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Coal block allocation policy correct, asserts Jaiswal ‘How can CBI probe PM, its boss?’ Mend ways if need support for PM’s post: Uddhav to Nitish |
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Tamil outfits target Lankan pilgrims
For 15 days, no toll tax on Delhi-Gurgaon expressway
HC admits PIL on skewed sex ratio in UP
Don’t create panic over dengue: Mamata
Apex court sets rank pay controversy at rest
Assam Muslim youth on ‘save harmony’ mission Driver’s licence, credit & PAN cards rolled into one Fake encounter: Modi aide chargesheeted
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Coal block allocation policy correct, asserts Jaiswal
New Delhi, September 4 Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal accused the BJP of having a design in demanding en masse cancellation of the coal blocks to actually benefit the private companies and further its political gains at the same time. Asked about the allocation policy, he said, "It was a hundred per cent correct policy. There could not be a better policy than this." On a day, when the CBI registered five cases in connection with the alleged scam in the allocation of coal mines and conducted searches at nearly 30 places across the country, Jaiswal indicated more action was in the offing. "The CBI has conducted the raids...I am not the spokesperson of the CBI...We hope there will be more against whom the
CBI will take action," Jaiswal, who was fielded by the Congress to counter the Opposition attack on
the issue, said at the AICC briefing. He was replying to a question regarding the alleged link of Congress MP Vijay Darda with a company against which the CBI has registered a case. "If anyone has resorted to such wrongdoing, not only his coal block allocation will be cancelled, but he will also be in the jail. I can guarantee you," he said when asked about BJP's charge that the coal blocks have been allotted to all and sundry, including those in the hosiery and dairy business. Asked why the coal blocks allocated long back were yet to produce coal, the minister remarked "mining coal is not like opening a restaurant" and involved a lot of processes which take time". The Coal Minister said if the licences of coal blocks were cancelled without completing the process of verficiation and even before the report of the IMG was out, the private companies could immediately move the court and get relief. "It is here that we apprehend that the BJP is making this demand with a design". Jaiswal said the CBI action against five such companies was an indication of the government's resolve and "the BJP should now be asked how do they respond to the CBI action". He said action would be taken against the companies that had given wrong statistics that were verified by the state government and its officials. "If the companies have not achieved the milestones, then the IMG is there. Whatever steps the
IMG suggests, including de-allocation, cancellation of bank guarantee will be taken," he said. The minister said 26 coal blocks have been de-allocated since the policy came into force in 1993. Making a stout defence for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, whose resignation is being sought by the BJP, the Coal Minister said it was a "100 per cent correct policy and there could not be a better policy than this". Singh was handling the Coal Ministry when the allocations had taken place. He said the Prime Minister, being an economist, knew coal was required for energy and to boost infrastructure sector for faster growth. Noting that most of these coal blocks were allotted on the recommendation of the BJP governments in states, he said he felt the BJP was insisting on en masse cancellation of the coal blocks so that the coal companies could eventually get relief from the courts while the Opposition party could also meet its political ends. Hitting out at the BJP, he said while it was easy to demand de-allocation it
was difficult to face the consequences of such an action and hence the government wanted to study it case by case. Accusing the BJP of telling the country a lie on the issue of coal block allocation during the NDA rule, Jaiswal said that contrary to its claim that none of the 32 allocations then was made to any private company, the fact was that 16 coal blocks were allotted to private hands.
— PTI
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‘How can CBI probe PM, its boss?’
New Delhi, September 4 Both the Houses of Parliament were stalled again after minor business -- the Rajya Sabha passed the AIIMS Amendment Bill to set up six new AIIMS-like institutes and the Lok Sabha passed a Bill to make NIMHANS, Bangalore, an institute of national importance. The Opposition demanded to cancel the allocated coal blocks and the BJP cited the CBI raids in the scam (which began today) as an endorsement of its stand. It said raids were happening because BJP MPs Hans Raj Ahir and Prakash Javadekar had complained to the CVC, which asked the CBI to probe. “The government cannot take credit for the CBI raids. The raids are happening on our complaint and are proof that irregularities occurred. However, we ask how will the CBI, which is under the Prime Minister, investigate the latter’s office if it has to. The trail of allocations is bound to end at the Prime Minister’s doorstep,” BJP spokesperson Javadekar said today, justifying the demand for Singh’s resignation citing the need for a fair probe by the CBI. “Whose was the last signature in the letters of allocations? Were these not the Prime Minister’s? Who was the Coal Minister then?” asked the BJP leader. When counter-questioned on the government’s statement regarding the CAG curiously investigating every policy related to natural resources (2G Spectrum and now coal) commencing 2004 and leaving out when the UPA took charge (leaving out the NDA period), Javadekar said the BJP had no problems with the time scope of CAG’s audits. “How are we concerned? The CAG can investigate why former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi nationalised coal mining. We have no problems,” he said. The BJP leader added in defence that the complaint related to coal block allocations, which he and Ahir made to the CVC, related to 2006-2009 period. “It was in 2006 that the law in respect of auction of coal was readied. That’s why our complaint begins from that period,” Javadekar said.
