The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Cong responsible for current inflation: FM Vibha Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 7 As a united Opposition tried to corner the NDA government on inflation and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “achche din” poll promise on the first day of the Budget session, the new government blamed the policies of the UPA government for the current price rise. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today assured the Rajya Sabha that the prices of essential items were under control. He attributed the prevailing situation to the “legacy” handed over to the NDA by previous the UPA government. “The government is committed to contain it (inflation) because we consider it a serious and sensitive matter,” he said, assuring that there was no need to panic as there was sufficient stock of essentials available in the country. “What surprises me is that the party which brought the economy to this state wants to put the blame on someone else today,” he said. On the recent hike in diesel price, Jaitley said the government was only implementing the previous UPA’s policy of gradual monthly increase. The decision to hike rail and freight fares had been taken by the UPA on February 11 and the Modi government only implemented it, he said. Defending the hike, he said, “If you're using a service, you should pay for it.” Dissatisfied over his reply, many Opposition parties staged a walkout. During the debate, the entire Opposition, including Congress, BSP, SP and TMC, targeted Modi’s “achhe din” promise and took the government to the task over inflation, rail and freight fare hike. Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad wondered whether the rise in the prices of food items and rail fares was a reflection of Modi’s promise. Azad said when the UPA government raised rail fares in 2012, the then Gujarat CM (Modi) wrote to the PM opposing any such adjustments prior to the Rail Budget. BSP leader Mayawati said, “Achhe din nahi aaye hain mehenge din aaye hain.”
	Sonia leads claim for Oppn leader’s post Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 7 The Congress is ready to pull all stops in its bid to get the post of Leader of Opposition (LOP) in the Lok Sabha, the first being submission of a representation to Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and the last being a petition in the Apex Court. The party’s claim is being led by Congress president Sonia Gandhi who today stated that the LOP’s position rightfully belonged to her party. “The post of LOP in the Lok Sabha is our right and we will demand it,” Sonia said in Parliament when asked what her party’s strategy on the issue was. Congress’ LOP representation to the Speaker will be signed by all 44 party MPs and leaders of the UPA such as the RJD, NCP, Muslim League and JMM. Deputy Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Capt Amarinder Singh told The Tribune today, “Once we get all the 160 signatures we expect, we will submit the letter to the Speaker. We will consider other options if the claim is denied.” For the first time since the tussle started, the Congress officially said it would contest the claim and take it to a logical conclusion after awaiting Speaker’s reply. Privately leaders admitted a court battle seemed inevitable as the BJP appeared disinterested in offering the post to the Congress. “It would be unconstitutional to deny us the LOP post. The appointment of LOP is essential for selections under the RTI Act, 2005 (to appoint the Chief Information Commissioner); the CVC Act 2003 (to appoint the Chief Vigilance Commissioner), the NHRC Act and the Lokpal Act. By keeping the opposition out, the BJP is trying to subvert these appointments in which the Opposition has a vital role to play. We won’t let that happen,” said Congress’ Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma. The Congress said it had a water-tight legal case as the sole Act defining the LOP – the Salaries and Allowances Act of LOPs 1977 goes in its favour. Cong to submit memo The Congress will first submit representation to the Speaker signed by all 44 party MPs and leaders of RJD, NCP, Muslim League and JMM
	Purchased ‘bahus’ are Haryana’s harsh reality BJP leader Om Prakash Dhankar’s “Bihari wives for Haryanavi men” statement has stirred up a hornet's nest, eliciting diverse reactions. The Tribune does a reality check Sushil Manav Tribune News Service Fatehabad, July 7 Infamous for rising crime against women, Haryana is again in the limelight for the wrong reasons. The skewed sex ratio has left youths of the state with not enough girls to get married to. Brides are now being “procured from Bihar and other states after paying a hefty sum”. Notwithstanding the flak he has drawn for his controversial “Bihari wives for Haryanavi men” comment, BJP’s Kisan Morcha national president Om Prakash Dhankar was in fact trying to reflect an existing reality. When a farmer of Gorakhpur village in Fatehabad went to look for a bride for his son, he realised that there were no takers. His son now ages more than 40 and is still a bachelor. So are his two brothers. They are now part of the 500-strong army of unmarried men in the village. Though some youth have been lucky to get wives from Bihar and Odisha. Dr Manav Sethi, a doctor at Ding in Sirsa, said in just half an hour he examined six women with the names unheard of in the area. “Hundreds of such women, known as ‘Molkis’ (meaning purchased) in the local parlance, can be found in almost all villages,” a staffer had told him. Noticing “procurement for brides” as a big venture in Haryana, several gangs have become active who provide wives for money on a hefty commission. Many of such “procured wives” have turned out to be “loot and scoot” wives. They allegedly steal money and ornaments from their marital houses and run away within days of the “marriage”.
