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Indo-China relations in good shape, says PM
LTTE ceasefire |
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Taking holidays depends on habit: PM
Molestation victims fail to move cops for 40 hours
Upgraded version of BrahMos within 7 years
Barak Missile Deal
Scientist: Akash ready for induction
Rampur suspect made calls to J&K before terror attack
People’s democracy will lead to socialism: Karat
NGOs aiding Maoists in Kandhamal
Ramdev accepts IMA’s challenge on cancer
Delimitation Panel’s Order
’84 riots: Witness Jasbir not to appear
before CBI today
Shahnaz Hussain’s son falls to death
Poisoning of tigers raises alarm
Uttarakhand facing acute power shortage
Sena wants permits for ‘outsiders’
Basu’s remarks distorted, says CPM
Toshi attacked, out of danger
Cong flays SGPC remarks on Indira killers
Academics deplore shooting
Rural jobs scheme: Centre calls meeting
IAF locates missing ITBP patrol
Minor raped, burnt alive
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Indo-China relations in good shape, says PM
New Delhi, January 7 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said Sino-India relations were “in very good shape”, but admitted that the boundary dispute between the two countries was “complicated”. Manmohan Singh, while talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of a function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan said he was “satisfied” with the ongoing special representatives-level talks between India and China on the boundary row. “The process of resolving the issue is on. It is a complicated matter.” The Prime Minister is leaving for China on January 13 on a three-day bilateral visit. “We have very good relations with China. My visit is a return visit,” Manmohan Singh said. On the proposed move of the government to make carrying identity cards mandatory in Delhi to ward off any terror threats, the Prime Minister said the government would “resolve” the practical problems in implementing the plan. The Prime Minister said he had received Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s letter on the issue and he would look into it. He also expressed concern at the rise in international oil prices and said that all possible options, including a fuel price hike and duty cuts, will be considered to deal with the situation.
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LTTE ceasefire
New Delhi, January 7 The ministry of external affairs has conveyed the Prime Minister’s non-availability for the February 4 function in Colombo. However, the flip side for the MEA is that Lankan officials have given it a different and incorrect spin: That the Indian Prime Minister has cancelled his Colombo visit. A key official clarified to The Tribune today that New Delhi had never given its formal consent for the February 4 visit and hence there was question of its cancellation. India has also not given any specific dates for Manmohan Singh’s bilateral visit to Sri Lanka. This is primarily because Sri Lanka is the host country of the next SAARC summit and Colombo has not yet indicated any dates for the summit. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself today gave ample indications of his not visiting Colombo next month when he told reporters that he would not visit Colombo next month, when he said: “I have not made up my mind”. The Sri Lankan government had invited the Indian Prime Minister to visit Sri Lanka for the independence day celebrations next month as the chief guest. With this move, India has conveyed its displeasure over Colombo’s decision to abrogate its ceasefire with the LTTE and the spiralling violence in that country. The DMK, one of the main allies and partners of the UPA government, is upset over the developments in Sri Lanka.
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Taking holidays depends on habit: PM
New Delhi, January 7 “Habits vary,” was his cryptic response when asked about his tight work schedule and not availing a single holiday since he took over as Prime Minister in 2004. Singh was talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function at Rashtrapati
Bhavan. Unlike his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who went on vacations during his tenure, for the economist-turned-Prime Minister it was work all the time. “It is like any other working day,” was the reply of his aides whenever asked about the 75-year-old Prime Minister’s programme on a holiday observed nationally. The work schedule is so crammed that the Prime Minister worked from his home on Saturdays and, if required, on Sundays without any break, they said. The only time he took rest was when he was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences
(AIIMS) last year for a prostate gland surgery, they said, adding then also files were cleared from hospital bed a few days after his operation.
