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Wednesday,
October 30, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Children’s mental health panel soon Get talking with Pak, USA advises
India CPI call to secular parties on
Gujarat Arjun Singh gives no assurance to Amar |
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BJP decision on UP nominees on
Friday Britain increases passport
fee Air Marshal Sekhon gets PVSM Gen N.C. Vij may succeed Padmanabhan Indo-Bangla border conference held Six kidnapped in Bihar
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Children’s mental health panel soon New Delhi, October 29 Dr Joshi, who was speaking at the inauguration of the International Congress of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions here today, said with a large percentage of schoolchildren facing depression and mental health problems, it was important to provide them with a protected environment in a super-industrial and globalised society. “I personally feel that it is the super consumerist society that is the main cause for the deteriorating mental health not only of the child but of the mankind as a whole,” he said. Dr Joshi said the government would make it mandatory to have a psychiatrist as one of the members of the proposed commission for children. “In fact, I have asked all state governments as well as my ministry to have a helpline and a counselling centre , where psychiatrists as well as psychologists can provide immediate help to any child who is faced with some mental problem due to the highly competitive and stressful life he is subjected to in today’s times,” he remarked. He stressed the need for correcting the distortions by providing a protected and healthy environment to the child. “Another issue I feel strongly about and which I have raised at UNESCO, the UN and at various conferences worldwide is the fundamental and divine right of a child to be nurtured and loved, not just by his parents but by the extended family,” he emphasised. Another glaring cause of children suffering from depression and schizophrenia, and leading to juvenile delinquency was family disintegration. With a word of caution, he said while this was already a major problem in the West, metropolitan cities in India were also becoming a victim of this trend. Dr Joshi said though a number of welfare schemes had been launched for the welfare of the child, interestingly it had been witnessed that both affluence as well as poverty were leading to the same kind of mental problems. The chairperson of the organising committee of the congress, Dr Savita Malhotra, said it was essential to have a national policy on child mental health in India, as the issues pertaining to them could not remain fragmented between various ministries like Health, Education, Social Justice and Empowerment and Cultural Affairs. Over 500 delegates from 54 countries are participating in the five-day congress, which will focus on issues pertaining to child psychiatry and adult psychiatric disorders. The congress is jointly being organised by the Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health and the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research. |
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Get talking with Pak, USA advises
India New Delhi, October 29 Mr Richard N. Hass, Director (Policy Planning Staff) in the US State Department, who is on an official visit here, told reporters that the issues of cross-border terrorism and infiltration continued to remain matters of considerable concern to Washington and these will figure during his discussions in Pakistan. Mr Hass suggested, focusing on economic, diplomatic, travel and people-to-people contact between India and Pakistan. Mr Hass said the continued infiltration of militants in Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan was a matter of concern and must be stopped. “Clearly, infiltration across the Line of Control is continuing. We want to see it stopped”. The US official said the just concluded elections in Jammu and Kashmir had brought about new possibilities and opportunities for India and Pakistan to make use of. Mr Hass said the elections in Jammu and Kashmir were “a step in the right direction” and said the poll had provided a breathing space for the people. He told reporters that the elections in the state had provided the people with an opportunity to elect their representatives. Describing the elections as “extremely positive”, he said the common
minimum programme agreed to by the PDP-Congress coalition had brought forward new opportunities for better governance and improved economic activity. On Iraq, Mr Hass said an effort was made to arrive at a consensus with regard to UN resolution on weapons inspection. “America supports India’s suggestion that steps should be taken within the ambit of the United Nations”. During his short visit here, Mr Hass has met External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, Defence Minister George Fernandes and several top officials of the government. He left for Pakistan today for talks on regional and international situation. |
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CPI call to secular parties on
Gujarat New Delhi, October 29 Welcoming the Election Commission’s announcement to hold Assembly elections in Gujarat on December 12, the CPI Central Secretariat said the BJP’s arguments for early elections in the state were “ill-founded and politically motivated”. “The CPI urges upon secular democratic parties to come closer and arrive at electoral tactics so that one-to-one contest is presented before the electorate to defeat the BJP decisively, which alone should be the prime objective of Gujarat elections,” a statement said. The statement said the Supreme Court had virtually rejected the contention of the Centre and the state government with regard to Article 174 and added this was the position of the CPI and other Left parties. |
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Arjun Singh gives no assurance to Amar New Delhi, October 29 Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh today met senior Congress leader Arjun Singh at his residence, seeking the Congress support but no such promise was made. “We have not yet discussed the issue in the party,” Mr Arjun Singh said after the meeting which lasted 10 minutes. Mr Amar Singh had to wait for a good 20 minutes before the Congress leader met him. Mr Arjun Singh said: “decision will be taken by the party at an appropriate time,” giving no indication when. The SP leaders, he said, had already met Congress President Sonia Gandhi and other senior leaders. Though it has been two days since Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and CPI (M) General Secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet met Mrs Gandhi, the Congress has not discussed the Samajwadi Party’s request so far. Mr Amar Singh, however, was persistent in his efforts to get the Congress support. “Mr Arjun Singh is one of the tallest leaders in North India. I have had an opportunity to work with him. I came to seek his blessings to form an alternative government with the support of the Congress,” he said. Talking on the possibility of mustering enough numbers to form an alternative government, he said the party was not in the toppling game, but the BSP-BJP government was “tottering due to its inner contradictions.” The SP leader said the Congress, being a national party, had its own system for taking any decision. We are hopeful that it will take a decision keeping in mind the larger interests of the nation which was threatened by “communal and opportunistic forces.” One of the reasons for the delay in the Congress decision has been the feedback it is getting from party workers in UP, who are against the party aligning with the SP. |
