Excelsior... Nation

J Jayalalitha

Jayalalitha yet to
decide on constituency

CHENNAI, May 19: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha today said she was yet to decide on the constituency from where she would seek...more

Monkey-man attacks
continue; 12 arrested
for spreading rumours

NEW DELHI, May 19: Eight incidents of attack by the elusive "monkey-man" were reported while police arrested 12 people.....more

BJP central office bearers’ meeting from today

MUSSORIE, May 19: The two-day meeting of BJP central office bearers would review the party’s setback in the recent Assembly elections and chalk ....more

HAU takes up
research on vegetables

HISAR, May 19: In a bid to boost vegetable exports the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has sanctioned Rs 27.50 lakh to the....more

Drought-hit Rajasthanis
wait for rains

DEVAL KHAS (RAJASTHAN), May 19: Facing drought for the third successive year, people of Rajasthan.......more

Policymakers, activists
deplore abject conditions
in women’s prisons

NEW DELHI, May 19: Policymakers and activists attending a seminar organised here by the National Commission.....more

Traces of ancient
civilisation found in
Gulf of Cambay

NEW DELHI, May 19: Traces of an ancient civilisation dating back to 4000 to 6000 BC have been found in .....more

Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi

‘Do not compare Kutch
temple to Ayodhya issue’

NEW DELHI, May 19: "Please do not compare the temple issue in Kutch to Ayodhya issue......more

Monkey-man attacks continue; 12 arrested for spreading rumours

NEW DELHI, May 19: Eight incidents of attack by the elusive "monkey-man" were reported while police arrested 12 people on charges of spreading rumours and panic overnight in the capital which remained in the grip of simian phobia.

Seven people were arrested from East Delhi and the rest from the North-East, Joint Commissioner of Police Suresh Roy told PTI here today.

He said police received eight calls of attacks by the monkey-man and found people with injuries in the seven cases.

One Ashu, 19, of Shakarpur said a monkey had scratched his left hand, police said, adding doctors, however, say the injury could be self-inflicted.

Similarly, Shakir, 24, a scrap dealer of Geelony, claimed he was scratched by the monkey-man when he was in the bathroom. He was medically examined, police said.

Kishen Kumar, 32, a homeguard, was arrested from Kasturba Nagar area of Vivek Vihar for making a fake call to police regarding the monkey-man, police said.

They said Kumar made the call at around 1:45 am just for fun and was arrested after the call was traced.

Another fake call was made by 53-year-old Vinod Mehra of Krishna Nagar at 1:30 am, police said.

He said the monkey-man had taken away his mobile phone, police said adding, on reaching the spot a police party found him drunk.

Mukesh, 26, was taken into custody in Viswas Nagar area after he was found drunk and shouting ‘Bandar Aayaa... Bandar Aayaa’ (monkey is coming).

Earlier, police had cracked down on rumour mongers and mischief makers last evening, arresting five persons including a doctor and warned public against taking law into their hands.

About 100 distress calls, mostly bogus, were received from across the metropolis since Thursday night about attacks by the elusive ‘monkeyman’, as residents carrying sticks and torch lights maintained vigil all through the night.

Only three out of the over 10 "victims" of the attacks last night were taken to hospitals with scratches and other minor injuries, mostly caused by falling down out of fear or hitting some sharp objects while fleeing in panic.

The crack team set up by City Police Commissioner Ajai Raj Sharma began investigations in "right earnest" visiting the "victims" and questioning local residents.

Sharma had Thursday announced a cash reward of Rs 50,000 to any person providing information about the "monkey man" whom he described as "mischief monger(s)" and warned that stern action would be taken against rumour mongers. (PTI)

BJP central office bearers’ meeting from today

MUSSORIE, May 19: The two-day meeting of BJP central office bearers would review the party’s setback in the recent Assembly elections and chalk out a strategy for the crucial polls in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

The meeting to be chaired by party president Jana Krishnamurthy would discuss in detail reports of the state units where the Assembly elections were held - Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Union Territory of Pondicherry.

Though the party did put on a brave face in its efforts to keep the morale of its cadres high by saying that it had "really no base in these states," it was felt that there was need to "rework a strategy to enable the party make a dent in these states specially in Kerala where it is yet to open its account," party sources said.

The BJP-AGP alliance in Assam is also expected to figure at the meeting even though the party leadership had asserted that the alliance would continue despite having suffered a severe defeat in the Assembly elections.

"This alliance is also likely to be taken up since a section of the party’s state unit had not favoured it and felt that the party would face the same fate as in Karnataka," the sources said.