	Dhankar seeks social status for these women Deepender Deswal Tribune News Service Hisar, July 7 Seeking social and legal sanctity for migrant ‘bahus’, BJP leader OP Dhankar said: “Just like social activists in Punjab try to protect interests of the Punjabi girls married to NRIs in Canada and other countries, we should also strive to ensure honour and equal status to the migrant ‘bahus’.” “The political leadership avoids discussion on these issues. I have made the comments after observing the ground realities and condition of migrant women as well as unmarried youths,” he said. Dhankar said Bihar politicians, including Lalu Prasad Yadav, Sharad Yadav and Hukum Dev Naryana Yadav, had matrimonial relations in Haryana, so how could they have any objection if poor people also engaged in such ties? “A mechanism is needed to make such ties possible. Only such a system can help curb illegal human trafficking and also to deal with shortage of brides in Haryana,” he added. Condemning Dhankar, Janwadi Mahila Samiti national leader Jagmati Sangwan said Dhankar had talked about “bringing girls” instead of the problem of trafficking. “He should urge people to shun female foeticide which is the sole cause of such crises,” she said. “We have been demanding a status report on the number of migrant women in Haryana. There should be a mechanism to give legal sanctity to inter-state marriages which would help curb the problem of trafficking,” she said.
	Sold six times — a migrant bride’s horrifying tale Married to a widower at 16, she currently lives with a 56-year-old visually challenged man in Nuh Sumedha Sharma Tribune News service Gurgaon, July 7 As a young girl of 15 years, Bulbuli would often dream of leaving behind her poverty-stricken life in Bihar and come to the glitzy world of Delhi. Her happiness knew no bounds when her uncle offered to get her married in Gurgaon, but that was a long time back. Dressed in a pale blue salwar kameez, she hardly remembers those times as she is Nusrat today whose life is a tale of horror. “They gave my parents 15, 000 rupees and brought me to Delhi, saying I would go to a nice family. I was just 16 but got ready as such offers didn’t come often. Life has been a nightmare since then. My prince charming was a 32-year-old widower with two daughters. I was expected to serve his family of 16, work in fields and bear children. I had my son when I was 18. I contracted TB and was again put up for sale,” said Bulbli, who has so far been sold six times and currently lives with a 56-year-old blind man in Nuh. It is a common tale of thousands like her. With a skewed sex ratio in the state (877 females per 1,000 males) and the tradition of not marrying in same or nearby villages, “importing a bride” has become the practice. States like Bihar, Jharkhand, UP, West Bengal, Assam, and now even Kerala, have become the source of brides for the men in Haryana. A few of these women may be living a comfortable and peaceful life, but most of them are forced to live in inhospitable conditions – facing sexual and mental harassment at the hands of the male members of the family. In some cases, they are also used as “common wife”. According to a recent survey conducted by Empower People, an NGO, there are around one million such women in northern Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. In Mewat district alone, which consists of about 500 villages, there are some 50,000 cases of women who have been trafficked and lured into fake marriages. 50,000 affected women in Mewat There are around one million trafficked women in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and UP They are bought for as little as Rs 15,000 to up to few lakhs About 50,000 women have been trafficked and lured into fake marriages in Mewat alone
	Three out of 10 in India poor: Rangarajan panel New Delhi, July 7 A panel headed by former PMEAC Chairman C Rangarajan has dismissed the Tendulkar Committee report on estimating poverty and said that the number of poor in India was much higher in 2011-12 at 29.5 per cent of the population, which means that three out of 10 persons are poor. The report submitted by Rangarajan to Planning Minister Rao Inderjit Singh earlier says persons spending below Rs 47 a day in cities would be considered poor, much above the Rs 33-per-day mark suggested by the Suresh Tendulkar Committee. As per the Rangarajan panel estimates, poverty stood at 38.2% in 2009-10 and slided to 29.5% in 2011-12. This is at variance with the Tendulkar methodology under which poverty was estimated at 29.8 per cent in 2009-10 and declined to 21.9 per cent in 2011-12. The Planning Commission’s estimates based on Tendulkar Committee had drawn flak in September 2011, when in an affidavit to the Supreme Court it was stated that households with per capita consumption of more than Rs 33 in urban areas and Rs 27 in rural areas would not be treated as poor. As per Rangarajan panel estimates, a person spending less than Rs 1,407 a month (Rs 47/day) would be considered poor in cities. In villages, those spending less than Rs 972 a month (Rs 32/day) would be considered poor. — PTI What the report says Persons spending below Rs 47 a day in cities are poor. The Suresh Tendulkar Committee had identified those spending Rs 33 per day as poor Poverty stood at 38.2% in 2009-10, slid to 29.5% in 2011-12. Tendulkar had estimated it at 29.8 % in 2009-10 and 21.9% in 2011-12 Nothing but a joke: Mayawati BSP chief Mayawati on Monday attacked the government saying the Rangarajan panel's estimations were nothing but a “joke” on the poor. “This is nothing but making a joke of poor people. The way the figures have been calculated, our party does not support it,” Mayawati said.
