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Kalraj Mishra hints at party
revamp
Benegal gets Vikram Sarabhai
award
Ex-bank manager held for cheating
Relocation of units: BJP wants review petition filed
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Chamber clamours for
infrastructure
Man gets 10-yr RI for rape of
daughter
No change yet in senior citizen age
limit
Choked sewers throw life out of
gear
40,000 quacks making a killing in
Delhi
More women falling prey to heart
ailments
Sexual abuse of child
rampant
RCI disability courses for developing
nations
Utsav-04 at Birla Vidya Niketan
International School of Media set up in
Noida
Schoolboy crushed to
death
Charter Certificate
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Kalraj Mishra hints at party
revamp
New Delhi, August 12 The organisational elections of the Delhi Pradesh BJP are due, though no timetable has been drawn up just yet. Mr Kalraj Mishra has succeeded Mr Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi as the in-charge of the BJP in the NCT of Delhi. He is also in-charge of the BJP in Rajasthan. He met the executive and chairmen of the various cells and committees of the BJP in the national Capital soon after taking charge earlier in the week. Mr Mishra said that the workers’ strength in the NCT of Delhi was enormous and they were raring to launch an awareness campaign against the governments in the NCT of Delhi and at the Centre. The party sources said that the agitation programme would be chalked out after the organisational elections were over. The sources said that all sections would be represented in the party’s organisation. Interestingly, the party has come around to the view that apart from the locals, those who had come to the NCT of Delhi from other parts of the country and settled here would also be adjusted in the organisation in order to make it more effective and strong. Meanwhile, in the preliminary discussions Mr Mishra has had with Delhi Pradesh BJP President Harshvardhan and his team, the issues the party wants to raise in the agitation programme planned over the next few weeks were thrashed out. The stir will primarily focus on the anti-people policies of the UPA Government. Mr Mishra has said that the performance of the UPA government had been far below expectations and the Delhi Pradesh BJP would soon expose this by comparing it with the NDA Government. The Delhi Pradesh BJP, he added, would take the lead in this regard by telling people about the follies of the UPA government. BJP bewildered at Lovely’s ‘radical’ ideas Faux pas or plain ignorance? The BJP seems to be asking the Education Minister, Mr Arvinder Singh Lovely, for airing his ‘radical’ ideas in the recent meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education. Responding to the minister’s views with bewilderment, the party has gone on to question the minister’s understanding of the department he heads. “I am amazed that Mr Lovely has asked the Union HRD Minister to permit the opening of new colleges. It seems Mr Lovely has no idea or the knowledge about higher education in Delhi. Education being a State subject, the Government of NCT of Delhi can open new colleges after taking up the matter with the university,” said Leader of Opposition Jagdish Mukhi. Mr Mukhi has also faulted the minister for factual errors in his statement. |
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Benegal gets Vikram Sarabhai
award
New Delhi, August 12 Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Yashpal, former Chairman of the UGC, said, “Education should not be handed out uniformly as if in packets and delivered by teachers like postmen. Instead, education has to be acquired and transmitted.” Admitting that a joyful experience for him has been his interaction with children, Prof Yashpal said that children refuse to be held hostage to curriculum. He said adults, when embarrassed by questions asked by children, often discourage them from posing questions. Reacting to the increasing fascination with the Internet, he said, “Surfing, itself means staying on the surface. You don’t go deep into a subject. When you get what you are looking for, at best you take a printout. It stops you from asking questions.” Underscoring the need to make education more meaningful, Benegal said that the valve of aural learning, which the children have, closes when they are exposed to literacy. He said education through communication should be carried out in a relaxed and easy manner. Chairman of the UGC, Prof Arun Nigavekar, in his address spoke of his “dream”. He said in 10 years there would be face to face communication in a classroom, but blended with technology. The teachers, he said, would rely on audio-video aids teach, “Which is why I call all the EMRC’s and AVRC’s educational multimedia resource centres,” he said. The Consortium for Educational Communication (CEC) is an inter- university centre set up by the University Grants Commission with the aim of utilising electronic media in education. |
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Ex-bank manager held for cheating
New Delhi, August 12 The accused were identified as Joginder Singh Raina and Harminder Kaur. Raina had stayed as tenant in the complainant’s house when he was posted as the Manager in the Punjab and Sind Bank, Agartala. During his stay, he promised to arrange a petrol pump for Ruma Kaur in the USA for which he demanded Rs 80 lakh. Ruma Kaur, who was enthused at the prospect, also sold her properties worth Rs 22 lakh in Agartala and shifted to Delhi on Raina’s advice. The complainant also purchased a plot in Malviya Nagar and included Raina’s name in the deed. The complainant also purchased two Janata flats in Rohini. During this time, Raina got several bank papers signed by Ruma Kaur on the pretext of arranging her US visa.
