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We undermine children’s intelligence: Hritik MUMBAI, Dec 11: Hritik Roshan, the actor who has swept the imagination of children as well as adult movie buffs with his .....more Tobacco
advertisements NEW DELHI, Dec 11: Advertisement and promotion of tobacco and its products in ...more Post ban Taslima mulls plans to reach out to readers KOLKATA, Dec 11: Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen whose latest work has also sparked off a ...more Boeing pushes 777 long haul planes for Indian carriers NEW DELHI, Dec 11: Aircraft manufacturer boeing today said the aviation environment...more |
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DNA profiling NEW DELHI, Dec 11: Government has decided to constitute a DNA Profiling Advisory Committee (D-PAC)...more Curtains
go up on THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Dec 11: The curtains go up on the much-awaited 8th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) here tomorrow, ...more National Auto Fuel policy tabled in Lok Sabha NEW DELHI, Dec 11: Government today came out with a national auto fuel policy.....more Jaya moves SC seeking transfer of DA cases to pondy from KTK NEW DELHI, Dec 11: Apprehending that she would not get a fair trail in Bangalore ......more |
PM rejects Judeo probe, Oppn demand turn down ..... NCBC urged to report on creamy layer among OBCs ...... US Army General leads his force in paying tributes to Uday ...... |
We undermine children’s intelligence: Hritik MUMBAI, Dec 11: Hritik Roshan, the actor who has swept the imagination of children as well as adult movie buffs with his performance as a mentally challenged person in ‘Koi Mil Gaya’, has said his most cherished amibition in life is to make a film dedicated to children. "One day I plan to make a film for children. It will take time but I hope to do it," the actor, who has just been presented with the `most Damadam actor award’ by a children’s club, told PTI here last night. "Look at the west, they make films for children that are big budget films and they are the ones that are the best box office hits", the actor said. "Look at Jurrassic park and the other Steven Speilberg films. He has made it to the box office with children lapping these films up instantly", Hrithik said. Speaking on the children’s film scenario, he said "I think we really undermine the intelligence of children. Children are capable of thinking far beyond. But we end up producing such childish stuff that kids are bored and do not want to watch it." "In India, there is a huge market for children’s films which has really never been understood. Most suffer from the misconception that the economics of making a film for children won’t really work," Hritik said. "We really don’t need to make films for children but make them in a way that would attract children as well," he said. "In fact films give children something to think about. I remember seeing films like Batman, Superman and these films helped me to think beyond... To explore other avenues, they provided us with imagination... To think of a different world," Hritik said. "Making films, that have children interested in it, requires a superior skill in film making. You need to give them something that would hold their interest for a long time," he said adding, "it could be a fantasy that appears very real." "My dad must be credited for making a film that was not specifically targeted at children but got them interested with its sci-fi stuff and special effects, which shows such films work," the actor said. On his own childhood, Hritik, who is known to be mobbed by his fans wherever he goes, said, "my film `Koi Mil Gaya’ was a reflection of my childhood. In fact I understand the problem of children with disabilities because I myself suffered from one. I stuttered a lot and had difficulty in expressing myself". On the award given by a children’s club, an excited Hrithik said, "I was thrilled to receive the award, because an award from children means something very special to me. It is not easy to please children and if they have chosen me for it then I am assured I have done a good job". The award has been instituted by a club for children and presented to those who have in some way motivated the children, he said adding, "I am very thrilled over the thought of getting awards from kids because they are so pure and genuine and it means a lot to me." (PTI) |
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Tobacco advertisements to be banned in a week: Sushma NEW DELHI, Dec 11: Advertisement and promotion of tobacco and its products in the electronic and print media will be banned in India in about a week, Health Minister Sushma Swaraj said today. The rules and regulations for the ban are ready and these will be notified in eight to ten days, Mrs Swaraj told reporters. The notification comes in the wake of yesterday’s cabinet approval for ratification of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) adopted unanimously by the World Health Assembly (WHA) on May 24, 1999. India will be the seventh country to ratify the convention. Among the nations which have already ratified the FCTC are Sri Lanka, Fiji, Malta, Norway and Seychelles. At least 40 countries have to ratify the convention to make it globally applicable, except in countries constrained by Constitutional limitations, the minister said. The other provisions of the