New Delhi, February 15
The US, the UK and Australia have issued travel advisories to its citizens in view of the bomb blast at a famous eatery frequented by foreigners in Pune, asking them to maintain a “heightened situational awareness and a low profile”.“American citizens are advised to be alert to the continued possibility of terrorist attacks in India. The February 13 terrorist bombing of a bakery popular with westerners in Pune, Maharashtra, serves as a reminder that terrorists and their sympathisers are capable of attacking targets where US citizens,” the US travel alert said.

In its travel alert, updated after the blast, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of the UK government said: “British nationals are reminded to remain vigilant in public places. There is a high general threat from terrorism throughout India. Recent attacks have targeted public places, including those frequented by westerners and expatriates.”

Australia, in its alert said: “We advise you to exercise caution in India at this time because of the high risk of terrorist activity by militant groups...We continue to receive reporting of possible threats against prominent business and tourist locations, including in Mumbai and New Delhi.” — PTI

Pune, February 15
There is little to distinguish the unassuming two-storeyed building with the letters ‘Messachaim Comes’ sprawled in bold from the numerous bungalows that still dot the leafy Koregaon Park neighbourhood in Pune. Even the Hebrew lettering on the building’s facade could pass for an artist’s license among those little acquainted with the language of the Jews.

However, following the terror attacks at the Chabad House in Mumbai's Colaba on November 26, 2008, security had been tightened here. Policemen armed to the teeth shout gruff orders from behind sand bags. About half a dozen of them lounge within the compound of the building while wireless vans circle the building. “There are more policemen after the blast,” says a cop posted in the building located just across the street from German Bakery.

“Security was beefed up more than two-three months ago after reports about David Headley carrying out a recce in this area appeared in the press,” says Sudhakar Kate, Inspector at the Bund Gate police station nearby. He, however, added that there was no security for the German Bakery. The place was not considered to be a major target though it was a landmark among foreigners and there were scores of them waiting to get in at any time.

At the Chabad House, the windows are shut and it is clear from outside that blinds have been drawn within.

New Delhi, February 15
In what is aimed at matching China’s fast-paced military development, Defence Minister A K Antony today said India’s defence expenditure was going to increase in proportion with the overall growth of the country’s economy.

At present India spends some 2.5 per cent of its GDP on defence, which is about Rs 1.41,000 crore. “Indian economy is growing fast. The share of defence budget will also substantially shoot up,” the minister said.

Inaugurating the sixth edition of the bi-annual Indian Defence Exhibition -- the def-expo 2010 -- here, Antony said: “The economy is expected to grow at 8 to 10 per cent for the next two decades. Expenditure on defence … is bound to increase in equal proportion.”

He, however, clarified: “India was not a warmongering country and was a peace-loving nation. At the same time we are ready to meet any challenge to our territorial integrity and sovereignty. We do not want an inch of land of any country and will not let go of an inch of land of our country.”India was strengthening forces so that they could be a deterrent and was procuring equipment for the same. The two new upcoming mountain divisions of the Indian Army are not meant to counter China. They are for the overall security scenario of the North-East, the minister said.

Stressing that the country's political security situation demanded rapid modernisation of the armed forces, Antony called upon the private sector to participate in the process of indigenisation India's armament needs.

“Our government is committed to rapid modernisation of armed forces as we want our forces to be equipped with state-of-the-art technology and equipment to defend our sovereignty. It was not aimed at any country,” he said.

He acknowledged that India was slow in weapon procurement when compared to neighbouring countries. The delays would be addressed through the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2010 and the forthcoming Defence Production Policy.

New Delhi, February 15
The Pune terror attack on February 12 will vitally influence the Bharatiya Janata Party’s three-day National Executive and National Council beginning in Indore from Wednesday.

Already, the party had decided to focus on security and of the two resolutions to be discussed and passed at the National Council, one is on security and the other on price rise.

