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Domestic violence Bill introduced
Govt to look into Sarbjit case
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Foreign Secy to visit Pak for wrap-up
Truck mows down seven
Uproar in RS over Arjun’s reply
Opposition warns against resurrection of IMDT Act
Electoral roll revision ordered
Dullo for Left system of cadre building
Data belies women empowerment
Agro land for industrial use: Mamata threatens stir
Notice to Centre on Manipur blockade
Helicopter crash: vital
leads found
Shiv Sena gangs up against cowsheds
Tarapur power plant all set for production
Govt takes a break, organises film shows
Amartya Sen’s mother dead
India to have close ties with Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
Parliament session may be extended
Project to check women trafficking
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Domestic violence Bill introduced
New Delhi, August 22 The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Bill, 2005, introduced by Minister of State for HRD Kanti Singh, defined the expression “domestic violence” to include actual abuse or threat of abuse - physical, sexual, verbal, emotional or economic violence. “Harassment by way of unlawful dowry demands to a woman or her relatives would also be covered under this definition”, the Bill said. Offences of domestic violence against women would be punishable with imprisonment up to one year or with fine, which may extend up to Rs 20,000, or both, the Bill said. It covered those women, who were or had been in a relationship with the abuser “where both parties have lived together in a shared household and are related by consanguinity, marriage or through a relationship in the nature of marriage or adoption”. Even those women who were sisters, widows, mothers, single women, or living with the abuser were entitled to legal protection under the proposed legislation. However, whereas the Bill enabled the wife or the female living in a relationship in the nature of marriage to file a complaint under the proposed enactment against any relative of the husband or the male partner, it did not enable any female relative of the husband or the male partner to file a complaint against the wife the female partner. It provided for the rights of women to secure housing. The Bill also provides for the right of a woman to reside in her matrimonial home or share household, whether or not she had any title or rights in such home or household. The measure empowered a Magistrate to pass protection orders in favour of the aggrieved person to prevent the respondent from aiding or committing an act of domestic violence or any other specified act. The Magistrate could prevent the respondent from entering a workplace or any other place frequented by the aggrieved person, attempting to communicate with her, isolating any assets used by both the parties, causing violence to the aggrieved person, her relatives or others who provided her assistance from domestic violence. “The phenomenon of domestic violence is widely prevalent but has remained largely invisible in the public domain. Presently, where a woman is subjected to cruelty by her husband or his relatives, it is an offence under Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code. The civil law does not, however, address this phenomenon in its entirety”, the Bill said. The proposed legislation was aimed at enacting a law keeping in view the rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution to provide for a remedy under the civil law, it said. |
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Govt to look into Sarbjit case
New Delhi, August 22 Talking to reporters, shortly after the matter was raised by Akali Dal and BJP MPs in both Houses of Parliament, External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh said, “We have taken note of this issue and will look into it.” Earlier, raising the issue in the Lok Sabha BJP MP Avinash Rai Khanna said Sarbjit Singh, hailing from Amritsar, had been wrongly sent to the gallows in Pakistan. “He was wrongly sent to the gallows on the charge that he was Manjit Singh, a RAW agent, and was involved in serial blasts in Pakistan,” he said. “Despite widespread media reports in Pakistan and India on the issue, the Indian Government has remained silent. This amounts to ignoring problems of the people in border areas where some people inadvertently cross the border and get captured.” It is understood that the government has so far thought it better to keep silent. The family of Sarbjit has approached the Pakistan President, Gen Pervez Musharraf, for clemency as he was sentenced on the basis of mistaken identity. Mr Khanna said Sarabjit Singh had been in jail since 1990. Supporting him, Akali Dal MP Ratan Singh Ajnala said, “Sarabjit Singh is a farmer from Bhikhiwind area.” Following this, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, said, “ I am sure that whole House is concerned about the issue and the government will take appropriate action keeping in mind sentiments of the members.” In the Rajya Sabha, BJP MP S.S. Ahluwalia raised the issue. |
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Foreign Secy to visit Pak for wrap-up
