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New ministers spell out their agenda
A tightrope walk ahead for Khurshid
Salman Khurshid |
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Will take UPA’s policies forward: Tewari
Pallam Raju
Ashwani Kumar
Jyotiraditya Scindia
Ban on field trial of GM crops: SC seeks Centre’s views
Manmohan, Khaleda Zia agree to work on combating terror
ENCOUNTER DEATHS
HRD Minister yet to take charge,
will put off CABE meeting on RTE
Sistema Issue
Chopper deal held in abeyance following bribe allegations
Curfew relaxed for 6 hours in Faizabad
Lok Sabha poll any time, Mulayam tells party workers
Shah retracts statement, says BJP will decide
Nitin Gadkari
Sexual abuse at women’s shelter home in Mumbai
Hazare, VK Singh attack UPA govt
SC admits PIL on Assam floods
Trinamool Congress suffering from ‘political fear psychosis’
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New ministers spell out their agenda
New Delhi, October 29 The Andhra Pradesh High Court had struck down this quota and the Supreme Court had refused to grant the government any relief by way of a stay on the HC judgment. With eyes on the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the government has decided to push for the sub-quota again, with new Minority Affairs Minister K Rahman Khan, who assumed charge today, saying that he would review the technical grounds on which the SC refused to permit the sub-quota. “The quota has been a long-standing demand of the community. The Supreme Court order did not question its constitutionality. It only raised certain technical issues which we will reexamine,” Khan, former Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, said. The government had passed an executive order in December 2011 providing for the 4.5 per cent sub-quota for backward minorities within the 27 per cent OBC reservation. The Andhra HC quashed it saying it was based purely on religion. When the Centre moved the SC for relief, the court questioned the basis on which the government arrived at the 4.5 per cent figure. The SC also asked if the government could make a classification on the basis of religion. Khan said the minority sub-quota was restricted to students of the most backward classes among Muslims, Sikhs and Christians. He, however, said the technical issue, of the computation of 4.5 per cent figure, would have to be clarified. “We will review the matter and move afresh on it,” he said, taking over from Salman Khurshid. The Centre has been arguing that because there are 2,343 other Backward Classes, the most backward among these are left behind in the competition and need to be secured through a sub-quota which would be available only to those minority OBCs that are already part of the central OBC list. Khan said his priority would be the implementation of the Sachar Committee Report in “letter and spirit”. “There is a feeling that the report has not been implemented properly. We will also review the delivery of all minority welfare schemes to see why these are not reaching the beneficiaries and whether they need to be reviewed,” he said. NEW MINISTER’S PRIORITIES Passage of the Wakf Amendment Bill for proper maintenance of wakf properties Implementation of the Sachar Committee report in ‘letter and spirit’ Computerisation of wakf properties and establishment of the Wakf Development Corporation Development of educational infrastructure by asking the Muslims to invest in their own colleges and universities Meeting CMs of the states that have not yet set up state minority commissions
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A tightrope walk ahead for Khurshid
New Delhi, October 29 The Oxford-educated Khurshid had learnt the ropes of diplomatic politics from none other than P V Narasimha Rao, the ‘chanakya’ of Indian politics, while serving in his government as a junior foreign minister in the nineties. By appointing Khurshid, an eloquent speaker and a liberal Muslim, as the country’s top diplomat, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh clearly wants to send out a message to the Islamic world of his keen desire to promote ties with the region, a key source of India’s energy supplies. On top of it, there are millions of Indians working in Gulf states. However, it’s quite obvious that India has not paid as much attention to the region as it deserves. There have been regular exchanges with Arab states but top level exchanges have been few and far. Khurshid will be required to correct this trend. At the same time, he will have to ensure that the interests of Indians settled in the Gulf states as well as those of the country in terms of energy security are well protected in the midst of current upheavals being witnessed in parts of the Muslim world. The neighbourhood presents him a bigger challenge. Apart from relations Pakistan and China, what must weigh on his mind is the situation likely to evolve in trouble-torn Afghanistan after the drawdown of Western forces in 2014. Afghan President Hamid Karzai is slated to visit India in November and Khurshid will get an opportunity to discuss the issue with him in greater detail. Bangladesh has been unhappy with India ever since Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee torpedoed the Teesta water sharing agreement on the eve of the PM’s visit to Dhaka in September last year. Even the land boundary agreement signed with much fanfare between the two neighbours is yet to be ratified. With the Trinamool Congress’s exit from the UPA, Khurshid may have to visit Dhaka soon to reassure Bangladesh of India’s commitment to both the water sharing accord and the ratification of the land boundary pact. Tamils in Sri Lanka continue to suffer despite the Mahinda Rajapaksa government’s promises to India that it was committed to protecting their interests. Khurshid will need all his persuasive skills to prevail on Colombo to give an impetus to the peace process. India’s relations with the European Union (EU) matter a lot to both sides. However, a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between them is still stuck in bureaucratic hurdles. Though it is being negotiated by the Commerce Ministry, the MEA, under Khurshid’s leadership, will be called upon to give a diplomatic push to the proposed pact so that it can be signed when the next India-EU Summit takes place in February next year. The proposed nuclear accords with Japan and Australia, India’s ties with South East Asia and the coming visit of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will certainly test the diplomatic skills of Khurshid, a lawyer by training.
