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17 Naxals killed
Left walks out over price rise issue
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Pressure mounts on 2 Cong ministers to quit
RS passes delimitation Bill
...And LS Prasar Bharati Bill
Ball in India’s court for final agreement: IAEA
Rape Charge
Sops for villagers, minorities dominate WB Budget
Centre ‘blind’ to charges against
Israeli firm
Open-air cremations for Sikhs, Hindus No interim relief for central staff
TN bans cold drinks in schools, colleges
States, UTs urged to document antiquities
Patna railway station to become cooking-free zone
Indian in Spanish jail innocent: Family
CBI to file chargsheet against ex-RAW official
Mumbai blaze toll 8
Lapang may quit ahead of floor test
Ban on surrogate liquor ads
Suggestions for expanding rape definition
Govt crackdown paralyses Goa party scene
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17 Naxals killed
Hyderabad, March 18 The fierce exchange of fire took place in Darutla forest area, bordering Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh, as the joint police force of the two states surrounded a Maoist hideout. Acting on a tip-off that extremists were holding a plenum in the forest area, a special party of “Greyhounds”, an elite anti-Naxal wing of the Andhra Pradesh police, rushed to the place, about 5 km from Andhra border, the Khammam district superintendent of police S.D. Chouhan said. In a well-coordinated operation, the police smashed the hide-out where about 70 Maoists were holding a meeting and engaged them in a prolonged three-hour long gun-battle. Chouhan led the Greyhound forces from AP side in the encounter and combing operations. “It was a joint operation by the AP and Chhattisgarh police. In the first encounter, 14 Naxalites were killed and another three died in the second encounter. The combing operation is still on,” the home minister K. Jana Reddy said. Among the dead were six Dalam (armed squad) commanders of CPI (Maoist) and seven women. The police recovered 12 weapons, including an AK 47 rifle, from the spot. This is the most devastating blow for Maoists after the collapse of their first-ever direct peace talks with the Andhra government in January 2005. Meanwhile, civil rights leaders dubbed the encounter as “fake”. “It was a cold-blooded murder of Maoist leaders when they were in the midst of a meeting. The policemen attacked them from helicopters,” Varavara Rao, the revolutionary writer who was one of the emissaries of Maoists during the peace talks, said.
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Left walks out over price rise issue
New Delhi, March 18 In Rajya Sabha CPM leader Sitaram Yechuri attacked Finance Minister P. Chidambaram of “wrong diagnosis and prescription”, saying that “ his surgery may be successful, but the patient is dying”. In the Lok Sabha, the Left parties alleged that the prices had risen even more after the Budget. CPI’s Gurudas Dasgupta said Budget and economic reforms were responsible for the speculative economy showing its teeth. Echoing similar sentiments in the Rajya Sabha, Yechury said the inflation was there because of speculation in forward and futures trading. He also sought immediate ban in forward and future trading in 24 commodities to stop the price rise. Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha during zero hour, CPM leader Rupchand Pal also wanted the public distribution system to be strengthened.
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Pressure mounts on 2 Cong ministers to quit New Delhi, March 18 The Constitution allows ministers to continue in office for six months without being a member of either House of Parliament but Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi will consider the larger issue of political propriety of allowing them to hold their position when their term has ended. UPA sources said this issue will top their priority list after the first phase of the budget session of Parliament closes this week. They will also have to decide on a long overdue Cabinet reshuffle which will acquire greater urgency in case the two ministers are dropped. Pachouri, who was recently appointed president of the Madhya Pradesh Congress, could not be renominated as the party does not have the numbers to get him elected from his home state. Rajshekharan has to stay out of the Upper House because there is no biennial election to Rajya Sabha from his home state Karnataka, where the Assembly has been dissolved. In fact, this piquant situation has put the Congress leadership in a bind. Party sources said they would like to retain Rajshekharan as he is the only Lingayat leader from Karnataka in the government. Since Karnataka Assembly elections are due in a month’s time, the party feels it could alienate this powerful community if it drops him at this critical juncture. In the case of Suresh Pachouri, the party would like him to devote all his time and energy in his home state which is also headed for elections this year-end. The party is in a fix as it cannot apply different rules for the two ministers. Besides, there is a view that the government would invite unnecessary criticism by continuing them in office. The Prime Minister, too, is stated to be uncomfortable with retaining them in the Union Cabinet under such circumstances. It is being hoped the two ministers will step down voluntarily. Perhaps realising that he will be returning to his home state, Rajshekharan has written a special “thank you” letter to both the PM and the Congress president. ”Since my term is ending, I thought I must thank the two leaders for nominating me to the Rajya Sabha and the inducting me into the ministry,” Rajshekharan told the Tribune, adding he had got no indication from the two leaders about his future. Pachouri, however, has written no such letter.
