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responsive administration: CM SHIMLA, June 19: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has said the Government is contemplating to bring.... .more 13 injured
in bomb TINSUKIA (ASSAM), June 19: A powerful time bomb was exploded today by suspected ULFA in the heart of this upper......more "Sustained
political will NEW DELHI, June 19: Reminding democracies that they have a special responsibility to building.....more Lukcnow DD
Director LUCKNOW, June 19: Director of Lucknow Doordarshan Kendra Prabhu Jhingaran was today sent to judicial custody till...more |
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Train derails, service on Koraput-Rayagada section disrupted RAYAGADA/KORAPUT, June 19: The engine and three bogies of Koraput-Howrah Samaleswari express derailed today......more Gujarat,
Modi ‘old MANALI, June 19: Backtracking on his earlier statement that Gujarat would be discussed at the BJP’s national executive......more IIM(A)
hikes scholarship AHMEDABAD, June 19: Ending a long wait, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad today announced that its fee.....more 7-8 pc
economic growth NEW DELHI, June 19: The new Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia.....more |
Govt says it is committed to continue Naga peace process .... ‘Any rollback in prices can be made only after union budget’ ...... |
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Government
committed to providing responsive SHIMLA, June 19: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has said the Government is contemplating to bring a legislation to seize the property and money earned by unfair and foul means in the larger public interest. Addressing a public meeting at Bahli in Rampur area of the district after performing the foundation stone laying ceremony of Government Senior Secondary School Bahli building yesterday, he reiterated his Government’s resolve for providing a transparent and responsive Government to the people. He said the Government was committed to rooting out corruption from all walks of life and added that guilty of it would not go scot free. He said the Government had also no intention to harass innocent and they need not be afraid. The Chief Minister emphasised for proper utilisation of public money so that maximum people benefited from it. He also stressed maintaining of quality in construction of roads, buildings and other public works besides ensuring their timely completion. He said apple cartons and trays would be made available in sufficient quantity and added that hoarding of cartons and trays would not be allowed at any cost. He said uniform and balanced development of all areas of the state would be ensured and added that it had been the endeavour of the Congress Governments in the past and would remain in future also. Mr Singh said education had been given added priority keeping in view of its important role in overall development of society and added that 704 schools had been opened during the last year. He said in future also expansion of educational institutions would be ensured besides emphasising efforts on consolidation of facilities in the existing ones. Speaking on the occasion, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Singhi Ram said there had been tremendous expansion in the educational institutions in backward areas of Rampur under the stewardship of Mr Virbhadra Singh. (UNI) |
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13 injured in bomb explosion by suspected ULFA TINSUKIA (ASSAM), June 19: A powerful time bomb was exploded today by suspected ULFA in the heart of this upper Assam commercial town injuring 13 persons, including five seriously, police said. The time device went off near a women’s toilet adjacent to shops and a Temple in the busy main wholesale grocery market on Chamber Road just before noon, Police Superintendent Anurag Tangkha told PTI. Most of the victims were daily wage earners, hand cart pullers and rickshaw pullers engaged in the loading and unloading of the grocery goods from trucks. All the injured had been evacuated and five of the injured had been shifted to the Assam Medical College Hospital in nearby Dibrugarh. Five others were admitted in the local civil hospital, while three were discharged after preliminary medical treatment, he said. The explosion caused a slab of the footpath near the toilet to break and uprooted an electric pole, he added. Eyewitnesses said the bomb created panic in the area with shopkeepers immediately downing their shutters and sheltering inside their shops or fleeing. They said the defeaning explosion shattered the glass windows and doors of the shops and nearby houses. Today’s blast is the third in the series of attacks by suspected ULFA in Tinsukia district since June 9 when the outlawed outfit exploded a grenade in a cinema hall here and triggered a bomb at Doomdomma. The insurgent outfit has been making sporadic attacks to make its presence felt since its camps were demolished in bhutan. It has also resorted to extortion and recruitment of cadres to replenish its depleted manpower since the Bhutan flush-out operations. (PTI) |
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"Sustained political will needed to combat terrorism" NEW DELHI, June 19: Reminding democracies that they have a special responsibility to building an integrated and comprehensive approach to combating terrorism, India today said there was need for sustained political will, not weakened by short-term objectives. Observing that India’s initiatives at the United Nations on building an integrated and comprehensive approach against terrorism had made considerable headway, Minister of State in the PMO Prithviraj Chavan said "the democracies have a special responsibility that this goal is reached without delay". Inaugurating an international round table on ‘constructing peace, deconstructing terror’ organised by the strategic foresight group of the international centre of peace initiatives here, he highlighted the need for "sustained political will, not weakened or distracted by short-term objectives". The minister