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SPOTLIGHT From B L Kak 1000
Indians in NEW DELHI, Mar 1: At least 1000 Indians are languishing in Pakistani jails, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. .....more Defiant
oppn stalls NEW DELHI, Mar 1: A defiant opposition stalled the question hour in the Lok Sabha for about ten ....more Punjab Regiment SHIMLA, Mar 1: The Punjab Regiment is organising a function to honour and render financial assistance to the....more |
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HC seeks details on NEW DELHI, Mar 1: The Delhi High Court today sought complete details from the Centre on unauthorised occupation of.....more Cashier
robbed VARANASI, Mar 1: Three men on a motorcycle today robbed a cashier of the Regional Provident Fund Office of Rs 5.75 lakh and injured two.....more Centre
asks Delhi to NEW DELHI, Mar 1: Centre has asked Delhi Government to update its contingency action plan for handling earthquakes and put emphasis on ......more Modi
blasts Laloo for using PATNA, Mar 1: Leader of the opposition in the Bihar Assembly Sushil Kumar Modi today slammed RJD president Laloo Prasad Yadav for using.....more |
SPOTLIGHT From B L Kak Mr Yashwant Sinha, Union Finance Minister, has provided a definite relief to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the Ministry for Home Affairs. How? He has offered more money to the Special Protection Group (SPG) during the 2001-2002 financial year. The Special Protection Group provides security to the present Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, former Prime Ministers and their ‘immediate’ families. The surviving former Premiers are: Messrs VP Singh, PV Narasimha Rao, Chandra Shekhar, IK Gujral and HD Deve Gowda. And being the widow of the assassinated Prime Minister, Mr Rajiv Gandhi, Ms Sonia Gandhi and her immediate family, too, are covered under the SPG security net. Mr Yashwant Sinha’s 2001-2002 Budget documents, presented in Parliament on Feb. 28, clearly reveal that the Special Protection Group will get Rs 83.58 crores during the next financial year as against Rs 76.12 crores in the revised estimates for the 2000-2001 financial year. As expected, the Intelligence Bureau (IB), too, has a word of appreciation for the Union Finance Minister, who has, this time again, announced a hike in the allocation of funds for the country’s important spy arm. If the revised estimates for the current financial year had been put at Rs 325.71 crores, the Intelligence Bureau will now get Rs 348.07 crores to meet its plan and non-plan expenditure during the next financial year. As expected, the Finance Minister did not reveal the figure in respect of the IB’s ‘secret fund’ allocations for the year 2001-2002. Another prestigious establishment, namely, Cabinet Secretariat, which also administratively controls the Government’s yet another spy arm, better known as RAW (Research and Analysis Wing), has also reasons to be satisfied with Mr Sinha’s Budget proposals. In this case, too, the figure of allocation of money for RAW’s ‘secret fund’ has been kept a guarded secret. Secrecy-for-the-sake-of-secrecy policy is understandable in this connection. But there is no denying that several crores of rupees are being earmarked for spy services of the IB, the RAW and other intelligence wings, including the Border Security Force’s intelligence organisation, better known as the BSF (G), during the next financial year. Mr Sinha has also brought to the fore details about the increase in the allocation of funds for the paramilitary organisations-the BSF, the CRPF, the ITBP, National Security Guard (NSG), Central Industrial Security force (CISF) and Assam Rifles-for the year 2001-2002. As against Rs 2106.45 crores in the revised estimates for the current financial year, the BSF will get Rs 2243 crores during 2001-2002. Happily for the new chief of the Border Security Force, Mr Gurbachan Jagat, Mr Yashwant Singh has duly noted in his budget documents: "This Force, apart from its normal deployment for keeping vigil along the actual Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, the Indo-Pak border in Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat, Indo-Bangladesh and Indo-Myanmar borders, provides effective assistance to the local administration in the maintaining of law and order. It also promotes a sense of security amongst the border and local population and prevents border crimes and infiltration across the international borders and Line of Control". While the CRPF would get Rs 1901 crores during the next financial year, the allocation proposed by the Finance Minister in respect of the NSG and ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) is Rs 96 crores and Rs 420.50 crores. The CISF would get Rs 755.50 crores during the next financial year. Assam Rifles, which is the oldest paramilitary force in India, will get Rs 651 crores for the year 2001-02. Bulk of the Assam Rifles operates in North-Eastern region under the operational control of the Army. Some battalions, Mr Sinha told parliament, had also been deployed in Jammu and Kashmir. Nor is it all. ‘Mission Yashwant’ has also covered what it has categorised as ‘Special Police’ under the charge of Ministry of Home Affairs by giving it (‘Special Police’) Rs 186.18 crores during the next financial year. According to Mr Yashwant Sinha, the proposed amount of Rs 186.18 crores also includes charges paid to the Ministry of Defence in respect of Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry. |