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RS passes delimitation Bill
New Delhi, March
18 Union law minister H.R. Bhardwaj said the exercise was aimed at rationalisation of seats. “We have to complete the exercise because in one year elections are due and members need some time to understand. There has been no discrimination and political consideration in this regard,” he added. The Delimitation (Amendment) ordinance 2008 was promulgated to insert Sections 10-A and 10-B in the Delimitation Act. Section 10-A empowers the President to defer delimitation exercise in a state in certain cases, while Section 10-B nullifies the Delimitation Commission’s orders issued with respect to Jharkhand. Meanwhile, former chief election commissioner and MP (Congress) M.S. Gill said the 1976 decision by the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, to freeze the seats till 2026 was spurred by the skewed demographic structure of the country. He said the decision was prompted by the fact that while northern states were witnessing a sharp increase in population, southern states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu had been moving towards “European levels of population stabilisation.” Such a phenomenon, he observed, could have resulted in a tussle between northern and southern states and accentuated the regional divide. Dr Gill, however, said that a balancing act could have been undertaken by increasing the number of seats in state legislatures in view of a sharp increase in population.
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...And LS Prasar Bharati Bill
New Delhi, March 18 Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi also said that employees of Prasar Bharati would be covered under the Sixth Pay Commission and the government would bring in a Bill to overhaul the set up of the public broadcaster in the latter half of this session. He was replying to the debate on the Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Amendment Bill, 2008 which was passed by the House. The Bill seeks to replace an ordinance that saw the exit of eminent journalist M V Kamath as Chairman of Prasar Bharati. The Bill restricts the term of the Chairperson of the Prasar Bharti board to three years from the date of which he enters upon his office and or until he attains the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier. The chairman shall also be a part-time member. Defending the Bill, Dasmunsi said the amendments were not an attempt to politicise the post of the chairperson but bring in a younger work force in view of the Commonwealth Youth Games to be held in Pune in August this year.
— PTI
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Ball in India’s court for final agreement: IAEA
Mumbai, March 18 “Both the sides are close to a final text but India has to confirm to the IAEA that there is an agreement on the text,” said IAEA Press and Public information officer Ayhan Evrensel in an email communication. “Until then, there is in fact no agreement. So, the ball is in India’s court,” he said. The ruling UPA and Left parties had met yesterday and decided to hold further discussions next month on the draft India-specific safeguards agreement with IAEA.
