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Economic situation
Pranab may resign as Finance Minister today
Prez poll may trigger
fresh political tie-ups
CWC to bid
adieu to Pranab on Monday
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Manmohan writes to Pak PM, hopes for better ties
IIT directors discuss compromise formula
Dawood’s ‘aide’ Khalil granted bail
Lucknow votes to elect its mayor
Babus want makeshift offices
in plush South Mumbai
Juhu rave party: Apurva, 43 others test positive for drugs
IAF aircraft makes delayed landing in Guwahati
BCCI chief quizzed again in Jagan case
K’taka minister quits, CM keeps it on hold
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Pranab: Govt to announce measures tomorrow
Subhrangshu Gupta/TNS
Kolkata, June 23 Talking to mediapersons in the city today, Mukherjee said that the global economic crisis was being reflected in the country’s economy. He hoped that the present crisis would be over soon. He said the government would announce measures to improve the market conditions on Monday. “The steps we have taken...and we will be able to take certain measures - to be announced on Monday - which will improve the market condition," the Finance Minister told reporters here. Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs R Gopalan had yesterday consulted RBI Governor D Subbarao, who is aboard, about the measures, the Finance Minister said. Mukherjee said, "I would like to say GDP (growth) is at 6.5 per cent. There is inflationary pressure on the economy, there is depreciation of the rupee. These are, no doubt, signs of weakness in Indian economy. I am concerned but I am not depressed". However, Mukherjee said the Indian economy is resilient with strong fundamentals. The Finance Minister said the period from January to June 6, 2012 saw an inflow of FII money to the tune of $8 billion, as against negative flow in 2011. FDI stood at $46-48 billion which is higher than last fiscal," Mukherjee said. On Prez poll
During the press meet,
Mukherjee, who is the UPA’s presidential candidate, did not utter a single word either on Mamata Banerjee or her party - the Trinamool Congress - one of the
UPA-II allies which was still opposing his candidature. He said all the partners except one in the
UPA-II had extended their support to him. Outside the UPA-II, some 15 parties like the Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Lok
Dal, BJD, CPM, Forward Bloc, RJD etc were supporting him. Mukherjee again made an appeal to all irrespective of their political ideologies to extend their support to him.
Visits native
village
Mukherjee today left for his native village at Kinnahar in Birbhum to meet his elder sister
there. Mukherjee came to Kolkata last night from New Delhi and spent the night at his flat in south
Kolkata. The Finance Minister will return to the state capital in the morning tomorrow and spend the whole day in the city. He doesn’t have any official programme and is not scheduled to meet Mamata
Banerjee. But he said that he would certainly welcome Mamata if she wanted to meet him to discuss the state’s financial matters. (With PTI inputs)
May resign today
In Kolkata, Pranab said that he would demit office on Sunday. "This is my last visit to Kolkata as the Finance Minister," he said. But later in his native village, he said, “I will resign as Union Finance Minister on June 26 and from the CWC in a day or two.” Sources said that Mukherjee was expected to file his papers for the Presidential election on June 28
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Pranab may resign as Finance Minister today
Kolkata, June 23
"This is my last visit to Kolkata as the Finance Minister," he said.
But later in his native village, he said, “I will resign as Union Finance Minister on June 26 and from the CWC in a day or two.”
Sources said that Mukherjee was expected to file his papers for the Presidential election on June 28.
During the press meet in Kolkata, Mukherjee did not utter a single word either on Mamata Banerjee or her party — the Trinamool Congress — one of the
UPA-II allies which was still opposing his candidature.
He said all the partners except one in the UPA-II had extended their support to him. Outside the
UPA-II, some 15 parties like the Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Lok Dal, BJD,
CPM, Forward Bloc, RJD etc were supporting him.
Mukherjee again made an appeal to all irrespective of their political ideologies to extend their support to him.
Then, Mukherjee left for his native village at Kinnahar in Birbhum to meet his elder sister there.
