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| Wednesday,
November 8, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Was JMM forced to snap ties?
Amendments to river disputes law okayed Sarna leads jatha to Pak |
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Second line of defence mooted Money laundering Bill ‘threat to liberty’ Cong CEA to delink elections Sikhism a separate religion: RSS Check trafficking in women, urges UN rapporteur India, Turkey to
counter terrorism No breakthrough in MLA
murder case HIV infection high among drug users Christian body
for swadeshi churches Lt-Gen Harcharan
is DGMS (Army) Condom vending
machines by Dec
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Was JMM forced to snap ties? PATNA, Nov 7 — “Let alone the chiefminister ship the NDA did not want to give them even the ministers they wanted”, an NDA leader said as the news of the JMM opting out of NDA in Bihar spread in the state capital. It is being made out that the NDA brigade had its move vis-à-vis the JMM well thought out and they succeeded in getting what they had planned for. The NDA was never in a mood to let the JMM enter Jharkhand power structure. The state BJP, supposedly the most vocal quarter of this political game plan, however denies it. The state BJP president, Mr Nand Kishore Yadav, while talking to The Tribune, refuted this opinion. However, Samata leader, Nitish Kumar’s denial on Sunday that they had promised the CM’s chair to JMM only strengthens the doubts. One of the state NDA leaders said considering the size of Jharkhand, there is already pressure within the alliance on the number of ministers and their portfolios. “Had the JMM been in the government, they would have claimed ministries for all 12 MLAs and that would have left about 10 seats for the rest of the partners”, he added. Moreover, with Mr Babu Lal Marandi having been declared as Chief Minister, the Samata Party is asking for key ministries of Finance and Home. The JMM too was asking for these very portfolios and more. JMM’s demand for a BJP Chief Minister other than Mr Marandi was also not acceptable. However, Mr George Fernandes had wanted a patch up because Jharkhand has a sizeable Mahto population and he wanted this major vote bank to fall in Samata Party’s pocket. As the JMM is now out of the NDA, the Mahtos are bound to fall in JMM lap. The other reason being quoted for the BJP’s aversion to the JMM is that in the last few days, the JMM was threatening to be harsh on the non-tribal BJP vote bank and this would have harmed the BJP with the JMM being in the NDA. The BJP perceives that an untouchable JMM will never find favour with the Congress and therefore its hints to be part of an alternative secular government were not to be taken seriously. The state BJP chief however does not think so. Mr Yadav said JMM had been clearly told rather early that the Chief Minister would be from the BJP. He maintained that the BJP wanted the JMM to be a part of the government and as such there were no problems over the distribution of ministries. On being asked as to why the BJP never took initiative for a face-to-face talk with the JMM earlier, he maintained that talks were always on. |
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Soren has talks with Laloo PATNA, Nov 7 (PTI) — A day after the JMM (S) pulled out of the National Democratic Alliance, its supremo, Mr Shibu Soren, today met RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav to chalk out a strategy to forestall the BJP move for chief ministership of new Jharkhand state. Emerging from the meeting, Mr Soren said he had got full commitment from Mr Yadav to work for forming a government under his (Soren’s) stewardship and “we are now confident of forming a government with the support of the Congress, Left parties and Independents”. Mr Soren, who rushed here from New Delhi after snapping his party’s ties with the NDA following the latter’s refusal to accept his candidature for Chief Minister of the nascent state, held parleys with Mr Laloo at the Chief Minister’s official residence. “I don’t have to boast about my dedicated contributions to the people of Jharkhand...we alone, not the BJP, have consistently fought for the creation of a tribal homeland (Jharkhand) during the past three decades,” he said. Several JMM workers had sacrificed their lives or were subjected to torture and police atrocities during the Jharkhand struggle, he said. Claiming the support of 40 MLAs in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, Mr Soren said: “We will submit written undertakings from the MLAs supporting me to the Jharkhand Governor while stating a claim to form a government on November 15.” Expressing confidence that he would prove his majority in the new assembly, he said he would meet MLAs of Congress, CPI, CPI-M, MCC and CPI-ML(I) individually to muster their support. Charging the NDA with having hoodwinked JMM (S) on reneging on its promise to make him the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Soren said: “ We will take this matter to people’s court... People responsible for such treachery will be punished in times to come.” On RJD’s gesture to mobilise support for Soren to form an alternative secular government, the JMM (S) leader said “we appreciate it..... We too have supported RJD in the hour of crisis in the past.” The BJP, the largest party with 32 MLAs in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, has the support of five Samata Party MLAs and three JD (U) and expects to form government with the support of two Independents. |
