 |
|
|
Centre yet to notify Right to Education
Justice Alok Singh to replace Justice Yadav
Justice Thakur set to enter SC
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Query on Dinakaran infuriates CJI
Petition seeks action against MNS
Saamna flays Azmi, Raj men
Sharad flays BJP’s money power play in K’taka
Close shave for MP
Guv, CM
Let’s end rhetoric, India
tells China
Heavy rains claim 71 lives in TN
Maoists ready for ceasefire: Kishenji
Close shave for Kingfisher passengers
Colours for Adampur-based squadron
Efforts on to rescue 5-yr-old from borewell
|
|
Centre yet to notify Right to Education
New Delhi, November 10 The law, passed with a thumping majority on August 4 by the Lok Sabha, has received the Presidential assent but is yet to come into force in technical terms, with the gazette notification still to be issued. Although the understanding earlier was that the law would become effective from the next academic year, the government is now toying with the idea of notifying it in the gazette from the next financial year instead of next academic year. “The question is when the law should be made effective. The choice is between the academic and the financial year. But because the academic year varies across the country, from state to state, financial year would be much more suitable for a start. That would provide a neater arrangement,” said a highly placed official in the Human Resource Development Ministry, which is still in the process of negotiations with the Finance Ministry and the 13th Finance Commission to marshal the financial muscle needed to boost the legislation. The law guarantees the Right to Free and Compulsory Education for students aged 6 to 14 years in a neighbourhood school. All state governments will, however, get five years from the date of its notification to put systems in place for the right to become a reality. Within the HRD Ministry, the consensus appears to be building in favour of making the law effective from April 1 next, the start of the financial year. By then, we hope to arrange required funds, top HRD sources told The Tribune today on the eve of National Education Day that marks the birth anniversary of India’s first Education Minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Initial estimates suggest that the law, for implementation would require Rs 1.78 lakh crore over the next five years (down from earlier estimation of 2 lakh crore). Of this, Rs 50,000 crore can be arranged by the Central and state governments from the continuing Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. Of the remaining demand of Rs 1.28 lakh crore, the HRD ministry says about Rs 60,000 crore would be pulled out of SSA funds expected from the 12th Plan. “After that, the additional requirement will stand at around Rs 68,000 crore,” said sources in the ministry, which had earlier asked National University of Education Planning and Administration (NUEPA) to rework the centre-state costing and sharing pattern. Minister Kapil Sibal has already assured the states of additional funds through the 13th Finance Commission, with which negotiations are on. “The important thing is to make the funds available by the time the law is ready for notification,” ministry officials said, with UNESCO today offering to partner the government in making the Right to Education law a success. At tomorrow’s National Education Day function, to be addressed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UNESCO director general Koichiro Matsuura will be the guest of honour.
|
|
Justice Alok Singh to replace Justice Yadav
Chandigarh, November 10 Available information suggests Justice Alok Singh’s name has been cleared for transfer to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, but formal orders are yet to be received. With his transfer, the number of judges in the high court here will remain 48, even after Justice Yadav’s shifting to Nainital. Justice J.S. Khehar of the Punjab and Haryana High Court is also slated to move on to Nainital, with his name being cleared for elevation as the Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court. Just over 50, Justice Alok Singh did his initial schooling from Roorkee, before completing graduation in science from M.S. College at Saharanpur. He then pursued law and joined practice in 1982. During his practice days, he represented UP state electricity board, UP Awas Vikas Parishad and other organisations. In April 1993, Justice Alok Singh shifted to New Delhi and started appearing before Supreme Court of India, High Court of Delhi, state and national consumer commission, Delhi, beside other courts and tribunals. After creation of the state of Uttarakhand, he started to appear and conduct cases before the High Court of Uttarakhand at Nainital. He also appeared for the central government as senior panel advocate. He was elevated to the High Court of Uttarakhand on October 12 as a Judge. |
|
Justice Thakur set to enter SC
Chandigarh, November 10 It is believed Chief Justice Thakur will have a chance to become the CJI and remain on the post for about two years. Justice Thakur (57), from Jammu and Kashmir, was appointed acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court in April 2008. He took over as Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on August 11, 2008. His tenure saw reduction in the pendency of cases, with the number of cases disposed of being more than the filed. The rules for the appointment of additional district and sessions judges in the lower judiciary too were amended. The mandatory condition of clearing Hindi examination in Haryana was relaxed; and the percentage was lowered for the SC/ST candidates. His move to seek the assistance of retired judges to dispose of the cases to cut down on pendency was widely appreciated during the conference of the chief justices and the chief ministers held recently at New Delhi.
