Modiversary: How some key ministers ensure job gets done
NEW DELHI: A fierce storm ripped power lines across the north on May 30, 2014 leaving large parts, including Delhi, in the dark. The collapsed network symbolized the fault lines in India's infrastructure story.
Coming less than a week of the NDA government taking office, the storm was a test of whether the new administration could live up to Narendra Modi's reputation for creating reliable services like he built as Gujarat CM.
The answer came in the form of power and coal minister Piyush Goyal, a first timer in the ministry, pulling an all-nighter to supervise restoration.
Spares were flown in to repair a substation in UP. Central agencies worked on repairing transformers in Delhi. Central and state officials were asked to prepare a master plan with standby supply lines and future demand scenario in mind.
Suddenly, the Centre-state boundary had melted. Micro-management by ministers and taking states on board, irrespective of political colour, is now the norm rather than exception for infrastructure ministries.
Goyal sat through the night monitoring repairs. Months later Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhanpersonally monitored ONGC's monthly production and rollout of PAHAL, the scheme to transfer cooking gas cash subsidy directly into consumers' bank accounts.
No Indian in ICC's World Cup XI led by McCullum
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DUBAI: Not a single Indian cricketer found a place in the ICC's World Cup XI which was dominated by runners-up New Zealand rather than champions Australia with Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum as its captain.
The ICC team features five New Zealanders, including McCullum, despite their seven-wicket loss to Australia in the summit clash on Sunday. India, the defending champions, had bowed out after a semifinal loss to Australia.
"McCullum was chosen as the captain following his aggressive, innovative and
inspirational
leadership during the 44-day tournament that was the cornerstone of his team's progression to the final where it lost to Australia by seven wickets," the ICC said in a statement.
McCullum also scored 328 runs in nine matches with four half-centuries at a strike-rate of 188.50.
The team was chosen by a select group of experts who were given the task of picking a balanced side on the basis of performances in the tournament. Statistics were used but were not the sole basis for selections.
In addition to McCullum, the side includes four New Zealanders -- Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Martin Guptill, Daniel Vettori -- three Australians in Glenn Maxwell, Steven Smith and Mitchell Starc, two South Africans (AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel), with Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara as wicketkeeper-batsman.
Saina Nehwal beats Ratchanok Intanon to win maiden India Open title
NEW DELHI: First Indian women shuttler to achieve world number one ranking, Saina Nehwal on Sunday clinched her maiden India Open Super Series title after notching up a dominating straight game victory against former world champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand in the summit clash here.
he London Olympic bronze medalist played like a champion to get the better off a Intanon 21-16, 21-14 in a battle that kept the crowd hooked from the first point to the last at the Siri Sports Complex.
Coming into the match with a 5-3 overall advantage over her rival, Saina was not tested much as the Indian was prepared for Intanon's deceptive game.
Saina encountered her rival with her better movements and powerful and accurate smashes to eventually wrest her second title of the season.
The girl from Hyderabad, who has been on a roll ever since her victory at the China Open, played like a champion as she anticipated her opponent's moves and caught her on the wrong foot during rallies.
Intanon, seeded third, seemed to be affected by her marathon semifinal match against Carolina Marin of Spain which lasted for close to an hour and half on Saturday.
The energy-sapping clash seemed to have made her movements slow on the court as she struggled with her returns.
old medal winner Saina Nehwal (R) and silver medalist Ratchanok Intanon pose after the women's singles final of India Open Badminton. (AP Photo)
The deafening cheers of the near-packed house crowd which chanted 'India India' and 'let's go Saina let's go', seemed to disrupt Intanon's concentration as nothing went for her in the match.
Saina used her powerful smashes and rode on her opponent's unforced errors to lead 11-5 early on. She was up for the deceptive drops and half smashes which Intanon used to trouble the Indian.
After the break, Intanon gave a glimpse of her superb game as she engaged in a long rally with the Indian and her wristy dribbles to narrow the gap to 10-12.
However, Saina didn't allow the Thai to threaten her as she anticipated well and retrieved everything that was thrown at her end. She closed the points with a smash whenever there was a chance.
Intanon had no answer to Saina's accurate and powerful strokes as she ended up sending them wide and long or at net to allow her opponent gain a massive nine game point advantage at 20-12.
Intanon saved four game points before Saina sealed the opening game when the Thai girl hit long.
The change of side didn't alter anything as Saina once again rushed to a 5-0 lead. Intanon gained a few points with her half smashes and deceptive strokes but the Indian still managed to zoom into the break with a 11-6 lead.
After the break, Intanon caught Saina a few times at the forecourt but those were few as Saina raced to a 17-11 lead.
Intanon reduced the gap to 18-14 but the Thai girl once again hit out twice to first give Saina the match point and then the title.
Saina won the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold in Lucknow in January, before becoming the first Indian women to reach the final of the All England Championships. She achieved her dream of becoming the world number one on Saturday after Carolina Marin lost in the semifinals.
Vajpayee to be conferred Bharat Ratna today
NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee will present the Bharat Ratna to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at his residence here on Friday, Rashtrapati Bhavan said on Wednesday.
The President will also confer the Bharat Ratna on Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya (posthumously) on March 30 at Rashtrapati Bhavan along with the Civil Investiture Ceremony for the Padma Awards, a statement said.
The honour for Gwalior-born Vajpayee, who was prime minister first in 1996 and then again from 1998 to 2004, came after years of demands from all sections of society, including political leaders irrespective of party affiliations.
Vajpayee will be the seventh prime minister to receive the award, after Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Morarji Desai, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Gulzarilal Nanda.
Bihar mass cheating: Lalu Prasad favours open-book system, gets BJP’s support
PATNA: In the wake of the mass cheating caught on camera in Bihar matriculation exams, former state chief minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad said had he been in power, he would have allowed examinees to refer text books and write the answers.
"Had it been my government we would have given books to examinees to write ... only those who have read could write answers from books and for those who have not exam duration of three hours would end and they would still be searching for answers," Prasad said addressing a function after inaugurating a new school in a remote village of Buxar district on Sunday.
The visuals of mass copying hit international headlines and drew nationwide condemnation.
Making fun of visuals showing parents climbing three- to four-storey building to supply chits to their wards, he said "it appeared as lizards are sticking on a wall."
"Open-book system in examination is prevalent in prominent universities in America and elsewhere in the world. It has the logic that only student who has read the book could trace the answer," Sushil Modi told reporters.
He, however, said its (use of book in exam) is a separate issue and could not be linked with rampant cheating in ongoing matriculation exam which drew wrath of the Patna high court too.
"While chief minister Nitish Kumar is trying to highlight glory of the state through function on the occasion of 'Bihar Divas', visuals of cheating in examination has piled shame on the state from across the world ... its enough to show the truth of 'sushasan' (good governance) in a short spell of one month of Kumar in office," Modi said.
Terrorists attack Army camp in Samba
JAMMU: Terror again struck Jammu on Saturday where militants opened fire at an Army camp on Jammu-Pathankot highway in Samba district.
The militants opened fired and lobbed grenades at an Army camp in Meshwara area of Samba around 5:50am, security officials said.
Entire area has been cordoned off by the Army and police and firing exchanges are going on, officials said.
One militant has been killed in the encounter, TV channels reported.
A civilian, who was passing by the area, fell off his cycle during the firing and was injured, Army said.
As per inputs received so far, two persons were possibly involved in the attack, defence PRO Lt Col Manish Mehta said Mehta said,
However, it was difficult to say whether they were from the same group which attacked a police station in Kathua on Friday, he said.
"At 5.45am, the terrorists had opened fire and let me tell you nobody has been injured. No soldier or civilian has been injured. The individual, who has been injured, had fallen off from his cycle during the firing. It is not a bullet or a splinter injury," Mehta told reporters.
"They (attackers) were not trying to enter any unit. They have fired from outside and now they have been cordoned outside the army area," he added.
Asked about the attack, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said, "Operation is on. I will comment after the operation is over. Let me get the information and I will come back to you.
Officials said the Jammu-Pathankot Highway has been closed for vehicular traffic as a precautionary measure.
Deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh told reporters that, "The first gunshots were heard at around 5:30am. One person was injured during the firing. As the state has been put on high alert following yesterday's attack, the militants could not launch a bigger attack on Samba".
"Security forces have been alerted and will prevent such attacks. Combing operation is underway," he said.
"The operation is going on. Army is competent to deal with any kind of situation and undertake any action," Union Minister Jitendra Singh said.
This is the second such terror attack in Jammu in as many days.
'Fidayeen' militants in army fatigues had stormed a police station in Jammu's Kathua yesterday, killing three security personnel and two civilians, and leaving 11 others including Deputy SP wounded.
Two militants were also killed in the gunbattle.
Solar Impulse takes off from Ahmedabad, expected to land at Varanasi at 9pm
AHMEDABAD: After a delay of over 1.5 hours, Solar Impulse 2 took-off for Varanasi at 7.18am from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International airport at Ahmedabad on Wednesday. On its journey to Varanasi, pilot Andre Borschberg will fly the zero-fuel airplane on about 1071km for an estimated time of 15 hours and reach around 9pm.
After a brief pit stop in Varanasi, Si2 will leave for Mandalay in Myanmar on Thursday.
The world's first solar-powered plane had landed in Ahmedabad from Muscat on March 10. Si2 was supposed to fly to Varanasi on Sunday morning but it was delayed by three days due to bad weather. Initially the delay was due to light rains in Ahmedabad and then fog concerns in northern parts of country delayed the flight till Wednesday.
FDI doubles to $4.48 billion in January, highest in 29 months
NEW DELHI: Foreign direct investment (FDI) in India more than doubled to USD 4.48 billion in January, the highest inflow in last 29 months.
In January 2014, the country had received USD 2.18 billion in FDI. It was in September 2012 that India had attracted FDIthat was worth USD 4.67 billion.
During the April-January period of the current fiscal, the foreign inflows have grown by 36 per cent, year-on-year, to USD 25.52 billion, according to data from Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).
Defamation case: Court orders Arvind Kejriwal to appear at 2pm
NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Tuesday took a strong view of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's absence in connection with a defamation case and directed him to appear before it at 2pm.
Court also directed deputy CM Manish Sisodia and AAP leader Yogendra Yadav to appear before it at 2pm, saying no reason was given for their absence.
Pulling up the AAP leaders for their absence, the court said Kejriwal, Sisodia and Yadav have no respect for the law.
Kejriwal, Sisodia and Yogendra Yadav had sought exemption from personal appearance for the day, citing lawyers' strike.
The trial court was scheduled to pronounce its order on the issue of framing of charges against them in the criminal defamation complaint.
The summons were issued on the complaint of advocate Surender Kumar Sharma under sections 499, 500 (defamation) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.
Sharma had alleged that in 2013 he was approached by volunteers of AAP who had asked him to contest Delhi assembly election on a party ticket saying Kejriwal was pleased with his social services.
He filled up the application form to contest the polls after being told by Sisodia and Yadav that AAP's Political Affairs Committee had decided to give him the ticket. However, it was later denied to him.
On October 14, 2013, the complainant claimed that articles in leading newspapers carried "defamatory, unlawful and derogatory words used by the accused persons" which have lowered his reputation in the Bar and the society. Metropolitan mjagistrate Muneesh Garg had earlier directed Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Yogendra Yadav, who were released on bail after they had appeared in the court on June 4 last year in pursuance to summons against them, to be present in person on Tuesday.
Leakgate: CBI summons senior RIL official
NEW DELHI: The CBI on Monday summoned a senior Reliance Industries official in the ongoing corporate espionage case.
Sources say that the RIL official has been called to reveal his links with the arrested Mumbai based CA Khem Chand Gandhi.
Earlier, the agency had summoned Rajendra Chitale of Mumbai based law firm Chitale & Associates.
Meanwhile, an upper division clerk from the commerce ministry was also arrested.
The clerk has been identified as Daljeet Singh.
According to reports, the accused was involved in leaking documents from the ministry to under-secretary Ashok Kumar Singh and chartered accountant Khem Chand Gandhi.
CBI is probing role of some big names among auditors, law firms, CA firms and consultancies for facilitating the leak of documents from different ministries. Sources said a few senior bureaucrats in the ministry of finance and commerce are under scanner for helping the companies obtain confidential documents, directly or through consultants. More companies could be raided soon, they said.
Sources said the representative of PwC under scanner was allegedly in touch with Mumbai-based chartered accountant Khem Chand Gandhi, who was arrested on Wednesday. The leaked documents related to foreign direct investment policies being considered by the government, said sources.
CBI sources said realty, banking, pharmaceutical and other companies were tapping government officials to know about FIPB (Foreign Investment Promotion Board) clearances, policy notes, proposals and approvals done at the level of secretaries and ministers.
5 dead, 40 injured in suicide attack on two churches in Pakistan's Lahore
LAHORE: At least five people were killed and 40 others injured when Taliban suicide attackers targeted two packed churches during mass on Sunday in Pakistan's biggest Christian neighbourhood in Lahore, the capital of Punjab.
The attackers targeted Roman Catholic Church and Christ Church in Youhanabad area during Sunday mass, causing stampede as panicked worshippers ran to save their lives.
At least five persons, including policeman, were killed in the blasts. About 40 people, including women and children, were injured in the blasts.
The injured were rushed to Lahore's General Hospital. Initial reports suggested that two suicide bombers carried out the attack, Dawn reported.
One young man, alleged to be involved in the attack, was beaten to death by the enraged mob which then set his body on fire. Two suspects have been arrested from the blast sites.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan splinter group Jamatul Ahrar claims responsibility for today's attack.
