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Gill demands bonus on wheat
Civilian Nuclear Plant Safety
’84 Riots Compensation |
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Communal slant in ‘Shourya’ angers Army New Delhi, April 4 The Indian Army is seeing red over the latest Bollywood flick “Shourya” that was released today across the country. The portrayal of Army officers in the movie, one of them shown to have a bias against the Muslims, has irked the men in olive green.
‘Tirupati Laddu’ to be patented
Hike in MPs’ salaries
Amar Singh’s complaint against Raj dismissed
Khurana’s return can bring prodigious leaders back
Deflating Inflation
Miraculous! Female pheasant turns male
Pay panel, defence ministry discuss hike
17 die after consuming wild mushroom
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Gill demands bonus on wheat
New Delhi, April 4 In other words, private companies are free to buy wheat in Punjab and Haryana during the current rabi season and if they exceed the limit they are just required to furnish the details of the purchase to the government. It also means that farmers can sell their produce to whosoever they want. “There is no ban on corporates in Punjab and Haryana on purchasing wheat from farmers. Farmers are at liberty to sell their produce to anyone they want - corporates or government procurement agencies. The notification is just a check measure in the interest of India’s food security to ensure that the government is in the picture in case of large-scale purchases and there is no hording,” explains an Food Corporation of India (FCI) official. Farmers, however, disagree saying the reality is vastly different from what is being projected. According to Bharti Kisan Union (Punjab) president Balbir Singh Rajewal, no corporate will be able to make any major purchase because they have been “instructed verbally by the government to keep away from mandis.” “No corporate will be buying, at least on large-scale. This happened last year as well. It is the farmer who will suffer because of unreasonable MSP set by the government along with such control measures,” Ludhiana-based farmer Amarjit Singh rues. Former agriculture commissioner M.S. Gill is clear that the methodology of imposing “control on open trade” in Punjab and Haryana mandis to ensure that the government procurement agencies are able to meet the target will be detrimental for the health of agriculture in the country. “This methodology will not work,” he adds. Demanding the immediate announcement of bonus to farmers before April 13, he stressed that if the government wanted to meet the procurement target during the current Rabi in Punjab and Haryana, the farmers should get the true market price. The FCI says for Punjab the target this year is 85 lakh MT and for Haryana 40 lakh MT. It also admits that with each year wheat procurement has been coming down. The Rajya Sabha MP said the world over the situation on wheat was critical. “Either the grain is not available or is available at a much higher price than the MSP of Rs 1,000 set by the government. If you want to feed the food deficit India then this type of control measures will not work. You cannot tell the farmer that you give your grain at a low price and expect that he will continue growing wheat for you.”
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India to present its first report
Shiv Kumar Tribune News Service
Mumbai, April 4 India had joined the CNS only in 2005 and thus did not have to present a similar report to in the past. However, the Indian team was given observer status at the 2005 meeting. As part of this effort, Sharma would also take a 17-member team from the country’s nuclear department for the fortnight-long convention. Observers say India’s joining the CNS was part of the effort to integrate the country’s nuclear establishment into the global mainstream. Sharma said Indian scientists would exchange information on the safety of the country’s nuclear plants with their colleagues in other parts of the world. “We hope to further strengthen the safety of our nuclear plants by such interactions,” Sharma said. In all 60 countries would be participating in the CNS. All the participants would be split into six groups of ten participating countries each with every group having a chairman, vice-chairman and a rapporteur. The end of the convention would see a combined report presented to the president of the CNS, according to Sharma. The CNS was adopted in June 1994 following a joint effort by governments of several countries, nuclear experts and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The goal of the CNS is to legally commit participating states operating land-based nuclear power plants to maintain a high level of safety by setting international benchmarks to which the states would subscribe. The obligations of the parties are based to a large extent on the principles contained in the IAEA safety fundamentals document “The Safety of Nuclear Installations”. These obligations cover, for instance, design, construction, operation, the availability of adequate financial and human resources, the assessment and verification of safety, quality assurance and emergency preparedness, according to information put out by the IAEA. However, analysts say the CNS aims to act as an incentive instrument rather than adopt coercive powers like controls and sanctions. The CNS appeals to the common interest of its members to achieve higher levels of safety.
