. |
. |
| Pearl city to host country’s first
WTO executive council meeting HYDERABAD, July 7: The Executive Council of the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) will meet here for the first time.....more Ministers
not dropped GUWAHATI, July 7: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said no minister in his cabinet was dropped in the recent......more NEW DELHI, July 7: Will the first budget of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Governments, to be presented by.....more Bhattals’
dy CM post CHANDIGARH, July 7: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today said that the decision on retaining Rajinder Kaur......more |
|
Multiplicity of authorities has to be done away with: Dikshit NEW DELHI, July 7: Describing "multiplicity of authorities" as the biggest hurdle in the way of Delhi becoming a world......more Enforce
user charges, NEW DELHI, July 7: The pre-budget economic survey today asked Government to enforce......more Joshi
lists four dangerous BHOPAL, July 7: Former HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi today termed as "dangerous" four steps which the UPA......more An Indian
girl’s letter MANGALORE, July 7: A letter penned by a 15 year-old Indian student here has struck a chord in the heart of Pakistan......more |
| BJP
assails Mufti on Amarnath devotees’ issue ...... No shortage of medicines at AIIMS, says Minister ...... |
 |
Pearl
city to host country’s first WTO executive HYDERABAD, July 7: The Executive Council of the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) will meet here for the first time in India from July eight and focus on transforming the organisation into a specialised agency of the United Nations (UN). Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy would inaugurate the council’s 73rd session, in which representatives of 30 nations would take part, Tourism Minister J Geeta reddy told newspersons here yesterday. About 100 delegates, including WTO Secretary General Fransesco Frangialli, would attend in the Executive Council. The participants for the council include Tourism Minister, Vice-Ministers, State Secretaries and heads of Tourism Department from member countries like Angola, Bulgaria, Brazil, Cameroon, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Nigeria, Senagal and Tunisia. Dr Geeta reddy said apart from the regular administrative matters, the agenda would include follow up on the transformation on the organisation into a specialised agency of the UN. This focuses on the twin objective of sustainable tourism and poverty alleviation, to increase their potential synergies and contribute more to sustainable developments in the least developed and developing countries. The two-day session would be followed by a seminar on ‘destination marketing’ on July ten, which would be chaired by Union Minister of State for Tourism Renuka Chowdhary and the WTO General Secretary. WTO representative Ms Dominique, who was also present, said her organisation and Andhra Pradesh tourism had prepared a development and management plan as part of their consultancy services for the state. The thrust in the management plan was given on product development, infrastructure development, human resource development and management, marketing, investment, economics and institutional structure. This is the first time that the executive council is meeting in India, she said adding that the previous edition was held at Beijing in China. (UNI) |
|
Ministers not dropped for charges against them: Gogoi GUWAHATI, July 7: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said no minister in his cabinet was dropped in the recent downsizing due to any criminal and corruption charges against them or for ‘inefficiency’. "There is no prima facie case against any member of my earlier Council of Ministers and as such the question of dropping them due to charges was absolutely baseless," Gogoi told reporters here. The Chief Minister said there is bound to be a little dissatisfaction against the downsizing but there is nothing against anybody and it was "only a question of accommodation". "I want to make it clear that all members of my earlier ministry are capable and extremely efficient. It was very difficult for me to bring down the number to 19 from 35," he said. He said the decision to drop the 16 ministers to bring the strength to 19 as stipulated by the Constitution was purely decided by the party high command and if the ministers have any complaint "they are welcome to approach the high command". The Chief Minister said he will deal firmly with the bandh calls given by Congress supporters in some places against the dropping of some ministers as this was against the culture of the party. Congress supporters have called bandh today in Hojai, represented by former Agriculture Minister Dr Ardhendu Dey, Sapekhati, represented by former PWD Minister Sarat Barkataky and former Power Minister Devanand Konwar’s constituency Thowra. "Any defiance against the decision of downsizing will amount to defying the high command," Gogoi added. Gogoi said he has written to both Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi to increase the strength of the ministry in the region to at least 20 per cent of the total strength of the House from the present 15 per cent. "North east has diverse population, linguistic groups, tribes, sub-tribes and tea community and all sections have their hopes and aspirations. I will be grateful if a constitutional amendment was brought to help adequate representation of all sections in the Council of Ministers," Gogoi said. The Chief Minister dropped 16 ministers of the earlier ministry which included five cabinet ministers — Sarat Barkatoky, Devanand Konwar, Dr Ardhendu Dey, Bhubaneswar Kalita and Pankaj Bora. The remaining eleven ministers who were dropped were holding state ranks including one with independent charge. (PTI) |
