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| Wednesday, August 23, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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No to Cong demand for judicial probe Relaxation in
marks: LS passes Bill Minister’s condition
worsens Who will replace Basu?: debate on in CPM |
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Pakistan ‘changing’ Ravi’s course Uneasy calm in
Shillong PM rejects holding ISC meeting
HC ruling on DPC set aside BJP tops in fresh
MC poll results Heavy rain likely
in UP hills
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No to Cong demand for judicial probe NEW DELHI, Aug 22 — The Congress demand for a judicial probe into the Amarnath massacre was today rejected by a voice vote in the Lok Sabha with the government assuring the House that it would not be found wanting if the high-level committee, inquiring into the incident, pointed to lapses in the security set up. Replying to a marathon debate on a Congress-sponsored motion seeking an inquiry by a sitting High Court Judge, the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, said such a probe at this stage would only create doubts in the minds of the people specially when Pakistan had launched a high-pitched propaganda accusing the Indian security forces and the Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, of masterminding the killings on the night of August 1. The Home Minister said a three-member panel comprising Lt Gen J. Mukherjee of the Unified Command in Jammu and Kashmir, the Principal Home Secretary of the state government and the Anantnag District Magistrate were already probing any possible security lapse and would submit its report within three months. Mr Advani said if the report of the panel showed any dereliction of duty or a security lapse, the government would consider a judicial inquiry. The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, had earlier, too given such an assurance to the House, he pointed out. The lower House rejected by a voice vote the motion moved by a Congress member, Mr Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi under Rule 184 which provides for voting. Mr Dasmunshi did not press for a division. Earlier, Samajwadi Party members led by Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav staged a walk-out protesting against the government’s failure to list steps being taken to crush Pakistan-backed terrorism in J&K. Rejecting the Opposition charge that the government had lowered its guard in J&K after the Hizbul Mujahideen announced ceasefire, the Home Minister said 799 militants were killed in the state in July even after government responded to the offer to hold peace talks. The number of militants killed in Jammu and Kashmir last month was one of the highest in recent years, he said adding “It is baseless to say that we lowered our guard”. Asserting that the route of the Amarnath pilgrimage was nearly 100 km from the Line of Control, Mr Advani said the number of security personnel including from the Army and paramilitary forces deployed along the route, was much higher than in previous years. Mr Advani said apparently there was no security lapse either on the part of the Centre or the state government as all precautionary measures had been taken in advance for smooth conduct of the pilgrimage. Nonetheless if lapses were found, then action would be taken, the minister asserted. Pointing a finger at the Congress, Mr Advani said the BJP-led government could not rectify decades of mismanagement and misrule in just two years. Countering the Congress assertion that Mr Vajpayee’s bus journey to Lahore last year was disaster, the Home Minister said the trip proved to be a turning point in creating public opinion internationally in favour of India. Giving details of the probe, Mr Advani said the three-member panel, appointed by the state government to inquire into the massacre, would also probe whether the magnitude of casualties at Pahalgam could have been prevented after the initial bursts of fire. The Home Minister maintained that after the Kargil conflict, Pakistan had intensified the proxy war backed by it in J &K and also propaganda against India through their officially-controlled audio-visual media. In his hard-hitting speech, Mr Dasmunshi made fun of the Home Minister’s argument that appointment of a judicial inquiry would affect the morale of the security forces. The Congress member said Mr Advani should not confuse the people by offering lop-sided arguments”. “The Indian democracy is mature and strong enough to withstand any propaganda by Pakistan television or radio. There was a total lack of coordination between the offices of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister and that of the Defence Minister and the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. He accused the government of the failure to assess the threat perception in the backdrop of tension being built up among the terrorist groups following the peace talks with Hizbul Mujahideen. “There has been a total lack of vision, perception, efficiency and competence on the part of the Home Minister who does not want to expose himself by appointing a judicial inquiry, panel” he said. |
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Relaxation in