Mukherjee came to Kolkata last night from New Delhi and spent the night at his flat in south
Kolkata. (With PTI inputs)
Not given up hope on Trinamool: PM Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said he had still not given up "hope" on key ally Trinamool Congress supporting the candidature of UPA's Presidential nominee Pranab Mukherjee and expressed confidence that the Finance Minister will be elected unanimously with also the support of oppostion NDA. "Trinamool is still part of UPA and I have still not given up hope that Trinamool Congress will also find its way to support the candidature of Pranab Mukherjee," the PM told reporters when asked whether he would request Banerjee to reconsider her decision on the issue of supporting Mukherjee's candidature. — PTI
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Prez poll may trigger
fresh political tie-ups
New Delhi, June 23 The July 19 Presidential election has exposed the fault lines in all political formations. The differences in the Congress-led UPA were further accentuated after mercurial Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee refused to endorse the ruling coalition’s Presidential nominee Pranab
Mukherjee. However, Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, whose political career has been defined by
anti-Congressism, has stepped in to bail out the UPA. The cracks in the
BJP-led NDA surfaced when two of its allies-the Shiv Sena and the Janata Dal (U), refused to back its Presidential nominee PA Sangma and instead preferred to support
Mukherjee. Even the close-knit Left Front was divided over its preferences in this poll with the CPM and the Forward Bloc deciding to support Mukherjee while the CPI and the RSP opted to abstain from voting. The NDA allies and the two Left parties have been at pains to explain that their decision to back Mukherjee should not be mistaken for their support to the Congress. However, the ongoing churning in the polity points in the direction of a reordering of present political equations. The longevity of the NDA could be under serious threat if the BJP decides to project Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as its Prime Ministerial candidate in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The Shiv Sena is unlikely to part company with the BJP despite its temporary differences over the Presidential candidate as the two parties have strong ideological bonds. But Janata Dal (U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, a key NDA ally, has made it amply clear that he will not accept Modi’s elevation at the national political stage. Although the two parties have settled for a truce, it may prove to be temporary. The Congress is eyeing these developments with interest. With nil presence in Bihar, the Congress is hoping that Nitish Kumar will ultimately desert the
NDA, which would then open the doors for an electoral tie-up with the
JD(U). As in the case of Mulayam Singh Yadav, the anti-Congress plank has been Nitish Kumar’s mainstay. This will make it difficult for him to have any pre-poll arrangement with the Congress but it does not rule out a post-poll understanding. Similarly, there is no betting how the Congress-Samajwadi party relationship will shape up after the next General Election. With Mamata Banerjee proving to be a problematic ally, the Congress and the Left Front have not closed their option of doing business once again. Although the two are at daggers drawn at present, the Left parties would only be too happy if the Congress and the Trinamool go their separate ways as a three-cornered contest in West Bengal works to the advantage of the Communists. The BJP has come a real cropper as recent events have shown the handicap it faces in expanding the NDA and attracting new allies as it is yet to shake off its “untouchability” tag. On the other hand, regional satraps like AIADMK’s J
Jayalalithaa, BJD chief Naveen Patnaik, Nitish Kumar and Mamata Banerjee are keeping their options open as each one of them is looking at a situation when neither the BJP nor the Congress will have the numbers and will be forced to prop them up. And each one of the Chief Ministers is preparing to emerge as a a lead player of this grouping.
Divided houses
The July 19 Presidential election has exposed the fault lines in all political formations. The differences in the Congress-led UPA were further accentuated after TMC chief Mamata Banerjee refused to endorse Pranab’s name The cracks in the
BJP-led NDA surfaced when two of its allies - the Shiv Sena and the Janata Dal (U) - refused to back its Presidential nominee PA Sangma and instead preferred to support
Mukherjee Even the close-knit Left Front was divided over its preferences with the CPM and the Forward Bloc deciding to support Mukherjee while the CPI and the RSP opted to abstain from voting
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CWC to bid
adieu to Pranab on Monday
New Delhi, June 23 The CWC will also take stock of the ongoing preparations for the presidential election and key ally Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee’s refusal to spell out her party’s stand on this issue. There are indications that Mamata could ask her MPs and legislators to abstain as she is not happy with UPA’s decision to nominate Mukherjee for the presidency. However, she is also under pressure from her party rank and file to support Mukherjee as the country’s first Bengali President. The Congress is in a dilemma over Mamata’s ambiguous stand on backing
Mukherjee. There is a section in the party which believes the Congress leadership should take a serious view if the Trinamool Congress does not support the UPA candidate as the party continues to be a member of the ruling coalition. However, the moderates in the Congress maintain that the party should not drive away Mamata as it would enhance its dependence on Samajwadi Party leader Mulayum Singh Yadav who can prove to be unreliable as past experience has shown.
