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Petrol price hike
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Pressure mounts on M’rashtra to cut taxes
Myanmar visit from tomorrow
After MP, Kerala bans chewing tobacco
Talwars’ trial begins on June 4
Nupur Talwar at a special CBI court in Ghaziabad on Friday. — PTI
Army, MoD at loggerheads again
Book talks about lacunae in Army promotion system
Mining mess: CBI wants Yeddy to be present in court
Become job generators, Kalam tells
IITians
Molestation FIR against Luke quashed
Minister meets striking pilots
Jal Mahal
Sonia’s visit
Iranian FM to visit India
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Reddy rules out early rollback
‘Will watch international oil prices and rupee-dollar rate for some time’
New Delhi, May 25 Amid growing street protests and unease within his own party over the steep hike of Rs 7.54 per litre, Oil Minister S Jaipal Reddy came out to defend the third price increase in a year and the first in almost seven months, saying the oil companies had exhausted all options. Breaking his silence over the hike announced by oil companies on Wednesday, Reddy said: "All political parties, including my own party (Congress) are populist... (but) we cannot run the country on populist sentiments". State-owned oil companies had lost over Rs 7,100 crore in last two years on selling petrol despite having freedom to adjust rates in line with cost and in April and May this year they lost Rs 2,330 crore. "We are duly conscious of the sense of disturbance among consumers (caused due to the price rise)," he said adding the hike was necessitated due to "double disaster" of devaluation of rupee against the US dollar and increase in international oil prices. There is a downward trend in international oil prices but it would be hasty to arrive at a conclusion that retail pump prices can be reduced on the basis of this trend of few days. "We are not able to take a definitive view because there is lot of volatility in value of rupee vis a vis dollar and volatility in prices of crude oil," he said. "We have decided to watch (the situation) for just a few days... and when I say few days it is days not week... we want to know (if this) is a stable trend (and) we will come back to you (about a reduction in rates)," he added. — PTI
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Pressure mounts on M’rashtra to cut taxes
Mumbai, May 25 With protests mounting on the streets, leaders of both outfits have called for relief if not a complete rollback. "There has to be a partial rollback of hike in petrol prices as it is badly affecting the common man," Madhukar Pichad, president, Nationalist Congress Party told reporters here today. Even some leaders of the Congress said Maharashtra should follow in the footsteps of Goa, Kerala and Uttarakhand and reduce taxes on petrol. However, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has so far refused to consider lowering the Value Added Tax on petrol. He told reporters that the state is facing a drought and additional levies made available due to the hike in petrol prices could be used for providing relief to the affected people. The Maharashtra Government is expected to raise an additional Rs 300 crore following the increase in petrol prices. Taxes on motor spirits are levied as a percentage of the retail price.
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Sibal red-flags IIT faculty objections
Aditi Tandon/TNS
New Delhi, May 25 Five out of seven IITs (except Madras and Guwahati) had earlier written to HRD Ministry saying the present system of admitting students to IITs through the Joint Entrance Exam be continued in 2013 and the new test started as a national screening test from 2014. Members of All India IIT Faculty Federation, who met the minister today to resolve differences, said the minister wants the test in 2013 and says the issue is “non negotiable”. The minister is also learnt to have told the faculty members that the IIT Council can overrule their objections on May 28, when a final call on the proposed test will be taken. “The minister said he had considered the views of IIT Senates but added that the IIT Council could overrule those. A majority IITs want the test advanced to 2014. A majority also want to use the proposed test to screen 50,000 students and subject these students to an advanced subjective test for final admissions to IITs. The Senates wanted IITs to have complete freedom to decide the structure and date of the advanced test. But the Minister wants all tests the same day. In that case, we don’t know how much involvement IITs would have in the advanced test,” faculty federation sources told TNS. They said the Minister was agreeable on the advanced test for final admission to IITs. The ministry cited logistics as a problem in conducting the two tests on separate dates. Close to 11 lakh students are expected to take the national common test which CBSE has to conduct. “We don’t know whether we will have the autonomy to conduct the advanced test or whether the CBSE will conduct it,” IIT faculty members said after meeting Sibal today. They expressed anguish over the minister’s remarks that the IIT Senates may decide something but the IIT Council (the supreme decision making body for IITs, which HRD minister heads) can overrule that. The faculty federation will send to Sibal their formal reaction to today’s meeting which they termed as inconclusive. Except Guwahati, other IIT Senates (Bombay, Madras, Roorkee, Kanpur, Kharagpur and Delhi) want the proposed test to be used for screening students for IIT admissions not for admitting them. "Non negotiable" Members of All India IIT Faculty Federation, who met Kapil Sibal, said the minister wants the test in 2013 and says the issue is "non negotiable".
