Excelsior... Nation

Thakur flags off youth run for tobacco-free sports

NEW DELHI, May 31: Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare C P Thakur inaugurated world no tobacco day today by flagging off a youth run for tobacco-free sports in the capital.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Thakur said approximately 800,000 deaths have been attributed to tobacco use. He called upon the youth of the country to spread awareness against tobacco consumption and discourage people against its use.

The youth run consisting of about 1500 youth from the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) and NSS was led by eminent mountaineer Capt. M S Kohli.

The theme for this year’s world no tobacco day is "tobacco free sports" and the slogan is "play it clean". The focus of the campaign is to highlight the detrimental effects of tobacco use on the physical performance of sportspersons and to promote policies and strategies that would make sports tobacco-free.

The Health Ministry had yesterday announced that it would free Nirman Bhawan and Central Government hospitals in Delhi of the tobacco menace in the next three months. A campaign to this effect was launched today in Nirman Bhawan and central hospitals such as All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Safdarjang Hospital, Sucheta Kriplani Hospital, CGHS dispensaries and in the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Dr Thakur said with the Supreme Court’s judgment on prohibiting smoking it is time that people realise the implication of violating rules regarding the same.

He said the task force on CGHS dispensaries would be asked to check the enforcement of Government orders and Supreme Court directions on public smoking in the dispensaries and other central hospitals.

The campaign is mainly based on advocacy activities through street plays, leaflets, posters and stickers on all vehicles in Nirman Bhawan.

The staff in Nirman Bhawan and other places will be sensitised against using tobacco products and for those who are in need of tobacco cessation therapy arrangements would be made in the CGHS dispensary in Nirman Bhawan.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation today formally handed over the South East Asia Anti Tobacco (SEAAT) flame to the NYKS. Through the SEAAT flame, mass contact programme will be undertaken to discourage the people against tobacco use.

The flame will traverse through the high tobacco consumption states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar and the North-Eastern States. (UNI)

Vajpayee’s Kazakhstan trip will take double time

NEW DELHI, May 31: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will take double the normal time on Sunday to reach Kazakhstan for a key security conference as the Air India’s special aircraft will have a detour to avoid Pakistani air space.

The special boeing 747-200 would have taken just over three hours to reach Almaty from here had it overflown Pakistan but would now take nearly seven-and-a-half hours by flying over Iran and some Central Asian countries.

India had stopped overflights by Pakistani planes from January as part of diplomatic offensive after the December 13 attack on Parliament.

Vajpayee, who would be in Kazakhstan for three days, would address the 16-nation conference on interaction and confidence building measures in Asia (CICA) which is also being attended by Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. There is no (no) question of Vajpayee having any meeting with Musharraf, official sources said today.

India will convey its deep concerns over Pakistan-backed cross-border terrorism at the first CICA summit. Its first meeting in November had to be postponed because of US-led military action in Afghanistan.

Besides India and Pakistan, CICA members include Russia, China, Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Turkey and Central Asian States. The US, Japan and certain other countries enjoy observer status.

Vajpayee is also expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin who has voiced his desire to work towards defusing the current Indo-Pak stand off. Musharraf is also expected to meet Putin.

The summit is also expected to adopt a declaration on eliminating terrorism and promoting dialogue among civilisations, which is currently under discussion.

Vajpayee, who would be holding a series of bilateral meetings with CICA members, would also rename a road after Mahatma Gandhi in almaty on Monday. (PTI)

Sidhu’s judicial custody extended till today

ROPAR, May 31: A court here today extended the judicial custody of tainted Punjab Public Service Commission chairman Ravinder Pal Singh Sidhu till tomorrow in the cash-for-job scam.

Special judge A S Kathuria also adjourned the hearing on Sidhu’s bail application till tomorrow.

The court further remanded Surinder Kaur, wife of alleged Hawala operator G S Manchanda, an alleged conduit of Sidhu, to judicial custody till June 15.

Sidhu was arrested by vigilance sleuths on March 25 on graft charges following which the multi-crore cash-for-job scam in the PPSC was unearthed in Punjab.

Besides Sidhu, five others allegedly involved in the scam were also arrested. (PTI)

NHRC charges Modi Govt with "comprehensive failure"

NEW DELHI, May 31: In a scathing indictment of the Narendra Modi Government on Gujarat violence, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) today charged it with "comprehensive failure" to control persistent violation of the rights of life, liberty, equality and dignity of the people of the State, and demanded that the violators be brought to book.

In its final report on the communal violence in the State released here, the commission also expressed its displeasure over the Gujarat Government’s lack of response to the confidential report of the NHRC team’s visit to the State despite reminders and extension of time for a detailed reply.

Stressing that it was essential to heal the wounds and to look to a future of peace and harmony, the NHRC said, "but the pursuit of these high objectives must be based on justice and the upholding of the values of the constitution of the republic and the laws of the land.