marks: LS passes Bill NEW DELHI, Aug 22 (UNI) — The Constitution 88th and 86th Amendment Bills secured parliamentary approval with their passage in quick succession today by the Lok Sabha. The Constitution (88th Amendment) Bill is intended to restore the relaxations in qualifying marks and standards of evaluation in both job reservations and promotions to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes set aside by a Supreme Court judgement in 1996. The Constitution (86th Amendment) Bill seeks to exempt Arunachal Pradesh in the matter of statutory reservation for Scheduled Castes in village panchayats as the state does not have any belonging to that social class. Both these Bills were already passed by the Rajya Sabha. The 88th Amendment Bill was piloted by the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Ms Vasundara Raje, while the 86th Amendment Bill was steered through by Minister of State for Rural Development A. Raja. Being Amendment Bills, voting was taken up in both instances to ensure the support of a majority of the total membership of the House as well as the majority of not less than two-third of those present. Intervening in the debate, the Prime Minister gave an assurance that immediate instructions would be issued for implementation of the 88th amendment. The backlog in job reservations would be cleared, he added. The Supreme Court in a case between S. Vinod Kumar vs Union of India had ruled that such concessions to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes negated the constitutional guarantees provided by Article 335. The present amendment adds a special proviso in that Article to guarantee concessions to the two weaker sections of society. |
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Minister’s condition
worsens NEW DELHI, Aug 22 — Union Power Minister P. Rangarajan Kumaramangalam’s condition today deteriorated with unstable circulatory status and
hypertension “unresponsive to treatment”. A medical bulletin issued by the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), said “the general condition of Mr Kumaramangalam has deteriorated with circulatory instability and
hypertension unresponsive to treatment.” “He continues to be given full life-support measures and is being monitored and managed by a team of doctors,” the bulletin, signed by Medical Superintendent R.K. Sharma said. Mr Kumaramangalam, who was admitted to the hospital on August 12, has been diagnosed to be suffering from acute myeloid leukemia. Yesterday, Mr Kumaramangalam had shown some signs of improvement in his circulatory status. A team of specialists comprising Prof J.N. Pande, Prof S.C. Manchanda, Prof Chandralekha, Prof K.K. Talwar and Dr R. Guleria is constantly reviewing his condition. |
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Who will replace Basu?: debate on in CPM CALCUTTA, Aug 22 — The issue of Mr Jyoti Basu’s resignation has once again come into the forefront soon after the end of three-day conference of the party’s state committee last week in Calcutta, which was attended, among others by Mr H.S. Surjeet, Mr Sitaram Yechuri and Mr Basu himself. At the end of the conference, Mr Anil Biswas, secretary of the CPM state committee, said Mr Basu’s successor was already decided upon and the party was ready to allow him to step down if he so desired”. The following day, the Chief Minister told reporters that he “wants to resign on health ground and if the party allows him to do the so, he is ready to relinquish immediately” throwing the ball in the party’s court to take the decision. This stand of Mr Basu on his retirement is well-known and well-publicised. The issue had been raised several times, discussed and debated and also soon died down. Mr Basu continued to remain in his chair Mr Basu did not resign and the party also did not allow him to step down. In the past one year or so, the matter had been frequently raised but ultimately turned out to be the faux pas! Will the same be repeated this time also? Aajkal, a Calcutta Bengali daily, known as pro-Marxist paper, published front-page lead news item, quoting party sources that Mr Basu is ultimately stepping down some time at the end of September on health ground, allowing Mr Buddadev Bhattacharyya to head the 23-year-old Left Front government. Another Bengali daily, Bartaman, however, published an item with equal prominence stating that the ageing and ailing Mr Basu will remain in the Chief Minister’s chair till the forthcoming Assembly elections in April-May since his active role in electioneering is essential to face the challenge posed by Ms
Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress-BJP ‘jot’ which will soon include a sizeable section of the state Congress members led by Mr Ghani Khan Chowdhury, Mr Somen Mitra, Mr Abdul Mannan and Mr Paresh Pal and some other MLAs who will join with Ms Banerjee, defying the high command’s directives. The result of the Panskura Lok Sabha by-election and Calcutta Corporation as well as Bidhannagar Municipal polls and lately the Uttarpara Municipality’s elections, where Trinamool Congress-BJP won with massive victory was a warning to the ruling CPM-led Left Front government. A section of the CPM leadership has been firm of the opinion that this time more strong and united move is necessary to face a bigger challenge in the elections and only the leader like Mr Jyoti Basu stature, can lead the front. CPM leaders like Mr Somnath Chatterjee, MP and minister like Mr Subhas Chakraborty, Mr Gautam Dev, Dr Asim Dasgupta and Mr Buddhadev Bhattacharyya himself, had been advocating that Mr Basu should remain in the Chief Minister’s post to lead them till the next Assembly polls. And even the leaders in the anti-Basu lobby, like Mr Biman Basu, Mr Sitaram Yechuri, Mr Prakash Karat and Mr Anil Biswas also so far, have not publicly demanded Mr Basu’s immediate resignation. On the other hand, the