said India will stand in the forefront of international efforts to expand the horizons of peace and to reduce and eliminate the crevices of terror. Noting that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was committed to this goal, Chavan called for macro-level re-ordering of ideas on challenging terrorism. "The world was able to abolish slavery and to turn back on colonialism. The time has come for terrorism to be dealt in the same way," he said. Chavan said while world attention was focussed on terrorism after the events of 9/11, India had been a victim of this menace for decades and had lost two its Prime Ministers (Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi) to terrorist acts. The bitter experience of terrorism, the price — both human and economic — that the country had to pay endowed it with a unique perspective, which stood relevant to the world at large and must be shared widely, he said. The minister said the Indian policy has shown its resilience, whether it is Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab or the north east. "Affirmative action and a strong ethic of distributive justice, now firmly anchored in our system, create and sustain a fundamental stake in democracy for millions of our citizens," he said. The two-day conference is being attended by a representative group of strategic thinkers from western and Asian countries. They include Ambassador Richard Mccormack, former under Secretary of State, former US Congressman Stephen Solarz, former Assistant Secretary of Defence Lawrence Korb, Deputy Minister of Foreign Relations, Norway, Vidar Helgesen, Chairman of Presidium of the Council of Foreign and Defence Policy, Russia, Sergei Karaganov, besides members of Parliament experts. (PTI) |
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IIM(A) hikes scholarship amount
to Rs 1 crore, AHMEDABAD, June 19: Ending a long wait, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad today announced that its fee structure would remain the same as in previous years at Rs 1.58 lakh but the allocation for need-based scholarships would be hiked four times, from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 1 crore. The fee structure would remain the same but the allocation for NBS has been hiked from Rs 25 lakhs to Rs 1 crore for students whose parents income does not exceed more than Rs two lakh, Chairman and Infosys Chief N R Narayanamurthy told reporters emerging from a crucial meeting of Board of Directors of IIM(A) here. "The board unanimously agreed with the hike in the allocation of NBS to facilitate more number of students and this would be done after the financial advisory committee does a thorough assessment of the applicant including verifying the proof of income," the IIM (A) Chairman said. The IIM (A) also specified that it would not take Government grants for the current financial year as there was no shortage of funds. A one year executive MBA programme and a Centre in management and health services that would have courses in hospital management and social development would also be introduced shortly, the Chairman said. Clarifying on a media report about his statement in Delhi yesterday regarding, "IIM(A) helping weaker and upcoming IIMs" Narayanmurthy said he was misunderstood. "The HRD minister’s initiative to strengthen the IIMs is very encouraging and I want to say that his vision of planning to set up a similar institute in the north eastern states is very good and would be fully supported by the IIM(A) in any non-financial way possible." "His vision that youth in north eastern states should also have access to quality education in management studies is praiseworthy but as a policy none of the IIMs can give direct financial assistance to the other. But we are always welcome for faculty and student exchange programmes and other forms of assistance and collaborations with IIMs," Narayanamurthy said. IIM(A) Director Bakul Dholakia elaborated on the Chairman’s announcements and said the exact number of students who would require the nbs would be known by the end of June once the admission process is over. Dholakia said the additional funds required to match up with the hike in NBS amount will be procured from internal sources and that the amount of the NBS could be increased depending on the requirement. (PTI) |
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7-8 pc economic growth achievable: Montek NEW DELHI, June 19: The new Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia today said hard economic decisions were necessary to achieve the 7-8 per cent growth rate targeted in the Common Minimum Programme. "Progress is made only if you are willing to take hard decisions... I am confident that 7 to 8 per cent economic growth rate is achievable," Ahluwalia, who will be assuming charge on July 1, told reporters after his meeting with Planning Comission’s member secretary Rajiva Ratna Shah. Asked about the Left parties’ demand to hike interest rate on employees’ provident fund and small savings instruments, he said "I do not want to comment on demands of individuals or political parties. But our effort would be to translate the CMP of the Government into action." Asked whether Left parties would be a hindrance in taking forward the economic reforms programme, Ahluwalia said "we do have a common framework supported and endorsed by different groups supporting from within and outside. "I am quite convinced that the CMP provides enough flexibility to meet the expectation of all and take forward the reforms process and implement the reforms with a human face," he said. "I have no difficulty in working in this atmosphere," he added. He said India’s economic policy has been appreciated worldwide simply because it is framed after a broad consensus and the CMP reflects this. Terming the task ahead as huge, Ahluwalia said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has given a clear direction on implementing the CMP of the Government. The CMP has clearly outlined a broad policy in terms of plan programme and plan policy, he said adding it would be the task of the Planning Commission to translate them into