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NEW DELHI, Oct 26: Renowned art critic P V Subramaniam, popularly known as ‘Subbudu’, was awarded a scholarship by Sangeet Natak...more SC
directs distribution NEW DELHI, Oct 26: The Supreme Court today approved an action plan for the distribution of Rs 1567 crores among 5.72 lakh victims of the Bhopal gas ...more Citizen
to promote BANGALORE, Oct 26: Hit hard by smuggled and imitation watches flooding India, the Indian watch makers have forged . .....more Reports of change in leadership in U’chal ‘speculative’: Tiwari NEW DELHI, Oct 26: Amidst speculation over his continuance as Chief Minister of Uttaranchal, N D Tiwari ....more |
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Diplomats, ministers at wedding reception of Lord Paul’s son NEW DELHI, Oct 26: In a first, a diplomatic residence here was the venue for a colourful, high-profile dinner hosted by NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul ......more Dayanidhi
Maran trying CHENNAI, Oct 26: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today flayed Union Communications and IT Minister Dayanidhi Maran for making ‘baseless ......more Railways’ freight earnings on the upswing NEW DELHI, Oct 26: The railways earned Rs 14332.32 crore from 284.80 Million .....more AP Govt taking serious note of Naxals occupying lands HYDERABAD, Oct 26: The growing incidence of Naxalites forcibly occupying private ......more |
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NEW DELHI, Oct 26: Renowned art critic P V Subramaniam, popularly known as ‘Subbudu’, was awarded a scholarship by Sangeet Natak Akademi for his illustrious contribution to promotion of performing arts, while theatre personality Arun Sarma, Hindustani vocal music exponent Ghulam Mustafa Waris Khan, Kathak dancer Urmila Nagar and Kathakali dancer Sadanam P V Balakrishnan were among the 32 personalities who received the Akademi’s annual awards in music, dance and drama for 2003. President A P J Abdul Kalam presented the awards, carrying a purse money of Rs 50,000, a tamrapatra and a shawl, at a special ceremony at Vigyan Bhavan here this evening. Trichur Vaidyanatha Ramachandran (carnatic music-vocal), Mandayam Annadorai Narasimhachar (carnatic music-vocal), Avasarala Kanyakumari (carnatic music- (instrumental-violin), dancers Kalavati Devi (Manipuri), K Uma Rama Rao (Kuchipudi), Hare Krishna Behera (Odissi), and theatre personalities Arun Sarma, Ratnakar Ramkrishna Matkari and Devendra Raj Ankur were among those who received the awards. The Akademi awards are recognised as the highest national honour conferred on practicing artists, gurus and scholars. Past recipients of Akademi awards include eminent personalities like Alauddin Khan, Hafiz Ali Khan, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyenga, Omkar Nath Thakur, T Balasaraswati, Rukmini Devi Arundale, Kelucharan Mohapatra, Sachin Deb Burman, Satyajit Ray, Sombhu Mitra, P L Deshpande, C C Mehta, Mohan Rakesh and B V Karanth. Set up by the Central Government on May 31, 1952, the Sangeet Natak Akademi — the National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama —is the apex body in the country for preserving and promoting the performing arts of India. Following is the list of the recipients of the awards for 2003: music: Ghulam Mustafa Waris Khan - Hindustani music (vocal) Yeshwant Balkrishna Joshi - Hindustani music (vocal) Arvind Natverlal Parikh - Hindustani music (instrumental-sitar) Bhawani Shankar Kathak - Hindustani music (instrumental-Pakhawaj) Trichur Vaidyanatha Ramachandran - Carnatic music (vocal) Mandayam Annadorai Narasimhachar - Carnatic music (vocal) Avasarala Kanyakumari - Carnatic music (instrumental-violin) Kadri Gopalnath Carnatic music - instrumental (Saxophone) dance: Cherutara K Balagopalan - Bharatnatyam Sunayana Hazarilal Agarwal - Kathak Urmila Nagar - Kathak Sadanam P V Balakrishnan - Kathakali Thiyam Suryamukhi Devi - Manipuri Kalavati Devi -Manipuri K Uma Rama Rao - Kuchipudi Hare Krishna Behera -Odissi theatre: Arun Sarma - playwriting (Assamese) Ratnakar Ramkrishna Matkari - playwriting (Marathi) Devendra Raj Ankur - direction Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry - Direction Saoli Mitra - acting (Bengali) C R Simha - acting (Kannada) Sreenivas G Kappanna - allied theatre arts (lighting stage design) Anant Gopal Shinde - allied theatre arts (make-up) traditional/folk/tribal dance, music, theatre puppetry: Laisram Birendrakumar Singh - folk tribal music (Manipur) Prabhat Sarma - traditional folk music (Assam) Leela Omchery - traditional folk music (Kerala) Chukka Satthiah - Oggu Katha (Andhra Pradesh) Bhalchandra V Pendharkar - Natya Sangeet (Maharashtra) Banamali Maharana - Odissi music (Orissa) Puran Bhaat - Puppetry (Rajasthan) Kosha Kanta Deva Goswami - mask making (Bhaona-Assam) scholarship/overall contribution in performing arts: - P V Subramaniam Subbudu (UNI) |
