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National Rural Employment Bill introduced
Employment Bill not a populist measure: Sonia
SC notice on obscene material in newspapers
Party may split, says Khurana
Oust-Modi campaign hots up; dissidents meet Vajpayee
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Pioneer breached privilege: Speaker
Natwar backs govt’s efforts on UNSC seat
‘Dead’ soldier confesses to murdering dhobi
Panel for reforms at Head Constable, ASI level
Tytler claims innocence; SAD, BJP stage walkout
Access to fresh water must to check poverty: Speaker
Panel to monitor progress of express highways
Minister to meet Mulayam
on ‘Mangal Pandey’
Stir threat over offending contents in textbooks
PM’s assurance to SC/ST MPs
BJP grouse over anti-hijack policy
Violation of Indian air space
PM’s greetings on Rakhi
US questions India on
Jet Airways
IAF to place order for 20 LCAs soon
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National Rural Employment Bill introduced
New Delhi, August 18 As Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh moved the National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill, 2004, members, cutting across party lines, welcomed by thumping of desks. The Bill promises wage employment to every rural house, in which adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work and one-third reservation for women in granting jobs. Pointing out that 72 crore people lived in rural areas, the Minister said the minimum daily wage had been pegged at Rs 60. Mr Raghuvansh Prasad said the bill also provided for unemployment allowances if the job, under the scheme, is not provided in the rural households. To begin with, as many as 200 districts, including 150 districts under Food for Work Programme, would be covered under the bill, the minister said adding that it would be extended to all the 600 districts in the country within five years. Assuring the house that there will no shortage of funds, Mr Raghuvansh Prasad said the Central As per the amendment approved by the Cabinet, the word “poor household” has been replaced by “household” for guaranteeing jobs in every household for one person. The original bill had laid down that it would be applicable only to families living Below the Poverty Line. Mr Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said the implementation of the scheme would help stem the flow of jobseekers from villages to cities and ensure livelihood security for poor households in rural areas. The Minister’s speech drew loud cheers from treasury benches with UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, and other senior members frequently thumping their desks. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was also present in the House. Initiating a discussion on the Bill, BJP leader Mr Kalyan Singh said the decision to provide Rs 60 per day for a guaranteed 100 days rural employment translated to only Rs 500 a month which was not sufficient to run a family. Mr Kalyan Singh, who headed the Parliamentary Standing Committee, which examined the Bill, said the legislation could lead to frictions within a family over selection of the member to be provided the job. In his maiden speech in the Lok Sabha, Mr Kalyan Singh apprehended that in the due process, women and physically challenged could be left out. Mr Kalyan Singh said the decision to make the state governments finance 10 per cent of the scheme could lead to financial problems due to poor finances available with some states. Terming the Bill as a major move in a positive direction, CPM leader Hannan Mollah said the right to life cannot be accomplished without the right to employment. |
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Employment Bill not a populist measure: Sonia New Delhi, August 18 It was an unequivocal message across the political spectrum: this landmark legislation is the Congress party’s brainchild, reflecting its abiding concern for the rural poor and its burning desire to better their lives through guaranteed employment. Describing it as a “historic” measure, Ms Gandhi made it known that the enactment of this legislation was the centrepiece of their election manifesto and by bringing the Bill today, the Congress had demonstrated its resolve to fulfill its electoral promises. She went on to trace the history of different employment guarantee schemes introduced by previous Congress governments to drive home the point that the present legislation was a culmination of these initiatives. Ms Gandhi took a personal interest in this legislation from its very inception. The National Advisory Council (NAC), she heads, gave several inputs after studying the draft Bill in detail while the Congress President ensured that these suggestions were incorporated by the government. While projecting the Congress and the UPA government as the real crusaders of the poor and weaker sections, Ms Gandhi also used the opportunity to hit out at the NDA for its “anti-poor” policies. She created a bit of a stir when she pointed out that the previous government ignored their pleas to part with additional foodgrains through the