The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

New education policy likely next year, says Smriti

Kochi, November 2
The new education policy of the BJP-led NDA government is likely to be rolled out next year, Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani said today.

“The deliberations on the proposed new policy will start next year and we should have a policy,” Smriti Irani said.

“We will start a new education policy soon. Education policy takes seven months to three years and politicians, bureaucrats and experts draw it up. But there is a need to involve principals, teachers and students in the policy,” she said.

Irani was speaking at a valedictory function of the 21st Annual Sahodaya conference of CBSE at Nedumbassery.

Addressing principals and teachers from CBSE schools across the country and abroad, she said: “The future of the country lies in your hands. I say this not only as HRD minister, but as also a mother of two CBSE school-going kids.” She said parents wanted a safe and secure environment for their children in schools.

She pointed out that India was going through an evolution and there was a chance to transform India for the better.

“I stand here as witness of the desire of people to seek transformation and this cannot happen only in government. It should happen at the grassroots and teachers should be a vehicle to bring about the change,” she said.

The minister, who also rolled out ‘Saransh’, a tool for comprehensive self-review in schools, said it was a big step.

As part of this, parents can be intrinsically involved in academic achievements of children from classes 9 to 12, she said.

It should not be used as a ‘pressure tactic’, but as an enabler, especially for children with learning challenges, she added.

She also said the ‘Kerala Kalolsavam’ wherein competitions in various dance and art forms are held annually in the state, should be taken to the national level. Currently, state boards and CBSE schools in Kerala conduct such art festivals.

“We have competition in sports, in essay writing. I join my voice for teachers of Kerala to take Kala Utsav to the national platform,” she said. — PTI

The deliberations on the proposed new policy will start next year and we should have a policy.... Education policy takes seven months to three years and politicians, bureaucrats and experts draw it up. But there is a need to involve principals, teachers and students in the policy.
—Smriti Irani, union HRD Minister

Fadnavis’ trust vote on Nov 12
CM allocates portfolios, keeps home, housing & health
Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service

Mumbai, November 2
aharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will seek a vote of confidence from the state Assembly on November 12, the CM’s office said today.

The trust vote will come at the end of a three-day session beginning on November 10 when the newly elected MLAs will take oath. A pro-tem Speaker will be elected on the first day of the session after which the MLAs will take their oath as legislators.

This would be followed by the election of the Speaker of the Assembly. The session will end with the new Chief Minister seeking a vote of confidence from the House.

The BJP has a strength of 121 in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly after the death of a newly elected MLA. The party has claimed the support of all the seven Independent MLAs in the Assembly apart from six others from smaller parties.

The BJP’s erstwhile ally, the Shiv Sena, is still holding out on extending support and is demanding that it be part of the government before it decides to vote in favour of Fadnavis. On the other hand, Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party has announced that it would abstain from the trust vote should the Shiv Sena turn against the government.

Fadnavis today allocated portfolios to the nine-member Cabinet which was sworn in last week. The Chief Minister has kept several major portfolios like home, urban development, housing and health with himself.

Eknath Khadse, the senior-most minister, has been handed the Revenue, Minorities Development, Wakf, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development, Fisheries and Excise portfolios.

Sudhir Mungantiwar will hold the Finance and Planning and Forests departments. Vinod Tawade will hold School Education and Sports, Higher and Technical Education, Medical Education, Department of Marathi and Cultural Affairs.

Pankaja Munde will be the minister in charge of Rural Development and Water Conservation apart from the Women and Child Development ministries.

Foreign defence dealers may get authorised agents in India
KV Prasad
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 2
The possibility of foreign armament dealers appointing authorised agents in India could become a reality soon, if the BJP-led Central Government makes up its mind. The existing rule is being reworked.

Having moved the pieces to open up the process of speeding up acquisition by effecting subtle changes to a blanket ban on defence equipment suppliers against whom allegations of wrong-doings surfaces, the Defence Ministry is exploring ways to remove the decades-old rule.

Sources in the top echelons of the decision-making process in the ministry told The Tribune the issue has been discussed and officials have been asked to prepare a note that would come up before the Defence Acquisition Council any time now.

“The policy could be in the form of the government asking foreign manufacturers to identify people as their authorised agent who can officially interact with the ministry on defence deals…this will be a far cry from the earlier days when agents were selected here," the sources said.

Sources privy to discussions in the ministry said the issue could be ready in time for the next meeting of DAC. It will also add to the BJP government’s argument on the reasons why procurement had been tardy under the previous UPA regime.

After the 1987 Bofors controversy, the Rajiv Gandhi government had banned middlemen or agents in defence deals, but the Vajpayee government amended the rule, lifted the blanket ban and set up elaborate and stringent conditions for having registered agents.

According to the existing procedure, instructions are for a regulation of representational arrangement through a system of registration, categorical and open declaration by the foreign suppliers of the services to be rendered by their authorised representative and the remuneration payable to them by way of fees, commission or any other method. Even after a decade, the move did not alter the landscape dramatically.

