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PM asks countrymen PORT BLAIR, Jan 1: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today appealed to countrymen to work unitedly and sink petty differences to take.....more Violence against NEW DELHI, Jan 1: United Christians Forum for human rights today alleged that incidents of violence against the community.....more 1998 marked WB by CALCUTTA, Jan 1: The year 1998 was marked in West Bengal by important political developments, natural.....more SHIMLA, Jan 1: Thousands of tourists, who had converged here to ring in the new year....more |
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Sen asks India
to frame long term policy for poverty
NEW DELHI, Jan 1: Nobel laureate Professor Amartya Sen today asked India to frame a long term policy to address issues of...more PM claims to win next elections PORT BLAIR, Jan 1: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today admitted that "wrong selection of candidates....more Durai charges TN Govt of BANGALORE, Jan 1: Union Law and Surface Transport Minister M Thambi Durai today said the Special Courts, trying......more Constitute Commission for PATNA, Jan 1: The ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) party in Bihar has demanded setting-up of a Commission...more IB Ministry releases NEW DELHI, Jan 1: For the first time, a multi-media compact disc containing the voice, films, photos and text on....more |
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PM asks countrymen to work unitedly PORT BLAIR, Jan 1: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today appealed to countrymen to work unitedly and sink petty differences to take the country ahead on the path of progress. Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the new cultural and educational complex of the Ramakrishna mission, he complemented the mission for working in the direction of removing illiteracy and other developmental activities for the welfare of society. Quoting Swamy Vivekananda the Prime Minister said that "Shiksha" (education) is the remedy for problems faced by the society but it is very unfortunate that despite fifty years of independence, we are not able to remove illiteracy totally. The Prime Minister also extended his greetings on the occasion of new year and said may the new year usher in an era of peace and prosperity and progress in the territory. Earlier Sami Ishatmananda, secretary, Ramakrishna Mission here welcomed the Prime Minister. Lt. Governor I P Gupta, Manoranjan Bhakta, M and Swami Smaranandaji, general secretary of the mission also adressed the gathering. Later the Prime Minister also inaugurated the new out patient block of the G B Panth Hospital. (PTI) |
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Violence against Christians continues in Gujarat: Forum NEW DELHI, Jan 1: United Christians Forum for human rights today alleged that incidents of violence against the community continued in Gujarat despite assurances of the highest political leadership of the Union Government. Assurances given by the Prime Minister and the Home Minister must be seen to be implemented by the political, civil and police authorities in the state, specially in the villages of the worst-hit districts of Dangs and Surat, Forum convenor John Dayal said in a statement. He expressed surprise that the Central team sent by the Union Home Ministry to probe the anti-Christian violence in Gujarat "did not care" to meet the Christian delegations. Dayal said the Centre must ensure that the anti-Christian violence that had traumatised the community did not spill over to the new year. According to statistics, over 108 major recorded cases of anti-Christian violence were reported across the country in 1998 with Gujarat topping the list with 58 cases since June this year. A Forum team is visiting Gujarat from today to assess the situation, Dayal said. A UCFHR delegation yesterday called on Home Secretary B P Singh and conveyed to him the continuing apprehensions of the Christian community. He also submitted a list of 25 churches and chapels which the forum fears were being targeted by communal elements. (PTI) 1998 marked WB by political dev, natural calamities CALCUTTA, Jan 1: The year 1998 was marked in West Bengal by important political developments, natural calamities and also, moments of glory. Conferment of nobel prize for economics on Professor Amartya Sen, a son of Bengal, was something the entire country felt proud of. He was accorded a grand civic reception by the West Bengal Government and a felicitation by the Visva Bharati University at his hometown Shantiniketan in the past few days. On the political front, a significant development was the CPI (M) changing its stand of equi-distance from both the Congress and the BJP to come closer to the former. At its party Congress, held in the city in October, CPI(M) identified the BJP as its main enemy and decided to support a Congress-led Government in the event of fall of the BJP-led coalition at the Centre. The decision was viewed by political analysts as avictory of CPI (M) general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet and politburo member and West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu who were trying to make the party adopt a soft line towards the Congress in its fight against the BJP. However, the CPI (M) hardliners ensured that the party also strove for formulating a third front, combining left, democratic and secular forces opposed to both the Congress and BJP. Earlier, during the Lok Sabha elections in March-April, a new dimension was added to the state’s political scenario with the emergence of a third front, comprising the Trinamul Congress led by Ms Mamata Banerjee and the BJP. The Trinamul Congress claimed seven out of the total 42 parliamentary seats in the state following a successful electoral alliance with the BJP. The latter, so far non-existent in the state, had a surprise victory in the CPI (M) stronghold at Dum Dum constituency. A series of natural calamities shook the state during the year, with an unprecedented flood claiming more than 300 lives, besides landslides in Darjeeling and a Tornado in the coastal region of the state. The flood fury, described as the most severe in the century, submerged large parts of Malda, Murshidabad, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur districts for over two months, affecting five million people. The total damage was officially estimated at Rs 1,000 crore. A landslide