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NHRC to review UPA schemes
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Post-Ujjain episode, Cong leaves Digvijay to fend for himself
Mumbai Attacked
Cash-for-vote scam
IAF to keep more aircraft operation-ready
Man ‘offered’ Rs
2 cr to plant bombs in Meerut
India, Pak agree to promote trade links
Anti-Telangana MPs meet Azad
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NHRC to review UPA schemes
The NHRC’s decision to conduct its own independent audit of the major schemes meant to address socio-economic inequities in the country comes close on the heels of the mid-term review of the 11th Plan, which has found that the government has failed to meet several targets which it had announced at the start of the Plan in 2007. On sex ratio, the 11th Plan target was to improve the dismal 927 girls per 1,000 boys figure, which the 2001 Census gave. The target was to raise the sex ratio to 935 by 2011 and 950 by 2016. The provisional Census data has shattered all hopes and shown that we have in fact slipped several points and now just have 914 girls for every 1,000 boys. Likewise, on the 11th Plan promise to reduce infant mortality rate from 58 per 1,000 live births to 28 at the end of the Plan, India is nowhere near the finishing line. At present, the IMR is just 53. The mid-term review of the 11th Plan further indicates that on immunisation, India’s record is poorer than even Bangladesh and Pakistan, which are using Indian vaccines better to protect their children than us. “It is important for us to do an audit of what impact the flagship schemes have had on the well-being of the poor. In 2012, the 12th Five Year Plan will also begin. The idea is to find out just how much money has gone down the drain without achieving any goal at all,” top NHRC sources said. At the time when India presents itself at the UN commission for the periodic review, the NHRC will present its own independent report on how the country has fared on its commitment to human rights. “The report we submit will be a commentary on the status of government’s flagship programmes. There is growing evidence of diversion of funds meant for these schemes. If we talk about NREGA, 47 is the average number of days of employment which the beneficiaries got under this programme as against the entitlement of 100 days of guaranteed work,” NHRC officials said. NHRC members, who recently visited anganwari centres in the villages, found barely any centre equipped with a weighing machine. In such a scenario, anganwari workers are not in a position to measure the weight of the child, which is a major determinant of whether supplementary nutrition programme is helping him. “We need to introspect,” the members opine.
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Post-Ujjain episode, Cong leaves Digvijay to fend for himself
New Delhi, July 18 The BJP, on the other hand, slammed the Congress general secretary for his anti-RSS remarks and accused him of "trying to communalise" the fight against terror. Congress spokesman Manish Tewari today resolutely warded off all questions related to Digvijay’s recent utterances and actions and said that it would be better if the queries were addressed directly to the man in question. “It would be better if you ask him (Digvijay Singh),” Tewari said, responding to the controversy created by Digvijay Singh, whose utterances are understood to have not gone down well with the top leadership. “We should not speculate when investigations are taking place. Unnecessary speculation tantamounts to rubbing salt into the wounds of those who have to carry the cross and is also a great disservice to the investigative agencies,” he added. Tewari said instead of pointing fingers the effort should be to build up the capacity to ensure that in future no such incident takes place. “Security agencies have to be lucky all the time whereas they (terrorists) have to be lucky only once. We have to build up our capacity to obviate the one per cent terror attacks (that slip through the observation of security agencies),” he said Regarding the Ujjain incident, Tewari had an interesting take. “What happened in Ujjain can be best explained by the honourable general secretary. It could be a result of a provocation or maybe as a former activist of the youth student movement, some reminisces must have come back,” said Tewari. Digvijay allegedly slapped some activists of the youth wing of the BJP who waved black flags at him during his visit to Ujjain on Sunday. The group was protesting against his recent remark that he did not rule out the involvement of the RSS in the July 13 blasts in Mumbai. Criticising Digvijay, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad today said: “It is very unfortunate that Digvijay Singh is deliberately trying to communalise the fight against terror for petty political gains.” “We all know whom the SIT and the NIA are interrogating in the terror attack case,” Prasad said and claimed that such statements from Digvijay Singh were denting India’s image on the international stage. (With PTI inputs)
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Mumbai
