Excelsior... Nation

Paswan asks Orissa to make assessment of its iron ore reserve..........

Pay for CBI investigations: Parliamentary Committee.....

Polio still haunts India, needs the ‘last push’: Experts........

A Muslim marrying two sisters to maintain both: SC ........

Salman Khurshid: From politician to playwright........

Mumbai to play host to luxury cruise ‘Queen Victoria’

MUMBAI, Mar 16: After a successful exhibition of yatches and boats, Mumbai will soon be hosting the second largest luxury cruise ship ‘Queen Victoria’ for a fortnight.

The 90,000 tonne palace on water, which was inaugurated by Duchess of York and Prince Charle’s wife Camilla, is on its maiden world tour and will dock in Mumbai on March 28.

The liner is replacing the popular "Queen Elizabeth 2" ship in the stable of the 168-year-old Cunard Line, which also owns one more luxury ship "Queen Mary 2".

"Queen Victoria" will reach Chennai on March 23 and sail towards Kochi after which it will reach Mumbai on March 28.

Managing Director of Cunard Line Carol Marlow said the ship offers an unique blend of ocean travel of the old days along with modern facilities like the second largest floating library, a theatre and live orchestra.

Apart from it, the ship also boasts of rooms offering a British charm, double and triple height spaces, classical motifs.

The high point of the ship’s architecture is the grand lobby, the centre of onboard activity. The lobby opens into public areas like the deck, banquet halls and luxury cabins.

On the conclusion of the world tour, the liner will start a Baltic and Scandinavian cruise in May and sail into the Mediterranean in August this year. (PTI)

CBFC backs down, withdraws
objection to film on Sonia Gandhi

MUMBAI, Mar 16: A film on Congress president Sonia Gandhi can now be released, as the Censor Board last week withdrew the condition that film maker obtain no-objection certificate from Gandhi.

Earlier, Central Board of Film Certification had asked the film’s producer Thakur Dinesh Kumar to obtain the certificate from Gandhi, inspite of the film getting the U certificate from the board in December 2005.

The film, titled ‘Sonia-Sonia’, is based on the life of Sonia Gandhi.

Kumar claims that after getting a notice from the Censor Board, requiring a consent from Gandhi, he sent letters to her, seeking her NOC.

But he got no reply, he says. Then again he approached the Board, saying no-reply may be construed as a no-objection certificate; but CBFC declined to allow the film to release.

Subsequently, he approached the Bombay High Court, against the pre-condition imposed by the CBFC.

His lawyer Shyam Keswani argued that CBFC had no right to impose such a pre-condition under the law.

However, last week additional solicitor general Rajendra Raghuvanshi told the High Court that CBFC was withdrawing the condition that the filmmaker get an NOC from Sonia Gandhi.

As a result, the High Court disposed of the petition. (PTI)

Planning Comm draws flak on less allocation
to Environment Ministry

NEW DELHI, Mar 16: While concerns over the impending climate change and degradation of natural resources mount across the globe with governments pumping in money into their departments and agencies managing environment, in India the Ministry concerned is receiving miserly treatment from the apex finance and planning bodies.

The Centre and the Planning Commission have drawn flak from a Parliamentary Standing Committee for the paltry allocation made to the Ministry of Environment and Forests during the year 2007-08.

"We have serious concerns over the fact that there has been a severe curtailment of funds for the Ministry, despite the fact that there is a greater need to invest substantially to contain environmental degradation and global warming," the Parliamentary Standng Committee on Environment and Forests said in its 184th Report tabled in Parliament.

"There is just 1.2 per cent increase in overall budget allocations as compared to last year’s amount. It appears that the Planning Commission has not even considered the normal rate of inflation," it said.

The Committee expressed its strong apprehension that with such tight budget, the Ministry would not be able to pursue its ongoing schemes with vigour.

The panel, however, also felt that the Ministry has not been able to project its funds requirements to the Planning Commission properly.

It has recommended that the Planning Commission should be properly sensitised to the issue of funds allocation, keeping in view the urgent need for environmental protection.

The Committee has further noted that expenditure cut during revised estimates are sometimes plainly arbitrary, and very often the budgeted amount is not fully utilised in the plan outlays or there is delay in approval of projects by the Expenditure Finance Committee(EFC).

It has thus recommended that the issues of budgetary demands need to be taken seriously and vigorously and emphatically presented and pursued with the Planning Commission and the Ministry of Environment.

(UNI)

Lalu, Mulayam meeting: Congress says it is not worried

NEW DELHI, Mar 16: Congress is cautiously watching the moves of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to bury the hatchet amid talks that their coming together has the potential to alter political equations ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

"It is not a cause for concern. Why should we worry?", AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh said when asked how the ruling party at the Centre viewed the recent meetings between the two key leaders of the Hindi heartland ahead of the general elections next year.

