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Youngsters perceive Vajpayee as experienced, Sonia as elegant NEW DELHI, Nov 17: The urban youth perceives Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee as "honest and experienced", ....more
Gujral warns Pak to face serious consequences if Sharif hanged NEW DELHI, Nov 17: Former Prime Minister I K Gujral has warned that if.....more Govt. will combat trans-border terrorism:Vajpayee From B L Kak New freight policy for Railways on anvil NEW DELHI, Nov 17: Railways will soon have a new freight policy which will take into .....more |
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41 ministers inducted into UP Council of Ministers LUCKNOW, Nov 17: Forty one more ministers were today inducted into the five day old Uttar Pradesh Council of Ministers taking the total strength of ......more Burglars decamp CHENNAI, Nov 17: Burglars struck at a house of an elderly couple at Ashok Nagar here and decamped with gold jewellery, and precious stones valued at ...more Hostile witness’ evidence can be relied on by prosecution: SC NEW DELHI, Nov 17: In a significant ruling having bearing on cases involving the rich and influential, the Supreme Court has held that evidence of ....more Official death toll in Orissa cyclone rises to 9,573 BHUBANESWAR, Nov 17: The official death toll in cyclone ravaged coastal Orissa rose to 9,573 with some more casualty reported in Cuttack, Bhadrak ....more |
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Youngsters perceive Vajpayee as experienced, Sonia as elegant NEW DELHI, Nov 17: The urban youth perceives Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee as "honest and experienced", opposition leader Sonia Gandhi as "inexperienced but elegant", Home Minister L K Advani as "experienced and shrewd" and senior Congress leader Manmohan Singh as "experienced and honest". This is revealed by a novel study on the "brand positioning" of 12 top Indian political leaders among college goers, conducted by the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) recently. The youngsters — 585 students of Delhi University, JNU, Jamia Milia University, IIT Delhi, AIIMS and UCMS in the age group of 18 to 24 years - were asked by the IIMC team to choose any two of the given 16 attributes which would best describe each leader. The leaders covered were Atal Behari Vajpayee, Chandrababu Naidu, Jyoti Basu, Sonia Gandhi, Sushma Swaraj, Manmohan Singh, J Jayalalitha, L K Advani, Laloo Prasad Yadav, Mamata Banerjee, Mayawati and Sharad Pawar. The survey was conducted in August this year, just before the 13th Lok Sabha elections, but the findings were withheld till after the poll results, IIMC chairman Balbir K Punj said. The sixteen attributes from which the respondents were asked to pick two for each leader were: visionary, shrewd, experienced, mass appeal, honest/upright, aggressive, abrasive, incoherent, analytical, charismatic, dishonest, scheming, uninspiring, uncharismatic, survivor, inexperienced. As per the study, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu was described as "shrewd, analytical and scheming", Jyoti Basu as "experienced and shrewd", Sushma Swaraj as "charismatic and well dressed", Jayalalitha as "dishonest and shrewd", Laloo Prasad Yadav as "dishonest but a good communicator", Mamata Banerjee as "serious and honest" and Sharad Pawar as "experienced and scheming". The IIMC survey surmised that those voting for Mr Vajpayee were likely to be liberal and pragmatic while those voting for Mrs Sonia Gandhi were likely to be serious-minded but inexperienced. Mr Jyoti Basu’s likely voters were expected to be serious and mature while those voting for Mr Naidu would be "techno-modern and achievers". Mrs Sushma Swaraj was likely to find favour with those believing in the Indian ethos and culture while Dr Manmohan Singh would likely to be voted for by those believing in clean politics, the surveyors concluded. Ms Jayalalitha’s likely voters were those who believed in the ends and not necessarily the means while Mr Advani was likely to find support in those rooting for maturity and experience. Mr Laloo Yadav’s likely voters were possibly the same as those for Ms Jayalalitha while Ms Mamata Banerjee was likely to appeal to the underdogs. Ms Mayawati’s likely voters were also expected to be the underprivileged while Mr Sharad Pawar’s supporters were likely to be tough and serious. The study was conducted under Dr Jaishri Jethwaney and Prof. Shivaji Sarkar of the IIMC faculty and Mr Nippun Gupta, a brand management expert. (UNI) |