Youhanabad is Pakistan's biggest Christian locality, housing at least one million people.
The minority communities in Pakistan have long been the target of attacks by the extremist and militant groups.
In 2013, twin suicide attacks were carried out at the All Saint's Church in Peshawar's Kohati Gate area, killing 80 and wounding over 100 others.
Mumbai: Monorail operations disrupted due to power failure
MUMBAI: Eleven passengers, including the captain of a train, were evacuated from the monorail service that was stuck mid-section near Bhatki park station on Sunday morning.
The incident happened due to tripping of power from the main supply line.
A monorail official said, "The train, which had departed from Wadala to Chembur,got stuck due to power supply failure at around 8am."
The fire brigade was called and all the passengers were evacuated at around 9.50am."
The train services on the 8.8km corridor between Wadala and Chembur has been suspended as the power supply line is yet to be restored.
Monorail operations has been plagued by series of disruptions since it began operations in February 2014 due to technical failure of the rolling stock of the train or power supply problems.
Another Nirbhaya: 6-year-old brutally sexually assaulted in Ahmedabad
She did not wear revealing clothes. She was not out with her boyfriend at an ungodly hour. She did not board a bus. She is not 23. So when her illiterate mother asks us 'What did he see in my daughter to rape her?', Mirror has noanswer . She is only six. She was playing with her brothers outside her temporary shed, adjacent to the construction site where her father worked. Her family was happy to be living here because it was not always that her father, a daily wage labourer, got work. Since a commercial complex was coming up near Thaltej, her father was called to work every day.
The six-year-old is the only daughter in the family. Her older brother is seven. She has three brothers, the youngest being just five-months old. None of the kids go to school. They rarely have a full meal. "We hardly have any food. We go to bed hungry when my husband does not get majoori kaam. The school sounds good, but where is the money," her mother asks. And then, with tears welling up in her tired eyes, she asks a pointed question, "You all are learned people. Can you tell me why he did that to a child?"
WHERE IS YOUR ANGER, AHMEDABAD?
We will call her baby Nirbhaya, hoping the name shakes up the sleeping consciousness of our society, which even four days after the incident, has not bothered to make noise. On Friday, March 6, around 11.15 am, baby Nirbhaya came to her mother crying. Her frock was soaked in blood. "She was in terrible pain and would not stop crying. She pointed her fingers at the site's security guard who was standing a few feet away from us. She told me, 'he did it' and I understood," her mother told this newspaper. The illiterate mother called up her husband and they rushed the child to Sola Civil Hospital. By then even the cops had reached the spot. Later, in the night, the doctors referred her to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital and she was shifted there. Investigation revealed horrific details , the kind that we last heard when the Nirbhaya case was first reported.
'12 MM IRON ROD INSERTED INTO HER'
The security guard, 20-year-old Kaushal Chauhan, in an act of perversion, inserted a 12 mm-thick four and-a-half-fott rod into the girl. He claimed he was drunk. Kaushal is not voluble like Delhi rape accused Mukesh Singh. He is a regular boy with no criminal history, always helpful to his neighbours. He ran a panipuri laari, but took up the guard's job through a local agency after his business bombed. Ahmedabad police now has his confession. He has reportedly told them that he is the one who did it because he "just felt like doing it". According to the police, Kaushal took her to the basement of the under-construction complex and inserted the iron rod in her vagina.
TORN RECTUM, DAMAGE TO INTERNAL ORGANS
With third degree perennial tear, serious rectum and vaginal injuries, the damage to internal organs is beyond shocking. Her haemoglobin level has dropped to 3 due to acute blood loss. The doctors performed a three-hour operation on baby Nirbhaya. While they have tried to stitch her organs up, internal lacerations and serious harm to the genitalia has forced them to surgically open her intestine to let her pass urine and stool. A senior doctor confirmed to Mirror that even after surgery there are chances of her condition getting worse. "We fear rupturing. Her intestines have been surgically opened through the left side of her lower abdomen so that she can pass urine and stool."
'MY SON IS INNOCENT'
Kaushal's mother Sunitadevi says her son is innocent and is being framed. When told that he had confessed to his crime, she said, "It is not possible. This is a conspiracy." She also adds, "My son was drunk at that time. So, he has been framed." She does outrage about the assault on the child though, but in the same breath insists her son could have never done it. "It is very wrong, but my son has not done it." Kaushal's neighbours at Ajanta Ellora Housing Society in Thaltej vouch for his character. "He is a very straightforward guy who respects women," says a neighbour.
BLOOD COVERS 19 CM OF THE IRON ROD: FSL
But his confession and the bloodstained iron rod contradicts these claims. The cops sent the rod to the forensic science laboratory for examination. The FSL experts found blood stains till 19 cm of the road, suggesting that it was thrust with a lot of force into the girl. Baby Nirbhaya, who was battling for her life on Friday, is out of danger. But the pain makes it impossible for her to sleep for more than a few minutes. She wakes up with a jerk and lets out a scream as though she lived the nightmare again. This happens quite often throughout the day. When she sees her mother sitting next to her, trying to put her five-month-old brother to sleep, she feels better. A patient has been generous enough to give her mother a green dupatta, which she has tied on to the legs of two adjacent cots, to cradle her son. But nobody visits them. Even as a host of organisations celebrated Women's Day and Girl Safety Week, not a single non-governmental organisation has to come to the aid of Baby Nirbhaya or her mother since Friday. Ironically, Gujarat has the highest number of NGOs registered in the country. And, not to forget, Ahmedabad is perceived as one of the safest cities in the country for women. Baby Nirbhaya's alcoholic father, too, was banned from the hospital premises after he entered the ward in an inebriated state and abused the staff. "I need help, but don't give me any money. I will be forced to give it away to my husband," she pleads.
DOCS LOOKING AFTER MOTHER, KIDS
An efficient and a caring team of doctors is all Baby Nirbhaya and her mother has. Dr Rakesh Joshi, head of paediatric surgery, assistant professors Dr Mitesh Bachani and Dr Amrita Patel, assistant professor and gynaecology department's head of the unit Dr Tejas Patel are the ones looking after them. They are the ones going out of the way to ensure the mother and her children don't go without food. The victim's brothers have found playmates here. And now they even get to drink milk at the hospital, a luxury which they could not afford at home. "She has no home as such. A protective sigmoid colostomy has been performed on her. Even if she leaves the hospital after three weeks, we are scared that she may develop infection. She will need a closure colostomy to ensure natural urine flow after two months," said a doctor. There are injuries near her ovary which are likely to manifest as Baby Nirbhaya grows up. But what damage it can cause, the doctors cannot say at this point of time.
'I ONLY WANT HER TO GET WELL SOON'
Civil Hospital 's medical superintendent Dr M M Prabhakar who has ensured that Baby Nirbhaya gets the best treatment told Mirror that State Women Commision has also approached the hospital and offered help. Meanwhile, punishment for the accused is not even on the mind of Baby Nirbhaya's mother. "I do not know what the punishment is for such a crime and I am not even thinking about it right now. I thought such things happened only to older women. My girl is just six. I only want her to get well soon." "The statement of the victim's mother was taken in the presence of Mahila Sangathan. Kaushal is the only accused in the case. So, we have arrested him," said A division officer B Z Patel.
NOTABLE
QUOTES
Meanwhile, NGOs that had crusaded against the Delhi rape, seem to be reeling under compassion fatigue, already. Asked why no protest rallies for this brutal rape case, some of them had standard, pre-rehearsed, heard-this-before kind of responses...as if rapes are so common in Indian society that one could only do so much about it.
AWAG recently took out a rally along with 10 other NGOs to protest against rapes taking place across India. So, we are not conducting any other rally to protest against this particular case. We have written applications to various govt authorities to ban TV and print ads that objectify women. - SARABEN BALDIWALA, Ahmedabad Women's Action Group (AWAG)
After this brutal case of rape, we are forming a group of activists to work on spreading awareness among people. Bringing about change in mindsets is required which is possible by discussing the cause of rapes in the country. - GAUTAM THAKER, General Secretary of People's Union for Civil Liberties, Gujarat
We had conducted a protest rally at Lal Darwaza to spread awareness about the abuse against women. Moreover, the accused has been arrested. We have submitted an application to police chief to stop allowing cheap plays at Town Hall. - MEENAKSHI JOSHI, All India Mahila Sanskrutik Sangh
Government plans radical changes in EPF law
NEW DELHI: The government is looking at sweeping changes to the law governing Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and has suggested doing away with the mandatory 12% contribution by employees in certain cases, while retaining the outgo for employers.
At the same time, the labour ministry is expanding the scope of wages beyond the basic salary to include all allowances, including those paid for authorized leave, strikes and layoffs or other allowances that are paid at intervals not exceeding two months. The move proposed in the draft legislation, circulated internally, was proposed a couple of years ago as well but had to be dropped after industry chambers protested against it, citing higher salary burden on companies.
The Centre is now trying to reintroduce the proposal, which will result in higher transfer to the provident fund but will reduce the take home salary. This can be tackled by allowing employees in certain industry segments or companies — to be notified by the government — to make lower contribution.
The draft legislation also seeks to increase the coverage of EPF to companies that employ less than 20 employees, again a proposal that has been discussed in the past.
Algebra exam: 3 teachers arrested for solving SSC paper
AURANGABAD:
Three high school teachers and one lab assistant were arrested from a
school in Kannad taluka on Tuesday morning after they were allegedly
caught solving the Algebra paper about 20 minutes before the exam had
started.
Acting on a tip off, a Kannad police squad reached New
High School in Kannad, about 60km from Aurangabad, at 10.40am and found
the three teachers and the lab assistant busy solving the SSC algebra
paper in the headmaster's cabin. The examination was scheduled to begin
at 11 am. One teacher, who allegedly took the paper out of the pile of
question papers before it was distributed among students, is absconding.
Coming less than a week of the NDA government taking office, the storm was a test of whether the new administration could live up to Narendra Modi's reputation for creating reliable services like he built as Gujarat CM.
Goyal sat through the night monitoring repairs. Months later Oil minister Dharmendra Pradhanpersonally monitored ONGC's monthly production and rollout of PAHAL, the scheme to transfer cooking gas cash subsidy directly into consumers' bank accounts.
The ICC team features five New Zealanders, including McCullum, despite their seven-wicket loss to Australia in the summit clash on Sunday. India, the defending champions, had bowed out after a semifinal loss to Australia.
"McCullum was chosen as the captain following his aggressive, innovative and
inspirational
leadership during the 44-day tournament that was the cornerstone of his team's progression to the final where it lost to Australia by seven wickets," the ICC said in a statement.McCullum also scored 328 runs in nine matches with four half-centuries at a strike-rate of 188.50.
The team was chosen by a select group of experts who were given the task of picking a balanced side on the basis of performances in the tournament. Statistics were used but were not the sole basis for selections.
In addition to McCullum, the side includes four New Zealanders -- Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Martin Guptill, Daniel Vettori -- three Australians in Glenn Maxwell, Steven Smith and Mitchell Starc, two South Africans (AB de Villiers and Morne Morkel), with Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara as wicketkeeper-batsman.
Saina encountered her rival with her better movements and powerful and accurate smashes to eventually wrest her second title of the season.
The girl from Hyderabad, who has been on a roll ever since her victory at the China Open, played like a champion as she anticipated her opponent's moves and caught her on the wrong foot during rallies.
Intanon, seeded third, seemed to be affected by her marathon semifinal match against Carolina Marin of Spain which lasted for close to an hour and half on Saturday.
The energy-sapping clash seemed to have made her movements slow on the court as she struggled with her returns.
The deafening cheers of the near-packed house crowd which chanted 'India India' and 'let's go Saina let's go', seemed to disrupt Intanon's concentration as nothing went for her in the match.
Saina used her powerful smashes and rode on her opponent's unforced errors to lead 11-5 early on. She was up for the deceptive drops and half smashes which Intanon used to trouble the Indian.
After the break, Intanon gave a glimpse of her superb game as she engaged in a long rally with the Indian and her wristy dribbles to narrow the gap to 10-12.
However, Saina didn't allow the Thai to threaten her as she anticipated well and retrieved everything that was thrown at her end. She closed the points with a smash whenever there was a chance.
Intanon had no answer to Saina's accurate and powerful strokes as she ended up sending them wide and long or at net to allow her opponent gain a massive nine game point advantage at 20-12.
Intanon saved four game points before Saina sealed the opening game when the Thai girl hit long.
The change of side didn't alter anything as Saina once again rushed to a 5-0 lead. Intanon gained a few points with her half smashes and deceptive strokes but the Indian still managed to zoom into the break with a 11-6 lead.
After the break, Intanon caught Saina a few times at the forecourt but those were few as Saina raced to a 17-11 lead.
Intanon reduced the gap to 18-14 but the Thai girl once again hit out twice to first give Saina the match point and then the title.
Saina won the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold in Lucknow in January, before becoming the first Indian women to reach the final of the All England Championships. She achieved her dream of becoming the world number one on Saturday after Carolina Marin lost in the semifinals.
The President will also confer the Bharat Ratna on Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya (posthumously) on March 30 at Rashtrapati Bhavan along with the Civil Investiture Ceremony for the Padma Awards, a statement said.
The honour for Gwalior-born Vajpayee, who was prime minister first in 1996 and then again from 1998 to 2004, came after years of demands from all sections of society, including political leaders irrespective of party affiliations.
Vajpayee will be the seventh prime minister to receive the award, after Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Morarji Desai, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Gulzarilal Nanda.
