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India, Pakistan to discuss nuke CBMs next month
Govt open to dialogue on Lokpal Bill: PM
Nigmanand’s death |
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Poll reforms, land law also on Anna agenda
Govt raps Team Anna for criticising House panel
Anna Effect 10-day jail for CPM leader
Assets case
Tribune Exclusive
Flood waters enter over 1,000 Bihar villages
People’s theatre performs for social change
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India, Pakistan to discuss nuke CBMs next month
New Delhi, August 20 According to sources, dates were being worked out by the two countries for the meeting of the expert groups on the issue. The meeting, in all probability, would be held in the middle of September. This will be the first time since 2007 that the two neighbouring countries will discuss at the expert group level the sensitive issue of nuclear and conventional CBMs. The issue was briefly touched upon at the Foreign Secretary-level talks in the Pakistani capital in June. In the past, they have concluded nuclear CBMs - an agreement not to attack each other's nuclear facilities and an accord to inform each other about the testing of ballistic missiles. The two countries have been discussing proposals for limited disarmament, concluding a regional treaty not to carry out tests or simultaneously signing safeguard treaties. Asked if India had noticed any positive change in Pakistan’s attitude towards the bilateral relationship at the talks between the Foreign Ministers last month, sources said Islamabad was apparently realising now that it owed to its people to move the ties with India forward. On whether Pakistan had agreed to grant the most-favoured nation (MFN) status to India, they said Islamabad had promised to do so at the earliest. Indications are that Pakistan might formally accord the MFN status to India by October. The Commerce Secretaries of the two countries are also expected to meet soon. Meanwhile, parliamentarians from India and Pakistan concluded a two-day meeting here yesterday, calling for an 'uninterrupted' dialogue between the two countries. They also pushed for liberalising the visa regime to ease travel between their people and underlined the need for resolving all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir and terrorism. The two-day parliamentarians' dialogue was co-chaired by senior BJP leader and former External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and Pakistani Senator Jan Mohammad Khan
Jamali.
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Govt open to dialogue on Lokpal Bill: PM
New Delhi, August 20 Speaking for the first time on this matter after Anna Hazare began his second fast at the Ramlila Grounds, the Prime Minister reiterated that the government also favours a strong and effective Lokpal, but it would like a broad national consensus to emerge on the issue. While speaking about forging a consensus and taking all views on board, the Prime Minister indicated that the government was not for rushing through with the passage of the Bill as being demanded by Team Anna. Urging everyone to respect the Parliamentary process; he said the Lokpal Bill was before a Standing Committee where everyone could give place their views and suggestions. “There are difficulties. Certain stages have to be crossed and we hope people will appreciate that there is a dynamic of legislative process that takes time to get over. We must work together to push forward the case for strong and effective Lokpal, and should remove obstacles in the way,” he added. The Prime Minister also sought to widen the scope of the debate when he expressed the hope that the government can enlist the cooperation of “all thinking segments of Indian public opinion to ensure that the end product is a strong and effective Lokpal Bill which all sections of our community want.” The Prime Minister’s comment comes on a day when another set of civil society groups, headed by Team Aruna Roy, unveiled an alternate version of the Lokpal Bill. At the same time, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice, which is scrutinising the official Lokpal Bill, placed advertisements in all newspapers today inviting suggestions from the public on the provisions of the proposed legislation. The government has been maintaining that due processes be followed and that Team Anna should present its version of the Bill before the standing committee, which is an all-party body, and should convince its members about the merit of the Bill. The Team Anna has, however, rejected the official Bill, describing it as weak and ineffective, and is insisting that it should be withdrawn and replaced by the Bill they have drafted. Speaking to mediapersons after the full Planning Commission meeting today, the Prime Minister explained that when he convened an all-party meeting to seek opinion on the Lokpal Bill, all leaders had said they would give their views after it is presented in Parliament. “They said we cannot give you our opinion till you come out with a draft,” the PM Singh said. “We have fulfilled our obligation. We are open to discussion,” he added. While leaders of nine political parties, including four Left parties, TDP, AIADMK and the RJD, have decided to hold joint nationwide protests for a strong Lokpal Bill on August 23, a CPM statement also said it would place its views before the standing committee, indirectly rejecting the deadline set by Team Anna. The same confusion is also evident in the BJP ranks. Senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi wrote a letter to the Prime Minister saying Parliament should set aside all business and pass a strong Lokpal Bill, adding that it would be “arrogance and stupidity” on part of the legislature to ignore the growing public anger against corruption. He, however, did not specify if he favoured Team Anna’s version of the Bill or whether he would like the standing committee to first process the Bill.
