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After China’s Brahmaputra project, House panel wants river data
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India embarks on first study on health risks of mobiles
Anti-Naxal Operations
Modi, Mayawati greet Khurshid on Eid
ISRO to build more powerful satellites
Child labour law in tatters
Anna Hazare discharged from hospital
One dead in goods train collision
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PGI scam kingpin gets 8-day police remand
Chandigarh, August 31 Gaurav Shalin, who was already declared a proclaimed offender (PO), was arrested outside the CBI office yesterday. His arrest follows the exposure of the multi-crore admission scam by The Tribune on September 28 last year. Gaurav, the main accused in the scam, was running the entire racket involving admissions in the PGI for MD/MS courses in 2009. The CBI counsel informed the court that the investigation agency required police remand for the accused as it had to unearth the entire racket. It had to be found if the racket was going on in other colleges of the region as well. Sources revealed that Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, and a few other colleges of the region would also be under the scanner of the CBI. On September 28, 2010, the anti-corruption branch of the CBI had arrested two junior resident doctors of the PGI, Dr Amit Musale and Dr Sujay Sonawane, who had allegedly secured admission by paying hefty sums and had cleared the entrance exam with the help of impersonators. During initial interrogation, Gaurav revealed that he had taken Rs 15 lakh from Dr Amit Musale, Rs 30 lakh from Dr Sujay Sonawane and Rs 35 lakh from Dr Sameer Patel. According to the CBI, Gaurav had got Amit admitted in MD pharmacology and Sujay in MD paediatrics in the PGIMER, Chandigarh, by using unknown persons to impersonate the duo in the entrance examination. Amit and Sujay used to convince aspiring candidates about the genuineness of the admission process being used by Gaurav. Gaurav’s main areas of operation were Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, where he along with his partners would send text messages to aspirants for various examinations offering sure shot seats at a certain price. The CBI court has already dismissed the anticipatory bail application filed by co-accused Dr Sameer Kumar Patel. The court, however, granted bail to Amit and Sujay on October 31, 2010.
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After China’s Brahmaputra project, House panel wants river data
In a report submitted to Parliament on Tuesday, the Standing Committee on Water Resources said keeping in view the apprehension of diversion of waters of some international rivers by the riparian country, the government should furnish complete data of major river systems in the country, indicating the volume at the point where it flows into the sea or flows into the territory of the adjoining country. To assess the inter-country misuse of river waters, panel headed by Dip Gogoi has also sought details of volume diverted or utilised for irrigation purposes within the country, river-wise, during the past 10 years. Dispelling apprehensions that the flow of the mighty Brahmaputra in India would be affected by a dam built by China, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently said that the government was keeping a close watch on the activities of its neighbour on the mighty northeastern river. He assured the Rajya Sabha that China’s project on its side of the Brahmaputra was just a “run-of-river dam” and that it was in India's interest to have best possible relations with China. Water, however, is increasingly becoming the source of conflicts in many regions around the world and the same applies to India and its neighbours which share important river systems. Both China and India are facing growing needs for water with their limited water resources and apprehensions are that building of a dam on the Brahmaputra in Tibet could leave India's northeast parched. Rising in Tibet as Tsangpo Brahmaputra runs a long distance till it crosses over into India in Arunachal Pradesh. Near Passighat, Debang and Lohit join and the combined river runs all along the Assam before crossing into Bangladesh. While the conflict has the potential to trigger new tensions in the already difficult relations between the two neighbours, India also blames rivers flowing from Nepal for the floods in Bihar. With the river and its tributaries making up one of the largest irrigation canals in the world, the Indus basin is an area of conflict between India and Pakistan. Indus originates in the northern slopes of the Kailash range near Mansarovar in Tibet. Although most of the river's course runs through Pakistan, a portion of it does run through India as do parts of the courses of its five major tributaries - Sutlej (originating in Tibet), Beas, Ravi, Chenab and Jhelum. The holy Ganga, too, has been a bone of contention between India and Bangladesh with the two regions sharing the river system. Bangladesh is, in fact, the lower riparian of several common rivers with India.
