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In Mamata land, Modi lambasts UPA Govt
Gujarat Congress contests Modi’s claim on women reservation Bill
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SFI
Leader’s death
Get ready for rollout of DBT Ph-II: PMO
Defence disability pension: Govt withdraws Jan 1996 cut-off date
NHRC appointments: Activists want selection of new members quashed
Law needed to deal with cash collection by parties: CEC
Marines’ row: Italian PM speaks to Manmohan
Ajit Pawar’s remarks continue to roil M’rashtra
Critical medical care aid scheme for Assam kids
Iranian envoy calls on BJP chief
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In Mamata land, Modi lambasts UPA Govt
Kolkata, April 9 Modi was addressing businessmen, NRIs and other corporate bosses at a meeting organised jointly by the Oriental Chamber of Commerce, Merchant Chamber of Commerce and Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industries. Representatives of several other business and industrial houses, who were reluctant to invest in West Bengal, were also present. But neither the state industries minister Partha Chatterjee nor any other government representatives were present. Earlier, Modi visited the Belur Math and Kali temple at Dhakeneswar and performed puja. Modi launched blistering attack on the UPA government which, he said, had been treating states differently in contravention of the Centre-state relations. He asked the non-UPA and the Left Front parties to protest against such “discrimination”. Modi praised Mamata Banerjee for fighting against the CPM valiantly and ending the Left Front’s 34-year “misrule”. During the prolonged “misrule”, he said, an enormous damage had been done in the state, Modi alleged. “But Mamataji has been trying her best to repair the damage. The BJP has always been friendly to her and the party will remain so in future as well,” declared Modi. He alleged that Gujarat had been treated badly by the former Congress governments before the BJP came to power in the state. During his decade-long at the helm, Gujarat has been re-built and re-developed, both industrially and agriculturally, claimed Modi. The “backward Gujarat” had been turned into the “best industrial state” in the country where NRIs and other corporate giants of the world were ready with new investment proposals, he said.
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Gujarat Congress contests Modi’s claim on women reservation Bill
Ahmedabad, April 9 Modi’s claim at the FICCI convention in Delhi yesterday that the woman Governor of the state “unfortunately” was not allowing the state government to implement 50 per cent reservation for women in the local-self government bodies in the state, was contested by Congress leaders. State Congress president Arjun Modhvadia and the then leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly Shaktisinh Gohil pointed out that the Modi government had deliberately linked “compulsory voting” with the 50 per cent women’s reservation, which forced Governor Kamala Beniwal not to give her assent to the Bill. Releasing to the media the letter written to the government by the Governor on April 5, 2010, which was read out in the state Assembly by the Speaker on August 16, 2010, Beniwal had clearly pointed out that the provision of compulsory voting and punishment for not casting votes in the elections was against the spirit of the Constitution and the Election Commission of India did not agree to the provision. She had pointed out that 50 per cent reservation for women was a “very welcome step” and suggested the government to de-link the reservation Bill from the compulsory voting provision and she would be “too happy to give her assent immediately.” Beniwal had even advised the government to bring an ordinance on 50 per cent reservation for women and she was prepared to sign it. “But Modi was never serious to empower the women and only wanted to play politics with their sentiments for which he did not bother to bring a Bill separately for 50 per cent reservation for women. Instead his government again passed the same disputed Bill on February 28, 2011, forcing the Governor to hold it back,” Gohil pointed out. Ridiculing Modi’s “crocodiles’ tears’ for women and female foeticide, Modhvadia said the social crime against women was one of the highest in Gujarat which also reflected in the last census. While most other states showed improvement in male-female ratio per thousand population, in Gujarat it continued to show declining trend. Gohil also criticised Modi for trying to take credit for some of the achievements by women entrepreneurs. He pointed out that Lijjat Papad, which started in Mumbai in 1959, Jashuben’s Pizza or Indumatiben’s ‘khakhra’ had all started much before Modi came to power in the state and his government had no contribution in “empowering” these women to become successful entrepreneurs. Jagrutiben Pandya, wife of the slain former minister of state for home Haren Pandya, now a leader of the Gujarat Parivartan Party, criticised Modi for accusing the Centre of “misusing” the CBI to harass the non-Congress state governments. Pointing out that at the time of her husband’s murder in 2003, the NDA was in power at the Centre, she claimed that the BJP-led NDA government too was “manipulating” the CBI and many of the important documents the CBI had recovered in connection with Pandya’s murder to find out the real culprits, were “allowed to disappear” and the brain and the hands behind the crime had so far remained untraceable.
