New Delhi, July 27
Ignoring worldwide concerns over human rights violations in Myanmar, New Delhi today rolled out a red carpet welcome for Myanmar military ruler General Than Shwe with top Indian leaders holding wide-ranging talks with him on a plethora of issues, including bilateral ties as well as international developments.

The increasing Chinese influence in the South East Asian nation is apparently weighing heavily in the mind of the Indian leadership as it seeks to increase its engagement with Myanmar, particularly in the vital energy sector and in fighting Indian insurgents operating along the India-Myanmar border.

The two countries this evening signed five accords after talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the 77-year-old leader of the military ‘junta’.

Simultaneously, the EXIM Bank of India extended a line of credit of $60 million to the Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank.

The treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters is expected to help the two countries combat transnational organised crimes, terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering and smuggling of arms and explosives. The MoU on Indian grant assistance for implementation of small development projects is aimed at boosting Indian investments in energy, transport and infrastructure sectors.

Even as the visiting leader was going through his engagements in the Indian capital, the Burmese refugees staying in India slammed his visit to India and urged New Delhi not to endorse the upcoming elections in that country. India is home to a large number of refugees from Myanmar, most of whom came here to escape the human rights violation and suppression in that country.

“We feel outraged with his visit as India is the largest democracy in the world, and the land of the Buddha and tolerance,” said Tint Swe, who was elected a member of the Burmese parliament in 1990 and is now a leading member of the Burmese Pro-Democracy Movement in India.

New Delhi has been a strong supporter of Burma’s pro-democracy leader and Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s democracy movement, but it increased its engagement with Myanmar in the 1990s as part its ‘Look East’ policy.

Strategic observers say the change in India’s policy towards Myanmar was also prompted by China wooing the military ‘junta’ to make deep inroads into virtually every sphere of Myanmar’s economic activity.

Though China has its own strategic interests in engaging the ‘junta’ in Myanmar, the military rulers are worried that their image outside the country is sullied because of its poor record in protecting human rights.

The military ruler wants to correct this image by introducing some kind of democracy. His visit to India is clearly aimed at gaining global respectability.

New Delhi, July 27
On rules of proceedings, former Lok Sabha Speaker Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy used to say: “I don’t know the rules, I go by robust political sense to run the House.”To that extent, the debate surrounding the admissibility of adjournment motions to discuss price rise in the Parliament, appears small, so does the Government’s view that a matter, to be discussed under an adjournment motion, has to be of recent occurrence, “strictly speaking.”

So far as LS insiders go, they feel the Opposition view in this matter has merit. This Sunday when leaders of political parties met Speaker Meira Kumar and the Opposition demanded admission of the adjournment motion to discuss inflation so they can vote on the issue, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal cited Rule 58 pertaining to admissibility of adjournment motions to counter the Opposition viewpoint. The rule points to requirement of recent occurrence if an issue is to be debated through an adjournment motion which allows voting.

Leader of the CPI in Lok Sabha, Gurudas Dasgupta, cites the same rule to argue, “The recent decision of the Government to hike fuel prices has led to further increase in inflation though inflation may be an ongoing process. But there is a recent occurrence which has worsened the scenario. Therefore, the matter we want discussed through an adjournment motion is of recent occurrence, public importance and involves ministerial responsibility. All requirements of the motion’s admissibility are met.” Dasgupta made these assertions in the leaders’ meet along with Leader of Opposition in LS Sushma Swaraj.

Experts on LS rules also agree that Speakers, in the past, have sometimes deviated from the norms to ensure smooth functioning of the House and adequate representation to people’s concerns. “Manohar Joshi was particularly active on this front. Even though there’s no provision in the rules to allow members to discuss admissibility of an adjournment motion in the House, he would allow MPs to speak and then rule the way he wanted,” said sources.

New Delhi, July 27
Election Commissioner SY Quraishi was today appointed new Chief Election Commissioner in place of Navin Chawla, who demits office on Thursday.

The notification elevating Quraishi (63) as head of the three-member election body was issued today. He will have a little less than two years in the Constitutional post. Chawla, who took over in the middle of 2009 Lok Sabha polls, headed the Commission for a little more a year.

Quraishi, a thoroughbred civil servant, will conduct assembly elections in Bihar later this year and in a bunch of states like Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala and Assam next. — PTI

New Delhi, July 27
The Prem Bhatia Awards for the year 2010 were announced here today. The Best Political Reporting Award has been given to Ritu Sarin of The Indian Express for her in-depth investigating of key issues and events.

These include a series of articles on the impact of the Mumbai terror attacks and the influence of the government on CBI operations.

Sarin heads the investigative team at The Indian Express.

Bhopal Post editor Raajkumar Keswani has won the award for best reporting on environmental issues for his cove-rage and reporting of the Bhopal Union Carbide disaster.

Both awards will be presented at the 15th Prem Bhatia Memorial Lecture that will be delivered on August 11 by Chandrashekhar Dasgupta at the India International Centre here.

The theme of the lecture is ‘Rising China, Emerging India and the Rest of the World’. Dasgupta is a former Ambassador to China and an expert on both China and climate affairs. The lecture will be presided over by former Foreign Secretary Salman Haider.

New Delhi, July 27
The National Capital today led the nation in inviting the first-ever penalty under the recently enacted Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. The Act became operational from April 1 this year.

At the receiving end is the Director, Education, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi, who has been slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 for conducting entrance tests for admission to class VI in 18 Rashtriya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalayas (RPVVs) across the region.

The penalty was imposed on the Delhi’s Education Department by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the monitoring authority under the RTE Act. In a full commission meeting chaired by DCPCR Amod Kant, a decision was taken to slap fine as prescribed under Section 13 of the RTE Act, which barred screening procedures for admission to elementary schools.

The commission has also taken a stringent view of the fact that the Education Director charged students Rs 25 per form for registration - something that goes against the very spirit of “free education”, which has to be provided by the state.

Deciding against declaring the said admissions “void”, the commission has allowed the inducted students to continue in the current session. It has, however, warned the capital’s education department against charging any fee from students in future or holding any tests for admitting them to classes I to VIII.

“Although we recommended a fine of Rs 25, 000 for the Director and Deputy Director of Education, Government of Delhi, Rajkiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalayas (RPVV) Schools for violating provisions of the Right to Education (RTE) Act, we have allowed the students to pursue their education. If we don’t, it would again be an infringement of the law,” Kant said.

New Delhi, July 27
Describing as ‘condemnable’ Islamabad using sponsorship of terrorism as an instrument of policy, India today again sought to prevail on Pakistan to stop the misuse of its territory for terrorist activities directed against its neighbours.

Reacting to the sensational US military field reports leaked by WikiLeaks to the New York Times, MEA spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said the utilisation of territory under Pakistan’s control to provided sanctuaries for recruiting and sustaining terrorists and the ISI was hand-in-glove with the Taliban and was using the militia to achieve its strategic goals in Afghanistan.

The attacks on Indian Embassy in Kabul and other Indian interests had also been orchestrated by ISI groups, and to direct terrorist activity against its neighbours.

Meanwhile, sources said the leaked reports had only confirmed what India had been saying for years -- that the ISI has been using the Taliban to achieve its strategic goals in Afghanistan. The attacks on the Indian Embassy in Kabul and other Indian interests in Afghanistan were also orchestrated by the ISI.