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| Tuesday, March 13, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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No foreign investment
in print media: Sushma EVMs: EC refutes Amarinder’s
claim
PGI Amendment
Bill passed |
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Three Sikh youths barge into Thackeray’s house Probe finds proof
of illegal mining North India in
Parliament Bandh hits life in Orissa, 800
held Indo-S. Africa
joint panel meeting today Ayodhya case: CBI told to file reply Probe sought into J&K migrations
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No foreign investment
in print media: Sushma New Delhi, March 12 In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, the Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ms Sushma Swaraj, said necessary directions to this effect had also been issued to the RBI by the Finance Ministry. In her reply, the minister said the government continued to be guided by the Cabinet decision of 1955, which prohibited the publication of foreign-owned newspapers and periodicals in the country and Indian editions of foreign newspapers and periodicals dealing mainly with news and current affairs. To a question whether the newspaper Sandesh had offered public issues to foreign investors, Ms Swaraj said the paper was listed on the Mumbai stock exchange and as per the information given by the exchange, the company had offered 3,000 equity shares amounting to 0.0003 per cent of its total equity to non-resident Indians at the time of public issue in January 1995. The minister, however, parried a question on the reported growing nexus between criminals and film financing saying registration, investigation, detection and prevention of crimes was a state subject. But the minister listed numerous steps being taken to ensure non-tainted and clean money was used for film-making saying the Department of Economic Affairs had recently approved the entertainment industry, including flims, as an activity under industrial concern. Ms Swaraj said an advisory committee comprising key representatives of the film sector had been set up to advise the ministry on policies and other relating issues. In addition, she said a committee for development of the entertainment sector had been set up under her as the Chairperson .It would also comprise information ministers of various states. The minister pointed out that there was a persistent demand from the film industry to bring cinema into the Concurrent List and that the government was taking steps in this direction. On the percentage of participation of multi-national and foreign channels in the Indian broadcasting sector, the minister said the upper limit was 49 per cent in the setting up of teleports, cable networking and direct-to-home broadcasting. But, she said, in programme production there was no limit and only portfolio investment was allowed in FM broadcasts. |
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EVMs: EC refutes Amarinder’s
claim New Delhi, March 12 “The EVM displayed by Capt Amarinder Singh at a press conference yesterday is a machine got manufactured by him and there could be a possibility of it being tampered with. But the EVMs being used by the commission are time tested ones,” Dr Gill told a press conference after a day-long meeting with officials from West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Pondicherry on the Assembly poll schedule. The CEC said since its induction, EVMs have been successfully used in Goa and Haryana Assembly poll and in the Lok Sabha poll in 1999. Stating that all four states of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry wanted to use EVMs in the ensuing assembly poll, the CEC said so far as the poll panel was concerned, it was duty bound to look into complaints, if any. “After every elections, the commission has been making minute study about the possible discrepancy in EVMs besides taking into confidence various political parties during all-party meetings,” he said adding that the commission was confident of the quality of machines used by it and was constantly endeavouring to upgrade their technology. Referring to the threat given by Capt Amarinder Singh to move the court if the commission persisted on the use of EVMs during elections in Punjab in the future, Dr Gill said “India is a free country and everyone has the right to go to the courts.” He reminded that the commission was awaiting a final decision by the Madras High Court on a petition filed by AIADMK Supremo Jayalalitha on the use of EVMs and added that the Centre had recently sanctioned a sum of Rs 150 crore for purchasing additional EVMs for the use in the ensuing assembly poll. Detailing about the meeting, he said barring Assam, the other three states and the union territory have favoured a one-day poll. “Only Assam had opposed both a one-day poll and the use of EVMs,” Dr Gill said adding that the commission would finalise poll dates only after a meeting on Wednesday between Deputy Election Commissioners Subhas Pani and Sayan Chatterjee and Union Home Secretary on the deployment of central forces during the poll. Describing today’s meeting as “good and detailed”, Dr Gill said apart from the poll schedule, the discussions focussed on the deployment of security personnel, use of EVMs, issue of photo identity cards and compulsory voter identification, the implementation of the model code of conduct and good poll practices by political parties. In a veiled warning to political parties in Tamil Nadu not to overstep electoral discipline, the CEC said the private and cable television channels run by people affiliated to various political parties should exercise restraint and not encourage violence between communities and groups. “All these channels should forbear and keep restraint,” Dr Gill said adding that the commission was also against wasteful expenditure on cut-outs and wall graffiti in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, respectively. Refusing to answer to a question about former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK leader Jayalalitha’s eligibility to contest the assembly poll following her conviction in a corruption case, Dr Gill said it was not for the commission to respond to this. PGI Amendment
