Military tribunal holds that even time-scale naval captains can serve till 56

NEW DELHI: In a series of judgements with wide implications for service officers, the armed forces tribunal (AFT) has ruled that the Navy cannot retire "time-scale" captains at the age of 54 when "selection-grade" captains serve till 56.

Citing a Supreme Court judgement, the AFT bench said the government could not permit two dates of retirement for persons working in the same rank. "Once a person is promoted as captain (time-scale), he has to perform all the duties of a captain and draws the same salary and allowance. Therefore, to hold him as a class different from a selection grade captain would be discriminatory," it held.

Holding that the principle had to apply across the board in all the armed forces, the AFT bench rejected the government's contention that time-scale captains could not hold certain appointments/billets, which are held only by selection-grade captains.

"We are afraid this contention cannot survive...What the apex court observed was that deployment remains the administrative prerogative of competent authority. If such a deployment involves any reduction in pay, allowances and other benefits, then it could be said that they are not at par with the captains (selection-grade)," it said.

Several superseded naval officers have knocked on the doors of the AFT to be allowed to serve as time-scale captains till the age of 56, with at least four of them winning their cases against the government till now. It takes around 17-18 years for an officer to be promoted to the rank of a captain in the Navy, which is equivalent to a colonel in the Army.

A superseded officer, in turn, makes it to the captain rank (time-scale) in 26 years. It is the first select grade promotion in the armed forces that have a steeply-pyramidal promotional structure, with only around one-third of officers making it to the next rank at every stage.

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30 crore people still live in extreme poverty in India: UN report

NEW DELHI: About 30 crore people still live in extreme poverty in India even as the Millennium Development Goal (MGD) programme will expire in December, a United Nations report has said.

"Still nearly 300 million people live in extreme poverty in India and face deprivation in terms of access to basic services, including education, health, water, sanitation and electricity," the report - India and the MGDs: Completing the Task - said.

India, which has a population of over 125 crore, adopted the United Nation's MGD in 2000 with an aim to free millions from extreme poverty and hunger, illiteracy, poor health.

READ ALSO: India is home to world's 1/3rd of extreme poor population — UN study

The eight-point MGD among others targets promotion of gender equality and women empowerment, reducing child mortality, improve maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS and environmental sustainability.

"India has made a great progress on MGDs, but there is no room for complacency, because there are gaps relative to the goals and targets.

"There are enough opportunities and there is a lot of scope to catch up, and it is critical that by the end of the year when the MGD expires, we really accelerate momentum during this year so that we start the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) agenda," said Shamshad Akhtar, UN Under Secretary General and Executive Secretary UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP).

India has an opportunity to become a leader in sustainable development. It has achieved the poverty reduction target, but the progress is uneven, said the report.

READ ALSO: 'Removing poverty is true swachhata'

"Being home to one-sixth of the world's population, the world is not going to achieve the SDGs if India does not (achieve them)," Akhtar said.

After MGD expiry, the UN will begin its SDG programme. India has halved incidence of poverty from 1990s. Still over 27 crore people in 2012 remained in extreme poverty, making the post-2015 goal of eliminating extreme poverty by 2030 challenging, but feasible, it said.

It is significant that countries across the globe have made social development a public policy through MGD, said TCA Anant, Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Planning and Chief Statistician.

"We ourselves bring our report. From our report I can say that we have achieved progress on number of indicators," he said.

Seeing MGD an opportunity, he said, it allows India to sharpen its capability of data mining. "We realised we faced enormous challenges in our capabilities to measure. There are many indicators in the goal on which we still have limited information," said Anant.

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Church under construction sealed in Tamil Nadu

MADURAI: An unauthorized church building that was being constructed in a village in the Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu was sealed by revenue officials on Wednesday.

People have been protesting against the construction of the church at Koralampatti in Kasavanampatti panchayat for the past few months.

They alleged that the church was being constructed on a land meant for building a house.

They had sent petitions to the district collector alleging the illegal construction.

Panchayat president Subbulakshmi Chenrayan said the permission had been granted for the construction of a house on the plot about six months ago. A tax of Rs 340 had been levied.

People became suspicious when the building being constructed did not resemble a house.

Revenue officials, including the RDO Uthaman, Dindigul west tahsildar Parameswari, village administrative officer Bharathi, went to the spot and sealed the under construction building.

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Swine flu claims 10 more lives as death toll reaches 62 in Rajasthan

JAIPUR: Ten more persons have succumbed to swine flu in Rajasthan, taking the toll to 62 this year, an official of the state medical and health directorate said on Wednesday.

Deaths of two persons due to the H1N1 virus were reported from Bikaner, Ajmer, and one person each died in Jaipur, Barmer, Kota, Udaipur, Banswara, and Chittorgarh, the official said.

