Excelsior... Nation

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan focused on girl child: Arjun

NEW DELHI, Sept 3: Maintaining that education for girl child was key to country’s progress, Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh today said the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Scheme of the Government was totally focused on Girld child.

"Our Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is totally focused on girl child and everything else come later," Singh said inaugurating a national seminar on `Education For Women And Girl Child’ here.

"We know the mindset of our countryside. They are yet to recognise the value of girl child, that an educated girl child can also contribute to the growth and prosperity of a family," he said adding "these are the challenges that have to be met."

Singh said that without the protection and education to girl child the country cannot go further.

"Education for women and children is very vital to the country’s growth. The sooner the country recognise this fact, better we progress," he said.

The Union Minister also appealed to the civil society to get involved in the mission to educate girl child.

"Without civil society’s involvement no success will come to the mission," he added.

The seminar, which was organised by the Justice Sunanda Bhandare Foundation, was presided over by Justice B N Srikrishna. (PTI)

Babloo objects reopening of evidence in murder case

NEW DELHI, Sep 3: Underworld don Babloo Srivastava, facing trial in a 1992 murder case here, today objected to the prosecution’s move to reopen recording of evidence as it would delay the case.

Opposing the prosecution plea to examine six "key witnesses", Srivastava in his reply said "the plea itself is prima facie unjustified, unfair, illegal and grossly violates his fundamental right for speedy trial"

The prosecution had filed an application before Additional Sessions Judge Sunil Gaur seeking reopening of recording of evidence by summoning six witnesses including four policemen inadvertently left out during the recording of evidence.

Srivastava is facing trial in connection with the killing of Lalit Suneja, an East Delhi businessman, in 1992. Suneja was allegedly killed on gangster’s instructions by his henchmen Manjeet Singh and Virendra Pant.

The recording of evidence was closed on July 22 without examining ACP Gurmukh Singh, Sub Inspectors Manoj Dixit and Pankaj Sharma, Head Constable Vipin Talwar. Besides the statement of transport official Swantra Pahwa and CFSL Assistant Director A K Gupta were also not recorded.

These witnesses were left out as the documents pertaining to the case were mixed up, prosecution said.

"Names of the witnesses were given in the supplementary challan filed by the prosecution which was by mistake attached with the miscellaneous papers," it said.

The case had taken a significant turn when Veena Suneja, the wife of the deceased and eye witness in the case turned hostile. The two other accused in the case are businessmen Nitin Shah and Manish Dixit.(PTI)

Disaster Management course in (IGNOU)

NEW DELHI, Sept 3: Distance Education Pioneer IGNOU will launch a post-graduate diploma course in disaster management from January next year.

The new course in disaster management is among the area-specific academic programmes to be introduced during the next academic session, according to IGNOU Vice-Chancellor S C Garg.

Another new programme is a certificate course in ICT applications in libraries.

The eligibility criteria for the disaster management course is a bachelor’s degree. For the ICT applications course, it is plus two with certificate or diploma in library science or librarianship.

Further details are available on the university website (www. Ignou.Ac.In).

The last date for submission of applications is September 15. (UNI)

BJP may move HC on recovery of dues
from CPSs and PSs

SHIMLA, Sept 3: The Himachal Pradesh BJP today threatened to move the HP High Court for recovery of "financial expenditure" incurred upon Chief Parliamentary Secretaries (CPSs) and Parliamentary Secretaries (PSs) during their tenure by the state Government.

"We are planning to file a petition in the court against the CPSs and PSs for recovery of expenditure unless they deposit it themselves in another two or three days," national convenor of the BJP legal cell Satpal Jain said while addressing a press conference here.

The HP High Court had on August 18 quashed the appointment of CPSs and PSs in the state, saying their appointment was "void ab-initio" from the beginning.

Mr Jain said unless CPSs and PSs deposited the expenditure incurred on them during their tenure with the state Government, the BJP would move the court.

Mr Mukesh Agnihotri was Chief Parliamentary Secretary for a period of more than two years, while 11 others were CPSs and PSs for four months.

Mr Jain said the CPSs and PSs had rendered themselves liable for disqualification, under Article 191 of the Constitution, from the membership of the Vidhan Sabha by accepting the posts as they were holding "office of profit".

"The party will file a separate petition in the court seeking their disqualification from the legislature."

He criticised Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh for his remarks on the High Court judgment in which he is reported to have stated "this is not the end of the road for the Government".

The national convenor of the party’s legal cell said the party had also kept its option open on the disqualification of five independent MLAs from the membership of the Vidhan Sabha after they joined Congress.

