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Saturday,
June 2, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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N-deterrent
to include delivery system Uttaranchal
CM to meet Vajpayee Bengal CM
for subsidy |
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Sikkim
CM seeks package from Centre Krishnaswamy
Vice-Chief of Air Staff Jaswant Singh to visit Russia Pondy
Cabinet expanded Haryana
to shift dairies outside MC limits 2 sons
of Army officers held CEC
meets PM Kidnap
bid foiled
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N-deterrent to include
delivery system New Delhi, June 1 Asserting that maintaining a minimum deterrent was a “sovereign responsibility”, the latest Defence Ministry annual report said the security environment around the country, specially along the border with Pakistan, continued to be a cause for concern. The report highlighted the need for indigenisation in armament capability in the wake of
restrictions on transfer of equipment and technology, especially those created by the post-Pokhran sanction imposed by the USA. The report said given the security challenges confronting the country, India will need to maintain a desired level of military strength and preparedness to deter any aggression and enable India to contribute positively to the promotion of peace and stability in the region. Further away, the developments flowing from religious and ethnic fundamentalism posed a threat to the democracies in Indonesia and Philippines and were a matter of concern to India, the ministry said. The report said nuclear tests of May 1998 do not dilute India’s commitment to this long-held objective. This sets the country apart from other nuclear weapon states, which reject global nuclear disarmament proposals because they refuse to visualise their security without nuclear weapons. As a nuclear weapon state, India is even more conscious of its responsibility in this regard and, as in the past, initiatives in pursuit of global nuclear disarmament continue to be taken by India both individually and collectively. India’s nuclear weapons capability is meant only for self-defence and seeks only to ensure that India’s security, independence and integrity are not threatened in the future. India is not interested in a nuclear arms race. This is the rationale behind the two pillars of India’s nuclear policy — minimum deterrence and no-first-use. India continues to maintain its opposition to the NPT as a discriminatory and flawed treaty. Its indefinite extension has merely reinforced these discriminatory aspects with a majority of the states being unable to persuade the original five nuclear weapon states to commit themselves to nuclear disarmament. The indefinite extension of the NPT has sought to legitimise the possession of nuclear weapons in the hands of these five nuclear weapon states, the report said. Maritime dimensions, the report said, were slated to play an increasingly important and critical role in India’s future. India also needed to join those nations which had already diverted substantial energies and resources towards building up their assets in the form of coastal facilities, the merchant marine, ports, harbours and mining infrastructure. By virtue of its geography, India, sitting astride major commercial routes and energy life-lines, was in a position to greatly influence the secure movement of shipping along the sea line of communication in the Indian Ocean region, it said. |
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Uttaranchal CM to
meet Vajpayee Dehra Dun, June 1 Sources close to the Chief Minister revealed that Mr Swami met the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani last evening at New Delhi and discussed party issues. Mr Swami also met BJP President K. Jana Krishnamurthi today and described briefly about the performance of his government during the past six-and-a-half months. During his visit to Mussoorrie to preside over the two-day meet of the national office-bearers on May 20 and 21, Mr Krishnamurthi had received a number of complaints from BJP leaders of the state against the alleged non-performance of the state government. Following this, the BJP President decided to review the performance of the Swami government. Surprisingly, a two-page advertisement appeared in the India Today editions (both Hindi and English) of June 1 highlighting the performance of the Swami government. The move has invited criticism from many political observers and local media who termed it as wastage of money. These advertisements are likely to cost more than Rs 50 lakh at a time when Uttaranchal is facing acute financial crisis. According to information, no Information and Public Relations Department has been set up in the state. Although there are nine sanctioned posts of information officers at the headquarters, but in Dehra Dun only one person is working. Similarly, out of the 13 districts, 11 districts are without information officers. |
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Bengal CM for subsidy New Delhi, June 1 Speaking to reporters for the first time in Delhi after assuming office, Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharyya, today said that despite starting late, the state would still achieve a software export figure of Rs 700 crore within a couple of years. He was, however, quick to caution that “that the so called liberalisation has created more problems than benefits in the third world”. “We are a just one among the 28 states in the Indian Union. It is extremely difficult to have an isolated industrialisation policy. But still we are trying”, he said. Mr Bhattacharyya would be required to do some delicate tightrope walking as his endeavour to attract domestic and overseas investment in the state and its compatibility with market economics may not fit into the classical growth arguments of leftists. The Chief Minister’s keenness to attract further investment to the state can also be gauged from the fact the President of the Confederation of India Industry (CII), Mr Sanjiv Goenka, were among the first two persons with whom Mr Bhattacharyya held confabulations after assuming office. Mr Bhattacharyya said that his government was against across-the-board privatisation of public sector undertakings as these would also include profit making units. “ We are not in favour of dismantling all PSUs, banks and insurance companies as these would go against national interest”, he said. The Left Front leader, who has emerged from the shadows of his predecessor, Mr Jyoti Basu, defended the subsidies. “For the World Bank, subsidies may be a bad term. But for a country like India where more than 30 per cent people live below the poverty line, we need to provide subsidies on food items, transport, health services and other basic amenities”, he said. The Chief Minister seemed conscious of the fact that such policies may conform to the market-oriented economic policies of the Centre and also of the fact that Centre’s promotion was necessary for enhanced investment flow. |
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Sikkim CM seeks package from Centre Kolkata, June 1 Mr Chamling alleged the Centre had done little for the development of Bengal and Sikkim and other north-eastern states. He said they would expect genuine help and cooperation from the Vajpayee government but if it did not respond, they with the rest of other states, launch an agitation. The Sikkim Chief Minister will soon go to New Delhi to meet Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, Home Minister L.K. Advani and the Planning Minister with a detailed development package to seek adequate funds from the Centre. He ruled out any possibility of the formation of a separate country for people of Sikkim, Bhutan and Darjeeling as demanded by the GNLF chief, Mr Subhas Ghising. “Sikkim joined India only in the seventies and for its survival it is necessary that the state have good relations with the adjoining states and neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Nepal, he said. He criticised the frequent bandh call in Darjeeling by the GNFL which disturbed the normal work and economic activities in Sikkim. He said NH 31 should be kept out of the purview of any bandh. |
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Krishnaswamy Vice-Chief of Air Staff New Delhi, June 1 Air Marshal Vinod Bhatia will be the new Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command where as Air Marshal M. McMahon will be the new
AOC-in-C South Western Air Command. All appointments will come into effect from August 1. Air Marshal S.
