 |
| Friday,
November 10, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
|
President calls for better land care  NEW DELHI, Nov 9 — The President, Mr
K. R. Narayanan, today called for better land care for sustained development.
Inaugurating a five-day conference on “Land Resource Management for Food, Employment and Environmental Security” here, he expressed concern at the depletion of land resources.
Judgement
reserved in Bangarappa case Fernandes for more
Coast Guard stations No rollback in petro price: Naik |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Don’t reduce sentence: SC NEW DELHI, Nov 9 — A two-judge Bench comprising Mr Justice K. T. Thomas and Mr Justice R. P. Sethi today cautioned high courts against reducing the sentence awarded in corruption cases as this would send a wrong a signal for encouraging corruption in public life.
Congress demands Pathak’s ouster HC bans use of mobiles on planes Gill to review TN poll preparation Tibetans bring freedom slogans
with woollens Youth Cong to support Sonia Uttaranchal HC inaugurated UP, HP Governors attend mahayajna Drink water before you are thirsty India new health-care destination
Goenka awards presented NDFB militant killed BRO making new roads in Kargil Four fodder scam accused surrender
|
|
President calls for better land care NEW DELHI, Nov 9 — The President, Mr K.R. Narayanan, today called for better land care for sustained development. Inaugurating a five-day conference on “Land Resource Management for Food, Employment and Environmental Security” here, he expressed concern at the depletion of land resources. The per capita availability of land had declined from 0.48 hectares in 1952 to 0.15 hectares in 2000 due to population increase, he pointed out. The shortage of land was compounded by the increase of wasteland, which was estimated to be 63.8 million hectares. “We are also loosing 15 million hectares of land due to spread of urbanisation and the demand for more land for housing, industries and communication. How can we, in such a situation, provide 0.5 hectares of arable land per capita which was the minimum required for ensuring food and other essential needs of an individual,” he asked? The President observed that the future of food security lies in conserving prime land for agriculture and restoring the biological potential of degraded lands, he added. Emphasising on the need for effective community-led land-care movement, he said the people should be in the forefront to manage land and water resources and the scientists must provide leadership in the movement. He noted that women were the worst victims of land degradation as they had to bear the increasing burden of ecological problems. The vital role of women in land resource management must be acknowledged. He pointed out that in the panchayats with 33 per cent reservation, one million women had already completed a term of five years and played an important role in the management of natural resources. He said the green revolution of the 60s and 70s could be converted into an evergreen revolution if there was a paradigm shift in the research and development strategy leading to a change from a purely commodity-centered approach to an integrated natural-resource management strategy. Scientific and agricultural experts would have to join together with the farmers and the common people in a popular movement for protection of the land, he said . |
|
Judgement
reserved in Bangarappa case NEW DELHI, Nov 9 — The Supreme Court, while reserving its judgement in the disproportionate assets case against former Karnataka Chief Minister S. Bangarappa, indicated that it may send the case back to the trial court for proceeding against him. The Bench comprising Mr Justice K. T. Thomas and Mr Justice R. P. Sethi gave the indication during the hearing of a special leave petition by the CBI against a Karnataka High Court judgement and order quashing the charge-sheet in the case. The Bench said, “The high court exceeded its jurisdiction in quashing the charge-sheet. This was not a case for a roving inquiry by the high court at that stage and quashing of the charge-sheet. The trial court should have been permitted to proceed with the trial and determine whether the allegation that Mr Bangarappa acquired Rs 7.78 crore during the period of his chief ministership by misusing his office was established or not”. The CBI had filed the charge-sheet in the case on March 20, 1999, which was quashed by the high court on a petition filed by Mr Bangarappa under Section 482 of the CrPC seeking quashing of the charge-sheet on the ground that it did not disclose any cause of action. |
|
