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SC urged to quash MPLAD scheme
Alimony to include provision for home: SC
It’s win-win time for khadi-selling family
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Rajasthan
Politicians chant fitness mantra
As Cong, BJP use parodies, EC too chants for voters
EC mulls counting votes
with totaliser machine
Cabinet clears pact on South Asian University
Countering Pirates
Chopper for washing power transmission lines
Salem celebrates ‘wedding anniversary’ in jail
LS sitting on Dec 10
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SC urged to quash MPLAD scheme
New Delhi, November 20 The contention was made before a five-judge Constitution Bench, headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, during the hearing of a bunch of eight public interest litigation (PIL) petitions, which had challenged the operation of the scheme since 1993. Under the scheme, each elected MP of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha gets Rs 2 crore a year for undertaking development work, primarily in their respective constituencies. This amount is expected to be raised to Rs 5 crore, taking the total annual disbursal of funds for the purpose from the present about Rs 1,500 crore to around Rs 3,800 crore. After the recent scam in the MPLAD scheme, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and a few other leaders had come out in favour of dropping the provision. Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party President Bhim Singh had filed a PIL in the Supreme Court in 1999, prompting several others to file similar petitions, mostly in various high courts. When the PIL came up before a three-Judge Bench of the Supreme Court, it expressed the opinion that the matter involved a constitutional aspect and as such it should be placed before a constitutional Bench. It also ordered the transfer of all the petitions pending with the high courts to the apex court. The constitutional Bench, which included Justices R.V. Raveendran, D.K. Jain, P. Sathasivam and J.M. Panchal, considered the case for a few minutes towards the fag end of yesterday’s sitting, when it reserved order on the panchayati raj issue at the conclusion of arguments. In his day-long arguments today, senior advocate K.K. Venugopal, appearing for Prof Bhim Singh, said over Rs 19,000 crore had been released so far for the scheme from the Consolidated Fund of India without any legal sanction. “Parliament cannot divert funds for any item covered under the state list as it is violative of Article 266, which provides for the disbursement of money from the Consolidated Fund.” Every rupee withdrawn from the fund was meant for approved projects, but when the money was released for the MPLAD scheme it was not known which projects it was intended for. This was illegal, he averred. Further, the development works being carried out under the scheme fell within the purview of panchayati raj institutions or municipal bodies. Thus, it was encroaching upon the rights of such bodies. Article 266 prohibited the creation of any durable assets by using the funds released from the Consolidated Fund, but, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, such assets were being created every year under the MPLADS. Also, there have been instances of misuse of funds under the scheme. There have been allegations of some MPs contributing to a family trust of an election commissioner. Seeking clarifications, the Bench acknowledged the reports of corruption. However, it felt the scheme was only recommendatory in nature as the MPs merely identified the development work, while the job was carried out by the District Collector concerned who had the power, under clause 3(1) of the scheme, to reject proposals.
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Alimony to include provision for home: SC
New Delhi, November 20 “Maintenance, as we see it, necessarily must encompass a provision for residence. Maintenance is given so that the lady can live in the manner, more or less to which she was accustomed,” a bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and Mukundakam Sharma observed. The Bench passed the observation while dealing with an appeal filed by Komalam Amma in a civil suit. According to the apex court, the provision for residence may be made either by giving lump sum money, or property in lieu thereof. It may also be made by providing for the course of the woman’s life, a residence and money for other necessary expenditure, the Bench said. Quoting Mulla’s Hindu Law, the apex court said in a Hindu undivided family (HUF) the kartha (manager) of a joint Miakshara family is under an obligation to maintain all male members of the family, their wives and their children. “On the death of any one of the male members he is bound to maintain his widow and his children. The obligation to maintain these persons arise from the fact that the manager is in possession of the family property,” the Bench said. The apex court said a wife was entitled to be maintained by her husband, whether he possessed property or not. “When a man with his eyes open marries a girl accustomed to certain style of living, he undertakes the obligation of maintaining her in that style,” the apex court said quoting Mulla’s Hindu Law. The Bench said the maintenance to be allowed to a widow should be such an amount as would enable her to live consistently with her position as a widow, with the same degree of comfort and reasonable luxury as she had in her husband’s house unless there were circumstances that affect one way or the other, her mode of living there.