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SC directs distribution of Rs 1567 cr among Bhopal gas victims NEW DELHI, Oct 26: The Supreme Court today approved an action plan for the distribution of Rs 1567 crores among 5.72 lakh victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy that claimed more than 15000 lives in 1984. A bench comprising Justice Shivaraj V Patil and Justice B N Srikrishna approved the Welfare Commissioner’s action plan put before the court by counsel S Muralidhar and directed that the money be disbursed on "pro rata basis" from November 15 among the 5,72,173 persons whose claims have been settled. The court agreed with the Welfare Commissioner for keeping aside Rs 60 crore from among 1567 crore for payment to victims whose claims numbering more than 11,000 are still in various stages of adjudication. Twenty years after the deadly Bhopal gas leak disaster claimed 15,000 lives and injured five lakh persons, the court had on July 19 directed disbursement of Rs 1503 crores of union carbide money among them. The Commissioner informed the court that the Rs 1503 crores with interest accrued it, stands at Rs 1567 crores. The July 19 order had come on a petition filed by representatives of 36 affected wards at Bhopal which turned into a grave yard after the leakage of deadly methyl iso-cyante gas from carbide factory on the night of December 2-3, 1984. The immediate death toll was over 4,000 but the figure swelled as people, sufferring from the poisonous effect of the gas, continued to die in various hospitals. The carbide, on the basis of a settlement between it and the Union Government, had deposited 470 mn dollars in the Supreme Court on account of its liability towards the victims. This money, with interest acruing on it for years, has swelled to Rs 1567 crores. The money was directed to be deposited in a dollar account, of which Rs 86 crores has already been disbursed as compensation to the injured and the kith and kin of the dead. The bench had on July 19 directed the Welfare Commissioner, appointed under the Bhopal Gas Disaster (processing of claims) Act, 1985 to disburse this Rs 1503 crores among the claimants on a pro-rate basis. The settlement between US Multinational Union Carbide and the Union Government was arrived and the same was recorded by the Supreme Court on February 14, 1989. Pursuant to the settlement, carbide deposited a sum of US Dollar 470 million in full and final settlement of the claims, rights and liabilities. The payment was made to the Indian Government as a claimant and for the benefit of all victims of the Bhopal gas disaster and the Apex Court had barred any individual from suing the multinational in their personal capacity in relation to the disaster. As per the records of the Welfare Commissioner, as noted by the petitioners, a total of 10,29,254 claims were adjudicated and of these 5,72,173 cases have been awarded compensation. (PTI) |
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Citizen to promote ecodrive watches BANGALORE, Oct 26: Hit hard by smuggled and imitation watches flooding India, the Indian watch makers have forged together to combat the menace damaging the industry. Citizen Watches (India) Ltd managing director Hideaki Nakazaki told UNI here that the country was flooded by over 25 million smuggled and imitation watches annually that was causing dent on the major watch producers. Even titan, a leading watchmaker of the country is not spared by imitation, he said adding that "imitation watches are good". "It will be difficult for individual companies to combat the menace and hence a united fight was required" he said adding that India had a tremendous potential after China. Unfortunately Government policies were not conducive to the retail trade, he added. He said each state in India was like a country with different taxation system and stiff bureaucratic interventions. There was need for Indian Tax Laws to be compliant with that of other countries so that the global players could have a trouble free investment and business in India, he added. Citizen, whose initial foray of assembly watch units in India doomed