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AIIMS, PGI to have 18 pc OBC quota
100 protesters held
Torch relay leaves MPs stranded
Boycott Chinese goods: George
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TN CM urges coalition partners to remain united
Movement of Foodgrains
‘Pro-Khalistan’ parade in Canada
Nesting of Olive Ridley Turtles
Five maritime varsities likely to be set up
Indian Army rescues 6 air crash survivors in Congo
Indian men succumb easily to powerful women: Book
Seven of family murdered in UP
Lack of rescue vessels puts submarine crew at risk
Panel lashes out at pharma policy delay
Advani pleads Sarabjit’s case with Pak
Pranab to visit S. Arabia on April 19
‘No evidence of cartelisation by steelmakers’
641 Indians in Pak jails
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AIIMS, PGI to have 18 pc OBC quota
New Delhi, April 17 The decision was taken here today at a meeting of institute directors, chaired by union health and family welfare minister Anbumani Ramadoss. Although inadequacy of infrastructure has been cited as a problem in the immediate implementation of quotas, the institute directors along with the government decided to go in phases by reserving seats for OBCs over two years, with 18 per cent quota to be made available this session. This would work out to about 70 per cent of the 27 per cent quota for OBCs cleared by the Supreme Court of India. Sources said lack of facilities to accommodate all students in the same session led the government to decide in favour of implementing 70 per cent of the total 27 per cent OBC quota from this year. The health minister has, meanwhile, directed the medical institutes to send their requirements for increase in infrastructure to the Expenditure and Finance Committee by April 25. The heads of the institutes said within the next two years, the entire 27 per cent quota could be implemented. Ramadoss has also asked the institute heads to write letters to various universities to which they are affiliated and seek permission to increase the total number of seats in view of the implementation of OBC quota. Among those who attended today’s meeting on quotas were heads of AIIMS, PGI, Chandigarh, JIPMER, Puducherry, Ram Manohar Lohia and Lady Hardinge Medical Colleges in Delhi.
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100 protesters held
New Delhi, April 17 Although the city was turned into a virtual security fortress with thousands of policemen keeping a hawk-eye vigil, the protesters did not seem to be too intimidated. The protesters emerged at various places in small numbers and tried to break the security cordon besides raising slogans against China for the atrocities committed in Tibet. Thirty-two Tibetans were detained in the Dhaula Kuan area of south Delhi in the wee hours. The group had entered into a scuffle with the police as it thwarted their attempt to lay siege to the route through which the Olympic torch was to pass through after its arrival from the airport. The incident took place minutes before the special aircraft carrying the torch landed at the Indira Gandhi International airport at 1.10 am. About two hours later, around 30 Tibetans arrived at the Le Meridian hotel, where the torch was reportedly kept, and started raising slogans. While the police detained about eight Tibetans, the others were chased away by the security personnel. The protests intensified as the day progressed and more Tibetans youth were detained as they held protests in the vicinity of
Rajpath.
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Torch relay leaves MPs stranded
New Delhi, April 17 The Upper House was to resume sitting at 3 pm after an hour-long lunch recess, but for 15 minutes, the House could not be called to order as the minimum numbers of members required were not there. Apparently, the members who live in the nearby South Avenue went home for lunch, only to find the entire stretch of the Rajpath blocked by security personnel to ensure a trouble free run of the Olympic torch. Under the rules of business, a minimum of 25 per cent of the effective strength of the House forms the quorum and when the House assembled there were hardly nine members and two of these were ministers -- power minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and urban development minister Jaipal Reddy. The House broke for recess at 2 pm after a marathon reply by food minister Sharad Pawar to a short duration discussion on the price rise issue.