The party has been cautioning the government against resuming talks with Pakistan and Pune blasts will only add grist to their argument. Both LK Advani and Rajya Sabha leader Arun Jaitely have opposed resumption of dialogue with Pakistan, “till terror infrastructure is dismantled in Pakistan”. Arun Jaitley is drafting the security resolution and the Pune blast has only confirmed his worst apprehensions.

Besides this, what will surely keep the party on its toes are intelligence inputs that terrorists may target the BJP conclave. Consequently, BJP is taking all necessary security precautions and upgrading security apparatus since the meeting is being held in sprawling grounds. Over 5,000 participants will live in tents for the period of the convention.

And while the decision to make all participants stay in tents - including top leaders - there is now a view that senior leaders like LK Advani, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, former party president Rajnath Singh and , Arun Jaitely should be put up in hotels.

New Delhi, February 15
Asserting its commitment to protecting people’s right to life and free speech, the Supreme Court today asked Delhi’s District Judge to videotape the statements of six Chhattisgarh tribals, who have sought CBI probe into alleged police excesses during the anti-Naxal drive.

A Bench comprising Justices B Sudershan Reddy and SS Nijjar issued the order after the Chhattisgarh government produced them in the court in compliance with the February 8 directive.

The state government had in fact brought an interpreter also to the court to enable the Bench to record the statements of the tribals who spoke only their language, Gonti. But senior counsel Colin Gonsalves, appearing for them, said they had no faith on the interpreter, alleging that the latter was possibly hand-in-glove with the security forces.

Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium, appearing for the state, said the government could manage to find only six of the 12 persons directed to be produced before the court. The remaining had possibly crossed over to another Naxalite-infested forest area in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, he added.

Contending that his clients had in fact been in the custody of the state police for the past 45 days and “tutored” under coercion, Counsel Gonsalves pleaded with the court that they should be kept away from the security forces for some days before recording their statements.

In the order, the apex court asked the District Judge to ensure that the tribals were not under pressure from any quarter before recording their statements. One Himanshu Kumar had filed a PIL in the court, naming 12 others as co-petitioners whose family members, mostly living in Gachhanpalli village in SB Dantewada district, had become victims of excesses by security forces which either killed them or chopped off their tongues, limbs and other body parts for allegedly harbouring Naxalites.

New Delhi, February 15
Unchecked admission of underage children to schools in the Capital today prompted Human Resources Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal to say formal schooling for a child must not start before six years of age. Likewise, no playschool should admit children under four for non-formal education.

The minister said the pattern should be followed across India, now that the Right to Education (RTE) Act clearly mandates that formal schooling — Class I — should begin only at six years of age. The RTE Act would be notified on April 1. Also batting for a law to regulate and standardise playschools that were stressing out children by “preparing” them for formal schools, the minister set formal and non-formal education apart, saying preschools (anganwaris/balwaris are also preschool set-ups) could not “teach” children.

“Only a child who is four by March 31 of a given year should be admitted to playschools, which must be located outside the premises of formal schools. A child should be in nursery at four to five years, in KG at five to six years after which he/she should enter formal school at Class I level,” said the minister, after over 30 CBSE school principals from the Capital petitioned him on the need to regulate playschools, which were increasingly admitting three-year-olds.

It was clarified that primary schools running non-formal preschools on their compounds must delink the two set-ups over three years. “No playschool can function on the same premises as a formal school. Also, standardisation for preschools is a must so that they offer the child a non-formal experience and do not teach him,” Sibal said. He will discuss the issue at the next meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE), the highest recommendatory body on education in India.

The minister was all for a law to license playschools through a central regulatory body, as suggested by the educationists. The body could be one like the NCERT which sets curricula for formal schools. “Like primary schools which are subjected to monitoring, preschools must also be regulated so that they serve their purpose,” Indu Kaura of Child Study Centre, Lady Irwin College, today told TNS.

Sibal will convey to Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit the consensus that emerged in today’s meeting. It is finally for her, as for other states in this case, to take a view. However, if CABE committee agrees that the entry age to preschools needed to be clarified as entry to Class I is clarified under the Constitution (RTE Act gives effect to the 86th amendment which guarantees free and compulsory elementary education to children), a law could be brought.

