New Delhi, August 30
The Cabinet today approved the release of additional 6 per cent dearness allowance and dearness relief to Central Government employees and pensioners from from July 1, 2007. The rate of DA from July 1 will be 41per cent for the employees, constituting an increase of 6 per cent over the existing 35 per cent, said information and broadcasting minster Priyaranjan Dasmunshi after the meeting. The Cabinet gave its approval for launching of Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana (AABY) from October 2 covering the death and permanent disability for the benefit of rural landless households.

The scheme provides for insurance of the head of the family or an earning member of the family of rural landless household between the age of 18 to 59 years against natural death as well as accidental death and partial/permanent disability. The annual premium payable per member is Rs 200, which will be paid equally by the Centre and the state government.

As per this scheme, in case of natural death of the insured person, he/she will get Rs 30,000, in accidental death the sum is Rs 75,000 and for total permanent disability of the insured person Rs 75,000 (loss of two eyes or two limbs or loss of one eye and one limb in accident) and for partial permanent disability, it will be Rs 37,500 (loss of one eye or one limb in an accident).

The scheme also provides scholarships to two children of the beneficiaries studying in 9th to 12th Standard. It will be Rs 300 per quarter per child.

Dasmunshi said a fund of Rs 1,000 crore would be set up to be operated by the LIC for meeting the liability of the Central Government towards its share of premium payment.

As per the National Sample Survey, the number of rural landless households in the country is 1.5 crore. It is expected that in the first year, approximately 70 to 80 lakh of rural landless households will be covered under the scheme requiring an expenditure of Rs.70-80 cr by the Central Government towards its share of 50 per cent premium.

He said a separate Rs 500 crore fund will be set up for the purpose of providing scholarships to children of beneficiaries. The Cabinet also gave its approval for introduction of official amendments to the Factories (Amendment) Bill 2005 pending in the Lok Sabha since August 16, 2005, to amend Section 66 of the Factories Act, 1948.

This amendment will provide flexibility in the matter of employment of women during night hours. The CCEA gave its approval for implementation of the J&K Special Package (Phase-II) for improvement of services of both the All India Radio and the Doordarshan comprising the following components at an estimated cost of Rs 299.87 crore. The special package will enable the DD Kashmir channel to improve its viewership by providing wholesome programmes to its viewers in the state and to effectively counter the influence of propaganda from PoK and across the border.

New Delhi, August 30
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said BJP leader Shanta Kumar had committed a "mean and criminal act by inciting a section of BJP workers" to march with him to the site where a Congress meeting was in progress.

Hitting out at Shanta Kumar and Prem Kumar Dhumal, who was among the BJP leaders leading the march towards the Vidhan Sabha after the party's rally yesterday, Virbhadra Singh said the two leaders should apologise to the peace-loving people of the state for attempting to force their entry in a Congress meeting. Condemning the "irresponsible behaviour" of Shanta Kumar and Dhumal, he said the attempt of the BJP workers was resisted by the police and Congressmen and many of them suffered injuries in stone-pelting by members of opposition party. The Chief Minister said nobody had suspected in their wildest dreams that two former Chief Ministers would try to disrupt a rally.

Visibly annoyed over turn of events yesterday, the Chief Minister directed his criticism mainly at Shanta Kumar, who, he said, was calling the shots.

The Chief Minister said both Congress and BJP had been given permission by the Shimla administration to hold the rallies on the last day of Vidhan Sabha session and specific sites were allotted to them for the meetings.

Virbhadra Singh said after the BJP rally ended, Shanta Kumar "incited" a section of BJP workers to march with him to the site where Congress meeting was in progress.

Maintaining that Congress workers and sympathisers remained peaceful despite great provocation, the Chief Minister said Shanta Kumar should reply why he tried to disrupt Congress meeting at the venue which was specifically assigned to the party.

Denying that there were some differences in the CLP meeting over date and venue of the Congress rally, the Chief Minister said it was decided to hold the rally near the Vidhan Sabha as it was the last sitting of the present Assembly in Shimla. Asserting that the Congress will hold more and more rallies as Assembly polls draw nearer, he said the party believes in peace and was opposed to any kind of violence.