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Boom time in Dehra Dun DEHRA DUN, Nov 7 — With barely 24 hours to go for the declaration of the state of Uttaranchal, its interim capital is already in the midst of a gold rush with businessmen and speculators rushing in. Unfortunately for the past two months the registration office was closed due to lawyers’ strike over locating the new high court in Dehra Dun. As a result speculative pressure kept building up, fed on rumours of property prices escalating as much as four times in this otherwise sleepy city. The boom was also fed by the fear that once formed, Uttaranachal would also impose Article 371 shutting out outsiders. Hence, the rush to get in before such a ban kicks in. So when the land registration office finally opened yesterday there was a mad rush to get registrations done. However, giving an ominous forewarning of what the future might portend, a large group of women under the banner of the Uttarakhand Mahila Panchayat (UMP) surrounded the office and locked its doors. Despite this, there is an air of hope and expectation in the area. P. Joshi, a journalist with the local Himachal Times says its fed by the large amount of money, estimates vary between Rs 23 and 50 crore, that has already been spent in refurbishing the city. If Dehra Dun is revelling in its new found status, there are several groups determined to whittle away at its good fortune. The lobby for Gairasain is very active, even here in Dehra Dun. Hill leaders have been protesting that a capital in the plains for a hill state defeats its purpose and are pressuring the as yet formative government to announce Gairsain as the permanent capital in its inaugural speech. Women groups, including the UMP, who have been at the forefront of the movement for the state are also building up pressure for declaring prohibition and a ban on land sales. |
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Amendments to river disputes law okayed NEW DELHI, Nov 7 — The Union Cabinet today approved a proposal to amend the existing Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956, and decided to introduce a Bill to this effect in the ensuing session of Parliament. A Cabinet spokesperson said the amendment would enable the incorporation of the recommendations of the Inter-State Council on the Sarkaria Commission recommendations on the issue in the Act. The Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956, was enacted to provide for the adjudication of disputes relating to waters of inter-state rivers and river valleys under Article 292 of the Constitution. However, a number of issues such as the time taken by the tribunals under the Act, the long time which is generally taken by the tribunals to adjudicate and give awards and difficulties faced in implementation of the awards of the tribunals had been the cause of anxiety and required redressal, the spokesperson said. The Cabinet also approved the proposal to pursue the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Bill, 1998, and move official amendment. The amendment would take care of certain criticism against the Act that the sentence structure envisaged in the law was irrational and disproportionate to the gravity of the offences. The amendment also envisages incorporation of certain provisions which would plug existing loopholes in the Act. Another proposal cleared by the Cabinet was the approval of India’s signature of the agreement establishing the Advisory Centre on WTO Law and its ratification. Becoming a member of the WTO Law Centre would allow India to obtain certain legal services on WTO law free of cost and obtain support in WTO dispute settlement proceedings at discounted rates. The Cabinet also cleared a proposal to amend the Chit Funds Act, 1982, with a view to enhance the limits of aggregate amount of chits, increase the amount of discount to be foregone by a subscriber and expand the scope of securities acceptable as deposits by the foreman. The amendments would conform to the Supreme Court observation in its judgement dates July 13, 1993, and also meet the outstanding demands of various associations of chit funds companies. Acceptance and signing of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety by India and rationalisation of the existing Short Service Commission schemes in the Indian Air Force for flying (women), technical (men and women) and on-technical ground duty branches for men and women was also approved by the Cabinet. The Cabinet also discussed the issue of revising the royalty rates of lignite. It was decided to refer the matter to a Group of Ministers headed by the Finance Minister. The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, during the meeting noted that certain parts of the country had recorded deficit rainfall. He said there was a need to identify these pockets. He directed the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to remain in touch with the governments of these states and take measures to solve the problem. |
