|
|
|
|
|
Literature an act of civilisation: Okri
national rural health mission scam |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Age bar for widow pension scheme being lowered
Bihar’s first all-women police station takes off
Nitish to contest for Legislative Council
The Obama Effect
In Assam, Tricolour sales defy ultras’ call to boycott R-Day
After Kalmadi, 2 aides get bail in CWG graft case
War against TB rages on in Mumbai’s slums
Keep Mamata in good humour: Sonia to Bengal Cong
|
|
Jaipur, January 21 Later, the organisers issued a press note stating these were the personal views of a few writers. Ben
Okri, the Booker-winning Nigerian poet and author, began his session saying that he felt saddened by Rushdie’s absence from the festival. “Literature is an act of
civilisation,” said the poet, summing up the whole controversy in his peculiar style of brevity. And even Chetan Bhagat did not miss the opportunity to earn a few brownie points out of the situation. “Why are we making heroes out of people who hurt other people’s feelings?” said the writer who is popular among the young and whose works are rubbished by the league of serious
writers. Bhagat claimed to have sold 2 crore copies of his books, an enviable number even for the laureates. The self-proclaimed entertainer regaled his audience by diluting the serious issue of freedom of expression with such one-liners like “If anybody has been paid to throw a shoe at me, I will give a nice shot at it.” He went on to add to his popularity quotient, “The festival is about 250 writers, not about a 25-year-old issue (referring to Rushdie again).” This far, it was fine. But the author who claims ‘books happen by chance’ and has never been to a literature class, nor has he read ‘literature’ that he scorns, went overboard when he began to deride literature. “If good literature is about using difficult words, then what is the big deal? A thesaurus provides it on my computer - seven words for one feeling. Even I can write such stuff. My books are given to patients in hospitals because they don’t cause any stress. They are used by schools in the hinterland by students to improve their English because my English is like Hindi - easy on the mind”. And, Chetan Bhagat meant it in all seriousness! John Elliott, Financial Times ex-correspondent who introduced the writer ‘Two States’, ‘Five Point Someone’ and ‘Revolution 2020’, wondered if he would follow Anna’s path. To this, Bhagat said, “I don’t have to go hungry to get heard.” If Bhagat had the young audience glued to LCD screens outside the Mughal Tent, which was chock-a-block with his admirers, Amy Chua, the Chinese-American author of ‘The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mothers’ had a lot of sympathetic ‘ayes’ from teary-eyed mothers who shared their dilemmas of raising rebellious daughters in a traditional Asian manner, expecting them to excel in studies and be obedient while American influences pulled them in a different direction. When Ben
Okri, the writer of magical realism, read out some of his poems, a 1,000-strong audience was touched by the profound freshness of his perspective on life and on literature. “It takes a work of art to see a work of art,” said the author of the popular work ‘The Famished Road’ in which he looks at life and suffering from the perspective of
death. Okri looks at life with a tilt that lends his works an amazing indirectness which is fascinating. Those who believe that there are no readers for serious works of art would be shocked to witness Okri receiving intelligent questions and a thunderous applause. The second DSC Prize for South Asian Literature was today awarded to Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka for ‘Chinaman’. The book was awarded for its freshness of style and tone and for using the popular South Asian metaphor of cricket brilliantly, said Ira
Pandey, chairperson of the jury. Judged by Dr Alastair Niven, Dr Fakrul
Alam, Faiza S Khan, Ira Pandey and Marie Brenner, the award carries a prize money of $50,000. The shortlisted books and authors for 2012 were UR
Ananthamurthy: Bharathipura; Chandrakanta: A Street in Srinagar; Usha KR: Monkey-man; Shehan
Karunatilaka: Chinaman; Tabish Khair: The Thing About Thugs; and Kavery
Nambisan: The Story that Must Not Be Told. The DSC Prize is awarded to the best work of fiction from the South Asian region published in English, including translations into English. Pakistani author HM Naqvi The won the 2011 prize for his debut novel ‘Home Boy’.
