The Tribune – Charitable trusts flout norms; Buy luxury cars, hike salaries of trustees

Ruchika M Khanna, Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 8. Most private educational institutions in Punjab, run by charitable trusts, are making huge profits by charging exorbitant fees from students. Instead of ploughing the profits back, these trusts are circumventing rules framed under the Indian Trust Act by using profits to hike salaries of trustees, buying luxury cars or as “rent” for premises owned by one of the trustees.

These startling facts have been brought to light by Ropar-based RTI activist Dinesh Chadha.

Information gathered by Chadha through RTI applications made to various trusts running higher education colleges across the state, reveal how most of them are earning a surplus income of anything between Rs 2 crore to Rs 9 crore per annum. Rather than using this surplus income to bring down the fees or even improve infrastructure, colleges have created a surplus income fund.

Chadha had filed applications with almost all educational trusts running schools, colleges or technical colleges in Punjab.

However, most of the trusts refused to part with information regarding the net income since 2007-08 and the surplus income (after all expenses had been paid). “Only three trusts have provided information regarding income and the surplus income made by them. The surplus income by each of these three trusts is between Rs 2 to 9 crore per annum between 2007- 2011,” he said.

One of the trusts admitted that the trust had purchased luxury cars, including a BMW and Mercedes, for the use of trustees and shown these under expenses head. Another trust had paid Rs 90 lakh per annum as rent for the building where a college was being run by it to one of the trustees itself.

Recently, the Punjab Unaided Technical Institutes Association (PUTIA) — the representative body of private engineering, architecture, pharmacy and management colleges — had moved a proposal to the state government demanding an increase in fee. It had asked for a 50 per cent hike in fee, including levying of certain charges on account of students’ activities, development fund etc beyond the tuition fee. Though the Technical Education Department had approved the hike in fees, the Chief Minister had turned down the proposal.

Demanding that the accounts of all educational trusts should be monitored and proper auditing be done by a regulatory authority, Chadha said he was now sending a letter to the Union HRD Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, Punjab, to probe flouting of rules by charitable education trusts.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120609/punjab.htm#3

The Tribune – India-US strategic dialogue on June 13

Ashok Tuteja, Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 8. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna is leaving here next week for Washington to co-chair with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton the third India-U.S. Strategic Dialogue to be held on June 13.

However, what has raised many an eyebrow is the fact that from Washington, Krishna will travel to Cuba, a country considered a continental and ideological rival of the US.

Asked if there was no contradiction in clubbing the minister’s visits to the US and Cuba, MEA spokesman Syed Akbaruddin shot back: ”Why should there be any issue” on this score.

During the India-US strategic dialogue, the focus will obviously be on all aspects of the multifaceted bilateral relationship. The first such dialogue was held in the American capital in June 2010 while the second round was held in New Delhi in July last year.

The dialogue forum is considered the principal platform to bring the different strands of the broad-based and diverse agenda of bilateral engagement and pursue the vision of India-U.S. Global Strategic Partnership, outlined by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Barack Obama.

Krishna will be accompanied by Minister for Science and Technology Vilasrao Deshmukh, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad, Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Prime Minister’s Public Information Infrastructure and Innovation Advisor Sam Pitroda, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Krishna Tirath, Minister of State for Planning, Science & Technology Ashwini Kumar, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, Home Secretary R.K.Singh and Director of Intelligence Bureau Nehchal Sandhu, among others. Secretary Clinton will be joined by her ministerial colleagues and senior officials.

Krishna will also deliver the keynote address at the Annual Summit of the U.S.-India Business Council on June 12. There will be several dialogues on the margins of and preceding the strategic dialogue. Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal will chair the higher education dialogue with Secretary Clinton on June 12. He will also co-chair the joint science and technology commission meeting with Dr. John Holdren, President Obama’s Advisor on Science and Technology.

The Foreign Minister will have a restricted meeting with Secretary Clinton on June 13 before they chair the plenary session of the dialogue, which will have discussions on five themes: strategic, defence, homeland security, counter-terrorism and Intelligence; economic, energy, climate; Science and technology, innovation and health; higher education and empowerment and regional strategies and linkages.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120609/main4.htm

The Asian Age – Defiant PC says won’t step down

Asian Age Correspondent

New Delhi, 8 June 2012. Union home ministry P. Chidambaram on Thursday categorically ruled out his resignation in the wake of Madras high court decision in the election petition against him saying the verdict was not a setback for him but for his rival.

Talking to reporters here, Mr Chidambaram said, “I am astonished by the monumental ignorance displayed by certain political leaders. This is an election petition. There are 111 election petitions filed against members of 15th Lok Sabha”. Reacting to the demands of the opponents, he said those who make the demand for his resignation “do not have criminal case, do not have charges and have not been questioned under Criminal Procedure Code”. He ridiculed the demand for his resignation by BJP president Nitin Gadkari and Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa.

The Madurai bench of the Madras high court on Thursday declined Mr Chidambaram’s plea for dismissal of the election petition against him by the losing AIADMK candidate R.S. Rajakann-appan in Sivaganga constituency in Tamil Nadu in 2009 Lok Sabha polls. But the court struck down two paras in Mr Rajakannappan’s petition containing allegations against returning officer, government and bank officials. He said that the verdict was not a setback for him but for his rival.

