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Rs 1,300-cr package for Arunachal
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh blesses a sick child during his visit to Ramakrishna Mission Hospital in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, on Thursday. — PTI photo
Ram Setu: SC breather to Centre
Corporal punishment lands student in hospital
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CRPF jawan kills Addl DIG
Per Capita Expenditure
MiG-27 crashes, pilot safe
R-Day Parade
Stall FDI decisions: Left
Pauri Garhwal Byelection
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Rs 1,300-cr package for Arunachal
Itanagar, January 31 “I sincerely wish like the sun, Arunachal Pradesh will shine as a new star rising from the east and become one of the best states of our country,” he said while addressing a jam-packed Indira Gandhi Park in Itanagar. Dr Singh on his maiden visit to Arunachal assured the people that the government was firmly committed to set up rail, road and air connectivity infrastructure to bring the bordering state closer to the mainland India. He said better connectivity held the key to rapid development of the far-flung state. Thousands of tribal people from far-flung areas of the state converged to the rally ground wearing colorful tribal dresses and unique headgears to listen the Prime Minister who came to their state for the first time. The weather also looked up after two days of rains much to the relief of the people. Dr Singh said the Central government was keen to tap the hydro-electricity resources of Arunachal Pradesh in coordination with the state government adding that tapping hydro-electricity potential can change the face of the state given that the state could earn revenue in the range of Rs 300 to over Rs 600 crore a year. The Prime Minister today inaugurated 110 MW Daimukh Hydro-electricity Project near Itanagar besides laying the foundation of 3000 MW Dibang Hydro-electricity project to be implemented by National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC). He announced that the Central government has drawn up a Rs 550-crore project to light up all border villages in Arunachal Pradesh within two years by setting up of solar and mini-hydel power projects. The hill state has long borders with China (1080 km), Myanmar (440 km) and Bhutan (160 km). He also announced a flood mitigation project of Rs 400 crore and another Rs 265 crore for completion of several other incomplete flood moderation projects inn the hill state Dr Singh today laid the foundation of 32 km Harmoti (Assam)-Itanagar Railway line that will put the state in the map of Indian Railways and facilitate people from the state to travel to destinations in rest of the country through Guwahati and Rangiya in Assam. The project will cost around Rs 245 crore. Survey is being done for two more rail line projects connecting Arunachal Pradesh. Announcing that a daily chopper service between Guwahati to Tawang, the tourist hot spot in the hill state, will be started soon, the PM said about a blue print being prepared for setting up several green field airports in the hill state. He announced that four-lane Trunk Arunachal Pradesh Highway (1840 km) connecting all important centres of the state including Tawang, Bomdila, Mahadevpur, Khunsa would be constructed to trigger rapid development . The state capital Itanagar will be connected to the four-land highway while all district headquarters of the state will be connected by two-lane highways. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, DONER minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, minister of state in the PMO, Prithviraj Chavan. The newly-appointed Arunachal Pradesh Governor and former Indian Army chief, General J.J. Singh (retd) also shared the dais with the PM who was felicitated with a colourful Arunachali jacket with Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu. Dr Singh also unveiled a bust of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and inaugurated Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan, headquarter of the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee. Earlier, he addressed the party leaders and workers in the state party headquarter and exhorted all of them to contribute towards speedy development of the hill state.
