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| Thursday, May 25, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
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BHUBANESWAR, May 24 (UNI) — The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, today dedicated the new satellite Insat-3B to the nation at a simple function inside the Raj Bhavan here. The ISRO-built satellite, the first in third generation Insat-3 series of satellite, was launched on March 22 and was successfully placed in its designated slot. Kushabhau ‘let down’ by party, PM Demand for homeland reiterated Gill warns West Bengal parties An endangered heritage Khursheed takes on rebels in UPCC
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Revamp UP Congress, say leaders Sonia deputes team to Tripura ‘No SC Benches outside Delhi’ CBSE plus 2 results Verma award for Hari Bhatnagar 24-hour diabetes helpline opened
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BHUBANESWAR, May 24 (UNI) — The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, today dedicated the new satellite Insat-3B to the nation at a simple function inside the Raj Bhavan
here. The ISRO-built satellite, the first in third generation Insat-3 series of satellite, was launched on March 22 and was successfully placed in its designated slot. Mr Vajpayee also inaugurated the Swarna Jayanthi Vidya Vikash Antarikhsh Upagraha Yojana (Vidya Vahini) and the Gramsat Pilot Project. The Prime Minister, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, several Union Ministers, ISRO Chairman K. Kasturirangan and senior scientists besides, top government officials of the state watched a live programme of tribals in the remote areas of Kalahandi and Koraput and Bolangir district. The tribals while welcoming the Prime Minister narrated their plight and urged him to solve their basic problems. Mr Vajpayee said two years ago he had announced the Vidya Vahini scheme during his Independence Day speech and also promised the people of Orissa for
all-round development of the backward regions. With the inauguration of the Vidya Vahini and the Gramsat Pilot Project, the promise had been fulfilled, the Prime Minister said and thanked the ISRO scientists for making the programme successful through satellite. Mr Vajpayee said the advancement in science and technology was now no more confined to the urban centres or cities only. The satellite had helped it reach even the remotest areas. He said with the inauguration of the Gramsat Pilot Project, the problems of the tribals in the remote areas would be attended and have direct interaction with the officials. The Prime Minister said rapid changes were taken place all over the world and there was no reason why India, with all its manpower and resources, should lag behind. Mr Vajpayee who listened to the problems of the tribals from Kashipur (Koraput), Kesinga (Kalahandi) and Punitala (Bolangir) through the Gramsat Pilot Project with the help of the Insat-3B satellite, desired to talk to them but communication could not be estimated as the link was snapped. Speaking on the occasion Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the network would have its stations in all 30 districts and later would be expanded to all blocks and 80 gram panchayats of the Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput region. ISRO Chairman K. Kasturirangan said Insat-3B satellite would also substantially meet the connectivity requirements. Some of the very important large networks of banking and stock exchanges were being moved to the satellite. Union Rural Development Minister Sunder Lal Patwa also spoke on the occasion and congratulated the ISRO scientists for achieving an important milestone in the satellite programme. |
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Kushabhau ‘let down’ by party, PM BHOPAL, May 24 — The BJP president, Mr Kushabhau Thakre, at 78
appeared to be satisfied with a purse of less than Rs 2 crore, it is because he is basically a stoical person, although the party has let him down badly. A cheque for Rs 1.55 crore was handed over to him by Dr Vidya Niwas Mishra, former Editor of the Nav Bharat Times, in the absence of the Prime Minister at a function held at the Ravindra Bhavan here yesterday. Union Rural Development Minister Sunderlal Patwa, considered Mr Thakre’s blue-eyed boy, was said to have persuaded the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, to come to Bhopal and present the purse to Mr Thakre. The Prime Minister was scheduled to arrive around 6.15 p.m. and leave around 8 p.m. immediately after attending the function. Several central ministers and BJP leaders had reached the airport to welcome Mr Vajpayee and there they received the world that he had cancelled his visit because of the Jaffna crisis. The BJP had decided to celebrate Mr Thakre’s “amrit mahotsava” (75th birthday) in a grand manner and present him a purse of Rs 5 crore on the occasion. The purse presented on such occasions is generally returned by the leader to the party for organisational work. Mr Thakre, however, announced his intention to constitute a trust with the purse money that would work for the uplift of the Scheduled Tribes and other Backward Classes. Party leaders lost interest in collecting the money or even in celebrating the "amrit mahotsava". Eventually it was decided to present whatever amount was collected to Mr Thakre before his term as the national president of the BJP expired. |
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Demand for homeland
reiterated NEW DELHI, May 24 — The Panun Kashmir, a frontal organisation of displaced Kashmiri Pandits has reiterated its demand for the creation of a separate homeland. Addressing newspersons here today, the founder and convener of the Panun Kashmir, Dr Agnishekhar, said the organisation was keen on the creation of a separate homeland with a union territory status to the north east of Jhelum in the valley. He said granting displaced Kashmiri Pandits their geopolitical rights would facilitate the application of the Indian Constitution in letter and spirit. Dr Agnishekhar said the government had expressed its willingness to enter into a dialogue with separatist outfits like the All-Party Hurriyat Conference, which is a conglomeration of all terrorist and separatist outfits who are for independence and merger of Kashmir with Pakistan. “We would like to caution the people of India against any