"Had it been my government we would have given books to examinees to write ... only those who have read could write answers from books and for those who have not exam duration of three hours would end and they would still be searching for answers," Prasad said addressing a function after inaugurating a new school in a remote village of Buxar district on Sunday.
The visuals of mass copying hit international headlines and drew nationwide condemnation.
Making fun of visuals showing parents climbing three- to four-storey building to supply chits to their wards, he said "it appeared as lizards are sticking on a wall."
He, however, said its (use of book in exam) is a separate issue and could not be linked with rampant cheating in ongoing matriculation exam which drew wrath of the Patna high court too.
"While chief minister Nitish Kumar is trying to highlight glory of the state through function on the occasion of 'Bihar Divas', visuals of cheating in examination has piled shame on the state from across the world ... its enough to show the truth of 'sushasan' (good governance) in a short spell of one month of Kumar in office," Modi said.
The militants opened fired and lobbed grenades at an Army camp in Meshwara area of Samba around 5:50am, security officials said.
Entire area has been cordoned off by the Army and police and firing exchanges are going on, officials said.
One militant has been killed in the encounter, TV channels reported.
As per inputs received so far, two persons were possibly involved in the attack, defence PRO Lt Col Manish Mehta said Mehta said,
"At 5.45am, the terrorists had opened fire and let me tell you nobody has been injured. No soldier or civilian has been injured. The individual, who has been injured, had fallen off from his cycle during the firing. It is not a bullet or a splinter injury," Mehta told reporters.
"They (attackers) were not trying to enter any unit. They have fired from outside and now they have been cordoned outside the army area," he added.
Asked about the attack, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said, "Operation is on. I will comment after the operation is over. Let me get the information and I will come back to you.
Officials said the Jammu-Pathankot Highway has been closed for vehicular traffic as a precautionary measure.
Deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh told reporters that, "The first gunshots were heard at around 5:30am. One person was injured during the firing. As the state has been put on high alert following yesterday's attack, the militants could not launch a bigger attack on Samba".
"Security forces have been alerted and will prevent such attacks. Combing operation is underway," he said.
"The operation is going on. Army is competent to deal with any kind of situation and undertake any action," Union Minister Jitendra Singh said.
This is the second such terror attack in Jammu in as many days.
'Fidayeen' militants in army fatigues had stormed a police station in Jammu's Kathua yesterday, killing three security personnel and two civilians, and leaving 11 others including Deputy SP wounded.
Two militants were also killed in the gunbattle.
After a brief pit stop in Varanasi, Si2 will leave for Mandalay in Myanmar on Thursday.
The world's first solar-powered plane had landed in Ahmedabad from Muscat on March 10. Si2 was supposed to fly to Varanasi on Sunday morning but it was delayed by three days due to bad weather. Initially the delay was due to light rains in Ahmedabad and then fog concerns in northern parts of country delayed the flight till Wednesday.
Pulling up the AAP leaders for their absence, the court said Kejriwal, Sisodia and Yadav have no respect for the law.
Kejriwal, Sisodia and Yogendra Yadav had sought exemption from personal appearance for the day, citing lawyers' strike.
The trial court was scheduled to pronounce its order on the issue of framing of charges against them in the criminal defamation complaint.
The summons were issued on the complaint of advocate Surender Kumar Sharma under sections 499, 500 (defamation) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.
Sharma had alleged that in 2013 he was approached by volunteers of AAP who had asked him to contest Delhi assembly election on a party ticket saying Kejriwal was pleased with his social services.
He filled up the application form to contest the polls after being told by Sisodia and Yadav that AAP's Political Affairs Committee had decided to give him the ticket. However, it was later denied to him.
On October 14, 2013, the complainant claimed that articles in leading newspapers carried "defamatory, unlawful and derogatory words used by the accused persons" which have lowered his reputation in the Bar and the society. Metropolitan mjagistrate Muneesh Garg had earlier directed Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Yogendra Yadav, who were released on bail after they had appeared in the court on June 4 last year in pursuance to summons against them, to be present in person on Tuesday.
Earlier, the agency had summoned Rajendra Chitale of Mumbai based law firm Chitale & Associates.
Meanwhile, an upper division clerk from the commerce ministry was also arrested.
The clerk has been identified as Daljeet Singh.
According to reports, the accused was involved in leaking documents from the ministry to under-secretary Ashok Kumar Singh and chartered accountant Khem Chand Gandhi.
CBI sources said realty, banking, pharmaceutical and other companies were tapping government officials to know about FIPB (Foreign Investment Promotion Board) clearances, policy notes, proposals and approvals done at the level of secretaries and ministers.
5 dead, 40 injured in suicide attack on two churches in Pakistan's Lahore
The attackers targeted Roman Catholic Church and Christ Church in Youhanabad area during Sunday mass, causing stampede as panicked worshippers ran to save their lives.
At least five persons, including policeman, were killed in the blasts. About 40 people, including women and children, were injured in the blasts.
The injured were rushed to Lahore's General Hospital. Initial reports suggested that two suicide bombers carried out the attack, Dawn reported.
One young man, alleged to be involved in the attack, was beaten to death by the enraged mob which then set his body on fire. Two suspects have been arrested from the blast sites.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan splinter group Jamatul Ahrar claims responsibility for today's attack.
Youhanabad is Pakistan's biggest Christian locality, housing at least one million people.
The minority communities in Pakistan have long been the target of attacks by the extremist and militant groups.
In 2013, twin suicide attacks were carried out at the All Saint's Church in Peshawar's Kohati Gate area, killing 80 and wounding over 100 others.
Mumbai: Monorail operations disrupted due to power failure
The incident happened due to tripping of power from the main supply line.
A monorail official said, "The train, which had departed from Wadala to Chembur,got stuck due to power supply failure at around 8am."
The fire brigade was called and all the passengers were evacuated at around 9.50am."
The train services on the 8.8km corridor between Wadala and Chembur has been suspended as the power supply line is yet to be restored.
Monorail operations has been plagued by series of disruptions since it began operations in February 2014 due to technical failure of the rolling
WHERE IS YOUR ANGER, AHMEDABAD?
We will call her baby Nirbhaya, hoping the name shakes up the sleeping consciousness of our society, which even four
'12 MM IRON ROD INSERTED INTO HER'
The security guard, 20-year-old Kaushal Chauhan, in an act of perversion, inserted a 12 mm-thick four and-a-half-fott rod into the girl. He claimed he was drunk. Kaushal is not voluble like Delhi rape accused Mukesh Singh. He is a regular boy with no criminal history, always helpful to his neighbours. He ran a panipuri laari, but took up the guard's job through a local agency after his business bombed. Ahmedabad police now has his confession. He has reportedly told them that he is the one who did it because he "just felt like doing it". According to the police, Kaushal took her to the basement of the under-construction complex and inserted the iron rod in her vagina.
TORN RECTUM, DAMAGE TO INTERNAL ORGANS
With third degree perennial tear, serious rectum and vaginal injuries, the damage to internal organs is beyond shocking. Her haemoglobin level has dropped to 3 due to acute blood loss. The doctors performed a three-hour operation on baby Nirbhaya. While they have tried to stitch her organs up, internal lacerations and serious harm to the genitalia has forced them to surgically open her intestine to let her pass urine and stool. A senior doctor confirmed to Mirror that even after surgery there are chances of her condition getting worse. "We fear rupturing. Her intestines have been surgically opened through the
'MY SON IS INNOCENT'
Kaushal's mother Sunitadevi says her son is innocent and is being framed. When told that he had confessed to his crime, she said, "It is not possible. This is a conspiracy." She also adds, "My son was drunk at that time. So, he has been framed." She does outrage about the assault on the child though, but in the same breath insists her son could have never done it. "It is very wrong, but my son has not done it." Kaushal's neighbours at Ajanta Ellora Housing Society in Thaltej vouch for his character. "He is a very straightforward guy who respects women," says a neighbour.
BLOOD COVERS 19 CM OF THE IRON ROD: FSL
But his confession and the bloodstained iron rod contradicts these claims. The cops sent the rod to the forensic science laboratory for examination. The FSL experts found blood stains till 19 cm of the road, suggesting that it was thrust with a lot of force into the girl. Baby Nirbhaya, who was battling for her life on Friday, is out of danger. But the pain makes it impossible for her to sleep for more than a few minutes. She wakes up with a jerk and lets out a scream as though she lived the nightmare again. This happens quite often throughout the day. When she sees her mother sitting next to her, trying to put her five-month-old brother to sleep, she feels better. A patient has been generous enough to give her mother a green dupatta, which she has tied on to the legs of two adjacent cots, to cradle her son. But nobody visits them. Even as a host of organisations celebrated Women's Day and Girl Safety Week, not a single non-governmental organisation has to come to the aid of Baby Nirbhaya or her mother since Friday. Ironically, Gujarat has the highest number of NGOs registered in the country. And, not to forget, Ahmedabad is perceived as one of the safest cities in the country for women. Baby Nirbhaya's alcoholic father, too, was banned from the hospital premises after he entered the ward in an inebriated state and abused the staff. "I need help, but don't give me any money. I will be forced to give it away to my husband," she pleads.
DOCS LOOKING AFTER MOTHER, KIDS
An efficient and a caring team of doctors is all Baby Nirbhaya and her mother has. Dr Rakesh Joshi, head of paediatric surgery, assistant professors Dr Mitesh Bachani and Dr Amrita Patel, assistant professor and gynaecology department's head of the unit Dr Tejas Patel are the ones looking after them. They are the ones going out of the way to ensure the mother and her children don't go without food. The victim's brothers have found playmates here. And now they even get to drink milk at the hospital, a luxury which they could not afford at home. "She has no home as such. A protective sigmoid colostomy has been performed on her. Even if she leaves the hospital after three weeks, we are scared that she may develop infection. She will need a closure colostomy to ensure natural urine flow after two months," said a doctor. There are injuries near her ovary which are likely to manifest as Baby Nirbhaya grows up. But what damage it can cause, the doctors cannot say at this point of time.
'I ONLY WANT HER TO GET WELL SOON'
Civil Hospital 's medical superintendent Dr M M Prabhakar who has ensured that Baby Nirbhaya gets the best treatment told Mirror that State Women Commision has also approached the hospital and offered help. Meanwhile, punishment for the accused is not even on the mind of Baby Nirbhaya's mother. "I do not know what the punishment is for such a crime and I am not even thinking about it right now. I thought such things happened only to older women. My girl is just six. I only want her to get well soon." "The statement of the victim's mother was taken in the presence of Mahila Sangathan. Kaushal is the only accused in the case. So, we have arrested him," said A division officer B Z Patel.
NOTABLE
QUOTES
Meanwhile, NGOs that had crusaded against the Delhi rape, seem to be reeling under compassion fatigue, already. Asked why no protest rallies for this brutal rape case, some of them had standard, pre-rehearsed, heard-this-before kind of responses...as if rapes are so common in Indian society that one could only do so much about it.
AWAG recently took out a rally along with 10 other NGOs to protest against rapes taking place across India. So, we are not conducting any other rally to protest against this particular case. We have written applications to various govt authorities to ban TV and print ads that objectify women. - SARABEN BALDIWALA, Ahmedabad Women's Action Group (AWAG)
After this brutal case of rape, we are forming a group of activists to work on spreading awareness among people. Bringing about change in mindsets is required which is possible by discussing the cause of rapes in the country. - GAUTAM THAKER, General Secretary of People's Union for Civil Liberties, Gujarat
We had conducted a protest rally at Lal Darwaza to spread awareness about the abuse against women. Moreover, the accused has been arrested. We have submitted an application to police chief to stop allowing cheap plays at Town Hall. - MEENAKSHI JOSHI, All India Mahila Sanskrutik Sangh
At the same time, the labour ministry is expanding the scope of wages beyond the basic salary to include all allowances, including those paid for authorized leave, strikes and layoffs or other allowances that are paid at intervals not exceeding two months. The move proposed in the draft legislation, circulated internally, was proposed a couple of years ago as well but had to be dropped after industry chambers protested against it, citing higher salary burden on companies.
The Centre is now trying to reintroduce the proposal, which will result in higher transfer to the provident fund but will reduce the take home salary. This can be tackled by allowing employees in certain industry segments or companies — to be notified by the government — to make lower contribution.
Acting on a tip off, a Kannad police squad reached New High School in Kannad, about 60km from Aurangabad, at 10.40am and found the three teachers and the lab assistant busy solving the SSC algebra paper in the headmaster's cabin. The examination was scheduled to begin at 11 am. One teacher, who allegedly took the paper out of the pile of question papers before it was distributed among students, is absconding.
Justice Markandey Katju: Gandhi a British agent
NEW DELHI: Known for his penchant for stirring controversies, former chairman of Press Club of India, Justice Markandey Katju has called Mahatma Gandhi 'a British agent who did great harm to India'.
His blog, posted on his
This is what Justice Katju wrote in his blog titled - 'Gandhi—A British Agent'.
Blog-
This post is bound to draw a lot of flak at me, but that does not matter as I am not a popularity seeker I have often said things knowing that initially that will make me very unpopular, and I will be vilified and denounced by many. Nevertheless I say such things as I believe they must be said in my country's interest. I submit that Gandhi was objectively a British agent who did great harm to India."
"These are my reasons for saying this: 1. India has tremendous diversity, so many religions, castes, races, languages, etc ( see my article ' What is India ?' on my blog justicekatju.blogspot.in ).
Realizing this the British policy was of divide and rule ( seeonline ' History in the Service of Imperialism ' , which is a speech delivered by Prof. B.N. Pande in the Rajya Sabha ).
