New Delhi, May 15
Stung by Calcutta High Court's order staying the implementation of OBC quota in IIM-Calcutta's postgraduate courses, the government today approached the Supreme Court in its attempt to set aside the said order.

The government is seeking vacation of the Calcutta High Court order, which stayed the implementation of human resource development (HRD) ministry's memorandum dated April 20, asking all central educational institutions to implement quota in all courses, including postgraduate.

The memorandum was yesterday challenged by Sayan Guha, a B.Tech student from Calcutta, whose counsel told the Calcutta High Court that the memo was in violation of the apex court's orders as the SC had directed that graduates would not be considered for quota.

The government, however, is contending that the high court order goes against the judgment of the five-judge constitution Bench of the SC which on April 10 upheld the constitutional validity of the 93rd amendment as well as the Central Educational Institutions Act, 2006, which provides for 27 per cent quota for OBCs in admission to all centrally aided institutions of higher learning, IIMs and IITs included.

Today, after solicitor general G.E. Vahanvati raised the matter for urgent hearing, a Bench headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan allowed the same to be included for hearing in the mentioning list tomorrow. The government sought urgent hearing on the ground that the academic session 2008-09 was commencing and the high court order, if not stayed, would hamper the entire admission process as well as the government's quota policy.

Significantly, in its office memorandum directing institutions to implement quota from this year, the HRD ministry clarified that quota would be applicable to all programmes at undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels.

"Only highly specialised courses like post-doctoral programmes will be exempted in consultation with appropriate authorities like UGC, etc. There shall be no exemption from the policy of reservation except where the central government so specifies for a course covered under clause (d) of Section 4 of the Act," stated the memo, adding that OBCs, SCs and STs under the CEI Act shall not apply to minority educational institutions.

New Delhi, May 15
Even though the procurement target of 150 lakh tonnes has long been exceeded, the Centre today said the procurement of wheat by government agencies, including the Food Corporation of India (FCI), would continue as long as farmers offer the food grain at the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 1,000 per quintal.

The food secretary confirmed that the government would continue procuring wheat as long as farmers offer it at the MSP of Rs 1,000 per quintal. This year, the FCI has already procured 193 lakh tonnes of wheat for the central pool and hopes to cross the 200-lakh tonne mark in the coming days. This should come as music to the ears of the government, which is trying to contain surging prices of food grains and other essential items and building food security of the country.

On May 1, the wheat procurement exceeded the target of 150 lakh tonnes - highest in the past three years. Like always, the states of Punjab and Haryana were major contributors to the central kitty. On May 9, the wheat procurement crossed the 180 lakh-tonne mark.

As per FCI officials, momentum at which wheat is coming to the mandis, procurement of wheat this year is likely to beat the six-year record of 206.3 lakh tonnes. Uttar Pradesh, they say, is recording an average arrival of 90,000 tonnes wheat even now.

The Centre has already said importing wheat this year would not be required as procurement of the food grain was expected to reach  the 200 lakh-tonne mark as against the  target of 150 lakh tonnes in the current marketing season. Agriculture minister Sharad  Pawar had said recently that if procurement reaches the 200-lakh-tonne-mark, import  would not be required.

Roorkee, May 15
Amidst a hue and cry of global warming causing glaciers to melt at a rapid pace, there's some soothing news for environment enthusiasts. A recent study by the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) says that the receding pace of Gangotri glacier, one of the largest glaciers of the Himalayas, has slowed down during the last two years.

"Although the Gangotri glacier is receding, the encouraging fact is that during the last two years, the retreating speed of the glacier has slowed down as compared to what it was in the last decade," says Dr Manohar Arora, in charge of the NIH study, 'hydrological analysis of the Gangotri Glacier'.

"We have established a meteorological observatory and a gauging site near the snout of the Gangotri glacier and monitored the different types of hydrological and hydro-meteorological data during the ablation season for the last three years. The results show a receding trend of glacier melting," he asserts.

