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| Friday,
March 16, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Annan
offers to mediate RBI ultimatum to Orissa
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NORTH INDIA IN PARLIAMENT EC meets Home Secy today I didn’t raise
anti-masjid slogans: Uma Mock drill catches depts napping NGOs’ meeting on 5-yr Plan NHRC apprised of sex ratio imbalance Selection grade
to 5 IPS officers Servant kills woman 3 convicted in dhoti,
saree scam Retired Brig held under Arms Act
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Annan offers to mediate New Delhi, March 15 “My good offices will remain available should the two parties wish to engage under the UN auspices. However, important is that engagement begins,” Mr Annan said in his statement made at the airport soon after his arrival from Dhaka. Foreign Secretary Chokila Iyer and senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs and the UN offices in India received the Secretary-General at the airport. Urging the two countries to return to the spirit of Lahore Declaration, Mr Annan said, “It is time to begin healing the wounds to restore trust and regain a sense of confidence. As long as grievances persist and violence continues, the two countries will not be able to tap the full potential of the region.” The Secretary-General who categorically told Pakistan that problems with India could be resolved only through the Lahore Declaration and not by UN resolutions, said General Parvez Musharraf had expressed his willingness to resume talks with India any time and anywhere. “I am ready to support the dialogue in any way I can,” he added. On India’s demand for a permanent seat in an expanded UN Security Council, he said it was a “complex issue” being discussed by member states and the new President of the UN General Assembly was taking it up. “I wish I could tell you when we are likely to see concrete results, but I am afraid it is going to take a while. And, of course, India is one of the countries that is mentioned as deserving of consideration to serve on the council,” he said. Mr Annan, who is on his second visit to India as UN Secretary-General, the first being in April 1997, will call on President K.R. Narayanan and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee besides holding substantive talks with External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh. While in Islamabad as part of his four-nation tour of South Asia, Mr Annan had ruled out the implementation of the UN resolutions on Kashmir or a separate UN human rights commission for Kashmir, as demanded by Pakistan. On the continuance of UN Military Observer Group at the Indo-Pak border in Kashmir, he said, “They have been there for quite a while and they have a mandate to be there”. Mr Annan said India and Pakistan had too much in shared heritage by way of history as well as family and cultural ties not to resolve differences. “It is time to begin healing the wounds...This is the right time for India and Pakistan to resume the dialogue.” Lauding India’s role as a leading member of the United Nations, the world’s largest democracy and a vital partner in the UN efforts to promote peace, security, democracy and good governance he said he was looking forward to discussing all these issues with Indian leaders.
UNI, PTI |
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RBI ultimatum to Orissa Bhubaneswar, March 15 In a letter to the Principal Secretary of the Finance Department, the RBI cautioned that the overdraft as on March 12, 2001, stood at Rs 183.27 crore for the fifth consecutive day. The RBI has asked the Orissa Government to take immediate steps to clear the overdraft as it would have no alternative but to suspend payment of the state government. The RBI letter has come at a time when the state is passing through an unprecedented financial crisis with an outstanding loan burden of Rs 18,100 crore by this month. The state government has already obtained two months’ central assistance in advance to clear the overdraft. The situation has now come to such a stage that the government is now consuming tomorrow’s receipt today for survival. Official sources said there would be a cash deficit ranging between Rs 1,600 crore to Rs 1,700 crore by month-end. The RBI has drawn the attention of the state government, saying that it has already crossed the ceiling on overdraft of Rs 159 crore at least for the 13th time during the current financial year. In its notice, the RBI has asked the state government to bring down the level of the overdraft within the ceiling of Rs 159 crore within five working days from March 12 failing which payment to the state government would be suspended. Meanwhile, the state government has taken austerity measures in view of the debt burden reaching an unsustainable level to the extent that even the record borrowing in a year was insufficient to overcome the revenue deficit. An official memorandum, circulated by the Finance Department, yesterday has put a complete ban on creation of any new posts, be it non-plan, state plan or central plan.
