north east online - north east india news: Dec 19, 2009

Saturday, December 19, 2009

HP to demand maternity leave under NREGA

Dharamshala, Dec 19 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh will demand sanction of maternity leave under the Centre's flagship NREGA programme, the state assembly was informed today.

Rural Development and Panchayati Raj minister Jairam Thakur said in reply to a question that the state government will write to the Centre in this regard.

He said women were coming forward in large number to participate in the rural job guarantee programme.

While percentage of women under NREGA in 2008-09 was 39 per cent, it rose to 46 per cent in 2009-10 in Himachal Pradesh, he said.

Considering problems faced by pregnant women while on work, the state government would consider deputing a woman to look after children of less than six years of age of more than five pregnant women and setting up of "Balbari" centres.

Telangana stir continues, shutdown hits life in AP

Hyderabad, Dec 19 (PTI) Relay hunger strikes, road blockades and demonstrations in support of a united Andhra Pradesh continued for the tenth consecutive day today in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions of the state even as a 48-hour bandh was being observed in many districts in these regions.

The second day of the bandh observed in Krishna district, West and East Godavari districts, Guntur, Anantapur and other districts in both the regions, remained peaceful, police said.

However, protests broke out in Vijayawada city of Krishna district after Congress MP Lagadapati Rajagopal, who is on a indefinite fast for a unified Andhra Pradesh, was forcibly shifted to a hospital by police this morning.

Raising anti-Telangana slogans, Joint Action Committee (JAC) agitators and scores of Congress workers led by two former ministers M Budhaprasad and D Rajasekhar (Nehru) resorted to road blockades in different parts of the city and on NH-5 disrupting vehicular movement.

Sonia, Meira and now Sushma: woman power in Lok Sabha

New Delhi, Dec 19 (PTI) Has women's era begun in the Lok Sabha?

With Sushma Swaraj becoming the Leader of the Opposition, three of the top slots have gone to women leaders for the first time in Parliament.

Meira Kumar is the Speaker, the first woman leader to adorn the high office while Sonia Gandhi is the Chairperson of Congress Parliamentary Party.

Incidentally, the current Lok Sabha has the highest number of women members -- 59 -- since Independence. Of them, 23 belong to Congress followed by 13 of the BJP. There are four woman members each from the Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party and the BSP.

Gandhi was the first woman to become the Leader of the Opposition in 1999. Interestingly at that time, she defeated Swaraj in the Bellary constituency of Karnataka for her maiden entry to the Lok Sabha.

Security tightened in Darjeeling in view of talks: DM

Security has been tightened across Darjeeling in view of the fourth round of tripartite talks to be held on the Gorkhaland issue on December 21, even as some organisations today called for a bandh on the day.

"A thick security blanket has been thrown around the venue of the talks," Darjeeling District Magistrate Surendera Gupta told PTI on Saturday over phone.

The fast unto death protest launched by Gorkha Jana Mukti activists on December 11 to press for their demand for Gorkhaland is still continuing, the DM said.

In the tripartite talks the Central team would be lead by Union Home Secretary G K Pillai, while the state government would be represented by Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty.

The Bangla Bhasa Bhaon Samiti, Amra Bangali and some other organisations here in the plains have called for a 'bandh' on the day in protesting further division of Bengal.

West Bengal Urban development minister and Siliguri MLA Ashok Bhattacharya on Friday said he was hopeful about the outcome of talks but alleged that GJM had violated the resolution of third round of tripartite talks where it had promised not not to go for any agitation before the fourth round of talks of December 21.

AGP questions government on handcuffing ULFA chairman

Assam's main opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has questioned the government for allowing Arabinda Rajkhowa, the arrested chairman of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), to be handcuffed, saying such a move would take the peace process to nowhere.

"The handcuffing of Arabinda Rajkhowa and at the same time talking of peace does not go together. The government should clarify its stand on whether they would like to begin peace talks with insurgent groups or want to control it militarily," AGP president Chandra Mohan Patowary told journalists.

Rajkhowa and ULFA's deputy commander-in-chief Raju Baruah were brought to the court in Guwahati after their arrest Dec 5 in handcuffs.

The ULFA chairman told waiting journalists at the court that there was no question of negotiations, with handcuffs on.

"The entire episode (Rajkhowa's arrest) is mired in controversy with the government making contradictory statements - first saying they surrendered, then said they were arrested, then other things like getting good news very soon (meaning holding peace talks)," the AGP leader said.

