PNS | New Delhi
Referring to the ongoing high-profile corruption cases and campaigns against it, CBI Director Amar Pratap Singh on Friday said that the fight against corruption should start from school level and teachers have a big role in it.
“In the last six months there have been a number of high profile cases registered by CBI in which action has been taken against very prominent personalities. We also have a number of high profile campaigns against corruption currently underway with demand for a comprehensive Lokpal Bill. The fight against corruption should ideally start at the school level as children are strongly influenced by their teachers,” said the CBI chief, stressing the need for starting anti-corruption campaigns in schools to have good citizens in future.
The CBI director was speaking at the annual police awards ceremony and DP Kohli (first Director of CBI) memorial lecture here. Singh also sought implementation of harsher punishments for police personnel engaged in fake encounter cases.
“The Supreme Court said fake encounters are nothing but cold blooded, brutal murder by persons who are supposed to uphold the law. The apex court observed that if a policeman is given an illegal order by any superior to do a fake encounter, it is his duty to refuse to carry out such illegal orders,” he said.
Minister of State for Personnel V Narayanasamy presented medals to meritorious CBI officers and personnel. Former London Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Ian Blair delivered memorial lecture.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
ATS jawan killed, SIMI activist nabbed in MP – The Pioneer – 4.6.11
A jawan got injured and died later as the ATS personnel were chasing two suspected SIMI activists in Ratlam. The ATS however managed to nab one activist, who was shot at by his own associate, who managed to flee from the spot. Later on the ATS managed to arrest one man but it was not clear whether this was the same activist who had fled earlier.
According to information, three ATS jawans were following two suspected SIMI activists outside Ratlam station. One of the activists was Zakir Hussain, who is wanted by ATS in connection with the murder of ATS personnel Ram Prasad Pandey which took place in Khandwa last year.
The SIMI activists got suspicious of ATS movement and as many as 6-7 rounds of gunshots were exchanged between both the sides, in which one ATS jawan Shiv Pratap Singh was hit on the back. The ATS personnel managed to catch hold of Zakir Hussain but his associate shot at him and fled.
The ATS jawan was rushed to the district hospital but was referred to Indore and died on the way. The arrested SIMI activist Zakir Hussain was also admitted in the district hospital in critical condition. The police officials rushed to the hospital but could not interrogate the suspect much due to his critical condition.
Locals informed that one man was nabbed by the police later on but it was not clear whether it was the second SIMI activist. Top police officials had reached the police station till reports last came in.
According to information, three ATS jawans were following two suspected SIMI activists outside Ratlam station. One of the activists was Zakir Hussain, who is wanted by ATS in connection with the murder of ATS personnel Ram Prasad Pandey which took place in Khandwa last year.
The SIMI activists got suspicious of ATS movement and as many as 6-7 rounds of gunshots were exchanged between both the sides, in which one ATS jawan Shiv Pratap Singh was hit on the back. The ATS personnel managed to catch hold of Zakir Hussain but his associate shot at him and fled.
The ATS jawan was rushed to the district hospital but was referred to Indore and died on the way. The arrested SIMI activist Zakir Hussain was also admitted in the district hospital in critical condition. The police officials rushed to the hospital but could not interrogate the suspect much due to his critical condition.
Locals informed that one man was nabbed by the police later on but it was not clear whether it was the second SIMI activist. Top police officials had reached the police station till reports last came in.
70 dead in attack on Pak border - The Pioneer –3.6.11
Over 70 people, including 28 security personnel, were killed when hundreds of heavily armed Taliban fighters crossed into northwest Pakistan and besieged a remote checkpost, in one of the deadliest attacks in months.
About 300 heavily armed militants attacked the check post at Shalotal in Upper Dir district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province early on Wednesday.
The fighting, which began on Wednesday and continued into Thursday, came as a top Pakistani general said the military plans to stage an operation against militants in a tribal region that juts deep inside Afghanistan, but denied media reports of an upcoming offensive in North Waziristan, the tribal area where the U.S. has been pushing for action.
Pakistan's northwest border with Afghanistan has for years been a stomping ground for Islamist extremists, some of whom focus on attacks against Western forces across the border, some who attack the Pakistani State and others who plot terrorism against the West.
Pakistan has taken action against militants in the northwest, but they have proved to be resilient. The clashes erupted on Wednesday in Shaltalo town in Upper Dir district. Upper Dir lies just outside the tribal belt, but it too has witnessed Al Qaida and Taliban militant activity and been the focus of military offensives.
Police said some 200 militants crossed over into Pakistan from Afghanistan, and went after a checkpoint manned by police and paramilitary troops.
Regional police chief Ghulam Mohammed said 25 security troops and three civilians died, while 35 militants were killed. He said many of the attackers had fled back to Afghanistan as the fighting wound down on Thursday.
Mohammed said the situation was now under control, and funerals were being arranged.
On Wednesday, army Lt Gen Asif Yasin Malik, who oversees military operations in the tribal areas, other parts of the northwest, said the Kurram tribal area would be the next target of an offensive after local leaders there requested it.
About 300 heavily armed militants attacked the check post at Shalotal in Upper Dir district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province early on Wednesday.
The fighting, which began on Wednesday and continued into Thursday, came as a top Pakistani general said the military plans to stage an operation against militants in a tribal region that juts deep inside Afghanistan, but denied media reports of an upcoming offensive in North Waziristan, the tribal area where the U.S. has been pushing for action.
Pakistan's northwest border with Afghanistan has for years been a stomping ground for Islamist extremists, some of whom focus on attacks against Western forces across the border, some who attack the Pakistani State and others who plot terrorism against the West.
Pakistan has taken action against militants in the northwest, but they have proved to be resilient. The clashes erupted on Wednesday in Shaltalo town in Upper Dir district. Upper Dir lies just outside the tribal belt, but it too has witnessed Al Qaida and Taliban militant activity and been the focus of military offensives.
Police said some 200 militants crossed over into Pakistan from Afghanistan, and went after a checkpoint manned by police and paramilitary troops.
Regional police chief Ghulam Mohammed said 25 security troops and three civilians died, while 35 militants were killed. He said many of the attackers had fled back to Afghanistan as the fighting wound down on Thursday.
Mohammed said the situation was now under control, and funerals were being arranged.
On Wednesday, army Lt Gen Asif Yasin Malik, who oversees military operations in the tribal areas, other parts of the northwest, said the Kurram tribal area would be the next target of an offensive after local leaders there requested it.
Intellectuals dub Violence Bill as flawed, malicious --- The Pioneer – 1.6.11
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
The Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence Bill, drafted by Sonia Gandhi-headed NAC, has invited sharp criticism from intellectuals who feared “flawed and malicious intent” of the UPA behind the proposed legislation.
R Venkatanarayanan, former Secretary to Government of India, pointed out that the draft Bill carried no preamble, objective or purpose and it only strengthens the suspicion that it has been brought in with malicious intent.
“It was appalling that even after 60 years of Independence, a Bill like this was being sought to be drafted by a body of unelected political appointees, whose own background is shady,” he said at a seminar by India Policy Foundation here on Tuesday.
Rakesh Sinha, Director of the India Policy Foundation, claimed if the Bill was allowed to become a law its ramifications will indeed be very alarming. “Not only will it endanger Indian citizens’ freedom, but will also render the very concept of free speech and expression obsolete and open the doors for fascism and totalitarianism,” he said.
“If this draconian Bill were to become a law and and applied with retrospective effect, even persons of the eminence of the late BT Randive and Acharya Kripalani would face criminal action for having spoken the plain truth about aggressive minorityism in this country,” he added.
