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Sawai Madhopur boils
Hints at change in leadership
Cloud over BJP meeting
Leaders call for peace
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25 trains cancelled
Rs 5,111-cr Punjab annual plan okayed
Wheat bonus extended for Punjab, Haryana
President Poll
Prez poll: NCP to back Cong candidate
Hung House likely in Goa
Mayawati’s election as CM challenged in SC
BJP wing to demonstrate against UPA
50 Escorts docs to join Apollo
In Bihar, it’s a Super 30 way to IIT
14-day tour of 14 Indians begins today
82 convicted in fodder scam
Misuse by ultras
ISI agent held
Bhide new revenue secy
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Sawai Madhopur boils
Jaipur, May 31 With today's deaths, the toll in the unrest that began on Tuesday rose to 20. However, the unofficial figure has been put at 22. Following the violence, the Army was called out to assist the civil administration in Bonli village, 70 km from Sawai Madhopur, Home Secretary V.S. Singh said. As the protesters went on the rampage, damaging vehicles and setting on fire a police post, the police first resorted to baton charge and burst teargas shells before opening fire, SP Jose Mohan said. The government's efforts to find a solution to the ongoing crisis as the second round of talks between Gujjar Sangarsh Samiti leaders and four ministers ended abruptly. "Talks have not failed. It is a continuous process and we are heading in that direction," parliamentary affairs minister B.S. Rajawat said, adding samiti leaders were adamant on their demands during the second round of negotiations that took place here. The earlier round that lasted 90 minutes was held at the Dausa district circuit house, about 110 km from here. Meanwhile, an all-party meeting convened by the Vasundhara Raje government appealed to the agitating Gurjars and their leaders to restore peace in the state. The Chief Minister who briefed mediapersons on the outcome of the three-hour-long meeting at her residence declined to take questions on the agitation. The protesters also indulged in arson at railway stations of Chauthkabara and Malarna-Dungari stations besides damaging a track, he said. With the violence continuing, the CM met governor Pratibha Patil and updated her on the situation. Home minister G C Kataria accompanied her. The governor had yesterday met union home minister Shivraj Patil and Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi. Meanwhile, a meeting chaired by union home secretary Madhukar Gupta discussed the situation in Rajasthan, including deployment of Central Para-Military Forces in the state. Rail services were disrupted on the Kota, Sawai Madhopur sections following large-scale damage to tracks and train services between Jaipur and Mumbai and Madhya Pradesh were hit. — PTI
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Hints at change in leadership
Dehra Dun, May 31 Without elaborating whether the central BJP leadership was mulling the change of guard, Joshi, while addressing a news conference here, said their first priority was to control the situation that has arisen out of the Gujjar community’s demand for inclusion in the ST category for reservation purposes. Asked to elaborate the efforts being made by the BJP government to restore law and order, Joshi replied that they were trying to bring the Gujjar leaders for talks.
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New Delhi, May 31 The party is seriously considering an alternative for the executive meeting, sources said adding that it not possible to hold it in Jaipur because of the fear of an untoward incident. BJP President Rajnath Singh is going to meet Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, L K Advani, to deliberate on this issue. Moreover, the BJP's central leadership seems to be confused over pushing the case of Gujjars for their inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes category. The BJP does not want to be seen siding with the either and as a result it is treading a very cautious path on the issue. — TNS
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Leaders call for peace
Dausa, May 31 “We are not for any kind of confrontation or violent activity, but we want to resolve the ongoing issue peacefully,” a member of Gujjar Arakshan Manch, Rup Singh, said. He alleged that it was because of the government's dilly-dallying for the past four years that a situation like this had arisen. The Gujjar community had lost patience, he said. About the confrontation between the Gujjars and Meenas over the ST list, Singh said some political parties were trying to divide the two communities by spreading such rumours.
