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Two more boys kidnapped in Bihar
Don’t dilute CMP in Budget: Left
Front partners unhappy over CPM’s attitude
Ghising back from Capital
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Book on Javed Akthar’s songs released
Legal Dept man blamed for delay in Patiala college land case
Measures to promote Sanskrit in MP
FIRs lodged against 4 candidates in Palamu
Mukhiya shot dead in Gopalganj
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Two more boys kidnapped in Bihar
Jehanabad (Bihar), January 30 Official sources today said here that Ranjan Kumar, a fourth standard student, was missing from his school hostel since January 20. The sources said Ranjan, a student of local Diamond Public School, used to visit his uncle Arvind Sharma’s hotel. When he did not reach the hotel on January 20, Mr Sharma inquired about his nephews’s whereabouts from the hostel administration. Mr Sharma later made inquiries about Ranjan from his relatives and friends as the hostel authorities could not give any information. He registered a case of kidnapping with the Town police station yesterday. Meanwhile, a class VII student of the local Jehanabad Public School Babloo Sharma, was reportedly kidnapped on December 31. An intensive search operation was on to trace the 14-year-old boy. Patna: Dreaded criminal Santosh Singh, accused of several abductions in Bihar and other states, was arrested under the Danapur police station area here today. Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Danapur, Dilnawaz Ahmad, said here that the criminal was picked up from the Danapur area during a raid conducted on a tip-off. He said the arrested criminal was wanted in connection with several kidnappings. His interrogation was on. |
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Don’t dilute CMP in Budget: Left
New Delhi, January 30 The Left party leaders will articulate at the meeting their concerns about certain economic agenda of the Manmohan Singh government which they perceive as a calculated bid to "dilute the CMP" under the pressure of the economic reforms lobby. In separate interviews, the leaders of the four Left parties said they would tell the Finance Minister in no unequivocal terms that their support to the government was "not unconditional" and that certain proposals and decisions of the government, particularly the merger of banks and disinvestment of pension funds, would lead to further confrontation. They said they would impress upon the government to take major policy initiatives on mobilisation of domestic resources, improvement in Employment Guarantee Act and more funds for its implemention, allocation of six per cent of GDP on higher education, three per cent of GDP on health care, and 50 per cent more credit to farmers, among other things. CPI General Secretary A.B .Bardhan said they would also find out from the government what steps it would take to protect the small and traditional industries, revive sick PSUs and expand tax base. "But unfortunately, the UPA government is more preoccupied with disinvestment of the most profit making PSUs, and repeatedly calls for FDI without taking care of control of financial resources and economic sovereignty and security of the country," he said. The CPI General Secretary said it should be remembered that the left support to the UPA government was based on implementation of the CMP. "It is not unconditional. Therefore departure from the CMP will mean conflict and oppostion from the Left parties." He said the proposal to disinvest in banks and allowing foreign banks to have 74 per cent equity in private banks would only mean "dominant foreign control over our vast bank deposits".