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Ram Setu: SC breather to Centre
New Delhi, January 31 Additional solicitor general R. Mohan made a special request before a three-judge Bench, headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, that the government needed at least four weeks’ more time to file its affidavit. Amidst strong protest by Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy, a key petitioner in the case, the court acceded to the government request giving it a breather till first week of March to submit the affidavit. Swamy urged the court that the government should be instructed to file two separate affidavits by the Shipping Ministry and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) making their stand clear on realignment of Sethusamudram canal and declaring of “Ram Setu” as national heritage monument, respectively. As Mohan said the government would deal with all aspects of the case in detail, the court did not say anything on Swamy’s plea. On January 16, when the court had given the Centre time till February 12 to file the affidavit, attorney-general Milon Banerjee had said the government would file only one comprehensive affidavit. Taking the same line, Mohan without committing anything whether to file a single affidavit or separate replies by the Shipping Ministry and ASI said, “We will address all the issues.” Swamy objected to the government move and said this was an attempt by the government to bide time in a sensitive case as the court had earlier given it sufficient time by adjourning the case twice, after the Centre had withdrawn the ASI’s controversial “Ram did not exist” affidavit. The ASI affidavit questioning the existence of Ram and other characters of Ramayana had caused the UPA government a lot of embarrassment as it came under sharp attack from the Opposition BJP and other ‘Sangh Parivar’ outfits. Considering the sensitivity of the case, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had set up a cabinet sub-committee of four senior ministers - Pranab Mukherjee, H.R. Bhardwaj, T.R. Balu and Ambica Soni - to deal with the issue and filing of the affidavit in the Supreme Court.
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Fear of Hindu backlash makes Cong go slow
New Delhi, January 31 The BJP is gearing up to put the Congress in the dock on the twin issues of minority appeasement and the Ram Setu project in the coming elections, hoping that it will emerge as another political flashpoint like its campaign on the Ayodhya temple. Having already come under severe attack for its last affidavit in the Supreme Court in which the UPA government questioned the very existence of Lord Ram, the Centre is now playing for time as it has sought and got four more weeks to clarify its stand on the issue. In
Maharashtra, the Congress-NCP government’s decision not to appeal against the acquittal of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and others involved in the 1992 riot cases indicates the Congress is worried that its action could lead to deep polarisation in the state. The Congress official position is that it is not going slow on these cases. “We are pursuing the cases vigorously ... if any evidence is found, we will not hesitate to prosecute anybody,” Veerappa
Moily, chairperson of the AICC media department, said today, adding that the Congress was not shielding anybody but it was also not for political revenge. The fact is that the Congress is faced with a real dilemma in both instances. If it goes ahead with the Sethusamudram project, it will come under attack from the BJP and other Hindu groups who want the project scrapped on the plea that it will destroy the Ram
Setu, a man-made structure that holds immense “religious significance” for the Hindus. On the other hand, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi is insisting that the project should not be stalled as the bridge is not a man-made structure. The DMK is a key ally of the UPA government and is known for its anti-Aryan and anti-Ram beliefs. The Congress cannot afford to go along with this view as it will end up paying a heavy electoral price for it. Already in the eye of a storm over the last affidavit, culture minister Ambika Soni is not taking any chances this time. She told mediapersons today that the Archaeological Survey of India could not give its verdict on the structure (whether it is man-made or a natural formation) without undertaking some kind of a survey. That the Centre had to do a balancing act on this mater was evident when Soni said besides the ASI’s opinion, they also had to look at the cultural aspects like “faith and beliefs of the people”. Like the Ram Setu project, the 1993 Mumbai riots cases are also worrying the Congress. On one hand, it is worried that if it goes ahead with the prosecution of those involved, it will provide an emotive electoral issue to the BJP-Shiv Sena combine. On the other hand, if it does not move ahead in these cases, it will have to face the resentment of the Muslim community.
