|
|
|
|
|
SC notice to Centre over PILs on juvenile Act
22 children to get National Bravery Awards this year
NGOs got Rs 6,654 cr from Centre, states in 7 years
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Probe panel to give report to M’rashtra Govt in April
No question of forming govt with BJP, says Yeddyurappa
Modi returns friend Adani’s favour by hiking gas prices
Environmentalists welcome diesel price hike
Stay connected to people, Akhilesh tells UP babus
Awaiting formal move by Pak on talks:
Khurshid
Minister steps in after Thane cops crack down on couples
High occupational stress among Navymen: Study
CBI arrests another DCI member
Delhi Police to intensify night patrol
SC: Kerala can’t prosecute Italian marines, but Centre can
Rahul presses for more accountability in party
|
|
SC notice to Centre over PILs on juvenile Act
New Delhi, January 18 A Bench comprising Justices KS Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra directed the Union Home and Law Ministries to file their response within four weeks to the PILs filed by a Chandigarh-based advocate, Salil Bali, and a Delhi-based writer, Shilpa Arora Sharma. Describing the juvenile involved in the recent rape and murder of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student in Delhi as a “ticking time bomb” that posed a constant threat to women and society, petitioner Sharma also pleaded for a thorough assessment of the age and mental status of the accused. A panel comprising at least three national and international criminal psychologists should conduct a thorough clinical examination of the accused to assess whether he was a psychopath who would endanger the dignity, honour and lives of people if allowed to walk free under the juvenile law, the PIL said. The CBI should be asked to ascertain the correct age of the accused by holding a detailed inquiry in his native and other relevant places, instead of merely going by the school certificate which seldom reflected the real picture particularly in villages where the parents were not aware of their own age let alone the date of birth of their wards. The juvenile law did not treat differently psychopath minors involved in inhuman, barbaric and grisly offences and other under-18 persons who committed ordinary crimes. Therefore, the Act had failed to provide suitable protection to people from psychopath juveniles who could not be corrected and could do anything to satisfy their greed and lust. “Such juveniles cannot be left open and free in the society as they are animals and can do any harm,” the PIL said.
What PILs say
|
|
22 children to get National Bravery Awards this year
New Delhi, January 18 Ramdinthara (15) from Manipur, who sacrificed his life while trying to save his friend from drowning, is the only child to get the National Bravery Award posthumously this year. Rajasthan's Sapna Kumari Meena (14) will get award for standing up against child marriage. She wrote a letter to the District Magistrate of her area as her parents wanted to marry her off. The DM sent the area SDM who got the scheduled wedding stopped in June 2012. Importantly, the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW), which gives the awards annually since 1957, has proposed the Ministry of the Human Resource Development to include tests on the National Bravery Awards in the school curriculum, also confirmed by ICCW president Gita Siddhartha. Manipur's Koroungamba Kumam, 7, happens to be the youngest among the award winners. He himself sustained burns but was successful in saving his younger sister from a fire that broke out in their house. Eighteen-year-old Renu of Delhi would get prestigious Geeta Chopra Award for exposing the alleged sexual abuse of Apna Ghar inmates in Rohtak from where she fled with two other children in May last year. The Bharat Award for exceptionally outstanding, meritorious and gallant deed went to Taran Atulbhai Mistry (17) of Gujarat for saving four persons from drowning in the Narmada. The Bapu Gaidhani Awards went to UP's Vijay Kumar (17) for saving three persons trapped in a whirlpool in the Ganga; Chhattisgarh's Akanksha Gaute (16) for nabbing three miscreants abusing her while she was returning home with her father; and Mahrashtra's Hali Raghunath Baraf (16) who saved her sister from the clutches of a tiger. "I and my sister had gone to the forest with some villagers to collect firewood when a tiger attacked my sister. I hit the tiger with a stone who then ran away," Hali said. Gajendra Ram (11) of Chhattisgarh would get the Sanjay Chopra Award for his heroic act of saving a child from drowning in the well. Suhail KM (13) of Karnataka would get the award for saving a child from drowning by jumping into the water although he himself did not now how to swim. Two others-Viswendra and Satendra Lokhna, both 15-year-old, saved a family of three by diving into a water drain while they were returning home in Uttar Pradesh from their school in Haryana's Palwal district. Pawan Kumar Kanuajiya of UP foiled a robbery as miscreants tried to break open the window of their house last year. Vishnu MV (17) from Kerala saved a girl from being run over by a train at the Chalakudi railway station in March 2012.
