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Sunday,
September 14, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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India cannot reduce farm subsidy, Mufti gives clean chit to accused
minister Special drive to recruit Kashmiri Pandits
Death threat to Sena
MP |
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UP, Bihar reel under
flood: Army called
in Ten militants killed in Imphal encounter Howrah railway station closed for
upgradation Mulayam meets Jaswant Singh Cong to contest all seats in Chhattisgarh
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India cannot reduce farm subsidy, says FM New Delhi, September 13 “Developed nations, which provide $ 320 billion worth of subsidies to their agriculture, are asking us to reduce subsidy and open up our markets. We can’t do it,” Mr Jaswant Singh said, referring to the tough negotiations at the ongoing Cancun meeting of the WTO. In an interview to Doordarshan, he said the level of subsidy in the developed nations was substantially high at almost $ 1 billion a day. Even for one cattle, the subsidy provided was to the tune of $ 2. “If someone asks us to stop giving subsidies to agriculture, we will not listen to him,” Mr Jaswant Singh said. The Finance Minister, who met former Commerce Minister Arun Shourie, said the Cancun meeting was not the totality of the WTO and the WTO was not all of global trade. “For India, agriculture is not a mere economic activity but a way of life. Our culture is linked to agriculture. We want subsidies to come down but at the same time ensuring food security is important,” he said. Referring to the “ship-to-mouth” era a few decades ago when foodgrains had to be imported to meet the needs of the masses, Mr Jaswant Singh said “Now we are self-sufficient”. —
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Mufti gives clean chit to accused minister Vadodara, September 13 Talking to reporters at the end of his two-day visit to Anand town, about 35 km from here, Mr Sayeed said “Zargar has not been using his house located in Muzagam village for the past many years...so question of his involvement in planning the attacks by terrorists does not arise”. Mr Zargar had already issued a statement saying that the charges against him were “baseless”. Mr Sayeed said even during the Assembly poll campaign, Mr Zargar never visited his home in the village and conducted his campaign from the district headquarters located in Jammu. He also denied that there was any pressure from his coalition partner Congress to seek Mr Zargar’s resignation in the wake of criticism by the National Conference and the BJP in the state. Referring to Kashmiri Pandits’ return to the state, Mr Sayeed said, “I am eager to bring them back, who are now staying in different parts of the country”. “Even though they are two per cent of the total population, their return to the state is very essential to prove that conducive atmosphere has been created in the state”, he asserted. Two housing complexes were coming up in Srinagar to house them, the Chief Minister added. The attacks by terrorists during the inter-state council meeting had not affected the normal life in the state and people of the state had demonstrated their firm resolve that they wanted peace and prosperity. “Jammu and Kashmir is miniature India and the question of its trifurcation into Kashmir, Ladakh and Jammu does not arise”, he said and pointed out that those who were advocating trifurcation could not win a single seat in the state Assembly.
New Delhi: Mr Sayeed said today despite some stray terrorist incidents, the peace process to bring normalcy in the trouble-torn state will continue. “Dialogue is the essence of democracy. We are not against dialogue. But there should be reciprocity. You don’t clap with one hand”, Mr Sayeed told reporters when asked with which Hurriyat group the dialogue would be held. He was talking to reporters after nearly an hour-long meeting with Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani in the North Bloc, when he briefed him about the situation in the state. Observing that the killing of Kuka Parray might have some effect on the peace process, he said there were some people who were bent upon derailing the stabilisation process. —
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Special drive to recruit Kashmiri Pandits in Army New Delhi, September 13 Speaking at a function organised by the Kashmiri Samiti, Mr Fernandes said, “The Defence Ministry will start a special recruitment drive for Kashmiri Pandit youths in the Army. Since the community is scattered all along the country we will hold four special camps at places like Jammu and Delhi for the benefit of the youths”. Referring to the memorandum submitted by the Kashmiri Samiti, Mr Fernandes said that he agreed with almost all the demands, including that of providing representation to the minority community in the state assembly and Parliament. The Defence Minister said that he would take up the issue of distress sale by Kashmiri Pandits with the Chief Minister tomorrow during his visit to the state. Referring to another demand of holding talks with the Kashmiri migrants, he said that he would take up the issue with the Central and state leaderships very soon. Earlier in his address, samiti president Sunil Shakdar accused the Mufti Mohammad government of working on communal lines and doing nothing for the minority community. —
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Death threat to Sena
