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Orissa halts combing drive against Naxals
Rahat slapped with Rs 15-lakh penalty
Govt sets up panel to examine Lokpal Bill
AIIMS using alcohol
to cure spinal tumours
Hasan Ali’s foreign assets to be located
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CBI turns to TRAI to assess 2G Spectrum loss
Now, Kalmadi for JPC into CWG mess
For Rs 1 lakh, Lucknow’s ‘kamina’ to bare it all
Jantar Mantar
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Orissa halts combing drive against Naxals
Bhubaneswar, February 20 The Maoist-chosen mediators assured the Orissa Government that the hostage duo would not be harmed and that rebels would refrain from violence as long as negotiations were underway after they opened talks for the release of 30-year-old IAS officer and Malkangiri Collector RV Krishna and junior engineer Pabitra Majhi. The mediators said "more time" was needed to secure the release after the day-long talks amid the likelihood of some Naxals being released on bail in line with the rebels' demand. The talks remained inconclusive and would resume tomorrow. "The mediators assured us that no harm will be caused to RV Krishna and Pabitra Mohan Majhi when talks are on," home secretary UN Behera told reporters while reading out a joint-statement issued after the first round of talks. Both Krishna and Majhi are safe, Behera said. Stating that detailed discussions were held in a congenial manner, the joint statement said it was agreed that there would not be any combing operation till the negotiations are over. At the same time, the Maoists would not indulge in any untoward incident, disturbance or road blockade that could hamper the peace process as long as talks are on, the statement said. Besides Behera, Panchayati Raj secretary SN Tripathy represented the Orissa Government during the negotiations while the Andhra Pradesh-based mediators were Prof G Hargopal and Prof Someswar Rao. The Naxals are demanding among other things release of about 700 tribals, now lodged in jails on charges of being the Maoists and release of certain key Maoists like Ganti Prasadam. They are also demanding complete halt to joint anti-Naxal combing operations in entire Orissa-AP border region by security forces of the two states. "We are working out modalities on how to end the hostage crisis and facilitate the release of Krishna and the junior engineer.... It may take more time," Hargopal said, maintaining that the talks process has just started. Behera said, "We are in the process of discussions. Whether some people will go to Malkangiri as part of the talks process, will have to be decided." He, however, made it clear that the mediators were not going to the district because of health reasons. — PTI
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Rahat slapped with Rs 15-lakh penalty
New Delhi, February 20 The duo were to board a Dubai flight when the sleuths of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) detained them at Indira Gandhi International Airport here on February 13 with allegedly undeclared amount of $1.24 lakh (nearly Rs 60 lakh) and some other instruments too in foreign currency, sources said. The duo will be allowed to leave the country after they pay the penalty imposed on them by the Customs Department. The foreign exchange will remain confiscated, they added. After completing its probe, the DRI has charged them with violating provisions of the FEMA and Customs Act and sent the matter for adjudication to Customs, they said. The Customs Department imposed a penalty of Rs 15 lakh on each of them but they have not paid the penalty yet, they said. The investigations against event manager Chitresh Shrivastava, who is under detention, and two foreign exchange dealers of Mumbai, would continue, sources said. Meanwhile, the agency sleuths had raided the premises of Eyeline Telefilm and Events in Mumbai, owned by Chitresh, elder brother of singer Aadesh Shrivastava. Sources privy to the investigations claimed the sleuths found Rs 51 lakh in cash from the company that was seized besides some documents which could be helpful in the probe being carried out by the DRI. Rahat and his 16-member troupe were detained by the authorities. The troupe was on in its way to Lahore via Dubai. As per norms, no one can carry beyond $5,000 in cash and $5,000 in other instruments. A person has to declare the amount if he is carrying more than this to the Customs Department. — PTI
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Govt sets up panel to examine Lokpal Bill
