India News: February 2010

Sunday, February 28, 2010 | MP
Imphal, Feb 28 (IANS) India and Myanmar will conduct a 'coordinated operation' against northeast separatist outfits taking shelter and setting up base camps in the neighbouring country, Union Home Secretary Gopal Krishna Pillai said here.

"A coordinated operation by the joint forces of India and Myanmar would be conducted in the jungles of the neighbouring country to flush out northeast militants camps," Pillai told reporters here Saturday night after holding a meeting with top Manipur government officials.

The strategy for the joint operation was discussed with Myanmar officials during Pillai's visit to Yangon Jan 19-21.

"All camps (in Myanmar) which are acting against the interest of India would be targeted," the home secretary said refusing to divulge details about the proposed joint operation.

According to Pillai, quite a large number of separatist outfits belonging to northeast India have their camps across the border.

Pillai was here to review the law-and-order situation in Manipur and the development work being undertaken in the state.

Three northeastern states -- Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram -- share a 1,643-km unfenced border with Myanmar.

"We have given detailed information about the insurgent camps with specific locations to the Myanmar authorities," the union home secretary stated.

"If any extremist outfit abjures violence, it would be a great potential for talks," he pointed out.

Meanwhile, Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh in his speech during the internal security meeting in New Delhi earlier this month pointed out that the almost unchecked trans-border movement of Indian insurgent groups and the continued existence of their camps in Myanmar posed threats to the internal security of Manipur and other northeastern states.

"It is no secret that most arms and ammunition used against our security forces are smuggled in from Myanmar. It is also known that whenever our army, Assam Rifles and the state police launch operations, the militant groups take shelter in neighbouring areas of Myanmar," Singh told the meeting.

Highlighting the positive outcome of the home secretary-level talks Jan 19-21 at Yangon, the Manipur chief minister asked the central government to consult authorities in Myanmar for ascertaining the dates convenient for the first meeting of the proposed series of meetings between the border liaison officers. Sunday, February 28, 2010 | MP
Shimla, Feb 28 (IANS) An IIT-Roorkee student was arrested in Haryana early Sunday for allegedly murdering a female IIT student with whom he had checked into a hotel here Friday night, police said.

A 22-year-old female student of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Delhi, who came here with a male student of IIT-Roorkee, was found murdered in a hotel room here Saturday. Since then, the accused had gone missing.

"The accused, Gaurav Verma, a third-year architecture student of IIT-Roorkee, was arrested from Jagadhari in Haryana Sunday morning," Shimla Superintendent of Police R.M. Sharma told IANS.

He said the victim has been identified as Pragati, a third-year student of textile engineering of IIT-Delhi.

Sharma said the duo reached here at around 3 a.m. Friday and checked into Hotel Rashik in Kaithu area. They were together Friday night, but Saturday morning the hotel staff found the woman bludgeoned to death and the man missing.

"While Gaurav belonged to Manikapur in Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh, Pragati belonged to Patna in Bihar," a police official said.

Police talked to the principal of IIT-Roorkee who said Gaurav is a student there.

According to police, the duo came together in a cab from Delhi.

"The motive of the crime is yet be ascertained," Sharma said.

Police found photographs of the duo on the victim's laptop and an answer-sheet of the accused from the scene. Two knives, a broken liquor bottle allegedly used in the crime and a cake were also found on the scene. Sunday, February 28, 2010 | MP
Jammu, Feb 28 (IANS) Ruling coalition partners in Jammu and Kashmir -- National Conference (NC) and Congress -- will jointly contest the upcoming municipal polls in the state, according to official sources.

The polls are scheduled to be held in April this year.

According to the sources, the NC and the Congress will contest all those seats, which they currently hold in the two municipal corporations in the two capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar, and municipal councils, town area committees and notified area committees in other towns in the state.

The parties would contest in equal numbers the seats held by the opposition parties, the Peoples Democratic Party, Bharatiya Janta Party and Jammu Kashmir National Panthers Party and independents.

"There will be no friendly contest between the two parties in any of the seats in the local bodies polls," a minister, who is part of the coordination committee of the NC and Congress, told IANS.

The NC and Congress had fought the assembly elections in the state as rivals, but had a seat arrangement during the Lok Sabha elections in 2009, though there was a contest between them for the Ladakh seat, which the Congress lost. Sunday, February 28, 2010 | MP
Srinagar, Feb 28 (IANS) A moderate intensity tremor measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale jolted Kashmir early Sunday, but no loss of life or damage to property was reported, officials said.

"An earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale hit the Valley at 4.51.a.m.," Amir Ali, in charge of the disaster management cell for Kashmir province, told IANS here.

"We have not received any report of casualties or damage to property so far," he said.

The official said the epicentre of the quake was located in the Hindukush mountain range of Afghanistan.

"The quake did not cause any damage because the epicentre was 93 km deep down in the earth. Technically, shallow quakes with epicentre close to the earth's surface are those that cause damage," he added. Sunday, February 28, 2010 | MP
By Rana Ajit

New Delhi, Feb 28 (IANS) His name is Khan. And he, like the protagonist of a recent blockbuster, is also fighting the system to establish his innocence after he was dismissed from the Indian Army, which alleged that his late father had links with Osama bin Laden. He is afraid the army may challenge his reinstatement.

The Armed Forces Tribunal has scrapped an Indian Army order dismissing Naib Subedar Fayaz Khan.

Khan has now moved the Supreme Court, apprehending that the army may challenge the tribunal's order restoring his service.

In his special lawsuit, known as caveat, filed last week, Khan has pleaded that the apex court should pass no order against him without hearing him on any possible appeal by the army against the tribunal's order.

Khan was summarily dismissed from his post of religious teacher in 25 Rajput Regiment in August 2005 on the allegation that his father had links with bin Laden. The army never held any court of inquiry (CoI) or court martial proceedings to probe the charges.

"The proper course for the authorities was to send the petitioner for court martial, where the department could have produced all the evidence and the petitioner would have got an opportunity to defend himself," the New Delhi-based principal bench of the tribunal headed by former Supreme Court judge A.K. Mathur ruled early this month while scrapping the dismissal order.

In his lawsuit before the tribunal, Khan has contended that his dismissal was the fallout of a small tiff that his father had on July 8, 2003, with some soldiers over a seat in a train on his way back home to Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh from his place of posting in a northeast border post, where he had come to meet his son.

The tiff led to the soldiers thrusting some innocuous army training course material into his father's hand and handing him over to the railway police, Khan said in his lawsuit.

The police, in turn, slapped a case of espionage under the Official Secret Act, alleging that he had procured the secret document from his son to hand the same over to one Aftab Khan who had links with Osama bin Laden's terror outfit.

Khan said that a day later, on July 9, 2003, he too was taken into custody by the army authorities and was detained for over five months at the place of his posting. He was released in November, a week after he wrote to the army chief complaining against the harassment.

Khan's real trouble began three months after resuming duties, when he sent a representation to higher authorities March 22, 2004, alleging religious discrimination and illegal detention for over five months without any proper inquiry.

This led to the army issuing a show cause notice to him Oct 26, 2004, seeking his explanation for the alleged recovery of the secret army manual from his father. And he was eventually dismissed from the army without even a CoI or court martial proceedings.

Ahmad pointed out to the tribunal that the army dismissed him alleging his father's link with bin Laden, despite the police failure to prove the case against his father. Additionally, his father, who was 72 in July 2003, died within months of the July 8 incident.

The army alleged that his father had procured the document from him to give it to Aftab Khan, who was to pass it on to bin Laden's organisation. The army or police never made any effort to trace Aftab Khan, he contended.

But the army asserted before the tribunal that being a Maulvi, he was affected by religious sentiments. His services were terminated by the army chief in the interest of national security.

Though the tribunal held that the order of dismissal passed by resorting to a short cut could not be sustained, it clarified that it had not expressed any opinion on the factual aspects of the case. The army, thus, was free to proceed in accordance with law.

"Fairness is the hallmark of the judicial system in our country," the tribunal said. It required a proper trial to adjudicate whether the conduct was covered under the Official Secrets Act. The army chief could not have resorted to his power under section 20 of the Army Act when there was a provision in the Act for court martial in such cases.

(Rana Ajit can be contacted at rana.ajit@ians.in) Sunday, February 28, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 28 (IANS) Privacy will be protected under the Unique Identity (UID) project and personal data will not be accessible to everybody, insists Nandan Nilekani, chairperson of the Unique Identification Authority.

"We are also conscious of the privacy issue. In fact the UID database cannot be read by anybody. The only thing you can use it for is authentication. We are making all efforts technically and legally to see privacy is protected," Nilekani, a former Infosys co-founder, told IANS in an interview.

"At the same time we need a larger debate of privacy and what laws we need in the country. Today we don't have any privacy laws," said Nilekani who quit Infosys last year and was handpicked by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to head the authority.

The first of these UIDs for India's billion plus citizens, says Nikelani, is expected to roll out any time between August 2010 and February 2011.

In the just announced union budget, the government allotted an expenditure of Rs.19 billion (US$409 million) for the UID project. A number of Indian service providers and some multinational companies like Microsoft have said they would like to be involved in the project.

Legal experts are sceptical about the protection of private data once the rollout of UID numbers begins towards the latter half of the year as they fear the number, which will be issued based on personal information given by a person, might be leaked to various other agencies.

The centralised nature of data collection inherent in the UID proposal, they fear, heightens the risk of misuse of personal information and therefore potentially violates privacy rights.

"There may be a requirement for certain frameworks but we are cognisant of the issue of privacy and we are making sure of the design and in a way that when it is used, a person's personal details are not divulged," says Nilekani, who was last year in Time 100's list of World's Most Influential People.

For the moment Nilkani maintains that opting for a UID number will be voluntary. However, over the years other agencies could well make it mandatory.

"For a long time, many systems will allow both. But over time as more and more applications require UID for giving the service, people will have to get the number. The UID is a demand-led solution. We expect people to take the number because it is in their interest to do so," he says.

"Some time in the future if some government service says UID is required, then it becomes essential. But that is many years down the road, only after government agencies give you adequate time to come on board."

The project, which will cover even children, is aimed at establishing citizenship, reducing identity-related frauds, addressing security issues and preventing leakages in different government schemes.

"We definitely think it has great value, especially for the poor and the marginalised, because they are the ones that are suffering today due to the lack of acknowledged existence by the state," says Nilekani, who has already met up with officials in 26 states, telecom operators and micro-finance institutions to help build the UID database.

The Authority will identify target groups for various flagship programmes of the United Progressive Alliance government, including the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan, the National Rural Health Mission and Bharat Nirman.

"At this point, it will give an identity to a large number of people who are poor and marginalised, who don't have an identity, who are not able to access public services. That is a very important requirement in inclusive growth," Nilekani told IANS.

"Our challenge is to build our database from scratch mainly because we have to collect the biometrics, but the demographic information, if we are able to pre-register from other databases, we will be happy to do that."

(Murali Krishnan can be reached at m.krish@ians.in) Sunday, February 28, 2010 | MP
By Alkesh Sharma

Chandigarh, Feb 28 (IANS) Foreign tourists seem to be falling in love with Chandigarh's greenery, clean air and clear spaces. The number of tourists visiting one of India's most well-planned and well-maintained cities has increased by 18 percent in the past year.

The number of foreign tourists visiting the union territory surged to 37,967 last year compared to 32,074 in 2008, according to official figures of the Chandigarh administration.

The tourism department plans to surpass the 2009 figure this year.

"This year we had an overwhelming response. So far in January, 75,435 domestic and 3,516 foreign tourists have already visited Chandigarh. If similar trend continues, we aim to cross the mark of 10 lakh (a million) tourists in 2010," Chandigarh tourism deputy director Vinod Kalia told IANS.

He said the response of foreign tourists to Chandigarh was encouraging. "The Chandigarh administration is serious about the tourism sector. Keeping in mind the needs of foreign tourists, we have provided world-class facilities to promote tourism on a big scale."

Kalia said destinations like Sukhna Lake, Rock Garden and Rose Garden attract tourists from all across the globe.

As per official records of the tourism department, a majority of foreign tourists come from Britain, the US and Canada.

"Over 60 percent of foreign tourists are from these three countries. In spite of the swine flu scare and financial meltdown, there was no dip in the number of enquiries from these countries in 2009. Sukhna Lake and the government museum are the most sought after destinations among them," Atul Malhotra, a city-based travel agent, told IANS.

The city, with its wide, clean roads and large gardens, was designed by legendary Swiss-born French architect Le Corbusier in the 1950s. It is the only planned city in independent India.

Chandigarh, spread over 114 sq km, is internationally known for its architecture and urban planning. It is also the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana.

"I had heard a lot about this city from my friends, but this is my first visit to Chandigarh. There are so many beautiful places here, especially Sukhna Lake. I found this city very clean, but I think growing traffic could be a major problem here in the next few years," Australian tourist Adam Stevens told IANS.

Tourist inflow to the city, considered a gateway to Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Punjab, has been continuously increasing for the past five years.

According to official figures, nearly 638,000 tourists visited Chandigarh in 2005 while the number was 730,000 in 2006 and 954,726 in 2007. Sunday, February 28, 2010 | MP
Ahmedabad, Feb 27 (IANS) South Africa ended the one-day series with a consolation win, beating India by 90 runs in the third and final match at the Sardar Patel Stadium at Motera Saturday. India claimed the series 2-1.