"That is why it remains of fundamental importance that the measures that require to be taken to bring the violators of human rights to book are indeed taken," the NHRC said in its proceedings presided by its Chairman Justice J S Verma today.

The commission also noted the decline in incidents of violence in the past three weeks and certain positive developments since the beginning of May.

"However, much remains to be done, and the integrity of the administration must be restored and sustained if those who have suffered are to be fully restored in their rights and dignity," it said.

"Critical and cruel as the communal dimension was to the tragedy of Gujarat, what was at stake, additionally, was respect for the rights of all Indians - irrespective of community - that are guaranteed by the Constitution...It was this guarantee that was challenged by the events in Gujarat," the NHRC said.

Stating that it will continue to monitor the situation with care, the commission asked the State Government to report to it again by June 30 on all matters covered in its comments and recommendations.

Today’s proceedings also expressed dissatisfaction over the State Government’s response to the panel’s proceedings of April one on several counts.

It said the appointment of K P S Gill as security advisor to the Chief Minister "implicitly confirms that a failure had occurred earlier to bring under control the persisting violation of the rights to life, liberty, dignity, equality and dignity of the people of the State."

The commission also concluded there was a major failure of intelligence accompanied by a "failure to take appropriate anticipatory and subsequent action to prevent the spread and continuation of violence."

The NHRC termed as "evasive and lacking in transparency" the State Government’s response on the panel’s request for specific information on `local factors and players’ that "they were matters covered by the terms of reference of the commission of inquiry appointed by the State Government."

While the State Government in its report had stated that in relation to various offences, 11,167 people were arrested of whom 7,896 belonged to the "majority community", the commission noted "the questions that arise are when and where were the arrests made, who were arrested and for how long were they kept in custody and were those who were specifically named (by the commission) arrested?"

The commission said its special representative has observed that "almost 90 per cent of those arrested even in heinous offences like murder, arson etc have managed to get bailed out almost as soon as they were arrested."

This, it said, was in sharp contrast to the Government’s assertion in its report of April 12 that "bail applications of all accused persons are being strongly defended and rejected."

The commission warned that the danger persists of a large-scale miscarriage of justice "if the effort to investigate and prosecute the crimes that have have been committed is not directed with greater skill and determination, and marked by a higher sense of integrity and freedom from "extraneous political and other influences that has hitherto been in evidence."

Rejecting the State’s request to reconsider its recommendation that certain critical cases be entrusted to CBI, the panel urged the Centre to ensure that "this is done, not least in view of the Rajya Sabha resolution referring to its responsibilities under Article 355 of the Constitution."

It asked the Centre and State Governments to act with determination to implement various police reforms taking the Gujarat situation as a "warning and catalyst." (PTI)

Oppn levels impropriety charges
BJP defends PM’s action

NEW DELHI, May 31: The BJP today dismissed opposition criticism of the Prime Minister having committed any impropriety in conveying to President K R Narayanan the decision of the NDA against supporting him for a second term.

The Left parties have taken strong exception to the manner in which the Prime Minister conveyed to Mr Narayanan the NDA’s decision not to support his candidature for a second term in office, and vowed to continue building a consensus in his favour.

Talking to newspersons here, BJP president K Jana Krishnamurthi said the Prime Minister was authorised by the NDA to explore the possibilities of a consensus candidate for Presidential election, and he had rightly conveyed the feeling among the NDA partners before any controversy erupted.

The Left parties dubbed Mr Vajpayee’s message to Mr Narayanan yesterday as unprecedented , they said the move was aimed at excluding Mr Narayanan from the race on the plea of a so-called convention that no incumbent President had been given a second term.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist), CPI, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Forward Bloc and the CPI( M-L) said they would contact the political parties, independents and the well-intentioned parties to build consensus in favour of Mr Narayanan whom they described as the best choice in view of the prevailing internal situation and the ongoing tension on the Indo-Pak border.

The Congress has also once again voiced its preference for a second stint for Mr Narayanan, saying it had no other name in mind for the top post. The main opposition party hailed Mr Narayanan as one of our exceptionally good President.’

The CPI(M) polit bureau said in a statement that it strongly deplored the manner in which the Prime Minister and the BJP leadership were trying to manipulate the choice of next President.

Meanwhile, the opposition Samajwadi Party urged Mr Vajpayee to strive to evolve a consensus on the choice of the next President, a report from Mumbai said. "The country is passing through a critical phase in view of the mounting Indo-Pak tension and the next President must be elected through a consensus," Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh told a news conference at the Samajwadi Party headquarters at Colaba in South Mumbai here.

He said leaders like Mr Vajpayee, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha Sonia Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav would have to evolve a consensus for the next President.

