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Poultry industry urges KOLKATA, Dec 17: The Indian poultry industry is losing business worth several million dollars as the Bangladeshi Government continues its blanket ....more HC to hear on Jan 31 plea for CBI probe into Jain’s murder NEW DELHI, Dec 17: The Delhi High Court today fixed January 31 for hearing a petition seeking..more Venkatesh loses Euthanasia battle dies in hospital HYDERABAD, Dec 17: Venkatesh, the terminally ill 25-year-old who had been fighting a legal battle for Euthanasia . ...more Temple city has faint memories of MS MADURAI, Dec 17: A few yards from the majestic west tower of the famed Meenakshi.....more |
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Sixty-nine pc of injections unsafe in India: Ramadoss NEW DELHI, Dec 17: An alarming 35 per cent of injections given at Government hospitals are unsafe because of improper sterilisation, Health ......more Russia to hold Yukos auction despite US court ruling MOSCOW, Dec 17: Russia said on Friday it would go ahead with an auction to sell the key asset of embattled oil ....more CPI(M) says right to strike inalienable right NEW DELHI, Dec 17: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) is likely to .....more Govt considering developing Dharavi as special economic zone NEW DELHI, Dec 17: The Government is considering a proposal for....more |
Poultry industry urges Govt to intervene in Bangladeshi ban KOLKATA, Dec 17: The Indian poultry industry is losing business worth several million dollars as the Bangladeshi Government continues its blanket ban on import of chicken from India, citing the continuous presence of Avian influenza or ‘bird flu’ in the country. Though all other major importers of ‘day old chicks of parent stocks broiler breed’ from India, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen, Malaysia, Vietnam and neighbouring Sri Lanka, have lifted the ban, imposed following the outbreak of the disease in China and Korea, Bangladesh still refuses to follow suit because of "unknown reasons," a poultry industry spokesman said. "As a result India, which is the fourth largest broiler meat producer in the world and the second largest in Asia after China, has been losing business worth several million dollars," a senior spokesman for the Maharashtra-based Indian chicken producers association said. Expressing serious concern at the continuous refusal of the Bangladesh Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock to withdraw the import ban despite repeated submission of "all well" proof from Indian authorities, he said both the animal disease laboratory in Bhopal and the Agriculture and Processed Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry had "conclusively" declared that there was not even a single case of the disease in India. He alleged that "undue pressure" from exporters in several western countries including Australia, the US, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands, coupled with "some vested interests" in Bangladesh, were responsible for the ongoing ban. Claiming that the Indian broiler breed was fast becoming the favourite choice of broiler farmers in almost all the south and southeast Asian countries because of their very high yield and good returns, he said this might have caused concern to the western exporters and forced them to engage in a ‘negative campaign’ against the Indian products in a bid to keep their market in Bangladesh intact. "In terms of cost advantages, the Indian chick was cheaper by more than a dollar compared to the western product," he said. The spokesman said a section of Bangladeshi importers might have also joined hands with US and European exporters. "Even some of the local selling agents of European and American companies have issued e-mails packed with lots of misinformation about the existence of bird flu to different customers of Indian chicks, creating confusion among them," he said. However, he said a local breeding company in Dhaka has strongly objected to this deliberate misinformation campaign and even filed a lawsuit in a Bangladeshi court seeking immediate withdrawal of embargo on Indian poultry products. Indian High Commission officials in Dhaka are also undertaking efforts to persuade the neighbouring Government to lift the ban. But so far this too has failed to yield any positive result, the spokesman said, adding the association has urged all political parties as well as the Union Government and the media to make all efforts including dialogues at senior levels to convince Bangladesh. (UNI) |
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HC to hear on Jan 31 plea for CBI probe into Jain’s murder NEW DELHI, Dec 17: The Delhi High Court today fixed January 31 for hearing a petition seeking CBI probe into the alleged murder of Rajinder Jain, a witness before the Jain commission of inquiry which probed the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Justice R C Chopra fixed the date after Delhi Police counsel Mukta Gupta submitted that pleadings have already been completed on the petition filed by Ramesh Dalal, another witness before the Jain commission. Gupta and the CBI counsel both said that they had no objection in the matter being referred to the CBI. Dalal later told reporters that he would file an application in the court for early hearing of the case as the term of CBI’s Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA), which is further investigating Gandhi’s assassination, is due to expire in may next year. Dalal alleged that self-styled Godman Chandraswamy was part of the conspiracy to assassinate the former Prime Minister. Dalal has charged Chandraswamy with getting Rajinder Jain, a journalist, ‘eliminated’ in 1997 as the latter had knowledge of the conspiracy and Godman’s alleged "involvement. Dalal is also seeking CBI probe into planting of a bomb in Jain’s car before his murder. Chandraswamy was discharged by a Delhi Court in the bomb planting case while the Delhi Police closed the Rajinder Jain case and the closure report was accepted by a city court. Chandraswamy’s counsel Santosh Chauriha said that there was no substance in dalal’s allegations and the petition was "politically-motivated". A city court had on Tuesday rejected Chandraswamy’s plea for permission to travel abroad after the CBI claimed that it collected "lots of evidence" against him after probing whether he had financed Gandhi’s assassination. (PTI) |