Chasing a target of 366 runs, India were all out for 275 in 44.3 overs after Virat Kohli top scored with 57. Suresh Raina (49) and Rohit Sharma (48) also came up with valuable contributions.

For South Africa, Dale Steyn and Lonwabo Tsotsobe picked up three wickets each while spinner Roelof van der Merwe and Johan Botha got two apiece.

Earlier, after South Africa won the toss, A.B. de Villiers and Jacques Kallis smashed unbeaten centuries as the visitors posted 365 for two, their highest total against India.

De Villiers (102 not out) and Kallis's (104 not out) task was made easy by their openers Loots Bosman (68) and Hashim Amla (87), who rustled up a 113-run stand on what proved to be a hard day for the Indian bowlers. De Villiers was also adjudged the Man of the Match.

The inexperienced Indian attack, in the absence of veteran Ashish Nehra and Praveen Kumar, failed to do much on a flat, dry track. The slow bowlers, Ravindra Jadeja (1-53) and Yusuf Pathan (1-66), who proved quite effective for India in the middle overs, too struggled.

Bosman was on the offensive from the start, plundering seven fours and four sixes in his 46-ball innings. Amla, who had a dream Test series, was happy playing second fiddle and was fluent in his stroke play.

Pathan gave India the breakthrough when he lured Bosman to hit at long on and Jadeja made no mistake.

Amla looked well on course for a hundred before his innings was cut short by a slog sweep that went straight to the hands of Murali Vijay at deep square leg off Jadeja. His 103-ball innings included eight fours.

De Villiers and Kallis then worked their way to build on the start. De Villiers was the more aggressive of the two, his innings coming in a mere 59 balls with 11 fours and three sixes.

Kallis cut loose once he reached his fifty, taking 94 balls for his century with five fours and three sixes. Sunday, February 28, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 27 (IANS) Snipers on rooftops, gun-totting commandoes, metal detectors and bomb disposal squads on standby. The Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, the venue for the hockey World Cup that starts Sunday, has been turned into a fortress.

Security personnel have taken full control of the refurbished stadium where the 12-nation tournament is being played for the first time. Every inch of the stadium is teeming with security officials. The media, which was allowed to enter the stadium just two days ago, is being frisked at multiple points and is being escorted to the pitch.

After getting full assurance from the Indian government, all the teams have arrived here despite their initial apprehensions regarding security following threats from Al Quaeda.

Even the team hotel, Le Meridian, has become a fortress and the media is not being allowed access to the lobby to interact with the players.

Delhi Police's security cell is providing protection to the players, while the local police and commandos of the elite National Security Guard (NSG), as well as other paramilitary forces, are guarding the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.

Around 15,000 security personnel are in action to prevent a repeat of the terror attack on Sri Lankan cricket players in Lahore last year. Armed policemen will escort the players when they move to and from the stadium, which is located in the heart of the city. Besides two-three armed officers will travel with the players in their bus.

Besides hosts India, Argentina, Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, South Korea, and Spain are participating in the tournament. Sunday, February 28, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 27 (IANS) India Saturday asked Afghanistan to "ensure full security" to Indians working in that country even as the bodies of six Indians, including two major-rank army officers, killed in a terror attack in Kabul Friday were brought back here in the evening.

An Indian Air Force plane Saturday evening brought back the bodies from Kabul. The six bodies wrapped in the national tricolour were accorded full military honours as bugles sounded the last post. President Pratibha Patil, who was present at the airport, laid wreaths on the coffins. Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao was also present.

Earlier in the day, Afghan President Hamid Karzai called up Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and promised a "full investigation" into the terror attack.

"President Hamid Karzai today called the prime minister to express his condolences on the loss of Indian lives and injuries sustained by many others in the terrorist attack in Kabul on Feb 26," said a statement issued here by the Prime Minister's Office.

While thanking the Afghan president "for the assistance being given", Manmohan Singh also requested him "to ensure full security for Indian nationals in Afghanistan".

Taliban bombers attacked guest houses in the heart of Kabul Friday, triggering a series of explosions, and a gunbattle that killed at least 17 people, six Indians, a French citizen and an Italian.

Manmohan Singh also expressed condolence to the families of Indian medical professionals who lost their lives or were injured in the Kabul terror attack.

"This is a measure of the uncertainty that India's Medical Mission has to work under. And that defines all the risks our medical team has been exposed to (while) serving the people of Afghanistan. It is a measure of the commitment to relief of human suffering that the medical fraternity is known for all over the world," the prime minister said while addressing a conference.

Eight other Indians who were injured in the attack were taken to the Army Hospital (Research and Referral) here.

Air force officials here said a team of army officers and officials from the Ministry of External Affairs had also gone to Kabul to review the security situation.

Among the deceased were Major Laishram Jyotin Singh of the Army Medical Corps, Major Deepak Yadav of the Army Education Corps, engineer Bhola Ram, tabla player Nawab Khan, staffer of the Kandahar Consulate Nitish Chibber and Indo-Tibetan Border Police constable Roshan Lal.

Nawab Khan, the tabla player, was part of a three-member cultural troupe which was sent by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations to Afghanistan that gave performances in various cities there.

The assault occurred around the City Centre shopping complex and the Safi Landmark hotel, about 300 metres from the interior ministry.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said by phone from an undisclosed location that five Taliban bombers attacked two compounds used by foreigners.

In October last year, a suicide car bomb exploded outside the heavily guarded Indian Embassy in downtown Kabul killing at least 17 and injuring over 80 people. Sunday, February 28, 2010 | MP
By Aroonim Bhuyan

Riyadh, Feb 27 (IANS) Security and counter-terrorism measures will get top priority during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Saudi Arabia, says India's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Talmiz Ahmad.

"This visit, taking place four years after the visit of (Saudi Arabia's) King Abdullah (Bin Abdul Aziz) to India will give both sides an opportunity to discuss important global and regional issues," Ahmad told IANS.

"The presence of Taliban in Afghanistan, in Pakistan and along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border is a matter of deep concern. After all, it is the Taliban that is funding the Al-Qaeda," he said.

According to the ambassador, the meeting between the prime minister and King Abdullah will review this terrorism issue.

India and Saudi Arabia are set to sign a historic extradition treaty during the course of Manmohan Singh's visit, the first by an Indian prime minister to that Gulf nation in 28 years after the visit of then prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1982.

"Twenty years back, India's concerns about the growth of such organizations were not taken seriously even by the West. Nowadays, these countries as also Saudi Arabia are victims of terrorism," Ambassador Ahmad, for whom this is his second stint as ambassador in Riyadh, said.

"Only recently, 133 Saudi soldiers were killed fighting rebels in Yemen," he said.

Stating that Saudi Arabia has a lot of information that could be shared with India and so could India, he said all arrangements would be put in place so that bilateral cooperation in this regard happens at the topmost level.

The two sides will sign a historic extradition treaty during the course of the prime minister's visit.

"The two countries will exchange information on movement of terrorists, drugs and arms," Ahmad said.

At the same time, he stated that all future strategic ties needed a sound economic basis.

"After the global financial crisis, India has emerged as an important partner for Saudi Arabia. For Saudi Arabia it is matter of deep importance to develop strong economic ties with India," he said.

"The Saudi side wants Indian companies for JVs (joint ventures) and the help of Indian IT companies to develop their knowledge industry."

As far as energy security is concerned - Saudi Arabia is the largest supplier of crude oil to India - the ambassador said efforts were on from India's part to meet the requirements of the Saudi side.

The historic Delhi Declaration signed during the visit of King Abdullah in 2006 talks of taking the buyer-seller relationship between the two sides when it came to petroleum products to a more participatory level.

"We are trying to bridge the gap between what we offer and what they want," Ambassador Ahmad said.

As for the 1.6-million strong expatriate Indian population in that Gulf nation, he said that a number of community welfare initiatives have been taken by the embassy with India's Minsitry of Overseas Indian Affairs playing an active role.

"The welfare of the Indian community in Saudi Arabia is a joint responsibility of both India and Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia has agreed to this," Ahmad said. Sunday, February 28, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 27 (IANS) Terming heart disease a major challenge for a developing nation like India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday said the country had lost 9.2 million potentially productive years of life because of the lifestyle disease.

"It has been estimated that India lost about 9.2 million potentially productive years of life in 2000, due to premature deaths caused by cardiovascular disease in the age group of 35-64 years," Singh said while addressing a conference of heart surgeons here.

According to studies, India's potentially productive years of life loss (the number of working years a country is deprived of when a citizen dies before the age of retirement) due to heart disease was 9.2 million years in 2000, in comparison to 6.6 million years in China and 1.6 million years in the US. In 2030, India's figure is expected to be 17.9 million years, compared to 10.4 million for China and 1.9 million for the US.

"This poses a major health problem in our country. There is growing consensus within the medical fraternity that urgent measures need to be taken both from the preventive point of view as well as in relation to cardiac surgical care.

"The primary long-term strategy to cope with heart and blood vessel diseases should clearly be preventive in nature. We know that many of these diseases can be prevented or at least delayed to a very late age," the prime minister said.

He said while preventive efforts are of paramount importance, there will still be many who will need to undergo surgery for correction of their heart or blood vessel diseases.

"Whether it is a little infant who needs a hole in the heart closed or a teenager or an adult who needs his blocked blood vessels bypassed, it is the prowess of the surgeon that makes the difference often between life and death.

"Cardiac surgery is becoming more and more specialised and mechanised ...That cannot, however, take away from the skills of the individual surgeon or the collective commitment of the surgical team which are the vital ingredients of surgical success. Perhaps even more important is the compassion of a caring surgeon that can never be replicated by a robot."

The prime minister also reiterated his government's commitment to increase the human resource in the health sector.

"I do recognize that our ambitious plans for the health sector cannot be realised unless there is a substantial expansion in the number of health care professionals. We are working on this aspect and the government will facilitate a rapid expansion of the human resource infrastructure in the health sector." Sunday, February 28, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) The budget for 2010-11 may have some effect on the price line and add around 40 basis points to the annual inflation rate, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Saturday, a day after conducting the annual exercise.

"I do agree my tax proposals will have some inflationary ingredients. It could be around 0.41 percent," the finance minister said during a post-budget interaction with captains of Indian industry here.

In the budget, Mukherjee proposed an across-the-board hike of two percentage points in excise, raised the import duty on oil and petroleum products and revised upward the minimum alternate tax on corporates from 15 percent to 18 percent.

According to the finance minister, the maximum pressure on the price line came from food items, mainly because of the deficient monsoon last year. "Pulses, rice, wheat and sugar have contributed to inflation. The problem is from supply-side and not monetary side." Sunday, February 28, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 27 (IANS) Nearly 450,000 students studying in classes 10 and 12 here will appear for the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) board exams beginning next week.

According to the CBSE, 247,291 students will appear for the Class 10 board exams, an increase of 6.32 percent over 2009.

Similarly, 199,951 students will give their Class 12 exams, an increase of 9.28 percent over last year.

Of the total Class 10 students in Delhi, 150,362 are from government and government-aided schools. This figure is nearly 11.6 percent more than the number of students who gave their boards from such schools last year. This means an increasing number of students in the capital are studying in government and government-aided schools.

Likewise, there are 113,665 students from government and government-aided schools who will appear for the Class 12 board examinations in the city.

Overall, some 1.6 million students will sit for the CBSE's Class 10 and 12 examinations starting March 3 at over 5,500 centres spread across the country and abroad. Sunday, February 28, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 27 (IANS) Rajan Bharti Mittal, vice chairman and managing director of Bharti Enterprises, Saturday took over as the president of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Fifty-year-old Mittal took over the charge from Harsh Pati Singhania after the conclusion of FICCI's 82nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) which was attended by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

Singhania is the managing director of JK Paper Ltd. Before taking over as the president of FICCI, Mittal was its senior vice president.

Mittal joined Bharti Enterprises after graduating from Panjab University. An alumnus of Harvard Business School, he is actively involved in overseeing the activities of the group at the corporate level.

Mittal's Bharti Enterprises has interests in telecom, financial services, retail, manufacturing, realty and agro-business. It also has joint ventures with various multination corporations -- AXA for financial services, Del Monte for its agri-business and Wal-Mart for retail and wholesale operations.

Bharti Airtel, a group company of Bharti Enterprises, is Asia's leading integrated telecom services provider.
Sunday, February 28, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 27 (IANS) In what could spell trouble for the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA), key constituent Trinamool Congress (TC) Saturday said it will oppose the government's decision to increase central tax on petrol and diesel.

"We are unhappy with the decision. It should be reconsidered," TC leader Sudip Bandhopadhyay told IANS.

He said the party will convey its opposition to the decision in parliament.

"We will convey our differences on the issue on the floor of the House (Lok Sabha)," he said.

Asked if there is a possibility of the party voting along with the opposition in case of vote on budget proposals, he said the TC was opposed to "just one decision" in the budget.

"We are not opposing the whole budget," he said.

The TC leader said hike in central tax on fuel will impact the poor who are already coping with rise in prices of essential commodities.

