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IA to evacuate people from Port Blair
Centre steps up relief
operations
BJP sets up calamity relief fund |
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Situation improving despite after shocks: IMD
Mumbai hooch tragedy toll 51
Cong keeps options open on alliance
in Bihar
4 NDA MLAs, ex-MP join
RJD
Patents Ordinance heavy on peasants and patients:
Left
Right to minor produce from forests to dwellers
soon
Aero India to feature air-to-air refuelling, F-16, Orion
P3C
Kashmiri Pandits stress on ‘separate homeland’
Women panels seek budgetary
reforms
Alert sounded in Rajaji National Park
Act on data protection mooted
Protect confidentiality of supervision notes: SC
Doctors oppose lethal injection in death penalty ‘Extend SC, ST quota to autonomous bodies’
Vijayendra Saraswati quizzed
Ex-BJP legislator in UP resigns
USA pays tributes to Rao
Robbers kill 2 guards, loot cellphones
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IA to evacuate people from Port Blair
New Delhi, December 28 In view of the large number of people still stranded in Port Blair, the airlines is planning to operate as many as 15 flights to island tomorrow.
The private sector domestic airline Jet Airways has also planned to operate six flights tomorrow to help evacuate people who are stranded at the island. However, a press note issued by Indian Airlines here said it plans to operate seven flights from Chennai and eight flights from Kolkata to
evacuate people from the island. It is hoping to evacuate as many as 1,735 people tomorrow itself. It also informed that as a consequence of the operating the relief flights a number of scheduled flights of Alliance Air were being cancelled. The airline has planned to carry out the relief work by operating special flights for as long as it would be required by the government. It has so far in the past three days of operating relief flights evacuated over 1,790 people. Indian Airlines and Jet Airways are now being able to operate relief flights to the island as a result of repair work that was carried out on the airstrip the day after the Tsunami-hit Port Blair. Incidentally, Indian Airlines has despatched its General Manager (Commercial) of the eastern region to Port Blair to oversee the relief operations. He is leading a support team and is in constant touch with the monitoring team at the headquarters here. |
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Centre steps up relief
operations
New Delhi, December 28 A senior official of the Central Government has been deputed in Car Nicobar, one of the worst-affected places, to coordinate massive relief and rescue operations there. Relief supplies from Kerala, Orissa and Gujarat were lifted to Car Nicobar and Maldives yesterday, he said. Further relief material from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Orissa, Gujarat and Delhi for Car Nicobar was collected today, it said. Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have also
offered assistance and logistics are being worked out, he said. It said the death toll had crossed 4300 and was likely to go up further once the bodies were retrieved from Nicobar islands and Tamil Nadu in particular. Several flights to Port Blair from Chennai and Kolkata have been operating to evacuate the stranded people, it said. Two AN-32 aircraft and one IL-76 plane with full load of relief material were sent to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands yesterday from Bhubaneswar, Bhuj and Ahmedabad. Medical teams with emergency stores have also been despatched to the islands. Two Coast Guard ships with relief material and medical team left for Campbell Bay yesterday while one naval ship and one Coast Guard ship left for Hut Bay, it said. Two Dornier aircraft dropped food and water at Hut Bay and Campbell Bay, it said. In Andhra Pradesh about 300 villages have been seriously affected and medical teams have been despatched to take sanitation measures there. Four Coast Guard ships have been deployed off Kakinada, Nellore and Krishna Godavari basin for search and rescue operations, he said, adding that four naval ships have been operating off the Tamil Nadu and Andhra coast. Around 500 villages have been affected in Tamil Nadu and medical teams have been deputed, he said. The Coast Guard has deployed two Chetak helicopters at Chennai. At least 25 villages have been affected in Pondicherry and people living in low-lying areas were evacuated to safer places and essential commodities provided. Police and fire services have been pressed into service and medical assistance has been provided. One IL-76 plane carrying relief material is being airlifted from Mumbai for Pondicherry. India has moved six MI-17 helicopters to Colombo to help the Sri Lankan authorities in search and rescue operations. For Maldives, 5.5 metric tonnes of food packets were arranged yesterday and 2.5 metric tonnes of good is being despatched today, it added. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Railways has contributed Rs 30 lakh to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund from the Railway Minister’s Welfare and Relief Fund to supplement the relief and rehabilitations. General managers of Southern and South Central Railways have been directed to coordinate relief efforts with the respective state governments and crisis management teams.
