 |
| Thursday, November 2, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
|
Prasad takes over as Cabinet Secy Hartal turns violent in Kerala Centre urged to
get Chhota Rajan deported India refutes Pak
allegation HC: don’t
summon Kalyan Singh |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Test exemption for NCC ‘C’ cadets ‘Waive’ loans of riot victims PM asked to clear stand on petro price Barnala to take
oath on Nov 8 Jails turned into ‘corporate offices’ Cong leaders flay
Centre’s decision Biharis return to celebrate ‘Chhath’ Crash victims’ kin leave for Singapore Govt revamps Finance Ministry Indira denied me Army chief’s post: Harbaksh Names of new envoys announced
|
|
Prasad takes over as Cabinet Secy NEW DELHI, Nov 1 — Former Defence Secretary, Mr T.R. Prasad, a 1963 batch IAS officer from Andhra Pradesh cadre, today assumed charge as Cabinet Secretary. Mr Prasad (59) was Defence Secretary till October 20 and was then posted as Officer on Special Duty in the Cabinet Secretariat. He replaces Mr Prabhat Kumar who retired yesterday. His earlier stints in the government included the post of Secretary, Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Industries, and Chairman, Foreign Investment Promotion Board. He was also Secretary, Heavy Industry and Chairman, Maruti Udyog Limited. Mr Prasad was introduced to the Cabinet at a meeting held under the chairmanship of the Prime Miniter, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, on October 30. A lifetime Fellow of the Institute of Engineers, Mr Prasad was a director on the boards of IDBI, ICICI, EXIM Bank, Vizag Steel Plant, Hindustan Shipyard, Nagarjuna Chemicals and Fertilisers and Dredging Corporation of India. Mr Prasad had held several important posts in his parent cadre, including Principal Secretary, Industry and Commerce, Urban Development and Revenue. |
|
Hartal turns violent in Kerala THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Nov 1 (UNI) — Violence broke out in several parts of Kerala, where normal life was paralysed following a 12-hour hartal called by the opposition demanding resignation of Excise Minister T. Sivadasa Menon, owning responsibility for last week’s hooch tragedies which had left 35 persons dead. The hartal coincided with the 44th state formation day. The police resorted to lathi charge at Punalur where hartal supporters damaged a truck and stoned a bar. Three Congress led Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) workers and two policemen were injured in the incident. The UDF workers set fire two liquor shops at Karunagapally (Kollam), Venjaramoodu (Thiruvananthapuram) and Thaliparambu (Kannur) and Amboori (Thiruvananthapuram). A report from Kozhikode said a 12-year-old boy was seriously injured during the stone throwing at Armapuram. The hartal supporters manhandled the headmaster of the Government Lower Primary School at Chavara when he was proceeding to the school. A few private cars and trucks were damaged at Valiathura and Pattom in Thiruvananthapuram and at Aluva in Ernakulam. A report from Aluva said the windshields of four trucks and two cars were smashed by the processionists in front of the Congress office. The hartal supporters also barged into government offices and banks and threatened those on duty. Reports from district headquarters said normal life was paralysed with shops and commercial establishments remaining closed. Both private and state-owned buses and other vehicles, except two-wheelers, went off the road, and educational institutions remained closed,evoking a total response to the bandh call. Government offices and factories reported thin attendance, but post offices and banks functioned at many places. |
|
Centre urged to
get Chhota Rajan deported NEW DELHI, Nov 1 (PTI) — The Maharashtra Government today asked the Centre to take concrete steps for the deportation of underworld don Chhota Rajan from Thailand even as it decided to recall its three-member police team from Bangkok with Thai authorities making it clear that they would deal only with New Delhi. “Since the passport of Chhota Rajan has been revoked and he is now a stateless person, he can be deported forthwith ... We have also decided to recall the three police officials from Bangkok,” Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal told reporters after meeting Home Minister
L.K. advani and External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh here. He said the Thai authorities, who had so far cooperated with the Maharashtra police, had now made it clear that they would now deal with the Indian Government and no other authority. Both Mr Advani and Mr Jaswant Singh assured expeditious action to bring Rajan, against whom there were 18 warrants pending with the state government, to the country, Mr Bhujbal said. |