New Delhi, August 22 Mr Saran’s talks with his Pakistani counterpart Riaz Mohammed Khan, which will be the last meeting of the second round of the Indo-Pak Composite Dialogue, will pave the way for a meeting of the two countries’ Foreign Ministers. External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh will meet his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri in Islamabad on October 4, the Ministry of External Affairs announced today. The two countries’ National Security Advisers — India’s M.K. Narayanan and Pakistan’s Tariq Aziz, may also meet shortly, away from the media glare. Under the Composite Dialogue Framework, the two countries’ Foreign Secretaries will discuss two of the eight subjects mutually agreed by the two sides — peace and security, including CBMs and Jammu and Kashmir. The second round was initiated by the two Foreign Secretaries on December 27-28 2004 in Islamabad. Meetings on the other five subjects under the Composite Dialogue framework, Siachen, Tulbul Navigation Project, Sir Creek, economic and commercial cooperation and promotion of friendly exchanges in various fields, have been completed between May and August 2005. Home Secretary-level talks on the sixth subject of Terrorism & Drug Trafficking are scheduled for 29-30 August 2005. The Foreign Secretaries would now assess the progress made during the second round of dialogue, take stock of the relationship, and outline the course to move forward the dialogue process. The peace talks have endured a spate of acts, like terrorist attack on Ayodhya and hawkish statements made by political leadership of the two countries. Knowledgable sources believe that the peace process is here to stay unless an unusually massive terror attack derails the whole process. The reason for this optimism is that while the “mother of all CBMs”, the military ceasefire along International Border, Line of Control (LoC) and the Actual Ground Poisition Line (AGPL), is still holding 21 months after it was implemented, the two neighbours have successfully embarked upon a comprehensive process for improving bilateral ties. |
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Truck mows down seven
New Delhi, August 22 While six persons, including the three children, died on the spot, one more person died later at the hospital. Two others who were seriously injured were reported to be in a serious condition. Reports add that the two were suffering from multiple injuries, including fractures and crushed limbs. The accident happened between the R.K. Puram bus stand and a CNG pump close to Hotel Hyatt at about 3.15 a.m., the police said. The truck carrying groceries was on its way to Ghaziabad. The truck driver has been arrested and a case of causing death due to rash and negligent driving has been registered against him. Since all victims hailed from Bihar, the police said they were waiting for their family members to identify the bodies.
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Uproar in RS over Arjun’s reply
New Delhi, August 22 Angry BJP members accused Mr Singh of not being sensitive to their sentiments while replying to their queries on the matter. Trouble arose after the minister’s reply to BJP member Ravi Shankar Prasad’s query about some textbooks, which “had depicted Lord Ram and Lord Krishna as fictional characters and described Ramkrishna Paramhans as mentally deranged.” Mr Singh said he would have definitely shared the member’s feelings regarding references to Lord Ram and Lord Krishna if it was true. “The fact is that no such reference was made.” He said as far as reference to Ramakrishna Paramhans was concerned, unfortunately that kind of description was made in a textbook last year but had been removed. Contending that the minister had not used the right language while replying to such a sensitive matter, BJP members came near the Well of the House. Rajya Sabha Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat assured the agitated members that if there was any unparliamentary language used by the minister, he would get it expunged. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad asked Mr S.S. Ahluwalia (BJP) and others to state objectionable portions of the minister’s reply. Mr Ahluwalia contended that the minister’s reply suggested that the BJP was raising the issue for political gains. The stalemate finally ended after Mr Shekhawat again told the BJP members that he would check the records and remove any unparliamentary portions. |
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Opposition warns against resurrection of IMDT Act
New Delhi, August 22 “The country has been divided once on the basis of religion. Influx of illegal migrants is changing demographic profile of districts bordering Bangladesh. The unchecked influx of Bangladeshis can pose a threat to national security,” senior BJP leader Pramod Mahajan said in the Rajya Sabha
initiating a short duration discussion on situation arising out of striking of the IMDT Act by the Supreme Court. Questioning the government’s intention behind forming a Group of Ministers after the Supreme Court’s order, Mr Mahajan said the government seemed to be
bringing the IMDT Act in another form. Mr Mahajan said that the IMDT Act had failed in its task of identification and deportation of illegal migrants and the government should give up the attempts to bring a similar legislation. “The government should use Foreigners Act to identify and deport illegal migrants and if it tries to bring a legislation similar to the IMDT Act there will be an agitation in Assam,” he warned. Mr Matilal Sarkar (CPM) said while his party was opposed to illegal immigration, it was also of the view that genuine Indians should not be harassed in the name of “detection, determination and