— PTI
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25 trains cancelled
New Delhi, May 31 The New Delhi-Ajmer Shatabadi, the Sarai Rohilla-Porbander Express, Bareilly-Bhuj Express, Ahmedabad-Ashram Express, Jaisalmer-Intercity Express, Ahmedabad Rajdhani, Nizamuddin-Udaipur Mewar Express, Mumbai Rajdhani and the Nizamuddin-Kota Jan Shatabadi were among the trains cancelled since Thursday morning. The Nizamuddin-Ahmedabad Express Gujarat Sampark Kranti Express has been rescheduled for 7.25 pm instead. Arterial highways were also blocked leaving hundreds stranded. Reports say protestors have torched official property in various parts of Rajasthan as the government grapples to find a solution. The decision to cancel and reschedule trains passing through the desert state was taken following a meeting convened by Railway Board officials here. The trains which have been cancelled on the North Western Railway include: Benaras-Jodhpur Marudhar Express, Jodhpur-Benaras Marudhar Express, Jaipur-Gwalior Express, Udaipur-Nizamuddin Mewar Expres, Amritsar-Jaipur Express, Ajmer-New Delhi Shatabadi Express and Jaipur-Sealdah Express. The trains cancelled on the Western Railway include: Ahmedabad-Haridwar Mail, Mumbai-Nizamuddin August Kranti Express, Bandra-Nizamuddin Garib Rath and Ahmedabad-New Delhi Rajdhani. The trains cancelled on the North Central Railway are: Mathura-Lucknow Express and Gwalior-Jaipur Express.
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Rs 5,111-cr Punjab annual plan okayed
New Delhi, May 31 The plan was approved at a meeting between Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia at Yojana Bhavan here. An official spokesman said the plan lays emphasis on agriculture, education, health, information technology and welfare of weaker sections. The approved plan size is above the proposed outlay of Rs 4,800 crore. He said higher allocations are likely to be made available by the Centre under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme, Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission and additional assistance scheme for agriculture. Taking part in the deliberations, Badal said the critical area of education and welfare of Scheduled Castes, who constitute a substantial section of the state's population, should be given focused attention. He emphasised the need for opening skill development and upgradation centres in rural areas for enhancing skills of school dropouts and over-age persons. He said that every block of the state should have a skill development centre. Badal said states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Vidharba region had been given relief packages but Centre has remained insensitive to Punjab which had contributed a great deal to the nation's food security. He said farmers should be encouraged to boost production to prevent food crisis in the near future. Badal said that the farmers had no control over their income as prices for their critical inputs were decided by the Centre. He stressed adequate funds to the states to make agriculture a profitable and self-sustaining venture. He also raised the issue of compensation to farmers near the border and increase in funding under the Border Areas Development
Programme. |
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Seeks funds for SCs’ welfare
New Delhi, May 31 Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who met social justice and empowerment minister Meira Kumar last evening, urged her to allot special funds for schemes being formulated by the state government to cater to the needs of SCs and BCs. He said a comprehensive proposal on the issue would be sent by the state government soon. Badal said the state was working on a proposal to grant scholarships. Seeking grant for education and accommodation for SC families, who do not have houses, the Chief Minister demanded an assistance for 10 Adarsh Schools in the rural areas for poor students and 50 vocational training centres for weaker sections. He urged the Centre to release the pending amount of Rs 5 crore for completion of Regional Spinal Injury Centre at Mohali. The Chief Minister sought a grant for construction of old-age homes by NGOs under the centrally sponsored schemes. An official spokesman said Meira Kumar agreed to the proposal of the state government to establish rehabilitation centres for the disabled in Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Moga and Nawanshaher. She urged the Chief Minister to implement legislation concerning untouchability in the state to ensure a sense of security and social freedom to all sections of society.
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Wheat bonus extended for Punjab, Haryana
New Delhi, May 31 “We have extended the wheat bonus in Punjab and Haryana till June 15,” a government official said. The minimum support price (MSP) of wheat has been fixed at Rs 750 per quintal, besides a bonus of Rs 100 per quintal, taking the effective purchase price to Rs 850 per quintal in the ongoing Rabi marketing season 2007-08. In Punjab and Haryana, the government had set the deadline of May 31 for wheat procurement with bonus price, while in other wheat growing states, bonus was to continue till June 30. However, in Bihar, procurement would be done till July 15. Procurement by Food Corporation of India (FCI) and other state agencies have improved in the last 10 days, which prompted the government to not only extend the bonus period in Punjab and Haryana but also to cancel the tender floated by the State Trading Corporation to import 10 lakh tonne of wheat. FCI and other agencies had procured over 105 lakh tonne of wheat till yesterday, compared to 92.26 lakh tonne last year. The government has fixed the procurement target at 151.5 lakh tonne, which in all probability, they are likely to miss. The procurement this season is likely to cross 110 lakh tonne, FCI Chairman Alok Sinha said, adding that the figure does not include purchases of six lakh tonne made by the Punjab government for its welfare scheme. Earlier, Punjab finance minister Manpreet Badal said farmers were holding about 20 lakh tonne of wheat in the state. Wheat purchase till yesterday stood at 105.13 lakh tonne, while arrival was 144.44 lakh tonne throughout the country. The figure, however, does not include the wheat purchased by NAFED on behalf of FCI in Bihar and six lakh tonne bought by Punjab government for its welfare scheme. NAFED has procured over one lakh tonne of wheat so far in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Interestingly, procurement in Rajasthan at 3.36 lakh tonne, has exceeded the target of two lakh tonne. However, Punjab, Bihar, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh are still lagging behind in meeting their procurement target. FCI and other state agencies have procured 65.28 lakh tonne in Punjab against the targeted 75 lakh tonne, while in Haryana, official purchases stood at 32.82 lakh tonne compared to a target of 45 lakh
tonne.
