Excelsior... Nation

Director General
of NCB dead

NEW DELHI, Jan 5: H P Kumar, Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), expired late last night, an NCB release said today....more

I do not want my paintings
auctioned, says Manjit Bawa

NEW DELHI, Jan 5: An auction of his paintings by Christie’s is not a matter of pride or joy for renowned painter Manjit Bawa. ....more

A P J Abdul Kalam

Kalam stresses on
increased GDP growth

NEW DELHI, Jan 5: For India to transform into a developed country soon, the challenge...more

Prakash Singh Badal

Badal defends FM

CHANDIGARH, Jan 5: Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal today categorically stated that.....more

VHP will launch
massive agitation

VIJAYAWADA, Jan 5: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) will launch a massive agitation against the Andhra Pradesh Government’s alleged order directing authorities of temples to deposit gold ornaments with nationalised banks under the gold deposit scheme before March 31.....more

George Fernandes

Sea borders ‘an
invitation to subvert
security’: Fernandes

NEW DELHI, Jan 5: Defence Minister George Fernandes today said the sea borders were an "open invitation to subvert India’s security" as the national leadership in the country had shown "callous" indifference on the issue in the past.....more

BJP plunges
into a crisis in
Jharkhand

RANCHI, Jan 5: With the organisational polls round the corner, the BJP has plunged into a crisis in Jharkhand. ....more

CPI to fight against
decontrol of farm sector

CHENNAI, Jan 5: The CPI today said it would fight against decontrol of farm sector as it would adversely affect the interests of farmers......more

I do not want my paintings auctioned, says Manjit Bawa

NEW DELHI, Jan 5: An auction of his paintings by Christie’s is not a matter of pride or joy for renowned painter Manjit Bawa.

Although Bawa is not averse to the idea of selling his paintings, he says Christie’s may auction his paintings, but they would be doing so without his consent.

"I do not have to wait for my paintings to be sold. There are ample takers for them anytime. Some of them are sold even before I have finished painting them. But I am not at all comfortable with the idea of having my paintings auctioned -be it Sotheby’s or Christie’s who are doing it," Bawa told PTI at the inauguration of his latest exhibition of paintings here yesterday.

He claims not to have given any of his paintings to Christie’s.

"One of my admirers accumulated a huge number of my paintings. He said he wanted build a museum of my paintings. It is from his widow that Christie’s has procured the painting they would be auctioning," Bawa claimed. (PTI)

Kalam stresses on increased GDP growth

NEW DELHI, Jan 5: For India to transform into a developed country soon, the challenge lies in attaining an annual GDP growth of 9-11 per cent, self reliance in defence needs and having a rightful place in world fora, principal scientific adviser to the Government of India A P J Abdul Kalam has said.

Delivering a lecture on "networking multiple technologies for nation building", yesterday, Kalam said to realise this cherished mission, five areas - which are closely inter-related and lead to national, food and economic security - have been identified where India has a core competence for an integrated action.

"We have to put a target of 360 million tonnes of food and agricultural production. Other areas of agriculture and agro food processing would bring prosperity to rural people and speed up economic growth", he said.

Kalam said reliable and quality electric power for all parts of the country and education and better health care were needed. Experiences of states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in education and health care should be implemented in big states like up and Bihar, he said.

Information Technology can be used to promote education in remote areas and to create national wealth, he said adding strategic sectors had fortunately witnessed growth in nuclear technology, space and defence technology. (PTI)

Badal defends FM

CHANDIGARH, Jan 5: Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal today categorically stated that the fiscal health of Punjab was sound and there was no problem in respect of releasing of funds to different sectors of the development in the rural and urban areas.

He said a statement here that SAD-BJP Government inherited a shattered economy when it took over and the major task before the Government was to meet the aspirations of the Punjabis by mobilising required resources.

Badal said that the Finance Department under the leadership of Capt Kanwaljit Singh, Finance Minister Punjab has done commendable work in restoring the financial health and huge funds were pumped for accelerating the pace of development in the last 3-4 years.

The Chief Ministers’ statement has come in the wake of recent outbursts of Local Bodies Minister Balramji Dass Tandon, belonging to the BJP, against the Finance Ministry alleging that development works in urban areas had come to a halt because requisite money was not being released by the Finance Department. (PTI)

VHP will launch massive agitation

The VHP would not hesitate to move the High Court against the GO No:780 dated November three, VHP Purva Andhra president K Haranatha Reddy announced at a press conference here today.

Claiming that neither the Government nor the trustees had any right to mortgage or sell the jewellery which were offered to the temples by devotees with reverence.