|
|||||
|
NGOs got Rs 6,654 cr from Centre, states in 7 years
New Delhi, January 18 The report titled “India’s Funds to Squandered” by the Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) released today says Rs 6,654 crore grant is only indicative because many states and UTs -- Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Mizoram, Odisha and Lakshadweep -- did not provide funding details under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The ACHR has detailed the loopholes in the system of NGO funding by ministries which either select the organisations directly or call for recommendations from states to award projects. “There is no transparency. Projects are not being awarded on merit,” ACHR Director Suhas Chakma says. RTI replies to the ACHR reveal how NGOs blacklisted by the Council for Advancement of People’s Action and Rural Technology (CAPART) under the Ministry of Rural Development continued to receive grants. By 2009, the CAPART had blacklisted 830 NGOs but FIRs were lodged against only 129. Surprisingly, five blacklisted NGOs namely Nirmala Weaker Section (Andhra Pradesh), Sarvodaya Ashram (Bihar), Magadh Social Development Society (Bihar), Pazhakulam Social Service Society (Kerala) and Vijay Warangal Trust (Maharashtra) received Rs 46 lakh in grants despite being barred. “Blacklisting is the sole action reported against the erring NGOs. But even the blacklisted NGOs are not proceeded against meaningfully. Between 1986 and 2007, the CAPART blacklisted 511 NGOs but only 10 cases were referred to the CBI,” Chakma says.
|
|||||
|
Adarsh scam Shiv Kumar/TNS
Mumbai, January 18 Summing up, Government Counsel AY Sakhare told the commission that the housing society was constructed in violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone rules. The promoters, Sakhare said, did not obtain the required clearances from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. The commission was also told that the height of the building exceeded the height limits prescribed by the Development Control Regulations (DCR) which restricted the building's height to just 46.5 metres. However, the building now stands at 100.7 metres. Though originally conceived as a housing project for the Kargil war veterans and their next of kin, senior politicians, bureaucrats and Army officers managed to get flats allotted in the project. Some senior politicians and bureaucrats even managed to get multiple flats allotted in the names of their relatives.
|
|||||
|
North reels under rain, snow
New Delhi, January 18 New Delhi was in for a bout of inclement weather as rain and hailstorm lashed the national capital overnight, picking up the pace this morning.
At 8.30 am today, the city had received 21 mm rainfall in 24 hours to better the record of 15.6mm rain measured in January 2003. The downpour and hailstorm left many parts of the city reeling under water-logging
and traffic snarls. Vehicular movement was affected in several areas like ITO, Vikas Marg and South Extension while many parts of the city were left without power supply. The weatherman has predicted mainly clear skies for tomorrow with fog in the
morning. Further north, heavy snowfall affected normal life in Kashmir which was cut off from the rest of the country with the Srinagar-Jammu national highway closed and air traffic suspended. Snowfall, which began yesterday, has resulted in snapping of electricity and water supply in many areas of the Valley, official sources said. An official of the disaster management cell said that the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir received the highest snowfall in the state with an accumulation of three feet of fresh snow.
Himachal Pradesh, too, was hard hit by rains and snowfall which continued for the third day today with many areas in the state cut off in the rough weather. State capital Shimla recorded 45cm of snow while Manali, Narkanda, Fagu, Khara Patthar and other tourist resorts in the higher reaches had received between 65cm to 90cm of snow till afternoon today. The Hindustan-Tibet national highway was closed while traffic to Rampur was being routed via Basantpur-Kingal road.
In Uttarakhand, popular tourist resorts of Mussoorie and Dhanolti, too, received snowfall even as heavy rains accompanied by strong winds and hailstorms lashed the plains of the state to cause a drop in temperatures.
There was rain in the plains as well, with light to moderate showers in various parts of Punjab and Haryana even as they saw the mercury rise by up to eight notches above normal. Chandigarh, which received 28.4mm rainfall, experienced a low of 11.5° Celsius, up five notches above normal while Ambala, in Haryana, was close at 11.4°Celsius after getting 30mm rainfall. Light to moderate thundershowers occurred at many places in western Uttar Pradesh and in some eastern pockets of the state as well. Night temperatures rose across UP over the past 24 hours with the MeT office saying that rain and thundershowers were likely tomorrow. It added that there was also a possibility of hailstorm at some places. In Rajasthan, light to moderate showers accompanied by hailstorm lashed parts of the state where Jodhpur has recorded 32.6mm rainfall since yesterday.
