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Saturday,
September 1, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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Monsoon session concludes Purchase of binoculars ‘irregular’ Foodgrain offtake poor: Centre |
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NORTH INDIA IN PARLIAMENT India pooh-poohs Pak charges
Implement new pay scales
for judges: SC Cong to keep vigil on
saffronisation Release of ‘Lajja’ stayed New MNS dress code withdrawn Fake degree racket unearthed, man held SC allows
S.P. Hinduja to go abroad Malhotra heads
Rly Board Jammu-Poonch rail project
dropped Land deal registration made compulsory Use of contract labour
in PSUs allowed Mahajan clarifies on Ayodhya land
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Monsoon session concludes New Delhi, August 31 Like the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha too was adjourned sine die in the afternoon. The session began on July 23. The Prime Minister’s comments came in the backdrop of the stormy scenes that the session witnessed over the UTI muddle and the Tehelka issue. There were frequent disruptions of proceedings and several opposition charges against the government. The Leader of the Opposition and Congress President, Ms Sonia Gandhi, said several important matters could not be discussed due to the paucity of time. She assailed the government for its failure to bring in the session the Constitution Amendment Bill for 33 per cent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state Assemblies. The Prime Minister said there should be a limit to allegations against the ruling party and these limits should be voluntary. All parties should jointly decide on the norms of dignified behaviour, he added. Stating that there was a need for proper decorum for the smooth functioning of Parliament, Mr Vajpayee said: “We have never hesitated in discussing anything... There are charges and we have rebutted them. But there should be a limit to such charges. Democracy cannot work without proper dignity and decorum.” Observing that the image of the House in the public mind was not very good, he said it was necessary to refurbish it. Referring to the Opposition attack on the government for its failure to check the slowdown in the economy, the Prime Minister said while there was recession in the whole world, India had managed its economy and done it successfully. The Prime Minister also hailed the manner in which the Speaker, Mr G.M.C. Balayogi conducted the House. Ms Sonia Gandhi, in her remarks at the conclusion of the five-week session, said some issues, including the UTI crisis, Agra summit, several scams and the unresolved Ayodhya issue were agitating Congressmen and some issues were discussed. “There may not have been agreement between the Treasury Benches and the Opposition. But every major viewpoint was heard by the House and the nation. This is the essence of democracy,” she added. In sharp contrast to the earlier two sessions which ended on a bitter note with Mr Vajpayee and Ms Gandhi attacking each other, the monsoon session concluded on a cordial note. The Speaker lamented that precious time was lost due to the disorderly conduct of some members in the well of the House. Observing that leaders of various parties were unanimous that entering the well had to be stopped forthwith, he said they had assured him of making efforts to ensure that their members did not resort to such conduct. “We not only enhance our own dignity but also that of the institution of Parliament when we conduct the proceedings of the House in a disciplined and orderly manner,” he said. The Speaker said 29 hours and 31 minutes were lost due to disturbances in this session but this was compensated by extended sittings for an additional nearly 43 hours. |
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Maneka apologises to House New Delhi, August 31 Both Mrs Maneka Gandhi and Home Minister L.K Advani tendered unqualified apologies. The Constitution Scheduled Castes Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2001, concerning Mrs Maneka Gandhi’s ministry was listed in the day’s legislative business but when Deputy Speaker P.M. Sayeed called her name, she was not present. The Deputy Speaker and Treasury Benches members looked around for a while. Mr Sayeed said he had no information that she would not come to the House. At this, the Opposition members were up on their feet, demanding an apology from the government. Mr Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, the Congress Chief Whip, said the ministers absence without informing the Chair was an insult to the House. Then, Ms Maneka Gandhi profusely apologised for her delay.
UNI |
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Boy ‘walks tall’ in Lok Sabha New Delhi, August 31 Wearing a kurta pyjama, 14-year old Vicky with a height of 8 feet 3 inches from Haryana had a difficult task bending quite a bit to enter the House. As soon as he took his seat, some members were seen watching him with surprise from their benches. Security staff and others were seen shaking hands with him as he came out to leave Parliament.
