Monday, February 1, 1999

Rich may have to pay education cess
NEW DELHI, Jan 31— A cess on affluent sections to raise resources for education has been mooted by the Human Resource Development Ministry to meet the severe resource crunch which has affected government’s plans in this sector.

CM tells PWD to expedite work
NEW DELHI, Jan 31 — Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit today said that her government believed in results and directed the Public Works Department to expedite work on projects launched by it.

INSAT-2E launch date soon
BANGALORE, Jan 31 — The Indian Space Research Organisation would announce within a fortnight the date for the launch of INSAT-2E, further augmenting the INSAT services, ISRO sources said today.

Ambika, Mohsina in CWC
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Jan 31 — Former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Ambika Soni, who heads the Mahila Congress, was among four women members nominated to the Congress Working Committee by the party chief, Ms Sonia Gandhi, today.

This follows the recent amendment to the Congress constitution providing for 33 per cent reservation in party posts for women and 20 per cent for weaker sections.

Mr Arjun Singh was appointed Chairman of the newly set up department in the AICC — for minority affairs. Yet another new department in the AICC — for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and backward classes — would be headed by Ms Meira Kumar.

Announcing the new appointments today, the AICC General Secretary, Mr Oscar Fernandes, said two more women leaders were likely to be nominated to the CWC soon.

Apart from Ms Soni, former Union Minister and former UPCC President Mohsina Kidwai, former President of the Andhra Pradesh Mahila Congress, Ms M. Lakshmi Devi, and Chairperson of the Tribal Welfare Corporation, Ms Ganga Potai, who hails from Madhya Pradesh, were nominated to the CWC today.

With today’s announcement, the strength of the CWC has risen to 22 and there are still two vacancies.

Following these nominations, there are now six women members in the CWC, including Ms Sonia Gandhi and party General Secretary Meira Kumar. Two women leaders will be inducted soon.

The elected members of the CWC are: Mr Arjun Singh, Mr Jitendra Prasada, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, Mr Sharad Pawar, Mr K. Vijay Bhasker Reddy, Mr Ahmed Patel, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mr Madhavrao Scindia, Mr R.K. Dhawan and Mr Tariq Anwar.

Besides the four women members nominated today, the other nominated members are: Mr A.K. Antony, Ms Meira Kumar, Mr Sushil Kumar Shinde, Dr Manmohan Singh, Mr Oscar Fernandes, Mr P.A. Sangma and Mr Rajesh Pilot.

Battle of prestige in Delhi
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Jan 31 — It will be a battle of prestige when the BJP takes on a rejuvenated Congress, after its landslide victory in the Delhi Assembly poll, in the byelections to the two Assembly seats on February 22.

While Hauz Khas fell vacant after former Chief Minister Sushma Swaraj quit to retain her Lok Sabha membership, elections to the Nangloi Jat constituency was adjourned following the murder of Ved Singh, a Samata Party candidate.

Though the two results are not expected to alter the seat arithmetic in the 70-member Assembly, where the Congress is ruling with a brute majority of 51, the BJP will put in its best to retain the seat which Ms Swaraj won beating Congress nominee and Delhi University lecturer Kiran Walia.

However, both parties are yet to nominate their candidates for the Hauz Khas seat. Candidates for Nangloi Jat remain the same while the Samata Party has put up the mother of the slain candidate, Ms Panweshwari Devi, as its nominee.

Mr Oscar Fernandes, Congress General Secretary, in charge of Delhi, said the candidate would be chosen by party President Sonia Gandhi. Asked whether Ms Walia would be nominated again, he said “no decision has been taken yet”.

BJP nominee for Hauz Khas would be selected at the meeting of the party’s Central Parliamentary Board on February 2, the local unit President of the BJP, Mr Mange Ram Garg said.

The Samata Party, which fought in alliance with the BJP for some seats in the November 25 elections, said it might nominate a candidate for Hauz Khas this time.

“We had not put up a candidate last time. A final decision will be taken at the national executive meeting,” party General Secretary Jaya Jaitley said.

About Nangloi, she said the party would stick to its stand.

The state Election Commission has already issued a notification for the byelection. The last date for filing nominations would be February 5, scrutiny would take place the following day and the last date for the withdrawal would be February 8.

There were 1,09,546 voters in Hauz Khas constituency in South Delhi while Nangloi Jat Assembly segment in outer Delhi had a total of 1,45,257 electors. A total of 106 polling stations in Hauz Khas and 158 polling stations would be set up at Nangloi Jat Assembly segment.

The polling would be conducted through electronic voting machines in both the constituencies, according to state Chief Electoral Officer O.P.Kelkar.

CBI gives clean chit to Prabhakar Rao

NEW DELHI, Jan 31 (PTI) — The CBI has again given a clean chit to former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao’s son Prabhakar Rao in the Rs 133-crore urea scam case.

In its much-awaited “status report” filed before Special Judge V.B. Gupta last week, the CBI said the facts emerging out of the probe were “not considered sufficient” for the prosecution of Prabhakar Rao.

However, the agency tried to play safe by not completely ruling out prosecution of Rao.

