Tuesday, December 14, 1999
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Scholars oppose Gurdwara
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 President K. R. Narayanan pinning UNICEF badge to a child after he inaugurated the UNICEF greeting card winter campaign for the new millennium at a function in New Delhi on Monday. — PTI photo
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Cong for President’s rule in
Bihar 6 nuns killed in mishap Muslim bodies in UK supporting
Kashmir militants NC not to oppose talks with
Hurriyat Bofors case hearing today Infant mortality rate still high
in India: report Fencing of border with B’desh
approved Unruly scenes in Orissa House Jat samiti opposes new panel |
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Scholars oppose Gurdwara Act NEW DELHI, Dec 13 (PTI) — The draft Bill on the All-India Sikh Gurdwara Act (AISGA) before the Centre for introduction in Parliament has come in for severe criticism by many Sikh leaders and intellectuals, especially on the proposal regarding appointment of Head Priests of Akal Takht and four other superior Takhts by a central board. "The Sikh community is against the proposed draft as it has many shortcomings", Justice Kuldip Singh said here. He said any Bill which would curtail the existing provision of appointment and removal of jathedars of Akal Takht and the four other Takhts would be opposed by the community. Stating that Article 25 of the Constitution guaranteed religious freedom to every citizen, Justice Kuldeep Singh warned the Sikh community not to invite Parliament’s interference in their religious affairs as "it will jeopardise their freedom". The draft Bill prepared by a commission appointed by the Punjab Government was sent to the Union Home Ministry by the panel in August. The ministry had sent it to the Minorities Commission and various states to know their views before its introduction in Parliament. Former SGPC chief and President of the Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal (SHSAD) Gurcharan Singh Tohra, coming down heavily on the attempt to interfere in the Sikh religious management, said" "There is no viable alternative to the present system". The proposed Act, based on one of the terms of the Rajiv-Longowal accord in 1985 when militancy was at its peak in Punjab, was initially drafted by the Centre in 1986 but was not introduced in Parliament due to criticism from various quarters and the situation prevailing then in the state. The fresh draft sent to the Centre by the Chief Commission of Gurdwara Elections in Punjab, headed by Justice Harbans Singh, proposed replacement of the SGPC, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and the Gurdwara Management Committees (GMCs) in various states by a three-tier gurdwara management system under a central board, state boards and regional boards. Over 500 educational, health and vocational institutions being run by the SGPC, the DSGMC and various GMCs in the country would come under the control of these boards under the proposed Act. All members of the central board would be nominated by the state and regional boards would be constituted on the basis of direct election by the Sikh "sangat". According to the draft Bill, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh would be under a single state board while Delhi and Uttar Pradesh would each have separate state boards and the rest of the states would be covered under regional boards. The Punjab state board would nominate 46 members. The central board would be empowered to appoint and remove the Jathedars of Akal Takht at Amritsar and the four other high religious seats at Anandpur Sahib, Kesgarh Sahib, Patna Sahib and Nanded. It also proposes to set up a central religious body comprising five jathedars of these temporal seats and five nominated by the central board to decide all religious matters concerning the Sikh "sangat". The Act proposes voting rights only to "keshdhari" Sikhs which means only those who sport unshorn hair. Under the existing Punjab Sikh Gurdwara Act the definition of a Sikh also covers "sehajdhari" Sikhs who believe in Guru Granth Sahib and the ten Gurus but do not sport unshorn hair. Senior advocate H.S. Phoolka said direct elections to the body managing gurdwaras was necessary but voting rights should be restricted to those who were "true" followers of Guru Granth Sahib and the ten Gurus. He said the proposed
appointment and removal of jathedars by the central board
would amount to interference of Parliament in the
religious affairs of the Sikhs. |
Girl crushed in IGI Airport
