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Power crisis in Haryana
BJP woos Cong-NCP leaders in Maharashtra
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Child marriage is an evil worse than rape, says Delhi court
Assembly polls in 4 states in 2 phases likely
Fast-track cases against MPs, MLAs: Home Ministry to states
Curbs on clinical trials leading to drug shortage: Pharma cos
Gear up for polls: Shah to BJP men
Army veteran dies, wife donates body
Floods in PoK: Modi offers help to Sharif
UP Guv seeks report on corrupt ministers
It’s raining sops in Andhra
Pay panel to visit Ladakh
Favouritism in govt decisions down; India improves global rank
Chicago-Delhi AI flight diverted to Toronto
Italy appeals to SC for reprieve to sick marine
‘Dalai Lama says no need for successor’
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Goyal trashes Hooda’s ‘conspiracy theory'
Says Haryana CM must explain to people why the deal between the state and Adani Power called off Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 7 Goyal said the deal between the Haryana Government and the private power producer needed to be examined. "If there is any element of conspiracy, it needs to be probed. The Haryana Chief Minister should explain to people of his state why the deal between the state government and the private firm has been called off,” he said, denying that the Centre had anything to do with it. Hooda had yesterday said the state was facing an acute power shortage after Adani power stopped supplying 1,424 MW to Haryana. The dismal power situation in the state has become an election issue with the opposition gunning for the Congress government. Goyal also responded to the the Congress government in Maharashtra blaming the Centre for the power crisis in the state. He alleged Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had not been able to take out time from his busy schedule to meet him, though he had requested for a meeting to sort out the problem. He advised the state governments to stop politicising the power issue. The Power Minister said the present power generation was unable to meet the growing demand and stressed using electricity rationally. On being asked if states like Punjab should be allowed to give free power to farmers and cross-subsidise other consumers like the industry, he said the Centre couldn't give any direction to the states on the issue. "I agree that it is wrong to cross-subsidise other consumers. But, we have to understand that the farmers have helped make the country food secure and it is our duty to come to their help," he said. On the dispute between Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir on the construction of the Shahpur Kandi dam, Goyal said: In case the states cannot resolve the issues amicably, they can approach us and we will readily act as intermediaries," he said. Goyal said the coal supply wasn't low and coal-based power production had increased by 22 per cent since the BJP government came to power. "There is no shortage of coal. The fact is that the coal production was stagnant in the last four years. I cannot increase the coal production in 100 days, but using the available resources we have increased coal-based electricity generation," he said, adding that the Centre was committed to bringing about a transformative change in the power sector and ensuring affordable 24x7 power for all consumers in the next few years. He said to ensure adequate supply of coal to power plants, Coal India Limited (CIL) has set a target of one billion tonne of coal production by 2019, from current levels of 500 million tonnes. The country's dependency on coal for power generation is about 60 per cent. Besides, the government is expediting completion of three critical rail lines at Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha. The rail lines will help increase output by 60 million tonnes per annum by 2017-18 and up to 200 MT by 2021-22. The minister further informed that CIL has taken in principle decision to purchase 250 additional rakes to evacuate more coal, primarily for power plants.
No crisis, power output up by 21.4%: Centre
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BJP woos Cong-NCP leaders in Maharashtra
Mumbai, September 7 “If any allegations of corruption are proved against them, we will expel them from the party,” senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse told reporters on Saturday after welcoming Gavit into the party. Gavit was sacked as the Medical Education Minister after his daughter Hina contested the Lok Sabha elections on a BJP ticket. She won the elections. BJP leaders say they have received feelers from some Congress-NCP leaders to join the party ahead of the Assembly elections.“There are more than 35 prominent leaders from other parties who want to join the BJP,” Khadse said. The BJP’s decision to take in leaders seen as tainted is causing much discomfort to its own cadres and those of its allies. While loyal BJP workers feel that they may be denied tickets in the forthcoming elections, the allies feel that they may be treated unfairly. Recently, the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana had opposed the BJP recruiting leaders from the NCP in Maharashtra’s sugar belt. “We will find it difficult to work for those who we have been fighting for 10 years,” SSS MP Raju Shetty said. axA section of the RSS too is uncomfortable with the entrants into the BJP. However, sources say, BJP president Amit Shah has openly endorsed the decision to bring in leaders from other parties.
