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Sunday,
March 3, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Swami admits to intelligence failure Four ISI agents arrested 2 Pak mission staffers held
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Gujarat violence ‘state-sponsored’
VHP offer against SC order: Cong Medha, others to hold marches in Ayodhya Yadav duo confesses
to murder DEFENCE BUDGET Budget hits hard the retired
Revised NCERT curriculum stayed UP Governor to decide by March 6 Indian Ambassador
honoured in USA Left parties’ bandh on March 14 DEO defies orders on teachers’ deputation Ayurveda Dept’s order hits poor patients
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Swami admits to intelligence failure New Delhi, March 2 “It is a failure of the state CID and intelligence and those people should have known it. We will certainly go ahead with the inquiry and a judicial inquiry has been ordered. “After Godhra there was no failure on the state government’s part”, Mr Swami told a panel discussion on SABE TV anchored by Karan Thapur. During the charged discussion in which Mr Sanjay Nirupam (Shiv Sena), Mr Kapil Sibal (Congress) and a nominated MP, Ms Shabana Azmi, participated, Mr Swami said it took time for the state administration to come to grips with the situation of such a magnitude and no state government had enough forces. The minister termed as “wrong” the Opposition charge that there was deliberate delay in moving the Army in. Stating that involvement of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the Godhra massacre could not be ruled out, Mr Swami said although the government did not have conclusive evidence, it had leads indicating the ISI could be behind the carnage in a bid to paint India in the same way Pakistan had been portrayed as a fundamentalist country before the world. Mr Nirupam, whose party is an NDA partner, countered Mr Swami saying that the Home Ministry sought to blame the ISI for any major criminal event. “It is a shame on us. What is the government doing to contain such activities?” he asked. Mr Nirupam described the continuing Ayodhya imbroglio as the root cause for communal incidents and demanded that the government should plead to the courts for an expeditious final settlement of the dispute. Maintaining that the Jayalalithaa cases were settled by the judiciary in a short span, he accused the government of not being serious in resolving the Ayodhya issue. He also sought a white paper on ISI activities. Mr Swami intervened to say that the government was working on a white paper by excluding certain information which could hamper investigations. He also said that Home Minister L.K. Advani would have referred to possible ISI involvement if he had made a statement on the Gujarat situation in Parliament yesterday. Observing that this was not the time to indulge in a blame game, Mr Sibal said the situation demanded quick responses from the authorities and political parties to contain the communal flare-up and help the affected people. He also sought introspection on the part of the government and parties to prevent recurrence of such incidents. Ms Azmi, who visited Ahmedabad along with Opposition MPs Amar Singh, Sitaram Yechury and Raj Babbar, opposed Mr Nirupam’s charge that the Godhra incident had been sidelined and the killings in Ahmedabad and other places had come to the fore. She said the Godhra massacre had been condemned by her in the strongest terms while blaming the Gujarat Government and the police for inaction to contain the violence which, she claimed, was similar to the 1993 Mumbai riots.
