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Sports: Warne denies India Pg 16 coach talk IN BRIEF PM okays guidelines for new CVC Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has approved the new guidelines for appointment of Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC), following which the government set the ball rolling for choosing a head of the top anti-corruption watchdog after the removal of controversial P J Thomas. The action came a month after the quashing of the appointment of Thomas as CVC by the Supreme Court as he is facing a corruption case. – (PTI)
Flight lands in closed taxi track A Kingfisher flight from Mumbai landed in a taxi track which was closed for repair work at the Chaudhary Charan Singh Amausi airport creating confusion among passengers. “The MumbaiLucknow flight entered a wrong taxi track delta after landing which was closed for repair work. This has already been notified and a signage placed there,” Director (Airport) Atul Dixit said. – (PTI)
Health HeOaF lth TiP TYiP TH E D A
‘7th ‘7th April’ April’
World World Health Health Day Day Theme T heme :
“antimicrobial ntimicrobial resistance esistance” iire recctoto rrvviciicceess torrate aate te of ooff Hea H ealth Hea th SSeerv llth DDire
Pawar quits GoM on corruption Hazare continues fast, writes to PM PTI NEW DELHI, APRIL 6
Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Wednesday quit the Group of Ministers (GoM) on corruption stung by Anna Hazare questioning his credentials, as the anti-graft crusader told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh he was not being “instigated” to go an indefinite fast. With the ‘fast unto death’ by 72-year-old Hazare entering the second day, Government and the Congress also made attempts to mollify him but he showed no signs of calling off his stir. As support from the civil society grew for Hazare’s campaign, political leaders like O P Chautala and Uma Bharti wanting to make common cause with the social activist and share the dais with him at Jantar Mantar were shouted out by his supporters. They had to make a hasty retreat. Pawar, the chief of key UPA ally NCP, said tonight he has written a letter to the Prime Minister informing him that he does not want to be remain with the Ministerial panel. The panel is headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. “I have told Prime Minister in writing about quitting the GoM on corruption. I have informed him that I don’t want to remain anymore with the panel. I don’t
Naxals kill Reliance executive PTI CHATRA (Jharkhand), APRIL 6
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Business: Maruti recalls 13,157 diesel cars Pg 10
A Reliance Telecom General Manager Manoj Kumar Ojha was killed on Wednesday when two armed men suspected to be members of a splinter Maoist group fired at his vehicle in a village in this district, police said. Ojha’s colleague Dhirendra Kumar, who is also a General Manager and his co-traveller, was seriously injured in the attack in Chatra’s Sahatu village, police said. Ojha was reported to be in his thirties, it added. The driver of the vehicle was also injured, Superintendent of Police, Prabhat Kumar said. The Reliance officials had come from Mumbai on an official visit, he said. Kumar, who is under medical observation at a local hospital, was being airlifted to Mumbai, he added. Inspector General of Police (Operation) R K Malik told PTI in Ranchi that two armed men suspected to be members of Jharkhand Prastuti Committee, a splinter group of CPI(Maoist), opened fire on the vehicle, which overturned.
I have told Prime Minister in writing about quitting the GoM on corruption. I have informed him that I don’t want to remain anymore with the panel. I don’t want to be associated with it. The chapter is closed from my side. want to be associated with it. The chapter is closed from my side”, Pawar told PTI tonight. But Hazare, who hails from Maharashtra and apparently emboldened by the support he was getting, said Pawar’s decision to quit the GoM on corruption would “not serve any purpose” and upped the ante demanding that he resign from the Union Cabinet too. Pawar’s action came hours after he said that he would be happy to be relieved from all ministerial panels, including that on corruption. “I will be happy if you relieve
me from all GoMs, including that GoM (on corruption),” Pawar had remarked earlier while replying to a query from reporters whether he was disturbed by Hazare’s comments that the minister should not be part of the GoM on Corruption. Displaying a lack of trust in some members of the GoM, he had said, “A minister like Sharad Pawar, who is known for possessing large amounts of land in Maharashtra, is heading a committee that will draft the (Lok Pal) Bill.” Hazare is demanding enactment of a strong anti-corruption bill to give wider powers to the Ombudsman. He is pressing for formation of a joint committee comprising 50 per cent officials and the remaining being citizens and intellectuals to draft the Bill. In a strongly worded letter to the prime minister, Hazare said insinuations that his indefinite fast was instigated were an “insult” to his wisdom. “Dear Manmohan Singhji, this is an insult to my sense of wisdom and intelligence...I take advice from many friends and critics but do what my conscience directs me to do,” he said. In his letter, Hazare also alleged, “many of the members of this Group of Ministers have such a shady past that if effective anti-corruption systems had been in place, some of them would have been behind bars.”