Referring to the boy who died on his way to hospital, the Chief Minister said he was not being carried in an ambulance but in a private vehicle. He said presence of the BJP workers on the highway led to a traffic jam and the vehicle carrying the boy was among those that got stuck. The state government, he said, has announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the bereaved family.

Bangalore, August 30
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has postponed the launch of its latest communication satellite --- INSAT-4CR by one day.

Stating this here today, an ISRO spokesman said the launch, which had to be done from the space port of Sriharikota, was rescheduled because of bad weather conditions. The area had received heavy rain since the past four days.

The satellite, which was to be launched on September 1, will now be launched on September 2. Sources said ISRO was being cautious because of the earlier failure of the GSLV-F04 following which the satellite, which was the in the same class as the INSAT-4CR, was abandoned.

This will be the fifth GSLV. INSAT-4CR carries 12 high-powered Ku-band transponders designed to provide DTH television services, video picture transmission and digital satellite news gathering. 

New Delhi, August 30
Doctors at the AIIMS today called off their strike after the institute’s administration handed over the degrees to 49 doctors.

Sources in AIIMS said this has encouraged other students also to demand for their degrees well before the convocation fixed by the health minister on September 25. Although 650 degrees would be given on the convocation day, the administration is geared up to issue degrees to any doctor who needs it.

In a decision taken here late this afternoon, the AIIMS staff council resolved that the degrees would be signed by the director and dean and issued to the students.

The decision is an obvious snub to the health minister and president of the institute, Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, who had refused to sign the degrees after questioning the signatures of the acting registrar, Dr Sandeep Aggarwal.

He had instead returned the degrees to the AIIMS director for rectifying the mistake.

It has been the tradition in AIIMS that the degrees carry the signatures of the institute’s president, the director,the dean and the registrar.

Sources said the minister's fuss was much ado about nothing because a few years back, the then sub-dean, Prof Rasik Vajapyee, had signed the degrees as the registrar.

In a suo motu statement in both Houses of Parliament today on the strike, Ramadoss said the degrees should bear the signatures of the president, director, dean and the registrar.

Blaming the AIIMS director, Dr Venugopal, for not holding the convacation for the last two years, the minister told Parliament, “As a special case considering the requirement of original degrees for students appearing in United States medical licensing examination, 54 MBBS degrees of 2005 were signed by all concerned.

“Similarly for 2006, 49 degrees were forwarded on August 20, 2007, for my signature as president, AIIMS. These degrees were signed among others by Dr Sandeep Aggarwal as registrar of the institute,” he said.

He said Dr Aggarwal was not the registrar as he had not been appointed by the governing body.

Hailing the decision taken by the AIIMS administration, RDA vice-president Arnab Pal said the minister was making contradictory statements. “AIIMS is in its 51st year now and so far only 26 convocations have been held. It is not manadatory that the degrees should be given at the time of the convocation,” he said.

Lucknow, August 30
An application seeking impleadment of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati in a pending contempt petition for demolishing government bungalows in Mall Avenue here was moved in the Allahabad High Court today.

A single Bench of the High Court headed by Justice Vikram Nath before whom the application came up for hearing here, directed that it be included in the next cause list.

The application is likely to come up for hearing in a week's time.

The application moved by UP Janhit Sangathan, a social welfare organisation, has pleaded that the demolition of the bungalows in Mall Avenue amounted to contempt of court as the state government, in an earlier similar matter, had given a written undertaking that there would be no demolition in the area and the land there would not be allotted to any trust.

The Chief Minister's residence is also located there.

The government then had also said that all the trusts situated in the area would be vacated, the applicant, a retired IAS officer, further submitted. While nothing was done to get the bungalows vacated from the trusts, several bungalows had been demolished on the direction of the Chief Minister, it contended.

The pending contempt petition pertained to the violation of the government undertaking given in 1997 on a writ petition challenging the allotment of bungalows to former Chief Ministers at Mall Avenue.