— PTI
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Boycott Chinese goods: George
New Delhi, April 17 Addressing a large gathering of Tibetans on the road facing the Janata Dal (United) office, the JD(U) MP suggested that Indian leaders should engage with world leaders to help Tibet in achieving independence. “There are still some people left in this country who will not let Tibet be destroyed.” Actor turned activist Nafisa Ali took a harder stand in suggesting imposition of economic sanctions against China. Prominent among others who joined the Tibetans in their cause were Samata Party leader Jaya Jaitley, Lok Sabha MP Kiran Rijiju and cricketer Kirti Azad and Tibetologist Vijay Kranti. Explaining the rationale behind the parallel torch relay, Tseten Norbu, chief coordinator of the Tibetan Solidarity Committee, said in a statement issued here today that the official relay has little spirit of Olympics, as it is being organised under extreme security. After spending a morning chanting and praying, a large number of protesters, mostly monks carried placards that read ‘China- Zero per cent human rights’, ‘Run for genuine peace, genuine harmony, genuine brotherhood’ and ‘Long live India Tibet friendship’. Dancers and drummers cheered the runners carrying the alternate ‘Torch for Tibet’.
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Dasmunsi asked to miss relay
Information and broadcasting minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi, who was slated to participate in the Olympic torch relay today in his capacity as head of the All-India Football Federation, stayed away from the event. UPA sources said Dasmunsi was advised not to go ahead with these plans by external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee on the ground that ministers should stay way from the programme as it could stoke unnecessary controversy.
Dash of glamour
Actor Aamir Khan, one of the 70 torch bearers of the Delhi leg of the relay was cheered by the crowds at India Gate today. Sagarika Ghatge of ‘Chak De’ fame, also commanded respect and enviable attention of the distinguished audience as she was called to the stage by the Indian Olympic Association along with the Queen of the Indian tracks, P.T Usha and athletes Shiny Wilson and Anju Babu George.
Cheer leaders
Children from five Delhi schools, including Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya on Deen Dayal Updahyay Marg, seemed delighted with their well defined role of cheering the Olympic torch relay runners. Clad in T-shirts and caps distributed by the sponsors, the children waved baloons and flags and gave good visual footage to reporters of 24-hour news channels.
— TNS
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Dasmunsi nominated for award
New Delhi, April 17 The decision was taken today by a special committee, headed by Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and comprising Lok Sabha leader Pranab Mukherjee, Rajya Sabha’s leader of Opposition Jaswant Singh and Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Rehman Khan. There were several contenders for the award, including union minister Kapil Sibal, BJP leader V.K Malhotra and Left members Basudev Acharia and Gurudas
Dasgupta.
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TN CM urges coalition partners to remain united
Chennai, April 17 The Chief Minister also said Congress was a non-communal party which should be voted back to power. Reacting to the walkout by the Left parties over the “Centre’s failure to control inflation, the DMK leader said there should be no cracks in the coalition as it would enable “communal forces” to come to power in the country. “Another Ayodhya or Rathyatra by BJP’s
L.K. Advani would turn the nation into a grave,” he said. UPA allies should ensure that the “followers of killers of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, should not rule the land,” he told the Tamil Nadu assembly. “The alliance
(UPA) was formed with the aim of preventing communal forces from coming to power and there should be no problems among allies,” he said in an apparent reference to the Left-Congress spat in the assembly today and the Left walkout charging the Centre with failing to curb price rise. Congress termed the walkout as “backstabbing” and an “election stunt.” Karunanidhi also claimed that he was intrumental in preventing cracks (between Congress and the Left) in the UPA over the India-US nuclear deal.
