The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	SP fires another salvo, says UPA scam-tainted Coal fire: BJP seeks President’s intervention Ashok Tuteja/TNS New Delhi, September 12 The Samajwadi Party, which supports the UPA from outside, today fired a fresh salvo against the ruling coalition, describing it as ‘scam-tainted’ while the BJP petitioned President Pranab Mukherjee, demanding his intervention to protect constitutional institutions in the wake of the CAG’s report on the coal block allocations issue. Even as the UPA government continued to grapple with charges of corruption in the allotment of coal blocks, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, addressing his party’s two-day National Executive in Kolkata, said the situation had come to such a pass that the Congress party was getting mired in controversies and scams. “Every day a new scam unfolds...the reputation of Congress has been tainted throughout the country due to scams,” he said, asking his party cadres to pull up their socks for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Seeking to distance his party from the ruling coalition at the Centre, Mulayam said the SP’s aim was to get enough seats in the next Lok Sabha so that no government could be formed without it. He came down heavily on the BJP as well, charging the main Opposition party with seeking to take advantage of the situation and come to power through the backdoor. The BJP, in turn, poked fun at Mulayam for his diatribe against the UPA regime. If the SP was so disillusioned with the UPA Government, why couldn’t the SP chief go to the President and withdraw his party’s support to it, BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy asked. A high-powered BJP delegation, led by senior leader L K Advani, today met President Mukherjee and pointed out to him how MPs and senior functionaries of the Congress, including the Prime Minister, have gone public in criticising the CAG’s report. “Motives, including those of having political ambitions, have been openly attributed to the CAG...what is most shocking are the statements of the Prime Minister in Parliament and public on August 27,” a memorandum submitted by the BJP to the President said. Talking to reporters, Advani said the BJP delegation had met the President since it was his duty to look into the matter as the defender of the Constitution. He said the President had promised the BJP delegation that he would look into the matter. The delegation included Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, Leaders of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, respectively, and Murli Manohar Joshi, who is the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.
	Canada to curb activities of ‘pro-Khalistan’ extremists Ashok Tuteja/TNS New Delhi, September 12 Canada today assured India that it would do everything possible to curb the activities of ‘pro-Khalistan’ extremists from its soil as the issue figured prominently during talks between External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and visiting Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird. Ottawa also offered to supply natural gas to India and reassured New Delhi of its commitment to fast-track the remaining procedures for the implementation of the civil nuclear deal signed between the two countries in June 2010. Addressing a joint press conference with Krishna after the talks, Baird said India and Canada were on the same page as far as the fight against extremism and terrorism was concerned. He acknowledged that Krishna had raised with him reports of pro-‘Khalistan’ groups regrouping in Canada and their events being attended by even Canadian leaders. “We have taken note of that (India’s concerns)...our government will do everything possible to control radical extremism,” he said. Baird pointed out that whenever incidents of anti-India activities came to the notice of his government, it had taken appropriate action. The government was also trying to sensitise Canadian officers about the sensitivity of the issue so that they could act with better understanding. The Canadian leader recalled that Canada had listed certain groups as terrorist organisations in 2003. “We agreed that we got to do more to tackle this challenge and we are completely on the same page as India. Extremism is completely unacceptable,” he added. The two ministers are understood to have discussed the entire gamut of bilateral relations as well as international issues. Responding to a question, Baird said Canada had no concerns with respect to nuclear proliferation from India. This was one of the prime reasons why it had entered into a nuclear pact with India. He was confident that the two sides would soon conclude all the formalities so as to implement the nuclear deal. Krishna, on his part, said India looked forward to early completion of negotiations on appropriate arrangements for the nuclear accord. He said India was pleased with the progress the two countries were making on bilateral framework agreements like the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement and the Social security Agreement. These were in addition to a number of accords for cooperation in areas like agriculture, mining and higher education signed over the last few years. The Indian minister said Canada could be a true partner in India’s pursuit for food security as well as energy security. Trends in supplies and price of oil and gas have made Canada an economically attractive option for sourcing India’s requirements. nuclear deal z Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird was confident that the two sides would soon conclude all the formalities so as to implement the nuclear deal z Krishna, on his part, said India looked forward to early completion of negotiations on appropriate arrangements for the nuclear accord
