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BJP blames UPA for country’s ills
Goes all out to woo farmers
Cabinet reshuffle put off till mid-Oct
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AC train fares, freight rate go up from Oct 1
Land Bill: Sticking points remain
MoD slams criticism of pension hike
CBI begins probe into coal block allocations since 1993
SC: Kudankulam plant can be stopped if not found safe
More rhinos fall prey to poachers in Kaziranga
CISF men to guard Indian merchant vessels
The art fair sans galleries
ASP in dock for getting junior to tie shoe laces
India feels let down after Pak rakes up Kashmir at UN
Film fury: Protests in Kolkata; American Centre closes
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BJP blames UPA for country’s ills
Surajkund (Faridabad), September 27 Promising to unveil a national vision 2025 by the end of this year, the party leadership emphasised it was time to re-orient from a party in the Opposition to one that will provide good governance. The leaders also charged the Manmohan Singh government with lacking clarity, pursuing wrong economic policies, indecisiveness and with having no vision for the country. The BJP leaders starting from its president Nitin Gadkari who spoke on the first-day of the National Council often invoked the work of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre and juxtaposed its parameters of good governance and growth with the current downslide in economy and “policy paralysis”. The thrust was on driving the UPA government up the cliff by highlighting its all-round failures with accent on mismanagement of the economy. Low growth, high inflation and inflicting FDI in multi-brand retailing served to divert the attention from the coal block allocations issue, it was maintained. Both Gadkari and former BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu pointed out the cosy arrangement between the Congress and its ally, the Samajwadi Party, who opposed the FDI, but bailed out the Centre. There was a reminder that the UPA was also losing allies in Trinamool Congress and murmurs against policies were rising within the coalition. Ridiculing Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde’s statement that people would soon forget the coal blocks issue just like Bofors corruption case, Gadkari predicted that Coalgate would be instrumental in taking the Congress government down. Joining issue with Congress president Sonia Gandhi for characterising the BJP as a party practising negative politics, the BJP leaders said while the party-led Parliamentary Committee on Finance cleared 11 Bills, the government had not introduced even one for legislation and justified its protest against FDI in multi-brand retailing as aiming at protecting the rights of 12 crore small traders of the country. The party said it would work with other parties to oppose FDI in multi-brand retailing in Parliament while its economic resolution demanded immediate reversal of the decision as also cancellation of allocation of coal blocks since 2004, an independent and impartial probe and withdrawal of the hike in the prices of diesel and removal of cap on supply of cooking gas cylinders. Moving the resolution, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said, “Every change is not reform and what goes against the interest of the people is anti-reform.” He argued that multi-brand retailing would hit jobs in manufacturing sector, help the low-cost Chinese products, help the US and Europe with minor benefits to consumers and would give Indian sales personnel jobs. Naidu said in December 2002, Manmohan Singh had written a letter to the Federation of Associations of Maharashtra indicating that the government had assured there was no proposal to introduce FDI in retailing just as then Congress chief whip Priyaranjan Dasmunsi said the party shared concern over protection of the interests of retail traders.
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Goes all out to woo farmers
Surajkund (Faridabad),
September 27 Gujjar’s welcome address was part of a protocol as the Haryana unit of the BJP hosted the party’s national conclave in the state. He chose the occasion to send a political message to the rural audiences, especially the farming community, in Haryana. The BJP leaders said farmers of Haryana are hardworking, imbued with endurance against odds, and provide food stock to the public. “The spirit of sacrifice and humility on the part of the farmers made the Green Revolution possible,” he added. He alleged the Congress had ignored their interests and the UPA government and the governments in Congress-ruled states were oblivious to the suicides committed by the farmers. He used the cow as a metaphor to highlight the plight of the common man under Congress-ruled states. Just as the owner of a cow drives it out of the house for the rest of the day after milking it in the morning, the Congress, too, discards him after getting his vote in the elections. According to many, Gujjar’s public posturing in favour of the farming community was rooted in political pragmatism. The BJP has never been considered to be a favourite among the farmers, and in rural Haryana. It wants to expand its base and do well in the coming elections. For this, it has to come into the equation as it is pitted against the ruling Congress and the INLD, it is maintained. Gujjar, in his speech, also urged the party to launch a struggle to oust the Congress from power in the states and at the Centre. Referring to the Congress government in Haryana, Gujjar said it was formed through “manipulations”. He was critical of the government. He alleged law and order had deteriorated in Haryana during the Congress rule. Without naming former Haryana Minister of State for Home, Gopal Kanda, who had to resign in the wake of an alleged case of abetment of suicide by his employee, an air-hostess, he said a minister of the Haryana government was in jail. Meanwhile, a former president of Haryana BJP, Rattan Lal Kataria, while giving his view on the economic resolution moved today at the session to be deliberated by the national council, alleged firms owned by the Congress MP from Kurukshetra were major beneficiaries in coal block allocations.
