Wednesday, December 22, 1999
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Vajpayee cautions MPs |
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 Guided-missile destroyer INS Delhi test-fires a missile in one of the recent largest tactical exercises which took place in the Arabian Sea. — PTI photo
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Strike by Delhi lawyers Bansal urges quick conversion
clearance Separate PR set-up for Services
likely No ‘saffronisation’ of
Prasar Bharati ‘BJP never wanted to build
temple’ Cong walkout over wheat import Om Prakash is UP BJP chief Darbhanga-Amritsar train from Jan
1 Ex-VC’s house blasted Left parties seek debate on CTBT Violence marks Bidar procession Health inspection team to visit HP |
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Vajpayee cautions MPs NEW DELHI, Dec 21 — In view of the National Democratic Alliance partners’ warning to the BJP against pursuing its hidden agenda, the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, today advised party MPs to exercise "caution" while moving private members’ Bills in Parliament. He told the MPs that the issues on which they want to legislate should be "within the framework of NDA. The Prime Minister’s remarks came at a meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Party this morning in the backdrop of two controversial Bills moved by BJP MP Yogi Adityanand, on December 17 in the Lok Sabha. The private member’s Bill for banning cow slaughter and to introduce the uniform civil code was opposed at the introduction stage itself by several NDA partners, including the Janata Dal (United), TDP, DMK, MDMK and the Trinamool Congress. The allies of the BJP resorted to an "unusual" division of vote at the introduction stage. Party spokesman, Mr M. Venkaiah Naidu, interpreted Mr Vajpayee’s remarks as an advice to the party MPs to adhere to the NDA’s common manifesto in letter and spirit. The Prime Minister also reiterated that his government was following the agenda mentioned in the NDA manifesto. He said the NDA agenda was "transparent" and there was no hidden agenda. Mr Vajpayee also briefed the members about the various measures taken by the government in the current session of Parliament. He added that unlike previous occasions the Opposition had cooperated. He said all Bills proposed by the government, including those which seemed doubtful of securing parliamentary approval, had a smooth passage and this reflected the general consensus in Parliament on the path adopted by the NDA government. While reiterating that the government would have to take "hard decisions", the Prime Minister said the interests of the people would be kept in mind while taking decisions. He referred to the recent elections in Andhra Pradesh in this regard and said the Congress had failed to garner support despite promising free power to the people. There was a need to create public awareness about the reality of the economic situation and only then the government can succeed, he said. Mr Vajpayee said while trying to keep people happy, there was also a need to keep in mind their interests. He said the economic situation at the Centre and in the States was grim and sought members’ cooperation in the next Budget session of Parliament for bringing in fiscal discipline. The Union Home Minister,
Mr L.K. Advani, in his remarks told members that the
Government was moving ahead with its proposal to create
the new States of Uttaranchal, Vananchal and Chhatisgarh. |
NHB Act to be amended NEW DELHI, Dec 21 (PTI) — In a major decision to develop secondary mortgage markets, the Cabinet tonight decided to amend the 1997 National Housing Bank (NHB) Act to regulate the activities of housing finance companies. The Cabinet also decided to pursue the Major Port Trust Amendment Bill to enable Indian ports to set up joint ventures (JVs) for expansion of this crucial infrastructure in the country. The Bill is already pending in the Rajya Sabha since last year. The Cabinet, which met for over an hour, cleared an $ 11m project of the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) for a jv with Japanese Mitsui O.S.K. Lines at Cayman Islands for transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for Enron’s Dabhol Power Company in Maharashtra. The amendment to the NHB Act will authorise housing finance companies to recover their dues by speedier means. The Cabinet decided to repeal three Acts which it observed had become irrelevant and dysfunctional. They are the Companies (Temporary Restriction on Dividends) Act, 1974, Indian Power Alcohol Act, 1948, and Indian Companies (Foreign Interest) Act, 1918. A proposal for signing an agreement for avoidance of double taxation between India and Austria was also cleared by the Cabinet. The Cabinet approved the
re-introduction of the Aquaculture Authority Bill in
Parliament on the same lines as passed by the Rajya Sabha
in March 1997 with some modifications. |
