Excelsior... Nation

Murli Manohar Joshi

Basic education for
entire population
by 2009: Joshi

BHUJ, Jan 10: Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Science and Technology Murli ....more

EC completes 50 years

NEW DELHI, Jan 10: Election Commission completes 50 years of its existence later this month ....more

Om Prakash Chautala

No differences with
BJP: Chautala

CHANDIGARH, Jan 10: Haryana Chief Minister and Indian National Lok Dal supremo Om.....more

Gujarat registers
decline in serious
crimes in year 2000

GANDHINAGAR, Jan 10: Gujarat registered a 5.36 per cent decline in serious crimes rate for the.....more

Jammu’s Hari Niwas Palace in the news
Big political event
in February in J&K’s
winter capital

From B L Kak

NEW DELHI, Jan 10: Should the Government of India decide to oblige Kashmir’s senior political leader and former Chief Minister, Mr Ghulam Mohammed Shah........more

‘Undernourishment
posing major health
risk even in adulthood’

MUMBAI, Jan 10: Undernourishment starts right from the foetal stage in the country, posing........more

M S Gill

EC role in WB only when
poll process begins: Gill

NEW DELHI, Jan 10: The Election Commission today made it clear that it could play a role regarding the law and situation in West Bengal only when the Assembly poll process began there even as NDA delegation demanded that EC should take steps "right now" to .....more

Saudi Airlines will
transport 20,000
pilgrims to kingdom

NEW DELHI, Jan 10: Saudi Airlines will transport more than 20,000 pilgrims to the kingdom for.....more

Basic education for entire population by 2009: Joshi

BHUJ, Jan 10: Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Science and Technology Murli Manohar Joshi has said his ministry would ensure primary education for all children between the age group of six to 14 by 2003, while the entire population could be provided basic education by 2009.

Addressing a function organised to mark the golden jubilee of Khimji Ramdas Kanya Vidyalaya at Mandvi here yesterday, Dr Joshi stressed the need to change the syllabus right from Kindergarten to the University level. Information on Indian culture, mythology, history must be introduced at all levels, he said.

Pointing out dangers related to information era, he stated that english has become so popular that people have started forgetting their own dialects. Over 2,200 dialects had been completely forgotten in the world, he said.

Dr Joshi exhorted Non-Governmental Organisations to come forward to provide the global infrastructural facility for education as the Government alone could not provide it. (UNI)

No differences with BJP: Chautala

CHANDIGARH, Jan 10: Haryana Chief Minister and Indian National Lok Dal supremo Om Prakash Chautala today said there were no differences with the Bharatiya Janata Party, which was supporting his Government from outside.

Participating in "Meet the Press programme" at the Chandigarh Press Club here, Mr Chautala said the two parties as constituents of the National Democratic Alliance were fully cooperating with each other.

"From the very beginning, my stand had been that there was no alternative to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee."

"He alone could steer the country".

Mr Chautala said he was confident that the Vajpayee Government would complete its full five year term.

"My first duty is towards my the people of Haryana," he said when asked whether he planned to play an important role in the national politics. "Besides, I am not hankering after power," he added.

Mr Chautala castigated the opposition parties in the state for ‘misleading’ the people on various issues.

He avoided a direct reply on the issues of sharing river waters with Punjab, transfer of Hindi speaking areas of Abohar and Fazilka in Punjab or competition of the long pending Sutlej-Yamuna link canal in Punjab saying the matter was subjudice as it was before the apex court.

He, however, said all the issues could be sorted out through discussions across the table.

The Chief Minister said when he assumed office in 1999, he had inherited a ‘totally shattered state and its economy was in bad shape’.

He justified the recent hike in power tariff and did not rule out further hike unless huge arrears of bills were cleared and electricity thefts stopped. He claimed that a hike of 11.3 per cent in Haryana was less than what was prevailing in a number of states.

Arrears amounting to Rs 500 crore had been recovered, he added.

Mr Chautala said besides decentralisation of power and giving more power to Panchayati Raj institutions, the new education and industrial policies and various pro-people measures, including remunerative support price to farmer’s produce, had given a new dimension to the state’s march towards progress.

The Chief Minister expressed surprise at the continuing pen-down strike by a section of the State Government employees.

The State Government had made it clear to implement the court verdict vis-a-vis promotions of scheduled caste employees, he added.

The general and the backward category employees have been on a pen-down strike for the past three months demanding implementation of the apex court directive delivered in the Janjua case.

However, a section of the Scheduled Class employees appealed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the withdrawal of promotion orders following the apex court directive.