|
|
NEW DELHI, July 7: Will the first budget of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Governments, to be presented by Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidamabaram in the Lok Sabha tomorrow, meet the high expectations of the market, the farm sector, the industry, the salaried class and the vast sections of the poor, all in one go? Certain signals are around as to what the budget holds for various groups. For individuals, the speculation is that taxable income will be at Rs one lakh higher tax breaks are expected for mutual funds turonver tax could replace capital gains tax and there could be different provident fund rates. The rich are mentally prepared to pay education cess. The Congress-led Government is under pressure from its own party members to raise the floor level for income tax to Rs 1,00,000 from the current level of Rs 50,000 to satisfy the urban middle class. This section switched over its support to the new ruling alliance in the april-may lok sabha elections. The Congressmen’s plea is that raising the floor limit will reduce paperwork and the amount involved would be niggardly in terms of monetary giveaways. Most salaried people in any case invest in saving bonds to ensure that their first Rs one lakh income is free of taxes. By making this easier, the Government actually will be encouraging higher spending levels by middle-class taxpayers. It has indeed become something of a consensus that lower rates of taxation, a broad tax base and simpler rules is the desirable policy package. As far as the services are concerned, there is likely to be widening of the tax net. Everything could cost more. The good news for the corporates is that there is likely to be a package for the small scale industry lower customs duties on import of equipment and rationalisation of excise levies on power equipment. At the same time, the market expectation is that there is not likely to be any big relief on taxes and duty drawbacks. Experts say the Government is likely to continue with the current peak rate of 20 per cent while moving towards a single-slab customs duty in the next few years. To afford at least a temporary tariff shield to India inc, it will continue to have differential slabs of duty for this year on raw materials, intermediates and finished goods. It also wants import tariffs on most ‘universal intermediaries’ such as non-ferrous metals, plastics and rubber to be half the peak rate. However, north block is clear that any tariff wall will be temporary as global imperatives will force India to slash customs duties. Besides, global trade pacts enjoin member states to bring down tariff walls. India will need to slash customs duties in the coming years as it is trying to join various free trade and preferential trade pacts. The economic survey presented today in Parliament too stresses the need for lower customs duties to make industry competitive. Major revenue generation measures are expected in the budget to fund commitments made towards programmes for the Common Minimum Programme and lower receipts on account of slowdown in the disinvestment programme. It is pertinent to point out that former Finance Minister Jawant Singh had taken credit of Rs 16,000 crore from disinvestment. Mr Chidambaram will have to significantly reduce the target in view of the changed priorities of the Government. According to informed sources, the cumulative effect of the two could be as high as Rs 30,000 crore, which could take the fiscal deficit up by one percentage point. As per the fiscal responsibility and Budget Management Bill, which has been notified, the fiscal deficit cannot exceed 4.4 per cent of the GDP in 2004-05, which cleary indicates that the Government will have to garner huge resources to neutralise the impact of additional spending and lower revenue receipts from disinvestment. Tax experts have been arguing that the Finance Minister will have to identify new sources of revenue generation which could include further widening of the tax base, such as bringing in new services under the tax net as well as measures to reduce expenditure. The stagnancy in the revenue-GDP ratio presents the Finance Minister limited options to experiment with, says Dr Ashwini Mahajan, reader in economics at PG DAV College of Delhi University. Says Prof J D Agarwal, Director of the New Delhi-based Indian Institute of