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PM: Cabinet is right mixture of experience, energy
‘New UPA ministry signifies hope, stability’
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Kapil Sibal ‘the argumentative Indian’
D. Napoleon: MoS with star effect
A 50-year divide between oldest and youngest
Kids sold as bonded
labour, rescued
Chandraswamy can go abroad, says SC
Bengal breaks record of Union ministers
Declare Aila a national calamity: Buddha
Tourists stranded
Village set ablaze by miscreants; 2 dead
Cops get leads in Mumbai airport heist
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PM: Cabinet is right mixture of experience, energy
New Delhi, May 28 Asked specifically about future plans for these senior party leaders after the swearing-in ceremony of the 59 new ministers today, the PM said, “There were other avenues of public life in which their experience and wisdom can be used.” Given Delhi’s hyperactive political grapevine, this was immediately interpreted as a move toward their possible appointment as governors since several Raj Bhavans are going to be vacant in the coming months. The PM was also in a confessional mood as he admitted that the delay in the second round of expansion was because they wanted it to be a thorough exercise. Rahul speaks his mind
Clearly in a mood to chat with mediapersons after the swearing-in at Rashtrapati
Bhavan. Rahul spoke passionately about his plans for the Youth Congress and the party’s student wing. When reminded that his grandmother and great grandfather had managed to handle both government and party responsibilities, he threw up his hands, saying, “They were great people. I can not match them.” On a high after the Congress’s spectacular results in Uttar
Pradesh, young Gandhi said though they have been working silently in UP for the last five years, there was still lot work left to be done in the state, adding that the his real success would come when the Hindi heartland states of UP and Bihar “get back on No representation from UP
The absence of a representative from Uttar Pradesh in the Cabinet was the subject of animated conversation at the swearing-in ceremony today. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh , Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi were persistently quizzed about this by
mediapersons. While the PM attributed it to several considerations, including availability of talent, Rahul Gandhi maintained that the problem in UP is far more fundamental than the Congress having a Cabinet minister. The Congress president, however, pinned the blame on her son who opted out of the government. Gesturing towards him, she said “Rahul is the reason there is nobody from UP in the Cabinet. He was offered a berth but he did not take it.” The Congress party’s penchant for sycophancy was on display today as two ministers - Kanti Lal Bhuria and Arun Yadav - touched Congress president Sonia Gandhi and the Prime Minister’s feet after taking oath. DMK minister A.Raja walked up to the second row to shake hands with Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi. ‘ Coming from the North East region, which is often viewed by New Delhi as another part of the world, Agatha’s effort was meant to bridge this gap. She herself put it quite aptly, “It is all about
integration.”
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Portfolios: Here is what they got
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Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of Finance
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P. Chidambaram, Minister of Home n
AK Antony, Minister of Defence n
Sharad Pawar, Minister of Agriculture and Food and Civil Supplies n
SM Krishna, Minister of External Affairs n
Mamata Banerjee, Minister of Railways n
Virbhadra Singh, Minister of Steel n
Vilasrao Deshmukh, Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises n
Ghulam Nabi Azad, Minister of Health and Family Welfare n
Sushil Kumar Shinde, Minister of Power n
M. Veerappa Moily, Minister of Law and Justice n
Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Minister of New and Renewable Energy n
S. Jaipal Reddy, Minister of Urban Development n
Kamal Nath, Minister of Road Transport and Highways n
Vayalar Ravi, Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs n
Meira Kumar, Minister of Water Resources n
Dayanidhi Maran, Minister of Textiles n
A. Raja, Minister of Communications and Information Technology n
Murli Deora, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas n
Ambika Soni, Minister of Information and Broadcasting n
Mallikarjun Kharge, Minister of Labour and Employment n
Kapil Sibal, Minister of Human Resource Development n
BK Handique, Minister of Mines and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region n
Anand Sharma, Minister of Commerce and Industry n
CP Joshi, Minister of Rural Development and Minister of Panchayati Raj n
Selja, Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Minister of Tourism n
Subodh Kant Sahay, Minister of Food Processing Industries n
Dr MS Gill, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports n
GK Vasan, Minister of Shipping n
Pawan Kumar Bansal, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs n
Mukul Wasnik, Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment n
Kantilal Bhuria, Minister of Tribal Affairs n
MK Azhagiri, Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers Ministers of State n Praful Patel Minister of State of Ministry of Civil Aviation n
Prithviraj Chavan Minister of State of Ministry of Science and Technology; Minister of State of Ministry of Earth Sciences and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office; Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs n
Sriprakash Jaiswal Minister of State of the Ministry of Coal and Minister of State of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation n
Salman Khursheed Minister of State of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and Minister of State of the Ministry of Minority Affairs n
Dinsha J. Patel Minister of State of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises n
Krishna Tirath Minister of State of the Ministry of Women and Child Development n