The Ministry of Defence and its allied offices is a strict "no entry" zone for people associated with defence manufacturing companies and the dealings are only with officials. However, it is known in the corridors of power in Lutyens Delhi as to how "consultants" move about attempting to influence the decision-making process.

Successive governments have built in measures in the defence procurement procedure to keep out shady operators and prevent companies from resorting to corrupt practices by building in an “Integrity Pact” for all deals over Rs 100 crore. Yet recent episodes, including in the VVIP helicopter case, tell a different tale.

The change

The policy could be in the form of the government asking foreign manufacturers to identify people as their authorised agent who can officially interact with the ministry on defence deals

Branded, ready-to-eat food on trains hits pricing roadblock

New Delhi, November 2
Rail travellers will have to wait for a few more days to get branded, ready-to-eat meals on their journeys as the Railways and packaged food manufacturers are busy sorting out pricing issues.

Flooded with complaints about the quality of the food served on trains, the Railways had decided to provide ready-to-eat food as an additional option for its passengers by October 30.

Even as he admitted that determining the prices for the branded food items was a factor that has led to the delay in the launch of the new menu on mail and express trains, Railway Member (Traffic), D P Pande, said, “It is being resolved now.”

While the Railways is averse to the high price demand of the food manufacturers, the latter maintain that the rate of pre- cooked food like pav bhaji, chicken biryani, rajma chawal served up in sealed packages will be a bit more than the prices of the standard meals available in pantry cars.

“We have made them agree to our approved rate and now the policy is being finalised and expected to be rolled out in a month from now,” Pande said. He, however, said that the option will be launched on a select few trains in the first phase and more trains will be covered later on. It would be made available on mail and express trains which have a pantry car.

The service is likely to be initially launched on trains such as Karnataka Express, Frontier Mail, Paschim Express where the trial of these pre-cooked food items are already being carried out.

A committee comprising health officials and senior rail officials has been formed to examine the quality, hygienic condition and protein value of the packaged food.

Since these items are pre-cooked, the committee will have to certify about its bacteria-free shelf life, said a senior railway ministry official. The branded food would be served to passengers as an ‘add on’ option along with the standard items as part of the catering service on trains.

However, the national transporter insists that price of the pre-cooked food will be kept on a par with the standard meals currently available on trains.

Given the high volume and branding opportunity, the companies are being told to charge reasonable rates, the rail official said.

As to the trials, the official said that pre-cooked food by reputed brands like ITC, MTR, Kohinoor Foods, Quickmeal and Deleez were made available on a few trains and the response of passengers was encouraging.

“Our aim is to ensure quality hygienic food for passengers. It must also be seen that the brands of meals or food items — their quality, quantity, rate, hygiene — are properly maintained,” the official added. — PTI

Wait gets longer for passengers

Flooded with complaints about the quality of the food served on trains, the Railways had decided to provide ready-to-eat food as an additional option for its passengers by October 30

The Railways and packaged food manufacturers are now busy sorting out pricing issues. While the Railways is averse to the high price demand of the food manufacturers, the latter maintain that the rate of pre-cooked food like pav bhaji, chicken biryani, rajma chawal served up in sealed packages will be a bit more than the prices of the standard meals

The service is likely to be initially launched on trains such as Karnataka Express, Frontier Mail, Paschim Express where the trial of these pre-cooked food items are already being carried out

Decision on Cong ties today: Vasan

Coimbatore, November 2
A day after dropping hints of breaking away from Congress and reviving the erstwhile Tamil Maanila Congress, former Union Shipping Minister GK Vasan today said the final decision on the future course of action tomorrow would reflect aspirations of leaders and workers.

"The decision on the future course of action to be announced tomorrow afternoon in Chennai will reflect the suggestions and aspirations of workers of various districts of Tamil Nadu," he told reporters at the airport.

Vasan said he had already elicited the opinions and suggestions from grassroots level workers, cadre and senior party leaders on the matter.

When pressed about revival of the TMC and opinions of the workers, he said almost all of them were unanimous in stating the need to bring back the golden era of Kamaraj rule and his father (late GK Moopanar). — PTI

25 govt teams to identify source of Ganga pollution

New Delhi, November 2
Expediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project of cleaning the Ganga, the Centre will constitute 25 special teams to check the source of pollution of the holy river so that further action could be taken accordingly.

The teams to be drawn from different wings of the Ministry of Water Resources would inspect various drains of the river during winters as there is no flow from the glaciers then, which will give ample scope to them to locate the source of discharge released by industries and other polluting factors.

The exercise, which is expected to be completed before summer, would be subsequently carried out in all the Ganga-flowing states, sources said.

“For instance, the teams will be inspecting five or six drains at Kanpur to prepare the data. This would help us draw plans on the requirement of treatment plants,” an official said.

Moreover, it would also help quantifying the volume of effluents discharged by the industries for initiating appropriate action in the future. — PTI

Indigenous N-sub’s sea trials by year-end

New Delhi, November 2
In a major boost to indigenisation of defence manufacturing, India’s first nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed submarine INS Arihant will head out for sea trials by the year-end.

