KANPUR, Apr 18: Noted Gandhian writer and Padmashree awardee Giriraj Kishore, who was distressed over the auction of memorabilia associated with Mahatama Gandhi, today wrote to President Pratibha Patil wanting to return the award.
“Since the Indian government has not tried to stop the auction and it has already taken place in London, I don’t have any alternative but to return the Padmashree,” Kishore said.
A pinch of soil and blood-stained blades of grass from the place where Gandhi was assassinated in 1948 were among the memorabilia that went under the hammer yesterday.
In the letter, he has sought a specific date on which he can meet the President for returning the honour he was awarded in 2007 for his contribution to the field of literature and education. This is the second time he is writing to Patil over the issue.
Kishore had also written to Governor B L Joshi for giving back the award recently. However, the writer was informed by his office that his request cannot be accommodated as the award
is presented by the President.
He had contacted District Magistrate M P Aggarwal who too has refused saying that the return of the award does not come under the jurisdiction of his office.
To stop the auction, the Gandhian had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on April 5. He had subsequently approached the President, seeking her intervention after he did not get a response.
In his letter to Patil, Kishore had threatened to return his Padmashree if steps in this regard were not initiated immediately. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, Apr 18: As Congress received a drubbing in the Delhi municipal polls, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today sought to downplay the party’s poor showing saying it was civic elections and could not be compared with anything else.
In her first comments after the party lost to BJP in all the three Corporations in Delhi, Dikshit said, “This was not my election. It was the MCD elections.
“When our (Assembly) elections come, we will see. If there were some shortcomings, we will rectify it. We have improved our tally. Corrective steps will be taken,” she told reporters here.
Her remarks were in contrast to East Delhi MP and her son Sandeep Dikshit who attributed the defeat to an anti-Congress mood generated by scams like 2G and price rise and a disconnect between people and the government.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said there are winners and losers in every election and one has to accept it with good grace. “These are local elections, local issues, people who work for the people. These are the qualities that count. In every election, there are winners and losers and one has to accept it with good grace,” he said.
The BJP victory was a rude shock to Dikshit who has been ruling the capital for the last nearly 14 years uninterruptedly and trifurcated the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in a bid to weaken the saffron party’s hold.
She had overcome the resistance of a number of senior party leaders who had warned that splitting the 53 year-old body ahead of the polls will cost the party dearly.
Dikshit, who had addressed series of rallies across the city and campaigned hard for the polls, had ruled out price rise highlighted by BJP as an issue but it now appears that the Chief Minister’s assessment was not entirely correct.
Dikshit said Congress’ seats as well as vote share have increased.
“It is no one’s responsibility. Our seats and voteshare have increased. BJP has won by a narrow margin. We will have to deliberate on all these details,” she said.
Asked whether trifurcation of MCD was not benefetial for Congress, she said the trifurcation would not benefit the party but it will benefit Delhi administration.
She said price rise was an issue though MCD has no relation with it and wondered whether corruption in MCD was lesser an issue. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, Apr 18: India today said it cannot be the target of regime based restrictions and pitched for full membership of export control entities, including the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
Foreign Secretary Rajan Mathai expressed confidence that India can fulfil the requirement of these export control regimes and the logical conclusion for it is to get the full membership of the four multilateral regimes- Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), Australia Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement.
“India cannot be a target of regime-based restrictions. The logical conclusion of partnership with India is its full membership of the four multilateral regimes,” he said.
He added that India’s partnership of the four regimes will be mutually beneficial on grounds of common non-proliferation objectives.
“…The main purpose and primary objective of India’s enhanced and sustained engagement with these regimes is full membership. We will take forward this process of engagement and apply for membership when the necessary preparations have been completed and the ground has been prepared for India’s full membership,” he said.
He was delivering a keynote address at the MEA-IDSA National Export Control Seminar.
“India’s ability to contribute to the fulfilment of those objectives, global industry cooperation and linkages, transfer subject to the highest export control standards, sound commercial considerations and the contributions that the India industry can make with its expanding capabilities and highly qualified work force,” he said.
On efforts by India to engage the four regimes, Mathai said, “This year, we have already completed outreach meetings with NSG in Vienna on March one, with MTCR on January 30, with the Wassenaar Arrangement on March 21 and plan the next meeting with the Australia Group in the coming weeks”.
Stating that each regime has its own membership criteria, control list and methodology of work, he said, “There are underlying objectives and principles which are common to all the regimes to which India subscribes as it has demonstrated responsible non-proliferation and export control practices.”
