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M.S. Subbulakshmi cremated with full state
honours
President A.P.J.Abdul Kalam and Tamil Nadu Governor S.S. Barnala pay respect to the mortal remains of legendary Carnatic vocalist M.S. Subbulakshmi in Chennai on Sunday. — PTI
photo
Supreme Court ruling on supervision
notes
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Smriti Irani threatens fast, seeks Modi’s
exit
BJP may take action
Advani sees Congress colour in party
Punjab’s custodial death figure confusing, says Justice
Anand
18 Tehri oustees to be rehabilitated
again
Childhood under threat in India, China:
UNICEF
Left restive over
inflation
Farmers’ stir called off in Rajasthan
Dhaka averse to joint operation: Pranab
UP BJP ‘agitation fortnight’ from Jan 1
INLD to hold workers’ meetings
Santa in the eye of cyber
storm
Multi-crore hawala racket unearthed
Rare idols stolen
Mir Qasim dead
Bank official questioned
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M.S. Subbulakshmi cremated with full state
honours
Chennai, December 12 Thousands of people visited her Kotturpuram residence since early morning. President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam drove straight to the maestro’s residence and laid a wreath on the body placed in a glass casket for public homage. Dr Kalam said: “Her death is a great loss to the nation and her services to music world were unparalleled. She was a born genius.” Dr Kalam was accompanied by Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala, who said: “Subbulakshmi’s simplicity and devotion brought fame to our nation. Her death is a great loss not only to Carnatic music but also to the entire music world.” Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Ms J. Jayalalithaa too reached the famous vocalist’s residence to pay her last respects. She said: “The appeal of her music crossed all barriers. She is beyond all caste and creed, beyond the rich and the poor. Her music reached everyone. There has never been anyone like her before and there will never be one like her ever again.” Among those who first reached her residence early morning were DMK President M. Karunanidhi and his son, Mr M.K. Stalin, Carnatic singer M. Balamurali Krishna, and Tamil playback singer S. Janaki. Other than innumerable famous personalities of Tamil Nadu, a large number of her fans turned up to pay their respects to MS. The Editor of The Hindu, Mr N. Ram, who too turned up described her as “a genius of song”. MS was admitted to St Isabel’s Hospital here on November 30 with a viral infection, which later developed into broncho-pneumonia. Her cardiac condition deteriorated and she had stopped responding to treatment since early Saturday. Madurai Shanmugavadivu Subbulakshmi rose from her humble birth on September 16, 1916, as the daughter of a “Devadasi” veena player in Madurai in Tamil Nadu to become an accomplished artiste who performed at concerts worldwide, acted in a few films, and mesmerised audiences with her songs. Her performance as Meera in “Bhakta Meera” in 1945, released both in Tamil and Hindi, gave her recognition not only as an actress but also as a singer. MS was conferred Padma Bhushan in 1954, Padma Vibhushan in 1975 and the Bharat Ratna in 1998. She was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay award for public service in 1974. |
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Supreme Court ruling on supervision
notes
New Delhi, December 12 A Bench comprising Justice Arijit Pasayat and Justice S.H. Kapadia in a recent judgement said “supervision notes are not part of the papers supplied to the accused. Moreover, the informant is not entitled to a copy of the supervision notes.” This judgement came in a case where complainant Sunita Devi had challenged the anticipatory bail granted by a Bihar court to a person who attempted to rape her. Both complainant and the accused had cited the contents of the supervision note in their support. Justice Pasayat, writing for the Bench, said the object behind the supply of documents to the accused by the police was to enable the accused to defend himself properly, Justice Pasayat, writing for the Bench, said. He said “the supervision notes cannot be utilised by the prosecution as a piece of material or evidence against the accused. At the same time the accused cannot make any reference to them for any purpose”. The Bench referred to many instances of unauthorised access to the police records by the accused, who later cited the contents of the supervision note. —
PTI |
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Smriti Irani threatens fast, seeks Modi’s
exit
Surat, December 12 Terming Mr Modi’s decision not to step down as “extremely shocking and appalling”, she told reporters here “I expected that he would take a high moral ground and say fine, I step down”. Irani said, “It is high time that Gujarat and Vajpayee got their pride and glory back which they genuinely deserved...to prove once and for all that we are a secular party which thinks in the national interest, any step taken in that direction should be welcomed.” She said she was hurt when she heard Mr Vajpayee say “if there is one blot on my name, it is Narendra Modi. I was very surprised that he did not give up his chair after such a statement.” “There is nothing wrong in correcting our mistakes,” she said and went on to add “a leader like Vajpayee should not fade away without his name ever being cleared of that blot”. Irani, who is also BJP National Executive member, said “if Narendrabhai gives up the post of the Chief Minister of Gujarat, it would prove that BJP is a party with a difference”. “If he does not, then on 25th of December, which is Atalji’s birthday, I would like to go on fast till he gives up the post, a fast unto death”, she said. —