deportation” of foreigners. Endorsing Mr Mahajan’s view, Indramoni Bora (BJP) said all sorts of people were immigrating to India, including possible ISI and Al-Qaeda agents, and if such
a thing was allowed to continue it would posse a great threat to India’s unity and integrity. Mr Bora said it was not a question of Hindus and Muslims but a special provision, like “National Refugee Policy” be made to tackle infiltration. Congress MP from Assam Karnendu Bhattacharya contested Mr Mahajan’s assertion saying the IMDT Act was passed by Parliament to detect foreigners through judicial process after slogans like “Indians go out of Assam were raised”. He favoured convening an all-party meeting to resolve the issue arising out of the Supreme Court decision. Debabrata Biswas (FB) said the issue was not confined only to Assam but also to other parts of the country witnessing similar problems. He suggested that in the name of Bangladeshis other Bengali-speaking persons should not be harassed. |
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Electoral roll revision ordered
New Delhi, August 22 The commission also ordered special summary revision of rolls with respect to January 1, 2006 as the qualifying date in 20 states and Union Territories (UTs), the poll panel order said. The commission would separately order the process of revision of electoral rolls for Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, where the process of current revision with respect to January 1, 2005, was not yet completed. The programme for revision for Bihar, where the general election for state legislative Assembly, was due to be held shortly, would be announced separately. As per the decision taken by the commission, the preparatory work, where intensive revision was being undertaken in five states, would commence from September 1 and would continue till September 17. Under the preparatory work, advance survey of polling areas, mapping of polling areas and sections would be carried out. The house-to-house enumeration would commence from October 20 to November 21 and preparation of manuscript, data entry would be completed by January 20, 2006. Draft rolls in five states would be published on January 23, 2006 and claims and objections would be disposed by March 20, 2006. The final electoral rolls would be published on April 24, 2006. The detailed guidelines for the revision would follow shortly. |
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Dullo for Left system of cadre building
New Delhi, August 22 Entrusted with the task of rejuvenating the otherwise dormant party organisation in the state, Mr Dullo has decide to follow the cadre-based Left parties and enrol card-holding members in Punjab Congress. To begin with, he said, he had drawn up plans to enrol 50 cardholders in the bigger villages and 25 in the smaller ones. He hoped to complete this exercise by September-end though it could even take longer. Mr
Dullo, who was in Delhi today to invite senior Congress leaders for, Beant Singh’s death anniversary programme next week, said he had decided to initiate this exercise as he was taken up with the manner in which the Left parties enrolled members and then kept them motivated. The PPCC chief said the membership cards with their photographs, issued to the enrolled workers, would also serve as identity cards when they visited government offices to pursue party work. “We are hoping to build an enthusiastic army of workers through this method,” said Mr
Dullo, adding that this was the real key to building a strong organisation. The PCC chief said that having completed a series of public meetings, he now planned to undertake an extensive tour of all villages where he would talk to workers and get acquainted with their problems. Although Assembly elections in Punjab were at least 18 months away, Mr Dullo had a tough task at hand as he would have to build and strengthen the party organisation and keep the cadres enthused. Perennial infighting in the state unit and the inaccessibility of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had led to the virtual collapse of the party organisation as cadres went on a virtual sabbatical. As a result, party sources said, even the government’s successful programmes were not being conveyed to the public while anti-incumbency had been building up. The Congress leadership was hoping that Mr Dullo’s appointment as the new PCC chief would the help bridge the communication gap between “leader and worker.” Besides reaching out to the demoralised workers and ensuring that their greater involvement in party activities, Mr. Dullo had also to use these cadres to propagate the state government’s achievements so as to counter the Akali propaganda. |
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Data belies women empowerment
