Saturday, April 24, 1999
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Cracks in 'secular' formations NEW DELHI, April 23 — The Congress plans to form a minority government at the Centre received a setback today with the Samajwadi Party refusing to support the move and the Congress did not ruling out the possibility of a coalition. Gujral asks UN to stop Kosovo war NEW DELHI, April 23 — Former Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral has asked UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to intervene in the ongoing conflict in Yugoslavia. In a letter to the Secretary General, Mr Gujral has stressed the need for implementing an immediate cease- fire. |
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President for no hasty
decision
‘Strict norms needed for
health sector’ Panel for forces on Nepal border Uttar Pradesh tops list of
ex-servicemen Delhi Fire Service not
well-equipped Delhi sore at Haryana over raw
water UP clears night viewing of Taj |
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Cracks in 'secular' formations NEW DELHI, April 23 — The Congress plans to form a minority government at the Centre received a setback today with the Samajwadi Party (SP) refusing to support the move and the Congress did not ruling out the possibility of a coalition. Cracks started surfacing in the "secular" formations, which voted out the Atal Behari Vajpayee government six days ago, with the SP refusing to extend outside support to the Congress. The BJP and its allies, too, went into a huddle to discuss the possibilities of reinstalling a BJP-led coalition and authorised Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee to deal with the situation. It also re-elected him the leader of its coalition in Parliament. The political matrix underwent a swift change as the SP reiterated its earlier suggestion of supporting a Congress approved "third front" Prime Minister and the Congress indicating the possibility of altering its stance. The problems being faced in the formation of an alternative government continued to dog the Congress with the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) with two MPs and the single-member Autonomous State Demand Committee also stating the parties would not support a Congress government. The BSP leader, Ms Mayawati, said while the party favoured a mid-term poll, it would take a decision on the formation of an alternative government only after the situation became clear. "I feel that a new government cannot be formed and even if it is formed it will not last long. It is better if we go in for elections,’’ she said after her meeting with the President, Mr K.R. Narayanan. However, Ms Mayawati said her party would not take any hasty decision but would watch the situation and take a decision in the interest of Dalits. The RSP, on the other hand, said the party would support any alternative government to keep the BJP out of power. "If a possibility arises where the ousted BJP-led government stays in power, the RSP will review its stand in the interest of left unity,’’ the RSP general secretary, Mr K. Pankajakshan said. However, he said the party would review its position in the event of the Congress forming a government. The RSP, which along with the AIFB met the President, submitted a letter to him, saying that the "RSP is always for an alternative government with Left, democratic and secular forces remaining equidistant from the BJP and the Congress.’’ The Congress spokesman, Mr Arjun Singh also held out the hope of a change in its position by not ruling out the possibility of a coalition. "Can anything in this world be ruled out,’’ was how Mr Arjun Singh responded to a query whether the Congress would rule out a coalition, a day after insisting on forming a Congress Government. He said the party did not favour a mid-term poll and indicated that all attempts would be to avert a snap poll and work for the formation of an alternative government. Meanwhile, in Patna the RJD President Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav ruled out the possibility of a "third front" led government and maintained that the SP’s refusal to support the Congress government would not effect the move. He too discounted the possibility of a mid-term poll. The Janata Party
President, Dr Subramanian Swamy while welcoming the
change in the Congress stand said the "third
front" was exploring the possibility of forming a
government. |
Gujral asks UN to stop Kosovo
