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Naidu appeals MLAs HYDERABAD, Aug 26: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today appealed to the........more Nuclearisation, NEW DELHI, Aug 26: Nuclearisation, militarisation and terrorism were the major threats to security......more
Creation of new NEW DELHI, Aug 26: Congress president Sonia Gandhi has said the creation of three state......more |
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Parliament given
incorrect information on VDIS: CAG NEW DELHI, Aug 26: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has pulled up the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDR) for providing "incorrect information in writing" on some specific questions in Parliament regarding number of declarants .............more BJD draws PM’s attention NEW DELHI, Aug 26: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has drawn Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s attention on the "gross errors" in the.......more Militants blow up newspaper IMPHAL, Aug 26: Armed militants today blew up a newspaper office located inside the Pan Manipur .......more Militants blow up IMPHAL, Aug 26: The office of Pan Manipur Youth League (PYML), a prominent social organisation, .......more Fertiliser policy to CALCUTTA, Aug 26: The Centre will implement a long-term fertiliser policy for the growth and.......more |
Naidu appeals MLAs to call off fast HYDERABAD, Aug 26: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today appealed to the opposition legislators, who are on a ‘fast unto death’ against power tariff hike, to call off their stir in view of the present crisis triggered by floods even as two more fasting Congress MLAs were shifted to hospital. Fasting Congress MLA G Kuthuhalamma was hospitalised for the second time after her conditioned worsened today. Kuthuhalamma, who was hospitalised four days ago, rejoined the agitation and had to be hospitalised again as her sugar level shot up, doctors at the camp said. Another party MLA K Nagarjuna Reddy, who fell sick, was shifted to the hospital late last night, party sources said. Meanwhile, the fast unto death by 81 legislators, since August 18, would continue, according to CLP secretary G Channa Reddy, who is also participating in the stir. The Chief Minister appealed to the fasting Congress, CPI-M and CPI (ML-New Democracy) MLAs to call off their agitation in view of the alarming situation caused by heavy rains and flash floods which have so far claimed 130 lives besides causing huge damage. Intervening during discussion in the State Assembly on the flood situation, Naidu hit out at the opposition for ‘trying to derive political mileage by continuing the stir even under adverse situation when thousands of people were left homeless and without proper food or drinking water following floods’. He also criticised the MIM floor leader A Owaisi for extending support to the stir. (PTI) |
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| Nuclearisation, militarisation threat to
security, says expert NEW DELHI, Aug 26: Nuclearisation, militarisation and terrorism were the major threats to security of South Asia which makes the women of the region most vulnerable, according to renowned lawyer and human rights activist from Pakistan Asma Jahangir. Delivering the valedictory address on ‘engendering security’ at the conclusion of the five-day symposium on ‘human security in the new millennium’ here last evening, the Magsaysay Award winner said that security could be achieved by changing the attitude of the people as it lies in the state of mind." If one feels secure, one is secure." However, Ms Jahangir stressed the need for "humanisation of security and creating an Army of integrity." she said "before starting firing the army must ask itself, ‘am I justified in opening a battle or killing’." The UN special rapporteur on extra-judicial and summary executions said that instead of perpetuating the ‘enemy syndrome’ among their people, the Governments of India and Pakistan should play a more enabling and responsible role by inculcating the values of peace and human rights among them. She urged the leadership, the think tanks, intellectuals and all those associated with decision making process in the two countries to take the business of peace more seriously. "In the past one decade the unreasonableness among the people of the two countries have grown. While referring to Kashmir, Indians always talk about cross-border terrorism, while Pakistanis talk of human rights of Kashmiris and duty and loyality to Kashmir and in the process both forget the basic reason for the prevailing situation." To bring security in the region, the concept of governance should be changed as a leadership that brings peace is far more courageous than the one which opens fire and goes for war, the former chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said. The whole masculine concept of honour, which gets satisfied by waging wars, needed to be changed and people should be involved in the peace process to bring security to the region. Peace was also essential to increase the social indicators in both the countries as reduction in the defence budget would result in increased expenditure on education and other infrastructure facilities, Ms Jahangir said. "In conflict situation, whether war or militancy, women are the worst sufferers as besides killing their near and dear ones, in recent years these conflicts have become increasingly destructive with more civilian casualties. Women are not only subjected to physical violence, rape but also have to suffer the psychological pain. Besides, they are also forced to perform work like burying the dead, cleaning the mess left after war and starting the reconstruction process," she added. "Inspite all their efforts, the women remain unsung, unrecognised while the medal for valour is claimed by men. While, the men have the decision making power, the women were disempowered in the conflict situation," she said. The human rights activist called upon the women of south asia to take a lead and form strategy to bring peace in the region. By initiating a dialogue among themselves, women could act as "comrades of peace’ to bring security and peace in the region. She said bangles would act as the symbol of the firm resolve of these women. Ms Vibha Parthasarthy, chairperson of the National Commission for Women, presided over the valedictory function of the symposium organised by the Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace (WISCOMP) to consider the issues of human security, peacebuilding and globalisation through the ‘gender lens’. Women and men from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka shared their experiences on issues like militarism and the culture of peace, gender and peacebuilding, women in situations of armed conflict, gender, ethnicity and nationalism and conflict resolutions in South Asia. (UNI) |
