Excelsior... Nation

Advance team from US arriving today

HYDERABAD, Jan 22: A 30-member advance team from United States of America (USA) will be arriving here tomorrow in connection with the ensuing visit of US President George W Bush to Andhra Pradesh during his trip to India in Marchm this year.

The team will call on Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. It will also visit places of interest like Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University(ANGRAU), Shilparamam, the historic charminar, CCMB, Bharat Biotech-Shamirpet and hotel grand Kakatiya.

The Chief Secretary, T K Dewan will host a lunch to the team at the Chow Mohala palace, according to an official release today. (UNI)

Indian Family- Need for Study, say Experts

NEW DELHI, Jan 22: Although Indians are devoted to both the family of procreation and the family of orientation, family as a topic of scientific study stands neglected in the country, says a new book.

There are a number of problems of Indian family which can be studied by sociologists, anthropologists and psychologists

Indian sociology and social anthropology of the family has, however been dodging the study of crisis such as bride burning, divorce, broken family, remarriage and the ensuing family organization, and the complications of families resulting from inter-caste and inter-religious marriages, says the book 'The family In India, Structure and Practice', a collection of essays by sociologists, edited by Tulsi Patel, Professor of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics.

The family continues to be the caring and the nurturing institution. This role is enhanced with the growing costs of healthcare and the state's rolling back of health, education and other social responsibilities on the one hand, and an increase in middle-class women working outside the house on the other, the book says.

Sociologists' knowledge and understanding of family, kinship and marriage have grown incrementally all over the world. They have reached such a level of precise articulation that it is often called 'kinship algebra', the book says.

The family is a unique institution in that it is at one and the same time both a private and a visibly public institution. It oscillates between the most intimate to the most public in its various contexts."The very visible and commonplace presence of the family has perhaps lent itself to the impression that the sociology of the family is a soft subject," the book says.

In the Indian context, family studies have been through ups and downs in popularity and focus. The family has remained a central social institution. However, it has of late received somewhat inadequate attention in comparison with the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Given the universality of prevalence of marriage in India, the study of the family has drawn somewhat less attention, it says.

In the US many sociologists mention family as their first research interest. Many US universities and colleges offer courses in marriage and family to undergraduate and post-graduate students. In India, however, this crucial institution has not received enough importance for research, the book says.

The essays covering a period from the fifties onwards have been divided into three thematic sections dealing with nature and issues of research on family as an institution, the controversial issue of the myth and reality of the disintegration of the joint family and, case studies of the structure and processes of the family in different parts of India.

In his foreword, Prof A M Shah (retd) of Delhi School of Economics says that the most striking advance in the study of the Indian family has been "our getting away from the earlier Indological view based on study of classical texts, to a view based on empirical investigations into various sections of Indian society. In the former view, the Hindu family was viewed as an omnibus, three or four generation group performing a multitude of functions. The empirical studies gradually disaggregated this conception and observed each in detail. These studies also led to the conceiving of a large number of types of household and family composition in place of a single type," he says.(PTI)

HC directive to Govt on combatting spurious drugs in Capital

NEW DELHI, Jan 22: Noting that manufacturers of spurious drugs were going scotfree owing to the tardy and improper investigations by the Drug Control and Licensing Authority, Delhi High Court has passed a slew of directions to the authorities to combat the menace.

Justice S K Agarwal issued the directions while deciding an appeal filed by the authorities challenging the acquittal of an alleged spurious drug dealer by the trial court.

The High Court ordered that henceforth on the recovery of spurious adulterated drugs, Drug Control authorities should invariably lodge an FIR at the police station concerned and, if necessary, subject the offender to custodial interrogation to trace the original manufacaturers.

After registration of the FIR, the matter should be investigated by a senior officer preferably above the rank of an Inspector and a report should be submitted to the local court for taking cognizance of the complaint.

The court also directed the Government to engage within eight weeks services of competent lawyers so that pending cases did no suffer due to of lack of proper legal assistance.

The particular direction to engage competent lawyers was made by the court after it was observed that the department routinely engaged its own Drug Inspectors for the job, despite the fact that the latter lacked technical and procedural knowledge in pursuing such cases.