war NEW DELHI, April 23 — Former Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral has asked UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to intervene in the ongoing conflict in Yugoslavia. In a letter to the Secretary General, Mr Gujral has stressed the need for implementing an immediate cease- fire. "Subsequently, I believe, we will need to put in place a peace-keeping force under the United Nations. Perhaps it would be a good idea to examine if the constituents of this peace-keeping force are drawn from non-aligned countries", the former Prime Minister said in his letter. Mr Gujral has also reiterated the relevance of examining the possibility of setting up a group of eminent persons who could, through their impartial credentials, help in bringing about a peaceful solution to the devastating crisis. Stating that the conflict in Yugoslavia had escalated, Mr Gujral said that "the solution does not appear in sight". "The scale of human suffering has increased. There has been widespread destruction and damage within Yugoslavia as a result of NATO bombing, including, most unfortunately, very severe environmental damage", Mr Gujral said. Stressing that the
entire stability of the world after the Cold War was in
jeopardy, Mr Gujral said the "need of the hour is of
statesmanship and of a vision that goes beyond immediate
gain for the over all wellbeing of mankind". |
Pokhran tests ‘boost
security aspects’ NEW DELHI, April 23 — The Pokhran II nuclear tests and other developments over the past 10 months have helped forge a relatively stable national security environment for India, according to an official report. The country’s national security objectives are served by having a secure, effective and credible minimum deterrent against the use or the threat of use of weapons of mass destruction against India, the annual report (1998-99) of the Ministry of Defence stated. The profile of this deterrent, including accurate and refined delivery systems, the report said, would not be circumscribed in range and payload by any outside pressure or influence but would be determined by the country’s threat perception at any point of time. India’s approach is aimed at greater regional and international stability and is entirely in consonance with its consistent efforts towards the ultimate elimination of all weapons of mass destruction. This global disarmament process has to be based on universal and non-discriminatory treaties and on the principles of equal security for all, the report says. The emergence of ideology-linked terrorism, abettment of and support to separatist insurgencies in other countries, economic crises and the spread of small arms are some of the factors that link India’s security directly with its extended neighbourhood, it observes. This security overlap particularly includes India’s neighbouring countries and the regions of Central Asia, South-East Asia, the West-Asia and the Indian Ocean. India has a direct stake in the security of this region but is not hemmed in by it, the report states. India has an effective export control mechanism in place to prevent the unauthorised transfer of sensitive equipment, material and technologies. This mechanism is continuously refined and updated. On China, the report observes that India’s relation with China has improved in the recent years. “India has expressed its interest time and again in resolving the boundary dispute with China peacefully and through bilateral negotiations as quickly as possible,” it states. However, the report observes “China’s assistance to Pakistan’s nuclear weapons programme and the transfer of missiles and missile technology to Pakistan affect the security situation in South Asia.” Regarding Pakistan, the report states that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by the Foreign Secretaries in the presence of the Prime Ministers in Lahore on February 21, 1999. The MoU identifies measures aimed at promoting an environment of peace and stability between the two countries. These measures included bilateral consultations, advance notification of ballistic missile flight test, reducing the risks of accidental or unauthorised use of nuclear weapons and improvement of communication links between the defence establishments of the two sides. On non-military
challenges to India’s security, the report states
that the over-all level of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir
continues to show a downward trend. The key
characteristics of present day militancy are the
increased dependence on alien mercenaries, targeted
attacks on those who have eschewed militancy and other
soft targets as well as determined efforts to ignite and
fuel communal tensions. |
President for no hasty decision NEW DELHI, April 23 (UNI)— The President, Mr K.R Narayanan, tonight said he would not rush into a hasty decision on the formation of an alternative government. In a communiqué, Mr
Narayanan said he had considered all valuable comments
from persons across the political spectrum and would take
into account precedents as well as new circumstances,
some of which were altogether without earlier paradigms. |
‘Strict norms needed for health
