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Stringent norms
likely for soft drinks LS adjourned for
the day Baijal likely to
be new Home Secy
Karuna worries continue, good news on BJD front |
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Orissa House to be dissolved on Feb 6 MLA among 100
detained Four chosen for
Outstanding Parliamentarian Award CPI gears up for
poll Tripti Nath 2 BSP factions
form alliance Gun still points
at Gandhi Smriti
Partial response
to Jharkhand bandh
Woman delivers Buta Singh meets
Ghising SC summons
Punjab’s Aviation Secretary Allahabad-Hardwar
train service
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Stringent norms likely for soft drinks New Delhi, January 29 “We, in the report, have tried to draw the attention of the government towards the health aspects”, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Nirupam, who is a member of the JPC, said. On the findings of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), which has stated that Coke and Pepsi contained dangerous levels of pesticides, Mr Nirupam said the NGO was doing a good job and efforts had been made to address its concerns. Meanwhile, according to sources, the report instead of merely asking the government for taking preventive measures, will recommend practical measures. The report has, however, pulled up the Health Ministry for not taking action against cola companies for their advertisements, claiming that their products were pesticide-free, which is in clear violation of the Food Adulteration Act. The JPC report would also call for expeditiously putting in place “world class” quality norms for finished cola drinks and not merely the water that is utilised, the sources said. In the event of implementation of the recommendation, India may well become the first country to set norms for individual constituents in soft drinks, the sources said. Although the JPC’s terms of reference also included norms for carbonated and other beverages, the committee has found little time to provide any detailed finding on fruit and vegetable juices. It may be recalled that the JPC sought an extension till the budgetary session of Parliament and had to speed up for its report in the wake of the impending Lok Sabha poll. Those who made presentations before the JPC include representatives of the Health Ministry, Central Ground Water Board, Ground Water Authority, Secretary of Water Resources, CSE, besides Coca Cola and Pepsico. The 300-page report in three volumes of the committee, headed by NCP chief Sharad Pawar, will be submitted after hearings spanning over five months. |
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LS adjourned for the day New Delhi, January 29 Immediately after the House assembled for the day, Opposition members sought to pin down the government on a number of issues, including the abolition of nine districts in Uttar Pradesh. Members of the Opposition also protested the government’s decision to do away with the customary President’s address to both Houses of Parliament on the opening day of the first session of a new year. The members resumed their seats as Speaker Manohar Joshi started reading the obituary references. Condoling the death of
Bhaura, a CPI member from Bathinda, Mr Joshi said that he championed the cause of the underprivileged, the downtrodden and the landless as a leader of the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Sabha.
Bhaura was elected twice from the Bathinda constituency in 1971 and 1999 and was also a member of the Punjab Assembly for two terms from 1962 to 1968. The House also paid tributes to former BJP President Kushabhau Thakre and K R Ganesh, who was a member of the Fourth and Fifth Lok Sabha representing Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Mr Ganesh died on January 2, 2004 at the age of 82. The short-session is being treated as an extension of the Winter Session and has been specially convened to approve the Vote-on-Account ( General) and Vote-on-Account (Railways) ahead of the likely dissolution of the House on February 6, 2004. The House observed a minute’s silence in the memory of the departed parliamentarians and also expressed grief and dismay over the loss of thousands of lives and property in the devastating earthquake in Iran last month. Railways Minister Nitish Kumar will present the Vote-on-Account (Railways) at noon tomorrow, while Finance Minister Jaswant Singh will present the Vote-on-Account (General) on February 3, 2004. The House will adjourn on February 5 and the Union Cabinet has recommended the dissolution of the Lok Sabha on February 6. |
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Baijal likely to be new Home Secy New Delhi, January 29 Mr Baijal would succeed Mr N. Gopalaswami, who would be taking over as the Election Commissioner on February 8. A formal notification with regard to Mr Baijal’s appointment is expected after the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, gives a final nod, sources said here today. A 1969 batch officer belonging to the Union Territory cadre, Mr Baijal has served as Chairman-cum- Managing Director of the Indian Airlines and Chief Executive Officer of the Prasar Bharati. |
