Chennai, March 3
Political parties in Tamil Nadu, including the ruling DMK, have expressed displeasure over the election schedule citing the festival season and school and university examinations.

Chief Minister M Karunanidhi wondered why the election date should be fixed as early as April 13 when the new Assembly was to be constituted only on May 17. After the declaration of results on May 13, only three days would be left for electing the leader of the Legislature party and other formalities. "Can all this be done in haste? But, the EC says we should", he said asked "what is the compulsion behind this. The Election Commission like Ceasar's wife should be above suspicions, he remarked. "People may think that the EC has consulted state government before announcing the poll schedule. It was not so, because the commission is an autonomous body and they need not ask anyone", the DMK leader said in a sarcastic tone, implying that the commission was acting arbitrarily.

"Whatever be the order of the commission, we should not raise any doubt over that. We should prepare ourselves to act according to the orders of the commission", he added in the same sarcastic vein.

Parties in the opposition front also objected to the poll schedule citing festival season and public examinations. The MDMK general secretary Vaiko, in a letter to the EC, said about 11 lakh students would appear for the SSLC examinations which would begin on March 22 and conclude on April 11, and over seven lakh students would attend the plus two examinations which had started on March 2 and go on till March 25, while the university examinations would begin on April 5 and continue up to May 2.

As per the poll schedule, peak of the campaigning would be between March 20 and April, clashing with the examinations, he pointed out.

Bangalore, March 3
A controversy has erupted in Karnataka over the state government’s decision to invite software giant Infosys’s Chief Mentor Narayana Murthy to inaugurate the World Kannada Conference next week.

Pro-Kannada organisations have questioned the government’s choice and Murthy's contribution to Kannada, alleging he never promoted the cause of the language and had not provided employment opportunities to Kannadigas in his company headquartered here.

“I do not have anything personal against Narayana Murthy. He is a Kannadiga entrepreneur and we are justly proud of him. But that is exactly why we must be getting him to inaugurate the global investors’ meet, not the World Kannada Conference.

“Outside of his entrepreneurship, what is his contribution to Kannada? Not even a Kannada font has come out of his multinational company. On top of it, he has been a vociferous champion of education in the English medium from the first standard itself. It is to be noted here that learning English and teaching in the English medium are two different things”, excerpts from letter written by Baragur Ramachandrappa, well known Kannada writer and film director, epitomises the sentiments of those who are against Murthy inaugurating the event.

The Infosys patriarch, who played a pioneering role in the in the growth of information technology industry in the country, is the second choice of the government for inaugurating the conference. The government originally wanted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to do the honour. However, with the Prime Minister not available on that day, it was decided to invite Murthy to inaugurate the conference.

Bollywood diva Aishwariya Rai, a native of Karnataka, as well scores of stars from the Kannada movie industry are also slated to take part in the conference. Besides, icons from the literary world and cultural arena would also be present. Business tycoon N R Shetty, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa will also be part of the event.

Despite the protests, the Karnataka government has stuck to its decision of inviting Murthy for inaugurating the conference. An e-mail and an SMS sent to the Infosys spokesperson seeking Murthy’s reaction on the controversy remained unanswered.

Jabalpur, March 3
An alleged sex-for-marks scandal has come to light here, leading to the arrest of two Jabalpur University officials.

Controller of Examination Professor SS Rana and Deputy Registrar RS Kakodia of Rani Durgawati Vishwavidyalaya (RDVV) here were arrested on March 1. The Police had earlier arrested one Raju Khan in this case. Two other accused, Prerna Atwal, a student, and one Ajay Khandelwal, are absconding, the police said.

According to the complaint filed by S Arya, a first-year MBBS student of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College last month, Prerna -- her senior in college -- told her that she would have to sleep with Khan if she wanted to get her marks increased during revaluation.

Prerna allegedly told her that Khan had contacts in the varsity and also revealed that the complainant had failed in two subjects, though the results were not yet declared. The police have seized all answersheets of the first year MBBS exam. — PTI

New Delhi, March 3
India is not planning any military offensive against pirates to free its nationals held captive on board two hijacked merchant vessels off the coast of Somalia in north-eastern Africa.

