The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Bills expected this session
For consideration and passage

1. Lokpal Bill, 2011:

The bill aims to set up an anti-graft ombudsman to inquire into the allegations of corruption against public functionaries. Anna Hazare, who has gone on fast twice this year for a strong Lokpal Bill, has threatened to resume his protest if the bill is not passed in the winter session.

2. Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, 2010:

The bill aims to lay down judicial standards and establish a mechanism for dealing with complaints of misbehaviour or incapacity of a judge of the Supreme Court or a high court. It also aims to make provisions for declaration of assets and liabilities by the judges.

3. Seeds Bill, 2004:

The bill aims to provide for regulating the quality of seeds for sale, import and export and to facilitate production and supply of seeds of quality. The bill faces opposition from the Left parties, the SP and the Telugu Desam Party besides farmers' lobbies who allege it favours the MNCs involved in the marketing of seeds.

4. Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority Bill, 2011:

The bill aims to establish a statutory Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) to promote old-age income security by establishing, developing and regulating pension funds and to protect the interests of subscribers to schemes of pension funds.

5. The Constitution (One Hundred and Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2010, as passed by Rajya Sabha:

The bill, seeking 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state legislative bodies, was passed in the Rajya Sabha last year amid high drama that saw the suspension of seven members who violently disrupted the house proceedings. However, it was not passed by the Lok Sabha due to strong opposition from the Yadav trio -- Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP), Lalu Prasad Yadav (RJD) and Sharad Yadav (JD-U), who are seeking reservation for Dalit, backward caste and minority community women within it.

For introduction

1. National Food Security Bill, 2011:

The big ticket legislation of the UPA-II seeks to cover up to 75 per cent of the rural population and 50 per cent of urban households, proposing a right to seven kg of foodgrain per person at Rs 3 per kg for rice, Rs 2 per kg for wheat and Re 1 per kg for coarse grain to priority beneficiaries. It also aims at revamping the public distribution system, which provides subsidised rations to the beneficiaries.

2. Prevention of Money Laundering (Amendment) Bill, 2011:

The bill may suggest changes in procedures relating to attachment and confiscation of property. It may also bring in more entities and a new category of offences having cross-border implications.

3. Nuclear Regulatory Authority Bill, 2011.

The bill aims to establish an authority for regulation of nuclear safety and achieving the highest standards of safety based on a scientific approach, operating experience and best practices followed by the nuclear industry. It also aims to ensure that the use of radiation and atomic energy in all its applications is safe for the health of radiation workers, public and the environment.

4. Railway Protection Force (Amendment) Bill, 2011:

The bill seeks to empower Railway Protection Force to provide security on running trains. It also seeks withdrawal of Government Railway Police, whose personnel come from the state police force, from railway premises and in dealing with crime cases, including drugging and robberies in trains and stations. — IANS

Purchase-time lapses hit Bofors’ Indian remake
Ajay Banerjee
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 20
Faced with a serious shortage of artillery guns for the Indian Army, the Ministry of Defence okayed a proposal of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) to produce the 155mm Bofors guns here, but now, it faces a serious problem - the metallurgy of the gun, especially its turret though which the ammunition is fired, is a mystery.

While the OFB was given the task by the Defence Ministry a few weeks ago to produce a prototype of the Bofors gun, the real crisis is the turret, said sources.

Within the ministry’s establishment, everybody is banking on the assumption that the OFB can produce the gun from the original designs and drawings that it got from AB Bofors Sweden, however, sources in the know of matters said that it might not be easy.

The original company did not actually carry out the transfer of technology for which India had paid. There had been no production in India ever of even a single part of the gun.

All these years, the OFB has been sitting on the drawings and designs that they got from Bofors without attempting to make even a small part of it.

The gun was supplied in the late 1980s and allegations of kickbacks had rocked the nation. All of a sudden, Bofors became a dirty word in the Indian defence establishment. The gun proved its worth during the Kargil conflict in 1999 when artillery gunners softened up the Pakistani defenders who occupied the ridge line.

The ministry okayed the OFB plans as various attempts - six in the past two decades - to procure an artillery gun had come to a nought. The Army faces a serious shortage and in the absence of spares, guns are cannibalised to arrange for parts.

It is not that the OFB has been asked to re-invent the same gun. It is just an attempt to re-produce it as the per the original design for which the OFB has been asked to come up with the prototype before the end of the next fiscal (March 2013).

