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Higher Education Bill
Let’s work to strengthen ties, Manmohan tells Cameron
Cameron for ‘special relationship’ with India
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80 pc rider to go for college scholarships
SH Kapadia takes over as CJI
Fatwa against women working with men
7-yr jail for Telgi in graft case
19 Karnataka HC judges declare assets
Gift from a mother on Mother’s Day
Bihar Carnage
Access to Headley in weeks ahead: Roemer
Won’t privatise AIIMS: Govt
Now, hazard line to denote ‘fragile’ coastal areas
Special law must to curb honour killings: Experts
Not paranoid over China: Antony
Jharkhand CM Post
Wage Boards for journalists may get extension
Maoists gun down village guards
Foodgrain produce dips by 7 per cent Jindal’s final stand: Not backing khaps
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Higher Education Bill
New Delhi, May 12 The Tribune has learnt that the taskforce appointed by the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) to finalise the NCHER draft law is making all-out efforts to bring medical education under the ambit of the proposed Council. The Health Ministry is, however, resistant to the move and has sought greater discussions on the matter. In her May 10 letter to the HRD Ministry, Union Health Secretary Sujatha Rao sought a meeting on the issue and highlighted four key concerns of the Health Ministry in case medical education was to be regulated by the proposed Council. HRD Ministry sources confirmed receipt of the health ministry’s letter and said they would engage with them on the issue. Meanwhile, Planning Commission member Narendra Jadhav -- also on the HRD Ministry-appointed taskforce finalising the NCHER draft law to accommodate concerns raised by stakeholders including states -- today said the issue had not yet been settled as the health ministry had appointed its own taskforce for a separate law to regulate medical education. “We are trying our best to bring them together. Whether we succeed or not only time will tell,” Jadhav said, admitting that the NCHER law was based on recommendations that talked of education as a whole and did not make distinctions on the basis of streams. The President had made a mention of NCHER draft law and another council for human resources in health in her joint address to both Houses of Parliament last year. Her speech talked of the establishment of the National Council for Higher Education as recommended by the Yashpal Committee and the National Knowledge Commission to bring in reform of regulatory institutions and another National Council for Human Resources in Health as an overarching regulatory body for the health sector to reform the current regulatory framework and enhance supply of skilled personnel. “So far as health goes, the Presidential speech only outlines a regulator for skilled personnel in health, which means doctors. It does not talk of medical education,” HRD ministry officials said, adding they are sticking to NKC recommendations for the NCHER draft bill. Meanwhile, Health Secretary Sujatha Rao has said that the ministry was working on its own law to regulate medical education. With the two ministries engaged in a turf war, the picture will become clear only once the reworked NCHER draft Bill is made public later this week.
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Let’s work to strengthen ties, Manmohan tells Cameron
New Delhi, May 12 In a letter to Cameron, Manmohan Singh said: “The elections in the United Kingdom and your stewardship of the Conservative Party reflect the best traditions of parliamentary democracy. I wish you the very best in your leadership in the years ahead.” The Indian leader also spoke to Cameron on phone and fondly recalled his meeting with the British leader in New Delhi in September 2006. “Over the years, our bilateral relations have diversified into a multi-faceted strategic partnership encompassing almost all areas of human endeavour,” he said. “We are today well placed to build upon this strong edifice not just for the welfare and benefit of our two peoples, but also to work together to address the pressing global challenges that we face today, and to harness the growing inter-dependence among nations for the good of humankind. “I look forward to working with you to further advance and strengthen our bonds of friendship, to which India attaches the highest importance,” Singh added. Cameron, one of Britain's youngest prime ministers, got the top job after his party sealed a deal with the third-placed Liberal Democrats. Indian officials were hopeful that there would be continuity in Indo-British ties and the political change in London would lead to further strengthening of this special relationship. In this connection, they recalled that Cameron had set up a blog about India in 2006 when he visited New Delhi, paying handsome tributes to this country as the largest democracy, a rapidly growing economy and a huge potential trading partner. He believes that India is a key regional player — a force for stability in a troubled part of the world. “I attach the highest priority to Britain's relationship with India. For too long, politics in this country (Britain) has been obsessed with Europe and America. Of course these relationships are, and will continue to be, vital. But serious and responsible leadership in the 21st century means engaging with far greater energy in the parts of the world where Britain's strategic interests will increasingly lie,” he wrote on the blog.
