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Fodder scam: Lalu’s sentencing deferred to Thursday

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Ranchi: A special CBI court on Wednesday deferred the sentencing till Thursday of jailed former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad and 15 others in a fodder scam case.

The court of Justice Shivapal Singh deferred the sentencing after it was informed about the death of two lawyers by the District Bar Council.

The quantum of punishment for Lalu Prasad and others was to be announced in the second half on Wednesday. However, the lawyers would not attend the court after paying condolences to the dead, the RJD chief’s lawyer told reporters.

Lalu Prasad was brought to the Central Bureau of Investigation court from Birsa Munda Central Jail here earlier. He was then taken back to the jail.

The CBI court had on December 23 convicted Lalu Prasad and 15 others in the case relating to the multi-million-rupee scam.

Lalu Prasad’s lawyer told reporters that they would press for minimum punishment.

According to them, the RJD chief could be awarded three to seven years in prison. If he gets three years’ punishment, he would get bail soon after sentencing.

The CBI court had acquitted another former Bihar Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra and five others in the case, relating to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 84.5 lakh from the Deoghar District Treasury between 1990 and 1994.

Lalu Prasad was the Chief Minister of then undivided Bihar from 1990 to 1997.

The trial was completed on December 13 in the CBI court and 10 days later he was convicted.

There were 34 accused, out of which 11 died during the trial while one turned CBI approver and admitted to the crime.

The 16 convicted include three former IAS officers: Phoolchand Mandal, Beck Julius and Mahesh Prasad.

Lalu Prasad is also facing trial in three more cases relating to the fodder scam, known as “Chara Ghotala”.

(IANS)

Saudi, UAE VAT to adversely affect majority of Indians, says ex-diplomat

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Hyderabad: Introduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would adversely affect a majority of Indians working there and reduce their remittances, said a former diplomat.

“I would say 70 to 80% of Indian community there will be adversely affected,” said Talmiz Ahmad, the former Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE.

The size of the Indian community in Saudi Arabia and the UAE is three million and 2.8 million, respectively, he said.

Of them, the lower-middle-class and middle-class sections will get affected the most as they are already feeling the pressure on account of high cost of living, Ahmad said.

“This is on account of rent, medical expenses, school fees, transport and high cost of essential items. Therefore, cost of living has gone up quite significantly in the last two years,” he said.

The adverse impact on the labour community which is provided accommodation by the employer and blue-collar workers who are “protected” by their companies would be comparatively less, he said.

“As it is, the cost of living there (Saudi Arabia and the UAE) is quite high,” he said. “Obviously, the low paid Indian expatriates will be adversely affected.”

“I have a feeling, as it is because of the fall in oil prices and reduction in employment, the remittances have already reduced in the last two or three years,” Ahmad said.

“The remittances from the Gulf have already come down; earlier it was about $35 billion; I think it would have come down to USD 30 billion. Yes, there will be a further small reduction (following the introduction of VAT) because this income will no longer be available to the person to remit,” Ahmad said.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE introduced VAT from January 1, a first for the Gulf. Reports said the 5% sales tax applies to most goods and services.

(PTI)

War of words in LS over making Hindi official language at UN

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New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor traded barbs in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday over making Hindi an official language at the United Nations.

Tharoor questioned the need to push it while the Minister called his remark “ignorant”.

Sushma Swaraj, in her reply to a question, said: “It is often asked why Hindi is not an official language in the UN. Today, I will want to tell the House, the biggest problem is the procedure.”

The Minister explained that as per the procedure, two-thirds of the 193 members of the organisation — which comes to 129 — will have to vote in favour of making Hindi an official language and also share the financial expenditure that would be incurred in the process.

“The problem comes when apart from voting, the burden of the amount also falls on them. Economically weaker countries that support us shy away from this. We are working on it, we are making attempts to get support of countries like Fiji, Mauritius, Surinam… where people of Indian origin are there.

“When we get that kind of support and they are also ready to bear the financial burden, it will become an official language,” she said.

The Minister said the government was ready to spend any amount of money to get Hindi listed as an official language but spending money would not serve the purpose.