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Trade, security pacts on PM’s agenda
Ashok Tuteja/TNS
New Delhi, May 25 During his three-day trip that will be keenly watched in major world capitals, particularly Beijing, Manmohan Singh is expected to underline India's full support for Myanmar's democratic transformation that saw long-time political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi enter Parliament this month. Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai told the media today that the foundation for the PM’s visit was laid when Myanmar President Thein Sein visited India last year. "Myanmar is integral to India's Look East policy," he said. India and Myanmar are expected to sign a number of accords including a revised aviation agreement to scale up the number of flights. India might announce a fresh line of credit for development projects. Mathai said the initiative to link Imphal in India with Mandalay in Myanmar by bus had been finalised. Mandalay is some 600 km from the Indian border town of Moreh. Imphal lies another 100 km from there. A delegation of CEOs of major Indian companies is also going to Myanmar. It will be led by Sunil Bharti Mittal of Bharti Enterprises and Rajya Vardhan Kanoria of Kanoria Chemicals and Industries Ltd. Manmohan Singh, who will be accompanied by his wife Gursharan Kaur and External Affairs Minister SM Krishna, will fly into Nay Pyi Taw, the new capital. The meeting with Suu Kyi is expected to assuage the hurt feelings of pro-democracy forces in Myanmar who have long complained about India's growing ties with the Myanmar military junta. One of the key reasons for India remaining engaged with Myanmar is its security concern as militants of several North Eastern Indian groups, including ULFA, have taken shelter in that country. Mathai said "our aim during the visit of the Prime Minister will be to strengthen the existing mechanisms for security cooperation at the level of Home Secretaries and the Army". The meetings
PM Manmohan Singh will meet Myanmar President Thein Sein on Monday He will meet pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on
Tuesday He will also interact with members of the Indian community
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After MP, Kerala bans chewing tobacco
New Delhi, May 25 The Congress-led UDF Government in the state today announced the ban on manufacture, sale and consumption of gutka and pan masala containing tobacco. The ban is effective from today. The statement was made by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy who said the ban was being implemented on gutka and pan masala containing tobacco and nicotine under the provisions of Food Safety and Standards Regulation Act, 2011. The Supreme Court had already defined gutkha as a food product which, as per Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, can’t contain harmful substances. The CM said the government would strictly enforce the ban and take strong action in case of violations. He has also written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking a total ban on these products in the country. The notification bans manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of chewing tobacco products that contain tobacco or nicotine, in whatsoever name it is available in the market today.
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Talwars’ trial begins on June 4
Ghaziabad, May 25 The Talwars’ advocates today moved an application before the same court asking for sufficient time before the next date of the case so that they can move the High Court to appeal against the framing of charges against them. Though they wanted at least 15 days’ time, their petition was dismissed by the court and the judge gave them nine days to appeal. The court had yesterday stated that dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur would be tried for murder and destruction of evidence. The court also ruled that Rajesh would also be tried for misleading the court. The court mentioned on the parents’ involvement part, the CBI report stated surgical cuts on the necks of Arushi and Hemraj was the work of professionally trained experts. This could only be the parents. The entire data on Arushi’s mobile was deleted. A normal criminal would have no need to do so. When the police arrived at the scene of crime on the morning of May 16, 2008, it was immediately diverted by parents and sent to search for Hemraj. Rajesh ignored its request for providing the keys to open the lock on the terrace even though blood stains were found on the door. Further the Talwars refused to identify Hemraj’s body when it was found on the terrace. A request for non-mention of rape in the post-mortem, the details of the call and statement of KK Gautam indicate that detection Hemraj’s body was not a mere coincidence. Further it was stated the scene of crime was heavily dressed up which could only have been done by the parents. Once the trial starts, the lawyer of the CBI would start examination of evidence to corroborate allegations levelled against the Talwar couple. The agency has presented a list of
141 evidences.