A contempt petition was filed in 2002 alleging that the government had violated its undertakings by not getting the bungalows vacated. — PTI

New Delhi, August 30
A man having sex with a girl after obtaining her consent on the promise of a marriage does not necessarily constitute rape even if he retracts on his pledge, the Supreme Court has ruled.

Such retraction by the accused would amount to rape only if the consent was obtained by coercion or threat, a Bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and D K Jain said while upholding an appeal filed by the accused Pradeep Kumar.

The apex court maintained that there was no straitjacket formula for determining whether consent given by the girl was voluntary or given under a misconception of fact as it has to be decided on the basis of the circumstances and surrounding factors which led to the alleged consensual sex.

“The court must consider the evidence before it and the surrounding circumstances before reaching a conclusion, because each case has its own peculiar facts which may have a bearing on the question whether the consent was voluntary or was given under a misconception of fact,” the apex court observed.

Pradeep Kumar had filed the appeal against the orders of a Sessions Court and the Patna High Court which rejected his plea for discharge from a case filed against him by a girl who got him booked under Sections 376 IPC (rape) and 406 (breach of trust) for “retracting” on his promise to marry her.

In his appeal before the apex court, the accused claimed that the victim had consensual sex with him and hence the charge of rape or breach of trust cannot be entertained.

Upholding the accused’s contention, the apex court said that courts have to examine whether the person giving consent has given it under fear or misconception of the fact.

“Consent is an act of reason accompanied by deliberation, a mere act of helpless resignation in the face of inevitable compulsion, non-resistance and passive giving in cannot be deemed to be consent,” the apex court said while quoting its earlier observation in the Harnarain case.

However, the apex court said that if an accused at the very outset did not really entertain a bona fide intention of marrying the victim and the promise of marriage was a mere hoax, then such a consent would amount to rape.

Further, the Bench said an accused’s “failure to keep the promise at a future uncertain date due to reasons not very clear on the evidence does not always amount to a misconception of fact.”

The apex court noted that if a fully grown up girl consents to the act of sexual intercourse on a promise of marriage and continues to indulge in such activity until she becomes pregnant it is an act of promiscuity on her part, and not an act induced by misconception of fact.

Hence the Bench remitted the case back to the High Court for fresh consideration of Pradeep Kumar’s plea for discharge. — PTI

Mumbai, August 30
Former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ramrao Adik died here this morning following complications from acute pneumonia and high blood pressure, according to officials at the Leelavati Hospital in suburban Bandra where he was admitted.

Adik, who was ailing for some time, died this morning at 4.40 am. He was 77. A veteran Congress party leader, Adik was a member of Maharashtra's Legislative Council from 1978 to 1996 and had served under various chief ministers like the late Vasantdada Patil, Babasaheb Bhosle, Sudhakarrao Naik, A.R. Antulay and Sharad Pawar.

Apart from being a practicing lawyer, Adik and his family also controlled the Ramrao Adik College of Science and Technology named after him. His younger brother Govindrao Adik is a Congress MLC while his son-in-law Jambuwantrao Dhote is a veteran leader from Vidarbha region.

Ramrao Adik is survived by his wife, daughter and two sons. His funeral is scheduled for later in the day.

Adik who was deputy chief minister of Maharashtra during 1983-85 under Vasantadada Patil was, however, known for his love of the good life. During an official tour to Germany in the 1980s, he was not allowed to fly and was taken away in handcuffs after he misbehaved with an airhostess.

Born into a family of farmers, Ramrao Adik went onto obtain a law degree from the Pune University. He went in for higher studies in law in England and practiced in the Bombay High Court. Adik entered politics on the advise of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Bhubaneswar, August 30
A week after suspending him, the Orissa Government has framed charges against top police official B.B Mohanti, accused of sheltering his rape convict son.

Mohanti, who had been accused of helping his rape convict son jump parole from a jail in Rajasthan,has been charged on three accounts.