The BJP had petitioned the Vidhan Sabha Speaker G R Musafir in September last, seeking disqualification of Kuldeep Pathania, Subhash Chand, Rakesh Verma, Biru Ram Kishore, Sohan Lal Kashyap and Sukh Ram Chaudhary from the membership of the Vidhan Sabha after they joined the Congress party.

The party would decide its strategy on soon, Mr Jain added.

Former state Chief Minister P K Dhumal was also present on the occasion. (UNI)

Theft in royal palace at Dahod in Gujarat

AHMEDABAD, Sept 3: Valuables worth Rs 10 lakh were stolen from the royal palace at Devagadh Baria in Dahod district of Gujarat, police said today.

The theft of the valuables took place last night at the palace of Urvashidevi, a Gujarat BJP member, police said.

The matter was reported to the police this morning. Senior police officials have rushed to the palace and are investigating the theft. (PTI)

Sadhbhavna bus route diverted

PHAGWARA, Sept 3: The route of Sadhbhavna bus, operating between India and Pakistan, was diverted last evening due to tension caused by strong protests and demonstrations held by Dalits here in the wake of arson incident in Gohana town of Haryana last Wednesday.

Security agencies diverted the routes of both the New Delhi and Lahore-bound Sadhbhawna buses last evening.

The New Delhi-bound bus was diverted from Kartarpur via Kapurthla, Kala Singha, Nakodar, Noormahal, Bilga and Phillaur, while the Lahore-bound bus was diverted from Phillaur via Noormahal, Nakodar, Kapurthla and Kartarpur.

Both the buses plied under heavy security following demonstrations by the Dalit community, angry after the Gohana incident.

About 50 houses of Dalits were set on fire allegedly by the high caste people in Gohana town of Sonepat district in Haryana last Wednesday following murder of a high caste shopkeeper by some Dalits on August 27. (UNI)

Sonia to visit Rae Bareli on Monday

LUCKNOW, Sept 3: Congress president Sonia Gandhi is expected to pay a two-day visit starting Monday to her Parliamentary Constituency Rae Bareli where she will be meeting encephalitis patients.

The UPA chairperson is also scheduled to meet party workers and those elected Gram Pradhans in the recent Uttar Pradesh Panchayat poll, according to a tentative programme released by the Rae Bareli Public Relations Office.

It said Gandhi would be meeting encephalitis patients admitted in the district hospital and visit various villages to continue her mass contact programme.

She would be staying overnight at the NTPC guest house and be meeting party workers and newly elected Gram Pradhans on Tuesday before leaving for New Delhi.

UP Health Minister P K Laxmi yesterday visited the constituency along with a team of doctors to monitor the treatment being provided to encephalites patients.

Twenty-two of the 188 patients admitted so far been in the district hospital at Rae Bareli have died in the ongoing epidemic. (PTI)

AI plans to operate flights from
S India to New York, Chicago

CHENNAI, Sept 3: Air India is planning to operate direct flights from Southern India to New York and Chicago, via Frankfurt and Paris, to boost the west bound traffic from the region, a senior AI official has said.

"To cater to the needs of the west bound traffic from south India, Air India is planning to operate direct flights to New York and Chicago, via Frankfurt and Paris, as soon as more aircraft joined the fleet mid-next year", Air India's Regional Director (India) Capt P P Singh told reporters here last night.

"Next year AI Express, the budget wing of the carrier, also planned to operate to Singapore-Kuala Lumpur", he said.

On the centre's move to insist on six months notice to pilots before quitting the job, Singh said "it will not only ensure that there was no sudden displacement, but also make other airlines think".

Regarding operations, he said there was "excellent response to the recent introduction of a Boeing 747 flight on Madras-Mumbai-Los Angeles sector.

Dispelling the belief of lack of coordination between AI and Indian Airlines, he said "AI has good synergy with IA and we are rationalising the routes for better capacity useage".

About private carriers' operations to foreign countries, Singh said private airlines did take away some share but passenger numbers was growing. "Our market share has gone up to 21 per cent in 2004-05 from the previous 19 per cent and south contributed 30 p c of total revenue", he said.

AI's Commercial Manager (Tamil Nadu) P S Rajagopal, said Tamil Nadu accounted for nearly 11 pc of the overall growth of the national carrier. "AI's growth on west bound sector as far as Tamil Nadu is concerned, is growing substantially, especially to New Jersey and Chicago", he said. (PTI)

NDA in grave political crisis: CPI (M)

NEW DELHI, Sept 3: CPI (M) today said there was a "grave" political crisis in the NDA which has affected all its partners with some of them thinking of parting ways.

