 |
|
|
Setback for MPA
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Body may not be of Rizwanur, says mother
CD Case K.C. Kulish award for Dawn scribe Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam presents the cheque as part of the inaugural ‘K.C. Kulish International Journalism Award-2007’, instituted by Rajasthan Patrika, to Hindustan Times newspaper feature editor Neelesh Misra (centre) and Pakistan’s daily ‘Dawn’ journalist Afshan Subohi (right) in New Delhi on Wednesday. — PTI photo
Lifts ban on jobs for general category
Airmen's misbehaviour with
woman Terror sleeper cells hidden in Mumbai, says police RS poll contest in TN after 22 yrs
New Indo-Bangla relationship predicted ‘within six months’
Centre waives Rs 2,728 cr interest of Punjab
Shivaliks worst affected by soil erosion
Visa racket involving film industry unearthed
Legality of
Hansi-Butana
Channel
50 pc women quota in Uttarakhand panchayats
TDP, Cong lock horns over Hyderabad airport
DAN forms govt in Nagaland
46 Left MLAs take oath in Tripura
Censure motion disallowed
Teacher sacked for cutting student’s hair
85-yr-old Pak woman asked to leave India ‘Yeh Hai Jalwa’: Bridge between celebrities and common man
|
|
SC to hear petition on March 24
New Delhi, March 12 A Bench comprising Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justices R.V. Raveendran and Dalveer Bhandari turned down the request of senior counsel Soli J. Sorabjee for hearing the matter tomorrow and fixed March 24 for hearing the case. Lapang was sworn in as Chief Minister by Governor S.S. Sidhu on March 10 and has been given 19 days to prove his majority on the floor of the House, which means the trial of strength must take place on or before March 20. Earlier, Sorabjee contended that the MPA had a clear strength of 31 in the House having a total strength of 60 and the state Governor bungled by denying an opportunity to the majority alliance leader Don Kupar Roy to form the government. He also pleaded with the court that the leader of the single largest party, the Congress, with a strength of 25, should not have been invited to form a government when the MPA alliance had demonstrated its strength before the state Governor on March 10 itself. He also contended that the petitioner cannot be presented with a fate accompli situation. — UNI
|
|
Lookout notice for British national
Panaji, March 12 A notice has been issued that Manyon should not leave the country. “We are on a lookout for him to get his deposition in the British girl’s death case,” said north Goa superintendent of police Bosco George. George said the police did not know about his whereabouts and would like him to depose before the investigating authorities. Witnesses in the death case had revealed that couple of hours before her death, Scarlett was partying with a few boys at a ‘lui caf’ shack on Anjuna beach, the police said. The crucial British eyewitness had reportedly seen accused barman Samson, sexually abusing the British teenager. In his interview to the international media over phone, which was released from London, Manyon said he had left the shack at 4.45 am. Scarlett’s body was found at 6.30 am on the Anjuna beach adjacent to the shack, where she partied. Placido Carvalho, another suspect, who has applied for anticipatory bail, has said Manyon, popularly known as ‘Mike Masala’ was amongst those present a few hours before her death. The state police today said it would provide all protection to Manyon, if he feared for his life. “We have told the British embassy that all the required protection would be provided to Manyon. He should just come and depose,” a senior police officer stated. The Goa police had earlier said it was ready to travel anywhere in the world to get Manyon’s deposition, as it was very crucial to crack the murder case. — PTI
|
|
Body may not be of Rizwanur, says mother
Kolkata, March 12 While Todi denied that Priyanka had married Rizwanur at all, Rizwanur’s mother alleged that the body found on railway tracks on September 30 and identified as Rizwanur was not true. She suspected that someone else’s body was identified as his son. She said her son was killed by professional killers hired allegedly by the Todis. The case came up for hearing in the Calcutta High Court, two weeks after the CBI declared it to be a suicide. Appearing before the Bench of Justice Dipankar Dutta, advocate-general Balai Roy questioned the validity of the CBI probe. In his two-and-half-hour argument before the court, Roy said the CBI report was ultra vires and the investigating agency had gone beyond its limit to probe the case. Echoing the state government’s affidavit to the court on the case, Roy said the central investigating agency had been directed to inquire into the cause of the death. The CBI completed its probe and a part of its findings was made public at the high court on February 28. It had charged Todi with abetment to suicide, criminal intimidation and conspiracy in connection with the death. The same charges had also been levelled against Todi’s brother, three police officers, including Ajoy Kumar, a senior IPS officer, and two others. The agency had also recommended that the government initiate appropriate disciplinary action against the then commissioner of police, Prasun Mukherjee, as well as departmental disciplinary major penal action against another IPS officer, Gyanwant Singh, and two officers of a local police station. Today’s hearing was adjourned owing to Roy’s ailment, but will resume tomorrow.