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President Poll
Kolkata, May 31 Sekhawat wants to be accepted as a consensus candidate of all parties for the post of President after the expiry of the term of President Abdul Kalam on July 1. He spent about an hour at Basu's residence and exchanged views with him. After their meeting, Basu told mediapersons that the vice-president had come here with his request for supporting him in the presidential election. But he asked Shekhawat to meet their leaders in Delhi. However, he said the CPM had already decided not to support any candidate, representing any communal party. On the contrary, the party would support the Basu said the CPM had not suggested any name either for the presidential candidate or the vice-president's post. But Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had suggested External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's name to party general secretary Prakash Karat, along with two other names, Karan Singh and Sushil Kumar Shinde. “Now I am told that two other Congress leaders, Narayan Dutt Tewari and Shivraj Patil, were also interested for the post and let us see what Sonia Gandhi and others decide”, Basu added. Uttar Pradesh Chief minister Mayawati has not yet decided about the BSP's stand on the presidential candidate but she had already held talks with Sonia Gandhi and the Prime Minister. The BSP's votes will be a vital factor in the President poll. On the other hand, the BJP and some NDA partners had started campaigning for vice-president Shekhwat for the presidential post. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee yesterday requested the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa for extending
support to Shekhwat. But Mamata Banerjee had proposed Vajpayee's name as the country's future president. A section of the CPM indicated that educationist Malini Bhattacharyya, a former CPM MP, could be considered for the vice-president's post if the Congress candidate would be selected as the President.
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Prez poll: NCP to back Cong candidate
Panjim, May 31 The NCP would also abide by the collective decision on the nominee for the vice-president's post, Pawar said. Speaking to newsmen here, Pawar said the NCP was looking to have a larger alliance with the Congress at the national level. "We will fight the elections to the Gujarat assembly jointly," Pawar said. The Maratha strongman, however, insisted that the alliance's purpose was a larger battle to save the secular fabric of the country. "We need to have national movement to protect secularism," Pawar told reporters after addressing a meeting in support of Congress candidate Ramakant Khalap at Mandrem constituency. The immediate goal of such an alliance would be to defeat the BJP at the national level, Pawar said. "It is no longer the question of fighting elections, we have to work together to defeat the BJP," Pawar said. All secular forces, Pawar said, must unite to fight the BJP in the forthcoming Gujarat elections. Though Pawar did not reveal his plans for Gujarat, NCP sources admitted that both parties will begin seat sharing talks in earnest before the Gujarat polls.
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Hung House likely in Goa
Panjim, May 31 Leaders of the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP admit off the record that the smaller parties and the Independents will determine who forms the next government. The two parties haven't even been able to contest all 40 seats in the Goa House. "We must admit that we don't have a presence in parts of Salcette," says BJP leader Manohar Parrikar about the region seen as Goa's Christian heartland. The BJP has fielded 33 candidates while the Congress is contesting just 32 seats. The NCP in alliance with the Congress is contesting six seats. Naturally, the bit players in the Goan political scene will move to the centre of action after the last vote is counted. "So far the Congress has got in touch with me, but I will take a decision later," says Save Goa Front leader Churchill Alemao who quit as South Goa Congress MP only last month to float the new outfit. Alemao is widely believed to have received the backing of the BJP to cut into the minority Catholic Christian votes which traditionally go to the Congress. Like Alemao, Atnasio Babush Monserrate who quit the Congress after getting the party's nomination for the Taleigao seat is talking of keeping his options open. Monserrate has resurrected his United Goans Democratic Party. Monserrate is said to be involved with the Russian mafia for property dealings in the state. But both Congress and BJP prefer to stay silent about that. The BJP’s reason can be understood when its leader Parrikar says, “I have not approached him but Monserrate hates the Congress so much, he has asked the Catholics to vote for me.”
