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AIRCEL-MAXIS DEAL Domestic workers to be covered under anti-sexual harassment Bill |
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Cabinet nod to Bill on college accreditation
RS passes Bill to protect kids from sexual offences
UP to probe Mayawati’s bungalow renovation
Tejinder withdraws plea against Gen VK Singh
Verify charges against NHRC chairman, SC tells govt
Another senior UP cop makes remark against women
Govt told to review approval to controversial drugs
Water management
Govt reaches out to Oppn on Lokpal
Arunachal wants road link with Myanmar, Bhutan
Park Street rape: CID files chargesheets against 5 accused
Bal Thackeray praises Aamir, trashes Shah Rukh
Marathi convention triggers row
Rajya Sabha adjourned after MPs
complain of foul odour
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A day of lost tempers in LS: PC rejects Opposition charges
Aditi Tandon/TNS
New Delhi, May 10 The House also evidenced an unusually angry Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee who had to come back to the MPs to “apologise for inappropriate conduct” after he lost his cool when the Opposition asked him to explain the Finance Ministry’s role in the controversial Aircel-Maxis deal which sat at the centre of the political storm today. The Finance Ministry had on April 28 issued a statement saying the deal was approved in March 2006. The Opposition quoted some media reports to say it was approved in October that year and wanted the FM to reply. “If you force me, I am not going to speak? if you get up? that’s not the way,” Pranab said with BJP members creating an uproar after misinterpreting the FM’s “get up remark” as “shut up”. The House saw a second adjournment around 12.30 pm. Soon before the disruption, BJP’s Yashwant Sinha in the Zero Hour charged Chidambaram with ministerial impropriety, saying his son had purchased five per cent shares in a company which was bought over by a Malaysian firm Maxis in 2006. “There’s evidence that the then Finance Minister”s son (read Karti Chidambaram) purchased five pc shares in the company even as his father, the then FM, approved the takeover of a domestic phone company Aircel by Maxis in 2006 being chairman of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB). The FM should have recused himself but did not,” Sinha alleged with UPA chief Sonia Gandhi watching. Chidambaram was absent from the House at this point. He however returned at 2 pm to make a statement quoting his son who today denied having acquired or held five per equity in telecom company Aircel or Maxis. Amidst the Opposition clamour, Chidambaram said, “You can’t make an allegation and get away with it. You are scared of hearing the reply.” He then quoted his son Karti to dismiss BJP’s charges. Karti said today that neither he nor a member of his family owns any such shares. He also said that “These statements (of allegation) were first made by a person (read Subramaniam Swamy) known to make wild and reckless allegations.” Sinha had earlier questioned the takeover of Aircel by Maxis in 2006 when Chidambaram was the FM and FIPB chairman and approved the takeover involving Rs 4000 crore.
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Domestic workers to be covered under anti-sexual harassment Bill
New Delhi, May 10 The move is in line with the recommendations of the National Commission for Women, the National Advisory Council and the state governments of Punjab and Gujarat that had always supported covering domestic workers under this law. The move is being seen as a victory for this marginalised lot considering as the original draft Bill, which the ministry introduced in Parliament last year after getting Cabinet clearance, excluded such workers from its ambit citing practical difficulties in implementing any such move. However, when the Bill, after introduction in the Rajya Sabha, went to the Parliamentary Standing Committee, the committee, after year-long deliberations, slammed the Ministry of Women and Child Development for the proposal. The panel said "privacy of households could not be used as an excuse to shield uncalled for acts against domestic workers". The panel also said if the burden of proving innocence rests on the accused, malicious complaints could harm them. The panel wanted this proposal in the original Bill removed and that was done today. On domestic workers, the committee said, "We agree on inclusion of domestic workers in the Bill. Expecting such a vulnerable group to take recourse to the IPC in a sexual harassment case is not viable." This recommendation finds place in the amended Bill which the Cabinet cleared today for fresh introduction in Parliament. The draft Bill defines workplace as offices in government, private sector and places a woman visits by air, rail, land or sea during the course of her job.