“Letters rogatory sent to the USA, Greece, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, the UK are pending. In case some more evidence surfaces during investigation, prosecution of Prabhakar Rao could be considered,” the CBI said.

But sources said that the last few lines of the six-page report were added to avoid the wrath of the court which had earlier pulled up the agency for “absolving” Prabhakar Rao.

While framing charges against eight accused on November 17, the court had directed the CBI to submit a status report by January 16 on material available against Prabhakar Rao in the urea scam.

“Prabhakar Rao,... also alleged to have received kickback in the urea scam, has been left out by the probe agency for reasons best known to it,” Gupta had observed.

Rao, who was released on bail yesterday, was in Hyderabad ever since his arrest on November 29 following a non-bailable warrant issued by the Enforcement Directorate which is probing a Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) violation case relating to the urea scam.

Earlier, in July, 1998, the CBI had given a clean chit to Prabhakar Rao, who was interrogated in connection with the urea scam, saying there was no material evidence against him.

“Prabhakar Rao was questioned on the basis of a statement of Dubai-based Indian businessman Rajender Babani but the same could not be corroborated,” CBI counsel V.N. Ojha had said.

However, Special Judge Gupta, who framed charges against Rao’s kin Sanjeeva Rao, former Union Fertilisers Minister Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav’s son Prakash Yadav, former NFL officials C.K. Ramakrishnan and D.S. Kanwar, Karsan executives Cihan Karanci and Tuncay Alankus, their agent Sambasiva Rao and Mallesham Goud, did not accept Ojha’s submission. On the contrary, he wondered why Prabhakar Rao was not named in the case.

“On the basis of this (Babani’s) statement, Sanjeeva Rao has been made an accused in this case... whereas Prabhakar Rao has been left out,” the court had observed.

Babani had stated that an amount of $ 4 million out of the urea deal was sent to Hyderabad by him with the help of Sambasiva Rao and Mallesham Goud through hawala as well as banking channels.

The money was shared by Sambasiva Rao, Sanjeeva Rao, Goud and others and also used for buying about two acres of prime land at Nampally in Hyderabad, Babani had told the CBI.

But the averment made in the report is contradicted by the CBI’s own remand application filed in the court which accused Prabhakar Rao of receiving his share in the deal through hawala channels from Dubai.

The alleged involvement of Prabhakar Rao made headlines in August last year when Prakash Yadav said a “big person” was involved in the urea scam. Later, Yadav alleged that the “big person” was none other than Prabhakar Rao.

Rich may have to pay education cess

NEW DELHI, Jan 31 (PTI) — A cess on affluent sections to raise resources for education has been mooted by the Human Resource Development Ministry to meet the severe resource crunch which has affected government’s plans in this sector.

The quantum of the cess and the taxes on which the cess should be levied would be taken up with the Finance Ministry, the Human Resource Development Minister, Mr Murli Manohar Joshi, said in an interview.

In the hour-long interview he also stressed the need for revising the ‘lop-sided’ school curriculum and to ‘Indianise’ it. He brushed aside criticism that the BJP-led coalition planned to ‘saffronise’ education.

Citing examples of such a cess in other countries, Mr Joshi said a surcharge could be levied on income tax, corporate tax, customs duties and on cigarettes and liquor.

“If a person can pay Rs 5,000 for a day as hotel rent, why should he not pay a small sum for education,’’ he said and added that if a middle class family could spend Rs 500 per child per month on good education why could it not contribute a little for the sake of poor children.

He also talked about restructuring the fee structure in professional colleges and said that the unit cost should be seen before finalising the revision.

He regretted that personalities like Birsa Munda or Rani Chennamma were hardly known outside their region. Tamil poet Subramania Bharati was not known in the North.

Even the role of B.R. Ambedkar, Veer Savarkar and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and a large number of women who had played a constructive role in the freedom movement was not known outside, the minister lamented.

Asked if he had any plans to devise a model curriculum, he said the Centre could only advise state government to set right the present ‘lop-sided’ school curriculum, which should emphasise on Indian contributions.

Asked about the controversy at the recent state education ministers’ conference over alleged attempts to ‘saffronise’ education system, Mr Joshi said the report of the experts which were to be discussed at the conference simply mentioned that emphasis should be laid on the study of Sanskrit to give a feel of the philosophical concepts in the country.

He cited a function in 1997, when Saraswati Vandana was sung in an official function attended by President K.R. Narayanan and the then Prime Minister I.K. Gujral, whose United Front Government was supported by the Telugu Desam, Congress and CPM.

Maintaining that there was then no objection to this rendering, the minister said even noted musicians belonging to the Muslim community begin their concert with Saraswati Vandana.

CM tells PWD to expedite work
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Jan 31 — Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit today said that her government believed in results and directed the Public Works Department (PWD) to expedite work on projects launched by it.

Addressing senior officers of the PWD after a technical presentation of its projects, Ms Dikshit said her priority was timely implementation of the projects and decisions taken by her government, an official said here.

Expressing concern over the slow utilisation of funds by the PWD, she asked the officers to expedite work on projects such as flyovers and a players’ building at Delhi Sachivalaya.