Sushma Swaraj also highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and she had spoken in the UN in Hindi.

“Even when we have (foreign) guests, if they speak in English, we speak in English. If they speak in their own language, we speak in Hindi. As far as glory of the language is concerned, the External Affairs Ministry never had so much work done in Hindi as now,” she said.

Tharoor, who worked in the UN and announced his retirement after finishing second in the 2006 election for UN Secretary-General, questioned the need to push for Hindi, which he pointed out was not even the national language of India.

“Hindi is not the national language, it is an official language. Seeking to promote Hindi raises an important question. Why do we need an official language in the UN? Arabic does not have more speakers than Hindi, but Arabic is spoken by 22 countries, whereas Hindi is only used as an official language by one country — us,” he said.

“The question is what purpose is being served by this. If indeed we have a Prime Minister or Foreign Minister who prefers to speak Hindi, they can do so and we can pay to get that speech to be translated. Why should we put our future Foreign Ministers and Prime Ministers who may be from Tamil Nadu in a position…” he said.

“The government has to defend its position. I understand the pride of Hindi-speaking people, but people of this country who do not speak in Hindi also take pride in being Indian,” he said.

The statement did not go well with several members of the treasury benches who raised the pitch in protest.

Sushma Swaraj said Hindi was spoken in several other countries as well as by the Indian diaspora abroad. “Saying Hindi is spoken only in India is your ignorance.”

In a written reply, she said India was in touch with 129 countries to make this happen.

(IANS)

India has cancelled $500 mn defence deal, says Israeli arms firm

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Jerusalem: A top Israeli arms firm has confirmed that India cancelled a $500 million deal to develop Spike anti-tank guided missiles and expressed “regret” over the decision just ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s first visit to the country.

“Rafael has now received an official notification from India’s Ministry of Defence concerning the cancellation of the Spike deal,” said Ishai David, a spokesman for the Rafael Advance Defence Systems Ltd.

Spike, in use by 26 countries around the world, is said to have been selected by India after a long and rigorous process and after complying with all the defence procurement regulations.

“It should be emphasised that the cancellation was made prior to the signing of the contract and despite Rafael’s compliance with all the demands,” the company said in a statement.

“Rafael regrets the decision and remains committed to cooperating with the Indian Ministry of Defence and to its strategy of continuing to work in India, an important market, as it has for more than two decades, to provide India with the most advanced and innovative systems,” it added.

The company did not give a reason for the cancellation of the deal.

The cancellation comes days before Netanyahu’s four-day visit to India starting January 14 and is likely to be taken up for discussion. Rafael’s CEO would also be accompanying Netanyahu.

The company recently inaugurated its facilities in Hyderabad where the project was to be executed but company sources said that it is “designed to accommodate a number of other projects Rafael is engaged in with its Indian partners”.

As per the original proposal, India had planned to acquire the ATGMs for the army at a cost of $500 million.

The Indian defence ministry has been strongly pushing for transfer of technology in procuring various weapons and other platforms from foreign defence majors as part of its broad policy initiative to encourage domestic defence industry.

Official sources in New Delhi had earlier indicated that the proposal to acquire the missile system faced hurdles when Israeli side apparently expressed reservations in ensuring full transfer of technology as per the provisions of the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

(PTI)

BJP-RSS fuelling violence against Dalits, PM should clarify stand: Congress

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New Delhi: The Congress today accused the BJP and the RSS of fuelling violence against Dalits and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi make a statement in Parliament clarifying his stand on the Bhima-Koregaon incident in Maharashtra.

The party also demanded the formation of a commission of inquiry by a sitting Supreme Court judge on the clashes between Dalit groups and supporters of right-wing Hindu organisations during the 200th-anniversary celebrations of the Bhima-Koregaon battle in Pune district that had left a man dead on January 1.

The leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge accused the BJP-RSS of “conspiring to divide people” on caste and religious lines, and asked the prime minister to make a statement on the issue in Parliament.