Fernandes for more Coast Guard stations CHENNAI, Nov 9 (UNI) — Defence Minister George Fernandes today underlined the need for more Coast Guard stations, especially on the west coast, the Southern sector of the East coast and in the Andaman and Nicobar islands in view of the security challenges. Addressing the Defence Ministry’s consultative committee meeting here, he said at least 10 stations were required to be set up from the Rann of Kutch to Calicut on the West for more security. Conceding that the lack of funds stood in the way of realising the full potential of the Indian Coast Guard, he said the Coast Guard Development Plan had, however, approved the construction of one advanced offshore patrol vessel, besides placing orders for two inshore fast patrol vessels, two intercepter boats, six hovercrafts, seven Dorniers, two Chetaks and two advanced light helicopters. Mr Fernandes said the approval had also been given for the construction of one more advanced offshore patrol vessel and three pollution control vessels. Orders would be placed shortly for the pollution control vessels, he added. Listing out the achievements, Mr Fernandes said the Coast Guard created maritime history by capturing a Japanese pirate ship in 1999. The joint exercise of the Coast Guards of India and Japan yesterday off the Chennai coast was due to the initiative taken by India in capturing the pirate ship, he said. Mr Fernandes said during last year, the Coast Guard had captured 65 foreign boats, which included 16 from Pakistan and 14 from Sri Lanka, and had detained 723 crew members. It was not only preventing crimes on the high seas but also acted as a fighting arm of the Navy during wars. Describing Indian Navy as the most powerful Navy in the region, he said the agreements with Russia would place the force in an unassailable position. Mr Fernandes said a tri-services command would be set up in the Andaman and Nicobar islands following reports that some poachers were using the islands for smuggling arms and narcotics. |
|
No rollback in petro price: Naik MUMBAI, Nov 9 (PTI) — Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Ram Naik today indicated that a rollback in prices of petroleum products was unlikely, contrary to media reports. He added that rising international oil prices would put further pressure on the oil pool deficit. “The issue stands as it was on September 29, 2000, the day we increased the prices of petroleum products,” Mr Naik told reporters on the sidelines of a seminar organised by the Chemtech Foundation here. |
|
Don’t reduce sentence: SC NEW DELHI, Nov 9 — A two-judge Bench comprising Mr Justice K. T. Thomas and Mr Justice R. P. Sethi today cautioned high courts against reducing the sentence awarded in corruption cases as this would send a wrong a signal for encouraging corruption in public life. The judges cautioned the high courts while dismissing the appeal of an engineer against a judgment of the Bombay High Court. The high court had, while upholding the conviction of the appellant-engineer, reduced the sentence of one year rigorous imprisonment given by the trial court to one day but enhanced the fine from Rs 1000 to Rs 35,000. The Supreme Court directed restoration of the trial court sentence and said that in order to eliminate the evil of corruption from our policy which was so rampant, stringent punishment should be awarded. The appellant engineer was tried under Section 5 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act for accepting bribe as a public servant. The judges wondered how the high court could reduce the sentence to one day imprisonment as the Act for an offence under Section 5 (2) provided a minimum of one year and maximum of seven years rigorous imprisonment. The judges pointed out that the legislature with a view to curb the evil of corruption had provided for stringent punishment. By reducing the punishment beyond the minimum prescribed, the High Court had gone against the very legislative intent. Enhancing fine in a corruption case was no remedy, as those convicted for the offence could raise funds and get away, the judges added.
|
|
Congress demands Pathak’s ouster NEW DELHI, Nov 9 — The Congress has demanded the resignation of Minister of State for Defence Mr Harin Pathak, and Mr Ashok Bhat, a minister in the Gujarat Government, who have been chargesheeted in case of murder and rioting in Ahmedabad. The Congress spokesperson, Mr Anand Sharma, said if the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, did not discharge a minister who was charged under Section 302 of the IPC, the Congress would raise the issue in the forthcoming session of Parliament. “That a person with this track record happens to be the Minister of State for Defence is an insult to the system of Parliamentary democracy,” Mr Sharma said. He said the BJP ministers Mr Lal Krishan Advani, Mr Murli Manohar Joshi and Ms Uma Bharti had also cases registered against them. “The chargesheeting of Mr Pathak and Mr Bhat by the Additional Sessions Judge Ahmedabad yesterday exposes the true character of the BJP. It is yet another confirmation of the active involvement of the party leaders in provoking sectarian violence and communal strife,” he said. Meanwhile, Ms Mohsina Kidwai, party general-secretary in charge of Bihar, is rushing to Patna tomorrow to probe incident of firing in the party office yesterday. Two groups of party workers, both promising support to Ms Sonia Gandhi in the presidential elections, had exchanged fire after an altercation yesterday.
