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FAO warns of deadly wheat
fungus
‘Tearing’ of Constitution
in mid-80s
Director takes to the skies, literally
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International Women’s Day
Today
Mahatma Gandhi's granddaughter Tara Bhattacharya (2nd from right) during the candlelight vigil around Martyr's Column, the place of martyrdom of Gandhiji, after a conference on "Gandhiji's Parliament: The voice of women and justice at Gandhi Smriti" on the eve of International Women Day organised by the Women's Political Watch in New Delhi on Friday.
— Tribune photo by Mukesh Aggarwal
LIC special Smog trips northern grid
Mob beats up principal over molestation charges
Forest cover in India improving: Minister
Govt hikes DA by 6 pc
Someday, there’ll be women combatants: Antony
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FAO warns of deadly wheat
fungus
New Delhi, March 7 The FAO warning issued two days back said the new and virulent wheat fungus - Ug99 - previously found in East Africa and Yemen has moved to major wheat-growing areas in Iran. The UN agency has now urged the six countries to increase surveillance and intensify efforts to control the disease. “The fungus is spreading rapidly and could seriously lower wheat production in these countries. Affected countries and the international community have to ensure that the spread of the disease is under control in order to reduce the risk to countries that are already hit by high food prices,” it said. “The fungus is capable of wreaking havoc for wheat production by destroying entire fields. Countries east of Iran like Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan - all major wheat producers - are most threatened by the fungus and should be on high alert,” it added. Director of FAO’s Plant Production and Protection Division Shivaji Pandey said, “The detection of the wheat rust fungus in Iran is very worrisome.” The message posted on FAO’s website goes on to add that it is estimated that as much as 80 per cent of all wheat varieties planted in Asia and Africa are susceptible to wheat stem rust (Puccinia graminis). The spores of wheat rust are mostly carried by wind over long distances and across continents. The UN agency said that Iran has informed FAO that the fungus has been detected in some localities in Broujerd and Hamedan in western Iran. Laboratory tests have confirmed the presence of the fungus. “Iran said it will enhance its research capacity to face the new infection and develop new wheat varieties resistant to the disease”. The wheat fungus Ug99 first emerged in Uganda in 1999 and is therefore called Ug99. The wind-borne trans-boundary pest subsequently spread to Kenya and Ethiopia. In 2007, an FAO mission confirmed for the first time that Ug99 has affected wheat fields in Yemen. The Ug99 strain found in Yemen was already more virulent than the one found in East Africa. Ethiopia and Kenya had serious wheat rust epidemics in 2007 with considerable yield losses.
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‘Tearing’ of Constitution
in mid-80s
New Delhi, March 7 But due to a goof up on the part of advocate Sat Paul Kagra, who had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) on the issue, a Bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice R.V. Raveendran could not hear arguments on it. In fact Kagra had filed another PIL against the Punjab government challenging the grant of power subsidy to farmers and other consumers at the cost of state exchequer, resulting in a fiscal problem to the state, and instead of bringing the file related to the “Constitution torn” case, he brought the power subsidy file. As Kagra opened up the arguments on the power subsidy issue, the Bench pointed out to him that it was not the case listed for the day as the file before it related to a case against the Chief Minister that he had “torn” the Constitution. To a pointed query from the Bench, Kagra said he has filed both the petitions but got a wrong impression about listing of the power subsidy case today and had prepared the case accordingly. “I would like to argue the case in detail but be given time and it may be adjourned,” he requested the Bench, which acceded to his plea. Kagra expressed regret for the goof up saying that by mistake he thought that the power subsidy case was listed and sought an adjournment. The court agreed to his request and adjourned the hearing to some other date, to be fixed by the Registry. In the Constitution “tearing” case, Kagra has raised the issue whether a person who once had questioned the very foundation of the Indian federation and “insulted” the Constitution, could be allowed to swear by the same Constitution to become the Chief Minister of a state. According to the petitioner, if the Chief Minister stood by his present action of swearing by the Constitution, then his action to “tear” it during an agitation in 1986 on the Anandpur Sahib resolution was a “fraud” and if he justified that action, then his swearing by the Constitution was a “farce”.
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Director takes to the skies, literally
Bangalore, March 7 Nagendra, who took a planeload of 61 journalists for his foray in the skies over Bangalore for 50 minutes at a cost of Rs 12 lakh, said the event was also part of his long-cherished dream to stage something unique amid clouds. He said the setting was apt because his film Meghave Meghave also spoke about clouds with different connotations. The highlight of the event was the presence of Gracy Singh, who is the heroine in the movie. However, it was marred by the fact that the film’s hero Ram, who has had fallout with the director, chose to ignore the event. This loss was partly compensated by his co-actor Sudeep as well known Kannada film star Puneeth Rajkumar. Among the politicians, Nagendra again could not assure the presence of former CM H.D. Kumaraswamy, who was scheduled to release the CD. Former minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy filled in his absence.
