Monday, April 12, 1999
|
N A T I O N |
|
| weather n
spotlight today's calendar |
 |
 |
|
|
George refutes Bhagwat,
Gowda's charges Solar
array deployed on Insat-2E |
 |
GIC deletes ‘rape’ from
policies MUMBAI, April 11 — The General Insurance Corporation has decided to delete the word “rape” from its new “Raj Rajeshwari Mahila Kalyan Yojana” and “Bhagyeswari Child Welfare Yojana” policies. The GIC has already sent out instructions to its four subsidiaries that the word should be deleted from the policy documents with immediate effect, according to a senior GIC official.
|
|
Bihar to set up human
rights panel Herbal drug helps concentration Lobbies ‘hinder’
Indo-Pak trade Bandh hits life in Tulamura |
|||||
 |
||||||
George refutes Bhagwat, Gowda's charges NEW DELHI, April 11 (PTI) — The Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes, has denied the charge that he had gone against sacked Navy chief Vishnu Bhagwat's advice on pursuing plans for acquiring a Russian aircraft carrier or was favouring Russian-made T-90 tanks against T-72, as alleged by a Former Prime Minister Mr H.D. Deve Gowda. On the suggestion of Bhagwat that India should construct its own aircraft carrier instead of going in for Russian-made Admiral Gorshkov, he said that in 1994, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between India and Russia on this issue. Another MoU was signed during the Russian Premier, Mr Yevgeny Primakov's visit in December last to the effect that Russians would gift the aircraft carrier to India and a refit of the ship would be done once a decision to acquire it was taken, Mr Fernandes said in an interview to 'On the Record' programme, telecast on Doordarshan. Asked whether Bhagwat did not object to the MoU, he said 'on the contrary, the whole file is full of his letters, his opinion, his comments, his earnest desire to acquire it'. On Mr Gowda's charge that the Defence Ministry was pursuing plans to acquire T-90 tanks from Russia, while T-72 tanks would not only be cheaper but more suitable for Indian conditions. Mr Fernandes said the former Prime Minister during his visit to Moscow assured the President, Mr Boris Yeltsin, to consider the offer of T-72 tanks favourably and to send his Defence Minister (Mulayam Singh Yadav) to further process the matter. Mr Fernandes claimed that Mr Yadav, while in Moscow, told the Russians that India needed a 'very modern and a powerful tank and the Russians said well there is T-90'. After consultations, both sides agreed that there should be a trial of the tank, he said. Refuting Mr Gowda's charge, the minister said India had not even made a contract with the Russians on the issue. PATNA: The RJD on Sunday said the continuance of Mr Fernandes as Defence Minister was 'a serious defence and security risk' for the country and called for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the sacking of Bhagwat. Continuance of Mr
Fernandes as Defence Minister is a potential defence and
security risk keeping in view the seriousness of
allegation against him, RJD spokesman Shakeel Ahmed Khan
said here. |
Solar array deployed on Insat-2E BANGALORE, April 11 (PTI) — In a series of critical operations, space scientists today successfully deployed the solar array and two antennae on board India’s most advanced satellite, Insat-2E, as the spacecraft continued to move slowly towards its space home. The deployment of the solar array, which generates power of 2,143 watt, was carried out at 10.15 a.m. through commands from Insat’s master control facility (MCF) at Hassan, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said. The C-band antenna on the east side of the satellite was deployed at 11.19 a.m., ISRO said in a note issued here, announcing the crucial manoeuvres on Insat-2E, launched on April 3 from French Guyana. Insat-2E has a four-panel solar array on the south side with a total area of 20.52 sq m and uses state-of-the-art gallium arsenide/germanium cells. After the C-band antenna was deployed, the satellite’s orientation was changed to make the west side of Insat-2E to face the sun to obtain the right temperature for deployment of west side antenna reflector, which was deployed at 1.19 p.m. All systems on board the satellite, which would give a big push to the country’s telecommunication and meteorological services, are functioning normally, ISRO said. The satellite has two deployable antennas, one on the east and the other on the west side, besides a fixed antenna on earth viewing face. The 2m diameter shaped reflector on the east side was used for providing zonal coverage transmit beam and 1.6 metre diameter dual gridded shaped reflector on the west side was used for providing transmit and receiving functions through a wide beam. The 0.9 metre diameter antenna fixed on earth viewing face was used for transmitting very high resolution radiometer/charge couple device camera (VHRR/CCD) data. The solar sail on the north side to counteract the torque generated due to solar pressure on the solar array, would be deployed tomorrow. The deployment of appendages was critical, needing one shot operations in the harsh space environment, extremes of temperature and under-zero gravity environment. Solar array and deployment mechanisms were developed indigenously by the ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC). The satellite continues
to move slowly towards its designated location at 83
degree East longitude. All systems on board were
functioning normally, the release added. |
