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SC defers hearing on Parrikar’s plea
Punjab to repair Harike barrage gates
Panel raps govt on farmers’ suicide
Venezuelan President arrives
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‘Logistics Post’ to be launched soon
Centre, 4 states in legal soup over ad expenses
CPI averse to President's rule in Bihar
Advani for probe on Jharkhand episode
Rice to visit India on March 16
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SC defers hearing on Parrikar’s plea
New Delhi, March 4 “Wait for the developments that take place today. The legal issue will be in any way examined whether you (Parrikar) come back to power or you loose following the floor test,” a Bench of Chief Justice R.C. Lahoti and Mr Justice D.M. Dharmadhikari told Mr Parrikar’s counsel, former Attorney General Soli J. Sorabjee. Mr Sorabjee wanted to argue on the petition filed by Mr Parrikar, challenging Governor S.C. Jamir’s February 2 notification dismissing his government, saying he had prayed for interim relief under which a “composite floor test” has been requested for. Mr Sorabjee said the pro-tem Speaker was supposed to hear an application seeking the disqualification of a member (supporting BJP). “His order in this regard is pre-determined. This latest development required to be taken urgent note of,” he said. Regarding the disqualification of incumbent Deputy Chief Minister Filipe Neri Rodriguez by former Speaker Vishwas Satarker on February 2 just before the Parrikar government had won the trust vote, Mr Sorabjee said the Speaker’s order could not be challenged. Mr Jamir had dismissed the Parrikar government soon after its “winning” the controversial trust vote after the expulsion of Mr Rodriguez from the House. Mr Sorabjee expressed the apprehension that even if incumbent Chief Minister Pratapsinh Rane lost the vote of confidence, the Governor might issue some other direction (imposition of President’s rule or dissolution of Assembly). “If such action is taken what will be Mr Parrikar’s fate? It in any case would be a constitutional order, which cannot be challenged, and, therefore the case needed to be heard urgently,” he argued. The court said it was ready to hear the petition on merits. “But our query is what shape the developments take today. Suppose you win in the trust vote,” the Bench told Mr Sorabjee, adding that it would be better to wait for the outcome of the Assembly proceedings. When Mr Sorabjee sought a direction from the court to the Goa Government that it would not take any major decision in the interim period, the court said it was fixing the matter for hearing on Monday and did not feel that in such circumstances, the government would be able to take any major policy decision. |
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Punjab to repair Harike barrage gates
Jaipur, March 4 As agreed to by both states, the repairs will start on March 22 the release of water from the barrage to the canal systems will remain suspended for a fortnight. Rajasthan Irrigation Minister, Sanwar Lal Jat, told the Tribune today that the state government would pay Rs 7 crore to Punjab as its share of expenditure on the repairs. On completion of the work, the desert state would benefit by about 350 cusecs of water, he observed. During the two-week period when the canals would remain dry, the Indira Gandhi Canal Project authorities would simultaneously take up the task of mending the main feeder as also the rectification of the sizes of about 4000 outlets which were reported to have been tempered with by influential agriculturists to draw more water, much to the annoyance of small farmers. |
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Panel raps govt on farmers’ suicide
New Delhi, March 4 The report placed in Parliament said, “a government cannot and should not pledge to function for the welfare of farmers rest satisfied by merely initiating measures aimed at alleviating the sufferings of farmers unless the adequacy and efficacy of such measures transform their lives and the agricultural sector.” Prof Yadav said the government had maintained silence on the recommendation of the committee for making a case study of the farmers committing suicide due to indebtedness vis-a-vis commercial borrowers. Committee members during their study visit found that “money lender adopt strong tactics for recovery from the farmers.” Prof Yadav said the committee urged the government to ensure that the measures initiated by them were monitored to secure the interest of the farmers. A high rate of interest being charged on agricultural credit, the report said, was a main cause for the plight of small and marginal farmers. The Committee sought an increase in the ceiling of Rs 50,000 to Rs 1,50,000 for charging the minimum rate of interest, which was not more than 9 per cent It said banks should give top priority to the small and marginal farmers while disbursing crop loans with the lower interest rate and the government must ensure that in “no case the indebted farmer is deprived of his land since his existence and of his family depends entirely on it.” According to advance estimates released by the Central Statistical Organisation, the growth rate in agriculture, including allied sector in 2004-05, was 1.1 per cent. The average annual growth rate for the first three years of the Tenth Plan works out to 1.2 per cent. The targeted production of foodgrains is pegged at 113.80 millon tonnes for the Kharif season and 111.30 million tonnes for the Rabi season. Mr Subir Gokaran, executive director and chief economist of Crisil today forecast a 7 per cent GDP growth in fiscal 2005-06 and projected a growth rate of 3.5 per cent in the agricultural sector, 8.5 per cent services growth and seven per cent growth of the industry. |
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Venezuelan President arrives
New Delhi, March 4 In his brief interaction with reporters shortly after his arrival, President Chavez was asked whether Venezuela, the world’s fifth largest oil producer, would stop selling oil to the US, its biggest export market. He said: “We want to supply oil to the US... We are not going to avoid supplying (them) oil unless the US government gets a little bit crazy and tries to hurt us. If there is any aggression, there will be no oil.” He also stated that OPEC oil producers did not need to increase production when they meet later this month as the factors pushing oil prices to near-record highs were not related to the cartel. President Chavez would be meeting the entire top leadership of the country during his visit. He is also scheduled to visit Kolkata and Bangalore. |
