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coal scam
To clear legislative agenda, govt wants House session in Feb
Nine dead in Mumbai-Doon train blaze
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AP House begins debate on Telangana
Mumbai University students protest professor’s suspension
Forgetting Muzaffarnagar tumult, UP leaders leave for 5-nation ‘study tour’
Manmohan briefed on military preparedness
CBI looking into DGR scam, Centre tells HC
Subsidy payout via Aadhaar to save 1.2% of GDP
Gang-raped minor waits for 20th surgery & justice
Bollywood show at Saifai Mahotsav draws Oppn ire
Cong braces for UP challenge
Forgetting Muzaffarnagar tumult, UP leaders leave for 5-nation ‘study tour’
No alliance with any party: AAP
Cong finalises 3 of 7 PPCC disciplinary panel members
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Investment no guide to protect allocations: SC
Legal Correspondent
New Delhi, January 8 A three-member bench headed by Justice RM Lodha said the companies had made the investments at their own risk and must suffer the consequences. The apex court made the clarification when Attorney General GE Vahanvati contended that the companies had invested about Rs 2 lakh crore and it would be difficult to cancel the licences citing their failure to get environmental and other necessary clearances. The fact that the investments would go down the drain could not be a defence under law, the bench maintained. The court asked the government as to whether it intended to de-allocate the blocks for the companies' failure to start mining work within the set deadline. All seven states, including Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, squarely blamed the Centre for the alleged irregularities, contending that the allocations were entirely controlled and regulated by it and they were merely following its directions. The other states are West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. The Centre, however, maintained that it was just involved in the identification of the blocks and issuance of letters of intent which did not confer any right on the companies over the natural resource. The bench is hearing a batch of PILs seeking cancellation of the allocations in the light of the alleged flouting of rules. CBI registers fresh cases, names BJP leader BJP leader Anup Agarwalla and his firm have been named in one of the two FIRs registered on Wednesday by the CBI in connection with alleged irregularities in coal blocks allocation between 1993-2005, making it the first case of an opposition party member being named in the scam. The investigating agency registered two FIRs--one against BLA Industries Ltd, its Managing Director Anup Agarwalla and unidentified public servants and private persons and second against Castron Technologies, Castron Mining, their directors, unknown public servants and private persons. Anup Agarwalla, son of former Rajya Sabha MP P K Agarwalla, is permanent invitee to Jharkhand State Working Committee of BJP and special invitee to party's national executive. — PTI
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To clear legislative agenda, govt wants House session in Feb
New Delhi, January 8 Conventionally a vote-on-account allows the government to draw from the treasury and spend money including payment of salaries for staff from April 1, the start of the new fiscal since existing sanction by the Lok Sabha ends on March 31. The full Budget will be presented by the new government. The formal dates for the session should be formalised by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs and communicated to the President to summon the sittings of both the Houses. Since the government has not prorogued the winter session, the time required to ask members to attend the session will be less. Amid indications from the Election Commission that the next General Election could be spread over two months, April and May, a logical window available since the term of the 15th Lok Sabha ends on May 31 and a new House has to be constituted by then. Usually, elections are not held during March and mid-April considering examination time across educational institutions, especially schools. The agenda that the Congress-led UPA plans to push would be finalised later but recently Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi dared the Opposition to join hands in legislating key bills to fight graft and introduce greater transparency in governance. While towards the end
of the winter session when Parliament passed the Lokpal Bill, Rahul suggested extension so that other Bills including the Whistleblowers Protection Bill, the Judicial Accountability Bill, the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, the Citizens Charter Bill, the Timely Delivery of Services Bill and the Public Procurement Bill pending in Parliament.
