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Coal blocks Houses yet again
Every allocation had PM’s approval: BJP
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Kapil Sibal blames it on non-Cong states
Coalgate No need for party: Anna
10 firms clarify on work delay to ministerial body
news
analysis
Suicides in Army
Caste
bias in medical college
High alert at oil refineries after terror warning
Rehab of violence-hit Muslims in BTC starts
Case filed against Thackerays
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Coal blocks Houses yet again
New Delhi, September 6 The only brief period that the two Houses today observed order was during the time of obituary reference - by Chairman Hamid Ansari in the Rajya Sabha and Speaker Meira Kumar in the Lok Sabha. The BJP successfully managed to stall proceedings on the coal blocks allocation issue while the Samajwadi Party once again frustrated the ruling Congress’ efforts to take up for passage the contentious Bill for quota in promotion for SCs and STs in government jobs in the Rajya Sabha. Treasury benches in the Upper House also had to face some squirming moments, courtesy External Affairs Minister SM Krishna, who was absent during an important legislative business related to his ministry. Though Krishna did table his statement in the House post-lunch, the very fact that he was not present during the calling attention to the situation arising out of repeated attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Army only added to the government’s woes. Significantly, the two Ministers of State for External Affairs - E Ahamed and Preneet Kaur - were also absent, prompting Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien to enquire: “Where is the minister?” It is only with a prior permission - of the Speaker in the case of the Lok Sabha and the Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha - that a member calls the attention of a minister to any matter of urgent public importance. The minister may make a brief statement or ask for time to make a statement later, but his presence is mandatory when the issue is being taken up. Government sources say that since the senior minister was aware of the fate of the House for the day, he decided to stay away. In the Rajya Sabha, BJP members raised slogans against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking his resignation over the ongoing coal blocks allocation controversy. When the House reassembled at noon, SP members, including the main protagonist of the yesterday’s drama inside the House - Naresh Agrawal, rushed to the Well against reservation in promotion for SC/ST employees in government jobs. While marshals had been deputed near the Chair to prevent any untoward incident, the Constitution Amendment Bill, introduced yesterday amid commotion and a physical fight between Agrawal and BSP member Kartar Singh Karimpuri, could not be taken up even as Minister of State for Personnel V Narayanasamy rose to move it for consideration and passage. It was amid this din that Kurien announced taking up of the Calling Attention Motion. Similar scenes were witnessed in the Lok Sabha where BJP members stormed into the Well of the House on the coal blocks allocation issue. Contributing to the chaos were DMK, AIADMK and VCK members. While the DMK was opposing the training of Sri Lankan military personnel in India, AIADMK and VCK MPs slammed the government for the upcoming visit of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to India.
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Every allocation had PM’s approval: BJP
Addressing a press conference here, BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar was quite dismissive of Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh's questions to the BJP, saying the government was trying to “defend the indefensible” after the CAG revelations on the allocation of coal blocks. According to him, the CBI launched raids across the country and initiated a probe into the arbitrary allocations at the behest of the Prime Minister, who heads the agency. It was only after the BJP complaint to the CVC that a probe had begun. “Is it not a fact that the PMO itself opposed the proposal for the competitive biddings in September 2004?’’ Javadekar asked. The Congress game plan was very clear from the beginning. Moot the idea of auction but don’t move ahead with required speed. The BJP leader also wanted to know if the PMO and many Congress chief ministers had opposed the Centre’s proposal on coal block allocations. “Why there were no comparative appraisals of all the applicants and no explanation on record as to why a certain party was favoured?’’ The main Opposition party also wanted to know if it was not a fact that the right to mine goes to the allottee and does not remain with the government. In such a situation, how the theory of zero loss was credible.
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Kapil Sibal blames it on non-Cong states
New Delhi, September 6 In a sharp reaction to the BJP's allegations against the UPA government and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said the questions posed by the main opposition party did not hold water as the coal blocks were allocated on the recommendations of the non-Congress state governments which opposed the Centre's policy on competitive bidding. Sibal released copies of letters written by then Rajasthan CM Vasundhra Raje, Shivraj Singh Chauhan and the chief secretaries of the BJP-ruled state Chhattisgarh and the Left Front ruled state of West Bengal in which they wanted the present policy on coal blocks allcoation to continue.