due to poor quality of materials in the country, had shifted its base from Chennai to Bangalore about a year and a half ago and is planning to target the middle income group with its ecodrive watches that need no batteries. "We are importing 100 per cent from Japan and other countries" he said adding that there were no immediate plans to have its own manufacturing base in India. The company which had bought back 44 per cent equity held by its Indian partner, Doshi time industry. Currently held 95 per cent of the equity. It was planning to expand its business from the current level of around 150,000 watches, recording a turnover of about Rs 40 crore, to half a million units within the next three years. The target would be the middle income group which would be going in for watches in the range of Rs 3,000 to Rs 20,000. He said citizen had no plans to have tie up with any watch maker in the country. It had earlier tied up with HMT, which was now facing bad times with the number of watches being sold by it dwindling rapidly. Mr Nakazaki said that India was yet to catch up with ecology friendly watches which tap solar power and light for its functioning instead of cadimium based batteries which would polute water and land surfce of the country. As many as 30 million batteries are changed in India every year and it was a huge number to cause pollution. Nearly 80 per cent of the watches sold in Japan are currently eco friendly and with batteries and the percentage had gone to 60 per cent in China. Even in the United States and Europe battery free watches are fast catching up. In India the percentage of such watches sold was only around 15 per cent, he added. (UNI) Reports of change in leadership in U’chal ‘speculative’: Tiwari NEW DELHI, Oct 26: Amidst speculation over his continuance as Chief Minister of Uttaranchal, N D Tiwari today went about his business as usual with meetings with Planning Commission and Finance Commission and describing reports of a change as "speculative." "Speculation is part of life. There is speculation that I might be appointed as Governor of Andhra Pradesh or Maharashtra or Rajasthan or elsewhere. I have not not been hinted anything in this regard", Tiwari told PTI here today. The octogeneraian leader said he has sought appointments with party chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and was likely to meet them tomorrow to discuss developmental issue of the state which would be completing four years on November nine. Tiwari said his main purpose of meeting the Prime Minister was to seek Rs 500 crore central assistance for the state’s developmental projects. "I have already met Deputy Chairperson of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Chairman of the 12th Finance Commission C Rangrajan seeking enhancement of Central assistance to Uttaranchal," he said. Tiwari’s visit to New Delhi, second in a week, comes at a time amid indications that he was being considered for a gubernatorial post in one of the five states where new Governors are likely to be appointed soon. Before leaving Dehradun for New Delhi yesterday, Tiwari, who had met Gandhi last week, told reporters that he was a disciplined soldier of Congress and would abide by any decision of the high command. In the speculative reports, information and PWD Minister Indira Hridayesh, PCC chief Harish Rawat and senior Congress leader Satpal Maharaj were among the few names doing the rounds for Tiwari’s possible successor. Asked whether downsizing of the state cabinet led to groupism against his leadership, the Chief Miinister said he had no group and that "whatever he has done, he has done as per the advice of the Central leadership". He said those who were dropped from the ministry could be accommodated suitably in state corporations soon. Of the 17 ministers, five were dropped in the state as per the Central Directive to Miniimise State Cabinet (15 per cent of the total strength). The state has 70-member Assembly. (PTI) |