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Child marriage is an evil worse than rape, says Delhi court
New Delhi, September 7 Metropolitan magistrate Shivani Chauhan issued the direction while hearing a case of dowry harassment filed by the girl’s parents against her husband and in-laws. While ordering lodging of case, the court held that “giving and taking dowry is punishable under the law”. The court directed the police to register a case under the appropriate provisions of the “Prohibition of Child Marriage Act” and under the Dowry Prohibition Act against the parents of the 14-year-old girl as well as her in-laws, against whom a domestic violence case was already registered. “Child marriage is an evil worst than rape and should be completely eradicated from the society. This would not be possible if the stakeholders like state fail to take appropriate action against the offenders. “The court is not expected to sit as a mute spectator and let the evil perpetrate,” the magistrate said while directing the DCP, South, to file status report by October 19. The court pulled up the girl’s parents, saying that they, too, had committed a “serious offence”. “Child brides have a diminished chance of completing their education and are at a higher risk of being physically abused, contracting HIV and other diseases, and dying while pregnant or giving birth,” the magistrate observed, adding that luckily this girl was “healthy”. — PTI
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Assembly polls in 4 states in 2 phases likely
New Delhi, September 7 EC sources said the assembly elections would be held in two phases — the first phase in Haryana and Maharashtra and the second phase in Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand. The dates for the elections in Haryana and Maharashtra will be announced this week. — IANS
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Fast-track cases against MPs, MLAs: Home Ministry to states
New Delhi, September 7 The direction came in the wake of Supreme Court setting a deadline to complete trial in cases involving lawmakers. The step is also in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s direction on July 24 asking the Home Minister and Law Minister to work out a mechanism to settle cases against politicians within a year to cleanse politics from tainted lawmakers. Quoting the Supreme Court directive, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami have written separate letters to Chief Ministers and Chief Secretaries of all states and Union Territories advising them to take action for ensuring the compliance of the directions of the apex court to complete the trial against sitting MPs and MLAs who have charges framed against them that attract disqualification. Any sentence which attracts punishment of two years and above can lead to disqualification from Parliament or state legislature. According to a March 10, 2014 direction of the Supreme Court, cases against MPs and MLAs which attract disqualification under Section 8(1), 8(2) and 8(3) of the Representation of the People Act needed to be completed within one year of framing charges. “Once any case has been identified then the Assistant Public Prosecutors/ Public Prosecutors will move a prayer before the concerned magistrate/ sessions judge seeking a fast track trial of the case on a day-to-day basis in compliance with the above mentioned order of the Supreme Court,” the letter to the states said. — PTI
Stresses day-to-day trial, regular monitoring
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Curbs on clinical trials leading to drug shortage: Pharma cos
Panaji, September 7 The All India Drug Action Network had filed a PIL in the Supreme Court to seek guidelines for the protection of subjects participating in clinical trials in 2011. Since then, the process of granting approvals to new and generic medicines by the Drug Controller General of India has hit a roadblock with data showing that merely 24 drug approvals were granted this year, says Indian Pharmaceutical Association. The number was 250 in 2011 before the matter went to the court. The result – new medicines introduced in world markets are not being approved for introduction in India and even generic medicines being marketed abroad but sought to be introduced by local manufacturers for the first time are not being approved for trials. The Indian Pharmaceutical Association has taken up the issue with the Ministry of Health and urged Health Minister Harsh Vardhan to address the crisis by acting as an intervener between the pharma sector and the civil society activists who are pushing for safeguards for subjects who participate in clinical trials. Talking to The Tribune on the sidelines of the fourth National Health Writers and Editors Conference organised by HEAL Foundation here, IPA general secretary DG Shah said, “We have seen a decline in clinical trial approvals not only for new drugs being developed abroad but also for the versions of generic medicines already introduced abroad. The entire drug approval process has hit a roadblock. The PIL was filed in the apex court three years and we have not reached anywhere. We appreciate the concerns of NGOs and have requested the Health Minister to help us talk to these groups to reach a solution.” The IPA has in its memorandum to Harsh Vardhan given details of how the country is facing a drug drought due to slackness of the Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (an apex drug regulator) to approve new drugs for introduction in India or to approve trials on generic versions of drugs introduced outside India. “People are being denied access to new and affordable drugs. While the rich ones can import what they want on a personal licence, the poor are being put to a disadvantage. Suppose a patent on a certain drug is over and our manufacturers want to apply for the drug’s clinical trial to produce evidence that they can manufacture a drug that’s close to the original, even that is not happening today,” says Shah.