New Delhi, February 20 The Committee of Secretaries on Lokpal Bill, headed by the Cabinet Secretary, met here recently to consider suggestions to provide more teeth to the proposed legislation. Sources in the government said the meeting considered suggestions by private individuals and NGOs to make the mechanism more effective. One of the criticisms is that the Lokpal will not have any power to either initiate action suo motu in any case or even receive complaints of corruption from general public. The public will make complaints to the Lok Sabha Speaker or Rajya Sabha Chairperson. Only those complaints forwarded by them would be investigated by the Lokpal. This, some feel, will severely restrict the Lokpal’s functioning. Some NGOs have also objected to the restriction of the three-member panel of Lokpal to retired judges and want eminent people from other walks of life to be a part of the panel. The government is keen on giving a ‘final shape’ to the Bill in the coming days. A Group of Ministers headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee formed recently to suggest means to tackle corruption is expected to offer suggestions on the Bill during the Budget session beginning tomorrow so that the proposed legislation can be discussed with opposition parties to evolve a consensus. "The government will derelict from its duty if it does not bring the Lokpal Bill in the Budget session," Gurudas Dasgupta (CPI) told reporters here today after an all-party meeting convened by the Speaker ahead of the session. — PTI
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AIIMS using alcohol to cure spinal tumours
New Delhi, February 20 Dr P Sarat Chandra, Associate Professor in Department of Neurosurgery, said the department first used the technique in ten patients. On encouraging results, another 20 patients received the same treatment. The method is not only less tedious and gives better results, but is also far cheaper than the conventional method. Citing reasons for using alcohol for the treatment of this spinal cord tumor, Chandra said, "It is doubly advantageous." Alcohol (absolute ethanol) is the most effective and inexpensive blood clogging (embolizing) material available Rs 20-30 in comparison to the Rs 2-3 lakh required for conventional embolization. The toxicity in alcohol is enough to kill the tumor cells and later encourages new normal bone formation, he said. Treatment of such tumors includes first stopping of small blood vessels and blocking the flow of blood to a tumor. This allows the surgeon to remove the tumor compressing the spinal cord safely without any risk of bleeding. "If we go back to history of medicine, alcohol was perhaps the most effective embolizing agent and was first used to treat a type of kidney tumor," Chandra said, adding, "it was also later used to treat vertebral hemangiomas by injecting them through the skin directly". A K Mahapatra, professor of neurosurgery, AIIMS said, "These tumor are extremely vascular (filled with blood), and surgery would be a disaster and fatal for the patient unless the blood supply is reduced. You touch them and they start bleeding." — PTI
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Hasan Ali’s foreign assets to be located
New Delhi/Mumbai, Feb 20 Both the Income Tax Department and the Enforcement Directorate are now planning to send fresh requests under provisions of the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) and Letters Rogatories (LRs) to a few countries where they suspect that Khan owns properties, including in the UK and Switzerland. Top sources said the Finance Ministry was “very hopeful” of getting fresh information on Khan's investments and accounts from Switzerland as the revised DTAA with the Swiss government allows information to be extended with a prospective effect. The I-T Department is also preparing a dossier of the tax-related information that it has obtained from various foreign shores which could be later used for adjudication and imposing penalties on Khan, sources added. — PTI
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CBI turns to TRAI to assess 2G Spectrum loss
New Delhi, February 20 Highly placed sources in the agency said the decision to approach TRAI was taken in view of the fluctuating estimates of the losses to the exchequer on account of the sale of spectrum in 2008. “We have requested TRAI to set up an expert team which will go into the entire gamut of spectrum pricing and give us an estimated loss which could be proved in the court of law," a senior official of the agency said. Confirming the CBI's communication, sources in TRAI said it had forwarded the request to a team of experts and the report was expected soon. “As soon as we get the report from experts, the same will be forwarded to the CBI,” the sources said. This comes within days of TRAI recommending a pan-India licence fee of Rs 10,972.45 crore for 6.2 Mhz of start-up spectrum with effect from April 1, 2010, as against the Rs 1,658 crore that was being paid by operators till now. TRAI had also recommended that each Mhz of additional spectrum held by operators should cost a one-time fee of Rs 4,571.87 crore (all-India), though it would vary from circle-to-circle and the operators would only have to pay for those zones where they hold extra spectrum. The CBI had earlier said the government might have lost over Rs 22,000 crore due to irregularities in the allocation of spectrum in January 2008 by former Telecom Minister A Raja, who was arrested on charges of favouring some private firms. — PTI
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Now, Kalmadi for JPC into CWG mess
New Delhi, February 20 “Were the government to agree to constitution of a JPC into the 2G spectrum issue, it would only be fair a similar process of Joint Parliamentary Committee should go into the entire range of issues connected with preparations, executions and conduct of the Commonwealth Games. I am confident that this would enable the entire truth to emerge in the public domain,” Kalmadi said in a statement.