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Darda makes last-ditch efforts to save his post
Shiv Kumar/TNS
Mumbai, September 6 Darda has been trying to convince Congress leaders that he had nothing to do with the companies named in the FIR. The minister’s name figures as a major shareholder along with his MP brother Vijay in Jas Infrastructure, a company that was allotted coal blocks in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
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No need for party: Anna Mumbai, September 6 "Volunteers of character from Maharashtra should come forward. There is no need to form a party, no need to contest elections but try and give an alternative to the people because the power to bringing change lies in the hands of people. We have to undertake the work of awakening them," he said in a statement. Sources in Arvind Kejriwal-led India Against Corruption (IAC) said there was nothing new in his statement as he has been maintaining that he will not join any party or contest elections. Last month, Hazare disbanded his team after calling off a fast in Delhi during which his team decided to take the political plunge. Announcing his action plan in fighting corruption, he appealed to the youth to ensure a 90-plus per cent voting in the elections. In the appeal aimed mainly at anti-corruption activists in Maharashtra, he said, "to change the state and the country and get a corruption-free India, we have to send men of character to Assembly and Lok Sabha and not look at the party." After next two months, he said, he would be in a country-wide tour visiting every state in the next one-and-a-half years to educate and create awareness among people. He said, "I don't know how much I would succeed. If I am defeated, it will not be my defeat, but of the people because Anna Hazare is fighting for the cause of the people." — PTI
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10 firms clarify on work delay to ministerial body
New Delhi, September 6 Sources said a decision had not yet been taken as the IMG would first hear out the explanations from the coal block allottees. A total of 25 private firms issued the show-cause notices are expected to present their cases before the group over the three days of the review meeting. Sources said among the private firms which presented their cases in front of the IMG were groups like Usha Martin, Monnet Ispat and Energy and Corporate Ispat. They had been asked to present their side of the story in the wake of the delay in developing coal blocks. The allottees had been given a deadline of 42 months to develop the coal blocks, which they have so far failed to.
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news
analysis Anita Katyal/TNS
New Delhi, September 6 If it thought it would curry favour with supporting party BSP by implementing its chief Mayawati's pet proposal with such alacrity, it has been proved wrong. Mayawati lost no time in attacking the Congress-led UPA government for its inability to get the Bill passed in the monsoon session. The government also provided an opportunity to its supporters, the Samajwadi Party and the DMK, in joining hands in opposing the Bill, raising the spectre of a regrouping of the erstwhile Third Front parties. As an unyielding BJP paralysed Parliament, Congress strategists decided to introduce the reservations Bill. The party hoped the BJP would be forced to suspend its protest on Coalgate to allow the passage of the politically correct quota legislation, failing which the Congress would get a chance to nail the main Opposition party for its anti-Dalit credentials. While the BSP stood to benefit from this move in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress felt it would be able to do the same in other states as ST/STs have traditionally been its support base. However, the Congress script has gone all awry, having lost out on all fronts. It has not endeared itself to the SC/ST populace as the Bill is still hanging fire in Parliament. It has further alienated the upper castes and the growing middle classes, which are already disenchanted with the UPA government on account of poor governance and the corruption scandals that surfaced during its regime. The party also has to contend with the SP and DMK demand that the provision of quotas in promotions be extended to OBCs which constitute the main support base of these political parties. The BJP's decision not to get sidetracked by the UPA's googly on quota Bill was taken after exhaustive internal deliberations at senior party leader LK Advani's residence. Although the party has not rejected the quota Bill, it decided to keep the focus on Coalgate and corruption in the belief that the appeal of reservation policies has diminished as a young aspirational India looks beyond identity politics.
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India seeks consular access to Sarabjit
New Delhi, September 6 “The High Commission of India, Islamabad, has approached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan to provide special consular access to Sarabjit Singh at an early date,’’ Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed told Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa of the Akali Dal in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. Sarabjit is currently being held at Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore and has been on death row for over 20 years. Sarabjit’s case is likely to figure during talks between External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar in Islamabad on Saturday. Meanwhile, in another reply, Ahamed said instances of fake Indian currency notes (FICNs) coming into India from Pakistan in large quantities and cyber crimes have been reported in the recent years. During the Home/Interior Secretary level talks between India and Pakistan in May in Islamabad, it was decided that the CBI and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of Pakistan would schedule a meeting at an early date to work out the technical details of moving forward on issues of human trafficking, counterfeit currency, cyber crimes and red notices. The minister said terrorism emanating from the territory under Pakistan’s control remained a core concern for India. This was precisely why India has sought a firm and abiding commitment from Pakistan that it would not allow the territory under its control to be used for aiding and abetting of terrorist activities directed against India and for providing sanctuary to terrorist groups. “India has consistently stressed to its interlocutors the need for Pakistan to honour its commitment of not allowing territory under its control to be used for terrorism against India in any manner,’’ Ahamed added. Replying to another question, the minister said India has taken up with Beijing the matter of Chinese support to Indian insurgent groups. The Chinese government has conveyed that it would never support armed groups that were against India.
