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Modi charges Cong with
failure on development SAMALJI (GUJARAT), Oct 19: Making a departure from his recent attacks on Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra ......more NCP
approaching SHILLONG, Oct 19: NCP president Sharad Pawar today said his party was approaching all secular minded parties in Gujarat to jointly fight the BJP, ...more Indian
troops return NEW DELHI, Oct 19: Indian paratroopers who, participated in the first ever joint exercises with American forces in the United States, returned today. .....more |
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Indian languages BHOPAL, Oct 19: Madhya Pradesh Minister for School Education Indrajit Kumar has said that Indian languages and dialects have immense potential ...more Sangh
criticism high MUMBAI, Oct 19: Perturbed over the criticism of NDA Government by Sangh Parivar, the BJP has listed it high on the agenda for the two-day meeting of .......more BJP
meet begins to MUMBAI, Oct 19: Amid dissidence in party’s Uttar Pradesh unit and Persistent Sangh Parivar’s criticism of the NDA’s disinvestment policy, the .......more |
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From no-phone to cell-phone within half a century ....... Centre to provide social security net to unorganised labourers ..... HC backs Govts decision to acquire land on Mathura road ....
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Modi charges Cong with failure on development of rural areas SAMALJI (GUJARAT), Oct 19: Making a departure from his recent attacks on Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today trained his gun on the Congress charging it with "gross failure" on development of rural and tribal dominated areas. In his hard-hitting speech, minutes before flagging off the sixth leg of the Gaurav Yatra from this tribal hamlet in Sabarkanta district, he charged the Congress Governments in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra with failure to rehabilitate affected people from Narmada project region. "In the process, they are prohibiting Gujarat Government’s much desired intention to have 110 metre Sardar Sarovar dam which could have helped generation of adequate power to feed tribal regions including Sabarkanta district", Modi said. He ridiculed a trip by Shankarsinh Vaghela and and Shivraj Patil to the US saying "I know you are not going there for votes. Nor can you fetch votes for Bush or bin Laden". Referring to Pakistan President Musharraf’s "covert and overt" anti-Gujarat and anti-India design, he said people of Gujarat wonder whether "there is some connection with Congress delegation to the US and Pakistani design." He said Congress owes an answer to people of Gujarat on this. Accusing Congress of failing to bring development in Gujarat in its 45 years of rule, Modi flayed the party for questioning his Gaurav Yatra. "Why you people do not see the pride of Gujarat in the martyrdom made by Arjun Singh Gameti and Akshardham and other soldiers in Kargil," he asked. He also said Congress has been trying to tow BJP’s line of campaigning by its own version of different yatras but all of them have been rejected by the people. Trying to strike a chord with the local population, Modi said "it is a shame that Congress ruled for 45 years but kept Sabarkanta district thirsty of water". He said his Government has initiated Rs 2500 crore water project for the State with special focus on improving water supply and power generation in tribal areas. Making a veiled attack on Congress president Sonia Gandhi for her alleged ignorance of common people’s plight in India, he said, "I have not come from Italy. I am a local Swadeshi production." He aid Congress delegation, instead of visiting the US should have thought of making a trip to MP and Maharashtra to ask party-ruled State Governments there to take up rehabilitation work in Narmada Valley immediately to help early completion of the dam. He said Congress leaders from MP who had tried to emerge as "neo-survivors" of Gujarat—Kamal Nath and Suresh Pachouri, Modi said, such leaders ought to explain their position to people of Gujarat on the dam. (PTI) |
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NCP approaching secular minded parties in Gujarat SHILLONG, Oct 19: NCP president Sharad Pawar today said his party was approaching all secular minded parties in Gujarat to jointly fight the BJP, which, he said was playing the communal card before the forthcoming Assembly elections. Addressing a press conference here after the conclusion of the two-day working committee meeting of the party, he alleged that the BJP had adopted a strategy of dividing the people on majority and minority lines for electoral gains. "If the BJP is succesful in dividing the people by categorising them as majority and minority, the entire nation will suffer," he said adding that secular minded parties should take note of this. He also said that the NCP was trying to form a third front in the country to defeat the BJP and the Congress. Turning to Meghlaya where Assembly polls are due early next year and the NCP is a coalition partner in the ruling Peoples Forum of Government, Pawar said State leaders had been entrusted with the responsibility of selecting candidates. Asked whether NCP general secretary Purno A Sangma would contest the Assembly elections, he replied in the negative saying that his presence was required in national politics. "But, Sangma has been given the responsibility to look after the North-Eastern region by the party," he said. When asked what steps he had taken as chairman of National Disaster Commission to contain natural calamities in the country, he said separate committees had been formed to look after these problems in all States except those in the North-East. For the seven North Eastern States, talks were on with respective Governments and separate committees would be formed within three months. (PTI) |
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Indian troops return after joint exercises in US NEW DELHI, Oct 19: Indian paratroopers who, participated in the first ever joint exercises with American forces in the United States, returned today. The exercise, Geronimo Thrust, was conducted at Fort Richardson, Alaska, by troops of 1st battalion of 501 Parachute infantry regiment of the US army and 50 (independent) Prachute brigade of the Indian army. Personnel and aircraft of both countries participated in it along with eight senior Indian army and Air Force observers. Initial days were used for ground training, equipment familiarisation, day and night parachute jumps and understanding each other’s techniques and procedures. It was followed by airborne exercises which included insertion of scouts and pathfinders by helicopters and para jumps from C-130 and IL-76 transport aircraft. The training concluded with live firing exercises. The Indian contingent was also shown various facilities used for operational training by the US army. "The joint exercise provided a good opportunity for troops to interact, understand and familiarise themselves with each other’s procedures, weapons and equipment. It was one step towards enhancing inter-operability between the two armies," a Defence Ministry statement said. (UNI) |
