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September 11, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Moneylenders ‘behind tribal poverty’
Minister lodges complaint against Tehelka Attack on Masood bad news for India
Cong in a bind over Digvijay’s remarks |
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| Congress opposes labour policy New Delhi, September 10 The Congress today conveyed its opposition to the labour policies of the government, saying that the hire and fire policy proposed by the government was not viable in a developing country which do not have extensive social safety net. Does BJP differ
on labour reforms? Pak’s offer to
PoWs’ kin Flood situation grim in Gorakhpur
Hanumangarh TB centre in bad shape Cop stabbed near ITO bridge Labourer falls
to death Women farm workers’
conference
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Moneylenders ‘behind tribal poverty’ Kashipur, September 10 Misinath has to repay Rs 4000 if he plans to return the loan after a year. Another condition which makes it difficult for the tribal member to fulfil his commitment is the clearer clause forced upon him by the sahukars or moneylenders. The tribal people take loan from the ‘sahukar’ at a rate fixed by them — which is generally half than 50 per cent lower the prevailing market rate. Caught between the devil and the deep sea, tribal people have no other option, but to fall in the trap of the moneylenders. The early 20th century Bengali literature and several Bollywood films like “Do Bigha Zamin” brought out the cruel and cunning nature of the moneylenders and the way they exploited the tribal people and villagers. Over the years they have changed their modus operandi and have expanded the network. The district administration in Rayagada finds itself in a tight spot because of the nexus between the moneylenders and the power centre. The nexus between the moneylenders, politicians and contractors has forced the district administration and the area the police to become mute spectators to the increasing exploitation of the tribal people. Rayagada District Collector, Bishnupada Sethi, said the police had not acted despite a complaint of a non-bailable offence was registered in the FIR against a moneylender. “An FIR against K.C. Mahapatra, a leading moneylender in Kashipur, has been registered under the Prevention of Atrocities Act. He has been charged with various Sections which are non-bailable. But, the Police is not investigating the case and arresting the moneylender”, Mr Sethi told The Tribune. The tribal people in the Kashipur block practise slash and burn agriculture. Vast majority of the tribal people are
officially covered under the government implemented BPL land scheme. However, such measure is welcomed by the tribal people who have pledged the BPL card to the moneylender to get some short term loans. Dorigoda of Bilamala village told The Tribune that he did not have the money to buy the rice sold under the BPL scheme. “I gave my BPL card to the sahukar and got Rs 130, “ he said. Asked whether he would repay the loan and get back the BPL card, Dorigada said, “I don’t think I will ever have the money to repay the loan. If the government wants to help us, it should give us rice free of cost.” Reports of “starvation” deaths have compelled the government to undertake Food-for-Work Programme (FWP). District Collector told The Tribune that the FWP was being implemented under the leadership of village representives. He said this has led to resentment among the contractors, moneylenders and politicians, who have, in the past, siphoned off large percentage of the funds meant for the project. The Centre had granted Rs 60 crore from International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for Kashipur block from 1988-1997 (nine years). The fund, under the Orissa Tribal Development Project (OTDP), was to increase the income level of the tribal people by developing degraded farmlands, forests, barren hills and other
infrastructure like roads. Mr H Rushi Kesh Panda, who inquired into the working of the OTDP while working as the Deputy Chief Administrator of special area development said, “ The project had only created posts of a large numbers of contractors, who made easy money without doing any work because in many cases payment had been made against non-existent work.” “The worst cases of corruption came to light between 1995-97 when nearly one third of the project fund was taken away allegedly through false bills, “ his report inferred. |
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Minister lodges complaint against Tehelka Bangalore, September 10 In the complaint filed against the portal, its Executive Producer Tarun J.Tejpal and three others, Mr Prasad, Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, said they had made “direct allegations” of corruption against him which contained “no truth nor (did) any public good”. “The act of the accused persons is deliberate and intentional to defame the complainant who is holding the post of Union Minister,” the complaint filed personally by Mr Prasad before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ravindra Vaidya said. The complaint said the allegation by Tehelka that the then Samata Party president Jaya Jaitley asked the portal to pay Rs 2 lakh to Mr Prasad in his presence in Delhi had been made “knowing well” that he was not present either at the scene of occurrence or in Delhi then.
