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Hawala dealer names Buta’s son as gainer
Turncoats get thumbs down from Bihar
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Cong sweeps AP civic body bypolls
Apex court cautions govt against sitting on mercy
Sanjoy’s memories come alive on celluloid
CPM allows cadres to attend community pujas
Shiv Sena men attack Manohar Joshi’s house
Hand hygiene your right in hospital
Govt nod for CEO’s pay not called for: Khurshid
Winged guests desert Keoladeo National Park
Govt for public-private tie-ups in school education
Now, PPP model for innovation varsities
IIM, IIT dons flay HRD proposals on pay hike
24 badly polluted areas under scanner
Id Mubarak, says PM
Expert for better governance to overcome malnutrition
Bengal to intensify anti-Maoist drive
Succession battle hits Andhra economy hard
Value of British era buildings highlighted
Rajasthan to delete ‘communal’ content from textbooks
AP abolishes orderly system in police
Chabad House all set for Jewish New Year
Uneasy calm among Jagan supporters
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Hawala dealer names Buta’s son as gainer
Mumbai, September 20 Bangalore-based Chaudhari had appeared before a court as the CBI was on the lookout for him after which he decided to record his confessional statement before a magistrate under Section 164 of the CrPC. Sources in the CBI said while the agency was finalising the chargesheet in the case, the confessional statement of Chaudhari, who has been listed as one of the prime witnesses, would form part of it. Sarobjot was arrested by the CBI on July 31 for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 1 crore from Nashik-based contractor Ramrao Patil for closing a case against him pending before the National Commission for Scheduled Castes headed by his father Buta Singh. He is now out on bail. Patil had allegedly taken a loan of around Rs 10 crore from a cooperative society on behalf of over 100 persons belonging to the Dalit community. He allegedly pocketed the money following which a case was registered against him. CBI sources in Delhi said Chaudhari appeared before the agency and had agreed to assist in the investigations. His statement was recorded before a magistrate as a witness in the case and not as an accused. He also gave full details of the hawala transaction and its beneficiaries, they said. According to the CBI, the bribe amount, first received by hawala operators in Mumbai, was to be transferred to Buta Singh’s son from Bangalore. Sarobjot Singh has denied any involvement in the case. The CBI had been listening to telephonic conversations between Sarobjot Singh, Patil and three other accused in the case since July 31. The CBI claims that Sarobjot had asked another accused Anup Begi to collect Rs 1 crore from a hotel in suburban Chembur on July 29 and then call a mobile number that allegedly belonged to Mumbai-based hawala operator Madan Singh Solanki. Solanki was supposed to send money to Chaudhuri, who, in turn, claimed in his confessional statement that the money was to be transferred to Sarobjot Singh. The CBI also recorded the statement NCSC Chairman Buta Singh on September 10 in connection with the case. “Whatever information they had sought, I have given,” Buta had told reporters. Before this, he had struck a defiant note saying the CBI had no authority to question a Constitutional functionary having powers of a civil court and had filed a petition against the CBI summons in the Delhi High Court. The CBI told the court that Buta had been summoned under Section 160 of the CrPC (calling for a witness) and the agency had every right to call him. — PTI
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Turncoats get thumbs down from Bihar
Patna, September 20 Two former ministers of the Lalu-Rabri government, Shyam Rajak and Ramai Ram, defected to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) after having suffered a defeat in the parliamentary polls. Rajak, a blue eyed boy of Lalu Prasad Yadav and the RJD’s chief whip in the state assembly, had contested the elections from the Jamui (‘SC’) seat while Ram, former RJD chief in Bihar and a cabinet minister in the Lalu-Rabri government for 15 years, deserted the RJD on the eve of the polls after being denied a party ticket. Ram immediately joined the Congress party along with Lalu’s brother-in-law, Sadhu Yadav, to get the party ticket for the Gopalganj (‘SC’) seat. However, both of them lost to the respective JD(U) candidates. Impressed by the growing popularity of the JD(U) and its leader, the duo joined Nitish’s outfit and sought their renomination as party candidates from their old constituencies that had been vacated by them to join the new party. The JD(U) agreed to field them for the two seats against the wishes of their old aspirants. In view of the resentment among the electorate in these constituencies, Nitish personally campaigned for them seeking to make amends for their past mistakes. However, that failed to impress the voters who had decided to teach the defectors a lesson. Another defector from the RJD to JD(U), Ajay Singh Tunnu, also faced a humiliating defeat in the Ghoshi assembly constituency at the hands of a woman contesting as an independent candidate, though she was considered a political greenhorn. Tunnu, the ruling party’s nominee for whom Nitish addressed five election meetings, came a poor third in the race.