PTI |
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Purchase of binoculars ‘irregular’
New Delhi, August 31 This was suggested to the commission by its counsel Gopal Subramaniam during the cross-examination of a government witness for the LWB purchase, one of the deals mentioned in the Tehelka tapes. He suggested that the “fast track procedure”, carried under the 1992 guidelines were not followed while procuring the LWB. However, the witness, Rajat Sachar, Director (Ordnance) in Ministry of Defence (MoD), said the procedure was only followed in the purchases of above Rs 10 crore. While the arguments for the LWB, which were held in public were over today, the commission was going ahead with the in-camera proceedings for Kornet-E. For arguments on other defence deals, the commission would draw a schedule on September 3. The commission had already decided to issue interrogatories to government in past arms transactions to expedite its proceedings. However, the interrogatories would be initially sent only for three transactions on trial basis, Justice K. Venkataswami said, adding that the right to oral cross-examination would still be reserved with the commission. The three transactions would be decided by government’s counsel Additional Solicitor-General Kirit N. Raval and Subramaniam on September 3. The Venkataswami Commission had identified 15 past transactions as having been alluded to in the secretly shot videotapes. The commission had decided to take only oral evidence on four transactions — Kornet-E, binoculars, Barak anti-ship missiles and Krasnopol laser-guided projectiles. For the rest, justice Venkataswami said the commission would reserve the right to take oral evidence if the government’s replies were inadequate.
PTI, UNI |
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Foodgrain offtake poor: Centre New Delhi, August 31 Though the Centre offered foodgrains “generously” and even free of cost under some schemes, the offtake by states is poor, the Food Minister, Mr Shanta Kumar and the Rural Development Minister, Mr Venkaiah Naidu, said in a joint press conference here. Mr Shanta Kumar said the offtake of foodgrains meant for families living below the poverty line was only 55 per cent, while out of 24 lakh tonnes of foodgrains provided free under food for work programme, some 14 lakh tonnes were lifted and 7 lakh tonnes actually distributed so far. Referring to reported starvation deaths in the Kashipur area of Orissa, they said the reports of the Central team and state government showed that the deaths took place due to food poisoning and not because of starvation. Similarly, such reports from Himachal Pradesh turned out to be false as deaths had taken place due to reasons other than starvation, the Food Minister added. Asserting that the Centre was sincerely carrying out its responsibility of procuring, storing and transporting foodgrains, he said it was the job of the states to ensure proper distribution through the network of fair price shops. Lamenting that states had failed to detect bogus ration cards numbering about 1.83 crore, he said though there are about 18 crore households in the country, the number of ration cards stood at more than 19 crore. The District Collector, Mr Bishnupada Sethi, however, said it was absurd to think the tribesmen ate this food out of compulsion. “Didn’t they eat mango kernel when the Orissa Tribal Development Project was under implementation in the Kashipur block financed by the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) and Rs 19 crore was pumped in”, he asked. Lack of personal hygiene, the Collector pointed out, was one of the main reasons for deaths of the tribesmen.
PTI |
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NORTH INDIA IN PARLIAMENT New Delhi, August 31 While in March 8.6 lakh tonnes of wheat was transported out of Punjab, 5.73 lakh tonnes was transported in April and 3.27 lakh tonnes in May, the minister told the House. In Haryana, a total of 7.96 lakh tonnes of wheat was transported during March, April and May in 2000. While 4.24 lakh tonnes was transported in March, 2.26 lakh tonnes was transported in April and 1.46 lakh tonnes on May in the year 2000. In all, 41 persons were injured in militant attacks at the Jammu railway station on August 7 this year, the Minister of State of Railways and Parliamentary Affairs, Mr O. Rajagopal informed the Rajya Sabha today. Thirteen persons, including a militant died. Out of those killed, five belonged to the Army and paramilitary forces and seven were
civilians. There was no damage to property except bullet marks on steel structures and walls of the Railway station, the minister said. For the rabi marketing season 2001-2002 storage cost had provisionally been allowed uniformly at the rate of Rs 21 per tonne per month to various states, including Punjab and Haryana, which procured wheat for the Central pool. The storage cost was not fixed city wise, the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Mr Sriram Chauhan, informed the Rajya Sabha. The stock of wheat in the Central pool in Punjab as on March 31, 2001, stood at 96.13 lakh tonnes involving an acquisition cost of Rs 703.61 per quintal. The total value of wheat in the Central Pool in Punjab was evaluated as Rs 6763.8 crore, Mr Chauhan said. The total quantity of stock of rice (including paddy in terms of rice) in the Central pool in Punjab stood at 107.12 lakh tonnes involving an acquisition cost of Rs 995.5 per quintal and total value of rice stock was evaluated at Rs 10663.8 crore, the minister said. As per the extant guidelines there was no postponement of increment of an employee of Regional Rural Bank for participating in a strike, only if its legal, irrespective of the period of the strike, the Minister of State for Finance, Mr Balasaheb Vikhe Patil, told the Lok Sabha. Punjab National Bank which was sponsoring bank of Himachal Gramin Bank had reported that increment bar had not been removed as the strike observed by Gramin Bank employees in 1990 was held to be illegal, the minister said. |
