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.  

DIDI COMES FOR DADA

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.

THE POMP AND THE BIG SHOW

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.

2 arrested in Tao molestation case

Chandigarh, July 24
A week after registering the case, the UT police has arrested two youths for molesting a 25-year old IT professional outside Tao discotheque in Sector 26 on July 15.
The police arrested Gagandeep Singh, a resident of Fatehgarh Sahib, and Gurpreet Singh, a resident of Faridkot. Both accused were identified by the victim in the police station today.
Three other accused in the case are still at large and raids are being conducted to nab them. The accused are employed with a private company and were bailed out.
The girl was chased, abused and molested in Sector 26 in full public view, as she came out of the discotheque.
The UT police had failed to register any case at that time and it was only after the incident was highlighted in these columns that a case was registered. The police seized Ford Fiesta car of the accused. The car was registered on the name of Balwinder Kaur.
Last week, the victim had met UT SSP Naunihal Singh requesting for speedy justice. The SSP reportedly pulled Inspector Anokh Singh, SHO, Sector 26 police station, for his failure to make arrests.

Visiting PGI a nightmare

Chandigarh, July 24
Even as the PGI has remained the only premier health institute in the region for the last 50 years, visiting it has proved to be a nightmare for a majority of patients or their attendants.
In addition to standing in long queues for hours at different departments, they are compelled to walk almost a kilometre to get a blood sample tested or procure a ‘no dues certificate’.
Attendants of indoor patients admitted to Advanced Eye Centre, Cardiac Care Centre, Advanced Paediatric Centre and the Nehru Hospital building, requiring the diagnosis of endocrinology blood samples, are first need to go to the laboratory on the third floor of the research block B, located at a distance of over half a kilometre.
The harassment of the attendants does not stop here. The fee for this test is to be deposited at the fee counters at the Nehru Hospital building, which is situated at a distance of over 200 metres. The long queues at these places only exhaust the patience of the already harassed attendants.
For getting a discharge slip one is required to get a ‘no dues certificate’. And to get this certificate, attendants, including elderly persons, are expected to walk all the way to the Nehru Hospital building. And they can count themselves lucky if they are asked for a photocopy of the certificate, for which they would have to walk further to the adjoining building of the new OPD. With no effective internal transport system available, the attendants have no option but to walk the long distances, even in inclement weather.

Anupama succumbs to PGI’s negligence

Chandigarh, July 24
A week after getting injured in a bus accident and undergoing amputation, 16-year-old Anupama gave up and lost her battle for life at the PGI today. The alleged delay in treatment led to the spread of infection in her body and after remaining in coma since July 20, when her leg was amputated, doctors declared her dead at 4.46 am today.

July 17 A Chandigarh Transport Undertaking bus runs over Anupama’s leg near Tagore Theatre. The girl is admitted to the PGI at 2.45 pm

July 18 She is sent to the preoperative hall at the operating theatre complex of the Advanced Trauma Centre for surgery. The surgery is postponed due to rush of patients

July 19 Anupama’s condition deteriorates at night, following which she is taken to the operating theatre. She is found intolerant to anaesthesia and is brought back to the hall

July 20 Doctors find her infected with gas gangrene, amputate her leg. She slips into coma

July 24 Anupama dies at 4.46 am

The tragedy that could have been averted had the CTU driver been careful and the PGI acted on time. Anupama’s death has ruined the world of helpless couple Amit and Kanika Sarkar, who were on the bedside of their only child when she breathed her last. Her blood pressure dipped and her heart failed. Doctors could not revive her and she died.
The death of Anupama was almost imminent when she got infection of gas gangrene during her three-day stay in the preoperative ward waiting for surgery. Doctors attending upon her told that the infection had spread to her upper body parts and her chances of survival were assessed a mere 20 per cent after the surgery.
Anupama, a student of Class XI at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 18, was injured on July 17 when she fell while boarding a CTU bus. Her leg got crushed under the tyre of the bus.
Doctors treated her wound and after putting a dressing on it informed the family that she had to undergo a surgery that night only. However, doctors kept on postponing her surgery till July 20.
The dressing on her wound was never changed which finally led to the spread of gas gangrene leading to amputation of her leg. This ultimately proved fatal for the hapless girl, alleged her parents.
Despite a fracture in her leg, Anupama was perfectly fine and even doctors found her fit enough to postpone her surgery and take care of more serious patients, said her father Amit Sarkar. The doctors did not pay attention to her till her condition started deteriorating on July 19 night, he said.
That night she was taken to the operation theatre, but due to excessive bleeding during previous two days, she could not bear anaesthesia and fell unconscious.
The next day, it was detected that she had developed gas gangrene due to which her leg was amputated and she was went in a coma.

Admn announces Rs 3 lakh ex gratia An ex gratia of Rs 3 lakh has been announced by the UT Administration for the family of Anupama. Earlier, the CTU has given a compensation of Rs 31,000 to the girl’s family during her treatment. The erring driver of the CTU bus had given Rs 10,000 from his personal savings. Meanwhile, senior officials of the UT Administration said they were saddened with the untimely demise of Anupama. The administration has decided to conduct training programmes for drivers and conductors to ensure proper and responsible conduct while on duty and to check reoccurrence of such incidents.