|
India refutes Pak
allegation NEW DELHI, Nov 1— India today strongly refuted Pakistan allegation that it was escalating tension along the Line of Control (LoC) and said it was Islamabad which continued to violate the line by indulging in cross-border terrorism. In reply to a question, a spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs said India had always supported that the sanctity and inviolability of the LoC should be maintained at all costs but it was Pakistan which had never respected the LoC, thus enhancing tension along the LoC. A Pakistan official spokesman had yesterday said “there is escalation of tension along the LoC with continuous shelling on the Pakistan side.” The External Affairs spokesman said it was Pakistan which was responsible for the Kargil crisis and the entire international community was aware of
it. |
|
HC: don’t
summon Kalyan Singh NEW DELHI, Nov 1 (PTI) — The Delhi High Court today said the Liberhan Commission, probing the sequence of events leading to the demolition of the disputed structure at Ayodhya, should stick to its commitment of not summoning former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh till next hearing on his petition. Mr Justice Manmohan Sarin told the commission counsel that the panel should not insist on summoning Mr Kalyan Singh as it had given a commitment to the court to this effect during the last hearing. The court’s observation came during the hearing of Mr Kalyan singh’s petition challenging his summoning by the commission as witness. His counsel Mr M.N. Krishnamani and Mr Ajay Agarwal, told the court that their client had already filed a petition in the Supreme Court for the transfer of his similar petition from the Allahabad High Court to Delhi High Court. Mr Justice Sarin during the last hearing had told Mr Kalyan Singh’s counsel that they should first select their forum to seek relief as filing identical petitions before two courts might result in duplicity of the judgement on the issue. Mr Kalyan Singh had challenged his summoning by the commission on the grounds that his giving evidence before it would be prejudicial to him as he was facing prosecution relating to the demolition in an Uttar Pradesh
court. |
|
Test exemption for NCC ‘C’ cadets NEW DELHI, Nov 1 — The Central Advisory Committee (CAC) of the National Cadet Corp (NCC) has approved the proposal that NCC cadets holding ‘C’ certificates should be exempted from UPSC written examination for entry into Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, and appear for Service Selection Board (SSB) direct for selection. The CAC while accepting the proposal of the Directorate-General NCC, viewed that the Navy and the Air Force have already agreed to exempt cadets holding ‘C’ certificates from UPSC written examination, an official release said today. At its 40th meeting held here today, the Committee approved conversion of 81 soft non-military stations to hard non-military stations. It was felt that the measure would not only accrue financial savings to the Government but would also meet the satisfaction level of services personnel posted in these stations. This will entitle the service personnel to get separate family accommodation along with education and medical facilities. The CAC also accepted the proposal of the Directorate-General NCC to increase the duration of the NCC Republic Day Camp at Delhi from 25 to 29 days and number of participating cadets from 1700 to 1800. In another recommendation, the Committee viewed that talented ex-NCC cadets should be allowed to avail all NCC facilities. This will encourage the talented ex-NCC cadets to sustain interest in sports and other activities. The Committee also viewed that the clothing items issued to NCC cadets, will not be passed on to their successors on completion of the tenure and the cadets will be allowed to retain it. In the absence of Defence Minister George Fernandes the meeting was presided over by Lt-Gen (Retd) S. Prakash Mani Tripathi, Member of Parliament. Earlier, Director-General NCC, Lt-Gen A.S. Rao made a presentation about the NCC organisation and its activities. Gen Rao said that as per the directive of the Defence Minister, it has been decided to raise the strength of NCC cadets from 12 lakh to 13 lakh this year. He also informed that efforts are on to include NCC as a subject in the schools. The DG said that Air Force and Navy have also agreed to allow NCC cadets for attachment training in their respective units which earlier were restricted to Army. Defence Secretary Yogendra Narain, Financial Adviser (Defence Services), Mr P.R. Sivasubramanian, Vice-Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral P.J. Jacob, Deputy Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen S.S. Mehta, Additional Secretary, Mr Ajay Prasad and other senior civil and military officials were also present in the meeting. |
