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‘And’ finally, BJP objects to N-Bill
No hidden pact for support, says govt
PM calls up Pak premier, offers aid again
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Accept it, no role for politics in disaster, says Obama admn
Bill to regulate foreign funds
Relief glut in Leh
Body sent by Pak not of Indian jawan
Army to pull out of relief work
Give real-time intercepts: Govt to BlackBerry
From today, get cashless medical facility
Global maths meet begins in Hyderabad
Yamuna Expressway
UPSC prelims result out
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‘And’ finally, BJP objects to N-Bill
The party has made it clear that if the government does not drop its proposed amendment, which it considers as “harmful”, it would itself move an amendment. In a note to the government, the main opposition party expressed objection to the addition of the word "and" in the proposed legislation after Clause 17(a) dealing with the right of recourse of an operator of a nuclear plant and a subsequent sub-clause that deals with the suppliers’ obligations in case of an accident. Clause 17 says that "The operator of a nuclear installation shall have a right of recourse where — (a) such right is expressly provided for in a contract in writing". The BJP contended that the "efficacy and utility of Clause 17 (b) on the supplier is completely destroyed by the Supplier not agreeing to an agreement in writing. Thus, what Clause 17(b) gives as a protection to the operator, the word 'and' snatches it away". The report of Standing Committee on Science and Technology, which examined the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages Bill 2010, recommended that Clause 17(a) which reads may end with the word "and". It also proposed modification of Clause 17(b) to say "the nuclear incident has resulted as a consequence of latent or patent defect, supply of sub-standard material, defective equipment or services or from the gross negligence on the part of the supplier of the material, equipment or services". The Committee also recommended that the operator "must secure his interest through appropriate provisions in the contract with the supplier". "The inclusion of 'and' in the amended draft Bill weakens clause 17(a). It appears the word was clumsily added in the Bill," Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said. "Since the nuclear power plants are to be operated only by the government or government companies, it would be to our own advantage to delete the word 'and'," said the BJP note handed over to Minister of State for Science and Technology Prithviraj Chavan by party leader Arun Jaitley. "If the government does not agree to the demand, BJP could move an amendment when the Bill comes to the Parliament in this session,” Swaraj said. Chavan did not give any assurance, sources said. — PTI
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No hidden pact for support, says govt
New Delhi, August 19 "The Government of India is not interfering (in the case),” he told the Lok Sabha, a day after the Left and other opposition parties cried foul when a parliamentary panel report on the controversial nuclear liability legislation was tabled in both Houses of Parliament. The issue had generated intense heat in both Houses yesterday, leading to their frequent adjournment, as the Yadav duo of Lalu Prasad and Mulayam Singh sought to corner the government, linking the development on the nuclear liability Bill with Modi being let off in the case. The BJP was earlier opposed to the Bill but has voiced its support after compensation in case of a nuclear accident at any plant was raised from Rs 500 crore to Rs 1,500 crore. Bansal said that "none other than the apex court of the country, no authority other than the Supreme Court" was involved in the investigation in the Sohrabuddin case. The Minister assured the House that the government has never interfered with the probe being conducted by the CBI under the supervision of the Supreme Court and would never do so. He regretted that some members were making the allegation merely on the basis of newspaper reports.
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PM calls up Pak premier, offers aid again
New Delhi, August 19 According to the PMO, Manmohan Singh told Gilani that New Delhi had already offered an aid of five million dollars to Pakistan for the victims of the floods and was ready to do more in the massive relief operations underway. The Indian PM was of the view that in such times of natural disasters, all of South Asia should rise to the occasion and extend every possible help to the people of Pakistan affected by the tragedy. Gilani appreciated the gesture and concern shown by Singh. Singh’s call to Gilani came six days after External Affairs Minister SM Krishna telephoned Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and offered assistance for the flood victims. Even as it appealed to the world community for aid for the flood victims, Pakistan has been dilly-dallying over the Indian offer, apparently in view of the nature of relationship between the two countries. Sources said New Delhi's offer was out of concern for the affected people of Pakistan. “We are a contiguous neighbour… We feel it is our duty to help the people of Pakistan in their hour of crisis,” they added. On reports that Pakistan might accept Indian aid if it was routed through the United Nations, the sources said “let them (Pakistan) get back to us… we have no problem with that either”. New Delhi believes it would be easy to supply ration, medicines, blankets and tents if the two countries took the bilateral route. However, it was entirely up to Pakistan to take a decision in the matter. Natural disasters and the relationship between the two countries were two separate issues and should not be linked, the sources added.