The government's decision to increase central duty on petrol and diesel has put it on a collision course with the opposition and some other parties extending support to it from outside.

The Samajwadi Party (SP), Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have joined hands with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and the Left on the issue of price rise.

The BSP, SP and RJD together have 47 MPs in the 545-member Lok Sabha and can create trouble for the government if they side with the opposition during vote on a cut motion.

With the Trinamool Congress also joining the voices of protest over fuel tax hike, the opposition efforts to put the government in the dock on the issue are expected to gain momentum in the coming days.

However, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said Friday that the government was "confident" of getting its financial agenda through.

On the possibility of withdrawing tax hike on petroleum products, Bansal said the excise duty had earlier been reduced to offset increase in international prices of crude oil and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's announcement in his budget speech was actually a "rollback". Sunday, February 28, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 27 (IANS) A special aircraft was sent to Kabul Saturday to bring back the bodies of nine Indians, including two major-rank army officers, who were killed in terror attacks in the Afghan capital.

Taliban bombers attacked guesthouses in the heart of Kabul Friday, triggering a series of explosions, and a gun battle that killed at least 17 people, including nine Indians, a French citizen and an Italian.

The Afghan interior ministry has said six Indians have been killed. The Indian external affairs ministry said Friday that up to nine Indians were killed in the terror attack and the body count is still on.

The aircraft carrying a team of medical officers and medicines took off from here. Air force officials here said a team of army officers and officials from the Ministry of External Affairs has also gone to Kabul to review the security situation.

The Indians killed in the terror attack include two army officers, government officials, an Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) constable and a tabla player who was part of a cultural delegation to Afghanistan.

Among the deceased identified were Major Laishram Jyotin Singh of the Army Medical Corps, Major Deepak Yadav of the Army Education Corps, engineer Bhola Ram, tabla player Nawab Khan, staffer of the Kandahar Consulate Nitish Chibber and Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) constable Roshan Lal.

Nawab Khan, the tabla player, was part of a three-member cultural troupe which was sent by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations to Afghanistan that gave performances in various cities there.

The assault occurred around the City Centre shopping complex and the Safi Landmark hotel, about 300 metres from the interior ministry.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said by phone from an undisclosed location that five Taliban bombers attacked two compounds used by foreigners. Sunday, February 28, 2010 | AA
President Pratibha Patil Saturday conveyed her best wishes to the nation on Holi, the festival of colours, which will be celebrated on March 1.

In her message, Patil said: "On the auspicious occasion of Holi, I extend my greetings and good wishes to all fellow citizens."

"Holi is a festival of joy, hope and fulfilment in our life. May this festival strengthen fraternal bonds amongst our people and bring peace and prosperity to our nation."

Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
By Amulya Ganguli

What the unpleasant aftermath of Thursday's India-Pakistan talks showed was that cordiality cannot be forced. The trust deficit between the two countries is so high that a dialogue can only lead to more acrimony.

The reason why a tense, constrained atmosphere continues to characterise mutual relations is that some kind of watershed has been crossed in New Delhi's attitude towards its troublesome neighbour.

India is now fairly convinced that Islamabad is not only unwilling but also unable to act against the terrorists because of the army's perverse disinclination. It is this perception which led to the unfortunate characterisation by an Indian source of Pakistan foreign secretary Salman Bashir as a virtual puppet in the army's hands.

It is possible that this uncommonly combative tone was adopted because of the regrettable description of the Indian dossier against the Jamaat-ud-Dawa's Hafiz Saeed as "literature" by Bashir after his talks with his Indian counterpart, Nirupama Rao.

Although Bashir subsequently tried to backtrack by saying that he did not intend to belittle the Indian allegations, the damage had been done. What was more, it indicated that it would be futile to expect Pakistan to act against these instigators of terror since the Pakistan Army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) would not allow any fetters to be put on Saeed, the suspected mastermind of 26/11, or Al Qaeda's Ilyas Kashmiri, or the army officers on India's "wanted" list.

It is worth recalling that on earlier occasions a certain amount of optimism usually prevailed during an India-Pakistan interaction. The reason was that New Delhi expected Islamabad to deliver on its promises.

True, such hopes were not always fulfilled. It is now known, for instance, that Pervez Musharraf never seriously intended to keep his promise not to allow Pakistani soil to be used for terror attacks on India. Even then, there were signs - as Musharraf has indicated - that the two sides were quite close to resolving the dispute over Kashmir.

It was possible to entertain such hopes because Musharraf headed the army which, in Pakistan, is more important than being head of state.

Now, it is the gulf between the civilians and the military in Pakistan which has evidently driven it further from India. The latter is now convinced that the Asif Ali Zardari-Yousuf Raza Gilani duo will not be able to walk the peace talk because the army chief, Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, is the person who calls the shots in Pakistan and not the president or the prime minister.

What is more, Kayani is unlikely to approve of any substantive peace deal because the army and ISI believe that the AfPak region will reach a turning point with the withdrawal of the US forces. Since the resultant vacuum will give an excellent opportunity to the Pakistan Army to install forces inimical to India in Afghanistan, there is little point in making a serious effort at reconciliation.

In fact, as Rao pointed out, the manner in which 26/11 "erased" the mutual confidence which the two countries had built up over the last few years pointed to the presence of elements in Pakistan that were dead against any improvement in ties.

It is the role of these groups which can be seen in Islamabad's refusal to act against Saeed or Ilyas Kashmiri, let alone the army officers, and in Bashir's countering of India's charges of infiltration into Kashmir with allegations of New Delhi's hand in fomenting trouble in Balochistan.

Although Pakistan says that Saeed has been freed by the judiciary, it is a claim which can seem spurious because of the ease with which the Jamaat-ud-Dawa can hold rallies spouting venom against India despite the UN's ban on it. Just as Islamabad has ignored the UN diktat, it may have also ensured that the prosecution presented a weak case against the Jamaat chief before the judges. Besides, a judge had once asked the government why the UN ban should be enforced when, in his view, India had not adhered to the UN resolutions on Kashmir.

As if the nurturing of terrorists was not enough, a further complication has been caused by India's charge that Pakistan was harbouring fugitives from Indian law like the Indian Mujahideen and Khalistani activists. This is a return to the period when Pakistan's western and eastern wings gave aid and shelter to Indian insurgents, a policy which was continued by Khaleda Zia in Bangladesh. It is only after Sheikh Hasina's assumption of power in Dhaka that Bangladesh handed over the outlaws of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) to India.

If the talk about talks by Rao and Bashir has vitiated the atmosphere instead of creating favourable conditions for more interactions, the reason is that, first, a reluctant India was seemingly pushed into it by the US and, second, Pakistan was weighed down by insecurities and complexes.

Some of its apprehensions were available from Bashir's reference to the need for a military balance in South Asia in the context of the Indian Army chief's comment about New Delhi being prepared for a war on two fronts. And Pakistan's inferiority complex was evident from the way its Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, rushed to Beijing with an appeal to it to intervene as a third party.

In such a murky atmosphere, only back channel negotiations can make some headway to prepare the ground for formal talks.

(27-02-2010-Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. He can be reached at aganguli@mail.com) Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
By Subhash K. Jha

Mumbai, Feb 27 (IANS) India's most celebrated artist Maqbool Fida Husain, who has been under attack from sections of the Hindu right, has accepted Qatar's offer of an honorary citizenship as having a "sense of belonging" was important at this stage of his life, said his son Owais Husain, who added that his father "missed home in India terribly".

M.F. Husain, 95, has dozens of lawsuits against him across the country for his paintings of goddesses that some Hindus find sacrilegious. The artist has been living abroad as a fugitive since 2006.

The celebrated painter left Dubai for Qatar Friday, his son filmmaker-writer-painter Owais Husain told IANS on phone from Dubai.

"Yes, he has left for Qatar where he was warmly received by a large welcoming committee. I was supposed to accompany him from here in Dubai to Qatar. But at the last minute I couldn't go. He travelled alone, as he has all his life, to his new home.

"My father has definitely accepted their offer (of Qatari citizenship). After years of being away from his real home (in India) this sense of belonging, albeit in an adopted country, was I think, very important at this stage of his life," said Owais, who shuttles between Dubai and Mumbai.

After Qatar made the citizenship offer to Husain and people in India got know about it, his fans and noted artists demanded that his return to India be facilitated.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) said Husain was free to live anywhere in the country, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stressed that the artist "did not face danger to his life". But he still faces threats from fringe groups in the Hindu right, apart from the court cases.

Owais in Dubai seemed unaware of the sudden interest in India to get the artist back.

"Do they really want him back now? Isn't it a bit late? My father has been a nomad all his life. But he has been rendered homeless in recent years. He stayed close to me in Dubai and I tried to make him feel at home. But I had my own work too. I know he missed home in India terribly," said Owais, who is now completing a documentary on his father's life.

"I've titled it 'Letters To My Son About My Father'. My son is four years old. When he grows up he should know what a luminous legacy he has to uphold. My father is older than modern independent India. As a child he struggled to make ends meet. During British India he painted slogans against the rulers. In independent India he painted pictures that sold for astronomical sums of money. He didn't plan any of this. He didn't plan his exile in Dubai and now his citizenship in Qatar."

In Qatar, Husain has big plans, include a new feature film, revealed his proud son.

"I plan to fly down to Qatar and we will be discussing projects together. I don't know how to end my documentary on my father. There're no full stops to his life. His life has been charted by destiny."

As Husain makes Qatar his adopted home during his final years, his son said: "He will continue to miss his real home wherever he is. You can take M.F. Husain out of India. But you can't take India out of M.F. Husain." Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
By Arun Kumar

Washington, Feb 27 (IANS) The US India Business Council has hailed India's new budget saying it lays a strong foundation for the country to attract needed investment, spur innovation and drive inclusive growth for all of its citizens.

Welcoming the recognition of the importance of the insurance sector in driving economic growth, USIBC urged the Indian government to raise the FDI cap in insurance to 49 percent, "which is critical to attracting the long-term capital investment needed to help finance India's ambitious infrastructure build-out."

"India's 2010-11 Budget defines important steps aimed at fuelling growth of its already robust economy, now topping 8 percent GDP, signalling that the global recession of 2008-2009 is already a remnant of the past for India," said the trade advocacy group Friday.

"High points important to business, and particularly US Industry, include a commitment to tackle the state and federal deficit, positive changes to the Customs Code, steps to strengthen and expand the banking and financial sector, and a commitment to simplify FDI procedures across a range of sectors," it said.

Welcoming Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee comments about the importance of a market-based, private-sector led growth USIBC President Ron Somers said:

"The key to improving the lives of India's citizens is sustainable growth led by a vibrant and competitive private sector."

"This budget's emphasis on infrastructure, education, corporate governance and fiscal responsibility sends a message that the government is ready to take India to double digit growth for the benefit of all its citizens," he said.

USIBC also welcomed the finance minister's acknowledgement of the importance of introducing competition into the retail sector by opening up retail trade. The budget, it said, also took an important step to increase collaboration between the US and Indian entertainment sectors - Hollywood meets Bollywood -by updating the customs code to reflect technological changes in the film and television industry.

But USIBC expressed concerns over increases in excise taxes on a range of products. "Moreover, while the fuel levy is meant to generate additional government revenue, USIBC remains concerned that the higher energy costs could trigger a rise in inflation."

"That said, USIBC is encouraged by a balanced budget that sets an ambitious roadmap to take India to the next level of growth," the trade group said.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in) Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) Parliament will have a four-day break beginning Saturday due to the Holi festival (March 1).

Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will have no sitting on March 2.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal Thursday informed Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar about the desire of members to have a break March 2. She took sense of the House which agreed to have a holiday.

In the Rajya Sabha, Deputy Chairman K. Rahman Khan said there would be no sitting March 2.

The budget session of parliament began Feb 22 and will continue till May 7. Parliament will adjourn March 16 and meet again from April 12 to enable the standing committees to consider the demands for grants of ministries.
Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) The live telecast of heart surgeries for publicity is likely to end as the Asian Society for Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery and Indian Association of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons came up Friday with guidelines recommending end to such practice.

"Live telecast of heart surgeries for the purposes of publicity is certainly not acceptable. I am confident that a strict implementation of these guidelines will go a long way in curbing practices that enhance the risk component in complicated heart and vascular surgeries," said Sampath Kumar, one of the authors of the guidelines.

Hundreds of heart surgeons from India and abroad are in Delhi currently for the four-day combined annual meeting of the Asian Society for Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery and the Indian Association of Cardiovascular Thoracic Surgeons, that began Feb 26.

They are to deliberate on the several issues related to heart surgeries across the world and devise a plan for effective implementation of the guidelines. Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
Ahmedabad, Feb 26 (IANS) India will be eyeing a series whitewash against South Africa they meet in the third and last-one day international at the Sardar Patel Stadium here Saturday.

With the series already won, besides the No.2 spot in the ODIs, India have taken the liberty of resting their key batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. While their absence can dampen the crowd enthusiasm a bit, it will give several youngsters a chance to prove their worth.

With Tendulkar, Sehwag and Gambhir missing, Murli Vijay may well be set to make his ODI debut. Rohit Sharma, who picked up a freak injury before the start of first Test in Nagpur, alongwith Tamil Nadu paceman Abhimanyu Mithun are likely to get a look in.

