NEWS IN BRIEF – DEC 21, 2011
1. Cabinet clears Lokpal bill: PM in, CBI out, Stage Set For Pitched
Battle As Team Anna, Oppn Decry Govt’s Formula: New Delhi: The
Cabinet finally cleared the Lokpal and Lokayukta bill on Tuesday, but their
key formulations were promptly slammed by both Team Anna and the
opposition, setting the stage for a continuing confrontation within and
outside Parliament. [TOI p1]
2. Anna to fast for 3 days, then launch ‘jail bharo’ : Pune: Anti-corruption
crusader Anna Hazare denounced the citizens’ charter bill tabled in
Parliament on Tuesday and declared that he would go on a three-day fast
from December 27 followed by a three-day jail bharo agitation from
December 30.[TOI p1]
3. Govt bends but Anna wants more : NEW DELHI :Citizens will be able to
file complaints of corruption against any central government employee to
the proposed lokpal, which will have its own inquiry and prosecution
wings, according to the draft bill finally cleared by the cabinet on Tuesday
night.[HT p1]
4. BJP: UPA’s Lokpal Bill insult to House : NEW DELHI: Terming the
Lokpal Bill approved by the Union Cabinet on Tuesday as “an insult to
Parliament” as it “ignored the sense of House” on the issue, the main
Opposition BJP said Congress-led UPA government is not serious about
keeping a check on corruption. The CPI(M) also said government has not
accepted its many suggestions on the issue.[AA p3]
5. Govt brings bill to redress grievances : New Delhi : Government
officials who fail to meet deadlines for delivery of goods and services can
be fined up to R50,000, according to the citizens’ grievance redressal bill
introduced by the government in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.[HT p1]
6. Want PM under Lokpal, independent CBI : BJP : New Delhi : On a day
of fluctuating positions, the BJP on Tuesday hardened its stand on the
Lokpal issue, saying it would oppose the government Bill if it differed from
what they had sought from the government in the Parliamentary Standing
Committee.[IE p3]
7. Citizen Charter Bill tabled on Lok Sabha : New Delhi : A Bill laying
down obligations of every public authority towards citizens, specifying
delivery of goods and services in a time-bound manner and providing for a
grievance redressal mechanism for non-compliance of citizens charter
was tabled in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.[The Hindu p1]
8. After 6 years, govt accepts Kejriwal’s IRS resignation : New Delhi: Six
years after he quit, Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal’s resignation from
the Indian Revenue Service was accepted by the central government.
[TOI p17]
9. I heard Raja shouting at Mathur at the top of his voice, says Achary,
‘Burning Issues In The Ministry At That Time Were Licences &
Spectrum’: New Delhi: CBI’s star witness in the 2G spectrum scam case
Aseervartham Achary, a former aide of sacked telecom minister A Raja,
was quizzed by counsel for the accused on Tuesday on how he had
acquired an expensive mobile handset.[TOI p13]
10. Swan Telecom promoters met Raja 20 times during UPA-1 : New
Delhi : Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Balwa and Vinod Goenka had
visited the office of A Raja more than 20 times during his tenure as
minister of environment and forests, a key CBI witness told a Delhi court
on Tuesday.[HT p15]
11. CAG questions Cong JPC members’ allegations : New Delhi
:Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai has taken serious
exception to allegations leveled against him by some Congress members
on JPC Panel that he pushed forth “corporate agenda” in his report on 2G
spectrum scam.[Pioneer Daily p4]
12. Sonia to meet party MPs today : New Delhi :Congress president Sonia
Gandhi will interact with party MPs on Wednesday amid challenges galore
for the party and the government in the New Year.[AA p2]
13. Sibal moves Copyright Bill, Amendment Seeks To Bring Law In Tune
With Intl Treaties: New Delhi: After being disallowed by the opposition
last week, Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal on Tuesday moved a bill in the
Rajya Sabha to amend the Copyright Act. [TOI p19]
14. Govt monitoring Gita case: Krishna: New Delhi: External affairs
minister S M Krishna on Tuesday described as “absurd” the plea in a
Russian court for a ban on the Bhagwad Gita, addressing members of
Parliament who rose in protest for the second consecutive day. The
opposition led by BJP’s Sushma Swaraj charged that the Centre was not
doing enough to register its protest with Moscow. [TOI p1]
15. Sushma: Declare Gita national book : New Delhi: Slamming the plea in
a Russian court for a ban on the Bhagwad Gita, BJP leader and leader of
opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj demanded that the scripture
be made India’s “national book” to prevent its insult in other countries.
