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India, China to kickstart maritime dialogue
Unhappy with SC judgment, pvt
unaided schools to seek review
AArushi case |
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Poll reforms: Quraishi writes to PM
Orphanage superintendent, ‘ayah’ held for minors’ rapes
Jewellers bank on Akshay Tritya
Bukhari’s son-in-law files papers for UP Upper House
Professor held for circulating
cartoon ‘ridiculing’ Mamata
AFT reserves order on Maj Gen’s promotion
Free education to girls in UP
govt medical, engg colleges
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India, China to kickstart maritime dialogue
New Delhi, April 13 The two countries had last discussed the disarmament and non-proliferation issue in 2003. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna today held wide ranging talks with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi on the sidelines of the RIC (Russia-India-China) foreign ministers’ meet in Moscow. Official sources said the two ministers also agreed to work out the contours of the dialogue on Central Asia, West Asia and Africa. They also reviewed the activities chalked out for the ‘Year of India-China Friendship and Cooperation’. Krishna also raised the case of the Indian traders in Shanghai who are involved in a commercial dispute and suggested that the matter be brought to a speedy and satisfactory resolution. There was a wide-ranging discussion on various issues which we are on the agenda of the UN Security Council, including on Syria and North Korea. They agreed that it was important for their Permanent Missions in New York to work together on these issues in the next few days. Meanwhile, the RIC foreign ministers, in a joint communiqué, said it was their common task to prevent proliferation of nuclear weapons and contribute activity to strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime. The three ministers reaffirmed the need for a comprehensive reform of the UN, including the Security Council, with a view to making it more effective, efficient and representative. Russia and china reiterated the importance they attached to the status of India in international affairs and supported its aspirations to play a greater role in the UN.
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Unhappy with SC judgment, pvt
unaided schools to seek review
New Delhi, April 13 Dissatisfied with the Supreme Court judgment which yesterday held the Act constitutionally valid, unaided private non-minority schools of the capital are contemplating filing a review petition in the apex court. The court had held that the law would apply to all government and unaided private schools (except unaided private minority schools). The Action Committee of Private Recognised Unaided Schools, New Delhi, one of the petitioners in the case, today said the dissent note given by Justice KS Radhakrishnan yesterday gave them a reason to seek review of yesterday’s order. “One of the three judges on the Bench dissented. We are seeking legal opinion in the matter and will, in all probability, file for review,” SK Bhattacharya, secretary, Bal Bharti School, New Delhi, and president, Action Committee, today told The Tribune. The committee has 2,000 private unaided schools as its members. Bhattacharya said the provision of free and compulsory education to children aged 6 to 14 years under Article 21-A of the Constitution (from which the RTE Act is derived) was the responsibility of the state. “The government is shifting its responsibility to us. It should improve its own schools so that private schools are not burdened with admissions. We are not against the RTE Act, but then, its implementation should not leave us financially crippled. We are ready to reserve 25 per cent seats provided the government reimburses 100 per cent cost of every child who comes in on the quota. Or else, the fee-paying students will have to suffer,” Bhattacharya said. RTE campaigners, advocate Ashok Agarwal and educationist Vinod Raina (who was part of drafting of the Act), welcomed the SC judgment saying it was a relief as the matter had been constitutionally clarified. “The 25 per cent quota is valid except for unaided minority schools. We can now get down to implementation,” Raina said.
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Nupur not to be arrested for now
New Delhi, April 13 The assurance, which came as a reprieve for Nupur, was given during the hearing of the plea of the mother of murdered teenager Aarushi against the NBW issued by a special CBI court in Ghaziabad, two days after the central agency searched her residence in Delhi and neighbouring Noida on April 11 to execute the court warrant. She had failed to appear before the court in connection with the twin murder case of Aarushi and domestic help Hemraj. The CBI said no attempt was made to arrest Nupur Talwar after 11 am on Thursday, contrary to the impression given out by her. — PTI
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Poll reforms: Quraishi writes to PM
New Delhi, April 13 The Law Ministry and the Election Commission of India conducted a series of regional conferences last year to seek the views of state governments, political parties and NGOs on proposed reforms. Suggestions gathered from these consultations were to be discussed at an all-party meeting that was to be convened by the PM over six months ago. However, the meeting is yet to fructify. Though details of Quraishi’s letter were not available, sources said the CEC pointed out that the slew of reforms that deal with weeding out criminal elements from the political fray should be “expeditiously considered and approved”. Besides decriminalisation of politics, the wide-ranging reforms include proposals like right to reject, state funding of elections and audit of accounts of political parties. Some of these measures have been on the table for close to two decades but none of the previous governments were able to forge a consensus across the political class despite persistent efforts by Quraishi’s predecessors. The most crucial reform relates to preventing a person with criminal cases from contesting elections. At present, a person is allowed to enter the electoral fray if a criminal charge against him is suspended on appeal. It has been suggested that the laws be amended to debar a convicted person from the poll process. The Election Commission has proposed that a person be kept out if charges against him or her have been framed by a court for an offence punishable with five years imprisonment. At present, the sentence period disqualifying a contestant is two years. The Law Ministry, which has put together the recommendations received from various stakeholders, has proposed a provision of state funding for women and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes’ candidates of recognised political parties. Other suggestions include Right to Recall and Right to Reject, as suggested by Team Anna, and state-funding for elections. The Commission has proposed that existing laws be amended to make “paid news” an electoral offence, enhancement of punishment for electoral offences and a special Bill to prevent misuse of religion for electoral gain.
