|
|
|
|
|
Mukul to be Rail Minister, swearing-in today
Won’t allow fare hike rollback, say rail unions
Dinesh Trivedi
SC notice to Centre on illegal drug trials in India
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
SC notice on plea
Next meeting of GoM on paid news soon: Soni
India pushes China behind to be world’s largest arms importer
Scorpene subs’ delivery
delayed, first by 2015
Antony tells DRDO to pull up socks
2.21 cr bogus ration cards in country
DEATHS IN CLINICAL TRIALS
GoM on paid news will meet soon, promises Soni
Confusion over eligibility criteria
for lateral entry into IPS
LPG tanker overturns near Mumbai, all well
Italians’ abduction
Cong MLA assaults lensman in Meghalaya Assembly
|
|
Mukul to be Rail Minister, swearing-in today
New Delhi, March 19 Mamata Banerjee, who spent several hours in Parliament today, was the cynosure of all eyes as she played the proverbial Pied Piper to her party MPs and mediapersons as both vied for her attention. Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs, including former Rail Minister Dinesh Trivedi, were in full attendance as their temperamental leader blew hot and cold. One minute she was all charm, ordering coffee and snacks for everybody, and in another minute, she was fire and brimstone. Leader of the UPA’s largest alliance partner, Mamata made it known that she would not back down from her opposition to the NCTC. “It is worse than TADA and POTA. We can never agree to the creation of such a body,” she declared, adding this was the reason her party MPs walked out in the Lok Sabha when the Opposition amendment on the NCTC was put to vote. After giving the ruling combine a hard time, she accepted that her party did not intend to destabilise the UPA government. Defending her party’s decision, Mamata said her party did not support the Opposition amendments as it is part of the government. “We have to maintain some decorum,” she reasoned. However, TMC sources revealed that they were all set to vote with the government but received last-minute instructions from Mamata to withdraw from the House. The TMC supremo was apparently unhappy with the PM’s remark that he “regretted” Dinesh Trivedi’s resignation. Mamata was quick to dismiss the PM’s statement as his “personal opinion.” Looking tense before her meeting with the PM, Mamata maintained that the all-round fare hike recommended in the Rail Budget would hurt the poor, adding enigmatically, “If our nominee becomes the Rail Minister, the fares will be modified”. After her meeting with the PM, a visibly relaxed TMC boss remarked, “There is no problem in hiking the fares of upper classes. That is tolerable....but the poor people who travel by sleeper class, an increase matters to them.” Having secured Trivedi’s resignation after a four-day drama, Mamata appeared to be in a forgiving mood. “Dinesh and I were always together” while hinting that the Congress had attempted to create fissures in her party.
|
|
Won’t allow fare hike rollback, say rail unions
Mumbai, March 19 The unions have put up huge blackboards criticising the removal of Trivedi and have threatened to go on a strike if the government rolled back hike in train fares in order to appease West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. “We will certainly not allow the government to roll back fares,” said Ajay Singh, regional secretary of the Western Railway Mazdoor
Sangh.
|
|||||
|
SC notice to Centre on illegal drug trials in India
New Delhi, March 19 A Bench of Justices RM Lodha and HL Gokhale issued notices to the Centre, the Union Health Ministry and the Medical Council of India seeking their replies on a public interest litigation alleging that the country was being used for illegal clinical trials by multinational pharmaceutical firms because laxities in implementing laws here. The court passed the order on the PIL filed by a group of doctors alleging that illegal and unethical clinical trials were being done on poor persons including juveniles, ‘adivasis’, and Dalits who were used as guinea pigs for testing of the drugs and vaccines produced by multinational corporations. The petitioners also urged the court to form a committee of experts consisting of members of civil society, especially the All-India Drug Action Network, be appointed to examine the present legal provisions concerning clinical trials both in India and abroad and to make recommendations for framing guidelines on the issue. Prior to introducing a new drug for use by human being, a company is required to conduct clinical trials to study its effects on people. Pointing out various cases of illegal drug trials in Indore, the petitioner said many people have lost their lives during the trial. — PTI
|
|||||
|
SC notice on plea
New Delhi, March 19 A Bench of Justices DK Jain and AR Dave issued notice to the state government and the Commission that had in September 2009 rejected a plea to summon Modi and five others for cross-examination, seeking their views. The Jan Sangarsh Manch (JSM), an NGO, has approached the SC seeking the court’s directive to the Commission to allow cross-examination of Modi. Earlier, the Gujarat HC had rejected the JSM’s plea. The state government had opposed the plea contending that the NGO had no locus standi for making such a plea in the case. The Act under which the Commission was set up did not have any provision for allowing any third party to intervene in the case, the state had argued. Senior counsel Colin Gonsalves, appearing for the NGO, today argued that the terms of reference of the Commission had been enlarged in 2004, vesting it with the power to examine the role of the CM in the riots. While the Commission has chosen not to summon Modi, the SC-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by former CBI Director RK Raghavan has questioned Modi for over 10 hours in 2010.