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Venkatesh loses Euthanasia battle dies in hospital HYDERABAD, Dec 17: Venkatesh, the terminally ill 25-year-old who had been fighting a legal battle for Euthanasia so he could donate his organs, died at a city hospital early today. His wish remained unfulfilled and except for his eyes, which he had already donated to the Chiranjeevi foundation, other organs were declared unsuitable for transplantation. Venkatesh suffered from degenerative muscular dystrophy and wished to end his life and his mother Sujata had been fighting for a court directive on his behalf. The Andhra Pradesh High Court had yesterday ordered a panel of doctors to review the request. The committee was required to submit a report by 1415 today. Venkatesh died at 0500 hrs this morning. An upset Sujata blamed the delay by a medical team in assessing the condition of her son for his dying in mental agony. She said a committee constituted by the Andhra Pradesh High Court on December 14 did not have a cardiologist and a neurologist, delaying the legal procedure. Their inclusion was ordered by the court yesterday, but she said it came too late. "I knew it all along. I knew yesterday itself that he was about to die. Doctors told me that I made their task of telling the truth easier, as I had understood the situation myself," she said with tears rolling down her cheeks. Sujata said she would continue the fight to bring changes in the law, to facilitate using organs of heart-dead patients. The transplantation of human organs act allows organ harvest only from brain-dead people. The High Court cited this legislation while turning down the request of Venkatesh, who was on ventilators and other life-supporting machines. (UNI) Temple city has faint memories of MS MADURAI, Dec 17: A few yards from the majestic west tower of the famed Meenakshi Amman temple, is a small, old-styled house obscured by shops that dot every next door in the narrow lane. A stone replica of a Veena on the front elevation of the house, visible only to a sharp eye, bears testimony to some association it had with music. It was here in Hanumantharayan street that the legendary carnatic vocalist M S Subbulakshmi was born and raised till she moved out to Chennai in her pre-teens. Madurai, with many places of historical importance to boast, has very little to reminisce about one of its most acclaimed daughters. Except her initials, MS, which stood for Madurai Shanmughavadivu, her mother, the city it seems has no other claim on her. According to Prof Gnanasambandan, author of many books, the great singer who was born in a non-Brahmin family strongly wedded to music, got totally absorbed into her husband’s family after marriage. She rarely came to the city. There are very few people who have any memories of the ‘nightingale’, and among them is former Assembly Speaker P T R Palanivel Rajan, son of justice party stalwart P T Rajan. He fondly recalls a concert by MS in 1929 at Kalligudi when his father became a minister in the erstwhile Madras presidency, which comprised parts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. The last time she presented a concert here was probably in 1972 at the Gandhi museum. Renowned Nadaswaram Vidwan M P N Ponnusami and vocalist Parur Ganesan, both hailing from the city, admit that carnatic music had been orphaned with the demise of MS. They had seen her blossom as a musician right from her childhood, and they count her death a personal loss. They now want the Government to erect a memorial for her. The family’s bonds with music apparently confined to MS, as none of her relatives took to the art as she did. Her mother, a veena player, initiated MS into music. It is said that during a music programme at the Sethupati school, where Mahakavi C Subramania Bharati had also served, Shanmughavadivu asked her daughter to sing. Without hesitation, the little girl went up to the dais and rendered a song, earning the appreciation of all. Later, after becoming an acclaimed singer in the carnatic music world, she performed at a concert at the Sathguru Sangeetha Sabha in the city. The house now belongs to her cousin’s only daughter and the only close relative still living in the temple city. She too is unable to recall much except that her father raju was so fond of MS that he named her Subbulakshmi. Before his death, some four years ago, he used to visit MS in Chennai. Subbulakshmi said she had also visited MS last December. She said the family members had stayed away from the funeral because they were following rituals that precede a 17th pilgrimage to Sabarimala shrine. Most of the neighbours hardly know anything about the ‘queen of music.’ However, her death and the media spotlight has made people aware of their locality’s association with a great musician. But ironically, on the day ms died, the city, save for a condolence notice brought out by an obscure oganisation, was full of huge posters greeting a film star on his birthday, falling the next day, and had functions and other programmes to mark the ‘event’. (UNI) |
