New Delhi, June 16
Afraid of mandatory job reservation for the SCs and STs in private firms, industry associations are scrambling to keep the UPA’s hitherto elusive promise of affirmative action.

Close on the heels of revelations by the CII’s caste-based survey of the industrial workforce in India, about 1,500 companies have told the Prime Minister’s Office that they had adopted a voluntary code of conduct for implementation of affirmative action. The CII, on its part, disclosed that 20 per cent of its current workers belonged to the SC/ST communities.

The participating chambers of industry representatives tried to convince the PMO that they were doing their part, saying the voluntary code which the firms have adopted comprise four points -- Employability, Education, Entrepreneurship Development and Employment. They claimed that the 1,12,702 people had been benefitted under the programme.

The FICCI and ASSOCHAM disclosed that they had appointed Ombudsmen to monitor the progress on affirmative action, which seeks to assure jobs to weaker sections in the country’s workforce.

The CII said it was in the process of appointing an Ombudsman and had adopted Nawanshahr in Punjab and Cooch Behar in West Bengal to implement the 4E programme. The FICCI claimed to have adopted Sonbhadra in UP to impart skill training to 11,000 SC/ST candidates to enhance employability and to have forwarded voluntary code of conduct to 2.7 lakh industrial entrepreneurs in the country.

What was left unsaid in the meeting, however, was this: the recent CII census finding, which concluded that the proportion of SCs and STs in the industrial workforce of states was barely reflecting their actual population in that state. Except Tamil Nadu, where industries comprise 18 per cent SC/ST workforce, whereas these communities comprise 20 per cent of the state population; in most of the other industrialised states, huge gaps were found in the SC/ST workforce in private firms and their population on ground.

Maharashtra has 19.1 per cent SC/ST population, but just 5 per cent of these communities comprise private workforce; Gujarat and Karnataka, which have 22 and 23 per cent SC/ST population, respectively. But only about 9 per cent of the workforce is from this category. Madhya Pradesh is ranked 11th in the country in industrialisation, but has in its firms less than a third of the actual SC/ST population in the state.

New Delhi, June 16
Canada today said it was hopeful of ratifying the India-Canada civil-nuclear treaty soon and signing a bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) by 2013 to give an impetus to trade and economic ties. “Both Canada and India have to ratify the (civil-nuclear) treaty…we will exchange notes to that effect shortly,” Canadian Deputy High Commissioner Jim Nickel said at a press conference here.

He said once the treaty came into force, the two countries would start exchange of technology, equipment, services, fuel and uranium as part of cooperation in the civil-nuclear energy field.

The two countries had signed the civil-nuclear energy accord during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Canada in June last year. Once the accord is ratified, Canadian companies will be able to access India’s expanding nuclear market.

On the CEPA, the Canadian official said the two countries had already held the first round of talks and another round would be held shortly. Although Indian Commerce Minister Anand Sharma desired that the accord be inked in April-May 2012, Canada felt it would be ready for signature only in 2013, he added.

“The CEPA will provide building blocks that will shape the future of commercial ties between the two countries,” Nickel said and referred to a joint study on CEPA by the two countries that suggested that India’s economy would grow by $6 to 15 billion once the trade accord was signed.

On the recent announcement by Canada that it would give 10-year multiple entry visa to Indians, he said the new visa regime would come into force by mid-July. The new 10-year multiple entry visa was expected to help meet the long-standing demand of Indian businessmen and others who would like to visit Canada frequently.

The 10-year visa norm would, however, not apply to students, the Canadian official said. “Generally speaking, if an Indian student gets admission in a Canadian university, the chances of his getting visa are 100 per cent,” he added.

Nickel said 2011 was being celebrated as the “Year of India in Canada” with several events being organised there this month. After the successful “mini” Pravasi Bharatiya Divas last week, Canada would be hosting an India-Canada Education Summit on June 17-18, followed by an India-Canada Innovation Summit on June 20-21.

The famous International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) award function would be held in Toronto from June 23 to 25. It was expected to attract around 700 personalities from the Indian film industry.

He said India and Canada were also negotiating an audio-visual co-production treaty aimed at giving incentives to film producers and directors from the two countries, if they worked together. 

New Delhi, June 16
Appointment of the new director of the PGI, Chandigarh, continues to be delayed with the selection process courting one controversy after the other. The selection is held up for want of approval of the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) that needs to satisfy itself on all aspects of the selection process before giving a nod.

The Tribune has learnt that the Cabinet Secretariat has sought a clarification from the Health Ministry on several representations sent to the PMO and the Department of Personnel and Training over the absence of SC/ST members in the eight-member selection committee earlier set up by Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad for appointment of the PGI director after the retirement of Dr KK Talwar on April 30.

According to sources, Azad has forwarded the following three names (in the order of preference) for consideration by the ACC as future directors - Dr Amod Gupta, Dr Yogesh Chawla and Dr Raj Bahadur. While the first two are currently serving in the PGI, Dr Bahadur is Director-Principal, Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh.

