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Krishna’s Pak visit from tomorrow
‘Package deal’ sees four Raj MLAs back in House
Jagan may do a Sharad Pawar
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MEA denies visa to Japanese journalist
Parking chaos at highway dhabas
Ex-Army vice-chief challenges disability pension policy
TMC workers assault Youth Cong members
Term of pay anomalies panel extended
CPI pushes for dialogue with Maoists, ULFA
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Krishna’s Pak visit from tomorrow
giving peace another
chance
New Delhi, July 12 The External Affairs Ministry today announced that Krishna would be visiting Islamabad at the invitation of his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi to work out the modalities of restoring trust and confidence in the relationship, thus paving the way for a substantive dialogue on issues of mutual concern. The meeting between the two foreign ministers on Thursday will be in pursuance of the mandate given by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistan Premier Yousaf Reza Gilani, during their meeting at Thimphu in April 2010, to the Foreign Ministers and Foreign Secretaries to hold talks. The meeting between the foreign ministers comes close on the heels of Home Minister P Chidambaram’s visit to Islamabad for the SAARC Interior Ministers’ meeting, on the sidelines of which he held bilateral talks with his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik. Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao has already visited the Pakistani capital last month and met her opposite number Salman Bashir to do the groundwork for the meeting between the foreign ministers. India is going into the talks with "an open mind" and the format for future dialogue will be decided across the table when Krishna and Qureshi sit together, official sources said. They said Krishna would raise with the Pakistani side the issue of terror emanating from the Pakistani soil and also draw attention of Islamabad towards the recent increase in infiltration from across the border. However, the focus from the Indian side would on the investigations being carried out by Pakistan on the 26/11 Mumbai incidents. New Delhi would obviously like to know from Islamabad the progress in the trial of seven LET operatives, arrested by the Pakistani authorities for their involvement in the Mumbai carnage. India would also inquire from Pakistan if it had provided to the Pakistani courts all the evidence that New Delhi has given to it, linking JuD chief Hafiz Saeed with the Mumbai attacks. On statements from Islamabad that the Pakistani side would raise with Krishna the issue of human rights violations in the context of the ongoing unrest in the Kashmir valley, the sources asserted that it was an internal matter of India which would be settled soon. ‘’Human rights are sacred to India and we have held elections after elections in J & K,’’ they added. The Indian minister is also expected to take up issues like people-to-people contacts, exchange of teachers and students and opening of more trade and transit routes between the two nations. New Delhi is quite careful in not raising the level of expectations over the outcome of the meeting. While Pakistan wants the resumption of the composite dialogue (CD) process between the two countries, suspended following the Mumbai attacks, New Delhi says its approach towards the talks is ‘incremental’ as it would wait to see concrete action by Islamabad. It has already made it clear that the upcoming talks should not be construed as the resumption of the dialogue process.
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‘Package deal’ sees four Raj MLAs back in House
The suspension
The revocation
Mumbai, July 12 The four MLAs — Shishir Shinde, Ram Kadam, Ramesh Wanjale and Vasant Gite — had been suspended on the very first day of the present legislature after they assaulted Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi for refusing to take oath in Marathi. They had been suspended for four years. However, it was said in political circles that the Chavan government had cracked a deal with Raj Thackeray, as per which the MNS voted with the Congress party and its ally, the NCP, to defeat one of the two official Shiv Sena candidates in last month’s legislative council elections. Thackeray himself said he had to compromise in order to ensure that the suspension of his MLAs was revoked. Today, the suspension of the four MLAs was revoked after Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Bhaskar Jadhav moved a resolution to this effect. Jadhav told the House that the MNS had apologised for the conduct of its four MLAs and promised their good behaviour in the future. Predictably, the Shiv Sena-BJP is crying hoarse. Both parties have asked the government to come out in the open and explain the “package deal” between the MNS and the ruling Congress-NCP coalition. BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar has also moved a breach of privilege motion against the government. Shiv Sena leaders said later today that they would begin a campaign to expose the MNS as an ally of the Congress, which was out to demolish Bal Thackeray’s outfit.
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Jagan may do a Sharad Pawar
rise of a rebel split politics
Hyderabad, July 12 The answer seems to be yes, going by the unfolding political developments in the state. A full-scale war of words has broken out between supporters of the young MP, who has defied the party’s diktat and embarked on his controversial “Odarpu Yatra” (Consolation Tour), and loyalists of Chief Minister K Rosaiah. After burning bridges with the Central leadership by ignoring its directive not to take up the yatra, Jagan has sharpened his attack on the Chief Minister for obstructing his mass contact programme out of “fear of losing the chief minister’s seat.” The political circles here are abuzz with speculation that the 37-year-old industrialist-turned-politician is planning to split the Congress and float his own outfit to claim political legacy of his father who died in a helicopter crash in September last year. As reports from Delhi suggested that the high command was considering issuing a show cause notice to him for violating the party discipline, the supporters of the first-time MP, whose road show in coastal Andhra region has been drawing huge crowds, are coming out in the open to express solidarity with him. Though AICC General Secretary in-charge of AP, Veerappa Moily, denied reports of an imminent action, there are indications that the high command has taken a serious note of Jagan’s outbursts against the state leadership during his road-side meetings in the ongoing yatra. The political observers say that Jagan’s provocative speeches and actions are part of a well calculated strategy to force the high command to initiate action against him. This will give him an aura of victimhood and provide the necessary ground to split the party. However, it is still not clear as to how many legislators and MPs would eventually sail with him. With 156 legislators in the 294-member Assembly, the Congress is in a vulnerable position. If Jagan can take away 30 or more MLAs with him, then the government might collapse. Soon after the death of YSR, the “bring-the-son” campaigners had collected signatures of over 140 MLAs in support of the demand to make him the CM. However, the situation has now changed with several of them changing their mind for fear of facing the wrath of the high command.