The Challenges
z The neighbourhood presents him a bigger challenge. Apart from relations Pakistan and China, what must weigh on his mind is the situation likely to evolve in trouble-torn Afghanistan after the drawdown of Western forces in 2014 z The proposed nuclear accords with Japan and Australia, India’s ties with South East Asia and the coming visit of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will certainly test the diplomatic skills of Khurshid, a lawyer by training
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Will take UPA’s policies forward: Tewari
New Delhi, October 29 One of the first tasks Tewari did was to seek the blessings of his predecessor and senior party member Ambika Soni before arriving at his office on the 6th Floor in Shastri Bhawan. As for his priorities, the minister felt he would be better equipped to draw a list and share it with people after receiving a comprehensive briefing on the ministry. Having been a spokesman of the Congress for over four years, the newly-appointed minister was aware that the media would expect a `sound bite' in his new avtar. Tewari obliged a small group of media persons stating he would take forward the comprehensive policies of the UPA government in film, information and broadcasting sectors. Responding to questions on the scourge of ‘Paid News’, the minister said as a politician who contested the Lok Sabha elections on two occasions, he was aware of the problem but said a political consensus is required to tackle the issue. “All stakeholders have to be brought on board and unlike other ministries, I&B does not have a regulator...we will try to evolve consensus on sensitive issues'', Tewari said. Regarding the digitisation process, Tewari said the ministry had put in place a roadmap for achieving the target of switching over from an analogue to a digital mode. The ministry had made painstaking efforts to involve the key stakeholders associated with the digitisation initiative. The minister further mentioned that he was confident that the targets would be met within the deadline.
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HRD minister Raju has his task cut out
New Delhi, October 29 Pallam Raju was busy all day taking official briefings on the sector from top bureaucrats of the ministry who spent the day at the minister's residence. He will assume formal charge on Wednesday morning. Speaking to The Tribune today, Pallam Raju said, “Since reshuffle, I am seeing a lot of visitors and thought it would be proper to attend to them first before assuming charge of the Ministry. It would have been a problem to meet so many people later because once I take charge, I plan to devote a lot of quality time to the sector. I have had a sector briefing today.” The youngest HRD Minister of India has his first job cut out. His challenge would be to address the scheduled November 1 meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE), the highest decision making body in respect of education policy in India. Raju today told TNS that CABE meeting would have to be postponed. “There are a couple of things that need to be resolved before we reschedule the CABE meeting,” he said. CABE comprises all state education ministers and top stakeholders in the education sector of the country and is generally a place where heated discussions are a routine. The agenda for CABE this time is highly controversial and would require Raju to do a lot of homework. CABE will discuss whether the ambit of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 should be extended to cover students aged 3 and 4 years and also those aged 15 and 16 years. Currently, RTE mandate is to give free and compulsory elementary education to children aged 6 to 14 years. CABE will also discuss the need to extend RTE deadline beyond March 31, 2013 as states have not managed to build the required infrastructure under the law. Also listed for CABE discussions is a new Bill to prevent unfair practices in schools - including barring school managements from charging admission fee, donation of any kind, meting out corporal punishment to children, sexual harassment of children at school and denying students admission to Classes VI and XI. The Bill says a school cannot deny admission to any student on the basis of an internal and informal admission test. Since a lot of private interests operate in the school sector, the Bill will invite heated debate.