escalator NEW DELHI, Dec 13 — In a freak incident, an eight-year-old girl was crushed to death and three others were injured seriously when the footboard of an escalator failed to open at the Indira Gandhi International Airport early this morning. The deceased, Jyotsna Jethani, accompanied by her father, Mr Dharmender Kumar, uncle Rajesh and grandfather Parmanand Jethani, was coming down the escalator after disembarking from the Air India AI-720 flight from Dubai at 3.05 a.m. today. The girl died after her head got stuck in the open space left by the footboard of the escalator, police sources said. Eyewitnesses said the girl’s handbag first got stuck in the open space and she fell in after she tried to pull it out. Although the girl’s uncle tried to pull her out, only the lid of the escalator came out sucking in the child. Witnesses said the child’s skull was crushed to pieces and parts of her body were spilled all over the escalator. The police said as the passengers were proceeding towards the escalator, the bag of one of them got stuck in the escalator and the deceased, who was close by was pushed forward in the subsequent melee. However, the footboard of the escalator failed to open and girl, who had already stepped onto it fell in. In the resulting panic, it took about 25 minutes to take out the girl from the escalator and by that time she was already dead, a senior airport official said. The child’s father and uncle also sustained serious injuries and are currently recuperating in the Safdarjung Hospital. Another passenger, Ms Usha Nagapal has also suffered injuries and has been admitted to Apollo Hospital, the police said. A senior officer of the
airport said "incident is very unfortunate" and
an inquiry is being conducted to ascertain the causes
behind the ripping up of the escalator". The inquiry
is being conducted by the Executive Director of the IGI
Airport and its report will be submitted to the
authorities concerned within two days. |
Diesel hike to be reduced after
fall NEW DELHI, Dec 13 (PTI) — The government today assured the Lok Sabha that it would reduce the price of diesel as and when there was a corresponding fall in the prices of crude oil in the international market. Replying to a question in the House, Petroleum Minister Ram Naik said diesel prices were linked with import price parity. Between February and September this year, there was 199 per cent increase in the international crude price, he said, adding the government had to resort to price hike of diesel to have parity with international prices and to reduce the loss in the oil pool which stood at Rs 14,150 crore as on March 31, 1998. The minister said the total oil import bill during 1998-99 was provisionally Rs 27,484 crore which is expected to go up to Rs 54,484 crore during the current financial year. He said the deficit in the oil pool account by the end of the current financial year was estimated to be around Rs 5000 crore as of now. The minister said the
government was taking a number of steps to increase crude
oil production in the country as also to attain
self-sufficiency in refining capacity by expansion of the
existing refineries. |
NCW for change in service
rules NEW DELHI, Dec 13 — The National Commission for Women has recommended that parents and in-laws of government employees be included in the definition of "family" in the service rules. Taking suo motu cognisance of the service rules, the NCW has made several recommendations to the Department of Women and Child Development. These include widening the definition of "family" to include parents and in-law of government employees and changing rules regarding house building advance, home travel concession and transfer travel allowance. Under the present rules, old dependent parents are included in the definition of family members for the benefits assured by leave travel concession, Central Government health service and transfer travel allowance. Sources in the commission said once the definition was revised according to the recommendations, dependent in-laws will also be able to avail of benefits such as medical re-imbursement and transfer allowance. Ms Leena Mehendale, Joint Secretary, NCW told TNS that such an amendment would serve to support senior citizens. Ms Mehendale said the commission felt that the rules seemed to be biased against working women. The commission had urged the department to take up the matter with the authorities concerned to create a gender-friendly environment for working male and female employees. The NCW had recommended that when both husband and wife are government employees, house building allowance should be admissible to both according to the merit of their independent cases. The commission had also
recommended that both husband and wife should be entitled
to house rent allowance and suggested that both husband
and wife as government employees be allowed to avail of
the HTC simultaneously and separately for every block
year. |
