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Breakthrough in TB control
turmoil in northeast
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Politburo fails to reach agreement
Multi-crore scholarship scam in Rajasthan
Govt can’t discharge statutory bodies’ functions, rules SC
Clearing BCI exam must for legal practice: BCI
Rathore discharged after tests
Jagan to play ‘sympathy card’
Food security is fine, but what about a Water Security Act?
Major gets pension after 27 years of retirement
Sonia book
Eight ‘tipsy’ pilots sacked: DGCA
Rs 11.29-cr relief to kin of crash victims
Headley Case
Process to appoint HC judges may change
Stir fuels commodity prices in Manipur
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Breakthrough in TB control
the story so far The new discovery The path-breaking new drug formulation (single capsule) compartmentalises the two drugs so they don’t meet in patient’s body. The drug will be especially effective in tackling the resistant strains. Why it is important? India has the highest TB mortality in world — 4 lakh deaths annually. Drug-resistant variants are major global concern. TB last year infected 9.2 million, mainly in Asia and Africa. Five per cent cases multi-drug resistant; 10 per cent extreme drug resistant.
New Delhi, June 6 The new technology developed and patented by BV Patel Pharmaceutical Education and Research Development (PERD) Centre, Gujarat (the mentoring institute for National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) Ahmedabad), promises, for the first time in 14 years, a solution to drug-resistant TB that is hampering the National TB Control programme. Drug resistance to TB pathogens is a global challenge now, with TB returning to the developed world as an opportunistic infection with HIV. The new anti-TB drug formulation (single capsule) can enhance treatment efficiency by 30 per cent and reduce TB treatment period by half --- from six months (sometimes a year and beyond) to three months. It does away with gross treatment inefficacies witnessed in the presently marketed fixed dose two-drug combination of Rifampicin and Isoniazid being administered to TB patients. “The current combination is ineffective because Rifampicin and Isoniazid chemically react in the patient’s stomach and neutralise each other,” Dr Harish Padh, Director, PERD and Project Director, NIPER, Gujarat today told The Tribune. “The general loss of Rifampicin’s efficacy is 30 per cent and more in tropical climates because of which treatment remains sub-optimal and takes longer time, allowing pathogenic bacteria to develop immunity to drugs. This is the primary cause behind poor progress of TB Control Programme,” he added. The new compartmentalised formulation to separate the two TB drugs in the capsule has been developed by a team led by Dr CJ Shishoo, Honorary Director, PERD Centre. The path-breaking technology works by segregating Rifampicin and Isoniazid in the capsule and the patient’s body. “In the new formulation, the two drugs don’t see each other and therefore don’t react, enhancing treatment efficacy by 30 per cent and reducing treatment period to three months. It should work for all types of TB though it is being tested for pulmonary TB,” Dr Padh said. With new tools, the scientists ensure that Rifampicin tablet, in the discovered formulation, is retained in the stomach for six hours before being absorbed from the stomach. Isoniazid, meanwhile, is technologically prevented (though enteric coating) from dissolving in the stomach. It goes past the stomach and dissolves only on reaching the alkaline atmosphere of intestines. “This solves the old problem,” explains Padh. Funded by the Department of Biotechnology and Union Ministry of Chemicals, the project is at an advanced stage of trials, with animal and healthy human trials over. The AIIMS and PERD Centre have now decided to commence final comparative trials --- with old and new drug formulations --- on TB patients. Once evidence from comparative data is available, the government can go for production scale up of new technology.
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turmoil in northeast
Pillai was in Meghalaya on a three-day visit to review the security situation that concluded Saturday. “The Assam government has already initiated the peace process with the ULFA and we are very optimistic about a settlement,” the Home Secretary said in Guwahati while returning to New Delhi after his trip to Meghalaya. He said the presence of the elusive ULFA ‘commander-in-chief’ Paresh Baruah was important for the peace talks, but claimed the rebel leader would find himself in a spot if he keeps away from the dialogue process. “Paresh Baruah would be marginalised if he remains adamant and fails to respect the voices of the people of Assam,” the Home Secretary said. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi last week set the ball rolling by way of a cabinet decision to open peace talks with the ULFA leadership, majority of them in jail now. Six top ULFA leaders are in jail and that includes self-styled chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, deputy commander-in-chief Raju Baruah, foreign secretary Sasha Choudhury, finance secretary Chitraban Hazarika, cultural secretary Pranati Deka and political ideologue Bhimkanta Buragohain. ULFA vice chairman Pradeep Gogoi and publicity chief Mithinga Daimary are out on bail and currently drumming up public opinion for peace talks. The only top ULFA leader who continues to be at large is Paresh Baruah. “Paresh Baruah is probably somewhere in the borders between Myanmar and China's Yunnan Province,” Pillai said. ULFA general secretary Anup Chetia is in protective custody in Bangladesh after his arrest in 1997 in that country. His jail term was over, but continues to remain in Bangladesh as he had moved a writ petition seeking political asylum there. “There are legal problems in extraditing Anup Chetia as he had moved a petition seeking political asylum,” the Home Secretary said. Chetia would have to withdraw the petition for political asylum for enabling him to come to Assam and join the peace process. Pillai, however, warned of possible strikes by the ULFA and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) in Assam. NDFB chief Ranjan Daimary was handed over by Bangladesh to Indian authorities last month and is now in the custody of Assam Police. “When militant groups get weakened, they try to strike out of desperation and hence, such a possibility for violent attacks is not ruled out and so a general alert and stepped up vigil is always there,” added the Home Secretary.