|
|
Maya orders CBI probe into ‘Teesri Azadi’
Shahira Naim Tribune News Service
Lucknow, 12 March An FIR has been registered not only against those responsible for the distribution of the CD “Teesri Azadi”, but also against the TV channel, which first broadcast a report that brought the matter out in open. Three people have already been arrested from Haraiya town of Basti district in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Copies of the CD have also been seized. Mayawati said she had asked the DMs and SPs across the state to treat the matter very seriously and seize the remaining copies of the CD and ensure that it was not circulated anywhere in the state. Addressing the media at her 5 Kalidas Road residence, Mayawati claimed that she had personally spoken to Basti BSP MP Prasad, when she learnt that the name of an NGO Ambedkar Samaj Sudhar Samiti was involved in the distribution of the CD in Basti. “However, Prasad has clarified that he was in- charge of the Haraiya unit of the Samiti before he had joined the BSP. Now he had nothing to do with it,” she said. Mayawati said the attempt to drag the name of a party MP in the matter was a “deep-rooted political conspiracy”. So, she was handing over the matter to the CBI to ensure an impartial enquiry. She said the CBI was expected to probe into points like when and where the CD was made, who was responsible for its production and where it was distributed. “According to information received by me the CD had been produced in Maharashtra sometime ago and has been in circulation for a while in different parts of the country. In fact it was made available on the Internet in 2006”, said Mayawati squarely blaming the Congress, BJP, Shiv Sena and the SP for not doing anything to stop its distribution, despite being in power in these states during that period. Charging the Congress, Shiv-Sena and the BJP, who had been ruling Maharasthra during the period, with abetting the spread of vicious divisive message by not curbing the distribution of the CD, Mayawati said the matter had brought out the “true colors” of the parties. Underlining her government’s commitment to the ‘sarvjan hitae, sarvjan sukhae’ philosophy, Mayawati said her political opponents were “very agitated” by the fact that upper castes had come forward in open support of her party virtually tripping the applecart of these political parties and hence they are conspiring to wreck this ‘social engineering’ model”. Defending her party, Mayawati said if her party had believed in a socially divisive agenda the Samajwadi party would not have formed a government with the BSP in 1993, the Congress would have hesitated to form an alliance in 1996 and the BJP would not have agreed to be partners in her government twice. The CD matter came up in the Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday when the parliamentary affairs minister Lalji Verma announced the arrests of three persons in Basti in connection of the distribution of the controversial CD. Reportedly shown on a national channel on Monday night, the CD contains derogatory remarks against Hindu God Ram and Sita’s mother Janaki among others things. It also condemns upper caste Hindus, particularly Brahmins and Thakurs.