“INS Arihant will be ready for sea trials by the end of this year,” an official aware of the developments relating to the 6,000-tonne submarine told IANS, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Once the trials are through and the submarine enters service, India will not only complete its nuclear triad of delivering nuclear weapons from land, sea and air, but also join an elite club of six nations that operate nuclear submarines carrying ballistic missiles. The US, Russia, France, Britain and China are the other nations with this capability.

The INS Arihant’s miniaturised nuclear reactor, built with Russian help, had gone critical last year and the vessel has been going through a series of harbour trials since then at Visakhapatnam, where it is being built.

The submarine has also been going through the power-up cycle of its nuclear reactor and has now achieved a nearly 100% power level, the official said.

“Its reactor had gone critical last year. We are now close to attaining 100 percent its power,” the official said, adding: “The nuclear reaction is highly controlled. It is something similar to nuclear power plants, but extra caution is needed. The reactor is now functioning perfectly well,” the official said.

Once the submarine attains 100 percent power, it will head out to sea for its final trials, which will include the firing of the indigenous Bo5 missile that has a 700-km range and can carry a one tonne nuclear warhead. INS Arihant can carry 12 such missiles.

The vessel, the lead ship of the Arihant-class submarines, was launched in 2009. Its design is based on the Russian Akula-1 class submarines and its 83MW pressurised heavy water reactor has been built with significant Russian assistance.

While its 100-member crew has been trained by Russian specialists, Indian scientists at Mumbai’s Bhabha Atomic Research Centre have received significant expertise in reducing the size of the reactor to help it fit into the 10 metre diameter hull of the submarine.

The Indian Navy currently operates the INS Chakra nuclear-powered submarine leased for 10 years from Russia in 2012.

Nuclear submarines stay out at sea for longer periods than diesel-electric powered boats and can also remain under water for longer durations. Conventional submarines have to surface at regular intervals for re-charging their batteries, making them vulnerable to detection.

Two other vessels of the Arihant class are also believed to be under construction at Visakhapatnam’s state-owned Hindustan Shipyard Ltd. — IANS

India’s ticket to super club

The miniaturised nuclear reactor of INS Arihant (pic), built with Russian help, had gone critical last year and the vessel has been going through a series of harbour trials since then at Visakhapatnam, where it is being built

Once the trials are through and the submarine enters service, India will complete its nuclear triad of delivering nuclear weapons from land, sea and air

It will also join an elite club of six nations that operate nuclear submarines carrying ballistic missiles. The United States of America, Russia, France, Britain and China are the other nations with this capability

Fission process delayed at Kudankulam N-unit

Chennai, November 2
The start of fission process in the second atomic power unit at Kudankulam has been postponed to March 2015.

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) said the first criticality - start of fission - is expected to be in March 2015. Earlier, NPCIL said the unit would start fission process this month.

India’s atomic power plant operator NPCIL is setting up two 1,000 MW Russian reactors at Kudankulam in Tirunelveli district, 650 km from here. The total outlay for the project is over Rs 17,000 crore.

The first unit attained criticality in July 2013, which is the beginning of the fission process. The unit has started power generation and has been connected to the southern grid.

However, the first unit has not been able to start commercial generation till date owing to some problems. The first unit’s turbine was found to have developed some problem September 26 and its running was stopped.

Sources said some component inside the turbine turned loose and damaged the turbine blades. The NPCIL has decided to restart the first unit’s turbine taking out the needed components from the second unit’s turbine. — IANS

WEST Bengal unrest
TMC accuses BJP of indulging in violence

Kolkata, November 2
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) today accused the BJP of trying to create unrest in West Bengal by indulging in ‘violence’ and alleged that other opposition parties like the CPM and the Congress were also providing support to its activities.

“The BJP and other parties such as the CPM and the Congress are trying to create unrest in Bengal. Keeping BJP in the front, they are working to destabilise the state,” Trinamool Congress secretary-general Partha Chatterjee said on the sidelines of a function here.

“There is no place for violence in Bengal. This is an attempt to stop development work being carried out by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee despite several roadblocks,” Chatterjee said, referring to the recent incident at Makhra village under Parui police station in Birbhum district where three persons were killed in violence allegedly between supporters of the BJP and the TMC.

“These people are trying to destabilise the state by indulging in violence, but people of Bengal will not tolerate such activities,” he said.

