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Exclusive varsities for PIOs on the cards: Tytler
India, B’desh to discuss border spat today
India, China join hands to fight corruption
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Punjab, Himachal PCC chiefs by June 30
PM violating UPA norms, says Basu
BJP’s ‘dharma yudh’ in UP from today
No plan to launch stir for Ram temple: VHP
RSS: Indira’s praise was mere reference, not compliment Kuka Movement part of freedom struggle, says govt
Gabbar territory may be sloth bear sanctuary
Crucial G-4 meeting in Brussels tomorrow Talks on Wullar Barrage put off
Fresh petition filed on tainted ministers’ issue
UP ex-minister, nephew held for murder
Rajeshwari receives extortion threats
BJP condemns petro price hike, demands rollback
India invited to join Qatar-Pak gas pipeline project
Hurriyat not to be involved in Indo-Pak talks, says Centre
Navy gets first woman
Vice-Admiral
Tea garden employees observe strike
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Exclusive varsities for PIOs on the cards: Tytler
New Delhi, June 20 These are in addition to dual citizenship and introduction of smart cards for PIOs. In an interface with mediapersons, Mr Tytler said the government was actively considering setting up universities for meeting the higher education needs of 25 million Indian diaspora around the world. The proposed university would be privately funded, but certified by the Indian Government. “Most countries where the PIOs are based have good primary and secondary education facilities. However, when it comes to higher education, Indians are often left out,” the minister observed. “Though it is in a conceptual stage, I have spoken to the Ministry of Human Resource Development and received a favourable response,” he added. He said steps would be taken to address the problems being faced by Indian citizens, especially the women married to PIOs. Another initiative meant to safeguard the interests of Indians who go abroad for work would be the smart card containing details of the migrant, the name and address of the overseas employer, the remunerations promised, a health record and information about the recruiting agency. Mr Tytler said land had been acquired for setting up a Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in the upmarket and tree-lined Diplomatic Enclave in the capital. This would serve as a focal point for interaction with overseas Indians. He reiterated that dual citizenship was open to PIOs in 16 countries. Apart from the USA and Britain, these includes Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland. “We cannot discriminate between the PIOs of one country and another. They all have their roots in India. Dual citizenship will be open to all and we have now simplified the application forms,” he added. A simplified one-page form for Indian diaspora qualifying for dual citizenship would be issued by India’s missions and consulates abroad from August this year, he said. Dual citizenship would be available to PIOs who migrated from the country after January 26, 1950. |
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India, B’desh to discuss border spat today
New Delhi, June 20 Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran and his Bangladesh counterpart Hemayetuddin will discuss issues posing an irritant in the bilateral relations. Both countries have been witnessing tension along the 4,000 km border especially between the Border Security Force and the Bangladesh Rifles. Matters had reached a head after a BSF officer was killed by the BDR jawans. Though Dhaka expressed regret over the incident, Indo-Bangladesh relations had touched a low. India believes that Bangladesh is providing sanctuary to insurgents from the North-East, including ULFA. Bangladesh has denied the allegation and in turn points an accusing finger at India of encouraging anti-Bangladesh elements. An ULFA leader along with several others is currently lodged in a Bangladesh jail. Dhaka has objections to India fencing the border for checking illegal migration, infiltration and nefarious cross-border activities on the plea that it violates the 1975 agreement between the two countries. India has denied any violation of the said agreement. At the same time, New Delhi has stopped fencing in some areas where Bangladesh has expressed reservations. Authoritative sources said half of the fencing work along the border has been completed. The remaining portion especially in Assam and Meghalaya are expected to be completed by the end of next year. A pilot project for flood lighting in some vulnerable areas along the border has been undertaken. The two Foreign Secretaries are also expected to take up trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. As a follow up to these discussions, the Home Secretaries of the two countries will be meeting soon. |
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India, China join hands to fight corruption
New Delhi, June 20 An agreement to this effect was reached at a meeting here between a seven-member Chinese delegation led by Mr Liu Fengyan, Ministerial-level Commissioner, Ministry of Supervision, China, and the Indian delegation led by CBI Director U.S. Misra. The Indian side extended its training facility at the CBI Academy at Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) for training of Chinese officials working in the field of anti-corruption. The Chinese side invited the CBI Director and a team of CBI officials to visit China to share their experience and expertise, besides learing about the Chinese efforts in tackling corruption, a CBI spokesperson said here. Addressing the delegates, Mr Misra said both India and China, with their huge human resources and technical expertise, were being considered as emerging global powers. On the need for anti-corruption measures, the CBI Director said economic growth had given rise to economic crimes in the public sector, which had always been a matter of concern. “Therefore, exchange of information about the experience and expertise between the two countries is a welcome step,” he said. Mr Liu Fengyan said since China was embarking on the market economy, therefore, there was wide scope for corruption and hoped that India and China would work together so that new advances could be made in the field of anti-corruption work. |