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BJP sets up calamity relief fund
New Delhi, December 28 “Lakhs of people have been affected by this devastating natural calamity in different parts of the country. They need urgent relief. The BJP has set up an ‘Aapda Rahat Kosh’ and we appeal to all countrymen to contribute to it with an open mind”, Mr Vajpayee told newspersons after an emergency meeting of senior party leaders to discuss the situation. Later, party General Secretary and spokesperson Sushma Swaraj said a committee headed by senior leader Jaswant Singh with party treasurer Ved Prakash Goyal as convener would oversee the distribution of money and material to people in different parts of the country as per requirements specified by the local units after assessing the situation. “Our objective is not only to provide temporary relief but also to rehabilitate the affected people. The party and BJP-ruled state governments would be adopting villages for their reconstruction”, she added. Ms Swaraj said the party would be setting up a central control room at its party headquarters under the supervision of its Vice-President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi which would be the nodal point for the distribution of money and material. The party would carry out its relief and rehabilitation operation in coordination with the Sangh Parivar organisations at the local level and would “supplement” the government’s efforts in this direction. All BJP MPs and MLAs, would be contributing their one month’s salary to the relief fund as per the directions of party President L.K. Advani, Ms Swaraj said, adding that the party would be applying for Income Tax exemption. Former party President M Venkaiah Naidu, Mr Naqvi, Mr Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Mr S.S. Ahluwalia, Mr V.K. Malhotra and Ms Swaraj are among the other members of the committee. She said Mr Advani, who along with Mr Naidu was touring the Tsunami-affected areas in south India, would return to Delhi tomorrow after visiting the affected areas in Andhra Pradesh. Senior party leader Jaswant Singh would also be visiting Andaman and Nicobar Islands, including the worst-affected Car Nicobar. He would be carrying along relief material. The committee would also discuss the assessment of the leaders on their return, she said. The 90-minute-long meeting, presided over by Mr Vajpayee, was attended among others by Mr Jaswant Singh, Mr Malhotra, Mr Naqvi, Ahluwalia, Ms Swaraj, Mr Chauhan besides Delhi BJP President Harsh Vardhan and General Secretary Pawan Sharma. |
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Mulayam gives Rs 2.5 cr
relief
Lucknow, December 28 According to an official announcement, the Chief Minister has provided Rs 1 crore for Tamil Nadu, and Rs 50 lakh each for Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Andaman Nicobar. This amount will be released with immediate effect to facilitate relief work. Admitting that the amount being sent was insufficient, the Chief Minister said it represented the collective will of the people of the state. He said in their hour of grief those hit by the calamity should not think that they were alone. Mr Yadav said the natural calamity had caused huge loss of life and property and the respective governments of the affected states would be unable to repair the loss. He urged the people of the entire country and specially the voluntary organisations to come forward to help the affected people. He expressed the hope that the people of the state and voluntary organisations would make efforts to provide relief to the affected people. State BJP president Kesarinath Tripathi announced the setting up of a relief cell at the BJP headquarters and urged the party MPs and MLAs to contribute generously. Similarly, UPCC chief Salman Khurshid has asked party workers to collect money to help the victims in their hour of need. Sahara India Parivar has also set up a relief fund with their initial contribution of Rs 21 lakh. |
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Free transit of relief material by Air-India
Mumbai, December 28 Air-India will also provide return travel assistance from Thailand by giving such passengers priority booking on its flights, the spokesman added. —
