Pranab to visit Bangladesh tomorrow; will hand over cyclone aid
Friday, 30 November, 2007

New Delhi, Nov 30 (ANI): External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will visit Dhaka tomorrow to hand over the aid pledged by India with a sense of urgency following a severe cyclone hit Bangladesh on November 15.

Pranab will convey solidarity of the people of India to those affected by the cyclone, which resulted in heavy loss of life and widespread destruction in coastal areas.

During his visit, Pranab will meet Bangladesh Chief Advisor Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed and Foreign Advisor Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury. He will survey some cyclone affected areas and meet the victims.

Over the last few days, the Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft have been expeditiously delivering relief materials consisting of medicines, tents, blankets, ready-to-eat meals and portable water-purifiers to Bangladesh.

An IL-76 aircraft left New Delhi this afternoon for Dhaka carrying the last consignment of relief supplies. Mukherjee is expected to formally hand over this consignment to the Bangladeshi authorities tomorrow.

As announced by the External Affairs Minister earlier, India is also sending essential food items such as food aid, including rice, wheat and milk powder, worth nearly 100 crore rupees to Bangladesh. Delivery of these items is being expedited. One such consignment consisting of more than 9,000 metric tonnes of rice reached Chittagong (Bangladesh) during the Ramadan.

Earlier, following torrential rains, which caused mudslides in Chittagong in June 2007, India had also extended 10-million-dollar cash assistance to Bangladesh.

In a gesture, India has also lifted the current ban on export of rice with respect to Bangladesh allowing it to import 50,000 metric tonnes from India. (ANI)
--MP

IAF plane with relief materials leaves for Bangladesh

New Delhi, Nov 30 (ANI): An Indian Air Force (IAF) transport plane carrying relief materials for the victims of the cyclone that hit Bangladesh recently left for Dhaka from here today

The plane is carrying the fourth consignment consisting of relief materials including tents, blankets, ready-to-eat food packets and medicines, which is part of a package of one million dollars that India has pledged.

"We are taking around 35 tonnes of relief materials, which include medicines and food," said Wing Commander Jitender Narula. 

Bangladesh has also received aid offers totalling around 90 million dollars from various countries and agencies, officials said.

A severe cyclone struck Bangladesh on last November 15 with 250 kph winds that whipped up a five-meter tidal surge.

Around 3,500 people were killed by cyclone Sidr, making it the deadliest in 16 years. Thousands more are missing or injured and aid workers and officials say at least two million people have been displaced.

According to the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, the death toll in the country may cross 10,000.

Southern Bangladesh is often hit by cyclones, but experts say the latest is a category four storm, the most powerful so far in the season.

In Bangladesh, 500,000 people died in a 1970 cyclone. A similar storm claimed 143,000 lives in 1991. (ANI)
--MP

India, European Commission sign MoU on Multi-annual Indicated Programme

New Delhi, Nov 30 (ANI): India and the European Commission today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the first Multi-annual Indicative Programme (MIP) for 2007-2010.

Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Trade Commissioner of the European Commission, Peter Mandelson, signed the MoU during the India-European Union (EU) Summit here.

The European Commission conceptualises multi-annual economic and development cooperation programmes to be implemented in partner countries through their country strategy papers (CSP).

The CSP generally covers two consecutive MIPs of three to four years and the MIP, in turn, defines priorities for spending an indicative budgetary break down for the programme period.

The current CSP is for the period 2007-2013 and the indicative budgetary allocation by the EC is of 460 million euros divided into two MIPs of 260 million and 200 million euros for 2007-2010 and 2011-2013 respectively.

The MoU signed is for the first MIP, the proposed duration for that is from 2007-2010. It is a medium term commitment undertaken by the EU to contribute to the ongoing developmental programmes initiated by the Government of India.

With the support of the EU's assistance, the MoU is expected to provide further fillip to the ongoing programmes in the health and education sectors in India. (ANI)
--MP

Police, women health workers clash in Patna

Indian woman to be united with her family after 17 long years in Pak

Lahore, Nov 30 (ANI): An Indian woman, who spent 17 long years in Pakistan, will finally leave Lahore for Delhi on Friday night and is expected to be united with her family on Saturday.

Yellamilli Kejiamani, born to a Christian family in Sakhinetialli Mandal village of Godaveri District in Andhra Pradesh, succeeded in reviving her contacts with her family back in India.

Kejiamani said that she is very happy and cannot further wait to see her family.

Rao Abid Hamid, a senior official at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said "Kejiamani was brought to Pakistan in 1990 by Riaz from Kuwait where both of them had been working."

"Riaz, a resident of Lahore, snatched everything she had and burnt her passport. He also tortured her before throwing her out of his house six months after she had reached Pakistan," added Hamid.

"After losing her Indian passport, she only had a residence registration card and the phone numbers of her family members," said Hamid.

It was through these phone numbers that the Indian authorities were able to verify her credentials and that must have helped her case.

She spent the next 10 years of her life in obscurity.

During this time she also lost her senses. Then she met Muhammad Amin, a cook, who took her to his house and provided shelter to her.

But soon her presence in his house started causing trouble for him. His neighbours filed a case against him for keeping a woman in his house without legal permission.

"Under pressure, Amin shifted her to his native village in Sahiwal District and arranged a paper marriage with her after giving her a Muslim name, Ayesha," said Hamid

Her cousin who lives in England also came to know about her whereabouts in Pakistan.

"My father is a tenant of Kejiamani's cousin in England. The landlady told him about her cousin, and we started working on how to help her reunion with her family," said the man who has been hosting her in Lahore.

Hamid is surprised how quickly the situation turned in to her favour. After he wrote a letter on September 24, 2007, to the Indian high commission in Islamabad, she was granted an Indian visa.

This could not have happened, however, if Amin had not helped her to get a Pakistani identity card and a passport. (ANI)
--MP

Govt concerned over alleged harassment of Indians in Malaysia: PM

New Delhi, Nov 30 (ANI): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said that the government was concerned over the alleged harassment of ethnic Indians in Malaysia.  

Reacting to the reported harassment incident, Singh said the government is concerned whenever any Indian is in trouble anywhere in the world.  

"This is a matter which concerns us," the Prime Minister said at a joint press conference with Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates. 

Singh and Socrates, who is head the European Union at present, were addressing the media after their talks here. 

Meanwhile, the issue was also raised in the Parliament. Several parties demanded that the Centre should take up the matter with Malaysia.  

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in his statements in both Houses that the government "deeply solicitous" for the welfare of people of Indian origin living abroad, and that he was in touch with Kuala Lumpur on the issue.  

"We have friendly relations with Malaysia and we are in touch with the Malaysian authorities in the related matter," he said.  

Earlier this week, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi sought Manmohan Singh's intervention in the issue, and urged him protect the rights of Tamils in Malaysia.  

This came after Malaysia's de-facto justice minister Nazri Aziz reportedly told Karunanidhi over telephone to mind his own business after the official complained about Malaysia's treatment of its ethnic Indians.  

"This is Malaysia, not Tamil Nadu," Aziz was quoted as saying, adding: "This has got nothing to do with him... lay off."  

Some ethnic Indians were allegedly harassed during a rally organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force in Kuala Lumpur on November 25. (ANI) -AJ

BJP demands UPA's statement on anti-Sikh riots' witness issue

New Delhi, Nov 30 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today demanded a statement from the UPA government on media reports of a key witness in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that he was very much traceable after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) decided to close the case against former Union Minister Jagdish Tytler.  

Raising the matter in the Parliament, BJP's Ravishankar Prasad said, "Since the minister, under whom CBI comes, is present in the house he should make a statement."  

A Delhi court is likely to scrutinise the CBI's decision to close its case against Tytler in the riots case. 

The CBI in its chargesheet of September 29 claimed that Jasbir Singh, who had allegedly heard Tytler inciting a mob for killing Sikhs, could not be examined as he was currently settled in the US, and his whereabouts were not known.  

Two Sikh organisations - Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee and November '84 Carnage Justice Committee - had on October 4 moved an application seeking a copy of the said chargesheet, so as to aid them in filing a petition against the agency's claim. 

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Sanjeev Jain directed senior counsel H S Phoolka, representing the Sikh bodies, to furnish address of Singh as he claimed that the witness had expressed a desire to come forward and record his testimony in the case. 

"As I understand, you rely upon the testimony of Jasbir Singh. Give me his address and I would direct the CBI to trace him," the ACMM said, while directing the counsel to furnish the address of Singh on December 6. 

According to the chargesheet, Singh in his affidavit before the Nanavati Commission on August 31, 2000 had averred that "he had overheard Tytler rebuking his men on the night of November 3, 1984 ... for nominal killing of Sikhs in his constituency."  

The court, however, did not accede to the request of the counsel for copy of the chargesheet. It had issued a notice to the agency on application of counsel. The CBI raised its objections submitting there was no provision of law which entitled a "third party" such copies. 

The case relates to an incident on November 1, 1984 -- in the aftermath of the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi -- when a mob of angry protesters set afire Gurdwara Pulbangash, killing three persons. (ANI) -AJ

AIIMS doctors call off strike

New Delhi, Nov 29 (ANI): Doctors of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) protesting against the passage of the AIIMS (Amendment) Bill, 2007 today called off their strike.

The decision to withdraw the strike was taken at the meeting of the AIIMS faculty here today.

The doctors faced the threat of action from the Delhi High Court.

Earlier in the day, the High Court asked the Government and the AIIMS authorities to take action against those doctors who went on strike in violation of its earlier order.

"If they (resident doctors) go on strike, their salaries should be deducted and their licences should be cancelled," a Bench comprising Chief Justice M K Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Khanna said.

According to AIIMS Resident Doctors' Association General Secretary Anil Sharma, although the strike has been withdrawn, the doctors will continue their "silent protest".

The strike was called by a group of resident doctors on Thursday morning after the passage of Bill that will see the end of tenure of institute Director P Venugopal.

Despite the strike, the Out Patient Department (OPDs) service at the AIIMS functioned normally today.

The Bill, that has been passed by the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha, fixes 65 year as the retirement age of AIIMS Director and the Chandigarh-based Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER).

Earlier today, Venugopal moved the Supreme Court challenging the Bill.

The legislative measure stipulates that "the director shall hold office for a term of five years from the date on which he enters upon his office or until he attains 65 years of age."