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80 pc rider to go for college scholarships
New Delhi, May 12 Under the scheme made effective from December 1, 2008, 82,000 scholarships (41,000 each to boys and girls) are handed down annually to students who secure 80 per cent marks in the senior secondary school examination. No longer would the 80 per cent criteria be applicable, with the HRD Ministry ready to move before the Union Cabinet tomorrow a proposal to judge students on the basis of percentile which enhances the scope of their selection and makes the disbursement of scholarships more equitable. At the root of the new proposal is the concern that most scholarships are being pocketed by students from states where board exams are easy to pass and high scoring. States like UP and Bihar have been at a loss (as compared to Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Chandigarh, etc. where boards are easier to score) so far as the scholarship schemes goes because state board exams here are extremely tough, leaving students with little scope to score high marks. From now on, percentiles would apply and not 80 per cent marks - the original eligibility criteria. Since 2008, the said scholarships are being given to students who pursue graduation (Rs 1,000 each renewable every year provided the student scores 60 per cent marks) or post graduation (Rs 2,000 per student; also renewable till the completion of studies) or professional courses such as medicine and engineering. Only those students are considered for the scheme who belong to non-creamy layer, as defined by the Department of Personnel and Training, have annual income below Rs 4.5 lakh and have not availed any other scholarship.
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SH Kapadia takes over as CJI
New Delhi, May 12 Among those who attended the ceremony were Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his cabinet colleagues and outgoing CJI KG Balakrishnan. CJI Kapadia, who will retire on September 29, 2012, began his legal career at the Bombay bar as an advocate in 1974. Before being elevated to the apex court on December 18, 2003, he was Chief Justice of the Uttaranchal High Court. He was Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court from October 8, 1991, to March 23, 1993, before being appointed as Permanent Judge of the HC. Presiding over the Court No. 1 later, CJI Kapadia said he was immediately dispensing with the “oral mentioning,” a routine at the beginning of the day to enable advocates to seek early hearings in urgent cases. “You file your petitions before 11 am and take the order at 2 pm,” he told the lawyers present in the court. He also made it clear that he would not only dismiss frivolous public interest litigation (PIL) petitions but also impose cost for wasting the time of the court. This was necessary to check the filing of such PILs, he said. Attorney General GE Vahanvati and Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium, who is also the President of the Bar Council of India (BCI), an official body, felicitated Justice Kapadia on becoming the CJI and assured him of their support in ensuring the smooth functioning of the apex court.
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Fatwa against women working with men
Muzaffarnagar (UP), May 12 Sharia prohibits proximity of women and men in a workplace, said a recent fatwa (dictat) issued by a bench of clerics headed by chief Mufti Habib-ur-Rehman. Clerics at the largest Sunni Muslim seminary also held that Sharia was against acceptance of earnings by women by the family, according to Darul Uloom sources. The other members of the bench were Mufti Fakhrul Islam, Mufti Zainul Islam and Mufti Wakar Ali. The fatwa was in response to a query by one woman Kausar whether income of a Muslim lady for a family was justified. The clerics ruled that Muslim women working in any institution, government or private, with men was against Sharia. — PTI
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7-yr jail for Telgi in graft case
New Delhi, May 12 The court proceedings were held through video-conferencing as Telgi is presently lodged in a Bangalore jail. Holding HIV patient Telgi guilty of various offences, including criminal conspiracy and giving false evidence under the IPC and other offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, Special CBI Judge PS Teji also slapped a fine of Rs 1 lakh on Telgi. He was convicted on April 26. Telgi is already serving a seven-year sentence for his conviction in other cases and the fresh conviction is unlikely to affect him adversely as all sentences will go concurrently. However, the total fine in the four cases he has been convicted so far, including the one today, now totals Rs 1.4 crore, his lawyer Anwar Ahmad Khan said.