Defence Minister AK Antony said, “The government is aware of the sensitivity. We are all concerned about the agony of the people.” He, however, said, “There is no military option.” He was talking to reporters after inaugurating an international hydrography seminar organised by the Indian Navy here today.

Somali pirates are holding captive nine Indians among 22 crew members of Iranian merchant vessel MV Sinan since February 12 and another six Indians among 25 sailors on board Egyptian cargo ship MV Suez since August 2 last year.

In the latter case, the pirates have asked for a ransom of $ 2.5 million and threatened to kill Indians if their demand was not met. The Egyptian company has washed its hands off the matter. Families of persons held hostage met External Affairs Minister SM Krishna yesterday. They told him that the sea brigands had stopped giving food and water to the hostages for the past five days.

On the issue of paying ransom to secure release of abducted Indian nationals, Antony said, “That part government is not handling. We are trying to lessen the woes of the relatives of the people who are abducted.” In a way, Antony admitted that piracy in the Gulf of Aden was not under control despite the presence of navies of 18 countries, including India.

Speaking on the occasion, Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma said it was for the government to decide and permit offensive against pirates. The government would have to take into consideration the issue of casualties. “Besides that, there is a concern of jurisdiction on foreign flag vessels. There are certain issues, and many stakeholders,” he said.

Chennai, March 3
Even as the stalemate between the Congress and the DMK over the seat sharing continues in Tamil Nadu, a crucial high-level meeting of the DMK will be held here on Saturday to discuss the Assembly polls and party's election agenda.

The announcement came hours after AICC general secretary and Congress observer for Tamil Nadu Ghulam Nabi Azad called off his meeting with DMK president M Karunanidhi at the eleventh hour today and flew back to New Delhi. As the stalemate continues, the meeting is expected to discuss the problems that have arisen in the seat-sharing negotiations and the demand of Dravidar Kazhagam president K Veeramani to snap ties with the Congress.

Azad's talks with Karunanidhi late last night apparently did not yield any positive results since the DMK leader was not willing to accept the demand for power sharing or more number of seats.

The Congress leader did not reveal the number of seats the party is demanding and simply said he would convey what was discussed in his meeting to the Congress leadership.

Although, the Congress seems to have come down from earlier demand of 80 seats and was agreeable to about 65 seats, the DMK leader was willing to allot only 53 seats to the national party. Even as the talks with remain inconclusive, Karunanidhi had allocated seven more seats to KMK, a caste-based party in western Tamil Nadu.

With this, the number of seats given to smaller parties by the DMK has gone up to 52, leaving only 182 seats to be shared between the Congress and the DMK. Even within this, a few seats are expected to be given to parties like the Puratchi Bharatham, which is holding talks with the DMK. Since the DMK wants to contest in at least 130 seats, the Congress may get only 50-55 seats in the alliance.

Actor-turned-politician Vijaykanth's DMDK is expected to sign a poll pact with the AIADMK tomorrow. If the AIADMK-DMDK alliance is finalised, the Congress will have no option except to accept the DMK offer or go it alone.

New Delhi, March 3
There is growing apprehension in the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) over the BJP’s decision to contest all seats in next month’s crucial West Bengal Assembly poll. Both parties believe that the BJP’s decision is aimed at helping the Left parties.

Congress and TMC leaders said that the essentially tactical move by the BJP was aimed at bailing out the embattled Marxists, as the presence of the saffron party’s candidates will create fissures in the anti-Left vote.

The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC and the Congress have high stakes in the upcoming elections as the two parties are looking at the possibility of ousting the Left Front state government given the growing public disenchantment with the 30-year-old Marxist rule in West Bengal. The BJP, on the other hand, has a negligible support base in this state but is still going ahead with plans to field candidates in all 294 Assembly constituencies.

Congress leaders even went as far as to say that there is a tacit understanding between the BJP and the CPM with the two parties putting aside their ideological differences and joining forces to take on the Congress. They point to the floor coordination between the BJP and the Left parties in Parliament as a sign of this growing proximity.

Although Left leaders deny this vehemently, the saffron party and the Marxists did combine to disrupt the winter session of Parliament to press their demand for a probe by a JPC into the 2G Spectrum scam.