Rajvir Sharma, Professor, Delhi University, compared this Bill to the draconian MISA of the notorious Emergency era, while veteran journalist Rambahadur Rai said that the ruling Congress, faced with erosion of its political base, is now trying to divert people’s attention from growing national crises.
The Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence Bill, drafted by Sonia Gandhi-headed NAC, has invited sharp criticism from intellectuals who feared “flawed and malicious intent” of the UPA behind the proposed legislation.
R Venkatanarayanan, former Secretary to Government of India, pointed out that the draft Bill carried no preamble, objective or purpose and it only strengthens the suspicion that it has been brought in with malicious intent.
“It was appalling that even after 60 years of Independence, a Bill like this was being sought to be drafted by a body of unelected political appointees, whose own background is shady,” he said at a seminar by India Policy Foundation here on Tuesday.
Rakesh Sinha, Director of the India Policy Foundation, claimed if the Bill was allowed to become a law its ramifications will indeed be very alarming. “Not only will it endanger Indian citizens’ freedom, but will also render the very concept of free speech and expression obsolete and open the doors for fascism and totalitarianism,” he said.
“If this draconian Bill were to become a law and and applied with retrospective effect, even persons of the eminence of the late BT Randive and Acharya Kripalani would face criminal action for having spoken the plain truth about aggressive minorityism in this country,” he added.
Rajvir Sharma, Professor, Delhi University, compared this Bill to the draconian MISA of the notorious Emergency era, while veteran journalist Rambahadur Rai said that the ruling Congress, faced with erosion of its political base, is now trying to divert people’s attention from growing national crises.
Advani urges Cong to reconsider opposing Damodar Savarkar –The Pioneer – 31.5.11
PNS | New Delhi
Senior BJP leader LK Advani on Monday appealed to the Congress to reconsider its opposition to Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, the prominent freedom fighter known for his right wing ideology. Congress MPs had boycotted a parliamentary function to pay tributes to Savarkar on his birth anniversary on May 28. Only Meira Kumar, a Congress MP, was present in the capacity of Lok Sabha Speaker.
“Quite a number of MPs were there. But from the Congress, only one single MP was present, Speaker Meira Kumar. Since February 2003, when Swatantryaveer Savarkar’s portrait was first put up in the Central Hall and formally unveiled by then President Abdul Kalam, the Congress has been boycotting all functions relating to this portrait, including the first function involving the President himself! This is singularly unfortunate, and I would like to urge the Congress to reconsider its stand,” Advani wrote in his latest blog post on Monday.
In case of every leader whose portrait is in Parliament’s Central Hall, Advani said, the Lok Sabha Secretariat never fails to invite MPs to come to the Parliament House on his or her respective birth anniversary and pay floral tributes to that leader. “For last Saturday also invitations were duly sent to all MPs. A notice was also published in Bulletin Part II of the Lok Sabha,” Advani added.
The former Deputy Prime Minister reminded the Congress when Savarkar breathed his last in 1966, veteran Congress leader Indira Gandhi paid rich tributes to him and called him a great figure of contemporary India whose name was a by-word for daring and patriotism. “He was cast in the mould of a classic revolutionary and countless people drew inspiration from him, she said,” Advani quoted Gandhi as saying.
“I recall whenever there was a function in the NDA days, relating to Savarkar, Vasant Sathe was invariably present. He told me that during his tenure as I&B Minister a documentary on Savarkar was planned and some people raised objections. On Smt. Gandhi’s advice he brushed aside those objections and the documentary was made,” he noted.
Senior BJP leader LK Advani on Monday appealed to the Congress to reconsider its opposition to Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, the prominent freedom fighter known for his right wing ideology. Congress MPs had boycotted a parliamentary function to pay tributes to Savarkar on his birth anniversary on May 28. Only Meira Kumar, a Congress MP, was present in the capacity of Lok Sabha Speaker.
“Quite a number of MPs were there. But from the Congress, only one single MP was present, Speaker Meira Kumar. Since February 2003, when Swatantryaveer Savarkar’s portrait was first put up in the Central Hall and formally unveiled by then President Abdul Kalam, the Congress has been boycotting all functions relating to this portrait, including the first function involving the President himself! This is singularly unfortunate, and I would like to urge the Congress to reconsider its stand,” Advani wrote in his latest blog post on Monday.
In case of every leader whose portrait is in Parliament’s Central Hall, Advani said, the Lok Sabha Secretariat never fails to invite MPs to come to the Parliament House on his or her respective birth anniversary and pay floral tributes to that leader. “For last Saturday also invitations were duly sent to all MPs. A notice was also published in Bulletin Part II of the Lok Sabha,” Advani added.
The former Deputy Prime Minister reminded the Congress when Savarkar breathed his last in 1966, veteran Congress leader Indira Gandhi paid rich tributes to him and called him a great figure of contemporary India whose name was a by-word for daring and patriotism. “He was cast in the mould of a classic revolutionary and countless people drew inspiration from him, she said,” Advani quoted Gandhi as saying.
“I recall whenever there was a function in the NDA days, relating to Savarkar, Vasant Sathe was invariably present. He told me that during his tenure as I&B Minister a documentary on Savarkar was planned and some people raised objections. On Smt. Gandhi’s advice he brushed aside those objections and the documentary was made,” he noted.
Mission possible: Moily’s plan unites 5.6L undertrials with kin – ToI – 3.6.11
Many Prisoners, Now Granted Bail, Languished For Years For Petty Crimes
Dhananjay Mahapatra | TNN
New Delhi: Those aware of the snail-paced justice delivery system were cynical when in 2009 law minister Veerappa Moily unveiled a plan to release two lakh poor undertrial prisoners languishing in jail for years, in many cases exceeding the maximum sentence for the crime.
But, Moily’s mission impossible has thrown up very unexpected results — 5.6 lakh undertrials released on bail, 77,940 discharged and 68,744 convicted, who in all possibility have been released for having already served their sentence as undertrials.
Though the UPA government started with a conservative target, the release of seven lakh undertrials meant it overshot the goal by more than 300%.
Jurists had sneered at Moily’s impossible task because for the past two decades successive law ministers had expressed serious concern about the plight of undertrials, but on ground no tangible coordination took place between the Centre, judiciary and the state governments to give succour to the poor who were languishing in jails because they neither had anyone to stand as guarantors nor assets to furnish as bail bonds.
But, Moily struck to his task personally coordinating with the state governments and the chief justices of the high courts. “I am happy because it will bring a smile on the face of at least 35 lakh people, the family members, who would be reunited with the released undertrial prisoners,” he said.
“Many may not count it as a legal reform. But, it will go a long way in providing breathing space in overcrowded prisons and upholding the human rights of poor people,” he said.
He wrote to the CMs and CJs on Thursday giving them all the credit. “Having been encouraged by the kind of performance under the leadership of all the chief justices of the HCs, fully supported by the subordinate courts and also the state governments, I would rather urge upon all of you to step up the programme which has received highest acclaim from the citizens and is particularly focussed on marginalised society,” he said.
Moily suggested to them to utilise the video-conferencing facility now being provided under the e-courts project linking the district courts and the jails. “It is suggested that the said facility can be effectively utilised for reducing the number of undertrials and also for expediting the trials,” he said.
Dhananjay Mahapatra | TNN
New Delhi: Those aware of the snail-paced justice delivery system were cynical when in 2009 law minister Veerappa Moily unveiled a plan to release two lakh poor undertrial prisoners languishing in jail for years, in many cases exceeding the maximum sentence for the crime.
But, Moily’s mission impossible has thrown up very unexpected results — 5.6 lakh undertrials released on bail, 77,940 discharged and 68,744 convicted, who in all possibility have been released for having already served their sentence as undertrials.
