Excelsior... Nation

End of Lalu chapter in Bihar’s Hindi text book .......

HC restrains Army from taking over private land ...........

Woman granted bail by HC in fake currency case ..........

Nine cabinet ministers inducted in Dhumal’s cabinet

SHIMLA, Jan 9: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today inducted nine cabinet ministers, taking the strength of his ministry to ten.

Governor V S Kokje administered the oath to nine ministers at Raj Bhawan.

According to the Constitution, there can be a maximum of 12 ministers in HP including the chief minister. After today’s oath function, two berths are still vacant in the BJP government in the hill state.

Chief Minister Dhumal has already said that he would expand his ministry in two phases.

The leaders who were administered oath today were: Thakur Gulab Singh, Ishwar Dass Dhiman, Jagat Prakash Nadda, Ravinder Singh Ravi, Kishan Kapoor, Narendra Bragta, Ramesh Dhwala, Rajiv Bindal and Sarvin Chaudhary.

Except for Bindal, Thakur Gulab Singh and Sarvin Chaudhary all were members of Dhumal’s cabinet in his first term from 1998-2003. Thakur Gulab Singh, who is a relative of Dhumal, was the Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha at that time.

Sarvin Chaudhary who won from Shahpur assembly seat in Kangra district is the lone woman member in the cabinet.

Kangra is considered as epicentre of the state politics as it sends 16 members in the 68-member HP assembly and four ministers were inducted in the cabinet from the area.

One member each were taken from Mandi, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Shimla and Solan districts.

The ministry was a balance of loyalists of Shanta Kumar and Dhumal.

Three members J P Nadda, Kishan Kapoor and Ramesh Dhawala were inducted as cabinet ministers are close supporters of Shanta Kumar, who was earlier ignored by the party high command for CM post in favour of Dhumal.

Dhiman, who represents Mewa (reserved SC) seat in the Dhumal’s home Hamirpur district, has also been named as protem speaker for administering oath to the newly elected MLAs.

Besides the CM, Shanta Kumar, BJP in-charge of HP affairs Satyapal Jain and state BJP president Jairam Thakur were present on the occasion.

None of the Congress leaders including outgoing chief minister Virbhadra Singh attended the function.

When contacted, senior Congress leader Kaul Singh Thakur, who was parliamentary affairs minister in Virbhadra Singh cabinet said he and other Congress leaders were not extended an invitation for today’s function.

The new cabinet ministers are expected to be given departments by today evening. Cabinet meeting is scheduled today. (PTI)

BJP’s ‘Kisan Yatra’ in Vidarbha from today

NAGPUR, Jan 9: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will takeout a two-day "Kisan Yatra" in Vidarbha from tomorrow to highlight the problems of farmers in this region of Maharashtra.

BJP President Rajnath Singh would lead the "Yatra", which is scheduled to begin from Bapukuti in Sewagram, near Wardha, tomorrow morning, a party spokesman said.

The "Yatra" would pass through Amravati, Akola and Washim districts before concluding at Yavatmal on Friday evening, he said, adding the "Yatra" would pass through five of the six districts in the region which have been worst affected by farmers’ suicides.

After starting from Sewagram, the Yatra would pass through Pulgaon (district Wardha), Dhamangaon, Chandur Railway (both district Amravati), Amravati, Daryapur (district Amravati) and Akot (district Akola) before halting for the night in Akola, the spokesman said.

The "Yatra" would resume from Akola on Friday morning and pass through Murtijapur (district Akola), Karanja-Lad (district Washim) and Ner (district Yavatmal) before reaching Yavatmal, he said.

BJP All India General Secretary Gopinath Munde, Maharashtra unit president Nitin Gadkari, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Pandurang Phundkar and BJP group leader in the Legislative Assembly Eknath Khadse will accompany Mr Singh during the "Yatra", the spokesman said. Mr Singh and Mr Munde are scheduled to arrive here from New Delhi by air tonight, he added.

The party would also "adopt" for the next 5 years 500 children of farmers who have committed suicide in the region, the spokesman said. Mr Singh would hand over an amount of Rs 75 lakh to the Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini for the purpose, he said. (UNI)

Modi offers to host PIO University in Gujarat

NEW DELHI, Jan 9: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today offered to host the first PIO University in the state and called upon the NRIs to participate in the great opportunities that would arise from the 100 billion dollars Industrial Corridor that would criss-cross major areas of Gujarat.