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For Rs 1 lakh, Lucknow’s ‘kamina’ to bare it all
Lucknow, February 20 The producers of reality programme, provocatively named 'City Ke Kaminey' (scoundrels), being broadcast over a local FM channel for the last two weeks, have asked its listeners to get brazen and win a lakh of rupees in return. The tagline on the huge hoardings put up at strategic places in the city says — Haya Ke Parde Girao, Aur Ek Laakh ka Inaam Pao (Drop the veil of embarrassment/shame and win a lakh). However, what started as a fun programme, targeting the 18 to 25 age group to see how blatant and audacious today's youth can get, has left even its planners shocked. Radio Jockey Minno, who calls it her brainchild, admits at being shell-shocked at the level of sexual perversion, aggression and lack of values regarding right and wrong hiding within the youth. "I think the youth is suffering from schizophrenia. Behind that veneer of good manners and demure on public display is a repulsive and dark side to their personalities that is shocking to say the least," admits Minoo. Interestingly, the two finalists who would do several 'daring tasks' this evening in full public view in the foyer of a city mall in front of three judges are both from middle class families — Siddharth from Gorakhpur is a contractor and Sonalika is the daughter of a lawyer. Siddharth's most daring act was watching blue films on his laptop and masturbating inside a moving train. The girl's claim to fame is having 14 boyfriends and also stealing her elder sister's boyfriend, which led to her getting into depression. "Auditions were such an eye-opener. We had thousands of people from even small towns pouring in to announce that they were the most 'kamina'. In many cases, whole families together proudly declared themselves to be a family of 'kaminas' or rascals," laughed Minoo. During the programming, the FM team discovered that in 95 per cent of the cases their 'kamina' or villainous exploit centered on sex. "My team discovered that 'faithfulness' in relationships is an extinct concept among the youth. At least I could not detect it among the ones who came to participate in the programme," said Minoo. "The only task which they found difficult to accomplish and were a bit hesitant to do was to confess their most weird and 'kamina harkat' (shameful act) to their real life parents. The parents appeared to be shocked and did reprimand their child but the fact that they were strangers to their children's fantasies and adventures clearly came out during the programme," said Minoo.
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Jantar Mantar
It is now just a month since he took over his new charge but Sports Minister Ajay Maken has already got cracking. He recently announced his ministry’s decision to bring in a new legislation on National Sports Development to regulate the functioning of sports federations which will include contentious issues like timely elections to these bodies and fixing an age limit for those heading them. Maken’s predecessor MS Gill had also attempted to do the same but all the federation chiefs, including political rivals like BJP’s VK Malhotra and Congress’s Suresh Kalmadi, had joined hands to thwart this move. Maken, however, is proceeding with caution. He hopes that the federation chiefs would be silenced as the proposed legislation includes basic features incorporated in the International Olympic Committee charter. Well aware that he will need all-round support in the passage of the Bill, he is taking care to keep everybody on the right side. Sonia gets new speech writer
If New Delhi’s academic grapevine is to be believed, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has a new speech writer and that’s none other than Sunil Khilnani, renowned modern India scholar and author of the well-received book, “The Idea of India”. Sunil Khilnani, who was with John Hopkins University, Washington, was recently appointed director of the India Institute at King’s College London. Reports that the Human Resource Development ministry here is planning to give a huge grant to this new institute has upset the Capital’s academic fraternity, which believes the money could be better spent on India’s cash-starved universities. Their pleas may well go unheeded if there is merit in the argument that Congress president is interested in promoting this new academic venture, headed by Khilnani.
