Thursday, February 4, 1999
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PM to go to Lahore by bus NEW DELHI, Feb 3 — The Indo-Pakistani ties today received a decisive boost as the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, decided to travel to Lahore on the inaugural Delhi-Lahore bus service. Panel meeting "a cover-up" NEW DELHI, Feb 3 — The Congress today lashed out at the BJP and its allies and termed its coordination committee meeting yesterday as "pathetic" to cover the confusion prevailing in the ruling coalition government. |
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Finance Minister's Adviser sacked NEW DELHI, Feb 3 — Mr Mohan Guruswamy, Adviser to Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, was sacked today, a Finance Ministry spokesman said tonight. He said Mr Guruswamy had been sacked on ground of exceeding his brief.
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UP sugar producers to get dues NEW DELHI, Feb 3 — As many as 1.5 crore sugarcane producers in Uttar Pradesh will finally get their legitimate dues with interest from 118 sugar mills in the state. Prasar
Bharati “misused” ‘Strong
regulatory framework must’ Mediation
‘can clear backlog of cases’ |
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PM to go to Lahore by bus NEW DELHI, Feb 3 — The Indo-Pakistani ties today received a decisive boost as the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, decided to travel to Lahore on the inaugural Delhi-Lahore bus service. Responding to the Pakistan Prime Minister, Mr Nawaz Sharif’s invitation to Mr Vajpayee to visit Pakistan on board the inaugural Delhi-Lahore bus service, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesman, said "it is the intention of the Prime Minister to travel to Lahore on the inaugural bus service." "He (Mr Vajpayee) looks forward to meeting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other Pakistani leaders as well as the people of Pakistan. His visit will be one more manifestation of India’s abiding desire to build peaceful, friendly and cooperative relations with Pakistan", the spokesman said adding that the dates for the inaugural bus service would be worked out shortly through diplomatic channels. The Pakistani Premier had extended the invitation to Mr Vajpayee in a media interview to an Indian newspaper at Lahore. Mr Sharif had said that "he would like very much if Mr Vajpayee decided to visit Lahore on board the inaugural bus service" and promised hospitality that would remembered for a long,long time. "Of course I will be happy to go back with him", he said, adding that "actually we will resolve half the problems while driving back". The inaugural bus service would obviously not take place this month as Mr Vajpayee leaves for Jamaica to attend the ninth summit of the G-15 leaders next week. The Budget session of Parliament begins on February 22. With Mr Vajpayee deciding to go to Lahore on the inaugural bus service, much planning needs to be undertaken. Dates would be announced only after the nitty gritty of the visit was worked out to the minutest details the sources said. In response to a question on direct bilateral negotiations on the nuclear and missile issues as suggested by Mr Sharif, the spokesman said "India would like serious and substantive discussions with Pakistan on all issues of mutual interest and concern as part of the ongoing composite bilateral dialogue. "It may be noted that the very first item on the agenda of the composite official dialogue between the two countries is Peace and Security — including confidence building measures (CBMs). We attach the highest importance to this subject which embraces all aspects of the security concerns of the two countries", the spokesman said. "We have made clear in our dialogue that India’s security concerns are not country specific; these concerns naturally go beyond Pakistan. In this framework, we look forward, as always, to engaging Pakistan in direct bilateral discussions on the nuclear and missile issues so as to contribute to developing mutual trust and confidence and keeping in mind the welfare of our peoples", the spokesman said. On the Pakistan Prime Minister’s suggestion on raising the level of dialogue between the two countries, the spokesman said: "We are always open to suggestions on the level on which dialogue should be conducted between India and Pakistan. The present composite dialogue process at the official level has been worked out and operates on the basis of the guidance and directives of the political leadership of both countries. In fact, the reactivation of the composite dialogue in October last year was made possible by the meetings between the two Prime Ministers in Colombo in July, 1998 and in New York in September, 1998", the spokesman pointed out. The sources said that both Mr Vajpayee and Mr Sharif had been in touch with each other and the Pakistani Premier had extended the invitation after both leaders agreed in principle to make such a move which in the their respective opinion would generate a momentum which would help in resolution of bilateral problems. The interview to an Indian newspaper was the part of the same strategy. Both Mr Vajpayee and Mr Sharif have to overcome domestic opposition for any substantive improvement in bilateral relationship which has been mired in 50 years of animosity. If the two countries wish to break the logjam, the political leadership in the two countries will need domestic support for which a positive environment has to be generated and Mr Vajpayee’s visit to Lahore will be another step in this direction. When Mr Vajpayee and Mr
Sharif made an all-out effort to ensure that the tour of
the Pakistani cricket team took place despite obstacles
from the Shiv Sena, they were working in tandem to create
a positive environment for further steps for improvement
of bilateral ties, the sources said. |
