Home minister P. Chidambaram’s visit to Pakistan is expected to set the tone for New Delhi’s engagement with Islamabad for the next four years of the UPA-II government.

Refuting the arguments of the Centre and the J&K government, the Army Chief, Gen. V.K. Singh, rallying behind the contentious Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, said the “AFSPA is a misunderstood act and all who ask for its dilution/withdrawal probably do so for narrow political gains”. He then added: “We (read Army) are clear in the subject that soldiers operating in hostile environments need legal protection to ensure that they perform their task efficiently.”

With the Centre deciding to make a fresh attempt for extradition of Warren Anderson in connection with the Bhopal gas tragedy, the CBI is now preparing to file a separate chargesheet against the former CEO of the Union Carbide Corporation (UCC).

As the government law officers get down to examine the 1996 Supreme Court judgment on dilution of the charges in the Bhopal gas tragedy case to file the curative petition, it has emerged from the verdict itself that the plant had many technical deficiencies from the very beginning and the company had even decided to shut down and dismantle it just before the 1984 disaster.

Gross discrepancies in figures have crept in between the actual numbers of gas victims and what has been recommended by the GoM for the Bhopal gas disaster.
Records show that a study of gas victims conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Bhopal, which was subsequently placed before the Supreme Court, show that over 5,00,000 residents belonging to 36 of the 56 municipal wards had been affected by the gas leak.

Pressure on China is likely to mount globally over its commitment to sell two nuclear reactors to Pakistan for its Chashma facility. The sale of these reactors may need support from the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) that is currently in session. According to indications, India may campaign at least subtly against this sale amongst the NSG member-countries.

In a bid to spread its influence among working class, the NCP will be setting up its trade union Rashtravadi Mazdoor focu-sing on the unorganised sector.
Party chief Sharad Pawar made the announcement saying such an organisation was needed to organise workers in the unorganised sector in the changed economic scenario.

The Union government is working towards creation of a recruitment board for Prasar Bharati. The need for the recruitment board arose after the broadcasting body came under criticism for ad hoc appointments.

The high fiscal deficit and the reluctance of the finance ministry to compensate oil companies by way of oil bonds made it necessary for the government to go in for a major reforms in the pricing of the petroleum products.

Rise in the fuel prices has set the tone for the Monsoon Session of Parliament next month. While the Congress allies in the Centre — Trinamul Congress, DMK,NCP and the National Conference — are failing to work as a pressure group on this sensitive issue and thus obliquely backing it, the role of Mandalite parties inside and outside Parliament will be interesting. They are unlikely to join the Opposition on it if one goes by their track record.