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UPA core panel meets today on quota issue
Centre calls meeting to review power scenario
Forest Rights Bill to be given final shape
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Disqualification plea against BJP leader dismissed
Tsunami, floods come as blessing in disguise for Jaya
President, PM condole Naushad’s death
obituary
CRPF institutes probe on Buddhia issue
Atwal leads delegation to Nairobi
BRO to celebrate 46th Raising Day
Indian envoy meets Nepalese minister
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UPA core panel meets today on quota issue New Delhi, May 5 Mr. Sibal had incurred the wrath of the HRD Minister when he told presspersons during his trip abroad that no policy should be taken that dilutes standards in centres of excellence. This was seen by the HRD Minister as opposition to his proposal on OBC quotas. An irked Arjun Singh even complained to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh against ministers “speaking out of turn” on issues which do not pertain to their respective ministries. While the Union Cabinet is scheduled to meet next Thursday, the UPA’s core committee is meeting tomorrow to specifically formulate a position on the reservation issue. The committee comprises Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Mr. Arjun Singh, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Mr. Ahmed Patel, political secretary to the Congress president. The PM, it is learnt, is yet to seek any explanation from Mr. Sibal who again reiterated here today that his statement in Germany had been wrongly misinterpreted and that he had not referred to quotas but had only spoken of preserving standards in centres of excellence. As far as the Science and Technology Minister is concerned , this is a closed chapter since he has publicly clarified matters. He also said that he will further clarify his position in Parliament. However, the quota controversy is far from over. Once the ongoing Assembly elections are over, the UPA government will be called upon to take a decision on the HRD Minister’s proposal, which has become a hot politcal potato. Given the increasing political clout of backward classes ---- there are 11 OBC chief ministers today ---- no political party can afford to oppose this move. On the other hand, the Congress also realises that by going ahead with this decison, it will end up alienating the middle classes, which have only recently started veering towards it. Consequently, the government may not rush through with the quota legislation and could instead seek more time to discuss and debate the issue thoroughly and also find a middle path to satisfy all sides. One suggestion, publicly articulated by Finance Minister P.Chidambaram recently, is to go ahead with reservations and,at the same time, increase the number of seats in Centrally-funded institutions. Another view is that the pending legislation on providing free and compulsory elementary education be passed at the earliest as it provides for 25 per reservation in schools. This Bill, which was drawn up by a panel set up by the HRD Ministry, was ironically headed by Mr. Kapil Sibal, who is today being accused of being anti- reservations. It is argued that once implemented, this Bill will empower students from the scheduled castes and backward classes at the school level and enable them to compete with the best on equal terms in higher education institutes.
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Centre calls meeting to review power scenario
New Delhi, May 5 The Supreme Court today asked the Centre and the Delhi Government to file separate affidavits within two weeks about the steps being taken to enhance power generation. Mr R.V. Shahi, Power Secretary, and other officials in the Power Ministry are expected to meet the Power Secretaries and the Chief Secretaries of the states concerned to review the situation and press upon them to take steps to deal with the situation. Officials in the Power Ministry warned that if the states continued to overdraw power, the north power grid could collapse, resulting into a loss of hundreds of crores, besides affecting railway, hospital and other civil services. Uttar Pradesh, which is overdrawing electricity from the grid, has objected to the penalty on overdrawing, claiming that it is not getting its adequate share from the Central pool. Expressing its unhappiness over the deteriorating power scenario, an industrial chamber, Assocham, has said: “As a result of non-commissioning of the capacity addition of targeted power plants over the years, the country has to face the crisis leading to loss of industrial and agricultural production worth thousands of crores.” A senior official of the NHPC said: “Despite repeated requests, states like Punjab, Haryana and Himachal have not invested adequately in the hydel projects in Himachal and Uttaranchal.”