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1000 Indians in Pak jails, says Govt NEW DELHI, Mar 1: At least 1000 Indians are languishing in Pakistani jails, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. As per available information, there are 54 Indian defence personnel, 819 civilian prisoners and 127 fishermen detained in Pakistan, Minister of State for External Affairs Ajit Kumar Panja told the Upper House in a written reply. Pakistan, however, has never acknowledged the existence of any Indian Prisoners of War (PoW) in its custody and has confirmed detention of only 112 Indian fishermen, he observed. The minister informed that the issue of early release and repatriation of Indian nationals under detention in Pakistani jails has been taken up repeatedly at all levels with the Government of Pakistan. "Our efforts at securing the early release of Indian nationals in Pakistani custody will continue", he added. Visa relaxation: Members of the Bangladesh-India-Myanmar-Sri Lanka-Thailand (BIMST-EC) have acknowledged the need for better mobility for tourists and business people, Mr Panja said in response to another query. He clarified that in India there is already a liberal visa policy, particularly for tourism and business purposes for visitors from this region. Transport and communication have also been identified for cooperation among BIMST-EC member countries. Among the areas of focus in this sector would be transportation linkages including the BIMST-EC section of the trans-asian highway and the trans-Asian railway, the minister said in another written response. Sick Industries : The number of sick industries registered with the BIFR upto December 31 2000 was 3296, the Rajya Sabha was informed during question hour. Rehabilitation assistance : The Government informed the house that the quantum of the rehabilitation assistance has been enhanced from Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 per freed bonded labourer effective may 2000. This was done in consultation with representatives of the State Governments. Agricultural workers : The lack of consensus among the states has necessitated the reformulation of the proposal to enact a comprehensive legislation for agricultural workers, the house was informed during question hour. The proposal has been under the consideration of the Government. The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr Muni Lal said in a written reply that there were certain reservations expressed by a few State Governments on some of the components of the draft legislation including identifying the source of the welfare fund. Mergers and acquisitions : The minister informed the house that that the projections of loss of approximately three lakh jobs between 1999-2002 as a result of mergers and acquisitions in the financial sector has been made in a report of the International Labour Organisation. This projection has been made for the entire world economy and is based mainly on recent experience of mergers and acquitisitions in Western Europe and North America. Recruiting agencies : The house was informed during question hour that under the Emigration Act, 1983, the Government has issued licences to 3349 recruiting agencies which includes II State Manpower Corporations. (UNI) |
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Defiant oppn stalls question hour in LS NEW DELHI, Mar 1: A defiant opposition stalled the question hour in the Lok Sabha for about ten minutes today by raising an uproar over the plight of a large number of workers who were in danger of losing their jobs with the closure of non-conforming industrials units in the capital. As soon as the house assembled, SP, RJD, CPI-M and CPI members were on their feet raising the issue. An anquished Speaker GMC Balayogi, not yielding to their demand, asked the opposition to move the issue during zero hour. "Such disruptions should not become a daily feature as it amount to flouting of the norms of the house," he observed angrily. The opposition members yielded ground and resumed their seats only after the intervention of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan who accepted their plea that a meeting should be arranged shortly between the opposition and the Government to sort out the problem. During zero hour, Mr Balayogi disallowed mentions by several members, including Ms A K Premajam, on the shifting of industrial units in the capital saying a meeting was scheduled to be held shortly on the subject. (UNI) |
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Centre asks Delhi to prepare plans to meet calamities NEW DELHI, Mar 1: Centre has asked Delhi Government to update its contingency action plan for handling earthquakes and put emphasis on preparedness and public awareness in view of the city being in the seismic zone IV making it prone to tremors of severe intensity and high damage risk. "It is the responsibility of the Government of national capital territory of Delhi to take necessary preparedness measures," Minister of State for Agriculture Shripd Y Naik said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha. The Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation has also issued a public notice for making suitable provisions in the building bye-laws of Delhi Development Authority and civic bodies to ensure that the buildings erected in the capital had enough safety features in respect of natural hazards like earthquake in accordance with the laid down guidelines, the minister said. (PTI) |
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Modi blasts Laloo for using Govt aircraft for party rally PATNA, Mar 1: Leader of the opposition in the Bihar Assembly Sushil Kumar Modi today slammed RJD president Laloo Prasad Yadav for using Government aircraft to address public meetings to mobilise support for the party’s proposed rally here on March four. "Yadav is indulging in blatant misuse of Government aircraft for addressing public meetings to urge the people to attend the RJD rally....We are deeply concerned by this misuse of public money", Modi told PTI. It is indeed shocking that the RJD chief is using the Government machinery to bring the people to the state capital for the ‘Gaon Bachao Desh Bachao’ rally, he said. Modi said every time Yadav used state aircraft he was accompanied by some cabinet ministers only as a ruse for using the planes, as the RJD chief himself was not entitled to travel by Government planes in his capacity as only an MLA. "I seek an explanation from the ministers accompanying laloo on these journeys about their official engagements that took them to the places where Laloo addressed public meetings", he said. (PTI) |
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