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Chandigarh-Ludhiana rail link soon: Bansal
Chandigarh, October 29 Though “all the regions and states are equally important”, the demands of this region that have been ignored over the years would be taken up on a priority basis, he said in a brief interview with The Tribune. The Bathinda-Amritsar, Barnala-Mansa-Sardulgarh-Sirsa, Patti-Makhu, Gurdaspur-Dera Baba Nanak, Samrala-Rahon and Amritsar-Anandpur Sahib rail links have been high on the demand list of Punjab. The Chandigarh-Ludhiana rail link was planned and cleared in the late 90s. Even after 20 years, it is yet to be completed. The Railways is now hoping to commission this much-hyped link by early next year as the work on the final Samrala-Sahnewal is nearing completion. The Amritsar-Anandpur Sahib rail link cannot be commissioned without the Chandigarh-Ludhiana rail link. Both Amritsar and Anandpur Sahib are important religious places of Sikhs and house two of the five ‘Takhts’. It was a few months ago that after a long struggle, residents of Fazilka and Abohar got a train running between their two towns. Besides these rail links, work on over a score of rail overbridges has been pending for decades for want of technical clearance from the Railways. Several projects have been held up as they haven’t been supplied with electricity. In fact, Pawan Bansal has his hands full with long-standing demands of Punjab rail users. Though Buta Singh was a Minister of State for Railways and even Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had held the additional charge of Railways in the recent past, both Punjab and Chandigarh have now staked their claims on the first Union Railway Minister from the state. “The Chandigarh-Ludhiana rail link is important not only for Chandigarh but for the whole of Punjab as it provides much-needed affordable connectivity with the rest of the state. I will need some time to understand the functioning of this department so that all regions and states get their due. “I can assure you that Punjab and Chandigarh will no longer suffer as every effort will be made to consider and accept every genuine demand of rail users here. At the same time, without understanding the working of this major department, it will not be prudent to talk of any new or major projects. Time may be the limiting factor but I will do my best to live up to the expectations of the people,” said Pawan Bansal. The task for Pawan Bansal may not be easy as the fiscal health of the Ministry of Railways is not what he would have wanted it to be.
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Fight against graft is new Law Minister’s priority
New Delhi, October 29 Talking to reporters after assuming office, Kumar said he would try to achieve the “broadest possible political consensus” for putting in place a “credible and effective” Lokpal to “tackle and eliminate corruption.” He said he would work to achieve a “fine balance” between the legislature, the political executive and the judiciary to reinforce the rule of law and “repel the forces of anarchy and destruction.” He did not explain what these forces were. Laws, judiciary and judicial interventions “should become an instrument of the national agenda” and this could be achieved by ensuring a “harmonious, congenial and communicative” relationship between the executive and the higher judiciary, he said. As there often was a feeling that there was a “tension” between the judiciary and the executive over their respective jurisdiction, there was an imperative need to maintain the Constitutional balance, he said. His ministry would work towards achieving this. Kumar said he would try to muster political support for the passage of various important Bills. Among the pending legislative proposals was a Bill meant for setting up commercial Benches of High Courts for speedy disposal of cases involving huge amounts. Another Bill relates to increasing the retirement age of HC judges from 62 to 65 years - as was the case with Supreme Court judges. The Judicial Accountability and Standards Bill and the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill, meant for providing better safety net for women, are also pending. The government would persist with its efforts until a consensus was achieved on all these crucial proposals, Ashwani Kumar said. Asked about the Bills that would be pursued in the coming Winter Session of Parliament, he named the Bills on judicial accountability and marriage law. He said he would soon finalise the road map for his ministry in consultation with all the stakeholders. Some of the Bills in the works would be given a “new direction” for strengthening social empowerment programmes, the new minister said.
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Scindia to sort out issues with Coal Ministry
New Delhi, October 29 Assuming charge of his ministry, he said he would try and sort out issues between the Ministry of Coal and Ministry of Power amicably, which although seems to be an uphill task for the Guna Member of Parliament. Scindia said that power was a strategic sector for the economy. “I have to perform my duty at the rural level to ensure that connectivity is rightly done to the grassroots level so that generation projects are executed at a faster pace. I look forward to the support and guidance from my colleagues and from people of my department.” On the issue of priorities, he said that he would give an informed opinion only after he made a personal assessment of the ministry and the entire gamut of work ahead of him. “I am an independent power minister for the whole of the country. For me, all the states are equal, but my hometown is MP and whatever help will be needed, I will do my best,” he said.
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Badal meets PM, Shinde
New Delhi, October 29 The Punjab CM today made it clear that the upcoming memorial in the Golden Temple is like any other gurdwara and there would be no pictures of any person and no names would be inscribed on its walls. The Centre and its intelligence agencies see the memorial as a monument that will glorify the pro-Khalistan elements, who were killed in Operation Bluestar in June 1984. The Union Government has already made it clear that it could not “interfere” in the matters of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which has okayed the construction of a memorial at the Golden Temple complex. Badal met Shinde this morning where the recent developments in Punjab were discussed. Already Shinde speaking to the media on October 10 has refused to term the recent developments a “revival of militancy” in Punjab. Later speaking to mediapersons, Badal said the memorial issue was being whipped up needlessly. He termed the amendment to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) Act as an infringement of the rights of the Sikhs. These powers and procedures have been laid down by Parliament and cannot be changed by notifications. “The amendments are more to suit one person”, he said. In the evening, Badal accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and sought his personal intervention to stop the Delhi Government from going ahead with the proposed move of “Delhi Sikh Gurdwara (Amendment) Bill, 2012” regarding direct election of the president of the DSGMC. A spokesperson of the Punjab Government quoted Badal as having said this was an “ill conceived and politically motivated move of the Delhi Government, which could pose serious ramifications with a potent apprehension of pushing the country into avoidable conflicts”. The General election of DSGMC was due since January 2011 and it appears to be a calculated conspiracy of the government to delay these overdue elections in the guise of this amendment Bill. He also asked the PM to take necessary action either by amending the act in Parliament or by issuing an ordinance to disenfranchise Sehajdari Sikhs from voting in the SGPC elections. The Chief Minister also urged upon Manmohan Singh to head a Group of Ministers (GoM) for pushing the much needed diversification of agriculture in the state as a “second green revolution” to save the beleaguered peasantry on one hand and to prevent the depleting ground water and eroding soil texture from further degradation on the other. The Union Agriculture Ministry had already cautioned the state to make a paradigm shift from traditional wheat/paddy cycle to the high yielding crops like oilseeds, maize, sugarcane and others in this hour of crisis.
