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Iran gas pipeline to take time: Aiyar
BJP flays govt ‘double speak’ on Indo-Iran gas pipeline
BJP meeting takes dig at UPA
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Parliament session begins tomorrow
Mulayam hints at early UP poll
EC direction on Bihar poll
Probationers have no immunity under termination rules: SC
CBI for closing Satish Sharma’s cases sans SC nod
Five Sikhs threaten self-immolation
‘Samlekhana’ woman dead
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Iran gas pipeline to take time: Aiyar
New Delhi, July 23 “From the very beginning, we have always said that the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project is fraught with terrible risks. For which it is going to be extremely difficult to find world class financial consortiums,” said Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, while speaking on the sidelines of a function. The minister said, “The joint statements signed by India and Pakistan had clearly stated that the Joint Working Group (JWG) will examine technical, financial, commercial and legal aspects to secure a safe world class project.” It implied, he said, the project was fraught with high risks, but the stakeholders would make all efforts to make it a world class project. His statement assumes importance in view of the Prime Ministers’ remarks in an interview to the Washington Post, “There are many risks, because considering all the uncertainties of the situation in Iran. I don’t know if any international consortium of bankers would probably underwrite this.” While downplaying the Prime Minister’s remarks, Mr Aiyar said, “There is nothing unusual in the statement. Since the negotiations are in a preliminary stage, we are hoping, if not expecting that all differences are overcame we will continue with the project. Inshaallah, we will succeed.” The official sources, however, said, “In the given circumstances, the project may not take off at all in near future, since due to opposition from the USA, no financial institution would dare provide insurance to the project funding.” A senior official in the Petroleum Ministry said, “As a self-respecting India would like to take an independent stand on the project. India will have to depend on the natural gas and oil to fuel the growing energy demand of the economy. But the problem with the pact with the USA is that no time frame has been set for the US Congress for drafting a legislation to end sanctions on India.” It implies that India would have to wait, he said, for at least three years till the end of President Bush’s term. India would have to wait to seriously pursue the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline. Referring to an editorial piece of the Financial Times, he said like in India not everyone was in favour of the pact signed between the two countries. “Offering India - a nuclear weapons state outside the Non-Proliferation Treaty - full civilian nuclear cooperation undermines the NPT. It smacks of double standards and will make it even more difficult to build a consensus on Iran and North Korea,” stated the editorial. Declining to elaborate on the risks involved in the project, Mr Aiyar said India would have to explore all sources of energy in the region, including natural gas from Iran, to meet its energy requirements in the coming years. |
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BJP flays govt ‘double speak’ on Indo-Iran gas pipeline
New Delhi, July 23 Referring to the apprehensions and doubts on the project expressed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a newspaper interview in the USA, senior BJP leader and former External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh said: “We doubt whether the project, which was being pursued for the last 18 months, will take off.” Taking potshots at “the energetic, active and able” Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, he said while the minister was pursuing the project and projecting it as an addition to India’s energy requirements, “the Prime Minister has pulled the rug from under the feet” of the project. Asked whether the Prime Minister was under “US pressure”, Mr Jaswant Singh said: “I am unable to speculate what other thought process he had.” On the Prime Minister’s US visit, he said the BJP Parliamentary Party executive would make an authoritative statement on it after the Prime Minister’s statement in Parliament and it would be an add on to the initial reaction of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the Indo-US nuclear agreements. |
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BJP meeting takes dig at UPA
New Delhi, July 23 In an obvious effort to please the Sangh bosses, the BJP central office-bearers took an unusual step of adopting three resolutions before the commencement of a Parliament session which attack the UPA government on Naxalite threats, illegal immigration, Manipur and Bihar situation, cross-border terrorism and demanded among others things restoration of POTA and implementation of SC’s verdict on IMDT Act. The resolution were passed by central office-bearers of the party, who met under the chairmanship of BJP President L.K. Advani to review the current political and economic situation in the country. “The BJP will lose no opportunity, whether in Parliament and the Vidhan Sabhas or outside, to stand up for the common man whose interests have been so blatantly disregarded by the UPA government,” the BJP resolution said. “The BJP views the Left as equally culpable as the Congress for the economic mismanagement of the country...For their duplicity both the Congress and the Left owe an explanation to the people,” it said. On the internal security situation, the resolution said “the office-bearers of the BJP express their very grave concern at the sharp deterioration in the country’s internal security situation ever since the Congress, in a post-election arrangement of unprincipled convenience with the Left Front, installed itself into office.” “What the country now faces is unchecked social and political disorder. Coalition partners of the UPA unabashedly sponsor and protect criminals, themselves indulge in criminal activities and spread lawlessness,” it said adding “the price for all this disorder is paid by our common citizens the ‘aam aadmi”. Lambasting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for appointing a Group of Ministers (GoM) to study the Supreme Court judgement on Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) (IMDT) Act, the BJP demanded disbanding of GoM and seriously implement the Supreme Courts directions. The main opposition party demanded a white paper on ‘illegal immigration, its status, consequences and the remedial action needed and check the growth of madarasas in the
