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Wednesday,
June 18, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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India sends workforce
to Jurists’ visit to Pakistan
postponed CBI questions Ajit
Jogi
STAINES’ MURDER |
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Cong forms groups for Shimla
session ‘Riot victims to get protection’ 60 kids down with mystery
disease Probe into mine disaster UGC releases fake varsities’
list Wedding on wheels
planned ‘Arrest Cong MP in fodder scam’ Shetty’s bail
plea rejected
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India sends workforce
to rebuild Iraq New Delhi, June 17 “As part of the reconstruction programme of Iraq, more than 500 skilled and unskilled workers have been sent there on request from some Kuwaiti companies”, the Union Labour Minister, Dr Sahib Singh Verma, told newspersons here today. The minister, who represented India at the ILO Conference on Poverty in Geneva last week, said the Kuwaiti companies had approached the Indian Government for seeking permission to deploy Indian nationals for reconstruction work in post-war Iraq. Asked whether India would continue to put restrictions on private placement agencies with regard to recruiting Indians, Dr Verma said: “We are bringing a Bill to amend the Emigration Act of 1988, which will have provisions to ensure that the unemployed youth and labourers are not exploited by the recruiting agencies.” However, the Labour Ministry sources said only companies and project teams could hire workers from India and not individuals. “ Those wishing to employ workers from India should ensure minimum wages, proper working environment and medical facilities,” they said. Earlier, only Indian companies based in Kuwait were allowed to hire workers from India, but, after consultations with the Ministry of External Affairs, the Labour Ministry has accorded its latest approval. However, for foreign employers, the permission would have to be obtained from the Indian embassy at Baghdad, where the antecedents of the hiring firm would be verified before granting the approval. The minister also said amendments to the Immigration Act of 1993 were on the anvil to protect Indians who had gone abroad for employment from being harassed or cheated. India would soon write to the International Labour Organisation for its help to combat poverty. Mr Verma said he had mooted setting up of an International Skill Development Fund with assistance from developed countries for rooting out poverty in these nations and apprised the Director-General of ILO, Dr Juan Somavia, of the need for giving the poor access to training opportunities at affordable costs. The minister said trade liberalisation would be incomplete without the free movement of natural persons. The fund, under the aegis of the ILO, could mobilise funds from the developed world to help the developing countries. |
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India, Jordan may set up field hospital in
Iraq New Delhi, June 17 The spokesman clarified that the proposed field hospital in Iraq was in response to a humanitarian appeal issued by the United Nations Security Council and totally independent of the USA’s appeal to India for an army division as stabilisation force in Iraq. India had announced a $ 20 m humanitarian relief fund for the war-ravaged people of Iraq. So far, New Delhi has not been able to send the promised relief because of the fluid political and law and order situation in that country. The hospital may be run under this fund, though no formal decision has been taken in this regard. India has begun consultations with Iraq’s neighbours on the US request for sending Indian troops to Iraq. The Indian Opposition parties have demanded that the Vajpayee government consults Iraq’s neighbours before committing its troops for the stabilisation force in Iraq. |
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Jurists’ visit to Pakistan
postponed New Delhi, June 17 “Due to President Musharraf’s visit to the USA and UK and the security arrangements required for the delegation in the prevailing hostile atmosphere between the two countries, the visit has been postponed till August.” Indian Council of Jurists (ICJ) convener Adish Aggrawala told mediapersons here today. The ICJ had proposed to send a delegation to Pakistan, which included a Supreme Court Judge, Mr Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, three high court Judges and 11 former Judges. Addressing a press conference in the presence of the two members of the proposed delegation — former Supreme Court judge Justice A.N. Divecha and former Calcutta High Court Chief Justice D.S. Tewatia — Mr Aggrawala said the Indian High Commission in Islamabad was taking up the matter with the Pakistan authorities for clearing the visit. General Musharraf’s foreign visit could be a major reason for the postponement as the delegation was scheduled to meet him, Mr Aggrawala said. Asked whether the delegation would raise the issue of cross-border terrorism with the Pakistan President when the visit materialises, Justice Tewatia said: “Any issue which spoils the relations between the two countries will be discussed with