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Ban on field trial of GM crops: SC seeks Centre’s views
New Delhi, October 29 A Bench comprising Justices Swatanter Kumar and SJ Mukhopadhaya also asked the PIL petitioners and other parties to give their views by November 7 on the proposed ban and listed a bunch of petitions on the subject for passing an interim order on November 9. The TEC, appointed by the SC to go into the issue, has suggested in its interim report that all field trials should be stopped until four conditions were met. Among the conditions was designation of specific sites for conducting field trials and putting in place certified and sufficient mechanisms for monitoring the trials.
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Manmohan, Khaleda Zia agree to work on combating terror
New Delhi, October 29 The BNP is widely seen to have patronised and encouraged anti-India elements and rebels from the northeast during Zia's Prime Ministership. However, with reports from Dhaka suggesting that Zia is ahead of her rival and present incumbent Sheikh Hasina in the race for power in the elections to be held in 2014, New Delhi wants to keep the BNP also in good humour. Zia, who is in India on a week-long visit at the invitation of New Delhi, has held a series of meetings ever since she arrived here yesterday. Apart from the Prime Minister, she has held meetings with President Pranab Mukherjee, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, new External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, National Security Adviser Shivshanker Menon and Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai. She will be visiting Ajmer Sharif tomorrow. Referring to the talks between Zia and the Indian PM, official sources said, ''The meeting was very cordial and lasted approximately for 30 minutes." The two leaders held talks on a wide array of bilateral issues, including trade and security relations between the two countries. Zia was very appreciative of various Indian initiatives, including liberalisation of trade and efforts to provide power to the neighbouring country. "She also expressed satisfaction at the manner in which India is working out issues related to Tipaimukh Dam and matters on border management, including deaths on the border," said the sources. Manmohan Singh assured Zia that India was willing to discuss all issues of importance to Bangladesh and underlined India's commitment to "a close and deeper relationship with Bangladesh". He mentioned that he always believed that the prosperity of India's neighbours, particularly Bangladesh, was in India's interest. "Both the leaders felt that terrorism is of great concern and agreed to continue cooperation on terrorism and insurgent groups," the sources added.
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5 states defy NHRC orders to compensate victims’ kin
Aditi Tandon/TNS
New Delhi, October 29 At least five states have in the recent past refused to grant compensation that the NHRC had ordered to be paid to the next of kin of fake encounter victims. While the Maharashtra Government declined to honour one such recommendation on the ground that “such payment would demoralise the police force”, the Andhra Pradesh Government refused to follow the commission’s recommendation in three cases. The NHRC inquiry had concluded that the encounter of alleged Naxals was fake in those cases. It had ordered a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the family of victims. The Andhra Pradesh Government did not offer any reason for not making the payment. Similar decisions have been taken by the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in separate cases of fake encounter deaths which the NHRC was mandated to look into to determine genuineness of the police claims. The trend is growing at a time when the cases of encounter deaths are rising across India, as reflected by the data maintained by the NHRC. As per the NHRC mandate, the police of every state has to mandatorily intimate to the commission of every encounter death within 48 hours of its occurrence. The commission, under the National Human Rights Act, 1993, is empowered to inquire into every such death to see if the encounter was genuine. Besides intimation of encounters by the police, paramilitary forces and Army personnel, private individuals also have the right to file encounter complaints with the NHRC which it investigates as mandated by the law. Since its inception in 1993, the NHRC has received 2,068 encounter cases through intimation alone. Maximum (1,996) cases involve police, followed by 49 involving defence forces and 23 involving paramilitary forces. Among states, UP leads the pack with 948 cases; followed by 229 in Assam, 124 in Maharashtra, 120 in Andhra Pradesh, 54 in Madhya Pradesh and 50 in Rajasthan. States with higher encounter death rates (like UP, Maharashtra and Andhra) are also the states increasingly refusing to implement NHRC recommendations on fake encounters. Through private individuals, the commission has received another 1,796 cases of fake encounters, a whopping 1,697 involving allegations against the police. Together, the cases total to 3,864. The commission is naturally worried about the growing trend of states’ refusal to take its recommendations seriously, said member Justice BC Patel (retd). In an order on Andhra Pradesh’s refusal to compensate wards of three Naxals killed in fake encounters recently, the commission had said, “We have received these letters with some surprise and considerable regret. Since we make recommendations that are not binding on states, we can’t do much once the CMs decline them. However, we always give substantive reasons for our recommendations and hope that when a state disagrees it will also explain why our view was wrong. In these three cases, we have been given no reason whatsoever. The conclusion that follows is that the state has given carte blanche to its security forces and a mandate to execute with impunity anyone believed to be an extremist.” CASES RECEIVED Through intimation: 2,068 Through individuals: 1,796 Total: 3,864 STATE-WISE cases Uttar Pradesh: 948 cases Assam: 229 Maharashtra: 124 Andhra Pradesh: 120 Madhya Pradesh: 54 Rajasthan: 50