Strike by Delhi lawyers NEW DELHI, Dec 21 — Lawyers at the Delhi High Court and lower courts struck work today to protest against the proposed amendment to the Advocates Act, 1961, allowing entry of foreign advocates in the Indian courts. The proposed changes will cause serious prejudice to the legal profession and need reconsideration in consultation with Bar councils and associations. said Mr Anoop Bagai, honorary secretary of the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA). The working paper circulated by the Law Commission indicates the government’s move to allow the entry of foreign advocates in Indian courts. "The idea of allowing non-advocates to have partnership with advocates will also lead to malpractices and not serve the noble profession, Mr Bagai said. The DHCBA also condemned the proposal to renew a lawyer’s licence every five years subject to certain conditions. Striking advocates of
the high court and the three lower courts — Tees
Hazari, Patiala House and Karkardooma — wearing
black robes marched to Parliament to protest against the
proposed changes. |
Englishman’s odyssey to Bhopal BHOPAL, Dec 21 — An Englishman has taken it upon himself to educate people about the horrors of industrial hazards, the "outstanding motto" of his mission being the Bhopal MIC gas leak disaster of 1984 which had killed thousands and afflicted lakhs. In the process, Tim Edwards had himself to face hazards, though of a different nature. Born in Nottingham 30 years ago, Tim left his country on a bicycle on July 1 to talk to people of various countries. While he was in the Czech Republic camping outside Z’dar, his three bags were stolen. These contained his personal belongings and also the spare parts for his bicycle. He decided to approach the media with the hope that the thief might return his belongings. The day after the broadcast, he says, one of the locals responded cynically by stealing the milometer from the bike, the only thing he had left on it. So the record of over 2000 km pedalling was lost too". Some people, however, did come to his aid and he was able to leave Czechoslovakia three weeks behind schedule. Of course, he had insured his belongings before setting out of England. But he did not get the insurance money till he was in Turkey two months later. From Turkey he flew to Pakistan in November to make up for he lost time. On November 23, he crossed over to India at the Wagah border and eventually reached Bhopal, the destination of his current odyssey. His visa permits him to stay in this country till the end of this month. He is yet to make up his mind whether to apply for an extension of the visa or return to England. He is collecting material on the after-effects of the MIC gas exposure. As a kid, Tim had friends among Asians, mostly Indians. His father, a technical adviser in a crane firm, highly disapproved of his mixing with the Asians. His mother, a worker in a knitwear factory, was rather indulgent. He has an elder sister who is settled in England. Tim was 15 when the Bhopal disaster took place. He recalls how sick he had felt when he saw the pictures of men, women and children dying and read the accounts of their sufferings. He, along with a friend, visited India five years ago as a tourist. He did not then go to Bhopal. But during his journey across the country, he got some literature on the decade-long sufferings of the Bhopal gas victims. As he read the accounts, the magnitude of the tragedy once again hit him and the pictures of the dying men, women and children started haunting him. He came in contact with Mr Satinath Sarangi, an activist among the Bhopal gas victims and they set up the Bhopal Medical Appeal in Brighton. The proceeds of the Bhopal Medical Appeal were later used to set up "Sambhavana, the People’s Health and Documentation Clinic" which works for the welfare of the survivors through free medical, research, education and dissemination of information in Bhopal. Tim told this
correspondent that he found people almost everywhere
eager to know about the Bhopal survivors. People in
Romania and Hungary recalled the horrors of Chernobyl
disaster, the long term- effects of which are similar to
the Bhopal gas leak exposure. |
Bansal urges quick conversion
clearance NEW DELHI, Dec 21 — Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, MP from Chandigarh, has urged the Government to instruct the Chandigarh Administration to clear all cases of conversion from leasehold to freehold. Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha through special mention, Mr Bansal said although the scheme for conversion was promulgated over three years ago, few people had been able to apply due to "untenable interpretation’’ which, he said was contrary to the express provisions contained in it. He said the scheme
provided for holders of power of attorney in respect of a
plot to pay extra one-third of the conversion charges and
get the tenure converted to freehold without having to
pay what was called "unearned profit’’ for
subsequent registration. |
Separate PR set-up for Services