Bill passed New Delhi, March 12 The amendment will ensure that a member elevated to the posts of Deputy Chairman, Chairman, Deputy Speaker, Speaker, Minister, state minister, Cabinet Minister or minister of any rank ceases to be a member of the PGI governing body. Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare C.P. Thakur moved the motion for amending the PGIMER, Chandigarh Act, 1996. Mr Rajnath Singh Surya of the BJP pointed out that ayurvedic institutes in the country were not getting due attention. The CPI MP drew attention to news reports highlighting the state of affairs in the All-Institute of Medical Sciences where no direct recruitment to the post of doctors has been made in the last seven years. The Health Minister said the aforesaid institutes were engaged in good research. He said the government was trying to ensure research in all parts of the country. Dr Thakur said appointment of ad hoc doctors in AIIMS arose out of the reservation issue. The issue will be resolved by taking legal recourse, he added. |
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Three Sikh youths barge into Thackeray’s house Mumbai, March 12 Exposing the loopholes in the security system, the three miscreants managed to tresspass the ‘Z plus’ category of security. According to sources the police had taken into custody three Sikh youths, hailing from Ludhiana, who were in possession of weapons including screw driver, blades and other sharp weapons. One of the youth had been identified as Sardar Singh Sopan Singh Batra (24). However, extensive search operations were on and bomb detection squad, and top police officers had rushed to Matoshree. Joint Commissioner of Police Y.C. Pawar, Additional Police Commissioner, central region, R.N. Rathod, Additional Commissioner, Special unit-I, Anil Dhere and other top police officers were present at the Matoshree. However, the police officers were tightlipped about the entire episode and while denying the reports, said the three youths had been taken into police custody only for enquiry. UNI Probe finds proof
of illegal mining Bhopal, March 12 The inquiry was ordered on an Interlocutory Application (IA No. 620-621) of Mr Santosh Bharati, a Damoh journalist, who had been relentlessly fighting in the apex court against illegal forest felling in the state. Mr Bharati’s IA says that Madhya Pradesh Minister of State for Animal Husbandry K.P. Singh secured the sandstone mineral production licences through the district administration, Shivpuri, “in the name of some of his puppet labourers”. Although all such mining quarrying licences are recorded and shown to have been issued properly for the revenue areas, the fact is that “totally illegal business of quarrying is going on in the whole of Shivpuri district on more than 3,000 hectares of government reserve and protected forest areas, after cutting down developed green trees. Because of these illegal activities, the state government has so far suffered the revenue loss of about Rs 200 crore, whereas the damage caused to the overall environment of this charming area is beyond any price”. Mr Bharati has given in the IA the particulars of several poor Tribals who are paying in the government records the royalty of lakhs of rupees per year for the mining operation but who are actually struggling hard to procure two square meals for their families. These are all benami licences procured by the Minister of State who belongs to Shivpuri. The Supreme Court had directed on January 8, 2001, Mr M.K. Sharma, Additional Director General of Forests in the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests to inquire into the allegations made by Mr Santosh Bharati regarding illegal mining in Shivpuri district. The preliminary investigation made by Mr Sharma revealed “rampant mining” in Shivpuri district. In a communication to the Madhya Pradesh Government, Mr Sharma is learnt to have pointed out that the Supreme Court had on January 12, 2000, directed that “no permission for mining will be granted by the Collector throughout the state without obtaining a certificate from the DFO (to the effect) that no forest lands are involved. Further, all mining areas shall be demarcated by erecting permanent concrete boundary pillars at the expense of the lease holders and also mining activity shall start only after an inspection by the local forest and mining officers. |
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North