Union Minister Shakil Ahmed said that what Prasad and Yadav do was their "internal matter" and Congress has nothing to do with it.

Ahmed, who hails from Bihar and is also the AICC spokesman, however wanted both the leaders to ensure that there was no division of secular vote.

Singh, who is in-charge of Congress affairs in Uttar Pradesh, spoke in a similar vein. He said that the meeting of minds of two secular parties was good as they can fight the BJP

An OBC leader of Congress, who declined to be identified, suggested that the new-found bonhomie between the two backward leaders was but to be expected as "blood is thicker than water".

Prasad and Yadav have been known detractors of each other for the past nearly a decade with the RJD supremo leaving no stone unturned to harm the interests of Yadav, who has been paying back in the same coin. (PTI)

SC takes ancient Hindu law’s help to resolve conflict

NEW DELHI, Feb 16: The ancient Indian Mimansa principles of interpretation used by our ancestors during the vedic period has come to the aid of the Supreme Court for resolving a conflict between an electricity generating company and a licensee.

Adopting the principles, the Supreme Court has ruled that only State Electricity Regulatory Commissions or the Central Commission has the powers to arbitrate or adjudicate disputes between generating companies and licensees.

A bench headed by Justice H K Sema and Justice Markandey Katju set aside a Gujarat High Court’s judgement that appointed retired Chief Justice of India Justice A H Ahmadi as the sole arbitrator to resolve the dispute between Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam (GUVN) and Essar Power.

"It is well settled that the special law overrides the general law... It is the discretion of the state commission to either decide the dispute itself or refer it to arbitrator appointed by it," the bench said.

According to the court, Section 86(1)(f) of the Electricity Act, 2003, was a special provision for adjudication of the disputes between licensees and the generating companies and it would override general laws, including Section 11 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.

But interestingly in resolving the dispute, the court took the aid of the Mimansa principles which were created for resolving mainly practical difficulties in performing yagyas (rituals) and conflict in case of "smritis" (general principles of human behaviour) and shrutis (eternal values).

In this case, the apex court took the help of the Mimansa concept under which it was held that in case of a conflict of words, "if a word or sentence purporting to express a subordinate idea clashes with the principal idea, the former must be adjusted to the latter or must be disregarded altogether."

The principle also expressed the popular maxim known as "matsya nyaya" which means the big fish eats the small fish.

In other words, if there is a conflict between two legislations-one special and the other general, it would be the special legislation that would have overriding powers over the general law.

The Electricity Act, under section 174 provides that the provision of this Act would prevail over anything inconsistent with any other law.

Justice Katju in its the verdict said "the consistency may be express or implied."

Gujrat Urja Vikas Nigam had approached the Supreme Court saying that the High Court cannot refer disputes between licensees and generating companies to an arbitrator as such powers of adjudication or reference had been specifically given to the state commission.

It said the 2003 Act would prevail over all other laws or instruments except for the Consumer Protection Act, the Atomic Energy Act or the Railways Act. (PTI)

Dalai Lama offers prayer for peace and security of Tibetans

DHARAMSALA, Mar 16: Tibet’s spiritual leader the Dalai Lama today offered prayers for peace and security of his fellow countrymen after the violent anti-China protests in his homeland that claimed at least 10 lives.

The Dalai Lama offered prayers in Tibetans main temple at Macleodganj "Tsunglan Khanagh" for peace and security of his fellow Tibetans subjected to "brute force" by the Chinese.

He is scheduled to address media in the afternoon, his aides said.

While the Dalai Lama offered prayers, hundreds of Tibetans sat on dharna outside the temple in support of pro-independence street protesters in Lhasa.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Tibetans today held a protest march from Macleodganj to Dharamsala raising anti-China slogans.

Kangra Superintendent of Police Atul Fulzele said tight security arrangements has been made to avoid any untoward incident.

He said the foreigners participating in protest march of Tibetans here are video-graphed and their details were being sent to respective Embassies in Delhi.

Meanwhile, the Tibetans protesters who started a fresh march from Dhera yesterday as part of their homeland journey managed to cross Kangra border.

By the time the information about their movement reached the police headquarters these marchers had crossed the boundry of the district, police sources said, adding neighbouring Una district has been informed about them.

When contacted, Superintendent of Police of Una Gyaneshwar Singh told PTI that tight security arrangements has been made in the district to check any untoward incident. (PTI)

Kalam stresses need for developing alternate fuels

MATHURA, Mar 16: Expressing concern over the limited reserve of conventional forms of fuel in the country, former President A P J Abdul Kalam has stressed the need to develop alternate fuel for the future.

