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Mukesh Ambani leaves settlement issue to
mother
BJP-ruled states told to go ahead with fiscal
reforms
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Notices to Centre, EC on
immigrants
Fast-attack craft Bangaram launched
Bay of Bengal countries tie up
to counter terrorism
Torching riot witness: one
held
Kidnapped engineers freed after a month
Shivsainiks lathi-charged
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Mukesh Ambani leaves settlement issue to
mother
New Delhi, December 11 In an important twist in the battle for the control of the Rs 90,000-crore group, founded more than a quarter century ago by Dhirubhai Ambani, a spokesperson for Mukesh said tonight that he had communicated this to his mother and he would abide by whatever decision she took. Asked if this has been conveyed to Anil also, he replied in the negative saying there was no communication from the younger brother who had been talking through the media. “Mukesh Ambani has not sought any legal separation. This is a false propaganda. He has left the entire matter in the hands of his mother (Kokilaben) and whatever she decides he will abide by it,” the spokesperson told PTI. Earlier in the day, sources in the Anil camp had accused Mukesh of turning down the efforts to stay united and wanting a “formal legal separation”. This was described by the spokesman as “a figment of imagination, baseless and nonsensical.” In October, 2002 the two brothers and their two sisters Dipti and Neena along with their mother had signed a ‘Deed of Release’ leaving the entire property and assets of Dhirubhai, who had died without making a will, to Kokilaben. —
PTI |
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BJP-ruled states told to go ahead with fiscal
reforms
New Delhi, December 11 “Due to policy reforms carried out during the NDA regime the balance of power has shifted to the states and they should not become “yachaks” (supplicants) before the Centre but should realise their own strength,” Mr Jaswant Singh, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, told a conference of Finance Ministers of BJP-ruled states here. Expressing anguish at the “discriminatory attitude” of the Congress-Communist combine UPA Government towards BJP-ruled states, Mr Jaswant Singh stressed on speedy the implementation of economic policies and directed these states to utilise their land, power, water and other resources to attain higher growth. Referring to IT revolution in India, he said “before government could wake up, the entrepreneurs carried out a silent revolution.” Referring to agriculture sector, he asked the finance ministers of BJP-ruled states to study some of the models of South Indian states (Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka) with regard to agri-reforms. The ministers decided to make BJP-ruled states models in fiscal management by enacting necessary legislations for fiscal responsibility and budget management. “Budget would be presented on a fixed day (to be decided by each state) before the commencement of the next financial year, Action Taken Report would be submitted every year and State Economic Survey and Human Development Reports would be prepared annually,” BJP leader Yashwant Sinha told mediapersons after the meeting. It was decided to abolish land revenue, which is a vestige of the past and currently fetches an inconsiderable amount for the government and to implement the computerisation of land records to ensure that documents of tenancy can be easily obtained, he said. A considerable time was devoted on a discussion on finances of state electricity boards and state road transport corporations. It was emphasised that the states should ensure that full benefit is taken of the central scheme for securitisation of SEBs debts, which had been introduced by the NDA government, Mr Sinha said. The meeting expressed concern over the visible slowdown in the implementation of major road construction projects such as the National Highway Development Project and the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. The meeting was attended by Chief Minister of Goa Manohar Parrikar, who also holds the finance portfolio, Mr Vajubhai Wala (Gujarat), Mr Raghavji (Madhya Pradesh), Mr Amar Agrawal (Chattisgarh), Mr P. N. Singh (Jharkhand), Mr Veerendra Meena (MoS, Finance, Rajasthan) and Mr Manmohan Samal (Revenue Minister, Orissa). |
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Notices to Centre, EC on
immigrants
New Delhi, December 11 A Bench of Chief Justice R.C. Lahoti, Mr Justice G.P.Mathur and Mr Justice P.P. Naolekar directed the government and EC to submit their replies within four weeks. The petition, filed by Image India Foundation (IIF), a social organisation, said large scale
immigration from Bangladesh to the country, especially to Assam and West Bengal had not only threatened the security of the country but were influencing its electoral process as many of them had obtained voting rights by procuring illegal documents. Stating that no “notion of secularism” should be attached to the issue, the petitioner said in Assam demography in at least 43 of the 125 Assembly constituencies had been drastically changed becuase of the illegal immigration from Bangladesh andWest Bengal. Besides, the immigrants had encroached upon a vast area of forest land, causing irreparable harm to the forest wealth, it said adding similarly demography of border districts in West Bengal had also been affected. The petitioner, quoting security agencies’ reports said India had identified 99 training camps of terrorist organisation, operating in
Bangladesh, while the BSG recently claimed that at least 200 such camps existed there. |
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Fast-attack craft Bangaram launched
