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Wednesday,
April 3, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Govt approves policy on AIDS control Cong in fix over Azad’s refusal to go to J&K BJP chief rules out Modi’s removal
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‘Mosque not built after
pulling down temple’
Fernandes’ Russia visit from April 10 States alerted against fake currency President gives
assent to POTO Jurists urged
to suggest anti-terrorism laws ‘Anti-collision devices undergoing trials’ 2-yr jail term for bank official
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Govt approves policy on AIDS control New Delhi, April 2 The AIDS policy will also help create an environment for providing care and support to HIV-infected people by protecting their human rights, including right to access health care system, right to education, employment and privacy, it was officially announced after a meeting of the Union Cabinet. There are an estimated 3.86 million people in India infected with HIV and in the six states of Maharastra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Manipur and Nagaland, the HIV prevalence in the public is more than 1 per cent. The policy seeks to prevent women, children and other socially vulnerable groups from getting infected and to improve health education, legal status and economic prospects. It also addresses issues relating to gender, human rights, HIV testing, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, condom promotion and counselling besides highlighting the importance of international cooperation with UN and other bilateral agencies for financial, technical and managerial support. The policy will facilitate in framing guidelines for the effective implementation of the programme by states and other ministries and departments. As per the policy framework all stand alone blood banks are likely to be phased out and only government and corporate ones will operate. The policies aim at ensuring safe blood through promotion of voluntary blood donation and rational use of blood. A Committee of transfusion experts was constituted to draft the policy which was circulated among the state governments, state blood transfusion councils and experts. |
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Cong in fix over Azad’s refusal to go to J&K New Delhi, April 2 Mr Azad, who conveyed his feelings to Congress president Sonia Gandhi soon after the decision about his being made PCC chief was announced on Wednesday, later went off to Mumbai. After his return to Delhi yesterday, Ambika Soni and Arjun Singh met Mr Azad at his residence in an apparent bid to mollify him. AICC sources said Mr Azad was unhappy not only at the manner of his removal but also at its timing. There is a feeling among his close associates that he was singled out for removal at the AICC. Any change in Mr Azad’s responsibilities, his associates say, could have awaited reshuffle at the AICC. Mr Azad’s associates also say that announcement about his being made the PCC chief could have been made to the media by a senior party leader in his presence. However, Congress leaders, at pains to explain that Mr Azad’s shifting to Jammu and Kashmir did not amount to his demotion, said he was consulted by Congress president Sonia Gandhi before decision was announced to make him the PCC chief. “The move to send Mr Azad to Jammu and Kashmir shows the stakes Congress was putting in elections to Jammu and Kashmir assembly,” a senior AICC leader said. Mr Azad has not been invited to tomorrow’s meeting of the Congress general secretaries. With a reshuffle at the AICC imminent, senior Congress functionaries are in a limbo about their new responsibilities. The general secretaries denied that a move was afoot to give collective resignations to Ms Sonia Gandhi. “There is no such move,’’ Mr Oscar Fernandes told the TNS. Meanwhile, Mr Azad is again meeting the Congress president again today evening to convey his views. |
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BJP chief rules out Modi’s removal New Delhi, April 2 Talking to newspersons, the BJP President defended Mr Modi, saying that no other government could have tackled it so “quickly and effectively”. There is normalcy in Gujarat but for some sporadic and individual cases of killing, Mr Krishnamurthi stressed when it was pointed out that communal clashes were still the order of the day in the state and there was total breakdown of the law and order machinery. Terming the demand for Mr Modi’s removal as politically-motivated, the BJP Chief pointed out that the Gujarat Congress Legislature Party and the state unit of the Congress had made no such demand. Insisting that the government was doing everything possible to restore communal harmony, Mr Krishnamurthi admitted that there could be some drawbacks that could be rectified. Mr Krishnamurthi said during his recent visit to Gujarat, he had spoken to a cross-section of the public and no one had complained that the government had mishandled the situation. Asked if he did not think the continuing violence in Gujarat made it a fit case for President’s rule, Mr Krishnamurthi replied in the negative. When reminded that it was the BJP which had sought the imposition of the Central Rule following massacres in Bihar, he said the party had made the demand on two counts — the serious observations made by the Patna High Court and the Attorney-General’s report that the state government had siphoned off public money. Declining to comment on the National Human Rights Commission’s (NHRC) report on the situation in the state, Mr Krishnamurthi said the Centre would take action as it deemed necessary. Dismissing media reports about a change of leadership in the party, Mr Krishnamurthi said an exercise would be undertaken at the forthcoming National Executive meeting in Goa to rejuvenate the organisation in the wake of the severe drubbing in the recent Assembly elections. |
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Gujarat CM has to go: CPM New Delhi, April 2 In a statement, the CPM politburo said the NHRC’s findings against the Gujarat Government make it imperative that Mr Modi be removed from the Chief Ministership without which no credibility could be restored in the state administration. The Central Government must ensure that the recommendations of the NHRC such as handing over of the investigations into the worse crimes to the CBI and the setting up of special courts to try the culprits, the statement said. Meanwhile, the All-India Confederation of SC and ST organisations today asked for the removal of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and demanded an immediate ban on the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal. |
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‘Mosque not built after pulling down temple’ Lucknow, April 2 ‘Sita Rasoi’ and ‘Ram Chabutra’ still existed at the disputed site. Had the Babri Masjid been built after demolishing a temple, the two structures too would have been destroyed, Chaudhary Sibte Mohammad Naqvi, a witness of the Sunni Central Waqf Board, told the Commission. Naqvi, a Shia leader from Faizabad, said the Babri Masjid had been built by Mughal emperor Babar. Hearing of statement and cross-examination of Naqvi concluded today.