In an interaction with the students of Hindustan College of Engineering and Technology here last night, Kalam said, "efforts should be made to tap solar energy, nuclear power and bio-fuel."

Kalam stressed on the need to expand research and development in the country.

"To be self-reliant India needs to develop more research labs in the country," he said, adding then only "a vision of a prosperous India by 2020" can be achieved.

The ‘missile man’ also asked students to dream big in life.

"Anybody can become great if dreams are great. The success is bound to come if dreams are great", he said.

Noting that knowledge makes a person great, he said creativity, righteousness and courage are its three vital components.

"While creativity paves the way for learning, righteousness in heart paves the way for beauty. While beauty leads to harmony, harmony leads to peace," he added.

"Courage leads to think differently, invent and explore path to counter problems. It also leads to achieve goal. Hard work, Perseverance and knowledge paves the way for achieving the aim of life," the former President said.

Appealing to the teachers to be committed to their duties, Kalam cited C V Raman, who refused to go to President house to collect an honour as he was helping his students on their thesis. (PTI)

Paswan asks Orissa to make assessment of
its iron ore reserve

BHUBANESWAR, Mar 16: Asking Orissa Government to expedite implementation of several MOUs it had signed for setting up of steel plants, Union Steel minister Ram Vilas Paswan today said the state should make a realistic assessment of its iron ore reserve.

"There is no meaning of signing MOUs unless they are implemented within a specific time frame", Paswan who was here to attend a party meeting said.

He said Orissa government had signed MOUs with South Korean steel major POSCO and the world’s largest steel maker Arcelor-Mittal among others.

"But things are not moving as they should", the minister said adding the state did not have much raw material to meet the needs of the proposed plants.

The minister predicted acute shortage of steel in the year 2020 as the Government target is to produce only 220 mt of steel against a projected demand of 300 mt.

"Therefore, there will be a huge gap between the demand and supply", he said adding that if the Orissa Government did not expedite its MOUs, the country may not meet the target of producing 124 mt of steel by 2011-12.

"Do it ‘fata fat’ (quickly)", Paswan suggested to the state government.

He also cautioned the State Government that unless it takes up the implementation of MoUs on a fast track basis, new technologies may upset the target.

To a query, Paswan said the steel ministry was in favour of a ban on the export of iron ore. "But this could not be done because the step would affect other ministries like commerce and mines", he said.

The steel minister also did not support the Orissa government’s value addition norm for leasing out iron ore mines.

"We want steel industries to come up in different states. Rastriya Ispat Nigam Ltd at Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh do not have iron ore reserve. Should it not be given raw materials because it is located outside Orissa", he asked.

Paswan said it was the duty of the State Governments, be it Orissa or Jharkhand, to solve the displacement problem in order to expedite projects. "Unfortunately there is resentment in all the tribal dominated places over mining and other projects", he said.

The Steel minister said he could not assure about providing jobs and employment in upcoming industries only to local people.

On Steel ministry’s consideration for appointing a regulator to control arbitrary hike in the price of steel, Paswan said: "This could not be achieved because of resentment from different quarters."

"The media will be the first to raise a hue and cry if Government appoints a regulator to check price of steel", Paswan said adding the Government had the only option to bring down the import duty on steel to zero. (PTI)

Pay for CBI investigations: Parliamentary Committee

NEW DELHI, Mar 15: Pay for the investigations, if you want to have a CBI probe! This was suggested by a Parliamentary Standing Committee to the Government keeping in mind the number of investigations being handed over to the already-burdened CBI.

"The Committee is of the view that the expenses incurred by the agency in the investigation and prosecution of a case should be met by the concerned Department/Ministry," the report, submitted before Parliament last week, said.

The Committee observed that such a system will ensure that the agency’s work "will not suffer on account of shortage of funds" and the results would be met within a time-limit.

The Committee headed by E M Sudarsana Natchiappan in its report said the "sad state of affairs" prevalent in cases being referred to the CBI is that this is done without granting "adequate funds" required to meet the investigation and prosecution expenses.

It said the annual projections or estimates "should be calculated" by the concerned ministries or departments as to how many cases are likely to arise which may be referred for investigation, by the agency so that "separate budgetary head" should be provided for incurring such expenses.

Advocating for "same status" for the CBI director as that of his international counterparts such as the FBI, the committee said that he should "exercise powers and autonomy which are at par with those exercised by his counterparts".