Cong for President’s rule in Bihar RANCHI, Dec 13 (UNI) — Close on the heels of its political rival the Janata Dal (United), the Congress has demanded President’s rule in Bihar for smooth conduct of the coming assembly elections in the state. Free and fair election was not possible under the rule of the present regime, said Jharkhand Regional Congress leaders here while charging the Rabri Devi government with having unleashed a reign of terror in Bihar. Incidentally, the Congress had opposed the imposition of the presidential rule in the state by the Atal Behari Vajapee government a year ago. The party had then said that it was against allowing the communal forces to gain political ground in the state. The Congress which has withdrawn its support to the Rashtriya Janata Dal government was now criticising the government and demanding invocation of Article 356 for conducting free and fair assembly poll. The Congress had even opposed the RJD’s "Bihar bandh" called against the bifurcation of the state. The demand for the President’s rule was made by the Congress at a press conference here which was addressed by JRCC chief Shushila Kerketta and working president and legislator Furkan Ansari. The two Congress leaders reiterating the party’s stand on Jharkhand said it had taken up the issue at the national level and was serious towards the creation of the new state. The Congress even planned to bring an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for its alleged failure to bring the Bihar State Re-Organisation Bill and the other two legislations seeking creation of Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh in Parliament’s current session, they added. They also charged the
NDA with misleading the people of the three proposed
states by delaying the said legislations on the pretext
that they had to be drafted afresh as the ones moved
earlier had lapsed with the dissolution of the 12th Lok
Sabha. |
6 nuns killed in mishap KANCHEEPURAM, Dec 13 (UNI) — Six nuns were killed on the spot and another seriously injured when the hostel building of a convent collapsed at Seyoor in the district early this morning. The police said six nuns, including the headmistress of the St Joseph Convent, a teacher and a social worker, died in the mishap. The building of the
ladies’ hostel was in a dilapidated condition and it
had further deteriorated during the recent rain, the
police added. |
Muslim bodies in UK supporting NEW DELHI, Dec 13 (PTI) — Some Muslim religious networks in Britain are extending support to terrorist groups in Kashmir as has been disclosed by British government representatives, the Lok Sabha was told today. The government has taken up the matter with Britain asking it to ensure that such activities are curbed, Minister of State for Home Vidyasagar Rao said in a written reply. The disclosures were made in connection with the trial of a person of Pakistani origin Shafiqur Rehman, who is alleged to be an activist of the militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba. Committee: The K. Subrahmanyam Committee, probing events leading to the Kargil conflict, will also comment on the functioning of intelligence agencies and recommend measures to improve them, Home Minister L.K.Advani said. The committee will also
recommend measures to safeguard national security against
such armed intrusions as was witnessed in Kargil, he
said. |
NC not to oppose talks with Hurriyat NEW DELHI, Dec 13 (PTI) — The National Conference (NC), said today that it would not oppose any talks between the Centre and the separatist Hurriyat Conference (HC), but doubted whether such a dialogue would lead to the end of gun culture in the militancy-torn state. The National Conference was not opposed to any talks that the Centre might hold with anybody, including the HC or militants, party MP Ali Mohammad Naik told PTI here. Mr Naik said the NC
President and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mr Farooq
Abdullah, had stated in the state Assembly in March that
if there was any agreement between the Hurriyat
Conference and the Centre he would recommend the
dissolution of the house to pave the way for them to
participate in the poll. |
Bofors case hearing today NEW DELHI, Dec 13 (PTI) — The multi-crore Bofors pay-off case, in which the presence of Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, former Defence Secretary S.K.Bhatnagar and two others was sought by a special court here, would come up for hearing tomorrow. Special Judge Ajit Bharihoke November 4 had issued non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Quattrocchi and summons to Mr Bhatnagar, former A.B.Bofors chief Martin Ardbo, its former agent Win Chadha and the company, now renamed as Celsius, for today, but due to a holiday the hearing was deferred to Tuesday. The CBI has sent a high-level team to Malaysia to explore the possibility of securing the presence of Quattrocchi, now living in Kuala Lumpur. The Interpol on the request of the CBI has already issued red-corner alert against the Italian businessman following NBWs issued by the trial court last year. The fresh NBW against Quattrocchi was issued by the court following the filing of the charge sheet on October 23 in which former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s name figured in column No. II, meant for the accused not sent for trial. Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court has reserved its order on a petition by an NGO, Rajiv Gandhi Ekta Samiti, seeking the deletion of the former Premier’s name from the charge sheet. The CBI alleged that Quattrocchi’s A.E.Services received $ 7.3 million, while Chadha’s Swenska got $ 27 million as kickback from A.B.Bofors for helping the latter in getting the contract in March, 1986. The agency alleged that