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HRD Minister yet to take charge,
will put off CABE meeting on RTE
New Delhi, October 29 Pallam Raju was busy all day taking official briefings on the sector from top bureaucrats of the ministry who spent the day at the minister's residence. He will assume formal charge on Wednesday morning. Speaking to The Tribune today, Pallam Raju said, “Since reshuffle, I am seeing a lot of visitors and thought it would be proper to attend to them first before assuming charge of the Ministry. It would have been a problem to meet so many people later because once I take charge, I plan to devote a lot of quality time to the sector. I have had a sector briefing today.” The youngest HRD Minister of India has his first job cut out. His challenge would be to address the scheduled November 1 meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE), the highest decision making body in respect of education policy in India. Raju today told TNS that CABE meeting would have to be postponed. “There are a couple of things that need to be resolved before we reschedule the CABE meeting,” he said. CABE comprises all state education ministers and top stakeholders in the education sector of the country and is generally a place where heated discussions are a routine. The agenda for CABE this time is highly controversial and would require Raju to do a lot of homework. CABE will discuss whether the ambit of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 should be extended to cover students aged 3 and 4 years and also those aged 15 and 16 years. Currently, RTE mandate is to give free and compulsory elementary education to children aged 6 to 14 years. CABE will also discuss the need to extend RTE deadline beyond March 31, 2013 as states have not managed to build the required infrastructure under the law. Also listed for CABE discussions is a new Bill to prevent unfair practices in schools - including barring school managements from charging admission fee, donation of any kind, meting out corporal punishment to children, sexual harassment of children at school and denying students admission to Classes VI and XI. The Bill says a school cannot deny admission to any student on the basis of an internal and informal admission test. Since a lot of private interests operate in the school sector, the Bill will invite heated debate. Back in the ministry the buzz all day was whether Raju, all of 50, will be able to distinguish himself in the coveted league of HRD Ministers - all top political guns from VP Singh and PV Narasimha Rao to Arjun Singh, Murali Manohar Joshi and even Kapil Sibal. Soon as Raju takes charge on October 31, he would also have to get busy preparing for the upcoming Education Day function on November 11 when the President of India is scheduled to distribute improved Aakash tablet to 20,000 students across India and have a sort of video conference with them through the device.
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Russia threatens intl arbitrationAshok Tuteja
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 29 Moscow had no option but to consider international arbitration on the cancellation of 2G licence to Sistema, an unhappy Russian Ambassador to India Alexander Kadakin said on the margins of a cultural function here. The issue threatens to cloud the proposed visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India on December 24 for the annual India-Russia Summit. Putin was scheduled to arrive here on October 31 but the trip was postponed to enable the two sides to settle the Sistema issue as well as other contentious matters between them. The Indian joint venture Sistema Shyam TeleServices Ltd’s licences were cancelled as part of a Supreme Court ruling in February. Since then, Russia has been insisting that New Delhi must protect Sistema’s investment. The matter had also come up recently during Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin’s talks with Indian leaders in New Delhi. India made it clear that the government could do little in the matter since it was sub-judice. Even on India’s nuclear liability law, there are clear differences between India and Russia. The two sides are hoping that this issue too would be settled by the time Putin visits India. The time-tested defence relationship between the two countries also witnessed an unhealthy development recently when Russia announced further delay in the delivery of Admiral Gorshkov, the aircraft carrier, much to India's displeasure. Bone of contention
Sistema Shyam TeleServices Ltd’s licences were cancelled as part of a Supreme Court ruling in February. Since then, Russia has been insisting that New Delhi must protect Sistema’s investment.