"In order to simulate the stream flow, a simple conceptual hydrological model based on temperature index approach has been applied to observe water discharge at the gauging site of the Gangotri glacier. The model has simulated daily stream flow satisfactorily for all the years from which the present results have been derived," he says.

The study points out that the maximum discharge is usually in the month of July followed by August. These two months contribute nearly 63 per cent of the total water discharge during the ablation season.

"The Bhagirathi river originates from the snout of Gangotri glacier. Therefore an accurate assessment of the flow resulting due to melting of snow along with its distribution in time is vital for the planning and management of water resources projects," he adds.

Arora said that data on rainfall, temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, sunshine hours and evaporation was collected during the last three years during the ablation period (May-October). Observations were recorded round the clock at the gauging site with the help of automatic water-level recorder and wooden floats were used to compute the velocity of flow.

"The cross-section area of the river was determined with the help of sounding rods in the beginning of the season and was rechecked at the end of the season. The observations of meteorological conditions represent dry weather conditions in the study area, he adds.

Kolkata, May 15
Bombs were hurled at the ancestral residence of an RSP minister by motorcycle-borne CPM cadre, seriously injuring a woman relative in South 24 Parganas district, as post poll clashes between the activists of the two parties continued today.

The CPM cadre raided the Kumrokhali residence of West Bengal irrigation minister Subhas Naskar in the district injuring his nephew’s wife Gauri Naskar, the police said.

She was rushed to a hospital with 80 per cent burns injuries due to the bombs hurled, the minister who immediately went to the spot from Basanti in the district, said.

Yesterday, three RSP and a CPM supporter were killed in the clashes at Basanti during the second phase of the panchayat polls.

The police said that CPM cadres also set fire to several houses in areas near Naskar’s ancestral house at Charabidya gram panchayat during the day.

Fresh clashes and bomb attacks left several houses either damaged or burnt down in interior Basanti, as the superintendent of police rushed to trouble spots with reinforcements.

Bombs were exchanged between rival supporters for an hour at Kanthalberia, near Amjhara, before the police arrived and restored order, SP Praveen Kumar said. 

Hardwar, May 15
The Hardwar police has claimed to have solved a case in which a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader and travel agency owner was attacked. One of the main accused has been arrested.

Giving details of the investigation, Hardwar SSP V Murugeshan told mediapersons that notorious gangster of western UP, Sanjeev Maheshwari, alias Jeeva, was the mastermind behind the firing on BSP leader Krishan Murari Sharma in the town, recently, and the police had arrested his close associate and the main accused in the incident identified as Manoj Rana of Bijnore. The SSP also added that both main shooters in the incident hired by Rana on the directions of Jeeva were yet to be arrested.

“The shooters have been identified as Dushyant and Neetu,” Murugeshan said.

The SSP said after constituting a Special Task Force (STF) team, both shooters involved in the case were identified and later the investigations turned towards the gang of Jeeva, active in western UP and the adjoining districts of Uttrakhand. “With the arrest of Manoj Rana from the city outskirts and preliminary questioning the police has solved the case,” the SSP said and added, “We were informed that Rana had come to meet one of his relatives in Hardwar. The STF team nabbed him when he reached there in an Alto car.” Rana said he had managed the shooters, the weapon and the car used in the incident on the directions of Jeeva. He also told the police that both shooters were hired on a “supari” (money to kill) of Rs 50,000 each.

Dehra Dun, May 15
The Uttarakhand Bahaujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislators today threatened to quit their Assembly seats on the issue of Uttarakhand Universities’ Bill.

The state government and the Opposition are at loggerheads over the bill. The state government, in a bid to control the universities, wanted to get the bill passed by convening a two-day session of the state Assembly on May 12 and 13. But the Congress and the BSP legislators stalled the move by creating a ruckus in the House. The House was adjourned indefinitely. Later, it was decided to re-convene the House on May 16.

Uttarakhand Speaker Harbans Kapoor has issued notices to 11 Opposition members to explain their conduct in the House.

