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| Thursday, February 24, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
|
Statute
review panel notified
Cong
to intensify stir on RSS Jaya
seeks discharge in TV case Drug
abuse on rise in Punjab, Chandigarh Govt
to ‘rectify’ lapses in wage boards’
proposals S.D.
Sharma’s death mourned |
|
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| Kidnapped property dealer’s
body found NEW DELHI, Feb 23 — A forty-year old property dealer, Virender Verma, who was reportedly kidnapped from Shahadra in north-east Delhi on February 20, was found murdered from near the Chella water regulator. The car of the deceased was also found abandoned near Victor Institute at Karkri More in East Delhi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (north-east) R.S. Krishnia said. Lata takes oath as RS
member Insat-3B
ready for fuelling
|
Statute review panel notified NEW DELHI, Feb 23 — Process of examining, in the light of the experience of the past 50 years, as to how best the Constitution can respond to the changing needs of the efficient, smooth and effective system of governance and socio-economic development of India within the framework of parliamentary democracy, was set in motion today with the issuance of a gazette notification constituting the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution, to be headed by a former Chief Justice of India, Justice M.N. Venkatachaliah. The government resolution constituting the panel categorically stated that the Commission might recommend changes, if any, that were required in the provisions of the Constitution, “without interfering with its basic structure or features”. The notification coincided with the President’s address to the joint session of Parliament in which President K.R. Narayanan said: “While keeping the basic structure and salient features of the Constitution inviolate, it has, however, become necessary to examine the experience of the past 50 years to achieve better the ideals enshrined in the Constitution”. “The government has, therefore, set up a broad-based Constitution Review Commission. The recommendations of this Commission will be presented before Parliament, which is the supreme decision making body in Indian democracy”, Mr Narayanan said in his address to Parliament on the opening day of the Budget session in the Central Hall, which was the venue of his January 27 speech in which he had expressed reservation over the move. It may be recalled that speaking on the occasion of the Golden jubilee of the Republic on January 27, Mr Narayanan had said, “Today when there is so much talk about revising the Constitution or even writing a new Constitution, we have to consider whether it is the Constitution that has failed us or whether it is we who have failed the Constitution”. The Commission has been
given a tenure of one year to complete its work and make
its recommendations. |
Cong to intensify stir on RSS NEW DELHI, Feb 23 — The Congress today decided to intensify stir on the decision of the Gujarat government permitting its employees to attend the RSS camps by holding a mass rally here on March 6. “We have decided oppose the nefarious design of the Sangh Parivar which is aimed at tearing the secular fabric of polity and jeopardise the secular character of our government”, AICC spokesman Ajit Jogi said. The party has also decided to agitate on the issue both inside and outside the House and as the first step will move a motion of adjournment in Parliament tomorrow. Several party MPs, including Chief Whip Priyaranjan Dasmunshi and Deputy Leader of the party in Lok Sabha, Madhavrao Scindia had already given notices to the Speaker’s office for moving the motion. Before that, the party MPs will hold a “protest sit-in” in front of the main gate of Parliament against the order of the Gujarat government. The party has also begun talks with leaders of like-minded opposition parties to garner support on the issue. Mr Scindia and Mr Dasmunshi have been entrusted with the task of holding talks with parties like the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Indian Union Muslim League, the Samajwadi Party and others while Mr Pranab Mukherjee and Dr Manmohan Singh will talk to leaders of the Left parties. “The idea is to present a united opposition on the issue,” a senior party member said today. The Congress Working Committee, (CWC), which met informally last night, approved of the agitational programme, including the mass rally, details of which were finalised at a meeting of the PCC chiefs/ CLP leaders and frontal organisation chiefs today. The meeting was attended by four Chief Ministers, Mrs Shiela Dikshit (Delhi), Mr S.M. Krishna (Karnataka), Mr Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan) and Mr Mukut Mithi (Arunachal Pradesh). Among the PCC chiefs present at the meeting were Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, (Andhra Pradesh), Mr Sat Mahajan (Himachal Pradesh), Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda (Haryana), UPCC chief Mr Salman Khursheed (UP). Mr Sant Ram Singla,
Vice-President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee
deputised for PCC chief Amarinder Singh. |
Jaya seeks discharge in TV case CHENNAI, Feb 23 (PTI) — Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha and a former AIADMK Minister T.M. Selvaganapathy today moved a special court here seeking to be discharged from the Rs 10.16 crore colour TV case on the ground that the Governor’s sanction to prosecute them was violative of a Supreme Court ruling. Special Judge V. Radhakrishnan posted the petition for hearing on March one. In their petition, they contended that the Apex Court, while dealing with the question of sanction in former Maharashtra Chief Minister A.R. Antulay’s case, had held that in a prosecution launched by a political rival, the Governor should act in exercise of his own discretion and not with the aid of counsel of ministers. The petitioners claimed that at the commencement of the case, there was no indication from the papers furnished to the accused that the public prosecutor, the secretaries, the Law Minister and the Chief Minister had all approved the sanction before the file reached the Governor. Ms Jayalalitha and Selvaganapathy further contended that these facts had come to light only during cross-examination of a prosecution witness, and that, therefore, they were filing the petitions at this stage. The witness had made it clear that the public prosecutor had given in writing that sanction may be accorded to prosecute them. Three Secretaries to the government, including one from the Law Department, were also on record supporting the grant of sanction, following which the matter was placed before the Law Minister and the Chief Minister, the petitioners said. They said it was clear that the Governor had not reached any conclusion based on an independent evaluation. Ms Jayalalitha,
Selvaganapathy and eight others are accused in the case
relating to alleged irregularities in the purchase of
45,000 colour television sets for distribution to village