Blaming the Congress for having spread the impression that the incumbent President was open to a second term, the BJP President said the NDA was going by the ‘healthy conventions’ set by successive Governments including that of Congress that there was no second term for a President. The BJP would want this convention to continue, Mr Krishnamurthi said and clarified that this did not mean that the BJP or the NDA had any ‘reservation’ about the competence of Mr Narayanan.

Recalling that the BJP, as the principal opposition party had extended full support to Mr Narayanan, when the Congress sponsored him as the consensus candidate, he said, I don’t expect Congress to reciprocate. If there is no consensus there will be elections , he added.

Asked if the BJP would keep up the convention of elevating the Vice President to the President’s post, Mr Krishnamurthy said we have not come to that stage yet. Nothing has been decided on this and the Prime Minister is consulting the parties,’’ he said.

However, Mr Singh said his party was not in a position to back former bureaucrat P C Alexander who is likely to be backed by the BJP-led NDA Government.

"We will not be able to support Dr Alexander," he said. Dr Alexander, known for his administrative acumen and understanding of subjects like Foreign Affairs and Defence, is currently the Governor of Maharashtra.

"There are four to five names for the next President. Leaders must sit together and evolve consensus on one of them," he said, while declining to elaborate on who would get his party’s support.

The Presidential elections are slated this July. (UNI)

Vajpayee to meet Putin, Zemin in Kazakhstan

NEW DELHI, May 31: Amid heightened Indo-Pak tensions, Prime Minsiter Atal Bihari Vajpayee is expected to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Jiang Zemin in Kazakhstan

where a key security conference will be held on June four.

Putin, who has offered to help in defusing the stand-off between New Delhi and Islamabad, is also expected to separately meet Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf, who too would be attending the 16-nation first summit of conference on interaction and confidence build measures in Asia (CICA).

"There is no question of Vajpayee meeting Musharraf. There is no possibility of a Tashkent II," special secretary in the External Affairs Ministry R M Abhyankar said while briefing reporters here on Vajpayee’s four-day visit to Almaty from June two. It may be recalled that after the 1965 Indo-Pak conflict then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri had met Pakistan military ruler Ayub Khan in Tashkent.

On a meeting between Vajpayee and Putin, he said "Putin will be in Almaty. There is a desire on our part and as well as Putin’s part to meet". Efforts were also on to schedule a meeting betweeen the Prime Minister and Zemin, which will be the first between the two leaders, he said.

Asked as to what would be India’s response to any dramatic gesture on Musharraf’s part like the handshake with Vajpayee in Kathmandu during the January SAAEC summit, Abhayankar said "we have to wait and see. It is too hypothetical".

He also termed as "hypothetical" another question on whether India would accept an offer by Pakistani to allow the Prime Minister’s aircraft to overfly its air space to go to Kazakhstan. Vajpayee would take seven-and-a-half hours to reach Almaty, more than double the normal flight time taken as his special aircraft would not overfly Pakistan.

Vajpayee, who is visiting Almaty at the invitation of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev, would hold wide-ranging talks with the Kazakh leader on June three and also rename a road there after Mahatma Gandhi. India and Kazakhstan are expected to sign bilateral agreements to combat terrorism and promote tourism.

On why Vajpayee was staying on for a day more in Almaty changing his earlier schedule to return home on June four, Abhayankar said this had been done to allow the Prime Minsiter to have more bilateral interactions with leaders attending CICA.

India will convey its deep concerns over Pakistan-backed cross border terrorism to the summit leaders. "India’s concerns will find a reflection in some form or the other," Abhayankar said.

The CICA summit is expected to adopt a declaration on eliminating terrorism and promoting dialogue among civilisations. Its first meeting in November had to be postponed because of US-led military action in Afghanistan.

Besides India, Russia, China and Pakistan, CICA members include Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Turkey and Central Asian states. The US, Japan and certain other countries enjoy observer status.

The CICA declaration, which would also be known as the Almaty Act, would focus on fight against terrorism, illicit trafficking in weapons and nuclear disarmament and formalise holding of the summit every four years.

Asked as to why Israel, Palestine and Egypt were part of CICA, Abhyankar said apparently "wide concept of Asia" had been taken into account.

He said India considered Central Asian countries as an "extended neighbourhood" which had acquired yet another dimension in the wake of terrorism which earlier emanated from Afghanistan. This would be Vajpayee’s first visit to Almaty, the last being by then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao in 1993.

Abhyankar said Nazarbaev and other Central Asian republics shared India’s principles on secularism. There were also possibilities of greater economic ties between India and the Central Asian region which was rich in hydro-carbons and key minerals.

CICA is the result and the initiative taken by Nazarbaev in 1992 following the independence of Central Asian states from the erstwhile Soviet Union to focus on geo-strategic issues. Nazarbaev had last visited India in February this year. India has all along been supportive of Zazarbaev’s initiative. (PTI)