Thursday, October 29, 1998
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4 farmers killed in police firing BANGALORE, Oct 28 — Four farmers were killed in police firing and a policeman was stabbed to death today as violence flared up during a protest against a steep fall in the groundnut prices in Sira town of Karnataka’s Tumkur district. Congress clearance of nominees from
today |
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Nod for Chandigarh medical college NEW DELHI, Oct 28 — Establishment of a 500-bed medical college and hospital at Sector 32, Chandigarh was among the proposals cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today. Inter-State Council reconstituted |
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Soil conservation plan opposed THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Oct 28 — The Union Environment and Forest and Agriculture ministries have opposed a proposal of the Ministry of Rural Areas and Employment for a mechanism to work jointly for the conservation of soil and watershed development programmes.
RLM’s
aim to ‘oust’ BJP from Delhi EC
told to furnish updated roll Cauvery
authority meet inconclusive |
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4 farmers killed in police firing BANGALORE, Oct 28 (PTI) — Four farmers were killed in police firing and a policeman was stabbed to death today as violence flared up during a protest against a steep fall in the groundnut prices in Sira town of Karnataka’s Tumkur district. About 40 persons, including several policemen, were injured in the violence as protesting farmers went on the rampage, setting afire two police jeeps and an equal number of Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses. The police said the trouble began as the protesters resumed a blockade on the national highway demanding a remunerative price for groundnut. The police said it opened fire after a baton-charge failed to control the farmers, who turned violent while demonstrating in front of the agricultural produce marketing cooperative. Karnataka Minister of State for Labour Sathyanarayana resigned from his post, owning moral responsibility for the incident. He blamed local leaders of the Congress and the Lok Shakti, Commerce Minister Ramakrishna Hegde’s outfit, for the incident and charged them with having instigated the people. NEW DELHI: Karnataka Chief Minister J H Patel rejected the resignation of Sathyanarayana, minister in charge of Tumkur district, in the wake of police firing on farmers in Sira town. "Our ministers are
too sensitive. But I am not going to accept
it,’’ Patel told reporters here when they
sought his reaction. |
Nod for Chandigarh medical
college NEW DELHI, Oct 28 — Establishment of a 500-bed medical college and hospital at Sector 32, Chandigarh was among the proposals cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today. The cost of the project has been revised at Rs 223.46 crore. The proposed medical college and hospital at Chandigarh would fulfil the need for an undergraduate medical college in the Union Territory and cater to the healthcare need of local residents and people living in neighbouring areas, an official spokesman said here. At the meeting, the Prime Minister also reviewed the flow of credit to small scale industrial sector and stressed the importance of ensuring speedy and timely flow of credit to small scale industrial sector. The CCEA also approved the proposal for the selection of the consortium of the CAEC, Larsen and Toubro and the Kerala State Electricity Board as joint venture partner by Cochin Refineries Limited for the implementation of a 500 MW generation project at Ambalamugal in Kerala. The project is expected to increase profitability of CRL and mitigate the problem of power shortage in Kerala. The Committee also approved the continuation of Centrally sponsored scheme of assistance to Scheduled Castes Development Corporations in States and Union Territories in the ninth Five-Year Plan (1997-2002). The scheme may be continued during the Plan period with an outlay of Rs 303.61 crore and Rs 60 crore for the annual Plan 1998-99. The CCEA underlined the need for the closer monitoring of the scheme and effective use of funds. The CCEA also approved the continuation of the scheme of the implementation of the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 in the ninth Plan period with a total cost of Rs 155.16 crore. It is expected that with the effective enforcement of Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, in the country the incidence of untouchability would further decline and perpetration of atrocities against SCs and STs would be checked, the accused punished and victims or dependents provided relief for their social and economic rehabilitation. The CCEA also cleared the
continuation of the scheme of Grant-in-aid to Voluntary
Organisations working for Scheduled Castes . |
Congress clearance of nominees from
