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Wednesday,
March 12, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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‘Survey
on Christians illegal’ Malaysia releases 266
Indians
Excavation begins today Manmohan:
Budget to increase fiscal deficit |
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Congress opposes war without UN mandate
Furore
in LS over Pawar’s remark FUNCTIONING OF
DELIMITATION PANEL PM for discipline in BJP NORTH INDIA IN
PARLIAMENT Surjeet ‘hand-in-glove’ with Cong PIL on
use of chemical Pak Dy
High Commissioner assumes charge Hurriyat
meets US, French officials
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‘Survey on Christians illegal’ New Delhi, March 11 In a statement issued here today, the Secretary-General of the council, Dr John Dayal, has said that the Supreme Court should take cognisance of the matter. Terming such surveys as “dangerous and illegal,” the council has said that no one has the right to ask intimate questions on faith. “These surveys are dangerous because they equip and arm goons of the RSS and other communal elements of the RSS with ready-made hit lists of the nature made famous by the Nazi cadres of Hitler in Germany in the 20th century. Fired by their motto of cleansing India of all foreign religions, madarsas and missionaries, Hindutva criminal gangs used such lists to target Muslims, their properties and businesses during the 2002 genocidal pogrom in Gujarat,” the statement reads. Expressing concern at the “sinister” motive behind such surveys, the council has said that while the survey is on, a small church has been demolished in Panviali village, 30 km from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu. The violence has been directly traced to the Sangh Parivar. In Karnataka, the Padre Pio chapel in Devegere on Kanakapura Road, Bangalore, was vandalised on March 9 by 15 men reported to be from the Bajrang Dal. They broke in and destroyed the statues and the Cross and beat up a Cappuchin seminarian studying in Kengeri, Bangalore, asking him to stop conversions. The council has said that the Gujarat Government’s belated admission that it has been gathering statistics on Christians at the behest of the Central Government “has not come as a surprise.” |
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Minister
denies survey Gandhinagar, March 11 Replying to the issue raised by Leader of Opposition Amarsinh Chaudhary during zero hour in the assembly here, Mr Shah said “no such survey has been conducted at all but the Centre has asked for opinions and information of Gujarat Government to some questions raised by former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan under rule 184 of Parliament”.
Without elaborating Mr Shah said, “officials did go to some places to collect information, but it was (to conduct) a mere enquiry and not a survey”.
PTI |
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Malaysia releases 266 Indians New Delhi, March 11 A spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said today that the Indian High Commissioner to Kuala Lumpur, Ms Veena Sikri, had sought explanation at the highest level regarding the maltreatment of the Indians. He informed that the matter was also taken up with Malaysian Entrepreneur Development Minister who was currently on a visit to India. It is learnt that the Malaysian police released one more Indian today.
TNS |
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Excavation begins today
Ayodhya, March 11 The Joint Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India Mr (ASI), R.H. Bisht, specially flew down from New Delhi to supervise the work, which would be preceded by a general survey of the site and layout of trenches in the presence of the contesting parties, their counsel or nominees at 10 a.m. tomorrow. The excavation is likely to begin tomorrow afternoon on the southern-most site of Ramchabootara, outside the 40/80 ft makeshift temple where the idol of Ramlala is consecrated. The Lucknow Bench of the court on March 5 ordered for excavation of the site without disturbing either the makeshift temple or the worship there. The excavation order evoked criticism from Muslim leaders and several reputed historians including Irfan Habib and K.M. Shrimali, on the ground that it could lead to similar demands at other historical sites too. The Sangh Parivar and the BJP, however, welcomed the order. Meanwhile, a high-level team of the Faizabad district administration and the ASI led by Superintending Archaeologist B.R. Mani today inspected the acquired area and reviewed the procedure for safe keeping of the relics to be found during the excavation and convenient presence of the parties involved in the title suit pending before the court. Of the 52 parties involved in the case, 20 parties, including Sunni Central Wakf Board representative Zafaryab Jalani, would be present during the excavation tomorrow. Two members of Canadian firm Tojo Vikas International, which earlier carried out a ground penetration radar survey at the site reportedly indicating presence of pillars below the disputed site, would also be present.
