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EC lodges complaint against minister
Cabinet approves urban transport policy
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Kalam stresses on capacity building among students
Panel to look into AIIMS user charges issue
BJP for early decision on ‘tainted’ EC Chawla
BJP awaits SP nod for consensus candidate
‘Supercop’ Gill to take on Chhattisgarh Maoists Army to hold fresh trials for 155MM artillery guns
Quota for OBCs in educational institutions
Policy on occupational safety soon
M.S. Gill for debt conciliation boards
SC: pillion rider not entitled to compensation
Pedder Road residents back Lata
Arjun Singh releases NCERT textbooks
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EC lodges complaint against minister Kolkata, April 5 The FIR was lodged by the state electoral officer, Mr Debasish Sen, on the instruction of the Chief Election Commissioner, Mr B.B.Tandan under Section 176 of the Indian Penal Code for terrorising the observes and government officials. Charges were also framed against the minister under the Criminal Procedure Act and the People’s Representation Act. After filing the FIR with the police station, Mr Sen hoped that the police would take appropriate action against the minister as per law and the compliance report be sent to him immediately for convenying it to the CEC. Incidentally, Mr Tandan will be visiting the Maotist-infested Purulia, Bankura and Midnapore districts tomorrow to make an on the spot study of the poll preparation in these districts where polling would be held on April 17. On April 3 a show-cause- notice had been served on the minister by the EC and the CPM general secretary, Mr Prakash Karat, was informed accordingly by Mr
Tandan.
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Cabinet approves urban transport policy
New Delhi, April 5 The Union Cabinet at its meeting gave the approval to the policy, which had been pending for some time. The objectives of this policy would be achieved by incorporating urban transportation as an important parameter at the urban planning stage rather than being a consequential requirement. Briefing newsmen after the meeting, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the other salient features of the policy would be to encourage integrated land use and transport planning in all cities so that travel distances were minimised and access to livelihood, education, and other social needs, especially for the marginal segments of the urban population, was improved. Besides, it would also emphasise on improving access of business to markets and the various factors of production. It would bring about a more equitable allocation of road space with people, rather than vehicles, as its main focus and encourage greater use of public transport and non-moterised modes by offering Central financial assistance for this purpose. |
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Kalam stresses on capacity building among students
New Delhi, April 5 Dr Kalam focused on five critical elements of capacity building: research and inquiry, creativity and innovation, high technology, entrepreneurial leadership and moral leadership. The President stressed that the students should be given the skills to fight the sea of knowledge created by us and also help them learn beyond classroom. He said management of knowledge should move out from individuals to network group as it only makes the pool of information and knowledge grow. Touching upon the importance of teachers in the technology revolution sweeping the country, the President remarked that technology should become integral to education and that the teachers should play the role of knowledge managers than just merely teachers of a subject. Stressing the need for an education system that should be more value-based, the President mooted the idea of including moral science as a subject across different levels of education thus helping them become better citizens. |
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CRY renamed Child Rights and You
Mumbai, April 5 The NGO said its efforts would be to address the root causes of deprivation - gender, caste, livelihood and the like. "CRY's experience has shown that the piece-meal, scheme-based and relief-oriented approach adopted by both government and non-government organisations have limited impact and practically no sustainability. They fail to address the underlying root causes of deprivation. And keep over 100 million Indian children hungry, without education and vulnerable to the worst forms of abuse and exploitation imaginable," the statement said. The CRY said it would shortly present the Child Rights Charter to the President of India. The charter lists moves necessary to ensure the rights of all children in India - changes in policy, law, thought and action that would ensure the world's largest population of children their right to a holistic childhood, the CRY said. |
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ISB student gets Rs 1.04 cr pay package!