Mr Chidambaram said he sincerely hoped that political leaders will read Order 6, Rule 16 of the Civil Procedure Code and understand what is the meaning of “strike out the pleadings”. “If pleadings are struck out, it is a setback to the election petitioner and not to me,” he clarified. He further said, “That application has been partly allowed and para 4 and 5 which contain allegations against returning officer, police officers, other government servants and bank officials have been struck out”.

When asked about the claim of the lawyer for Mr Rajakannappan that except para 4 and 5, all other charges in the petition have been accepted by the court, Mr Chidambaram said “pleadings have not been accepted. Now the trial is to start. Not one witness has been examined so far”. Reacting to Jayalalithaa’s charge that out of fear of facing the case he had moved court for dismissal of the petition only to delay the process, Mr Chidambaram said “Rivals are entitled to make these demands”.

http://www.asianage.com/india/defiant-pc-says-won-t-step-down-979

29 April 2012 Luik/Liège Vaisaki Nagar Kirtan

Luik –  Liège
The weather  was not too bad, sunshine, clouds and only a bit of rain

Luik –  Liège
The mouth of the poor is the Guru’s collection box

Luik –  Liège
Sikh Channel cameraman

Luik –  Liège
The women behind the palki sahib

Luik –  Liège
On the square where langar was served

Guru Nanak Prakash Gurdwara
625 Rue Saint Leonard
B-4000 Liège

To see more Belgium and Netherlands gurdwara pictures :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157622147381380/

More Belgium pictures to follow
Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue

The Tribune – BJP upset with ‘politics of memorials’; SAD ally against bestowing ‘Living Martyr’ title on Beant Singh killer Rajoana

Naveen S Garewal, Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 8. The BJP is not happy with the manner in which its alliance partner SAD has been promoting its own cause at the cost of the BJP. The BJP leadership is preparing to confront the SAD on is hardening stand on panthic issues which is not in line with the BJP’s approach. The BJP is waiting for the civic election in Punjab to be over on Sunday before broaching the subject with the SAD leadership.

Highly placed sources in the BJP have indicated that the issue of supporting clemency for Balwant Singh Rajoana, the assassin of former Chief Minister Beant Singh, and SAD supporting the SGPC decision to bestow Rajoana with the title of “Living Martyr” has not gone down well with the BJP leadership.

BJP leaders say that the move has encouraged some people after nearly 20 years to come openly with “Khalistan” slogans.

Several senior BJP leaders in Punjab fell to the bullets of militants who were seeking a separate homeland of “Khalistan”. The party is, therefore, upset over the coming up of the “Bluestar” memorial in the Golden Temple complex. The issue is likely to cause a deep chasm between the alliance partners unless resolved to the satisfaction of the BJP soon.

Though, these issues have caused a strain in the relationship between the two parties who have divergent views on the subject, the manner in which SAD has tried to establish itself in the ongoing civic polls has also upset the BJP further. The SAD has fielded Hindu candidates and ignored the claim of the BJP as being the dominant partner in urban areas. The SAD has justified the move by saying that nearly 40 per cent of the rural Punjab, which was the SAD vote bank, has moved to urban areas and, therefore, the SAD feels more involved in urban areas too.

Even as the SAD justification may sound reasonable, the BJP has taken the move as a direct clash of interest and calls it a move against the “coalition dharma”. A senior BJP leader said the “The relationship between the alliance partners is not as smooth as one would expect two coalition partners to be, but we are waiting for the civic polls to be over before the matter is discussed with SAD”.

The BJP leadership is unhappy not only because SAD actions have embarrassed the BJP in the eyes of its own support base, but also because the SAD has not accepted many suggestions made by the BJP. The BJP, for example, wanted that the names of the candidates to be elected Mayors in the four corporation towns on Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Patiala should be announced. But even though there is a talk about the likely candidates, no official announcement has come from the SAD-BJP alliance, much to the dismay of the BJP.

After the results of the civic elections are declared on Sunday, the BJP is expected to take up major irritants with the SAD, initially informally and then in a more aggressive manner if it does not get the desired response. Former BJP in-charge of Punjab, Balbir Punj has made his stand public saying that the party was opposed to the “politics of memorials”.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120609/main2.htm

BBC News – Many escape from Afghan prison after Taliban attack

Saturday 8 June 2012. At least 14 prisoners, including insurgents, are still at large after militants attacked a jail in the Afghan province of Sar-e Pol, officials say.

Three inmates were killed and 28 injured in gun battles between prison guards and Taliban fighters late on Thursday night.

About 30 prisoners fled but officials say they have recaptured 16.

There have been several high-profile Afghan jail-breaks in recent years, raising questions about security.

Last April more than than 470 inmates at a prison in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar escaped through a tunnel hundreds of metres long and dug from outside the jail.

The Taliban have said they carried out last night’s attack in Sar-e Pol and claim 170 prisoners escaped.

A powerful blast reportedly blew a hole in a prison wall shortly after darkness fell. The militants then launched a co-ordinated attack from three directions, local media report.

Three inmates were killed and many wounded in gun battles between insurgents and security forces.

The governor of Sar-e Pol province told the BBC’s Bilal Sarwary that those missing include criminals, Taliban fighters and commanders, but no high-profile militant prisoners.

Analysts say there have long been concerns about security at prisons around the country.

Our correspondent says drugs and the use of mobile phones among inmates are all problems for prisons in Sar-e Pol.

A member of the provincial council, Abdul Ghani, told the Associated Press news agency that he fears the jail-break will mean deteriorating security in the province.

Earlier this year Afghanistan and the US reached a deal to transfer US-run prisons in the country to Afghan control.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18365910