New Delhi, February 7
In a curious case of the right hand not knowing what the left is doing, the Law Ministry has released the letter written by then Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami to the President seeking removal of fellow Election Commissioner Navin Chawla while the Rashtrapati Bhawan had declined to make the document public.

The appellate authority under the Right to Information Act in the Law Ministry allowed the request of one S S Ranawat, a resident of Bhilwara in Rajasthan, for the unprecedented recommendation made by Gopalaswami in January last year. The Rashtrapati Bhawan had cited Chawla's opposition to the disclosure as a reason for not making it public.

In his 93-page report, Gopalaswami had cited several instances of "partisan behaviour" on the part of Chawla who had shown "lack of political neutrality". Acting on a petition filed by BJP leader L K Advani and 179 other Members of Parliament who had levelled accusations of "political partisanship", the then CEC had contended that he had powers under the Constitution to recommend Chawla's removal. The Government, however, rejected it and appointed Chawla as CEC. In this regard, Gopalaswami cited Chawla's own notings on another occasion that the CEC had the power to make such a recommendation.

In the recommendation to the President, the then CEC had said he had concluded that "significant facts" and "irresistible conclusions" from the report submitted by him were crucial in adjudging the suitability of Chawla as Election Commissioner. He said in his considered opinion, Chawla's continuance as Election Commissioner was "not justified". "My recommendation is, therefore, under the powers vested in me under the second proviso to Article 324(5) of the Constitution, is to remove Shri Navin B Chawla from the post of Election Commissioner," Gopalaswami had said in his January 16, 2009 letter, months before the general elections during which he demitted office.

Referring to 12 instances cited by him, he said, "Taken individually (they) appear to indicate Shri Chawla's political partisanship. Collectively, they point to a continuity of consistent thought and action in furthering the interest of one party with which he appeared to be in constant touch raising serious doubts about his political detachment. "Further, it was not only that he appeared to be lacking in political neutrality but more pernicious were his attempts to influence Election Commissioner Dr Quraishi, not by dint of valid arguments, but by spreading stories that Dr Quraishi was supporting the opposite views." — PTI

Chandigarh, February 7
Vintage anti-aircraft guns that form the mainstay of the Army’s air defence network are to be replaced. The Army has issued a request for information seeking successors to the L-70 and ZU-23 guns.

The Army has fixed February 15 as the last date for bids for the L-70 guns, which form the backbone of its air defence capability. The 40-mm single-barrel weapon, the original version of which dates back to the World War-II has been in service with the Indian Army for about 45 years.

Similarly, the Soviet origin ZU-23 has been in service for over 30 years. Though primarily an air defence weapon, these twin-barrel rapid firing guns were used with great effect in an unusual role against enemy ground fortifications across the Line of Control and in Siachen.

Last year, the Directorate-General of Air Defence had reportedly told the defence ministry that about 95 per cent of its inventory was outdated or nearing obsolescence. This has raised the issue of the effectiveness of air defence cover to mechanised formations and vital static installations.

Besides the L-70 and ZU-23, other anti-aircraft systems like the OSA-AK, SA-9, ZSU-23-4 Schilka have been around for about 30 years or so. Some modifications to these systems have been undertaken, but these were no where close to give their capability a significant shot in the arm.

The Army wants its new guns to have an effective range of at least 3,500 m with the ability to engage targets flying at speeds more than 300 m per second. The guns should have the capability to engage targets with or without a fire-control radar.

The Army is also on the lookout for man-portable very short-range anti-aircraft missiles, which can be effectively used in high-altitude areas, plains, deserts or in maritime conditions at ranges of 3,500 m or more.

At present, the Army is using the Russian SA-7 shoulder-fired heat-seeking missile to engage low flying hostile aircraft at close ranges. This system also dates back to seventies.

Mumbai/New Delhi, February 7
As sugar prices rise, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar’s NCP today offered a recipe -- consume less of the sweetener as "no one dies due to not eating sugar".

“No one dies due to not eating sugar. On the other hand, by eating items made from sugar, diabetes increases. So, it is not necessary that everyone consume sugar,” the NCP mouthpiece 'Rashtravadi' said coming with an apparent solution to rein in sugar prices in an editorial in its latest issue. “Doctors say eating excess sugar and salt is akin to poison,” said the magazine whose managing editor is NCP state unit president Madhukar Pichad. The magazine is edited by Dr Sudhir Bhongale, a former journalist.

The NCP, whose supremo Pawar has come for all-round attack over price rise, quickly distanced itself from the remark, which would stir a potential controversy.

