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AAP’s foreign funding under scanner; MHA to inspect party’s accounts
AAP invites ‘honest’ officers to fight LS polls
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Rahul, Cong CMs to chalk out strategy for LS polls
LS polls to see direct contest between SP, BJP in UP: Mulayam
YSR Cong urges President to stall Andhra’s bifurcation
Court verdict has exposed conspiracy against Modi: BJP
India takes up molestation case with Bahraini authorities
Finally, UP admits to 34 deaths
Right to service: Few in Punjab know about it Adjust with officers’ working wives, says Army Chief
Ganguly loses varsity honorary professorship
Six Goans become Portuguese everyday
Aadhaar card valid ID, address proof to get PAN
2013 Review insurgency in assam
Andhra to arm its forest staff
JN Choudhary is NSG chief, Arvind Ranjan to head CISF
Tejpal seeks in-camera hearing
MoD considers buying Tatra
trucks directly from maker
DRI asks Air India to check gold smuggling by its staff
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AAP’s foreign funding under scanner; MHA to inspect party’s accounts
New Delhi, December 26 "We need further interaction with the AAP as we need some clarification on their replies. We will inspect their books of accounts," a senior official said. The Home Ministry probe into the foreign fundings to AAP came following a directive of Delhi High Court in response to a public interest litigation. The AAP, which is all set to form government in Delhi, said it was ready for any kind of probe and insisted that it had taken donations only from Indians, residing in the country or abroad. "If we are found guilty of any wrongdoing, we will accept double the punishment," AAP leader Yogendra Yadav said. The AAP had said it has collected about Rs 19 crore till November 8 as donations from 63,000 people including a host of NRIs. It has claimed to have received donations ranging from Rs 10 to several lakhs, from rickshawpullers to traders and industrialists to fight the polls and bring a "graft-free" administration. Former Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit had questioned the source of funding of AAP, whose main election plank was to check corruption. The AAP had a stunning debut in the recent Delhi assembly election, winning 28 out of 70 seats. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal will be sworn in as Chief Minister of Delhi on Saturday after Congress with eight MLAs extended outside support to the nascent party.
— PTI
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AAP invites ‘honest’ officers to fight LS polls
New Delhi, December 26 The party has also welcomed members of other political parties who are "unhappy" with their "corrupt" parent parties' functioning. Even before the party had declared the nomination process open - online, by post or in person - scores of ticket seekers were already hankering around the party offices at 41 Hanuman Road and Kaushambi. Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president PD Yadav sought a ticket from Jhotwada Jaipur via a communication on his party's letterhead. AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal urged "honest" officers to help him in implementing the "far-fetched" promises made to Delhi residents. "A team will process such names and will pick the best to govern Delhi. We will offer good positions to them in our government and take their help in making plans," Kejriwal said. Meanwhile, All India Congress Committee's former secretary Alka Lamba joined the party as a primary member after quitting the Congress, a party she had been associated for 20 years, today. Besides, there were many BJP workers who are learnt to have met AAP strategist Prof Yogendra Yadav. "She (Lamba) was here today and wanted to join the party. We told her that anybody who wishes to be an active member has to work for the party for at least four months and only in extraordinary circumstances the party's political affairs committee could take a call as required," Prof Yadav said. Lamba, former president of Delhi University Students' Union and former national president of National Students' Union of India, is learnt to have expressed her wish to fight corruption, saying that in Congress, decisions were taken by a handful of politicians unlike her new party where people were involved in decision making. Refusing to cite any specific number of seats from where the party would contest the Lok Sabha polls, AAP senior leaders said all those who wanted to make the country corruption free, could join the party and apply for nominations. "We have our units in 309 districts and our volunteers are identifying areas and people where the party has chances. The work would be intensified in the next one month," a leader said. On the Home Ministry seeking AAP's reply on alleged contravention under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, Prof Yadav reiterated the party was open to scrutiny and if found guilty, strict action should be taken. Taking a dig at the Congress-led Centre, he said: "Once the government is free, investigations into the funding of both the Congress and the BJP should also be carried out." Hitting out at the BJP, Prof Yadav said, "The BJP is seriously worried about so-called Modi wave being punctured by a year-old party. It has been changing its stand. Earlier, its leaders suggested us to form government and accused us of shirking responsibility and now they are charging us with betrayal." (Inputs from Syed Ali Ahmed) Disgruntled, welcome
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Mamata rejigs Cabinet
Kolkata, December 26 Chatterjee lost the department on the basis of his performance, which was reviewed by the Chief Minister along with that of other ministers at a meeting on Monday. Also, Hiten Barman was removed from the Forest Department, which has been given to Coochebar MLA Benoy Barman. Sankar Chakraborty was promoted to the Cabinet rank as PWD minister. Noor-E-Alam Chowdhury was also shifted from the animal husbandry department. Mitra will now look after the industries department in addition to finance, while Chatterjee will continue to hold the IT department. Shyampukur MLA Dr Sashi Panja has been sworn in as minister of state with independent charge of the women and children welfare department. She is the daughter-in law of former Union minister Ajit Kumar Panja. This is the first time that Mamata has reshuffled her Cabinet after taking over as the Chief Minister in May 2010. She said the reshuffle was aimed at ensuring speedy and smooth implementation of development works in the state.