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19 Karnataka HC judges declare assets
Bangalore, May 12 Notably, those who refrained from declaring their assets included controversial Chief Justice of the high court PD Dinakaran, who is facing land-grabbing and corruption charges. The nineteen judges who declared their assets and liabilities included DV Shylendra Kumar, who had criticised outgoing Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan when the latter took a stand against making public assets of judges. Shylendra Kumar had declared his assets last August itself in the wake of the controversy over the issue triggered off by an application filed by RTI activist Subhash C Aggarwal to the Supreme Court. Since the Karnataka High Court was not ready to display his asset statement on its website, Shylendra Kumar posted the declaration on his own blog. Both permanent judges and additional judges figured in the list of judges who declared their assets today. Those who did not make their assets public also included both categories of HC judges.
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Gift from a mother on Mother’s Day
Hyderabad, May 12 After a fatal road accident on May 7, Indira, a mother of two, was declared brain dead by doctors attending on her. Her children wanted her to live on even after death. They could not have thought of a better Mother’s Day gift than donating her organs to needy patients. Once the decision was made, a voluntary organisation - MOHAN (Multi-Organ Harvesting Aid Network) Foundation -- stepped in to arrange for harnessing the organs and identifying the needy recipients. As many as seven patients got a fresh lease of life as Indira’s liver, heart valves, kidneys and eyes were donated to them on Mother’s Day. Of them, two were battling for life with renal failure and liver cirrhosis. Each of her kidneys was transplanted on a 48-year-old who was suffering from renal failure and on a 51-year-old suffering from a chronic kidney disease. Her heart valves were sent to Innova Children's Hospital in the city, while her eyes were donated to L V Prasad Eye Institute. The liver was transplanted on a 54-year-old Kolkata resident suffering from liver cirrhosis and waiting for the organ for the last nine months at the Global Hospital here. “My mother’s death has shocked us. But, we feel a sense of satisfaction and pride when we realise that she has given a fresh lease of life to seven other patients,” Indira’s son P Ramesh Reddy said. Indira, a widow, was riding pillion on a scooter and going to a temple near L B Nagar in the city when the two-wheeler fell in a ditch. She suffered serious internal head injury and was rushed to a private hospital. Two days later, the doctors pronounced her brain dead. Even in the moment of deep grief, her family members realised that organ donation was the best way to pay tributes to her as it helped seven other needy patients. After her husband's death 15 years ago, Indira worked hard to raise her two sons and provide them good education. “As her family members had an idea about what organ donation was and the work of MOHAN Foundation, they readily agreed to donate the organs. Isn’t this a big gift from a mother on Mother’s Day?” said K Raghuram, CEO of the Foundation.
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Bihar Carnage
Patna, May 12 On July 11, 1996, the Sena men had targeted the village under Sahar block of Bihar’s Bhojpur district, around 60 km from the state capital. Although the FIR lodged in this connection had named 33 persons as assailants, the police filed a chargesheet against 53 persons. In course of the trial, the court acquitted 30 persons for lack of evidence and convicted 23 of them.