New Delhi, August 22 As the landmark Bill to protect women from domestic violence - physical, sexual, verbal, emotional or economic- was today introduced by the government in the Lok Sabha, data made available to the Rajya Sabha by the Ministry of Human Resources and Development reiterates the need for providing legal protection to women. The data shows there had been a considerable increase in domestic violence against women and the number is going up. Undoubtedly a rights issue, domestic violence and cruelty against women is a phenomenon that is prevalent but which is largely remained invisible in the public domain. Women organisations and NGOs say the cases of domestic violence are much more than those actually reported or registered. A National Crime Records Bureau report says 11,567 cases of domestic violence were registered in the country till March this year. In 2003, 50,703 cases of domestic violence were reported, which rose to 55,439 in 2004. In 2003, 1,06,980 persons were chargesheeted in cases of cruelty by husbands and relatives of which 12,558 were convicted. In 2004, the number of those chargesheeted increased to 1,13,367 and convictions to 1,42,24. The country is not a safe place for women and the number of rape cases is also steadily increasing. The number of dowry cases and deaths have shown a miniscule reduction. In 2001 and 2002, 19 dowry deaths were reported everyday. The number came down to 17 in 2003 and 16 in 2004 with 6,006 cases being registered. As per the date, in 2001, 16,075 women were raped. This number increased to 16,373 cases in 2002. In 2005, 16,875 cases were reported. |
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Agro land for industrial use: Mamata threatens stir
Kolkata, August 22 Ms Mamata Banerjee said her party would launch an agitation in the state protesting against the transferring of agricultural lands to the Salem group for industrial use. The CPM Minister, in charge of Land Reforms, Mr Abdul Rezzek
Mollah, who, too, had formally opposed the decision in the Assembly, was not happy at giving away such huge tract of agricultural land to industries affecting the poor landless labour and the cultivators. During his five-day tour of Singapore and Indonesia, Mr Bhattacharjee would also finalise several other industrial schemes with the overseas business houses and the NRIs. A 22-member trade delegation from the state also accompanied the chief minister. Before leaving Mr Bhattacharjee said in the changing political and economic situations in the world, there was no other alternative with us but to rely on the foreign investment and the capitalist market for the rapid industrial growth in Bengal. He, however, made it clear the interest of the state and the working class people would not be sacrificed in any way. He claimed the Salem would not only set up a new industrial state in Bengal but it would provide over 50,000 jobs to the unemployed youth in the immediate future. He assured that affected landowners would be adequately compensated and properly rehabilitated. He said the Salem would buy the land at the market prices and build new infra-structure in the south 24-Parganas which would benefit the general public there. |
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Notice to Centre on Manipur blockade
New Delhi, August 22 A Bench of Mr Justice Y.K. Sabharwal and Mr Justice C.K. Thakker also issued notice to the Manipur Government on a public interest litigation by a resident of Manipur, enlisting various difficulties faced by the people of the state due to the blockade. The All-Naga Students Association (ANSA) had blocked the supply of essential commodities, including petroleum products, making the life of people of Manipur difficult but the Union Government had done very little to remove the blockade, the PIL said. |
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Helicopter crash: vital
leads found
New Delhi, August 22 Navy’s spokesperson said here today that some vital leads had been found and the search teams were following them up. Not only are the forces on ground carrying out the search for the chopper which crashed in inclement weather on August 19 but the search operations were also being carried out by the Air Force helicopters. The spokesman said Air Force aircraft and helicopters had joined the Navy and Coast Guard search teams in the hunt. The naval authorities have pressed into service advanced locating devices and even sniffer dogs to find out the whereabouts of the crew of six on board the ill-fated helicopter. |
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Shiv Sena gangs up against cowsheds
Mumbai, August 22 The party is eyeing cowsheds dotting parts of the country’s financial capital. In a clever move to rope in the city’s
non-Maharashtrian middle class into its fold the Shiv Sena is screaming itself hoarse about the unhygeneic conditions of the cowsheds and the pollution being caused by them in the city. “These cowsheds cause pollution and must be moved out of the city,” Shiv Sena spokesman Subash Desai said. He stated that the state government has earmarked plots of land and other facilities for cattle owners to move in. The cowshed owners are however, reluctant to move, saying that they would lose their market if they move out. Egged on by the leaders of the Congress they have decided to stay put. Congress party leader Kripashankar Singh, who is backing the cattle owners, says the state government must relocate them within the city itself. |
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Tarapur power plant all set for production
Mumbai, August 22 It was synchronised with the national power grid in June last. As per the deal signed with the
