New Delhi, June 28
Even as the Opposition, across party lines, is gearing up to launch a nationwide agitation on price rise, and in particular, the hike in petroleum products’ prices, the BJP has targeted Sonia Gandhi for the same.

Addressing newsmen here today, BJP general secretary Ananth Kumar said, “What is the NAC doing on price rise? Not just the Prime Minister, the UPA chairperson, too, is answerable to the nation for price rise.”

He pointed out that the first task the NAC performed after she took over, was suggesting petrol price hike. Kumar also demanded an explanation from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for this saying that he had stated on the first anniversary of UPA-II that price rise was a serious issue and promised to deal with it, yet nothing has been done.

The BJP leader announced that his party would observe July 1 as Mahangai Virodh Diwas across the country. “Rallies will be organised in state capitals and prominent cities against price rise,” he said.

BJP president Nitin Gadkari will lead the protests in Ratlam that day, while Sushma Swaraj in Raipur, M Venkaiah Naidu in Chennai, Rajnath Singh in Bhubaneshwar and Murli Manohar Joshi in Ranchi.

The party is also carrying out a signature campaign against price rise and has set a target of collecting 10 crore signatures before the Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning next month.

Meanwhile, NDA convenor Sharad Yadav announced a parallel agitation plan for July 5 in which constituents of the NDA, Left and others like the TDP, SP, JD-S, INLD and PMK will participate in “Bharat Bandh” on 5 July to protest fuel price hike. JD(U) president alleged that, “Just to increase GDP, the UPA government boosted automobile industry that led to hike of petrol, diesel and kerosene prices,” he said.

Similarly the BSP, too, has decided to agitate against price rise. While the SP is joining the Left and NDA parties demonstrations, the BSP will hold statewide agitation in Uttar Pardesh on July 6.

New Delhi, June 28
Notwithstanding its deep-rooted anti-nuclear sentiments for being the only country to have suffered a nuclear holocaust, Japan today started negotiations with India for a civil nuclear cooperation agreement that may well be concluded later this year.

In the two-day meeting, the two countries are expected to work out arrangements to allow Japan to export its nuclear power generation technology and related equipment to India while banning using them for military purposes and transferring them to a third country.

The Indian side at the talks in Tokyo was led by Gautam Bambawale, Joint Secretary (East Asia) in the External Affairs Ministry while the Japanese side was headed by Mitsuru Kitano, Deputy Director General if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Incidentally, the talks between the two countries began a day after Canada became the ninth nation to sign a nuclear cooperation accord with India since New Delhi secured a waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) in September 2008 to undertake trading in nuclear items. India has already signed nuclear deals with the US, France, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Argentina, Namibia and the Britain.

Official sources here said Japan was quite reluctant to consider nuclear cooperation with India since it was not signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT). One reason for Tokyo’s passive stance on the issue was that it would only weaken the NPT regime and send a wrong message to countries like Pakistan and North Korea, which too are out of the NPT framework.

However, it was India’s responsible behaviour and its unblemished record in non-proliferation that clinched the issue in its favour with the Japanese. Another factor was the growing influence of China in the international arena that apparently compelled Tokyo to position itself better by strengthening ties with India. Japan, however, is believed to have sought cast-iron guarantees from New Delhi that it would not conduct further nuclear testing.

New Delhi, June 28
Child protection continues to be the last of political priorities. First it took the government four years to approve the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS), the first ever centrally-sponsored scheme for protection of children trapped in difficult situations. Now, several state governments are dragging their feet on its implementation.

Over a year after the Union Cabinet on February 26, last approved the ICPS, 10 states and the UTs are yet to initiate the process of rolling the scheme - a must to protect over 20 crore vulnerable children in India. The first step towards operationalisation of the ICPS involves the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the state and the Centre.

Ten states and UTs are yet to sign MoUs, with the Centre urging the defaulters to get going on the front. Among the lagging states/UTs are Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Arunachal, Andaman and Nicobar, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep and Puducherry. Chandigarh along with other UTs has failed to comply despite the Home Ministry writing to the respective administrators to ensure action, which has become urgent. The US placed India on its second worst category on human trafficking for the seventh consecutive year, saying children in India were still highly vulnerable.