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SFI
Leader’s death
New Delhi, April 9 A group of about 150 protesters from the CPM and the SFI ambushed the Chief Minister and other ministers, including Mitra, when they arrived at the Planning Commission complex around 3.45 pm for annual state plan discussion. Banerjee, who was advised by the police not to get down from her car and drive inside, however, chose to walk through the slogan-shouting and placard-wielding crowd into the building. While the Chief Minister was immediately shielded by policemen, it was left to Mitra's lot to face the anger of the activists who were protesting the death of a SFI member Sudipta Gupta in police custody in Kolkata last week. As SFI and CPM members chanted "Mamata Banerjee hai hai (Mamata down down), TMC hai hai, Hatyari Mamata sharm karo (have shame, killer Mamata)", an agitated Chief Minister walked into the building shouting that "this is uncivilised behaviour". The 65-year-old Finance Minister was pushed and jostled around as he tried to enter the Yojna Bhawan building. A woman protester thumped him twice on his chest and his kurta was torn in the melee. An angry Banerjee later vented her anger at Minister of State for Planning Rajiv Shukla and Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia. "You have created a new precedent here. My minister was assaulted. This is scandalous. There were 20 hooligans. Can you stop development of this state like this...Delhi is not safe," she told them. — PTI
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Mamata ill, cancels meet with PM New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee fell ill and was administered oxygen while her Finance Minister Amit Mitra was put under observation in AIIMS for some medical tests, hours after facing an angry mob of SFI activists outside the Planning Commission office here. Sources close to Banerjee said she cancelled her meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the evening as she was not feeling well. She was administered oxygen for sometime in the evening in her house in South Avenue. — PTI
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Get ready for rollout of DBT Ph-II: PMO
New Delhi, April 9 The PMO also announced that the ambitious scheme of transferring LPG subsidy on the DBT platform will be rolled out in 20 districts from May 15. The rollout of the DBT programme will be watched keenly as this will be the UPA government’s calling card in the forthcoming General Election. The next phase of the DBT will be rolled out from July 1, in which 78 more districts will be covered in addition to the 43 districts already under DBT. These districts cover both UIDAI and NPR states. Three pension schemes managed by Ministry of Rural Development would also be brought under DBT in all the 121 districts. In addition, it has been agreed that the process of digitisation of databases should begin in all districts, irrespective of the rollout of DBT as this is a critical activity which need not await the rollout. The PMO has asked all ministries concerned to put in place a robust tracking system to assess coverage of the DBT programme in terms of volume and value. Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Pulok Chatterji has written to secretaries on roll out of Phase-II of DBT beginning July 1, emphasising the need for digitisation of databases and re-engineering of funds flow to ensure transfer of funds to beneficiaries and real-time monitoring. About digitisation of beneficiary databases, he wrote that “this has been an important challenge in the first phase” as absence of digitised databases hampers other steps in DBT. — TNS
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Defence disability pension: Govt withdraws Jan 1996 cut-off date
New Delhi, April 9 The government said its decision would have an additional financial implication of Rs 500-800 crore. Additional Solicitor General Harin Raval provided this information to a Bench comprising Justices HL Dattu and JS Khehar which was hearing an appeal filed by the Centre challenging the August 17, 2006 judgment of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the issue. As a consequence of the latest decision, the government would withdraw all its cases pending in different courts, the ASG said. At the last hearing, the Bench had taken the government to task for denying the revised disability pension to a number of personnel as they had been relieved from service prior to the January 1, 1996 cut-off date. “You can’t distinguish personnel with disability on the basis of cut-off date. Either give it to all or refuse it to all. After introducing disability pension, you can’t deny it to some people,” the Bench had remarked. In its verdict, the HC had rejected the Centre’s contention that the revised disability percentage was not applicable to Nb. Sub. Ravinder Kumar as he had retired on June 31, 1993, prior to the January 1996 cut-off date. The Centre had come to the SC, challenging this HC verdict and another in the case of Harbhajan Singh.
