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Mining scam
Three ‘sick’ AI pilots report for duty, claims management
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PM assures safety of nuke plants
Pranab absent from historic photo shoot
Govt extends MCI term; no change in constitution yet
Common engineering test
MPs unite to seek red beacons
India-made Bofors fares well
Monsoon set to reach Kerala by June 1
Naxals burn panchayat building in M’rashtra
India becoming ‘democracy of sound bytes’
Govt extends MCI term
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Mining scam
Bangalore, May 16 In fact, it was a sum of Rs 30 crore paid by the Jindals to B S Yeddyurappa’s kin to allegedly to obtain undue benefits for their mining operations in Karnataka returned to haunt the former Karnataka Chief Minister. CBI personnel also carried out searches in a Jindal Group establishment in Bellary. “The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case against the then Chief Minister of Karnataka and others U/s 120-B r/w 409, 420 IPC, Sec .7, 13(2) r/w 13(1)(c) & (d) of the PC Act & Sec. 9 r/w 4 of Karnataka Land (Restriction on Transfer) Act, 1991 in pursuant to the directions of Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in Writ Petition (Civil) No.562/2009 on 11.05.2012. During the investigation, searches are being carried out at various places in Bangalore, Shimoga and Bellary in Karnataka. Various incriminating documents have been found. Further investigation is continuing”, a CBI press release CBI said. Besides Yeddyurappa, the FIR registered by the CBI also names Yeddyurappa’s MP son Raghavendra (BJP representative in the LS from Shimoga constituency), Yeddyurappa’s other son Vijayendra and son-in-law Sohan Kumar. Fearing arrest, Yeddyurappa and Sohan Kumar have both petitioned the special CBI court here for anticipatory bail. Yeddyurappa, who headed the first BJP government in Karnataka, however, looked unruffled when he appeared before journalists here in the evening. “Today the CBI raided my residences in Bangalore and Shimoga. It is the most painful day of my political life. They have taken away some documents. I have the highest regard for the CBI and I shall extend full cooperation to them. I hope truth will prevail and I shall come out clean”, Yeddyurappa told media representatives. The CBI action follows petitions submitted in the Supreme Court by a Dharwad-based NGO seeking investigation into Yeddyurappa’s link with big corporations, including Jindal group, Adani group and others who have interests in the mining sector. The SC had asked the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) on environmental matters to look into the matter. The CEC, after investigating the issue, recommended CBI probe into Yeddyurappa’s links with the corporate houses. The CEC recommendation was accepted by the Forest Bench of the
Supreme Court on May 11. Donations alleged
Yeddy unruffled — BS Yeddyurappa
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Three ‘sick’ AI pilots report for duty, claims management
New Delhi, May 16 Awhad termed the “rumours” an attempt to draw a rift in the IPG pilots’ unity, accusing the management of playing dirty politics while asserting that none of the pilots from the IPG or the affiliated group had reported for work. Urging the government to initiate preliminary talks, he instead said: “We are willing to talk, but we will not bend. They should formally invite us for talks to resolve the issue”. An AI official, however, confirmed that “three sick pilots” indeed resumed duty on Wednesday. Sources say cracks are appearing in the IPG as many pilots have now started questioning the justification of the “ill-timed” strike, which has turned the entire country and most of the political class against them. Besides, downsizing of international operations and indications of some more harsh steps, like complete wrap-up of international operations till the issue is resolved, seems to working toward diluting the stir. The Tribune, on Sunday, had reported how the management was strategically working to identify hardliners in the group and separate them from those who could be more malleable in the circumstances. Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh’s stance and complete support to the management are also other key factors in back-channel talks with those keen to resolve the issue. While his first priority is to bring peace to the Air India, which is at war with itself, Ajit Singh is also understood to be working on a plan to resolve the very basis of the crisis -- the AI-IA merger -- once and for all, and sources say the remedy may go beyond the mere implementation of the Dharmadhikari committee report. The Civil Aviation Minister has openly blamed the merger as the reason behind the current crisis, saying it should not have been done, or more due diligence should have been carried out the process was on. Meanwhile, in an attempt to restore normalcy, the Air India began international operations to the US and Europe as part of its contingency plan.