Though the UPA government started with a conservative target, the release of seven lakh undertrials meant it overshot the goal by more than 300%.
Jurists had sneered at Moily’s impossible task because for the past two decades successive law ministers had expressed serious concern about the plight of undertrials, but on ground no tangible coordination took place between the Centre, judiciary and the state governments to give succour to the poor who were languishing in jails because they neither had anyone to stand as guarantors nor assets to furnish as bail bonds.
But, Moily struck to his task personally coordinating with the state governments and the chief justices of the high courts. “I am happy because it will bring a smile on the face of at least 35 lakh people, the family members, who would be reunited with the released undertrial prisoners,” he said.
“Many may not count it as a legal reform. But, it will go a long way in providing breathing space in overcrowded prisons and upholding the human rights of poor people,” he said.
He wrote to the CMs and CJs on Thursday giving them all the credit. “Having been encouraged by the kind of performance under the leadership of all the chief justices of the HCs, fully supported by the subordinate courts and also the state governments, I would rather urge upon all of you to step up the programme which has received highest acclaim from the citizens and is particularly focussed on marginalised society,” he said.
Moily suggested to them to utilise the video-conferencing facility now being provided under the e-courts project linking the district courts and the jails. “It is suggested that the said facility can be effectively utilised for reducing the number of undertrials and also for expediting the trials,” he said.
Anna to join Ramdev’s fast Sibal, Bansal To Dissuade Baba From Going Ahead With Fast
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
New Delhi: The challenge posed by Baba Ramdev’s threatened fast grew stiffer for the government with Anna Hazare declaring he will join forces with the yoga guru over his demand for recovery of black money illegally stashed abroad.
“I will support Ramdev so that the government does not do what it did when we were fighting. We will fight together against corruption,” he said. Hazare said the government had buckled during his fast, but had gone back on its words thereafter.
Setting aside perceptions of differences and rivalry with the guru, Hazare said he would share the stage with Ramdev at Delhi’s Ramlila ground on Saturday. Dismissing the guru’s high pressure wooing by the government as diversionary tactics, he urged Ramdev not to succumb to the Centre’s overtures.
The impasse was discussed by the Congress core group on Thursday where it was decided that HRD minister Kapil Sibal and parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Bansal will meet Ramdev on Friday to dissuade him from going ahead with his fast.
A likely offer could be a promise to tighten laws to prevent siphoning off money from India to tax havens abroad and more intense efforts to pursue wealth hidden abroad. The outcome of Friday’s interaction is crucial to framing the government response if the guru remains unmoved.
On the criticism of a four-minister reception committee for Ramdev at Delhi airport on Wednesday, it was explained that initially two ministers were to travel to Madhya Pradesh to meet the yoga guru. After the core group meeting, it was clarified that there are no party-government differences on the level of engagement with Ramdev.
The decision of the Hazare group to sink differences with Ramdev who had opposed its proposals to include the Prime Minister and judiciary in the ambit of the Lokpal bill — spells more trouble for a beleaguered government as its attempts to reach an understanding with the influential guru failed to yield result so far. Cong clams up on Baba
There were plenty of back channel exchanges with Baba Ramdev speaking to tourism minister Subodh Kant Sahay, one of the four ministers who met him on Wednesday, and Ramdev agreed to call off a press interaction in view of the ongoing talks. The government worked hard to figure out how to meet the guru’s demand for concrete steps on retrieving black money.
A middle path seems elusive as Ramdev’s demands for either an ordinance to ensure return of black money or a timeframe are not easy to meet. With Anna Hazare also warning Ramdev that the government will forget its words if he calls off his protest, retreating is that much more difficult.
“When I was on fast, the government agreed, but has now backed off on the Lokpal,” Hazare said at his village, Ralegaon Siddhi in Maharashtra. The reemergence of the Gandhian can be hardly reassuring for the government that was brought to its knees by his four-day fast at Jantar Mantar in April. Government sources also refuted criticism of ministers meeting Ramdev, pointing out that by deputing finance minister Pranab Mukherjee to meet the guru, the government indicated it was serious about tackling black money. It would also demonstrate that the Centre did all it could if Ramdev is bent on forcing a confrontation. The BJP is, on its part, in no mood to bail out the government and is lukewarm to the Centre’s bid to rope in political parties and states in the consultation over the Lok Pal bill. On black money it is solidly batting for Ramdev.
Even if Ramdev does go on fast, the government is keen that it should not prolong and precipitate a medical crisis. The government is also keenly weighing its options in case talks with the guru fail and there is no clear understanding of how far he will go. The final call will be taken closer to when Ramdev’s fast gets underway on June 4 morning.
Congress clammed up on Ramdev on Thursday with critics of the Baba like general secretary Digvijay Singh maintaining that he had not changed his views but would not offer any fresh comment. The decision seems well considered as the government is straining to defuse the ticking Ramdev bomb. The Congress core group meeting was followed by a discussion involving the four ministers in touch with Ramdev along with defence minister A K Antony, home minister P Chidambaram, law minister M Veerappa Moily, cabinet secretary K M Chandrasekhar and home secretary G K Pillai.
The meeting is believed to have discussed the government’s options in case the yoga guru went ahead with his plans for a fast till death and the possibility of a large turnout of followers at Ramlila Maidan.
While Congress leaders in Delhi kept silent, party spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed said in Patna that the party had no differences with Hazare and Ramdev on fighting corruption.
BABA DISCOURSE GROWS
Tell me which demand I raised is unreasonable. Seeking gallows for those who committed corruption to the tune of Rs 10 cr, Rs 50 cr, Rs 1,000 cr or Rs 1 lakh cr?
BABA RAMDEV
BABA RAMDEV
If Congress was scared, Ramdev would have been put behind bars. There is no fear, that is why he is out in the open
DIGVIJAY SINGH
DIGVIJAY SINGH
I will support Ramdev so that the govt doesn’t do what it did when we were fighting... Sign papers, make promises. Once the time passes, they will do what they want to
ANNA HAZARE
ANNA HAZARE
One should do one’s job. If anyone wants to become a neta to do things, that is not the right way to raise an issue
SHAH RUKH KHAN
SHAH RUKH KHAN
Mobile use may cause cancer: WHO – ToI – 1.6.11
New Delhi: Talking on the c e l l - p h o n e may possibly lead to a mal i g n a n t form of b r a i n c a n c e r, t h e World Health Organization has said. A study done by an arm of the world body has classified radiation coming out of cellphones alongside gasoline engine exhaust, lead and DDT as “possibly carcinogenic to humans”.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is under WHO, however, said there wasn’t enough evidence yet to conclusively link mobile phone use with cancer.
“The WHO/IARC has classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans (group 2B), based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, associated with wireless phone use,” it said. “This does not mean the link has been firmly established,” IARC’s chief of the monograph programme, Dr Kurt Straif, told TOI from Lyon, France. “But there is some reason for concern,” he added.
The group, consisting of 31 scientists from 14 countries, examined “hundreds of epidemiological studies” on mobile use to see what the long-term health effects might be after exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields, including cancer risk. ‘SMS, email safer than talking on cellphone’
The group, saying that they reviewed the data carefully and critically, believe mobile phone usage is limited to a risk of glioma and acoustis neuroma (a benign but lifethreatening tumor). They did not have enough data to conclude that it could cause any other forms of cancer.
“After going through hundreds of studies, we concluded that there is just a possibility of a link between high cellphone use and brain cancer, not a certainty. We also don’t know how much radiation exposure can be termed harmful,” Straif said.
One of the big studies the researchers looked at said that those who had spent 1,600 hours of active call time over 10 years around 30 minutes a day could be at highest risk. “But, what was considered a long talk time a few years back is considered low usage now. So there is no clear picture on cellphone use and cancer,” he added.
