Month: July 2009

Ahmedabad, July 06: Narendra Modi’s move to set up a commission to inquire into the shifts in the demographic profile of the state since Independence has been greeted with immense scepticism.

The Commission, be headed by retired judge B.J. Sethna, will not only look into the reasons behind the “polarisation” and migration of the population, but will also come up “recommendations and policies” for stopping the polarisation of population in the state. It is expected to complete its task by 2011.

The sudden announcement of the commission has taken everyone with surprise.

New Delhi, July 06: Gay rights activists might well hail the Delhi High Court’s liberal interpretation of Section 377 of Indian Penal Code as a landmark, but a natural extension of the ruling seems laden with the potential of rupturing the high-discipline fabric of the defence forces, particularly the 11-lakh-strong Indian Army.

Although homosexuality in the troops is a raging topic within the armies of Britain and the US, their Indian counterparts consider “certain forms of disgraceful conduct” a serious offence under Section 46 of the Indian Army Act, 1950.

New Delhi, July 06: The government could look at inducting as many as five independent directors on the board of Air India as part of its plan to restructure the airline.

Civil aviation minister Praful Patel has already indicated the government’s resolve to “professionalise” the board and some eminent people from within and outside the aviation industry could be roped in on the AI board.

New Delhi, July 06: The Delhi High Court has directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to pay Rs 10 lakh as compensation to a woman whose husband was killed by a stray bull four years ago.

Justice S Ravindra Bhat held the victim died as a consequence of the civic agency’s failure to remove stray cattle from the city roads.

“The accident was the consequence of neglect on the part of the MCD, which did not ensure proper supervision of the area for the removal of stray cattle… Considering these facts, the MCD is liable to pay compensation,” Bhat said.

New Delhi, July 06: The heads of government who are meeting this week for the G8 Summit in Italy need to find $23 billion a year to halve hunger by 2015, according to the latest calculations by development agency ActionAid.

‘G8 is failing to help over one billion hungry people. In 2008, they made commitments to tackle the food crisis but since last year, the number of hungry has risen by 100 million,’ said Angela Wauye, food rights coordinator at ActionAid Kenya. ‘Poor people cannot eat promises. This year the G8 must do more.’

New Delhi, 06: Some members of the CPM Politburo are learnt to have taken a view that disciplinary action should be taken against Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan who has been demanding that Pinarayi Vijayan step down as state secretary.

However, the top leadership at the two-day meeting could not arrive at a decision after serious differences erupted among members over punishing the veteran leader alone. The Politburo then decided to convene an emergency meeting of the Central Committee next weekend to end the stalemate.

New Delhi, July 06: With Justice Liberhan submitting his report on the Babri Masjid demolition after nearly 17 years, Uma Bharti, who was in the frontline of the agitation for a Ram temple at Ayodhya and is an accused in the demolition case, maintains that those who led the agitation must now not disown the responsibility for it.

New Delhi, July 07 : Will homophobia achieve what countless initiatives on communal harmony couldn’t? The Delhi high court’s recent verdict legalising homosexuality could make Muslim organisations Darul Uloom Deoband and Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind join Hindu groups Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to challenge the verdict.