|
|
K.C. Kulish award for Dawn scribe
New Delhi, March 12 While Subohi and her team received the honour for the series “Why does corporate Pakistan detest democracy”, Mishra and his team got the award for “The new Muslim series: from Masjid to market a journey”. The award, carrying the prize money of $ 11,000 and instituted by the Rajasthan Patrika group of newspapers in the memory of its founder Karpoor Chandra Kulish, acknowledges the contribution of journalists whose news stories influence change in the lives of people. Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam presented the awards to the winners. The function, attended by union ministers Ram Vilas Paswan, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, BJP leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad, Murli Manohar Joshi and Madan Lal Khurana, at least 187 entries were recieved for the award from around 12 countries on the theme human development. The jury included editor-in-chief, Hindu Group, N. Ram, former IIM director Bakul Dhokalakia, Mr Piyush Pandey, CEO of O&M, and editor of the Rajasthan Patrika Gulalab Kothari. Ten other works have been selected for the merit award. One of which went to Tony Carnie and his team for “South Africa’s poisonous work places” for The Mercury, South Africa, but he was not present at the function. “India besieges series: One in every six Indians lives under insurgency” by Yashwant Raj and “War torn: A series on the plight of war martyr families” by Kuldeep Maan and his team (Chandigarh), both from from Hindustan Times, “Save the girl child” by Radha Sharma and her team, the Times of India, Ahmedabad, “HIV/Aids awareness campaign” by Lakhyajit Gohain and his team for Dainik Janambhumi, Guwahati, “Badhal Bundelkhand” by Pratap Samvanshi and his team of Amar Ujala, Kanpur and The Statesman’s “The ugly truth in Nandigram” by Sukumar Mitra are among others who would get the merit awards. Jay Singh Rawat of Uttar Ujala, Dehra Dun, will get the merit award for his work “Slow pace of development in Uttrakhand: Resulting hardship of people”. — UNI
|
|
|
Lifts ban on jobs for general category
Lucknow, March 12 Addressing mediapersons at her official residence here, Chief Minister
Mayawati said she had issued directions to the state chief secretary to take necessary steps to start the recruitment
of general category candidates. The previous Samajwadi Party regime had
imposed a ban on the recruitment of general category candidates depriving them of the opportunity to get government jobs, she said. She said the government had also directed to provide the benefit of seniority to the
employees of SC/ST categories in the government departments and grant them promotion.
— PTI
|
|
Airmen's misbehaviour with
woman New Delhi, March 12 Defence minister A.K. Antony told the Rajya Sabha that a formal investigation has blamed an airman for “improper behaviour” with the woman while three have been found faulty of not reporting the matter to the Air Force authorities on time. The incident was reported on December 27 last on board Delhi-Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express. “After approval by the competent authority, it is proposed to take action against the blamed airmen, for the lapses established,” Antony told in a written reply in the Upper House. Three airmen were arrested and a case registered against them by the railway police on the basis of a complaint by the woman passenger. The railway police, Gomoh, is investigating the case. Antony said if the airmen were subsequently convicted by the criminal court, further appropriate action would also be taken accordingly under Air
Force laws. To a separate question, Antony said the number of reconnaissance and sea harrier aircraft in the Navy had decreased over
the years. “However, this shortfall is being met by induction of additional Dornier aircraft, procurement of MiG 29-K and Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft,” he said. Limited upgrade of Sea Harrier aircraft undertaken through Hindustran Aeronautics Ltd is expected to be completed by 2009, he added.
— PTI
|
|
|
Terror sleeper cells hidden in Mumbai, says police Mumbai, March 12 The revelations follow preliminary investigations after two Bangladeshi terrorists were gunned down last night by the police. “The targets include the Bombay Stock Exchange, Jeejeebhoy Towers Building, the Reserve Bank of India headquarters, the state government headquarters and the National Stock Exchange,” additional commissioner of police Param Bir Singh said. According to him, the two killed Bangladeshi terrorists had close ties with the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI). One of them had been identified as Mohammad Ali. The police also recovered fake Indian currency notes, two small firearms and a white powdery substance suspected to be RDX from the two gunned down Bangladeshis. “We have sent this powder to the lab for analysis to ascertain whether it is RDX or not,” he said. “The police has gone on a high alert following the encounter and security at all important places has been beefed up,” he said.
— IANS
|
|
|
RS poll contest in TN after 22 yrs Chennai, March 12 The DPA has already announced five nominees - two from the DMK, two from the Congress and one from the CPM - for the six seats which are falling vacant. The DMK has nominated S. Amir Ali Jinnah and Vasanthi Stanley, while the CPM has fielded its central committee member T. K. Rengarajan. One Congress candidate for sure is G.K. Vasan, union minister of state, while for the second seat AICC spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan and TNCC president M. Krishnaswami are running. AIADMK supremo Jayaram Jayalalithaa said her party would field N. Balaganga, while another nominee would be from the MDMK. The MDMK is likely to field its general secretary Vaiko. To get elected each candidate needs 34 votes. While the DMK has 95 MLAs, the Congress has 36 and the CPM 9 other than the support of its alliance partners including the PMK, which has 18 legislators totaling to 118 MLAs. The AIADMK has 60 legislators and the MDMK has only six. The opposition front can easily win one seat but fall short of two votes for the second seat. As such, the contest will be for the sixth seat and the votes of an independent MLA and newly elected actor-turned-politician Vijaykanth who heads the DMDK will be crucial.
