Sunday, March 14, 1999
|
N A T I O N |
|
| weather n
spotlight today's calendar |
 |
 |
|
|
Centre to impose
advertising code
|
 |
 Field Marshal SHJF Manekshaw releasing the book by PPCC President, Mr Amarinder Singh as Chief guest Sonia Gandhi looks on — Photo by Vijender Tyagi. Amarinder’s
book released |
|
Body of "Outlook"
cartoonist found AP
to spend more on rural women PM
sees no threat to government CPI
rally in Delhi on March 15 IOC
conducts fire drill |
|||||
 |
||||||
Centre to impose
advertising code NEW DELHI, March 13 — The government intends to impose a programme and advertising code for satellite channels but there will be no censorship, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Pramod Mahajan said here today. Addressing a seminar on “Cultural clashes: Impact on art, culture, theatre and way of life,” organised by the Press Trust of India (PTI) — as part of its golden jubilee celebrations, Mr Mahajan said these channels posed no threat to India’s culture as the country had withstood such challenges before too. There was no need to press the panic button on cultural invasion, he added. “Cultural invasion is no news. We have experienced and survived any number of attacks on our culture. This country is great. Let us be cautious but there is no need to press the panic button,” he said. He said the government was contemplating a mandatory programme and advertising code for all channels irrespective of the place of origin to allay fears about the invasion of the Indian culture and lifestyle by the trans-national electronic media. Ruling out any censorship of these programmes, Mr Mahajan said law was not the only answer to all evils as it always had a negative connotation. Addressing a distinguished audience that included eminent international media personalities, Mr Mahajan said no culture was superior or inferior. Culture was a two-way exchange and not one-way traffic, he added. Contending that freedom of journalism and freedom of culture were not contradictory but complimentary, he said it was the duty of the media to guard the freedom of culture. He said global news media had the least contribution in cultural conflicts. Later answering questions, Mr Mahajan ruled out entry of foreign print media in the country. “At present, we are bound by the 1956 Cabinet resolution banning entry of foreign print media. We are not reconsidering it” he said. The minister sought to
allay apprehensions on the proposal to allow
direct-to-home (DTH) service, saying the main problem was
not how the satellite channels were received in the
country but what they transmitted.
|
NGO sets up public
“Lok Pal” NEW DELHI, March 13 — A non-government organisation (NGO) has set up a “people’s Lok Pal Commission” for “ensuring probity in public life.” The NGO, Lok Sevak Sangh, stating the need for setting up the commission said they and the people in general, were dismayed over incidence of political corruption in high places and tardy progress of trials against senior politicians. The three-member commission comprises three retired senior judges - former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court R S Narula, former Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court T U Mehta and former Judge of Delhi High Court H.L. Anand. The commission will set up a seven-member “citizens’ vigilance committee” to process any complaint against the Prime Minister, Union Ministers, Governors and MPs on account of corruption, bribery, abuse of authority, violation of laws involving moral turpitude or possession of assets which are disproportionate to their known sources of income, Justice Narula told The Tribune. The vigilance committee will present entire documentary or circumstantial evidence to the people’s Lok Pal Commission for its opinion, he said. Justice Narula said, “As the commission cannot order production of government documents or compel the witnesses to attend, the commission shall approach the appropriate authority to defend itself. If they fail to do so, the commission will make its findings public.” He said the Commission purpose would be solved if it was able to exercise moral pressure on the elected representatives to be upright in public life. Stating that corruption
prevailed among the bureaucracy too, Justice Narula said
the commission would confine itself to the elected
representative initially and its scope would be enlarged
when the need arose later on.
|
Amarinder’s book
released NEW DELHI, March 13 — A book recalling the heroic deeds of the Army in war was released by the Field Marshal Manekshaw in the Capital today. The book "Lest We Forget: A Tribute to Unsung Heroes of Modern India" written by Capt Amarinder Singh presents an account of seven battles from three wars — the war in Kashmir of 1947-48, the Indo-China war of 1962 and the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965. Field Marshal Manekshaw, commending the work of the author in highlighting the heroic deeds of men and officers during the war, said "I feel happy about the book as I had been a witness to these wars myself." Stating that he was present when the Maharaja of Kashmir Hari Singh signed the instrument of accession papers, the Field Marshal said "it was around 1 a.m. when we came back to Delhi. The papers were presented before the Cabinet which was attended by Lord Mountbatten and the orders for moving the troops to defend Srinagar given." Recalling his interactions with the then Defence Minister Krishna Menon, the Field Marshal said "on the tarmac of Srinagar airport, he asked me what I think about my general. I replied, in the Army we are disciplined to obey command and not to think. If he could ask me about my general, then he could ask my men about me and I advised Menon not to follow such a practice. He (Krishna Menon) had to go and I became the Field Marshal." The Congress president, Ms Sonia Gandhi, presented copies of the book to about 30 officers, JCOs and men or their next of kin, who distinguished themselves in the various battles which form part of the book. Lt-Gen Harbakhsh Singh, who took part in all wars India fought since Independence, said "the book was a fitting tribute to those men and officers who fought for the motherland." Capt Amarinder Singh said the book narrates the hardship and the difficult conditions, sometimes without food and ammunition, in which the men and officers operate. The author said the
version he had portrayed about the battle were different
from the official version. No story, no matter how
carefully recorded, can be 100 per cent correct.