The MeT office here said that the rainfall, which has been triggered by western disturbance, would continue for another 24 hours. — PTI
|
|||||
|
No question of forming govt with BJP, says Yeddyurappa
Bangalore, January 18 “There is no question of KJP joining hands with BJP to form the government. Some of them are trying to create confusion in the minds of people. Our aim is to form KJP government on our own,” he told reporters after inaugurating KJP's Election Office here.Assembly elections are due in May. Yeddyurappa also said there is no question of his party tying up with other parties to form the government. "When I was in the BJP, I was determined to bring it to power in South India and did it. I am now determined to bring the KJP to power and I am confident I will succeed," he said. — PTI
|
|||||
|
Modi returns friend Adani’s favour by hiking gas prices
Ahmedabad, January 18 Within days of returning back to power for the third consecutive time, the Narendra Modi government has allowed one of his closest industrialist friends, Gautam
Adani, to impose a steep hike in the prices of both compressed natural gas
(CNG) and piped natural gas (PNG) used for domestic purposes. The state government had to allow the private dealer to raise the prices because the government-owned company, Gujarat State Petroleum Company, which is the sole supplier of gas to Adani Energy, hiked the prices of both CNG and PNG by about Rs 7/kg within days after the elections. “The price rise was expected. After all, the government has to give an opportunity to all its donors to make up for the contributions made to its election funds,” said state Congress president Arjun
Modhvadia. The steep hike has shocked the gas consumers in the state. Around 18 lakh auto-rickshaw drivers, the largest consumers of the CNG in the state, have gone on a three-day strike from today, virtually crippling the public transport system. While industrialists are at liberty to hike the prices to the level they like, auto-rickshaw drivers do not enjoy such freedom. Their demand for a rollback in price hike or an increase in minimum fares was only partly acceptable to the government. The auto-rickshaw drivers rejected the state transport commissioner’s offer to increase the minimum fare by Re 1 and decided against calling off their three-day strike. Sources say this is the 12th price hike imposed by Adanis since September 2008, when it started expanding its PNG consumer base. While in September 2008, the cost of PNG was Rs 12.21 per kg, it has now gone up to Rs 36.23 per kg. A corresponding hike was also witnessed in the price of
CNG, the cost of which has gone up from Rs 35 a kg three years ago to over Rs 60 a kg now. The minimum auto-rickshaw fare, however, has gone up only by about Re 1, from Rs 10 to 11.
|
|||||
|
Environmentalists welcome diesel price hike
New Delhi, January 18 Terming it a step in the right direction, they now want the government to take the process of “un-dieselisation” of economy further by targeting the small and medium car segment (where sale of diesel models is said to be as high as 50 to 75 per cent) in the next Budget. According to CSE’s Anumita Roychowdhury, the 50-paise hike every month is not sufficient to deter “rich people” to stop buying diesel cars. Plus, it is also a long process. Therefore, what the government can do is go for higher taxes on diesel cars, particularly in the small and medium range, to control their numbers on the roads, she says. It is a recommendation that sends alarm bells ringing in the automobile industry every time it is aired. Automobile industry body, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), feels such a move will “stigmatise” diesel technology, which is “very unfair” to the industry. It also says utilisation by diesel personal cars is only around 1 per cent of the total consumption across various sectors. Roychowdhury, however, contends otherwise.
BSP won't withdraw support
NEW DELHI: BSP supremo Maywati on Friday slammed the Centre for diesel price hike but ruled out withdrawing outside support to the UPA government saying it would give the Congress-led alliance another chance to do whatever "wonders" it could in the last few months of its rule. — TNS
|
|||||
|
Stay connected to people, Akhilesh tells UP babus
Lucknow, January 18 Addressing the state’s bureaucrats on the opening day of the IAS Week, Akhilesh reminded the members of their crucial role in implementing the government’s welfare schemes. Speaking to the IAS officers, the Chief Minister asked them to think of innovative methods in order to make a quantum leap in the quality of services being provided to the people. Elaborating his point, he gave the example of a helpline being run by specially trained women police officers. The facility enables beleaguered women to lodge complaints against stalkers and those who harass over phone. Technology should be similarly used to quickly bring benefit to the people so that they were not made to wait endlessly for accessing crucial services.
