Andhranews

New Delhi, Sept. 23: Telangana Rashtra Samiti president K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday carried out his threat and faxed a letter to President A.P.J Abdul Kalam withdrawing support to the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre. Shortly before that, Mr Rao met Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chaterjee who accepted his resignation from the Karimnagar Lok Sabha constituency after talking to him.

Shortly afterwards, Mr Rao declared that the forthcoming byelection would be a referendum on the Telangana issue and would reflect the sentiments of 3.5 crore people of Telangana. With Mr Rao making the break final, the Congress in Hyderabad began scouting for a candidate to face up to Mr Rao in the ensuing byelection. The bypoll is expected to be four-cornered contest between the TRS, Congress, the Telugu Desam and the BJP. The TD expects to woo the Left parties to support it.

The TRS is the first UPA constituent to formally pull out. The MDMK continues in the alliance though in Tamil Nadu it had left the DMK alliance to join AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalithaa-led before the elections in that State. In his letter to President Kalam, Mr Rao said, “I have the honour to state that since the United Progressive Alliance Government has failed to keep its promise made in the Common Minimum Programme on the formation of the separate State of Telangana even after achieving clear consensus, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti is hereby withdrawing its support to the UPA Government with immediate effect.”

Mr Rao, flanked by TRS MPs A. Narendra, Madhusudhan Reddy, Ravindra Naik and Vinod Kumar, launched a blistering attack on the Congress for “betraying” the cause of Telangana. Despite the issue figuring in the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP) and President Kalam’s address to the Joint Session of Parliament, the Centre had failed to deliver, he said.

He said that firm commitment on Telangana existed among 185 MPs of the BJP-led NDA, 136 MPs supporting the Congress and 146 belonging to the Congress, which adds up to over 400 MPs. This is not two-thirds but three-fourths majority in Parliament, he said. “Yet, the Congress claims there is no consensus. The Congress is trying to cheat the people,” Mr Rao said.

“The TRS was never interested in an alliance with the Congress. Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was incharge of Congress affairs in Andhra Pradesh, had wanted it and he even came to my house to clinch the deal. Before the elections, Congressmen from Telangana had demanded creation of Telangana. Congress president Sonia Gandhi constituted the Telangana Regional Congress Co-ordination Committee. Now, they are backtracking,” Mr Rao said.

New Delhi, Sept. 23: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, fresh from his meeting with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf at Havana, is speaking in a voice totally different from his own Cabinet colleagues and chief ministers in the Congress Party. The Prime Minister on Saturday told his party chief ministers at Nainital that infiltration was down and that vested interests were playing up just “stray incidents of violence” in Jammu and Kashmir.

This was in sharp contrast to the views of defence minister Pranab Mukherjee, who had in an Independence Day address told the armed forces: “Infiltration from across the borders is going on non-stop. We have information about the involvement of Pakistan-supported terrorists in the Mumbai bomb blasts. It is reported that (an) American satellite has clicked some pictures of terrorist camps in Pakistan where militant training is being provided to terrorists.”

Union home minister Shivraj Patil had also claimed that infiltration had increased in response to a question in the Rajya Sabha in the just concluded Parliament Session. He said terrorist incidents had decreased, but estimated infiltration had gone up. The minister said that infiltration recorded between January to June this year was up to 227 as against 92 of the corresponding period last year.

It is, therefore, not clear what period of time the Prime Minister was referring to as, according to the intelligence sources, there has been no letup in infiltration.Prime Minister Singh’s claim also contradicted his own Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad’s remarks just a week ago when he told a TV channel that there had been a spurt in infiltration and that “ISI-sponsored” militants had been “let loose”.

Intelligence sources said there was no indication as yet that infiltration had come down, pointing out that May to October was the peak period for this and a final assessment could be made only in November, when the weather conditions brought infiltration to a natural halt. Information here does not suggest the closure of any of the training camps across the border, a fact that had been emphasised till a few weeks ago by national security adviser M.K. Narayanan, who is now silent.

The sources were particularly unhappy when told that violence in Jammu and Kashmir had been described by the Prime Minister as “stray” incidents, pointing out that the pattern followed by terrorists suggested smaller, but continuous, attacks on easy targets followed by a “big hit”. Prime Minister Singh had maintained earlier on Saturday that the situation in the border State had improved and that a systematic effort was being made to project it otherwise. He had said that “some elements” were lobbing grenades on tourists and others to prevent the situation in the State from becoming normal. He did not identify the “elements”.