Terming as political gimmick the BJP’s attempt to reach relef materials like food and blankets to the affected people in Makhra, where prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC are in force for the last few days, he said, “Where were they for all these years? I have not seen them giving even puffed rice to anybody earlier.” — PTI

Victims' kin given aid

The state government today issued compensation of ~2 lakh to each of the kin of the three victims at Makra village, Birbhum. They were killed in inter-party clashes involving the TMC and the BJP. A BJP team, which visited Makra with foodstuff and other relief material, was not allowed to enter the village. As a result, the team returned back with the undistributed relief materials. BJP leader Tathagata Roy, who led the team, alleged that they were ready to send only three members to the affected areas with the relief materials so that the order under 144CrPc was not violated. But that request was turned down. — TNS

Telangana hikes PDS rice quota for poor
Suresh Dharur
Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, November 2
In a major populist move, the Telangana government has enhanced the monthly quota of rice being given to the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families through public distribution system and also increased the income limit for families in urban and rural areas to avail the benefit.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao gave the nod to the proposal to hike the monthly rice quota from the present 4 kg per head to 6 kg per head with no cap on the size of the household. The rice will be supplied at a subsidised rate of Rs 1 per kg.

At present, there is a cap of 20 kg per month for each BPL family.

“There will be no upper limit in future,” the officials said, amid concerns over the government’s plans to weed out bogus ration cards and remove ineligible persons from the list of beneficiaries.

The income limit to obtain subsidised rice and other essential commodities through ration shops has been increased from the existing Rs 60,000 per annum to Rs 1.50 lakh in rural areas and from Rs 75,000 to Rs 2 lakh per annum in urban areas.

There are an estimated 80 lakh ‘white’ ration cards, meant for the BPL

families. A large number of them are believed to be bogus. The state government had recently conducted an intensive household survey across the newly-formed state to gather socio-economic data of people to help fine-tune the welfare schemes.

There are plans to provide food security cards to the BPL households, replacing the existing white ration cards. The colour of the new cards will be pink, the party colour of the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

The Chief Minister approved a set of recommendation in this regard made by a cabinet sub-committee headed by Finance and Civil Supplies Minister E Rajender. “The relaxation of norms to obtain food security cards reflect the sincerity and commitment of our government towards the welfare of the poor and the needy,” Rajender said.

The food security cards would be issued in accordance with the National Food Security Act, the Minister said adding that the state government was ready to bear the additional expenditure on account of relaxation of norms specified in the Act.

“While the Act stipulates that these cards should not cover more than 40 per cent of the population in urban areas and 60 per cent in rural areas, our government has relaxed these norms. Also, there is no upper limit with regard to number of beneficiaries. We will issue cards to each and every eligible household. While the Centre will bear the financial burden as per norms, we will bear the additional burden on account of relaxation of these norms,” Rajender explained.

CM okays proposal

CM K Chandrasekhar Rao has given the nod to the proposal to hike the monthly rice quota from the present 4 kg per head to 6 kg per head with no cap on the size of the household. The rice will be supplied at a subsidised rate of Rs 1 per kg.

The income limit to obtain subsidised rice and other essential commodities through ration shops has been increased from the existing Rs 60,000 per annum to Rs 1.5 lakh in rural areas and from Rs 75,000 to Rs 2 lakh per annum in urban areas.

There are an estimated 80 lakh 'white' ration cards, meant for the BPLfamilies. A large number of them are believed to be bogus

Premature disclosure can harm probe, says Jaitley
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 2
Under attack from the Opposition for slow progress in delivering on the promise of bringing back black money stashed overseas, the Narendra Modi government today launched a twin-pronged strategy to counter it with the Prime Minister assuring the country of his commitment while the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley justifying that premature disclosure of names could harm the move.

Hours after the PM mentioned the promise as being an “article of faith”, the Finance Minister circulated an article through the BJP attacking the Congress as to why a party with “adequate understanding of the subject demand a disclosure (of names) in violation of the treaty”.

He charged that the Congress does not want evidence to be forthcoming in support of the names available with the Special Investigation Team set up the Supreme Court.

An unauthorised disclosure of information is fraught with both investigation and economic consequences. They can sabotage the investigation. They can attract sanctions in the form of withholding taxes.

“It is obvious that in a choice between unauthorised disclosure and disclosure as per treaties, the latter is both a fair and beneficial proposition. It will help in collection of evidence and exposure of a wrong doing in accordance with law and fair procedure. A disclosure without evidence would ensure that evidence is never available’’, he said.

The minister said almost all the countries that entered into Double Taxation Avoidance Treaties or have domestic legislation as the US has, insist that information given to a country would be remain confidential and disclosure only after prosecution is filed before a court.

He said: “Thus the issue is not whether but when disclosure can be made. The debate is not between disclosure and non-disclosure of confidential information. It is between unauthorised disclosure in violation of tax treaties and disclosure as per tax treaties. An unauthorised disclosure in violation of tax treaties entails that the disclosure is made for collateral purposes. It is usually not accompanied by any evidence or proof. But when a disclosure is made in pursuance of a chargesheet in a court of law where a criminal prosecution is filed, it would certainly be a disclosure substantiated by adequate proof and evidence.” — PTI

2-pronged Chinese incursion at Pangong

Leh/New Delhi, November 2
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) recently made a two-pronged incursion by sending its troops into the Indian territory both via land and water route, reports say.

Official sources today said Chinese boats entered the Indian waters at the lake nestled in the higher reaches of Ladakh on October 22. This was simultaneously backed by Chinese troops intruding 5 km into the Indian side via road built along on the northern bank of the lake, 168 km from Leh, the sources said.

