N A T I O N

Indo-US nuclear deal may take some time
New Delhi, November 8
Even as former US Secretary of State William C.Cohen stressed that the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal must go through as it is "critical for stability" in Asia, the victory of the Democrats in the American Congressional elections has brought to the fore that a lot of ground still needs to be traversed before the agreement is sealed.

Foreign donation control Bill to be taken up
New Delhi, November 8
The Union Home Ministry has drafted a Bill, which if cleared by the Union Cabinet and passed by Parliament will bar individuals or organisations indulging in communal tension or disharmony or conversion through inducement or force, either directly or indirectly, from one religious faith to another, from accepting foreign contribution.

Golden Quadrilateral project nearing completion: Baalu
New Delhi, November 8
The government today dismissed reports that the work on the Golden Quadrilateral was going slow. Union Shipping, Road Transport Highways Minister T.R. Baalu told the Economic Editors’ Conference that such reports were aimed at maligning the image of the ministry by spreading rumours that the work was going slow.

CHAINED DEMONSTRATION

Bhopal Gas victims demonstrate, tied to one another with chains during the India Chem Conference-2006 in Mumbai on Wednesday. — PTI

Crackdown against ULFA intensified
New Delhi, November 8
Following Sunday’s twin blasts in Guwahati that killed 14 persons, the Army and other security forces have intensified its operations against the cadres of the outlawed ULFA in Assam.

Joint air exercises with Singapore on
New Delhi, November 8
Indian Air Force MiG-27 and MiG-21 Bisons and Singapore Air Force F-16 jets began joint exercises today at the showpiece Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal. This is the third such exercise between India and Singapore, according to official sources.

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Indo-US nuclear deal may take some time
T R Ramachandran
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 8
Even as former US Secretary of State William C.Cohen stressed that the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal must go through as it is "critical for stability" in Asia, the victory of the Democrats in the American Congressional elections has brought to the fore that a lot of ground still needs to be traversed before the agreement is sealed.

There is cautious optimism though policy makers in the UPA government are not missing the point of the hard ground realities, despite the bipartisan support in the US Congress. There is no doubt that the longer it takes, it will lead to greater uncertainty about the issue.

Simultaneously, informal discussions are on between the two governments to ensure there is no change in the contents of the legislation and that its language is in conformity with the understanding reached between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President George W.Bush on July 18, 2005 and the Joint Statement of March 2 last year pertaining to the separation plan.

At the same time, diplomats and experts are divided if the civilian nuclear deal will fructify in the short to medium term considering the outcome of the Congressional elections and how the senate deals with the matter.

Erstwhile, diplomats watching the developments closely don't rule out the Democrats adding new conditionalities which can make it difficult for a lame-duck President to push through the agreement. The talk is already gaining ground even if the deal falls through in the lame-duck session, the deed will be done by the new Congress when it convenes in January.

A nuclear expert who was against the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal stressed that the ban on nuclear exports to India has been there for nearly three decades. Therefore, it will be naive on anybody's part to presume that there will a quick turnaround in the US considering the strong lobby for non-proliferation.

US Ambassador to India David C Mulford is expected to make a statement on the issue tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Mr Cohen, addressing a discussion on "Threats to Democracy: Challenges facing India and the US", said "there is a lot at stake in the deal for both India and the US. If the deal does not go through in the lame-duck session, it will not go down well in the short term but it will not affect long term India-US relations."

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had recently told Parliament that if the Indo-US nuclear deal does not conform to the agreement reached with President Bush, it will not be acceptable to India.

Foreign donation control Bill to be taken up
S. Satyanarayanan
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 8
The Union Home Ministry has drafted a Bill, which if cleared by the Union Cabinet and passed by Parliament will bar individuals or organisations indulging in communal tension or disharmony or conversion through inducement or force, either directly or indirectly, from one religious faith to another, from accepting foreign contribution.

Stringent provisions have also been made in the Bill, The Foreign Contribution (Management and Control) Bill 2005, to prohibit acceptance and utilisation of foreign contribution or foreign hospitality for anti-national activities.