|
|
HC bans use of mobiles on planes NEW DELHI, Nov 9 (PTI) — Taking serious view of the alleged use of cellular phone in an aircraft by an MP to contact the Union Civil Aviation Minister, Mr Sharad Yadav, the Delhi High Court today directed the airlines authorities not to permit use of mobile phones in aircraft. “The authorities should not permit use of mobile phones when the aircraft is in motion. If it is used, authorities should record it and take suitable action for any aberration,” a Bench headed by Mr Chief Justice Arijit Passayat said while disposing of a PIL raising the issue of alleged diversion of Delhi-Lucknow-Patna flight of Alliance Air straight to Patna on May 12 at the instance of Mr Yadav to carry 26 Janata Dal MPs. The PIL filed by J. Bhatacharjee had alleged that MP Prabhu Nath Singh had used his mobile phone from the aircraft to contact Mr Yadav requesting him to order diversion of flight, when the aircraft had started taxing on the runway. The minister then had rushed to the Delhi airport and went inside the plane to pacify the passengers, agitated over diversion of the flight skipping Lucknow, it alleged. The Bench, having Mr Justice D.K. Jain as the other judge, said on perusal of the affidavit filed by Air Traffic Controller (ATC) it was clear that the minister had gone inside the plane. But the document did not indicate whether the MP used a mobile phone. The ATC had also given abundant material to show technical reasons for diversion of the flight, the court said. The petition had alleged that Alliance Air’s flight “CD-7411” with 26 MPs on board was ordered to be diverted straight to Patna at the 11th hour by Mr Yadav after Mr Singh made a request to him on mobile from the plane. These MPs were going to Patna to attend the Janata Dal rally there the next day, it claimed. |
|
Gill to review TN poll preparation NEW DELHI, Nov 9 — The Chief Election Commissioner, Dr M.S. Gill, will leave on a week’s visit to Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry on November 11 to review and to speed up preparations for the Assembly polls to be held early next year. From Delhi, he would first reach Chennai and after a night’s halt leave for a field visit to Thanjavur via Pondicherry to assess the progress made in the issue of photo identity cards to the electorate, EC sources said. He would also visit the Election Commission’s office and computer centre there besides meeting district officials to assess various requirements for the smooth and free and fair elections. On November 15, he would return to Chennai and hold meeting with the leaders of prominent political parties of Tamil Nadu to elicit their views on the poll preparations and look into the complaints, if any, from them. He would also hold a meeting with the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, Director-General of Police and the Chief Electoral Officer to review election-related issues, especially speedy issue of voter identity cards, use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), progress relating to revision of electoral rolls and the law and order situation in the state. The visit of Dr Gill assumes significance, as Tamil Nadu lags far behind in the issue of photo identity Cards to voters as compared to other States — Kerala, West Bengal and Assam — also going for Assembly polls early next year. On November 16, Dr Gill will attend a convocation ceremony at Madras University, before returning to Delhi the next day, the sources added. |
|
Tibetans bring freedom slogans with woollens PATNA, Nov 9 — A motley group of Tibetan refugees in Patna is out to embarrass the state as well as the Central Government. Their novel ways of protest for the cause of their homeland is winning the hearts of the local populace but the officials may not like them. As the refugees link the issue of independence of Tibet with the security of India and indirectly accuse it for lying at international platform, they might draw the wrath of the government soon. The refugees are back in Patna with their annual sale of winter clothes as usual but this time round, they are selling their products in polythene bags that are inscribed with slogans, “Save Tibet, Free Tibet” and “Tibet’s Freedom, India’s security”. The slogans are catching up with the local people who came to buy their clothes. The chief of the Lhasa market says that India is doing harm to itself by not telling the truth about Tibet. As the Central Government is of late trying to mend ways with China and has promised it that “the Indian land will not be allowed to be used by the Tibetans in disadvantage of China”, it may find the “promotion” of Tibetan cause in Bihar embarrassing. It is to be mentioned here that as per the Ministry of Home Affairs, a total number of 93,100 refugees live in India. Out of that, 68,639 have been rehabilitated and the rest of them are yet to be rehabilitated. A central agency under the MHA has launched schemes to provide employment to them. It is believed that as the Central Government is rehabilitating them, it expects the refugees not to raise anti-China and anti-India issues. In the wake of Pakistani belligerence, the Government of India has taken initiatives to “befriend” China. It has been assured of Indian “cooperation” on the Tibetan issue at the international
platform.