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Nine dead in Mumbai-Doon train blaze
Mumbai, January 8 Most of the passengers were asleep when the fire broke out in the vestibule between S2 and S3 coaches. The blaze had quickly spread to the adjoining S4 coach. The Western Railway spokesman, Sharat Chandrayan, said the fire was noticed by the gateman of a level crossing who alerted the guard of the train who in turn informed the driver after which the train was halted. “The gateman and the guard did a commendable job and averted a major disaster,” Chandrayan said, adding that the three burning coaches were isolated to prevent the fire from spreading. Five of the victims were identified as Deepika Shah (65), Dev Shankar Upadhyay (48), Surendra Shah (68), Nasir Khan Ahmed Khan Pathan (50) and Feroz Khan (38). The rest were yet to be identified. All victims identified so far are likely to have died of asphyxia. Several other passengers sustained minor injuries. Injured passengers have been admitted to hospitals at Dahanu and Gholwad, railway officials said. Railway officials suspect that a short circuit might have led to the fire. Initial investigations revealed that there were several exposed wires on the S3 coach, an official told mediapersons. Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of those killed. Railway authorities said six coaches of the train were detached and five new coaches were added after which the train left for Dehradun at 5.30am. Several trains ran behind schedule after the mishap.
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AP House begins debate on Telangana
Hyderabad, January 8 Though legislators from Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions, jointly referred to as Seemandhra, are opposed to the division of the state, an intense behind-the-scene effort by the government ensured initiation of the discussion on the contentious AP Reorganisation Bill, 2013. The draft Bill is required to be returned to the President Pranab Mukherjee by January 23 along with the views of the Assembly. The House is divided on regional lines with Seemandhra members, cutting across party lines, against the bifurcation of the state while Telangana legislators of all political hues insisting on completion of the division process at the earliest. The YSR Congress Party, headed by YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, has been the most aggressive among those opposing the bill. The YSRCP members have been continuously stalling the proceedings of the House and preventing the debate on the Bill. — TNS
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Mumbai University students protest professor’s suspension
Mumbai, January 8 Vice-chancellor C Rajan Welukar had suspended Professor Neeraj Hatekar, who teaches econometrics in the university’s Economics Department, for holding a press conference last month alleging severe mismanagement in university affairs. Protesting students said Hatekar is renowned for his expertise in subjects such as econometrics, game theory and microeconomics and was helpful by nature. In the past, Hatekar had publicly questioned the Maharashtra Government's appointment of Welukar as the vice-chancellor. He had claimed that Welukar was appointed to the top post for political reasons and his academic records did not meet the requisite criteria. In recent times, Hatekar was known as the convener of the Joint Action Committee for Improvement of Higher Education in Maharashtra, a body which seeks transparency in the appointment of top office-bearers in the university. Defending his action, Welukar told reporters
he had the powers to suspend Hatekar and was within his rights to order a department inquiry against the professor. However, Professor Neeraj Hatekar refused to be cowed down by his suspension. He told reporters that he was moving court to challenge his suspension. Meanwhile, the faculty members at the university held a meeting on Tuesday where they adopted a resolution condemning Hatekar's suspension. They said that the proposal to suspend Hatekar should have been put before the management and academic boards of the department instead of the VC using his emergency powers. While the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra are watching the moves quietly, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came out in support of the suspended professor. "The vice-chancellor has violated every rule by suspending Professor Neeraj Hatekar," Mayank Gandhi, who heads AAP in Mumbai, said.
The ‘whistleblower’
* Prof Neeraj Hatekar of Mumbai University's Economics Department had publicly criticised V-C
Rajan Welukar in recent times * Welukar suspended Hatekar for holding a press
conference last month alleging severe mismanagement in varsity affairs *
Hatekar had publicly questioned Welukar's
appointment as V-C and said his academic records did not meet the criteria
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Forgetting Muzaffarnagar tumult, UP leaders leave for 5-nation ‘study tour’
Lucknow, January 8 Led by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Azam Khan, the delegation also includes BJP MLA Seema Dwivedi, Rashtriya Lok Dal MLA Pooran Prakash and Vidhan Sabha Principal Secretary Pradeep Dubey. Congress MLA Pradeep Mathur refused to be part of the delegation and Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey also dropped out along with PWD minister Shivpal Singh Yadav. The delegation is a part of the state’s Commonwealth Parliamentary Association that comprises sitting and former MLAs. According to sources, the participants have reportedly contributed Rs 2 lakh each and while an equal amount has been provided by the state government as well. Though Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav dropped out of the delegation at the last moment, it still has eight senior Cabinet ministers. The other ministers who are part of the delegation are Ambika Chaudhary, Om Prakash Singh, Abhishek Mishra, Raja Bhaiya, Bhagwat Saran Gangwar, Shiv Kumar Beriya and Yogesh Singh. The delegation left for Istanbul today morning from where they will head towards Greece, Netherlands, the UK and the UAE to “study” the parliamentary processes. The long “study tour” at a time when the state government is facing criticism for “mismanaging” the Muzaffarnagar riots has made political opponents attack the Samajwadi Party government. “When common people are dying of cold not only in Muzaffarnagar but also in other parts of the state, what is the point of so many senior ministers disappearing for such a long period on a study tour?” questioned BJP spokesperson Vijay Bahadur Pathak. Former SP spokesperson Shahid Siddiqui said the state government had become insensitive to peoples’ problems. Defending the tour, SP spokesperson Rajendra Chadhury said as parliamentary practices were constantly changing, it was important for the UP legislators to learn and keep themselves updated.