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Access to Headley in weeks ahead: Roemer
Pune, May 12 "There are a couple of things the Indian government needs to do and direct access will be delivered at some point in the weeks ahead," US Ambassador Timothy J Roemer told reporters after paying homage to the victims of the February 13 bomb blast at the German bakery here which left 17 dead. Noting that he recognised the importance of Headley, lodged in US custody, not only to the government of India but also to the people of the country, he said, "Headley symbolises the historic cooperation between the two countries. "I would like to underscore that for the last several weeks and months the US and the Indian government have been working closely together. The first step is indirect access... questions being submitted and answers immediately given to the people of India. The next step is direct access which we are hopeful that it takes place in the weeks ahead," he said. Roemer, however, declined to disclose the steps the Indian government was required to take before direct access was granted to Headley, who surveyed terror targets in Mumbai, Pune and several other places in the country. "It is up to your government to answer that," he told reporters who insisted that he reveal the conditions to be met by the Indian government to gain access to Headley. Emphasising that the US wanted to help India in gaining access to Headley, Roemer said, "Your Solicitor General visited the US. He was extremely happy and satisfied from the briefings he received in the US. Things went extremely well for getting open the doors to Headley and India now has to walk to that door." The US Ambassador recalled how as a member of the 9/11 commission he could not get access to the mastermind of the attack Khalid Sheikh Mohammed with the American government refusing permission. —
PTI
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Won’t privatise AIIMS: Govt
New Delhi, May 12 Emerging from a meeting of the reconstituted AIIMS institute body today, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said the government would not allow privatisation of the top tertiary care medical institute in the country at any cost. He was speaking after heated discussions on the issue at the institute body meet, with members unequivocally rejecting certain recommendations of the Valiathan Committee for reforms, which sought a commercial role for AIIMS in the future. The Prime Minister had appointed the Valiathan panel to show the way for AIIMS restructuring. The committee, in its report submitted last December, called for complete autonomy for AIIMS and PGIs, asking the Health Ministry to follow the IIT model adopted by the Human Resources Development Ministry. It said the Health Minister should give up presidency of medical institutes and instead establish their joint councils, which he could preside over. The most controversial suggestion of the committee, however, was the commercial role it sought for AIIMS, saying the institute should form a consortium with other research bodies and industry to develop and transfer a range of products for commercialisation. “The institute should also create a personnel department with an MBA in-charge, who should report to the director,” the report said. The recommendation, which faced stiff resistance from several sections in the Lok Sabha, including the BJP and Left, today resonated at the AIIMS Institute body meet. Newly-inducted BJP member Sushma Swaraj insisted that privatisation would prove counterproductive and should not be allowed. Azad then clarified that the ministry would not accept any recommendation that takes AIIMS away from its original model of servicing the poorest in the country. “None of the recommendations which give AIIMS a commercial role would be accepted. The report talked of allowing AIIMS to take up research projects on behalf of pharma firms in return for money. This is one of the recommendations we are not accepting,” the Minister said. Another burning issue discussed at the meeting was of mounting faculty vacancies at AIIMS -- a whopping 190 currently. The ministry is considering a Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) proposal to fill up vacancies. Of the 190 vacancies, former Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss had put 92 in the reserved category.
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Now, hazard line to denote ‘fragile’ coastal areas
New Delhi, May 12 The Environment Ministry and the Ministry of Science and Technology signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Wednesday for the project, which will focus on three coastal states - Orissa, Gujarat and West Bengal. Under the project, costing Rs 125 crore, surveyors will take to the skies in an aircraft to photograph the coastal regions, augment the information with satellite imagery and come out with a digital terrain model for the entire mainland coast. A digital map demarcating the hazard line will be available in the next four-and-a-half years. The process would include collection of the historic tide guage data and its analysis to determine 100-year flood levels and detail study of maps and satellite imagery since 1967 to predict the erosion line over the next 100 years. The special focus of the project will be identification and demarcation of coastal fragile areas like mangroves, brackish water wetlands and coral reefs, based on which a new category of “Critically Vulnerable Coastal Areas” (CVCAs) would be designated and appropriate management plans implemented for their preservation and regeneration. Science and Technology Minister Prithviraj Chavan said mapping, delineation and demarcation of the hazard line along the coastline would greatly assist in protecting coastal communities and infrastructure. “The project assumes special significance in the context of climate change since one of the definitive findings of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) relates to the increase in mean sea levels as a result of global warming,” Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said. However, as of now there is no question of relocation of people, he said. “Hazard line is the first step. Only when all options are exhausted, we will think of relocation,” he added.
