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SC refuses to stop fuel loading at Kudankulam N-power plant
Protesters take the sea route
Use taxes to finance Universal Health Coverage, WHO tells plan panel
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Miscreants in Assam waiting to disrupt peace again: Shinde
Rahul Gandhi visits Amethi
Need to go beyond tokenism, says UP Cong chief
Mamata on board, Cabinet likely to discuss FDI in aviation today
Mulayam eyes a decisive role post-2014 Lok Sabha polls
Suspended head constable holds SP hostage for 5 hrs
Airtel, Vodafone, five others get DoT notice for high radiation
Only judges from apex court or HC can become CIC
Bhujbal faces probe over guest house construction
Plan panel to suggest 10% cut in outlay
Heritage status for Ganga sought
Flash floods in upper Assam’s Dhemaji, Lakhimpur districts
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SC refuses to stop fuel loading at Kudankulam N-power plant
New Delhi, September 13 A Bench comprising Justices KS Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra ignored the contention that once the fuel was loaded commissioning of the plant could not wait for the safety steps, finalized in the light of last year’s accident at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant. The Bench said it was not in a position to grant any stay without going through two voluminous judgments of the Madras High Court which had also refused to put any restraint on the government on the issue. It slated the case, which was mentioned pleading for an urgent hearing, for September 20. Attorney General GE Vahanvati made it clear that the fuel would be loaded in the next two days as scheduled as all the milestones had been met so far within the time-frame. Commissioning would take “at least two months” after this, he said. The Bench, however, made it clear that it would examine the safety of the plant which “is of prime importance. The lives of people need to be protected.” “We are not against the plant, nor the petitioner. But we want to see that AERB recommendations are implemented,” the Bench said. Appearing for the petitioner, social activist G Sundarrajan, counsel Prashant Bhushan pleaded for a stay on loading the fuel as only six of the 17 recommendations had been complied with. The government had admitted that it would take six months to two years to put in place other safety measures, but was going ahead with commissioning the first phase immediately by exposing 1.5 million people living in the plant’s vicinity, he said.
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Protesters take the sea route
Kudankulam (TN), Sept 13 The Coast Guard aircraft hovered over the sea and its ships kept a vigil off nearby Idinthakarai as the villagers, including women and children, from Kudankulam and nearby fishing hamlets walked into the sea for the show of strength. With black flags fluttering in the backdrop, the protesters said they were prepared to sacrifice their lives to protect their livelihood and ecology through the 'jal satyagraha', taking a leaf from a similar protest in Madhya Pradesh. "What we are observing is Jal Sathyagraha - peaceful demonstration in the sea," said anti-nuclear activists who have taken the example of villagers of Khandwa district in Madhya Pradesh demanding land as compensation and reduction of Omkareshwar Dam recently. Though the protest was intended to be from 10 am to 4 pm, the activists said they would continue it indefinitely. — PTI
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Use taxes to finance Universal Health Coverage, WHO tells plan panel
New Delhi, September 13 In response to a Tribune query on the sidelines of a conference held to discuss WHO-India Country Cooperation Strategy 2012-2017, WHO India Representative Nata Menabde said, “Our recommendation to the UHC consultation was tax-generated revenue for financing the scheme. The WHO supports tax-based financing of the national health package and believes it to be the most effective.” The comments come on the eve of a meeting the Planning Commission is holding on September 15 to take a final call on what the UHC would look like. The commission was under severe criticism recently for having proposed a meagre hike in public financing of health - just 1.8 per cent of the GDP as against 2.5 per cent which the expert group set up to recommend the structure of UHC made. The WHO today batted for improved public funding of health in India with Menabde saying, “Health financing is a very important dimension of UHC. We are trying to make clear and illustrate to the Planning Commission that health investments bring benefits to economic development and are, therefore, not expenditures in that sense of the word. Though overall health expenditures in India are not catastrophic at 5 per cent of the GDP, the fact remains that only 1.3 per cent of the total health expenditure is the public financing component. This must improve.” India has 21 per cent of the global disease burden as against 17 per cent of the global population. Whereas in 2008, 52 per cent of all mortality in India was on account of communicable diseases, the scenario is set to change drastically with cardiovascular disease deaths set to double by 2030. WHO projections are that as against 2.7 million deaths due to cardiovascular diseases in 2008, there will be 4 million deaths in 2030; cancer deaths will increase from 7.3 lakh in 2008 to 1.5 million in 2030. Considering bulk treatment seeking in India is in the private sector which is unregulated, WHO India chief today pointed out that India’s private health sector was represented by five-star hospitals which need regulation. “India’s private sector is represented by five-star hospitals. Their services need to be regulated. There is over-diagnosis in these hospitals, there is misuse of technology,” Menabde said, urging the states to ratify the Central legislation - Clinical Establishments Registration Act, which seeks to put in place uniform treatment protocols so that the cost of each service and treatment is fixed and all private hospitals charge the consumers uniformly.