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BJP decision on UP nominees on
Friday New Delhi, October 29 Mr Rajnath Singh and Mr Shastri are to be nominated for the two clear seats from Uttar Pradesh and the third for a term of two years, which was vacated by Karnataka Governor Triloki Nath Chaturvedi, is likely to go Mr Naqvi, a senior leader said. Though in the background of the ongoing dissident activities in the state unit of the BJP, there are serious apprehensions within the party whether the BJP will be able to manage three seats. The Rajya Sabha election is due on November 18 and Mr Shastri who became the Rajya Sabha MP for a limited period of six months is going to be cleared by the board. While Mr Shastri’s continuation in the Upper House is almost certain barring some last-minute hitches due to rebel activities in UP, Mr Naqvi may move from the party to the government as he is tipped to be included in the next reshuffle of the Union Cabinet. The Prime Minister is seriously thinking of inducting new faces in his Council of Ministers, a senior leader said, adding that Mr Vajpayee was going to induct Mr Naqvi for giving a boost to the party’s image. At present there was only one Muslim minister in the Council of Ministers. Apart from Mr Shah Nawaz Khan, the other Muslim face is of Mr Omar Abdullah whose resignation was already pending with the Prime Minister. Mr Naqvi’s induction would go a long way to help the party in the coming Assembly elections in Gujarat, another leader pointed out. |
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Britain increases passport
fee New Delhi, October 29 From November 21, the fee of a 32-page adult passport would be £ 54.40 (up from £ 49), 48-page adult passport from £ 65.20 (up from £ 60), for a child £ 34.70 (up from £ 29) and emergency passport £ 33.90 (up from £ 30), according to a British High Commission statement issued here today. The cost of carrying any amendments in passports would be £ 45 (up from £ 40). In 2001-02, British Consultates overseas had issued or amended 454,905 passports and issued 9,189 emergency passports. This increase will ensure that the cost of overseas passport issuing operation was fully recovered, the press note said. The revised passport fee includes the following amounts for Consular protection: adult standard passports (£ 9.40), adult jumbo passports (£ 14.10), child passports (£ 2.35). British passports, issued at 144 posts overseas, are normally issued within five working days. Britain had not increased the cost of passports issued overseas since November, 1999. The cost of passports issued in the UK was increased in January, 2002. |
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Air Marshal Sekhon gets PVSM New Delhi, October 29 Air Marshal Sekhon, who had to leave service prematurely six months earlier than his date of superannuation after a letter written by him seeking the help of then Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was made public under mysterious circumstances, was among 12 senior serving and retired service officers to be conferred the medal by President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam at Rashtrapati Bhavan. |
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Gen N.C. Vij may succeed Padmanabhan New Delhi, October 29 Sources here said the official announcement for the new Chief of Army Staff could come by the weekend. With the norm being that the successor is announced at least 60 days prior to the retirement of the incumbent, the
announcement is likely by the weekend as Gen S. Padmanabhan demits office in December. Having completed a successful tenure of more than two years as the Chief of Army Staff, Gen S. Padmanabhan is likely to hand over the hot seat in the South Block to the Vice Chief of Army Staff Lieut Gen N.C. Vij. Being the senior most officer in line, reports here said, that Lieut Gen Vij was the likely successor to Gen Padmanabhan. Lieut Gen N.C. Vij is from the Dogra Regiment (16 Dogra) and had assumed charge as the Vice-Chief of the Army Staff in October 2001. |
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Indo-Bangla border conference held New Delhi, October 29 In his opening remarks at the Indo-Bangladesh border conference, Border Security Force Director-General Ajai Raj Sharma reiterated the BSF’s offer to share training facilities with the Bangladesh Rifles and hold inter-force games and sporting activities. Mr Sharma expressed concern over the continuing influx of illegal migrants from Bangladesh and the activities of trans-border criminals and sought a well-coordinated and calibrated approach by the border forces of the two countries. “Today, we are meeting at a time when the spectre of terrorism is looming large over the whole world. The perpetrators of this menace do not recognise national boundaries ... It would be in the interests of both countries to combine resources and efforts to deal with the menace firmly and to crush this diabolical evil with an iron hand.” |
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Bangladesh national to be deported New Delhi, October 29 Rehman arrived at the IGI airport from Dhaka by ‘Biman’ flight BG 097 yesterday on way to Lisbon for work when he was detained by the airport authorities on the suspicion that he could be a terrorist. He was scheduled to board a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt from where he was to go to Lisbon. Police sources said during sustained questioning, it was found that the documents possessed by him were not valid and hence he was not allowed to undertake his onward journey, the sources said. |
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Six kidnapped in Bihar Bettiah (Bihar), October 29 The police said miscreants travelling in a jeep forced a bus operated by the Luv-Kush Travels, to stop at a secluded place near Chamania More in the Balmikinagar police station area and took the engineers, the driver of the bus and a businessman at gun-point to some unknown destination. The bus was on its way to Bagha from Balmikinagar, the police said. The engineers were posted at the Balmikinagar barrage on river Gandak, the police said.
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