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Manmohan writes to Pak PM, hopes for better ties
New Delhi, June 23 "I would like to extend to you my heartiest congratulations on your appointment as Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. On behalf of the people and Government of India and also on my own behalf, I convey to you our best wishes for success in your new assignment as well as for the peace, prosperity and well-being of the people of Pakistan under your leadership,'' Singh said in a congratulatory message to Ashraf. He expressed confidence that during Ashraf's term as PM, the two countries would continue to make progress in their bilateral dialogue on all issues and build good neighbourly relations by strengthening their cooperation in all areas for the benefit of the peoples of both countries. He said he looked forward to working closely with the Pakistan Premier in this regard. The Indian PM has been a strong votary of peaceful and good neighbourly relations with Pakistan. He has always held the view that India cannot occupy its rightful place in the comity of nations unless it is at peace with Pakistan. He had established a close working relationship with Yousuf Raza Gilani, who was disqualified as Pakistan's PM earlier this week by the Supreme Court in his country. It was due to the efforts of Singh and Gilani that the two countries were able to resume the dialogue process in February last year after a hiatus of more than two years following the Mumbai terror attack. Singh is also said to be keen to visit Pakistan to give an impetus to the normalisation process as well as to see Gah village in Potohar region where he was born.
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IIT directors discuss compromise formula
New Delhi, June 23 Ahead of the special meeting of the IIT Council called on June 27 by the Human Resource Development Ministry, IIT Directors and Chairmen of Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) met here under the aegis of JAB. They suggested that instead of giving 50 per cent weightage to school-leaving marks and 50 per cent marks at JEE for students at both the Main and Advanced engineering examination, top students on 20 percentile basis emerging out of various secondary education boards in the country and marks obtained at Main examination should determine eligibility for the Advance examination. While the Main examination could be conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education as envisaged in the Combined Entrance Test, the IITs would hold the Advance examination for the purpose of student intake into their institutions, the suggestion added. In order to address to objection to another proposal by the government under its “One Nation, One Exam” scheme of having the Main and Advance tests on the same day to reduce stress on the students, today’s meeting felt that the Advance examination could be held later under either a subjective or objective test format to be determined by the IITs, thereby retaining academic autonomy. Sources in the IITs told The Tribune that considering the autonomy of the institutions, it should be left to the IITs to determine the format since they saw little merit in conducting both the Main and Advance test under the multiple-choice question format, the government proposed. Depending on the outcome of the June 27 meeting, in which either some or all of these suggestions will be accepted by the council, the decision will need ratification by different IIT senates, a process that IITs said was not adopted by the government before announcing the combined entrance test last month. The IITs have also been demanding that the entire exercise be delayed by one year instead of implementing it next year.