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Cong sweeps AP civic body bypolls
Hyderabad, September 20 The Congress has bagged 16 out of the 19 Zila Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTCs) seats, which went to polls on September 16, nearly two weeks after the death of Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy in a helicopter crash. The main opposition party, the TDP managed to win the remaining three seats, a drastic fall from eight seats it had represented earlier. Of the 17 Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) seats, the ruling party has won 12, with the TDP and Independents getting two and three seats, respectively. Interestingly, the Pamulapadu ZPTC seat went to the TDP though the chopper crash site is close to this village in Nallamala forest area of Kurnool district. In the bypoll held for 20 divisions/wards of various municipal corporations and municipalities, the Congress took nine seats followed by the TDP, which got eight. The PRP, headed by actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi, and CPI The CM K Rosaiah said the poll results reflected a “Congress wave” in the state. “The public verdict in the recent byelections to Tekkali Assembly segment and the MLC seats and now to the local bodies, shows people’s faith in the development and welfare schemes introduced by YSR,” he added.
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Apex court cautions govt against sitting on mercy
New Delhi, September 20 The remark was made Friday by a bench of justices Harjit Singh Bedi and JM Panchal, who added that its observations had "become extremely relevant as of today on account of the pendency of 26 mercy petitions before the President of India, in some cases, where the courts had awarded the death sentences more than a decade ago." The 26 condemned prisoners include Mohammed Afzal Guru, convicted for his role in the December 13, 2001, terrorist attack on Parliament. As the Congress party-led UPA government has failed to take a decision on Afzal's mercy plea, the opposition BJP has repeatedly accused it of playing "vote bank politics". "We, as judges, remain largely unaware as to the reasons that ultimately bear with the government in taking a decision either in favour of the prisoner or against him but, whatever the decision, it should be on sound legal principles related to the facts of the case," the bench said. "We must say with the greatest emphasis that human beings are not chattels (property or slave) and should not be used as pawns in furthering some larger political or government policy”, it added. The apex court cautioned the government that any delay in taking a decision would amount to violation of the condemned prisoners' right to life with dignity under article 21 of the country’s constitution owing to "dehumanizing effects of the lengthy imprisonment prior to the execution". In its ruling, delivered Friday but released late Saturday, the bench even suggested that the failure in taking timely decisions on mercy pleas of condemned prisoners may accord them and their relatives with positive rights to seek commutation of their death penalties into life terms. The bench gave the ruling while upholding the death sentence of a drug addict who had hacked his wife and five children to death. Madhya Pradesh native Jagdaiah had murdered his wife and five children in the age group 2-15 years on August 19, 2005 in Mansa village in Neemuch district. His counsel contended his client was entitled to commutation of his death sentence into life term after three year's lapse in executing him since he was awarded the death sentence. During the time since April 2006, when his client was awarded sentence, he had been dying every day awaiting the death sentence, the lawyer said. Tough the bench dismissed the argument it did take note of the larger point. "The delay (in executing a condemned prisoner) has the effect of obliterating both the underlying philosophies of according the death penalty - the first that it should be retributive and the second that it should act as a deterrent," it said. The bench noted that "the cruelty of capital punishment lies not only in the execution itself and the pain incident thereto, but also in the dehumanising effects of the lengthy imprisonment prior to execution." It further added that "it would, therefore, be open to a condemned prisoner, who has been under a sentence of death over a long period of time, for reasons not attributable to him, to contend that the death sentence should be commuted to one of life." Empathising with "the plight of a prisoner who has been under a sentence of death for 15 years or more living on hope but engulfed in fear as his life hangs in the balance and in the hands of those who have no personal interest in his case and for whom he is only a name", the bench added: "There can be no justification for the execution of a prisoner after much delay." — IANS