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Orphanage superintendent, ‘ayah’ held for minors’ rapes
Lucknow, April 13 Both have been arrested for abetting the rapes by ignoring the crimes. They also told the minor victims to remain silent when they complained to both the superintendent and the ayah against the main accused, orphanage peon Vidya Bhushan Ojha. The incident came to light last week when a minor inmate of the home told her foster parents of sexual assault by the peon after they adopted her. Vidya Bhushan Ojha has already been arrested and fired. Nine orphanage employees, including the three arrested, have been suspended. The ayah, Rampati reportedly let Ojha use the orphanage kitchen for the criminal activity in exchange for his taking over the responsibility of cooking food for the inmates. Ojha made the inmates cook their own food, giving the ayah a paid holiday for turning a blind eye to his criminal activities.
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Jewellers bank on Akshay Tritya
Mumbai, April 13 “It’s business as usual. The is marriage season coming up and later this month there is Akshay Tritya when we expect pent-up demand to increase business,” says Abhijit Agarwal, who operates from Zaveri Bazaar here. According to jewellers, Akshay Tritya attracts large number of buyers for jewellery because the day is considered auspicious for purchasing precious metals.
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Bukhari’s son-in-law files papers for UP Upper House
Lucknow, April 13 Peeved with the Shahi Imam being given so much importance in the party, the so-called Muslim face of the party and senior-most Cabinet minister Mohammad Azam Khan expressed his resentment in more ways than one. He refused to take the oath of office in the Vidhan Sabha preferring to take it in the solitude of the Speaker’s chamber. A visibly hurt Khan made a tongue-in-cheek remark on the CM’s 40-minute exclusive meeting with the Imam as a “reward to me for my services to the party”. Commenting on the Imam returning home satisfied, Khan said, “He (the Shahi Imam) had come to acquire a licence for a tank, but returned happy with a knife.” On April 6, the Imam had written to Mulayam on the rejection of his son-in-law's candidature for the Vidhan Parishad poll and demanding more representation for Muslims, unleashing a verbal duel between the Imam and Khan. Finally after the meeting, Bukhari accepted the Vidhan Parishad nomination for his son-in-law Umar Ali Khan who had lost from Saharanpur during the recent election. Umar today filed his nomination papers. The SP chief reportedly assured Bukhari that the seat falling vacant in the Upper House next month following the resignation of former Chief Minister Mayawati would be filled with a Muslim candidate.
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Professor held for circulating
cartoon ‘ridiculing’ Mamata
Kolkata, April 13 Ambikesh Mohapatra’s arrest sparked an outrage with opposition CPM and the academic community terming the police action as "highly atrocious" and a "clear assault" on the right of freedom of expression. The professor was later granted bail by an Alipore court. The cartoon in question, which was also sent by e-mail, depicts Mamata as a magician, vanishing Dinesh Trivedi, “ the naughty man ” from the Railway Minister’s chair. Also, Mukul Roy is seen replacing Trivedi. The cartoonist also draws a parallel with a popular Bengali film Sonarkella, a detective masterpiece by Satyajit Ray. The Chief Minister and the Railway Minister are shown exchanging dialogues. While Mamata and Mukul are shown rejoicing, Trivedi is shown in the corner upset and gloomy. The Chief Minister and some of her Cabinet colleagues termed it as a
conspiracy to defame the Trinamool Congress. (With PTI inputs)
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AFT reserves order on Maj Gen’s promotion
Chandigarh, April 13 Maj Gen Handa had moved the Tribunal about seven months ago, stating that when he was posted as the General Officer Commanding of the 57 Mountain Division, the attitude of Gen Singh, then Eastern Army Commander and the senior reviewing officer of his annual confidential report (ACR), led to him being awarded a “displeasure” and a “lukewarm” ACR. He contended that he was targeted because he had refused to change the date of birth of the Army Chief in official records while he was posted in the Military Secretary’s Branch at Army Headquarters prior to proceeding to the North-East. During arguments, Central Government counsel Capt Sandeep Bansal averred that there were no specific allegations of bias in Handa’s petition and his contentions were his personal perceptions. While pointing out that the allegations were not levelled against the Army Chief in the non-statutory complaint, he said these were added as an after-thought to the statutory complaint filed with the Central Government. While arguing that Handa’s challenging the order on his non-empanelment and the marks awarded in his ACR were barred by limitation, Bansal contended that ACRs assess performance during a specific period and past performance does not guarantee future good performance. He also added that as per records, all of Handa’s ACRs were above average.
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Free education to girls in UP
govt medical, engg colleges
Lucknow, April 13 Presiding over the concluding function of the 125th year of the establishment of the historic Isabella Thorburn (IT) College in Lucknow late evening, the CM even exceeded the promise of free education to girls up to graduation in his party’s election manifesto by including medical and engineering colleges as well. In an effort to promote higher education among girls, the CM also announced a grant of Rs 1 crore for a new hostel building in the IT college. At another function at the Urs of Sufi saint Dada Miyan’s dargah at Mall Avenue in Lucknow, he made another significant announcement by promising Urdu software for Muslim students in the tablets and laptops to be provided to them after their successful completion of class Xth and XII examination. He said that Muslim girls clearing class X examination would be provided Rs 30,000 from the next session so that they don’t have to discontinue their education due to paucity of funds. According to the CM, there was an earnest desire among the youth to be tech-savvy and learn the use of the latest gadgets. “Just as the common man - without any training - has become familiar with the mobile phone even in remote villages, I am sure the youth will become conversant in the use of tablets and laptops,” he said.
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Giving a major push to the normalisation process, India and China today decided to resume dialogue on disarmament and non-proliferation and shortly kickstart their maritime dialogue between them.