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Gujral warns Pak to face serious consequences if Sharif hanged NEW DELHI, Nov 17: Former Prime Minister I K Gujral has warned that if deposed Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is hanged it will have serious consequences internationally for Islamabad. Sharif is being tried on charges for which punishment is laid out—death. Any harm to Sharif will have serious consequences for Pakistan internationally and to India-Pakistan relations, Gujral said participating in Karan Thapar’s programme ‘Talk Back’ to be telecast on Doordarshan tomorrow. In an appeal to Pakistani authorities not to hang Sharif, Gujral, a friend of the deposed Premier, contended that while Sharif was being tried under the military regime of Gen Pervez Musharraf, the coup by Pakistan’s Chief Executive could also be declared unconstitutional tomorrow for which the punishment was death sentence. Stating that there was no cause for misplaced concern and anxiety, Pakistan High Commissioner Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, also participating in the programme, said Sharif was being tried by a civil court against which an appeal lay in the Supreme Court. The court proceedings will be transparent, he maintained. On Gen Musharraf’s offer to resume talks with New Delhi, Gujral said that first the Pakistani military ruler should prove his credentials by putting a firm end to cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of India to pave the way for creating a conducive atmosphere for dialogue. Replying to a question on the remarks of Pakistan Foreign Minister Abdus Sattar that the Lahore Declaration needed to be reviewed, Qazi termed as misreporting the statement attributed to Sattar and said Gen Musharraf had declared that Islamabad would standby its international commitments and its foreign policy would not change. On the Lahore Declaration, he said there could be a difference in assessment but the obligations would be respected. Gujral said that the Kargil conflict was a consequence of the Lahore Declaration as people in uniform and fundamentalists in Pakistan did not appreciate Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s visit to Lahore in February this year. Maintaining that Pakistan was ready to resume the stalled dialogue with India, Qazi claimed that the Kargil conflict was a fallout of the Jammu and Kashmir issue. He said that India had never accepted Pakistan seriously as a "valid interlocuter" on the Kashmir issue or agreed to indulge in a serious discussion on the subject. Qazi also charged New Delhi with getting the SAARC summit postponed on the ground of military takeover in Pakistan and making concerted and behind-the-scene efforts to get Islamabad isolated at the just-concluded Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Durban. Countering Qazi, Gujral said the tough measures taken by CHOGM against Pakistan was not because of India alone but was a decision of the 54-nation international forum. Asserting that it was not an India-Pakistan issue at the Durban summit, Gujral said British Prime Minister Tony Blair had made a statement on the Pakistan situation before India. The former Prime Minister said the suspension of Islamabad from the Commonwealth was on the basis of the body’s principles and recalled that Pakistan had supported moves to suspend Ghana, Fiji, Nigeria and South Africa from it earlier. However, Qazi said that India’s anti-Pakistan stand in CHOGM was unwise and short-sighted and not in the interest of long-term ties between the two countries. Describing the military takeover as undesirable, Gujral said that ills of democracy could best be resolved through democratic means. Coup is not the answer, he said, adding that in the era of globalisation and liberalisation military takeovers could not be treated as internal affair of a country. Qazi said the developments in Pakistan were the result of failure to deliver good governance by Sharif regime and added that there had been four elections in Pakistan in the last one decade. (PTI) |
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Govt. will combat trans-border terrorism:Vajpayee From B L Kak NEW DELHI Nov 17: The Government of India is determined to effectively combat the menace and dangers of trans-border terrorism, Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, has asserted. Mr Vajpayee, who has talked about ‘zero tolerance’ while dealing with terrorism, has stated: "We have been actively seeking international attention on the dangers of trans-border terrorism". In a media interview, Prime Minister said that while the "deadly impact" of trans-border terrorism was not limited to South Asia or its immediate neighbourhood, others had suffered its consequences, too. "Our efforts have not been without success", he pointed out. Mr Vajpayee supported his viewpoint on his Government’s success by making a pointed reference to the adoption of a resolution by the United Nations on trans-border terrorism. "This is a good first step towards concerted international action to counter this menace", he said. How did he react to the coup in Pakistan ? Mr Vajpayee’s reply: "The military takeover in Pakistan has naturally caused concern for us. I believe that democracy is