NEWS IN BRIEF – MAR 13, 2012
1. Spectrum given in 2001 & earlier may be charged : New Delhi: The government is considering retrospectively charging for spectrum for licences allotted in 2001 and even earlier while it also examines if some of these could be cancelled in the light of the Supreme Court ruling striking down the first-come first-served policy. [TOI p1]
2. Govt may Charge for Spectrum Allocated in 2001 and Beyond, SC judgement empowers the Centre to follow this course, says DoT secretary : NEW DELHI : The government on Monday indicated plans to charge retrospectively for the spectrum licences issued in 2001 and even earlier. DoT secretary R Chandrasekhar told the Joint Parliamentary Panel investigating the 2G spectrum scandal that the Supreme Court judgement empowers the government to follow this course.
3. Large amounts paid to KGB kin: Govt to SC, ‘Need To Probe If Money Trail Leads To Ex-CJI’: New Delhi: Former Chief Justice of India K G
Balakrishnan’s tenure as chairman of National Human Rights Commission hit a bump on Monday when the government for the first time filed an investigation status report before the Supreme Court detailing large payments allegedly made to his two sons-in-law and brother when he was the CJI. [TOI p1]
4. Post-U.P., Congress and BJP in a conciliatory mood in Parliament : New Delhi : Chastened by their drubbing in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, both the Congress and the BJP appeared sombre and even conciliatory on the opening day of the budget session of Parliament.[The Hindu p1]
5. Lobbying for 3 seats begins in Rajasthan : Jaipur :As Congress and BJP are expected to finalise their Rajya Sabha candidates in the next couple of days, about a dozen contenders from both the parties have stepped up their lobbying to get their nominations for three seats from Rajasthan.[Pioneer Daily p6]
6. Supreme Court order makes YSR Congress happy : Hyderabad :
Although it has provided no relief to YSR Congress president Y.S.
Jaganmohan Reddy, the Supreme Court’s order on Monday gladdened
the hearts of his party men as the Ministers too will have to account for the
controversial decisions taken during the late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy’s
regime.[The Hindu p11]
7. BJP sets sights on 2 seats in Karnataka : Bangalore : Major political
parties, including ruling BJP, the Opposition Congress and JD(S), are
working out strategies for the Rajya Sabha poll scheduled on March 30 in
Karnataka. Political experts are expecting that the poll for the four seats is
set to be aggressive and keenly contested.[Pioneer Daily p6]
8. Uma or Kalraj? BJP undecided: LUCKNOW: The BJP in UP is now
busy fighting over the leader’s post for the BJP Legislature Party without
even stopping to ponder over its biggest debacle in Uttar Pradesh.
Sources in the BJP said that while one faction was keen to get Kalraj
Mishra appointed to the post of the party’s legislature party leader, another
faction wanted Uma Bharti to be crowned the leader.[AA p3]
9. Delhi lectures states on NCTC : Don’t be CMs’ stenographers’ : New
Delhi : Even as it claimed that it would address the concerns of the states
on the National Counter-terrorism Centre (NCTC), the centre today told
top officials of state governments to avoid acting as “stenographers” of
their political masters in objecting to this anti-terror body.[IE p1]
10. Anna sets 2014 deadline for Jan Lokpal : Ralegan Siddhi: Anna
Hazare on Monday appeared to be extending the deadline for the passage
of a strong Lokpal Bill to the next general election in 2014 and threatened
to return to Ramlila Maidan if that does not happen. [TOI p7]
11. Lokpal: BJP Wants to Take off From Where it was Left, Govt plans to
take up bill in second part of budget session: NEW DELHI :
12. The controversy over the unfinished Lokpal debate in the Rajya Sabha will
be rekindled when the Opposition raises the issue in the Upper House on
Tuesday, demanding that the matter be taken up from where it was left in
the winter session. [ET p2]
13. Oppn in combat mode, Lokpal bill returns to RS today : New Delhi :
The lokpal bill will return to haunt the government in the Rajya Sabha on
Tuesday with the BJP-led opposition making it clear that they would
demand a discussion on the bill before the House takes up any other
business.[HT p1]
14. Parliament discovers Akhilesh, Rahul Missing From House; Beni
Prasad Enters, Exits Without A Word: New Delhi: It was the same
entrance to Parliament, same colleagues, same bunch of newshounds.
