More PSUs may be divested

NEW DELHI, Jan 10 (PTI): After the planned divestment in four more public sector enterprises this fiscal, the Centre will identify more candidates for public offers for the next two years.

The Government is also planning to change the criteria of appointing investment bankers so that only those advisors with deep-pockets do not qualify for this purpose, an official close to the development said.

The Government plans to divest stakes in NTPC in the last week of January or early February, followed by REC just before the Budget (likely on February 26), NMDC by March 10, and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam by the end of March, which will together fetch around Rs 30,000 crore to the Exchequer.

"After we are through with these disinvestment plans, we will identify public sector enterprises where the Government could offload its stakes in the next two years," the official informed.

The Disinvestment Department has already asked 32 nodal ministries to identify state-run firms where the government stake could be sold, a senior official had said earlier.

As per the recently cleared criteria by the Cabinet, around 60 PSUs, including MMTC, BSNL, Neyveli Lignite Corp, Engineers India, State Trading Corp, Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers, National Fertilisers and Andrew Yule, are eligible for stake sale.

TRS chief moves PM on Telangana

NEW DELHI, Jan 10 – TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao today met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pushing for early steps by the Centre for formation of a separate Telangana state, reports PTI. Sources said the prime minister impressed upon Rao the need for maintaining peace and normalcy with other regions of Andhra Pradesh–coastal Andhra and Rayal-seema– before the Centre could think of next steps.

Rao is understood to have told the prime minister that even if the Centre wants to carry forward discussions it should be done by Home Minister P Chidambaram himself and not by any Committee.

The TRS chief is said to be opposed to constitution of any mechanism to hold deliberations on Telangana as is being speculated.

Amar Singh resigns from Samajwadi Party posts

NEW DELHI, Jan 6: Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Amar Singh on Wednesday resigned as general secretary of the party as well as from its parliamentary board and as its spokesperson. Saying he was quitting the posts on health grounds, the high-profile politician denied any differences with party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

“I hardly had any rest. Doctors told me it is not good. At the age of 53, I am entitled to earned leave and need to give more priority to my family. After 20 years of hard work, they (the family) should get priority over Mulayamji and the party,” Amar Singh told NDTV. Amar Singh had a kidney transplant at a Singapore hospital last summer. THE SENTINEL

Rathore faces suicide abetment charge

Panchkula (Haryana), Jan 5: There was fresh trouble on Tuesday for disgraced former Haryana police chief S P S Rathore with police in Panchkula slapping another First Information Report (FIR) on him for abetting the suicide of Ruchika Girhotra who he molested in 1990.

Rathore, who was on Tuesday booked under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), could be arrested anytime now, Haryana police sources said. The Haryana police on Tuesday also recommended that the three fresh cases registered against Rathore be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for further investigation. “We have registered the third FIR against him (Rathore). We have recommended that all cases be handed over to the CBI for investigation,” Panchkula Superintendent of Police Maneesh Chaudhary, who is also part of the state special investigation team (SIT) probing the case, told.

The FIR was filed after Ruchika's brother Ashu made a fresh complaint last week seeking Rathore’s booking for abetment of his sister’s suicide. Ruchika, a budding tennis player who was molested by Rathore here on August 12, 1990 when she was 15, committed suicide on December 28, 1993, by consuming insecticide.

The former Haryana director general of police (DGP) has been accused of torturing Ruchika’s brother by getting false cases of car theft slapped on him, inflicting third-degree torture on him in police custody and harassing the Girhotra family between 1990 and 1993. All this reportedly led to Ruchika finally committing suicide in December 1993. Certain other police officers, who allegedly tortured Ashu at Rathore’s behest, have also been named in the fresh FIR against Rathore.

Rathore and other police officials were last week booked by the Panchkula police in two different cases, charging him of attempt to murder, forging and tampering with evidence of Ruchika’s death, criminal conspiracy and wrongful confinement. Most of the charges slapped against him in both FIRs are non-bailable ones. The complaints for the two FIRs were made by Ruchika’s father S C Girhotra and brother Ashu. On Friday, Rathore managed to secure interim relief on his anticipatory bail application from the district and sessions court here till January 7, when his bail plea in these two cases comes up for hearing again. Rathore was convicted by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court in Chandigarh on December 21 for Ruchika’s molestation and sentenced to six months rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1,000.

The fresh FIR against Rathore has given new hope to Ruchika’s friend Aradhana’s family that has fought a relentless legal battle for justice. “I am very happy that Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has kept his promise and an FIR under section 306 has been registered against Rathore. Now, Rathore’s influence is diminishing very fast and we are sure of appropriate justice ahead,” Aradhana, the lone eyewitness of the molestation incident, told on Tuesday.

“Now nobody can save Rathore from a rigorous punishment, we all want to see him behind bars at the earliest. He and his wife have fabricated false evidence and documents and we are ready to counter all of them in court,” added Aradhana’s father Anand Prakash. “After this fresh FIR, we are confident of winning this legal battle. Now we have support from all sections of the society and we are ready to go up to any extent to ensure justice for Ruchika’s family,” stated Prakash. (IANS)