Excelsior... Nation

Balayogi

Telecast of proceedings
has made MPs’ conduct
more important

NEW DELHI, Dec 8: Lok Sabha Speaker GMC Balayogi today sought full....more

George Fernandes

IAF loses 106 aircraft
since 1995-96: Fernandes

NEW DELHI, Dec 8: The Indian Air Force has lost 106 aircraft since....more

More BSF battalions
needed to keep vigil
on border, says IG

AGARTALA, Dec 8: The Border Security Force (BSF) needs at least 12 battalions to keep perfect vigil on Tripura’s 856-km long India-Bangladesh ....more

Untouchability cases
on decline, says Advani

NEW DELHI, Dec 8: Home Minister L K Advani today said there had been a decline in the number of cases relating to untouchability committed against ....more

Ram Vilas Paswan

Paswan favours SC-ST quota in higher judiciary

NEW DELHI, Dec 8: Union Communication Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today favoured reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in ......more

L K Advani

Advani offers to set up another Commission on 1984 Sikh riots

NEW DELHI, Dec 8: Home Minister L K Advani today informed Rajya Sabha that the ....more

No proposal to reduce retirement age: Raje

NEW DELHI, Dec 8: There is no proposal pending with the ....more

Probe demanded into
GAIL disinvestment

NEW DELHI, Dec 8: Opposition members in Rajya Sabha today decried the .....more

Telecast of proceedings has made MPs’
conduct more important

NEW DELHI, Dec 8: Lok Sabha Speaker GMC Balayogi today sought full cooperation from MPs in orderly running of the house saying maintenance of its collective image had become more important now with the telecast of proceedings countrywide.

Members should do sufficient homework and regularly attend the house apart from scrupulously adhering to the rules and procedures so that the daily business can be carried out in an orderly manner, Balayogi said inaugurating an orientation programme for new MPs of the 13th Lok Sabha here.

A very important area where utmost cooperation of the members is required is in the smooth conduct of day-to-day proceedings of the house ... Guarding the collective image of the House is an important responsibility assigned to the presiding officer.

This is essential now more than ever before since we now telecast the proceedings of the house. Remember that your actions and your performance will be watched on television by your constituents and the people at large across the length and breadth of the country. Your actions should befit the role that you have to play in the national endeavour, he said.

Scrupulous adherence to the rules is a fundamental quality of a true democrat. Therefore, a good understanding of rules of procedure and conduct of business in Parliament is a very important asset to an aspiring Parliamentarian, he said.

Deputy Speaker P M Sayeed and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan were present at the ceremony. (PTI)

IAF loses 106 aircraft since 1995-96: Fernandes

NEW DELHI, Dec 8: The Indian Air Force has lost 106 aircraft since 1995-96, Defence Minister George Fernandes said today.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Mr Fernandes said a high-powered Committee on Fighter Aircraft (COFAA) in its report submitted in September, 1997 made certain recommendations to minimise the accident rate. About 55 of the 84 recommendations have been implemented so far.

Kargil report: The committee, chaired by Dr K Subramanyam. To review the events leading upto the Pakistani aggression in Kargil, will submit its report shortly, the Defence Minister said in another reply.

The committee will recommend measures, considered necessary to safeguard national security against such armed intrusions.

Kargil expenditure: The total expenditure incurred on the Kargil operations was estimated at Rs 1984 crore, Mr Fernandes said.

Cantonment security: Security arrangements in the Badami Bagh cantonment in Srinagar are being reviewed after the November 3 incident in which the Army PRO, two JCOs and six jawans were killed. A court of inquiry has been ordered to see if there were any security lapses, the Defence Minister said.

Money owed: Former Prime Ministers owe Rs 14 crore for using aircraft and the matter is being pursued with the political parties concerned, Mr Fernandes said.

