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| Saturday,
October 14, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Take action, George tells states Punjab farmers hit hard: Scindia Rajasthan getting raw deal: Sonia State to give reply in sealed cover Israel,
PNA seek India’s help |
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India, S. Arabia to
discuss oil prices Cabinet to receive scribes’ wage board
report before session Advani has admitted
to failures: Cong Uttaranchal depts’ functioning from Nov 1 FRI not to house Uttaranchal sectt Cops in judicial custody for killing
Muslim youth IYC dharna against ‘misrule’
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Take action, George tells states NEW DELHI, Oct 13 — The Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes, has written to state governments and union territories to take action on many pending issues relating to the resettlement and welfare of ex-servicemen. In his letter, Mr Fernandes has stated that the Committee on Government Assurances of the Lok Sabha reviewed the feedback received from state governments on these issues recently. The committee expressed unhappiness about the tardy implementation of these measures even by some major states, he said. A statement issued by the Ministry of Defence said the minister had urged the states to amend the Rent Control and Land Tenancy Acts to safeguard the interests of the ex-servicemen and set up corporations to help them in resettlement. Revision of rates of cash grants and monetary allowance given by states to gallantry award winners must be looked into, he said. Mr Fernandes stated that reservation of house sites, houses for ex-servicemen, widows of defence personnel and exemption from payment of house tax to war widows and war-disabled ex-servicemen must be properly facilitated. Removal of domicilary restrictions for admission of wards of defence personnel, ex-servicemen in technical and vocational courses must be speeded up, he said. The committee was particularly concerned that certain important measures, such as the amendment of Rent control Act and Land Tenancy Act, reservations for widows, ex-servicemen, etc, on the matter of allotment of houses, house sites and removal of domicilary condition for dependents of ex-servicemen in professional colleges have not been adopted so far. Mr Fernandes urged the state governments to make sincere efforts to address these problems and ensure prompt action. |
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Punjab farmers hit hard: Scindia NEW DELHI, Oct 13—A senior Congress leader ,Mr Madhavrao Scindia ,has said that the farmers, particularly in Punjab and Haryana, have been hit hard by the economic policies of the NDA government. He demanded that the government must immediately recommence paddy procurement so that the farmers were not driven towards penury. "The anti-farmer policies of the government have scaled new heights with its move to backtrack from the procurement policy by suspending procurement of the paddy crop in Punjab and Haryana," Mr Scindia said in a statement. Contesting the FCI claims on paddy coming to Punjab mandis, he said that laboratory analysis of the paddy by scientists of Punjab Agriculture University had clearly established that the FCI charge was baseless and that there was nothing wrong with the paddy being offered by the farmers. Mr Scindia alleged that the government was deliberately misleading the farmers because it intended to abandon the present foodgrain policy. "The foodgrain stocks have risen to such a level that there is no more godown space to store the grain. Instead of finding ways and means to channelise these stocks for the consumption of the poor and needy, the government has opted for a disastrous course, " he said, adding that farmers were being driven to desperation. Mr Scindia said that unnecessary imports of wheat from Australia in 1998, sugar from Pakistan in 1999, and the lifting of quantitative restrictions on import of agricultural goods two years before the deadline had dealt a crushing blow to the farmers. |
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Rajasthan getting raw deal: Sonia SURATGARH, Oct 13 — The AICC President, Ms Sonia Gandhi, today alleged that the Central Government had been discriminating against the Rajasthan government over the allocation of funds for development and other purposes. Ms Gandhi, who was here today to inaugurate the second unit of the local thermal plant, said due to the Centre’s discriminatory attitude, the state government was facing many problems in serving the people in a better way. She said on one hand, the state government had been fighting against the drought-like conditions existing in the state for the past three years and on the other hand, it was in need of funds for development. She said the “unjustified” hike in the prices of diesel, LPG, kerosene and other essential items, had made the lives of the people miserable. She alleged that although coalition partners did not speak the same language before the general parliamentary election, they came together on the same platform to form government after the election without any policy or programme for the nation. Mr Ashok Gehlot, Rajasthan Chief Minister, alleged that the “wrong” policies of the Central Government were harming the development of agriculture in the state. He said at present Rajasthan was purchasing 60 per cent of the electricity needed by it from other states. The state government was trying to make Rajasthan self-sufficient in this regard and Rs 4,000 crore would be spent for the purpose, he added. |
