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November 25, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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India, China exchange maps Iraqi Vice-President arrives on Monday Polluting units
have to move out: Jagmohan North India in Parliament |
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Veerappan’s next
target — Mithun Rajkumar case: CPM
seeks white paper 10 new Coast Guard stations soon Shah Rukh, Sippy regale crowds Shastri sworn in UP Governor Puri is Navy’s
Deputy Chief
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India, China exchange maps NEW DELHI, Nov 24 — The External Affairs Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh today categorically stated in the Rajya Sabha that India had not foreclosed or forgone its right to conduct further nuclear tests. He, however, added that the country would not come in the way of enforcement of the comprehensive test ban treaty (CTBT). “The aspect of further nuclear tests is an inherent right and it is not foreclosed or forgone,” he said while winding up the discussion underway in the House. However, this would not come in the way of enforcement of the CTBT as India has always favoured disarmament and have to go with it. “But we have to keep in mind that the enforcement of the CTBT will not be possible if the weapons of mass destruction are present all over the world,” he said. The External Affairs Minister said India “cannot disregard the security scenario” around it before it takes a decision on abiding by the CTBT. Referring to opposition members’ concern about “truthfulness” of the results obtained from the May 1998 Pokhran tests specially in view of conflicting stands of scientists in the country, he said it was a usual thing that scientists in all countries differed over the results of a particular test. PTI adds: In a major breakthrough on Sino-Indian border issue, the two countries have for the first time exchanged detailed maps on over 545 km middle sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) paving the way for similar exchanges on eastern and western sectors. Announcing this in the Rajya Sabha, Mr Jaswant Singh said experts of the two countries would now compare the maps that stretch from Himachal Pradesh to tri-junction of India, China and Nepal in Uttaranchal to pinpoint differences which would then be taken up at the next and ninth meeting of the Indian-China expert group. Describing this as a “significant” development, he said the maps were exchanged at the just-concluded eighth meeting of Sino-Indian diplomatic and military expert group in Beijing on November.
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Iraqi Vice-President arrives on Monday NEW DELHI, Nov 24 — Indo-Iraq ties are about to enter a qualitatively new phase when a high-level Iraqi delegation led by its Vice-President Taha Yassin Ramadhan arrives here on Monday for five-day official visit. While New Delhi has in principle decided to support the lifting the UN sanction against Iraq, Baghdad is willing to come a long way to meet India’s energy requirements. Mr Ramadhan is the second most important person in Iraq after President Saddam Hussein. External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh is personally taking keen interest in developing ties with West Asia and paying attention to the restoration of Indo-Iraq ties to its earlier glory, the sources said. Mr Jaswant Singh has taken Gulf division of the Ministry of External Affairs under his direct supervision which earlier used to be with the Minister of State of External Affairs, Mr A.K. Panja. West Asia is an important component of Mr Jaswant Singh’s energy security concept of the Indian foreign policy. Mr Jaswant Singh today spoke strongly in favour of lifting of UN sanctions against Iraq in Parliament. Iraq has made an offer to supply a billion US dollar worth crude oil at a relatively lower price in return for supply of industrial goods. Earlier New Delhi had sent a consignment of relief material of medicines to Baghdad to meet adverse impact of the UN sanctions. Mr Ramadhan was scheduled to visit India in September but it had to be postponed because of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s tight schedule and preoccupation. |
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Polluting units
have to move out: Jagmohan NEW DELHI, Nov 24 (PTI) — The government today asserted in the Lok Sabha that Capital’s polluting industries would have to move out of residential areas and assured the house that it would convene a meeting of Delhi mps and those concerned to find a way out regarding other units after the Supreme Court hearing on the issue on November 28. “The polluting industries have to move out of the residential areas. I am ready to reconsider the issue so far as the schedule (for relocation) is concerned regarding other industries,” Urban Development Minister Jagmohan said painting a grim future scenario if steps were not taken now to control pollution. He was replying to a calling attention motion moved by Madan Lal Khurana (BJP) and four others on the situation arising out of closure of various small and cottage industries due to non-revision of Delhi’s Master Plan leading to large-scale violence in the city earlier this week. Moving the motion, Mr Khurana threatened to lead an agitation if changes were not brought about in the Master Plan saying relocation of the industrial units had hit 15 lakh people.