A special report prepared by the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, recording major terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir till July this year, shows that till just two months ago the incidents could not be held as “stray” acts of violence and that grenade-lobbing could not be laid at the door of “some elements”.

On July 8, a grenade lobbed at Astanpur village killed five persons, including a former National Conference legislator, and injured 41 persons. On July 11, eight persons were killed and 43 injured in a series of grenade attacks in Srinagar targeting domestic tourists. On July 12, six persons were killed by insurgents with the minority community being specifically targeted. On the same day 10 persons, including Army soldiers and tourists, were injured in grenade attacks. On July 15, a civilian was killed and six others injured with people taking to the streets in protest.

The agreement reached between Prime Minister Singh and President Musharraf speaks of the decision to set up a joint mechanism on terror. The Prime Minister’s delegation subsequently described Pakistan as being a victim of terror as well in what was a complete reversal of Indian policy as it had been articulated till now by the present and previous governments.

Significantly, President Musharraf has described himself as a victim with US President George W. Bush echoing this in Washington at a joint press conference with the Pakistan leader. President Bush has been quoted as expressing happiness that the Indian and Pakistani leaders had good discussions at Havana as “this President (Musharraf) has been a target of extremists and terrorists because he is a strong and moderate leader”.

President Bush said President Musharraf had assured him there would not be a Taliban or an Al Qaeda in Pakistan, adding, “I believe him.” He did not refer to the Kashmiri groups operating, at least until the Havana meeting, in India. President Musharraf had said at Havana that both India and Pakistan should start afresh and allow “bygones to be bygones”. This had been virtually endorsed by Prime Minister Singh, who appeared to agree with the Pakistan leader’s sentiment.

President Bush embraced both when he said that India and Pakistan should put the past behind and move forward. He said he was encouraged by the meeting between the two leaders as it was an indication of their desire to solve the problem.

Nainital, Sept. 23: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, speaking at the Congress chief ministers’ conclave here on Saturday, feared more “fidayeen” elements would target religious, economic and “sensitive objects” while Congress president Sonia Gandhi asked the government to ensure that tough anti-terrorist action did not lead to the polarisation of society.

“Police action must sensitise and mobilise local communities as well. Tough anti-terrorist actions should not lead to polarisation of our society. Our party organisation must actively be alert to this. While recognising that there can be no compromise on internal security, we must make sure that no community feels itself under siege or an automatic target of suspicion,” Mrs Sonia Gandhi said. The PM also spoke of reports of the existence of a number of “terrorist modules” and “sleeper cells” that provided back-up to foreign terrorist outfits.

“An underlying sense of insecurity among sizeable sections of the Muslim minority is one reason for this (communal sensitivities). It arises presumably from the erroneous linkage — made by the West — of treating the actions of a few as typical of the community as a whole, thus tarnishing the community’s image,” Dr Manmohan Singh observed, adding, “It is not correct to accuse members of the minorities of terrorist sympathies. I think it reflects a great weakness of the law enforcing mechanism when it lines up the entire population of a locality for questioning. It shows that the local police is out of touch with the residents and that it has failed to gain their confidence.”

It was a disapproving reference to the Maharashtra government’s action after the Mumbai train bomb blasts this year. Dr Singh said, “The activities of externally-sponsored terrorist outfits are equally worrisome. Their involvement has grown. The concern is that there could be a further intensification involving greater use of fidayeen elements and targeting of a wider range of religious, economic and sensitive objects. Also disconcerting are reports that suggest the existence of a number of terrorist modules and sleeper cells in some of the urban areas, which provide backup to foreign terrorist outfits.”

The main thrust is on improving intelligence generation, collation and assessment alongside proper dissemination to all concerned agencies, he told party chief ministers and select Union ministers taking part in the deliberations. “At the national level there is greater emphasis on strategic and tactical intelligence gathering, while States would largely concentrate on actionable intelligence,” he said.
Intelligence agencies have been directed to employ innovative and modern analytical techniques to anticipate and forecast threats.

Specific instructions have been issued for the sharing of raw intelligence among the concerned agencies. At the State level, chief ministers have been advised to tone up the intelligence machinery and this would apply right down to the local police station level. Speaking about the need for more sensitivity on the part of law enforcement agencies, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, “On our part every care is being taken to dispel any such notion.