him.” Pakistan must understand that continuous hostility in the region was not in its own interests. “If the present hostile atmosphere does not end, Pakistan will one day face trouble in its North-Western region,” he said. Justice Divecha said: “Indian judiciary wants a better understanding between the people of the two countries by having people-to-people contacts and such a goodwill mission will be a step towards building friendly atmosphere.” “The interaction of the judicial fraternity of the two estranged nations would be a sure reflection of the evolving spirit of reconciliation and the stability of this trend and this is the supporting thought for the intended visit,” the two Judges said. Stating that the prevailing “hostile atmosphere” was not in the interests of both the countries, they said better relations between New Delhi and Islamabad was the need of the hour when South Asia is lagging behind in the economic development as compared to other parts of the world. The huge amount of money being spent by India and Pakistan on their defence and maintenance of security on borders could be diverted to much-needed economic activities, they said. Besides having interaction with cross-sections of the Pakistani society, the delegation would meet the Chief Justice of the Pakistan Supreme Court and Chief Justices of three high courts in the country and the members of different bar associations, Mr Aggrawala said. |
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CBI questions Ajit Jogi Raipur, June 17 The CBI Deputy Inspector-General, Mr Harbans Singh, met the Chief Minister at his official residence and recorded his statement. “The official asked several questions during the one-hour meeting of which audio and video recording were done”, Mr Jogi told reporters later. He said he would cooperate with the CBI in its investigations. Asked whether the CBI had asked him to reveal the source from where he got the copy of the “IB document”, Mr Jogi said he had told the official that he had received it via his daily mail. Mr Jogi had written a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, alleging that the IB was engaged in an operation code- named “Black Sea” which, he said, was aimed at tarnishing the image of some leaders, including him. He had also sent to the Prime Minister a copy of a “IB document,” on which he had based his complaint. As the bureau denied the charges and also described the document as forged, the case was handed over to the CBI. It registered a case under various sections of the IPC against unknown persons after receiving complaints of forgery of documents in the name of special directorate of the bureau.
UNI |
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STAINES’ MURDER Bhubaneswar, June 17 Giving the accused an alibi, the witness told the trial judge: “Dara Singh was all along present with me on that fateful day to witness a Makar mela in Machhagaon village, which was also attended by BJP MLA from Patna Gourahari Nayak.” Deposing before Khurda District and Sessions Judge Mahendra Nath Pattnaik, witness Hrushikesh Barik, said he and Dara Singh slept in a club house in the village on January 22, 1999, after attending the Makar mela in the village. He further submitted that Dara Singh, who has been described as the prime accused in the murder of Graham Staines and his two minor sons at Manoharpur village, was with him in the village from January 14,1999 to January 27,1999. Hrushikesh, who identified himself as the BJP Machhagarh unit president, told the court that he knew Dara Singh as “a strong worker of the BJP,” who was a Hindi teacher in Malliposhi High School.
UNI |
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Cong forms groups for Shimla
session New Delhi, June 17 The groups, which will start meeting from tomorrow, will decide the areas of focus for the three-day brainstorming session. The groups will prepare draft papers on the identified issues which will form the basis of discussions at the brainstorming session being held after four years. The last such session was held by the party at Panchmarhi in 1998. The group on political and international affairs is headed by Mr Arjun Singh. Its other members include Mr Natwar Singh, Ms Ambika Soni, Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar, Mr Devendra Dwivedi, Nr Nawal Kishore Sharma and Mr J.N. Dixit. Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad will head the group on organisational matters and electoral reforms and Dr Manmohan Singh on economic affairs. Mr Madhavsinh Solanki will head the group on social empowerment and Mr Balram Jakhar will head the panel on rural development and agriculture. Mr Pranab Mukherjee will head the coordination committee. Congress general secretary Ambika Soni said each group would work out areas of focus from broad themes. The party is likely to adopt political, international and economic resolutions at the end of the three-day session, which will specify its position on various crucial issues ahead of the assembly elections in four states and the next Lok Sabha elections. At the recent conference of Congress chief ministers in Srinagar, party President Sonia Gandhi had indicated readiness for coalitions, including a tie-up in Uttar Pradesh.