Murder case solved With the arrest of five persons, the North-West district police claim to have solved a robbery-cum-murder case in the Sultanpuri area. The police also seized a sophisticated Webly Scot revolver and Rs 1.15 lakh in stolen cash from their possession. The police had received information that one person had been shot at near Krishna Vihar on Kanjhawala road; accordingly, he was shifted to the Jaipur Golden hospital. However, the victim, identified as Somnath Malhotra, manager at Krishna Vihar Coco-Cola depot, was declared brought dead by the doctors. The assailants also robbed Rs 3 lakh in cash from the dickey of his scooter before fleeing. During the investigation, the police questioned several persons in the Coca-Cola depot and found one person, Vekatesh Rao, alias Raju, a resident of West Bengal, giving contradictory statements about his whereabouts on the day of the incident. During interrogation, however, he confessed to having committed the crime along with his associate, identified as Dharmender Kumar, alias Chhotu, a juice seller. He revealed that he had been working as a driver in the depot and knew that Malhotra used to carry cash to deposit in the Nirankari Colony head office everyday. When he shared this information with Dharmender, the latter contacted his three other associates, identified as Jaswinder Singh alias Bhura, resident of Zafarpur Kalan, Surender Singh alias Kala, resident of Bawana, and Sunil Kumar alias Dhilla, resident of Najafgarh. On the fateful day, Raju’s four associates committed the crime on the Khanjawala Road as per his instructions.
Case cracked The North-West district police also claims to have solved a daylight robbery in the Azadpur market, after arresting three persons in this connection. Armed persons had shot dead one Krishan Lal and escaped with Rs 2.90 lakh in the Azadpur Mandi. The police had received a tip-off that the suspects involved in the crime would be coming near Kelagodown railway line. The suspects started firing at the police team when it sighted the latter near the Kelagodown railway line. However, they were soon overpowered. They were identified as Haridwar alias Chacha, Babloo Passi alias Bhola, Subhash alias Sat Parkash, all residents The police also seized one country-made weapon, one live cartridge and two spring-actuated knives from their possession.
Criminal held With the arrest of a desperate criminal, identified as Baldev Singh Negi of Suleman gang, the West district police claims to have solved five cases of robbery in Shahdara, Moti Nagar, Saraswati Vihar and Prashant Vihar. In another case, the West district police claims to have arrested three auto-lifters and worked out five cases of auto thefts in the Rajouri Garden area. The accused persons were identified as Randhir, Baljeet and Manoj, all residents of Palam. |
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Relocation of units: BJP wants review petition filed
New Delhi, August 12 Seeking to remind the Chief Minister of the unanimous resolution passed by the Delhi Legislative Assembly recently, the President of Delhi Pradesh BJP, Dr Harshvardhan, said that residential areas with more than 70 per cent concentration of industries ought to be redesignated as industrial zones. He said that there are 24 such areas in the national Capital and the industries located in them should be regularised. It is the responsibility of the Union Government and the Government of NCT of Delhi, Dr Harshvardhan said, to amend the Master Plan “before September 7” and demarcating the 24 areas as industrial zones. The president of the Delhi Pradesh BJP claimed that the industries were paying the “ill consequences” of the Government of NCT of Delhi’s red-tapism and “casual approach”. He cited the instance of Bawana where the government has developed plots for relocating the polluting industries, but which did not have the basic infrastructure like water, electricity and security. |
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Chamber clamours for
infrastructure
New Delhi, August 12 Lack of inter-agency cooperation and lack of clarity of roles has been a major impediment. In some industrial areas, civic services are non-existent as the DDA has not handed over the industrial areas to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. The chamber has called upon the Delhi Government to remove such anomalies and expedite setting up of a single agency for maintenance of all 28 approved industrial areas. This is needed to provide immediate support to the small and medium enterprises in the national Capital. Commenting on the poor state of infrastructure, the PHDCCI has observed that most industrial areas in Delhi are without proper roads, drainage, sewage, water and street lighting and waste disposal facilities. |
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Man gets 10-yr RI for rape of
daughter