According to Dr Straif, it is now left to governments and organizations like WHO to come out with recommendations based on evidence provided by IARC.
Interestingly, in 2000, IARC had put “extremely low frequency magnetic field radiation” emanating from overhead power lines in the 2B category.
“This study is completely on cellphone and radio frequency radiation. The study in 2000 was on low frequency radiation two completely different exposures,” Straif said.
What led IARC to work on cellphones was the increasing number of people using the device. With an estimated five billion cellphone subscriptions worldwide, concerns have been growing regarding the possible health hazards posed by radiofrequency electromagnetic fields.
IARC working group chairman Dr Jonathan Samet said, “The evidence, while still accumulating, is strong enough to support a 2B classification. The conclusion means that there could be some risk, and therefore we need to keep a close watch for a link between cellphones and cancer risk.”
The assessment on cellphones comes after similar work was done on solar radiation and ionizing radiation (X-rays and gamma rays). The report summarizing the main conclusions of the IARC work ing groups work on radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RFD) will be published in the July 1 issue of the British medical journal, Lancet Oncology.
India, meanwhile, is also embarking on its very own largescale cellphone study. To be spearheaded by the Indian Council of Medical Research, the five-year-long study is to be conducted by JNU’s School of Environmental Sciences and the departments of obstetrics and gynaecology, neurology and biochemistry of the Aiims.
At preset, India has over 450 million cellphone users.
KILLER CELL?
The Study | Research group under a WHO body looked at all existing studies on possible links between cellphone use and certain brain cancers
Findings | WHO says radiation from cellphone is ‘possibly carcinogenic’, which means there is some evidence for it but it is not conclusive
Implications For You | As a precaution, keep talktime to under 30 minutes each day. Use earphones during calls as often as you can. Prefer texting to making calls
The International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is under WHO, however, said there wasn’t enough evidence yet to conclusively link mobile phone use with cancer.
“The WHO/IARC has classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans (group 2B), based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, associated with wireless phone use,” it said. “This does not mean the link has been firmly established,” IARC’s chief of the monograph programme, Dr Kurt Straif, told TOI from Lyon, France. “But there is some reason for concern,” he added.
The group, consisting of 31 scientists from 14 countries, examined “hundreds of epidemiological studies” on mobile use to see what the long-term health effects might be after exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields, including cancer risk. ‘SMS, email safer than talking on cellphone’
The group, saying that they reviewed the data carefully and critically, believe mobile phone usage is limited to a risk of glioma and acoustis neuroma (a benign but lifethreatening tumor). They did not have enough data to conclude that it could cause any other forms of cancer.
“After going through hundreds of studies, we concluded that there is just a possibility of a link between high cellphone use and brain cancer, not a certainty. We also don’t know how much radiation exposure can be termed harmful,” Straif said.
One of the big studies the researchers looked at said that those who had spent 1,600 hours of active call time over 10 years around 30 minutes a day could be at highest risk. “But, what was considered a long talk time a few years back is considered low usage now. So there is no clear picture on cellphone use and cancer,” he added.
According to Dr Straif, it is now left to governments and organizations like WHO to come out with recommendations based on evidence provided by IARC.
Interestingly, in 2000, IARC had put “extremely low frequency magnetic field radiation” emanating from overhead power lines in the 2B category.
“This study is completely on cellphone and radio frequency radiation. The study in 2000 was on low frequency radiation two completely different exposures,” Straif said.
What led IARC to work on cellphones was the increasing number of people using the device. With an estimated five billion cellphone subscriptions worldwide, concerns have been growing regarding the possible health hazards posed by radiofrequency electromagnetic fields.
IARC working group chairman Dr Jonathan Samet said, “The evidence, while still accumulating, is strong enough to support a 2B classification. The conclusion means that there could be some risk, and therefore we need to keep a close watch for a link between cellphones and cancer risk.”
The assessment on cellphones comes after similar work was done on solar radiation and ionizing radiation (X-rays and gamma rays). The report summarizing the main conclusions of the IARC work ing groups work on radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RFD) will be published in the July 1 issue of the British medical journal, Lancet Oncology.
India, meanwhile, is also embarking on its very own largescale cellphone study. To be spearheaded by the Indian Council of Medical Research, the five-year-long study is to be conducted by JNU’s School of Environmental Sciences and the departments of obstetrics and gynaecology, neurology and biochemistry of the Aiims.
At preset, India has over 450 million cellphone users.
KILLER CELL?
The Study | Research group under a WHO body looked at all existing studies on possible links between cellphone use and certain brain cancers
Findings | WHO says radiation from cellphone is ‘possibly carcinogenic’, which means there is some evidence for it but it is not conclusive
Implications For You | As a precaution, keep talktime to under 30 minutes each day. Use earphones during calls as often as you can. Prefer texting to making calls
Govt goes all out to woo Ramdev – ToI – 1.6.11
New Delhi: Pounded by corruption scandals, the Manmohan Singh government left no stone unturned in laying out a red carpet for Baba Ramdev, dispatching four ministers led by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee to appease the yoga guru on the eve of his protest fast.
There was nothing subtle about the government’s appeasement of the guru who plans to begin a fast from Saturday demanding the return of wealth illegally stashed abroad. Cabinet secretary K
M Chandrashekhar was also in attendance as Ramdev was met by the ministerial team at Delhi airport.
The red carpet reception confirmed Congress’s anxiety about the groundswell of antigraft sentiments as well as its desire to split the civil society ranks, but provoked dismay in the party. Party general secretary Digvijay Singh brushed aside the guru saying, “Who is scared of him.”
Ramdev re-calibrated his reported stand opposing the demand of Hazare campaign to bring Prime Minister and judiciary within the ambit of Lokpal. Perhaps noting his view as a boost for the government, he denied having expressed it. Despite govt overtures, Ramdev firm on fast
New Delhi: The importance accorded to Baba Ramdev, who the government hopes will not precipitate a crisis, comes in the backdrop of its growing differences with the Anna Hazare group over the proposed Lokpal bill to combat graft in public life.
When the guru, who Congress chose to view with disdain till recently, landed, he found tourism minister Subodh Kant Sahay, HRD minister Kapil Sibal and parliamentary affairs minister Pavan Bansal at hand apart from Mukherjee. But for the distinctive robed figure of Ramdev, onlookers might well have thought a heavyweight dignitary was landing on Indian soil.
The government briefed the guru at length and said it would meet him again on June 3, a day ahead of his proposed fast. On his part, the guru said talks were “positive” but added that he could not call off his fast unless “a decisive stage was reached.”
The upgrade to Ramdev seems part of Congress strategy to mellow him down, as it eyes his differences with Anna Hazare group hopefully. The ministerial panel was intended to signal the importance government accords Ramdev as ministers explained double taxation treaties, exchange of economic information and other measures to the guru. Senior government sources said it was unclear whether Ramdev will call of his fast. But they hoped that even if he doesn’t, he will not go for broke as Hazare did not too long ago and will instead be amenable to accepting measures the Centre may consider. “It is not in government’s hands to deliver quick results,” the source said.
The presence of Sahay, with his experience of talking to godmen, suggests a “political handling” of the talks with the guru which the government is keen remain on track and do not spin into a confrontation. A stiff attitude early on in the Hazare fast gave way to total capitulation in the end.
The government’s outreach to the yoga guru, whom Congress once attacked as inconsequential wannabe with likely saffron leanings, has unfolded rapidly. But while few would have expected the government to engage in such public diplomacy, the government is not standing on niceties. It is more bothered that the guru with a massive public following does not paint the government into a corner.
