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Mamata again raises NEW DELHI, Nov 2: Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee today said she had once again raised her .....more No problem for NDA to RANCHI, Nov 2: The Jharkhand Pradesh BJP today said the NDA would forming the Government in the .....more Every minute 6 people under
25 yrs infected NEW DELHI, Nov 2: Six young people below the age of 25 become infected with HIV every minute and ....more
EC to set up new division NEW DELHI, Nov 2: The Election Commission proposes to set up a new division on the....more |
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Uttaranchal
braces up DEHRADUN, Nov 2: With barely a week left for the 27th state of India, Uttranchal, to come into being on November 9, the administration is gearing itself for the oath-taking ceremonies and matters related to formation of the new state, officials said today......more Prasada launches CHENNAI, Nov 2: Congress Working Committee member Jitendra Prasada, who is challenging party president Sonia Gandhi in the Congress presidential election, today ruled out withdrawal of his ......more
Cong has excellent inner AMINI (LAKSHADWEEP), Nov 2: Congress president Sonia Gandhi today said she is not scared by Mr Jitendra Prasada’s challenge to the party ...more NHRC asks Defence NEW DELHI, Nov 2: In an unusual directive against the armed forces, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has ordered Defence Ministry to ....more |
Mamata again raises demand for roll back of oil price hike NEW DELHI, Nov 2: Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee today said she had once again raised her demand for roll back of oil price hike at the Union Cabinet meeting here. "I raised the issue and (Finance Minister) Yashwant Sinha said he wanted some more time to decide on it," Banerjee told reporters while coming out of the cabinet meeting. The prices of petro products were hiked on September 29. Briefing reporters on the decisions taken by the cabinet, Mahajan said "like last time, cabinet did not discuss the issue. If it was on the agenda, you would have known about it." This is the second time the Union Cabinet has skipped a review of prices of petroleum products, after Banerjee, who had resigned last month, wrote to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee of "his promise to reconsider the issue". She had then said she had given suggestions on how to mitigate the effect of hike in prices of kerosene and cooking gas. (PTI) |
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No problem for NDA to form Govt sans JMM: BJP RANCHI, Nov 2: The Jharkhand Pradesh BJP today said the NDA would forming the Government in the new state even if JMM-S decides to quit the alliance over the issue of Jharkhand Chief Ministership. "Even if JMM opts out of the alliance in reaction to the denial of the coveted post to it, BJP and its other allies with the support of some of the independents, will be in a comfortable position to form the Government," Jharkhand Pradesh BJP spokesman Umashankar Kedia told PTI here. Kedia claimed two independent MLAs, supported by All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), Sudesh Kumar Mahato and Joba Manjhi, had already made it clear that they would support the NDA to help it form the first Government in Jharkhand. Without JMM and with the support of the two independents NDA’s strength in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly would be 42 (BJP - 32, Samata - 5, JD-U - 3 and independents - 2). "It is clear that even without the JMM, we will have numerical strength to form the Government in the new Jharkhand state," Kedia said. "It was certain that the first Chief Minister of the new state would be from BJP", he said. In concurrence with BJP vice-president Jana Krishnamurthy’s statement, Kedia said JMM should appreciate the rationale behind BJP’s claim for the Chief Ministership of Jharkhand and shed its rigidity over the issue. "After all we have the maximum number of MLAs from this region and none of the other NDA allies have so far disputed our claim to the Chief Ministership. So JMM also should see reason taking into account the ground realities, give up its claim and continue to be a part of the NDA," he said. On JMM-S president Sibu Soren’s indication that his party, if denied the top post, might work for installing a non-BJP Government, Kedia said going with RJD would be suicidal for JMM. "RJD is known for its anti-Jharkhand stand and if JMM choses to join hands with it, the party will harm itself." Besides, he said, entering into an alliance with RJD and Congress would still not give them a majority in the Assembly. JMM has 12 seats, Congress 11 and RJD nine in the 81-member Assembly. (PTI) |
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Every minute 6 people under
25 yrs infected NEW DELHI, Nov 2: Six young people below the age of 25 become infected with HIV every minute and girls’ rate of catchimg infection outpace those of boys in many places, says UNICEF’s annual report 2000. At the end of 1999, 34.3 million people in the world were living with HIV, 24.5 million of them in Sub-Saharan Africa. The report, released at the UNICEF headquarters in New York earlier this week, describes AIDS as the worst social and human catastrophe in history demanding the most urgent attention of the world community. Observing that the dreaded disease has set back hard-won gains in child survival, health and education in many countries, it says poverty and armed conflict worsen the tragedy of HIV/AIDS while the "culture of silence" surrounding the issue has prevented needed action from taking place. The AIDS toll on children is worse still. On any day in 1999, millions of children around the world grieved for dead or dying parents and other loved ones affected by HIV/AIDS. At the same time, many of these children, lacking the care and support of their parents, went without nutritious meals, health care and schooling. The tragedy does not end there, the report points out. Because of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and other forms of exposure to the virus, large numbers of these same children have begun their own painful slide towards disease and death. Till date, nearly four million children under the age of 15 have died of AIDS, most of them in sub-Saharan Afrcia, it says. By the end of 1999, a cumulative total of 13.2 million children had, before reaching the age of 15, lost their mother or both parents to AIDS. While some children orphaned by AIDS have loving family members to take care of them, most end up isolated in abusive households, in institutions or on the streets, says the report. It underlines the need for programmes that foster openness about the disease, awareness about its causes and respect for those affected by it. Education is described as one of the most effective AIDS vaccines. Noting that young people under 25 years are those most likely to become infected with HIV, UNICEF says they deserve and need AIDS education and information at school. They also need training in life skills that will help them make sound, informed decisions about their health and well-being. Young people often learn best from their peers and need ample opportunities to interact with each other about key issues. These can best be achieved at school, at youth-friendly health clinics and in community settings, it adds. (UNI) |