Mohammed Shahzad, leader of the BSP legislature party, along with leader of Opposition Harak Singh Rawat today alleged that the BJP government has lost faith in the institution of Governor.

“By bring in a bill curtailing the powers of the Governor and eroding the autonomy of the universities, the BJP government is doing a great disservice to the cause of higher education and undermining the constitutional institution of Governor,” charged Rawat.

“Action against any Opposition legislator would be construed as action against the Opposition. We have talked to our party leadership and are ready to quit our seats,” Mohammed Shahzad added.

Opposition legislators charged that the ruling party has tried to manipulate the records of the Assembly by claiming that the bill was tabled on May 12 but it was not done so. “We demand an inquiry by a high court judge or the CBI into the manipulation by the ruling party in Assembly records,” demanded Rawat.

“We will oppose the bill tooth and nail and would knock at the door of the court against it if the state government tries to bulldoze,” he added.

New Delhi, May 15
Scores of CPM activists today staged a demonstration in the national capital, accusing the Congress-led UPA government of not taking enough steps to contain rising prices.

The protesters led by party Polit Bureau member M K Pandhe shouted slogans against the government as they marched towards Krishi Bhawan, where they courted arrest.

Addressing the protest organised by the Delhi unit of the party, Pandhe alleged that the government was not taking "effective steps" to curb inflation that has made the lives of crores of people "unbearable".

He also criticised the Government theory that inflation was a global phenomenon and that it could not do much.

"The government appears to be more interested in safeguarding the interests of hoarders and private companies rather than those of the suffering people," he claimed. — PTI

New Delhi, May 15
The Supreme Court today came down heavily on the banks for deploying musclemen for recovery of loans from the public.

While dismissing a petition of ICICI Bank, a Bench comprising Justice Tarun Chatterjee and Justice Dalveer Bhandari said: “We deem it appropriate to remind the banks and other financial institutions that we live in a civilised country and are governed by the rule of law.” It also asked ICICI Bank to pay Rs 25,000 as costs of this litigation to the respondents.

According to the court, complaints received by Reserve Bank regarding violation of the above guidelines and adoption of abusive practices followed by banks recovery agents would be viewed seriously.

The court said RBI had expressed its concern about the number of litigations filed against the banks in the recent past for engaging recovery agent,s who have purportedly violated the law.

RBI in a letter accompanying its April 24, 2008 Guidelines on Engagement of Recovery Agents had stated that it might consider imposing a ban on a bank from engaging recovery agents in a particular area, either jurisdictional or functional, for a limited period.

“In case of persistent breach of above guidelines, Reserve Bank may consider extending the period of ban or the area of ban. Similar supervisory action could be attracted when the high courts or the Supreme Court pass strictures or impose penalties against any bank or its directors/ officers/ agents with regard to policy, practice and procedure related to the recovery process,” it stated. — PTI

New Delhi, May 15
Senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh today suggested that either the Planning Commission be wound up or be rechristened as "Reform Commission".

Asserting that the Commission had lost its relevance, the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha said the Commission which used to have noted economists as its members during Nehru era, had been turned into a Political Gaushala (cow-shed) where only those were accommodated who had no other jobs. "Besides it has been turned into a centre of sycophants," he told Hindi Weekly "Outlook". "There is no check on its working...Finance Ministry should allocate funds to the States, not the Planning Commission.” — UNI

New Delhi, May 15
Minister for rural development Raghuvansh Prasad Singh has stressed upon the supply of good quality of water and given highest priority to sanitation programmes in the Interntional Sanitation Year. Addressing a press conference about the out come of the recent two-day meeting of the state secretaries in charge of rural drinking water supply and sanitation in the country, he said sustainability of water sources and convergence among various programmes to achieve drinking water security was of the utmost importance.

He called upon the states to achieve drinking water security by taking over full responsibility of management and maintenance of water supply schemes and drinking water sources in the villages by instituting a suitable award like Sajal Gram Puraskarand.