WHO India representative Nata Menabde on Thursday said, "India's private sector is represented by five-star hospitals. Their services need to be regulated. There is over diagnosis in these hospitals, there is misuse of technology." She urged the states to ratify the Central legislation - Clinical Establishments Registration Act - which seeks to put in place uniform treatment protocols so that the cost of each service and treatment is fixed and all private hospitals charge the consumers uniformly
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Miscreants in Assam waiting to disrupt peace again: Shinde
New Delhi, September 13 Miscreants are waiting for the first chance to disrupt communal harmony, Shinde reportedly told his Cabinet colleagues, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, this evening. Tension is now simmering beyond the 8,821 sq km Bodoland Territorial Areas District (BTAD). The Home Minister is learnt to have presented a report to the CCPA and detailed how tensions were rising among communities in districts of Goalpara, Karimganj, Hojai, Barpeta and some rural parts of Kamrup - all in Assam. In large parts of these districts, night curfew is in place. The minister briefed the CCPA on the ethnic violence in Assam that started on July 19. Clashes between Bodos and immigrants led to 97 deaths and displacement of some 4.8 lakh persons. According to the latest statistics, 1.92 lakh persons still remain in the 213 camps. The reaction to this was the mass migration of North-Eastern-origin people from southern and western India. The minister reportedly told the CCPA that there was large-scale immigration - although he did not mention “Bangladeshi” immigrants. He also mentioned the “fear” of Bodos that they would ultimately get marginalised due to immigration in the tribal belt, sources said tonight. The population of Bodos in the BTAD is 34.8 per cent while Muslims are 14.5 per cent and Assamese 14.7 per cent. The Congress-ruled Assam Government led by Tarun Gogoi failed to get a clean chit from the Centre over the continuing violence. Assam apparently did not act despite warnings in June about tension building up between Bodos and non-Bodos on socio-political issues and after the Government of Assam was “sensitised” about it. Sources said Shinde told the CCPA that the Bodos fear becoming a minority due to increasing number of immigrants “from other states within the country or from outside”. By avoiding a direct reference to “Bangladeshis”, the Home Minister appeared to have attempted to avert any controversy, sources said while adding that all of the 14.5 per cent Muslim population does not comprise illegal immigrants. The apprehension of short-lived peace is due to the tension rising in the neighbouring Goalpara district that borders Dhubri and BTAD, and Meghalaya across the Brahmaputra. Intelligence reports have warned that there is simmering tension between Rabhas on one side and the Garos and Muslims on the other on the Rabhas’ demand for elections to the Rabha Autonomous District Council. There is a history of violence between the Bodos and the Bengali-speaking Muslims in 1993, 1994 and 2003 and between Rabhas and Garos-Muslims in
Goalpara.
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Rahul Gandhi visits Amethi
Lucknow, September 13 The students raised slogans demanding removal of their school Principal. The district administration later promised to look into their complaint. The second visit of Rahul Gandhi to Amethi after the Vidhan Sabha elections saw him attending several public functions. Attending a meeting of district-level vigilance and monitoring committees (VMCs), Rahul took stock of the implementation of various centrally sponsored schemes. He asked the district magistrate to prepare a report on the working of MNREGA in the district. He also drew attention of district-level officials to the poor condition of roads in his constituency. Inaugurating a branch of the UCO Bank, the local MP urged officials not to ignore the interests of the poorest of the poor who, according to him, required their services the most.
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Need to go beyond tokenism, says UP Cong chief
Lucknow, September 13 Addressing the media after taking charge along with his team of eight zonal presidents, Khatri spelt out the rationale for such a revamp. He said it was aimed at decentralising the party and holding the zonal presidents responsible and accountable for their actions. “Uttar Pradesh is too vast a state. Over the years, I feel the personal rapport that once existed between party cadres at the grassroots level and the local and district leadership has disappeared. The same gap was visible between the district leadership and state leadership and in turn, between the state leadership and leaders at the national level. Political relationships had come to replace the once strong personal bonds. The spirit and personal touch that enthuses and mobilises cadres has to be revived,” he said.
