New Delhi, February 1
Under pressure from various quarters on rising food prices, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today told state governments to use all means to tackle shortage of essential commodities and ensure supplies to the common man at reasonable prices.

He also reaffirmed Centre’s commitment to assist states in every possible way.

Addressing the first annual conference of chief secretaries in the Capital, he said for quite sometime there had been a “false sense of security” that “availability of food” had “ceased to be a concern”. However, availability of produce and controlling prices continued to remain challenges, needing focused attention.

He said: “Our experience in the past two years has brought to the fore the importance of food security and the need for containing prices. We have learnt that our growing population and higher levels of living necessitate augmentation of our food supplies. In this context, I would urge the state governments to focus their energy on the area of increasing agricultural productivity.”

The Prime Minister was of the view that it would never be possible to insulate ourselves from pulls and pressures of international demand and supply. “The state governments must forge appropriate strategies to bolster food production and tackle shortage of essential commodities,” he said.

Stressing the importance of making the public distribution system (PDS) strong, he said: “There are many instruments at your command and it is expected that you should not be found wanting in their judicious use.”

Pointing out that the country’s agricultural productivity still ranked far below the best in the world, he asked states to devise strategies to increase food production. There was great scope for improvement in the productivity of major crops, he said. He suggested to the states to place “best and committed” officers as agricultural production commissioners.

He also used the opportunity to ask the bureaucracy to tone up its functioning. He said it was for administrators to ensure that the welfare programmes of the Centre and state governments were implemented in the spirit in which they had been conceived, without roadblocks and leakages.

Drawing comfort from the manner in which India handled the challenges posed by the global slowdown in a much better fashion than many other economies, he said inclusive growth remained the government’s centrepiece of development.

Concerned over law and order issues derailing economic growth, he said it was the primary responsibility of states to ensure rule of law was maintained for rapid development. “Terrorism, insurgency and extremism need to be tackled with a firm but effective and sensitive hand,” he said.

He also expressed concern over poor infrastructure in the country and said the states that lagged behind must go that extra mile to remove all bottlenecks. “Shortages of electricity, poor roads, overcrowded ports, delayed flights etc. retard our economic efficiency and damage our international image. States that have relatively better infrastructure attract investments while the others lag behind,” he said, adding that this was a lesson that all states should learn.

New Delhi, February 1
India will soon have a national registry of candidates fit to be Vice-Chancellors of the central or state universities and heads of institutes of national importance. Only those who make it to the registry would be at all eligible for such appointments.

The much-awaited draft legislation for the establishment of National Council for Higher Education and Research (NCHER), approved today by the government-appointed task force, vests a collegium with the power to shortlist candidates fit to be V-Cs and heads of important institutes.

The Central government, state governments, universities and higher educational institutions will be allowed to refer to the NCHER names of suitable persons for inclusion in the registry. The commission will then forward these names, along with credentials, to the collegium for assessing their suitability and competence, states the draft law, uploaded today on the HRD Ministry’s website for public response. The government is yet to accept the recommendations of the task force that has so far prepared a prototype of what the NCHER might look like.

The registry hence prepared would be maintained by NCHER which will, whenever asked by the Central or state government, recommend to the President a panel of five candidates each for appointment as a V-C of central or state universities, respectively.

Interestingly, even overseas citizens can be core fellows of the collegium, which will have core fellows and co-opted fellows- all persons of eminence and integrity in academia in higher education and research. A core fellow will be a person- who is or has been a National Research Professor; Nobel Prize or Field Medal winner; Jnanpith award winner or member of an academy of international standing.

Co-opted fellows will be chosen by core fellows, to represent each state and UT. As for the Commission- it will have overriding powers over UGC, AICTE etc. to determine, coordinate, maintain standards of higher education and research, including university education, technical and professional education.

As regards the structure, NCHER is proposed as an autonomous body with its chairperson’s status equal to Chief Election Commissioner’s and its three full-time members being as good as Election Commissioners.

Jaipur, February 1
A recent Supreme Court ruling that upholds the second marriage of a Muslim employee of Rajasthan government as illegal has drawn flak from Muslim organisations in the state.

The Rajasthan Muslim Forum (RMF), a state-based forum of the community, today said the order amounted to interference with the Muslim Personal Law.

“With due respect to the Supreme Court, we would like to say that the decision is shocking for the Muslim community because it is a direct interference with the Muslim Personal Law recognised by the Constitution,” said RMF convener Qari Mueenuddin.