According to a TMC leader, the Left Front had initially held back against the UPA government in the hope that it might be able to arrive at some “unofficial” understanding with the Congress in West Bengal if its alliance with the Trinamool Congress failed to materialise. “But once they realised that the alliance is likely to go through, the CPM decided to throw its lot with the BJP to corner the Congress,” remarked a senior TMC leader.

Although Mamata Banerjee’s TMC is the clear frontrunner in the coming high-stakes battle in West Bengal, an alliance with the Congress would strengthen her party as it would further consolidate the anti-Left vote.

The BJP has its own reasons for contesting the West Bengal elections. Its plan is to weaken the Congress by concentrating on its stronghold in the North Bengal belt. The BJP believes that if the Congress is decimated in West Bengal and Mamata is able to form the government on her own, it would make it easier for her to forsake the UPA and do business with a resurgent saffron party since the two have worked together in the past.

Even as the BJP is pinning its hopes on Mamata, the TMC chief is stated to have held preliminary discussions on seat sharing with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. The two leaders met here yesterday night though formal talks between the two alliance partners would pick up momentum in the coming days. The talks are unlikely to be a smooth affair as the TMC is in no mood to accede more than 60-65 seats to the Congress, which has pitched its demand at 90.

Guwahati, March 3
The ruling Congress in Assam has decided against a pre-poll alliance with its current ally Bodoland People’s Front (BPF). The party will field candidates in all the 126 Assembly constituencies in the forthcoming polls.

A party source stated that though Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had been advocating for a pre-poll alliance with the BPF - the only partner of the Congress in the incumbent ruling coalition in the state, president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) Bhubaneswar Kalita was against it.

The APCC chief has been arguing that in case of a pre-poll alliance with the BPF, the Congress will not be able to field candidates in LACs located in Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District Council (BTADC) areas and that would not augur well for the party set up in that area. The BPF is now in the seat of power at the BTADC.

As the APCC has decided to field candidates in BTADC areas, hence no pre-poll alliance with the BPF.

Chandigarh, March 3
In the backdrop of a series of alleged scams and other issues pertaining to defence land coming to light in recent times, Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence is examining the management of military cantonments and real estate assets owned by the Ministry of Defence.

The committee’s chairman, Satpal Maharaj, who was here, said that development and upgradation of cantonments has remained stagnant since Independence as the laws related to their management and functioning of cantonment boards are archaic. This has resulted in instances of cantonment residents and officials resorting to underhand means to suit their needs.

There are 62 cantonments in the country, which date back to the British era and have a sizable civilian population co-residing with military establishments. “We are seeking opinions whether residents prefer freehold or lease of existing property in cantonments,” he said. “The money so generated could be used to procure defence new land for defence needs elsewhere,” he added.

Maharaj said the committee would be examining opinions and suggestions of all stake holders in the cantonments, including the military, civilian residents, experts, welfare associations and urban development professionals. These would be included in the committee’s report and would form the basis of its recommendations that would be laid in the Parliament shortly.

Other issues pertaining to defence land also include encroachments by civilians on defence land, violations along peripheries, unauthorised constructions in the safety zones around sensitive areas like ammunition depots, irregularities in grant of no-objection certificates for sale or transfer of defence land and for allowing constructions n the vicinity of defence establishments.

The Sukna land scam in West Bengal, which resulted in disciplinary action against several senior officers, including three lieutenant generals, the Adarsh housing society scam in Mumbai, Kandivali land transfer issue near Pune and the sale of military farm land near Delhi are some of the alleged scams that came to light in the past couple of years.

Chandigarh, March 3
Keeping in tune with the contemporary working ethos of medical staff in modern hospitals, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) is considering a change in the working dress for its female para-medical staff to make it more functional and purposeful.

The issue was discussed at the ITBP annual medical officers’ conference held here recently. Sources said that the force’s medical directorate has been asked to submit a detailed report on the proposed changes to the provisioning directorate for approval by the competent authority.

At present, the prescribed attire for female para-medical staff is a khaki-coloured saree or salwar-kameez with dupatta. Para-medical staff includes nurses, nursing assistants, pharmacists and midwives. ITBP officers estimate their strength in the force to be over a thousand personnel and besides hospitals and clinics they are also deployed in field areas and forward locations.