Prasad said under Bharat Nirman, all water quality affected habitations were to be addressed by March 2009. A High Powered Technical Expert Group to examine various emerging issues in drinking water as well as sanitation sector and suggest measures to tackle the new challenges under the chairmanship of former chief of UNICEF Water and Sanitation Gourishankar Ghosh has also been set up.

He said 2008 was the International Year of Sanitation as declared by the United Nations and India was a host of SACOSAN, which was to be held in November 2008. He also stressed on the need to achieve full sanitation coverage and said the state was advised to devise statutory and administrative norms in this regard.

Guwahati, May 15
Abject poverty and lack of basic facilities can’t be hurdles in the path of astounding success for those who are immensely talented, hardworking. It has been proved once again by Assam’s Samiran.

Eighteen-year-old Samiran Saikia has hogged the limelight among all 89,679 students, who have passed in arts stream of Higher Secondary School Leaving examination (10+2) conducted by the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC) this year.

He is in the limelight not only because he has clichéd the third position amongst the successful candidates. He has become the talk of the town and toast of the state because he has fought poverty and worked his way to success.

There is no electricity in his house located on the outskirt of Jorhat, because his poor father, Sailen Saikia, can’t afford an electricity connection. Samiran had to sell off the computer gifted to him by the Assam Chief Minister in the wake of his starling performance in class X examination, two years back.

“It is because of his sheer determination and hard work, our son has tasted success today. We have not been able to provide him with basic facilities because of our poverty. He mobilised funds for his study by giving tuition to junior students in the village,” said his parents Sailen Saikia and Jyotirmoyee Saikia. Sailen Saikia, a small-time tailor, can hardly make his both ends meet with his meagre income. He made use of a kerosene lamp while studying.

Now, he has no money to take admission in the degree-level course at a local college even as his parents have made appeal for contribution from various organisations to bear the cost of higher education of their ward.

In response, the Jorhat District Students Union has agreed to bear the entire cost of his degree education, while his teachers of J B College in Jorhat have mobilised Rs 8,000 for him.

Meanwhile, a real estate dealer and a filmmaker of the city, has told the media here that he was willing to bear the entire cost of Samiran’s education in future.

Dehra Dun, May 15
To provide quick emergency services to the tourists and pilgrims during the ongoing ‘Char Dham’ yatra season, Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI) in association with the government of Uttarakhand today launched a service known as “108 emergency service”.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister B.C. Khanduri flagged off 10 ambulances of this service to be deployed on the yatra route in the Garhwal region.

The residents of Byasi, Devprayag Srinagar, Augustmuni, Guptkashi, Karanprayag, Chamoli, Joshimath, Barkot and Dharasu can call on the emergency response number 108 for any emergency - medical, fire or police.

The number 108 is toll free and is accessible from landline, mobile and local telephone booths, without any prefix or suffix.

The emergency response centre physician (ERCP) and emergency medical technicians (EMT) will provide free pre-hospital care while transporting the victim to the nearest government hospital or Primary Health Centre (PHC).

EMRI was launched on August 15, 2005. This recognised nodal agency is successfully providing facilities across states like Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat and will soon start functioning in Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Kerala and Assam.

New Delhi, May 15
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leaves on a two-day visit to Bhutan tomorrow, hoping to shape a bilateral relationship based on the solid foundations of the past and building on each other’s national interests in the 21st century.

In a statement issued on the eve of of his departure, the Prime Minister expressed confidence that the visit would reinforce this unique relationship and that both countries would continue to work together for the economic benefit and prosperity of the people of the countries.

“The visit will give me an opportunity to convey to their majesties and the Prime Minister of Bhutan our desire to shape a relationship that builds upon the solid foundations of the past and responds to each other’s national interests and aspirations in the 21st century,” Singh said.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will dedicate the 1020 MW Tala hydro-electric project, built with Indian assistance, to the people of the Himalayan kingdom and lay the foundation stone for the 1095 MW Punatsangchhu hydel station.

Singh will hold talks tomorrow with King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk and his father King Jigme Singye Wangchuk, who had abdicated in favour of his son some time ago.

