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TDP to be convinced on creation of new states: Mahajan NAGPUR, Dec 11: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan said today that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), an ally of the NDA Government, ....more
Jaya flays DMK for
non-inclusion of CHENNAI, Dec 11: Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha today alleged that ....more Proposal to declare Ayodhya ‘heritage city’ FAIZABAD, Dec 11: A proposal to declare Ayodhya as heritage city has been sent to the..more 2 AIIMS scientists among NEW DELHI, Dec 11: Two scientists from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here were among five scientists....more |
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No differences on seat-sharing with BJP: Paswan PATNA, Dec 11: Janata Dal (United) today ruled out any differences over the contentious issue of seat-sharing with the BJP for the coming Bihar ......more
Artistes join hands NEW DELHI, Dec 11: In a unique effort, six prominent artistes have danced their way into the hearts of residents of Orissa ....more Film personalities to undertake fast KOCHI, Dec 11: KI an effort to bring lasting peace in Kerala’s Kannur district, which witnessed a spate of political ....more AGARTALA, Dec 11: In a fresh attack within two days, unidentified militants killed four tribal villagers, including a CPI-M member, and injured six others at .....more |
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TDP to be convinced on creation of new states: Mahajan NAGPUR, Dec 11: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan said today that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), an ally of the NDA Government, would be convinced to approve the creation of three new states. We will try to change their (TDP’s) opinion on the issue as by and large a consensus has emerged regarding creation of Chhattisgarh, Vananchal and Uttranchal, Mahajan told reporters here. The bill on reorganisation of states may not come up in this Parliament session but as a first step the cabinet has cleared the proposal to start the process, he said. Mahajan was confident about the smooth passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill during the session. Though the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party have expressed their opposition, the assurance by the main opposition Congress to extend support will ensure its passage, he said. Referring to some of the Cabinet members’ reservation on the issue, he said the Prime Minister wanted unanimity on the issue and The decision of the Cabinet is always unanimous and hence there is no question of opposition within the cabinet. Mahajan said at present the Government had no intention of introducing a bill barring persons of foreign origin from occupying top executive posts. It will be done at an appropriate time, he added. (PTI) |
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Jaya flays DMK for non-inclusion of genuine voters CHENNAI, Dec 11: Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha today alleged that the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) partymen were preventing the applications for inclusion of names in the electoral rolls and the deletion of existing names, wrongly included, from reaching the election authorities. In a statement here, she cited reports that DMK partymen had sent innumerable applications for inclusion of new voters in the electoral rolls with the object of swelling the number of bogus votes to enable them to subvert the electoral process. Stating instances of electoral, malpractices by the ruling party, she claimed that about 200 voters had been registered at the residential address of a DMK MLA at Anna Nagar in the city. There were 160 voters in a single address in the Tirunelveli constituency in the 1999 Lok Sabha poll, she added. She further alleged that the names of voters who were not favourably disposed to the DMK had been deleted from the rolls, while the names of those favouring the DMK were included. Claiming that there was no separate staff for implementing the orders of the Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Ms Jayalalitha said, the CEO had to enlist the services of the revenue department officials, who were scared of losing their jobs if they failed to tow the line of the ruling party. Citing reports, she claimed that several lakhs of applications currently submitted for inclusion of names in electoral rolls had been seized by the DMK partymen from many constituencies. (UNI) |