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Pandya murder case: Widow seeks fresh investigation
Ahmedabad, August 31 “After eight years, I have lost patience and this judgement has proved that the real killers of Haren are roaming free while some other persons have been put behind bars and have wrongly served the prison term,” said Jagruti Pandya. Terming veteran BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani as a “father figure”, Jagruti said, “I want to urge Advani ji to ensure that the BJP and he (Advani) lend support in quest for justice for Haren as she is a widow of his senior party worker,”. She said, “Chief Minister Narendra Modi should prove himself to be an ideal Chief Minister by ensuring that real killers are caught and punished”. Jagruti said she was yet to receive a response from Modi over her plea for fresh investigation into the case. “I had earlier written a letter to the CM seeking his co-operation for re-investigation into the case but I have not received any reply from the CM on the issue,” she said. Appealing Modi to ensure that real culprits of the murder are put behind bars, she said, “Now, after this verdict, the CM should declare my quest for justice as his cause. “I along with my two sons, and all BJP workers of Gujarat are eagerly
looking forward to the CM to own up this cause for justice,” Jagruti said, adding the BJP should take up
the matter as its own fight. — PTI
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Lt Generals move AFT against Defence Secretary
New Delhi, August 31 In their pleas, Lt Generals J S Bajwa and P G Kamath have urged the AFT for initiating “appropriate criminal contempt proceedings against the named contemners as well as their subordinate officers who are responsible for open defiance of order dated June 2 passed by the Tribunal.” In the order passed on June 2, the Tribunal had asked the government to keep one vacancy each of Corps Commander vacant for the two officers but the respondents did not do so, said S S Pandey, counsel for the two officers. In the petitions, the officers have asked the Tribunal to “safeguard the dignity, efficacy and the authority of the Tribunal, and to give a clear message to the respondents/ contemners for such open defiance of the order by challenging the authority of this Tribunal.” This alleged act “needs to be viewed seriously,” they pleaded. The two officers have named Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma as the main respondent in the case. Bajwa and Kamath had filed a case before the Tribunal for being appointed as Corps Commanders, for which they were cleared by an Army selection board but were not given the charge as they did not have the required residual three years of service. The officers had contended that three other Lt General-rank officers, including Lt Gen Chetinder Singh, N K Singh and present 15 Corps Commander Lt Gen S A Hasnain, also did not have three years of residual service but were given Corps Commander appointments by the government. Bajwa is at present the Chief of Staff at the Kolkata-based Eastern Command and Kamath is holding the same office at the Central Command in Lucknow.
— PTI
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India embarks on first study on health risks of mobiles
New Delhi, August 31 Embarking on a major research -- “Effect of Non-ionizing Electromagnetic Field on Human Health” -- in Delhi, National Capital Region and the nearby states of UP and Haryana, the Ministry of Health has invited anyone to take part in the study. The subjects will be examined by top experts of AIIMS and will get free pick and drop.The development comes close on the heels of a recent WHO-sponsored study that linked the use of mobiles to potential risks of health and cancers in the long run. But recognising the fact that the Indians widely differ from the Caucasians (subjects of most studies in the West) in physical and biological attributes, the government has decided to conduct a local study, which will then guide it in determining the levels of safe exposure of the radio frequency radiations (RFRs), which the mobile phones and mobile phones’ towers emit. The study will be conducted by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), which said the Indians were different from the Caucasian population in their socio-economic status, bone mineral density, muscles and fat content and environmental conditions. “Data generated in the West can’t be used to develop safety standards for the RFR exposures in India. We don’t have any data on the RFR affects on the Indians. Hence this study,” Dr RS Sharma, Deputy Director General, ICMR, said. The study is rooted in the fact that the RFRs emitted from the mobile phones and towers are a subset of electromagnetic energy covering the frequency range 3 KHz to 300 GHz The explosive development of cellular phone system has increased the extent and magnitude of the RFR exposure and new technologies are being introduced without information about their nature or even prior detailed discussion within the scientific community about their possible consequences for health. “Potential exposure also develops in the vicinity of the fixed broadcast facilities often located in the residential areas and schools. As costs of mobile phone technology have fallen, their use has increased dramatically and the overall levels of exposure to the population as a whole have increased drastically. Though the review of international scientific data available so far could not establish conclusive evidence on the safety or risks of the RFRs emitted from the mobile phones and cell masts, growing body of scientific evidences indicate towards the adverse health effects of the RFR, which may be possible if not probable. We need to find out where we stand,” Dr Sharma said. CATEGORIES OF STUDY