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Cabinet nod to Bill on college accreditation
New Delhi, May 10 But the National Accreditation Regulatory Authority for Higher Educational Institutions Bill 2012, cleared today, makes it compulsory for new colleges to accredit their courses after six years of operation and get their faculty and infrastructure assessed before starting operations. The breather of six years has been given in this new Bill after the Parliamentary Committee on HRD rejected the earlier draft of the HRD Ministry which proposed accreditation before the start of courses. The committee found that unrealistic when it examined the 2010 Bill draft earlier cleared by the Cabinet and introduced in Rajya
Sabha. The reworked Bill approved by the Cabinet accommodates two primary recommendations of the parliamentary committee - accreditation of courses after six years of operation of the institute and headship of the proposed regulatory body to be given to a serving national research professor instead of a Cabinet Secretary as proposed earlier. The amended Bill is ready for introduction in Parliament and provides for mandatory assessment of human and physical infrastructure of institutions before they commence academic operations and accreditation of the academic quality of their programmes after completion of six years of existence by independent accreditation agencies. The Bill seeks to establish a statutory authority for registering and licencing accreditation agencies and regulating the process of accreditation in the country. Its major features are eight-member authority (instead of four proposed earlier); one member each from SC, ST, minorities; and more women in the authority. The Cabinet also cleared the Universities for Research and Innovation Bill 2012 for introduction in Parliament today. The Bill provides for establishment of incorporation of universities for research and innovation to set benchmarks for excellence for other institutions through research.
Making higher education better
The National Accreditation Regulatory Authority for Higher Educational Institutions Bill 2012 makes it compulsory for new colleges to accredit their courses after six years of operation and get their faculty and infrastructure assessed before starting operations
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RS passes Bill to protect kids from sexual offences
New Delhi, May 10 The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Bill, introduced by Minister for Women and Child Development Krishna
Tirath, was passed after a brief debate since very few members were present in the House. Arguing strongly for speedy enactment of the legislation, Tirath sought stringent punishment for child sex abusers. She said a survey by the National Crime Records Bureau had revealed that 53 per cent of the 13,000 children interviewed had admitted to having been sexually abused, including by acquaintances and relatives. Provisions had been made in the Bill to ensure that the victims did not have to go to courts frequently, which caused them mental trauma. Also, fast track courts would be made to ensure speedy trial and punishment to culprits, she said.The bill also had provisions for punishing those lodging false complaints in this regard. The Bill will now be sent to Lok Sabha for its approval following which it will be signed by the President. The Parliamentary Standing Committee reviewing its provisions had recently cleared the bill with one major rider. The panel rejected the government’s proposal to treat 16 years as the age of consent and not classify as an offence consensual sexual acts with children aged 16 to 18 years.
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UP to probe Mayawati’s bungalow renovation
Lucknow, May 10 Describing it as a gross misuse of public money, party spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhury termed it as another example of the Dalit ki beti’s desire for luxuries that had forced her to spend such a massive amount on just renovating a bungalow. “No one found guilty will be spared. The officers in her fifth floor secretariat who facilitated this misuse of public money will certainly be punished,” claimed
Chaudhury. The fact had emerged in response to a RTI application filed last year by the then Leader of Opposition Shivpal Singh Yadav who is now the Minister for PWD in Akhilesh Yadav’s Cabinet. The 13-A Mall Avenue bungalow spread over 2.05 acres was allotted to BSP supremo Mayawati in 1995. In 2007 when she assumed power, renovation work on a massive scale started. The adjoining office of the Cane Commissioner was razed to the ground and the plot included in the bungalow, increasing the size of the plot from 2.05 acres to 5 acres. According to
Chadhury, each bullet-proof glass window installed in the renovated bungalow costs approximately Rs 15
lakh. The pink carved sandstone extensively used in the bungalow was brought from Rajasthan.
Money down the drain?
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Sibal: Racial discrimination to be educational malpractice
New Delhi, May 10 Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal today told The Tribune that statutes and laws and the existing guidelines of the academic regulators were in the process of amendment to ensure parity for everyone. “Racial discrimination will be defined as an educational malpractice. We will change the UGC guidelines and guidelines of the All India Council for Technical Education and the National Council for Teacher Education to list racial profiling as a malpractice for all academic purposes. Students would then be able to seek redress in such cases, as per the laid down grievance redressal mechanisms,” Sibal said. The moves comes a few days after a nationwide uproar over the mystery deaths of two students from the Northeast - Dana Sangma, niece of Meghayala Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and Richard Loitam, an architecture student in Bangalore. The HRD Minister said racial discrimination would also ne included as an unfair practices in the pending Bill on the Prevention of Unfair Practices in Higher Educational Institutes. Following the recommendations of the parliamentary standing committee on this Bill, the Ministry included discrimination as one of the unfair practices defined in it along side donations and capitation fee, denial of certificates, charging of extra fee, etc. Under the head of discrimination, racial profiling would be included, said Sibal. The issue of discrimination against NE students was raised in the Lok Sabha last week. Home Minister P Chidambaram had admitted in the House that unfortunately discrimination on with people having different facial features did happen. He has promised a CBI probe into the deaths of two students from the northeast, is the state governments so recommend.