— PTI
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Rape Charge
New Delhi, March 18 Prima facie the allegation seemed to be an attempt to swindle money from a Lt-Col and two Majors but the ministry of defence is holding an internal inquiry into the incident. The three officers, deputed to the UN Peace Mission in Congo, were accused of rape by a local woman on March 9 at Pretoria’s Plattenburg Bay, sources said here today. The woman, however, withdrew her complaint within hours as a result of which no case was filed against them by the South African police, the sources said. The officers, who were due to return home after expiry of their tenure in Congo, had gone to Pretoria for a short vacation, they said. They are back in Congo to hand over the charge and would be returning to India soon. The Indian high commission in South Africa has sent a detailed report on the incident to the ministry of external affairs and the ministry of defence, in which it has been said that no charges had been registered against the officers. Notwithstanding the withdrawal of complaint, defence minister A.K. Antony said an inquiry had been ordered into the incident. —
PTI
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Sops for villagers, minorities dominate WB Budget
Kolkata, March 18 Several luxury items, including cars and some categories of foreign liquors, have been listed under the new tax proposals. However, tax exemptions and also lowering down of tax rates, many items like leather shoes, kerosene stoves, biscuits, synthetic clothes and electronic goods will be available at cheaper prices. Special pension scheme has also been proposed for the state government employees. Keeping in view the panchayat elections in May, villagers had been granted special privileges in the Budget. Special package has also been announced for the education of the Muslims, other minorities and backward classes of the state. Accordingly, the finance minister announced the opening of 1,000 madrassas and another 1,000 primary and 1,000 secondary schools in panchayat and semi-urban areas, respectively, during the next financial year. There had been additional allotment of funds for agriculture, industry, power, education, small and cottage industries, self-employment, food and civil supplies and food processing. Special funds have also been sanctioned for paying grants of Rs 750 per head every month to all workers of the sick and closed tea gardens in north Bengal. The employees of the closed tea gardens, which were re-opened but still not profitable, would also enjoy the benefit. A sum of Rs 39 crore has been earmarked for the hatchery owners whose birds and chickens were culled as a protective measure against the bird flu.
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Centre ‘blind’ to charges against
Israeli firm New Delhi, March 18 In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the general secretaries of the CPI, the CPM, the All-India Forward Bloc and the Revolutionary Socialist Party have urged the UPA government to ensure that the CBI pursues the Barak scam to its logical conclusion and brings all guilty to book. The Left leaders have drawn the PM’s attention to the UPA government’s alliance with the IAI through a massive Rs 10,000-crore deal for development of more advanced Barak NG (new generation) and Barak 8 missiles with longer-range and land-based anti-missile applications. The letter reads: “By turning a blind eye to systematic violation to Indian laws by Israeli firms, India is sending out wrong signals to international arms manufacturers. These developments also underline the importance of self-reliance in defence production which has been given low priority of late.”
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Open-air cremations for Sikhs, Hindus
New Delhi, March 18 The Anglo Asian Friendship Society (AAFS), a multi-faith registered charity in Britain, has been working to get the right of open-air cremations in the UK for Hindus and Sikhs. It has received support of religious leaders and scholars in India in its campaign and has attracted considerable attention in the British media. In a letter to the Prime Minister, the SGPC chief said different communities in the world dispose their dead according to their religious beliefs. The international law on human rights allows people to practise their beliefs and traditions in different parts of the world. “England does not allow open-air cremations which offends religious sensitivities of Sikhs and Hindus who number about one million in the UK. Even Islamic countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan have set apart sites for crematoriums for Hindu and Sikh ethnic minorities,” he wrote. Suggesting that the cremations could be held eight to 10 kms away from towns, he wrote in the letter that people settled in other countries prefer to adhere to their own traditions. Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee president Paramjit Sarna has also backed the efforts of the AAFS. Andrew Singh Bogan, legal coordinator of the AAFS, told the Tribune that they have launched media campaigns to secure visas for families to attend funerals and transport bodies to India to the grieving relatives. "We are inspired by the humane belief of the right to live and die according to one's faith," he said, adding that the AAFS founding president Baba Davendra Kumar Ghai has sometimes personally met the cost of transporting bodies to India. Bogan said the AAFS has pursued campaigns in various countries for recognition of minority religious rights and have achieved success in Pakistan and Afghanistan. "In Britain, Baba Ghai has spearheaded a well-publicised human rights challenge in legal history to establish open-air cremations," he said. Bogan said the British Muslim community has provisions for separate burial grounds but Hindus and Sikhs must perform their last rites in Chapels of Rest where it may take a week for a funeral to take place. "Gas crematoria run the risk of ashes being mixed up as local authorities cremate many bodies simultaneously to save cost," he said. AAFS office-bearers in Pakistan including Munawar Chand, Sunny Kumar and Sunil Chand were part of the society's delegation to India recently which met religious leaders and scholars. Prof H.R. Sharma, head, Department of Veda in Banaras Hindu University, has termed the AAFS efforts as a landmark legal challenge to legitimise Hindu open-air cremation in Britain. Open air-cremation is an essential component of Hindu last rites, he added. Bogan said Swami Divyanand Teerth of Jyotirmath Avantar Banpura Peeth has also supported the AAFS efforts to get the right of open-air cremations in the UK.
