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Centre waives rules for tsunami aid to TN
Plan to evaluate damage by tsunami
UPA stability hinges on CMP: Basu
Mulayam: Cong threat to industrialists
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Trade unions seek pay panel
Police turns down gutka Governor has no discretionary power under 6th Schedule: SC
Environment panel to evaluate construction projects
‘Quit India’ notice to be served on Bangladeshi ‘infiltrators’
Woman gang-raped in police station
Appeal to release 91-yr-old woman
Sindh represents culture: Jethmalani
Criminals flee
after killing 3 cops
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Centre waives rules for tsunami aid to TN
Chennai, January 15 After his 45-minute meeting with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, he said, “We have waived most of the conditions stipulated for the release of relief funds for tsunami-affected areas in Tamil Nadu taking abnormal situation in the state into consideration.” Mr. Pawar explained, “All my Cabinet colleagues from Tamil Nadu, Mr T. R. Baalu, Mr Dayanidhi Maran, Mr Mani Sankar Aiyer and M. P. Chidambaram, are insisting that the Government of India should adopt a different policy for Tamil Nadu.” He said that a new set of norms had been virtually approved by the Union Finance Commission and by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh. He felt that priority had to accorded to two primary areas of concern - free housing for the affected and the travails of fishermen who were trying to cope with a problem that they had never encountered. The Agriculture Minister said, “We are inclined to financially support the fishermen to acquire new boats and repair the damaged ones. The detailed survey which we had needed has been submitted by the state government to us.” Within a week a final decision would be arrived at, he said, adding that he would not be able to tell the quantum of funds that could be sanctioned for the time being. Praising the efforts of Tamil Nadu ministers he remarked their feedback were positive, useful and revealed a constructive approach. “The ministers here are very keen on resolving the problems. Our Central Government has totally supported the state government’s efforts. Whatever constructive suggestions and demands have been raised here is being constructively looked into,” the Union Agriculture Minister added. He was told that over 1.5 lakh houses were damaged in the coastal areas of the state due to tsunami. He observed, “Certain NGOs and public sector undertakings have evinced interest for building houses. However, it is the responsibility of the state government to provide land and the necessary plans. The Chief Minister has agreed to this. More details are expected in a couple of days.” |
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Plan to evaluate damage by tsunami
New Delhi, January 15 Preliminary assessment of these regions has indicated severe damage in some areas of significant ecological resources. According to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, these areas include mangroves, corals, forests, coastal wetlands, geomorphological features such as sand dunes and rock formations, besides biodiversity and groundwater. Some of the damage to these ecological assets could also impact livelihood of people, as indicated at a meeting of experts from institutions concerned under the chairmanship of the Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Dr Prodipto Ghosh. To evaluate ecological damages, in the first stage, rapid assessment based on pre-tsunami and post-tsunami satellite images of affected regions and available data will be undertaken to identify the damage to ecological assets, important for livelihood and habitations, which suffered significant long-term damage but are amenable to restoration. On the basis of preliminary assessment, a detailed evaluation of the ecological damage will be made for the identified ecological resources to develop an action plan for their restoration. The preliminary assessment report is expected to be ready within two months. The assessment will be conducted by various institutions, including the Institute for Ocean Management, Anna University, Chennai, the Centre for Advanced Studies in Marine Biology, Annamalai University, Chidambaram, the Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad, the Centre for Earth Science Studies, Thiruvananthapuram, the Forest Survey of India, the Zoological Survey of India, the Botanical Survey of India, the Central Water Commission, the Coast Guards and the Central Pollution Control Board. |
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PM briefs Kalam on tsunami relief
New Delhi, January 15 The two leaders had a focussed discussion on tsunami disaster for half-an-hour and also discussed other matters of national and international importance, a Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesman said. |
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UPA stability hinges on CMP: Basu
Kolkata, January 15 Mr Basu said yesterday that despite a busy schedule, Dr Manmohan Singh found some time to “meet me at my Salt Lake residence on his way back to Delhi yesterday after spending two days in the city.” The former Chief Minister thanked Dr Manmohan Singh for making several announcements during his visit which would benefit the nation in industrial expansion and various development works. |
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Mulayam: Cong threat to industrialists keen on UP