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Four ISI agents arrested Kolkata, March 2 The person arrested from a flat on Royed Street in the Park Street area, had been identified as Azmal, who was wanted in connection with the kidnapping of the Khadim owner, Partha Roy Burman. Burman was released after paying ransom of Rs 5 crore to the kidnapper. The three others arrested from Cuttack had been identified Abzal, Ansari and Ishaque. The police said during interrogation Azmal admitted that he knew Aftar Ansari and Jalaluddin Naser personally and added that he had been operating in the North-East region as an ISI agent. The interrogation further revealed that the terrorists were planning to take on some prominent political leaders and other VIPs, including the Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadev Bhattacharjee. Azmal was produced before the SDJM court yesterday evening and had been remanded in police custody till March 16. In Cuttack also, the ISI agents were produced in the court and remanded in custody. They would be brought to Kolkata in connection with the attack on American Center. Incidentally, some 20 kar sevaks who were on way to Ayodhya yesterday, were detained at Sealdah Railway Station yesterday and later released on bail. The police were instructed to resist any attempt by the kar sevaks to either board the trains or go by road to Ayodhya from Kolkata and other parts of the state. Regarding the arrest of the ISI agent, Mr Bhattacharjee said the police were now in the lookout of those terrorists who might have been given shelter by the local residents. He requested the people to come forward and help the police in arresting these wanted terrorists. The state Home Secretary, Mr A. K. Dev, said they were in close contact with the governments of Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur for a joint operation for curbing the terrorist activities in the region. He said the Bhutan government had been requested to dismantle the terrorist camps in the Samsir jungle where young rebels of different outfits had been undergoing trainings. |
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2 Pak mission staffers held New Delhi, March 2 The officials, Sultan Mehmood and Mohammad Gulzari Abassi, have been handed over to the Ministry of External Affairs. Acting on a tip-off, the special cell sleuths nabbed the persons around 3 p.m. near Khalsa College, Dev Nagar. The police said the two officials were spotted in a Toyota car near Khalsa College and one of them got down from the vehicle and received the envelope from Wazi Akhtar Zaidi. As soon as they got into the car, the police intercepted it. The information passed was relating to troops movement. Other classified documents relating to matters of defence were also recovered from their possession, said the special cell official. Wazi Akhtar used to receive Rs 2000 for such information and the money was also recovered by the police. Joined as a clerk in UP Roadways in 1979, Wazi Akhtar had impersonated as ticket inspector and police inspector on a number of occasions in order to make quick money. He was also found involved in duping people by promising them employment, passports and visas. In 1981, he was convicted in a criminal case and was jailed for a year. In July 2000, he came into contact with the officials of the Pakistan High Commission with the help of a Pakistani national Rafat. Wazi Akhtar was motivated by Sultan Mehmood for passing on sensitive information regarding defence installations. A fake identity card showing him as an Inspector of the UP police was also recovered from him. |
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81 VHP activists detained Mumbai, March 2 But, the VHP Mumbai unit general secretary Mohan Salekar claimed that the demonstration at the CST terminus was just a decoy to divert the attention of the police so that 500 ‘Ram sevaks’ could depart for Lucknow by the Pushpak Express, boarding the train at Dadar and Kalyan stations. They were on their way to Ayodhya to participate in the Ram temple construction. The activists who were detained under Section 68 of the Bombay Police Act, were later released, a senior police officer said. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who also holds the Home portfolio, confirmed last evening that the state government had received a directive from the Centre to stop Ram sevaks from proceeding towards Ayodhya. Meanwhile, Railway authorities today announced termination of five trains originating from Mumbai and Ahmedabad at Lucknow instead of Faizabad till March 15. According to a Central Railway spokesperson, the trains —Ahmedabad-Faizabad, Ahmedabad-Ferozepore and Ahmedabad-Benaras —would be terminated at Lucknow, while Kurla-Faizabad would go up to Allahabad till March 15. Another train, Jodhpur-Benaras, would be terminated at Lucknow during the same period.