Mathai told the gathering that India has the ability to produce, manufacture or supply a vast majority of items that are controlled by these regimes.
India has the ability to enforce a legally based domestic export control system which gives effect to the commitment to act in accordance with the respective guidelines of the regimes, he underlined.
Stressing that India has considerable experience in the implementation of its export control systems, he said, “We have witnessed instances of would be proliferators targeting India to source or route their supplies. Our agencies have taken appropriate preventive action in such cases.”
Mathai recalled the NSG decision of September 2008 on Civil Nuclear Cooperation which widely recognised India’s impeccable non-proliferation record.
He also mentioned the steps taken by India in this regard such as concluding the Safeguard Agreement with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2009.
“We have already put 12 out of 14 nuclear reactors under IAEA Safeguards. Only two more reactors are required to be notified by 2014,” he said.
India has signed civil nuclear cooperation agreements with France, US, Russia, Canada, Argentina, UK, Namibia, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan.
Negotiations are taking place with Japan on a bilateral Nuclear Cooperation Agreement and, “with the US, India signed an agreement setting out arrangements and procedures for reprocessing pursuant to their bilateral Nuclear Cooperation Agreement in July 2010,” he said.
He stressed that India has continued with its policy of refraining from transfer of enrichment and reprocessing technologies to states that do not possess them and supporting international efforts to limit their spread.
“We supported the establishment of an IAEA fuel bank resolution adopted by the IAEA Board in December 2010 and by the Board of Governors in March 2011,” he said.
Stating that India has the capability to be a supplier state, Mathai said, “India has a longstanding commitment to complete, universal, non-discriminatory and verifiable elimination of nuclear weapons in a time bound manner- a vision that was set forth in the Rajiv Gandhi Action Plan.”
“We remain committed to a voluntary and unilateral moratorium on nuclear explosive testing, he said.
On the Indian export control regimes, he said, “Our export controls are in line with highest international standards…Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) is in the process of introducing by June an online application system that would ease the application process.”
Noting that Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) is working on a voluntary “Code of Conduct” on export controls, he said,India is open to cooperating with other countries in sharing of experiences and best practices in export controls. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, Apr 18: Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) today approached Supreme Court seeking appointment of an arbitrator on behalf of Government to decide its dispute with it over recovery of cost for developing the country’s key natural gas field in the Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin.
The move came in the wake of Government’s refusal to settle the dispute through arbitration over recovery of cost incurred by the company in developing the D6 hydrocarbon field in the KG basin.
The petition filed by RIL said it has already appointed former Chief Justice of India S P Bharucha as arbitrator but the Government has not done so as per the contractual obligation.
In the petition, RIL has asked the Chief Justice of India S H Kapadia to appoint a second arbitrator on behalf of the Government.
The petition filed through advocate Sameer Parekh said that as per the contract Government cannot reduce the recovery amount.
The petroleum ministry had proposed to restrict the cost of around Rs 6,343 crore which the company had sought to recover for developing the KG D6 field.
RIL had issued an arbitration notice to the Government on November 23, 2011, proposing appointment of a former chief justice of India S P Barucha as arbitrator in the dispute and asked the ministry to appoint a second arbitrator.
However, the Government has refused the plea of RIL saying there is no dispute, the advocate said. (PTI)

JALANDHAR, Apr 18: A teenager was today miraculously pulled out alive from the rubble, two days after a factory building collapsed here, as rescuers raced against time to extricate those trapped while three more bodies were recovered, taking the death toll to nine.
“Sixty-one people have been rescued, including one today and nine bodies have been retrieved from the debris,” District Magistrate Priyank Bharti said, adding still more people are feared trapped.
Sanjeev Kumar, 18, a resident of Sidhwalia in Bihar who was recruited in the factory on January 10 this year, was rescued today from the debris.
Kumar said at the time of mishap, he and two other colleagues were working near a machine. “As the building collapsed, I was trapped beneath the machine, which perhaps saved my life,” he told PTI.
“I had lost all hope as all my cries for help went unnoticed in the first 48 hours,” he said.
In the wee hours today, he spotted a small hole and shouted for help. “I was fortunate that the rescue team heard my voice and came to my help,” Kumar said.
Through the small hole, the rescuers passed biscuits and water to Kumar but he soon fainted. “By the time I regained consciousness, they had pulled me out of the rubble.”
Kumar has suffered minor injuries in the mishap, in-charge of the trauma centre Dr M B Bali said.
Yesterday, six bodies had been recovered and today three more were retrieved, the DM said. “Out of the nine deceased, six people have been identified—four belong to Bihar and two are from West Bengal,” he said.