Those on board
* A 17-member delegation — eight Cabinet ministers and nine MLAs — today left for a 20-day 'study tour' of five nations in Europe and UAE *
Led by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Azam Khan, the delegation also includes BJP MLA Seema Dwivedi, Rashtriya Lok Dal MLA Pooran Prakash and Vidhan Sabha Principal Secretary Pradeep Dubey *
The participants have reportedly contributed Rs 2 lakh each and while an equal amount has been provided by the state government as well
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Manmohan briefed on military preparedness
New Delhi, January 8 The PM was also informed about what all needed to be done to ramp up Indian facilities, equipment and the raising of the newly approved mountain strike corps. The PM had walked into the military operations room, also known as the “war room”, today morning. It is from this room that all military tactics are decided and executed on a day-to-day basis. The room located in the “sanitised” office of Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia is scanned for snooping devices and is the most secure facility in South Block where the PM’s office is located and so is the Defence Ministry. According to sources, the PM addresses the top tri-services brass at the Combined Commanders' Conference annually, but rarely comes to the Army Headquarters for such briefings. At the briefing, the PM was joined by Defence Minister AK Antony and Chief of Indian Army General Bikram Singh. Though the military establishment was tight-lipped over the content of the briefing and its agenda, sources said such briefings had happened in the past but with no fixed periodicity. “Matters which the Army believes are important must have been discussed and flagged to the PM,” a senior functionary said. The armed forces said they feared a spill over from Afghanistan once the forces start pulling out from the country in June this year. It is feared that terror elements would spread in the region, creating problems for countries such as India.
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CBI looking into DGR scam, Centre tells HC
New Delhi, January 8 “We have entrusted the matter to the CBI,” the government counsel told a Bench of Chief Justice NV Ramana and Justice Rajiv Sahay Endlaw. The Bench was hearing a PIL case on the issue in which it had issued notice to the Union Cabinet, Defence and Finance Secretaries, besides the DGR, in September 2013. The HC told the petitioner, Sunil Tripathi, that since the matter was already being looked into by the CBI, he could hand over all the evidence gathered by him to the investigation agency and disposed of the case. The Bench, however, granted liberty to him to approach the HC again if he found that the CBI probe was found wanting. The scam relates to DGR’s resettlement schemes for ex-servicemen under which retired officers started business in the form of security, transport and coal loading agencies and national highway toll plaza management by recruiting retired soldiers. DGR is part of the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare meant for training and rehabilitation of retired defence personnel through various self-employment schemes. It was alleged that since 2005 serious financial irregularities amounting to Rs 1,000-5,000 crore had taken place in the resettlement scheme through fake recruitments of ex-servicemen and collection of salaries in their names and by forging documents to show deposit of provident fund contributions. Each of these agencies was allowed to recruit a maximum of 300 ex-servicemen as security guards on a monthly salary of Rs 25,000 to be posted at state-owned companies for a four-year period. Instead of actually recruiting any ex-soldier, some of the agencies produced a list of 300 recruits to raise their salary bills. A few other agencies did recruit security guards, but paid them only one-third of their entitlement, it was alleged.
