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Sunday,
August 4, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Political
groups stalling development: PM Jaswant,
Shourie tow different line SC
reserves verdict on minorities’ rights Nitish
justifies bifurcation France for
resuming Indo-Pak talks Amitabh,
Esha voted hottest vegetarians |
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Book
train tickets online in Delhi Dept
indifferent to disabled women? VIP
numbers: notice to Delhi Govt
CNG
deadline: Delhi Govt seeks 3 months It’s
cynical to brand everyone corrupt: CJ ‘Religious polarisation’ still in Gujarat Modi:
Congress scared of facing elections Gujral
for consensus on poll observers Fire at
Army’s ammo depot CPM men
shot dead Special
cell for drought-hit areas
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Political groups stalling development: PM New Delhi, August 3 Without naming any particular regional party or political group, Mr Vajpayee in his concluding speech at BJP’s National Council Meeting here said “Sometimes even small hurdles stall the country’s development and smaller groups create problems in Parliament.” “Democracy is not just a game of votes. Votes can bring a party to power or defeat it. But what is required is the desire to work together. It applies to one-party rule or a coalition,” the Prime Minister, flanked by Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, Union Ministers Jaswant Singh and Murli Manohar Joshi and Party President Venkaiah Naidu, said. He pointed out that although the BJP would strive to attain majority in the future elections it would still carry its allies along. “We want the BJP to attain a clear majority, but despite that we will carry other alliance partners along,” Mr Vajpayee said. Referring to the labour reforms the Prime Minister said while it was important to protect labour interests, the Government was also keen to ensure that production and productivity went up and public sector undertakings running in losses were turned into profit-making units. “There are different trade unions and they have their own politics...there is nothing wrong in it. But a ‘lakshman rekha’ needs to be drawn somewhere,” Mr Vajpayee asserted. Stressing on the need for political consensus on the issues confronting the nation, he asked “similar to the political consensus that exists in the matters relating to country’s security, can’t there be consensus on economic issues too?” “There are difficulties in consensual politics but our efforts are in that direction,” he said. Launching a frontal attack on the opposition, Mr Vajpayee said “it is wrong to play politics on all issues. It is not good for the country.” “When I sit with the Chief Ministers there seems to be consensus, but when they get back to their respective states it is not visible. There got to be positive thinking and a balance in the thinking in any party,” he said, adding that “it is difficult, but is achievable.” |
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Jaswant, Shourie tow different line New Delhi, August 3 While Mr Jaswant Singh, in his address, painted a rosy picture about the present state of Indian economy and hinted at more sops for salaried class, Mr Shourie asserted that the economic situation is “very delicate”. Mr Shourie, who spoke after Mr Jaswant Singh, told the gathering that although the foreign reserve of the country were more than previous years, the economic situation was very delicate with the gross debt is at 7 per cent of the gross Domestic Product (GDP). “Kindly permit me to reveal a bitter truth. The gross debt is as much as 7 per cent of the GDP. We have to be alert and, as Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has been stressing, there is need for taking bold steps.” Earlier, the Finance Minister pointed out that the economic growth was expected to remain between 5.5 per cent to 6 per cent, while the inflation was just around 2 per cent to 3 per cent. Moreover the health of balance of payment was very good and there was a foreign exchange reserve of $ 69 Billion and the foreign direct investment (FDI) this year had been higher than any previous year. Hinting at more tax reforms and exemptions, Mr Jaswant Singh stated that the objective of the government was to make the tax system people-friendly but at the same time ensuring high rate of growth of the economy. “We will endeavour to make the tax system people-oriented while ensuring that at the same time the rate of growth is not reduced”, Mr Jaswant Singh added. |
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SC reserves verdict
on minorities’ rights New Delhi, August 3 The Bench reserved the verdict on conclusion of arguments which began on April 2 on behalf of minority institutions, the Centre, states and the Attorney General, who had been asked to assist in resolving the controversy. The Bench comprised of Mr Justices G.B. Pattanaik, V.N. Khare, S. Rajendra Babu, S.S.M. Quadri, S.N. Variava, K.G. Balakrishnan, P.V. Reddi, Ashok Bhan, Arijit Pasayat and Mrs Justice Ruma Pal. This is the second time in over 30 years that a 11-judge Bench had been constituted to have a “re-look” at the meaning and content of the expression “minorities.” Though the 11-judge Bench was set up during the tenure of former Chief Justice M.M. Punchhi, it was disbanded half-way through before it could complete the assigned task. The Bench heard arguments on 11 questions framed by it before the commencement of arguments. They included among others the meaning of “minorities” and “minority educational institutions” (MEI) and what should be the indicia to determine whether an educational institution was an MEI. Principal arguments on behalf of the MEI was advanced by senior counsel F.S. Nariman who contended that the minorities had an absolute right under the Constitution to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice and no fetters could be put by the state on these rights. Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor-General Harish Salve asserted that the rights conferred on the minorities were not absolute and reasonable restrictions could be imposed by the state to curtail their rights in the public interest. Attorney-General Soli J. Sorabjee, however, differed with the Centre and said that minorities’ rights were absolute but only certain regulations could be imposed by the state to prevent maladministration.