action. Commenting on the eight per cent economic growth achieved last year, Ahluwalia said "the economic growth of 8 per cent was only for the last year while in the years preceeding that, it hovered around four to five per cent and the average for the last five years must be less than six per cent." Asked whether 8 per cent economic growth was achievable, he said the range between 7 to 8 per cent as outlined in the CMP is the "correct range" and can be achieved. Ahluwalia said the performance in the last few years was not sufficient to meet the targets. "If employment has to be increased... Living standard has to be improved, we have to achieve the targeted growth rate," he said adding that internationaly the perception about Indian economy was that it has great strengths to achieve the targeted growth rates. Ahluwalia said he would be assuming charge on July 1 and would speak to the appointed members of the Commission to chalk out the plan. (PTI) Govt says it is committed to continue Naga peace process NEW DELHI, June 19: Government today said it was committed to continuing the Naga peace process, including the dialogue with the major insurgent outfit NSCN (I-M) with which it has been having a ceasefire since 1997. The decison was taken after a high-level meeting, chaired by Home Minister Shivraj Patil. Which was called for reviewing the peace process in Nagaland. A statement issued after the two-hour-long meeting here said "the current situation in the state after the implementation of the ceasefire was discussed as also the progress of negotiations held so far with the NSCN (I-M). "The meeting also discussed the charter of demands submitted by the the Naga group and it was, thereafter, decided that the negotiations should be continued further," it said. Official sources said the meeting took into account the demand of the NSCN (I-M) for a ‘greater Nagaland’ to in-corporate Naga dominated areas of the neighbouring states in the north-east, including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur. The UPA Government has stated in its Common Minimum Programme that it was committed for maintaining territorial sovereignity of the states especially in the north-east. The demand for greater Nagaland had sparked-off angry protests in Manipur after which the previous NDA Government withdrew an order extending ceasefire in Nagaland beyond the state’s borders. The meeting also discussed the recent violent incidents, including forcing some Deputy Commissioners to part with money meant for development purposes. Besides Patil, the meeting was attended by National Security Advisor J N Dixit, Army Chief Gen N C Vij, Government representative for the Naga peace process K Padmanabhaiah, Foreign Secretary Shashank, Home Secretary Anil Baijal, Director Intelligence Bureau K P Singh, Raw Chief C S Sahay and top officials from the Home Ministry and the Army. (PTI) ‘Any rollback in prices can
be made only CHENNAI, June 19: Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyer today said any rollback of prices in petroleum products could be made only after the union budget, as it depended on the ‘fiscal changes’ to be effected by Finance Minister P Chidambaram in the budget and concessions that might be announced for the oil industry. "What changes are to be effected in petroleum prices totally depend on the fiscal changes and concession that may be announced in the union budget’, he told reporters here. Considering the international price situation, there was no scope for any rollback now, the minister asserted. Justifying the hike, he said prices of petroleum products should reflect the ‘fluctuating’ price of crude in the international market. Even when he took over as the Petroleum Minister, he had stated that he would wait for the outcome of the OPEC meeting. Though the prices had come down slightly in June, the crude oil price in the international market was ‘unprecedented’ in the past 15 years. Even during the Gulf war, the prices had not shot upto this level, he added. Aiyer said the prices of petroleum products also depended on local taxes imposed by various State Governments. Asked for his comments on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s criticism of the hike, he wanted to know whether she had a solution. The minister said the Centre would come out with a new oil policy after a comprehensive review of the existing one. He said the then BJP Government’s action had disproved its claim that the administrative price mechanism had been dismantled in the oil sector. They had decided to freeze the price of kerosene at the levels prevailing in January 1, 2001, but had hiked it at least twice. They had also frozen the prices on January 1, 2004, which, Aiyer said, was a "deliberate decision with an eye on the elections". (PTI) Drive against corruption to continue: Amarinder CHANDIGARH, June 19: Asserting that his Government was not adopting confrontation policy against political opponents, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today said that the State Government’s drive against corruption would continue till it was rooted out completely. Winding up debate on motion of thanks on State Governor O P Verma’s address delivered in the Assembly on March 15, the Chief Minister said "we (the present Government) will create an atmosphere where a normal person could get his job done without bribing anyone." However, the Chief Minister’s reply was boycotted by the entire opposition comprising the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP. The members of the opposition benches led by their leader Paraksh Singh Badal boycotted the Chief Minister’s reply on motion of thanks moved by Sunil Kumar Jakhar and Randeep Singh (Cong) protesting alleged discrimination by speaker Kewal Krishan on the issue of TV coverage to leader of opposition during his reply to Governor’s address. Lashing out at the opposition for allegedly failing to provide "constructive criticism", Singh said that his Government had succeeded in putting a check on corruption. "Cases pertaining to corruption were regsitered against as many as 11 previous Akali ministers in the past two years," he