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ULFA
moving about GUWAHATI, May 4: Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, today urged the Election...more Disinvestment
policy to be reviewed From B L Kak NEW DELHI, May 4: Official announcement about a hike in rail passenger fares is expected anytime in the coming days. The Railway Ministry is.....more
NEW DELHI, May 4: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee will visit Russia in early November...more Battle
lines drawn NEW DELHI, May 4: Battle lines have been drawn in the power game in Bihar with.....more |
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George
blames GUWAHATI, May 4: Former Defence Minister George Fernandes has blamed "careless policing" on the north-east borders for the border standoff with Bangladesh in Meghalaya and Assam........more Seminar
on rights of NEW DELHI, May 4: To discuss the developments which have advertently or inadvertently affected the rights of Muslim women in the intervening 15 years since then, a two-day seminar is being organised in the capital from May six....more For
DMK, AIADMK, CHENNAI, May 4: Ruling DMK and main opposition AIADMK are approaching the Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu in contrasting styles......more SC
asks Centre, states to NEW DELHI, May 4: To check the misuse of advanced technology in female foeticide, the Supreme Court today directed the Centre and the state Governments to vigourously implement the Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act coupled with media campaign........more |
ULFA
moving about in Assam under GUWAHATI, May 4: Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, today urged the Election Commission to inquire into reports that the ULFA An assam was using the Congress, with which it has a "clandestine friendship" as a cover for their subversive activities. "It is an open secret that ULFA subversionists are moving under Congress cover to create violence in the state and I urge the EC to make full inquiries about it", Joshi told a press conference here. "There is a clandestine friendship between the ULFA and the Congress, but the people are sure to frustrate all efforts to destabilise Assam", Joshi, who is here to campaign for BJP candidates, said. The EC must ensure that terrorists are kept out of the poll arena and no political party should provide cover to such elements, Joshi said. "If Congress policies are recounted one would recall that whenever they are out of power they indulge in promoting separatism as in Jammu and Kashmir; With the Naxalites in Andhra Pradesh and Chattisgarh and now with the ULFA in Assam", he said. "If the Congress has any faith in democracy they should have opposed the ULFA and their silence on the matter speaks of their support to the extremist outfit", the minister said. The Union Minister said that the EC must also ensure that full protection is provided to candidates and voters. "The ULFA is creating violence, but the people will never allow the rule of the bullet to be replaced by the rule of the ballot", Joshi said. When told that the AGP had asked the EC to hold the election in three phases instead of one in view of the security threat, he replied that EC perhaps had "failed" to assess the situation in the state, but it was its duty to ensure a free and fair poll. Joshi said the Centre in due course of time would "probe" the alleged Congress-ULFA "links". The BJP leader claimed that according to reports the BJP-AGP alliance would come to power and work for the development of the people. "The alliance represents the interest of all sections of the people", he said. The NDA Government had made all efforts to develop the NE region with the IIT slated to open new courses and introduce technologies conducive to the growth of the region. The Department of Biotechnology would take up projects for promoting the state’s herbal medicinal wealth which was capable of earning millions of dollars in foreign exchange, he said. (PTI) |
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Disinvestment policy
to be reviewed From B L Kak NEW DELHI, May 4: Official announcement about a hike in rail passenger fares is expected anytime in the coming days. The Railway Ministry is, currently, giving final touches to the plan, which envisages a post-budget hike in fares and a cut in the Plan outlay for 2001-2002 financial year. The Railway’s Plan, which was prepared when Ms Mamata Banerjee was the Railway Minister, required to be corrected to make it more realistic. After this message was conveyed to the present Minister for Railways, Mr Nitish Kumar, by the Railway Board, high-level consultations took place. And, on more than one occasion, the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, too was involved in the consultations. These consultations were also necessitated after a team of experts had made a pointed reference to the likely slippages in budgetary projections. Sources in the Railway Ministry said that slippages were anticipated both in internal revenue generation as well as private investments targeted under the Build Own Lease and Transfer (BOLT) scheme. These sources confirmed that passenger fares were not raised by the former Railway Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, in view of the Assembly elections in four States, including her home State, West Bengal, and one Union Territory. A final view on the timing of passenger fare revision, sources pointed out, would have to be taken by the political