 |
|
Nitish for open trial of criminals
Congress for making taped conversation public
Naidu suspects phone tapping
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bush wants Americans to learn Hindi
Point-based UK visas by 2010
Hurriyat urges Centre to show flexibility on Kashmir issue
Row over custody of Gudiya’s son now
Bihar Govt unhappy over rejection of tableau
Cong starts election campaign in Assam
Lanka MP for India’s involvement
in Tamils’ issue
B’desh transit point for ultras: hijack conspirator
Youth should build strong character, says Shekhawat
No hotel rooms? Tourists can check into homes
Amendments to Banking Regulation Act likely
Jnanpith Award for Marathi poet
German woman found murdered
Workers want panel to hear govt witnesses first
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Nitish for open trial of criminals
Patna, January 8 With over 40 killings and about 15 abduction related cases reported in the past one and a half months of the tenure of the NDA, Nitish Kumar is leaving no stone unturned to establish the rule of law promised by him in the state within three months. Sources in the police admit that extortions, abductions and related crimes have virtually emerged as “cottage industries” in the past 15 years in the state with a good number of unemployed youths getting lured to the same for quick bucks due to the lack of any economic development in the state. The police also regret the alleged political interference to their act and political patronage to the criminals, which had further caused the deterioration in all these years. “The rot has set in and it will take little more time to weed out the bad elements,” the sources said. To begin his initiative by involving people to establish the rule of law through “bad livelihood project,” which amounts to social indictment of criminals too with their trial in Jan Adalat, Nitish Kumar has chosen his home district Nalanda as a trailblazer for the same. This act was originally the brainchild of the erstwhile British Raj. According to the SP, Nalanda, Mr Amit Kumar, the first such adalat was organised at Amberchak near Bihar Sharif under Nalanda district on January 5 in presence of over 1,000 people where four accused were summoned for trials. The project includes open trials for dacoity, gambling, extortion, abduction, use of muscle power and money in elections, land grabbing and the likes. Dibakar Singh, Jitendra Singh, Dhananjay Singh and Sambhu Yadav are some of the known criminals of Nalanda who were summoned before the court. The SP describes the first adalat as a humble beginning as the people are yet to gain confidence for raising their voice against these criminals in public for the fear of reprisal. Mr Kumar said, “While in the first adalat the residents were apparently shy, in the second adalat on January 7, two eyewitnesses came out open against a criminal, Daman Gop, who was summoned for a land-grabbing case.” The third and fourth adalats are slated to be held in Nalanda in the first phase on January 9 and 10. Mr Kumar also informed that if the criminals defied the summons, the court could issue arrest warrants against them. It is also learnt that the Chief Minister has planned Jan Adalats in all 38 districts of the state in phases as he reportedly felt that such open trial would also enable the people in general to overcome the fear psychosis related with the names of these dreaded criminals. |
|
Congress for making taped conversation public
Lucknow, January 8 “People have all the right to know the activities, private or public, of their representatives,” claimed UP Congress President Salman Khurshid here. Addressing a press conference, Mr Khurshid slammed the SP leaders, including UP CM Mulayam Singh Yadav and Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh, for using “abusive” language to defend themselves in the phone tapping case. He also made it clear that the UPA Government at the Centre had nothing to do with the case. “A probe was already underway and some people have been arrested in this connection,” he added. The Congress leader said just as the candidates contesting elections had to give all details pertaining to their properties or criminal history, similarly nothing was private in the life of political leaders. “In the USA also the political leaders have to face several charges which are extremely private,” he added. Commenting on the Zila Panchayat chairmen elections held yesterday in which the ruling SP supported candidates won the maximum posts, the UP Congress president said everyone knew about the results beforehand as all norms were broken by candidates to win the elections. “Now we have to see, how the SP wins the Assembly poll with the help of the officials,” he said. “I am of the firm opinion that Mulayam has always rigged the poll which forced him to change his constitutuency frequently,” the Congress leader alleged. However, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav today accused the Congress of hatching a conspiracy against the ruling Samajwadi Party, by tapping the phones of its prominent leader and said the struggle on the issue would continue till the end. Addressing the youth wings of the party here, Mr Yadav said the phone tapping issue was not only against party MP Amar Singh, but the entire party. Commenting on the law and order issue raked up by the opposition parties against the state government, the CM claimed that the situation in UP was far more conducive than several other states.