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Justice eludes victims
Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 4 Out of about Rs 714 crore, the Prime Minister announced as relief on January 16, 2006, only about Rs 419 crore have so far been handed over to the victims. These figures are contained in a recent communiqué of the ministry of home affairs to National Commission for Minorities (NCM). The unutilised amount is 41 per cent of the total - a figure that has left the NCM disappointed. The commission is now sending its team to clear the pending cases in Uttar Pradesh, where 4,326 claims were filed and only 2,234 settled while 2,200 cases were pending. This is over and above the cases of families that migrated out of Uttar Pradesh, mainly to Punjab, at the time of riots. Such families can also come to Kanpur on April 7 and 8 when we meet the victims of 1984 riots to speed up the settlement of their cases, Harcharan Singh Josh, member of the commission today told The Tribune. On April 9 and 10, the commission committee headed by its chairperson will hold meetings with the state chief secretary and Governor with respect to the families affected by the riots. In regards to the pending claim cases - the maximum is in Delhi, where 11,164 cases were filed over 20 years ago; 2,841 of these are pending. Out of the relief package given by the Prime Minister, the Delhi government is yet to disburse Rs 22 crore. In Madhya Pradesh, 871 cases of the riot victims remain to be settled; the relief fund released to the state was about Rs 11 crore of which Rs four crore is not utilised, the commission confirmed to The Tribune. The pending claim cases in Punjab is 1,247 out of the 13,125 total cases. Here the state government is yet to give Rs 19 crore out of the relief fund of Rs 237 crore given by the Prime Minister. Pending cases are lowest in Maharashtra - just one case. This is followed by Haryana where 100 cases out of 618 are pending for settlement and Jharkhand where the pending figure is 610 out of total cases of 1265.
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Communal slant in ‘Shourya’ angers Army New Delhi, April 4 It seems the movie and its contents have caught the Army unawares and officials realised only when reports began filtering in from cine goers this morning. “It is strange that Director Samar Khan never felt like taking permission from the ministry of defence (MoD). Even the Central Board of Film Certification approved the movie. The board should have seen it carefully and referred it to the MoD for its opinion before giving it permission, said a senior functionary. The depiction of the communal angle in the Army is far too serious an issue, officials here believe. The movie portrays Kay Kay Menon, playing the role of Brig Rudra Partap Singh, as one of the best officers in the Indian Army - a man with strong beliefs and commitment. However, he is shown to have developed a bias against the Muslims and is shown to be serving in the strife-torn Kashmir valley with his biases in place. The Army, which is the only institutions in the country that does not allow reservation on the basis of caste or religion, has not taken this “communal” depiction of an officer kindly. Another objectionable part for the defence forces is that Deepak Dobriyal, who plays Capt Javed Khan, is shown as having being convicted on religious grounds. He is shown to be under house arrest for revolting against a senior officer and shooting him during an operation. The officer killed is depicted as a Hindu and his widow and five-year-old child are left helpless. Javed is depicted as a man wronged by his country by the very men who he fought with and were his friends. In the movie his lawyer, played by Rahul Bose, “exposes” the reality that he had been nabbed just to appease a particular community. It also depicts that the Army hid facts of the case. Coming close on the heels of the controversy over alleged “fudging of account” of the Battle of Laungewala in 1971, the movie could not have come at worst time for the image of the Army.