The proposals
The IITs will hold the Advance examination for the purpose of student intake into their institutions Instead of having the Main and Advance tests on the same day, the Advance examination could be held later It can be either in a subjective or objective test format to be determined by the IITs
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Dawood’s ‘aide’ Khalil granted bail
New Delhi, June 23 Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vinod Yadav granted bail to Khalil considering that substantial evidence against him has already been recorded. The court released him on bail on a personal bond of Rs 25,000. The CMM also noted that Khalil had already been absolved of MCOCA charges by a sessions court on November 16 last year and that the same order was upheld by the Delhi HC. "Considering the facts and circumstances of the case in totality, particularly the fact that the accused has been in judicial custody for more than three-and-a-half years, substantial evidence in the matter has already been recorded and further fact that the high court has been pleased to confirm order of the additional sessions judge whereby charges under MCOCA were not made out against the accused, I deem it to be a fit case for grant of bail," the CMM said. The prosecution vehemently opposed his bail plea saying that he is a bad character of the area of Jamia Nagar and that the state wants to file a Special Leave Petition against the order of the high court absolving him of MCOCA charges.— PTI
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Lucknow votes to elect its mayor
Lucknow, June 23 The voting in Lucknow was advanced by a day in the wake of a large number of candidates coming to the city to appear in the UGC test falling on Sunday. The test is expected to keep the district administration on its toes. Despite so many anomalies in the voting list, around 38 per cent of 22 lakh voters had cast their vote by 3 pm. Due to heat, the state election commission had extended the voting time by an hour to 6 pm. The next three phases of the elections are scheduled for June 27, July 1 and 7. The counting will take place on July 7. Describing the urban bodies’ elections as crucial, state election commissioner, Satish Kumar Agarwal said: “People need to take part with more enthusiasm. After all, they are electing a representative who will take care of their problems at the local level." The elections to elect representatives to 630 local urban bodies are crucial for the two national parties - the BJP and the Congress - which performed poorly in the Assembly polls. They also hold majority of the mayor posts in the state. Nine of the outgoing mayors belonged to the BJP, two to the Congress and one to the SP. The BSP hardly made any dent in these elections last held in November 2006.
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Babus want makeshift offices
in plush South Mumbai
Mumbai, June 23 "We will soon issue advertisements in this regard. Private premises would be taken on rent to house various departments," a senior bureaucrat told The Tribune. More than 3,000 state government employees housed at the damaged Mantralaya building are to be housed in alternate premises. Should the Mantralaya building be pulled down and a new tower erected in its place, as proposed some years ago, it would be at least five years till the employees move back, sources say. Real estate agents feel that the rentals at Nariman Point area which has been stagnating for the past two years could again shoot up should the government enter the market to rent property. For the moment, government departments displaced by the fire have been shifted to different locations across the city and the suburbs. Most of the Mantralaya employees are expected to report to the new administrative building across the road from the gutted premises. Some employees' unions and even a few bureaucrats have objected to the move to this building, sources say. The 17-storey structure which was originally meant to house bureaucrats and their families is not suited for offices, claim state government officials. A fire-safety audit conducted on the Mantralaya and the new administrative building had warned that the structure had only two entrances which would make it difficult for people to exit the premises in case of a disaster. Like in
Mantralaya, this building also has partitions made of plywood and has files and paper strewn all over.
Mantralaya fire The bravehearts, who lowered the national flag atop Maharashtra secretariat when it was engulfed in a massive blaze, were felicitated at the BJP office in South Mumbai on Saturday. For Suresh Baria and his six colleagues, the flames were no deterrent. They are responsible for the hoisting, lowering and the overall safety of the national flag. — PTI
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Juhu rave party: Apurva, 43 others test positive for drugs
Mumbai, June 23 "Apurva Agnihotri is among the 44 people who tested positive for drugs. His wife Shilpa's test results are yet to be received," said a police officer. As many as 44 out of the 92 people who had been rounded up during a high-profile rave party at Oakwood Premier Hotel in Juhu on May 20 have tested positive for drugs, making their arrest inevitable, the officer said. However, since the party-goers are not accused of possessing 'commercial quantity of drugs', they would get bail after the arrest, he added. According to the officer, they can later apply for drug rehabilitation in a government hospital as per section 64 (A) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. They can then apply to the court for exemption from further action. — PTI