— UNI |
|
Naidu suspects phone tapping
Hyderabad, January 8 “I suspect that my telephone too was being tapped for the past one year and I will come out in the open when I get some proof like Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh did,” Mr Naidu told reporters after meeting Mr Amar Singh at his residence. Since the matter was raised by many opposition leaders, I demand that an impartial inquiry should be ordered to bring forth the facts and clear the apprehensions, he added. “The matter should be inquired by a team of three Chief Ministers, including Buddhadeb Battacharjee (West Bengal), Nitish Kumar (Bihar) and J. Jayalalithaa (Tamil Nadu),” he said.
— PTI |
|
|
Phone tapping case: more raids conducted
New Delhi, January 8 A senior police official, while confirming the raids, said raids had been on for some time. The raids follow the arrest of three accused in the case. “We have raided several places in Haryana and Narayana in New Delhi but nothing substantial have come out so far,” said Mr Ajay Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Special Cell.
— TNS |
|
|
Bush wants Americans to learn Hindi
Hyderabad, January 8 “Even China is impressed with the economic growth in India”, he said in his address at the ongoing fourth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas last night, noting that “it is within the capacity of India to emerge as economic power house. “I want every Indian within and outside the country to believe that India can do it”, he said. The US National Intelligence Council had gone on record as saying that the 21st century belongs to India and China in the same way as the last century belonged to the USA, the Finance
Minister said. Urging the overseas Indians to join hands to realise the country’s potential, he visualised that India would become prosperous and conquer poverty as against the present situation of 25 per cent of the populace living in abject poverty earning less than one dollar a day. Launching the online e-remittance system developed jointly by the Overseas Indian Affairs Ministry and UTI Bank, Mr Chidambaram informed the non-resident Indians that the space for private investors had been enlarged. Citing the opening up of various key sectors, including telecommunications, airports, railways, sea ports and roads, he underlined the need for public private partnership with the government providing the land and other
infrastructure and private players taking care of building and maintenance of such infrastructure projects. Indian
Infrastructure Finance Limited had been created to provide low cost debt funding for infrastructure projects, as also “Viability Gap Funding” mechanism created to make projects which otherwise would not be viable, he said. The Congress-led government was firmly committed to fiscal prudence, controlling fiscal deficit, raising taxes, liberalising trade with external economies and invest in key social sectors, including health and education, the Finance Minister said. Noting glaring
deficiencies in infrastructure in rural areas, he said the agriculture sector required enhanced investment, especially in irrigation projects and in building post-harvest capabilities, he added.
— UNI |
|
|
Point-based UK visas by 2010
New Delhi, January 8 Visiting Permanent Under
Secretary of State in charge of UK visas, migration policy and Consular policy, Lord Triesman of Tottenham told TNS that the programme of a point-based system was planned over a five-year slot in 2005. He said the system would apply to absolutely every country and would be fully effective in 2010. At the same time, he said, there was a willingness to see if part of the programme could be executed faster. “The Prime Minister is keen to make sure that it is well worked through. There is no question of rushing and making mistakes but nonetheless getting part of it operational before 2010.” He clarified that points would be awarded on the basis of an agreed system at the time of application on the basis of the information provided. The system of points is aimed at encouraging people who have the capacity to achieve enough points to become either permanent residents or long-term residents in the UK. The changes that the UK intends to bring about in its visa will be keenly watched in India. According to the British High Commission here, the percentage increase in the number of visa applications from India in recent years has been in the range of 15 per cent. The UK sees the system as one that would inspire confidence of the visa applicants as well as the British Government. “We want a really good and strong immigration policy. We are very
determined that it should be a fair system and that everyone should play by the rule because that is the way we understand the world. Firstly, we have to make sure that coming to the UK to study, to visit
family, to see the UK, to do business with the UK is as easy and attractive as we can make it,” he said. Lord David Triesman further said they would “prioritise in points terms people who bring skills, knowledge and India now of course is a good engine of IT (information technology), people who come with dynamic business ideas, people who come as legitimate students”. He said that the system was new for the UK but it would give them a lot of confidence as well as to those who want to come. The system would cover students, work permit holders and highly successful people. The system will enable visa applicants find out whether they are likely applicants online. Lord Triesman who has been General Secretary of the Labour Party from 2001 to early 2004 said 300,000 people from India were issued UK visas every year. “We have 1.2 million people of Indian origin who just normally live in the UK as UK citizens on a long-term basis. This is 2 per cent of our population — the same proportion as the Sikh population in India.” |
|
Hurriyat urges Centre to show
New Delhi, January 8 “If the Centre really means business it should not hesitate to move beyond the over-stretched debate on cross-border terrorism and human rights violations. We can not strike peace amidst a heavily militarised environment. Hence, our demand for demilitarisation,’’ Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq said here after a week-long tour of quake-hit areas of Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). He said demilitarisation could be a gradual process and would help consolidate the gains of the peace process. The moderate Hurriyat Chairman, who discussed demilitarisation and self-governance with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad, said the proposals were made for both parts of Kashmir as confidence-building measures and not the final solution. “I wonder why these proposals are being mistaken for autonomy within the Indian Constitution. These measures will just be for confidence building and not final solution,’’ the Mirwaiz, who led a three-member delegation to Pakistan and Pok, said. Mirwaiz asserted that the Hurriyat had not withdrawn from its stand on resolution of the Kashmir issue according to the UN resolution.
