NEW DELHI: The passing of the women's reservation bill on Tuesday saw the return of a "mercurial" Mamata Banerjee.
A day after the Trinamool Congress chief and railways minister looked chirpy, sang along with her party MPs in Lok Sabha and went about garnering support for the bill she said she had always supported, her enthusiasm waned. Taking all including Congress president Sonia Gandhi by surprise, Mamata suddenly changed her stand on Tuesday afternoon and had her party's two Rajya Sabha MPs abstain from voting for the bill.
It was clearly her concern for Muslim votes and Congress' hobnobbing with her arch rivals, the Left, that seems to have changed her mood.
The official reasons she and her partymen gave were that the government did not tell them about the time of voting and that the manner in which marshals were used to evict some Rajya Sabha members was not right.
Even as discussion and voting on the bill was on in the Upper House, an angry Mamata told reporters that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had given her party an understanding that there would be an all-party meeting on the issue.
"We are in favour of the bill, but we must see that things have changed in 15 years. After the Sachar Committee and Ranganath Mishra reports, one has to keep the interest of minorities in mind," Mamata said before she left in a huff. "My party is upset and angry," she said before she got into the car. Clearly, she had been swayed in favour of the minority factor after her long discussions on Tuesday morning with RJD chief Lalu Prasad and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who are opposing the bill demanding a quota within quota for minorities, dalits and backwards. Mamata also met a delegation of Muslim organisations who demanded that there should be a quota for Muslim women, within the quota for women.
It was obvious that Mamata was upset about the government hobnobbing with the Left, when she said, "This is not right...to pass the Bill forcefully by calling in marshals. This is a CPM method."
The railway minister also said it was made clear to her on Monday that the measure (voting) would not be adopted the way it was being done.
Union minister of state Dinesh Trivedi and Trinamool's chief whip in Lok Sabha Sudip Bandopadhyay told reporters outside Parliament, "The way the bill was brought up for voting in the Rajya Sabha, we are shocked to see the procedure adopted on the floor of the House."
"Our party chief wanted the views of the Dalits, OBCs and Muslims to be taken on board. But unfortunately that did not happen. Trinamool Congress is for debate and discussion," Trivedi said.
"BJP and Left parties are hobnobbing now. A section of the government is dancing to their tunes. The government should talk to its allies and not keep them in the dark. There should be no communication gap," they added.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Advisory to be Issued for Afghanistan Workers
NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday asserted that its commitment to development partnership with Afghanistan remained undiluted and refuted reports that it planned to scale-down its presence in that country.
External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash dismissed reports that New Delhi was issuing an advisory to its citizens in Afghanistan to return home, saying such reports were baseless and factually incorrect.
“India's commitment to its development partnership with Afghanistan remains undiluted,” he said.
India was extending humanitarian and development aid worth $1.3 billion and there were about 3,500 Indians working in Afghanistan on projects, including infrastructure, education, and construction of buildings such as the Parliament building in Kabul.
Of them, almost 2,500 were in secure zones and the government had taken up the issue of security for the rest.
At the same time, it had advised those working in the private sector to alter the pattern of movement and consider plans to train Afghan nationals in India, who in turn, train other personnel for deployment in projects there.
Medical missions
After the February 26 terror attack in Kabul, which claimed the lives of nine people, including three Army officers, India announced temporary suspension of its medical mission in the Afghanistan capital. Four others in Kandahar, Jalalabad, Mazar-e-Sharif and Herat continue to function.
India's commitment to stay the course in Afghanistan was reiterated during the visit of National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon to Kabul last weekend.
On his part, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai assured all assistance and security to Indian nationals.
External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash dismissed reports that New Delhi was issuing an advisory to its citizens in Afghanistan to return home, saying such reports were baseless and factually incorrect.
“India's commitment to its development partnership with Afghanistan remains undiluted,” he said.
India was extending humanitarian and development aid worth $1.3 billion and there were about 3,500 Indians working in Afghanistan on projects, including infrastructure, education, and construction of buildings such as the Parliament building in Kabul.
Of them, almost 2,500 were in secure zones and the government had taken up the issue of security for the rest.
At the same time, it had advised those working in the private sector to alter the pattern of movement and consider plans to train Afghan nationals in India, who in turn, train other personnel for deployment in projects there.