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Sanjoy’s memories come alive on celluloid
Guwahati, September 20 Sanjoy was punished by the banned ULFA for “exposing the ‘unholy nexus’ between the contractors, ULFA leaders and government officials in Majuli.” The tragedy still haunts those islanders who had witnessed how Sanjoy was working tirelessly for their cause. Award winning documentary filmmaker Bidyut Kotoky’s first feature film based on the backdrop of terror and the largest inhabited river island Majuli is bound to bring memories of Sanjoy Ghose alive going by the glimpse of the film’s promo that was screened by the director here this afternoon. The bilingual film in Assamese (Ehkon Nedekha Nadir Sipare) and Hindi (As the River Flows) is produced by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC). The film has a cast that includes noted actor Sanjay Suri in the lead role, newcomer Bidita Bag in the main female role, veteran Victor Banerjee, Raj Joshi, Arun Hazarika, Indra Bania, and Jubin Garg of ‘Ya Ali…” fame, who has also composed music and sung for the film. Kotoky firmly maintains, “It is not a film based on the life of Sanjoy Ghose who was kidnapped and killed by ULFA in Majuli. It is based on a complete fiction that tries to depict how common people, who have nothing to do with either terrorists or the counter terror actors, are crushed between the conflicts of terrorism and counter-terrorism. One may see Sanjoy in the film but that will be totally an individualistic way of accepting the film.” But resemblance with the real life of Sanjoy whose abduction and murder was probably the first major blot on the so called revolutionary image of the banned ULFA, with a character of the film Sridhar Ranjan, a social worker in Majuli, was too striking to be ignored. Noted actor Sanjay Suri plays the role of a Mumbai-based journalist who came to Majuli to unearth the truth behind disappearance of his social worker friend (Sridhar Ranjan). Debutant actor Bidita Bag who plays local guide to visiting journalist (Sanjay Suri) says, “I consider myself lucky to get a break in a film where she has found an opportunity to test her acting talent. I was a model and it was not easy to learn Assamese language to be able to act in the film as a native girl from Majuli considered the cultural capital of Brahmaputra Valley in Assam.”
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CPM allows cadres to attend community pujas
Kolkata, September 20 Earlier, party cadres had been prohibited from Despite repeated requests from organizers of several prominent community pujas in Kolkata and elsewhere no CPI(M) leader could inaugurate or attend any of the pujas. However, following the party’s debacle in the general elections as well as various other polls, the CPI(M) leadership has lifted the restriction. It has now realised that pujas and other festivals could be an ideal method of improving public contacts. As a result, many CPI(M) workers and diehard supporters have now begun taking part in puja activities.
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Shiv Sena men attack Manohar Joshi’s house
Mumbai, September 20 Police said over a hundred activists of the Shiv Sena arrived in buses and held protests outside the residence of Joshi in Central Mumbai today. After shouting slogans for a while, some of them threw stones on the property and tried to ransack it, police said. Joshi was not in at the time of
the incident. The protesters were shouting slogans against the party’s decision to field Milind Vaidya, former mayor of Mumbai, from Mahim. Though the names of the candidates have not been officially announced, various names for different constituencies were floating around. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena is said to be eying this seat as well. The party is likely to field its high-profile spokesman Nitin Sardesai in this constituency. Notably, the Mahim seat is very prestigious for both the Shiv Sena and the MNS, as both the Thackeray cousins hail from the area. The Shiv Sena headquarters, too, is located here. Following delimitation, parts of Dadar were added to Mahim, causing much heartburn to sitting Shiv Sena MLA Suresh Gambhir. Incidentally, the Congress decided not to press its claim for the seat and left it to the Nationalist Congress Party.
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Pranab was target of Maoists
Kolkata, September 20 The police said they had found explosives and documents that Surjeet was carrying during his operation in Behrampore on August 30 when Mukherjee was there on an official visit. The documents revealed that the Finance Minister had been the target of the Maoists attack. The state government, however, had ordered further probe into the matter by the CID.