By constantly injecting religion into politics continuously for several decades, Gandhi furthered the British policy of divide and rule.
If we read Gandhi's public speeches and writings ( e.g. in his newspapers 'Young India', ' Harijan ', etc ) we find that ever since Gandhi came to India from South Africa in 1915 or so till his death in 1948, in almost every speech or article he would emphasize Hindu religious ideas e.g. Ramrajya, Go Raksha ( cow protection ), brahmacharya ( celibacy ), varnashram dharma ( caste system ), etc ( see Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi ).
Thus Gandhi wrote in ' Young India ' on 10.6.1921 " I am a Sanatani Hindu. I believe in the varnashram dharma. I believe in protection of the cow ". In his public meetings the Hindu bhajan ' Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram ' would be loudly sung.
Now Indians are a religious people, and they were even more religious in the first half of the 20th century. A sadhu or swamiji may preach such ideas to his followers in his ashram, but when they are preached day in and day out by a political leader, what effect will these speeches and writings have on an orthodoxMuslim mind ? It would surely drive him towards a Muslim organization like the Muslim League, and so it did. Was this not serving the British policy of divide and rule ? By constantly injecting religion into politics for several decades, was Gandhi not objectively acting as a British agent ?
2. In India a revolutionary movement against British rule had started in the early 20th century under the Anushilan Samiti, Jugantar, and revolutionaries like Surya Sen, Ramprasad Bismil ( who wrote the song ' Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamare dil mein hai ), Chandrashekhar Azad, Ashfaqulla, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, etc ( who were all hanged by the British ). Gandhi successfully diverted the freedom struggle from this revolutionary direction to a harmless nonsensical channel called Satyagrah. This also served British interests.
3. Gandhi's economic ideas were thoroughly reactionary. He advocated self sufficient village communities, though everybody knows that these communities were totally casteist and in the grip of landlords and money lenders..Gandhi was against industrialization, and preached handspinning by charkha and other such reactionary nonsense. Similarly, his ' trusteeship ' theory was all nonsense, and an act of deceiving the people
Some people praise Gandhi's bravery in going to Noakhali, etc to douse the communal violence at the time of Partition. But the question is why did he help setting the house on fire in the first place by preaching religious ideas in public political meetings for several decades, which were bound to divide the Indian people on religious lines? First you set the house on fire, and then you do the drama of trying to douse the flames.
His blog, posted on his
Facebook
page was shared by more than 1,300 people by the time this report was being filed.This is what Justice Katju wrote in his blog titled - 'Gandhi—A British Agent'.
Blog-
This post is bound to draw a lot of flak at me, but that does not matter as I am not a popularity seeker I have often said things knowing that initially that will make me very unpopular, and I will be vilified and denounced by many. Nevertheless I say such things as I believe they must be said in my country's interest. I submit that Gandhi was objectively a British agent who did great harm to India."
"These are my reasons for saying this: 1. India has tremendous diversity, so many religions, castes, races, languages, etc ( see my article ' What is India ?' on my blog justicekatju.blogspot.in ).
Realizing this the British policy was of divide and rule ( see
By constantly injecting religion into politics continuously for several decades, Gandhi furthered the British policy of divide and rule.
If we read Gandhi's public speeches and writings ( e.g. in his newspapers 'Young India', ' Harijan ', etc ) we find that ever since Gandhi came to India from South Africa in 1915 or so till his death in 1948, in almost every speech or article he would emphasize Hindu religious ideas e.g. Ramrajya, Go Raksha ( cow protection ), brahmacharya ( celibacy ), varnashram dharma ( caste system ), etc ( see Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi ).
Thus Gandhi wrote in ' Young India ' on 10.6.1921 " I am a Sanatani Hindu. I believe in the varnashram dharma. I believe in protection of the cow ". In his public meetings the Hindu bhajan ' Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram ' would be loudly sung.
Now Indians are a religious people, and they were even more religious in the first half of the 20th century. A sadhu or swamiji may preach such ideas to his followers in his ashram, but when they are preached day in and day out by a political leader, what effect will these speeches and writings have on an orthodox
2. In India a revolutionary movement against British rule had started in the early 20th century under the Anushilan Samiti, Jugantar, and revolutionaries like Surya Sen, Ramprasad Bismil ( who wrote the song ' Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamare dil mein hai ), Chandrashekhar Azad, Ashfaqulla, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, etc ( who were all hanged by the British ). Gandhi successfully diverted the freedom struggle from this revolutionary direction to a harmless nonsensical channel called Satyagrah. This also served British interests.
3. Gandhi's economic ideas were thoroughly reactionary. He advocated self sufficient village communities, though everybody knows that these communities were totally casteist and in the grip of landlords and money lenders..Gandhi was against industrialization, and preached handspinning by charkha and other such reactionary nonsense. Similarly, his ' trusteeship ' theory was all nonsense, and an act of deceiving the people
Some people praise Gandhi's bravery in going to Noakhali, etc to douse the communal violence at the time of Partition. But the question is why did he help setting the house on fire in the first place by preaching religious ideas in public political meetings for several decades, which were bound to divide the Indian people on religious lines? First you set the house on fire, and then you do the drama of trying to douse the flames.
Shanti, Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav were working towards party's defeat in Delhi: Top AAP leaders
NEW DELHI: Senior AAP leaders in a statement on Tuesday said that Yogendra Yadav, Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan were working for the party's defeat during Delhi elections.
The statement has been issued jointly by AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Gopal Rai, Pankaj Gupta and Sri Sanjay Singh.
In the statement, they clarified that the March 4 national executive (NE) had decided to release Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav from the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) and assign them new responsibilities.
"While all workers were struggling to ensure the party's victory, the trio - Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav and Shanti Bhushan - were making all out efforts for the party's defeat," the joint statement said.
"The PAC did not publicize the reasons behind the move as it could affect the senior duo's reputation... But the manner in which an atmosphere has been created that the NE was undemocratic and irresponsible, and the questions raised in the minds of the AAP activists, we are compelled to give this explanation," the statement added.
Citing examples of the same, the statement mentioned that Prashant Bhushan called AAP leaders of otherstates during the Delhi election and tried to convince them not to campaign in Delhi.
"I won't campaign, you shouldn't either...Arvind needs to be taught a lesson," Bhushan said, according to AAP leaders' statement.
The statement has been issued jointly by AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Gopal Rai, Pankaj Gupta and Sri Sanjay Singh.
In the statement, they clarified that the March 4 national executive (NE) had decided to release Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav from the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) and assign them new responsibilities.
"While all workers were struggling to ensure the party's victory, the trio - Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav and Shanti Bhushan - were making all out efforts for the party's defeat," the joint statement said.
"The PAC did not publicize the reasons behind the move as it could affect the senior duo's reputation... But the manner in which an atmosphere has been created that the NE was undemocratic and irresponsible, and the questions raised in the minds of the AAP activists, we are compelled to give this explanation," the statement added.
Citing examples of the same, the statement mentioned that Prashant Bhushan called AAP leaders of other
"I won't campaign, you shouldn't either...Arvind needs to be taught a lesson," Bhushan said, according to AAP leaders' statement.
Centre was not informed by state on decision to release Masarat Alam, Modi says in Parliament
NEW DELHI: Responding to the opposition charges in Parliament, home minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said the Centre had sought report from the J&K government on the controversial release of hardline separatist Masarat Alam from jail.
Making a statement in the Lok Sabha, Rajnath Singh said national security and safety will not be compromised and assured the House that the Union government had also taken the matter seriously and further clarification had been sought from the state government.
"We will ensure strong advisory is sent out to the state government if the clarification isn't satisfactory," he added.
Prime Minister Modi also made a statement in the House on the issue. "I am in sync with the outrage that is being asserted in the nation and the Parliament," Modi said.
Modi said the Centre was not consulted by the J&K government on the decision to release Masarat Alam. "Whatever action is being taken in J&K is being taken without consulting coalition partner or with central government," he said.
The Prime Minister conceded the Centre had to take some blame since it was in coalition in Jammu & Kashmir. But he assured the House that no step which undermined unity of the country would be tolerated. "Do not teach us patriotism," PM Narendra Modi told the opposition.
"We have asked for a clarification on the Masrat Alam issue, when it comes we will inform you," the Prime Minister said.
Making a statement in the Lok Sabha, Rajnath Singh said national security and safety will not be compromised and assured the House that the Union government had also taken the matter seriously and further clarification had been sought from the state government.
"We will ensure strong advisory is sent out to the state government if the clarification isn't satisfactory," he added.
Prime Minister Modi also made a statement in the House on the issue. "I am in sync with the outrage that is being asserted in the nation and the Parliament," Modi said.
Modi said the Centre was not consulted by the J&K government on the decision to release Masarat Alam. "Whatever action is being taken in J&K is being taken without consulting coalition partner or with central government," he said.
The Prime Minister conceded the Centre had to take some blame since it was in coalition in Jammu & Kashmir. But he assured the House that no step which undermined unity of the country would be tolerated. "Do not teach us patriotism," PM Narendra Modi told the opposition.
"We have asked for a clarification on the Masrat Alam issue, when it comes we will inform you," the Prime Minister said.
Bengaluru techie waylaid, killed in Sydney
BENGALURU: A 41-year-old Bengaluru woman was stabbed to death in Sydney, Australia even as she was talking to her husband here on phone on Saturday night.
"Please don't hurt me. Take whatever you want. But please spare me," Prabha Arun Kumar, IT consultant with Mindtree, was heard telling her attacker over phone. Arun Kumar helplessly listened as his wife pleaded with her killer.Seconds earlier, Prabha told Arun that there was a 'huge person around her'. "Then he couldn't talk to her but could only hear her screams: 'please don't hurt me, take whatever you want, please don't hurt me'. She then told my uncle in Kannada that she has been stabbed and the call got disconnected," Prabha's nephew told the TOI.
The woman was walking through Parramatta Park, hardly 300 meters away from her Westmead home, when the killer accosted her.
"Police are investigating after a woman was fatally injured in Westmead overnight. About 9.30pm (Saturday 7 March 2015), emergency services were called to a public walkway near Amos Street, following reports that a woman had been attacked. Police from Parramatta Local Area Command located a woman — believed to be aged in her early 40s - suffering a serious wound. She was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance Paramedics before being taken to Westmead Hospital, where she later died," read an official statement from New South Wales police department.
The statement also added that State Crime Command's Homicide Squad is assisting Parramatta detectives.
Prabha had gone to Sydney on project with Mindtree three years ago and was due to return to home on April this year. Around 9.30pm Sydney time (4pm IST), Prabha called her husband, as usual, said nephew Thrijesh Jayachandra.
Prabha, a BE (Computer Science) graduate from Sullia, Dakshina Kannad a district, worked as a senior technical analyst, sources said. She married G Arun Kumar, who owns a software firm in the city, 11 years ago.
The couple's nine-year-old daughter Meghana studies in class V in a Bengaluru school. The family resided at Basaveshwara Nagar, west Bengaluru.
Arun Kumarleft for Sydney around 12.40am on Saturday night.
"It is extremely unfortunate and shocking. Our prayers are with the family of the deceased. We are working with the officials of both the countries to help the family to bring the body back to India. We are providing all the necessary support to authorities investigating the case," Mindtree said in Bengaluru.
"Please don't hurt me. Take whatever you want. But please spare me," Prabha Arun Kumar, IT consultant with Mindtree, was heard telling her attacker over phone. Arun Kumar helplessly listened as his wife pleaded with her killer.
The woman was walking through Parramatta Park, hardly 300 meters away from her Westmead home, when the killer accosted her.
"Police are investigating after a woman was fatally injured in Westmead overnight. About 9.30pm (Saturday 7 March 2015), emergency services were called to a public walkway near Amos Street, following reports that a woman had been attacked. Police from Parramatta Local Area Command located a woman — believed to be aged in her early 40s - suffering a serious wound. She was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance Paramedics before being taken to Westmead Hospital, where she later died," read an official statement from New South Wales police department.
The statement also added that State Crime Command's Homicide Squad is assisting Parramatta detectives.
Prabha had gone to Sydney on project with Mindtree three years ago and was due to return to home on April this year. Around 9.30pm Sydney time (4pm IST), Prabha called her husband, as usual, said nephew Thrijesh Jayachandra.
Prabha, a BE (Computer Science) graduate from Sullia, Dakshina Kannad a district, worked as a senior technical analyst, sources said. She married G Arun Kumar, who owns a software firm in the city, 11 years ago.
The couple's nine-year-old daughter Meghana studies in class V in a Bengaluru school. The family resided at Basaveshwara Nagar, west Bengaluru.
Arun Kumar
"It is extremely unfortunate and shocking. Our prayers are with the family of the deceased. We are working with the officials of both the countries to help the family to bring the body back to India. We are providing all the necessary support to authorities investigating the case," Mindtree said in Bengaluru.
Mispricing exports, imports may land you in jail for 7 years
NEW DELHI: Knowingly inflating the value of exports and imports may no longer earn just a light rap on the knuckles for those involved. This favoured ploy to salt away a little extra cash overseas or bring it back into the country, without the taxman catching on, could be punished by up to seven years in jail and heavier fines than before.
That's because the Narendra Modi government — which is determined to root out black money and penalize those who seek to conceal income — introduced a clause in the Feb 28 Budget that will make certain offences that have thus far been covered by the Customs Actpunishable by the more stringent Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as well. The aim is to curb the flow of black money to and from tax havens using legitimate trade channels by inflating export or import value.