likely NEW DELHI, Dec 21 — A debate underway in the armed forces for the setting up of a separate tri-service military public relations (PR) group which would be more responsive to the public relations needs of the services in this modern age. As per the proposal, the PR group would be set up independent of the present Directorate of Public Relations (DPR) wing of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and would consist only of the officers, who would interact with the media daily. The group would working directly under the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) and would also be responsible for Inter-Service coordination and liaison with ministries, including the MoD. A proposal has also been mooted to the MoD in this regard, leading to a debate on the issue. The armed forces feel that the present DPR section working under the Additional Principal Information Officer, posted by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) of the Government of India, was not very proactive towards their day-to-day needs. The MoD, however, feels that this is another step of the armed forces towards achieving autonomy. Although, the
bureaucracy in the MoD has been viewing the proposal with
scepticism, it may be noted that the Ministry of Home
Affairs (MHA) has already virtually done away with the
office of the PIB. An Additional Secretary in the MHA is
already functioning as a virtual spokesperson and holds
regular briefings in the North Block. |
No ‘saffronisation’ of Prasar Bharati NEW DELHI, Dec 21 (PTI) — The Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mr Arun Jaitley, dismissed in the Lok Sabha today Opposition charges of "saffronisation" of Prasar Bharati and stoutly defended retiring of two board members saying it was "not discretion" of the government but done as per law. "There is no question of appointing persons of one ideology or another", Mr Jaitley said replying to a special discussion on the functioning of Prasar Bharati. Mr Jaitley made a scathing attack on the erstwhile United Front Government accusing it of doing "great harm" to the concept of autonomy and Prasar Bharati by appointing persons with "political leanings" in the board during its last days. Asserting that his government had not made a single appointment, he asked how it could be accused of saffronising Doordarshan and All India Radio. "If red is autonomy, how can saffron be a threat to autonomy, he said. He said government is committed that news and current affairs programmes should be on a non-partisan basis to develop credibility of the electronic media and added that it was essential in a liberal democracy and a system of political pluralism. Dissatisfied with the minister’s reply, the Congress and Left parties staged a walkout. Opposition members
pilloried the government for "stifling" the
Prasar Bharati and attempting to "saffronise"
DD and AIR. |
‘BJP never wanted to build temple’ NEW DELHI, Dec 21 (UNI) — The President of the BJP, Mr Kushabhau Thakre, has said his party never wanted to build a Ram Temple at Ayodhya. In an interview to CNBC television channel Mr Thakre said: "It was never a question of the BJP, that we will build the temple, we have said (so) always. Earlier also, we have said we are not going to build the temple." The BJP President’s remarks came when he was asked to react to the controversy surrounding the Ayodhya issue following the recent statements made by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ram Prakash Gupta and the Union Tourism Minister Uma Bharati. According to Mr Thakre, his stand and the positions taken by other BJP leaders cannot be construed as a "compromise" on the party’s ideology. This was because the Ayodhya issue which the BJP had begun raising from 1989 in a big way was a "programme". "A programme is not an ideology. This is not ideology, you see the BJP... believes in democracy, we believe in value-based politics, we believe in sarva dharma samabhav, we believe in nationalism. They are the basic tenets which we believe in there may be so many programmes...but basic issues have not changed." Mr Thakre claimed there
was "complete consensus in our party (on the Ayodhya
issue). There is no difference of opinion. Today, this
Ayodhya mandir issue is not on the agenda of the National
Democratic Alliance (NDA) and we are part of it and that
is our agreed programme and we are going to follow
that." |
Cong walkout over wheat import NEW DELHI, Dec 21 (UNI) — The Congress members today staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha expressing dissatisfaction over the government’s reply to their allegation that there was "undue delay" in imposing Customs duty on import of wheat. They were not satisfied with the denial by Consumers Affairs and Public Distribution Minister Shanta Kumar that there was no delay in imposing 50 per cent Customs duty on import of wheat. Speaking on the amendments to a resolution moved by the government seeking to amend the Customs Tariff Act of 1975 for imposing Customs duty on the import of wheat, Mr Priya Ranjan Das Munshi (Congress) alleged that the government had deliberately encouraged the import of wheat when there was no necessity for it. The farming community was affected adversely. He wanted to now why the Customs duty was not imposed till August. Mr Das Munshi and Mr V. Radha Krishanan of the CPM moved amendments to the resolution.These were rejected by the House. Mr Shanta Kumar said it was not for the first time that import of wheat was allowed. The import of nearly
