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Sunday,
July 13, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Vajpayee warns of water
emergency
‘Lineage no basis for prime ministership’ Nitish for making safety report
public
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Shabana seeks justice for oustees
Students’ fate again in limbo
Hearing in sati cases resumes after
decade Reinstate TN workers, say
unions Adopt Vande Mataram as Anthem: ABVP Vohra briefs Advani on J&K
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Vajpayee warns of water
emergency New Delhi, July 12 Though many parts of the country had received timely rain this year, water conservation remained an issue of “overriding national importance, he said, while presenting the Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Award to 12 eminent scientists for their outstanding research contributions. Emphasising that farmers needed to know effective techniques of recharging groundwater sources, he said the scientific community had a great responsibility to make India water secure. He said critical research and development inputs were needed from agriculture and energy scientists and technologists of various disciplines to generate employment. “These subjects may sound unglamorous to some, but both have an immense potential to generate productive employment, help millions of artisans and farmers to be liberated from poverty, achieve significant import substitution and earn considerable export revenue,” he said. Stating that it was not enough to attract the best and brightest students to science education, he said it was equally important to create sufficient employment opportunities for them in the country. Noting that some international firms had started to set up their research and development centres in the country, employing large numbers of PhDs, he said this trend could be broadened by actively encouraging location in the country. “Our aim should be to make India a global R&D hub,” he added. “Basic research is a foundation. This foundation for Indian science must be strong. Then only can we build a strong edifice of cutting-edge technology,” said Union Minister for Science and Technology Murli Manohar Joshi at the function. The government was aware of the need to integrate various scientific disciplines to spur research in basic sciences, he said. With this aim, the UGC was launching Centres for Studies in Integrative Sciences, where integrated five-year MSc course would be offered with a unique course content to create budding researchers of the highest quality, he said. The awards, carrying a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh each, were given to 12 scientists. Dr Shankar Kumar Nath from IIT, Kharagpur and Dr G S Bhat from IISc, Bangalore, share the prize in the field of earth, atmosphere, ocean and planetary sciences. In biological sciences, Dr Amitabha Mukhopadhyay from the National Institute of Immunology and Dr Raghvan Vardarajan from IISc got the prize. Dr Tushar Kanti Chakraborty, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, and Dr Murali Sastry, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, shared the prize in chemical sciences. In engineering sciences, Dr Ashutosh Sharma from IIT, Kanpur, got the prize, and in mathematical sciences, Dr Dipendra Prasad from Harsih Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad, and Dr Sundaram Thangavelu from Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore, share the prize. The prize in medical sciences went to Dr Sunil Pradhan from Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Science, Lucknow. For physical sciences, Dr Avinash Anant Deshpande from Raman Research Institute, Bangalore, and D. Mohit Randeria from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, received the prize. New Delhi, July 12 The Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has named the scheme Varisth Pension Bima Yojna. The scheme will provide life-time pension with an assured rate of return of 9 per cent on payment of a one-time lump sum premium. The minimum pension will be Rs 250 per month and the maximum Rs 2,000 per month. This will entail a minimum premium of Rs 33,335 and a maximum premium of Rs 2,77,490 respectively. Persons above the age of 55 will be eligible for availing themselves of the scheme. The scheme is in line with the announcement made by the Finance Minister Jaswant Singh while presenting the Budget for 2003-04. Under the scheme, life in the event of the death of the pensioner, the policy price will be returned to the nominee. The Prime Minister will also launch a community-based Universal Health Insurance Scheme for the underprivileged. Under this scheme, a premium of Rs 1 per day for an individual, Rs 1.50 per day for a family of five and Rs 2 per day for a family of seven will entitle reimbursement of medical expenses to the extent of Rs 30,000. |
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‘Lineage no basis for prime ministership’ New Delhi, July 12 Addressing state presidents and general secretaries of the BJP’s Legal Cell here today, Mr Naidu said “the issue of Prime Ministership should not be decided on the principle of heredity but on that of capability.” Indirectly raking up foreigners’ issue, he said the Prime Minister should be an India-born national, with the capability, vision and experience to lead the nation besides being a deft statesman. He said the country was fortunate to have Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee as its Prime Minister who was not only a universally accepted statesman but also commanded the respect and support of the entire nation. He also castigated the Congress for demanding the summoning of the PM by the Liberhan Commission. Demanding that a legislation should be brought to limit the size of the Cabinet at 10 per cent of the respective legislatures — both at the national and state levels — Mr Naidu pleaded for simultaneous elections to Parliament, Assemblies and local bodies to save time and money. |