PTI |
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Manmohan: Budget to increase fiscal deficit New Delhi, March 11 Initiating a discussion on the general Budget in the Rajya Sabha, he said: “We will only be day dreaming if we think the Budget will be able to realise the 8 per cent growth target set out in the 10th plan.” Cautioning that the Budget could fan inflation in the event of a Gulf war shooting up prices of oil, Mr Manmohan Singh said financing Government consumption by increasing revenue deficit was a clear road to disaster and increasing debt stock. The Leader of the Opposition said: “The Budget does not inspire confidence with in the country or outside. Our economy is performing far below its potential. It was more so in the last four years. The GDP average for the last four years is no more than 5 per cent as against the 7 per cent achieved when Congress was in power.” He said the Budget had ignored the comprehensive tax restructuring suggested by the Kelkar Committee to bring about transparency in taxation. Mr Manmohan Singh said he did not mean that all suggestions should have been accepted as taxation of agriculture was unfeasible but there were many suggestions which were noteworthy to undertake structured reforms. |
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Congress opposes war without UN mandate New
Delhi, March 11 “I am not going to use the word condemnation. But we are opposed to any action against Iraq without the United Nations mandate”, party Chief Spokesman Jaipal Reddy said. He denied that the Congress stand was the same as that of the government. “The government is trying to avoid any commitment on the issue. It is not adhering to the spirit of the NAM resolution to which it is a party. We want a firm commitment from the government’’ Mr Reddy said. Mr Reddy said the Congress was of the view that the government should not be a party to any effort of war against Iraq. The government should respect the sentiments of wide-spectrum of people cutting across political parties and ideology, he said Meanwhile, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) today said that the Vajpayee government should clarify its stand on the Iraq issue and assure that the Indian soil would not be used for military purposes against Iraq in the event
of a war. NCP Working Committee, which met here, also protested against US “efforts of thrusting a war on Iraq.’’ The meeting was attended by senior party leaders ,including President Sharad Pawar, Mr P. A.
Sangma, Mr Jagannath Mishra Mr Tariq Anwar and Praful Patel and others. Mr Anwar said election of party’s National President would be held on April 22. |
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Govt’s stand on Iraq ‘ambivalent’ New Delhi, March 11 "Will the government state that it will not allow any facilities to the USA in case a war started?.... The Government is not even willing to name the USA in any statement or resolution. We have become almost subservient to the USA," CPM leader Somnath Chatterjee told newspersons here. He said a meeting of the Opposition today decided to raise the issue "in a big way in Parliament". Warning that India may be "drowned into the vortex of this war", he said despite government claims of adequate stock of fuel supply, "they can’t guarantee how long will these reserves last". Referring to the anti-war stance taken by several nations like France, Russia and China, he said "when even NATO countries are opposing the war, we are totally intrigued by our government’s silence on the matter". "Their ambivalent stand of taking a middlepath is aimed at keeping the USA happy," he said, adding that only five days were left for March 17 when the US ultimatum expires and "India’s stand is still not clear". "What is the middlepath.... between war and peace, between US threats and Iraq trying to protect its sovereignty", Mr Chatterjee asked. He said the resolution adopted at the recent NAM summit contained "not a word of condemnation or protest. The name of USA appears nowhere. What is the difficulty for our government to say that the US stand is not justified"? |
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Furore in LS over Pawar’s remark New Delhi, March 11 Mr Pawar raised the issue after Mr Mohan Rawale (Shiv Sena) asked the government to present the role of Savarkar in the freedom struggle in proper perspective. Mr Pawar said the Shiv Sena member’s question on Savarkar was relevant and added that in this context “it should also be clarified whether Savarkar had said that donkey’s urine was better than cow’s urine.” |
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FUNCTIONING
OF DELIMITATION PANEL New Delhi, March 11 Responding to members’ concern cutting across the party lines during zero hour, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said the government favoured calling an all-party meeting to discuss the issue. She said she would also convey sentiments of the members to the Law Minister. Mr Ramvilas Paswan (Lok Janshakti) said while the Commission had been constituted on the basis of a Parliamentary Act, members had no information about the working of the Commission and appealed to Speaker, Mr Manohar Joshi, to take appropriate steps. Congress Chief Whip P.R Dasmunsi said the commission was functioning “arbitrarily” and instead of re-adjusting boundaries, it was re-organising constituencies. “Deviating from past practices, the commission is submitting a suo motu draft to members and summary hearing is being conducted. Nobody is being taken into confidence and the fate of constituencies is being decided in a suo motu manner,” he said. |
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PM for discipline in BJP New Delhi, March 11 Addressing the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting, where he was facilitated for completing five years in the office, Mr Vajpayee observed that while the people were prepared to accept us but the question was whether we were prepared for the people. In the same vein the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, also talked tough asking partymen to strengthen the organisation saying that the development alone does not deliver in poll. Addressing the meeting the two leaders asked them not to air their views publicly and work towards strengthening the organisation. “Development alone does not work and there is need to strengthen the organisation as was seen in the Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh,” Mr Vajpayee observed at the meeting, the party spokesman, Mr V.K. Malhotra, said. |