Similarly, Dr Najmussalam Jalali, secretary of Zakar Foundation of India, said, “The Rajasthan government’s rule is a clear case of interference in the Muslim Personal Law. Why should a Muslim seek permission from the government for having a second wife?”

On January 29, the Supreme Court had cracked down on bigamy, ruling that the Rajasthan government can terminate services of employees who marry a second time, while keeping the first wife.

As per the order, an employee will have to seek permission from the government before marrying for the second time, irrespective of any personal law governing marriages in the country.

The issue, arising from a service conduct rule formulated by the state government, was being debated in the Rajasthan High Court and the Supreme Court for the past 23 years.

Citing the Muslim Personal Law, Liaquat Ali, formerly a constable with the state police, married Maksuda Khatun, contending that he had divorced his first wife Farida Khatun.

However, investigations revealed that he had not divorced Farida. He also failed to seek the state government’s permission before remarrying.

Putting forth its argument in the Supreme Court, the state government said as per Rule 25 of the Rajasthan Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1971, no employee having a spouse can remarry without seeking its permission. 

New Delhi, February 1
The great “Megahalayan innovation” of having more than one chief minister in a state has left a defensive Congress with lots of explaining to be done.

Party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi today dubbed the appointment of four “chief ministers” in Meghalaya “relatively unusual”.

However, he stressed that there was only one chief minister in the state and the others had only been given same perks and security, but not the same decision-making power.

“I agree this is relatively unusual. But it is a small state and is politically unstable. The decision was taken in all transparency, not surreptitiously,” he said.

“It is true that it does not happen generally,” a defensive Congress spokesman said. However, even as publicly the grand old party went all out to defend the appointment of another “chief minister” in the tiny northeastern state, personally senior party leaders agree the act was “absurd” and “perverse”.

They admit that the elevation of Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee president Lyngdoh’s status was to stem the growing resentment in the Congress camp, particularly among some senior members who have been denied a ministerial berth.

Observing that the move was its last ditch effort to save the government, Congress leaders say the bargaining power did not stretch to the matter being settled with deputy chief-ministership. “It was a question of survival,” they explain.

Constitutionally, they explain, nothing much had changed and there will be no change in the functioning of the government. Party sources say as of now the status quo is likely to be maintained.

“It has helped the government from falling apart,” a senior Congress leader said, adding that there was a likelihood of someone filing a PIL on the issue.

Singhvi pointed out that there were several states with deputy chief ministers and in-charge of corporations had been given the Cabinet rank.

However when asked whether having so many chief ministers in a small state will not be a misuse of public money, the spokesman said, “I do not think it is a misuse, as it is a political decision taken with full responsibility”.

The Opposition had lambasted the decision, calling it an additional burden on state exchequer. Singhvi, however, said it was not taken in secret.

The Congress-led government in Meghalaya resorted to a peculiar arrangement with the rank and status of Pradesh Congress Committee president Lyngdoh being elevated to that of chief minister, even as DD Lapang continues as the CM.

With elevation of Lyngdoh’s status, the ruling alliance now has three leaders, apart from Lapang, who enjoy the status of chief minister.

The other two being leaders of the United Democratic Party- State Planning Board chairman Donkupar Roy and Meghalaya Economic Development Council chairman JD Rymbai. 

New Delhi, February 1
With the number of Indian students migrating to Australia to pursue higher studies coming down in the wake of violence against them, the Australian authorities are sparing no effort to dispel the impression that most attacks on Indians Down Under were racially motivated.

The Australian High Commission today released a statement, said to have been issued by the Gurdwara Council of Victoria, as regards investigations into the fire that broke out at the partially completed Nanaksar Thath Isher Darbar Sikh Temple on the Evans Road in Lynbrook (Melbourne) on January 13.

In the statement, Raj Singh, a representative of the temple, was quoted as saying that the authorities from the City of Casey, CFA and the Victoria police had been extremely cooperative in their investigations. “Officers from the Victoria police have to be highly commended on their level of diligence and professionalism shown in carrying out investigations. They have been updating us on daily basis on their progress and I have assured the Sikh congregation that we are in good hands,” the statement added. Australian High Commissioner Peter Varghese welcomed the statement by the Gurdwara Council of Victoria, saying his country was committed to bringing to swift justice the perpetrators of attacks on Indians.