The ministry is also facing the query on zero representation of SC/STs from the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, which has sought a written reply in the matter. Allegations are that the ministry flouted DoPT rules that mandate the representation of SC/STs in any committee set up to appoint officers of a certain level.

Also under investigation is the process of selection followed by the PGI in the matter. It is strange that the PGI advertised the position of the director first and finalised the recruitment rules for the post later. This, sources in the government say, is against the provisions of the PGI Act that mandates that the recruitment rules for appointment must be cleared before a position is advertised. 

Absence of SC/ST members in selection panel

Selection process followed by the PGI

New Delhi, June 16
In an act of needless one-upmanship being played out at high seas, Pakistan Navy commandos today allegedly prevented the Captain of merchant vessel MV Suez from interacting with the Indian Navy warship INS Godavari in the Gulf of Aden.

The merchant vessel, after being freed following 10-month captivity, is on way from Somalia to port city of Salalah in Oman. Pakistan Navy commandos used an onboard chopper of their warship PNS Babar and reached the merchant vessel. Since then, the ship, its engines and communications, have been under their control.

The INS Godavari closed in up to one mile of the MV Suez, but Captain Sayeed Wasi, a Pakistan national, did not respond on the open radio channels used by sea-farers. The Captain of the MV Suez, or his appointee, has been regularly responding to warships of France and Portugal nearby. He is also communicating with PNS Babar. The communication is on the open net and is heard by all in the vicinity, including the Captain of the INS Godavari, sources say.

In the afternoon, Captain Wasi spoke to a few Indian news channels and claimed he had not seen INS Godavari nearby or heard from its Captain. Late in the evening, the Indian Ministry of Defence nailed his lie and released a picture of the MV Suez taken from onboard the INS Godavari this afternoon and transmitted it through satellites to the naval war room in New Delhi. The MV Suez can be seen in the picture.

In a press release, the ministry said, “On reaching near the MV Suez, the INS Godavari made every effort through all available means and channels to communicate, however, the master of MV Suez, did not respond.” Sources said it was a polite way of telling the facts that there was some other force preventing the Captain.

Undeterred by Pakistan’s actions, the INS Godavari is sailing close by and the situation is being monitored through the radio networks of warships of friendly nations. “It has been confirmed that MV Suez was safe,” the Defence Ministry said.

New Delhi, June 16
An eight-member Indian military delegation is set to leave for China from June 19-24, marking the resumption of bilateral defence exchanges which were suspended last year in the wake of a visa row between the two countries.

Maj Gen Gurmeet Singh, Commander of the Udhampur-based Delta Force, a part of the anti-insurgency Rashtriya Rifles deployed in Jammu and Kashmir, will lead the Indian delegation, official sources said today.

The defence ties with China were put on hold by India in July last year after Beijing refused to issue proper visa to Lt Gen BS Jaswal on the ground that he was then leading the Indian forces in Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi had taken offence to the Chinese action, considering it as a deliberate move by Beijing to question the state’s accession to India.

The decision to resume defence ties was taken by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese President Hu Jintao when they met in April at the Chinese resort of Sanya on the margins of the BRICS Summit.

Asked if Maj Gen Gurmeet Singh had been issued a proper visa by the Chinese, the sources said he had got proper travel documents.

Besides the visit of the Indian defence delegation, the two nations are also said to be discussing the final location for the third edition of their joint 'hand-in-hand' (HiH) army exercise this year. 

New Delhi, June 16
Among the thousands of this year’s civil services aspirants are three inmates of Tihar Prisons, including a murder convict and an IITian.

Siddharth Singh Sidar from Chhattisgarh, who once trained IAS aspirants and is in jail for cheating, Amit Jha from Bihar, held for kidnapping, and Sandeep from Uttar Pradesh, serving life imprisonment in a murder case, undertook the civil services preliminary examinations held here last Sunday.

Both Sidar, an IITian from Kharagpur, and Jha came to Delhi to prepare for civil services before they were jailed. All three are lodged in Jail No. 3.

"Three inmates of my jail have appeared for the civil services preliminary examinations on June 12. Two are undertrials and one is a convict. It is for the first time in the history of Tihar Prisons that three inmates are competing for the examination. If they qualify they will get a call for the Mains," MK Diwedi, jail superintendent, Jail No. 3 said.

"We are hopeful that at least two of them will make it to the Mains," he added. The results are expected to be out in about 45 days.

"Six inmates of Jail No. 3 were toiling for the IAS exams even though they were not certain about their release," Sunil Gupta, spokesperson, Tihar Prisons said. Only three could make it to the examination hall.

With no coaching at their disposal, the aspirants were relying on self-study and turned to Sidar, who once trained IAS aspirants. Sidar quit his job and came to Delhi to prepare for the IAS exams. He used to run tutorial classes in Mukherjee Nagar area for IIT aspirants before he got entangled in a cheating case.