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Gujarat violence ‘state-sponsored’ New Delhi, March 2 The front’s delegation which returned from the riot-torn state today also demanded ban on the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal. The delegation which included Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh and party MP Raj Babbar besides Sitaram Yechury (CPM) and Shabana Azmi said here at a press conference, “if the SIMI can be banned, then why not the VHP and the Bajrang Dal as these are the root causes of the riots.” They said the current spell of disturbances in the state made it a fit case for invoking provisions under Article 355 and demanded that the state be handed over to the Army. The delegation visited some parts of Gujarat yesterday for an on-the-spot study and said that communal forces would be fought tooth and nail. While Amar Singh demanded immediate dismissal of the Modi government, Sitaram Yechury, who was not so forthcoming on it, only said that till the Modi held the reins of power normalcy could not be expected. Turning the tables on the Vajpayee Government, the front leaders said that the Centre was speaking in two voices — while Minister of State for Home, I.D. Swami, suspected ISI hand, the Minister of State for External Affairs Omar Abdullah ruled out ISI role. “The right hand does not know what the left hand is doing,” the front leaders remarked. Stating that the situation in the state was highly tense, Amar Singh said people had lost confidence in the Government, “as it failed to restore normalcy in the strife-torn areas”. Accusing the BJP Government of keeping communal discord alive for narrow political gains, film stars-turned politicians Raj Babbar and Shabana Azmi said innocent people should not be used as cannon fodder. Sitaram Yechury said that without State Government’s patronage, the incidents could not have occurred. The front leaders said it was highly condemnable that most of those arrested in connection with the violence belonged to the minority community which was targeted during the riots. They refuted a charge that they did not raise the matter forcefully in the Lok Sabha when train passengers were burnt in Godhra but were highly agitated when there were repercussions the next day onwards involving a particular community. |
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Muslim woman saves 3 Hindus Ahmedabad, March 2 If Amit Rathore, Sushil Parikh (cameramen of a private television agency) and their driver Manohar Singh are alive today, they owe their lives to this Muslim woman of the Danilimda area, whose name unfortunately they do not know. “We were in the Danilimda area of the city on February 27 and were caught in the crossfire between the two communities. Our car and camera were set on fire by a mob even as another group burnt alive three persons before our eyes” Rathore said in the presence of Police Commissioner P.C. Pandey. Rathore said the woman gave them food and water and told them not to worry. She had a family, including four girls and her husband. Asked whether the woman knew they were Hindus, Rathore answered in the affirmative saying that the Muslim woman and her family were quite “untouched” by the hatred pervasive in the city. They were finally rescued by Mr Pandey, who personally went to Danilimda. Asked about the incident, the city police chief said he only did his duty and gave full credit to the Muslim woman, who, by giving the three mediamen shelter for four hours when everything was burning around, saved them.
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VHP offer against SC order: Cong New Delhi, March 2 “This is against the Constitution and against the directive of the Supreme Court. There is nothing like undisputed land. All the land is under the custody of the Central Government and cannot be transferred to anybody till the dispute is settled”, party spokesman S. Jaipal Reddy told reporters here. He also termed as highly “irresponsible and incorrect” the statement of BJP President Jana Krishnamurthy that Pakistan intelligence
agency ISI might be responsible for the Godhra incident, saying that a senior leader like him should not talk like this when the judicial enquiry ordered by the state government was yet to submit its findings. The VHP yesterday said it was willing to consider postponing its temple construction plan from March 15 if it got a written assurance from the government that worshipping of pillars would be allowed on the acquired land in Ayodhya within three months. “If the Home Ministry, as was stated by Mr Krishnamurthy, is looking into the possible involvement of the ISI, it should be clarified by the Home Ministry and not by a political party”, he said when asked about Mr Krishnamurthy’s statement in this regard. On the law and order situation in Gujarat, Mr Reddy said it was far from satisfactory. The Army was only holding flag march and not deployed “positively” in the disturbed areas to maintain law and order.