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Nitish for making safety report
public New Delhi, July 12 Mr Nitish Kumar said that he had written letters to his counterpart in the Ministry of Civil Aviation to make the CRS report a public document but his representations had gone unheard. ‘‘As Railway Minister, I have made this demand in a White Paper on safety and voiced it in Parliament.’’ The minister directed the newly appointed Railway Board Chairman, Mr R.K. Singh, to give notice to the ministry concerned to resolve the matter. Mr R.K. Singh, mooted the idea of a safety information centre and safety cells in various divisions to keep a close watch on deficiencies in the system. “People try to look into the prima facie cause of the accident and try to find out who should be suspended or punished. We should pay special attention to ensure that accidents don’t recur,’’ said Mr J.P. Shukla, Secretary-General of Federation of Railway Officers Association. |
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Obituary Bhisham Sahni is no more. With him has passed the last torch-bearer of progressive writing not only in Punjab but in the subcontinent also. Only the other day I came across one of his Comrades in Lahore who was painfully aware that after the passing-away of Sheilaji, his wife, Bhisham had not been keeping well. She said, “I am going to book a seat in the first bus to Delhi. It is a cruel coincidence that the day the first bus arrived from Lahore, Bhisham breathed his last. Like his brother the late Balraj Sahni, a Punjabi to the core of his heart with status as a writer in Hindi Bhisham provided a vital link between Punjabi writing and writing in the Hindi belt. His novel Tamas projected the agony of the people of “Punjab suffered on the eve of Independence as, perhaps, no other writing has done. It is because Bhisham was a man of the masses. He did not see the communal frenzy that took over Punjab during partition of the country from a safe distance like many of us but experienced it physically working as a volunteer in the devastated Pothoari villages of Rawalpindi district providing help to the helpless victims of communal riots . No wonder that ‘Tamas’ not only earned Bhisham the coveted Sahitya Akademi Award, its audio-visual version gave a glimpse of the sufferings of the displaced Punjabis and their determination to resurrect themselves from the ashes, as it were. As a front-rank short story writer of his generation, Bhisham through his writing mainly in Hindi depicted the Punjabi scene , with remarkable authenticity, his Punjabi characters, bold, fearless and self-sacrificing, carrying conviction-invariably. Like his elder brother Balraj Sahni, no less was Bhisham involved in theatre. He wrote plays and if an opportunity offered itself, he gladly acted in them with no less distinction. His play entitled ‘Dekh Kabira Roya’ on the life and times of Kabir was a great success on Delhi stage and has ever been in demand for repeat performance. He wrote a number of plays for radio, at times adopting his short stories for the medium. With all the success and recognition that came his way as an eminent writer, Bhisham Sahni remained unassuming and humble all his life. It is said, after his tour abroad if his plane
arrived at odd hours, he would not go home lest he disturbed his people. I had personal experience of Bhisham’s humility and modesty. During my tenure as Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Lotus, the prestigious Journal of the Afro-Asian Writers Association brought out simultaneously in
English, French and Arabic with Faiz as its Editor-in-Chief we wanted the headquarters of the journal shifted to New Delhi from Beirut. That would enable Faiz also to shift to New Delhi who was being harassed by the military regime back home. The proposal was placed before Mrs Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, who had no objection provided the Secretary-General of the Afro-Asian Writers Association was also an Indian. For this, we had to wait for the next general election of the association. However, as it happened a couple of months and the Arab Secretary-General, of Afro-Asian Writers Association died of heart failure. As luck would have it, Bhisham Sahni, being the senior most Assistant Secretary took over as Secretary-General. Any other man would have seen to it that the Headquarters of not only the Lotus but of the present body was also shifted to India thus giving our country leadership of the Afro-Asian writers community. But Bhisham’s humility, he did not feel the urgency of it. In the meanwhile Nurul Hasan, Union Minister for Education, and G. Parthasarthi, one of Mrs Gandhi’s advisers, who were supporting this move, dispersed. Bhisham Sahni is no more, but as a progressive and Hindi writer from Punjab, he will be remembered forever. |
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Shabana seeks justice for oustees Bhopal, July 12 Ms Azmi, along with the social activist, Swami Agnivesh, and the former Planning Commission member, Mr L.C. Jain, had an extensive tour of the project-affected villages to see the situation on the ground for herself. Later on, the three gave their impressions to the Chief Minister, Mr Digvijay Singh, and demanded justice for the affected people. The Chief Minister has agreed to convene a meeting of all parties concerned on July 26 to thrash out the issue. The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader, Ms Medha Patkar, will also be invited to the meeting. Talking to reporters, Ms Azmi said government claims of rehabilitation of the affected families were not correct. “We have seen with our own eyes that justice has not been done to the affected people”. She said the affected people were only demanding land for land and there was nothing wrong in that. |