food-for-work programme in the drought-hit states three years ago. “Our godowns were overflowing. People were suffering. But the NDA government did not listen to our pleas,” she said, pointing out that the Congress had asked the NDA government to start a national food-for-work programme to help starving people since several states were reeling under drought. While Ms Gandhi was all praise for Prime Minster Manmohan Singh’s support for this legislation, she sent out a message to the pro-reform lobby in the government which opposed the Bill, when she pointed out that they could not sit idly and hope that economic reforms alone will create adequate employment opportunities in rural India. This Bill, she stressed, was neither a “dole” or a “populist give away” but “the human face of economic reforms”. Responding to criticism about the huge funds required for implementing this Bill, Ms Gandhi threw the ball back at those who have declared that India’s economy is in sound health. “An economy that is growing at 7 per cent per year can and should find the resources for such a crucial intervention,” she said. Ms Gandhi, who spoke for about 25 minutes, said the Bill had several significant features: it empowers panchayats by giving them administrative and financial powers to implement the legislation, it goes beyond traditional civil works and includes irrigation and water conservation projects, it prohibits the engagement of contractors and the new Right to Information Bill will enable greater public scrutiny. Despite the checks in place, Ms Gandhi admitted that all these programmes do not always work out the way they are planned and that the benefits do not always reach the
poor. She, therefore, urged the Centre and state governments to play a proactive role in monitoring the implementation of the scheme. “We must rid oursleves of the sab chalta hai attitude,” she said. |
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SC notice on obscene material in newspapers
New Delhi, August 18 A Bench comprising Chief Justice R.C. Lahoti, Mr Justice G P Mathur and Mr Justice P.K. Balasubramanyan sought replies from the Union Government, PCI, The Times of India, The Hindustan Times, Press Trust of India and United News of India to a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging that serious newspapers in their bid to boost circulation and furthering their commercial interests, were indulging in such activities. The PIL, filed by Ajay Goswami, said that though the freedom of speech and expression enjoyed by the Press was the same as available to any other citizen and should not be curtailed by any law, the newspapers “with the advent of commercialism and a zeal to promote the circulation, were making numerous attempts to cater to prurient interests of the public at large”. Though the news agencies did not publish any such material, they were made parties only to assist the court for being a major source of news collection, the petitioner’s counsel said. The petitioner sought a direction to the government and the PCI to lay down rules and regulations to ensure that minors were not “exposed to sexually explicit material” in a publication, and constitute a committee of experts to look into the problem of “unwanted exposure” of such material to minors through the Press. Annexing several semi-nude pictures of women lifted from some leading dailies, which had been publishing them regularly in their supplementary editions, for the perusal of the court apart from certain “dirty jokes and articles on pornography”, the PIL said “at times the photographs are distasteful, jokes vulgar, cheap and meant to titillate”. “All this is certainly not in the interest of physical or psychological well-being of minors. The contents of each article and literature are such that the minors need to be shielded from its influence,” the PIL said, adding that the material, which might be otherwise legal, had the potential of harming the minds of children. The petitioner pointing out that the PCI had issued a series of guidelines long ago against the publication of obscene and vulgar material, depiction of a woman in nude or lewd posture or use her as a commercial commodity to promote the sale of a journal. The PCI had laid three tests — whether a picture or content was vulgar and indecent, was it a piece of mere pornography and is its publication meant merely to make money and was it titillating the sex feeling of adolescents and among whom it is intended to be circulated — while evaluating the purpose of a publication brought out to serve the social cause, the PIL said. Stating that “vulnerable minors” needed to be protected from such abuse for commercial purpose and harmful effects of such exposition, the petitioner said “any obscene publication shall not get any constitutional protection whatsoever and is fatal to the freedom of speech and expression enjoyed by citizen at large and the press in particular”. It also referred to the United Nations Convention on Right of the Child, in which several guidelines were laid down for the member countries to follow to protect children from such exploitation.
