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House panel slams BRO functioning
Rajnath replaces Modi as BJP’s poll panel chief
Govt allows entry to IIT PhD programme after BTech 3rd year
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Court attaches ex-MLA’s assets worth Rs 27 cr in NRHM scam
Is Andhra heading for President’s rule?
BJP MLA’s supporters clash with police in Meerut, 20 hurt
A police jeep on fire after villagers clashed with the police at Khera village of Meerut on Sunday. — PTI
‘Overvalued’ consignment of diamonds seized
Motivate youth to join military, Army Chief tells veterans
Army Chief General Bikram Singh at an ex-servicemen rally in Jalandhar on Sunday. A Tribune photograph Need for humane approach towards Maoists, says CRPF boss
Land Bill to be notified in two months: Ramesh
Woman among 3 Maoists held
SP’s harmony panel discusses post-riot scenario
Mumbai building collapse toll 61
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House panel slams BRO functioning
New Delhi, September 29 The 15-member parliamentary committee on subordinate legislation headed by Maya Singh, a BJP MP, has put things in perspective saying “The need of the nation is better road connectivity in the border areas of the country”. The committee had prepared and submitted its report earlier this month. “An inter-ministerial committee chaired by an officer of the rank of Secretary should be set up”, said the report. It should work in time-bound frame-work and have representatives from the Ministries of Defence, Road Transport and Highways, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and the BRO. The core of problem at the BRO stems from inter-ministry cross-holding. The Secretary of the Border Roads Development Board (BRDB) is from the IAS while its Chairman is the MoS, Defence. The Director-General Border Roads (DGBR) is a Lt-General rank officer while the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) comprises civilian engineers who wear khaki uniform and are covered under the Army Act. They are also popularly called BRO engineers and recruited through an examination conducted by the UPSC. The DGBR is the executive head of GREF. Amid this cross-holding lies the dispute. The civilian staff of the GREF forms 95 per cent of the work force. Out of the BRO’s authorised strength of 42,646 employees, some 3,000 are from the Army. At present, a joint secretary level officer in the MoD has been tasked to sort out the matters that have been simmering for the past couple of years. In April it reached a flash point over the issue of rotation policy for postings of engineers. The committee has directed that the “recruitment rules framed under Article 309 of the Constitution to be laid before Parliament”.
The recommendations
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Rajnath replaces Modi as BJP’s poll panel chief
New Delhi, September 29 Modi, who was declared the PM candidate by the party top brass on September 13, today proposed the name of Singh in the BJP Parliamentary Board meeting for the post of Election Campaign Committee chief. “Modi proposed Rajnath Singh’s name and it was accepted unanimously by all the Parliamentary Board members,” BJP general secretary Ananth Kumar said. Party leaders said this decision was on the expected lines as Modi could not have run his own campaign. Kumar said since 20 sub-committees have already been formed under the Election Campaign Committee and these are headed by various senior leaders, it was only proper that Rajnath Singh be appointed to head the panel. While today’s decision was taken without much ado, Modi’s elevation as Election Campaign Committee chief on June 9 at the BJP conclave in Goa had created a lot of heat. The decision on Modi was then taken despite reservations of senior leaders L K Advani and Sushma Swaraj. Advani had even quit all party posts in protest but took back his resignation after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat intervened. The JD(U), a key NDA ally for 17 years, had walked out of the coalition as it feared Modi’s elevation would wean away its Muslim voters.
— PTI
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Govt allows entry to IIT PhD programme after BTech 3rd year
New Delhi, September 29 This is for the first time that such direct entry into the IIT PhD system at the end of B Tech third year is being offered to students outside the IITs. The offer is currently valid for students doing BTech from IITs. The scheme would allow top 10 per cent students of NIT BTech class (department wise) to apply directly to the IIT PhD programme at the end of the seventh semester (third year). But from the next academic session, students of all the 30 National Institutes of Engineering (formerly Regional Engineering Colleges) can enroll for the IIT PhD course if they clear the criteria the IITs will fix for such an entry. The scheme was approved by the IIT Council chaired by HRD Minister MM Pallam Raju during its meeting held here last week and the IITs have been asked to finalise the procedure to select the top 10 pc NIT B Tech students for their PhDs. “It could be a simple interview or an interview along with a written exam,” said a ministry official. Hitherto, non-IIT students could apply or IIT PhD course only after they completed their fourth year of BTech and attained qualifying marks in the entry exam called GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) which the IITs conduct. Under the new scheme, top scoring NIT students need not take GATE and can directly enter the IIT PhD system, considered prestigious across the world. What’s more - the scheme, currently being piloted on NITs, would be opened to the students of all non-Centrally funded technical institutions if it succeeds in its objective of boosting the IIT PhD research output which is a dismal 1,200 per year as against close to 2.40 lakh in China. “The idea is to ensure that BTech students have an attractive course lined up at the end of the third year. Normally, BTechs apply for PhDs in IITs after the fourth year. By this time, most B Techs have opted for jobs in the wake of uncertainty of getting admission to the IIT PhD programme. The new scheme will give them that surety well in time and they will be encouraged to take up research instead of a job. If they clear the IIT entry criteria they can complete the credits for the remainder fourth year B Tech while pursuing the IIT PhD course,” explained a senior HRD Ministry official.