front-partners’ leaders like Mr Ashok Ghosh of the Forward Block and Mr Kshiti Goswami, the state PWD Minister of the RSP, made public statement against Mr Basu’s retirement. Mr Basu is not only a CPM leader, he has been also the Chief Minister of the Left Front and his immediate retirement would not only adversely affect the CPM in the elections but also the front partners’, Mr Ghosh remarked. Mr Basu is still our main crowd-puller and his presence has been vital for us to win the elections, Mr Goswami observed. He has formally written to the Chief Minister requesting him to suspend his decision of resignation till the next Assembly election. The CPI state leadership also made the similar appeal to Mr Basu. “Mr Basu is quite active still and strong enough to lead the government and then, why should he retire? asked Mr Gurudas Dasgupta the former Rajya Sabha MP. Large section of the Left Front leadership wants Mr Basu to be at the helm of power till the next Assembly elections but still it is uncertain if Mr Basu will remain in the chair till the election. Mr Basu is now 87 and a chronic patient of the bowel irritable syndrome and arthritis. Recently, he had to be admitted to the AIIMS after his sudden illness while attending the party’s Politburo meetings in New Delhi. But still Mr Basu attends his office at Writers Buildings’ regularly, holds official meetings, disposes of important files and meets VIPs. He also attends party meetings at Alimuddin Street and take part in the party’s decision making. He is still the final ‘say’ in all decision-making, be it government work of party matter, says his ardent follower, Mr Subhas Chakraborty, the State Transport and Sports Minister. “Why should he then retire?” questioned Mr Chakraborty. |
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North India in
Parliament NEW DELHI, Aug 22 — Satellite pictures have suggested the construction of embankments and flood-protection works on the Ravi by Pakistan in a bid to force the river to shift its course towards the Indian side which could endanger border outposts during the monsoons, the Minister of State for Water Resources, Ms Bijoy Chakravarty, told the Rajya Sabha today. Replying to a question by Dr Y. Lakshmi Prasad, the minister said the work to counter possible adverse effects to the Indian side had been undertaken by the Punjab Government in the border areas, including Gurdaspur, in consultation with the border authorities utilising financial assistance and technical expertise provided by the Central Government. The minister said adequate vigil was being maintained on the border. Punjabi University identifies species: A group of scientists from the Department of Biotechnology, Punjabi University, Patiala, have identified two bacterial species procured from the microbial type culture collections at the Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, with lectin activity, the Minister of Science and Technology, Mr Bachi Singh Rawat, told the Lok Sabha today. Replying to a question by Mr Thawar Chand Gehlot, he said the lectins had been isolated from two bacterial species and their properties studied. Punjabi University was taking necessary steps for filing the patent. The work was carried out in a UGC-sponsored research project given to Punjabi University during 1990-1993. No UN Army: The UN army is not deployed on the border of Kashmir, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Mr Vidyasagar Rao, told the Lok Sabha today. However, he said, the UN Military Observer Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) maintains a small presence in Jammu and Kashmir. This group is not deployed on the Line of Control. The group cannot be termed as UN army, the Minister said. In reply to a question by Mr Satyavrat Chaturvedi whether the government was aware that the Jammu and Kashmir Government was trying to change the population scenario of Ladakh and Leh by forcefully inhabiting Muslims there, the minister said there was no specific information about any attempt to bring about any demographic change in Ladakh and Leh. Replying to a question by Mr Vishnu Dutt Sharma, Mr Rao said the Jammu and Kashmir Government had passed the J&K Kashmiri Migrants’ Immovable Properties (Preservation, Protection and Restraint of Distress Sales) Act, 1997. The state government had informed that it was taking all possible steps for the protection of migrants’ properties. The Centre has requested the state government to take speedy action regarding the fixation of rent in those cases where the properties have been occupied by the CPMFs and expedite the payment of compensation in those cases where properties have been damaged in militancy-related incidents, the minister said. Of a total 701 houses (belonging to migrants) under the occupation of security forces in the valley, the assessment of rent has been made by the respective district administration in 387 cases and sanctions have been issued in 165 cases. Of the 635 houses under unauthorised occupation in the valley, notices had been issued in 609 cases. As per the last records, the state government had so far disbursed Rs 28.60 crore in 4,691 damaged structures. |
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Uneasy calm in