The OFB makes artillery guns of lower calibre than the 155 mm. It is still not clear from where the specialised technology for the gun turret will be made available. One line of thought within strategic circles is that the OFB could ask the current owner of the Bofors gun licence - the BaE Systems - for some help. The BaE has a tie-up with the Indian defence arm of Mahindra and Mahindra for producing defence equipment and has a plant at Faridabad.

Actually, the two even showcased the Bofors at a defence exhibition at New Delhi in February 2010.

Once the OFB prototype is ready, the Army will put the guns through field trials before any mass production is done. Meanwhile, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has embarked on its own project to have an indigenous artillery gun.

Badly handled

The Bofors gun was supplied by AB Bofors Sweden in the late 1980s

The company did not transfer the technology for which India had paid

All these years, the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has been sitting on the designs that they got without producing even a small part of it

In the absence of spares, guns are cannibalised to arrange for parts

The metallurgy of the gun is still a mystery to the OFB

By offering to split UP, Mayawati sets the agenda
Tribune News Service

Lucknow, November 20
Mulayam Singh Yadav, whose party has consistently opposed the ‘balkanisation’ of Uttar Pradesh, even going to the extent of opposing the popular Uttarakhand movement in the nineties, believes that splitting the state into four, as proposed by Mayawati, would undermine the significance of the largest state in the Indian polity.

He also cites the growing Naxal problem in Jharkhand and Chattisgarh and says that small,unviable states could give a fillip to Maoist activities and expose the state’s porous border to international aggression. It would also limit his own political influence to the 21-districts in the proposed Awadh Pradesh.

Mayawati’s announcement has probably hit no one harder than Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Ajit Singh, a long term supporter of Harit Pradesh in Western UP. Despite being a vocal champion of Harit Pradesh, he never moved his little finger to do anything about it even when his party was part of the central government or state government. Mayawati’s decision to take the initiative has left him high and dry. With Muslims comprising around 35 per cent of the population in the new Paschim Pradesh , being advocated by Mayawati, both Ajit Singh and BJP seem to feel threatened.

The Congress and the BJP have been cautious because the stakes are higher for them. Both the parties have supported the concept of smaller states. Rahul Gandhi, by his frequent visits to Bundelkhand and facilitating the multi-crore Bundelkhand package, had articulated the typical problems of the region, justifying a separate Bundelkhand.

But neither the Congress nor the BJP can go ahead with Mayawati’s plan for fear of opening up a pandora’s box.

While the Bahujan Samaj Party, with its current strength in each of the four regions, can form a government in all the four proposed states, politics is too dynamic to make such short-term calculations. BSP is a centralised party with power concentrated in one person. It is difficult to identify even half a dozen BSP leaders, who can be said to be close enough to Mayawati to be projected as future chief ministers.

Why does Mayawati want to diminish the status of the CM of Uttar Pradesh which sends the largest number of MPs to the Lok Sabha ? She cannot possibly rule all the four states. Why then did she offer to give up control over 75 districts?

She of course knows that for the time being her move would serve no more purpose than putting the cat among the pigeons. The resolution which she would manage to pass in the state assembly would forever secure her place in history as the architect of these probable states, if and when they ever come into existence. But it will have to be steered in parliament and get the approval of the central government first.

Chances are that the resolution will be put on the backburner by setting in motion the formation of another State Reorganisation Commission. But her immediate purpose would have been served.

The smart move by Mayawati would have sent out the signal that creation of four states would create political space for more people in public life. There will be four chief ministers, four governors, four councils of ministers and so on. The bureaucracy and the police structures would also expand. It may give a fillip to construction and infrastructure building in all the four regions and thus create jobs.

What she has done is to make it a potent electoral issue. She has set the agenda and she can now sit back and allow other political parties to either support the proposal or oppose it. If it is ‘Head’, Mayawati wins and if it is ‘Tail’, the opposition loses.

UP Assembly session set to be stormy
Tribune News Service

Lucknow, November 20
With the Samajwadi Party determined to bring a no-confidence motion against the ruling BSP, the Uttar Pradesh Assembly's winter session scheduled to begin tomorrow is likely to be a stormy affair.

The session, in all probability the last one of the current state Assembly, would be historical as it would witness Chief Minister Mayawati tabling a resolution for splitting the state into four.

