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Jawans’ families return medals
Parliament attack: Martyrs remembered
Afzal moves SC, says he did not get fair trial
Patil’s remarks on Afzal flare up tempers
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Fasting Mamata calls for boycott of Tatas
Land surrender: Reddy’s resignation sought
Navy goes shopping Rs 30,000 crore budget
Forum seeks division of OBC quota for Muslims
Debate on OBC Bill today
‘Adjustments needed on Arunachal, J&K disputes’
AP tops domestic violence list
Now, learn mathematics from Hanuman
Multi-pronged attack on Eenadu
India signs MoU with UAE on emigrants
VC suspends 83 SP student leaders
Panchayati Raj has no parallel in world: Aiyar
Left’s ‘no work, no pay’ today
Demand to introduce women’s
quota Bill
Maharashtra not to hike cotton prices
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Jawans’ families return medals
New Delhi, December 13 On the fifth anniversary of the attack, family members, accompanied by All India-Terrorist Front chief M. S. Bitta, submitted a memorandum to President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and conveyed their decision to return the medals. “The medals given to our dear and near ones now seem to us like humiliation piled on us,” Ganga Devi, widow of sub-inspector Nanak Chand, said. She said the family members had urged that the medals be kept at the National Museum in memory of the valiant soldiers. The family members also expressed shock and rejected Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil’s remarks in Parliament that they were being provoked by the BJP. “The court has ordered for the execution of Afzal. We did not order the execution. A pardon (to Afzal) means making a mockery of the brave soldiers and civilians who laid down their precious lives while performing their duty for the nation,” Ganga Devi said. Jayawati, widow of head-constable Vijender Singh, said: “We will take back these medals after Afzal is hanged.” The Supreme Court had sentenced Mohammad Afzal to death and set October 20 for the hanging. But Afzal moved a mercy before the President, who sent it to the Union Home Ministry for its opinion. The Home Ministry is yet to give its opinion on the mercy petition. “The issue is that if a terrorist like Mohammad Afzal gets a compassionate attention, it will only encourage the terrorists who already have made a mockery of the law,” the memorandum said. In this context, the memorandum pointed out that “dreaded terrorist Davinder Singh Bhullar who was convicted and awarded capital punishment for targeting M S Bitta outside IYC premises in New Delhi on September 11, 1993, has also placed a mercy petition before your excellency.” “However, the file has gone missing and remains untraced for more than two and- a- half years, delaying justice to the people who lost their near and dear ones in the heinous crime perpetuated by Bhullar,” it said expressing apprehension that “the confidential file regarding Afzal will also be put in the “ice box to freeze forever” to meet a similar fate like the Bhullar case.”
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Parliament attack: Martyrs remembered
New Delhi, December 13 In the Rajya Sabha, Chairperson Bhairon Singh Shekhawat praised security personnel for foiling the attack. He said five Delhi police personnel, two members of the Rajya Sabha watch and ward staff, a gardner and a journalist were killed in the attack. In both the Houses, the BJP and Shiv Sena demanded immediate hanging of Afzal. The leaders offered floral tributes to the portraits of the martyrs at Parliament House. Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, BJP leaders M.M. Joshi and Jaswant Singh, CPM leaders Basudeb Acharia and Brinda Karat, TDP leader Yerran Naidu were among others who offered tributes. Watch and Ward staff of Parliament and Sardar Singh, father of Om Prakash, the Head Constable of Delhi police who was killed in the attack, also offered floral tributes.
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Afzal moves SC, says he did not get fair trial
New Delhi, December 13 In the curative petition, Afzal contended that Article 21 or Right to Life is inviolable. The curative petition is the last option available in the court. Afzal has appealed to the court to stay the death sentence awarded to him till the final disposal of his curative petition. The petitioner has also sought to change amicus curaie Neeraj Bansal appointed by the trial court to defend him on the grounds that he was not satisfied with the performance of the amicus curaie because of his ineffective defence. Earlier, the court had dismissed Afzal’s review petition against the judgement of August last year confirming the death sentence awarded to him by the trial court and the Delhi High Court. Besides Afzal, another person Shaukat Hussain Guru was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment for not disclosing before the police about the conspiracy to attack Parliament.