Guwahati, February 15
The Assam government has requested the Railways Minister to make provisions for a new railway zone exclusively for the northeastern states to improve connectivity in the region.

The existing Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), which looks after North-East, is also responsible for parts of North Bengal and Bihar.

In a letter to Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has also requested for introduction of new Duronto service between Guwahati-Delhi, Guwahati-Bangalore, Guwahati-Kolkata and super fast trains between Guwahati and Mumbai via Nagpur (daily), Guwahati and Goa.(biweekly).

He also demanded electrification of railway lines between Bongaigaon-Kamakhya via Jogighopa and Guwahati-Dibrugarh.

The other demands included double-tracking of rail lines in Assam, upgrade of New Bongaigaon and Dibrugarh rail workshops for manufacturing coaches and wagons, provision of railway track on the second bridge over Brahmaputra river at Saraighat , development of alternate railway facility at Cinnamara in Jorhat.

New Delhi, February 15
In a step aimed at enhancing the acceptability of open schooling system, the government is considering framing a policy which will enable regular schools adapt distance education programme.

"A national policy will be evolved under which regular schools will embrace distance education. This will make distance schooling more acceptable," Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal said in his address to the annual meeting of National Consortium for Open Schooling. Of the 1 crore children in the 14-18 age group, who currently pursue secondary education, 16 lakh are doing it through open schooling system. "This number (16 lakh) is not good enough. It should be increased to about 70-80 lakh by the end of the 11th Five Year plan and should be 1.5 crore by 2020," he said.

The major problem in distance education is its non-acceptability among the people as an effective and efficient alternative of the regular schooling system.

Sibal said if the regular schools could adapt distance education programmes it will upgrade the quality of distance schooling and make it more acceptable. The regular schools should be able to assess the drawbacks in the open schooling system, he said.

The distance education in schooling is offered by National Institute of Open Schooling. As many as 14 states in India have decided to start their own open schooling institutes. — PTI 

Mathura, February 15
A group of NRIs here has initiated a project using a low-cost technology to clean Yamuna, one of the most polluted rivers in the country.

"In a bid to clean the Yamuna, we would use river stream powered aerators and pumps air into the river for increasing oxygen level to rejuvenate the aquatic life," Baj Raj Sharan, a member of the group, told reporters here today.

"The aerators, which operates on the power of a flowing river, would be installed along the stretch of the river near Shergarh area," he said.

The aerators would add 20 per cent of oxygen from the environment into the polluted water, making it conducive for aquatic life, he said, adding that the demonstration of the process would be done in Vrindaban on February 17.

Yamuna, the largest tributary of the river Ganga in northern India, has been declared a dead river by the Ecological Department of India due to the presence of excessive amount of coliform bacteria and other pollutants. — PTI 

Hyderabad, February 15
Eminent scientist Dr PM Bhargava today flayed the current system of approval for genetically modified crops and said there was an immediate need for constitution of an independent national testing authority to carry out long-term health impact studies.

Welcoming the Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh’s decision to put on hold the commercial cultivation of Bt Brinjal, he said: “It is a fair, reasonable and people-oriented decision. In fact, it is an indictment of the present system of approval of genetically modified crops in the country.”

Dr Bhargava, who was a nominee of the Supreme Court on the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), said he had mooted a proposal to set up independent testing laboratory to conduct rigorous trials on GM technology but his idea was turned down. “At least now, I hope the government will set up an independent national authority for subjecting GM technology to more rigorous biosafety testing,” said Dr Bhargava, who was the founder director of Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), premier research institution here.

He lamented that there was no serious testing done so far and the bureaucracy had allowed itself to be dictated by the multinational companies. “The present system is not independent and has vested interests involved in it. It does not make sense,” Dr Bhargava said. Disagreeing with the view that rejecting GM technologies amounted to closing doors on scientific research, the scientist said: “Why not promote alternative technologies and methods? Why not encourage organic technology for improving crop productivity?”

