Excelsior... Nation

Rajasthan seeks Rs 2368
cr central assistance

JAIPUR, Nov 9: Rajasthan Government has sought a financial assistance of Rs.2367.80 crore from the Centre to fight the famine which had gripped the state for the third consecutive year. A memorandum was sent to the Union Agriculture Minister yesterday informing the Centre that more than 3.20 lakh people and four crore cattleheads in 31 districts were reeling under drought and famine conditions, an official spokesman said here today.....more

Private institutions to
provide computer
education in
Rajasthan schools

UDAIPUR, Nov 9: The cash-strapped Rajasthan Government has roped in the private sector to impart computer education in schools in the state. As many as 66 private institutions and Non-Government Organisations have been shortlisted for the purpose, Rajasthan Board of secondary education chairman Dr P C Vyas said adding the Board took the step as imparting computer education involved Rs 200 crore expenditure which the state could ill-afford........more

HC directs airlines not to allow use of mobiles in aircraft

NEW DELHI, Nov 9: Taking serious view of the alleged use of cellular phone in an aircraft by an MP to contact Union Civil Aviation Minister Sharad .....more

Nayar asks planners to review economic reforms

BHUBANESWAR, Nov 9: Eminent journalist Kuldeep Nayar has asked the country’s planners to review the economic reforms. ....more

Sonia Gandhi & Jitendra Prasada

Prasada’s presence
against Sonia no way
threat to unity: Jakhar

BHOPAL, Nov 9: Senior Congress leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Balram Jakhar today said the presence of Mr Jitendra Prasada against Mrs....more

4 fodder scam
accused surrender

PATNA, Nov 9: Four suppliers accused in the fodder scam case today surrendered before the court of designated CBI Judge S K Pathak. .....more

Arun Shourie

IA discusses divestment
issues with Shourie

NEW DELHI, Nov 9: A day ahead of the last date for submission of Expressions of Interest (EOI), top officials of Indian Airlines today met....more

President for integrated
management to
meet food security

NEW DELHI, Nov 9: President K R Narayanan today advocated a paradigm shift in the Research and Development (R&D) strategy from a purely ....more

Rajasthan seeks Rs 2368 cr central assistance

JAIPUR, Nov 9: Rajasthan Government has sought a financial assistance of Rs.2367.80 crore from the Centre to fight the famine which had gripped the state for the third consecutive year.

A memorandum was sent to the Union Agriculture Minister yesterday informing the Centre that more than 3.20 lakh people and four crore cattleheads in 31 districts were reeling under drought and famine conditions, an official spokesman said here today.

The memorandum also asked the Centre to release the state’ share of Rs.180 crore for the current year in Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana at the earliest.

The Centre has been requested to continue the last year’s policy of reimbursing cost of transportation of drinking water to remote areas. The railways should also provide free transportation of fodder like it did last year.

The spokesman said the largest portion of the funds being sought from the Centre would be spent on providing employment (Rs.1560 crore) while Rs.220.90 crore would be spent on arranging drinking water supply in affected areas.

The memorandum informed the Centre that failure of monsoon rains caused damage to kharif crops in 87.49 lakh hectares affecting people in 30,583 villages. (PTI)

Private institutions to provide computer education
in Rajasthan schools

UDAIPUR, Nov 9: The cash-strapped Rajasthan Government has roped in the private sector to impart computer education in schools in the state.

As many as 66 private institutions and Non-Government Organisations have been shortlisted for the purpose, Rajasthan Board of secondary education chairman Dr P C Vyas said adding the Board took the step as imparting computer education involved Rs 200 crore expenditure which the state could ill-afford.

On the changes in school syllabi, Dr Vyas said the Board would include competitive examinations-related study material to meet the requirements of the 21st century.

Pointing out there was very little difference between the syllabi of the State Board and the Central Board of Secondary Education, the chairman said study matter relevant to the state was included in the Board’s syllabus. (UNI)

HC directs airlines not to allow use of mobiles in aircraft

NEW DELHI, Nov 9: Taking serious view of the alleged use of cellular phone in an aircraft by an MP to contact Union Civil Aviation Minister Sharad Yadav, the Delhi High Court today directed the airlines authorities not to permit use of mobile phones in aircraft.

The authorities should not permit use of mobile phones when the aircraft is in motion. If it is used, authorities should record it and take suitable action for any aberration, A bench headed by Chief Justice Arijit Passayat said while disposing of a PIL raising the issue of alleged diversion of Delhi-Lucknow-Patna flight of Alliance Air straight to Patna on May 12 at the instance of Yadav to carry 26 Janata Dal MPs.