Of the 1,200 tested for swine flu, 366 patients were found positive for the virus.

Out of 33 districts, 29 are afflicted with swine flu while Dholpur, Hanumangarh, Sirohi, and Baran were said to be safe as per the Medical and Health Directorate (MHD) records, he said.

Chief minister Vasundhara Raje held a high-level review meeting with medical officers late last night and directed them to set up a task-force at state, division and district levels to contain the spread of the disease and create awareness, another official said on Wednesday.

Task force would be headed by Dr Ashok Pangaria, a member of the chief minister Advisory Council's Health at the state level while at divisional level, the divisional commissioner, and at district level collectors would chair the task force.

Task force would hold meetings to review the situation on a day-to-day basis, the official said quoting the chief minister.

Medical officers apprised the chief minister that there was no dearth of medicines to treat the dreaded disease. Moreover, 'tamiflu' medicines were ordered and its consignment would arrive in the state at the earliest.

The MHD has also set-up a control room for swine flu and started telephone lines for patients, the official said.

Senior officers at the directorate with medical degrees have taken charge to monitor the disease status at all district headquarters to provide aid to patients who report to government hospitals.

So far, Jaipur has recorded 17 deaths due to swine flu, the maximum in Rajasthan, followed by Ajmer 12, Nagaur 6, Tonk, Bikaner, Barmer, Banswara, and Kota 3 each, Dausa, Jodhpur, Bundi 2 each, and Bhilwara, Alwar, Pali, Udaipur, Chittorgarh and Dungarpur one each since January this year.

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Govt sacks Union home secretary Anil Goswami: TV reports

NEW DELHI: The NDA government has given marching orders to Union home secretary Anil Goswami, according to TV reports.

Anil Goswami was in trouble after he accepted calling CBI officials while former Union minister Matang Sinh was being questioned by its sleuths in Kolkata in connection with Saradha chit fund scam.

The admission came at his meeting with Union home minister Rajnath Singh here on Wednesday, during which he was asked to explain the allegations that he had tried to dissuade the CBI from arresting Sinh.

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Lokpal search committee only after Parliament nod to Lokpal bill: Government

NEW DELHI: The Centre has said that the constitution of Lokpal search committee and other steps towards selection of chairperson/members of the anti-corruption watchdog, can be processed only after the Lokpal & Lokayuktas and other related law (Amendment) Bill is passed by Parliament.

The Bill, which provides for inclusion of leader of the single largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha, was referred to the parliamentary standing committee on personnel, public grievances and law and justice, after being introduced in the Lok Sabha during the winter session of 2014.

The department of personnel and training, in a note dated January 30 on the status of applications received for the post of Lokpal chairman and members, recalled that the search committee rules were amended in August last year, to change the composition of the Lokpal search committee from an eight-member body to a seven-member one. Also, the new rules allowed the search committee greater autonomy in short-listing of names for Lokpal chairperson/members to be considered by the Lokpal selection panel.

While noting that quorum of the selection committee was incomplete in the absence of a recognised Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the DoPT pointed out the government had introduced the Lokpal & Lokayuktas and other related law (Amendment), Bill in the Lok Sabha on December 18 to include leader of the single largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha in the selection panel. The Bill was subsequently referred to the department-related parliamentary standing committee on personnel.

"The constitution of the search committee by the selection committee and other steps towards the selection of chairperson and members in Lokpal, as per the amended rules, can be processed only after the said Bill is passed in Parliament," the DoPT stated.

The UPA government had constituted the Lokpal search committee ahead of general election 2014, naming justice (retd) KT Thomas as its chairperson and Kaki Madhava Rao, Fali S Nariman, prof Meenakshi Gopinath, HK Dua, Mrinal Mir, S Y Quraishi and ML Kumawat as members. Thomas and Nariman, however, declined to be part of the search panel.

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Chinese media highlights Narendra Modi’s plans to visit China

BEIJING: China's official media on Tuesday highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plans to visit the communist nation in May, with commentaries asking China to dispel India's doubts about the ambitious Silk Road projects citing the influence it wields in South Asia.

State-run newspapers — China Daily and Global Times — besides the ruling Communist Party of China-run People's Daily featured external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj's meeting with President Xi Jinping on front pages while the state TV CCTV extended elaborate coverage for her engagements here.

READ ALSO: 'Out of box' solution for border issue planned as Modi prepares to visit China

Modi to visit China in May was the headline in Global Times with Xi's remarks that China and India need to "patiently manage differences".

His visit will likely deepen mutual trust, seek investment and trade opportunities for India and discuss border issues, Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow with the Institute of International Relations at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told Global Times.

Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, on February 2, 2015. (Reuters photo)

Several Chinese analysts have called for patience and caution in solving the China-Indian border problem but said China should grab the opportunity to dispel India's doubts on other key issues.

"India still has concerns over China's 'one belt, one road' initiative," Chen Fengjun, a Peking University professor said, commenting on India's reservation on China's mega Silk Road and Maritime Silk Road projects for which President Xi has allocated $40 billion.

READ ALSO: India, China bound by 'unbreakable bond', Modi says

Swaraj has said India will not give a blanket support but align the synergies where they meet.

"Given India's enormous influence in South Asia, especially over countries like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, it would be wise for China to dispel such doubts during Modi's visit and show India that the initiative is really meant to benefit both countries," Chen said.

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Delhi assembly elections 2015: BJP's 'Vision Document' lacks vision: Congress

NEW DELHI: Congress today accused the BJP of making 'U-turn' on the issue of full statehood for Delhi by giving a "complete go bye" to it in the just released 'Vision Document'.

The only thing that BJP's Vision Document lacks is 'Vision', party spokesman Randeep Surajewala said claiming that the document has "neither content nor intent."

"It is a caricature of empty rhetoric, brazen falsehood and lofty words stated with a deceptive impunity, symbolic of BJP's character," he said.

Besides, he felt that a "hurriedly cobbled" and released document in place of a regular manifesto reflects the "all round fear, frustration and divisions within the BJP ranks."

Claiming that the BJP's document reflect its bitter internal dissension as also absence of any issues, Surajewala expressed surprise it giving "a complete go bye" to the most important issue of full Statehood for Delhi.

BJP had raised the issue of full Statehood for Delhi fearlessly and as its pitched slogan in the last two assembly elections as also in the Lok Sabha elections.

"On assuming power at the Centre, it has taken a U-turn again on this important paradigm", he added.

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MPHC directs govt to address citizenship issue of migrant Pakistani Hindus in 4 months

INDORE: Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday directed the union government to address issues related to citizenship of migrant Pakistani Hindus in four months.

District administration was directed to expedite the verification and identification process.

Challenging the delay in granting Indian citizenship to migrant Pakistani Hindus, a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed before Madhya Pradesh High Court in March 2014 by Pujya Jacobabad Zila Sindhi Panchayat, a social organization working for welfare of migrant Sindhis, on behalf of nearly 6,000 migrant Pakistani Hindus staying in Indore, following which notices were issued to Union ministry of home, ministry of external affairs, Government of India and Government of Madhya Pradesh.

On Tuesday union government filed an affidavit before court claiming that a special task force (STF) was formed to expedite the citizenship issues of migrant Pakistani Hindus. Double bench of Justices PK Jaiswal and Alok Verma directed to address the issues in four months.

Counselor for petitioner, Raghvendra Singh Raghuvanshi said the issue of granting Indian citizenship to these persons was also raised in Parliament in 2012 and 2013, but to no avail. Though some of them have been granted Indian citizenship, their minor children, who came to India along with their parents bearing appropriate endorsement on their Pakistani passports, are not being granted citizenship despite completion of the necessary formalities by them.

This undue delay is blatant violation of human rights and other legal rights as these Pakistani Hindus are unable to seek employment or earn livelihood, purchase vehicles, house, even stamp papers on their own name for want of identity cards and citizenship.

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Kerala HC okays using anti-terror law in political murders using bombs

KOCHI: In a ruling that could have wide political ramifications, especially in the case of political parties that resort to violence to maintain dominance, the Kerala High Court on Tuesday held that provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act can be invoked for murders committed by creating a terror situation, such as by blasting bombs.

A bench comprising of justice P Ubaid upheld the decision to invoke Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) provisions against the accused in the murder of RSS leader Kathiroor Manoj by dismissing a petition filed by first accused Vikraman.

In the petition, Vikraman had contended that UAPA was invoked without enough evidence or circumstances warranting such a classification and that it amounts to violation of constitutional rights.

However, the court held that the attack and the murder that were committed by creating terror among the people would fall under the purview of UAPA. Murdering political opponents by creating a terror situation and creating terror in the minds of the people would come under the scope of UAPA, the court said.

A terror situation was created through the bomb blast in the area while Manoj was killed and this struck terror among the people. The murder was pre-planned and the bomb blast was a part of it. In such circumstances, invoking of UAPA provisions against the accused cannot be said to be illegal, the court pointed out.

It was on September 1st last year that Manoj was murdered. The investigation was handed over to crime branch and UAPA provisions were invoked later.

The court's ruling clears the way for handing over the investigation to National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is the central agency that probes offences such as terrorist acts that come under the purview of UAPA.

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