— IANS
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Lifeline choked
New Delhi, June 6 Two such roads, which bypass Nagaland, exist. However, they are in a very bad shape. The National Highway-39 that snakes its way down from Nagaland has been blocked for several weeks by Naga protesters after Manipur disallowed Naga rebel leader Thuigaleng Muivah from visiting his ancestral village located in the northern part of Manipur. The two other routes --- the National Highway-53 that takes off from Silchar (Assam) and NH-150 that enters the state from the Mizoram side --- are in a deplorable condition. The movement of heavy trucks, carrying fuel supplies, medicines and other essential items, has been slowed down due to the blockade. Engineering units of the Army have been pressed into service to strengthen the culverts and set up new bridges to facilitate the movement of trucks. The NH- 53 is not fully metalled. The NH-150, which is being used to send supplies to Manipur from the past three weeks, is in the same condition. The latter is the longer of the two routes and a circuitous one. Sources said the government was keen that NH-53 should be made the alternate lifeline of Manipur. The road needs extensive repairs and more bridges to make it really motorable. Also, it will have to be protected, at least for the time being, from Nagas, who have disrupted traffic movement on this route too. The Manipur residents are also keen on having NH-53 as the new all-weather road for the state. The road straightaway connects to Silchar, an important Assam town, around 220 km away from Imphal. On the other hand, the NH-153 is just around six metres wide, making two-way movement nearly impossible. The Army recently repaired a bailey bridge on the road, however, the movement of vehicles has remained slow. At present IAF cargo planes are carrying food grains and fearing the worst people have started hoarding, leading to massive shortfall, said sources.
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Politburo fails to reach agreement
The next party congress was to be held in 2011. But West Bengal and Kerala state assembly elections have made the party postpone it. Instead, an extended central committee (CC) scheduled for Vijayawada in August with about 350 members will review all CPM actions since the 2008 congress. The Politburo today discussed the first draft of the policy document to be presented to the extended central committee at Vijaywada, said party sources. It would meet again on July 3 and 4 and then hold a central committee meeting in Delhi on July 21 to discuss and smoothen the contours of the draft, which would finally be taken to Vijaywada, sources added. The CPM has gone through a lot of upheavals since the last party congress when it was supporting the UPA government. It withdrew support to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue of Indo-US civilian-nuclear deal and then tried to pull down that government in tacit understanding with the BJP-led NDA. Thereafter, it faced serious reverses in its Bengal citadel, first in the general elections and in the municipal poll. The party was currently reviewing all this and trying to come to grips with the present, sources indicated. The Politburo in its recent session, which was held sans West Bengal Chief Minister Budhadeb Bhattacharya who kept away from AK Gopalan Bhawan for the fear of criticism for letting Bengal slip out of Left, discussed bare outlines of the draft. “No, no. We have not reached a consensus. That is why there is one more meeting. There are differences on the implementation of the political line adopted in the last party congress,” said CITU general secretary MK Pandhe, emerging from the concluding session this afternoon. He, of course, clarified that “there was no opposition to the decision to withdraw support to UPA either in the Politburo or the central committee. But there were discussions on other issues”. Meanwhile, Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said, “It discussed the outline of a draft document for the extended meeting of the central committee to be held in August. The Politburo will meet next month to finalise the draft to be presented to the central committee.” On Bengal civic polls, he said, “The West Bengal state committee will conduct a review of the elections on the basis of which necessary political and organisational steps can be taken to win back the confidence of those sections of the people which have moved away from the party.”