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Patil’s remarks on Afzal flare up tempers
New Delhi, December 13 Raising the Afzal issue on the fifth anniversary of the attack on Parliament, members belonging to the BJP and the Shiv Sena shouted slogans like “Afzal ko fansi do (hang Afzal) and Sansad par hamla nahin chalega (attack on Parliament will not be tolerated)”. There was frayed tempers as members belonging to the Congress, the RJD and the Left countering the BJP-Shiv Sena members. As repeated attempts to bring the House to order failed, Deputy Chairperson K. Rehman Khan adjourned the House at 12.35 pm till 2 pm. The uproar had reached a high decibel when Home Minister Shivraj Patil cited cases like Rajiv Gandhi assassination where clemency petitions were kept pending for years. When Mr Patil asserted that law would take its course in the Afzal case, members belonging to the BJP and the Shiv Sena raised slogans and pointed out that the Gen Vaidya murder case was decided very quickly. Rejecting Opposition’s charge that the government was not helping families of the martyrs who laid down their lives protecting Parliament House, the Home Minister said the financial assistance had already been provided. On the charge of delays in the allocation of petrol pumps to the families of the bereaved, Mr Patil said while the licensing issue had been sorted out the problem was with the allocation of land and that too would be resolved. The Deputy Chairperson reminded the government that last year too the issue figured in the House and he wanted that it should be done soon. On behalf of the BJP, senior party leader Murli Manohar Joshi raised the issue saying that nine security personnel laid down their lives in protecting the symbol of sovereignty. He demanded that those who attacked Parliament should be given severe punishment. A similar demand came from Shiv Sena leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi, who alleged that the police was harassing family members of the martyrs while showing sympathy towards Afzal.
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Fasting Mamata calls for boycott of Tatas
Kolkata, December 13 But Ms Banerjee, however, refused. On the contrary, she gave a call to the people to boycott Tata company goods for its decision to set up Tata Motors small car plant on the fertile agricultural lands at Singur at the cost of the livelihood of poor farmers. In response to her call, over 2000 women of the Trinamool Mahila Samiti and members of the Singur Kishi Bacchao Committee, began their Tata products boycotting programme from near the dharna manch by throwing on the ground several packets of Tata salts, Tata tea and Tata watch which Ms Banerjee witnessed from the manch. Earlier, a group of workers and supporters of theTMC and 18 other parties, demonstrated in front of Tata Centre, Tata Company's head office at Chowringhee and demanded the immediate withdrawal of their decision to set up factory on the farm lands at Singur and shift the proposed plant on the non-fertile lands elsewhere. Mr Sovandeb Chatterjee,TMC MLA and one of Ms Banerjee's closed aides, declared that boycotting programme of Tata products would continue. But the Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee as well as the Left Front chairman, Mr Biman Bose reiterated that Tata Motors small car project would be built and accordingly, the Tata Motors authorities had been told to take the possession of the land at Singur immediately. The Industries Secretary,Mr Sabyachasi Sen, said Mr Ravi Kant, CEO of Tata Motors, had conveyed to them that an official team would visit Singur in a day or two.
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Land surrender: Reddy’s resignation sought
Hyderabad, December 13 The main opposition TDP demanded that the Chief Minister should step down. “Mr Reddy cannot be prosecuted for violation of ceiling laws unless he quit his position,” TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu said. “The Chief Minister cannot take cover under ignorance of law, especially after having been in public life for decades now,” Mr Naidu said. CPI state secretary K Narayana demanded that the surrendered lands should immediately be distributed among the landless poor. The TRS and the BJP said Mr Reddy owed an explanation as to how he enjoyed the lands for decades illegally. The Congress, however, compared the Chief Minister to Vinoba Bhave for giving up his lands voluntarily, and said others should follow the example. Meanwhile, as expected, the government issued notices to Ramoji Group as well as Sanghi and GVK Groups on excess lands in their possession in and around Hyderabad against ceiling laws. While the target of Mr Reddy is obviously Ramoji Group, seen as being critical of his government, notices were issued to Sanghi Industries, owned by Congress MP Girish Sanghi, and GVK Group to give an impression that the law was taking its course.
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Navy goes shopping Rs 30,000 crore budget
Mumbai, December 13 The winning bidder would have to agree to a process of technology transfer where by most of the ships would have to be built in India. India has an ambitious programme of inducting stealth frigates into its naval fleet as part of its global ambitions. The first stealth frigate of the Shivalik class is expected to be inducted in the new year. The P-17A project, as it is called, will have 12 such frigates as part of the naval fleet. The naval top brass are in a hurry to speed up the process of fleet modernisation which has been in cold storage for more than a decade. The P-17A Project was originally cleared in 1997 but was mothballed for years on account of a resource crunch. Construction of the first P17 frigate began only in December, 2000, with the ship launched in 2003. Technology from a number of countries have been inducted for this project. Designed jointly with Russia's Severnoye Project Design Bureau, the vessel's signature management technology has been acquired from France's DCN International (DCNI). Other technology suppliers includes Canada's CAE and Davis Engineering which provides the Infra-Red Suppression System (IRSS). Technology from Italy is also being obtained for India's stealth frigate.