convention include price and tax measures to reduce demand for tobacco and non-price measures such as protection from the exposure to tobacco smoke. The convention also proposes regulation of contents of tobacco products, prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to minors and provision for financial resources in developing countries for the purpose of finding economically viable alternative in tobacco growing and for implementing tobacco control programmes. There are about 1.1 billion smokers in the world of which 300 million are in developed countries and the remaining 800 million in developing countries. The consumption of tobacco has been established to be a major health hazard. About three million people die every year due to tobacco related ailments. In India alone, one million people die due to such reasons. In view of the adverse impact of tobacco on health, all the member states of the World Health Organisation resolved to implement the tobacco control strategies through legislative means and increased public awareness, resulting in the FCTC. Salient provisions of the convention include enforcing price and tax measures to reduce tobacco demand, non-price measures such as protection from tobacco smoke, regulation of contents of tobacco products and prohibition on advertising, promotion and sponsorship except for countries constrained by constitutional limitations. Also, it provides for prohibition of sale of tobacco products to and by minors and providing resources in developing countries for finding economically viable alternative to tobacco growing and for implementing tobacco control programmes. In a statement, Government said there are about 1.1 billion smokers in the world of which 300 million are in developing countries; Consumption of tobacco has been established to be a major health hazard. (PTI) |
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Post ban Taslima mulls plans to reach out to readers KOLKATA, Dec 11: Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen whose latest work has also sparked off a controversy prompting the West Bengal Government to proscribe it, has now decided to post its entire manuscript on the net. "I still hope that the West Bengal Government, which I consider liberal and progressive, will lift the restriction on my book within a month. However, if that does not happen I will have to look for other ways to reach the book to my readers," the controversial author told PTI from New York, where she is presently pursuing research studies in harvard. Taslima also said that she plans to post the whole manuscript of ‘dwikhandito’ (split into two) in the web in her official website www.Taslimanasrin.Net, which was launched by some of her friends. Like her earlier banned works, this book will also be translated in French, German, Spanish and Italian in the near future for her "captive overseas readers," Taslima said. "I will continue to write against the supression of women in a deeply religious patriarchal society where fundamentalists hold the sway. "I had plans to translate `Dwikhandito’ even when I began to write it," said the Gutsy writer. Calcutta High Court has already stayed the pubication, printing, marketing and sale of the book till December 8 following a Rs 11 crore defamation suit by poet Hasmat Jalal. The case would come up for hearing five weeks after the Court’s winter vacation. In her own country Bangladesh, ‘Ka’, as ‘Dwikhandito’ is entitled in that country, is banned like Taslima’s earlier works ‘Lajja’ (shame), ‘Amar Meyebela’ (my girlhood) and ‘Uthal Hawa’ (gusty wind). Asked why ‘Ka’ did not contain some contentious comments on Prophet Mohammed found in ‘Dwikhandito’, which stirred the hornet’s nest here, she blamed her Bangladesh publisher for censoring her original book and deleting those parts. "As a writer I will never accept if some parts are abruptly removed from my book. As I believe in entirety, I will also not make any compromise in the form of deleting any part just because it has become objectionable to some," she asserted when asked what she would do if such a compromise formula is offered to her. The writer, in exile since 1994, hinted that the current situation in Bangladesh might have prompted her publishers to omit some chapters without her knowledge. "But the situation cannot be the same in West Bengal as a piece of writing can not spark violence or ignite passions this side of the border. This is why I still consider Kolkata my second home from where I will launch my next autobiographical `Sei Shob Andhakar’ (those dark days)." The book will dwell on her two months in hiding in Bangladesh in 1994 after the fatwa against her by fundamentalists for allegedly offending religious sentiments. Taslima, against whom a court in Bangladesh issued arrest warrant on charge of blasphemy, had gone into hiding after publication of a newspaper interview in which she had made some comments on Quran. However, she claimed that she was misquoted. (PTI) |