said adding that "the Government was taking steps to check corruption and no way indulging in confrontation against political opponents." Maintaining that he would not back out from his drive against corruption, Singh said that the Congress had made it clear in its manifesto that it would not allow corruption to flourish in the state. "Our Government’s objective is not to target the Akalis, but to take development programmes further ahead," he said. Listing out development programmes initiated by his Government in the past two and half years, the Chief Minister countered accusations levelled against the Government by leader of opposition by putting facts on the table of the house. "No industrial house has closed in the state due to shortage of electricity and an atmosphere has been created where jobs are generated by the Government," he claimed. He said that the Satte Government had empowered Panchayats, did fiscal consolidation, procured crops of farmers on MSP and turned loss making state electricity board into profit oriented board. "The Akalis during their tenure had ruined the state electricity board by providing free power to the farm sector," he said however adding that providing free power to farmers for running their tubewells was still part of his party’s manifesto. He said that the present Government inherited a debt of Rs 50,000 crore from the previous Akali Government."We brought reforms so that multi-lateral funding could come to the Government," he said. Singh said that the State Government had approached the World Bank with a Rs 1622 crore water augmentation scheme to improve potable water supply in rural areas. He said that during the Akali regime as many as 600 farmers committed suicide due to indebtness. However, there was not a single case of farmer committing suicide in the present regime, he added. Earlier, Badal described that the Governor’s address as "directionless and meaningless and without truth." He sought resignation from the Chief Minister on moral grounds for the dismal show of the Congress in the recent Lok Sabha polls in Punjab. The Congress could win on only two seats out of the 13 it contested. "The public of Punjab has rejected the Congress Government. Even their (Cong) 40 MLAs staged a month long protest in Delhi seeking change of leadership in the state," Badal asserted. "It is the first Government in the country where even the Deputy Chief Minister (Rajinder Kaur Bhattal) had expressed no faith in the Chief Minister," he said adding that even she had admitted that there was no governance in Punjab. Castigating the State Government for its drive against corruption, he said that "in fact corruption had multiplied manifold in the past two years." "Moti Mahal (CM’s residence at Patiala), CMO (Chief Minister’s Office) and CM’s Adviser (Media Adviser B I S Chahal) have become places where corruption is breeding," he said. Badal said that the GDP of the state had drastically fell in the past two years and the WB had warned the state of its impaired economy. "There is no law and order in the state and the State Government’s contract farming programme had failed badly," he said. He said that the Congress Government in the state had failed to implement the promises it listed in its manifesto before coming to power. Badal cautioned that the Chief Minister’s "policy of confrontation" against political opponents would be detrimental for the state in near future. "From the day he (Singh) assumed charge of the affairs of the state he had been adopting confrontationist approach towards Akalis, he said adding that "we never indulged in such methods in our five year rule." "He (the Chief Minister) not only applied confrontation policy against employees, farmers and traders, but also created an environment of tension within his party," Badal asserted. The Governor address was passed "unanimously" by the house even though the entire opposition boycotted the Chief Minister’s reply. (PTI) HYDERABAD, June 19: Smarting under worst ever electoral drubbing, the TDP in Andhra Pradesh today suffered yet another setback with several partymen, including two former MPs and a former minister, announcing their decision to quit the party and join Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) to work for statehood cause. A motley group of protaganists of Telangana statehood within TDP took the decision when they met here to chalk out their future course amidst indications of largescale political migration to TRS which is set to join the Congress Government in the state. "As TDP continues to oppose Telangana cause even after a clear verdict in the recent election in favour of statehood, we have decided to quit the party and join TRS to work for the formation of separate state," former MP from siddipet M Rajaiah told reporters after the meeting. Another former TDP MP Chandulal, former minister Rajesam Goud, former MLA P Subhadra and city general secretary D Mallappa were present at the press conference. They said they would join TRS on June 24, a day after the cabinet expansion when six representatives of TRS will be inducted heralding the first coalition Government in the state. Though none of the 11 party legislators in Telangana region have joined the rebel camp so far, the spectre of largescale desertions loomed large as Chandrababu Naidu led TDP had its first taste of rebellion in its ranks. Prominent leaders set to join TRS are Rajaiah, Chandulal, Rajesam Goud, Subhadra, P Krishnamurthy, Madhusudan Rao and Mallappa. Several lower rung TDP functionaries from Telangana districts of Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Medak, Ranga Reddy, Warangal and Adilabad participated in the rebels’ convention which decided to part ways with the party and join TRS to work for statehood cause in "deference to the wishes of the people". Asked why they did not resign before elections, Rajaiah said "in democracy, people’s verdict is final. It is very clear from the recent poll outcome that Telangana people want separate state. The TDP went to elections on the slogan of integrated state but lost power." (PTI) |
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