	Pilots did the right thing in not flying Rahul: IAF Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 12 The Indian Air Force on Wednesday said its pilots did the right thing is not flying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from Kokrajhar to Guwahati in Assam last evening. The decision was taken on safety grounds as the weather was inclement. The Mi-17 chopper carrying Gandhi had not returned from Kokrajhar till this morning. Based on the prevailing weather and approaching sunset, the pilots took into account the safety of the VIP as being paramount, and arrived at the decision that it was unsafe to undertake the flight, IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Gerard Galway said. “The pilot’s decision was taken using his professional judgement in the interest of safety of occupants,” he added. After a chopper carrying Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister crashed last year, detailed guidelines were issued and pilots have been asked to follow those. Following the decision of not flying to Guwahati, the Congress leader had changed his travel plans for reaching Guwahati from Kokrajhar and travelled by road. Gandhi’s flight was planned from Kokrajhar to Guwahati around 5 pm and the weather at Guwahati was reported as continuous rain, lightning and thundershowers, Gallway said. The weather at diversionary airfield Hashimara lying en route from Kokrajhar to Guwahati was also overcast with low clouds and widespread rain patches, he said. Gandhi was on a day’s trip to the state on Tuesday to meet victims of ethnic violence in relief camps and held discussions with Bodoland Territorial Council leaders on the prevailing situation in Assam.
	Madhya Pradesh Police evicts water protesters, but more pour in Harda, September 12 Barely a couple of hours after police evicted protesters from a 'Jal Satyagraha' today, around 50 persons from villages near Khardana entered Narmada river demanding reduction of Indira Sagar dam height and resolution of other issues. Around 50 persons entered the river after police arrested over 100 protesters this morning who were on a 'Jal Satyagraha' demanding land as compensation and reduction of height of the Indira Sagar dam in Khardana from 262 metres to 260. Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kantilal Bhuria and Leader of Opposition in state Assembly, Ajay Singh were also present at the protest site. The Congress was against the police crack down on the 'satyagrahis', Bhuria told reporters adding that the BJP government in the state cannot be allowed to deal with the protest in such a fashion The issue would be raised during the gherao of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's residence on September 20 and the Congress would also bring up the matter to the notice of the higher-ups in Delhi, Bhuria said, who also spent some time in water along with the protesters. Earlier, the District Collector of Khardana, where prohibitory orders were also imposed, Commissioner and senior police officials tried to persuade the protesters to give up their agitation, but when they refused to budge, police pulled them out of the water. Police arrested Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Chittarupa Palit and over 100 protesters. This came two days after a similar protest was called off in Khandwa district of MP following an assurance from state government that affected villagers will be given land as compensation and height of Omkareshwar Dam would be reduced. — PTI
	Assam’s gift to toppers: shiny new laptops Bijay Sankar Bora/TNS Guwahati, September 12 The Assam Government today gifted laptops to all the 26,788 students who have secured above 60 per cent marks in the High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) and the Assam High Madrassa School Leaving Certificate (AHMSLC) examinations, 2012, conducted by the state Board of Secondary Education. The high-value Lenovo and HCL laptops were given away by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to the students at a function here. The laptops were given as the Anundo Ram Barooah Award, named after Assam’s first Indian Civil Service (ICS) officer and a noted littérateur. The award was instituted in 2005. So far, over 1,40,000 laptops have been distributed to meritorious students since 2005. Gogoi said, “The award is meant not only for improving computer skills of our students but also for triggering an urge among them to excel in all spheres of life.” The Chief Minister announced that the seven students who have secured top three ranks in the HSLC and AHMSLC examinations, 2012, would be facilitated to visit the NASA in the US as a reward for their excellent performance. Gogoi told students to aspire for knowledge and wisdom that make one sensible to the feelings of fellow people and level-headed. “Overflow of emotions has no place in life and hitting the streets at the drop of a hat (referring to the renewed agitation in the state against illegal migration from Bangladesh) is not going to solve any problem,” he said.