Justice Agarwal noted that in almost all the cases the authorities were only content with nabbing spurious dealers without bothering to go to the root of the racket.

The court's directives followed an admission by the authorities that all these years the department had been mostly concerned with booking cases against individual spurious drug dealers rather than nabbing the original manufacturers running the spurious and substandard units.

"The spurious drugs destroy even the last chance of a dying man; even when the spurious drugs do not endanger life, they can leave the patient seriously ill for the rest of his life.

"The inadequate potency also does a bigger harm to the society because of the resistance the patient may develop to the drug," Justice Agarwal remarked while dismissing the appeal. (PTI)

BJP leader slams Assembly's call to oust Delhi HC's order

NEW DELHI, Jan 22: Senior BJP leader Jagmohan today criticised the Delhi Assembly's resolution to halt the implementation of the High Court order to demolish illegal structures in the capital.

"I am surprised by the fact that the Legislature passed a resolution unanimously demanding the Government to stop the implementation of the court order, which directed demolition of all illegal structures in Delhi," he said in his speech at a conference on environmental awareness organised by the Asia Pacific Jurist Association here.

"We are in the process of creating scores of illegal, unauthorised colonies. Urban land is a great resource, but is now being turned into a liability due to mismanagement," the former Lt Governor of Delhi said.

He said the 11.6 million hectares of waste land rendered infertile with the over-use of chemical fertilisers during Green Revolution could now be reclaimed by providing 12 per cent subsidy to urban garbage composting.

He also urged the nation's scientific fraternity to develop indigenous ways to tackle the human waste produced by rapid urbanisation instead of copying the western model. (PTI)

Rahu, Ketu move, Chinese dragon is here

NEW DELHI, Jan 22: Indians are fast leaving the world of Rahu and Ketu and exploring what the dragon, rooster and monkey hold for them.

Be it the 'Kundlis' or even Linda Goodman, everything seems to be passe as more and more Indians are going the Chinese way to know what future holds for them. As the Chinese new year (Jan 29) dawns, from newspapers to TV channels, all seem to be busy giving forecasts in the way of Chinese Zodiac.

"It is just that everything about China seems to be of interest to Indians. The cultures of the two countries are a meeting point. Moreover both are growing economies and as China has progressed so well, everything about it is more visible," says Varun Behl who has taken liking to the Chinese astrology.

"The Chinese astrology is of particular interest to the youngsters as they are fascinated by the dragon, rooster and other animal signs. They very often come across them in restaurants and Chinese eating joints which raises their curosity about the forecasts," says Behl.

Agrees R Bakshi, a event manager "the curosity about Chinese astrology has grown here due to Chinese restaurants which often have zodiacs and the predictions printed on them. They serve as popular pastime as people often read them when they are waiting for food."

According to the information provided by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Chinese have 12 zodiac signs as legend has it that the Lord Buddha summoned all the animals to come to him before he departed from earth. Only twelve came to bid him farewell and as a reward he named a year after each one in the order they arrived. The Chinese believe the animal ruling the year in which a person is born has a profound influence on personality,and as goes the saying: "This is the animal that hides in your heart."

Says noted astrologer Ajay Bhambi, "the Chinese astrology is very simple and not complex like ours. It is based on 12 animals, and the year in which a person is born falls in one of these 12 categories. But then it is very generalised prediction. It tells us just about the personality and characteristics of a person."

"On the other hand, the Indian astrology is based on kundlis and deals with each person separately, unlike the Chinese zodiac, which club all people born in one year under a sign. You just can't divide the world into 12 signs...," says Bhambi.

These days newspapers give everything - zodiacs, tarot reading and Chinese calender - all these are marketing gimmicks and people also read them for fun and pick up whatever nice things are written, he says.

Bhambi calls it just a passing fad, but Vinay Kumar, a travel agent says "people are genuinely interested in Chinese astrology and feng shui. Many tour operators these days include a date with feng shui expert and a astrologer for Indian tourists visiting China these days."