In reply to a question, the Chief Minister said that the decision about posting of former police Director General S P S Rathore, who had been framed in the Ruchika molestation case would be taken on merit after the designated court’s decision. (UNI)

Gujarat registers decline in serious crimes in year 2000

GANDHINAGAR, Jan 10: Gujarat registered a 5.36 per cent decline in serious crimes rate for the second calender year in succession, Minister of State for Home Haren Pandya has said.

Addressing a news conference here yesterday, Mr Pandya said the declining figure could be attributed to the implementation of a "police action" plan in 1999.

He said against the national average of 14.5 per cent of violent crimes, Gujarat’s average was 8.48 per cent. "Among the developed states, Gujarat is the only state where there is a consistent fall in the percentage of serious crimes," he claimed.

However, he added that the state witnessed a rise in rioting cases which increased by 12.52 per cent.

Mr Pandya said against 44230 serious offences registered in 1999, 41859 were registered in the year 2000.

He said the rise in cases of rioting was due to panchayat elections and the all-India bandh organised by political parties.

He informed that 934 criminals were booked under Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act (PASA) and 468 people were externed who were indulging in anti-social activites.

Eight Pakistani intruders and 27 Bangladeshi intruders were arrested during the year and 22 kg of RDX and other explosive materials was seized from them.

While 20 hardcore criminals were killed in police encounters, all religious festivals were celebrated peacefully in the state. (UNI)

Jammu’s Hari Niwas Palace in the news
Big political event in February in J&K’s winter capital

From B L Kak

NEW DELHI, Jan 10: Should the Government of India decide to oblige Kashmir’s senior political leader and former Chief Minister, Mr Ghulam Mohammed Shah, the city of Jammu, administratively labelled as the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir State, will become an important centre for political and media circles, at least during the two-day conference commencing on February 10.

The conference on Jammu and Kashmir being organised by Mr Shah’s Awami National Conference (ANC) is expected to be attended by 495 people. The list of invitees was formally made public by the ANC president, Mr Shah, in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Mr GM Shah told a press conference that the coming J&K meet ‘in search of peace and solution’ would be held at the historic Hari Niwas Palace in Jammu, the winter capital of the Kashmir State. The list of invitees also includes as many as 38 political leaders and intellectuals from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) including the Northern Areas and 13 intellectuals and activists from Europe and USA.

It was, precisely, in this context that Mr Shah strongly appealed to the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, and Pakistan’s Chief Executive, Gen. Parvez Musharraf, as well as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Farooq Abdullah, and the Prime Minister of PoK to render all necessary help and cooperation for the "safe and smooth" conduct of the two-day convention by the ANC in Jammu next month.

And as the Awami National Conference managers have begun sending out formal invitation letters to foreign delegates, Mr Shah wants New Delhi, Islamabad and Muzaffarabad to ensure transit facilities for the invitees.

The Awami National Conference, to quote Mr Shah, does not have direct links with or access to the organisations engaged in the armed struggle in Kashmir. Yet Mr Shah’s significant move, namely, the "appeal" to all of them to send their representatives to participate in the proposed convention or send their views in writing which could be put before the participants for discussion in the course of deliberations at Jammu’s Hari Niwas Palace.

The list of invitees from the PoK includes, among others, Mr Sultan Mehmood Chaudhary, Prime Minister, Mr Amanullah Khan, president of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Mr Sardar Abdul Qayum Khan, president J&K Muslim Conference, Mr Abdul Rashid Turabi, meer Jamaat-e-Islami, Sardar Sikander Hayat Khan, Mr Abdul Khaliq Ansari, founder-president of J&K Plebiscite Front and Sardar Khalid Ibrahim, president of Jammu and Kashmir People’s Party and Gen. (retd.) Mohammed Hayat Khan, president Muslim League.

Invitation letters have gone to seven leading political activists from United Kingdom, namely, Prof. Zafar Khan, Barrister Asif Khan, Mirza Mohammed Siddique, Dr Inayat Ullah Andrabi, Mr Shabir Choudhary , Dr Ayub Thakur and Mr Nasir Gilani.

Those invited from USA include Mr Ghulam Nabi Fai of Kashmir American Council (KAC), Mr Usman Raheem Ahmad of Council for Independent Kashmir (CIK), Mr Manzoor Ahmad Khan, president JKLF (New York Branch) and Dr Iftikhar Ahmad. Mr Malik Mushtaq Ahmad Pasha, president JKLF Europe Zone (Paris), is also in the list of invitees.

Mr GM Shah said that while 123 intellectuals, social activists and eminent citizens from Kashmir division had been included in the list of invitees for the coming conference, Jammu division accounted for 92 persons. In addition, as many as 59 political and public figures from Kashmir and 35 leading personalities from Jammu province would be invited, Mr Shah said and put the number of invitees from Ladakh at 15.