New Delhi, August 12 “Relationship between a father and a daughter is one of the most sacred relationships recognised in our country. The trauma of the victim must have been manifold because she underwent silent suffering of being raped by her own father and the pain of two abortions,” Additional Sessions Judge Swaran Kanta said. “There cannot be anything more unfortunate than a daughter giving birth to the son of her own father,” the court said, adding that Pathak indulged in the “immoral and beastly act of satisfying his lust with his own daughter” from the time she was 17 years old till she turned 21. The court said that the DNA test to determine the child’s paternity was not insisted upon as the boy was later given to a childless couple and the test would have adversely affected the future of the child and the victim, who has got married now. The court rejected Pathak’s plea for not giving him a harsh punishment, saying that when a father, ideally the protector of his daughter, himself sexually abuses her, there is no place for mercy or leniency. The girl disclosed the incident to her landlady who in turn took her to some social workers. They finally helped her lodge the complaint with the police. |
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No change yet in senior citizen age
limit
New Delhi, August 12 Following this announcement, a number of people reached the office of the Assessor and Collector to deposit their tax and demanded 30 per cent rebate as announced by the Corporation. However, they returned disappointed. The Assessor and Collector, Mr Feroz Khan, said that the Corporation was still sticking to 65 years as the age limit for being considered a senior citizen. Thus far, the department on the change in status has issued no official statement, he said. Following the statement by the member of the Hardship and Anomaly Committee, the Corporation sought a clarification from the Union Ministry of Justice and Empowerment, which has clarified that the corporation was still sticking to the age limit of 65 years and no modification has been brought about. There is no uniformity in the age limit for senior citizens. Different states have different age limit for senior citizens, said an official in the Union Ministry of Justice and Empowerment. To reduce the age limit for senior citizens, an amendment in the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act is required, the sources said. When senior official of the Corporation appealed to the Ministry of Justice and Empowerment to make the necessary amendment in the DMC Act, they were directed to continue with the existing age limit for the senior citizens. It will take at least one year to make the amendment, sources said. The Law Department of the Delhi Government also clarified that the corporation cannot change the age limit for senior citizens. The Principal Secretary, Urban Development, Delhi Government, Mr S. P. Kelkar, also said that there would be no modification in the age limit. |
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Choked sewers throw life out of
gear
Faridabad, August 12 While the problem of sewer choking and blocking has been quite common throughout the year here, the situation turns worse during the rainy season. This happens as the district and the civic administration hardly prepare for the season. The authorities do not clean the sewers and flood water drains before the monsoon. It results in choking of sewers at several places after the downpour. As there is no proper network of the drains along the roads, flood water rushes into the sewer pipes, which do not function properly. “The town has several hundreds of kilometres long sewerage network in the town, which is not cleaned or repaired until it becomes acute,” says K. L. Gera, a social activist here. Claiming that the population of the urban areas in the district had gone up several times in the past couple of decades, but the civic authorities have not upgraded the system, which could address this common problem, he said. Another resident alleged that as the fault-attending service of the Municipal Corporation was itself faulty, the residents turn to private contractors to do the cleaning and repair work, though the corporation collects sewerage charges from the residents regularly. The resident claimed that the majority of the private contractors had been relatives or known to the safai karamcharis of the civic body. While the problem may be acute in densely populated areas, the so-called posh areas are also not spared. The well-known Magpie Tourist Complex of the Haryana Tourism located in Sector-16-A, on the main Mathura Road, is having blocked sewers for the last two months. Filthy waste greets a visitor. The entire NIT area has been facing the problem. A resident said that the civic officials had not chalked out any long-term plan to solve the problem. The Senior Deputy Mayor of the Municipal Corporation, Mr Shiv Charan Lal Sharma, admits that the problem needs huge funds. While several large colonies like Jawahar Colony, Sanjay Colony and Dabua Colony are still to have any sewer network, the safai karamcharis need to be equipped with safety kits, he added. |
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40,000 quacks making a killing in
Delhi