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Subsidy payout via Aadhaar to save 1.2% of GDP
Mumbai, January 8 "Savings (by way of DBT) in different scenarios could be from 0.2-1.2 per cent of the GDP, depending on the schemes targeted and whether all states participate," said the report by UBS Securities. Aadhaar was on the verge of attaining critical scale and tangible benefits, enabling meaningful financial inclusion, it said, adding that the savings from leakages from the government's benefits transfer system might start becoming visible from this year. "We believe that the tangible benefits in terms of the Aadhaar enabling meaningful financial inclusion and savings from lower leakages from the government's benefits transfer system should start becoming visible in 2014. The key bottleneck to realising benefits, apart from not having a bank account in the first place, is lethargy in linking bank accounts to Aadhaar," the report said. It added that the DBT can help plug leakages in the form of fakes/duplicates and generate huge fiscal savings for the government. — PTI
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Top gallantary honour PVC caught in crossfire between demands and rules
The first ever Param Vir Chakra (PVC) awarded to a living recipient, Hony Capt Karam Singh of the Sikh Regiment, is caught in a crossfire between demands by the recipient's descendants for financial assistance from the Punjab Government and the state government's policies on grant of benefits to the war decorated.
While the family is threatening to auction the medal to raise resources, state government officials point out that under existing rules, a gallantry award recipient's third generation cannot avail benefits. Karam Singh's 21-year old grandson, Satnam Singh is demanding a job in the state government and the family has been seeking benefits such as allotment of a gas agency or a petrol pump on the basis of Karam Singh's award. The PVC is the highest award for gallantry and Karam Singh, then serving with 1 Sikh as a Lance Naik, was decorated for his actions above and beyond the call of duty in combating Pakistani intruders in Teethwal area of Jammu and Kashmir in 1948. Hailing from Mallhian village near Barnala, he was earlier decorated with the Military Medal for valour during the Burma Campaign in World War-II. Gallantry awards and military decorations are prized by collectors the world over and some medals like the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest gallantry award in the Commonwealth has fetched a price as high as £1.5 million. The medal of Capt Ishar Singh of Hoshiarpur, the first Sikh soldier to win a Victoria Cross, had fetched £55,000 at a London auction in 1997. Karam Singh died in 1993 and his wife passed away few years later. State government officials claim that Karam Singh had been given all benefits that were gallantry award winners were entitled to under the policies applicable at that time and his wife was also receiving pension till she was alive. They added that Satnam is entitled to apply for a job in the state government in the category of being a dependent of an ex-servicemen, for which there is a reservation of 13 per cent, but he has to qualify and compete for the job within the quota. First woman officer in Navy race team Lieutenant Commander Shweta Kapur has become the first woman officer of the Indian Navy to participate in a sailing race on the high seas. She, along with three other officers is participating in the "Cape-2-Rio" race onboard the Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Mhadei. The race was flagged off from Cape Town in South Africa on January 4 and will end in Rio-De Janerio, Brazil. Commander Dilip Donde, the first solo circumnavigator skipper of the Mhadei is leading the team. Commander MVV Satish, the trainee skipper and Commander TGS Bedi. Lt Commander Kapur had led the naval contingent during the last year Republic Day parade. More than 30 boats from across the world are participating in the race. Once the race ends at Rio, Mhadei will return to Goa. At Rio a new crew will join the boat and it will again have a woman officer. A third crew will take over on the return journey at Cape Town this will again will have a woman officer. Built for the Navy in 2009 by Goa's Aquarius Fibreglass, the 17.1 meter long, 23 tonne boat has logged over 80,000 nautical miles. 