Chandigarh, February 2
The Tribune family today reiterated its commitment to maintaining highest professional values and standards in journalism at the 127th founder’s day function held on The Tribune premises here.

In his message on the occasion, which was read by one of the Trustees R.P. Bambah, president of The Tribune Trust R.S. Talwar said over the years the paper had gained not only its circulation and reach, but also enhanced its reputation and credibility. The function was attended, among others, by Editor-in-chief of The Tribune H.K. Dua, General Manager, The Tribune Group of Newspapers, Sanjay Hazari, Editor of Dainik Tribune Naresh Kaushal and Editor of Punjabi Tribune G.S. Sidhu Damdami.

Eminent writers of the country are writing on vital issues for The Tribune’s opinion pages. It has certainly become an important daily newspaper of the country, set on taking further strides towards becoming a national daily

“The Tribune’s news network has vastly expanded, reaching many parts of the country. And plans are afoot to launch more editions in the near future so that we cover most of the regional and national news. The Tribune has correspondents in other South-Asian countries and one in Washington,” the president of the Trust said, underlining paper’s expansion plans.

In his message, he asserted that recent launch of five new editions, the Himachal edition, Haryana edition and editions from Jalandhar, Bathinda and Jammu, has strengthened the newspaper’s base and extended its reach in the region.

Paying rich tributes to the founder of The Tribune, Mr Talwar said it was this day, 127 years ago, Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia launched the paper, which over the years would emerge as a major newspaper in the country.

“For Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, it was a realisation of a dream that involved struggle for freeing India from the British and social awakening of the country as also its economic progress,” he added.

“He was an unusual young man, and a visionary who looked ahead of his times and wanted to do big things for the country and the people. Idealism, freeing the country and fighting poverty impelled him to do things many youth belonging to rich families would not care to think of. Those days the idea of freedom was just taking root”, he said.

The British regime had a mouthpiece, the Civil and Military Gazette. Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia wanted to find an Indian answer to it. The Tribune was the answer, the message said. Over the years, The Tribune became an effective voice of the people against the British, the message said.

“It is not easy any time to start a newspaper. Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia decided to make a sacrifice and launch The Tribune with his own money. He willed that the paper would always be run by a public trust consisting of persons of integrity and character and a sense of independence, and not by his family or any corporate entity.

“He wanted The Tribune to be always independent, fearless and non-partisan, believing in highest professional values and standards of journalism. The Tribune has always adhered to the values and professional standards, which Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia stood for”, Mr Talwar stated.

The founder would have felt proud of what The Tribune has become over 127 years. Two sister papers, the Punjabi Tribune and the Dainik Tribune, have added to the size of The Tribune Group of Newspapers, it said.

Earlier, Dr Bambah and Justice S.S. Sodhi, both Trustees, led hundreds of employees in paying floral tributes to the great visionary.

New Delhi, February 2
Lok Sabha MP and the Congress party’s future prime ministerial candidate Rahul Gandhi is living up to his reputation of being a part-time politician.

Barely 10 days after he told mediapersons that he would be embarking on a tour of the southern states this month, Rahul instead took off for Japan today. He had only just returned after spending three days in Pune where he was learning paragliding.

The four-day trip has been organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and was kept under wraps because of Rahul Gandhi’s inclusion in the group. Other members of the delegation include Omar Abdullah, Madhu Goud, Prema Cariappa and Sachin Pilot.

CII sources said they send a delegation of MPs to Tokyo every year as part of their efforts to promote business relations between India and Japan. Ever since Rahul Gandhi entered the political arena in 2004, he has always been perceived as a reluctant politician who has been forced to opt for this career. Though Rahul has denied so, saying he has been working behind-the-scenes, his track record gives him away.

Except for two occasions, Rahul has not participated in Parliamentary deliberations. Till the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls last year when he campaigned extensively in the state, his political activity was confined to his constituency Amethi.

He has, however, gone abroad on several occasions as a member of Parliamentary delegations. He had accompanied his mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi to China recently.

Although his disinterest had disappointed the Congress cadres, they were hoping things would change after Rahul Gandhi was finally inducted into the party organisation as AICC general secretary and given charge of the Youth Congress and other frontal organisations. As it happens, the Congress workers who had hoped that Rahul Gandhi would build his own team and generally inject a modicum of enthusiasm among the listless workers were again disappointed.

Rahul Gandhi is an infrequent visitor to the Congress headquarters on Akbar Road and his office is perenially locked.

New Delhi, February 2
The death of five sailors aboard Indian Navy’s newly acquired troop carrier INS Jalashwa last evening was caused by accidental inhalation of a poisonous gas which leaked on the vessel.

An official announcement said: “The accident was the result of the inadvertent inhalation of leaking H2S (hydrogen sulphide) gas by a repair party carrying out maintenance in one of the ship’s compartments and not due to fire or any other causes”.