But when it comes to celebrating the Chinese New Year, Bakshi says except at the diplomatic level, there are hardly any celebrations here, not even by the authentic restaurants. "In other parts of the world, the Chinese New Year is celebrated in a big way, the dragon is out on the streets and festivities galore. But nothing such happens here."

However, the Indian Tourism Board is in a big way telling people here about the festivities on New Year, as part of its strategy to attract Indians in Hong Kong on the New Year's eve. A tour operator has even come up with a list of Indian personalities and categorised them according to the Chinese zodiac. (PTI)

Two months of Nitish Govt: NDA lauds, opposition flay

PATNA, Jan 22: With the Nitish Kumar Government about to complete two months in office, a broader roadmap for allround development for Bihar has been drawn and steps taken to rein in the criminals and kidnappers, a fact disagreed by the opposition who paint a sorry picture under the NDA rule.

Repeating his Government's strong resolve to bring Bihar back to rails despite roadblocks put in by anti-social elements by enacting kidnapping and dacoity, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had recently said an atmosphere of development has already taken shape and no no element could destroy it.

Working over-time to check law and order situation and chalk out developmental schemes, Kumar had said his Government which was sworn in on November 24, would not rest before putting Bihar on the front row of development.

Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi is more explicit. The Government is moving in the right direction. After meticulously reading the problems of different sectors, a broader roadmap of development has been drawn and our efforts will be on their proper implementation, Modi told PTI today.

In a bid to draw a parralel in the working style of the NDA Government and that of RJD's 15 year of rule, Modi said the number of hours the ministers of the Nitish Government gave in their office in these two months is more than the total number of hours given by their RJD counterparts including the former Chief Minister Rabri Devi in 15 long years. But, opposition RJD and Congress disagree.

In the 52 days of NDA in office almost as many incidents of kidnapping has taken place in Bihar. Nearly 20 cases of dacoity have taken place in the capital itself, RJD secretary general and MP Ram Kripal Yadav said.

Brushing aside criticism of the opposition, Modi said many historic decisions have been taken by the NDA Government in the short spell of two months.

Giving 50 per cent reservation to women and 20 per cent to the extremely backward castes in upcoming local body election could be described as pioneering, Modi added.

Signing of agreement with the NTPC for renovation of Kanti Thermal Power Station, many projects in the road sector, lowering commercial taxes on 28 items, creation of an investment promotion board for attracting foreign investments in the state would prove that the Nitish Government was on the job, he said.

Though much more needs to be done to further improve law and order situation, Modi said in the present regime there is no political interference in the police job. Police have been given a free hand to deal with anti-socials, he added.

The CM recently held a meeting with the state police and asked them to create fear of the police in the criminals. He also dwelt on short, medium and long term strategies to strengthen the security force to take on the lawbreakers.

While, the NDA leaders asserted the Government is treading on the right path, the opposition RJD and Congress disagreed.

Painting a gloomy picture of the state under the present regime, RJD MP Ramkripal Yadav said spurt in cases of kidnapping and dacoities are enough to indicate failure of the Nitish Government.

Congress legislature party leader Ashok Kumar said the NDA Government is living by promises. Nothing is visible on the ground. (PTI)

'Caravan-e-Aman' to cross Rajpath on Republic Day

NEW DELHI, Jan 22: The prevailing bonhomie between India and Pakistan will be on full display at Republic Day this year as "Caravan-e-Aman (Caravan of Peace)" will, for a change, cross "Aman Setu (Peace Bridge)" on Rajpath in the form of a tableau from Jammu and Kashmir.

The tableau will present before President A P J Abdul Kalam and the nation the dominant theme of peace and harmony by showcasing the Aman Setu and the Caravan-e-Aman which reunited the people of divided Jammu and Kashmir after a gap of almost 57 years.

The events of April 7, 2005 when the Kaman Aman Setu, connecting India and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) over the Line of Control (LoC) was reopened, have been presented with the culture from the land of 'sufis and rishis'.