The meeting which is to be addressed by Home Minister L K Advani on the concluding day would discuss organisational matters and steps to tone it up as it was imperative in the prevailing political situation, party sources said.

"The issue of organisation assumes significance in the backdrop of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections where we have to counter political rivals like Samajwadi Party, BSP as also former BJP Chief Minister Kalyan Singh," they said.

The meeting would discuss the seven point plan chalked out at the two-day meeting in Jinjouli, Haryana which concluded on May 17. The plan aims at mobilising grassroot support for the party which sources felt was "imperative" for the party.

The issue of discipline is also likely to be taken up at the meeting. (PTI)

HAU takes up research on vegetables

HISAR, May 19: In a bid to boost vegetable exports the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has sanctioned Rs 27.50 lakh to the CCS Haryana Agricultural University here for developing technology which will make it possible to grow transplanted vegetables under adverse conditions.

The focus of this project would be on evolving techniques for export oriented protected cultivation of vegetables and production of seeds and seedlings. The team of vegetable experts which will execute this project include Dr J L Mangal and Dr A K Bhatia with Dr S K Arora as team leader and principal investigator of the project.

The team leader, Dr Arora said that vegetables have now been considered as one of the most potential commodities for export.

"If we are able to maintain their quality and grow them under adverse conditions, then apart from meeting the demand of our burgeoning population, we will be able to make a dent in the world market", he said adding, this is the objective of the project".

He said, of late researches had been conducted to improve the economic condition of the vegetable growers through the use of green house. However, under the new project the focus will be on evolving technology for commercial growing of transplanted vegetables under a protected environment.

The vegetables on which the research would be conducted include tomato, capsicum, chilly, brinjal and some exotic vegetables, he said. Besides study would also be conducted on production of onion for raising early kharif onion crop, growing of cucurbitaceous crops, raising off-season saplings of muskmelon, melon and bottle gourd and hybrid seed production of squash and cucumber by the use of ethephon and gibberellic acid.

Dr Arora said that the seedlings of muskmelon and bottle gourd could be commercially raised in green houses before transferring them-into the field instead of raising them in open, where they were likely to be affected by weather changes, pests and diseases.

However, he hoped that the results of this research project would pave the way for raising export oriented production of vegetable crops. (UNI)

Drought-hit Rajasthanis wait for rains

DEVAL KHAS (RAJASTHAN), May 19: Facing drought for the third successive year, people of Rajasthan are anxiously waiting for the rain god to make an appearance and revive dry water resources in the state, where the relief work is being carried out on a war-footing.

In this village of Dungarpur district, which is at a distance of nearly 500 km from the capital city Jaipur, people have been trying hard to make arrangements by constructing anicuts (check-dam) and reviving the traditional water resources, with the State Government promising them to provide satisfactory wages.

Although, an anicut is already in working condition here, where water for a month has been stored, the main problem is of drinking water which the villagers have been facing for for a long time. Women have to suffer more due to unavailability of drinking water as they have to walk miles to fetch water, says Ramwati, adding "I go to another village, where also only one handpump is in working condition, to fetch water for which I have to walk five km every morning".

"All the wells in our village have dried up and hand pumps are also in a very bad shape", she added.

State Relief Secretary Ram Lubhaya said the Government has come up with various schemes to solve the food and drinking water problems of people in Rajasthan.

Under the food for work programme, the labourers working in the drought-hit areas, would be given Rs 60 per day and five kg of wheat, cost of which would be deducted from their earnings, Lubhaya said, adding the workers are hired on rotational basis for 15 days and receive their total earnings at the end of a rotation.

But, people involved with the Government’s projects do not seem to be informed about the wage structure and distribution of wheat. "I have no idea what the Government’s wage structure is. But I am happy that at least for 15 days I have a job", says 40-year-old Birju.

Dnugarpur District Magistrate Akhil Arora said a survey has been conducted to find out the number of unemployed people in the district, so that they can be given job on the relief sites.

"So far 40,000 people have been identified and employed under various schemes", Arora told PTI.

He said "if a person does not have any source of income, he will be given Rs 100 per month and 25 kg wheat under a newly introduced scheme".

Besides this, in every panchayat headquarter two quintals of wheat have been kept for the needy families, Arora said.

In another Udaipur district, the workers working on daily wages complained about inappropriate payments.

"We have never been given more than Rs 45 although we work for seven hours in scorching heat", says Hakia Ram of Madela in Udaipur district.