For South Africa, their bowlers have been a huge let down. Dale Steyn lacked the sting he showed in Nagpur and so did Wayne Parnell. A lot will depend on how Steyn can cash in on with the new ball.

Their batsmen too have not been up to the task with the exception of AB de Villiers and stand-in-skipper Jacques Kallis.

The Proteas' have been disappointed with their dangerous opener Herschelle Gibbs and Jean Paul Duminy, who will be leaving for home because of a finger injury he picked up in Gwalior. He is likely to be replaced by either Loots Bosman or Albie Morkel.

Hashim Amla, who had a stupendous Test series and replaced injured skipper Graeme Smith, was all class during his brief stay in the second ODI and South Africa would want him to stay longer and show the same resolve he showed during his back-to-back centuries in the Nagpur and Kolkata Test.

The Indian bowlers too did not have good run on a batsman friendly pitch but have been pegged on by their slower bowlers, Ravindra Jadeja and Yusuf Pathan.

The toss will prove to be crucial with the possibility of dew in the later part of day, with the curators promising that the pitch holds something for the bowlers too. Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) Both the Supreme Court and the Election Commission of India have received much lesser budget allocations for the financial year 2010-11 as against the current fiscal.

As per the budget, the apex court will get Rs.85 crore in the coming fiscal, nearly Rs.14 crore less. In the revised 2009-10 budget, it was given a sum of Rs.98.83 crore.

Similarly, the Election Commission of India was allocated Rs.19.46 crore, over Rs.six crore less than 2009-10.

According to the budget documents, both the institutions will get these amounts under the non-plan outlay heading.
Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi/Mumbai, Feb 26 (IANS) The corporate sector has largely hailed Budget 2010-11, despite feeling it has not addressed many of their concerns.

Ankur Bhatia, executive director of the Bird Group, said the budget for 2010-11 was definitely better than expected.

"But our demand for the two-star and above hotel industry to be categorized as an infrastructure sector has gone unheard," he added. "This needs urgent intervention as the country is already short of star category rooms across the country," he said.

Karl Slym, president & Managing Director, General Motors India, said the budget failed to meet the expectations of the automotive industry.

"The industry did not expect any hike in excise duty and imposition of some duty on petroleum products. The automotive industry is one of the growth drivers of the economy and as such continuation of the stimulus package for some more time would have helped the industry to regain the growth momentum."

Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, managing director of CLP India, said the increase in Minimum Alternate Tax rates is negative for the establishment of new generation facilities.

Kaushal Sampat, the chief operating officer of Dun & Bradstree India, said: "Although the excise duty rates have been hiked, they still remain at the pre-crisis level and help the process of economic recovery. Though there are no Big Bang announcements, it's tone is 'pro-reformist' and it is a positive budget."

R. Ramakrishnan, executive director-Bajaj Electricals Ltd, said: "I feel the fiscal stimulus should have been retained at least in 2010-11. India had the opportunity to become the fastest growing economy in the world. This may get somewhat impacted. The lowering of excise duty on LED's to 4 percent from 8 percent and the focus on non-conventional energy are welcome."

Kalyan Bhattacharya, President & CEO, Birla Power Solutions Ltd, said: "When expectations were big for a leap in strengthening the manufacturing sector, Budget 2010-11 is more like a small step."

Sandesh Kirkire, the chief executive officer of Kotak Asset Management Company Ltd, said the gradual withdrawal of stimulus indicated by the 2 percent rise in excise should protect the growth uptrend. "This rise in excise would marginally get balanced with the higher surplus in the hands of the consumers due to the raising of tax slabs."

Moon B. Shin, managing director, LG Electronics Indian Ltd., described the budget as a progressive one. He said: "With an impetus on high GDP growth, and laying down a roadmap for fiscal consolidation the government is putting down things in perspective when it comes to allocation of funds."

Sudip Bandyopadhyay, group president, Spice Finance, said the net additional tax revenue generation of Rs.20,500 crore should definitely improve government finances and reduce the need for borrowing. "Overall the budget will prove to be a great catalyst for propelling India to the next level of growth," he said.

Ajay Srinivasan, chief executive-Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group, said: "The opening up the banking sector to Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and the private sector is a significant step towards further strengthening and broadening the banking sector to bring it closer to the commoners."

Kapil Dev Singh, country manager of IDC India, a top IT intelligence and advisory firm, said: "The expectation of India achieving 10 percent growth in the near future points to the domestic market consumption being the key driver." Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's move to hike central duty on petrol and diesel has set the Congress-led government on a collision course with the opposition and other parties.

The announcement, coming a day after the two houses of parliament discussed price rise has provided a rallying point to the opposition.

Some of parties which extended outside support to the United Progressive Alliance government -- like the Samajwadi Party (SP), Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) -- have joined hands with the opposition on the issue of price rise.

"We oppose the government on the issue of price rise. The budget has nothing for the common man," Vijay Bahadur Singh, BSP MP from Hamirpur, told IANS.

The BSP joined other opposition parties during Friday's walk-out from the Lok Sabha while Mukherjee was still making his budget speech, the first incident during budget presentation.

The opposition parties earlier cautioned the government against hiking price of petrol and diesel prices.

SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav said the decision to hike central tax on petrol and diesel had come within hours of discussion in parliament on price rise.

The BSP, SP and RJD, which have their differences with the Congress, together have 47 MPs in the 545-member Lok Sabha and can create trouble for the government if they side with the opposition during vote on a cut motion.

However, the government did not betray signs of any nervousness.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said the government was "confident" of getting its financial agenda through.

On the possibility of withdrawing tax hike on petroleum products, Bansal said the excise duty had earlier been reduced to offset increase in international prices of crude oil and Mukherjee's announcement was actually a "rollback".

Though the government is in a minority in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament has no statutory authority to defeat a finance bill.

The Left parties, which have to face a resurgent Trinamool Congress-Congress alliance in the next year's West Bengal assembly polls, indicated that larger opposition unity on price rise will continue.

"The opposition is united. We will carry the movement forward," Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Basudeb Acharia said.

The Congress said the budget had spelt out the government's thrust on improving the lot of poorer sections while also taking care of growth imperatives.

Party leader Salman Khursheed said much thought had gone into the process of budget formation and the government will fulfil all its commitments. Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) The budgetary allocation for Department of Space increased by over Rs.1,600 crore to Rs.5,778 crore with a five-fold hike in funds for the human space flight programme.

The union budget tabled in parliament Friday allocated Rs.150 crore for the manned space mission initiatives compared to Rs.30 crore last year.

The overall funding for the Department of Space saw a jump of over 27 percent to Rs.5,778 from Rs.4,167 crore last fiscal.

The budget allocated Rs.100 crore for India's moon mission Chandrayan 2. Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
Chennai, Feb 26 (IANS) Encouraging people to save in the New Pension Scheme, Finance Minister Pranab Mukerjee Friday said the central government will allocate Rs.100 crore to the scheme in the next fiscal.

"To encourage the people from the unorganised sector to voluntarily save for their retirement and to lower the cost of operations of the New Pension Scheme (NPS) for such subscribers, government will contribute Rs.1,000 per year to each NPS account opened in the year 2010-11," he said in his budget speech.

He said the incentive will be available for people who join NPS with a minimum contribution of Rs.1,000 and a maximum contribution of Rs.12,000 per annum during the next financial year.

"The scheme will be available for another three years. Accordingly, I am making an allocation of Rs.100 crore for the year 2010-11. It will benefit about 10 lakh NPS subscribers of the unorganised sector. The scheme will be managed by the interim Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority," he said.

He also appealed to the state governments to contribute similar amount to the scheme and participate in providing social security to vulnerable sections of the society.

Introduced in May last year, contributions under the scheme can be made towards two accounts, one of which will be entirely for savings towards retirement, which cannot be withdrawn. The other portion will be voluntary and can be encashed whenever the beneficiary pleases.

The minimum contribution is Rs.6,000 per annum. The money has to be paid in at least four instalments a year. No instalment can be of less than Rs.500. There is no upper limit on the number of instalments or the money one can put in per instalment.

Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) chairman G.C. Chaturvedi told IANS that the target of increasing the number of investors from 4,000 currently to 10 lakh is achievable.

"The target set under the New Pension Scheme to increase the subscribers from 4,000 to 10 lakh in next three years is achieveable," he said.

"We will be approaching various associations representing interests of workers in unorganised sectors like the bodies of diary and fishery farmers."

However, industry expert and Malhotra Committee on Insurance Reforms member R. Ramakrishnan said that any pension scheme should have a minimum guarantee and the NPS does not offer any such incentive.

"Under the new pension scheme, there is neither an agent nor a guarantee. If the government is going to make a contribution of Rs.1, 000 per month for three years, it may have some impact," Ramakrishnan told IANS. Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) India Friday allocated Rs.11,000 crore (Rs.110 billion/$2.38 billion) for its higher education sector, which is around seven percent more than the 2009-10 financial year.

As per the union budget 2010-11, the central government has given more than Rs.1,400 crore to higher education in the coming fiscal compared to the current financial year.

Of the total plan outlay, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has pegged an amount of Rs.500 crore for subsidising students loans.

To enable students from economically weaker sections to access higher education, a scheme to provide full interest subsidy during the period of moratorium has been introduced to cover loans taken from scheduled banks to pursue any of the approved courses of study in technical and professional streams from recognised institutions in India, the minister said in his budget speech.

The budget has kept aside a sum of Rs.400 crore for new Indian Institutes of Technology that have recently came into operation. This amount is Rs.100 crore more than what was pegged during fiscal 2009-10.

Of the Rs.11,000 crore, the budget has pegged Rs.5,562 crore for general education, Rs.4,266 crore for technical education, and Rs.1,078 crore for education improvement in north-eastern areas. Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), one of the world's largest open universities, will get Rs.91 crore from the union budget for the next fiscal.

IGNOU will get Rs.91 crore innthe 2010-11 fiscal, Rs.9 crore more as compared to the last year.

IGNOU provides education to over 2.5 million students in India and abroad. It has 61 regional centres and 2,243 learner support centres spread across 34 countries.

The varsity offers 3,500 courses in 323 academic spheres. IGNOU has been recognised as a Centre of Excellence in Distance Education by the Commonwealth of Learning, Canada.

Started with a vision of social inclusion and democratisation of education, IGNOU has a large number of socially and academically relevant programmes and a nationwide student support system. It offers state-of-the-art education through face-to-face teaching, webcasts, telecasts and video conferencing. Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) Nearly 20,000 students from the Gulf countries will take the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) examinations starting March 3 at 70 centres, an official release said here Friday.

This year, 11,144 students of Class 10 and 7,064 of Class 12, will take the board exams, a CBSE release said.

Last year, 10,964 candidates appeared for the Class 10 examinations while 7,476 students took the Class 12 exams.

Among the candidates in special categories, 13 are of Class 10 and 14 of Class 12 will appear for examinations.

Three helpline centres - Kuwait, Dubai and Doha - are catering to overseas students.

As many as 13,311 Class 10 and 8,596 Class 12 students will take the exams in other foreign countries.

The Gulf region is home to a 4.5 million-strong Indian diaspora. Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) Opposition parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Left parties, united in slamming the government Friday over the "anti-people" union budget, especially the hike in duty on petrol and diesel, and even walked out of parliament during the budget speech.

In an unusual departure from the norm, opposition MPs Friday walked out of the Lok Sabha during Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's budget presentation, provoking the minister to stop in his tracks and shout impatiently that he be allowed to continue. Members of the BJP, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Left parties, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) rose from their seats when Mukherjee spoke of the basic duty on crude oil being restored.

"This (budget) is a constitutional requirement," an angry Mukherjee told the opposition MPs, many of whom were standing up and drowning him out.

But they walked out nonetheless, leaving Mukherjee to finish the last 15 minutes of his speech without the opposition.

The only ones left were independents Jaswant Singh, Digvijay Singh and Inder Singh Namdhari as well as the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and the Trinamool Congress-backed Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI).

The walkout marred a presentation that lasted an hour and 45 minutes.

Later, the opposition leaders jointly addressed reporters to slam the government over the hike in central duty on petrol and diesel.

"This is an anti-farmer, anti-poor, anti-people budget," Sushma Swaraj, BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, told reporters.

Also present were SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav and RJD chief Lalu Prasad. Both the SP and RJD provide outside support to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.

Referring to Thursday's discussion in the two houses of parliament on price rise, Mulayam Singh said the hike in central tax on petrol and diesel had come within hours of the opposition members voicing their concern on the price situation. "The discussion (on price rise) took place only 12 hours back," he said.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad was equally critical of the government. "They (the government) have hiked the prices of petrol, fertiliser, cement... people are crushed under the rising prices of essential commodities."

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Basudeb Acharia said the opposition had never before staged a walk-out during the general budget. "This (walk-out) is unprecedented. The whole opposition was united. We will take the movement forward," he said.

Talking to reporters later, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury said the rise in price of petrol and diesel would be "disastrous for the aam admi (common man)."

"The net result is there is no relief even to the middle class. The budget is in the name of the aam admi, but it is against the aam admi," he said.

Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D. Raja said the walkout from the Lok Sabha was spontaneous and reflected the gravity of the problem faced by the people due to price rise. "The government did not give a convincing reply," he said.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said the budget would consolidate the post-downturn recovery process, strengthen infrastructure and improve collection of revenue.