The PIL filed by one J Bhatacharjee had alleged that MP Prabhu Nath Singh had used his mobile phone from the aircraft to contact Yadav requesting him to order diversion of flight, when the aircraft had started taxing on the runway.

The minister then had rushed to the Delhi Airport and went inside the plane to pacify the passengers, agitated over diversion of the flight skipping Lucknow, it alleged.

The bench, having Justice D K Jain as other judge, said on perusal of the affidavit filed by Air Traffic Controller (ATC) it was clear that the minister had gone inside the plane. But the document did not indicate whether the MP used mobile phone.

The ATC had also given abundant of material to show technical reasons for diversion of the flight, the court said.

Bhatacharjee’s counsel Prag P Tripathi said use of mobile phone from the plane was prohibited and if the MP had violated the rule, it would send a wrong signal down the lines. (PTI)

Nayar asks planners to review economic reforms

BHUBANESWAR, Nov 9: Eminent journalist Kuldeep Nayar has asked the country’s planners to review the economic reforms.

The reforms being carried out in the name of globalisation amounted to virtual strangulation of the people of the developing countries, he said while delivering the first Pradyumna Bal Memorial Lecture on the occasion of 68th birth anniversary of the noted journalist.

Nayar alleged that in the name of economic reforms, the International Monetary Fund and World Bank were exploiting the developing and third world countries. The reforms were new modes of exploitation by the west and others who possessed advanced technology, he said.

While stating that he was not completely opposed to liberalisation, Nayar suggested that a committee should be formed to study the impact of the reforms.

The noted journalist said as a result of reforms initiated by former Finance Minister Manmohan Singh, the rich were getting richer and the poor were becoming poorer.

He referred to China which had gone for selective liberalisation.

Stating that the present problems of the country were linked to the reforms, Nayar said the economy had been reduced to an instrument in the hands of the rich.

Alleging that today’s politics meant power and ways to grab money, he regretted that the media was not reflecting the evils of the society.

Hailing Bal’s role as a journalist, he said a few months before his death last December, he was quite disappointed over the deterioration of values in the country.

Speaking on the occasion, the resident editor, Delhi Edition, the Indian Express, Coomi Kapoor asked the media to take a balanced view while highlighting environmental issues.

However, she said because of media there was greater consciousness among the people about environment. (PTI)

Prasada’s presence against Sonia no way
threat to unity: Jakhar

BHOPAL, Nov 9: Senior Congress leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker Balram Jakhar today said the presence of Mr Jitendra Prasada against Mrs Sonia Gandhi for the party presidential election was in no way threat to the unity of the party.

Talking to newspersons here, he said efforts to have a consensus candidate for the high post was aimed at projecting a united party keeping in view, what he called, imminent collapse of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance(NDA) Government at the Centre and a mid-term poll.

Asked why consensus was not reached, he retorted " have there ever been one manship in the Congress".

Mr Jakhar did not agree with the suggestion that it was being propagated as if Mr Prasada had committed a sin by challenging Mrs Gandhi. He said as a member of a democratic party, it was his(Mr Prasada’s) right to contest election.

In a democratic system, differences of opinion, campaigning and voting was not unusual. However, the need of the hour was the unity of the Congress in the overall national interests.

He said the BJP-led Government had failed on all fronts and the rural economy had shattered, adding to the woes of the farmers.

Mr Jakhar said the partymen had no malice towards Mr Prasada for him entering the fray against the incumbent Mrs Gandhi. Even in the past, Mr Virendra Patil contested party elections against Mrs Indira Gandhi who gave him berth in her ministry later, he added.

State Congress president Radha Kishan Malviya, who was also present, made it clear that no whip was being issued to state party delegates to vote for Mrs Sonia Gandhi, but claimed all the voters from Madhya Pradesh would register their verdict in favour of Mrs Gandhi and that Mr Prasada would not poll a single vote from the state.

State party general secretary and spokesman Manak Agrawal said there would be 415 voters from Madhya Pradesh. They include 396 PCC delegates, four former state party presidents and 15 from the Congress Legislature Party(CLP).

In the newly-constituted Chhattisgarh state, he said the 171-member electorate for the party presidential poll would comprise 166 PCC delegates, one ex-president and four CLP delegates. (UNI)

4 fodder scam accused surrender

PATNA, Nov 9: Four suppliers accused in the fodder scam case today surrendered before the court of designated CBI Judge S K Pathak.