However, an official, working at one of the construction sites in Kesarkhadi (Chittourgarh), said the labourers are paid after their total work is assessed at the end of the day. Stating that the villagers were also coming forward to help the Govt in relief works, Gehlot said "under Rajiv Gandhi Payjal Yojna, the people from the affected villages were helping in digging wells, for which they get paid". Relief Secretary Ram Lubhaya said all the districts, except dhaulpur, have been paralysed due to third successive drought in the state. He said Dhaulpur had surplus rainfall because of which it could escape drought.

He said Rs 3,437 crore have so far been spent in the state on drought relief since 1952.

"We didn’t even receive a single complaint of corruption last year in relief works as Gram Sabhas monitor the funds and gram panchayats execute the work", he said.

He said the Government is bringing fodder from the nearby states to feed the cattle as the crops have been damaged due to drought. Rabi crop worth Rs 1,848 crore was damaged this year, he added.

Lubhaya said this year the Government is providing employment to 14 lakh drought-affected people.

He said special measures for prevention of epidemics, malnutrition, and health care at the relief sites have been taken and free medicines are being distributed to those below the poverty line.

The State Government has also started social security schemes like old age pension scheme, mid day meal scheme and food for BPL to protect the vulnerable section of the society, Lubhaya said. (PTI)

Policymakers, activists deplore abject conditions in women’s prisons

NEW DELHI, May 19: Policymakers and activists attending a seminar organised here by the National Commission for Women (NCW) on "women in detention" have strongly deplored the abject and inhuman conditions prevailing in women’s prisons across the country.

Women’s special physical and bodily needs are different from men’s and these need to be fully understood by sensitive prison officials, NCW chairperson Vibha Parthasarthy observed at the two-day meet which concluded last evening.

Disclosing that about 70 per cent of women prisoners are illiterate, 90 per cent come from rural backgrounds and 70 per cent are married, she said they often fall into depression because they miss their children and families.

"They have few visitors and often no news of their homes. The impact of this and its effect on destroying the spirit of the jailed women need urgent attention", Ms Parthasarthy stressed.

The seminar was inaugurated by Minister of State for Home I D Swami who promised to take forward prison reforms where women prisoners are concerned.

Justice J S Verma, Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), who was the keynote Speaker, emphasised that more laws are not needed. What was needed was better and efficient implementation of the rules for reforming prisons.

He stressed the need for officers of the administration and citizens to act in a way that upholded the rights and dignity of women in prisons and police stations. "We need to sensitise all agencies including police and jail authorities regarding the special needs of women", he added.

Giving an overview of reforms in Tihar jail, Mr Ajay Agarwal, DG, prisons said it was important not to forget the terrible trauma that women prioners undergo and the tortures the family is exposed to when a women is jailed.

The nature of offences women are detained for is so different from men that treatment meted out should also be different, he said.

Ms Mrinal Gore, freedom fighter and social activist, speaking on the condition of women in remand homes, judicial custody and welfare homes, observed that the physical and mental hygiene and dignity of the inmates was in a state of total compromise.

Even at the turn of the millennium, conditions at these institutions are degrading and unfit for human beings, she said and cited the case of gujarat where, according to her, there are no separate lock-up facilities for women detenues even today. (UNI)

Traces of ancient civilisation found in Gulf of Cambay

NEW DELHI, May 19: Traces of an ancient civilisation dating back to 4000 to 6000 BC have been found in the gulf of Cambay in the Kutch region of Gujarat.

Minister for Ocean Development and Science and Technology Murli Manohar Joshi told mediapersons here that a survey conducted by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) two weeks ago, picked up underwater images of several geometric objects in the gulf which are normally man-made.

An area spanning 9 kilometres west of Hazira in Gujarat was found to be lined with well-laid house-basement like features, partially covered by sand ripples, at a depth of 30-40 metres, he said.

At many places channel like features were also seen indicating the possible existence of proper drainage in the area, Mr Joshi said.

The acoustic images point to the existence of ruins resembling the discoveries at Harappa, under the sea bed.

A great bath measuring 41m x25 m with visible steps were visible through the images which are comparable to that of the Indus Valley civilisation, the minister said.

In the first such findings from the Gulf of Cambay the ocean scientists sighted an acropolis measuring 97mx25 m under the sea bed.

Among the findings is also a 44mx19m structure with semblance to a temple, Mr Joshi said.

These findings, he said indicate the possibility of existence of an ancient civilisation in the area.

The civilisation could have been submerged in the wake of a powerful earthquake in the Kutch region, he added.

The National Institute of Ocean Technology has decided to further survey the area with the assistance of the Department of Archaelogy, he said.

Observing that the area of marine archaeology was weak in the country, he said measures are afoot to plug the loopholes and the niot has been asked to intensify its activity in view of the findings.

Mediapersons were also shown underwater acoustic images of the discoveries. (UNI)