The DIG has been accused of not giving any information to the government regarding his visit to Jaipur on November, 2006, to get his son released on parole.He was also blamed for suppressing information in this regard on the pretext that the matter was sub judice.

He was also accused of not helping the government implement a court order to pay an amount of Rs 50,000 as he stood surety while bringing his son on parole. The government was forced to recover money from Mohanti's account.

He was also charged with going on unauthorised leave in a bid to nullify execution of the NBW. Mohanti also did not pay any importance to the government's rejection of his leave application.

Mohanti was suspended on August 24 after a non-bailable warrant was issued against him by a Rajasthan court for allegedly sheltering his son. — PTI

Patna, August 30
Contrary to the present trend where politicians, cutting across party lines, are often found showing overt involvement in sports, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is against the infiltration of politics into the sports arena.

Seizing the opportunity to speak at the Stare Sports Award function here, Nitish, without naming Railways minister and his bete noire Lalu Prasad or the BCCI chief, Sharad Pawar, said the need of the hour was to generate sportsman’s spirit in society by promoting sports and not playing politics in sports.

Nitish said that he was against politicians dabbling in the politics of sports associations. "But there are politicians who are attempting infiltration so that their names remain in circulation even during their lean days in politics," Nitish quipped.

Of late Lalu Prasad has been vocal in favour of the newly formed Indian Cricket League (ICL) and wanted the BCCI not to create obstacles for those cricket players playing for ICL.

Besides, Nitish today announced his government’s decision to make Bollywood film “Chak De India” tax-free in the state with the focus to encourage girl students.

“This film has become very popular and everybody is talking about it,” he said.

Nitish has also promised government jobs for sportspersons winning medals while representing the state at national and international events. “The state government would guarantee jobs for players who won medals and brought pride to the state while participating in national and international events.”

He further revealed his government’s plan to increase the sports quota in the government services.

New Delhi, August 30
The Union Government will unveil a comprehensive plan for promoting rural tourism after the completion of the pilot project being implemented in 104 villages across the country.

The focus of the programme will be capacity building in tourism through an array of measures like the creation of tourist conveniences like budget hotels, training of youth for manning hotels and to act as guides and take up other related vocations.

Stating this at an open house with the tourism industry held under the auspices of the PHD Chamber here, union minister for tourism and cultural affairs Ambika Soni said there was a convergence in views among states and the Central Government for pushing forward the rural tourism by setting up cultural hubs.

These hubs would focus on promoting and packaging folk dances, village crafts, paintings, artisanship etc. Efforts are also under way to connect these hubs to major tourist circuits, which would help tourists to go from one centre to the other and to imbibe the cultural diversity of India.

“We are considering more allocation for tourism capacity building both at the village and district levels,” Soni remarked.

To a question from the floor that the upkeep of the tourist centres were not up to the market despite charging very high fee from the visitors, Soni said the government was seriously thinking about outsourcing cleaning, sanitation and other related works to private agencies.

This, she hoped, would bring more accountability to the cleaning operations. In this regard, she invited the private industry to adopt tourist spots for their all-round development, upkeep and hygienic maintenance.

“These spots are ideal for holding shopping festivals, cuisine displays etc, which can attract a large number of tourists, both from India and abroad,” she said, adding that “India still not has become a hot destination for tourists and a greater degree of private-public partnership is required for achieving the objective.”

Referring to the difficulties in getting adequate land for the construction of hotels in the country to augment the supply of rooms to address to the growing mismatch between the supply and demand for rooms, the minister said she had written to the Prime Minister about trying innovative schemes like land banks, equity sharing and greater degree of the private-public partnership.

She informed that 30,000 additional rooms would be made available in Delhi alone by 2010. Haryana would release additional 8,000 rooms. Intense consultations are on with the Government of UP for building more hotel rooms and also for revising upwards the number of rooms that a guesthouse can have.

The government is also trying to mobilise land from individual sellers for building budget hotels and guesthouses. She also referred to the need for fine-tuning some of the restrictions imposed by the environment ministry to overcome the hurdles faced in identifying the land.