|
|
Query on Dinakaran infuriates CJI
New Delhi, November 10 “Who are you,” the CJI burst out when the reporter wanted to know whether any action was under way against lawyers who stalled court proceedings in Bangalore yesterday. “Journalist” was the reply of the reporter, who approached the CJI when he was walking to the reception gate to cut the ribbon, marking the unveiling of the new security system. The CJI became even more furious. “Are you accredited” was his next question. And without showing any interest in the reporter’s further response, he walked towards the gate. Another reporter put the same question after the ribbon cutting. “I don’t want to comment” was his curt response. Justice Dinakaran’s elevation to the Supreme Court was put on hold following allegations of corruption and land grabbing. The Advocates Association of Bangalore had called for boycott of courts in that city yesterday.
|
|
Petition seeks action against MNS
New Delhi, November 10 “This country is one, we speak a lot of languages and the MNS has no authority to decide what language one should speak and where one should work,” the petition filed by a Delhiite, Salek Chand Jain, said. India which comprised of different states “is not owned or controlled on the basis of regionalism” or language, the petition said. The litigant took the court’s permission in the morning before filing the petition under Section 151 CPC seeking a direction to the Centre to initiate action against the MNS and Thackeray. “The nation will be divided into different parts on the basis of languages and regionalism” if the Centre remained silent even after the vandalism in the Maharashtra Assembly yesterday, it said. Azmi was assaulted for taking oath in Hindi instead of Marathi. 50 MNS activists arrested Pune: Around 50 alleged MNS activists were on Tuesday picked up in connection with stone pelting at city buses last night after suspension of four party MLAs in the Maharashtra assembly, the police has said. Those detained by the police included MNS City Unit President Prakash Dhore. At least 30 buses were damaged in the incidents in various parts of the city as the party activists took to the streets to protest against the suspension of MNS legislators. The trouble started from Varje area (Khadakwasla constituency) from where Ramesh Wanjle, one of the suspended MLAs have been elected to the house. — PTI
Saamna flays Azmi, Raj men
Mumbai, November 10 The newspaper carrying an editorial attributed to Bal Thackeray stated that Shiv Sena's own legislators would have roasted Azmi in a tandoor for “insulting” Marathi. The article insisted that Azmi himself was responsible for the beating he got. “Azmi was responsible for his own fate by insulting Marathi,” Saamna wrote. Later, Sanjay Raut, editor of Saamna and Rajya Sabha MP, told reporters that Shiv Sena was against the way the MNS MLAs attacked MLA Meenakshi Patil when she came out in support of Azmi.