	Pune family plays detective to rescue kidnapped child Shiv Kumar/TNS Mumbai, September 12 A Pune family played detective for nearly three days to rescue a two-and-a-half-year old boy who was kidnapped from a busy bus stand on Sunday afternoon. Though the police were informed, it was the presence of mind of one of the relatives that helped nab the kidnapper. The police said Smita Joshi (26) was about to board a bus from Pune to Aurangabad at the Shivajinagar bus stand on Sunday afternoon when her son Abir went missing. Joshi told the police that she went inside the bus to keep her luggage and when she came out she found Abir missing. Joshi's brother Sachin Vaidya who had come to drop the duo at the bus stand did not notice anyone walking away with his nephew. Joshi alerted her relatives who joined in the search. The family filed a complaint at the Shivajinagar police station. The police asked the family to keep an eye on the railway station and bus stand. "For two days, we frantically searched the railway station, bus stand, hotels and restaurants," Joshi told reporters in Pune. On Tuesday, Joshi’s brother-in-law Sushil spotted a woman walking around with a little boy whose face was covered with a scarf. Suspecting something, Sushil pulled the scarf from the boy's face and discovered that it was his nephew Abir. "They had dressed him in some rags," Smita said. The woman who was walking with Abir was overpowered by the public and taken to the Shivajinagar police station. "The woman has been identified as Seema Nagarkar. She is around 50 years old and we are questioning her to find out if she belonged to some kidnapping network," said a police official. Nagarkar has been taken into custody and charged with kidnapping a minor.
	Allahabad High Court reserves verdict in Taj corridor case Shahira Naim Tribune News Service Lucknow, September 12 While former Uttar Pradesh CM Mayawati may have got respite from the CBI in the Taj corridor case, the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court today reserved its judgment on six PILs pleading opening of criminal proceedings in the same. The PILs have sought direction for initiation of proceedings of criminal cases against BSP supremo Mayawati and her senior Cabinet colleague Naseemuddin Siddiqui in Taj corridor scam. The hearing in the matter had started yesterday. A division bench of Justice Imtiyaz Murtaza and Justice Ashwini Kumar Singh heard counsel CB Pandey, who appeared on behalf of the petitioners. On the other hand, in defence of Mayawati, her party national general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Satish Chandra Mishra appeared along with his team of advocates. Earlier, on July 6, the nine-year-old disproportionate assets case against Mayawati was quashed by the apex court. It had also rapped the CBI for exceeding its jurisdiction by lodging an FIR against her without any direction from it. The case had been lodged while investigating the Taj corridor case. Soon after the BSP government assumed power in 2007, the then UP Governor TV Rajeshwar had refused permission to the CBI to prosecute her and her associate Siddiqui in the Taj corridor case. After this, three PILs were filed in 2009 challenging the CBI court’s decision. Later, three more PILs were filed in this connection. These have been bunched together and are being heard in the Allahabad High Court.
	Tatra Scam SC tells Vectra chief to approach trial court Legal Correspondent New Delhi, September 12 The Supreme Court today refused to grant any relief to Vectra chief Ravinder Rishi, an accused in the Tatra scam, and directed him to approach the trial court for the purpose. Rishi, who has a substantial stake in Tatra Sipox UK, had sought permission to go to the UK for his medical treatment, besides challenging the lookout notice issued against him. Senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi and Ranjit Kumar pleaded that despite the registration of an FIR by the CBI against their client, state-owned Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) had placed fresh orders for Tatra trucks. The Army had bought Tatra trucks through BEML allegedly paying a higher price. The CBI opposed Rishi’s plea for going abroad for treatment. Going by the medical reports, Rishi did not face any serious risk to his life, it said. Accepting CBI’s contentions, the court asked Rishi to approach the trial court for seeking relief.
