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Blockades, rallies mark Telangana bandh
Special force to guard memorials |
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National Water Mission gets nod
In their panel, disabled in minority
All blame or embarrassment caused
to the BJP on account of its dilly dallying in Jharkhand has been laid
at Gadkari’s doorstep
Chiru meets Sonia, contemplates alliance
Army studying tribunal verdict on Kargil war officer: Antony
Separate Haryana HC political ploy: Ex-law minister
Amar: Jaya should accept Rajya Sabha nomination
SC narco ruling a setback: CBI
NIA team leaves for US today to quiz Headley
Govt sets up council for aviation safety
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Blockades, rallies mark Telangana bandh
Hyderabad, May 29 Shops and business establishments downed shutters in Warangal, Medak, Mahbubnagar, Karimnagar, Nalgonda and Nizamabad districts, even as the police took several protesters, including T-JAC leaders, into preventive custody at Kazipet, Narayankhed and Siddipet towns after they held demonstrations. Holding Jaganmohan responsible for the violence in Mahbubabad yesterday, the T-JAC called for the shutdown. Nine people were injured when the police fired to quell protesters while seven others were injured in clashes, the police said. Eight policemen were also hurt in the violence that broke out in protest against his yatra. The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), Osmania University JAC, Kakatiya University JAC and the BJP have supported the bandh. In Ranga Reddy district, lawyers blocked roads near LB Nagar, while the Telangana activists took out motorbike rallies in Warangal, Karimnagar and other Telangana districts shouting anti-Jagan slogans.The passengers were stranded at bus stands across Telangana districts after the Andhra Pradesh State Transport Corporation (APSRTC) suspended services at several places in view of the protests. The bandh has been by and large peaceful till now. The bandh, however, evoked lukewarm response in Hyderabad city, where the transport services were normal. Jagan meets Guv
A day after he was forced to abandon his 'Odarpu Yatra', following eruption of violence in Warangal district, Kadapa MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy called on Andhra Pradesh Governor ESL Narasimhan at the Raj Bhavan here this evening. The meeting lasted about 45 minutes
— PTI
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Special force to guard memorials Tribune News Service
Lucknow, May 29 An emergency Cabinet meeting decided that the memorials would now be protected by Home Guards. This brings to an end an ugly confrontation between the government and the Raj Bhawan that was not in favour of the setting up of the special security force and had neither signed the Bill nor the Ordinance. It may be recalled that in February amidst protests, both Houses had passed the State Special Zone Security Force Bill allowing the Mayawati government to set up a separate police force to guard the statues of Dalit icons. While the Bill was awaiting approval of the Governor, the government brought in an Ordinance to this effect that again was not inked by the Governor. Thereafter, the government decided to recruit former servicemen to guard the memorials. It decided to raise a force of about 1,200 former servicemen headed by an former Army officer in the rank of a Colonel to guard nine memorials and monuments in Lucknow and Noida. The move brought sharp criticism from political parties that the BSP-ruled state government was starting the process of recruitment just to lower the dignity of the Raj Bhawan opposing the move. The original special force was to be raised at a cost of Rs 53 crore and was meant to provide security to 10 memorials, parks and statues identified as special zones. It was estimated to incur an annual recurring expenditure of around Rs 14 crore. The government had then argued that the state police and the PAC were not adequately equipped to ensure the security of parks and monuments dedicated to Dalit icons. Arguing for raising the special force, the government had claimed that there was already a shortage of police personnel in the state and security personnel could not be spared for the security of the monuments.
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National Water Mission gets nod
For this, it is essential to mobilise citizens and state governments for focused action on water conservation and augmentation, a statement issued by the PMO said. The Prime Minister, who chaired the council, highlighted the need to create a general consciousness about the need to use water in the most sustainable manner. Given the fact that there were multiple uses for water and an integrated approach based on basin development planning needed to be evolved, he said political leadership at the local body level, state level and civil society organisations needed to be involved in activities of the National Water Mission. Ministers and other members of the council endorsed these views. It was stated that the first step in this direction would be to prepare a comprehensive water data base in the public domain and the impact of climate change on water would be assessed. Action had to be focused on vulnerable areas, where ground water was overexploited. It was also decided that water-use efficiency should be raised by 20 per cent through the promotion of new technologies. Members felt incentives should be created for using water in a sustainable manner. It was felt that there was need to focus on research and development requirements of the mission. Many members stressed the need to use opportunities from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, which already prioritises community-level water security and offers an opportunity to convert water conservation into a people’s movement. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Power Minster Sushil Kumar Shinde, Water Resources Minister Pawan Bansal, Non-Conventional and Renewable Energy Resources Minster Farookh Abdullah, Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja, Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh and members of the Council were present at the meeting.