Navelim College acts tough
Debars 20 from exams for poor attendance HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, APRIL 6
A group of Final Year students of Rosary College, Navelim were debarred from answering the examinations on Wednesday by the college authorities after they failed to meet attendance criteria. Margao police headed by PI Santosh Desai rushed to the College this morning as a precautionary measure as the students protested outside against the college decision. When the students turned up to answer their exams on Wednesday morning, college management told them in no uncertain terms that they cannot answer the examination since they did not fulfill the attendance criteria. One of the students claimed that around 20 students were not allowed to answer the exams by the college management on grounds that they did not fulfill the attendance criteria. She, however, said the Goa University had issued them the hall tickets for the examination and demanded to know why the college had allowed them to fill
When the students turned up for the exams, college management told them they cannot answer since they did not fulfill the attendance criteria. the examination forms if they were to be denied entry into the examination hall. PI Desai, who had discussions with the College authorities, later told newsmen that the students were not allowed to answer since they did not comply with the 75 per cent attendance. “The college officials maintained that the students also did not avail of the test facility nor did their parents respond to the note sent to them. The college authorities were of the firm view that college discipline would be affected if these students were allowed to answer the exams”, PI Desai added. The stand of the college authorities left the students and their guardians dejected, even as the affected students later proceeded to GU to draw attention of the officials of the decision taken by the college authorities.
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Heartbeat: John-Deepika bonding Pg 4 over funky song
Ravi’s sons on Home dept payroll HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, APRIL 6
In a startling revelation, it is come to light that Home Minister Ravi Naik has appointed both his sons in his office as personal assistants drawing a salary from the coffers of the Home Department. In a written reply to unstarred question by BJP Mapusa MLA Francis D’Souza on the floor of the House, Chief Minister and Minister for General Administration Digambar Kamat said that Naik’s elder son Ritesh has been appointed as Private Secretary while his younger son Roy has been appointed as the Personal Assistant. Both sons, appointed on ad-
Both sons, appointed on ad-hoc by the General Administration Department in the office of Minister for Home earn a monthly salary of Rs 29,441 and Rs 19,904, respectively. hoc by the General Administration Department in the office of Minister for Home earn a monthly salary of Rs 29,441 and Rs 19,904, respectively.
Govt is of the smugglers: Oppn HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, APRIL 6
“This government is by the smugglers, for the smugglers and of the smugglers,” said Opposition Leader Manohar Parrikar as their demand for an adjournment motion was not allowed on Wednesday too. Parrikar, who addressed the media after adjournment of the House said the government should have shown initiative in discussing the Atanasio alias Babush Monserrate issue in the House and presented its say. “Criminal charges levelled against the Education Minister are of serious nature and more than one person from the ruling is involved in this,” charged Parrikar adding that it is a clear case of Hawala and smuggling of foreign currency out of the country.
CCEA refers Cairn-Vedanta deal to GoM PTI NEW DELHI, APRIL 6
In a move that is set to delay and possibly scuttle the biggest acquisition in India’s energy sector, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday referred Vedanta Resources USD 9.6 billion buyout of Cairn India to a ministerial panel. The move followed differences in the Cabinet panel on whether London-listed mining group with no experience in oil should be given unconditional approval for buying a company that owns the nation’s largest onland oil fields or after attaching reasonable conditions. “There are some complex issues. CCEA felt such a decision should not be taken in a hurry,” Oil Minister S Jaipal Reddy told reporters after the meeting. UK’s Cairn Energy Plc, which is selling majority in its Indian unit, and Vedanta have set April 15 as the deadline for the conclusion of the transaction and a government decision is unlikely. Both of them will have to go back to their shareholders for extending the deadline and it remains to be seen if Vedanta will still pay Rs 405 a share price considering government nod has not come in the past eight months.
Criminal charges levelled against the Education Minister are of serious nature and more than one person from the ruling is involved. — Manohar Parrikar
The BJP wants discussion in the House so that the whole issue is discussed as to who made the call to the office of Finance Minister, and then, who called from the Finance Ministry to Enforcement Directorate in Mumbai, upon which Babush was allowed to walk free after hours of quizzing. Babush Monserrate was traveling to Dubai on the intervening night of Friday when he was detained at Mumbai airport for possessing unaccounted foreign currency much more than the permitted limit.
PTI NEW DELHI, APRIL 6
scribe antibiotics for non-specific fever in 16 per cent of cases, cough – 17 per cent cases, diarrhoea – 18 per cent and ear discharge 48 per cent cases. The WHO called for intensifying global commitment towards safeguarding antibiotics for future generations. “We depend on antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines to treat conditions that would otherwise be fatal. An-
timicrobial resistance is drug resistance that renders these medicines ineffective. WHO is urging governments and stakeholders to implement policies and practices to prevent and counter the emergence of highly resistant microorganisms,” it said. Although antimicrobial resistance is not a new problem, it is fast becoming more dangerous. “The time for sustained action is now, since we are slowly but
Opposition also referred to CBI application moved before High Court seeking transfer of 2008 rioting case be transferred out of Goa.