Rs 64 crore kickbacks were paid to middlemen in the Rs
1,437 crore gun deal with the Swedish company,
A.B.Bofors. |
Fencing of border with B’desh approved NEW DELHI, Dec 13 (UNI) — The government has protested to the Pakistani Rangers following the discovery of a tunnel near the Indo-Pak border in Dera Baba Nanak sector which ran 30 metres into the Pakistani territory. The Minister of State for Home, Mr Vidyasagar Rao told the Lok Sabha today that the 200-metre long tunnel which was 5 to 6 below the surface and 3 feet in diametre was discovered by a BSF patrol on November 17. Subsequently, a joint verification was carried out by the Inspector-General of the BSF and the Director-General of the Punjab Rangers in Pakistan on November 23. He said in a written reply that strict vigil was being maintained all along the border to thwart such attempts, which included plugging of existing gaps in the riverine areas with proper or improvised fencing, upgrading of the intelligence network and use of night vision devices. In another reply, the Minister said the Indo-Pak border in Punjab and Rajasthan had been fenced augmented with floodlights, except in riverine/non-feasible areas where improvised fencing had been erected. The construction had also started for security fencing on raised embankments on the Indo-Pak border in Gujarat in the Luni basin areas. Fencing of 507 km on the Indo-Bangladesh border had been approved, of which 482 km had been completed in the first phase. But the Minister said there was no plan to fence the Indo-Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Meanwhile, the Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, in another reply said Pakistan was continuing its anti-India activities from across the border, including the pushing in of terrorists and smuggling of arms and explosives. He said this was despite the fact that biannual meetings between the BSF and the Pak rangers were being held regularly at Jalandhar and Lahore alternately. He said the meetings
were attended by the Inspectors-General of BSF, Jammu,
Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat frontiers, representatives
of the Survey of India, the Narcotics Control Bureau and
their Pakistani counterparts. They reviewed the
implementation of agreed measures of cooperation to
combat trans-border crimes in addition to the work
relating to the maintenance of boundary pillars. |
Unruly scenes in Orissa House BHUBANESWAR, Dec 13 (UNI) — The Orissa Assembly today witnessed unruly scenes as the Opposition trooped into the well of the House demanding more information on the super cyclone amid suspension of question hour to take up a special two-day debate on it. The uproarious scene forced Speaker Chintamani Dyan Samantra to adjourn the House five times for a total period of 55 minutes to hold consultation with leaders of various political parties on the issue. The trouble began when the Panchayat Raj and Law Minister, Mr Raghunath Pattnaik, while defending the government’s White Paper on the super cyclone, remarked that the Opposition could not dictate on the document prepared by the government. This irked the Opposition who rushed into the Well describing the Minister’s statement as ‘most unfortunate’. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) member Mr Surya Narayan Patra tore the White Paper circulated among the members inside the Well and the Opposition demanded that the Minister withdraw his remarks. As the situation went beyond control, the Speaker adjourned the House for 15 minutes and subsequently extended it to four times for a total period of 55 minutes. From the very beginning the Opposition took strong exception to the White Paper stating it contained nothing and demanded that all ‘missing’ important information be circulated. BJD’s Bijaya Mahapatra, rising on a point of order, said the government could come out with a supplementary White Paper incorporating all vital information as demanded by the Opposition to which the Revenue Minister agreed. Mr Mahapatra also wanted
to know the government’s rabi package in the
cyclone-ravaged areas and details of the polythene deal
in which a senior IAS officer was removed from the
special relief commissioner’s post. |
Infant mortality rate still