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Forest Rights Bill to be given final shape
New Delhi, May 5 The Bill will be taken up for consideration during the Budget session of Parliament which is going to meet on May 10 after a recess. ''The Bill is being given final shape and will be cleared by the JPC on May 8,'' member of the committee Brinda Karat said. The proposed legislation recognises the forest rights of forest dwelling scheduled tribes who have been occupying the land before October, 1980. Each forest dwelling nuclear family will be entitled to the land it was occupying provided it was not more than 2.5 hectares. Under the Draft Bill, forest- dwelling families get 12 forest rights which include the right to live in the forest, self cultivate, and use minor forest produce. However, they have been prohibited from activities like hunting and trapping. The extent of forest rights that may be given to each eligible individual or family will be determined by the Gram Sabha. Communities who depend on the forest for survival and livelihood, but are not forest dwellers or scheduled tribes, have been excluded from the purview of the Bill. The land to a forest dwelling family may be allocated in all forests , including core areas of national parks and sanctuaries. However, this right would be provisional for five years, within which period the titleholder would be relocated and compensated. If the relocation does not take place within five years, the person will get permanent right over the land. The legislation is being brought in to give due recognition to the forest rights of tribals, not recorded while consolidating state forests, during the British rule and also after independence. Supporters of the Bill argue that tribal communities have lived in forests for centuries, and granting them formal right over forest land, was just correcting a historical wrong.
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It is time Mulayam govt went: Rahul
Rae Bareli, May 5 Mr Gandhi, who has been campaigning for the re-election of his mother, Sonia Gandhi, from this Lok Sabha constituency, refrained from predicting whether the Rae Bareli poll outcome would be a catalyst for such a change. "If the government is not doing any work, it is time for change," he told reporters, when asked about his charge of non-performance of the UP government, and if he felt it should go. Asked how he foresaw polling on May 8, he said it would depend on three factors— distance of polling booths from villages, heat and marriage season. On whether caste would play a big factor in the post-Mandal era, Mr Gandhi said, "It is a factor but not an important one." Rahul regretted that the Mulayam Singh Yadav government was not keen on the development of Rae Bareli and Amethi, thinking it would benefit Sonia Gandhi. He said whatever development was taking place in the state was because of the Centre's help. He also said whenever the Centre wanted to invest in Rae Bareli, the state government refused to accept the assistance. —PTI
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Disqualification plea against BJP leader dismissed
New Delhi, May 5 President A P J Abdul Kalam has issued a
notification to this effect in the wake of the Election Commission’s
opinion on a petition filed by a local advocate Anubhav Anand Aron
alleging that Malhotra was holding the office of President of the
All-India Council of Sports from July 2002 to July 2004. Malhotra was
elected to the Lok Sabha on May, 2004, from South Delhi. The EC said it
is well settled under Article 103(1)of the Constitution that the
jurisdiction of the President to decide the question of disqualification
of a sitting MP arises only in disqualifications incurred after election
as a member. ‘‘The petition does not contain any allegation,
whatsoever, that Malhotra had been appointed to this post at any point
of time after his election to the Lok Sabha in 2004, the EC said adding
it has ‘‘no jurisdiction’’ to express any opinion on the
question of such alleged pre-election disqualification. ‘‘The
present petition is, therefore, not maintainable before the
President’, it said. Meanwhile, the Election Commission today ordered
the transfer of a controversial senior intelligence official, considered
close to Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. In a communication to Chief
Secretary and DGP, the Commission has directed the transfer of Sivanandi,
DIG (Intelligence), to a post not related to election work, EC sources
said.