"The message of this year's tableau from Jammu and Kashmir is gradual return of peace....The launch of the cross-border bus and the reunion of people were steps in that direction therefore it was selected as the theme," tableau creator and designer Veer Munshi told UNI.

For years, the state has been associated only with violence and bloodshed but this time Aman Setu and the Kaman Post will send a different message to the world, he said, pointing towards the float which is being given final touches to compete with 23 other tableaux from various states and departments of the Central Government at the Republic Day celebrations.

The float shows the 'Caravan-e-Aman' bus approaching the peace bridge at the Kaman Post, the last Indian outpost on the LoC, as people, dressed in traditional Kashmiri garb, cross to the other side.

Escorting the tableau are folk dancers and musicians to the foot-tapping number of 'Bhumbro Bhumbro', in celebration of the event which brought together the families separated by Partition.

The Kaman Post, which was till very recently under constant artillery fire from Pakistan, was given a makeover to become the peace road connecting India and Pakistan by bus.

The bridge was blown up during the 1947-48 war and half of which falls in Pakistan, was rebuild for people from both sides to cross over after a gap of 57 years.

The Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road was closed for traffic on October 27, 1947 when 'Kabailis' (tribesmen) invaded parts of Jammu and Kashmir. This resulted in a war between India and Pakistan and the two countries then decided to retain the parts under their respective control.

The two sides of Jammu and Kashmir were separated by a Ceasefire Line which was later changed to LoC in 1972 after the Simla agreement between then Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan - Ms Indira Gandhi and Mr Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

The areas, including Muzaffarabad and Mirpur, under Pakistan came to be known as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

In April, 2005, troops removed all landmines on the track ahead of the launch of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service on April 7 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

For the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the bus was a harbinger of peace and prosperity and a means for reuniting the divided families.(UNI)

Rahul Gandhi to address Congress Plenary today

RAJIV GANDHI, HYDERABAD, Jan 22: Bowing to the wishes of Congressmen from all over the country, Mr Rahul Gandhi today agreed to address them tomorrow, the concluding day of the 82nd Congress Plenary.

The supporters of the 34-year-old MP from Amethi would not allow the AICC meeting to begin this morning, demanding that the heir apparent to the Nehru-Gandhi family be seated on the dais alongside Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other senior leaders.

Mr Rahul Gandhi, however, preferred to sit quietly in the front row of a corner in the company of middle rung Congress leaders.

As more and more delegates joined the chorus and demanded that Mr Rahul Gandhi address them, AICC General Secretary Janardhana Dwivedi appealed to the youthful leader to acknowledge the greetings of the delegates.

Mr Dwivedi announced that the scion of the Gandhi family would address them tomorrow.

Thereafter, Mr Rahul Gandhi also came on to the dais and waved at the greeting. "Jaisa Ki Dwivedi Ji Ne Kaha Hai, Main Aap Se Kal Baat Karoonga (As Mr Dwivedi told you, I will speak to you tomorrow)," he said, amid a thunderous applause. (UNI)

Congress asks allies to follow basic discipline

HYDERABAD, Jan 22: Making a tightrope walk, Congress today refrained from speaking about single party rule and declared its steadfast commitment to the coalition at the Centre but asked allies not to "cross limits of constructive criticism."

The party also said it will work relentlessly for revival of its state units and return to power on it own in the states.

In the draft political resolution brought before the AICC, which had been converted into Subjects Committee, the party also told its partners in the UPA "to be ready to give so that all Indians are able to take. The alternative is too dangerous to even countenance."

Apparently reminding the allies about the coalition dharma, it cautioned its allies against "crossing limits of constructive criticism, then coalition is weakened and its public credibility eroded. There is a thing called collective responsibility in a coalition that must adhered at all times."

Facing trouble in Karnataka, the party also reminded its allies that coalition meant "all parties in partnership follow a basic discipline, especially in public."

The resolution comes in the wake of frequent attacks by left and other allies on policies followed by the Centre.

The reference to efforts to return to power in the states on its own assumes significance in the context of coming Assembly elections where the party will be fighting the left in West Bengal and Kerala.