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India pooh-poohs Pak charges New Delhi, August 31 External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Nirupama Rao said in a statement that there was nothing new in President Musharraf’s comments. “Such rumours about our Cabinet have appeared on earlier occasions too after Agra and have been and are dismissed again”. She said the comments of President Musharraf had appeared in part and the Indian Mission in Islamabad would obtain the full authorised text of the speech. Reiterating the government’s commitment to the Lahore process, the spokesperson said India would continue to seek a fruitful dialogue with Pakistan as part of the quest for a relationship of peace, friendship and cooperation. The Prime Minister had made it abundantly clear that the quest for a joint document had to be abandoned mainly because of Pakistan’s insistence on the settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir issue as a pre-condition for any movement forward and also on account of its reluctance to acknowledge and address the issue of cross-border terrorism.
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Implement new pay scales for judges: SC New Delhi, August 31 “It appears appropriate to us to direct that those of the states which have revised the pay scales according to their own pay commissions or otherwise (not based on the Shetty Commission’s report) they shall with effect from September 1, 2001, pay the revised pay scales to the judicial officers in their respective states without prejudice to the rights of the judicial officers to claim higher pay scales,” it said. A Bench comprising Chief Justice A.S. Anand, Mr Justice S.P. Bharucha and Mr Justice B.N. Kirpal, passing the order on August 27, said while implementing the above interim order the arrears of the judicial officers should be paid in lumpsum or instalments by December 31, 2001. The Centre’s affidavit regarding judges pay scale came in for severe criticism from the court. “This affidavit conceals more than what it reveals..... This is not the way in which affidavits are expected to be filed in this court by the Union of India in a matter of such importance,” the Bench said. The court granted four weeks time to the states to state the present pay scales of the judicial officers, the pay scale recommended by the Shetty Commission and the same recommended by the commissions appointed by the states. Meanwhile, it noted that the affidavit filed on behalf of the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur and Mizoram said these governments had accepted the Shetty Commission report and they would implement the recommendation, provided the Centre met 50 per cent of the annual expenditure. The revised pay scale, the court said, shall be effective from the date on which each of the states had agreed to revise it. The court also directed that the arrears shall be paid in a consolidated manner or instalments by December 31. |
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Cong to keep vigil on
saffronisation New Delhi, August 31 Addressing the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting on the concluding day of the monsoon session of Parliament, Ms Gandhi said the government’s reply to the issue of
saffronisation was “most unsatisfactory.” “We will continue our vigil. This government is committed to safforinsation of education and it falls upon us to resist it with all our might. We should and will not be found wanting,” Ms Gandhi asserted while emphasising that the Rajiv Gandhi’s National Policy of Education must continue to form the bedrock of the Congress position on this vital issue. She said the economy was in dire straits, unemployment was mounting, industrial stagnation continued, investor confidence was at an all-time low and state of financial institutions including the UTI was a cause of worry. Ms Gandhi said the government had ignored the recommendations of the Deepak Parekh Committee and it had failed to provide any meaningful relief to UTI investors. Referring to the party’s concerns with the way Agra summit was conducted, Ms Gandhi said while a dialogue with Pakistan must continue, the government must take firm action against cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. “It is clear that the government had no policy on Jammu and Kashmir, no programme to bring enduring peace in the state,” the Congress President said. |
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Release of ‘Lajja’ stayed Chennai, August 31 The interim injunction was granted by the fifth assistant judge of the city civil court A.K. Annamalai on a joint suit filed by Anand Cine Service, Asian Capital Consolidates and Holdings Private Ltd. And Gemini Industries and Imaging Ltd, seeking to stay the release of the film. Ajay Devgan, Jackie Shroff, Manisha Koirala, Rekha and Mahima Chaudhry also star in the film which was to be released today. Observing that it was the usual practice to settle loans due to the creditors before the release of the film, for which loans had been obtained, the judge held that if the debtor was allowed to release the film without settling the dues, it could cause unnecessary problems for the creditors. The plaintiffs prayed for a direction to restrain Rajkumar Santoshi, proprietor of Santoshi Productions, Rainbow Colour Laboratory and Mega Bollywood Private Ltd, their distributors and theatre owners from releasing “Lajja”.