Bonanza for NIT students
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Court attaches ex-MLA’s assets worth Rs 27 cr in NRHM scam Money laundering charge
New Delhi, September 29 The assets of ex-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA from eastern UP's Deoria Ram Prasad Jaiswal include lands and immovable properties in his constituency, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Gorakhpur and a duplex penthouse in Ghaziabad's Indirapuram area. Jaiswal, considered a close aide of former state health minister Babu Singh Kushwaha, was arrested alongwith him by the CBI last year for alleged irregularities in the NRHM scheme that was being implemented in the state. The enforcement directorate (ED), through its zonal office in Lucknow, had slapped money laundering charges against Jaiswal and his son Shyam Sunder after taking cognisance of the CBI FIR registered in this case. Shyam Sunder was booked under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in this case as he was officiating as a director of some companies which were receiving the alleged laundered funds sourced through bribes obtained
in lieu of getting work done under the flagship health scheme of the Central Government. "Ram Prasad Jaiswal, who is accused of commission of scheduled offences and a receiver of bribe/commission, primarily cash, against allotment of contract under NRHM, has used his companies for parking of bribe money through paper based companies at Kolkata. The ED had provisionally attached these properties, with the total value of Rs 27,78,47,159, in March this year and armed with this order the agency will take the possession of these assets as they have been termed "proceeds of crime" by the court, which is a judicial authority for laundering crime cases.
— PTI
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Is Andhra heading for President’s rule?
Hyderabad, September 29 With the Seemandhra MPs, MLAs and Ministers, led by Chief Minister, continuing their defiance and threatening to defeat the Telangana resolution whenever it comes up before the Assembly, the high command is said to be veering round to the view that the only way to complete the bifurcation process in a smooth manner is by imposing President’s rule in the state. Congress sources said that a decision on how to put the Telangana issue on the fast track would be taken after the return of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from the US in a couple of days. “The Cabinet note on Telangana would be finalised immediately and most probably placed before the Cabinet in the next meeting,” sources said. What caused a deep worry for the Congress Central leadership was the assertion by the Chief Minister on Saturday that he was ready to step down for the cause of united Andhra Pradesh. The state Cabinet and the Congress unit finds itself vertically divided on regional lines. Kiran’s Cabinet colleagues from Telangana region and the MPs demanded his dismissal following his revolt against the July 30 Congress Working Committee’s decision to carve out Telangana state.
CM’s stand against bifurcation
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BJP MLA’s supporters clash with police in Meerut, 20 hurt
Meerut/Lucknow, Sept 29 “The clash took place when the police tried to prevent the violent mob from moving ahead. Twenty persons, including 19 policemen (six from RAF) were injured,” said IG (Law and Order) Rajkumar
Vishwakarma. The angry mob damaged nine vehicles of the police and the administration, he said. According to Secretary Home Kamal
Saxena, the police used force when the mob surrounded the District Magistrate and the DIG. Tear gas shells were lobbed and rubber bullets fired in the air to disperse the mob, he said. The mahapanchayat was called by BJP MLA Sangeet Som’s brother Sagar Som and wife Nidhi against slapping NSA on the MLA in connection with the Muzaffarnagar violence. “The panchayat was banned by the district administration on September 27 and barricades were put at
Khatauli, Budhana, Shamli and Bagpat to check those coming to attend it. However, over 6,000 persons managed to reach there through fields,” Vishwakarma said. Twenty-four persons were arrested in connection with the clash, he added. “FIRs will be lodged against organisers of the
panchayat. The administration had issued 400 notices yesterday to people after banning the
panchayat...Action will also be taken against them and responsibility fixed,” the IG said.
— PTI
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‘Overvalued’ consignment of diamonds seized
New Delhi, September 29 The DRI had checked the consignment of diamonds that was sent as a courier to the Kolkata airport by two
Surat-based diamond companies on August 20 this year. The agency had seized the consignment, after they were informed that the two companies were involved in “hanky panky”. They are presently not naming the companies as it could hamper their investigations. The companies had declared that the consignment was of “broken diamonds” of 21290.85 carats worth Rs 61.50 crore, according to DRI sources. Broken diamonds are those diamonds that have to be worked upon and need finishing touches. On the request of the
DRI, the diamonds were examined by the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council based in Mumbai. “We learnt that the diamonds were not broken, but were ‘cut and polish’, meaning they were the refined ones. The worth of the diamonds was not Rs 61.5 crore, but only Rs 3.15 crore,” said the sources. The overvaluing of the diamonds had puzzled the DRI officials. The DRI is presently investigating if the two companies have used such modus operandi in their consignments earlier.