“The agency of the Central government has demanded to move the case out of Goa for it fears that he will influence the witnesses,” stated Parrikar. The Opposition leader also demanded that even officers of the Enforcement Directorate who interrogated Babush during first hours of his detainment at the airport should be quizzed. The BJP believes that initial statement of Babush was altered later, to show that less amount of foreign currency was in his possession when he was detained at the airport. “It is an attempt to lesser down the scale of his offense,” charged Parrikar. “This is a signal to people that the government is not serious about this issue even as one of its ministers was caught smuggling,” alleged Parrikar.
BBSM meet seeks to challenge RTE HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, APRIL 6
Bharatiya Bhasha Suraksha Mandal (BBSM) on Wednesday demanded resignation of Education Minister Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate for supporting the section, which adversely commented on the present educational policy in the State. The massive rally attended by more than 10,000 regional language supporters at Azad Maidan demanded that Monserrate be sacked for participating in the meeting, earlier last month, which passed adverse comments on the Education Policy and also sought to challenge Right to Education Act, 2009. The demand came hours after State Legislative Assembly’s session was adjourned following ruckus created by Opposition benches over the minister’s detention at Mumbai airport. The Leader of the Opposition Manohar Parrikar and Member of Parliament Shripad Naik attended the convention along with other party leaders like Damodar Naik, L axmikant
‘53% Indians take antibiotics sans prescription’ Raising concerns over drug resistance, a new study has revealed that 53 per cent Indians take antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription and up to 48 per cent want to change their physician if not prescribed antibiotics for something as simple as a common cold. A whopping 63 per cent, however, would not use saved antibiotics for family members later, according to a study conducted by the World Health Organisation. According to the study, which was conducted separately on citizens and physicians, 52 per cent doctors would not prescribe antibiotics for any child with fever and 52 per cent feel that antibiotics should not be discontinued when a person starts feeling better. Doctors in India in fact pre-
Interestingly, Naik brothers are the highest paid, holding top ranks compared to nine others. Roy, 30, has been embroiled
in controversy after Lucky Farmhouse Amori, Swedish model and jilted girlfriend of Israeli drug baron Yaniv Benaim alias Atala, claimed that Roy was involved in the drug network and frequented their house at Anjuna. In 2008, Fiona Mackeown, mother of the deceased British teenager Scarlet Eden Keeling had accused the minister’s younger son and four others of drugging her daughter. Roy once again grabbed media attention earlier this year when he was provided a personal security officer after the notorious gangs t e r M i c h a e l Fe r n a n d e s confessed of accepting ‘supari’ to kill him.
surely moving towards a reversion to the dreadful pre-antibiotic era,” Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO’s Regional Director for South-East Asia, said. “If that happens, death and disease due to untreatable infectious diseases will become the biggest obstacle to poverty alleviation, development, and global efforts to make the world a better and more healthy place,” he said. Drugs needed to treat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) are over 100 times more expensive than the firstline drugs. In some countries the high cost is prohibitive, with the result that some of these cases can no longer be treated. Similarly, the emergence of resistance in HIV to currently effective drugs could destroy the hopes of survival for millions of people living with HIV.
Parsekar, Ramesh Tawadkar, Francis D’Souza and others. They too extended their support over the dismissal of the minister. The two-hour long meeting also demanded that the current grant-in-aid policy for primary schools from Standard I to IV should continue permanently, without any change. “The provision of grant-in-aid to primary schools as per the State educational policy needs to be discussed in detail with the Central government to fit the same with the frame work of Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009,” the resolution adds. The meeting strongly demanded that government henceforth should refuse recognition to private English medium primar y schools and make it mandatory for the existing schools to teach atleast two subjects through Konkani, Marathi or other Indian languages. “The government should put a ban on registration of play schools and pre-primary schools through English medium and they should be warned to shift
the existing schools to Indian languages within a given time frame,” BBSM demanded. The representatives of BBSM made it clear that the organisation will be a permanent platform to protect and promote the Indian languages and culture in Goa and will fight to defeat the evil designs of vested interest. Earlier addressing the gathering, former Chief Minister Shashikala Kakodkar made it clear that the formation of BBSM would not lead to any sort of religious disputes. “The organisation also has representatives from various churches. We will make sure that the fight to protect Goan identity doesn’t lead to any communal harmony,” she said. Kakodkar said that BBSM will continue to fight for all those causes, which will secure the future of Goa. “I want support from large section of society, who cares for their State and nation,” she stated. Speaking at the occasion, freedom fighter Nagesh Karmali (Continued on page 8)