Medical missions
After the February 26 terror attack in Kabul, which claimed the lives of nine people, including three Army officers, India announced temporary suspension of its medical mission in the Afghanistan capital. Four others in Kandahar, Jalalabad, Mazar-e-Sharif and Herat continue to function.
India's commitment to stay the course in Afghanistan was reiterated during the visit of National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon to Kabul last weekend.
On his part, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai assured all assistance and security to Indian nationals.
Mohsina Kidwai is the Chief of Haj Committee
Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Mohsina Kidwai has been elected chairperson of the Haj Committee at its first meeting here, the External Affairs Ministry said.
Hasan Ahmed and Aboo Bucker were elected as the chairpersons at the meeting, the Ministry added.
The Haj Committee was reconstituted recently and the Ministry is the nodal authority for administering it.
Hasan Ahmed and Aboo Bucker were elected as the chairpersons at the meeting, the Ministry added.
The Haj Committee was reconstituted recently and the Ministry is the nodal authority for administering it.
Pak Offered Saddam N-Package
As troops amassed on his border near the start of the Persian Gulf War, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein weighed the purchase of a $150 million nuclear “package” deal that included not only weapons designs but also production plants and foreign experts to supervise the building of a nuclear bomb, according to documents uncovered by a former UN weapons inspector.
The offer, made in 1990 by an agent linked to disgraced Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, guaranteed Iraq a weapons-assembly line capable of producing nuclear warheads in as
little as three years. But Iraq lost the chance to capitalise when, months later, a multinational force crushed the Iraqi army and forced Hussein to abandon his nuclear ambitions, according to nuclear weapons expert David Albright, who describes the deal in a new book.
Iraqi officials at the time appear to have taken the offer seriously.
They asked the Pakistanis for sample drawings as proof of their ability to deliver, the documents show.
“With the assurance of (Iraqi intelligence agency) Mukhabarat... the offer is not a sting operation,” an Iraqi official scrawls in ink in the margin of one of the papers.
Khan's alleged interest in selling nuclear secrets to Hussein has been reported in many books and news articles. An internal Mukhabarat memo that surfaced in the late 1990s discussed a secret proposal by one of Khan’s agents to sell a nuclear weapons design for an advance payment of $5 million.
But the newly uncovered documents suggest Khan’s offer of nuclear assistance was more comprehensive than known. A 1990 letter attributed to one of his business associates offered Iraq a chance to leap past technical hurdles to acquire weapons capability.
“Pakistan had to spend 10 years and $300 million to get it,” begins one of the memos. “Now, with the practical experience and worldwide contacts Pakistan has developed, you could have A.B. in about three years time and by spending about $150 million.” ‘A.B.’ was understood to mean “atomic bomb”, Albright wrote in Peddling Peril: How the Secret Nuclear Trade Arms America's Enemies, released this week.
At the time of the offer, Iraq was embarked in a crash programme to develop N-weapons in the face of a threatened US-led attack over its occupation of Kuwait. By that date, Iraqi scientists had acquired a limited amount of weapons-grade enriched uranium but lacked key components, including a workable design for a small nuclear warhead.
The alleged offer to Iraq is broadly similar to proposals Khan reportedly made to Libya and Iran in the 1980s and 1990s.
The offer, made in 1990 by an agent linked to disgraced Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, guaranteed Iraq a weapons-assembly line capable of producing nuclear warheads in as
little as three years. But Iraq lost the chance to capitalise when, months later, a multinational force crushed the Iraqi army and forced Hussein to abandon his nuclear ambitions, according to nuclear weapons expert David Albright, who describes the deal in a new book.
Iraqi officials at the time appear to have taken the offer seriously.
They asked the Pakistanis for sample drawings as proof of their ability to deliver, the documents show.
“With the assurance of (Iraqi intelligence agency) Mukhabarat... the offer is not a sting operation,” an Iraqi official scrawls in ink in the margin of one of the papers.
Khan's alleged interest in selling nuclear secrets to Hussein has been reported in many books and news articles. An internal Mukhabarat memo that surfaced in the late 1990s discussed a secret proposal by one of Khan’s agents to sell a nuclear weapons design for an advance payment of $5 million.
But the newly uncovered documents suggest Khan’s offer of nuclear assistance was more comprehensive than known. A 1990 letter attributed to one of his business associates offered Iraq a chance to leap past technical hurdles to acquire weapons capability.