|
||
|
national rural health mission scam
Lucknow, January 21 The Comptroller and Auditor General submitted a report on its findings to the Governor yesterday, they said, adding that the probe was carried out on the request of the UP Chief Secretary in August last year amid mounting pressure for a CBI inquiry into the scam. It was also found that the entire amount was transferred through a non-registered society and contracts worth Rs 1,170 crore were given in violation of the open tendering process and through agreements flouting established norms, they said. Only one officer of the Principal Secretary rank was making all crucial purchase decisions whereas the rules suggest that three officers of this rank, including one from planning and finance department, should be part of the decision-making body, they said. The issue of financial irregularities in National Rural Health Mission funds came to light when the murder of two CMOs, Family welfare, Dr VK Arya in 2010 and Dr BP Singh in 2011, surfaced and Deputy CMO YS Sachan was found dead under mysterious circumstances in the district jail here. The CBI is also probing the case. Meanwhile, Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh alleged that the misuse of National Rural Health Mission funds started in UP during the previous Mulayam Singh Yadav government in 2005. "The Central government has been giving money, but the state government has been misusing the funds. Corruption hasn't only happened in NRHM but in MNREGS projects too. This is the time for a change in Uttar Pradesh. I am hoping that there will be change very soon," he said here. Claiming that the UPA government has been sending five times more funds to the state than the NDA government did, he accused the state government of wasting them. — PTI
Bungling galore
|
|
Age bar for widow pension scheme being lowered
New Delhi, January 21 According to officials, Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has proposed lowering of the age bar for drawing benefit from the scheme. The Ministry has also proposed a hike in individual pension for widows, the elderly and persons with disability from the existing Rs 200 to Rs 500 per month under its existing schemes - Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme and Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme too. The matter is currently pending with the Finance Ministry, officials say. Plight of widows in India is chronicled by writers
and filmmakers. It is estimated that lowering of the age limit would benefit lakhs of poor women. Declared outcastes by their families, a large number of poor widows are often deprived of civil and economic rights, abused and thrown out of homes. According to Maitri’s Winnie Singh, around 15,000 widows can be found in Vrindavan alone, subsisting on handouts in streets and charity of ashrams. However, Winnie is not so upbeat that the relief will reach those it is meant for. She says of the 15,000-plus widows in the temple city, just about 350-odd women are getting help from the government under the Sudhar scheme. “Money is supposed to be disbursed by states, which often claim lack of funds when it comes to such schemes,” she says.
|
|
|
Bihar’s first all-women police station takes off
Nalanda Superintendent of Police Jitendra Rana said it would function as a full-fledged police station where complaints would be lodged, investigations will be undertaken and chargesheets will be filed in the court by the all-women staff here. Besides a Sub-Inspector as the Station House Officer, three other Sub-Inspectors, an equal number of Assistant Sub-Inspectors and eight constables will man the police station. To begin with, only
complaints pertaining to atrocities against women would be registered at this police station. The related cases would be probed by the officers posted here. The Superintendent of Police has directed the Station House Officers of
all other police stations in the district to henceforth refer and transfer cases pertaining to atrocities against women to this police station. Additional Director General of Police (headquarters) Ravindra Kumar told The Tribune that decks had been cleared to open all-women police stations at Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Motihari, Gaya and many other places
and he was quite hopeful that these would all become functional before March this year.
|
|
|
Nitish to contest for Legislative Council
Patna, January 21 Speculations were rife in political circles over Nitish’s choice whether to continue as a member of State Legislative Council or opt for a direct election to the State Legislative Assembly (Bihar Vidhan Sabha) after completion of his term. He set all speculations at rest by announcing his decision yesterday during centenary meet of State Legislative Council organised at Patna College to mark the historic day of the first meeting of the upper House at the same place 100 years ago.
|
|
|
US to simplify visa process for Indians
Ashok Tuteja/TNS
New Delhi, January 21 The US Embassy’s Consular Team here has made streamlining the visa application process its priority in keeping with President Barack Obama’s executive order earlier this week to make it easier for foreign travellers, including Indians, to visit America. “We want to make it easier for travellers to apply for a visit to the US,” according to James Herman, Minister-Counselor for Consular Affairs at the US Embassy. He said that over the last five years, the US mission has increased staffing by over 60% and opened two new consulates in Hyderabad (in 2009) and Mumbai (2011). Some 97% of visas were processed within 24 hours and wait times for visa appointments were currently 10 days or less. “In 2011, we processed close to 7 lakh visa applications across the nation,” Herman said. Noting the importance of Indians travellers to the US, he said they represented the highest volume of work visa travellers to the US and the second highest number of foreign students to America. He said 2011 was a record year for H1B work visas — over 68,000 processed by Consular Team Indian alone — and “we continue to support the people-to-people ties which define the growing partnership between our nations”. Visitors to the US require non-immigrant visas. The type of visa one needs depends on the purpose of travel. Unless specifically noted, all non-immigrant visa applicants follow the same application process. Experts here say President Obama’s latest order is aimed at boosting the economy by making it easier for foreign tourists to travel to his country. One of the biggest obstacles facing Indian and other foreign travellers to visit the US is the difficult visa application process they must undergo. The inconveniences caused to the foreign travellers are said to have hampered the US economic growth and its global competitiveness.
