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Certain matters should be left to authorities: Speaker
Advani wants public trust for Ram mandir
Pranab defends Defence pact
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Prima facie evidence against Denel
HC restricts Indira Sagar dam height
CPI refrains from asking Hooda to resign
PM, Aiyar differ on Indo-Iran pipeline: BJP
Rollback of oil prices ruled out
Opposition walkout in LS on Lalu issue
Naxalites resolve to wage war against CPM
Naxalites want to hoist Tricolour upside down: Gaur
Tripura royal palace cries for help
Rajasthan bureaucrats are grand Mughals
Gujarat MPs seek Rs 8,110 cr from Centre
Citizenship (Amendment) Bill introduced in RS
Restore sense of security among women, demands RS
India’s outrage at Italian envoy’s remarks on G4
Ministry clarifies on filing of tax return
Achary new Lok Sabha Secy-Gen
Pranab to visit Assam
Crime serials on TV need ‘guidelines’
Israelis on a first-aid mission to Punjab
Seychelles President to arrive on July
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Certain matters should be left to authorities: Speaker
New Delhi, July 28 This assumes significance as the courts might not be abreast with the actual ground realities. “There should be certain matters which should be left to certain authorities. Similarly, what laws should be framed and should be left to Parliament,” the Speaker observed in an interface with senior mediapersons here this afternoon. At the same time, Mr Chatterjee was quick in underlining that the Supreme Court could go into the applicability of every law but in certain instances it should leave sensitive matters to authorities concerned. In this context, he drew pointed attention as to how the apex court reached the conclusion that lakhs of foreigners were illegally entering the Indian soil. “These are questions which have troubled me because it does not solve the problem,” he observed. He stressed that Parliament in its wisdom had passed certain laws and emphasised it was not possible to determine the levels of infiltration through judicial intervention. He was categoric that courts had not been able to solve such sensitive problems. The Speaker acknowledged that the Supreme Court order was binding and believed that it was better for such matters to be left to the respective authorities. Asked if he had created a bad precedent by allowing a discussion on the brutal police lathi charge against agitating workers in Gurgaon, Mr Chatterjee responded that it could not be a regular affair. “It is bad and will not be treated as a precedent. I will not allow such a discussion in the future as law and order is a state subject.” The Speaker told another mediaperson that he had directed ministers to make statements every six months on the implementation of the recommendations of their respective Parliamentary Standing Committees. Ministers failing to do so would be admonished. Simultaneously, a Parliamentary cell was being set up to review the ministers assurances on the implementation of various recommendations of the standing committees. He ruled out the presence of the media at the proceedings of the Parliamentary Standing Committees. “Reporting meetings among Parliamentarians to finalise their reports cannot be allowed,” he asserted. Mr Chatterjee was also not in favour of any legal bar on those chargesheeted from contesting elections. Such a step was fraught with danger especially if a person was found to be innocent later leading to precious loss of time in participating in the democratic process. A better proposition was for political parties themselves to decide against giving seats to persons with criminal antecedents, he felt. The Speaker said the MP Local Area Development Scheme should be scrapped as it interfered with the district planning by panchayats and zila parishads. He said West Bengal Speaker Hashim Abdul Halim would contest for the Chairmanship of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. It may be recalled that when the Supreme Court intervened in Jharkhand immediately after the elections earlier this year in March, a perturbed Speaker had called a meeting of Presiding Officers of all legislatures to discuss the relationship between the legislature and the judiciary. In the wake of the apex court’s intervention, Mr Chatterjee had called for striking a “Constitutional Balance” among the executive, the judiciary and the legislature. The Opposition NDA alliance had advised the Speakers of the state Assemblies under its domain to abstain on the ground that it could be harmful to Indian democracy.