Finance, expenditure compression could come through subsidy rationalisation and pruning various small expenditures. There is also a case for transferring various centrally sponsored schemes to the states to avoid unnecessary expenditure. Dr Agarwal says the Finance Minister’s revenue mobilising capacity is also contrained by the fact that he is budgeting only for seven months of the current financial year. A special package for the farmers has already been announced and the National Employmenty Guranatee Act is to be legislated to provide employment for 100 days in a year to at least one able bodied person in each rural household. Special packages for farm workers, health insurance for poor families and small scale industry are on the cards. The budget for 2004-05 is to be presented in the backgound of a favourable economic environment. The unprecedented GDP growth of 8.2 per cent recorded during 2003-04 has brought hopes of a double dgit growth within the realm of possibility. The forecast of a normal monsoon this year has also buooyed sentiments and riased the possibility of high growth rate during the first year of the UPA rule. The sustainability of the high GDP growth will depend upon the signals that the budget will send out. (UNI) |
|
|
|
|
Joshi lists four dangerous steps taken by UPA Govt BHOPAL, July 7: Former HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi today termed as "dangerous" four steps which the UPA Government had taken, including change of Governors and revision of syllabus to, conform to their ideology. Talking to reporters here Dr Joshi said if the same yardstick was applied then even the Chief Justice, the Chief Election Commissioner and the opposition face a threat of removal. "I am not in favour of changing Governor and strongly believe that removal of Governor before the stipulated time was against the basic tenet of democaracy" he said. Maintaining that the Governor’s post was constitutional, Mr Joshi said a Governor acted as a strong bridge between the Centre and State. Replying to the allegation that even during the NDA Government’s tenure, the Uttar Pradesh Governor appointed by United Front Government had resigned, Dr Joshi said’’ Mr Bhandari had resigned voluntarily and this should not be the precedent’’. "If this is serving as a precedent then the Government is showing nothing but fascism". Mr Joshi said the NDA Government had not removed any Governor on the lines of ideology. Dr Joshi said the UPA Government was commercialising the higher and technical education by drifting it away from comon man’s reach and added that communism based changes were pernicious for the nation. "I had kept the proposal of foreign investment in the education sector in abeyanace but now the Centre has allowed the same, which was improper". Observing that the IIMs were surplus with Rs 45 crore he said reports were saying that it could give education even without any fees. ‘’ why has the iim fees been raised from Rs 30,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh’’ Dr Joshi said the present Government wanted to change the saffronisation of the syllabus. "We changed some ill references to the deities and great personalities and castes of this countries and taught Sarvadharmasambhav and moral values but will the UPA Government revet back to the old wrong references",Dr Joshi questioned. "The present Government does not have constructive vision and there should be an open debate on this issue of syllabus ", he added. Reminiscing from the excerpts of Ravidra Nath Tagore’s speech in 1903 at Shantiniketan he said "history should be taught in such a manner that students are able to see their own country". "How can the Government bring out the syllabus of West Bengal, which has a very brief mention of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, revolutionaries as terrorists, Lenin as an inspirational source for Independence and Mahatma Gandhi goes without reference". Replying to a question Dr Joshi said "education should not be divided on the lines of minority and majority but all should be treated equally in the mainstream" Dr Joshi said the attempts to abolish POTA and going back to the 1848 resolutuion of United Nations on the Kashmir issue were the other two dangerous steps which the UPA Government was taking. Referring to the case of Ishrat, Dr Joshi said the investigation by Maharshtra, Kashmir and Gujarat Police had established that she had terrorist links. Observing that the NDA Government had opened channels of communication with Pakistan and had drafted the Lahore declaration he said "the UPA Government was reverting to the 1948 United Nations resolution". Dr Joshi said the Centre has reportedly agreed that Pakistan’s satisfaction revolved around the satisfaction of people of Kashmir . " This notion is very dangerous", he added. (UNI) |
|
||