Still, a sense of insecurity seems to pervade the minority community. This can have terrible consequences for our polity. More proactive efforts to ensure that the individual acts of a few do not result in a fear complex enveloping the entire community, leading to feelings of persecution and alienation, have become imperative,” the Prime Minister said, adding that the commonalty of the “sacred values” that exist among all religions needs to be stressed.

“Perhaps there is now a strong case for augmenting the number of personnel from minority communities in the police forces and in the intelligence apparatus. We can at least try and re-deploy capable officers belonging to minority communities to sensitive areas in large numbers,” he said.

Hyderabad, Sept. 23: In a little publicised move, the Centre has proposed to allow neighbourhood grocery stores to sell certain over-the-counter [OTC] medicines that are now available only at the pharmacists. The grocer already stocks up common painkillers but the Centre’s proposal will allow him to sell a range of potentially dangerous non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and gastrointestinal drugs.

Doctors warn that seemingly harmless iron tablets could turn dangerous if not properly stored. Health and medical experts warn that most shop-keepers are not educated enough to dispense potentially dangerous medicines. Also, with most patients being illiterate there is the possibility of the drugs being misused.

Worried? You could file suggestions and objections at these addresses: Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, Directorate-General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, Nirman Bhavan New Delhi 100011; Fax 011-23062648. email http://cdsco.nic.in. The last date is September 26. After considering the response, the government expects issue a notification after which it becomes law.

If the Centre goes through with its proposal, it will allow the grocer to sell non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen, mefenamic acid, ketoprofen and dictlofenac, gastrointestinal drugs like domperidone and loperamide and prochlopreazine which may damage the kidneys in case of overdose, doctors warn.

Health experts warn against the OTC sale of iodochlorohydroxy quinoline, which is banned in many countries. This drug is likely to cause blindness. Even anti-malarial drugs and ophthalmic solutions have been proposed for sale through grocery stores. At present only grocery stores in villages with less than 1,000 population are permitted to sell select medicines. Under the proposed law, all grocery stores can sell medicines that do not require a prescription.

According to industry sources, OTC sales are worth over Rs 5,000 crore and are growing at 12 to 15 per cent. This is why multinational companies are pressuring the Centre to amend Schedule K of Indian Drugs and Pharmaceutical Act to permit sale of medicines through grocers. The Indian Drug Manufacturers’ Association has objected to the government’s decision saying that only a few medicines should be sold through grocers. It has stated that the country did not have enough qualified pharmacists and infrastructure to preserve and sell drugs.

“Most medical stores do not have proper storage. We cannot expect grocers to have them either. In medical shops the shopkeepers at least have a knowledge of pharmacy. Unless the government ensures that shopkeepers are properly trained in pharmacy, the OTC sale of medicines will prove to be harmful rather than beneficial,” says Dr Bhaktiyar Chowdhury of Hyderabad Spine Clinic.

Senior physician Dr S. Ramachandra Rao suggests that drastic changes in the labelling of OTC medicines should be strictly enforced. OTC drugs should be labelled in local and regional languages with clear instructions. “It has to be ensured that all OTC drugs specify the correct prescription particularly in case of children like quantity, frequency and duration of the intake,” he said.

“Bad storage facilities, wrong prescription and failure to comply with the expiry date can be extremely harmful. The problem does not relate to serious side effects including death but also to meeting specified bioavailability and bioequivalence criteria of drugs,” says Dr B. Murali of Care Hospital.
Those in favour of the government’s move argue that OTC sales would help the poor as they generally do not have access to a general physician.

Visakhapatnam, Sept. 23: Most patients at the premier King George Hospital here would dismiss him as an unusually frisky errand boy. But Bellana Venu’s cheer hides an overwhelming secret: The 16-year-old has been suffering from juvenile diabetes for 13 years now. He requires two shots of insulin a day to control his diabetes.

His condition is so rare that it strikes one baby in about 1 lakh. “I know there is no cure for this,” Venu told this correspondent. “I will have to live with it.” Venu has not let that pull him down. He gets tips by running errands for the hospital staff. The canteen provides him food, and he sleeps there. A kindly clerk has presented him with a cycle.

He saves from the tips that the staff gives him. Once a month he goes home in Saluru in Vizianagaram to gives some money to his mother who had almost abandoned him to his fate. Venu was first brought to the hospital in 1993 as a three-year-old with an unknown disease by his widowed mother Bellana Lakshmi and an uncle. “Till now, they don’t know what I am suffering from,” he says.