MP Mumbai, September 13 According to Home Department officials here, some hitmen of Chotta Shakeel’s gang have been assigned the task of eliminating Mr Nirupam. Shakeel is an associate of the Dawood Ibrahim gang, which has killed a number of low-ranking Shiv Sena leaders in the past, allegedly to avenge the killing of several gang members eliminated from 1994 and 1999 when the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance was in power. Most top-ranking Shiv Sena leaders, including Bal Thackeray, his son Uddhav, and nephew Raj, have been provided the highest level of security. However, Mr Nirupam has been provided with only two police bodyguards so far. The number would be increased soon, say sources. The Dawood-Shakeel duo have killed 17 local-level leaders of the Shiv Sena in the past six years, say police officials. However, two attempts to gun down former mayor of Mumbai Milind Vaidya failed. His assailants were, however, convicted under the tough Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act which provides for in-camera trials and protection of witnesses. |
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UP, Bihar reel under flood; Army called
in
New Delhi, September 13 The Army was pressed into service at Ballia in Uttar Pradesh last night for the protection of embankments of Ghaghara and Srinagar which have been threatened by the Ganga, state Relief Commissioner Anant Kumar said here. Flood waters had submerged about 422 villages in the district, of which around 104 had been marooned completely, Mr Kumar said. Rail and road communications were also badly disrupted in the district. Four persons got drowned in Allahabad and Varanasi districts while two died in wall collapse, taking the toll in the state to 188. The flood situation in Allahabad remained grim, affecting about 80 villages in the district and forcing people to abandon their homes. A 12-year-old boy drowned in the Ganga near Nagbasuki in Daraganj area here last evening. Despite the district administration’s claim to have started relief operation on a war footing, people were facing problems like scarcity of drinking water and essential commodities. There was a threat of an outbreak of epidemic with carcasses floating in the flood waters. Allahabad Division Commissioner Sadakant asked all the district magistrates to evacuate those affected to safer places. Directions were also given to make available essential commodities at normal prices. A ban on export of fodder has also been ordered. With the Ganga crossing the danger mark early today, Varanasi continued to reel under the flood. According to district flood control room, the water level of the Ganga was flowing at 72.1 m at 8 am. The police said three persons, including a professional diver, drowned in the district in the past 48 hrs. In Chaubepur area of the district two sisters died in a wall collapse. The administration has been put on high alert for rescue and relief work while the the government has set up 30 flood monitoring booths and two flood relief centres. Meanwhile, the Urai administration ordered the closure of all educational institutions till Monday owing to flood. — UNI |
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Ten militants killed in Imphal encounter Imphal, September 13 The encounter took place after 14th Assam Rifles and 19th Rajput Rifles personnel raided hill villages in the area, about 35 km north of Imphal, on the National Highway at around 3.30 a.m. while acting on specific information, they said. A heavy exchange of fire took place between the two sides, the sources said, adding as per initial reports at least 10 militants were killed. The identity of the killed militants could not be established. The Kuki National Front outfit was active in the area, they said. —
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Howrah railway station closed for upgradation Kolkata, September 13 A railway spokesman said work for the new system began last midnight and would continue till 6 am tomorrow. “Although we are facing problems owing to sporadic spells of rain we can say by the manner in which the work is progressing we shall be able to complete it on schedule,” he said here. The usually bustling Howrah station wore a deserted look devoid of passengers with only railway workers seen working atop specialised traction vans at certain points. Installation of the new system involves replacement of stretches of overhead traction, besides track circuiting and upgradation of the signalling system, he said, adding that the system would be able to handle traffic on 1134 routes. —
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Mulayam meets Jaswant Singh New Delhi, September 13 Mr Jaswant Singh said after the meeting that the Centre would ensure there was no dearth of resources. Uttar Pradesh, he said, was an important state in the country. “Irrespective of our political thinking, we have an old and close relationship. As Finance Minister of the country, I cannot confine to a single party line,” he said. |
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Cong to contest all seats in Chhattisgarh New Delhi, September 13 Talking to mediapersons here, Mr Jogi said the elections would be fought mainly between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata party as the political culture of the state was such that there was no place for a third party. Answering to questions about the emergence of the Nationalist Congress Party in Chhattisgarh, Mr Jogi said that most of the senior leaders who had joined the NCP along with Mr V.C. Shulka had returned to the Congress. He refused to comment on senior Congress leader Shyama Charan Shukla’s reported remark about Mr V C Shukla’s party getting support because of dissatisfaction amongst the people. Refuting the charge levelled by Union Minister of State for Forest and Environment Dilip Singh Judev regarding conversions, Mr Jogi challenged the BJP to file a single case of illegal conversions. Pointing out that Madhya Pradesh was the first to have enacted a law against conversions in 1968 making conversion a punishable offence, Mr Jogi wondered why the BJP had not filed a single case of illegal conversion in any police station or court so far. |
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