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Anti-Naxal Operations
Raipur, August 31 Initially, two mini UAVs are proposed to be deployed in Chhattisgarh and a border-area of Jharkhand to gather ground information for security forces before they embark on the anti-Naxal operations and launch planned offensives. A proposal in this regard was recently submitted to the Home Ministry by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which has deployed close to 70,000 troops for the counter-Naxal operations. Officials involved in the trials and testing of these machines, aimed to gather advanced reconnaissance and situational awareness functions, said the technical wing of the CRPF, which recently flew such an in-house developed machine over Chandigarh. “The results were encouraging. Hence, the UAVs of Skylark make, which can be launched by hand are being chosen to be deployed in the Naxal-affected areas,” a senior officer said. The mini UAVs can be quickly assembled before the mission and are recovered by landing the vehicle on a small inflatable cushion. The UAV is armed with gadgets to capture images and can carry payload to fly for almost three hours. The UAV has been used by NATO forces in various missions to ensure security of their camps from ambush and fire attacks, the officer said. The entire mission of this mini UAV is flown independently and it feeds real-time video and other geographical data to the portable ground station. Security forces have been scouting for the UAVs after 76 security personnel were killed in a deadly Naxal ambush in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district last year. Security agencies have been trying different variants of the UAVs for the Naxal-hit areas, dotted by thick foliage, to track the movement of the ultras and get correct information about the terrain they operate in. The Central government has deployed the ITBP and the BSF apart from the CRPF for the anti-Naxal operations in the affected states along with state police forces and other special units. — PTI
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Modi, Mayawati greet Khurshid on Eid
New Delhi, August 31 This is the first time that Modi has made such a gesture but Mayawati has been in periodic touch with Khurshid over the years that their paths have crossed in Uttar Pradesh’s political battlefield. While wishing Khurshid, Modi stressed that the rivalry between their respective political parties should not come in the way of their personal relationship. Mayawati greeted Khurshid and also had a lengthy conversation with the minister’s wife, Louise, a former UP legislator, recalling their last meeting when she had gifted peaches to the BSP leader from their orchard in Uttarakhand. Modi’s phone call is yet another attempt by the controversial Chief Minister to shed his “communal” image. Modi has alienated the minorities in his own state and in the rest of the country following his questionable role in the 2002 Gujarat riots. He has been making desperate efforts to woo the Muslims in Gujarat as he finds that his “anti-Muslim” image is thwarting his move to the national political stage. He fielded Muslim candidates in the last year’s municipal elections as part of this strategy and has been runing a campaign to project how the minorities have been prospering in Gujarat. However, his efforts did not cut much ice even with his own party and its allies. The BJP consciously kept out Modi from the election campaign in Assam as it was hoping to reach out to the sizeable Muslim electorate in the state. Similarly, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made sure that Modi was kept out of the state in the run-up to the Bihar Assembly polls.
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ISRO to build more powerful satellites
Bangalore, August 31 This kind of spacecraft would handle larger amount of power and accommodate more number of transponders in the same satellite, he said, adding that ISRO planned to incorporate new technologies in them and get into higher bands. “Today, we are at Ku band. We want to get into Ka band and even higher bands. This is one of the priorities in the coming five-year plan, which starts in April next year,” said Radhakrishnan, who is also chairman of the Space Commission and Secretary in the Department of Space. “In the remote sensing satellite field, we have to get into the environmental studies and climate change studies. This is our requirement in the next five-year plan,” he said. He said the Bangalore-headquartered ISRO would launch its first navigation satellite next year, under its Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System programme, which would be followed by six more such spacecrafts. “These will have live coverage over the Indian region,” he said. ISRO's GSLV at present can carry satellites weighing 2.2 tonnes into space. Radhakrishnan said the GSLV-Mk III, which can lift four tonnes spacecraft, is going to be one of the “major targets” in the coming five-year plan.