|
|
|
New Indo-Bangla relationship predicted ‘within six months’
New Delhi, March 12 “My feedback from talks with Pranabda and the foreign secretary is that the talks are moving forward satisfactorily and soon things going to improve,” Sobhan said referring to his meetings with Pranab Mukherjee and Shiv Shankar Menon here yesterday. Sobhan, who is currently the president of the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute, said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is also taking keen interest in improving relations with its neighbour. Sobhan said the foreign ministers of India and Bangladesh have met at least six times in the last six months. He requested Manmohan Singh to appoint a third minister of state in the ministry of foreign affairs to look after Indo-Bangla relations alone. “You have two ministers in the ministry of external affairs. You need one more minister of state for Bangladesh,” Sobhan said at Observer Research Foundation (ORF) while delivering his talk on “India-Bangladesh relations: Past, present and future”. Former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Veena Sikri chaired the talk. She stressed upon the need to build trust and confidence between the two countries to take the relationship further. She said Bangladesh should take India’s concern over insurgents operating from its soil seriously and should address the problem. Veena Sikri also said while the Indian government would deal with the incumbent government, India is always for a fully democratic government that takes of the people’s interests. She agreed with Sobhan that implementation and follow-ups of summit meetings of Prime Ministers were always a concern. Sobhan, who has been a former high commissioner to India, suggested various measures to improve relations between the two countries significantly. He said both the countries, especially India, should revisit their visa policy to improve connectivity with the North-East and between peoples who were once part of one country. He said the system of visas should be abolished to help better movement between Bangladesh and the North-East. Besides benefiting both the countries, it would also help in the development of North-East as well. He said there was “enormous scope” for improving trade between the two countries and greater Indian investment in Bangladesh.
|
|
Centre waives Rs 2,728 cr interest of Punjab
New Delhi, March 12 The Centre has provided waiver for the interest amount in the Supplementary Demands for Grants, tabled by finance minister P. Chidambaram, in the Lok Sabha today. Punjab has been pleading with the Centre for long to waive of the amount, saying the expenses incurred
during militancy should be considered as a national burden. Besides, states where anti-Sikh riots followed in the wake of assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984 would be given
Rs 237 crore to reimburse them against expenditure incurred on account of enhanced
compensation to victims. — PTI
|
|
Shivaliks worst affected by soil erosion
New Delhi, March 12 Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar told the Lok Sabha today that other areas affected by soil erosion included hills of Orissa and Jharkhand, plains of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, coastal areas of Gujarat and Maharashtra, several parts of north-eastern states and western Rajasthan. Experts say the process of soil erosion is a natural process that occurs simultaneously in the eco-system. However, the fact is that soil erosion by rainwater takes away productive top soil, resulting in depletion of soil fertility and reducing productivity. The average rate of soil erosion in the country is 16.4 tonnes per hectares per year, which is more than permissible value of 10 tonnes per hectare per annum. Out of the total geographical area of about 328 million hectare, 220 million hectare is within permissible limit of soil erosion. However, about 107 million hectare is subject to higher rate of soil erosion. The minister said several measures were being undertaken by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in this regard. The ICAR has developed several location-specific bioengineering erosion control techniques along with rehabilitation measures through various agro-forestry/integrated farming system interventions. These are being implemented through different integrated watershed management programmes to check soil loss and depletion.