But alert ITBP personnel noticed the PLA movement and intercepted them at an imaginary line, supposed to be the Line of Actual Control (LAC), in the lake.

The ITBP men also blocked the PLA troops mounted on mountain terrain vehicles as they tried to cross over into the Indian side by road.

Both sides waved banners claiming it to be their territory. This was followed by a face-off.

But the Chinese troops returned after the ITBP personnel prevented them from moving both their boats as well as ground troops forward, the sources said.

The Chinese troops, however, managed to enter up to Finger IV area in the region from where they were sent back. The area has been a bone of contention between the two sides as both claim it to be a part of their territory. — PTI

Enter 5 km into India

Chinese boats entered the Indian waters at Panglong Tso in eastern Ladakh on October 22

PLA troops simultaneously entered 5 km into the Indian side via road on the northern bank of the lake

ITBP personnel intercepted them in the Finger IV area of the lake and forced them to turn away

Taking TB drugs without checks? Watch out for acute liver failure
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 2
An increasing number of patients on unmonitored TB drugs are reporting to hospitals in critical condition due to acute liver failure.

Top hospitals are receiving more and more cases in OPDs and emergencies involving patients who were on anti-TB treatment for some months but ended up reporting deranged liver functions, mental instability and in some cases coma.

Endorsing the trend, Abhideep Chaudhary , consultant in Liver Transplant at Ganga Ram Hospital said he had received three patients in the recent past and in each case liver transplants had to be arranged.

“We have seen three cases in a short time. These patients were on anti-tubercular drugs, had developed progressively worsening jaundice, derangement of blood clotting systems and were in Grade III to IV coma. They were all critical and had to be put on a ventilator. Their brain functions had deranged and brain swelling was worsening.”

Liver super specialists across top hospitals said they were seeing more such cases. In most of them liver transplants were given. Another liver specialist Vasudevan KR says, “The only option left to save such patients is to perform an emergency liver transplant within 24 hours.”

Specialists warned that anti TB treatment needs careful monitoring to prevent liver toxicity and drug dosages need adjustment in case of liver derangement. Lives saving surgeries in patients with liver toxicity due to erratic TB doses take 10 to 12 hours. Patients have been seen to regain consciousness after 24 to 72 hours post transplant.

At Ganga Ram, three patients suffering acute liver failure underwent liver transplants recently. One was a 28-year-old female from Delhi who was on treatment for infertility when she was diagnosed with uterine tuberculosis. She started on anti-tubercular treatment (ATT) drugs which she took for eight months without strict monitoring.

“This female fell into coma following drowsiness and was put on a ventilator before being brought to our hospital. Her younger brother donated a part of his liver and she underwent a liver transplant,” Chaudhary said.

Another 52-year-old who reported similar history had pus formation on her back below the shoulder and started on ATT without supervision. She developed jaundice and fell into coma.

Experts advice caution with ATT drugs at a time when three per cent of Indian population is suffering from TB. Of those on ATT, drug induced liver toxicity has been reported in 10 to 25% cases. Symptoms of toxicity include jaundice, deranged liver function tests, nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain, delay in blood clotting and altered mental status.

Lurking danger

An increasing number of acute liver failures are being reported in patients due to erratic TB medication

Liver transplant can only save life in such cases

Specialists say anti-TB treatment needs careful monitoring to prevent liver toxicity and drug dosages need adjustment in case of liver derangement

India assures Mauritius on tax treaty

Port Louis (Mauritius), November 2
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday assured Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam that India will not do anything that will adversely affect Mauritius’s interests while reviewing the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA).

Sushma Swaraj, who arrived here on Saturday on a three-day visit, said amendments to the bilateral tax treaty would be made only after considering the legitimate interests of both sides.

She also emphasised that India-Mauritius relations “have an emotional connect”, said official sources.

The visit of the Indian minister takes place against the backdrop of three Indian naval ships INS Talwar, Deepak and Mumbai docking in Port Louis on a goodwill visit.

Sushma Swaraj is here to attend the commemoration events of the 180th anniversary of Aapravasi Diwas here, the day the first batch of 36 Indians arrived in the Indian Ocean island in 1834 to work as indentured labour. — IANS

Banks yet to restrict free ATM transactions in metros

New Delhi, November 2
Even as the RBI allowed banks to charge ATM transcations beyond five in metros, the lenders are yet to restrict the number of free withdrawals for their own customers at home automated teller machines.

Leading banks like SBI, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank have not yet announced any cap on free transactions.

The lenders are refraining from putting a cap as restriction on free ATM usage would increase footfall in branches, a senior official of a public sector bank said. Rise in customer visit to bank branches for withdrawals or other non-financial purposes will increase cost which is much higher than Rs 20, the official added.

Some of the banks are weighing options so that they are able to absorb this and provide more number of free ATM transactions in a month, a senior official of a private bank said.