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Hand hygiene your right in hospital
New Delhi, September 20 The move is not simply off-the-cuff. It is rooted in scientific research which proves hand hygiene can reduce Healthcare Associated Infections by half. Hand-washing remains, by far, the easiest, cheapest and the most-violated patient safety norm across hospitals in the country - one reason why some medical establishments are now asking patients to demand hand hygiene as a right in hospital settings. “Hand washing is, in fact, the primary measure to reduce all hospital infections and we implement it as a norm. We have told all patients they are free to ask doctors and nurses to wash the hands before handling them,” Dr Arati Verma, chief of medical excellence programmes, Max Healthcare yesterday told The Tribune. Max is partnering with the Government and the WHO for the implementation of patient safety policy in the country. The WHO norms on the subject are the key in this direction. They tell the doctors when to wash hands (patients also need to be careful about these issues). “You must wash hands before touching a patient, before the cleaning and aseptic procedures, after body fluid exposures, after touching a patient and after touching the patient surroundings,” state WHO guidelines on patient safety, which will now form part of the patient safety and hospital infection control policy, the Health Minister announced on Tuesday. As regards medical procedures - surgical interventions remain the riskiest of all; patient identification is the key to avoiding them. “You have to first make sure that the patient on the operation table is the one who needs to be operated. Identity check before the commencement of surgical intervention is a must,” Dr S. Gupta, head, hospital administration, AIIMS, said. In the developed world, half of all harmful events (miscommunication, wrong medication, and technical errors) affecting patients in hospitals are related to surgical care and services. Rates of death following major surgery could range from 0.4 per cent to 10 per cent. Estimating the impact of these rates, at least one million patients would die annually during or after an operation. With evidence that half of the surgical harms are preventable if standards of care - like checklists - are used and hand hygiene adhered to, WHO’s surgical check list is a must before an operation. It tells the lead surgeon to ask some basic questions before making an incision on the patient: “Has the patient identified himself? Are the anaesthesia and medication checks complete? Is pulse oximeter on the patient working? Does the patient have a known allergy or a difficult airway? Are all members of the operation team present?” Most of the leading government and private hospitals are following this check list - a potential weapon against surgical complications that can cause disability or prolonged stay in three to 25 per cent of hospitalised patients. These rates would mean that at least 7 million patients annually may have post-operative complications if hospitals were to ignore patient safety norms and patients were to ignore their rights to safe medical care.
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Govt nod for CEO’s pay not called for: Khurshid
New Delhi, September 20 “Essentially, we are shifting from control to regulation, that's the basic theme (of the proposed Company Bill)...for CEO's salary coming to us for approval is not something in the regulatory procedure is called for,” he said. Under the present Act, companies have to take approval of the government before raising salaries of directors. “Let the shareholders decide, how much they want to pay someone but there must be disclosure, to us, to the shareholder, to the public at large," he added. Commenting on the move, Diljeet Titus, senior partner with law firm Titus and Co, said: “Such archaic provisions (in Companies Act, 1956) are not in conformity with the liberalised market environment. However, some checks and balances must be put in place to prevent CEOs from extracting disproportionate compensation packages for themselves.” Expressing similar opinion, Aseem Chawla, partner, Amarchand Mangaldas, said: “This is a welcome move...It is most desirable that all proposals brought by the government are coherent with other laws, especially the Direct Taxes Code.” The G-20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors at London recently discussed the issue of high salary and bonuses being paid by the banks and it may come up again at the Pittsburgh summit this week. “They (companies) should not come to us for permission (for every small thing). Whatever can be done, should be known clearly; whatever can be done by the approval for shareholders should also be known and there should be transparent declaration and disclosure to the shareholders,” Khurshid said. The provision of seeking approval of the government for salaries of directors, Titus said, has outlived its utility and most of the proposal are cleared by the government in a routine manner without adequate scrutiny. However, pitching for some checks and balances, he said: “They can be developed by the government in consultancy with the industry. Even the US Treasury has raised objections on unreasonable salaries being given to certain companies. They (CEOs) cannot be asking for moon even if they are in strong position to dictate terms.” — PTI
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Winged guests desert Keoladeo National Park
Jaipur, September 20 Though the park registered normal arrival of birds in the month of June, a majority of them later flew away looking for new breeding grounds. The bird enthusiasts spotted varieties like cormorants, grey herons, egrets, ibis, painted storks, spoonbills and Indian Shag. Some of them like egrets and open-bill storks even laid eggs but left them unattended owing to delayed monsoon. What has disappointed the bird lovers all the more is the fact that unless the authorities make some arrangement for water only a few migratory birds would visit the park this winter. This has turned out to be one of the worst years for the winged guests at the Keoladeo National Park and statistics prove the same. The park has merely got less than 10 per cent of its minimum requirement for water in this season till now. The water bodies in the park have gone totally dry. Usually a good rainfall makes sure that the water from the neighbouring Ajan dam fills the park’s lakes and ponds, but the dam itself has less than one foot water. In such a scenario, the bird sanctuary officials are forced to pump water from the bore-wells. Though the state government had proposed various water projects to cater to the needs of the national park, none of them has materialised due to paucity of funds. The state government’s sincerity towards such projects can be gauged from the fact that the work on Rs 65-crore Goverdhan drain project, which was to be completed by 2008, is yet to take off. The project would have provided 75 per cent of the required water to the park. Wildlife experts apprehend that if the state government didn’t initiate urgent measures to tackle the water crisis at the national park it may be de-recognised from the list of the UNESCO’s world heritage site. This is not the first time that the park is grappling with acute water crisis. The situation was equally worse three years back, though the year gone by was good.