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National Auto Fuel policy tabled in Lok Sabha NEW DELHI, Dec 11: Government today came out with a national auto fuel policy that makes mandatory for compliance of Bharat-ll pollution norms for all new vehicles from April 1, 2005 in the entire country and equivalent of Euro-lll norms from April 1, 2010. The policy, tabled in the Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Petroleum Sumitra Mahajan, said new vehicles will meet Euro-lll norms by April 1, 2005 in 11 major cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Surat, Kanpur and Agra. In these cities, new vehicles will comply with Euro-lV norms by 2010, the policy, which provides clear-cut roadmap for changes in vehicular technology and corresponding fuel quality, said. New two and three wheelers would be required to meet Bharat stage 11 norms from April 1, 2005 and Bharat stage lll norms preferably from April 1, 2008 but not later than April 1, 2010. The policy proposes measures to reduce emissions from in-use vehicles in a bid to improve air quality with a view to improving public health and environment. For in-use vehicles, the policy suggests new improved Pollution Under Control (PUC) checking system, inspection and maintenance system, checking system for catalytic converter and conversion kits for CNG/LPG vehicles. The emission norms for buses and trucks on inter-state routes passing through the 11 major cities would have higher level environmental pollution. Inter-state buses and trucks would not be allowed to originate or terminate in Delhi from April 1, 2007 unless they meet India 2000 emission norms and the cut-off point for Bharat stage ll norms would be April 1, 2011. Emission norms for inter-state buses originating or culminating in the 10 other major cities would have to meet a minimum of 1996 norms with effect from April 1, 2006 if registered before April 1, 2000 and India 2000 norms, if registered after April 1, 2000. Inter-state buses registered after April 1, 2005 in these cities would have to meet at least Bharat state ll norms with effect from April 1 2011. (PTI) |
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Jaya moves SC seeking transfer of DA cases to pondy from KTK NEW DELHI, Dec 11: Apprehending that she would not get a fair trail in Bangalore in the disproportionate assets cases, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today moved the Supreme Court requesting for transfer of the trial to Pondicherry on the ground that a strong anti-Tamil sentiment prevailed in Karnataka due to the tension over sharing of Cauvery river water. When her counsel C S Vaidyanathan mentioned the matter before a bench comprising Justice S N Variava and Justice H K Sema for early hearing of the application, the bench asked him to make the request before the Chief Justice. Citing Cauvery river water disputes with neighbouring states Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, the Chief Minister expressed apprhensions about her personal security and said the appropriate place for a fair trial would be a Court in the Union Territory, where Congress is in power and DMK is the main opposition party. Referring to the bitter political and legal battle between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over the Cauvery water sharing issue, 55-year-old Jayalalithaa said the relations between the states had been further affected during the period of abduction of Kannada matinee idol Raj Kumar by forest brigand Veerappan. Asserting that a fair trial in an atmosphere that is not hostile was a guranteed fundamental right, she said due to the above two controversies "the atmosphere in the state of Karantaka is foul and totally vitiated....". The Chief Minister said that she was filing the application without prejudice to her right to seek review of the Apex Court’s November 18 order transferring the trial of the cases to Karnataka. Jayalalithaa said that if the trial was conducted in Bangalore, then she and other accused would face a surcharged atomosphere and an "aura of fear" would affect the counsel for the accused as well as the witnesses. She relied heavily on the newspaper reports to make it good her arguments about the surcharged atomosphere in Karnataka. "The newspapers have reported that the state of Karantaka has changed the venue from the premises of the city civil Court to the premises of the jail at the outskirts by reason of the state’s apprehension for secutiry to be extended to her which itself would show that the applicant’s apprehensions are not fanciful but real," the Chief Minister said. She pointed out that the voluminous trial Court records were in Tamil and most of the depositions of witnesses were also in Tamil and a trial in Karantaka would require translation of many documents. "The translations would not be able to bring out the true purport of the statements," she feared and said that for this reason too it would be fair to shift the trial of the cases to Pondicherry, where the official language is Tamil. (PTI) PM rejects Judeo probe, Oppn demand turn down NEW DELHI, Dec 11: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today rejected the opposition demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe the Judeo cash-on-camera scam, saying there was no need for it and CBI was going into all aspects of the episode. "There is no need for a JPC and nothing will come out by constituting it," Vajpayee told the Lok Sabha while replying to a two-day debate on his statement regarding resignation of Dilip Singh Judeo as Union Minister. Attacking the opposition for attempting to denigrate CBI, he said even JPC would have to look into all aspects and seek facts and information from CBI which was already holding a preliminary enquiry into allegations of bribery. Brushing aside the opposition charge that the Government was adopting double