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Mayawati’s election as CM challenged in SC
New Delhi, May 31 The petition filed by UP-based advocate and president of the Hindu Personal Law Board, Ashok Pandey, claimed that under the Constitutional provisions, an MP has to resign from his seat before getting elected to the state legislature. The petitioner urged the court to issue a “quo warranto” (court’s direction to a particular authority to explain under what authority he/she was discharging such powers) to the Chief Minister and the minister. In the case of Mayawati and Mishra, it was submitted the two were sitting Rajya Sabha members and hence, stood disqualification from being the Chief Minister and minister at the state level. Quoting Article 164 (4) of the Constitution, the petition stated that even a non-member of the Legislative Assembly can be appointed as a minister, provided he/she gets elected to the Assembly within a period of six months from the date of appointment. The same principle applies to the post of Prime Minister or a minister at the central level. According to the petition, the case of Mayawati was not an isolated one, as all political parties were indulging in such “unconstitutional” practise by projecting certain sitting MPs as their prospective Chief Ministers without asking them to resign from the Parliament seats. The petition further noted that it would be unconstitutional for an MP not to resign before being elected as Chief Minister as otherwise he/she would be getting dual pay, perks and other benefits available to the two posts. It may be recalled that in 2004, two ministers Paras Nath Yadav and Reoti Raman Singh resigned from the Mulayam Singh government after writ petition was filed in the Allahabad High Court, challenging their continuance in the ministry as they were sitting MPs. However, the petition was yet to be disposed off, Pandey said.
— PTI
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BJP wing to demonstrate against UPA
New Delhi, May 31 The saffron party's minority wing chief Syed Shahnawaz Hussain stated this here today. Hussain said over 10 lakh Muslims would demonstrate at the state and district headquarters between June 25 and 30 against the UPA's failure to improve the lot of the minorities. Talking to mediapersons after the meeting of the new-newly constituted team of the Minority Morcha, Hussain said the first meeting of the Morcha’s national executive would be held on July 7-8.
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50 Escorts docs to join Apollo
New Delhi, May 31 The cardiologist had yesterday announced his resignation from Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre (EHIRC) and decision to join Apollo Group and said a "significant" number of doctors from Escorts will be moving with him. About 100 staffers, including 50 doctors, have resigned from Escorts which has a
strength of 217 doctors, sources close to Trehan told PTI today. Trehan, who ended his 20-year-long association with Escorts Hospital, which was his brainchild, is joining Apollo on Monday. “We are working out the details,” he said when asked what position he has been offered. Sources said more doctors, technicians, nurses and physiotherapist will be resigning from Escorts to join Trehan. Fortis, however, confirmed seven resignations. Trehan was sacked as Executive Director of the hospital by Ranbaxy-promoted Fortis Healthcare on May 18. The week-long crisis that saw free exchange of charges and counter-charges between Shivender Mohan Singh, the Managing Director of Fortis Healthcare which has majority stake in Escorts, and Trehan ended on May 26 when both agreed for an out of court settlement. They said in a
statement that the allegations were borne out of misunderstanding and are
withdrawn. — PTI
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In Bihar, it’s a Super 30 way to IIT
Patna, May 31 However, Fujiwara’s enthusiasm was not misplaced. This year’s IIT-JEE entrance test result list published today includes 28 students who worked hard and were coached at the Super 30. The Super 30 experiment, initiated in 2002, is more of a social mission than a mere coaching institute. Even as the country battles hard to reach a point of sanity on reservations, every year, Super 30 selects a group of 30 students aspiring to make it to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). From poor families, these students are provided with free coaching, food and accommodation, all under one roof. Last year too, 28 of the 30 students had made it to the prestigious IIT colleges. The successful run began in 2003 when 18 students from its first batch cracked the IIT tests. Then, 22 and 26 students made it to the IITs in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Anand Kumar, who is the director of the institute, says, “This year, 28 students cracked the IIT test and two others were selected for preparatory. It is like 100 per cent result.” Additional director general of police (ADGP), Abhayanand, had conceived Super 30. “Merit, and only merit, is the sole consideration to make it to Super 30. We do not go by caste or economic considerations,” he says. Abhayanand teaches physics free of cost at the institute and according to him, the success lies in hard work and proper guidance. Kumar, who also runs the Ramanujan School of Mathematics, says Super 30 is supported by the income generated from the mathematics school, which has students from affluent families who can afford to pay to fulfil this “social objective”. Perhaps, the success of Super 30 would serve as a model for other such institutes across India to walk on this truly satisfying path of recognising and promoting merit.