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Rahul, Cong CMs to chalk out strategy for LS polls
The official announcement made earlier suggested that the vice-president will discuss with the Chief Ministers from 12 states along with the general secretaries in-charge on how to take forward the Lokpal enacted by the Parliament recently, especially since the central law leaves it to the states to set up an anti-graft panel, steps needed to tackle rise in the prices of essential commodities and review implementation of the food security programme. The unexpected electoral triumph savoured by the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi came in as a reality check for the Congress that sought to apportion credit to Rahul Gandhi for the successful passage of the Lokpal Bill by the Parliament. Last week, the Congress vice-president told chambers of commerce about of how corruption was bleeding people. Rise in the prices of essential commodities remains a sore issue for the Congress. It has been zeroed in as a major factor that worked against the party in the recent rout, especially Delhi taking the maximum impact. Senior leaders in the higher echelons of the party hope that the prices of vegetables and essential commodities will come down as fresh farm produce reaches markets. Interestingly, the BJP, too, held a similar exercise this week when its Chief Ministers attended the central election and campaign committee meeting. During 2002, while the party was in the opposition at the Centre, Congress president Sonia Gandhi held the Chief Minister’s conclaves in Guwahati and Shimla. After the UPA came to power at the Centre, it held two such meetings at Nainital and Chandigarh where policies issues were taken up for discussion. Tomorrow's exercise, party sources said, is expected to be held both at the Gurdwara Rakabganj Road-located war room and AICC headquarters. This will also be a preparatory effort ahead of the January 17 AICC session scheduled to be held in the capital, exactly a year after Rahul Gandhi was anointed as the official number two in the party hierarchy. Looking for a turnaround
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LS polls to see direct contest between SP, BJP in UP: Mulayam
Etawah (UP), December 26 "SP is being attacked from all quarters in the state. It can't be understood whether their contest is with (Narendra) Modi or Mulayam Singh Yadav," the SP supremo said at the inauguration of “Sefai Mahotsava” at his native village. He said in Uttar Pradesh, the SP's contest was with Modi and that his party would strongly oppose him (Modi). He alleged that all sections of society, including farmers and youths, were facing problems due to the wrong policies of the Congress-led central government. Yadav said the SP government in the state was the first in country to fulfil all the promises made in its manifesto.