Telangana: BJP leaders arrested
BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar and party office-bearers from Andhra Pradesh were arrested on Tuesday when they were on their way to submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister regarding the demand for a separate state of Telangana. “The government is betraying the cause of Telangana. We dare the government to bring the Bill and we will pass it tomorrow. We were arrested and lathi-charged today when we joined 3,000 protesters seeking a separate state,” Javadekar said.
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Mend ways if need support for PM’s post: Uddhav to Nitish Mumbai, September 4 In an interview to the Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna, Uddhav, who has been locked in a war of words with Nitish, hit out at the Bihar Chief Minister for criticising the Mumbai police team which arrested a youth from Bihar for his role in the violence at Mumbai's Azad Maidan last month. "When the rogue who attacked the Amar Jawan memorial turned out to be a Bihari, Nitish should have been ashamed. Instead he is criticising the Mumbai police which arrested the culprit," Uddhav said. Echoing his cousin Raj Thackeray of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena who began the controversy last week by raking up the issue, Uddhav alleged that Biharis come in large numbers to commit crimes in Maharashtra. "We cannot tolerate if people come from Bihar to commit robberies and murders. We have to put a stop to this," Uddhav said. He went on to demand that a permit system be introduced to regulate those entering Mumbai. The Shiv Sena has been demanding restrictions on migrants coming to Mumbai for several decades. Meanwhile, the BJP has come out against Uddhav's demand for a permit system for outsiders entering Mumbai. "The party's founder Shyama Prasad Mookherjee sacrificed life fighting against permit system for Indians entering J&K. We do not need a permit to go to Maharashtra," BJP spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain said in New Delhi.
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175 Sri Lankan tourists to return following protests Chennai, September 4 The Sri Lankan tourists were on a tour to the Velankanni Church, 320 km from here. "The tourists will be leaving for Sri Lanka tonight. Their flight is around 10.40 pm. We have organised food packets for them at the airport," said Shailesh Kumar Yadav, commissioner of police, Trichy. He said another six Lankan tourists later joined the group at the airport. Following the protests against their visit by Tamil activists, the tourists were taken in vans to Trichy airport, said police officials. According to the police, the Lankan tourists were travelling in seven buses. A tyre of one bus got punctured on the outskirts of Trichy and MDMK activists came to know about their presence in the state. Around 30 MDMK cadres gathered around the buses and shouted slogans and also pelted stones at the buses, the police said. No serious injuries were caused to the tourists. The police dispersed the protesters and escorted the Lankan tourists to the Trichy airport. The Sri Lankan government yesterday issued a statement warning its nationals to desist from visiting Tamil Nadu till further notice. "The government of Sri Lanka regrets the increasing number of instances of intimidation of Sri Lankan nationals visiting Tamil Nadu for the purpose of tourism, religious pilgrimages, sporting, cultural activities and professional training," the statement said. "These visits are a reflection of people-to-people contact between the polity of two countries which are bound by old friendly ties and traditions," the statement added. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Sunday ordered the sending back of two Sri Lankan football teams that were in the city to play friendly matches. The teams left for their country on Monday. Queried about by reporters, DMK President M Karunanidhi said it is normal for sportsmen and cricketers from India to visit Sri Lanka and players from Sri Lanka visiting India. He said all that the DMK is saying is that the Sri Lankan defence personnel should not be trained in India and the issue has been raised in Parliament as well. — IANS
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Tamil outfits target Lankan pilgrims
Tiruchirapalli (TN)/