standards while dealing with the cases of Judeo and those against former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, the Prime Minister said truth would be found out. "What double standards are you talking about, what touchstones are you talking about? Don’t you see Jogi peeping from behind the curtain," he said, adding there was no iota of truth that there had been delay in the Judeo probe. Vehemently rejecting the charge by CPI-M leader Somnath Chatterjee that he was giving a clean chit to Judeo by having made him a mascot in the assembly polls, Vajpayee said he had not not done so but the results had proved that the people had still faith in Judeo. "Why we got a landslide victory in Chhattisgarh is because people have lost faith in you (Congress) and have some left in Judeo," he said, addiing Judeo would not not be reinstated till he was exonerated in the probe. Talking of the pre and post poll situation in the states where assembly elections were held and the conduct of some political parties, Vajpayee said it was time for leaders to consider in which direction the country was moving as certain developments did not augur well for it. "Can’t we fight elections while observing decorum and dignity? it is possible," he said, remarking "we expect more from those in the Congress who understand this." To a query from Congress member Satyavrat Chaturvedi, Vajpayee said it was quite clear in case of Jogi who was "playing openly" and the money paid was under police custody. On the other hand, it was yet to be ascertained as to who gave the money in the Judeo case, he said. Referring to the charges against Jogi, Vajpayee recalled that the then Chief Minister had written to him about "a conspiracy" hatched by intelligence agencies to defame Congress leaders but it turned out that the document submitted by him along with the letter was "fake". Instead of waiting for his reply or talking to him or Sonia Gandhi, Jogi called a press conference in the central Congress office for propaganda purposes, Vajpayee said. On the Judeo episode, he said one cassette was received and the CBI reigstered a preliminary enquiry to find out from where it came and who all were behind it and nobody had come forward to lodge a complaint. The allegations against Judeo were first published by Indian Express and when the newspaper was asked from where it got this information, it stated it did not know from where the tape came from, he said. Probably, the newspaper did not want to state where it came from, Vajpayee said. If a newspaper published a story without knowing about it, "it is a serious allegation," he said but added he did not want to level it . Vajpayee said he had seen the Judeo cassette several times but the images were not clear and it did not show who was handing over the money. That was the reason why a probe was necessary and it was being conducted by CBI, he said, adding no other document was available. "The image (in the cassette) is foggy and and it needs to be cleared," he said, suggesting it would have to found why the money was paid, for what purpose and which was that Australian mining company. After ascertaining the authenticity of the cassette through forensic tests, CBI would register a proper case, the Prime Minister said. Regretting that CBI was needlessly being targeted by the opposition, vajapyee said "I have been in Parliament for 50 years. Governments have come and gone but CBI has continued to discharge its responsibilities. There are some institutions in the country whose prestige should be kept intact." On special occasions, criticism could be tolerated and they (BJP) had also done so in the past while in opposition, he said. "But to say that we have no no faith in CBI is not proper. You can come to power tomorrow and then you will require an institution like CBI to collect information." The Prime Minister was repeatedly interrupted by the opposition members who raised several queries. (PTI) NCBC urged to report on creamy layer among OBCs NEW DELHI, Dec 11: Government has decided to review the income criteria for identification of creamy layer among OBCs to ensure that only genuinely deserving among the backward classes get the benefit. This work has been entrusted to the National Commission for backward classes, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Satyanarayan Jatiya told Lok Sabha today. The Commission will review the existing ceiling of income and wealth to determine the creamy layer amongst OBCs and also to evolve and suggest formulae through which the periodic revision of income ceiling or criteria can be done, Jatiya said in a written reply during question hour. The revision would be in terms of quantum of rupees so that the income ceiling for determining the creamy layer amongst OBCs was revised from time to time as per the formula, he said. The minister said the Commission has been requested to submit its recommendations to the Government within three months. The National Commission of Backward Classes Act, 1993 stipulates that the Central Government shall undertake revision of the lists at the expiry of ten years with a view to excluding those classes which have ceased to be backward. The provision has been made following direction of the Supreme Court in Indira Sawhney and others V/S Union of India case, popularly known as Mandal case. The objective behind periodic revision is that reservation should be only for those backward