|
|||||
|
Awaiting formal move by Pak on talks:
Khurshid
Jaipur, January 18 “These are positive indications, good indications. Let us wait for formal proposal then we can respond formally,” External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid told correspondents on the sidelines of the Congress Chintan Shivir that got underway here today. Khurshid said this in response to questions about the offer of Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar suggesting discussion on “all concerns related to the LoC”. His statement came ahead of Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s address in which she flagged the issue of beheading without actually mentioning it and outlined the foreign policy. “Better and closer relations with our immediate neighbours will not only make for regional peace. They will also have a positive impact on some of our own border states. However, let us be clear. Our dialogue must be based on accepted principles of civilised behaviour. We will never compromise on our vigil and preparedness to deal with terrorism and threats on our borders,” she said in her address. Ever since the last Sunday incident, India took a strong line first with the Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh endorsing the action by the Army commanders on the field and promised to retaliate and strike at a time and location of it’s choosing. A day later, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Pakistan could not expect it would be “business as usual’’ with India demanding that action should be taken by brining to book those responsible for the barbaric killing in which one soldier was beheaded.
|
|||||
|
Minister steps in after Thane cops crack down on couples
Mumbai, January 18 Maharashtra’s Home Minister RR Patil has now intervened and asked the police not to harass innocent people after the people in the town raised a hue and cry. "We have asked the police not to harass innocent people. The Thane police commissioner has been asked to look into complaints," Patil told reporters today. The trouble began a few days ago after the Thane police received complaints of young women being harassed by some rowdy elements. The police set up a special squad which quickly descended on public parks and quiet corners and began rounding up young couples on the streets. In some cases, women out for a post-dinner stroll were also intercepted and fined. While many of them were fined Rs 1,200 under the British-era Bombay Police Act which prohibits "loitering and causing public nuisance", parents of many couples were summoned by the police. Local newspapers reported that many parents were shouted at by policemen for not keeping an eye on their children. The police went so far as to suggest that college students in Thane city should display the identity cards issued by their institutions while out on the streets. "What the police are doing violates fundamental rights of citizens and people have a right to sue them," says lawyer Sharad Bhosale from Thane. With lawyers in the town threatening to file public interest litigation petitions against the law enforcers, police commissioner KP Raghuvanshi has stepped in to calm tempers. "We do not want innocent people to be harassed. Only those indulging in eve-teasing and harassing women will be punished," Raghuvanshi said. He went on to say that policemen who exceed their brief will be reprimanded.
Moral policing
|
|||||
|
High occupational stress among Navymen: Study
Chandigarh, January 18 The study, which for the first time explored the aspect of social support to combat stress related disorders, found that occupational stress is mitigated by social support in officers and senior sailors, but not in junior sailors. High occupational stress was seen in over 66 per cent of the personnel who were serving on board surface vessels as compared to those 52 per cent personnel serving ashore and 54 per cent on submarines. The study, carried out by seven Naval medical specialists headed by Surgeon Commodore AA Pawar, has been published in the recent issue of the Medical Journal Armed Forces India. As many as 5,077 Naval personnel were surveyed using study questionnaires which included occupational stress inventory, multi-dimensional scale of
perceived social support, and a general health questionnaire as a measure of psychological health. The data was statistically analysed using the “Chi Square Test” and other non-parametric tests. The study found that among personnel serving on ships, occupational stress was highest among junior sailors as compared to senior sailors and officers. Occupational stress was linked to poor psychological health as measured by the general health questionnaire and younger age. Perceived social support was effective in reducing occupational stress in officers and senior sailors but not in junior sailors where paradoxically it seemed to lead to greater occupational stress, the specialists observed. Relative isolation, long deployment on the high
seas and highly technical nature of jobs are among factors attributed to high stress levels.
|
|||||
|
CBI arrests another DCI member
Chennai, January 18
This is the fifth arrest in the case. Dr Gunaseelan Rajan was taken into the custody today, 10 days after the arrest of another DCI member Dr S Murukesan on a similar charge, CBI sources said. The alleged role of Rajan had surfaced during Murukesan’s questioning. — PTI
|
|||||
|
Delhi Police to intensify night patrol
New Delhi, January 18 The alleged gang-rape of a 23-year-old woman on December 16 had triggered widespread outrage across the city, with protesters seeking adequate security for women. The Delhi Police had also faced charges of being insensitive towards women’s complaints. The Police Commissioner, while addressing an annual press conference here today, said women would now be able to lodge their complaints at any police station irrespective of their jurisdiction. “Sometimes women try to lodge a complaint at one police station but the area where the crime has occurred falls under the jurisdiction of another police station. We will ensure that the police staff will take her complaint, register an FIR and pass it to the police station concerned. No one will be turned away,” said Kumar. On the level of security for women in Delhi, Kumar said: “At least 255 routes frequented by women and children have been identified. We will redeploy our PCR vehicles and motorcycle patrols at these locations.” Further, heads of all 11 police districts in the city will stay in the areas falling under their jurisdiction till midnight every day. These officials are of the rank of Additional Commissioner of Police and Deputy of Commissioner of Police. “They will go out and ensure that the Station House Officers (in-charge of a police station) are engaged in patrolling to prevent crimes against women such as eve-teasing and molestation,” said Kumar. The police will install additional integrated pickets across Delhi. “These pickets will consist of personnel of the traffic and local police, besides PCR vans,” said Kumar. A drive to remove unauthorised liquor shops would also be started in the city. This will ensure the removal of food outlets where men drink alcohol in the open. The police has also enforced a night curfew on discotheques and pubs, which will be closed by 1 am. The officer said 706 rape cases were reported in 2012, as against 572 in 2011. The rate of conviction in Delhi was 41.5 per cent, as compared to 26.4 per cent in the country. Kumar added that 727 molestation cases were reported last year.