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Party may split, says Khurana
New Delhi, August 18 A month after calling for Mr Advani’s resignation as party chief, Mr Khurana told newspersons that dejection and depression among a number of senior BJP leaders in Gujarat, Bihar and Jharkhand over their ‘’neglect’’ by the party leadership was about to explode into an open revolt. The former Delhi BJP President said former Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel had asked him to take the lead. ‘’We are drawing up an action-plan and will be out with it in a couple of days after meeting RSS leader Mohan Bhagwat,’’ Mr Khurana said. Sources said that Mr Khurana was trying to become a rallying point for the anti-Advani elements in the BJP and he was doing it at the behest of a section of the RSS leadership. Mr Khurana also referred to what he called the BJP’s sorry state in Bihar and Jharkhand, saying ‘’patience has grown thin’’ among a number of party leaders there, including Mr Shatrughan Sinha, Mr Yashwant Sinha, Mr Babulal Marandi and Mr Ram Tahal Chaudhary. “On August 13, Mr Marandi, Mr Munda, Mr Chaudhary, Mr Yashwant Sinha and 20 other leaders held a meeting in Ranchi. Mr Sinha briefed me about those discussions yesterday when I met him in Delhi, saying their disenchantment with the top leadership has reached a saturation point,’’ Mr Khurana said. Mr Shatrughan Sinha had already declined to work under Mr Nitish Kumar in Bihar, Mr Khurana added. The former Delhi Chief Minister said he had also met Mr Keshubhai Patel, Mr A.K. Patel and Mr Kanshi Ram Rana who had also expressed a similar opinion, he claimed. “In my personal view, it is the coterie of misguiding advisers around Mr Advani that is the rootcause of this near-revolt situation in the BJP,’’ Mr Khurana added. He alleged Mr Advani had refused to meet RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan at former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s home in the wake of the BJP chief’s controversial remarks on Mohammad Ali Jinnah only because of misguided advice.
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Oust-Modi campaign hots up; dissidents meet Vajpayee
New Delhi, August 18 In a bid to sensitise the top Central leaders about the “autocratic style of functioning of Mr Modi”, the Gujarat dissident leaders, including former State Chief Ministers Keshubhai Patel and Suresh Mehta and former Union Minister Kashiram Rana, met former BJP Presidents M.M. Joshi and M Venkaiah Naidu and General Secretary Pramod Mahajan. The fresh offensive from the dissidents came a day after the party’s General Secretary and in charge of Gujarat Om Mathur ruled out removal of Mr Modi as Chief Minister. Meanwhile, to counter the dissidents, some of the Gujarat leaders loyal to Mr Modi, also met some of the top BJP Central leaders to insist on the continuation of Mr Modi as the state Chief Minister. During their meeting with Mr Vajpayee, the dissidents, led by Mr Keshubhai Patel, apprised him of the “situation” in the state. “We cannot tell you what exactly transpired as it is an internal matter of the party”, Mr Patel, who was accompanied by another former Chief Minister Suresh Mehta and former Union Minister Kashiram Rana, told newspersons after the 45-minute meeting with Vajpayee. Senior party leader Jaswant Singh was also present. Taking exception to Mr Mathur’s reported statement that disciplinary action would be taken against those who make public statements on the issue, Mr Patel said, “We have not violated any discipline. Only party President L.K. Advani can decide on that issue, not anybody else. Asked why the dissidents were not meeting Mr Advani, he said, “We will meet him, if necessary. We had met him and Vajpayee four months back also”. Later, Mr Patel, Mr Rana and Mr Mehta met senior party leader Murli Manohar Joshi. Earlier in the day, dissident leaders Mr Mehta and former state party unit Chief Rajendra Singh Rana met party Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu and party General Secretary Pramod Mahajan and were understood to have protested against Modi’s “dictatorial style of functioning” and demanded a change in leadership. However, a day after the dissidents arrived in the Capital and started meeting the party top brass, Modi loyalists too went on the offensive. State Ministers Kaushik Patel and Amit Shah met Mr Naidu and Mr Mahajan and were understood to have countered the complaints of the dissidents and insisted on Modi’s continuation as Chief Minister keeping in view his “spectacular performance”. Four MPs, considered close to Mr Modi, Ms Jayaben Thakkar, Ms Jayanti Barot, Mr Pushpdan Gadhvi and Mr Hari Patel, also met Mr Naidu and Mr Mahajan and were believed to have put forward a strong case for his continuance. Several dissident MLAs, including Gordhan Zadafiya, were also camping in the capital and were meeting several party leaders. Interestingly, both the dissidents as well as loyalists have so far neither met party President L.K. Advani nor have sought appointment from him.