UNI |
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Army, ministry begin probe New Delhi, March 15 Ministry sources said the government was of the opinion that the inquiries, both on the Army and civilian sides, should be completed as soon as possible. While it could not be officially confirmed whether the Army’s court of inquiry by an officer of the rank of a Lieut General had begun, the sources said the statements of Lieut Gen M.S. Ahluwalia, Additional Director-General (Ordnance), Maj Gen Satnam Singh, Director-General (Operations) Kargil Sector, Brig Iqbal Singh, Prospective Procurement Officer, and Col Anil Sehgal, former Director in the Directorate-General of Ordnance Services had been recorded. Lieut Gen Ahluwalia was called in from Shimla and Col Sehgal from Jabalpur where he is presently posted. Both officers as well as Brig Singh were shown on the tapes as receiving money from Tehelka reporters posing as arms manufacturers. Yesterday, Maj Gen S.P.S. Chaudhary, Additional Director General (Weapons and Equipment), Mr H.C. Pant, Staff Officer in the Ordnance Board, Assistant Financial Adviser Narinder Singh and a section officer in the Defence Ministry P. Sasi were suspended. The sources said Defence Secretary Yogendra Narain was holding parallel inquiries and taking the statement of ministry officials who figured in the Tehelka expose, including Additional Secretary L.N. Mehta. This is the first time that such a large number of senior officers, including two Maj Generals and one Lieut General, are up before a court of inquiry. If the inquiry establishes that they are guilty then there will be court martial proceedings against them. If prima facie evidence is found against the five officers, the Army headquarters will carry out a summary of evidence which will be scrutinised by legal experts. Punishment handed over by a court of martial would have to be confirmed by the Defence Ministry. In recent times, officers of the rank of Lieut Gen or Maj Gen have been asked to leave or quit when issued show cause notices.
UNI |
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RJD memo
to Governor Patna, March 15 The MLAs of the RJD, the Congress, the CPI-M, the BSP and the Krantikari Communist Party, led by RJD President Laloo Prasad Yadav and Chief Minister Rabri Devi, marched in a procession from the Assembly to Raj Bhavan and submitted the memorandum to Mr Pande requesting him to forward it to President K.R. Narayanan. “The entire nation is stunned by the damning evidence of sleaze in defence deals. It is a matter of shame that the Prime Minister has not put in his papers,” the memo said.
PTI |
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NORTH INDIA IN PARLIAMENT New Delhi, March 15 In response to a question by Mr Lajpat Rai, the minister said the government had adopted a well coordinated and multi-pronged approach for tackling the activities of militants which includes strengthening border management, gearing up the intelligence machinery, neutralising plans of militants by coordinated action, modernisation and upgradation of police forces with advanced sophisticated weapons and communication systems. Mr Vidyasagar Rao said the Centre had also been sensitising the state governments about the threat perception and activities of various Punjab militant outfits, including Babbar Khalsa International. Steps have also been taken to secure greater international cooperation for curbing the activities of such militant organisations operating from bases in foreign countries. In response to another question, the minister said the Centre do not maintain information on the number of persons detained under TADA and other Acts in connection with the Punjab problem. In a written reply to a question on whether a large number of persons detained under TADA and
other Acts in connection with Punjab problem were still undergoing imprisonment in various jails without trial and whether the government was considering to unconditionally release those prisoners who have completed more than 10 years of imprisonment, the minister said as per the Supreme Court directive state review committees have been constituted in all states and union territories. Mr Vidyasagar Rao said the Centre had been advising from time to time the state governments and UT administrations to review these cases and to expediate cases pending investigation and under trial. In response to another question, the minister said there had been some incidents of smuggling of arms across the Rajasthan, Gujarat and Punjab borders from time to time. In a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on whether the government was aware that lethal assault weapons manufactured in Adam Kehl pass, a tribal township situated in Pakistan, were being pushed into the country in large quantity, the minister said Darra Aadam Khel and adjoining areas in Pakistan are reported to be amongst the centres for supply of these arms. The Minister of State for Home Affairs said there was no proposal under consideration of the central and state government at present for continous air surveillance in Jammu and Kashmir area to avoid incidents of the type that took place in Chattisingpura. Mr Vidyasagar Rao said the strategy and tactics to tackle the terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir were regularly reviewed at various levels, including at the unified headquarters and its Ops Group with a view to meeting the changing challenges being thrown up by the terrorists. The Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Mr A Raja, informed the Lok Sabha that the ministry had no information regarding the World Bank fund being provided to set up Apollo Hospitals and dispensaries in Jammu and Kashmir. |
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EC meets Home Secy today New Delhi, March 15 Following the meeting at Nirvachan Sadan tomorrow afternoon, the full commission presided over by Chief Election Commissioner M.S. Gill would have an internal meeting to decide the schedule for the assembly elections in West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. The poll schedule will be announced by the week-end or early next week, commission sources said. Deputy Election Commissioners Subhash Pani and Sayan Chatterjee had a preliminary meeting with senior Home Ministry officials yesterday on the central forces to be deployed in the assembly polls. During a meeting of senior officials of the states going to the polls, convened by the EC on Monday, the deployment of security forces was among the main issues which came up for discussion. Barring Assam, the other four have also favoured a one-day poll and extensive use of electronic voting machines (EVMs). Meanwhile, the EC today directed the Governments of Kerala, West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry to confiscate illegal weapons and initiate action against undesirable characters to ensure a smooth law and order situation during the upcoming assembly polls. In a letter to the Chief Secretaries of the four states and one union territory, the EC said the poll schedule will be announced in the near future. It was time, therefore, for the state administrations to immediately start taking necessary steps to prepare for a fair and peaceful poll. The Chief Secretaries were also asked to hold a meeting with the state Directors-General of Police and the Home Secretaries to beef up the security arrangements. The commission also told the states to launch a campaign to confiscate illegal weapons and take action against undesirable characters. “Since political parties will be starting their campaign, it should be ensured that no violence is offered and attempt made to disturb the legitimate political activity of rivals. The commission would like a fortnightly report on a regular basis till the election ends,’’ the EC added.