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Advani wants public trust for Ram mandir
Rae Bareli, July 28 Addressing a meeting of mainly BJP workers at the Reforms Park, near the Rae Bareli court, where he and seven others had charges framed against them earlier in the morning, Mr Advani extolled Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel for getting Nehru to take a ministerial decision to rebuild the historic mandir as well as get even Mahatma Gandhi to give it a nod with the rider. The condition laid down by Bapu was not to use government money to build the mandir but set up a public trust and rebuild the temple with the peoples’ money. This could be one of the ways to build the temple, asserted Mr Advani. Calling the building of a “bhavya” mandir on the spot of the makeshift temple at Ayodhya a matter of national pride, Mr Advani said this would also be a defeat for the pseudo secularists who indulged in vote-bank politics. Illustrating “vote-bank politics”, Mr Advani claimed that former Home Minister Indrajeet Gupta had way back in 1997 asserted that one crore infiltrators had crossed over from Bangladesh. “This is not a security issue for the present day government, which has repealed the law meant to control their infiltration through Assam”. Speaking at length about his controversial trip to Pakistan, the country of his birth, Mr Advani, admitted his “surprise” over Pakistan’s decision to restore the “satghara” or pre-histroic Katras Raj temples near Lahore. The decision of his host country to initiate this project through him, he admitted, was matters that made him think. Again recalling the speech of founder of Pakistan M.A. Jinnah that he quoted in Karachi, Mr Advani said the founder had envisioned a Pakistan where every citizen was free to follow his religion. This needed to be emphasised without compromising on the non-negotiable position on terrorism, asserted Mr Advani. While leaders like Uma Bharti and Murli Manohar Joshi were making fiery speeches, the crowd could be seen moving out of the compound. BJP flags and police personnel far outnumbered common Ram bhakts en route to Rae Bareli from Lucknow. The much hoped for revival of the mandir movement was hardly visible anywhere on the streets or in the court premises where the top leadership of the movement had appeared in person.
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Kalam charts out Kerala’s path to growth
Thiruvananthapuram, July 28 Dr Kalam also credited Kerala's "unity of minds" with a significant role in India's space programme. In his special address to the state Assembly, Dr Kalam wanted the state to come out with pro-active policies for economic development, tapping on core areas of competence like 'unity of minds' and achievements made in human resource development. Making a 52-minute power point presentation, the first such address by a President to the Assembly, he said the prime goal of the mission would be to increase state's per capita income from the existing Rs 23,000 to Rs 50,000 in three years. Dr Kalam identified tourism, development of smart waterways, development and marketing of knowledge products, creation of Exclusive Economic Zones, pharmaceutical products through herbs and ayurveda as the key focus areas. Deep sea fishing, quality training to nurses and paramedics, value addition of cash crops and co-operation of the state government and ISRO also formed part of the 10-point mission. He said achieving prosperity required creation of an uninterrupted work culture and maximum utilization of immense mineral deposits. "Kerala has got the advantage of the development as it has the foundation of combination of already established trend, such as unity of minds and excellent performance in human development index," he said. Governor R.L. Bhatia, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and CPM deputy leader in the House Kodiyeri Balakrishnan also spoke.
— PTI
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Pranab defends Defence pact
New Delhi, July 28 Mr Mukherjee, replying to supplementaries in the House during question hour, said his visit to the USA in June 2005 opened that country as a potential source of advanced defence equipment and technology, increasing India’s options and leverages vis-a-vis suppliers in the acquisition of defence technology. “It will promote cooperation with the USA to enhance the capabilities of India’s armed forces and defence industries and increase our strategic maneuverability in international affairs without committing India to any specific actions, nor obliging us to do anything that is not in the country’s national interest,” Mr Mukherjee said. He said any participation of Indian troops in multinational operations outside the UN framework would be guided by “national interests”. Asserting there was no move to deploy Indian troops in the near future in any theatre, Mr Mukherjee said though the new Framework on Defence Cooperation signed with the USA provided for collaboration in multinational operations, “it did not commit India to any specific action that is not in our national interest.” He said India was not falling in the trap of the USA by signing the new Framework while asserting that it was absolutely in conformity with the Common Minimum Programme of the UPA government. On the question of missile programme, Mr Mukherjee said there was already sharing of information between the two countries as well as participation in seminars and conferences. He said the USA was not the only country with which India had defence cooperation agreement, but such a programme also existed with 12 other countries. He said India had a much higher level of cooperation relating to technology
with Russia. “It reflects our interest in the security of sea lanes and regional and global stability. It establishes a new Defence Procurement and Production Group under the existing Defence Policy Group to promote defence trade, production and technology relationship with the USA. “It also provides for dialogue on international security issues and cooperation with international community to promote regional and global stability through building capacities of other countries for peace-keeping operations and collaboration in multinational operations, especially cooperative operations, essentially operations such as disaster responses, when it is in the common interest,” Mr Mukherjee said.