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CENTRE
STAGE
It is known as Little Lhasa. Barely ten kilometres from Dharamshala, Mcleodganj is truly a Tibetan hamlet that has acquired a distinct
character of its own. Tibetan refugees in India constitute a small but relatively influential community. There is not only a Tibetan Government In Exile but over the last half a century, they have settled, prospered and maintained their own institutions like monasteries, schools and Trusts. The first flush of around 30,000 refugees who fled Tibet in 1959 and in the years thereafter, was followed by steady streams. Their number is now a little over 100,000 according to official figures and twice that according to unofficial estimates. Himachal Pradesh hosts approximately 27,000 of them according to official figures. They keep coming to India through Nepal. Many Tibetans prefer to obtain a certificate of residence from
panchayats in Nepal before crossing over to India as Nepali citizens. Once in India, some of them get themselves registered as Tibetan refugees. The Dalai Lama moved to
Dharamsala on April 30, 1960 along with about 7000 other Tibetans. Since then he established a large number of Tibetan institutions including temples, Tibetan schools and monasteries that attracted other Tibetan refugees to the area. Monks constitute a significant proportion of the refugees. Even the current Prime Minister (Kalon Tripa) of the 'Tibetan Parliament in exile', Samdong Rinpoche, is a monk. The monks and the nuns, recognised easily because of their shaved heads, live in monasteries and are celibates. Curiously, a large number of young Tibetans continue to opt for life as monks. A small number of them, however, have taken to western ways with some migrating to the West after marrying tourists visiting Mcleodganj. Himachal Pradesh has a stringent land law that debars non-agriculturists, including bonafide Himachalis, from purchasing land in the state without the permission of the government. The permission for purchase of land in relaxation of Section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act is granted by the government for projects, institutions and
individuals but the Tibetans, who have been accorded the status of "refugee" cannot acquire any land. Permissions granted to Tibetan refugees for purchase of land in the state have come under judicial review by way of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in the High Court by one Pawan Kumar who has listed 24 Tibetan refugees who have acquired land in alleged violation of section 118 of the Act. The petitioner has claimed that Tibetan refugees staying in Shimla, Dharamsala, Mcleod Ganj, Kullu, Manali and Rewalsar have purchased land in their own name in
connivance with revenue authorities by producing forged documents and in blatant violation of the law. The High Court has issued notices to the Tibetan-Government- in -Exile, the Government of India and the State Government.The Chief Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice V.K. Ahuja, who heard the matter, made it clear that all the land transactions will be subject to the final outcome of the petition. The court also directed all the respondents to file their reply on this issue and listed the matter for further hearing on 21st of March, 2011. The petitioner urged the court to cancel all such land transactions and issue directions to the State Government that all the District Collectors be instructed not to transfer any land by any means in the names of Tibetan refugees in violation of provisions
of the Act. Admittedly, the Karmapa sect has grown rapidly and has developed properties in and around Dharamshala in the last 10 years. The sect has developed properties in Baijnath and Trilokpur areas of Kangra district. It is also buying properties in Gopalpur area of Kangra district. All the said properties have been purchased in the name of Himachal residents. The Trilokpur property has been bought in the name of one Sewa Devi Negi, a small time farmer of Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh. The case of acquiring benami properties is going on against the sect in the court of district magistrate Kangra. Now the Enforcement Directorate of the Income Tax department has sought details of the properties. The authorities are concerned about sources of the money that was used to construct huge properties of Karmapa backed Trusts in Himachal Pradesh. The Trust authorities, however, maintain that all these properties have been made from the money received in donations from
foreign devotees. Besides the sect also owns properties in Sikkim, West Bengal, UP, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi and Karnataka. It also has dharma centres in the USA, Canada, Germany France, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Phillipines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe. The Dalai Lama Society that was allotted land in Mcleodganj by the government of India in 1960 has also acquired large chunks of land in and around Dharamshala through benami deals. |
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Living god or puppet on a chain
He is ruggedly handsome and the 25-year-old is a strapping, strongly built young man who is almost six feet tall.
