|
|
CPI defends PM on VIJAYAWADA, June 22: Cutting across party lines, the Communist Party of India (CPI) has come to the defence of Prime Minister A B Vajpayee on . .....more Jaitley decries tardy progress in social sector CHENNAI, June 22: Union Law and Justice Minister Arun Jaitley today said the tardy progress in the social sector, especially in education and health . .....more MP
Govt adopts BHOPAL, Jun 22: A register giving details about water, forests and land would be kept in every Gram Sabha according to the bio-diversity .more Left
should withdraw CHENNAI, Jun 22: Instead of "repenting" later, the Left parties should withdraw their candidate in presidential polls to facilitate unanimous election .....more |
|
Samata holds key to RANCHI, June 22: With just five members in the 81-member Assembly, the Samata Party holds the key to the success of the two candidates who are in . ...more Political
victimisation" NEW DELHI, Jun 22: Alleging "political victimisation" of leaders of his party at the hands of the Congress Government in Punjab, Shiromani Akali Dal ...more Yashwant not interested in becoming Jharkhand’s CM RANCHI, June 22: Putting an end to all speculations related to the change of guard in Jharkhand, Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha today said he . ...more NCP withdraws support to ruling front in Manipur IMPHAL, June 22: The Nationalist Congress Party today withdrew support to the Congress-led ruling Secular Progressive Front in Manipur following the ...more |
 |
|
|
|
CPI defends PM on Time magazine report VIJAYAWADA, June 22: Cutting across party lines, the Communist Party of India (CPI) has come to the defence of Prime Minister A B Vajpayee on the "Time" magazine report, which had stated that the nuclear trigger in India was in unreliable hands, and termed it as "unworthy and totally uncalled for". "The report only shows the kind of journalism being practised in America. Some Western journalists, particularly Americans, never give respect to leaders of third world countries. They are always in the habit of running them down", CPI general secretary A B Bardhan told UNI here last night. The CPI leader, who was here in connection with the golden jubilee celebrations of party organ ‘Vishalandhra’, a popular Telugu Daily, said "firstly, they deal too much on the private life of a public figure which is not at all correct unless it has got to do something with public activity". Also, much was being made out of the report by the BJP. "We should better ignore it", he suggested. Discounting the possibility of an outbreak of a nuclear war between India and Pakistan despite hawks in the Sangh Parivar calling for a hot pursuit of infiltrators across the border, Mr Bardhan said "the voice for peace is very strong in the country". "Also, there are a lot of well-wishers in the international community who will persuade India and Pakistan to observe restraint", he opined. Referring to Union Sports Minister Uma Bharti’s reported remark that Pakistan would be wiped out of the world map if India used nuclear weapons against that country, Mr Bardhan reminded her that Hiroshima in Japan which was subjected to an atomic attack by the US years ago, was not wiped out then. On the other hand, the population there had increased by 100 per cent to eight lakh, though the people were still undergoing the trauma of that terrible nuclear holocaust that had left a deep scar, he pointed out. Quoting former Chief of Army Staff V P Malik, he rubbished the theory that nuclear weapons were a deterrent to conventional war. Acquisition of nuclear weapons had not totally reduced the chances of outbreak of hostilities, he felt. Referring to an article by presidential nominee Dr A P J Abdul Kalam in the RSS organ "organiser", in which he had said Pokhran II was a "third bliss" for him, the CPI leader said "with all due respect for Dr Kalam, I differ very much with his views. It is totally unethical to see a weapon of mass destruction as a weapon of bliss". (UNI) |
|
Jaitley decries tardy progress in social sector CHENNAI, June 22: Union Law and Justice Minister Arun Jaitley today said the tardy progress in the social sector, especially in education and health care, continued to be the biggest challenge facing the country. Delivering the presidential address after Kanchi Shankaracharya Sri Jayendra Saraswati re-dedicated the ‘new look hospital’ of the Kanchi Mutt’s child trust hospital here, he said there had been rapid progress in various spheres, but the slow progress in the social sector continued to be an area of concern. "Even when there was a global slowdown, our growth rate was good, but in social sector we are still far behind", Mr Jaitley said, regretting that the country was still not in a position to provide clean drinking water to all habitations and make education available for all. "Despite surplus in foodgrains...The country is witnessing hunger and starvation and still people die for want of medical attention", he lamented. Mr Jaitley, who is being tipped for the finance portfolio, attributed lack of resources for the slow progress in the social sector. Stating that a large chunk of revenue was being spent on salary and pension bills and making investments in loss-making public sector undertakings, he was aghast that there was hardly any money left for spending on social security. Describing the development in human resources as tremendous, Mr Jaitley said India was able to dominate the best institutions in the world and was proud of its "brain bank." But, the lack of resources prevented it from setting up specialty medical institutions in the district. Pointing out that health care had become a costly affair all over the world, he said providing state-funded health care to cater to the needs of the poor and downtrodden was one of the challenges the country faced. In his special address, Sri Jayendra Saraswati said children could be saved from many diseases if the parents took proper care of them. Pointing out that today’s world was full of tensions and problems, he said children were also born with problems and called for a change in the lifestyle. Welcoming the gathering, hospital chairman Dr V Shankar said that to mark the golden jubilee of the seer’s sanyas, the hospital would perform 1000 free surgeries to poor children during this year. A landmark room with recreational and reading area for children, an anesthetic induction room and a castle with seven dwarfs were some of the facilities dedicated today. (UNI) |