|
‘Waive’ loans of riot victims NEW DELHI, Nov 1 — The President of the All-India Riot Victims Relief Committee, Mr Kuldip Singh Bhogal, today demanded that the government should waive loans given to victims of the 1984 riots. The loan was sanctioned to the victims to rehabilitate them and to restart their business which was ruined by the rioters in Delhi and other parts of the country. The demanded was made in a memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee. Besides, the memorandum urged to punish the guilty and erect a national memorial to the victims. Mr Kuldip Singh said the victims were given loan according to the value of their property damaged during the riots. They were told that these loans would be converted into financial grant. The loan was sanctioned to at least 18,000 victims. The total amount of the loan was Rs 35 crore. In 1986 the Reserve Bank of India served notice on the victims asking them to return the loan following which 400 victims filed a petition in the Supreme Court urging to write off the amount. However, the Supreme Court ordered to prevent the recovery of the loan. He said the V.P. Singh and I. K. Gujral governments had written off the loan of Rs 50,000 to each family. The loan was given on 12 per cent interest per annum but the Chandra Shekhar government had reduced the rate of interest by 6 per cent. He alleged that the NDA government of which the Akali Dal (Badal) was a constituent had done nothing so far. KANPUR: Sikhs in large numbers on Wednesday held a demonstration and courted arrest under the “jail bharo” agitation launched by Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Kanpur, in protest against the delay in disbursement of compensation to the victims of the 1984 riots in Kanpur and other parts of the state. An organisation spokesman said the agitating Sikhs gathered at Gumti Gurdwara here and deplored the non-disbursement of compensation to the victims even after a lapse of 16 years. Later, a pricession was taken out ot the Moti Jheel grounds where many demonstrators courted arrest, prominent among whom were Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) Uttar Pradesh unit chief Harbhajan Singh Cheema, Lucknow Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee Chairman Rajendra Singh Bagga, Guru Singh Sabha local unit president Harvinder Singh Lord, and All-India Minority Board’s representatives Mohammad Siddiqui and Abdul
Kadir. |
|
PM asked to clear stand on petro price CALCUTTA, Nov 1 (PTI) — Outgoing West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu today sought the Centre’s final stand on the rollback of the petroleum price hike so that the state could prepare itself better to tackle the situation arising out of the strike threat by transport operators demanding a hike in fares. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Basu asked him to let him know if the government would rollback the hike in prices or it would continue. Meanwhile, state’s Transport Minister Subhas Chakraborty told newspersons after his meeting with Mr Basu that the state government would have no alternative but to hike fares if the Centre declined to rollback the hike. The state government would not try to foil the strike, nor would it appeal to strikers to withdraw it, he said, adding that, “People should understand why the strike has been called.” Mr Basu also regretted that the government had not released a single pie for relief and restoration work in the nine flood-affected districts. The state government demanded Rs 1,487 crore from the Centre after assessing the extent of damage and loss of lives and property following floods. |
|
Barnala to take
oath on Nov 8 DEHRA DUN, Nov 1 — The swearing-in ceremony of the first Governor of Uttaranchal is scheduled to take place on November 8. Confirming the appointment of Mr Surjit Singh Barnala as the Governor of Uttaranchal Mr B.M. Vohra, Commissioner, Dehra Dun division, said Mr Barnala would reach Dehra Dun on November 8 from Chandigarh via Paonta Sahib. Mr Barnala will have a brief halt at the historic gurudwara at Paonta Sahib in the morning. From Paonta Sahib he will be escorted to his residence. Meanwhile, sources said Mr Badal was likely to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new Governor. Other Akali leaders from Punjab are also expected to attend the ceremony. The local Commissioner said arrangement for Mr Barnala’s security had almost been completed. Bijapur Canal Guest in the city will serve as Raj Bhavan for the time being. |
|