initiative which will dilute the sovereignty of this nation in Kashmir. We apprehend that if the Indian Government grants autonomy to Kashmir or reconsiders the pre 1953 constitutional status to Jammu and Kashmir, it will dismantle the accession theory. If this happens, one will not be able to stop Kashmir from going to Pakistan. It will have far reaching consequences on all 7 lakh displaced Kashmiri Pandits who belong to a religious minority, “ he said. The convener said efforts to restore peace in the valley without consulting the Panun Kashmir would be incomplete and meaningless. “Ignoring displaced Kashmiri Pandits on the basis of non vote bank concept will be a mistake by the government. We will oppose and reject any formula or package arrived without our participation,” he said. |
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Gill warns West Bengal parties NEW DELHI, May 24 (UNI) — Issuing a stern warning to parties in West Bengal, Chief Election Commissioner M.S. Gill today told them to refrain from violence and unfair practices ahead of the June 5 Panskura Lok Sabha
by-election. Stating that the Election Commission had “enough flexibility of action to ensure a free poll”, Dr Gill said the commission would not stand by as a helpless spectator and was determined to do whatever was necessary to ensure a free and fair poll in Panskura. At least 12 persons were killed over the past weekend in a series of poll clashes between CPM and Trinamool Congress cadres in the Keshpur Assembly segment of Panskura, where the
by-election is being held following the death of sitting MP Geeta Mukherjee. Dr Gill told reporters here today that the commission had an extensive meeting yesterday, where the situation in Panskura and other constituencies where
by-elections were being held on May 26 was reviewed. Extra observers had been sent to the Raghopur, Rohri and Soron assembly constituencies of Bihar, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, he said. While Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi was contesting from Raghopur, Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala’s son Abhay was a candidate in Rohri. The CEC said he was personally in touch with the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer on a daily basis to monitor the situation. Observing that the assembly poll was due in West Bengal in March-April next year, the CEC said the parties in the state should not get the idea that they could get away with violence during elections. “I want all parties to ensure that their workers cool it and have a peaceful poll,” he added. The CEC said the EC supported the West Bengal CEO’s demand for additional forces for Panskura and wanted these forces to act in a firm manner. The commission was also insisting on compulsory identification of voters through the EC’s voter identity cards or other official documents such as passport, driving license, ration cards and others. Electronic voting machines (EVMs) would be used in the Panskura and Aska Lok Sabha constituencies in Orissa and the Bhongir (Andhra Pradesh), Kiranpur (Madhya Pradesh) and Soron (Uttar Pradesh) assembly constituencies. Stating that the EC was keen on expanding the use of EVMs, Dr Gill said the commission had about 150,000 of these machines and would like to double the number immediately. Discussions were on in the commission in this regard and efforts would be made to acquire the new EVMs before next year’s assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerala. By-elections
are being held on May 26 in 10 assembly constituencies and the Aska Lok Sabha constituency. Panskura would have polling on June 5. The constituencies going to the polls on May 26 are Bhongir (Andhra Pradesh), Karimganj North and Nalabari (Assam), Raghopur and Jamui (Bihar), Kirnapur (MP), Mairang-ST (Meghalaya), Tyai-ST (Nagaland), Soron (UP) and Rohri (Haryana). While the counting of votes in these constituencies would be taken up on May 29, counting would be taken up in Panskura on June 8. |
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NEW DELHI, May 24 (PTI) — With only 29 of hundreds of monuments in Punjab falling under the protected list, conservationists lament that the state’s heritage is in a serious state of neglect, endangering not only many unique relics but also giving rise to misplaced enthusiasm for renovation and reconstruction. While the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) protects 29 monuments, of which 24 belong to the Moghul period, four to the Indus Civilisation and one to Sikh history, the State Department of Archaeology maintains only three buildings namely, Patiala’s Qila Mubarak, the Moorish Mosque in Kapurthala and Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Summer Palace in Ram Bagh in Amritsar. Apart from the ASI, the SGPC is responsible for looking after all shrines, including those associated with the Sikh Gurus. But historians and conservationists rue that with no defining criteria existing for including monuments in the protected list for Punjab, the SGPC and the ASI, neglect and degradation are bound to set in. “Since the Gurus of the Sikh faith occupy a unique and exalted place in the hearts and minds of the people of the state, it goes without saying that sites and structures associated with them should have pride of place in the listing,” says noted Sikh historian Patwant Singh. “In the process, invaluable evidence of past forms, materials, craftsmanship and construction techniques is lost forever and with it the subtle and elusive nuances of history,” says