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No interim relief for central staff New Delhi, March 18 "No proposal is under consideration for grant of interim relief to Central Government employees and pensioners," minister of state for finance P.K. Bansal told Rajya Sabha in a written reply. The Railway Budget for 2008-09 had even kept aside Rs 5,000 crore for implementing the Sixth Pay Commission's recommendations. —
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TN bans cold drinks in schools, colleges
Chennai, March 18 With summer approaching and the reported cases of increase in diseases among students, the state government with immediate effect has banned the sale of soft drinks, chocolates, popcorn, jelly, chewing gum and junk food like burgers and pizzas at cafeterias and canteens in educational institutions and also within its vicinity. The state government issued an order and sent it to all educational institutions through its department of civil supplies and consumer protection. The management of schools and colleges can also lodge complaints with the local administration if this order is violated and prompt action will be initiated by the police. Police patrols around educational institutions will keep vigil to ensure such products are not sold by nearby shops or vendors to students. Usually students spend their pocket money given to them by parents on aerated drinks, and junk food at school and college and their health deteriorate because of inferior quality of these eatables. Many social organisations and welfare agencies have been urging the Tamil Nadu government to initiate action in the larger interests of the student community. Taking cognisance of such requests, the government formulated a policy banning the sale of these drinks and eatables and instead suggested the sale of snacks like chhola, ground nut cakes and balls, vegetable soup, soya milk, fresh fruit juice, buttermilk, curd, and items made out of fresh vegetables.
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States, UTs urged to document antiquities
New Delhi, March 18 In order to carry out the documentation, 3,667 centrally protected and 4,251 unprotected monuments have been taken up in the first phase, culture minister Ambika Soni said in a written reply. Initially, it was proposed to carry out the activities of National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities in a phased manner. However, it has since been decided to initiate work simultaneously in all the states and union territories in the interest of rapid implementation, she said. Mamalapuram: Three bas-reliefs were recovered at Mamalapuram coast near Chennai after the tsunami. The bas-reliefs stylistically belong to the Pallava period, Soni said. These recovered materials depict a tiger and a deity in a niche flanked by demi-gods, the figure of an elephant and a horse with a circular niche at the top and the figure of a Kirtimukha (lion face). — PTI
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Patna railway station to become cooking-free zone
Patna, March 18 A pilot project to see the acceptability of this new concept would soon be launched at Patna railway junction, where eight such AVMs would be installed in as many platforms this month, informed IRCTC regional manager Rajesh Rana here yesterday. Claiming the unique concept would be materialised for the first time in India in line with those present at railway platforms of most of the developed countries, Rana said the AVMs would not only provide pre-cooked food items in bio-degradable containers, but also hot and cold beverages at competitive prices all round the year. He said the condition of food items, previously cooked in hygienic way elsewhere, would be monitored by expert teams daily to ensure their quality. The provision to supply the food-packers after properly warming them would also be made in the AVMs, Rana emphasised. Claiming that the proposed conversion of all busy railway platforms as Cooking Free Zone was in line with the newly introduced catering policy of the Indian Railways, Rana said. He also added that following a national bidding programme, a number of reputed private companies had not only evinced interest but also bagged the orders for various stations. — UNI
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Indian in Spanish jail innocent: Family