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Multi-crore scholarship scam in Rajasthan
Jaipur/Sawai Madhopur, June 6 It has come to light that a number of educational institutions, which have been drawing scholarships worth lakhs every year, merely exist on paper. However, to mislead the authorities, some of these institutions have raised buildings and put up signboards mentioning the name and details of the courses being offered there. Sawai Madhopur Collector Siddhartha Mahajan said they came across 19 fake industrial training institutes (ITIs) where they found either none or very few students. “In some of the institutes the content written on blackboard dated back to six months while instruments lying in the lab were gathering dust,” he added. Similarly, in Jaipur, a medical technology institute of nursing has received over Rs 15 lakh as scholarship for SC/ST students over the past two years. In official records, its address is 242-243 Singhbhumi, Khatipura. However, no such institute exists at the given address. Interestingly, a primary school named Maxmind India School has been functioning from the given address for the past many years. School Principal Savita Rani said there had been no nursing institute on their premises and she had no clue how their address figured in the list of institutions with the Social Welfare Department. The institute received around Rs 8.4 lakh in the name of 18 ST students in 2007-08 and over Rs 7.5 lakh for 17 ST students in 2008-09. Another such institute is Vinayak Dental College, Sitapura, which received scholarship of Rs 5.09 lakh in 2008-09, but it doesn’t exist at the address mentioned in the department’s records. Arun Garg, Registrar of Rajasthan Medical University, confirmed that no college by that name was affiliated to their university. While these institutions don’t exist on ground, there are others like Sri Krishna College of Nursing, Kotputli, which has a huge building and a board hanging atop it merely to mislead the authorities. The college received Rs 14.42 lakh as scholarship for 22 SC/ST students in 2008-09. The departmental inquiry till now has detected misappropriation of Rs 53 lakh by various institutes. It has also come to the fore that Vinayak Dental College, Vinayak Veterinary College and Sri Krishna College of Nursing are all owned by one person. Following these investigations, Commissioner of Social Welfare Department Prem Singh has proceeded on a month’s leave while two deputy directors have been shifted from their current places of posting. A couple of months ago, the police conducted a raid on the DBN Hostel of Rajasthan University and seized fake rubber stamps and documents of Social Justice and Empowerment Department. The room from where this material was seized, was allotted in name of one Nand Kishore, a university student, but was occupied Harkesh Meena. Later, it was revealed that Meena used to take scholarships using fake documents by different names.
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Govt can’t discharge statutory bodies’ functions, rules SC
New Delhi, June 6 “No higher authority in the hierarchy or an appellate or revisional authority can exercise the power of the statutory authority nor the superior authority can mortgage its wisdom and direct the statutory authority to act in a particular manner,” a vacation Bench comprising Justices BS Chauhan and Swatanter Kumar held in a judgment on June 3. If the appellate or revisional authority took upon itself the task of the statutory authority and passed an order, it would remain unenforceable for the reason that it would not be termed to be an order under law, the Bench clarified. The apex court made the ruling in a case pertaining to allotment of land to two individuals by the Ghaziabad Development Authority in 1979 “as per the direction of the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.” “The state government, being the revisional authority, could not entertain directly the applications” by individuals. The action of the state government “smacks of arbitrariness and is nothing but abuse of power as the state government deprived GDA to exercise its power” under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894. “Thus, orders passed by the state government stood vitiated. More so, it was a clear cut case of colourable exercise of power,” the apex court verdict said. The SC said it was of the “considered opinion that there was no occasion for the state government to entertain the applications of the said parties for allotment of land directly and issue directions to the GDA for allotment of land in their favour.” In the same verdict, the Bench also ruled that the judiciary “cannot grant a relief which has not been specifically prayed by the parties.”
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Clearing BCI exam must for legal practice: BCI
New Delhi, June 6 The first examination would be held on December 5 in nine languages with 100 objective type questions. Examinations would be conducted every six months and the candidates could take it any number of times until they cleared it. The aspirants would be allowed to take their notes and text books, the SG said at a function held here on Thursday to launch the Council’s vision statement. The nine languages in which the exam would be held are English, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Oriya, Kannada, Gujarati and Marathi. “As this is the first time this examination is conducted, it will assess the students’ capabilities at a basic level and set a minimum standard for admission to the practice of law. It is also intended to test the candidates’ analytical abilities and basic knowledge of law,” he clarified. Questions for the examination would be finalised by an expert committee comprising retired Supreme Court judges and former ISRO chief MGK Menon. The candidates would be charged Rs 1,300 for taking the test. Applications would be available from July 15 to September 30. Rainmaker, a legal consultancy firm, would assist the BCI in conducting the test. About 60,000 law students pass out from 1,000-odd colleges every year, adding to the 1.1 million practising advocates. Replying to a query, Subramanium said the BCI was a statutory body and as such did not require any approval from the Law Ministry for holding the examination. Law Minister M Veerappa Moily, who unveiled BCI’s vision statement, expressed the confidence that the legal reforms, which covered legal education, would open up global opportunities for Indian lawyers. The fear among lawyers that throwing open profession would endanger their livelihood was unfounded, he said. On the other hand, they stood to benefit from it.