“In this connection”, he observed, “the statement by the Gurdwara Council of Victoria acknowledges that the Victorian police has been highly cooperative, diligent and professional in carrying out investigation.” “I would once again urge everyone to allow investigations to run their course. The statement issued by the gurdwara council noted that although investigations have not uncovered any race or religion-related motive behind the fire, the investigators are keeping an open mind as they proceed with their investigation,” Varghese added.

New Delhi, February 1
The CBI has arrested an Assistant General Manager (AGM) of market regular Security Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 25 lakh.

Official sources said RP Singh, AGM SEBI, Kolkata, was arrested by the anti-corruption wing of the CBI last evening.

It has been alleged in the complaint that the SEBI officer had asked the director of a Kolkata-based group of companies to furnish some documents and other particulars of the business being transacted by one of its companies as a corporate agent of LIC and GIC.

“He demanded bribe of Rs 25 lakh from the complainant for not pursuing the matter. The CBI laid a trap and the AGM was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 25 lakh from the complainant,” a CBI spokesperson said.

During subsequent searches at the residence of the officer, the CBI said Rs 28 lakh in cash and documents showing huge investments in movable and immovable property were recovered.

The accused was today produced before a Special CBI court and was remanded to judicial custody till February 12. — PTI

New Delhi, February 1
The Supreme Court today clarified that a suspended government employee would not be entitled to a hike in the subsistence allowance if there were any revision in the scale of pay after the disciplinary action.

Citing the relevant rules and the office memorandum, a Bench comprising Justices RV Raveendran and KS Radhakrishnan said: “It is clear that if the revision of pay takes effect from a date prior to the date of suspension of a government servant then he would be entitled to benefit of increment in pay and in the subsistence allowance for the period of suspension.”

“But if the revision scale of pay takes effect from a date falling within the period of suspension then the benefit of revision of pay and the subsistence allowances will accrue to him, only after reinstatement, depending on the fact whether the period of suspension is treated as duty or not.”

The Bench said this position was clear on a combined reading of Note 3 to Rule 7 of the Revised Pay Rules and FR 53(1)(ii)(a) with the clarification with office memorandum dated August 27, 1958.

In view of the clear distinction drawn by the Rule making Authority (President) between the cases in which the revised scale of pay takes effect from a date prior to the date of suspension and a date falling within the period of suspension, the plea of discrimination raised cannot be sustained especially when there is no challenge to the rules.

The Bench made the clarification while allowing an appeal filed by the central government against the ruling of the Delhi High Court, which had upheld the order of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) in a case involving a desk officer, RK Chopra, of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion of the Ministry of Commerce and Industries. The officer had been suspended on June 6, 1989, on the charge of corruption and subsequently dismissed on August 4, 2005.

He had claimed revision of subsistence allowance based on the pay revision effected by the Central Civil Services (Revision Pay) Rules, 1997, which came into force on January 1, 1996, while he was under suspension from service.

“The tribunal as well as the high court has committed an error in holding that the respondent is entitled to the benefit of revised pay rules. We, therefore, allow the appeal and set aside those orders,” the apex court ruled.

New Delhi, February 1
Looking to beautify the surroundings and have good roads around the Commonwealth Games venues across the city, the Delhi government today cleared a proposal worth Rs 22 crore for undertaking street-scaping works.

The proposal was cleared today in an expenditure finance committee meeting presided over by Delhi Finance Minister AK Walia.

Talking to reporters after the meeting here, Walia said the MCD would undertake street-scaping around the games venues for which an amount of Rs 21.95 crore has been sanctioned.

The work of street-scaping on Jagannath Marg and Lodi Road will cost Rs 3.40 crore and Rs 18.55 crore, respectively. — PTI 

New Delhi, February 1
After a brief respite, cold conditions today returned to most places in the northern region because of clear sky and chilly winds.

Karnal in Haryana was the coldest with a low of 4.4° C while night temperature in Ambala dropped to 4.7°C. Narnaul experienced a cold night at 5.5°C, while Chandigarh registered a low of 6.8°C.

Cold conditions revived in Punjab, with Amritsar having a low of 5.2°C, Ludhiana 5.5°C, and Patiala 5.4°C.

Mercury recorded a drop in Jammu and Kashmir too with the hill resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir being the coldest place with a low of minus 6.2°C.