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NORTH INDIA IN PARLIAMENT New Delhi, March 11 The growth in per capita Net State Domestic Product (state income) has been declining from the past two years. In comparison to 1998-99, when the per capita NSDP registered a 12.9 per cent growth over the previous year, in 1999-2000, the growth percentage was 9.8 whereas in 2000-01, the NSDP grew by only 7.7 per cent, Minister of State for Finance and Company Affairs told the House. While growth figures in Jammu and Kashmir present an even more dismal scenario with the NSDP growth of 0.2 per cent (provisional estimates) in 2000-01; 6.7 per cent in 1999-2000 compared to 22.1 per cent growth in 1998-99, in case of Haryana the NSDP growth was 11.1 per cent in 1998-99, 9.3 per cent in 1999-2000 and 10.2 per cent in 2000-01. Himachal Pradesh recorded 6.4 per cent NSDP growth in 2000-01 against 10.2 per cent in 1999-2000 and 19.7 per cent in 1998-99, the minister said. Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, HRD and Science and Technology Minister, informed the Lok Sabha that the government had given Rs 73.50 lakh to Punjab during 2001-02 for computer training of school children. While the total amount of grant recommended by the 11th Finance Commission for 2000-2005 is Rs 731 lakh for Punjab, it is Rs 817 lakh for Haryana, Rs 516 lakh for Himachal Pradesh and Rs 602 lakh for J&K, said the minister. Of the total amount recommended, Punjab has been so far given Rs 147 crore, Haryana Rs 328.6 lakh, Himachal Pradesh 207.5 lakh and Jammu and Kashmir Rs 121.06 lakh. Further grants to the states will be released only after the commission receives revised action plans and utilisation certificates from the states as per the guidelines issued to them, the minister said. Responding to a query by Mr P.D. Elangovan and Mr Sultan Salahuddin Owaisi, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers told the House that the government envisaged to implement a new scheme — “National Project on Organic Farming” — under which National Institute of Organic Farming and its regional centres would be set up to promote and facilitate various aspects of organic farming in the country. The minister said the production of bio-fertiliser in Punjab was two tonnes in 2001-02 compared to 2.03 tonnes in 2000-01. In Haryana the production increased significantally to 23.21 tonnes in 2001-02 against 6.6 tonnes in 2000-01 whereas in Himachal Pradesh the bio-fertiliser produced was 5.88 tonnes in 2001-02 compared to 3.61 tonnes during the previous year. The Minister of State for HRD, Mr Ashok Pradhan, informed the Lok Sabha that the government had sanctioned one Janshiksha Sansthan in Mohali (Punjab), three in Haryana and one each in Chandigarh and Jammu so far, based on a multifunctional approach to adult education. |
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Surjeet ‘hand-in-glove’ with Cong New Delhi, March 11 Mr Chandrasekhar, General Secretary of the State Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU) told mediapersons here on Tuesday that party General Secretary, Mr Surjeet, did not utter a word against the Punjab Government’s agricultural policy at the recently concluded 30th All India Kisan Conference at Jalandhar. “The presence of Mr Harkishan Singh Surjeet failed to attract crowds in his own home State. The Kisan conference had an unimpressive turn-out despite the presence of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and other leaders. On the other hand, the rally organised by mass organisations at Ludhiana with limited resources drew an overwhelming response,’’ he said. Mr Chandrasekhar, former CPM State Secretariat Member, Punjab, is said to have been expelled from the party two years ago for protecting workers in Sangrur against the wishes of the party high command. Pointing to the party’s downslide from a revolutionary party to a social democratic and revisionist party, Mr Chandrashekhar said the CPM General Secretary do not take a politically principled stand on issues. He said Mr Surjeet was received by Punjab Industry Minister, Avtar Henry and Deputy Mayor at the Jalandhar railway station. Mr Chandrashekhar further alleged that Mr Surjeet had acted against moral communist principles by accepting money from his industrialist friends. He further said Mr Surjeet had accepted that he had taken money from his industrialist friends for the construction of three buildings including Virsa Sambhal Kendra and Bhakna Bhawan in Sector 29, Chandigarh. |
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PIL on use
of chemical Dehra Dun, March 11 In his petition, Dr Sharma has expressed concern over the use of the carcinogenic chemical in drinking water being supplied under Swajal, a World Bank-sponsored drinking water scheme. |
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Pak Dy High Commissioner assumes charge New Delhi, March 11 On February 8, Mr Jilani and four other diplomats were given 48 hours to leave the country following charges of siphoning off money to Hurriyat activists. Pakistan retaliated by expelling Mr Sudhir Vyas, who served as the Acting High Commissioner in Islamabad after New Delhi called back its High Commissioner Vijay Nambiar in December 2001 following the terrorist attack on Parliament. |
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Hurriyat
meets US, French officials New Delhi, March 11 The delegation, comprising former Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and JKLF Chairman Yaseen Malik, met the officials from France and apprised them of the recent developments and the role of amalgam. They later met officials from the Political Affairs section of the US Embassy and sought to clarify the stand of the amalgam. |
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Dhindsa, NCM chief hopeful of Akali unity New Delhi, March 11 Their remarks came last evening at a ceremony organised by the International Council of Punjabis (ICP) to felicitate Mr Tarlochan Singh on his appointment as the NCM Chairman.
TNS |
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President
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam presents the Shaurya Chakra to Maj Tanvir Ahmed
Siddiqui (above) for gallantry in fighting terrorists in
J&K, at a ceremony in
Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, on Tuesday. 
In video: Army personnel receiving gallantry awards
narrate their varied experiences in a party hosted by
General N.C.Vij in New Delhi. (