An Indian girl’s letter "moves" Musharraf MANGALORE, July 7: A letter penned by a 15 year-old Indian student here has struck a chord in the heart of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf who has assured her to do his best to convert her dreams of cordial relations between the two neighbouring nations into reality. The poem "symbiosis" written by Srishti Krishnamurthy, a tenth standard student of Kendriya Vidyalaya here, to Musharraf after the Indo-Pak cricket series has "touched the General’s heart", Krishnamurthy, Principal of the school and father of Srishti told PTI. Srishti, who never expected Musharraf to reply to her letter sent in the form of a poem which hopes for camaraderie between the two nations extending beyond sports, said she "is very excited as after all we share a soul." Heartened by the fact that the cricket series has acted as a bridge between the two countries, the Pakistan President in his reply to Srishti has graciously acknowledged her high intellect and assured to do his best to convert her dreams into reality, Krishnamurthy said. Describing her gesture as "thoughtful" the General in his reply said "I am glad that a young lady like you has felt so elated about it. Let me assure you, I will do my best to convert your dreams into reality." Urging her to "keep up the good work", the President has also wished her "happiness and success in life", recounted her proud father. This is not the first time that the young poetess penning poems since the age of five has won laurels. She has represented India in international poets’ symposiums, he said. (PTI) BJP assails Mufti on Amarnath devotees’ issue NEW DELHI, July 7: Assailing Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed for declaring that ‘Shravan Purnima’ for Amarnath pilgrims would be observed after July 15, BJP in Lok Sabha today said he was nobody to decide the date of religious festivals and sought immediate intervention by the Centre. Raising the issue during zero hour, BJP chief whip Vijay Kumar Malhotra said thousands of pilgrims had already reached Amarnath as the date for ‘Shravan Purnima’ was fixed for July two and they were facing immense hardships at a height of 13,500 feet in the absence of any arrangement for them by the State Government. "Government has not made any arrangement for their food. There is no security cover for them. Terrorists can strike them any moment," he said warning "if any incident takes place, both the State Government and the Union Government will be responsible." Alleging that the pilgrims have been left to fend for themselves, Malhotra said the Chief Minister could not be allowed to indulge in religious discrimination and wanted to know whether Sayeed could decide the dates of various festivals including Eid and Deepawali. He said even four ministers of the Mufti Government, belonging to Congress party, had resigned on the issue. Defence Minister and leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee said the Government would respond but not instantaneously. (PTI) No shortage of medicines at AIIMS, says Minister NEW DELHI, Jul 7: The Government today denied there was shortage of life-saving medicines at the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences, saying there was a special arrangement for procuring such drugs and essential surgical instruments. "As per the existing system of procurement, the Institute has an annual rate contract for supply of these items," Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare A Ramadoss told the Lok Sabha in reply to a question that referred to media reports about shortage of essential medicines at AIIMS. He said, in accordance with the consumption pattern, supply orders were placed on the firms approved in the rate contract, adding AIIMS had not reported any problem in regard to payment to the suppliers. Replying to a related question, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare P Lakshmi said it was because of the high reputation of the hospital that on an average every day 6000-7000 patients attended its OPD. On the accommodation arrangements for patients coming from different parts of the country, Lakshmi said there were two ‘Vishram Sadans’ with capacities of 112 and 190 beds, respectively, and the construction of another with a 100-bed capacity was complete. RML: Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital is being developed as a ‘health promoting hospital’ with WHO assistance, in which there would be an assessment of the health of the personnel, Lakshmi told the Lok Sabha. One of the main features of the project, being undertaken on a pilot basis, would be to carry out health status and risk assessment of the health personnel at the hospital, the minister told the House in response to a query. Health promoting activities would be initiated in the hospital for its employees initially and ultimately for the general public, she said, adding there was no proposal at present to include any other hospital in the project. CGHS: To another question, she informed that eight special inspection teams have been constituted to monitor the functioning of CGHS dispensaries in the national capital. The minister also reminded that there was an inbuilt mechanism in the CGHS to improve the working of its dispensaries by way of inspections, supervisions and guidance by senior officers.