GIC deletes ‘rape’ from policies MUMBAI, April 11 (PTI) — The General Insurance Corporation (GIC) has decided to delete the word “rape” from its new “Raj Rajeshwari Mahila Kalyan Yojana” and “Bhagyeswari Child Welfare Yojana” policies. The GIC has already sent out instructions to its four subsidiaries that the word should be deleted from the policy documents with immediate effect, according to a senior GIC official. “A lot of people seem to be objecting to the word”, he said, adding it had not been their intention to hurt anyone’s sentiments. The policies, which were launched with great fanfare by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in February this year, led to an outcry among several women’s organisations which said rape should not be turned into a business opportunity. Incidentally, the “objectionable” word occurs only once in the documents and that too in the definition of the main policy, GIC sources said. However, they pointed out that the schemes still had an anomaly in the sense that they offer cover to unwed mothers also. According to the fine print of the first policy, (for women between the ages of 10 to 75 years) which offers cover for death and disability arising from rape, murder, terrorist activities and childbirth, unmarried women have also been included in it, sources said. The four insurance subsidiaries, which are actually marketing the policy, have interpreted it to mean that ‘unwed mothers’ can also take advantage of the cover. Industry sources said it would in fact lead to abuse of the benefits under the scheme, probably encouraging unwed mothers. The second scheme which covers girl children upto the age of 18, has a similar clause built into it. The schemes have
attracted response from various groups including
women’s groups and sources said around 50 policies
had already been sold so far in the rural areas. |
Bihar to set up human rights panel NEW DELHI, April 11 (UNI) — Uproar over a number of massacres and caste conflicts have forced the Bihar Government to change its earlier stand that no useful purpose would be served by the constitution of a state human rights commission (SHRC) and it has decided to set-up the same. NHRC sources told UNI today that in view of the Bihar Government’s decision, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has postponed its proposed visit of the state this month to hold a public hearing of cases relating to the violation of human rights in the state, which along with Uttar Pradesh, contributed more than the half the complaints received last year. Mr Sunder Singh Bhandari, the then Governor of Bihar, in a letter sent on February 26 had conveyed the change in state government stand and said that "in response to your letters, the state government, after due consideration, has decided to set up a SHRC.’’ Earlier in reply to the NHRC’s request to constitute a SHRC, the Bihar Government had stated that existence of the NHRC has made it redundant to establish a similar authority at the state level. "No useful purpose would be served by the setting up of a state human rights commission as it would only duplicate the functions of the already constituted NHRC.’’ Besides, the complaints received through the national commission were being promptly looked into and all necessary actions were being taken to deal with them, the state government had said and added that a nodal officer had been designated in the Home Department to attend to such complaints and arrangements had also been made at police headquarters in each district. Meanwhile, the human rights movement got a major boost in the country with Kerala setting-up a state human rights commission and the NHRC deciding to set up its regional centre in Uttar Pradesh. Concerned over the Uttar
Pradesh Government’s avowed disenchantment to set up
a state commission, the NHRC has decided to set up it
regional office in Lucknow as the state reported maximum
number of custodial deaths and other human rights
violation cases last year. The matter has been discussed
with the Union Home Secretary recently to
‘vigorously pursue’ constituting NHRC regional
office in the state, the sources said. |
Herbal drug helps concentration NEW DELHI, April 11 (UNI) — Hyperactivity and lack of concentration among today’s children, largely an offshoot of an increasingly fast-paced world, can now be remedied through a memory-enhancing drug owing its genesis to traditional Indian herbs, recent scientific research has shown. Clinical trials conducted by scientists of the Central Drug Research Institute of India (CDRI, Lucknow on Memory Plus, a drug which owes its origin to the traditional herb ‘Brahmi’, have established its efficacy in children suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a condition in which children are hyperactive and lack the will or the power to concentrate. A report on the trials, conducted by a team of scientists led by Dr O.P. Asthana, head of of the Clinical and Experimental Medicine Division, CDRI, was released here yesterday by Dr Asthana. In the course of trials, conducted in the Department of Paediatrics, B.R.D. Medical College, Gorakhpur, two groups of 19 and 17 children in the age group of 8-10 years were administered Memory Plus and placebos (a neutral drug) respectively for a period of 12 weeks followed by an administration of placebos to both the groups. To eliminate any bias in the results, both the groups were given capsules of identical colours. During this period, the children were evaluated on a battery of tests including those relating to personal information, mental control, sentence repetition, logical memory, word recall. The evaluation was done after a gap of every four weeks-before administering drugs (0 day) and after drug consumption (+4, +8, +12 and 16 weeks). Analysis of the observed data revealed a significant improvement in respect of sentence repetition, logical memory and paired associate learning after 12 weeks in case of children administered Memory Plus. According to Dr Asthana these children showed up to five per cent improvement in their sentence repetition abilities as in their logical memory unlike those who were administered placebos. This improvement continued for a further period of four weeks (from the 12th week to the 16th) during which Memory Plus was withdrawn. Further, no adverse
effects were reported among the kids, Dr Asthana said. |