the best guarantor for peace and cooperation among nations". When asked if he, in retrospect, regretted the Lahore initiative, Mr Vajpayee placed himself on record by saying: "Our Lahore initiative was with the best of intentions and the entire world recognised the import of that substantive gesture. Unfortunately, Pakistan embarked on its Kargil misadventure. Ultimately, the loss is theirs. They invited upon themselves the military and diplomatic defeat that was inflicted over Kargil". Mr Vajpayee said that his Government was all set to take fresh economic initiatives that could result in 10 billion dollars a year in foreign direct investments. "Our immediate priority is to focus attention on socio-economic development. People want the Government to deliver – here and now. Therefore, we cannot afford to lose any time", he said in reply to a question. When asked if the objectives of the Government would get side-tracked by the political compulsions of his party’s alliance, Mr Vajpayee let it be known: "The objectives of this Government were worked out in consultation with all partners before the election. All of us subscribe to the manifesto of the National Democratic Alliance – Agenda for a Proud, Prosperous India. With this commonality, I do not see any scope for the objectives getting side-tracked". Prime Minister argued in reply to another question that the lifting of sanctions by the US "is a positive development". However, as far as FDI is concerned, his Government proposes to take several initiatives to augment its inflow. He said: "We propose to review the present FDI regime and ensure greater transparency along with reduction in the delay of project implementation. We are in the process of setting up an automatic route for FDI clearance, barring a small negative list. Our initiatives should result in at least 10 billion dollar a year in foreign direct investment". When asked for his comments on the allegation of political vendetta with regard to the Bofors case, Prime Minister stated: "We chose not to interfere in the work of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). As the investigating agency involved in the Bofors case, the CBI has done its work and filed its chargesheet. I would think that this stand of the Government not to interfere, unlike the practice in the past, should be applauded. If some people have objections to the chargesheet, they are free to approach the relevant court and seek redressal". |
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New freight policy for Railways on anvil NEW DELHI, Nov 17: Railways will soon have a new freight policy which will take into consideration the problems being faced at the grass-roots level, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said here today. Admitting that the Railways’ financial position was not good, the Minister said within a year we will be able to raise our own resources to meet our demands and would even be able to give loans to others. She said the Central Government should continue to extend budgetary support to the Railways, which has come down from 75 per cent to 22 per cent over the years, so that the largest public sector organisation was able to perform its pressing public and social obligations. Without disclosing her mind about the coming Railway budget, Banerjee said we will give you a good budget because the Railways are of the people, by the people and for the people. Banerjee was addressing the Government-organised Annual Economic Editors’ Conference, attended by senior journalists from all over the country. Though facing the national media for the first time after assuming office, Banerjee accompanied by the entire Railway Board, parried delicate questions in a lighter vein. During her hour-long conference, organised by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), the Railway Minister repeatedly appealed to the national media to try to understand the problems being faced by the Railways and the tremendous social obligations called upon it to perform. She discussed various issues being faced by the Railways, like resource constraints, declining budgetary support, increasing operational and staff expenditure and rising expectations of the people. Banerjee listed the steps being taken by the Railways to raise additional resources through traditional and non-traditional sources to cut down unwanted expenditure, seek support of the private sector and Chambers of Commerce and Industry in improving safety at the nearly 24,000 unmanned level crossings in the country, and to improve passengers safety, security and amenities. Seeking more time to attend to problems, she said she had already started attending to the most pressing problems during the one-month period since assuming office. A task force had been set up jointly by the Railway Board and Private Chambers of Commerce and Industry to identify and prioritise issues and suggest ways to attend to them, she said, adding it would submit its report within a month. (PTI) |