He said the opposition was just interested in "scoring political brownie points".

Talking to reporters at the BJP's official briefing, party leader Yashwant Sinha said Mukherjee had failed to address concerns of the aam aadmi.

"The increase in petroleum product prices will have a massive cascading effect on all prices. The tax burden imposed in this budget is unprecedented and will add fuel to fire on the price front," he said.

He said the allocation for agriculture was too meagre to make any difference on the ground. "The budget puts hardly any burden on the rich and the powerful while it deals a crushing blow to the aam admi," Sinha added. Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) India's public health budget has gone up by Rs.1,253 crore, with special focus on AIDS control and mental health programmes and the prevention of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Of the total Rs.22,300 crore (Rs.223 billion/$4.82 billion) health budget, about Rs. 3,181 crore has been earmarked for various schemes to benefit the health of the people - up from Rs.1,928 in 2009-10.

However, the allocation for providing medical relief to people uprooted by natural disasters saw a decrease of Rs.149 crore. The amount has dipped to Rs.96 crore from about Rs.245 crore in 2009-10.

India's AIDS control programmes saw an increased allotment of Rs.403 crore - up from Rs.888.15 crore to Rs.1,291 crore this fiscal.

The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) is the apex body to prevent, curb and educate people about the disease and carries out prevention programmes. India is home to 2.5 million HIV/AIDS patients, including over 70,000 children below the age of 14.

With nearly two percent Indians in need of medical attention in the area of mental health, the government has increased the amount for the National Mental Health Programme with Rs.103 crore - up from Rs.50 crore - an increase of Rs.53 crore.

With India being called the diabetes capital of the world and more and more young people suffering from heart disease, the budget focus is also on the national programme for the prevention and control of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke.

The programme has got Rs.90 crore - an increase of Rs.73 crore from the previous budget.

The budget has also hiked the allocation for manufacturing vaccines with the government speeding up efforts to produce a vaccine to combat the contagious swine flu virus, which has killed 1,366 people and affected 29,599 in the country so far.

The amount to manufacture vaccines has gone up from Rs.31.65 crore to Rs.35.52 crore. Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) Air fares in India are set to rise more than 10 percent.

Hidden behind Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's budget speech is the fine print in the voluminous papers tabled in the Lok Sabha Friday, which has brought all classes of air passengers under the service tax net.

"Yes, all air passengers have to pay service tax," said Ankur Bhatia, chief executive of Bird Group, an aviation consultancy firm. "Earlier, service tax on air passengers was restricted to first and business class travel."

The language of the Finance Bill's clause broadly says such tax rate will be levied on services rendered to all passengers by an aircraft operator in relation to scheduled or non-scheduled air transport for both domestic or international journies.

"I propose to bring certain services hitherto untaxed within the purview of the service tax levy. These are being notified separately," Mukherjee said in his budget speech, but added he was retaining the service tax rate at 10 percent.

The proposal comes against the backdrop of the finance minister also proposing a basic customs duty of 5 percent on crude petroleum and 10 percent on other refined products, other than diesel and petrol.

This is likely to push up prices of aviation turbine fuel. Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) Over 1.6 million students will sit for the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) examinations starting March 3 at over 5,500 centres spread across the country and abroad, an official release said here Friday.

This year 902,517 students of Class 10 and 699,129 of Class 12 will take the board exams, a CBSE release said.

Last year, 824,438 candidates appeared for the Class 10 examinations while 637,578 students took the Class 12 exams.

Of the total number of Class 10 students, 368,802 are female candidates while 533,715 are male students. Similarly in the Class 12 exams, there are 290,762 female candidates and 408,367 male students.

Among the candidates in special categories, 1,891 of Class 10 and 1,306 of Class 12 will appear for examinations in the country and abroad.

"It will be for the first time that the new grading system has been introduced at Secondary School level (for Classes 9 and 10) effective from 2009-10 academic sessions," CBSE spokesperson Rama Sharma said.

"Class 12 students will appear for the first time in Graphics Design Course and Heritage Crafts," she added. Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) India will spend Rs.168 crore more next fisal for carrying out oceanographic and weather research, according to the union budget tabled Friday in the Lok Sabha.

The budgetary allocation for the Ministry of Earth Sciences saw a jump of nearly 14 percent to Rs.1,302 crore from Rs.1,134 crore last financial year.

The budgetary allocation increased by over Rs.100 crore for carrying out oceanographic research while it increased by Rs.40 crore for improving weather forecasting research.

The funding for science and technology ministry increased by Rs.329 crore to Rs.2,369 crore from Rs.2,040 last year. Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) India's tourism budget was Friday pegged at Rs.1,119.41 crore (Rs.11.19 billion/$242.4 million) -- a nine percent increase over the previous year allocation -- with almost one-third of it earmarked for the 'Incredible India' campaign.

The sector received Rs.91 crore more than the amount allocated in the current fiscal.

Tourism Minister Kumari Selja welcomed the proposals in the budget and thanked Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for encouraging the sector.

Of the Rs.1,119 crore, Rs.1,050 crore is under planned outlay and the rest is under non-planned outlay for the tourism sector.

As per the 2009-10 revised budget, India allocated Rs.1,020 crore, which was just a token increase of Rs.20 crore from the 2008-09 budget.

With the tourism sector feeling the pinch of the Mumbai attack, swine flu scare and economic downturn, the government seems to focus more on campaign overseas next fiscal. About Rs.342 crore, an increase of over 15 percent from the previous budget, has been allocated to the 'Incredible India' campaign aimed at wooing foreign visitors.

The 'Incredible India' campaign, showcasing major holiday destinations, has been quite successful and picked up many prestigious international awards.

About Rs.67 crore has been allocated for promoting domestic tourism. The amount was Rs.56 crore in the previous budget.

In 2009, about 5.11 million foreign tourists visited India compared to 5.28 million in 2008.

Tourist infrastructure also got an over six percent increased allocation.

About Rs.470 crore has been earmarked for creating new infrastructural facilities like constructing budget accommodations, wayside amenities, tourist reception centres, refurbishment of monuments, adventure and sports facilities and illumination of monuments. In the last budget, the figure was Rs.442 crore.
Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi/Mumbai, Feb 26 (IANS) Indian industry Friday hailed Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for a development-oriented fiscal budget for 2010-11 even while expressing some disappointment at the raising of Minimum Alternative Tax (MAT) and excise duties.

Industry has been demanding cut in MAT from the current 15 percent to 10 percent, while the government in the budget 2010-11 has increased it to 18 percent. MAT is a tax that has to be paid by the companies that are enjoying tax benefits or tax exemption under various schemes.

"By and large, the finance minister has provided a stable tax and policy framework for the Indian economy to move forward. However, the industry is disappointed that the finance minister had raised the MAT rate from 15 percent to 18 percent when industry was demanding a cut down to 10 percent," said Harsh Pati Singhania, president of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) industry body.

He said the impact of excise duty hike across the board coupled with increase in excise duty on petrol and diesel will add pressure on the price line in current circumstances. However, he appreciated the need for some fiscal correction.

On introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Direct Tax Code (DTC) from April 1 next year, Singhania said the time given for introducing it was too little.

Another industry body, The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) said the finance minister has "performed the most balancing act under the given circumstances" by partially rolling out the stimulus package.

"The finance minister has performed the most balancing act under the given circumstances by partially rolling out the stimulus package and at the same time paid adequate attention for development of the social sector and more specifically so for the rural sector," said Swati Piramal, president Assocham.

She also welcomed announcements for bringing in more and more services under the purview of service tax by not tinkering with its existing ceiling rate of 10 percent.

"The budget proposals will bring in more money in the hands of individuals as several good measures have been introduced in the Finance Bill in the form of tax reliefs to the general public," she said in a statement.

The Assocham also welcomed a deadline set for introduction of Goods and Service Taxes (indirect taxes) and Direct Tax Code.

"These would be major tax reforms which will not only provide tax relief to people and industry but also help the government realize higher tax collections," she added.

Moon B. Shin, managing director, LG Electronics Indian Ltd., described the budget as a progressive one. He said: "With an impetus on high GDP growth, and laying down a roadmap for fiscal consolidation the government is putting down things in perspective when it comes to allocation of funds."

Ankur Bhatia, the executive director of the Bird Group, said the budget for 2010-11 was definitely better than expected. "But our demand for the two-star and above hotel industry to be categorized as an infrastructure sector has gone unheard," he added. This needs urgent intervention as the country is already short of star category rooms across the country, he said.

Sudip Bandyopadhyay, group president, Spice Finance, said the net additional tax revenue generation of Rs.20,500 crore should definitely improve government finances and reduce the need for borrowing. "Overall the budget will prove to be a great catalyst for propelling India to the next level of growth," he said.

Ajay Srinivasan, Chief Executive-Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group, said: "The opening up the banking sector to Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and the private sector is a significant step towards further strengthening and broadening the banking sector to bring it closer to the commoners."

Kapil Dev Singh, country manager of IDC India, a top IT intelligence and advisory firm, said: "The expectation of India achieving 10 percent growth in the near future points to the domestic market consumption being the key driver."

Gaurav Dua, head-research, Sharekhan Ltd, said: "The finance minister has addressed the key issues of containing fiscal slippage and outlined a clear roadmap for the next three years. The net government borrowing programme for 2010-11 is also well under control and allays fears of crowding out of bank credit for the private sector."

"The tax proposals related to corporate and capital markets are benign and in line with expectation with no negative surprises. The thrust on reforms and announcement like banking licenses for private sector non-banking companies were unexpected positive moves," he stated.

Sanjay Bhatia, managing director, Hindustan Tin Works Ltd & MD Rexam HTW Beverage Can (India) Ltd, said: "The focus on food sector, thrust on food processing and reduction of post harvest food wastage, plus setting up of five more food parks is indeed welcome and will benefit agro industries in a big way." Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
Chennai, Feb 26 (IANS) Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's budget may have rejected major demands of life insurers, but the proposal to treat life insurers at par with the mutual fund sector in respect of service tax is expected to add around Rs.300 crore to their kitty.

"Earlier life insurers were paying service tax on all the charges collected from the policyholders under their unit linked insurance policies (ULIP). From next fiscal onwards they will be paying 10 percent service tax on the fund management charges alone akin to the mutual fund industry," S.B. Mathur, secretary general of Life Insurance Council of India, told IANS.

According to him, the saving for the industry as whole will be around Rs.300 crore.

V. Srinivasan, chief financial officer of Bharti Axa Life, said: "The policyholders will be immensely benefited by this move. The internal rate of return (IRR) on ULIPs will be up by 40 basis points."

The increase in the limit for tax deduction at source (TDS) from Rs.5,000 to Rs.20,000 saves lot of administrative work on the insurers who deduct the tax on the commission paid to the agents, he said.

Alternatively the insurance agents will see more money on their hands from next fiscal onwards.

"The change in the income tax slabs will result in more disposable income in the hands of people. As a result there will more sales of life insurance policies," P. Nandagopal, managing director of IndiaFirst Life Insurance, told IANS.

"Indians do not blow up their surplus money. They have the tendency to save their surplus money. With the change in income tax classification people will be able to buy better life insurance policies."

The new slabs has income up to Rs.1.6 lakh per year exempted from income tax; up to Rs.5 lakh to be taxed at 10 percent; income of Rs.5-8 lakh to be taxed at 20 percent and income above Rs.8 lakh at 30 percent.

Mathur does not grudge the finance minister's announcement of the government contribution of Rs.1,000 to those pension accounts opened under the New Pension Scheme (NPS).

"It will enable people in the unorganised sector to get some pension scheme," he said.

However, the finance minister has not answered the two prayers of life insurers for extension of carry forward losses to 10 years from the current eight and separate limit for deduction under Sec 80C of the Income Tax Act for long term saving instruments like life insurance policies.

"Once the direct tax code becomes applicable the issue of carry forward of losses will not be there," said Srinivasan.

(V. Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in) Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) A technology advisory group will soon be set up for unique IT-related projects under the chairmanship of Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, said Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Friday in his budget speech.

"An effective tax administration and financial governance system calls for creation of IT projects which are reliable, secure and efficient. IT projects like tax information network, new pension scheme, national treasury management agency, expenditure information network, goods and service tax, are in different stages of roll out.

"To look into various technological and systemic issues, I propose to set up a technology advisory group for unique projects under the chairmanship of Nandan Nilekani," he said in the Lok Sabha.

The finance minister said that he had announced the constitution of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), its broad working principles and the timeline for delivery of the first UID numbers.

Nilekani is also the chairman of the UIDAI.

"I am happy to report that the authority has been constituted and it will be able to meet its commitments of issuing the first set of UID numbers in the coming year. It would provide an effective platform for financial inclusion and targeted subsidy payments. Since the UIDAI will now get into the operational phase, I am allocating Rs.1,900 crore to the authority for 2010-11," Mukherjee added. Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) The expenditure for development of the northeast region of India has been raised to Rs.1,760 crore for 2010-11, up 19 percent from the revised budget of the previous fiscal.

The revised budgetary allocation for the fiscal 2009-10 was Rs.1,475.21 crore and for this year it has been hiked to Rs.1,759.33 crore, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee proposed in the budget presented in the Lok Sabha Friday.