PTI |
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Attack on Masood bad news for India New Delhi, September 10 Militancy in Jammu and Kashmir will go into the fifth gear if Masood is no longer on the Afghan intra-group fighting radar, as in that eventuality the ruling Taliban will emerge as virtually unchallenged entity, well-placed sources said today. The official stand taken by the Ministry of External Affairs today was that it is trying to verify reports of an attack on Masood, in which either he has been wounded or killed. The Indian intelligence agencies, too, are tightlipped about the “rumour” of a bomb attack on Masood, knowing fully well that Masood is an important cog in the wheel from the Indian point of view in the complicated Afghanistan scenario. Sources told ‘The Tribune’ today that elimination or even marginalisation of Masood would prove to be a major tactical victory for the ruling Taliban militia as well as Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) which created Taliban and had kept it afloat ever since with all logistic assistance. The Taliban controls 90 per cent of the Afghanistan territory and the rest is controlled by the Northern Alliance comprising several splinter groups. Masood’s outfit, Shoora-e-Nazar, is the most powerful in Northern Alliance and comprises more than 10,000 fighters. Masood’s outfit controls five per cent of Afghan territory and wields influence over the strategic Takhar province, bordering Tajikistan. Apart from Masood’s outfit, the six other major outfits of the Northern Alliance are Jumbish-e-Milli, led by the Uzbek leader, Abdul Rashid Dostum who is currently abroad. Masood has of late developed serious differences with General Dostum; Ismail-e-Militia, led by General Mansoor Nadri; Harkat-e-Inquilabi, led by Mohammad Nabi Mohammadi; Hizb-e-Inquilabi, led by Syed Ahmed Gilani; Hizb-e-Wahadat, a Shia outfit active in Bamiyan and Hazara areas of Afghanistan which has two offshoots called Khalili and Ansari; and Harkat-e-Islami, led by the Mohsin group. |
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Cong in a bind over Digvijay’s remarks New Delhi, September 10 The party has been trying to distance itself from the statements of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh on the introduction of astrology courses, saying that these were his “personal beliefs.” The Chief Minister has come out in favour of astrology studies and some universities in his state have already begun the process of introducing UGC-approved courses on astrology. Enunciating the party’s thinking on the issue, senior party leaders have been saying that the party did not approve of the introduction of astrology courses through the UGC. “In today’s environment, when the BJP is pursuing its core agenda, we, as a party, do not favour the introduction of astrology as a discipline prescribed by the UGC,” party leader Jaipal Reddy said. The Congress leaders, however, have been emphasising that they were only opposed to introduction of courses through the UGC and not to the study of astrology as such. Aware that the subject touched hearts of a large number of Indians, the party obviously does not want to be seen as opposing something that has been part of Indian ethos for centuries. The Congress also has had some explaining to do over the remarks of Kerala Chief Minister A. K. Antony who has expressed reservations over the use of “saffronisation” to describe BJP-led government’s attempts at introducing ideology-oriented courses. |
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Congress opposes labour policy New Delhi, September 10 “In the Bangalore resolution we had made clear that we will not cooperate on this issue,’’ party spokesman Jaipal Reddy said. Responding to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s remarks about lack of cooperation from the Congress on labour reforms, Mr Reddy said the Congress had cooperated with the government in abolishing FERA and on the issue of IRA Bill. “Since Mr Vajpayee is suffering from selective amnesia, he has forgotten this gesture of cooperation,” the spokesman said. Rejecting the possibility of the Congress accepting a policy which leads to indiscriminate “hiring and firing,’’ Mr Reddy said before seeking cooperation from the Congress on the issue of labour reforms the Prime Minister should seek cooperation from the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh. “The way reforms were being implemented, even permanent workers would be affected,’’ the spokesman said. |
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Does BJP differ
on labour reforms? New Delhi, September 10 “The National Labour Commission, headed by Mr Ravindra Verma, is likely to submit the report by the end of this year. The report should be considered by the government before deciding on amendments to labour laws,” party spokesman Sunil Shastri told newspersons here. However, he denied that the Vajpayee government was rushing through the labour reforms. “The government is not rushing.