Referring to dramatic economic transformation of the state, Mr Modi, at a session of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD)conclave here, sought a major role for the India diaspora in development of the physical infrastructure and provision of social services.

Mr Modi was participating in a session on "Developmental Challenges of the States: Partnership portunities", which was also addressed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukehrjee, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan and Bihar Industry Minister Gautam Singh.

Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vyalar Ravi chaired the session.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in his inaugural address yesterday, had announced setting up of a Peoples of Indian Origin (PIO) University this year for the benefit of the Indian diaspora.

Dr Singh said the Government had already approved a basic policy framework for the university, which could be established through public private partnership mode, with active participation of Overseas Indian Trust.

"The final decision is expected to be taken soon and I hope that the university will commence this year", Dr Singh said.

Taking the cue, Mr Modi said he was willing to provide the necessary infrastructure for the proposed University and said it was apt that the institution be set up in the state as the Gujarati diaspora is all over the globe.

In this sense, Mr Modi meant that Gujarat is the number one state where the university needs to come up.

Mr Modi said the proposed industrial corridor, to be funded by Japan, would cover a major portion of Gujarat, and it provided tremendous investment opportunities in the state.

He said while the Prime Minister had also announced setting up of a Global Advisory Council for the people of Indian origin at the conference, Gujarat had already facilitated such a mechanism in the state for providing the requisite facilities to entrepreneurs from abroad.

Mr Modi said the mechanism is to ensure that the Gujarati diaspora invest in the western state that would benefit it not only financially, but also in terms of their technical, managerial and entrepreneurial skills.

"Gujarat is the only state which created a separate ministry for diaspora, and this needs to be replicated at the Centre and in several other states,__ he said.

Attired in a black suit, Mr Modi spoke in English and drew repeated applause from the audience.

Mr Modi also used the opportunity to salute the martyrs who fought for India’s independence from outside the country and suggested to the Central government that at least two events of the ongoing commemoration of the 150^{th
anniversary of India’s First War of
Independence in 1857 be organised outside
India.}

^{Dwelling
at length on Gujarat’s economic
transformation, he said the Planning
Commission had set a target of 10.2 per
cent growth rate for Gujarat during the
Tenth Plan, the highest not only for an
Indian state but for any Asian country.}

^{Gujarat
exceeded the target by achieving a growth
rate of 10,6 per cent and we are also
optimistic of meeting the target of 11.2
per cent set for the state by the
Planning Commission during the XIth Plan,
he said.}

^{Pointing
out that industries, agriculture and
service sector were the three focus areas
of his Government, the chief minister
said he was looking forward to forge
collaborative arrangements with the
Indian diaspora in all these areas.}

^{Listing
out the benefits that Gujarat would offer
to prospective investors and
entrepreneurs, he said the state had
embarked upon a massive plan of
development based on ports and a sound
railway network.}

^{He
pointed out that Gujarat is the first
state to have private railways, and this
would help in providing efficient
connectivity to ports.}

^{Mr
Modi also took pride in the massive
strides the state had made in the social
infrastructure. He said the drop out rate
in schools had been brought down from 49
per cent to three per cent, and by 2010
when Gujarat would be celebrating its
Golden Jubilee, it would become zero per
cent.}

^{He
said his government would launch Nirmala
Bala (Healthy Child) project next year to
reduce the infant mortality rate, and
sought the support of the NRIs for making
it a tremendous success.}

^{Our
progress is policy-driven, our policies
are reform-based and our reforms are
people-oriented, Mr Modi added. (UNI)}

CIC invoke penal provisions against Prez Sect

NEW DELHI, Jan 9: The differences between the Centre and the Central Information Commission over disclosure of file notings have taken a new turn with the latter threatening to invoke penal provisions against President’s Secretariat for accepting the government’s view over its categorical order to disclose such details.

"It appears that the functionaries in the President’s Secretariat and in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) have completely overlooked the fact that proceedings before CIC are judicial proceedings and it has been given the power under the law to take any such steps as may be necessary to secure compliance with provisions of the RTI Act," Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah said.

Irate over a "deliberate violation" of its March last year order directing the President’s Secretariat to reveal certain file notings in respect to an application of one S S Bhamra, the CIC passed the direction after the former relied upon DoPT’s opinion, as reflected in its website, to exempt revealing of file notings under the RTI law.

