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July 25, 2012

President Pranab takes charge as 13th President of India


At impressive swearing-in, new Prez focuses on tackling poverty, pushing growth
President Pranab Mukherjee waves from his horse-drawn carriage at Rashtrapati Bhawan after his swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday.
President Pranab Mukherjee waves from his horse-drawn carriage at Rashtrapati Bhawan after his swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday.  

After bitterly opposing Pranab Mukherjee’s candidature, key UPA ally Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee attended his oath-taking ceremony. Mamata, who reached Delhi on Tuesday night in a special plane sent by the Centre, went straight to Mukherjee’s residence and the two reportedly chatted till midnight. Actor Mithun Chakraborty, who is said to be Mukherjee’s mascot, was among a host of persons who came to witness the swearing-in of the country’s first Bengali President.
 Before the swearing-in, Pranab was driven to the Rashtrapati Bhawan in a black limousine
 Both Mukherjee and Pratibha Patil were given the national salute by members of the three Services lined along the road leading to Raisina Hill
 The two then left for Parliament House in a cavalcade. After the function, Mukherjee inspected his first guard of honour in a horse-driven buggy
 Later, the new President escorted his predecessor to her new residence at Tughlaq Lane. Patil will stay there for some months before she moves to her residence in Pune

New Delhi, July 25
After five decades in active politics, Pranab Mukherjee today began a new innings when he took oath of office as India’s 13th President at an impressive ceremony in the historic Central Hall of Parliament. As he himself later put it, it is a journey “from the flicker of a lamp in a small Bengal village to the chandeliers of Delhi.”
Attired in a black sherwani and white churidar, 76-year-old Mukherjee was administered the oath by Chief Justice of India SH Kapadia in the presence of a huge gathering which included Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, all ministers, UPA partners, Opposition leaders, Governors and many Chief Ministers. Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar were among the Opposition leaders who especially flew down for this occasion.
The ceremony began with the arrival of Pranab Mukherjee along with outgoing President Pratibha Patil, Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and the Chief Justice. Soon after being seated on the dais, the veteran Congress leader took oath.
Pranab then exchanged chairs with Pratibha Patil while a thunderous applause echoed through the high dome Central Hall. As soon as he assumed the top Constitutional post, a 21-gun salute was offered to Pranab. It was an announcement that the country had got a new President.
In his acceptance speech, Mukherjee underlined that his high office demands that he must rise “above personal or partisan interests in the service of the national good” and vowed to “to preserve, protect and defend our Constitution.”
Touching upon issues ranging from hunger to global terrorism, Mukherjee unveiled his vision of a modern India, which, he said, is built on fundamentals of secular values, economic equity and gender equality.
The speech bore Mukherjee’s distinctive imprint as he made a passing but telling reference to the touchy issue of tackling poverty and pushing growth. Stating that there is no humiliation more abusive than hunger, the new President underlined, “Trickle-down theories do not address the legitimate aspirations of the poor. We must lift those at the bottom so that poverty is erased from the dictionary of modern India.”
Mukherjee, who was the Finance Minister till last month, was known for his conservative views which have been at variance with those of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who believes in economic liberalisation. While those with socialist moorings contend that people at the bottom of the pyramid have to be pulled out of their poverty stricken condition by adopting a “bottom-up” approach, others pushing for economic reforms maintain that poverty can be erased by pushing for high growth as its benefits would percolate down to the poorest.
Mukherjee’s remark did not go unnoticed by Congress leaders who believe he will not be a “rubber stamp” President but will carefully scrutinise all the legislations sent to the Rashtrapati Bhawan for approval.
With Team Anna beginning another indefinite fast to press for the passage of the Lokpal Bill and action against tainted ministers, corruption too found a mention in Mukherjee’s speech. “Corruption is an evil that can depress the nation’s mood and sap its progress. We cannot allow our progress to be hijacked by the greed of a few,” he said.
Not forgetting that as President he is also the supreme commander of the armed forces, Mukherjee made a special reference to their role in the battle against terrorism.” I am proud of the valour, conviction and steely determination of our armed forces as they have fought this menace on our border,” he said.

Army patrols streets as Assam toll rises to 38


 More villages burnt  Eight fresh deaths reported
No Bangladesh hand in arson: Centre
New Delhi: The Centre has ruled out the hand of Bangladesh-based gangs in Assam violence. “The international border is sealed. It is simply impossible for any organised group from across the border to cross over and carry out the attacks,” Union Home Secretary RK Singh told reporters here.

Armymen from the Dogra Regiment move into position to nab rioters in Chirang district on Wednesday.
Guwahati, July 25
With no let-up in Assam violence, the Army was deployed in the three riot-hit districts of Kokrajhar, Chirang and Dhubri on Wednesday. The death toll in the current communal flare-up has risen to 40.
Union Home Secretary RK Singh has asked the Assam Government to nab the “ring leaders” of both sides involved in the communal violence. The Home Ministry has deputed 2,000 Central security personnel to guard Assam-bound trains and railway tracks.
Singh said 2,500 paramilitary personnel had reached Assam to assist the local administration while 2,300 more men will reach the state tonight. "Another 15 companies (1,500 personnel) are on their way," he said.
Shoot-at-sight orders were issued in Chirang district. The visiting Joint Secretary, Home (N-E Affairs), Sambhu Singh, however, told the media in Kokrajhar that there was a slight improvement in the situation in violence-affected areas. He admitted that there were reports of fresh violence, but claimed that the situation was gradually being brought under control.