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North India in Parliament NEW DELHI, Nov 24 — There is no proposal to start train services between Jammu and Kashmir and Hardwar, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. To a question on whether the Railways have any plan to start such a train service, the Minister for Railways said
introduction of a train between Jammu and Hardwar was not feasible at present due to operational and resource constraints. Dal Lake grant: The Centre has prepared a project proposal on the conservation of the Dal and Nagin lakes in consultation with the state government and the Jammu and Kashmir Lakes and Waterways Development Authority at an estimated cost of Rs 162.87 crore. The major components of the project proposal are: catchment management plan to minimise the silt input to the lake, construction of sewerage and sewage treatment plants to prevent the discharge of untreated sewage into the lake, municipal solid waste management, resettlement and rehabilitation plan for the families living inside the lake, improvement of water circulation of the lake and public participation and awareness. Yamuna in Himachal: The Himachal Pradesh Government had submitted a proposal to the Centre for undertaking a study to assess the pollution load of the Yamuna river and its major tributaries in the state for preparation of an action plan for the restoration of the river. The study, estimated to cost Rs 62.5 lakh, was received in January 1995, but was not undertaken as the water quality of the Yamuna in the stretch upstream of Tajewala in Himachal Pradesh was within the prescribed standards, the Minister for Environment and Forests said. Staff migration in J&K: Fortythree officers and clerks of Kamraz Rural Bank of Kashmir have migrated from the Kashmir valley to Jammu. As reported by the Jammu and Kashmir Bank Ltd. the sponsor bank of Kamraz Rural Bank, salaries upto October 2000 already stand disbursed by the bank to its migrated employees. HP seeks concessions: The Himachal Pradesh Government has made a request to the Centre asking for concessions in excise duty on cement, steel and tin sheets for the construction of houses by the flood affected people in the state on the pattern of the cyclone affected people in Orissa. The Minister of Finance said the request by the State Chief Minister, Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal and Lok Sabha MP, Maheshwar Singh was under examination by the government. Punjab food stocks:
Punjab is having 80.77 lakh tonnes of paddy and 46.69 lakh tonnes of rice with Food Corporation of India as well as the state government and its agencies as on October 31, this year. At present, FCI has a total storage capacity of 100.99 lakh tonnes in Punjab. Iodine salt:
The government has taken the samples of rock salt from the Drang area in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh and done their analysis. However, the results of chemical analysis have not yielded any content of iodine. |
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Sena men burn PM’s effigy NEW DELHI, Nov 24 — The Shiv Sena today burnt an effigy of Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, in protest against his offer of ceasefire in Kashmir during Ramzan and his remarks against Sena’s activities. The effigy was burnt near Parliament House by activists of the Shiv Sena. They gathered at Jantar Mantar and marched towards Parliament. They were stopped nearby where they burnt the effigy. Shiv Sena Delhi unit president, Mr Jai Bhagwan Goel, spearheaded the protest. They protested against Prime Minister’s oblique reference to Sena’s opposition of the ceasfire. The Prime Minister had reportedly said yesterday that the threat was not from outsiders but from people who were opposing the ceasefire in the country. Sena’s supremo Bal Thackeray has been requested to withdraw support from the BJP government in view of the “irresponsible statement” of the Prime Minister about a nationalist party. “If the government cannot respect our sentiments, why should we continue with it”, Shiv Sena’s Delhi unit Vice President, Om Dutt Sharma said. YC welcomes
ceasefire NEW DELHI, Nov 24 — Welcoming the unilateral ceasefire announced by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in Jammu and Kashmir during Ramzan, the Youth Congress has urged the government to remain vigilant to foil plans of anti-national forces. Reminding the Prime Minister about the hijacking of Indian Airlines plane at Kandahar last year, Youth Congress president Randeep Singh Surjewala said the incident had occurred during the month of
Ramzan. |
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Veerappan’s next
target — Mithun CALCUTTA, Nov 24 — After releasing the ageing Tamil matinee idol, Rajkumar, the notorious sandalwood smuggler, Veerappan, has chosen Bollywood star, Mithun Chakraborty as his next “catch”. Mithun himself phoned West Bengal Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadev Bhattacharyya yesterday to seek protection. Being closed to Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, he also informed her about the threat from Veerappan. Mr Bhattacharyya said he had requested the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, to provide adequate security for Mithun’s life and safety. The Railway Minister, however, advised him to return to Calcutta and settle down there. Mithun who has to frequently visit Tamil Nadu for looking after his hotel business (he runs a five-star hotel at the Tamil Nadu hill resort, Ooty), has been already in the target list of Mumbai mafia don, Daud Ibrahim. |
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Rajkumar case: CPM
seeks white paper CHENNAI, Nov 24 (UNI) — The Tamil Nadu unit of the CPM today demanded that a white paper be brought out on the kidnapping episode of Kannada actor Rajkumar and said the state government was forced to order the Special Task Force operation to nab Veerappan because of the Supreme Court order. Party state secretary N. Sankariah and other leaders told mediapersons that the circumstances leading to the kidnapping were so serious that they brought into focus the nexus between lawless elements in the forest and secessionist forces like the Tamil Nadu Liberation Army and the Tamil Nadu Retrieval Troops.