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Students’ fate again in limbo New Delhi, July 12 A Bench comprising Mr Justice Doraiswamy Raju and Mr Justice Arijit Pasayat, while accepting for hearing the appeal by the DCI, a statutory body for granting recognition for the dental education in the country, issued notice to the college seeking its reply within two weeks. The DCI has challenged the High Court order on the ground that the college lacked the basic infrastructural facilities required for imparting education in dental science, including the staff. When Additional Solicitor-General Mukul Rohtagi, appearing for the DCI, pressed for the stay of the High Court order, the Bench in oral observation said it hoped that the college authorities would maintain the status quo with regard to the admissions till the appeal was decided by it. The court, however, declined to pass a written order on the stay, asking the respondent to file its reply within two weeks, giving details about the facilities provided by the Baba Mast Nath Society in the dental college. Opposing the stay on the High Court order, the counsel for the college submitted that the appeal by the DCI was contrary to the Central Government’s stand. He said the Union Health Ministry in a letter on July 3, has given approval to the institution, which is affiliated to Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak. Mr Rohtagi contested it claiming that the DCI as a statutory body, has the prerogative to regulate the dental education and granting recognition to any institution in the country after examining the facilities provided by it. The court said all these aspects would be looked into on the next hearing after the reply was received from the respondent. The High Court had given conditional clearance for future admissions by the college stating that it would be subject to the removal of the shortage of staff by the institute within three months. The case had been referred to it by the Supreme Court. |
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Hearing in sati cases resumes after decade Jaipur, July 12 The Supreme Court, which in 1993 and 1997 stayed the proceedings in the Special Court against the accused, including vice-president of BJP’s Rajasthan unit Rajendra Singh Rathore and chief of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, had in April this year lifted the stay by rejecting their appeals. The court has fixed July 18 and 19 for the next hearing in the case, official sources said. The cases were registered in 1987 against 21 persons for holding rallies and meetings after the Deorala sati incident in which a young woman Roop Kanwar was burnt alive on the funeral pyre of her husband. The state Assembly enacted the Prevention of Sati Act and established the Special Court for the quick disposal of cases in 1987. —
PTI |
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Reinstate TN workers, say
unions New Delhi, July 12 The CPI and the CPI (M) asked the Tamil Nadu Government to scrap the ordinance which had amended the Tamil Nadu Essential Services Maintenance Act. “It is necessary to build up a protest movement against this dangerous law not only in Tamil Nadu but in the entire country,” the two parties said in a joint statement. In a joint statement, the unions said, “The Tamil Nadu Government cannot justify its action of summary dismissal of over two lakh state government employees for their participation in the statewide strike of 10 lakh employees and teachers in protest against the curtailment of pensionary benefits.” Chennai: A day after the Madras High Court refused to revoke the mass dismissals, the Joint Action Council of the Tamil Nadu Teachers and Employees Organisation and Government Employees Organisation (JACTTEO-GEO) and COTA-GEO on Saturday called off their 11-day-old strike. |
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Adopt Vande Mataram as Anthem: ABVP Lucknow, July 12 The ABVP raised objection over the word “adhinayak” in the National Anthem, which they claim stands for King George V. A senior ABVP leader told The Tribune here today that the word, ‘adhinayak’ in Jana Gana Mana was a reference to British imperialists who were ruling the country when the song was composed. However, those supporting Jana Gana Mana as the National Song say the word “adinayak” in the National Anthem stands for God. |
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Vohra briefs Advani on J&K New Delhi, July 12 To a question on the possibility of talks with the separatist Hurriyat Conference. Mr Vohra said there was an “open invitation” for talks to all groups. |
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The mortal remains of Bhisham Sahni were consigned to the flames on Saturday. Former Prime Minister I.K. Gujral, writers Namvar Singh, Nirmal Verma and Rajender Yadav were among the scores of artists and writers who paid their last respects to the Sahitya Akademi
awardee. Bhisham Sahni passed away yesterday. He was 84. He authored novels like “Tamas” that delved into human relationships and sensibilities in the setting of the Partition in 1947. The novel fetched him the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1978. —
TNS