The government is putting in place an extensive framework to detect black money, as outlined in the budget, especially that are held as assets abroad. Toward this end, it's keen to prevent the misuse of legitimate routes to convert black money to white.
That's because the Narendra Modi government — which is determined to root out black money and penalize those who seek to conceal income — introduced a clause in the Feb 28 Budget that will make certain offences that have thus far been covered by the Customs Actpunishable by the more stringent Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as well. The aim is to curb the flow of black money to and from tax havens using legitimate trade channels by inflating export or import value.
The government is putting in place an extensive framework to detect black money, as outlined in the budget, especially that are held as assets abroad. Toward this end, it's keen to prevent the misuse of legitimate routes to convert black money to white.
Delhi high court upholds ban on telecast of Nirbhaya documentary
NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Wednesday upheld the stay on telecast of a documentary based on an interview with a convict in the December 16 Delhi gang-rape case.
The court also banned the telecast of the documentary on the internet too.
The court also banned the telecast of the documentary on the internet too.
"Cops can act if the film is aired," the Delhi high court said on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, in statements in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, home minister Rajnath Singh had said the government condemns the December 16, 2012, incident and will not allow anyone to leverage such incidents for commercial use.
The minister said it came to their notice that the documentary was to be telecast on BBC 4 channel on March 8.
Earlier in the day, in statements in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, home minister Rajnath Singh had said the government condemns the December 16, 2012, incident and will not allow anyone to leverage such incidents for commercial use.
The minister said it came to their notice that the documentary was to be telecast on BBC 4 channel on March 8.
"The government has taken necessary legal action and obtained restraining order from the court on disseminating the contents of the film," he said.
"Our government condemns the incident of December 16, 2012, in the strongest possible terms and will not allow any attempt by any individual group or organisation to leverage such unfortunate incidents for commercial benefits," he said.
"The respect and dignity of women constitute a core value of our culture and tradition... our government remains fully committed to ensuring safety and dignity of women."
Rajnath Singh also said that he was personally hurt when he got to know about the documentary.
"I would like to make it clear. As soon as I got to know about this incident I was personally hurt. I immediately talked to the concerned authorities and gave the instruction that it should not be telecast in any condition, and (restraining) orders were taken from court last night that whatever has been telecast should not be released," he said.
The minister added that he had sought information regarding the conditions under which permission was given for the interview.
"In future, no one will be given permission to interview rapists," he told the Rajya Sabha.
"If needed, responsibility will be fixed (for granting permission)," Rajnath Singh said while making the statement in the Lok Sabha.
The no-objection certificate to shoot the documentary featuring interview of convicted inmates in Tihar jail of cases related to atrocities against women was given by the ministry of home affairs on July 24, 2013, Singh said.
Thereafter permission was given by jail authorities to shoot the documentary, with condition of taking prior approval of jail authorities before publishing the research paper or for releasing documentary film which "is being made for totally social purposes without any commercial interest, as conveyed".
Other conditions included that only those inmates will be interviewed who give written consent, and that the complete unedited footage of the shoot in Tihar jail premises will be shown to jail authorities to ensure there was no breach of prison security.
"This documentary features one of the accused of the Nirbhaya case. It came to the notice of jail authorities that conditions have been violated. Hence a legal notice was issued to them on April 7, 2014," the home minister said.
The minister said the documentary makers were asked to return the unedited footage and also not to show the film as it violates the permission condition.
READ ALSO: Defence lawyers blame Nirbhaya for rape
Nirbhaya made filmmaker confront own demons
Huge row over interview of Nirbhaya's rapist, Delhi Police register case
Nirbhaya film telecast could weaken case, say activists
"The documentary film was shown to jail authorities where it was noticed that the documentary film depicts the comments of the convict which are highly derogatory to dignity of women," he said.
A physiotherapy student was raped and assaulted with an iron rod after she was tricked into boarding an unregistered private bus to go home after watching a movie with a male friend on December 16, 2013.
Her male companion was badly beaten up and could not come to her rescue when she was assaulted in the bus. The two were later dumped naked and bleeding on the roadside.
The woman was airlifted to a Singapore hospital for treatment where she died -- 13 days after the assault -- of the injuries inflicted upon her.
Mukesh Singh, one of the convicts in the gang-rape case is featured in the interview.
In the documentary he said women who go out at night had only themselves to blame if they attracted the attention of molesters.
Mukhesh Singh, along with three other attackers, was convicted and sentenced to death last year.
"Our government condemns the incident of December 16, 2012, in the strongest possible terms and will not allow any attempt by any individual group or organisation to leverage such unfortunate incidents for commercial benefits," he said.
"The respect and dignity of women constitute a core value of our culture and tradition... our government remains fully committed to ensuring safety and dignity of women."
Rajnath Singh also said that he was personally hurt when he got to know about the documentary.
"I would like to make it clear. As soon as I got to know about this incident I was personally hurt. I immediately talked to the concerned authorities and gave the instruction that it should not be telecast in any condition, and (restraining) orders were taken from court last night that whatever has been telecast should not be released," he said.
The minister added that he had sought information regarding the conditions under which permission was given for the interview.
"In future, no one will be given permission to interview rapists," he told the Rajya Sabha.
"If needed, responsibility will be fixed (for granting permission)," Rajnath Singh said while making the statement in the Lok Sabha.
The no-objection certificate to shoot the documentary featuring interview of convicted inmates in Tihar jail of cases related to atrocities against women was given by the ministry of home affairs on July 24, 2013, Singh said.
Thereafter permission was given by jail authorities to shoot the documentary, with condition of taking prior approval of jail authorities before publishing the research paper or for releasing documentary film which "is being made for totally social purposes without any commercial interest, as conveyed".
Other conditions included that only those inmates will be interviewed who give written consent, and that the complete unedited footage of the shoot in Tihar jail premises will be shown to jail authorities to ensure there was no breach of prison security.
"This documentary features one of the accused of the Nirbhaya case. It came to the notice of jail authorities that conditions have been violated. Hence a legal notice was issued to them on April 7, 2014," the home minister said.
The minister said the documentary makers were asked to return the unedited footage and also not to show the film as it violates the permission condition.
READ ALSO: Defence lawyers blame Nirbhaya for rape
Nirbhaya made filmmaker confront own demons
Huge row over interview of Nirbhaya's rapist, Delhi Police register case
Nirbhaya film telecast could weaken case, say activists
"The documentary film was shown to jail authorities where it was noticed that the documentary film depicts the comments of the convict which are highly derogatory to dignity of women," he said.
A physiotherapy student was raped and assaulted with an iron rod after she was tricked into boarding an unregistered private bus to go home after watching a movie with a male friend on December 16, 2013.
Her male companion was badly beaten up and could not come to her rescue when she was assaulted in the bus. The two were later dumped naked and bleeding on the roadside.
The woman was airlifted to a Singapore hospital for treatment where she died -- 13 days after the assault -- of the injuries inflicted upon her.
Mukesh Singh, one of the convicts in the gang-rape case is featured in the interview.
In the documentary he said women who go out at night had only themselves to blame if they attracted the attention of molesters.
Mukhesh Singh, along with three other attackers, was convicted and sentenced to death last year.
Rift in AAP: Who stands where
NEW DELHI: Serious differences have erupted in Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the party's future growth strategy and the functioning of its central leadership headed by Arvind Kejriwal. Though, leaders are calling it a clash of ideas and not personalties, the party looks divided between pro-Kejriwal and anti-Kejriwal camps. Here is a list of prominent leaders who stand where in this internal tussle in AAP:
Anti-Kejriwal camp:
Prashant Bhushan: Prashant Bhushan was not happy with the selection of candidates during the Delhi assembly elections. Prashant Bhushan is against the person-centric and growing high command culture in AAP. He said on Tuesday "I can't follow the high command culture that every political party has". Prashant Bhushan admitted that there had been a breakdown in communication between him and party convener Arvind Kejriwal.
Yogendra Yadav: Yogendra Yadav has differences with the Kejriwal over the future growth strategy of the party. In a letter, written jointly with Prashant Bhushan, Yadav has said that there is a need to strengthen inner party democracy and the national executive meetings must be held as per the prescribed frequency. On the issue of dubious funding to AAP, going against the party line, Yadav has admitted that there was something amiss about some donations to AAP.
Shanti Bhushan: Shanti Bhushan, a founder member of AAP, had donated Rs 1 crore during the formation of party. During the Delhi polls, Shanti Bhushan had praised BJP's chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi. Shanti Bhushan also accused Kejriwal of accepting "tainted" money and giving tickets to candidates who were prepared to buy votes.
Admiral L Ramdas: Admiral L Ramdas is the lokpal for the AAP. He is against one person holding dual responsibilities: read, Arvind Kejriwal being the Delhi CM as well as national convener of AAP.
Pro-Kejriwal camp:
Manish Sisodia: The Delhi deputy CM has supported Arvind Kejriwal on every issue.
Ashutosh: He is the convener of AAP's Delhi unit. On Monday, Ashutosh said that churning in AAP has reached a decisive stage. There is a clash of ideas of ultra left who want referendum in Kashmir (read: Prahsant Bhushan) and those who are for pragmatic politics.
Sanjay Singh: He is AAP's spokesperson. Sanjay Singh said on Monday there is an attempt to oust Kejriwal as national convener of AAP.
Dilip Pandey: He is an AAP secretary. Dilip Pandey termed the present tussle as a clash between a leader and a "bunch of opportunists".
Anti-Kejriwal camp:
Prashant Bhushan: Prashant Bhushan was not happy with the selection of candidates during the Delhi assembly elections. Prashant Bhushan is against the person-centric and growing high command culture in AAP. He said on Tuesday "I can't follow the high command culture that every political party has". Prashant Bhushan admitted that there had been a breakdown in communication between him and party convener Arvind Kejriwal.
Yogendra Yadav: Yogendra Yadav has differences with the Kejriwal over the future growth strategy of the party. In a letter, written jointly with Prashant Bhushan, Yadav has said that there is a need to strengthen inner party democracy and the national executive meetings must be held as per the prescribed frequency. On the issue of dubious funding to AAP, going against the party line, Yadav has admitted that there was something amiss about some donations to AAP.
Shanti Bhushan: Shanti Bhushan, a founder member of AAP, had donated Rs 1 crore during the formation of party. During the Delhi polls, Shanti Bhushan had praised BJP's chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi. Shanti Bhushan also accused Kejriwal of accepting "tainted" money and giving tickets to candidates who were prepared to buy votes.
Admiral L Ramdas: Admiral L Ramdas is the lokpal for the AAP. He is against one person holding dual responsibilities: read, Arvind Kejriwal being the Delhi CM as well as national convener of AAP.
Pro-Kejriwal camp:
Manish Sisodia: The Delhi deputy CM has supported Arvind Kejriwal on every issue.
Ashutosh: He is the convener of AAP's Delhi unit. On Monday, Ashutosh said that churning in AAP has reached a decisive stage. There is a clash of ideas of ultra left who want referendum in Kashmir (read: Prahsant Bhushan) and those who are for pragmatic politics.
Sanjay Singh: He is AAP's spokesperson. Sanjay Singh said on Monday there is an attempt to oust Kejriwal as national convener of AAP.
Dilip Pandey: He is an AAP secretary. Dilip Pandey termed the present tussle as a clash between a leader and a "bunch of opportunists".
Attempts being made to remove Kejriwal, AAP says as party rift widens
NEW DELHI: AAP on Monday said that attempts were being made to remove Arvind Kejriwal as national convener and announced that there will be a probe into the leakage of letters that have exposed rift within the party.
In the midst of the ongoing crisis in the party, AAP spokesperson Sanjay Singh on Monday said that the party's national executive will meet on March 4 to discuss the recent turn of events.
"Constant leaks of letters written by party members has made the party look like a joke," Sanjay Singh said.
The national executive meeting on March 4 may take a decision on the future of Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan, who have been accused of plotting against Kejriwal.
This as the rift in the party seemed to widen further on Monday with senior leaders taking to social media to air their differing views on the ongoing crisis in the party.
In a series of tweets, Yogendra Yadav hit out at those who were floating conspiracy theories targeting him and senior leader Prashant Bhushan.
"For the last two days we have been reading reports about allegations and conspiracy theories against me and Prashant Bhushan. All these reports are imaginary and baseless. But, I feel sad at the motive behind these attempts," Yogendra Yadav tweeted.
In the midst of the ongoing crisis in the party, AAP spokesperson Sanjay Singh on Monday said that the party's national executive will meet on March 4 to discuss the recent turn of events.
"Constant leaks of letters written by party members has made the party look like a joke," Sanjay Singh said.
The national executive meeting on March 4 may take a decision on the future of Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan, who have been accused of plotting against Kejriwal.
This as the rift in the party seemed to widen further on Monday with senior leaders taking to social media to air their differing views on the ongoing crisis in the party.
In a series of tweets, Yogendra Yadav hit out at those who were floating conspiracy theories targeting him and senior leader Prashant Bhushan.
"For the last two days we have been reading reports about allegations and conspiracy theories against me and Prashant Bhushan. All these reports are imaginary and baseless. But, I feel sad at the motive behind these attempts," Yogendra Yadav tweeted.
‘We wanted a Hindu CM, but Mufti our best bet’
JAMMU: Raghunath market situated around the Raghunath temple in the old quarter of Jammu is the city's oldest market. With densely packed rows of textile, dry fruit, and electronics stores, eateries and even wine shops, the market is bustling, teeming with crowds and now, after the swearing in of the BJP-PDP government, abuzz with political opinions. It's cold and raining in Jammu but Raghunath market is still packed.