Attacked Mumbai, July 18 According to the association, five of its members had died in the blast. “The trading today was low key as people are still coping with the loss of lives in the attack. Moreover, people who had left the city following the blast are yet to return,” vice-president of the association Mahendrabhai Gandhi said. The diamond market attracts more than 4,000 merchants who buy and sell stones of various shapes and sizes within the Panchratna and Prasad Chambers buildings. Much business is also conducted in the open by small players who are unable to afford space in the buildings nearby. This morning, however, the activity on the road outside was poor with a tight blanket of security enforced by the police. Entry into the area was tightly restricted with police personnel checking bags of belongings of people entering and leaving the area. There were fewer vehicles parked in the area as the authorities strictly enforced parking restrictions. The Khau Gully or food corner which comes to life late in the afternoon and which bore the brunt of last week's blast is unlikely to reopen, the police said. Diamond merchants have told the police that they do not want illegal hawkers to operate from the area as scores of people gather to eat there in the evenings. The Diamond Merchants' Association estimates that more than 50,000 people are employed at the diamond market. According to Gandhi, the diamond merchants spent the weekend cleaning up the offices in the buildings in and around the area. “Offices had to be cleaned because glass pieces had scattered following the blasts,” Gandhi said. The buildings in and around the affected area attracts scores of foreigners every day. Precious haul
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Cash-for-vote scam
New Delhi, July 18 Special Judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal remanded Sanjeev Saxena to police custody till July 21. Seeking Saxena’s custody, prosecution submitted that they had to question him to know the whereabouts of Sanjay, the then driver of Amar Singh with whom he had allegedly gone to the residence of a BJP MP to hand over a sum of Rs 1 crore. — PTI
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IAF to keep more aircraft operation-ready
For catering to its need for increased serviceability, greater attention is being paid to technical infrastructure. The IAF has initiated a Rs 350-crore project to modernise and refurbish its base-repair depots. New state-of-the-art equipment was being procured to meet the present and future requirements, while some existing facilities will be upgraded. The Nagpur-based Maintenance Command has eight base-repair depots located across the country for repair, overhaul and modification of aircraft, missiles, radars, avionics and communication equipment. Besides, technical facilities exist at all stations to cater to the day-to-day technical requirement and servicing of aircraft and equipment. The modernisation project, in which participation by the private sector is also expected, will include procurement of machine tools, testing and evaluation equipment, office automation, fabricating tools as well as refurbishing and air-conditioning hangars, rigs, work bays and laboratories.
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Man ‘offered’ Rs 2 cr to plant bombs in Meerut
Lucknow, July 18 The first call was received by Hashim Ilahi, a meat trader in Ismail Nagar locality of Meerut city, 400 km from here, on July 13. Two days later, on July 15, a similar call was received by Vikas, a farmer living in Soop village in neighbouring Baghpat district, said state Special DGP Brij Lal. Both Vikas and Hashim claimed to have been offered huge amounts of money to plant explosives in different parts of Meerut city. They made it a point to promptly inform the police about the calls, following which the matter was referred to the Special Task Force, said Lal. Hashim told the police that the caller told him that he had been handpicked because his phone number ended with ‘786’, regarded as auspicious in Islam. He said he was offered Rs 2 crore to carry out the mission that was intended to incite violence in communally sensitive Meerut. Preliminary investigations suggested that both were prank calls. — IANS
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India, Pak agree to promote trade links
New Delhi, July 18 The two sides are understood to have considered the proposal to launch the Muzaffarabad-Skardu bus service, increase the frequency of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, open more points for trade and increase the number of trading days across the LoC. Sources said the two sides have finalised certain proposals which are likely to be announced following talks between the foreign ministers of the two countries slated for July 26-27 here.
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New Delhi, July 18 A group of around 10-12 MPs led by Vijaywada MP L Rajagopal met to articulate and agitate against the creation of Telangana state. They later met AICC in charge of Andhra Pradesh Ghulam Nabi Azad and decided to intensify their agitation against the formation of Telangana state. It may be recalled that even the last time when the Telangana agitation had picked up momentum, Rajagopal had announced his counter agitation programme. However, observers felt that their exercise may not have much impact in the face of the unrelenting pressure from the Telangana agitators to form the new state at any cost and with Telangana MPs and MLAs sending in their resignation earlier this month. —TNS
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New Delhi, July 18
New Delhi, July 18
Teams of workers employed with various diamond units have recovered around 65 diamonds from the debris caused by the blasts, according to the association. The debris was collected in sacks and stored on the premises of various diamond merchants in the area. Workers were busy over the weekend picking through the rubbish. The association is mulling auctioning off these stones so that the proceeds are used to rehabilitate those injured in the blasts or for the welfare of the next of kin of those who died in the blast.
Chandigarh, July 18