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Uttaranchal pledges Rs 1 cr aid
Dehra Dun, December 28 Governor of Uttaranchal Sudershan Agarwal today announced a personal donation of Rs 1 lakh for the
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DMK donates Rs 1 crore
Chennai, December 28 In a letter to AICC President Sonia Gandhi, DMK President M. Karunanidhi said he had instructed his party MPs and MLAs to donate a month’s salary towards the calamity relief fund. In the letter copies of which were released to the Press here, he also urged Ms Gandhi to put a word to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for levying a 1 per cent calamity relief cess on income tax as a one-time measure. He said he had already made a request to Dr Manmohan Singh and the Centre to this effect. —
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TN announces package of Rs 153 crore
Chennai, December 28 Stating this at a press conference here, the Chief Minister put the death toll at 3,925, which included 2,414 in Nagapattinam, 665 in Kanyakumari, 486 in Cuddalore, 188 in Chennai and 108 in Kancheepuram. Most of those who died were fishermen and children accounted for 40 per cent of the total number of dead, she said. —
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Situation improving despite after shocks: IMD
New Delhi, December 28 IMD officials said that though the aftershocks are continuing they are waning in intensity. Listing the cause of the quake, it was pointed out that the quake occurred at a point where plate boundaries meet, the rupture that resulted caused a major displacement on the ocean surface that unleashed the killer tidal waves. Such quakes, the IMD said occur once in 40 to 50 years in these areas. It was also mentioned that the tremors measuring a little over 5 on the Richter Scale have been recorded in areas within 1,000-km radius of the epicentre of the quake off the Indonesian Island of Sumatra. The IMD has recorded over 30 aftershocks till now. Ruling out the occurrence of a similar
tsunami in the Arabian Sea, the IMD officials said there was little chance of such tragedy striking the Arabian Sea coastline because it was not vulnerable in the way the Indian Ocean belt is. |
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Natwar cuts short his visit to
Gulf
New Delhi, December 28 Mr Natwar Singh would be returning from Dubai. The Minister, who was to undertake a bilateral visit to Bahrain after meeting leaders in Oman and
UAE, spoke to his Sri Lankan counterpart Lakshman Kadirgamar and offered condolences and all assistance to Sri Lanka, the worst hit country by the undersea quake disaster.
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Unfazed British couple to wed in Phuket
Phuket, December 28 Motoring consultant Marc Singleton,(43) and his fiancee Lucinda Semark, (35) flew to Phuket from Singapore yesterday for their wedding tomorrow at Cape Panwa Hotel on the southeastern tip of the island which was relatively unscathed by the tidal waves. “It’s going ahead as planned. They will enjoy a Thai style wedding in the morning with monks, then go to Phang Nga bay on a speedboat, sail on a traditional Chinese junk, and come back for cocktails and fireworks here at the hotel,” a guest relations manager said. “They’ve brought a lot of friends,” he said, adding that hotel staff were working hard to raise the spirits of everyone at the resort. —
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‘We don’t know where to go...how to start life again’
Kollam (Kerala), December 28 In a string of sea-facing village in Karunagapllay taluk, there could hardly be anyone who is not bereaved. “It all happened in a flash. Before one could come to know what it actually is, furious waves had taken away all we have ...our kith and kin, small savings, thatched huts and fishing implements. We don’t know where to go and how to start it again,” said Francis from Azhikkal. What awaited 39-year-old Sajeevan when he returned from fishing on Sunday was the shocking news that his wife and daughter had been swallowed by surging waves. A long strip of huts near Vallikkavu had remained cut off for several hours before the rescuers came in boats to take out bodies and move the survivors to safer places.