5 Sikh's role cited as example to recruits The role played by Fifth Battalion of the Sikh Regiment, that won accolades during the flood relief operations at Uttarakahnd in June last year, was cited as an example for a pep-talk to new soldiers during the passing parade at the Sikh Regimental Centre at Ramgarh on January 4, when 269 young boys from Punjab joined the rank and file after attestation. Lt Gen GS Shergill, Colonel of the Sikh Regiment, reviewed the parade and called upon the soldiers to follow the Regiment's motto of Naam, Namak and Nishan. At the special Sainik Sammelan, the Colonel cited the example of 5 Sikh that was among the first responders and worked tirelessly, physically lifting the old, disabled and injured to the nearest helipads or bringing them to nearby relief camps. Russian award for BrahMos chief The successful Indo-Russian joint venture to develop the BrahMos cruise missile, has led to Dr A Sivathanu Pillai, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of BrahMos Aerospace being conferred the "Order of Friendship" by the Russian President, Vladimir V Putin last month. The Order of Friendship is a state decoration of the Russian Federation for foreign nationals whose work, deeds and efforts are aimed at the betterment of relations with the Russian Federation and its people, strengthening peace, friendship, cooperation and understanding. Dr Pillai is also Chief Controller, Defence Research and Development Organisation and Chairperson of the Board of Governors of the National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra. (Vijay Mohan and Ajay Banerjee)
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Gang-raped minor waits for 20th surgery & justice
New Delhi, January 8 Gang-raped by six men in Sikar in Rajasthan more than a year ago, the girl has undergone both mental and physical trauma and has been waging a silent battle against all odds since the time the men left her on the roadside to die after brutally raping her.When this IANS correspondent met the victim in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), she was lying on the hospital bed with her face covered with the sheet, while her sister and 65-year-old widowed mother sat near her, hoping that the next round of medical treatment will help her regain her health. The girl was shifted to AIIMS from Jaipur's J.K. Lone hospital last February. The victim underwent 17 surgeries in Rajasthan and two in AIIMS. The family had migrated from Bihar's Darbhanga district to Sikar in July 2012 in the hope of a good life. The incident happened on Aug 20, 2012, when the victim, along with her three sisters and a neighbour, were returning home after watching the Salman Khan-starrer "Tiger". — IANS
Treatment at AIIMS
* Gang-raped by six men in Sikar in Rajasthan more than a year ago, the 12-year-old girl has undergone both
mental and physical trauma and has been waging a silent battle against all odds since the time the men left her on the roadside to die after brutally raping her *
She is undergoing treatment at AIIMS and her family is hoping that the next round of medical treatment will help her regain her health. *
She has undergone 19 surgeries so far, said the girl's
sister, adding that a surgery was scheduled for January 3 but doctors said she wasn't fit for it
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Bollywood show at Saifai Mahotsav draws Oppn ire
Lucknow, January 8 After a picture of CM Akhilesh Yadav receiving film star Salman Khan and his entourage was telecast by local channels, the media was asked to leave the venue. Defending the media ban, CM Akhilesh Yadav claimed that it was due to the contract with the event management company which had organised the cultural programmes and not due to any government policy to keep the media out. According to sources, the performance by Madhuri Dixit in the CM’s village is closely connected to the state government’s proposed exemption of entertainment tax for her forthcoming film ‘Dedh Inshqiya’ releasing on January 10. Besides this, the Akhilesh Yadav government is also considering to sanction Rs 1 crore for the Madhuri-starrer for its having been extensively shot in the state. A decision towards this is believed to be awaiting approval in the forthcoming cabinet meeting. Meanwhile, the entire Opposition attacked the Samajwadi Party government for organising the multi-crore rupee extravaganza at their ancestral village while Muzaffarnagar children were dying of cold and sugarcane farmers were agitating for their dues. “This is a classic example of Emperor Nero playing the fiddle while Rome was burning” said UPCC state president Nirmal Khatri in a press statement. Socialist Party state president GK Pandey said: “This is indeed a matter of huge shame that on one hand children are dying of cold in relief camps in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli, and on the other those in power are busy in celebrating Saifai festival. An indicator of a strong democracy was how secure the minority communities felt”, he said.