PTI
BJP may take action
New Delhi, December 12 BJP sources said party leadership was “extremely upset” with Irani’s public outburst against
Modi”. “Irani is a newcomer. The party gave her Lok Sabha ticket and made her a member of the National Executive. She joined the party much after the Gujarat violence and hence has no moral right to criticise
Modi”, a senior BJP leader said. — PTI
Advani sees Congress colour in party
New Delhi, December 12 “Log bolte hain ki BJP ka Congressikaran ho raha hai, kyonki giravat ka standard usiko mana jata tha (People say the BJP is getting ‘Congressised’ as the standard of decline in values set by that party was considered to be the lowest benchmark,” he said addressing the members of the Bharatiya Yuva Morcha here. He said one of the reasons for the party’s failure in the last Lok Sabha elections was the “people may have thought that we started looking like others”. The BJP had come to power because people believed it was a trustworthy party and is different from other parties because of high moral standards, Mr Advani said. The Congress Party, on the other hand, is known for “infighting, groupism, sycophancy and things like that and people say now a days this happens in BJP also,” he said. “We came to power because the electorate thought we are trustworthy. We were different from others as the moral standard of others had hit the rock bottom. But after the 2004 elections, I feel one reason for our failure was that people may have thought that we started looking like others,” he said. Mr Advanis said the party’s future laid in the second-generation leadership and “it is your duty to see that the image of the ugly Indian politician is changed.” At the same time, he asked the party workers to avoid infighting among themselves and also disagreed with the opinion of the Yuva Morcha when it had asked for more representation of youth during elections. “This is not the way in which I will like the Yuva Morcha to think,” he said. |
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Punjab’s custodial death figure confusing, says Justice
Anand
New Delhi, December 12 Talking to The Tribune on the sidelines of an NHRC function to observe the Human Rights Day here, Justice Anand said he was confused about the number of custodial deaths given by the Punjab State Human Rights Commission on Friday. “I will have to check up as I am confused about the figure. As per guidelines, the NHRC receives information within 24 hours of an incident. In any case, none of the states can claim that there has never been any violation of human rights in prisons. Custodial violence is most inhuman and whenever human dignity is violated, the flag of humanity must fly at half-mast,” he added. He said despite the observations of the Supreme Court and various guidelines issued by it, incidents of fake encounters, illegal arrests and wrongful detention continue to occur. “A terrorist who violates human rights of innocent citizens must be punished but his human rights should not be infringed upon except in the manner permitted by law. A critical task of striking a fair balance by means of security concerns and human rights is to be performed and the need of proportionality cannot be ignored,” he said. Chairperson of the International Coordinating Committee of the National Human Rights Institutions Morten Kjaerum, who was present on the occasion, also said torture was common in prisons and police stations in many parts of the world. Prisoners that remain incarcerated at the US base in Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib in Afghanistan-places and situations where human rights are in danger-are examples,” he added. He also expressed concern over the increasing tendencies of racism and xenophobia, which, he said, were creating introversion and hostility among minority groups. These developments were most recently illustrated with the shocking murder of a Dutch film maker, Theo Van Gogh, in the Netherlands and burning down of mosques as an act of retaliation.” Meanwhile, Dr Justice Anand said there were structural deficiencies impeding NHRC’s functioning and the government should amend the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, to make it more functional. The committee, he said, had set up a high-level committee to recommend amendments to the Act. The committee had submitted its report on October 18, 1999. However, amendments had not been brought about. Expressing grave concern over the future of almost 150 million children in the country who were working as child labour, Justice Anand urged for a comprehensive legislation to address the issue of child labour from the perspective of prevention, prohibition, regulation and rehabilitation. The commission, he said, on several occasions had pointed out the shortcomings in the existing legislation dealing with child labour. Health of the child and particularly malnutrition among children belonging to the weaker sections was another area of concern. He said the NHRC had made several recommendations regarding trafficking of women and children, including the prevention of trafficking, protection of victims besides the prosecution of traffickers and other violators. While nearly 35 universities and institutes in the country were offering certificate, diploma and degree courses on human right education, efforts were on to introduce the subject at the school level as well. |