Frightened by surging waters, many people had shut themselves up in their houses, which exposed them to greater danger than those who sought to escape the surging waters by running away, local
people said. The true dimensions of the tragedy would be known only when all these houses are opened, the rescuers said. The immediate problem staring the survivors is the conduct of the funeral of their relatives who died in the tragedy. Many of those staying in the relief camps were not in a position to receive the identified bodies, as they had no place to take them for a decent burial. Karunagappaly panchayt is making arrangements for mass burial as the only way out in the situation. The killer wave
tsunami began to hit the area around 10.30 am yesterday. The first report of the calamity came in from Thangassery near Kollam town, but soon it became evident that villages along the Karunagapally coast were going to be the worst hit. As the narrow brittle roads linking hamlets with nearby towns got washed away, rescuers had to walk up to reach the danger zones. The hospitals around were also caught unawares as injured kept on pouring in the afternoon. In many places, the doctors and paramedics on Christmas holidays had been summoned urgently. About 30,000 people have been shifted to relief camps as entire coastal villages are eaten away by the tidal waves. Sharing the grief of their brethren, people from all communities and walks of life are pouring in to lend a helping hand to the rescue work. A Naval team is overseeing the operations. The entire district is observing a self-imposed hartal to mourn the tragedy and all public functions and post-Christmas festivities have been cancelled. —
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Mumbai hooch tragedy toll 51 Mumbai, December 28 According to the police 119 more persons were admitted to the Sion, Rajawadi and Nair hospitals in a serious condition. Most of the deaths were reported from the Rajawadi Hospital, close to the Indira Nagar slum where the victims lived. The police said 38 persons died at the Rajawadi Hospital while eight more were brought dead. The police said the toll was increasing as more and more people are reporting to the hospitals. Many of them had taken home ‘Moonshine’ in bottles from the vendor and had consumed it at home. According to the analysis of samples recovered from the vendor, the spurious liquor was laced with methyl alcohol apparently to increase the ‘kick’. The brew was priced at just Rs 16 per bottle. The Maharashtra Government today suspended 22 senior police officials in whose jurisdiction the twin tragedies took place. Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil followed tough talk with action that resulted in raids at various places in and around the city.
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Cong keeps options open on alliance
in Bihar
New Delhi, December 28 “While it is true that we would not like to disturb the UPA at the Centre but at the same time we have to keep party’s interests also”, a senior Congress leader told The Tribune here. “If RJD supremo Laloo Prasad Yadav is not willing to give us a respectable number of seats, then we have other option open to us”, he said, adding “we can also align with the Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Jan Shakti Party or go it alone in Bihar Assembly polls to be held from February 3”. Though Congress President Sonia Gandhi has formed a three-member committee headed by Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh to hold talks with Mr Yadav on seat-sharing, senior leaders of the party have told her that it would be in the interest of the party to weigh the pros and cons of all options before taking a final decision on the issue of alliance. The entire issue has to be handled in such a manner that one treads softly on the RJD supremo’s toes and makes party clear to him that the political cooperation was a one way street, an AICC member said admitting that RJD’s 22 Lok Sabha MPs were crucial for the survival of the UPA government. The prospects of the Congress in Bihar have improved much since the last Assembly elections when the Congress occupied Opposition benches in Parliament. Bihar PCC President Ram Jatan Sinha has reported to Mrs Gandhi that there is much enthusiasm and confidence among the party workers ever since the Congress-led UPA government assumed power at the Centre. Under the circumstances, the Congress may opt for a course that would ensure that the strength of the party in Bihar Assembly is increased substantially. It has reportedly demanded 100 out of the total 340 seats from the RJD leader, who has made it known to the Congress high command that he was not going to concede more than 25 seats. The Congress claim for a big share in the seat-sharing arrangement is strengthened by the party’s victory in Assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh and Maharashtra. There is a mixed opinion among the Congressmen in Bihar about the party continuing its alliance with the RJD. A large section is in support of the party going it alone, while others favour fighting the elections on an increased number of seats in alliance with the RJD. Still another opinion is for an alliance with the Lok Janshakti Party which some feel would be a better electoral prospect. In a changed situation and hard bargaining by the party, Mr Laloo Prasad may concede to the Congress demand for more seats than the 25 or 30 indicated by him earlier. But if he doesn’t, the Congress may opt for contesting the election independently, in keeping with the wishes of the larger section of the party men in Bihar. But in the event, the possibility of the RJD leader benefiting from a multi-cornered contest cannot be ruled out. |