She assured the officers that the government would extend full cooperation for the implementation of the projects.

She asked the PWD Engineer-in-Chief, Mr K.B.Rajoria, to see that all damaged overhead road signs in the Capital were repaired.

Earlier, PWD Minister Parvez Hashmi sought the Chief Minister’s intervention for timely clearance of the projects taken up by local bodies, including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Delhi Development Authority.

INSAT-2E launch date soon

BANGALORE, Jan 31 (PTI) — The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) would announce within a fortnight the date for the launch of INSAT-2E, further augmenting the INSAT services, ISRO sources said today.

The Department of Space (DoS) would be leasing 11 transponders on-board INSAT-2E to the International Telecommunication Satellite Organisation (Intelsat) under a commercial agreement, the sources told PTI.

According to them, the capacity for use by Intelsat is being additionally built into the satellite.

INSAT-2E will carry 17 C-band and lower extended C-band transponders, a very high resolution radiometer (VHRR), a charge coupled device (CCD) camera operating in visible near infrared and shortwave infrared bands with 1 km resolution.

ISRO has already announced that the launch of PSLV-C2 (polar satellite launch vehicle) will take place in the second half of April from the Shar centre, located at the Sriharikota island, about 100 km north of Chennai.

ISRO Chairman K. Kasturirangan said PSLV-C2 would carry on board three satellites — Indian remote sensing satellite IRS-P4 (Oceansat-1), as the primary payload, a Korean micro satellite Kitsat and a German micro satellite Tubsat.

The event would mark the first multi-satellite launch from India, and signify the start of marketing of Indian launch services, ISRO officials said.

Karnataka Ministry expanded

BANGALORE, Jan 31 (PTI) — The Karnataka Chief Minister, Mr J.H. Patel, today expanded his ministry by inducting former state unit Janata Dal President, Mr B.L. Shankar, into it, taking the total strength to 47.

The Governor, Mr Khursheed Alam Khan, administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr Shankar as a Cabinet minister in the presence of Mr Patel and some ministerial colleagues at a simple function in Raj Bhavan.

Former Prime Minister, Mr H.D. Deve Gowda and the Deputy Chief Minister and state unit Janata Dal President, Mr Siddaramaiah, were conspicuous by their absence.

Siddaramaiah succeeded Mr Shankar after the party high command decided to replace the latter.

Mr Patel had earlier indicated that he proposed to induct a couple of ministers into his 32-month-old ministry, but apparently due to differences with Mr Gowda, who reportedly insisted on restructuring the ministry by dropping some ministers, could not go ahead entirely according to his plan.

Later, Mr Patel told reporters that he had asked Mr Gowda to suggest some names for inclusion in the ministry, but he had not done so.

Asked if there would be another round of expansion, he said, ‘I can’t answer that now’.

Mr Patel said he had informed the party president, Mr Sharad Yadav, about inclusion of Mr Shankar, who, he said, had "gracefully" quit the party presidentship. Asked why only Mr Shankar had been included, he said he had promised to take him into the Cabinet.

On the absence of some ministers, including Mr Siddaramaiah, he said no meaning should be read into it and added they had informed him on the telephone about their inability to attend the swearing in ceremony.

Reprieve for cable operators
NEW DELHI: The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC) has directed ESPN Software India Pvt Lltd and Modi Entertainment Ltd (MEL) to resume cable connections to cable operators within 48 hours of clearance of dues by them and also prohibited them from raising the rates till the next hearing. Acting on an application filed by Cable Operators Cooperative Society Ltd of Indore seeking direction to ESPN for reconnection, the commission directed the complainant to pay its dues at the rates specified in the existing agreement. ESPN had disconnected its signals to hundreds of cable operators of Indore following a payment dispute. — PTI

Idol thief arrested
HYDERABAD: The city police has arrested an idol lifter and seized five “panchaloha” idols from him. Each idol is worth Rs 15 lakh approximately in the international market. The idol lifter, Anjaneyulu, (25), was arrested at the Imliban bus station on Friday. Three 19th century idols of Lord Rama, Sita and Laxman were recovered from his possession, a release said here on Saturday night. Later, Anjaneyulu led the police to a homoeopath to whom he had earlier handed over two idols, a 15th century “panchaloha” idol of Lord Laxminarsimha Swamy and an 18th century idol of Channakeshavulu. — UNI

A rare offering
TIRUPATI: In a rare gesture of adoration, a Sri Lankan devotee has offered a sapphire-studded jewel to decorate Lord Sri Venkateswara. The lord’s chest will be decked out with the jewel “srivatsa” on Ugadi day on March 18 at the sanctum sanctorum of the Tirumala Temple, temple sources said on Saturday. — UNI

Teacher shot dead
AGARTALA: A school teacher has been shot dead and two persons have been kidnapped by outlawed militants in Tripura since Saturday, the police said on Sunday. National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) militants shot dead the 37-year-old teacher of the Chhankhola junior basic school in South Tripura district’s Amarpur NLFT militants kidnapped one person from a tribal hamlet in West Tripura district’s Teliamura area. Militants kidnapped a trader from the Takarjala area of West Tripura district. — PTI