"We had wanted a Hindu CM who would look after Jammu's interests since we are the majority," says Gulshan Kumar, a resident and owner of a textile store.
"We had wanted a Hindu CM who would look after Jammu's interests since we are the majority," says Gulshan Kumar, a resident and owner of a textile store.
Hacked American blogger Avijit Roy laid to rest in Bangladesh
DHAKA: Bangladeshis in huge numbers paid tributes to slain American blogger Avijit Roy on Sunday as they criticized the government for its failure to ensure safety to the writer, known for his critique of religious extremism.
People from all walks of life, including Roy's friends, relatives, well-wishers, teachers and students, gathered at the Dhaka University premises with flowers to pay their respect to the slain writer, who was on a visit to his native city in mid-February to attend a book fair.
Roy, known for his critique of religious extremism, was hacked to death in the university area by machete-wielding assailants, who attacked the Bangladeshi-origin writer as he was returning from the book fair with his wife on Thursday.
People from all walks of life, including Roy's friends, relatives, well-wishers, teachers and students, gathered at the Dhaka University premises with flowers to pay their respect to the slain writer, who was on a visit to his native city in mid-February to attend a book fair.
Roy, known for his critique of religious extremism, was hacked to death in the university area by machete-wielding assailants, who attacked the Bangladeshi-origin writer as he was returning from the book fair with his wife on Thursday.
No sympathy for illegal asset holders, Arun Jaitley tells TOI
Hours after presenting his budget, finance minister Arun Jaitley spoke exclusively toSidhartha & Surojit Gupta. He outlined the big ideas behind his proposals and talked about the disinvestment programme. Excerpts:
You talk about higher savings. How's that going to happen?
People will have the ability to save more. Incentivizing long-term savings is the idea. It's savings for your future and there's a social security element in that. Secondly, these savings translate into investments. Hopefully, the savings rate will also rise.
Will exemptions be phased out before corporate tax rate is slashed?
They can happen simultaneously. The idea is to make India competitive. Asean has a tax rate of 21.5%. In India the rate is 30% but the effective rate is actually 23%. People are reluctant to invest because they say in India you have to pay higher tax. Domestic investors say it's easier to invest in Asean countries. Permissions are easy to get overseas and taxation competitive.\
Personal IT rates have not been changed...
You talk about higher savings. How's that going to happen?
People will have the ability to save more. Incentivizing long-term savings is the idea. It's savings for your future and there's a social security element in that. Secondly, these savings translate into investments. Hopefully, the savings rate will also rise.
Will exemptions be phased out before corporate tax rate is slashed?
They can happen simultaneously. The idea is to make India competitive. Asean has a tax rate of 21.5%. In India the rate is 30% but the effective rate is actually 23%. People are reluctant to invest because they say in India you have to pay higher tax. Domestic investors say it's easier to invest in Asean countries. Permissions are easy to get overseas and taxation competitive.\
Personal IT rates have not been changed...
Live Blog: Mufti Sayeed-led PDP-BJP govt takes oath in J&K — Continuous coverage
PDP leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed today took oath as chief minister of J&K in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He heads a PDP-BJP coalition govt. Stay here for all live updates. Read More....
Union Budget 2015: Govt to borrow Rs 6 lakh crore in FY16
NEW DELHI: The government will borrow Rs 6 lakh crore from the market in 2015-16 fiscal, up from Rs 5.92 lakh crore in the current fiscal.
The budgeted target for borrowing in current fiscal was Rs 6 lakh crore, but the government will raise only Rs 5.92 lakh crore from the markets.
However, the net borrowings in 2015-16 will be Rs 4.56 lakh crore, after considering repayments of past loans and interests.
It was Rs 4.53 lakh crore in current fiscal.
The government borrows from the markets through T-bills and other instruments to fund the fiscal deficit.
In the financial year ending March, the fiscal deficit has been estimated at 4.1 per cent.
In 2015-16, the deficit will be pruned to 3.9 per cent.
The budgeted target for borrowing in current fiscal was Rs 6 lakh crore, but the government will raise only Rs 5.92 lakh crore from the markets.
However, the net borrowings in 2015-16 will be Rs 4.56 lakh crore, after considering repayments of past loans and interests.
It was Rs 4.53 lakh crore in current fiscal.
The government borrows from the markets through T-bills and other instruments to fund the fiscal deficit.
In the financial year ending March, the fiscal deficit has been estimated at 4.1 per cent.
In 2015-16, the deficit will be pruned to 3.9 per cent.
‘Investment flows hinge on revival of top 100 stalled projects’
Stalled projects worth Rs 8.8 lakh crore, or 7% of GDP, are holding up investments in the economy, impacting corporate balance sheets and public sector banks which have extended loans.
Chief economic advisor Arvind Subramanian, a votary of increased public investment to push growth, suggested that dealing with the top 100 stalled projects can address over 80% of the problem. In addition, the Economic Survey has suggested that reworking the public-private partnership architecture could help declog the system. Read More...
Chief economic advisor Arvind Subramanian, a votary of increased public investment to push growth, suggested that dealing with the top 100 stalled projects can address over 80% of the problem. In addition, the Economic Survey has suggested that reworking the public-private partnership architecture could help declog the system. Read More...
Mukul Roy removed as TMC leader in Rajya Sabha; Derek O'Brien to take up job
NEW DELHI: Mukul Roy, who has been under CBI scanner in the Saradha chit fund scam, has been removed as the leader of TMC in Rajya Sabha with Derek O'Brien having been appointed in his place.
A letter from TMC chief Banerjee replacing Roy was sent to Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari.
Sources confirmed that a letter in this regard has been received at the chairman's office.
A letter from TMC chief Banerjee replacing Roy was sent to Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari.
Sources confirmed that a letter in this regard has been received at the chairman's office.
PM Modi: My govt's only religion is 'India first', holy book is Constitution
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday denounced communalism and said that nobody has right to discriminate on basis of religion.
"No one can take the law in their hands and discriminate on the grounds of community," the Prime Minister said.
"My government's only religion is 'India first'," PM Modi said.
"The only religious book is Indian Constitution, only prayer is welfare of all," the PM added
PM Modi was replying to a discussion on the motion of thanks to the president's address in the Lok Sabha.
"No one can take the law in their hands and discriminate on the grounds of community," the Prime Minister said.
"My government's only religion is 'India first'," PM Modi said.
"The only religious book is Indian Constitution, only prayer is welfare of all," the PM added
PM Modi was replying to a discussion on the motion of thanks to the president's address in the Lok Sabha.
World Cup 2015: Mohammed Shami out of UAE match with knee strain
PERTH (Australia): India's in-form seamer Mohammad Shami will miss Saturday's World Cup clash against the United Arab Emirates in Perth due to a knee injury, a media release from the team said.
Full Coverage: ICC World Cup 2015
Shami has a mild left knee problem, the release said, adding that he was given a "an ultrasound guided injection" and asked to rest for the Pool B match.
The release did not say if the 24-year-old will be available for the next game against the West Indies in Perth on March 6.
The right-arm seamer has been India's most successful bowler in the tournament with figures of four for 35 against Pakistan and two for 30 against South Africa.
India, the defending champions, have won both games to head the Pool with four points.
Seamer Bhuvaneshwar Kumar or all-rounder Stuart Binny may replace Shami for the UAE match.
Full Coverage: ICC World Cup 2015
Shami has a mild left knee problem, the release said, adding that he was given a "an ultrasound guided injection" and asked to rest for the Pool B match.
The release did not say if the 24-year-old will be available for the next game against the West Indies in Perth on March 6.
The right-arm seamer has been India's most successful bowler in the tournament with figures of four for 35 against Pakistan and two for 30 against South Africa.
India, the defending champions, have won both games to head the Pool with four points.
Seamer Bhuvaneshwar Kumar or all-rounder Stuart Binny may replace Shami for the UAE match.
PDP patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed meets PM Narendra Modi
NEW DELHI: PDP patron Mufti Mohammad on Friday met PM Narendra Modi to paper over any 'last-minute hitches' and give a final seal to the historic deal between PDP and BJP to form a coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir.
Ahead of the meeting, leaders of both parties were busy fine-tuning ways of dealing with some of the sensitive issues and finding the right nuances to suit the two sides. Two such issues have to do with AFSPA and the route through which Hurriyat could be made stakeholders in the dialogue between Delhi and Srinagar.
In case this detailing consumes a couple of more days, the scheduled swearing-in ceremony for Mufti and his team for Sunday could be slightly delayed, according to sources. On the eve of the big-ticket Modi-Mufti meeting, both sides, however, seemed confident of things working out in their best interest.
Ahead of the meeting, leaders of both parties were busy fine-tuning ways of dealing with some of the sensitive issues and finding the right nuances to suit the two sides. Two such issues have to do with AFSPA and the route through which Hurriyat could be made stakeholders in the dialogue between Delhi and Srinagar.
In case this detailing consumes a couple of more days, the scheduled swearing-in ceremony for Mufti and his team for Sunday could be slightly delayed, according to sources. On the eve of the big-ticket Modi-Mufti meeting, both sides, however, seemed confident of things working out in their best interest.
Corporate espionage probe: Cops question RIL president
NEW DELHI: The leakgate probe reached the higher echelons of India Inc, with Delhi Police informally questioning Reliance Industries Limited president (corporate affairs) Shankar Adawal and seizing his computer during a quiet raid at his office on Thursday, sources told TOI.
The offices of two other energy companies were also raided and documents seized.
Corporate espionage: Find all stories here
Adawal, who is also head of regulatory & corporate affairs at Reliance Jio, RIL's 4G project, will soon be summoned formally for interrogation over the theft of classified information from central ministries, sources said. Cops are likely to field around 20 questions related to the case.
Adawal was, in April 2002, arrested by the CBI on charges of leaking documents. A general manager (corporate affairs) at RIL at that time, he was arrested along with the group's vice- president, A N Sethuraman, on the orders of a Delhi court. The case is sub judice.
The police brass remained tightlipped on the issue. Despite several attempts to contact him, Adawal did not comment on the developments.
Corporate espionage: How it unfolded and as it develops
Cops believe that a few senior-level executives of energy companies, whose employees have been arrested, played a role in the theft of documents from ministries. Police have said in the court that these companies made windfall gains due to the leaked data.
The home ministry and the Intelligence Bureau have been taken into confidence over the imminent questioning of senior corporate executives in the case.
The 2002 case, in which RIL executive Shankar Adawal and AN Sethuraman were arrested, related to the recovery of classified documents from RIL's corporate office. Subsequently, a case was registered against the executives under the Official Secrets Act.
The offices of two other energy companies were also raided and documents seized.
Corporate espionage: Find all stories here
Adawal, who is also head of regulatory & corporate affairs at Reliance Jio, RIL's 4G project, will soon be summoned formally for interrogation over the theft of classified information from central ministries, sources said. Cops are likely to field around 20 questions related to the case.
Adawal was, in April 2002, arrested by the CBI on charges of leaking documents. A general manager (corporate affairs) at RIL at that time, he was arrested along with the group's vice- president, A N Sethuraman, on the orders of a Delhi court. The case is sub judice.
The police brass remained tightlipped on the issue. Despite several attempts to contact him, Adawal did not comment on the developments.
Corporate espionage: How it unfolded and as it develops
Cops believe that a few senior-level executives of energy companies, whose employees have been arrested, played a role in the theft of documents from ministries. Police have said in the court that these companies made windfall gains due to the leaked data.
The home ministry and the Intelligence Bureau have been taken into confidence over the imminent questioning of senior corporate executives in the case.
The 2002 case, in which RIL executive Shankar Adawal and AN Sethuraman were arrested, related to the recovery of classified documents from RIL's corporate office. Subsequently, a case was registered against the executives under the Official Secrets Act.
Rail Budget: 15 passenger friendly announcements
NEW DELHI: Railway minister Suresh Prabhu said on Thursday that the interests of the passengers will be of foremost importance to the government.
Here are 15 passenger friendly announcements made in the Rail Budget:
* No increase in railway passenger fares
* A mobile application to address complaints of people
* 'Operation 5 minutes' to ensure that a passenger travelling unreserved can purchase a ticket within 5 minutes
* SMS alert services for passengers to inform them about arrival and departure of trains
* Modern facilities for disabled citizens, senior citizens, patients through IRCTC
* 24 to 26 coaches in certain identified trains, more general class coaches, ladders to be replaced
* In 400 stations Wi-Fi facility will be provided
* A pan-India 24X7 helpline number to be operationalized
* Introduction of integrated ticketing will be done, a defence travel system has been developed to make travel easier
* Replacement of 17,000 more toilets with bio-toilets to be undertaken this year
* Surveillance cameras on select mainline and ladies compartments to be installed
* Cleanliness in railways highest priority under 'Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat'
* Travel between Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata to be an overnight journey
* ISRO to be involved, 3,438 level crossings to be eliminated
* Paperless ticketing, hand-held device for TTEs to be introduced
Here are 15 passenger friendly announcements made in the Rail Budget:
* No increase in railway passenger fares
* A mobile application to address complaints of people
* 'Operation 5 minutes' to ensure that a passenger travelling unreserved can purchase a ticket within 5 minutes
* SMS alert services for passengers to inform them about arrival and departure of trains
* Modern facilities for disabled citizens, senior citizens, patients through IRCTC
* 24 to 26 coaches in certain identified trains, more general class coaches, ladders to be replaced
* In 400 stations Wi-Fi facility will be provided
* A pan-India 24X7 helpline number to be operationalized
* Introduction of integrated ticketing will be done, a defence travel system has been developed to make travel easier
* Replacement of 17,000 more toilets with bio-toilets to be undertaken this year
* Surveillance cameras on select mainline and ladies compartments to be installed
* Cleanliness in railways highest priority under 'Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat'
* Travel between Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata to be an overnight journey
* ISRO to be involved, 3,438 level crossings to be eliminated
* Paperless ticketing, hand-held device for TTEs to be introduced
Rail Budget 2015: Ambitious plans stay off track
NEW DELHI: In 2013, when the BJP-led NDA took the reins at the Centre, the railway budget included several ambitious schemes. The most prominent one was the high-speed corridor with bullet trains, three of which were to run from the national capital. However, none of the trains have begun operation. This time, passengers boarding or getting off at Delhi may get basic services, including cleanliness, potable water and toilets, apart from better connectivity to other cities.