— UNI |
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Front partners unhappy over CPM’s attitude
Kolkata, January 30 The CPI, RCPI and the DSP besides other small partners are also unhappy but their leadership has not been much vocal against the CPM. Meanwhile, Ms Mamata Banerjee asked these small partners to leave the Left Front and join the anti-CPM front, which the Trinamool Congress had formed. She said like-minded leaders and workers in the Congress would also be welcomed in the new front. The FB minister in charge of agriculture, Mr Kamal Guha, and a RSP leader and former minister, Mr Kshiti Goswami, alleged they had been treated like slaves by the CPM, which had been affecting the unity and harmony of the front government. Mr Guha accused the CPM of acting against the interest of the smaller partners. Both leaders threatened to quit the front as a mark of protest against the CPM’s “dictatorship”. Addressing the party’s convention at Jalpaiguri in North Bengal Mr Goswami and the RSP secretary, Mr Debabrato Bandopadhya, alleged that there had been starvation deaths of at least 200 persons, including women and children, in the tea gardens area for the past six months. The leaders alleged that the Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, and CPM leadership had been trying to suppress the truth. Extreme distress and acute poverty were stated to be the cause of the death of such a large number of people, they admitted. Mr Guha warned the CPM against its “arrogance and big-brotherly attitude”. He asked the CPM to change its attitude towards the small parties or face consequences. The CPM state secretary, Mr Anil Biswas, and Politburo member, Mr Biman Bose, denied the charges made against them and blamed the small parties of spreading canard against the CPM and the government. Mr Bose said they were welcome to leave the front if they so desired instead of falsely criticising the government. |
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Ghising back from Capital
Kolkata, January 30 The Home Minister, Mr Shivraj Patil, was to chair the meeting but he could not as he was to attend another urgent official metting. The state Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who was in the Capital to attend the meeting, returned to the city, skipping the meeting. After returning to the state, Ghising told mediapersons at Bagdogra in Siliguri that he was happy at the outcome of the meeting. He claimed that as demanded by him the Centre had agreed to sanction more financial and administrative powers to the Hill Council, which he had been headinng since 1988. He announced the cancellation of their decision to go on an indefinite “bloodshed agitation in the hills” from February 4. He assured that the peace and normalcy would maintained at all cost in the hills and he would allow the state government to hold the forthcoming panchayat poll in Darjeeling in April. The state Chief Secretary, Mr A. Gupta, and Home Secretary, Mr A.K. Deb, who also returned to the city, reported to the Chief Minister about the outcome of the Delhi meeting, where the Gorkhaland Accord of 1988 was discussed and reviewed. Another meeting will be held soon in Kolkata for further discussions. The GNLF chief claimed that the Centre had agreed to enhance the special fund for Darjeeling development from Rs 45 crore to Rs 50 crore from the next financial year, which would be handed over to the Hill Council. The state government would be now handing over a few more important departments like health and family planning, land reforms and distributions, sales tax and motor vehicle tax, World Bank’s assistance programme, etc, to the council. Ghising, earlier, alleged to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and Home Minister that the state government had been denying the council the special Central funds allotted for Darjeeling development. He demanded that the funds should be directly flown to the council from New Delhi, which, however, was rejected. |
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Vishnu Prabhakar not to return award
New Delhi, January 30 “The President is appealing to me and, hence, I am taking back my decision. And talking to him, I got the impression that he does not have any ill-feeling towards Hindi,” the 93-year-old writer told reporters after his half-an-hour meeting with Dr Kalam at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. He said “the President appealed to me to withdraw my decision to return the honour saying he respects my feelings and assured me that such an incident will not recur and that I can contact him directly.” Prabhakar said the President expressed regret over any misconduct that he may have faced at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The noted Hindi writer had earlier decided to return the Padma Bhushan given to him last year after he was not allowed to enter Rashtrapati Bhawan along with his son to attend the ‘At Home’ function on the occasion of Republic Day. Prabhakar had said his decision was not because of any personal insult but because the national language Hindi had been insulted. Armed with letters he had written to Dr Kalam, he said the President told him that he had not received any of the letters and assured him he would inquire into the reason. The writer then gave the letters to the President. The author had earlier said he had written five letters to Dr Kalam during the past one year, but did not receive reply to even one, adding he wondered whether it was because the letters were in Hindi. — PTI |
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Book on Javed Akthar’s songs released