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Punjab, Himachal PCC chiefs by June 30 New Delhi, June 20 Senior Congress leaders said the party had sought time till this month-end for the completion of its organisational elections. It is, therefore, incumbent on the party to duly inform the EC by June 30 that it has completed this exercise. The party will be required to submit the names of the newly-elected AICC President as well as the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chiefs by this date to meet the EC’s requirements. Since we have told the Election Commission that we will conduct our organisational elections by June 30, we have to formally inform the EC that this process has been completed,” a senior AICC leader explained here today. Organisational elections, it was stated, are considered complete once the AICC and PCC Presidents as well as the AICC and pradesh delegates are in place. Mrs Sonia Gandhi has been duly elected in what was a predictable and one-sided affair but the PCC presidents are yet to be declared. Virtually all PCCs, the last one being Kerala, have passed a one-line resolution authorising Mrs Gandhi to nominate the state unit chiefs. These appointments have been delayed on some pretext or the other. In true Congress style, pulls and pressures by state factional leaders have contributed to this unusually long wait. The decision was also pushed back as a large number of senior leaders, including Mrs. Gandhi, were travelling. Not all PCC presidents are expected to be named by the approaching deadline as it is not necessary to declare all the names by then. “ Once 50 per cent of the names are in, the election process is considered complete,” said a senior AICC office-bearer. While Punjab and Himachal Pradesh are expected to figure in the list being finalised, the appointment of the new Haryana PCC president could be delayed further. AICC leaders said the deadline for the organisational polls had been extended in several election-going states, which includes Haryana, Jharkhand and Bihar. However, an exception will be made in the case of election-bound Bihar where the PCC chief Ram Yatan Singh has resigned. In states like Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, where the PCC chiefs were appointed only recently, a change is highly unlikely. Once this process is complete, Mrs. Gandhi will turn her attention to the reconstitution of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and the reshuffle of AICC office-bearers. Congress sources maintained that though most general secretaries will be retained, unless they are accommodated in the Union Cabinet, drastic changes are expected at the level of secretaries. At present, the AICC has 27 secretaries which could be reduced as this number is considered too large and unwieldy.
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PM violating UPA norms, says Basu
Kolkata, June 20 Mr Basu has threatened the Centre to withdraw the price hike immediately or face dire consequences. The senior CPM Politburo member said they would oppose the petrol price rise, both in Parliament and outside, and, if needed, by observing a Bharat bandh. He suggested that the UPA chairperson, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, and the Prime Minister should call UPA leaders for a meeting and discuss how people can be given relief due to the price hike in petrol and diesel. The Left Front partner held an urgent meeting in the evening at Alimuddion Street and unanimously endorsed the decision of observing a nationwide protest day on June 28 against the price hike. Mr Gurudas Dasgupta, CPI MP, demanded that oil companies, which had been running at huge profit, should rationalise their expenditure and meet the additional price burden of petrol and diesel instead of shifting the burden on to the consumers. He alleged that despite their protest, the Manmohan Singh government had disinvested the profit-making BHEL and now they had enhanced the price of petrol and diesel, which they would not accept silently. Meanwhile, petrol station dealers in West Bengal observed a bandh today, demanding enhanced commission on a par with other states. Dealers associations alleged that they were getting a paltry 2 per cent commission as service charge from oil companies in the state, while their counterparts in other states like Bihar and Jharkhand were being given a commission of 5 per cent. The associations threatened to call a larger movement soon in support of their demands. |
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BJP’s ‘dharma yudh’ in UP from today
New Delhi, June 20 Addressing newspersons, BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said that demolition of the statue of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya who symbolised nationalism and integrated humanism, has resulted in anger across the state and it has revived the memories of demolition of the statue of Gautam Buddha in Afghanistan by the Talibans. The ‘dharma yudh’ would start from tomorrow in Rampur during which meetings, demonstrations and satyagraha would be held, Mr Javadekar said. Senior party leaders along with party MPs, MLAs and office-bearers would hold a rally on June 23 in the state capital and a memorandum against the state government would be presented to the Uttar Pradesh Governor, the spokesman said. The week-long ‘holy war’ would culminate in Rampur on June 27 when senior leaders, including former Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, national Vice President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, General Secretary Rajnath Singh, present and former state unit presidents Kesrinath Tripathi and Kalraj Mishra, former Uttar Pradesh Minister Lalji Tandon, former Central Minister Shahnawaj Hussain and former MP Vinay Katiyar would hold demonstration and court arrest, Mr Javadekar said. |
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No plan to launch stir for Ram temple: VHP
Ayodhya, June 20 “As per archaeological, religious and architectural findings, it has been proved that the disputed premises is a Hindu religious site and we hope that the court’s decision will go in our favour,” VHP joint general secretary Omkar Bhave said. “However, if due to some reasons, the decision goes against us, a large-scale countrywide movement would have to be launched and the VHP is preparing for any such eventuality, Mr Bhave added. The managing committee of the VHP will meet in Amritsar from June 27 to 29 to chalk out a strategy for a mass awareness programme on the teachings of Lord Ram as well as the Ram temple movement, he said. “Our target is to constitute Sri Ram Committees in at least one lakh villages of the country by 2007 to take care of the successful implementation of the mass awareness programme,” he — added.