"By wilfully disobeying the orders of this Commission, the functionaries in the President’s Secretariat and DoPT who have dealt with this matter appear to have committed offences punishable under various sections of IPC including section 228 (intentional insult or interruption to public servant sitting in judicial proceeding)," Habibullah said.

The Commission has asked the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) and Deputy Secretary (Administration) of the President’s Secretariat along with CPIO of DoPT to appear before it on January 24 to show cause reasons as to why they should not be penalised under the law.

Earlier, the CIC in its order of March 19 last year had asked the President’s Secretariat to open up its file notings pertaining to certain relaxation granted to one of its staff, after Bhamra, an Assistant working there, had sought for the same.

The DoPT, the Centre’s nodal agency in matters of RTI Act, maintained in their website that file notings were not to be disclosed to the public.

The CIC in its order had expressed concern that DoPT’s opinion in its website had misled the august office of the President of India, and had asked the Ministry to amend its website accordingly.

The row over disclosure of file notings refuses to die down with the Government contrary to the view of CIC, a statutory body formed under an Act passed by the Parliament, holding file notings as excluded from disclosure.

The Commission, in its January last year had in its full-bench decision held that file notings were an integral part of disclosable information under the RTI Act.

The DoPT’s reluctance to remove from its its website the contradictory opinion excluding file notings from being disclosed, has misled several ministries and Government departments to seek exemption from revealing their notings. (PTI)

UP Congress demands installation of Rajiv’s bust

LUCKNOW, Jan 9: Uttar Pradesh Congress today handed over a memorandum to Governor T V Rajeswar demanding immediate installation of the bust of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at the centre of the Kalidas Marg crossing, near Chief Minister Mayawati’s residence in the state capital.

A delegation of the Congress led by state president Rita Bahuguna Joshi met the Governor at Rajbhawan and urged him to intervene and order the BSP government to install the bust at the centre.

Ms Joshi said the Congress had sent several letters to the Government to consider their demands but nothing had been done so far.

Earlier, the Congress had announced to launch agitation against the BSP government for not installing the bust of late Rajiv Gandhi at the centre after it was removed and placed on the side of the roundabout due to beautification drive. (UNI)

Punjab to introduce new industrial policy by Feb-end

CHANDIGARH, Jan 9: A new industrial policy, which was to be introduced in Punjab by December 2007, will now be brought out by the end of February, state Government said today.

The national consultant of United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), which was assisting the Punjab Government for giving shape to new industrial policy, has sought extension of one month for submitting report, a senior official of the Punjab Industries Department said.

"UNIDO’s consultant Isher Judge Ahluwalia, who is entrusted with the task of preparing a report on Punjab’s industrial sector, has requested the Government to allow submitting the report by end of January this year," V K Janjua Director Department of Industries and Commerce, Punjab, said.

"Once they submit the report, the State Government will seek views from the several industrial associations of state industry and other stakeholders for presenting their views on the report prepared by the consultant," he said.

It would also be sent to concerned departments for their opinions as well for taking into consideration before releasing new policy, he added.

This whole process would take two months to come out with new industrial policy and we expect it would be out by February-end, he said.

The draft report to be prepared by Ahluwalia would form the basis of new investor-friendly industrial policy.

Punjab Government had roped in UNIDO for preparing its industrial policy, with an intention of accelerating industrial development in the state.

The State Government in its first state budget, last year, highlighted that the secondary sector comprising manufacturing, construction and power observed decline in growth to 5.65 per cent in 2005-06 as against 7.88 per cent in 2004-05.

It vociferously blamed the economic packages announced to hilly states by Union government for not receiving any new investments in the state, leading to deplorable conditions of state’s industrial sector. (PTI)

WD brings more snow and rain

SHIMLA, Jan 9: The western disturbance (WD) continues to bring heavy to moderate snowfall in almost all mid and lower hills and widespread rains in the lower parts of the state for the fourth day today.

Several higher altitude areas including, Saach Pass, Mahalwar Dhar, Rohtang Pass, and Pin, Lahaul, Spiti, Hangrang and Pangi valleys had received over five feet of fresh snowfall during the last few days.

The Met office said Dhundhi, Solang Nullah and Bhang Manali in Kullu district had recorded 81, 65 and 38 cm of snow respectively, while Patiso in Lahaul Spiti received 19 and Keylong 38 cm of snow by 0830 hrs.