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4 NDA MLAs, ex-MP join
RJD
Patna, December 28 BJP MLAs K.K. Mishra (Chanpatia) and Krishna Chandra Prasad Singh (Lakhisarai), JD(U) MLA from Bikramganj Akhlaq Ahmed and former Urban Development Minister of Jharkhand Bachcha Singh of JD(U) joined the RJD in the presence of party chief and Railway Minister Laloo Prasad. A three-time former Lok Sabha member of BJP from Bettiah and state party Vice President, Madan Prasad Jaiswal, also joined the RJD. —
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Patents Ordinance heavy on peasants and patients:
Left
New Delhi, December 28 Citu president M.K. Pandhe said in a statement that the amendment was under pressure from powerful multinational corporations, with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as their front, to corner markets and earn higher profits from scientific and technological inventions. “Citu condemns this amendment through Ordinance as this is a deliberate trickery to avoid discussion in Parliament which was in session till only two days back,” Dr Pandhe said. He said the amendment proves that the government had willingly weakened its own position vis-à-vis the powerful economies that control 99 per cent of all patents. “India is not at the same platform with them financially or technologically or in the matter of enforcement. This amendment removes all protections India has enjoyed so far,” he said. CITU said Indians would now have to pay heavily for everything, particularly medicines, pesticides and biotechnological products. “Peasants and patients are to be the worst-affected,” said Dr Pandhe. The Citu leader said the plea that meeting the WTO deadline prompted the government to promulgate the Ordinance was not acceptable. “Our national interests, particularly in agriculture, pharmaceutical and traditional products must be protected before going for actual amendment of the Patents Act.” |
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Right to minor produce from forests to dwellers
soon
New Delhi, December 28 Union Minister of Environment and Forests A. Raja has said that the government was in the process of giving final touches to the draft model legislation of the State/Union Territory Forest Produce (Ownership of Forest Dependent Community) Act, 2005, which will give right to minor forest produce to forest dwellers. At a recently held meeting with the related consultative committee of Parliament, Mr Raja said to protect genuine tribals from being evicted, the Centre was also considering issuing instructions to the state governments, advising them not to evict them without conducting proper enquiries into claims of possession of forest land. Considering the fact that Scheduled Tribes account for around 8.8 per cent of the total population, the move is expected to benefit more than 67.76 million tribals, mostly spread across in forests and hilly regions of the country, besides other communities living in forests. To ensure environmental conservation along with economic growth of tribal communities, which were mostly dependent on forests, the ministry had issued guidelines in 2003 for providing one-time clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act for public amenities projects such as underground drinking water supply pipelines, electric cables and telephone lines. Mr Raja said the state governments could give clearance to such proposals at their level. Moreover, to consolidate the development process in tribal areas, the Centre was also considering granting general clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act to the states for carrying out public utility developmental works such as construction of schools, dispensaries, water harvesting structure and laying of electric and telecommunication lines, he added. The government, he said, was committed to convert all forest villages into revenue villages so that public utility projects could be extended to these villages. However, the matter was presently on hold due to a ban imposed by the Supreme Court in November, 2000. To facilitate the cultivation of tusser, the government has also permitted more than 20 host tree species to be grown in forest areas as per the guidelines issued in June, 2004. Mr Raja said the government was also considering the possibility of allowing lac cultivation in forest areas to promote tusser and lac cultivation to improve the livelihood of tribals. Members of the Parliamentary committee also emphasised the need for conferring rights to non-timber forest produce for tribals and other weaker sections working in the forests and safeguarding their rights over mineral and water resources in the forests. This, they said, would help protect livelihood rights of communities living in forests, in particular tribals, and also develop long-term stakes in the conservation of the forest resources. Expressing concern at the stay granted by the Supreme Court on guidelines giving legal recognition to traditional rights of tribals with respect to the forests within the state jurisdiction, they said that an awareness campaign should be launched to ensure wider participation of people in forestry issues. |