sector’ NEW DELHI, April 23 — The Indian Medical Association and the Medical Council of India will have to see to it that strict licensing procedures are put in place as the absence of good licensing procedures has led to the setting up of multifarious and non-viable nursing homes and institutes in the country. “A good licensing procedure should be put in place which states that unless the adequate norms are met, you cannot operate,” Ms Preetha Reddy, chairperson of the FICCI health care committee and Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals, stated at a national workshop on “Meeting the medicare needs of the people : Role of private hospitals and nursing homes”. She said no singular private or Government organisation could meet even 10 per cent of the country’s healthcare needs. “It is time to defuse this alarming build-up through intelligent, far-sighted vision, meticulous planning and judicious investment in the health-care sector,” she said. Although the health sector should be one of the priority sector, yet it had not been accorded this status in the real term as was clear by no major healthcare initiative being announced in the past 10 years, she stated. The most important challenge facing the Indian health care sector was to develop a global vision, respond to more demanding standards of consumers and compete on the strength of lower costs and better quality. Dr P.V. Venugopal,
co-chairman, of the healthcare committee of the FICCI,
stated that there was no need to think of multinationals
or non-multinationals. “Eight per cent of the
world’s pharmaceutical production is outsourced from
India,” he said. |
Panel for forces on Nepal
border NEW DELHI, April 23 — A parliamentary committee on Home Affairs has suggested that the Centre examine the issue of deployment of central forces on the Indian-Nepal border to curb anti-India activities, specially by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence. In its latest report which was tabled in the Lok Sabha today, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs said it was convinced that central forces were not deployed to assist police forces of states bordering Nepal in their effort to check activities of elements inimical to the interests of the country. The committee acknowledged the importance of India’s friendly and special relationship with Nepal and felt that it needs to be strengthened further. The committee in its previous report had expressed concern over the increasing activities of the ISI on the Indo-Nepalese border in recent times and noted that not only funds flowed through this route but also unwanted elements were intruding through this route. It had then suggested action to curb the disruptive activities of the ISI. The UP Government has also constituted a special task force under an Additional Director General of Police to maintain special vigil on the border with Nepal. The ministry said the task forces has proved effective to some extent in curtailing illegal and undesirable activities in the area. Keeping this in mind, no central forces had been deployed on the India-Nepal border, the ministry said adding that there was no bar on such deployment under the treaty. “The committee is
headed by Mr Pranab Mukherjee, and the report in the Lok
Sabha was tabled by Mr Moti Lal Vora (Congress) and Mr
Satya Pal Jain (BJP), who were members of the committee. |
Uttar Pradesh tops list of
ex-servicemen NEW DELHI, April 23 — Punjab has the second highest concentration of ex-servicemen followed by Haryana in third place, according to an official report. The ex-servicemen population is mainly concentrated in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh, the annual report (1998-99), prepared by the Ministry of Defence, states. While Punjab has a concentration of 1,80,539 ex-servicemen followed by Haryana with a concentration of 1,46,155 ex-servicemen, Uttar Pradesh has the highest concentration of 2,53,644 ex-servicemen. A total of 14,53,013 ex-servicemen and 2,74,632 widows of ex-servicemen were registered with various Zila Sainik Boards in the country as on June 30, 1998. The avenues provided by the central government for the resettlement/ re-employment of ex-servicemen included training programmes to reorient retiring defence personnel towards civil employment, reservation of posts for providing re-employment opportunities in government/semi-government/public sector orga-nisations and schemes for self-employment. In an endeavour to further increase their employment potential, courses like computer hardware maintenance, diploma in medical laboratory and X-ray/ECG technology, ceramic handicrafts, electroplating, machinist and lens-making, computer science and applications, office automation, computer-aided designing, etc. The Directorate-General Resettlement (DGR) has been conducting more than 400 courses for vocational training, besides courses at more than 200 ITIs for pre-and-post release training and on-the-job-training courses at 85 PSUs/departmental undertaking as well as ex-servicemen resettlement training schemes. The report points out that the central and state governments provide a number of concessions to ex-servicemen for their re-employment in central/state government posts. These included reservation of posts/relaxation in age and educational qualifications, exemption from payment of application/examination fees, priority employment to disabled ex-servicemen and dependants of deceased service personnel on compassionate grounds. The major welfare