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Medha, others to hold marches in Ayodhya Bhopal, March 2 The other organisations are the INSAF, in Lokayan, Movement in India for Nuclear Disarmament, Delhi, Movement Against Nuclear Weapons (Chennai), Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy (West Bengal), and the Dalit, Left and Gandhian organisations. Ms Patkar said in a statement, issued along with other office-bearers of the NAPM, that It was the responsibility of the Prime Minister and the government to ensure that the secular nature of the Constitution was preserved and that the government forced all parties to wait for the judgement of the court. The statement said: “While condemning the killing of the people at Godhra, we also denounce the wholly unwarranted and unnecessary exercises by the VHP regarding the temple building at the disputed site (which) has vitiated the socio-political atmosphere within the country. It has already created insecurity and bad blood between the communities. When the people and the country are facing the challenges of poverty, illiteracy and neo-imperialism, such acts by the VHP and its cohorts are diverting the attention and energies of our people towards non-issues”. It said the entire incident of Godhra and the subsequent rioting were aimed at destabilising further the already chaotic socio-political fabric of the society and the country. |
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Yadav duo confesses
to murder Ghaziabad, March 2 During sustained interrogation, the Yadav duo confessed to have allegedly bludgeoned to death Katara, son of a senior Delhi-based bureaucrat, after kidnapping him from a marriage party here last Saturday, the police sources said. The duo, whose confessions were obtained during the 24-hr police remand on Thursday, were sent back to the district jail yesterday. They are on judicial remand till March 11.
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DEFENCE BUDGET If the Indian Air Force’s pressing need has been the Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) since 1983, and instead it has got the multi-role Sukhoi aircraft, there is a story behind it. Similarly, the Army has been scouting for a weapon-locating radar since 1986. It is only now that the fire-finder has been located. The Navy, which is the Cinderella of the services, does about the best in meeting its demands though the Gorshkov is still a flicker on the horizon. The Indian catalogue of building defence capability is as erratic as it is risky. This is the outcome of the equally erratic defence budget. The more you try to change its antiquated systems, the more they remain the same. A former Army chief, Gen V.P. Malik, catalysed the process of change with his remarks: “We will fight with what we have” just before Kargil. Defence reforms following the Kargil episode have yet to take route but will they change the mindset is the question. And now a new problem has cropped up: the failure to utilise funds. The new defence budget (up from Rs 62,000 crore to Rs 65,000 crore) does not address the key Kargil concern: creating timely deterrence capability. This is not a mere function of allocation of funds but of fixing priorities between capabilities. It is true that after starving the armed forces in the 1990s, Kargil raised defence funding (as distinct from defence spending) from around 2.2 per cent of the GDP to 2.7 per cent. Unfortunately no significant systemic changes took place to provide drive and direction to defence planning and decision-making. Despite good intentions, capability-creation has not taken off. The refrain in the services is: money, money everywhere, not a note to spend. The endemic defects notwithstanding, the defence budget for the year 2002-2003 does not excite any wows or gasps. Given the ground reality, it is being called a realistic budget though far below expectation. Here are some statistics: The modest hike of Rs 3000 crore over the previous year is an increase of only 4.8 per cent which in fact lowers the GDP ratio of defence spending from 2.7 per cent to 2.56 per cent of the GDP. Weighed against military inflation, the money increase is notional but compared with actual utilisation the hike is substantial — 14.8 per cent. After displaying some consistency in two previous years, the percentage decline in GDP is some distance from the target of 3 per cent. This variation will not help planning and decision-making. Perhaps the most alarming trend setting in is the inability to utilise capital funds for the third year in a row. Nearly Rs 3000 crore — the difference between Rs 19,959 (BE) and Rs 16,957 (RE) — meant for modernisation and new equipment, has gone unspent. Almost 80 per cent of the money is sought to be spent between January and March. It is no secret that at the beginning of November last year, the Army had used only 15 per cent of its capital budget while overall utilisation of the three services was a mere 25 per cent. The scramble will turn into a stampede of spending before March 31. This is bad. In spite of this, the capital allocation for the new fiscal is an impressive Rs 21,411 crore, up by approximately Rs 4500 crore over the amount utilised last year. As in the past, revenue expenditure which accounts for 70 per cent of the defence budget and is seldom in the spotlight, has registered non-utilisation in “general stores” amounting to Rs 2000 crore. This adversely affects war readiness and inventory maintenance. Taken