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Forum seeks division of OBC quota for Muslims
New Delhi, December 13 The recommendation is part of the five-point resolution adopted following a brainstorming session in the Capital aimed at building a consensus among all political parties on the issue of reservation for the community. The resolution was adopted by a voice vote at the end of the discussion that was attended by leaders of major political parties and social activists. One of the main points in the resolution, which will now be forwarded to the government as recommendations, is the division of the OBC quota among advanced castes, Hindu MBCs and the Muslims for “fair-sharing, unlike the present form where it grabbed by a few powerful castes”. Addressing the gathering, a former Prime Minister, Mr V.P. Singh, even declared that if his party was voted to power or held the key to power in Uttar Pradesh, the first decision of the Cabinet within one hour of government formation would be to bifurcate the 27 per cent OBC quota among advanced
OBCs, Hindu MBCs and Muslims in the proportion of their population. The Sachar Committee report, recently tabled in Parliament, brought out facts about poor educational, social and economic conditions of the Muslims in the country, establishing the need for proactive steps to uplift social and economic conditions of this large chunk of population of the country. Responding to these findings, the session also demanded the removal of “discriminatory Presidential Order of 1950 under Article 341 of the Constitution to enable equivalent castes among the Muslims to get the benefit of reservation under the SC/ST quota as has been done for the Sikhs in 1956 and Buddhists in 1990”. Besides, the other demand is quota for Dalits and Muslims in all government and private schools and colleges, aided or recognised by the government at all levels or an allocation of Rs one lakh crore in the Eleventh Plan for building 1,000 Muslim institutions of 1,000 intake capacity. |
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Debate on OBC Bill today
New Delhi, December 13 The discussion promises to be a heated one as the agreement has come under attack both from the BJP-led NDA and the Left parties. Dr Manmohan Singh had given an exhaustive reply to the debate on the same issue in the last session when he was handling the External Affairs Ministry. He had given a specific assurance to Parliament that the nuclear agreement would conform strictly to the parameters set out in the July 18 statement and the March 2 separation plan. This time, however, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee would reply to the debate, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi told presspersons here today. The Prime Minister may find it necessary to reiterate his position in the face of a sharp attack from their supporting parties. Dr Manmohan Singh would also reply to the discussion on the Eleventh Plan, slated for Tuesday, the last day of the session. With the last two days already accounted for, the government is rushing to complete all its legislative business this week. The controversial Bill extending quotas for OBCs in centrally-aided educational institutions is to be debated and passed tomorrow while the tribal rights Bill had been listed for Friday. The government has had no luck with the legislations on banking regulation and pension reforms as these had been vetoed by the Left parties. Mr Pranab Mukherjee has held several meetings with the Marxists to convince them but no solution has emerged so far.
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‘Adjustments needed on Arunachal, J&K disputes’
New Delhi, December 13 The fact that the Lok Sabha had passed resolutions declaring the two states an integral part of India did not make them non-negotiable, Mukherjee said, during Zero Hour responding to Leader of Opposition L.K. Advani’s objection to Chinese Ambassador Sun Yuxi’s claim that the whole of Arunachal Pradesh belonged to China and this was the subject of negotiations between the two countries. Mr Mukherjee said China had not accepted the Mac Mahon Line that demarcated Arunachal Pradesh and Tibet and that was the point of discussion between the special representatives of India and China. Stating that China had "from time to time raised the Arunachal Pradesh issue", Mukhejee said: "Even during (then Prime Minister Atal Bihari) Vajpayee's visit in 2003, the issue was raised by the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson." Provoked by Mr Mukherjee's comparison between Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh, Mr Advani said: "I am afraid that the statement has brought an issue, which is more touchy... I have raised an issue of propriety (whether the envoy could make such a remark). But you said Arunachal Pradesh is negotiable." |
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AP tops domestic violence list