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Sarna leads jatha to Pak NEW DELHI, Nov 7 — Led by Mr Paramjit Singh Sarna, a former President of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, a jatha of 80 pilgrims left for Pakistan through Pakistan Airlines to pay their obeisance in gurdwaras there, to mark birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Devji, despite ban, imposed by the SGPC. Among those who went to Pakistan by air included devotees who were refused to leave the country through Attari Railway Station yesterday. Meanwhile, Mr Izhar, Deputy Secretary, Aukaf Board, Pakistan, while talking to TNS on telephone alleged that it was Government of India which deliberately “disrupted” communication with the Pakistani Railway yesterday so that many Sikhs could be denied entry into Pakistan. He said that sufficient number of bogies were ready to bring the pilgrims to Pakistan. Mr Harminder Singh (Fateh Nagar), Secretary, Shiromani Akali Dal, Delhi, said “Sikh sangat” was sore over the “maltreatment” meted out to the pilgrims at Attari Railway Station. Mr Sarna said it was a matter of concern that the intelligence agencies did not permit carrying Sindhi version of 25 Birs of holy Guru Granth Sahib which were being sent to Pakistan by train yesterday. He said Guru Granth Sahib was being taken to Pakistan on the great demand of Sindhi Sikhs living in Pakistan. Apart from this, ration for “Langar” (community kitchen), “Nishan Sahib”, “Doshalas” for Guru Granth Sahib were not allowed through train by the Indian intelligence agencies. Mr Sarna said on his return from Pakistan he would lodge strong protest with the Government of India. Lashing out at the SGPC Chief, Mr Sarna said imposition of ban on jathas to pakistan was “unfortunate”. He said he would call upon the Sikh sangat to prevail upon the SGPC to withdraw ban so that they could visit gurdwaras in Pakistan freely. Mr Sarna denied that an SGPC official had given a “Siropa” (rope of honour) and sword for handing them over to Mr Rafiq Tarar, President of Pakistan. Mr Tarar had sent a carpet made of pure silk for Golden Temple through Mr Sarna during his previous visit to Pakistan. Mr Sarna said the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, had feigned ignorance about the stranding of the devotees at the railway station when senior leaders of the SAD, New Delhi, informed him about this today. |
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Second line of defence mooted NEW DELHI, Nov 7 — A tripartite meeting on the implementation of the Assam Accord today decided to create a second line of defence as a back-up force to the BSF to prevent the infiltration of foreigners in the state. The meeting in which representatives from the Union Home Ministry, the Assam Government and the All-Assam Students Union participated, also decided to send a joint team to the border (Karimganj or Dhubri sector) between November 14 and 17 to take stock of illegal immigration in the state, official sources said. It was decided that the recruitment to the posts of PIF personnel would be completed by the Assam Government by December 31 and also the recruitment of 1,400 persons to the two India Reserve battalions sanctioned for the state government would be completed by the year-end, the sources said. On the scrapping of the controversial Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act, the Centre assured that the issue was under consideration and a decision would be taken soon. As per the Act, which was applicable only in Assam, if a person was arrested for illegal immigration the onus of proving him a foreigner would lie on the government whereas under the Foreigners Act, 1946, applicable in rest of the country, the onus of proving otherwise lay on the accused. During the meeting, the state government was asked to take steps to accelerate the work of border fencing/border roads of Assam so that it could be completed by March, 2003, the sources said. It was also decided that completed border fencing would be taken over by the BSF by December 31. The Assam Government was also asked to start work on the preservation and updating of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The Centre had already sanctioned Rs 10 lakh to the state government for this purpose. Even as the rehabilitation package of Ashok Paper Mills was reviewed, the meeting was informed that the process of acquisition of land for the Assam gas cracker project, a joint venture between the Oil India Limited and the Reliance Assam Petrochemicals Limited, was on and would be completed at the earliest. The Centre asked the state government to hold monthly meetings regularly under the chairmanship of the state Chief Minister or the Commissioner (Assam Accord) to speed up the implementation of the accord. |
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Money laundering Bill ‘threat to liberty’ NEW