conservationist architect Gurmeet Rai, who is working on a UNDP-sponsored project for conserving monuments in Punjab. However, ASI officials discount these charges saying that it is for the SGPC to monitor Sikh religious places and not the ASI. “As it is, we have included 29 monuments in our list after a thorough research and a survey is going on to include others as well,” says Mr K.P. Ponacha, Director, Monuments, ASI. But he disputes this saying the very criteria for the selection of buildings for conservation is questionable. “Is it their antiquity, scale or grandeur or something else which we don’t know about,” he asks citing the example of the Moorish Mosque in Kapurthala as a case in point. “While there is no disputing the inclusion of the Moorish Mosque, since it is the only one of its kind in India, it is of comparatively recent origin, being a 20th century structure,” he says, adding “equally, the inclusion of the Ram Bagh Gate is pointless unless the entire Ram Bagh of which the Summer Palace is part is protected by the ASI.” But the most glaring example of misguided reconstruction is the recent renovation work of Harmander Sahib (Golden Temple) and its environs, alleges Rai. “In the recent large-scale renewal work undertaken there — from 1995 to 1999 — the entire original gold-plate covering of Harmandir Sahib’s external facade has been replaced by new plates,” she charges pointing out that the old ones were installed during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the early 19th century and are of immense antiquity value. “The old covering had a particular patina — a more subtle, non-garish subdued dignity which was warm and enduring,” Rai says, adding “by contrast the glitter of the present covering is overbearing and ostentatious”. However, the SGPC, which is in charge of the renovation work at the Golden Temple, denied these charges. “The renovation work was carried out by a Sikh organisation from Britain, which had collected crores for this purpose. Why would they do such a thing just for money,” says Mr Harinder Pal Singh, member, SGPC. “Also, the gold coverings were just coated over the old ones with the result that there is no question of minting money by selling them,” he says, adding “there is also no truth in the allegations of selling off the coverings and the stone-studded floor.” But Patwant Singh disagrees saying that worse still is the mystery with regard to the original gold-covered plates. “Where are they, for as priceless objects d’art, they should have pride of place in a museum of Sikh arts, especially as there is need to establish such a museum,” he says. |
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Khursheed takes on rebels in UPCC NEW DELHI, May 24 — Unfazed by the opposition to his leading the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee, Mr Salman Khursheed today charged the activity was aimed with an eye on organisational elections due later this year. Mr Khursheed, who has been the target of several leaders from the state led by former UPCC chief Jitendra Prasada, today met the Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi and briefed her about the developments in the state. During the last four days, two rallies were organised by the ‘rebels’ one at Jhansi on May 21 and another at Lucknow today. However, Mr Khursheed said according to reports the crowd at the Lucknow rally was sparse and dismissed charges levelled against him by the ‘rebels’. At the Jhansi rally which was attended by senior Congress leader Rajesh Pilot, the speakers, including Mr Prasada, talked of the need to listen to the workers. Mr Prasada claimed that the morale of the party workers was low on account of inertia that had come to plague the party’s state unit. The meeting was also attended by AICC General Secretary Motilal Vora who had asked the party members to remain united. Today Mr Khursheed directed his attack against his predecessor, Mr Prasada, and said the entire activity was with an eye towards organisational elections due in August. He challenged the ‘rebels’, who claimed to have support of the workers, that they could well triumph when the party holds internal elections under an independent election authority. He said UP was the only state other than Karnataka where the party’s vote share had increased. "It was mere 8 per cent when I took charge and it went up to 18 per cent’’, he said. |
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Revamp UP Congress, say leaders LUCKNOW, May 24 (UNI) — Senior Congress leaders today expressed great concern over “the state of affairs in the party organisation in Uttar Pradesh”. The well-attended freedom fighters’ conference was addressed by Congress Working Committee members Jitendra Prasada and Rajesh Pilot along with party members of Parliament Begum Noor Bano, Sujan Singh Bundela, Gufran Zahidi, Akhilesh Das and various state-level leaders and legislators. While addressing the conference, in which state party Chief Salman Khurshid was conspicuously absent, the speakers were critical of Mr Khurshid and opined that the present policies would have to be changed and the party workers given importance. Dr Ammar Rizvi, the Deputy Leader of the Congress Legislature Party in the state, went to the extent of saying “It is said the conference is of “rebels” and “disgruntled” Congressmen, which I accept”. While adding he said “ I am proud of being a rebel as the party is not a personal property of anybody”. Various leaders spoke at length about strengthening the state organisational set up in which, according to them, the workers hesitated to express their opinion. Mr Jitendra Prasada said inner democracy in the party was a must and organisational elections at every level should be ensured. He also advocated the secret ballot in organisational elections and said the grassroot workers should also be given participation in it. The Congress workers from other states levelled charges against the UP leaders for ignoring the workers and it