— PTI
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It’s win-win time for khadi-selling family
New Delhi, November 20 “Though I sit here across the year, the sales have increased manifold since the Delhi elections were announced. The number of party workers and leaders visiting the party office also increased,” Mohammad Mustafa, 39, who sells cloth for khadi kurtas on the pavement just outside the Delhi BJP office at 12, Pandit Pant Marg here, said. “Earlier, I was selling 5-10 sets of kurta-pyjamas every day. Now I sell at least 30 sets every day. During the polls, sometimes buyers take the material in bulk,” added Mustafa who hails from the Madhubani district of Bihar and has been in the business for more than a decade. Asked what he thinks of the BJP’s politics, Mustafa said, “I am not concerned about politics, the only thing I am concerned about is my business.” Kurta-pyjamas made of khadi or handspun cotton cloth that was popularised by Mahatma Gandhi, are no longer a favourite with Indian politicians as they used to be, but with elections around the corner the material is seeing a surge in sales again. Besides Mustafa, his son-in-law Abul Kalam also runs a small shop at the Delhi office of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) at Bishamber Das Marg. “Sales have certainly gone up as I sell nearly 25 sets of khadi kurta-pyjama every day against the average of five sets a day earlier,” said Kalam, who started sitting there eight years ago. He has been in this business for the last 24 years and earlier used to sit with his father at the Congress headquarters. “I eagerly wait for politicians from Mumbai as they buy khadi cloth in bulk,” Kalam added. The kurta-pyjama sets are in the range of Rs 500-1,600. The cloth is brought from Bihar from where the family hails. In fact, all men even provide the option of getting kurtas and pyjamas stitched for the buyer within a couple of days. Mustafa’s cousin Abdul Malik sits near the Congress headquarters at Akbar Road in New Delhi. “I have just returned from my village and that is why I lost the chance to sell more. But I have my set clients who take stuff only from me,” said Malik, who has been running a shop there for the last 15 years. Mustafa’s other son-in-law, Mohammad Shoaib Ansari, who sits on a pavement in the South Avenue area that primarily has the houses of legislators and parliamentarians, mulls over the downward trend of politicians wearing khadi. “During the lean season, I sell three to four kurta-pyjama sets every day but during elections the number goes up to 15-20. Most of my buyers are leaders who come seeking tickets,” said Ansari. “Khadi is not so popular now. Politicians now dress up in suits, trousers and shirts,” added Ansari, who has been selling khadi kurtas for nearly two decades. Ansari’s nephew Amanat Ali Ansari also sits there. He has been running his shop for more than a decade now and lives with his uncle. As the elections kick off Nov 14, some will lose and some emerge victorious. But for at least this one family, it is a win-win situation all the way!
— IANS
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Badal seeks relief for those killed during Central rule
New Delhi, November 20 The state was placed under he Central rule for varying periods of time during 1980’s and early 1990’s. Badal raised this issue when he called on home minister Shivraj Patil in his office here today. Giving details of the meeting, Chief Minister’s media adviser Harcharan Bains said Badal also asked the home minister to grant Rs 116 crore for setting up of mega-city policing facility for Ludhiana and Amritsar. One of the major issues raised by the Chief Minister pertained to police verification of passengers travelling by bus between Amritsar and Lahore. He said this requirement should be dispensed with. Referring to the issue of the construction of modern jail at Faridkot, Badal also demanded the release of Rs 103 crore as a one-time grant for the improvement of the jail infrastructure in the state. The Chief Minister sought the home minister’s intervention for releasing capital grant of Rs 140 crore for Maharaja Ranjit Singh Police University and another 92.86 crore for the provision of sewerage and drinking water facility in 11 towns of the border districts of Punjab. Badal also asked for a no-objection certificate for the proposed MoU to be signed with British Colombia (Canada) that would cover areas of skill development and education by the state. To mitigate the inconvenience caused to the farmers engaged in agricultural activities along the Indo-Pak border, compensation at the rate of Rs 5,000 per acre would be released. It would entail a liability of only Rs 9.25 crore, he claimed. The Chief Minister also asked for revision of existing norms of calamity relief funds to enhance the assistance for crop damage from Rs 4,000 to Rs 15,000 per hectare. Patil assured Badal that he would soon convene a meeting of the officers to resolve all these issues on the top priority, Bains said.