“The BJP and the RSS are fuelling and instigating violence against Dalits across the country. They conspire to divide people and society and create an atmosphere of
illusion that only they are nationalists.

“We demand that the prime minister, who shows sympathy for Dalits during polls, should clarify his position inside Parliament on violence against Dalits,” he told reporters outside Parliament.

Kharge also accused the BJP government in Maharashtra of having “failed” to control violence as it did not make proper arrangements in Bhima-Koregaon.

“We have demanded that a sitting judge of the Supreme Court should carry out a probe into the incident for an impartial probe. A commission should be set up to ascertain who was behind the violence and who instigated it,” he said.

The Congress leader said the BJP government in Maharashtra has failed to make proper arrangements in Bhima- Koregaon that led to violence.

The leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad dubbed the BJP and the RSS as “anti-Dalit”.

He also accused the government of “suppressing” the voice of the opposition in Parliament as live proceedings of both Houses were not telecast and stopped.

“We had given adjournment notice in the Rajya Sabha for taking up the issue of violence against Dalits in Maharashtra but our voice was suppressed and live telecast was stopped,” he told reporters.

A Maharashtra bandh called to protest the violence post an event to mark the 200th anniversary of Bhima Koregaon battle, turned violent today even as rail and road traffic was disrupted in the city.

Yesterday, several towns and cities of Maharashtra were on the edge as Dalit protests against the violence in Pune spilt over to Mumbai, with agitators damaging buses and disrupting road and rail traffic.

(PTI)

Iran death toll rises as protests continue

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by Al Jazeera

A number of Iranians have died amid ongoing nationwide anti-government protests that began last week in various cities across Iran.

Nine Iranians were killed in Isfahan province alone during anti-government protests on Monday night.

State TV said on Tuesday that six people were killed in Isfahan’s central town Qahderijan – during a raid on a police station – and one more in Khomeinishahr.

According to state media, the rioters were attempting to break into the station to obtain weapons.

An 11-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man were among those killed in Khomeinishahr.

In addition, Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency said a member of Basij militia and a police officer were killed in Najafabad, 350km south of the capital Tehran, on Monday.

According to reports, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) soldier was shot by an assailant using a hunting rifle in Najafabad.

Al Jazeera could not independently verify whether the IRGC member was the same police officer who was reported as being shot.

Overall, at least 21 people have died in Iran during six days of protests, according to state media.

In the same period, at least 20 people have been killed and about 450 people n arrested, with the Tehran governor’s deputy giving the following breakdown: 200 on Saturday; 150 on Sunday; and 100 on Monday.

The detention figures for other Iranian cities were not available.

On Tuesday, Iran’s top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accused “enemies” of the state of stirring unrest in the country.

He said that “enemies” of Iran have allied and used the various means they have available including “money, weapons, politics, and intelligence services” to stir unrest as nationwide anti-government rallies continue.

“The dignity, security, and progress of the Iranian nation is owed to the self-sacrifice of the martyrs. What prevents enemies from exerting their atrocities is the spirit of courage, sacrifice, and faith within the nation,” he said in a statement posted on his official website.

“I have something to say on these events, and I will speak to the dear people when the time is right.

“The Iranian nation will forever owe the dear martyrs, who left behind their homes and families, to stand against the wicked enemies.”

Despite threats by the IRGC to put down the demonstrations, protesters have continued taking to the streets in various parts of Iran, in what has been described as the biggest show of dissent in the country since huge rallies took place in 2009.

The rallies began on December 28 in the second-largest city of Mashhad, prompted by anger over rising cost of living and the state of the economy.

“We cannot predict a time when the protests will come to an end,” said Sadegh Zibakalam, an author and academic.

“But the protests will shake the people in power who must give priority to the people’s demands and needs.”

On Sunday, President Hassan Rouhani said Iranians have the right to protest but not violently.

“People are free to express their criticism and to protest,” he said in televised remarks, his first since the rallies began.

“However, we need to pay attention to the manner of that criticism and protest. It should be in such a way that it will lead to the improvement of the people and state,” he added.

“People have the right to protest, but those demonstrations should not make the public feel concerned about their lives and security.”

