Saturday, April 10, 1999
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N A T I O N |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Globalisation 'needs
conceptual changes' Controversy mars display |
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SC
extends Laloo’s interim bail |
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Improvement trust’s
appeal upheld
J&K militants “in
disarray” DD, AIR strike continues |
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Globalisation 'needs conceptual
changes' NEW DELHI, April 9 — The Union Finance Minister, Mr Yashwant Sinha, has categorically stated that India does not want to be at the mercy of any international superpower. Speaking at a discussion on "Democracy and Free Market" organised here by the Council for International Affairs and Human Rights, Mr Sinha stressed the need to bring about conceptual changes in globalisation. "If the same concept is allowed to spill over to the next century, globalisation will continue to be a dirty 13-letter word." The Finance Minister said: "globalisation must encompass a vast majority of people. "They must see the benefits of globalisation flow to them. Only then will it be acceptable. Something has happened in the world economy in the nineties that should make us sit up." Mr Sinha said: "We have to learn from each others' experience and meet the challenge of rule-based regimes.’’ Responding to the observations made by Mr Boris Nemtosv, leader of Liberal Democratic Party and former deputy Prime Minister of Russian Federation, Mr Sinha said: "We have as abiding an interest in the relations with Russia as people in your country have. The cordial relations and warmth of this relationship have survived governments of various hues and colours." Mr Sinha further expressed the hope that the two nations would continue to cooperate in the future as they have done in the past. Mr Boris Nemtsov said in the 1000 years of Russian history, there had been no freedom and democracy except the time when President Gorbachev started Perestroika and Glasnost. The Mayor of Delhi, Mr
Yog Dhyan Ahuja and the former Lok Sabha MP, Mr K L
Sharma were also present at the meet. Mr Shayam Khosla,
secretary general of the Council for International
Affairs and Human Rights delivered the welcome address. |
Sikh relics from Hazoor Sahib NEW DELHI, April 9 — The display of "shastras" and horses of the same breed that Guru Gobind Singh had at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in the capital today, brought from Takht Shri Hazoor Sahib, Nanded, Maharashtra, was marred with controversy with two groups accusing each other of politicising the issue. Many who came to pay respects to the "shastras" had to return disappointed. The president of Takht Hazoor Sahib, Mr Sher Singh, claimed that the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee "prevented the display of these 'shastras' even though it had requested for the same" to mark the tercentenary of the birth of the Khalsa. However, DSGMC president Jaswant Singh Sethi said the weapons were not brought to the gurdwara. "The management committee members of Takht Hazoor Sahib are trying to politicise the matter", he said. Mr Sher Singh said the "shastras" were brought to the capital after a visit to Anandpur Sahib and the DSGMC had "denigrated the same" by preventing their display at the gurdwara. "We have brought five weapons and two horses of the same bread which Guru Gobind Singh had in his stable at the request of the DSGMC. But the committee members have shown disrespect to the Guru's 'shastras' by not allowing the people to pay respects", he said. The DSGMC members objected to the relics being displayed at Sun Villa farmhouse yesterday. They said "holy relics should not have been kept in such places". The World Punjabi Organisation (WPO) had displayed the "shastras" yesterday at Sun Villa, Delhi-Gurgaon highway, to mark the tercentenary celebrations. "The 'shastras' of the Guru were brought from Takht Hazoor Sahib (where he breathed his last) and displayed for the people to pay respects. These will be taken back to Takht Hazoor Sahib tomorrow", said Mr Sher Singh. Meanwhile, the All-India
Kendri Shri Guru Singh Sabha organised a kirtan sabha at
Gurdwara Damdama Sahib to mark the beginning of the
tercentenary celebrations. |
Minister receives Khalsa march NEW DELHI, April 9 — The Haryana Industries Minister, Mr Shashi Pal Mehta, who received the "Khalsa chetna march" on behalf of the people of the state at the Kundli barrier, 30 km from Sonepat today, described the march as a unique example of Hindu-Sikh unity. He said the Khalsa Panth was created by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 to inculcate a spirit of nationalism among the countrymen when the people were divided on the basis of caste and community, a press note said. The "Khalsa chetna march," which started from Bidar in Karnataka on April 3, reached the Kundli border this morning after passing through various states. Men and women from different places gathered on both sides of National Highway No 1 to have a glimpse of "panj piyaras" and pay obeisance to Guru Granth Sahib. The march, which left for Karnal, will reach Fatehgarh Sahib tomorrow. Its final destination is Kiratpur Sahib. Mr Tota Singh, Education Minister of Punjab, Giani Kewal Singh, Jathedar, Shri Damdama Sahib, Mr Hazoor Singh from Hyderabad and Mr Raghujeet Singh from Karnal, both members of the SGPC, also accompanied the march, the note stated. Mr Mehta said in Haryana a state-level function to celebrate the Khalsa tercentenary would be organised on April 10 at Dronacharya Stadium in Kurukshetra and the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, would be the chief guest. Mr Kartar Singh,
president, Gurdwara Shri Guru Nanak Satsang Sabha,