|
|||||
|
Next meeting of GoM on paid news soon: Soni
New Delhi, March 19 “The next meeting of GoM is scheduled soon,” Soni said during the Question Hour, adding that the GoM constituted in 2011 could not meet before September due to reasons like pre-engagements of the panel's chairperson Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. Soni has said the just-concluded Assembly elections in five states saw plenty of cases of paid news, which were being looked into. According to reports, Punjab topped in the number of cases of paid news reported from five states that went to polls.
|
|||||
|
India pushes China behind to be world’s largest arms importer
New Delhi, March 19 The report pointed out that China, which was the largest recipient of arms exports in 2002-2006, fell to fourth place in 2007-11 due to decline in the volume of Chinese imports along with improvements in China's arms industry and rising arms exports. "India was the world's largest recipient of arms, accounting for 10 per cent of global arms imports between 2007 to 2011," the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in its latest report. In the field of arms import, India has left behind both Pakistan and China along with Singapore and South Korea, the report said. In the last five to ten years, India has taken several steps to modernise its armed forces and signed several deals to procure military hardware. This includes deals for 10 C-17 strategic lift aircraft, six C-130 Super Hercules Special Operations aircraft, additional Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jets along with several warships. It is also working hard to develop its domestic defence industry and has also taken policy measures to encourage private sector companies in defence sector. The report said that the top five global arms importers were from the Asia and Oceania accounting for 44 per cent of arms imports followed by Europe (19 per cent), the Middle East (17 per cent), the Americas (11 per cent) and Africa (9 per cent). — PTI
The Edge
India is the world's largest recipient of arms, accounting for 10% per cent of global arms imports between 2007 to 2011, says a report by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute In the field of arms import, India has left behind both Pakistan and China along with Singapore and South Korea.
|
|||||
|
Scorpene subs’ delivery
delayed, first by 2015
New Delhi, March 19 In a written reply on the delivery of the submarines being constructed under Project-75, Defence Minister AK Antony said, "The delivery schedule of the first submarine has been revised to June 2015 and that of the last submarine to September 2018." The original delivery schedule of the first submarine was December 2012 and remaining were to be delivered at a gap of one year each. The approval for construction of the six submarines under Project-75 was accorded in September 2005 at a total cost of Rs 18,798 crore and the contract was signed in October 2005. The "government approval for revision in cost of the project to Rs 23,562 crore was accorded in February 2010 along with revision in delivery schedule," he said. — PTI
|
|||||
|
Antony tells DRDO to pull up socks
New Delhi, March 19 Antony, while delivering his inaugural address at the 36th DRDO directors’ conference today, talked about the importance of self-reliance in producing defence equipment, saying “We need to evolve our own strategy for self reliance in the 21st century.” The minister termed India’s situation as “again standing at the crossroads”. The need for modernisation in a globalised environment was exerting pressure on the very essence of self-reliance, he told the top brass of the DRDO where National Security Adviser Shiv Shanker Menon was also present.
|
|||||
|
2.21 cr bogus ration cards in country
New Delhi, March 19 While West Bengal eliminated 59.67 lakh bogus ration cards, for Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh the figure was 42.20 lakh and 27.27 lakh, respectively. The data was submitted in the Rajya Sabha by Food Minister KV Thomas in response to a query on the digitisation of public distribution system (PDS) being carried out by states. As per Thomas, 2.21 crore bogus ration cards were deleted in 26 states and UTs as a result of ongoing campaign since July 2006 to December 2011. Haryana, with a population of 2.53 crore, reported just 3,000 bogus cards, while a much smaller Chandigarh, with a population of around 10.5 lakh, managed to weed out 8,000 bogus cards. Though the Centre’ data does not mention Punjab, sources in the state government said around 7,900 bogus ration cards were detected and the same conveyed to the Centre last week. “There are around 60 lakh ration cards in the state and most of them are genuine,” a Punjab Government functionary said. Digitisation of ration cards across 71 districts of the state has become one of the biggest tools for the department of Food and Civil Supplies (FCS) to keep a check on corruption in the state PDS. It is the only document that is easily available and widely used to get important documents like driver’s licence, LPG connections, voter’s identity card on the basis of which a person can prove the legitimacy to get protection from eviction and demolition.