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Proposal to declare Ayodhya ‘heritage city’ FAIZABAD, Dec 11: A proposal to declare Ayodhya as heritage city has been sent to the Centre in view of its importance as a spiritual and historical centre, Faizabad Divisional Commissioner S P Singh said here today. Another proposal to declare Ayodhya, the birth place of Lord Rama, as a sister city of the South Korean capital and develop it in that perspective had been sent by the Resident Commissioner of the state in the capital, he said. Historians believe a princess of Ayodhya was married off to Korean King Kim Su Roe and the present rulers were descendants of the late king. The External Affairs Ministry had been requested to take up the matter of developing Ayodhya as a sister city of Seoul with the South Korean Government. The Korean Ambassador had also visited Ayodhya recently and expressed desire for constructing a suitable memorial for the princess here. Seoul Mayor Kim He Kay is expected to visit Ayodhya in January to decide on the memorial. A Rs 21-crore Ayodhya development plan had been forwarded to the Uttar Pradesh Government for protecting the heritage of the city which had been divided into three heritage zones, Singh said. The zones covered all spritual and historical places, including the traditional Chaudahkosi and Panchkosi Parikarma routes, and development and conservation plans of these places were included in the proposal. In the first heritage zone, Mani Parbat, Kuber Tila, Sugvir Tila, Kanak Bhawan, Bramhakund, Nagesh Wakrnath Temple, Hanuman Garhi Temple, Bada Sthan, Ramkot, Rajdwa Temple, Badi Chawani and Choti Devkali would be included. The integrated development plan for the city was prepared in consultation with diffrent departments including town planning development. Comprehensive zonal regulation maps had also been prepared under the plan, the Divisional Commissioner said. As many as 36 places of archaeological importance had been earmarked under the heritage plan, he said, adding beautification and development of all ghats, kunds and the Mela region was included in the plan. The utilisation of Rs 6.5 crore, the first instalment of the plan, had been reviewed. (PTI) |
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2 AIIMS scientists among 5 RSF awardees NEW DELHI, Dec 11: Two scientists from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here were among five scientists awarded today by Ranbaxy Science Foundation (RSF) for outstanding contributions in medical sciences. The awards, comprising Rs 100,000 each and a citation, were given away by Dr N K Ganguly, Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), at a function. N Kochupillai, head of the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism at AIIMS, was awarded for the development of cheap techniques to diagnose endocrine and metabolic diseases and J N Pande, Head of the Medicine Department at AIIMS, for his contribution to understanding chronic obstructive lung disease, such as asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Amit Ghosh, Director of Institute of Microbial Technology at Chandigarh, was given the award for his contribution in the development of indigenous cholera vaccine. In the area of basic medical sciences, the award was shared between M R S Rao, Professor of Biochemistry at Indian Institute of Science (IISC), Bangalore and Kasturi Datta from the School of Environmental Sciences at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) here. Rao was selected for his valuable work in understanding cell genetics while datta was selected for her work on hyaluronan acid binding protein and its role in cellular signalling process. (PTI) |
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Film personalities to undertake fast KOCHI, Dec 11: KI an effort to bring lasting peace in Kerala’s Kannur district, which witnessed a spate of political violence last month, claiming seven lives, Malayalam film personalities, including well-known film actors, Mammooty, Mohanlal and Suresh Gopi, will undertake a six-hour fast here on December 18. Film directors, producers, exhibitors and all others connected with the film world, besides State Ministers and cultural leaders from various walks of life would participate in the fast, actor Suresh Gopi and S N Swamy, Macta (Malayalam Actors and Cinema Technicians Association) told a press conference here today. The press conference was attended, among others, by Kerala Film Chamber general secretary, Mohan, film directors Joshi, Sibi Malayil and Siddiq. They said veteran Congress leader, K Karunakaran, too had expressed desire to participate in the fast. The fast, being undertaken in the local Panoor High School at the behest of State Chief Minister E K Nayanar, was primarily intended to help the children, who had witnessed the gruesome murder of their teacher and Yuva Morcha leader, K T Jayakrishnan master, to come out of their traumatic experience and be back to school. (PTI) |
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AGARTALA, Dec 11: In a fresh attack within two days, unidentified militants killed four tribal villagers, including a CPI-M member, and injured six others at Daspura in North Tripura district, police said today. The CPI-M member Chandra Kumar Reang and three others were attacked with grenades and sharp weapons yesterday. The injured were admitted to Sub-Divisional Hospital at Dharmanagar, police said. Earlier, on Wednesday night, tribal militants of the NLFT attacked Siripur Bazar killing five non-tribals and injuring nine others in indiscriminate firing. Senior police officials and additional security forces are camping in the area as tension prevailed in several parts of the district following the two incidents. However, no arrests have been made. The State Government, in a statement, described the incidents as acts of cowardice against innocent people and appealed to all to maintain ethnic harmony and co-operate with the Government in its efforts to contain insurgency in the state. (PTI) |
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