|
|
Visa racket involving film industry unearthed
Chennai, March 12 Acting tough after the racket came to light, the American administration has slapped a lifetime ban on nearly 200 personalities from the film industry from travelling to the US for having used “false credentials” to apply for Visas to that country. Flora Shiny (29), who is alleged to be involved in human trafficking, was held along with two others yesterday for furnishing fake documents to the US consulate here, the police said today. She has been remanded to 15-days judicial custody. The US Consulate said in a statement that its Fraud Prevention Unit had uncovered the racket in which film actors and directors used their positions to lend credibility to a second unqualified applicant. The unqualified applicants had paid up to Rs 5 lakh to a ‘visa consultant’ and the accompanying actor or director, it said. It said immigration records showed that the majority of those who received visas were illegally present in the US. Their identities had been passed on to US law enforcement authorities. However, in accordance with US law, the Consulate did not disclose to the public the names of visa applicants, the statement said. Consul general David Hopper said it was unfortunate that some people had misused the well-earned reputation and stature of the Indian film industry for illegal purposes. Hopper said the Consulate’s action should not be viewed as condemnation of the South Indian film industry. The Consulate acknowledged the artistic and commercial successes that had made this industry known and admired around the world, he added. “We also recognise and welcome the increasing technical and artistic collaboration between Indian filmakers and the film industries in other countries, including the US. Consular chief Mark Fry said applicants should strictly avoid documents sold by document vendors or brokers and should only submit genuine documents. — PTI 200 visa applicants banned from visiting USA The US Consulate General in Chennai on Wednesday imposed a life ban on travelling to United States, 200 visa applicants, connected to the South Indian Film Industry (SIFI) for submitting false credentials while applying for Visas to US. “Nearly 200 visa applicants claiming to be connected to the SIFI used false credentials to apply for visas to the United States. These individuals now face a lifetime ban on travelling to the US'', an official release said here. However, this should not be viewed as US condemnation of the SIFI. Following a complaint from the U S Consulate authorities, a team of officers from the Royapettah police station last evening arrested Shiny, an actor from Andheri West, Mumbai, Venkat Reddy and Srilatha of Hyderabad. Interrogations revealed that Venkat Reddy had taken several lakhs from Srilatha, who informed the Consulate authorities that she was a make up for Shiny and promised her a job abroad. — UNI
|
|
Legality of
Hansi-Butana
Channel S.S. Negi Legal Correspondent
New Delhi, March 12 The opinion of the CWC was placed before a Bench, headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan yesterday after the apex court has referred the matter to the panel for its opinion last year as it is a statutory body set up under the law to regulate all inter-state water projects. The Bench after examining the report of the CWC directed the contesting states - Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan - to submit their responses to it to enable the court to give its final verdict. The CWC had examined the entire matter mainly on four points arisen from the suits of Punjab and Rajasthan against Haryana, challenging the construction of the Hansi-Butana channel by it for carrying water from Bhakra Main Line (BML) canal to southern parts of the state for irrigation. The four questions included whether the walls of the channel will result in flooding of border villages of Punjab during monsoon, whether drawing water from the BML by Haryana will reduce supply Rajasthan, will Haryana draw more than its allocated share and the possible water logging due to the channel itself. On the question whether Punjab’s border areas would be waterlogged due to excess irrigation the CWC said, “No opinion is considered necessary”. Again on the question whether the lift irrigation command area in Haryana for which MPLC is meant to provide some relief has suffered immense water stress due to storage made by Rajasthan at Krishnawati, Sabibi and Dohan rivers and whether the CWC in its earlier report of September, 2007, had shown Hansi Branch, Jui system and Sewani system as a part of Indus Basin, the commission reiterated that “no opinion is considered necessary”. But the commission said the feeder channel envisaged diversion of 0.80 MAF out of Haryana’s existing average annual utilisation of 1.62 MAF of Ravi-Beas waters from the BML to Hansi and Butana branch and all technical issues raised by the three states has been examined by it. “As regards concerns about flooding or sheet-flow of water, the CWC is of the view that there will be safe disposal of flood water into Ghaggar and Patiala Nadi as siphons of adequate capacity have been planned,” the panel said. Regarding drawing of water from the BML by Haryana and its affect on the flow downstream to Rajasthan, the CWC fixed the responsibility on Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to ensure delivery to Punjab and Rajasthan’s due share on priority. “Haryana would utilise its share after meeting the requirement of Punjab and Rajasthan on pro-rata basis as per actual supplies received,” the CWC said adding that Haryana has furnished an “undertaking” on October 10, 2007 the delivery of their shares under the supervision of BBMB. The CWC opined that the regulation in the undertaking given by Haryana should be entrusted to the BBMB as a neutral agency set up to regulate the water supply among the shareholder states.
