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Bill on WMDs introduced
Govt moves right to information Bill with amendments
CVC files opinion on Taj Corridor case
CBI orders steps to speed up trial in fodder scam
SC reserves verdict on Haryana officers’ plea |
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No more free power for Maharashtra farmers
BJP upset at weakening NDA
Central Govt staff to man TN bypoll
Azam Khan finally calls it quits
JD(U) youth wing to launch campaign against inflation
ICMR award for PGI head Talwar
Charitable bodies may face tax
India, Norway hold talks
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Bill on WMDs introduced
New Delhi, May 10 “In view of India’s status as a nuclear weapons state and its international commitment it is felt necessary to introduce an over-arching legislation to prohibit unlawful activities in relation to weapons of mass
destruction”, the Bill said. The weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems (Prohibition of Unlawful
Activities) Bill, 2005, is expected to pave the way for the Nuclear Supplier Group to transfer technology to meet the country’s growing energy demands. Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee introduced the Bill in the Lok Sabha in the absence of External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had apprised Russian President Vladimir Putin during their talks in Moscow of the Bill while seeking additional Russian nuclear reactors for the atomic power project in Tamil Nadu. Dr Manmohan Singh had stated that the Bill would address the concerns of Russia as a member of the NSG. The Bill could face some hurdles from the Left parties as they protested against the introduction of the bill since they had not been consulted. The Bill said India remained committed to safeguard its national security as a nuclear weapon state. At the same time, the country’s policy had always been not to assist, encourage or induce any other country to manufacture WMDs, including nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. It said India continued to fulfil its international commitments under the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention to which it was a state party. The Bill said being conscious of its responsibilities India had been exercising control over the export of WMD-usable materials, equipment and technologies. Biological weapons had been defined as microbial or other biological agents or toxins that had no justification for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes. Chemical weapons meant toxic chemicals and their precursors except where intended for industrial, agricultural, research, medical, pharmaceutical or other peaceful purposes. The Bill stipulates that no person shall transfer, acquire, possess or transport fissile or radioactive material, which was intended to be used to cause or threat to cause death or serious injury or damage to property. It prohibits the export of any material, equipment or technology that is intended to be used in the design or manufacture of a biological, chemical or nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices or in their missile delivery systems. Any person who contravenes the Act can be punished with imprisonment for a term not less than five years but which may be extended to life imprisonment along with fine. No court shall take cognizance of any offence under this Act without the previous sanction of the central government or any officer authorised by the Centre. |
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Govt moves right to information Bill with amendments
New Delhi, May 10 However, the Bill has left several loopholes which could be exploited by government officials to suppress information. For instance, it will not be binding on the officials to disclose information relating to “security, strategic, scientific or economic interests of the state,” besides matters forbidden by court and information that can cause a breach of privilege of Parliament or the state legislature. Under the amended Bill there is a provision that in case of denial or delay in information applicants can approach the Central or state information commissions, to be set up under the Act. Officials can be fined up to Rs 25,000 for delay or suppression of information. The Bill enables the people below the poverty line to get desired information free of cost, while others will have to pay a reasonable price to get information. Introducing the Bill in the Lok Sabha, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Pachauri said, “The new Right to Information Bill, 2004, will bring about a radical transformation in the lives of citizens of the country by ensuring transparency and accountability in governance”. Though the Bill was earlier scheduled to be passed today, Mr Pachauri said he would like to respond to issues raised by members relating to the Bill tomorrow. Referring to the clash with the Official Secrets Act, 1923, he said there was a provision that public authority might allow access to information, if “public interest in disclosure outweights the harm to the protected interests.” The Bill was introduced in the Parliament last December, but the government decided to redesign it by accepting 149 amendments suggested by the standing committee and National Advisory Council headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Cutting across party lines, Lok Sabha members supported the Bill. |
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CVC files opinion on Taj Corridor case
New Delhi, May 10 Interestingly, the CBI sleuths questioned Ms Mayawati, despite the agency having decided to close the Taj Corridor case registered on the orders of the Supreme Court after seeking an opinion from the Attorney-General, who said there was no sufficient evidence to prosecute the former Chief Minister. Though the investigation in charge and five other officers probing the case were of the view that the former Chief Minister could be prosecuted, CBI’s Director, Prosecution, and the Director himself felt that no chargesheet could be filed against her in the court on the basis of available evidence. In view of this the matter was referred for opinion of the Attoreny-General by the agency. But the court had taken serious view of seeking such an opinion from the AG in a criminal case and referred the matter to CVC, asking for its view. Ms Mayawati was questioned between 1200 hours and 1300 hours at her official residence, during which the CBI personnel are understood to have asked her about various properties and assets acquired by her and also details about her bank accounts. |