The legislation follows a Delhi High Court order that the retirement age of 62 for teaching faculty and 60 for non-teaching faculty did not apply in the case of Director.

The bill is being seen as an instrument using which Union Health Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss hopes to remove AIIMS Director P Venugopal.

In August, the resident doctors had gone on strike when Ramadoss refused to sign their degrees. (ANI)
--MP

Bhindranwala's portrait installed at Golden Temple's Sikh Museum

Amritsar, Nov 29 (ANI): The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) on Thursday installed a portrait of slain rebel Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwala at a Sikh museum situated in the premises of the Golden Temple.

SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar had earlier announced to install the portrait of the controversial religious leader on November 30. However, it went ahead to install the portrait a day earlier.

Addressing the gathering during the installation ceremony, Makkar said that the SGPC has always been honouring martyrs who have fought for the Sikh community, and it was a moment of pride to install the portrait of one of the great martyr of the 20th century.

Speaking on the occasion Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, the Jathedar of the Akal Takht, hailed the SGPC for taking a 'historic step'.

He described Bhinderanwale as an "epitome of martyrdom". 

A rob of honour "sarpao" was given to Isher Singh, son of Bhindranwala, on the occasion by Vedanti.

In 2003, the SGPC, an apex body controlling Sikh places of worship, had declared Bhindranwala as a "martyr".

Bhindranwala was killed in 'Operation Blue Star' launched by the Indian Army to flush out separatists from Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. (ANI)
--MP

Road blockade by Congress workers in Indore turns violent

Indore, Nov 29 (ANI): A road blockade was staged here today by members of the Congress party against the ruling BJP government in Madhya Pradesh that turned violent.

The Congress activists were protesting against "anti-people and anti-farmer policies" of the Madhya Pradesh Government.

About 500 farmers participated in the protest. They were shouting anti-government slogans and also damaged public buses.

Police had to resort to baton charge to disperse the rampaging mob.

One of the protestors and former MLA, Satya Narayan Patel, said: "We are going to stage more protests. In several places we've already protested in a non-violent manner. But the Government is very feeble and busy passing the buck."

Justifying the police action against the protestors, Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) G.S. Dondia, said: "No, they (protestors) won't be allowed to block the national highway; not even for a second. Whatever steps are needed to be taken against protestors under the law, will be taken."

The rampaging protestors also pelted stones on the policemen. (ANI)
--MP

Centre mulls on creation of central agency to investigate terror cases

New Delhi, Nov 29 (ANI): A special meeting of the Consultative Committee of the Union Home Ministry was held here today to discuss the creation a central law enforcement agency or federal investigation agency to investigate cases of terrorism and other related crimes that have inter-State and international ramifications. 

Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil chaired the meeting.

"Whenever some incident takes place in a State, the Government of India is expected to take action, but Police and Public Order being state subjects, the Centre has its own limitations. It has, therefore, become necessary to discuss the need for a Central agency to investigate certain types of crimes and the manner in which it should be done," a release from the Home Ministry stated.

During the meeting, members said that a proper law should be framed for a central agency to investigate such cases.

The final decision in this regard is expected to be taken after consultations with the State Governments. (ANI)
--MP

Springer choose MPS Technologies to help reach new markets

New Delhi, Nov 29 (ANI-Business Wire India): As part of their continued commitment to quality of service, journal publishers Springer have chosen MPS Technologies' breakthrough JournalStore platform as their online journal platform provider for Springer Protocols.

The partnership will ensure that Springer's market-leading content will be more discoverable by a broader audience and will provide their end-users with access to content in new ways.

Olaf Ernst, President of eProduct Management & Innovation at Springer said "The JournalStore platform offers unique, industry-leading features and provides us with the technology solution we need to meet our objectives. MPS Technologies have proved an excellent partner to work with. We have been extremely impressed with their quality of service, enthusiasm and professionalism."

JournalStore, which will be officially launched at London Online next week, uses cutting-edge technology to allow journal publishers to maximise the online revenue opportunities of their journal content. JournalStore will enable Springer to widen their readership by enhancing their content's discoverability, and will fully integrate their branding.

JournalStore offers publishers multiple business models to work with including site licences, subscriptions, pay-per-view, token based access and free access, in any combination. End-users are alerted to new content via RSS feeds and TOC email alerts.

"We're excited about this partnership with MPS Technologies as the advanced functionalities and features provided by JournalStore enable us to access a broader customer base and deliver our market-leading protocol content. We are very pleased to be working side-by-side with MPS Technologies to build a user-centric vehicle for the benefit of Springer Protocols users worldwide," said Ray Colon, General Manager of Springer/Humana Press.

Ravi Singh, CEO of MPS Technologies said: "I am delighted at the collaboration between our businesses. Springer represents a prestigious addition to the 170 clients we serve. This partnership will ensure that Springer's protocol content is used by new audiences globally". (ANI)
--MP

Free trade pact between India and EU good for global economy: Mandelson

New Delhi, Nov 29 (ANI): A Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union would boost both the economies and would shore up global demand, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said here today.

He said strong growth has made the Indian economy, the second fastest-growing major economy after China, an integral part of maintaining global economic demand.

"By deepening the economic integration, both the EU and India gain. Both sides get new markets for their goods, bigger engine for their growth. An FTA (Free Trade Agreement) will significantly increase Indian exports to the European Union, and EU imports and investments in my view have a valuable role in stimulating further the Indian economy," Mandelson said.

Mandelson said the EU was fully prepared to address issues of non-tariff barriers and intellectual property rights as it negotiates the free trade pact with India.

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath restated the position that India wanted to conclude the FTA by the end of 2008.

Nath added that India was looking for 90 percent of the items it trade with the EU to be included in the agreement, and said he expects the Europeans to place 95 percent of their tradable items on the agenda.

"What we look at EU is not only for trade practices.  We have an old association," Nath said.
  
The EU is increasingly drawing up a web of free trade pacts in Asia after the United States and Japan made inroads to tap into the high growth potential of the fast growing Asian economies.

European trade officials want to deepen discussions on sensitive areas with India, such as removing barriers to trade in services, intellectual property protection and public procurement.

The EU is India's largest trading partner, accounting for a fifth of India's total trade, and is also one of its most important sources of foreign investment. (ANI)
--MP

6,800 dollars for a car number plate!

Ludhiana, Nov.29 (ANI): How much money are you ready to cough out from you pocket to get a car number plate of your choice? Can it equal the amount of nearly fetching a brand new car?

Rohit Nagpal of Ludhiana left many of his fellows gasping during an auction when he made the highest bid vouching for a VIP number 0001 with 272,000 rupees!

The second highest price with rupees 92,000 was for 0009.

Organised by the District Transport Authority of Ludhiana for the first time, the success of the auction of vehicle numbers made through an open auction system left the officials with a long smile on their faces.  

"The Government had reserved three series number. The response has been good. All the numbers have gone 10 to 14 times more that the reserved price, which is indeed good news. The Government will earn much more revenue as compared to earlier times," said Karamjeet Singh, Additional State Transport Commissioner of Punjab.

"The notification for all the reserved numbers was already made a month in advance. Its process had been started at all the places and at some places even advertisements were released," Singh added.

Other contenders enjoyed simply cherished being part of such an event by being a member of the exclusive club of car owners parading single digit and other specific VIP car registration plates.

"I had this craze of having such numbers. Previously, also I had such numbers in my vehicles. I just wanted number 6 because I have fondness for this number. This time too I thought of getting one for my vehicle and I even succeeded in making it," said Tarsem Singh, one of the bidders.

"We have seen big and eminent people possessing such numbers. I do not know why it is done but I just thought of having it, since it is used by very few cars," said Rohit Nagpal, another bidder at the auction.

In Chandigarh, especially, people have a craze for VIP and fancy car registration numbers. Last year, a car registration number was sold for a whopping Rs. 505,000!

Motivated by the success of the auction, the transport authorities are planning for many more similar auctions on other places in future. (ANI)
--MP

Cold wave sweeps Kashmir, Dal Lake freezes

Srinagar, Nov 29 (ANI): The biting cold wave that has swept Jammu and Kashmir has disrupted normal life and the famous Dal lake has frozen.

The minimum temperature in the valley was minus 4.8 degree Celsius recorded on Wednesday night. The Meteorological Department has predicted a cold winter ahead.

Winter in the state starts from November 15 with the last leg of December and month of January witnessing acute chilly weather. The Meteorological Department has predicted temporary relief from the relentless cold wave on account of weak western winds.

"Today's minimum temperature is (minus) 4.8 degree Celsius which is the lowest for this season. Cold wave conditions prevail in the valley. The sky is clear and radiation from the earth is directly going into space, that's why the temperature is falling. However, with a weak westerly wind blowing in, the temperature may rise," said N P Bhatnagar, director, Metrological Department, Kashmir.

The tough weather conditions have made people wary of venturing out in the morning and evening, when the cold wave is at its peak.

"In the morning and evening the cold is excessive. Such a cold wave is being witnessed after a long period of time. There is no electricity. No rainfall has occurred. Children are worst affected and people in general are suffering immensely," says Mohammad Afzal, a local resident.

The valley experiences strong winds along with snow and rainfall during the winter season that lasts from November till March. (ANI)
--MP

Delhi Court may seek witness' address in Sikh riots case against Tytler

New Delhi, Nov.29 (ANI): A Delhi court is likely to scrutinise the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI's) decision to close its case against former Union Minister Jagdish Tytler in 1984 anti-Sikh riots is likely to come under the scrutiny of a city court which has sought the address of a crucial witness, declared "untraceable" by the CBI, for possible deposition.

The CBI in its chargesheet of September 29 had claimed that Jasbir Singh, who had allegedly heard Tytler inciting a mob for killing Sikhs, could not be examined as he was currently settled in the USA, and his whereabouts were not known.

Two Sikh organisations - Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee and November '84 Carnage Justice Committee - had on October 4, moved an application seeking a copy of the said chargesheet, so as to aid them in filing a petition against the agency's claim.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Sanjeev Jain directed senior counsel H S Phoolka, representing the Sikh bodies to furnish address of Singh as he claimed that the witness had expressed a desire to come forward and record his testimony in the case.

"As I understand, you rely upon the testimony of Jasbir Singh. Give me his address and I would direct the CBI to trace him," the ACMM said, while directing the counsel to furnish the address of Singh on December 6.