As per the RBI circular, banks are free to charge Rs 20 for transactions beyond five from November 1 but at the same time it said that banks are free provide more number of transactions to their customers if they desire so.

Bank customers in six metros — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bangalore — are allowed to withdraw money or carry out non-financial transactions like mini-statements at ATMs of banks, where they hold saving or current accounts, free of charge only five times a month, the RBI circular said.

Every transaction beyond this threshold will be charged Rs 20 per use. Besides, the number of free transactions at ATMs of non-home banks has been cut to three times a month from five times.

The SBI, which has about 43,000 ATMs, is yet to put a cap on free ATM transactions. The bank allows ATM withdrawals of up to Rs 40,000 daily on classic debit card. Leading private sector banks like ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank have also not put restrictions on free ATM transactions yet. — PTI

The tangle

The banks are refraining from putting a cap as restriction on free ATM usage would increase footfall in branches

Rise in customer visit to bank branches for withdrawals or other non-financial purposes will increase cost which is much higher than Rs 20, said a source

Some of the banks are weighing options so that they are able to absorb this and provide more number of free ATM transactions in a month

Panel on veterans’ welfare set up
Vijay Mohan
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 2
In a bold initiative towards mitigating the grievances of military veterans, the government has constituted a Standing Committee on Welfare of Ex-Servicemen. The committee would be chaired by the Minister of State for Defence and would be a forum for all the stake holders to discuss issues concerning them.

The committee, which came into being in October, has been set up on the lines similar to the Standing Committee on Voluntary Agencies (SCOVA) that functions under the aegis of the Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare, which takes up matters concerning the welfare of retired civilian government employees.

The committee on welfare for ex-servicemen is expected to meet at least once in a quarter, and would have official members, including the Secretary, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Controller General of Defence Accounts, Director General Resettlement, Managing Director Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme and the Secretary, Kendriya Sainik Board.

Non-official members in the committee would include representatives of various ex-servicemen’s organisation, besides having provisions for special invitees and officials from the Veterans’ Cells of the three services.

Veterans claim that the major impediment in resolution and rationalisation of problems related to military veterans was that the stakeholders did not have a say in decision-making process and that senior bureaucrats and the political executive were isolated and insulated from the voice of the veteran community.

Welcoming the establishment of the committee, ex-servicemen said that issue concerning them would now be discussed openly and any anomalies and faulty inputs would be resolved before any policy is formulated, not only saving a lot of time and trouble later but also preventing protracted litigation.

Ex-servicemen have often expressed their unhappiness over the functioning of the Department of Ex-servicemen’s Welfare in the Ministry of Defence, pointing out that it is staffed entirely by civilians without any representation from the veterans, making it insensitive towards their requirements and grievances.

In the last SCOVA meeting held in September, chaided by the Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh, the issue of redressal of ex-servicemen’s grievances had been strongly raised by veterans, including Col Hari Handa, the President of Disabled War Veterans, India (DIWAVE).

MoS Defence to chair committee

The standing committee on welfare for ex-servicemen is would be chaired by the Minister of State for Defence and would be a forum for all the stakeholders to discuss issues concerning them.

It would have official members, including the Secretary, Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Controller General of Defence Accounts, Director General Resettlement, Managing Director Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme and the Secretary, Kendriya Sainik Board.

Non-official members would include representatives of various ex-servicemen’s organization

Kiss fest organisers in Kochi police custody

Kochi, November 2
Organisers and sympathisers of the controversial 'Kiss of Love' event were today taken into custody as they tried to march to the Marine drive grounds, venue of the symbolic protest against moral policing, the police said. The organisers tried to take out a march from Ernakulam Law college to the venue, but were prevented from doing so. About 50 persons were taken into custody, they said.

Holding placards and raising slogans against moral policing, the protesters were bundled into a police van.

A strong police contingent was posted at the Marine Drive Grounds to keep a lookout for potential trouble-makers. The organisers had expected nearly 1,000 people to turn up for the event, but the media hype generated saw the area overflowing with people, curious to see the unique protest and those against the event.

In a last-minute change, the organisers tried to take out a march from the Ernakulam law college at around 4.30 PM to reach the Marine drive grounds, when they were stopped by police and taken into custody.

The programme scheduled earlier was that the event would be held at the grounds at 5 pm.Holding placards and banners, those against the 'Kiss Fest', including Shiv Sena, district unit of Kerala Students Union and a Muslim outfit took out marches against the event, organised by 'Free Thinkers', a group of social networking website Facebook users. — PTI

People throng venue

A strong police contingent was posted at the venue Marine Drive Grounds to keep a lookout for potential troublemakers

The organisers had expected nearly 1,000 people to turn up for the event, but the media hype generated saw the area overflowing with people, curious to see the unique protest and those against the event

Holding placards and raising slogans against moral policing, the protesters were bundled into a police van

Not enough scientists in India: Nobel laureate

Kolkata, November 2
Despite its rich tradition of producing academics, India — at the moment — lacks the necessary pool of scientists needed for its future, Nobel laureate George Smoot said.