— PTI
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Movement of Foodgrains
New Delhi, April 17 And he managed, as usual, to spring a surprise by announcing today in the Lok Sabha that the Indian Railways would not facilitate the movement of private foodgrains in the country. The Railways, said Lalu, would only transport the stocks of Food Corporation of India and those meant for public distribution system. “We have decided not to transport the stocks of private traders who tend to hoard foodgrains and exploit the common man,” Lalu said, in his reply to the debate on Demands for Grants (Railways) for 2008-09. The announcement took many of Lalu’s coalition colleagues by surprise, with some later saying the Railways might decide to fix a limit on the transport of foodgrains procured by private companies. The Railways minister, on his part, was clear about the proposal, which he justified saying hoarding had contributed immensely to escalation of prices of essential commodities. Taking a cue from the finance minister, Lalu also said today that the Indian Railways would not mind reducing its earnings to control prices. Chidambaram had yesterday said the government was prepared to
sacrifice revenue to check inflation. Lalu, however, went some steps further on the “price-control” path, saying Railways would, at no cost, allow private players to enter the core sector. “They can invest in the modernisation of railway stations, but there is no way we will allow them to invest in the core sector, even though we know they wish to. The world is looking at Indian Railways with awe and private investors are hugely interested in us,” Lalu said, before he announced that Indian Railways would soon adorn its trains and offices with Madhubani paintings to promote the art and artisans. He was quick to credit UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi with the proposal, adding that it was originally Indira Gandhi who promoted the art. “We are happy to accept Soniaji’s proposal. It will not only help us conserve heritage but will also create job opportunities for women engaged in this art,” Lalu said. The government further listed unmanned level crossings as a priority area and said 25,000 unmanned gates across India would soon be manned and the process of training technical staff for the purpose was on. The minister added that Railways would touch Rs one lakh crore as surplus and all projects, including eastern part of freight corridor, would finish in time. Later during the evening, Demands for Grants were passed by voice vote, and the six cut motions were negated. The House also passed the Appropriation Bill, which allows Railways to withdraw money for expenditure till March 31, next year, from the Consolidated Fund of India.
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‘Pro-Khalistan’ parade in Canada
New Delhi, April 17 The union external affairs ministry has conveyed its concern to Canadian minister of state for external affairs, Helena Georges, who was on a visit to India. The parade took place in Surrey, Canada on April 7. Posters of Indira Gandhi’s assassins were carried portraying them as martyrs and slogans were raised by “pro-Khalistan” elements. The former Indian Prime Minister was gunned down by her own bodyguards in 1984 in the aftermath of the controversial Operation Bluestar. Sonia Gandhi, during her visit to the Golden Temple in 1999 had expressed deep anguish and regret over the 1984 happenings, which she said should not have happened. “I have prayed at the shrine that such events must never happen again,” she had then said. However, at the ground-level things were simmering especially among “pro-Khalistan” elements based abroad. The Punjab Police and the Intelligence Bureau in their analysis have been often mentioned about sympathisers in Germany, Italy, USA, Canada. The Punjab Police has even stone walled the issue of visas to a few such suspected elements. Union minister of state for commerce and industry Ashwani Kumar, who hails from Gurdaspur - that was once the hotbed of terrorism - separately informed the visiting Canadian external affairs Minister Helena Georges about the “pro-Khalistan” statements made recently in Canada. Kumar said such activities on the Canadian soil would be treated as our unfriendly act by the Indian people and that the Canadian government is expected to address the issue. Ashwani Kumar said Canada attaches the highest importance to strengthening its relationship with India and that her visit to India was a step in this direction. She has assured that Canadian soil will not be allowed to be used for any act considered unfriendly to India. Meanwhile, the Canadian authorities have expressed regret at the incident and have informed that they will look into the matter. According to Canadian authorities, the senior legislators had visited only on the assurance that nothing controversial would be on display, however, they had been misinformed.
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Nesting of Olive Ridley Turtles
New Delhi, April 17 And is the Tata port at Dhamra, Orissa, another reason that the turtles, despite congregating at the site, decided not to nest at the 1140 sq-km sanctuary. The Dhamra Port is coming up less than five km from Bhitarkanika Sanctuary and less than 15 km from Gahirmatha's beaches, says the Green Brigade. Conservationists, who have been highlighting the Port's potential environmental impacts when it was first proposed in the 1990s, now also allege that missile launches by DRDO are affecting nesting pattern of the endangered Olive Ridley, a species that enjoys the same legal protection as the tiger. According to Wildlife Society of Orissa campaigner Biswajit Mohanty, this year the mass nesting of turtles has not taken place at the Gahirmatha due to disturbance caused by missile launch. Mohanty says, as per an agreement with the state Wildlife Department, the DRDO is not supposed to either conduct missile tests or use bright lights during the turtle season. "In spite of the agreement missiles were fired. We suspect that this might have caused disturbances because at that time turtles were approaching the beach," he says, adding that Nasi-I and Nasi-II, two tiny islands in the northern portion of Gahirmatha, are close to the missile launch centre and the largest nesting grounds of Ridley turtles in the world. The opposition is growing with calls by conservationists to stop the port to protect the endangered species now joined by appeals from the traditional fishing community and over 150 leading international scientists and turtle researchers. Reports suggest that even the Orissa Wildlife Department
says the test fire of Agni-1 missile last month at the nearby Wheeler Island may have put off the
turtles. Apparently, the department has now urged the DRDO to postpone the test fire of long-range Agni-III missile, scheduled sometime later
this month.