New Delhi, August 12 He said it was ironical that the anti-quackery bill had not been passed so far. It was produced in the Delhi Assembly for the first time in September 1997 when Dr Harsh Vardhan was the Health Minister of Delhi. It had been proposed in the bill that if a person was convicted of quackery, he would be given three years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 3 lakh. However, the bill could not be passed. In May 2001, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had announced that health was a state subject and stringent action would be taken against those who tried to play with the lives of innocent patients. Following the announcement, the Delhi health ministry was given the directive to enlist genuine doctors. About 26,000 doctors have since been enlisted so far in Delhi Medical Council (Allopathy), Prachine Chikitisha Parishad (Ayurvedic) and Homeopathic Board (Homeopathy). All the same, more than 40,000 quacks are doing medical practices with the help of local people and the police, Dr Bansal said. “When Dr C. P. Thakur was the health minister, he tried hard to place the bill in Parliament, but due to opposition from the members of other parties, he had to give up the proposal. Now Health Minister Anbhumani Ramdoss, a doctor himself, has admitted in a seminar recently that 80 per cent of the health care sector is cornered by the quacks. Even then, he has not taken any initiative to place the bill in Parliament,” Dr Bansal said. The existing law to punish a quack is not stringent enough. There is only a provision of fine of Rs 500. The law should be made more effective, Dr Bansal added. |
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More women falling prey to heart
ailments
New Delhi, August 12 The president of Heart Care Foundation of India, Dr K. K. Aggarwal, made this startling disclosure here today. Dr Aggarwal pointed out that the strongest predictor of death from heart attack in women is diabetes, which carries fivefold increased risk. There are more than one crore diabetic patients in our country, the majority of them being women. Another major risk factor for both men and women is high cholesterol levels in blood. The body makes more cholesterol when you are emotionally stressed and Indian women are under greater stress today than ever before. Dr Aggarwal said that the increased incidence of obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and coronary heart disease among women are due to many factors. They include poor diet, eating lots of sweets, fatty and deep-fried foods that have much hidden fat. Other major factor is insufficient physical activity, a condition which is common in the majority of middle class and affluent urban women. “Another cause of women’s heart problem is that more women have taken to smoking and drinking. They are also working outside their homes besides looking after their children and households. So they are advised to take to yoga and meditation for better health.” Dr Aggarwal announced on the occasion that September 5 would be observed as the Heart Day for Women. To mark that event, a heart festival will be organised by the foundation at New Delhi YMCA Ground. It will be attended by more than a thousand women from different walks of life. Dr Aggarwal said this is for the first time that a function to focus on the health of women’s heart is being organised in the Capital. Well-known kathak exponent Shovana Narayan, model Simar Duggal, beauty consultant Blossom Kochhar are also associated with the campaign. |
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Sexual abuse of child
rampant
New Delhi, August 12 A survey conducted sometime back by the Rahi Foundation, an NGO working in the field of child sexual abuse and incest, had revealed some shocking details. The study was done on 600 women belonging to the middle class between 16 and 67 years. It showed that as many 76 per cent of them had been abused in their childhood, whether in milder or intensive form of rape. And out of them, 40 per cent had been abused by someone from the family—uncle, cousin, brother and father. Anuja Gupta, counsellor, child sexual abuse and incest and executive director, Rahi Foundation, says: Very few women can say that nothing ever happened to them while they were growing up. The impact of the abuse depends upon its nature and closeness the victim shares with the abuser. Nevertheless, such experiences are very traumatic and a woman never forgets. These women experience a lot of problems in their future relationships. There has been a betrayal of trust and victims are either unable to trust anybody or end up trusting wrong people. Besides, they do not either want to be touched or may get into multiple sexual relationships. As mothers, they can be extremely paranoid and protective. At times they become alcoholics or suffer from anorexia nervosa or bulimia. R.K. Gupta (psychotherapist) consultant, Tirathram Hospital, Civil Lines: Incest is inappropriate, whether forced or with consent. Whether a girl is letting it happen to her due to fear or because she has been lured with a gift, when she grows up and begins to understand, she will suffer from mental trauma and a feeling of guilt. Abusers mainly suffer from personality disorder together with psychopathic and sociopath traits. Mallika Akbar, psychoanalyst practising in Gurgaon, says: No one who has been raped escapes the trauma. In case of incest, it is mostly the father or the uncle. Women who have been abused as children live with a feeling of shame and fear. Generally, it is kept as a secret and less than 10 per cent cases ever come for counselling. Later in life, the experience manifests as phobic anxiety and depression and affects the sexuality of the individual. |