— UNI |
|
|
Vohra meets Azad
New Delhi, January 8 The progress in the dialogue process with separatist groups also came up for discussion, sources said. Mr Azad has asked the security forces to act in a manner that human rights violations do not take place. |
|
|
Row over custody of Gudiya’s son now
Lucknow, January 8 Both Arif and Taufeeq had staked claim for the custody of a one- -year-old Mateen after Gudiya’s death on January 5 and now all eyes are on the cleric who will put a decisive seal on the infant’s fate. Media reports, however, claimed that a section of the clerics in Deoband had issued a ‘Fatwa’ (edict) yesterday ordering that Mateen be handed over to Taufeeq, his biological father. But sources at Deoband have refused to confirm the edict on the issue. “The issue is serious and we do not want to create yet another controversy,” they said. The first husband of Gudiya, Arif, who looked after Mateen when his wife was admitted to the Army Hospital in New Delhi is planning to take the matter to the community panchayat to secure the custody of the child. Meanwhile, Taufeeq’s family was also keen on getting the custody of the child — they have an edge according to the Shariat as Taufeeq is Mateen’s biological father. The controversy started just after Gudiya’s burial in Arif’s native village Mundali, near Meerut, when Arif claimed “Mateen is mine now and I will not let Taufeeq take him.” “There is nothing left for me and I want our only child to be with me. I will raise the child and keep him forever”, he said. Gudiya was married to Arif in 1999, 10 days before the soldier was called on duty to Kargil. Arif failed to return from the war and was declared an Army deserter, until the authorities realised that he had been taken prisoner of war and was in Pakistan. Meanwhile, Gudiya, who had been told that Arif was dead, had married Taufeeq, a close relative. She was pregnant when, Arif came back from across the border in 2004. Gudiya returned to Arif following a panchayat decision.
— UNI |
|
Labelling norms followed in medicines, says Swami Ramdev New Delhi, January 8 Refuting allegations made by CPM leader Brinda Karat about the presence of parts of bones and human skulls in a few medicines made by the Hardwar-based pharmacy, Swami Ramdev said such charges were “baseless and total lies.” In a statement, Swami Ramdev said the report of samples on the basis of which charges were made against him was wrong. He said, “Reports received from CCMB Hyderabad and CDFD Hyderabad state that the sample does not contain any ingredient of human origin.” He said there was no tradition in Ayurveda of using human bones in medicines and there was no question of such ingredients being used by the pharmacy at his ashram. He said Kasturi and Mrigshring medicines were prohibited and his pharmacy did not make them. However, he said shells and beads were used in ayurvedic medicines and there should not be a dispute in the matter. On the issues of labelling and licensing, Swami Ramdev said while ingredients were mentioned in case of patented medicines, name of the medicine and reference in the text was mentioned in case of classical medicines
according to the provisions of the Indian Drug and Cosmetics Act 1940. He said Mrs Karat had not followed the process of taking samples of medicines and had made baseless allegations against him. Swami Ramdev said the Centre’s spending on Ayurveda and other ancient systems of medicine was a mere 3 per cent of its health budget while 97 per cent was spent on allopathy. |
|
Pawar rallies behind Swami Ramdev
Nashik, January 8 “I have been reading from childhood that some ayurvedic medicines contained such things, say for example deer horns,” he said while commenting on the allegation that Swami Ramdev’s medicines contained animal remains. Meanwhile, Swami Ramdev, who is conducting yoga classes here for the past couple of days, today said a Hyderabad- based laboratory had found nothing wrong with the samples of his medicines. He said the government should grant more funds for the development of ayurvedic medicines. “At present, 97 per cent of these funds are for allopathic medicines and only three per cent for ayurvedic, homoeopathic and unani medicines. This allocation should be the other way round,” he told reporters here.