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Chopper deal held in abeyance following bribe allegations
New Delhi, October 29 Sources confirmed that the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister AK Antony today did not take up the matter of deciding on the company that was selected for the chopper deal. Two companies, Eurocopter and the Russian Kamov, have been shortlisted and one of them is to be finalised. Even as the Defence Ministry was about to finalise the deal, details have emerged from a court in Naples that a Brigadier who was involved in flight trials had sought a $5 million from AgustaWestland which was ousted from the competition after the trials. The ministry is also seeking details from Italy over its investigations in the VVIP chopper deal in the allegations of payments of kickbacks to secure the deal. Today at the DAC, Antony cautioned the three Services to be “transparent” in the process of weapon trials and procurement as he cleared proposals worth around Rs 6,000 crore for the armed forces. Antony’s message comes in the backdrop of latest bribery allegations in the proposed purchase of 197 choppers. “The Defence Minister asked the three Services that the trial process has to be fair and transparent manners especially when there is stiff competition among international contenders”, officials said here this evening. The meeting also cleared proposals for purchase of search and rescue (SAR) equipment for IAF choppers at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore, 3,000 hand-held thermal imagers (HHTIs) for the Army at Rs 800 crore and a Cadet Training Ship for the Navy at Rs 480 crore, which will be built by private sector ABG Shipyard, they said. The DAC, which is the top decision-making body of the Defence Ministry, also cleared an IAF proposal to procure two Dornier surveillance and transport aircraft from the HAL. The DAC cleared the construction of two Special Operations Vessels (SOVs) for the Marine Commandos of the Navy at a cost of Rs 1,700 crore The SOVs are like mini-submarines which can accommodate a small detachment of armed MARCOS commandos.
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UPA ignoring non-Cong states, says Modi
Kansa Chowk (Mandi), Oct 29 Addressing a party rally in support of BJP candidates - Rakesh Jamval, Inder Gandhi and Vinod Kumar - here today, Modi praised Chief Minister PK Dhumal for his government’s performance and urged the people to vote the BJP back to power. He said the Congress’ insensitiveness towards the poor was evident from the cap on subsidised LPG gas cylinders. Modi said the UPA had always discriminated against BJP-ruled states. “When we started a pipeline scheme to give LPG to villagers, the Centre stalled the plan. But we have sought redress from the Supreme Court,” he said. Modi appealed to voters of Himachal Pradesh to reelect the BJP in the forthcoming elections for the smooth development of the state. He said that his home state Gujarat was known throughout the world for its development. It had been made possible due to political stability as the electorate had allowed the BJP to form its governments continuously in the state. He said that the trend in Himachal Pradesh was to vote the incumbent party out, but that delayed development as the new government took time to settle down and deliver. He exhorted the voters of Himachal to learn from their counterparts in Gujarat and give the BJP another chance to form the government. Modi promised that in five years, the hill state would be as developed as Gujarat. He said that neither Prime Minister Manmohan Singh nor UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had uttered a single word about inflation or the steps the Centre was taking to control it during their visit to Himachal. Narendra Modi accused the Congress of misusing the CBI for the character assassination of Opposition leaders and for the step-motherly treatment to non-Congress state governments. He said that the Congress had rewarded its corrupt leaders in yesterday’s Cabinet reshuffle. Modi said that when the court charged former Union Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh for corruption, the party gave him the charge of the Himachal Assembly election. He was accompanied by BJP leaders Shyam Jaju and Kalraj Mishra. On his arrival, district president of the BJP Dile Ram presented a ‘gurj’ to
Modi.
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Curfew relaxed for 6 hours in Faizabad
Lucknow, October 29 An uneasy calm prevailed in the city with no untoward incident being reported during the curfew break. The district administration had earlier announced to relax curfew for four hours between 10 am to 2 pm today. It later revised its decision and extended it up to 4 pm after a “review by intelligence agencies”. The district administration had decided to relax curfew after 96 hours following complaints by citizens that they were facing scarcity of essential items like vegetables, milk, food grain and medicines. Schools, colleges and educational institutions, however, will continue to be closed as long as curfew continues. Meanwhile, Senior Superintendent of Police, Faizabad, Ramit Sharma confirmed that 49 persons had been booked so far for the last week’s violent clashes between members of two communities. Two persons were killed, several others were injured while around 100 shops were gutted in the violence.