PTI |
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Fernandes’ Russia visit from April 10 New Delhi, April 2 The much-awaited visit of the Defence Minister to Russia is in response to the earlier visits made by dignitaries from that country. The Defence Minister was to leave for Moscow earlier on March 24 but had to defer the visit at the last minute due to the various political developments, including the joint sitting of Parliament on March 26 to ensure the passage of the anti-Terrorism Bill. A high-level delegation of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), including Defence Secretary Yogendra Narain will also accompany the Defence Minister. On the deal for Admiral Gorshkov, a gift from Russia for which nearly $ 700 million are needed for refitting, the government has not yet taken an investment decision. The government has already examined the detailed project document (DPD) furnished by the Russian side on various aspects of the deal. Mr Fernandes had recently stated that the Indian Navy urgently needed at least two aircraft carriers in addition to “INS Viraat”. Mr Fernandes is also expected to ask the Russian side for the early supply of additional T-90 tanks. A large number of acquisitions from Russia, including Amur submarines, Smerch multi-barrel rocket launcher, airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) and MI-17 helicopters, are under India’s active consideration. The procurement of spares for the Russian and Soviet-origin equipment with the Indian armed forces would also be discussed. Co-design development and production of a 100-seater multi-role transport aircraft is also on the anvil. |
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States alerted against fake currency Kolkata, April 2 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has also warned different nationalised banks and other financial and money transacting organisations against the existence of the forged currency notes, particularly, in the denomination of Rs 50, Rs 100 and Rs 500 in the money market. This has been stated to be yet another ISI conspiracy, side by side the disruptive activities by terrorists, for destabilising India’s economy, unity and integrity. The CBI was already directed to probe the distribution of counterfeit Indian currency, detected recently, in several parts of the country, specially, in the border areas in Assam, West Bengal, Tripura, Punjab and Rajasthan, Finance Ministry sources said. About a fortnight ago, five Bangladeshi nationals and two Pakistanis were arrested in two separate raids at the Hasnabad-Bashirhat border in North 24-Parganas and Assam’s Goalpara in connection with the printing and distribution of fake currency notes. Huge stocks of false currency notes, in the denomination of Rs 100 and Rs 50, worth some Rs 96 lakh, two printer machines, three computers, ink, blank white papers and other equipments had been seized in these raids. Some other incriminating documents linking their connection with the ISI, were also seized from the possession of the arrested persons, police sources disclosed. |
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President gives
assent to POTO New Delhi, April 2 The President has also given assent to the Inter State Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2002, the Passport (Amendment) Bill, 2002 and the Institute of Technology (Amendment) Bill, an official note said. |
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Jurists urged to suggest anti-terrorism laws New Delhi, April 2 The call was given by Justice Sam Piroj Bharucha, the Chief Justice of India and newly elected President of the International Law Association at the inauguration of ‘ILA 2002, the association’s 70th biennial conference here today. The conference was inaugurated by President Kocheril Raman Narayanan, whose address, read out to the participants, hailed Justice Bharucha’s election as President of the ILA and noted his commitment to a judiciary both independent and above board.
UNI |
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‘Anti-collision devices undergoing trials’ New Delhi, April 2 Replying to a question on safety measures being taken by Indian Railways, Mr Rana told mediapersons here today that the report on the Kadalundi train accident had been received and was being studied. He said the report had recommended replacement of old bridges and latest methods of inspection. He said the Railways had held a meeting with inspectors, but could not find persons who had inspected such old bridges anywhere. Mr Rana said steps were being taken to introduce flashing lights on 7000 locomotives at a cost of Rs 12 crore, besides ultrasonic testing of railways. He also referred to multilateral funding from the World Bank, the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation and the Asian Development Bank for construction of multi-purpose bridges and upgrading of the Golden Quadrilateral. Mr Rana said the fare structure of Jan Shatabdis was being worked out. The introduction of 16 Jan Shatabdis was announced in the Railway Budget for 2002-03. Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Railway Safety, Northern Circle, did not rule out sabotage in the fire that broke out in a coach of the Dhanbad-bound 3308 Dn Ganga-Sutlej Express on March 13. The fire had broken out when the train was running between Sanchwal and Doraha stations on the Ludhiana-Ambala section.
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2-yr jail term for bank official New Delhi, April 2 The court has sentenced Deosthali to rigorous imprisonment for two years for offences of criminal breach of trust and forgery, a CBI release said here today. Deosthali has also been sentenced for two years for offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Both sentences will run concurrently. A fine of Rs 10,000 has also been imposed and in case of default he will have to undergo further imprisonment for six months, the release said, quoting the judgement. |
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