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PM's firm stand in favour of disinvestment
New Delhi, Oct 2 (ANI): Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has expressed regret over what he perceives as a fast emerging idea that the privatisation process has come to halt due to differences within the government. In an apparent reference to some Cabinet ministers' opposition to strategic sale of public sector units, he said on Wednesday that "differences are bound to be there when knowledgeable people discuss policies. An impression is being created that the disinvestment policy is wrong and that there are divisions within the government." Vajpayee made this remark when he launched the first issue of Shram Samachar brought out by the Labour Ministry. This followed the meeting of George Fernandes, Murli Manohar Joshi and Ram Naik, all of whom are against disinvestment. It is not always necessary that everyone in the government should sit together to discuss policies but there was nothing wrong if people held separate meetings, he added. "But there should be a limit to that," according to Vajpayee.(ANI) Death toll in mid-air crash rises to 17
Vasco (Goa), Oct 2 (ANI): The death toll in the mid- air collision of naval reconnaissance planes in Goa rose to 17 on Wednesday, a day after the accident. The two IL 38 planes hit each other on Tuesday shortly after the take-off, two kilometres from Dabolim airport which houses a naval base also. While one of the planes crashed in an open land near the airport, another fell over a construction site in Vasco town where several labourers had been working. Among the dead are all 12 crew members of the two planes. A labourer and two others - a passing motocyclist and a rescue team member - also died. Bodies of two more labourers were retrieved from the debris on Wednesday. The condition of five out of 15 injured is critical. "It seemed as if there was a sudden storm. There was darkness all around. I tried escaping by skipping over to the adjacent plot. But I was hit and fell on the ground," said one of the injured labourer admitted in Cottage Hospital in Vasco town. "I didn't know what happened. There was fire and I tried to escape but all the doors were closed," recounted another injured labourer. The accident coincided with the 25th anniversary of the induction of the Russian-made Ilyushin 38s, popularly called the IL 38s, in the Indian navy. Two seperate probes to ascertain the cause of the collision have been initiated by the Indian Navy and the government of Goa.(ANI) Relief package inadequate, say Punjab farmers
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Khanna (Punjab), Oct 2 (ANI): Farmers in Punjab have described the enhanced drought relief package announced by the Central government as inadequate. Under the Rs 4 billion package, farmers will get a relief of Rs 20 per quintal on paddy. The relief is meant to be over and above the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy which has been retained at last year's level of Rs 530 and Rs 560 per quintal for the two grades of paddy. The relief package also includes a rollback in the increase in fertilizer prices and a waiver of interest on all loans to farmers for the next one year. Farmers however allege that the Rs 20 relief per quintal is meagre as it would not cover even a fraction of the losses incurred by them. A severe drought in July this year, termed as the worst in many decades, destroyed much standing crop. The extent of damage to paddy crop in Punjab has been to the tune of 70 per cent. Harnesh Singh, a farmer, said the government must increase the relief amount or else hike the MSP, the rate at which the government buys grains from the farmers for its granaries. "We thought the government would increase the MSP but instead it is doing all this. By these standards I still lose 58 rupees (a quintal). How can we make up for so much loss? We want to get at least the right relief and the right rate from the government," said Harnesh Singh. Farmers are demanding a hike of over Rs 200 per quintal in the MSP or demanding relief to be raised to 100 rupees per quintal. Punjab Chief Minister, Captain Amrinder Singh, who inaugurated the procurement process at Khanna, the biggest wholesale grain market in north India, on Tuesday, supported the farmers' demands. "It is a cruel joke on the farmers who were already down with the failure of crops this year and who had to spend so much on diesal and other things. It really is a joke," said Singh. Farmers' lobbies, which have been agitating for higher relief, were still reluctant to sell their produce. Some farmers started protesting and blocked traffic even as the procurment process began.(ANI) Stress on preservation of Himalayan eco-system
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to top Dharamshala, Oct 2 (ANI): The degrading eco-system of the Himalayan region has become a major cause of concern for environmentalists. At least 400 delegates from 15 countries are attending a four-day long conference on preservation of the mountain's ecological balance. The conference got underway on Wednesday in Dharamsala. Himalayan range, which goes through 12 states of northern India, is crucial to the climatic conditions in the region. They stop the monsoon winds from crossing over the Tibet causing precipitation in the Indo-Gangetic plains. Envoironmentalists feel that much of the development in the region has harmed the fragile ecological balance. "Earlier the conditions were such that the local life here was interlinked with the eco-system of the mountains. So people did use the forests when the need arose, but then environment was preserved diligently," said Chandi Prasad Bhatt, an environmentalist. The conference is the first meet organised by the Indo-German Changar Eco-Development Project which aims at making the policy makers conscious of the economic development and fragile ecological balance in the mountainous regions. Nearly 24 percent of the earth is covered by high altitude mountain ranges which are home to more than 750 million people. The developmental activities such as the construction