If the Congress were to persist with its criticism of the government, the Centre’s task will become more complicated. Till evening, even though Baba announced he was not calling off his fast, government remained hopeful of further engagement. The government recognizes that withdrawing his fast can expose Ramdev to charges of sellout. Besides informing him about the recent moves like forming a committee of financial institutions to suggest ways to tackle black money and a new directorate for tax related criminal investigation, the ministers assured him that Swiss banks were relenting on their infamous secrecy. The ministers told Baba that Swiss banks were now more amenable to sharing details on its accounts after global recession because of the pressure mounted by suffering economies on the bank.
After meeting Baba, Sibal said, “He (Ramdev) raised important issues which impact on the future of our country. They are significant national issues. We prima facie responded to them.”
There was nothing subtle about the government’s appeasement of the guru who plans to begin a fast from Saturday demanding the return of wealth illegally stashed abroad. Cabinet secretary K
M Chandrashekhar was also in attendance as Ramdev was met by the ministerial team at Delhi airport.
The red carpet reception confirmed Congress’s anxiety about the groundswell of antigraft sentiments as well as its desire to split the civil society ranks, but provoked dismay in the party. Party general secretary Digvijay Singh brushed aside the guru saying, “Who is scared of him.”
Ramdev re-calibrated his reported stand opposing the demand of Hazare campaign to bring Prime Minister and judiciary within the ambit of Lokpal. Perhaps noting his view as a boost for the government, he denied having expressed it. Despite govt overtures, Ramdev firm on fast
New Delhi: The importance accorded to Baba Ramdev, who the government hopes will not precipitate a crisis, comes in the backdrop of its growing differences with the Anna Hazare group over the proposed Lokpal bill to combat graft in public life.
When the guru, who Congress chose to view with disdain till recently, landed, he found tourism minister Subodh Kant Sahay, HRD minister Kapil Sibal and parliamentary affairs minister Pavan Bansal at hand apart from Mukherjee. But for the distinctive robed figure of Ramdev, onlookers might well have thought a heavyweight dignitary was landing on Indian soil.
The government briefed the guru at length and said it would meet him again on June 3, a day ahead of his proposed fast. On his part, the guru said talks were “positive” but added that he could not call off his fast unless “a decisive stage was reached.”
The upgrade to Ramdev seems part of Congress strategy to mellow him down, as it eyes his differences with Anna Hazare group hopefully. The ministerial panel was intended to signal the importance government accords Ramdev as ministers explained double taxation treaties, exchange of economic information and other measures to the guru. Senior government sources said it was unclear whether Ramdev will call of his fast. But they hoped that even if he doesn’t, he will not go for broke as Hazare did not too long ago and will instead be amenable to accepting measures the Centre may consider. “It is not in government’s hands to deliver quick results,” the source said.
The presence of Sahay, with his experience of talking to godmen, suggests a “political handling” of the talks with the guru which the government is keen remain on track and do not spin into a confrontation. A stiff attitude early on in the Hazare fast gave way to total capitulation in the end.
The government’s outreach to the yoga guru, whom Congress once attacked as inconsequential wannabe with likely saffron leanings, has unfolded rapidly. But while few would have expected the government to engage in such public diplomacy, the government is not standing on niceties. It is more bothered that the guru with a massive public following does not paint the government into a corner.
If the Congress were to persist with its criticism of the government, the Centre’s task will become more complicated. Till evening, even though Baba announced he was not calling off his fast, government remained hopeful of further engagement. The government recognizes that withdrawing his fast can expose Ramdev to charges of sellout. Besides informing him about the recent moves like forming a committee of financial institutions to suggest ways to tackle black money and a new directorate for tax related criminal investigation, the ministers assured him that Swiss banks were relenting on their infamous secrecy. The ministers told Baba that Swiss banks were now more amenable to sharing details on its accounts after global recession because of the pressure mounted by suffering economies on the bank.
After meeting Baba, Sibal said, “He (Ramdev) raised important issues which impact on the future of our country. They are significant national issues. We prima facie responded to them.”
CHILLING TRUTHS --‘ISI scripted 26/11, Qaida cleared it’ –Slain Pak Scribe Reveals It In His Book –ToI –2.5.11
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
New Delhi: The 26/11 terror attacks that killed 166 people and brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war was scripted by ISI officers and approved before its execution by al-Qaida commanders, according to a book just written by slain Pakistani journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad.
The 40-year-old reporter in his book titled ‘Inside Al-Qaeda and the Taliban — beyond bin Laden and 9/11’ describes the Mumbai plan as one pushed through by Ilyas Kashmiri, a key al-Qaida ally with wide links with the Pakistan defence establishment.
Shahzad, who was an authority on terrorism in Afghanistan and the neighbourhood, says in the book that the plan was authored by the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) officers and embraced and executed by Lashkar-e-Taiba.
“With Ilyas Kashmiri’s immense expertise on Indian operations, he stunned the al-Qaeda leaders with the suggestion that expanding the war theatre was the only way to overcome the present impasse. He presented the suggestion of conducting such a massive operation in India as would bring India and Pakistan to war and with that all proposed operations against Al-Qaeda would be brought to a grinding halt. Al-Qaeda excitedly approved the attack-India proposal,” Shahzad wrote in the book, excerpts of which were published in Karachi’s The Dawn newspaper on Wednesday. Shahzad’s friends and family believe the ISI may have had something to do with his kidnapping on Sunday and his death by torture and Shahzad himself had spoken of threats from the ISI.
The bureau chief of Asia Times Online was killed days after he had exposed links between Pak navy personnel and al-Qaida, explaining how the devastating attack on
the Mehran naval base in Karachi was engineered. He is believed to have been killed for “knowing too much” about how al-Qaida infiltrated the Pakistani defence forces.
The book, yet unavailable in India, is further proof of the close ties between Pakistani officers and al-Qaida. “Ilyas Kashmiri then handed over the plan to a very able former army major Haroon Ashik, who was also a former LeT commander who was still very close with the LeT chiefs Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi and Abu Hamza,” it says. “Haroon knew about a plan by Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence that had been in the pipelines for several months with the official policy to drop it as it was to have been a low-profile routine proxy operation in India through LeT. The former army major, with the help of Ilyas Kashmiri’s men in India, hijacked the ISI plan and turned it into the devastating attacks that shook Mumbai on November 26, 2008, and brought Pakistan and India to the brink of a war.”
According to a friend of Shahzad, the slain writer and he discussed militant infiltration in the lower ranks of defence forces. “He also expressed a fear that there would be a rise in violence as the security establishment is really shaky,” the friend was quoted as saying in the Dawn newspaper. Headley downplays ISI’s role in Mumbai attack Admits In US Court To Have Recced German Bakery In Pune Shalini Parekh |TNN
Chicago: In his latest testimony in the 26/11 trial in a US court, David Headley downplayed the role of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the Mumbai attacks. He also admitted to have recceed the German Bakery in Pune and Chabad houses in Delhi, Pushkar and Pune.
Testifying during the trial of Mumbai attack co-accused Tahawwur Rana that resumed on Tuesday after a long weekend, Headley said he made a video of the German Bakery which was bombed on February 13, 2010 killing 17 people and injuring 60 others.
The then popular hang-out for the young and tourists was attacked when Headley was in the FBI custody, and the blast was said to be a part of the Karachi Project — a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) venture with the Indian Mujahideen. Earlier, Headley had told the FBI that he didn’t carry out surveillance of the bakery, but later confessed to the Indian agents of National Investigation Agency (NIA) that he did survey it.