— PTI
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Molestation victims fail to move cops for 40 hours
New Delhi, January 7 Two girls from Manipur were molested and physically manhandled in the Gandhi Vihar area near Delhi University on Saturday. The incident took place when 18-year-old victim was going towards a cyber café, owned by her sister, and two men started following her while passing lewd comments. On reaching the café, the victim recited the incident to her 20-year-old sister, who slapped one of the alleged accused. Subsequently, almost 20 drunken goons gathered outside their café and started beating the two victims. Their brother was also manhandled, after he tried to intervene. “When the girls approached the police, the police personnel refused to register their FIR,” said Madhu Chandra, spokesperson of the Northeast Support Centre. “Eventually, the victims turned towards us for help. However, the sub-inspector refused to take formal notice of the incident even after our intervention.” “It has been more than 40 hours when finally, today afternoon, the complaint was registered, after the story appeared in media,” said Chandra. “We did not know where to go besides the media, which was our last resort.” According to Chandra, the police personnel bluntly escaped their responsibility. “They asked us to identify the accused first. When it is their duty to arrest the accused, how can you say no to lodging an FIR on such grounds.” “This is a shameful event,” said Kirti Singh, a well-known lawyer and social activist. “There was enough ground for the police to register an FIR. These people will have to made accountable and government of the capital must ensure that.” Delhi University area has become particularly unsafe for women. Recently, girl students from Indraprastha College were molested on the campus. “Adequate arrangements should be made to ensure the safety of women around that area,” said Kirti. “Though, one has to sensitise the police towards such cases, primarily.” Meanwhile, 85,000 youngsters from the Northeast residing in the city find themselves more vulnerable. “We are not saying that things like this do not happen to anybody else but according to our data almost 50 per cent of the sexual harassment victims in the NCR are from Northeast,” said
Chandra.
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Upgraded version of BrahMos within 7 years
Mumbai, January 7 Among other features, the newer version of the BrahMos would be much faster at a speed of Mach 5 as against the current edition's speed of Mach 2.8. India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is investing $250 million on the project, according to sources. The newer version of BrahMos will have a range of nearly 300 km and will be reusable. The range of the missile has been controlled due to restrictions imposed by international missile control treaties. BrahMos, a joint Indo-Russian venture, has already set up a base at Thiruvananthapuram to develop the new missile. The venue was formerly called the Kerala High-Tech Industries, a public sector undertaking. The army and naval version of the BrahMos have been deployed while the air force version of the missile is being made ready for deployment. Reports say, the production of the missile will be doubled by 50 every year. The Indian Navy has so far deployed the BrahMos on board eight warships. The BrahMos has a built-in navigation system that is equipped with three gyroscopes and three accelerometers which enables it to function on a "fire and forget" mode. In other words, it does not need to be controlled once it is fired. The missile can be equipped with two warheads. While one explodes on contact, the other penetrates the target by impact and then explodes a few milliseconds later thereby inflicting greater damage on the target. The BrahMos system is equipped with anti-jamming systems which enable it to escape decoys and hit the target. Apart from the defence establishments of India and Russia, a number of Indian companies have worked on the BrahMos missile, DRDO officials say. Godrej Aerospace has produced the airframe, wings as well as the pneumatic and hydraulic systems while Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has built the composites. The navigation system and missile checkout system is the contribution of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. Future versions of the BrahMos will be equipped with Global Positioning Systems that would enable the missiles to be controlled even while on flight.
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Barak Missile Deal
New Delhi, January 7 While asking the investigating agency to place before it an affidavit in this regard, a Bench comprising Justices G.P. Mathur and Aftab Alam also wanted to know from Nanda, who had sought release of his passport, the details of his proposed foreign visit. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi appearing for the NRI arms dealer said his business was suffering as a result of the seizure of his passport. He had been in the country for 15 months and his business all over the world was suffering, he added. However, additional solicitor general Amrender Sharan, appearing for the CBI, opposed the plea saying that Nanda’s involvement in the deal was to be probed as he had allegedly received kickbacks in the Rs 1,150-crore defence deal with an Israeli firm. The ASG said probe was being conducted against Nanda, son of former Navy Chief S.M. Nanda, who allegedly had brought money from abroad without specifying its source. He said investigation would take some time as the case has international ramifications and the investigating agency was waiting for replies from various countries on the Letters Rogatory sent to them. The agency said once the responses are received, Nanda would be confronted with documents relating to the case.