According to the chargesheet filed by CBI in the case, Singh in his affidavit before the Nanavati Commission on 31st August 2000 had averred that "he had overheard Tytler rebuking his men on the night of November 3, 1984 ... for nominal killing of Sikhs in his constituency."

The court, however, did not accede to the request of the counsel for copy of the chargesheet. It had issued a notice to the agency on application of counsel. The CBI raised its objections submitting there was no provision of law which entitled a "third party" such copies.

The case relates to an incident on 1st November 1984 -- in the aftermath of the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi -- when a mob of angry protesters had set afire Gurdwara Pulbangash, killing three persons. (ANI)
--MP

India, Pakistan, Bangladesh lagging behind in literacy goals
Thursday, 29 November, 2007

New Delhi, Nov.29 (ANI): India, Pakistan and Bangladesh may find it difficult to achieve the education for all goal set by the UN for 2015, burdened by high number of illiterates and deep disparities that exist between urban and rural areas.  

It is in this backdrop that the UNESCO's Regional Conference in Support of Global Literacy kicked off in New Delhi on Thursday to discuss the theme "Literacy Challenges in South, South-West and Central Asia: Building Partnerships and Promoting Innovative Approaches". 

Inaugurating the conference, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi said there were countries that were small in size but have literacy rates of more than 90 percent, while there were also nations that were contributing heavily to world illiteracy. 

"The three countries of South Asia -- India, Pakistan and Bangladesh -- have to redouble their efforts to reduce illiteracy," she said. 

Gandhi stressed on the need to achieve the global goals set for ensuring education for all by 2015. 

"These are ambitious goals. But they must be achieved within the timeframe set for them," she said. 

Terming literacy a basic human right, she said it was a pre-requisite for social transformation.  

"It enables people to be aware and assert their rights. It is a force against superstition and bigotry," she said. 

Referring to the National Literacy Mission launched by late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1986, she said the mission has not been given a new direction.  

Recalling that vision of her late husband, she said that with the effort of the National Literacy Mission the literacy has jumped from 44 percent to 52 percent during the decade 1981-1991, and further climbed up from 52 percent to 65 percent in the following decade. But she reiterated that regional variations exist. 

The objective of the National Literacy Mission, she said is to "bring a sharper emphasis on female literacy in poorer areas and amongst disadvantaged communities, to effect convergence of existing schemes and programmes, to link literacy to improved livelihood and career opportunities, particularly in the knowledge economy." 

 The Mission will be implemented by institutions of local self governments, to ensure greater accountability and responsiveness. She also reiterated India's commitment to universalize elementary education by 2010.  

"Our challenge is to ensure full enrollment, reduction in the drop out rates and to impart quality education. A cooked mid day meal programme is an integral part of this strategy. Today, some 120 million children are being fed daily in schools," she said.  

She also said that India, Bangladesh and Pakistan should redouble their efforts to eradicate illiteracy. This will include greater focus on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and linking education with job opportunities (vocational education).  

"We are at a moment of convergence between technological development and educational need, as well as between educational need and political will. Let us grasp this moment," she said.  

Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh said that in a rapidly globalizing age, nothing is immune to change.  

"It has been our experience that large numbers of our people have been able to take advantage of these changes. Indian professionals, whether in software, IT, medicine or management, are leading the movement for change around the world. This is true of other countries in Asia. We are proud of their achievements and wish them well. However, as responsible governments our attention needs to focus on the larger numbers who have not been able to ride the crest of the wave; the people who, if I may extend the metaphor, run the risk of being swept away. It is here that we need to concentrate, and here that there is most at risk," he said.  

Singh also said that the challenge of literacy is not just of finding the means. It is one of commitment and perseverance. Literacy has to be brought to the centre stage not just in our respective countries but also amongst the comity of nations.  

"Our goal is that every child at primary level is enrolled and retained in school. Taken along with our efforts under the National Literacy Mission, we hope to achieve 85 percent literacy by the end of this Plan period," he said.  

The Director General of UNESCO, Koichiro Matsuura, said that India is among the countries that have made remarkable strides since 2000 towards EFA, with a range of targeted initiatives that reach disadvantaged children, youth and adults across the country.  

"Quality is also a concern. Rates of grade repetition and drop-out are high across South and West Asia and learning assessments systematically show that too many children leave school without acquiring basic literacy and numeracy skills," he said.  

Dr. Shantha Sinha delivered the keynote address. In her address she said that India has been witness to some of the large-scale movements for literacy involving millions of volunteers. 

"Volunteers are at the core of such endeavors to reach out to the illiterate, which recognise the potential of literacy for individuals as well as for societal transformation," she said, adding "we are together today in this conference, transcending boundaries of language, culture, nation to meet, empathize with and act in solidarity for all those who have been left behind."  

During the Conference an exhibition on the theme of creating literate environments has also been displayed at Vigyan Bhawan. Part of the exhibition will focus on how ICTs can be utilized in literacy and non-formal education: increasing access, localizing content and creating an environment conducive to literacy. Literacy materials are also on display in the "Fair of Best Practices". The welcome address was given by M.A.A. Fatmi, Minister of State for HRD.  

There was also a video message from U.S.First Lady  Laura Bush. The first lady of Sri Lanka, Madam Shiranthi Rajapakse, was the guest of honour at the function. (ANI) -AJ

NSAB chairman moots pipeline through China

New Delhi, Nov.29 (ANI): The Chairman of the National Security Advisory Board, Mr. Maharajakrishna Rosgotra, today called for concerted efforts to find alternative sources of energy, especially solar energy.  

"Very little has been done in the area of solar energy. Research is going on in the US. But, we should take the lead. Instead of the US, we should bring in researchers from abroad also and do some solid work," Rasgotra said in his inaugural address at the Sixth Petro India 2007, organised by Observer Research Foundation and India Energy Forum.  

The theme of this year's conference is "India's Changing Gas Scenario: The New Imperatives". 

Rasgotra, a former Foreign Secretary and now President of the Centre for International Affairs of the ORF, suggested that India should spend at least one billion dollars per year for five years to make the harnessing of solar energy as an alternative. He also called for bigger investments in exploration to increase domestic production considerably.  

Saying Russia, China and the US are playing a game in Central Asia region, rich in natural gas, and trying to divert natural gas to European side, Rasgotra suggested even joint drilling with China, another major guzzler of energy.  

Rasgotra also asked the conference to ponder over his idea of building a pipeline from Central Asia through China, instead of the pipelines through Iran, Afghanistan, Baluchistan, etc.  

The Chairman of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRG),  Labanyendu Mansingh, in his keynote address said that in India, the market of natural gas is not market driven like in western countries, but supply driven. He said the regulator here would have to start from the scratch.   However, Mr. Mansingh hoped that the process would evolve soon and the regulator would be able to do justice to the producers as well as the consumers. 

He said the use of natural gas in the total commercial energy mix of the country is estimated to go up to over 20 per cent by the end of 11 th Five Year Plan, from the present 8 per cent. 

Anil Razdan, Secretary of the Power Ministry, announced that the Krishnapatanam Ultra Mega Power Project, which will be run on imported coal, would be awarded tomorrow (Friday). Reliance Power is the lowest bidder. Mr. Razdan was delivering a special address.  

Mr. Razdan reiterated that by 2012, the government would electrify all the villages in the country, creating a capacity of 78,500 MWs, which is more than the capacity created in the last three 5-year plans. He said the government wanted to increase the 600 unit per house per year to 1000 units per house in five years time.  

He Razdan said the Central Government is giving an unprecedented grant of more than 90 per cent to improve power generation and electrification. He hoped that the efforts of the government would lead to "a decisive, competitive and vibrant market."  

Regulators, policy makers, experts, producers and consumers are discussing various aspects of India's changing gas scenario, like challenges to exploration and production, prospects for LNG and transnational pipelines, issues of access, affordability and regional disparities, regulatory challenges and growth of infrastructure. (ANI) -AJ

UNESCO chief hails India's commendable strides in literacy campaign

New Delhi, Nov 29 (ANI): UNESCO's Director General Koichiro Matsuura on Thursday praised India for the successful implementation of Education For All (EFA) campaign in the country.  

"India is among the countries that have made remarkable stride since 2000 towards EFA, with a range of targeted initiatives that reach disadvantaged children, youth and adults across the country," Koichiro said. 

Speaking at a conference here, Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi, also elaborated on the benefits of education and its contribution to facilitate economic progress of a country. 

"Literacy is a basic human right, a fundamental entitlement. It enables people to be aware of their rights. It is a force against superstition and bigotry. It is a great liberator. Literacy is basic to gender equality. It is a critical contributor to rapid economic growth to equitable, inclusive, economic and social development," Sonia said. 

UNESCO had launched the Education For All movement in 1990 with the aim of providing education for all children, youth and adults. Six key education goals were identified, which aim to meet the needs of all children, youth and adults by 2015. 

Of the 127 countries for which UNESCO collected data, 101 are still far from achieving universal literacy and 72 will not succeed in having adult literacy levels by 2015. 

Globally, over 770 million adults-two-thirds of which are women, lack basic literacy skills. 

The situation is critical in countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India, where a lot needs to be achieved to ensure education for all sections of society. 

However, according to UNESCO, India has still managed to make some progress in making educational facilities accessible to people even at the grassroots level. 

The countries of South and South West Asia have the highest number of illiterates in the world, and out of the 388 million adults in this region who cannot read and write 63.5 per cent are women.   

The literacy rate in the sub-region has however increased by 25 per cent over the past two decades - the most rapid rise in the world. 

Countries have seen a 22 percent increase in the number of children enrolled in primary school. 

All countries with data in the region have improved girls' access to primary education with noteworthy progress in India and Nepal. 

UNESCO is committed to focus on countries that face greatest literacy challenges and that include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Iran and Pakistan in the South and West Asia region. (ANI)-AJ

ICL is `Netaji's baby, not Goel's !

London, Nov.29 (ANI): It sound bizarre, but the recently created Indian Cricket League (ICL) is the brainchild of Subash Chandra Bose, a media mogul whose two billion dollar Essel Group includes India's biggest television network.

At least, that's what today's report in The Guardian would have you believe.

The paper further goes on to state that Bose, a well-known Indian freedom fighter, president of India's Congress Party in the late 1920s, and Commander-in-Chief of the Indian National Army (INA) in the 1930s and 1940s, gambled early on "that Twenty-20's three-hour slugfests would appeal to fans mad on cricket but, be short on time."