Jairam Ramesh Minister of State of the Ministry of Environment and Forests Ministers of State
n Srikant Jena, Minister of State in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers n
E. Ahamed, Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways n
Mullappally Ramachandran, Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs n
V. Narayansamy, Minister of State in the Ministry of Planning and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs n
Jyotiraditya Scindia Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry n
D. Purandeswari Minister of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development n
KH Muniyappa Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways n
Ajay Maken Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs n
Panabaka Lakshmi Minister of State in the Ministry of Textiles n
Namo Narain Meena Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance n
MM Pallam Raju Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence n
Saugata Ray Minister of State in the Ministry of Urban Development n
SS Palanimanickam Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance n
Jitin Prasad Minister of State in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas n
A. Sai Prathap Minister of State in the Ministry of Steel n
Preneet Kaur Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs n
Gurdas Kamat Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology n
Harish Rawat Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and Employment n
Prof. KV Thomas Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution n
Bharatsinh Solanki Minister of State in the Ministry of Power n
Mahadev S. Khandela Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways n
Dinesh Trivedi Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare n
Sisir Adhikari Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development n
Sultan Ahmed Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism n
Mukul Roy Minister of State in the Ministry of Shipping n
Mohan Jatua Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting n
D. Napoleon Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment n
Dr. S. Jagathrakshakan Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting n
S. Gandhiselvan Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare n
Tusharbhai Chaudhary Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs n
Sachin Pilot Minister of State in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology n
Arun Yadav Minister of State in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports n
Pratik Prakashbapu Patil Minister of State in the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises n
RPN Singh Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways n
Shashi Tharoor Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs n
Vincent Pala Minister of State in the Ministry of Water Resources n
Pradeep Jain Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development n
Agatha Sangma Minister of State in the Ministry of Rural Development
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‘New UPA ministry signifies hope, stability’
New Delhi, May 28 Speaking to reporters after being sworn in as cabinet minister, Abdullah said, “The new UPA government signifies hope, which we all have from it that this government will deliver. Stability and progress have to be achieved as well as good neighbourly relations with all our neighbours.” Dayanidhi Maran of the DMK, who also took oath as a Cabinet minister said, “There is nothing wrong in regional parties hoping for a larger representation in the Union Cabinet. Every regional party has a dream to have more representation in the Union Cabinet,” he said, adding that he would try to do his best in his new capacity. Meanwhile, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, who has also been inducted as a Union Minister, suggested that the “UP model” should be replicated in other states also. Apparently referring to the forthcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, he said the UP formula of Congress going it alone in the state during the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, “had got a good response”. Deshmukh, however, hastened to add that “it is my personal opinion and it is up to the party high command to take a final decision on this”. — PTI
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Kapil Sibal ‘the argumentative Indian’
New Delhi, May 28 Born in Jalandhar in 1948 and resettled in
Chandigarh, this much-respected politician and Supreme Court lawyer hails from a family of advocates and is a politician by chance. He today landed himself the plum post of Human Resource Development Minister in the Manmohan Singh Cabinet. His party colleague and Chandigarh MP Pawan Bansal will be Parliamentary Affairs Minister of the UPA government. As for
Kapil, right from his father Hira Lal and uncle Satish Sibal to brother JK Sibal and nephew Deepak -- are all either past or practising lawyers in the Punjab and Haryana High Court at
Chandigarh. Kapil himself practices in the Supreme Court. It was while practising law that he joined the Congress and contested for the first time from South Delhi seat in 1996, which he lost. He was then elected to the Rajya Sabha after which he again contested the Lok Sabha from Chandni Chowk in 2004. He won the seat in 2004 and retained it this year. In the last term, Kapil worked as the Science and Technology Minister under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and turned around a dead portfolio, overhauling an ailing India Meteorological Department - a reason why the PM trusted him with the all-important HRD ministry. That a graduate from Harvard Law School, who then acquired a masters degree in history from Delhi University, should become a politician was no surprise considering Kapil’s phenomenal advocacy skills, which came to the fore when he defended politicians like RJD chief Lalu Prasad and AIADMK chief
Jayalalithaa. Kapil spent his early life in Chandigarh and was in the first batch of students to have passed out of St John’s High School,
Chandigarh. Later, he went to St Stephen’s College, Delhi. After his masters in law from Harvard and then he returned to India.