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Cabinet reshuffle put off till mid-Oct
New Delhi, September 27 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s meeting with President Pranab Mukherjee last week and Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s hour-long deliberations with the PM yesterday had given rise to speculation that the ministerial re-jig could take place this week before the commencement of the inauspicious period of ‘shraadh’ on October 1. However, highly placed UPA sources said the reshuffle is unlikely to take place till after the middle of next month as the details of the exercise are yet to be finalised. The UPA government’s focus on economic reforms, the pending decision on Telengana and the political storm in Maharashtra which has strained Congress-NCP ties, are said to be the chief reasons for delaying the ministerial shake-up. The reshuffle has become necessary as several key Cabinet portfolio slots are lying vacant while a number of ministers are holding additional charge. The vacancies arose following the resignation of six Trinamool Congress ministers, Pranab Mukherjee’s move to the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the resignation of Virbhadra Singh and the death of Vilasrao Deshmukh. As this is expected to be the last Cabinet reshuffle before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the exercise has acquired considerable significance. The Congress leadership would like to present a “new-look” team ahead of these crucial polls for which it could promote junior ministers and induct younger faces into the Cabinet. However, the big four ministries - defence, finance, home and external affairs - may remain untouched. It has become quite clear that Nehru-Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi will not be joining the Cabinet and will instead focus on organisational affairs as he is likely to be given a more defined role in the Congress in the coming months.
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AC train fares, freight rate go up from Oct 1
New Delhi, September 27 This follows a decision taken at a meeting between Railway Minister CP Joshi and Finance Minister P Chidambaram here. Fares of AC First Class, Executive Class, AC-2 tier, AC-3 tier, AC Chair Car will go up by 3.708 per cent from October 1 and a notification to this effect is being issued, a senior Railway Ministry official said. Service tax will also be levied on freight and auxiliary service, he added. Service tax is 12.36 per cent but after the adjustment of 70 per cent of this, it will effectively be 3.708 per cent on passenger fares in AC classes and freight services. However, auxiliary services rendered at stations like catering and parking will have to bear the burden of 12.36 per cent hike as there will be no adjustment on these services. The decision comes days after the exit of Trinamool Congress (TMC) from the UPA government. — PTI
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Land Bill: Sticking points remain New Delhi, September 27 While no decision emerged from the group headed by Pawar and attended by UPA bigwigs like Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Defence Minister AK Antony, one thing is certain — that the new “investor- friendly” version of the Bill, renamed “The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill”, will ensure that consent of only two-third of the land owners and affected families is required for any acquisition. Sources said there was a “general consensus” on this particular point. It is a factor that will please the industry but anger the civil society. In its original form, the Bill required consent of 80% of the land owners and affected families. However, leeway for affected persons can be expected on issues on applicability of the legislation. The sources said there was a strong view that there should be a “window” of retrospection in the Bill. Even though there is an opinion that the Bill should apply only prospectively, that is for new acquisitions, a general consensus seemed to be emerging on including past acquisitions into the ambit, especially where compensation has not yet been paid or where the process is still going on. The earlier version that had gone before the Standing Committee of Parliament provided that the relief and rehabilitation would be effective on ongoing projects.
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MoD slams criticism of pension hike
New Delhi, September 27 A detailed chart of the financial benefits given to ex-servicemen since October 2008 is being calculated and will be released soon, said sources. “Our aim is to cover the gap in pensions in a phased manner. This is the third increase in pension of ex-servicemen after the Sixth Central Pay Commission award was announced in October 2008,” authoritative sources said.