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Prima facie evidence against Denel
New Delhi, July 28 The case which had emerged some months ago pointed to Denel using the services of a Isle of Man-based company to influence the decision of awarding the contract for the AMR. In reply to a question in the Lok Sabha the Defence Minister said, the evidence was there for the use of undue influence and agents/agency commission as contained in the contracts. “Based on the information furnished by M/s Denel, South Africa, there is prima facie evidence of violation of clauses relating to use of undue influence and agents/agency commission, as contained in the contracts of Anti-Material Rifles (AMR) signed in 2002.” the Defence Minister said. A decision has been taken to initiate action to cancel all contracts entered into with M/s Denel. The contract signed on March 7 last for procurement of 400 AMR has been cancelled, he said in the reply. Earlier the MoD had handed over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and an FIR on the issue was also filed by the investigating agency on June 6 last against inter-alia, the unknown public servants.
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HC restricts Indira Sagar dam height
Bhopal, July 28 The direction was given by a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice R.V. Raveendran and Mr Justice Shantanu Kemkar on a petition of Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), seeking to restrain the state government and the NHDC from taking the water level in the dam beyond 245 metres as the affected families had not yet been rehabilitated. The state and NHDC were represented by Advocate-General Raghunandan Singh while Ms Chittaroopa Palit, an NBA activist, herself argued the case of the NBA. The hearing lasted 12 days. The water level at 248 metres, according to Ms Palit, will mean that there will be no additional submergence above the
last year’s. The court restrained the respondents from raising the height further until full rehabilitation of the oustees of 91 villages had been completed, which should include allotment of lands and house plots, provision of rehabilitation grant, employment allowance, transport allowance, etc. Besides, the court directed the respondents not to take coercive measures against the oustees. Earlier, the Grievance Redressal Authority (GRA) was directed by the court to prepare a report on the status of rehabilitation and resettlement in the 91 villages. Its report, submitted on June 15, had pointed out that the majority of the oustees had been paid compensation in late May and early June 2005 and that a significant portion of the oustees was yet to be paid. The GRA Report also pointed out that a great many level surveys were found wrong. The court directed the NHDC to file a report on the status of rehabilitation by August 12.
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CPI refrains from asking Hooda to resign
New Delhi, July 28 CPI leader and AITUC chief Gurudas Dasgupta — AITUC is spearheading the agitation in Honda factory in Gurgaon — warned that “if the Congress government at the Centre cannot restrain the Haryana Government from the atrocities being committed by the police and the district administration, it will have far-reaching repurcussions on the broader political life of the country.” “We are holding no threat to the UPA government… but we have many options,” he told newspersons. The CPI leader sought the withdrawal of “false” cases against workers, reinstatement of the dismissed workers, ensuring that the management complied with the labour laws, providing proper medical treatment and compensation for the injured and ordering a judicial probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge. Mr Dasgupta, who has succeeded the late P.K. Vasudevan Nair as the leader of the CPI parliamentary group, demanded that the Centre restrained Hooda from continuing “atrocities.” He alleged that hundreds of party workers were picked up from the streets. He said those detained were not being given proper treatment and expired medicines and stale food were being supplied to them. However, the Haryana Government denied the allegation. Meanwhile, in the Lok Sabha, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil in a suo motu statement said the Deputy Commissioner and the SSP of Gurgaon had been asked to proceed on leave in the wake of police action on workers of Honda Motors. He said the Haryana Government had stated that a commission of inquiry had been set up under Mr G.C. Garg, a retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, and it had been asked to submit its report within three months. Describing the incident involving workers of Hondo Motors and the state police as “unfortunate”, he said since the time of the incident, the Centre had been in constant touch with the state government. Of the injured, six are now under treatment at the Civil Hospital, Gurgaon, and none of them is serious, he said. Some of the persons detained by the police were not employees of Honda Motors, Mr Patil said. Citing the Haryana Government report, he said a crowd had gathered on July 26 within the complex of the Civil Hospital in Gurgaon.