Shillong SHILLONG, Aug 22 (UNI) — As night falls, an uneasy calm descends over the curfew-bound Meghalaya capital that witnessed heavy gunbattles between the security forces and ultras on August 15 and a series of shooting incidents for the next two days. Except for the CRPF and other security forces patrolling the troubled areas, particularly Mawlai and Jaiaw, the headquarters of the militant Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), no one stirs out at night. However, the lull in the violence may not necessarily signify peaceful times ahead. “It is only a beginning...more trouble could be in the offing”, a CRPF jawan said. Since the killing of a CRPF jawan on August 15 by HNLC activists, the district administration claims to have stepped up search operations in several localities in the city and to have apprehended NSCN (IM) cadres backing the HNLC. They have a difficult task as the militants have to be rounded up from these crowded localities without injuring the civilians. |
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PM rejects holding
ISC meeting NEW DELHI, Aug 22 — The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, today virtually rejected the demand of holding the Inter-State Council meeting to discuss the 11th Finance Commission as demanded by the Chief Ministers of “performing states” at a meeting convened yesterday by Mr Chandrababu Naidu. Mr Vajpayee replied in the negative when asked if an Inter-State Council meeting would be convened. He told reporters outside his office in Parliament House that “there is no immediate programme.” Chief Ministers of progressive states, including allies of the BJP, met here to protest against the recommendations of the Finance Commission and demanded an immediate convening of the Inter-State Council to evolve a consensus on the issue. The meeting, which Mr Naidu said was aimed at seeking economic justice, was attended by Chief Ministers of Kerala, Punjab, Haryana, Assam, Manipur and the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and the Tamil Nadu Law Minister. The Chief Ministers urged the Prime Minister to convene a special meeting of the Inter-State Council where the major issue of fiscal federalism could be deliberated in depth and a national consensus evolved. The memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister by the Chief Ministers dealt point by point with the various recommendations of the Finance Commission, including the one that put a ceiling of 37.5 per cent on the Central fiscal transfers to the states. They urged the government to treat 37.5 per cent as a minimum share to be transferred to the states. The memorandum also made a few other suggestions, including protecting the budget provision for 2000-01 as the award of the Finance Commission had adversely affected the fiscal stability of a majority of the states. |
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Punjab, HP among 9
leprosy-free states NEW DELHI, Aug 22 — Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are among the nine states that have been declared ‘leprosy free’. The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr C P Thakur, has announced Punjab, Haryana Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim have got rid of leprosy. At the same time, Kerala, Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Lakshadweep are close to attaining leprosy-free status. Addressing the meeting of Consultative Committee of Parliament attached to his Ministry here yesterday, Dr Thakur said that the disease would be eliminated from India by 2003. He said that the ministry was working on a project implementation plan to meet the aforesaid target. The project would be proposed to the World Bank for assistance and would focus on endemic states. Apart from surveillance, the project would stress on care for prevention of disability. The second phase of the project entailed deployment of separate cadres for leprosy eradication in the endemic states of Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. These states accounted for 71 per cent of the total cases of leprosy in the country. In other states, it would be integrated with general health care programmes. The Health Minister said that a mechanism ought to be evolved to involve all parliamentarians in implementing health programmes at the grass-root level. He said the ministry would approach the Prime Minister in this regard as Health was a state subject. Sources in the Health Ministry said that the Rs 302-crore World Bank-funded six-year National Leprosy Eradication Project was scheduled to end in the coming month. The programme covers all districts in the country. At present, India has 5.17 lakh recorded cases of leprosy. Over five lakh cases are detected every year. The agenda for the next meeting of the committee would be Indian systems of medicine and homoeopathy. Lok Sabha members who participated in the deliberations were Dr M Jagannath, Mr Sunder Lal Tiwari, Mr Virender Kumar and Mr R S Patil. Rajya Sabha members present at the meeting were Dr Y Radhakrishan Murthy, Dr M N Das, Mr M M Aggarwal, Mrs Bimba Raikar and Dr P Selvie Das. |
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Newspaper men
stage rally NEW DELHI, Aug 22 (UNI) — Braving heavy rains and violating prohibitory orders, hundreds of employees of newspaper organisations today staged a protest rally near the Parliament House demanding necessary modifications in the final report of the Manisana Wage Board and its immediate notification. The protestors, under the banner of the National Coordination Committee of
