Excelsior... Nation

Sharad Yadav

Govt considering setting
up IA in several states

NEW DELHI, Jan 16: Government is considering setting up international airports in several states including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh.....more

Sheila Dikshit

Delhi Govt in talks with
Centre over new ST rates

NEW DELHI, Jan 16: The Delhi Government is negotiating with the Centre for a reduction in the sales tax floor rates.....more

Madan Lal Khurana

Khurana terms hike in
petroleum products
as ‘unjustified

NEW DELHI, Jan 16: Former Delhi Chief Minister and Member of Parliament Madan Lal....more

George Fernandes

Karmapa’s stay in
India not to violate
panchsheel: George

NEW DELHI, Jan 16: Defence Minister George Fernandes today said the 17th Karmapa Urygen Trinley Dorje could............more

Police on lookout for
hijackers’ accomplices

MUMBAI, Jan 16: The Crime Branch sleuths are on a lookout for four more........more

Lara Dutta crowned
Femina Miss India 2000

PUNE, Jan 16: The usual razzmatazz coupled with added zeal by the presence of eleven.....more

Bringing police under
local bodies must for
decentralisation

NEW DELHI, Jan 16: Defence Minister George Fernandes today said purposeful......more

Jethmalani calls for
setting up of environ
protection force

NEW DELHI, Jan 16: Law, Justice and Company Affairs Minister Ram Jethmalani has called for....more

Govt considering setting up IA in several states

NEW DELHI, Jan 16: Government is considering setting up international airports in several states including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and would invite foreign investment for it, Civil Aviation Minister Sharad Yadav said here today.

In an interview, he said Government would also restructure the boards of Air India and Indian Airlines and streamline their functioning for better efficiency, but there was no move to merge the two.

Yadav said Government would soon finalise a civil aviation policy and take a decision on open sky proposal.

He said security arrangements at airports were being strengthened and special measures taken to prevent hijacking of Indian planes.

Yadav also said efforts were on to bring different parts of the country on the air map through operation of smaller planes.

For this a private airline even with one such plane would be allowed to operate, he said and added that Indian Airlines would also have to have a fleet of smaller planes.

He said a decision on Indian Airlines acquiring smaller planes was likely to be taken very soon.

Yadav said considering the importance of Buddhist circuits, consultations will be held with Governments of concerned states for selection of sites for international airports.

He said Government would welcome foreign as well as private investment for setting up aerodromes or for running them on lease either on their own or in joint venture.

He pointed out that Kochi aerodrome was built by an NRI and Government could allow building of other aerodromes along the same line.

On the issue of reducing airfare, he said this was possible only if Indian carriers received aviation fuel at a lesser rate like their foreign counterparts. Foreign airlines were getting the fuel at half the rate being paid by domestic airlines in the country.

We have raised the issue with concerned ministries, he added. (PTI)

Delhi Govt in talks with Centre over new ST rates

NEW DELHI, Jan 16: The Delhi Government is negotiating with the Centre for a reduction in the sales tax floor rates on certain items, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said here today.

Mrs Dikshit however refused to divulge details of the items on which talks are on.

"The new slab rates would certainly have an effect on essential commodities," Mrs Dikshit told UNI when asked whether it would trigger a price rise. "But the decision to introduce the new rates was of the Centre," she added.

To a query as to when the Delhi Government would approach the Centre for negotiations, she added that "talks on the floor rates are going on at this very moment."

The Chief Minister was speaking at the CII-organised auto expo here.

Mrs Dikshit visited the ford pavilion and inaugurated the Ford Environment Day. Addressing the children, she encouraged them to build a clean and beautiful Delhi. (UNI)

Khurana terms hike in petroleum products as ‘unjustified

NEW DELHI, Jan 16: Former Delhi Chief Minister and Member of Parliament Madan Lal Khurana today termed as ‘unjustified’ the 20 per cent hike in the prices of petroleum products by the Delhi Government and said Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit had betrayed the people.

In a statement, he said Mrs Dikshit had categorically stated on December 30 last year that she would not agree to implementing uniform sales tax in the capital. She has now backed out from her commitment, he added.

In the name of implementing uniform sales tax, she had hiked the prices of petrol, diesel and kerosene with immediate effect, but kept the hike on other products in abeyance, he said.

Many states including Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and the Union Territory of Chandigarh were yet to decide about the proposed uniform sales tax structure, Mr Khurana said.

The uniform sales tax system would affect distribution and hike the prices of many commodities, further burdening the middle and lower classes, he opined.