high in India: report NEW DELHI, Dec 13 — Despite taking strides in the field of child care India still has a very high mortality rate among children under the age of five years. In its State of the World’s Children 2000 report, the UNICEF has said although India has shown improvement over the last years, but it was still having a mortality rate of 105 per 1000, ranking it 49 out of 191 countries. With the rating in the inverse order, India has improved from its earlier ranking of 45, the UNICEF said in its report which was globally launched today in Berlin, New Delhi, and other world capitals. Comparing the mortality rate of previous years the report pointed out that in 1990 India had a U5MR of 131. China has been ranked 79, with a U5MR of 47. Pakistan is ranked 33, with a U5MR of 136. Other South Asian countries such as, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan are ranked 137, 56, 51, 48 and 41 respectively. ‘Topping’ the table are Japan, Norway and Sweden, all ranked 189, with an U5MR of four. Talking to reporters at the national media release of the report, Mr Alan Court the UNICEF representative in India said, "the report describes India as one of the many countries that have begun the tasks of building a society around the best interests of children". Mr Court went on to highlight the references to India in this year’s report. Of more than 450 million children immunised against polio in 1998, India alone vaccinated 134 million children during national immunisation days. India’s reservation policy for women has also drawn applause in the chapter on 21st Century Leadership, which showcases India’s 1992 constitutional amendment, reserving a third of all panchayat seats for women, also including those from the lowest castes. Reform, the report says, will also have to be at a personal level, through decisions such as sending a young girl to school rather than keeping her at home. Data provided in the report also indicates that the Maternal Mortality Ratio in India is 410 per 100,000 live births. Malnutrition accounts for over 50 per cent children below five years being underweight, 18 per cent suffer wasting and 52 per cent stunting. The report says nearly 200 million Indians do not have access to safe water, while some 700 million, mainly in the rural areas, do without proper sanitation. Nearly 67 million children in India still do not have access to basic education and nearly 360 million Indians will enter the new millennium, unable to read or write. Looking back at the decade that was, the report describes it as an "undeclared war on women, adolescents and children as poverty, conflict, chronic social instability and preventable diseases such as HIV/AIDS threaten their human rights and sabotage their development." According to the report, nearly five million persons in South Asia are infected with HIV, nearly half of them women, often infected by their husbands. It warns that children in South Asia are particularly vulnerable as their ‘invisibility’ in government statistics on HIV/AIDS makes it very difficult to identify and protect those children most at risk. Highlighting the social powerlessness of women in the region, the report refers to a study in the city of Pune, where out of 400 women attending STD clinics, 13.6 per cent were found to be HIV positive. Of these, 91 per cent said they had sex only with their husbands. The report states that globalisation is contributing to the growing number of poor people in the world, as expanding markets help increase the incomes of only a few. While women and children constitute a majority of the poor, poverty further exacerbates the discrimination against women. The report points out that there may be as many as 60 million ‘missing women’ in the world who, but for the gender discrimination that starts before they are born, would be alive today. The report highlights some of the gender challenges facing the country, including the practice of female foeticide. It draws attention to some communities in Bihar and Rajasthan, where birth ratios, are as low as 60 females for every 100 males. Poverty, also arising as a result of caste, is highlighted in the context of the particularly cruel burden that befalls children. An estimated 20 - 40 million children in South Asia are reportedly involved in child labour, hunched over looms, making bricks, of rolling beedis. Earlier in the morning
President K R Narayanan was presented a copy of the
report at the Rashtrapati Bhavan by Mr Alan Court. The
President also inaugurated the UNICEF greeting card
winter campaign for the new millennium on the occasion.
In Berlin, the SOWC 2000 was released by UNICEF’s
Executive Director Carol Bellamy, together with the
President of Germany Johannes Rau and UNICEF Goodwill
Ambassador Sir Peter Ustinov. |
Jat samiti opposes new panel
NEW DELHI, Dec 13 — The Haryana Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti has opposed the constitution of the Second Backward Commission in the state. The spokesperson of the
samiti, Mr Tara Chand Mor, told TNS today that the
constitution of the Second Backward Commission headed by
Mr Som Dutt Jangra was a "delay tactic" adopted
by the government to deny Jats the benefit of reservation
in jobs. He said Jats constituted 28 per cent of the
total population of Haryana. |
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| Shift system in courts on
cards NEW DELHI: The government is considering introduction of a shift system in the courts for speedy disposal of pending cases, the Lok Sabha was informed on Monday. In a written reply, Minister of Law, Justice and Company Affairs Ram Jethmalani told Suresh Ramrao Jadhav that this proposal, along with many others, was being considered to reduce delays in the legal system. — PTI Varsity
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