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NHRC appointments: Activists want selection of new members quashed
New Delhi, April 9 Over 80 human rights campaigners in a signed appeal to the government said it was “shocking that a serving police officer SC Sinha, Director General of the National Investigation Agency, has been appointed as an NHRC member”. Sinha joined the commission yesterday replacing a retired IPS officer whose term ended on June 27 last. He has been appointed under the category described in Section 3(2)(d) of The Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, which provides for, ”two members to be appointed from amongst persons having knowledge of, or practical experience in, matters relating to human rights”. “It is shocking that the government has selected a serving IPS police officer under this clause. The highest number of complaints the NHRC receives annually is against police torture and brutality. This appointment violates the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, Paris Principles, and amounts to abuse of power,” Miloon Kothari, President, Working Group on Human Rights (WGHR) in India and the UN, the umbrella body of 80 appellants, said. The group asked why the government couldn’t find anyone from the civil society or women’s organisations to fill the said vacancy. Ironically, the last woman member of the Commission Sujata Manohar retired eight years ago. The WGHR also challenged the expected appointment of a former Supreme Court Judge Cyriac Joseph. Two members of the Appointments Committee of NHRC — Leaders of Opposition in both the Houses of Parliament — have already questioned these two appointments. Although Justice Joseph’s appointment is to be formally cleared, objections stem from the fact that his name was dropped earlier as the Chairman of the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) on account of some adverse reports received by the Chief Justice of India about his alleged manner of functioning. “It’s known that during his service of 1,300 days in the Supreme Court, Justice Joseph delivered only 10 judgments. How a Judge found unfit to be TDSAT chairman owing to his working style is fit for the membership of NHRC?” the WGHR has asked. The Paris Principles 1993 which prescribe minimum standards required by national human rights institutions globally underscore pluralism, diversity and transparency. The NHRC selections have often come in for adverse remarks internationally. The International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights Sub-Committee on Accreditation (ICC-SCA), had on June 9, 2011, said, “The limited recruitment process of the Indian NHRC be altered as it restricts diversity and plurality in membership.” UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders Margaret Sekkagya had also recently suggested that the “functioning of the NHRC be strengthened by broadening the selection criteria for the appointment of the Chair and diversifying the composition of the Commission, including regarding gender.”
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Law needed to deal with cash collection by parties: CEC
Bangalore, April 9 “This is a grey area,” Sampath told the media here today. He was asked about the notice sent by the Karnataka High Court yesterday to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Election Commission of India (ECI) and KPCC chief G Parameshwara questioning the legality of funds collected by the Congress party from aspirants of party tickets. The petitioner V Shashidhar, a member of the Congress and president of Akhila Karnataka Police Maha Sangha, sought direction to the ECI to frame guidelines for preventing collection of such funds by political parties, including the Congress, from ticket aspirants and others. The petitioner also sought a direction to the ECI to conduct probe by an independent agency into the collection of funds and the manner of selection of candidates by the Congress. The petitioner wanted to contest elections from Yelahanka Assembly constituency and submitted an application for party’s
ticket along with Rs 100 as application fee and Rs 10,000 as party fund for Assembly election 2013
for which he was given a receipt. He pointed out that there were about 2,500 such aspirants for the 224 Assembly constituencies in Karnataka state from whom the party collected similar amounts. Shashidhar claimed that collection of fund from party members for Assembly elections was contrary to the constitution of the Congress Party as amended with effect from November 17, 2007 by the All India Congress Committee (AICC). Sampath said that though he was yet to receive the notice sent by the HC, he had read about the case in the media. “This is an intra-party matter. Our law relating to (internal affairs) of political parties is not robust. Unless we know their (political parties’) constitution we cannot comment on such things (raising funds from aspirants)”, Sampath said. KPCC chief G Parameshwara justified the fund-raising and said Rs 2500 collected from each aspirant was the “processing fee” for assessing their applications.