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Lok Sabha poll any time, Mulayam tells party workers Lucknow, October 29 “Lok Sabha poll can be held anytime. You all should be prepared for it and ensure that SP wins maximum number of seats. If we get 60 out of 80 seats, (voice of) UP will be heard in Delhi”, Yadav said while addressing party workers at party headquarters here. Claiming that there was “little time” left for the elections, Yadav asked party workers to work at grassroots level and tell people about the works done by the Akhilesh government in “such a short span of time”. Yadav said electricity scenario in the state will soon improve following a number of measures taken by the state government to enhance power generation. — PTI
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Shah retracts statement, says BJP will decide
Ahmedabad, October 29 "It is for the party (BJP) to decide whether to give me ticket or not," Shah said. Shah, a BJP MLA and a close aide of chief minister Narendra Modi, is an accused in Soharabuddin Sheikh and Tulsi Prajapati fake encounter cases. He is currently out on bail. Earlier in the day, Shah told reporters on the sidelines of a press meet that "I will not only be contesting the elections, but I am going to win this time also with comfortable margins. "Last time, I had won from Sarkhej Assembly seat with the margin of over 2.50 lakh votes. Now, after the delimitation, it has been divided into three constituencies- Vejalpur, Ghatlodia and Naranpura. I can win from any of these with comfortable margins," he said. Shah addressed media at a press meet organised to announce the Central Board of Cricket Ahmedabad elections. The Supreme Court last month allowed Shah to return to Gujarat after rejecting CBI's plea to cancel the bail granted to him in Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case. Since his return, Shah had been keeping a low profile and stayed away from public functions as well as media. — PTI
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Gadkari says media houses are ‘defaming’ him, plans legal battle
Nagpur, October 29 ."Certain media groups are acting as 'dalals' (agents) of Congress party. Two English TV channels and one English national daily are behind the vicious campaign against me and are playing into the hands of Congress," Gadkari said addressing his supporters here on return from Delhi. Gadkari, who was accorded a warm reception by BJP workers and leaders, claimed innocence and vowed to "teach a lesson" to those engaged in the "slander campaign". "A big media group had routed black money parked in London via Mauritius and manipulated shares worth Rs 10 each by selling them at Rs 38,000 each," he said without naming the media house and claimed he possessed relevant documents. Also, in a statement that could lend itself to various interpretations, Gadkari said," I had neither sought the post of national president of BJP nor would I seek continuation." Bowing to the wishes of the RSS, BJP had at its Surajkund convention in September amended its constitution enabling the party president, state and district unit chiefs to get a second term, to pave the way for Gadkari to seek another term after he completes his present tenure in December. Party's Rajya Sabha MP Ram Jethmalani had recently asked Gadkari not to seek a second term in office in the wake of allegations of corruption against him. Attacking the Congress, Gadkari said, "The ruling party is involved in huge corruption of Rs 4.38 lakh crore including the coal blocks allocation scam, CWG and the 2G case. Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, is also facing Rs 400 crore corruption charges in land deals in Haryana." "The face of Congress party is blackened by a number of corruption allegations," he said. — PTI
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Sexual abuse at women’s shelter home in Mumbai
Mumbai, October 29 The facility has been earmarked to house women rescued under the provisions of the Prevention of Immoral Trafficking Act. According to state government officials here, the state's Home Department will oversee the investigation that will to be carried out by a senior police official. Details of the sordid conditions at the Navjeevan Mahila Vastigruh located at Mankhurd on the outskirts of Mumbai came to light after 60 inmates attempted to escape the facility on Saturday. According to the police, the women got into a fight with the handful of police officials guarding the premises and made a break for it. Thirty-six of the women scaled the compound wall of the building. Of them, 23 are still missing, the police said. On Monday, one of the women told a local newspaper about the ordeal faced by the inmates of the shelter. In her detailed testimony, the woman, who was arrested while working as a waitress at a Mumbai restaurant, spoke of how armed ‘goondas’ from the neighbourhood regularly entered the premises and picked up inmates and subjected them to rape.