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Suicides
in Army
New Delhi, September 6 He asked the forces to be liberal with leave applications and asked the Defence Secretary to coordinate with the Railways to ensure prompt ticket confirmation for jawans going home on leave. Antony had convened a meeting today in the backdrop of more than 100 jawans committing suicide annually. A recent suicide had led to stand-offs between jawans and officers at Samba in Jammu and Kashmir. Chairing a meeting to review cases of fratricides and suicides in armed forces, Antony said the three Services should ensure that all the leave applications of jawans are responded to promptly with a liberal approach by their officers-in charge, official sources said. The meeting comes after the Defence Minister told Parliament that a stand-off between officers and soldiers of an armoured unit had taken place on August 8 after the suicide of a jawan. In the same written reply, the minister had said that over 25,000 soldiers had quit the force in the past three years pre-maturely. Over 62 Army jawans have committed suicide till August 27 this year.
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Caste
bias in medical college Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service
New Delhi, September 6 They were found to be deliberately failing SC/ST MBBS students in a particular subject to prevent them from advancing in the MBBS course. As a result, eight students quit while the rest are still struggling to pass the said test in Physiology. Concluding its inquiry into the two-year-old case filed by 25 SC students who took admission to MBBS in VMCC’s various batches between 2004 and 2009 and failed to clear the Physiology test despite four to 14 attempts, the commission today recommended to the government suspension of former and serving principals of the college - Dr VK Sharma and Dr Jayashree Bhattacharjee respectively and two teachers - Shobha Das, Head of Department, Physiology and Raj Kapoor, Physiology professor. “We will seek disaffiliation of VMMC from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. We will get a case registered against the college under Prevention of Atrocities against SCs Act and will send instructions to all central educational institutions to guard against caste hatred in future,” PL Punia, Chairperson, SC Commission, said today after receiving the report of inquiry panel in the case. The panel, chaired by Rajya Sabha member and top academic Bhalchandra Mungekar, held four meetings with the college before pronouncing them guilty. “The complaint of SC/ST students on caste discrimination is well-founded. Some teachers resorted to blatant discrimination resulting from their prejudices,” Mungekar today said, mandating an equal opportunity cell at VMMC. The complaint dated November 30, 2010 filed by Manish Kumar is full of curious details. It says 25 SC MBBS students appeared for first professional exam (there are 8 professionals with two semesters each) in July 2010 and failed in Physiology, having passed all other subjects with good marks. They kept failing in this subject despite four to 14 attempts. “Eight students quit under harassment as they were deliberately failed by subject teachers and the principal did not help them; the rest haven’t yet passed despite two to eight attempts. We are asking the university to conduct a fresh test. No general category student ever failed in Physiology between 2007 and 2009 while 15 SC/ST students failed the subject in 2007; 14 in 2008 and 25 in 2009,” Mungekar said. Strangely, upon taking the physiology test later under orders from the Delhi High Court for protection, 15 of the same students passed the test. They were still not allowed to take the exams for second professionals and lost a year; this despite HC orders to let them take the next year’s examination.
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Sachin Pilot commissioned in Territorial Army
New Delhi, September 6 At a ceremony held here in South Block, Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh and Sachin Pilot’s mother Rama Pilot pipped ranks of Lieutenant, formally commissioning him
as officer in the 124 TA Battalion of the Sikh Regiment.
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High alert at oil refineries after terror warning
Mumbai, September 6 Sources said units of the CISF, police personnel and commandos were rushed to facilities owned by Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum after the alert. The Coast Guard and the navy have also beefed up surveillance since these facilities are located close to the sea. Intelligence agencies had warned of attack on the facilities by terrorists arriving by sea and land routes, according to sources. The facilities owned by the PSU oil companies are sensitive installations located near the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre on the outskirts of Mumbai. Seaborne traffic near BARC is strictly regulated after the US intelligence agencies provided comprehensive details about the reconnaissance operations conducted by Al Qaida operative David Coleman Headley. The refining and storage facilities are major installations supplying fuel and petroleum products to Western and Central India. Spread over more than 700 acres, the complex has 220 massive storage tanks 20 lakh kilo litres of petrol diesel and kerosene. The area is highly sensitive with Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers and Tata Power owning major facilities.