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Rajasthan The violent Gujjar protests for an ST status that marked the past two years of the Vasundhra Raje government in Rajasthan have now come to haunt the state in its run up to the polls. The five districts, which have a sizeable amount of Gujjar population and witnessed the most intense protests from the community, have been declared super sensitive for these elections. Simmering discontent among the Gujjars springing from the fact that no Gujjar leader has been given a ticket by the BJP coupled with the knowledge that the issue of the ST status too has not been resolved has made the community restless once again. “What the BJP did with us is dismal. We were expecting that our leaders would be given at least 10 to 12 tickets but we are disappointed,” said Col Kirori Singh Bainsla, the uncrowned king of the Gujjars in this area. Bainsla had led the protest of thousands of Gujjars in May this year and also in 2007. The community is demanding the ST status to procure reservation in jobs and educational institutions. The various protests had led to the killing of at least 50 Gujjars. “I am an apolitical man. I don’t want a ticket for myself. But there are other Gujjar leaders, who have done so much and fought for the rights of the community. We have been let down,” he said. In not having either given the ST status to the Gujjars or any political patronage, the BJP has sent a clear signal of appeasement of the other communities like the Meenas and the Jats, who are much more in number than the Gujjars. According to Bainsla however, the BJP has grossly underestimated the Gujjar hold in the state. “Out of the 200 seats in the Vidhan Sabha we affect almost 74 seats. Out of these, 25 are winning seats, while another 26 are in the can-win stage. On the rest we can make or break the winning candidate,” said Bainsla. District authorities add that other than the Gujjar factor, there are some other reasons also as to why the five districts of Bharatpur, Karoli, Dausa, Dholpur and Sawai Madhopur have been declared super-sensitive. The voters are divided sharply not only on among castes but also within the same caste. The battle of the two titans Dr Digambar Singh and sitting MP from Bharatpur Vishwender Singh is a fight within the Sinsini Jats for the Deeg- Kumher seat. Digambar Singh has been given the BJP ticket while Vishwender Singh who is the scion of the Bharatpur Royal family has got the Congress ticket.
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Politicians chant fitness mantra
New Delhi, November 20 With long hours of campaigning and reduced sleep raising stress levels for those contesting the Delhi Assembly elections, candidates are cautious that the pre-poll period does not take a toll on their health. BJP’s Chief Ministerial candidate V.K Malhotra, who has been nursing a “sore throat”, is cautious to ensure his voice does not ditch him at this crucial juncture. “I don’t have any problems except a sore throat, for which I regularly gargle with hot water,” says Malhotra, who is hoping to dethrone Shiela Dikshit after a 10-year stunt at the helm of the state. Meanwhile, Delhi’s health minister Yoganand Shastri has cut down on his diet to keep stomach problems away in his busy schedule which leaves no time to exercise and relax. “The amount of work is such that we hardly sleep for more than three hours,” says Shastri. “There is no time for relaxing or stretching out, the only precaution I take is to reduce the intake of food,” he says. BJP candidate Vijay Jolly, who is contesting against Shiela Dikshit from New Delhi constituency, said his mantra for physical and mental fitness is to remain “cool”. He, however, also uses specific homemade remedies to prevent a bad throat that might affect his campaign. “I daily consume lukewarm water with ‘tulsi’ leaves and cloves. This preparation by my wife helps me keep my throat fine,” Jolly said. Besides, Jolly also uses exotic means to ensure the heightened stress has minimal affect on his health. “After the day-long regimen, I also make it a point to spend some time with my feet immersed in water laced with rose-petals. This helps keep my mind and body cool,” he says. While election campaigns give most candidates sleepless nights and hectic days, for the BJP’s Delhi chief Harsh Vardhan it is an opportunity to get back in
shape. — PTI
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As Cong, BJP use parodies, EC too chants for voters
New Delhi, November 20 Through its radio jingle ‘Pappu vote nahin deta’ (Pappu doesn’t cast his vote), a take-off on the catchy number from the movie ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’, the CEO has created a character, Pappu, who in various roles as an autorickshaw driver or a shopkeeper, does everything else right but does not vote. Hence Delhi’s citizens are being urged not to be ‘Pappus’ and go out to cast their vote. These ‘jingles’ being aired on FM channels are meant to reach out especially to youths to encourage them to exercise their franchise, said chief electoral officer Satbir Silas Bedi. The Congress for its part, has lifted the spirited “Jee karda bhai jee karda” from ‘Singh is Kinng’ to put its own lines -- ‘Jee karda bhai jee karda, Congress nu jeetaan da jee karda. aaj desh nu bachaanu jee karda”. To counter this, Delhi BJP spokesman has come up with its own version of the same song, “Vijay Kumar Malhotraji bhai Vijay Kumar Malhotra ji, iss bari yahi banenge, iss bari yahi banenge, Delhi ke mukhyamantri ji, log kehte sare, banenge yahi CMji.”
— UNI
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EC mulls counting votes
with totaliser machine
Raisen (MP), November 20 In this regard, the commission would hold a meeting with all the prominent parties in December. The totaliser machine would count all the votes and help in maintaining the confidentiality of poll booths, EC deputy commissioner R. Balkrishnan said here. Balkrishnan arrived here to attend a poll-related meeting with the district collector, superintendents of police, central observer and Madhya Pradesh’s chief electoral officer J.S Mathur. Since, EVMs were installed poll station-wise instead of ballot papers for voting, the question was raised about its secrecy. Not only poll rivalry increases, but development works also get affected in the constituency where EVM displays more votes for any party, he said.