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Nigmanand’s death
Haridwar, August 20 The CBI team questioned Chief Medical Superintendent R Thapliyal for more than 20 minutes, took some medical documents related to the case and also inspected the ICU of the hospital where Nigmanand was put up for four days. Notably, the CBI in its report, on the complaint of the Matra Sadan and Nigmanand’s family, has named the then Chief Medical Superintendent (CMS) Dr PK Bhatnagar, Himalayan stone crusher owner Gyanesh Kumar along with four other persons as the main accused for conspiring and murdering Nigmanand. Several documents were seized by the probing team from the CMS office and medical staff members were questioned. Already the Haridwar Police has submitted all the documents concerned available with them to the CBI team. With sharpness in the CBI probe being visible, the Matra Sadan members and the Ganga activists are hoping that the investigation will now soon reveal the names of those persons who conspired the killing of Nigmanand and are having liaison with quarrying mafia. Late Swami Nigmanand had started his agitation on February 19 demanding a ban on quarrying on the Kumbh mela notified area on the Ganga. However, after the two months of agitation he was forcefully hospitalised by the administration and on June 1 he was referred to Jolly Grant Hospital, Rishikesh, where he went in coma. Matra Sadan members had alleged Swami Nigmanand was given poison via an injection by a nurse after which his health deteriorated and he went into coma and later died on June 13.
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Poll reforms, land law also on Anna agenda
New Delhi, August 20 Buoyed with massive countrywide public support that the protest is drawing, Team Anna has raised the bar of the protest, arguing that there is no reason why the Jan Lokpal Bill cannot be tabled in Parliament next week itself, even as the government maintained that drafting of a law is a lengthy process for which there are no shortcuts. Strategically holding a media conference in view of cheering public at Ramlila Maidan, Team Anna attacked the government and dismissed reports of any political backing from organisations like the BJP and the RSS. “They should be sent to mental hospital,” opined Anna while Arvind Kejriwal attacked the Congress saying that the party had always believed in “dividing the country on the basis of caste and religion. This is a Congress policy”. Making light of the Congress’ observation of the US hand in the protest, Anna added: “Tomorrow they will see the hand of Pakistan”, while Prashant Bhushan and Kiran Bedi advised the government not to waste time in making false accusations and asked the Parliamentary Standing Committee to reject the Lokpal Bill sent to it by Parliament. Maintaining that the government’s interest was limited to only see how much support Anna’s fast was drawing so that it could plan accordingly, they went on to criticise political parties like the BJP, accusing them of indulging in opportunism seeing the massive public support. The Parliamentary Standing Committee has issued advertisements outlining salient features of the Bill and asking people to send their opinions and suggestions within 15 days. While 15 days is the standard time given for feedback, the time-frame makes it clear that the deadline of August 30 set by Hazare for passing the Bill will not be met. With Anna firm on continuing till his demands are met, the support to his fight is only growing. Despite being on fast for the last five days, Anna continues to be in good health.
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Govt raps Team Anna for criticising House panel
New Delhi, August 20 "The Parliamentary Standing Committee system has been evolved so that it is going to be a mini Parliament. If anybody criticises the Parliament Standing Committee, if they cast aspersions on it, it is clearly a case of breach of privilege,” Minister of State for the PMO V Narayanasamy said. "If somebody says that Members of Parliament are 'chor', that means that they are not only casting aspersion on the MPs but on Parliament itself," he said reacting to the questions on alleged remarks against the MPs by the supporters of Anna Hazare who is spearheading a campaign against corruption. Narayanasamy said if anybody criticises the functioning of the Standing Committee, then it is amounting to a criticism of the MPs who are sitting there in the committee and it is also "a clear case of breach of privilege". Referring to the "several allegations" being made against the MPs, the minister also agreed with the observations that "there should be a 'Lakshman rekha' for everybody". Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajeev Shukla also said "there should definitely be a 'Lakshman rekha' for protest" while giving "a full freedom" to stage protest. Asking to "respect the constitutional bodies", he said, "to insult Parliament, its standing committee and to say that all the MPs are 'chor', then the people of
the country can decide by listening to all this that who is arrogant and who
is not." — PTI
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Anna Effect Mumbai, August 20 The Maharashtra Government Employees’ Confederation has announced that its members, numbering more than seven lakh non-gazetted officers, would declare their assets every year. In a statement issued here, RG Karnik, general secretary of the confederation, said members of the union would declare their assets, including immovable assets, to the heads of their departments every year instead of five years at present. The members will also declare assets like computers, laptops, televisions, radios and washing machines, according to Karnik. The details of assets held by the employees will be put up in their workplaces as a measure of transparency. The union has asked its members to report colleagues who hold assets disproportionate to their known sources of income to heads of government departments and the office-bearers of the confederation.