“Pakistan had to spend 10 years and $300 million to get it,” begins one of the memos. “Now, with the practical experience and worldwide contacts Pakistan has developed, you could have A.B. in about three years time and by spending about $150 million.” ‘A.B.’ was understood to mean “atomic bomb”, Albright wrote in Peddling Peril: How the Secret Nuclear Trade Arms America's Enemies, released this week.
At the time of the offer, Iraq was embarked in a crash programme to develop N-weapons in the face of a threatened US-led attack over its occupation of Kuwait. By that date, Iraqi scientists had acquired a limited amount of weapons-grade enriched uranium but lacked key components, including a workable design for a small nuclear warhead.
The alleged offer to Iraq is broadly similar to proposals Khan reportedly made to Libya and Iran in the 1980s and 1990s.
UPSC prelims to change, test aptitude
The first big reform in the way India selects its civil servants is around the corner.
The government has decided to replace the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination with the Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT), which will test candidates on their aptitude and analytical abilities rather than their ability to memorise.
The UPSC is further expected to push for changes in the Civil Service (Mains) Examination.“The CSAT is expected to come into effect from 2011,” Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Prithviraj Chavan, told Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
A government source said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had last month approved the revamp of the preliminary exam on lines suggested by the Union Public Service Commission. The UPSC is further expected to push for changes in the Civil Service (Mains) Examination.
But this will be only after examining the response to changes in the first stage.
Nearly 1.7 lakh candidates take the objective-type exam in May every year.
The prelims consist of two papers: the first is on general studies and common to all; candidates can then choose the second paper from a list of two dozen-odd subjects. The general studies paper might be tweaked but it is the second paper that will undergo a major change.
The UPSC had told the government two years ago there was a need to test not just the knowledge of aspirants in particular subjects but their aptitude for "a demanding life in the civil services". It had also recommended bringing down the number of attempts a candidate could take. But Singh has kept this aspect on hold.
A top government official said UPSC chairman Professor D.P. Agrawal has constituted a high-powered committee - under former University Grants Commission vice-chairman Professor S.K. Khanna - to work out the details of the two papers. “The committee has been given time till April-end. Then the UPSC will discuss its recommendations with the government and finalise the content of the paper,” the official said.
The government has decided to replace the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination with the Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT), which will test candidates on their aptitude and analytical abilities rather than their ability to memorise.
The UPSC is further expected to push for changes in the Civil Service (Mains) Examination.“The CSAT is expected to come into effect from 2011,” Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, Prithviraj Chavan, told Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
A government source said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had last month approved the revamp of the preliminary exam on lines suggested by the Union Public Service Commission. The UPSC is further expected to push for changes in the Civil Service (Mains) Examination.
But this will be only after examining the response to changes in the first stage.
Nearly 1.7 lakh candidates take the objective-type exam in May every year.
The prelims consist of two papers: the first is on general studies and common to all; candidates can then choose the second paper from a list of two dozen-odd subjects. The general studies paper might be tweaked but it is the second paper that will undergo a major change.
The UPSC had told the government two years ago there was a need to test not just the knowledge of aspirants in particular subjects but their aptitude for "a demanding life in the civil services". It had also recommended bringing down the number of attempts a candidate could take. But Singh has kept this aspect on hold.
A top government official said UPSC chairman Professor D.P. Agrawal has constituted a high-powered committee - under former University Grants Commission vice-chairman Professor S.K. Khanna - to work out the details of the two papers. “The committee has been given time till April-end. Then the UPSC will discuss its recommendations with the government and finalise the content of the paper,” the official said.
China's Space Mom Score Over Single Women
China believes that married women and mothers make better astronauts than single women.
Beijing has announced the selection of its first women astronauts for training to participate in the docking of its future space laboratory. Both women are aero-transport pilots of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force and made it out of 15 women candidates tested since last year. Five men also made it.
“We had almost the same requirements for women as for men, the only difference was they must be married. We believe married women would be more physically and psychologically mature,” Zhang Jianqi, former deputy commander of China’s manned space programme, told Xinhua on Wednesday. Zhang reportedly said that women in space enjoy the advantage of ‘endurance and circumspection’ over men.
Last year, Chinese officials had said the astronauts must be ‘perfect humans’ — ruling out scars, bad breath and dental cavities.
This week, Xu Xianrong, doctor at the General Hospital of the PLA Air Force, was quoted as telling state media the mother’s-only criteria was “out of consideration of being responsible for lady pilots”. He may have meant it in the context of China’s one-child policy and concerns of potential infertility after space flight. “Though there is little evidence on how space experience will affect the female constitution, we have to be extra cautious,” he said.