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Special law must to curb honour killings: Experts
New Delhi, May 12 They also lashed out at khap panchayats for their support to such killings and said adequate provisions be made in law to protect victims. “Extreme violence against couples marrying in the same gotra is not just illegal but also a direct violation of human rights. It’s the need of the hour to put some stringent laws in place, said KS Mani, National Human Rights Commission member, while speaking at the discussion. The discussion revolved around the honour killing of Manjo and Babli in Haryana, who both belonged to the Banwala gotra, and the recent alleged honour killing of Delhi-based journalist Nirupama Pathak, who fell in love with her classmate, who belonged to a separate caste. Referring to murders of Manoj and Babli, who were kidnapped and hackled by Babli’s family members in June 2007 for going against the wishes of khap panchayat, Kirti Singh, former Law Commission member and Supreme Court lawyer said, “Haryana has the highest number of cases of female feticide. Why don’t the khap leaders raise their voice against such social evils? If the khap leaders claim that they directly don’t order the killings, they have openly supported such acts and congratulated the murderers,” “It is always the girl’s family that is agitated with the violation of their so called honour. Her right to choose to marry is snatched away. There have been instances when even if the girl is pregnant, family and the panchayat have asked them to tie rakhi. Many are forced to be brothers and sisters. Others are killed, some are boycotted,” said Prem Choudhary, noted historian. However, Balwinder Malik, Gathwal gotra khap leader from Kurukshetra, claimed that these allegations are pointless and “marriages in the same gotra can lead to genetic disorders in the generations to come” When questioned on the legal support the khap leaders are planning to provide to the five guilty in Manoj and Babli case by collecting 10 Rs from every household in their panchayat, Malik said, “We are just being sympathetic to the families of those who are accused.”
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Not paranoid over China: Antony
New Delhi, May 12 The government has taken a conscious policy decision to maintain friendly relations with all neighbours, he said while interacting with the media after inaugurating a conference of Defence Accounts Controllers here. "In this context, we are trying to improve our relations with all our neighbouring countries and this includes China also. All are reciprocating well," he said. Noting that Sino-Indian border disputes still existed, the Defence Minister said the two governments had evolved mechanisms to talk about these disputes. "Despite these disputes, our relations are improving with China in all aspects. China is today our largest trading partner. Our cultural relations are improving. Regarding my ministry, disputes are there, but military relations are improving," he said. — PTI
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Jharkhand CM Post
New Delhi, May 12 Three BJP leaders, including party president Nitin Gadkari, general secretary Ananth Kumar and former president Rajnath Singh met today at Singh’s residence to deliberate on the final choice for the Chief Minister’s post, but failed to arrive at any decision though there was widespread speculation in party circles that the dice is loaded in favour of former Chief Minister Arjun Munda. After the meeting, Ananth Kumar claimed, “We have come to a decision but will not announce it yet.” Rajnath, Ananth Kumar and Jharkhand in charge Karuna Shukla went to Ranchi yesterday and met the party MLAs to assess their choice for the position. However, sources said the central leadership of the party seemed to have reconciled to the name of Arjun Munda, there are still a couple of MLAs rooting for Deputy Chief Minister Raghubar Das. Sources in the BJP also commented that the party may only be weighing options between these two, there are almost as many aspirants as the MLAs in Jharkhand. The BJP has 18 MLAs and that is what is deterring it from making an announcement, said a political observer. The other major factor sources said was an apprehension how the JMM and its leaders, in particular Chief Minister Shibu Soren will react to an announcement by the BJP. Already there is open disagreement between the BJP and the other allies, including the JMM and the AJSU over whether the BJP will be allowed the entire remaining period of four and half years or whether both will have their respective Chief Ministers for 28 months each. Reports from Ranchi indicated that both JMM legislature party leader Hemant Soren and AJSU leader Sudesh Mahto have gone on record to state that their agreement with the BJP is only for sharing power for 28 months each. Therefore, while the inauspicious Malamas month may end on May 15, there is no certainty in party circles that the end of Malamas will herald a good omen for BJP.
