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World Social Forum meeting Govt to launch kisan call centres Pak’s MFN status to India this year,
BJP’s pre-poll campaign from Jan 23 |
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Judeo case suspect appears before CBI Parents can’t revoke gift deed made in favour of minors: SC Karnataka assures SC of fair trial, full security to Jaya
Sharma challenges MCOCA Youth held for posing as Advani’s son Leaders deny ‘involvement’ in 1984 riots Congress seeks apology from BJP Farooq’s daughter marries Rajesh Pilot’s son
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World Social Forum meeting attracts Leftists
Mumbai, January 15 Apart from being a meeting point of radicals of many hues, including feminists, environmentalists, etc., the traditional Left parties are also showing some interest in the event which will go on till January 21. Mr Nilotpal Basu, a Member of Parliament representing the Stalinist party, CPI(M), said: “The WSF is essentially a broad-based platform for opposing globalisation of economy and to that extent the party will like to join hands with other outfits who are against the expansion of the so-called globalised economy”. While he will himself take part in deliberations in the World Parliamentary Forum, being organised as part of the WSF, Mr Prakash Karat and Mr Sitaram Yechuri, both politburo members, will participate in other WSI programme, Mr Basu said. Earlier, a panel, comprising Indian organisers of the WSF as well as international organisers, interacted with the media about the objectives of the WSF. The star attraction during the session was the presence of Ms Medha Patkar, the Magsaysay Award winner in the panel. Mentioning her own experience in the “Narmada Bachao” agitation, Ms Patkar said it was most important to build up people’s movement against anti-people steps by government or by a business house. “We do not distrust political parties that claim to champion poor people’s cause. Nevertheless we put greater emphasis on people’s struggle which is not strictly controlled by a political party”, Ms Patkar said. Chico Whiteear, an anti-globalisation activist from Brazil, said in South American countries, globalisation had already created inflation, impoverishment of the masses and other social and economic problem. Ms Rabia Abdelkarim, an African feminist, Mr Kamal Mitra, a Leftwing intellectual, and Mr Ashok Bharti, a Dalit activist, also addressed the media. Tomorrow, the actual sessions of the WSF will start in the afternoon with Mr V.P. Singh, former Prime Minister, chairing one of them.  |
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Govt to launch kisan call centres New Delhi, January 15 Addressing mediapersons here after the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), Agriculture Minister Rajnath Singh said the kisan call centres were being launched keeping in mind the “massive and good telecom infrastructure now available in the country”. The call centres will operate through toll-free lines (1551) which is common throughout the country. The call centre will operate on all seven days of the week 24 hours a day and address specific queries of farmers pertaining to various issues such as fertilisers, technology, markets and weather among others. However, only during office hours live answers will be given and during non-office hours, the query will be recorded and a response will be sent by post or by personal visit. Scientists/experts from all state agriculture universities, ICAR institutes, state departments of agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry have been identified to man the queries at different levels, Mr Singh said. Initially eight call centres will be set up, including one in Chandigarh. However, the service will be available throughout the country as calls coming in from various states will be routed through these centres and the responses will be given in local languages. The Cabinet has also decided to establish a cable-satellite channel for national broadcast using the existing facilities available with the IGNOU. It is planned to have a one-hour broadcast on the available transponder repeated four times a day during the current year. In addition, the 96 FM radio stations which predominantly cover the rural areas will be used for a one-hour broadcast of agricultural information. |
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Pak’s MFN status to India this year, says Senator New Delhi, January 15 “The MFN status may be given to India by our government later this year, I will personally work towards this end”, he said. The Senator is on a visit to India to frame a business action plan in association with FICCI in the backdrop of signing of Framework Agreement on SAFTA. He said despite domestic shortages, Pakistan is unlikely to import wheat from India owing to political reasons and different agri-trade regimes in the two countries. “Since Indian wheat is much cheaper and subsidised, its import will needlessly create political problems in Pakistan,” the senator said. He expressed optimism that the Kashmir issue will be solved amicably under the Simla Agreement. “I am sure, the Kashmir issue will be solved before the SAFTA Agreement comes into force”, he said adding that the Simla Agreement is the only legal document parliaments of both the countries have ratified for negotiations. He said joint ventures between the two countries would help in generating employment and alleviating poverty. Tourism was the sector with the largest potential, he added. A “Made in Pakistan” exhibition is being organised in India in March to showcase Pakistani goods and commodities. FICCI Ladies Organisation is also taking a business delegation of women entrepreneurs shortly to Pakistan. The balance of bilateral trade is highly in India’s favour at present as its exports in 2002-03 were worth $ 216.52 million against an import of $ 46.83 million. FICCI Secretary-General A. Mitra said with a proper business climate, trade between the two countries could rise to $ 3-4 billion. |
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BJP’s pre-poll campaign from Jan 23 New Delhi, January 15 Briefing newspersons, BJP spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the election of the party President would be followed by a meeting of divisional, district, city party presidents and state officer-bearers and members of the district councils. About 15,000 delegates would attend the meeting in which guidelines as regards preparations for the coming Lok Sabha elections would be issued, he said. He said all important party leaders, including Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi, BJP chief ministers and party general secretary Pramod Mahajan would address meetings during the month-long campaign. Before the National Council meeting, a meeting of state party spokesman, media managers and publicity cell managers would be held in Delhi on January 28, he added. |