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Five maritime varsities likely to be set up
New Delhi, April 17 There is a need for augmenting training capacity and capabilities in the country to meet the projected global shortage of 27,000 officers by 2015. It is also needed to achieve the share of India in the world maritime manpower fleet from the current six per cent to at least 20 per cent, a committee on transport, tourism and culture on the Indian Maritime University Bill 2007, in its report tabled in the Parliament today said. The Bill, in its present form, seeks to establish and incorporate a teaching and affiliating university at Chennai with its campus at Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Vishakhapatnam at the national level to facilitate and promote maritime studies and research in areas of marine science and technology. Stressing that it was not convinced with reasons for establishing just one university for the entire country, the committee headed by MP Sitaram Yechury said the Bill in its present form was not sufficient in achieving desired objects for the country. The panel, therefore, recommended the government should consider bringing in fresh comprehensive legislation for the creation of five maritime universities before the Parliament as expeditiously as possible. According to Yechury the committee received a large number of representations with varied viewpoints and opinions on headquarters of the university and requirement for more than one university to cater to the needs of maritime and related sectors. “After examining the views of stakeholders the committee feels that one maritime university is not sufficient to serve the purpose of maritime studies and research. It is, therefore, recommended that there must be one maritime university each at Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Vishakhapatnaman and Kochi with clear demarcated geographical jurisdiction,” he
said.
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Indian Army rescues 6 air crash survivors in Congo
New Delhi, April 17 An Army spokesman today said timely rescue operation by troops saved lives of wounded passengers of the crashed aircraft. The Hewa Bora Airways McDonnell Douglas DC-9 aborted its takeoff on Tuesday from Goma in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, then skidded over the runway and down a ravine into a crowded neighbourhood of homes and shops in Birere market area. At least 40 persons were killed and about 100 others wounded with more than 50 of them still in a serious condition. As per the initial reports, the 120-seater aircraft was carrying 80 passengers and six crew members to Kinshasa via
Kisangani. A blast was heard before the aircraft took off. The aircraft burst into flames and fire started spreading towards the nearby houses and shops. The spokesman said a rescue team of 6th Battalion of the Sikh Light Infantry, at present serving the UN under the North Kivu Brigade, was deployed at the Goma airport when the crash occurred Colonel S.A. Sharma, the commanding officer, immediately rushed along with all available officers and troops of the unit to the location to take control of the situation, he added. On arriving at the site, six survivors were rescued from the aircraft and were evacuated to a military hospital. Medical teams and fire fighting resources of the North Kivu Brigade were rushed to the site to douse the fire. The personnel of the 6 Sikh LI brought the fire under control and prevented it from spreading to houses in the thickly populated Birere market area thereby preventing a major disaster. A major success was attained when in spite of the raging fire, Lt Col K S Mathur of the unit managed to retrieve the flight recorder of the aircraft from its tail end, the spokesman said.