— PTI
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Special Uttarakhand Assembly session to pass Lokayukta Bill
Dehradun, December 26 “The Cabinet met today and gave its consent for the tabling of the new Lokayukta Bill that is inspired by the Lokpal Bill recently passed by Parliament. “A few modifications will be made in keeping with the needs of the state. A retired Justice from the Uttarakhand High Court will be the Chairman of the Lokayukta. “While the Lokpal has eight members, the Lokayukta in Uttarakhand will comprise five members,” Bahuguna told mediapersons. A retired high court judge will be the Lokayukta while a woman member, a member from the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/other backward class/minorities and three other persons would be the members of the Lokayukta, a state government press release said. He said that the special session is being convened to reiterate the state and the Central leadership’s commitment to enforcing a strong law to end corruption. “All the appointments under the Lokayukta will be completed within six months and it will be empowered to take up cases in the past seven years,” he said. The Chief Minister said that a state Vigilance Commission -- similar to the Central Vigilance Commission at the Centre -- would be set up to aid the Lokayukta in his investigation. The Chief Minister also said that the Lokayukta brought by the erstwhile Khanduri government would be repealed once the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly passes the new Bill. He also clarified that the decisions taken under the old Lokayukta headed by Chairman Justice MM Ghildiyal (retd) would remain binding. This Lokayukta became null and void after the President gave his assent to the Lokayukta in September. It was passed by the previous BJP government and was inspired by social activist Anna Hazare’s Jan Lokpal.
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YSR Cong urges President to stall Andhra’s bifurcation
A delegation of party leaders led by party chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy submitted a memorandum to Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Nilayam here, where the president is on southern sojourn. The party's three MPs including Jaganmohan Reddy, 29 state legislators and 15 other former legislators submitted affidavits to the president opposing the bill for formation of separate Telangana state. They alleged that Andhra Pradesh Re-organization Bill 2013 was prepared in great haste and sent to the state legislature for offering their views without even mentioning the objects and reasons for the bill and without providing any background information on any of the important issues "This clearly shows that the union government does not want any informed discussion and debate on various issues that directly impact the lives of over 8.4 crore people of the state," said the letter submitted to the president. The bill approved by the union cabinet was referred to the state assembly by the president on Dec 12 to seek its opinion by Jan 23. The bill is likely to come up for debate from Jan 3. The affidavits submitted to the president reminded him that his powers were not unfettered and absolute. "That I further state that as per the decision of Supreme Court in S.R.Bommai v. Union of India, (1994) 3 SCC 1, the power of the President is only a conditional power and its exercise must be based on relevant material and in accordance with a rational policy and is not in any case an unfettered and absolute power," said the affidavits. In his third meeting with the president on the same issue during last couple of months, Jaganmohan Reddy told him that majority of the legislators were opposed to bifurcation. The letter said the central government's move was in complete disregard to the prevailing conventions and practices which require it to initiate action under article 3 of the constitution (for creation of new states) only upon receiving a request from the state assembly by way of a resolution or on the basis of recommendation of a commission or a committee constituted exclusively for that purpose. It pointed out that the government did not obtain the resolution of the state assembly as was done in case of creation of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh states. It said the move was against the recommendations of the Justice Srikrishna Committee, which suggested that the best among available options was to keep the state united.
— IANS Jagan lead delegation
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Court verdict has exposed conspiracy against Modi: BJP
Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate, himself reacted to the ruling and said "truth alone triumphs". "Truth by nature is self-evident. As soon as you remove the cobwebs of ignorance that surround it, it shines clear - Mahatma Gandhi," Modi said in a tweet. BJP president Rajnath Singh, who spoke to Modi after the ruling and congratulated him, said the verdict was on the
expected lines. "It vindicates our stand that the campaign against Modiji was politically motivated," Rajnath Singh posted on Twitter. Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said: "Congress party and its sponsored NGOs are unable to
fight Narendra Modi politically. They used falsehood in court against him but failed." "Modi goes into the 2014 campaign untainted by propaganda, the verdict has proved that propaganda can never be a substitute for truth," he said on the microblogging website. "Truth has prevailed. The conspiracy and falsehood to implicate Narendra Modi in an offence stands exposed," Jaitley said. A court in Ahmedabad dismissed a petition filed by a Congress leader's widow challenging the closure report of the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team