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Govt for public-private tie-ups in school education
New Delhi, September 20 Conducted in the five developing nations - Colombia, Dominican Republic, Philippines, Tanzania and Thailand - the report said students in private schools outperformed those in public schools on a variety of achievements; unit costs of private schools were lower than those of public schools and private schools had greater authority for decision making at school level and better emphasis on enhancing student achievement. Given these findings, the note argues for introducing the PPP model in school education - an idea Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal also wants extended to higher education. He said on Tuesday that private partners would be involved to set up some of the 14 “world-class” universities to come up during the 11th plan. With little time left and huge costs involved, the government feels private investment is a must if targets are to be achieved. That explains the HRD Ministry's rationale behind PPP in education. “We want to ease budget constraints with PPP,” states the note on the subject. It also has the government agreeing that the gap between the requirement and availability of school infrastructure in the country is so huge the government alone cannot fill it. At the secondary level the gross enrolment ratio from classes 9 through 12 is 40.6 per cent whereas the UPA government wants to universalise secondary education. The Planning Commission recently estimated a requirement of Rs 1.45 lakh crore during the 11th Plan to raise the ratio in secondary education to 65 per cent. “The government alone can not provide such a large amount in such a short period of time. If the private sector is involved it could augment financial resources by providing school infrastructure for which it would be paid an annuity. Thus, without investing a very huge sum of money upfront, the government would be able to cater to a much larger student population,” states the concept note, sent out for comments of stakeholders. Comments would be received till November 9 on the ministry website. Citing a slew of gains - efficiency, appropriate risk sharing, good speed of implementation and accountability of performance - of PPP, the government describes the same as a contractual arrangement through which a private party performs part of the service delivery functions of the government, assuming all associated risks. “In return we pay the private party on the basis of its performance. Such payment may come out of the user charges or through the government budget or a combination of both,” the note says, arguing several state governments were already using PPP to achieve enrollment targets, especially in government aided schools. In fiscal 2006-07, 30.05 per cent of higher secondary schools and junior colleges, 27.15 per cent of high schools, 6.75 per cent of upper-primary schools, 3.19 per cent of primary schools and 5.15 per cent of pre-primary schools were run by the private institutions with substantial funding from the state governments. Punjab’s ‘Adarsh’ schools find a special mention in the category where HRD Ministry discusses state PPP models. The note heavily quotes the European experience, especially that of Britain where “building schools for the future” is a private financing initiative that allows private partners to finance, set up and maintain school buildings during the contract period of 30 years. “Strict performance criteria for maintenance of the schools are fixed by the UK. Based on satisfactory maintenance payment is made every year on quarterly basis,” the note says. The government will decide later as to where it needs private help. It has arrived at the three possible areas of collaboration - infrastructural services, support services and educational services.
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Now, PPP model for innovation varsities
New Delhi, September 20 “We are looking at this possibility for some of the Innovation Universities to come up during the 11th Plan period,” Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said on Tuesday. The government has proposed to set up 14 such world-class universities during the 11th Five Year Plan. It is already in the process of using a PPP model in school education - a note for which has been circulated for the comments of stakeholders concerned. Sibal reiterated the government stand during a meeting with the Minister for Trade, Investment and Business of the UK Mervyn Davies who was keen to collaborate and cooperate with India in the education sector. India may also seek UK expertise in the areas of teacher training and certification, with Davies on Friday saying that the mood for India in the UK was positive and the country hoped India would open up its university sector for the British universities soon. As for the government, it is determined to push the foreign education providers’ bill whose draft is ready. It seeks to allow the foreign varsities to set up campuses in India. Importantly, Prof Yash Pal who headed the UGC committee on higher education reforms had objected to the entry of foreign players in Indian education and suggested that instead of allowing full universities to enter, the government could consider inviting illustrious foreign academicians to teach in India and in the Indian universities. Yashpal’s reservations apart, the HRD Ministry appears all set to move ahead in the direction. Through the new bill, the ministry hopes to bring world-class higher education providers to India. “What’s the harm if a Harvard campus comes to India?” Sibal had famously stated earlier, arguing in favour of the entry of foreign education providers. The bill is to be flagged soon for cabinet approval.
