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Team Anna stays united, for now
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Governors’
Conference
Tough task at hand for Sonia
crippled
admn
Six killed, 25 missing in Arunachal bridge collapse
Watch TV to control population, restates Azad
Digvijay fires fresh salvo at Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Rlys to set up Metro coach factory at Singur
Green groups see red over Tomatina in Goa
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Team Anna stays united, for now
New Delhi, October 29 Directly blaming the Congress-led UPA for misusing the state machinery to target members of Team Anna, Kejriwal warned the government that if the Bill was not passed in the winter session of Parliament Team Anna would campaign in the upcoming Assembly elections against the Congress. He also defended Team Anna’s call to campaign in the Hisar by-poll, saying “it was the right decision”. However, even as Kejriwal said there were no differences within the group, he accepted that there was always scope for “restructuring and strengthening the team.” Kejriwal and Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan, who earned Anna’s displeasure over his statement supporting plebiscite on the vexatious issue of Kashmir, would travel to Ralegan Siddhi to meet the anti-graft crusader to apprise him of proceedings of the almost five-hour long meeting. Anna is expected to take the final call after hearing the details. Till then core group of the anti-corruption movement that forced the government to rethink the Lokpal Bill is presenting a unified front. This despite growing dissent and voices favouring revamp following allegations of financial irregularities against Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi and other issues plaguing the group like its changing political stance that saw the resignation of two prominent activists Rajinder Singh and PV Rajagopal.Apart from Hazare, who is on a vow of silence from October 16, others who were absent today included activist Medha Patkar and Santosh Hegde apart from Kumar Vishwas, who wrote to Anna demanding suspension and expansion of the core group. Patkar and Vishwas have both demanded “overhaul” of the core group and Hazare’s official blogger Raju Parulekar also said on Friday that the core committee of Team Anna would be expanded soon. While Kejriwal asserted that there were no differences within the movement sources, however, say that for the first time perhaps people in the group spoke openly of what was on their minds, including the “arrogant attitude” of Kejriwal and Bedi, flagged off by Rajendra Singh and Rajagopal. “In earlier meetings they (Kejriwal and Bedi), and to some extend Prashan Bhushan, did most of the talking,” a core committee member said. Incidentally, Kejriwal today also apologised to Singh and Rajgopal if his so-called arrogant attitude angered them The sources said that members also agreed that Kumar Vishwas should not have written the letter. “ He could have presented his views before the group. A senior member of the group will meet him to apprise him of the sentiments of the group that decorum should be maintained in all circumstances,” another core committee member said The alleged financial irregularities by Kejriwal and Bedi were also discussed and so were the views on plebiscite expressed by Bhushan. “Members were advised to refrain from speaking on issues that could be used by the government to divert attention from the key issue of corruption,” he said.
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Governors’ Conference Ashok Tuteja Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 29 Noting that there was heightened expectations amongst the people from the Indian polity, she stressed that simpler rules, transparent processes, judicious exercise of discretion, prompt delivery systems, better public awareness, public accountability and discharge of responsibilities with utmost rectitude would go a long way in fighting corruption. “Corruption stalls development, undermines social progress, undercuts confidence in the fairness of public administration, impedes good governance, erodes the rule of law, distorts competitive conditions, dampens investments and above all hurts the common man the most,’’ the President said while opening the two-day 43rd conference of Governors at Rashtrapati Bhavan this morning. Among other issues, Patil spoke about global recognition of India’ economic and technological prowess, the multiple challenges of terrorism, Left-wing extremism and insurgency, the need for evolving a viable strategy for increasing production, productivity and profitability in rain-fed areas and the role of Governors in the context of the sixth schedule of the Constitution. The President also spoke about the menace of ragging in educational institutions and urged the Governors, who are also Chancellors of state universities, to play an important role in wiping it out from the system. “Many states have enacted laws, rules and regulations to prevent ragging. The regulatory structures have to be constantly monitored and all inadequacies removed. While it is the primary responsibility of the management of educational institutions and teachers to prevent ragging, parents and guardians have to be mobilised to counsel their wards to behave more responsibly,” she said. She also sought the support of NGOs in fostering a climate of awareness against ragging.
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Arunachal CM, PCC chief offer to quit
New Delhi, October 29 Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said no decision on the resignation offer has yet been taken but said Congress president Sonia Gandhi would soon take a view on the issue. "The Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister and the PCC chief have offered to submit their resignation. As of now, no decision has been taken. It is under consideration," Singhvi said. A three-member team of the AICC observers, which had visited the state for taking stock of the feud in the party unit there, today submitted its report to the Congress President. The committee consisted of AICC in-charge for the state Dhaniram Shandil, former Union Minister B K Handique and Union Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde. All the three observers met Gandhi and apprised her of the political situation in the state. Senior party leader Oscar Fernandez and Gandhi's Political Secretary Ahamed Patel were also present in the meeting that discussed at length the available options in the state.