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Bail for Jogi in forgery case New Delhi, January 15 Metropolitan Magistrate Sahabuddin granted bail to Jogi after his executing a bail bond for Rs 10,000 and a surety of the like amount. Jogi was chargesheeted by the CBI in the case for allegedly forging certain documents to show that operation “black sea” had been launched by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) against him and some other Opposition leaders last year to look into their assets and to defame them. However, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee ordered a CBI probe into the matter after Jogi wrote a letter to him in this regard. The CBI had filed a chargesheet against Jogi few days prior to the recent Assembly elections, alleging that he had used forged documents about the so-called operation “black sea” as genuine, while no such operation was ever conducted. The CBI had alleged that Jogi had tried to defame a very important intelligence organisation (IB) of the government. The court has fixed February 24 for hearing arguments on Jogi’s application challenging the
chargesheet. |
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Judeo case suspect appears before CBI New Delhi, January 15 Rahul, who has been evading questioning by the agency by not responding to the repeated summons issued to him, appeared before the agency with his lawyers after the Delhi High Court to join investigation, CBI sources said. However, the other two — Arvind Vijaymohan and Praveen Jain — who have also been asked by the court to join the investigation, have so far not responded to the summons. The accused have also been asked by the Delhi High Court to hand over all material, including recorded tapes they had in connection with the case, to the bureau while the investigating agency was told to ‘examine’ them in regard to the matter in question, but not ‘interrogate’ them. Sources said he was likely to hand over to the agency three video tapes and an audio cassette in which he had allegedly filmed, as well as recorded, Judeo’s earlier bribery deals. The High Court passed the direction while hearing the petition filed by Rahul, who worked as a journalist for ‘Aakash Channel’ run by Amit Jogi son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, and his associates. |
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Parents can’t revoke gift deed made in favour of minors: SC New Delhi, January 15 “Once a gift is made by the parents to a child, there is presumption of acceptance of it,” a Bench comprising Mr Justice Y.K Sabharwal and Mr Justice D.M Dharmadhikari in a judgement said, while settling a two-decade-old dispute between a brother and sister over the property gifted to them by their mother. When a gift was made in favour of the donor, who is the guardian of the minor child, the acceptance on the part of the latter could be presumed to have been made without any overt act of signifying it. Devyani, from Mayyand in Kerala, had executed a gift deed in favour of her 16-year-old son K Balakrishnan and a minor daughter in 1945, giving them half of her share in the land inherited by her from her father. But Devyani had in 1970 executed another deed for cancelling the gift and bequeathing the land entirely in the name of her daughter, which was challenged in the court by her son. Balakrishnan had challenged the cancellation of the gift deed in the court on the ground that his acceptance to the gift was presumed under the law. But his suit was dismissed by the trial court as well as the Kerala High Court. Setting aside the lower court and the High Court orders, the apex court said the gift deed was revoked by the mother much latter after the minor son had become major and she never repudiated the gift. |
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Karnataka assures SC of fair trial, full security to Jaya New Delhi, January 15 Jayalalithaa had “chosen to present a picture which was far from reality,” Karnataka’s Additional Chief Secretary Adhip Chaudhary said in an affidavit today. Admitting that the Cauvery water issue had given rise to strong feelings among the people of both states, the Karnataka Government said it would not mean that legal system in the state would not be able to ensure a fair trial for her. The Supreme Court on November 18 had ordered transfer of the cases to Bangalore from a Special Court at Chennai by allowing the petition of a DMK leader that “justice was being subverted” due to the influence of Jayalalithaa on prosecuting agency and the witnesses. Jayalalithaa in an application had urged the court to reconsider its order on the ground that due to “anti-Tamilian” sentiments, she would not get fair trial and full security in Karnataka. “For its part, Karnataka will ensure that the trial is fair and all necessary security is provided to the applicant (Jayalalithaa) at all stages of the proceedings,” the affidavit said adding there was no justification for the unfair criticism of the legal system operating in the state. |
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Mumbai, January 15 Sharma had earlier filed a petition challenging his arrest under MCOCA and the constitutional validity of the Act. Today, he amended it by questioning the applicability of the law on him and others. Justice V.G. Palshikar and Justice P.V. Kakade took on record his amended plea and posted the matter for further hearing on January 22. On the same day, the judges would fix a date for the final hearing of Sharma’s petition. In another development, Advocate-General Goolam Vahanvati assured the court that the SIT would not seek further police custody of Sharma. Sharma has urged the court to restrain the special investigating team from seeking his further police custody. He is currently in jail in Pune. Sharma asserted in his amended plea that after a close scrutiny of relevant papers and the provisions of the law, he had come to the conclusion that the provisions of MCOCA were not applicable in the case. He said the primary allegations of the prosecution are that printing machines were fraudulently obtained from the India Security Press at Nashik and used for printing counterfeit stamps and stamp papers. However, no offence under MCOCA had been committed. His arrest under MCOCA was illegal, unconstitutional and without any authority of law, his counsels argued.