Jails turned into ‘corporate offices’ PATNA, Nov 1 — A huge haul of luxury goods from the Beur Adarsh Jail of Patna has once again put to fore the virtual rule of criminals in Bihar jails. In a swoop on the Beur jail, the Patna administration led by the DM, Mr Amit Khare, recovered around 50 television sets, 11 tape recorders, 9 stereos, two mobile phones, 150 audio-video cassettes, 34 fans, six radios, one air cooler and a generator set on Sunday . As much as 250 gram of ‘ganja’ and 18 Rampuri knives were also found on the jail premises. Such recoveries are not uncommon in jails which have turned into havens for the ganglords. A few months back, an industrialist of Hajipur, Mr Vinod Bansal, was kidnapped and his safe release ensured after a chief minister of a northern state did the ‘pairvee’ for his release. Politicians and police top brass were seen in the Beur Jail, virtually begging a ‘ganglord’ for his release. The dons are lodged in jail but their lieutenants carry out the kidnappings, murder, extortion and loot and the dons give the instructions from the jails on mobile phones. Among the 12 MLAs who are facing criminal charges, most are in jails. The jails became the power centre when Mr Nitish Kumar was sworn in as the CM of Bihar. The MLAs from various jails extended support to him. Later, when Mrs Rabri Devi replaced him, the jails were again frequently visited to mobilise support for her. The power wielded by these MLAs in jails can be gauged from the incident of one of them going in ‘police protection’ to watch a dance programme in his constituency. The probe of this incident gathers dust. The “political encroachment” of the Beur jail started well before Mr Laloo Prasad declared it as his ‘fort’. Later,when the Rs 950-crore animal husbandry scam was busted and politicians trickled in to occupy the space there, the “facilities” at Beur were “augumented” to suit the taste and comfort of the VIP inmates. Laloo Prasad’s on and off visits to the jail ushered in its complete “political takeover”. Now, ganglords and dons of Bihar have made it as their “corporate office” to carry out their nefarious trade. Jail administration and cops on duty allegedly see to it that they ‘live in comfort’. The dons pay them handsomely for that. |
|
Cong leaders flay
Centre’s decision NEW DELHI, Nov 1
(UNI) — The Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee held a “dharna” here today to protest against the Centre’s recent decision to discontinue the observance of the birth and death anniversaries of national leaders barring Mahatma Gandhi. Congress workers led by
DPCC chief Subhash Chopra sat in dharna outside
Rajghat, demanding the withdrawal of the “shameful” government decision.
Criticising the government for not observing the death anniversary of the assassinated Prime Minister Indira Gandhi yesterday, Mr Chopra said the Congress would not tolerate such “insulting
behaviour” towards national leaders and intensify its stir to press the Centre to withdraw its order. |
|
Biharis return to celebrate ‘Chhath’ PATNA, Nov 1— An estimated 10 lakh Bihari migrants working in Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Assam, Gujarat and other parts of India arrived in the state during the past two days to celebrate the ‘Chhath’ festival commencing on November 2. The two-day fest, which essentially is observed to appease the Sun god, is the single largest festival of Bihar, celebrated all across the state. Nearly all migrant labourers of the state visit their homes to be with their families in the worship of the Sun god. The ‘Chhath’ festival is observed for the health of the family and over the years, even people of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Assam have started celebrating the festival. The festival is marked by worship of the Sun while standing in the river water. In Patna, the administration is working overtime to ready the various “ghats” of the river Ganga for the convenience of the devotees. In the rest of the state, the ponds and other river ‘ghats’ are being decked up. Cleanliness is the key aspect of this fest as people make small groups and cleanse their surroundings. The streets of the state capital are flooded with footpath vendors selling ‘soops’, ‘dagras’, ‘nariyal’, ‘diya’ and other items of puja. The Chief Minister Mrs Rabri Devi observes the fest and Laloo Prasad is monitoring the drive to make all ‘ghats’ clean and in shape for the fest. An estimated 6-8 lakh Hindu devotees take holy dip in the Ganga and offer prayers. The administration has made elaborate arrangements for the safety of the devotees. Every year, several devotees are drowned in the stampede and hence, the administration has deployed swimmers with ‘mahajaal’ to help those drowning. The state police has deputed mobile riverine parties to patrol the river in power boats and keep vigil.