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Nitish justifies bifurcation New Delhi, August 3 “The decision of bifurcation was taken after a thorough examination of the pros and cons by expert committees. If any one wants to politicise the issue, I don’t think I need to react to them,” he told reporters after inaugurating on online reservation service for the National Capital Region. The minister said Parliament would take up the issue for discussion on Monday and “I would then put forth my point and answer all questions in this regard.” He was replying to reporters’ questions on Trinamool Congress’ criticism of the Cabinet decision not to review the bifurcation decision and to hold a bandh on the issue. Earlier, inaugurating the new service, Mr Nitish Kumar said initially the service would be available only in the NCR region but soon, it would be available in other major cities as well. He said the ministry was also working on providing such a service for unreserved tickets and expressed hope that it would start in the national capital by the end of the month. The minister said his ministry has been comtemplating a policy to start passenger reservation service at all district headquarters, provided the district administration provides the requisite space free of cost. Passengers interested in booking railway tickets through Internet could log on to www.irctc.co.in. The payment would be made through credit cards and the ticket could be collected through courier or from special counters set up for the purpose.
PTI |
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France for resuming Indo-Pak talks New Delhi, August 3 While asking India to go down the road of de-escalation of tensions with Pakistan, Mr Villepin stressed the need for Islamabad to end cross-border terrorism and infiltration and make no attempt to disrupt the elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Mr Villepin took care not to criticise Pakistan or President Pervez Musharraf. This was the essence of Mr Villepin’s meetings yesterday with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, Defence Minister George Fernandes and Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Brajesh Mishra, well-placed sources told The Tribune today. France is one of those countries which have a vibrant relationship not only with India but also with Pakistan. More importantly, France is very open about it also, perhaps because it knows that South Asia is a massive market for French arms and weapon systems. It has an ongoing defence cooperation programme with Pakistan and Paris is helping Islamabad in the sensitive areas of submarines in a big way. The importance India attaches to France was clearly reflected by the fact that New Delhi made all top five named above available to Mr Villepin within a span of less than 10 hours. This was in stark contrast to the treatment given to another Permanent-5 country, the UK, whose Foreign Secretary Jack Straw could end up meeting only Mr Yashwant Sinha though he came here twice on two consecutive days just a fortnight ago. US Secretary of State Colin Powell could meet Mr Vajpayee, Mr Advani and Mr Brajesh Mishra, apart from Mr Sinha, last week because he had insisted on meeting them. India finds France as a very reliable partner, especially in the fields of defence, diplomacy, space and science and technology. Post-Pokhran II, France has emerged as a key P-5 interlocutor for India and, along with Russia — another P-5 country — was among the first countries to stand by India. France was also the first P-5 country to support India’s candidature for permanent membership of United Nations’ Security Council. |
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Amitabh, Esha voted hottest vegetarians Mumbai, August 3 Amitabh, whose more than 70 films, many as rebellious, formidable character, lays to rest the notion that there’s anything ‘manly’ about eating meat. The tall, lean actor, whose classics include Zanjeer and
Deewar, has too much respect for himself to poison his body with the fat, cholesterol and pathogens found in animal flesh. Petite and beautiful,
Esha, who is also an accomplished classical dancer, made her screen debut in
Koi Mere Dil Se Pooche last year. Being the eldest daughter of the renowned Hema
Malini, she didn’t have to stray far from the nest to find a role model for her smart food choices. Why do so many Bollywood hotties veg out? For the animals (cows, chickens and buffaloes suffer horribly at the hands of the meat industry), for the environment (the meat trade is the single greatest polluter on the planet) and for their health (meaty diets promote cancer, heart disease and diabetes, all of which plague Indians) — not to mention that vegetarians stay slim much more easily than meat-eaters. ‘More and more celebrities are realising the benefits of a healthy and compassionate vegetarian diet’, says PETA India’s Chief Functionary, Anuradha