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CBI begins probe into coal block allocations since 1993
New Delhi, September 27 The agency will now study every allotment since 1993 and question the directors of companies and the then bureaucrats of Central and state governments about the coal blocks, CBI sources said. The preliminary inquiry has been filed following appeal of the Central Vigilance Commission that the coal block allocations since 1993 should be probed. The policy of coal block allocations to private companies was formed in 1993 following amendment in Coal Mines (Nationalisation) Act 1973 when the NDA was in power at the centre. Earlier, only the coal blocks allocated since 2004 were probed and seven FIRs were registered against a number of companies and some private persons. According to sources, the agency has asked for details of relevant data, list of officials and ministers who were involved in allocating the coal blocks. Files of all companies and their initial applications will be required for the probe, the sources said.
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SC: Kudankulam plant can be stopped if not found safe
New Delhi, September 27 A Bench of Justices KS Radhakrishanan and Deepak Misra said the safety of plant and the people living in its vicinity is its prime concern and issued notices to the Centre and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board on a plea challenging the environmental clearance given to the controversial project. “We will not hesitate to stop the plant if we find that the mandatory safety requirements have not been taken care of at the site,” said the Bench while posting the case for further hearing on October 4. The court earlier had refused to stay loading of the fuel in the plant but had agreed to examine the risk associated with the project. The court was hearing an appeal by social activist G Sundarrajan against the Madras High Court’s decision refusing to impose any restraint against the plant.
— PTI
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More rhinos fall prey to poachers in Kaziranga
Guwahati, September 27 Forest and Environment Minister Rockybul Hussain said, “It has been decided to appoint IFS officer NK Basu as the senior director of the KNP, while incumbent director Sanjib Kumar Bora will retain his post in view of the rise in incidents of poaching.” Chief Wildlife Warden of Assam Suresh Chand said poachers shot a rhino and sawed off its horn outside the park periphery at the Kuthari area in the wee hours today. He said another rhino was shot at beyond the Burapahar range of the KNP and the horn of the seriously injured rhino was sawed off. Forest staff recovered empty cartridges of .303 rifle and axes from the sites.
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CISF men to guard Indian merchant vessels
New Delhi, September 27 The force is training 200 of its men as armed guards on board privately owned Indian merchant ships carrying billions of dollars worth of goods. Initially, the men will be deployed on board government-owned vessels, said CISF officials. Close to 95 per cent of all the $791 billion worth of Indian imports and exports is through the sea route. This will be the new job for the CISF that is responsible for security of 59 airports in India. The force also provides on-payment services to six leading private companies like Infosys in Bangalore, Pune and Mysore, Jamnagar Oil Refinery, Electronic City in Bangalore and Delhi Metro Airport Express Line. Besides this, public sector giants like Steel Authority of India and ONGC also use the CISF. According to senior officers of the CISF, 100 men will be deployed on board the merchant ships and the rest will be kept as reserves. CISF officers said that the men chosen for the sea-faring task will be commandos. The training of these personnel is for a duration of three to four months and will begin in October. The Navy will be requested to train the men so that they gel in with the Indian doctrine at sea. Anil Devli, the CEO of the Indian National Shipowners Association (INSA), said, “The CISF personnel will be given training by the maritime training institutes on international laws and regulations.” The CISF personnel on board will be equipped with area weapons such as light machine guns (LMGs), AK-47s and INSAS (Indian Small Arms System), said a senior officer. “A group of four troops led by an officer will be part of the crew of a merchant ship. The officer will make the decision to fire upon a hostile vessel. But our mandate is just to guard our ships and not shoot to kill,” said an official. INSA will be coordinating with the CISF for the deployment of the men. INSA has 37 shipping companies as its members and will decide which companies will receive the first armed guards. Earlier, the shipping association had requested the Directorate General of Shipping to grant the approval of armed guards on board merchant vessels. DG Shipping approached the Union Home Ministry which thereafter assigned the CISF to do the job. Union Shipping Minister GK Vasan on September 3 in a reply to a question that was raised in the Lok Sabha said that 43 Indian seafarers are being held hostage by pirates. Fifteen of them have been held captive since 2010.