State Bogus cards
West Bengal 59.67 lakh Maharashtra 42.20 lakh AP 27.27 lakh Chandigarh 8,000 Punjab 7,990 Haryana 3,000
Food subsidy in cash: Thomas
Food Minister KV Thomas said the government was examining proposals by states like Bihar, Delhi, Haryana and UP for direct disbursement of food subsidy in cash to BPL/AAY families.Under the proposed scheme, the Department of Food and Public Distribution would make allocation of funds for disbursement of cash subsidy based upon the number of AAY and BPL card holders in pilot districts. Disbursement for card holders in these districts would be made to district authorities directly. District offices would then directly disburse the amount of food subsidy to the respective bank/post office account of AAY and BPL ration cardholders.
|
|||||
|
SC rejects plea
New Delhi, March 19 A Bench comprising Justices DK Jain and AR Dave dismissed the petition, pointing out that the two petitioners could not choose to target a celebrity in this manner. The Bench asked the petitioners whether they could provide details of other illegal buildings in the area, which were also constructed in violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 1991. The petitioners, a professor and a businessman, contended that these were the initial complaints in the case relating to the Adarsh Housing Society Scam as well. They approached the SC following the dismissal of their PILs by the Bombay HC. They contended that the construction by Shah Rukh was in violation of the heritage regulations under which the height of any new building could not exceed that of the old buildings in the area. Unconvinced by the arguments, the Bench remarked that they were targeting Shah Rukh because he was a celebrity and that their bona fide was doubtful.
|
|||||
|
NHRC gives Centre, states 6 weeks to act
Aditi Tandon/TNS
New Delhi, March 19 The commission issued notices to Secretary, Ministry of Health, Secretary, Indian Council of Medical Research, Drug Controller General of India and Chief Secretary, Andhra Pradesh, where six women had died in clinical trials last year and recently 25 poor women faced medical complications after being administered anti-cancer drugs during a trial by a local pharma firm. The commission, ruling on non-submission of reports on the issue by the Centre and the states, asked respondents to either submit their replies by six weeks or face action under Section 13 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. This Act gives the NHRC power to summon bureaucrats for personal explanation in cases of inordinate delays. Invocation of this section amounts to censure of the government. The orders came on a fresh complaint and a building body of evidence on increasing deaths during drug trials. The Tribune had first reported earlier last year that 1,725 persons had died in clinical trials between 2007 and 2010. The NHRC had then taking suo motu notice and asked the Centre and the states for replies. Final reports were never submitted. The NHRC’s latest order follows an incident where 25 poor women in Guntur were lured for testing a cancer drug by a Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company. Six of them developed complications and had to be hospitalised. At present, there is no law to regulate clinical trials in India where it is cheaper to have such experiments. Over 1,800 trials are on various stages across the country. “The sole communication received from the Drug Controller dated July 7, 2011, stated that all drug trials were required to be conducted as per good clinical practices guidelines issued by the central authorities. Neither a specific response to the issues were raised by the commission nor a copy of the guidelines was submitted,” the commission said. A team of NHRC investigators on a visit to Andhra recently found that there were eight more laboratories in Hyderabad in addition to Axes Clinicals Ltd, which were conducting clinical drug trials. The commission has now directed the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to conduct proper study across India to ensure companies adhere to the guidelines on clinical trials and amount paid to volunteers is raised. Sc notice
to Centre
|
|||||
|
GoM on paid news will meet soon, promises Soni
New Delhi, March 19 “The next meeting of GoM is scheduled soon,” Soni said during Question Hour, adding that the GoM constituted in 2011 could not meet before September due to reasons like pre-engagements of the panel's chairperson Finance Minister Pranab
Mukherjee. Soni has said the just-concluded Assembly elections in five states saw plenty of cases of paid news, which were being looked into. According to reports, Punjab topped in the number of cases of paid news reported from five states that went to polls.
|
|||||
|
Confusion over eligibility criteria
for lateral entry into IPS
Chandigarh, March 19 The Ministry of Home Affairs had earlier this month notified the recruitment of Captains and Majors of the Army and equivalent ranks from the other two services into the Indian Police Service through a limited competitive examination. The examination, stated to be a regular affair from this year, will be open to officers of the state police forces as well as Group-A officers of the Central Armed Police Forces like the BSF, CRPF, CISF and ITBP. The move is aimed to cover up the shortage of officers in the IPS cadre. The eligibility criteria issued by the Union Public Service Commission states that Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSP) from the states having five years of service or Assistant Commandants of the paramilitary or Captains/Majors of the defence services shall be eligible for the appointments. Sources said that varying from state to state, DSPs can be both Group-A (Class-I) or Group-B (Class-II) officers with grade pay of Rs 4,800 or Rs 5,400 while all Assistant Commandants are Group-A officers with grade pay of Rs 5,400. Defence officers of the rank of Captain and Major are commissioned officers of Group-A level with an even higher status with grade pay of Rs 6,100 and Rs 6,600, respectively. Assistant Commandants of the paramilitary and DSPs in Group-A are equivalent to Lieutenants in the Army, while Group-B DSPs are equal to Subedar Major, an officer remarked. Service officers said that so far it was also not clear as to how the seniority of the appointees would be protected, especially for defence officers of the rank of Captain or Major, who are already roughly at the status of Superintendent of Police. The UPSC advertisement is not clear whether the five-year service condition is applicable only to DSPs or also for paramilitary and military officers.