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D. Napoleon: MoS with star effect
New Delhi, May 28 Napoleon, now tipped to be MoS for Information and Broadcasting, used to write poetry and the only other interest he had was politics, which he joined as a student under his uncle KN Nehru, a public welfare minister in the DMK cabinet and is still a transport minister in Tamil Nadu and a mentor to Napoleon. To Napoleon, however, films came earlier than politics.At 46, however, Napoleon now has a different role beckoning him. It is his chance to be a real hero, having won from Perumbullur Lok Sabha seat for the first time. Now that his time has come, this actor-turned-politician, is busy getting his act together.
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A 50-year divide between oldest and youngest
New Delhi, May 28 And both of them are making a debut though in different capacities. 77-year-old former Karnataka Chief Minister SM Krishna, who got the External Affairs portfolio, is the oldest minister and is becoming a cabinet minister for the first time. Bespectacled Agatha Sanga (28), a first-time MP and daugther of NCP leader and former Lok Sabha speaker PA
Sangma, is the youngest minister in the new government. She is also the youngest parliamentarian. With the second phase of government formation complete, the ministry of the 76-year-old prime minister will be the largest in 10 years. The strength of the ministry including the prime minister is 79. The constitutional cap on the strength of the Union Council is 82. In 1999, the Atal Bihari
Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government entered office with 69 ministers and in 2004, the UPA with Manmohan Singh as prime minister with 67.
— PTI
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Kids sold as bonded
labour, rescued
New Delhi, May 28 Today, Jubair along with 35 other children was rescued as he had ended up as a bonded labour at a hand embroidery unit at Seelampur, in north-eastern part of the national capital. Talking to the media after his rescue, Jubair said on arriving he realised that he was cheated and was forced to work for hours without wages with meagre meal. Today, when the NGO, Bachpan Bachao Andolan with the help of a local magistrate, the Labour Department and the Delhi Police, rescued 36 children working under the Zari industrial units in the Seelampur area, Jubair cried in happiness as he was released by after two years. Recollecting his past when he used to go to the school, Jubair said, “I was studying in class III in a school near my village. Suddenly, one day a known person (trafficker) came to our house and gave Rs 500 to my father and told him that if he would send me to the city where I would earn double the amount.” “We were like slaves, added Jubair as tears rolled down from his eyes. Another 12- year- old Ravi Kumar (name changed) spent around three years dong this. “My fingers ache as the sharp needles pierce my skin every time I put a wrong stitch. We are made to work from early morning to late in the night and some times the entire night, without food.” The increasing child labour and slavery in the national capital has affected the life of many children, said the Chairperson of BBA, R.S Chaurasia. He estimates that there are over 50,000 children working in different Zari manufacturing units in Delhi. In the past 2 years, BBA has rescued over 1,600 children from these units.” The children rescued today had been trafficked from the Sitamarhi, Darbhanga district of Bihar and two are from Nepal. The Sub Divisional Magistrate, Seelampur, A.K.Sharma said, "Children, worked from 7am to 1 am in the night and did not receive any wage for their work”. Presently, the custody of the children has been handed over to the Mukti Ashram, a rehabilitation centre of the BBA. They will be handed over to their families once the formalities are complete, said A K Sharma. These formalities will include a certificate that entitles them to a rehabilitation package of Rs. 20,000 each and also government schemes like the Indira Awas Yojana, housing schemes etc on a priority basis.