Nearly Rs.623 crore have been earmarked for the "schemes to ensure integrated socio-economic development of the eight states of north eastern region", according to the plan document.

At least Rs.5 crore have been earmarked for construction and improvement of roads of economic importance to be carried out through the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).

Central pool of resources will give funds to the tune Rs.800 crore through loans for viable infrastructure projects and schemes in the region.

The central government has a separate ministry for the development of northeast region comprising Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.

Sharing over 2,000 km of boundary with Nepal, China, Bhutan, Burma and Bangladesh, many states in the region have been battling insurgents for decades.

More than 30 rebel groups operate in the region with their demands ranging from secession to greater autonomy and the right to self-determination. Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) Home Minister P. Chidambaram Friday described the union budget as a "balanced effort" marked by a responsible judgement of the state of the economy and of the measures required "to sustain high and inclusive growth".

"Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's budget for 2010-11 is a very balanced effort marked by a mature assessment of the state of the economy and of the measures required to sustain high and inclusive growth," Chidambaram said in a statement.

The home minister, who held the finance portfolio till the 26/11 terror strikes in Mumbai, said the underpinning of a budget lay in its fiscal consolidation.

"Assistance to states for modernisation of police force has been pegged at Rs.1,975 crore, a modest increase of Rs.130 crore over the actual expenditure that will be incurred in 2009-10. However, I am confident that, if necessary, we can find additional resources through re-appropriation or through supplementaries," he said.

In the union budget, Mukherjee said immigration services had been provided Rs.155 crore and the bulk of this provision (Rs.140 crore) would be spent on setting up Integrated Check Posts.

The ambitious Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS) has received a generous provision of Rs.175 crore.

In his budget speech, Mukherjee said there had been a decline in violence in Jammu and Kashmir last year and the government had proposed a number of confidence building measures.

"As one more such measure, government proposes to recruit about 2,000 youth as constables in five central paramilitary forces in the year 2010," he said.

"The worst may be over and the finance minister has signalled that beginning 2010-11 we will move in the direction of reducing the fiscal deficit and revenue deficit."

"While these two indicators will remain high in 2010-11 (5.5 percent and 4.0 percent respectively), I am confident that we would be able to adhere to the road map laid down by the 13th Finance Commission," he added.
Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi/Chennai, Feb 26 (IANS) Car-makers Friday said they will hike prices of their cars by up to Rs.25,000 following a two percent hike in excise duty on all non-oil products and also by two percent on large cars and SUVs in the general budget presented Friday.

"Hike in excise duty by two percent on all car segmnets is on expected lines. This will result in hike of cars," said the director general of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), an apex industry body representing 44 leading vehicle and vehicular engine manufacturers in India.

India's largest car-maker, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI), said its cars would become dearer by two percent.

"The hike in prices of cars is essential to offset the increase in excise duty announced by the finance minister (Pranab Mukherjee) in the annual budget," said MSI chairman R.C. Bhargava.

Another leading car-maker, Hyundai Motor India, said the hike in excise duty on cars will push its prices up, anywhere between Rs.6,000 and Rs.25,000.

In Chennai, General Motors said it will increase the prices of their car models after the increase in the excise duty on all non-oil products by two percent to 10 percent and on sports utility vehicles (SUVs) by two percent.

"We will increase the prices of our models between Rs.7,500 and Rs.26,000," P. Balendran, director and vice president (Corporate Affairs), General Motors India Private Limited told IANS.

He added that the partial roll back of stimulus package was expected.

"The thrust on use of environment-friendly vehicles by concession on electric vehicles is good. It will enable the manufacturers to get CENVAT credit on their inputs," he added.

Senior Director - South Asia, Middle East and North Africa (Automotive Practice) at Frost and Sullivan, V.G. Ramakrishnan, said: "For the auto industry, the two percent increase in excise duty relating to the SUVs (sports utility vehicle) and MUVs (multi utility vehicles) was a bit of a surprise."

According to him, both the segments put together account for annual sales of around 300,000 units in India.

"However, the segment is not growing exceptionally well. But the impact of the excise duty increase will not affect the sales as the buyers of these cars are well-heeled ones," he added.

Ramakrishnan said the two percent across the board increase of excise duty on non-oil products will not impact the growth of automobile sales. "Overall, I expect the prices to go up by 1.5 percent to 2.5 percent," he said.

On the excise duty relief for electric vehicles, he said: "This is a new market. Earlier, there was no excise duty (on such vehicles). Now, the manufacturers will get tax credit for the inputs."

The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had spurred the automobile sector in 2008 by slashing excise duty on two-wheelers (from 10 percent to eight percent), small cars (from 12 percent to eight percent) and big cars from 24 percent to 20 percent.

India is now seen as a hub for the small cars segment and many global majors have ventured into India in the last four years.

Last year, companies marked their presence across the globe with record high exports. The year 2008 also saw the launch of the world's most economical car, Nano. Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) The Indian rupee will soon join a select league of global currencies by having a distinct identity to distinguish it from other similar looking currencies, said Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in his budget speech Friday.

"In the ensuing year, we intend to formalise a symbol for the Indian rupee, which reflects and captures the Indian ethos and culture," said Mukherjee in the Lok Sabha.

"With this, the Indian rupee will join the select club of currencies such as the US dollar, British pound sterling, Euro and Japanese yen that have a clear distinguishing identity," he added.

The move comes in the wake of recent reports on the increase in influx of fake currency notes in the country. Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday commended Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for the budget, describing it as a right mix of enabling growth while sticking to the fiscal deficit consolidation requirements.

"My overall impression is that the FM has done a right mix of estimating the growth requirements as well as the same time building in it a certain amount of moderation on the price front," Manmohan Singh said in his post-budget interview to a national television channel.

"You must look at the total picture emerging from the budget, the revenue gains for the finance minister is only Rs.20,000 crore in an economy as large as India," he added.

When asked if the proposed hikes in central excise duties would result in increased inflationary trends, the prime minister said: "This resource mobilisation effort should not trigger any inflationary pressures at the same time it gives a much needed signal. The finance minister has not gone back to the pre-stimulus excise duty rate.

"He has exercised moderation while signalling to the economy that you cannot have all things together."

The prime minister also sought to allay fears of India Inc over the proposed direct tax code and said all apprehensions of stake holders would be considered before the roll-out.

"The direct taxes code must be a source to strengthening the growth impulses, dynamic impulses but the direct taxes code which was delayed it has aroused certain apprehensions in the minds of the business community," he said. Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Friday gave relief to individual tax payers by raising personal tax slabs while introducing a simpler format of filing tax returns from the next assessment year.

Mukherjee proposed the following slabs for individual tax payers: No tax for annual income up to Rs.160,000, a rate of 10 percent between Rs.160,001 and Rs.500,000, 20 percent between Rs.500,001 and Rs.800,000 and 30 percent for income higher than Rs.800,000 per year.

"The proposal to raise the tax slabs will benefit 60 percent of all tax payers," said Mukherjee.

The budget for 2010-11 also proposes to allow a deduction of up to Rs.20,000 for investments in long-term infrastructure bonds. The deduction would be in addition to Rs.100,000 allowed under section 80C of the Income Tax Act.

The government will also introduce Saral 2 - a simpler format of filing tax returns - from the next assessment year. Salaried tax payers currently use Income Tax Return-1 forms to file returns. Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) In an unusual departure from the norm, opposition MPs Friday walked out of the Lok Sabha during Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's budget presentation to protest some taxation proposals, provoking the minister to stop in his tracks and shout impatiently that he be allowed to continue.

Members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Left parties, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) rose from their seats when Mukherjee spoke of the basic duty on crude oil being restored.

"This (budget) is a constitutional requirement," an angry Mukherjee told the opposition MPs, many of whom were standing up and drowning him out.

But they walked out nonetheless and didn't come back, leaving Mukherjee to finish the last 15 minutes of his speech without the opposition.

The only ones left were independents Jaswant Singh, Digvijay Singh and Inder Singh Namdhari as well as the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) and the Trinamool Congress-backed Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI).

The walkout marred a presentation that lasted an hour and 45 minutes -- less than Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee's rail budget speech - and had begun with pin-drop silence.

There were some moments of levity as well in the businesslike hour and 45 minute presentation.

"Since I stopped smoking many years ago, I would ask others also to do so," Mukherjee said, allowing a smile to crease his face, when he dealt on tobacco.

The first 90 minutes of the speech, however, were quite in contrast to the consistent din that marred Banerjee's budget two days ago.

The opposition, which was up in arms Wednesday when Banerjee outlined the rail budget, had listened solemnly as Mukherjee began reading out from the voluminous papers in front of him.

Banerjee came in for much jeering for favouring her home state West Bengal and provoked laughter for her pronunciation. But her fellow Bengali was spared the same as the most serious economic business of the year got underway. Saturday, February 27, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) The union budget for the next fiscal has pegged an outlay of Rs.31,036 crore (Rs.310.36 billion/$6.7 billion) for school education, an increase of Rs.4,236 crore from the previous year, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Friday.

The minister said a lot of this money would go for the implementation of the Right to Education Act, which aims at mandatory education to all students between the age of six and 14.

"The act will provide good quality and equity education," Mukherjee said while presenting the budget in parliament.

Friday, February 26, 2010 | AA
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) Fuel prices in the country are set to increase with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Friday announcing restoration of basic duty on petrol, diesel and crude petroleum and a rise of Re.1 in central excise duty.
In his budget speech 2010-11, Mukherjee said the government had exempted fuel from basic customs duty to give relief to the oil marketing companies. The global oil prices rose alarmingly to $112 per barrel last year.
But, with global prices comparatively low right now, the government has taken the step to improve the fiscal position by restoring basic duty and increasing excise duty.
"In view of the pressing need to move back to a fiscal consolidation path, I propose to restore the basic duty of 5 percent on crude petroleum; 7.5 percent on diesel and petrol and 10 percent on other refined products. I also propose to enhance the central excise duty on petrol and diesel by Re.1 per litre each," said Mukherjee.
This provoked loud protests from the opposition parties who walked out from the Lok Sabha.
Mukherjee also made a special mention of the Kirit Parikh committee which submitted its report recently on a viable and sustainable system of pricing of petroleum products.
It had recommended price deregulation of petrol and diesel, as well as a sharp decrease in subsidy of cooking gas and kerosene. However, the government has so far dithered on implementing the recommendations, expecting a political fall-out due to rising inflation.
"Decision on these recommendations will be taken by my colleague, the minister of petroleum and natural gas, in due course," said Mukherjee.
The total under-recoveries of the oil marketing companies are expected to reach Rs.40,000 crore this year, with the government not willing to go by the earlier formula of providing oil bonds. Instead, the finance ministry has only given Rs.12,000 crore in cash so far.
"I have made a conscious effort to avoid issuing bonds to oil and fertiliser companies. I would like to continue with this practice of extending Government subsidy in cash, thereby bringing all subsidy related liabilities into our fiscal accounting," he said. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Friday granted anticipatory bail to Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in two cases connected to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and said it would not hamper investigations into the case.

Justice A.K. Pathak granted anticipatory bail to Sajjan Kumar and six others on a personal bond of Rs.50,000 each.

"I do not find force in the contention that in case petitioners are at large on bail, it will hamper investigations," Justice Pathak said.

"It would not be justifiable to detain petitioners in custody after a lapse of 25 years of incident," the court said in a 25-page order.

Two non-bailable arrest warrants issued against Sajjan Kumar by a city court Feb 17 and Feb 23 will now stand infructuous.

The bail granted to Sajjan Kumar and the others is not subject to any period limitation and can be later treated as a regular bail till the final judgement is pronounced in the cases.

The former MP has been missing since the issue of the arrest warrants Feb 17.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had filed a chargesheet against Sajjan Kumar and others in two cases for allegedly instigating mobs after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi Oct 31, 1984. Over 3,000 Sikhs across Delhi were killed in the communal frenzy in the days following the assassination. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) Highlights of 2010-11 budget presented by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in parliament Friday:

-- Draft Food Security Bill prepared and will be put in the public domain

-- Allocation on primary education raised from Rs.26,800 crore to Rs.31,300 crore

-- Banking facilities to be provided to all habitations with a population of 2,000 and more

-- Rs.66,100 crore allocated for rural development in 2010-11; Rs.40,100 crore for National Rural Employment Scheme; RS.48,000 crore for Bharat Nirman

-- Rs.1,270 crore allocated for Rajiv Awas Yojna for slum dwellers, up from Rs.150 crore, an increase of 700 percent with the aim of creating a slum free India.

-- Forty-six percent of plan allocations in 2010-11 will be for infrastructure development

-- Coal Regulatory Authority to be set up to benchmark standards of performance

-- Allocation for new and renewable energy sector increased 61 percent from Rs.620 crore to Rs.1,000 crore in 2010-11

-- National Clean Energy Fund to be established

-- Rs.200 crore allocated as special package for Goa to prevent erosion and increase green cover.

-- Government committed to growth of SEZs.

-- Four-pronged strategy for growth of agricultural sector.

-- Rs.200 crore to be provided in 2010-11 for climate-resilient agricultural initiative.

-- Involvement of private sector in grain storage to continue for another two years.

-- In view of drought and floods, debt repayment period extended to June 2010.