Mumbai, March 18 The 50-year-old Khan was a resident of Jogeshwari in suburban Mumbai and a trader by profession. He left for Spain late last year to profit from the growing demand for olives in India. According to Khan’s relatives, he had been trying to run an export business without much success for the past decades. “He left last September on a three-month visa, but was hoping for an extension,” says his wife Farida. Khan, along with 14 others, was detained on January 19 at a Barcelona mosque and charged with plotting a terror attack. According to reports, Khan had come into contact with some Pakistanis living in Spain and had come to the mosque for a Koran reading session when the police raided the place. Another Indian and three others who were with Khan were released after being kept in custody for some days. The ministry of external affairs is still waiting for details about the charges under which Khan is being held though he was given consular access after being held for a month. However, Khan’s brother Mehboob said, “My brother’s case is like Dr Haneef who was arrested by the Australian police. Roshan’s only fault was that he is a Muslim,” Mehboob said. Khan is a father of six children, one of whom is appearing for the SSC examinations. According to the family, they got to know of Khan’s arrest only after several days passed without any word from him. “It was only after we got in touch with our relatives in Spain that we got to know of Khan’s arrest,” Farida said. A letter from the Indian ambassador to Spain, more than a month later, confirmed Khan’s arrest and the fact that he was well looked after. Mehboob said he was set to leave for Spain so that he can fight for his brother’s freedom.
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Take up Tibet issue with UN: BJP
New Delhi, March 18 Strongly condemning the “genocide” in Tibet, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani, who presided over the Parliamentary Party meeting, accused the UPA government of treating Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama like an “untouchable”. “The government has asked its ministers not to attend or share platforms with the head You can’t treat him in this manner to win over the loyalty of the Communists,” he observed. Speaking to mediapersons after the meeting, BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra said the Indian Government should exert pressure on China to stop the attack on the “Tibetan people and their culture in the name of people's war”. Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh said the government was “interfering in the internal affairs” of Nepal to please the Communists while the Left parties were refusing to denounce the Chinese attack on helpless Tibetans on the grounds that it was Beijing's “internal matter”. “This is another example of the never-ending double standards of the Communists,” he said, recalling that the Communists had not condemned the Chinese attack on India in 1962. The other issue that figured in the meeting was of controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen who is being pushed to go to Europe. This is in contrast to the attitude of the government which was tolerating crores of Bangladeshis in order to appease its “vote bank”. “The writer was forced to leave her country by fundamentalist elements and now the government is forcing her to leave India instead of giving her the necessary moral support,” Malhotra said.
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Tibet is part of China: Basu
Kolkata, March 18 The CPM patriarch made these observations at a function at Salt Lake City today. Basu said the Dalai Lama should accept the situation and extend all help and co-operation to the Chinese government for restoring peace and normalcy in China. Interestingly, Basu’s remark came while the CPM Politburo was still silent on the issue. However, the party’s mouthpiece the Bengali daily, Ganasakti criticised the Dalai Lama and held him responsible for the present unrest and upheaval in Tibet. The UPA government is also yet to clarify its political stand on the present situation in Tibet, though the external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee made an appeal to the Beijing government to handle the situation on humanitarian grounds. When the Communist Party was divided in the 1960s over the ideological clash between the two Communist parties in the world, the Soviet Russia and China, Basu. B.T.Ranadive, P.Sundarayya, Basupunniah and Harkrishen Singh Surjeet, among others, towed the Chinese line. Meanwhile, today a large number of Tibetans in Darjeeling and other parts in the country took out protest marches against the Chinese “aggression” in Tibet.