— PTI Farther into space
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Child labour law in tatters
New Delhi, August 31 Although 71 prosecutions are on under the Child Labour Prohibition Act so far this year, nil convictions have been reported. This represents a massive gap in the implementation of the law, with Kharge admitting in the Lok Sabha that inspections were lax in several industries. The matter came up for heated debate during the Question Hour earlier this week when MP Tarun Mandal asked the government what it was doing to prevent child labour. Estimated child labourers in India are six to 12 crore currently, with 1.2 lakh entering the market every year. However, the negligible prosecutions paint a grim picture for the future of children who have otherwise been promised free and compulsory education up to class VIII under the Right to Education Act. The data that the government furnished to the House revealed the declining seriousness in the matter of inspections for locating child labourers. The minister admitted that in 2006 the rate of conviction was low with just 1237 people being punished under the law and 937 being acquitted. Govt working on definition
The government is working to evolve a consensus on the definition of children in the country. At present different laws have different definitions of children. The Right to Education Act and the Child Labour Prevention laws define children as those under 14 years. So do the Bidi and Cigar Workers Employment and Factories Acts. Mines Act and Juvenile Justice Act define children as persons less than 18 years.
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Anna Hazare discharged from hospital
The activist left from the back door to avoid the media which was present outside the hospital premises. Hazare took solid diet for the first time today since being admitted in the hospital, said Dr Naresh Trehan, CEO and chairman of Medanta Medicity. "His condition is near normal.He has started taking dal-roti and khichdi (porridge)," he said. Trehan said Hazare's blood-pressure was 140/90, which is normal, and his pulse rate was 80 per minute. Hazare has also gained 400 gm in the last 24 hours and he now weighs 67 kg. The doctor said ketones presence in his urine is normal now and his liver and kidneys were functioning well. According to sources, Hazare is headed to his village in Maharashtra, Ralegon Siddhi.
— PTI
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‘Bribe cheque’ for
Sibal!
New Delhi, August 31 The police registered a case on August 24 after the receipt of a complaint from the Ministry's Chief Vigilance Officer Amit Khare. The ministry sought immediate tracking of the cheque and a registration of an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The FIR contains details of the letter which Khare wrote to the Delhi Police. The letter was accompanied by the cheque payable at Canara Bank along with details of the cheque number and of the writer, one Om Prakash from Dhurwa in Hatia area in Ranchi. As per the letter, the writer extended the payment in return for the favour of appointing him as the Registrar. In its letter to the police, the Ministry said: “It appears from the letter that the cheque has been used as an inducement to get a favour...This matter has been viewed very seriously in the ministry.” A case has been registered. — TNS
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Robin Dhowan new Navy Vice-Chief
New Delhi, August 31 He has been Commandant of the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla, and the Indian Naval Adviser at the High Commission of India, London. Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Satish Soni took over as the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff replacing Vice Admiral Dhowan. Vice Admiral Soni has held various important command and staff appointments in his career. He has commanded INS Kakinada, INS Kirpan, stealth frigate INS Talwar and destroyer INS Delhi. As a Rear Admiral, he commanded the Eastern Fleet of the Indian Navy. He has also been the Commandant of the NDA. The outgoing Vice Chief, Admiral DK Dewan, marked his tenure with a special achievement as he ensured 100 per cent utilisation of naval budget in the past two financial years with over 80 per cent increase in capital expenditure.
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One dead in goods train collision
Bhubaneswar, August 31 While the body of the driver of one of the trains was recovered, the fate of four others was still unknown as they were trapped in the wreckage and the rescue operation was on, a senior East Coast Railway (ECoR) official said. There were five persons, including drivers and assistant drivers, in both the trains, he said, adding that engines of the trains were damaged and gas cutters and other equipment were being used to extricate those trapped. Earlier, railway sources had said that one person was killed and four others were seriously injured in the mishap.
— PTI
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New Delhi, August 31
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