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In their panel, disabled in minority
New Delhi, May 29 The disabled find only 0.11 per cent representation in the committee which the Social Justice Ministry has constituted to prepare a fresh draft law to replace the Persons with Disabilities (Equal opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995. The replacement is mandatory after India ratified the UN Convention on the Rights for Persons with Disabilities (UNCRDP) in 2007. But the government has faltered at the first step. Out of 27 experts on its panel, only 10 are from disability sector; of these 10, just three are differently abled; the rest being professionals from the sector. Most other members are government representatives. With virtually no one expect three persons to speak for them, the disabled today voiced their grudge through a candlelight march outside Wasnik’s Aurangzeb Road residence. The minister has promised to meet the disabled persons’ delegation tomorrow. So far, he seems unfazed by the protests. Earlier, he told the activists to be concerned about results, not the process. When The Tribune contacted Wasnik, he declined to comment on the matter. “This is not done. A law for the disabled can’t be drafted without giving the disabled a voice in the panel,” Javed Abidi, director, National Centre for Promotion of Employment for the Disabled Persons, said. He led the agitation for recasting the panel and also started a process of consultations on what needs to be included in the new draft. Major concerns are whether the government should continue with the medical model to define disability (where percentage and nature of medical condition define a person’s status) or should it look at the social model (as in the west) to define the problem so as to include in the new law hitherto excluded conditions like haemophilia, dyslexia and muscular dystrophy. Also to be decided is whether India needs four laws or whether one comprehensive law would be better. Right now, India has four laws for disability - the PWD Act, the National Trust Act, the Rehabilitation Council of India Act and the Mental Health Act. The government’s committee for new disability law is headed by eminent disability issue expert Sudha Kaul. Among the disabled on board are GN Karna from the Society for Disability Studies, JNU, and Rajive Raturi, director, Human Rights Law Network, New Delhi.
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Advani, Joshi active, Gadkari losing grip
New Delhi, May
29 Advani virtually echoed the concerns of his party and the RSS who have sounded alarm bells over Bangladeshi migrants registering as Indian citizens, and obtaining the proposed Unique Identity Card, changing the demography of India. Apparently to please the
RSS, BJP general secretary Ananth Kumar had diverted the debate on caste-based census to this issue causing a serious clash with RJD leader Lalu Prasad in the Lok Sabha on May 7. Though he was chosen to initiate this debate, he mentioned not a word about the
subject. BJP/RSS is mainly concerned about NPR/UID. Since the Lok Sabha debate, many BJP leaders have raised it. But it became the most important subject, once RSS general secretary Suresh Joshi or Bhaiyaji Joshi stressed upon it in his press conference in Nagpur last Sunday. Yesterday Advani took the cue from Bhaiyaji Joshi and lent his weight to this subject. While Advani was raising this issue, Murli Manohar Joshi opposed caste-based census and declared that this would fragment and damage the society, the former BJP president, too, was guided by Bhaiyaji Joshi’s Nagpur press meet where he had opposed caste-based census and felt that it would undo all the good the Sangh parivar had done to obliterate
caste. M.M. Joshi also declared his intent to raise this in the BJP national executive due in Patna on June 12 and 13. The sudden assertion of these two ageing war horses is being seen in BJP circles as a sign of the loosening grip of the new president Nitin Gadkari on the party organisation and the unbridled run of the big guns in
Delhi. Gadkari has now completed six months in office and by now a degree of unease has started showing among BJP party leaders and sympathizers with his acts of omission and commission. All the blame or the embarrassment caused to the BJP on account of its dilly dallying in Jharkhand has been laid at Gadkari’s doorstep. Apart from this, people at 11, Ashoka Road have started talking about the state of organisation under
Gadkari. Though he assumed office in November it took him four months to announce his new team and it has now been over two months and yet there is no allocation of work so far, lamented a party office-bearer. For all the formal denials and protestations it is common knowledge in BJP circles that the RSS chose Gadkari over Advani’s nominees, Sushma
Swaraj, Arun Jaitely, Ananth Kumar and Venkaiah Naidu only to marginalize the Advani loyalists well established in Delhi. Party insiders feel that Gadakri’s loosening grip has reestablished the pre-eminence of the Delhi leaders who did look a little unsure when Gadkari took
over.
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Chiru meets Sonia, contemplates alliance
New Delhi, May 29 “There is no question of merger… only alliance with the Congress. The Congress president asked me to withdraw from the Rajya Sabha poll,” Chiranjeevi said after meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi at 10 Janpath today
evening.Effectively, the president of the regional party with just around 17 MLAs in the 294-strong Andhra Pradesh Assembly is all set to play a role at the national level and provide support to the grand old party to counter the Kadapa MP and late YSR Reddy’s son
Jaganmohan. The Congress has 156 members in the Assembly. The Congress can get three Rajya Sabha seats from the state against the TDP’s two. Jaganmohan -- said to have the support of at least 37 MLAs within the Congress -- defied the party yesterday and went ahead with his Odarpu Yatra in
Telangana. But the programme was abandoned after his supporters clashed with Telangana supporters, culminating in police firing. Disciplinary action could be taken against Jaganmohan for his disobedience but before that the Congress needed a Plan B in place. Chiranjeevi was invited over by the Congress high command for discussions on biennial polls for the Upper House after he announced that PRP would contest the election. The Telegu superstar also met senior leaders Veerappa Moily and Ahmed Patel.