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Pioneer breached privilege: Speaker
New Delhi, August 18 He rejected the notices of privilege against the newspaper, its Editor and publisher, and the correspondent concerned — Swapan Dasgupta — for publishing the article. He said it was clear that the impugned article “not only reeks of malice but is highly contumacious in its inception and in its contents as it deliberately accuses the Speaker of partiality and reflects on his character and actions as Speaker, which amounts to gross breach of privilege of the Speaker and also of the House”. The four-page ruling of the Speaker, which he read out in the House, said the August 7 news item relating to the issue of a member (Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee) had alleged that the present Speaker “has extra-territorial loyalty, that he is a committed Speaker, that he is partisan and he has no sense of prestige, that he is high-handed in his behaviour and has no sense of fair play”. The Speaker also refuted the charges made in the news item, but without mentioning the name of Ms Banerjee or her throwing a sheaf of papers at Deputy Speaker Charnjit Singh Atwal upon his intimating her that Mr Chatterjee had rejected her adjournment motion on the issue of illegal immigration from Bangladesh as the issue had already been discussed in the House in the current session.
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Red alert sounded in West Bengal
Kolkata, August 18 In 2003, the Bhutan Government had successfully launched a massive flush-out operation against the ULFA, the KLO and other ISI-backed terrorists groups which had been active in the Indo-Bhutan border districts. Mr Bhattacharjee said the Begum Khaleda zia regime would now have to accept that the ISI and other terrorist groups had settled down inside Bangladesh and from there were operating in India, a charge levelled by India but denied by Bangladesh. The Chief Minister said after yesterday’s terrorists operations in Dhaka and elsewhere, a red alert had been sounded in West Bengal. He demanded that the Centre should now initiate special measures for protecting West Bengal and other border states like Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland against the Maoists and other militants operating in Nepal and Bangladesh. The Chief Minister said he had spoken to the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, the Defence Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, and the Home Minister, Mr Sivraj Patil, stressing the need for initiating special protection measures in these states against terrorists. In a letter to the Home Minister sent earlier, the Chief Minister had said that after the flush-out operation in Bhutan against terrorists, the militant activities in Bhutan and North Bengal had eased. Mr Bhattacharjee suggested that a similar type of operation be launched in Nepal and Bangladesh forthwith to check terrorism. He admitted that militants had sneaked into Kolkata and were silently operating in several other places.
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Natwar backs govt’s efforts on UNSC seat
New Delhi, August 18 Responding to supplementaries during Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, he said India had sent special envoys to mobilise support for its case. “We have met with no diplomatic failure. Rather we have put the issue on the international agenda through the G-4 resolution,” he said while replying to a question. Mr Natwar Singh said though India firmly believed it should get a permanent membership along with veto power, it was not pressing for it seeing that it was not possible at the moment, as was also stated by the UN Secretary General during his visit to the country. “We had postponed the demand for veto power, when we saw that it was stopping further progress on the issue of expansion of the Security Council,” he said.
