Excelsior... Nation

Fernandes’ report on WB
is "full of lies": Basu

CALCUTTA, Sept 11: West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu today described the report of Defence Minister George Fernandes on the law and order situation in the State as "full of lies" and dared the Centre to take any action.....more

Ram Naik

‘Petro product prices to
be hiked after PM’s return’

NEW DELHI, Sept 11: Prices of petroleum products will be hiked after Prime Minister Atal Behar Vajpayee’s return from the US even as India expressed disappointment over OPEC’s decision to increase crude production by 8 lakh barrels per day, to curb shooting international prices.....more

PM had told me to defend
Bal Thackeray: Jethmalani

NEW DELHI, Sept 11: Former Law Minister Ram Jethmalani today claimed that he made the controversial statement that Centre could step in to prevent arrest of Shiv Sena....more

Balasaheb Vikhe Patil

Country faces backlog
of over 106 million
unemployed: Patil

AHMEDABAD, Sept 11: Union Minister of State for Finance Balasaheb......more

Afghanistan emerging
as regional flash
point of instability

NEW DELHI, Sept 11: India and the central Asian countries were facing a common threat with....more

Army denies lowering of
standards in recruitment

NEW DELHI, Sept 11: The Army today categorically stated that its selection process is among "the ....more

SPP gets threats,
unwilling to
continue in post

COIMBATORE, Sept 11: In a new twist to the trial in the sensational Coimbatore serial bomb blast .....more

EC defers hearing on issue of hartal by political parties

NEW DELHI, Sept 11: The Election Commission today decided to defer the hearing on the issue of.....more

Fernandes’ report on WB is "full of lies": Basu

Stating that his Government had received the report from the Centre, Basu said "it is full of lies" and he would personally reply to it. "I told the Chief Secretary not to reply. I will reply tomorrow".

Challenging the Centre to take any step, the Chief Minister told reporters at the Writers’ Buildings, the State secretariat: "I have never seen such a thing. Let them do the worst. The people will give the reply."

On Fernandes’ remark that West Bengal’s law and order was worse than Bihar’s, Basu said "he (Fernandes) is from Bihar. He is aware of the situation in that State". But the State Government has the CII report which described the State’s law and order as the best in the country, he said.

To a question on the reported threat to the life of Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, Basu said "like me, she also belongs to `Z’ category. This type of security keeps vigil on the concerned Minister for 24 hours. When the Minister goes out for any meeting security personnel also accompany him or her," Basu said.

Fernandes had said in his report that after seeing the situation in the State "I am really worried for the life of Mamata."

"Speaking untruth is their habit, what can I do?", the Chief Minister said. (PTI)

‘Petro product prices to be hiked after PM’s return’

"After the return of Prime Minister and Finance Minister from us, we shall apply our minds to the issue of revision of prices... Nature and quantum are to be worked out," Petroleum Minister Ram Naik told reporters while pointing out that OPEC’s decision was much below India’s expectations.

OPEC, in its meeting in Vienna yesterday, agreed on an increase in output of 800,000 barrels per day (a three per cent increase at its current production level) from October one in the face of international crude prices reaching to nearly 36 dollars a barrel.

"We expected them to increase production by 10-12 lakh barrels a day to keep crude prices within the band of 22-28 dollars a barrel in line with OPEC’s decision in March... Their decision is welcome but they should have kept in mind the anticipated increase in consumption owing to increase in winter demand in the western countries," Naik said.

Stating that the issue had been discussed with the Finance Ministry, Naik said "we have to tackle the situation with a mixture of three options — adjustment of taxes and duties, issue bonds to control oil pool deficit and increase prices."

Naik said that India’s import bill would be over Rs 70,000 crore during the current financial year, up from Rs 57,000 crore in the last financial year.

India is expected to import about 78 million tonnes of crude and over three million tonnes of product during the current fiscal, with ministry sources projecting foreign exchange outgo of 17-18 billion dollar in 2000-01 as against about 12.5 billion dollar in 1999-2000.

Stating that oil pool deficit had soared to Rs 9,000 crore by September 1 from about Rs 6,000 crore at the beginning of the current financial year, Naik said at the current price level, diesel was carrying a subsidy of Rs three a litre while cooking gas was subsidised by Rs 160 per cylinder.

Asked if the Government would eliminate subsidy on diesel in line with earlier cabinet decision to accord import parity to this fuel in the domestic market, the minister said "the decision was taken in 1997 but earlier Governments did not implement the same.... We will take appropriate decision."