Srinagar recorded a low of 1.8°C against 2°C yesterday, while at Kupwara the minimum temperature was minus 0.7°C and at Kokernag 0.1°C. Jammu recorded a low of 7.4°C against 6.8°C yesterday, while Ladakh region continued to reel under intense cold with Leh recording minus 5.4°C.

Higher reaches in Himachal continued to remain under the grip of intense cold. Keylong, headquarters of the Lahaul and Spiti district, was the coldest place in the state with a low of minus 8.4°C. Shimla, which recorded 3°C last night, had a sunny day today but icy winds brought down the day temperature to 13.4°C today from 15.2°C yesterday.

People in the National Capital woke up to a sunny morning in the absence of fog even as mercury dipped to 7.3°C, two degrees below normal. — PTI 

New Delhi, February 1
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today discussed developments in the region in context of fight against terrorism with visiting Russian security chief Nikolai Patrushev. The volatile situation in Afghanistan and drug trafficking are also understood to have figured during the talks, official sources said.

Earlier in the day, Patrushev held talks with National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon on the new strategy worked out at the recent London conference on Afghanistan of integrating the Taliban in the war-ravaged nation. The two top national security officials debated the implications of the proposal.

Both India and Russia are not comfortable with accommodating the Taliban in any power-sharing arrangement and have resented any distinction between the so-called good and bad Taliban. Besides international terrorism and Afghanistan, the two officials also discussed a host of bilateral issues, including the ongoing civil-nuclear cooperation between them.

Patrushev is the first foreign NSA to visit New Delhi since Menon assumed charge about a week ago. The visit is a follow-up to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's trip to Russia in December last year that led to the signing of an umbrella nuclear accord and defence pacts.

Patrushev's trip will be followed by that of Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Sobyanin to India, expected around mid-February. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is scheduled to visit India in March.

New Delhi, February 1
Upset over PA Sangma's suggestion that the Prime Minister should be from the Lok Sabha, the Congress today asked the NCP leader to refrain from “preaching”.

Responding to the NCP leader’s attempt to pinprick Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by suggesting that in a Parliamentary democracy the Prime Minister should be from the Lok Sabha, Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said, “These are stereotyped issues. They have been raised and rejected by resounding electoral verdict several times. The statement does not dignify a comment.”

But in terse comment on coalition partner NCP, Singhvi said, “When you are partner in the Central and state coalition, no preaching is required. Every reasonable person realises this. You have to strengthen the coalition and proceed further. I cannot comment on unreasonable statements.”

Interestingly, Sangma’s comment is a direct lift from the Opposition BJP’s electoral campaign. The BJP leaders had raised the issue in the 2009 general elections. At Panaji yesterday, Sangma, who had once had also raised the issue of Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin and later expressed regret over it, lamented that for years the Lok Sabha had failed to produce a Prime Minister. 

New Delhi, February 1
Vasundhara Raje may have submitted her resignation to party top brass from the post of Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly, but her clout in the organisation was on display today, when new Central leadership asked her to represent her state in the meeting of BJP Leader of Opposition.

BJP president Nitin Gadkari today held a meeting of Leaders of Opposition of various states, where ever the BJP is the main opposition. The meeting was also attended by the two Leaders of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley.

It was held to mobilise public opinion against the anti-people policies of the Congress-led UPA government, especially the rise in prices of essential commodities. Vasundhara Raje arrived to represent her state, surprising many an independent observer.

Immediately after the defeat of the BJP in the 2009 general elections, she was asked by Rajnath Singh to resign. But she made it a prestige issue and refused to budge for all the nudging and cajoling.

But soon after Rajnath left she managed to persuade the new incumbent Nitin Gadkari to postpone the BJP organisational elections in the state, thus belittling the work of state BJP president Arun Chaturvedi.

Now she has also been accepted by the party as the Leader of Opposition in her home state in an obvious snub to Rajnath Singh.

New Delhi, February 1
Faced with one million women and children into sex work and thousands entering the system every year, India today got the United National Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) to partner with it in an attempt to nail the trend at source.

Signing the MoU with UNIFEM on government’s behalf today, the National Commission for Women chairperson Girija Vyas said the commitment was to prevent trafficking at source areas, beginning from Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar, which account for bulk of trafficking cases. The desire is also to prevent the increasing feminisation of HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The project will, for the first time, involve panchayats in anti-trafficking efforts, its goal being the creation of institutionalised prevention mechanisms to stop trafficking at source areas by 2015. Fighting stereotypes that heighten gender bias, and developing the skills of 600 women and girls are also listed as part of the MoU objectives. Boys won’t be covered, given UNIFEM’s women-centric approach.

