The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Heavy rains to lash central India Vibha Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 12 Over the next two days, cyclone Hudhud will extend its span beyond Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, packing in rains and thundershowers till the central India and impacting the air quality in the plains of the northwest. According to the India Meteorological Department, over the next couple of days heavy to very heavy rainfall would occur at a few places over Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, east Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, east Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Gangetic West Bengal, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura. The cyclone is also expected to affect the air quality adversely over some parts of the Indo-Gangetic plains, including western UP, Delhi and Punjab. As winds from the coastal region push air laden with pollutants toward Indo-Gangetic plains, some parts may witness a rise in levels of particulate matter in atmosphere. Though cyclones are not uncommon in these parts of the world during this time of the year, the fact is that Hudhud closely follows Phalin, a severe cyclonic event that hit India’s east coast just last year. The severe cyclonic storm has once again underlined the ominous warnings by environmentalists about increase in intensity of tropical storms and also their frequency in years to come due to climate change and global warming. As happened in Phailin’s case, effective tracking and timely warning by the IMD and adequate preparations by the Centre and the state administrations have substantially reduced the loss to human life due to Hudhud. A super-cyclone which swept Odisha in 1999 had killed around 10,000 persons and left an estimated 1.5 million homeless. Delhi, Punjab to see rise in air pollutants The winds from the coastal region are likely to push air laden with pollutants toward Indo-Gangetic plains. Western UP, Delhi and Punjab may witness a rise in levels of particulate matter in atmosphere Heavy to very heavy rainfall has been forecast in parts of Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, east Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, east Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Gangetic West Bengal, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura Cyclone warning centre at Vizag hit Visakhapatnam: Cyclone Hudhud, which on Sunday hit Andhra Pradesh coast, has also disrupted the functioning of the Visakhapatnam Cyclone Warning Centre here. The centre lost contact with the radar, which was tracking the cyclone for the last two days. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu told reporters in Hyderabad that officials were relying on the Navy radar for information. "The navy informed us that the eye of the cyclone has crossed and that the wind speed is 185 kmph," he said. Man who evacuated women dies Kendrapara: A 40-year-old man who had risked his life to save seven women and children from meeting a watery grave in a crocodile-infested rivulet during the evacuation drive ahead of Cyclone Hudhud, died today sending shockwaves across far-flung Okilopala and Satabhaya villages in Odisha's Kendrapara district. "Sahadev Samal died of pneumonia. He was exposed to prolonged cold. We failed to save him despite our best efforts", said a medical officer. Naidu asks tech-users to help in rescue work Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, once the poster boy of IT promotion in the country, is now seeking to leverage modern communication technology through "crowd sourcing" to provide relief to the victims of cyclonic storm 'Hudhud' that struck coastal Andhra today. The Chief Minister said that people can provide information on the cyclone damages by downloading an App and send pictures and videos through it. "We are trying to use technology to the maximum possible extent. We have obtained satellite images and we asked NRSA to do mapping,” he said. Agencies
	IAF choppers, jets on standby New Delhi, October 12 To bolster transport efforts, IAF has kept one IL-76, one C-17 and five AN-32 aircraft ready at Chandigarh, Delhi, Jorhat and Agra. Keeping rescue operations in mind it has kept in standby mode three Chetak choppers at Hakimpet, one Medium Light Helicopter (Mi-8) at Yelahanka and ten Medium Light Helicopters (Mi-17) at Nagpur, Hyderabad, Kalaikunda, Suratgarh, Bagdogra and Barrackpore. Coast Guard has also deployed 17 ships, two Air Cushion Vessels (ACVs) and 13 aircraft in Eastern and North-Eastern regions to augment the rescue and relief operations, wherever required. As the exact nature and magnitude of devastation is yet to emerge completely, the state authorities are now monitoring the route and velocity of the cyclone closely. The contour and the magnitude of relief operations by the armed forces in these two states will be shaped accordingly, the statement said. Three trains to resume services from today East Coast Railway (ECoR) today announced that three trains will start running each way on the Bhubaneswar-Palasa link from tomorrow. ECoR, however, cancelled, diverted and short terminated certain trains originating and passing through Odisha and Andhra Pradesh in view of the Cyclone Hudhud. "Bhubaneswar-Palasa link will resume in the morning of Monday. Three trains each way will operate for the benefit of daily passengers and office goers," an official of the ECoR said. — PTI So, what’s Hudhud? Cyclone Hudhud has been named after the national bird of Israel from the list of names suggested by Oman. Hudhud in Arabic alludes to Hoopoe bird, a colorful bird found across Afro-Eurasia