— S.J. |
|
|
Crash victims’ kin leave for Singapore HYDERABAD, Nov 1 (UNI, PTI) —— Relatives of the 12 passengers of a Singapore Airlines flight, who were killed in a crash at Taipei yesterday, left for Singapore via Chennai this evening. The 12 passengers from the city, were among the 78 killed in the crash, according to official sources. Earlier, with anxiety writ large on their faces, relatives of passengers on board the crashed Los Angeles-bound Singapore Airlines flight, gathered at the airline’s office here to enquire about the fate of their dear ones. It was a gruelling suspense for the kith and kin, in the absence of any official communication about the condition of the passengers travelling by the Boeing 747 flight that crashed at Taipei airport runway last night. A dazed
S.L Reddy, whose daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren were among the 12 passengers from the city, said his family members were returning to Los Angeles after holidaying here. “We came to know about the tragedy in the early hours today through our relatives. We are keeping our fingers crossed about the fate of our people,” Mr Reddy, former secretary of the Hyderabad Race Club, said. As the airline staff was busy contacting the relatives and making travel arrangements for them, a hushed silence descended on the room where anxious relatives were waiting for the flight to reach the crash site to know the condition of their dear ones. A senior manager of Singapore Airlines R. Srinivasan, who flew down from Chennai to make travel arrangements of relatives, said they had no official information about the condition of Indian passengers. |
|
|
Govt revamps Finance Ministry NEW DELHI, Nov 1 — In a surprise move, the government has revamped the Finance Ministry barely four months ahead of the presentation of the Union Budget by bringing in new secretaries as part of a major bureaucratic reshuffle. Finance Secretary Piyush Mankad, who was divested of the Department of Economic Affairs and given the Department of Revenue instead and who was tipped as a strong contender for the Cabinet Secretary’s post, has been relegated to the less important Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. The reshuffle, which coincided with the taking over of the new Cabinet Secretary, Mr T.R. Prasad, saw Mr Mankad swap places with Mr Ajit Kumar, a Punjab Cadre officer. Mr Ajit Kumar had come under limelight when as Defence Secretary he was involved in a running battle with the then Chief of Naval Staff Vishnu Bhagwat. While Vishnu Bhagwat was sacked as Admiral, Mr Ajit Kumar was shifted to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. The government has restored the Department of Economic Affairs to the Finance Secretary. The sources said the promotion of Mr Ajit Kumar would correct the injustice that had been done to an ‘‘honest and upright’’ officer. He needed to be accommodated in a key post and this was the most opportune moment to upgrade him. The sources said the reshuffle should not be seen as a promotion or demotion exercise of senior bureaucrats and it was part of Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee’s working towards India of his vision and dreams. The administrative exercise should be seen in the light of the Prime Minister’s endeavour, they added. Apart from the key Secretary’s post in the Finance Ministry, the officers to move out from there, include Mr E.A.S. Sarma, who was holding the key portfolio of the Department of the Economic Affairs. Mr Sarma moves to the less popular Coal Ministry as Secretary. Another entrant in the Ministry is Dr S. Narayan who would look after the Revenue Department. Dr Narayan’s exit as Secretary in the Petroleum Ministry was in the air for quite some with oil industry circle sources saying the private sector was not very happy with the officer. Dr Narayan has been replaced by Mr P.Shankar, who held the position of Secretary Food and Public Distribution. Some of the other appointments cleared by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet are: Mr R. Vasudevan, IAS (Maharashtra, 1964), presently Secretary, Department of Shipping to be repatriated to the cadre. Mr P.V. Jayakrishanan, IAS (AGMUT, 1965), presently Secretary, Ministry of Information Technology, as Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests vice Mr Vishwanath Anand. Mr Vishwanath Anand, IAS (UP, 1965), presently Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests, as Secretary, Ministry of Small Scale Industries and Agro and Rural Industries vice Mr D.P. Bagchi repatriated to the cadre. Mr V.N. Kaul, IAS (Madhya Pradesh, 1965), presently Secretary, Ministry of Coal, as Secretary, Department of Chemicals and Petro-chemicals. Mr R.D. Kapur, IAS (AGMUT, 1966), presently Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, as Secretary, Department of Food and Public Distribution vice Mr P. Shankar. Mr M.P. Pinto, IAS (Maharashtra, 1966), presently Chairman Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, as Secretary, Department of Shipping vice Mr R. Vasudevan repatriated to the cadre. |
|
|