The Bill, would also consolidate the law relating to the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contribution or foreign hospitality by certain individuals or associations or companies, thereby bringing adequate checks and balances, to ensure that there is transparency in acceptance and utilisation of foreign contributions in the country.

A Cabinet note on the Bill has been prepared and forwarded to the Union Cabinet, which is likely to take it up for discussion tomorrow, sources said here today.

The Bill prohibits transfer of foreign contribution by a person or organisation registered and granted a certificate or granted prior permission to accept foreign contribution to any other person or organisation unless such other person is also either registered and granted a certificate or granted prior permission.

Every person who is registered and granted a certificate or granted prior permission under this Act and received any foreign contribution shall utilise such contribution for the purposes for which the contribution has been received and shall not defray such sum, not more than 30 per cent of such contribution, to meet administrative expenses.

This Bill, once passed by Parliament will replace the existing Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 1976.

Golden Quadrilateral project nearing completion: Baalu
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 8
The government today dismissed reports that the work on the Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) was going slow. Union Shipping, Road Transport Highways Minister T.R. Baalu told the Economic Editors’ Conference that such reports were aimed at maligning the image of the ministry by spreading rumours that the work was going slow.

“This is totally incorrect…. when the UPA government took over, only 42 per cent of the project was completed... now the status is that over 93 per cent has being completed and another three per cent is expected to be completed by end of this calendar year,” he said, asking, “Where is the delay?”

The minister said the aim of the UPA was to convert the entire national highway network in the country into four-laned roads to be completed in phases. He also said the 1000-km expressways project, recently cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, included the construction of separate alignment of 400 km of expressway between Vadodara and Mumbai.

Crackdown against ULFA intensified

New Delhi, November 8
Following Sunday’s twin blasts in Guwahati that killed 14 persons, the Army and other security forces have intensified its operations against the cadres of the outlawed ULFA in Assam.

Additional companies of the paramilitary forces and the Army have been rushed to the state for anti-insurgency operations, official sources said here today. The intensification of the operations comes after a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Secretary V.K. Duggal in Guwahati yesterday.

Intelligence inputs available with the Centre suggest that ULFA had used the brief ceasefire during August-September to regroup itself instead of seriously pursuing peace negotiations and is also getting support from some jehadi groups in its anti-national activities.

Mr Duggal, along with senior officials of the Centre and Assam, had reviewed the situation in the state after Sunday night’s blasts in a busy commercial area in Guwahati. — TNS

Joint air exercises with Singapore on
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 8
Indian Air Force MiG-27 and MiG-21 Bisons and Singapore Air Force F-16 jets began joint exercises today at the showpiece Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal.

This is the third such exercise between India and Singapore, according to official sources. The IAF had earlier pitted its frontline jets like the Sukhoi-30, Mirage-2000 and other fighter aircraft against the F-16s during its previous exercise with the Singapore Air Force, the US Air Force and the Thai Air Force.

The sources said the tactics being finetuned by the two forces were dissimilar air combat, air defence and ground support. The Singapore armed forces have reached an agreement with India for holding air exercises for their fighter planes and training army personnel for tank and artillery warfare at Indian bases.

BRIEFLY

Special court to try bombers
Mumbai: The Maharashtra Government will set up a special court to try those accused of carrying out bomb blasts in Mumbai’s local trains, Chief of the Anti-Terror Squad of the Mumbai police confirmed here today. “The special courts will complete the trial process quickly,” K.P Raghuvanshi who heads the ATS said. The Home Ministry of the state government has begun the process of setting up the special court and a notification is likely to be issued in the coming weeks, sources said. — TNS

AIEEE exam on April 29
New Delhi: The sixth All India Engineering/Architecture Entrance Examination, conducted by the CBSE, for admissions to various NITs, IIITs and deemed universities will be held on April 29, 2007. Details regarding the examination will be available on the CBSE website www.aieee.nic.in . The board has invited applications on prescribed form or online by January 10, 2007. — TNS

Goa to enforce AIDS test
Mumbai: The Goa Government will soon enact a law under which it would be compulsory for couples to undergo an AIDS test before they get married. The law will be enacted in the forthcoming session of the state legislature, according to state’s Health Minister Dayanand Narvekar. — TNS