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Govt to review MPLADS’ norms
Nuclear mishap in Japan fuels protest over Jaitapur project
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Governance deficit in PMO, says Advani
Wagah-like Retreat ceremony on the anvil at Bangladesh border
Digvijay in Assam to woo minority intellectuals for Congress
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Govt to review MPLADS’ norms
New Delhi, March 12 It has also directed NABCON, the consultancy service of the National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (NABARD), to study the scheme’s progress across India and report back to the government as soon as possible to enable it to effect changes. The scheme is governed by a set of guidelines originally issued in February 1994 and subsequently revised four times — in 1997, 1999, 2002 and finally in November 2005 when the Rs 25 lakh cap on the value of individual works that could be recommended by an MP was lifted. The new set of guidelines would come after a gap of six years that have seen considerable inflationary pressures -- one of the factors the government considered when raising the MPLADS fund per member from Rs 2 crore to Rs 5 crore yesterday. But the government is aware of the existing loopholes in the system -- as pointed out by the Comptroller and Auditor General — and plans to better the scheme by amending the operational norms. “Now that more funds are available, they should be used promptly and correctly. Also, we need to look at the nature of works that can be allowed to be executed under the scheme. There was a huge demand that funding under the MPLADS scheme be raised,” MS Gill, Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the nodal Ministry for MPLADS scheme, today told The Tribune. He said the government went by two factors when raising the allocation: inflation and the fact that several state governments were allocating Rs 2 crore per legislator under the MLALADS scheme, which operates at the state level. “One parliamentary segment comprises on an average of seven assembly segments. If state governments are giving Rs 2 crore to each MLA to spend, it was only fair for us to strike a balance by raising the fund available to an MP under the MPLADS scheme. Where one parliamentary seat represents an average of 15 lakh voters, one MLA seat represents only about one lakh. The raise in funds was necessary,” Gill said. The government will also consult the MPLADS committees of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and the latest CAG report on the scheme before changing its norms. Meanwhile, a recent study by NABARD on the progress of MPLADS scheme in six states has revealed 90 per cent fund utilisation on an average. “We have now asked NABCON to report back to us the status of the scheme on an all-India basis,” Gill said.
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Nuclear mishap in Japan fuels protest over Jaitapur project
Mumbai, March 12 Opponents of the project say the Konkan belt is a seismically sensitive area, which experiences regular tremors. “The Madban plateau is continuously experiencing numerous seismic tremors,” says Pravin Gavankar of the Konkan Bachao Samiti, which is spearheading the opposition to the project. Activists of the Samiti have used the Right to Information Act to obtain data from the Geological Survey of India to buttress their case. “The area has experienced 91 tremors ranging from 2.9 to 6.3 on the Richter scale between 1985 and 2005,” says Gavankar. The four gram panchayats whose land is to be acquired for the nuclear power project have passed unanimous resolutions under the 73rd amendment of the Indian constitution against the project. “We have had detailed discussions with the Minister of Environment and Forests, and technical experts of the NPCIL, NEERI and the AEC. These discussions have only confirmed and reinforced our conclusion that nuclear power is unaffordable, unacceptable, and fails a scientific cost-benefit analysis test," residents of the villages said in a letter to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan recently. Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena, which is backing the villagers, said the mishap at the Japanese power plant is an example of the dangers posed by nuclear power projects. The party's MLAs have called a meeting in the region over the next few weeks to intensify their protests, party sources said.
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Jagan launches YSR Cong Party
Hyderabad, March 12 Amidst much fanfare, the party’s flag was unveiled at YSR’s family estate at Idupulapaya in Kadapa district. The ceremony had an emotional touch with YSR’s widow and former MLA Vijayalakshmi unveiling the tricolor flag near YSR Memorial. A large of supporters, family members, relatives and about a dozen Congress legislators loyal to Jagan were present at the launch ceremony. The focus of the new regional party would be to realise the ideals of YSR whose USP was the populist schemes. The white-green-blue flag of the party has the image of YSR in the middle with symbols of various welfare schemes, initiated by him, forming a ring around it. “The YSR Congress Party will strive to wipe tears from the eyes of every poor and bring smile on their faces,” Jagan told the gathering. However, the party’s policies and programmes will be made public only after the completion of the forthcoming by-elections to Kadapa Lok Sabha and Pulivendula Assembly seats, vacated by Jagan and his mother, respectively. The by-poll, scheduled to be held in June, will serve as a first major political test for the young leader.