	CBSE plans Sanskrit week in 14k schools from August 7 Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 7 The Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) has planned a booster dose for Sanskrit by celebrating a “Sanskrit week” across 14,000 schools to fete students and teachers who display interest in popularising the language. Students can compete with others to develop applications and games to promote Sanskrit learning and win a reward to be presented at a national level event, orgainsed by the board in August after the schools have observed the Sanskrit week from August 7 to 13. The board has announced national awards for 30 best entries (top three from each of CBSE’s 10 regions) in five categories. These include a two-minute short speech category called the “Laghubhashanam”, which students are supposed to record and upload on WhatsApp before sending the same to a designated number 07042745234 by July 20. Sanskrit Shloka Antakshri is another category for students alongside "kavita rachna" (poetry writing) and essay competition. The Sanskrit push comes at a time when the BJP has assumed charge at the Centre. The party has stressed the knowledge of Sanskrit in academics with many of its top leaders in the Lok Sabha — Sushma Swaraj and Murali Manohar Joshi even taking their oaths in Sanskrit. For teachers, the board has planned national awards in various categories, including research on linkages between Sanskrit and modern Indian and international languages.
	CBI conducts polygraph test on victims' kin Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 7 The CBI today carried out lie detector test on the fathers of the two cousin sisters from Badaun in Uttar Pradesh who were allegedly killed and their bodies found hanging from a tree. The CBI had brought four persons, including their uncle and an eyewitness, to Delhi to conduct the test, sources said. The CBI had got court’s permission to get their custody for the test. The sources said the court had given the CBI three days for the test. Today was the first day. They will remain in its custody for the next two days. The lie detector test is being done in the presence of forensic experts. The parents and relatives are suspected to have indulged in honour killing. (With PTI inputs)
	Army Chief row: Time for both sides to move on Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 7 With the Supreme Court today declining to stay the appointment of Lt General Dalbir Singh Suhag as the next Army Chief, it’s now time for the Chief-designate to put behind the legal, emotional and politically-inclined hurdles he has faced in the past two years and lead the 1.2 million strong Indian Army. It’s also time for those baying for Lt General Suhag’s blood to think about the larger good of the Army. The force move on the credo ‘Naam, Namak, Nishan’ — honour, loyalty and the flag — and sullying the ‘Naam’ of the Chief may not be the right idea with things getting tense in Pakistan and threatening to boil over in Afghanistan. The multi-pronged questioning of Suhag’s succession is on since it was clear that he would be the next Chief to succeed present incumbent General Bikram Singh on July 31. In the entire two-year episode that started in May 2012, the fraternity of Army veterans was divided sharply in their opinion. Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and his predecessor AK Antony showed sagacity in countering what was clearly a morale-lowering period for the Army — which as a force sees the Chief as the last word, the final authority, the man who will look after their welfare and lead them to battle. “It’s always ‘our Chief’ when we address the top man,” explained a serving officer. Jaitley was firm when General VK Singh (retd), a former Chief of the Army and now a minister in the Narendra Modi Cabinet, had yet again raised the matter last month. “As far as the government is concerned, the appointment is final and the government fully stands for it,” Jaitley said with tone of finality in Rajya Sabha on June 11. Two separate incidents started it all. The first occurred in March 2010, when three decomposed bodies were recovered in Dimapur, Nagaland. At that time, Lt General Suhag was posted in New Delhi as a Major General. General VK Singh was the Eastern Army Commander, while Lt General NK Singh was the 3 Corps Commander. An inquiry, led by a Brigadier, found no substance in the allegations of a fake encounter, leading to the closure of the case. The second occurred in December 2011 at Jorhat, Assam, when an intelligence unit head by Capt Rubina Kaur Keer was blamed of dacoity. Lt General Suhag was then the 3 Crops Commander. The Army inquiry punished the guilty in this case. In line of fire The Supreme Court on Monday declined to stay the appointment of Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag as the next Army Chief The multi-pronged questioning of Suhag's succession is on since it was clear that he would be the next Chief to succeed present incumbent Gen Bikram Singh on July 31