Newspapers/News-agency Employees Unions, were stopped near the Red Cross bus stop. This had resulted in a traffic jam around the Rafi Marg chowk for about 30 minutes. The protestors, who earlier assembled at the UNI office, carried placards and banners and raised slogans, demanding the restructuring of pay scales and the restoration of same percentage of increments to all employees. Their other demands included high percentage of HRA, restoring educational allowance as proposed in the interim report and 100 per cent neutralisation of DA. Addressing the rallyists, the committee leaders deplored the dilly dallying attitude of the Vajpayee government in the implementation of the final recommendations of the board. They alleged that it was doing so under the pressure of the newspaper owners. |
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HC ruling on DPC set aside NEW DELHI, Aug 22 — The Supreme Court has set aside a judgement of the Punjab and Haryana High Court which had ordered a fresh meeting of the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) of the state government to be conducted for considering the promotion to the posts of chief engineer among the contending superintending engineers. The high court by its judgement of June 6 had ordered a fresh meeting of the DPC to be conducted after holding that the DPC and the state of Punjab would be governed by the Central Government guidelines which were adopted by the state government on October 1, 1999. The high court was of the view that if the Central Government guidelines were applied, the DPC would have had to consider eight superintending engineers for the promotion to the posts of chief engineer and not five. The DPC meeting of April 16, 1999, selected the appellant, Mr Sarabjit Singh, and two others from among five candidates. A two-judge Bench of the Supreme Court comprising Mr Justice M. Jagannadha Rao and Mr Justice Doraiswamy Raju while setting aside the high court judgement upheld the recommendation of the DPC dated April 16, 1999, and the consequential promotions of Mr Sarabjit Singh and two other respondents before the high court. Holding that the state guidelines of June 28, 1961, was applicable in the case, the judges ruled that “the procedure followed by the DPC was consistent with the guidelines under which for three posts five names had to be considered.” Two other senior superintending engineers were not considered because of the adverse remarks against them. “There was, therefore, no need for considering the name of the writ petitioner (before the high court challenging the selection), who was the sixth candidate. Therefore, his case was rightly not considered for the promotion. The high court erred in applying the wrong guidelines and in directing a fresh DPC on that ground”, the judges said. Delivering the judgement for the Bench, Mr Justice Rao further held that the high court was wrong in thinking that eight candidates had to be considered for the promotion including the name of the writ petitioner, former Major B.D Gupta. Besides the appellant, Mr Sarabjit Singh, two other promoted chief engineers whose selection has upheld by the Supreme Court are Mr D.P. Bajaj and Mr
B.K. Thappar. |
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BJP tops in fresh
MC poll results JAIPUR, Aug 22 (UNI) — Within 24 hours of declaring the results to the
municipal polls in Rajasthan, the State Election Commission today came out with fresh figures, putting the BJP at the top, instead of the Congress. The revised figures which have turned the tables on the Congress give the party 969 wards, 30 less than the earlier declared result. The BJP which pockets 978 out of the total 2,727 wards, results for which have been declared so far, has three seats less. There was no change in the results of the other parties, according to the commission sources. But the Independents added 34 more wards, taking their tally to 754 now in the 2729-member House. |
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Heavy rain likely
in UP hills NEW DELHI, Aug 22 — Monsoon has been active in east Rajasthan and the hills of west Uttar Pradesh. Rainfall: Rain or thundershowers have occurred at most places in east Rajasthan and the hills of west Uttar Pradesh, at a few places in Punjab and the plains of Uttar Pradesh at isolated places in the rest of the region. The chief amounts of rainfall in cms are: Haryana: Kalka 2 and New Delhi (Safdarjung) 1, Himachal Pradesh: Baijnath 3 and Ghamroor and Nalagarh 1 each, Jammu and Kashmir: Pahalgam 2, Punjab: Nangal and Zira 2 each and Balachaur and Patti 1 each, Rajasthan: Bhawargarh Colony 9, Gopalpura and Ramgarh 7 each, Kandar 5, Baran, Guddadam and Jaipur 4 each, Borli, Gangapur City, Jugger, Kumer and Tonk 3 each, Amer, Kanota, Khanpur, Nadoti, Rupwas and Sabla 2 each, Bamanwas, Dausa, Dhambola,
Kota, Sangwara and Udaipur 1 each, Uttar Pradesh: Bhatpurwaghat 10, Bansi 6, Joshimath 5, Bareilly, Banda, Chillaghat, Lucknow and Haripur 4 each, Banbasa, Basti, Dehradun, Etawah, Kalpi, Neemsar and Tehri 3 each, Kakrahi and Rudraprayag 2 each and Allahabad, Ayodhya, Ballia, Hamirpur, Jhansi, Sahjina and Uttarkashi 1 each. Forecast valid until the morning of 24th: Rain or thundershowers will occur at many places in the hills of west Uttar Pradesh, at a few places in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, east Rajasthan and the plains of Uttar Pradesh and at isolated places in west Rajasthan. Heavy rainfall warning: Heavy rain is likely at isolated places in the hills of Uttar Pradesh during next 24 hours. Forecast for Delhi & neighbourhood valid until the morning of 24th: Generally cloudy sky with one or two showers/thundershowers in some areas. Farmers’ weather bulletin for Delhi: Forecast valid until the morning of 24th: Moderate to rather heavy rain will occur at a few places. Outlook for the subsequent two days: No large change. |
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