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Creation of new states opens pandora’s box, says Sonia NEW DELHI, Aug 26: Congress president Sonia Gandhi has said the creation of three states—Jharkhand, Uttaranchal and Chhatisgarh—have opened a "pandora’s box" for similar demands in many states but the party would see the performance of the newly created states before committing to formation of more such states. "Definitely, it has opened a pandora’s box for others demanding creation of separate states. But we have to see the performance of the three newly created states before coming to such demands elsewhere," Gandhi told reporters here last night. Talking informally at a dinner hosted by party leader Vishwa Babdhu Gupta, she said there were demands for creation of states like Vidarbha in Maharashtra and Telangana in Andhra Pradesh, besides several others and added that people of Vidarbha have been agitating on the issue for a long time. Asked who will be the Chief Minister of the newly formed state of Chhatisgarh, where Congress enjoys absolute majority, Gandhi said it was premature to say anything but added that party MLAs would decide the matter. On the performance of the NDA coalition, she said "the fragile coalition Government have failed on all fronts and their differences on various issues have started cropping up". "We will continue to sharpen our attack on the fragile coalition to expose them", she said adding they even failed to evolve a concrete policy on the issues of national importance like Kashmir. "They don’t have a policy on kashmir at all". Assailing the Government for its failure to reach a consensus on the issue of providing 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, she said at least the Government should have initiated a dialogue with political parties on the matter. "Perhaps, in one, two, three or more rounds there could have been a consensus on the important issue", Gandhi said and added that her party would continue to pressurise the Government for the passage of the bill without further delay. Gandhi also said that the party would not climb down from its demand for 33 per cent reservation to 15 per cent. Samajwadi Party has been demanding lowering the quota to 15 per cent. About the appointment of senior party leader Pranab Mukherjee as chief of West Bengal Pradesh Congress committee, the party president said at the moment Mukherjee was the best option to lead the party in the state going to the polls early next year. Senior party leaders Arjun Singh, R K Dhawan, Mohsina Kidwai, Natwar Singh, M L Fotedar, AICC spokespersons Magaret Alva, Anil Shastri, Anad S Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dixit were among those present on the occasion. (PTI) |
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Parliament given incorrect information on VDIS: CAG NEW DELHI, Aug 26: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has pulled up the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDR) for providing "incorrect information in writing" on some specific questions in Parliament regarding number of declarants under the Voluntary Disclosure of Income Scheme (VDIS), 1997. The report tabled in both Houses says the Department of Income Tax did not inform Parliament on all circulars and clarifications given out for attracting tax defaulters. It says 87 per cent of the declarations were filed only in December 1997 when the scheme was ending. This was attributed, among other factors, to the numerous clarifications, circulars and press briefings by the department and "not all of them were in accordance with the provisions of the scheme", says the report. "On occasions when the CBDT had opportunities to give clarifications, the instructions issued were to the advantage of the declarants but were mostly against the interests of the department", says the CAG report. The CAG has cautioned that highly institutional assets such as shares and debentures are "likely to generate more black money because of lacunae in the scheme compounded by CBDT clarifications" It says declaration of these assets was allowed without accompanying details like description of shares, distinctive numbers, number of shares held, their face value, purchase date and cost of acquisition, among other things. Though the scheme specifically barred certain persons who came under the provisions of Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Act (COFEPOSA), Indian Penal Code, and other acts, "test check revealed presence of 17 accused persons involved in the cobbler scam and eight persons involved in hawala transactions". "CBDT instructions prevented the Central Income Tax (CIT) from enquiring into the antecedents of the declarants and there was no effective mechanism in the department to provide the assessing officers with information on these cases", says the report. (PTI) |
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Fertiliser policy to be implemented after debate CALCUTTA, Aug 26: The Centre will implement a long-term fertiliser policy for the growth and development of the industry only after initiating a wide-ranging debate on various crucial issues, the Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers, Suresh Prabhu said here today. Participating in an interaction with members of the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the minister said such a long-term policy will be imperative for the country’s growth and self-sufficiency in food production. "For the last 23 years, there has been a policy holiday. We need to have a long term policy in tune with the current philosophy of economic liberalisation. We have already started discussions on various issues," Prabhu said. The policy, to be implemented in three phases, will target removing controls and take a relook at subsidies. The minister said that various task forces have been formed to look into various aspects of the proposed policy and suggest measures to streamline the production, consumption and distribution of fertilisers. He said the 1977 policy had played a part in increasing production and consumption of fertilisers in the country. However, several aberrations have crept into it over a period of time. "The Government has already taken steps to remove them. We have formed a committee to look into all these problems", he said. (PTI) |
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