— PTI |
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4 CPM workers shot dead Kolkata, January 15 Those killed were identified as Gautam Sarker (19), Ajoy Biswas (25), Gour Mondal (29) and Rabi Biswas (19). The condition of five others, who were admitted to the hospital with gunshot wounds, was stated to be critical. Meanwhile, CPM and CPI workers clashed at Phasideo, near Siliguiri, this morning over a land dispute, injuring 25 persons, according to reports. Of those injured, 17 were admitted to the hospital and the condition of six was stated to be critical. The police fired several rounds of shots to disperse the two groups, which resulted in injuries to two CPM and one CPI workers. DIG (headquarter) N. Ghosh said eight persons had been arrested in connection with the incident at Mathabhanga, but no one was arrested for the clash at Phasideo. According to eyewitness account gathered by the police, four KLO militants riding two motor cycles and carrying AK-47 guns attacked people coming out of the hall after a show, killing three on the spot. The CPM will observe a 12-hour bandh in the district tomorrow in protest against the killing. The Chief Minister has directed the police to take action against those responsible for the crime. |
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Youth held for posing as Advani’s son Jamshedpur, January 15 Acting on a tip-off, officer-in-charge Dharmendra Kumar conducted raid at the house of Mantreshwar Jha, alias Kumar Aman, and arrested him, the Superintendent of Police, Dr Arun Oraon, told mediapersons here. Jha revealed during interrogation that he had sent Divali greetings to all important personalities, including film producers Rajkumar Santoshi and Prahalad Nihlani projecting himself as Mr Advani’s son and had asked the film producers to provide a suitable role to ‘Kumar Aman’ in their films, Oraon said. However, when the film producers called him back to cross-check his identity, Jha confirmed the telephone number but denied any call was made on behalf of Jayant Advani from the phone, the SP said.
— PTI |
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Sajal Jain held in rape case New Delhi, January 15 Jain was flown to Ahmedabad where he would be produced in a court, police sources said. Jain, accused of raping a 24-year-old woman along with his three friends on New Year’s eve in Ahmedabad, was admitted in a private hospital here following reported food poisoning before being traced there on Sunday night during a manhunt for him. He remained in ICU for five days and was shifted to the general ward yesterday after doctors felt his condition had “improved”. Before taking him to Ahmedabad, a team of the Gujarat police interrogated Jain who reportedly denied having raped his girl-friend, the sources said.
— UNI |
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Leaders deny ‘involvement’ in 1984 riots New Delhi, January 15 Describing the allegations by some witnesses against them as “absolutely false”, Kamal Nath and Sathe said in their affidavits that neither had they participated in any violence nor incited the mob for it. Kamal Nath, however, did not deny his presence in the crowd that had gathered near Rakab Ganj Gurdwara. The allegations that the police had fired several rounds in the direction of the gurdwara at the instruction of Congress leaders, were “absolutely false”, the affidavit said. |
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Congress seeks apology from BJP New Delhi, January 15 “It is strange that the Prime Minister is silent. If he is sincere, he should have distanced himself publically and reprimanded Fernandes and Mahajan,” said Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma.
— TNS Farooq’s daughter marries Rajesh Pilot’s son New Delhi, January 15 The ceremony was a low-key affair and only family members of the groom were present at Pilots’ Canning Lane residence, family sources said. They said no one from the Abdullah family attended the wedding. While the bride’s father, Dr Farooq Abdullah, is away in London, her brother and National Conference president Omar Abdullah is recuperating in a Delhi hospital. Both, Sachin and Sarah have been friends for some time. |
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