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EC to set up new division on delimitation issue NEW DELHI, Nov 2: The Election Commission proposes to set up a new division on the issue of delimitation of Assembly constituencies in the new Uttranchal state which will come into existence on november nine. Though at present the new State Assembly would have only 22 members, under the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act passed by Parliament in the monsoon session, the new house would have a strength of 70 members, Chief Election Commissioner M S Gill told reporters here today. "Let the state come into being. We are ready," the CEC said. The proposed wing would also look into discrepancies in the electorate strength in a constituency, he said citing the example of Chandni Chowk parliamentary constituency with 3.75 lakh and the outer Delhi parliamentary constituency with as much as 28 lakh voters. Delhi would have seven parliamentary seats, but they would have to be balanced, he said. Suggesting an average of 15 lakh voters in a parliamentary constituency, he said "without delay we have to re-draw the boundaries". Referring to the progress of organisational elections in political parties, Gill said the poll panel had launched the process of strengthening inner-party democracy in 1996 and majority of the parties were following the exercise. "The commission is regularly monitoring the process" he said. The Commission was not expected to interfere in the process of organisational polls of a party, gill said when referred to the criticism by dissident Congress leader Jitendra Prasada, who is taking on Congress president Sonia Gandhi for party presidentship, that the voters lists were being altered. Referring to the enforcement of model code of conduct, the CEC said that he had written to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee urging the Government to withdraw its Special Leave Petition before the Supreme Court in view of unanimity reached among political parties last month. Stating that the matter which came up for hearing on Tuesday last had been put off in the Apex Court following Government’s seeking more time, he said adding that the issue would be settled amicably. While making the plea, the Commission has given an assurance it would keep in mind the gap between the date of announcement and the date of notification at the time of "deciding future elections", he said. Fresh from his visit to Canada to study the electoral system in that country, Gill said that the Commission, equipped with computerisation of the electoral system, was also contemplating creating "electoral geography" for the identification of constituencies in the country. "We want to make a beginning. We want to start first with the constituency and then to towns, Mohallahs and streets", he said referring to the existence of such a system in Canada. (PTI) |
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NHRC asks Defence Ministry to pay Rs 12 lakh to farmers NEW DELHI, Nov 2: In an unusual directive against the armed forces, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has ordered Defence Ministry to pay Rs 12 lakh to the farmers evicted "forcibly" by the Army in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. Taking suo motu cognizance of a news item in a national daily ‘Army men go on the rampage in AP’, the Commission besides recommending monetary compensation from Centre also observed for the first time the "urgency of amendment in the protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 and emphasised the need to empower NHRC to inquire more effectively into the violations of human rights by the armed forces." NHRC, in its order yesterday, further directed the Centre to pay Rs 10,000 to each of the four farmers beaten up by Army men and Rs 5,000 to each of the farmers forcibly evicted. The news item on the attack by Army personnel on the farmers and demolition of sheds set-up at Rythu Bazaar in Hyderabad on the military land with the permission of the Army authorities, alleged that "about 300 Army men went on a rampage in a predawn swoop in the Mehdipatnam area of the state capital Hyderabad. In response to the Commission’s notice, defence officials "justified the action of the Army men to forcibly evict the farmers because of the back-tracking of its assurance by State Government to vacate it after the specified period for which it was given by the Army, and denied violation of any human rights." However, the District Collector in her response said "hundreds of military personnel demolished properties erected at Rythu Bazaar when she and police personnel were silent spectators. Around 80 farmers were present at the time of the incident. They were manhandled resulting in injuries to four farmers." "Vegetables worth Rs 1.70 lakh were strewn away. Despite requests, the temporary structures, fittings and fixtures and other items were totally damaged. Civil supplies counter as well as borewell were damaged and pump-set was taken away. The damage worked out to Rs 11.26 lakh. An FIR was lodged at Bahadurpura police station in this regard." "The question really is whether high-handed acts were committed by Army personnel of which collector’s report gives a graphic account. "To deny the entire event and to say that the allegation regarding manhandling of farmers and destruction of property to which officer of the rank of a District Collector is an eye witness as `malicious, unfounded and levied to tarnish the image of Army’ and that `till the time the troops left the site, not a single case of injury to any individual was reported’ seems to be a statement made with greater sense of courage than a care for accuracy born out of unbiased verification of facts." The Commission desires to mention that such "sweeping denials will not either protect or improve image of Army nor advance the interests of justice," NHRC order said. (PTI) |
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