Xu also said women astronauts have “more careful thoughts than males”.
Next year, China plans to launch Tiangong-1, an unmanned space module as a step toward the space lab.
Beijing has announced the selection of its first women astronauts for training to participate in the docking of its future space laboratory. Both women are aero-transport pilots of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force and made it out of 15 women candidates tested since last year. Five men also made it.
“We had almost the same requirements for women as for men, the only difference was they must be married. We believe married women would be more physically and psychologically mature,” Zhang Jianqi, former deputy commander of China’s manned space programme, told Xinhua on Wednesday. Zhang reportedly said that women in space enjoy the advantage of ‘endurance and circumspection’ over men.
Last year, Chinese officials had said the astronauts must be ‘perfect humans’ — ruling out scars, bad breath and dental cavities.
This week, Xu Xianrong, doctor at the General Hospital of the PLA Air Force, was quoted as telling state media the mother’s-only criteria was “out of consideration of being responsible for lady pilots”. He may have meant it in the context of China’s one-child policy and concerns of potential infertility after space flight. “Though there is little evidence on how space experience will affect the female constitution, we have to be extra cautious,” he said.
Xu also said women astronauts have “more careful thoughts than males”.
Next year, China plans to launch Tiangong-1, an unmanned space module as a step toward the space lab.
Conserving Power, One Bulb at a Time
India’s first thrust with energy efficiency through Earth Hour in 2009, when Delhi saved 600 MW — 14 per cent of its daily electricity requirement — in an hour, is set to get bigger.
The country’s first two pilot projects on saving household energy — the biggest cause of climate change — by replacing incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) in Haryana’s Yamunanagar and Vishakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh in the last six months have been a success so far.
Records indicate monthly household energy bill in the two towns reduced by 10-15 per cent.
“The pilots have worked well,” said Ajay Mathur, Director-General of Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), a technocrat mandated with implementing government’s energy efficiency policies. “A template is now ready for replicating the scheme all over the country.”
Each CFL lamp can reduce up to 30-40 per cent in monthly electricity bill.
In Delhi, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit plans to shut off lights in government buildings and monuments such as Qutub Minar on March 27 for Earth Hour 2010, to be organised by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) with Hindustan Times in over 50 cities.
“We want to reduce per capita energy consumption to meet Delhi’s growing electricity demand,” Dikshit said.
BEE will launch the Bachat Lamp Yojana scheme, aimed at providing CFLs in 20 crore households around India by 2012, once it gets approval from the United Nations. By distributing CFLs, Mathur estimated up to 4,000 MW of power — enough to light up Delhi for a day — can be saved annually.
CFLs is one of many schemes initiated by the government to save up to 10,000 MW of power by 2020 (10 per cent of consumption), which Seema Arora head of climate division at Confederation of Indian Industry termed as achievable
A national mission to achieve the energy efficiency targets will be launched in April.
The country’s first two pilot projects on saving household energy — the biggest cause of climate change — by replacing incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) in Haryana’s Yamunanagar and Vishakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh in the last six months have been a success so far.
Records indicate monthly household energy bill in the two towns reduced by 10-15 per cent.
“The pilots have worked well,” said Ajay Mathur, Director-General of Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), a technocrat mandated with implementing government’s energy efficiency policies. “A template is now ready for replicating the scheme all over the country.”
Each CFL lamp can reduce up to 30-40 per cent in monthly electricity bill.
In Delhi, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit plans to shut off lights in government buildings and monuments such as Qutub Minar on March 27 for Earth Hour 2010, to be organised by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) with Hindustan Times in over 50 cities.
“We want to reduce per capita energy consumption to meet Delhi’s growing electricity demand,” Dikshit said.
BEE will launch the Bachat Lamp Yojana scheme, aimed at providing CFLs in 20 crore households around India by 2012, once it gets approval from the United Nations. By distributing CFLs, Mathur estimated up to 4,000 MW of power — enough to light up Delhi for a day — can be saved annually.
CFLs is one of many schemes initiated by the government to save up to 10,000 MW of power by 2020 (10 per cent of consumption), which Seema Arora head of climate division at Confederation of Indian Industry termed as achievable
A national mission to achieve the energy efficiency targets will be launched in April.
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