[TOI p21]
16. BJP continues to hound Chidambaram on 2G, FIRs, Both Houses
Witness Adjournments As Oppn Attacks PC, Ramesh: New Delhi:
NDA members continued their vociferous protests against home minister
P Chidambaram in Parliament on Tuesday, demanding he be dismissed
over his alleged role in the 2G case and also over the controversy around
his ministry’s alleged involvement in helping quash FIRs against his
former client. [TOI p17]
17. NDA barracks Chidambaram for ‘misusing’ office : New Delhi : The
National Democratic Alliance barracked Union Home Minister P.
Chidambaram in both Houses of Parliament on Tuesday for allegedly
“misusing” his office to help a Delhi-based hotelier.[The Hindu p9]
18. BJP Moves Privilege Motion Against PC, Conflict of interest: Oppn
accuses home minister of showing disrespect to House: NEW DELHI
: BJP on Tuesday gave notice for a privilege motion against home minister
P Chidambaram, accusing him of showing disrespect to Parliament by
making a statement outside the House on the recent “conflict of interest”
controversy surrounding him. [TOI p17]
19. Jaya Opposes Food Bill, Says it’s ‘Inaccurate’, Odisha CM Patnaik
wants Centre to bring all poor within the programme’s purview: NEW
DELHI : After senior Union Cabinet ministers raised doubts over the
National Food Security Bill, it is the turn of state chief ministers to object to
the contours of the bill. Voicing their concerns, they said the programme
might leave out genuine beneficiaries from within its ambit and put
additional pressure on their finances. [ET p2]
20. Jairam comes under BSP fire: New Delhi: Rural development minister
Jairam Ramesh and BSP members got into constant war of words in the
Rajya Sabha on Tuesday resulting in adjournment at the dying minutes of
question hour. [TOI p17]
21. Karat bid for Brinda RS seat irks allies : NEW DELHI: Resentment
continues to brew in the CPI(M) over the “top couple” and the way the
“cadre-based party was being turned into a outfit controlled by the
family”.[AA p2]
22. Gowda wants special session to discuss farmer suicides : New Delhi
: The former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) president H.D. Deve
Gowda on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to convene a
special session of Parliament to discuss the “manifold problems faced by
farmers, which drive them to the extreme step of taking their own life.”[The
Hindu p9]
23. Super education regulator gets cabinet approval : NEW DELHI: A
single over-arching independent body in place of multiple higher education
regulators to promote academic excellence and research was approved
by union cabinet on Tuesday, almost three years after the idea was
generated.[HT p1]
24. Katju: Ratna for cricketers, actors will be a mockery: New Delhi:
Press Council of India chief Markandey Katju said that giving Bharat
Ratna to cricketers and film stars, who have no social relevance, was
making a “mockery” of the award. [TOI p15]
25. Bhagwat talks about RSS’ dream of a Ram temple in Ayodhya : New
Delhi : The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) feels that within two or
three years a grand Ram temple could be built at the Ayodhya site after
the Supreme Court took a final view on the complex issue.[The Hindu p9]
26. Congress to Anna: Be wary of RSS : NEW DELHI: Cautioning social
activist Anna Hazare to beware of RSS design, the Congress on Tuesday
hinted that the party is gearing up to take on the Team Anna head on
apparently buoyed over by their non-influence in the Maharashtra
municipal elections.[AA p3]
27. Final CBI report in Adarsh case in eight weeks : Mumbai : The Central
Bureau of Investigation will file the final report before the Bombay High
Court in the Adarsh housing society scam case in eight weeks..[The
Hindu p9]
28. Tax Notices to Over 100 Swiss Account Holders : Mumbai : More than
100 individuals in Mumbai, including a few corporate biggies, have
received notices from the Income-Tax Department this month for holding
undisclosed bank accounts with HSBC Geneva. [ET p1]
29. BJP revives Atal mystique to woo Brahmins in UP: New Delhi: In the
battle for Brahmin votes, Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be the surprise
contender in the Uttar Pradesh fray, with the BJP set to resurrect its faded
mascot in the coming assembly polls. [TOI p1]
30. BJP looks to regain Brahmin votes in UP : New Delhi: The Brahmin
vote has become the flavour of the season in the Uttar Pradesh polls,
given that Mayawati’s phenomenal win in 2007 had to with her success
with the community. Mayawati’s triumph flowed from the Brahmin exodus
from their post-Congress home, resulting in the massive collapse of BJP,
which is keen on using the lessons this time around. [TOI p21]
31. Govt clears air on UP’s ‘split state’ plan : New Delhi: A day after
seeking clarifications from Uttar Pradesh over the assembly resolution to
split the state into four parts, the government on Tuesday said it moved on