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From no-phone to cell-phone within half a century NEW DELHI, Oct 19: The camaraderie and banter between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani continues in the same vein as half a century ago, rumours of a power struggle between the two notwithstanding. Travelling from an era of no phones to cell phones, the two still exchange jokes the way they used to in the 1950s. This spirit was evident during the launch of the nation’s first countrywide cellular service by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, with Mr Vajpayee presiding over the launch in Lucknow and chatting with Mr Advani in Delhi. Thanks to teleconferencing, they could see each other as they talked. Mr Advani related to Mr Vajpayee the story of an electoral candidate who though being sure of losing had stood for elections merely because that was the only way he could get a temporary phone, which he could later convert into a permanent connection. Mr Vajpayee spoke of how people feared the telephone instrument in the early days but now could not do without it. When he was told he had to preside over a function related to rural India, he had immediately presumed that it could only be about power connectivity. But he was surprised to learn that the farmers wanted telecom connectivity as much as they wanted power. Later during his formal speech, he stressed that there should be no misunderstanding about his remarks about power. He also mentioned how in the early days his family had to keep track of the place where the nearest telephone was available in the event of any emergency. It was then considered a symbol of wealth, he added. (UNI) |
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Centre to provide social security net to unorganised labourers THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Oct 19: The Central Government will introduce an "umbrella legislation" in the budget session of Parliament to provide social security to an estimated 350 million labourers in the unorganised sector, Union Labour Minister Sahib Singh said today. "We know it is indeed a difficult task, but we are committed to bringing the unorganised labour force under the social security net," he told newspersons after inaugurating a two-day workshop on "social security challenges in the context of the recommendations of the second national commission on labour." The Government would make efforts to get the legislation passed in the budget session itself and implement it without delay, he said and added that the entire unorganised labour force would be issued with social security cards and their employers would have to make contributions to the fund to provide social security. He said the second national commission on labour had made several recommendations in respect of a providing social security net to unorganised labour. A series of discussions were organised on the subject throughout the country to elicit opinions on the recommendations. Lauding the pioneering efforts of the Kerala Government to provide social security to the unorganised labour force, Mr Verma pointed out that it was the first state to legislate for constituting welfare funds for different sections in the unorganised sector, including agricultural labourers. He said the proposed legislation on unorganised labour would also help to attract more investment into the country and thereby create more job opportunities. Answering a question, he said there was no proposal to reduce the interest rate on contributions to the employees provident fund which was currently at 9.5 per cent. "We don’t want to take away any of the rights of the workers. But at the same time, all concerned should be prepared to make some sacrifices for the country and to generate more jobs," he added. Kerala Labour Minister Babu Divakaran said while the State enacted the toddy workers welfare fund act in 1969, Parliament had enacted only one welfare fund legislation and that too a British legislation, the Mica and Mines Labour Welfare Fund Act (1946). (UNI) HC backs Govts decision to acquire land on Mathura road NEW DELHI, Oct 19: Delhi High Court has set aside its earlier judgment holding as invalid Union Urban Development Minister Jagmohan’s order reversing his predecessor Mr Ram Jethmalani’s decision to denotify about 625 bighas of prime land on the Mathura road which is expected to house among other things a huge media complex. The Chief Justice’s bench over ruled the judgment of a single judge and said once the ‘decision’ (not to denotify) was held to be based on valid considerations and does not suffer from the vices of arbitrariness and actuated with malafides, a petition claiming de-acquisition as a matter of right would not be maintainable. In April 1999, Mr Jethmalani had taken a decision to denotify the land. A draft notification to this affect was prepared though it was never published. In the meantime, Mr Jagmohan took over the ministry reversed the earlier ‘noting’ in July 1999. It was decided that the land in question was not required to be denotified. On August 1, 2001 the single judge had held Mr Jagmohan’s order as not valid and quashed the same. The division bench, however, held that it was entirely within the discretion of the Government to take a decision about de-acquisition. "There cannot be any compulsion on the part of the Government to withdraw from acquisition," it said. The court also observed the original owners have already sold their land and it was Mr Moti Goyal who had purchased the land from some such land owners and it was Mr Goyal who craved for de-acquisition although taking shelter behind the ex-land owners and dubbing them as ‘poor persons’. The petition at the instance of Mr Goyal was not even maintainable. Moreover, as a subsequent purchaser, his claim should be limited only to compensation, it noted. Dismissing his plea, they directed that the Central and Delhi Government, and the Delhi Development Authority each were entitled costs of Rs 50,000 in the case. (UNI) |
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