Sonepat, said the Khalsa marches were organised at the
district level in the state and the celebrations would be
organised throughout the year. |
SAD backs freedom of Press NEW DELHI, April 9 — The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, said here today that the state government was committed to the “freedom of the Press” and would continue to champion this cause as it stood the test of time during Emergency, while pointing out the need for financial autonomy for the states and reiterating the demand for the transfer of Chandigarh as the state Capital. Addressing members of the executive committee of the Indian Newspapers of Society (INS) at a luncheon meeting, Mr Badal said the role of the Press in bringing awakening and reformation in the society was of paramount importance and it must carry out its task of highlighting the right causes with commitment and without fear. The Press must safeguard the interests of a common man in a more effective way, which was the real service to the society, the Punjab Chief Minister said. He said the Press had the responsibility of focussing attention on the problems of the country and its people through its columns. The country could not undertake the path of progress because almost all states suffered from financial problems as the financial powers were with the Centre and very meagre resources were available with the state government for accelerating the pace of development, he said. The Chief Minister appealed to the Editors to build public opinion on this issue so that the Centre agreed to the justifiable demand of more financial autonomy to the states. Referring to situation in Punjab, Mr Badal said the state had always been subjected to great injustice and step-motherly treatment was meted to it by the successive Congress governments. Mr Badal said Punjab was the only state which had been deprived of its state Capital when the re-organisation of the other states was done. As per the convention, the parent state always retained the Capital, but it was unfortunate that during re-organisation of Punjab, Chandigarh was not given to it and it was made a union territory. Similarly, he said no major industry was given to Punjab in the past few years and the interests of the state had been ignored on river water issue. Mr Badal urged the Editors to send a team to the state to study the problems faced by the people and highlight the issue after seeing the ground realities. Another serious problem gripping the state, the Chief Minister said was unemployment. He said if no serious effort was made to tackle it, the country might face a revolution in the next decade. He said planners, administrator and the Press must jointly ponder over this vital issue and suggest a viable solution to tackle it. Inviting the media to take part in the tercentenary celebrations of the birth of the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib, Mr Badal said this unique order was created by Guru Gobind Singh to fight against the forces of tyranny and injustice and the SAD was strictly adhering to it. Mr Mammen Mathew,
president, INS, highlighted the problems faced by the
print media, which included the cut in advertisements by
the state government, the rationalisation of plot
allotment polity to newspapers and the simplification of
procedure of filling the declaration for starting news
publications. |
SC extends Laloo’s interim bail NEW DELHI, April 9 (PTI) — The Supreme Court today extended by three months the interim bail granted to former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD president Laloo Prasad Yadav in cases related to the Rs 950 crore scam even as the CBI said it would move the apex court for the cancellation of his bail. A three-judge Bench comprising Mr Justice GT Nanavati, Mr Justice SP Kurdukar and Mr Justice KT Thomas also extended by three months the interim bail period of former state Ministers Vidya Sagar Nishad and Chandradeo Prasad Verma, former Budget Officer Braj Bhusan Prasad, RJD MLA RK Rana and former Animal Husbandry Director Ram Raj Ram and 11 others. The bench in a common order said, “the bail of the accused will continue under the same terms and conditions for a further period of three months.” The bench on January 7 while granting interim bail had asked the accused to be present in the trial court on each and every hearing and warned the accused not to induce or threaten any of the witnesses in the fodder scam cases. Appearing for the CBI,
Additional Solicitor General CS Vaidyanathan submitted
that Laloo Prasad Yadav, RK Rana, Braj Bhusan Prasad and
Chandradeo Prasad Verma were indulging in delaying
tactics in the trial court and their interim bail should
be cancelled. |
Two murder cases reported in
Delhi NEW DELHI, April 9 — Two murder cases were reported here last night, the police said. In first case, Kishan Mehto (43), who worked as a contractor in printing department of The Hindustan Times, was allegedly stabbed to death by his younger brother, Bhim Mehto, in his house in Ram Nagar area of Karol Bagh. They belonged to Bihar, the police said. In the second case, Maya
(30) was allegedly burnt to death by her in-laws in her
house in Raigarpura in Karol Bagh last night. The police
arrested her father-in-law, Mohan Lal and and
mother-in-law, Narayana Devi on charges of harassment for
dowry and murder. |
Improvement trust’s appeal