The busiest railway station, New Delhi, caters to 338 trains and five lakh passengers daily. However, public toilets are missing at some platforms and even cleanliness is an issue.
"It is inconvenient to wait for a train on one platform and to go to a different one to relieve oneself. The railway minister should create basic infrastructure and find a way to see his directives are enforced on ground," said Ashish Jain, a Delhi resident who often shuttles to Madhya Pradesh, where he studies.
For some parking is a big problem, while others complain about unavailability of quality food. Last year, the then railway minister Sadanand Gowda had promised a new concept in catering to passengers — regional cuisine. The proposal was that a passenger could order the local delicacies of stations his train was passing through by an SMS or e-mail, but it did not come to fruition.
Passengers say their expectations are basic: hygienic food, and not ordering food through smartphones. "There are no options for passengers who board trains late at night or early morning. Vendors often overcharge on packed food. Hopefully the new budget will include night eating joints," said Rajesh Khushwaha, who often travels to his factory in Ratlam from Delhi.
The disabled and elderly, who need assistance within the station, feel neglected. While battery-operated carts are available at New Delhi station, there's a paucity of such facilities — golf carts, escalators and lifts — at others making travelling cumbersome to the infirm.
"We have tried to keep pace with the rising footfall. Out of the lakhs that travel with us, some are bound to raise concerns and dissatisfaction with our service. We'll try to meet their expectations," said Northern Railway spokesperson, Neeraj Sharma.
The busiest railway station, New Delhi, caters to 338 trains and five lakh passengers daily. However, public toilets are missing at some platforms and even cleanliness is an issue.
"It is inconvenient to wait for a train on one platform and to go to a different one to relieve oneself. The railway minister should create basic infrastructure and find a way to see his directives are enforced on ground," said Ashish Jain, a Delhi resident who often shuttles to Madhya Pradesh, where he studies.
For some parking is a big problem, while others complain about unavailability of quality food. Last year, the then railway minister Sadanand Gowda had promised a new concept in catering to passengers — regional cuisine. The proposal was that a passenger could order the local delicacies of stations his train was passing through by an SMS or e-mail, but it did not come to fruition.
Passengers say their expectations are basic: hygienic food, and not ordering food through smartphones. "There are no options for passengers who board trains late at night or early morning. Vendors often overcharge on packed food. Hopefully the new budget will include night eating joints," said Rajesh Khushwaha, who often travels to his factory in Ratlam from Delhi.
The disabled and elderly, who need assistance within the station, feel neglected. While battery-operated carts are available at New Delhi station, there's a paucity of such facilities — golf carts, escalators and lifts — at others making travelling cumbersome to the infirm.
"We have tried to keep pace with the rising footfall. Out of the lakhs that travel with us, some are bound to raise concerns and dissatisfaction with our service. We'll try to meet their expectations," said Northern Railway spokesperson, Neeraj Sharma.
Corporate espionage: PA in ministry of environment arrested
NEW DELHI: Broadening the ambit of their investigation, the crime branch has arrested Jitendar Nagpal, personal assistant to a joint secretary in forest and environment ministry in the corporate espionage case.
The cops have also detained another employee for questioning and are likely to arrest him.
The arrested person, Jitendar Nagpal, was passing sensitive documents to arrested consultant Lokesh Shama who was arrested earlier.
The cops claim he had links in other ministries as well from where he got the documents and passed on.
With this total arrests have reached to 15 and the number of compromised ministries to 5. Earlier, cops had found leaks from petroleum, coal, power and defence.
Crime branch had picked up the two staffers of ministries in a late night operation.
The cops have also detained another employee for questioning and are likely to arrest him.
The arrested person, Jitendar Nagpal, was passing sensitive documents to arrested consultant Lokesh Shama who was arrested earlier.
The cops claim he had links in other ministries as well from where he got the documents and passed on.
With this total arrests have reached to 15 and the number of compromised ministries to 5. Earlier, cops had found leaks from petroleum, coal, power and defence.
Crime branch had picked up the two staffers of ministries in a late night operation.
Overfishing driving slavery on Thailand’s seafood boats
SAMUT SAKHON (Thailand): Urine pools under a bed where an emaciated Burmese man lies wearing only a T-shirt and a diaper.
As he struggles to sit up and steady himself, he tears at his thick, dark hair in agitation. He cannot walk and doesn't remember his family or even his own name. He speaks mostly gibberish in broken Indonesian — a language he learned while working in the country as a slave aboard a Thai fishing boat.
Near death from a lack of proper food, he was rescued from a tiny island in Indonesia two months ago. He is just one of countless hidden casualties from the fishing industry in Thailand, the world's third-largest seafood exporter.
A report released Wednesday by the British nonprofit Environmental Justice Foundation said that overfishing and the use of illegal and undocumented trawlers have ravaged Thailand's marine ecosystems and depleted fish stocks. Boats are now catching about 85 per cent less than what they brought in 50 years ago, making it "one of the most overfished regions on the planet," the report said.
Fishing boats operated by Burmese migrants are coming back to the Baan Nam Khem pier, in Thailand, after a night at sea. (Getty Images file photo)
Shrinking fisheries in the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea have, in turn, pushed Thai fishing boats farther and farther from home. The group estimates that up to half of all fish labeled a "product of Thailand" is sourced from outside its borders — mainly in Asia, but as far away as Africa.
The report, compiled from the group's own research and the work of others, explains how Thailand's vast seafood industry is almost wholly dependent on cheap migrant labor. Since few Thais are willing to take the dangerous, low-level jobs that can take them far from home, a sophisticated network of brokers and agents has emerged, regularly recruiting laborers from impoverished neighboring countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia, often through trickery and kidnapping.
Men — and sometimes children as young as 13 — are sold onto boats where they typically work 18- to 20-hour days with little food and often only boiled sea water to drink, enduring beatings and sometimes even death at the hands in their captains. Most are paid little or nothing. They can be trapped at sea for months or years at a time; transshipment vessels are routinely used to pick up catches and deliver supplies.
A fishing boat off Koh Chang, a magnificent island, in Thailand. (Getty Images file photo)
Concerns about labor abuses, especially at sea, prompted the US state department last year to downgrade Thailand to the lowest level in its annual human trafficking report, putting the country on par with North Korea, Iran and Syria. It highlighted abuse on both ships and in processing plants, noting widespread involvement from corrupt officials.
The Southeast Asian nation responded by launching a major public relations campaign, with the government drafting its own country assessment to highlight steps taken to clean up the industry since a military junta took control of Thailand in May. The unreleased Thai report, obtained by Associated Press, includes establishing a new national registry of illegal migrant workers and plans for stricter labor regulations on vessels and in the seafood industry.
However, just a month after the new government stepped in, Thailand was the only country in the world to vote against a UN international treaty aimed at stopping forced labor.
"If you drill down, if you look at the substance of enforcement and the implementation of existing laws and regulations, it's minimal," said Steve Trent, the group's executive director. "What the Thai government seems to do repeatedly, again and again in the face of these accusations, is conduct a high-powered PR exercise rather than seek to address the problem."
A labourer standing aboard a trawler as fish is unloaded at a port in Pattani, southern Thailand. Each day a small army of labourers from countries including Myanmar and Cambodia — some legal, some undocumented — man rusting trawlers or help offload and sort the catch at ports around the country. (Getty Images file photo)
Thailand, which exported $7 billion in seafood in 2013, is one of the biggest suppliers to the US. However, a study published last year in the journal Marine Policy estimated 25 per cent to 40 per cent of tuna shipped from Thailand to America is from illegal or unreported sources — the highest rate of any species or country examined — and is frequently linked to labor abuses at sea.
Human rights advocates say some improvements have been noted in domestic waters, but such policies have little impact when vessels stray into the territorial waters of other countries. Traveling longer distances to catch fish raises operating costs, and increases pressure on fishing companies to save money by relying on forced, bonded and slave labor.
"On long-haul boats, nothing has changed in the brutal working conditions and physical abuse meted out by captains against their crews," said Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division, who has worked extensively on the issue. "The reality is the Thai government's high-sounding rhetoric to stop human trafficking and clean up the fishing fleets still largely stops at the water's edge."
The man rescued from the Indonesian island in December now remembers his name — Min Min — and bits of his old life in Myanmar, also known as Burma. But his mind remains far from clear.
Labourers working on a fishing boat in Koh Samui island, Thailand. (Getty Images file photo)
He knows he worked three years on a boat in Indonesia where his ankles were sometimes bound with rope. He recalls collapsing one day on deck during a storm and being unconscious for three hours before the Thai captain forced him to get up and haul the nets back in.
Eventually, he became too sick and weak to work and was abandoned on the remote island two years ago.
Min Min was on the verge of starvation when he was rescued and taken to the nonprofit Labor Rights Protection Network in Samut Sakhon, a gritty port town on the outskirts of Bangkok. He's eating well and taking vitamins to try to regain his strength, and he can now stand and slowly shuffle across the floor.
He is still far from well. He's confused about such basics as his age, saying once that he is 43 and later that he is 36. If his family back in Myanmar is mentioned, he becomes rattled and stutters his thoughts as if it's too much to bear.
"Working on the boat is no good. People like to take advantage of you," he said. "If I recover from my illness, I'll never be on a boat again in my life. Never again. I'm scared."
As he struggles to sit up and steady himself, he tears at his thick, dark hair in agitation. He cannot walk and doesn't remember his family or even his own name. He speaks mostly gibberish in broken Indonesian — a language he learned while working in the country as a slave aboard a Thai fishing boat.
Near death from a lack of proper food, he was rescued from a tiny island in Indonesia two months ago. He is just one of countless hidden casualties from the fishing industry in Thailand, the world's third-largest seafood exporter.
A report released Wednesday by the British nonprofit Environmental Justice Foundation said that overfishing and the use of illegal and undocumented trawlers have ravaged Thailand's marine ecosystems and depleted fish stocks. Boats are now catching about 85 per cent less than what they brought in 50 years ago, making it "one of the most overfished regions on the planet," the report said.
Fishing boats operated by Burmese migrants are coming back to the Baan Nam Khem pier, in Thailand, after a night at sea. (Getty Images file photo)
Shrinking fisheries in the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea have, in turn, pushed Thai fishing boats farther and farther from home. The group estimates that up to half of all fish labeled a "product of Thailand" is sourced from outside its borders — mainly in Asia, but as far away as Africa.
The report, compiled from the group's own research and the work of others, explains how Thailand's vast seafood industry is almost wholly dependent on cheap migrant labor. Since few Thais are willing to take the dangerous, low-level jobs that can take them far from home, a sophisticated network of brokers and agents has emerged, regularly recruiting laborers from impoverished neighboring countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia, often through trickery and kidnapping.
Men — and sometimes children as young as 13 — are sold onto boats where they typically work 18- to 20-hour days with little food and often only boiled sea water to drink, enduring beatings and sometimes even death at the hands in their captains. Most are paid little or nothing. They can be trapped at sea for months or years at a time; transshipment vessels are routinely used to pick up catches and deliver supplies.
A fishing boat off Koh Chang, a magnificent island, in Thailand. (Getty Images file photo)
Concerns about labor abuses, especially at sea, prompted the US state department last year to downgrade Thailand to the lowest level in its annual human trafficking report, putting the country on par with North Korea, Iran and Syria. It highlighted abuse on both ships and in processing plants, noting widespread involvement from corrupt officials.
The Southeast Asian nation responded by launching a major public relations campaign, with the government drafting its own country assessment to highlight steps taken to clean up the industry since a military junta took control of Thailand in May. The unreleased Thai report, obtained by Associated Press, includes establishing a new national registry of illegal migrant workers and plans for stricter labor regulations on vessels and in the seafood industry.
However, just a month after the new government stepped in, Thailand was the only country in the world to vote against a UN international treaty aimed at stopping forced labor.
"If you drill down, if you look at the substance of enforcement and the implementation of existing laws and regulations, it's minimal," said Steve Trent, the group's executive director. "What the Thai government seems to do repeatedly, again and again in the face of these accusations, is conduct a high-powered PR exercise rather than seek to address the problem."
A labourer standing aboard a trawler as fish is unloaded at a port in Pattani, southern Thailand. Each day a small army of labourers from countries including Myanmar and Cambodia — some legal, some undocumented — man rusting trawlers or help offload and sort the catch at ports around the country. (Getty Images file photo)
Thailand, which exported $7 billion in seafood in 2013, is one of the biggest suppliers to the US. However, a study published last year in the journal Marine Policy estimated 25 per cent to 40 per cent of tuna shipped from Thailand to America is from illegal or unreported sources — the highest rate of any species or country examined — and is frequently linked to labor abuses at sea.