One of the proposal given to Finance Ministry was that it should return about Rs 4000-5000 crore it had taken from the oil pool account a decade back, Naik said but declined to comment if Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha was agreeing to cut duties. (PTI)

PM had told me to defend Bal Thackeray: Jethmalani

NEW DELHI, Sept 11: Former Law Minister Ram Jethmalani today claimed that he made the controversial statement that Centre could step in to prevent arrest of Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, only after Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee asked him to "do everything possible" to avert it.

"I met Vajpayee on June 19 and wanted to discuss so many problems including the attitude of the Chief Justice of India in not administering oath to the MRTPC Chairman, something about Attorney General Soli Sorabjee and my proposals about judicial reforms. But the discussion was only on Bal Thackeray," Jethmalani told PTI.

When the discussions veered round the Bal Thackeray case, "I said Atalji you have to take a political decision as in my view the case is hopelessly time barred and the arrest would be malafide," he said.

Jethmalani said then the Prime Minister told him that it was his decision that the Law Minister should "do everything possible to see that Thackeray is not arrested".

"When I made the public statement to that effect, the idea was to frighten the Maharashtra Government. We could not have actually acted on those lines as we have burnt our fingers by superseeding Governments (Bihar) before," the former Law Minister said.

Narrating the sequence of events that led to his sacking, Jethmalani said it was the Prime Minister’s duty to support his minister for the remarks which made the Supreme Court react sharply. The court had criticised the statement without naming the minister.

Referring to the controversy over the appointment of retired judge, Justice B M Lal, as the MRTPC Chairman, Jethmalani said "the Prime Minister should have taken a stand and told the CJI - I am sorry, my minister is right."

"Had that been so, I would have amended the rules which made it mandatory that the oath of office to the Chairman had to be administered by the Chief Justice," he said.

On his sacking, the former Law Minister said the Prime Minister did not owe him an explanation "but I agree this is a very very unfair way of dealing with a minister."

Referring to the need for harmonious relation between judiciary and executive cited by the Prime Minister as the reason for his sacking, Jethmalani said it would give rise to grave implications.

"First of all it will be easy for a Chief Justice of India to get rid of an inconvenient minister and it will be easy for a Prime Minister to use the Chief Justice for getting rid of a minister," he said. (PTI)

Country faces backlog of over 106 million
unemployed: Patil

AHMEDABAD, Sept 11: Union Minister of State for Finance Balasaheb Vikhe Patil today said the country had entered the 21st century with a backlog of over 106 million unemployed persons.

Unemployment and poverty were the two biggest challenges the country was facing, Patil said here while inaugurating the third national meet of rural entrepreneurs, trainer-motivators and managers of micro-credit projects in NGOs, organised by Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDI).

"We must find ways to eradicate poverty and provide a dignified living to our people as it is equally clear that the Government cannot provide employment to one and all", he said.

The agriculture sector had the potential to generate employment but the sector alone could not solve the problem, he said adding ‘we have to think of ways and means of creating employment opportunities to prevent migration to cities’.

Referring to the credit needs of the poor, he said it was the formal banking channel’s initial failures that led a large number of NGOs to enter field of micro-credit.

The success of micro credit initiatives coupled with the examples of proactive bankers confirmed that it was possible to take care of the credit needs of the poor if there was a will, the minister said.

EDI National Awards for best rural entrepreneurs trainer-motivators of NGOs, regional awards for best bankers and IDBI awards for best woman etms were presented to winners from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, Rajasthan, Assam and Maharashtra. (PTI)

Afghanistan emerging as regional flash point of instability

NEW DELHI, Sept 11: India and the central Asian countries were facing a common threat with Afghanistan fast emerging as a "regional flash point" of instability, a top External Affairs Ministry official said today.

"Central Asian countries and India have common security concern. There is also common threat to the society and peace from external forces," K V Rajan, Secretary (East) in Ministry of External Affairs said while focussing on the dangers to the region posed by inimical forces in Afghanistan.

Inaugurating a two-day seminar on central asia, organised by Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), Rajan said while upholding historical and cultural relationship, there was need to "redefine" ties between India and Central Asian Republics (CARs) in "contemporary setting".

Referring to Pakistan, he said "there was no need for India to engage in any propaganda to convince other countries about Islamabad’s role in creating instability".

"There are also several incidents of insurgency in central Asian countries .... And we have committed our support in tackling them," he said.

The two-day meet being attended by strategists from several central Asian countries is dwelling at length various aspects of institutionalising pragmatic and profitable engagements between India and resource-rich central Asia.