Meanwhile, the forum of Delhi Traders Association and Delhi Vyapar Sangh today formed an action committee to intensify their agitation against the uniform sales tax system. A delegation of the forum called on Mr Khurana at his residence and was assured of support. (UNI)

Karmapa’s stay in India not to violate panchsheel: George

NEW DELHI, Jan 16: Defence Minister George Fernandes today said the 17th Karmapa Urygen Trinley Dorje could be allowed to stay in India.

If people walk in and want to stay on for a while they can be allowed to stay. What is there, Fernandes told reporters when asked whether allowing the 14-year-old Tibetan monk to stay in India would be violation of Panchsheel.

He was speaking on the sidelines of a seminar on ‘governance and social justice’ here.

Asserting that Karmapa’s defection to India and allowing him to stay here would not Impinge on relations with China, Fernandes said if one has come to our country and wants to stay there is no violation of anything. And I don’t think we should be upset over anything related to that.

On whether granting asylum had any potential to upset Sino-India relations, he said I don’t think there is any need to look at this issue which can impinge on our relations.

However, the Defence Minister clarified as far as I know nobody has asked for political asylum.

Fernandes said he was not aware that Beijing had issued any veiled threat to New Delhi on granting asylum to the Karmapa. This is not a matter on which threats can be made, he added.

Fernandes said the circumstances in which the Karmapa had come were still not known.

The Karmapa arrived at McLeodganj near Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh on January five with six of his followers after fleeing from Tsurphu Monastery in Tibet.

A member of the Tibetan Parliament-in exile on January 13 requested India to consider granting political asylum to the Karmapa.

Besides him, monks of three Buddhist monasteries in South India have requested the Government for granting asylum to the Karmapa saying the presence of the monk would benefit the Buddhists and Herald peace and happiness throughout the world. (PTI)

Police on lookout for hijackers’ accomplices

MUMBAI, Jan 16: The Crime Branch sleuths are on a lookout for four more Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agents involved in the IS 814 hijacking episode.

Four agents of the Pakistan’s ISI and three of their accomplices who had helped obtain passports for the hijackers and a woman for allegedly harbouring some of the accused, had been earlier taken into custody.

The cops are hunting now for Abdul Rahim Sheikh alias Chaman, Mohammad Amjad alias Haider, Rashid alias Raju and Mohammad Ashraf alias Nawab, all in the age-group of 25 to 30.

Their sketches have been issued by the police. Top officials have assured that anonymity of the informant will be kept secret. (UNI)

Lara Dutta crowned Femina Miss India 2000

PUNE, Jan 16: The usual razzmatazz coupled with added zeal by the presence of eleven earlier femina beauties made the Palmolive Femina Miss India 2000 a memorable event not only for the three winners Lara Dutta, Priyanka Chopra and Diya Mirza, but also for thousands who watched the event worldwide.

Being crowned the Femina Miss India of the millennium, 21-year-old Mumbaikar Lara Dutta, the hot favourite among the 26 contestants, was confidence personified when she answered her tie-breaker with a smiling countenance. "Knowledge", she said, "is a necessity and without it we are nowhere. Would you like your children to be ignorant?", she questioned the judges, totally flooring them with her presence of mind and clarity of thoughts.

The question was "if ignorance is bliss, why do we seek knowledge?"— a tie-breaker, since the earlier final-round question cropped up two contestants in a tie.

The dusky Lara outclassed the rest with her onstage presence, her confident ramp and her quick replies in a deep-throated voice. She enjoyed tremendous response from the audience. Winning the miss photogenic contest in the preliminary rounds added to her confidence as she faced the judges without any nervousness.

The other two winners, Femina Miss India — World Priyanka Chopra and Femina Miss India - Asia Pacific - Diya Mirza poled a tough competition for Lara but missed out as their answers were identical to the tie-breaker. Both agreed that ignorance is bliss sometimes but they consider knowledge as a greater bliss than ignorance. Diya, the miss beautiful smile of preliminary rounds also hails from Mumbai while Priyanka Chopra hails from Bareilly.

The judges were somewhat harsh on the contestants and the most difficult one came from ex-Miss India and current bollywood heart-throb Juhi Chawla when she asked what was the choice if the contestant was granted a sixth sense, while the best was from artist Anjoli Ila Menon who asked what would be your reaction if you faled a similar situation as the hostages of the hijacked plane Indian Airlines IC-814.

The adjudicators included superstar Shahrukh Khan, leading heroine from yesteryears Waheeda Rehman, cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin, and journalist Pritish Nandy.