SP would oppose the move provoking a lot of commotion in the House. While the ruling party would wish to pass the controversial resolution by voice vote, SP may demand a lobby division to embarrass the ruling party which has many fence sitters who have been denied a ticket for the next Assembly elections.

Explaining the SP's game plan, chief whip Ambika Chaudhary said the party’s move was not aimed at pulling down the government.

"It is true that the vote on account, which is required by the government to seek the House's permission to withdraw funds, is on a par with the no-confidence motion. Still essentially, the SP’s intention is not to topple the government but merely to draw the people’s attention to the party’s stand vis-a-vis the governments" he claimed.

Chadhury is confident that if there is a debate on the resolution the views of the Congress, the BJP and the RLD, who have been supporters of such smaller states, would become a part of the official record. “The voters would know where these political parties stand.” he said.

The lady who dreams to be PM
Shahira Naim/TNS

Lucknow, November 20
"Nobody can stop me from becoming Prime Minister,” declared Mayawati after taking oath of office for the fourth time as the Chief Minister of India’s largest state, Uttar Pradesh. She does not miss any opportunity to rub the point home. Addressing a rally at Jhansi, she was blunt in her message. “You make me the PM and I will get jobs to each one of you”. Last week, while unveiling her proposal to carve out four states out of Uttar Pradesh, she once again reminded everyone of her mission. “ I am unveiling the plan and setting the ball rolling as Chief Minister. If the Centre does not implement it, I will do so once I become the Prime Minister”.

Nobody of course can afford to laugh it off or take her lightly. She herself is earnest and while inaugurating yet another park made of granite and red stone and flaunting, yes, statues, she asserted in all seriousness that the Congress had pulled out Meira Kumar and propped her as the Speaker as its own dalit face because of her. Congress , she asserted, would do anything to foil her bid to become Prime Minister.

She is the only Chief Minister in the country to have created a post of Cabinet Secretary. She has built up a Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) on the lines of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and had demanded NSG cover for her security. The Cabinet Secretary in UP has also been accorded the rank of a cabinet minister, making bureaucrats squirm but allowing the Cabinet Secretary, a former pilot, to attend cabinet meetings.

She is clearly not content with being the daughter or even the ‘queen’ of dalits. While in the early days of her political career, she would exhort her followers to declare ‘with pride’ that they were ‘untouchables’, she has, since then, built bridges with both Brahmins, allowing Satish Chandra to look after party affairs and represent her in Parliament, and Rajputs, by making Shashank Shekhar Singh the Cabinet Secretary.

Her 55 th birthday on January 15 was celebrated by cutting a 55 kilogram cake in a public square by the Lucknow Sindhi Association in collaboration with traders of the city's main shopping street - Hazratganj. This was a sort of ‘Thanksgiving’ on the part of traders of the city’s most up market shopping street for its remarkable makeover marking the completion of 200 years of the histrionic Hazratganj .

Her social engineering has been an attempt to overcome the handicap of her inherent appeal to the marginalised in rural areas. The Bahujan Samaj Party till now has had negligible presence in urban areas and none of the 12 Mayors in Uttar Pradesh belong to her party. But by building bridges with other communities, traders and businessmen, she hopes to win their trust.

She also acquired an international profile by allowing the Jaypee Group to bring Formula 1 to India. The irony could not have been more when she handed over the winner’s trophy to Sebastian Vettel at the conclusion of the first Indian Grand Prix held in the race course developed in record time in Greater Noida. Remarkably, not a whiff of scandal has so far affected the smooth organisation of the event. Her administration can actually take considerable satisfaction.

Her biographer, Ajay Bose, writes that she was preparing for the civil services examination when her mentor, Kanshi Ram, asked her to plunge into politics. “There will be a row of collectors, who will one day stand before you,” he is reported to have told her. The words turned out to be prophetic and Mayawati has not had any occasion to regret her decision.

A stickler for discipline, her rallies are organised with military precision. Swiss tents, complete with AC, carpet, fresh fruits and flowers, are set up for her. She has never been apologetic about her expensive tastes. Her partiality for diamonds is well-known and it is no secret that she often visits the beauty salon at Hotel Oberoi in New Delhi. US diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks alleged that she had sent one of the eight aircrafts of the state government to pick up a pair of her favourite sandals from Mumbai. She has remained unfazed by criticism and has gone ahead to instal her own statues, and those of other dalit heroes.