	Maharashtra Votes 2014 As campaigning nears end, leaders make last-ditch effort to woo voters Shiv Kumar Tribune News Service Mumbai, October 12 With less than 24 hours left before close of campaigning for the Assembly elections in Maharashtra, leaders of all major political parties are out on streets, making one last effort to woo voters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is heli-hopping through rallies in the remotest corners of the state. Door-to-door campaigning by BJP candidates has taken a backseat as the party’s leaders have issued orders to fill up the grounds wherever the PM is scheduled to address election meetings. The party, which is contesting many seats in the state for the first time in 25 years after breaking up with the Shiv Sena, is depending entirely on the PM’s charisma, BJP leaders admit. Apart from Modi, the BJP has roped in several senior leaders, including the Chief Ministers of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Goa and several members of the Union Cabinet, to campaign for its candidates. Party chief Amit Shah has also sent in officials who are monitoring the party’s campaign at the district level. The BJP’s is targeting the former Congress-NCP government, which is accused of corruption. BJP leaders have chosen to keep mum on the Shiv Sena despite their acrimonious break-up. However, with the party fielding more than 50 rebels from other parties such as the NCP, Congress and MNS, tensions are running high and several loyal BJP workers have refused to campaign for the imports. The newcomers are depending entirely on their associates from their old parties to run their campaigns. Facing severe anti-incumbency, leaders of the Congress and the NCP are confined mostly to their own constituencies. In addition to Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, the Congress has also brought in former Finance Minister P Chidambaram and some senior leaders to campaign. Party officials have, however, decided to confine Rahul’s campaigns entirely to the rural areas of Maharashtra. On the other hand, the NCP is concentrating on its strongholds such as Western Maharashtra, where party chief Sharad Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule are the main campaigners. With public support for Pawar’s nephew and former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit dwindling, senior NCP leaders such as Chhagan Bhujbal and RR Patil are pitching the idea of bringing back Sharad Pawar as Maharashtra CM. With no leaders of their own, the Shiv Sena and the MNS are depending on Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, respectively. While Uddhav is tirelessly campaigning at times participating in a record seven rallies in a day, Raj is concentrating on a few constituencies. Despite the setback following the split in ties with the BJP, the Shiv Sena cadre appears enthused and is putting in long hours for party candidates across the state. Cash haul Multi-cornered contest across Maharashtra has forced candidates across party lines to splurge on luring voters The poll panel says its flying squads have seized Rs 14.5 crore cash and illicit liquor worth more than Rs 75 lakh EC officials say around Rs 4.5 lakh were seized last week from a car belonging to Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.
	Won’t take position of power: Sharad Mumbai, October 12 Ruling himself out of the chief ministerial race, NCP chief Sharad Pawar today said he will not take any post of power and will now be seen only in organisational and advisory capacity while in public life. “I will turn 75 in a couple of years. I have been an elected representative for 48 years out of which 25 years have been in position of power. Now I have decided to stop. I will now be seen in organisational and advisory capacity in the party,” the Rajya Sabha MP said when asked by reporters about demand from his partymen to take chief ministership after the Maharashtra Assembly polls. Pawar, while becoming the Rajya Sabha member earlier this year, had declared that he would neither contest elections nor take position of power. Refusing to discuss post poll realignment, he said the NCP is focussing on bagging total majority in the elections. “Our total concentration is to secure a majority. We are not applying our mind on what to do after the results,” he said during an interaction organised by the Mantralaya and Vidhimandal Vartahar Sangh, an association of reporters who cover legislature and government. Blaming former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan for the split in Congress-NCP alliance, he said it was pre-decided by the Congress. “AICC secretary Swaraj Valmiki, who is joint in-charge of the state, has gone on record to state that the decision to snap ties with NCP was taken three months ago and Chavan was part of the decision,” he said. — PTI
