YEH MERA INDIA
Sweeper, hairdresser elected as Gram Pradhans
Muzaffarnagar: A woman sweeper and a hairdresser are among those who have been elected as Gram Pradhans of villages in the district in the recently-held panchayat elections. Thirty-five-year-old Munni Devi was declared as the village chief of Nagla Rai under Charthawal block, the same village where she works as a sweeper to support her family. Also successful was hairdresser Ram Saran, 50 who lives and works in Budda Kheri village in the district. Upon being elected, the victorious duo told reporters that they would work for the development of their villages and would try to get more funds from the government.
Principal sacked for assaulting nun
Tiruchirapalli: The Principal of the St. Joseph College here, accused of raping a nun, has been relieved from the post, officials said. “The College management has relieved Father R Rajarathinam from the post with immediate effect,” officials said. A new person would take over as Principal-in-charge, they said. Police said Rajarathinam was absconding. They had registered case against him under IPC sections for raping and criminal intimidation. Meanwhile, the rape victim was subjected to medical examination and the report would be submitted, the Police said. The woman, in her complaint, said the man, who used to visit the college where she was doing her graduation in music, once invited her to his college. The man had then drugged and raped her. She was raped several times over a period of two years since 2006, she said in her complaint.
Bihar among worst performers, Gujarat best
New Delhi: Amid the ongoing polls in the state, the Centre, placed Bihar amongst the least performers on twenty-point programme while naming Gujarat as the best in the development schemes that were first initiated in 1975 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The new ratings for the Twenty Point Programme-2006 by the ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation says that West Bengal improved its position from the least performer in 2009-10 by four positions in April-July 2010.
Narendra Modi-led Gujarat at the top is closely followed by another BJP-ruled state Karnataka at the second position. Jharkhand is placed at the third spot while Akalai Dal-BJP ruled Punjab occupies the fourth slot. Besides Bihar which is ranked 27th, Congress-led Maharashtra and Assam at 23rd and 22nd positions respectively are among the least performers. Manipur at 30th slots at the bottom. The worst performers also include all Northeast states, Jammu and Kashmir and Chhattisgarh.
The review comes at a time when elections are going on in Bihar. Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh are among the best performers. Another BJP-ruled Himachal Pradesh is ranked 10th.
The rankings were announced after the official review of the performance of the programme, which was launched tn 1975 by Indira Gandhi and modified in 1982, 1986 and 2006. The review of the programme, which mainly encompasses poverty alleviation and rural development schemes, is to prompt states to pursue the Center’s agenda of inclusive growth with vigour, official sources said.
‘Missing’ babu is holding up Mhada meets
Mumbai: The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) cannot hold ‘authority meetings’ as there is no quorum. This will continue as the government is dilly-dallying over the appointment of IAS officer.
Ever since the Congress-NCP government came to power, political disputes have prevented them from appointing a chairman for Mhada board. Ex-officio members of the committee – vice-president and managing director of Mhada, housing secretary and principal secretary (urban development) used to hold the meetings in Mantralaya. The meetings require a quorum of three members. If the state delays the appointment further, decisions may be held up.
Mhada vice-president Gautham Chatterjee was recently made principal secretary in the housing department and the housing secretary S J Kunte was transferred as forests secretary.
A senior officer in Mantralaya said, “There are too many contenders for the top job in Mhada and the government has not yet taken a decision on which IAS officer should be appointed. The government must appoint a full-time president to the Mhada board.”
The Mhada vigilance department is almost empty and the home department has not appointed any officer after Jawahar Singh left as chief vigilance and security officer. The state home department transferred Singh in a routine round of transfers. His aide API Deepak Shinde was caught red-handed by state anti-corruption bureau and suspended.
As a result, the vigilance department has just one deputy engineer to investigate cases. The charge of chief vigilance and security officer (CVSO) has been given to legal advisor Chandrashekhar Vachasundar. According to home department sources, there is no proposal even now to appoint a CVSO.
Bride burning barbaric, hang perpetrators: SC
New Delhi: Unless all those who burn their wives are hanged, the barbaric crime would not stop, the Supreme Court has said.
“This (bride burning) is barbaric and wild animal like behaviour and only when the perpetrators of such a crime are sent to the gallows the people will realise the bride burning is a crime,” said that apex court bench of Justice Markandey Katju and Justice T.S. Thakur said.
The court said this while dismissing a petition by one Milap Kumar challenging his conviction and award of life imprisonment by the trial court in Ferozepur district of Punjab. Justice Katju said that “many of my brother judges were ahinsvadi (supporters of non-violence) but I am not”.
I believe that the perpetrators of such a heinous crime should be handed down an exemplary punishment, Justice Katju said.
In the instant case, Milap Kumar burnt Raj Bala for refusing to join him in work in the agriculture field.
The incident took place on May 10, 1995 in Fazilka city.
The prosecution said that Milap Kumar burnt his wife after pouring kerosene oil on her and bolted the door from outside.
Raj Bala, a mother of two, received 80 percent burn injuries. She died on May 14, 1995.
Milap Kumar was awarded life imprisonment on Nov. 9, 1999 by the trial court. His plea challenging the verdict was dismissed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Jan. 6, 2009.