"Dismissed initially by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Bose's odds of succeeding shortened when India won the Twenty20 World Cup, with broadcasters charging up to 5,000 pounds for a 10-second advertising slot during the Indian team's games. The BCCI then did an abrupt aboutturn and announced its own Twenty20 league would begin next April. Bose's ICL, a two-week battle between six sides, comes first," says the Guardian report.

It's another matter, that the ICL is the brainchild of Subhash Chandra Goel  and not Subhas Chandra Bose. (ANI)
--MP

Indian-themed cuisines highlight St Andrew's Day food fest in Scotland

London, November 29 (ANI): Indian-themed cuisines highlighted a grand food festival organised in Scotland in the run-up to St Andrew's Day.

The festival also aimed at spreading awareness about the benefits of the arts, business, religious tolerance and diversification brought by the estimated 55,000 people of Indian origin living in Scotland.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon, who is a big fan of authentic Indian food, joined members of the community to launch the festival at the restaurants Suruchi and Suruchi Too in Edinburgh.

She said that the mixture of Scottish and Indian ingredients was an example of how the two countries could share knowledge.

"I have never met more patriotic Scots than in that [Asian] community because they have chosen to make Scotland their home, so they take a pride in it that perhaps those of us born here do not have," the Scotland quoted her as saying.

"We celebrate St Andrew's Day this year at a time of growing confidence, there is a feel-good feeling, something exciting in the air. I think one of the things that has contributed over the years to Scottish confidence and feeling more comfortable in our own skin is the wonderful multiculturalism we have been privileged to enjoy here in Scotland. Our cultures are becoming more integrated and both are being enhanced," she said.

She added: "Nowhere is this more evident than the fusion of Scottish ingredients with Indian recipes and I cannot think of a better way to celebrate St Andrew's Day."

Suruchi's owner Herman Rodrigues said that Indian food was no longer just "post-lager entertainment" because diners would like to have authentic dishes.

"Our master chefs experimented with vegetarian haggis, venison, turnips, parsnips, Arbroath smokies and salmon. The only thing the chefs did not improve on was deep-fried Mars bar," he said. (ANI)
--MP

Pranab underlines benefits of Indo-US nuke deal in Parliament

New Delhi, Nov 28 (ANI): In an attempt to brush aside the concerns of the Opposition and the Left parties on the Indo-US civilian nuclear cooperation agreement, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today underlined the benefits of the bilateral deal during a debate on the issue in Lok Sabha.

In his speech in the lower house, Mukherjee said the deal was in India's favour, as it would help cut the cost of power to a good extent.

India imports 100 billion barrel of oil by paying a heavy amount, and the bilateral deal would cut the cost of power, he said.

Mukherjee went on to ay that through this deal with Washington, New Delhi would be able to increase the power capacity to meet the increasing demand across the country.

He further said that the agreement, which was paved by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President George W Bush on July 18, 2005 during the former's visit to Washington, would also enable India to get access to the nuclear technology for civilian use, which would prove beneficial for the country in future.

Pointing out that the process was not yet completed for operationalising the deal, the minister said that the Government has discussed and briefed about every step taken in this direction to the Parliament.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that the civilian nuclear agreement would not tie the hands of the Government from conducting a nuclear test in future.

"If a necessity for carrying out a nuclear test arises in future, there is nothing in the agreement that prevents us from carrying out tests," Singh said while intervening an Opposition's point during the debate.

Singh's assurance came when the Leader of Opposition L K Advani said in his speech that the terms of the 123 agreement with the US would stop India from conducting a nuclear test in future. Advani said the deal was "unacceptable" as it was "deeply detrimental" to the country's long-term interests.

The Prime Minister went on to say that what the UPA Government has done was only to reiterate what the previous National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government did by committing itself to a unilateral moratorium on conducting nuclear tests.

The much-awaited debate on the Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation deal started at 2 p.m. under rule 193 of the Rules of Procedure of the House. Under the rule, there cannot be voting at the end of the debate.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi on Tuesday said that the "Sense of the House cannot be obtained in a short-duration discussion under Rule 193. You cannot reach a conclusion on a debate which has not been voted in the House."

Dasmunsi indicated that Rajya Sabha might take up the discussion only after December 1.

The government was ready for an early debate on the matter but the Opposition insisted on the presence of Singh during the discussion.

The debate on the deal is taking place at a time when the government has approached the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for India-related nuclear safeguards after the Left gave the government a go ahead for it.

The Left, providing crucial outside support to the Congress-led coalition, is a consistent critic of the deal and has warned the government against operationalising it. (ANI)
--MP

Vietnam Deputy Defence Minister meets Antony

New Delhi, Nov 28 (ANI): Visiting Vietnamese Deputy Defence General Nguven Huy Hieu today met Indian Defence Minister A K Antony here as part of the third Indo-Vietnam Security Dialogue process.

The security dialogue commenced on Tuesday and is expected to end on Sunday.

On Thursday, both countries are likely to sign the agreed minutes of the present dialogue.

Earlier this year, India and Vietnam signed a joint declaration for establishing a strategic partnership besides inking a number of agreements.

The joint declaration was signed between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung in New Delhi, to diversify and deepen the relationship between the two nations in a rapidly changing environment. (ANI)
--MP

External Affairs Ministry to open secretariat branch in Guwahati

New Delhi, Nov 28 (ANI): Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma today said that there is a proposal to open a ministry's branch secretariat in Guwahati

Sharma said that Branch Secretariats of the Ministry of External Affairs were already functioning in Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai, adding that Guwahati might get one soon.

"There is no proposal to open such offices in other parts of the country, at present," he said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. (ANI)
--MP

Frequent design modification is delaying induction of Arjun tanks in army: Antony

New Delhi, Nov 28 (ANI): Union Defence Minister A K Antony today said that frequent design modification and the time required to procure some major assemblies are the reasons for delay in induction of Arjun tank in the army.

"The necessary steps have been taken to ensure timely availability of all critical aggregates," Antony told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

He further said that production of the Main Battle Tank Arjun is being regularly monitored through Working Group Meeting held under the chairmanship of Director General Mechanised Forces and Steering Committee under the Co-Chairmanship of Secretary (Defence Production) and Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister. 

The tank developed by the DRDO has been upgraded periodically and its final version took part in a military exercise in April this year.

The DRDO's project to develop the indigenous Arjun tank, which was to be completed by 1984, took another 16 years to get completed. Weighing at 58.5 tons, the tank has been criticised about its failure to function at high temperatures, since "it gets overheated".

The Army was asked by the Government to purchase 124 Arjun tanks in 2004, which will be delivered to the former by 2008. At present, the Army has received close to 30 Arjun tanks from Chennai factory.

The field trials of the tanks were conducted last year but the Army was not satisfied with it and its problem in fire control system (FCS) and gunner's main sight were also mentioned in the Parliamentary Committee report on Defence.

The project for development of Arjun was completed with a total expenditure of Rs.305.60 crore, and with delivery of 12 prototypes and 15 pre-production series.

"A few minor defects were noticed during field evaluation of production tanks, which were analysed jointly by DRDO and Army. These production defects were rectified by DRDO and clearance for production of MBT Arjun has been given by Army," Antony had told Parliament in September this year. .

Answering to a question raised in the Rajya Sabha with regard to allegation of corruption in defence deals, Antony said, "At present there are six cased at regular case and five at preliminary enquiry stage with CBI."

The Defence Minister denied divulging the details of procurement of arms, ammunitions, equipments, for the Armed Forces saying, "It will not be in the interest of National Security."

"The government has laid down elaborate procedures for procurement of defence equipments, weapons and stores. In addition, the guidelines prescribed by Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) are also followed. These procedures are also reviewed periodically," Antony stated in his reply. (ANI)
--MP

ONGC Videsh wins two exploration blocks in Brazil

New Delhi, Nov 28 (ANI): Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited's wholly-owned subsidiary ONGC Videsh has bagged two blocks in Brazil, namely deepwater Block 470 in the highly prospective Espirito Santo basin and shallow water Block 1413 in another highly prospective Santos basin, amid stiff competition from International companies.

Earlier, Agência Nacional do Petróleo (ANP), the regulatory agency of Brazil, had announced the opening of Brazil Round 9, in which, 271 blocks, distributed among nine basins, totalling almost 73,000 km² in deepwater, shallow water and onshore were on offer.

Seventy-four E&P companies had applied for qualification; ONGC Videsh was among twenty four which qualified as Operator "A" including Petrobras, Shell, Exxon, ENI, Chevron.

In a public ceremony at the Windsor Barra Hotel, the companies submitted bids for the various blocks on offer and the bids were opened in the presence of the participants on 27th November 2007. A total of around R$ 2.1 Billion (almost around US$ 1.2 Billion) was offered by the companies as signature bonus which has created a record and surpassed all expectations.

For Block ES 470 won by ONGC Videsh (OVL), competitive bids were offered by a consortium led by Petrobras and another consortium led by Perenco. For another Block SM 1413 won by ONGC Videsh competitive bids were offered by Petrobras and Ecopetrol.

Congratulating the ONGC VIDESH team, Nelson Monterio, Director of ANP expressed great satisfaction on the development and promised to extend all help and cooperation of the ANP to ONGC VIDESH.

OVL already has a minority interest in Block BC-10 which is under development and has recently signed the Farm-out Agreement with Petrobras for three offshore blocks.

Earlier, in September OVL had won three blocks, one in consortium with Ecopetrol and Petrobras and two in consortium with Ecopetrol, in the Carribbean bid round of Colombia, of which it is the operator in two.

Speaking on the occasion, MD of OVL R S Butola stated that OVL had made a focused bidding for some of the blocks and it was very satisfying for the company to have won the two prioritized blocks.

CMD ONGC and Chairman OVL R S Sharma observed that this success is a step further towards consolidation of OVL's activities in Latin America, for the much needed equity oil for India. (ANI)
--MP

US did not ask India to delay IPI gas pipeline project: Pranab

New Delhi, Nov 28 (ANI): External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today denied that the US has asked India not to move forward with the planned pipeline project that would bring natural gas from Iran to India via Pakistan.

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry has been negotiating the pipeline project with Iran and Pakistan, Mukherjee told Lok Sabha in a written reply.