Indeed, no outsider is allowed to meet him without the permission of Indian security agencies. Those who are allowed in are invariably 'registered' first and of course there is no question of the young man stepping out without permission. He is, it would seem, an unlikely spy. Worse, a prisoner almost rather than the godman or the religious head of an important sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Although he has now spent nearly 11 years in India, his aides claim he is still not fluent in any Indian language or in English. He is learning English and Korean though, the latter because a large number of his followers are from Korea. But it is claimed that the language barrier is one of the reasons why he is not seen or heard more often. The other explanation is that Indian authorities do not want him to travel freely while yet another theory is that his training is still not over and hence he is not exposed to outsiders. The head of the Karma Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism was born in 1985 and christened Apo Gaga. Tibetan folklores say that in 1992 he asked his family to move to another location where they would be visited by travelling monks. The monks did come calling and the 16th Karmapa duly stumbled upon the young boy and pronounced him the incarnation of a previous Karmapa. The boy was then named his successor by the 16th Karmapa and renamed as Uygen Drodul Trinley Dorjee. The Karmapas in Tibetan tradition are great enlightened teachers who are able to arrange their rebirth to carry teachings of predecessors. The 17th Karmapa was apparently taken to Tsurphu monastery in Tibet, the traditional seat of Karmapas but soon thereafter he mysteriously escaped from Tibet and emerged in India in the year 1999. The Karmapa arrived in Dharamsala in January 2000. In 2001 he was provided refugee status by the Indian government. Many believe that he wanted to go to Rumtek monastery in Sikkim that is the seat of Karmapas or black hat Lamas in India. However, the Indian government did not permit him to visit Rumtek Monastery. In fact he has never been to Rumtek monastery. The Indian government's uneasiness possibly stemmed from the fact that he was also recognised by the Chinese government. In fact he is the only Tibetan Lama who is recognised both by the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama. There were other misgivings. The Karmapa's teacher Situ Rinpoche was once repatriated from India on suspicion of Chinese links. He, however, contested his repatriation from India in Court. The court allowed him back in India and he is said to have settled down in Dehradun. Another theory is that Situ Rinpoche managed the escape of the Karmapa from China to take control over Kagyu sect monasteries, which are estimated to be worth Rs 1500 crores. The rivals of Situ Rinpoche installed another man, Trinley Thaye Dorjee, as the Karmapa. To complicate matters further, the rival Karmapa was recognised by Shamar Rinpoche, the second in command to the 16th Karmapa. However, since Uygen Trinley Dorjee was recognised by the Dalai Lama as well, he acquired greater legitimacy and more following. Ever since his arrival, he was housed in Gyuto monastery, an establishment of the 'Tibetan Government In Exile' in Sidhbari area located about 6 km from Dharamsala. His elder sister who came with him from Tibet is only person with whom he can confide. Sources in the monastery claim that the Karmapa spends about an hour every morning in personal prayers. He is a strict vegetarian apparently though most Tibetans seem to be fond of non-vegetarian food. His food is cooked by his personal chef who takes directions directly from him. The morning is also devoted to language classes. He is learning English from a resident teacher, an Englishman, who is also teaching at the Namgyal monastery of the Tibetan government in exile. The Karmapa is also learning Korean language from a Korean teacher. Twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, the Karmapa meets people who seek an audience. Most of people who come for an audience are Tibetans or visiting groups from South East Asian countries like Korea, Thailand and Philippines. Some Europeans and Americans also visit him under guidance of local travel agents. Generally the visitors seek his advice on Buddhism and on their personal problems. The Karmapa answers their queries in Tibetan language. For the benefit of the visitors from the West, an interpreter helps Karmapa answer queries. The afternoons are spent in studying the manuscripts and books in the Gyuto monastery. Later in the evening, he is said to spend considerable time painting deities of Tibetan Buddhism and listening to music. He particularly enjoys Chinese and Indian classical music, specially the sitar, claim his aides. He does watch Television, they confide, and has been struggling to learn the use of a computer. The present controversy has generated much interest in him and with the Tibetans rallying behind him, he appears to have emerged stronger from the ordeal of raids and interrogations. The Tibetans in exile are concerned about the post-Dalai Lama phase. For half a century, the Dalai Lama has been a central figure in their struggle for autonomy in Tibet. But the ageing Dalai Lama (who is now 76) has increasingly been talking of retirement and Tibetan refugees seem to have woken up to the possibility of the enigmatic Karmapa leading them after the Dalai Lama. The possibility of the Karmapa being a Chinese spy does not seem to have crossed their mind.
