The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	SP spokesman’s sacking shows Akhilesh is boss Faraz Ahmad/TNS New Delhi, January 6 Veteran socialist and Samajwadi Party (SP) spokesman Mohan Singh was summarily removed from his post yesterday becoming the proverbial sacrificial goat to send a signal across that SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s son and the party’s UP chief Akhilesh Yadav is the real boss now, sidestepping Mulayam’s younger brother Shivpal Yadav, who once enjoyed a considerable clout in the party affairs. The decision to remove Mohan Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP, a veteran socialist and widely considered in political circles as the most respected leader of the party after the death of Janeshwar Mishra, seems to have taken him by surprise as well, though he sought to play it down, saying the decision might have been guided by his ill health. Mohan Singh had stoutly defended the plans of Mohammad Azam Khan and Shivpal Yadav to readmit the tainted Dharampal (DP) Yadav into the party fold. D P Yadav recently attended a public meeting by Azam Khan and Shivpal Yadav leading to speculations about DP’s reinduction into the party. But Akhilesh Yadav struck down the proposal. Mohan Singh vehemently denied having said anything against Akhilesh and blamed it all on media campaign saying, “I haven't said anything against Akhilesh Yadav. I am extremely fond of him. There has been a wrong campaign against me. They (media) wrongly interpreted my statement. I don't think party has removed me on that count. My health isn't good (and) that's the reason they may have removed me. I am thankful to the party leadership for this decision". But SP leader in Rajya Sabha Ram Gopal Yadav, (a close cousin of Mulayam) succeeding Mohan Singh, set at rest all speculations saying, "Mohan Singh has been removed as a spokesperson for his comments on Akhilesh. His comments have not gone down well with party cadre."
	Four states fail to notify RTE rules; Centre to deny funds Aditi Tandon/TNS New Delhi, January 6 The Centre is all set to deny funds under the Right to Education Act component of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) to the four states that have failed to notify rules under the law that has been in operation for over two years now. BJP-led Gujarat and Karnataka, Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal and Goa are the four states that continue to falter on notification of state RTE rules considered absolutely essential for the law to roll. States are required to notify rules under the Act that provides free and compulsory education to children aged 6 to 14 years. At the RTE review meeting of state education secretaries held here yesterday, the Ministry of Human Resource Development is learnt to have made it clear to faltering states that they won’t not get any grants for the RTE component under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan because they have not notified the necessary rules with respect to neighbourhood norms. Under Section 6 of the RTE Act, every state is supposed to establish primary schools within 1-km radius and upper primary schools within 3-km radius to ensure universal education access to targeted children. The Act left it to the states to define neighbourhoods. The meeting was called ahead of the preparation of annual SSA work plans by states that are required to make funding projections for becoming RTE complaint by the March 31, 2013, deadline. In the work plans, the states will have to mention gaps (with respect to requirement of schools, teachers, etc) and seek funds to fill those. The RTE Act makes it mandatory for states to create basic physical infrastructure for schools by March 31, 2013. But RTE compliance by that date appears a huge challenge with the states unable to open even the schools sanctioned last year under the SSA for the purpose of universal access to education. Out of 2.13 lakh primary schools sanctioned under the SSA up to 2011-2012, only 1.81 lakh schools (85 pc) had been opened till September 30, 2011. The highest percentage of unopened schools is in Uttarakhand (75 pc), Uttar Pradesh (39 pc), West Bengal, Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir (20 pc each), and Rajasthan (6 pc). The nationwide percentage of unopened upper primary schools that were sanctioned by the Centre for operation is 87 pc. The higher percentage of unopened sanctioned upper primary schools is in West Bengal (60 pc), Bihar and J&K (25 pc each), Orissa (22 pc), UP (6 pc) and Rajasthan (5 pc). WHY THE RAP n States are required to notify rules under the RTE Act that provides free education to children aged 6 to 14 years. n Under Section 6 of the RTE Act, every state is supposed to establish primary schools within 1-km radius and upper primary schools within 3-km radius. n The Act makes it mandatory for states to create basic physical infrastructure for schools by March 31, 2013. n Notification of state RTE rules is considered a must