Sawhney. ‘Amitabh and Esha, as well as millions of other people all over the world, are saying, “No!” to foods that cost animals their lives and, “Yes!” to delicious, life-sustaining veggie alternatives.’ |
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Book train tickets online in Delhi New Delhi, August 3 Talking to mediapersons after inaugurating the online rail ticketing and distribution system, Mr Nitish Kumar said the traffic inspectors will ascertain from the family members of the passengers whether they undertook the journey at all and whether they had taken a refund. The minister said the online rail ticketing and distribution system was being introduced in the Delhi NCR region. “If the results are positive, we will spread it to other parts of the country.” The minister said that the ministry was also working on a pilot project to provide online tickets for the unreserved category soon. To book a ticket, a person has to register on the site (www.irctc.co.in). The customer can get the reservation ticket at his doorstep or from special counters. In addition to the fare, anybody who books a ticket on the Net has to pay a service charge of Rs 30 per ticket for sleeper class/ordinary chair car and Rs 50 for other classes. For every transaction, the bank would levy a charge of 1.8 per cent on the value of transaction. To cancel a ticket, the passenger will have to go to a PRS counter. There will be no cash refund. The refund will be electronically processed through the payment gateway and appear as credit in the credit card bill of the customer. The service would be available from 8 am to 8 pm from Monday to Saturday and 8 am to 2 pm on Sunday. The system has been developed by the Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Ltd., Centre for Railway Information System and Broad Vision. The limitation of the aforesaid reservation system, however, is that payment is through credit card. The Chairman Railway Board, Mr I.I.M.S Rana, said other modalities of payment were also being explored. “This is the first step. A number of other facilities would follow,” he said. The Managing Director, IRCTC, Mr M.N. Chopra, told TNS that phone-in facility, inter-bank transfers and call centres were some of the other modes of payment which could be tapped. |
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Dept indifferent to disabled women? New Delhi, August 3 Contrary to NCW Chairperson, Poornima Advani’s claim that the commission has nominated a member to attend the two-day conference beginning on Monday and sent an acknowledgment to the organisers, sources in the DPI (India) said they had not received any intimation from the commission. The National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People
(NCPEDP) which is co-hosting the conference said it followed up the invitation to the Joint Secretary, Department of
WCD, Ms Roli Srivastava, for almost a fortnight. In the invitation addressed to the Joint Secretary,
WCD, the NCPEDP requested her presence as the guest of honour at the valedictory session on Tuesday. “Your valuable inputs at the conference will certainly help catalyse the process which has been initiated to ensure equal opportunities and full participation for women with disabilities, in all walks of life and sensitising society towards their needs,’’ the letter reads. Sources in the NCPEDP said the Joint Secretary wanted to know why the NCPEDP had invited her when she was working in the area of women and not disabilities. Sources said she had to be reminded that women with disabilities are women also. She, however, expressed her inability to attend the conference. The NCPEDP Executive Director, Mr Javed
Abidi, told TNS that the NCW Chairperson’s decision to nominate a member seemed to be an afterthought. “We have not received a line from the
NCW. They should have responded. The Joint Secretary kept us on hold for a very long time. An
acknowledgment is the least anybody expects,’’ he said. Asked how the absence of key opinion leaders as the NCW and the Joint Secretary, Department of WCD would affect the objective of the seminar, Mr Abidi said, “It will be a damper but the people’s mandate is what matters.’’ Mr Abidi feels that there is a growing need to
address the needs and issues pertaining to women with disabilities in India. He is of the view that women with disabilities experience double disadvantage. “Women with
disabilities in India have traditionally been rendered invisible even by the women’s movement.’’ Mr Abidi said the All-India Democratic Women’s Association