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Pak’s offer to
PoWs’ kin New Delhi, September 10 A spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs today said this was conveyed by Director-General (South Asia) Rashid Salim Khan in Pakistan Foreign Office to India’s Deputy High Commissioner Sudhi Vyas in Islamabad on September 8. “We would like a thorough inquiry into this matter which fully satisfies the relatives of the PoWs”, the spokesperson said. |
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Flood situation grim in Gorakhpur Gorakhpur, September 10 After a gap of five days, the North Eastern Railway reopened the Gorakhpur-Gonda section for normal traffic this morning. However, District Magistrate Mahesh Kumar Gupta ordered the closure of all educational institutions in the district till September 12 as vehicular movement had been affected. The Air Force is still dropping food packets in the plains of Brahmpur, Malawn, Kanail, Rakhat, Maniram and Pipiganj. The Army and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) have been deployed in Maniram and Pipiganj for rescue operations. An official report received here today said the flood situation in Kushinagar and Maharajganj districts had improved considerably. As many as 60 persons have so far lost their lives and 1.25 million persons are affected. Of the 1,580 villages affected, 750 have been completely marooned. The Rapti is receding at the rate of half a centimetre per hour and the flood control room said the water was flowing 2.5 metres above the danger mark. Following the breach of eight embankments, flood waters have entered several new areas in Gola subdivision, that suffered little damage in the current spate. The villagers broke down the Bharawali-Rigauli embankment, resulting in water inundating more areas in Dhani Bazar area, the report added. Trains would move at a restricted speed of 10 km per hour between Domingarh and Jagatbela for the time being, a Railway spokesperson said. Irrigation Department sources said the threat of floods persisted in the southern part of Gorakhpur as the embankments protecting the city were unable to cope up with the swirling waters of the swollen Rapti. The earthen embankments cannot withstand the pressure of water for more than a week, an expert said. Due to seepage in the National Highways 28 and 29, road communication with Lucknow and Varanasi remained disrupted. Additional District Magistrate (Administration), Deoria, said the waters of the Rapti had entered Rudrapur, a subdivision of Deoria, and submerged 52 villages. At least 14 villages in Brahmpur block of Gorakhpur district were also affected. As many as 38 tonnes of food packets have been dropped by the Air Force in 16 sorties.
UNI |
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Hanumangarh TB centre in bad shape Hanumangarh, September 10 The centre established with the help of World Bank, WHO and the Central Government, the program was started after amending the TB prevention program. Its third phase was started in the district on October 2,2000. Before this, advisors of WHO and medical specialists of the Central and the state government had inspected the centre situated here and had given their consent. The state government had given Rs 21 lakh to the Central Government for the program. All doctors, lab technicians and nurses of the district were given training at the centre. For successful implementation of the program, two doctors, a supervisor, a lady nurse, two lab technicians, a clerk, a radiographer and a Class IV employee were appointed. The state government has been spending lakhs of rupees every month for paying salary to the employees. For taking medicines from the centre, the registered poor patients are required to bring a guarantor with them, who could either be a sarpanch or a panch of the village. Patients from the urban areas are supposed to come with municipal councillors. If anybody reaches the centre without the guarantor, he is asked to bring him or her along. Though the state government had issued directives to open the centre both in morning and evening, it is opened in the morning only. The centre is not fully equipped as there are no X-ray machines, but the Assistant Radiographer is drawing salary for the past 10 months. Sources in the government hospital, said it was necessary to take an X-ray of the TB patients, but doctors at the centre said it was not required. In absence of this machine the patients had to go to private nursing homes where the price of an X-ray is thrice than what being paid at the centre. The other options for the patients were get the X-rays done from the machine installed at the government hospital. There are no fans in the wards of the centre. There are no arrangements for the Mont Blocks test, which is a must for TB patients. Of two lab technicians in the TB Prevention Centre, one has to go to the tehsil headquarters for taking slide tests and if one of them goes on leave the Class IV employee had to prepare the slides of the patients. |
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Cop stabbed near ITO bridge New Delhi, September 10 He was taken to a hospital where his condition was stated to be under control. A case of attempt to murder has been registered. The victim, sub-inspector (SI) Pratap Singh, who was posted with the Economic Offences Wing of Crime Branch was going back to his house in the Trans-Yamuna area on a two wheeler when the incident took place. The official stopped his scooter near the ITO bridge to answer call of nature. The suspects accosted him and grappled with him. When the victim put up a resistance, the suspects rained blows on
him and when he started beating the assailants, the suspects whipped out knives and stabbed him repeatedly. The suspects fled the area after
the incident. |
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Labourer falls
to death New Delhi, September 10 The labourer, who belonged to Orissa, was doing renovation work at the PHQ building. He worked under a contractor who was not present at the time of incident, the police said. While he was doing repair job in the shaft of 13th floor of the building, his leg slipped and he fell down. He was taken to a hospital where he was declared brought dead. A case of negligence has been registered against the contractor, the police said. |
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Women farm workers’
conference New Delhi, September 10 Sources in the union told The Tribune here on Monday that 500 delegates from various parts of the country would participate in the conference which would deliberate on the problems of women agricultural workers. CPI General Secretary A.B. Bardhan will inaugurate the conference. |
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