in hilltown of Darjeeling claimed a number of lives, destroying several dwellings. A major cyclone that strapped contain in the coastal district of Midnapore in August, left behind a trail of destruction, killing more than 50 and ravaging crops worth several lakhs of rupees and wiping out innumerable hutment dwellings in a few minutes, giving the residents no time for taking shelter in safer areas. In an important development, following a tip-off, CBI sleuuths arrested banned ULFA leader Pradip Gogoi in April as he was hiding in the city. Similarly, in a real life thriller four members of an international mafia gang and henchmen of Babloo Srivastava group were shot dead while two more were injured in an early morning shoot-out with Uttar Pradesh Police on December 14. The group had an accomplice in a woman named Archana Sharma, residing in the city for several months and involved in exchanging information with the gang. However, she escaped the police gragnet is now absconding. Sports activities in the state, for a change, looked up as sport lovers found a lot to cheer about this passing year. Beginning with Paramjit Singh, the tall Punjab Police Sub-Inspector who erased the 38-year-old record of the "Flying Sikh" Milkha Singh in the 400m flat in the open national athletics meet at the Salt Lake stadium, the good time for sports climaxed with the twin gold performance of new track sensation Jyotirmoyee Sikoar at the Bangkok Asian Games in December. Paramjit clocked 45.70 sec to rewrite Milkha’s record of 45.73 erected at the Rome Olympics in 1960. But, Jyotirmoyee’s twin gold haul in the 800 and 1500 m and the silver in 4x400 m would surpass all efforts this year, she became the fifth Indiain woman to bag two personal gold medals. Local Biswajit Palit had his year leading Indian kabaddi team to the gold in the Asiad. Local hero Baljit Singh Dhilon teaming first eleven gave India a gold in hockey in Bangkok after 32 years. Tumpa Debnath in junior national gymnastics became a star attraction winning all the medals in individual events and apparatus events. Athletics apart, the city was also treated to some top class basketball. The 8th Asian Junior Basketball Championship was held at the Netaji indoor stadium which saw China retaining the title while gatar became runners-up. (UNI) |
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SHIMLA, Jan 1 : Thousands of tourists, who had converged here to ring in the new year, were deeply disappointed as snow fall played truant and deprived them of white new year. New year eve festivities were devoid of snowy winter charm as hill slopes presented a browny look and the celebrations in posh hotels and a bone fire at the ridge turned out to be a tame affair. However, most of the hotels in the own were packed to capacity and the mall road and ridge areas were overcrowded with tourists expecting a white new year. 1999 was ushered in by the government with a resolve to make the state pollution free and a ban on use and sale of recycled polythene bags. Elaborate arrangements had been made to check alcohol consumption in public places and eve-teasing and hooliganism. Police was deployed in strength to maintain law and order. (PTI) |
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Sen asks India to frame long term policy for poverty NEW DELHI, Jan 1: Nobel laureate Professor Amartya Sen today asked India to frame a long term policy to address issues of poverty and health and make education a fundamental right for raising the living standards and overall development of the economy. He told the Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, who met him this morning, that there is no instant solution to these problems when there has been a history of neglect of these issues. After an hour long discussion with Mr Sinha on various issues relating to Indian economy, Sen told mediapersons that basic education should be made fundamental right as an overall commitment towards achieving higher literacy rate. Commenting on the meeting, Sinha also told reporters that the Government would take note of Professor Sen’s views on various issues plaguing the Indian economy. It was our endeavour and it would continue to be our endeavour to translate Sen’s ideas into practice in this country, Sinha said. Sinha along with senior officials of the Finance Ministry including Secretary Vijay Kelkar and Economic Advisor S Shankar Acharya met Sen, on his first visit to the Capital after receiving the prestigious nobel prize for economics. (PTI) |
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PM claims to win next elections PORT BLAIR, Jan 1: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today admitted that "wrong selection of candidates and overconfidence" were the main reasons for the Bharatiya Janata Party’s debacle in the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh. Adressing party workers here this morning he however advised them not to get disheartened. "We will win the next elections more convincingly," he said. Asserting that his Government will complete its full five-year term, Mr Vajpayee said in the last general elections majority evaded the BJP and he told the president to invite somebody else to form the Government at the Centre. "But nobody was willing to shoulder the responsibility" and therefore to avoid frequent elections the coalition Government with the allies was formed, he said. Defending nuclear tests at Pokhran in May he said India is now absolutely safe from any external threat. Congratulating the scientists for the successful nuclear tests, he said previous Governments had developed cold feet in carrying out the explosions even after sinking the shafts. "We do not bother if anyone acknowledges India as a nuclear power or not," he said. He said situation has improved in Kashmir and no one these days talks of internationalisation of Kashmir issue, he said. Referring to the slow pace of economic development, he said India was also affected by Southeast Asia crisis. Attempts are being made to speed up the economic growth and even US acknowledges India’s economic achievement, he said. Having a dig at the Congress he wondered how onion crop failed whenever Congress was in opposition. He told the gathering that prices of onions and potatoes have come down in Delhi. Mr Vajpayee stoutly denied that there was any rift between him and Union Home Minister L K Advani. "We have been friends since 1970," he said. (UNI) |
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