UNI |
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I didn’t raise
anti-masjid slogans: Uma New Delhi, March 15 Ms Bharati admitted that she might have made a statement in Ayodhya just three days before the demolition of the disputed structure that the construction of the Ram temple would be taken up on the same place where it was stopped in July that year. “After meeting of the margadarshak mandal we used to announce the decisions of the mandal. It’s possible I might have made this statement, she said in response to a question during her cross-examination by Mr O.P. Sharma. The BJP leader, however, denied that on the day of demolition of the mosque she raised all those provocative slogans which had been attributed to her in the past. She repeatedly said “no” as the counsel asked her questions about several slogans allegedly raised by her on December 6 when the kar sevaks were pulling down the mosque. Ragarding the controversial slogan ‘Ek dhakka aur do, Babri masjid tor do’, she said she did not raise this slogan ever in her life. The other slogans mentioned by the counsel were ‘Babri masjid girao, Ram mandir banao’, ‘Babar ki auladon ko Pakistan bhagao’, ‘Babar bole jai Shri Ram, Mecca bole Jai Shri Ram’, ‘Ram naam satya hai, Babri masjid dhwast hai’. “I never raise slogans,” she quipped while answering these questions. Ms Bharati denied that BJP leader L.K. Advani had made a speech on December 6, in which he had reportedly said: “Today is the last day of karseva, do whatever you have to do.” She claimed that Mr Advani had made an appeal to the kar sewaks, who had climbed on the dome of the structure, to come down. Asked if that appeal was made so that kar sewaks did not suffer injuries when the dome collapses, she quipped, “I can’t say anything regarding the intention of the speech. Only the person concerned can disclose that.”
PTI, UNI |
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Mock drill catches depts napping Sriganganagar, March 15 The sequence of events which started after the police flashed a message revealed the seriousness with which the drill, planned with great caution and care, was taken by various implementing agencies, which in most cases are government departments. Today, the police control room flashed a message to all departments to come to the rescue of a busload of passengers which had fallen into the Baramasi canal near Nathanwali village on the Hanumangarh-Sriganganagar highway at 10.42 a.m. Reacting to the distress call, a police party from the Sadar police station was the first to reach the accident site with whatever equipment it could lay its hands on, only to realise that it was a mock drill. Nevertheless, they waited for the others to arrive. As personnel from various departments began reaching the site, all eyes were searching for the paramedics. After an hour-long wait, the siren of an ambulance was heard and a paramedic team headed by a doctor reached the spot. When questioned about the delay, the doctor replied that he was only informed about the accident half-an-hour late. It seems that someone “conveniently” forgot to raise the alarm. While a team from the Civil Hospital did reach the site, no one from the nagar parishad, besides the Electricity and Telecom Departments, bothered to turn up, despite the fact that it had been stressed that the accident was a major one and the cooperation of all departments was necessary. “This lapse could have cost us dear had it been an actual accident”, said an official supervising the drill. He said a report of the exercise would be forwarded to the authorities for necessary action. It may be recalled that a blueprint already exists and the departments have been assigned specific duties to be carried out to tackle the situation. Such mock drills also test the reaction time and the efficiency levels of the personnel drawn from various units. The only saving grace was that scores of residents of the city and the nearby villages descended on the site after the news spread that a bus had fallen into the canal. “It is not the first time that such mock drills have failed, proving that the contingency plans are inadequate,” remarked an official. However, it remains to be seen what action is initiated against the departments which simply chose to ignore the wake-up call.