upheld NEW DELHI, April 9 — The Supreme Court has allowed the appeal of the Jalandhar Improvement Trust, holding that the respondents, whose lands were acquired, were not entitled for allotment of plots, since they did not come within the category and definition of “local displaced persons” under the Jalandhar Improvement land disposal rules. Mr Justice Santosh Hegde delivering the judgement of the Bench, which included Mr Justice D P Wadhwa, analysed the provisions of the Act and Rules and observed that the respondents were not “local displaced persons” and were not entitled to alternative plots from the trust and set aside the judgement of the high court which had affirmed the view of the trial court in favour of the respondents’ claim. Rejecting the plea of the respondents that since the trust had accepted money for the plots from them, it was estopped from going back and challenging their right for the plots, the court observed. Since there was no estopple against law, the plea was not maintainable. However, the court
directed that the money paid by the respondents be
returned to them with 12 per cent interest. |
J&K militants “in disarray” NEW DELHI, April 9 — (ADNI) — With the killing by security forces of 26 top leaders of the Hizbul Mujahideen, the Harkat-ul-Ansar, the Jamaat-ul-Musilmeen, the Shoura-e-Jehad and the Hizbullah in 1998 security agencies feel that there is an element of disarray in the ranks of the militants operating in Jammu and Kashmir. The mopping up of 1621 others in the rank and file by shooting, captures and surrenders from January to December in cordon-and-search operations have left large gaps in the organisational structures of these terrorist groups creating a sharp decline in their ability to carry out spectacular terrorist strikes against worthwhile military targets. That is why their emphasis shifted to targeting Hindus in Kashmir in ethnic cleansing which even Amnesty International has had to acknowledge. The largest and best organised Hizbul Mujahideen lost its “deputy supreme commander” Ali Mohmmad Dar, its communications chief, publicity chief, divisional commander, six district administrators and six district commanders in quick succession. The Shoura-e-Jehad lost its chariman S. Hamid and financial chief Nasir Ali thereby rendering this terrorist group practically headless. Hizbullah’s coordinator Mohammad Hanif Bhatt was shot dead in June and his successor Billal Ahmed Bhatt suffered the same fate in December. The “Supreme commander” of the Jamaat-ul-Musilmeen was shot dead in July. Al Barq lost a battalion commander in August. The Harkat-ul-Ansar, which was responsible for the kidnapping and slaughter of the five foreign tourists in Kashmir some years ago, lost four of its district commanders and financial chiefs in September and October. Deaths of Farooq Ahmed
Bhatt of the Hizbul Mujahideen and Samander Khan of the
Harkat-ul-Ansar who were experts in preparing improvised
explosive devices (IED) could well be the reason why the
security forces captured such huge quantities of
explosives and other materials for IEDs which were
waiting for someone to fashion them into weapons of mass
destruction. |
DD, AIR strike continues NEW DELHI, April 9 (PTI) — Doordarshan and All-India Radio (AIR) employees continued their nationwide indefinite strike today even after Prasar Bharati decided to take stern disciplinary action against them. The United Forum of Prasar Bharati Employees and Karamchari Sanyukta Sangha Association, whose strike entered the fourth day today, and the administrative staff, which has been agitating for nearly 20 days, are demanding enhancement of pay scales. All agitating cadres whose strike has affected DD and AIR services resolved to go on with their strike, despite the Prasar Bharati CEO’s appeal and warning that any disruption in services will not be tolerated, forum sources said. An official statement last night said "In view of the staff of Prasar Bharati continuing their agitation, the administration has decided to take stern disciplinary action against those who are disrupting normal broadcasting services." It also said Doordarshan and AIR were public service broadcasters rendering valuable service to the nation and any disruption in the services would not be tolerated. AIR and Doordarshan have
been hit by a series of strikes for over two months ever
since the government announced increased pay scales of
engineering and programme staff. |
Stamp released to mark
tercentenary NEW DELHI, April 9 — The President, Mr K.R.Narayanan, today released a commemorative postage stamp to mark the tercentenary celebrations of birth of Khalsa. The Punjab Chief
Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, the Communications
Minister, Mr Jagmohan, the Union Food Minister, Mr Surjit
Singh Barnala and a former Union Finance Minister, Dr
Manmohan Singh, were among those present at the function
held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. |
Moneybag stolen NEW DELHI, April 9 — An accountant’s moneybag said to be containing notes worth Rs 4 lakh was stolen by two motor cycle born youths at Connaught Place here yesterday. Mr A.C. Kakkar, an accountant with a Faridabad-based company, reportedly told the police that he had withdrawn the amount from the Grindlay’s branch at Connaught Place. He said the moneybag was lifted from the rear seat of his car parked on Babar Road near Hotel Inter-Continental. The police has
registered a case of theft. |
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| Kedarnath gates to be
opened on April 18 LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Government has decided to open the gates of the Kedarnath Shrine for public ‘darshan’, after winter break, from April 18. The journey to Gangotri and Yamunotri will also be allowed from the same date. However, the gates of the Badrinath Shrine will be opened from April 22, an official release said. The Government has made all arrangements for the pilgrims’ well being. — UNI Arlin
tenders apology Mother kills
kids, commits suicide Gangster of
Shakeel gang killed Weekly medical
newspaper on Internet |
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