-- Five more mega food processing projects in addition to 10 existing ones.

-- FDI flows in April-December 2009 $20.9 billion.

-- FDI policy to be made more user-friendly with one comprehensive document.

-- Apex level financial stability council to be set up for banking sector.

-- Indian Banking Association to give additional licences to private players.

-- Provision for further capital for regional rural banks.

-- Roadmap for reducing public debt in six months.

-- Implementation of direct tax code from April 2011.

-- Government actively engaged in finalising structure of general sales tax regime; hopes to implement it from April 2011.

-- Rs.35,000 crore raised from divestment in 2009-10; will be higher in 2010-11.

-- New fertiliser policy from April 2010; will lead to improved productively and more income for farmers.

-- Economy stabilised in first quarter of 2009-10; strong rebound in second quarter; overall growth at 7.2 and could be higher when Q3 and Q4 are taken into account.

-- Export figures for January encouraging.

-- Hope to breach 10 percent growth mark in not too distant future.

-- Government set in motion steps to bring down food inflation.

-- Need to review stimulus package; need to make growth more broad-based.

-- India has weathered global economic crisis well; Indian economy in far better position than it was a year ago. In 2009 Indian economy faced grave uncertainty; delay in southwest monsoon had undermined agricultural production.

-- First challenge now is to quickly revert to 9 percent growth and then aim for double digit growth; need to make recovery more broadbased.

-- Second challenge is to make growth more inclusive; have to strengthen food security.

-- Third challenge is to overcome weakness in government's public delivery mechanism; a long way to go in this. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Friday began presenting India's budget for the next fiscal, recalling the hard days of past two years, but with an assurance that the worst was over for the economy and the days ahead were promising though not without challenges.

"Today, as I stand before you, I can say with some confidence that we have weathered this crisis well," Mukherjee told the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament.

"That is not to say that the challenges today are any less than they were nine months ago, when the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) was voted back to power under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh," he added.

He said three challenges he had listed last year remained relevant today -- those of quickly reverting to a high growth path of 9 percent and cross over to double-digit expansion; making growth more inclusive and developing infrastructure in rural areas; and strengthening food security.

The finance minister said in 2009, when he presented the interim budget in February and the full budget in July, the Indian economy was facing grave uncertainty, the economy slowed down and business sentiment was low.

But this year, the budget has came against the backdrop of the Economic Survey for 2009-10, saying India's growth can go up to double digit levels in four years, with the country emerging as the fastest growing economy in the world.

The initial market reaction, as the finance minister began his budget speech was guarded, with the sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) ruling at 16,347.72 points, against the previous day's close at 16,254.2 points, with a gain of 93.52 points, or 0.58 percent.

Those in the packed house presided over by Speaker Meira Kumar, included Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj.

This was Mukherjee's fourth budget of his career as finance minister and the second for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in its second straight term after being voted back to office in May last year.

Although the budget speech also contained some policy pronouncements and other steps directed at reforms, it is basically an annual statement of accounts for the upcoming fiscal in terms of receipts and expenditure, along with direct and indirect tax proposals.

The budget was presented after a quick meeting of the federal cabinet inside the parliament house presided over by the prime minister for a customary approval for the proposals. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was all set Friday morning to table India's budget for the next fiscal with a renewed sense of optimism over the country's growth and clear signals from policymakers to bring deficits back to manageable levels.

Expectations were also high from the 74-year-old veteran politician, who has tabled four budgets in the past, that he will address the twin issue of bringing down prices while ensuring higher overall growth for the economy.

At the same time, he is also under pressure to roll back, albeit gradually, the $37-billion stimuli announced since December 2008 to help India weather the global economic slowdown.

The budget will be presented in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, after a quick meeting of the federal cabinet presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for a customary approval of the proposals. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
By Paras Ramoutar

Port-of-Spain, Feb 26 (IANS) The 2010 Commonwealth Games baton now circulating throughout Trinidad and Tobago has been described as the "soul of India" by Indian High Commissioner Malay Mishra here. The baton for the Oct 3-14 Games in New Delhi will later tour other Caribbean countries who are members of the Commonwealth.

The envoy assured the media and the people of Trinidad and Tobago that "all facilities and other areas of the Games will be ready for the October 3 start".

Trinidad and Tobago is one of the 71 countries the baton will pass through in its 240-day trek before arriving in India July 1.

The Trinidad and Tobago contingent to the Games will have 150 members, Larry Romany, president of its Olympic Committee and Commonwealth Association, said. Hockey Board Public Relations Officer Arnold Knott will be chef de mission for the 2010 Games. "We expect to put forward a very good performance when we get to Delhi," he said.

John Hoskins, vice-president, Commonwealth Games Federation, said that the baton for this Games is much more elaborate than the last one. It includes a video camera, audio recorder, LED lighting systems which can be changed to suit colours of the flag of the country it is in, and can also receive SMS text message. The 1.9-kg, 66.4 cm baton also contains a GPS facility.

Special arrangements are being made for sports enthusiasts here to visit India for the Games.

This country's population is made of 44 percent of people of Indian origin whose forefathers came from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar between 1845 and 1917 to work on the sugar plantations.

(Paras Ramoutar can be contacted at paras_ramoutar@yahoo.com)

Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
Patna, Feb 26 (IANS) Bihar's ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) legislator Abhay Singh was found dead along with his wife and daughter at his official residence here, police said Friday.

They said that Singh, legislator from Jamui and son of Bihar Minister for Food and Consumer Narendra Singh, committed suicide after killing his wife and daughter late Thursday night.

Singh first shot dead his wife and daughter and later killed himself, the police said, adding that the the daughter was less than a year old.

The reason behind Singh's actions are yet to be ascertained. However, according to family sources, Singh, in his early 40s, was upset for some time due to differences with his father.

They said that Singh's father fell unconscious after hearing the news of the deaths.
Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
By Shilpa Raina

New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) Busy collecting balloons, coloured powders and pichkaris for Holi? How about investing in some mild cleansers, oils and caps to protect your skin and hair from harsh chemicals and the sun?

Most of the powders used in Holi are not derived naturally and contain chemicals like mica and even lead that not only irritate the skin but also collect on the scalp.

Ajay Rana, dermatologist and director of Berkowits Hair and Skin Clinic, said the first thing everyone should do is to wear a cap for scalp protection and wear full-sleeve shirts for skin protection.

"Normally, we try to wear less clothes while playing Holi. This is not a good idea because it means more exposure of bare body parts to colours. So the tip is to cover yourself properly," Rana told IANS.

Beauty expert Shahnaz Hussain pointed out that Holi is played outdoors, but people forget to apply sunscreen on the exposed areas.

"Sun exposure can also have a detrimental effect on the skin. Apart from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation, sun exposure makes the skin dry by causing depletion of moisture and also tans the skin," explained Hussain.

"Remember to apply a sunscreen and moisturiser 20 minutes before going out to play Holi. If your skin is dry, mix a little moisturiser with your sunscreen and then apply it," she added.

Apart from this, one should also apply castor or olive oil on the body and hair before playing Holi. This helps remove the powders more easily, she said.

Hussain pointed out that the real problem is removal of chemicals after playing Holi. She suggested that one should not rub the skin for the purpose.

"While bathing, scrub the body with a loofah and remember to apply a moisturiser after your bath, while the skin is still damp. This helps to seal in moisture," suggested Hussain.

Rana added: "One should avoid using hot water after playing Holi because it fixes the colour into the skin, making it difficult to remove."

Hussain also advised adding lemon juice to a mug of water and using it as a last rinse to condition the hair.

"This helps to restore the acid-alkaline balance of the scalp. Beer can also be used as a last rinse. In fact, it will soften and condition the hair. Add the juice of a lemon to the beer. Pour over the hair after shampoo. Leave on for a few minutes and rinse off with plain water," she said.

A day after Holi, some people might have to deal with the effects of sun exposure, like dryness or tanned skin.

For this, one can mix two tablespoons of honey with half a cup of yogurt and a pinch of turmeric to remove the tan, Hussain said. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
Shimla, Feb 25 (IANS) In a bid to check school dropouts, the Himachal Pradesh government Thursday decided to set up school management committees to ensure involvement of parents and teachers to motivate more children to join schools.

"The state cabinet this (Thursday) evening decided to set up school management committees to ensure involvement of parents and teachers in the school functioning and motivate children to join schools," an official statement after a meeting of the cabinet said.

"The committees would be constituted under the Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009. These committees will help achieving the objective of free and compulsory education under the National Education Policy," it added. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) The Delhi police have ordered the public not to use loudspeakers, carry arms, ammunitions, or hold processions near any schools where the Central Board of Secondary Education will hold its board examinations beginning the first week of March.

As per the order issued to the media, carrying any arms, cudgels, swords, bludgeons, guns, knives, sticks or any other articles which can be used for causing physical violence near exam centres are punishable.

The police said carrying any corrosive substance, stones, raising any slogans or using loud voice to facilitate cheating in an exam from outside the hall are also prohibited.

Police also banned the use of loudspeakers and processions near the schools.

The CBSE Class X and XII examinations are being held from March 3 to April 8, 2010, between 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at a number of examination centres all over the national capital. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) Martial artist Bruce Lee's student Richard Bustillo is bringing the legend's art Jeet Kune Do (JKD) to India.

Bustillo will discuss, demonstrate and train students in JKD in India. The event will be held in Mumbai March 13-14.

Showcased for the first time in Bruce Lee's 1973 hit "Enter The Dragon", the new age martial art is a physical and philosophical-spiritual art that includes kicking, punching, knee-elbow striking and grappling with ground fighting.

Despite the colossal success of his films, Bruce Lee did not want to commercialize his art and hence it is not publicly available till date. Lee certified only five students in his lifetime - Dan Inosanto, Ted Wong, James Lee, Taky Kimura and Bustillo.

At present, Bustillo and Wong are the only individuals available to teach JKD. While the former focuses on the US, the latter has a following in Europe.

Bustillo, 60, is based in Los Angeles in the US. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) Opposition parties, barring the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), staged walkouts from the Lok Sabha Thursday to protest Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's statement that the prices of essential commodities were coming down.

The Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Left parties walkeed out from the house separately when Pawar, while replying to the discussion on rising prices, remarked that "it is hard for you to digest that prices are coming down".

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance constituents also staged a walkout.

The MPs protested when Pawar countered the opposition's charge by quoting various newspaper reports which said prices are under control.

Quoting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Pawar said: "The worst time is over. I am sure the situation will change." He said he was hopeful that the situation faced by people on the price front would ease out.

Pawar, who faced repeated interjections from opposition MPs, notably Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj of the Bharatiya Janata Party, said the government had taken care to raise incomes of farmers by raising the minimum support price.

He added that 62 percent of the country's population was dependent on agriculture.

Sushma Swaraj, who came to the house with her latest grocery bill and spoke in part of her role as a homemaker, repeatedly disputed the figures given by Pawar for prices of various essential items.

She asked the minister about the reasons for the vast difference between the farm price and the retail price.

Protesting Pawar's refusal to accept that there is food inflation in the country, the BJP-led NDA staged a walkout.

Pawar continued with his reply after the opposition had walked out. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) The cabinet Thursday cleared the long-pending Women's Reservation Bill that provides for setting aside 33 percent of seats in parliament and the state legislatures for women and it is likely to be tabled in the current session of parliament, informed sources said.

"The cabinet today cleared the Women's Reservation Bill and it is likely to be introduced in the current session of parliament," the sources said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presided over the cabinet meeting.

The standing committee report on the bill was tabled in both houses of parliament Dec 17, 2009 amid protests by the Samajwadi Party (SP), Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

Parliamentarians of the three parties, which have been opposing the measure, were up on their feet as soon as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Shahnawaz Hussain tabled the report in the Lok Sabha.

There were similar scenes in the Rajya Sabha when Congress MP Jayanti Natrajan tabled the report.

The standing committee had strongly recommended that "reservation for seats for women is a valid and necessary strategy to enhance women's participation in the decision/policy making process".

"The department related standing committee on personnel, public grievances, law and justice headed by Jayanti Natrajan MP, Rajya Sabha has presented its 36th report on the Constitution (108th Amendment) Bill, 2008 popularly known as the Women's Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha on Dec 17, 2009," a release issued by the Rajya Sabha secretariat said.

"The report has also been laid on the table of the Lok Sabha on the same day," it added. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
Chennai, Feb 25 (IANS) German car maker BMW will start rolling out its third model - BMW X1 - from its Indian plant near here by the end of this year, a company official said Thursday.

"The proposed model is scheduled to be launched by the end of this year. The new model will join BMW 3 and BMW 5 series models rolled out from the Indian plant," BMW India President Peter Kronschnabl told reporters here.

Launching two new variants of its BMW 3 series - 320d corporate edition (diesel price Rs.2.3 million) and BMW 330i (petrol price Rs.3.3 million), BMW India will rapidly expand its Indian market investing in brand promotion and also getting into used car segment, he said.

He said the company will also expand its production capacity as well as its distribution network. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
By Arun Kumar

Washington, Feb 25 (IANS) Backed by over 160 venture capitalists, including several Indian Americans, two US senators have introduced a bill to give fast track visas to immigrant entrepreneurs in return for creating jobs to increase America's global competitiveness.