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Aero India to feature air-to-air refuelling,
Air Force Station, Yelahanka, December 28 The airfield is buzzing with activity as it prepares to host the 5th edition of Aero India in February, 2005. Among the many expected attractions is a display, for the first time, of air-to-air refuelling with one of IAF’s newly acquired IL-78 refuellers, Lockheed Martin’s F-16, and the notorious Orion P3C, the maritime surveillance aircraft that the US wants to supply to Pakistan. Confirming these details, Yelahanka Air Officer Commanding, Air Commodore S.P. Singh, said that so far, 78 entities from 25 countries had confirmed their participation. More are expected, as are full details of participating aircraft. After a gap during the sanctions period, the US participation is back, and will include the US Army. Other foreign companies who have confirmed include Northrop, Tashkent, Bell and Gulf Stream. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited will feature 12 aircraft, including the LCA Tejas (of which four might fly if the second prototype vehicles also undertakes its first flight), the Dhruv ALH, and the intermediate jet trainer (IJT). The IAF will also fly the Jaguar, the Sukhoi-30 MKI, the Mirage, and the newly upgraded MiG-21 Bison. The French Mirage 2000-5 from Dassault Aviation will fly, as will the Russian MiG-29. IAF aerobatic teams Surya Kirans (Kirans) and Sarang (ALH Dhruv) will put on their waltzes in the air. As many as 12 Air Force chiefs of different countries have confirmed participation, including China (Gen Qiao Qingchen of the People’s Liberation Army — Air Force), Germany (Lt-Gen Klaus Stieglitz) and Japan (General V. Tsumagari). Though the LCA like Gripen of Sweden is yet to confirm participation, the Swedish air chief, Major-Gen Jan Andersson, Inspector, Swedish Air Force will be a guest. While fighters tend to hog the limelight at air shows, aviation enthusiasts will also look out for the transport and rotary wing aircraft, which are as much a joy to watch. The German Transval, Embraer’s Legacy and the Falcon 2000 or 900 have confirmed so far. The US Army is expected to bring a chopper. Apart from the runway extension of 350 feet to 7600 ft, finishing touches are being put to a new hangar, the fourth, which will add 4200 sq. mts of stall space. A new aircraft dispersal area to the north of the runway for flying display aircraft, larger static display area, a new public air-display viewing area, widening of National Highway 7 and State highway 09 leading to Yelahanka, and a new road bypassing Yelahanka, town are being readied. |
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Kashmiri Pandits stress on ‘separate homeland’
New Delhi, December 28 Fearing that the dilution of Indian sovereignty in the state could be done vis-à-vis granting of autonomy, porous borders, international protectorate, demilitarisation of the Line of Control (LoC) etc, it was put forth that such steps would eventually lead to the country’s “second partition.” A resolution, passed at the conclusion of the two-day international conference of Kashmiri Pandits, said any settlement with Pakistan, which perpetuated their exile and did not consider their territorial claims, would be opposed by the community. The conference, which was attended by, delegates from the US, UK, Europe, Canada and Africa, besides from all over the country, also adopted a New Delhi Declaration stressing the need for pursuing their goal of a ‘separate homeland’ in the Kashmir valley with Union Territory status and within the Constitution “The international conference re-affirms the demand of the Hindus of Kashmir for a separate homeland constituted of the territory of Kashmir province organised into a centrally-administered territory and governed by the Constitution of India,” the resolution said. The establishment of a political affairs committee, comprising prominent Kashmiri Pandits to pursue the goal of a ‘separate homeland’ was also envisaged. The political affairs committee would meet in January to decide the future course of action, Mr Sunil Shakdher, president of the Kashmiri Samiti, which had organised the international conference, said. The conference also cautioned that any misstep and compromise with ‘Muslim jehad’ in the name of ‘peace process’ and autonomy to Kashmir would endorse the “exclusion of the state from the constitutional organisation of India.” The demand to declare the Kashmiri Pandits, who were forced to migrate from the valley in and after 1990, under the International Convention for Refugees till they are able to return to their homes in the valley, was also made at the conference. |