While she is criticised for her arrogance and ambition, for being devious and ruthless, for being autocratic, she can scarcely be ignored. Political rivals have tirelessly pointed out that the ‘political paradigm’ of Mayawati is based on fear, revenge and corruption. But even the detractors concede that the BSP is likely to emerge as the single largest party when elections for the Assembly is held early next year. For all practical purpose, the race among the Samajwadi Party, BJP and the Congress is for the second slot.

IAF to use laser cladding to repair engine blades
Vijay Mohan/TNS

Chandigarh, November 20
The Indian Air Force has developed a laser-based process that would enable repair of turbine blades in aircraft engines that would otherwise have to be discarded. Called laser cladding, this process would save crores in foreign exchange.

Blades used in aircraft engine turbines, measuring a few inches in height and width, are made of titanium alloys and cost about Rs 1 lakh each. The repair of a damaged or “rubbed-out” blade through laser cladding would cost just Rs 1,500- Rs 2,000. The process uses a laser to generate a local weld pool on the surface of the component and a specially designed powder-feed nozzle then introduces a powder composed of a similar material into the molten metal. Once cooled, the resulting layer possesses very similar mechanical properties to those of the original component.

“This is for the first time that this technology has been developed in the country. Laser and nanotechnology are new developments being used in engine reclamation process at less than a third cost,” Air Cmde Suresh Singh, Air Officer Commanding No.3 Base Repair Depot, where the process has been developed, said. “We are also going in a big way to re-engineer aero-engine parts to cater to our requirements for spares. This does not imply merely copying the existing parts, but involves design and development from scratch,” he added.

An aircraft engine, on an average, comprises about 7,000 components and so far about 200 parts meant for helicopters have been indigenised. The IAF has been focusing on indigenisation when availability of aero-spares became a serious issue in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union. All its base repair depots and technical establishments have been since engaged actively in this field and the IAF has also been approaching the industry for local manufacture. Another new innovation by 3 BRD is development of a device to check spurious fire warning in helicopters.

De-worming schoolchildren: Bihar leads the way
Aditi Tandon/TNS

New Delhi, November 20
At a time when parasitic worms are threatening school education goals worldwide by preventing children from attending classes, Nitish Kumar-led Bihar has become the first state in the country to host the world’s largest de-worming project for schoolchildren.

Anchored by De-worm the World (DtW), an initiative launched by a group of young global leaders at the 2007 World Economic Forum in response to overwhelming evidence in support of school-based de-worming, the Bihar project covered 17 million children.

Around 400 million school-age children are infected with parasitic worms and there is growing evidence that de-worming can reduce school absenteeism by 25 pc and children persistently infected by worms were 13 pc less likely to be literate and 43 pc less likely to earn as adults.

India, which has the highest number of population infected with parasitic worms in South Asia, earlier saw a similar school-based de-worming project in Andhra Pradesh. Bihar, however, is one of the high-risk states so far as infections go, with baseline surveys revealing infections in 50 pc school-age children in most districts. The evidence was generated during prevalence surveys conducted in the state by DtW.

As worm infections damage children’s health, education and development, all school-age children - 21 million - were targeted in Bihar. The importance of the drive lies in the fact that infected children are more likely to suffer from anaemia and malnutrition than others.

“Fortunately, treating worm infection is as easy as administering a de-worming tablet once or twice a year to all school-age children. The medication is safe for both infected and uninfected children and delivery through schools ensures maximum impact. De-worming in schools, where the treatment is administered by teachers and supported by health care staff, is simple and cost-effective. It costs less than 50 US cents per child per year,” Alissa Fishbane, managing director, DtW, said while sharing the Bihar experience with the media at the Indian Women Press Corps here yesterday.

During the programme, nearly 1.4 lakh teachers throughout Bihar were trained to deliver medication, supported by 20,000 health care staff. The programme treated both enrolled and non-enrolled children aged six to 14 years through a network of 67,000 government schools statewide.

Children who receive treatment benefit immediately - previous research shows that school participation increases and children are better able to learn.