— PTI |
|
Bihar Govt unhappy over rejection of tableau
Patna, January 8 This is the second time in succession any tableau proposed by Bihar had failed to secure the approval of the ministry. Last year too Bihar could not make its representation in the parade. The model sent for the approval by the state information department sought to depict women offering “arghaya” at Chhath festival. The Information and Public Relations Department Minister, Mr Arjun Rai, said the refusal reflected the anti-Bihari mindset of the UPA government. It is learnt that after his return from Hyderabad the Chief Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar, is expected to take up this matter with the concerned ministry at the Centre. Sources in the information department said although the ministry verbally communicated the rejection of the tableau, it was yet to send the official communication. |
|
Cong starts election campaign in Assam
Guwahati, January 8 Barely a few months ahead of the Assembly election, the Assam unit of the Congress organised a mammoth “Sankalpa Samaroh” where senior leaders, including Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Union Minister Santosh Mohan Dev, assured the minority that there was no cause for worry. Indicating that an alternative law could be framed, Mr Mukherjee in his address in the historic Judges Field here said there was no cause to worry for the minority community as the Congress was always
committed to ensure their safety. — PTI |
|
|
Lanka MP for India’s involvement in Tamils’ issue
Chennai, January 8 Talking
to newspersons here last night after meeting leaders of political parties and groups, including DMK chief M. Karunanidhi here, he said India, having cultural and ethnic links with the island Tamils, had the responsibility to resolve their problems. India could no longer treat the issue as an alien one, as it had a greater responsibility in resolving the crisis than countries like Norway, which had initiated peace talks and the USA, and Japan, which offered to help to find a solution to the issue. Under the present circumstances in Sri Lanka, where an undeclared war had broken out between the LTTE and Sri Lankan forces, India should assert itself and directly involve itself in the peace talks. If India and Tamil Nadu failed to respond to the present situation and help the Tamils in finding a solution to their problem, they would be committing a historic blunder, Mr Chandrasekaran warned. Denying reports that the LTTE was opposed to India’s intervention, he said the LTTE had never said that India should not intervene in the matter. “I have met a number of LTTE leaders before visiting Tamil Nadu and they very much welcomed India’s intervention’” he claimed.
— UNI |
|
|
B’desh transit point for ultras: hijack conspirator
New Delhi, January 8 Giving a complete insight into the entire hijacking conspiracy, Latif, whose statement has been submitted before the sessions court in Patiala, said during his stay in the madrasa, he had met two more Pakistani militants — Akhtar and Abdul Rehman, who were injured while “fighting” in Kashmir and were on their way back to Pakistan. In what could also be termed as connivance between the militants and officials in Bangladesh, Latif said after 15-20 days, Faizullah had given him a Pakistani passport as well as to the two other injured militants. Latif, along with the two militants, left for Karachi by a Pakistan international flight and upon his arrival in the port city, was sent for training to Khost in Afghanistan, the statement said. After extensive training, Latif came to Kathmandu in April, 1996, on a Pakistani passport, where the travel document was handed over to ISI agents, a woman in this case who runs a beauty parlour in a hotel in the Nepalese capital. In his statement, Latif also mentioned about his visit to Srinagar and Deoband in Uttar Pradesh during 1996-98, where he claimed that he met several top-ranking militants of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM). The next set of instructions were received from Deoband in which he was asked to visit Dhaka again. Latif went to meet Faizullah, who directed him to visit another madrasa where Abu Saeed, a top-ranking militant of HuM, was waiting for
him. — PTI |
|
|
Youth should build strong character, says Shekhawat
New Delhi, January 8 Inaugurating the NCC Republic Day camp here today, he said it was sheer paradox that “despite there being age old traditions of morality and ethics in our country, there has been such a steep decline in our value system”. He stressed the need of building a strong national character. He said despite having spectacular achievements in agriculture, industry, defence, space, atomic energy and IT, the country was struggling with the problems of poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and disease. “The youth are our most valuable resource. How the nation tackles the challenges and marches forward in the decades ahead will depend much on you, your strength and courage,
discipline and dedication,” he said. Stating that the role of youth in national development cannot be overemphasised, Mr Shekhawat said there was great need for the youth to develop a social temper for shaping the society’s future direction. “No doubt, personal well-being of an individual is important but the lasting happiness will come only when the society, at large, is happy,” he said. The Vice-President was given a guard of honour by an NCC contingent comprising cadets from all three wings — the Army, Navy and Air Force. |
|
|
No hotel rooms? Tourists can check into homes
New Delhi, January 8 “Detailed guidelines have been put in place for home-stay and timeshare as also to regulate guest houses...,” Additional Director General (Tourism) Rajeev Talwar said at a meeting of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) here yesterday. “There are so many farm houses and big houses in posh localities which can also be used for the purpose” of housing domestic and foreign tourists,” he said. The decision came after the tour and travel industry made repeated representations to the government seeking creation of more rooms to accommodate the increasing tourist traffic. The country received 3.8 million foreign tourists in 2005. Talwar also highlighted the urgent need for creation of at least 50 international airports to enable increased charter and scheduled operations of domestic and foreign carriers.