DELHI, Nov 7 — The unbridled powers bestowed by the Prevention of Money Laundering Bill on the enforcing agencies could “seriously endanger personal liberty” and should be watered down, ASSOCHAM said today. In a communication to the Department of Company Affairs, the Chamber has alluded to the sweeping powers whereby property can be attached if the enforcing officials have “reasons to believe” on the basis of material on record. Further, Clause 7(3), 16(2) and 18(1) of the Bill state that if the adjudicating authority “decides” that a property is involved money laundering, he “shall” confirm the attachment of the property, the officials can enter and search any place without any authorisation form seniors if they are “satisfied” upon survey that the place ought to be searched and worse, the officials have near unrestricted powers to arrest, the Chamber said. Clause 11 proposes to make it obligatory for every banking company, financial institution and intermediary to maintain a record of all transactions or series of transaction, the nature and value of which may be prescribed by the Centre. ASSOCHAM has said there is a need to evolve a system and we should not sow the seeds of suspecion or a mistrust. Only transaction exceeding a value of Rs 50 lakhs or more could be considered for reporting and these should only relate to cash transactions. In the USA, also there is compulsory reporting of transactions exceeding $ 10,000. But this compulsory reporting is only in these cases in which cash or series of cash is deposited by a person exceeding $ 10,000 in a day or so. The USA Government has made such a law to check that the sale proceeds of drugs do not enter into the legal system without being noticed, while at the same time there is no harassment of innocent businessmen or other traders. Clause 63 of the Bill proposed that no court shall take cognizance of any offence under Caluse 61 and 62 except with the prior sanction of the Central Government. This is an unnecessary Clause and negates the operation of Clause 61 and 62. Clause 63 needs to be dropped, the Chamber said. ASSOCHAM said as per the Schedule — part I, forgery of a valuable security, will or authority to make or transfer any valuable security or to receive any money etc, under Section 467 of the IPC would be covered under money laundering. This was not a matter related to money laundering aspects and needs to be dropped. The inclusion of dacoity and robbery in the schedule also point to the leeway given to the enforcing agencies to harass individuals. The IPC gives the police ample powers to take action against dacoits and robbers and return looted goods. The Bill, however, talks of attachment and confiscation of property. One argument is, if a person’s jewellery has been looted, should these upon recovery and apprehending of the dacoits/robbers be returned to its rightful owner, or, should these stand confiscated. Under the Bill, the jewellery, being the proceeds of a crime, is liable to confiscation, the Chamber added. |
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Cong CEA to delink elections NEW DELHI, Nov 7 — The Congress Central Election Authority (CEA) has agreed to delink the elections to Congress President and the PCC chiefs which were scheduled for November 12. The demand for segregating the poll was made by Pradesh Returning Officers (PROs) at their meeting today with the CEA Chairman, Mr Ram Niwas Mirdha. The PROs have been authorised to decide the dates of election to PCC chiefs for their respective states individually. Criticising the decision, Congress presidential candidate Jitendra Prasada said that it was a break from convention which would damage the party and lower its prestige. Urging Mr Mirdha to review the decision to segregate the poll, he said it showed that democracy was dispensable. Mr Prasada said that the CEA had backtracked from its earlier commitment to hold simultaneous elections. Talking about his meeting with the PROs, Mr Mirdha said that many of them were of the opinion that it would be difficult to hold election of the Congress President along with that of PCC president, PCC office-bearers and the AICC members on November 12 because of lack of administrative support. He said since PROs were responsible for conducting pradesh elections, it was their duty to decide the election programme for the state. “We have urged the PROs that if elections for PCC president cannot be held on November 12, it should be held on the next day or as soon as deemed feasible,” he said. Mr Mirdha indicated that Bihar, Karnataka and West Bengal, where PROs had already programmes, could hold all the elections on November 12. Meanwhile, shooting off yet another letter to Mr Mirdha, presidential aspirant Mr Prasada expressed “shock and surprise” over some of the lists being incomplete and some being changed at the last moment. “Out of the 29 lists made available to me, lists of 19 states do not give addresses of the delegates. In violation of fair electoral practices, list of Tamil Nadu has been amended after it was given to me officially by the CEA,’’ he alleged. Mr Prasada also showed a letter from Mr K. Sankara Narayanan, chairman of the Tamil Nadu Congress State Election Authority, in which 20 names of the PCC delegates have been changed. Referring to locks in Sadaqat Ashram in Patna yesterday where he had gone to meet state Congress leaders, Mr Prasada said “all this appears to be an elaborate effort to discriminate against me and create obstacles in my campaign to contact the delegates and communicate to them my programme. All the addresses are available to the AICC which gives an unfair advantage to them.” He also demanded scrapping of amendments made in the Tamil Nadu list. |
