Friday, April 9, 1999
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spotlight today's calendar |
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MoU with Qatar on LNG Former MP joins Cong |
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Dy Speaker to work for
women’s uplift
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Centre sets up panel for
PGI issues
Workshop on empowerment of women |
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MoU with Qatar on LNG NEW DELHI, April 8 - With the three-day state visit of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, coming to a successful end today, the Indo-Qatar ties are in for a quantum jump as New Delhi is poised to emerge as one of the largest importers of Qatar’s natural gas. Not only the two countries have agreed to set up a higher joint committee at the Foreign Ministers’ level for a decisive boost to the entire gamut of bilateral ties, India and Qatar will also sign a long-term memorandum of understanding (MoU) for an annual supply of 7.2 million tonnes of liquid natural gas (LNG) at the cost of one billion US dollars. The MoU would be valid of 25 years. The MoU, which is likely to be signed next month, would strengthen the bilateral ties with Qatar becoming one of the key factors in India’s foreign policy as New Delhi has decided to make energy a security parameter in country’s external policy, according to official sources. It may be recalled here that the External Affairs Minister Mr Jaswant Singh, at his first press conference after assuming charge of the ministry, had propounded that energy was going to be an important factor in shaping the country’s foreign and security policy. The MoU with Qatar was the first step in that direction, officials pointed out, adding that the Gulf was going to become an area of India’s security concerns. An Indo-Qatar joint statement issued at the conclusion of the Qatari Emir’s visit is an indicator of the ties. The Qatari side stated that it considered India an influential member of the international community and an appropriate candidate for permanent membership of an expanded UN Security Council. The two sides noted Qatar’s emergence as a major international energy supplier. While exchanging views on several regional and international issues of common interest, Indian and Qatar leadership noted that there were similarities in their approach to major international issues. "They stated their conviction that peace and stability in the Gulf was essential for the prosperity and development of the countries and peoples of the region. Both sides agreed to exert all efforts to maintain stability and tranquility in the region", the statement said. During the stay of the
Qatari Emir, the two sides signed six bilateral
agreements. |
Former MP joins Cong NEW DELHI, April 8 — Former MP Jai Prakash, who once led the Green Brigade, today joined the Congress. The admission of Mr Jai Prakash, who now heads the Haryana Gana Parishad, was made by the AICC general secretary, Mr Pranab Mukherjee at the party headquarters. While welcoming him into the party, Mr Mukherjee said he hoped the admission would strengthen the Congress in the state. Several senior leaders from Haryana, including the Haryana Pradesh Congress chief, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former Chief Minister, Bhajan Lal, former MP Birender Singh and AICC Secretary, Selja were present on the occasion. Mr Mukherjee said the Haryana Gana Parishad had passed a resolution at its meeting on April 6 merging the party with the Congress under the leadership of Mrs Sonia Gandhi. Later, Mr Mukherjee and
Mr Hooda addressed a large number of supporters of Mr Jai
Prakash who swarmed the AICC headquarters. |
Dy Speaker to work for
women’s uplift NEW DELHI, April 8 — Mrs Kiran Choudhry, daughter-in-law of the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, has been unanimously elected as the Deputy Speaker of the Delhi Assembly. The Congress MLA from Delhi cantonment, Mrs Choudhry is the first woman Deputy Speaker of the Delhi Assembly after it was reconstituted in 1993. Mrs Choudhry is the wife of Mr Surender Singh, MP from Haryana. Soon after her election to the post she said: “I will perform to the best of my ability... all of us should work together to enhance the prestige of the House”. Mrs Choudhry assured the Opposition, which had objected to the motion being moved when there was no contender to the post, that she would provide equal opportunity to every legislator in the House. The newly-elected Deputy Speaker said: “I will take up the cause of women and their upliftment. The population pressure has grave effect on the civic amenities of Delhi and measures need to taken to reduce it”. In this direction, she said she would introduce a private member Bill to check the rising population later this session, which, if passed as an Act would go a long way in not only improving the condition of women but also the people of Delhi. The Bill aims to prohibit people who do not stick to the two-children norm to get their ration from fair price shops, jobs in the Delhi Government or loans from government’s financial institutions. To encourage government servants to adopt birth control measures, the Bill propose an increment equivalent to a month’s salary, if the employees undergoes sterilisation after having two children. And those employees who have more than two children will not be entitled to any increment or promotion, if the Bill takes the shape of an Act. The Bill, also spells out benefits for couples with one or two children, who opt to undergo sterilisation. This would include a cash reward of Rs 120 and free education for their children up to the senior secondary level in government-run schools. As a Supreme Court
lawyer, she had represented various multinational and
international organisation in India and abroad. She had
been an active member of the Indian Council of
Arbitration and in large number of international
arbitrations. The tussle between Haryana and Delhi over
the supply of 40 mgd raw water to the Nangloi plant, many
MLAs hoped, could be resolved if Mrs Choudhry used her
family connection to get drinking water for the residents
of Delhi from the neighbouring state. |
