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PM hits Advani with slingshot
NRIs look for succour New Wage Board for journalists |
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Foeticide to be tackled firmly, says Govt
Houses mourn Bhinder’s death
Andhra CM offers personal land for scrutiny
Allowances of MPs notified
RS passes OBC quota Bill
Sanjay Dutt to seek bail extension
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PM hits Advani with slingshot
New Delhi, December 18 Mr Advani, during the day long debate in the Lok Sabha, sought to haul the government over coals on the nuclear deal that he described as a “trap of self-enslavement”. He said if the deal were to be implemented, it would “mortgage” Indian foreign policy to Washington. The Prime Minister, while reiterating his assurances, was at his aggressive best and took political digs at Mr Advani. Dr Manmohan Singh said Mr Advani had painted “a scary picture” to divide the ruling UPA and make a vain effort to topple the government. “I can assure you Mr Advani that you will have to wait for a very, very long time for this.” The PM said that during the NDA regime, the then External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh had secret negotiations with Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott to secure a similar civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with the US and “never had the courage to take Parliament into confidence.” He said till date the nation did not know what Mr Jaswant Singh was talking about with Mr Talbott and it was only after Mr Talbott’s book came out that it became known that the two were negotiating a nuclear deal in lieu of India signing the CTBT. On the contrary, the Prime Minister said, he had taken Parliament into confidence at every stage. Mr Advani said the signing of the treaty with Washington will make India a “client state” of the US as there was no exit route for India once it signed the agreement. Mr Advani said, “Let the Prime Minister square the circle. This circle can’t be squared, not even by our scholarly Prime Minister. India should reject the idea of entering into a nuclear deal with the US.” The Prime Minister took Mr Advani head-on during his 25-minute intervention and said that his dream would never be fulfilled. Dr Manmohan Singh also remarked that before he could think of becoming the Prime Minister, he (Mr Advani) will have to take permission from Mr Vajpayee. The PM reiterated his assurances on the deal which he has made before the Parliament twice already. These are as follows: India’s programme will not be affected by the deal. The UPA government will do nothing that prevents the ability of the Department of Atomic Energy to independently pursue its nuclear programme. Negotiations with the US for the 123 bilateral agreement are yet to begin. “My assurances to Parliament will be the guidelines for these negotiations.” “I will be the last person in this House to plead that Indian foreign policy is made in US .”
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NRIs look for succour
New Delhi, December 18 The commitment to sign The Hague Convention, 1980, had come from Union Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi recently, who said that India was soon expected to become the member of the Convention, now signed by over 60 countries. NRIs settled in various countries, specially in Europe, USA, Canada and Australia were finding it hard to settle inter-continental marital and child custody disputes as these countries even refused to honour the judgements of the Indian Supreme Court not to talk of lower judiciary. It had largely affected Indian women married to NRIs on the break up of their marriage, specially the so-called “run-away” marriages where they were left in the lurch by their husbands after few years with new born child. Even children born in such failed marriages faced problems as foreign authorities were wiry of implementing custody awards given by Indian court while foreign court orders were not implemented in India either in absence of appropriate
legislation. Mr Ravi had described this a serious problem and expressed the hope that with the signing of The Hague convention by India, it would help 25 million NRIs by bringing them under the ambit of inter-continental legal procedural jurisdiction in all civil litigations overseas. In the absence India becoming the signatory to the Convention, thousands of instances of abduction of children in the case of failed
marriages were taking place annually, threatening their very childhood and proper upbringing, a study done by two Chandigarh-based lawyers - Ranjit Malhotra and Anil Malhotra - placed before an international seminar on the issue here recently
revealed.
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New Wage Board for journalists New Delhi, December 18 The Union Cabinet also approved the creation of three posts of the chairman, member secretary and assessor. The Cabinet decided that the implementation of the Wage Board awards would not give any financial implication to the Centre and state governments since all newspaper establishments pertain to the private sector. Only the expenditure for the functioning of the Wage Boards would be met by the Central Government. As per the decision of the Cabinet, the two Wage Boards will submit their reports within a period of three years. The Cabinet also gave its approval for making necessary official amendments in the electricity (amendment) Bill, 2005, for more effective controlling of electricity thefts , based on the recommendations of the standing committee, the Group of Ministers and the advice of the Department of Legal Affairs. The Bill is already pending in the Lok Sabha since December 23 last. In another decision, the Cabinet gave its approval for the introduction of the Indian maritime university Bill, 2006, in the current session of Parliament for the formation of Indian maritime university (IMU) with headquarters in Chennai and regional campuses at Kolkata, Mumbai, and Visakhapatnam. It also approved for transferring the assets and employees of the Training Ship, Chanakya, Mumbai, the Marine Engineering and Research Institute, Mumbai, the Marine Engineering and Research Institute, Kolkata, the Lal Bahadur Shastri College of Advanced Maritime Studies and Research, Mumbai, National Maritime Academy (NMA), Chennai to the IMU with appropriate options to the employees and winding up of the NMA, Chennai,
and the Indian Institute of Maritime Studies (IIMS), Mumbai. The formation of IMU will promote maritime studies research and extension work with focus on emerging areas like oceanography, environmental studies and other related fields. The other decisions taken were the approval for making necessary amendments to the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Act, 1998 and for making certain consequential amendments to the national institutes of technology Bill, 2006, based on the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resource Development.
