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opposes branding film industry as bollywood MUMBAI, Nov 23: South superstar Kamal Hasan while being all praises for the International Film Festival of Mumbai 2000, subtly objected to the Mumbai film industry being called "bollywood"......more
Fernandes tells NEW DELHI, Nov 24: Defence Minister George Fernandes today asked the coastguard to step up vigil and crackdown hard on gun-runners, sea-pirates and poachers using creeks and high-sea lanes on the country’s western and eastern coasts to smuggle arms and narcotics.........more
CBI examines Bibi Jagir NEW DELHI, Nov 24: CBI today grilled Shiromani Gurdawara Prabhandak Committee (SGPC) chief Bibi Jagir Kaur, charged with murder of her daughter, for the second time even as the agency contemplated to move the Supreme Court for quashing her anticipatory bail.....more |
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Proposal to
provide tax benefit on funds to parties, polls NEW DELHI, Nov 24: The Government is considering a proposal from the Central Vigilance .......more
Govt rules out dual NEW DELHI, Nov 24: The Government has ruled out granting of dual citizenship to Non-Resident ........more
No privatisation NEW DELHI, Nov 24: Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee today ruled out privatisation of the ......more One lakh thalassaemic NEW DELHI, Nov 24: Government is planning to make testing of blood for Hepatitis C mandatory....more UPSC Chairman for HYDERABAD, Nov 24: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Chairman Surinder Nath....more |
Kamal
Hasan opposes branding film industry MUMBAI, Nov 23: South superstar Kamal Hasan while being all praises for the International Film Festival of Mumbai 2000, subtly objected to the Mumbai film industry being called "bollywood". Speaking at the inaugural function of the festival, Kamal Hasan made it a point to mention that branding Mumbai film industry as "Bollywood" sounded totally out of place just like calling our maestros like Liyaqat Ali Khan, "Foreign Ali Khan" or Pandit Ravi Shankar as "Sunny Shankar". He said that the Mumbai film industry was known for its own unique identity in the world, which it deserves, and so does need by any adopted slang. His viewpoints were hailed by one and all and Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh stressed on Mumbai industry being a trendsetter in the field of cinema with the world following its example and not the other way round. The idea was received with tremendous applause by the audience. (UNI) |
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Fernandes tells coastguard to crackdown on gun-runners NEW DELHI, Nov 24: Defence Minister George Fernandes today asked the coastguard to step up vigil and crackdown hard on gun-runners, sea-pirates and poachers using creeks and high-sea lanes on the country’s western and eastern coasts to smuggle arms and narcotics. The minister said that the menace posed by growing nexus among insurgent groups, pirate gangs and poachers using ultra high-speed craft to push in sophisticated arms and indulge in highly lucrative illegal trade. Addressing Annual Coastguard Senior Commanders’ Conference here, Fernandes admitted the task was a gigantic one but said efforts were on to organise joint patrolling with other littoral nations in the Indian Ocean region to crackdown on these groups. He said Government had decided to set up ten more coastguard stations in the western coast from Kutch to Calicut in view of reports of Pakistan trying to use high speed boats to smuggle arms and narcotics through marshy creeks in the Rann of Kutch and the vast Gujarat coastline. Without elaborating, Fernandes drew the attention of the coastguard commanders to what he called a special group of individuals operating in high seas indulging in arms smuggling and hijackings. Recently, naval warships and coastguard vessels operating in the Bay of Bengal off the Andaman Sea had reported of big multi-national groups operating in tandem with insurgent groups based in various countries in South Asia and South-East Asia. The minister said these heavily-armed pirate gangs were hijacking foreign ships and selling their cargo in black-market specially in the strategic mallaca straits, an important sea land to lucrative South-East Asia market. Fernandes also asked the commanders to protect rare-species of marine life from poaching. He said now onwards coastguard of India and Japan would be holding joint exercises every year on alternate waters. Fernandes assured coastguard personnel that their problem of pay anamolies would be sorted out shortly. (PTI) |
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CBI examines Bibi Jagir Kaur for second time NEW DELHI, Nov 24: CBI today grilled Shiromani Gurdawara Prabhandak Committee (SGPC) chief Bibi Jagir Kaur, charged with murder of her daughter, for the second time even as the agency contemplated to move the Supreme Court for quashing her anticipatory bail. Sleuths of Special Investigation Cell (SIC) questioned Bibi Jagir Kaur, who had been granted bail by Punjab and Haryana High Court November 17, for more than three hours. A heavy posse of Delhi Police maintained vigil as supporters of Bibi Jagir Kaur waited outside the CBI. "I am ready to extend all co-operation to CBI and law...I do not have anything to hide," Jagir Kaur told reporters after being questioned. The CBI on November 13 changed the charge against Jagir Kaur from 304 IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) to 302 IPC (murder) after questioning nearly 20 people including the six arrested. Asked whether she would be challenging the amendment of FIR by CBI in the Supreme Court, she said "a decision is yet to be taken in this respect." In a related development, the CBI said it was studying the order of Punjab and Haryana High Court, which had granted bail to Bibi Jagir Kaur on November 15. Police faced a tough time as waiting newspersons jostled against cops to get near the SGPC chief to put their questions. Though reluctant to answer any questions in the beginning, Bibi Jagir Kaur told newspersons that she had to only clarify that she would be bringing culprits of her daughter’s death to book. Bibi Jagir Kaur refused to be drawn into any controversy on whether she would be filing her nomination for the top SGPC post, elections for which are scheduled for November 