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Development activities NEW DELHI, Apr 22: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today said all development-related............more Ministers fan out in JAIPUR, Apr 22: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and all his ministerial colleagues........more Senior Congress HYDERABAD, Apr 22: P Indra Reddy, former Andhra Pradesh Minister and Congress..........more
Allegations of scams BHUBANESWAR, Apr 22: Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has ordered a CBI inquiry into.........more |
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Pak wants Hurriyat to remain
anti-Delhi Policy of 'hot pursuit' yields no returns in J&K From
B L Kak ‘No anticipatory JAIPUR, Apr 22: In a significant judgement, the Rajasthan High Court has ruled that an......more
Untouchable controversy ON BOARD AIR INDIA’s SPECIAL AIRCRAFT, Apr 22: President K R Narayanan has said the controversy ....more 5 members of PATNA, Apr 22: At least five people of a marriage party....more |
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Development
activities should be ecological NEW DELHI, Apr 22: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today said all development-related activities should be based on the concept of sustainable development, taking into account the need to protect the environment and maintain ecological balance. Talking to a group of 20 children on the ‘Earth Day 2000’ at his residence, the Prime Minister said "the most effective weapon against pollution and environmental degradation is increasing participation by the people and voluntary organisations". Endorsing the concern of the children, who presented him a 13-point "children’s manifesto on clean air", Vajpayee said that their charter would be looked into and that the Government would take necessary steps to reduce pollution levels. Lauding the efforts of the children for mobilising public opinion against environmental degradation and pollution, he pointed that Government had already taken several steps in this regard including mandatory use of lead and sulphur free fuel, greater controls on industrial waste disposal and public awareness campaigns. The children’s manifesto wanted the Government to provide among other things cleaner fuels, efficient public transport systems, ban on diesel cars, promotion of alternate fuels like cng, to control and manage the chaotic traffic on the roads, issue prior warning when pollution reaches emergency levels and to tax and fine the polluters. It also urged automobile makers not to wait for court orders to undertake pollution-reducing measures. The children, some carrying catchy placards like "leave behind a living planet and celebrate every day an earth day", and some wearing air pollution masks, mingled freely and responded to queries from the Prime Minister. "You will have either photograph or autograph", Vajpayee quipped when there was a sudden demand from the children for his autograph. Meanwhile, Anil Agarwal, Director of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Denis Hayes, who initiated Earth Day in 1970, have been selectd for the "Global Environment Leadership Award for 2000" by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The selection of Agarwal and Hayes for the award was made by Mohamed Tel-Ashry, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of GEF on the advice of a panel of prominent international environmentalists after an open nomination process, CSE said in a release. (PTI) |
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Ministers fan out in famine affected areas JAIPUR, Apr 22: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and all his ministerial colleagues have fanned out to different parts of the state to supervise relief operations in famine hit areas where more than 2.50 crore people are reeling under scarcity of drinking water, food and employment. Gehlot is visiting the worst affected Sirohi, Jalore and Barmer districts in Western Rajasthan, where cattleheads are perishing in absence of fodder and water. Each minister has been made incharge of one famine affected district and has been asked to extensively tour affected areas today and tomorrow and sanction relief works on the spot after assessing local needs. The Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief, Girija Vyas, has converted all the district Congress committees into relief committees and directed party workers to help drought hit people by providing them with necessary help. She herself is visiting Udaipur, Jalore and Sirohi districts today and tomorrow. More than 2.50 crore people in 23406 villages of 26 districts are reeling under famine conditions, facing acute shortage of drinking water, food and employment opportunities. Scarcity of fodder has hit about three crore cattleheads. There have been reports of people abandoning their cattleheads in Barmer and Sirohi and Jalore districts because they cannot maintain them. As many as 119 cattleheads died in a single day last week in mandore area of Jodhpour district after consuming brackish water, according to a former Minister Devi Singh Bhati. Bhati, a BJP MLA, said here yesterday the cattle died because the Government failed to arrange for potable water. Official sources concede that the problem of drinking water and fodder was acute this year and emergency schemes to maintain supply of drinking water were being implemented in all the famine affected areas. They said Rajsamand, Udaipur, Bhilwara, Pali, Sirohi, Jalore and Ajmer were facing the worst drinking water shortage after failure of rains for three consecutive years. Sources said a campaign had been launched to repair damage hand pumps on a war footing in affected areas and sink new tubewells. All collectors have been asked to take up transportation of drinking water on a priority basis to remote areas where all sources of water have dried up. For meeting the shortage of fodder, Non-Government Organisations’ help is being sought to bring cattle feed from outside the state. (PTI) |