He also tried to pin more blame on al-Qaida militant Illyas Kashmiri rather than the ISI. His categoric responses, which at an earlier time implicated the ISI at all levels in the Mumbai attacks, reduced that involvement only to the lower levels of Pakistan’s espionage agency, indicating that the ISI chief and the upper levels of the organisation had no knowledge of these attacks.
The flipflops have led to Headley’s testimony beginning to lose a great deal of credibility, whether it was the ISI invo l ve m e n t through Major Iqbal and Major Sameer Ali, or his sworn oath to the US government as part of his agreement to cooperate with them by providing them any information that would protect or inform.
Parading a series of examples, the defence portrayed him as a wavering and unpredictable criminal, who changed his story even under oath.
C o m i n g across as blase and imp a s s ive, H e a d l e y agreed when the defence lawyer said: “You told your wife that you were cooperating with them so nothing bad happens to your family.”
And the most incriminating testimony from Rana’s point of view was a recorded conversation of Headley with his wife, where he said, “He (Rana) should be released, the poor fellow was stuck in this for no fault of his.”
Along with his effort to protect Hamza, his brother and his wife, Shazia, he came across in an FBI interrogation video, played in court, as a desperate man willing to drum up any arrests, or indictments, for the FBI in return for some protection to him and his family. At one point he even agreed to present Kashmiri a sword with a microchip in it, so that the militant’s whereabouts could be traced by US federal agents.
Headley in his testimony accused Kashmiri of hatching a plot to murder the CEO of Lockheed in an effort to halt the production of drones employed by the US military, that were constantly flying over northern Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“Kashmiri had other people who had done surveillance of him (the CEO) and he asked me if weapons were easily available here.’’ On being asked if he used Rana’s office computer to google the Lockheed CEO, Headley haughtily replied: “I can assure you that my research is more thorough than just googling something.”
Clarifying that he was merely updating himself on some facts, the research and plans were being made by Kashmiri.
Scribe who shed light on Pak navy, Qaida links killed-ToI-1.6.11
Islamabad: A well-known Pakistani investigative reporter who had complained of threats from the country’s Inter-Services Intelligence was found dead on Tuesday, two days after he disappeared following the publication of his articles that exposed links between Pakistan navy men and al-Qaida operatives.
Syed Saleem Shahzad, 40, the Pakistan bureau chief for Asia Times Online, was found dead in Punjab province about 200km from Islamabad. His body, fished out of a canal, was identified by his brotherin-law Hamza Amir. It bore marks of torture, police said, one officer adding that he had cuts on his face.
The author of “Inside al-Qaeda and the Taliban: Beyond Bin Laden and 9/11” published earlier this month, Shahzad reported briefly from Pakistan for The Times of India a few years back. He is survived by his widow Anila, and sons — Fahad (14), Syed Rehman (8) — and daughter Amina (12).
Soon after Shahzad went missing on Sunday evening while on the way to a TV station from his Islamabad home, a representative of Pakistan’s Human Rights Watch, Ali Dayan Hasan, told the Daily Times of Pakistan that “credible sources” claimed Shahzad was apprehended by the ISI. Members of Shahzad’s family told the editor of Asia Times that many of Shahzad’s friends believed him to be in ISI custody and that he was “safe and would be released after 48 hours.” “He told us that if anything happened to him, we should inform the media about the situation and the threats,” Hasan said.
TRUTH SILENCED
Syed Saleem Shahzad, 40, headed Pakistan bureau of Asia Times Online. Reported mainly on terror groups
Went missing on Sunday, a day after he wrote an article on possible Qaida infiltration of the Pak navy after the terrorist attack on Mehran naval base
Shahzad had left home in his car to take part in a TV talk show, rights groups say he was in ISI's custody since
Body found with torture marks at Sarai Alamgir, 200km from Islamabad
“Any journalist here who doesn’t believe that it’s our intelligence agencies?”
tweeted bestselling author Mohammed Hanif Shahzad was warned by ISI over his reports TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Islamabad: Missing Pakistani journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad was found dead on Tuesday in Punjab province and his body bore marks of torture,police said. His body was identified by his family.
Shahzad had on several occasions been warned by ISI officers over his reports they considered "detrimental to Pak's national interests."
His last report (P XX) on May 29 gave details of contacts between the Pakistan navy and al-Qaida operatives and how the terror group had infiltrated the Mehran base in Karachi and helped organize the devastating attack on May 22.
Police said Shahzad's body was found near his white Toyota Corolla car at Sarai Alamghir near Jhelum town. After police informed Shahzad's family, a relative went to the site and identified the body. Shahzad's family had earlier told the media that the description provided by police did not match with that of the missing journalist, which initially led to hope that he might be alive.
While scores of angry and shocked journalists gathered at his Islamabad home to pay their last respects, there was no word from the government or the army on the killing and neither did any authority visit his home.
Syed Saleem Shahzad, 40, the Pakistan bureau chief for Asia Times Online, was found dead in Punjab province about 200km from Islamabad. His body, fished out of a canal, was identified by his brotherin-law Hamza Amir. It bore marks of torture, police said, one officer adding that he had cuts on his face.
The author of “Inside al-Qaeda and the Taliban: Beyond Bin Laden and 9/11” published earlier this month, Shahzad reported briefly from Pakistan for The Times of India a few years back. He is survived by his widow Anila, and sons — Fahad (14), Syed Rehman (8) — and daughter Amina (12).
Soon after Shahzad went missing on Sunday evening while on the way to a TV station from his Islamabad home, a representative of Pakistan’s Human Rights Watch, Ali Dayan Hasan, told the Daily Times of Pakistan that “credible sources” claimed Shahzad was apprehended by the ISI. Members of Shahzad’s family told the editor of Asia Times that many of Shahzad’s friends believed him to be in ISI custody and that he was “safe and would be released after 48 hours.” “He told us that if anything happened to him, we should inform the media about the situation and the threats,” Hasan said.
TRUTH SILENCED
Syed Saleem Shahzad, 40, headed Pakistan bureau of Asia Times Online. Reported mainly on terror groups
Went missing on Sunday, a day after he wrote an article on possible Qaida infiltration of the Pak navy after the terrorist attack on Mehran naval base
Shahzad had left home in his car to take part in a TV talk show, rights groups say he was in ISI's custody since
Body found with torture marks at Sarai Alamgir, 200km from Islamabad
“Any journalist here who doesn’t believe that it’s our intelligence agencies?”
tweeted bestselling author Mohammed Hanif Shahzad was warned by ISI over his reports TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Islamabad: Missing Pakistani journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad was found dead on Tuesday in Punjab province and his body bore marks of torture,police said. His body was identified by his family.
Shahzad had on several occasions been warned by ISI officers over his reports they considered "detrimental to Pak's national interests."
His last report (P XX) on May 29 gave details of contacts between the Pakistan navy and al-Qaida operatives and how the terror group had infiltrated the Mehran base in Karachi and helped organize the devastating attack on May 22.
Police said Shahzad's body was found near his white Toyota Corolla car at Sarai Alamghir near Jhelum town. After police informed Shahzad's family, a relative went to the site and identified the body. Shahzad's family had earlier told the media that the description provided by police did not match with that of the missing journalist, which initially led to hope that he might be alive.
While scores of angry and shocked journalists gathered at his Islamabad home to pay their last respects, there was no word from the government or the army on the killing and neither did any authority visit his home.
Global greenhouse gas emissions at record high-ToI-31.5.11
London: Carbon emissions are at their highest ever levels, stoking fears of a global temperature rise over the "dangerous" two degrees Celsius threshold, according to data cited by the Guardian newspaper.
Unpublished estimates from the International Energy Agency revealed that the world economy's return to growth in 2010 coincided with a 1.6 gigatonne rise in carbon dioxide emissions, the highest ever recorded jump.