WHY DE-WORMING

Already recognised as a key school health intervention in the 1993 World Development Report and the 2001 World Health Assembly, school-based de-worming has recently been identified as one of the most cost-effective ways to improve school attendance. It costs less than 50 US cents per child per year. Worldwide, 400 million children are infected, but less than 15 pc of them are receiving treatment. This is far below the 75 pc target that the WHO had sought to reach by 2010.

Mumbai celebrities march for peace
Shiv Kumar/TNS

Mumbai, November 20
Prominent Mumbai celebrities, including actor Suneil Shetty, playback singer Sonu Nigam and wrestler 'Khali', were among several hundred people who took out a peace march here to mark three years of the Mumbai attacks.

The march began from the Trident Hotel, one of the targets of the attack, and ended at the Princess Street flyover a few kilometres away.

Extolling the participants who turned up for the peace march, actor Suneil Shetty said this only showed the will of the people. "Ordinary citizens should be eyes and ears of the police," he said.

Organised by the Anti-Terror Front, the march was supported by several organisations in the city. "Apart from remembering those who laid down their lives for the country, we have to remain vigilant to face further threats in the future. Mumbai is vulnerable to terror attacks," MS Bitta of the Anti-Terror Front said.

CBI quizzes IAS officer over mining scam
Suresh Dharur/TNS

Hyderabad, November 20
As the CBI probe into the multi-crore illegal mining case involving the jailed former Karnataka Minister Gali Janardhan Reddy moves into top gear, the pressure is mounting on several senior civil servants who had a role in sanctioning the mining licenses to the controversial company.

CBI sleuths today questioned senior IAS officer MGVK Bhanu regarding the approvals given to Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC), owned by Janardhana Reddy, for the iron-ore mining in Anantapur district, bordering Karnataka.

Bhanu, an Assam cadre officer who is currently the Chairman of the Tea Board, was on deputation to the Andhra Pradesh Government in the capacity of former Special Secretary to the then Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy between 2004 and 2009.

The investigators questioned Bhanu, an inner circle official of the YSR regime, regarding his role in granting mining leases to OMC. The IAS officer flew down from Delhi to appear before the CBI. The grilling lasted over five hours. Bhanu, son-in-law of former Union Minister of state PV Rangaiah Naidu, is a 1985 batch IAS officer of Assam cadre. He is the second IAS officer being questioned by the CBI. It already grilled Y Srilakshmi, who is currently family welfare commissioner.

3 yrs later, no access to Headley

Mumbai, November 20
Three years after the Mumbai terror attacks, the Mumbai Police are still awaiting access to 26/11 conspirator David Headley and his alleged accomplice Tahawwur Rana, as there is no response from a US court yet to the letters rogatory (LR) that enables cops to question the duo.

In October, a metropolitan magistrate's court here had issued LR to a US court requesting the latter to enable Mumbai police to question Headley and Rana in the 26/11 terror attack case, over a year after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was granted access to the two.

Letters rogatory is a formal request by a court in one country to another in a foreign land, seeking judicial assistance.

"We had sent the LR to the Chicago court (that tried Headley). But, as of now, there is no response from there," Joint police commissioner (Crime) Himanshu Roy said. "We want to question Headley and Rana, which will help us to establish their local links in Mumbai," he said.

A four-member NIA team led by Loknath Bahera had questioned Headley face-to-face, for a week last June to elicit information about his role in the Mumbai attacks, the wider conspiracy and all those involved in the carnage.

However, to protect the confidentiality of the investigations being carried by both India and the United States, the two countries did not to disclose the contents of the interviews.

Headley had on March 18 last year pleaded guilty to conspiring in the Mumbai attacks as well as later planning to attack a Danish newspaper, but struck a plea-bargain deal with the US authorities that saved him from death penalty and extradition to India. — PTI

Coast Guard floats $200mn tender for 16 copters

New Delhi, November 20
The Indian Coast Guard has floated a global tender worth over $200 million to procure 16 light helicopters to be deployed on its warships for preventing any 26/11-type attack.

"The global Request for Proposal (RFP) for procuring these choppers was issued a couple of months ago and companies have been asked to submit their bids by December," a Defence Ministry official aid. The RFP has been sent to three companies - Eurocopter, AgustaWestland and Sikorsky, they said. Eurocopter is planning to field its twin-engined Panther helicopter.

According to the RFP, the Coast Guard wants these choppers to be equipped with surveillance devices to carry out search and rescue roles in coastal areas, they said. The procurement is part of Coast Guard's efforts to enhance its capabilities to tackle terrorism and other threats emanating from the sea.