of high dams, roads, mining and agriculture pose a grave threat to the natural eco-system of the mountains. The conference called for greater paradigm shift in the models of development and their integration with the environment concerns to protect the fragile eco-systems of the mountain ranges of the world. The environmentalists said that local participation was the key to the problem. "How are the issues of poverty alleviation and environmental protection tackled in fragile ecosystem such as the mountains? The answers to these questions are of great significance to the overall development of the mountainous regions," said Giesla Hayfa, head of the German delegation. "We must not forget that almost half of our planes is covered by high and medium level mountains, as we have heard already. In spite of their importance, mountain regions have been the victims of negligence," added Hayfa. Himalayas, due to their heights, are often called the third pole of the earth and have been deemed the cradle of civilisation in the subcontinent. According to National Forest Policy, more than 60 per cent of the forest area should be protected as "tree cover" in the Himalayan zone. But statistics show forest cover has been reduced to 22 per cent, with only 11 per cent falling under the dense forest category. Till recently the local population has been diligent in protecting its forest wealth. In 1973, a movement called Chipko (cling to the trees) was undertaken by the rural women of the the Chamoli district in the northern Uttaranchal state to protect the forests of the Himalayas from being destroyed for the sake of timber.(ANI)
Police fire to control clashing groups in Bhavnagar Go to top Bhavnagar, Oct 2 (ANI): There was tension in one part of the city on Wednesday as two groups indulged in heavy stone-throwing, forcing the police to open fire. The trouble started around 2 pm when some women from two communities entered into an argument over the use of a toilet in Mafatnagar locality. Later, the youths from both groups started brick-batting, leading to injuries to five people. Police rushed to the spot and opened some rounds of fire to control the situation but none was injured in the firing.(ANI) Commonwealth action plan to reduce global poverty Go to top London, Sept 26 (ANI): Finance Ministers from 52 Commonwealth countries, meeting in London, have drawn up an action plan to help deliver "The Monterrey Consensus" - the blueprint for encouraging economic growth and reducing global poverty, which emanated from the United Nations Conference in Monterrey, Mexico, last March and was endorsed by the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in August. Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, who chaired the meeting, declared that the "call to action" meant that "the era of resolution is to be moved forward to an era of implementation". "What we are talking about," he explained, "is a new development compact, which will allow all countries across the Commonwealth, as well as across the world, to have a fair share of the benefits of global prosperity." The importance to the Commonwealth lies in the fact that 665 million of its citizens live on less than a dollar a day, thus making it home for more than half the world's poorest people. The seven countries most affected by HIV/AIDS are in the Commonwealth, and in some Commonwealth countries less than 35 per cent of children complete primary school. The Action Plan sets out separate commitments for governments of developing countries and advanced and high income countries. Developing countries are committed to devising and implementing poverty reduction strategies and promoting stability and liberalisation. They are to reform and strengthen processes for public expenditure and finacial management to ensure that expenditure is effectively directed at key priorities; and to develop policy frameworks that encourage domestic and foreign private sector investment. Advanced countries will open their markets to exports from developing countries, and enhance their official development assistance (ODA) in support of effective national development and poverty reduction strategies. In particular, donor countries are committed to progressing towards the United Nations ODA target of 0.7 per cent of GNP, and focusing aid "where it will do most good, in support of countries with the greatest level of poverty, and which are building sound governance, policies and institutions, and implementing credible strategies for development and poverty reduction". The plan emphasises that by forging consensus across its diverse membership, Commonwealth countries can have more impact in global fora than by acting separately. Thus, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other donors are to be urged to provide simplified and streamlined support for financial management in developing countries. As the London meeting precedes the annual meetings of both the IMF and the World Bank, there will be an early opportunity for Commonwealth ministers to make their point. Chancellor Brown said the United Kingdom would press for a further stage of debt relief amounting to one billion dollars and would contribute towards the cost. But debt relief and increased aid would not be enough to meet agreed goals, and it was his belief that consideration should be given to setting up a new international financing facility to meet the demands of the future. (ANI)
Ethanol-blended petrol for vehicles from next year: Ram Naik
