Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is believed to have asked the J&K Governor B K Nehru, and CM Farooq Abdullah to take effective steps to curb anti-national and secessionist forces in the state and improve the law and order situation. Nehru and Abdullah held separate meetings with Mrs Gandhi and discussed the latest political development in the state.
Film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Sivaji Ganesan, and Ben Kingsley, Mahatma Gandhi’s biographer, external affairs officials K Natwar Singh, secretary general of NAM and coordinator of CHOGM and chief of protocol M H Ansari, Punjabi journalist Sadhu Singh Hamdard and Marathi playwright Vijay Tendulkar are among the 69 winners of this year’s Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri awards.
The entire gamut of physical and financial control is proposed to be reviewed along with the issue of giving more powers to nationalised banks and term lending institutions by a high-level official committee headed by M Narasimham, who until recently was secretary, Economic Affairs, at the Centre. The setting up of the committee follows the recommendations made earlier by the Economic Advisory Council of the Prime Minister.
India and Bhutan pledged to strengthen their friendship and cooperate in Bhutan’s economic development. This was evident from speeches at the banquet President Zail Singh hosted in honour of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck of Bhutan.