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10-day jail for CPM leader Kolkata, August 20 Ghose was arrested on the charge of killing seven Trinamool workers and hiding their bodies in the jungle near his village home Benachapra, Garbeta, on September 22, 2002. He was also accused of several other criminal charges, including the possession of illegal firearms, wireless sets, weapons and a large amount of unaccounted money. Skeletons of the two bodies were recovered from the jungle adjacent to his village house. They were identified as of the two TMC workers, Raju Singh and Monoj
Acharya.
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Assets case
Hyderabad, August 20 Undoubtedly, YSR, as the former CM is known in political circles, was the most charismatic leader of the state Congress who had steered the party to power for second successive term in May, 2009. He died in a helicopter crash in September 2009. All along, Congress leaders have been claiming themselves to be the true successors of YSR’s political legacy and attacking Jagan for his corrupt business practices and bringing disrepute to his father. However, the CBI has named YSR as a partner in the misuse of power to dole out favours to certain companies who had, as part of quid quo pro, invested in the firms floated by Jagan. Meanwhile, the raids on residences and businesses owned by Jagan and others named in the FIR, are expected to go on for another week.
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Tribune Exclusive
New Delhi, August 20 The first major demonstration of the body scanner concluded yesterday in the Parliament House Complex and was done by the Singapore-based Smiths Detection Veecon Systems who displayed their gadgets at the entry to Parliament Library Building. The demonstrator, when contacted, described the machine as one that “uses a unique millimeter wave technology to offer state-of-the-art body imaging Inquiries into the demonstrations revealed that efforts were on to procure the best suited body scanner for the Parliament complex - one that did not invade privacy and did not pose health risks on account of radiation. Speaking to The Tribune, P.R Meena, Additional Secretary, Parliament Security, admitted to the ongoing project and said, “The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Security has instructed us to examine body and vehicle scanners. We have called for demonstrations from the best players in the field and are making our assessments on their suitability. Once the proposal is ready, we will take it to the JPC and finally to Lok Sabha Speaker.” The entire assessment is being made by the inter-departmental committee on parliamentary security (also comprising Home Ministry officials) which Meena heads. Asked if body scanners would be acceptable in India, especially at a time when countries the world over, including the US, were voting to restrict the use of strip searching technologies, Meena said, “Privacy is an issue so is the health risk. But now there is technology world over which reveals only threat objects. We will go only for those body scanners which serve our purpose of exposing concealed threats without invading privacy.” Parliament security sources said that in the course of assessment, issues like who to examine and who to leave, were also being debated. Final decision on the matter will rest with the parliamentary panel on security and the Speaker. So far as the proposal to introduce body scanners goes, it was mooted during the tenure of Charanjit Singh Atwal, former deputy speaker (this JPC is currently headed by BJP’s Karia Munda). At that time, a request was made to the then Speaker Somnath Chatterjee to allow a group of officers from the Parliament, Home Ministry and MPs to tour certain locations where body scanning machines were in use. The said tour didn’t come through and there was a sense that a gadget sought to be procured must be tested where it ought to be located. The proposal has now been revived. It may be mentioned here that privacy concerns have delayed the installation of body scanners at the Indira Gandhi airport.
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Things may be slow, but are in control: Navy chief
Having seen the adverse reaction of the nation to a crewless vessel - MT Pavit - drifting into Mumbai, the Indian Navy has changed its patrol plans and ship-detection procedures at sea to make sure that a such an incident doesn’t repeat itself.
Though severely handicapped in the absence of a chain of coastal radars or the automated identification system (AIS) for ships out at sea, which were promised after the 26/11 attacks, Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma said the Navy was tracing how Pavit sailed undetected from more than a 1,000 miles to land at Mumbai. Admiral Verma admitted that the task of securing the coast and setting up radars or the AIS could not be done by the Navy alone. Hence, other agencies have been roped in. “It will be too huge for me. I do not have that kind of manpower,” the Admiral said in response to a question by reporters as to why the Navy does not take control of these projects since it was designated the overall in charge in February 2009. Admiral Verma was categorical as he referred to steps taken after 26/11. “Some of them have not moved at the pace as one desires. There have been procedural issues. In some cases, the task has been gigantic like the one in case of issue of (identity) cards to fishermen,” he said. “Things are in control,” Admiral Verma said as he referred to the coordination between various agencies that is done at the level of the Cabinet Secretary. Originally, the Navy has suggested a Maritime Commission and also a Maritime Security Adviser under the PM for being the single point in charge for sea matters on the pattern of the National Security Adviser.