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‘Logistics Post’ to be launched soon
New Delhi, March 4 “We plan to offer complete logistics solutions and hopefully the plan should take off within the next few months. Presently, we are transporting parcels to various parts of the country. We are now examining the blueprint to carry major consignments criss-crossing various states and regions”, a top official of the Department of Posts said. In addition, the department is also looking at various measures to leverage its network optimise its “payment gateway” facility for large number retail brands. It is also looking at entering in new areas in the financial services area. Currently, there is a strategic alliance with the Western Union Financial Services for in-bound international money transfers. As of now, Indian post commands 23 per cent of the total South-Asian market share of the international money transfers undertaken through the Western Union Financial Services. As on March 31, 2005, there were 1,55,669 post offices or outlets, of which roughly 89 per cent were outside cities. However, the department have been working upon various market innovations and new products and services in the wake of the advent of e-mail and the Internet and also to make up for the losses. |
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Centre, 4 states in legal soup over ad expenses
New Delhi, March 4 Taking cognizance of a public interest litigation (PIL) by two advocates — Manzoor Ali Khan and Rohit Pandey — raising the issue, a Bench comprising Chief Justice R. C. Lahoti and Mr Justice D. M. Dharmadhikari issued notices to various Union ministries and Governments of Delhi, Uttaranchal, Punjab and Karnataka and sought their replies. The PIL sought directions for production of records relating to the expenses incurred and its recovery from the parties concerned. The
ministries of Human Resource Development, Railways, Non-conventional Energy, Panchayati Raj, Urban Development, Parliamentary Affairs, Power, Communications and IT, Tourism and Information and Broadcasting, were issued notices. The PIL alleged that these ministries and the governments of the four states had been "misusing" public funds for promoting the image of the leaders of the Congress
party. Discribing their action as "misappropriation" of public money, the petitioners specifically referred and annexed the advertisements issued on the 60th birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi last year. |
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CPI averse to President's rule in Bihar
New Delhi, March 4 ''The CPI will support the move for a secular government to be formed in Bihar,'' CPI Central Secretariat said in a statement adding that to talk of President's rule in Bihar soon after the people had voted would be wrong. |
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Advani for probe on Jharkhand episode
New Delhi, March 4 Asserting that it was imperative to fix accountability for what has happened in Jharkhand, Mr Advani in his two-page letter said: “I am astounded that no one in either the Central Government or in the leading constituent of the UPA is willing to take the responsibility in the face of so major an onslaught on the Constitution.” In his two-page letter, Mr Advani also tried to corner the Prime Minister on the moral grounds saying: “Dear Prime Minister, notwithstanding my personal regard for you, I am constrained to say that you and senior members of Parliament are avoiding your accountability to Parliament whenever a matter surfaces relating to the contradictions in the UPA coalition-and such matters have surfaced frequently in the past nine months.” “As a result, the canon of collective responsibility of the Council of Ministers has become a casualty in your government,” Mr Advani said. Posing four questions to the Prime Minister, the BJP chief said “accountability and responsibility are the very heartbeat of democratic governance...I urge upon you the imperative of fixing accountability for what has happened.” “In light of the sheer brazenness of the assault on democracy in Jharkhand, I demand that the government immediately institute a probe to determine who was responsible for it and take suitable action against the guilty,” Mr Advani said. |
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Rice to visit India on March 16
New Delhi, March 4 However, diplomatic sources in the US Embassy here said the State Department had not yet announced Ms Rice’s India visit. “If she comes, it will be probably on March 16 and she will be meeting some of the key leaders,” an American diplomat said. It will be a “substantive working visit”. Indications are that India would be one of the many countries Ms Rice would be visiting in South Asia and South-East Asia. Asked if she would be visiting Pakistan too, the diplomat replied in the affirmative but added that good chances were that she would visit India first. A notable feature in Ms Rice’s coming India visit is that it would be taking place quite early in her tenure, in fact, just a few weeks after her confirmation as the Secretary of State. Ms Rice would have extensive talks with External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh and would also call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. During these talks the entire gamut of Indo-US bilateral relations would be covered and the two sides would also be using the opportunity to review regional and international issues of mutual interest. Mr Jaishanker, Joint Secretary (Americas) in the Ministry of External Affairs is currently in the US to prepare the grounds for Ms Rice’s visit. Ms Rice has the reputation of being one of the most vociferous India-supporters in the Bush Administration. Indo-US relations have gone from strength to strength in the past few years. Fresh impetus to the Indo-US strategic partnership was witnessed in the wake of tsunami disaster in December when the US roped in India as one of the few countries for relief works. |
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In video: Venezuela seeks balance in oil prices across the
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