In May 2017, Rouhani, who belongs to the reformist bloc of Iran’s political spectrum, decisively won re-election after garnering 57 percent of the vote in the country’s presidential election.

That poll was the first since Rouhani negotiated a historic deal with world powers in 2015 to curb Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

Many in Iran hoped that the deal, by lifting many international sanctions, would ease the country’s financial struggles. Yet, the benefits do not seem to have trickled down.

Ali Vaez, the Iran project director at the International Crisis Group who worked with all sides during the negotiations for the nuclear deal, said the fact that the nuclear deal did not quite deliver the results people expected played a key part in what is happening currently in Iran.

“The government inflated public expectations a lot,” Vaez told Al Jazeera, noting that factors such as falling oil prices and doubts over the US commitment to the deal were also adversely affecting the Iranian economy.

“The reality is, however, that President Rouhani failed to pave the ground for the potential the nuclear deal created, and that has led to a lot of frustration in Iran,” he said.

“President Rouhani over-promised and under-delivered.”

Mohammad Ali Shabani, an Iranian political analyst and scholar, agreed.

“The issue is elevated expectations, that’s where the danger comes in,” he told Al Jazeera.

“People have been expecting better lives, partly as a result of Rouhani’s promises in connection with the nuclear deal.

“It’s not a matter of absolute poverty driving people into the streets.

“It’s mostly about people thinking that ‘We need more than this, we were actually promised more than what’s happening, and we don’t have the jobs that we were anticipating’.”

With additional reporting by Saeed Jalili

Kerala doctors observe strike against Centres’ bill

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Thiruvananthapuram: Doctors in Kerala today went on a strike to protest the Centre’s proposed National Medical Commission Bill, causing immense hardship to those visiting hospitals across the state. While doctors in government and medical college hospitals boycotted out-patient services for one hour in the morning, the strike was being observed from 6 AM to 6 PM in private hospitals.

Medicos, however, have decided to attend emergency cases and those admitted in hospitals. The strike call was given by the Indian Medical Association (IMA). The bill has provisions that would adversely affect the health sector and medical education in the country, the association alleged.

The National Medical Commission Bill to replace the Medical Council of India (MCI) with a new body, to ensure transparency, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 29, amid protest from Congress members.

According to the Bill, the commission will have government-nominated chairman and members and board members will be selected by a search committee under the Cabinet Secretary. There will be five elected and 12 ex-officio members in the panel. Introducing the Bill, Health Minister J P Nadda had said it incorporates suggestions made by a standing committee.

The Bill provides for constitution of four autonomous boards for undergraduate and post-graduate education, assessment and accreditation of medical institutions and registration of practitioners under the National Medical Commission.

It is aimed at bringing reform in the medical education sector which has been under scrutiny for corruption and unethical practices, government sources said. It also proposes a common entrance exam and licentiate exams which all medical graduates will have to clear to get practicing licences.

No permission would be needed to add new seats or to start post-graduate courses, it said.

(PTI)

Trading in Bitcoin, Ethereum illegal: Jaitley

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New Delhi: Bitcoins or such crypto-currencies are not legal tender and those indulging in such transactions are doing it at their own risk, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today as MPs expressed concern over trading on these platforms.

During the Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, DMK member Kanimozhi sought to know whether the government was considering regulating crypto-currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, as India “accounts for more than 11 per cent” of such trade globally.

Jaitley emphasised that the Centre’s consistent position was that such currencies were not legal tender.

“The government is examining the matter. A committee under the chairmanship of secretary, department of economic affairs, is deliberating over all issues related to cryptocurrencies to propose specific actions to be taken,” he said.

While a repeated message was being given that such currencies were not legal tender, more detailed steps would be taken once the report of the committee is submitted, he said.

Independent member Amar Singh wanted to know what action was being taken in regard to the names which have figured in the Panama papers and Paradise papers, even as trading in bitcoins was also going on.

Jaitley said that the government was acting as per the law in these matters.