was true, he said. He said the Congress was without power in the state for about 11 years and from organisational point of view the party had been pushed back by 50 years. Some serious thinking has to be done for the revival of the Congress, which was a must for saving the state and country, he added. Former Union Minister and a senior party leader Rajesh Pilot said he had been fighting for change in the party for the past six years, and expressed the hope that he would emerge a winner in this battle. He said the Congress had weakened because it had deviated from its original policies and programmes, which was the root cause for its debacle in the recent past. Mr Pilot stressed the need of encouraging clean politics. Mr Rajesh Pilot said there was a nexus between the politicians and criminals and mafias, which posed a threat to the country. The present day politics was now confined to grabbing power and the change in the stance of the likes of Mamata Banerjee, Sharad Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan were some of the example of that, he added. Mr Sujan Singh Bundela, MP, Lalitpur, said the rural workers were being ignored by the leaders and even the leaders were suspected when they tried to take the issues to the people. Freedom fighter and Chairman of the conference Ram Vilas Pandey sought to clarify that the conference was not against Mrs Sonia Gandhi or in the favour of Mr Jitendra Prasada. “It is a step in an effort to save the Congress”, he added. He regretted that “the present day Congress was identified with latest model cars and the cellular phones”. The conference also passed a resolution which spoke of restoration of inner democracy in the party and holding of impartial organisational elections. |
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Sonia deputes team to Tripura NEW DELHI, May 24 (UNI) — The Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, has deputed a four member-delegation led by Mr Pranab Mukherjee to Tripura for an on the spot study of the worsening law and order situation in the state which has witnessed more than 45 killings in the latest round of violence. The AICC General Secretary, Ms Ambika Soni, the AICC Secretary, Mr Mukul Wasnik, and Mr Apok Jamir, MP, are the other members of the delegation which will be in Tripura tomorrow and day after. Mr Wasnik said the delegation would submit a report to the party President. He said the party had been repeatedly drawing attention to the very fragile law and order situation in Tripura. Two months back the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, visited Tripura and the Congress party told him about the falling law and order situation. But, unfortunattely no adequate step was taken to improve the situation, he said. |
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NEW DELHI, May 24 (PTI) — The Supreme Court has rejected a government proposal to set up Benches of the apex court in four regions of the country saying that it would affect the structural and financial integrity of the institutions. “The Chief Justice of India has intimated that a full court meeting of the judges has opposed the government proposal for setting up Benches of the Supreme Court outside Delhi,” an official note said here today. The court said it would affect its structural and financial integrity, the note said but added that under Article 130 of the Constitution there was provision for setting up Benches outside Delhi. Article 130 provides “the Supreme Court shall sit in Delhi or in such place or places as the Chief Justice of India may, with the approval of the President, from time to time appoint”. The government had referred the matter to the Supreme Court following the 56th report of the Parliamentary Committee on Ministry of Law, Justice and Company Affairs which recommended that Benches of the apex court be set up in southern, western, north-eastern parts of the country so that people of far-flung areas get easy access to the Supreme Court. |
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CBSE plus 2 results NEW DELHI, May 24 (UNI) — The CBSE will declare the class XII results of Chennai and Ajmer regions on May 26. The results of other regions, including Delhi, Chandigarh, Guwahati and Allahabad, are likely to be announced by the end of the month. Students and schools can access the website for results at www cbse.nic.in. |
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Verma award for Hari Bhatnagar NEW DELHI, May 24 (UNI) — The 1999 Shrikant Verma memorial award for young writers is to be given to author Hari Bhatnagar for his collection of stories entitled “Naam me kya rakha hai” (what is in a name), it was announced here on Wednesday. The award, instituted by former MP Veena Verma, carries a cash component of Rs 5,000, a citation and a chield. The awardee was chosen by a selection committee headed by senior Congress leader Arjun Singh. |
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24-hour diabetes
helpline opened NEW DELHI, May 24 — The Delhi Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit today inaugurated India’s first 24-hour diabetes helpline by dialing 939-2525 and registering the first phone call on the service. Those living outside Delhi can gather information by prefixing the STD code to the aforesaid number. The service is being sponsored by Glunorm, a herbal co-adjuvant therapy for controlling diabetes and promises extensive information on diabetes, its symptoms, complications, self help resources, new approaches in managenment, related tests, of pathology laboratories conducting such tests and a list of eminent diabetologists in the Capital. The service can be of help to about 30 million people in the country who are suffering from diabetes. In Delhi alone, about 15 lakh persons are diabetic. Ms Dikshit said empowerment of the people through education on diabetes would go a long way in checking the alarming growth of the disease. |
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