the proposal only when there was a broad consensus in the parent state
and after taking into consideration all relevant factors. [TOI p19]
32. Centre Delaying Division of Uttar Pradesh, Says Mayawati:
LUCKNOW : Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati has accused the
central government of resorting to unconstitutional means to delay the
division of Uttar Pradesh into four separate states — Poorvanchal, Awadh
Pradesh, Paschim Pradesh and Bundelkhand. [ET p2]
33. UP polls : 3 parties forge alliance : Lucknow : Three political
organisations — Peace Party of India, Apna Dal and Bundelkhand
Congress — have formed an alliance to jointly contest the Uttar Pradesh
Assembly elections. While Apna Dal has its base among Kurmis of
Poorvanchal, Peace Party describes itself as the party of Muslims and
poor and Bundelkhand Congress, as the name suggests, is active in
Bundelkhand.[IE p2]
34. Jaya Prada to fight against Azam Khan : Lucknow : Ousted SP leader
Amar Singh has decided to field Jaya Prada, the MP from Rampur, as the
candidate of his Rashtriya Lok Manch against Samajwadi Party leader and
rival Azam Khan in the coming Assembly polls.[IE p5]
35. SP changes 7 candidates for 1 seat : LUCKNOW: Lambhua, an
Assembly seat in Sultanpur district, was just another nondescript
constituency that did not deserve a second glance. There were no VIP
contestants, no VIP tours, just a constituency steeped in caste wars.[AA
p2]
36. BSP minister’s kin on voter lists in 3 villages : Lucknow : UP
Lokayukta N K Mehrotra has received a report from the District Magistrate
of Hardoi confirming that the names of about 28 family members of
Science and Technology Minister Abdul Mannan were included in the
voter lists of three separate villages in one Assembly segment.[IE p8]
37. War room leak accused to face UK trial for extradition : New Delhi:
Ravi Shankaran, a key accused in the Naval war room leak case, will face
extradition charges on December 30 in a London court that has accepted
the proof given by CBI. [TOI p11]
38. Sehajdharis’ can vote for SGPC : CHANDIGARH:The Punjab and
Haryana high court on Tuesday restored the voting rights of Sehajdhari
(non-baptised) Sikhs in elections to the Shriomani Gurdwara Prabandhak
Committee, the Sikhs’ highest religious body.[AA p1]
39. Court ruling on defectors leaves Hooda on edge : Chandigarh: The
Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday ordered that five Haryana
MLAs who defected to Congress in 2009 will be considered “detached”
from the party. The order leaves the Hooda government on the
tenterhooks as its numbers are now down to 41 in the 90-member
assembly, surviving on the outside support of seven independents. [TOI
p15]
40. Congress suspends Malkhan Singh, MLA remanded in CBI custody :
Jaipur : A special court in Jodhpur on Tuesday remanded MLA Malkhan
Singh Vishnoi, arrested in the auxiliary nurse Bhanwari, Devi
disapearance case the other day, to CBI custody till December 28.[The
Hindu p5]
41. No-trust motion against Raman Singh defeated : Raipur : The BJP
government in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday defeated the no-confidence
motion moved by the Congress by 11 votes. After a debate on the motion,
the BJP garnered 48 votes, while 37 members voted in favour of the
motion.[IE p8]
42. BJP to go with like minded parties for Manipur poll : Imphal :BJP
president Nitin Gadkari has stated that his party will go with other likeminded
parties to take on the Congress for the ensuing tenth Manipur
Assembly poll likely to be held in February next year, even as the NCP
and the regional Manipur People’s Party (MPP) have announced of a prepoll
alliance.[Pioneer Daily p7]
43. HC likely to clarify nursery age today, Pvt Schools Still Have 2 Years
Of Pre-Primary Education: New Delhi: Will the three year-olds in the city
be eligible for nursery admissions in the coming session? Are formal
schools supposed to have a nursery class at all? While schools are busy
preparing the stage for nursery and KG admissions 2012-13, parents are
still grappling with these questions.[TOI p6]
44. PIL filed in HC for students’ Union polls in Jamia : New Delhi : On
Tuesday, a PIL was filed in the Delhi High Court, seeking direction to
Jamia Milia Islamia to conduct students’ union election, which have not
been held for the past five years. A bench of Acting Chief Justice AK Sikri
and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw is likely to hear the PIL on
Wednesday.[HT p2]
LEGAL/CRIME NEWS
45. Nanavati gets another extension : Ahmedabad : Gujarat Government
has granted the 18th extension to Justices (Retired) Nanavati-Mehta
Commission for three months while setting the new deadline of March 31,
2012 for the panel to submit its final report.[IE p7]
BUSINESS NEWS
46. Property prices may fall 20-30% by mid 2012 : Mumbai : Real estate
prices may fall 20-30% in several pockets of Delhi-NCR and Mumbai in six
months, but experts are divided on whether and when prices will decline
across the board.[HT p1]
