Excelsior... Nation

Jyoti Basu

Basu "nervous" of poll
outcome, claims BJP

CHENNAI, Oct 28: West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu had announced his retirement from office only because he was "nervous" about the outcome of the coming assembly polls, the BJP claimed today...more

Bahaguna warns
of "catastrophic
consequences"
to civilisation

TEHRI, Oct 28: Noted environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna, recuperating from injuries following an attack on him earlier this week, today said the....more

Education, health deserve
formost attention: Advani

LUDHIANA, Oct 28: Union Home Minister L K Advani today said education. ....more

Having nuclear weapon
alone not sufficient:
Subrahmanyam

NEW DELHI, Oct 28: Noted defence analyst K Subrahmanyam today said it was not enough for India to have nuclear weapon but it should be able to ....more

Jagmohan

Indian administrative
structure needs revamping,
says Jagmohan

NEW DELHI, Oct 28: Union Urban Development Minister Jagmohan today called....more

Rajnath Singh

New UP CM a tough
administrator

LUCKNOW, Oct 28: Newly-appointed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Rajnath Singh is .....more

K R Narayanan

President to lay foundation
stone of medical college

KOCHI, Oct 28: President K R Narayanan will lay the foundation ....more

Lure of better ‘kick’ at lower
prize takes 34 to death

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Oct 28: It was the lure of a better ‘kick’ at a lower price that took....more

Basu "nervous" of poll outcome, claims BJP

Basu wanted to quit his post with an unblemished record, since he feared that his "failures" would be debated during electioneering, which might adversely affect the CPI(M)’s electoral fortunes in the state, BJP vice-president and spokesman Jana Krishnamurthy told a press conference here.

However, this "gimmick" would not work, he said and challenged the CPI(M) to field Basu in the elections.

He said nobody would accept that Basu had retired on health grounds as the CPI-M’s West Bengal unit had stated that he would be the star campaigner for the Left Front.

Referring to the hooch tragedy in Kerala, which claimed 34 lives, Krishnamurthy demanded a full-fledged inquiry into the alleged nexus between bootlegger Hairunnissa, Government officials and politicians.

He claimed that investigations had revealed the existence of "connections" between CPI(M) leaders and Hairunissa. (PTI)

Bahaguna warns of "catastrophic consequences" to civilisation

TEHRI, Oct 28: Noted environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna, recuperating from injuries following an attack on him earlier this week, today said the assault on nature and environment in the Himalayan region will have "catastrophic consequences" for civilisation.

The renowned environmentalist in the first statement since he was attacked by a deranged man, said his wounds were less worrisome than the ones "suffered" by the Ganga, himalayas and nature "as a whole in the name of development".

Bahuguna, who has been camping on the banks of Bhagirathi river here since 11 years to highlight adverse ecological development and cultural fabric of the region due to the ongoing Tehri Dam project, said heavy blasts around the river bank were causing fissures in the geologically fragile region.

He termed the 6,000 crore project as "murder" of Bhagirathi river and said such projects were anti-development, anti-Peopleipko leader said small run-of-the-river schemes could provide a viable alternative to the gigantic project and called on the powers that be to be sensitive to the nature and culture of the region.

Meanwhile, doctors attending on the Chipko leader said his health was improving. (PTI)

Education, health deserve formost attention: Advani

LUDHIANA, Oct 28: Union Home Minister L K Advani today said education and health were the priority areas which deserved foremost attention.

Laying the foundation stone of a Rs 200 crore 300-bed multi speciality hospital to be constructed by the Apollo Group here, he said all development policies and programmes could be successfully implemented only if people were literate, healthy and economically self dependent.

Advani lauded the role of Indian doctors and intellectuals who distinguished themselves in various fields in different countries. He recalled the honour brought to the country by noted economist and nobel laureate Amartya Sen.

Advani also recalled the names of Punjabi freedom fighters, who had made supreme sacrifices during the freedom struggle and said their names should find a respectable place in text books all over the country.

The hospital would be named ‘Satguru Partap Singh Apollo Hospital’.

The Home Minister said India was rich in natural resources and human potential. The country must know its strength and recognize it to fully utilise it for the welfare of the masses.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, who spoke on the occasion, reiterated that Kashmir was an integral part of the country. Any talks regarding it could be held only with those who owed allegiance to India, he added. (PTI)

Having nuclear weapon alone not sufficient:
Subrahmanyam

NEW DELHI, Oct 28: Noted defence analyst K Subrahmanyam today said it was not enough for India to have nuclear weapon but it should be able to project a credible deterrence immediately working out strategies, policies and command and control structure.

"The draft (nuclear) doctrine is the most logical, most restrained and most economical document. But it is only a draft doctrine. Strategies, policies, targetting plans, command and control all need to be worked out. It is not enough if the country has the nuclear weapon. It should be able to project a credible deterrence," he said.

Subrahmanyam, convenor of the National Security Advisory Board, was delivering the prestigious Field Marshal K C Cariappa Memorial Lecture on "challenges to Indian security" here. The top brass of the defence services, including Army Chief Gen S Padmanabhan, was among the gathering.