"The sixth meeting of the tripartite Joint Working Group was held in Delhi on 28-29 June. Three meetings of the India-Pakistan Joint Working Group and five meetings of the India-Iran Special Joint Working Group have been held so far. Several key issues including pricing formula, transit fee and transportation tariff are under discussion," he said.

Earlier this month, Iranian Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari had said that there was no deadline for India to join the pipeline service, and expressed the hope that New Delhi would not buckle under pressure from Washington to join the rival gas pipeline project from Turkmenistan.

Nozari's statement came soon after Iran and Pakistan finalised a contract for a multi-billion-dollar gas export deal that is schedule to be signed within a month.

The project, in its present state, envisages the construction of a 2,600-km-long pipeline that would bring gas from Iran's giant South Pars field to Pakistan and India.

India, which has not been able to resolve the issue of transit fee with Pakistan, has said that it would not participate in the trilateral talks till it is decided. (ANI)
--MP

Laxman back into top 20 Test batsmen rankings

Sonia urges youth and women to fight declining sex ratio

Bhiwani, Nov 28 (ANI): UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi today expressed concern over the declining sex ratio in Punjab and Haryana, and urged the youth and women to come ahead to improve it.

"The women in Haryana are brave. We are proud of them. However, I feel sad when I hear about female foeticide. The youth and women must take it as a challenge so that the sex ratio in the state is improved and there are more women than men in the state," said Sonia while addressing a public rally here to mark the birth anniversary of former state Agriculture Minister Surender Singh.

Sonia also said that the farmers of the state are feeding the country. The Central Government has raised the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy and wheat to express its gratitude for them.

She launched the Road Infrastructure Development Programme by laying the foundation stones of remodelling and widening of Dadri-Chhuchhakwas-Jhajjar Road. (ANI)
--MP

Death toll in Assam clash rises to 11
Wednesday, 28 November, 2007

Guwahati, Nov 28 (ANI): The death toll in Dima Halam Daogah (DHD) anti-talk faction Black Widow militants' attack last night at the North Cachar Hills district has risen to 11. 

According to reports, heavily armed militants lined up six labourers and gunned down two of them about 11.00 p.m. and four others were injured seriously in the attack.  

Two of injured have been admitted in the Guwahati Medical College Hospital. 

Earlier, eight labourers were gunned down by the militants before setting ablaze two saw mills. 

Security forces have started massive combing operation in the violence-hit areas of the district after last night's fresh attacks by the militants. (ANI) -AJ

Puri Shankaracharya receives threat from al Qaeda

Indore, Nov 28 (ANI): The Shankaracharya of Puri, Swami Nischalanand Saraswati Dev, has received a threat mail from al-Qaeda, warning him of dire consequences if he does not embrace Islam. 

The postcard, carrying the threat, was received by the disciples of Shankaracharya in Puri on Monday. 

"They (al Qaeda) have threatened that if Shankaracharya does not adopt Islam then they will blow up his religious institution," said Nirvikalp Prakash, Personal Secretary of the Shankaracharya. 

The seer, who himself is in Indore for a religious function, seemed unperturbed by the threat. 

"Let al Qaeda do whatever they want to. I am not worried by the threat. I am following my own path. I have not threatened anyone. When a Muslim mosque was attacked in India, I had sympathized by terming it as a shameful act on humanity. No activity of ours is a threat to anybody," said Swami Nischalanand Saraswati Dev.  

"I am working for the goodwill of all the people. But, in looking after the goodwill of others, I cannot neglect the goodwill of Hindus. I am responsible for the security and integrity of the Hindus and no one can stop me from my path," he added. 

The seer will remain in Indore till November 30, during which he will be provided with a tight security cover. 

Security has been beefed up in and around Shankaracharya's religious institution in Puri. (ANI)

If necessary, India will conduct nuclear tests: PM

New Delhi, Nov 28 (ANI): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today brushed aside the Opposition's apprehensions that the bilateral civilian nuclear agreement with the US will tie the hands of the government from conducting a nuclear test in future, saying that if a need arises for this, New Delhi would conduct it.

"If a necessity for carrying out a nuclear test arises in future, there is nothing in the agreement that prevents us from carrying out tests," Singh said during a debate in Lok Sabha on the deal with Washington.

Singh's assurance came when the Leader of Opposition L K Advani said in his speech that the terms of the 123 agreement with the US would stop India from conducting a nuclear test in future. Advani said the deal was "unacceptable" as it was "deeply detrimental" to the country's long-term interests.

The Prime Minister went on to say that what the UPA Government has done was only to reiterate what the previous National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government did by committing itself to a unilateral moratorium on conducting nuclear tests.

The much-awaited debate on the Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation deal is underway in the Lok Sabha.

The debate started at 2 p.m. under rule 193 of the Rules of Procedure of the House. Under the rule, there will not be voting at the end of the debate.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi on Tuesday said that the "Sense of the House cannot be obtained in a short-duration discussion under Rule 193. You cannot reach a conclusion on a debate which has not been voted in the House."

Dasmunsi indicated that Rajya Sabha might take up the discussion only after December 1.

The government was ready for an early debate on the matter but the Opposition insisted on the presence of Singh during the discussion.

The debate on the deal is taking place at a time when the government has approached the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for India-related nuclear safeguards after the Left gave the government a go ahead for it.

The Left, providing crucial outside support to the Congress-led coalition, is a consistent critic of the deal and has warned the government against operationalising it. (ANI)
--MP

Mandelson to address Eighth India-EU Business Summit

New Delhi, Nov.28 (ANI):The European Union (EU) Trade Commissioner, Peter Mandelson, and Commerce and Industry Minister, Kamal Nath, will address the Eighth India-EU Business Summit to be held in New Delhi on Thursday.

The summit on "Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development," has been organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in association with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The Association of Portugal Industries (AIP), the European Business Group (EBG) and Business Europe are the European partners in co-organizing this business summit, which will focus on technological innovations for sustainable development to take a fresh look at innovative and new business opportunities between the two continents.

The EU Presidency lies with Portugal right now and hence, Jose Socrates, the Prime Minister of Portugal,  will be attending the summit with a large business delegation of almost 50 Portuguese business men.

The Portuguese delegation will be joined by an equal number of European delegates from the EU.  The Summit would address some key areas of concern, such as: Services and Trade (Developing Synergy Through Technology & Innovation), Public-Private Partnership (A Way For Economic Growth), Global Warming (Climate Change and Energy Security) and Infrastructure and Logistics   (Building Sustainable Partnerships)

The Eighth India-EU Business Summit aims to redefine the steps to facilitate and implement policies for growth, examine new vistas for boosting trade and investment, analyse centres of competencies and leverage them for mutual benefit, replicate significant success stories and recommend regulatory reforms to enhance business climate.  

An important element of the Summit is the CEOs Round Table chaired by Nath and Peter Mandelson.

The Indian industry will be led by Sunil Bharti Mittal, President CII and Ricardo Salgado, Chairman of the Executive Committee of Banco Espirito Santo, on the EU side.The issues covered at this session  are Trade and Investment Flow Issues and EU-FTA Issues.

The summit will have parallel sectoral sessions on business opportunities: Services and High Technologies; Public Private Partnership: A Way For Economic Growth; Energy Efficiency and Climate Change and Infrastructure and Logistics.

There will be an Opening Plenary on Technological Innovations for Sustainable Development and a Closing Plenary with the Prime Minister  of Portugal. The summit will be attended by Sunil Bharti Mittal,  Habil Khorakiwala, Analjit Singh,  Rana Kapoor, Hari Bhartia, Ness Wadia, Harpal Singh, Harsh Pati Singhania and others.  

The past few years have seen India metamorphise into a global player, attracting growing interest and attention as a leader and increasingly engaging with other players on its own terms.   India's ties with the EU, in particular, have developed exponentially in scope and intensity in the recent years. In 2000, the EU-India Partnership took a quantum leap with the decision to hold regular annual summits.  

The potential of India and EU markets in the various sectors globally has been exploited to a great extent to the mutual advantage of both regions. Business leaders, senior members from the industry, senior ministers, government officials, think tanks and policy makers from different parts of India and the European Union have met on this forum  year after year to identify steps to make the process of partnership fruitful.    

The summits provide great opportunity for deliberations, networking, and exchange of ideas amongst the participants from India and the EU.  Past summits have played a crucial role to help raise issues to augment bilateral trade relations and investment between India and the EU nations. 

There will be opportunities for networking over a dinner hosted by Ajay Shankar, Secretary Department of Industrial Promotion and Planning, Ministry of Commerce. (ANI)
--MP

UGC recognition not required for setting up of university: Delhi Court

New Delhi, Nov 28 (ANI): A division bench of the Delhi High Court has said that recognition of the University Grant Commission (UGC) is not a pre- condition for a state government to set up an university.

The bench comprising Justice Mukul Mudgal and Reva Khetrapal ruled while upholding an earlier decision of a single judge bench directing UGC to put the name of Amity University on the commission's list of "non-statutory recognised universities" as displayed on its website.

The Court had also granted UGC the freedom to inspect Amity's premises to satisfy itself that minimum standard of infrastructure, curriculum, eligibility for admission, and teacher's academic qualification have been met.

The petition was filed by the commission challenging the earlier order.

The UGC had refused to feature Amity University on its website's list on the ground that it was established by the Uttar Pradesh Government through a legislative enactment without the commission's prior inspection and approval.

High Court clarified that "incorporation and establishment of university is exclusive area of the state and the fact that UGC hasn't, amity didn't rob it of its right to exist as a university."

The UGC undoubtedly has the power to incorporate, determine and maintain standards.

The bench made it clear that its recognition or approval is not a sine quanon (indispensable condition) to the establishment of university.

The Noida based varsity had submitted that as a result of non- display of its name in the UGC website, it had been facing serious problems.

The institute of Charted Accountants of India and Indian nursing council also denied registration to the students of Amity University. (ANI)
--MP

LG broadens LCD monitor portfolio

New Delhi, Nov.28 (ANI): LG Electronics India Pvt. Limited (LGEIL) today announced the launch of its new range of LCD monitors.

Available in 19" wide sizes, these monitors offer high contrast ratio and superior resolution. These LCD TV Monitors offer perfect solution for both business and entertainment as the monitors can be modified into a ready to watch television monitor.

LG LCD monitors offer high digital fine contrast ratio of 5000:1 (DFC) and ultra fast response time of 5 ms backed with LG's unique f-engine, an embedded picture correction technology. These monitors offer rich multimedia experience in pictures, movies, games, engineering Design drawings etc.