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International Women’s Day
Today Charu Singh Tribune News Service
New Delhi, March 7 Dr Mohini Giri, chairperson of the National Commission for Women, launched the campaign by declaring, “Today is a day of betrayal. Our trust was betrayed in Parliament. Some male members even tore up the Bill while others threw it down. This will not be taken lightly by the women of this nation. We are launching a nationwide campaign. From the Panchayats of this country, we will come into Parliament.” Giri further declared that, “If by March 7 next year, this Bill is not passed, we will do ‘dah sanskar’ of this bill. Tomorrow, we will be holding a ‘Women’s Betrayal Day’ at India Gate and a delegation will present a memorandum to the Vice-President.” “We will create such a ground swell for this Bill that we will see it passed from the Panchayats to the Parliament.” Meanwhile, the Gandhian parliament passed the women’s Bill with a majority on Friday. Veena Nayar, the president of Women’s Political Watch, commented in her welcome speech, “Women don’t give up easily. There are lakhs more today than there were 10 years ago that stand aware and committed to women’s rightful constitutional entitlements. They cannot be denied forever.” Nayar further added, “Indian civilisation is a great civilisation but the contemporary period will not be counted as such if 50 crore women are not in the reckoning of institutions of governance, the legislatures, the Planning Commission and other institutional frameworks that have failed to be accountable to the girl child, the women and the poor of this great nation.” Other Bills tabled at the Gandhian-style parliament were the farmers Bill amendment: feminisation of agriculture and education bill on the skills development policy imperative. Famous danseuse Shovana Narayanan spoke on the concept of Shakti and women, “For Gandhiji, Shakti was paramount. It was Kasturba’s full-hearted support to Gandhi which helped him achieve what he achieved.” Bhajans were sung later in the evening by Sudhanshuji and Srabani Bahuguna with artists from Swar Trishna and a solemn candlelight vigil was held around the martyr’s column. The mood was peaceful and strongly nostalgic as the hymn ‘Lead Kindly Light’ was sung in memory of Mahatma Gandhi.
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Smog trips northern grid
New Delhi, March 7 Senior power grid corporation officials attributed the breakdown to fog combined with pollution in Delhi, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. Deposit of pollution particles on transmission lines was attributed as the reason for tripping, which officials described as a common phenomenon during winter, which has been unusually long this year. “Normalcy was restored at around 10.30 a.m.,” S.K. Soonee, executive director (system operation) of the Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL), said. “Fog combined with pollution gets deposited on insulators and causes a flash over. This has been happening for quite some time. However, the situation is getting aggravated now. We are trying to find a permanent solution to the problem,” he said. Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana were the most hit due to the failure in the lines. Train movement was badly affected in the region due to the power failure, with the worst affected sections being Ferozabad-Dadri and Tughlakabad-Palwal lines.
— PTI
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Mob beats up principal over molestation charges
Mumbai, March 7 The police said Salvi was arrested on a complaint filed by parents of students studying at King John High School at Bhandup (W). The parents, who held a dharna outside the school, said Salvi had been sexually abusing girl students for the past several months. Shortly after the school opened for the day today, parents and several students barged into Salvi’s cabin and thrashed him. Reports said Salvi had tried to escape from his cabin, but was caught by the crowd and beaten up. His clothes were torn and shoe polish applied to his face before he was paraded on the school campus. A camera crew brought in by the parents recorded the incident. The parents said a number of girl students had decided not to attend the school because of the humiliation heaped by him on the girls. Salvi was arrested and will be produced in court, the police said. Meanwhile, the Diocesan Board of the Catholic Church here clarified that it does not run any school by the name of St King John High School. Private parties claim to run ‘convent’ schools offering English medium education, a Diocesan board spokesperson said. However, the church has nothing to do with such organisations.
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Forest cover in India improving: Minister
New Delhi, March 7 Inaugurating a two-day international workshop on “Developing Methodology for Assessment of Enhancement of Forest Carbon Stocks due to Conservation, Sustainable Management of Forests, and Increase in Forests Cover”, minister of state for environment and forests Namo Narain Meena said India acknowledged the seriousness of the threat of deforestation and was actively participating in international efforts to reduce deforestation at global level. He said the forest and tree cover in India had been stabilised since the 1980s and has been showing steady improvement since then. “Conservation-oriented forest policies and afforestation programmes are contributing to reduction in carbon emissions, stabilisation and improvement of carbon stocks in forests together with conservation of biodiversity,” he said. In India, Joint Forest Management (JFM) is a step towards increasing productivity of forests, improving stocking of forests and in turn increasing carbon stocks. There are more than 22 million members in more than 1 lakh JFM committees in India, covering 22 million hectares of forest area.
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Govt hikes DA by 6 pc
New Delhi, March 7 “The union Cabinet today gave its approval to release of additional instalment of dearness allowance to the central government employees and dearness relief to pensioners,” information and broadcasting minister P. R. Dasmunsi told reporters after the Cabinet meeting that was chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The rate of DA from January 1 would be 47 per cent, he said. The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both DA and dearness relief would be Rs 3,297.12 crore in a year and Rs 3,846.66 crore for the 14-month period from January 2008-February 2009, he said.
— PTI
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Someday, there’ll be women combatants: Antony
New Delhi: Just two days after the government had said in Parliament that a report had suggested that women should not be inducted for close combat in the armed forces, defence minister A.K. Antony today clarified that the issue was not a closed chapter and might happen in the future.
Speaking on the sidelines of an organ pledging function here Antony said: “Don’t close the chapter. I am sure at some point of time it will happen,” adding that there was a process for it.
— TNS
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