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Corporal punishment lands student in hospital
Chennai, January 31 After Delhi, Tamil Nadu was the second state in India to ban corporal punishment. Gladius Sophia, studying in Class II at St Sebastian’s Matriculation Higher Secondary School, came home with a swollen hand. She complained that her teacher, Amila, hit her repeatedly on her right hand as she could not write “fast enough”. Her parents rushed her to a nearby hospital and she had to be admitted. The school is yet to take any action against the teacher as principal Rosalind Louis claimed that the child injured herself after falling down. However, the teacher said: “Sophia is an intelligent girl. She never did any mischief in the class. She lazily wrote the class work given to all students. I had no intention to beat her.” Sophia’s mother Stella said: “My daughter returned home weeping, with a swelling on her knuckles and she complained of severe pain. We rushed her to the hospital fearing a fracture.” The child’s father Daniel has lodged a complaint with the police and tension prevailed in Pallavaram, on the outskirts of the city as the traders’ association went to school. The police registered a case against the teacher under Section 324 of the IPC. One of Sophia’s classmates said: “Sophia screamed after she was hit by the teacher and swooned. We informed her uncle, running a medical shop close to the school, about it. However, the school authorities did not allow him to see Sophia.” With number of cases of hospitalisation of school students going up and even some committing suicides due to corporal punishments over the last few years, the state government last year banned it.
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CRPF jawan kills Addl DIG
Hyderabad, January 31 Enraged over the superior officer, who rejected his leave application, constable Hanumantharaju whipped out a revolver and fired at Khan from a close-range. The shoot-out occurred at CRPF group centre at Chandrayangutta. Khan was rushed to Osmania General Hospital, where he was declared dead. Two bullets pierced through Khan’s head while another hit his chest. According to the police sources, the jawan had an altercation with the officer over his leave request. In a fit of rage, he opened three rounds of fire at Khan, who collapsed and died. Khan, who had earlier served in Rapid Action Force (RAF), hailed from the city. It is said that Hanumantharaju had applied for a leave to go to his native village in Guntur district but his application was rejected.
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Per Capita Expenditure
New Delhi, January 31 Punjab’s MPCE in urban household was Rs 1,520 as against the national average of Rs 1,171, while in the rural household the state’s MPCE stood at Rs 1,010 against the national average of Rs 625, according to Household Consumer Expenditure report for the year 2005-06 released by National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO). Kerala’s average MPCE in urban household was Rs 1566 and in rural household Rs 1056. Haryana, which stood Ninth in the list of average MPCE in urban household at Rs 1,156, was number three in the list of rural household with an average MPCE of Rs 743. Among the urban households, Punjab was followed by Assam (Rs 1,352), Maharashtra (Rs 1,342), Andhra Pradesh (Rs 1,304), West Bengal (Rs 1,233), Chhattisgarh (Rs 1,214), Tamil Nadu (1,171) and Haryana (Rs 1,156). Among the Rural households, Punjab was followed by Harayana (Rs 743), Andhra Pradesh (Rs 704), Rajasthan (Rs 701), Maharashtra (Rs 697), Tamil Nadu (Rs 688), Gujarat (Rs 684) and Assam (Rs 626). The survey, carried out during July 2005-June 2006, points out that nearly 19 per cent of the Indian rural population belonged to households with monthly per capita consumption expenditure less than Rs 365, that is spending less than Rs 12 per person, per day, on consumption at 2005-06 prices. In urban India, 22 per cent of the population belonged to households with monthly per capita expenditure less than Rs 580 (about Rs 19 per person per day). Out of every rupee spent in 2005-06 by the average rural Indian on consumption, 53 paise was spent on food. Of this, 17 paise was spent on cereals and cereal substitutes, 8 paise on milk and milk products, 6 paise on vegetables, 5 paise on sugar, salt and spices, and 4 paise on beverages, refreshments, processed food and purchased meals. Out of every rupee spent in 2005-06 by the average urban Indian on consumption, 40 paise were spent on food. Of this, 9 paise were spent on cereals and cereal substitutes, 7 paise on milk and milk products, 6 paise on beverages, refreshments and processed food, and 4 paise on vegetables. The survey also points out that about 19 per cent of rural households lived in katcha structures, about 50 per cent lived in pucca structures and remaining 31 per cent of rural households lived in semi-pucca structures. In urban India, the percentage of households using LPG as the major fuel for cooking was in the range of 40-75 per cent in all the major states. In rural India, 74 per cent of households continued to depend on firewood and chips as their major cooking fuel. About 9 per cent used dung cake and another 9 per cent used LPG. About 56 per cent of households in rural India used electricity for lighting while 42 per cent used kerosene. The survey covered the country except Leh (Ladakh) and Kargil districts of Jammu and Kashmir, interior villages of Nagaland situated beyond five km from the bus routes and villages in Andaman and Nicobar Islands which remain inaccessible throughout the year. The survey was spread over a randomly drawn sample of 39,436 households spread over 4,750 villages and 5,120 urban blocks.