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Accept it, no role for politics in disaster, says Obama admn
Washington: Asserting that there is no role for politics in disaster response, the Obama administration said it expected Pakistan to accept the $5 million-aid offer from India for its flood relief work. “In terms of responding to a disaster, politics should play no role. You have a country (India) that's willing to help (Pakistan), and... We expect that Pakistan will accept,” State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said.
— PTI
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Mamata’s remark on Azad
echoes in Rajya Sabha
New Delhi, August 19 Alleging that a Union minister was openly supporting Maoists, Left and BJP joined hands to slam Mamata for her controversial remarks. CPM leader Sitaram Yechury, who sought a clarification from the government during the zero hour, found ample support from BJP leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad and SS Ahluwalia on the issue. Yechury said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had repeatedly said that Maoists posed gravest threat to India's security. “How can a Cabinet minister openly support the Maoists,” he reasoned, prompting protest from Trinamool Congress leaders. Mukul Roy and Dinesh Trivedi objected to Yechury’s observations, leading to noisy scenes. However, they were told by Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan that “no member can disturb (the proceedings), particularly a minister… It is not a good practice”. However, Roy, a Minister of State, kept objecting to the Left raising the issue. SS Ahluwalia of the BJP opposed interventions by Trinamool leaders, contending that Roy and Trivedi were not members of the upper house.
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Bill to regulate foreign funds A Bill seeking to “tighten the noose” around individuals and organisations who are “helped” through unaccounted foreign contributions in form of funds, gifts, free junkets, hospitality and other allurements was passed unanimously by the Rajya Sabha here on Thursday. However, remittances sent by workers in foreign lands to families back home and also funds accruing from legitimate business, commercial activities and services have been kept out of the ambit of the Bill. United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are also exempt. The large framework of the Bill is aimed at regulating the flow of Rs 10,000 crore annually in the form of aid to thousands of voluntary organisations that may be of social, cultural or religious nature in India. The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Bill, 2006, that was originally drafted four years ago was passed with voice vote on Thursday. — TNS
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Relief glut in Leh
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has ordered a judicial oversight into the distribution of material to flood victims in Leh, with the town facing a relief glut post the August 6 tragedy.
In its first report to the High Court today, the core group (headed by Leh Chief Judicial Magistrate), which surveyed 12 relief camps, concluded that though relief material was reaching the beneficiaries, 32 NGOs operating in Leh were duplicating (distributing material in a particular flood-hit area more than once) relief work. It has raised concerns of relief material being misused considering there’s plenty of it. Also, relief material management is a huge issue, with CJM Vishesh Parihar saying there was lack of coordination between different agencies of the district administration. District Judge (Leh) Aijaz Ahmad Mir has, meanwhile, written to the District Commissioner to ensure coordination between his department and Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council and to discipline the NGOs. “NGOs should address unmet needs, may be give uniforms and books to children,” he told The Tribune. The committee was formed following directions from the National Legal Services Authority under the Legal Services Act, which guarantees legal aid to disaster victims. Enquiries further reveal that hundreds of ready-to-eat packs, kitchen sets and ladies kits have been returned by district administration officials who are finding it hard to stock items that are useless in cold conditions. Hundreds of thin, poor quality blankets and low-cost mattresses have been sent in. The administration is particularly fed up with ladies kits comprising among other things cotton garments for Ladakhi women. Close to 10,000 mineral water bottles sent by agencies have been dumped in the Deputy Commissioner Office complex. Their requirement was never projected. In its report today, the administration said no to consignments of “ladies dignity kit”, aquatabs and mineral water. The DC office auditorium serving as a godown for relief material is filled to capacity, with Chief Relief Coordinator Jigmet Takpa admitting: “Everyone is sending blankets, some are so thin we can’t use them. We need tailor-made consignments for the bitter cold of Ladakh.”
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Body sent by Pak not of Indian jawan
The decomposed body handed over by Pakistan to India in the Kargil sector on the Line of Control last week is not of an Indian Army jawan, official sources today said.
Brought into Leh’s General Hospital on August 12 after it was sent over by Pakistan, the body had been lying here for identification. With no results forthcoming, it will now be handed over to the civil
mortuary here for cremation.
Army sources today confirmed to The Tribune that several attempts were made to get the body identified. Two Army units were called in to see if the body was of their jawan but they did not claim it. Two families also came in over the past week but nothing came out of their visits. A family from Ghaziabad was brought in after initial media reports that the jawan possibly hailed from there. No effort yielded result. In the absence of a confirmation of the deceased being an Army jawan, the body could not be cremated by the Army medical facility. “We, therefore, wrote to the headquarters for clearance to hand over the body to the civil mortuary for last rites. The Army General Hospital will retain the DNA sample.