|
Body of "Outlook"
cartoonist found NEW DELHI, March 13 — The Delhi Police has found the decomposed body of the "Outlook" cartoonist, Irfan Hussain. This is the second incident of a journalist being done to death this year. The first case was of the gruesome murder of Indian Express Principal Correspondent, Shivani Bhatnagar, who was murdered in her house at Patparganj in East Delhi in January. The police is yet to solve the case. The body of Hussain, bearing strangulation marks, was recovered this afternoon from a nullah in the Ghazipur dairy farm area of East district. He had been missing for the past week. The Maruti car, which Irfan bought recently, and his mobile phone are still missing. Irfan was seen in the
company of his friends in the Press Club of India on
March 6. He left the club around 10 p.m. along with his
friend, Major Srinivasan, whom he dropped at Laxmibai
Nagar and drove towards Sahibabad where he resided with
his wife. |
AP to spend more on rural women HYDERABAD, March 13 (PTI) — The Andhra Pradesh Government is committed to transform the socio-economic development of rural women by giving more thrust to the implementation of the Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA) scheme in the state, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu told the state Assembly today. Impressed by the good results achieved through the DWCRA, the Centre has promised to release Rs 25 crore for effective implementation of the scheme being sponsored jointly by the state and the Centre, Mr Naidu, who held talks with the Union Ministry of Rural Development in New Delhi in this connection yesterday, said during question hour. Of the Rs 70 crore share to be borne by the Centre towards the scheme, it had already released Rs 6 crore. Another Rs 25 crore, which would financially seek to help the 25 lakh members of various DWCRA self-help groups in the state, would be released soon, he said. Supplementing the Panchayat Raj Minister, Dr K. Siva Prasad’s reply to the queries raised by the members of Congress, BJP, TDP, CPI and CPM, the Chief Minister who returned from New Delhi this morning, asserted that the DWCRA would be further activated to emerge as a role model for the entire country to usher in social, economic and political transformation of rural women. Spelling out the results of the DWCRA so far, the Chief Minister said there were a total of 25,000 self-help groups in the state which drawn a tremendous response from women who were below the poverty line. He said women enrolled as members of the DWCRA were able to make savings of Rs 250 crore since the time the scheme had been launched and there was a significant change in their social, economic and political lives. “A silent revolution is sweeping across the state through DWCRA”, he added. Earlier, the Panchayat Raj
Minister said an action plan was drawn to provide
economic assistance to the DWCRA self-help groups to take
up economic activity. It was envisaged to cover
additional 54,846 women groups with a subsidy of Rs 72.07
crore and loan of Rs 58 crore during 1998-99, he said. |
PM sees no threat to
government NEW DELHI, March 13 — The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, today emphasised that there was no threat to his government and asked his coalition partners to remain vigilant since the Congress was planning a fresh assault. Despite constant predictions by the Congress that the coalition government would not survive, Mr Vajpayee said soon it would complete one year in office. “After the Bihar issue and the Budget, a new attack is being planned. We should remain wary and be ready to face it. We have the people’s mandate with us,” Mr Vajpayee said addressing a delegation of the BJP and the Shiromani Akali Dal (youth wing) at his residence here this today. The delegation led by Mr Amrik Singh Aliwal, SAD MP from Ludhiana and Lala Lajpat Rai, BJP MP, Rajya Sabha, felicitated Mr Vajpayee for undertaking the bus journey to Lahore carrying the message of peace and amity. The Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister, Mr Surjit Singh Barnala and the Chairman of the Delhi Tourism Development Corporation, Mr Tarlochan Singh were among those who were present on the occasion. In his 25-minute speech, the Prime Minister touched upon various issues, including India-Pakistan relations in post-nuclear phase, progress and development work and political situation. Mr Vajpayee said it had been the endeavour of the BJP to carry along all its allies and added that on the crucial issue of the vote on Bihar, the party appealed to parties like the SAD, which had all along opposed the imposition of the Central rule. He also referred to “bogus vote” allegedly cast by a Congress MP for another who was not present. “We have heard of such practices in