Human rights advocates say some improvements have been noted in domestic waters, but such policies have little impact when vessels stray into the territorial waters of other countries. Traveling longer distances to catch fish raises operating costs, and increases pressure on fishing companies to save money by relying on forced, bonded and slave labor.
"On long-haul boats, nothing has changed in the brutal working conditions and physical abuse meted out by captains against their crews," said Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division, who has worked extensively on the issue. "The reality is the Thai government's high-sounding rhetoric to stop human trafficking and clean up the fishing fleets still largely stops at the water's edge."
The man rescued from the Indonesian island in December now remembers his name — Min Min — and bits of his old life in Myanmar, also known as Burma. But his mind remains far from clear.
Labourers working on a fishing boat in Koh Samui island, Thailand. (Getty Images file photo)
He knows he worked three years on a boat in Indonesia where his ankles were sometimes bound with rope. He recalls collapsing one day on deck during a storm and being unconscious for three hours before the Thai captain forced him to get up and haul the nets back in.
Eventually, he became too sick and weak to work and was abandoned on the remote island two years ago.
Min Min was on the verge of starvation when he was rescued and taken to the nonprofit Labor Rights Protection Network in Samut Sakhon, a gritty port town on the outskirts of Bangkok. He's eating well and taking vitamins to try to regain his strength, and he can now stand and slowly shuffle across the floor.
He is still far from well. He's confused about such basics as his age, saying once that he is 43 and later that he is 36. If his family back in Myanmar is mentioned, he becomes rattled and stutters his thoughts as if it's too much to bear.
"Working on the boat is no good. People like to take advantage of you," he said. "If I recover from my illness, I'll never be on a boat again in my life. Never again. I'm scared."
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Swine flu: Be alert, but don’t panic, govt says
NEW DELHI: Amid concerns over rising swine flu deaths in the country, health minister JP Nadda on Wednesday warned citizens to be careful about the virus, but said there was no need for panic as medicines and facilities to tackle the disease were in place.
Responding to members' concerns in Rajya Sabha over the spread of the H1N1 virus which has so far led to the death of over 875 people across the country, the minister said the government was taking it with all seriousness and would leave no stone unturned to tackle it.
SPECIAL: Swine flu outbreak in India
Nadda said there was no shortage of medicines and swine flu-testing facilities were being provided free of cost at specified government hospitals. "No stone has been left unturned as far as seriousness is concerned and all efforts have been made. I assure the House and the members that there is no shortage of medicines. There is no need to panic, but we have to be alert," Nadda told the Upper House while replying to a discussion on the issue.
On vaccination, he said experts have opined that it does not provide 100 per cent protection and questions are being raised on its efficacy too.
Responding to members' concerns in Rajya Sabha over the spread of the H1N1 virus which has so far led to the death of over 875 people across the country, the minister said the government was taking it with all seriousness and would leave no stone unturned to tackle it.
SPECIAL: Swine flu outbreak in India
Nadda said there was no shortage of medicines and swine flu-testing facilities were being provided free of cost at specified government hospitals. "No stone has been left unturned as far as seriousness is concerned and all efforts have been made. I assure the House and the members that there is no shortage of medicines. There is no need to panic, but we have to be alert," Nadda told the Upper House while replying to a discussion on the issue.
On vaccination, he said experts have opined that it does not provide 100 per cent protection and questions are being raised on its efficacy too.
Discrepancies surface in BJP's donation list submitted to Election Commission
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NEW DELHI: Separate transactions with the same cheque numbers, anonymous contributions amounting to over Rs 4 lakh and other discrepancies have emerged in BJP's contribution report for 2013-2014. The contribution report was submitted by the party to the Election Commission on December 20, 2014, almost two months after the October 31 deadline.
According to Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which analyzed the report, there are three "pairs" of transactions that have the same cheque or demand draft number. For instance, company A to Z Online Services, giving its address as Tech Park on Tower E, Airport Road, Yerwada in Pune, has cheque or DD number "957" while donating Rs 84 lakh. This matches the cheque or DD number used by Jumana Goolam Vahanvati who donated Rs 20 lakh to BJP. Vahanvati's address is listed as 21, Buckley Court, Nathalal Parekh Marg, Colaba in Mumbai.
According to Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which analyzed the report, there are three "pairs" of transactions that have the same cheque or demand draft number. For instance, company A to Z Online Services, giving its address as Tech Park on Tower E, Airport Road, Yerwada in Pune, has cheque or DD number "957" while donating Rs 84 lakh. This matches the cheque or DD number used by Jumana Goolam Vahanvati who donated Rs 20 lakh to BJP. Vahanvati's address is listed as 21, Buckley Court, Nathalal Parekh Marg, Colaba in Mumbai.
Corporate espionage: Defence ministry employee arrested
NEW DELHI: On a day, TOI broke the story of the leaks scandal extending to ministry of defence (MOD) and one of its staffer being questioned. The crime branch arrested him on Tuesday morning.
The police had interrogated the employee, Virender, for more than six
The scandal has grown bigger on Monday with police launching a probe into documents allegedly stolen from the defence ministry.
In what will have implications for the country's security, police say, the accused also made fake identity cards for arrested energy consultant Lokesh Sharma to facilitate his entry into ministries.
With classified defence documents coming into the probe ambit, cops could press for invoking the Official Secrets Act. Defence is the fourth ministry, after oil, coal and power, to enter the list of compromised departments.
Nigerian woman gang-raped in moving car in Delhi
NEW DELHI: A 35-year-old Nigerian woman was gang-raped in a moving car here, police said Friday. Four people have been arrested.
The woman was found in an unconscious state in Mayur Vihar area in east Delhi around 2.43am on Friday.
Police said when the victim was found, she was under the influence of alcohol. They received a call from a passerby who spotted the woman.
"She told us that she had boarded the accused's car in which she was gang-raped in south Delhi's Saket area," an official said.
Police added that the woman did not know the accused and had jumped out of the car in Mayur Vihar area.
"We have arrested all the four accused, who are residents of Mayur Vihar area," police said.
The woman was found in an unconscious state in Mayur Vihar area in east Delhi around 2.43am on Friday.
Police said when the victim was found, she was under the influence of alcohol. They received a call from a passerby who spotted the woman.
"She told us that she had boarded the accused's car in which she was gang-raped in south Delhi's Saket area," an official said.
Police added that the woman did not know the accused and had jumped out of the car in Mayur Vihar area.
"We have arrested all the four accused, who are residents of Mayur Vihar area," police said.
AAP govt stops termination of contractual employees
Delivering on its poll promise, the AAP government today put a restriction on termination of services of any contractual employee till a thorough review of the issue was completed, a move which will benefit around one lakh employees.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting presided over by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting presided over by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Around one lakh employees, including doctors, nurses, teachers, sanitation staff are working under contractual scheme in various Delhi government departments and agencies.
"Services of any contractual employee should not be terminated or stopped till further orders," said the brief government order issued to various departments.
Sources said contractual employees whose contractual term was nearing completion would also benefit as they will be allowed to continue in service.
Delhi government was in the process of carrying out a thorough review of the issue of contractual employees to finalize a policy framework, the sources said.
Various government departments including Education, PWD, Health and Family Welfare and Women and Child Development had recruited employees under contractual scheme in the last few years.
In its election manifesto, AAP had promised to regularise services of contractual employees in various Delhi government departments and agencies.
"Services of any contractual employee should not be terminated or stopped till further orders," said the brief government order issued to various departments.
Sources said contractual employees whose contractual term was nearing completion would also benefit as they will be allowed to continue in service.
Delhi government was in the process of carrying out a thorough review of the issue of contractual employees to finalize a policy framework, the sources said.
Various government departments including Education, PWD, Health and Family Welfare and Women and Child Development had recruited employees under contractual scheme in the last few years.
In its election manifesto, AAP had promised to regularise services of contractual employees in various Delhi government departments and agencies.
India Cements transfers CSK to new subsidiary
BCCI President-in-exile N Srinivasan led India Cements' board on Wednesday approved transfer of IPL team CSK to a wholly-owned subsidiary Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd.
A decision to this effect was taken at a Board meeting of the company held in Chennai.
"...pursuant to the decision of Board of Directors of India Cements Ltd, the company transferred the IPL franchise rights to its wholly-owned subsidiary Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd," Srinivasan told reporters after the meeting.
He further said: "The Board considered a proposal for reorganisation of Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd under which ownership of the franchise will be issued to the shareholders of India Cements Ltd, subject to necessary approvals."
Srinivasan, who has been barred by the Supreme Court from contesting any polls of the board till he gave up ownership of the IPL team, did not specify who would be at the helm of Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd and details of its main functionaries.
"This is the first step in slowly getting into a fully cement focussed company," he said, declining to comment on how the new subsidiary would be capitalised.
He also refused to comment on anything related to Court orders or to BCCI on the issue.
Last week, the company had informed BSE that it would transfer its IPL team CSK to the new subsidiary, Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd (CSKC),
Already the company has completed the required documentation for the transfer and its meeting today was called to consider reorganisation proposals relating to the subsidiary, CSKC.
Earlier on September 26, 2014, the Board of Directors of the company had approved the proposal to demerge Chennai Super Kings (CSK) into a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, by transferring its net assets at cost.
It had stated that the effective date of transfer will be January 1, 2015.
Last month, a Supreme Court bench of Justice T S Thakur and Justice F M I Khalifulla had assailed the amendment in BCCI rules permitting cricket administrators like Srinivasan to have commercial interest by owing teams in IPL and Champions League and said it was bad on grounds of conflict of interest.
The apex court directed that BCCI elections be held in six weeks "subject to the condition that no one who has any commercial interest in the BCCI events (including N Srinivasan) shall be eligible for contesting the elections for any post whatsoever".
The rider in the judgement would make it probably difficult for Srinivasan to become the BCCI President, unless he quickly relinquished his interest in the CSK.
A decision to this effect was taken at a Board meeting of the company held in Chennai.
"...pursuant to the decision of Board of Directors of India Cements Ltd, the company transferred the IPL franchise rights to its wholly-owned subsidiary Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd," Srinivasan told reporters after the meeting.
He further said: "The Board considered a proposal for reorganisation of Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd under which ownership of the franchise will be issued to the shareholders of India Cements Ltd, subject to necessary approvals."
Srinivasan, who has been barred by the Supreme Court from contesting any polls of the board till he gave up ownership of the IPL team, did not specify who would be at the helm of Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd and details of its main functionaries.
"This is the first step in slowly getting into a fully cement focussed company," he said, declining to comment on how the new subsidiary would be capitalised.
He also refused to comment on anything related to Court orders or to BCCI on the issue.
Last week, the company had informed BSE that it would transfer its IPL team CSK to the new subsidiary, Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd (CSKC),
Already the company has completed the required documentation for the transfer and its meeting today was called to consider reorganisation proposals relating to the subsidiary, CSKC.
Earlier on September 26, 2014, the Board of Directors of the company had approved the proposal to demerge Chennai Super Kings (CSK) into a wholly-owned subsidiary of the company, by transferring its net assets at cost.
It had stated that the effective date of transfer will be January 1, 2015.
Last month, a Supreme Court bench of Justice T S Thakur and Justice F M I Khalifulla had assailed the amendment in BCCI rules permitting cricket administrators like Srinivasan to have commercial interest by owing teams in IPL and Champions League and said it was bad on grounds of conflict of interest.
The apex court directed that BCCI elections be held in six weeks "subject to the condition that no one who has any commercial interest in the BCCI events (including N Srinivasan) shall be eligible for contesting the elections for any post whatsoever".
The rider in the judgement would make it probably difficult for Srinivasan to become the BCCI President, unless he quickly relinquished his interest in the CSK.
Muffler Man is Godzilla: At 53%, Kejriwal'svictory is mandate of mandates
Delhi is an unusual election in many ways. It fact it is an outlier by any standard of Indian voting behaviour seen in the recent past.
The reason is not the landslide win for Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which gives it a 60-plus seat majority in a 70-seat assembly. What makes Delhi different is that, possibly for the first time in several decades, one party is likely to receive more that 50 percent of the popular vote.
AAP chief and soon to be Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. AFP
Narendra Modi’s vote in 2014 was 31 percent for the BJP.Akhilesh Yadav’s vote in 2012 was under 30 percent for a majority. Almost no party which swept to power has got more than 35-40 percent of the popular vote.
Voting trends available till around 10.30 am, which have held all through the morning, show AAP with 53.2 percent of the total vote, against the BJP’s 33.8 percent and Congress’s 8.5 percent. The rest got peanuts, if at all.
Seldom has one party got this kind of mandate ever in a fragmented Indian election. This is a mandate like almost no other.
But, first, it is necessary to assess what happened, before we discuss the implications of this vote.
The BJP, despite the pathetic seat count, has actually held on to its voter base. It got more votes than what it did the last time, but it got almost none of the incremental vote. It did not benefit from the collapse of the Congress vote or from the new voters who entered EVM booths for the first time this time This means it has a base to build on, but must actively woo the new demographic in the coming months and years to stay relevant.
The Congress has been trounced badly. It has seen its 2013 vote down to a third of its previous level, which means the party is rapidly becoming irrelevant in Delhi, too – a state it ruled with distinction for 15 years upto December 2013.
That only party (BSP) got past the 1 percent mark tells its own story. It means Delhi is beginning to transcend the caste and community divide. Neither INLD (Jats), nor the Akali Dal (Sikhs) got to 1 percent.
Looked at another way, the Delhi vote is an even bigger threat to the regional parties in other parts of the country than just for the BJP.
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