NPC, 39 per cent of the power generated from the plant will be sold to Maharashtra on a priority basis, state government officials here say. Attempts by the state government to reserve the plant’s entire output for Maharashtra has already been overruled by the Centre. Other beneficiaries from TAPP 4 will include Gujarat, which will take 18 per cent and Madhya Pradesh 17 per cent. Goa too is expected to obtain power from the plant though the state at present is enjoying a surplus. The government of Goa has already declared that it will seek revenue from the sale of its share of power to other states. Power from TAPP 4 is likely to be priced at around Rs 3 per unit. It is said to have cost the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd about Rs 6,000 crore and it took five years to attain criticality. The two plants are expected to generate 1,080 MW in another year’s time. |
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Govt takes a break, organises film shows
New Delhi, August 22 So much so, a visibly relaxed government has decided to give everybody a break from the rigors of Parliamentary duties and indulge in a bit of fun and games as movies, music and sports are on offer this week. The party is not meant exclusively for those in the government. Instead all members of Parliament and mediapersons have also been invited to join in. Not wanting to be left out, the Lok Sabha secretariat staff has pitched in with its quota of entertainment. Beginning today, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has organised special screenings of selected films over the next four days
at the Mavlankar Auditorium. After a hectic day in Parliament, MPs today spent a relaxed evening watching the much-acclaimed award-winning film “Page 3” . If they are interested in a more serious fare, they can opt for “Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero.” And for those who are keen on regional cinema, the Bengali film “Swapner Din” and Telugu movie “Grahanam”
is on offer. This will be followed by a special sports meet for MPs and mediapersons at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium on Thursday. This is the third such meet which has been organised by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who has personally pursued this project with a mission-like zeal. It was initially designed for MPs alone primarily to scale down hostilities and build bridges between members of different political parties. After the first event, which included shooting and table tennis, journalists covering parliament were also roped in. The last sports meet witnessed Parliamentarians taking on scribes in a very keen and competitive game of kabbadi and tug-a-war. This time round, the two sides are preparing to better each other in the slated three-legged race, kho kho and musical chairs. In between these two events, the Lok Sabha secretariat staff has squeezed in a special qawwali
programme on Tuesday evening at the Parliament library auditorium. All MPs have been invited for this musical evening. |
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Amartya Sen’s mother dead
Kolkata, August 22 Dr Sen is in Italy attending a seminar. He was informed about his mother’s death over the phone. He will reach Shantiniketan tomorrow for performing the last rites. As soon as the news of her death spread, pall of gloom descended on Visva Bharati and the Shantiniketan
township. Students, teachers and other members of Visva Bharati gathered at her house for paying their last respect. The Vice-Chancellor, Dr Sujit Bose, also rushed to her house. The Governor, Mr Gopal Krishan Gandhi, Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and the Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr Somnath Chatterjee, who had been close to her, expressed their condolences. Amita Sen was one of the few students of Shantiniketan who had been close to Tagore. Her
husband, the late Dr Ashutosh Sen was the former member of the union public service commission and spent almost half of his life in
Shantiniketan. |
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India to have close ties with
New Delhi, August 22 Mr Natwar Singh, in a suo motu statement on SCO during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, said India was interested in strengthening its relations with its extended neighbourhood, including Central Asia. He said the SCO summit held in Astana (Kazakhstan) on July 5, which he attended as Indian representative, focused on terrorism, drug trafficking and promoting economic cooperation. India, Pakistan and Iran attended this year’s SCO summit as an observer. |
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Parliament session may be extended
New Delhi, August 22 Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad told mediapersons that the government was considering extending the ongoing Monsoon Session by two days till August 30. The session was earlier scheduled to conclude on August 26, but was curtailed by a day. |
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Project to check women trafficking
New Delhi, August 22 TAHA was launched here today by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) and the Department of Women and Child Development (DWCD) of the government with support from the Department for International Development (DFID). A workshop focussing on formulating strategies to strengthen partnerships with the media, law enforcement agencies and legal groups was also organised. |
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