Kolkata, December 11 GRSE had constructed and delivered four Fast Attack Crafts namely INS-‘Trinkat’, ‘Tillanchang’, ‘Tarasa’ and ‘Tarmugli’ to the Navy. This is the first ship of the ‘Improved Trinkat’ class, designed by GRSE. The vessel offers a cost effective platform for patrol and rescue operations at sea and has combat capabilities with
matching fire power. — UNI |
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Bay of Bengal countries tie up
to counter terrorism
New Delhi, December 11 This was decided at the two-day first meeting of the BIMSTEC Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (JWG-CTTC), which concluded here yesterday. BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) member States — Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand — have witnessed a disturbing growth in terrorist and transnational criminal activities in recent years. The grouping noted that terrorist groups gather strength from networking, taking advantage of porous borders to operate across the countries of the region and hence it was all the more necessary for them to enhance cooperation to combat terrorism and transnational crime. BIMSTEC recognised months ago that action by one country on its own or bilaterally was insufficient to deal with the problem of terrorism which had acquired trans-national ramifications. It was against this backdrop that the leaders of BIMSTEC member States adopted BIMSTEC Summit Declaration of July 31, 2004, to establish a Joint Working Group to coordinate efforts of BIMSTEC-member States in counter-terrorism activities. The meeting decided that the BIMSTEC JWG-CTTC would serve as a platform for cooperation among member States to enhance their operational and strategic capabilities in preventing and suppressing terrorism and transnational crime. Among other measures the BIMSTEC has agreed to take are: — Prevent and suppress illicit trade and trafficking in arms, ammunitions, explosives, and other dangerous materials of terrorist use by land, sea or air, as well as prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery and materials and technologies related to their manufacture. — Exchange experiences in dealing with terrorism and transnational crime. — Strengthen legal frameworks for cooperation between national jurisdictions, including through extradition and mutual legal assistance arrangements and taking appropriate steps to meet the obligations of UNSCR 1373 and other relevant UN resolutions. — Prevent counterfeiting of currencies and forgery, as well as fraudulent use, of travel and immigration documents. — Prevent and suppress illegal movement of persons, including human trafficking and smuggling of migrants, by implementing effective border controls and other measures. — Frame appropriate domestic legislation, evolve institutional infrastructure such as Financial Intelligence Units, as well as exchange experience and expertise in order (a) to counter the financing of terrorism and money laundering for terrorist purposes and transnational crime and (b) to prevent the flow of funds to terrorists or terrorist groups through formal or informal systems/channels, non-governmental and non-profit organisations. — Identify and take measures to break the linkages between drug trafficking and terrorism. — Enhance cooperation at both policy and operational levels to counter all forms of terrorism and transnational crime including cyber terrorism and maritime crime. — Promote research and development of technological and other means and methods to assist in the fight against terrorism and transnational crime. |
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Torching riot witness: one
held
Ahmedabad, December 11 Bibi Bano, a witness to the Naroda-Patiya massacre in 2002, was allegedly set ablaze by her lover Tanvir Ahmed for compensation money in the Vatva area of the city, the police said. “Ahmed was arrested yesterday after the police got a tip-off about his whereabouts. However, he has denied all allegations of Bibi Bano. We are investigating further,” the Vatva police sub-inspector S M parmar said. Bano received about Rs 3.5 lakh compensation after she lost her husband, daughter and six other relatives in the riots, which she had deposited in a bank and the accused person was allegedly demanding that money, the police said. Bibi Bano in her complaint said the accused demanded money from her on several occassions and on Tuesday doused her in kerosene and torched her. Bano was battling for her life at a local hospital with 55 per cent burn injuries. —
PTI |
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Kidnapped engineers freed after a month
Imphal, December 11 The militants of the separatist Kuki Liberation Army (KLA) freed the Assistant Engineer of the Water Supply department A.K. Sarat and section officers Ksh Tombi Singh and W Bhaskar Singh before mediapersons. The militants, who had kept the three in captivity for over a month, had demanded Rs 50 lakh for their release. — PTI |
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Shivsainiks lathi-charged
Mumbai, December 11 The Shivsainiks were lathi-charged twice in succession after they pelted stones and resorted to sloganeering against the Union Minister, scheduled to preside over a function of the Petroleum Employees Union at Wadala in Central Mumbai. The protesters, led by party MP Mohan Rawle, came in groups and wanted to barge into the building where the function was to be held but were prevented by the police. The angry Shivsainiks, carrying placards and banners condemning Mr Aiyar, raised slogans against the minister asking him to “go back” and waived black flags, the police said. — PTI |
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Kokilaben Ambani, widow of the founder of the Reliance empire, today emerged as the likely arbiter in the battle between her two sons with the elder one Mukesh leaving “all settlement issues” to her, a path his brother Anil had favoured a few days ago.
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