Lobbies ‘hinder’ Indo-Pak trade NEW DELHI, April 11 (PTI) — After bus diplomacy, it is perhaps the time to run a truck service between India and Pakistan to facilitate bilateral trade. “After Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s bus trip to Lahore, Pakistan Premier Nawaz Sharif may be suggested to take steps for initiating a truck service between the two countries to boost formal trade”, a Pakistani motor operator has said. “The present volume of Indo-Pak annual trade stands at $ 700 million. While informal commercial transactions amount to over $ 1.5 billion”, Mr S.M. Inam of the All-Muslims Transport Corporation told reporters here yesterday. Mr Inam, President of the South Asian Association for Small and Medium Enterprises, was leading a delegation from his country to the All-India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC). Claiming plans to introduce a bus service between the two neighbours were sabotaged time and again by “vested interests”, he said. “The same group would try to scuttle truck operations also”. “We eat beef from India, you take our salt and sugar, yet the business is illegal”, Mr Inam lamented. He alleged illegal trade
and trans-border smuggling flourished due to a
politician-bureaucrat nexus. |
Don’t raze Ghalib’s haveli: HC NEW DELHI, April 11 (PTI) — The Delhi High Court has asked the Centre and the Delhi Government to ensure safety of “Nawab Loharu” haveli, popularly known as “Mahal Sara” where immortal Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib lived for long years and composed his verses. A Division Bench comprising Justice Arun Kumar and Justice Manmohan Sarin while issuing show-cause notices to the Centre, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the Delhi Government, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and others said “The respondents will ensure (that) the building, subject matter of the present petition, is not demolished.” Asking the respondents to file replies by May 10 to the petition by the Society for the Protection of Heritage and Culture (SPHAC), the court said the respondents should explain why the petition be not admitted. The other respondents served with notices are the Commissioner of Police, Hamdard Dawakhana, which is in the possession of a portion of the building and Begum Hamida Sultan, its owner. Seeking to declare the building as protected monument in the memory of Ghalib as it “symbolised the prestige of nation”, the SPHAC said hundreds of tourists, scholars and students, including those from foreign countries, visit “Gali Qasim Jaan” in the ancient city in search of a “memorial” to the great Urdu poet of the 18th century. “Ghalib, na kar hazoor main tu bar bar arz, zahir hai tera hal sab unpar kahe bagair (you should not plead before their lordship again and again, they are aware of your condition without it being explained),” SPHAC counsel Usha Kumar quoting a couplet of the famous poet said, adding this was an appropriate reflection of the state of affairs. She said the haveli which once belonged to Nawab Loharu, father-in-law of Ghalib, was in the process of being sold to builders for construction of a commercial complex. This would deprive the country of the last “memorial” of the great poet as the government had “failed” to take any concrete steps for the protection and preservation of even his “own haveli” in the old city despite the High Court order about a year ago. “Poochhte hain woh ki Ghalib kaun hai, koi batlao ki ham batlain kya (they ask who Ghalib is, will someone tell me what I should say),” the petition quoting another couplet of the poet said “the situation in Gali Qasim Jann is such that there is no trace of Ghalib and if the state of affairs continues, there will be a day when people will forget the name of the world famous poet.” The court in its earlier
order on protection of Ghalib’s own house, had
directed the Archaeological Survey of India and the Delhi
Government to take immediate steps to protect his haveli
in Balli Maran of Old Delhi. |
Bandh hits life in Tulamura AGARTALA, April 11 (PTI) — The CPM sponsored dawn-to-dusk bandh affected normal life in the Tulamura area of Tripura’s south district where National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) militants killed five persons last night. Official sources said shops, markets and business establishments downed their shutters while vehicles remained off the roads. The Police said no untoward incident was reported and additional security measures had been deployed in the area. The militants killed five persons including a woman, when they fired indiscriminately at Tulamura Bazaar. The ruling CPM called the bandh to protest against the killing and claimed three of those five were members of the party. The militants also
abducted three others on the way back, the police said
adding five others were reported missing from the area.
Inspector-General of Police (Law and Order) Salim Ali has
rushed to the spot. |
| H |
|
||
| Ultras kill 5, hurt 7 AGARTALA: Heavily armed tribal guerrillas gunned down five persons in Tripura on Saturday, while seven were wounded and three kidnapped, the police said. It said here on Sunday that the outlawed tribal militants raided the Tulamura local market in South Tripura and started firing indiscriminately killing five non-tribals on the spot. Seven others were critically injured and three villagers abducted from the market. Assam Rifles, Tripura State Rifles and the state police jointly launched a massive combing operation immediately after the incident. — UNI 100 taken ill after food
poisoning 5 Dalits’
deaths: suspect held Posthumous award
for Indrani Museum of music Rhino population
on rise 3 drug
traffickers nabbed |
 |
 |
| Punjab
| Haryana | Himachal Pradesh | Jammu & Kashmir | Chandigarh | | Editorial | Business | Sport | | Mailbag | Spotlight | World | 50 years of Independence | Weather | | Search | Subscribe | Archive | Suggestion | Home | E-mail | |