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Sikhism a separate religion: RSS DEHRA DUN, Nov 7 — The RSS has admitted that the Sikhism is a separate religion and they have full faith in the teachings of Shri Guru Granth Sahib. Sikhs have played a major role in not only protecting the frontiers of India but also in the overall development of the country. Talking to the mediapersons here today, Mr Madan Dass, Assistant General Secretary of the RSS, said that since the Sikhs originated from the Hindus and have similar culture, language and customs therefore there was no need for a separate Sikh personal law. The RSS do not intend to harm the sentiments of any religion. To protect their separate identity the RSS has created a separate wing in the organisation for the Sikhs. He said, the word Hindu symbolises nationalism. It was unfortunate that the words “Panth”, “Sampradai”, “Rashtriya”, “Secularism” could not be defined clearly and that’s why it was wrong to propagate that the RSS was communal. Highlighting the ideology of the RSS Mr Dass said the Sangh had concentrated only on character building of the people and there was no question of religious fundamentalism in it. The Muslims, the Christians, the Sikhs and people from other sections of the society have all unitedly taken part in the activities of the RSS. When asked about the activities of the VHP and their relations with the organisation he said that VHP was a totally different organisation and they had religion on their agenda. But the RSS was a secular body and hence they have no relations with them. The social harmony as perceived by the Sangh does not limit to just economic, political, constitutional and educational fields but covers every aspect of the life. |
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Check trafficking in women, urges UN rapporteur NEW DELHI, Nov 7 — The United Nations has urged India to take steps to stop trafficking in women along with Indo-Bangladesh and Indo-Nepal borders. The UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, Ms Radhika Coomaraswamy, on a 10-day visit to India, raised the issue of trafficking in women when she called on the Union Home Secretary, Mr Kamal Pande, yesterday. She expressed concern about the high incidence of trafficking at the Indo-Bangladesh and Indo-Nepal borders and urged that steps should be taken by the Government of India to stop this, Home Ministry sources said. During the discussions it was decided that a nodal officer would be nominated in the Ministry of Home Affairs to coordinate with the ministries concerned for formulating an effective legal framework to deal with the problem, the sources said. The Home Secretary pointed out that the issue relating to the trafficking of women at the two borders were discussed with the Governments of Nepal and Bangladesh through the existing mechanisms. During her visit, she would be interacting with the ministries and departments concerned, NGOs, and national institutions like the National Commission for Women and the National Human Rights Commission. |
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India, Turkey to
counter terrorism NEW DELHI, Nov 7 — Taking a step further towards growing bilateral relations, India and Turkey today decided to have regular exchange of views on security related issues between the two National Security Council secretariats. During wide-ranging discussions between the visiting Security-General of the Turkish National Security Council, General Cumhur Asparuk and the Secretary of the National Security Council, Mr Satish Chandra, the two sides decided to expand cooperation to effectively counter cross-border terrorism and drug trafficking. A press note of the National Security Council said that officials of the two sides during their talks focused on organisational issues as well as regional and international security issues. The two sides also took up Afghanistan, Central Asia and South Asia during the discussions. “We found that Turkey is a willing partner in the fight against cross-border terrorism, including drug trafficking, since the two countries have been equally hit by the problem. We found each other receptive to each others’ problems”, a senior official said. General Asparuk’s visit to India was reflective of the desire of the leadership in the two countries for closer relations and greater understanding, the note said, adding that closer Indo-Turkish ties were only natural given the shared commitment of the two countries to the ideas of democracy, secularism and rule of law. |
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No breakthrough in MLA
murder case LUCKNOW, Nov 7 — No breakthrough has been achieved so far in the murder case of the BJP legislator Nirbhay Pal Sharma in Saharanpur yesterday, according to an official spokesman. The involvement of some criminal gang was found by the police during the preliminary investigation and the case was likely to be worked out very soon, the spokesman said. The IGP of Meerut zone is already camping in Saharanpur to supervise the investigation in the case. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Raj Nath Singh, who visited Saharanpur yesterday, has issued strict orders to the police officers to nab the criminals at the earliest. On his return to the state capital late last night, he had ordered suspension of Senior Suprintendent of the Police (ssp) of Saharanpur, Mukul Goel, SHO of Sadar Kotwali Chandrashekhar and a head constable posted at the residence of the ssp. Mr M.K. Vashal has been posted as the new district police chief of Saharanpur. |