|
MP Govt adopts bio-diversity conservation strategy BHOPAL, Jun 22: A register giving details about water, forests and land would be kept in every Gram Sabha according to the bio-diversity conservation strategy and action plan adopted by Madhya Pradesh. A scientific inventory of bio-diversity would be prepared and state bio-diversity register would be prepared to safeguard intellectual property rights, an official release said here today. Ecology of the State and other aspects related to bio-diversity conservation and development would find priority in the district level strategies. The action plan for the conservation of bio-diversity proposes to undertake profound study of the socio-economic aspects, structure of the community, market forces and impact on the groups dependent for livelihood on the bio-diversity. In addition, the ecological changes would also be documented, it said. Status of forests, grazing places, afforestation, changes in the current in the rivers, impact on urban and rural habitations, living organism would also be studied. The action plan also proposes to integrate the in-situ and ex-situ conservation initiatives, it said. The bio-diversity and bio-technology department and Environmental Planning and Coordination Organistion (EPCO) have jointly prepared the strategy for bio-diversity conservation and an action plan while the State Government constituted a core committee for the purpose. The strategy lays stress on greater public participation and continuous consultation with the concerning sections of the society. This is based on the guidelines of Union Ministry of Environment and Forest, the release said. The recommendations of the standing committees of the bio-diversity board, suggestions from the experts and communities have also been incorporated. The action plan proposes to ensure sustainability of bio-diversity, its judicious exploitation, to sensitise people towards the importance of bio-diversity and intellectual property rights. It also proposes to prepare detailed inventory of bio-diversity and seek active participation of Panchayats. The State Chief Minister Digvijay Singh, at a meeting of bio-diversity board held here on Thursday last, released the bio-diversity conservation strategy and action plan, the release added. (PTI) |
|
|
|
Yashwant not interested in becoming Jharkhand’s CM RANCHI, June 22: Putting an end to all speculations related to the change of guard in Jharkhand, Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha today said he was not in the race for the Chief Ministerial assignment. The Finance Minister, who reached here today on way to Hazaribagh, his home constituency, said "I have said a hundred times that I am not in the race for the Chief Ministership in Jharkhand. How many times you all want me to repeat it?" Annoyed by the queries regarding his being dropped from the central cabinet and projected as the next Chief Minister of Jharkhand, he said "it is for the Prime Minister to take decisions in this regard". I am not aware of any such development," he said adding, "I am not interested in holding the reins of the Government in Jharkhand." Mr Sinha will go to Hazaribagh where he is scheduled to inaugurate a sports stadium along with Union Minister of State for Sports and Culture Uma Bharti. Mr Sinha was also accompanied by Union Rural Industries Minister Karia Munda. Mr Munda, when asked to comment on the reports regarding Mr Sinha’s projection as the next Chief Minister, said he was not aware of any such development. He said he had also seen a report in a national daily, but so far not heard anything from party bosses on the matter. "I am not aware of any such development," said Mr Munda. Asked if any attempt was made to replace a tribal Chief Minister with a non-tribal one, he remained silent. Ms Uma Bharti said the Prime Minister was thinking of a possible cabinet expansion. Regarding change of guard in Jharkhand, she said, "party chief Jana Krishnamurti was better placed to reply to that question." (UNI) |
|
||
NCP withdraws support to ruling front in Manipur IMPHAL, June 22: The Nationalist Congress Party today withdrew support to the Congress-led ruling Secular Progressive Front in Manipur following the defection of all its three legislators to the Congress, but the development posed no threat to the five-month old Okram Ibobi Singh Coalition Ministry. Blaming the Congress for encouraging defection and violating the agreement reached among SPF partners, NCP state unit president S Tiken Singh said in a statement that the decision to withdraw support was taken at the party’s executive committee meeting. The three NCP members— Forest Minister C Doungel, Revenue Minister E Biramani Singh and Minister of State for Works L Radhakishore Singh— had split the NCP and formed the NCP (Democratic) before merging it with the Congress on June 19. The strength of the SPF in the 60-member house rose to 41 subsequently after eleven legislators in all, including three of the opposition Samata Party joined the Congress. Singh said as per the Memorandum of Understanding reached between coalition partners on February 26 this year, it had been agreed that the front would "not allow or entertain defection". Singh said it was because of this understanding that the NCP had joined the ruling SPF to instal a stable Government in the state led by Congress, which had now violated this agreement. Meanwhile, two other coalition partners— MSCP, from which three of the five members went over to the Congress on June 19 and CPI, which has five legislators—, expressed unhappiness over the defections and said they were rethinking support to the SPF, sources in the two parties said. The Chief Minister, who is also the State Congress president, had earlier claimed that the joining of eleven legislators with his party would not affect other front constituents. The partywise break up of the five-party SPF is: Congress 31, CPI 5, Manipur State Congress Party 2, Democratic People’s Party 2 and Manipur National Conference one. (PTI) |
||
|
||
|
| home | state | national | business| editorial | advertisement | sports | |