"The Committee recommends that more financial powers should be vested with the Director, CBI," the report said and observed that the lack of financial autonomy acts as a "major hindrance" in the efficient working of the agency. (PTI)

Polio still haunts India, needs the ‘last push’: Experts

NEW DELHI, Mar 16: With fresh cases of polio being reported in the country, the Government has come in sharp criticism from doctors and experts for the methodology used to eradicate the disease saying that the ‘vaccination drive did not cover cent per cent population’.

"Lack of hundred per cent vaccine coverage and the regular doses are the main reasons for failure of the eradication programme," says Amrit Kalsi, Senior Medical Officer, Delhi Government.

Despite an expenditure running into crores and a time lag of 12 long years of Anti polio drive, of the total of 1,389 cases reported worldwide in 2007, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative data compiled by WHO says that 864 occurred in India making it the biggest in the world.

Health Minister, Anbumani Ramadoss had recently said that the country’s polio programme failed to achieve its purpose and the government has decided to review the polio drive.

Doctors in field point out that another reason which is working against the drive which had hoped to eradicate polio by 2007 (the initial target was 2000) is the fear among certain communities who feel that polio vaccines would make them impotent.

"There are some communities who are quite apprehensive of the polio vaccination and feel that polio drops are part of a conspiracy to sterilise their children, and are refusing to let them be vaccinated," says a senior medical officer associated with the drive.

He adds, "Even health workers, who do vaccination many times may show false data to make sure that their job is safe.

Sanjay Sarup, Pedriatics and Orthopedic Surgeon, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, feels that the methodolgy followed needs to be revamped. (PTI)

A Muslim marrying two sisters to maintain both: SC

NEW DELHI, Mar 16: The Supreme Court has ruled that if a Muslim man marries two sisters he is liable to maintain both and he cannot neglect the second sister on the grounds that his second marriage is ‘batil’ (void).

A bench comprising Justice Altamas Kabir in its judgement has ruled that such a marriage is only ‘fasid’ (irregular) and not void and therefore the second sister is entitled to maintenance alongwith her children under Section 125 CrPc. The apex court dismissed the petition of the husband, Chand Patel, challenging the High Court order upholding the right to maintenance of Bismillah Begum who had married the husband of her sister, Mustaqbee.

The apex court in its judgement said, "Such marriage is merely irregular and not void so the right to get maintenance is not extinguished."

The Supreme Court while answering a question whether a marriage performed by a person professing Muslim faith with his wife’s sister, while his earlier marriage with the other sister is still subsisting, would be void in law or merely irregular or voidable even though the subsequent marriage has been consummated, said that the bar of unlawful conjunction renders a marriage irregular and not void.

The apex court also said, consequently under the Hanafi law, as far as Muslims in India are concerned, an irregular marriage continues to subsist till terminated in accordance with law. The Supreme Court directed the husband, Chand Patel, to pay all arrears to his second wife.(UNI)

Salman Khurshid: From politician to playwright

SHILLONG, Mar 16: As a politician he may have been witness to many a drama, Congress leader Salman Khurshid, however, decided to don a new cap - of a playwright - delve into history to pen a new play.

The former Union leader who decided a try to his long cherished desire while on seven years ago, will see his first play ‘Sons of Babur-In Search of India’ being staged in the national capital sometime in April.

"It took me seven long years to complete the play. Now it has been translated to Urdu. Preparations are afoot to stage the plays in Delhi in April," the former Union Minister who was in Shillong a few days back, said.

Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah is likely to play the lead role in the play. "I have discussed the play with Naseeruddin and he is already working on it and may play the lead," he said.

Asked about his interest in writing the play, Khursheed said, "I always wanted to do something creative. Writing a book was my first option. But that involves a lot of homework and one needs to keep on penning down what comes to one’s mind."

"It was in 2001, and some of my friends went for a holiday to Goa. While I was walking down the beaches of Goa, the idea of writing a play suddenly struck. That, I thought, would not take much pen work. I can keep on making the sequences in mind during leisure and when I got time, I can put it on papers," Khursheed, a minister of state for external affairs in the Government of P V Narsimha Rao, said.

The 55-year-old leader delved into Mughal history and the contribution of various kings to India in his 121-page play, published by Rupa and released recently. The play commences with a university student going back in time to revisit the founder of the Mughal empire, Babur. For a guide, he finds an old and infirm Bahadur Shah Zafar who takes down memory lane.

The play is a conversation between Bahadur Shah Zafar and the student. It seeks to explain why Indians rejected the mughal king," khursheed said.

Instead of going by chronology, I have tried to pick out those aspects of each of the famous Mughals starting from Akbar which throw light on their contribution to India." he added. (PTI)