“The remark is his (Pichad) personal view. The NCP has nothing to do with it,” state NCP spokesman Gurunath Kulkarni said. BJP questioned the kind of remark articulated by the NCP.

“BJP would want to know an answer from the government, especially Pawar and his party. What do they mean by making such remarks on the people who are already suffering under high prices,” senior BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy said in New Delhi.

The article also said the total expenditure on sugar and food items is comparatively less -- around 10 per cent to 12 per cent. "The expenditure is on cosmetics, vehicles, fuel, entertainment, hobbies and luxury items but no one says a word on rising prices of these items," it added. “Why is sugar considered an essential commodity,” the editorial asked. "If we consider a rise of Rs 10 to 15 per kg in sugar prices, the average monthly spending on sugar for a four-member family goes up by Rs 60 to 90. The increased salaries after Sixth Pay Commission are comparatively manifold. Even minimum wages to EGS workers have increased.

So, the fact is that rise in sugar prices does not affect a family's budget much," the article said. “Those with diabetes don't eat sugar but they still live,” the editorial said, asking people to "keep in mind the situation and adjust their habits accordingly”. — PTI

Kolkata, February 7
The CPM and its allies today organised a rally at the Brigade parade ground where Left Front leaders invited all people irrespective of their political affiliations for launching movement against the UPA and other vested interests which were “mortgaging” the country to the foreign powers and the capitalists.

Though the rally was organised for protesting against the price rise and the UPA’s several other anti-people policies, but in reality it was an attempt by the CPM for testing their political strength and public support after their debacle in the last Lok Sabha and civic elections.

The leaders did not utter anything new but they virtually reiterated what had been discussed and debated by the CPM leaders in the recently held Politburo and the central committee meetings in the city. These leaders held the Manmohan Singh government responsible for the price rise and the country’s present deteriorating situation.

However, at today’s rally, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee called upon the Muslims, the tribals and other backward class people to come forward and join the stir against the Centre for the larger interest of the country.

Bhattacharjee alleged that some foreign hands and the country’s bourgeois had connived themselves for disturbing the peace and progress in the state. He particularly made charges against the TMC leader and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee for joining hands with the Maoists for toppling the Left Front government.

New Delhi, February 7
The year 2009 was the warmest for the country in the past 110 years with abnormally warm conditions during winter and monsoon seasons, the India Meteorological Department said.

In fact, as per the IMD, spatial trends in mean temperatures anomalies suggest significant increasing trend over most parts of the country, except over some parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Bihar where significant decreasing trends have been observed. IMD Director General Ajit Tyagi says the trend being observed in India is consistent with the one observed globally. He adds in its assessment, the World Meteorological Organisation, too has classified 2009 as the warmest year.

According to IMD’s survey, temperature over the hilly regions of western Himalayas was three to five degree Celsius above normal in the second fortnight of January 2009, while in February the mean temperature over almost throughout the country was above normal.

There were cold wave conditions on few occasions in UP in January, which caused around 80 deaths. Heat wave conditions on many occasions, with maximum temperatures exceeding the normal by five degree Celsius, prevailed over the peninsular and central parts during the first three weeks of March and over different parts of the country during April and second and third week of May.

There were around 150 deaths due to heat wave in May, mainly in Andhra Pradesh. Tyagi says general warming trends have been observed, which is evident from the fact that in the last decade, seven years were recorded the warmest, since 1901.

According to the IMD, annual mean temperature averaged over the country last year was 0.913 degree Celsius above the average annual mean temperature of 24.6 degrees for 1961-1990. In the list of 12 top warmest years in the past 109 years, seven are from

Tyagi says 2010, too, is likely to be another warm year, though not as warm as 2009.

“We expect a normal monsoon this year. However, keeping with general trends, 2010 is also likely to be warm,” the IMD Director General says.

New Delhi, February 7
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today demanded a “comprehensive economic package” for the border belt for pre-empting unrest and an annual grant of Rs 100 crore for modernising the police network.

Pointing out that the “great unrest and violence” in Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir directly affected Punjab’s internal security, the Chief Minister said in addition the state had also to deal with cross-border terrorism and smuggling of weapons, drugs and fake currency.

Addressing the day-long CMs meet on internal security, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Badal said his state “takes the greatest impact” of any threat to national security as it had a long and active international border with Pakistan and was adjacent to Jammu and Kashmir.

Badal, who was given the honour of opening the proceedings, urged the Centre to take effective steps to remove the widespread impression that India was a soft target for terrorism. Also, there was need for strong, pro-active socio-economic initiatives from the Centre for removing the causes behind the twin menace of Naxalism and militancy in the country.