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Tsunami, floods come as blessing in disguise for Jaya
Cuddalore, May 5 The tsunami followed by floods has been helping her more than God, in whom she probably does not believe being a disciple of the founder of the Dravidian movement Periyer, in her tryst with destiny for the May 8 state Assembly elections. The fishermen community is all set to vote for “Amma” for the kind of relief it received not only after tsunami but also the floods in the last two months of 2005. Said Parvatiamma, a resident of a coastal village of Devanampattinam in this district 200 km from the state capital, which was ravished by tsunami, “Our symbol is two leaves. We will certainly vote for Amma. In fact, she has made our lives better. The men only know to drink but now courtesy her, we are empowered.” This village was the second worst hit by tsunami in India. Thousands became homeless and lost everything. But the relief work speaks for itself. All of them now have concrete houses along with kitchen utensils and clothes which were given by the government. What was amusing is that along with “Amma” the other most popular “candidate” is Faridkot-born Cuddalore District Collector Gagandeep Singh Bedi. Known to be a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) stronghold which along with its allies bagged seven out of nine Assembly seats in this district during the 2001 polls, while the All-India Anna Dravida Munntera Kazhagam (AIADMK) could manage only one, this time the scene might be different. The electorate seem to be evenly poised and this district having the largest concentration of scheduled and backward classes with a percentage of 28 in Tamil Nadu might tilt the balance. With Jayalaithaa having found a new ally in the Dalit Panthers of India led by Thol Thirumavalavan, it will certainly help her to garner votes of the Dalits here. The coastal parts are the DMK’s Achilles’ heel and the district administration’s relief and rehabilitation activities might well be translated into votes for AIADMK’s Mr G Kumar. Even those working fervently for DMK nominee Mr K. Ayappan admit privately that post tsunami and floods might eat into their traditional vote banks. So what kind of wonders did the engineer-turned-bureaucrat from Patiala Gagandeeep Singh Bedi do? Said District Collector Bedi, “Cuddalore district has emerged as a model for public-private partnership in post-tsunami community building. Almost 75 per cent of housing and rehabilitation activities have been completed, and the remaining would be through by May. Though the DMK-combine had an edge since it is their stronghold, this time, political watchers in the district say,” It is like a see-saw. The difference between the two combines is likely to be only one seat.” |
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President, PM condole Naushad’s death
New Delhi, May 5 ‘‘Janab Naushad Ali was a talented music director who brought happiness to thousands of music lovers around the country. He was always regarded as a creative artist who had the vision to see future trends in the field of film music. In his death, the country has lost a great musician whose music scores in films of yesteryears will be his lasting memory,’’ the President said. Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee have also expressed deep grief over the death of Naushad Ali today. They said his death was an irreparable loss to the music world and the film industry. “Naushad made a unique contribution to the world of art by popularising classical music through his film compositions and a large part of credit for the success of films like “Mughal-e- Azam” and “Baiju Bawra” goes to his music,’’ the Vice-President said in a message here. “His deep love for the Indian classical music and qualities of a good human being had earned him great respect all over the country,” he added. In a message here, the Prime Minister said, “With Naushad sahib’s departure, an era of melody and virtuosity has come to an end.” “In his long and illustrious innings, glittering with memorable compositions, Naushad sahib had scaled phenomenal heights of popular music,” the Prime Minister said. He said despite being an uncompromising stickler for the grammar of classical music, the composer also had an amazing grasp of the popular taste. “As a pioneer of various musical trends and mentor of numerous musical prodigies, Naushad had virtually shaped the broad contours of film music in the country,’’ the Prime Minister added. Mr Vajpayee in his tribute said Naushad had provided new avenues to the Indian film music by his unmatched compositions. “The void created by the death of Naushad ji is difficult to fill,” the former Prime Minister said Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee also expressed grief over the passing away of legendary music director Naushad. “One of India’s greatest music composers, Naushad’s unique compositions reflected deep rooted secular traditions and pluralistic culture in all respects, he said in a message from Isle of Man, where he is attending meeting of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said Naushad was the only composer who never compromised with melody and his music was enjoyed even after 50 years of its composition. The Film and Television Producers’ Guild also condoled the death of the veteran music composer and described him as one of the brilliant musicians in the history of the Indian film industry with his “unique blend of romanticism with the rustic beauty of Indian classical music”.