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Women panels seek budgetary
reforms
New Delhi, December 28 NCW member Nirmala Sitharaman, after a two-day round table meeting on Pre-Budget Consultation for 2005-06, told mediapersons that reforms needed to be included in the Budget for 2005-06 would be presented to Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram as a memorandum of demands after an extensive review of all issues raised at the meeting. The Finance Minister, said Ms Sitharaman, had already agreed in principle to hold pre-budget consultations with women bodies. Ms Sitharaman said during the meeting, participants stressed on the need of constitution of task forces at the panchayat level to audit and reassess the 100 per cent coverage of habitations under the rural water supply scheme, as asserted by the latest economic survey of India. “Water is a major issue. Its quality, both in rural as well as urban areas, needs to be tested periodically. Considering it being such a serious issue, there are too many ministries, authorities and boards dealing with it. It needs to be simplified for a unified approach,” she added. The participants, she said, also stressed on the need for refocusing on agriculture and called for subsidies in the sector to continue. “Any attempt in the Budget to discontinue with subsidies in agriculture will not be welcome,” she added. The commission, after consultations with state commissions and experts groups, identified key areas where action, change and thrust were needed. She said the main concern of women which could be addressed in the Budget included poverty, livelihood, health, nutrition, education, water and sanitation. There was a need to focus on gender awareness and mainstreaming in budgeting at all levels and to ensure effective use of resources to achieve gender equity, she added. Among the demands, the NCW proposes to place before the Finance Minister for his consideration, include achieving maternal mortality rate of two per thousands live births in the worst affected 300 districts and earmarking funds for women under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) through SHGs in 100 drought prone districts for cultivation of medicinal herbs, flowers, vegetables and horticulture. |
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Alert sounded in Rajaji National Park
Dehra Dun, December 28 Even as the forest guards continue to be on strike, the park authorities have sought the services of daily wagers to protect the animals and trees in the forest. The park employees on leave have been asked to report to duty immediately but in the meanwhile daily wagers who are usually pressed into service in February have been hired, said park Director G.S. Pandey. The ongoing strike of nearly 2,500 forest guards is well into its fourth week, leaving the park vulnerable to poachers. Rajaji National Park houses hundreds of wild tuskers apart from other animals. The forest guards have been on strike since the last week of November over three major demands, including fixation of category, promotions for all and their re designation from forest guards to forest beat officers. Even as two of the demands being made could be met, promotion for all is unlikely, official sources said. |
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Act on data protection mooted
New Delhi, December 28 Talking to reporters on the sidelines of Ficci annual general meeting, Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath said: “We will bring in a separate legislation for data protection. It would be a holistic piece of legislation,” The minister said government would look into the need for data protection of all sectors before bringing in the legislation. Earlier, delivering his keynote address, he said the government sought to allay any fears of rise in prices of medicines and said such fears were unfounded. He said about 97 per cent of the drugs were off-patent and there were life-saving drugs besides Drug Price Control Order, adding the country had not brought in the law just for compliance. He said the domestic pharmaceutical industry exports were pegged at Rs 1,400 crore with a compounded annual growth rate of 30 per cent. Asked about dropping virtual SEZs out of the proposed Special Economic Zones legislation, he said the government was trying to find a formulation to give export oriented units this flexibility.” |
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Protect confidentiality of supervision notes: SC
New Delhi, December 28 “The supervision notes can in no count be called. They are not a part of
the papers which are
supplied to the accused,” the court said. Neither the prosecution could utilise the supervision notes as a piece of material or evidence nor the accused could refer