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Wage Boards for journalists may get extension
New Delhi, May 12 The chairman of the wage boards has sought an extension up to December 31. The ministry might extend the tenure till that period, Labour and Employment Ministry sources said. The boards were asked to submit their report by
May 23. Meanwhile, sources said the Labour and Employment Ministry was also looking at setting up tribunals for fixing or revising rates of wages for working journalists and other newspaper employees. They said a note had been prepared and would be placed before the Cabinet. The Confederation of Newspaper and News agency said the newspaper industry would resort to countrywide agitation if any such development took place. “The tribunals can be set up when representatives of newspaper employers or employees resign from the wage boards or when the government is not satisfied with the performance of the wage boards,” said general secretary of the confederation MS Yadav. He said the wage boards under the present chairman had completed over 94 per cent hearing in the last nine months. — PTI |
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Maoists gun down village guards
Paralakhemundi, May 12 The police said armed ultras struck at village Katama in the Adaba police station area around midnight last night and dragged the village guards, identified as Dinabandhu Mantri and Sadananda Singh, out of their houses to a nearby place before shooting them dead, Gajapati district SP Sanjeev Arora said. —
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Foodgrain produce dips by 7 per cent New Delhi, May 12 However, there is no need for alarm. The figures only highlight that the drought in kharif season last year has taken its toll. The government not only has double the quantity of foodgrain required for buffer stock but also has the new crop coming in. When compared to the second advance estimate released in February, the foodgrain production figures see an upward revision. Wheat output has been revised upwards to 80.98 MT from 80.28 MT, while rice has been raised from 87.56 MT to 89.31 MT. The foodgrain output in comparison to the second estimate is also placed higher at 218.19 MT, from 216.85 MT. The decline in comparison to last year is largely due to fall in production of kharif rice following a bad monsoon. Although wheat is about to set a record 80.98 million tonne output, the production of foodgrain, comprising wheat, rice, pulses and coarse cereals, declined mainly due to fall in the output of rice and coarse cereals by 10 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively. In all, the output of rice, grown mainly in the kharif season, is expected to fall to 89.31 MT from 99.18 MT in the 2008-09 season. The production of coarse cereals will decline to 33.13 million tonne from 40.03 million tonne. But estimated wheat production of 80.98 MT will beat the previous year's record of 80.68 MT. The pulses output is projected to increase marginally to 14.77 MT from 14.57 MT. But the production of nine oilseeds is expected to decline to 25.40 MT from last year's 27.71 MT, which may pose a problem for the government. There is a fall in sugarcane production also to 274.65 MT from 285.02 MT, which may work against the struggle to pull back the rising sugar prices. “Realistically speaking, there is a shortfall in production and the government’s claim that the rabi crop will make up for the kharif crop has not happened,” food policy analyst Devinder Sharma said, adding that drought in the kharif season had taken its toll but there was no reason for alarm because the government had double the quantity of foodgrain stock that is required as buffer. |
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Jindal’s final stand: Not backing khaps New Delhi, May 13 AICC general secretary in charge of Haryana Prithviraj Chavan wrote to the Kurukshetra MP, asking him to explain his “support” for khap panchayats. Jindal explained his stand to the party today. Senior party leaders confirm receiving Jindal’s letter. “He (Jindal) has given an explanation. He is not in support of them (khaps). The party has already made its stand clear and the matter is closed now," a senior party leader said. While Jindal had recently praised khap panchayats and extended support to their demand to amend the Hindu Marriage Act to prohibit same gotra marriages, Batra, a confidant of CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, had also given the notice in the Upper House to move an amendment to the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, prohibiting same-gotra and same-village marriages. |
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Amid expectations in New Delhi that new British Prime Minister David Cameron will strive to strengthen ties with India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today congratulated the Conservative leader on assuming the office and extended him an invitation.
Ex-CJI Balakrishnan tipped to head NHRC