— UNI
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Indian men succumb easily to powerful women: Book
New Delhi, April 17 When it comes to the powerful women in Indian politics, they have made their place under the sun after coming out of male domination, says the book “Zealous Reformers, Deadly Laws” by Madhu Purnima Kishwar, a women’s right activist. The book, a collection of Kishwar’s writings, tries to explore the reason women’s rights laws in India end up producing such dismal results. It tries to provide practical solutions to some anti-women practices. The most powerful women politicians of India share the common characteristics of cunning and extraordinary resilience says the recently launched book. Kishwar in her book takes a long and hard look at the four dominant women politicians - Sonia Gandhi, Mayawati, Jayalalitha and Mamta Banerjee. “The mesmeric power these women exercise over our political life provides us with interesting insights into the Indian male psyche,” Kishwar, senior Fellow at Centre for Study of Developing Societies (CSDC) says. While Indian men have made it fairly difficult for ordinary women to feel comfortable as equal participants in the political domain, they tend to succumb easily to the demands of women who are courageous, fearless and hard to browbeat, she adds.
— PTI
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Seven of family murdered in UP
Lucknow, April 17 However, a teenage daughter of the family who was sleeping on the rooftop escaped unnoticed. The SO Hasanpur, a sub-inspector and two constables attached to the police station have been suspended with immediate effect. Making a sudden on-the-spot visit to the terror struck village today Chief Minister Mayawati consoled the lone survivor Shabnam and announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh for her, which would be released after the completion of the preliminary enquiry. Mayawati also announced that the survivor would be provided personal security. A sub-inspector and two women constables have been immediately posted for her protection. The Chief Minister also announced the setting up of a police post in the village. Mayawati spent some time with the grieving relatives and assured them that the culprits behind the gruesome incident would not be spared at any cost, however, influential or well connected they may be. During the night of 14-15 April, the killers slit open the throat of Shaukat Saifi, a lecturer of fine arts in Kisan Degree College. The others killed were his wife Hashmi, son Anis, daughter-in-law Anjum and three grandchildren Arshad, Sajid and Rabia. His daughter Shabnam, who was sleeping on the rooftop, escaped the rage of the killers.
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Lack of rescue vessels puts submarine crew at risk
Mumbai, April 17 Naval sources say the proposal to purchase DSRVs has been pending with the defence ministry for the past six years. Recently, union defence minister A.K. Antony told the Rajya Sabha that his office was in the process of preparing a fresh request for proposal for two DSRVs for the Navy. At present, the Navy uses the lone Indian Naval Ship (INS) Nireekshak, a diving support vessel to rescue crew of a submarine in distress. INS Nireekshak, said to be more than 20-year-old, uses the antiquated rescue bell system to rescue personnel from distressed submarines. Antony admitted in Parliament that the Navy would have to depend on foreign countries to rescue personnel in distressed submarines till DSRVs were acquired. However, INS Nireekshak cannot help crews of submarines below 120 feet which puts personnel operating in the deep sea at considerable risk, say sources. Apart from deployment in rescue missions, the DSRVs can be deployed in undercover missions, say sources. Unavailability of DSRVs on time could lead to disastrous effects. In 2000, 118 Russian naval personnel died a slow painful death after their submarine Kursk sank in the Barents Sea. As the oxygen on board depleted, the sailors suffocated to death. The Indian Navy has 16 submarines on its fleet, many of which are ageing and in bad shape, say defence sources. The Indian Navy’s submarine fleet has had its share of accidents as well though the crew got away miraculously. Only in January last, naval submarine Sindhughosh collided with a merchant navy ship in the Arabian Sea, 300 km north of Mumbai while it was surfacing. Naval sources say during such mishaps the submarines sink quickly giving little time for the crew to escape. However, the Sindhughosh badly damaged in the incident made it to port on its own steam. There were in all 60 crew members on board. There have been similar mishaps in the past as well, say Naval sources.