— PTI
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Scientist: Akash ready for induction
Hyderabad, January 7 The state-of-the-art medium range missile, which can intercept cruise missiles and other aircraft at supersonic speed, has completed seven test trials to establish its accuracy, guidance and delivery capabilities, chief controller, R&D,
DRDO, Dr Prahlada told a press conference. The Indian Air Force has already moved the file and the proposal is now before the Defence Acquisition Council, headed by defence minister A. K
Antony. “We expect the process to be completed in a couple of months. Once we get the go-ahead, production will commence and the first set of missile systems will be delivered in three years,” he
said. Akash missile system, developed by team of 1,000 scientists across 13 DRDO laboratories over 21 years, is comparable to the best in the world and marks a major milestone in the country’s achievements in defence research. The DRDO expects that induction of ‘Akash’ would generate a business of over Rs 5,000 crore from the defence forces over the next 10 years, Prahlada said. Along with Bharat Electronics and Bharat Dynamics Limited, several private organisations would be involved in production of the
missiles. Akash is the brainchild of former President A. P. J Abdul
Kalam. Started in 1984 when Kalam was at the helm of DRDO, it was originally scheduled for completion in 12 years but it took 21 years to come to fruition.
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Rampur suspect made calls to J&K before terror attack
New Delhi, January 7 Javed Ahmed, a surrendered militant who was recruited into the CRPF in 2002 and attached with its 16 battalion, had “miraculously escaped” the terror assault at Rampur on January 1 in which eight people were killed. Both the Uttar Pradesh and the CRPF were now questioning the constable. Sources said the investigating officials seized his mobile phone from the room where the militants killed his colleagues. The mobile calls were being traced and most of them were to be made to Jammu and Kashmir, they added. The sources said the mobile numbers were being traced and the investigations were expected to lead to a major breakthrough in the case. The investigating officials have approached their counterparts in Jammu and Kashmir, seeking details of the telephone numbers to which the constable had made the calls, they added. Heavily armed militants believed to be two in number, in ‘khaki’ uniforms stormed the CRPF group centre and escaped after killing seven security personnel and a civilian.
— UNI
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People’s democracy will lead to socialism: Karat
New Delhi, January 7 “The advance to socialism will be realised only after the Left and democratic forces are strong enough to build an alternative at the national level,” CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said in a statement here. Karat said Basu’s remarks on the nature of capitalist development in West Bengal and the role of the Left Front government had been reported in a “confused and contradictory” manner in the media and some political leaders had also come out with “equally confused and misplaced reactions.” Backing Basu’s views, Karat said he has explained the economic development in West Bengal and the role of the Left Front government from the perspective of the CPM. “Only those ignorant of the programme of the CPM can talk about the party saying goodbye to socialism and welcome to capitalism,” he said. The CPM leader said “The party joins state governments knowing fully well that it has limited powers within the constitution. Utilising these limited powers, the Left-led governments work to protect the interests of the working people, initiate welfare measures and within the limited spheres where it has some powers, put in place policies which are different from that of state governments run by bourgeois parties”. The CPM, Karat said, knows fully well that in states where the Left was in government they cannot build socialism but undertake some alternative policies within the capitalist system. Land reforms within the constitutional limits was one such step undertaken in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura, he added. The statement not only targeted recent statements by some BJP and Congress leaders but also that of the RSP, which is the party’s ally in West Bengal. “Unlike the CPM, the RSP has declared socialism to be its immediate goal. But one may ask why the RSP has been, in all these years in Left-led state governments, working to implement some reforms and welfare measures within the capitalist system,” Karat said. He said even though the Left Front has been in office for 30 years in West Bengal, capitalist development has been taking place there. What the state governments can do is to help strengthen the struggle for alternative policies advocated by the Left and democratic platform at an all India-level. Karat said till the Left and democratic forces were strong enough to build an alternative at the national level, its governments in West bengal, Kerala and Tripura will strive to put in place policies which benefit working class, peasantry and other sections of the working people.
