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Food Bill to be placed before Cabinet today
India, US discuss economic issues, nuclear cooperation |
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Minorities in Pak
SC: House allotment price can’t be hiked after 7 yrs
Kargil war: George Fernandes ‘approved’ purchase of 20 radars at higher price
SP transferred over doctors’ exodus
Tackling
Drunken Driving
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Food Bill to be placed before Cabinet today
New Delhi, December 12 Sources say that starting 2012 fiscal, the NFSB will be rolled out in phases to achieve for the Congress-led UPA in 2014 what MNREGA and farmers’ loan-waiver scheme had for the coalition during the 2009 general elections. The draft Bill, changed quite a bit on Congress president’s intervention, will now fulfil a wider social agenda in sync with NAC’s recommendations. The bill may, therefore, follow a life-cycle approach with provisions for everyone - infants and lactating mothers to senior citizens, homeless and destitute. Expected to cost 1.20 lakh crore to the exchequer, almost double of what it cost the government to run the PDS, the huge bill for fulfilling the ambitious plan will be taken care of by converging different government schemes under one comprehensive food law. The Planning Commission has apparently suggested integrating schemes like Integrated Child Development Scheme, Mid-day Meal programme and Janani Suraksha scheme for would-be mothers under the proposed Act to take care of the huge resources required. The annual grain requirement is also forecast to rise to 69 to 70 million, 10 MT more from the current requirement. This means that the government may have to pay more to farmers to ensure increased foodgrain production. If the cash-handout of Rs 1,000 per month for six months to lactating women is also taken into account, the government may have to foot a Bill of 1.40 lakh crore annually. The draft, however, is understood to be silent on grievances redressal. Sources say this aspect, as also the number of beneficiaries, may be included later through an amendment or a separate law. With a separate grievance redress bill on the anvil, the Centre may just depend on it to cover lapses under the food law. Meanwhile, the evaluation and social auditing will be done by the panchayats to increase their involvement. The government also seems to have given-in midway to NAC’s recommendation on provisions under the PDS. The NAC wanted the “general category above poverty line” to get 20 kg of foodgrains as compared to the 35 kg provided to the “priority category”. The first draft scaled it down to 3 kg per individual for a five-person family. The new draft, it seems, will add the term “minimum” to this 3 kg with a provision to increase it in future depending upon the situation and stocks The Act, incidentally, seeks to provide legal entitlement to subsidised foodgrains to 75 per cent of the country's rural population and 50 per cent of urban India. Food Minister KV Thomas told the Rajya Sabha today that under the new Bill, the distribution, evaluation and deciding the particular sectors had almost been entrusted to Panchayati Raj Institutions. “Actually, distribution is the responsibility of the state government, and we have suggested that the state governments should strengthen the Panchayati Raj Institutions,” he said.
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India, US discuss economic issues, nuclear cooperation
New Delhi, December 12 He is also expected to call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukehrjee before leaving for Mumbai tomorrow. The two sides are understood to have discussed the entire range of Indo-US relations, including the cooperation in the civil nuclear energy sector, as well as international developments. Burns is learnt to have conveyed to the Indian side Washington’s view on the nuclear liability rules which have been notified by India. The implementation of the civil nuclear agreement, signed in 2008, has been a matter of contention, particularly due to American reservations on India's nuclear liability law. The US contends that the legislation is not in tune with the IAEA's Convention on Supplementary Compensation (CSC), making it difficult for US companies to start nuclear commerce with India. New Delhi has, however, ruled out any changes in the civil nuclear liability law, contending that it had been approved by the Indian Parliament. Talking to reporters at the South Block after his 30-minute meeting with Krishna, Burns said the relationship between India and the US mattered not only to the two countries but the entire international community. Describing his meetings in New Delhi as productive, Burns said the two sides had also discussed Afghanistan, Pakistan and the situation in Asia Pacific and the Middle East. “Ours is a relationship where we can’t see dramatic breakthroughs every day but every day we can work to build upon the relationship,’’ he added. He dismissed criticism that the US had not provided sufficient information to India about David Coleman Headley, one of the key planners of the Mumbai attack. “We have worked very effectively not only on terrorism but on Headley with India. We will continue that cooperation,’’ he added.
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RS members express concern
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, December 12 Worry over atrocities on minorities in Pakistan and killings of some Hindus recently, raised during Zero Hour by Avinash Rai Khanna (BJP), not just found unequivocal support from his party colleagues, but also MS Gill of the Congress. Gill urged the government to take up the issue seriously. Khanna was in fact supported by members from all political parties, associating themselves with the issue. Khanna said Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission in its recent report had pointed out such atrocities on minorities, including Hindus, Sikhs and Christians, whose property and life were not secure in that country. The BJP member said many Hindu families from Pakistan had been camping in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Rajpura and Khanna for quite some time, refusing to return home despite expiry of their visas. They are seeking Indian citizenship. Around 28 families had also settled in Delhi’s Majnu Ka Tilla area, seeking Indian citizenship, Khanna said. Lamenting that the Indian government was not doing anything in support of minorities in Pakistan he added that “the government has not spoken a word in their support”. SS Ahluwalia (BJP) joined his colleague and asked the government to take up the matter with the United Nations.