400,000 tonnes of wheat had not affected the farmers. The
decision on the imposition of Customs duty was taken at
the right time, keeping in view the interest of the
farmers. The government had stopped the outflow of
foreign exchange by imposing Customs duty, he added. |
Om Prakash is UP BJP chief NEW DELHI, Dec 21— The BJP President, Mr Kushabhau Thakre, today appointed the Uttar Pradesh Minister for Higher Education, Mr Om Prakash Singh, as the President of the party’s state unit. Mr Om Prakash Singh, who
was a close aide of the expelled UP Chief Minister, Mr
Kalyan Singh, and belongs to a Backward Class, replaces
Mr Rajnath Singh, who has been inducted in the Union
Cabinet. |
Darbhanga-Amritsar train from Jan 1 NEW DELHI, Dec 21 (PTI) —Parliament today approved supplementary demands of the Railways for 1999-2000 with Rajya Sabha returning the appropriation Bills after Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee informed the House that five new millennium trains would start from January 1. The trains would run between Sealdah to Ajmer, Howrah to Dehradun, Nizamuddin to Coimbatore, Darbhanga to Amritsar and Jaipur to Agra. She said women over 60 years would now be entitled to concessional train journey. The minister said for serving the poor and meritorious village students, the Railways would issue a millennium card to such students for free train journey from their residence to school. She said the poor
people, specially those working in the unorganised sector
and earning up to Rs 400 per month, the Railways would
issue a monthly pass of Rs 15. |
Ex-VC’s house blasted HYDERABAD, Dec 21 (UNI) — Naxalites of the banned People’s War Group (PWG) blasted the house of a former Vice-Chancellor of Osmania University at Jigulla village in Karimnagar district of Andhra Pradesh in the wee hours today. The police here said
about 10 Naxals of the Huzurabad Dalam went to the house
of Mr Naveeth Rao and asked the inmates to come out and
blasted the house using explosives. |
Left parties seek debate on CTBT NEW DELHI, Dec 21 (PTI) — The CPI, the RSP and the Forward Bloc today asked the government to hold a discussion in Parliament on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) before India took a final stand on signing it. Leaders of the three Left parties, who had an hour-long meeting with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh as part of consultations on the issue, were of the view that there was "no hurry" to sign the treaty. The RSP and the Forward Bloc have also demanded tabling of a White Paper on the entire issue, including the discussions between Mr Jaswant Singh and US Deputy Secretary Strobe Talbott. CPI leader Indrajit Gupta said "we have asked for a detailed discussion in Parliament as we must understand the intricacies of the matter — the positive and the negative aspects. Only after that can we say yes or no on signing of the treaty". Mr Gupta, Mr Abani Roy
(RSP) and Mr Amar Roy Pradhan (Forward Bloc) said the US
Senate had rejected the ratification of the CTBT and only
two countries of the P-5, Britain and France, had so far
signed it. |
Violence marks Bidar procession BIDAR, Dec 21 (UNI) — The Hindu-Jagarana Vedike sponsored procession in protest against the alleged desecration of a deity in the Hanuman temple here, turned violent when miscreants threw stones on shops and a prayer hall, today. The Bidar bandh called by the vedike passed off peacefully, barring this incident. The processionists led by city legislator Rameshkumar Pandey were proceeding to the Deputy Commissioner’s office. The police chased away processionists and brought the situation under control. Chikmagalur: The police
staged a flag march in this town and 4000 security
personnel took up positions in and around the century-old
Hindu-Muslim shrine at Bababudanagiri near here to thwart
any trouble during the finale of the three-day annual
datta jayanthi celebrations tomorrow. |
Health inspection team to visit
HP NEW DELHI, Dec 21 — A two-member inspection team is scheduled to visit Shimla on December 24 to examine the state health Department’s proposal for recognition of the nodal centre for treatment of cancer. This decision was taken
during the state Health Secretaries’ meet which
concluded here on Wednesday. The two-day meeting was
attended by Health Secretaries from various states. |
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| Morphine worth Rs 1 cr
seized BARABANKI (UP): Morphine worth Rs 1 crore was seized and one person was arrested at Safedabad village in the district on Monday the police said on Tuesday. The arrested person, Gauhar, was on his way to Lucknow to sell the contraband, the police said, adding that he had been booked under the Narcotics Act. — PTI Sohan
Singh acquitted 200 cases of
diarrhoea reported 5 Tripura ultras
held Firearms seized,
2 held |
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