measures made by the Kendriya Sainik Boards during
1998-99 were based on the recommendation of the Ministry
of Defence. A few states, including Goa, Kerala, Mizoram,
NCT of Delhi and the Chandigarh have enhanced the rates
of monthly financial assistance to Rs 300 or more for
their World War-II veterans/widows, the report states. |
Delhi Fire Service not
well-equipped NEW DELHI, April 23 — The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) has been short of manpower and machinery since 1994 when it was taken over by the city government from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). According to sources of the Delhi Government, the DFS was taken over from the MCD in 1994 as the corporation lacked funds and was unable to maintain it. The decision to hand over the DFS to the Delhi Government was reportedly taken by the Central Government in 1992 following a major fire at Vigyan Bhawan. However, the DFS is still unable to tackle the fire problems in the city. The DFS receives at least 1,500 fire calls everyday from different parts of the Capital, the sources said, adding that only 50 fire fighters were there with the DFS while it required 200. But the Delhi Fire Service Chief, Mr S.K. Dheri, said the DFS had 120 fire-fighters. It required only 60 more to fight the rising fires in the Capital. Workshop of the DFS is also not well-equipped, and vehicles are reportedly not repaired once they develop technical problems. The DFS is also short of staff. No recruitment has been done in the agency since 1994. At present, there are only 1,750 employees, including senior officers while it requires 2,250 employees. Reason for the shortage of manpower and machinery is lack of finance. Mr Dheri said there were no proper rules before 1994 for the recruitment of staff and to issue finance to the agency. The government formed the service selection board for the recruitment of the staff members last year. Recommendations had been sent to the board for the required staff. There were only 31 fire
stations while it required 65 fire stations, the sources
said. |
Delhi sore at Haryana over raw
water NEW DELHI, April 23 — The Delhi Chief Minister, Mrs Sheila Dikshit, has accused the Haryana Government of not providing a channel to bring raw water to the Nangloi plant here although the Delhi government had already paid for it. “We have also made the payment for the use of the channel to bring water,” she said, adding that “politicians can play politics among themselves but there should be no politics in issues concerning public interest and development.” However, Haryana Irrigation Minister, Mr Harsh Kumar, had stated that the canal project was still in initial stages and there was no agreement on it yet. He said Delhi had
already given Rs 5 crore to Haryana for the canal
estimated to cost over Rs 330 crore. Mr Kumar suggested
that the long term solution to the shortage of water in
Delhi could only be met by the construction of storage
dams on the Yamuna. |
UP clears night viewing of Taj AGRA, April 23 (UNI) — The Uttar Pradesh Government has issued clearance for moonlight viewing of the Taj which will be possible as soon as the Centre too formally approves the proposal. The state government’s decision was conveyed to the travel trade by the up tourism Minister, Mr Kalraj Misra, while opening the Sixth South Asia Travel Trade Exchange (SATTE) here yesterday. The Tourism Secretary,
Mr M.P. Bezbaruah, could not commit himself on the
Centre’s stand but he was hopeful of a favourable
decision on the move supported by his own ministry. Night
viewing was suspended sometime ago for security reason.
This resulted most foreign tourists limiting their trip
to daytime with a consequential drop in hotel occupancy
and in the sale of handicrafts. |
Jyoti Basu’s room burgled CALCUTTA, April 23 (UNI) — In a daring burglary some miscreants broke into the chamber of West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu in the state Legislative Assembly here on Wednesday night and reportedly stole some important files from almirahs, official sources said. Speaker Hashim Abdul
Halim described the incident as “unprecedented in
the history of the Assembly” and ordered an inquiry
into it. |
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| 10 killed in road mishap BANGALORE: Ten persons were killed and 18 injured in a collision between a truck and maxi-cab on the national highway near Arsikere, 180 km from here, on Thursday. The mishap occurred when the maxi cab, carrying 28 persons, was on its way to Jawagal from Banawara, the police said. The driver of the truck was absconding. — UNI Ayodhya
cases hearing on May 20 Pension revision
forms Fire at LIC
headquarters 10 undertrials
escape in Indore Badrinath temple
reopens Nirankaris to
donate blood |
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