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SC: House allotment price can’t be hiked after 7 yrs
New Delhi, December 12 The rationale for the seven-year deadline “was that once the allottee pays the total price, he may not be subjected to the burden of additional cost after a number of years,” a Bench comprising Justices GS Singhvi and SJ Mukhopadhaya held in a verdict. The apex court gave the ruling while allowing the appeals filed by some of those who had been allotted houses at Sonepat in 1978 under the schemes meant for economically weaker sections (EWS), lower income group (LIG) and middle income group (MIG). The allottees had challenged the Board’s additional demand raised against them 10 years after the allotments. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had rejected their pleas at the level of the single judge as well as the Division Bench, prompting them to approach the Supreme Court. The Bench accepted the contentions of the Board and the Haryana Government that the allotment letters as well as the Hire Purchase Tenancy Agreement (HPTA) had made it clear that the price of the tenement specified at the time of allotment was subject to revision in the light of the final bills representing the cost of construction or the land. However, it was the Board which had “consciously incorporated” in the Hire Purchase Tenancy Agreement a prohibition against change in the price after seven years from the date of allotment of tenements, the Bench pointed out. After including the seven-year deadline, “there is no reason why it should not be asked to honour the commitment made to the allottees that they will not live under the fear of being asked to pay additional price after an indefinite period,” the Bench reasoned. Unfortunately, the high court did not give due weightage to the prohibition clause, the apex court noted. The wordings of the price regulations made it clear that the “Board had kept in view all the eventualities which could lead to an increase in the cost of land made available for construction of the tenements and yet it thought proper to put an embargo against the revision of price after seven years”. “In the result, the appeals are allowed ...and the demand notices issued by Estate Manager, Sonepat, quashed,” the SC ruled.
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Kargil war: George Fernandes ‘approved’ purchase of 20 radars at higher price
New Delhi, December 12 Pointing out that the contract for the radars was concluded with Israel’s ELTA in February 2000 at a higher unit price, the report said: “There was no basis for concluding the contract at a higher price with a firm with which there was an existing contract” for the purchase of 150 radars at a lower price. The report has been prepared by senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, who is assisting the Supreme Court as amicus curiae in a PIL on the alleged scam, after studying the reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and the CBI, which had probed the contracts. There was no ground to justify the emergency purchase as the Kargil conflict, known as Operation Vijay, had actually ended in May 1999 and was declared as “officially over” in January 2000, says the report submitted today to a Bench comprising Justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Desai. The government already had a contract for the purchase of 150 radars from ELTA at a lower price and the deliveries were to have commenced by the time the 20 radars under the second agreement were received (three in August 2000 and 17 January 2001), the report said. “The proposal (for the emergency contract) was submitted to the Defence Minister in December 1999. The Defence Minister was informed that the 20 radars were expected in July 2000 as against the order of 150 radars already issued. The Defence Minister questioned whether the second order was necessary. The file was re-submitted in February 2000 impressing operational necessity. After discussing with Defence Secretary, the Minister approved on 23/2/2000 and the contract was signed on 29/2/2000,” the report said. While the CBI had concluded that no artificial emergency was created and ELTA was not shown any undue favour, the government had maintained that though the hostilities were over the continued tense security environment had necessitated the purchase. The amicus, however, pointed out that both the CBI and the government had ignored five lapses in the contract: payment of higher price; overlooking the offer from another manufacturer based in the UK; non-inclusion of the condition for immediate supply; cessation of the conflict and the fact as to why the radars under the old contract were not delivered in time. “It is evident that financial loss has been caused with oblique motive to the Union of India and the then Defence Secretary and the Defence Minister are directly responsible. Clearly, the relaxed purchasing rules meant for Kargil War have been unauthorisedly utilised for this purpose. The explanation that Line of Control continued to be tense will not justify the aforesaid act. It is a clear case for both departmental and criminal action,” the report said. The amicus also questioned the wisdom of not including Fernandes, who was the Defence Minister in the NDA government, in the chargesheet filed in the case relating to the purchase of 500 aluminum caskets and 3,000 body bags at a cost of Rs 6.55
crore.
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SP transferred over doctors’ exodus
Guwahati, December 12
The Chief Minister admitted that the insurgents belonging to the anti-talks faction of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) had demanded money from some of the doctors posted at the hospital, thereby triggering mass exodus of doctors on Saturday evening. He said the government had taken very serious view of the development and was taking tough measures to stop such activities by the militants.
The doctors fled from the hospital without serving any notice on the authorities concerned after the anti-talks faction of the NDFB demanded Rs 1 lakh each from them by Saturday evening.Meanwhile, the Assam Government has sent five doctors from the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital and two from the NRHM to the Kokrajhar hospital as a stop-gap arrangement. It is the biggest hospital in the BTC area of the state.
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Tackling Drunken Driving
Mumbai, December 12
“Cases of drunken driving go up sharply on the night of December 31 every year,” says a senior police official. Last year, he says, more than 1,000 drunk drivers were arrested in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai. “Fewer people may venture out if they are allowed to hold parties on their building premises,” the officer said. A final decision on this will be taken a few days before New Year’s Eve.
On most days, music systems in Mumbai are to be switched off by 10 pm as part of the Supreme Court’s directives to control noise pollution. Stand-alone restaurants and bars have to take last orders by 1 am and down their shutters half an hour later on normal days. The hotel industry has appealed to the police for permission to stay open till 3.30 am on Christmas and New Year’s Day which fall on Sunday this year.
“We have appealed to the police for permission to stay open till early morning on Christmas and New Year Day just like in the case of five-star hotels,” says Sudhakar Shetty of the Association of Hotel and Restaurant Owners
(AHAR).
Last year, the Mumbai police was asked not to crackdown on private parties for violation of prohibition rules. In Maharashtra, those drinking liquor are expected to hold permits issued by the state government. In addition, organisers of private parties where liquor is to be served are expected to obtain extra licences.
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Visiting US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns today said New Delhi and Washington had shared stakes in expanding defence and economic ties.
Burns visit to India comes days after the UPA government decided to put on hold the decision to allow FDI in retails.
Once cleared by the Cabinet, the draft Bill, believed to be closer to the version mooted by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s National Advisory Council (NAC), will be tabled in Parliament. 