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Panel lashes out at pharma policy delay
New Delhi, April 17 “The committee fails to understand that inspite of their strong recommendation regarding finalisation of National Pharmaceutical Policy 2006 made in their 20th report (2006-07), which is an action taken report of 7th Report of the Committee in 2005-06, the department has remained static on such a crucial issue,” the committee said in its report presented to Lok Sabha. The draft pharma policy was discussed by the Cabinet in its meeting held on January 11, 2007 and then referred the policy to a Group of Ministers (GoM), constituted under the leadership of Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar. The GoM has till now held three meetings with the last one being held on January 30, 2008. In the last meeting, Pawar had said GoM would again meet to take a final view on various issues proposed in the draft NPP and then make the recommendations. However, Minister of Chemical and Fertilisers Ram Vilas Paswan has requested the Chairman to convene the next meeting of the GoM at an earliest date. “The committee therefore, express their deep anguish over the delay and reiterate their earlier recommendation regarding finalisation of NPP-2006,” the committee said. It noted that the provision of Rs 10 crore made in the plan budget for the year 2007-08 for National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority to take up new initiatives like building robust and responsive statistical system, scheme for interaction with states, consumer awareness and a host of other measures has not reached the NPPA due to the non-finalisation of the draft NPP-2006.
— PTI
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Advani pleads Sarabjit’s case with Pak
New Delhi, April 17 Adding that Singh had already served 18 years in prison in Pakistan and had been on the death row for most of this time, Advani urged Gilani to adopt a “bold step in granting clemency to Singh”. “I can assure you that this act of magnanimity will win the goodwill of Indians and buttress our common objective in South Asia - the pursuit of peace on the subcontinent,” Advani wrote in his letter. He also mentioned how Singh’s sister Dalbir Kaur had offered a DNA test to prove his brother’s innocence. Referring to Pakistan human rights activist Ansar Burney’s remarks that “prima facie evidence suggests Sarabjit’s case may be a case of mistaken identity”, Advani wrote: “If such a possibility exists, would it not be reasonable for Pakistani authorities to review its decision?” Sarabjit’s execution had been rescheduled for April 1 this year. Now a new moratorium had been set until April 30.
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Pranab to visit S. Arabia on April 19
New Delhi, April 17 The visit, at the invitation of the Saudi prince, “testifies the close relationship that India and Saudi Arabia are bound by,” a spokesman for the ministry of external affairs said here today. Besides Prince Al-Faisal, Mukherjee would also have meetings with other Saudi leaders. The minister’s meeting with his Saudi counterpart “will provide the opportunity for India and Saudi arabia to discuss bilateral political, economic, commercial, consular and cultural matters and build on their multifaceted partnership,” the spokesman said. The visit would also provide an opportunity to both sides to exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest. Mukherjee would be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including C.R. Gharekhan, special envoy for West Asia and the Middle East Peace Process (MEPP), and N. Ravi, secretary (east) in the ministry of external
affairs.
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‘No evidence of cartelisation by steelmakers’
New Delhi, April 17 "The steel prices are determined by market forces, such as demand and supply and international prices...However, no evidence on cartelisation by steel companies in determining steel prices has been brought to the notice of the ministry of steel," minister of state for steel Jitin Prasada said in a written reply to a query in the Lok Sabha. "At present the government has no formal proposal for setting up of a regulatory authority to contain the steel prices in the country," he pointed out. Prasada said following deliberations with the steel industry, prices of different long products, including bars, rods and structurals have come down by Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 per tonne between March 25 to April 12 this year. In percentage terms, such decrease amounts to about 10 per cent, the minister said. "The government is closely monitoring the movement in steel prices and will take appropriate fiscal measures if necessary," he made it clear.
— PTI
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641 Indians in Pak jails
New Delhi, April 17 External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee told the Rajya Sabha while replying to a written question that the government has consistently taken up with Islamabad, including at the highest level, the issue of Indians in custody of Pakistan. In reply to another question, he said 74 missing defence personnel, including 54 since 1971, are believed to be in Pakistani jails. He said lists of prisoners have been exchanged by the two governments on March 31 and are under study. The prolonged incarceration of our nationals in jails in Pakistan is a matter of grave concern to the Government of India, he said. Mukherjee said in the absence of consular access to many fishermen and other prisoners, it was not possible to determine the details of sentences
awarded.
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Woman gives birth to triplet girls Celestial wedding Three hacked to death 13 killed, 50 hurt in mishap Death for 2 in murder case
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