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Record 20,000 UP cops transferred in a day
Lucknow, May 16 This massive shuffling in the police force was following the March 20 order of the Akhilesh Yadav government lifting the ban on the posting of constables in areas adjoining their home town. The chief minister had taken this decision on policy reversal regarding postings of head constables and constables keeping in mind the day-to-day practical problems faced by these lower-rung police personnel. According to the official explanation, the policy of not posting any head constable or constable in his home district had led to family problems impacting their moral strength. Besides disturbing their family life, it was affecting their productivity. Following the CM’s decision to look into the problems faced by the police force, the police department recommended the reversal of the decision not to post such personnel in their home district. The police department had invited applications from the concerned police personnel regarding their first, second and third preference. To deal with the unprecedented large number of applications, the police department had to employ a transfer module in the Web Enabled Nominal Roll System Software. According to Inspector-General of Police (Establishment) Sandeep Salunke, who oversaw the whole process, the task was challenging as it had tried to strike a balance between the aspirations of the police force, the vacancies available in their home or the adjoining districts without destabilising the situation in the district where they had been serving. It is the first time that such large-scale transfers were undertaken with the help of Computer based transfer module (CBTM). Around 17,131 police personnel were given their first choice, 1,444 were accommodated in their second choice and 971 were granted their third choice, while another 780 were absorbed in the adjoining district of their first three choices. A challenging task
According to IGP (Establishment), who oversaw the process, the task was challenging as it had tried to strike a balance between the aspirations of the police force, the vacancies available in their home or adjoining districts without destabilising the situation.
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PM assures safety of nuke plants
He said, "As far as the present policy with regard to nuclear power is concerned, our view is that when it comes to questions of safety, there should be no compromise whatsoever. And we will never do anything which creates doubts about the safety of these plants." He informed the House, "We have 19 functioning nuclear reactors and there has never been any incident," adding, "Even after Fukushima, I ordered a complete revisit to all the 19 reactors. Those findings of the NPCIL are on the website for everybody to see." While reiterating, “Our safety measures are an open book,” the PM also affirmed, "We must keep the option of having nuclear power as an additional source of power in the country. I think we are not in a situation in which Japan is there. Japan has a much larger proportion of its power coming from nuclear plants. In Germany too, question marks have been raised about the nuclear power, but Germany relies on France, for example, France has a large number of nuclear power plants. So, I think, the policy that we have right now is that we must do everything in our power to ensure foolproof safety of the nuclear plant. That we will never compromise with. But, at the same time, I would respectfully submit that it would be harmful for the country's interest to pass an ordinance of self-denial that we will give up the option of nuclear power as an additional source." Jeyadurai had earlier queried, "We have seen many accidents at prominent nuclear power plants in Russia and Japan. These countries used to claim their nuclear power plants are safe. People around nuclear power plants suffer the most. I would like to know from the government as to how many people have been displaced till date when the previous atomic power plants are set up and as to how many people will be displaced by proposed atomic power plants in the country, particularly Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu?"
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Pranab absent from historic photo shoot
New Delhi, May 16 The official reason given was that the Finance Minister was perhaps not informed about it by his office. While Pranab himself was silent on the controversy and chose to say nothing, parliamentarians who attended the photo shoot kept wondering all day as to why the senior-most Cabinet Minister of the UPA was absent from such a special occasion. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Bansal had no convincing reason to explain the top Congressman’s absence from the shoot that had been well advertised for at least a week in the bulletins of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. “For several days, the bulletins carried information about the group photo of LS and RS members on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Parliament’s first sitting,” Bansal said. Meanwhile, veteran communist Gurudas Dasgupta of the CPI today skipped the photo opportunity.
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Govt extends MCI term; no change in constitution yet
New Delhi, May 15 Sources in the Ministry said at present, the same seven-member board headed by KK Talwar, former Director, PGI, Chandigarh, was being extended. “That does not mean we cannot change the constitution,” said top sources. Some MCI BoG members said the Ministry letter said “their term was being extended till further orders”. The BoG’s extension though the Indian Medical Council Amendment Act, 1956 was vehemently opposed in the Lok Sabha last week. Even the Congress ally Trinamool opposed the same, voting against the Bill and demanded that the term be extended at the most for a few months and not a year. Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is hoping that the pending Bill for establishment of the National Commission for Human Resources in Health would soon come to the Parliament which would then allow for the MCI and other regulators like the Dental Council of India, the Pharmacy Council of India and the Nursing Council of India to be subsumed into the parent overarching body.