"This is the worst news on emission," IEA chief economist Faith Birol told the British newspaper. "It is becoming extremely challenging to remain below two degrees", he added.
"The prospect is getting bleaker. That is what the numbers say."
Scientists believe that a temperature rise of more than two degrees Celsius would represent "dangerous climate change".
The IEA has warned that annual energyrelated emissions should be no higher than 32Gt by 2020. The latest figures estimate that 30.6Gt of carbon dioxide were emitted in 2010.
Nicholas Stern of the London School of Economics, the author of an influential report into the economics of climate change, predicted dire consequences unless emissions were reined in.
"These figures indicate that (emissions) are now close to being back on a 'business as usual' path," he told the paper.
According to... projections, such a path ... would mean around a 50% chance of a rise in global average temperature of more than 4C by 2100," he added.
"Such warming would disrupt the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people across the planet, leading to widespread mass migration and conflict," he added.
Around three-quarters of the rise was attributed to emerging economies.
Meanwhile, the thawing of billions of tons of frozen plant matter in the Arctic could result in an acceleration in climate change as locked away organic carbon is released into the atmosphere, according to scientists.
The ice in the far reaches of the northern hemisphere is melting so quickly that a 'tipping point' –– where the region no longer becomes a 'sink' for carbon dioxide - could occur within 20 years. By 2200, around two-thirds of the world's permafrost will have melted, unleashing close to 200 billion tons of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere - a process which cannot be reversed. AFP
Unpublished estimates from the International Energy Agency revealed that the world economy's return to growth in 2010 coincided with a 1.6 gigatonne rise in carbon dioxide emissions, the highest ever recorded jump.
"This is the worst news on emission," IEA chief economist Faith Birol told the British newspaper. "It is becoming extremely challenging to remain below two degrees", he added.
"The prospect is getting bleaker. That is what the numbers say."
Scientists believe that a temperature rise of more than two degrees Celsius would represent "dangerous climate change".
The IEA has warned that annual energyrelated emissions should be no higher than 32Gt by 2020. The latest figures estimate that 30.6Gt of carbon dioxide were emitted in 2010.
Nicholas Stern of the London School of Economics, the author of an influential report into the economics of climate change, predicted dire consequences unless emissions were reined in.
"These figures indicate that (emissions) are now close to being back on a 'business as usual' path," he told the paper.
According to... projections, such a path ... would mean around a 50% chance of a rise in global average temperature of more than 4C by 2100," he added.
"Such warming would disrupt the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people across the planet, leading to widespread mass migration and conflict," he added.
Around three-quarters of the rise was attributed to emerging economies.
Meanwhile, the thawing of billions of tons of frozen plant matter in the Arctic could result in an acceleration in climate change as locked away organic carbon is released into the atmosphere, according to scientists.
The ice in the far reaches of the northern hemisphere is melting so quickly that a 'tipping point' –– where the region no longer becomes a 'sink' for carbon dioxide - could occur within 20 years. By 2200, around two-thirds of the world's permafrost will have melted, unleashing close to 200 billion tons of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere - a process which cannot be reversed. AFP
Disposal of e-waste to authorized centres to be must from next May – ToI – 31.5.11
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
New Delhi: Starting May 2012, all old computers and electronic equipment will have to be disposed of to authorized collection centres that would deal with electronic waste (e-waste).
Though the government had put up the e-waste (management and handling) rules in 2010, they have been notified recently. The problem of e-waste has turned serious, thanks to increased use of computers in the country.
In 2007, the country generated 330,000 tonnes of e-waste — equivalent of 110 million laptops, says an industry report. The volumes of e-waste generation is rising sharply every year. About 10% of this e-waste is recycled, and the rest are refurbished.
The waste contains chemicals that are polluting nature and at times even toxic. The handling of e-waste has also gained importance, with the country becoming a hub for imports along with China.
The new rules require consumers to dispose off their old computers, TVs, refrigerators and other electronic waste with recognized collection centers that will be set up. The bulk consumers — corporate and other large units — will also have to maintain records of disposal of e-waste.
The companies selling electronic goods too will be responsible for ensuring that their products do not end up in the grey market once their shelf life is over.
But, implementation of the rule could prove tricky: a large percentage of computer market in India is dependent on assembled grey market, and usually the recycling occurs in small labour intensive units in towns like Moradabad or localities such as Seelampur in the national Capital.
The already understaffed and relatively defunct-state pollution control boards would be incharge of monitoring the e-waste trade. The challenge is bound to increase, with the country’s exportimport policy allowing the import of e-waste in one garb or the other.
Germany’s N-shutdown to hit India’s power plan -ToI-31.5.11
New Delhi: Just ahead of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to India where she will hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday, Berlin decided to shut all its nuclear power reactors by 2022. The decision is expected to have wide-ranging ramifications in India as those opposed to nuclear power, including the movement at Jaitapur, will claim vindication in what is being described as a drastic reversal of policy by Germany.
Sources said though that Germany has assured India that it would continue to be a reliable hightechnology supplier in the field of nuclear safety ahead of Merkels visit. German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle, who met his counterpart S M Krishna in Delhi on Monday ahead of Merkel visit, said he knew India was watching the European nation closely. “They are noticing that we in Germany are rethinking our energy policy,” Westerwelle said. “Maybe not everything is understood, but the interest in renewable energy is great,” he said, adding that the partnership with India in this field can be very successful because Germany is already the leader in solar and wind energy. More than 22% of Germany’s energy supplies come through nuclear power.
India had for the first time discussed the possibility of civil nuclear cooperation with Germany during Singh’s visit to Berlin in last December. After the nuclear accident in Japan though, Merkel ordered a review of all German nuclear reactors. Germany on Monday decided not to refurbish any of its nuclear reactors. These reactors are expected to exhaust themselves by 2022.
Announcing that India was discussing civil nuclear cooperation with Germany, Singh had said in December that India valued Germany’s support in Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) “for the opening of international commerce for India in the field of civil nuclear energy”. Merkel, too, had emphasized on Germany’s preparedness to deepen its strategic partnership with India which, she said, could also involve working together on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
Government officials maintain that Germany’s competitiveness in this sector and its nuclear safety technology could help India’s civil nuclear programme greatly. Germany has also supported India’s bid for NSG membership.
Asked if the issue of civil nuclear cooperation will also be raised during the meeting on Tuesday, joint secretary (Europe) in MEA T P Seetharam said India always looks for partners and it will be open in its discussions. “However, given Germany’s domestic sentiment, it’s up to them,” he added.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Lokpal Bill: Civil society, govt on collision course – ToI - 31.5.11
New Delhi: The honeymoon seems to be over. After the pleasantries in the past few meetings, the gloves seemed to be off on Monday as the government representatives and the civil society members were at loggerheads on virtually every contentious issue at the meeting of the joint drafting committee of the Lokpal Bill.
There were differences on whether the Prime Minister and the judiciary should be included in the new Lokpal law, on whether the Lokpal’s jurisdiction should extend to MPs’ parliamentary conduct, to officers below the level of joint secretary, as well as on the demand for merging the existing anti-corruption bodies like
CVC, CBI and departmental vigilance wings into the office of the Lokpal.
While the Anna Hazare-led civil society group, which considers these five issues non-negotiable, described the meeting as “disastrous,” HRD minister Kapil Sibal, speaking on the government’s behalf, maintained that it was just trying to prevent the high office of the PM from being hobbled by frivolous charges. As no meeting point seemed in sight, observers wondered whether this was the beginning of the end of the joint committee.
While taking the position that the Lokpal’s jurisdiction should not extend to the PM, the government representatives strongly argued for “self regulation” rather than oversight by an anti-graft mechanism for tackling the corruption in higher judiciary.