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Army, MoD at loggerheads again
New Delhi, May 25 Sources said the ministry was informed this morning that General Suhag, General officer Commanding (GoC) of the Dimapur-based 3 Corps, faces a DV ban. Just a few weeks ago the Army Headquarters had suggested the General’s name for promotion as GoC-in-C. The file is pending with the appointment committee of the cabinet (ACC). This evening, at a release of a book authored by Congress leader and Supreme Court Lawyer RK Anand, Gen VK Singh told mediapersons “there is no vendetta? The show-cause notice was issued to him on certain grounds and it is his moral duty to reply to it and not go running around in the media”. The ministry today asked the Army Headquarters to furnish all the details of the case and held back promotions due to the GoC-in-C that should have been done by now. Besides General Suhag, the promotion of Lieut-Gen Sanjeev Chachra is pending. A section of the officials in the ministry believe that the action initiated against General Suhag was being done to remove him from the natural line of succession to benefit two other officers namely the Adjutant General, Lieut-Gen JP Nehra, and the Commander of the Mathura-based 1 Strike Corps, Lieut-Gen Ashok Singh. General Suhag, in case, is promoted as GoC-in-C will be in line to become the Army Chief in 2014. However, the catch is: In case his DV ban continues he will be overlooked and lose the chance to be promoted as GoC-in-C, ultimately missing out on a chance to become the Army chief. Legally, a DV ban, in case of a Lieutenant-General-rank officer, can be revoked by the Army Chief or the Defence Minister. General VK Singh retires on May 31 and Lieut-Gen Bikram Singh, GoC-in-C of Eastern Command, will take over. General Suhag is in line after Gen Bikram Singh. The show-cause notice charges Gen Suhag with abdicating responsibility in handling an intelligence and a surveillance unit, which botched up an “intelligence operation” in Jorhat, Assam.
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Book talks about lacunae in Army promotion system
New Delhi, May 25 The book is written by Lawyer RK Anand. In addition to raising the issue of his age, the General has talked about the lacunae that exist within the promotion system. “What needs to be done is to follow the Department of Personnel and Training norms - applicable to the IAS and the IPS cadres - and that the decision of the selection board will be final. But the bureaucrats say the ‘recommendations of the board are recommendatory in nature’ and this opened the door to all sorts of manipulations,” observes Singh. The General says “this has been creating chaos because a lot of affected people go to bureaucrats and all kinds of things go on. Quite a few of the selection board’s decisions are overturned before the file makes its way to the Defence Minister or to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) for final approval.” Up to the Colonel level, promotions are done internally by the army. For the Brigadier and above, the Defence Ministry comes into the picture. In the case of Major Generals and above, Singh points out that the names are known but the computer merit is withheld. Earlier, in General Deepak Kapoor’s time, “the computer merit was made known and the board was asked to give marks accordingly, which we felt was not a fair method and there was no point in holding a board by calling senior officers out.” The Military Secretary (X) is responsible for Brigadiers and above, the Army Chief points out. “If you have a suspect MS (X), as has been the case in the past, then the system is wide open and can be tampered with. The system is foolproof to a point, but if someone is looking to manipulate it, it has been known to happen.”
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Mining mess: CBI wants Yeddy to be present in court
Earlier in the day Yeddyurappa left for Mumbai to take part in BJP’s national executive meeting. Talking to reporters at Bangalore airport he once again promoted Narendra Modi at the cost of L K Advani and said the Gujarat Chief Minister should be projected as BJP’s prime ministerial candidate during the next Lok Sabha elections. The special court adjourned the hearing to May 29 on the anticipatory bail
applications of Yeddyurappa and his kin, who apprehended arrest in an case of illegal mining. The CBI opposed their bail applications saying granting them relief would hamper its ongoing investigations. The CBI in its objections also informed the court that it was investigating the matter under Supreme Court direction. Judge Venkat Sudarshan directed Yeddyurappa's counsel to file his objections and adjourned the hearing to May 29. Besides Yeddyurappa, his sons B Y Raghavendra, a lok sabha member from Shimoga in Karnataka, and B Y Vijendra and son-in-law Sohan Kumar have sought anticipatory bail apprehending arrest by CBI in the wake of the agency filing an FIR against them and raiding their houses on May 16. On the basis of Central Empowered Committee (CEC) report, the Supreme Court on May 11 ordered CBI investigation into the donations received by a trust owned by Yeddyurappa family members by two mining companies and de-notification and sale of a piece of land which had been acquired by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) for formation of a residential layout. Cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act and Karnataka Restriction of Land Transfer Act have been filed against them.