Deployment of the choppers on offshore patrol vessels and other large-size ships of the Coast Guard will help in expanding its reach in the maritime zone to locate suspicious boats and other vessels, they said. The choppers will also have light and medium machine guns on board.

To revamp the coastal security mechanism post-26/11, the government had sanctioned several fast-track acquisitions of equipment worth thousands of crores rupees, like fast attack craft, patrolling vessels, Dornier surveillance aircraft, helicopters and coastal radars.

Jantar Mantar
Rajiv Shukla’s party a big hit
Anita Katyal

Rajiv Shukla

The success of a party hosted by a Congress leader is generally measured by the number of party seniors who put in an appearance. By that account, the recent dinner hosted by new Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla for the media was a resounding success.

Petroleum Minister S. Jaipal Reddy arrived fairly early in the evening and stayed till the very end, spending all his time in animated conversation with mediapersons over the recent fuel hike and state of oil companies.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni and Janardhan Dwivedi, chairman of the AICC media department, who were the next to arrive, were engaged in a discussion on Justice Katju’s recent controversial comments on journalists and other such sundry issues.

Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal came just as the party was winding up and was questioned persistently about the reason he has been keeping a low profile for the past several months, considering he was the government’s chief spokesperson during the Anna Hazare movement.

But it was the late, late presence of Ahmed Patel, the Congress president’s all-powerful political secretary, which proved to be the proverbial icing on the cake. Patel, however, made a quick getaway after he was bombarded with questions on Telangana, the Lokpal Bill and the possibility of RLD chief Ajit Singh’s induction into the Cabinet.

Spotlight always on Jairam Ramesh

Jairam Ramesh

Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has a penchant for grabbing headlines, irrespective of the post he holds or the ministry he heads. He was constantly in the news when he was incharge of the Environment Ministry as he took on some powerful corporate honchos by denying clearance to their projects.

Ramesh, however, has managed to remain in the spotlight even after he was moved out of the high-profile ministry. This has not gone unnoticed by his colleagues. Last week when Law Minister Salman Khurshid told a press conference that he would be writing to Jairam Ramesh in connection with the setting up of gram nayalayas, V Narayansamy, minister of state for Personnel and Training, promptly chipped in, “Jairam has to be involved in everything.”

For the record, the two ministers are said to share a good equation with each other. In fact, Ramesh takes care to keep Narayansamy in good humour.

Sino-Indian defence talks to resume on Dec 9
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 20
After a hiatus of almost two years, India and China will resume their defence dialogue on December 9. The last round was conducted in Beijing in January 2010 and since then there have been several reasons for New Delhi to avoid Beijing in areas of defence.

The Tribune in its edition dated November 12 reported that the defence dialogue was set to resume. Sources revealed that the dialogue will be hold in December. Initially, the dates were suggested in January 2012.

New Delhi had suspended military exchanges with China in August 2010 after China refused to grant permission to a senior Indian Army Commander to proceed on an official trip to Beijing.

One of the key issues will be to resume the joint Army exercises termed as ‘hand-in-hand’. So far, the Indian Army’s calendar for 2012 does not have dates for a Chinese exercise. “It will need some working around in case the exercise is to be fitted in,” said a senior functionary. The armies of the two countries have exercised twice, Kunming, China, in 2007 and Belgaum, India, in 2008. Now it is China’s turn to host.

Defence Secretary Sashikant Sharma will lead the Indian side while a senior functionary from the People’s Liberation Army will lead the Chinese.

The other key issue will be the situation along the Sino-Indian border. The two countries have been discussing about a joint-mechanism to prevent any flare up.

Earlier on November 9, a Chinese Army delegation had concluded its seven-day visit to India. The visit was a preparation for the forthcoming dialogue.

The upcoming 15th round of boundary talks between special representatives appointed by New Delhi and Beijing is also slated at the end of this month. National Security Adviser Shivsankar Menon is the Indian representative at the boundary talks.

On sidelines of BRICS summit, in April this year, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and decided to work things out.

Stalkers in for real trouble in Andhra
State government to amend IPC to crack down on offenders
Suresh Dharur/TNS

Hyderabad, November 20
The stalkers are in for real trouble in Andhra Pradesh. Alarmed over the growing incidents of eve-teasers attacking women, the state government has decided to amend the Indian Penal Code to ensure deterrent punishment for the offenders.