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10 new Coast Guard stations soon NEW DELHI, Nov 24 — Defence Minister George Fernandes today said 10 more Coast Guard stations from the Rann of Kutch to Kozhikode would be set up soon on the west coast keeping in view the emerging security challenges. While underlining the need for more stations on the southern and eastern coasts and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Defence Minister also asked the Coast Guards to step up vigil and crackdown on sea-pirates and poachers using creeks and high-sea lanes on the western and eastern coasts to smuggle arms and narcotics. The minister said the force would be modernised to face the menace posed by growing nexus among insurgent groups, pirate gangs and poachers using ultra high-speed craft to push in sophisticated arms and indulge in highly lucrative illegal trade. Addressing annual Coast Guard Senior Commanders’ conference here, Mr Fernandes admitted that the task was a gigantic one but said efforts were on to organise joint patrolling with other littoral nations in the Indian Ocean region to crackdown on these groups. He said the government had decided to set up 10 more Coast Guard stations in the western coast from Kutch to Calicut in view of reports of Pakistan trying to use high speed boats to smuggle arms and narcotics through marshy creeks in the Rann of Kutch and the vast Gujarat coastline. Mr Fernandes drew the attention of the Coast Guard Commanders to what he called a special group of individuals operating in high seas indulging in arms smuggling and hijackings. Recently, naval warships and Coast Guard vessels operating in the Bay of Bengal off the Andaman Sea had reported of big multi-national groups operating in tandem with insurgent groups based in various countries in South Asia and South-East Asia. The minister said these heavily-armed pirate gangs were hijacking foreign ships and selling their cargo in black-market specially in the strategic Mallaca Straits, an important sea land to lucrative South-East Asia market. |
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Shah Rukh, Sippy regale crowds MUMBAI, Nov 24 (PTI) — It was the most unique dance choreography as they waltzed together — a young, suave 30 plus actor still savouring the taste of his success, and his dance partner, a grey — head veteran who has seen nearly 40 summers of film making — till a loud round of applause interrupted the company. It was a moment of numb silence for the scores of film lovers at the inaugural function of the third International Film Festival last night as the two known names of the Indian film industry, Shah Rukh Khan and G.P. Sippy, tapped their feet and snapped their fingers as they danced a tango, a salsa and a bhangra — all rolled into one. Recollecting his first meeting with the veteran film director whom he described as “My best dance partner”, Shah Rukh said Sippy, who was honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the festival, had ruffled his hair and invited him to a party with the instruction, “comb your hair and wear a suit”. In a voice choked with emotion, the young actor recollected how Sippy invited him to the dance floor and asked him to shake a leg irrespective of the fact that he was still an unknown face. “We danced late into the night, as I tried to match his stamina and vigour. He danced like only he could, he said, while expressing his gratitude to the director. A kaleidoscopic view of the director’s life and achievements also figured at the festival with stills from his movies like “Bewaqoof”, “Johar Mehmood in Goa”, and “Sholay” screened on the occasion. Popular actor and film-maker Kamal Hassan, who was the chief guest at the function, spoke about the immense contribution of sippy to the movie industry and the importance of film festivals. “In this mercantile world of mass communication, cinema still holds good”, he said recollecting his long journey from a child actor to the current position. Maharashtra Minister for Cultural Affairs Ramkrishna More reiterated the state government’s support to film festivals and sanctioned Rs 20 lakh towards covering part of the cost of the festival. |