Bodo women walk through a relief camp at Kokrajhar, some 230km from Guwahati, on Wednesday.
Bodo women walk through a relief camp at Kokrajhar, some 230km from Guwahati, on Wednesday. 

Army spokesman Colonel NN Joshi said around 13,000 troops were deployed in the three districts this morning. They later conducted a flag march in Kokrajhar, Chirang. Dhubri and Bongaigon.
Despite deployment of forces, violence spread to new areas in Chirang district where more villages were burnt and three persons were shot dead by armed raiders. Curfew was relaxed for four hours in the morning in Kokrajhar town.
With the deployment of four additional companies of the Railway Protection Security Force, stranded passenger and goods trains at New Jalpaiguri Station in North Bengal started their onward journey to Assam at 3 pm today.
Northeast Frontier Railway spokesman SS Hajong said at least three trains, including two Rajdhani Express, have resumed their journey from the NJP station. He said additional RPSF men have been deployed along the violence-affected stretch between Gossaingaon and Kokrajhar railway stations. He said the decision about resumption of normal train services would be taken after proper assessment of the ground situation and available security arrangements.
The ongoing violence had disrupted rail services between Assam and the rest of the country, leaving 8,000 passengers stranded at New Jalpaiguri Railway Station in North Bengal.

‘Ensure safety of victims’
A joint forum of Muslims today asked the Centre to immediately intervene to put an end to “killings” by Bodos in Assam. The victims should be provided security and rehabilitation. The forum also demanded a judicial inquiry into rioting. Former Union Minister Ashraf Ali Fatmi said riots between Bodos and Muslims have been continuing for the last four to five days. “Lakhs of Muslims have become homeless. They are forced to live in camps but the government of Assam is not taking stern measures to control the situation,” said Fatmi.

Rajesh Khanna's ashes immersed in Ganga



Estranged wife of Rajesh Khanna Dimple Kapadia and daugher Rinki Khanna at Rishikesh on Wednesday
Estranged wife of Rajesh Khanna Dimple Kapadia &
 daugher Rinki Khanna at Rishikesh on Wednesday.
 

Dehradun, July 25
The ashes of Superstar Rajesh Khanna were immersed in the Ganga at Rishikesh here today. Dimple Kapadia, wife of Rajesh Khanna, and their daughter Rinki Khanna reached Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun, in afternoon, from where they headed to Rishikesh by road.
Dimple and Rinki performed the ashes immersion in a brief ceremony at Rishikesh before rushing back to Mumbai. The media was kept away from the entire ceremony. The ceremony was initially scheduled for Haridwar, but was later changed to Rishikesh to keep the crowds away. Rajesh Khanna died in Mumbai on July 18.

SC decision to ban tourism in tiger reserves hailed by wildlife conservationists



 

Dehradun, July 25
The Supreme Court’s decision to ban tourism in core areas of all tiger reserves in the country could not have come at a more appropriate moment for Corbett National Park, the highest tiger density park in the country. While tourism had taken a giant leap in and around Corbett, boosting the region’s economy, it's adverse ramifications on tigers have been a matter of concern among the conservationists.
In his first reactions to the apex court’s order, Uttarakhand Principal Chief Conservator of Forests RBS Rawat, while reiterating the Forest Department’s commitment towards tiger conservation, said they will await Union Environment and Forests Ministry’s directions regarding the Supreme Court order and act in it's accordance. He admitted that banning tourism in the core areas of tiger reserves will serve the large purpose of tiger conservation.
Welcoming the Supreme Court’s directive, wildlife conservationist and authority on Corbett Park Hem Singh Gehlot said the Supreme Court’s decision has come very timely. He said today tigers in the country and Corbett in particular have suffered the most in the name of eco-tourism. “Take, for example, Corbett; the resorts stand as main culprits. While on the one hand these resorts have blocked the tiger corridors, on the other they flay all norms to create trouble for the region’s wildlife, including tigers, by promoting rampant tourist activity inside the reserve,” he pointed out.
People for Animals, Uttarakhand, member-secretary Gauri Maulekhi, too, expressed her happiness over the Supreme Court’s order. She said a large tourist inflow into the core areas of Corbett Reserve is proving to be detrimental to the tiger population in the reserve.
Echoing similar sentiments, former Uttarakhand Chief Wildlife Warden AS Negi said the Supreme Court decision will certainly relieve the core zone of Corbett of increasing burden of tourists and will be in the interest of the region’s wildlife.
While conservationists have taken the Supreme court decision as a matter of rejoicing, former chairman of the State Forest and Environment Advisory Committee Anil Baluni has expressed his concern over the decision, asserting that locals, who are solely dependent on tourism in Corbett as a source of livelihood, will be the ultimate losers.
“About 20,000 people earn their livelihoods through tourism in Corbett, and the latest Supreme Court order will come as a huge setback for them,” Baluni pointed out. He said in the backdrop of the Supreme court order, he himself will be taking up the matter legally. Baluni said he would even appeal to the Uttarakhand government to take to legal course over the matter as various large and small entrepreneurs in and around Corbett will be on the verge of losing their jobs after this decision.