The 2006 winner of the Nobel in Physics has suggested the country spruce up its research institutes to create a research-friendly environment and tackle its brain drain.

“There is not enough of what India needs for the coming future. I also think India is losing a lot of talent as people are going to other countries for good job opportunities and research,” Smoot told IANS by phone from New Delhi.

“By making a better environment here, some of those people will return to India and help build India,” added Smoot.

American astrophysicist and cosmologist Smoot is in the country to attend the Sweden India Nobel Memorial Week organised by the Embassy of Sweden.

Smoot, whose fundamental research deals with origins of the universe, shared the prestigious honour with colleague John C Mather for their work on the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite.

COBE revolutionised understanding of the early cosmos by precisely measuring and mapping the oldest light in the universe — the cosmic microwave background. The results confirmed the Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe.

Currently, a professor of physics at the University of California - Berkeley, he emphasised two key areas to address the problem of brain drain.

“First is education... to bring forward a new generation of people who will be scientists... there is not enough what an advanced form of economy is going to need.”

“And the second would be to build up universities in collaboration with the institutes...and to be able to create environments for people to do research here. Smart talents are going to other countries where there are institutes with good environments,” said Smoot.

However, the laureate accepted it would “take a while” to upgrade current research laboratories to state-of-the-art facilities.

With regard to the next course of action, Smoot batted for strengthening and furthering studies in “all major fields of fundamental science”.

“Work is on in biology, biophysics and condensed matter physics. But, overall, you have to have a broad frontier of fundamental science going on because you never know from where the next exciting news is going to come,” he concluded.

The official Nobel programme, arranged by Nobel Media and the Nobel Museum, includes university lectures, a seminar and other events in Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune.— IANS

Dhowan leaves for Kenya
Tribune News Service

Navy Chief Admiral RK Dhowan

New Delhi, November 2
India continues to extend its outreach in the Indian Ocean. Now the Indian Navy will further cement its relationship with Kenya, located on the east-coast of Africa and important partner for New Delhi in the dynamics of controlling the Indian Ocean.

Navy Chief Admiral RK Dhowan today departed on a five-day visit to Kenya. One of the highlights of the visit is presentation of ‘first updated navigational chart’ of the Kenyan areas at sea by the Admiral to Kenyan authorities. This survey was conducted by INS Jamuna, a survey ship currently deployed on the East African coast on a hydro-graphic mission.

Its results will be shared with Kenya as it provides the undersea contours to ships sailing in the open. India is conducting such a survey for other Indian Ocean rim countries also. India and Kenya have enjoyed historical maritime linkages for centuries. The visit by the Chief of the Naval Staff will explore avenues to build friendship.

India already has an ongoing and fruitful bilateral engagement with Kenya. Apart from regular ship visits, the Indian Navy has been extending training support to the Kenyan Navy.

Suhag ends Bhutan visit

Indian Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag on Sunday ended his three-day visit to Bhutan, his first international visit after taking charge as Chief. In the next couple of months General Suhag is slated to visit Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, all very important for Indian military interests.

Bus services from Kathmandu to Delhi, Varanasi on cards

Kathmandu, November 2
In a bid to boost people-to-people contact and tourism in the region, Nepal and India have finalised a new agreement that envisages bus services from Kathmandu and Pokhara to New Delhi and Varanasi.

The Motor Vehicle Agreement will be signed during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Himalayan nation to attend the Saarc summit slated for November 26-27.

The agreement proposes regular bus services on three routes — Kathmandu to New Delhi via Gorakhpur and Lucknow; Kathmandu to Varanasi via Azamgarh; and Pokhara to New Delhi via Gorakhpur and Lucknow, the Indian embassy here said.

The agreement also intends to simplify the movement of private vehicles across the border. The proposed India-Nepal Friendship Car Rally on the Puri-Kathmandu-Delhi route will also get assistance from both governments. “The governments of Nepal and India held talks in Kathmandu on Oct 30 to finalise the Motor Vehicle Agreement and other matters related to road transport and infrastructure,” the Indian embassy statement said.

A Nepali official told IANS that the new bus services will be launched November 25, the day Modi arrives in Kathmandu. The Nepal delegation was led by Tulasi Prasad Situala, secretary in the physical infrastructure and transport ministry, while the Indian side was led by Vijay Chibber, secretary in India’s road transport and highways ministry. The Nepali side appreciated the offer from India to impart technical training to Nepal’s highway engineers at the Indian Academy of Highway Engineers.

India also shared its experience in construction of roads through the public private partnership (PPP) and engineering procurement and construction (EPC) models.

Both sides also decided to prepare a feasibility report for three motorable bridges on the Mahakali river at Mahendra Nagar, Jhulaghat and Darchula and a suspension bridge at Shirsha in Dadeldhura district of Nepal. — IANS

Transport treaty

The governments of Nepal and India held talks in Kathmandu on October 30 to finalise the Motor Vehicle Agreement and other matters related to road transport and infrastructure.

The agreement also intends to simplify the movement of private vehicles across the border.