(AIDWA), Kali for Women, Jagori, People’s union for Civil Liberties, Human Rights Law Network and Jaipur-based women organisations Vividha and Vatsalya will be represented at the seminar. |
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VIP numbers: notice
to Delhi Govt New Delhi, August 3 A Division Bench comprising, Chief Justice S.B. Sinha and Justice A.K. Sikri, issued notices, returnable on August 26, to the state government through Secretary-cum-Commissioner (Transport Department) and the Police Commissioner (Traffic) on PIL filed by advocate Vinod Manchanda through his counsel O.P. Saxena. The petition opposed the arbitrary method of advance release of particular single and double-digit numbers of various series for vehicles owned by politicians and bureaucrats. It alleged that ‘fancy’ numbers were being allotted to such persons on ‘extraneous considerations’ and claimed that there were virtually no guidelines for allotment of special numbers. There are 9999 numbers in every series and they are allotted on the basis of date of registration of a vehicle. When all numbers of a series are issued then the next series is started. But to oblige the ‘VIPs’, who have a ‘craze’ for single digit numbers, specially serial No. 1, or their demand for some particular number, Transport Department officials open new series even before the completion of earlier series’ the petition alleged. About 20 new series had been opened on the demand of such status conscious vehicle owners, it said. About 10 series meant for two and three-wheelers had also been misused for allotting numbers to cars of such ‘elite’ persons and satisfy their whims and fancies, it claimed. Many requests were still pending with the State Transport Ministry, it added. The petition sought directions from the court for restraining the respondents to open any more series for registration of vehicles in the Capital till the time the existing ones were exhausted. It also sought to restrain them from allotting numbers from series meant for two and three-wheelers or trucks to cars owned by influential people, and cancel such previous allotments to avoid confusion. It prayed for a well-defined policy for allotment for special numbers to VIPs.
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CNG deadline: Delhi Govt seeks 3 months New Delhi, August 3 The application filed by the Delhi Government through counsel Wasim Ahmed Quadri said the government could not be blamed if these buses do not meet the safety norms as the kits were supplied by those agencies, who have valid authorisation from testing agencies of the Government of India. Only when the authorised supplier submits the certificate entitling him to retrofit the diesel buses with CNG kit, the Department of Transport issues the authority letter for the job, the state government said. The apex court had, on July 29, ordered that “there is no reason why unsafe vehicles which do not meet the safety norms should be allowed to ply on the roads”. “We, therefore, direct that with effect from August 5, 2002, no retro-fitted or converted CNG bus will be allowed to ply unless and until the Director, Transport Department, NCT Delhi, is satisfied and certified that the vehicle confirmed with the safety norms of November 19, 2001,” a three-Judge Bench comprising Chief Justice B.N. Kirpal, Justice V.N. Khare and Justice Ashok Bhan had directed. The Delhi Government said it had constituted a “Board of Inspection” which conducts a thorough check on CNG kits fitted to buses on the basis of guidelines issued by the Department of Transport. “The Transport Department is prima facie satisfied that the CNG buses converted/retrofitted by the CNG kit suppliers, as per the list furnished by them, conform to the safety checks and procedures prescribed in the notification of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways dated November 19, 2001. This has to be further confirmed from the concerned type approval agencies of the Government of India,” the government said. However, in view of the July 29 order, the government would “undertake a comprehensive safety check of each and every converted/retrofitted bus that has come on the road with effect from November 19, 2001, it said. For this purpose, it proposed to set up a safety council to supervise the adherence to and the implementation of safety checks and procedural requirements of CNG powered buses including converted/retrofitted buses, the government said, adding that the council would comprise all stake holders and experts in the field. “As on today, there are 1846 CNG retrofitted buses registered with the Department of Transport and after the constitution of the said expert committee the job of individual safety recheck of CNG retrofitted buses will commence which is likely to take three months,” the Delhi Government said.