New Delhi, April 5 Earlier, an IIM-Bangalore graduate secured a record annual placement for $193,000 per annum, surpassing the $185,000 purse secured by a graduate from IIM Ahmedabad. “Surprisingly, the highest international salary has been offered by an Indian technology company,” ISB Deputy Dean Ajit Rangnekar told reporters here today. He, however, declined to divulge the name of both company and the student who has bagged the deal. The students have reportedly asked the management not to divulge their names, fearing threatening calls from the underworld. “India is becoming a preferred location for our MBA students as this is where all action is”, he said adding "in the next five years there is going to be a reverse brain drain with most MBAs choosing the home turf to international offers." Talking about the trend in placements this year, Mr Rangnekar said, "It is the Indian companies that have raised the bar significantly, offering international salaries to our students." The average international salary for ISB students stood at Rs 53.5 lakh, up 21 per cent over 2005, while the average Indian salary was Rs 11.77 lakh, 18 per cent more than last year. “The highest Indian pay package of Rs 30.33 lakh came from Indian company HiTech,” Mr Rangnekar said. A total of 143 companies participated in the placement process and out of 328 students, 65 women candidates were placed, representing 19 per cent of the total batch of this year. The offers varied over a range of sectors, including technology, consulting, finance, FMCG, banking and financial services.This year we also had sectors like infrastructure, real estate, and media, making a mark at the ISB, he said. |
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Panel to look into AIIMS user charges issue
New Delhi, April 5 It has also assured that a majority of recommendations put forth by the Javed Chaudhry Committee, suggesting measures to prevent the exodus of doctors from government sector hospitals, would also be implemented. Addressing the media here last night, Union Health Minister, Dr Anbumani Ramadoss said the committee, which had been set up to look into the issue of user charges, comprised eight-10 members , including representatives of the AIIMS’ Faculty Association. The committee , he said , would look into the entire issue of user charges and their modules and the report would be available in the next 15-20 days. The institute had been facing opposition by its faculty since it levied new user charges in November 2005. The issue has been widely protested by the hospital associations representing the faculty, resident doctors, students, nurses and employees of AIIMS, who had written to the Prime Minister and the Health Minister urging them to remove the charges introduced last November that they feared would drive away poor patients from the hospital.
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BJP for early decision on ‘tainted’ EC Chawla New Delhi, April 5 “We have information that President A P J Abdul Kalam has forwarded the complaint, made by 206 MPs belonging to the NDA against Mr Navin Chawla, to the Prime Minister but the latter has not acted on it for the past one week,” BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told newspersons here. “The BJP is at loss to understand why the government was holding back the petition and not sending it to the Chief Election Commissioner, who is the competent authority to look into it and make the necessary recommendations to the President,” Mr Prasad said. “The detention of the complaint made by 206 MPs by the Prime Minister is baffling,” Mr Prasad said. He said the NDA, in its petition submitted to the President, had given “glaring examples” of Mr Chawla’s proximity to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, and his acceptance of donations from many Congress MPs for the NGO floated by his wife. Citing article 324(5) of the Constitution on the impartial status of the Election Commission, former Union Law Minister said that if the Prime Minister did not refer the petition to the Chief Election Commissioner for action, the BJP would have no option but to revisit President Kalam on the matter.In reply to a question, Mr Prasad said Mr Chawla should have resigned on his own or should have been removed after more than 200 MPs complained against him to the President.
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BJP awaits SP nod for consensus candidate
Lucknow, April 5 The BJP today announced its support for a consensus candidate against Congress president Sonia Gandhi. “The BJP will support a consensus candidate. But a decision among all political parties should be arrived at beforehand,” declared BJP national vice-president and Uttar Pradesh in charge Kalyan Singh at the concluding session of the two-day state party executive at the party headquarters. With the BSP already announcing its decision to be out of the fray to facilitate Ms Gandhi’s re-entry into Parliament, it is just up to the SP, BJP to arrive at a decision to give a joint fight to Ms Gandhi. However, expelled BJP leader Uma Bharti has also announced her decision to field a strong woman candidate against the Congress president. In fact, Ms Bharti had taken a lead in finding a consensus candidate against Ms Gandhi when she had written letters to all political parties to support her yet-to-be-launched party’s candidate from Rae Bareli. |
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‘Supercop’ Gill to take on Chhattisgarh Maoists
Raipur, April 5 The government has offered the former Director General of Punjab Police, considered an authority on counter-terrorism, an annual contract and he has accepted it, said Home Minister Ramvichar Netam. “His tenure will begin from later this month. The government will fight against Maoists under his expert suggestions and proven strategies,” Netam told IANS. He added that Gill, 70, who would work in tandem with the state police, would be given a free hand to evolve and implement the anti-Maoist operations. Official sources said the appointment as security adviser was cleared despite the state police’s reluctance as Chief Minister Raman Singh was particularly interested in Mr Gill. Maoist guerrillas have killed more than 100 persons, mostly civilians, since January 1 in the state. The guerrillas, who operate out of jungle bases in 13 Indian states mainly in the southern, eastern and central parts of country, claim they are fighting for the rights of poor peasants and landless labourers.