— PTI |
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RSS: Indira’s praise was mere reference, not compliment
New Delhi, June 20
“There was neither praise nor condemnation in his speech. It would be wrong to interpret that Sudarshan has complimented Indira’s leadership,” RSS Spokesman Ram Madhav said.
Meanwhile, endorsing RSS Chief K.S. Sudarshan’s laudatory reference to late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, VHP today sought to take a dig at BJP President L.K. Advani saying “she divided Pakistan and never used to change her stand like some big leaders”.
The Sangh Parivar outfit also termed as an “afterthought” Advani’s clarification on Friday that his controversial comments in Karachi on Mohammad Ali Jinnah was to remind the people of Pakistan of their founder’s views.
“He (Sudarshan) had only praised her courage. She divided Pakistan into two. She was the only man in her cabinet. She acted like a He-Man”, the Sangh Parivar outfit’s Senior Vice-President Acharya Giriraj Kishore said here.
“Unlike the big leaders who change their views, she was consistent about her stand and never used to waver from it”, the octogenarian leader said when asked about Sudarshan’s views.
— PTI |
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Kuka Movement part of freedom struggle, says govt New Delhi, June 20 The Kuka Movement founded by Namdhari leader Baba Ram Singh in the 1860s was ruthlessly suppressed through a brutal blowing up of around 70 rebels by canon fire in what was seen as a major signal of anti-British rebellion. About 2,000 Sikhs and Hindus living in Canada hired a Japanese ship ‘Kamagata Maru’ in 1914 to return to India to help in the freedom struggle. Many of them were shot dead in Budge Budge (now in West Bengal) and Baba Gurdit Singh, the leader of the ship, and others were imprisoned. In response to a letter from the National Commission for Minorities (NCM), Minister of State for Home Manikrao Gavit said the stand of the Home Ministry was re-examined. “It was but appropriate that this ministry, in its submissions before the high court, should not challenge the fact that the Kamagata Maru and the Kuka (Namdhari) Movements were part of the national freedom struggle”, Gavit said in the letter quoted by the NCM in a release. The Home Ministry had in January last year submitted an affidavit in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against accepting these movements as part of the freedom struggle. Gavit also said that the ministry had decided not to challenge the facts in separate cases in the high court. |
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Gabbar territory may be sloth bear sanctuary
Bangalore, June 20 The state Forest Department, which had earlier given permission to a private organisation to carve out a massive 715-ft Buddha statue on a rock outcrop near Ramanagaram, around 50 km from here, has now proposed establishing a sloth bear sanctuary in the area. This has come about after Governor T.N. Chaturvedi directed the Forest, Environment and Ecology Department to review the project following a public outcry that carving out statues or using the land for any purpose other than forest use would forever change the ecology of the area, which is said to house one of the oldest rock formations in the world. A report recommending that the site be converted into a sloth bear sanctuary has been submitted by Chief Wildlife Warden A.K. Varma to the department following a visit to the area. Though the department is still considering the report and has asked the local Deputy Commissioner and the Mining Department to submit their reports in this context, sources said the recommendations had more or less closed the door for handing over the land to the Sanghamitra Foundation. The sources said the report has clearly stated that the area falls within the elephant corridor between the Cauvery Elephant Sanctuary and Bannerghata National Park. Besides, the report has noted that the habitat in the area was similar to the Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary near Bellary . The report also states that most of the forest around Ramanagaram was undisturbed and was also home to a large number of bird species, a few of whom were endangered like the yellow-throated bulbul and the white-backed vulture. Environmentalists here were up in arms against the project ever since the hosting of a star nite in Bangalore by the Sanghamitra Foundation in April to raise money for the project. Five environment groups got together to hold a symbolic protest at the Handigondi rock site a fortnight back and later also in front of the headquarters of the Forest Department here. Green groups have also written to various government departments challenging the permissions given by the foundation. Activist K. Raju, while welcoming the proposal of the Forest Department, said “Friends of the Handigondi Rocks” had all along claimed that a bad precedent had been established by the Forest Department by giving away land for non-forest use. He said the people were agitated that the foundation did not want to carve out a Buddha statue but wanted to follow this up with statues of Gandhi, Ambedkar and Bishveshwarya, which would make the area a tourist-cum-commercial destination to the detriment of the environment. The Sanghamitra Foundation on its part had made a plan to set up its project in an area of 2,000 acres according to its website even though it had given permission to acquire only 10 acres. It had taken the blessings of the Buddhist community for carving out of the statue which it hoped would fill the void created by the destruction of the Buddha statue at Bamiyan by the Taliban. |