In his address, strategic expert from Kazakistan L K Bakaev of Abay State University (Almatty) said that Afghanistan was soon emerging a "real refuge" for hundreds of Uzbek and Chechnyan radicals. (PTI)

Army denies lowering of standards in recruitment

NEW DELHI, Sept 11: The Army today categorically stated that its selection process is among "the best in the world" and that recruitment had nothing to do with the suicide by two cadets at the Dehradun-based Indian Military Academy (IMA) recently.

"The suicides were unfortunate and an inquiry is on but such things happen in the best of institutions elsewhere also. Our selection process has no parallel in any other profession and is among the best in the world," Director General, Manpower Planning and Personnel Services, Lt Gen H S Bagga told reporters here.

The procedure being followed for the intake of officers was "exhaustive" and a candidate is selected only "if he comes up to the requisite level" notwithstanding the roughly 28 per cent deficiency in the Army’s officer cadre, Bagga said.

The press briefing came in the wake of media reports attributing the suicides to the lowering of standards for recruitment of officers in the world’s third largest army.

Of an estimated 2.75 lakh candidates applying for selection to IMA, National Defence Academy and Officers’ Training Academy annually, nearly 2000 were selected through a procedure involving Union Public Service Commission exams and Services Selection Board interviews, he said.

Conceding that the deficiency in the officer cadre had reached an "alarming stage", Lt Gen Bagga said efforts were on to reduce it through reduction of training period, improvement of infrastructure and optimisation of training capacities besides a media campaign to attract more youth. (PTI)

SPP gets threats, unwilling to continue in post

COIMBATORE, Sept 11: In a new twist to the trial in the sensational Coimbatore serial bomb blast cases, the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) today submitted before the special court that he was not willing to continue in his post as he said he was getting ‘threats’.

Sounderarajan informed the special Judge M Thanikachalam that he was not willing to continue as SPP in this case as well as in the Udumalpet bomb blast case, which is also being heard by the same judge and came up for trial this afternoon.

Sounderrajan had received a letter threatening of dire consequences immediately after he assumed charge. He was likely to submit a memo (resignation) indicating his decision to the Government this evening, highly placed special court sources said.

Thanikachalam adjourned the Udumalpet blast case for Sept 18. Three persons were killed and three others injured, when a bomb planted in a cycle exploded near Udumalpet bus stand on Dec. 3, 1997. Trial in the case had commenced on Aug 24 last and eight out of 107 witnesses had been examined.

‘The legal wing in the Home Depatment of Tamil Nadu Government is initiating steps to appoint a new SPP for these cases+, the sources said.

As about 50 accused in the serial blast cases were yet to appoint their counsels, the special court was likely to provide the option of legal aid from the Government, the sources said.

If the accused refuse to comply with the option, the trial in the serial blast case would commence at an earlier date, the sources added. (PTI)

EC defers hearing on issue of hartal by political parties

NEW DELHI, Sept 11: The Election Commission today decided to defer the hearing on the issue of enforcement of hartal by political parties and wait for the Supreme Court verdict following filing of petitions by CPI(M) and Congress.

The Commission observed that it would be appropriate to wait for the direction from the Supreme Court since two major political parties CPI(M) and Congress had already filed a Special Leave Petition and the counsel for Kerala Government had also advised the State Government to file the same.

"You are making our job easier", Chief Election Commissioner M S Gill said after a brief 15-minute sitting observing that this was an important issue for the democratic and electoral process and needed substantial discussion.

Stating that the issue would have wide ranging implications, the CEC said "it is advisable at this stage not to start the hearing".

Senior CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat and Congress counsel Pawan Bansal said it would be prudent to wait for the Supreme Court verdict.

CPI(M) general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet and senior party leader S Ramachandran Pillai and Congress leader Margaret Alva were also present.

Declaring that enforcement of ‘hartal’ using force, intimidation, physical or mental coercion would be an unconstitutional act, the Kerala High Court ruled in early June that no political party or organisation had a right to enforce it.

The court also directed the EC to entertain complaints, if any, of violations of Sect 29A(5) of the Representation of People Act, 1951, by any registered political parties or association and after a fair hearing, to take a decision thereof for de-recognising or cancelling registration of that party or organisation if the circumstances of the case so warranted.

Earlier, the Commission had issued notices to CPI(M), Congress, Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to Kerala Government and a Non-Governmental Organisation Institute of Social Welfare, which is one of the petitioners to appear before the poll panel for hearing the case. (PTI)