— IANS
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Army to hold fresh trials for 155MM artillery guns New Delhi, April 5 In an apparent measure to ensure that the awarding of the contract for the supply of the guns goes off without any further controversy the Army has decided to go in for the fourth round of summer trials. The two guns which would be competing would be the Swedish SWS Defence Bofors guns and Israeli Soltam. This is despite the Swedish guns emerging with a clear edge in earlier rounds and the Israeli Soltam gun not even completing the last round of winter trials. South African gun major Denel, who were the third bidders for the Indian contract to purchase 400 more 155MM .52 claibre towed guns, have not been invited to the trials as the company has been blacklisted pending CBI probe into alleged payoffs in the company's contract to sell anti-material rifles to the Army. Reports here also suggested that the government was also looking at refloating international tenders for the wheeled version of the 155MM gun following the Parliamentary standing committee and Comptroller and Auditor-General rasing objections to erstwhile NDA government awarding the contract to South African company Denel without holding any trials for the gun system. Denel would not be allowed to re-bid for the tender, reports said. Even as the process for holding trials for the upgraded 155MM guns was on, Swedish SWS defence, whose Bofors 155MM .39 calibre guns played a sterling role in Kargil crisis, have again offered the Army the option of upgrading its 400 FH 155MM guns in use with the Army.
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Quota for OBCs in educational institutions
New Delhi, April 5 Speaking to mediapersons here today, Mr Singh said the reservation pattern had been designed as per the Mandal Commission recommendations that calls for 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in all educational institutions. On December 21, 2005, the Lok Sabha passed the 104th Constitution (Amendment) Bill, providing reservation to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs in non-minority unaided private educational institutions. |
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Policy on occupational safety soon
New Delhi, April 5 Inaugurating the 11th national conference on safety, health and environment at work places, Mr Sahu said the policy has been prepared and the draft by his ministry was undergoing inter-ministerial consultations. The minister further disclosed that the Labour Ministry was also examining the desirability of a general legislation on safety and health at work saying that this legislation would be responsive to changing needs and provide "minimum basic standards of safety and health to a large number of workers. |
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M.S. Gill for debt conciliation boards
New Delhi, April 5 He stressed that these boards should be set up all over the country to end suicides of farmers weighed down by debt and lift them out of the vicious stranglehold of money-lending sharks. In the past these boards had the power to waive high interest rates of 30, 40 and 50 per cent. “I appeal to the Chief Minister to apply those laws and if these have been erased from the statute books then the Punjab Government should come forward with a legislation expeditiously,” Dr Gill said. The civil administration and the police should not be used to take away the land of small farmers in Punjab. Noting that indebtedness of farmers is fundamental to the country, the former Chief Election Commissioner maintained that farmers must be taken out of the clutches of money lenders. He warned that if this was not done then it could lead to social unrest in Punjab. Regretting that farmers’ suicide was never the case in Punjab, Dr Gill said the situation was grave and top priority had to be accorded to remedial measures. |
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SC: pillion rider not entitled to compensation
New Delhi, April 5 "The insurance policy was a statutory policy, and hence it did not cover the risk of death of or bodily injury to gratuitous passenger," a Bench of Mr Justice B.N. Srikrishana and Mr Justice Lokeshwar Singh Panta ruled. The Court said since the pillion rider travelled without paying any money to the driver of the vehicle, the law of third party insurance would not apply to him. The Court said in such cases the same principle of non-liability on the part of insurance company would be applicable, as had been laid down by it earlier that if a passenger was being carried in a goods vehicle, he would not be entitled to a third-party insurance claim. The ruling came on an appeal of the United India Insurance's Shimla branch challenging the state high court order holding it jointly liable with a scooter driver to pay the compensation of Rs 3.89 lakh to the kin of pillion rider Rajinder Singh, who died in an accident in October 1989. |
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Pedder Road residents back Lata Mumbai, April 5 Residents’ associations of Pedder Road, Marine Drive and Chowpatty have joined hands to oppose the project on the grounds that it would add to the traffic problems of the local people. “We are coming together to resist unilateral government decisions affecting us,” Marine Drive Residents Association president C. Shah said. The flyover would enable southbound traffic from north Mumbai to converge via the Marine Drive. Pedder Road residents like Lata Mangeshkar insist that the volume of traffic passing through their neighbourhood would go up, inconveniencing the residents. Instead, they say, a road over the sea connecting north and central Mumbai to downtown areas would be sufficient to decongest roads. Lata Mangeshkar is silent after the media and politicians attacked her for her stand.
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Arjun Singh releases NCERT textbooks
New Delhi, April 5 The minister who was all praise for the books published by the National Council for Educational Training and Research (NCERT) told mediapersons that the books were free of bias and that his Ministry did not interfere with the writing of texts at any stage. “Some people may try to rake up a controversy on the new books but they will not get an opportunity,” he said releasing the books for Classes I, III, VI, IX and XI which are being introduced in the current academic year 2006-07. |
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Vajpayee blesses yatras
New Delhi, April 5 |
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