panchayats while Jayalalitha was the Chief Minister
between 1991 and 1996. |
Drug abuse on rise in Punjab, Chandigarh NEW DELHI, Feb 23 (UNI) — The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) has in a disturbing disclosure identified the north-eastern part of India, the Indo-Pakistan border area and the metropolises of Mumbai and Delhi as emerging major drug trafficking centres in South Asia. The INCB in its latest report released here today by the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) says the north-eastern states of Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland and the Indo-Pakistan border area, especially Punjab and the Union Territory of Chandigarh have witnessed a rapid deterioration of the drug abuse situation. Giving an overview of the drug control situation in South Asia, UNDCP’s regional representative in India Renate Ehmer said a matter of grave concern was the unabated rise in drug abuse in the region. In particular, the increasing abuse of heroin by injection and the sharing of needles was resulting in an alarming rise in HIV/AIDS cases in most countries of the region. In India, heroin abusers were increasing, especially in major drug-trafficking areas like Mumbai. Ms Ehmer pointed out that in India more than 60 per cent of all farmers engaged in the illicit production of opium poppy during the 1998/99 crop year failed to meet the minimum qualifying yield per hectare as established by the government. She said the board reiterated its view that the national and state authorities should make additional efforts to ensure that the current control policies on opium poppy cultivation and production are fully implemented. The 1999 report was released by Mr H P Kumar, Director General, Narcotics Control Bureau. Presenting its highlights, Mr C Chakraborty, member of the INCB, said a main area of concern was today was uneven supply of psychotropic substances with certain developed countries recording high levels of over-prescription while developing countries were being left in dire need of those substances. Morphine and other
opiates which are used to alleviate severe pain are often
not available in hospitals in many countries even though
global consumption of morphine had been practically
doubling every five years since 1984. |
Govt to ‘rectify’ lapses in wage boards’ proposals NEW DELHI, Feb 23 (PTI) — Labour Minister Satyanarayan Jatiya today said the government would rectify lapses, if any, in the final recommendations of the R.K. Manisana Singh Wage Boards for Journalists and Non-Journalists which were still awaited, a journalist union said here today. The minister told a delegation of the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ), which called on him, that the final report of the wage boards would be submitted before March 31 and assured them that the needs of newspaper industry employees would be reflected in the award, a press note released by the KUWJ stated. The delegation, led by KUWJ president N. Padmanabhan and general secretary K.G. Jyothir Ghosh, apprised the minister of its doubts and concerns about the final award in light of the tentative proposals already submitted by the wage boards. In a memorandum the KUWJ
submitted that the basic approach and outlook of earlier
wage boards had not been taken into account by the
present board. |
S.D. Sharma’s death mourned NEW DELHI, Feb 23 (UNI) — Parliament today mourned the death of former President Shankar Dayal Sharma, on the opening day of the Budget session. In the Lok Sabha, Speaker G.M.C. Balayogi, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi and leaders of various parties paid rich tributes to the departed leader. In the Rajya Sabha, Chairman Krishan Kant made obituary references. Dr Sharma was the chairman of the Rajya Sabha in his capacity as the Vice-President. Mr Kant described him as a scholar statesman. The Rajya Sabha also
mourned the death of former members Kalu Lal Srimali, and
B. Richaiah and sitting member Jagdambi Mandal. The House
observed a two-minute silence in memory of the departed
leaders. |
Kidnapped property dealer’s
body found NEW DELHI, Feb 23 — A forty-year old property dealer, Virender Verma, who was reportedly kidnapped from Shahadra in north-east Delhi on February 20, was found murdered from near the Chella water regulator. The car of the deceased was also found abandoned near Victor Institute at Karkri More in East Delhi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (north-east) R.S. Krishnia said. He said the killers had been identified. The headless body of the property dealer and his clothes were found in a gunny bag. The clothes were in a pool of blood. The DCP said the motive of the murder was suspected to be old enmity. Police teams have been sent to UP and in different areas of the Capital to nab them. He said the murder of the property dealer could be the handiwork of non-professional criminals. The deceased had made a
call from his cellular phone on February 20 asking his
family members to give Rs 20,000 to a boy whom he had
reportedly sent to his house. When he did not return
family members had lodged an abduction case at the
Shahadra police station. |
Lata takes oath as RS member NEW DELHI, Feb 23 (PTI) — Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar, former diplomat and Union Minister Karan Singh, former Bihar Governor A.R. Kidwai and DMK members N. Siva and R. Subbian today took oath in the Rajya Sabha as new members. There was cheering and thumping of desks by members as Lata’s name was called by Secretary-General R.C. Tripathi. The septuagenerian singer took her oath in Hindi and in the name of God. She gratefully accepted the greetings by members as she walked back to her seat after taking the oath. Dressed in a white saree with a green border, Lata was nominated to the Rajya Sabha last year but could not take the oath during the winter session as she was abroad and had sought permission for time from the Chair. While Mr Kidwai took
oath in Urdu, Mr Karan Singh did it in Hindi and the two
DMK members in Tamil. |
Insat-3B ready for fuelling NEW DELHI, Feb 23 (PTI) — Fuel-filling operations on India’s next telecom satellite Insat-3B will begin soon at Kourou in French Guyana, from where it’s scheduled for launch in mid-March. The spacecraft, which arrived from Bangalore in the spaceport of Kourou on February 2, has been checked and processed at the Guyana Space Centre by a team from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Jean Francois Laumonier, Mission Director of Arianespace which will launch Insat-3B, told reporters here today. Next filling operations will begin and combined integration of the spacecraft with the Ariane-5 launch vehicle will start after that, Laumonier said. Insat Mission Director R. Rangarajan said the exact date and time of the launch would be fixed 10 days prior to the launch. The mission operation
review would be completed today and full dress rehearsal
would begin 72 hours before the launch. |
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