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Top Stories
Job quota for the poor:
Govt revives NDA idea
What is India News Service,
Friday, 18 February 2005, 1330 hrs IST
Economic backwardness may soon become a criteria for reservation in education and employment across the social spectrum.
After setting up the commission for religious and linguistic minorities mandated to explore the welfare measures including reservation for socially and economically backwards among them, the Union Cabinet on Thursday revived the Commission for Economically Backward Classes (EBCs) to look into the same for those not covered by the existing reservation policy. This would mean the poor among Hindu upper castes would be eligible for quota in jobs and education. The commission has been given a tenure of six months to submit its recommendations.
The Commission for the EBCs, which was set up by the NDA Government and had lapsed on January 5, will work in consultation with the National Commission for religious and linguistic minorities, suggest the criteria for identification of EBCs and also elicit the views of the State Governments and Union Territories on the subject. It will suggest the necessary "constitutional, legal and administrative modalities required for implementation of its recommendations".
A Government spokesperson said the "welfare measures recommended by the commission would benefit the EBCs of the society by giving them adequate representation in services."
However, the tale of the two commissions presents a picture loaded with politics. While the Commission for the EBCs was in existence, the Government chose to constitute one exclusively for religious and linguistic minorities. The two were to overlap and the Government let the Commission for EBCs lapse on January 5.
The EBCs would have covered the minorities as also the majority community and linguistic groups. Observers wondered at the need for an exclusive Commission for minorities. The decision was thus analysed as a political signal to the minorities and a move to exclude the EBCs among Hindus from the reservation bracket
CBMs will help resolve difficult
issues, says Natwar: Indian External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh said here on Thursday that a continuous process of confidence-building between Pakistan and India would help address 'more difficult issues' and promote friendship.
Assam Rifles men killed:
Five Assam Rifles personnel were shot dead in an ambush by Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup cadres at Kumbi area of Bishenpur district
yesterday.
\91Sundaresa, Raghu wrongly held under Goondas Act\92:
For an individual to be detained under the Goondas Act, he should have had a previous case against him, according to a state circular.
India asks Pak for list of 81 illegal immigrants:
Pakistan today informed India that it had 81 illegal imigrants from Punjab who were arrested while they were pushed back from Iran, while New Delhi asked for a list of the names of these 81 Punjabis and urged Pakistan to quickly grant them visas to travel to their homeland.
Test venue shifted to Kolkata:
A sixth one-day international is likely to be played in Ahmedabad between India and Pakistan as a compromise.
Tackling Naxals: Rs 23 cr package for tribal families:
Each tribal family will get an assistance of about Rs 11 lakh under the package implemented on the lines of Bhadra forest rehabilitation package.
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EC a `tool of Congress': Chautala: Launching a scathing attack on the Election Commission, the Haryana Chief Minister, Om Prakash Chautala, today said it had become a "tool of the Congress made of retired bureaucrats rewarded for their loyalty".
Centre
okays package for Andamans: The Union Cabinet has sanctioned Rs 96.33 crore for the construction of 10,100 shelters for tsunami-hit families on the islands.
I don't know what will happen there tomorrow: Vajpayee on Babri eve: "I don't know what will happen there tomorrow", former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee is quoted as having said in Lucknow on December 5, 1992, a day before the disputed structure was demolished.
Spotlight
Elections in Bihar
In Bihar terror zone, law finally does what it never did: hound terror
Sitting in a police car on his way to prison tonight, Jitendra Swami fought back tears as he complained that he had been hit by policemen. Son of RJD MLA Uma Shanker Singh, Swami always believed he ruled this part of
Siwan.
Repoll
on Friday in 262 Bihar booths: The Election Commission today ordered repoll in 290 booths in Bihar and Jharkhand where voting took place on February 15. Repoll will be held tomorrow in 262 places in Bihar and 28 in Jharkhand.
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States
Amritanandamayi
pledges aid for Sri Lanka: Spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi Devi has pledged a Rs.65 million financial assistance package for the tsunami-affected Sri Lanka. She also pledged to build 300 houses.}
Cong makes a pitch to share power with DMK: A day after Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry E V K S Elangovan declared that no Dravidian party would be able to form a government in Tamil Nadu without the support of without the support of the Congress, Sudarsana Natchiappan, Congress member of the Rajya Sabha, has
made a strong case for a coalition government in the state.
2 school principals among 4 held for student's gangrape:
Two principals of Government schools in Delhi, along with two businessmen friends, gangraped a 16-year-old student of class X. One of the principals was tutoring the girl at his Shiv Nagar residence in West
Delhi.
Taslima
feels at home in West Bengal: After 10 years in self-imposed exile from Bangladesh, controversial writer Taslima Nasreen today sought Indian citizenship saying she "dreams of living in West Bengal where I feel at home."
'Mobile
cloners' arrested in Hyderabad: A gang involved in cloning of mobile phones with CDMA technology were nabbed by the police here on Thursday. At a time about seven to ten mobile phones would function on a
single.
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Pilot suspended, stir continues in N-East:
About 20 pilots of the Alliance Air had stayed away from duty from Feb 14, pressing for their demands.
Neighbours
Ex-PoK President Qayyum defends displaced Kashmiri
pandits\92 cause: This is the first time that any PoK politician has addressed issue of pandits\92 displacement and their resettlement in refugee camps in J&K and rest of India.
Pak
opposition divided over LoC bus service: The decision to launch the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus service has divided the opposition. There are said to be major differences not only between the ARD and the MMA but also among component parties of the two alliances on the issue.
Nepals orphans pray for peace:
Orphans of the victims of violence in Nepal are praying for peace. "We have had enough of violence. Let's stop bloodshed\85" is the unanimous refrain of 36 children housed at a rehabilitation home at Nepalgunj in western Nepal.
View from abroad
International military aid to Nepal may be cut:
Nepal faces a freeze in international military aid if its king, who has seized absolute power, does not restore fundamental rights to the people within the coming weeks, the United States has
warned.
US pressed Pakistan for access to Khan: The director of the Central Intelligence Agency on Wednesday told the US Senate that the Bush administration had 'pressed' Pakistan to allow an American representative direct access to
nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan.
Overall
Government may revive quotas for poor:
Economic backwardness may soon become a criteria for reservation in education and employment across the social spectrum.
Centre okayed plan for the Andamans: The tsunami-ravaged islands will
benefit form a huge rehabilitation package.
US wanted access to nuclear scientist: The CIA said it was keen to question
the Pakistan scientist accused of selling nuclear secrets to Iran.
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