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Rathore discharged after tests
“Since all parameters were normal and his condition was stable, he was discharged,” the hospital’s public relations department stated. A doctor claimed that Rathore was reluctant to undergo the tests and kept insisting that he was “okay”. “He even stated that he was unwilling to come to the PGI, but was brought here forcibly by the jail authorities,” the doctor stated. Sources in the GMSH-16, from where a team of doctors was sent to examine Rathore in the jail after he complained of chest pain at about 9 pm, also corroborated the PGI doctor’s claims that Rathore was reluctant to get treatment. Describing Rathore as a “difficult” patient, the sources said he was adamant in not going to the PGI despite the advice of doctors and created a scene. “He refused to budge and even claimed that he was prepared to face the worst in the jail rather than go to hospital,” the sources said, adding that the jail authorities had to call his wife. The drama began at the PGI at about 10 pm last night after an SOS from the jail put the hospital authorities on alert and ended at about 2.30 am when Rathore was sent back. He was heard saying: “Let me rest and I’ll be okay”. He reportedly demanded that he be taken to a private room, but his request was turned down. His arrival at the hospital was preceded by confusion as news about his condition spread like wild fire, sending the media to the
PGI.
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Jagan to play ‘sympathy card’
Jagan was stopped in his tracks after his much-publicised yatra triggered violence in the Telangana region last week. Soon after, his Delhi mission also backfired as the party bosses told him to drop his tour plans in view of the surcharged atmosphere. After suffering a loss of face, the first-time MP returned to the city and held confabulations with his family members and close aides to chalk out further course of action. According to sources in his camp, it was decided to invoke family sentiments and convince the high command about the need to undertake the tour. Jagan’s family members, including his mother who now represents her husband’s constituency in the Assembly and his MLC-brother YS Vivekananda Reddy, advised him against any confrontation with the Central leadership. The family sought an appointment with Sonia Gandhi and was keen to remove any misgivings about the tour, sources said. They will explain to the party leadership that the yatra has nothing to do with politics but was only a humanitarian gesture by Jagan towards the bereaved families. The move is seen as a last-ditch attempt by Jagan to make peace with the high command. He has already announced that his next leg of the yatra would commence from the coastal Srikakulam district. “It is my duty and moral responsibility as son to visit the families who lost their dear ones after my father’s sudden death. There is no politics involved here. It is purely a personal visit,” Jagan said. The industrialist-turned-politician’s antics have caused deep embarrassment to the party on two counts: First, the open defiance exposed internal bickering. Second, they revived old wounds in the Telangana region which is witnessing an agitation for separate state. Meanwhile, notwithstanding the party high command’s directive to him to not to go ahead with his controversial ‘Odarpu Yatra’, Congress MP YS Jaganmohan Reddy today said he would continue with the tour. “Who said that yatra would not continue?” he told reporters in
Anantapur. He, however, did not reveal whether he will go ahead with the tour in Srikakulam district from June 8 as scheduled.
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ARE YOU READY TO FIGHT FOR WATER?
What we can do
Around 200 rivers in the world transcend national boundaries and flow through several countries. It therefore is but natural that when water becomes even more scarce, bilateral treaties will become ancient history as source countries strive to harness the maximum out of rivers flowing through their own territories.
The biggest challenge will come from climate change. Researches have already predicted that coastlines stand the danger of inundation. Growing heat wave will shave off snow clad mountains and create floods while ground water level will sink further, prompting countries to build dams to protect their interests.
India's water sharing woes
India is already facing water-sharing conflicts with most of its neighbours. China is building a huge dam across the Brahmaputra, which may affect the flow of the river into India. Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal says as of now no diversion of the river's water has been observed in Chinese territory but India needs to remain "watchful" to prevent any such eventuality. On the other side, battling with its own inability to manage its water resources, Pakistan has been accusing India of "stealing" its water. Recently it went to the extent of saying that it would not hesitate to wage a war if India did not stop doing so. India has dismissed as 'completely baseless' Pakistan's charge that it was denying its neighbour the share of water it is entitled to under the 1960 Indus Water Treaty (IWT) signed between the two countries. Sharing of Teesta's waters and six other common rivers has been a major issue in Bangladesh-India water talks for the past several years. Nepal feels aggrieved by the far larger water use by India as compared to the more limited area it has been able to irrigate from Kosi waters. The Himalayan country has in fact termed the 1954 Kosi Treaty with India as a blunder.