Krishnaswamy, presently AOC-in-C, Western Air Command and who is in line to be the next Chief of Air Staff when Air Chief Marshal
A.Y. Tipnis retires in December this year, will take over as the Vice-Chief of Air Staff being the senior most IAF officer. |
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Jaswant
Singh to visit Russia New Delhi, June 1 Announcing the visit, a spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs said Mr Jaswant Singh would hold discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Igor
Ivanov, Defence Minister Sergai Ivanov and National Security Council Vladimir Rushaliov and call on other Russian dignitaries. |
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Pondy Cabinet expanded Pondicherry, June 1 The Pondicherry Lieut- Governor, Dr Rajani Rai administered the oath of office and secrecy to ministers N.Rengaswami, A.V. Subramanian (both Congress), Theni C .Jayakumar (TMC) and a Kasilingam (AIADMK) at a function held in front of the Rajnivas here. Chief Minister P. Shanmugham assumed office on May 24. Mr Rengaswami has been minister twice earlier. He was the Agriculture Minister in the Vaithilingam cabinet in 1991 and Minister for Tourism in the erstwhile 13-month Shanmugham ministry, while Mr A.V. Subramanian was the Speaker of the previous Assembly. Mr Jayakumar was the Local Administration Minister in the DMK-led coalition government earlier and continued to hold the same post during Mr Shanmugham’s regime.
UNI |
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Haryana
to shift dairies outside MC limits New Delhi, June 1 Returning after participating in a 10-day workshop organised by the International Housing Society and HUDCO in Australia and Thailand, Minister of State for Urban Development Subhash Goyal said here yesterday that he was impressed by the high-level public participation in municipal services in these countries. He said the greater awareness about civic issues among residents of those countries had helped the municipal authorities in discharging their duties. He expressed the hope that with the implementation of modernised solid waste disposal systems in 26 municipal councils of Haryana at a cost of Rs 101.79 crore, the residents of urban areas would also display a keen civic sense in segregating bio-degradable and non-biodegradable waste. He said in the coming two years all milk dairies operating in six municipal committees would shift outside the municipal limits. He said this task would be accomplished with the involvement of dairy owners in ground-level planning. |
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2 sons of Army
officers held New Delhi, June 1 The accused, Hitesh and Karan, who passed out their Senior School Certificate Examinations from Army School in Delhi Cantonment were arrested while they were fleeing with the stereo. The stereo was stolen from D. Joseph’s car which was parked on the parking lot of the Airport Apartments, the police said. Hitesh, son of Colonel Kiran Tewari and Karan, alias Jupiter, son of Major J.P. Singh are still in police custody and being interrogated. The accused had entered the Airport Apartments after allegedly making false entries in register at the gate. The police said the accused who were in the age group of 18 had allegedly been in the habit of stealing petrol from parked cars in the area. |
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CEC meets
PM New Delhi, June 1 During his meeting he conveyed his gratitude for all the cooperation extended by the Government to him in carrying out his duties, Commission sources said. Dr Gill had yesterday called on the Congress President Sonia Gandhi and he would also be meeting leaders of other political parties, Speaker of Lok Sabha and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Mr J M Lyngdoh would succeed Dr Gill. |
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Kidnap bid foiled New Delhi, June 1 The accused, Manjit Singh alias Mange, was arrested last evening from Karol Bagh Union Club. |
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Talks on Nagaland New Delhi, June 1 |
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Scheme
to tackle
waterlogging fails Hanumangarh, June 1 About Rs 11.5 crore were spent on the scheme which was started about six years ago. The government has now realised that the scheme has failed to solve the problem and therefore, the tubewells which were installed for the purpose are now being removed. As per the scheme, 245 tubewells were to be installed along the Indira Gandhi canal. However, only 141 tubewells were installed. Out of these, most tubewells remained non-functional. Sources said that at the time of the launch of the scheme, some officials of the department had raised doubts over its success. The sources said that when the department now approached the state government for funds, the latter asked for a progress report. As the department could not give a satisfactory report, the government decided to scrap the scheme. |
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