giving a clean chit to Modi and 58 others. The petition was filed by Zakia E. Jafri, widow of slain former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri who was among the 69 people killed in the Gulbarg Society massacre in Ahmedabad, Feb 28, 2002, following the burning of the Sabarmati Express coaches in Godhra. Jafri said in her petition that Modi and others should be tried for their role in the riots conspiracy which had triggered violence across the state. Jaitley said Thursday's court ruling was a moral victory for Modi and
the BJP. "There is a fundamental difference between truth and falsehood. Truth holds together. Falsehood is full of contradictions. It falls apart. This is exactly what has happened to a conspiracy of falsehood hatched by Narendra Modi's opponents in relation to the 2002 Gujarat riots," Jaitley
told reporters. The BJP leader said the Gujarat riots "were a painful chapter". Jaitley, a Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, said accusations were made against the Modi-led government that it was responsible for the conspiracy behind the riots. "The truth is otherwise. The total number of people arrested both for preventive and punitive actions are 1,00,488. This is more than the number of people arrested in any other caste or religious tension in India. More people died in police firing during disturbances than in any other riot. This negates the allegation of police connivance," Jaitley said. He said 4,272 cases were registered and 1,168 of these had been decided and hundreds of accused have been convicted. Jaitley said nine major cases were referred to the SIT, and complimented it for its fairness. — IANS
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India takes up molestation case with Bahraini authorities
New Delhi, December 26 The diplomat, Mohammed Abdulaziz Al
Khaja, was booked in Mumbai earlier this week for allegedly molesting the woman manager of his housing society but was not arrested due to the diplomatic immunity enjoyed by him. Official sources said the matter was referred by the External Affairs Ministry, which after internal deliberations involving protocol and legal divisions, discussed the case with Bahraini authorities keeping in view the immunity to counselor officials under the Vienna Convention. Bahrain said it would look into the conduct of the diplomat who is leaving the country shortly at the end of his tenure, sources said. The Mumbai Police had yesterday said a case has been registered against Consul General of Bahrain,
Khaja, for allegedly molesting and verbally abusing the manager of the south Mumbai society on December 9. In her complaint, the 49-year-old housing society manager alleged that Khaja had lost his cool after one of the elevators of the building was shut for repairs on that day. He was slamming the doors of the elevator when she saw him and requested him to maintain his calm as the elevator was under repair. However, Khaja did not stop and even ransacked her office in a fit of rage, the police said quoting the complainant. The victim also alleged that Khaja had touched her and used abusive language during the commotion, the police said. She approached the Malabar Hill police which conducted a preliminary inquiry and registered a
complaint. Khaja has been booked under sections 354 (molestation), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Indian Penal Code.
— PTI Will look into matter: Bahrain
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Uttar Pradesh cold to kids’ deaths in relief camps
Shamli/Muzaffarnagar, December 26 The situation hasn’t changed much since the infant passed away on November 26 when his mother was still trying to reach the Shamli district hospital, 16 km from the camp. At the community health centre in nearby Kirana town, there was no oxygen to pull the child back to safety. “I did not have the time to save him. He died in my arms,” says Dilshana. With medical facilities still non-existent, harsh winters continue to claim lives of children in Muzaffarnagar’s relief camps. The most recent casualty was four-year-old Khushnuma who died on December 3 within days of developing symptoms of pneumonia. Preceding her was Firdaus, all of five days. Stories of agony abound in camps spread across Shamli and Muzaffarnagar districts of western UP which witnessed communal clashes in September this year. While the records of the Muslim community which is running the camps privately say 40 children have died of cold in all relief camps put together, the government refuses to acknowledge this number. Officially, it has admitted to 18 deaths only whereas the Malakpur relief camp, the largest in Shamli district, alone has seen 33. Camp managers further point out how the state authorities are insisting on the proof of death to decide on compensation after the Supreme Court slammed them for turning a blind eye to the humanitarian crisis. Dulshad Khan, a manager at Malakpur camp, has compiled a list of 33 deceased children with the dates of demise. “Our children died of cold. These were not natural deaths and we want the families to be compensated for the loss. But the state administration is so apathetic, it is asking parents for post-mortem reports or death certificates. Which family residing in these camps would have the means to fulfil such absurd demands?” he asks. While the Uttar Pradesh government is still surveying the number of dead children to submit a report to the apex court, inhabitants across relief camps guided the Tribune team to the graveyards where the children lie buried. Located in the backyard of most camps, including Malakpur, these graveyards tell a tale of human agony. They stand testimony to the deaths of children with family members still in a state of mourning like Haji Islam whose granddaughter Khushnuma died recently. He goes daily to her grave to