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NGOs aiding Maoists in Kandhamal
Bhubaneswar, January 7 “Allegations relating to diversion of foreign funds to the Maoists through NGOs in Kandhamal district will (also) be inquired into by the government,” home secretary T. K. Mishra told reporters here. The Commission of Inquiry headed by a retired Orissa High Court Judge for investigating Kandhamal riots, would simultaneously probe allegations relating to foreign funding to the Maoists through NGOs, if the matter comes to its notice, Mishra said. Mishra said the government strongly felt that the Left Wing Extremists (LWEs) had a role in the violence in Kandhamal district. “The Maoists might have engineered an attack on a police station at Brahmanigaon village, where one person was killed in the police firing,” he said. Besides, the police also claimed to have got some evidences relating to the Maoists’ “active role” in the violence. “The Maoists had attempted to take advantage of the prevailing situation in the tribal dominated district,” a senior police
officer said. Mishra also said the government would certainly take action against those guilty of instigating communities to clash, which took on a communal and ethnic colour. So far, 126 persons had been arrested in connection with Kandhamal violence,
he said.
NCM team visits Kandhamal
Phulbani: A team of National Commission for Minorities (NCM) visiting the violence affected Orissa’s Kandhamal district today said the situation is very complex here and people are still shocked and scared. “The violent incidents were unfortunate and tragic in Kandhamal, where the situation is very complex. The people, particularly from minority group, are under shock and scared,” NCM member Dilip Padgaonkar told reporters. The two-member NCM team comprising Padgaonkar and Joya Hasan would meet Governor M. C. Bhandare and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik before submitting a report to the Commission.
— PTI
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Ramdev accepts IMA’s challenge on cancer
Nagpur, January 7 “I have already cured hundreds of patients and presented the medical records of 35 of them to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS),” Ramdev told a panel of IMA members during an interaction organised by the Nagpur Union of Working Journalists here on Sunday. The interaction was held after the yoga guru on Saturday called for a face-to-face discussion with IMA president-elect Ashok Adhaoo in response to the latter’s challenge to him a day earlier to cure a representative sample of cancer patients in Nagpur. Three days before that, Ramdev had stated at a press conference here that modern medical science was based on ignorance and its practitioners are seeking to keep people perpetually sick. He had also called for jettisoning the allopathic system in favour of the traditional Indian medical science of Ayurveda. “What I had actually said when a reporter asked me to react to a statement that my prescriptions and treatment were unscientific was that science seemed to have fallen prey to ignorance,” the yoga guru clarified when the IMA functionaries urged him to repeat what he had said. “But I have never denigrated the allopathic medical system per se nor told my followers to shun it. All I do is to point out that like every other system, it too has its limitations,” Ramdev said. He told reporters: “I have treated cases from the graveyard - the ones the doctors have given up on and those in the rehabilitation and palliation stage.” Stating that yoga and pranayam can cure cancer of blood, throat, breast, pituitary glands and prostate glands, Ramdev said his work on stress hormones would be published in international medical journals within three years. The yoga guru with a large global following told IMA panelists that he always recommends surgical operations in cases of large cancerous tumours and thick arterial blockages as well as allopathic treatment for diseases like malaria and tuberculosis. “I also agree that there is no alternative to modern medical science when it comes to management of acute situations and cases of accidents,” Ramdev said. On their part, IMA members reiterated their appreciation of the power of yoga in inducing a state of well-being and boosting a patient’s immunity. The doctors said they strongly recommend yoga and pranayam to their patients and many of them practice it regularly. However, panelists urged Ramdev to desist from making tall claims and sweeping statements that the therapy was a panacea. “We expect you to demonstrate a greater sense of responsibility and restraint during your discourse because you wield tremendous influence on the minds of millions of your followers the world over. You must not say anything that would harm the society,” an IMA member told Ramdev.