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IIM, IIT dons flay HRD proposals on pay hike
New Delhi, September 20 The faculties of the IITs and the IIMs are working on a joint charter of demands to be handed to Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal that includes better hikes and more autonomy. “It is for the first time that IIT professors and IIM professors are sitting down together to discuss what is there in the Sixth Pay Commission and how it is affecting us,” according to Dr Bharat Sheth, a professor at IIT Mumbai. The IIM-A faculty council has already met in Ahmedabad yesterday and opposed the HRD Ministry’s order on pay structure and asked the institute director to delay its implementation by a month, before future course of action is decided by them. “Faculty council has termed the recent Union HRD ministry orders on pay structure as infringement on academic freedom, and has asked the institute director to postpone its implementation by a month,” a senior faculty council member and IIM-A professor said after the council's meeting voicing disappointment. The council voiced its disappointed at the response of the HRD ministry to the memorandum seeking a pay hike that the IIM and the IIT professors had earlier submitted to the ministry. IIM (A) also decided to take up the issue with other IIMs and IITs and premier institutions like the IISc Bangalore. — PTI
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24 badly polluted areas under scanner
New Delhi, September 20 The report would be ready by the end of this month, Ramesh said, adding “no new industrial units are to come up in any of these areas unless a committee of experts is satisfied that it will not worsen the ambient air, water or soil quality.” Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh and Korba in Chhattisgarh, two hubs of thermal power generation, the Vapi-Ankleswar belt of chemical industries in Gujarat, Trombay in Mumbai, Ranipet in Tamil Nadu, Patancheru in Andhra Pradesh and Talcher in Orissa among the 24 critically polluted areas. — TNS
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Id Mubarak, says PM
New Delhi, September 20 Id-ul-Fitr marks the end of the period of fasting during the holy month of Ramzan. Id is celebrated on the first day of the Islamic month of Shawwal. “The festival commemorates austerity, brotherhood and the spirit of sharing. It reflects the true spirit of our composite culture. May the festival strengthen our resolve to promote tolerance and peace and live in harmony,” Prime Minister said. Shahi Imam Abdulla Bukhari announced that the moon had been seen and Id-ul-Fitr would be celebrated tomorrow. |
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Expert for better governance to overcome malnutrition
New Delhi, September 20 Published in the latest bulletin of the Sussex-based Institute of Development Studies (IDS), the study shows how from 1980-2005, per capita income of India grew by 3.95 per cent per year, but between 1992 and 2006, the percentage of underweight infants in the country only fell from 52 to 46 per cent. “Normally we expect economic growth and improved nutrition to go hand in hand but at the current rate India will not reach the Millennium Development Goal - to reduce the number of people suffering from hunger by 50 per cent by 2015 - even until 2043,” Lawrence Haddad, director of IDS on Wednesday said at the launch of the findings. The report titled ‘Lifting the curse: Overcoming persistent undernutrition in India’ goes to the extent of suggesting that by failing to reach its targets, India was condemning a further generation to brain damage, poorer education and early death resulting from malnutrition. It adds that though India, under the Integrated Child Development Scheme, had committed itself to a four-fold increase of approximately £170 million since 2008 to tackle under nutrition, this money will be wasted unless better targeted. The basic argument in this connection is the problem of governance of the nutrition programme. “In India, it is difficult to hold nutrition service providers accountable as the practices exclude a large groups of people and benefits often do not reach those who need them,” states the report, ruing that despite impressive economic growth, India remained home to one third of the world’s undernourished children. “The persistence of extraordinary levels of child malnutrition in India in the midst of a whirlwind of economic growth - maintained even in the midst of global recession - must seem like a curse,” Haddad said, hoping India would act dramatically to change the situation and lift the curse.