Finance Minister's Adviser sacked NEW DELHI, Feb 3 (PTI) – Mr Mohan Guruswamy, Adviser to Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, was sacked today, a Finance Ministry spokesman said tonight. He said Mr Guruswamy had been sacked on ground of exceeding his brief and trying to meddle with matters not authorised by the Finance Minister. Mr Guruswamy's approach in dealing with financial institutions was neither authorised nor was in tune with normal duties and procedures, the spokesman said in a press statement. Due to these compelling reasons, the Finance Minister had to take this "painful decision" in sacking Mr Guruswamy in public interest, he added. Mr Guruswamy, who is away in the USA, derives his political strength from his proximity to the Swadeshi lobby and economic conservatives in the ruling BJP. After making a lateral entry into the BJP from the Janata Dal, he had lately fallen out with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). He was getting flak from PMO for his opposition to the financial institutions’ support to Enron’s Phase-II of Dabhol power project and for his objection the to Unit Trust of India selling its holding in Indian Tobacco Company to BAT. The Finance Ministry apparently at the instance of Mr Guruswamy had raised questions about financial institutions like ICICI extending a guarantee cover to Enron’s foreign borrowing to fund its Rs 2,800 crore Phase-II power project. The ministry had reportedly written a formal letter to ICICI saying the Enron should not be given any further guarantee cover as this would violate the policy that domestic lenders cannot exceed an exposure of 40 per cent of the total project cost. The ministry is also understood to have said that Enron has already breached this limit. The Finance Ministry has apparently asked why financial institutions should take the risk on themselves for Enron’s borrowing abroad and that a company of Enron’s standing should be able to borrow on its own strength. Mr Guruswamy’s
sacking comes a day after the coordination committee of
the BJP and its allies said in a joint statement that the
BJP should make every effort to ensure that prestige and
cohesiveness of the ruling coalition were not diluted by
organisations belonging to its ideological fraternity. |
Panel meeting "a
cover-up" NEW DELHI, Feb 3 — The Congress today lashed out at the BJP and its allies and termed its coordination committee meeting yesterday as "pathetic" to cover the confusion prevailing in the ruling coalition government. Party general secretary, Pranab Mukherjee told mediapersons here that it was the height of hypocrisy when the allies asked the BJP to check some of its ideologically committed partners especially when the BJP president, Mr Kushabhau Thakre, himself was present at the meeting. Mr Mukherjee criticised the joint statement issued by the BJP and its allies in which they claimed that the ruling coalition had received an emphatic mandate. The party general secretary said the government was formed with the help of the Telegu Desam Party and it was a post electoral adjustment. He wondered how they could claim that they had received an emphatic mandate. He clarified that the Congress was not averse to coalition politics and the party was stating a fact when it said that the coalition politics had never succeeded in India. The Janata Party experience, the Janata Dal experience, and the United Front coalition governments were all failures, he added. He said the ruling coalition had blamed the Opposition for trying to create dissensions and wondered since when had the Opposition been entrusted with the responsibility of providing stability in the ruling coalition. On the formation of a third front, Mr Mukherjee said this kind of exercise had been undertaken earlier too and unless the parties had the majority number in Parliament it was a futile exercise. When asked how long the government would last, Mr Mukherjee said the Congress did not believe in political astrology. In running a parliamentary system, cohesiveness was needed, he added. Earlier, senior Congress leader, Mr Narain Dutt Tiwari, who headed a high-level delegation to South Africa recently briefed the Press about the visit. The party members who visited South Africa from January 21 to January 27 included Mrs Ambika Soni and former MP, Mr Anand Sharma. Former President of the Indian Youth Congress, Mr T. Basheer, was also part of the delegation. The Congress delegation
met the South African President, Dr Nelson Mandela and
other senior leaders and held substantive discussions on
a wide range of issues. Dr Mandela informed the
delegation that he proposed to visit India in the near
future before demitting the office of President. |
New cantonments Act on anvil NEW DELHI, Feb 3 — Keeping in view the changing circumstances, the government is contemplating enactment of a new cantonments Act. The Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes, gave this information at the consultative committee meeting here today. The new Act would take into account various changes that have come about since the present Act was drafted in 1924. The meeting which discussed the issue of cantonments was attended among others by the Defence Secretary, Mr T.R. Prasad, the Defence Production and Supplies Secretary, Mr Prabir Sengupta, and senior officials. The minister pointed out the status of cantonments had been discussed in various forums and different suggestions and recommendations made. Some of the important issues which had come up included the use of land with the cantonments, representation of women on the board and civic amenities in the cantonment area. Mr Fernandes said it would be better to go in for a new Act rather than piecemeal amendments. As a welfare measure, the minister suggested greater availability of accommodation for married defence personnel, the entitlement norm of which varied at present between 35 per cent and 83 per cent. The problem had to be addressed properly, he said. Entitlement norms should be redefined on the basis of needs. He informed the committee that if the availability of accommodation for married personnel had to reach satisfactory level and estimated amount of Rs 19,000 crore would be required. Keeping in view the budgetary, constraints, it could be considered whether some cantonment land could be used for housing for which resources could be generated from the use of the land. Taking part in the