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23 Indian-origin youths among Forbes’ ‘brightest stars’
New York, January 8 The Forbes third annual ‘30 Under 30’ list comprises young achievers in 15 different fields and includes icons like pop singers Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift, founder and CEO of the short-form blogging platform Tumblr David Karp, tennis player Maria Sharapova and Pakistani girls’ rights activist Malala Yousafzai. The list of 450 young achievers includes 23 men and women who are of Indian-origin and are doing exemplary work like founding learning centres in India, or establishing a software company that helps teachers track classroom behaviour, working as vice-president at an American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida and owner of an exclusive chocolate boutique. The young turks in the field of finance include Ganesh Betanabhatla, 28, who is the Managing Director at investment firm Talara Capital. Rushabh Doshi, 29, is a trader at financial firm DW Investment Management, who specialises in high-yield and distressed debt. Chaitanya Mehra, 28, is the portfolio manager at investment firm Och-Ziff Capital Management. Neil Mehta, 29, is the founder of investment firm Greenoaks Capital, where he manages some $ 600 million, investing in industries ranging from ecommerce to insurance. Sahil Lavingia, 21, is the founder and CEO of Gumroad, a web tool that lets creators quickly and easily sell digital products online. Among the list of social entrepreneurs is 29-year-old Karan Chopra who co-founded, GADCO, which is Ghana’s largest producer of rice. Krishna Ramkumar, 28, is the co-founder of Avanti, a group of learning centres in Mumbai, Delhi, Kanpur and Chennai that provides 750 bright, low-income high school students with science and math education. Ajaita Shah, 29, founded India-based Frontier Markets which brings clean energy to families at the base of the pyramid. Making a mark in the field of sports is 28-year-old Megha Parekh, who is vice president at American football team Jacksonville Jaguars. — PTI
Young stars
* Karan Chopra (29) co-founded GADCO, which is Ghana's largest producer of rice *
Megha Parekh (28) is vice-president at American football team Jacksonville Jaguars *
Raghu Chivukula, 29, is Resident Physician at the Massachusetts General Hospital *
Surbhi Sarna (28) was inspired to found nVision Medical as when she was 13, she suffered from ovarian cysts that were so painful that they made her faint *
Sam Chaudhary (27) co-founded ClassDojo, a software company that helps teachers track classroom behaviour
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Cong braces for UP challenge
New Delhi, January 8
Amid talks that Rahul returned from his holiday abroad, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her daughter Priyanka visited the Tuglaq Lane residence of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today.
Rahul’s scheduled visit to Amethi comes two days ahead of the January 12 Jan Vishwas Rally which Aam Aadmi Party’s leader Kumar Vishwas has planned in the area even before his official declaration as the fledgling outfit’s candidate from the constituency for the forthcoming LS polls.
The fact that Rahul plans to visit the parliamentary area just ahead of Vishwas who has openly mounted a challenge against the Gandhi scion in his bastion indicates that the Congress is not taking AAP lightly after its recent rout in Delhi.
Sources in the Congress said Rahul’s visit could be seen as an informal launch of his election campaign from the segment where the Congress is likely to face a tough competition from the BJP as well as AAP. Sister Priyanka Gandhi is likely to accompany Rahul to Amethi where Congress’ troubles have been compounded by recent talks of a possible revolt by party’s Sultanpur MP Sanjay Singh speculated to be joining the BJP and contesting against
Rahul.
Party sources, however, dismissed these talks saying Singh was staying back even though many BJP leaders were seen sharing the dais with him when he recently celebrated his birthday in Amethi. “Sanjay Singh will contest on the Congress ticket from Sultanpur Lok Sabha segment. The talk that he is joining the BJP is rubbish,” a senior Congress leader said.
Singh has had a reputation of a political turncoat having first fallen out with the Gandhis in 1988 when he joined the Janata Dal and became a minister in the VP Singh Government.
In 1998, he joined the BJP and defeated Congress’ Satish Sharma in Amethi.
Rahul’s action plan
* Plans visit to Amethi on Jan 10 and mega rally in Meerut on Jan 21
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Forgetting Muzaffarnagar tumult, UP leaders leave for 5-nation ‘study tour’
Lucknow, January 8 Led by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Azam Khan, the delegation also includes BJP MLA Seema Dwivedi, Rashtriya Lok Dal MLA Pooran Prakash and Vidhan Sabha Principal Secretary Pradeep Dubey. Congress MLA Pradeep Mathur refused to be part of the delegation and Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey also dropped out along with PWD minister Shivpal Singh Yadav. The delegation is a part of the state’s Commonwealth Parliamentary Association that comprises sitting and former MLAs. According to sources, the participants have reportedly contributed Rs 2 lakh each and while an equal amount has been provided by the state government as well. Though Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav dropped out of the delegation at the last moment, it still has eight senior Cabinet ministers. The other ministers who are part of the delegation are Ambika Chaudhary, Om Prakash Singh, Abhishek Mishra, Raja Bhaiya, Bhagwat Saran Gangwar, Shiv Kumar Beriya and Yogesh Singh. The delegation left for Istanbul today morning from where they will head towards Greece, Netherlands, the UK and the UAE to “study” the parliamentary processes. The long “study tour” at a time when the state government is facing criticism for “mismanaging” the Muzaffarnagar riots has made political opponents attack the Samajwadi Party government. “When common people are dying of cold not only in Muzaffarnagar but also in other parts of the state, what is the point of so many senior ministers disappearing for such a long period on a study tour?” questioned BJP spokesperson Vijay Bahadur Pathak. Former SP spokesperson Shahid Siddiqui said the state government had become insensitive to peoples’ problems. Defending the tour, SP spokesperson Rajendra Chadhury said as parliamentary practices were constantly changing, it was important for the UP legislators to learn and keep themselves updated.