New Delhi, September 4 Sticks and stones were hurled by the activists near Kattur at three of the seven buses carrying 178 pilgrims on their way to fly back home, leaving three with bruises as they rushed out of the vehicles, police said. The group earlier faced the ire of Tamil outfits in the morning at the Christian shrine at Velankanni when they tried to block their vehicles while returning after prayers. The Lankan nationals were meted out a similar treatment at their pilgrimage to Poondi Madha Christian shrine near Thanjavur yesterday. "Sinhalese go back" shouted the protesters as one of the tyres of a bus got punctured and had to stop, bringing the convoy to a halt. The protesters then attacked three buses and used two wheelers to block the road, police said. "We get reports that some people follow the pilgrims group, intimidate, abuse and even attack them with stones," Sri Lanka Deputy High Commissioner R K M A Rajakaruna told PTI in Chennai. The Sri Lankan government evaluated the situation as the people "appealed to us to arrange to send them back to Sri Lanka," he said. We thought it would be advisable to arrange their quick eviction from here," the envoy said. In New Delhi, an External Affairs Ministry spokesman said India would take all measures to ensure safety and security of Sri Lankans in the country. "I wish to convey here that the Government of India, in close consultation with the concerned state governments, has taken and will continue to take all measures to ensure the safety, security and well-being of Sri Lankan dignitaries and visitors to India, including to Tamil Nadu," he said. "From childhood, we have been speaking Tamil. For the past 15 years, we have been visiting this place. We are very sad..." said one of the pilgrims. The incidents came even as Sri Lanka yesterday issued a travel advisory, asking its citizens not to visit Tamil Nadu until further notice in the wake of "increasing number of instances of intimidation" of Sri Lankans in the state. The developments also come close on the heels of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Sunday ordering sending back a football team from Royal College, which played a friendly against Customs department in Chennai on Friday last.
— PTI
Lanka travel advisory
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One killed in Mumbai Metro bridge collapse
Mumbai, September 4 The police said the mishap took place around 4.30 pm when a 50-metre span of the bridge gave way and came crashing down on the road near the Leela Hotel. Onlookers rescued several people from under the debris and rushed them to hospital. Fire brigade personnel reached the spot and deployed a JCB machine and gas cutters to cut through steel rods to search for people trapped in the debris. The police has not revealed the identity of the deceased. It is also not clear how many more people are trapped under the debris. According to police, those rescued were rushed to the nearby Seven Hills Hospital. The Metro project has been dogged by a number of mishaps this year. A crane had toppled over on the Ghatkopar stretch and part of it crashed into a nearby hospital building. A worker had also been killed in another mishap.
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Sathya Sai Baba’s deed surfaces, sets off flutter
Hyderabad, September 4 The spiritual guru had willed in the deed that contributions received from devotees should be used solely for charitable purposes through the trust and that he had renounced worldly pleasures and family ties. The deed document, dated March 23, 1967, and signed in the presence of two witnesses, was submitted to the board of the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust at a meeting by Satyajit, a close aide and caretaker of Sathya Sai Baba. It was decided to make the contents of the will public. The timing of the disclosure is significant as it comes in the backdrop of media reports of an alleged rift between the members of the Godman’s family and the all-powerful trust. Sathya Sai Baba passed away in April last year, leaving behind a massive spiritual empire he had built over five decades. The Sai Central Trust, which has a global network of philanthropic activities, manages assets estimated to be worth over Rs 40,000 crore. Sathya Sai Baba’s demise, after a prolonged illness, had evoked fears of a bitter war of succession to manage the vast spiritual empire. “Whatever is given to me by my devotees is under my management, supervision and control as a trustee to be used for public charitable purposes. This declaration I am making so that nobody can claim under or through me in the family properties,” the deed said. A Mumbai-based chartered accountant and key member of the Central Trust, Indulal Shah, is the lone surviving witness to the deed. He has validated the deed document’s authenticity. Sathya Sai Baba stated in the deed that he did not “own or possess any personal property, wealth or estate” and that he “relinquished” his interest and title on his family properties. The Trust supports a wide range of free educational institutions, hospitals, and other charitable works in over 166 countries. It manages a university, hospital, religious museum, planetarium, railway station, airport and sports stadium in
Puttaparthi, which is Sathya Sai Baba’s spiritual abode. “I am unmarried and left my parents at the age of 12 and have taken up religious order with saffron dress and I have no worldly/or family attachments. I declare that I left parents permanently and adopted holy order with no intention to revert back. I relinquished all my right title and interest in family property, moveable or immovable, whatsoever and wherever they may, and I do not own and possess personal property or wealth or estate,” he said in his will.