Lucknow, January 15 Addressing mediapersons on Wednesday, Mr Yadav alleged that the Congress had threatened to “destroy industrialists willing to work with Mr Mulayam Singh and Mr Amar Singh”. The CM, however, claimed that despite the threats industrialists were keen to invest in the state. Corroborating his statement he said that at last week’s conference of NRIs in Mumbai, the only well-attended session was of Uttar Pradesh. “While the Andhra and Karnataka Chief Ministers’ shows were a flop, my session was so successful that not even one of the 183 seats was vacant. Even Amitabh Bachchan’s daughter had to remain standing along with many leading industrialists”, claimed Mr Yadav. Claiming full marks for this “improved image” of UP, an exuberant Chief Minister said the captains of industry appreciated the state’s progress, policies and decision-making style. This self-aggrandizing mood was visible in a full-page advertisement appearing in the local edition of a national daily on Thursday. Having close-ups of Mulayam Singh and Amar Singh, the heading runs “Victory Kisses Samajwadi Pary’s feet! For Congress, B.J.P. and B.S.P. it’s defeat after defeat!” |
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Trade unions seek pay panel
New Delhi, January 15 The meeting was attended by representatives of the Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, Indian National Trade Union Congress, Centre of Indian Trade Unions, Hind Mazdoor Sabha, All India Trade Union Congress, United Trade Union Centre (LS), United Trade Union Congress, National Front of Indian Trade Unions, and senior officers of the Ministry of Finance. Among other things, the trade union leaders suggested the introduction of a comprehensive bill of social security for workers. Besides, the interest rate should be raised for Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and the employment Guarantee Scheme should be made more universal, covering the urban poor as envisaged under the National Common Minimum Programme, and the relevant minimum wage should be specified, they said. There should also be provision of more funds for social sectors - allocation of at least 10 per cent of total budget on education; and measures should be initiated to encourage small-scale industries, unorganised and informal sectors for employment generation. The government should also set up a next pay commission and the exemption limit for income tax to be raised from Rs1.1 lakh to Rs1.5 lakh or Rs 2 lakh, the union leaders said. Morever, they asked the government not to reintroduce the Coal Bill 200. Banks should provide more credits to the small-scale industries and for self-employment schemes. Budgetary provisions should also be made for unemployment allowance for all unemployed persons and a National Workers Capital Fund should be established. |
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Police turns down gutka makers’ plea
Mumbai, January 15 The city police has obtained non-bailable warrants against Rasiklal Dhariwal, owner of Manikchand Gutka, and J.M. Joshi, owner of Goa Gutka, under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act. Both men are wanted for allegedly approaching Dawood Ibrahim to solve a business dispute between themselves. According to the police, Joshi, who began his career as Dhariwal’s manager, quietly started his own brand of gutka even while he remained in service. The two men fell out when Joshi’s secret came to light. Rather than go away quietly, Joshi sought Dawood Ibrahim’s assistance to obtain sufficient compensation from his former employer. The police says both men flew together to Karachi where the don settled the matter in return for a hefty commission. According to information available with the police, the two men were asked to provide Dawood’s brother Anees with capital and knowhow to manufacture gutka in Pakistan. The two men also allegedly supplied machinery to blend and pack gutka to Anees through the drug smuggling circuit, the police said. The two businessmen, however, fled the country days before they were to be picked for questioning. They are however staying away from the country citing their NRI status, the police said. Police officials, who kept up surveillance at the venue of the wedding of Dhariwal’s granddaughter, had to return disappointed. Incidentally, Joshi has a criminal record, said the police. He is an accused in the murder of his daughter’s fiance, the police said. Shortly after the police summoned them for questioning last month, Dhariwal called up Mumbai newspapers to say he needed to stay away from the country till February to maintain his NRI status.
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Governor has no discretionary power under 6th Schedule: SC New Delhi, January 15 A five-judge Constitution Bench, headed by Chief Justice R.C. Lahoti said while performing his duty under the Sixth Schedule, the Governor was bound to take the advice of the Council of Ministers and a contention that “the Sixth Schedule is a Constitution within the Constitution” could not be accepted for various reasons. “It is impossible to visualise complete segregation of the Sixth Schedule from the rest of the Constitution,” said the Bench having Mr Justice Shivaraj V. Patil, Mr Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Mr Justice B.N. Srikrishna and Mr Justice G.P. Mathur as the other judges. “The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution is a part of the Constitution and cannot be interpreted by forgetting its other provisions,” the court said, adding the under Para “20BB” of the Sixth Schedule, the Governor was bound by the advice of the Cabinet.