Bhanodi in Chamba district was under 60 cm of snow, Manimahesh over 90 cm, while the famous tourist resorts of Narkanda, about 60 km from here, and Kufri, about 16 km from here, had recorded about 60 cm and 20 cm of snow respectively.

Other famous tourist resorts of Manali in Kullu district had recorded over 20 cm of snow since last evening, while reports of snow were also received from another tourist resort at Dalhousie in Chamba district.

The Met office said minimum temperatures in the higher altitude areas have plummeted to minus 15 to minus 25 degrees at several places following which all natural water sources had frozen, affecting power generation.

Following disruptions at Khara Pathar, Khidki and Narakanda due to heavy snowfall Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) buses bound for Rohru and Chopal have been diverted via Poanta, while buses to Rampur would be routed through Mashobra, official sources said.

Shimla and its other adjoining areas were experiencing intermittent rain for the last three days, registering a sharp fall in the night temperature, which stood at 2.9 degrees as compared to 5.6 degrees recorded yesterday.

It also received 54.6 mm of rain by 1430 hrs after recording 36.2 mm of rain during the night and another 18.4 mm during the day, while Sundernagar received 43.6 mm, Bhuntar 77 mm, Una 13.8 mm, Dharamshala 25.2 mm and 21 mm at Nahan.

Palampur in Kangra district recorded 28.8 mm rain, Kandaghat in Solan district 36 mm, Kasauli 12.5 and Solan 20 mm during the next 24 hrs.

The minimum temperature at Patsio fell to minus seven, while it was at minus 4.7 at Keylong, minus three at Dhundi, minus one at Solang Nullah and one degree at Sundernagar.

Shimla Meteorological Department Director Manmohan Singh said that the WD laying over Jammu and Kashmir as an upper air system was likely to bring more rain and snow in the state during the next 24 hrs.

He said the night temperatures across the state would register a fall from now onwards. (UNI)

Rajnath to launch BJP’s ‘kisan yatra’ from Sewagram

NAGPUR, Jan 9: To highlight farmers’ plight in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region, BJP president Rajnath Singh would launch a ‘kisan yatra’ from Bapu Kuti at Sewagram in Wardha district tomorrow .

The two-day yatra, led by Singh, will raise issues related to farmers in the region where a large number of agriculturists had committed suicide over the past few years. party sources said.

The BJP and its ally Shiv Sena are demanding total loan waiver for farmers in the state’s cotton belt. The Opposition party has also sought procurement price of Rs 2,700 for a quintal of cotton and Rs 2,100 for paddy.

Besides, it is pressing for crop loan at four per cent interest, end to power cuts in agriculture sector and higher financial assistance to the the kin of farmers who have committed suicide.

Singh will be accompanied by BJP Vice-President Gopinath Munde and state leaders like Nitin Gadkari, Pandurang Phundkar and Eknath Khadse.

The campaign will culminate with a public rally, to be addressed by Singh, at Postal Ground in Yavatmal. The yatra will cover most parts of Vidarbha that consists of eight districts.

Singh is arriving here tonight from Delhi while Munde will reach from Mumbai later in the day, the sources added.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference in Yavatmal, State BJP President Nitin Gadkari said the yatra will be flagged off from Sevagram Ashram at 0945 hrs.

The yatra will proceed towards Amravati and then to Akola, where the participants will take a night halt.

Besides Singh, Munde, Phundkar and Khadse among other leaders will address the public meeting in Yavatmal. At the meet, the BJP is likely to announce its future programme for the rehabilitation of the distressed Vidarbha farmers.

The state BJP has already started its programmes to rehabilitate next of the kin of the deceased farmers. The party has chalked out a plan to adopt 500 children and widows and provide them with education and job-oriented training.

Gadkari said the party has collected Rs 75 lakh for the purpose and the sum would be presented to Singh during the public rally.

Launching a scathing attack on the Democratic Front Government in the State, Gadkari said the ruling alliance has become "totally de-funct".

"It neither has any programme nor any policy for the upliftment of the distressed farmers." He highlighted the achievements made during the Vajpayee Government.

"The much hyped special packages of the Prime Minister and the Chief Minisiter could not deliver the good to the hard hit farmers," the former State Minister said, adding the Government has totally failed to stop farmer suicides.