— UNI
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Cabinet clears pact on South Asian University
New Delhi, November 20 The approval came at a meeting of the union cabinet, presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.The agreement will provide an overall framework for the smooth and unobstructed functioning and operation of the university and for regulating the relations between the institution and the host country- India. The proposed university will showcase education and technical prowess within the region. The jurisdiction of the university shall extend to whole of India and to campuses and centers established outside India in the SAARC region. The university will advance a sense of South Asia community by bringing together the future generations from the neighbouring countries and expose them to quality education. The first session of the university is scheduled to begin in August 2010 in New Delhi. At the 13th SAARC Summit in Dhaka on November 12-13, 2005 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had proposed the establishment of South Asian University in the SAARC region. At the 14th SAARC Summit in April 2007 an Inter-governmental Agreement for Establishing the South Asian University in New Delhi was signed by the SAARC member states. The university will be the first international university to be hosted by India to disseminate the advance knowledge, wisdom and understanding by providing instructional and research facilities in such branches of learning as it may
deem fit. The university will have full functional autonomy and shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the inter-governmental agreement for the establishment of South Asian University signed at the 14th SAARC Summit.
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Countering Pirates
Navy to send bigger warship to Gulf of Aden The Indian Navy tonight decided to rush a bigger warship to the Gulf of Aden, replacing the existing INS Tabar that successfully destroyed a pirate “mothership” two days ago. The bigger warship carries a better and wider range of arms than INS Tabar that is on its way back after being deployed there for a month. The move comes in the wake of a series of pirate attacks involving at least 91 vessels since January in the Gulf of Aden. In the latest incident, Somali pirates had seized a Saudi oil supertanker.
New Delhi, November 20 A proposal to deploy as many as four more warships is being considered, while on the diplomatic front it has been conveyed to the UN Security Council and Somalia that India is determined to use all means to act against piracy and armed robbers on high seas. “The government of India has conveyed to the Security Council and also to the transition government of Somalia against repressive acts of piracy,” N. Ravi, secretary (east) in the external affairs ministry told reporters here. He also referred to two UN resolutions 1816 and 1838, which directly relate to piracy, saying both of them permitted all countries to enter Somalian waters to pursue pirates. Last week, India at a meeting of the International Maritime Organisation tabled again its long-standing proposal to set up a UN peacekeeping force to deal with pirates in the Gulf of Aden. “These proposals are under consideration,” Ravi said, hoping something concrete would emerge after the discussions. Sources said India’s proposal was widely seconded by several countries. The Indian Navy’s lone warship, INS Tabar, has been deployed in the Gulf of Aden area and has taken on the pirates thrice over the past 10 days. The government said the country could take any recourse to deal with piracy off the Somalian coast, which is notorious for piracy, under two United Nations resolutions. A top Navy officer confirmed that a proposal to increase the number of warships in the Gulf of Aden was being considered to fight the pirates and protect merchant ships flying the Indian flag. However, there is a view that such a deployment by a single country on a long-term basis would not be feasible in terms of logistics. A final decision is likely to be taken shortly. Navy officials also met defence minister A.K. Antony today to discuss the developments. The proposal to increase the number of warships and augment its naval assets came from the shipping ministry, which suggested four warships to be deployed there. “The UN mandate is important as there are already three groups of navies carrying out anti-piracy operations in the region, such as the (US-led) Task Force 150, a fleet of NATO countries and the European Union. But their efforts are not coordinated, that’s precisely why we are asking for a UN arrangement”, naval officers said.
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Chopper for washing power transmission lines
New Delhi, November 20 According to PHHL officials, the purpose of the exercise is to ensure maximum electric potential from generation unit to utility places with minimum power losses. Saline weather and pollution leads to deterioration of conducting quality of these cables. In cities and industrial zones, the deterioration level is highest, leading to the need of cleaning at short intervals to avoid power tripping. The remedy to this problem lies in cleaning insulators periodically. However, reaching these live cables is difficult and time consuming. The utilisation of the helicopter for carrying out the task of maintenance of transmission lines makes the work easier. Pawan Hans started operations at Mandola from November 1 and has cleaned 175 towers till date, an average of 11 towers every day.
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Salem celebrates ‘wedding anniversary’ in jail
Mumbai, November 20 Salem has been reading letters and greeting cards sent to him by Monica since 2001 and he is feeling “very lonely”, Thakur told the media after visiting him. “Although Monica has been denying her marriage with the don, Salem claims that they got married in a mosque in Los Angeles in November 2000,” Thakur said. Notwithstanding Monica’s denial, Salem celebrated his eighth marriage anniversary as a special day without Bedi, who was recently evicted from reality TV show ‘Bigg Boss’. The one-time starlet has stuck to her position that she was never married to Salem and maintained in several media interviews that though she knew the underworld don for several years, they had never got married.
— PTI
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Warrants for RJD MP Life term for 21 CPM men 2 ultras surrender
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