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18 Tehri oustees to be rehabilitated
again
Dehra Dun, December 12 Eighteen families from Tehri, who were allotted land near the airport at Jolly Grant in 1981, have put their foot down, refusing to comply with the government’s order. ‘Not only is it unfair to treat us like footballs in the name of development, forcing us to live a nomadic life but also the government is being insensitive to our needs’, says Rajendra Prasad. Shiv Prasad Bailwal and his family have lost hope. They (government) have force, power, they can do everything, he says. “We were shunted out of our ancestral home in Tehri because the state needed a dam. Almost 25 years after that, when we have put our sweat and blood to make this land cultivable, we are being shunted out again but the least they can do is to be fair with us”, he adds. About 100 families of Jolly Grant have accepted the money offered in lieu of acquisition but are yet to vacate the houses, the rest refuses to accept the deal. They are giving two and half bighas of inferior quality land to each family against 10 bighas and even the assessment of the cost of houses is inappropriate, says Chandrama Devi. With villagers unhappy over the raw deal being offered to them and the pressure mounting from the Indian Airports Authority, which wants to start the work this month itself, the administration finds itself in a tight spot. Agitations have been common in the two villages for the past 15 days and the ‘sangarsh samiti’ meets every evening, sometimes with the administrative officials, but to no avail. According to District Magistrate of Dehra Dun Manisha Pawar, the acquisition of 50 hectares around the existing airport is being done under the Land Acquisition Act. The government is bound to operate within the Act, which does not make any provisions like land-for-land and job to one member of each family as demanded by the oustees, she added. The assessment of property is according to official land and property rates, she added. Nearly 100 families from Athurwala village and over 150 from Jolly Grant would be affected by the expansion work. The existing airport is too small and can only accommodate the landing of small aircraft against the demand of an international airport at the state capital. |
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Childhood under threat in India, China:
UNICEF
New Delhi, December 12 This is particularly so for China and India, according to UNICEF’s 2005 report on the state of the world children, titled “Childhood under Threat.” The report points out that the two Asian giants are well on track in meeting the UN’s millennium development goal of eradicating the extreme poverty and hunger because of their strong economic growth patterns. However, India’s success in reducing by half the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day is unlikely to improve the health of its children. “China and India are on track to meet the income target, but are falling behind in meeting the global target directly related to children, especially reducing child mortality,” the UNICEF report points out. Achieving the income target will only make a moderate contribution to ensure that every child enjoys a childhood, the report adds. The report says most countries, with high levels of deprivation, suffer from low levels of per capita income. But income-poverty measures cannot adequately convey how children actually experience poverty. India and Senegal, it points out, have very similar levels of per capita income but children in India are more at the risk from malnutrition, while children in Senegal are more likely to miss out on education. The figures cited by UNICEF are corroborated by a recent report brought out by the Union Health Ministry earlier this month, which revealed that India accounts for the 30 per cent of the 3.9 million neo-natal deaths worldwide. This means that of the 26 million children born here each year, 1.2 million do not survive beyond four weeks. Making a strong case for immediate care on childbirth, the report points out that all one-third of the neo-natal deaths occur on the first day of birth, while half take place within three days and nearly three-fourths within the first three weeks. Although India did manage to improve the health of its newlyborns in the 80s, progress on this front hit a plateau in the past decade. Consequently, the under-five mortality rate in 2003 was 87 per 1,000 births, according to the UNICEF report. According to the report, 56 per cent of the children under three in UP suffer from chronic malnutrition. And most common reason for child deaths, particularly under age five, is diarrhoea. The poor health status of children is directly linked to the prevailing gender discrimination in India. The rate of malnourishment among women is on the high side in addition to which they have unequal access to healthcare facilities. This obviously has a bearing on the health of children. Children of educated women having access to healthcare facilities and assets tend to enjoy better health and education. Writing in the UNICEF report, Dr Bina Aggarwal points out that children in rural India were found more likely to attend school and receive medical attention if their mother owned assets. Citing the example of marginal farmer households in Kerala, the mother’s cultivation of a home garden, the harvest of which she controlled - was found to have a consistently high positive impact on child nutrition, she adds. |