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Mamata on board, Cabinet likely to discuss FDI in aviation today
New Delhi, September 13 However, there will be provisions to ensure that cash-strapped Air India remains excluded from any attempts of foreign investment. Sources say the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs is likely to discuss and clear the proposal tomorrow, which will then be forwarded to the Cabinet for approval. The UPA government was earlier forced to put off the proposal to revive the civil aviation sector due to stiff opposition from key ally, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Under the current rules, up to 49 per cent FDI is allowed in aviation companies but foreign airlines are not allowed to invest. Foreign airlines are barred from buying stakes in domestic carriers, although foreign investors are allowed to hold a cumulative 49 per cent stake. If the proposal is approved, foreign airlines will be allowed to have majority shareholdings in India’s private airlines. The move is expected to bring much-needed respite to deep-in-trouble Kingfisher Airlines. However, apart from Mallya, there are not many takers for the move.
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Mulayam eyes a decisive role post-2014 Lok Sabha polls
Kolkata/New Delhi, Sept 13 Emboldened by his party’s emphatic victory in this year’s Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the SP chief made a beginning in the direction of bringing together potential allies by reaching out to Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee. But he appeared to be keeping his options open on post-poll alignments. Talking to mediapersons today, Mulayam Singh Yadav maintained that a decision on forming the Third Front of non-Congress, non-BJP parties would be taken only after the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Stating that the SP was not proposing the formation of any Third Front at this stage, Yadav said, “We will think about this after the Lok Sabha poll.” Disclosing his party’s gameplan, Yadav said the SP would try to get the maximum number of Lok Sabha seats and once the results are out, “we will consider the formation of an alternative Third Front”. In line with this strategy, Yadav has begun distancing his party from the BJP and the Congress although the SP continues to lend outside support to the UPA government. Yadav said the two main national parties were so busy squabbling that they had ignored the problems of the common man. "The two major national parties of the country are busy waging a war of words between themselves. The Samajwadi Party's role has now increased, as the two major national parties have now become incompetent," Yadav added. Speaking in ambiguous terms about an early poll, the SP supremo said he did not rule out such a possibility but then added that he would personally like the Manmohan Singh government to last its usual five-year term. Both Yadav and Mamata would be interested in an early poll so that they can build on their spectacular victories in the recent Assembly polls.
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Suspended head constable holds SP hostage for 5 hrs
Hyderabad, September 13 The hostage drama unfolded around 7.30 pm when the head constable, Giriprasad Sarma, sent a message to some news channels through his mobile phone, saying that he was holding Superintendent of Police E Lakshminarayana captive inside a shop near Birla Mandir. The police went into a tizzy with the Home Minister P Sabita Reddy and the Director General Police intervening to end the crisis. Sarma's demands included suspension of Additional Superintendent of Police Vijaykumar, who was allegedly harassing him and was responsible for suspending him, allocation of Rs 100 crore to the Police Transport Organisation, where he was posted, and recruitment of 500 mechanics and drivers in the organisation. Sarma, who was suspended from service in May this year on disciplinary grounds, took the SP hostage when the latter responded to his call and went to meet him. The constable then locked the shutters of the shop from inside and threatened to kill the officer and commit suicide if the police tried to break in. The police team immediately reached the shop at Adarshnagar, just a stone throw from the police control room, but were helpless. They surrounded the building but Sarma’s threat of setting fire to the room if he heard any movement outside held them back from taking any action. Alleging that he was harassed by his superior, Sarma threatened to set the room on fire with 40 litres of petrol which he claimed he had stocked up in the room if his demands, including his reinstatement, were not met. The Home Minister spoke to the suspended cop and assured him that she would look into the demands raised by him. Late in the night, the DGP V Dinesh Reddy spoke to him over phone which finally led to breaking the ice. Sarma finally relented and released the hostage. The entire hostage drama was telecast live by local television channels and the constable himself monitored the goings on from his hide-out.
High drama
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Airtel, Vodafone, five others get DoT notice for high radiation
New Delhi, September 13 The companies against which the action was taken, forcing these to shut down towers, included Reliance Communications, the TTML, Airtel, Vodaphone, Idea Cellular, Aircel and Loop Telecom. Under new norms, the radiation limit from mobile phone towers is one-tenth the existing exposure level for all mobile phone towers across the country. The minimum distance of a tower (with two antennae) from a residential building needs to be 35 m. There are over seven lakh mobile phone towers in Non-compliance of the EMF standards could attract a penalty of Rs 5 lakh to be levied per transceiver station per service provider. With the new norms, Indian standards have now become 10 times more stringent than 90 per cent of the countries across the globe. DoT officials said a delegation from the department visited a few base transmitting stations (BTS) in Mumbai yesterday as part of random verification of the compliance to the new electro-magnetic field (EMF) standards. One of the sites located adjacent to Ekta CHS, Kanjur Marg (East), covering Saidham Building and Vighnaharta Building having 11 BTSs of Reliance Communications, TTML, Airtel, Vodaphone, Idea Cellular, Aircel and Loop Telecom, was found radiating beyond permissible limit. Department of Telecom officials directed seven operators to stop operation of these BTSs with immediate effect. The functioning of these stations would resume only after the sites have been made norm-compliant. The service providers were further directed to identify all such base transmitting stations and ensure that these were either shut down or made norm-compliant, failing which penal action would be taken against delinquent operators.