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CBI to file chargsheet against ex-RAW official
New Delhi, March 18 According to the sources in Union Home Ministry, the CBI has sent the complaint (chargesheet) about Maj Gen (retd) V K Singh, who wrote the book, to the ministry for vetting and once received back, it would be submitted before the designated court. CBI had booked Singh under Section 5 of Officials Secrets Act (wrongful information) last year. — PTI
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Mumbai blaze toll 8
Mumbai, March 18 One of the injured in the blaze succumbed to wounds today, taking the toll to eight. Fifty-four persons were injured in the mishap. The police said a case has been filed against Baljit Gandhi, the owner of Smruti Aerosols, located in the industrial estate in Byculla area of Central Mumbai, which went up in flames yesterday. Gandhi was manufacturing aerosols, which were then used in the production of fake versions of perfumes and deodorants, the police said. He has been charged with not taking sufficient safety measures.— PTI
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Lapang may quit ahead of floor test
Shillong, March 18 Highly-placed sources in the Congress said he may take the decision during an emergency meeting of the Congress Legislature Party convened this evening. Asked by Governor S S Sidhu to prove his majority by tomorrow, Chief Minister Lapang had got the Speaker’s election postponed yesterday apparently fearing defeat in the first trial of strength. There was speculation that Lapang may quit before tomorrow’s test to avoid embarrassment as the Congress-led Meghalaya United Alliance (MUA) was still three short of the magic number, despite desperate attempts to woo MLAs from the rival Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA) camp. The sources also indicated that along with Lapang, state Congress president O L Nongtdu might also quit on moral grounds. With 28 legislators, including three Independents, in the 60-member house, Congress is desperate to win over MLAs from the rival MPA in the floor test. Governor Sidhu’s decision to invite Congress, which emerged as the single-largest party after the recent polls, to form the government was attacked by the rival alliance that moved the Supreme Court against it. The apex court, however, refused to intervene in the issue at that stage. The postponement of the Speaker’s election drew flak from MPA.
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Ban on surrogate liquor ads
New Delhi, March 18 “The notification was issued on February 25, 2008, amending the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994 to the effect that no advertisement shall be permitted which promotes directly or indirectly, sale or consumption of cigarettes, tobacco products, wine, alcohol or liquor,” Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi told the Lok Sabha in a written reply. He said, “Failure to comply will entail action as per the provisions of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and rules framed thereunder”. The minister also added that even the Press Council of India, a statutory autonomous body, has laid down the norms for journalistic conduct under Article 13 (2)(b) of the Press Council Act 1987. — PTI
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Suggestions for expanding rape definition
New Delhi, March 18 As the home ministry prepared a draft amendment bill, the National Commission for Women recommended changes in the rape laws, he said. He said the suggestions include changing the definition of rape and making the crime punishable by death as against the life imprisonment at present. — PTI
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Govt crackdown paralyses Goa party scene
Mumbai, March 18 Home minister Ravi Naik said in Panaji today that contingents of police including the Reserve Police have been deployed on all major beaches of Goa to keep away people after 11 pm. Chief Minister Digambar Kamat today insisted that the state was the "safest" destination for tourists as he briefed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on the incident. In Panaji, Fiona Mackeown, the mother of Scarlett Keeling, blamed the Goa Home Ministry for covering up her daughter's case. She said the ministry was also attempting to save the accused in her daughter's murder. During the peak tourist season stretching from October to May, scores of beach shacks dot the major beaches of Goa catering to foreign and Indian tourists alike. These shacks run on temporary licenses issued to people with considerable political clout and function till three or four in the morning with blaring music and customers buzzing around in two-wheelers. This freewheeling holiday spirit has been considerably curbed as the Goa Government has decided to strictly impose the rules from this week. The government also came in for much flak from the Panaji Bench of the Bombay High Court for not regulating the number of shacks on the beaches. Most of the shack owners put up deck chairs which are paid for by tourists by the hour. A PIL filed before the court prayed that rules and regulations be imposed on the beach shacks so that the temporary encroachments do not become permanent over time. The government has also decreed that music at shacks and even restaurants will now stop exactly at 11 pm keeping in mind the noise regulations imposed by the Supreme Court. Though these rules were in force in Goa, they were never imposed as the local administration looked on as hotel owners violated the rules. The police have also decided to question anyone found loitering on the beaches at night in a bid to keep people away after dark.
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