Zee CEO Subhash Chandra, International Perfume Queen Carolina Herrera and Marcus Swarovski, the heir to the international crystal empire of Swarovski were the other judges.

The event was marked by the presence of all the earlier internationl beauties of Femina, including trendsetters Madhu Sapre, Manpreet Brar, Diya Chauhan, Diya Abraham, Swheta Jayashankar, Ruchi Malhotra, Namraa Shirodkar, Shivangi Parekh. They were given a token of appreciation by Femina Editor Satya Saran.

The main attraction of the event was the presence of the earlier international winners on the stage alongside the crowning glories. First came the first international winner Miss Universe 1994 Sushmita Sen, followed by Miss World 1994 Aishwarya Rai, Miss World 1997 Diana Hayden and the reigning Miss World Yukta Mookhey, who emerged on stage amidst bursting of fireworks which lightened the skies.

Adding to this was performances by international music groups like noble savage and deep forest and live performance by reggae star from America Shaggy.

The African acrobatic group awed the audience with a superb performance of acrobats and fire show while another African group ‘flying fish’ opened the show to introduce the girls to the audience who were present in thousands, braving the Pune chill in the open air premises of Pune Club.

The dias for the evening was designed in an exact replica of the crystal maze by television and advertising personality Oomang Kumar with a huge crystal ball in the centre surrounded by huge crystal cones. It had a white background with laser beams being used with artifical smoke to add to the effect.

This year, slight change was made in the judging procedure as the judges had a one-to-one meeting with each of the 26 contestants and decided the first 15 to go in the second round before the beginning of the show. Nine of these proceeded to the next round where they were asked individual questions by the nine judges by a ballot.

The show was compared by Model-VJ Malaika Arora Khan and model-turned-actor Rahul Khanna. Assisting them was MTV VJ Cyrus Broacha who mixed with the audience and judges to ask them questions in his usual goofy style and came up with equally humorous wise-cracks to have the audience in splits.

Present among the celebrities during the evening were member of Rajya Sabh Suresh Kalmadi, liquor baron Vijay Mallaya, bollywood producer Smita Thackeray, film stars Jackie Shroff and Arbaaz Khan, singer Ila Arun, model Kelly Dorjee, designer Rohit Bal besides the parents of all the contestants and reigning Miss World Yukta Mookhey.

Lara, a last year economics student from Mumbai University, got a state-of-the-art car Matiz by Daewoo besides a host of other prizes which include crystals by Swarovski, diamond jewellery and wrist watches.

All the participants got wrist watches, complimentary holiday packages, designer dresses and shoes. Two more prizes were given on the occasion to Bhawna’s designer Jaspreet from Delhi for his design depicting the Chinese forces of nature Yin and Yang. Diya also won the Sony Viewer’s Choice Miss India Crown.

The choreography for the show was by model turned choreographer Noyanika Chatterji alongwith Ritu Kuma and Hemant Trivedi. The latter also designed the costumes for the show alongwith Sheetal.

The crystalled crowns for the winners were designed by Swarovski.

The show was sponsered by Palmolive while co-sponsorers were Hotel Holiday Inn, Diet Coke, Swarovski, Ritu Kumar and body one among others. (UNI)

Jethmalani calls for setting up of environ protection force

NEW DELHI, Jan 16: Law, Justice and Company Affairs Minister Ram Jethmalani has called for setting up of an Indian wild life environment protection (police) force to protect and preserve forests, wildlife and environment.

Speaking at the inaugural function of a two-day legal workshop on environment at protection, organised jointly by Legal Action for Wildlife and Environment (LAW E), Ranthambore Foundation and Ministry of Environment and Forest here yesterday, Mr Jethmalani said there was a total lawlessness in the Governance of Forest Conservation Act, 1980, Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, Indian Forest Act, 1927 and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. With the result, the corrupt pre-datory business and mafia have been succeeding in denuding our environment, he said.

Mr Jethmalani said it was time the centre enacted stiff measures to protect environment. He referred to Indian Penal Code which provided for environmental protection and maintenance of ecology. "If only we had enforced provisions of our criminal laws, the 1972 and 1986 laws were not needed," the Minister added. The Chairman of National Commission for Human Rights and former Chief Justice of India, Justice J S Verma, called for effective enforcement of laws to protect environment and determined community efforts to arrest degradation of natural habitat.

Solicitor-General of India Harish Salve, in his keynote address said that tiger, symbolising our environment and eco-system, was nearing extinction. (UNI)