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Bengal to intensify anti-Maoist drive
Kolkata, September 20 "Though initially we had some success, it was not up to our expectations. So we have changed our plans. We are going to succeed, though it might take some time," Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen told PTI. "The ground reality in Lalgarh and its adjacent areas including Purulia and Bankura districts, besides Jharkhand, is that the problem is showing very little sign of receding till now," he said. There were 17 companies of Central forces in Lalgarh working in close co-ordination with the state forces, he said, while another 10 companies have been sought, Sen said. "We have asked for another 10 companies from the Centre. Our DGP is meeting Union Home minister P Chidambaram," he said. "The Central forces will stay
for an indefinite period till the problem of Lalgarh is resolved," Sen said. In the last three months over 50 people have been killed by Maoists and some, including policemen, kidnapped. Maoist leader Kishenji, however, said, "when the police and the CPI(M) are killing us off, we cannot keep quiet. We have to answer them with bullets." Asked if the operations had hindered the activities of Maoists, Kishenji replied, "The Home Secretary has himself admitted that the operations by joint forces have failed and they have asked for extra forces from the central government." West Midnapore Superintendent of Police Manoj Verma said 72 arrests have been made from Lalgarh and its adjacent areas. Asked why the police were unable to arrest any top Maoist leader or those from the People Committee against Police Atrocities, Verma said "We will arrest them when we think fit." Another senior police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said "Maoists follow hit and run tactics and so it is very hard for organised forces to combat them." Another factor was the support base of Maoists in the area, he said. "Without the people's support it is very hard for any guerrilla group to be successful. The people of Lalgarh and its adjacent areas fully support Maoists." A lawyer from Andhra Pradesh K G Kannabiran who has been defending Maoists in court for the last two decades said "It is not the story of the people of Lalgarh alone. The Maoists gain strength because of inequality of the political and social structure." — PTI
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Succession battle hits Andhra economy hard
Hyderabad, September 20 The impact of global economic slowdown, coupled with dwindling revenue flows and severe drought conditions, is taking its toll on the state’s finances. On one hand, the revenue receipts are slowing down across the sectors, the demand for payments and budgetary commitments are growing on the other hand, pushing the state into a crisis. As against the target of Rs 13,500 crore, the revenue collections stood at Rs 11,000 crore during the four-month period, ending July 31. This has resulted in a revenue deficit of Rs 2,500 crore. As a result, the Finance Department has issued instructions to the district treasuries not to make pending payments or release funds for the time being. So far, the government has already borrowed Rs 8,600 crore so far this year and another Rs 1,400 crore would be mobilised by next week by selling the government securities. It is also expecting Rs 4,174 crore assistance from World Bank this financial year under Structural Adjustment Loan (SAL). The state had registered an annual GSDP growth rate of 10.08 per cent in constant terms for the four year period 2004-08 as against national growth rate of 8.92 per cent. However, it had to content with just 5.6 per cent growth rate for the year 2008-09, because of global economic slow-down. Consequently, the financial resources too fell sharply. The revenue receipts are likely to fall short by Rs 8,000 crore from the budgeted estimates, while there will be a short fall of Rs 10,000 crore on account of capital receipts. This is quite a big resource gap, officials said. However, Chief Minister K Rosaiah exuded confidence that the state would be able to weather the storm. “It is a fact that the global slowdown has affected our economy. But, we are pursuing a prudent fiscal management practices to achieve maximum results. There will be no dearth of funds for the welfare and development programmes initiated by YS Rajasekhar Reddy,” he said.
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Value of British era buildings highlighted
Guwahati, September 20 Those building were popularly referred as ‘Assam Type’ houses which were characterised by very tall rooms with cross ventilation to facilitate unhindered flow of air and light inside the house, while sufficient green open spaces are left around the houses to keep it cool during the sultry summer and well lit by sun rays during chilling winter. The air conditioner which has become essential today, would have been a luxury in those naturally cool houses. The traditional technology used in those Assam Type houses of the yore may be of immense value to construct 'green building' in thickly populated urban areas in the country. This is to mitigate the impact of global warming by saving on consumption of energy that goes into running the ACs and for day-time lighting of the poorly-lit interior of houses so that we can reduce emission of greenhouse gases. The experts on environment and energy taking part in a panel discussion on:'Climate change mitigation in urban areas' organised by British Council in collaboration with AARANYAK, a prominent society for biodiversity conservation.
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Rajasthan to delete ‘communal’ content from textbooks
Jaipur, September 20 The Garg Committee, which was appointed by the ruling Congress government early in 2009, has recommended the move. The board has already initiated the exercise to delete the controversial content and all schools affiliated to it will soon be issued orders to skip the parts while teaching the syllabus for the current session, as publication of new books will only be possible from the next session. Board Secretary MR Sharma said the committee headed by Rajasthan University Professor Subhash Garg has thrown light on objectionable content in several chapters in books being taught in Classes IX to XII. He said they had received the committee’s recommendations and the board will issue directions to the schools, asking them not to teach the controversial facts in classes from this session. The committee has underlined large parts in social science textbook of Class X which “showers praise” on the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the parent organisation of the BJP. For instance, the second chapter of Class X Social Studies book, Indian Society (Continuity and Changes), reads, “During the China attack on India in 1962, the RSS played a vital role in maintaining patriotism in the country. The Sangh set an example of brotherhood, harmony and discipline, the reason that allowed the country to overcome the attack. By this act of RSS, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was impressed and they invited the Sangh for path sanchalan (march past) on the occasion of January 26, 1963.” A section of teachers also felt that an attempt had been made in these textbooks to “replace” Mahatma Gandhi with RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar and attribute the same to the fact that the board was headed by Vimal Prasad Agarwal, a staunch RSS member, during the previous BJP regime. “There is no place for Sangh propaganda in text books. Instead of blowing the RSS’ trumpet, the students should be taught as to how the entire nation stood united during the Indo-China war in 1962,” opined Ram Babu Gupta, a teacher.