border region and also of ‘proselytising activity’ in the entire North East. Charging that the UPA remained confused on the response to the challenges of cross border terrorism, the BJP said, “while the Defence Minister (Pranab Mukherjee) confirms that terrorism from Pakistan is continuing, that terrorist training camps and the infrastructure of terrorism remain intact, other ministers of the UPA government speak differently.” Attacking the UPA on the economic front, the BJP said the Congress which committed itself to a government working for the ‘aam aadmi’ has during its 14 months rule, has not only eroded the living standards of the common man, its mismanagement of the economy has stymied the economic progress of India. |
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Parliament session begins tomorrow
New Delhi, July 23 It is not just the BJP-led NDA which has taken exception to Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh’s offer to the USA to separate India’s civilian and military
nuclear facilities and programmes but even the Left has not taken kindly to the
US visit. Bihar is another issue that may rock the session as the government
prepares to bring a resolution seeking the approval of President’s Rule in the
state beyond September 6. This will provide ample opportunity to the
Opposition to bring back the issue of tainted ministers and also
highlight the intra-ministerial fight on the Bihar turf. The BJP’s
decision to cooperate with the Speaker in running the Lok Sabha
smoothly. The Left parties have taken umbrage at the Dr Manmohan Singh’s
government not consulting them in the disinvestment process. The Women’s
Reservation Bill is also hanging fire with the RJD and the Samajwadi
Party expressing their misgivings. A stormy time is expected during the legislative business, particularly on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2005 which seeks to provide dual citizenship to Indians. |
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Integrated Food Bill to be tabled in Monsoon session
New Delhi, July 23 Laws governing the food processing sector and their enforcement lie with eight different ministries and more than a dozen departments resulting in multiplicity of laws and confusion. The Food Processing Industry in India is estimated to grow at 9-12 per cent per year, on the basis of the projected GDP growth rate of 6-8 per cent, during the Tenth plan period. Mr Sahay said his ministry had taken many initiatives to help the industry grow. Five-year tax holidays for new food processing units in fruits and vegetables, along with other benefits announced in the Budget of 2004-05 indicate the government’s resolution to encourage and fuel growth in this sector. He said he would try to ensure that perishable commodities to remain out of VAT’s purview and give exemption from the service tax for exporting units of this industry. |
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Mulayam hints at early UP poll
Lucknow, July 23 Addressing party workers at the inauguration of a new office of various front organisations of the Samajwadi Party (SP) at Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg, Mr Yadav said his message to the party workers was that the New Year would be the year of election. Emphasising that the victory of the SP would have a far-reaching impact on the national scenario, the CM said: “No political party is in a position to form a government at the Centre on its own. In such a situation, the SP could play an important role in the formation of government with like-minded parties”, he pointed out. Reiterating the need for the formation of the third front, the SP chief asked party workers to guard against conspiracies by the party’s rivals — especially the BJP and the Congress. Urging party members to bury their ego and use common sense to motivate workers and strengthen the party at the ground level, Mr Yadav advised various frontal organisations to complete membership drives within six months. |
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EC direction on Bihar poll
New Delhi, July 23 The three member poll panel has reviewed the poll preparation in the state and observed that as on July 14, as many as 23,616 non-bailable warrants remained pending for execution and the state police had recovered 164 arms, 18 explosives and 519 ammunitions. The commission, concerned over the large number of unexecuted non-bailable warrants and low recovery of illegal arms and ammunitions, directed the Bihar Government to step up its efforts for execution of non-bailable warrants and recovery of illegal arms and ammunition. The commission had earlier discussed the law and order issues with A.R. Sinha, DGP, Bihar and directed the state government to send weekly reports beginning July 1 on the execution of non-bailable warrants and recovery of illegal arms and ammunition. The poll panel had also directed the state government to prepare district-wise lists of persons against whom FIRs had been registered for various electoral offences, persons who have been charged for various electoral offences, habitual offenders and anti-social elements, so that proper preventive action can be taken against them at the time of election. |
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Probationers have no immunity under termination rules: SC