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Govt considering developing Dharavi as special economic zone NEW DELHI, Dec 17: The Government is considering a proposal for integrated development of Dharavi, the biggest slum in Asia, by setting up a special economic zone there, Minister for Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation Ghulam Nabi Azad told the Rajya Sabha today. Replying to the discussion after a calling attention motion on the ‘urgent need for the Central Government to intervene for improving civic infrastructure in Mumbai city’, brought by Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Nirupam, Mr Azad said that the project is being discussed with the Planning Commission. It would cater to both the housing and employment needs of the slum dwellers and had to be implemented with due care and sensitivity, he said. He clarified that only fifteen Mumbai projects were pending with the centre for clearance of which two were from 2001 and assured that they would be cleared within 120 days of receiving all the relevant information sought about them. However, the minister said that the Coastal Regulatory Zone,(CRZ) notified by the Environment and Forest Ministry, would remain in place as the Centre felt that it should be implemented in letter and spirit to protect coastal ecology and prevent encroachments while protecting interest of fishermen depending on the sea for livelihood. He said that salt manufacturers had been provided 2177 hectares of land which would revert back to the Government in 2016 and nothing could be done about this land at this point of time. Even after 2016, only 677 hectares could be developable as the remaining land either falls in CRZ categories or involved other constraints. Only 86 hectares land falling in CRZ-1 and CRZ-2 would be available for rehabilitation. The phase I of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) was being implemented to provide relief from the traffic and transport problems in the mega city. He said that the 5618 crore project had been jointly funded by the World Bank, the Railway Ministry and the State Government. Forty-eight infrastructure development projects had been sanctioned at the state level, of which 23 are related to transport. The Government was also considering setting up a water supply and solid waste management project in Mumbai which would not only help in the management of waste but also generate electricity, he said. A meeting regarding this would be held between the Urban Development Ministry, the Maharashtra Government and the Planning Commission. Regarding the delay in the water supply and sewage treatment plant at Nashik and Thane, Mr Azad said that it involved utilisation of 634 hectares of forest land and the clearance would be according to the norms for compensatory aforestation. (UNI) |
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Recent photograph of Bollywood actors not in good taste: SC NEW DELHI, Dec 17: A recent photograph of Bollywood actors in an intimate posture published in newspapers and shown in TV channels was not in good taste, observed the Supreme Court today while dealing with an issue relating to media’s right freedom of expression and its limits. This observation came from a bench comprising Justice Y K Sabharwal and Justice D M Dharmadhikari, which admitted a petition filed by N Ravi, editor of newspaper "The Hindu", challenging the validity of section 499 of Indian Penal Code making media liable for reporting incidents pertaining to important persons in public life. Appearing for the editor, senior advocate Harish Salve and Aparajita Singh contended that the provisions of the section could pose a grave threat to media’s right to freedom of expression as important personalities could initiate defamation proceedings even when the incident was true. Salve said media in public interest and public good has to report the activity surrounding the famous personalities and suggsted that the aggrieved party should first prima facie show to the court how his reputation was tarnished when the event reported by the media was true. However, citing the recent controversy pertaining to a photograph allegedly of two top actors of Bollywood in an intimate pose, the bench asked "that cannot be in public good. In the name of public good, the media can go on doing whatever it intended to do." Sale said this was the reason why the court should consider this important question and strike a balance between the public interest and defamation. (PTI) SC notice to TN on Sankarachrya’s bail, seeks case records NEW DELHI, Dec 17: The Supreme Court today issued notice to Tamil Nadu Government on a petition filed by Kanchi Sankaracharya seeking bail in the Sankararaman murder case but rejected his request for grant of interim bail to facilitate his going to the mutt and performing a special puja. However, a bench comprising Chief Justice R C Lahoti, Justice G P Mathur and Justice P P Naolekar indicated that it would go to the root of the matter when it directed the police to bring the "entire case diary" containing the documents collected as evidence during the investigation into the September three murder of Varadaraja Perumal Temple manager. The court posted the matter for further hearing on January 6 while asking the prosecution to be ready with all documents - the alleged dying declaration, the documents pertaining to the ICICI bank account from which money was allegedly withdrawn to pay the assailants, the confessional statements of the accused and the retraction thereof. After January 6 was fixed for further hearing on the matter, senior advocate Fali’s Nariman appearing for the seer pleaded that he be given interim bail till that date so that he could go to Kancheepuram mutt under police guard. The bench declined the request saying at this stage we will issue notice to the respondents. "Why did you come so late?’ The bench asked pointing out that the High Court had passed the order ten days back. Jayendra Saraswati had pleaded for interim bail saying the "Dhanurmasya puja" has been conducted without a break by all the Sankaracharyas and the ritual should not be allowed to be discontinued this year. On the second petition filed by Sankaracharya seeking bail in the "Radhakrishnan assault case" of 2002, senior advocate K T S Tulsi objected to the seer moving the apex court straight away challenging an order of the Sessions Court and said he should have moved the High Court. Nariman replied that no purpose would have been served by moving the High Court as the Sessions Court had relied on the High Court judgement in the Sankararaman case, while refusing bail. The apex court deferred hearing on the second bail petition till January 6 and asked the seer to move the High Court in the meanwhile on the question of bail. In the Sankararaman case, Nariman pointed out the wrong footing on which the High Court proceeded on the law point while rejecting the bail plea of the seer. The court, after hearing Nariman, asked Tulsi to file documents pertaining to the murder case. This was opposed to by Tulsi saying the revealing of names of witnesses in the case could pose grave danger to their life. The bench then asked the prosecution to be ready with all documents relating to the case including English translations of documents prepared in Tamil on January six, when the court would in likelihood decide whether or not to grant bail to Sankaracharya. Specifically, the court asked the police to produce the dying declaration claimed to have been recorded in the case in addition to information as to who had recorded it. On the claim of police that money was withdrawn from an ICICI bank account to be given to the alleged assailants of Sankararaman, the court asked it to give details of the bank account, who operated it and as to who had withdrawn the money on that day as well as the pass book seized by the police. The mutt had claimed that it had no account in the icici bank branch at Kancheepuram and that the story was circulated by the prosecution to defame the seer and the mutt. In the Sankararaman murder case, the court also asked the Tamil Nadu police to produce the alleged confessional statement of two accused Kadiravan and Rajni alias Chinna before it on the next date of hearing. These two accused had given the confessional statements under section 164 of CRPC before a magistrate on November 19. However, they had retracted their statement again before the Magistrate on November 24. The apex court wanted to peruse both the versions on January 6. When Nariman tried to point out the contradictions in the the confessional statement of the accused made before the police, the court said those were totally irrelevant as it was made before the police. Nariman said "I am obliged. But the Hight Court does not think so and proceeds to form a prima facie opinion on the guilt of the seer." The court, meanwhile, dismissed a PIL seeking bail for the seer saying the petitioner despite being given an opportunity to get the authorisation from the Sankaracharya had failed to do so. Moreover, once the aggrieved person has moved the court, the PIL petitioner had no locus standi to argue. (PTI) Finance minister rules out further bailout packages for co-op banks NEW DELHI, Dec 17: Finance Minister P Chidambaram today ruled out further bail out packages for co-operative banks and liberalisation of the one-time settlement scheme. Replying to a spate of supplementaries in the Lok Sabha, the Finance Minister said he was hopeful that the non-performing assets of the banks would come down further with the recent amendment of the securitisation and reconstruction of financial assets and enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002. He also said efforts were on to improve the credit-deposit ratio and streamline the mechanism of debt recovery tribunals as well as improve their infrastructure. Mr Chidambaram said the banking laws do not permit making public the list of defaulters of bank loans. Mr Chidambaram said he receives complaints almost on a daily basis relating to the functioning of co-operative banks. He said the government was not in a position to bail out co-operative banks in the manner in which complaints are received. The Finance Minister said the RBI has cancelled licences of 90 cooperative banks. Mr Chidambaram said the guidelines relating to one-time-settlement were balanced between borrowers and lenders. As these were fair, there was no scope for further liberalisation. He was of the view that the scheme was useful because when the cases go in for litigation, they take several years to get resolved. Mr Cchidambaram complimented the banks for gradually bringing down the NPAs over the last five to six years. He noted that the NPAs of the agricultural sector were lower than other sectors, including other priority sectors. He said after the passing of the Securitisation Act, notices were sent to 61,263 accounts as on March 31,2003.Thereafter there was a slow down as the matter went to the Supreme Court. However, with the amendment to the act recently, the recovery process would pick up again. "Agriculture is commercially advantageous for banks to lend. Farmers are better borrowers. I would urge the banks to go in for lending more to farmers," he said. Mr Chidambaram said the credit to deposit ratio varied according to states. He said there was need for increased lending to infrastructure, industry and services. The Finance Minister said 10340 suits had been filed in the case of defaults of Rs one crore and above. In the case of wilful default of Rs 25 lakh but less than Rs one crore, 2647 suits had been filed, he said. (UNI) |
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