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Donated spectacles may cause more harm than good
New Delhi, May 16 The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) has issued an advice to poor and developing nations’ non-governmental organisations and state-run hospitals not to accept donation of recycled glasses. “Such glasses should not be used in eyecare programmes,” the IAPB has cautioned. India is home to the world’s largest number of blind people (about 20 million). And three times more than this number are visually impaired. A large number of them require reading glasses, but do not have access to them. The USA and many European nations are a major source of thousands of recycled eyeglasses being sent by social groups every month to India, Nepal, Venezuela, South Africa, Guatemala, Honduras, Philippines, Kenya, Mexico, Haiti, Sudan, Guyana, Cuba and others countries. Before shipment, the power of the glasses is determined. This is done with a digital read-out lensometer. Both lenses are read and recorded on the outside of a plastic shipping bag. Metal frames are removed and only plastic frames are used for distribution in foreign countries. The donators feel good sending their old reading glasses to a developing country. But a recent global study, led by the International Centre for Eyecare Education (ICEE), a collaborating partner in the Vision CRC, in Sydney, suggests that it is far better to give $10 for an eye examination and a new pair of glasses if you want to help someone in desperate need. Published recently in the ‘Optometry and Vision Science’ journal, the research showed that only 7% of a test sample of 275 recycled glasses were usable and that this pushed the delivery cost to over $20.49 per pair, close to twice that of supplying ready-made glasses. Although well-intentioned, recycled glasses will not suit many of those affected by the most common forms of vision impairment. Prof Rajvardhan Azad, chief of the Dr Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, told The Tribune that recycled glasses from abroad have many inbuilt problems. “If someone abroad makes a mistake in recording the exact power of a pair of spectacles, it can do more harm to the person who will wear them,” said
Azad. Preventing Blindness
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Hyderabad mosque prescribes dress code for women
Hyderabad, May 16 The authorities of the mosque said the women visitors must dress appropriately keeping in view the sanctity of the place. “Women visiting the mosque should wear saree or salwar kameez. The idea is to respect the sanctity of the place,” said Moulana Burhanuddin of the mosque. Mecca Masjid, the imposing granite structure built by the Qutub Shahi rulers, is one of the largest mosques in the country. It is popular among tourists who are allowed inside premises, except during prayer hours. About 6,000 tourists visit the historic place every day. Quite often, the skimpily clad women visitors are causing embarrassment to the mosque officials. Earlier, efforts were made to impose a dress code by supplying black robes and headscarves to the visitors. However, it did not work out as the tourists raised objections over the practice. It has now been decided to allow only those visitors who are appropriately dressed, the officials said. The women are also required to wrap shawls around their shoulders. They point out that there was nothing wrong in prescribing a reasonable dress code for visitors to any place of worship. The diktat
Women wearing jeans, sleeveless tops and skirts will not be allowed inside the historic Mecca Masjid
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Common engineering test
New Delhi, May 16 The senates (faculty bodies) of six out of seven old Indian Institutes of Technology have put their foot down so far as treating the proposed exam as an admission test to premier institutes is concerned. In their representation to HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, Senates of all IITs - Bombay, Madras, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Delhi and Roorkee (with the exception of Guwahati) have categorically said school board exam performance "will not to be used for the preparation of the final merit list in respect of admission to IITs and IITs will prepare this final list on the basis of an IIT advanced test." A majority of the professors in the IIT system have resolved that the current practice of admissions to the undergraduate program to the IITs (through IIT-JEE) should continue unchanged for 2013 and the national screening test should be held only from 2014. IIT faculty has however red-flagged a key element of the proposed common national exam - admission of students to central technical institutes including IITs on the basis of this test whose merit list would be prepared after factoring in the school board marks and results of an objective type aptitude test. IIT teachers say they would select the top students from the national screening and subject them to an IIT advanced subjective type test to prepare their final merit list for admission to the premier institutes (eight new ones have been added in the recent past). In their statement to Sibal, the senates have said, "From 2014 onwards, the national entrance test be used as a screening test for the purpose of admissions to undergraduate programmes to IITs. From the national screening test, a fixed number of candidates (about 50,000) will be chosen who will become eligible to appear in the advanced test to be conducted by the IITs." This practically puts IITs out of the purview of the test. IITs say the merit list of advanced test would not factor in board exam marks and structure would be prepared in due course.
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MPs unite to seek red beacons
New Delhi, May 16 MPs came together to corner Road Transport Minister CP Thakur after he introduced the Bill in the House. Taking the lead was BJP’s Bikaner MP Arjun Meghwal, who said, “If the Lok Sabha committee has agreed to our demand, we don't understand your problem in granting approval to it. If SDMs can have red beacons on their vehicles in districts, why can’t MPs have the same? You must get this done.” The House joined Meghwal in the demand with BSP’s Vijay Bahadur Singh saying it was insulting to see district officials having red beacons on their cars while MPs did not having these. That apart, discussions centred around the provisions of the amendment Bill which was piloted way back in 2007, but brought only this year after a five-year delay.