But never before had the affable Akhilesh Yadav had to plead to be left
alone as he did on Monday. [TOI p9]
15. Trinamool, Pawar to Attend NDA’s ‘Party’ : NEW DELHI : In a
development that advertises weakening of Congress, two of its allies –
NCP and the Trinamool Congress – have decided to attend the swearingin
ceremony of Punjab’s NDA chief minister Parkash Singh Badal. Badal
had delivered a humiliating defeat to Congress in the just-concluded
assembly election. [ET p3]
16. Anti-Terror Body to Work in Sync with States, NCTC’s standard
operating procedures to ensure joint action with state govts: NEW
DELHI : The Centre has sought to buy peace with states opposing the
National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) by assuring them that the antiterror
body would work in sync with states and that coordination with state
governments shall be built into its operating system through state nodal
officers and standard operating procedures (SOPs). [ET p2]
17. Almost 65% of Prez promises in last 3 yrs remain on paper : New
Delhi: As UPA II reaches the halfway mark of its tenure, the list of its
pending promises has lengthened. In fact, an analysis of the assurances
given by the President in her speeches in the last three years reveals that
nearly 65% of the promises remain pending. Only six promises have been
met while the status of the rest is not clear. [TOI p9]
18. Don’t want mid-term polls, says Akhilesh : New Delhi : Samajwadi
Party leader and Uttar Pradesh chief minister designate Akhilesh Yadav
today dismissed speculations of mid-term polls for the Lok Sabha, and
said his party’s priority was UP and not a third front.[IE p3]
19. Eye on TMC, Left rolls out red carpet for SP : New Delhi : Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee’s eagerness to engage regional forces,
especially the SP, has alarmed the Left which is now walking the extra
mile to keep Mulayam Singh Yadav in good humour.[IE p3]
20. PM rules out snap polls, says UPA has the numbers : New Delhi: PM
Manmohan Singh asserted that the UPA had “the numbers” in face of
speculation on early polls and sought the cooperation of political parties
on challenges facing the nation. [TOI p9]
21. Cong keen to keep lines open with SP : New Delhi: Congress president
Sonia Gandhi’s gesture in walking across Parliament’s Central Hall to
greet SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav was not missed. Neither was UP
chief minister-designate Akhilesh Yadav reciprocating by seeking Sonia’s
good wishes. [TOI p9]
22. CBI draws HC ire on Adarsh probe, ‘Why Have Prominent Citizens
Named In FIR Not Been Arrested?’: Mumbai: The Bombay high court
on Monday asked the CBI why it had not arrested several “prominent
names” in the Adarsh scam. It also questioned why no action was taken
against government officers named in the FIR. [TOI p12]
23. Nitish ready for snap polls, mum on 3rd front : Patna: Nitish Kumar on
Monday signalled the JD (U)’s readiness for a snap LS poll, adding to
leaders like Akali scion Sukhbir Badal who have said early elections suit
them. But, he refused to be drawn into a discussion on the third front. [TOI
p1]
24. UPA govt getting weaker: Nitish : Patna: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s
remarks on his parties’ readiness for a snap LS poll came as regional
leaders seem keen to argue that the Centre is losing its legitimacy on
power.[TOI p12]
25. Cong picks Bahuguna as U’khand CM : New Delhi: Congress picked
Vijay Bahuguna as its Uttarakhand CM, putting an end to the long search
marred by bickering in a fractious state unit. Bahuguna is the son of
former UP CM H N Bahuguna. A second-term MP from Tehri Garhwal, he
was picked ahead of Haridwar MP Harish Rawat, Pauri MP and Satpal
Maharaj and others who weren’t serious contenders.[TOI p1]
26. No 3rd or 4th, want federal front : BJD : New Delhi : Amid talk of
formation of another front comprising non-Congress and non-BJP parties,
the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Monday said efforts were on to form a
‘federal front’ of like-minded parties.[HT p10]
27. Why leave ministers out of Jagan probe: SC to CBI: New Delhi: The
Supreme Court on Monday issued a notice to the CBI on a petition which
alleged that the agency had left out of the probe purview six ministers in
Andhra Pradesh who as part of the late YSR Reddy’s cabinet had helped
his son Jaganmohan Reddy amass wealth illegally. [TOI p13]
28. Congress favours Ansari as Prez : NEW DELHI: As no party or alliance
has the strength to elect its preferred candidate in the upcoming
presidential poll, efforts will begin to find a person acceptable to likeminded
parties.[HT p10]
29. NCTC: Ice broken, but deadlock continues : NEW DELHI: In a move to
help deadlock over the break the deadlock over the National Counter
Terrorism Centre (NCTC), the Centre on Monday promised to “suitably
address“ concerns about the intelligence agency’s powers to carry out
searches and arrests at a meeting of chief secretaries and police
chiefs.[HT p11]
30. Cong reshuffle likely, UP may see new team : New Delhi : Upset over
the party’s electoral setback in the recent Assembly polls, Congress
president Sonia Gandhi is preparing to effect an organisational overhaul
involving not only the AICC office-bearers but also leadership in states.