discussion, members welcomed the minister’s
suggestions. The drafting of a new cantonments Act should
keep in view the changing circumstances, they felt. There
was a suggestion for planning utilisation of defence land
realistically and in detail. Another suggestion was made
for a comprehensive proposal on the proposed new
enactment. The need for regular elections to the
cantonment board and better civic facilities figured in
the discussion. The issue of better coordination between
the cantonment and the civic authorities was also
stressed. |
UP sugar producers to get
dues NEW DELHI, Feb 3 — As many as 1.5 crore sugarcane producers in Uttar Pradesh will finally get their legitimate dues with interest from 118 sugar mills in the state. In a landmark judgement pronounced on Monday, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has directed all 118 mills of the state to pay state advised price at the rate of Rs 72 and Rs 76 per quintal for the year 1996-97 for the sugarcane they purchased from the cane producers. This is against the central or the minimum support price of Rs 48 that was previously directed to be paid by the high court for the same year in a separate case. The difference in the prices tots up to Rs 3,500 crore per year. The court has also directed that interest according to law be paid for delay in payment exceeding 14 days. According to the provisions of the Sugarcane Control Order, 1966, “If a producer or sugar or his agent fails to make payment for the sugarcane purchased within 14 days of the date of delivery, he shall pay interest on the amount due at the rate of 15 per cent per annum for the period of such delay. Where payment of interest on delayed payment is made to a cane growers’ society, the society shall pass on the interest to the cane growers concerned after deducting administrative charges, if any, permitted by the rules of the said society.” A Division Bench of Mr Justice S.H.A. Raza and Mr Justice M. Saran has further directed the State government “to initiate recovery proceedings against the defaulting sugar mills for non-payment of dues.” The verdict was pronounced on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by former MLA from Pilibhit, V.M. Singh. The petition filed on behalf of the cane growers of the State prayed that the cane growers entitlement for payment on the basis of the state advised price be honoured. The Bench held “In case, the sugar mills fail to pay the state advised price and the interest to the cane growers within six weeks, the amount so recovered by the state government in accordance with law will be paid to the cane growers or the cane growers’ cooperative society.’’ Appreciating the urgency of the petition, the Bench observed, “At a time when the farmers are facing great hardship and committing suicide in various parts of the country due to failure of the crops and they are overburdened with loans which they are unable to pay to the financial institutions, such public interest litigation cannot be thrown out.” Addressing newspersons
here today, Mr V.M. Singh said the aforesaid verdict had
set a precedent for all 13 sugarcane producing states
including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana,
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. He
said the order would encourage sugarcane producers to
revert to sugarcane cultivation and prevent closure of
mills. |
Prasar Bharati
“misused” NEW DELHI, Feb 3 — Former Union Information and Broadcasting Minister S. Jaipal Reddy today alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government at the Centre was trying to saffronise Prasar Bharati. Addressing newsmen here, Mr Jaipal Reddy, who has to his credit of creating Prasar Bharati by enacting the Act, seven long years after it was unanimously passed by both Houses of Parliament in 1990, said the government was trying to control the functioning of the organisation rather than providing it with autonomy. He said the way the BJP was using Prasar Bharati for propagating its views would cause a permanent damage to the institution. An agitated Mr Reddy pointed out that the call of the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mr Pramod Mahajan to have a debate on whether or not Prasar Bharati should be made accountable to the government and not to Parliament was as hypocritical as the call of the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, to have a debate on banning of conversions. He pointed out that the matter of providing autonomy to government-controlled media was settled long ago in 1948 itself when the then Prime Minister, Mr Jawaharlal Nehru had voiced his views and hoped that in the times to come AIR would also become autonomous like the BBC. He questioned the need for a debate on the issue now? Mr Reddy said Mr Mahajan’s call for a debate on the issue was meaningless as providing autonomy to Prasar Bharati was imperative for its functioning and survival. He pointed out that the viewership of Doordarshan had already gone down in the past few months because of the “manipulation” by the government with viewers shifting to private channels. He said the argument of Mr Mahajan that with so many private channels operating in the country, the government must also have its own channel did not hold good as in this view the government must also have its own newspaper as there were so many private newspapers running in the country. He said the government was only trying to bury Prasar Bharati and saffronise broadcasting. Mr Reddy said autonomy for Prasar Bharati was a must for it to compete with private channels. It would lend credibility to the institution. He pointed out that the