— PTI
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Tough task at hand for Sonia
Guwahati, October 29 Earlier, in the wake of the internal squabbles within the ruling Congress that spilled into street violence in the state capital Itanagar, Gamlin and his main detractor, Nabam Tuki, who is president of the state PCC, had agreed to abide whatever decision the Congress president was going to take to resolve the crisis in the sensitive frontier state having border with China, Bhutan and Myanmar. Gamlin had replaced Dorjee Khandu who died in a helicopter crash on April 30 this year. He has been under pressure from his detractors within the party as he had surpassed many senior leaders while becoming the CM. Khandu was a strong leader who had total control over the party. He was ably leading the ruling Congress since 2007 till his tragic demise leaving a big void. The Congress high command must be aware that political instability is the last thing the party want in Arunachal Pradesh where the law and order situation of late has become a cause for concern with insurgent groups from the neighbouring Nagaland and Assam creating trouble in certain parts of the state by indulging in extortion, abduction and intimidation taking advantage of the lack of sustained stern action from the administration to check such activities. Both Gamlin and Tuki claim to have support of equal number of party MLAs. The ruling Congress has 42 MLAs in a House of 60. Stability must be ushered in the bordering state for the sake of implementation of massive development projects, including the Rs 20,000 trans-Arunachal Highway project as well as mega hydro-power projects that have attracted massive investment from private sectors and power sector
PSUs.
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Sports Minister not invited for Indian Grand Prix
New Delhi, October 29 Sports Ministry sources claimed that Maken was not invited by the organisers, Jaypee Group for the final day race at the brand-new state-of-the-art Buddh International Circuit at Greater Noida. Maken said from Kozhikode that he did not expect an invitation from the organisers either. “I am not a star, a celebrity or an item girl,” he declared and added that after he had refused to entertain the organisers, he could not have expected an invitation. A Sports Ministry document revealed that the F1 race was granted permission at no cost to the government. While rejecting the request for tax exemption, Maken had noted in the file "I agree with Secretary (Sports).... The approval letter clearly says that the permission to hold this event was being granted with no cost to the government and subject to the following conditions : that no claim for the custom duty or tax exemption or any other exemption (will be sought) as a sporting event. I do not see any need to change/amend this condition," Maken wrote in the file on October 24. "Besides this letter, the conditions of which were approved by me also says that the contribution for 2010-11 be made upfront. The annual contribution to NSDF for sports promotion were enhanced from Rs 5 crore to Rs 10 crore as mentioned in Para 5 (X). I hope the contribution as mentioned above would have been realised by the Ministry," he wrote.
— PTI
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Don’t revoke AFSPA in Kashmir: Advani
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 29 He, however, said there is a case for withdrawal of the Act in Manipur which could be examined. "I don't think there is a need to withdraw the AFSPA so far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned. Nothing should be done that weakens the armed forces position," he told reporters here. Attacking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Advani took strong objection to
the position that coalition dharma often came in the way of acting strongly against corruption. "Coalition dharma matters only in the matters of policy and not in the matters of integrity," he said. Recalling how the BJP conducted the NDA alliance when it was in power, Advani said they had formed new states without any problems, but had deferred a decision on Telangana as it required a policy consensus among all the partners. "My party was in favour of Telengana in the NDA, when in power. But our allies were not in favour," he said. Advani also lamented that number of farmer suicides in the last eight years have been remarkably high. The BJP leader also lashed out at the government for its failure to check inflation which has made even basic existence difficult. He said suicides by farmers anywhere is unfortunate and urged the polity to ensure that they are not driven to take this extreme step. Meanwhile in New Delhi, when asked to comment on Advani's statement that there is a case for withdrawal of AFSPA in Manipur which could be examined, BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy said, "Possibly on the basis of merit and ground realities, that can be accessed." "We are not making an outright demand that it should be removed (from Manipur), but assessed," he said.