New Delhi, July 23 Setting aside the Punjab and Haryana High Court order quashing the March 16, 1990, order of the Police Department terminating the service of Sukhwinder Singh for wilful absence from duty while he was undergoing training at the Police Training College, Jahan Khelan, a Bench of Chief Justice R.C. Lahoti, Mr Justice G.P. Mathur and Mr Justice P.K. Balasuramanyan said, “A probationer is on test and a temporary employee has no right to the post.” The Police Department had terminated the service of Sukhwinder Singh after his senior officer of the rank of SSP had probed the matter and opined that he was not likely to become an efficient police officer and, therefore, he had exercised his powers under the relevant Punjab Police Rules to end his service. Sukhwinder had remained absent from training from February 22, 1990, before the order for termination was passed. The court said he had not even bothered to send in any application during this period. A civil court had quashed the termination order on the ground that a proper inquiry with prior notice to the constable was not held by the Police Department as was required under the Punjab Police Service Rules. The High Court had upheld the lower court order for the same reason. But the apex court did not agree with the High Court’s finding that the termination order if passed by the same authorities, who had appointed the employee on probation or temporary basis, would run the risk of not deciding the case judiciously as such officers were not “judicially trained” people to take final decision on any punitive action even if they had held a sort of inquiry into the matter. Rejecting the finding of the High Court and upholding the Punjab Government’s appeal against its order, the Supreme Court said, “The superior authorities of the department have to take work from an employee and they are the best people to judge whether an employee should be continued in service and made a permanent employee or not having regard to his performance, conduct and overall suitability for the job.” The court said it would be wholly wrong to hold that the fundamental difference between a probationer or a temporary employee and a permanent employee would be completely be obliterated if a punishment was imposed on them without proper inquiry, as had been prescribed under rule for permanent employees. |
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CBI for closing Satish Sharma’s cases sans SC nod
New Delhi, July 23 The CBI prosecutor moved an application to this effect before the Special Judge, Ms Pratibha Rani requesting her to reconsider earlier direction to the agency for obtaining the permission from the apex court for closing the 15 odd cases against Mr Sharma. The CBI had moved an application for closure of the cases on the ground that the Union Home Ministry had declined sanction for the prosecution of Mr Sharma on October 29 last year, and cleared the way for closure of the cases. Mr Sharma, considered close to 10 Janpath, was charged with by the agency of allotting petrol pump and gas agencies to some favourable persons when he was Petroleum Minister in
P.V. Narasimha Rao government. The Special Judge fixed September 3 for argument on the CBI’s application. The Special Court in its April 2 had asked the CBI to seek permission from the Supreme Court for closure of the case as inquiry in the matter was initiated at its directive against Mr Sharma. The Special Judge had cited recent instance of the apex court not granting sanction for closure of Taj Corridor case against UP Chief Minister Mayawati, sought to be closed by the UPA government, and instead referring it to the Central Vigilance Commission
(CVC) for its opinion. Since the probe in the Taj Corridor case was also initiated by the CBI on the orders of Supreme Court, the Special Judge was apprehensive of passing any order for allowing the CBI application for closure in Mr Sharma’s case without the sanction from the highest court of the country. |
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Five Sikhs threaten self-immolation
Lucknow, July 23 Speaking to The Tribune, Lucknow Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president R.S. Bagga, one of the persons who have threatened to give up his life, charged the state government with playing vote-bank politics and treating the Sikhs shabbily. “For the past 10 years we have been trying to get our dues as a minority community. I have been following it up for the past two years but there has been no response from the government. Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav does not even acknowledge our letters”, charged Bagga. He alleged that the CM never got tired of extolling the sacrifices made by the Muslim community, but never mentioned those made by the Sikh community. “While subsidy is provided to Haj pilgrims, no such subsidy is available to members of the Sikh community who go on pilgrimage to Nankana Sahib in Pakistan”. Charging the government with not giving any representation to other minorities — Sikh, Buddhist, Jains and Christians — in the State Minority Development and Finance Corporation, Mr Bagga demanded rotational representation of all minority communities on all government bodies dealing with the minorities. Mr Bagga claimed that not a single member of the Sikh community had ever been granted a loan from the State Minority Development and Finance Corporation neither had a student received a scholarship from the State Minority Welfare and Development Board. “Even other minority communities have needy people who require educational and economic assistance”, he maintained. |
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‘Samlekhana’ woman dead
Bhopal, July 23 The local Jain community is observing her death as Mrityu-Mahotsava (grand festival of death). According to national convener of Jain Milan Surendra Jain, this is the first time that a woman has died through samlekhana in Vidisha district. |
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