Patowary led a delegation of AGP MPs and legislators and met President Pratibha Patil in New Delhi Friday.

"We submitted a memorandum seeking her intervention to initiate peace talks with the ULFA and other insurgent groups in the state," the AGP president said.

This is the first time the AGP has come out openly against the handcuffing of the two ULFA leaders, an issue that has already created some heat in the state with groups known to maintain pro-ULFA stand hitting out at the government for the incident.

"It is time the government realises that there should be an honourable settlement to the ULFA problem and that talks cannot be held with handcuffs on," said Lachit Bordoloi, a rights leader and member of the ULFA constituted People's Consultative Group (PCG).

The PCG, nominated by the ULFA with people drawn from the civil society, was formed in 2005 to explore possibilities for opening talks between the ULFA and New Delhi.

The PCG held three rounds of exploratory talks, including one meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The PCG's efforts failed after the central government rejected certain demands like holding talks on the issue of sovereignty.

BJP's new chief seen as moderniser

It somehow seems fitting that the man chosen to lead the BJP is from Nagpur, the seat of the RSS.

Nitin Gadkari, 52, may have the blessings of the RSS ancients, but visit his website and it is clear that Gadkari has moulded himself as a moderniser.

The site details his achievements in transforming Nagpur when he was the Guardian Minister of the city. Gadkari is credited with construction of a large number of flyovers and Mumbai-Pune expressway.

Gadkari's ostensibly progressive outlook combined with his Nagpur origins may have clinched the deal for him, but he has his share of challenges.

At a time when the BJP needs him as a consensus builder, Gadkari's reputation as a faction leader may work to his detriment. He has been locked in a bitter long-running war with Gopinath Munde, the BJP's other Maharashtra stalwart, which many say has fuelled the party's decline in the state.

Compared to Munde, a powerful OBC leader, Gadkari, a Brahmin, is seen as a political lightweight with a negligible pan-Maharashtra presence. His entry to politics has been through the legislative council where he has been an MLC for the past 18 years.

And yet many say he is a fighter as he used his proximity to the RSS to survive the Munde-Pramod Mahajan stronghold over the state BJP.

As state president, Gadkari fought the Sena at every step, once pushing the alliance to breaking point over a single assembly seat. But as he journeys to New Delhi, containing his ambitious national colleagues, may require turning to Nagpur to seek the support of the same ancients that put him there.

Minority commission seeks 10pc quota for Muslims

New Delhi, Dec 19: Minority commission has prescribed 10 pc quota for Muslims in government jobs, educational institutions and social welfare schemes in a report tabled in the Lok Sabha on Friday, Dec 18.

"Educational levels of religious minorities vary considerably from one community to the other. While educational level of Jains, Christians and Parsis is higher, that of Muslims and Buddhists is low and is next to SC/ST," the report by the National Commission on Religious and Linguistic Minorities said.

Stating the Muslims, the largest minorities in India are under represented, the report said that Muslims should be regard as socially and educationally backward with respect to the term.

"Within the recommended 15 per cent earmarked seats in institutions shall be 10 per cent for the Muslims and the remaining 5 per cent for the other minorities," the report by the National Commission on Religious and Linguistic Minorities said.

The report said that no seats within the recommended 15 per cent will go to the major community under any circumstances.

The report failed to recommend minority status of Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi.

However, it suggested that Muslim institutions should be made legally responsible and adopt innovative steps to promote education among Muslim students.

Delhi: Anand Vihar railway station opens Dec 19

New Delhi, Dec 19: Railway Minister Mamata Benerjee will be inaugurating the new Anand Vihar railway station on Saturday, Dec 19.

Besides inaugurating the new railway station, the minister will also be flagging off a special train to Lucknow and a new ladies special between Ghaziabad and New Delhi.

According to reports, an augmented EMU train with 15 coaches between New Delhi and Panipat through remote control is also set to begin its journey at the ceremony.

Constructed at a cost of Rs 240 crore, Anand Vihar station will be integrated with the inter-state bus terminus located close by, along with the Anand Vihar Delhi Metro station, which will be functional by end of Dec 2009.

Three trains running from Nizamuddin and New Delhi stations will be shifted to the new terminal. The new terminal will be the trains' departure point from Mar 2010.

And as announced in the Railway budget, two new trains from the station to West Bengal will also be functional soon.

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