|
|||||
|
LPG tanker overturns near Mumbai, all well
Mumbai, March 19 According to officials, the truck belonging to Bharat Petroleum transporting LPG from Mumbai to Solapur was passing through a hilly incline when it overturned while negotiating a sharp turn. However, local people immediately alerted the police and fire brigade personnel who cordoned off the area and prevented people from coming close to the spot. “We had to ensure that people did not even light a spark accidentally. Luckily, the accident happened early in the morning when there was no traffic,” said an officer at the Talegaon Dabhade police station located close to the mishap spot. Officials quickly closed the highway to traffic and diverted vehicles via the Mumbai-Pune Expressway while work began to drain the LPG from the stricken tanker. “We kept the highway closed for most of Sunday as the work took a long time,” the officer said. Persons living the vicinity were forced to leave their homes and move to safer places as a precautionary measure, the police said. Fire brigade officials at the civic body in Pimpri Chinchwad, neighbouring Pune, said that LPG continued to gush out of the tanker for a long time as engineers summoned from the nearby ordnance factory could not plug the leak. Finally, another tanker was requisitioned to siphon off the LPG from the damaged vehicle, the police said. Close shave
11 tonnes of fuel spills out Timely action prevents major mishap
|
|||||
|
Maoists yet to respond to govt’s talks offer
Bhubaneswar, March 19
Stating the Maoists have not yet nominated their representatives to discuss the matter on their behalf with the government, Patnaik said, "when such a communication is received, further steps will be taken." Making a fresh appeal to the Maoists to release the hostages, the Chief Minister said, "I once again make a strong appeal on humane grounds here in this august House to release the two Italian nationals immediately and to see that they are unharmed." He said the Italians, Paolo Bosusco and Claudio Colangelo who had been visiting some areas in Daringbadi Tahsil of Kandhamal district from March 12, were kidnapped by Maoists on March 14, but the abductors reported it late on March 17 night through the media. Paolo Bosusco has been staying in India for the past 19 years in Puri and was running a travel agency named 'Odisha Adventurous Trekking' which has been organising trips to different parts of the state for tourists, while Colangelo was a tourist from Italy, Patnaik added. The two Italians had driven down from Puri and entered a forested area despite being warned by Daringibadi police about the Maoists. A driver and cook who were accompanying them and their vehicle were released by the Maoists subsequently. A report from Puri said that the driver, Kartik Parida, and cook, Santosh, were interrogated by the police. The Chief Minister said, "I have spoken to External Affairs Minister SM Krishna and Union Home Minister P Chidambaram informing them about the developments.” — PTI
|
|||||
|
Cong MLA assaults lensman in Meghalaya Assembly
Guwahati, March 19 Wanton Jyrwa was seriously injured and was rushed to the Shillong Civil Hospital even as the incident triggered sharp reactions from various quarters, including a section of legislators. Shillong Press Club president David Laitphlang said, “Photo journalist Jyrwa was talking with some legislators in the lobby of the state Assembly after the session was over for the day following presentation of the budget when Founder Cajee assaulted him.” It was learnt that the photo journalist had clicked a photograph of MLA Cajee showing him sleeping inside the Assembly a few days back. The photograph was carried prominently in a section of local newspapers.
|
|||||
Portugal court stays cancellation of Abu Salem’s extradition Kingfisher may lose flying permit K’taka porngate: 2 ex-ministers cleared, one held guilty
|
|
| 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 | |
Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was at her magisterial best on her day out in the Capital.
Mumbai, March 19
Modernising its armed forces along the borders with China and Pakistan, India has emerged as the world's largest importer of arms, a global think tank report said today.
The report pointed out that China, which was the largest recipient of arms exports in 2002-2006, fell to fourth place in 2007-11 due to decline in the volume of Chinese imports along with improvements in China's arms industry and rising arms exports.
"India was the world's largest recipient of arms, accounting for 10 per cent of global arms imports between 2007 to 2011," the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
(SIPRI) said in its latest report.
New Delhi, March 19
"A pamphlet in the name of 'Sunil', secretary of Odisha State Organising Committee of CPI (Maoist), containing 13 demands has been received and is being examined," Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told the Assembly.