“We are proposing amendments to the IPC Section 509 to make any incident of attack on women by stalkers a non-bailable offence punishable with imprisonment up to three years,” the state Home Minister P Sabitha Reddy said. Incidentally, Sabitha is the first woman Home Minister of AP.

So far, the police have been treating such cases as bailable offence with a provision for only one year of imprisonment. A Bill will be introduced in the winter session of the Assembly, commencing on December 1, proposing the necessary amendments to the IPC section.

The Union Government has already given a green signal for the amendment, the Home Minister said.

Besides, it has also been decided to set up a special court in Hyderabad for speedy disposal of the cases relating to dowry harassment and women trafficking.

The twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad account for the highest number of dowry cases in the state.

“Teasing women with abusive SMSes or gestures will be a serious offence hereafter. The police should take immediate action after receiving complaints,” Sabitha said. Referring to the growing number of cases of acid attacks on women, she said that Section 326 of the IPC would be amended by including a sub-clause which makes such acts punishable with imprisonment of seven years. The present Section 326, which deals with causing grievous injury, lacks such a provision and does not specify a minimum punishment.

The government is also working on a proposal wherein the compensation for acid attack victims will be raised from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh. Such cases would be tried in Sessions Courts and the onus of proving innocence would be placed on the accused.

Tougher Law

The AP Govt is proposing amendments to Section 509 of the IPC to make any incident of attack on women by stalkers a non-bailable offence punishable with imprisonment up to three years.

So far, the police has been treating such cases as a bailable offence with a provision for only one-year jail.

A Bill in this regard will be introduced in the winter session of the Assembly, commencing on December 1.

The Union Government has already given a green signal for the amendment, the Home Minister said.

Anna’s wax duplicate unveiled

Lonavla (Maharashtra), November 20
People wanting to 'see' Anna Hazare now won't have to go to the remote Ralegan-Siddhi village or wait for his next agitation. A visit to the Celebrity Wax Musuem here will ensure a 'meeting' with the anti-graft crusader without the long queues and security clearances.

A wax statue of Hazare was unveiled Saturday evening in Varsoli village on the outskirts of this hill-station, around 175 km from Mumbai, vowing the weekend visitors. It was shown to Hazare at his native village in the adjacent Ahmednagar district.

“Hazare appeared very pleased at seeing his wax duplicate and even touched it a couple of times out of curiosity,” an aide said.

Hazare has donated his trademark Gandhi cap worn during his hunger strike for the Jan Lokpal bill in the capital, and also his clothes for the statue.

Celebrity Wax Museum Director Sujith Sukumaran, an acclaimed artist, said Hazare’s cap has a great heritage value and would be a treasured possession for the museum.

The statue was unveiled yesterday to coincide with the death anniversary of Hazare’s mother, he said.

“Hazare is a hero of this generation. He moved the masses against corruption... That is why we decided to immortalise him in wax,” an excited Sukumaran said.

Initially, museum authorities were hesitant about the proposal, fearing Hazare may not permit his wax statue.

“He not only gave us permission, but took time off from his schedule to patiently give us measurements,” Sukumaran said.

The statue has been crafted by India's top wax sculptor Sunil Kandalloor. It took him 25 days to complete the task.

The air-conditioned museum has statues of 32 prominent personalities including Mahatma Gandhi, India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and several other living and dead legends. — IANS

Next in line

Next week, a statue of former cricketer Kapil Dev will be inaugurated, followed by similar statues of actors Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya Abhishek Bachchan.

Govt links filing of property returns to IPS promotion

New Delhi, November 20
Toughening its stand on IPS officers who fail to submit their immovable property returns (IPRs) by January 31, next year, government has decided to deny promotion to them.

The decision to deny vigilance clearance to those IPS officers who do not submit their IPRs has been taken by the Home Ministry after it was found that the property returns of 713 officers for the year 2010 (as on 1.1.2011) had not been received by the Central Government.

A vigilance clearance is mandatory for any officer to get a promotion or any deputational assignment - both within and outside the country.

After several reminders to the state governments, the names of officers whose property returns have not been received by the Central Government was put on the MHA website.