Two officers were among the three personnel who fell sick after the accident on the ship during an exercise in the Bay of Bengal last evening.

The deceased have been identified as K.V.R. Krishna Rao, D.R. Kumar Chaitanya, Ramesh Nayak, Deepak Shivran and Narendra Yadav.

The statement added that, “the injured personnel are being transported from the ship to Port Blair for medical treatment”.

The accident took place on board the Indian Navy’s latest acquisition INS Jalashwa while the ship was taking part in the Naval exercises between Visakhapatanam and Port Blair.

Lucknow, February 2
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP president Mayawati today shot off a letter to the Prime Minister seeking a ban on a book that reportedly portrays Lord Ram and Sita in a bad light.

It came close on the heels of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister upsetting Congressmen following her action of suspending four officials on the issue of a publication of a book on Sultanpur.

Raking up another issue related to a book “Culture in Ancient India”, which is in the syllabus of the Delhi University and allegedly has some objectionable contents with regards to Hindu sentiments, she said, “There had been protests in many parts of the state on the book... I have written to Dr Manmohan Singh seeking an immediate ban on the book as no one has the right to distort history.” Mayawati told reporters here that her party was with the protesters. She also asked the Prime Minister to warn authors against distorting historical facts and playing with the sentiments of the people.

Welcoming the move, BJP state unit vice-president Hriday Narain Dikshit said it was time the Chief Minister also banned Periyar’s ‘True Ramayana’. “Why have double standards. While seeking a ban on one book, she should seek a ban on the other book as well, as it also portrays Lord Ram in a bad light,” he added.

According to a web portal, the chapter “Three hundred Ramayanas” written by A.K. Ramanujan in “Readings for Concurent Course, Culture in Ancient India” as compiled by Dr Upinder Singh, Department of History, Delhi University (BA Hons. second year), has denigrated Ram, Hanuman, Lakshman and Sita and projected the entire episode as false. — UNI

New Delhi, February 2
The CPM today sought withdrawal of government’s reported decision to set the criteria of 60 per cent marks for scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students to get post-metric scholarships, saying it was against the norms of social justice.

“The Union finance ministry and the Planning Commission, which are behind this decision, are trying to impose their flawed understanding to cut subsidies, and in this instance at the cost of Dalit and tribal students,” the party Politburo said in a statement here.

Observing that the percentage of such students in professional institutions was already “dismally low”, it said such a decision was “against the norms of social justice” and would “lead to further marginalisation” of students belonging to the oppressed sections.

Demanding the withdrawal of the decision, the party urged the government to bring an appropriate central legislation to bring private institutions under social control in key areas like fees and admissions.

In this context, CPM Politburo member and MP Brinda Karat today met social justice minister Meira Kumar and raised the issue. She was accompanied by a team of leaders of the Students Federation of India (SFI).

“This is part of the government’s drive to enforce subsidy cuts, which will be at the cost of the Dalit and tribal students. It is highly objectionable,” she said and demanded reversal of the decision.

New Delhi, February 2
India and Myanmar are jointly working on an ambitious infrastructure project, which is no less than a miracle under the current political circumstances: facilitating direct trade between India and the South East Asia without using the Bangladeshi territory.

The panacea is the Sitwe port in Myanmar, which India has agreed to rebuild at a cost of $120 million. The foreign offices of the two countries are trying to work on slotting an India visit from Myanmar’s supreme leader, Gen Than Shwe, in April this year to sign the final agreement.

The Sitwe project will be as crucial for India from the strategic perspective as the Zaranch-Delaram road project currently under construction by India’s Border Roads Organisation, linking Afghanistan to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. While the former makes it possible to reach out to South East Asia without transiting Bangladeshi territory, the latter would enable to have a vibrant and meaningful trade with Afghanistan and Iran without transiting through the Pakistani territory.

The Sitwe project is expected to be operational in three years and will be on ‘build, transfer and use’ (BTU) terms, the first of its kind. It will mark a major milestone in India’s Look East policy launched by the then Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao in 1991. The Sitwe project would effectively demonstrate that the Look East policy has come of age and has entered into the next operational phase where dividends are increasingly visible.

India and Myanmar have been discussing the Sitwe project for almost six years. An important change that has come about because of Myanmar’s insistence is that the project has been changed from a Build Operate Transfer (BOT) project into a Build, Transfer and Use (BTU) venture.

The Sitwe project envisages a complete overhaul of the Sitwe port, making the Kaladhan river navigable up to Mizoram and developing highway connectivity from the border in Mizoram. The project will be fully funded by the Government of India and, on completion, will be handed over to Myanmar.

The Sitwe project will be a boon for India’s northeast, which lack connectivity in trade. The Myanmar port would provide a direct link and trade route not just to Myanmar, but also to Thailand and the rest of South-East Asia.