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AP abolishes orderly system in police
Hyderabad, September 20 The government has issued an order, putting an end to the orderly system prevalent in the police. The decision came in the wake of furore over the death of a constable, P Muralinath, under mysterious circumstances while on duty on July 29. The armed reserve constable was deputed to work as an orderly at the Delhi residence of additional DGP Vivek Dubey, chief of OCTOPUS - an elite, anti-terrorist wing of the police. As the constable’s death exposed the feudal system and evoked public outrage, the state government constituted a high-level committee, headed by Chief Secretary P Ramakanth Reddy, to probe into the matter. In its report submitted to the then Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy, the committee had recommended scrapping the orderly system and replacing them with helpers for posting at the residences of senior police officers. It is estimated that over 15,000 constables work as orderlies at the homes of senior police officials in the state. In most cases, they end up working as drivers, cooks and gardeners and silently suffer the humiliation. AP has nearly one-lakh police force, out of which 800 are top-rank officers, including over 200 IPS officers. The officers from the rank of the DGP to DSP can have up to six constables to assist them. The government had last month suspended Dubey and Abraham Lincoln, both senior IPS officers, holding them “indirectly” responsible for the suspicious death of the constable. Lincoln, working as commandant, Special Armed Reserve, had sent the constable to Noida “without competence”, the government said.
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Chabad House all set for Jewish New Year
Mumbai, September 20 The Nariman House, known as Chabad House among the Jewish community, which was badly damaged in the terrorist attack and its subsequent storming by the security forces is in the process of being restored. Five persons, including Rabbi Gavriel and his wife Rivka, who ran the Chabad House were killed during the November attack. Only their little son and two Indian servants survived the attack. Members of the sect have moved to another location in the city. Members of the Chabad-Lubavitch sect visiting Mumbai often frequent the Chabad Houses for their traditional kosher meals and a religious environment. Though very little information is available from the Israeli consulate here, the police have beefed up security at the Nariman House and other properties belonging to the Israeli Jewish community as a precautionary measure. Israeli newspapers have reported that a number of visitors from that country would be in Mumbai to mark the Rosh Hashanah. Chabad Houses constructed by the sect are operating in different cities of India. Young married rabbis are usually encouraged by the Chabad-Lubavitch sect to set up their own Chabad Houses to ensure preservation of their faith among young Jewish travellers in different parts of the world.
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Uneasy calm among Jagan supporters
Hyderabad, September 20 After a shrill, the emotion-filled campaign for anointing YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the 36-year-old son of YS Rajasekhar Reddy, as the next Chief Minister, the young MP’s camp is now maintaining a studied silence over its next move. The restless clamour that was on display in the immediate aftermath of the death of YSR is slowly giving way to a sense of righteous indignation among Jagan’s supporters. They are sore over delay in convening a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) to elect new leader. Despite public statements pledging loyalty to the central leadership, the pro-Jagan camp is unhappy with the high command’s refusal to acknowledge the groundswell of public support for the young leader. An overwhelming majority of the ruling party’s 154 MLAs and 33 MPs are in favour of installing Jagan as YSR’s political heir to carry forward the legacy of his charismatic father. “We are hopeful that the high command will honour the wishes of the party leaders and the general public and make Jagan the next Chief Minister. There may be a delay in taking the decision but we are confident that it will be in favour of Jagan,” senior minister N Raguveera Reddy said. His views are shared by many leaders in the state Congress. While leaving the final decision to the high command, they are keen to maintain the tempo of the campaign to see that Jagan was named the successor. The high command had sent out clear signals that it would preferto continue the status quo and directed the ministers to fall in line and cooperate with Chief Minister K Rosaiah, the septuagenarian leader who is widely seen as a stop-gap arrangement. |
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After having displayed maturity by ensuring the defeat of all candidates with a criminal background in the last general elections, voters in Bihar rejected all the high-profile ‘party hoppers’ in the just concluded
byelections for 18 assembly seats.
Guwahati, September 20