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Motivate youth to join military, Army Chief tells veterans
Jalandhar, September 29 General Singh, who was accompanied by his wife, also reiterated the Army’s commitment and concern for the well-being of ex-servicemen, ‘veer
naris’ and widows and highlighted the measures being taken to ensure their well-being. On the occasion, 24 physically challenged veteran soldiers were provided with modified scooters and 500 ‘veer
naris’, widows and ex-servicemen were felicitated by the Army Chief. The rally was attended by the Adjutant General from Army HQ and many other distinguished senior officers. Earlier, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art Vajra Corps Headquarters building which is equipped with ultra-modern facilities. Issues related to pension, education, housing, insurance, placement, recruitment, finance and personnel records were also addressed.
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Need for humane approach towards Maoists, says CRPF boss Dilip Trivedi, the DG of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), shared the development on the sidelines of flagging off a 121-member male contingent of the CRPF on a United Nations peace-keeping mission to Liberia today. “We have put up good contribution with the state police. We have had good intelligence and done good work,” he said. Speaking about a successful operation, Trivedi mentioned that 14 alleged armed Maoist cadres were killed by the police in the Malkangiri district of Orissa on September
14. Trivedi quickly added that the Maoists are our own people. “They are not outsiders. We are operating within the country and not fighting against someone from across the border. We have to be selective in our action against the Maoists. I feel we have to be more humane in our approach. There is a mental hesitation when you fight your own people, but that is not going to reduce our preparedness against the Maoists,” he said.
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Land Bill to be notified in two months: Ramesh
Mumbai, September 29 The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2013, passed by Parliament during the Monsoon Session, received the President's assent on Friday. The Bill will come into effect once the notification is issued in next two months providing for just and fair compensation to farmers while ensuring that no land could be acquired forcibly, Ramesh told a press conference here. He said the new land acquisition law will go a long way in addressing concerns of farmers and tribals as a new clause on resettlement and rehabilitation has been introduced.
— PTI
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Woman among 3 Maoists held
Koraput (Odisha), Sept 29 "During interrogation, the duo revealed that they were entrusted with the task of finding out vulnerable points to plant Improvised Explosive Devices
(IED) to attack security men patrolling the area. We have recovered a country-made gun from them," the SP said. The police said the duo had initially joined Maoist backed Chasi Muliya Adivasi Sangh (CMAS) and subsequently got arms training.
— PTI
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SP’s harmony panel discusses post-riot scenario
Lucknow, September 29 Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav set up the committee headed by brother and senior minister Shivpal Singh Yadav and comprising ministers and senior party functionaries to keep vigil on the developments in west Uttar Pradesh after the communal strife in
Muzaffarnagar. At today’s meeting, the senior Yadav reportedly directed his ministers to continue visiting the camps in the affected areas to generate confidence among the affected people. Labour Minister Shahid Manzoor said: “The leaders have been asked by the party patriarch to personally visit families of victims of both sides and inform them about the government’s concern and measures taken for their relief.”
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Mumbai building collapse toll 61
Mumbai, September 29 The five-storey building, owned by the BMC and located on Brahmadev Khot Marg near the Dockyard Road railway station, had collapsed early morning on Friday. The deceased include Yogesh Pawar (29), a journalist with Marathi daily 'Sakaal', and his father Anant Pawar, who lived in the building. The injured have been admitted to the state-run JJ Hospital and Nair Hospital. Cranes and other heavy machinery had been pressed into service to lift large slabs of concrete and mangled steel. Around 21 families lived in the 30-year-old building.
— PTI
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New Delhi, September 29
A penthouse and lands worth over Rs 27 crore belonging to a former
Uttar Pradesh MLA have been ordered to be seized as "proceeds of crime" by a special money laundering court here in connection with the National
Rural Health Mission scam. The assets of ex-Bahujan Samaj Party MLA from
eastern UP's Deoria Ram Prasad Jaiswal include lands and immovable properties in
his constituency, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Gorakhpur and a duplex penthouse in
Ghaziabad's Indirapuram area.
Meerut/Lucknow, Sept 29
Highlighting the sacrifices made by martyrs, Chief of Army Staff General Bikram Singh appealed to veterans to motivate the younger generation to join the Indian Army.
General Bikram Singh, who addressed a well-attended rally organised by ex-servicemen under the aegis of the Vajra Corps in Jalandhar Cantonment area here today, lauded the contribution of Punjab towards the armed forces.
New Delhi, September 29