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IAF aircraft makes delayed landing in Guwahati
Guwahati, June 23 The IL-76 'Gajraj' aircraft, flying to Delhi from Bangalore via Guwahati, developed "certain problems mid-air and made a delayed landing as necessary arrangements were made on the ground in case there was an emergency," airport sources said. The sources said that the aircraft circled over the airport for nearly two hours before landing. The Airport Authority of India made the arrangements for the landing and to deal with any emergency, the sources said. Stating that the aircraft was on a routine weekly flight from Bangalore to Delhi, Defence spokesman Lt Col SS Phukat said, "There was neither any technical problem in the aircraft nor was there an emergency landing." Phukat said the aircraft arrived with 196 defence personnel on board and 40 passengers were offloaded at the airport here while 40 others boarded the flight for the onward journey to Delhi. Normal technical checks and refuelling were done at the airport before it left Guwahati, he claimed. There was 'no technical problem' in the aircraft and it left the Lokopriyo Gopinath International Airport on schedule at 1300 hours, sources said. — PTI
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BCCI chief quizzed again in Jagan case
Hyderabad, June 23 The day-long quizzing at the CBI’s camp office was primarily focused on the “quid pro quo investments” by India Cements in the business ventures floated by Jagan, the sources said. Srinivasan was earlier questioned by the CBI on June 18 and asked to appear before the investigating agency again today. According to the charge sheet filed by the CBI, India Cements had received favours by the Congress government headed by late YS Rajasekhar Reddy. In return for the benefits, the company made investments in Jagan’s firms. The Chennai-based cement company had invested Rs 135 crore in Bharati Cements and Jagati Publications owned by Jagan in return for the benefits it got. India Cements, which has two production units in Andhra Pradesh, had received favours in the form of enhanced water allocations to enable them to double their production. In return, the company made huge investments in Jagan’s business ventures.
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K’taka minister quits, CM keeps it on hold
Bangalore, June 23 But Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda rejected Kumar’s resignation and said he was aware of the issue and it did not merit an extreme step like resignation. “Suresh Kumar is one of those ministers who conduct themselves in a transparent manner. I know the details of this case”, Gowda told reporters at his home-office after Kumar submitted the resignation letter and left. “I think he is being wrongly targeted. So I will not accept his resignation. There is also no need to order a probe,” Gowda said. Kumar gave his resignation after a tabloid today carried a story alleging that Kumar suppressed the fact that his kin already owned two sites while obtaining a “G” category (discretionary quota of Chief Minister) site here. The information was passed to the tabloid by a man who obtained the details by applying through the RTI. “Though I have explained to the chief minister the reason for resigning, I hope he would accept it as I had assured him to return to the post once my name is cleared,” an unfazed Kumar told reporters at his house in the city’s north-west suburb. Asserting that he did no wrong in obtaining the site, measuring 4,000 square feet in an upscale area under the chief minister’s discretionary quota (G category), Kumar said he was ready for any probe including judicial probe. “I decided to step down as law minister after reading some allegations against me in a tabloid that I secured a housing site on government land in violation of the allotment laws. As I do not want to embarrass the party or the government, I felt I should not continue in the post till my name is cleared.”
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Police raid rave party in Hyderabad
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Kolkata, June 23
The stand-off between the government and the Indian Institute of Technologies
(IITs) over the common engineering entrance examination could head for a resolution with the Joint Admission Board (JAB) that met here today discussing some compromise formula as a way forward.
today, polling for the second round of the first phase of three-tier urban local body elections would be held in 17 districts of Uttar Pradesh tomorrow amidst tight security arrangements. Strangely, a large number of people, including city BJP MLA and senior leader Kalraj Mishra and Janta Party mayor candidate
Shankhwar, who had exercised their right to franchise in the recently concluded Assembly polls, could not vote today as their names did not figure in the electoral list.
Maharashtra's bureaucrats want the government to rent private premises at Nariman Point and other areas of South Mumbai till the main secretariat building, which was damaged in a fire on Thursday, is restored for use.
"We will soon issue advertisements in this regard. Private premises would be taken on rent to house various departments," a senior bureaucrat told The Tribune.
More than 3,000 state government employees housed at the damaged Mantralaya building are to be housed in alternate
premises.