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‘Tirupati Laddu’ to be patented
Hyderabad, April 4 “We have applied for patent rights for Tirupati Laddu to prevent exploitation by copycats. We expect patent to be granted soon,” executive officer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) K.V. Ramanachary said. There have been several instances of unscrupulous elements selling a similar preparation passing it off as ‘Tirupati Laddu’. “Once the patent is granted, such violators can be booked under the Intellectual Properties Act and sent to jail,” the official said. The Act is aimed at helping consumers from misleading practices, while protecting the interests of the local communities that were known for a particular product, process and preparation. The GI recognises goods produced from a particular geographical location with certain exclusive characteristics. Infringement of GI rights attracts a jail term up to three years plus fine. The delicious Tirupati Laddu is a sweet favourite of the young and old. It is a common practice for devotees returning from Tirupati to carry Laddu as prasadam to their friends and relatives. Whenever one thinks of Tirumala temple, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, the mouth-watering 'Laddu' springs to mind. Its appetising smell wafts through the air at Tirumala, the country's richest shrine. An estimated 1.80 lakh laddus are sold at the hill shrine every day. An average of 50,000 pilgrims visit the temple, nestled among Seven Hills, in Chittor district of Andhra Pradesh. The ingredients that go into the preparation of the laddu are besan flour, sugar, oil, cardamom, saffron and dry fruits. They are prepared inside a massive kitchen called 'Potu' and a crane is used to transport the grocery needed for the preparation. While the cost of preparation of each laddu works out to Rs 22, the temple board supplies them at a subsidised rate of Rs 10 each.
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Somnath unhappy with row over
his proposal
Anita Katyal Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 4 The Union Cabinet yesterday deferred a decision on setting up an “emoluments commission”, leaving it to the next Parliament to take a view on this. This move has met with resistance from MPs who do not want “outsiders” to decide on their salaries. However, Chatterjee is disturbed that his proposal for a separate body is being viewed as a pretext for seeking a fresh hike in the salaries of MPs. “The way this issue has come out, it gives the impression as if I am suggesting that the time has come for another raise in the salaries of MPs,” Chatterjee said here today when his comments were sought on the Union Cabinet’s decision. Stating that there had been a “total misunderstanding” on this issue, Chatterjee clarified that he had only suggested that instead of MPs giving themselves periodic pay hikes, this should be left to an independent body as the current practice always comes in for severe public criticism. “The present system is undemocratic and unethical,” he maintained. The Lok Sabha Speaker had called an all-party meeting in 2005 where he had pointed out that India was the only country in the world where MPs decided on their own salaries. He had, therefore, suggested that an institutional mechanism be put in place which would periodically review the salaries of MPs as it would help ward off criticism. The meeting, attended by Lok Sabha leader Pranab Mukherjee and the then parliamentary affairs minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, had unanimously endorsed this proposal although it was left to the government to decide on the composition of this body. Chatterjee followed it up with a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who agreed with his proposal and assured Chatterjee that the government would act on it. Subsequently, the parliamentary affairs ministry drew up a proposal to set up a separate commission, which had been on the Cabinet agenda for several months now. On Thursday, however, the proposal was virtually put in the cold storage as it was felt the next Lok Sabha should take a view on it. Some ministers even questioned the feasibility of setting up a separate commission for 800 members.
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Amar Singh’s complaint against Raj dismissed
Mumbai, April 4 Singh in his complaint, on February 3, 2008, alleged that he faced a threat to his life from Thackeray and members of the MNS. Singh had rushed with his supporters to the Azad Maidan police station shortly after delivering a speech at Shivaji Park in the afternoon after SP activists got into a scuffle with MNS men. Maharashtra was in the grip of fear subsequently as MNS activists went on a rampage against migrants from Northern India. According to Singh, he was afraid that Thackeray would send his goons to hurt him and his family. The police had closed the investigation on the matter and said Singh’s complaint was “false and malicious”. DCP Brijesh Singh told reporters today that there was not much substance to Amar Singh’s complaint. Senior police officials from Mumbai had warned Singh that he could visit Mumbai with his security detail after notifying the local authorities as per protocol. However, politicians, who do not face any serious threats to their lives, arrive in Mumbai at short notice leaving their armed guards behind, say local police officials. “If Amar Singh was really afraid of his life, he would not have come to Mumbai without his commandos.”
