Anna gets 'Z' category security

Social activist Anna Hazare has been provided with `Z` category security, a senior police official said today.

"Hazare has been provided Z category security three days ago," Ahmednagar district SP Krishna Prakash told PTI over phone.

Asked about reports that the anti-corruption crusader had rejected the security cover, the IPS officer said, "It is not true that he has rejected the security. What he told us is that he does not need the security.

"He said he never wanted any type of security cover and that he likes to mingle among people and does not perceive any threat," Krishna Prakash said.

Earlier, there were two persons who were part of Hazare`s security. After the Z category cover was provided, now there are four guards and two PSOs protecting Hazare round the
clock, he said.

"Whenever Hazare will leave his village Ralegan Siddhi, there will be a squad vehicle which will travel with him," the senior police officer said.

The 74-year-old Gandhian addressed a gram sabha at his village in western Maharashtra in his first public appearance after being discharged from a Gurgaon hospital.

Baba Ramdev hits back on government

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev has lashed out the union government alleging that he is being targeted through Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Addressing a crowded press conference here on Saturday, he said that he has not received any notice from the ED office regarding allegations put up by the department. He raised question by asking that what his fault was. 

He claimed that it is a clear case of conspiracy under things developed in last couple of days. Baba Ramdev, who was looking combative, also took a dig on media for showing and publishing baseless news against him.

No record of expenditure on Afzal Guru

Tihar Jail authorities have not maintained the accounts of expenditure incurred on ensuring safety of Mohammed Afzal Guru, facing gallows for his role in the December 13, 2001 Parliament attack, according to an RTI reply. The jail authority has responded to the information seeker by saying that there is no practice of keeping separate records relating to such expenditure on individual inmates.

"In this regards, it is informed that no separate record regarding expenditure on security, safety and food of an individual prisoner is maintained," the Public Information Officer in the office of director general of prisons, Tihar Jail, said in the reply.

Ahmedabad-based NGO National Council for Civil Liberties had filed the RTI application seeking information as to how much money has been spent so far by the government on safety, security and food of Guru.

The NGO's vice-president, Mukesh Kumar, who had filed the application, has now preferred to appeal against the response before the first appellate authority in the director general of Prison's office saying the reply is "unconvincing".

In his appeal, Kumar claimed that as per his knowledge, every jail maintains record of expenditure about high profile convicts. He supported his contention by making mention of media reports suggesting that Maharashtra government has been maintaining records of expenditure on the safety and security of Pakistani militant Ajmal Kasab who is also sentenced to death in the 26/11 Mumbai attack case.

The NGO in the appeal said, "As per our knowledge such high profile convicts are kept in special cells and records of every expenditure is maintained by the prison authorities. "Needless to mention that Maharashtra Police is maintaining such records on Ajmal Kasab, a convict of Mumbai attack and according to press reports Maharashtra government/police has spent more than Rs 35 crore in his security, safety and food etc."

The NGO mentioned in its appeal that it requires the information regarding money spent on Guru's security to compare the expenditure made by different state police on similar convicts. Before receiving the response, the RTI application of May 25, 2011, filed in the Union Home Ministry, went to three government departments. The union ministry had forwarded the application to the Delhi Government on June 8, saying the issue in question does not fall under its jurisdiction.

The Delhi Government then forwarded the application to its home department saying the issue pertains to them. From the home department the application was sent to the office of director general of Tihar Jail, which finally responded saying no such record is maintained.

Hegde may draft Bihar Lokayukta bill

There are indications that ex- Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde may draft the new Bihar Lokayukta Bill. According to Indian Express, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had approached him through key Team Anna member and senior lawyer Shanti Bhushan around the time Anna Hazare had begun his fast in support of the Jan Lokpal bill.

 Justice Hegde, however, hasn’t got a formal invitation from the CM. He confirmed that Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal, whom the Bihar CM had approached first, requested Shanti Bhushan to ask Hegde to draft the Bihar bill for a strong Lokayukta.

Bihar government is planning to bring in the amendment bill in the Assembly’s winter session to effect changes in the Bihar Lokayukta Act, 1973. The existing Act, dubbed as toothless, has only powers to recommend action against public servants barring the CM and its recommendation is not binding on the government.

Sensex extends gains, opens 313 points higher

Reopening for trade after a two-day holiday, the BSE benchmark Sensex rose by 313 points within minutes of the opening bell today on continued buying by funds, ignoring rising inflation and weak Asian cues. The 30-share index of the Bombay Stock Exchange, which gained nearly 828 points in the previous two sessions, moved up further by 313.11 points, or 1.89 per cent, to 16,989.86 in opening trade today.

 In a similar fashion, the broad-based National Stock Exchange Nifty index surged by 112.70 points, or 0.51 per cent, to 5,113.70. The market was closed in observance of 'Ramzan Eid' on Wednesday and on Thursday for the 'Ganesh Chaturthi' festival. Stocks of oil and gas, banking, healthcare and auto companies attracted the most buying interest in early trade, helping the Sensex continue on its upward journey.

 Brokers said even negative factors such as climbing food inflation, which crossed double digits for the week ended August 20, and slowing GDP growth in April-June failed to dampen the trading sentiment. Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was trading 0.16 per cent lower and Japan's Nikkei Index was down by 0.89 per cent in morning trade today. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 1.03 per cent lower in the previous session.

Nation celebrating Eid

Nation is celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr today, culminating a month of fasting. In the backdrop of last month`s serial bomb blasts in Mumbai, which left 25 people dead, security has been stepped up in the city for Eid-ul-Fitr and Ganesh Chaturthi festivals.

Apart from the 43,000-strong Mumbai Police, additional forces such as 10 teams of State Reserve Police Force, three squads of Rapid Action Force and policemen from different parts of Maharashtra have been roped in to boost security and surveillance during the widely celebrated ten-day Ganesh fest and Eid.

Special security arrangements have been made for one of the oldest and the city`s most famous Ganesh idols, Lalbaugcha Raja, where three Deputy Commissioners of Police and over 1,000 police personnel will be on duty. A separate control room has been set up at the venue, said a senior police official.

Leave of all police personnel has been cancelled till the festival, which begins on September 1, is over, Patnaik added. In the backdrop of the July 13 serial blasts in which 25 people were killed, surveillance across the metropolis has been stepped up considerably. A general alert has also been sounded, said another police official.

Govt to take action against 90 IAS officers

It could be anybody`s guess that Government is now taking action against the corrupt IAS officers due to the movement of Anna Hazare or not, but those who love to accept bribe would face the music. It has decided to take action against close to 90 IAS officers who have failed to submit their property returns despite several reminders.

According to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), 87 officers at the level of Director, Under Secretaries and Deputy Secretaries have not given Immovable Property Returns (IPR) for 2009 and 2010, deadline for which ended on January 31 this year.

 Taking a strict view, DoPT has written to concerned ministries in this regard and sought action taken report against the defaulters. Out of the 87 officers, a highest of 13 are from Defence Ministry followed by 11 from Home Ministry, six from Ministry of Minority Affairs, five from Ministry of Mines and three each from Information and Broadcasting Ministry and Staff Selection Commission.
 
There are in all 4,356 IAS officers working in different departments of central and state governments.

"Ministries/Departments are well aware that the Immovable Property returns (IPR) in respect of Central Secretariat Service Officers (Under Secretary and above level) are required to be furnished to this division by January 31 of every year.

"However, despite repeated reminders the IPR for the year 2009 which was to be received by this division by January 31, 2010 and IPR for the year 2010 which was to be received in this Division by January 31, 2011 have not yet been received in respect of large number of officers," the fifth reminder by DoPT said.