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RCI disability courses for developing
nations
New Delhi, August 12 The RCI recently signed an agreement with the IGNOU and MP Bhoj University to promote and implement distance education programmes for teachers and other professionals in the area of disability in countries like Maldives, Mauritius and Liberia. Foreign students from Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal and Pakistan have been taking up the courses, but had to come to the country to pursue the same. This is the first time the RCI is chalking out a strategy to promote its courses in other nations, where the problems concerning disabled persons are more or less similar to that in India. ‘‘We realise that India is one of the few countries in Asia that offers advanced courses on disability and rehabilitation and that too at a very low cost. It is time that we start promoting them to provide quality rehabilitation education,” said Padam Bhushan, Major HPS Ahluwalia, Chairman, RCI. The courses cover various disabilities, including, hearing and visual impairment, mental retardation and loco motor disabilities. |
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Utsav-04 at Birla Vidya Niketan
New Delhi, August 12 While the host school won the overall trophy, the second best performance came from DPS, Vasant Kunj. The festival took off with the Hindi debate Manthan. There were other events like the English debate, ‘Cross Currents’ and the art and modeling session, Rangalaap. There was also a competition for IT savvy students called the Tech Edge. The computer geniuses from DPS Vasant Kunj left with the coveted trophy in this competition. The aesthetic presentations at ‘Nritya Aradhana’, the dance competition, were mesmirising. Then, there was the Indian classical music competition called ‘Sangeet Sadhana’ besides the western music section called the ‘Cloud Burst’. DPS Mathura Road took the honours in group category in ‘Clod Burst’ while in the solo event BVN took the first position. |
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International School of Media set up in
Noida
Noida, August 12 The courses commence from August 2004 at the school, located on the state-of-the-art studio complex and production centre of BAG Films in the Film City Noida. “Today’s youth is aware and conscious of the career opportunities available. The field of media communication is a fast growing industry that offers ample options for a successful career. ISOMES, with its excellent faculty and the latest in the media industry, caters to the focused and talented youth,” said Nalin S Kohli, Director, ISOMES. ISOMES will also offer short duration courses in various aspects of Media and Entertainment including Production, Direction, Editing, Graphics and Special Effects, Scripting & Dialogue, Acting, among others. The curriculum structure, design and content of the courses are based on the famous Missouri method and the latest industry requirements.
Aptech’s degree programme New Delhi: Aptech University announced the launch of its degree programme for the students aiming to pursue courses in management, IT, media studies, humanities and social sciences. —
TNS |
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Schoolboy crushed to
death
Faridabad, August 12 While the bus driver fled after the accident, the police have booked a case against him. According to reports, the accident took place at about 1 pm, when the deceased identified as Manoj (8), a resident of the Jharsentli village, was returning home from the school. It is learnt that a bus of the Rajasthan Roadways coming from Palwal side hit the boy from behind, who was walking on the side of the highway. A large number of villagers then assembled on the spot and tried to stop the traffic in protest against the death of the student. It is only when the police reached the spot after sometime that the traffic was restored. Some of the villagers demanded construction of a speed-breaker on the road. |
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Charter Certificate
New Delhi, August 12 The function was attended by the Chairman of Rotary Foundation Carlos Rizvaza and other distinguished dignitaries of Rotary Fraternity from abroad and India. Sharad Daga informed the galaxy of audiences that Rotary Club of Delhi Imperial was the first club in district. |
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