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Marines’ row: Italian PM speaks to Manmohan
New Delhi, April 9 Singh appreciated the Italian Government’s decision to send the two marines back to India in line with the commitment made by Rome before the Supreme Court of India, an official source said. Singh said the process of setting up a special court was at a fairly advanced stage and the Attorney General would provide further details in this regard during the hearing in the Supreme Court on April 16. — TNS
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Ajit Pawar’s remarks continue to roil M’rashtra
Mumbai, April 9 The two opposition parties are demanding Pawar’s resignation following his comments last weekend wondering whether he should urinate into dams to fill them up. He went onto joke that the population in parts of Maharashtra were rising due to power outages. Though Pawar apologised, his remarks continue to bring together disparate groups opposed to the government. Civil society activists have been holding protests in different parts of the state even as the BJP and the Shiv Sena are mobilising public opinion against the government. Today, the two parties forced the state Assembly to be adjourned after they attempted bring about a Censure Motion against Pawar. This was rejected by Speaker Dilip Walse-Patil after which the Opposition raised a ruckus till the House was adjourned. “Ajit Pawar has insulted the women of Maharashtra by his remarks. We want the Chief Minister to make a statement in the house, issue an apology and then sack Ajit Pawar from the cabinet,” Leader of Opposition Eknath Khadse of the BJP said. Meanwhile, the opposition parties and other groups have taken the battle to the streets and put up blackboards and banners condemning Pawar. These are coming up in the interior areas of Maharashtra which have been worst hit by the drought. Meanwhile, a farmer whose hunger strike at Azad Maidan in down town Mumbai demanding water for his crops which provoked Pawar’s remarks today attempted to force his way into the residence of Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan. The farmer, Prabhakar Deshmukh, and several of his associates were prevented from entering Chavan’s official bungalow. They were taken to the police station and released. Farmers’ groups say they will intensify their protests in Mumbai in the coming days following Pawar’s remarks and the government’s inability to transport sufficient water to drought hit areas.
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Critical medical care aid scheme for Assam kids
Guwahati, April 9 The scheme called ‘Sneha Sparsha’ (Touch of Love) will be implemented from Ist Bohag (April 15), the first day in Assamese calendar. The government has already allotted the required fund for the scheme under the State Plan. Assam Health Minister Dr Himanta Bishwa Sharma said the scheme would cover children up to the age of 12 years from BPL families and the families with annual income upto Rs 2.5 lakh. He, however, said preference will be given to children from BPL families. As per the scheme, the state government will provide Rs 10 lakh per patient requiring bone marrow transplant in any hospital in the country, Rs 10 lakh for liver transplant, Rs 1 lakh in maximum for treatment of blood cancer, Rs 50,000 in maximum for treatment of cancer requiring surgery, Rs 3 lakh aid to deaf and dumb children requiring cochlear implant (IC), Rs 15,000 maximum for retina replacement surgery, Rs 25,000 aid for solid brain tumour removal surgery and Rs 50,000 aid to patient undergoing surgical correction of in born neurological anomaly.
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Iranian envoy calls on BJP chief
New Delhi, April 9 The meeting, which caused ripples in the diplomatic circles, comes two weeks after US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell met with the BJP chief to talk on various global issues. BJP Foreign Affairs Cell convener Vijay Jolly said it was a courtesy call that lasted over an hour. Ansari told the BJP leader that his country had no intention to produce an “Islamic nuclear bomb” as was being alleged by the West. Tehran, he said, was committed to honouring its commitments under the NPT while pursuing its “peaceful” nuclear programme. The Ambassador also emphasised that his country desired to peacefully resolve the nuclear issue with the West. Admitting that the US sanctions on Iran had affected the people of his country, he asserted that his country had now attained full capability to withstand any sanctions. The BJP chief expressed concern over the situation in Afghanistan saying the Taliban posed a threat to both India and Iran. He regretted that Pakistan was continuing with its hostility towards India. They also discussed the “peace” pipeline that would bring gas from Iran to India via Pakistan. India has already withdrawn from the project, citing security and pricing issues. But Iran and Pakistan are going ahead with the project as of now.
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New Delhi, April 9