Driver suspended The UT transport department suspended Atul Kumar, the erring driver of the CTU bus that crushed Anupama’s leg leading to her death. The department had earlier charge-sheeted the driver and had initiated disciplinary action against him. After Anupama’s death, the police has added section of death due to negligence (304-A) of the IPC in the case of rash and negligent driving (Sections 279 of the IPC) registered earlier against the driver. Legal experts say that in cases of death due to negligence, the maximum sentence was two years or certain amount of fine or both. But the accused in such cases is released on bail.

Parents wanted to donate her eyes

Anupama’s parents wished to give the gift of sight to two persons after having lost their bundle of joy. But the wish of the devastated parents to donate her eyes could not be fulfilled. Doctors said her eyes could not be transplanted as she had developed sepsis (better known as blood poisoning). Severe sepsis occurs when an infection (bacterial, viral, fugal or parasites) resulting from trauma, surgery, burns or cancer cascades down the immune system responses which can lead to acute organ dysfunction and often death. “Immediately after her death I decided to donate her eyes, but our wish could not be fulfilled,” said Anupama’s father.

Pranab Mukherjee elected new Indian president

 

NEW DELHI: Former finance minister Pranab Mukherjee was elected Indian president on Sunday after votes from national and state lawmakers were counted in the race for the mainly ceremonial post.

Some analysts believe Mukherjee, a veteran from the ruling Congress party, may take a more active approach to the job than his predecessors as India struggles with a parliamentary deadlock and slowing economic growth. Mukherjee, 76, collected 69 percent votes, easily beating his only rival P A Sangma, 64, a former lower house speaker and tribal leader from the remote northeast who was backed by the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"I would like to thank the people of this great country for conferring this distinction by electing me to this high office," Mukherjee told crowds of cheering supporters gathered outside his residence in New Delhi.

India's president, who takes up residence in a 340-room palace built in the capital for the British viceroy during colonial rule, is chosen by legislators from the two houses of parliament and state assemblies.

The next general election, due to be held in 2014, is predicted to be close, which could lead to a period of complex horse-trading between numerous national and regional parties trying to form a stable coalition government.

"It's in this turbulent scenario Mukherjee as a president will be able to steer the ship of the state. He's a troubleshooter," said Sanjay Kumar, an analyst at India's Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.

Mukherjee may also try to use the presidential position to foster a behind-the-scenes deal between warring parties who have reduced parliament to a stalemate in recent sessions. He has a reputation as a canny negotiator, and was described by leaked US embassy cables in 2009 as "the ultimate Congress Party fixer and operator" with clear ambitions at that time to become prime minister.

Mukherjee commands widespread respect across party lines, but his performance as finance minister was criticised for his failure to push through reforms to further liberalise India's economy.

His exit from the ministry raised investors' hopes that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who took over the finance portfolio, could embark on long-awaited moves. Mukherjee's success on Sunday was a welcome victory for the embattled the Congress party, which has been beset by a string of graft scandals, policy reversals and a raft of disappointing economic data.

Sangma congratulated his opponent but criticised the Congress for running an "exceptionally partisan and political" campaign for the head of state. Mukherjee will be formally sworn in on Wednesday, taking over for a five-year term from Pratibha Patil, India's first woman president. 

Baba Ramdev aide Balkrishna arrested in fake passport case

Haridwar, Jul 20, 2012: CBI has arrested yoga guru Ramdev's aide Balkrishna, after a Dehra Dun court issued a non-bailable warrant against him in a case related to fake documents. The arrest comes ahead of Ramdev's August 9 agitation against corruption and black money in Delhi.

The special CBI court had asked Balkrishna to be present in court on Friday, but he failed to appear. CBI had filed a case against Balkrishna in a case relating to submission of alleged fake and forged documents to obtain an Indian passport. CBI has alleged that Balkrishna had, along with the then principal of Sanskrit Mahavidayala in Khurja in Uttar Pradesh, conspired to issue fake educational certificates which Balkrishna used to secure a passport. CBI has booked both men under IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery. Additionally, Balkrishna has been charged with violation of the Passport Act.

"It was alleged in the complaint that the accused had wrongfully obtained an Indian passport. Enquiry established that the accused in connivance with some unknown persons has furnished false information and forged documents to the Passport office at Bareilly (UP) for getting an Indian passport issued," a CBI spokesperson said.

Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh alleged Ramdev a fraud after his aide Balkrishna's arrest. Singh said Congress would expose Baba Ramdev's misdeeds soon and asked his party men to follow the non-violent path. "The Congress follows the path of non-violence. I do not believe that violence is ever good. I am appealing to my party workers not to start a movement, which may turn violent. We will, with dignity and non-violence, open all cases of this hypocrite baba. We will expose all his black deeds," Singh said in Bhopal.

Balkrishna's arrest an attempt to scare me: Ramdev,  Sits on dharna
Dehradun: Hours after the arrest of his close aide Balkrishna, Yoga guru Ramdev on Friday alleged that the government was taking such steps to scare him and break his resolve in the fight for bringing back black money stashed abroad. 

"The government is scared of the August nine agitation. That is why there was a murderous attempt on me (in Bhopal) and character assassination of Balkrishna. 

"By doing so, the government thinks that it can break my resolve and scare people who are protesting. Let the government do whatever they want, I will not leave the path of truth," Ramdev said in a statement. 


Balkrishna was today arrested by the CBI after a non-bailable warrant was issued against him by a special court here in an alleged fake documents case. 

Ramdev also alleged that Balkrishna was being targeted because he was his close aide.