He demanded a review of the negative lists relating to Punjabi immigrants and emigrants and removal from the wanted lists the names of those persons against whom there was no incriminating material.

Utilising the opportunity, Badal also sought implementation of the Rajiv-Longowal Accord and the enforcement of riparian principles on river waters. The Centre should sanction five new IR battalions for Punjab for effective maintenance of law and order.

The CM was accompanied by his media advisor Harcharan Bains, Principal Secretary DS Guru, Home Secretary AR Talwar and DGP PS Gill.

New Delhi, February 7
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today demanded a one-time central grant of Rs 312 crore for strengthening the police infrastructure in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Addressing the CMs meet on internal security, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Hooda also sought three more IR battalions and one Mahila battalion to meet the challenges posed by rapid economic expansion and the resultant population explosion in the NCR.

New Delhi, February 7
Many of the admission procedures being followed by the IITs are directly or indirectly helping the already-booming coaching industry. Often, these also leave scope for errors, which can be avoided if transparency is adopted throughout the admission process from the conduct of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) to the declaration of results.

Currently, the IITs don’t publish solutions to the JEE question banks on the day of the test. However, since 2007, students are allowed to take to questions back home (which was made possible due to the efforts of Prof Rajeev Kumar of IIT-Kharagpur under the RTI Act). But IITs still publish model answers only around August 1 over three months after the JEE is held on the second Sunday of April every year. This time lag has, over the years, spurred cut-throat competition among coaching centres, which engage the best faculty to solve the JEE questions and post answers on websites on the day of the examination.

The centre that posts the results first is able to draw maximum students to its fold. But the website grants a student entry only after he/she has been registered. Thanks to the IIT practice of delaying the publication of solutions, coaching houses end up creating several prospective clients in students scurrying for answers. Also, these centres prey on aspirants, who may have missed the IIT admission by meager margins. But because the IITs don’t also disclose marks until August, students tend to enroll with coaching centres to prepare for the second time. Were they able to immediately know their the IIT-JEE subject cut-offs and aggregate cut-offs, they would know where to concentrate in future.

In the JEE-2006, for instance, the RTI records show that nearly 1,000 students missed a chance as they were disqualified for scoring a mark or less than the subject cut-off in maths, physics or chemistry. With no information on marks, it is natural for them to enter coaching, a practice that HRD Minister Kapil Sibal seeks to curb. The most curious IIT practice which coaching houses are currently using to boost their businesses relates to the publication of what the IITs call an “extended merit list (EML)”, published after the main JEE merit list. The EML, being published since 2006, is meant for admission to institutes like the IISERs (Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research), which base their admission on the JEE results. That, however, does not make the EML by any means comparable in merit to the main IIT-JEE list, which bears All India Ranks for about 10,000 students to be admitted to the 15 IITs, the Institute of Technology, BHU and the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad.

The impression which the term EML conveys, however, is one of merit though it bears roll numbers of students who have performed poorly and might not get admission to good institutes. The EML normally bears 50,000 roll numbers, allowing coaching centres to claim that several of their students have made it to the IIT extended “merit list” something that sends among gullible parents erroneous impressions of merit when there are none. To avoid this confusion, the AIEEE assigns ranks, so that the students know their exact position. But the IITs still prefer the EMLs, which have little to do with merit. The RTI documents procured by Kumar show that in the JEE 2009, the aggregate cut-off of the EML (general category) was 56 out of 480 (11 per cent), against 178 (37 per cent) for the JEE main merit list. Surprisingly, the EML cut off for the OBCs that year was 62 more than that for general a technical impossibility!

The RTI documents also show how the IITs set some very difficult questions which they lift from graduate level books; this despite their mandate to test Class XII knowledge of students. In the JEE 2006, questions worth 12 marks were out of syllabus and lifted from solved examples in an undergraduate chemistry book. That explains why coaching centres get their best students (who can manage top 100 ranks) mug up answers from preferred UG-level science books. It is the latter trend that recently fuelled clamour for setting simple questions that test what students know, not what they don’t.

About errors in the JEE 2006, chemistry questions worth 11 marks were wrongly evaluated. This was revealed by the answer sheets received under the RTI. In the JEE 2008, maths questions worth 18 marks were wrongly evaluated when the subject cut-off was just five and every mark counted.

Foe a long time, there has been a demand, including one by Kumar in his representation to the government, to get the IITs to publish answers on websites the day the exam is held, invite public feedback on corrections, and only then publish the merit list. The Karnataka CET does this to ensure transparency in admissions.