pray for the peace of her soul. “She looked as pretty in death as in life,” says the 70-something man who lost his home and hearth in the riot in Bahaman Khaidi village. Khushnuma’s mother Nagma can’t even pray at the burial site as the religion prohibits women from entering graveyards. “I can’t forget her smiling face,” says Nagma. She has for consolation Istikar Khan and Mumtaz who lost their two-month daughter to unsparing winters recently. This was the couple’s second child to die of disease at the camp. But for the state government, causes of death seem more important that the tragedy itself. That’s because death due to natural causes will fetch families lesser compensation. For the grief-stricken parents though, money is hardly a matter for consideration. Their energies are now directed towards saving the children who are alive. And with poor quality tents which allow moisture seep through, it’s not easy to keep anyone warm. No wonder that the sight every morning at all relief camps in Muzaffarnagar is predictable as families spread their wet blankets and quilts out in the sun to dry. Sometimes, the linen stays wet because the sun decides not to shine. That’s a terrible situation considering most families -- with an average of eight people -- have half the bedding they require to fight the harsh winters. Humanity lost
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Finally, UP admits to 34 deaths
Lucknow, December 26 Speaking to reporters, Principal Secretary Home AK Gupta said that the report of the enquiry set up by the state government following the Supreme Court directions has found that most of the child deaths did not occur in the relief camps but in government Community Health Centres and government and private hospitals at Kairana, Shamli, Meerut and even Paniput. Of the 34 deaths of children up to the age of 15 years being confirmed by the UP Government, only between 10 to 12 deaths had occurred in the relief camps, said Gupta. In the majority of the cases, the children were living in the camps and were rushed to other places for better medical facilities. After their death, their parents have returned to live in the camps. Refusing to admit any medical negligence in the death of the children or acknowledging the deaths being due to cold weather-related complications, Gupta said that the factual documentation of the death undertaken by the enquiry report took into account deaths from September 7 to December 20 -- a large span of time which did not experience much cold weather. He said that four children had died of pneumonia while the others died of a variety of reasons including complications due to premature birth, septicemia, dysentery and many others.
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Jalpaiguri (WB), December 26 The explosives were laden on a bicycle. It went off on the culvert over a small river,” said North Bengal Inspector General of Police Shashikant Pujari. The incident happened in the Bajrapara area around 7 pm. “We have launched an investigation. We are yet to ascertain whether it is a terrorist attack or a carrier was carrying explosives and it went off accidentally,” said Pujari. Superintendent of Police P Amit Javalgi said the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) was observing its martyr’s day today and December 28 was its foundation day. Javalgi said the police were trying to ascertain if the attack was linked to the KLO. “It can be assumed that the person or persons riding the bicycle were among the dead,” he said. Dr Susanta Ray at the Jalpaiguri Sadar Hospital, where the injured were admitted said some of them were in critical condition. North Bengal Development Minister Gautam Deb said the government would not tolerate subversive activity and it would be dealt with sternly. The dead have been identified as Lalmohan Debnath, Anjan Roy, Pappu Rehman, Rashidul Islam and Arnesh Hussain. On suspected KLO hand behind the blast, Deb said: “It is a sensitive issue. I will not comment.” Deb was in Kolkata to attend the swearing-in ceremony of new ministers. “We will do everything to destroy these forces and isolate them from the people through administrative measures and with the help of the people,” he said. He said the state government would provide all facilities for the treatment of the injured. Senior CPM leader and former Urban Development Minister Asok Bhattacharya alleged that the KLO recently started subversive activities, while local farmers and workers were also living under threat in a large area in several North Bengal districts. — PTI
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Right to service: Few in Punjab know about it Chandigarh, December 26 In the study, a PU team of BS Ghuman and two research scholars correlated the surveys conducted by various institutions in Punjab during the past two years. In their findings, they have held that there was a wide gap between the knowledge of the urban and rural citizens regarding the type of services notified, appellate authority and penalty provision for defaulting officials as enlisted under the Act. The study said the main reason for lack of awareness among the citizens was that the authorities had not displayed the information at prominent places in public offices. In fact, even in those offices where these hoardings had been displayed, people were unable to locate them as they were not located at strategic points. In north-western states, Punjab was the first state to enact the Right to Service Act in 2011. The Act covered 67 services and Punjab was the first state where 20 police services were under the purview of the Act. The Act promoted time-bound delivery of services and in case of failure severe penalties were invoked. The PU study also pointed out that the Suvidha, Saanjh and Fard centres set up at various levels