— IANS
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Delimitation Panel’s Order
New Delhi, January 7 Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam assured a three-Judge Bench, headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, that the court would be fully apprised of the latest position in a detailed affidavit for the preparation of which at least four weeks were required to get details from all the states. He said the government would take into consideration all representations being received by it on the issue apart from several petitions filed in the apex court. The court was hearing a PIL by an NGO, Delhi Study Group (DSG), on which it had issued notices to the Centre and the Election Commission last month. After the court had taken cognisance of the PIL, several other petitions were also filed raising different aspects of the Delimitation Commission’s orders in different states. The DSG had sought a direction to the Centre to place the delimitation panel’s notifications relating to the Lok Sabha constituencies and the 25 states before the President for issuing orders for its implementation soon. The NGO had said to ensure that the next round of Assembly elections due at the fag end of this year and the 2009 general elections as per the newly demarcated constituencies, it was necessary to set in motion the
process of implementing the commission’s order immediately. Though the commission had issued a notification about the Assembly constituencies in respect of 25 states on different dates between
May 2005 and August 2008, the Centre had not yet spoken about its mind clearly. Senior advocate Arun Jaitley, appearing for some petitioners, said since from media reports indication had come form the government about the implementation of the panel’s order, the court should clearly indicate a date for an early hearing. The court assured that the matter would be
taken up soon after receiving the reply of the government. The government during the last session had placed the Delimitation Commission’s orders in respect of 25 states before Parliament, but no clear assurance was forthcoming about its implementation. Except Jammu and Kashmir where the commission’s order is not applicable and Assam, where the delimitation exercise was not yet
over, the panel had notified its order in respect of the other states and
union territories.
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’84 riots: Witness Jasbir not to appear
before CBI today
New Delhi, January 7 Jasbir, who is in the US, wants to testify against Congress MP Jagdish Tytler, but not in India, as he fears for his life. His counsel Navkiran Singh told IANS from Chandigarh that his client was in no position to come to India, even if the investigating agency agreed to provide him with adequate security. “The CBI by sending notices is making flimsy excuses to save itself from the ire of the court on January 16, when they have to inform what they have done so far to record the statement of Jasbir,” said Navkiran. “The adamant attitude of the CBI to ask the witness to depose before them, despite the law providing an option to record the statement in another court, raises suspicion,” he said. Navkiran, while insisting the presence of the witness could put his life at risk, alleged that the CBI was working to ensure that Tytler goes scot-free. “If the CBI continues to press for the presence of the witness, they will move an application before the court on the next date, citing provisions that enable the witness to record his statement in another court,” he said.
— IANS
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Shahnaz Hussain’s son falls to death
Patna, January 7 Sameer was long associated with Patna. Siddhartha Sengupta, manager, media and public relations of the company, in a release, said Sameer had come to Patna to his in-laws’ home with his wife Rabiya and daughter Husna. Sameer’s father-in-law Mehfuiz Alam is a lawyer in the Patna High Court. Besides being the MD of his mother’s company, Sameer was a rap artist too. Sengupta said, “I got to know about the fall around 6.30 pm yesterday. He was immediately rushed to the hospital. However, due to multiple injuries his life could not be saved.” Denying reports that Sameer committed suicide, he said: “We do not know exactly what happened”. Patna SSP Kundan Krishnan said while a case had been registered to probe into the reasons behind Sameer’s mysterious death, the police was yet to recover any suicide note. “We will look into his death case from all angles as he died under mysterious circumstances,” he added. Samreer’s father-in-law was reported to have said his son-in-law had ordered for tea last evening while standing in the balcony. “But by the time tea was served, he was found lying down on the ground below the Maqbool Hussain’s apartment in the busy Exhibition road”, sources added. Sameer was a frequent visitor to Patna where he looked after the business. The police subsequently rushed him to the Rajeshwar hospital in the Kankarbagh area. He reportedly battled for life for hours before succumbing to his wounds this morning. His body was taken to the Patna Medical College and Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Shahnaz Hussain was reportedly on bed rest on the recommendation of physicians in Delhi after she received the news of her son. “One can understand how painful it must be for a mother”, Siddhartha Sengupta said. Sameer’s wife and daughter were said to be in Dhanbad visiting their relative when the incident took place yesterday.