For safer seas
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The art fair sans galleries
New Delhi, September 27 A very unique Indianness is at display in its diversely complex voices. What amazes one the most is the confidence of these very fresh voices. There is no inhibition in trying new media, mixing fresh motifs with traditional media and crossing the threshold to prove to a world shrinking in its ideological base, that creative art is alive and thriving in India, and is daring enough to call a spade a spade. Why such a large pool of talent— about 500 budding artists, remained out of focus for so long? The reason, all fairs are conducted by the galleries, and artists who are not associated with a gallery never get a chance to showcase their talent before a large audience that only an art fair can provide. In this regard, since the fair is organised by artists themselves, even the curatorial quality is a class apart. Minister of Culture Kumari Selja, who came for the inauguration, said, “I had told the organisers if the galleries are involved, I will not come. I am pleasantly surprised by the quality of works on display,” she said. She added she would like to promote artist-oriented art fairs. While most art fairs have done away with graphics and other traditional art forms, UAF showcases huge installations and video art along with a section devoted to prints, giving equal space to genres, new and old. Besides the work of emerging artists, a special show titled “Mind the Gap” showcased works of KS Radhakrishnan, Waswo X Waswo, Manisha Doshi, Indrapramit Roy, Subodh Kerkar, Amitava Das, Shibu Natesan, Vidya Kamat, Manjunath Kamath, NN Rimzon, Sanjeev Khandekar, Brinda Millaer and the likes. While the young artists dazzled with their works, “Master’s Hall” featured nearly 50 works from modern Indian masters.
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ASP in dock for getting junior to tie shoe laces
Lucknow, September 27 Agra’s ASP (Traffic) VN Tiwari was given the marching orders late last night following the publication of a picture in an Agra newspaper showing him getting his shoe laces tied by a constable. Responding to a question by the media, the chief minister described the action of the ASP as “highly irresponsible” following which the officer was transferred to Police Training Centre (PTC) in Chunar, Mirzapur. A similar footwear cleaning controversy had surfaced in February 2011 when the then CM Mayawati’s personal security officer, a deputy superintendent of police rank officer was caught on camera bending down to clean her soiled sandals as she talked to her officers during a field visit to a remote village in
Auraiya.
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India feels let down after Pak rakes up Kashmir at UN
New Delhi, September 27 “We have seen the reference to Jammu and Kashmir in the statement of the President of Pakistan. You know, our principled position on the issue has been consistent and is well-known. The people of J&K, which is an integral part of India, have peacefully chosen their destiny in accordance with democratic practices and they continue to do so,” Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said at a media briefing in New York on the margins of UNGA. The text of his media interaction was made available here by the External Affairs Ministry. New Delhi seems disappointed with Zardari for raking up the Kashmir issue at a time when the two countries are making a steady progress in their dialogue process. At the same time, it does understand the Pakistani leadership’s compulsion to keep the Kashmir issue alive lest people in the country start feeling that the issue has been out on the back burner.
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Film fury: Protests in Kolkata; American Centre closes
Kolkata, September 27 Joint Commissioner of Police (Headquarters) Javed Shamim told reporters that a 1,000-1,500 strong force was deployed in the area and stopped the protesters from reaching the American consulate office. Police sources said an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 persons from the minority community gathered in between Esplanade and Chowringhee to protest against the video. Apprehending that the situation might turn violent, the centre closed down during the second half of the day, officials said.
— PTI
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The Bharatiya Janata Party today held the ruling UPA government responsible for all woes — political, economic and social — in the country, accusing it of being the “most corrupt”.
Two more flood-hit rhinos came under attack of poachers near the Kaziranga National Park
(KNP) today prompting Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to opt for a CBI inquiry into the frequent incidents of rhino poaching in and around the UNESCO World Heritage Site for the past three years.
India today rejected Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari’s statement at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) that Jammu and Kashmir remained a symbol of failures rather than strengths of the UN system.
“We have seen the reference to Jammu and Kashmir in the statement of the President of Pakistan. You know, our principled position on the issue has been consistent and is well-known. The people of J&K, which is an integral part of India, have peacefully chosen their destiny in accordance with democratic practices and they continue to do
so.”
All AC train fares, freight tariff and cost of food at railway stations will go up from October 1 with the coming into force of service tax on them.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), a leading government security agency that already multi-tasks on several fronts, will soon have a new job - protecting Indian merchant ships from pirates on the high seas.