|
|
|
In Assam, Tricolour sales defy ultras’ call to boycott R-Day
Guwahati, January 21 A visit to the workshop at the headquarter of Assam Khadi and Village Industries Board will be enough to understand that the National Tricolour is in great demand in the run-up to the Republic Day. A number of women engaged by the corporation are working round-the-clock for the last few weeks to produce as many National Flags as possible to meet the growing demand of the item. “We have to replenish our stock of national flags with 20,000 more pieces of different sizes before the next Republic Day to cater to the demand. Our tailors are working overtime to meet the deadline,” said an official in the Khadi Board headquarters here. Till date, they have produced 12,000 flags of different sizes and its outlet at the headquarter has sold 3,000 of them. Some of the freshly made flags have been dispatched to other retail outlets in different districts of the state. The Board makes flags from different sizes the biggest one being 6 ft x 4 ft in size and the smallest one is the car flag. The prices range is Rs 350 per piece to Rs 40 per piece for different sizes of flags. The flags are also available in other sizes like 4.25 ft x 3 ft, 3 ft x 2 ft, 2.25 ft x 1.5 ft, 1.5 ft x 1 ft in the respective unit price of Rs 225, Rs 125, Rs 90, and Rs 70. The board’s workshop in the headquarter can produce 100 national flags per day. The board official informed that there has been gradual rise in the demand for national flags in the state with people starting to hoist the Tricolour in private residential compounds.
Insurgents give call for Jan 26 N-E shutdown
As many as 12 insurgent groups from the North East, including the coordination committee comprising seven militant outfits in Manipur, have called for a general shutdown on January 26 to bar people of the region from taking part in the Republic Day celebration.
In a joint statement issued by the coordination committee of seven insurgent groups of Manipur, outlawed United Liberation Front of Assam, (ULFA), Hynnewtrap A’chik Liberation Council (HNLC) of Meghalaya, Kamatapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), National Liberation Front of Twipra (NLFT) and Tripura People’s Democratic Front (TPDF) have stated that the Republic Day boycott and the general strike was called as a mark of resistance against “Indian occupation” in the region.
— TNS
|
|
After Kalmadi, 2 aides get bail in CWG graft case
New Delhi, January 21 Special CBI Judge Talwant Singh allowed the bail pleas of former Commonwealth Games Organising Committee Secretary General Bhanot and former treasurer Jayachandran on grounds of parity. The two had sought bail, claiming parity of their cases with that of sacked Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairperson Suresh Kalmadi, given bail by the Delhi High Court early this week. While Bhanot was asked to furnish a personal bond of Rs 5 lakh with two sureties of the same amount for his release on bail, co-accused Jayachandran was told to furnish a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh with two sureties of the like amount. The accused had moved the court for bail the day Kalmadi and former Organising Committee Director General VK Verma were granted bail by the HC. Kalmadi and 10 others were accused of awarding a contract to a Swiss firm to install a Timing-Scoring-Result system for the Games at an exorbitant rate, causing a loss of Rs 90 crore. — PTI
|
||
|
War against TB rages on in Mumbai’s slums
Mumbai, January 21 "Most people respond to a cocktail of drugs prescribed for a period of six to eight months," says Dr Rohit Patil, who is attached to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation at Dharavi, the country’s largest slum. The BMC has a very active programme of Directly Observed Treatment Short (DOTS) where patients are provided medication free of cost. However, patients have to stick to their regimen and ensure that they do not stop taking the medicines after a few weeks, says Patil. In Dharavi, however, people have a different story to tell. "Since people leave early in the morning for work and return home late, they do not have the time to visit government hospitals," says Shakeel Ahmed, a social worker in the area. They end up consulting private practitioners, who may not be fully qualified to treat patients for tuberculosis. In his study, which created a scare of drug-resistant tuberculosis spreading among the general population, Dr Zarir Udwadia of Hinduja Hospital noted that 12 patients diagnosed with Totally Drug Resistant (TDR) or Extensively Drug Resistant (XDR) versions of tuberculosis were under the care of general practitioners who prescribed drugs improperly. According to the study, these patients had thus developed immunity to drugs and were in danger of spreading the disease among the general population. Health officials have now decided to deploy special teams to conduct door-to-door checks so that people suffering from symptoms of tuberculosis are tracked and subjected to testing and treatment. "We are even enrolling private doctors who will be provided with drugs to tackle the so-called drug-resistant cases of tuberculosis," says Deputy Municipal Commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar. According to her, the civic body will sign MoUs with private doctors, who will be provided DOTS medicines free of charge to prescribe to patients. These medicines are newer and experimental drugs used to treat leprosy and other diseases that have shown promise in tackling the more virulent form of tuberculosis.
Daunting Task
|
||
|
Keep Mamata in good humour: Sonia to Bengal Cong
Kolkata, January 21 Union minister Jairam Ramesh met Mamata twice to convey to her AICC’s decision on participation in her government.
— TNS
|
||
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Even on the second day at the Jaipur Literature Festival
(JLF), the Rushdie controversy refused to die. A group of eminent authors and scholars participating in the festival condemned the ‘pussycat’ attitude of the
organisers.
The CAG probing the NRHM scam in Uttar Pradesh has found anomalies in spending of around Rs 5,000 crore under
the scheme in about two dozen districts of the state. The state health department failed to give proper details of spendings worth around Rs 5,000 crore of the Rs 8,657 crore given to the state, highly placed sources said.
Patna, January 21
Guwahati, January 21
Patna, January 21