— PTI
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crippled
admn Suresh Dharur Tribune News Service
Hyderabad, October 29 that saw all the ministers from Telangana stay away from the Secretariat as a mark of protest against the delay in the formation of a separate state. Though the UPA government has not indicated any time-frame so far for finding a solution to the Telangana tangle, the ministers from the volatile region made a climb-down after the government staff and workers called off their 42-day-long general strike. With the Telangana stir showing signs of subsiding, the ministers returned to the Secretariat, the seat of power that wore a desolate look for over two months. Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy heaved a sigh of relief with all the 15 Telangana ministers attending the meeting that reviewed several ongoing welfare and development programmes. The last full-fledged Cabinet meeting was held on August 16. In the normal course, the state Cabinet meets every fortnight. For the first time in the history of the state, a section of the Cabinet members stayed away from duties in support of a political cause. Kiran, a cricketer-turned-politician, had to grapple with a bouncy political track and a hostile atmosphere even in the dressing room. However, a majority of the ministers were functioning from their official residences and clearing important files pertaining to their departments. The Chief Minister was forced to chair the truncated and informal meetings with his Cabinet colleagues from Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions. The Telangana ministers’ non-cooperation and the employees’ strike had virtually crippled the administration. Added to this was the public criticism by the Telangana ministers and other leaders from the region, targeting their own party government. With a strong statehood sentiment sweeping across the region, the Telangana ministers were under pressure from their constituencies to demonstrate their commitment to the cause. However, return of the Telangana ministers to official duties and the withdrawal of the employees’ strike are expected to boost the morale of the government. Meanwhile, the Cabinet meeting ratified the recent decisions like payment of salaries to the Telangana employees for the strike period and the Rs 1 per kg rice scheme.
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Andhra tops in crime against women
n
In 2010, a total of 27,244 cases of crime against women were registered, accounting for 12.8 per cent of the all India total
Hyderabad, October 29 During 2010, a total of 27,244 cases of crime against women were registered in the state, accounting for 12.8 per cent of the all India total. The statistics released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in its latest report for 2010 show AP in poor light in terms of violence against women and children. AP accounts for seven per cent of the country’s population but the incidence of crime against women is very high compared to other states. West Bengal ranked second in the hall of infamy, reporting 26, 125 cases and accounting for nearly 12.2 per cent of the total incidents in 2010. This is the second year in a row that AP has registered highest number of cases against women. In 2009, the State had registered 25,569 cases, the highest in the country. Among the crimes against women, cruelty by husbands accounted for 12,080 cases, sexual harassment 4,562, molestation 4,634, kidnapping 1,531, rape 1,362 and immoral trafficking 548. The offences against women, in fact, formed a major chunk of total cognisable cases in the State, at 32.4 per cent. “A general atmosphere of moral degradation is prevailing in the state. We have witnessed a growing number of acid-throwing incidents targeting women,” said V Sandhya, President of Progressive Organisation of Women (POW), an NGO working in the area of women empowerment. The women rights activists say that the absence of swift punitive action against the offenders was resulting in the rise in the crime rate. “The excruciatingly slow judicial process and a poor conviction rate are adding to the frustration,” Sandhya said. The NCRB statistics revealed that AP ranked sixth in the country in the category of crimes against children, with 1,823 cases at 6.8 per cent of the all India total. Of this, 581 related to kidnapping, while 745 cases were pending. Among 28 States and seven Union Territories, the State accounted for the second highest number of cases registered by the police in the country, with 8.2 per cent in the all India total. It stood next only to Uttar Pradesh.
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Six killed, 25 missing in Arunachal bridge collapse
Itanagar, October 29 With the recovery of the body of a 30-year-old woman from the river, the death toll has risen to six, officials said. "The hanging bridge at the entrance to Seppa town, the district headquarters, collapsed as people were crossing it," Superintendent of Police of East Kameng district Kime
Aya said. Five bodies were found by rescue teams comprising the CRPF, the ITBP and the district police,
he said. 29 people have been rescued so far and the condition of five among them is serious, sources said. The rescue operation is still continuing and 25 people are still missing, officials said. The swift current in the river and darkness were impeding the search and rescue teams, the SP said. "Two persons who swam back to safety informed that there were over 100 people who had gone on the hunt for 'teri', an insect which is a delicacy for the tribals, at around 5:30 pm which was not the right time," Aya said. The exact toll can be ascertained only tomorrow, he said.
— PTI
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Watch TV to control population, restates Azad
Child deaths: Health Minister defends Mamata
The Health Minister on Saturday defended the West Bengal government in the wake of the ongoing spate of child deaths at the BC Roy Hospital and said most of the children who died had come to the hospital in a critical state and could not be revived. Blaming the problem on acute shortage of human resources in the National Rural Health Mission which hampers district and block-level management of infants, Azad defended the Mamata Banerjee government and said there was no negligence. He, however, called upon the states to ban private practice of serving government medics, saying doctors were in the habit of private practice, to the detriment of patients.