	Retired officers decry changes in health scheme Tribune News Service Chandigarh, October 12 The Paramilitary Force Retired Officers’ Association has petitioned the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare over changes in the policy for issue of medicines to Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) beneficiaries, claiming that it is causing inconvenience to aged persons. In its petition, the association has stated that CGHS beneficiaries can now get medicines for up to one month in case of chronic illness and for three months in case of foreign travel. Earlier, they could get medicines for three months and six months, respectively, but orders to this respect were rescinded recently within a few months of being issued. This, the association has contended, has put elderly CGHS beneficiaries to health hazards, especially those, who are residing at places far from the location of the CGHS Wellness Centre, where they are registered. As there is only a limited number of wellness centres, the central government retirees have to get themselves registered with the nearest wellness centre for healthcare. Pensioners residing in villages or town located away from the wellness centre have to travel long distances to avail medical facilities. Instead on visiting the centre four times a year, they now have to travel every month. The Chandigarh CGHS Wellness Centre, which has more than 25,000 registered CGHS beneficiaries, caters to three states and pensioners residing in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The CGHS is also in the process of revising its formulary, which is a compendium of medicines and healthcare products that can be issued or prescribed under the scheme. According to a circular issued earlier this month, the formularies of the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme and the Employees State Insurance would also be adopted in the intervening period to avoid any inconvenience to beneficiaries. There are several essential medicines that are not listed in the formularies and CGHS doctors have been instructed that till the revised formulary is issued, such medicines can be prescribed provided their use is approved by the Drug Controller of India and the cost and duration of prescription does not exceed Rs 1,500 and seven days.
	Loss-making Air India spends $6 m to insure six grounded planes Mumbai, October 12 National carrier Air India, which is sitting on a huge debt pile and surviving on the Rs 30,000- crore government bailout, is allegedly getting even those aircraft, which have not been in operations for some years now, insured at a cost of $ 6 million in a year. The state-run airline’s recognised pilots union, the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), has sought an independent probe into these allegations and fix the accountability on individuals responsible for this. “Six Boeing 737-200 Fs, which have been out of service for more than three years, are still being insured at $1 million each per annum or $6 million, for more than the past three years. We demand an immediate, time-bound investigation by an external agency to look into this huge financial irregularity,” ICPA General Secretary Shailender Singh said in a letter to Air India chairman Rohit Nandan. The letter is also addressed to Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathy Raju and the Chief Vigilance Commissioner. The Air India spokesperson did not respond to calls. The airline had renewed its insurance on October 1 for nearly $ 29 million to cover its 132 aircraft which was close to 18% higher than it what it paid last year, $23 million. — PTI
	Kingfisher faces scrutiny for accounting lapses New Delhi, October 12 Grounded carrier Kingfisher Airlines is facing a close regulatory scrutiny over suspected lapses in its accounting practices and the Corporate Affairs Ministry is looking into possible violations of Companies Act. The airline, part of Vijay Mallya-led UB Group, has been grounded since October 2012, after being bogged down by mounting losses. The ministry is looking at possible violations of companies law by KFA, especially with regard to accounting practices, sources said. — PTI
	Govt wants code of conduct for MPs Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 12 The government has set the ball rolling for amendments to existing laws that allow MPs and MLAs unbridled privileges and immunity for their conduct inside and outside Parliament. A two-day conference of whips of Parliament and state legislatures will be held in Goa from tomorrow. The government has put on the official agenda two items that relate to code of conduct for MPs and MLAs and codification of their privileges inside the House. Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today said, “A code of conduct for MPs and MLAs is the need of the hour, so is the codification of their privileges.” The debate on codification has been going on for several years. It relates to Article 105 (2) of the Constitution which protects two main privileges MPs and MLAs have — right to speak in Parliament and right to give a vote. Though demands have been mounting on the need to define these privileges, nothing has come out of them even though the Constitution makers themselves had said privileges must be codified in due course. Due to absence of clarity on what constitutes privileges, even the apex court had in its Jharkhand Mukti Morcha verdict, ruled that an MP can’t be prosecuted for voting in Parliament after taking a bribe as he has Constitutional immunity. The Lok Sabha Privileges Committee in its report to the 14th Lok Sabha (when Somnath Chatterjee was the Speaker) ruled against the need for codification saying MPs need protection. The BJP-led government has, however, reopened the debate saying, “A view has emerged against codification. This issue acquires significance