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AP Govt taking serious note of Naxals occupying lands HYDERABAD, Oct 26: The growing incidence of Naxalites forcibly occupying private and forest lands in Andhra Pradesh are likely to cast a shadow on the ongoing peace talks, with the Government taking serious note of the development and warning of stringent action. "If extremists take law into their hands and go about occupying lands, then where is the need for Governments and courts? Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy asked. Taking serious note of reports of Naxalites occupying lands in Kurnool and Guntur districts, Reddy told reporters here today that such actions could not be tolerated in a democratic set-up. "This is not a correct approach. If everyone starts dispensing justice in his own way, then why should we have courts and Government?. It is as simple as that," he said. The issue of land distribution for the poor had dominated the agenda during the first-ever direct talks between Naxalites and the Government last week. The Government had agreed to constitute a high-power committee to identify surplus lands for distribution among the poor. Meanwhile, Naxalite emissary and revolutionary poet Varavara Rao justified the occupation of lands, saying it was part of the campaign to ensure "land for the tiller" and to put an end to the domination of landlords. Home Minister K Jana Reddy, who is leading the Government team in peace talks, lamented that Maoist outfits were indulging in illegal actions when the Government was sincerely implementing its promise of land distribution to the poor. "It is deplorable that they are taking law into their hands and resorting to forcible occupation of lands. This may vitiate the present peaceful atmosphere," Reddy said, adding that stringent action would be taken against violators of the law. When contacted, State Director General of Police S R Sukumara said action would be taken as per law if there were any complaints regarding occupation of lands by Naxalite organisations. (PTI) |
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No place for Judges in Competition Commission: Centre NEW DELHI, Oct 26: The Congress-led UPA Government today proposed before the Supreme Court a radical revamp of the competition comission but stuck to a stand taken by the previous NDA regime that retired Judges had no place in the expert body because of their judicial background. "The chairperson of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) should be an expert and not a Judge," the Centre said in its affidavit before a bench comprising Chief Justice R C Lahoti, Justice G P Mathur and Justice P K Balasubramanyam. The apex court had taken strong exception to the CCI headed by a bureaucrat when it was constituted by the previous NDA Government as a petition filed by one Brahm Datt had challenged the constitutional validity of the CCI Act. The petitioner’s counsel R K Jain had also brought to the court’s notice an anamoly that the decisions of the CCI headed by a bureaucrat would be enforced by the concerned High Court. In its proposals, the Centre while reiterating that the CCI needed to be a body of experts, said that if at all a Judge was included in the Commission it would be on the strength of his expertise in the field and not because of his judicial background. The Chief Justice asked the counsel for the Centre to think over the proposals and posted the matter for final hearing on November 2. The Centre proposed that the Commission, apart from the Chairperson, should have a maximum of six members. Suggesting slight change in the selection process of the members, the Government said that "the Selection Committee should be headed by a retired Judge of the Supreme Court or High Court, to be nominated by Chief Justice of India". The selections/appointments already made to the CCI would be subject to review by the new Selection Committee to be so constituted, and fresh names could also be considered by the Selection Committee, it said. Interestingly, aiming to keep in a judicial element in the CCI, the Union Government proposed an appellate tribunal to hear appeals against the orders of the CCI and that this three-member tribunal would be headed by a sitting or retired Supreme Court Judge or Chief Kustice of a High Court. "The other two members would be members with expertise in competition and related matters," it said and added that the Chairperson and members of the appellate tribunal would be selected by a separate Selection Committee headed by the Chief Justice of India or his nominee and Comprising Secretary, Company Affairs and Law Secretary. The Union Government also agreed to amend the controversial provision relating to execution of the orders of the Commission by the High Courts and substituted the High Courts with the civil courts. In another significant modification, the Goveernment said that CCI would be divested of the power to detain a person in civil prison in the event of contravention of provisions of the Act. (PTI) |
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