Guwahati, February 7
Peeved at “measly” hike in daily wages announced by the Consultative Committee of Plantations Association (CCPA), tea garden workers in the Assam Valley have embarked upon the path of agitation under the banner of the Assam Tea Tribes Students Association (ATTSA). The CCPA signed a wage agreement with the INTUC-affiliated Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS), the only recognised tea workers’ association in Brahmaputra (Assam) Valley agreeing to hike the daily wage of tea workers by Rs 18 in three phases over a period of 45 months.

As per the new wage agreement, the tea workers in Assam tea gardens would get a hike of Rs 8 per day for the first 15 months with effect from January 1 last. This will be followed by a hike of Rs 5 for the next 15 months and one more similar hike in the subsequent 15 months period. As per the new wage rate, tea workers in the Brahmaputra Valley will get daily wages at the rate Rs 66.50.

However, the influential ATTSA termed the wage hike too meagre given the spiralling prices of commodities and alleged the ACMS had sold it off to the tea industry for agreeing to such a low wage rate for tea workers. The ATTSA demands at least Rs 110 as daily wage for tea workers, who brought to halt the work in all tea estates in Assam on Friday to lodge protest against the token hike in daily wages. The ATTSA has vowed to intensify the agitation.

However, commenting on the demand for at least Rs 100 as daily wages, Dipanjol Deka, Assam branch secretary of the Tea Association of India (TAI), said, “Daily wage and fringe benefits provided to tea workers taken together work out to be more than Rs 130 per day.” The official said under the provisions of the Plantation Labour Act, tea workers enjoyed statutory benefits like free housing, education for children, medical benefits, earned leave and maternity benefits among others and it worked out to be Rs 21.91 per day per worker.

Moreover, he said, the common statutory benefits for workers, including provident fund, bonus, gratuity etc. worked out to be Rs 21.28 per day per worker. “The tea industry would be very happy to pay Rs 100 per day to each worker without other benefits,” he said.

Mumbai, February 7
The family of NRI businessman Raj Bhojwani, facing trial in tax haven island of Jersey on the charges of money laundering in a truck sale deal to Nigeria, has alleged racial discrimination and is all set to move to the UN Human Rights Commission and the British Institute of Human Rights.

The move to approach the international Human Rights bodies comes close on the heels of a letter written to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister SM Krishna by Bhojwani's lawyer Hitesh Jain asking for the government's intervention. The businessman's daughter Sunaina said the family and their lawyers have been knocking the doors of authorities to focus on the issue that Bhojwani has been unlawfully detained in Jersey. "We have already requested India to intervene and seek to move the case out of Jersey to the International Court of Justice to ensure a fair trial which we will not get there. Now, we are moving to the UNHCR and the BIHR since the Jersey authorities have turned a deaf ear to all our plea," she said.

Bhojwani, who supplied Tata trucks to the Nigerian military, is caught in an international legal controversy between Nigeria and Jersey. He is alleged to have engaged in money laundering in the deal for which he had signed contracts worth $183 million with Nigeria in 1996. The money was deposited in the Jersey's Bank of India branch where his trial started on January 26 this year. Bhojwani's counsel Hitesh Jain, in a letter to the PM, has alleged that Jersey is interested in making a case against the businessman, confiscate his assets and share them with Nigeria.

Bhojwani's family has been in Nigeria for close to five decades with business interests spanning across manufacturing, pharmaceutical, motor vehicle assembly, distribution and servicing, apart from two joint ventures with the Lagos state government in public transportation. The group employs about 300 Nigerians. An executive director of the Eko Transport Services Ltd, a Nigerian company in a joint venture with the Lagos government and another Indian firm, Bhojwani was arrested in February 2007 in Jersey but released on bail for a staggering $64 million.

One of the cases before the court is three counts of concealing or transferring $44 million, alleged to be the proceeds of criminal conduct. The charge against him is that he moved funds for the purposes of avoiding a prosecution or confiscation order. His lawyers have alleged that he was charged under a law which came into being two years after the alleged "predicate offences" took place. Bhojwani's family and lawyers say his human rights have been violated and they are requesting the Government of India and External Affairs Ministry that a committee be appointed to inquire into the facts of the case and also watch the current proceedings in Jersey to ensure that an Indian citizen’s rights are protected and he gets a fair trial. — PTI 

Mumbai, February 7
NCP supremo and Union Minister Sharad Pawar met Bal Thackeray tonight and made an appeal to the Shiv Sena chief to withdraw the Sena threat to Australian players’ participation in IPL 3.

“Pawar, president of the Mumbai Cricket Association, asked Thackeray not to oppose Australian players in IPL,” Sena sources said after the meeting here.