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Become job generators, Kalam tells
IITians
Guwahati, May 25 Dr Kalam made an appeal to the graduates and postgraduates passing out of the IIT-G to aspire to become entrepreneurs (employment generators) instead of becoming employment-seekers. He said, “In the present context, the education system should highlight the importance of entrepreneurship and prepare students to get oriented towards the setting up of enterprises which will provide them creativity, freedom and ability to generate wealth. The IIT curriculum should emphasise the importance of entrepreneurship so that some of the students after graduation can create their own industries which will provide large-scale employment to skilled and semi-skilled technicians”. He commented that the banking system in the country should provide venture capital to the graduates who had the aptitude and keenness to create their own enterprises. “The IIT curriculum should provide market research support for the selection of right products and hold the hand of the entrepreneur during the incubation period till they can stand on their own legs,” Dr Kalam said. Suggesting an integrated action for a “developed” India, Dr Kalam said the country had a core competence for integrated action in the following five areas: agriculture and food processing; reliable and quality electric power, surface transport and infrastructure for all parts of the country; education and health care.
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Molestation FIR against Luke quashed
New Delhi, May 25
Justice ML Mehta passed an order to this effect accepting an out-of-court settlement reached between Pomersbach and the alleged victim, Indian American Zohal Hamid and her friend, Sahil Peerzada, reportedly thrashed by the cricketer.
The HC quashed the FIR filed by Zohal after recording her statement that she did not want to pursue the case and would rather like to go back to the United States tonight.
Emerging from the court, Zohal said she decided to withdraw the charges after Pomersbach and RCB Director Sidhartha Mallya apologised to her. Mallya had clarified earlier that the settlement did not involve any payment of money. Pomersbach, Peerzada and Zohal, who aspires to become a Bollywood actress, had moved a joint petition in the HC seeking quashing of the FIR in the light of their reaching an amicable settlement without any pressure.
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Minister meets striking pilots
New Delhi, May 25 Today, for the first time in 18 days since the strike began, five pilots of the Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG), spearheading the stir, called on Singh at the Ministry's headquarters here and held a 90-minute-long meeting with him. Air India CMD Rohit Nandan was asked to join the meeting at the fag end. “We reiterated the stand of the government that it is an illegal strike. It has caused untold miseries to passengers. Air India has lost much and therefore they should come back to work immediately,” Singh later said. Asked whether the pilots were willing to return to work, he said, "That you have to ask them”.
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SC stays HC verdict scrapping land deal
R Sedhuraman Legal Correspondent
New Delhi, May 25 A Vacation Bench comprising Justices Deepak Verma and SJ Mukhopadhaya also sought the state government’s response to a petition filed by Jal Mahal Resorts Pvt Ltd, challenging the HC’s May 17 verdict. The state government had leased out the Jal Mahal and the land, reportedly worth Rs 3,500 crore, to the private company for an annual fee of Rs 2.5 crore. It had sought to justify the deal, contending that the company would restore and maintain the neglected Man Sagar Lake and the monument in line with the government’s policy on tourism promotion. The HC had scrapped the deal on a bunch of three public interest litigation (PIL) petitions. Arguing for the private company, senior advocate Gopal Subramanium said his client had won the contract through the global bidding process. The company had already invested Rs 80 crore on the first phase of the project which was almost complete. The company stood to suffer huge losses if the project was scuttled midway, while the investors would lose confidence in the government. The company also questioned the HC’s finding that the 100 acres of land was not part of the Man Sagar Lake.
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ULFA hawks give bandh call
Tribune News Service
Guwahati, May 25 The Congress government in Assam led by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is set to welcome Sonia Gandhi, who has been invited to grace the first anniversary of Gogoi government’s third successive term here. In a statement e-mailed to the media here, the ULFA (anti-talks) faction has called for a 12-hour Assam bandh from 6 am on May 26 to protest against Sonia’s visit.
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Iranian FM to visit India
New Delhi, May 25 Salehi arrives on a two-day visit on May 31. He will hold talks with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna the same day and call on the PM the next day to hand over the invitation from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai told reporters here. The visit of the Iranian minister comes at a time when the US is nudging India to cut its imports of Iranian oil in the wake of US sanctions. New Delhi has, however, said it would continue to import Iranian oil as it was necessary for its energy security.
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