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Naushad — master of melodious masterpieces
Shiv Kumar Tribune News Service
Mumbai, May 5 Beginning his career as a repairer of musical instruments, Naushad Ali hit Mumbai a year before the Second World War broke out in Europe. After the mandatory rounds of struggle which saw him sleep on the city’s footpaths, Ali didn’t have to wait long. His first film, ‘Prem Nagar’(1940) was a hit. And with ‘Ratan’, two years later, Naushad Ali emerged as a formidable music composer. A revolutionary for his time, Naushad introduced the international practice of recording music on different tracks and mixing these at the sound recording studios. Till playback singers accompanied by a live orchestra were recorded on a single track. The improvisation saw the quality of recordings become better and virtually gave birth to the music record industry in the country. Some of Naushad Ali’s early works like like ‘Ratan’, ‘Mother India’, ‘Baiju Bawra’, ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ and ‘Pakeezah’ are classics. With training in Hindustani classical music behind him, Naushad exhibited his expertise with the idiom in classics like ‘Baiju Bawra’. He even roped in the famed classical singer Bade Ghulam Ali Khan to lend his voice for a song in the movie. Condoling the death of Naushad, film producer Mahesh Bhatt called him a symbol of secular India “He was a man who really lived out the composite culture of his days. His music had the components of that culture. When he composed bhajans, it seemed as if he was a devout Hindu. The depth of true Indian spirit flowed through his veins,” said Bhatt. In all Naushad scored music for 67 films, 25 of which have been silver, nine golden and two diamond jubilee hits.
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CRPF institutes probe on Buddhia issue
New Delhi, May 5 The CRPF chief has asked Additional Director-General (Eastern Region) N.C. Das to conduct inquiry and report back immediately. Mr Sinha had yesterday told The Tribune that Additional DIG S.K. Gill, based in Orissa, had not sought the permission from the CRPF Headquarters, which is mandatory, for sponsoring the marathon. The CRPF-sponsored record-breaking run on Tuesday created a controversy with human rights groups and medical experts coming out with all ill-effects of such a marathon on the child prodigy. Starting his run from Sri Jagannath Temple in Puri, Buddhia reached Bhubaneswar thereby making an entry into the Limca Book of Records by covering 65 km in 7.02 hours. The NHRC taking congnisance of news reports has directed the news report be sent to the Chief Secretary, Government of Orissa. and the DG, CRPF, New Delhi, for comments in two weeks. |
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NHRC takes
note of media reports about Buddhia New Delhi, May 5 According to news reports, the Orissa Government had imposed curbs on Buddhia Singh’s running but the district authorities in Puri allowed the boy to run 65 km in sweltering heat as the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was associated with the event. |
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Buddhia taken to hospital for check-up
Bhubaneswar, May 5 Buddhia, who had entered the Limca Book of Records on Tuesday after running a distance of 65 km in 7.02 hours, was whisked away by the police and an official of the Women and Child Development Department to the government-run Capital Hospital. A magistrate also accompanied them.
— PTI |
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Atwal leads delegation to Nairobi
New Delhi, May 5 The Assembly will take up for discussion the political, economic and social situation in the world with a view to promoting democracy and helping build democratic institutions, a Lok Sabha Secretariat press note issued here said today. The 143-member organisation will also discuss the role of parliaments in environment management and in combating global degradation of environment. It will also take up panel discussions on "Africa Development" and "HIV/AIDS and Children". The other members of the delegation are Najma Heptulla, P.C. Thomas, Ramji Lal Suman, N.V. Hanumanthapa, Neeta Pateriya, Jesudasu Neelam (all MPs) and S. Bal Shekar, Joint Secretary in the Lok Sabha Secretariat and Secretary to the delegation. |
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BRO to celebrate 46th Raising Day
New Delhi, May 5 Briefing mediapersons on the work profile of the organisation, BRO Director-General Lt-Gen K. S. Rao said from a two-project organisation, the BRO had now grown and diversified into construction of permanent concrete and steel bridges, accommodation projects, border fencing, airfields and tunnelling works. Braving the remote and inhospitable terrain, adverse conditions and insurgency in the North and the Northeast, the BRO has completed 38,740 km of roads and 20,095 metres of permanent bridges.
— TNS |
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Indian envoy meets Nepalese minister New Delhi, May 5 The Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr E.
Ahamed, has also written a letter of congratulations to the Foreign Minister of Nepal expressing his goodwill and inviting him to visit India. |
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