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Senior Congress leader killed in road mishap HYDERABAD, Apr 22: P Indra Reddy, former Andhra Pradesh Minister and Congress Legislature Party secretary was killed along with two others in a road accident in neighbouring Ranga Reddy district early today, police said. Reddy, 45, a four-time legislator, was returning to the city after attending a local Congress leader’s wedding reception when the car he was travelling in collided with a truck near Palamakula village, about 40 kilometres from here, police said. A profusely bleeding Reddy was rushed to a private hospital here but was declared dead on admission. His driver and a youth Congress leader, Vidyasagar, were also killed in the mishap while his security guard was seriously injured. Reddy, who was first elected to the Assembly in 1985 on a Telugu Desam ticket and held several portfolios, including home and education in the late N T Rama Rao’s cabinet, is survived by his wife and three sons. Reddy’s body has been kept at Gandhi Bhavan, the State Congress headquarters, to enable people to pay their last respects. The cremation will be held at his native village of Koukuntla in Ranga Reddy district this evening, party sources said. (PTI) |
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Allegations of scams BHUBANESWAR, Apr 22: Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has ordered a CBI inquiry into the allegations of scams in the Water Resources and Agriculture Department during the previous Congress Government in the state. According to a press release issued by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat late last night, Mr Patnaik ordered the CBI inquiry after going through the details of the largescale irregularities and misappropriation of funds in execution of various projects under the Water Resources and Agriculture Departments. The ruling Biju Janata Dal and the BJP in their common minimum programme agenda had hinted that it would probe into the corruption and misappropriation of funds in the Water Resources and Agriculture Departments during the Congress regime. The demand for a CBI inquiry into the irregularities and misappropriation of funds in the water resources and agriculture department was the main poll plank of the BJD and BJP alliance partner during the last Assembly elections. The issue of corruption and misappropriation of funds in the Water Resources Department and Agriculture Department had rocked the State Assembly several times during the previous Congress Government. The opposition then all along demanded a thorough CBI probe into the allegation. Both the BJD and BJP had alleged that crores of rupees had been siphoned off during the Congress Government while executing various irrigation projects funded by the World Bank and other agencies. Such irregularites were also pointed out by the Comptroller and Audit General in his report. The purchase of hybrid seeds worth over hundred crores and the irregularities in the Soil Conservation and Horticulture Department also created a stir in the state during the previous Congress Government with the opposition alleging huge kick backs in the deal. The corruption and misutilisation of funds in the Agriculture Department was also detected by the public accounts committee of the State Assembly which suggested to the then Congress Government to institute a probe by an agency other than the State Government machinery to unearth corruption. The previous Congress Government, however, rejected the apeal for a CBI inquiry into these allegations stating that there were no irregularities noticed in the Water Resources and Agriculture Departments. The official release said the CBI inquiry would probe into the details of the allegations of the misappropriation and misutilisations of funds in these two departments. The Government, the release said, would take appropriate action against the corrupt and erring officials involved in the misappropriation of funds on the basis of the findings of the inquiry report. (UNI) |
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‘No anticipatory bail in SC, ST atrocities case’ JAIPUR, Apr 22: In a significant judgement, the Rajasthan High Court has ruled that an accused cannot be granted anticipatory bail if facts stated in the First Information Report (FIR) make a case of atrocities on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes against him. A full bench comprising Justice P P Navlekar, Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra and Justice A K Parihar, held yesterday that Section 18 of the Prevention of Atrocities on Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) Act bars anticipatory bail of an accused. Therefore, if the facts stated in the FIR make a case of atrocities on SC and ST people, the application for anticipatory bail of an accused cannot be accepted by court, the full bench ruled. The matter related to one Virendra, whose anticipatory bail application was rejected by a lower court but a single bench of the High Court ordered interim stay on his arrest after calling for the case diary, following which the complainant Bhanwari Devi filed an appeal in the court. (PTI) |
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Untouchable controversy thing of past:Narayanan ON BOARD AIR INDIA’s SPECIAL AIRCRAFT, Apr 22: President K R Narayanan has said the controversy over French media reports describing him as untouchable was a thing of the past but blamed the Indian press for this. As far as I am concerned, I am used to this kind of publicity in the Indian press. To some extent the french media reports are reflective of what the Indian media has been saying for the last three years, he told reporters on his way back home after a five-day state visit to France. Leading French daily Le Figaro had in a headline described Narayanan as untouchable which had sparked off a controversy culminating in an apology from the editor-in-chief Michel Schifres to the President. Soon after receiving the letter from Schifres, the President had said that the matter had ended though he was exercised by the manner in which the Indian Embassy had dealt with the French media. Apparently referring to the Indian media reports on the controversy, he said I think it would be a thing of the past. If you want to you can end it. (PTI) |
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5 members of marriage party killed, 11 hurt PATNA, Apr 22: At least five people of a marriage party were killed and eleven injured in an accident near here this morning. Police said the accident, involving a bus, a mini bus and a jeep, occurred near the railway crossing No-15 under Gardanibagh police station. The marriage party was travelling in the jeep. The injured were admitted to the Patna Medical College Hospital. The bus was later set ablaze by the local people. Sources said rash driving led to the accident. Senior police officials along with additional security personnel were camping on the spot. (UNI) |
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