In 2009, a convict in a rape case had appeared for the civil services examination for the first time and was set free by the court after he qualified. — PTI

New Delhi, June 16
Travelling to Haridwar for Swami Nigamanand’s last rites today, Rajendra Singh’s only regret is that had a personal tragedy not prevented him from leaving his village he would “fought tooth and nail” with the state government to get the Matra Sadan seer off the fast, just like he did in January last when Nigamanand’s guru Shivanand Saraswati too was fasting for the cause.

Even after so many agitations and assurances by the state government to those engaged in fighting for the Ganga, why was it a losing battle against corruption and greed? To this Singh says: “When we (activists) fight for an issue, to save face, the government pretends to gives in to our demands. But it also has a commitment toward the people who really matter, like moneyed mine owners and mafia. Which is why, promises are made, but not implemented”.

Singh, a Magsaysay Award winner who is also fondly called “Paniwale Baba”(waterman) by people in areas of Rajasthan and Haryana where he is working for water conservation and saving rivers, calls Nigamanand a true water warrior, someone who just lived and breathed for the Ganga. “His dedication toward Ganga was complete,” he says.

However, Nigmanand was more than a mere water warrior. He was a man who abhorred corruption so much so that very early in his life he decided to leave the house of his father, a government official, who he believed was making money through unfair means.

“I first met him when I was visiting Haridwar in 2006 as the chief guest at a function in Gurukul Kangri. Shivanand Saraswati’s close associate Vijay Verma told me about Nigamanand, who was on a fast for the past many days. When I met him, the first thing Nigamanand told me was that his father had amassed money through corrupt means, which made it difficult for him to stay in the same house”.

Singh recalls how even on the 56th day of the fast, Nigmanand was in complete control of his senses, “I was surprised by his resolve, the strength of his mind”.

Patna/Ranchi, June 16
Heavily-armed Maoists attacked a railway station, held employees captive, fired on a police station and attacked mobile towers in Bihar and Jharkhand during a 24-hour shutdown called by them today to protest the arrest of one of their leaders.

Around 30 Maoists swooped down on the Nadaul Railway Station in Bihar’s Jehenabad district last night when the Ganga Damodar Express was approaching the outer signal and barged into the station master's room. They took station master Rajesh Kumar and other employees captive. They then set ablaze the ticket counter, destroying the ticket booking computer, Rs 5,597 and the control panel of the signalling system, the police said.

The station master and the other employees were herded out and marched 2 km before being freed. They were told that the attack was to protest the arrest of central committee member Jagdish Master alias Jagdish Yadav from Gurua in Gaya district some days ago.

An express train running between Patna and Dhanbad was detained at the outer signal for two hours while traffic on the section was disrupted for four hours.

In Gaya district, around 100 armed Maoists attacked the Kothi police station where one company each of the Bihar Military Police, District Armed Police and Special Auxiliary Force were stationed, City SP Ratnamani Sanjeev said. The policemen retaliated firing 150 rounds, which dispersed the Maoists, Sanjeev said. In the exchange between the police and the Maoists, 300 rounds were fired, he added. The ultras also blasted two mobile phone towers at Imamganj bazar in the district.

In Jharkhand's Palamau district, Maoists tried to blast railway tracks, but only two slabs were damaged near the Mohammadganj Railway Station, district police chief Anup T Mathew said. The tracks were repaired within 15 minutes. Maoists also set fire to the generator of a mobile tower of a private telecom company in the same area.

Maoists have called the 24-hour shut down in Chhatisgarh, Bihar and Jharkhand. The bandh started last night. — PTI

Bangalore, June 11
Five per cent of the bars in Bangalore employ women for serving drinks to their clients, Karnataka Excise Minister MP Renukacharya said here today.

The Excise Department is having a running feud with the police on the issue of women waitresses working in bars. The police insists that women employees in bars dance to entertain the customers and also double as call girls at night when the bars become more of pick-up points.

Renukacharya, a staunch advocate of women working in the bars, today said following a high court order striking down provisions banning employing women in bars and restaurants, there existed no restriction on recruiting women as waitresses.

The minister said it was not his department’s responsibility to formulate a dress code for women working in bars. “Of the 800-odd bars and restaurants in the city, only 48 have appointed women to serve liquor,” he said, while denying that the Excise Department was having any confrontation with the police in this regard.

The police had recently warned that they would ban employment of women in bars and restaurants if they are found engaged in illegal activities. This is not the first time Renukacharya has entered into a war of words with the police. He had earlier had a spat with the then police commissioner Shankar Bidari over the extension of bar timings. Both the Excise and Police departments have the authority to conduct raids on bars if these are found violating rules.

BRIEFLY

Trawler capsizes 
KAKDWIP (WB): One person was feared drowned when a fishing trawle with 16 people on board capsized on Thursday. 15 persons were rescued but one was feared drowned, the police said. — PTI