He said the GM technologies could be used for developing new drugs. “I am not opposed to GM technologies per se. My only argument is that they should go through thorough testing.”“Instead of tying ourselves to the “apron-strings” of any foreign country or any organisation, we need to have our own independent testing mechanism. Depending on data provided by unethical companies like Monsanto is dangerous for the country,” the noted scientist said. He said neither Bt Cotton nor Bt Brinjal would have been approved had the country put in place an independent national testing authority.

Rooting for sustainable agriculture models, Dr Bhargava said organic farming, bio-pesticides and integrated pest management could be effective alternatives. “Why didn’t we popularise bio-pesticides and organic farming? This is because we sold ourselves to foreign companies. There is a nexus between the government and the MNCs,” he said. Dr Bhargava pointed out GM foods were rejected by a majority of the developed countries.

New Delhi, February 15
The Delhi High Court today refused to give any relief to Lt Gen PK Rath who had challenged the initiation of Court of Inquiry against him in the Sukna land scam. A Division Bench headed by Justice Geeta Mittal asked the Army officer to approach the Armed Forces Tribunal to challenge the proceedings against him.

“Jurisdiction of this court is barred by the Armed Forces Tribunal Act. In view of this, the petition is dismissed with liberty to petitioner to approach the tribunal,” Justice Mittal said.

Rath had approached the court after he was indicted, along with former Military Secretary Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash, in the over Rs 300-crore land scam in Darjeeling.

The scam involves the sale of 71 acres of land adjacent to the Sukna military station in West Bengal for which the Army had issued a no-objection certificate to a private realtor.

Besides Prakash and Rath, the Army probe had indicted Lt Gen Ramesh Halgali and Maj Gen PC Sen in the scam.

Advocate Ajit Singh, appearing for Lt Gen Rath, alleged he was being victimised by senior Army officers who had “already made up their mind to frame him in the case”. He claimed the proceedings against Rath were initiated in violation of rules as the officers who had investigated into the allegations against him would be deciding the case.

“The superior officers had already made up their mind to frame up the petitioner. It also clearly vitiated the further proceedings of the Court of Inquiry and sent a clear message to the rest of the officers connected with it,” he said.

The government, on the other hand, opposed the plea of Lt Gen Rath and said proceedings against him would be completed very soon as summary of evidence had begun in Kolkata.

It said the court should not entertain his plea as he should approach the tribunal to challenge proceedings against him.

The court, after hearing the arguments of both sides, refused to interfere in the proceedings and dismissed the petition. — PTI

New Delhi, February 15
Despite Science and Technology Minister Prithviraj Chavan openly favouring Bt Brinjal, the Congress today decided to stand by Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh’s decision to put on hold the commercial cultivation of the genetically modified (GM) vegetable. Party spokesman Shakeel Ahmed said the Congress “stands by the government. The health of general public is paramount”.

Chavan yesterday spoke in favour of Bt Brinjal, adding to growing voices of those in the government who are not very happy with the way Ramesh handled the Bt Brinjal episode and put its introduction on hold.

Senior Congress leaders admit Chavan is rightfully voicing scientific concerns. However, with party president Sonia Gandhi not too comfortable with the thought of Bt Brinjal being introduced in the face of so much public opposition, there was no other option but to officially back the decision taken by Ramesh.

Chavan yesterday said though he was not against tests on Bt Brinjal, these should not consume too much time. “The tests have been conducted over nine years and I think scientists have done a thorough job,” he said adding that safety and worth of the product had been verified by 30 scientists who reviewed the product.

Amid politics on Bt Brinjal, a leading microbiologist has praised Ramesh for putting a moratorium on it, saying the selection of “minor vegetable” for genetic modification and its commercial cultivation was a clever strategy to spread the Bt gene “to other crops”. Warning of biodiversity loss and high carbon emission from mono-cultures at a gathering of farmers at the Deccan Development Society’s XI mobile Biodiversity Festival in Medak district of Andhra Pradesh, Canadian-Indian microbiologist Shiv Chopra said: “Bt food is an issue of people who eat the food.”