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Raja returns to Parliament
New Delhi, May 16 After spending 15 months in jail, Raja was granted bail yesterday but was told not to visit Tamil Nadu. Raja arrived in the Lok Sabha at the beginning of the zero hour and sat for a few minutes in the last row of benches in the House surrounded by his DMK colleagues. Raja looked visibly relieved and pleased at returning to the Parliament.
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India-made Bofors fares well
New Delhi, May 16 The India-made gun has been produced by the Ordnance Factory Board. The gun is presently being tested near Pokhran in Rajasthan and has done well. Source confirmed that yesterday, there were 12 rounds of firing from the gun and tests will continue till Saturday. The 155 MM, 45 calibre Howitzer produced by the OFB looks similar to the Bofors and can reportedly fire at a distance in excess of 30 km. The accuracy reading will be out after tabulations at the end of trials. “All this delay and shortages of artillery guns could have been avoided had the OFB started work on the gun a year back,” said an official.
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Monsoon set to reach Kerala by June 1 New Delhi, May 16 The four-month-long rainy season starts over the southern-most tip and covers the rest of India and the neighbouring countries by mid-July — the period during which farmers plant essential cash crops like cotton and paddy. India is the world's second-biggest producer of rice, wheat, sugar and cotton and also one of the largest consumers. Last month, the weather office had forecast normal rains for the third straight year, though with some riders. Since a substantial part of the country is rain-fed, monsoon rains are vital for the country’s farm output and economic growth. However, there have been instances when rains have arrived over the southern coast on time, but its progress was delayed over the rest of the country. The southwest monsoon normally advances over Andaman Sea around May 20 with a standard deviation of about one week. According to the IMD, the inter-tropical convergence zone is showing signs of organisation and the cross-equatorial monsoon flow is expected to appear over the Andaman Sea within next few days, resulting in increased rainfall activity over the area. The monsoon is likely to advance over the Andaman Sea slightly later than its normal date but well within one standard deviation.
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Naxals burn panchayat building in M’rashtra
Gondia, May 16 A truck driver got killed when his vehicle overturned between Darekasa and Jamakudo, allegedly after the Maoists shot a tyre of the truck to stop it. According to the police, a group of armed Naxals first vandalised the gram panchayat building and later set it ablaze. They also stuck handwritten pamphlets on the trees, electric polls and house walls asking people to make the bandh successful. A truck carrying foodgrains and coming from Bhatapara in neighbouring Chhattisgarh and heading for Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh overturned between Darekasa and Jamakudo; driver Eshwariprasad Teklal Hirendrawar (38), a resident of Bharveli in Balaghat district, was killed. Meanwhile, normal life in the urban areas remained unaffected in Jharkhand's East and West Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharswan districts during the 'Bharat Bandh' called by Maoists today. In Maoist-dominated Manoharpur, Bandgaon, Sonua and Goilkera in West Singhbhum; and Dumaria, Ghorabandha and Chakulia in East Singhbhum; and Nimdih and Chowka in Seraikela-Kharswan district, a majority of shops and markets downed shutters, official sources said. Long-distance buses remained off the roads, while mining in West Singhbhum was badly affected, the sources said. The bandh was called to demand immediate halt to 'Operation Green Hunt'. In Chhattisgarh, the bandh crippled life with the rebels resorting to firing and putting up road blocks besides killing a trader. Most of the disturbances were reported from Bastar and Rajnandgaon districts. — PTI
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India becoming ‘democracy of sound bytes’
New Delhi, May 16 This was the general sense expressed by politicians across the board who nudged the media - both electronic and print - to cover less the noise in Parliament and give more weightage and coverage to serious issues that are raised in the House. Politicians Arun Jaitely and Mani Shankar Aiyar spoke in a similar vein at a function to release a book - 'Straight Thoughts'. — PTI
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New Delhi, May 16 Sources in the Ministry said at present, the same seven-member board headed by KK Talwar, former Director, PGI, Chandigarh, was being extended. “That does not mean we cannot change the constitution,” said top sources. — TNS
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Today the CBI raided my residences in Bangalore and Shimoga. It is the most painful day of my political life. They have taken away some documents. I have the highest regard for the CBI and I shall extend to them full cooperation. I hope truth will prevail and I shall come out
clean.
New Delhi, May 16