The state should adopt a rural-oriented programme so the migration to the urban slums can be curbed, he said. (PTI)

End of Lalu chapter in Bihar’s Hindi text book

PATNA, Jan 9: A chapter on Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, which was in the eye of a controversy ever since its inception, has finally been excluded from the Hindi text book taught to Class VIII students of Government Schools in Bihar.

The chapter ‘Mitti Ke Gaurav’, loosely translated as ‘The Pride Of The Land’, was part of the Hindi prose text book ‘Gadya Sopan’ since 1994.

"We have decided to strike off the entire chapter, which also included the lives of former State Chief Ministers Bhola Paswan Shastri and Karpoori Thakur as the stature of these leaders was not exalted enough to be included in the academic curriculum," Principal Secretary of the Human Resource Development Department Anjani Kumar Singh said.

The chapter recounted how these personalities rose to become Chief Ministers of the state.

"Instead, the department is now now examining a proposal to replace it with an account of the life of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, the great Dalit reformer," Singh said.

Asked when the revised edition of the book would be formally introduced, he said it would be available when the next academic session started in April this year.

The chapter was penned by a Bihar administrative service officer Harivansh Narayan, whom the NDA, then in the opposition, alleged was close to Lalu.

Narayan’s prose had found place alongside noted Hindi writers including legendary Munshi Premchand, Phanishwarnath Renu, Mahadevi Verma and Nirmal Verma.

RJD reacted angrily to the move to exclude the chapter terming it as ‘politically motivated’.

"The NDA Government is following the BJP’s saffron agenda of excluding charismatic secular personalities from history books. It is unfortunate that young impressionable students would be deprived of an opportunity to learn about the contributions of a great secular leader like Lalu Prasad. The entire exercise is politically motivated," RJD Spokesman Shakeel Ahmed Khan said.

The book was published in 1993 by the Bihar Text Book Committee after the approval of its editorial board headed by Ram Vachan Rai, Hindi writer and now RJD member of the State Legislative Council.

The opposition NDA had kicked up a storm questioning the propriety of including a chapter on the then sitting Chief Minister Lalu Prasad and even disrupted the proceedings of the Assembly on several occasions.

The strident criticism notwithstanding, the book became part of the Class VIII curriculum in 1994.

Barely months after the NDA Government led by Nitish Kumar assumed the reins of the state in November 2005, HRD Minister Brishen Patel had hinted at exclusion of the chapter, saying Lalu did not merit presence in the text book.

The matter was recently placed before the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT), which decided to strike off the chapter. (PTI)

HC restrains Army from taking over private land

NEW DELHI, Jan 9: The Delhi High Court has directed the Army not to attempt to encroach upon a plot of land owned by a man here.

"It shall be ensured that the land of the petitioner (Rajesh Sharma) which is measuring one bigha is not encroached upon in any manner..." Justice Gita Mittal said.

Sharma, a resident of Nariana in south-west Delhi, had submitted that around three ‘bighas’, out of total four bighas, of his land were acquired by the land acquisition department in 1975.

The acquired land was later allocated to the Estate Department of the Army, he said, alleging several attempts have been made since then to acquire his remaining one bigha of land forcing him to seek remedial measures from the court.

Taking note of the situation, the court asked the SDM concerned to personally verify that only three bighas of land are in Army’s possession.

It also restrained the Army’s Estate Department from constructing anything on Sharma’s remaining plot.

"The respondents (Centre and the Estate Department of Army) have no rights, whatsoever, to raise constructions over the land of the petitioner. Such land has not been acquired in accordance with law," it said. (PTI)

Woman granted bail by HC in fake currency case

NEW DELHI, Jan 9: A woman, arrested by the Department of Revenue Intelligence(DRI) for allegedly carrying fake currency from Pakistan, has been granted bail by the Delhi High Court.

Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul yesterday granted bail to Liaqan(77) and asked her to furnish a personal bond of Rs 25,000 and a surety of the same amount with the trial court hearing her case.

Liaqan has been lodged in Tihar for the past 11 months.

The court accepted the submission made by her counsel Yunus Mallik that she was not aware of the fake currency. The money was sent by someone called Guddu in Pakistan and it was to be handed over to Salim in India, he added.

In February last year, she was arrested at the IGI Airport here when she landed from a Pakistan Airlines flight. She was allegedly carrying fake Indian currency worth Rs 10 lakh.

On a complaint from DRI, the Metropolitan Magistrate in April last year had remanded her to judicial custody while rejecting her bail application. (PTI)