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Crucial G-4 meeting in Brussels tomorrow
New Delhi, June 20 With the US gambit of splitting the G-4 by supporting Japan for a seat in an expanded UNSC having backfired, External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh, who is currently in Italy, and his counterparts from Japan, Germany and Brazil will review the situation where the grouping’s resolution stands. The key question relates to tabling the resolution and the support that can be garnered for it. “It is a very fast moving situation,” observed the spokesperson for the External Affairs Ministry Navtej Sarna here this evening. The decision to convene an emergent meeting of the G-4 was taken following Washington’s statements that if favoured the expansion of the UNSC by just two seats without veto powers. Simultaneously, the US has rejected as unwieldy enlarging the UNSC from 15 to 25 members and opposed giving veto powers to the new entrants. Washington is firm that the veto power should remain with the P-5. France is the only country among the P-5 which has agreed to co-sponsor the G-4 draft resolution. Earlier, Mr Sarna said India and Norway had set up two working groups on science and technology and culture even as Norwegian Bank had been invited as a foreign institutional investor to register with SEBI. The decision was taken during Mr Natwar Singh’s visit to Norway on June 16 and 17. The minister also handed over a letter to the Governor of Norwegian Bank inviting them to register with SEBI. The bank has foreign assets totalling $ 400 billion. After the virtual whistle stop tour of several countries in Europe and the G-4 meeting in Brussels, Mr Natwar Singh is scheduled to visit Hungary on June 24 and 25.
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Talks on Wullar Barrage put off
New Delhi, June 20 “The talks have been rescheduled due to some logistic reasons. Both sides have agreed to hold the talks on June 28 and 29,” official sources said here today. It would be the 10th round of such parleys since 1988 after the dispute arose over the project situated on the Jhelum in Jammu and Kashmir, they said. The Indian side would be headed by Water Resources Secretary J. Harinarayan, while Pakistan’s Secretary for Water and Power Ashfaq Mehmood would lead the delegation of his country. The Wullar Barrage/Tulbul Navigation project is one of the eight issues of Composite Dialogue Process underway between the two countries. The last round of talks was held in Islamabad in July last year, nearly six years after the previous round. — PTI
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Fresh petition filed on tainted ministers’ issue
New Delhi, June 20 The apex court had, on February 18, dismissed a Review Petition filed by Manoj Narula alleging that inclusion of tainted ministers breached the terms of oath given in the Schedule III of the Constitution. The dismissal of the petition followed after the Centre assured the court reiterating Prime Minister Manmhoan Singh’s statement that it would initiate a debate in Parliament on the issue of inclusion of “tainted” persons in the Union Council of Ministers and the court dismissed a petition on this issue. Solicitor-General G.E. Vahanvati, appearing for the Union Government, had told a three-judge Bench that the “issue was clearly within the domain of Parliament to discuss and debate” and not for the courts to decide. The present petition filed through advocate Anil Jha challenges inclusion of Lalu Prasad, Jai Prakash Yadav, M A A Fatmi and Mohd Taslimuddin in the Council of Ministers saying that ministers were required to carry out important constitutional functions and hence, they should be of impeccable integrity. Before dismissing the review petition on February 18, the court on July 16 last year had dismissed the PIL terming it as “premature” as Parliament was seized of the matter and was debating the issue. — PTI
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UP ex-minister, nephew held for murder
Gorakhpur, June 20 SSP Gorakhpur B.B. Bakshi said Markandey Chand — a minister in the previous Rajnath Singh government in the state — and his nephew, Arun, were arrested early today on a request from the police in Lucknow. The two were presented before a magistrate following which a team from Lucknow took them for interrogation to the state capital on transit remand. The duo have been brought to the Vikas Nagar police station for interrogation. They were arrested after Chandrakanti, wife of the slain BJP leader, lodged an FIR allegeing that they were responsible for the killings. Earlier, the SSP had said that the former minister and his son C.P. Chand were arrested. Meanwhile, SSP (Lucknow) Navneet Sikera said in the capital city that the incident was a fallout of rivalry over coal contracts between the two families. Wife of the former BJP MP alleged that C.P. Chand was behind the killings as he had earlier threatened her husband with death. Yesterday, two assailants came to Tripathi’s Vikas Nagar residence to invite him for a marriage ceremony, but later shot dead him and his driver, Nandu. The assailants had tea and sweets before shooting the BJP leader. The former MP had represented the Kaiserganj Lok Sabha constituency of Baharaich district during 1991-96. He had joined the BSP thereafter, before making a comeback to the BJP fold just ahead of the last general elections.