did not provide all 67 services notified in the Act. One of the major bottlenecks in the way of smooth implementation of the Act was the traditional approach of the employees dealing with the public for its implementation at various levels. Another cause due to which the Act was yet to be effectively executed was the failure of “100 per cent computerisation” of official records. Ghuman said the study of the four organisations include the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration, the Punjab Right to Service Commission, the Punjab Governance Reforms Commission and the World Bank. 718 appeals Since the inception of the Act in October 2011 till July 2013, 1.20 crore people have availed of the services notified under the Right to Service Act in Punjab. Records suggest out of 718 appeals made to the First Appellate Authority, 678 appeals constituting 94 per cent had been disposed of and out of nine appeals made to the second appellate authority, seven had been disposed of, which constitutes around 78% of the total
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Adjust with officers’ working wives, says Army Chief
The General, in his instructions issued this week, directed that spouses of all ranks should be groomed to fulfil their role in the organisation, but added a caveat: Formation Commanders should understand the compulsions of working wives and adjust programmes to suit their schedules. More and more young Army officers have full-time working wives and many of them have high-pressure jobs such as MBAs, doctors and bankers. The career-women find it difficult to take time off to attend meetings and functions of the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA). The Army Chief’s wife heads AWWA, technically a non-governmental organisation. At the Army Commands, the Commander’s wife heads AWWA and the wife of the senior-most commander heads the local unit. In Army hierarchy, wives are an integral part and the wife of the senior-most officer at the base is considered senior-most. It’s an unwritten code that wives must follow rank structure and compulsorily participate in social functions. In the past few years, there have been complaints of newly-married or recently-married wives of junior officers threatening to upset norms. Some of them have even gone ahead to complain of having to maintain hierarchy and adhere to the whims of senior officers’ wives. Part of the reason for the directive is also explained by complaints from a handful of officers that their wives were forced to be on duty as unofficial personal staff to the wife of an Army Chief. The Chief has also directed against wives being asked to put up song and dance and cultural programmes in units and regiments. General Bikram Singh has also asked Commanders to discourage the use of officers’ messes as “five-star hotels”. They have been asked to do away with the practice of putting up ostentatious lighting and decoration during festivals or ceremonies involving families of soldiers. Fresh directive
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Ganguly loses varsity honorary professorship
An official order in this regard will be sent to Justice Ganguly after a meeting of the university’s working committee on January 2, said NUJS spokesperson Ruchira Goswami. Justice Ganguly refused to comment on the issue but said he had not received any communication in this regard from the NUJS. He has not been attending classes at the university ever since the allegations came out in public. He has denied all charges against him, claiming he has been framed by vested interest. Two days ago, NUJS professors in a memorandum to Vice-Chancellor P Iswar Bhatt had sought Justice Ganguly’s removal from the university. The Union Legal Aids Forum also made a similar demand. Lawyers attached to the forum held a procession in the city and demonstrated in front of the WBHRC office at Bhabani Bhaban. The Vice-Chancellor said: “It would have been better had Justice Ganguly resigned on his own.” Since Justice Ganguly had refused to step down, the university was bound to temporarily dismiss him from the NUJS, the Vice-Chancellor told mediapersons. Justice Ganguly continues to attend his office at the WBHRC and perform his official duty there. State Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written twice to President Pranab Mukherjee demanding his immediate removal from the WBHRC top post. Justice Ganguly has in the past criticised the Chief Minister for ordering the arrest of Jadavpore University professor Ambikesh Mahapatra and another senior citizen over the cartoon episode. NUJS order awaited
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Six Goans become Portuguese everyday
Panaji, December 26 According to the ECI Goa office, where the Portuguese embassy is situated, 11,500 Goans have surrendered their Indian passport to obtain Portuguese passport between January 31, 2008, and January 31, 2013. A senior official disclosed that nearly 2,700 voters had lost their polling rights as their names had been deleted from the voters’ list. A decision is pending on 8,800 applications. Goa, a Portuguese colony, was liberated from the colonial rule in 1961 but the former rulers had relaxed certain norms for those who wanted to obtain Portuguese citizenship. ECI officials, who are in the process of updating the electoral rolls in the wake of forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, have decided to cancel names of all those who have foreign passports. “Those who have received foreign nationality surrender their Indian passport and lose their right to vote in India,” the officer said. The chief electoral officer in Goa has launched a special summery revision according to which additional 24,000 names have been added to the voters’ list. The final list would be out in January.