Strangely, though, resources for the new project are still awaited, with UNIFEM regional programme director, South Asia Anne Stenhammer today saying she had asked donors for help. The last such anti-trafficking effort in India was supported by the US State Department.

“We don’t know whether they would continue to fund the effort. We will have to get other donors on board,” she told The Tribune, hoping funds would not be a problem, given India’s commitment to the cause. The expert, however, highlighted the urgency of passing the amended Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act (ITPA), which remains stuck for cabinet clearance, following lack of consensus among ministers on whether a client seeking sexual favours should be penalised under the altered provisions.

The amended law lists Section 5C, which seeks punishment for anyone who visits a brothel for the purpose of sexual exploitation of a victim of trafficking. Within the GoM, which was earlier debating the matter, the current HRD minister Kapil Sibal was opposed to the “client penalising” move. Former health minister Anbumani Ramadoss also disagreed with it, saying it would push sex work underground, increasing victims’ vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.

With matters stuck there, India has been unable to even ratify the UN Anti-Trafficking Treaty which it has signed. For ratification to happen, India must first have a comprehensive anti-trafficking law in place. That, so far, is out of sight, with the existing ITPA barely addressing trafficking issues, save brothel-based prostitution, which is minimal in India.

“It is time we approached this issue from the perspective of exploiting labour, trafficked for all kinds of work. Once the focus shifts to overall trafficking which is not necessarily for the purpose of brothel-based prostitution, it would be easier to figure out why we need to change ITPA,” experts said. Vyas also reiterated the need to penalize clients instead of victims of trafficking.

With the buck continuing to be passed, trafficking scenario is becoming increasingly grim with each passing year. Under ITPA, 1956 alone, 3,568 cases were registered in 2007, as per the National Crime Records Bureau, 61 girls faced importation.

The doyen of the enlightened faculty of academics, politics, law, art, culture, agriculture, international relations, sports and above all a zealous social reformist is no more. Ram Niwas Mirdha, who passed away on Friday at 86, has left behind a rich legacy.

Starting his innings as a member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly in 1953, he held successive Cabinet portfolios at the Centre from 1970 to 1989. A member of the 10th Lok Sabha from 1991 to 1996, his grand daughter Jyoti Mirdha is now a member the Lok Sabha. Even though he was a professional agriculturist, he studied Law at Allahabad and International Studies at Geneva. Leading Indian delegations to the United Nations and Commonwealth Conferences, he was an articulate speaker.

Even at this age, he was yearning to learn and share knowledge in any and every subject. As president of Indian Society of International Law (ISIL), he was always encouraging students, law teachers and legal practitioners to look into the deeper insights in the realm of different Laws. He pioneered the first indigenous research project for the Ministry of External Affairs to make a blueprint for reform of Law for non-resident Indians and Private International Law. His zest and zeal for the cause of law reform led him to regularly hold international law conferences, seminars and regular study programmes for law students. He believed in promoting and sharing the cause of good education for pupils.

He blended with art and culture so well during his assignment as chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi that it was impossible to believe that he was the president of the Indian Society of International Law and head of a host of UN associations in India. He headed the Indian Heritage Society and the Institute of Constitutional and Parliamentary Studies (ICPS). He had matured in politics and was a die-hard social reformist. His daily routine was full of activity. He was a tireless bundle of energy and a source of immense inspiration. An educationist to the core, he always lent unflinching support to those who wanted help.

Addressed by senior statesmen as “My esteemed Leader,” he never let his private grief overcome his feelings. When he lost his elder son a year ago, he surprised visitors who went to pay condolences. He discussed with them issues of public concern and refused to be let into polite words of his personal loss.

An ardent and voracious reader, he would ask to be read if his eyesight failed him at times. He kept a big magnifying lens with him to read the fine print whenever he wanted to. Every conference programme was discussed, deliberated and explained in the minutest detail before it touched finality. Humility and thoughtfulness were the hallmarks of the man. Never failing to speak to students, he mingled with them to learn their views and share his thoughts. The great man is no more. In his memory and honour, the Government of India would do well in installing a Chair on studies in Private International Law to fulfils his dreams. The flame must burn. His message must be carried forward.

Anil Malhotra