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Army to pull out of relief work
Leh: The Army in Leh on Thursday decided to withdraw from the relief camps that it was supporting in certain flood-hit areas of Leh and asked the civil administration to take over.
From tomorrow onwards, Army personnel will not be seen in the camps at Leh Degree College and other places in the worst-hit Choglamsar area, which was ravaged by the August 6 flash floods. The civil administration would henceforth be in complete charge of both relief and rehabilitation works.
— TNS
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Give real-time intercepts: Govt to BlackBerry
New Delhi, August 19
In a bid to break the logjam, the smartphone maker has offered to provide information on a deferred basis after it faced the threat of a shutdown of the core features by August 31 if security agencies cannot gain access to heavily encrypted corporate email sent on a BlackBerry handset. The Research In Motion (RIM), makers of the smartphones, along with the Department of Telecom had submitted a proposal for intercepting the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) services.
Under this proposal, a mobile number needed for monitoring would have to be handed over to the RIM, who would in turn provide the information within a maximum of 10 days. However, the security agencies insisted on a real time information rather than a deferred one in the interest of national security. “Now for example, if two terrorists are negotiating a strike, you can't expect us to wait for 10 days,” remarked a senior Home Ministry official. The BlackBerry makers are racing against time to meet the August 31 deadline set by the government last week to provide a solution for intercepting the BBM and BlackBerry Enterprise Mail (BES) or see the prospect of the mobile phone's popular services in the shutdown in the country. The officials of RIM, which has a subscriber base of nearly one million in the country, have informed the government that they would be coming again next week with a more precise solution that would help the Indian security agencies monitor the services. Only after security agencies were satisfied with the technology of interception, a green signal would be given for continuation of the services, the official said.
— PTI
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Godhra Riots
New Delhi, August 19 “We direct the SIT not to divulge any information collected during the course of investigation to anyone except the trial court and public prosecutor concerned,” a special bench headed by Justice DK Jain said. The direction came when it was pointed out to the bench by the SIT that the Commission headed by Justice GT Nanavati, probing the sequence of events in the 2002 riot cases, has sought the statement of Modi recorded by the investigating team. “We direct that the statement shall not be supplied to the Commission,” the bench, also comprising Justices P Sathasivam and Aftab Alam, said. Modi's statement was recorded by the SIT on March 27-28 in connection with the riots at the Gulbarg society in Ahmedabad in which senior Congress leader Ehsan Jaffri was killed. \ The bench also took strong exception to activist Teesta Setalvad contacting a prosecutor after an application of a victim was rejected by the trial court. "We cannot appreciate this. It is very serious," the bench said and read out the comment of supervising officer Ashish Bhatia, who is a senior IPS officer.
— PTI
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From today, get cashless medical facility
New Delhi, August 19 Major corporate hospitals like Apollo Healthcare, Max, Medicity and Fortis have given their package rates for treatment under mediclaim policies to the third party administrators (TPAs), which are the facilitators between the insured and the insurer. “By tomorrow, TPAs will revert to the hospitals on the package rates. Cashless facility in these hospitals would be restored,” Max Healthcare Institute MD Pervez Ahmed said.
— PTI
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Global maths meet begins in Hyderabad Hyderabad, August 19 The nine-day event, which brings together mathematicians from across the world under a single platform, was inaugurated by President Pratibha Patil in Hyderabad today. It is the first time in its 113-year history that the ICM is being held in India. The ICM, convened by the International Mathematical Union, is held once in four years. It was first held in 1897 in Zurich.
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Yamuna Expressway Agra, August 19 Adding to the government’s worries, farmers in Aligarh and Mathura also demanded a hike in the rates for their land today. UP Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh made the offer of higher compensation at a meeting with farmers’ representatives at Etmadpur tehsil in Agra last night. An additional compensation of Rs 121 per sq m will be given to the farmers of affected villages in Agra in form of a special relief, Singh said. With this, "compensation to farmers will be Rs 580 per sq m," he said. The earlier rate was Rs 459 per sq m. However, the action committee of farmers in Etmadpur rejected the offer. A spokesman of the committee said the farmers wanted the same kind of agreement that was reached with the farmers of Aligarh district who they said were free to decide whether to give land for the Expressway. — PTI
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Amid reluctance by Islamabad to accept the Indian offer of aid for the victims of the unprecedented flash floods in Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today spoke to his Pakistani counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani to convey his condolences over the disaster, in which more than 1,700 people have been killed and 20 million affected.
Concern over
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New Delhi, August 19