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Poisoning of tigers raises alarm
Guwahati, January 7 “Increasing number of incidents of tiger deaths due to poisoning is an indication of growing man-tiger conflict spawned by shrinkage of tiger habitats in the state,” a senior wildlife official said. In the latest incident of tiger death due to poisoning, one tiger cub died and another fell critically ill after consuming a cow carcass laced with pesticide inside a tea garden on the southern fringe of the Kaziranga National Park past week. The critically sick poisoned tiger cub is being treated at the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre at Panbari near the national park. Earlier, about three months back, villagers inside the Orang National Park poisoned two tigers to death. In that instance, the villagers poisoned the carcass of a cow killed by the tigers. “There have been several incidents of killing of cattle by tigers in fringe villages around the Kaziranga National Park and the past week’s poisoning probably was a retaliatory action by the villagers to keep big cats at bay,” Bankim Sharma, divisional forest officer (DFO) of the national park said. A bottle of pesticide was recovered in the vicinity of the poisoned carcass that caused death to the tiger cub. The police has registered a case and investigation was on. “This is a serious development that can adversely affect tiger conservation in the state. The amount of compensation that is paid to the owner of the cattle killed by tigers is too meagre and will not suffice to act as deterrent to poisoning,” the wildlife official said. State’s chief wildlife warden, M. C. Malakar said wildlife personnel manning known tiger habitats in the state were alerted and vigil was mounted to prevent death of tigers on being poisoned by the villagers. The wildlife department’s drive to make people aware about importance of the conservation of the tiger is still far from achieving its goal. As per the estimates made in tiger census of the year 2000, the big cat’s population in the state was said to be about 300, including 80 odd in the Kaziranga National Park. The figures of the subsequent tiger census carried out in the state during the year 2006 were yet to be made public.
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Uttarakhand facing acute power shortage
Dehra Dun, January 7 As a grim measure of the situation the residents of Dehra Dun, Mussoorie and Nainital for the first time will face “official power cuts” from today. The situation has become so grim all over the state that restoring balance between demand and supply has almost gone out of the control of the state power corporation. Director (operations) Jagmohan Lal said despite cuts and sourcing power from all available channels, the state was facing shortage of 250 MW during day and 300 MW during night. The situation is also taking a heavy toll of the state exchequer as in its bid to augment supply; the state is purchasing power at Rs 10 per unit from outside. The power corporation had already spent Rs 84 crore since October 2007, for over-drawing power from the Northern Grid. Despite this, the situation had not improved and there seems no sign of this in coming days especially because all nine states in the grid are also facing the shortage. With the fall in mercury in winter, the consumption had increased to 21 million units from about 17 million units but the generation had nosedived to around 7 million units from 12 million units. Lal attributed the present crunch situation to increased consumption mainly in the new industries that had been set up since 2003. The number of domestic consumers too had doubled since creation of Uttarakhand as a separate state
in 2000.
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Sena wants permits for ‘outsiders’
Mumbai, January 7 The party wants identification cards to be made compulsory in the country’s financial capital as well so that ‘outsiders’ who come to the city can be identified and thrown out. “The city is facing a number of problems due to migrants,” a newspaper said. The Shiv Sena’s executive president Uddhav Thackeray had recently drawn some flak for blaming migrants for the molestation of two women outside a hotel on New Year’s Eve. Subsequently, it was proved that most of the molesters were local youth. An editorial in the party mouthpiece, Saamna, said Mumbai is bursting at the seams and a permit system should be imposed to prevent ‘outsiders’ from moving in large numbers. It praised the government of Delhi for “waking up to the threat posed by terrorists”. The paper went on to say: “It is not an attack on somebody’s rights,” the paper said. “Identity cards must be made compulsory in every city of the country,” Saamna said. Uddhav Thackeray went on to tell reporters today that the idea of an identity card for every resident was originally mooted by his father and party supremo Bal Thackeray. “The 20-year-old proposal is now being adopted by other cities,” Uddhav
said.
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Basu’s remarks distorted, says CPM
New Delhi, January 7 Maintaining that Basu’s remarks were on the nature of capitalist development in West Bengal and the role of the Left Front government, party general secretary Prakash Karat said: “On the basis of these reports, some political leaders have also come out with equally confused and misplaced reactions. Only those ignorant of the CPM programme can talk of the party saying that goodbye to socialism and welcome to capitalism,” he said. The leader said: “Socialism is our political agenda.. But capitalism will continue to be the compulsion for the future.” He had pointed out that CPM-led governments existed in only three states and asked, “Can we say, we will establish socialism on this basis?” Reacting to criticism by political parties as well as CPM partner RSP, Karat said, for the BJP and the Congress socialism only denoted a slogan to be used as a “smokescreen” to promote the interests of big capitalists and foreign finance capital. “Joining them in the criticism is the RSP, which, unlike the CPM, has declared socialism as its immediate goal,” he said, adding that the RSP could be asked why it has been working over all these years as part of Left-led governments.