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MEA denies visa to Japanese journalist
New Delhi, July 12 I0n inquiries made by The Tribune with the NHK, its Senior Manager (Public Relations) Reiko Saisho confirmed that Takahashi was refused the extension of visa. The Ministry of External Affairs has not given any clear explanation for the step it has taken. “The NHK sent a letter to the Embassy of India in Tokyo requesting a meeting to discuss the matter. We are currently waiting for the reply,’’ the NHK spokesperson said. Indian officials declined to comment on the issue but it is understood that New Delhi was unhappy with some of the contents of the NHK’s documentary programmes. The Public broadcaster’s coverage of the Lok Sabha elections last year, particularly the spotlight on the election campaign of the lowest class in India's caste system, was apparently found to be inappropriate. Takahashi had been the NHK Bureau Chief in New Delhi since 2008. Programmes to which he contributed include the documentary series ‘’Indo no Shogeki’’ (the impact of India) which was broadcast from 2007-2009.
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Parking chaos at highway dhabas
Chandigarh, July 12 For, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asserted that the Motor Vehicles Act bars the parking of vehicles on the highways or berms; and came down heavily on Punjab and Haryana for negligence in discharging their duty by not enforcing the rule. Driving home the message of road safety, Justice Rajive Bhalla of the High Court observed: “A significant aspect that requires serious attention is that the highway from Chandigarh to Delhi is dotted with shops, dhabas, and other eating establishments. Buses, trucks and other private vehicles are generally found parked at these eateries and on berms of the highway.” “The Motor Vehicles Act bars the parking of vehicles on a highway or its berms. The police in the states of Punjab and Haryana are apparently unaware of the law. The Motor Vehicles Act mandates that the government shall demarcate authorised areas where a vehicle may stop and provide halting stations with all necessary facilities. However, governments have been remiss in the discharge of this obligation and are, therefore, required to file appropriate responses,” ruled the court. The directions came on a petition, which is an offshoot of traffic regulation and pollution control case that initially saw wearing of helmets being made compulsory for the riders and black films being removed from the windowpanes of four-wheelers. In his detailed orders, Justice Bhalla asserted: “The first casualty while travelling on national highways is safety. The unruly and the undisciplined traffic apart, the indiscriminate provision of entry and exit points, a large number of openings in the road dividers, vehicles driving in wrong lanes, overtaking from wrong side, vehicles driving on the wrong side, the absence of adequate dividers etc are only some of the ills that require mention.”
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Ex-Army vice-chief challenges disability pension policy Chandigarh, July 12 In his plea filed before the Chandigarh Bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal, Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi (retd) has contended that not granting the benefit has resulted in a peculiar situation wherein an individual discharged even a single day before his actual date of discharge or normal retirement becomes entitled to enhancement of disability percentage, while a person discharged on his actual date is not entitled to the same. Over time lack of objectivity was observed on part of medical boards held at the time of discharge and different boards were granting different and varied percentages for similar disability. To counter this subjectivity, the Fifth Pay Commission had recommended procedural changes and suggested disabilities less than 50 per cent be considered as 50 per cent for the purposes of calculation of disability pension, between 50-75 per cent be considered as 75 per cent, while disability percentage above 75 per cent be taken as 100 per cent. This policy is popularly referred to as “broad-banding”. Not making the broad-banding applicable to all affected personnel has also resulted in an absurdity wherein an officer with 50 per cent disability, who was always drawing a lesser disability element than the petitioner, who had suffered 70 per cent disability, was after implementation of broad-banding policy, getting a higher disability element by taking his disability percentage as 75, while the petitioner, who all along had a higher degree of disability continued to draw disability element at a lower rate, that is, 70 per cent because he retired on superannuation after completing his terms of engagement.
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TMC workers assault Youth Cong members
Kolkata, July 12 Naidu’s car was stoned and broken. A YC leader Dipak Adhikery was also manhandled and forcibly confined at a place. He was, however, later rescued by the police and taken to a hospital with multiple injuries. According to reports reaching the state government at Writers Buildings from the district, a group of YC workers led by Naidu were visiting different places in east Midnapore as a part of the party’s membership enrolment drive today. Around 11 am when they reached Khejuri, several TMC workers and supporters suddenly attacked them. Naidu was forcibly brought down from her vehicle and the car was also damaged. Angry TMC workers were protesting against the YC’s membership enrolment drive. They asked the YC visiting team members to stop the enrolment drive and leave the place. But some YC members protested when they were attacked and manhandled. The police later reached the place and rescued the YC members and escorted them to Kolkata. But no one was arrested.
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Term of pay anomalies panel extended
Chandigarh, July 12 A circular to this effect has been forwarded to all ministries and government departments by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions earlier this week. The committee had been set up on January 12, 2009. The term has been extended as many issues relating to pay and allowances raised by government employees and pensioners have still not been settled. The committee would continue examining complaints and representations till March next year.
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CPI pushes for dialogue with Maoists, ULFA Kolkata, July 12 "I have already written and issued a statement only a day earlier that there should be dialogue with ULFA. Else, how can you end insurgency?" he said. When asked how dialogue could proceed with Maoists after the killing of its leader Azad, alias Cherukuri Rajkumar, he said the process did not end with an individual. — PTI
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New Delhi, July 12
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