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Karuna worries continue, good news on BJD front New Delhi, January 29 A day after veteran leader K.Karunakaran declared his intention to launch his own party and the AICC took exception to his public display of defiance, there was no communication between the two sides. “I have nothing to add to what Pranab Mukherjee said yesterday on this issue,” Congress spokesperson S.Jaipal Reddy told mediapersons today. Although the Congress Central leadership has made it clear that it will make no effort to placate the sulking Kerala leader, it also believes that Mr Karunakaran is indulging in brinkmanship and that there is still room for a patch-up. In this case, however, it wants Mr Karunakaran to take the initiative. While this wait and watch game is on, Congress allies in the UDF, Kerala Congress (M) and the Muslim League, have stepped in to try for a
rapprochement as they realise that a split in the Congress at this juncture would do immense damage to the party in the coming Lok Sabha poll. At the same time, great significance is being attached to Kerala chief minister A.K.Antony’s meeting with KPCC chief and Mr Karunakaran’s son, K.Muraleedharan, who has pledged his loyalty to the party. The meeting has led to speculation about Mr Muraleedharan’s induction into the state Cabinet. It is believed that if the rift between father and son is not genuine, such a move could help mollify Mr Karunakaran. On the other hand, party insiders believe Mr Muraleedharan’s decision not to join his father is a tactical move to enable Mr Karunakaran to control his supporters in the legislature party, who cannot quit because of the amended anti-defection Act. While the Kerala crisis lingered on, there was further bad news for the Congress with TRS chief Chandrashekhar Rao announcing that they would go it alone in the Lok Sabha elections. Mr Rao had discussed various seat sharing formulae with senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee on his recent visit to Delhi but they could not arrive at an agreement. Congress sources said the TRS had made exaggerated claims which were just not acceptable. They also admit that the failure to forge an alliance with the TRS could damage the Congress in the Telengana region where the TRS has made huge inroads. |
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Orissa
House to be dissolved on Feb 6
Bhubaneswar, January 29 The state Council of Ministers today met and decided to go for a three-day session of the State Assembly from February 3 to pass a vote-on-account budget for four months after which the Cabinet will formally recommend dissolution of the House, he said.
— PTI |
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MLA among 100 detained Lucknow, January 29 Uttar Pradesh ADG (Law and Order) Bua Singh said during the bandh called by the Gautam Buddha Nagar Zila Bachao Samiti, protestors tried to disrupt road and rail traffic at Sector 19, Noida, the Delhi-Ghaziabad border and Dadri. They also held protest demonstration in various parts of Noida and Greater Noida. Schools and colleges in the region were closed and security contingents deployed in the area. The Mulayam Singh government disbanded nine districts and four divisions of the state on January 13, inviting widescale protests and demonstrations.
— UNI |
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Four chosen for Outstanding New Delhi, January 29 The awards for the years 2000,2001 and 2002 were given to senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Arjun Singh, Finance Minister and leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh and leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, respectively. The awards, instituted by the Indian Parliamentary Group headed by the Lok Sabha Speaker, were finalised today. The award is given every year to a sitting member of Parliament. Previous awardees include Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, veteran CPI leader Indrajit Gupta, CPM leader Somnath Chatterjee and Congress leaders Pranab Mukherjee and S. Jaipal Reddy. The announcement, however, raised some questions among MPs about the nomination procedure and the manner in which the norms laid out for selection are being applied. There were some murmurs of disapproval about the fact that three Rajya Sabha members were selected as against one Lok Sabha MP. The selection criteria for giving these awards include member’s experience, debating skills, awareness of national and international issues, contribution in international parliamentary fora and various parliamentary committees and observance of rules and procedures. |
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CPI gears up for poll
Tripti Nath New Delhi, January 29 Mr Sudhakar Reddy, Secretary of the Andhra Pradesh State Committee and member of the National Executive, told TNS that the National Executive would also discuss the preparation for the nationwide strike called by all Left trade unions. “We will discuss our role in supporting the strike. Besides, we will hold a debate on the resistance of Communist parties to disinvestment in the public sector,” he said. Mr Reddy said all 31 members of the National Executive, the decision making body of the party, were expected to attend the meeting at Makhdoom Bhavan in Hyderabad. The Chairman of the Central Control Commission, Mr Karkhanis, will also be present at the meeting. |
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2 BSP factions form alliance Bhopal, January 29 Mr Sukhlal Kushwah and Mr Phool Singh
Baraiya, leaders of the two factions, announced at a press conference that they would jointly put forward candidates for all 29 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Mr Kushwah is a former BSP member of the Lok Sabha and Mr Baraiya a former party MLA. While the former has considerable following in the Vindhya region of the state, Mr Baraiya has a substantial following in the