	Single entrance test for MBBS, dental courses from 2013 Aditi Tandon/TNS New Delhi, September 12 From 2013, students will have to take a single test for entry to recognised MBBS and dental colleges in India. Two-year-long deliberations with state governments to hold the common test - christened National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) - ended today, with the government announcing Sunday, May 5, as the date of the first version of the exam in 2013. The test will yield an All-India merit list based on which students would be admitted to 355 recognised MBBS colleges and 300 recognised dental colleges. The hitherto conducted state-level medical entrance tests as also the centrally conducted All India PMT stand scrapped. From 2013 onwards, close to 10 lakh students who annually take the medical entrance tests, will have to sit for only one exam which the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will hold on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Medical Council of India. The MCI has finalised a new syllabus for the entrance test and the same is available on its website for prospective MBBS students. The move not only spells an end to the era of multiple exams in medical education sector, but also it holds the promise of cleansing the system of MBBS and BDS admissions. The practice of sale and purchase of medical seats will end with one centrally held test as the states would be obliged to admit students as per the All-India merit and no malpractices can creep in. Hitherto, students were required to sit for scores of tests including AIPMT which the CBSE holds annually and several exams the states conduct for filling up seats in the colleges under their jurisdiction. Now, while the states can give preference to students from their own region while admitting them to colleges located in their jurisdiction, they would have to do so essentially through the common merit list. The practice is expected to improve the quality of medical and dental students entering the system. When the exam was first proposed in 2010 with the MCI notification issued in December that year, states led by Tamil Nadu opposed it, saying their students would be at a loss as they would have to sit for a test which is not conducted in their regional language. The then DMK government of Tamil Nadu even secured a stay on the MCI notification. But now, all the cases pertaining to a single test have been transferred to the Supreme Court which earlier batted for a single test in a petition filed before it. The problem of language has been resolved with the CBSE saying it would hold the NEET-UG in all the vernacular languages. In a statement issued today, the CBSE said, “Admission to MBBS and BDS courses in institutions approved by the Medical Council of India and Dental Council of India would be subject to merit position of candidates in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Under-Graduate), 2013.” THE NEW SCHEME * CBSE to hold common entrance test on May 5, 2013 for admission to MBBS, BDS courses in all recognised colleges for the academic session 2013-14 * AIPMT, state-level tests scrapped * Test to be held in English, Hindi and all vernacular languages in which it was being held till now in states * All admissions to be based on All-India merit list drawn from the common exam results * Over 10 lakh students to take the test for entry to 350 MBBS and 300 dental colleges from 2013
	No unpaid baggage for VIPs on Air India flights Move to generate revenue and cut carrier's operational cost Vibha Sharma/TNS New Delhi, September 12 Carrying excess luggage they have not paid for and free upgrades are some luxuries that VIPs will now have to forego while travelling on national carrier Air India. Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh, who recently took some tough decisions that did not go down too well with employees - like imposing a curb on flying additional crew members who are on leave or off duty and abolition of productivity-linked incentives, said with a ban on unpaid excess baggage he hoped to achieve two things. One, help get Air India get rid of image that it can be taken for granted. Two, generate revenue and save on costly ATF to bring down the carrier’s operational cost. “Carrying unpaid extra baggage means adding to operational cost through increased spending on fuel,” he said on the sidelines of a function to launch newly acquired Boeing 787-the Dreamliner. Air India ferries excess baggage checked in by so-called VIPs - ministers, their wives and children, civil servants and their next of kin and in even corporate honchos - all free of cost. The carrier receives several VIP requests in a day for waiver of excess baggage fees and is also badgered for upgrades to “front seats”, often at the cost of paying customers. World over, excess baggage fee is an important form of revenue for airlines and hefty excess charge is imposed for every kg of luggage checked in over and above the free baggage allowance. While flying on international routes, airlines also use extra baggage as an incentive to attract customers.