Dr Farooq Abdullah is being invited in his capacity as the president of the National Conerence. Similarly, heads of various political parties, Mr Shah said, would also be invited. They include, among others, Maulvi Umar Farooq of the Awami Action Committee, Mr Ghulam Mohammed Bhat of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Prof. Abdul Ghani Bhat, chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Shah Geelani of Jamaat-e-Islami, Maulvi Abbas Ansari , Mr Abdul Ghani Lone, Mr Yasin Malik, Mr Fazal Haq Qureshi of People’s Political Front, Sheikh Abdul Aziz, People’s League, Mr Shabir Ahmed Shah and Mr Mohammed Azam Inqlabi.

Mr GM Shah said in reply to a question that the coming conference, in his view, would provide a broad based forum for representatives of political parties, leaders of groups and organisations, intellectuals and concerned and eminent citizens from both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and activists in UK, USA and other countries to meet and discuss the Kashmir issue and its peaceful resolution. He added that efforts would be made to find workable, practically possible and pragmatic and well-considered proposals, recommendations, suggestions and ideas for a solution acceptable to all.

‘Undernourishment posing major health
risk even in adulthood’

MUMBAI, Jan 10: Undernourishment starts right from the foetal stage in the country, posing major health risks even in adulthood, world scientists have said.

According to Dr Ramesh Potdar, Secretary of the World Congress Organising Committee, an average baby should weigh up to 2.5 kg in accordance with World Health Organisation standards and up to 3-3.5 kgs as scientists believe.

But 90 per cent of babies born in India, Pakistan and some African and European nations are underweight, which may be one of the causes of rising incidence of adult diseases, especially diabetes and heart trouble, he said.

Dr Potdar was speaking at a press meet yesterday along with other world scientists who are scheduled to attend a World Congress on Foetal Origins of Adult Diseases in Mumbai next month.

British pediatrician caroline fall said nourishment of a child was important from the foetal stage itself.

There is a considerable strain on the nerves and overall biological existence of a person who was underweight at birth when he gains weight with age, which leads to several diseases, including abnormal blood pressure, says fall.

"The mother is herself undernourished and she gives birth to an undernourished child, and that child grows up to give birth to a generation of undernourished young ones. This has to be changed." In her presentation Dr Fall quoted British studies which showed foetal nourishment played an important role in adult health life.

Undernourished new-born babies grew up to suffer from life-threatening diseases more often. "There are several factors besides proper diet and nourishment responsible for this,... Urban lifestyles and uncontrolled food patterns are one of them."

"If an undernourished new-born baby maintains his weight, chances are that he will keep healthy for a longer period of time than his counterpart who gains weight in later years of life."

Educating mothers on dietary needs of pregnancy may help control the problem, she said.

The World Congress, scheduled to begin on February two, will bring together in Mumbai eminent medical experts and scientists from across the world.

Dr M S Swaminathan from UNESCO, Dr David Barker and Dr Amartya Sen as well as speakers from the WHO and UNICEF will also address the Congress, hosted by society for natal effects on health in adults. (UNI)

EC role in WB only when poll process begins: Gill

"These days I very closely read all these statements. But at the moment, whatever these matters are, they lie constitutionally in other domains," Chief Election Commissioner M S Gill told reporters.

The Commission’s role came only at the time of entering into the election process, Gill said adding that the commission was concerned and very much focused on the aspect of a good law and order situation in all the five states to have a peaceful and fair poll.

He said the Commission expected the authorities and political parties to fight the elections in a democratic and peaceful way. "any thought towards push and pull should be denied", he said.

The five-member NDA delegation led by BJP MP Vijay Goel called on the CEC and demanded that the Commission should take steps "right now" to ensure free and fair poll in the state.

Stating that the law and order situation in the state was "very bad", the delegation which visited the violence-hit areas of Midnapore district alleged that the state-sponsored terrorism was forcing the people to flee from their places. Gill said the Assembly polls in five states would be held before the third week of May as the tenure of two Assemblies would be completed by the end of May and three more by the second week of June.

While the tenure of Tamil Nadu Assembly and Kerala would end on May 21 and 28 respectively, the term of West Bengal and Pondicherry Assembly would end on June nine and Assam on June 11.

Asked whether there would be simultaneous polls in all the five states, the CEC said that the Commission in the past also tried to have the polls together as the result of one state would have a bearing on the other.

The CEC said Election Commissioner T S Krishnamurty would tour West Bengal tomorrow to review the poll preparedness in the state.

He said the Commission had placed orders with two public sector units in Bangalore and Hyderabad for the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for extensive use in the Assembly polls. (PTI)