— PTI |
|
|
Honour for Milon Banerjee
New Delhi, January 8 With the conferring of the honour on Banerjee by the body recently, he joins the club of former President Shankar Dayal Sharma and former Chief Justice of India M Hidayatullah, who had been bestowed with the honour from India. The other distinguished personalities from abroad conferred with the honour include British Prime Minister Tony Blair, former premier Margaret Thatcher and Sir William Henry Davis. Lincoln’s Inn, established in 1422, is the oldest of the four Courts in London. In the initial years, St Thomas More, Lord Chancellor of England joined it in 1496, while famous poet John Donne had written his poem “For Whom the Bell Tolls” when he was its Preacher in 1624. This is one more feather in the cap of Banerjee, who got his LL.M degree from Cambridge University after getting his bachelor degree in law from Allahabad University. In his 50-year career at the Bar, Banerjee, conferred with Padma Vibhushan last year, had dealt with several international arbitration matters and various sensitive cases within the country, including the infamous Beef Tallow case, Quran case and the Ayodhya dispute case. His recent notable success was clinching of the controversial Dabhol power project case in an arbitration in London.
|
|
|
Amendments to Banking Regulation Act likely
New Delhi, January 8 In a letter to chief ministers, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has outlined the need for legal and institutional reforms which include amendments to the state cooperative Acts by the state governments and amendments to some legislations by the Centre. The Centre has already approved Rs 13,600 crore package to revive the short-term credit cooperative societies and is considering another Rs 5,000 crore for reforming the long-term cooperative societies. The minister has emphasised that some amendments were required to ensure that NABARD and the RBI were empowered to regulate cooperatives who adhere to norms like maintaining a minimum capital adequacy of nine per cent. |
|
Jnanpith Award for Marathi poet
New Delhi, January 8 The selection board, headed by Mr L.M. Singhvi, which met yesterday, decided to confer the award on 87-year-old Karandikar. A release by the Bharatiya Jnanpith said Karandikar was perhaps the most experimental and the most comprehensive of modern Marathi poets. It said as an essayist, critic and translator, Karandikar had very significant achievements to his credit. “A long creative life, full of worldly struggles and ceaseless in its search for aesthetic perfection, is at the back of this achievement,” the release said. |
|
German woman found murdered
Pune, January 8 The body of Dr Gudarun Koravinos, who was done to death, probably a few days ago, was found with her head missing, the police said. The unidentified assailants, who had killed her with sharp-edged weapon, had taken away her head with them, leaving her torso behind which had got completely decomposed, the police said. The body has been sent for a post mortem and further investigation was in progress. Gudarun was last seen in December-end by her friend a medical
fractioned, the police said. — PTI |
|
Workers want panel to hear govt witnesses first New Delhi, January 8 The workers' counsel moved an application urging that the depositions of the government witnesses should be recorded first on which Justice Garg reserved his decision till January 16. The workers' counsel also made a plea to the Commission to fix Delhi as the permanent venue for its hearings as the workers found Chandigarh to be too far from Gurgaon. Earlier hearings of the Commission had been held in Chandigarh. The Justice Garg Commission of Inquiry was set up by Hooda government to inquire into the police lathi-charge on workers of Honda factory. |
|
AMU to appeal against high court verdict
Aligarh, January 8 Admitting that the high court judgement was a setback, Vice-Chancellor Naseem Ahmed said the AMU would appeal to the Supreme Court after receiving a copy of the judgement.
— PTI |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
In video: German
woman's murder case: real estate developer arrested. (