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CBI orders steps to speed up trial in fodder scam
New Delhi, May 10 The direction to this effect came from Mr Misra at a high-level meeting called by him to review the progress of the trial of the animal husbandry cases of Bihar and Jharkhand, the CBI press note said here. "A few cases were identified where progress requires to be speeded up. To achieve this, several administrative steps, including video-conference in respect of two accused persons lodged in Ranchi jail for their trial in Patna and posting of additional officers in the Animal
Husbandry Cell of the CBI have been ordered by the Director to remove bottlenecks and facilitate speedy disposal of the cases," it said. The review meeting was attended by the Additional Director, CBI, Joint Director (Central Zone), the Director of Prosecution and the CBI officers from Ranchi and Patna,
it said. |
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SC reserves verdict on Haryana officers’ plea New Delhi, May 10 A Bench of Chief Justice R.C. Lahoti, Mr Justice D.M. Dharmadhikari and Mr Justice G.P. Mathur reserved the verdict after examining the status report of the CBI and the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) on progress of various aspects of the JBT teachers’ appointment scam, including some corruption cases and departmental inquiries registered by the Haryana Government against Mr Sanjiv Kumar. Additional Solicitor-General P.P. Malhotra told the court that apart from the main scam, the CBI was asked to probe five cases against Mr Sanjiv Kumar. Out of those, two cases had been closed against him as no material was found. The CVC had been looking into three departmental inquiries against the officer and had stated that after new material coming to light on the CBI probe, one of it needed to be looked further. But Mr Sanjiv Kumar’s counsel said the so-called new material referred by the CVC was in a case which was transferred by the apex court to the commission from the CBI in August last, but the agency had continued to inquire it, contrary to the court order. Mr Sanjiv Kumar’s counsel had accused the CBI investigating team headed by an officer of the rank of SP of demanding a bribe of Rs 55 lakh from him through some person for clearing his name in all cases. The officer had raised a question mark over the manner the CBI was probing the main scam.
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No more free power for Maharashtra farmers Mumbai, May 10 Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh told reporters after a Cabinet meeting here today that the state government would instead provide subsidised power to farmers. “While the subsidies will be 75 per cent initially, it will be reduced to 25 per cent gradually,” Mr Deshmukh said. So far the state government has spent close to Rs 1,200 crore towards providing free power to farmers. The free power scheme was introduced last July by former Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde as a pre-poll sop to woo votes for the Congress-NCP coalition. However, the move had backfired with increased demand for power from the agriculture sector causing a shortfall of nearly 4000 MW this summer. In many places farmers themselves had launched an agitation against the Maharashtra State Electricity Board as they could not pump in water due to the power shortage, affecting their crops. In many places across Maharashtra farmers had to come out at night to irrigate their fields. However, reports of several farmers dying of snake bites in some parts of the state have also embarassed the government.
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BJP upset at weakening NDA
New Delhi, May 10 Though discontent within some of the constituents of the NDA over the BJP’s handling of various issues inside and outside Parliament has been simmering for sometime now, it came into open when TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu gave expression to differences yesterday saying the relationship with the BJP adversely affected his party’s political fortunes in the last Assembly and Parliamentary elections as minority votes went away from it. “The party is worried that if this trend catches momentum, its ability to provide a stable government would come under serious doubts”, a former minister of the Vajpayee government told The Tribune. Even within the BJD and the JD(U), a section has questioned the BJP leadership’s decision to boycott the Budget session of Parliament. The CPM’s constant stress on the formation of a third front has added to the worries of the BJP as it would essentially mean that parties like the BJD and the JD (U) would start looking towards the new political front with hope. “The boycott of Parliament is going to boomerang on the NDA as people at large have begun to question our role”, a JD (U) leader said. NDA convener George Fernandes in close consultation with Leader of Opposition L.K. Advani has been dictating his personal agenda to the Opposition alliance and in this process “we are losing out politically”, he said. Meanwhile, former BJP president M. Venkaiah Naidu lashed out at the TDP strongly disagreeing with the TDP chief”s assessment that relations with it and the Gujarat violence had a “negative” effect on the last year’s Assembly poll”. “We don’t agree with that viewpoint and assessment. Some people in our party are of the opinion that the anti-incumbency factor in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh affected our performance in the Lok Sabha elections”, the BJP leader said. |
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Central Govt staff to man TN bypoll