MoD doling out prime land NEW DELHI, April 8 — The Ministry of Defence (MoD) willing to oblige, defence land at prime locations now seems to be the target of private entrepreneurs for setting up plum projects. After clearing the proposal for granting of four acres of prime defence land in Delhi cantonment to the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (without the prior approval of the Union Cabinet), the MoD has now cleared the proposal for granting a staggering 60 acres of prime defence land at Panagarh near Durgapur, West Bengal, for the setting up of a joint venture Indian Institute of Aviation. Sources said the proposal for granting 60 acres of prime defence land, in fact an area also consisting of an airfield, has again been done in direct contravention of the orders of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). This time again (earlier in the instance of granting land to the IDSA) the Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes has given the permission for the granting of lease for this project (Indian Institute of Aviation) without the prior permission of the Union Cabinet. Orders had been passed by the PMO earlier that no alienation of defence land would be done without the prior permission of the Union Cabinet. The orders had been issued by the then Prime Minister, Mr I.K. Gujral, following reports that the then Minister of State for Defence, Mr N.V.N. Somu, had given out defence land to private entrepreneurs in Madras. According to reports, this proposal for alienation of 60 acres of defence land at Panagarh has been done at the instance of the Government of West Bengal, which will be a minor partner in this joint venture. The institute is proposed to be set up at Panagarh in partnership with a West Bengal industrialist and an NRI from the UK, both of whom would be holding as much as 89 per cent of equity shares in the joint venture. As per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed earlier, the Government of West Bengal will hold a mere 11 per cent share. The NRI from the UK will have a share of 21 per cent. The rest of the 68 per cent share would be held by the West Bengal industrialist. Interestingly, the initial authorised capital of the new company would be Rs 20 crore divided into 20,00,000 equity shares of Rs 10 each. Incidentally, the Government of West Bengal will have the share of 11 per cent for providing all assistance and escort services to the company for its successful implementation. The assistance will include inter-alia, arrangements if required permission from the Government of India and other allied government concerns, environment clearance, and loan facilities from financial institutions and banks. It would also help the company in marketing efforts through the media. The West Bengal industrialist is to take care of the construction of boundary wall, land development, renovation and construction of existing structures and the new one. He would also be responsible for incorporation of any new company. He would liaise and organise with the government for early formation of the institute, The UK-based NRI shall provide collaboration arrangement with foreign parties, take care of evaluation of equipment, financing of simulator, financing of aviation sports, procurement of trainer aircraft and overseas marketing. The services and equipment provided would be according to the sale invoice amount in sterling and would be converted into rupees by mutual discussion. Both parties would hold equity shares in accordance with the money they would be providing. Although the government of West Bengal had a share of 11 per cent, the sources said at a later date the institute could easily be converted into a private institution. What is intriguing is that the MoD has decided to lease out the 60 acres of prime land in West Bengal to the limited company initially for 10 years without charging any premium. The rental for the land has also apparently been worked out much lower than the prevailing market rate. Above all, no
arrangements have been worked out to provide any kind of
concessions for the training of defence personnel if need
be. |
Centre sets up panel for PGI
issues NEW DELHI, April 8 — The Centre has constituted a five-member Committee to prepare a report on the issue of treating departmental posts in the PGI, Chandigarh, as one or separate for the purpose of providing reservations. Stating this, Mr Satya Pal Jain, MP from Chandigarh who is a member of the committee, told ‘The Tribune', that the decision to set-up the committee was taken at a meeting of the Governing Council of PGI, here earlier this week. The committee, which includes the Health Secretary, Mr K K Baxi, and PGI Director, Mr B K Sharma will submit its report to the council in three weeks after which a final decision on the matters would be taken, he said. He said at present of the 320 faculty posts, 140 were lying vacant while 45 appointments were on ad-hoc basis. The council meeting which was chaired by the Union Health Minister, Mr Dalit Ezhlimalai, went in detail into the issue. While the SC/ST federation of the PGI has been demanding that all faculty posts be clubbed as one for purpose of providing reservation, the faculty association maintains that posts in each department are a separate and cannot be clubbed. Meanwhile, the institute body of PGI also decided to set up another committee which will go into the demands by the staff of PGI which has served a notice for strike, Mr Jain said. Mr Jain also said that
the institute body also decided that a committee set by
the Centre to go into the demands made by the non-faculty
members of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences
should also hear the non-faculty members of the PGI. He
said recommendations for AIIMS would be ipso facto be
binding on the PGI. |
Forged degrees’ racket
busted NEW DELHI, April 8 — The special cell of the Delhi police today claimed to have busted a racket of forged degrees and other documents of various universities with the arrest of three persons. The suspects, Riyazuddin alias Raju (25), Dhyan Singh (32) and a woman, Ekta Kumar (32), were arrested yesterday from Nehru Place in South Delhi. The police recovered a forged degree of Bachelor of Arts of Delhi University in the name of Ram Singh, one blank degree of the same university, two blank and two filled marksheets of the university of Pune, three blank certificates of Blue Bells School, two negatives of Physical Therapy Education Foundation in Defence Colony, one blank certificate of merit of Usha India Ltd., two printing frames, five computer floppies, one computer and one laser printer from their possession, the police said. According to the police,
the special cell received secret information that a
racket of forged degrees of various universities was
being operated from Nehru Place in the capital. A decoy
customer was sent to the suspects for getting a degree of
Delhi University. The deal was allegedly struck on the
payment of Rs 20,000. |
Workshop on empowerment of women NEW DELHI, April 8 — The Delhi Commission for Women is organising a workshop on economic empowerment of women at Vigyan Bhavan here tomorrow. The workshop will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee. The Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Mrs Uma Bharti, the Lt. Governor of Delhi, Mr Vijai Kapoor, the Delhi Chief Minister, Mrs Sheila Dikshit and the Delhi Welfare Minister, Mrs Krishna Tirath are also expected to attend the workshop. The Chairperson of the
Delhi Commission for Women, Mrs Sheela Ghatate, said a
report on women in the organised sector would also be
released on the occasion. |
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| Six killed in mishap NAGPUR: Six persons, including four women, were killed and nine injured when their jeep collided with a truck at Mathani in Bhandara district an Wednesday. The police said the injured were admitted to the Mayor Hospital. Traffic on the national highway was affected for about two hours due to the mishap. — PTI Two
rescued UP abolishes
ULCRA One bombed to
death Chemicals worth
crores seized 1,000 jhuggis
gutted Rhino census in
Kaziranga park |
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