The State Government should withdraw the order, lest it would have to incur the wrath of Hindus, he warned.

Mr Reddy accused the State Government of being indifferent to the spate of idol lifting and robbery in temples.

It may be noted that the gold deposit scheme had been launched to attract old and antiquated gold ornaments available in household and religious institutions across the country, to push up the country’s gold reserves.

Twenty Dharmacharyas from Andhra Pradesh would participate in the Dharma Sansad to be held during the Kumbha Mela at Prayag from January 19 to 21 to decide the date for the construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya, Mr Reddy added. (UNI)

Sea borders ‘an invitation to subvert security’: Fernandes

A "shocking revelation" was made by the task force on border management that threats from the sea "had not figured in the thinking of the nation’s leadership even once in the fifty years of our freedom," Fernandes said in a hard-hitting speech while inaugurating a seminar on "Maritime dimensions of India’ sing the erstwhile leaderships for being "callous on matters of national security", Fernandes said despite five wars and 53 years of independence, the concept of national security "is yet to acquire the place of moderate visibility in the areas of national concern."

While the Army and the Air Force had received some degree of national attention, "the Navy’s profile was beyond the imagination of the people. Navy has always got the `Cinderella’ treatment," he said.

The minister said though the Navy and the Coast Guards have always remained on guard in the exclusive economic zone of the country, "it does not tantamount to guarding the borders".

Andaman and Nicobar Islands have so far remained an "open house for forces inimical to India" and there was need for the Navy to keep the sea lanes free and secure.

Pointing out that India’s strategic space in the seas and oceans around it were "rich in minerals like hydrocarbons", fernandes said the maritime nations were bound to start exploring the bottom of the sea soon enough.

"Even land-locked nations would demand sea space for exploration purposes and such moves may start conflicts for control of sea routes," he said.

Asking the Navy and the Coast Guards to play their role on the high seas in a determined manner, Fernandes said "our shores have so far been a landing ground for powers to plunder and colonise India".

Besides Navy Chief, Admiral Sushil Kumar, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal A Y Tipnis, former Army Chief Gen V P Malik and several top serving and retired officers were present.

The seminar, which is being addressed by large number of key defence officers, analysts and strategists, has been organised as part of the build-up for the international fleet review to be hosted by Indian Navy in Mumbai next month.

Navies of at least 20 countries are expected to participate in it. (PTI)

BJP plunges into a crisis in Jharkhand

RANCHI, Jan 5: With the organisational polls round the corner, the BJP has plunged into a crisis in Jharkhand.

The infighting, which had come to the fore at the time of Government formation in Jharkhand, has further worsened with a section of the partymen trying to grab more leverage in the organisational set-up in the state.

A section of the party is peeved over the manner in which the Government has been functioning in the past one and half months, allegedly neglecting the party senior leaders and office-bearers.

Partymen alleged that a particular leader, who did not hold any post in the state committee, had been given ‘undue’ importance by Chief Minister Babu Lal Marandi.

This section, which had the patronage of a central leader, had, even in the past, challenged the candidature of Mr Marandi, but due to the support the latter had in the BJP legislature party, they were forced to accept his leadership.

According to them, it was ‘unfortunate’ that the party after the formation of the state had failed to make its political presence felt and counter the opponents.

Meanwhile, according to BJP state committee, the elections for the state chief is likely to be held next month.

Organisational polls in 15 districts had been completed, while it was due in six others, the sources said. (UNI)

CPI to fight against decontrol of farm sector

CHENNAI, Jan 5: The CPI today said it would fight against decontrol of farm sector as it would adversely affect the interests of farmers.

CPI general secretary A B Bardhan said the resolution adopted by the BJP’s national executive at New Delhi was only to extend the liberalised economic policies to farm sector.

‘Any reforms in the farm sector, implemented wrecklessly, will gravely endanger the food security of the country’, he said.

He said the corporatisation of farm sector would be disastrous for the nation’s economy.

The CPI would organise picketing programmes all over the country in front of the Central Government offices on march one and two, to protest against the Government’s ‘wrong’ economic polices, including the opening up the farm sector, he said.

He said "there was nothing new in Prime Minister A B Vajpayee’s Kumarakom musings and that it was a repetition of his contradictory views on Ayodhya and other matters".

The national council of the party, which concluded its two-day sitting here yesterday, in a resolution said the Prime Minister’s remarks that Ayodhya was the legacy of the past was ‘entirely misleading’. It also called upon the the people to be vigilant against divisive forces. (PTI)