LG LCD TV Monitors come with integrated PAL tuner for TV viewing. These monitors double up as a Desktop TV, without connecting to a computer. When connected to a PC, the consumer can use it for computing applications as a standard LCD Monitor.

According to R. Manikandan, Business Group Head, IT Products, "The current trend in the LCD monitor industry is facing a burgeoning market and bright business perspectives for India. An LG LCD monitor offers great value, making it possible for consumers and professionals to extend their desktop LCD investment for gaming, video and simplified viewing of multiple documents simultaneously. With full commitment in designing products that offer a user-friendly experience, LG had anticipated the growing need for widescreen and TV Ready monitors."

LGEIL is committed to customers by offering high-performance LCD monitors for everyone that demand reliability and manageability in their computer systems. With its considerable processing  power and superior resolution, this new range of 19" LCD monitors is available at select LG stores starting from Rs. 12,700/- onwards.
  
LG Electronics India Pvt. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of LG Electronics, South Korea was established in January 1997 in India. It is one of the most formidable brands in consumer electronics, home appliances, IT hardware and mobile communications space. In India for a decade, LG has earned a premium brand positioning and is the acknowledged trendsetter for the industry.

LGEIL has achieved a turnover of Rs 8250 crore in 2006. LGEIL's manufacturing unit at Greater Noida is one of the most eco-friendly units among all LG manufacturing plants in the world.

The second Greenfield facility is located at Ranjangaon; Pune has the capacity to manufacture GSM Phones, Colour Televisions, Microwave Ovens, refrigerators and Optical Disc Drives. This is India's first mobile phone manufacturing unit and also Asia's largest Optical Disc Drive manufacturing plant. (ANI)
--MP

Indian-origin pupils racing ahead of white classmates in UK

London, Nov 28(ANI): Students of Indian and Chinese descent have raced ahead and grabbed record grades in GCSE English and Math, outperforming their white mates.

They are the highest performing, with 70.2 per cent reaching the three Rs benchmark - reading, writing and arithmetic.

And those hailing from African, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Caribbean backgrounds are still narrowing the gap behind white pupils.

Government figures showed how white British boys are being left behind in the three Rs by pupils from 'other white backgrounds' - including new arrivals from Eastern Europe.

Many of those outperforming white British children are unlikely to speak English at home.

White boys whose mother tongue is English achieved significantly lower standards in the three Rs than girls who speak English as their second language.

The figures revealed 47.8 per cent of Asian pupils have achieved five GCSEs at grades A* to C, including English-and Math as against 45.8 per cent of white British youngsters, Daily Mail reported.

It also found that 61.6 per cent of Indian pupils reached the benchmark five grades - up 2.5 points on last year.

Pakistani youngsters improved 2.2 points to 36.8 per cent while Bangladeshi pupils went up two points to 41 per cent.

The group with Irish and Romany backgrounds scored the lowest.

Mixed white and Asian pupils recorded above-average grades, with 58.4 per cent hitting the benchmark.

Schools Minister Lord Adonis admitted that this is yet another year of GCSE success for minority ethnic pupils.

He also said that the rate of improvement in black pupils' results was more than twice the average. (ANI)
--MP

CPI backs ANC move on Jammu and Kashmir poll

New Delhi, Nov.28 (ANI): The Communist Party of India (CPI) has endorsed the proposal put forward by the Jammu and Kashmir Awami National Conference (ANC) urging the Government of India to appoint a group of independent observers to oversee the conduct of forthcoming Assembly elections in the politically-sensitive state of Jammu and Kashmir.

An assurance to this effect was given by CPI general secretary AB Bardhan to Muzzafar Shah, senior working committee member of the ANC, at a meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday, November 27, 2007.

The meeting was first of a series of meetings with mainstream national parties proposed by the ANC working committee meeting held in Srinagar on November 18, 2007. The committee had decided to hold such meetings in order to build a national consensus for the need of appointing independent observers to oversee the elections as the people of Jammu and Kashmir had lost faith in the conduct of elections after 1977.

In the meeting, Shah also apprised Bardhan of the ANC's resolve to invite 400 observes from all walks of life from within and outside the country, in case the Government of India fails to do so. The list of observes proposed by ANC includes, former prime ministers, eminent parliamentarians, jurists, academics and media personalities.

Welcoming the ANC move, Bardhan assured Shah that his party would pilot this initiative from various platforms, as it would go a long way in restoring the image and credibility of the electoral process in the eyes of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

On his part, Shah complimented the CPI for the policy statement made by its National Secretary Shamim Faizee in Srinagar recently that Kashmir dispute could only be solved by holding a tripartite dialogue involving the governments of India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir.
Such a dialogue, the CPI felt, would pave way for the final settlement of the Kashmir dispute.

It may be recalled the demand for holding a tripartite dialogue was first made by ANC president and former chief minister GM Shah, way back in 1989.

Shah also discussed with Bardhan the concern of ANC on non-governance of the present coalition government in the state and the deterioration of situation on all fronts. Shah   highlighted the brutal excesses committed by security forces recently in Pulwama, Dhamal Hanjipura and Magam where 'cold-blooded murder' of innocent civilians was committed and felt that such shameful incidents can be put to an end only in case our main stream and separatist leadership cast their political considerations aside and evolve a constructive mechanism.

Shah also brought CPI leader's attention to the abject failure of MPs and MLAs from the state and human rights activists in raising their voice collectively against such atrocities in and outside the State. He sought Mr. Bardhan and CPI support in making the long pending ANC's proposed Intra- Kashmir Conference to be held in Srinagar in May 2008, a success. (ANI)
--MP

Separate unit created in CISF for protection of VIPs

New Delhi, Nov.28 (ANI): A separate unit, called Special Security Group, has been constituted in the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for  protection of VIPs.

As per the report received from CISF, a total of 998 security personnel out of the sanctioned strength of 1200 for this unit have been trained in VIP security duties so far.   There are 23 lady personnel deployed in this unit.

These security personnel are deployed for providing security to central protectees as per requirements.

This was stated in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Sriprakash   Jaiswal. (ANI)
--MP

British-Indian call centre worker wins racial discrimination case

London, November 28 (ANI): An Indian-origin man from Northampton has won a racial discrimination case against a call centre from where he was dismissed for want of an English accent.

27-year-old Chetankumar Meshram, a call centre trainer at the telecom firm 'Talk Talk Direct', has been awarded 5,000-pound compensation for the discrimination he had to endure.

Meshram, who was born in India but moved to Britain in 2005, was sent back to England just three weeks into a two-month post at the firm's Delhi office.

"I was called into a meeting with my boss, who told me I was to be replaced with a better English speaker," Times Online quoted him as saying.

"I know I speak with an accent but my job out there was to give technical advice, not to give expertise on how to communicate. It was an embarrassing and humiliating experience," he added.

With the help of the Northamptonshire Racial Equality Council, Meshram moved the court in January.

Deciding the case in Meshram's favour last week, Bedford Employment Tribunal found that he had suffered both direct and indirect discrimination, and awarded him compensation for hurt feelings and expenses incurred during his trip to India.

Meshram, currently studying for a master's degree in management studies at the University of Northampton, is still employed at Talk Talk's Northampton office.

"I hope that this ruling will encourage people to select employees to carry out work based on their skills and knowledge regardless of what country they live or work in," he said.

Christopher Fray, of the equality council, who represented Mr Meshram at the tribunal, said: "Mr Meshram is an extremely friendly, intelligent, and efficient worker. It is sad that he has had to endure humiliation because he has an Indian accent."

He added: "This case delivers a clear message to the community that preconceived ideas about a person's intelligence or ability should not be judged by the type of accent they speak with." (ANI)
--MP

Protected site near Gaya is a neglected site

Kurkihar Village (Gaya), Nov.28 (ANI): Located atop a hillock, Kurkihar Village, around 22 kilometres from Gaya in Bihar, has been attracting tourists who are interested to see the remains of an old Buddhist Monastery and many other historical monuments.

Sadly, these historical monuments, dating back to Buddhist era, are today lying in a neglected state despite being declared a protected site of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Local villagers are sad that the monuments are being neglected.

"Emperor Ashoka had been to this place. At that time, it was a popular art centre of the country. People from Nalanda used to come here to learn the art of idol making. It was known by the name of Kurkihar Kundalpur Vishwavidyalaya," said Satyanarayan Singh, a social worker and resident of Kurkihar Village. 

"One can find all the idols made from Ashtaloha (amalgamation of 8 metals). We have brought this ignorance into notice of the Archaeological Survey of India, Ministry of Tourism and Prime Minister's office. But it yielded no results," Singh added.

Majority of the treasured idols are lying helter-skelter in the village's vicinity. The village doesn't have proper basic facilities required by the tourists arriving here.

"There has been no effort in the name of development or revival. Some days back, some Buddhist followers had arrived here, they had to face shortage of water, toilets. Besides being a property worth crores of rupees, the place has been lying just like that, and nobody is paying any attention to it," said Nikhil Kumar, a local villager.

In 1935, villagers had dug out over 300 idols from this place. The recovered items consisted of statutes of Buddha and Bodhisattvas in various shapes and sizes, bells, Stupas and a number of ritual objects.

These idols reflecting excellent craftsmanship were then sent to museums of Patna, Delhi and Bodhgaya. Villagers say that out of the recovered items, at least 18 were assessed to be worth nearly rupees ten million by the Government of India.

All the items that were unearthed exhibited a high degree of craftsmanship.

Although the site has been declared as 'Protected Site' by the ASI, there have been no efforts to ensure the security and safety of historical heritage.

Local administration refutes charges of ignorance and negligence of Kurkihar.

"Kurkihar village is ASI governed site. It's been protected by them. And as far as Bodhgaya world heritage site is concerned, it falls under management of Mahabodhi Temple Management Committee. No ignorant attitude is shown towards Kurkihar. It's completely protected," said Jitendra Srivastav, District Magistrate of Gaya.

The Indian Museum in Kolkata has on display some stone sculptures of Kurkihar. (ANI)
--MP

India to provide shelter to Taslima Nasreen: Pranab Mukherjee

New Delhi, Nov 28 (ANI): The Government today said that controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen would continue to get shelter in India but was expected to refrain from any activity that may hurt the sentiments of the people.