New Delhi, Oct 29 Watch television to avoid producing children, he reiterated today, armed this time with an interesting precedent from the US where a sudden spurt in deliveries in the mid-1940s was attributed to a two-hour blackout across that country. The minister was also quick to ask why no one was criticising “Idea”, which was using the very concept to propagate the message of population stabilisation. “Last year, when I said people should watch television to engage themselves, some critics made fun of my remark. But what I said was scientific. I now have evidence from the US, which shows that around 1,944 hospitals across that country saw a surge in the number of infant births. When experts interviewed the mothers, they learnt all those women had conceived on the night of the two-hour blackout. Nothing to do that time, this is what couples did …,” Azad said, talking to a select group of journalists at his residence today. The minister then equated the scenario in the US to that in India and said, “In our country, where there is little power connectivity in villages, one can well imagine the status of population. That’s why what I had said made sense. With television around, it is easier for couples to control population because the villagers then don’t have to depend on that one thing for entertainment,” the Union Health Minister said, referring again to the latest advertisement of cellular operator Idea which encourages people to game on 3G to avoid conceiving.
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Digvijay fires fresh salvo at Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
New Delhi, October 29 "Sri Sriji releases Nitin Gadkariji's book. Advaniji and Suresh Soniji of RSS on the dais. Sri Sri Ji ko Jai Ho !" Singh tweeted today. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had released the book here on October 8 with a call to "spiritualise" politics. The book titled 'Vikas Ke Path' was released in the presence of LK Advani with RSS leaders sharing the dais. This is the second time that Singh had posted his comments on the microblogging site Twitter suggesting relations between RSS and Sri
Sri. On Thursday, the Congress leader had alleged that the anti-corruption stir by Anna Hazare and Ramdev were part of an over-all plan of RSS-BJP to divert attention from Sangh's "terror links" and warned Sri Sri Ravi Shankar that he too could be used by them. The AICC general secretary said that while Ramdev and Hazare were plan A and B of the Sangh-BJP, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is Plan C and asked the spiritual guru to be "wary" of the two organisations. Singh remarked on the microblogging site Twitter "Plan A, B and C are of the Sangh/ BJP to divert the minds of the people from their involvement in terror activities to corruption. Plan A - Baba Ramdev. Crashed. Plan B- Anna. ? Plan C - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar soon to start
his campaign". In another post on the same day he had, "I hold Sri Ravi Shankarji in high esteem and have done a course in the Art of Living as CM MP in 2001. Reacting to it, Sri Sri had said, "People write so many things. I do not react to every comment. Everybody is entitled to his views."
— PTI
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Rlys to set up Metro coach factory at Singur
Kolkata, October 29 The Steel Authority of India (SAIL) will be involved in the construction of the metro coach factory. Talking to media persons at the Writers Buildings today, the CM said the legal tangle with the Tatas over the ownership of 997.32 acres lands at Singur was over. The entire land was now under the possession of the state government.
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Green groups see red over Tomatina in Goa
Green organisations in the state have opposed the Sundown Tomatina Festival Goa-2011, scheduled to be held in two nightclubs here by a Mumbai-based event company. Thousands of revellers are expected to participate in the tomato flinging frenzy that has its roots in the Spanish town of Bunol. The Botanical Society of Goa (BSG) said in a statement here Saturday that holding the Tomatina festival in India was a case of moral outrage, especially in a country where food security is a major issue. "The proposed festival is a moral outrage in a nation that has people too poor to even buy subsidised food grain from the Public Distribution System," the BSG said. The organisers told the media yesterday in Mumbai that the Sundown Tomatina Festival Goa-2011 would be a 12-hour event Nov 5 and was expected to attract over 30,000 revellers who would fling tomatoes at each other,jumping and dancing with water jets spraying. "The festival is conceived by actor Rahul Raj Singh, his colleagues at Magnum Opus Films, with the support of Spain Consulate in Mumbai and Goa's tourism department," Ginu Joseph, director of the Mumbai-based Chrysolite Media Pvt Ltd had said. The organisers have claimed that they would acquire tomatoes which are "not edible, but non-rotten" variety for the event. Goa Tourism Development Corporation public relations officer Deepak Narvekar told IANS that no permissions had been granted by the tourism authorities in Goa for the festival yet. "Permissions have not been granted yet," Narvekar said. "Hosting a Tomatina festival may be good for some villages in Spain that have surplus tomato production," said Miguel Braganza, vice president of the Intercontinental Network of Organic Farmers Organisation, which functions under the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement. He called for a ban on the festival under the Essential Commodities Act, 1952.
— IANS
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Panaji, October 29