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Chandraswamy can go abroad, says SC
New Delhi, May 28 A vacation Bench comprising Justices VS Sirpurkar and RM Lodha also asked the Passport Office to consider Chandraswami's application for renewal of his passport, which had expired when it was in possession of the Enforcement Directorate and
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Bengal breaks record of Union ministers
Kolkata, May 28 The state has two heavyweight ministers -Finance and Railways headed by Pranab Mukherjee and Mamata Banerjee, respectively. Six new MoS from the Trinamool Congress -Saugata Roy, Sultan Ahmed, Mukul Roy, Sisir Adhikary, CM Jatua and Dinesh Trivedi- took oath today. In the eighties, Pranab Mukherjee held the finance portfolio and ABA Ghani Khan Chowdhury railways in the Indira Gandhi ministry. In the previous UPA government, there were only two Cabinet ministers, Pranab Mukherjee and Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, but no MoS from the state. The state had one Cabinet minister and two MoS in the Atal Behari Vajpayee-led NDA government. Mamata Banerjee was the Railway Minister while Tapan Sikdar and Satyabrata Mukherjee were the two ministers of state. Earlier, Ghani Khan Chowdhury, PR Dasmunshi and Ajit Panja found berths in the Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress government at the Centre. This would be the second time that two ministers from West Bengal - Mukherjee and Banerjee - will present the general and the railway budgets, respectively. During Indira Gandhi’s tenure as Prime Minister, Mukherjee and Ghani Khan Chowdhury had presented the finance and railway budgets, respectively. Commenting on the impressive representation from the state this time, Mukul Roy said this was possible because of the spectacular success of the Trinamool Congress. — PTI
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Declare Aila a national calamity: Buddha
Kolkata, May 28 "In view of the extraordinary and severe nature of the cyclone, it is our view that it be declared a national calamity, Bhattacharjee said in a letter to Singh. He requested the Prime Minister to provide at least Rs 1,000 crore from the Natural Calamity Contingency Fund of the Centre, adding "with this fund, along with the Calamity Relief Fund available at state-level, we can appropriately tackle the situation". — PTI
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Tourists stranded
Guwahati, May 28 Entire Tawang district, which also houses an Army brigade headquarter, is facing shortage of petroleum products and certain commodities after landslides snapped road links in various places between Bhalukpong and Bomdila in West Kameng district and between Senge and Tawang in Tawang district.
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Village set ablaze by miscreants; 2 dead
Guwahati, May 28 Miscreants suspected to be from Dimasa tribe attacked the Zeme Naga village at 11 am and set ablaze all the houses. Two minors, identified as Cheriabe Zeme (14) and Nehaniabe Zeme (12) were killed in the incident. The recent incident occurred just a day after a high-level team of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) reviewed the situation in the insurgency-hit hill district. According to official sources, the meeting focused on evolving a coordinated strategy involving the Army, police and paramilitary forces to resume the train service through the district. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has stopped all train services along Lumding-Badarpur Hill section in the wake of mounted attacks on locomotives by Black Widow or Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel Garlosa) militants despite heavy deployment of forces.
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Cops get leads in Mumbai airport heist
Mumbai, May 28 “We are in the process of arresting them. We have positive leads on the four persons involved in the robbery,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Maria told reporters here today. The four armed men robbed part of the consignment packed in six parcels and sent by the Pidilite Industries to its office in Hyderabad and decamped from the scene. One airport security official was killed after the robbers’ getaway vehicle ran over him. Monday’s armed robbery was one among several such cases reported from the different parts of the city. Only last Friday, days before the airport heist, two men walked into the Aapla Sahakari Co-operative Bank and robbed Rs 28 lakh at gunpoint. The bank is located opposite the Bhoiwada police station.
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Probe ordered: Voter-ID card found with ISI agent Army
aircraft crash-lands
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After the induction of a new council of ministers, which he described as a mixture of “experience and youthful energy”, Prime Minister Manmohan was prepared to be generous to veterans like Arjun Singh, Sis Ram Ola and HR
Bharadwaj, who did not find a place in the new UPA dispensation.
Former J&K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, who took oath as Cabinet Minister here today, said the new UPA government signifies hope and stability.
Kolkata, May 28
Seeking a central assistance of Rs 1,000 crore to effectively tackle the situation arising out of the devastating cyclone
Aila, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to declare it as a national calamity.
Twenty eight-year-old Agatha Sangma from Meghalaya got the loudest applause when she took her oath as a junior minister. She emerged a a clear favourite not only because she is the youngest minister in the new UPA government but her conscious decision to take her oath in Hindi. She spoke hesitatingly but clearly and though she faltered occasionally while pronouncing the more tough words, she carried on determinedly. 
Roemer is US envoy to India