today NEW DELHI, Oct 28 — The Congress party’s Central Election Committee is likely to start the process of clearing candidates for the next month’s Assembly elections tomorrow onwards. November 7 is the last date for the filing of nominations with November 9, being the last day for withdrawal. The polling is scheduled for November 25. The Congress Working Committee met here today to discuss poll manifesto to be later released in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Mizoram, the party spokesperson, Mrs Ambika Soni, said here today. The list of candidates as forwarded by the Pradesh Election Committees are being pruned by the screening committees set up for the purpose. To avoid pressure from aspirants thronging the AICC headquarters at 24, Akbar Road, the screening committees are meeting at undisclosed venues. Meanwhile, it is understood that senior leaders of Madhya Pradesh are making efforts to arrive at consensus so that the list is pruned down to just one name in a constituency in as many places as possible. Party sources said after several rounds of prolonged meetings, there has been a broad agreement in at least 100 cases including several senior Ministers in the Digvijay Singh council of ministers. The names of those who have made it to the list are said to be those of the Chief Minister himself, the Finance Minister, Mr Ajay Mushran, the PCC President, Mrs Urmila Singh, the Home Minister, Mr Harbans Singh and Speaker, Srinivas Tiwari. Possibility of some change in this list, however, was not ruled out, party sources said. It is not clear as yet as to what would be the fate of the 12 aspirants who are related to senior leaders, the sources said. Though faction-feud is
evident in the party’s State unit, two senior
leaders Mr Arjun Singh and Mr Madhavrao Scindia have not
attended any of these meetings, the sources said adding
that their camps are being represented by the working
presidents. |
Inter-State Council
reconstituted NEW DELHI, Oct 28 — The BJP-led coalition government today reconstituted the Inter-State Council, nominating eight Cabinet Ministers, including Mr L K Advani and Mr Surjit Singh Barnala, as members and two permanent invitees. Apart from Mr Advani (Home) and Mr Barnala (Chemicals and Fertilisers), the other members nominated by the Prime Minister to the council are Mr George Fernandes (Defence), Mr Ramakrishna Hegde (Commerce), Mr Yashwant Sinha (Finance) and Mr M Thambi Durai (Law, Justice and Company Affairs), an official release said. Dr Murli Manohar Joshi (Human Resource Development) and Mr Naveen Patnaik (Steel and Mines) will be the permanent invitees. Those nominated include leaders of BJP’s ally parties, the Shiromani Akali Dal, Samata Party, Lok Shakti, AIADMK and Biju Janata Dal. The council, set up by a Presidential order during 1990 by the then National Front government, held its first meeting on October 10, 1990. However, the council
remained dormant during the Congress Government (1991-96)
and was reactivated by the United Front government when
it assumed power to keep up its promise for further
devolution of powers to the states. The council met
thrice during October, 1996 and November, 1997. |
Soil conservation plan opposed THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Oct 28 — The Union Environment and Forest and Agriculture ministries have opposed a proposal of the Ministry of Rural Areas and Employment for a mechanism to work jointly for the conservation of soil and watershed development programmes. In another significant development, the Rural Areas and Employment Ministry has constituted a task force to recommend ways to strengthen the Panchayati Raj institutions in the country. The ministry has made the proposal for a nodal agency for the implementation of the programmes in the two sectors by the three ministries. The ministries have programmes in the two sectors, which are said to have attracted attention in government circles who feel that development works in the two sectors in a more focussed manner were essential for the overall development of the rural areas. The Union Minister for Rural Areas and Employment, Mr Baba Gouda Patil, who was here in connection with a inter-session meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his ministry, told TNS, that there was need for a mechanism for the three ministries’ combined efforts in the two key sectors to avoid the duplicity of work and also to focus the Centre’s attention on the twin issues. He further said his ministry had proposed for the mechanism and expressed optimism that it would be accepted. The modalities could be worked out later, he said. Ministry sources said that once the proposal was accepted by ministries concerned, the mechanism for joint working could be institutionalised in the next financial year. The proposal, once accepted, would have to be placed before the Cabinet. Mr Patil said once the
proposal was accepted, the poverty alleviation programmes
of his ministry would get a boost. The implementation of
the programmes in the two sectors by the three ministries
could be linked to anti-poverty programmes like the
employment assurance scheme (EAS) run by the ministry. |
‘1 lakh bidi workers die every year’ PATNA, Oct 28 (UNI) — More than one lakh bidi workers die of tuberculosis, cancer and brain tumour every year in Bihar, says a survey conducted by the National Bidi Workers Organisation of India. In his report, the general secretary of the organisation, Mr Feroze Nomani, alleged inhuman treatment was meted out to bidi workers in Bihar by the proprietors. They cared little for the health and safety of workers even though safeguards like the Bidi and Cigar Act had been enforced since 1966. People, mainly from the weaker sections of society, were engaged in the bidi making industry in the state. The workers were prone not only to tuberculosis but to other fatal diseases also, Mr Nomani said. Even the state Labour Department was indifferent to the exploitation of these workers, the survey points out. Mr Nomani said these workers were also denied the prescribed minimum wages and variable dearness allowances effective from 1955. At least 12 per cent of their income was deducted from their salary under various heads since May 1990 but no proof of such deduction was given to them, he added. The Union Labour Ministry