At a meeting, which the WCD Ministry called of the state ministers for the child welfare, rolling of the ICPS was a major agenda item. WCD Minister Krishna Tirath sought states’ cooperation for the ICPS, which will provide preventive, statutory, care and rehabilitation services to all children in need of care and protection or in conflict with law as defined under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000.

The scheme mandates setting up of the child protection societies at state and district level; state project support units and state adoption resource agencies to register every single LAPA (licensed adoption agency). Most LAPAs and child service organisations, including NGOs are not yet registered. This is in violation of the JJ Act.

Jamshedpur, June 28
The police and Tata Steel security guards fired in the air after contract labourers, protesting against the alleged slapping of one of their colleagues, torched several vehicles in the company premises here and resorted to brick batting.

The trouble started when a company security guard slapped one of the labourers after they had a heated argument over entering the premises, East Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner Ravindra Agarwal and SP Navin Kumar Singh told reporters at the spot.

Angry labourers set several vehicles on fire parked inside the premises and two police jeeps. Dozens of bicycles, motorcycles and equipment for registering attendance were also damaged by the labourers, DSP PN Ram said. The labourers resorted to brick batting when the police tried to intervene, Ram said; adding the police then fired two to three rounds in the air to quell the mob.

Four labourers were injured in the melee, he added. Tata Steel security guards also fired four rounds in the air, Superintendent of Police (City) Jatin Narwal said. Meanwhile, Tata Steel officials said the incident had nothing to do with the company as the problem was an issue between a contractor and his labourers. — PTI

Coimbatore, June 28
Indians are pioneers in missile technology, since Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan used a weapon resembling these missiles, when he fought against the British rule, said Sivathanupillai, a leading scientist.

The small launchers, packed with explosives, moved forward using a similar technology that is being used now, he added. Since this technology was in its inception stage and the materials available were not sophisticated, the missiles could only hit the target at a distance of 1 to 2 kilometers, he added. He also explained the underlying principles behind BrahMos, Agni and the Nag and the small rockets developed by Tipu Sultan.

Attending a session titled “Scientific Tamil” at the World Classical Tamil Conference that concluded yesterday, the scientist said a few warriors in the northern districts of Tamil Nadu manufactured these missiles. Tipu’s arms godowns were located at Dharmapuri and Arcot. It was at these places that the missiles were manufactured. The British rulers, who defeated Tippu Sultan, finally raided these godowns and were amazed at the new technology. The rockets were taken to England and were on display at London Museum, Sivathanupillai said.

Chandigarh, June 28
Chairman of Punjab and Haryana Bar Council, Partap Singh, has resigned from the post in protest against the recent decision of Bar Council of India (BCI) asking fresh advocates to clear All India Bar Examination (AIBE) before they are allowed to practice in courts.

An emergency meeting was called to this regard soon after the resignation wherein the members of the council decided that Pratap Singh would continue as the acting chairman till the next elections.

Claiming that such a decision is not good for education system, the chairman said, “Implementation of All India Bar Examination shows complete failure on the part of the BCI in its duty postulated under Section 7 of the Advocates Act regarding promoting and laying down the standards of the legal education.”

A pass-out from Kurukshetra University, Pratap said when he was a student, the standard of education of law college was good. However, presently there are more than 500 law colleges and the BCI doesn’t visit anyone of them.

Giving his view on the examination, he said, “This examination, which supposedly checks the acumen of law students, allows them to carry notes and even bare Acts. It is a 3.30-hour-long exam. Even a Class XII student can clear such an exam.”

Elaborating, Singh said, “The Bar Council of India is circumventing its responsibilities of checking the mushrooming of third-grade law colleges whose only aim is commercialisation of education. The implementation of All India Bar Exam is not going to enhance the standard of legal education rather Bar Council of India should lay stress on regular appraisal of standard of legal education is law institutions.”

The Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana has unanimously resolved to oppose these rules which are not arbitrary but contrary to the various sections of the Advocates Act and these rules cannot supersede the provisions of the Act. A special meeting of State Bar Councils is being convened on July 10 at Law Bhavan in this regard. — TNS