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Local sentiments and national interest
While the Union Home Ministry was at pains to explain that there was nothing dubious about the dealings by the Karmapa, Himachal Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal grimly told the media that he was in no position to give a clean chit to the Karmapa.
The divergence of views on the issue of Tibetan refugees is not entirely unexpected. For India, the Tibetan issue is undoubtedly a key strategic asset with serious international ramifications. Any institutional friction with the exiled Tibetan community is bound to impact foreign policy and hence New Delhi's anxiety to soft-pedal the issue. New Delhi does not want a confrontation with the exiled Tibetan community. There is also acknowledgment that the Dalai Lama is already 76 and the community would need a rallying point as well as an alternative leader in his place. It is significant that the Dalai Lama not only recognised the Karmapa years ago but was also quick to support him following the controversy this time. The state government , on the other hand, has to be sensitive to the mounting tension between residents in Dharamshala and the exiled Tibetans. The relative economic prosperity that Tibetans enjoy has led to simmering discontent among local residents. They rue the fact that despite being refugees, the Tibetans are better off than them, not only in economic terms but also because the refugees can get away by breaking the law of the land. There is also this nagging suspicion that the Centre gives them a long rope. The string of benami land transactions by the Tibetans, on which the successive state governments failed to act, and the huge flow of foreign funds to Tibetan institutions is also viewed with a lot suspicion. The situation had reached a flashpoint in 1994 after clashes took place between the two communities. The situation had turned ugly enough for the Dalai Lama to announce that he would move out of Dharamshala. It was a catch-22 situation for local residents because the presence of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetans have also spelt prosperity to a large number of them. But the relationship between the communities have remained mostly uneasy. It is probably keeping in mind these local sentiments that the Chief Minister, P.K. Dhumal called upon the Tibetans to follow the law of the land and be more respectful towards the local community. The studied silence maintained by the central BJP leadership on the issue seems to be in sync with India's current policy on Tibet. That also explains the pro-Tibetan stance adopted by the Union minister, Virbhadra Singh. The former chief minister would also have weighed the sentiment of a large number of his Buddhist constituents, who sympathise with the refugees.
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Flashpoint over A Press card
It was a Press Card and the Scorpio driver's stubborn refusal to pay the toll tax that led, first, to an altercation and then to the intervention of the police. The validity of the Press Card had expired and the toll bridge attendants refused to entertain it. But the driver was bent upon throwing his weight around. The altercation drew the attention of policemen, whose attention was drawn to two gunny bags. They inspected the bags and found cash tumbling out. n
A Scorpio owned by Dharamshala businessman KP Bhardwaj was intercepted on January 25 this year in Una after the driver flaunted a 'Press' card and tried to avoid paying Rs 30 as toll tax. The vehicle was carrying Rupees one crore in cash. (Police was told that the businessman was selling a plot of land to the Tibetan Trust and had insisted on receiving payment in cash. The cash was collected in Delhi and was on its way to Dharamshala via Ambala and Panchkula. Bhardwaj's driver failed to deposit the cash in his bank at Ambala because he reached late). n (The Trust claimed that the currencies were donations given by devotees and that Tibetan devotees often carried Chinese currency). n n n n
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HC verdict on Kasab today
Emergency landing at IGIA Sri Lankan navy stops fishermen Help from Mauritius on black money German bakery blast case
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The Orissa Government today said there would be no combing operations against the Naxals till conclusion of negotiations with the mediators for release of abducted IAS officer and a junior
engineer
Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and his manager Maroof have been slapped with a penalty of Rs 15 lakh each in connection with recovery of huge amount of foreign currency from them which stands confiscated, official sources said today.
Lucknow,
February 20
But barring an elder sister, who is a mentor and looks after him, and his close aides, he remains an enigma because not many people have seen him and he allegedly knows no other language than Tibetan. Unlike the Dalai Lama, he rarely travels and has been reclusive.