Making a statement in the Lok Sabha, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said "throughout history, India has never refused shelter to those who have come and sought our protection."

Mukherjee, who made the statement amid demands that Taslima be asked to leave the country, said the guests in India are provided protection by the Union and State governments.

"This policy will also apply in Taslima's case," the Minister said as he noted the issue related to the Bangladeshi writer had attracted "considerable public attention" in recent days.

Mukherjee's statement came as Nasreen continued to be at an undisclosed place under the custody of the Central Government.

Taslima arrived in Delhi on Friday evening after being taken to Jaipur from Kolkata following protests by people belonging to the minority community.

The BJP, on Sunday, had demanded political refugee status for Taslima.

Taslima's visa to stay in India is valid till February 17, 2008, and she has been living in exile for over ten years.

Since the 1990s, she has faced numerous threats from Islamic groups for her writings. Recently, activists of the Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) attacked her at a book release function in Hyderabad.

The European Parliament awarded her the Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought in 1994. (ANI)
--MP

Kiran Bedi opts for voluntary retirement

New Delhi, Nov 27 (ANI): India's first woman IPS (Indian Police Services) officer on Tuesday said that she has sought voluntary retirement, sparking a debate in the country about the treatment meted out to woman officers.

Bedi was a strong contender to become Delhi Police Commissioner, but the Government chose Y S Dadwal for the post, that reportedly made her unhappy.

However, today she said that her reason for opting voluntary retirement was purely based on her ''strong academic and social interest''.

"My desire to work from outside the system made me take this decision,' she said, rejecting reports that she was miffed over not being given a top-post in a para-military force.

''A few weeks ago, I submitted my application for VRS. I have not received any reply in this regard,'' Bedi added.

Bedi, who has been bestowed with Magsaysay Award for carrying out jail reforms in Tihar prison, says that she has no regrets in her 34-year long career. (ANI)
--MP

Puri's beach festival attracts hundreds of foreigners

Puri (Orissa), Nov 27 (ANI): The colourful beach festival in Puri in Orissa is attracting thousands of tourists, including many foreigners.

The five-day long festival kicked off to a colourful start on Friday evening in the backdrop of Puri's moonlit golden beach.

Thirteenth in the series, this annual festival is aimed at promoting tourism in Puri located on the Bay of Bengal coast, which is otherwise famous for Jagannath Temple and the chariot procession of the temple deities.

"Obviously things have improved over the past few years. Through this festival, more people will come and visit Orissa and Puri," said Ram Krishna Dasmohapatra, the organiser.

Cultural programmes comprising classic and folk dances with budding artists participating to showcase their vast talent mark the festival.

Artists from all over the country including those from neighbouring West Bengal and far away Punjab are also participating.

"I like this place. I have performed and I like the people also. We hope next time also we come and perform," said Anusuya Barik, an artist.

Foreign tourists marvelled at the graceful performances by classic dancers.

"I like it, I come here every year and it is going on every year. It is a very good tradition," said a tourist Lalita.

The festival also showcases the traditional handicraft of Orissa.

Tribal artists from Sambalpur, Angul, Dhenkenal and Korapat are displaying their products at the makeshift shops set up at the festival venue.

The efforts of the Orissa tourism department and the local hotel industry, jointly organising the festival, have been proving worthwhile, as the number of tourists has been continuously increasing. (ANI)
--MP

India goes two positions down in Human Development Index, ranks 128th

New Delhi, Nov 27 (ANI): India's position among the 177 countries on the Human Development Index (HDI) stumbled down by two points to end at 128 as per the latest Human Development Report (HDR) released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) here today.

In 2006, India ranked 126 out of 177 countries in the HDI that provides a composite measure of the three dimensions- life expectancy, adult literacy and standard of living -- of human development.

Iceland has left Norway behind to take the top post this year. Norway had held the number one rank for the past six years.

The HDI rankings this year do not include 17 UN member nations, including Afghanistan and Iraq, due to insufficient reliable data.

Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia released the report in the national capital today.

According to "the Human Development Report 2007-08 - Fighting Climate Change: Human solidarity in a divided world," the global climate change threatens to undermine India's efforts to improve the well-being of its poorest people.

The report, which focuses on the impact of climate change on the world's poor and vulnerable, highlights that the role of energy in human development is reflected in the record of CO2.

According to the report, China and India are the largest emitters of CO2 among the developing nations.

The report says, in India changing rainfall patterns could result in drops in agricultural productivity, directly affecting 60 per cent of the population, who rely on this sector.

The continued retreat of the Himalayan Glaciers could increase water scarcity, affecting 500 million people in South Asia, it adds.

The report calls for greater efforts in developing countries to 'climate proof' infrastructure, deepen social protection for those most vulnerable, build community resilience and strengthen disaster response. To fund these critical adaptation measures, the report recommends that 86 billion dollars be transferred from developed countries, who bear the historical responsibility for climate change, to developing countries between now and 2016.

The latest HDR has put a threshold limit of two degrees Celsius as the increase in the global temperature since breaching this benchmark would lead to irreversible and unavoidable dangers of the Climate Change.

The report further argues for a global carbon budget of the 21st century- the amount of carbon that can be absorbed creating an even probability that temperatures will not rise above two degrees -- that would see emissions drop to sustainable levels.

It recommends that developed countries make deep and early cuts to their emissions so that by 2050 they are emitting 80 percent less carbon than in 1990.

Kevin Watkins is the lead author of this year's report, which is an independent report commissioned by the UNDP. (ANI)
--MP

It's too cold at the top in Himachal

Shimla, Nov.27 (ANI): With winters setting in and chill in the air, this is the time when shepherds from higher reaches of Kinnaur, Lahul-Spiti,Chamba and Kangra valley start migrating along with their sheep herds to the plains in Himachal and Punjab.

Several shepherds, who maintain a nomadic lifestyle, can be found coming down to the plains from higher reaches of the mountains.

"During summers we migrate from plains to hills and during winter season we migrate from hills to plains with our herd of sheep and goat. We do this every year," said Ramesh Chand, a shepherd representing the "Gaddi" community from Baijnath in Kangra Valley.

During winters the grounds on the hills are covered with snow. It makes the availability of fodder scarce. The shepherds say another reason that compels them to migrate is protect their cattle from rigours of harsh winter in the hills.

"During winters, it snows up there. So we take our sheep to the plains. During summer, we take them back up there. We keep moving to areas wherever they are comfortable" says Arjun Dass, a shepherd from Rampur.

Life remains a challenge for nomadic 'Gaddi' shepherds. They are always on the move round the year. Shrinking grass lands, both in the hills as well as in the plains, has made it difficult for them to raise their cattle.

Grazing their animals is not free of cost.

A minimal fee is charged from shepherds by the government for grazing their animals based on the number of livestock. The shepherds allege that they are being harassed by the authorities while renewing the license.

Moreover, declining forest cover is adding to their concerns as they are always in search for new pastures for grazing their animals. (ANI)
--MP

Marginal drop in infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir
Tuesday, 27 November, 2007

New Delhi, Nov.27 (ANI): Infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir during 2007 dropped marginally in comparison to the previous two years. 

According to Sriprakash Jaiswal, Minister of State for Home, there were an estimated 499 infiltrations in 2007, whereas in 2005 and 2006, the figure was 597 and 573 respectively. 

Jaiswal further said that these figures pertained to those militants who had been apprehended or killed while crossing the LoC/borders.  

As per available information, over 4000 illegal weapons, including AK-47 Rifles, Pistols/Revolvers, UMGs/LMGs, Rocket Launchers/Boosters and huge quantities of ammunition and explosives/IEDs have also been recovered in the state.  

Around 450 kgs of narcotics/heroin, suspected to have been sourced from Pakistan, was also seized in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab sectors during the last three years. 

The security situation in Jammu and Kashmir in terms of the number of terrorist incidents and casualties has improved significantly during the last three years, Jaiswal said.   

Fifty-four espionage modules were also busted in different parts of the country during the period from 2005 to 31.10.2007, Jaiswal said.  

He also said that in order to optimize intelligence flow and coordination between multifarious agencies at the Centre and in the States in the field of counter-terrorism and counter- intelligence, a Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) and Joint Task Force on Intelligence (JTFI) has been created in the Intelligence Bureau at Delhi, supported by Subsidiary Multi-Agency Centres (SMACs) at almost all State capitals.  

Steps have also been taken to strengthen counter-intelligence apparatus in the Intelligence Bureau, he added. 

States have also been asked to revamp their respective Special Branches by way of filling up of vacancies; posting of competent officers in Special Branches; mandatory tenure preferably of five years for personnel in Special Branches and linkage of this requirement with promotion; system of incentives/disincentives; dedicated staff for intelligence work right up to the police stations level and re-activating beat constable system; making available modern equipment and gadgets for interception; special training for personnel posted in Special Branches and  earmarking of up to five percent of their annual allocations under the Scheme for Modernisation of State Police Forces for strengthening of Special Branches. (ANI) -AJ

Centre has fenced 3406 kms along Indo-Bangladesh border

State of the art blood banks in 600 districts soon : Ramadoss

New Delhi, Nov.27 (ANI): The government will set up state of the art blood banks in 600 districts across India and a model blood bank in all the states within next two to three years, said  Health and Family Welfare Minister  Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss at the National Conference on "How Accessible and Safe is 'Safe' Blood?". 

Speaking ahead of World AIDS Day, which falls on December 1, Centers of Excellence will be set up at all the four metros at a cost of Rs.25 crores each to support the regional requirements of testing and storage of blood, said Ramadoss. 

Dr. Ramadoss announced that government will establish a plasma fractioning unit with a capacity of 15,00,00 litres of blood every year. National Blood Authority will be set up by the government to promote and regulate the process of donations, transfusions and policies regarding blood. India has reduced HIV/AIDS as a cause of blood transfusion to two percent and government has set a target of 0.5 percent, said Ramadoss. 

Ramadoss stressed on the collective effort for the 'safe' blood initiative and complimented CII's effort on taking up 'corporate social responsibility' as a key issue of concern.  

On the role of government,  Dr. Ramadoss said that 'National Rural Health Mission' with a budget of Rs.15,800 crore is the largest initiative by the government of India on health sector but the government needs the support of private companies to implement the mission. National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) is supporting the public blood banks and has commenced a nationwide movement to promote donation of 'safe' blood, he said.  