|
|
Youth Cong to
support Sonia NEW DELHI, Nov 9 — The Indian Youth Congress has resolved to support Mrs Sonia Gandhi in the Congress presidential elections. The decision was taken at a meeting of the national executive of the Youth Congress convened by Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala, President of the Youth Congress. Mr Surjewala put forward a resolution in favour of Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s candidature which was unanimously passed voice vote by all IYC office-bearers. Mr Surjewala said the Nehru-Gandhi family had played a vital role during the freedom movement and in the construction of modern, self-reliant and secular India. The resolution said that Mrs Gandhi had come into politics at the insistence of the rank and file. “The need of the hour is to strengthen the hands of Mrs Gandhi to fight against the misrule of NDA government,” he
said.
|
|
Uttaranchal HC inaugurated NAINITAL, Nov 9 — The high court of the newly formed Uttaranchal State started functioning today. Mr Surjit Singh Barnala, Governor of the State, and Mr Nityanand Swami, Chief Minister, presided over the inaugural ceremony along with senior officials. Mr Justice A.A. Desai was sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the Uttaranchal High Court by Mr Barnala. Mr Justice Desai set the high court functioning. He told reporters that all the files of cases related to the Uttaranchal region had been transferred to the new high court from Allahabad. Meanwhile, President K.R. Narayanan has appointed Mr Justice Prakash Chand Verma and Mr Justice Mahesh Chandra Jain as judges of the new high court. The Chief Justice and these two judges are all from the Allahabad High Court. Later, Mr Barnala and Mr Swami returned to Dehra Dun. In the evening, the two had a closed door meeting for more than a hour in the Circuit House of Dehra Dun which has been temporarily reserved for the Governor. |
|
UP, HP Governors
attend mahayajna MAHAPURNAHUTI NAGAR (Hardwar) Nov 9 — The Governors of Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Raj Nath Singh, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Ramesh Bais and six other state ministers were among those who participated in the Mahapurnahuti celebrations on the shore of the Ganga. Thousands of devotees participated in the yajna on the second day of the Srijan Sankalp Vibhooti Mahayajna. In the grand yajnashala of 150 kunds, 11 devotees offered oblations at a kund during each session. The entire atmosphere echoed with Vedic chants and devotional songs. The head of the Gayatri Parivar, Dr Pandya said the parijans of the parivar would undertake the responsibility of initiating movements for the development of the society. The chairman of Parmarth Niketan, Chidanand Saraswati, took a pledge from the “vichar manch” to establish a gurukul institution in Kailash Mansarovar. Various cultural activities are going on in Mahapurnahuti Nagar, including a multimedia show and an exhibition related to the work and life of the propounder of the Gayatri Parivar’s philosophy, Acharya Shri Ram Sharma.
|
|
Drink water before you are thirsty CALCUTTA, Nov 9 (PTI) — Until you sweat and your throat is parched, water is hardly taken. However, by the time you “need” the life-giving fluid desperately, you may have done enough damage to your body, a recent study says. “People tend to assume that thirst is an indicator of fluid requirement by the body,” says Julie Howden, nutritionist and executive director of the Asian Food Information Centre (AFIC), Singapore. “However, thirst is actually a sign that the body is already slightly dehydrated and thus fluid levels generally need to be replenished before thirst sets in,” she explains. A recent survey by Temasek Polytechnic and the AFIC in Singapore found that most people did not drink enough water. Women drank just five to six glasses of fluid daily while men averaged six to eight glasses. The only groups which stuck to the recommended minimum of eight glasses a day were older women aged between 55 and 64 years and younger men aged between 25 and 34 years. Another survey in Hong Kong showed that half of those surveyed failed to drink eight glasses or more daily. But why did they not drink enough? “I wasn’t thirsty,” half of them said and one in five had ‘forgotten’ to drink probably because they were not thirsty. A very frequent excuse was: “It’s so troublesome.” “So the end results of not getting enough to drink are headache, tiredness, and bad breath,” Howden says. Water lubricates the joints to keep them moving freely and removes body wastes too. It serves as a medium for thousands of reactions that need to take place in the body daily to sustain life. There could be complications too when the body goes into a state of ‘slight dehydration’ — the kidneys respond by flushing back the water it collects into the blood stream instead of removing it from the body as urine. People who exercise need even more fluid. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends fluids before, during and after exercise. “With such a wide variety of fluids to choose from, there is really no good excuse for not drinking enough,” Howden says and gives you her fluid menu. “Water is always the greatest choice — hot, cold, laced with a slice of lemon or lime cordial for a refreshing break,” she says. |
|