— UNI |
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Rajeshwari receives extortion threats
Mumbai, June 20 The actor, who has been receiving extortion calls for the past few months, decided to move the police last week and lodged a complaint at Versova police station in north-west Mumbai on June 14, the sources said. The complaint, lodged by her father Indrajeet Sachdev, states about the threats his daughter has been receiving from an unknown caller. The complaint does not name any particular person or a gang as responsible for the threat calls, the police said. When contacted Rajeshwari said: "I have received the threats and as a responsible citizen I thought it was my duty to inform the police about the same. I have done it by lodging a
complaint." — PTI |
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BJP condemns petro price hike, demands rollback
New Delhi, June 20 Terming as unprecedented the 25 per cent hike in fuel prices over the past one year, the BJP spokesman Prakash Javdekar said, "prices have been revised four times in the past one year with petrol and diesel prices increased by Rs 10.50 and Rs 7.25, respectively. "The argument that international prices were responsible for it does not hold ground as duties and levies take up to 50 to 60 per cent," he said. Instead of passing on the burden of international price fluctuation to the consumers, he said the government should rationalise the duty structure and at least could have introduced duty neutrality. Dismissing the UPA government's oft-repeated claim of being with the common man, the BJP leader said the frequent hikes in the fuel prices will lead to inflation, collapse of household budget and hike in transport cost. |
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India invited to join Qatar-Pak gas pipeline project
New Delhi, June 20 The request for India to join the project was made by visiting Minister of State of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud when he called on Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar here today. Qatar and Pakistan are looking at a pipeline a part of which will be under the sea for supplying natural gas to India’s northern neighbour. During the meeting, the two sides discussed increasing the supply of LNG from 5 MMT to 7.5 MMT. Qatar expressed interest in investing in the Kochi LNG terminal and called upon Indian companies to invest in that country in petrochemicals, fertilisers and other projects. |
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Hurriyat not to be involved in Indo-Pak talks, says Centre
Dehra Dun, June 20 "There is no question of involving Hurriyat in the Indo-Pak talks," Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal said here. However, he said the Centre had opened its doors for Hurriyat to give its suggestions for the resolution of the Kashmir issue. "Now the onus lies on Hurriyat Conference as to when they want to come forward in this regard," he said, adding the government was ready to hold dialogue with any group in Kashmir over the issue. — PTI
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Navy gets first woman
Vice-Admiral
New Delhi, June 20 Vice-Admiral Punita Arora also created history for the second time by becoming the first woman to reach the second highest rank in the Navy. She had earlier become the first lady in the Army to don the second highest rank, that of a Lieutenant-General. She took her present posting on secondment from the Army. She will now don the rank of Surgeon Vice-Admiral, according to an official
announcement issued here. A renowned gynaecologist, Vice-Admiral Arora was till now the Commandant of the Armed Forces
Medical College in Pune. Incidentally, she moves from the Army to the Navy as the AFMS has a common pool which allows officers to migrate from one service to another depending on the requirement. |
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Tea garden employees observe strike
Kolkata, June 20 The CITU, INTUC and all other trade unions jointly called the strike and the Naxalites also supported it. They threatened to go on an indefinite strike from July 15 if their demands were not accepted.
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