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Tejinder withdraws plea against Gen VK Singh
New Delhi, May 10 A SC Bench allowed senior counsel Rajiv Dhavan to take back the petition. Dhavan said his client wanted to take his complaint to an “appropriate forum.” Tejinder had filed the petition in the wake of Gen VK Singh’s allegation that Tejinder offered him a bribe of Rs 14 crore to award a contract to a private company for the purchase of trucks.
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Verify charges against NHRC chairman, SC tells govt
New Delhi, May 10 A Bench comprising Justices BS Chauhan and JS Khehar did not set any deadline for the government to go into the charges levelled against him by the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CJAR) on April 4, 2011. The Bench delivered the judgment disposing of a PIL filed by Common Cause which had contended that the CJAR’s complaint to the President and the Prime Minister on the issue ought to have been forwarded to the SC for an enquiry into the matter. Since this had not been done, the SC should ask the President to refer the matter to the SC. The apex court, however, declined the prayer for issuing any advice to the President, pointing out that this could be done only by the Council of Ministers after deliberations on the complaint. The charges against Justice Balakrishnan include amassing of wealth by his daughters and sons-in-law and brother when he was a Judge of the SC and later the CJI. Among the other charges are his attempts to elevate Justice PD Dinakaran as a Judge of the SC despite the corruption charges and his wrong statement over the then Union Telecom Minister A Raja allegedly trying to influence a Madras High Court Judge. While Justice Balakrishnan had stated that the then HC Chief Justice HL Gokhale had not mentioned the name of Raja, Justice Gokhale who had already become a Judge of the SC had denied this, Bhushan said.
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Key player in NRHM scam held
Lucknow, May 10 Shukla, the 1981 batch IAS topper, was Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, and Mission Director of NRHM during 2009-11 when the scam took place during Mayawati’s regime. He is the 15th person to be arrested in the NRHM scam, the related twin murders of the CMOs and the mysterious death of a deputy CMO last year. Shukla had, till now, evaded arrest despite being at the helm of affairs during the period and even after being named in the very first FIR filed by the CBI. The influential officer had been summoned many times by the CBI for interrogation but somehow evaded arrest till now. The CBI has arrested him now for his reported role in the bungling to upgrade 89 district hospitals under NRHM, sanctioning of contracts running into crores to his favourites and providing jobs to relatives under the NRHM causing losses running into crores to the exchequer. After the murder of the second CMO BP Singh in April 2011 and the unearthing of financial irregularities, Shukla was shunted out of the Health Department and ministers Babu Singh Kushwaha and Anant Mishra were made to resign. While Kushwaha was arrested soon after polling was over for UP Assembly elections on March 6, Shukla continued to evade arrest until now. Two days ago, the CBI had made a major catch when it arrested former CMO AK Shukla who is allegedly the mastermind of the CMO murders and a close associate of a national general secretary in the BSP. The arrests of these high-profile persons comes after the CBI was pulled up by Allahabad High Court for not touching big names in the FIR lodged in connection with the NRHM scam. Pradeep Shukla was taken to Delhi for further interrogation where he is expected to be presented before the CBI court in Ghaziabad. Apart from petty contractors or lower-rung officers, the only big fish nabbed earlier were former Family Welfare Minister Kushwaha and BSP MLC Ram Prasad Jaiswal. The roughly Rs 5,700 crore NRHM scam came to light after the murder of two CMOs in Lucknow. Later, four others were killed including Deputy CMO Dr YS Sachan, UP Jal Nigam project engineer Sunil Kumar Verma and Mahendra Sharma, a junior clerk at a community health centre.
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Another senior UP cop makes remark against women
Lucknow, May 10 The controversial statement shown over news channels was made during a meeting in which District Magistrate Rajesh Kumar was also present. “Girls run away from home. Should I spend my time catching them or chasing thieves?” the SP laughingly said joined in by the DM.