together, capital and revenue, the amount not used is Rs 5000 crore. Apart from these features of the budget the Finance Minister has instituted a national security levy of 5 per cent. After Kargil, this is the second time a security tax has been levied, which will go to the Consolidated Fund of India, not the defence services. The proposal to build 18 lakh dwellings for the families of jawans is a sound welfare measure. The money for this will probably be found from the revenue head. It is not clear how Operation Parakram — the name given to the country’s biggest ever deployment now in place for the third month and estimated to cost Rs 3000 crore by the end of the month — will be funded. One other feature of the annual defence budget is that it is a ritual, almost apologetic, promise of every finance minister to allot additional funds over and above the amount announced. They need to note that this is a meaningless declaration as defence capability is the result of a long term planning process and not something that can be brought off the shelf. The commitment is worthless in the light of huge amounts of money that are surrendered. The honourable minister will do immense service to the nation and the armed forces if he were to enquire why funds continue to lapse and important projects hang fire for decades. No wonder the AJT is now called a Jet Too Far and has cost six air chiefs their reputation. In the past, finance ministers have kept the services in the dark. In 1992 for example, Dr Manmohan Singh is believed to have given an undertaking to the IMF to bring down defence expenditure from 2.9 to 2.5 per cent in GDP. That their preoccupation with managing fiscal deficit is met by playing with defence allocations is no longer a secret. The failure of the government to go along with the Ninth Plan of the armed forces, the first ever to get Cabinet approval, indicates the gap between plan and practise. If the present budget represents bad defence finance, it could become impressive diplomacy as capitals all round the world are likely to note that India has cut the rate of growth of defence expenditure at a time of India-Pakistan confrontation. Due to the slump in the growth rate, it is unlikely that the recommendations of the 11th Finance Commission to raise defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP by 2004 will be met. The suggestion by the MoD to create a two-year roll on fund or a consolidated defence fund has also not been taken seriously. The pressing concern is the non-utilisation of allotted funds that has resulted in dangerous voids in defence capability. In the aftermath of Bofors, Tehelka, CVC, CAG and Coffingate, not one in the equipment acquisition loop is prepared to put his signature on file. The newly created Defence Procurement Agency is seen to be a panacea. It has integrated acquisition, finance and technical services. Most people expect it to produce miracles forgetting it is the same tribe of bureaucrats clubbed together instead of being compartmentalised. The credit for the fact that only Rs 3000 crore and not Rs 8000 crore is being surrendered is being given to it. Defence of the realm must override defence of the fiscal deficit. |
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Budget hits hard the retired New Delhi, March 2 A meticulous planner, Mr Jagjit Singh has no pension to fall back upon and during his working days in a private firm, had saved what appeared at that time a handsome sum of Rs 10 lakh from his post-retirement benefits and accumulated savings. Basing his calculations on interest of 11 per cent to 15 per cent, offered by the government and private savings instruments, Mr Jagjit Singh estimated a monthly income of Rs 10,000. The falling inflation rates also gave him a false sense of security. Little did he realise that the low inflation would be responsible for all his woes. Buoyed by a historically low rate of inflation ( around 1.5 per cent currently), Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha has decided to cut the interest rates on small savings administered by the government (National Small Savings, Provident Fund, etc). The argument put forward is that a low rate of inflation translates into a higher real income and therefore the cut in interest earned on these deposits. Accordingly most administered interest rates have been reduced by 0.5 per cent ( to 9 per cent) from March 1,2002. Similarly, the interest rate on Government of India Relief Bonds have been cut by 0.5 per cent and a ceiling of Rs 2 lakh is being put on investment in these bonds. For Mr Jagjit Singh, nothing could have been worse than this. For one, he cannot deposit his entire savings as fixed deposits in nationalised banks as that would attract taxes on interest income. Even if he were to deposit the sum, he is unlikely to earn the same amount as interest as banks are likely to execute a reduction in deposit rates. Moreover, Mr Jagjit Singh, after a distinguished service, could be called upon to foot a portion of the bill for a war that has not broken out. For the Finance Minister has imposed a “modest” surcharge of 5 per cent across-the-board on all categories of taxpayers (Mr Jagjit Singh included, if he puts his hard-earned money as fixed deposits in banks). The only consolation is that as a senior citizen, Mr Jagjit Singh continues to get 1 per cent higher interest in bank deposits than prevailing rates. It is unlikely that Mr Jagjit Singh is going to buy equities in the stock market.