Apparently referring to the BJP led NDA, which is posing as an alternative to the UPA as "too dangerous to even countenance", the party told its allies that a "shortsighted and a short-term calculus of benefit to oneself has no place in this noble venture (of UPA)".

The resolution said that it did not see UPA "not in terms of narrow minded pursuit of power per se, or even as a desperate move to stall the communalist forces from returning to office, but as a wholesome desire to serve the nation with time-tested ideas and methods of rapid development and distributive justice".

With the Karnatka crisis and the Left's constant carping on economic issues on its mind, the party said it believed that there are no differences that cannot be resolved through dialogue and discussion among the supporting parties.

"The Congress is conscious of its responsibilities as the leader of the coalition. However, the contribution of all other partners is also significant and so are the gains to them".

Expressing conern over the party's weakness in some states in the North and South where it was out of power for long, the resolution asked the state units not to give up the expectation or aspiration for securing larger political space for themselves.

"In a mature democracy, periodic shift of power and change in government is a healthy sign and permits exploring of alternatives for the people. This would apply just as much to the states as it applies to the Centre", it said.

The party sang paens for Sonia Gandhi for the "unprecedented step of altruism and commitment to selfless service by her in graciously declining to accept the post of Prime Minister that was rightfully hers, endorsed by the people in a democratic choice".

Dubbing the NDA as a "conglomoraion of opportunistic political forces coming together solely for acquiring power for personal ends", the Congress said attempts of the combine to come to the centrestage of politics through the same divisive agenda to mislead the people should be effectively exposed and challenged.

Noting that the "disarray" which the BJP has landed itself in was bound to happen because of the total lack of any ideological cohesion behind its political thinking and action, it said it was aware that communal forces represented by the RSS/BJP combine "still lurk in our society".

Attacking the BJP for describing the measures taken for minorities welfare as "appeasement", Congress said it rejected and condemned the view espoused by some "narrow minded political parties".

"Such a vie is devoid of any understanding of the founding principles of our Constitution, as indeed, of the spirit in which the freedom movement brought together people of all faiths and communities."

Backing the demand of reservation of jobs in the private sector, the party said it could be done through dialogue with industrial houses.

The party involved in the eye of a storm over the Volcker and Bofors controversies said that it has always stood for probity and transparency in public life. It has never compromised with anyone on this issue and even in circumstances where Congressmen were involved the "the attitude and approach of the Congress leadership has been clear and unequivocal".

Noting that it took a principled stand on the expulsion of 11 MPs, it underscored the need for the party and the government to take further steps to strengthen the institutions of democracy.

Coming down heavily on criminalization of politics, the resolution said that steps taken to weed out criminal elements must continue unabated and measures to eliminate the influence of money and the consequent support to corruption can be addressed through state funding of elections.

It also demanded setting up of special courts or tribunals to dispose of election petitions within six months of filing. (PTI)

King Abdullah's visit to boost India-Saudi ties

NEW DELHI, Jan 22: King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia will arrive here on Tuesday on a four-day visit that is expected to take ties between the world's largest exporter of oil and energy-hungry India, one of Asia's fastest-growing economies, to a new high.

The first Saudi monarch to travel to India in 51 years, King Abdullah will be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade here on January 26 and hold talks with the Indian leadership on the entire gamut of bilateral relations as well as on the international situation, especially in the Gulf and West Asia.

The visit is taking place at a time when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is looking at improving relations with all the Gulf states.

Saudi Arabia and the other five Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member-states---United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait---have always been of great signficance for India, located as they are in its immediate neighbourhood.

The oil-rich region is one of India's most important sources of supply of crude oil and home to about 3.5 million Indians who send nearly six billion dollars back home every year in remittances.

As a group, the GCC is India's second largest trading partner. It is the single largest origin of imports into India and the second largest destination for exports from India.

Besides, India is home to the second largest population of Muslims after Indonesia while Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam.

King Abdullah, 83, succeeded his brother King Fahd, who died on August 1 last year. Crown Prince since 1982 when King Fahd took over, he had in recent years become the public face of Saudi Arabia and was effectively in charge of state affairs since the mid-1990s after ill-health forced King Fahd to withdraw from public life. A charismatic and imposing figure, he enjoys wide respect at home and abroad for being a modernist and a reformer.