	Sukh Ram in coma, counsel tells court R Sedhuraman Legal Correspondent New Delhi, January 6 Former Telecom Minister Sukh Ram, who has been directed by the Supreme Court to surrender in the trial court, was in a “drowsy state” in a city hospital today after undergoing angiography. Advocate DS Patyal, Sukh Ram’s counsel in the trial court, had told Special CBI Judge Dharmesh Sharma during the day that his client had slipped into coma and as such was not in a position to surrender. However, advocate Anil Nag, who argued the 86-year-old politician’s case in the SC and the Delhi High Court, denied tonight that Sukh Ram was in coma. The ageing leader was still recovering from the drowsiness arising from the medications relating to angiography, he explained. The trial court would take up again the question of Sukh Ram’s surrender tomorrow. He has been sentenced to three-year imprisonment in a corruption case. Upholding his conviction and sentence on December 21, 2011, the Delhi High Court had asked him to surrender in the trial court on January 5 for serving his jail term. Yesterday, the SC had refused to interfere with the HC order unless he surrendered. Shortly after the SC ruling, Sukh Ram’s counsel moved an application in the trial court stating that his client was medically not in a position to surrender as he had undergone angiography in a private hospital here. The plea would be considered by the court tomorrow. Hospital denies it
	Delhi businessman surrenders Rs 73-cr black money Man Mohan/Our Roving Editor New Delhi, January 6 In the biggest ever disclosure of black money stashed abroad, New Delhi businessman Satish Swahney has disclosed and surrendered about Rs 73 crore and jewellery worth Rs 1.5 crore to the I-T Department's newly created Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI). An energy sector 'consultant,' Swahney, 67, has also disclosed his bank lockers in Switzerland, the US and Singapore banks. Seeing the 'nature of jobs' that Swahney handled, DCI sleuths are checking out whether such a huge amount that has been seized from his possession, and the possibility of similar kind of money stashed in foreign accounts, are part of 'kickbacks' concerning public and private power sector deals. In past decade, India has seen a mushroom growth of small private sector power projects which require permission from the Central as well as state governments. Swahney is close to some top politicians from different parties and is a regular invitee at the Capital's Page 3 parties. The DCI authorities are also investigating whether the money seized from him had been 'parked' by someone. "This is the biggest ever disclosure of black money stashed in India and abroad," the DCI's Director-General M. Sailo told The Tribune. Asked whether Swahney's case will be dealt in camera in view of India having treaties with several nations which prevent disclosure of names of account holders, Sailo said: "This will be an open investigation."
	SC for deterrent sentence in road rage cases Enhances punishment to drivers of bus, truck that collided head-on killing 5 persons R Sedhuraman Legal Correspondent New Delhi, January 6 The Supreme Court today ruled that reckless driving should be discouraged by awarding deterrent sentences in order to reduce road accidents. A Bench comprising Justices P Sathasivam and J Chelameswar made the observation while enhancing the punishment to the drivers of a bus and a truck which had collided head-on between Amritsar and Batala on October 30, 1992 killing five persons. “While considering the quantum of sentence to be imposed for the offence of causing death or injury by rash and negligent driving of automobiles, one of the prime considerations should be deterrence,” the Supreme Court held. The persons driving motor vehicles “cannot and should not take a chance thinking that even if he is convicted he would be dealt with leniently by the court,” the Bench explained. This was necessary for checking the rising number of road accidents from callous driving, the verdict written by Justice Sathasivam reasoned. The Judicial Magistrate at Amritsar had sentenced the two drivers to two years each in 1998 which was upheld by the Additional Sessions Judge, Amritsar. In November 2009, the Punjab and Haryana High Court, however, reduced the sentence to the period already undergone, which was just 15 days, after enhancing the fine amount from Rs 200 each to Rs 25,000 each. Increasing the fine was not a sufficient ground to “drastically reduce the sentence, particularly in a case where five persons died due to the negligent act of both the drivers of the bus and the truck,” the SC said. Setting aside the high court verdict on an appeal filed by the Punjab Government, the Bench awarded a rigorous imprisonment of six months and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 each and directed the trial court to take appropriate steps for surrender and imprisonment of the convicts.