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Khurana’s return can bring prodigious leaders back
New Delhi, April 4 Khurana’s re-entry into the party is on expected lines as the senior Delhi leader had been pleading his case for several months now, making it clear that he would not make any undue demands on the leadership. However, Uma Bharati and Babulal Marandi’s reinduction may prove to be more difficult as both leaders are unlikely to settle for an ‘unconditional surrender’ and will extract a price for their return. All the three leaders had left the BJP in a huff, raising a banner of revolt against the BJP leaders, specifically senior BJP leader L.K.Advani. Khurana had severely criticised Advani two years ago over the Kandahar hijack episode and and had even gone as far as to say that he could not work with him. Uma Bharati was furious when she was denied the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister’s post even after she was acquitted in a court case even though she enjoyed the support of a large section of legislators. The temperamental ‘sanyasin’ had lashed out at Advani in full public glare and accused him of protecting all those leaders who were planting stories against her. Babulal Marandi, too, revolted against the party when he was overlooked for the post of Jharkhand Chief Minister that was instead given to his bete noire Arjun Munda. Although the exit of the three leaders was a bitter affair, the party has taken a conscious decision to seek their return as they feel the trio can make a contribution in their respective states. Khurana’s re-induction was the easiest as the Delhi leader himself was very keen on coming back and is learnt to have agreed to the condition that he will not seek a lead role in Delhi politics. The party, on its part, feels that Khurana can shore up its position in Delhi where Assembly elections are due later this year as he does have a significant following in the Punjabi community. Although secret parleys with Uma are on, her case is little more complicated. Advani and Rajnath Singh are willing to “forgive and forget” but leaders like Arun Jaitely and Sushma Swaraj are resisting her re-entry.
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Sonia’s recipe: Check hoarding, strengthen PDS
New Delhi, April 4 Congress president Sonia Gandhi expressed serious concern asking the states to exercise their powers to control blackmarketing and hoarding and strengthen the public distribution system (PDS) to control the price rise. In her first public reaction on this issue, Sonia said: “This continues to cause us great concern,” while attributing the increase in the rate of inflation to international developments in recent weeks. “I am aware that our Prime Minister is very sensitive to this issue and that he knows our party’s thinking very well,” she said in the latest issue of the Party’s mouthpiece “Congress Sandesh.” Sonia pointed out that the thinking of the party was that “while higher growth is essential, we must at the same time ensure that the prices of essential commodities remain affordable to all sections of society.” Asserting that the Congress-led UPA government had been discharging its powers to control speculation, she asked the state governments to strengthen the public distribution system (PDS). Meanwhile, talking to reporters after launching a three-day India@60 trade and cultural fair in Singapore today, union commerce minister Kamal Nath said the government was concerned about the impact of the global economic slowdown and the surging commodity prices on India. “Strengthening of the PDS is something that the state governments are responsible for and is something that they must make a priority.” BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley said. It was a satire that the management of the government headed by an economist where the prices of essential food articles, rents, housing costs had all gone up, he said adding the UPA was showing no such foresight and has left the aam admi to fend for himself with no governmental support. “If the inflation in the present regime has become an unlegislated tax on the masses and the problem can only get confounded in the future and the party will take the issue to the people throughout the country”, he added. — UNI
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Miraculous! Female pheasant turns male
Lucknow, April 4 “The bird, originally hailing from China, had been changing its colour since the last two years, but scant attention was paid towards it,” Zoological director Renu Singh said here today. The silver pheasant was kept with its male counterparts for crossbreeding. Later, it was discovered that the bird had changed its sex, she informed. The change in hormones caused male symptoms in the bird, she added. — UNI
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Pay panel, defence ministry discuss hike
New Delhi, April 4 The commission also explained that 40 per cent of the entire financial burden on the central government would accrue from the salary hike that the Army would get.
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17 die after consuming wild mushroom
Guwahati, April 4 Out of those killed, 10 were from Golaghat district, five from Sivasagar and two others from
Jorhat.
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25 killed in mishap 11 kids die in Manipur |
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