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Foeticide to be tackled firmly, says Govt New Delhi, December 18 Union Health Minister A. Ramdoss said the government is "100 per cent committed" to tackle the problem and would go all out to arrest the declining trend which was more noticable in affluent states. The rich state of Punjab was at the top of the list on female foeticide with 798 girls per 1000 boys and was closely followed by Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Arunachal Pradesh. Mr Ramadoss said the sex ratio in the country has declined over the century from 972 in 1901 to 927 in 1991. Census 2001 figures have revealed that the sex ratio in the country, has, however, improved in the last decade. The figures have now moved to 933 in 2001. Studies on the declining sex ratio and female foeticide revealed that a strong son preference and a low valuation of girls, increasing dowry demands, difficulties in bringing up a girl child, easy availability of ultrasound and abortion services by various private clinics were the main reasons for the increase in female foeticide in the country. Mr Gurudas Dasgupta, whose raised the issue wanted the Centre, states and the civil society to rise in revolt against the "male child mania" which has given rise to the gender syndrome. The minister said the government would also consider providing incentives for the girl child. The child sex ratio for the age group 0-6 years in 2001 is 927 girls per 1000 boys against 945 recorded in 1991.
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Houses mourn Bhinder’s death
New Delhi, December 18 In the Rajya Sabha, House Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat recalled her services as an agriculturalist, social worker, and parliamentarian with distinguished services as Union Minister of State for Tourism. Her election to the Lok Sabha for five terms was a testimony to her popularity as a leader of masses, he said. Ms Bhinder (63) died here on December 15 after a prolonged illness. In the Lok Sabha, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said Ms Bhinder was a five-time member from the Gurdaspur constituency. She was Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Tourism from July 1992 to May 1996. An able parliamentarian, she was a member of the Joint Committee to examine the Dowry Prohibition Act during 1981-82. During the Ninth Lok Sabha, she was member, Committee on Absence of Members from the Sittings of the House and consultative Committee, Ministry of Human Resource Development, and Consultative Committee constituted under “Punjab State Legislature (Delegation of Powers) Act, 1987.”
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Andhra CM offers personal land for scrutiny
Hyderabad, December 18 Replying to the three-day long debate on his surrender of excess land, the Chief Minister said he was prepared for a scrutiny of his land by the president of Heritage Foods, a company owned by TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, along with a senior officer of the government. Mr Reddy also came forward with more details on his land holdings, disclosing that his family owned another 1,000 acres near Rajampet in Kadapa district in the name of a company. Dismissing the Opposition demand for his prosecution, the Chief Minister said the law provided for the surrender of land and pointed out that he had given up the land on his own without any provocation. The Chief Minister said the government would soon come out with a new law providing for self-declaration of excess lands within a specified time.
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Allowances of MPs notified
New Delhi, December 18 Mr P. R. Dasmunsi in statement in the Lok Sabha today said the salary, allowances and pension of members were earlier effective from September 15 this year soon after the Bill for hiking it was passed by Parliament. As per the amended Act, salary and daily allowances of MPs have been increased to Rs 16,000 per month and Rs 1,000 per day. They are also entitled to revised road mileage of Rs13 per km, increased monthly minimum pension of Rs8,000 and family pension of Rs 4000.
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RS passes OBC quota Bill New Delhi, December 18 The Bill was passed after the House went in for a division on an amendment moved by the BJP, which was defeated by 91 votes against and 24 in favour. Replying to the debate on The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission) Bill, 2006, Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh said a separate Bill on providing for OBC reservation in unaided institutions was ready and would be brought before Parliament in the near
future.
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Sanjay Dutt to seek bail extension
Mumbai, December 18 Dutt’s bail expires tomorrow and he will appear before the court as per its orders. If the court rejects Dutt’s bail plea, he will be taken into custody immediately and stay in jail till the quantum of sentence imposed on him is announced in the court. The TADA court is expected to begin dictating the quantum of sentence against all the accused in the New Year. Dutt visited the Siddhivinayak temple at Dadar and offered prayers.
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Population of tigers declines Leopard kills girl
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