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‘Heroine’ producers challenge anti-tobacco rules for films
New Delhi, September 6 But the makers of Kareena Kapoor-starrer “Heroine” don’t think they can do justice to the script without depicting their female lead in the puffing act. So they are out to challenge the government’s October 27, 2011, notification that regulates depiction of tobacco use in films as a matter of public health and mandates fudging of tobacco use scenes and depiction of anti-tobacco scrolls during the period of tobacco use in a frame. While the UTV Software Communication, “Heroine” producers, have moved the Delhi High Court seeking exemption from the notification, the Ministries of Information and Broadcasting and Health are busy finalising their reply that they have to give by September 14, the day the court will pronounce orders in the matter. The film directed by Madhur Bhandarkar is set for September 21 release. Reports, meanwhile, are that the Health Ministry will oppose the prayer in the court while I&B Ministry may take a somewhat lenient view of it. As the suspense rages, anti-tobacco groups led by HRIDAY (Health Related Information Dissemination Among Youth) today wrote to Bhandarkar, urging him to withdraw the case. In doing so, they have given references to the direct link between tobacco depiction in films and smoking initiation by adolescents. They have also said how several new films have done well despite honouring the rules and how the South Indian film industry has welcomed these. Interestingly, Telugu blockbuster “Bezawada” set an example in this respect recently by displaying warning messages in all 10 scenes that depicted tobacco use in the movie.
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Rehab of violence-hit Muslims in BTC starts
Guwahati, September 6 The meeting of Group of Ministers (GoM) of Assam Government, BTC executive members and representatives of administration in the BTC, which was held in Kokrajhar Circuit House today, also decided that these 12,000 violence-displaced families would be rehabilitated within a month and till then, the government would continue to provide them relief, according to an official source. The rest 13,000 violence-displaced Muslim families, who don’t have proof of any landholding/ownership in the BTC area, will now have to undergo a second-phase verification that will find out if their names are listed in the electoral roll, making them eligible for rehabilitation. The verification was required after the BTC chief executive member and Bodo People’s Front (BPF) leader Hagrama Mohilary authority had set conditions of rehabilitation of the displaced who were affected in the recent spell of violence that started on July 19. It apprehended that relief camps were swarmed by doubtful illegal migrants from Bangladesh with a hope to get rehabilitated. For rehabilitation of violence-hit Muslims, the BTC authority suggested that only those with either valid land document or whose names were listed in the voters’ list should be rehabilitated in the BTC area.
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Sivakasi fire: 12 arrested, officials begin blame game
Sivakasi (TN), September 6 As a hunt was launched to nab the factory owner, a top police official said several violations of safety norms like overcrowding, overstocking and wrong mixing of chemicals had been found, leading to one of the worst mishaps yesterday in Sivakasi, hub of the country's cracker industry. Five persons who had taken the Omshakthi fireworks factory complex, the scene of the tragedy, on lease, its foreman, three supervisors and three accountants had been arrested, the police said. A hunt was on for the owner of the factory, Murugesan and 10 teams had been formed to nab him, Virudhunagar SP Najmal Hoda said here. Prompted by the incident, Hoda said all factories would be inspected for violations by various departments. After a meeting of senior ministers to discuss steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents, CM Jayalalithaa announced a magisterial probe into the fire in which the toll rose to 39 with three more succumbing to burns. A blame game began with Rangaswamy, an official of the Controller of Explosives, saying licences of the factory, valid up to 2014, were suspended three months ago due to 40 different types of violations. However, revenue official Rajagopal said they had not received the communication. "Had I known about the communication, I would have acted and sealed the factory," he said exposing the communication gap in official circles. — PTI
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Case filed against Thackerays
Gopalganj (Bihar), Sept 6 Adam Ali, a journalist of Urdu daily “Quami Tanjeem”, filed the case today in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Sanjay Kumar Sinha, charging the Thackerays with making hate speeches against Biharis and other north Indian people that may disrupt peace and communal harmony and fuel regional sentiments in the country. — PTI
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New Delhi, September 6
New Delhi, September 6