Those on board * A 17-member delegation — eight Cabinet ministers and nine MLAs — today left for a 20-day 'study tour' of five nations in Europe and UAE *
Led by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Azam Khan, the delegation also includes BJP MLA Seema Dwivedi, Rashtriya Lok Dal MLA Pooran Prakash and Vidhan Sabha Principal Secretary Pradeep Dubey *
The participants have reportedly contributed Rs 2 lakh each and while an equal amount has been provided by the state government as well
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No alliance with any party: AAP
New Delhi, January 8 He was responding to a query in reference to Left parties' yesterday's announcement that these were ready to support like-minded parties such as AAP on six of the Lok Sabha seats in Haryana. He said the party would not resort to "attack-based" politics and would work "constructively" towards offering a better alternative in the country. Yadav said all these years the Congress and other political parties had been indulging in "politics of attacks", but AAP was a party with a difference that would go in for a constructive contest in parliamentary elections. Politics of bragging would not earn votes, he said. The AAP member said it was a complete misunderstanding that AAP had been following Left ideology. "AAP is determined not to be either Left or right. We are strictly agnostic holding a pragmatic approach to things," he said. In the wake of controversy over AFSPA remarks by Prashant Bhushan, senior leaders of the party are of the opinion that henceforth they have to be guarded while expressing their views on sensitive issues.
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Cong finalises 3 of 7 PPCC disciplinary panel members
New Delhi, January 8 Top sources in the Congress confirmed to The Tribune that apart from Jaswant Singh, the central leadership had in consultation with the state Congress president formally agreed to two other names as well. These are Rana Varinder Singh, former Punjab Youth Congress president and Bhag Singh, a former legislator in the state. Discussions are still going on with senior Punjab Congress leaders about the remaining members of the committee with the name of Shamsher Singh Dullo, former PCC chief also doing the rounds.Senior Congress leaders said if Dullo is included in the disciplinary panel, he would have to be named as its president and that no final decision on this point has been taken. The party is also said to be consulting Ambika Soni, senior leader from Punjab and Congress general secretary in charge of party president Sonia Gandhi on the constitution of the panel. Meanwhile, the terms of reference of the panel indicate that while the state Congress chief would be component to take action against all Punjab Congress delegates in matters of indiscipline, he would have to refer cases of indiscipline involving AICC members from Punjab to the AICC for further action at the central level.
Dullo's name doing the rounds
* Jaswant Singh, former Deputy Speaker, has been named as a member of the proposed PPCC disciplinary panel. The other two members are Rana Varinder Singh, former Punjab Youth Congress president and Bhag Singh, a former legislator *
Discussions are still going on with senior Punjab Congress leaders about the remaining members of the committee *
The name of Shamsher Singh Dullo, former PPCC chief, is also doing the rounds
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Nine persons were charred to death after fire engulfed three coaches of the Mumbai-Dehradun Express in the wee hours today.
According to the Western Railway, the fire broke out after the train had passed the Dahanu Road railway station in Thane district around 2.30am.
The continuing obsession of the Uttar Pradesh’s first family with Bollywood was visible today at the conclusion of the 15-day Saifai Mahotsav at the Yadavs’ ancestral village of Saifai in Etawah where around 40 film personalities, including Madhuri Dixit and Salman Khan, performed amidst tight security and a media ban.
Interacting with the media on the sidelines of the Pravasi Bharatiya Conference here, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said: “We are going to have a session of Parliament in the first fortnight of February and as has been the convention we will have a session of about 15 days or 10 sittings. We are still deciding on the business”.