	TRIBUNE EXCLUSIVE Ex-RAW man is PM’s security chief Man Mohan Our Roving Editor New Delhi, January 6 A former officer of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) AB Mathur is the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s new security chief. After a long stint in RAW, Mathur shifted to the agency’s sister organisation, the Aviation Research Centre (ARC), in mid-2011. The ARC is responsible for aerial surveillance operations in neighbouring countries, mainly Pakistan and China. A 1975-batch Indian Police Service officer (Manipur-Tripura cadre), Mathur left the ARC on December 29 to move in the beginning of this week to occupy the prestigious post of Secretary (Security) in the Prime Minister’s Office. The post had been lying vacant for about two months since the shifting of Pranay Sahay as the Director-General, Sashastra Seema Bal. As the Secretary (Security), Mathur is the administrative head of the Special Protection Group that is responsible for the security arrangements for the PM, former PMs and members of their immediate families in India and abroad. Mathur is considered to be an expert on Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, China and the country’s northeastern states. He is one of the few officers who has served in both RAW and the Intelligence Bureau (IB). He also held important positions in Brussels and Pakistan. During the IB chief MK Narayanan’s tenure, Mathur was his Staff Officer. He also held the important post of Delhi’s Central Intelligence Officer (IB). In the “protocol list”, the Secretary (Security) is above the country’s “Top Cop” - the IB Director. However, it is not a “fixed tenure” post. Mathur is slated for retirement in May 2012, unless he is “accommodated” somewhere else before achieving superannuation. Some months ago, Mathur’s name was also under consideration for the Adviser’s post in the country’s youngest espionage agency, the National Technical Research Organsiation (NTRO), but its top brass resisted his name on the ground that they wanted a scientist for the five-year fixed-tenure post. The NTRO was established in 2004 in the aftermath of the Kargil war as the top technical intelligence gathering agency on the pattern of America’s super espionage agency - the National Security Agency. The “arrival” of Mathur in the PM’s security setup has an intriguing background. In 2010, the race for RAW chief’s post had led to a “cold war” between Mathur and the current agency head, Sanjiv Tripathi, who, at that time, was the ARC chief. Another strong contender for the post was Anand K Arni, who belongs to RAW’s own cadre service. While the intelligence community was expecting either Mathur or Arni to be the 19th RAW chief, Tripathi succeeded in getting the sensitive post - just eight days before he was slated for retirement on December 31, 2010. However, even after sitting at the “high table”, differences continued to prevail between the new RAW chief and his “old rivals”. This led to Mathur being shifted to the ARC in mid-2011. Before becoming the RAW head, Tripathi was the ARC chief. Differences over a controversial $300-million ARC deal for the purchase of two aerial surveillance platforms from Israel is also said to have contributed to cold relations between top RAW and ARC officers. The order was placed when the current RAW chief was the ARC head. Mathur reportedly refused to sign the deal documents when it was inked in July last year. Insiders say RAW chief has heaved a sigh of relief with Mathur finally out of RAW and ARC operations. MEET The Protector n AB Mathur is a 1975-batch Indian Police Service officer of Manipur-Tripura cadre n As the Secretary (Security) in the Prime Minister’s Office, Mathur has become the administrative head of the Special Protection Group that is responsible for the security arrangements for the PM
	12 diamond traders back home after two years in Chinese jail Shiv Kumar/TNS Mumbai, January 6 Two years after they were arrested by the Chinese authorities for smuggling diamonds from Hong Kong into the mainland in order to avoid duties, 12 diamond traders from Mumbai and Gujarat arrived home early this morning. Families and friends of the closely-knit Palanpuri Jain community, which dominates the country's diamond trade, assembled at the Mumbai airport in large numbers to welcome the traders. Tears of joy rolled down the cheeks of enthusiastic relatives who garlanded the traders as they came out of the airport. “We will celebrate Diwali today,” relatives of the traders told reporters and television crews outside the airport. Groups of people from a village in Gujarat who were at the airport said many of the traders were from a single village and thus several people were there to welcome them. The traders, who were in a prison in the Chinese province of Shenzhen for two years, kept quiet and refused to speak to the media as advised by their lawyers. However, their relatives recounted the traumatic experience they had to undergo while being in the prison. “Only we know how difficult these months were,” said a kin of one of the traders. However, some had kind words for the Chinese government. Relatives of some traders had managed to meet them while they were in jail. They said the traders were treated well and were given vegetarian food. Welcoming their release, the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council in a statement said it was working towards getting the remaining traders released. With ten traders still in China, the community was not willing to talk about the allegations of smuggling.