While Rs 1.86 crore was due from late Rajiv Gandhi, Mr P V Narasimha Rao’s airlift dues are Rs 5.52 crore. Besides Rs 44 lakh was owed by Mr Bhuvanesh Chaturvedi, Mrs Sheila Kaul, Mr K C Pant and Youth Congress workers who were authorised use of defence aircraft by the Prime Minister’s Office.

Mr Chandra Shekhar has to give Rs 5.91 crore and Mr H D Deve Gowda owes Rs 26.48 lakh. Mr C M Ibrahim, who was authorised use of the aircraft by then Prime Minister, has to give Rs 28.13 lakh. Aircraft: Mr Fernandes said it was too early to give details of the 100-seater project as a feasibility study of its design and development was still being conducted.

The study was being conducted jointly by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Eeronautical Development Agency.

Arjun Tank: The Defence Minister denied that the Main Battle Tank Arjun was being replaced. He also said the IAF had not been offered any Slar Radar developed by ISRO.

Ordnance factory: The process is on to acquire land for setting up of an ordnance factory at Rajgir in Nalanda district of Bihar.

The project envisages an investment of about Rs 850 crore for produciton of propellants for high calibre ammunition, Mr Fernandes said. POWs: There could be 54 Indian PoWs in the custody of Pakistani authorities. The Pakistan Government has said there were no Indian PoWs in its custody, Mr Fernandes said. The matter has been taken up with Islamabad, including at the Prime Ministerial level.

Vikrant: The Maharshtra Government has shown interest in converting the aircraft carrier Ins Vikrant into a maritime museum. It was decommissioned in January, 1997. (UNI)

More BSF battalions needed to keep vigil on
border, says IG

AGARTALA, Dec 8: The Border Security Force (BSF) needs at least 12 battalions to keep perfect vigil on Tripura’s 856-km long India-Bangladesh border, BSF IG B C Goel has said.

Currently nine battalions are engaged in keeping vigil along the Porous border, Goel told newsmen here yesterday.

Besides instilling a sense of security among border population and controlling trans-border crimes like smuggling, the BSF has the onerous task to check movement of ultras to and from Bangladesh, Goel - BSF IG for Tripura, Cachar (in Assam), Mizoram - said.

The force has conducted a number of special drives along the International Border with a view to dominate the entire border belt, he said. This resulted in preventing the militants from consolidating their position, the IG claimed.

In one of the major counter-insurgency operations during April ’99, BSF killed two hardcore NLFT ultras in Killa area of South Tripura district and recovered a large cache of arms, Goel said.

Till November this year BSF seized contraband goods worth over Rs 5 crore and apprehended 995 illegal entrants. Seven Indians kidnapped by Bangladeshi miscreants were also rescued following flag meetings with Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), he added. (PTI)

Paswan favours SC-ST quota in higher judiciary

NEW DELHI, Dec 8: Union Communication Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today favoured reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the higher judiciary saying until then most legislations on welfare of these weaker sections could not be implemented properly.

Till such reservations come in higher judiciary, SCs and STs cannot get justice and the legislations would not be implemented), Paswan said addressing a function on dalit human rights here.

In this context I can cite the example of the judgement on Mandal Commission recommendations, he said adding yet another similar judgement has come of late on reservation in promotions in Government jobs.

He also demanded a proper legislation on reservations saying the existing practice of reservation just vide an official order was not adequate. The new legislation should enshrine enough penalty code for violating reservation laws.

He said similar quota system for weaker sections should also be introduced in Rajya Sabha, State Legislative Councils and Government schools in rural areas.

Favouring regular amendments and even review of the constitution to keep pace with the changing circumstances, he however, dispelled notions that the Vajpayee Government would bring in any drastic changes in the statute.

The apprehensions being expressed that the BJP would bring dramatic changes in the constitution are not true, He later told PTI adding yeh saat janmon mey hone wala nahi hae (it is never going to happen). (PTI)

Advani offers to set up another Commission on 1984 Sikh riots

NEW DELHI, Dec 8: Home Minister L K Advani today informed Rajya Sabha that the Government would consider members’ demand for setting up a new Commission to inquire into the 1984 Sikh riots.