Chennai, May 10 The order comes from the Central Election Commission (CEC) which stated that only Central Government employees be deputed for election duty. The main reason behind this move is because of allegations by the ruling All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) about the conduct of poll and the aggrieved party later questioning the “political loyalty” of the polling personnel since they worked for the state government. Though government servants cannot be members of any political party, in Tamil Nadu it is a fact that a majority of the employees are vertically divided between the two Dravidian parties and the polarisation is sharp. As such, while training employees of the Kalpakkam Atomic Power Plant, who will function presiding and polling officers for the Kancheepuram Assembly bypoll, District Collector R. Venkatesan has assured them of security by central paramilitary forces. The AIADMK candidate in this constituency, dotted with temples, is Ms Mythili Thirunavukkarasu, widow of former party MLA S.S. Thirunavukkarasu. In this constituency, too, the Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) nominee, Mr P.M. Kumar, has an edge over his main rival as a majority of the voters are backward Vanniyars and Dalits. One of the planks of campaign by the DPA is that AIADMK general secretary and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa had insulted and expelled Thirunavukkarasu from the party following, which he fell sick and died. Another issue which is being raised by the DMK is the Sankararaman murder case. |
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Azam Khan finally calls it quits
Lucknow, May 10 A visibly crestfallen Azam Khan announced at a hurriedly convened press conference that he had forwarded his resignation as the proposed life-long-Pro-chancellor to Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav . In the letter to the Chief Minister, he has made it clear that he will either accept to remain the lifelong Pro-Chancellor or nothing. “I am not ready to be tied down to a timeframe as demanded by the Congress,” he remarked. While the minister went on to explain that he had taken the step at the call of his conscience, he did not refrain from charging the Congress for unleashing a chain of events that had led to the unsavoury tug of war with Governor T.V. Rajeswar. “Today the Congress has succeeded in it design of undermining the interest of the minorities”, observed the minister. When the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar University Bill was introduced in the Vidhan Sabha in July 2004, the Governor had clearly made his displeasure known over the minister appointing himself a life-long Pro-Chancellor of a state-supported university. He had forwarded the matter to the President, who had returned it with the advice to seek legal opinion. Ties between the government and the Governor nosedived over the matter. Fearing the stalling of the Bill, the government passed a fresh private Bill during the recent Budget session. Mr Azam Khan did not miss an opportunity to charge the Governor of scuttling the university Bill under pressure from the Congress. |
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JD(U) youth wing to launch campaign against inflation
New Delhi, May 10 The decision was taken at a meeting of the party national executive here yesterday. Mr Govind Yadav, national president of the Youth Janata Dal (United), said the youth leaders of party would launch the movement at district headquarters on May 25. The activists will assemble at state headquarters to launch a similar campaign. This will be followed by a national convention of the JD(U) youth leaders at Dhanbad in
Jharkhand on June 26. Mr Yadav said the privatisation and disinvestment are unconstitutional and were the root cause of unemployment and inflation. Speaking at the meeting, NDA convener and JD(U) president George Fernandes drew attention to the wrong economic policies of the UPA government. Former Railway Minister and leader of the JD(U) Parliamentary Party Nitish Kumar was conspicuous by his absence at the meeting. |
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ICMR award for PGI head Talwar
New Delhi, May 10 While Professor Talwar has been selected for the Basanti Devi Amir Chand Prize for 2003 for his work on the utility of endomyocardial biopsy in tropical heart muscle disease, Dr Sud has been selected for work on cyclosporine use in kidney transplantation. Dr Swami has been selected for the Dr M.K. Seshadri Prize for 2002 for practice in community medicine. According to a press release issued by the ICMR here today, 30 scientists have been selected for various ICMR awards for 2002, 2003 and 2004. The awards will be presented to the winners by the Union Health Minister at a function in Delhi in July. Six doctors from the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, have also been selected for the awards. Dr Alok Takkar from the ENT Department of AIIMS has been selected for the Shakumatala Amir Chand Prize for 2002 for optimising treatment strategies in head and neck cancers. Dr Kalpana Luthra from the Department of Biochemistry has been selected for the Shakuntala Amir Chand Prize for 2003 for work on lipids and lipoproteins in vascular diseases. Dr Rima Dada from the Department of Anatomy has been selected for the award for work on genetic analysis in male infertility. Prof Umesh Kapil from the Department of Gastroenterology has been selected for the P.N. Raju Oration Award for 2002 for research contributions in the area of micronutrient malnutrition. Dr S.K. Sharma from the Department of Medicine has been selected for the M.N. Sen Oration Award for 2002. |
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Charitable bodies may face tax
New Delhi, May 10 Replying to supplementary questions during Question Hour in Rajya Sabha today, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said there were several bodies that supported charity in education and health and their incomes could be large. The minister said a Bill to amend tax laws would be introduced in Parliament by Friday and would be referred to a standing committee after circulation of the draft legislation to the members. “It is a sensitive subject and I want to approach it with caution and sensitivity.... I need support of the House,” Mr Chidambaram said. The minister, however, said there was no proposal to bring marriage expenses under the ambit. |
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India, Norway hold talks
New Delhi, May 10 The commission will be co-chaired by the Foreign Ministers. According to the Ministry of External Affairs today, during the consultations, the two sides had a comprehensive review of bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues. The Norwegian side was headed by Mr Jorg Willy
Bronebakk, Deputy Secretary-General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Indian side by Mrs Shashi U. Tripathi, Secretary (West), MEA. |
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