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Consumers panic over LPG crisis

     New Delhi: Harassed consumers stood for hours in kilometre-long queues waiting for LPG on Thursday in the wake of the severe LPG crunch, the government has said was being is artificially generated. India traditionally registers higher consumption of fuel due to the string of festivals and thousands of marriages spanning October and November, but this year the increased illegal use of gas in motor vehicles has added to the crisis. India's state-run oil firms say more than 600,000 vehicles across the country are running on subsidised domestic LPG. The gas, reports say, is also being sold at high volumes to hotels, restaurants and private firms as common consumers suffer. Angry housewives and residents here said they were being forced to buy the gas, priced at 290 rupees per 16 kilograms from black marketers at almost thrice the actual cost. Most of them had booked their supplies nearly a month but are yet to receive any. The government has however, said that there was no shortage in LPG stocks. Oil minister Mani Shankar Aiyar also met chiefs of state-run oil firms to deal with the unprecedented shortfall.

SC seeks UP chief secretary sacking (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Uttar Pradesh Government to sack its Chief Secreatry Neera Yadav within a week as there were several corruption charges against her. Yadav is a 1971-batch Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer. The apex court passed the order while hearing a public interest litigation that sought the quashing of the chief secretary's appointment. A three judge bench comprising Arijit Pasayat, Justices Ruma Pal and C K Thakkar passed an interim order directing the state government to shift Yadav to another post with the same rank. The PIL, filed jointly by NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation and Sharat Chandra Pradhan, a journalist, had alleged that despite several cases registered against Yadav, including one by the CBI for corruption, she had been appointed as the state's chief secretary. The petitioner have also pointed out that besides being chargesheeted in at least four cases, Yadav had also been indicted by the Murtaza Hussain Commission which inquired into irregularities in allotment of land in Noida during her tenure as the chairman of Noida. The Supreme Court-appointed Justice K T Thomas committee was inquiring into the alleged land scam. She was also voted as the second most corrupt officer in a poll conducted by the IAS Officers Association in Uttar Pradesh in 1997, the petition says.

BJP leader shot at in election rally (Go To Top)

     Sasaram (Bihar): Former Information and Broadcasting minister and Bhartiya Janata Party leader, Ravishankar Prasad, escaped a bid on his life when an unidentified person shot at him during an election rally near Sasaram disrtict in Nokha Assembly constiuency in Bihar. However, Prasad is said to be out of danger. According to sources, the BJP leader was addressing an election rally in Sasaram when he was attacked. The bullet hit his hand. The attacker was killed on the spot by the enraged public. Prasad has been taken to Patna by an helicopter from where he will be brought to Delhi for medical treatment. Prasad was shot at as he rose to address the public rally, which was also being attended by senior BJP leder, Pramod MahajanPramod Mahajan. Later on, BJP President, Lal Kishan Chand Advani talked to Pramod Mahajan over phone and enquired about the incident. "These all are nothing but 'Lalu's desperation' only," said BJP spokesperson Prakash Javdekar. The first phase of elections in Bihar starts on October 18.

Govt. appoints first Chief Information Commissioner (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: The process of setting up a Commission for the implementation of Right to Information Act (RIA) has picked up speed with the appointment of first Chief Information Commissioner of India by the Central Government. A retired IAS officer from Jammu and Kashmir, Wajahad Habibullah has been appointed the first Chief Information Commissioner (CIC), under the Right to Information Act-2005, which will come into effect from October 12, in all States across the country. Habibullah, a 1967 cadre officer, who retired on September 30 as Secretary of Panchayati Raj, will assume the office soon, the official sources said. CIC will head the Information Commission, which will be a full- fledged autonomous body. In addition to this central body, all states will have state Information Commissions having members not more than ten.

    Report says that almost all the state governments have completed all statutory measures for implementing the Act, guaranteeing citizens the right to seek information about Government decisions. The Act grants citizens the right to inspect works, documents, take notes, extracts or certified copies of documents or records, and obtain information in the form of printouts, diskettes, floppies, tapes, video cassettes or in any other electronic mode or through printouts from public authorities. The information covered under the Act includes records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material held in any electronic form and information relating to any private body which can be accessed by a public authority under any other law for the time being in force. What the citizens need only to write to department heads, designated as State Information Officers, to learn contents of files, policies and other decisions. The information will be available within 30 days. The Act lays down penalties on officials who fail to provide information within 30 days.

     Intelligence and security agencies are excluded from the provisions of the Act. Besides, the Act exempts ten types of information, which are sensitive in nature from disclosure to public. The Goa Government, which had initially come out with a clause in the act, with provision of punishing for "the misuse of information received under the Act," has now completed its preparation with deleted clause. As per the Gazette Notification issued by the Government of India on June 15 this year, the Act is to be implemented within 120 days of publication of the notification in all the States with exception to Jammu and Kashmir. The stipulated date expires on October 13.

Bullet proof cover for Ayodhya's Ram Temple (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: The Union Home Ministry is seriously considering a proposal to provide a bullet-proof cover for idols at the makeshift Ram temple in Ayodhya as part of its ongoing efforts to ensure adequate security for the communally sensitive spot. A senior official of the ministry was quoted by news agencies as saying that the Central Government will approach the Supreme Court for permission to go ahead with the shield, citing the July 5 attack on the complex by six terrorists. A K Jain, Joint Secretary in the ministry was quoted by one agency as saying that apart from the bullet-proof shield, high- tech surveillance equipment would be installed at Ayodhya, Mathura and Varanasi temple complexes and the Taj Mahal. For this the government has sanctioned Rs.16.77 crore (3.78 million dollars), he added. This decision to upgrade security around these complexes was being done on the recommendations of an expert committee set up by the Centre and Uttar Pradesh governments. A total of 19.91 crore (4.49 million dollars) will be needed to carry out security-related construction work and install sophisticated gadgets. Of this amount, Rs 3.14 crore (70,000 dollars) of the expenditure would have to be borne by the UP Government.