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NGOs’ meeting on 5-yr Plan New Delhi, March 15 Sources in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment which supports non-government organisations said the committee would explore ways of monitoring and evaluating NGOs which draw funds from the government sector and fast track releases. The committee is also expected to discuss ways of simplifying procedures of sanction. The aforesaid exercise is being undertaken as preparation for the Tenth Five Year Plan. Sources in various ministries which support NGOs are hoping that the committee takes up the issue of decentralisation in allocation of small grants. “Decentralisation is desirable. It would be better if state governments are given the authority to disburse funds,” said a senior officer who deals with NGOs. Citing an example of procedural delays in disbursement of grants, the officer said, “Suppose a Jalandhar-based NGO has to seek financial assistance, it has to move an application through the District Welfare Officer. The case will then be recommended to the Director, Social Welfare, Punjab. It will be scrutinised in the Punjab Secretariat before being sent to the ministry concerned. And, for all this exercise, an NGO may be getting a grant of only 1 lakh. Is it worth fighting all the way for just Rs 1 lakh? It is not feasible for applicants to follow up cases. The more levels at which a proposal has to travel, the worse the situation gets. In terms of delay, even corruption cannot be ruled out.” The committee chaired by
Mr D.N. Tewari, member of the Planning Commission was set up last month. The meeting will be attended by the Secretary, Planning Commission, Secretary, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Secretary, the Department of Women and Child Development, four representatives from Gandhinagar, Guwahati, Lucknow and Mumbai. Sources in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment said in the current financial year, it funded 2339 NGOs throughout the country under 11 different schemes. It provided funding to the tune of Rs 200 crore to 2500 NGOs, including those working in the area of animal welfare under 15 different schemes. |
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NHRC apprised of sex ratio imbalance New Delhi, March 15 Representatives from the organisations said dowry cases went unreported in the state. Sources in the NHRC said the regional consultation was the first in a series of meetings to be held at different places in the country. The main recommendations that emerged at the end of the meeting were that there was need to generate awareness about the human rights of people. The participants also stressed the need to change civil society to create respect for human rights. |
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Selection grade
to 5 IPS officers Sriganganagar, March 15 According to sources, the officers are Mr R.P. Singh, SP, Sriganganagar, Mr Megh Chander Meena, SP, Hanumangarh, besides SPs Rajeev Dasoth, Mr M.L. Ladher and Mr A.K. Mishra. They have been granted the grade at a basic salary of Rs 14, 390. A meeting in this context was held at Jaipur today which was attended by Chief Secretary Inderjit
Khanna. |
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Servant kills woman New Delhi, March 15 The servant, Bahadur, was appointed two days ago by the husband of the deceased. Earlier, he worked at a shop in Paharganj of central Delhi. When the incident occurred, the woman was alone in the flat. Her husband, Mr Shailender Gupta, who works as manager with the East India Udhyog Ltd in Ghaziabad, had left for Chandigarh early morning while their daughter, Ms Namrata, was in her office, the police said. The police said Ms Namrata telephoned her mother from her office at 10.30 but she did not attend the phone. When she returned in the evening she found her mother lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen. The main gate of the flat was open. The TV was on and servant was missing from the house when Ms Namrata entered, the police said. The police said the woman would have died due to excessive bleeding. She had a stab injury on head and a cut mark on a finger. |
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3 convicted in dhoti, saree scam Chennai, March 15 Special Judge P. Anbazhagan, while slapping a fine of Rs 16,000 each on the accused, acquitted two others from the case. The other two convicted were R.N. Jayaprakash (a relative of former minister E. Madhusudanan) and D. Devanadhan, a supplier. Those acquitted were N. Balasubramanian, former secretary to TNTC and another supplier Dwarakanathan. The judge held that the prosecution, the CB-CID, had proved the case beyond any reasonable doubt. While R. Narashimulu was convicted under Sections 120B, 409 and 506(1) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(D)(C) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, the other two were convicted under Sections 120 (B), 465, 409 read with 109, 420 read with 34 of the IPC. The case related to alleged supply of inferior quality sarees and dhotis meant for free distribution to landless agriculture labourers and below poverty line families. |
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Retired Brig held under Arms Act New Delhi, March 15 The airport police found 38 live cartridges of 12 bore, eight gunpowder tins containing 8 kg powder, eight pouches of arsenic pellets, 10 packets primer shots, 13 used cartridge shells of 12 bore, 493 empty small cartridges of 22 bore and a US-made dye machine for making 12 bore cartridge, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Airport), Arvind Deep said. |
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President to open theatre festival today New Delhi, March 15 The Director of the National School of Drama, Mr Ram Gopal Bajaj, told TNS that over 75 productions from 65 different theatre groups and companies were participating.
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