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Army studying tribunal verdict on Kargil war officer: Antony
New Delhi, May 29 “I had a meeting with the Army Chief and the Army is carefully studying the report,” he told reporters here. The Defence Minister was asked what action would be taken after the Tribunal verdict in the case. The Tribunal has held that former 15 Corps Commander Lt Gen Kishan Pal falsified accounts of some of the battles fought during the Kargil conflict and discredited then 70 Infantry Brigade commander Brigadier Devinder Singh over his role in the war while writing his annual confidentialreport. Crediting the UPA government for setting up the Tribunal, Antony said, “We took the initiative to have the Tribunal as we wanted that if there was any complaint from our retired persons and armed forces personnel, it should not only be looked into by the Services headquarters and the Ministry, it should have a judicial look also.” The Tribunal was launched on August 8 last year and hears disputes and complaints about commission, appointments, enrolment and service conditions in respect of those covered by the Three Services Act, as also appeals arising out of orders, findings or sentences of court martial. To a question on the arrest of a Navy personal for spying activities, The Defence Minister said, “I discussed this issue with the Navy chief. He is a lower-level Navy man. Now the Delhi police is inquiring into that and Navy will also conduct an inquiry in their own way.” — PTI
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Separate Haryana HC political ploy: Ex-law minister
Bangalore, May 29 Bhardwaj refrained from elaborating on the political usefulness of the demand for a separate high court by successive governments in Haryana. However, what was obvious from his remarks was that rather than actually having a separate high court for the state by going for a practical solution of the issue, the Haryana leadership is more interested in keeping the issue alive and reaping political benefit from it by raising the demand periodically. In an exclusive interview with this reporter at the Raj Bhavan here,
Bhardwaj, Union Law Minister when the Haryana Assembly passed a resolution in 2005 for a separate high court for the state, said: “They (the Haryana government) insist that a separate high court be set up in Chandigarh, but it is not possible in a union territory.” He said that in view of the provisions of the State Reorganisation Act and the status of Chandigarh as a UT, it would never be possible to set up a separate high court for Haryana in Chandigarh. Bifurcating the existing Punjab and Haryana High court to carve out a separate high court for Haryana was also not feasible, he said.
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Amar: Jaya should accept Rajya Sabha nomination
Lucknow, May 29 In his blog dated May 28, Amar Singh asserts that he had not only accepted “bhabhi” Jaya Bachchan giving priority to the Samajwadi Party but had even tried to convince her family members to let her do so. Yesterday Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav had revealed that Jaya Bachchan had refused to accept a third-time nomination to the Rajya Sabha citing family reasons. In his distinctive sarcastic style describing SP party president as “don sahib”, Amar Singh asserts if he was thrown out of the party for reducing it to a filmy circus, why did Yadav offer the party ticket to a film personality. “He has to accept that he also has a soft corner for film people,” he says.
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SC narco ruling a setback: CBI
Chennai, May 29 "According to us, it is a setback for forensic science and scientific investigation. We will respond to it after studying it," Kumar told reporters here after inaugurating a CBI media workshop. The investigating agency respected the Supreme Court judgement, he said, adding it would "follow it in letter and spirit." As for the CBI, it always took the consent of the accused before conducting narco analysis test and "never has the CBI compulsorily done any test without consent of the accused
so far," he said. "Even if the person gives the consent, we have approached courts for permission and the tests were always conducted by experts," Kumar explained. In a blow to investigating agencies, the Supreme Court had on May 5 ruled as illegal compulsory use of narco analysis, brain mapping and polygraph tests, saying such techniques amount to cruel and degrading treatment and unwarranted intrusion into personal liberty.
— PTI
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NIA team leaves for US today to quiz Headley
New Delhi, May 29 Three officers of National Investigation Agency (NIA) and a law officer would travel to Chicago and were expected to interrogate Headley next week, official sources said. The team is being sent following a communication from the US Justice Department that all concerned officials and the lawyer of Headley will be available during the visit of the Indian team to facilitate their access to Headley. However, it is not clear yet as to for how many hours or days the Indian team would get access to Headley. After being arrested in October last year, Headley entered into a plea bargain with the US in March this year, wherein he offered to be available to foreign investigators through deposition and video conferencing.
— PTI
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Govt sets up council for aviation safety
New Delhi, May 29 The council comprising 28 members drawn from various aviation sub-sectors such as airlines (both public and private) has been constituted for a period of one year. |
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Hundreds protest in front of minister’s house for panel’s recast
Lucknow, May 29
New Delhi, May 29