— PTI
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Toshi attacked, out of danger
Mumbai, January 7 He sustained a head injury and was rushed to Nanavati hospital by his brother and well-wishers. He was out of danger, Nanavati official sources said early morning today. When asked, the police said, “We have been informed about the matter and taking the initial
statement.” Toshi hails from Jaipur and was among the top 12 finalists on the singing reality show. After being voted out once, he bounced back in the main contest through a wild card entry. He was finally eliminated on November 2, 2007.
— UNI
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Cong flays SGPC remarks on Indira killers
New Delhi, January 7 “We condemn the shocking statement by the SGPC that Indira Gandhi’s assassins are martyrs of the Sikh religion,” Congress spokes-person Jayanti Natarajan said. “The Congress rejects the statement in most vehement terms,” Natarajan added. Margaret Alva, AICC general secretary and in-charge of Punjab and Haryana, said the SGPC had made this statement at the behest of the SAD and wanted to know if their coalition partner, the BJP, also subscribed to this view.
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Kolkata, January 7 Educationist Nabaneeta Debsen said “Violence spreading to Tagore’s abode of peace is a tragic development”. Eminent painter Jogen Chowdhury, who teaches at Viswa Bharati, said: “The incident is an instance of an intolerant society”. Calcutta University pro vice-chancellor Suranjan Das said while the younger generation was in a competitive spirit after globalisation, there was serious erosion of values and the campus killing was one such instance. A teacher of Presidency college, who did not want to be quoted, said the incident was in total contrast to the festivities marking 'Pous Utsav' in Visva Bharati a week ago. “In Presidency College, campus violence was a regular feature during the Naxalite movement in the 70s, but that was a political offshoot later curbed by the state administration. In this case it was a personal agenda which indicates that the central university is in deep crisis,” he said. Amaresh Kundu, the private driver of an additional OC of Tollygunge police station in Kolkata, left for Santiniketan yesterday, barged into the Sangeet Bhavan, chased a girl student Saswati Pal and shot her dead before shooting himself. — PTI
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Rural jobs scheme: Centre calls meeting
New Delhi, January 7 The programme stipulates at least 100 days of assured manual employment to every rural household in 330 districts of the country where it is being currently implemented. The meeting has been called in the wake of a draft report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on its implementation which pointed to several procedural flaws on the part of states. The ministry had requested the CAG to do a performance audit of how the programme was being implemented. The draft report, which drew on a sample of nearly 520 panchayats in 79 districts, has been forwarded to the states for their comments on the deficiencies mentioned in the portions related to them. The states are required to discuss the draft report with the CAG before it takes a final shape. The draft report talks about violation of implementing agencies on certain guidelines such as maintenance of muster rolls, payment of wages, issue of dated receipts and participation of the gram sabha in planning. It points to inadequacy of planning resulting in poor progress of works, lack of sufficient transparency and improper maintenance of accounts.
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IAF locates missing ITBP patrol
New Delhi, January 7 Braving turbulent winds and inclement weather, an Advanced Light Helicopter with Squadron Leaders K. Grime and P. Shukla and Sergeant T. Rakesh on board took off from their Sarsawa base in Uttarakhand after getting an SOS about the patrol going missing on January 4. After flying close to snow capped peaks for over 25 minutes, the helicopter crew managed to spot the missing patrol at the bottom of a valley, just 25 km close to the Chinese frontier. “Though experiencing unusual flying turbulence as the rescue was being carried out at an altitude of more than 3,900 metres, the pilots managed a landing and airlifted the ITBP officer to Dehra Dun hospital,” IAF spokesman Wing Commander Mahesh Gandhi said. Till reports last came in, the helicopter was engaged in rescuing the remaining members of the patrol. — PTI
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Minor raped, burnt alive
Ahmednagar, January 7 According to the police, last evening, the girl’s parents were away at work and she was alone at home when Wayaal allegedly raped her. He then poured kerosene over the victim and set her ablaze.
— UNI
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