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‘Dead’ soldier confesses to murdering dhobi
Dehra Dun, August 18 “We have interrogated sepoy Suraj Singh Negi on the whole episode. He has confessed to having murdered Kalua, a dhobi, to show that he was dead. Actually, he wanted to live with his girlfriend Renu,” Senior Superintendent of Police Sanjay Gunjyal said today. The police is still on the lookout for Renu. Negi disappeared from the IMA premises on December 10, 2003. An Army patrol noticed a fire in one of the barracks that night and found a charred body, then identified as that of the sepoy. It later turned out to be that of Kalua. “Negi was fed up with his wife and children and wanted to live with Renu. So he lured Kalua to the IMA premises that night... After beating the dhobhi severely, Negi put his uniform on the body, doused it with petrol and set it ablaze,” the SSP said. The sepoy was arrested by the Punjab Police in Bathinda on July 8 on espionage charges after he resurfaced there and started making inquiries about Kargil martyrs, arousing suspicion. He was brought from Bathinda on transit remand and was being interrogated by the Uttaranchal Pradesh police. — PTI
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Panel for reforms at Head Constable, ASI level
New Delhi, August 18 During a meeting of the Committee on “Police Administration”, chaired by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil here, members cutting across party lines touched upon various issues relating to the police force, especially at the grassroots level, like promotion, recruitment, training, working conditions, image and modernisation of the police force etc. Rajya Sabha MP P.C. Alexander suggested that there should not be any direct recruitment at the Head Constable and Assistant Sub-Inspector level and these positions should be filled through internal promotions only. Asserting that lack of adequate career advancement and promotion at the Constable-level result in frustration among the personnel at the grassroots level of the police, the former Principal Secretary to Rajiv Gandhi, said the implementation of his suggestion would open up promotional avenues for the persons employed as constables. Senior Rajya Sabha members also suggested that 50 per cent of the posts under the Sub-Inspector (SI) category should be filled through internal promotions only, leaving the remaining 50 per cent vacancy for direct recruitment. Emphasising on the need to provide good training and modern weapons to police personnel, Mr Alexander called for insulating police from political interference and giving it free hand in tackling crime and matters relating to law and order. Making a radical suggestion, BJP MP Balbir Punj said there should be a uniform recruitment policy across the country and that the police recruitment should be brought under the “concurrent list” of the Constitution, sources said. He emphasised the need for transparent and uniform recruitment policy across the country. Rajya Sabha Member R.K. Anand, and Lok Sabha members S.D. Mandlik and Dhirendra Agrawal also spoke at the meeting, which remained inconclusive. Ministers of State for Home Manikrao H. Gavit, Sriprakash Jaiswal and S. Regupathy and Home Secretary V.K. Duggal and other senior Home Ministry officials also participated in the meeting, which began with a “power-point” presentation on “police administration”.
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Tytler claims innocence; SAD, BJP stage walkout
New Delhi, August 18 As the fomer Union Minister rose to speak to state the reasons for his resignation, Akali MPs, led by Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, objected but were over ruled by the Speaker Somnath Chatterjee. The Akali MPs then raised slogans “Tytler, the killer of Sikhs,” and “Tytler should have resigned as MP too” and staged a walkout as mark of protest. In a statement on the causes of his resignation, Mr Tytler said that his conscience guided him to put in his papers as “due to the present prevalent political compulsions and the vociferous representations, the Prime Minister committed to the House that the matter would be reinvestigated”. “All these allegations have no meaning till Justice Nanavati’s report came under consideration, which has basically not found anything against me, but for reasons best known to the commission, the commission found it fit to drag may name, unnecessarily.” “And if I may say so, dubiously, merely to give credence to baselsss and vile accusations, arranged by my adversaries,” Mr Tytler said. Mr Tytler said falsehood repeated could not become truth, and was “probably” true that the commission had used the word that there was a “probability” of his being involved. |
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Access to fresh water must to check poverty: Speaker
New Delhi, August 18 “In fact, inadequate water supplies are both a cause and an effect of poverty. Invariably, those without adequate and affordable water supplies are the poorest in the society,” Mr Chatterjee said while inaugurating a lecture series for MPs here. Expressing concern over inter-state disputes on the water resources, the Speaker, who has himself offered Parliament House complex, his official residence and the personal one in Kolkata for rain water harvesting, said a sustainable solution could not be arrived at without a holistic approach to water conservation and management. “We cannot arrive at a sustainable solution to the current problem unless and until we address all our water-related issues in a comprehensive, responsible and forward- looking manner,” he said. He said the future planning in the water sector “must necessarily be a composite package of development and management, and this can be achieved only with the active participation of all stakeholders at all stages of development and management of our water resources”. Along with the government agencies, the common people should also be involved in the process of planning, designing and execution of all water-related schemes, he added.