PROBLEMS WITHIN
Growing population pressures and increased development have led to higher pollution, over-exploitation and a degradation of the natural environment. India, surrounded by water bodies on three sides, has 13 major rivers, including Ganga, Yamuna and the mighty Brahmaputra, Godavari, Krishnaand Cauvery. It has glaciers, the largest river island Majuli, the highest rainfall and many other bounties from mother nature that reflect the country's richness in water resources, yet India faces shortages every year. Our rivers are polluted and they are now a sad shadow of their past. Indian states have differences regarding sharing river waters. Here in north, Yamuna waters have been a constant issue of dissent between riparian states.
GROUNDWATER
Groundwater situation is equally critical with water being extracted by the government and private parties. Assessments of groundwater resources carried out by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and States have repeatedly shown alarming results. A majority of replenishable groundwater resource assessment units falling under the overexploited category are in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan. After Delhi, Punjab is the most overexploited state in the country as far as groundwater resources go with 75 per cent of its blocks assessed falling under the overexploited zone, followed by Rajasthan and Haryana. Delhi with a majority of its nine districts classified under the overexploited category tops the dubious list. Out of the 5723 units in the country, as many as 839 are categorised as over-exploited and are located largely in Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharshtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttranchal and West Bengal. In overexploited blocks, a significant decline in long-term water-level trend is seen in either pre-monsoon or post-monsoon period, or both. In critical blocks, there is significant decline in long-term water level in both pre-monsoon and post-monsoon period.
URBAN POPULATION
Our urban population has grown almost five times in five decades. Most of our cities were self-sufficient in meeting their needs from extensive urban water bodies, but now these water bodies have more or less disappeared. Municipalities have been stretched to the limits to find water for the growing urban population. Per capita water availability in India was 3450 cu m in 1952. It stands at 1800 cu m now and is estimated to fall to 1200- 1500 cu m per person by 2025. The fact that drinking water coverage in the country is not working the way it should have is best illustrated by the fact that in 2005 the rural water coverage was 95 per cent. Ideally it should have gone up to 100 per cent by March 31, 2009 - the deadline, but instead of being 100 per cent complete, the rural water coverage has now slipped to 67 per cent. Reasons are simple. Some sources dried up and there was a decrease in the groundwater level. Infrastructure put in by the government like hand pumps and tubewells, failed to work due to lack of maintenance. Increase in population and increasing industrial and agricultural pressure on groundwater are some of the other factors.
GOVERNMENT EFFORTS
Efforts have been made , no doubt. There are centre- sponsored schemes and national projects like Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme, Artificial Recharge of Groundwater, Repair, Renovation and Rehabilitation of Water Bodies, rainwater and river management schemes, research activities but activists working in the area are not impressed. There are close to 2,000 water-related schemes in the country and crores of rupees are being pumped in for water projects by the Union and state governments every year. Water is a state subject and regulatory measures are in place for making roof-top rainwater harvesting mandatory. So far 18 states and four union territories have made rooftop-rainwater harvesting mandatory. These include Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Chandigarh, Daman and Diu, Delhi and Puducherry. Megahalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand, Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar are also in the process of making such provision, while Chhattisgarh, Sikkim, Mizoram, Assam, J&K, Manipur and Dadra and Nagar Haveli have not initiated any action in this regard per the official records. In all, seemingly a very positive situation and ideally majority of the people in maximum places should not be having any water woes. But as Sushmita Sengupta of the Center for Science and Environment says, despite efforts and schemes floated by the government, the situation on the ground is not what it should be. "Most of the schemes exist on paper. For example, to get building plans passed in urban areas you should have an inclusive rainwater harvesting scheme. But after the plan is passed there is no monitoring whether the scheme is actually working or not," she says. She says that except perhaps for Delhi, Indore, Mumbai and Chennai, where some headway appears to have been made on this front with the efforts of the respective administrations and local people, nowhere else has the concept of saving rainwater has being followed seriously. "Delhi and Chennai have some good examples of rainwater harvesting," she adds.