He said deterrence involved some aspects of transparency and others of opacity. "Therefore, there is an urgent need to work out the correct mix. A partially visible command and control structure is an essential ingredient in deterrence. Demonstration of capabilities is yet another."

Warninnce to India as a nuclear power would come from both within and outside, Subrahmanyam said New Delhi should expect a stepped-up campaign of terrorism and proxy war "especially targetting the country’s economic symbols like as happened in Mumbai in 1993."

Such moves, Subrahmanyam said, would be aimed at forestalling India’s arrival as a nuclear weapon state, an emerging economic power on a high-growth trajectory, a strategic partner of major powers and a permanent member of the expanded UN Security Council, he said.

"Imagine the consequences of an impact of simultaneous attacks carried out on economic targets on a number of cities. This would aim to kill confidence of foreign investors," Subrahmanyam said.

The analyst said to overcome such security loopholes, the country had to take concrete steps to get the National Security Council (NSC) off the ground.

Suggesting that "the present stop-go attitude of casual approach" to the NSC had to go, Subrahmanyam said a full-fledged security body with a staff was "a must to take on both long-term and short-term security challenges, implications and our responses to them".

He proposed that the NSC should have an adequately qualified and independent staff with a regular time-table, comprehensive intelligence input and widespread interaction with service chiefs and ministers, which would generate security perspectives to anticipate future situations.

"The amateurish experiment of V P Singh set back the concept of NSC by many years. One is worried a nsc on paper without any activity will prove fatal to future holistic national security management in this country," he said. (PTI)

Indian administrative structure needs
revamping, says Jagmohan

NEW DELHI, Oct 28: Union Urban Development Minister Jagmohan today called for a revamping of the Indian administrative machinery to give importance to those with technical skills and to remove the rigidity of the present structure.

"Governance in India requires a fundamental change, both in its structure and its soul," Mr Jagmohan said while inaugurating the 22nd Governing Council meeting of the Indian Buildings Congress here.

Underlying the need to provide higher incentives to technical personnel, Mr Jagmohan said the comparatively low position accorded to engineers and doctors in the Indian scheme of public service was a factor that militated against both efficiency and creativity.

On account of better prospects that the services like IAS and IPS offer, a number of outstanding young doctors and engineers were joining these services. This not only involved a huge wastage of state resources spent on their education but also deprived the country of their services where they are required most.

"The reconstructed structure of administration must, therefore, provide for higher incentives to scientists and technologies. For them, separate All India Services for their respective fields must be organised by amending, if necessary, the constitution. The members of these services must enjoy better salaries and service prospects than the members of the generalist cadre," he added.

The Minister also emphasised the need to remove the present rigidity of the cadre system whereby some get too many opportunities without putting in their best while others are denied these despite their initial keenness to do their best. In the process, it was the creative and constructive capacities of organisations that got crippled, he observed.

Mr Jagmohan regretted that the political and administrative elites had hardly shown sustained interest in the reform and reorganisation of the administrative machinery. Although several committees had been set up on administrative reform, the net outcome of all these on either administrative structure or its work-culture had been negligible, he said.

Referring to technological challenges faced by the country in the arena of human settlements, the Minister called for using innovative techniques like trench technology, rainwater harvesting and generating energy from human waste to solve the peculiar problems faced by Indian cities.

Warning that Indian cities were in the danger of being swamped by a deluge of waste, including domestic, industrial and medical, Mr Jagmohan said it was estimated that about 80 per cent of the beds in the city hospitals were occupied by people suffering from air and water-borne diseases.

As regards housing, Mr Jagmohan said the present shortage of houses was about 25 million units - seven million in urban areas and 18 million in rural areas.

"Today, we have the dubious distinction of having the highest congestion rate in the world - about 19 per cent of the Indian families live in less than ten square meters of space. About 44 per cent of families in the urban areas live in one room only," he added.

Calling for a change of emphasis on low cost housing for the low income groups alone, Mr Gagmohan said there must be low-cost housing for all. Technological innovations could play a revolutionary part in shaping the future of the cities. In a sense, the challenge before the Indian cities is technological, he added. (UNI)

New UP CM a tough administrator

LUCKNOW, Oct 28: Newly-appointed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Rajnath Singh is known for his organisational skills and left his mark as an administrator during his earlier stint as Education Minister in the state.

In 1991, Mr Singh’s refusal to succumb to opposition pressure to withdraw the anti-copying act fetched him nationwide acclaim.

Mr Rajnath Singh, who has just resigned as Union Minister of Surface Transport, was born on July 10, 1951 in Bhabhora village, in tehsil Chakia of Varanasi district (now in the newly-created district of Chandauli) to a simple farmer couple. He completed his early education in the village school, and having a penchant for science, he completed his bachelor’s and master’s degree in physics from Gorakhpur University, earning a first division throughout his student years.

Inclusion of vedic mathematics in syllabus and removal of "distorted portions" of history from text books were other highlights of his tenure as Education Minister of the state.