|
|
Sharad flays BJP’s money power play in K’taka
New Delhi, November 10 JDU president Sharad Yadav did not name the BJP, running the government in Karnataka, which witnessed a fierce faction fight last fortnight between Chief Minister BS Yedyurappa and his cabinet colleagues, the mining kings of Bellary, better known as Bellary brothers, whose money power forced Yedyurappa to sue peace with them. But he made his displeasure at the fraternal party’s submission to money power obvious. He said, “In Karnataka money power took the whole political system of the state to ransom. There have been faction fights in many political parties. Many parties have lost power because of this. There have been many reasons for the fights, but what we witnessed in Karnataka was a faction fight of an entirely different dimension, where money power was directly challenging the mandate given by the people in the last Assembly elections there.” He said, “I appeal to all political parties and all people concerned with the survival of democracy to see the threat of money power in its proper perspective,” adding “Concentration of economic power to a handful of people is not only economically unjustifiable, but also politically dangerous. We have already witnessed in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka the vulgar play of money power to meet some political ends.” He credited the Madhu Koda scam to the same forces and said the Koda episode also poses a threat to democracy and happened because of mixing the governance with big private money. “It seems Koda was not using his Chief Ministerial post for governance, but only for furthering his own business interest in complicity with big private money.” Sharad Yadav also demanded barring constitutionally and legally parties like MNS that physically and violently prevent Maharashtra Assembly members like Abu Asim Azmi from exercising their right to take oath in Hindi, from entering the electoral fray.
|
|
Close shave for MP
Guv, CM
Gwalior, November 10 The incident occurred just before the President Pratibha Patil's plane was to land at the Air Force terminal next to Vijayraje Scindia Air Terminal, officials said. The alert pilot after seeing the two Air Force vehicles, immediately took off in nick of time averting an accident, the officials said. The aircraft flew over the two vehicles and made a round in the sky lasting eight to ten minutes before landing, they said. Minutes after the incident occurred, the plane carrying the President arrived at the nearby Air Force Terminal.
— PTI
|
|
|
Let’s end rhetoric, India
tells China
New Delhi, November 10 “Talk of India not learning lessons from 1962 is silly. We are far from 1962 and history does not always repeat itself,” Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor said here. Chinese state-run daily, Global Times, had yesterday quoted an anonymous scholar to say that India had forgotten the lesson of the 1962 war. “We are not woefully prepared as we were in 1962 and such language will not help. China's articulations in recent weeks have been nothing but an irritant,” Tharoor underlined. The Indian minister asserted that Arunachal Pradesh was a part of the Indian territory and made it clear that the country’s territorial integrity was not negotiable. While the border dispute was important, it was not likely to lead to any dramatic flare-up. “Since 1962, the border has by and large been manned without incident and it suggests that these tensions will be overcome.’’ Emphasising that there was no need to increase the rhetoric between the two countries, Tharoor said “My view is that we have reached a point where we are saying what we have already said. I don’t wish, therefore, personally to increase the temperature.’’ But China commented yet again today on the Dalai Lama’s visit to the northeastern state in what is seen as part of its increasing aggressive posturing over the border dispute. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Beijing was “strongly dissatisfied” with India over the Tibetan spiritual leader’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh. “’The Indian side allowed the Dalai Lama to visit the disputed eastern sector of the China-India border regardless of China’s grave concerns and China is strongly dissatisfied with this,’’ he said at a news briefing in Beijing. The Chinese spokesman went on to say “We firmly oppose the Dalai Lama’s visit to the region. It fully exposes the Dalai Lama’s separatist nature. His attempt will not succeed.”
|
|
Heavy rains claim 71 lives in TN
Chennai, November 10 Reports of 17 deaths due to wall collapse were received from several districts in north and south Tamil Nadu. Reports received at the police headquarters here said 36 persons had died due to landslides in Nilgiris alone for the last three days. Landslides had occurred at 60 places in Nilgiris district and 13 villages had totally covered by landslides. Loss of lives were averted, since the inmates of the villages were moved to safer places before the landslides. Besides wall collapses and landslides, people had lost their lives due to electrocution and floods at some places. More than 1000 tourists were stranded in 'the Queen of Hill Stations' and could not return home as the traffic on the Mettupalayam-Udhagamandalam ghat section was completely cut off, due to landslides and damage to roads. The district administration issued a statement advising the tourists to stay away from Nilgiris till the rains abated. The fire service and civil administration are gearing up for rescue and relief operations following weather forecasts predicting more rains with the low pressure area, which lay centred near Lakshadweep coast, intensifying into a depression. Chennai city, which is already under a sheet of water, continues to receive sharp showers, leading to traffic snarls and inundation of low-lying areas. Schools and educational institutions which were closed since Thursday due to rains, opened today. But the students had to brave the rains to go to schools.
