs (minus creamy layer) in centrally-aided institutes. The observation made in the relevant para indicates that the creamy layer criteria should be applied in a way that there is a sufficient number of candidates available for admission to aided institutions. The NCBC will submit its report on the issue before June 30.
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Early monsoon may hit plantation
Dehra Dun, June 17 ‘Vanamahotsava’ is celebrated in the first week of July in all 13 districts of the state. It is after this formal celebration that the plantation process gains momentum. Generally, the monsoon arrives by end of June after which the fieldwork is undertaken. But the early monsoon has left the Forest Department in a fix. Thus, the officials have started transporting seedlings from the nurseries to plantation sites. This is being done to avoid any transportation problems witnessed due to heavy rainfall in the remote areas. Speaking to The Tribune, deputy conservator of forest (DCS) headquarters
S.M. Joshi said, “The early monsoon has raised many problems as the official plantation starts after
‘Vanamahotsava’, but the preparations like transportation and inspection of the plantation sites has started early.” The officials believe that the first rainfall of the season is fruitful for the plantation and that they may face loss in the survival of the plantations during later months. S.S.
Raisaily, chief conservator of forest (CCF), Kumaon region, said the field preparations are initiated in January and February. The preparations are inspected after first week of July. “The officials have started visiting the plantation sites to cross-check the preparations made in the plantation field. There can be a possibility that the state might not receive average rainfall once the plantation season starts. Therefore, early plantation should be done.”
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CBI: Arushi murder pre-meditated
New Delhi, June 17 The agency went as far as to claim that Krishna has confessed to the crime which was categorically rejected by Krishna’s counsel and said their client has not given any statement to the police. The CBI made the claims when Krishna, compounder of Rajesh Talwar and presently in police custody, was produced before Special Magistrate, CBI court in Ghaziabad, for extension of his police remand. The CBI had applied for further 11 days police custody remand for continuing the investigation but was granted only for six days. While seeking extension, CBI’s lawyer claimed that Krishna was lying and not cooperating in the investigation. On the other hand Krishna held that he was innocent and was being framed. “I am innocent and I have not done anything. The CBI is trying to frame me to shield Rajesh Talwar,” a visibly distraught Krishna told the media in the court complex as he was being whisked away by the CBI. “Save me,” he cried out. Meanwhile, a team of CBI sleuths accompanied by forensic expert searched the room of Rajkumar, domestic help of Durrani couple, friends of Talwars in sector 53, Noida, today. The CBI has picked up some samples from Rajkumar’s bathroom and sent for examination. The agency also conducted the lie-detector test for the second day on Krishna who was arrested on June 13. He was the first person to have told the police that Rajesh Talwar was having an affair with Anita Durrani, a dentist colleague.
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Left firm on opposing pact with IAEA
New Delhi, June 17 This is notwithstanding the fact that external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee met CPM leader Prakash Karat on Monday night and later on Tuesday CPM and CPI leaders sat together ostensibly to discuss the issue. The government has been urging the Left leaders to consent to signing the India-specific safeguards agreement with the IAEA on the plea that it will also help India conduct nuclear trade with Russia and France. But the CPM is reported to have rejected the proposal fearing that this may operationalise the 123 agreement with the US. However, the Left leaders shied away from saying anything. While Karat refused to confirm the meeting, CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan said, “What is there to discuss (in the nuclear deal), there is no new proposal before us.” Bardhan also said, “We have so many other things to discuss. There is the problem of Gorkhaland and then we have to sort out some outstanding issues in Kerala.” He, however, refused to predict what were the Left’s expectations from the coordination committee meeting tomorrow. He said, “I cannot say now what the government will say tomorrow.” The Left is determined to stall the nuclear safeguards agreement with the IAEA at this stage because it believes that the agreement at this juncture will only operationalise the 123 agreement, which they cannot allow. As for Russia and France, while the Left appear game to it, their plea is since India has not yet signed any bilateral agreement with these two countries, where is the urgency to go to the IAEA. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had deferred signing such an agreement with Russia during his visit to Moscow last November. Mukherjee, too, was reluctant to predict any positive outcome of his meeting with Karat and had reportedly told newsmen, “I cannot say anything now”.