30. Punjab’s ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), during a crucial meeting on November 21, unanimously authorised party chief and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to decide on the candidate for the post of SGPC president. Badal has said the candidate for SGPC presidentship would be decided on the election day. Later, counsel for Bibi Jagir Kaur Vineet Gogia told reporters they were not moving Supreme Court against the amendment of FIR by the CBI so far but added "it may be done at an appropriate time." Asked whether Bibi would be summoned again by the CBI for questioning, Gogia said "so far there is no such summons, but if CBI issues one with appropriate time, his client would come again." The CBI has arrested the other six accused Nishan Singh, Dalvinder Kaur, Harminder Kumar, Satya Kumari, Paramjit Singh and Sanjeev Kumar. The FIR filed by CBI alleges that the pregnancy of Hapreet Kaur, teenaged daughter of Bibi Jagir Kaur, was confirmed by the doctor on February 12, 2000 after which the SGPC chief allegedly entered into a criminal conspiracy with Dalvinder Kaur, Paramjit Singh and her Personnel Security Officer Nishan Singh. They took Harpreet to Phagwara to avoid her meeting with Kamaljit Singh, with whom she was having an "intimate" love affair and was secretly "engaged" at Chandigarh on September six, 1999, the FIR alleged. It alleged that Dalvinder Kaur along with Harminder Kumar illegally took her to Phagwara under the pretext of taking her to Patiala for some wedding shopping. However, they allegedly took her to Phagwara where she was detained and intentions of the conspirators were to cause her miscarriage despite the knowledge that such an act was likely to cause her death, it alleged. During the period Nishan Singh, Satya, Harminder Kumar and Sanjeev Kumar kept a close watch on Hapreet before she managed to jump out of a window on April eight, 2000 and fled to Jalandhar. Harpreet Kaur called Kamaljit Singh from there and both of them along with the sister of Kamaljit, Manjeet Kaur fled to Sonepat in Haryana. However, when Kamaljit Singh contacted his residence in Punjab, he came to know that police had raided his residence and was on look out for him, the FIR claimed. Later, Hapreet Kaur called her mother to protest the police raid on Kamaljit Singh’s residence following which Bibi Jagir Kaur promised to solmenise their marriage after "Baishaki", the FIR said. The trio returned to Chandigarh after the assurance on April 10, 2000. Kamaljit Singh and his sister were escorted back to their village while Harpreet was again subjected to illegal confinement at Phagwara. However, 10 days later Harpreet suffered from acute dehydration and dysentery which caused her death on the intervening night of April 20 and 21, the FIR said. It alleged that Bibi Jagir Kaur carried out the cremation the very next day, without having a post-mortem done, with an intention to destroy the evidence. The five persons arrested in connection with her death were being interrogated by the sleuths of Special Crime Branch of CBI. (PTI) |
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Proposal to provide tax benefit on funds to parties, polls NEW DELHI, Nov 24: The Government is considering a proposal from the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to provide tax relief to individuals and corporates on funds given to political parties, the Lok Sabha was informed during question hour today. The Government’s response, if any, would be reflected in the 2001-02 budget, Minister of State for Finance Gingee N Ramachandran said in a written reply. The minister said the CVC had suggested that funding of the elections and the contribution to political parties by individuals and corporate bodies must be freely permitted and such contributions must be eligible for tax deduction. Also, political parties must get their accounts audited properly so that there was absolute transparency in the funding process. The total amount of outstanding principal loan from the World Bank as on October 31, 2000, was 26.15 billion dollars. The interest paid on foreign debts in 1999-2000 was 1.04 billion dollars, as compared to an equal amount in 1998-99 and 1.1 billion dollars in 1997-98. Reserves: India’s foreign exchange reserves (including gold and SDRs) amounted to 34.899 billion as on October 31 this year. Rs 1000 note: The Government has issued new currency notes in the denomination of Rs 1,000 recently to contain the high volume of notes in circulation. The total value of such notes as on November 14 was Rs 623.8 crore. SBI: The RBI has given "in principle" approval to SBI for entering into insurance business on risk participation basis through a subsidiary in which it would hold 74 per cent of the paid up capital. (UNI) |
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UPSC Chairman for strengthening autonomy HYDERABAD, Nov 24: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Chairman Surinder Nath today called for constitutional amendments to strengthen autonomy of Public Service Commissions and also to ensure that they handle recruitment in the newly created corporate entities like BSNL and Prasar Bharati. There was also a need to provide safeguards as per Article 320 to see that the role and functions of the UPSC were not diluted, he said at a national conference of chairmen of Public Service Commissions here. ‘We have advised the Government to invoke provisions of Article 321 to ensure that Public Service Commissions continue to be involved in recruitment processes pertaining to new corporate entities created after winding up the Government departments. This will avoid setting up of large number of parallel recruitment and selection boards,’ Nath said. He also advocated changes in functioning of the Service Commissions in tune with the technological developments. The state-level commissions should introduce new techniques like setting up of websites and make the institutions more candidate-friendly by using information technology, the Chairman said. Later Nath told reporters that UPSC had appointed a review committee to examine the present system of civil services examinations and suggest suitable changes in tune with the changing administrative environment. ‘We hope to submit a report in this regard by February-March next year,’ he said. (PTI) |
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