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to top Hyderabad, Oct 2 (ANI): Vehicles in as many as nine states would run on ethanol-mixed petrol from the beginning of next year. The move is aimed at protecting the environment from the menace of air pollution. Initially the step would be implemented in states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, and depending on the success rate, other parts of the country would also be covered. This was announced by Petroleum Minister Ram Naik here on Tuesday while speaking to presspersons. He said besides saving the environment, the move would also greatly benefit the engines of the motor vehicles. Ethanol is made from sugarcane juice, it is like alcohol. "Initially we have decided to add 5 percent of it in petrol. The advantages are that it is good for the environment, and the engine of motor vehicles too", Naik added. He further said that besides reducing the import of oil, it would also benefit the farmers. The minister said, "initially we would add only five per cent ethanol and simultaneously examine its practability and feasibility. Gradually we will go on increasing its quantity, and in the third phase, 20 percent ethanol will be added to petrol", the reason being that ethanol is renewable and not exhaustible. According to him, in the first phase beginning Januray 1, 2003, nearly 320 million litres of ethanol will be required for blending with petrol every year. On the issue of disinvestment in the oil sector, the minister said he was not against the proposal, but it will take another three months to get things clear. (ANI)
Post-bifurcation, a peeved Mamata to snap ties with NDA
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top Kolkata, Oct 2 (ANI): Eastern Railway's formal bifurcation yesterday has compelled Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee to shut her party's door on the National Democratic Alliance and chalk out a new strategy to fight the ruling Marxists in West Bengal. Ms Banerjee, who fought almost a lone battle to stall the bifurcation which threatens to cripple her home state's economy and development, was totally dismayed by the indifferent attitude of the BJP's apex leaders, including Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to her repeated pleas to put the bifurcation on hold and constitute an experts' committee to go into its feasibility. She had been particularly disappointed by the Cabinet's approval of Railway Minister Nitish Kumar's decision to create new zones, but was expecting the Prime Minister's intervention in the matter after successive train accidents in the recent past. Ms Banerjee had reiterated that maintenance of railway track and safety of passengers and not the creation of new zones should receive top priority from the government. However, the manner in which the Cabinet overlooked her plea and allowed Kumar to fulfil "his political agenda" came as a shock to the Trinamul supremo. Ms Banerjee, who was once instrumental in creating public opinion in favour of a Vajpayee-led government at the Centre, has vowed "to retaliate at the opportune moment." A formal announcement on TC severing all its links with the NDA is expected after the festive season when the party's working committee will meet and endorse her decision. According to informed sources, her decision to snap ties with the NDA over the bifurcation issue should not be viewed in isolation. Ms Banerjee has also been concerned over the BJP's Hindutva agenda as evident from the party's electoral strategy in Gujarat where the VHP is calling the shots. She naturally wanted to take up an issue which will help her distance herself from the saffron party and the government led by it under the growing influence of Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani. The obvious erosion of Vajpayee's power and authority in the party and the NDA government has also not escaped her notice. The Trinamul boss, however, has largely succeeded in averting a split in her parliamentary party by refusing to join the Cabinet over the bifurcation issue. Some of her party MPs, who were eager to join the Vajpayee ministry, tried thier best to extract some kind of concession from the BJP leadership to ensure her re-induction to the Cabinet. They were, however, eventually dismayed as no efforts were made to allow Eastern Railway to retain the Dhanbad division as desired by Ms Banerjee as the "minimum price" for her party's continuation in the NDA. These pro-NDA MPs have now no other option but to accept the Trinamul Congress supremo's decision to snap ties with the BJP. Ms Banerjee's desperation to stall the bifurcation was also apparent from the manner in which she rushed to Jharkhand on Sunday to share a platform with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leaders to protest against Dhanbad's inclusion in the newly created East-Central railway with headquarters at Hajipur. Both Trinamul Congress and the JMM have vowed to fight Kumar's decision and Ms Banerjee has supported the JMM's demand for the creation of a separate railway zone with its headquarters at Dhanbad as she feels this will protect West Bengal's interest to some extent. It is to be seen what kind of strategy the two parties adopt to realise their demand now that ER bifurcation has formally come into effect. The bifurcation, however, has completely exposed the ruling Marxists' political opportunism. The CPI(M) has done practically nothing to stall the split and kept its so-called protests at a low key in order not to antagonise the NDA leadership. The CPI(M)-led Left Front government has been partially bailed out in its current financial crisis by the Centre with its loan assistance of Rs 878 crores. The bankrupt state government, which is now largely depending on the Centre's bounty to meet its plan and non-plan expenditure, naturally finds it extremely difficult to challenge its decisions. The state Congress is somewhat elated over the political fallout of the bifurcation. State Congress president Pranab Mukherjee does not rule out an electoral alliance with Trinamul Congress once it formally snaps its ties with the NDA. Mukherjee feels that a poll alliance between the two parties will help them put up an effective fight against the CPI(M) in next year's panchayat polls. Ms Banerjee, on her part, has decided to strengthen her organisation in the run-up to the panchayat election without depending either on the Congress or any other non-CPI(M) parties. However, there is every possibility of an electoral understanding between the Congress and Trinamul Congress at the lower level at the time of the rural polls once she decides to put a formal end to her party's relationship with the BJP.(ANI)
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