with academia demanding codification of privileges to end uncertainty and enable transparent functioning of Legislatures.” Codification would mean putting in black and white the situations in which MPs and MLAs can claim immunity from law. In 14th Lok Sabha, the then MP Abdul Wahab has cited his privileges to claim immunity when the Indian Commercial Pilots Association wanted to sue him for misbehaving with a pilot. The other issue the government wants debated is a code of conduct for MPs and MLAs to guide them on the standards of conduct expected during the course of their parliamentary duties. Naidu has been stressing on the code from the day he joined office. The code would require MPs and MLAs to declare all relevant interests that might be thought to influence their actions. This information would then be published in the Register of Interests the Lok Sabha and state assemblies would maintain. The UK Parliament has a highly evolved code of conduct in which MPs declare minor to major financial interests and receipts – from money received for delivering lectures, writing articles and appearing on TV shows to salaries drawn from directorship, details of shareholdings and election donors and even of honorary Club memberships. British PM David Cameron says in the Register of Interests to the House of Commons, “In my capacity as Leader of the Conservative Party, I have accepted Honorary Membership for life of the Carlton Club.” Cameron has made this declaration under the Register’s head “gifts, benefits and hospitality”. The UK Parliament’s Code of Conduct mandates declaration of MPs’ interests in 12 categories. In India only the Rajya Sabha Secretariat maintains a Register of Interest after the RS Committee of Privileges called for the same. The Lok Sabha does not maintain any such Register even after MPs have been accused of asking questions for money. Privileges inside the House A two-day conference of whips of Parliament and state legislatures will held in Goa from October 13 The government has put on the official agenda two items that relate to code of conduct for MPs and MLAs and codification of their privileges inside the House Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said, “A code of conduct for MPs and MLAs is the need of the hour, so is the codification of their privileges.” The debate on codification has been going on for several years.
	Ottawa opens engagement with Modi govt KV Prasad Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 12 Canada seeks to open its engagement with the Narendra Modi Government with its Foreign Minister John Baird scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj here on Tuesday for the annual bilateral strategic dialogue with focus on nuclear energy, defence and security ties. Besides cooperation in areas such as counter-terrorism, space and expanding trade ties, India will explore the possibility of how Canada could assist the government in its development and economic agenda with accent on skill training, urban planning and its ambitious plan to develop 100 smart cities. Ahead of his trip that includes a visit to Chandigarh, Canadian Foreign Minister noted: “Canada and India share a special bond and have clearly laid out the importance of our relationship through the Canada-India Strategic Dialogue. The recent transition in India marks an important chapter in our relationship, one that Canada looks forward to deepening and broadening. Issues surrounding global security, terrorism and economic prosperity will be focus of our discussions with the Modi government as we look to this next chapter with a wealth of optimism.” On the eve of the October 12-17 visit to India, Canada appointed Gujarat-born Nadir Patel as the new High Commissioner. Besides Baird, the Canadian delegation includes Minister of International Trade Ed Fast, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Justice Bob Dechert and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and for International Human Rights Deepak Obhrai. Minister Fast with Parliamentary Secretary Dechert will lead a six-day, three-city trade mission to Mumbai, Delhi and Chandigarh to boost Canada and India’s trade and investment partnerships. Strategic dialogue Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird is scheduled meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj here on Tuesday for the annual bilateral strategic dialogue Focus during the talks will be on nuclear energy, defence and security ties. India will explore how Canada could assist the government in its development and economic agenda. Both sides are also expected to discuss ways to increase trade ties
	‘Confer Bharat Ratna on Dr Lohia’ Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 12 Rich tributes were paid to socialist leader Dr Ram Manohar Lohia at a joint programme organised here today by the Janata Dal (U) and a voluntary organisation, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia International, on his 47th death Anniversary. JD (U) president Sharad Yadav paid floral tribute to Lohia and said his ideas were still relevant. “Dr Lohia fought for the weaker sections of society,” Yadav said. Those present on the occasion asked the government to confer Bharat Ratna on Dr Lohia for his contribution to the country and his unrelenting work for the downtrodden. The JD (U), which has been asking for Bharat Ratna for Lohia for long, supported a demand made by RML International founder chairperson Javed Raza.