Mumbai, January 30 “Talking Songs” is a dialogue between Akthar and writer Nasreen Munni Kabir and contains a detailed analysis of Akthar’s songs — their moods and inspiration behind them. The book, released yesterday, also has 60 film songs translated into English and is published by the Oxford University Press. Ms Kabir’s earlier book was “Talking Films:
Conversations on Hindi Cinema with Javed Akhtar”. Akthar, speaking on the occasion, said that over a period, Hindi films and songs have gained respectability among the intelligentsia and some good books on Hindi films have been written. Songs have always
been an integral part of Hindi films and they express more than the dialogues. The book also analyses the work of other great lyricists and their inspirations, and how social and political conditions of a particular period influenced the lyricists and their lyrics. “We have discussed the words like ‘Balma’, which was very common in the film songs of the 1940s and 50s but no longer used today,” Akthar added. Shah Rukh Khan, speaking on the occasion, said he was blessed to have worked with
Javed Akthar whose songs have grace and beauty. — UNI |
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Legal Dept man blamed for delay in Patiala
New Delhi, January 30 In its affidavit, filed last week, the Legal Department said as per an inquiry conducted by Additional Advocate-General R. K. Handa, Senior Assistant Harnek Singh had been found guilty. The affidavit was filed in a response to the court’s directive seeking report from the state government as to who were the officials responsible and what action had been taken against them. The department said an action had been taken against Harnek Singh by Advocate-General Harbhagwan Singh under the service rules vide an order of December 17. Annexing the inquiry report with the affidavit, the department claimed that Harnek Singh had not applied for the certified copy of earlier judgement of May 25, 2001,in the land dispute case, which was in favour of the state and on April 19, 2003, he had put the file with “uncertified” copies of the order before the high court. But the affidavit was silent about the opinion of Deputy Advocate- General on April 23, 2003, that “no fruitful purpose will be served by filing of the SLP in the apex court” when the high court verdict had gone against it in a case filed by Amarjit Singh, and the opinion being endorsed by the Additional Advocate-General on April 30. These opinions had come at a time when the Education Secretary had sent an urgent letter to the Legal Department, expressing concern over the government losing the 33-bigha land, along with seven institutions on it. The Education Department had only woken up when Amarjit Singh had sought to execute the decree against the government for demolition of the institutions, raised on the land since 1955 after it was acquired for the purpose. |
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Measures to promote Sanskrit in MP
Bhopal, January 30 A state-level committee has been constituted to give suggestions for improving the condition of Sanskrit pathshalas. It will study the present conditions, curriculum, teaching methods, inspection and supervision system and distribution of scholarship and availability of Information Technology and recommend measures for effecting further improvements. Besides, an orientation programme is being implemented for Sanskrit teachers in the state for bringing about qualitative improvement in Sanskrit teaching. A book titled “Sanskrit Bhasha Shikshanam” has been brought out to facilitate training to Sanskrit teachers. About 100 teachers/lecturers from each district of the state will be imparted training to develop their skill in Sanskrit teaching through the Sanskrit medium. |
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FIRs lodged against 4 candidates in Palamu
Medninagar (Jharkhand), January 30 Congress candidate Krishna Nand Tripathy and RJD candidate Gyanchand Pandey had been booked for putting up banners and posters in Daltongunj without the approval of the district administration, the police said. FIR was also lodged against an independent candidate, Anil Kumar Chaurasia, for taking out a procession without prior permission. All four candidates are contesting from Daltongunj Assembly constituency in the first phase of elections slated for February 3.
— PTI |
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Mukhiya shot dead in Gopalganj
Gopalganj, Bihar, January 30 Police Superintendent Anil Kishore Yadav said here the motorcycle-borne criminals fired from point blank range at the mukhiya when he was shopping in the local market. The incident was the outcome of a personal enmity. Raids were on to nab the criminals. Meanwhile, an irate mob demanding immediate arrest of the gunmen staged a dharna in the town. The local shopkeepers downed shutters after the incident.
— UNI |
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NSCN(IM) ultras kill two compatriots
Kohima, January 30 Official sources today said three persons were travelling in a jeep towards Yempang village when suspected underground activists waylaid their jeep and killed the two of them. They, however, released the third person, reportedly a policeman. The victims had earlier defected from
NSCN(K). — UNI |
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Saharsa SP transferred
New Delhi, January 30 EC sources said that the transfer of SP Sohaib Akhtar has been ordered to ensure free and fair polls in the state. — PTI |
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