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Govt told to review approval to controversial drugs
New Delhi, May 10 The committee has directed the Health Ministry to withdraw Buclizine approved for sale in India in June 2006 for appetite stimulation among children; Novartis-made anti-cancer drug Letrozole approved for anti-fertility treatment among women; anti-depressant drug Deanxit approved in 1998 without trials in India; and Placenta extract gel approved in 2000 for conditions in which its efficacy is not proven. The committee also wants marketing approval to painkiller Analgin withdrawn considering much better analgesics are now available in the markets. This drug is banned in most parts of the world. Buclizine was approved for appetite stimulation for children in India without clinical trials and without consultation with experts. The ministry told the committee that Belgium, Brazil, Luxembourg, Bolivia, South Korea etc (nations with poor regulatory provisions) approved the drug. Investigations revealed otherwise. “The manufacturing company’s own core data sheet states that because of lack of approved clinical studies and scientific data, the benefit or risk is negative for the indication of Buclizine for appetite stimulation. Currently, this drug is not even approved for use in Belgium, the innovator country. Brazil discontinued its use for all indications; Bolivia never renewed its approval post-2003, Luxembourg barred its use for appetite stimulation,” the panel report says. It wants responsibility fixed for unlawfully approving Buclizine, more so as it is being administered to children. “Approval granted should be reviewed,” said the committee. In case of Letrozole, made by Novartis, the committee noted how the innovator didn’t conduct studies abroad to test the drug’s efficacy for infertility treatment among women because there was no plan to use it for women of reproductive age.
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India can benefit from Israel’s experience: Kamal Nath
Syed Ali Ahmed/TNS
New Delhi, May 10 Alon Ushpiz, Ambassador of Israel to India, mentioned the critical nature of water as it concerns not only life support requirement, but was also an important economic need. He mentioned that Israel has more than 64 years of experience in various aspects of water management.
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Govt reaches out to Oppn on Lokpal
New Delhi, May 10 Although the government is amenable to the suggestion from the Opposition and its own ally, Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC), to drop the provision for the establishment of Lokayuktas by the state governments, differences persist over the status of the CBI. The TMC and the Opposition have reservations over the inclusion of the Lokayuktas in the Lokpal Bill, which, they say, usurps the powers of state governments. The government is likely to accept the Opposition proposal that the Centre should prepare a model Bill and leave it to the states to enact it. Even if the Centre is able to forge a consensus on the controversial Bill by next week, its passage may be delayed till the monsoon session. The Bill has already been passed by the Lok Sabha. If the Bill is now drastically amended by the Rajya Sabha, it will necessarily have to go back to the Lok Sabha for nod. UPA sources indicated that this may not be possible for lack of time as the ongoing session closes on May 22. Today, Union ministers PK Bansal, Kapil Sibal, Salman Khurshid and V Narayansamy met Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley in his Parliament House office to discuss the controversial provisions. Setting terms for the passage of the Bill, the BJP leader wanted the procedures for the selection and removal of the ombudsman to be amended so as to make them independent of government interference. More importantly, the principal opposition party pressed for unshackling of the CBI from the government control. It also wants that the CBI Director should not be selected by the government and that its investigative wing be placed under the jurisdiction of the proposed Lokpal. The pending Lokpal Bill states that the CBI will be answerable to the ombudsman only with regard to corruption cases referred to it by the Lokpal and its investigative wing will not report to it. The government’s effort to approach the Opposition follows the all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in March when all political parties had articulated their respective positions on the proposed legislation. The Centre is keen on building consensus on the issue before discussing the Bill in Parliament as it could again run into rough weather. “We would like the Bill to come to the Rajya Sabha only after we arrive at a consensus. If the Bill is brought and a consensus is sought in the House, it could lead to problems,” remarked Salman Khurshid. The Lokpal Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha last December, but it got stuck in the Upper House when the Trinamool Congress and the Opposition raised objections to the inclusion of Lokayuktas. The Rajya Sabha witnessed high drama as the House was abruptly adjourned at midnight on the last day because of lack of consensus.