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Book parents of underage
drivers, says Renuka
Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 17 “Children are not to blame for reckless driving. It is the parents’ job to teach the children how to go by the rulebook. Parents are to blame. In fact, licences of fathers who allow minors to drive should be taken away if at all underage driving is to be controlled,” she said, adding that she would write to the road transport ministry to take steps against parents who let minors drive. For this, she said, laws must be amended to cover reckless parents as well. She was speaking after the inauguration of a facilitation centre where information pertaining to ministry’s schemes and programmes would be readily available. Renuka was equally vociferous in demanding a blanket ban on the use of mobile phones in schools, again putting the onus on parents. She said the human resource development ministry should initiate the move by telling schools not to allow students to use mobile phones. Besides, parents should impose regulation and see that children do what was best in children’s interest, said the minister. “It is well-documented now that mobile phones harm the physical and intellectual abilities of children. Moreover, children have no business using cell phones. I can say that even at the cost of sounding conservative. Schools should coordinate and honour the step taken by the telecommunications ministry which had listed the ill-effects of mobile phone use,” said Renuka, also referring to the harm mobile phones do to pregnant women. Renuka had earlier lashed out at producers of reality TV shows, who, she said, were exploiting children by completely disregarding their special needs. On the instructions of the ministry, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights will now study the extent of the problem and frame guidelines for TV producers who bring children on shows.
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Hindu Marriage Act
New Delhi, June 17 “The Hindu Marriage Act has broken more homes than uniting,” a vacation Bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and G.S. Singhvi observed. Enacted in 1955, the Hindu Marriage Act, which had undergone several amendments till 2003, contains various provisions for the validity of a Hindu marriage, restitution of conjugal rights and divorce, the latter being a concept evolved from the English law. “Even at the time of marriages, anticipatory divorce petitions are being filed,” the Bench remarked sarcastically. The apex court passed the observation while dealing with a petition filed by a divorcee for seeking his child’s custody. “Ego should get dissolved for the sake of the child,” the Bench remarked even as the separated parents tried to air their views. The apex court told the separated couple that it was more concerned with the welfare of the child, rather than the mutual recrimination between the two. “Ultimately, the child suffers. If it is a girl the trauma is more, particularly at the time of the marriage of such children,” Justice Pasayat speaking for the Bench observed. — PTI
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Monsoon comes to farmers’ rescue
New Delhi, June 17 Farmers say during paddy transplantation they require uninterrupted power supply and the state provides only eight hours of supply. Therefore, good monsoon means that they will be able to reduce some of their input costs by saving diesel for running tubewells. While the exact picture will become clear after transplantation gets completed by July 15, early indications are that there is likely to be no decrease in acreage under grade A paddy in Punjab. Farmers are hopeful that the Center will give them an MSP of Rs 1,050 for grade A as recommended by the Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices (CACP). Instead of Rs 1,000 a quintal for common variety and Rs 1,050 a quintal for grade A variety of paddy, the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs had announced an ad hoc MSP of Rs 850 a quintal for common and Rs 875 a quintal for the grade A on Thursday and referred the issue to the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council. Fixation of this MSP came under criticism. While farmers reacted sharply to “paltry increase” in paddy MSP, experts said not complying with recommendation of the CACP would dilute its role and expose farmers to market forces. Rice millers, too, expressed dissatisfaction and said support price should be increased to prevent diversion of area to basmati rice. While diesel prices have increased, labour costs have also doubled this year in Punjab. “There is an 80 per cent decrease in the number of labourers coming to Punjab since they are getting employment opportunities in their own states. Labour charges have increased from Rs 750 per acre to Rs 1,500 per acre this year,” BKU (Punjab) president Balbir Singh Rajewal said. However, farmers in Punjab have taken full advantage of good monsoon and paddy transplantation in the state is going on at full speed. Rajewal said acreage under paddy would remain between 26 to 27 lakh hectares as farmers were hopeful that the government would announce good price for grade A paddy.
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DMK snaps ties with PMK
Chennai, June 17 The DMK’s decision, taken at a high-level committee meeting of the party presided by Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, will not have any impact on the stability of the minority DMK government, which enjoys the support of 36-member Congress and Left parties in the 234-member state assembly where the ruling party has 96 members. The Congress, with 36 members, CPM (8) and the CPI (5) are extending outside support. The government can manage even without the support of 17-member PMK group in the assembly as it requires only 118 for a majority. For its part, the PMK leadership went into a huddle to decide the next course of action. PMK President G.K. Mani, who is closetted with party founder Dr S. Ramadoss, told PTI that the party would come out with a statement later. Announcing DMK’s decision, Karunanidhi told reporters that he would not seek PMK’s expulsion from the UPA and would not seek the removal of PMK nominees health minister Andbumani Ramadoss and minister of state for railways R. Velu from the Manmohan Singh government. Karunanidhi, who had demanded expulsion of the MDMK from the UPA when it went out of the DMK-led alliance in the state on the eve of 2006 assembly polls, has chosen not to do so this time. The uneasy relationship between DMK and PMK started from the Rajya Sabha elections in 2006 when PMK demanded one of the six seats in the state. Its demand for a seat during the 2008 Rajya Sabha polls was also rejected by DMK, which had said the demand would be considered later. Both the parties have been at loggerheads for several months with Dr S. Ramadoss being highly critical of various decisions of the DMK government. The last straw for DMK came when senior PMK leader J. Guru made a sharp attack targeting DMK leaders. Dr S. Ramadoss, who had been alleging that police tapped his telephone, said Guru’s speech was taped by them and handed over to the Chief Minister. Ramadoss had remarked that Karunanidhi, “intolerant” of his criticisms, had taken the extreme step of ‘reviewing the relationship’. He charged that political vendetta had prevailed over purposeful thinking of his constructive suggestions to the government on several issues, including self-financing engineering colleges and prohibition. Karunanidhi said the DMK cadre couldn’t digest the “insult” heaped on the party and party leadership by PMK.
