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Guides against corporal punishment soon: Sibal
Rival groups wary of Muivah’s ‘peace’ mission
WB unveils special package for Maoists
Now, India to help Kabul generate jobs
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Mumbai ATC goes blind for 21 minutes
La Marts refuses to sack principal
Truckers fear safety, stay off NH-39
Nod to CSIR research academy
In Chandigarh, many envy KD’s hot wheels
Mecca Masjid Blast Case
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Guides against corporal punishment soon: Sibal
Sibal has asked National Commission Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairperson Shantha Sinha to frame and issue tough guidelines to get rid of corporal punishment in schools. “The children are very precious to us. They are the future of our country. No child should be subjected to harassment and thereby get demotivated and be pushed out of the system,” he told reporters here. Rouvanjit Rawla, 13, a student of La Martiniere School in Kolkata, allegedly committed suicide after being caned by his principal. Sibal said that the newly enacted Right To Education Act prohibits corporal punishment. He discussed the issue with the NCPCR chief yesterday. “Because we have a provision in the Act, we can issue guidelines. We will be in fact in discussion with NCPCR for issuance of guidelines,” he said. “We must get rid of corporal punishment. Children need to be included in the system. I think there is so much change in the methodology and the way we deliver education,” he said. The NCPCR has already issued guidelines in 2007. But those rules are not enough to check the menace. Sibal said the school must take responsibility in the event a student gets prominently damaged following corporal punishment. “Ultimately, the school has to take responsibility. In the event there is corporal punishment and somebody gets prominently damaged, somebody has to take responsibility,” he said. Sometimes such incidents drive students to commit suicide, he said. “But there should be a process through which there should be inquiry about the circumstances of the death in case of a suicide. In the event anybody is found culpable, then the possible course of action should follow," he said. — PTI
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Rival groups wary of Muivah’s ‘peace’ mission
Guwahati, June 17 On Wednesday, the general secretary of NSCN-IM pitched his tent at historic Jotsoma village in Phek district bordering Ukhrul in Manipur. Already, his long stay in Viswema village on Nagaland-Manipur border --- with a ‘firm intention’ to visit his birth place Somdal in Manipur --- has sparked tension between the two states as the Manipur Government is against the visit. On his arrival at Jotsoma, Muivah said reconciliation (with rival groups) was necessary and that he was ready for talks anytime with other factions. “According to the commitment we have made, we are prepared to meet and talk to other groups,” said Muivah, who is on a ‘peace mission’ to gauge the mood of the people in the state which is eagerly awaiting the final solution to the Naga insurgency problem. However, rival Naga National Council (NNC) and NSCN-K led by SS Khaplang are not comfortable with Muivah’s moving around in a big convoy of 40 vehicles under heavy security. The NNC has accused Muivah of violating the covenant of reconciliation by way of deploying armed cadres openly in the name of security measures while he is moving around.
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WB unveils special package for Maoists
Train
derailment The CBI on Thursday named three activists of Maoist-backed PCPA as the key accused in connection with Jnaneshwari Express derailment that left 148 people dead and announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh each for information leading to their arrest.
Kolkata, June 17 Announcing the package, West Bengal Chief Secretary Ardhendu Sen told reporters that the state government would implement the surrender-cum-rehabilitation package for those who surrendered arms and agreed to join the mainstream. “The cases of persons now in police custody will be reviewed. Persons who have minor charges against them may, as a special gesture, be released on bail,” he said. The surrendered cadres would be kept under watch after their release and they would be appropriately helped in rehabilitation if they maintained good conduct, Sen said. He said there were indications that some Naxalites might surrender and the district administration had been given necessary instruction in that regard. About 400 to 500 persons in the Maoist zone, comprising districts of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia, had been arrested in the last one year, he said. A special cell would be created in the West Midnapore DM’s office for planning and implementing the special package of development schemes in the district. In Bankura and Purulia, a senior officer would be specially entrusted with the job. The government is committed to socio-economic development of backward areas in the state, particularly Maoist-affected areas, he added.
— PTI
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Now, India to help Kabul generate jobs
New Delhi, June 17 “The strategy is aimed at enabling the Afghan Government tackle its major problem of large-scale unemployment,” officials said, drawing attention to an MoU signed by the two countries earlier this week on cooperation in labour-related areas.Under the MoU, India would also assist Afghanistan in the establishment and expansion of vocational training programmers as well as technical support in its other skill development initiatives like procedures for certification, training for vocational training centres, selection of viable vocational skills and setting up the procedures for providing modular skills. The sources said New Delhi would also provide technical support for drafting labour-related rules and regulations for its new labour laws and in developing mechanism for better enforcement of labour laws.