"There is not only a crisis within the BJP, but a grave crisis is facing the NDA. Some of the partners are thinking of coming out. In this kind of a situation, the spread of the party is essential to fill the vacuum," CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury told reporters on the second day of the three-day meeting of the Central Committee.

He said a resolution on the prevailing political situation in the country, adopted by the Polit Bureau yesterday, was being discussed by the Central Committee.

Yechury said the NDA was not able to play the role of Opposition effectively, which had led the Left parties, supporting the UPA coalition from outside, taking the initiative in checking the Government from pursuing any "anti- people" policy.

Expressing "total support" to the proposed nationwide strike called jointly by several major trade unions on September 29, he said a mass campaign and struggle would be launched soon in all states on the issues of food and jobs that would culminate in the strike.

On the impending Bihar elections, Yechury said that RJD and Congress were "two major secular forces" and therefore had a major responsibility in ensuring that "secular" votes do not split to benefit the "communal" forces.

Observing that the Central Committee was debating the issue on how to prevent division of secular votes, the CPI(M) leader said his party would make all out efforts and talk to all secular parties in this regard.

Asked about the CPI taking a different line on the issue, Yechury said "yes, they are taking a different line as they are a different party. Otherwise we would have been the same party".

He said it would have to be realised by all concerned that the Lalu Prasad's party was the largest secular formation in Bihar.

To questions on the Common Minimum Programme, he said it was no longer a CMP, "but a national CMP which had become the basis of the UPA government's policy directions".

Referring to various issues in the CMP including the women's reservation bill, hiking investments in agriculture, education for all and doubling the spending on public health, he said "if the government pursues these issues it would also stand to gain politically". (PTI)

Karnatala rejects Maharastra plea on Almatti water storage

BANGALORE, Sept 3: Karnataka today rejected Maharashtra's request for restricting water storage at Almatti reservoir, saying the floods caused in the districts of Sangli and Kolhapur in the neighbouring state was not due to "pressure" from the dam's backwaters.

"The suggestion by Maharashtra to the state to maintain Almatti water storage at 509 mtrs level is totally unacceptable," Chief Minister N Dharam Singh said at a press conference here.

Maharastra has "no case either in law or in terms of equity or merits to seek depletion or reduction of storage as such a measure would seriously affect crops in lakhs of hectares in Gulbarga, Raichur, Bijapur and Bagalkot districts," Singh said.

Karnataka has authority and permission to retain the water level up to 519.60 mtrs as per the Supreme Court decision and also as per the formal approval accorded by the Planning Commission in 2000, he said.

Denying that the backwaters of Almatti triggered floods in Maharastra and linking the natural calamity to heavy rains, Singh said while Karnataka tendered all technical details to the Central Water Commission proving that backwater effect dissipates well within the state, the aggrieved state has not shared any studies in this regard.

He said Union Water Resources Minister P R Munshi has written to him requesting that a reduction in water storage be considered only as a "short term measure" till this month-end and on humanitarian grounds.

Singh said the state was replying to the Union Minister on his request to restrict water storage at Almatti and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was also apprised of the issue yesterday.

He said to help Maharastra, the state stepped up water release from Almatti from three lakh cusecs to 4.5 cusecs daily earlier.

Singh said the Union Minister in his letter has clearly stated the Centre had no authority to impose restriction on water storage. But, Singh regretted, the opposition BJP was trying to "politicise the issue".

Describing the deliberations of the all party delegation he led to the Prime Minister in New Delhi as "fruitful", Singh said issues concerning revoking of stay on Kalasa-Bandori Nala proposed across Mahadayi river, enactment of a Central legislation on restoring seat quota to states in unaided colleges and uncertainty that gripped clearance of ONGC project in Mangalore were discussed.

Singh said the Prime Minister has assured the state he would get details on the Kalasa-Bandori Nala project and accord clearance soon.

The delegation brought to the notice of the Prime Minister that during 2002, the Centre approved the project to provide for Karnataka utilising 7.5 tmc ft water, but on Goa's objection the Central Water Commission stayed the project.

Singh said the water was now flowing into sea and was not benefitting either Karnataka or Goa.

Singh sought to downplay the objections being raised by Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Iyer over clearing the Rs 22,000 crore ONGC project.

Singh said "there is no question of going back on the ONGC project. When the Prime Minister himself has cleared the project, what should we need. Why should we bother?"

The Prime Minister expressed surprise when the controversy raging over the ONGC project was brought to his notice, Singh said.

He said the Prime Minister has assured him he would ensure necessary approval for the ONGC project.