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Flood waters enter over 1,000 Bihar villages
Patna, August 20 All the inundated villages are in flood-prone districts of Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, Araria, Purnia, Saharsa, Darbhanga, Madhepura and Bagaha, officials said. “Flood waters entered more than 700 villages of Aurai block in Muzaffarpur. In Bhagalpur, more than 200 villages were inundated, while dozens of villages were flooded in Madhepura, Araria and Purnia,” an official of the state disaster management department said. An official of the water resource department said, "Water entered these villages after levels rose in all the major rivers following heavy rains in the state and the catchment areas of Nepal." According to the Central Water Commission, the water level in the Ganga crossed the red mark at several places. Similarly, the Kosi was flowing above the danger mark and Mahananda at other places. An official said that standing crops worth crores of rupees have been damaged and road communication at several places has been snapped. "Paddy cultivation has been badly hit. Standing banana and maize crops in Bhagalpur and other districts have been destroyed,” he said. Officials said that after two consecutive years of drought, the fear of a major flood was back in Bihar with incessant rains and heavy water discharge into the Kosi river from Nepal. However, Bihar Water Resources Development Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said all embankments were safe and there was no need to panic. However, in view of worsening flood situation, five teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in five flood-hit districts. — IANS
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People’s theatre performs for social change
Lucknow, August 20 So overwhelming was the response to the play that depicted the police shoving a baton into the private parts of a Dalit girl inside the police station that by late evening, a nervous district administration suspended the entire staff of the police station concerned. That was seven years ago. Artistes in this street theatre group are not professional actors, but working class people - rickshaw pullers, vegetable vendors, mechanics and tailors - who contribute their bit to society by engaging in this theatre for change. They not only put in their precious time, but some even contribute their earnings to carry on the activity that provides some meaning to their otherwise mundane life. Sanjeeba, now 43, had started this theatre group which still does not have a formal name, some 10 years ago along with his friends and acquaintances from Nawabganj, the locality in which he lives. He runs a photo frame shop in Kanpur. A member of an affluent zamindar family which is now into cold storage business, Sanjeeba’s sensibilities from the very beginning had made it clear that he had no interest in the family business. This had caused much friction in the family. He candidly admits getting no financial or emotional support from his family. Giving an insight into his kind of theatre, he said, "None of my plays are for pure entertainment. They are aimed at social awakening and reformation. Most of the time, they are in response to a real social problem at hand.” Recalling how he started his theatre group, Sanjeeba said that around 10 years ago, a very close friend, senior at the university and room mate committed suicide blaming the insensitive world and the failure of the system for his unhappiness. “I decided to gather like-minded people to start a theatre group which will not take things lying down.” Other members of the group also live in the same locality and their friendship goes back several years. Prem Pehahwan is a vegetable seller, Durgesh repairs wrist watches and Bahadur pulls a rickshaw for a living. Every evening, after finishing the day’s hard work, they collect at Sanjeeba’s house for discussion over local events, development of storylines and rehearsals of some play on burning social issues. The first play that they staged was on the Arti case in which a girl had been disfigured due to an acid attack by a boy when she had refused to marry him. Hitting out at the systemic failure to respond to such happenings, the villain in the plays are often the police, politicians and more often popular apathy. Usually taking inspiration from real local incidents, the plays have commonplace names - Vardi wala kutta (Dog in uniform), Ladki lut gayi thane mein, (Girl looted inside police station), Police acchi ya kutta (Police better or dog), Neta aur suuar (Leader and pig), Neta pito swarg milega (Beat leaders and enter paradise) and so on. The no-frills “nukkad nataks” by Sanjeeba and his troupe are their ways of realising their individual and collective social responsibility and bringing in a positive change in society by breaking the silence and demanding action. Listing the advantage of street theatre over other forms of communication, Sanjeeba said that he and his troupe manage to deliver the message to literate as well as non-literate persons without making them shell out a single paisa.” “Five years ago, a student undergoing coaching for medical entrance exam was sodomised by some city policemen. This led to our play “Police acchi ya kutta”. The pressure of the shows caused not only the suspension of the policemen, but also ensured that they were put behind bars,” recalls Sanjeeba. Sanjeeba, a graduate from Kanpur University is a director, lyricist, actor, studio recorder and writer. He has authored two books - “Ye Desh Angrzo Tum Chalao” and “Nange Paw Sanjeeda: Discovery of Indian Democracy”.
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On a day when political parties spoke in disparate voices on the Lokpal Bill and a fasting Anna Hazare remained firm that his version of the Bill be passed by August 30, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh struck a conciliatory note, stating that the government is open to “discussion and dialogue” on this issue but does not favour any shortcuts in framing of laws.
With the CBI filing an FIR regarding the mysterious death of agitating Swami Nigmanand, a special team of the agency today conducted a raid at the Haridwar district hospital.
New Delhi, August 20
Thousands of persons had gathered in front of the Nawabganj police station in Kanpur to witness Sanjeeba’s street play “Ladki lut gai thane mein” based on a true incident which had happened at that very police station.
So overwhelming was the response to the play that depicted the police shoving a baton into the private parts of a Dalit girl inside the police station that by late evening, a nervous district administration suspended the entire staff of the police station concerned.