But, it is quite likely that he may opt to invest in mutual funds — especially those run by nationalised banks. Even here he stands to lose. In the name of restructuring of dividend taxation, the Finance Minister has announced that henceforth, the distribution tax of 10 per cent on mutual fund companies on dividends or income distributed by them will be taxed in the hands of recipients. For Mr Jagjit Singh, this means that on an earning of Rs 10,000 he has to now pay Rs 1,000 as dividend taxes — in the name of equity. |
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Cong will form govt at Centre: Sonia Bellary, March 2 She said the Congress was the only party which worked for the fulfilment of the aspirations of people and it would form the government at the Centre after the next general elections. Ms Gandhi was speaking after inaugurating the works of Rs 2,200-crore Bellary Thermal Power Station (BTPS) at Kudatini near here. The plant will generate 500 mw after completion. Claiming that only her party could take care of the backward class people and the downtrodden, she said the party’s strength was that it had not discriminated between communities, languages and regions. Ms Gandhi said she had a special place for Bellary in her heart as it supported her and the party in almost all elections, adding that she would work for its betterment. She said the Karnataka Government had taken up 18 programmes in Bellary district as part of the special package of Rs 3,300 crore. The programmes after completion would provide irrigation facilities and employment opportunities for the youth. Ms Gandhi appealed to the people to pay their electricity bills regularly so that the state government could commission some more power plants. Stating that she had received several suggestions for the all-round development of Bellary including setting up of an Apparel Park on the lines of IT park in Bangalore, she said “I have asked Mr Krishna to look into these suggestions and
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Revised NCERT curriculum stayed New Delhi, March 2 A three-judge Bench granted the interim stay and issued notices, returnable within two weeks, to the Centre and others on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Magsaysay award winner Aruna Roy, columnist B.G. Vergese and others. The Bench comprised Chief Justice S.P. Bharucha, Mr Justice Shivaraj V. Patil and Mr Justice B.P. Singh. The PIL said the CABE was never consulted before finalising the new curriculum.
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UP Governor to decide by March 6 Lucknow, March 2 “I will certainly try to take a decision by Wednesday after completing talks with political parties and knowing their views on the situation”, he said. “If required, I will send the report to the Centre”, he added. Addressing mediapersons after his meeting with state Congress president Sriprakash Jaiswal at Raj Bhawan, Mr Shastri said he would meet Rashtriya Lok Dal president Ajit Singh on March 5.
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Indian Ambassador
honoured in USA New Delhi, March 2 The Foreign Policy Association does not normally award the medal to a serving diplomat but it made an exception in Sharma’s case citing his highly praised work, a compilation of essays on global challenges and poems. “We take great pride at the Foreign Policy Association in bestowing upon Kamalesh Sharma the Foreign Policy Association Medal,” the citation said. The citation said that Sharma’s work provided inspiration to readers and thinkers. Read out by Association’s President Noel V.
Lateef, it described the collection of poems as a “stunning collection of literary gems.”