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LUCKNOW, Nov 24 (UNI) — Mr Vishnu Kant Shastri was today sworn in as the 21st Governor of Uttar Pradesh. Mr Justice Shyam Kumar Sen, Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court administered the oath at a simple but impressive ceremony in Darbar Hall of Raj Bhavan this morning. UP Chief Minister Rajnath Singh and his Cabinet colleagues, state BJP chief Kalraj Mishra, Judges of the high court, senior bureaucrats of the state and other distinguished citizens were present on the occasion. Immediately after taking the oath, the new Governor inspected a grand guard of honour at the lawns of Raj Bhavan. Mr Shastri has replaced Mr Suraj Bhan, who has been appointed Governor of Himachal Pradesh. Talking to newsmen, Mr Shastri said the role of the Governor was limited to protecting the high norms of the Indian Constitution. He said he did not think it proper to interfere in the day-to-day affairs of the state government, saying that he was not an administrator but a sentinel of the Constitution. “I leave it to the elected members to discharge their duties while protecting the spirit of the Constitution” he pointed out. Mr Shastri described his new assignment as a challenging one as he was heading the most important state of the country. He said UP had a vital role to play in nation-building. His press conference was punctuated with the recitation of several poems as he is a noted Hindi writer with a deep-rooted interest in poetry. He said he would take up his new post with the sensitivity of a poet. The new UP Governor did not offer any direct comment on the state of affairs in the universities of the state while asked about his priorities as the Chancellor of these universities. He, however, indicated that languages other than Hindi should be included in the curriculam of the universities. Mr Shastri sounded clear about his role as the Chancellor asserting that he had to formulate policies and issue guidelines for the universities instead of taking any interest as an “administrator”. |
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Puri is Navy’s
Deputy Chief NEW DELHI, Nov 24 — Vice-Admiral Raman Puri today took over as Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff at Naval Headquarters here. The Vice-Admiral was Fortress Commander (A & N) at Port Blair before assuming the present charge. The Flag Officer is an alumni of National Defence Academy and National Defence College. He was commissioned on January 1, 1966. He is a specialist in Gunnery and Missiles and his earlier important appointments, including Director-General, Seabird, Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra Naval Area, and Flag Officer Defence, Advisory Group. He is the Founder Director of the College of Naval Warfare. Some of the important ships that he has commanded during his illustrious career include command of the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, a missile destroyer INS Rana and Corvette INS Vijaydurg. |
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Punjab Day at
trade fair NEW DELHI, Nov 24 — Noted artistes, including Harbhajan Mann and Gursewak Mann, enthralled the audience during the Punjab Day function at the India International Trade Fair (IITF) here which continued till late in the evening.
Inaugurating the function, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal spoke of the achievements of the people of Punjab. He said that comprising just 2.5 per cent of population of the country, the number of martyrs from Punjab was 80 per cent.
The Chief Minister said the country had to import foodgrains for many years after independence but Punjab farmers ensured that the country was surplus in foodgrains. |
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Paswan plea to postal staff NEW DELHI, Nov 24 — The Union Communication Minister, Mr Ram Vilas Paswan, today appealed to the postal employees to abstain from the proposed indefinite strike from December 5, saying all their genuine demands would be positively viewed by the government.
“In the larger public interest the employees should adopt a conciliatory approach and desist from the path of confrontation,” Mr Paswan said here.
Such an approach would enable the government to understand and appreciate the problems of the employees better and find reasonable solutions, he said.
Ayurveda helps cure blood cancer NEW DELHI, Nov 24 — A metal-based ayurvedic preparation has been found useful in some cases of Acute Pro-myelocytic Leukaemia (blood cancer), the Rajya Sabha was informed today.
Minister of Health and Family Welfare, C.P. Thakur said in a written reply that a total of 15 patients suffering from blood cancer were registered for clinical trial. Four patients died during the course of treatment while 11 patients completed 90 days treatment. Out of these 11 patients, 10 were found
leukaemia-free. |
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