establishment. It was in this context that the Railway Board interacted with Mr Nitish Kumar on the question of seeking approval of all the constituents of the NDA Government. At the same time, indications were by no means uncertain that the Railway Ministry planned to go ahead with the cut in Plan outlay. And if these indications were any guide, the allocation, which was budgeted at Rs 11,090 crores for the current financial year, was expected to be slashed by 10 to 20 per cent. This, it was also pointed out, would impact investments under major heads including rolling stock procurement, new line projects and gauge conversion projects. The fund flow for the Rs 11,090-crore budgeted Plan includes Rs 3,540 crores as budget support and Rs 4,000 crores from market borrowings. The balance of 3,550 crores would come from internal resource generation. On the other hand, while the Centre’s disinvestment policy through sale of equity in public sector undertakings to strategic partners will be review in the near future, the NDA Government is said to have agreed to revert to the old proposal of divesting the shares of state-owned companies to the public and to institutional investors. The policy-makers seem to have been prompted to rethink the strategy on disinvestment in view of the controversy over the Balco sale, paucity of bidders and the possibility of "tainted companies" being awarded deals. The Cabinet Committee on Disinvestment is said to have been told by experts that spreading the shares widely among the public and institutional investors will not be a bad proposition at all. A top Government source told EXCELSIOR that the Prime Minister had been told by experts that the offer of shares to institutional investors would make a lot of political sense and gain acceptance across the political spectrum at a time like this when one comes across an extremely difficult political scenario with parties of various hues making up the NDA and the stand taken by the principal opposition party, the Congress, on the strategic sale. The Department of Disinvestment, the source said, was presently in the process of framing guidelines which would determine the eligibility of companies to take part in the disinvestment process. If corporate fraud is listed as a serious crime for banning companies from participating in the disinvestment process, many of the domestic firms may not be eligible to bid. |
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NEW DELHI, May 4: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee will visit Russia in early November this year with Moscow today saying that it was looking forward "eagerly" to the tour aimed at further boosting bilateral ties in all fields. "The main task of my visit is to get prepared to Vajpayee’s visit to Russia which will take place in early November," Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov told reporters here after a 45-minute meeting with the Prime Minister. Ivanov, who arrived here last night on a three-day official visit, said "several specific questions" pertaining to the Prime Minister’s tour of Russia were discussed and "we want this visit to promote qualitative development and improvement of our cooperation in all fields". The Russian Minister said he handed over to Vajpayee a message from his President Vladimir Putin emphasising "the great importance" of the strategic partnership between the two countries "for the interest of the world". He said "the message expresses great satisfaction over the quality and the level of our bilateral relationship". Replying to questions, Ivanov said Moscow and Delhi are both "upbeat" about the high level of political dialogue taking place between the two countries. He further said "we are profoundly satisfied with our interaction in the international arena". The Russian Minister said "my talks with the Prime Minister were very frank...It were held in an atmosphere of very deep goodwill." "We are absolutely certain that the visit of Vajpayee to moscow to which we are looking forward eagerly will no doubt promote our bilateral relations in every field". During his stay, Ivanov would hold extensive parleys with External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha and National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra. He would also call on President K R Narayanan. "We shall discuss all aspects of bilateral cooperation, particularly concrete steps to develop our cooperation in trade and commercial fields and science and culture". Ivanov’s visit comes within seven months of the Russian President’s tour of India last October, when the two countries signed a declaration on strategic partnership to raise bilateral ties to a qualitatively new and higher level. This will be the first visit to India by a Russian Foreign Minister after a gap of five years. Yevgeny Primakov visited India in March, 1996 while singh went to Russia in June last year. The visit of the Russian Minister has also come in the backdrop of Moscow giving a guarded response to the US announcement of a new missile defence plan, an issue which is likely to figure during discussions with Indian leaders. (PTI) |
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For DMK, AIADMK, Assembly