	All but 5 erstwhile IA pilots reinstated Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 12 The erstwhile Indian Airlines (IA) pilots, who went on a crippling strike demanding exclusive rights to fly the Dreamliner, a majority but five, have come back to work. Obviously, main leaders of the movement have not been found suitable for reinstatement. Of the total 413 striking pilots, 316 pilots, who reported sick en mass, have been taken back on duty. Out of remaining 97 pilots, whose services were terminated, 50 pilots have been recommended for reinstatement, five pilots have not been found suitable for reinstatement and the case of remaining 42 pilots is still under consideration. “Principle of no-work-no-pay has been adopted and the management has reserved its right to take disciplinary action against reinstated pilots as per the rules,” Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said today. The pilots have been posted to places from where they are supposed to fly out The Dreamliner is seen as becoming the mainstay of loss-making Air India's global operations. Airline officials hope it will attract new customers. Claiming to be already on a recovery path despite a decrease in capacity by over 17 per cent due to strike by a section of pilots, Air India CMD Rohit Nandan said the airline posted an increase in revenue of 6.5 per cent during April-August 2012. The revenue increased to Rs 4,757 crore from Rs 4,467 crore during the corresponding period last year. Expenditure reduced by Rs 268 crores from 2011, which is about 4.4 per cent. For the first time since merger in 2007, Air India made a cash surplus of Rs 48 crores (surplus over variable costs) during April-July 2012 which is a considerable improvement against a cash deficit of Rs 586 crores during the same period in previous year, he said Net losses during the period April-July 2012 reduced by Rs 557 crores. Dharmadhikari Committee * Implementation of Justice Dharmadhikari Committee report on merger of Air Indian and Indian Airlines will be completed by September-end * Level mapping of various posts/grades of erstwhile IA & AI completed * Combined seniority of IA & AI pilots fixed * Fixation of pay will be completed in seven days * Petitions of employees on anomalies have been categorised
	IMG may push for 18 coal blocks’ de-allocation Girja Shankar Kaura/TNS New Delhi, September 12 The meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) on coal blocks allocation remained inconclusive today as the group decided to go into the merits and de-merits of all the representations made by the coal block owners. The IMG headed by Coal Ministry Additional Secretary Zohra Chatterjee is expected to continue deliberations on de-allocation of the coal blocks for another day or two before arriving at the final decision to recommend to the Coal Ministry about which blocks should be de-allocated. Sources in the Coal Ministry said the IMG had shortlisted about 18 companies which could face action for non-development of the coal blocks. The ministry is hopeful of meeting the deadline of September 15 for deciding the fate of 29 coal blocks allotted to private firms, whose review has been undertaken by the IMG. The deadline for the IMG to submit its report was set by the Coal Ministry in the wake of uproar over irregularities in allocation of mines after the CAG estimated undue benefits of Rs 1.86 lakh crore to private firms on the account of allocation without auction. The IMG has already heard the representations made by 29 private sector coal block allottees, out of a total of 58. Reports suggested apart from facing de-allocation of coal mines in view of poor progress of work in the coal blocks allocated to them, defaulting companies will also face a loss of bank guarantees furnished by them at the time of allocation. The sources said the number of coal mines facing the de-allocation could rise from 12 to 18, but the exact number would become clear after the IMG comes to a conclusion.
	Punjab gets Rs 37.2 cr, Haryana Rs 115.47 cr as drought relief Vibha Sharma/TNS New Delhi, September 12 Rain-deficient Punjab and Haryana will perhaps have to work harder to attract Centre’s attention to monetary losses it suffered due to an errant monsoon this year. The Sharad Pawar-led Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) has allocated Rs 37.2 crore to Punjab and Rs 115.47 crore to Haryana under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP). The amounts that the ministerial group sanctioned for Karnataka (Rs 286.82 crore) Gujarat (Rs 245.86 crore) and Maharashtra (Rs 167 crore) under the scheme are much larger. Pawar announced various relief measures for drought-hit areas of the country, including increasing the number of guaranteed work days under MGNREGA to 150 days from 100 days and reducing interest rates on rescheduled crop loans to 7 per cent for this fiscal. Regarding the specific demands by Punjab and Haryana on extra spendings made by them during kharif this year, the Agriculture Minister said the two states can get a special package but only through a high-level committee of secretaries or the Planning Commission. The Centre will try to push their demands, he assured. Punjab has submitted a demand for a Rs 5,112 crore package while Haryana had claimed Rs 4,051 crore when Pawar and Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh met officials to take feedback on drought relief packages sought. Not only has the rain deficit situation improved significantly since then; acreage under paddy and condition of the crop in the two states is also quite good. “The situation is much better than it was in 2010 when the Centre had given Rs 800 crore to Punjab and Rs 400 crore to Haryana as drought relief package for kharif season 2009, which was declared a drought year,” officials say. Rainfall deficit for the country has now decreased to 8 per cent. Even though there will be a shortfall in coarse cereals and pulses, production of rice, mainstay of Punjab and Haryana, is well under control. EGom meet * The Sharad Pawar-led Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) has allocated Rs 37.2 crore to Punjab and Rs 115.47 crore to Haryana under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme * The Agriculture Minister said the two states can get a special package but only through a high-level committee of secretaries or the Planning Commission