The accused Harish Khanna, Rajan Mehta, Rajesh Verma Madhu Mehta were remanded to judicial custody while the bail application of Madhu Mehta was allowed.

The case relates to fraudulent withdrawals of lakhs of rupees from treasuries by the State Animal Husbandry Department officials. (PTI)

IA discusses divestment issues with Shourie

NEW DELHI, Nov 9: A day ahead of the last date for submission of Expressions of Interest (EOI), top officials of Indian Airlines today met Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie to give final touches to issues relating to disinvestment in the company.

When contacted, Shourie told PTI that certain issues which would come to the fore once the EOI closes tomorrow were discussed at the meeting which lasted over an hour.

Shourie declined to comment on the number of companies that had submitted EOIs for the domestic carrier, but said The disinvestment process will be speeded up. The Prime Minister is keen to speed up the process.

The issues discussed today included the amount of data related to the company’s operations, turnover, profit and loss accounts,assets and liabilities which would be shown to the bidders shortlisted after the expiry of the EOI submissions tomorrow.

Also present in the meeting were Civil Aviation Secretary A H Jung, Disinvestment Secretary Pradeep Baijal, IA Chairman and Managing Director Sunil Arora, IA’s Financial Advisor JM Morgan and Global Advisor Anz Consortium.

Government proposes to disinvest 26 per cent of its shareholdings in IA to a strategic partner which can be a joint venture. It also proposes to sell another 25 per cent stake to IA employees.

IA has clarified that equity to the employees will be sold either simultaneously or soon after the completion of the strategic sale.

The proposed 26 per cent to be divested can be entirely acquired by Indian nationals or Indian companies or both. The Indian companies should be majority owned and effectively controlled by Indian nationals, the EOI has clarified.

While foreign airlines and private domestic operators have not been allowed to participate in the sale, in accordance with the domestic air transport policy Non Resident Indians (NRIs) and Overseas Corporate Bodies (OCBs) to acquire the entire 26 per cent shareholding.

However, interested parties would be allowed to seek airline business expertise in the form of technical collaboration with foreign airlines. (PTI)

President for integrated management to meet food security

NEW DELHI, Nov 9: President K R Narayanan today advocated a paradigm shift in the Research and Development (R&D) strategy from a purely commodity-centred approach to an integrated natural resource management if the country’s food security was to be met in the future.

The green revolution that we witnessed in the 1960s and 70s can be converted into an evergreen revolution only if there is a paradigm shift in our research and development strategy, leading to a change from a purely commodity-centred approach to one based on an integrated natural resource management strategy, Narayanan said inaugurating a five-day conference on land resource management organised by the Soil Conservation Society of India (SCSI).

Calling upon scientific and agricultural experts to join farmers and the common people in a popular movement for protecting the land, the President said only an integrated strategy would help sustain the natural resources.

Moreover, the efforts for food security through land resource management and sustainable agriculture could be augmented by combining space technology with biotechnology advances, he added.

Lauding the green revolution, which changed the food security scenario of the country, Narayanan paid tributes to the memory of elder statesman C Subramaniam, who died earlier this week.

Most production in green revolution took place in a limited land area, he said noting that as a result, a lot of land was saved from agricultural operation.

However, in spite of the saving of land, per capita availability of land had declined from 0.48 hectares (ha) in 1952 to 0.15 ha in 2000 due to population increase, Narayanan noted, adding that this was compounded by an increase of wasteland, estimated at 63.8 million ha.

In this scenario, he said there was no option but to produce more from the limited land available to ensure food security, and pointed to traditional practices of land and water conservation that abounded in the country that could be tapped by the scientists.

Speaking on the occasion, Agriculture Minister Nitish Kumar said the rain-fed regions of the country were largely by-passed by the green revolution and it was this area that needed greater focus.

Today we face a situation where, of the total 142 million ha of cultivated land in the country, the irrigated area which accounts for about one-third of the cropland, contributes 55 per cent of the total foodgrain production, whereas the remaining two-thirds which comprises rainfed region, some 90 million ha, contributes only 45 per to foodgrain output, implying, thereby, the low levels of productivity that are obtained in the rainfed areas, Kumar noted.

In his address, Rural Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the challenge today was limited land and teeming millions.

Not only was land resource management in a holistic manner necessary but an international collaboration was needed in both land and water management, Naidu said. (PTI)