The Chief Minister, who is under intense pressure from JDS, his coalition Government partner for filling vacant ministerial berths, however, said, he could not secure the Congress President Sonia Gandhi's approval.

Since Gandhi's Political Secretary Ahmed Patel and A K Antony, in-charge of Karnataka Affairs, were away from Delhi, he could not hold discussions on ministry expansion and other issues, he said.

The reservations expressed by former Prime Minister H D Devegowda on Metro Rail project for Bangalore would be addressed, Singh said. "Gowda is not opposed to Metro Rail. It is my duty to talk to him and sort out issues raised by him."

Union Communications Minister Dayanidhi Maran has assured the state there was no proposal before the Centre to shift the headquarters of ITI from the city to New Delhi, he added. (PTI)

Country should take female education as challenge: Arjun

NEW DELHI, Sept 3: Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh today said the nation should take up the challenge of ensuring that women get education at least up to the primary level if it has to progress.

He said it is for civil society to understand that a nation can only progress if the women are literate, since the child learns his words from her.

The Minister said the country can only be proud when the rate of literacy among all sections of society is high.

Mr Singh was inaugurating a day-long national seminar on 'Education For Women and Girl Child' organised by the Justice Sunanda Bhandare Foundation. Mr Justice B N Srikrishna of the Supreme Court presided over the seminar.

Former MP Murlidhar Bhandare said it was necessary for the Government to take programmes of female literacy on a war-footing and ensure that adequate funds are put at the disposal of the implementing agencies and non-governmental organisations for this purpose.

Justice Sunanda Bhandare was the first woman judge of a High Court in the country and had worked for empowerment of women, including the setting up of short-term homes for women. She died in November 1994.

Addressing the meet, Guild of Service Chairperson Mohini Giri said the Government should also examine the unnecessary restrictions placed on NGOs that wish to open schools in rural or semi-urban areas.

She also stressed the need for creating greater awareness about the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan among the rural and semi-urban people. In fact, she said lack of knowledge about the laws in the country was at the root of several evils.

Reacting to a presentation by Delhi University Reader Anil Aneja, who is visually handicapped, she regretted that there were no residential facilities for handicapped women, working or otherwise.

Dr Aneja regretted that women were often used only as an economic tool and very little attention was paid to educating them. Furthermore, women themselves often gave up education or fulfilling their dreams after marriage. He regretted the subordinating and suppressing social system, especially for disabled women.

A large number of people took part in the meet which discussed subjects like 'International, Constitutional and Statutory Foundation of Women's and Girl's Right to Education, Encountering the Realities and Rationalisation of Women's and Girls' Unequal Right to Education, and 'Working out strategies for Achieving the Millennium Developmental Goals and Constitutional Right Targets'. (UNI)

Illegal squatters around Jama Masjid asked to move

NEW DELHI, Sept 3: In an effort to restore the glory of the historic Jama Masjid, civic authorities have directed all squatters in and around the mosque to vacate the area within a week, failing which the illegal structures will be demolished.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has served notices to 302 illegal squatters in and around Jama Masjid, according to an MCD spokesman.

If the illegal squatters do not comply with the notice, they will be forcibly removed and the encroachments demolished, he said.

The anti-encroachment drive is being launched in pursuance of the directions of the Delhi High Court to remove illegal structures from Jama Masjid area by September 15.

The exercise is part of the process to decongest old. Delhi. Earlier, roadside hawkers in Chandni Chowk had been removed following an order of the Court.

Along with MCD, DDA, the Wakf Board and Delhi Police will be involved in the anti-encroachment exercise in Jama Masjid area.

The Delhi High Court in its order on August three had set September 15 as the deadline for removing all illegal structures in and around the Jama Masjid and directed the MCD, DDA, Commissioner of Police and the area SDM to implement its order within the stipulated time.

The Court had ordered the three agencies and the Waqf Board to file a joint compliance report by September 21, the next date of hearing.

Earlier, Wakf Board counsel Nazmi Waziri submitted a map to the Court showing illegal structures/encroachments on Kasturba Road, Netaji Subhash Chandra Road, Parade Ground Road, Subhash Park, and other adjoining areas of Jama Masjid.

According to sources, the illegal structures also include the Imam's house which Waziri described as a "palatial building touching the wall of the mosque".

The court had also pulled up the area SDM N R Sharma who had been directed to remove the encroachments way back in November 2000. It also reminded him of its October 2004 order wherein the earlier orders was reiterated.

The court is hearing a PIL by Heritage and Culture Forum (an NGO) seeking direction to the Centre to declare Jama Masjid a protected monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958. (PTI)