India new health-care destination NEW DELHI, Nov 9 — The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr C.P. Thakur said today that the government planned to identify medical centres of excellence to promote India as a health-care destination. The Health Minister, who delivered the PGI convocation address in Chandigarh last month, cited the example of PGI as an ideal destination for the joint replacement surgery and treatment of endocrinal disorders. Talking to newspapers at Nirman Bhavan here today, Dr Thakur said the ministry would constitute an accreditation committee to visit various hospitals and see if they matched international standards in health care. He said the Health Ministry was holding talks with the Ministry of Tourism to promote premier health centres in package tours. “We also plan to hold talks with the Ministry of External Affairs to facilitate insertion of advertisements in the foreign media to promote such centres,” he told TNS later. The Health Minister said Hong Kong had recently placed an order worth Rs 1 crore for the supply of condoms from India. The Director-General, Health Services, Dr S.P. Aggarwal, said joint replacement surgeries in the Department of Orthopaedics headed by Dr O.N. Nagi and AIIMS were excellent for eye treatment and kidney transplants. Dr Thakur said the Prime Minister had okayed the ministry’s proposal to make medical journals of the state medical college library, behind AIIMS, accessible to medical colleges throughout the country. “We will connect all medical colleges through computer to ensure that researchers can gain access to expensive medical journals. This service would not be very expensive”. Asked whether the government would consider changing the library hours and make services available round-the-clock, he said, “We can think of opening it till 8 p.m.”. The Health Minister indicated that a delegation from India would visit China soon to study the health scenario, including traditional medicine. He added that several member countries of the WHO were of the view that prices of essential drugs should be outside the ambit of the WTO. |
|
Goenka awards presented NEW DELHI, Nov 9 — The prestigious award of excellence in journalism, B. D. Goenka Award, was given to Press Adviser to the Prime Minister and former editor H. K. Dua, founder editor of Eenadu Ramoji Rao and Eisenhower Exchange Fellow and former deputy editor of Blitz P. Sainath at a function here today. The award, which carries a citation, a trophy and Rs 1 lakh, was presented by the Chief Vigilance Commissioner, Mr N. Vittal. While Mr Dua has been given the award for 1998, the two others have been presented the award for 1999. Mr Sainath has been given the award for his contribution in bringing out the important and previously unknown sociological facts about the life in the poorest districts of Indian and the everyday traumas of Dalits. Mr Ramoji Rao has been given the award for pioneering the concept of district edition and developing a new brand of reader-focused journalism. Mr Dua has been given the award for upholding the dignity of calling at great personal sacrifice and for defending the principle that journalism has a larger public responsibility. Delivering a lecture on “Bureaucracy, Media and Corruption” at the function, Mr Vittal said media was a powerful agency which had enormous power to mould public opinion and could play a vital role in fighting corruption.
|
|
NDFB militant killed GUWAHATI, Nov 9 (UNI) — At least one hardcore National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) militant was killed in an encounter with the Army near Bengahimari in Nalbari district of lower Assam yesterday. Defence sources said here today that one revolver and a grenade were recovered from the site. Acting on specific information, the Army launched a search operation in villages. The extremist hiding in a village fired at the members of the search party as they closed in on his hide-out, forcing the latter to retaliate. In the ensuing encounter, he was killed, sources added. |
|
BRO making new
roads in Kargil NEW DELHI, Nov 9 — The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is constructing new roads and alignments in the Kargil sector of Jammu and Kashmir in view of the “threat perceptions” following the Pakistani intrusions last year, its Director-General Lt-Gen A. K. Puri said here today. Roads in the sensitive border area were being widened and new road alignments were being constructed to enable the Army to take more men and supplies to its posts in the higher mountainous reaches, Lt-Gen Puri said while talking to reporters here. The construction work was being undertaken after a proper assessment was made of the requirements in the region specially following the Kargil conflict. Additional budgetary allowance has also been earmarked for the purpose, he said. Similarly, the BRO was engaged in the construction of about 20 roads of various lengths in the North-East, particularly the border areas in Arunachal Pradesh “which we have been neglecting”, Lt-Gen Puri said. |
|
Four fodder scam accused surrender PATNA, Nov 9 (PTI) — Four suppliers accused in the fodder scam case today surrendered in the court of designated CBI Judge S. K. Pathak. The accused — Harish Khanna, Rajan Mehta, Rajesh Verma Madhu Mehta — were remanded judicial custody while the bail application of Madhu Mehta was allowed. The case relates to the fraudulent withdrawals of lakhs of rupees from treasuries by State Animal Husbandry Department officials. |
 |
| 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 | |