Of the sixty-one rescued, some have already been discharged after medical aid and remaining are still admitted at Sadar Hospital.
“Our priority is to rescue people who are still alive and the required efforts in the regard are being made,” he said.
The three-storey building collapsed at around midnight on Sunday in Focal Point area here.
“We have to remain extremely cautious while removing the debris because a slight mistake can prove fatal for people trapped beneath,” Assistant Commandant of National Disaster Response Force Musafir said.
It may take two more days to clear the rubble, he said.
A case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder has been registered against the factory owner, who was arrested on Monday.
The state government has announced a compensation of Rs two lakh each to the kin of the deceased. It also announced a compensation of Rs 65,000 each to the seriously injured and Rs 45,000 each to injured persons. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, Apr 18: The Government is in the process of launching a portal that will provide entrepreneurs the opportunity to apply for all clearances to start a business at the click of a mouse.
Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jyotiraditya Scindia said in all, around 57 approvals from authorities ranging from municipalities, state Government agencies and the Centre are required to commence a business.
“…The number offices and number of doors he (a new entrepreneur) has to bang to be able to get his business process approved.
“So we are setting up a single vertical (E-Biz portal) where any entrepreneur can login for all the approvals he requires and within a time oriented process,” Scindia said here at a CII function.
The e-biz portal would also deal with export and import related registrations, he said.
“We are putting in place many KPIs (key performance indicators) and if government official do not abide by those KPIs, that approval have been deemed to be given,” Scindia said.
India has climbed up seven notches in the IFC-World Bank’s “Doing Business Index” indicating market improvement in the business environment, though its ranking remained well below those of the neighbours like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
India has been placed at 132nd position, up from 139th in previous year, in the Index prepared by the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank in 2011.
The report takes into account regulatory changes in 183 countries for starting and doing business by local firms.
The minister said the National Manufacturing Policy (NMP) would also help businesses to get fast and timely approvals.
On performance of India’s exporters, he said new markets like Latin America and Africa are now contributing more in boosting the shipments. “The new markets have delivered and they will continue to do that,” he added.
Braving slowdown in the US and Europe, India’s exports has crossed USD 300 billion in 2011-12.
However, rising import bill pushed by high crude oil prices and the country’s obsession with bullion sent the trade deficit soaring to USD 185 billion during the period.
Scindia also presented CII Woman Exemplary Awards on the occasion.
Loukrakpam Indrani Devi (micro enterprises), Babai Sathe (health and sanitation) and Laxmi Dey (outstanding service as a volunteer on child protection and education) received the awards. (PTI)

LUCKNOW, Apr 18: Making a difference in style of governance, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today reived the practice of meeting people to listen to their grievances at his official residence here, a step that was ended by his predecessor Mayawati.
Long queues of people were seen at 5, Kalidas Kalidas Marg, an area that was out of bounds for the common man during Mayawati’s days.
The practice of Janata Darshan, which was very popular in the earlier regime of Mulayam Singh Yadav, was done away with by Mayawati.
In fact, all the roads leading to the Chief Minister’s residence were closed for commoners with barricading done on both the sides when the BSP supremo was in power. The entry was open for media only during press conferences and that too for those who are invited.
Though immediately after assuming power in the state, Akhilesh started meeting people  at his official residence, the formal Janata Darshan was revived today.
People from all over the state gathered at the first Janata  Darshan of the youngest CM and police and security personnel had a tough time  controlling them.  There were directives not to use power to regulate the crowd.
Ram Swarup from Gonda, who came here to get a road laid in  his village, was happy with his meeting. He is hopeful that his request would be addressed.
“We were left with no option in earlier regime. Local officials did not listen to them and there was no one to take hear our grievances”, he said.
Another man,  Harish from Ambedkar Nagar, who is running from pillar to post for job after his father’s death, also hailed the chief minister’s decision to meet commoners.
“I think, applications taken here will be taken seriously and officers will dispose them off,” he said.
“Leave aside Janata darshan, Mayawati even did not met her party leaders and legislators. Her Government was run by bureaucrats and she did whatever they feeded her.
“Now people are witnessing a change with SP at the helm of affair and Janata Darshan is the way by which CM can know the real problems being faced by his people”, SP spokesman Rajendra Chowdhury said.
The complaints that poured in on the first day of Janata Darshan included that of land dispute, atrocities on poor, employment and  promotions besides requests for electricity, roads and water facilities in their areas, sources said.
During the programme, Yadav received petitions from the people and assured them that he will look into them. (PTI)