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Environment panel to evaluate construction projects
New Delhi, January 15 The Environment Impact Assessment
(EIA) Notification, issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests on July 7 had for the first time brought under purview the construction activities. The notification made it mandatory for all new residential and industrial townships, settlement colonies, commercial complexes, hotels, hospitals, industrial estates and office complexes costing over Rs 50
crore, constructions meant for more than 1,000 persons or discharging sewage of 50,000 litres or more daily, to get environmental clearance from the Centre. The implementation of the notification, amending the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 1994, was, however, delayed. After a stay was vacated by the Tamil Nadu High Court, the expert committee was constituted in December, 2004. An Environment Ministry spokesperson said the committee had already cleared a pending construction project in
Jaipur, while another one of a pharmaceutical company in Hyderabad was in the pipeline. Sahara India had also approached the ministry for environmental clearance about their ongoing projects. It may be mentioned that the Govindrajan Committee, set up in 2003, had pointed out that the procedure for the grant of environmental clearance was a long process, taking 21 to 28 months and delaying projects. The expert committee, headed by former Chairman of the Central Pollution Control Board
(CPCB) Paritosh C. Tyagi, will scrutinise environmental impacts of new construction projects and industrial estates and examine the environmental management plan submitted by the companies concerned. It will also suggest safeguards to mitigate the adverse environmental impact and pollution prevention devices, besides recommending clearance or rejection of the projects. According to the spokesperson, the committee will ensure that proposals are cleared or rejected within a specified period of time. The project will be placed before the committee after preliminary scrutiny in the ministry. In case additional information is required the project authorities will be intimated in the first meeting itself, based on which the final decision will be taken at the next meeting. More than two sittings of the committee, which would meet on the second Saturday of every month, to consider a particular project would take place only in exceptional cases, he said. The committee can also ask for comments from other agencies, experts and committees and undertake site visits, with prior approval of the ministry to look into specific points and aspects. |
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‘Quit India’ notice to be served on Bangladeshi ‘infiltrators’
Kendrapara, January 15 The move to serve notices on the infiltrators would start from Ramnagar village, District Collector Hemant Sharma told PTI here. Additional police deployment has been made to thwart possible resistance and any disturbance, he said, adding special teams comprising revenue officials and school headmasters has been constituted to assist the police in the exercise. The onus on identifying the infiltrators would be on the local police, revenue inspectors and school headmasters before the “quit India” notice was served on them. The teams would carry three copies of the notice and get it signed from the identified person. Once signed by the person or his thumb impression taken on the document, he would be required to leave the country within 30 days, official sources said. Otherwise, they would face arrest under section 3(2)(c) of the Foreigners’ Act, 1946, for deportation. A copy of the signed notice would be given to the “infiltrator” while the others would be kept in official records of the district administration and the Home Department.
— PTI |
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Woman gang-raped in police station
Koraput (Orissa), January 15 The victim was lured by Circle Inspector (CI) S.K. Oddu, to the police station on the pretext of giving a job to her. She was then raped by Oddu and two others. According to the victim, “They said there is no need to be scared. We are policemen; today is the last day for getting the job. Then the CI raped me, and after him Nagurao and doctor Rath”. “Prima facie evidence has been established and yesterday I went to inspect. We also spoke to the lady. We have arrested Oddu and Nagurao. The doctor has escaped but we will find him,” said Mr Arun Kumar Bothra, SP, Koraput.
— ANI |
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Appeal to release 91-yr-old woman
New Delhi, January 15 “The woman is so old that she cannot even stand properly. She is so old and frail. We will make an appeal for her release from jail,” NCW chairperson Poornima Advani, who visited the jail today to assess the situation of women inmates there, told reporters here today. She said the commission would write to the Chief Justice of India, to the Delhi High Court and to Lt-Governor B.L. Joshi to appeal for the elderly woman’s release from the jail. The nonagenarian, referred to as “Maya ji” in the jail, is booked in a case relating to a property dispute.
— PTI |
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Sindh represents culture: Jethmalani
Mumbai, January 15 Opposing the PIL filed by advocate Sanjeev Bhatnagar in the Supreme Court to delete the word Sindh from the National Anthem, Mr Jethmalani said: “I wonder whether the PIL was on behalf of Pakistan.” The national anthem has specifically described various cultures prevalent in the country and did not describe any piece of land. Sindh represents the cultural river — Indian civilisation, he said. |
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Criminals flee
after killing 3 cops Dehra Dun, January 15 The prisoners and the two unidentified persons fled immediately after the incident. Criminals Rajendra Singh and Harish Singh were being taken back after to Almora after being presented in the court at Ranikhet. Police posts in the region have been alerted and efforts are on to nab the criminals, the police said. Meanwhile Chief Minister N.D. Tiwari has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. Mr Tiwari has announced Rs 5 lakh each to be given to the families of constables, Girish Chand, Sanjay Kumar and Mahesh Singh.
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Bangladeshi intruder killed Sikkim in Buddhist circuit Five MLAs surrender |
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