He was admitted in the paediatric ward and from then for six years till he was nine he was constantly admitted to the hospital. His mother let him live with an uncle at Gopalpatnam, about 10 km from this port city. His mother went back to her village. She would visit once a week, and then it dropped off gradually and Venu learnt to live by himself.

About three years ago, Venu recalls, he began doing small tasks like fetching tea for the staff in the children’s ward. “Soon, I started going to other departments,” he says. He is now so trustworthy that the staff sends him to deposit money in the bank and to bring valuables, said senior administration clerk P.M. Jawahar, who gave Venu the bicycle.

“He is the most dependable worker,” said Mr Jawahar said. The staff and doctors give him money once a month which he gives to his mother during monthly visits. Recently he brought his mother for medical treatment at the hospital. She is now hearing challenged, and cannot hear a word. Venu also had his married sister admitted at the hospital. Venu knows every doctor at the hospital, and his family was well taken care of.

“Venu is amazing. Despite being a diabetic he moves all over and is seen in every department during daytime, much more than the healthy workers. He even suffered three fractures to his right leg but still moves on,” said endocrinology department staff nurse K. Annapurna. He is allowed two free shots of insulin a day. He also needs to take a syrup Rionut, that costs about Rs 60 a bottle and lasts a month.

He takes this syrup only occasionally. Venu says he has learnt to test sugar levels on his own and get medicines when the sugar levels go up. What worries him now is where to get free insulin. “I am 16 now. After another two years, I cannot get free insulin,” he said with a rare worry creasing his face. “I will need a job.” Because of his illness, Venu could only go intermittently to a municipal school till he was nine and dropped out after that. “I cannot become a doctor. I hope to become an attender at least,” Venu says.

Endocrinology department head Prof. K. Dileep Kumar said Venu would get free treatment and medicines as per the rules. Expensive medicines not available in KGH were being sourced through NGOs, senior doctors and from Venu’s own network of friends. “His case is very rare and we hope to keep him in good health,” says Dr Kumar.

Nainital, Sept. 23: Congress president Sonia Gandhi questioned the resettlement and rehabilitation policies of the government, which she views, are not inspiring confidence of displaced people. On the other hand, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke for the need of shifting of subsidies and free agriculture markets.

Mrs Gandhi, in her opening remarks in the two-day party chief ministers’ conference on Saturday, said, “Our resettlement and rehabilitation policies must be strengthened and implemented in an effective and credible manner which will inspire confidence in the people who are displaced.”

The conclave is being held to discuss the twin issues — agriculture and internal security. Mrs Gandhi also wanted farmers be given “proper” compensation when their lands are purchased. “Could farmers also not become stakeholders in the projects that come on the land acquired from them?” Mrs Gandhi questioned.

She was also unhappy over the functioning of public distribution system. “The PDS needs to be strengthened so that the poorer sections of our society are assured of food security,” she said.

Nainital, Sept. 23: Chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy continues to top the list of chief ministers at successive Congress chief ministers’ conference. If at the last Chandigarh conclave, Congress president Sonia Gandhi praised him for initiating development work in Telangana region, this time Prime Minister Manmohan Singh heaped double praise for Dr Rajasekhar Reddy both on the irrigation and Naxalite front.

The Prime Minister, stressing on irrigation to bolster agriculture said, “The element which needs attention is irrigation. We have a goal of one crore hectares of additional land being brought under irrigation. This is vital for our agriculture. Here the action is with the State governments.

I call upon our chief ministers to focus on irrigation. I am happy that AP has taken the lead in this matter. It’s worthy of emulation.” Encouraged by this, when he presented his State’s case, Dr Reddy put a price and asked for ten-fold increase in the Central grants for Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme.

Nainital, Sept. 23: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wants other States to emulate Andhra Pradesh in curbing Naxalism, notwithstanding the oft-repeated criticism of the State for callously carrying on with his irrigation schemes, which is likely to result in displacement of a large section of the tribal population.

Dr Manmohan Singh praised chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy on Saturday in the two-day chief ministers’ conference, which began here on Saturday. Dr Singh’s praise came despite Congress president Sonia Gandhi put in a note of caution earlier when she said, “Land alienation amongst the Scheduled Tribes is very high and has certainly fuelled Naxalism.”

Both the Prime Minister and later Dr Reddy ignored this observation when they dwelt on the question of Naxalism and irrigation earlier. Dr Manmohan Singh said, “AP has been most effective in curbing this menace. I urge other States to send officers to AP for gaining insight and training.”