	Humble tulsi a ‘potent shield’ against radiations Suresh Dharur/TNS Bhubaneswar, January 6 Tulsi, the humble herb of Indian homes, may well be a potent weapon to fight harmful effects of radiations. The scientists at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) have developed a tulsi-based formulation that can help combat effect of radiations on people in case of accidents or terror attacks. “The tulsi-based drug is already in phase-II of clinical trials. It will undergo some more trials before the technology is finalised for commercial production. Animal trials have been completed and the results are quite encouraging,” Chief Controller of Research and Development (Life Sciences and Human Resources) at DRDO Dr W Selvamurthy said. He was speaking on NBC (nuclear, biological and chemical) technologies for armed forces and civilians at the ongoing 99th Indian Science Congress here. Certain herbal plants such as tulsi have compounds, which act as antioxidants, quenching the oxidative stress in case of a radiation exposure and repair the damaged DNA. The DRDO has applied for patent of the new formulation of tulsi, a ubiquitous herb found in the backyard of Indian homes and a traditional cure for common cold and cough. The DRDO is believed to be the first research organisation in the world to have come up with a herbal alternative to fight ill-effects of radiations. “We are working on that property of the plant to develop medicine to protect against radiation poisoning. Herbal radio protectors such as tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum or basil) will have an advantage over chemical compounds, because these would have lesser side effects. Besides the widely available tulsi, podophyllum hexandrum (Himalayan may apple) and sea buckthorn hold similar properties,” Dr Selvamurthy said. Once developed, the same medicine can be used both for animals and human beings in case of a radiation disaster. Its anti-oxidant property will counter the radiation threat. The exposure to radiations produced many unwanted molecules in the human body, causing toxic effects at the cellular level. This can even harm the chromosomes which carry hereditary information through genes. Biotech Bill likely to be tabled in Budget session The long-awaited Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill is likely to come up for discussion in the budget session of Parliament. “This legislation is for the future of the country as it prepares us for adoption of new and emerging technologies. We are hopeful that the Bill will become an Act soon,” Dr SR Rao, adviser to the Department of Biotechnology said.
	Bhanwari case: Samples sent to Delhi for DNA test Jodhpur, January 6 A team of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) has sent ashes collected from a site in Jodhpur to New Delhi for a DNA test to ascertain if they had remains of Rajasthan nurse Bhanwari Devi, sources said here today. The CBI and a CFSL team reportedly collected the ashes and some bones from Jaloda village in a Jodhpur rural area where missing nurse Bhanwari Devi’s body was allegedly brunt by a gang of criminals led by Bishnaram Bishnoi on September 1. A court had yesterday remanded Bishnaram Bishnoi and his aide Kailash Jakhar in the CBI custody till January 16. The forensic team has collected some ashes believed to be the remains of the nurse, sources added. The canal was also being examined by divers. — IANS
	Ram Sene youth held for hoisting Pakistan flag Shubhadeep Choudhury/TNS Bangalore, January 6 The arrest of six Hindu youths in Karnataka's Bijapur for hoisting the Pakistani flag has prompted the district police to probe if it was a “rent-a-riot” act. The police is particularly keen to probe this angle because the arrested persons have been found to be activists of the Sri Ram Sene. “They are close associates of Sene chief Pramod Muthalik”, FA Trasgar, Additional SP of Bijapur district, said. Sri Ram Sene, which was in news for attacking women customers in a Mangalore pub a couple of years ago, also earned notoriety when its president Pramod Muthalik, and top aides of the outfit, were caught on camera agreeing to vandalise an art exhibition in return for money in an undercover investigation carried out by a magazine. Tension prevailed in Sindagi town, 60 km from Bijapur city, after a Pakistani flag was found hoisted at the tehsildar's office premises on Monday. The police had a tough time bringing the situation under control and had to resort to lathi charge to disperse the irate mob. Activists of Hindutva organisations attempted to attack the tehsildar when he arrived at the office. Hindutva activists also staged a protest in Bijapur city and burnt a Pakistani flag. A group of ABVP activists also staged a demonstration in the neighbouring Chikmagalur.