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State to give reply in sealed cover BANGALORE, Oct 13 (PTI) — The Karnataka Government will submit replies in a sealed cover on October 16 to the Supreme Court on the three vital issues raised by the court on the Rajkumar kidnap issue. After the high power committee meeting chaired by Chief Minister S.M. Krishna, which discussed the observations made by the apex court on October 11, state Law Minister D.B. Chandregowda told reporters that the government would finalise its responses today. He said the government would inform the court that no minutes had been drafted when Chief Ministers of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu met on three occasions to discuss the hostage crisis. Mr Gowda said this on the issue of court asking details on what genuine efforts were made by the government to nab Veerappan in the last 10 years and added it would also place before it the achievement of the special task force (STF) in reducing the gang’s strength from 150 to mere 12. Mr Gowda, when his attention was drawn to a report submitted by an official, Arakesh, associated with the
STF operations, said “in the strict sense, it is not a report. He has compiled statements of reports given at various points of time and fed it to a computer. He had culled out certain portion of statements and is calling it a report now”. CHENNAI: Replying to a question on the apex court’s directive to Karnataka Government to place in a sealed cover if it had any alternative strategy to resolve the kidnap issue, the state Chief Minister Mr M. Karunanidhi told reporters here: ‘We will inform only the court.’ The Chief Minister said he did not think there was any interference from the Supreme Court. “We do not think so. In fact, we respect the courts”. Answering another question, Mr Karunanidhi said emissaries R.R. Gopal and others, on a mission to secure the release of the hostages, had received “signals” from Veerappan and they were now on their way to meet the brigand.
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Israel,
PNA seek India’s help NEW DELHI, Oct 13 — Even as India today asked all
sides to desist from provocative acts in the region, Israel and the
Palestinian National Authority (PNA) have sought New Delhi’s
intervention in the Middle-East peace process. While both the Israeli and Palestinian leadership have been in touch with the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, India has been monitoring the developing situation in the Israel-PNA region very closely, senior officials said. Development of relations between New Delhi and Tel Aviv in the past few years has brought India in a situation in which both Israel and PNA have started looking towards the Indian political leadership for a more positive role. In recent months, Mr Vajpayee had extensive discussions with the US President, Mr Bill Clinton, and the Russian President, Mr Vladimir Putin, on their respective assessment of the peace process. A
statement of the Ministry of External Affairs, issued today, gave a
hint of New Delhi’s approach towards the peace process when it went
on record to say that prior to sudden escalation of tensions and
consequent violence, both the PNA and Israel had repeatedly sought
India’s intervention in peace process. “We urge all sides to
desist from provocative acts, use of indiscriminate force and
encouragement to violence. Peace and normalcy must immediately be
restored, the peace process not permitted to collapse irretrievably”,
the statement stressed. While the Ministry officially declined to
share any further about New Delhi’s plan of action for the peace
process, sources said the External Affairs Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh,
would make an effort to study the mood in the Arab world on any role
that New Delhi could play. During his visit to Saudi Arabia, commencing from October 17 and then to Algeria subsequently, the External Affairs Minister would take up the issue of the peace in the Middle East both in Riyadh and Algiers. Upon his return to India after his visits to Saudi Arabia and Algeria, he would brief the Prime Minister about his understanding of the peace process and a possible role for India. Mr Vajpayee, who has received two letters from the Israel Prime Minister, Mr Ehud Barak, would then reply to the latter. In his communications to Mr Barak and the PNA and PLO Chairman, Mr Yaseer Arafat, the Prime Minister is expected to refer to any role for India in the peace process. Mr Arafat, who was in India few weeks ago, had urged the Indian political leadership to play a more positive role in the process. The
Ministry officials said that both Israel and PNA are seeking India’s
intervention as New Delhi had been very cautious on the developments
and has shown understanding for both positions. India has been active
on the diplomatic front very quietly without ruffling feathers either
in Israel or the PNA. |
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India, S. Arabia to
discuss oil prices NEW DELHI, Oct 13 — India’s energy security, international terrorism, drug trafficking, international oil prices, peace and stability in the region would be under sharp focus when External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh reaches Riyadh on October 17 on a three-day bilateral visit for evolving a new understanding with the Saudi Arabia’s ruling family. Mr Jaswant Singh, who is the first ever Indian External Affairs Minister to visit Saudi Arabia, would have high level interaction with the Saudi King Fahd, the Crown Prince Abdullah, the Foreign Minister, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Defence Minister, Prince Sultan, the Interior Minister, Prince Naif and the Ministers of Petroleum, Electricity, Industry and Trade. The External Affairs Minister, who is going to Saudi Arabia on the invitation of his counterpart, is visiting after extensive consultations between the two capitals. |