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HIV infection high among drug users NEW DELHI, Nov 7 — The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr C.P. Thakur, has said 11 countries have reported HIV infections among drug injectors. In India, in metropolitan cities and north-eastern states of Manipur and Nagaland, HIV infection has spread over the years through injecting drug abusers. Addressing a review meeting of National AIDS Control Programme of Maharashtra AIDS Control Society in Mumbai today, Dr Thakur said over 50 per cent of the injecting drug abusers of Manipur are HIV-positive. He said preventing drug abuse, facilitating entry into drug-abuse treatment and establishing effective outreach to engage drug abusers in HIV-prevention strategies that protect them, their partners and families from exposure to HIV and encourage the uptake of substance-abuse treatment and medical care were ways to halt this epidemic. Dr Thakur called for comprehensive coverage of the entire targeted population for successful prevention of HIV/AIDS in the country. A comprehensive package of interventions for HIV prevention among drug abusers include AIDS education, life skills training, condom distribution, voluntary counselling and HIV testing, access to clean needles and syringes, bleach materials and referral to a variety of treatment options. He said behavioural change had been proved as highly effective means of reducing HIV transmission. |
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Christian body
for swadeshi churches NEW DELHI, Nov 7 — The Poor Christian Liberation Movement (PCLM) has said it endorses the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s recent call for Indianisation of churches. The PCLM president, Mr R.L. Francis, told mediapersons here on Wednesday the community should debate on the concept of swadeshi churches. PCLM secretary Ram Bharti Massey said he agreed with the RSS views on Indianisation of churches. “Once this happens, Indian Christians will have their own identity. Right now, we have several denominations as Catholic, Methodist, Evangelical and Lutheran. We are interested in the unity and socio-economic development of Christians. All 132 bishops in the Catholic Bishop Conference of India (CBCI) are upper-caste Christians. Representation of tribal and Dalit Christians is negligible in the CBCI.” Mr Francis said the PCLM would launch an awareness campiagn to demand equal rights for backward Christians in church organisations. He alleged church leaders had been discriminating against backward Christians. He pointed out that increasing number of English speaking persons among church leaders and social organsations had been discriminating against Hindi and regional language speaking Christians. Mr Massey also drew attention to other problems faced by the community — inadequate seats for Christian students in educational institutions, lack of cemeteries and illegal sale of church land to industrialists. Mr Francis pointed out that Delhi had a handful of cemeteries. This posed a serious problem as the dead had to be buried one on top of the other. |
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Lt-Gen Harcharan
is DGMS (Army) NEW DELHI, Nov 7 — Lieut-Gen Harcharan Singh assumed charge as the Director-General Medical Services (DGMS) (Army) last week. During his over 37 years of service, he has held appointment of Surgical Specialist, Senior Adviser, Consultant Surgery and Head of the Department of Surgery at Command Hospital, Lucknow. He had taken part in 1965 and 1971 wars and was at the helm of the affairs in the planning and allocation of medical resources during the recent Kargil operations. He has commanded an Artificial Limb Centre, Command Hospital HQ Northern Command, and held the appointments of Additional Director-General Medical Services (Army) and Director-General Hospital Services (Armed Forces).
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SAD
(A) flays action of immigration men NEW DELHI, Nov 7 — The Akali Dal (Amritsar) today condemned immigration officials at Attari border for stopping Sikh pilgrims led by members of the party and other Sikh organisations from visiting Pakistan to celebrate the Gurpurb of Sri Guru Nanak Devji. In a statement here, Akali Dal (Amritsar) Delhi unit president Jasvinder Singh Virk alleged “this harassment of pilgrims has been caused at the instance of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee at present under the management of the Shiromani Akali Dal.”
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Condom vending
machines by Dec NEW DELHI, Nov 7 — The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr C.P. Thakur, today said that the government plans to install condom vending machines in all metropolitan cities by December end in order to popularise safe sex behaviour among high risk groups. Addressing the International Congress on HIV/AIDS and Substance Abuse in Mumbai here on Wednesday, Dr Thakur expressed concern over the increasing incidence of HIV/AIDS infection in the country. He said that information, education and communication was the only way of preventing this dreaded
disease in the absence of any curative drug or vaccine. |
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