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Left restive over
inflation
New Delhi, December 12 Finance Minister P. Chidambaram had told the Lok Sabha that ‘’the worst is over’’ and that the government would bring inflation rates and price rise under control, while Parliamentary Affairs Minister Gulam Nabi Azad expressed doubts that the Employment Guarantee Bill would be ready in the current session. The leaders of CPI and the CPM in the Lok Sabha said the Finance Minister might have the ‘’imaginary satisfaction’’ on inflation and reining in price rise, but the facts and figures did not support his confidence and assertion. The CPI group deputy leader Guru Das Dasgupta said there might have been 1 per cent decline in inflation, ‘’but the actual inflation stands at 9 per cent or above’’. He sought to remind Mr Chidambaram of the 13 per cent decline in prices of agriculture produce in the country this year, which had affected the purchasing power of the farmers and caused great distress among them. ‘’This is an unfortunate situation in India and the UPA government will have to take immediate steps to reverse this. It should particularly provide remunerative and reasonable prices of agriculture produce and lift it through the Food Corporation of India, Cotton Corporation of India and similar government agencies to protect the farmers and guarantee the supply of food grains to the poor through the Public Distribution System (PDS),’’ he added. While disagreeing with Mr Chidambaram’s assertion on controlling inflation and price rise, CPM Parliament Group leader Basudev Acharia said, ‘’How can I agree with him (Mr Chidambaram) unless I see some visible sign on this front. The common people, the middle and the lower classes are under the back-breaking impact of rise in inflation and price rise. The government will have to restore the Administrative Price Mechanism.” On Mr Azad’s statement that the Employment Guarantee Bill might not be ready in winter session of Parliament, Mr Dasgupta said, ‘’If the government decides not to introduce the Bill in this session of Parliament, it will be grave error on it part.” —
UNI |
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Farmers’ stir called off in Rajasthan
Jaipur, December 12 The talks were held at the Ajmer jail between the state government representatives and leaders of the Kisan Mazdoor Vyapari Sangharsh Samiti, spearheading the agitation. Official sources today said the government had agreed to maintain status quo in water distribution at the ratio of 5.23 cusec per thousand acre in the first phase and 3 cusec per thousand acre in the second phase. The government also consented to release more than 300 farmers detained in different jails and three leaders who were detained under the National Security Act. Cases registered against them would be withdrawn, the sources added. Six farmers had been killed in police action during the agitation. A committee of about 15 people comprising agriculture and irrigation experts besides four representatives of the Samiti would be formed to look into the overall situation in the command area of the Indira Gandhi Canal. Mr Vasudev charged the ruling BJP with displaying “anti-farmer bias” by attempting to crush the agitation and taking disciplinary action against its local partymen who joined the protests. The CPM has called for week-long celebrations in the state, starting tomorrow. Victory processions and meetings would be held in all districts during the “victory week,” Mr Vasudev said. Rallies would be taken out in different parts of Hanumangarh and Sriganganagar district tomorrow. A meeting to condole the death of Hazur Singh, one of the six farmers killed during the agitation, would be held at Khajuwala on December 15. — UNI
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Dhaka averse to joint operation: Pranab
Kolkata, December 12 He, however, made it clear that the Central and state governments would launch a massive hunt out jointly on the Indo-Bangladesh border to prevent terrorists and the infiltrators from crossing over to India. At the same time, the Centre would continue its dialogue with Bangladesh for undertaking a Bhutan-like flush-out operation against terrorists. Mr Mukherjee admitted that over two crore Bangladeshis had been living “illegally” in several parts in the country, particularly in West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Mumbai and Delhi. The Centre and the respective states now would have to identify them as per the Supreme Court’s order and arrange their return to their homeland. Meanwhile, former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani alleged at a public meeting here on Friday that the UPA Government at the Centre and the Left Front government here had been encouraging infiltration from Bangladesh for their narrow political interests. He asked BJP workers and supporters to launch a massive campaign against these infiltrations and force the tresspassers to return to their country. |