He will also have discussions with Prime Minister Lyonchen Jigme Y Thinley on various issues of mutual interest, including India’s development cooperation with Bhutan. — UNI 

New Delhi, May 15
India will offer $five million to China as assistance in relief activities in its Sichuan province devastated by a temblor which claimed nearly 15,000 lives.

The Government of India has decided to offer assistance of $ five million to China for relief activities, an External Affairs Ministry statement said.

The amount would be utilised for relief material, including blankets, tents, sleeping bags, medicines for the victims of the killer quake.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had sent a message of condolence to his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi and conveyed India’s readiness to provide assistance to supplement China’s relief efforts.

President Pratibha Patil, Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had each sent messages of condolence to the government and the people of China.— PTI

Noida, May 15
Veteran Marxist leader Harkishan Singh Surjeet has been admitted in a hospital here with an acute respiratory problem. Surjeet (92), who was admitted to Metro Hospital here, is on ventilator and his condition was described as “serious but stable”.

The CPM leader “is in a serious condition due to respiratory problems. He is under intensive care and his condition is stable,” said a party release, adding the doctors were hopeful that his condition would improve.

“His condition is serious but stable. However, he is stable,” owner of the hospital and director of Interventional Cardiology Department Purushottam Lal said. — PTI

BRIEFLY

Cabinet nod to Science Research Board
NEW DELHI: The government decided to set up a Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) to speed up basic research programmes and delivery of funds to researchers on Thursday. It will be a high-level empowered Board, headed by the Science and Technology Secretary, with necessary administrative and financial autonomy. — UNI

Criminal proceedings against Khushboo stayed
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed criminal proceedings against South Indian film actress S. Khushboo till further orders, pending in a Tamil Nadu district court in connection with her interview to news magazine India Today, expressing her views on pre-marital sex. A bench comprising Chief Justices K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice M.K. Sharma also issued notices to the complainant Kanniammal. — UNI

Unemployed B.Ed youth continues hunger strike
ROORKEE: Accusing the state government of ignoring the demands of the trained B.Ed in recruitment, the unemployed group of trained B.Ed continued with their chain hunger strike for the ninth day here. Assembled outside the district education and training centre, the irked group has been demanding immediate filling of vacant posts under basic teaching certificate (BTC). — TNS

Arunachal gets relaxation on PAP
ITANAGAR: The Centre has granted relaxation on the Protected Area Permit (PAP) guidelines for Arunachal Pradesh to allow easy inflow of foreign tourists to the state. According to official sources here today, the Centre also stamped approval on introduction of five new tourist circuits in the state. — UNI

3 murder accused held
DEHRA DUN: The Udham Singh Nagar police have nabbed three persons on charges of allegedly murdering a man on March 17. The accused have been identified as Jeevan Singh, Brijpal Singh and Preetam. A case under Sections 201/302 of IPC at Jaspur police station has been registered. Ever since police found the body of Sunder from the fields, the accused were at large, but on Wednesday the police finally arrested them. — TNS

14 Pak fishermen released
VADODARA: At least 14 Pakistani fishermen, who were caught straying into Indian waters, have been released from Gujarat and are being taken to Wagah border at Atari for repatriating them to their country, official sources said here on Thursday. Their release on Wednesday has taken place before the beginning of Indo-Pak talks in Islamabad next week. —PTI

Buddhist meet at Sanchi
BHOPAL: An international conference of Buddhists will be held at Sanchi near here on August 9. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been invited to attend the conference. The invitation was extended by Sri Lanka Mahabodhi Society President and Sanchi Chaityagiri Vihar head Swami Banagla Upatissa, official sources said. — UNI

Eleven inmates escape
JASHPUR: Eleven inmates on Thursday escaped from the district Jail here after tying up the gate sentry, but one of them was caught later, the police said. A group of inmates pushed Guard Sudheer Ekka to the ground, tied him up, snatched the key, opened the main gate and escaped. An intensive search is underway for the escapees. — UNI