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For 15 days, no toll tax on Delhi-Gurgaon expressway
The division bench orders restraining the
Delhi-Gurgaon Super Connectivity Ltd from collecting the toll tax come in force from Tuesday midnight. The directions came with observations that the concessionaire had failed to avoid chaos and free flow of the traffic on the expressway. As a result of the orders by the division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Jasbir Singh, the commuters will not have to pay for their way from one state to another for just more than a fortnight. The bench also directed the National Highway Authority of India to hold a meeting with the state government and the stake holder to reach to a solution to the problem within 15 days. The directions came after the Gurgaon traffic police moved the high court alleging that the concessionaires were responsible for the chaos at expressway, as they were not having the requisite staff to deal with the traffic resulting in snarls. The cops also submitted that the concessionaires were unwilling to spend money on ensuring smooth flow of traffic, but only wanted to collect money. Earlier on July 5, the high court had directed the concessionaires to strengthen its manpower for avoiding traffic chaos and ensuring free flow of the traffic. But, the concessionaire even failed to set up extra toll collection points as per the court directions. In its application, the
Delhi-Gurgaon Super Connectivity Ltd had earlier sought directions to the state of Haryana and other respondents to “restraining the police officials from opening of the boom barrier illegally and forcibly; and allowing the vehicles to pass the toll barrier without payment the toll”. Directions were also sought by the company to facilitate it “in the implementation of the
Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway project by providing dedicated police teams to assist in collection of lawfully authorised toll, to ensure safety and security of life and property, and to regulate the traffic at the toll plazas”. The Acting Chief Justice, on a previous date of hearing, had verbally observed in the open court that the toll barrier was to be designed to save both fuel and time. But, neither fuel, nor time, was now being saved and long queues of vehicles on either side of the road were a common sight. A spokesperson for
Delhi-Gurgaon Super Connectivity Ltd, the concessionaire for the Delhi-Gurgaon-Expressway, said: “We respect the decision of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and would discuss the matter with the NHAI and the administration to come up with a long-term solution.”
Police’s plea
Gurgaon traffic police had moved HC with the plea that concessionaires were not having requisite staff to deal with traffic, resulting in snarls. The police also submitted the concessionaires were unwilling to spend money on ensuring smooth flow of traffic, but only wanted to collect money
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HC admits PIL on skewed sex ratio in UP
Lucknow, September 4 The Division Bench of Justices Uma Nath Singh and Satish Chandra has fixed September 20 as the next date of hearing. The PIL filed by RTI activist Nutan Thakur had drawn the attention of the court to the rapidly falling number of girl children in the state resulting in a skewed child sex-ratio in the state. As per the 2011 Census, the female sex ratio in India is 940 per 1,000 males and the child sex-ratio is 944 girls per 1,000 boys of the same age group. In Uttar Pradesh, the sex ratio of children (0-6 years) is 899 girls per 1,000 boys. The PIL prayed the UP Chief Secretary should be directed to ensure compliance of various legal provisions in that regard.
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Don’t create panic over dengue: Mamata
Kolkata, September 4 “The situation is not as serious as projected. We should not be complacent but take all precautionary steps for combating the disease,” Mamata said.
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Apex court sets rank pay controversy at rest
Chandigarh, September 4 Directing that all payments of arrears be made within a period of 12 weeks from today, the apex court ruled that the benefits will be released to all officers, irrespective of whether they had approached a judicial forum or not. Consequently, thousands of officers, including those who have now retired, would get significant financial benefits. According to rough calculations made by those affected, individuals could be getting arrears ranging from Rs 1-3 lakh, depending on their rank and length of service. The order could also impact fixation of pay and pension arising out of implementation of the Fifth and Sixth Pay Commissions. Court, however, has modified the interest component on the arrears, with 6 per cent per annum being admissible on the arrears from January 1, 2006 instead of January 1, 1986. The Fourth Central Pay Commission (CPC) had introduced an integrated payscale of Rs 2,300-5,100 for officers from the rank of Second Lieutenant to Brigadier. In addition, rank pay was authorised to officers from the rank of Captain to Brigadier, ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 1,200, which was to be added into the basic pay for all intents and purposes. “However, while fixing the pay in the new scales, an amount equal to the rank pay was deducted from the emoluments, resulting in financial loss to all affected officers. Hence all officers holding the rank of Captain to Brigadier as on January 1, 1986 suffered cumulative losses,” Maj Navdeep Singh, a lawyer dealing with military pay and service issues said. Taking up a case filed by Maj AK Dhanapalan, the Kerala High Court had termed this deduction of rank pay as illegal. An SLP filed by the Union of India challenging this order was also dismissed. Thereafter, many similar petitions were filed in various High Courts all over the country, which were clubbed together and transferred to the Supreme Court.
