I-cards for 14 yrs and above: Advani

NEW DELHI, June 3: Home Minister L K Advani today told the Rajya Sabha that the Government proposes to issue multipurpose national identity ...

NEW DELHI, June 3: Home Minister L K Advani today told the Rajya Sabha that the Government proposes to issue multipurpose national identity cards to all citizens of 14 years and above and denied that there was any construction activity going on at the disputed site at Ayodhya.

The multipurpose cards were proposed to be used for the purpose of issuing passports, driving licences, ration cards, health care, admission in educational institutions, employment in public/private sectors, life and general insurance as also for maintenance of land records and urban property holdings, Home Minister L K Advani said in a written reply.

The persons below 14 years were to be compulsorily registered under Registration of Births and Death Act 1969 and the names of such persons are proposed to be included in father’s/mother’s cards, he said. Separate coloured cards were proposed to be issued to non-citizens, the minister said.

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Regarding the controversy over the disputed site at Ayodhya, Advani said no constructionactivity was going on there. However, from various sources reports had been received that some cutting and carving of stone pillars were going on at places away from the disputed site and at some villages in Rajasthan, the minister said, adding carving of stones did not constitute violation of any law and status quo was being maintained at the site at Ayodhya.

He said there was no proposal under consideration by the government to delink the people who were charge-sheeted in the demolition of Babri Masjid from criminal charges.

Referring to the demand for Uttarkhand, Advani said a draft bill had been prepared providing for reorganisation of the existing state of Uttar Pradesh and creation of a new state of Uttaranchal.

Based on National Human Rights Commission reports, 244 people died in police custody in various states/union territories from January 1, 1997 to April 30, 1998, Advani said. Of these, a total of 14 deaths took place in Delhi, he added.

Power Bill tabled in LS with Jaya’ssupport

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The government today introduced the Electricity Regulatory Commissions Bill 1998 amid protests by the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and with the support of its ally AIADMK which had earlier opposed the Bill as anti-farmer. The government assured that the controversial provisions debarring supply of electricity at less than fifty per cent of the cost and the obligation to set up State Electricity Regulatory Commissions within three months will be deleted at the consideration stage.

After a heated exchange with some Opposition members challenging the legislative competence of the Lok Sabha to take up the Bill, Power Minister P R Kumaramangalam told the House that the government would bring forth two amendments at the consideration stage to remove sub section (1) of clause 17 and sub section (3) of clause 29. He, however, asserted that the Bill was within the legislative competence of the House and the amendments could be moved only at the consideration stage. The Bill’s introduction waspermitted with a voice vote while the objections of Basudeb Acharya, V Radhakrishana and Somnath Chatterjee, (all CPI-M), and several Congress members, including K Karunakaran and A C Jose was overruled.