was running 15 mobile hospitals in the state to render
medicare to bidi workers, Mr Nomani said, adding that
they hardly benefited from this facility. |
RLM’s aim to
‘oust’ BJP from Delhi NEW DELHI, Oct 28 — “We don’t want to fight elections for the sake of fighting. Our first target is to oust the Bharatiya Janata Party. We want to give the people of Delhi a formidable alternative and weed out communal forces. Ours was the first morcha and political outfit to start election activities in Delhi,” said Mr Amar Singh, national spokesperson of the Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha. He said that several splinter groups including the breakaway (anti-Badal) group of the Akali Dal have sought an alliance with the RLM. “Such an alliance would give us the advantage of a wider reach and enable us touch the chord of the Sikh population as well. But, negotiations in this direction are still at a preliminary stage. Although, we have received positive signals, nothing concrete has emerged so far,” he said Mr Singh told The Tribune that he was facing “mind-boggling requests for candidature from at least Delhi and Madhya Pradesh.” He claimed that there was no dearth of candidates and that the RLM had received at least 1200 names from aspiring to contest the coming Assembly elections. He said that a three-member screening committee comprising Mr Ranjan Prasad Yadav, Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar, Mr Ram Gopal Yadav, Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh and Mr Vipul Chaudhary, former Home Minister of Gujarat had been formed to finalise the names. A Rajya Sabha MP from UP,
Mr Singh said that the RLM’s electoral adjustments
were almost final. He refused to enumerate Assembly
segments in Delhi where the RLM would field candidates.
“Once you announce segments, last-minute adjustments
become difficult. We want to keep it a closely guarded
secret so that we have room for flexibility,”he
added. |
EC told to furnish updated roll NEW DELHI, Oct 28 (PTI)
— The Delhi High Court today asked Election
Commission (EC) to furnish the updated electoral roll of
Timarpur constituency in the Capital where about 7,000 of
the 1 lakh voters were allegedly duplicate.Directing the
commission to file the roll by November 11, a Division
Bench comprising Mr Justice Anil Dev Singh and Justice
Mukul Mudgal also asked it to submit the Supreme Court
order directing all the courts in the country to transfer
cases regarding photo-identity card to it.The high court
direction came on a writ petition seeking immediate
revision of electoral roll in Delhi and conducting of
polling during the forthcoming Assembly election on the
basis of photo-identity cards. |
Cauvery authority meet inconclusive NEW DELHI, Oct 28 (PTI) — The first meeting of the Cauvery River Authority today ended in a deadlock with Tamil Nadu and Karnataka failing to resolve differences over the key issue of evolving a methodology on the flow of water into Tamil Nadu under the interim award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal. A two-hour long meeting of the basin Chief Ministers presided by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who is chairman of the authority, saw both states making conflicting claims on the release of water so far this year and the methodology to be followed for measurement. Cabinet Secretary Prabhat Kumar admitted to differences between the two states and said the meeting decided to leave the issue to the Prime Minister for a final decision on the methodology of measurement. While Tamil Nadu complained that it got eight TMCFT of water less than its due share as on October 25, Karnataka contended that the release was 16 TMCFT more to Tamil Nadu, sources said. The two states also differed over the place for water measurement with Karnataka seeking it at Biligundulu where the Central Water Commission (CWC) monitors the flow and Tamil Nadu insisting that it should be done at Mettur reservoir in the state. The meeting left the issue
of duties and functions of the authority to the Cabinet
Secretary and the Chief Secretaries of the four riparian
states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry,
for preparing a draft. |
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| Animal welfare award NEW DELHI: The Venu Menon Animal Allies Foundation has instituted an annual award of Rs 25,000 to recognise outstanding contribution in animal welfare every year. Noted author Ruskin Bond, environmentalist Iqbal Malik, wildlife expert Ashok Kumar, former Miss India Nafisa Joseph and Bunty Peerbhoy, Chairman of MAA group will be among those on the panel of judges for the award. — UNI Son murders father Preventive custody
for 6 Gold reserves in
Rajasthan Encephalitis
claims 167 lives |
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