Pakistani hackers deface two Gujarat websites

Ahmedabad, November 2
Pakistan-based hackers, who called themselves ‘Pakistan Cyber Mafia Hackers’, hacked two Gujarat government websites as well as three other websites yesterday and wrote derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi on their home pages.

Out of the total five websites hacked by Pakistani hackers yesterday, two belonged to the Gujarat government, including the official website of Commissionerate of Higher Education - ‘www.egyan.org.in’ and official website of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee of Ahmedabad (APMC) - www.apmcahmedabad.com.

Other websites, which they claimed to have hacked, include www.delhi-pharma.com, www.listtopcolleges.in and www.atnnetwork.in. They put up the list of these hacked websites on the wall of their Facebook page.

After hacking the websites, the hackers put their logo and some text on the homepages, which read ‘Hacked by Pakistan Cyber Mafia Hackers’, ‘Feel the power of Pakistan’, ‘Pk_Robot was here’ and ‘Pakistan Zindabad’.

In one of the hacked websites, hackers also put up derogatory remarks against PM Narendra Modi.

After learning about the hacking of these websites, the Gujarat state government as well as APMC authorities swung into action and removed the malicious content.

According to APMC Ahmedabad official Ketan Patel, the website is undergoing maintenance and is currently offline.

“As soon as we learned about the hacking of our website, we have shut it down for maintenance. We have removed the material posted by hackers. On Monday, we will call a meeting and lodge an FIR,” Patel said.

Meanwhile, the Gujarat government too “cleaned” up it’s website immediately after it was hacked.

“We removed the page uploaded by hackers to our website yesterday itself. We will do an internal inquiry,” State Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said. — PTI

BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain gets threat call from Dubai number

New Delhi, November 2
BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain was allegedly threatened over phone last night following which he has registered an FIR at the Parliament Street police station here.

In his complaint, Hussain said he received two calls from a Dubai number when he was on his way to his residence in Delhi from the airport around 11:30 pm after he had returned from Patna.

The caller abused him for batting for the Narendra Modi government on television debates and asked him to leave the party or else face repercussions, and that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi would not be able to save him.

"We have registered a case under relevant sections and investigations have been taken up,” said a senior police official. — PTI

Woman Maoist commander arrested

Raipur, November 2
A dreaded woman Maoist commander, wanted in 12 cases was today arrested in Chhattisgarh’s insurgency-hit Kanker district, the police said.

Laxmi Salaam (32) was apprehended by a joint squad of district force and BSF (Border Security Force) from her native village Sambalpur under Kayalibeda police station limits, Kanker Superintendent of Police R N Dash told PTI.

Acting on a specific input that Laxmi was staying with her husband in Sambalpur, located around 250 kms from here, a team of BSF’s 140 battalion and local police was dispatched, Dash said.

After encircling the village, security personnel nabbed her, he added. The woman ultra has been active in the outlawed movement for the last fourteen years during which she was tasked to handle several crucial positions in the outfit. — PTI

Swiss banks mull anticipatory steps

Berne/New Delhi, November 2
As probe into suspected black money stashed abroad by Indians gathers steam, banks in Switzerland are running from pillar to post to safeguard their interest while some are also considering financial provisions in their books for possible penal actions and legal costs.

At the same time, banks are also lobbying with the Swiss government to insist on putting in place necessary measures in their information-exchange and administrative assistance frameworks with India for safeguarding the interest of banking institutions during the subsequent prosecution and other legal or regulatory proceedings in the black money cases.

Sources, however, said that the role of some banks, as also that of certain bankers, has already come under scanner for acting in concert with the suspected black money hoarders and also for making 'safe haven' promises for their funds.

The suspected lapses on the part of at least three large European banks, including two from Switzerland itself and the third having a significant presence in the Alpine nation, are also being probed for allegedly facilitating re-routing funds of certain Indian corporate houses back into their listed companies as foreign investments.

Capital market watchdog Sebi is probing at least three large global banks and many Indian companies for alleged round tripping of funds by way of multi-layered transactions, while the regulatory noose has further tightened in these cases with involvement of other regulatory and enforcement agencies.

Such transactions are suspected to have taken place in case of 15-20 Indian companies, a senior official said, but refused to disclose their names as also that of the banks saying it might impede the investigations. — PTI

Alok Kumar takes over as CVC Secy

New Delhi, November 2
Senior IAS officer Alok Kumar has taken over as the Secretary of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), country’s top anti-corruption body.

Kumar, a 1984 batch IAS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, has also been entrusted with additional charge of Joint Secretary (Training) under the Ministry of Personnel till the completion of his tenure or till posting of his successor, said an official order issued by the ministry.

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC), headed by the Prime Minister, has also extended Central deputation tenure of Kumar for three months beyond December 13, 2014.

Kumar has taken over as the CVC Secretary on Friday.

The vacancy in the CVC was necessitated after KD Tripathi, a 1980-batch IAS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, was on September 24 appointed the Secretary in the Department of Public Enterprises. — PTI