India in Parliament New Delhi, March 12 She said from 97 incidents in 1998, the crimes against women had increased to 221 in 2000 in the union territory. In Punjab, the incidents had risen from 1,238 in 1998 to 1,645 in 2000, In Himachal Pradesh the incidents had increased marginally from 778 in 1998 to 835 in 2000. The incidents of crime had fallen in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, in line with the all-India trends. From 3,002 incidents in 1998, it had declined to 2,897 incidents in 2000 in Haryana and in Jammu and Kashmir, the incidents had reduced from 1,715 in 1998 to 1,333 in 2000. At the all-India level the number of incidents, as per the data collected by the National Crime Records Bureau indicated a drop from 1,31,475 in 1998 to 1,19,964 in 2000. The Union Human Resource Development Minister, Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, informed the Rajya Sabha that the government was proposing to introduce a new law relating to domestic violence against women. The minister said a task force under the Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, was currently reviewing the laws relating to women. The Union Law, Justice and Company Affairs Minister, Mr Arun Jaitley, informed the Rajya Sabha that 64,036 cases were pending in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, out of which 1,267 cases were pending for over 10 years. In the subordinate courts of the state 1,21,915 cases were pending, out of which 3,827 cases were more than a decade old. The minister said there was no proposal at present to increase the strength of judges in the high court. The Minister of State for Communication, Mr Tapan Sikdar, informed the Lok Sabha that the license of cellular operator in Punjab — Bharti Mobile — has been terminated as it owed Rs 259.6 crore, excluding interest. The company had not paid its dues since March 1997, the minister said. The Minister of State for Railways, Mr Digvijay Singh, informed the Rajya Sabha that the Garg Commission set up to inquire into the causes of rail accident at Khanna two years ago, had not submitted its report. In reply to a question by Mr S. Ramachandran Pillai, the minister said the report was still awaited. The commission had been requested to complete the work at the earliest. The Union Railway Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, said the government was awaiting the reports of the commissions set up to inquire into major accidents in the Ambala division which occurred in successive years. The Garg Commission was inquiring into the collision between derailed coaches of 2903 Up Golden Temple Mail and 3152 Dn Jammu Tawi-Sealdah Express near Khanna station. The Ahmed Commission had been appointed to inquire into the collision between 3005 Up Howrah-Amritsar Mail with derailed wagons of the foodgrain special near Sadhoogarh station, the minister said. |
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Bandh hits life in Orissa, 800 held Bhubaneswar, March 12 Mr Patnaik, a former Chief Minister, was picked up from the PGM Square here while leading a procession towards the state Assembly, official sources said. The sources said train services were disrupted throughout the state till mid-day as Congress activists squatted on the railway track at important stations. All long distance trains were controlled at different stations since early this morning, while the passenger and local trains did not leave their originating stations. A report from Rourkela said some trains commenced their onward journey around noon after the squatters were picked up by the police. Some miscreants damaged glasspanes at Cuttack railway stations, while a couple of cars were damaged due to stone-throwing in front of the PCC office here. There were also a few other cases of stone-throwing elsewhere, but the bandh was by and large peaceful, official sources said. The Congress members boycotted the state Assembly which is in session. Certain Congress MLAs staged a sit-in near the Assembly main gate. The visitors’ galleries of the House wore an empty look in the morning.
PTI |
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Indo-S. Africa
joint panel meeting today New Delhi, March 12 A number of agreements in the areas of housing, air services, investment protection, merchant shipping, health and medicines are likely to be signed at the conclusion of the two-day meeting on March 14 which will be co-chaired by the External Affairs Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South Africa, Dr N.C. Diamini-Zuma. Dr Zuma, is leading a high-level delegation consisting of several South African ministers and officials. She will also have talks with the Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes, for expanding defence ties between the two countries. Briefing newspersons about the meeting, a spokesman of the Ministry for External Affairs said this is the first meeting of the joint commission which was being held at the Foreign Minister level. Earlier, the commission meetings were held at the minister of state level, the spokesman said, adding that a decision to upgrade it was taken by the two governments. |
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Ayodhya case: CBI told to file reply Lucknow, March 12 The court directive came in response to two applications filed before it today on behalf of 31 accused, including the three union ministers. Kunwar Mridul Rakesh, counsel for the union ministers, said as all proceedings pursuant to the notification dated October 8, 1993, had been quashed and set aside by the Lucknow Bench of the high court, no proceeding against the others also could continue in the special court.
PTI |
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Probe sought into J&K migrations New Delhi, March 12 Prof Bhim Singh also appraised Mr Advani of the situation prevailing in the villages near the LoC. |
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