SOLUTION LIES WITHIN
The key lies in using water more efficiently, especially in agriculture and industry, which together account for over 90 per cent of the world's total freshwater use. Sustainable water management and self help is the answer. The economic loss for lack of safe drinking water is huge and the simple practice of rainwater harvesting can make all the difference irrespective of drought and rain. Sengupta says each one of us has to pitch in and the best way to solve water problem is to catch and store rainwater. "Plus, make efforts to recycle and reuse waste water coming from bathrooms and kitchens because of 80 water used turns into waste water." If India manages to catch just 2 per cent of the annual rainfall it receives, one billion people in the country can be provided 100 litres per person per day, throughout the year. A family of five (not referring to people in urban areas who are water guzzlers) requires six to seven litres of potable water for drinking and cooking everyday, which comes to around 10,000 to 12,000 litres in a year. If rainwater harvesting is carried out in a scientific manner and on a large scale in Delhi, 450 billion litres of potable water, almost one third of the metro's total requirement, can be collected. This is the limitless potential of the simple technique of collecting rainwater to augment groundwater in your vicinity. Anyone doing water harvesting should also understand that there may not be immediate benefits but long-term benefits will definitely be there. There may also be this heartburn that while you are harvesting water, your neighbour is using it all. But then you may benefit from someone else's effort.
BARMER EXAMPLE
The concept of rainwater harvesting can be best illustrated through the desert township of Barmer in Rajasthan, which should not have been inhabited at all. The reason- Barmer barely gets four to five days of rainfall in a year, a mere average of 277 mm. But the district, that has faced drought for 47 years in the past 60 years, still is one of the most densely populated desert areas in the world. The reason is that the rural population is largely dependent on traditional water-harvesting structures for fulfilling its need for drinking water. Therefore, even though the groundwater is abysmally low in the district, sufficient amount of rainwater is stored in storage tanks for annual domestic water requirement and substantial recharge takes place during the four to five days of rain that the area receives every year. This way people fulfill their water requirement almost for the entire year. Sadly, in urban areas of Rajasthan, Sengupta says, there are no good case studies on rain water harvesting. "In Jodhpur people have disconnected their old traditional tankas from the rooftop., They are getting water from the Indira Gandhi canal and are not thinking about sustainability of source," she says.
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Food security is fine, but what about a Water Security Act?
Even as the entire country is facing an unprecedented summer and water crisis, Magsaysay Award winner and a pioneer in the field of water conservation, Rajendra Singh feels it is high time the government should take concrete steps to ensure water security.
In an exclusive interview to The Tribune, Singh said, "I have been stressing for the last five years that we need to give as much importance to water security as to food because water is the most basic need of human beings." He said the government must now work towards bringing in the Water Security Act at the Centre as well as in the states. He also advocated a policy to check indiscriminate exploitation of ground water which has been depleting at an alarming pace across the country. On the state of rivers and much-hyped cleaning campaign of Ganga and Yamuna rivers, Singh said nothing had been achieved by allotting huge funds for cleaning these rivers. "All the money is going down the drain. The funds are going into pockets of some contractors, officials and politicians." Singh said, "We primarily depend on rainwater and till now our needs were being met through conservation, management and disciplined use of rainwater. However, for the last 70-80 years we have started exploiting rainwater instead of properly utilising it." Singh revealed that though modern techniques for water conservation seem attractive, they have no time tested experience. "I feel until a scheme has time tested success attached to it, adopting it is dangerous," he said adding that he is not impressed by any modern technique and instead opts to work on time tested experience of the indigenous knowledge system. "I have urged the universities to sensitise the people and show them the way for disciplined use of water. I have earlier worked with religious heads to encourage water conservation, but that didn't succeed much, therefore I have turned to the other "gurus" this time. Let us see how it goes." On disparity in water supply in rural and urban areas, the Waterman said the scenario has led to "dual citizenship" wherein residents of urban areas get water on subsidy while those residing in rural areas don't even get adequate water. "It has led to urban-rural conflict, which will have dangerous implications in future. The government should work towards facilitating equal right on water." Singh is dead against privatisation of water supply. He said he would instead favour "communitisation" of water supply, as it takes care of common interests. "When a private company gets involved in it, it gives priority to its own interest. The need of the hour is to make water supply community driven. A private company only works for "labh" (profit), but a cooperative works for "shubh" (welfare) as well as "labh" (profit). Here "shubh" is ecology, environment and common future, while "labh" is personal interest."