polls are CHENNAI, May 4: Ruling DMK and main opposition AIADMK are approaching the Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu in contrasting styles. For the AIADMK, going by the words of party supremo J Jayalalitha, the May 10 Assembly polls is going to be "life or death" question for her party. On the other hand, DMK, the poll is going to be an "acid test" on the five-year performance of its Government. Jayalalitha herself admitted that the coming election is going to be a "life or death" issue for her party and asked her partymen not to leave the polling booths under any pretext. By contrast, the 78-year-old patriarch of the party and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi is wooing the electorate by highlighting the achievements of his Government and asking them to give him another chance to rule so that "the unfinished works" would be completed. He had not minced words in making it clear that this election is going to be his last. The main thrust in Jayalalitha’s campaign all these days has been the "corruption" of the DMK Government, Karunanidhi’s desire to bring his son M K Stalin to the throne and the rejection of her nominations for which she alleges `conspiracy’ by Karunanidhi Government. Besides replying to the charges levelled by Jayalalitha, Karunanidhi appeals to voters to decide whether the ‘good work’ done by his Government should be continued or should they allow the "return" of the corrupt party to power. Jayalalitha has fielded new faces in majority of the 234 constituencies. Senior AIADMK leaders and several former Ministers, who had remained loyal to her, have either been sidelined or not poll tickets. On the contrary, Karunanidhi made a judicious mix of old and new faces. With just one week left for the polling, electioneering has started picking up only in villages as well as in Chennai and its suburbs. Prime Minister A B Vajpayee is scheduled to address a public meeting at the Marina stands in Chennai on May 7. Top NDA leaders including Home Minister L K Advani have decided to undertake a whistle-stop tour of the state on May 7. Murli Manohar Joshi, Sushma Swaraj are some of the other NDA leaders who are slated to campaign in the state. Former BJP spokesman and now Union Minister, Venkiah Naidu, has already undertaken a brainstorming tour of the state. Senior opposition leaders, including CPI-M general secretary, Harkishen Singh Surjeet, CPI general secretary A B Bardhan and TMC leader G K Moopanar are already in the thick of campaigning. Congress president Sonia Gandhi is slated to visit Pondicherry on May 8 but she has chosen not to visit Tamil Nadu due to "constraint of time". The Election Commission’s restrictions on poll expenditure has had a telling effect on the electioneering. Leaders and candidates appeal to voters from a jeep or a car. Only a few vehicles accompany the candidates. Graffiti, placards, festoons and flags are few and far between. Mike-fitted autorickshaws make rounds occasionally in the city and suburbs. The Election Commission has decided to use electronic voting machines in all the constituencies for the first time. (PTI) |
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SC asks Centre, states to stop methods of femicide NEW DELHI, May 4: To check the misuse of advanced technology in female foeticide, the Supreme Court today directed the Centre and the state Governments to vigourously implement the Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act coupled with media campaign against the menace. On the suggestions of the Attorney General Soli Sorabjee, a bench comprising Justice M B Shah and Justice S N Variava also directed the Central Supervisory Board (CSB) to meet every six months to review and monitor the implementation of the Act. This order came on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Centre for enquiry into health and allied themese (cehat) which submitted that the male-female ratio in the country was dropping alarmingly due to the unchecked practice of determining the sex of a foetus, which invariably resulted in female foeticide. Cehat had also alleged that sex determination was possible even before the conception by a method called pre-natal genetic diagnosis and warned that unless drastic steps were taken against it, the country would face the consequences in the near future. The court asked the CSB to examine the necessity of amending the Act, keeping in mind emerging technologies and difficulties encountered implementation of the Act and make necessary recommendations to the Central Government. The court directed the Centre and State Governments to create public awareness against the practice of pre-natal determination of sex and female foeticide though appropriate releases in the electronic media. Under the court direction, the Central Supervisory Board would issue directions to all the states and union territories to furnish quarterly returns to the CSB giving a report on the implementation and working of the PNDT Act. These reports would include action taken against non-registered bodies operating in violation of section 3 of the Act, inclusive of search and seizure of records. The bench directed the state Governments and UT administrations to appoint fully empowered appropriate authorities at district and sub-district levels and also advisory committees to aid and advice the appropriate authority. The petitioners had cited the recent census reports which had showed alarming fall in the male to female ratio in Punjab. It had pointed out that from the affidavit of the Punjab Government that not a single Pre-natal Diagnostic Centre has been registered in the state though it was a common knowledge that these centres mushroomed in each and every small town.(PTI) |
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