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UP BJP ‘agitation fortnight’ from Jan 1
Lucknow, December 12 Speaking at the conclusion of the two-day working committee meeting, state BJP chief Kesharinath Tripathi said that the party would observe an “agitation fortnight” from January 1 to 15 to mobilise the cadre. It would help the party understand local issues, especially for the farmers, asserted Mr Tripathi. Dwelling upon the state government’s failure on all fronts, Mr Tripathi said that his party would not tolerate the government any longer. Commenting on the party’s hesitation in bringing a no-confidence motion in the House during the last session, he said that the Congress had not extended its support for such a motion. The BJP would hold a rally at the state capital during the Vidhan Sabha budget session sometime in late February. |
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INLD to hold workers’ meetings
New Delhi, December 12 The meetings will be held at Kurukshetra on December 20, Rohtak on December 21, Gurgaon on December 25 and Hisar on December 26. Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, INLD secretary general Ajay Singh Chautala and other senior party leaders will address the day-long meetings to which about 150 selected workers from each Assembly constituency have been invited. |
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Santa in the eye of cyber
storm
New Delhi, December 12 “I will never teach my children about the myth of Santa, because he is not the reason we celebrate Christmas,” writes a parent while another says he does not plan to further promote the story because “the consumerism produced by the holidays does bother him.” “...Some kids get nothing for Christmas because there really is no Santa,” says another. However, there are others who say: “Let children be children for as long as possible.” “Why on earth are we in such a hurry to take away the innocence and magic that exists in childhood, asks a parent in an online message board. Well, honesty is not always the best policy, especially when it comes to telling the tale of Santa Claus to children that he is going to get gifts for them, according to a survey conducted by the Hippocrates magazine. Most psychologists say adults should actively uphold all mythological figures. The kids need to believe in the magic of such beings to assure themselves that the world is a benign and caring place. “Around 91 per cent advised parents to find some way around breaking the spell when kids younger than six asked if Santa is real. And 76 per cent advised against telling the whole truth to children as old as 12 — if they haven’t already figured it out,” says the magazine survey. Noted psychiatrist Dr Samir Parekh feels “telling children the tale of Santa Claus and other mythologicals like Panchtantra is essential for inculcating a better value system and morals in children.” In a society facing moral degradation, the tales of Santa and other fairies help children in the long run in handling behavioural problems besides inculcating “positive” reinforcement, he says. Kids who are forced to give up their fantasies too early may be harmed by the loss, he says. —
PTI |
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Multi-crore hawala racket unearthed
Mumbai, December 12 Investigators from the Income Tax Department investigating another case yesterday chanced upon a person depositing Rs 1 crore in cash in an account at HDFC Bank in Central Mumbai’s Worli area. On questioning the man revealed the name of his employer, a Gujarat-based export company, which was allegedly involved in hawala transactions in different parts of the country, sources said. Employees and partners of the company’s Mumbai offices are being investigated and a large number of documents have been seized, sources said. The IT officials were in the bank to check the accounts of a jewellery trader who was allegedly underinvoicing his imports with a view to concealing his income. sources said. |
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Rare idols stolen
Bahraich (UP),
December 12 Unidentified persons broke into the temple and stole the idols of Vishnu and Lakshmi, weighing about 16 kg last night. A case had been registered and investigation was on, the police added. —
PTI |
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Mir Qasim dead
New Delhi, December 12 He is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters. He became the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir in 1972 following the death of G. M. Sadiq. A member of Constituent Assembly, Qasim is also known as the founding-father of the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir. He had to “sacrifice” his position as the Chief Minister following the Indira-Sheikh Accord in 1975 and later became the Union Civil Supplies Minister during the Indira Gandhi regime. Congress President Sonia Gandhi has mourned the death of Mir Qasim. |
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Bank official questioned
Kancheepuram, December 12 |
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The doyen of Carnatic music, M.S. Subbulakshmi, was cremated here today with full police honours, including a 12-gun salute.
Popularly known as MS, the nightingale of Carnatic, breathed her last at a private nursing home here late last night.
Surat, December 12
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