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PM, Aiyar differ on Indo-Iran pipeline: BJP
New Delhi, July 28 Charging Mr Aiyar with trying to “cover up” the differences with the Prime Minister on the project in his reply in the Lok Sabha earlier today, BJP parliamentary party spokesman V. K. Malhotra said the minister had not addressed the concerns expressed by Dr Manmohan Singh during his recent US visit. The Prime Minister had stated that no consortium was ready to finance the project, it was fraught with risks and Iran will have to meet international obligations, Mr Malhotra recalled. With his repeated statements that the project is on, Mr Aiyar is misleading the country, Mr Malhotra said and added that even the Prime Minister had changed his language after the US visit. Dr Manmohan Singh should clarify the government’s stand and address concerns including that of Pakistan, the hotbed of terrorism, before venturing into any adventure”, the BJP leader said. He also charged the UPA government with “incompetence and inaction” as no government business had been brought in the first five days of the monsoon session of Parliament. “With barely 15 sittings, the government is yet to bring the Demands for Supplemenatry Grants for Railway and General Budgets or the approval of the President’s Rule in Bihar. Of the 25 Bills scheduled to come up, not one has been introduced in the first five days”, he said.
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Rollback of oil prices ruled out
New Delhi, July 28 In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar told the Lok Sabha that the government had decided that the burden should be equitably shared by consumers, the government and oil companies. Petrol and diesel prices were hiked by Rs 2.50 and Rs 2.00 per litre on June 20 as the oil marketing companies reported cash losses following crude prices crossed the $ 55 mark. Mr Aiyar said the government, on its part, had reduced excise and customs duties and Oil Marketing companies, in accordance with administrative instructions, had been modulating the impact of high oil prices on domestic retail prices of sensitive products like kerosene, LPG, petrol and diesel by not passing on the full burden to consumers. |
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Opposition walkout in LS on Lalu issue
New Delhi, July 28 Surprisingly, the SAD and the Telugu Desam Party, which are the constituents of the NDA, did not join the Opposition in the walkout as they sat through the answer. Deputy leader of the BJP in the House Vijay Kumar Malhotra said: “We cannot sit in the House when a tainted minister replies to a question.” In his own style, Lalu Prasad asked the Opposition members: “Where is Advani? Has he gone to the court?” The Railway Minister in reply to the question claimed that the number of train accidents had declined because the UPA government had taken effective steps since assuming office last year. Lalu Prasad said the number of accidents had fallen from 480 in 2001 to 234 in 2004. He said 84 train accidents were reported between March and June this year and only two collisions took place during the period. As soon as the minister stood to answer the question, the Opposition walked out demanding removal of “tainted ministers” from the government. Lalu Prasad said the government had fixed responsibility at very senior levels, including the DRM and the GM, for system failures resulting in accidents. He said safety was the prime concern of the Railways and adoption of new measures to improve safety was a continuous process. The measures being taken by the Railways to minimise the incidence of accidents include the adoption of suitable modern technology for inter-locking and signalling system and the upgradation of tracks. |
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Naxalites resolve to wage war against CPM
Kolkata, July 28 A similar call had been given by the Naxalites in the early seventies under the leadership of Mr Charu Majumdar, founder chairman of the organisation, whose death anniversary was also observed today in the state. The MCC, PWG and the SUCI which have the similar allegations against the CPM, will extend their support to the Naxalites for fighting against the CPM. A section of persons in the CPM, who are not happy about the leadership’s style of functioning, have already supported the Naxalites’ causes of agitation. Dr Radhika Pramanick, former CPM MP for five different terms, declared that he would join the fight against the CPM. Ms Mamata Banerjee publicly accused the CPM of misuing the official machinery and police for its vested interest and had already declared “war” against the CPM in power in 1977 in the state. But she opposed the Naxalites’ theory of killing people. Mr Ashim Chatterjee, CPI(M-L) leader, who is also the chairman of the Freedom Committee of the Prisoners, alleged that the Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, had been behaving and acting like the former Congress Chief Minister Siddhartha Sankar Ray and serving the interests of the capitalists and business houses against the poor and working class people. He said they were supporting the Naxalites fresh agitation but they did not approve of the killing of the innocent. Mr Dipankar Bhattacharyya, another CPI (M-L) leader, alleged that the CPM and the police jointly launched a “liquidating programme” against innocent people belonging to the MCC,PWG and other extremists groups since they were considered to be the enemies of the CPM. He charged that hundreds of MCC and PWG workers and supporters had been put in the jail in certain false cases framed by the police at the instance of the CPM leadership. A SUCI MLA, Mr Probodh Purkait, who had been given a life-term punishment recently, alleged that like several hundred other persons, he had now been falsely implicated in a murder case occurred as back as in 1985. The SUCI general secretary, Mr Pravash Ghosh, formally gave a call to the party workers and supporters to fight against the CPM. But the CPM party secretary, Mr Anil Biswas reiterated that they would face the Naxalite movement politically.