Muzaffarnagar: A woman sweeper and a hairdresser are among those who have been elected as Gram Pradhans of villages in the district in the recently-held panchayat elections. Thirty-five-year-old Munni Devi was declared as the village chief of Nagla Rai under Charthawal block, the same village where she works as a sweeper to support her family. Also successful was hairdresser Ram Saran, 50 who lives and works in Budda Kheri village in the district. Upon being elected, the victorious duo told reporters that they would work for the development of their villages and would try to get more funds from the government.
Principal sacked for assaulting nun
Tiruchirapalli: The Principal of the St. Joseph College here, accused of raping a nun, has been relieved from the post, officials said. “The College management has relieved Father R Rajarathinam from the post with immediate effect,” officials said. A new person would take over as Principal-in-charge, they said. Police said Rajarathinam was absconding. They had registered case against him under IPC sections for raping and criminal intimidation. Meanwhile, the rape victim was subjected to medical examination and the report would be submitted, the Police said. The woman, in her complaint, said the man, who used to visit the college where she was doing her graduation in music, once invited her to his college. The man had then drugged and raped her. She was raped several times over a period of two years since 2006, she said in her complaint.
Bihar among worst performers, Gujarat best
New Delhi: Amid the ongoing polls in the state, the Centre, placed Bihar amongst the least performers on twenty-point programme while naming Gujarat as the best in the development schemes that were first initiated in 1975 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The new ratings for the Twenty Point Programme-2006 by the ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation says that West Bengal improved its position from the least performer in 2009-10 by four positions in April-July 2010.
Narendra Modi-led Gujarat at the top is closely followed by another BJP-ruled state Karnataka at the second position. Jharkhand is placed at the third spot while Akalai Dal-BJP ruled Punjab occupies the fourth slot. Besides Bihar which is ranked 27th, Congress-led Maharashtra and Assam at 23rd and 22nd positions respectively are among the least performers. Manipur at 30th slots at the bottom. The worst performers also include all Northeast states, Jammu and Kashmir and Chhattisgarh.
The review comes at a time when elections are going on in Bihar. Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh are among the best performers. Another BJP-ruled Himachal Pradesh is ranked 10th.
The rankings were announced after the official review of the performance of the programme, which was launched tn 1975 by Indira Gandhi and modified in 1982, 1986 and 2006. The review of the programme, which mainly encompasses poverty alleviation and rural development schemes, is to prompt states to pursue the Center’s agenda of inclusive growth with vigour, official sources said.
‘Missing’ babu is holding up Mhada meets
Mumbai: The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) cannot hold ‘authority meetings’ as there is no quorum. This will continue as the government is dilly-dallying over the appointment of IAS officer.
Ever since the Congress-NCP government came to power, political disputes have prevented them from appointing a chairman for Mhada board. Ex-officio members of the committee – vice-president and managing director of Mhada, housing secretary and principal secretary (urban development) used to hold the meetings in Mantralaya. The meetings require a quorum of three members. If the state delays the appointment further, decisions may be held up.
Mhada vice-president Gautham Chatterjee was recently made principal secretary in the housing department and the housing secretary S J Kunte was transferred as forests secretary.
A senior officer in Mantralaya said, “There are too many contenders for the top job in Mhada and the government has not yet taken a decision on which IAS officer should be appointed. The government must appoint a full-time president to the Mhada board.”
The Mhada vigilance department is almost empty and the home department has not appointed any officer after Jawahar Singh left as chief vigilance and security officer. The state home department transferred Singh in a routine round of transfers. His aide API Deepak Shinde was caught red-handed by state anti-corruption bureau and suspended.
As a result, the vigilance department has just one deputy engineer to investigate cases. The charge of chief vigilance and security officer (CVSO) has been given to legal advisor Chandrashekhar Vachasundar. According to home department sources, there is no proposal even now to appoint a CVSO.
Bride burning barbaric, hang perpetrators: SC
New Delhi: Unless all those who burn their wives are hanged, the barbaric crime would not stop, the Supreme Court has said.
“This (bride burning) is barbaric and wild animal like behaviour and only when the perpetrators of such a crime are sent to the gallows the people will realise the bride burning is a crime,” said that apex court bench of Justice Markandey Katju and Justice T.S. Thakur said.
The court said this while dismissing a petition by one Milap Kumar challenging his conviction and award of life imprisonment by the trial court in Ferozepur district of Punjab. Justice Katju said that “many of my brother judges were ahinsvadi (supporters of non-violence) but I am not”.
I believe that the perpetrators of such a heinous crime should be handed down an exemplary punishment, Justice Katju said.
In the instant case, Milap Kumar burnt Raj Bala for refusing to join him in work in the agriculture field.
The incident took place on May 10, 1995 in Fazilka city.
The prosecution said that Milap Kumar burnt his wife after pouring kerosene oil on her and bolted the door from outside.
Raj Bala, a mother of two, received 80 percent burn injuries. She died on May 14, 1995.
Milap Kumar was awarded life imprisonment on Nov. 9, 1999 by the trial court. His plea challenging the verdict was dismissed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Jan. 6, 2009.
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