elections, or even in Bihar but never in Parliament”. This was an apparent reference to the charges of a vote cast in the name of Mr A B Ghani Khan Choudhary, who the ruling benches say was not present at the time voting on Bihar took place in the Lok Sabha, last month. Referring to his Lahore visit, Mr Vajpayee said Pakistan had now realised there was no other way but to hold talks to settle outstanding issues. The Prime Minister said now that both India and Pakistan were nuclear weapons state, it was in the interest of both to talk. Mr Vajpayee said India and Pakistan must have greater trade, increase cultural exchanges and relax visa regimes. At the same time, he added that both countries had agreed to cooperate to end terrorist activity. Turning to Punjab, he said
the Hindu-Sikh unity must remain at all times and that it
was a fitting reply to all those who wanted to create
mischief in the region. He said Punjab had been
India’s shield and also provider of foodgrains. |
CPI rally in Delhi on March
15 NEW DELHI, March 13 — To mount pressure on the BJP-led coalition government, the CPI is mobilising 2 lakh persons from across the country for its “people’s march” on March 15 here. Briefing newspersons about the march, the CPI General Secretary, Mr A.B. Bardhan, said a resolution demanding the ouster of the Vajpayee government would be adopted at the public meeting which would be held at Ramlila Grounds when the march culminated there. “Only people’s mobilisation could halt the danger arising from the communal reactionary forces and take the country forward”, Mr Bardhan said justifying the march to New Delhi. A similar march was organised by the CPI during the Congress government under former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. The BJP government must go as it was pursuing a communal agenda and was sowing seeds of national disintegration and communal enmity, the CPI leader said. When asked about the progress in the formation of a third front, Mr Bardhan said: “We are in no hurry but we are slowly and steadily coming closer”. He said the CPI was currently trying to develop an understanding with “other secular forces and the partners of the third front” and the effort was to evolve a common position in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Asked about the CPI’s stand towards the Congress, He said they had the same view on the issue of secularism but had differences on economic issues. “They (Congress) are not in a hurry so we are also not in a hurry”, Mr Bardhan said, adding that “we don’t have the numbers to either form the government or to bring it down”. Making his party’s stand clear on Bihar, He said the Bihar Governor, Mr S.S. Bhandari, should step down. “After a Governor has openly expressed his political affiliations, it becomes imperative for him to step down,” he said. There was no need for the
Rabri Devi government to seek a vote of confidence as it
continued to enjoy a majority and nothing had changed in
between which could have justified a vote of confidence,
the CPI leader said. |
IOC conducts fire drill NEW DELHI, March 13 — To test the preparedness to fight fire and the safety skills of its employees, Indian Oil, Northern Range, today conducted a live fire drill. In the live fire drill, called “operation kill fire”, simulated targets were set aflame and fire fighters had to put out the blaze in a specified time frame, a press note said. The risk of fire is an ever-present danger in the oil industry. The main elements that prevent a fire from turning into a blazing inferno are swiftness, alertness and fire-fighting skills of the employees at the location. According to the Executive
Director, Indian Oil, Northern Region, Mr Narender Singh,
fire fighting equipment could be effective, only if used
appropriately. |
| H |
|
||
| Japanese grant for NGO MUMBAI: Japan has extended a $ 27,200 grant assistance to the Indian Society for Social Action, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) based at Daund in Pune district of Maharashtra, for its rural education project. The help under the Japan’s Grant for Grassroots Project (GGP) has been given to the NGO for its projects to upgrade and expand the facilities at rural vocational training school. The society has been providing rural education and community development services since it was established in 1990. — UNI Cop killed in ambush Three militants
arrested Birla Award for
Prof Narlikar Police Medal for 9
CRPF men Ela Bhatt honoured Govt to celebrate
‘Year of Sanskrit’ 30m Indians suffer
from diabetes |
 |
 |
| Punjab
| Haryana | Himachal Pradesh | Jammu & Kashmir | Chandigarh | | Editorial | Business | Sport | | Mailbag | Spotlight | World | 50 years of Independence | Weather | | Search | Subscribe | Archive | Suggestion | Home | E-mail | |