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Naxalites want to hoist Tricolour upside down: Gaur
Bhopal, July 28 Making a suo motu statement, the Chief Minister said posters in some villages under the Roopjhar police station in Balaghat district had appeared proclaiming that the Communist Party (Maoist) would observe martyrs’ week between July 28 and August 3 when the National Flag would be hoisted upside down, black flags would also be hoisted, martyrs’ memorials would be erected and the guerrilla warfare would be intensified with a view to establishing the rule of the proletariat. Mr Rikhiram Kanvre, a minister in the previous government, had become a prey to the Naxalite violence, Mr Gaur said.
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Tripura royal palace cries for help
Agartala (Tripura), July 28 Ujjayanta Palace, which was built by construction company Martin Burn with a bank loan arranged by Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore is just one of the several landmarks that the Tripura Government is planning to strengthen. The buildings that need retrofitting include the state secretariat and the Raj Bhavan. The story of how Ujjayanta Palace was rebuilt is a fascinating one. It was 1897 and King Bir Chandra Manikya (1863-96) had just passed away, leaving the throne to his son Radhakishore. But even before the king could settle down in his new role, an earthquake rocked the state and the royal palace collapsed like the proverbial house of cards. This triggered superstition that the new ruler had ascended the throne in an inauspicious moment. Facing a severe financial crunch, the king sought help from his close friend Rabindranath Tagore, who quickly arranged for a loan from imperial bank. Mr K.K. Sengupta, senior Superintendent Engineer of the Public Works Department, said an earthquake of high intensity could damage the palace beyond repair if it remained in its present state. Mr Sengupta said: “Tripura falls in the category-V of the high-risk earthquake zones. We have therefore prepared a comprehensive action plan to minimise damage in the event of a high intensity earthquake.” In fact, the Gujarat earthquake of 2001 was a wake-up call for the Tripura Government, which had till then ignored the mushroom growth of high-rise structures without proper planning. The PWD Department recently solicited bids from engineering companies across the country for the task of making all major structures, including royal relics, in the state earthquake proof. |
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Rajasthan bureaucrats are grand Mughals
Jaipur, July 28 The letter, which has been treated as PIL states that several crores of rupees have been allegedly spent in an arbitrary manner on the interior and exterior decoration of the bungalows of top IAS and IPS officials under the pretext of repairs and renovations. Quite contrary to this, the quarters of junior officials and personnel of clerical ranks are deprived of even an annual whitewash and other basic amenities. Whenever the latter approached the PWD for even providing a door-latch, its officials give a negative response, pretending lack of funds for the purpose. The letter incorporates the names of those “mighty” bureaucrats who have the distinction of large spending on making their bungalows look luxurious. The spending range from Rs 4.5 lakh to Rs 15 lakh. Apart from the bureaucrats, two political appointees and trusted lieutenants of the Chief Minister are also included in the list. According to a recent study, a senior bureaucrat in the state is spending Rs 4 lakh to Rs 7 lakh per year on fuel for their vehicles provided by the government. Recently, the Chief Minister, Ms Vasundhara Raje, had also come in for sharp criticism by the opposition for transforming her official residence, 8 Civil Lines into a palatial abode. While the existing CMO in the Secretariat was also given a grand look, a new CMO complex costing several crores of rupees is currently under construction in the same premises. Social activists have condemned these constructions and beautification programmes as a blatant misuse of the tax payer’s money at a juncture when the state is already steeped into deep debt of Rs 60,000 crore and the liability of payment of interest alone is nearly Rs 14 crore per day. |
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Gujarat MPs seek Rs 8,110 cr from Centre
New Delhi, July 28 They also requested the Prime Minister to announce the financial assistance on the pattern of tsunami for the flood-affected people of Gujarat. In a memorandum submitted to Dr Manmohan Singh, the MPs stated that this year the monsoon commenced on time and was incessant and unprecedented in the very first spell causing heavy flooding in 20 out of 25 districts. Surat, Valsad, Narmada, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Kheda and Ahmedabad districts and some parts of Surendranagar were severely affected, they said. The memorandum also pointed out that more than 10,000 villages and about 1.62 lakh families were adversely affected. As many as 213 persons had lost lives.