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14-day tour of 14 Indians begins today
New Delhi, May 31 And now with President Pervez Musharraf agreeing to allow the kin of the alleged PoWs to visit Pakistani jails in the search of those missing in the war, their hope has been rekindled. The first batch of 14 Indians visiting Pakistan to verify if their kin are lodged in its jails will leave the country tomorrow. Their efforts got a boost today as they called on defence minister A K Antony, who assured them that the government "will continue to pursue the issue of missing PoWs with Pakistan till we find the truth". "Your visit is a breakthrough. I hope it will serve the purpose," Antony told the group during a 50-minute meeting at his South Block office. During its 14-day visit, the group is expected to visit jails in Karachi, Sukhur, Multan, Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Mianwali, Rawalpindi, Swabi, Dargai and Lahore. "The seriousness of the government can be gauged from the fact that the Prime Minister has personally taken up the issue," Antony added. The group urged the defence minister to help in arranging a meeting with President Musharraf. The minister also gave an assurance that the government would take all steps through Indian High Commission in Islamabad to arrange a meeting with President Musharraf. "A small group will go. They can go and verify if any of their relatives are
in (Pakistani) jails," later Mukherjee told Parliament. "We have given from time to time over the years a list of 74 PoWs that are being held in (Pakistani) jails (since the 1971 war). Pakistan has denied on each occasion that even a single PoW is in its jails.
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82 convicted in fodder scam
Ranchi, May 31 Special Judge U.S.P. Sinha pronounced rigorous imprisonment for 57 convicts out of the 58 accused for fraudulently withdrawing Rs 48 crore from Chaibasa treasury. They were handed down jail terms between two-and-a-half to six years. The conviction for the 58th accused would be pronounced in his presence when he appeared before the court on a later date. He was now admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) due to illness. Among the convicted, three women were handed down jail term of thirty months each but have been granted bail. In another case, the court ruled rigorous imprisonment of four to six years for fraudulently withdrawing Rs 7.21 crore from the Ranchi treasury in 1995. The court had acquitted three persons and convicted 13 for three years, yesterday. The multi-crore fodder scam came to light in the 90s and many politicians, including former Chief Ministers Lalu Prasad and Jagganath Mishra were accused in the case. Prasad had to step down from the post of the Chief Minister after his name appeared in the case.
— UNI
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Misuse by ultras
Guwahati, May 31 The SMS campaign was necessitated after the Army engaged in counter-insurgency operation in the state claimed that it had proof that senior leaders of the ULFA were using at least a dozen SIM cards issued to persons with a common address, Rajiv Bhavan, Guwahati, which is the headquarter of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee. The Congress was prompt to blame the BSNL for being lax in verification of addresses of SIM applicants given that Rajiv Bhavan could not be a residential address of anyone though an internal inquiry was ordered by the party in view of the Army claim.
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ISI agent held
New Delhi, May 31 The Special Cell caught Insaf Ali, alias Nirmal Jain, yesterday from platform No. 18 of the railway station, following a tip-off. Ali was delivering the documents related to deployment of the Army and BSF in Rajasthan, police said today. Hailing from Pali in Rajasthan, Ali acted as a conduit for extracting information, documents and details related to deployments and exercise operations in Bikaner, Jaisalmer and
Jodhpur. — UNI
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Bhide new revenue secy
New Delhi, May 31 An IAS officer of 1973 batch (Andhra Cadre), Mr Bhide succeeds K M Chandrasekhar, who will assume office as the new Cabinet Secretary. Bhide has also served as Additional and Special Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and had worked earlier as Director in the Department of Economic Affairs. He was deputed to the World Bank during 1988-92 as Technical Advisor.
— TNS
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