Advani said this when he was strongly pressed by the entire House excepting Congress members for setting up a second Commission for the purpose.

When the demand was made by senior BJP member K R Malkani during question hour, the Home Minister said he had no objection to the demand if there was complete unanimity and broad consensus in the House.

Specifically pointing out towards the Congress benches, Advani said as the matter concerned political adversaries we do not want to be accused of conducting witch hunt.

Therefore, if the leader of the opposition responds to it and it is the unanimous opinion of the House, he has no hesitation In looking afresh into the demand for setting up another Commission to go into the 1984 Sikh riots.

At this time the question hour ended and Chairman Krishan Kant switched over to the next listed business.

However, Sikh members of the House came into the isle and pressed for a new Commission. They were joined by Kuldip Nayyar (nominated), who had originally raised the question, and many members from BJP, Shiv Sena, the Left and other non-Congress opposition parties.

But the Home Minister was still not accepting the demand saying that there was no unanimity on the issue.

Senior CPI member Gurudas Das Gupta said as there was no dissenting voice in the House, it should be presumed that there was unanimity on the issue.

But the Home Minister insisted that leader of the opposition Manmohan Singh should respond if he found it necessary to have the new Commission.

The matter spilled over to the zero hour.

Immediately after the question hour, Manmohan Singh went out of the House.

The BJP and non-Congress members continued to press for a new Commision, with some even going to the Home Minister to impress upon him.

Congress member K Hanumanthappa said unanimity could not be taken for granted just because his party colleagues were not speaking. If the Government was interested, it should formally bring a motion for this purpose, he argued.

Das Gupta, however, said there was no need for a formal motion because there was no dissenting voice and complete unanimity in the House.

Malkani said the country needed another Commission to look at the Sikh riots just as a fresh Commission had been appointed by the Government to look into the death of Subhas Chandra Bose even after 50 years.

The Home Minister said he agreed with Das Gupta that there was no need for moving a resolution or motion on the issue, but added that there was still need for unanimity.

This, he said, was not there as Congress member Hanumanthappa had expressed his dissenting voice.

When still pressed for, Advani said the Government would look into the demand of the members for appointing a fresh Commission to go into the 1984 Sikh riots.

Raising the matter, Kuldip Nayyar wanted to know whether any person including police official had been found guilty and punished.

Advani said disciplinary proceedings had been completed in respect of 92 police officials and on their basis 14 of them had been punished.

He said proceedings in the remaining cases were still in progress but It is difficult to specify a time frame for their completion because of their Quasi-judicial nature.

Advani further said it was the Government’s endeavour to have these proceedings finalised at the earliest. (PTI)

Probe demanded into GAIL disinvestment

NEW DELHI, Dec 8: Opposition members in Rajya Sabha today decried the disinvestment of Government shares in Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) as manupulative sale to help certain multinationals with veteran CPI member Gurudas Das Gupta demanding a judicial investigation or a parliamentary probe into the whole episode.

While several members called it A distress sale, Gupta said it was, in fact, a manupulative sale which resulted in a loss of more than Rs 600 crore to the exchequer.

Participating in a discussion on a calling attention motion on the issue, moved by Dipankar Mukherjee and Nilotpal Basu of CPI-M, members wanted to know why the shares had been sold to enron and British gas, both GAIL’s competitors.

When the market was booming and the sensex touched the 5000 mark, how was it that the share price of GAIL fell from Rs 160 in October 1997 to Rs 70 in February 1999? Gupta asked.

Stating that he suspected collusion between interested parties to favour certain foreign companies, Gupta described it as a most notorious financial scandal and demanded a judicial probe by a Supreme Court judge or a parliamentary probe to bring out the truth. (PTI)