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Panel to monitor progress of express highways
New Delhi, August 18 Assessing the progress made so far of the 135-km western express highway passing entirely through the territory of Haryana and 105-km eastern passage, involving both Haryana (44 km) and Uttar Pradesh (61 km), a Bench of Mr Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, Mr Arijit Pasayat and Mr Justice S.H. Kapadia directed the committee to submit its report within six weeks regarding the progress had made on the two vital corridors. The other members of the committee are Chief Secretaries of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and former bureaucrat Bhure Lal, whose contribution in the conversion of diesel buses into the CNG-operated ones in Delhi was appreciated by the apex court. While the Delhi Government was to provide 50 per cent of the project cost, Haryana and UP were to chip in with 25 per cent share each. Both Haryana and Uttar Pradesh Governments have to meet the land acquisition cost. The project would ease traffic problem in the Capital to a great extent, as all vehicles going and coming to eastern and western parts of the country from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal and J and K would not enter Delhi once the eight-lane corridors were completed. The Haryana Government, in its progress report, submitted through its standing counsel Ajay Siwach, stated that the state had made considerable progress in the project as notices for the acquisition of 1768 acres out of a total of 3,450 acres of land had already been issued, while the alignment work from Kondli on the northern border of Delhi up to Palwal in the west had been completed. It also said that six parties had been shortlisted for the award of tenders for the project and the tendering process would be completed soon. Since little progress has been made on the portion falling within the territory of UP, the court said, henceforth the project worker would be directly monitored by the five-member committee. While the western highway project was being executed by the Haryana State Industrial Development Corporation (HSIDC), the eastern corridor was being built by National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). The Court asked all authorities concerned to speed up the work so that the project cost did not escalate, as the Haryana Government had pointed out that the land acquisition cost had already gone up due to revised rates. In its March 11 order, the court had directed Haryana and UP to speed up the work in their respective territories.
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Minister to meet Mulayam
on ‘Mangal Pandey’
Lucknow, August 18 Speaking to the Tribune, the minister admitted that he had not seen the film as yet. However, claiming to be responding to the popular protest in Ballia, he said people there had not allowed the screening of the movie and were holding up rail and road traffic. The minister, who represents the Seeyar Assembly constituency in Ballia, said: “People there are hurt as the film is completely silent about Ballia — the place Mangal Pandey was born. To express it they have come out on to the streets.” Substantiating his claim, Aanchal said it was a well-known fact that Mangal Pandey was born in Nangwa village of Ballia district where some of his descendants still live. “A few months ago the Chief Minister had personally visited the district to unveil a 22-foot-high statue of the revolutionary and inaugurate the ‘Shaheed Mangal Pandey Shodh Sansthan Mangal’. A college in the name of the revolutionary also runs in Ballia.” According to Aanchal, the issue of giving Ballia its due was not a party issue and it cuts across party, caste and class divide. “How can the writer and director not depict the place where their hero was born and belonged?” The minister brushed aside the possibility of Mangal Pandey being born in Faizabad as suggested in Amaresh Misra’s latest book “Mangal Pandey: True Story of an Indian Revolutionary”. “How can I believe this new story? Let anyone claim anything. The government must have verified all claims before fixing the CM’s programme in Ballia,” he insisted. Amaresh Misra, author of the latest research on the life and times of Mangal Pandey, on the other hand is confident of his fact. According to him, Mangal Pandey was born in Surpur village of Akbarpur tehsil in Faizabad, which now forms part of the newly created Ambedkarnagar district. Commenting on the current controversy regarding Mangal Pandey’s place of birth, Misra says: “It is very possible that some of his descendants may be living in Ballia. Following the British repression after 1857 his family had disintegrated. His warrior nephew Bujhavan Pandey had joined Kunwar Singh’s forces and had fought in Lucknow. The wrath of the British had made members of his family escape to Jagdishjpur, Azamgarh, Ghazipur and possibly to Ballia as well”. According to Misra, when noted Hindi writer Amrit Lal Nagar chronicled the 1857 uprising, exactly 100 years after, through his famous book “Gadar ke phool” he had personally travelled to all places associated with the uprising, re-locating the places, looking for the descendants of major protagonists and putting together the story of the popular revolt against the British. |