	PGI observes 52nd Foundation Day Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 7 Dr K Vijay Raghavan, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, addressed the PGIMER doctors on “The challenges in scaling quality research in India and possible directions” during the 52nd Foundation Day celebrations of the institute today. Padma Shri Dr Raghavan said the scientists should fully concentrate on the complex scientific problems, not only from global angle but also local. The culture of solving complex issues has to be inculcated amongst the scientific fraternity so that we don’t lag behind, added Dr Raghavan, who is a distinguished Professor in the field of developmental genetics. PGI Director shares future plans Prof Yogesh Chawla, Director, PGIMER said a screening OPD and satellite centre at Sangrur, new centres like mother and child care, neurosciences and cancer research, translational medical centre and organ retrieval and transplantation centre will be started in PGIMER. New courses in emergency medicine, family medicine, trauma anaesthesia and toxicology, biomedical engineering were in the pipeline, he added. Seven employees were also felicitated for meritorious services on the occasion. The seven employees honoured included Surat Singh, laboratory attendant, Department of Nuclear Medicine; Rajesh Kumar Kaushal, dark room assistant, Department of Radio Diagnosis; Gurvinder Singh, stenographer, Department of Transfusion Medicine; Mahipal, sanitary attendant, Department of Medical Microbiology; Rajinder Kumar, sanitary attendant, Department of Biochemistry; Harish, sanitary attendant; and Sewa Singh, hospital attendant, Sanitation Department. Sunita Devi, who had been awarded the Florence Nightingale Award by the President, was also felicitated. Institute’s achievements Rs 29 cr entitlement to PGI faculty for research; at least 1,100 research articles published last year NABL accreditation for Department of Microbiology and India Healthcare Award 2013, by the Planning Commission of India
	Guard gets life term for killing Mumbai lawyer Mumbai, July 7 A local court today awarded life imprisonment to Sajjad Mughal who was convicted of murdering lawyer Pallavi Purkayastha in June 2012. Denying the prosecution’s demand for death penalty, Sessions Judge Vrushali Joshi noted that the murderer did not have any criminal record. “Considering the mitigating and aggravating circumstances, I am of the opinion that the case does not fall under the rarest of the rare category,” the judge ruled. Before the judgement, Mughal pleaded before the court for minimum sentence. The court told him that he was being awarded the minimum sentence while the maximum sentence amounted to capital punishment. Purkayastha’s father Atanu was disappointed that her killer was not awarded the death sentence. — TNS
	RSS’ Ram Madhav all set to join BJP Vibha Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 7 RSS spokesman Ram Madhav and Sangh’s Uttar Pradesh shetriya pracharak Shiv Prakash are all set to join the BJP. Sources say the important decision was ratified at a Sangh meeting. The move is significant as Madhav— one of the most known RSS faces — is expected to be given a key role in the party’s organisation which is due for a major overhaul. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too has served as a sangh pracharak. The sources say while Madhav may be inducted as BJP general secretary and spokesman. Shiv Prakash may be made either the joint general secretary or general secretary (organisation) — a post held by RSS leaders deputed to the BJP organisation.
	Govt nod to Rs 1,000 pension under EPS New Delhi, July 7 The government has approved minimum monthly pension of Rs 1,000 under the Employees Pension Scheme 1995 (EPS-95) run by the retirement body Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Parliament was informed today. The decision would immediately benefit 28 lakh pensioners, including 5 lakh widows, getting less than Rs 1,000 as pension every month. In all, there are 44 lakh pensioners under the EPS-95 scheme. “Yes, the government has approved minimum pension of Rs 1,000 per month to the pensioners under the EPS-95,” said Minister of state for Steel, Mines, Labour and Employment Vishnu Deo Sai in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. — PTI
	M’shtra govt doctors call off strike Mumbai, July 7 Over 12,000 government doctors in Maharashtra today called off their strike after Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan agreed to most of their demands. The government, which earlier sacked 265 protesting doctors, arrived at a settlement with the Maharashtra State Gazetted Medical Officers Organisation (MAGMO), which was spearheading the agitation. The six-day doctors’ strike caused a shutdown of hospitals across the state. The doctors were demanding implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission’s recommendations for all state medical officers in the public health department, a pay hike, fixed working hours, regularisation of promotion procedure and raise in medical officers’ retirement age from 58 to 62 as in other states and the central government. — TNS
	UPSC exam marksheets put online New Delhi, July 7 The marksheets of civil services examination, results of which were declared last month, have been put up on the website of Union Public Service Commission. Candidates, who appeared in the 2013 civil services examination, can log on to the UPSC website to access their marksheets. The marksheets of candidates who were recommended and not recommended for prestigious government jobs on the basis of the civil services exam, and detailed results of those who could not qualify the main examination have been made available on the UPSC portal. — PTI