Gwalior-Chambal region. Mr Kushwah had fallen out with the present BSP chief Ms Mayawati, some time back and formed his Rashtriya Samanata Dal. Mr Baraiya had parted the ways with Ms Mayawati just before the last year’s Assembly elections and formed Samata Samaj Party. |
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Gun still points at Gandhi Smriti New Delhi, January 29 Unlike the 9 mm pistol that felled him, the gun pointing at the place of Mahatma Gandhi’s martyrdom at 5 Tees January Marg is a cannon. The cannon is located in front of National Defence College across the road from Gandhi Smriti. There are, in fact, three cannons, two of them facing Gandhi Smriti. “Gandhi Smriti is one of the holiest places in the world. The sanctity of the place should be preserved,’’ Gandhian Nirmala Deshpande said. The cannons are mounted on wheels and placed on a black granite platform. The muzzle of one cannon, which sits facing the gate of Gandhi Smriti, was taken out after the organisation objected to their presence. “We have even talked to Defence Minister George Fernandes about
removing the cannons, but they continue to sit there,’’ Gandhi Smriti Director Savita Singh said. She even urged the Defence Ministry to dip the cannons in honour of the Father of Nation, but in vain. When Ms Smriti Singh told Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw some years ago about the presence of the cannons in front of Gandhi Smriti, the veteran soldier asked her not to worry about it.“A soldier loves a man of peace more than anybody else,’’ she recalled the Field Marshal as saying. Gandhiji was shot dead at 5.17 pm on January 30, 1947. Three bullets were fired at him from a 9 mm Berreta automatic. Gandhiji first stayed in Birla House (the original name of Gandhi Smriti building) for nine days from March 15, 1939, when he came from Rajkot to meet Viceroy Lord
Linlithgow. He stayed from September 9, 1947, after arriving from Kolkata, till his death. “ It would be better if the cannons are shifted to some place inside the Defence College,’’ Ms Deshpande said.
— UNI |
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Partial response to Jharkhand bandh Ranchi, January 29 Over 200o leaders of different opposition parties were taken into custody following protest marches at district
headquarters to enforce the bandh which was called after Mr Samresh Singh, who resigned from the Munda Cabinet, levelled corruption charges against the Chief Minister. Leaders belonging to the JMM, the Congress, the RJD and the Left parties took out processions at all district headquarters and many of them were taken into custody, the police said. However, all government office, public sectors and banks functioned normally across the state. Meanwhile, in Ranchi Chief Minister Arjun Munda today distributed appointment letters to 1009 persons in Class III grade.
— PTI |
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Woman delivers daughter’s twins Anand (Gujarat), January 29 Hailing from a village in Anand district, the woman had, at first, outrightly rejected the idea of giving birth to her own daughter’s children through artificial insemination, one of the family members told mediapersons here. Her daughter, living in London, who could not conceive after four years of marriage and was seeking a surrogate mother in India to save on the expenses in the UK, found it an uphill task to convince her mother, but finally got her approval.
— UNI |
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Buta Singh meets Ghising Kolkata, January 29 Mr Buta Singh had flown to Kolkata yesterday as an emissary of the AICC chief, Ms Sonia Gandhi, to meet the leaders of the anti-BJP parties to join hands with the Congress. Mr Buta Singh held an hour-long meeting with Mr
Ghising, with whom he developed contacts during the GNLF agitation in the hills in the late eighties. Mr Buta Singh had played a vital role in persuading Mr Jyoti Basu in signing the agreement with the GNLF August 22, 1988, thereby facilitating the formation of the hill council in Darjeeling, which Mr Ghising has been heading. The Congress leader said he was hopeful about his talks with Mr Ghising about which he would report to Ms Sonia Gandhi after returning to the Capital tomorrow. |
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SC summons Punjab’s Aviation Secretary New Delhi, January 29 A Bench of Mr Justice Brijesh Kumar and Mr Justice Arun Kumar directed the officer to appear before it on February 19. The order was issued by the court while hearing an appeal by the state government against the Punjab and Haryana High Court order asking it to make the payment to the employees. Employees’ counsel Nidhesh Gupta said as there was no stay on the High Court’s order, the government was bound to make the payment even if its appeal was pending before the apex court. He alleged the employees had not been paid salaries for the past one year. The state government maintained that the club and the college were not under its direct control. The employees’ counsel, however, said “It fell in the definition of state under Article 12 of the Constitution”. |
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Allahabad-Hardwar train service New Delhi, January 29 Meanwhile, the Indian Railways claims to have electrified about 26 per cent of the total railway network of 63,180 km till December 31 last year. |
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J&K panel for revoking charges against 34 New Delhi, January 29 |
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Rs 6 cr found at clerk’s home Aurangabad, January 29 |
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