to it in his defence, the court said. Further taking serious note of the disclosure of facts in the confidential document, the Bench directed all states, Union Territories and DGPs to protect the confidentiality of supervision notes and take appropriate action against officers, who intentionally make the document available to any person. “Due care and caution should be taken to see that while supplying police papers, supervision notes are not given,” the Bench said. —
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Doctors oppose lethal injection in death penalty
Bhubaneswar, December 28 The strong opposition to the recommendation by the Law Commission came during the central council meet of the 69th annual conference of Indian Medical Association (IMA) underway here. “The Law Commission has observed that hanging by neck is brutal and should be replaced by the more sophisticated lethal injection. This is against the oath that doctors take before being inducted into the service — that they will strive only to save lives,” Dr Vinay Aggarwal, secretary general of IMA said. The recommendation had caused confusion in the medical fraternity with its ‘obvious contradiction’ of the basic nature of professional duties expected of doctors, he said. IMA national president Sudipto Roy said the association had written to the union law ministry on its resentment over the issue. —
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‘Extend SC, ST quota to autonomous bodies’ New Delhi, December 28 Addressing mediapersons, NCSC Chairman Suraj Bhan welcomed the SCs, STs and Other Backward Classes (Reservation in Posts and Services) Bill, 2004, adding, however, that in the absence of a penal clause for non-implementation, the Bill had little utility. He suggested that the non-implementation of reservation in the government sector should be treated as an atrocity against the SCs and STs and those responsible punished with a minimum imprisonment of six months and fine. Referring to the reservation in the private sector, he said all corporate bodies, including those established with foreign collaboration, should employ SCs and STs. As a result of reservation, he said as many as 50 lakh persons, belonging to the SC and the ST, were employed in the government sector in the country. “An additional 20 lakh persons could be employed with the extension of reservation to the private sector,” he said. He said the percentage of reservation should be on the basis of population. Lamenting low representation of SCs and STs at senior levels, he said there was only one person belonging to the SC and one to ST among 70 secretaries. “Among 100 additional secretaries, there was no one belonging to the SC or the ST and among more than 100 joint secretaries, only three were from the SC and none from the ST.” On the issue of atrocities against SCs and STs, Mr Bhan said the commission took immediate action whenever such incidents were reported in newspapers. |
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Vijayendra Saraswati quizzed
Kancheepuram, December 28 The junior acharya was questioned for about three hours at a bungalow near the office of the District Superintendent of Police. Later, talking to newspersons at the mutt, the junior seer said he had answered whatever questions the police team had posed to him. “The seer would not have committed any wrong for which he was arrested,’’ he had told the team. On when he would meet his senior incarcerated at Vellore Central Prison, the junior acharya said he had been told by the senior seer not to come to see him now. “I will go and see him whenever he gives me permission,’’ he said. —
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Ex-BJP legislator in UP resigns
Lucknow, December 28 The two time BJP MLC said any future decision to join any party would be taken after considering his supporters view. He had sought ticket from the Padrauna Lok Sabha seat in the last general elections. —
UNI |
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USA pays tributes to Rao
Washington, December 27 “We learned with sadness of the death on December 23 of Narasimha Rao, Prime Minister of India from 1991-96. Mr Rao was an important figure in the history of modern India, inaugurating major economic reforms that have stimulated growth and prosperity throughout the country,” Deputy Spokesman of the State Department J Adam Ereli said in a statement today. “He was also instrumental in efforts to inaugurate a new era of closer relations between the USA and India following the end of the Cold
War. Today, India and the USA continue to build on his legacy. We extend you sincere condolences to Mr Rao’s family, and to the people of India,” he added. —
PTI |
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Robbers kill 2 guards, loot cellphones
Dehra Dun, December 28 The robbers later decamped with 888 mobile phones worth at least Rs 50 Lakh and some hard discs out of the goods worth Rs 5 crore from the godown, the police said. Prima facie, it appears that the robbers were acquaintances of the guards deputed at the carrying and forwarding agency of Samsung Appliances on the Dehra Dun-Delhi highway. |
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