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MiG-27 crashes, pilot safe
Kolkata, January 31 “The aircraft had got airborne from the Hashimara airbase in Jalpaiguri district and was on a routine training flying mission when the incident occurred. Wg Cdr J. Singh ejected safely,” defence ministry chief public relations officer Wg Cdr R.K. Das said. The crash occurred around 12.40 pm, according to an IAF spokesperson in New Delhi. There was no damage to civil property. An inquiry has been ordered to determine the cause for the accident, Das said. This is the first crash of an IAF aircraft this year. —
IANS
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R-Day Parade
New Delhi, January 31 The CISF contingent bagged the coveted award for the best marching contingent among paramilitary and other auxiliary units. Defence minister A.K. Antony gave away the prizes at a colourful function here today. The tableau of Kerala depicting Onam festival was awarded the best while the second prize went to Karnataka which depicted the Hoysala temple. The tableau of the ministry of human resource development on the theme ‘education of girl child’ was awarded the third prize. Tripura and Karnataka were jointly awarded for fabrication of their tableaux. In the children’s pageant category, ‘Tiranga Sakshi Hai’ presented by students of Kamal Model Senior Secondary School and Vandana International Senior Secondary School of Delhi was given the first prize. The second prize went to Government Girls School, Trilokpuri, for their presentation ‘Gaurav’. — PTI
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Stall FDI decisions: Left
New Delhi, January 31 In a statement, the CPM said the CMP speaks of encouraging FDI in the areas of infrastructure, high technology and exports but the FDI policy review undertaken by the Union Cabinet did not reflect such an approach. Referring to the Cabinet decisions, the CPM said the move to raise the foreign equity cap from 26 per cent to 49 per cent in petroleum refining PSUs would pave the way for further disinvestment in PSUs. It said the condition of compulsory divestment of 26 per cent stake to an Indian partner in case of petroleum trading and marketing companies had also been removed and these moves would result in enlarging the presence of foreign companies in the strategic petroleum and natural gas sector. It said further liberalisation of FDI norms in cargo airlines as well as ground-handling operations should be reviewed from the security aspect. Terming as unwarranted, the decision to allow FDI and FII up to 49 per cent in commodity exchanges, the CPM said the government had earlier issued an ordinance to amend the Forward Contracts Regulation Act enabling the participation of foreign players in the commodity futures market. The party said the government move defied the recommendation of a Parliamentary Standing Committee, which had categorically opposed such a provision. “The government seems to be impervious to the opinion across the political spectrum that the liberalisation of commodity exchanges is not in the interest of maintaining price stability in the economy,” the statement said. It said the decision to allow 100 per cent FDI in titanium mining was another retrograde move as the role of public sector should be strengthened in the extraction of exhaustible minerals.
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Pauri Garhwal Byelection
Dehra Dun, January 31 One of the major reasons going against him was that he had been losing all the electoral battles in the constituency since 1989 except 1996, when he won due to poll boycott by Uttarakhand movement activists. “Though we are bound by the party decision but it’s surprising that in spite of his past record as a continuous loser, he was preferred to Dehra Dun Mayor Manorama Sharma Dobriyal, another contender in the panel sent to the high command,” rued a senior state Congress functionary. The mood at the state Congress office here today was palpable as after announcement of his name by state Congress chief Yashpal Arya, Maharaj made a quick departure after formal address to the local leaders without interacting with them on the forthcoming poll issue.
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Itanagar, January 31
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