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It’s cynical to brand everyone corrupt: CJ Jaipur, August 3 “I do not ascribe to this cynical view of branding every one with corruption,” he told reporters in an informal chat after inaugurating a foundation course for Civil Judges and magistrates here. “Let us take up your field of journalism, can you single out any one, who is corrupt and who is not,” Justice Kirpal remarked. To questions on the electoral reforms being undertaken by the legislature, the Chief Justice said: “I have nothing to say”. On criminalisation of politics, his reply was “don’t elect them voting is with public. Let them decide.” Taking serious note of frequent adjournments of cases in courts, he said in case of an adjournment the next date of hearing should not exceed more than a
week. PTI |
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‘Religious
polarisation’ still in Gujarat New Delhi, August 3 Besides, the three Central observers — Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, Mr Suresh Pachauri and Mr Srikant Jena — around 30 other observers, including MLAs and ministers from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, discussed the party’s prospects in various constituencies of the state. Sources said the observers told the high command that religious polarisation still existed in the urban areas of Gujarat even though conditions were favourable in the rural areas. They said the party would perform better if the poll was delayed in the state. |
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Modi: Congress scared of
facing elections New Delhi, August 3 As such the party was creating unnecessary confusion over the issue of Assembly elections in the state, Mr Modi said while addressing the BJP National Council. Sensing worst-ever defeat in Gujarat, the Congress had been approaching the Election Commission time and again with an aim to delay the poll, he said. Ahmedabad: Meanwhile, the Gujarat Congress has submitted a memorandum to the visiting Election Commission team, opposing early elections in the state. The Gujarat Congress Pradesh Committee
(GPCC) has said the overall situation was far from normal in the riot-ravaged state in which 42 towns and cities and 58 talukas had been affected.
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Gujral for consensus on poll observers New Delhi, August 3 “How did CEC J.M. Lyngdoh bring in the colour issue? Colin Powell (US Secretary of State) is not white. Does it mean we will accept observers from SAARC countries as they have the same colour as us? asked Mr Gujral. Participating in Karan Thapar’s Line of Fire programme to be telecast on Monday on Sab TV, Mr Gujral said: “It is a strange type of illusion we are creating. Foreign media and diplomats can go there. If the foreign media like The London Times or The New York Times report that the elections lacked credibility, it could do more harm than by foreign observers.
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Fire at Army’s ammo depot
Jaipur, August 3 No casualty was reported in the incident at the 19 Field Ammunition Depot at
Banar. Fireballs leapt up into the sky as an old stock of explosives kept in the open caught fire. The reason behind the fire was not known yet. Twenty fire tenders of the Army and the civil administration battled the blaze for about two hours before it was controlled. Defence officers contacted in Jodhpur claimed the fire was “minor’’ but sources said the Army had sealed the area as soon as the fire was noticed. Rail and road traffic near the depot was stopped during the fire-fighting operation. In January, 80 Army trucks loaded with ammunition exploded at a temporary ordnance sub-depot at Udasar near Bikaner. In May last year, nearly 600 tonnes of ammunition was destroyed in a fire at an Army dump near Birdhwal in
Suratgarh. Nearly 14,000 tonnes of ammunition and artillery was gutted in a fire at an Army depot at Bharatpur in April, 2000.
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CPM men shot dead
Agartala, August 3 The NLFT ultras stormed a tribal-dominated village under Kanchanpur police station shortly after midnight and gunned down the tribesmen including a woman, in front of their houses. The deceased were members of the ruling CPM. Party leaders and additional security forces, led by senior police officials, rushed to the spot and launched a combing operation to nab the militants.
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Special
cell for drought-hit areas New Delhi, August 3 The cell will be headed by the Food Secretary and monitor the pace of implementation of various relief measures, and foodgrain distribution, Union Food Minister Sharad Yadav told newspersons after a meeting with leaders from flood affected Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Mr Yadav said "The Centre has agreed to open 60 new grain procurement centres in Bihar as demanded by the state." |
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New
Delhi, August 3
In video: Union Minister of
State for Water Resources Bijoya Chakraborty visits Assam to
take stock of the flood situation.