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Only judges from apex court or HC can become CIC
New Delhi, September 13 “The Chief Information Commissioner at the Centre or the state level shall only be a person who is (or has been) a Chief Justice of the high court or a Judge of the Supreme Court of India,” said a Bench, comprising Justices AK Patnaik and Swatanter Kumar in a 107-page judgment. The apex court delivered the verdict on a PIL which had prayed for declaring the Sections 12(6) and 15(6) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, as ‘unconstitutional’ as no proper qualification or experience had been prescribed under these sections. Partly allowing the prayer, the Bench said Information Commissions should henceforth work in Benches of two members each. One of the members should be a judicial member while the other an expert member. The judicial member should be a person possessing a degree in law, having a judicially trained mind and experience in performing judicial functions. A law officer or a lawyer would also be eligible provided he had practised law for at least 20 years as on the date of advertisement. Such lawyers should also have experience in social work.
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Bhujbal faces probe over guest house construction
Mumbai, September 13 According to sources, the ACB has sought the government’s permission to commence investigations against Bhujbal after senior state BJP leaders Kirit Somaiya and Atul Shah filed a public interest litigation in the Bombay High Court. The BJP leaders allege that M/S KS Chamankar, the contractor assigned to construct the building, paid kickbacks to Bhujbal’s kin in the form sub-contracts. The Opposition parties have come up with documents that show that work was sub-contracted to Origin Infrastructure Private Limited and Ideen Furniture Private Limited, both of which are owned by the minister’s relatives. With the cost of the project shooting up from Rs 52 cr to Rs 152 cr, allegations are being made that the minister cleared cost escalation as quid pro quo for subcontracts to companies owned by his relatives and associates.
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Plan panel to suggest 10% cut in outlay
New Delhi, September 13 The commission headed by PM Manmohan Singh will hold a ‘full planning commission meet’ on September 15 to finalise the 12th Plan. Various special working groups under the Commission have suggested downsizing of the 12th plan (2012-2017) - from the existing proposed level. Sources confirmed to the Tribune that the latest estimates will be discussed at the meeting and the commission is looking at a figure of Rs 35,68,626 crore for the five-year period. This will include funds for the central schemes and also money the Centre allocates for flagship schemes for spending by the states. The latest estimate is down from April estimate of Rs 39,49,431. The Planning Commission felt revenue inflow may not be enough to meet this figure while the subsidy bill on diesel, kerosene, LPG and several social sector schemes was rising each year. “This is a realistic adjustment made of practical inflows of revenue and after applying several formulae,” said sources, while adding that this was not a reflection on slow growth but of a rising subsidy bill and expected sluggish inflow of revenue. “The cut is across the board and will mean cutting down on subsidies and some schemes,” added sources. The previous plan, the 11th, had an outlay of Rs 15,89,334 crore for the period 2007-2012. When the 12th plan was drafted, the Planning Commission formed a steering committee, which was not restricted by any fiscal boundaries. The committee gave its report. The report was studied by various special groups of experts who adjusted the estimates as per available resources and immediate needs identified by the policy-makers. The first official hint of the government’s designs came on September 6. Minister of State for Finance Namo Narain Meena had said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha that a fresh exercise is on to allocate resources for prioritised schemes. Those schemes that have outlived their utility will be weeded out. “Government also endeavours to restrict the expenditure on central subsidies.
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Heritage status for Ganga sought
Patna, September 13 "It is not enough to give national river status to Ganga. It should be given national heritage status," 'Ganga Samagra' member and BJP leader Siddharth Nath Singh told reporters here. The body would launch a campaign at Gangasagar in West Bengal on September 21 which would conclude at Gangotri (Uttarakhand) on October 28. — PTI
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Flash floods in upper Assam’s Dhemaji, Lakhimpur districts
Lakhimpur, September 13 Official sources today said rain-fed rivers Chamaong, Gainadi, Ziadhol, Kumotia and Lali had overrun their banks flooding 90 villages in Dhemaji district.
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Kudankulam (TN), Sept 13
New Delhi, September 13