	Vadodara riots: Rights body blames BJP govt, Hindu groups Manas Dasgupta Vadodara, October 12 A fact-finding team of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has found that the recent communal riots in Vadodara city, the “cultural capital of Gujarat,” was not an isolated incident but had its genesis in the “growing influence of the BJP and the right wing Hindu groups, over the police and the state administration”. PUCL, a human rights body formed by socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan in 1976, charged the BJP government in the state with “commuanlising the situation and giving free hand to the right wing Hindu groups, like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal, as it might be feeling that the bogey of development was no longer effective to continue to secure people’s support”. Drawing a parallel between the minority massacres in various parts of the state 12 years ago and the riots in Vadodara during the Navratri celebrations last month, the PUCL in its report claimed that the nightmare of the 2002 riots virtually re-visited some of the minority families in certain parts of Vadodara with police entering their houses and mercilessly beating up the residents in the name of searching for the alleged anti-social elements. The report, which was submitted to the National Human Rights Commission, the state home department and the state Director General of Police, said the complaints received by the human rights activists in the city had alleged that policemen in plainclothes, known as “D” staff, whose movements were not recorded officially, had entered the Muslim-dominated neighbourhoods after midnight and arrested young boys indiscriminately. “There are reports of police abusing verbally and physically assaulting women in very similar pattern as witnessed during the 2002 riots,” it said. The report pointed out that even in 2013 at least 151 cases of “communal conflicts” between very isolated groups were recorded in Vadodara city alone, it said the communal tension began as isolated outbursts in May when the country was going to the General Elections and then Gujarat Chief Minister and the BJP Prime Ministerial nominee Narendra Modi was contesting from Vadodara, but the situation did not deteriorate to the extent of being considered a law and order problem. But it began to intensify during the run-up to the by-polls after Modi vacated Vadodara in favour of Varanasi and started aggravating around the by-elections on September 13. It further alleged issues like “love Jihad” elsewhere and the call given by some right wing Hindu organisations for restricting Muslim youths from entering the Garba dance venues fanned communal feelings. It added despite the requests of some women and social organisations to CM Anandiben Patel to stop the “hate propaganda,” the state government refused to prevent “anyone from participating in the Navratri festivals.”
	Track your kids to school; get web alerts if they bunk class Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 12 For students who thought they could bunk school or hide class assignments without parents noticing, here’s a reality check. Many top schools are now opting for digital education tools that allow parents to keep tabs on everything the child does from the moment he leaves home for school. Be it student’s absence from school, his progress at class work, his assignment or even a detail like whether he has boarded the school bus, a new software enables schools to send all these web notifications to parents. The collaborative software for principals, teachers, students and parents has been picked up for implementation by top public schools at New Delhi and NCR with many others expressing interest. Called “Jumping Frog” and marketed in India by NetSpec, an education devices firm, the software brings the school, student and his family on one platform which is replete with student updates, including transport tracking, attendance, assignment, report card and hobby groups. “GPS bus-tracking and online parent teacher meetings are the hallmarks of our product. Parents can know sitting at home when the school bus will arrive at the stop. They will get alerts the moment the child boards the bus and again when he de-boards. They can track the bus on the cell. Parents will also get alerts if their child is absent. So bunking is out of question,” says Rajesh Bakshi of NetSpec. Among the first users of the technology are Sanskriti School in Delhi and Shikstantar in Gurgaon. “We are getting more orders,” Bakshi said, adding that digital classrooms are fast becoming a reality in India though the concept is more advanced in Singapore, Malaysia and Dubai where the firm is supplying digital school management tools. The software has a Facebook like platform called “Billboard” for teachers, students and parents to communicate and form groups. Hard pressed for time, parents can, with the new tool, even seek online meetings with teachers by posting on the platform a date of convenience. “Principals are privy to all that goes on including whether a parent has sought a meeting with a teacher. Since the device for biometric attendance of teachers is configured to the software, the principal gets real-time information on teachers’ absence. Also, the tool has advanced features that allow parents to know the company their child keeps at school and even the child’s key performance indicators,” said Rajesh Bhardwaj, another digital tool provider. Top schools turn tech-savvy Top schools in Delhi and NCR are opting for software that sends notifications to parents on ward’s absence, class progress Called ‘Jumping Frog’, the software brings the school, student and his family on one platform which will provide updates on attendance, assignment, report card and hobby groups Parents can know sitting at home when the school bus will arrive at the stop. They will get alerts the moment the child boards the bus and again when he de-boards.