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Citizenship (Amendment) Bill introduced in RS
New Delhi, July 28 Introducing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2005, in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home S. P. Jaiswal said NRIs would have no right to seek election to the post of the President, the Vice-President or the Prime Minister. The Bill seeks to replace the Citizenship (Amendment) Ordinance of June 28, 2005. Mr Jaiswal said the government proposed to enforce the legislation as soon as it was passed by Parliament. Participating in the discussion on the Bill, Mr Ajay Maroo (BJP) said the government should ensure that those persons of Indian origin settled abroad, who were engaged in anti-India activities, might not take advantage of the legislation. Mr Fali S. Nariman (nominated) said the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill provides citizenship to people of Indian origin subject to some conditions and restrictions which were "too wide and too vague." He demanded that the conditions be specified
and not left to executive discretion. Dr M.S. Gill, Congress MP, said the Bill, which was first conceived by the previous NDA government, had been expanded by the present UPA
Government. He said NRIs in the Gulf were contributing to the economy of their home states and they should be looked after in a better manner. He suggested that lawyers should be posted in each of the Gulf countries so that NRIs did not suffer unnecessarily. Mr Gill urged the government to address concerns of those families whose members were languishing in Pak jails. Former Army Chief Shankar Roy Chowdhury, Independent MP, demanded that in view of the various clarifications sought by members, the Bill should be referred to a standing committee.
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Restore sense of security among women, demands RS
New Delhi, July 28 The issue was raised through a special mention by RJD member Kum Kum Rai, who said neither a seven-year-old girl nor a 70-year-old woman felt safe in Delhi. Ms Rai said it was deplorable that the police took long to act on the information about the rape of a pregnant woman in Delhi recently. She said a large number of women, who came to the Capital to earn their livelihood, lived in slums. She urged the government to construct community toilets as these women had to ease themselves outdoor. Almost the entire House, particularly women members, associated with the demand and said it was necessary to restore a sense of security among women.
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India’s outrage at Italian envoy’s remarks on G4
New Delhi, July 28 The demarche (a diplomatic protest) was handed over to the Italian diplomat by Ms Sujata Singh, Joint Secretary (Europe-I) in the Ministry of External Affairs, at a late evening meeting in her South Block office. The Indian official conveyed to the Italian envoy New Delhi’s sense of outrage over Ambassador Marcello Spatafora accusations against the Group of Four or G4 of “blackmailing some sector of the membership”. He referred to G4 as a unit without making it clear which country or countries he meant. “Enough is enough,” Mr Spatafora told the UN Assembly yesterday. “I am referring to G4 resorting to financial leverage and financial pressures… to induce a government to align or not to align itself with a certain position....” Italy has campaigned against adding new permanent members to the council. Mr Spatafora gave an example of an unnamed G4 donor country, which allegedly had threatened a government co-sponsoring his draft resolution, that it would “put an end” to a $ 4,60,000 development project for children. The UPA government took up the issue both in New Delhi with the Ambassador of Italy based here as well as through Ambassador of India based in Rome. These demarches were made essentially to express New Delhi’s surprise and deep regret at these “serious and completely baseless allegations made by the Italian PR about a group which includes a friendly country like India”. Ms Sujata Singh categorically put before the Italian envoy the Indian Government’s position that New Delhi expected that the Government of Italy would dissociate itself from the remarks made by its Ambassador. Mr Armellini told the Indian diplomat that he would convey New Delhi’s position to the Italian government. Earlier in the day, MEA spokesperson had described Mr Spatafora’s remarks as being “in complete violation of all norms of diplomatic propriety”.