|
|||||
|
SC: Kerala can’t prosecute Italian marines, but Centre can
New Delhi, January 18 Citing the United Nations charter on the principles of international law, a Bench comprising Chief Justice Altamas Kabir and J Chelameswar held that the marines could be tried “only at the level of the Federal or Central Government and cannot be the subject matter of a proceeding initiated by a Provincial/State Government.” Italy and the marines had approached the Supreme Court questioning the state government’s jurisdiction to prosecute the accused and hold their trial in the court of the Kollam Chief Judicial Magistrate. The two marines, Massimilano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, who were on the Italian ship MV Enrica Lexie, had shot down two persons on Indian fishing vessel St Antony mistaking them for sea pirates. The apex court directed the Centre to set up the special court in consultation with the Chief Justice of India. In the meantime, the Supreme Court directed the marines to be brought to Delhi. They would remain in the custody of the Supreme Court until the special court was set up for conducting the trial. The apex court, however, granted liberty to Italy to raise the issue of India’s jurisdiction in the case before the special court again. If the special court came to the conclusion that both India and Italy had concurrent jurisdiction over the matter, then today’s Supreme Court order asking the Centre to hold the trial would prevail, the Bench clarified. |
|||||
|
Rahul presses for more accountability in party
Party spokesman Janardan Dwivedi said the decision to invite young leaders was proving beneficial during frank exchange in a closed-door atmosphere. The party leadership, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, came under attack for depending on the private sector to spur growth at the expense of public sector. Delegates from Kerala, including Union Minister Vayalar Ravi, said the party should continue with subsidies for the poor. Delegates said the private sector wanted to reap profits besides seeking tax concessions, but did fulfil its social responsibility. Ministers like Ajay Maken and Milind Deora stressed on the need to cater to the urban sections of the
population. CHINTAN SHIVIR SIDELIGHTS Party first In a signal of primacy of the party over the government, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh walked onto the stage for the inaugural session just ahead of party president Sonia Gandhi while rest of the members of the organising committee, including Moti Lal Vora, Ambika Soni, Digvijay Singh, Anand Sharma, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Girja Vyas and Rahul Gandhi, took their seats before the arrival of the top two leaders Young blood The delegates indicated that the young leaders in the party could no longer be ignored, as they had been the case during allocation of ticket. That the current Congress leadership recognises the importance of young leaders was visible with both Sonia Gandhi and Ambika Soni mentioning that a sizeable section of the 350-odd delegates was from the Youth Congress and the National Students Union of India Slogan interpretation An interesting hoarding in the city featuring Rahul Gandhi with the slogan “Be the change you wish to see in the world” offered different interpretation. Was it a case of ignorance that the words were by Mahatma Gandhi, since there was no mention of his name or these intended to convey to the young general secretary that he should play a more active role in the party, as he has been promising
|
|||||
Suspected Maoists fire at chopper
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Twenty-two children, including four girls, will receive the National Bravery Awards from the Prime Minister ahead of the Republic Day. There names were announced here today.
Even while Opposition BJP and key UPA allies - the BSP and the DMK - went ballistic against the government’s decision on diesel price hike, the attempt to gradually bring down the differential between diesel and petrol seems to have earned it a few brownie points from environmentalists.
India today described as “positive’’ the offer from Pakistan to hold Foreign Ministers-level talks to lower the temperatures after New Delhi reacted strongly over the barbaric killing and mutilation of Indian soldiers recently on the Line of Control
(LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.
Pickets consisting of personnel of the traffic police, local police stations and Police Control Room vans will be set up at various intersections in the National Capital.
Jaipur, January 18