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Assam Muslim youth on ‘save harmony’ mission
Guwahati, September 4 About 60 Muslim youth from across Assam assembled at Bhagabhati Prashad Baruah Bhawan in Guwahati, Assam, to brainstorm about a peaceful solution for the present scenario of hatred and violence prevailing in Assam that is spreading all over the country. The meeting was convened under the aegis of a newly-formed platform named MY-FACTS (Muslim Youths: Forum Against Communalism, Terrorism and Sedition). “Mostly doctors, engineers, lawyers, Information Technology and civil society professionals who are members of the forum unequivocally stated that there was a vacuum in the social and intellectual sphere of Muslim society in Assam, and this vacuum was being misused by some unscrupulous elements and political leaders to gain political mileage,” said Asif Zaman, a core committee member of the forum. “It is also unfortunate that communal forces of all hues are trying to polarise the Assamese society on religious lines at the backdrop of tragic humanitarian crisis in BTC. Muslim youths unequivocally condemned any form of violence by anybody,” the forum stated.
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Driver’s licence, credit & PAN cards rolled into one
For all those who feel hassled about carrying multiple plastic cards, a technological solution is in the offing. Onecard Techno Services India Limited, a Hyderabad-based Information Technology company, has come up with an integrated smart card that merges the images of a wide range of cards into a single card. It will obliterate the need to carry multiple plastic cards. Being promoted as “One Nation, One Card” project, it will have digitally embedded information and the users can carry
it as a key access card that could be used at special access machines like ATMs and swipe machines. The cardholders can have the images of all their plastic cards printed on this special card.
“Our technology allows integration of all cards in a single card. It will have biometric authentication,” the company’s Managing Director Ch VKS Kumar said. The company has roped in former Indian cricket captain Saurav Ganguly as the brand ambassador for the product and recently showcased the technology. “We have completed trial runs and pilots and will start rolling out the product from December. The President Pranab Mukherjee will officially launch the OneCard in November,” the MD said. The technology connects the images with the technical information embedded on the original cards, allowing the cardholders to access their accounts at ATMs and point of sales. Beginning with credit cards and debit cards, the OneCard would also merge identity card, driving licence and PAN card. “The card will incorporate three different technologies - the chip, the magnetic tape and the radio frequency identity card,” Kumar said. Onecard is investing Rs 50 crore in the first phase and Rs 300 crore in its final rollout across the country. “Our target is to issue 10 lakh cards by the end of December this year,” the company official said. The registration process for members will begin in a couple of days and the product will be officially rolled out in November. The users will have to pay Rs 500 towards membership for two years and Rs 200 for renewal thereafter. Allaying security-related apprehensions, the MD said, “Our cards cannot be duplicated or copied and we have an edge over ATM cards.” “We are building the infrastructure by setting up our own ATMs and swipe machines. To start with, we will have 100 ATMs and 1,000 swipe machines in the next three months, which will be increased to 1,000 ATMs and 10,000 swipe machines in the next one year,” Kumar said.
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Fake encounter: Modi aide chargesheeted Ahmedabad/Danta, Sept 4 Former state police chief P C Pande, IPS officers O P Mathur, D G Vanzara and Geetha Johri and Dy SP R K Patel were also also named in the charge sheet submitted in the court of judicial magistrate D R Joshi at Danta in Banaskantha district. The three senior IPS officers named in the charge sheet included two who retired. The charge sheet, however, was not taken on record by the court due to the question of jurisdiction. The court will decide in the matter after conducting hearing next Monday. Prajapati, an eyewitness in the encounter of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, was killed in fake encounter allegedly by Gujarat police. — PTI
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New Delhi, September 4
Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray today warned Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar that he would have to stop supporting 'traitors' if he wanted to be NDA's candidate for the post of Prime Minister in the 2014 elections.
Chandigarh, September 4
Hyderabad, September 4