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Delhi Diary
The BJP was equally quick to jump into the fray. Its articulate and media-savvy leader Arun Jaitley went to town on this issue, comparing this incident to the dark days of Emergency when the Congress dispensation led by Indira Gandhi had ruthlessly cracked down on all dissenting voices. Jaitley’s diatribe, however, sounded a bit hollow as his own party’s model Chief Minister Narendra Modi had terrorised multiplex owners in Gujarat into not screening the film Parzania which told the story of a Parsi couple who lost their son when their home was attacked by a mob during the 2002 communal programme. Similarly, films like Fanaa and Rang De Basanti were banned in Gujarat because Aamir Khan, the lead actor in the two films, had taken a stand on Narmada dam which was not liked by the Modi government. While the Congress and the BJP were busy slugging it out, the producers of “Rajneeti” were laughing all the way to the bank considering the free publicity that they were able to generate. Time for prayers in Indraprastha
One story doing the rounds is that Human Resource Development minister Kapil Sibal may be moved to commerce and industry, presently held by Anand Sharma, who, in turn, will replace SM Krishna as External Affairs Minister. And Krishna will be the next HRD Minister. Another story is that Railway Minister and Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerji wants strong junior ministers as she is going to be too busy with next year’s West Bengal assembly polls and will not have time for her ministry. South-based newspapers even put out stories that her present ministers of state E Ahmad and KH Muniyappa were on their way out. In what is clearly an unusual move, a nervous Muniyappa dashed across to the Congress headquarters to plead with the party’s media department to set the record straight. The nonchalant Congress functionaries advised Muniyappa that he should only start worrying if there are stories about his elevation or being moved to a better ministry. That’s when all those who are lobbying for the same post are out to sabotage you, he was advised. Mani Shankar Aiyar, Jairam Ramesh, Digivijay Singh and several other Congress leaders had been vying to get onto the Sonia Gandhi-headed National Advisory Council (NAC) as its membership is considered akin to being granted entry into the sanctum sanctorum. They were obviously disappointed when the final membership list was announced recently as nobody from the party was included although Jairam Ramesh had been on the previous NAC. Better spotted at home
Till Telecommunications Minister A Raja of the DMK hit the headlines recently in connection with the controversy over the allotment of 2G spectrum, he was barely seen or heard in the Capital. The minister deliberately maintained a low-profile and made sure that there was no opportunity for him to interact with the media here. In case he had to attend any programme, his officials were given strict instructions to clear the place of all presspersons well in advance. In contrast, Raja makes it a point to be spotted by the media in his home state Tamil Nadu, so that his party leader M Karunanidhi does not forget him.
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Major gets pension after 27 years of retirement
Chandigarh, June 6 Major Hardev Singh Gill, a resident of Patiala, was commissioned into the TA in March, 1961. He superannuated in June, 1983, on attaining 50 years of age. He was denied pension on the grounds that his total qualifying service was about 16 years, which was less than the minimum required period of 20 years. Drawing reference to its earlier judgment on a similar issue, the tribunal observed that Regulation 292 of pension regulations stated, “The grant of pensionary awards to members of the Territorial Army shall be governed by the same general regulations as are applicable to the corresponding personnel of the Army except where they are inconsistent with the provisions of regulations in this chapter.”Late entrants into the Army are eligible for grant of full pension after 15 years of service, according to the policy letters issued on the subject by the Central Government. In the case of Maj SD Sharma decided in February, on the basis of which Maj Gill’s petition was allowed last week, the tribunal observed relevant orders made it explicitly clear that TA persons would be governed by the necessary pensionary regulations that were applicable to the Army also and there were no two opinions in the matter nor any room for doubt. The government orders dated October 30, 1987, for the implementation of the Fourth Central Pay Commission and February 3, 1998, for the implementation of the Fifth Central Pay Commission made it abundantly clear that that TA personnel would be governed by the Indian Army Pensionary Regulations for the purposes of working out their pensions, the tribunal ruled.
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Sonia book
New Delhi, June 6 The book, which was first published in Spanish with a title 'El Sari Rojo' in 2008 and is set for India release, has stirred a storm with Congress chief's lawyers describing it as containing "untruths, half truths, falsehoods and defamatory statements" and served Moro with a legal notice. Claiming that Singhvi was "terrorising the publishers", Moro said, "I don't know how Abhishek Manu Singhvi or others have got their hands on the version when the book is not even in the market yet. He has got a version (of the book) in an illicit manner. I plan to sue him." "My book is a book on the glory of the Gandhi family. It defends the ideals of the Gandhi family. These ideals I myself defend," Moro told PTI over phone from Madrid. "I have said that the lawyer Abhishek Singhvi is terrorising the publishers that does not mean that the Congress Party is censoring me. It has nothing to do with the Congress Party itself."I think nobody in the Congress has read the book. They are taking lines out of context and manipulating the text... They are already manipulating the text that is what Singhvi is doing. I think Sonia Gandhi is being surrounded by all these watchdogs to show he can be the toughest lawyer. All this has led to an ridiculous and absurd controversy," the author said.