“In most hospitals, including, many government ones, the dress code for female para-medical staff is in the form of a tunic or safari suit type attire and sport shoes, with colour codes for different ranks and streams,” a senior officer said. “Uniforms and dress codes of the female staff in the ITBP also needs redefining,” he added.

Sources said the present attire is not well-suited to service conditions, especially in field areas. There are also functional aspects like lack of pockets for carrying papers, medications or instruments and the need to constantly manage the flapping edges of sarees and dupattas while working in laboratories and wards.

In fact, a few years ago, the army had also changed the uniform of officers in the Military Nursing Service (MNS), which had resulted in considerable controversy within the force. The white tunics and stockings of the MNS were replaced with olive green shirt and trousers as worn by the regular army. This had resulted in opposition from Army Medical Corps officers on the grounds that olive green uniforms gave the impression that nursing officers were doctors. This prompted the Army to re-design MNS uniforms, but nursing officers were up in arms against the new changes over the uniform’s new design. Controversy and debate continued till finally a beige-coloured coat with maroon epaulets and trousers were introduced.

New Delhi, March 3
A bill, dealing exclusively with sexual offences against children, was passed by the Union Cabinet today. The bill provides for a jail term up to seven years and a fine of Rs 50,000 for such crimes.

The Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences Bill, 2011, also legalised consensual sex with a person aged between 16-18 years. The new law will cover all new aspects of sexual offences against children not covered elsewhere.

The proposed legislation aims to protect children against offences of sexual assault, sexual harassment, pornography and provide for establishment of special courts for trial of such offences.

The bill also provides for treating sexual assault as “aggravated offence” when it is committed by a person in position of trust or authority over a child, including a member of the security forces, police officer, public servant, management or staff of a children’s home, hospital or educational institution.

It will be treated as an aggravated offence where the child victim is below 12 years or has mental or physical disability or the sexual offence causes grievous hurt or injury to the child with long term adverse effect on the child’s mind and body. The punishment for such an offence would be imprisonment of up to seven years with fine.

The punishment for penetrative sexual assault has been proposed to be at least five years in jail and a minimum fine of Rs 50,000.

Sexual assault also includes fondling the child in an inappropriate way which will invite a penalty of minimum three years in jail.

Section seven of the bill provides for “no punishment” if the consent for sexual act has been obtained with a person aged between 16 to 18 years. There is a special provision in the bill preventing abuse of children for pornographic purpose or possessing pornographic material involving children.

There will be an obligation on the media, studio and photographic facilities not to report such cases and failure to do so will attract punishment.

The media has been barred from reporting the cases without having complete and authentic information and from disclosing the indentity of the child.

The National Crime Records Bureau data shows that there has been a significant increase in cases of sexual offences against children from 2265 in 2001 to 5749 in 2008.

A study on child abuse, conducted by the Women and Child Development Ministry, showed that more than 53 per cent of children interviewed reported having faced one or more forms of sexual abuse. Fifty per cent abusers were persons known to the child or in a position of trust and responsibility, it said.

The bill envisages guidelines for media on reporting that would bar giving details of the victim and accused children’s family or personal details or any form of reporting that can lead to their identification. Besides, it proposes special courts and more sensitive ways in dealing with crimes against children. — PTI

BRIEFLY

CBI FIR against Lalli likely today
New Delhi: The CBI is likely to lodge on Friday an FIR against suspended Prasar Bharti CEO B S Lalli in connection with alleged irregularities in the award of broadcasting rights of CWG reportedly resulting in a loss of Rs 135 crore to the exchequer. — PTI

Netai killings: SC pulls up WB
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday pulled up the West Bengal government for its failure to submit to it communications between Home Minister P Chidambaram and Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya on the killing of 9 people at Netai village near Maoist-hit Lalgarh allegedly by CPI-M members. "Why have the letters not been filed?" said the Bench of justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly while ordering the state government to file an affidavit on the issue by on Friday. — PTI

CBI opposes bail of Kalmadi's aide
New Delhi: The CBI on Thursday opposed the bail plea of former CWG Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi's aide Shekhar M Deorukhkar saying he is an influential person and can tamper with evidence if he is given the relief. — PTI