Deepender Hooda, Member of Parliament, said that the challenges to access of safe blood are; commitment; will of the donors; and, availability of infrastructure. Along with infrastructure, Hooda said that government should ensure donor specific policies and motivate people to come forward for multiple blood donation.  

He cited the example of club 25 Model in Zimbabwe where a new pool of low risk donors was created and the students, in the age  group  of 16 - 19, became so motivated that they created the Pledge 25 Club, committing to make at least 25 blood donations before the age of 25. 

In a panel session on 'National Blood Policy: Gaps and Challenges', Dr. Debashish Gupta, National Programme Officer - Blood Safety, NACO suggested the development of a corpus fund for the adoption of technology of blood processing. There is a challenge to implement National Blood Policy - 2002, in every state of India, said Dr. Gupta. Schemes for modernisation of blood bank, training of manpower, procurement of testing and lab kits and fund to run blood banks are the key concerns of NACO, Dr. Gupta informed.   

Dr. R N Makroo, Director, Department of Transfusion Medicine, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, said that government has framed policies but there is a need to implement them effectively. He said that most of India's 50% voluntary donors are one-time donors only and multiple donations have to be encouraged. There is a disease burden on India and infections through transfusion are higher than the global standards, informed Mr. Makroo. Implementation of policies and availability of resources can bring down the risk factor of blood safety to nearly 0 percent, he added. 

Dr. Veena Doda, Head, Blood Bank, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital stressed on adequate budget management and training of manpower. She mentioned that the magnitude of blood donation risk is continuously decreasing with different processes and improvement in screening of blood donors. 

Prasad Apsangikar, Head - Medical Services, Reliance Services stated that companies should do research on indigenous production of blood components which can be judiciously used by the health sector.  

Manmohan Lal Sarin, Senior Advocate, Punjab and Haryana High Court, presented the case study of Chandigarh as a success story for blood donation efforts at the panel discussion. 

Earlier in the day, Mr. Harpal Singh, Chairman, CII National Committee on Public Health and Chairman (non - executive) Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. said that fast globalisation and integration with the world are posing new challenges to 'safe' blood. He said that safe blood is a substantive area of concern and CII has set up 'National Committee on Public Health', where this issue will also be taken up. He emphasised on adopting a national programme on safe blood as per World Health Organisation (WHO) standards. 

Lt. Gen. S S Mehta, Director General, CII announced that CII will look at the Chandigarh model and also convene a conference there.  CII is committed to work in the area of Business leadership  in HIV/AIDS as  a part of corporate social responsibility  through its members.  India has the demographic advantage of being the youngest country and should be known as a benchmark  for  'safe blood', said Lt. Gen. Mehta.  He urged the young Indians to donate blood  with a slogan " Donate fivetimes in your lifetime". (ANI) -AJ

 

"Naked lust" of the BJP

New Delhi, Nov.27 (ANI): This isn't a story about the nudity of politicians in the country. Nor, is it a story of yet another scurrilous scandal in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

It's to do with the charge levelled against the main opposition party by the ruling Congress party.

While speaking in Parliament, able lawyer and erudite Congressman Abhishek Singhvi spoke about BJP's "naked lust" for power in joining hands with Gowda's family incorporated political party.

If it was lust that prompted the BJP to unite with JD (S), then poor BJP has been left high and dry..no satiation here. They better head for a cold shower because 'son of the soil' Deve Gowda is not going to call it a day. He made that abundantly clear in his "emotional" speech where he decided to blame his prodigal son Kumaraswamy for entering into an alliance with the BJP in the first place...that too when he was out of town. Go Kumara....stand in a corner and hold your ears! Deve Gowda stretches credulity more than a chewing gum can stretch.

But back to Singhvi's charge, this nudity is all encompassing in the Indian political spectrum. To borrow an idiom "is hamaam mey sab nange", which translated means all are naked in this Turkish bath.

Politics makes strange bedfellows. Why else does the Congress have such strange sleeping partners in its coalition? Partners who spare no opportunity to lay bare their desire to grab "lucrative portfolios" or arm-twist the government on domestic or international issues. And, can the Congress tell its partners to take a walk when by all right they should and deserve to say it. They cant. You see its back to the hamaam and lust bit.

Why else is super sanyasin Uma Bharati flip flopping on support to Narendra Modi? One day she acknowledges that he is Vikas Purush; the next day terms him Vinash Purush. She hasn't forgotten that she had to vacate chief-ministership abruptly a la Benazir style and has been waiting in the wings for her chance again.

Like Benazir, here is the Indian brand of  lustful thirst for power. But Uma has not yet made the Faustian bargain. Benazir has and will have her wings singed by yet another lustful contender, Nawaz Sharif. Adding more flesh to the meat of Pakistani politics is Mr. Musharraf, the dear departed (almost) General. His "naked lust" for power is phenomenal. Read his fictional autobiography if you dont believe me.

But if there is one person who seems most uneasy with the 'power' that is there for him to take it's Rahul Gandhi. Will he campaign in Gujrat and Himachal is any one's guess. And if Narendra Modi asks of the Congress why Rahul? And what does Rahul  have that he doesn't, all the Congress needs to say is "Uske paas ma hai". (ANI)
-- MP

Delhi court asks police to investigate role of MPs in cash-for-query scam

New Delhi, Nov 27 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the police to investigate the involvement of Members of Parliament in the December 2005 cash-for-query scam, and submit a report to it within 60 days.

While instructing the police not to and leave out the names of the culprits, Justice S N Dhingra said: "The whole country had watched the sting operation, but the police seems to have no eyes and no ears."

The petition was filed by Anirudh Bahal, Editor-in-Chief of Cobra Post, which carried out the sting operation.

In 2005, 11 MPs were allegedly caught on the camera by a private television channel while demanding money for asking questions in Parliament.

Counsel for Bahal, Siddharth Luhtra, had contended that instead of taking action against the MPs, the police were targeting him for carrying out the sting operation.

It seemed that the Delhi Police did not consider taking cognisance of the offence allegedly committed by the MPs, the court said, holding that the sting operation was carried out in the public interest.

It had restrained the police from arresting journalists on the petition of Bahal which sought quashing of criminal proceedings against the journalists as an FIR was lodged by the police at the behest of MPs.

In 2005, the Lok Sabha had expelled its ten members who were caught on camera accepting money for raising questions in the Parliament.

The 10 expelled members were Annasahed M K Patil, Y G Mahajan, Suresh Chandel, Pradeep Gandhi and Chandra Pratap Singh (all Bharatiya Janata Party), Narendra Kumar Kushwaha, Lal Chandra Kol and Rajaram Pal (all Bahujan Samaj Party), Manoj Kumar (Rashtriya Janata Dal) and Ramsevak Singh (Congress).

The one member of the Rajya Sabha was Chatrapal Singh Lodha (BJP). (ANI)
--MP

Patients left helpless by day-long hospital staff strike

New Delhi, Nov 27 (ANI): Patients are suffering as hospital staff went on a day-long strike at government hospitals here on Tuesday, demanding permanent jobs and free health cover.

Patients were seen waiting outside hospitals, waiting to be attended by Group C and Group D staff, which includes cleaning staff, nurses and ward boys. They were sitting on protest inside the premises of the hospital.

"Our baby is really sick, so we brought him here. We have been told to come tomorrow because of the strike," said Razak, the father.

The patients who were scheduled for operation on Tuesday were also turned away from hospitals.

"My daughter-in-law was scheduled to be operated upon today. They have already postponed it once, and today, they are postponing it again. I have a kid to look after as well, I am really worried," said Kavita Devi, the relative of a patient.

The strikers said they were aware about the patients suffering, but added that they had no option.

Government hospitals employees in Delhi have been demanding permanent appointments for long. There are 2500 vacancies.

Employees of Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan, Guru Nayak Eye Centre, Maulana Azad Medical and Dental College, and G. B. Pant, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, Guru Gobind Singh and Lady Harding are observing a "Black Day" in support of the strike. (ANI)
--MP

Dal lake needs to be preserved

Srinagar, Nov.27 (ANI): Dal Lake, long known for its pristine landscape around the world and for attracting numerous nature lovers and poets in the past, is facing the danger to its romantic identity. 

Described by many as Kashmiris' pride, the Dal Lake is threatened by pollution and encroachments of varied types.

Tourists reckon that Dal lake's survival is vital for anyone visiting the State, whereas the locals have been appealing to the Government to conserve the lake since it is the precious source of their livelihood.

"Wild grass has grown in the entire area. The dirty water and waste material of the nearby villages and hotels come straight into Dal. Unless the Government imposes rigid restrictions on these activities, the matter will not be solved," said Suraj Singh, a tourist.

Among the worst hit due to pollution are the boatmen of Shikaras, the floating houses.

"The situation of Dal is deteriorating. Tourism in the valley is also dependent upon Dal Lake. There is perhaps no lake as fascinating as the Dal Lake," said Ashiq Ahmad, a Shikara owner at the Dal Lake.

According to Mir Naseem, Vice Chairman Lakes and Waterways Development Authority, residents living on the Dal Lake should to be held responsible for the lake's condition.

"People living in the lake are responsible. There has been a lot of debate on whether they should remain there or not. But, ultimately, it was decided that they should be allowed.
However, it was also felt that their presence in the lake was also not durable because they live in their small islands, 58 islands are already there," said Mir Naseem, Vice Chairman Lakes and Waterways Development Authority.

"They start cultivating there and keep on encroaching into the water bodies. So, the encroachment by the people is there. This is one of the major reasons for the condition of the lake," Naseem added.

Weeds have engulfed a large area of the Dal Lake and one of the biggest worries happens to be Azolla, which has been opined as the red water fern harmful for eco-system of Dal Lake by experts.

Azolla blocks the sunlight from reaching the flora and fauna in the lake and ultimately causes their decay. This pest of a weed, new to the Dal Lake, is believed to breed quickly in waters which have high-level of nutrients due to flow of sewage.

It is said that with the rise in temperature, the Azolla spores would undergo germination in early spring and it will be difficult to control them at that stage.

Dal Lake, that was spread over 75 square kilometres in the 13th century, has today reduced to a mere 11 square kilometres area that was 25 kilometres in the early 1920s.

Presently, four square kilometres of the lake's area is made up of marshy land or floating gardens called Raadh in vernacular.

The floating gardens are solid landmasses, which have been created by putting soil on dried weeds in the water.

The