PIL’s side-effects
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Gear up for polls: Shah to BJP men
Kolkata, September 7 He has set up a five-member committee for suggesting measures to ensure the victory of the BJP candidates in forthcoming elections, including the September 13 byelections to Basirhat and Chowringhee Assembly seats. Addressing a public meeting in the Bowbazar area,Shah called for replacing the TMC government with the BJP government. He said the “Didi” government had been proved corrupt and non-performing in three years of its rule. Referring to the Saradha scam, Shah said the CBI should interrogate all political leaders involved in the scam and punish the culprits. He advised the TMC to face the inquiry and allow the CBI to identify the culprits. He denied the Modi government was using the CBI for its political interests. At a session of the party’s two-day state committee meeting, Shah and 300 BJP office-bearers discussed how to revamp the party and build a strong base at grassroots in all districts. Shah alleged Mamata Banerjee had betrayed the people by not fulfilling her promises. After 34 years of the Left Front rule, people had chosen the TMC but it failed to deliver so now the people of Bengal want a change, he said. He also campaigned for party candidates— Ritesh Tewari (contesting byelection from Chowringhee) and Samik Lahiri (representing Basirhat). While Chowringhee seat fell vacant after Sikha Mitra resigned from the TMC, the Basirhat seat fell vacant following the death of its MLA.
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Army veteran dies, wife donates body
New Delhi, September 7 Capt Rajeev Kumar, a veteran of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka, died on August 31 due to alleged post-operative complications. His wife, Niyati, took the tough decision and it was in line with the wishes of the deceased soldier. The family said he had a fall and was operated on August 30 and died the next day due to complications. Niyati, over the phone from Bareilly, said: “He (Capt Kumar) had pledged to donate his organs just two months ago when my father-in-law, Devendra Swaroop, had died. I had not expected this to happen so soon”. The decision was in line with his wishes to donate all his organs at death for transplantation, the woman added. Capt Kumar, 54, had served in the Army’s 10 Para Regiment and was among the first lot to be air-dropped at Jaffna, Northern Sri Lanka in 1987, under Operation Pawan. His course-mate Lt Col Manoj Channan, who lives in Gurgaon, said: “It was brave of the family to have donated the body. He will be remembered for his qualities as a soldier. We were expecting him at the course-get-together on August 31”. — TNS
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Floods in PoK: Modi offers help to Sharif
New Delhi, September 7 “It is a matter of great distress that the retreating monsoon rain has played havoc in many parts of our two countries. The devastation caused by the record rain and the consequent flooding is unprecedented. “While reviewing the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, I was informed that the damage to life and property is equally, if not more, severe in areas across the Line of Control as well. My heart goes out to the affected people and my deepest sympathies are with them and their families. In this hour of need, I offer any assistance that you may need in the relief efforts undertaken by the Government of Pakistan. Our resources are at your disposal wherever you need them,” Prime Minister Modi wrote. India had made a similar offer of humanitarian assistance when earthquake hit the J&K region in October 2005.
Pak reciprocates
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UP Guv seeks report on corrupt ministers
Lucknow, September 7 Newly installed Governor Ram Naik has written to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav asking why action has not been taken on the Lokayukta reports against ministers during the Mayawati regime. He has also sought an action taken report from the state government. Following the Governor's letter, the state government has swung into action and is now seeking files and reviewing the reports submitted by the Uttar Pradesh Lokayukta Justice NK Mehrotra against former ministers. These include former minister for diary development Awadhpal Singh, former minister for power Ramvir Upadhyay, former minster for labour Badshah Singh, former Minister for Homeopathy and Religious Endowment, Rajesh Tripathi and former minister for transport and present BSP state president Ramachal Rajbhar. After Naik assumed office in UP, the Lokayukta wrote a letter regarding the state government's inaction in the case of filing criminal cases against the Mayawati ministers against whom Justice Mehrotra had submitted reports and sought action.