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Thomas to seek SC verdict review
New Delhi, March 12 A three-member Bench headed by Chief Justice SH Kapadia had unseated Thomas, holding that the high power panel that had recommended his name to the President for appointment as CVC had failed to consider a charge sheet pending against him in a corruption case. The members of the panel were PM Manmohan Singh, who chaired it, Home Minister P Chidambaram and Leader of Opposition in LS Sushma Swaraj. In the petition, Thomas has contended that the SC could remove the CVC only on a reference made by the President, while the apex court verdict had come on PILs. He would also plead that the review petition should be considered by a five-member Bench as stipulated under Article 146(3) of the Constitution. Maintaining that the Office of the President “cannot be treated as a rubber stamp,” Thomas said the Constitution was supreme and that the SC had to abide by its provisions relating to the President and the procedure for the removal of CVC. The quashing of his appointment had resulted in miscarriage of justice not only to him, but also to all civil servants as according to the SC verdict mere lodging of an FIR “is sufficient” to spoil the career of a honest officer, he argued.
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Governance deficit in PMO, says Advani
New Delhi, March 12 "It is not that Manmohan Singh himself lacks integrity. But today nobody can deny that the office he occupies lacks integrity," he added. Advani, however, hit out at the Prime Minister for blaming "compulsions of coalition politics" for anomalies in the 2 G Spectrum allocation. "He thereby absolved his own office of the blame in keeping its eyes wide shut while the loot was going on. The Prime Minister's answer was disingenuous also because it seemed to suggest that corrupt practices were limited only to ministers belonging to coalition partners of the Congress," Advani said. "Indeed, nowhere was the culpability of the Congress party more evident than in the brazen manner in which the investigation into the Bofors scandal has been closed down. The cover-up of this scandal is more scandalous than the original scandal itself," Advani said. The BJP leader did not spare the PM on the appointment of PJ Thomas as CVC either, saying he was culpable as he had been warned by Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj about a corruption case pending against Thomas.
— PTI
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Wagah-like Retreat ceremony on the anvil at Bangladesh border
New Delhi, March 12 This was announced here today at a meeting between Director General of the BSF Raman Srivastava and his Bangladesh counterpart Maj Gen Rafiqul Islam, who is DG of Border Guard, Bangladesh. The two also announced that the BSF and the BGB would jointly organise a ‘Retreat’ ceremony at Petrapole/Benapole integrated check-post in the district of North 24 Parganas, about 95 km north of Kolkata. This will be on the lines of the ceremony conducted at the Wagah border in Punjab by the BSF and Pakistan Rangers. A joint committee of the two forces will go into the details and make appropriate recommendations for the proposed ceremony. The plan is also to replicate the ceremony at Akhaura and Phulbari in Tripura, said Srivastava. In a couple of months, we will be able to start it, he added. Srivastava told mediapersons that his force would be armed with non-lethal weapons at certain designated points along the Bangladesh border on an experimental basis. If it can successfully bring down the number of fatalities, then the plan will be expanded to cover the entire 4,114-km border, he added. The Bangladesh DG said firing by the BSF at “unarmed” civilians was resulting in their death and they wanted the Indians to stop use of lethal weapons. “It is the BSF which opens fire as a result of which Bangladesh’s unarmed people are being killed. That is where our concerns are,” Islam said, adding that he wanted the BSF to follow “rules of engagement, which are internationally accepted”. Srivastava said that the BSF was inducting non-lethal weapons, primarily to avoid casualties, in areas which see frequent smuggling bids. The non-lethal weapons would be in addition to the regular, standard weapons. The two forces also exchanged a list of criminals, insurgents and smugglers wanted in various cases. Bangladesh has also handed over a list of fugitives that has names of two persons, who are suspected to have killed founder of that country, Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rehman.
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Digvijay in Assam to woo minority intellectuals for Congress
Guwahati, March 12 The issue of alleged harassment of minorities in the name of detection and deportation of illegal migrants from Bangladesh were brought up in the meeting that also focused on problems being faced by the minority population living in refugee camps. Digvijay was apprised of “discrimination” meted out to the minority community in government jobs. The AICC leader said all these issues would be addressed in the right earnest if the Congress forms the next government in the state after the election. The efforts by the ruling Congress to woo minority intellectuals reflect the party’s concern over the growing clout of the AIUDF which is headed by perfume mogul Badruddin Ajmal. The AIUDF, an amalgamation of a dozen minority groups, made its political debut in Assam in 2006 Assembly elections. In the first Assembly elections it contested, the AIUDF played spoilsport for the Congress and won nine seats mostly at the latter’s expense. The reports of Ajmal getting closer to senior AGP leader and former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta have added to the discomfort of the Congress.
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Report on deal with Devas submitted Second regiment of Arjun tanks inducted Students booked for burning Tricolour 9-year-old killed
during encounter Special status sought for Bihar Teacher arrested for sexual harassment
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New Delhi, March 12
Mumbai, March 12
Firing yet another salvo at the UPA government on CVC appointment controversy and 2G scam, senior BJP leader LK Advani today said that it is not Manmohan Singh but the office of the Prime Minister that is lacking integrity and suffers from a "governance deficit". "In our parliamentary system of governance, the highest office that can, and that must, set the right standards is that of the Prime Minister. Unfortunately, this is where India has seen the most disturbing sight of governance deficit," Advani said at a programme at
IIT, Delhi.
New Delhi, March 12
Guwahati, March 12