|
|
Maoists ready for ceasefire: Kishenji
Kolkata, November 10 Reacting to Home Secretary GK Pillai's statement that there was a possibility of dialogue with Maoists if they abjured violence, Kishenji told PTI over phone. “Abjuring the violence is not on our agenda. We believe in armed struggle,” he said. However, if the government took the initiative that the Maoists were ready for a ceasefire, he said. “The government can initiate a ceasefire unilaterally. We are also ready to declare a ceasefire,” the elusive leader said. “We can fix some modalities, after which we can declare ceasefire. If the government is honest and really willing to speak with us then we will co-operate.” Pillai had told a conference last Sunday, “We have taken up (the issue of having dialogue with the Maoists). Home Minister (P Chidambaram) has written to (former Lok Sabha Speaker) Rabi Ray. He said please start. We got some reply.” “Some dialogue, some process is starting. Let us see. But unless they give up violence, I do not think it is possible to talk. Rabi Ray has been trying this for quite a long time. Previously he wrote two letters to the Prime Minister, but there was no reply,” Kishneji said.
— PTI
|
|
Close shave for Kingfisher passengers
New Delhi/Mumbai November 10 The runway at Mumbai Airport is undergoing repairs and only part of it is used to operate aircraft. Both pilots have been derostered pending an inquiry, the airline said in a statement. Civil Aviation regulator DGCA has ordered an investigation into the incident. As per reports from Mumbai, a major tragedy was averted today evening when the Mumbai-bound Kingfisher Aircraft IT-4124, carrying 42 passengers from Bhavnagar, Gujarat, skid off the runway while landing here at the airport. |
|
Colours for Adampur-based squadron
New Delhi, November 10 President Pratibha Patil presented the standards, also known as the “colours”, at Gwalior, the IAF spokesperson in Delhi said. On behalf of the 47 Squadron, known as the black archers, Wg Cmdr Vikas Sharma and Cdr Commandant Air Vice-Marshal Arup Raha, received the standards. For the TACDE, Gp Capt Surat Singh and Cdr Commandant Air Marshal S Mukerji did the honours. An impressive parade comprising air warriors from both units as well those from the Gwalior airbase followed the standard presentation. The President also released a first day cover and a brochure on the occasion. A fly-past comprising the air-borne radar (AWACS), Sukhoi-30 MKI, MiG-21, Mig-27s, Mirage 2000 and Mig-29s enthralled the onlookers. The IAF’s helicopter display team, Sarang, also displayed its acrobatics. Later, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal PV Naik formally announced the proposed flight of the President on a Sukhoi-30 MKI at Pune airbase on November 25.
|
|
Efforts on to rescue 5-yr-old from borewell
Jaipur, November 10 According to officials, the digging work is on at a war footing at a distance of some 20 ft from the borewell and till now they have dug up 80 ft. A rescue team comprising 17 JCB machines, local labourers, PHED engineers and others are engaged in the rescue operation since 10am yesterday. Drilling machines and a team of doctors are also at the spot to facilitate the rescue team. The officials said though the borewell is deeper, Sahil is stuck at a depth of 150 ft. Jaipur Collector Kuldeep Ranka said they were putting in all efforts to rescue the child and the administration was also in touch with the Army for technical advice. As far as the condition of the child is concerned, CCTV cameras lowered in the borewell showed him lying unconscious. Sources in the rescue team said though oxygen is being supplied in the borewell through a pipe, the boy’s chances of survival are meagre. “Parallel digging would be done near the borewell after reaching the depth of 150 ft to get close to the boy. As soon as he is recovered the medical team would take him to the SMS hospital for proper medication,” said an official inspecting the rescue operation.
|
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
New Delhi, November 10