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Ministry clarifies on filing of tax return
New Delhi, July 28 “The Central Board of Direct Taxes, Department of Revenue, clarifies that the due date for filing of returns for non-company assessees whose accounts are not required to be audited under the Income Tax Act or any other law is July 31, which being a Sunday, returns filed on August 1 shall be deemed to have been filed by the due date”, a Finance Ministry statement said. Enquiries have been received from certain quarters seeking clarification as to whether the due date for filing of returns in the case of assessees who are required to furnish the returns by July 31 has been extended to August 31 in respect of such assessees throughout the country, it said. The due date for the filing of returns has been extended to August 31 for assessees of Gujarat and Maharashtra only, the statement said. |
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Achary new Lok Sabha Secy-Gen
New Delhi, July 28 This was announced by Speaker Somnath Chatterjee in the Lok Sabha today. The Speaker said Mr Achary was chosen for the post after consultation with Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee and also Leader of the Opposition L. K. Advani. The Speaker said taking into consideration the long service rendered by Mr Malhotra, he had been given a new assignment in the Secretariat. In a farewell speech, several leaders and members lauded the services of Mr Malhotra and they joined the Speaker in wishing him a better future. Mr Achary will take over from Mr Malhotra on August 1 and will continue in the new post for two years. Mr Achary, who has 35 years of distinguished service in the Lok Sabha, retired last month as Secretary. He has been instrumental in the proper and timely finalisation of reports of the departmental-related standing committees of the lower House. |
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Pranab to visit Assam
Guwahati, July 28 The minority Muslims constitute about 40 per cent of the total population and can determine the fate of at least 40 Assembly seats of a total 126 in Assam. For the Congress, the dilemma is that it could not even advocate the idea of an alternative law, replacing the IMDT, at the risk of enraging the original Assamese citizens who were always up in arms against the IMDT. The Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind, whose national president Asad Madani had threatened to overthrow the Congress government in the state for failing to protect the interest of the minority.
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Crime serials on TV need ‘guidelines’
New Delhi, July 28 Raising the issue through a special mention, Mr Sharma said the channels in order to overshadow each other, are resorting to competitive sensationalism in crime reporting. “Such portrayal has a shocking effect on some of the general public and an adverse effect on young impressionable minds.” He said the crime serials that were to be telecast in the night were preceded by day-long promotional advertisements. |
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Israelis on a first-aid mission to Punjab
New Delhi, July 28 The two-week Emergency and First Aid training would see participation from students and teachers from schools in New Delhi, Chandigarh, Anandpur Sahib and Badal village of Punjab. This will be the 4th Israeli Medical Cadets Programme on Health and First Aid in India. Ms Michal GurAryeh, spokesperson of the Israeli Embassy here, today said the instructors, as in previous years, would be a group of teenagers from Israel, who routinely volunteer as paramedics in Israeli hospitals and were selected to teach their Indian counterparts following a rigorous screening process. Over the last few years, the Israeli Medical Cadets have trained students in New Delhi and in Pune (Maharashtra). In Israel, the Medical Cadets Association ('Pirhey Refua' in Hebrew) is organised by the Ministries of Health and Education as a national project. It aims to promote life-saving skills and to empower young people to make a vital contribution to their society. |
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Seychelles President to arrive on July 31 New Delhi, July 28 He is also scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Finance Minister P. Chidambaram the same day. TNS
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