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New MNS dress code withdrawn New Delhi, August 31 The circular was to come into force from tomorrow. The Adjutant General (AG) branch yesterday issued a circular which said the old dress would continue till further orders, according to Army sources.
UNI |
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Fake degree racket unearthed, man held New Delhi, August 31 The suspect, Chetan Dass, allegedly used to charge Rs 15,000 for B.Ed degree. The degrees were shown to have been issued from B.N. Mandal University, Laloo Nagar in Madhipura and Magadh University in Patna, Bihar, the police said. Raids were conducted at college premises following which it was found that the suspect was indulging in the racket of fake degrees and certificates. He also allegedly cheated people by procuring fake degrees of LL.B., MBBS and B.Ed. He was also involved in the admission racket in regular course of LL. B in Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar University and Bundelkhand University. The police seized forged degrees and
certificates, 10 CCTVs, camera, monitor and controller alongwith cash worth Rs 1.49 lakh. |
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SC allows
S.P. Hinduja to go abroad New Delhi, August 31 A Division Bench comprising Mr Justice M.B.Shah and Mr Justice R.P. Sethi, however, directed that P.P. Hinduja would stay here as a guarantee and not leave the country without prior permission of the court. Mr P.P. Hinduja, who had been granted permission to visit Switzerland on August 8, returned to the country yesterday. The order was passed on an application moved on behalf of Mr S.P. Hinduja.
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Malhotra heads
Rly Board New Delhi, August 31 Mr I.I. M. S. Rana, General Manager, Eastern Railway, has been appointed member (engineering). Mr Rana belongs to the 1964 batch of the Indian Railway Engineering Service. Mr Malhotra who stood first in the civil engineering exams at Aligarh Muslim University belongs to the 1963 batch of the Indian Railway Engineering Service (IRES). He specialised in planning and design of structures and tracks, including bridges and new rail roads in the sub-mountainous regions. He was earlier the General Manager of the South Eastern Railway. |
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Jammu-Poonch rail project dropped New Delhi, August 31 He told the Rajya Sabha during question hour that as per the updated survey report of November, 2000, the cost of construction of the new rail line was assessed at Rs 4574.15 crore with a negative rate of return. It was, therefore, not considered feasible to take up the project. The minister also said that doubling of the 211.26 km Jalandhar-Jammu Tawi section was included in the supplementary Budget 1997-98 with the proviso that work would be taken up after obtaining the requisite clearance. Physical work on the project would start only after that. The expected expenditure on the project was about 335 crore.
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Land deal registration made compulsory New Delhi, August 31 The Registration and Other Related Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2001, was passed by the Rajya Sabha by voice vote, giving parliamentary approval. The measure was passed earlier by the Lok Sabha. Law Minister Arun Jaitley said such a measure was needed as largescale evasion of stamp duty was reported in the absence of non-registration of land deals. He said with this Bill, any agreement, including the power of attorney, has been done away since registration had been made compulsory which would also enable the states enhance their revenue earnings by way of stamp duty on immovable property. The minister said all land deals under this Act would be computerised so that proper records were maintained on deals relating to immovable property.
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Use of contract labour in PSUs allowed New Delhi, August 31 A five-judge constitution Bench comprising Mr Justice B.N. Kirpal, Mr Justice S.S.M. Quadri, Mr Justice M.B. Shah, Mr Justice Ruma Pal and Mr Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, also reversed a 1995 apex court judgement pertaining to “Air-India” case where it had ruled about automatic absorption of contract labour. The judgement of the court came on a petition filed by Steel Authority of India challenging the July 1998 judgement of the Calcutta High Court directing absorption of about 350 contract labourers in the company’s Paharpur stockyards.
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Mahajan clarifies on Ayodhya land New Delhi, August 31 The CPM MP Mr Rupchand Pal, said the party suspected a conspiracy as the Sangh Parivar had already declared that the work on building the temple would start in March 2002. |
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New Delhi, August 31