On November 4, the Home Ministry had asked state governments to ensure that IPS officers in their cadre submit their IPRs by January 31, 2012.

The ministry had shot off letters to the states saying every IPS officer is required to fill forms attached to their Performance Appraisal Report (PAR) and submit them to the reporting authority. While submitting their PARs, the IPS officers have been asked to submit property returns for 2011 as on January 1, 2012 to the state government by January 31.

The list, which has details of nearly one-fifth of the sanctioned strength of 3,393 officers, also contains names of some state police chiefs and other senior police officers.

Bihar has topped the list as 85 out of a sanctioned strength of 156 have not submitted the information whereas Andhra Pradesh has an outstanding of only seven IPS officers out of 185 who have failed to provide it.

Uttar Pradesh, which has a sanctioned strength of 335 IPS personnel, also has an outstanding of 79 officers who have not submitted their IPRs. — PTI

Keep tabs on MNREGA funds, Ramesh tells panchayats

Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee with Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh (R) during Congress Panchayati Raj Conference at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata on Sunday. — PTI

Kolkata, November 20
Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh today stressed that the panchayati raj system should be used to keep a watch on the working of MNREGA.

"Panchayats should keep a tab on the working of MNREGA. Roads being built one season are being swept way in the next monsoon due to corruption," Ramesh said at a Panchayati Raj convention organised by the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee here.

"I have seen in West Midnapore black top of roads missing within three years of construction. This should not happen and has to be kept a tab upon by the panchayat system," he said.

The Rural Development Minister visited Lalgarh, Binpur, Salboni and Sadar blocks of Maoist-affected West Midnapore district yesterday.

As many as 60 districts in the country were declared as Maoist-affected and West Midnapore was one, Ramesh said, adding that the proposal for including the districts of Purulia and Bankura in West Bengal was being considered.

Ramesh also assured additional funds to the state for rural development.

"I have told the West Bengal Chief Minister that there will be no dearth of funds for rural development," Ramesh said.

A sum of Rs 640 crore had been provided to the state for 1200 km rural roads, he said.

"We spend Rs 1 lakh crore annually for rural development across the country but West Bengal gets only Rs 4,000 crore.

With its population of 9.5 crore, it should get over Rs 9000 crore," he said.

The minister said the only reason for the state getting less funds was that the previous Left Front government in the state had not asked for additional funds.

As much as 850 km of rural roads have been built in the last 10 years in West Bengal, Ramesh said, adding "I assure 600 km in two years from now in the state." — PTI

Cong needs no advice in Bengal: Ramesh

Kolkata: The war of words between allies Congress and Trinamool Congress escalated today with Union minister Jairam Ramesh asserting his party has not taken VRS or 'sanyas' from West Bengal and will not take unsolicited advice from anyone but continue to speak its mind on issues concerning the state.

Elephant population on the rise

New Delhi, November 20
Elephant population has increased by 2,000 in the past 15 years in the country taking their number to 28,000 as per the latest data provided by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).

The Ministry, however, said it does not maintain statistics on the death of elephants and their disappearance. “The information regarding death or disappearance of elephants is not compiled in this ministry and is not available,” the MoEF said in reply to an RTI query.

According to the 2007 census (census is done once in every five years), there were 27,669 to 27,715 elephants in its various reserves and habitats as against 25,604 in 1993.

A maximum of 14,005 tuskers are in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra followed by 9,305-9,355 in northeastern regions with Assam having the highest number of 5,281 pachyderms.

There are 2,633 elephants in eastern states, including Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh. Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh have 1,726 elephants.

The Centre has issued about Rs 1,250 crore to 12 states under the ‘Project Elephant’ for providing better facilities to these animals. — PTI

Gehlot’s copter makes emergency landing

Jaipur, November 20
A helicopter carrying Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot today made an emergency landing near Pilani after it developed a technical snag on its way from here to Churu.

“All are safe. The helicopter had to make an emergency landing at Chandkoti, about 10 km from Pilani, after it developed a technical problem,” Gehlot said on phone. The chopper was flown by two pilots to Churu. Besides Gehlot, the helicopter was carrying two staffers from the state Secretariat.

The Italian-made Augusta chopper was purchased by the state government during Vasudhara Raje’s tenure. Gehlot, 60, was going to Churu to attend a scheduled function, police sources said. After the emergency landing, the Chief Minister proceeded by road. — PTI