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Left parties’ bandh on March 14 Kolkata, March 2 Ms Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress, though a partner of the NDA, has supported the bandh call. The Congress has agreed to extend its support to the agitation. They will, however, organise a movement separately against the Vajpayee government in protest against its failure at various fronts. Ms Banerjee expressed her resentment at the government’s decision to hike passenger fare in trains and increase LPG and kerosene prices calling the Budget “anti-people”. She alleged she had not been even informed about the decision to hike prices of these essential commodities before the presentation of the Budget which as a partner of the NDA, she ought to have been. “But I will raise my protest in Parliament during the Budget discussions if the decision is not changed”, Ms Banerjee added. She today wrote letters to Mr Vajpayee and the Finance Minister, Mr Yashwant Sinha, requesting them to withdraw the decision. The CPM and other front partners have jointly began an indefinite mass agitation from today against the Centre’s “pro-capitalist Budget”. A rally will be held in front of Saheed Minar in March. Mr Jyoti Basu, the Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadev Bhattacharjee, and other leaders of front partners will address the rally, said the front Chairman, Mr Biman Bose. |
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DEO defies orders on teachers’ deputation
Hanumangarh, March 2 In many villages teachers have not been appointed in proportion to the number of students in the primary schools. In the current session in the name of “model schools”, teachers have been shifted to the schools nearby to the district headquarters from the schools situated in far-off villages. At presently, 14 teachers are working in the Hanumangarh Panchayat Samiti and Division Education Office, one in the DRDA, five in the District Literacy Committee, one in the Women and Child Development Department while many other teachers are employed in various other departments. Sources said to show their deputation as per the rules, the teachers employed in the Primary Education Department have been taking protection under an order of the Director, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department, and Senior Ruling Secretary dated October 4, 1993. The order says that for completing pending work of 100 teachers, one teacher could be appointed on deputation. In the past, orders were issued on various occasions by the Director, Primary Education, to send these teachers back to their original postings, but the situation was such in the Panchayat Samiti and District Education Offices that these teachers were shown relieved in papers, though, they were not sent back. In a letter issued by the Director, Primary Education, dated October 16, 2001, the District Education Officer was ordered to relieve the teachers employed in office of Literacy Committee and Panchayat Samiti Office and send them back to their original places of posting and to inform about it to the director. It was also said in the orders that disciplinary action would be taken against the guilty officer without any explanation under 16 CCA who would appoint the officer. No attention has been paid to the letter here as no teachers employed in the Panchayat Samiti area, has been sent back and they are still working in various offices. Not caring about the orders of the Primary Education Directorate, the officials concerned appointed three teachers in the Panchayat Samiti office. Following this, on January 1, 2002, the directorate issued orders to take disciplinary action against the officer who had made the appointments. Taking action, the official concerned ordered to stop the deputation of teachers appointed in the Hanumangarh Panchayat Samiti, DRDA and the District Literacy Committee. On the same day, the District Education Officer was informed that all teachers sent on deputation had been relieved and were sent back. On January 11, 2002, seven teachers were again appointed on deputation and three teachers working in Panchayat Samiti remained where they were. The teachers working in the Literacy Committee were also not relieved. The Literacy Directorate issued instructions to depute teachers according to the requirement. |
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Ayurveda Dept’s order hits poor patients Hanumangarh, March 2 An order of the Director, Ayurveda Department, has put a question mark over the existence of the ayurveda dispensary here. In an orders issued on February 5, the Director of the department has ordered the doctors employed at the Government Ayurveda and Natural dispensary to stop giving ayurveda medicines, stating that the dispensary was natural-treatment based. According to the orders, the use and storing of ayurveda medicines in the dispensary working on natural lines was against the practice of natural medication and so it should not be done. The two medical practitioners employed in the dispensary have stopped giving medicines to the patients after getting the orders. The patients who can not afford the costly allopathic treatment and who used to get free medical facilities from the dispensary have been affected. It is pertinent to mention here that the dispensary situated here is one of the two ayurveda dispensaries in the state, which have a provision to admit the patients. The local MLA, Dr Rampartap, met the District Collector with regard to the issue. He demanded the transfer of the District Ayurveda Officer, alleging that he was misleading the department. According to him, in the hospitals and dispensaries of the Ayurveda Department only the posts of vaidya, hakim and a homoeopathy doctor were sanctioned and no post of a doctor providing natural treatment was sanctioned. He demanded cancellation of the orders. |
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