(Agencies)

Congress seeks PM’s intervention for drinking water supply in Karnataka

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Bengaluru: Congress in the Lok Sabha today sought the immediate intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in resolving the drinking water problem in Karnataka.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, S P Muddahanumegowda said people in the state, particularly in the northern region, were facing a severe water crisis.

Karnataka is seeking water from Mahadayi river for meeting drinking water requirements in its northern parts, where it has become an emotive political issue.

“Prime Minister’s intervention is required to resolve this issue. I request the Prime Minister to immediately intervene and see that this water dispute is resolved,” he said.

Responding to the matter, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has already written a letter to former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa for outside negotiations to resolve the matter.

At this, Congress members started noisy scenes asking why the letter was written to a former chief minister.

Parrikar, in a letter to Yeddyurappa on December 21 last year, had said, in principle, Goa would not oppose the “reasonable” and “justified” quantum of water to be used for drinking purposes while pointing out that the matter was pending before the Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal.

Karnataka is seeking the release of 7.56 tmcft water by Goa from the river for the Kalasa-Banduri Nala project, being undertaken to improve drinking water supply to the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad and the districts of Belagavi and Gadag in the state’s northern region.

The project involves building barrages across Kalasa and Banduri, tributaries of Mahadayi river, to divert water to the Malaprabha to meet the drinking water needs of the region.

Goa had earlier expressed opposition to an out-of-court settlement of the dispute and had not responded positively to the proposed meeting of chief ministers on the issue.

Shrikant Shinde (SS) raised an issue relating to the Mumbai central railway, saying the Railways should not discriminate and equal facilities should be extended to it as compared to that of western railways.

Rama Devi (BJP) demanded an extension of benefits of seventh pay commission to gramin dak sevaks.

Dinesh Trivedi (Trinamool Congress) demanded formulation of a special mechanism to provide Aadhaar cards to people who are not able to give their biometric details due to diseases like leprosy. “Such people should automatically get Aadhaar cards,” he said.

Dushyant Chautala (Indian National Lok Dal) raised the issue of Sainik Schools for girls.

Raising concern over National Medical Commission Bill, C Mahendran (AIADMK) said that key stakeholders have not been consulted on the measure and demanded that the bill be referred to the select committee.

(PTI)

“Dr. Nowhera Shaikh should be the first woman CM of Karnataka”

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(From L-R: Dr. Nowhera Shaikh, Mrs Husna Rizwan, Mr. Rizwan Asad)

by Rizwan Asad & Husna Rizwan

Bengaluru: All India Mahila Empowerment Party’s (MEP) leader Dr. Nowhera Shaikh said that in Karnataka, education, power and water issues have not been addressed from the past 60-70 years.

Dr. Shaikh, who spoke to Nasheman’s editors said that if MEP is elected to power, it will give importance to these issues immediately. “Govt schools will become model schools, which will compete with the best convent schools”.

She said that MEP is for the upliftment of women and the downtrodden, irrespective of religion caste and creed.

“Because of the lack of response from present govts, people are fed up, which we have come across during our interactions with the public,” Dr. Shaikh stated.

“From December 24th onwards MEP has been holding meetings with people and there has been a good response. People from all walks of life, have attended MEP meetings”.

Dr. Shaikh said that leaders and workers of major parties like Congress, JDS, SDPI and others are fed up with their parties and policies, and flocking to MEP in rows. “Thousands have registered as party workers in the past 8-10 days”.

The party has received 1700 applications from the incumbent for the ensuing Karnataka elections for MEP ticket. Dr. Shaikh said that a committee has been formed, who will take further decision. She added that preference will be given to people of downtrodden and backward groups.

Explaining the objectives of her party, Dr. Shaikh said that MEP is for safeguarding the rights of women, and promised jobs for women who are graduates.

When asked about people’s allegations that her party will divide votes, Dr. Shaikh gave a witty reply that, all the other parties should support her and her party, instead of spreading false allegations against her.

On the upcoming elections, Dr. Shaikh said that MEP will fight in all the 224 constituencies, and said that people who have approached her so far have expressed their desire that she is elected as the “first woman CM of Karnataka”.

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