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It’s raining sops in Andhra
Hyderabad, Sept 7 The state, comprising Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions, will have 13 airports, 8 seaports, 14 smart cities, four IT hubs, four electronic and hardware parks, three industrial cities and three mega cities. The Chief Minister has virtually promised all things to all the districts. It is not clear how the resources would be mobilised and what would be the contribution from the Centre to fulfil such an ambitious plan to develop infrastructure in the residuary state, post-bifurcation. Political observers say that the Chief Minister and his Telugu Desam Party (TDP) are under pressure to nip in the bud the possible resentment in other regions over choosing Vijayawada region as the new capital.
Development plans
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Pay panel to visit Ladakh
New Delhi, September 7 The commission, headed by Justice AK Mathur, has planned a four-day visit to Leh and Srinagar from September 15. Ladakh is where the Army and the Air Force have a presence along the Line of Control (LoC) with China and Siachen Glacier. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is tasked along with the Army for the protection of posts along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The Dras-Kargil-Batalik sector on the LoC facing Pakistan is protected by the Army and the IAF. The Indian troops pasted at the glacier get high-altitude allowance and special Siachen allowance. The panel will study hardships by the troops and consider them while deciding the quantum of these allowances.
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Favouritism in govt decisions down; India improves global rank
New Delhi, September 7 India’s ranking has also improved significantly in terms of public trust in politicians, as also with regard to diversion of public funds and for the ‘irregular payments and bribery’ at government institutions, as per an annual study by the World Economic Forum (WEF). India was ranked 94th last year, while China’s position has improved by seven places to 22nd in the latest ranking of countries for ‘favouritism shown by government officials’. Qatar has replaced Singapore as the top ranked country with least probability of such favouritism while Venezuela continues to remain the worst place on this front. The countries have been ranked on the basis of a survey of the extent to which “government officials show favouritism to well-connected firms and individuals when deciding upon policies and contracts”. In the BRICS block of five major emerging economies, India’s ranking is better than that of Russia (87th), South Africa (104th) and Brazil (108th) on this list. India is also ranked better than countries like Mauritius, Spain, Israel, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar and Bangladesh, among others, on this list which forms part of the WEF’s annual Global Competitiveness Report. Qatar is followed by New Zealand, Singapore, Finland, UAE, the Netherlands, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland in top 10. Among other major economies, the UK is ranked 17th and the US is at 47th place — only two positions higher than India. Those ranked better than India also include Luxembourg, Germany, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Australia, France, Indonesia, Bhutan, Macedonia and Morocco. According to the WEF methodology, the countries have been ranked on a scale of 1-7, where one means ‘always show favouritism’ and a score of 7 means ‘never show favouritism’. India’s score stands at 3.4, while top ranked Qatar has scored 5.6 points. India had scored 2.79 last year. The report further shows that India is now ranked 50th in terms of public trust in politicians, up from 115th last year. Singapore is ranked the best on this front. — PTI
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Chicago-Delhi AI flight diverted to Toronto
New Delhi, September 7 It landed at the Toronto airport under emergency conditions after disposing of its fuel onboard. The twin-engine aircraft landed safely around 0700 hours IST, they said. — PTI
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Italy appeals to SC for reprieve to sick marine
Rome, September 7 The marine, Massimiliano Latorre, (47) “was treated excellently in India, but it is clear that he needs rest, peace, and his family,” Federica Mogherini said on the eve of the SC hearing to consider the marine’s case. “We hope that India’s SC will listen to the medical arguments,” Mogherini said. She said, the Italian government supports the initiative of the defence lawyers, who have submitted an application to allow Latorre to return to Italy. Latorre was hospitalised with a condition similar to a mild stroke and was discharged from a hospital in New Delhi. — PTI
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‘Dalai Lama says no need for successor’
His comments to the Welt am Sonntag newspaper echo his previous statement that “the institution of the Dalai Lama has served its purpose”, but were even more explicit. “We had a Dalai Lama for almost five centuries. The 14th Dalai Lama now is popular. Let us then finish with a popular Dalai Lama," he said. “If a weak Dalai Lama comes along, then it will just disgrace the Dalai Lama,” he added with a laugh, according to a transcript of the English language interview. He also said: “Tibetan Buddhism is not dependent on one individual.
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Kolkata, September 7
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