|
|
50 pc women quota in Uttarakhand panchayats
Dehra Dun, March 12 The state will now have its own law, the Uttarakhand Panchayati Law (Amendment) Act, 2008. So far, the Panchayati Raj institutions were being governed under the United Provinces Panchayati Raj Act, 1947, and the Uttar Pradesh Khestra Panchayat and Zila Panchayat Act, 1961. The elected women functionaries had been demanding reservation for them in the three-tier Panchayati Raj system for long. So far, they were enjoying 33 per cent reservation. The step is perceived to be politically important for the ruling BJP as the election to gram, block and zila panchayats will be held before April 15. It is also significant for the state as women comprise almost half of its population. There are more than 7,000 gram panchayats besides 95 block and 13 zila panchayats in the state.
|
|
TDP, Cong lock horns over Hyderabad airport
Hyderabad, March 12 The opposition Telugu Desam Party has demanded that the domestic terminal of the new airport be named after its founder and former Chief Minister late N.T. Rama Rao. “N.T.R. symbolises Telugu pride. It will be an insult to the people of Andhra Pradesh if the central government ignores our demand to name the airport after NTR,” senior TDP leader T. Devender Goud said. Christened as Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, it is India’s first airport developed under public-private partnership model and is set to be formally inaugurated by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on March 14. The commercial operations of the Rs 2,470 crore airport at Shamshabad, about 30 km from the city, would commence from the midnight of March 16. Pointing out that the domestic terminal of the existing airport at Begumpet was named after N.T.R., it should be continued at the new airport, the opposition party demanded. “We will launch an agitation if the government fails to honour the memory of our leader. We have no objection if the international terminal is named after Rajiv Gandhi,” Goud said. The demand found support from the BJP and left parties. The TDP raised the issue in the Assembly today and moved an adjournment motion seeking a discussion on naming the airport after N.T.R., a matinee idol turned politician who strode the state’s political scene like a colossus. The Congress government, however, expressed its inability saying the international airport will not have separate terminals for domestic and international passengers. “The present TDP and its leader N. Chandrababu Naidu had backstabbed N.T.R. and dislodged him from power in an unscrupulous manner. In fact, the TDP leaders were responsible for NTR’s untimely death. How can they now claim to be his successors? They are only trying to politicise the issue,” the Congress MLA E. Prathap Reddy said. Meanwhile, the TDP also raised objections over the Congress government turning the airport inauguration into a “party affair” and questioned the rationale behind inviting Sonia Gandhi for the inauguration, as she does not hold any position in the government.
|
|
DAN forms govt in Nagaland
Guwahati, March 12 The DAN ministry has nine members from the Nagaland People’s Front (NPF), including Chief Minister Rio, one member each from the BJP and the NCP and an Independent member of the Assembly. Immediately after taking oath, Chief Minister Rio appointed 13 parliamentary secretaries. Apart from the Chief Minister, the other ministers in the Cabinet are Surhozelie, G. Kaito, Inchen Imkong, Doshehe Y. Sema, P. Longon, T.R. Zeliang, Nyeiwang Konyak, Kuozholuzo Neinu (All from the NPF), M.C. Konyak (BJP), Dr Chumben Murry (NCP) and Ngangshi K. Aao (Independent). The formation of the new government in Nagaland was facilitated by the Union Cabinet’s decision this morning to revoke President’s Rule in the state where election to the 60-member Assembly was held on March 5 and results were declared on March 8. The Congress-led UPA government had clamped President’s Rule in the hill state on January 3 after being convinced that the incumbent DAN government led by Rio had been reduced to a minority. The DAN, a pre-poll alliance of the NPF, the BJP and the NCP, earlier staked claim to form the government in the state after winning a total of 30 seats in the 60-member Nagaland House. The NPF won 26 seats, the BJP and the NCP won two seats each. The alliance is supported by five Independent legislators.