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Cabinet to receive scribes’ wage board
report before session
NEW DELHI, Oct 13 (PTI) — The recommendations of the R.K. Manisana Singh Wage Boards for working journalists and non-journalists newspaper and news agencies’ employees are likely to be sent for Cabinet approval before the winter session of Parliament. “I hope the final report incorporating the necessary modifications on the basis of suggestions received from the parties concerned will be placed before the Cabinet before the winter session of Parliament”, Union Labour Minister Satyanarayan Jatiya told reporters here today. He said the Labour Ministry would finalise its own report within a week and send it to the ministries concerned, including Law and Justice and Information and Broadcasting, to obtain their opinion. Stating that the recommendations of the wage boards were under consideration of the government, the minister said the process of consultations with different parties had been completed. |
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Advani has
admitted
to failures: Cong NEW DELHI,Oct 13—The Congress today said that it would respond to the ''false claims'' of the BJP-led government about its performance in the past year. A party spokesperson, Mr Ajit Jogi, said that the Union Home Minister ,Mr L.K.Advani, in his remarks reported today, had made candid admission about failures of the Union Government. Mr Jogi said that though Mr Advani wanted to quit over the killings of Amarnath pilgrims, he (Mr Advani) did not have the moral courage to go ahead with the decision. |
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Uttaranchal depts’ functioning from Nov 1 DEHRA DUN, Oct 13 — Uttaranchal will have only 12 departments and 23 directorates for running affairs of the government. This decision was taken by the Cabinet Sub-Committee of Economic Affairs (UP) under the chairmanship of Mr Ramesh Pokhrial, Minister of Religious and Cultural Affairs, at a meeting held in Lucknow last evening. According to Mr Pokhrial this proposal has been forwarded to the UP Cabinet for final approval. It is likely to be cleared by the Cabinet by coming Monday. He said Agriculture, Tourism, Irrigation and Power, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Finance and Planning, Revenue and Food Supplies, Personnel and General Administration, Health, Home, Education, Forests and Wildlife Preservation and Industries will start functioning from November 1, this year with the formation of the new state. Secretaries of the Departments will be appointed before October 20. The departments have further been sub-divided into many departments but overall in charge thereof will be a single secretary. He revealed that the top posts for IPS cadre will be Director-General of Police, Commandant, Home Guards, Inspector-General, Jails and Inspector-General, Vigilance. For the PCS cadre, 23 posts of director of various departments have been proposed as against 78 in UP. The Cabinet sub-committee has not touched the directorates already functioning in the region. These will continue to work as usual. |
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FRI not to house Uttaranchal sectt DEHRA DUN, Oct 13 — The main building and premises of the Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehra Dun, are not likely to be acquired by the government for using it as civil secretariat and the Legislative Assembly Hall. Dr J.K. Rawat, Director, FRI disclosed here today that there is no such move under the consideration of the Union Government to transfer the main building or the premises of the FRI to Uttaranchal government. |
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Cops in judicial custody for killing
Muslim youth NEW DELHI, Oct 13 — Two police personnel were remanded in judicial custody for 14 days by a Court here today for killing a youth in Gautampuri area of East Delhi. This incident led to a riot-like situation in the locality. The accused personnel, Sub-Inspector Vjai Kumar and Constable Swatantra Kumar allegedly beat Irshad Khan, (26) to death following an minor argument. The incident occurred when he was bringing his four-year-old son Danish from school. Residents of the area went on the rampage after the incident. They set ablaze a bus, a scooter and threw stones on police personnel. Three companies of the Police Armed Constabulary were deployed in the area by the late evening yesterday. The police had to resort to tear gassing. |
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IYC dharna against ‘misrule’ NEW DELHI, Oct 13 — Hundreds of workers of the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) today held a dharna at the Sansad Marg here to protest against the “misrule” of the NDA government in the past year. Addressing the workers, IYC chief Randeep Singh Surjewala said that the BJP-led government had failed to fulfil any of the promises made in its election manifesto. He said to add to the problems of poverty and unemployment, the government had increased sharply the prices of petroleum products. Mr Surjewala said while government godowns were overflowing with wheat, prices in the market were high. |
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