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Stir threat over offending contents in textbooks
Jaipur, August 18 The Jamat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) expressing annoyance over the offending contents about Islam and its followers, has warned the Raje government that it will launch a statewide stir, if such sensitive portions are not removed from the books immediately. The spokesman of the JIH showing the relevant narrations in a textbook of sociology of Class XI in an acrimonious tone told mediapersons here on Friday that such writings tended to promote the ‘spread hatred’ agenda against the Muslims. He alleged: “The book at one place refers to Islam as being opposed to the freedom of human beings. At another place it describes nikah (Muslim marriage) as a contract of sexual relationship between man and woman while the Shariyat says that it was intended for raising a family”. A book on Indian history and culture also allegedly contained such misleading information such as describing the Quran “as the compilation of preachings by Prophet Muhammed and having 114 chapters whereas the Quran has divine Aaits embodied in as many as 144 chapters. It also described the Muslims as aggressors and anti-Hindu community”. The JIH expressing anguish over such narrations has urged the state government to take stern action against those found guilty of incorporating such malicious contents. Last week, following protests from various organisations, the State Education Minister, Mr Ghanshyam Tiwari, had to order the immediate removal of such portions which described mythological character, Balram, brother of Lord Krishna, was “very fond of wine” and also mentioned serving of alcohol by Bharat to the monkeys to celebrate the return of Ramchandra to Ayodhaya after the expiry of 14-year exile. Some time back, social activists and women organisations had also agitated against the alleged glorification of sati in a book published by the State Devasthan Department.
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PM’s assurance to SC/ST MPs New Delhi, August 18 Assuring the SC, ST members that every effort would be made to fill at least 80 per cent Central Government jobs reserved for the people of backward communities by the end of current financial year, the Prime Minister said, “Government has a role and obligation in providing access to education and healthcare and it will fulfil this obligation.” The assurance was given by the Prime Minister in his first interaction with the SC/ST MPs, an official spokesman said. He said Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh had already convened a conference of State Chief Ministers to discuss the issues raised by the judgment. With respect to other demands relating to reservations, the Prime Minister assured the MPs that all matters would be referred to the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Dalit Affairs for early action. He also assured the MPs that the Tribal Land Rights Bill would be brought in Parliament, as stated by him in his Independence Day address. On the issue of reservations in the private sector, he assured the MPs that he was engaged in a dialogue with all political parties and leaders of business and trade.
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BJP grouse over anti-hijack policy
New Delhi, August 18 “It is the privilege of the House that it should have been announced in Parliament when it is in session”, the Deputy Leader of the BJP in the Lok Sabha, Mr Vijay Kumar Malhotra, said. |
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Violation of Indian air space
New Delhi, August 18 In a written reply to the Lok Sabha today, Mr Mukherjee said the maximum violation had been from Pakistan (18), followed by a Bangladesh (four), Myanmar (three) and Nepal (one). “The required air defence measures are continuously reviewed and assessed depending upon the exigencies of situation. Protests are also lodged with the concerned country through diplomatic channels at appropriate levels”, he said.
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PM’s greetings on Rakhi
New Delhi, August 18 “The spirit of unity and brotherhood, cutting across all barriers of caste, creed and religion, are reinforced by the festival. It marks an important occasion which strengthen the familial bonds,” the Prime Minister said in a message to the people.
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US questions India on
Jet Airways
New Delhi, August 18 |
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IAF to place order for 20 LCAs soon
New Delhi, August 18 “Orders for 20 LCAs will be placed and subsequently orders for another 20 aircrafts will also be placed”, Mr Mukherjee said during the Question Hour. He denied reports that the IAF was reluctant to place orders for LCAs to HAL. |
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