The 84-year-old Sena chief has agreed to consider the “request” after the BCCI makes a presentation on the IPL format and the number of Aussie players participating in it.

Pawar, a former BCCI chief, said in Aurangabad earlier in the day that he would appeal to Thackeray not to bring politics into sports in the backdrop of Sena’s opposition to inclusion of Pakistani and Australian players in IPL.

Pawar was accompanied by BCCI president Shashank Manohar during his visit to Thackeray’s residence ‘Matoshree’ in suburban Bandra. Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray was also present.

“Bal Thackeray and he gave us a considerate hearing. We tried to convince him that only one or two Australian players will participate in the IPL matches and by not allowing all IPL matches, it’s the state players (Marathi players) who will lose ultimately,” Manohar told reporters after the meeting.

“Thackeray has asked for a detailed presentation on the issue, which we will be providing in couple of days and thereafter he would consider our request,” he added.

The meeting has created ripples in the state political circles, as both the NCP and Sena are in an uneasy partnership with their respective allies. But NCP spokesman SP Tripathi said no political significane be attached to the meeting.

“The meeting, in many ways, sent a signal that neither the Congress nor the BJP can take their allies for granted,” a senior NCP leader said. — PTI 

New Delhi, February 7
Amid threats by the Western nations to impose crippling sanctions against it, Iran has asserted that its nuclear programme is completely peaceful and does not pose threat to any nation.

Sanctions would rather make Iran more determined to vigorously pursue its nuclear programme, Iranian officials are understood to have stated.

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao visited Tehran earlier this week for the India-Iran joint commission meeting during which she held extensive discussions on bilateral relations with her Iranian interlocutors.

She also had meetings with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and Economy and Finance Minister Seyed Shamseddin Hosseini.

The situation in Afghanistan and the menace of cross-border terrorism figured prominently during her talks in Iran.

On the nuclear issue, Iranian officials said its nuclear programme has always been conducted under the watchful eyes of the IAEA.

They contended that weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), including nuclear weapons, did not have a place in Iran’s nuclear doctrine.

Tehran argued that Iran, being one of the main victims of the WMDs, had proposed making West Asia free from nuclear weapons and there was no change in its stand.

Iran also sought to rubbish the claims of the US and other Western powers that it was maintaining a veil of secrecy over its nuclear programme.

“Iran has always extended its total cooperation to IAEA inspectors and other parties concerned, and has always been announcing its preparedness for settling remaining issues and removing ambiguities, if any, and negotiating on issues of mutual concern,” the officials said.

Delegations of 13 nations participating in “Milan naval exercise” here in the Andaman and Nicobar islands have taken a “first step” in fine-tuning abilities to unleash their naval power collectively in dealing with the present-day problems like piracy, gun running, drug cartels and illegal migration.

India along with the 12 participating nations — all lying east — have conducted a brainstorming session on these islands which lie close to the world’s busiest and vital sea-trading route. These steps could possibly culminate in a system that allows real-time information sharing about events in the high seas. These nations perceive threats like sea-borne terrorist attacks besides drug smuggling by international cartels and poachers in their exclusive economic zones, said officials here.

A senior official of the Indian Navy based in the Andamans said: “The exercise was aimed at enabling all the participating ships of various navies to undertake joint planning towards building mutual confidence and improving inter-operability”.

The navies were divided in operational teams and were given specific situations to react. One such situation was reaching aid to an imaginary island located east of these Islands in the Bay of Bengal. The lessons learnt will be applied in future operations in conjunction with other countries.

Notably, India is one of the few countries that operate a ship independently in the pirate-infested waters off the coast of Somalia.

Just two days ago, the Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma had clarified the conglomeration of 12 eastern countries in India is not the formation of some new “security bloc”.

The keenness of the participating countries can be gauged from the fact that Sri Lanka sent its ship the SLNS Samundura. The ship had successfully intercepted ships carrying arms for the LTTE. It sank a few of the ships and was also attacked upon by gun-running syndicates.

Latter in the evening, India’s long-range frontline fighters Sukhoi-30s were showcased. The warplanes flew in non-stop from main land India and were refuelled mid-air by an IL 78 transporter. The IAF has not based the fighters here so far but has built ground capacity to base two squadrons (36 planes).

From the Islands, Sukhois can be used to intercept and attack any ship or land-based assets of a hostile country. The location of the Andamans, some 1000 kms from mainland India, is such that Sukhois will be able to penetrate deep into several south Asian countries, besides providing protection to the Indian interests in the sea trade routes.