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Arunachal wants road link with Myanmar, Bhutan
Guwahati, May 10 Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Nabam Tuki during his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on Monday requested the latter to urgently consider opening of border trade and connectivity routes to Myanmar and Bhutan through Pangsau Pass and Tawang, respectively. While making a strong case for development of border areas and improvement and augmentation of hydro-power and transmission and distribution scenario in the hill state, Tuki urged the Prime Minister to pay special attention to Arunachal Pradesh by helping the state with enhanced Plan assistance. The CM also apprised the PM about the status of implementation of various development projects granted to the state under the special package that had been granted by the Prime Minister The Prime Minister informed Tuki that the projects for ‘Connectivity to 22 unconnected administrative Centres’ and ‘porter tracks and foot suspension bridges’ will be taken up under the PMGSY and the Border Areas Development Package (BADP) , respectively. Arunachal Pradesh’s long-standing demand for providing drinking water facilities in border blocks will be considered under the NRDWP programme. The special project for upgradation of transmission network and setting up of the State Load Dispatch Centre at a total cost of almost Rs. 1,200 crore would be soon undertaken under the Non-lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) scheme of funding.
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Park Street rape: CID files chargesheets against 5 accused
Kolkata, May 10 There was an uproar when the gangrape allegation was raised. CM Mamata Banerjee alleged the incident was concocted by the CPI (M) and other vested interests for maligning her government. The police chief RK Pachnanda also denied there was any such incident. But Damayanti Sen, the then detective police chief of Kolkata, claimed the incident had actually taken place. After making an inquiry, she reported to the Chief Minister that the woman, belonging to the Christian community, was actually gangraped by five people who had picked her up from a night club and raped her inside the vehicle during their journey from the hotel to the Park Circus area. In the wake of the controversy, Sen had lost her job at Lalbazar and she was given an ostensibly less significant post at the police training school at Barrackpore Latbagan. The raped woman was found lying unconscious on the street on the morning following the incident and she was then rescued by a local resident. Afterwards, she went to the Park Street police station for lodging a complaint but she was denied the same. To make matters worse, the victim was allegedly insulted and tortured inside the Park Street thana. In the face of strong public criticism, the CID was asked to probe the incident and today, the investigation department endorsed Sen’s inquiry report, submitting chargesheets against the five accused.
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Bal Thackeray praises Aamir, trashes Shah Rukh
Mumbai, May 10 Thackeray, who had to eat humble pie after the Maharashtra Government prevented the Shiv Sena from stalling the screening of Shah Rukh's ‘My Name is Khan’ two years ago, has lost no opportunity to lampoon the actor. "Aamir Khan is not like Shah Rukh Khan and other Khans who did not find anything wrong with Pakistan playing in India. His movies are always patriotic and inspire the people of the country," a write-up attributed to Thackeray in the party mouthpiece Saamna said.
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Marathi convention triggers row
Bangalore, May 10 He said the convention would urge the Central Government to declare Marathi-speaking areas of Karnataka as union territory till the court case on merger of such areas of Karnataka with Maharashtra was decided. “We are also against the system of compulsory learning of Kannada for students in government schools and want Kannada as an optional subject in Belgaum district,” Patil said. “Whatever the Kannada organisations say, we are going to go ahead with the convention,” Patil said. Members of the action committee of the district Kannada organisations have demanded that permission should not be given to hold ‘Maha Melav’ on May 20.
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Rajya Sabha adjourned after MPs
complain of foul odour
New Delhi, May 10 Chairman Hamid Ansari immediately adjourned the House for 15 minutes around 11.30 am. The House was again adjourned for 15 more minutes till 12 noon by Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien. Officials, who are seated in a separate gallery in the Rajya Sabha adjacent to where the Chair sits, said they had complained of the smell earlier but no action was taken. “We have complained about the smell so many times. The DG of CPWD (Central Public Works Department) came recently. It comes from the sewers,” an official said. Some officials and members suspected that the smell was originating from the sewers. “It may be sewer gas, or garbage, or something else, we don't know,” said an MP. “It smells like sewer gas,” another member said, as he walked out holding his nose. BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad joked, “We talk of nuclear safety, We should at least ensure safety of smell in the House.” The smell was later attributed to a sewage problem. CPWD sources said a manhole under the RS floor had got blocked, causing the stink. Just a couple of days back the Parliament suffered a power failure that lasted close to 30 minutes.
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It was a day of high drama in the Lok Sabha that saw three adjournments today amidst Opposition’s charges of corruption against Home Minister P. Chidambaram who invoked the Franciscan nuns to dismiss the BJP-led tirade as “wild and baseless”.
New Delhi, May 10