— PTI Colonial connection
Goa, a Portuguese colony, was liberated from the colonial rule in 1961 but the former rulers had relaxed certain norms for those who wanted to obtain Portuguese
citizenship.
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Aadhaar card valid ID, address proof to get PAN
New Delhi, December 26 Aadhaar is a 12-digit individual identification number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on behalf of the Government of India. Now, Aadhaar Card can be used to for getting a PAN, which is a ten-digit alphanumeric number, issued in the form of a laminated card, by the Income Tax Department. The UIDAI has issued about 51 crore Aadhaar numbers so far with about 11 lakh of such numbers generated every day. Other documents for identify accepted by the IT Department include elector's photo identity card, ration card having photo of the applicant, passport, driving licence, arms licence and photo identity card issued by government or a
PSU. — PTI
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2013 Review insurgency in assam Bijay Sankar Bora Tribune News Service
Guwahati, December 26 Arabinda Rajkhowa and most other top-rung ULFA leaders agreed to hold dialogue with the Government of India after they had been captured in Bangladesh and handed over to India. The outfit’s most-wanted commander-in-chief Paresh Barua, however, had managed to flee Bangladesh before the crackdown was launched in that country and is now believed to have taken refuge somewhere in China, close to north Myanmar. Paresh Barua, after denouncing the ongoing peace process between the Government of India and the pro-talks faction of ULFA led by Arabinda Rajkhowa, renamed the anti-talks faction as ULFA (Independent). The faction has set up base in Myanmar with the help of Naga rebel group NSCN-K led by SS Khaplang, a Naga of Burmese origin. He appointed a new chairman of the outfit in place of Arabinda Rajkhowa and stated that talks with the Government of India would be possible only if the issue of ‘sovereignty of Assam’ forms the core agenda of the dialogue. Barua termed the current peace process with the section of ULFA leaders led by Arabinda Rajkhowa as meaningless given that it was being carried out with a band of rebels who are already in captivity of the Government of India. However, the occurrence of the split in the outfit has been instrumental in weakening its base among the masses in the Brahmaputra valley of Assam. The cadres of the outfit got divided into two factions -- pro-talks and anti-talks -- making the task easier for the security forces to hound out the hawks. A senior police official claims that the anti-talks faction has been hamstrung due to lack of sufficient cadres to carry out its activities. Fresh recruits have become hard to come by as the masses have been disillusioned over the so-called armed rebellion that has caused irreparable loss of life and property in the state besides causing harm to the economy. While the police claim that Paresh Barua has resorted to engaging hired criminals to carry out extortion and subversion, the rebel leader claims that security agencies have been repeatedly trying to infiltrate the ULFA (I) ranks of late. Division in rebel ranks
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Andhra to arm its forest staff
Hyderabad, December 26 The recent killing of two forest officials by a mob of 100 smugglers in Seshachalam forest area of Chittoor district, bordering Tamil Nadu, has evoked a wide sense of public outrage, prompting the state government to step up vigil and provide firearms to the forest staff manning the area. A Deputy Range Officer Sridhar and Assistant Beat Officer David Kumar were axed to death and three of their colleagues were injured in a gruesome attack by red sanders smugglers. In the last few years, there has been rampant smuggling of red sanders. It fetches about Rs 25 lakh a tonne in international market. It is used to make aphrodisiac drugs, musical instruments and furniture. Red Sanders grow in Nallamalla Hills range, and parts of Chittor and Nellore districts, which are not easy to patrol due to the terrain. Forest officials are often attacked by smugglers. At least 25 forest officials were killed and over 100 injured in the attacks in the last five years. The state government has now decided to arm the forest staff. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests B Somasekhara said that an initial order of 250 pump-action guns with 20,000 rounds of ammunition and 125 revolvers with 7,500 rounds of ammunition has been placed. The pump-action guns are for range and beat officials who carry out patrolling and combing operations while the revolvers are for the senior officers, he said. "The weapons are US-made. From the time the order is placed and the weapons are received and provided to our officers, it may take four or five months,'' Reddy said. Till the weapons are procured, the Forest Department will get 150 rifles and other firearms from the police to meet the threat of smugglers. The police will also train the forest staff in the use of .303 rifles and other weapons to be supplied to the latter in batches from December 30. Initially, the 15-day training will be launched at the district training colleges of the police in Chittoor and Kadapa for 280 forest officers. It will be extended to Proddatur, Nandyal and Nellore which were all forest areas rich in red sanders, officials said. Officials attribute the growing menace of sandalwood smuggling to weak laws and lack of proper training to the forest staff. As per the existing laws, the smugglers get one year imprisonment with a fine of Rs 10,000, said the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests SBL Mishra. The inadequate forest staff has been another major stumbling block to check smuggling. At least 1,500 additional personnel are needed to strengthen vigilance in the forest ranges, the official said. Misra said the department had proposed to equip the officials with advanced weapons and provide them with a rigorous training by the police department. It was also proposed to bring in stringent laws and punish the smugglers with a minimum of 10 year imprisonment and a fine up to Rs 10 lakh. 25 forest officials killed in 5 yrs
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JN Choudhary is NSG chief, Arvind Ranjan to head CISF
New Delhi, Decemeber 26 The Union Home Ministry issued the orders on Thursday on the appointments to the two important central security forces. Choudhury, who has been appointed as the new DG of the premier "Black Cats" counter-terror force, is due to retire in May, 2015. A 1978-batch IPS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre, he has served in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) for a number of years before he took over as Assam Police chief last year. The NSG has specific tasks of undertaking special counterterror and counterhijack operations. Ranjan, a 1977-batch officer of Kerala cadre with a wide experience in central paramilitary forces, took over the full charge of the 1.47-lakh strong CISF on Thursday at its headquarters here. The CISF guards vital government installations including airports and nuclear and aerospace facilities in the country. Ranjan was given the additional charge of the force early this month after incumbent director general Rajiv retired in October this year.
— PTI
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Tejpal seeks in-camera hearing
Panaji, December 26 Tejpal's lawyer moved the application for in-camera hearing before the district and sessions court when the case was on board for arguments on his bail plea. The arguments on his petition asking for an in-camera hearing were heard today and the court will announce its verdict tomorrow. The court will subsequently hear his bail petition. Tejpal was arrested by Goa Police on November 30. His lawyers had also moved a petition before the district court seeking his bail stating that "the accused has not been questioned by police since he was lodged in the judicial custody". — PTI
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MoD considers buying Tatra
trucks directly from maker
New Delhi, December 26 "The proposal in this regard is under consideration of the Defence Ministry and a final decision on this issue would be taken later," a Defence Ministry official said here. The government is planning to procure the vehicles directly from the company manufacturing them instead of buying through agent firms. The validity of a pact between PSU BEML and UK-based Tatra Sipox was over on December 17 and the Defence Ministry is expected to order the trucks from the Tatra Truck Company of Czech Republic.
— PTI
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DRI asks Air India to check gold smuggling by its staff
New Delhi, December 26 In a letter written by Director General of DRI Najeeb Shah, Air India has been asked to sanitise its staff, especially those involved in ground-handling duties, official sources said. The DRI has also cited some past incidents of gold smuggling by Air India staffers in its missive, they said.
— PTI
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