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Hostile witness’ evidence can be relied on by prosecution: SC NEW DELHI, Nov 17: In a significant ruling having bearing on cases involving the rich and influential, the Supreme Court has held that evidence of hostile witness can be relied upon to the extent to which it supports the prosecution case. Upholding the conviction of a person in a murder case, a division bench comprising Justice G B Pattanaik and Justice M B Shah said evidence of hostile witness cannot be treated as washed off the record. It remains admissible in the trial and there is no legal bar to base his conviction upon his (the hostile witness’) testimony if corroborated by other reliable evidence, the court observed. Prosecution case was one Koli Lakhmanbhai Chanabhai of Mumbai had killed one Naran Puna at Una in Junagarh district of Gujarat by inflicting knife blows to teach him a lesson for developing a relationship with one of his many wives. The trial court recording the evidence of prosecution witnesses and on apprisal and assessment thereof came to the conclusion that prosecution case was not established beyond doubt and acquitted the accused. However, the Gujarat High Court convicted Chanabhai of murder charges. The defence counsel contended before the Supreme Court that the High Court erroneously relied upon the evidence of witness Babu Govind, who had been treated hostile by the prosecution, for arriving at the conclusion that Chanabhai was seen by him giving knife blows to the deceased. Rejecting the arguments, the Apex Court said it could not be said that the High Court erred in relying upon some portion of the evidence of Babu govind as It is settled law that evidence of hostile witness also can be relied upon to the extent to which it supports the prosecution version. The High Court, in our view, has rightly relied upon some part of the evidence of a hostile witness, the bench said adding In the present case, apart from the evidence of Babu Govind, the prosecution version that he saw Chanabhai with a knife in his hand and quarelling with the deceased gets corroborated from the evidences of other prosecution witnesses to whom he disclosed the incident immediately, the bench said. On the basis of the said information, within one hour, R FIR was lodged disclosing the name of Chanabhai as the person who has inflicted the knife blows, it said. The bench said after considering the evidence on record, It cannot be said that the High Court committed any error in convicting Chanabhai for the offence punishable under section 302 of Indian Penal Code. (PTI) |
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Official death toll in Orissa cyclone rises to 9,573 BHUBANESWAR, Nov 17: The official death toll in cyclone ravaged coastal Orissa rose to 9,573 with some more casualty reported in Cuttack, Bhadrak and Keonjhar districts. Jagatsinghpur district, the worst-affected in the killer super cyclone, still accounted for the highest 8119 deaths followed by Cuttack 414. While Puri reported 301 deaths, 242 people died in Kendrapara 172 in Jajpur ,98 in Bhadrak and 88 in Khurda. The other five cyclone-affected districts- Nayagarha, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Balasore and Mayurbhanj together accounted for 139 deaths. Out of the total 2,265 injured Cuttack district reported the highest 1,594 followed by Jajpur 455, Khurda 201 and Puri 15. The authorities claimed they had been able to dispose of over one lakh carcasses from the affected areas. It had been estimated that over 3.5 lakhs livestock population perished in the cyclone. The health situation was being monitored by 346 doctors and 501 paramedical staff.73 mobile medical teams were working round the clock in cyclone-affected areas to take care of the health problem the sources said. The authorities also claimed to have undertaken massive relief operation work and distributed 628.05 tonnes of rice, flattened rice, biscuits, 287,620 rolls of polythene and 37,200 utensils among the needy people. The airdropping continued in Ersama and Balikuda blocks of Jagatsinghpur district to provide succour to people who were still cut off from the main land. Free kitchens were opened in Puri, Cuttack, Balasore, Bhadrak Kendrapara, Jajpur and Jagatsinghpur districts to feed the hungry people. Of the total 121 rural pipe water supply schemes, 48 had been restored and 31 shallow tube-wells dug to provide drinking water in the affected areas of Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur and Puri districts. Sinking of another 115 more tube wells were in progress. Altogether 59,596 tube wells were repaired or disinfected in the affected districts. Sources said all rural roads in the affected districts were cleared for vehicular traffics. (UNI) |
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