— PTI
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Syrian President arrives
New Delhi, June 17 Assad, the first Syrian President to visit India in 30 years, will meet President Pratibha Devisingh Patil, Vice-President Hamid Ansari and other Indian leaders besides holding official-level talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He will also address a meeting of the captains of Indian industry organised by the business chambers. The Syrian President is accompanied by a high-level delegation including the trade, foreign affairs and telecommunication and technology ministers. The two countries will sign an agreement to avoid double taxation and a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in agriculture and allied sectors. At a press conference here yesterday, Syrian expatriates minister Bouthaina Shaaban had expressed the hope that India’s growing relations with Israel would not be at the expense of its historic ties with the Arab world. She said the Arab world always looked up to India as a country that seeks peace and dignity.
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Karnataka rules out CBI probe
Tribune News Service
Bangalore, June 17 The two opposition parties of Karnataka, the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular), were demanding the government to refer the case for a CBI enquiry. They also demanded that home minister Acharya must resign from his post owning moral responsibility for the incident. The Janawadi Mahila Samiti and the state unit of the Youth Congress also demanded a CBI probe. Padmapriya’s mortal remains were brought to Udupi from Delhi and cremated today in a vacant plot near her husband’s family house.
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IIT told to explain expulsion of SC students
New Delhi, June 17 The students had approached the commission alleging they were discriminated against and were not helped with special coaching. They today met chairperson of the commission Buta Singh. The institute was represented in the meeting by director Surendra Prasad, who was summoned by the commission yesterday to explain the act. The commission has also viewed the allegations of another student, who said a professor at the institute attributed his poor performance to his SC status. Deputy director Bijendra Jain had earlier rejected allegations of discrimination insisting the expulsion happened purely on performance grounds. The IIT-Delhi will present its review report to the commission within two weeks.
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Tamta elevated to cabinet rank
Dehra Dun, June 17 The luck smiled on Tamta as it was believed that he would be fielded as ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Almora (reserve) constituency in the next Lok Sabha elections. Being a Scheduled Caste member of the Khanduri ministry and that too hailing from Almora district, he has been shortlisted as a party candidate from the reserve seat, according to party sources.He has been elevated in the state ministry to provide him more powers and space to work in his constituency.
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FBI shares expertise with Indian agencies
New Delhi, June 17 Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) trainers have begun a week-long programme here to share their expertise with Indian authorities. The programme, ‘Evidence, Recovery, Presentation and Exploitation’, is being held at the CBI Academy. Sleuths from state police organisations, National Security Guards and CBI are participating in it. The programme will provide world class crime scene training to Indian law enforcement officials based on post-blast techniques developed by investigators in the US and around the world, a US embassy spokesman said. The course will culminate in a practical exercise, simulating a terrorist bombing attack.
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Tension eases en route Hemkund
Dehra Dun, June 17 Sikh pilgrims from Punjab had clashed with local shopkeepers on June 14 and 15 leading to tension in the area. “We have sorted out the matter. The clashes that took place between some motorcycle-borne pilgrims and the locals had nothing to do with the gurdwara,” Baba Beant Singh, in charge of the Nagrasu gurdwara, told The Tribune.
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AIIMS recruitments arbitrary, says report
New Delhi, June 17 The five-member committee, headed by MP Karan Singh Yadav, appointed to look into alleged irregularities in appointments in the premier Institute, said that appointment of the teaching staff was “characterised by a series of arbitrary in-house decisions and actions that violated procedures”. — PTI
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Arjun warns against fake varsities
New Delhi, June 17 The UGC has listed 21 fake universities in the country and has also released a state-wise list of such varsities to help students choose better. In his appeal, Singh said students must not go for higher educational institutions that are not recognised under proper laws and warned against unscrupulous elements advertising in the media.
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Centre urged to relax norms for farm schemes
New Delhi, June 17 At a conference organised by the ministry of water resources to facilitate discussions on issues related to water resources development and management, the state governments were asked to prepare new projects to avail of funding facility for schemes under these programmes.
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Goa staff call off stir
Panaji, June 17 The employees had struck work for almost a week demanding higher pay scales, pending implementation of the sixth pay commission. The Goa government, which held several rounds of talks with the striking leaders, decided to invoke ESMA last night.
— PTI
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BJP MLA threatens to immolate himself 2 more arrested in Thane auditorium blast case 10 killed in two mishaps
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