They plumped for the same for MPs’ conduct inside Parliament. The civil society members expressed deep disappointment with the three-hourlong meeting.
STICKY POINTS
Lokpal ambit to cover PMO, judiciary, conduct of MPs in Parliament, officials below rank of joint secy
Merging of CVC, CBI and investigating wings of various departments
GOVT | Bringing PM under Lokpal ambit will make him “dysfunctional”; Kapil Sibal says govt’s concern only to save the high office from being hobbled by motivated charges. “Self-regulation” rather than oversight
CIVIL SOCIETY | Govt version will create a Lokpal for less than 3,500 officers above rank of joint secretary, with no powers on MPs, PM or judiciary. “What is the point of the whole exercise?” ‘Govt seeking a toothless Lokpal’
Although the two sides are meeting on June 6 as scheduled, the outcome of the exercise remains uncertain given the huge gap separating the positions of the two groups. In fact, Hazare expressed the fear that meeting the June 30 deadline for the draft legislation may not be possible now.
Another civil society rep on the committee, Arvind Kejriwal, said that the government is seeking to turn the Lokpal into a toothless body, "If these demands are rejected, the government is creating a Lokpal for less than 3,500 officers above the rank of joint secretary. It will have no powers over MPs, the PM or the judiciary. What is the point of the whole exercise?"
He added that forbidding the Lokpal from probing the conduct of MPs inside Parliament means that the anti-corruption watchdog will not be able to probe scams like the "cash-for-vote" and "cash-for query" cases. Lawyer Prashant Bhushan said the government representatives told them that bringing the PMO under Lokpal's purview would make him 'dysfunctional'. "We only wanted that he comes under the purview of an independent agency instead of the agencies that come under the government which results in conflict of interest," he said.
Government representatives, however, justified their stand, saying that the putting PM under the purview could undermine the institution as frivolous allegations may be used him to put him under a cloud. Bhushan responded by saying that corruption allegations had been made against the late PM Rajiv Gandhi during the Bofors scandal but that did not affect his working. But this didn't cut ice with the government reps.
Bhushan went a step further, saying that government's proposals were "worse" than those in the first bill which had already been "condemned and rejected." Kejriwal spoke similarly, saying that government's opposition to bringing PM within the jurisdiction of Lokpal amounted to reversal of its own position. The government also wanted that the defence personnel should be kept out of the purview of the bill, Kejriwal said.
Kapil Sibal rejected the charge, saying that there was no bar for any investigating agency to probe the PM, and that the government's concern
was only to save the high office from being hobbled by motivated charges that may become the order of the day if civil society's version of the Lokpal bill is accepted.
On the issue of investigating corruption cases against the MPs, the government said that it had no objection to the Lokpal investigating corruption issues involving them outside Parliament but opposed the proposal to allow the agency to investigate the acts of corruption by the MPs inside Parliament.
Despite the volatile meeting, Sibal expressed confidence that the bill for a strong and effective Lokpal would be a reality. "We must provide the country with a transparent legislation as corruption is an issue which concerns everybody. We remain committed to provide the people an effective Lokpal," he said.
As no agreement could be reached, the government has decided to write to states and political parties to seek their opinion on these "issues of divergence" and get back to them at the next meeting on June 6.
Sibal said there was need to take the view of the states since Lokayuktas have to be appointed there. He added that the government also held the view that the offices of Chief Vigilance Commissioner and CBI should not be merged with Lokpal.
There were differences on whether the Prime Minister and the judiciary should be included in the new Lokpal law, on whether the Lokpal’s jurisdiction should extend to MPs’ parliamentary conduct, to officers below the level of joint secretary, as well as on the demand for merging the existing anti-corruption bodies like
CVC, CBI and departmental vigilance wings into the office of the Lokpal.
While the Anna Hazare-led civil society group, which considers these five issues non-negotiable, described the meeting as “disastrous,” HRD minister Kapil Sibal, speaking on the government’s behalf, maintained that it was just trying to prevent the high office of the PM from being hobbled by frivolous charges. As no meeting point seemed in sight, observers wondered whether this was the beginning of the end of the joint committee.
While taking the position that the Lokpal’s jurisdiction should not extend to the PM, the government representatives strongly argued for “self regulation” rather than oversight by an anti-graft mechanism for tackling the corruption in higher judiciary.
They plumped for the same for MPs’ conduct inside Parliament. The civil society members expressed deep disappointment with the three-hourlong meeting.
STICKY POINTS
Lokpal ambit to cover PMO, judiciary, conduct of MPs in Parliament, officials below rank of joint secy
Merging of CVC, CBI and investigating wings of various departments
GOVT | Bringing PM under Lokpal ambit will make him “dysfunctional”; Kapil Sibal says govt’s concern only to save the high office from being hobbled by motivated charges. “Self-regulation” rather than oversight
CIVIL SOCIETY | Govt version will create a Lokpal for less than 3,500 officers above rank of joint secretary, with no powers on MPs, PM or judiciary. “What is the point of the whole exercise?” ‘Govt seeking a toothless Lokpal’
Although the two sides are meeting on June 6 as scheduled, the outcome of the exercise remains uncertain given the huge gap separating the positions of the two groups. In fact, Hazare expressed the fear that meeting the June 30 deadline for the draft legislation may not be possible now.
Another civil society rep on the committee, Arvind Kejriwal, said that the government is seeking to turn the Lokpal into a toothless body, "If these demands are rejected, the government is creating a Lokpal for less than 3,500 officers above the rank of joint secretary. It will have no powers over MPs, the PM or the judiciary. What is the point of the whole exercise?"
He added that forbidding the Lokpal from probing the conduct of MPs inside Parliament means that the anti-corruption watchdog will not be able to probe scams like the "cash-for-vote" and "cash-for query" cases. Lawyer Prashant Bhushan said the government representatives told them that bringing the PMO under Lokpal's purview would make him 'dysfunctional'. "We only wanted that he comes under the purview of an independent agency instead of the agencies that come under the government which results in conflict of interest," he said.
Government representatives, however, justified their stand, saying that the putting PM under the purview could undermine the institution as frivolous allegations may be used him to put him under a cloud. Bhushan responded by saying that corruption allegations had been made against the late PM Rajiv Gandhi during the Bofors scandal but that did not affect his working. But this didn't cut ice with the government reps.
Bhushan went a step further, saying that government's proposals were "worse" than those in the first bill which had already been "condemned and rejected." Kejriwal spoke similarly, saying that government's opposition to bringing PM within the jurisdiction of Lokpal amounted to reversal of its own position. The government also wanted that the defence personnel should be kept out of the purview of the bill, Kejriwal said.
Kapil Sibal rejected the charge, saying that there was no bar for any investigating agency to probe the PM, and that the government's concern
was only to save the high office from being hobbled by motivated charges that may become the order of the day if civil society's version of the Lokpal bill is accepted.
On the issue of investigating corruption cases against the MPs, the government said that it had no objection to the Lokpal investigating corruption issues involving them outside Parliament but opposed the proposal to allow the agency to investigate the acts of corruption by the MPs inside Parliament.
Despite the volatile meeting, Sibal expressed confidence that the bill for a strong and effective Lokpal would be a reality. "We must provide the country with a transparent legislation as corruption is an issue which concerns everybody. We remain committed to provide the people an effective Lokpal," he said.
As no agreement could be reached, the government has decided to write to states and political parties to seek their opinion on these "issues of divergence" and get back to them at the next meeting on June 6.
Sibal said there was need to take the view of the states since Lokayuktas have to be appointed there. He added that the government also held the view that the offices of Chief Vigilance Commissioner and CBI should not be merged with Lokpal.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)