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Hazare, VK Singh attack UPA govt
Mumbai, October 29 Heralding the formation of a new movement against corruption, Anna Hazare and former Army Chief General VK Singh targeted the "unconstitutional" UPA government over decisions like FDI in multi-brand retail. Addressing a joint press conference here this evening, Singh said the government had taken the controversial decision on FDI despite being in minority. "As per the Constitution, India is a welfare state in which a democratically elected government is duty-bound to protect and improve lives of the people. However, the current system has completely ignored the directive principles enshrined in the Constitution and has surrendered to the market forces," Singh said. "Parliament should be dissolved and fresh elections held," he said, reading from a prepared statement. Hazare endorsed Singh and said they had jointly prepared the statement. The government policies were being framed to benefit private businesses instead of the common man and no one was raising voice against this in Parliament, the retired General said. Elections should be held to allow formation of a new government which worked for the people, he said. "Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has ignored the principle of collective responsibility," he said. On the recent reshuffle in the Union Government, Hazare said, "The reshuffle is nothing but misleading the people." Hazare, who announced launching a year-long campaign from January 30 to create awareness among the people for bringing about a change in the system, said he would support candidates with clean image. To a query, Hazare said he would support Arvind Kejriwal if he contested election. "Arvind is a nice man," he added. — PTI
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SC admits PIL on Assam floods
Guwahati, October 29 The writ petition (civil) No. 401 of 2012 in the Court of the Chief Justice Altmas Kabir, Justice Surinder Singh Nijjar and Justice J Chelameswar drew attention to the case of recurrent floods in Assam and the large scale human displacement, apart from damage to livestock, crops and property. This year the floods washed away 20 bridges and culvert and damaged 191 bridges in addition to washing away or damaging approaches to 575 bridges and 230 culverts. The Brahmaputra has breached 42 of its embankments, mostly in the districts of Tinsukia, Dhemaji and Sonitpur, besides Majuli island in Jorhat. Attempts to contain the river has not succeeded so far. A GIS-based study, using both satellite and terrestrial data, by the Dibrugarh University, has found that in the 84 years between 1912 and 1996, Assam lost 2358 sq kms to erosion by the Brahmaputra. Now what does this figure mean? To put this in perspective, the total area of the Delhi state is 1484 sq km and Mumbai city is 603 sq km. In other words, Brahmaputra has devoured land equal to four Mumbais! The case argued by Supreme Court advocate Shri Niroop Reddy pointed out that floods have a vital bearing on the rights of the citizens to drinking water, health, sanitation all of which have been held to be integral part of the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India by the apex court. That apart, in the year 2010, the United Nations General Assembly has recognised the right to water as a human right. Assam used to be a prosperous state in the past both in absolute and relative terms. But it is poor now and the gap with the rest of India is widening. While poverty has decreased nationally, it is on the rise in Assam. In 2004-05, Assam had 34.4 per cent of its people below the poverty line, less than the national average of 37.2 per cent for the whole of India. By 2009-10, Assam increased its poor population to 37.9 per cent, while India as a whole decreased its average to 29.8 per cent. As an older Planning Commission report puts it: “The most striking fact of Assam’s economic development is that it is falling behind the rest of the country.” In 1950-51, per capita income in Assam was 4 per cent above national average. In 1998-99 it was 45 per cent below the national average at 1980-81 prices. What is even more alarming is that the gap is growing. Between 1980 and 1990, per capita income at 1980-81 prices grew by 20 per cent in Assam compared with 40 per cent for all-India. Between 1980 and 1998, per capita income in Assam grew by 10 per cent compared with 39 per cent for all India.
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Trinamool Congress suffering from ‘political fear psychosis’
Kolkata/New Delhi, Oct 29 As the war of words broke, the new Minister of State for Railways Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury -- one of the three Congress MPs from West Bengal to be made ministers -- challenged the ruling TMC to find a single criminal case pending against him, saying he would quit if any case was found. Congress rejected the TMC contention that the three Mamata baiters were inducted into the Union Cabinet only to "needle" the party and described it as a sign of "political fear-psychosis". "The Congress never humiliates any political party or leader. The Congress is for positivity, development and growth. The leaders who are making such comments are suffering from political fear-psychosis. "We can make it clear that the Centre would continue to assist the state government for growth and development," a senior WBPCC leader and a former state irrrigation minister Manas Bhuniya said in Kolkata. The TMC said yesterday that Adhir and Deepa Dasmunshi, known Mamata baiters, were inducted as ministers only to 'needle' the party. A H Khan Chowdhury was the third MP from West Bengal to be made a minister. "Right now I am challenging them (TMC). Even if a single case is found, even if they find that a single criminal case is pending against me, I will resign from the post that has been given to me right now. I am challenging the TMC," Adhir said in Delhi. He threw the challenge when asked about allegations made by the TMC that there are cases against him. Adhir also said the working of the Railways has deteriorated in the past. Mamata had held the Railways portfolio before. Bhuniya attacked the TMC for not showing any courtesy to the three new ministers from West Bengal. "We expected minimum courtesy from them. But they showed no courtesy at all," Bhuniya said. He said the reaction expressed by seasoned and experienced leaders of the TMC yesterday was "shocking". — PTI
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New Delhi, October 29
Diplomacy is the art of the possible. No one knows it better than India’s new External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.
The Oxford-educated Khurshid had learnt the ropes of diplomatic politics from none other than P V Narasimha Rao, the ‘chanakya’ of Indian politics, while serving in his government as a junior foreign minister in the nineties.
Preferring to hold back his opinion on the role that Information and Broadcasting Ministry should play, Manish Tewari today adopted a caution approach in making an opening statement as he took charge of the ministry.
Lucknow, October 29
Mumbai, October 29