|
|
46 Left MLAs take oath in Tripura
Agartala, March 12 All 11 Opposition members of the House along with three senior Left Front members - health minister in the outgoing Assembly Tapan Chakraborty, labour minister Fayzur Rahaman and former minister Subodh Das - did not attend the function. The MLAs of the Congress-INPT combine declined to take oath today, alleging that the CPM cadres were letting lose a reign of terror on their rank. In a letter to Assembly secretary S.M. Lodh, the party demanded to organise a separate oath taking ceremony on March 14. Governor D.N. Sahaya had administered the oath of office to Pro-tem Speaker Deb Sarkar yesterday at the Raj Bhawan. The Opposition members refused to participate in the function, stating that their members would not leave the constituencies because of post-poll violence. The CPM-led Left Front won for the fourth consecutive term, winning 49 seats in the 60-member House. The Governor administered the oath of office and secrecy to 12 members on Monday and pro-tem Speaker yesterday.
— UNI
|
|
Censure motion disallowed
Bhopal, March 12 Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also charged the Opposition with disturbing the law and order situation on the pretext of power crisis, while the Congress members staged a walkout on the power issue. During Zero Hour, the Opposition Congress members reached the well of the House holding high electronic lantern in their hands, while the Speaker ruled that nothing would go on record, as the Opposition had not sought prior permission. “The Opposition’s conduct was highly objectionable”, he said.
— UNI
|
|
|
Teacher sacked for cutting student’s hair
Coimbatore, March 12 Another teacher of the school, who had scolded the student, had been suspended, it informed.
— PTI
|
|
85-yr-old Pak woman asked to leave India Muzaffarnagar (UP), March 12 Nafisa Begam was served the order yesterday after it was ascertained that her visa was not extended as she failed to renew her Pakistani passport, officials said. Nafisa, originally a native of India, was married to Tofiq Ahmad about 66 years ago, following which the couple settled in Pakistan and acquired citizenship of that country. Later, she came to India on a long-term visa after her husband died and got married to another person, Ahmad, here. After the death of her second husband, she is residing alone at Jhihjhana. — PTI
|
||
|
‘Yeh Hai Jalwa’: Bridge between celebrities and common man Mumbai, March 12 In this reality show actors will not be instructed and taught, but they will choreograph their team, which will perform on the reality show. Another fascinating part of the show will be the teammates. They will be people from a certain community, who will draw your attention. So don’t be surprised if you see Prachi Desai teaching students of same age group to dance or model-celebrity Rosa Catalano leading a team of blue collared worker like washman or rickshaw puller or Rakhi Sawant instructing a group of children from the slum areas. If you want to know more, then just stick to your TV on 16 March and enjoy. Indrani Mukerjea, founder & CEO, INX Media Pvt Ltd, said, “I am very pleased to announce that this will air on this Sunday at 8 pm.” This Vodafone Yeh Hai Jalwa promises to entertain and fascinate viewers across all age group, she added. Speaking about the show, director Mohamed Morani of the show said, “Vodaphone Yeh Hai Jalwa- concept is novel and we are sure that it will reach out to the masses.” He avers it will present a platform that will be shared by the celebrity and the common man together. Shweta Tewari, Prachi Desai, Ronit Roy, Hussain, Rohit Roy, Sharad Malhotra, Rakhi Sawant and Varun Badola will lead their team of people. Explaining about the show, producer, Bonnie Jain, who was also present during the press conference here, said, "Each jalwa team will have a six participants- one celebrity and five people from different walks of life. Along with most popular female leads of Indian television Smriti Irani and Saakshi Tanwar, who will be hosting the mega reality show." Commenting on her new role, Sakshi tanwar said, "I am really excited to be a part of this show as I love dancing." On being asked, why she don't take a part as a choreographer, she replied that I am little bit lazy that's why I preferred as host of the show. At least I will enjoy fully. This show is "father" of all reality shows, avers Rakhi Sawant. She said, "There will be no retake that is challenging! But with "chillar patti" I am little tensed as how my team will compete with all elder ones." Sharad Malhotra, who will participate first time in reality show, is very much excited. He said, "Since this is my first reality show, I have to be scared but as I have no experience so no fear" Echoing similar views, Rosa Catalano said, "I am excited with little bit fear as I lead a team of blue collared
workers.
|
||
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
New Delhi, March 12
Videos