Sources, however, said the exercise will be carried out only after
extensive deliberations and “not in a haste”.[IE p6]
31. Minority panel takes on Modi Govt again : New Delhi : The National
Commission for Minorities summoned top police officers in Gujarat over a
complaint filed by a 2002 riots survivor, promoting the state to question the
commission’s jurisdiction.[HT p11]
32. In Bihar, BJP and JD(U) are set to clash over seat : Patna : After being
unable to jointly contest the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, ruling
coalition partners JD(U) and BJP seem all set to clash for Rajya Sabha
seats.[IE p6]
33. This poll, SP wins over all castes : LUCKNOW: The newly-constituted
Uttar Pradesh assembly, which has a high number of Muslim and upper
caste legislators, indicates that the Samajwadi Party (SP) succeeded in
getting overwhelming support from all communities.[HT p13]
34. Race begins for Rajya Sabha seats now, SP list may include Abu
Azmi, Jaya Bachchan :Lucknow : With several SP leaders lobbying for
Rajya Sabha nomination, senior leader Azam Khan has placed conditions
before Mulayam Singh Yadav for selecting candidates.[IE p6]
35. MP to enforce apex court order on mining lease : BHOPAL: On the
heels of the killing of an IPS officer trying to stop illegal mining, those
engaged in extracting “minor minerals“ such sand and stone in the state
are set to face a major regulation roadblock following a judicial verdict.[HT
p10]
36. Streetlighting scam: Court frames charges : New Delhi: Of the 10
corruption cases registered in the Commonwealth Games related scams,
the one pertaining to street lighting has become the first case in which trial
is set to begin. A special CBI court on Monday framed charges against
seven accused, including four MCD officials, for their alleged involvement
in favouring a bidder and awarding him the street lighting contract illegally.
[TOI p4]
37. Sheila gets poll-ready, takes BJP head on : NEW DELHI:With an eye
on the upcoming municipal elections, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit
on Monday accused an NGO run by Delhi BJP president Vijender Gupta’s
wife of “wrongdoings“.[HT p4]
38. BJP, Congress drop tainted councillors : New Delhi : Not willing to
take a chance, the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have
decided not to give tickets to eight municipal councillors who were caught
in a sting operation on politician-builder mafia nexus.[HT p4]
39. CAG will audit accounts of discoms : Govt : New Delhi : The Delhi
Cabinet has approved a proposal to audit the accounts of three power
distribution companies, since their inception in 2002, by the Comptroller
and Auditor General (CAG) of India, the Delhi High Court was informed on
Monday.[HT p3]
40. Combative Sheila takes on BJP, accuses it of fund misuse, BJP Hits
Back, Asks Dikshit For Proof, Threatens To File Defamation Suit :
New Delhi: Poll fever peaked on Monday with chief minister Sheila Dikshit
and her cabinet firing a broadside at BJP for highlighting corruption in the
Centre and the Delhi government in its campaign. [TOI p5]
41. Buoyed by victory, SP to contest all MCD seats, Cong denies vote
split : New Delhi: The massive victory of the Samajwadi Party in UP
assembly polls has buoyed it to put up candidates in all the wards in the
MCD elections even though the Congress has dismissed the possibility of
its vote bank being dented by it. [TOI p5]
42. Now, apply for BJP ticket online : New Delhi: With queues of aspiring
candidates outside Delhi BJP office getting longer by the day, the state
unit has now started accepting applications for tickets online. Party
sources say that from Tuesday onwards, applications submitted at the
party office will be rejected and disciplinary action will be taken against
party workers who do so. [TOI p6]
43. Both SP, Panthers Party want a cycle ride this MCD poll : New Delhi :
Before the political parties can begin their fight to gather maximum votes
during the next month’s Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections,
the humble bicycle has already set of a tussle of sorts.[IE Newsline p1]