classes that are genuinely deserving and are handicapped without it. Castes and Communities which have progressed to a certain level of advancement should be replaced by those who have not reached that stage of development and are in great need of reservation. According to official sources, the Backward Classes, other than Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, account for about 52 per cent of the country’s total population and they lag behind in development. (PTI) US Army General leads his force in paying tributes to Uday CHANDIGARH, Dec 11: In a rare event involving a foreign Army in India, Commander of US Army’s Pacific Command (PACOM), lt Gen James Campbell led several military personnel from his force to pay last respects to India-born US Army sergeant Uday Singh, who died in an ambush in Iraq on December 1. "Today, two great democratic nations pause to mourn the loss of this courageous young man who chose the life of a soldier," Campbell, who arrived here this morning in a special aircraft, said in a brief speech at Uday’s residence here. He said on behalf of the US and its Army he was deeply honoured to be here with his fellow soldiers to pay tribute to "a brother-in-arms and India’s son; Sgt Uday Singh". Uday’s body, which arrived here early this morning was kept at his residence to allow people to pay their last respects before the cremation. Campbell said that Uday’s loss was a reminder that freedom "is paid for in blood, sweat and tears." "Uday was, and always will be, an American soldier. He always placed the mission first. He never accepted defeat, and he never quit. He is our hero. Today we stand tall as a nation and as any Army and, in our grieving, take enormous pride in saluting Sgt Uday Singh for his noble stance to make the world safer," he said. Acting Deputy Chief of US mission Walter North, Brigadier General of the US Army O’ Neil, defence attache Col Sboto, US embassy attache and casualty Assistance Officer Steven J Stoiber and six pall bearers of the US Army were among those who paid tributes to the departed soldier. Indian Army personnel including Chief of Staff of 2 corps Major General M P Singh and Brigadier General Staff of 2 corps Brig J P Singh were also present. Uday’s father, Col P M S Taunque, said that his son had grown up in military tradition. "Uday made supreme sacrifice doing duty which is expected of men in uniform. The whole family is proud of his sacrifice," he said. Born of April 23, 1982, Uday was awarded purple heart medal from the US President, and bronze star medal for meritorious service from March 19 2003 to December 2003 while assigned to Company C, Ist batallion, 34th Armour/82d Airborne division of the Army. The Bronze Star Medal citation reads "Uday gave ultimate sacrifice while participating in combat operations to liberate Iraq, in support of operation Iraqi freedom..." Uday fell in an ambush near Habbaniyah Air Force base, located 65 miles west of Baghdad when the US forces were on a routine patrol. The soldier, who recently migrated to the US, is the first Indian to die in Iraq. Uday, who finished his schooling at St Stephen’s School in sector 45 here, enlisted in the US Army at the age of 18. (PTI) Govt proposes to bring national youth policy NEW DELHI, Dec 11: Coming close on the heels of a national charter on children, Government proposes to bring a national youth policy for the all round development of youths. The draft National Youth Policy 2003, formulated by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, has been approved at a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee yesterday. The policy encompassing the key factors like education, training and employment, health, environment, sports and recreation, art and culture, science and technology and civics and citizenship would be laid in Parliament, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told reporters today. The policy defines the youth as in the age group of 13 to 35 years and spells out the privileges as well as the responsibilities of youth and enumerates the ‘thrust areas’. While on the youth empowerment, it says the youth ought to have a greater role in decision-making mechanisms affecting them and on the gender justice, it stands for the elimination of gender discrimination in every sphere of life. On inter-sectoral approach, the policy document advocates the establishment of a coordinating mechanism among the various Central Government ministries and departments for facilitating convergence in youth related schemes for developing policy initiatives. The policy suggests the establishment of a well organised information and research network. The Ministry of Youth and Sports would be nodal agency for all programmes, Swaraj said. A national youth developlment fund would be created through contributions, including from Non-Governmental Organisation, which would be utilised for youth development activities. Contributions to the fund would be entirely exempt from Income Tax, Swaraj said. The main objectives of the policy were to instill in youths a respect for the principles and values enshrined in constitution, to promote an awareness with regard to historical and cultural heritage, to develop in them the qualities of discipline, self-reliance, justice and fair play, and to provide to them access to education, in addition to personality development. (PTI) |
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