Starting as a teacher of physics in K B Post Graduate College in Mirzapur district, bordering Bihar, Mr Singh remained an ardent worker of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) which he has served in various capacities becoming RSS general secretary of Mirzapur city way back in 1972.

Before that, he was organisation secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in Gorakhpur University and also worked in the Jan Sangh. He was lodged in Naini Jail of Allahabad during the emergency in 1975-77. After his release, Mr Singh was elected to the Assembly in 1977 from Mirzapur constituency, the only time he was elected directly.

Later, he occupied a number of posts in the youth wing of Bharatiya Janata Party to ultimately become its president in Uttar Pradesh. He was also a member of the Legislative Council.

In 1990, Mr Singh was appointed vice-president of the UP unit of the BJP. In 1994, he became a member of the Rajya Sabha where he was the chief whip of the BJP.

Known as a grassroot organiser after he became president of the Uttar Pradesh BJP unit, Mr Rajnath Singh is believed to be close to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

He had put in great efforts for the fulfilment of the Prime Minister’s dream project of linking the country with one link road, known as the "golden highway project".

Mr Singh, who was inducted as a Union Minister on November 22, 1999, almost simultaneously with the removal of Mr Kalyan Singh from the UP Chief Minister’s post, was making a tour of different parts of the state to oversee the completion of the project well on time as per the wishes of Mr Vajpayee, who represents lucknow in the Lok Sabha.

Regarded as a humble and suave man with polished manners, his elevation is part of the preparations for the next Assembly elections in the state. (UNI)

President to lay foundation stone of medical college

KOCHI, Oct 28: President K R Narayanan will lay the foundation stone for the Rs 165-crore medical college being set up in the co-operative sector here, on November 24, Kerala Co-operation Minister S Sarma said today.

Talking to newsmen here, he said admission to the college would commence this year itself. Sanction for the 100-seat college had already been granted by the Union Health Ministry and the All-India Medical Council, he said.

Union Health Minister C P Thakhur would formally hand over the official sanction order at a function to be held here on November ten, Mr Sarma said.

While 50 per cent of the seats would be in merit quota, ten per cent would be earmarked for Non-Resident Indian students. The rest 40 per cent would be on refundable deposit scheme, he said.

Though the Government had proposed to collect 75,000 US dollars as one time fee from the NRIs, it was expected to be reduced to the extent possible. This would be decided at a joint conference of secretaries of finance, health and co-operation to be held shortly.

The medical college buildings to be set up at Kalamassery, near here, would be completed within on year. An amount of Rs 65 crore had been earmarked for the building construction, said College Principal Dr P G R Pillai, who was also present at the news conference. (UNI)

Lure of better ‘kick’ at lower prize takes 34 to death

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Oct 28: It was the lure of a better ‘kick’ at a lower price that took 34 people to their death in Kollam district and Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala this week.

In a state where arrack had been banned since 1996 and Indian Made Foreign Liquor prohibitively priced, hooch was the only way out for the commoner, victims tragedy undergoing treatment at the medical college hospital here say.

Hooch was so easily available at Rs 10 a glass that even the arrack ban and occasional raids never upset the common man’s desire for a ‘kick’, till the killer Methyl alcohol got mixed with the brew either wilfully or by accident.

Relatives of hooch victims, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told PTI that colonies like the ‘Appolo Harijan’ colony in Pallipuram and the Chengal Choola Colony in the city were thriving hooch distribution areas.

In Appolo Colony, from where the latest casualties came after the worst hooch tragedy struck Kollam district earlier this week, every day at least 300 persons, many from the CRPF camp itself, used to come for a ‘better kick at a lower price’, the victims say.

Excise officials said the colonies were so well networked and the official machinery so ‘ill-equipped’ that raids even after a disaster hardly unearthed anything significant.

Relatives of the bootlegger Kumar, who died yesterday, said after the Kollam tragedy the moonshiner was planning to give up his connections with the trade. But as fate would have it, his decision came too late.

For CRPF jawans Bhaskaran Nair and Wilson, who became the latest victims of the killer Brew, hooch was nothing new. Both of them, hailing from Pozhiyoor-Parassala belt, the hooch making paradise of Kerala, Appolo Colony was the usual haunt, Wilson said.

Their Diwali celebrations with hooch ended in a disaster, with Nair losing his life and Wilson getting admitted to the Medical College Hospital.

While some victims, including 24-year-old Shyju, after their brush with death, vowed not to touch liquor again, the majority were blaming the Government for allowing contaminated brew to proliferate.

For the six including Raju, the alleged accomplice in the Kalluvathuckal hooch tragedy case in Kollam, life would be without light as they have turned totally blind.

Even as the CPI-M leadership had alleged a political conspiracy behind the liquor tragedy, several opposition parties and the media are blaming the Government for its alleged nexus with the hooch barons.

The police and excise fear that the killer brew distributed so far could only be the tip of the iceberg. If indeed there was a conspiracy, a larger consignment of it could be waiting to be distributed, especially as the assembly elections are drawing near, police said. (PTI)