Patna, December 13 The report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) indicated an alarming rise in domestic violence in the past five years. The report assumes significance in the wake of the recent enactment of laws by the Centre to curb growing incidents of domestic violence in different parts of India. According to NCRB statistics, nearly 44 per cent of crimes against women were perpetrated by family members. Against 125 women facing domestic violence every day in 2003, the figure rose to 160 in 2005. Andhra Pradesh recorded the highest incidence of domestic violence while West Bengal was a close second. West Bengal also accounted for the fourth highest dowry deaths after Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. The report further stated that 40 per cent of married Indian women faced physical abuse by their husbands. Despite a comparatively low incidence of domestic violence recorded in Bihar, a senior official said that as directed by the Chief Minister, the government has planned an extensive campaign through panchayats against domestic violence and other cases of atrocities against women, including dowry deaths. After reserving 50 per cent seats for women at the just concluded statewide three-tier panchayat elections, the state government has already initiated a move to reserve 50 per cent seats for women in urban local bodies too. The elections for urban local bodies are slated in April next year. The state government was also planning to enact a stringent law against offenders who encouraged female foeticide. |
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Now, learn mathematics from Hanuman
Mumbai, December 13 Aladdin Multimedia is launching a series of 10 edutainment titles over the next few months. The first two titles “101 Awesome Crafts with Hanuman” and “Learn Mathematics with Hanuman” were released this week. The titles are priced at Rs
125. PPC has also partnered with other companies, including Hanung, Diamond Comics, Plastech International Pvt Ltd, for exclusive Hanuman merchandise. The company is in talks and lookout for more partners to diversify the merchandising range. Says Mr Rajiv
Warrier, MD, Aladdin Multimedia, “We all have seen that if children like a teacher they perform better in that subject. Hanuman is a favourite with children and hence, we thought it best that instead of playing games with the character, we could draw up educational series for a greater contribution to a child’s knowledge”. In the series, Hanuman plays teacher as he flips in and out of the screen, teaching children the basics of mathematics and how to make amazing crafts with material available in every home. There are many more titles lined up dealing with the basics of English language, science, grammar, general knowledge and much more. Mr Mahesh
Ramanathan, COO, PPC, says, “Hanuman merchandising received an amazing response and became extremely popular last year. This is for the first time that a mythological character will be used in such edutainment series. As Hanuman has been the most inspirational and popular icon amongst the children, we believe that this is the best way to educate them”.
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Multi-pronged attack on Eenadu
Hyderabad, December 13 The Hyderabad-based
Eenadu, owned by Ramoji Rao, publishes the largest newspaper in the state and also runs news and entertainment channels in Telugu, besides a slew of channels in various languages, including Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, and Marathi. Though Eenadu is known for its anti-government writings throughout its three-decade existence, no government or Chief Minister took it personally the way Mr Reddy did. Initially, he dubbed the group as a supporter of Telugu Desam Party, but slowly the animosity has turned into a full-scale public war against the media group, and its financial interests. In a clever move, the party fielded U Arun Kumar, a low-profile but articulate Congress MP from
Rajahmundry, to mount an attack on Margadarsi Finance, a group company of Ramoji Rao. Mr Kumar alleged that Margadarsi mobilised deposits to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore as a Hindu Undivided Family, which entity was barred from deposit mobilisation by the Reserve Bank of India. While it appears that Margadarsi was on a sticky wicket on legality, the company, over many years, acquired a formidable reputation for financial discipline among the general public. It was to the credit of the image enjoyed by Ramoji Rao in the state that there was no panic withdrawal of deposits, in which scenario Ramoji Group would have found itself in a financial mess. However, the ruling party was able to make the media baron the subject of news for many days at a stretch. Eenadu Chairman Ramoji Rao had to publish counters to Mr Kumar's campaign in his newspaper and channels. Finally, last week, the RBI had asked Margadarsi not to accept any more deposits and keep them in loop over payments of matured deposits. During the same time, some ruling party MLAs alleged that the world famous Ramoji Film City had grabbed hundreds of assigned lands belonging to the government. Again, Ramoji had to give explanation for the same. The latest in the multi-pronged attack on the media group is a proposed law purportedly for controlling the functioning of chit fund companies. Margadarsi Chit Funds is the largest chit fund company with a turnover of Rs 3,000 crore in the state. The proposals recommended by a Cabinet sub-committee include a reduction of the commission of the chit fund company from the present 5 per cent to 2 per cent, and increasing the bank guarantee amount from 50 per cent of chit amount to 100 per cent. While the government is clearly aiming to hurt Margadarsi and Eenadu Group where it hurts, the chit fund companies in the state, numbering about 1,000, are worried as the move would spell the death knell to them. Meanwhile, in another salvo against the media group, a minister in the Reddy cabinet, Mr B.
Satyanarayana, a known acolyte of the Chief Minister, whose wife narrowly won the recent Bobbili Lok Sabha by-election, alleged that Mr Ramoji Rao had engaged his reporters and employees to distribute liquor and money to voters in favour of the TDP candidate.