(PTI) Joint exercise with US to continue: Naval Chief KOLKATA, July 7: The joint exercise with the US and other countries would continue to find ways for strengthening Indian Navy, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Madhvendra Singh said here today. Addressing mediapersons after commissioning "INS Betwa," the latest guided missile frigate built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), the Naval Chief said though the Indian Navy was progressing towards "cent per cent" self-reliance and indigenisation, there was no proposal for stopping such exercises. "Indian Navy had conducted such an exercise with the US along the Malabar coast last year and is likely to have it again this year which will strengthen our motto of self-reliance," Admiral Singh said. He said continuation of such exercises would boost the Indian Navy. Referring to purchase of new ships from Russia, the Naval Chief said no order was placed for buying ships during the period of 1985 to 1995 and hence such deals with russia were necessary to ‘’bridge the gap.’’ He said to cope with the present world maritime doctrine, all old ships of Indian Navy would be phased out gradually. More uni adg ms rr ds1348 jmu 13 54 priority Stressing on indigenisation of ship-building, the Naval Chief said there was an urgent need as it would not only make the Indian Navy self-reliant but also create employment opportunities in the country. He said "INS Betwa," was eighty per cent indigenous and informed that 80 such warships were now under the possession of Indian Navy. "Indian Navy has to transform from ‘buyers navy’ to ‘builders navy’ and the shipbuilding activities in the country should also be faster, cheaper and better," Admiral Singh maintained. He also urged the corporate houses to participate in shipbuilding. Talking about "Indian Maritime Doctrine," the Naval Chief observed that it has been made public to invite suggestions from the people for further advancement of indian navy. "INS Betwa" is the modified version of earlier "Betwa," which served the Indian Navy for 31 years, during which she participated in the Indo-Pak conflict in 1971, liberation of Goa in 1961 and the operation cactus in male in 1998. Built in 10 years in grse at a total cost of Rs 700 crore, the guided missile frigrate has been designed with a sophisticated indigenous weapon and sensor suite to enhance the navy’s future combat capability. (UNI) Turmoil in NE after downsizing GUWAHATI, July 7: The downsizing law took its first casualty in Arunachal Pradesh as political manoeuvring swept most of the north eastern states since last night. The Arunachal Pradesh Assembly was dissolved, while Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi had to issue stern warning against defiance of the high command’s order. The Governments in Nagaland, Manipur and Meghalaya are surviving on the mercy of the new anti-Defection Law. Triputa and Mizoram, however, have no problem. The midnight drama saw dissolution of the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly two months before schedule. According to latest report, maintaining their old habit, majority of the former BJP MLAs and ministers switched loyalties to the Congress as Chief Minister Gegong Apang failed to convince the sacked ministers. The Congress today termed Governor V C Pandey’s decision to dissolve the Assembly as ‘unprecedented’ and alleged that he had bypassed all democratic norms. Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) spokesman Takam Sanjoy told UNI that a delegation of Congress legislators, including many BJP MLAs and a few unattached members led by Congress Legislature Party leader Mukut Mithi, called on the Governor later in the day asking him to review his decision on imposing President’s rule in the state. Mr Sanjoy said the opposition would protest the Governor’s decision. "The Congress would also request the Centre to remove Mr Pandey for his biased and pro-BJP attitude," he remarked. "Since the BJP-led Government was in minority, the Governor was not bound by its advice. However, by acting on its advice on dissolution of the Assembly he has exposed his pro-BJP attitude," he said. His action, without seeking the advice of the President or the Union Home Ministry was quite unprecedented, he alleged. In Guwahati, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi was besieged with bandhs in the constituencies from where the ministers were dropped. "This is defiance of the high command’s instruction. I have not decided it alone. I shall not tolerate this ridiculous behaviour of calling bandh against the removal of someone from the ministry," he said. In Meghalaya former Home Minister R D Lyngdoh also vent his anger. While in Manipur and Nagaland, covert meetings were on in various groups amongst the jobless ministers. There have not been any formal statements from any of the dropped ministers. The saving grace was the new anti-Defection Law, as all these states are used for political turmoil and complete change of dynamics of politics overnight. In Manipur 19 ministers were dropped while in Nagaland 21 lost the job. (UNI) |
||
|
||
|
| home | state | national | business| editorial | advertisement | sports | |