— PTI
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Eight ‘tipsy’ pilots sacked: DGCA
New Delhi, June 6 Another 11 were found under the influence of alcohol at the Mumbai airport. In response to an RTI enquiry by Abhishek Shukla, the DGCA has now revealed some details of the disciplinary action taken against the “tipsy” pilots. Eight of the pilots who tested positive for alcohol on duty were sacked and the remaining were suspended or taken off flying duty for periods ranging from 30 days to three months. The DGCA did not disclose the names of the pilots, the airlines for which they were working, or the details of the flights they were preparing to operate. As many as 28 of the 42 pilots are still flying, presumably after serving out their suspension period. The DGCA is the regulatory body for civil aviation in India and is responsible for ensuring safety of operations. — PTI
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Rs 11.29-cr relief to kin of crash victims
Mumbai, June 6 Besides, Rs 1.47 crore had been disbursed from the Prime Minister Relief Fund, an Air India spokesperson said here. “As on date, Air India has disbursed Rs 11.29 crore to the survivors and families of victims of the Mangalore plane crash,” the spokesperson said. Air India had announced an interim compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of the deceased above 12 years of age and Rs 5 lakh to the families of those below 12 years. For those injured, Air India had said it would pay Rs 2 lakh as interim compensation. The airline has deputed a team to help the families in receiving interim compensation. — PTI
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Headley Case
The hotel, where the team is staying, had initially confirmed that the names of Loknath Behera and Dayan Krishnan are listed in its records. However, in an apparent move to avoid the media, the team members have removed their names from the hotel guest list and now the hotel staff says no one by these names is staying in the hotel. The team, comprising Behera, who is an IG rank official, special public prosecutor Dayan Krishnan and two superintendents, has been in Chicago for the past four days, but has remained elusive as it questions Headley, held in the federal lock Metropolitan Correctional Centre. While the team has had access to Headley, the duration of the interrogation and number of times the team would get to meet the Pakistani-American is unclear. The US authorities, including the FBI official and the Attorney's office, have remained tightlipped about the details of the access. — PTI
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Process to appoint HC judges may change
New Delhi, June 6 Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily said the government is “thinking” of making changes in the appointment procedures as the present practice (Collegium) does not “fully reflect” the two Supreme Court judgements, which led to creation of the existing system. India may be among the few countries in the world where judges appoint themselves, a practice that started after 1993 replacing the system of government picking the judges for higher judiciary. "The 1993 Supreme Court judgement and the 1998 Supreme Court judgement led to the present Memorandum of Procedure (which governs the appointment of judges of the SC and HCs). But the system does not fully reflect the two judgements in their letter and spirit,” Moily said. — PTI |
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Stir fuels commodity prices in Manipur
Imphal, June 6 The All Naga Students' Association (ANSAM) launched the blockade on April 12 to protest against holding of elections to six autonomous district councils in the Hills which, it alleged, were given not enough power to carry out development works. The charge was, however, denied by the state government. Due to the blockade, which was intensified after the state refused entry to NSCN (IM) general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah on May 3, regular supply of essential commodities have been stopped, causing the prices to shoot up. A litre of petrol now costs between Rs 120 and Rs 150, onion Rs 28 and rice Rs 26 per KG. But despite the exorbitant prices, many essential commodities were not simply available, official sources said. Before the blockade, between 300 to 400 trucks carrying the essentials were plying daily on the two national highways, the sources said. On May 12, the Manipur government had decided to bring hundreds of stranded trucks, loaded with essential items, from Silchar to Imphal via Jiribam, a distance of 212 km, by providing security.
— PTI |
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Guwahati, June 6
New Delhi, June 6
Chandigarh, June 6
Hyderabad, June 6
Both the Congress and the BJP appear to have fallen into the trap of the publicity managers of Prakash Jha’s latest movie, “Rajneeti” who had spread the word that Katrina Kaif’s character in the film was based on that of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Going into an overdrive, the Congress representatives on the Censor Board previewed the film and suggested some cuts in specific scenes. This was enough fodder for the film makers to run a campaign that the Congress was resorting to censorship and curbing freedom of expression.
Reports about an impending Cabinet reshuffle have set Delhi’s political grapevine buzzing. A number of ministers of state like Jyotiraditya Scindia, Punrandeswari and Pannabalakshmi who have been sidelined by their senior ministers are hoping to get meatier portfolios or more generous seniors who will be willing to share their work load with them. On their part, some Cabinet ministers are eyeing better portfolios. As a result, there is a rumour a day about the upcoming changes.
Chicago, June 6