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India signs MoU with UAE on emigrants
New Delhi, December 13 The MoU was signed by Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vyalar Ravi and UAE’s Labour Minister Ali Bin Abdullah Al-Ka Abi. Mr Ravi said a joint committee consisting of three members from each country would implement the MoU which will be valid for four years and shall automatically extended by another four years each time thereafter. Mr Abi felt the MoU would help break the role of the middlemen in the recruitment process. “There is a mafia of manpower sending agents in India and receiving agents in the UAE. We want to kill this mafia.” The visiting minister acknowledged that Indian emigrant workers constituted 60 per cent of the work force in his country and that they had been helping to build the UAE. Mr Ravi disclosed that the government would soon come forward with a Bill to amend the Indian Emigration Act 1983, to provide more teeth to the law to take on the erring recruiting agents and ensure the protection of Indian workers taking up jobs abroad. He said the government had been negotiating a similar agreement with Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. |
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VC suspends 83 SP student leaders
Lucknow, December 13 Briefing mediapersons, the Vice-Chancellor said a list of 83 students had been handed over to the district administration with a request to ensure that the named students do not enter the campus or the hostel premises. Along with the list, their criminal record has been attached which ranges from minor mischief-making to heinous crimes like murder, he added. Show cause notices have also been issued to the suspended students who have been asked to explain their conduct within three days following which they would be rusticated. The university had recently suspended atleast 52 students. With the fresh round of suspensions the total number has reached 135. Interestingly, most of the students suspended today belong to the SP and have police protection that may be withdrawn by Friday if the Allahabad High Court order is obeyed. Disclosing that at least 10 per cent of students residing in the hostels possessed weapons, the Vice-Chancellor justified his decision to close the university. ”It is not possible to carry out normal teaching activity till the university campus is purged of such students with criminal backgrounds”, he maintained. He said the repercussion of allowing such elements to continue in the university results in incidents like the arrest of three Lucknow University students by the local police on Tuesday. They have confessed to be reportedly behind the kidnapping and murder of a city teenager for ransom.
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Panchayati Raj has no parallel in world: Aiyar
New Delhi, December 13 In response to a report on the state of panchayats ( mid term review and appraisal 2006), Mr Aiyar said, ``It is a staggering achievement, the fact that there are more women contesting than are entitled to purely by reservation,'' and cited the cases of Bihar and Karnataka. The three volume report was tabled in the Lok Sabha on November 23. Mr Aiyar said, ``I believe we can sum up the success of institutionalistion of the Panchayati Raj in three words. We have made Panchayati Raj ineluctable, irremovable and irreversible. The one exception is Jharkhand. There, the matter is sub
judiuce. The Supreme Court has said that there should be an early hearing.'' He said the number of elected representatives in the Lok Sabha, state Assemblies and panchayats was good enough to say that India was now not only the largest democracy but also the most elected democracy. ``This is an achievement without parallel in the world and unprecedented in history. I regard Panchayti Raj in India as the greatest experiment in democracy anywhere in the world.''
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Left’s ‘no work, no pay’ today
New Delhi, December 13 "Left party members will not sign the register and will not take daily allowance tomorrow," CPM leader Basudeb Acharia told reporters. Claiming that the strike would be a total success, he said the Left parties would not prevent anybody from working and also not compel anybody from joining the strike. On the disinvestment of public sector undertakings, he said though the disinvestment process had been put on hold, the government had not said categorically on the profit-making pubic sector units. The Left parties wanted that the government should stick to the common minimum programme on the disinvestment issues. Referring to the move by the government to reduce interest rates on provident funds, Acharia said Left parties wanted that the rates should be increased to 9.5 per cent from 8.5 per cent. |
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Demand to introduce women’s
quota Bill
New Delhi, Dec 13 C S Sujatha (CPI-M) during Zero Hour said the ruling alliance had assured of such a measure in the Common Minimum Programme. Several members from Left parties who vociferously demanded that the government should respond in the matter, which has been pending for over ten years, supported her. They wanted Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee to respond and sought to draw attention of Congress President Sonia Gandhi who was also in the House.
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Maharashtra not to hike cotton prices
Mumbai, December 13 Mr Patil handed over a cheque for Rs 4 lakh to the family of the deceased. The state government would not be able to buy cotton at Rs 2,700 per quintal as demanded by the farmers since international cotton prices were at Rs 1,800 per quintal.
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Lakhsya tested for third timeBalasore: India successfully tested the advanced version of Lakhsya, the indigenously built pilotless target aircraft (PTA) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur-on-Sea, about 15 km from here, for the third consecutive day on Wednesday. According to ITR sources, the unmanned air vehicle (UAV) was test flown from a launching complex inside the ITR at 1115 hrs. An IAF fighter successfully targetted a tow body suspended from the PTA over the Bay of Bengal.-UNI 4 securitymen die in attack MLA enacts 'Sholay' scene
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