Indira denied me Army chief’s post: Harbaksh NEW DELHI, Nov 1 (PTI) — Opening yet another debate on the much-talked about political influence over country’s military, the 1965 war hero Lt-Gen Harbaksh Singh (retd) has said the late Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, had denied him the promised post of the Army chief as she allowed her ‘desire’ to prevail and instead selected Gen Sam Manekshaw. “I believe that Indira Gandhi was not at all happy to have me as the Chief of the Army Staff. She had at the time a ‘kitchen Cabinet’ with Mr Dinesh Singh a prominent member. I am told that he advised her that as Prime Minister her desire should prevail. “Accordingly, she had announced in the next day’s daily papers that the next Chief of the Army Staff was going to be her choice and that she had selected General Manekshaw,” writes the former GOC-in-C, Western Command in his new book “In the Line of Duty — A Soldier Remembers”. Gen Harbaksh Singh says that his name was recommended by the then Army chief General Kumaramangalam, who took over shortly after the war. “As in the practice, my name was considered by the Cabinet and passed and I was informed of it on telephone by Mr Malik of the Intelligence, almost immediately,” he recalls adding that, however, he had lost the race to General Manekshaw. However, the 1965 war hero admits that on the eve of his retirement, the then Defence Minister Sardar Swaran Singh had offered him the chairmanship of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) which he turned down. Turning down the offer, the General told the then Defence Minister that “not before I am made a full General, as was promised to me by the Government of India after the 1965 war.” That was the condition he had laid down for accepting any post under the government of the time “and I have stuck to it ever since”, writes the General. Dwelling on various facets of the war, he says that as desired by him the Shastri government had given him the ‘go ahead’ to launch the offensive across the border —and adds that the decision had really taken the enemy by surprise during the war of ‘65. “Our going across the international border, towards Lahore, took them completely by surprise. “By attacking across the international border of Punjab, we had definitely achieved complete surprise on all fronts,” he says. However, the soldier-turned-author’s brush does not really spare the then Army chief, Gen J. N. Chowdhary. The book is often punctuated with one liners like “readers may be interested to know that the Chief of the Army Staff (General Chowdhary) throughout the duration of the war, visited my main headquarters only thrice. “That is on September 10, 14 and 20, 1965 and that too in Ambala ..... I requested him, many a time, to come to Rajasansi airfield, near the front, but he refused to do so, considering it to be too dangerous.” Although admitting that General Chowdhary was “sharp” and could “speak and write well” in English, the former war hero says General Chowdhary’s “greatest failing was that he had an exalted opinion of himself”. “He often passed smart remarks and doubted the intelligence of everyone around him. As a soldier, I regret to say, he left much to be desired,” General Harbaksh Singh opines. Claiming that in typical style of self glorification, General Chowdhary was the “first” one to go to the Ichhogil Canal after the cease-fire was announced “with a photographer and have his photograph taken for the Press”. |
|
|
Names of new envoys announced NEW
DELHI, Nov 1 (PTI) — Shiv Shankar Mukherjee, India’s Ambassador to Egypt, has been appointed as the country’s next High Commissioner to South Africa, it was officially announced here on Wednesday. Mr Mukherjee is expected to take up the assignment shortly. He takes over from Mr Harsh Kumar Bhasin, who is pursuing his academic interests for a two-year period. India’s Ambassador to the Netherlands Prabhakar Menon has been appointed as the country’s new envoy to Ireland, succeeding Chokila Iyer. Mr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy in Tokyo, has been appointed as India’s new Ambassador to the Czech Republic, succeeding Mr Girish Dhume who is due to retire soon. |
|
|
Jaswant to visit
Vietnam, Laos NEW DELHI, Nov 1 — External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh will be in Vietnam and Laos from November 6 where he will not only attend the joint commission meetings but will also represent India at the first Ganga-Mekong (Suvannaphoom) Linkage meeting in Vientiane on November 10. Briefing newspersons on Mr Jaswant Singh’s visit, a Ministry of External Affairs spokesman said the joint commission with Vietnam would meet from November 6 to 8.
|
|
|
7 women
Naxalites killed in encounter WARANGAL (Andhra Pradesh), Nov 1 (UNI) — Seven women Naxalites of the banned People’s War Group were killed in an encounter with the police in the Kasimpally forest area of Warangal district this afternoon. The police said on a tip-off that two ‘dalams’ were holding a meeting in the forest, a police party went there. On seeing the police, the Naxalites opened fire. The police returned the fire, killing the women extremists. Thirteen kitbags and six weapons were recovered from the spot.
Ultras kill 4 cops
in Assam GUWAHATI, Nov 1 (PTI) — In continuing violence in Assam, five persons, including four policemen, were killed and another seriously injured in two separate incidents by militants, the police said here today. A group of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and ULFA militantsraided the Rupsi police outpost last night. |
|
|
New Dy Commandant
of IMA DEHRADUN, Nov 1 — Majo-General Jitendra Singh, VSM, took over as the new Deputy Commandant and the Chief-instructor of the Indian Military Academy (IMA) today, from Major-General VS Karnik who retired from the post yesterday. General Singh is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 120 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