BJP government had purposely let the ordinance,
promulgated in October 1997 lapse and also let Prasad
Bharati remain headless as it was “serving its
ends.” Mr Reddy said in the eleven-months of its
existance, the BJP government had not moved a single file
towards bringing in a Broadcasting Bill but now wanted to
bypass Parliament to allow direct-to-home (DTH)
broadcasting. |
‘Strong regulatory framework
must’ NEW DELHI, Feb 3 — The Communications Minister, Mr Jagmohan, today said India would have an independent, strong, fair and transparent regulatory framework for its various sectors. He said a proper social, political and cultural environment had to be created at the ground level for its success. Mr Jagmohan was inaugurating a two-day national conference on “Transition to a liberalised environment: experiences and issues in regulation” here today. The conference is being organised by the Tata Energy Research Institute in association with Infrastructure Development Finance Company Limited. Stating that India was a pluralistic society with a wide variation of economic and social levels, Mr Jagmohan said a right kind of balance would have to be struck by the regulatory authorities to satisfy the aspirations of the people. He emphasised that regulatory mechanisms should have a proper structure with a clear-cut administrative and legal framework. This would enable these to function in a dynamic and creative way. Referring to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, he said there was no conflict between the government and the TRAI but only a difference in perceptions. The viewpoints of the TRAI, Department of Telecommunications and the Standing Committee of Parliament was only a reflection of the complexity of the situation which was natural in a heterogeneous country like India. Talking on the liberalisation process, Mr Jagmohan said it was a world phenomenon and in India the entire society needed to be “liberalised from down below”. The conference is being
attended by national and international experts and top
decision-makers from the government and private and
public sectors from India and abroad. |
Mediation ‘can clear backlog of
cases’ New Delhi, Feb 3 — Alternative dispute resolution techniques like mediation, conciliation and arbitration need to be adopted as a large number of cases were pending in the courts, Supreme Court Judge S.P. Bharucha said here today. Mr Justice Bharucha was addressing a workshop on “techniques of mediation and conciliation” organised by the Indian Council of Arbitration and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. “Negotiated settlements foster goodwill and mutual trust and not bitterness as in the case of court judgements and arbitral awards,” he observed. Stating that many a time bitterness among the disputants was found to breed more number of cases, he said such a situation could be avoided by resolving disputes without loss of time, through mediation. While the higher judiciary remains the most respected democratic institution in the country, it has to face flak in regard to delay in disposal of matter, Mr Justice Bharucha said. To address this need and expedite resolution of disputes, the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) had already initiated a scheme to set up Lok Adalats on a permanent basis at the district level, Mr Justice Bharucha, who is also the executive director of NALSA, said. NALSA was also working on another scheme to set up Lok Adalats in government and autonomous bodies with a view to sorting out disputes between them and the citizens, he added. In ICA Executive Director, Mr G.K. Kwatra, said having adopted United Nations Commission of International Law’s model law on mediation in 1996, India was emerging as a good venue for international arbitration. Passing of the Bill
introduced in Parliament last year to amend the Civil
Procedure Code for developing court annexed mediation
would strengthen the legal system further, he said. |
YC activists cane-charged LUCKNOW, Feb 3 (PTI) — The police today resorted to a mild lathi charge on a group of Youth Congress activists who waved black flags and raised slogans against the Prime Minister while he addressed the golden jubilee function of Balrampur hospital here. The activists, protesting
against the recent price hike, tried to barge into the
hospital complex forcing the police to make a mild
lathi-charge to disperse them. |
Tax exemption for ‘Train
to Pakistan’ NEW DELHI, Feb 3 — “Train to Pakistan”, a film on Partition directed by Pamela Rooks, has been granted entertainment tax exemption by the Delhi Government. Based on noted columnist, Khushwant Singh’s book of the same title, the film was released in January. A press note issued here today said the Chief Minister of Delhi, Mrs Shiela Dixit, has recommended the film for tax exemption. Cine-goers can benefit from the exemption with effect from Friday. Hailing the
government’s decision, Mrs Dixit said, “This
exemption which leads to a reduction of 60 per cent in
the cost of ticket would enable a wider audience to have
access to this moving film which so graphically evokes
the lives of ordinary people swept up in the maelstorm of
gigantic historical events beyond their control”. |
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| Threat from inside: Jamir KOHIMA: Nagaland Chief Minister S.C. Jamir has said the country was currently facing “bigger threat from inside rather than outside” and apprehended that the edifice of secularism was being gradually dismantled by some communal forces. The attacks on minorities and the killing of Australian missionary Graham Steins were indications of eventual breakdown of secular system, Jamir told reporters here on Tuesday. — PTI Minister charged with
favouritism BJP leader’s
murder condemned CJ of Sikkim sworn
in Sarpanch shot dead |
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