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Priyanka meets block chiefs of
Amethi New Delhi, June 17 Party sources said the venue of the meeting was changed at the last minute from 34, Gurdwara Raqabganj Road, which is residence of Capt Satish Sharma. The residence was used for meeting visitors from Amethi, they said. Party leaders described Ms Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s meeting with block chiefs from Amethi, which was later held at 10 Janpath, as “routine.’’ A large number of print and electronic mediapersons, who assembled at the Gurdwara Road residence, were told that the meeting had been called off.
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‘Riot victims to get protection’ New Delhi, June 17 The state government has informed the commission that instructions have been issued to all the SPs and the Commissioners of Police to ensure that requests for protection by witnesses or victims are met immediately. Last month, the commission had asked the DGP if it had taken any measures to protect the dignity, privacy and well-being of victims and witnesses who have to depose either in court or before the Commission of Inquiry. |
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60 kids down with mystery disease Kolkata, June 17 A two-member team of the Central Institute of Virology at Pune had flown to Kolkata yesterday to study the disease. The experts, — Dr N.S.Wakkar and Dr Lakshman — visited the vulnerable areas of the district soon after landing in the city. They visited the hospitals and other areas where still some 200 children are fighting for life. Dr Wakkar said an upper respiratory virus might be the cause of the disease, but the doctors could not ascertain from where the virus had come to infect the children in these remote border areas. They took the samples of blood, swab, sputum and urine from the infected for pathological examinations to be conducted at the Pune institute. OC |
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Probe into mine disaster Hyderabad, June 17 The judicial inquiry would be headed by a sitting High Court Judge, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said after visiting the accident site and personally reviewing the salvage operations. Confirming the death of 17 miners who were trapped following a sudden gush of water into the Godavarikhani mining area, Mr Naidu announced an ex-gratia of Rs 6 lakh to the kith and kin of each victim.
PTI |
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UGC releases fake varsities’
list Delhi, June 17 In a press note issued here, the UGC has said the 18 self-styled universities are Delhi Vishwa Vidyapeeth, Model Town, United Nations University and Vocation University in Delhi, St. John’s University,
Kishanattam, Kerala, Raja Arabic University, Nagpur, Kesarwani Vidyapeeth, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, D.D.B. Sanskrit University, Richi, Tamil Nadu, Mahila Gram Vidyapeeth/Vishwavidyalaya (Women’s University) and Gandhi Hindi Vidyapeeth, Prayag, Allahabad, Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Varanasi/ Jagat Puri, Delhi, Indian Education Council of UP, Lucknow, National University of Electro Complex Homoeopathy, Kanpur, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose University (Open University), Achaltal, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh Vishwavidyalaya, Kosi Kalan, Mathura, Maharana Pratap Shiksha Niketan Vishwavidyalaya, Pratapgarh and Bhartiya Shiksha Parishad, Lucknow.
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Wedding on wheels planned Kolkata, June 17 Smita Agarwal, a toy train lover and daughter of an ardent toy train fan Nirmal Agarwal, will tie the knot with full Vedic rituals on board the famous toy train which runs between Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling on November 22. Agarwal has applied to the North-East Frontier Railway for chartering the train, with heritage value, according to a NF Railway spokesperson. The cost of chartering the train will be Rs 1.5 lakh. The bride and the groom’s parties will board the train at New Jalpaiguri and return to Kolkata after a night’s halt at Darjeeling. The toy train, which was given World Heritage status by UNESCO, covers a distance of 88 km and has a capacity of 26 persons per coach. About 85 persons will be on board during the ritual since more people cannot be accommodated. The Agarwals are planning to spend about Rs 4 lakh for the entire tour including decorating the train and the overnight halt at Darjeeling.
UNI |
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‘Arrest Cong MP in fodder scam’ Ranchi, June 17 The court, which had earlier rejected his petitions for anticipatory bail in four cases, served the order in response to the investigating agency’s plea for directions to the police to arrest the MP, CBI sources said today.
PTI |
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Shetty’s bail
plea rejected Ahmedabad, June 17 Hearing his plea, Mr Justice D.H. Vaghela refused to extend interim protection that was granted to him till today.
PTI |
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Heavy floods due to seasonal monsoon rains destroy nearly 300
villages in Assam. (