The two countries are expected to sign some agreements on bilateral cooperation during the visit, to which India is attaching great importance.

"The Government of India looks forward to the visit of His Majesty King Abdullah and his delegation. The visit would substantially strengthen bilateral relations and raise them to a new height," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said last week.

Apart from a meeting with President A P J Abdul Kalam, King Abdullah will attend a banquet hosted in his honour at Rashatrapati Bhavan. He will also have delegation-level talks with Dr Singh.

The King, who will be accompanied by large Government and business delegations, including Petroleum and Natural Resources Minister Ali al Naimi, will also inaugurate a Saudi exhibition at the capital's Pragati Maidan and address a business summit.

A special session of the India-Saudi Arabia Business Council will also be held during the visit.

The Saudi monarch will also visit the Jamia Milia Islamia where he will receive an honorary doctorate.

India and the desert kingdom have a "very close, friendly, deep-rooted and multi-faceted relationship," Mr Sarna pointed out.

Bilateral trade exceeded 8.7 billion dollars in 2004. There are more than 80 Indian joint ventures in the kingdom and about 50 Saudi joint ventures in India.

India bought about 25 million tonnes of crude oil from Saudi Arabia, worth around 6.2 billion dollars, in 2004. More than 1.5 million Indians live and work in the kingdom, making them the largest expatriate community there.

Ahead of the visit, India's National Security Adviser M K Narayanan travelled to Riyadh last week for discussions with top Saudi officials.

A wide range of issues, including a treaty on avoidance of double taxation, an agreement on increasing investments and another one on prevention of crimes, were discused during his talks in the Saudi capital.

King Abdullah's visit to India is part of a four-nation tour of Asian countries, starting today, that will also take him to China, Malaysia and Pakistan. The tour is his first outside West Asia after assuming office.

"We want Saudi investment in India to multiply in all sectors, whether industry, mining or energy,'' the Jeddah-based English newspaper Arab News quoted Saudi Arabia's Ambassador in India Saleh al Ghamdi as saying.

The last visit by a Saudi monarch to India was in 1955 by King Saud. Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi visited the kingdom in 1956 and 1982, respectively.

Dr Singh had visited Riyadh as Finance Minister in December, 1994, to co-chair a meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Joint Commission.

Apart from the fact that Saudi Arabia is India's largest supplier of crude oil, New Delhi is also hoping that the kingdom's huge investible surpluses would translate into some major investments in the country.

At the same time, Saudi Arabia is also understood to be keen on widening and deepening economic and business links with Asian countries, especially China and India, whose booming economies have led to a huge growth in energy needs.

As part of his efforts to improve ties with the Gulf states, the Prime Minister had in July last year authorised the Ministries of Commerce and External Affairs to begin negotiations with the GCC to conclude an India-GCC Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

He has also approved negotiations with individual member-countries of the GCC for a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), covering the services sector and investment, on the lines of the pact signed with Singapore recently.

India's exports to the GCC were around five billion dollars in 2002-03, while two-way trade exceeded 12.5 billion dollars, not counting crude oil and petroleum products.

From the strategic point of view, India and the GCC share a strong mutuality of interests and a common desire for stability and security in the region. This, in turn, means a widening of the areas for cooperation between them. These could include working together to meet new challenges such as terrorism and extremism.

In a major step, the GCC Secretariat General and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), in collaboration with the Ministries of External Affairs and Commerce, organised a two-day India-GCC Industrial Conference in Mumbai in early 2004.

It followed the India-GCC Political Dialogue launched at the level of the External Affairs Minister and the GCC Secretary-General in New York on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in September, 2003. The dialogue marked a new beginning in India-GCC relations and is now slated to be an annual feature as an institutional mechanism for a structured political dialogue.

In August 2004, India and the GCC signed a Framework Agreement on Economic Cooperation.

There has also been an increase in high-level exchanges between India and the GCC countries, including Saudi Arabia, in recent times.

Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed had visited the kingdom in June, 2004. Saudi Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Ali al Naimi visited India in June this year. Earlier, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Manishankar Aiyar had visited Saudi Arabia in March last year. Finance Minister P Chidambaram led the Indian delegation to the sixth session of the Indo-Saudi Joint Commission held in Riyadh in April last year. (UNI)

"Inadequate" budget allocation hits schemes for
slum areas

NEW DELHI, Jan 22: Allocations in the Union Budget for schemes meant for providing shelter, livelihood and basic amenities to slum dwellers and urban poor in the country are "grossly inadequate," sources in the Union Urban Employment and Poverty Alleviation Ministry have said.

Since allocations were "grossly inadequate," schemes meant to uplift the urban poor did not make any impact on their lives, they said.

At the recent conference of editors on Social Security issues here, problems of slum dwellers were discussed at length and there was a consensus about addressing issues in a targeted manner.

In keeping with the Millennium Development Goal which calls for eradicating absolute poverty and hunger in the world and reducing proportion of people who suffer from hunger, the Government in its 10th Plan Document has listed the monitorable targets to reduce poverty ratio by five percentage points by 2007 and by 15 percentage points by 2012.

The Centre has also fixed targets for setting up four lakh micro enterprises and upgrading skills of five lakh urban poor during the 10th Plan, sources said.

They said that till date 3,76,855 micro enterprises have been set up and 3,93,913 urban poor have been imparted skill upgradation training under the Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY).

Sources said that under the Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana (VAMBAY), 3,69,499 slum families have been covered for providing shelter or dwelling units and 59,885 sanitation units have been sanctioned.

Recently the Centre launched the Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) in 63 identified cities with focus on development of urban infrastructure and governance and basic services to the urban poor.

The basic services include security of tenure, improved housing, water supply, sanitation and dovetailing schemes on education, health and social security.

In cities not identified under JNNURM, the Government has launched the Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme which is aimed at providing housing and basic services to urban slum dwellers.

They said Centre has earmarked Rs 50,000 crore for this massive task.

The Ministry has also initiated steps to provide and promote a more supportive environment to enable street vendors to earn their livelihood by holding a Naitonal Level Workshop that saw participation of all stakeholders including state representatives, Governments, vendors' associations and experts.

The idea is to make the National Policy for Urban Street Vendors more effective and implementable, sources in the ministry said. (PTI)

Vijay Dhawan remanded in judicial custody till Feb 3

NEW DELHI, Jan 22: A local court today remanded in judicial custody Vijay Dhawan, an accused in Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh's phone tapping case, till February 3.

Duty Magistrate Anand Swarup Aggarwal sent Dhawan to 13 days judicial custody after his police remand ended today.

His bail plea will come up for hearing on January 27.

Counsel appearing for police told the court that they had taken specimen of Dhawan's signature to match it with the tracing paper used to forge signatures, recovered during a raid.

The court came down heavily on the police for not seeking prior permission to take the specimen.

On January 20, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate K J Arora extended till today Dhawan's police custody on a plea by police that they required more time to interrogate him.

The police counsel had said incriminating documents, SIM cards and tracing paper used to forge signatures, were recovered during raids on January 19 from the houses of the accused's relatives in Uttaranchal and Delhi.

The police also appealed for some more time to ascertain details from the cellular companies about Dhawan's phone records.

The Counsel said police wanted to question the accused about the new evidence.

The other accused -- owner of a South Delhi-based detective agency Bhupender Singh, Reliance Infocomm staff Kuldeep and a private security operative Anurag -- have also been arrested.

While Anurag's bail plea will come up for hearing on January 28, Bhupinder Singh's bail application will be heard on February 3.

On January 16, Dhawan surrendered before the Special Cell of Delhi Police.

A resident of Rohtak, Haryana, Dhawan had allegedly forged two letters that were used for tapping the phones. He worked in a private security agency.

He had allegedly forged letters in the name of the Joint Police Commissioner, Home Secretary and a Deputy Secretary of the Delhi Government.

On January 17, Dhawan was remanded in police custody till January 20.

(UNI)