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Mumbai ATC goes blind for 21 minutes
Mumbai, June 17 The Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Mumbai International Airport Limited, which is modernising and developing the city airport, have instituted an inquiry into the incident, sources said today. A four-member probe team from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has already completed its investigation into the blackout incident and submitted its report to the Member (Operations), sources said. “There was a total blackout and the radar screen at the ATC went blank for 21 minutes precisely, making the controllers almost blind-folded," sources said. An underground power cable got snapped during the digging close to the runway resulting in a short circuit. Compounding the problem, the Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) system also tripped, they said. The VHF communications system, which works on battery sets, also failed to work after the UPS tripped, sources said. Consequently, flight operations were hit, sources said, adding there were four flights in the landing process while 15 were readying for departure when the incident had happened. When contacted, a spokesperson for Mumbai International Airport Limited said it has set up an inquiry. — PTI
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La Marts refuses to sack principal
Kolkata, June 17 “There is no question of sacking the principal. He is innocent unless proved guilty,” secretary of the school, Supriyo Dhar, said. Rouvanjit Rawla, a Class VIII student of the school, was caned by the school’s principal, Sunirmal Chakrabarthy, for allegedly being indiscipline. The father of the child had last week filed a police complaint claiming the caning had caused depression in the child, which finally led him to commit suicide. The complaint was filed a good four months after the incident. The principal had on Tuesday described the caning as a “mistake”, saying “I have apologised to the school board and for this I am ready to face the consequences”. Chakrabarthy, however, had insisted the caning should not be linked to the student's death. “I think it is stretching it a bit too far,” he said.
— PTI
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Truckers fear safety, stay off NH-39
Guwahati, June 17 Fearing their safety, the truckers have decided to not ply their vehicles on the troubled highway unless they are assured of a foolproof security cover. Notably, the blockade imposed by the All Naga Students’ Association Manipur (ANSAM) was still in force. No trucks had left for Imphal from Dimapur along the NH-39 till Thursday evening. Meanwhile, Naga Hoho, the apex body of the Naga civil society organisations, has invited the NSF and the ANSAM for a joint meeting at Kohima tomorrow to discuss ways to lift the economic blockade along the highway. It is expected that the Centre is going to deploy paramilitary forces along the highway. Transporters’ and Drivers’ Council, an apex body of transporters, truck and inter-state bus owners and drivers, had on June 11 resolved not to ply on Dimapur-Imphal section of the NH-39 until both Manipur and Nagaland governments assured security for safe passage of vehicles on the route. The truckers have expressed solidarity with the body.
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Nod to CSIR research academy
New Delhi, June 17 The academy will focus on research and imparting training in areas that are not ordinarily provided by the existing universities across the country. The curricula, pedagogy and evaluation will be innovative and directed towards creating highest quality personnel in cross disciplinary areas. The academy will operate on the “hub and spokes model” with campuses spread across the country, in the 37 CSIR laboratories linked through National Knowledge Network already approved by the Cabinet. Utilising the existing CSIR resources, the academy will operate on a self-sustaining mode. Recurring expenses will be Rs 19.10 crore in the 11th Plan and Rs 61.79 crore in the 12th Plan. The academy is coming up to meet the requirements of future leadership in the area of science and engineering.
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In Chandigarh, many envy KD’s hot wheels
His group, Alchemist, which he started off with very modest means, is now worth several thousand crores. Residents of Sector 9 swear by “KD’s” collection of mean machines neatly parked at his plush three-kanal house. Among his prized possessions is an orange-coloured Lamborghini. A Mercedes stretch limousine, a Porsche and an Audi R-7, a Benteley and a BMW M-3 with a motor sport engine complete his fleet. The man also has a private jet, which he put to good use recently in the run up to the Rajya Sabha elections. However, KD wasn’t born with all these luxuries around. He used to live in Sector 33. His associates describe him as a gutsy person who took to business early and never shied away from taking risks. He started off with a small fabrication unit at an age of 21 and never looked back since then. Thanks to his calculated moves, KD’s business has grown exponentially in the past 15 years. Today, his business interests range from a civil aviation academy in Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, tea gardens in Assam and two Alchemist hospitals in Mohali, Gurgaon to pharmaceutical units in Solan in Himachal Pradesh. Besides, he is also involved in steel business. Recently, he ventured big time into the poultry sector, with the launch of retail outlets under the brand “Republic of Chicken.” KD also runs a daily newspaper Financial World from Chandigarh besides having a major stake in Tehalka. As with many, who have risen from modest means to make it big, KD is said to be in the good books of politicians, who, many allege, have given him huge business advantages. His nomination to the National Meat and Poultry Processing Board (NMPPB) at the alleged behest of a Union
Minister raised many eyebrows recently. However, those close to KD, attribute the former’s rise to his innovative
and diverse business practices.
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Mecca Masjid Blast Case
Hyderabad, June 17 A special CBI team escorted them from Ajmer and produced before a magistrate as a large posse of armed policemen was deployed at the court complex in view of threat to the lives of the suspects. Soon after the 14th additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate ordered remand till June 30, the two suspects were taken to Chanchalguda central jail. The CBI is expected to approach the court tomorrow to seek their custody for interrogation in connection with the blast that ripped through Mecca Masjid on May 18, 2007, killing six persons. The investigating agency is keen on questioning them to establish conspiracy link behind the blast and also to know about their possible local links. Apart from the duo, the CBI had named Sandeep Dange and Ramachandra Kasalangara alias Ramji for their role in the blast which was initially blamed on Bangladesh-based terror group.
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16 of marriage party killed
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New Delhi, June 17
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