The StartUp Visa Act of 2010 will allow an immigrant entrepreneur to receive a two year visa if he or she can show that a qualified US investor is willing to dedicate a significant sum - a minimum of $250,000 - to the immigrant's startup venture.

"Global competition for talent and investment grows more intense daily and the United States must step up or be left behind," said John Kerry Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who introduced the bill with Richard Lugar, top Republican on the panel.

"Creating a new magnet for innovations and innovators to come to the United States and create jobs here will offer our economy a double shot in the arm - robust job creation at home and reaffirmation that we're the world's best place to do business," Kerry said.

"Our country should strive to attract to the United States the most talented and highly skilled entrepreneurs," said Lugar.

Among the Indian American entrepreneurs, many of them from California's Silicon Valley, who have endorsed the senators' proposal are, Sameer Gandhi of Accel, Manu Kumar of K9 Ventures, Deepak Kamra of Canaan Partners, Ravi Belani of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Karan Mehanderu of Scale Venture Partners and Ajay Chopra of Trinity Ventures.

The StartUp Visa Act of 2010 would amend immigration law to create a new EB-6 category for immigrant entrepreneurs, drawing from existing visas under the EB-5 category, which permits foreign nationals who invest at least $1 million into the US, and thereby create ten jobs, to obtain a green card.

After proving that he or she has secured initial investment capital and if, after two years, the immigrant entrepreneur can show that he or she has generated at least five full-time jobs in the United States, attracted $1 million in additional investment capital or achieved $1 million in revenue, then he or she would receive permanent legal resident status.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in) Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
London, Feb 25 (IANS) The hallowed Lord's grounds could host Indian Premier League (IPL) matches if the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) actualises its plan to buy a team.

MCC Chief Executive Keith Bradshaw said he has held talks with a consortium bidding to buy a franchise. However, any such plans would be discussed with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

"It's a logical conclusion that if the MCC were involved with an IPL side, to have that side playing at Lord's would be extremely exciting," Bradshaw was quoted as saying in BBC Sports.

Bradshaw added that, should the plans become reality, fans would have the chance "to come along and see the IPL and to see what is in effect their own team playing at Lord's".

Two new IPL teams - each with a base price of $225 million - are up for grabs at an auction to be held in India next month.

Bradshaw and club trustee Anthony Wreford travelled to India at the weekend to meet consortium members and IPL officials.

The club, which owns Lord's cricket ground, has since set up a committee to consider the findings.

"At the heart of considering something like this is our feeling that in order to influence the game it's better to be inside the tent than outside the tent," said Bradshaw.

"The IPL is innovative and exciting and it's something which is becoming more and more powerful in terms of the world of cricket."

The IPL has been a huge success since its inception in 2008, attracting the world's top players on lucrative contracts.

England stars Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan have all been signed up for this year's tournament which starts March 12.

The new IPL franchises will be sold at an auction of sealed bids before the 2010 IPL season starts. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) India and Pakistan held their first structured dialogue since the Mumabi terror attack here Thursday, with the over three-hour talks between foreign secretaries resulting in some warmth but their ties still marred by contrasting views on the way forward.

But despite their persistent differences and recriminations, India's Nirupama Rao and Pakistan's Salman Bashir, who met first by themselves for one and a half hours and then with their delegations, said that their discussions were useful. They indicated they would meet again, though no dates were fixed.

After first saying that the talks at the Hyderabad House should not be seen either as a success or a failure, Bashir told a news conference that India and Pakistan needed to "rebuild confidence and trust".

"It was a good interaction. We did agree that this regression (in bilateral ties) needed to stop. We need to rebuild confidence and trust... We know all is not well, that much more needs to be done. We will of course try to do what we can in a serious effort to get ... on a highway of peace and good relationship," he said.

Speaking earlier, Rao said the two nuclear-armed countries had "useful, candid discussions. There was good chemistry between the two delegations. All in all, both sides benefitted".

She added that trust and confidence between the two countries must be restored. "We have agreed to remain in touch and continue our endeavour to restore our trust," said Rao, adding she had been invited to Pakistan.

But it was clear that their worldviews of what is to be done to further their dialogue process differed sharply.

The Pakistani side demanded the resumption of the composite dialogue suspended by India after Pakistani terrorists sneaked into Mumbai some 14 months ago and slaughtered 166 people. New Delhi said the time was not ready for that but did not rule it out completely.

Rao also asked Pakistan to crack down on all anti-India terrorist groups on its soil and referred to infiltration of militants into Jammu and Kashmir, whose ownership the two countries dispute.

"While acknowledging the steps taken by Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack to book, I pointed out that these did not go far enough to unravel the full conspiracy ... and to award exemplary punishment to the culprits," she said, reiterating India's known posture.

On his part, Bashir underlined Pakistan's desire to discuss the "core issue" of Jammu and Kashmir and alleged that New Delhi was covertly using Afghanistan as a base to supply weapons to insurgents in Balochistan.

He said Pakistan had done what it could to act against the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack and it would be "unfair and unrealistic and counter-productive" to make this issue hostage to their overall relationship which even at the best of times remains tense.

Bashir and Rao, who have known each other well, first met by themselves for 90 minutes. They were joined by the two delegations for another an hour and 40 minutes in one of the most intense bilateral interactions since the Mumbai carnage. Bashir also met India's National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon, Rao's predecessor as foreign secretary who also served as India's envoy in Islamabad.

Rao said three dossiers were handed over to the Pakistanis asking them to take action against terrorists on its soil.

"We gave them information on some individuals associated with the Mumbai terror attack. We gave them another dossier on threats issued by Ilyas Kashmiri. Thirdly, we gave them the dossier about fugitives from Indian law who are in Pakistan," Rao said.

Ilyas Kashmiri, commander of the Al Qaeda wing in Pakistan, has issued threats to to sporting events in India, including the hockey World Cup set to start in New Delhi Sunday, the Indian Premier League and the bigger Commonwealth Games.

Rao said the Mumbai attack was a "symptom of a larger problem" that the "continued existence and unhindered activities of organisations such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jamaat ud Dawa, Hizb ul Mujahideen from Pakistani territory and territory under Pakistan's control to perpetrate terrorist violence against India".

Earlier, she described the Mumbai attack has having "erased the trust and confidence the two countries had painstakingly built during 2004-07".

On the issue of resuming the composite dialogue, she said that while Pakistan had raised it during the talks, India had said that the "time was not yet ripe" unless there was a "climate of trust".

"In line with the graduated and step-by-step approach, our aims were modest. We had a useful discussion during which I spelt out forthrightly our concerns on terrorism emanating from Pakistan against India."

Bashir called the Jammu and Kashmir dispute "an international issue" and spoke about human rights violations in the state. He said that terror had no ideology or borders and Pakistan had suffered "hundreds of Mumbais".

Bashir said the Pakistani leadership had "immense respect for the vision of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. We feel he is really keen, he has the vision for a peaceful and prosperous South Asia. We are prepared to move forward and to improve our relationship and turn a new chapter." Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) Former MP and 1984 anti-Sikh riots accused Sajjan Kumar's personal security officer (PSO) has been suspended after the Congress leader went missing Feb 17 following a non-bailable warrant being issued against him, police said.

"Delhi Police constable Ram Niroha, of the security wing and posted as PSO with Sajjan Kumar, had informed the security wing Feb 17 that he (Sajjan Kumar) has gone missing. On this, he was suspended and a probe was launched to establish the truth behind his claim," a police source said here Thursday.

"Movements outside his (Sajjan Kumar's) house are being monitored. Probably he has gone underground to evade arrest," the source added.

A city court issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Sajjan Kumar Feb 17. However, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was unable to arrest him.

On Feb 23, the court issued a fresh NBW against him, after the CBI informed the court that they had conducted four raids at different places to apprehend the accused in the cases, including Sajjan Kumar, but failed to arrest anyone except Girdhari Lal, an accused in a case at Delhi Cantonment.

The court pulled up the CBI, saying the bureau was not working properly.

"Is this the manner in which the premier investigating agency is working? Why were efforts not made in the night hours when there was a high probability of the accused being present in their homes? It seems that CBI is not interested in investigating the matter," the court said.

Sajjan's lawyer, however, had told the court that he is not running away but just waiting for Delhi High Court's order on his bail plea.

The CBI had filed a charge sheet against Sajjan Kumar and others in two cases for allegedly instigating mobs after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi Oct 31, 1984.

Over 3,000 Sikhs across Delhi were killed in the communal frenzy in the days following the assassination. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) India needs over 6,800 more hospitals in rural areas to provide basic health facilities to people, the annual Economic Survey released Thursday said. The survey also said that several glitches in the flagship National Rural Health Mission needed to be ironed out to improve health infrastructure.

"There is still a shortage of 4,477 primary healthcare centres and 2,337 community healthcare centres as per the 2001 population norms," the survey said.

This means the requirement for hospitals will be much more if the population figure in 2010 is taken into account.

The annual survey presented in parliament said: "Almost 29 percent of the existing health infrastructure is in rented buildings. Poor upkeep and maintenance, and high absenteeism of manpower in the rural areas are the main problems in the health delivery system."

It said NRHM is trying to address all these problems but needs to iron out several glitches to implement the scheme which has been in operation since 2005.

The survey also said that through the mission, the government aimed at bettering the health infrastructure vis-a-vis population, but the "ratio of population to health centres remained low with the targeted number of new health centres not being established".

"Basic facilities were still absent in many health centres with many PHCs (primary health centres) and CHCs (community health centres) being unable to provide guaranteed service such as in-patient services, operation theatres, labour rooms, pathological tests, X-ray facilities and emergency care."

The survey said: "An assessment of the health related indicators would suggest that significant gains have been made over the years. However, India fares poorly in most of the indicators in comparison with developing countries like China and Sri Lanka.

"The progress in health has been quite uneven, across regions, gender, as well as space."

Underlining some NRHM shortcomings that have also been pointed out by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the survey said: "Release of funds to state health societies and consequently to district and block levels require further streamlining to ensure prompt and effective utilisation of funds".

The survey said: "Village level health and sanitation committees were still to be constituted in nine states".

It also said that in nine states, the stock of contraceptives and other medicines as mandated by the NRHM was not found and there was a shortage of service providers at different levels.

The survey also said that efforts are on to better the indicator and the infant mortality rate is expected to reach 30 per every 100,000 live births against the current level of 53 by 2012. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) India's hockey captain Rajpal Singh Thursday made light of the row over captaincy, saying Prabhjot Singh never made an issue of leading the side in the World Cup, beginning Sunday at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium.

A few weeks ago, the team was rocked by the controversy over captaincy when media reported that chief coach Jose Brasa pushed Prabhjot's name for captaincy and that he had even made his choice public even before the announcement of the squad.

But when Hockey India decided to continue with Rajpal, who was made the captain in November, an irate Prabhjot was reported to have threatened to pull out of the World Cup.

But Rajpal laughed off the matter. "Nothing of that sort happened. Prabhjot never said this and I have no reasons to believe otherwise. I do not know where from the media got this news and flashed it.

"The team has bonded well and we are motivated to perform well in the World Cup," he said.

India are in Group B and they play their first match against arch rivals Pakistan Sunday. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
Chennai, Feb 25 (IANS) With India having taken an unbeatable 2-0 lead, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag have been rested for the third and concluding match of the ODI series against South Africa at Ahmedabad Saturday.

The national selection committee that met here Thursday included Karnataka fast bowler Abhimanyu Mithun and middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma in the team led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

The squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain/wicketkeeper), Murali Vijay, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Sudeep Tyagi, S Sreesanth, Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Abhimanyu Mithun and Ashish Nehra. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) The government Thursday told the Supreme Court that it is willing to waive some of the restrictions in adopting children born through surrogacy to help a German couple adopt their twin sons born to an Indian surrogate mother in 2008.

A bench of Justice A.K. Ganguly and Justice R.M. Lodha then asked the government to file an affidavit stating its intention to waive the stipulations to help German national Jan Balaaz and his wife. The twins have been in India since their birth due to immigration problems.

Appearing for Balaaz and his wife, advocate Kamini Jaiswal told the bench that Germany treats childbirth through surrogacy as illegal and has "flatly said that it will not do anything" to help the couple.

Jaiswal said her client's parents, who are natives of Serbia, have initiated some steps for adoption of the twins born to a woman in Gujarat.

At this, a government counsel apprised the court about its willingness to relax its adoption norms for children born through surrogacy.

"The Central Adoption Resource Agency is willing to waive its restrictions on surrogate children," said the government counsel, responding to Jaiswal's submission.

At this, the bench adjourned the matter till March 16. It has asked the government to file an affidavit on its willingness to relax the adoption norms.

The apex court was hearing a lawsuit by the central government challenging the Gujarat High Court ruling asking the government to grant an Indian passport to the twins.

The central government is opposed to the grant of an Indian passport to the twins on the ground that it would mean granting them Indian citizenship. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao handed over three dossiers dealing with information on "some individuals" associated with the Mumbai terror attack to her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir during their talks here Thursday.

"We gave them three dossiers," Nirupama Rao told reporters after the three-hour long meeting with the 13-member Pakistani delegation.

She said that one dossier was information on "some individuals associated with Mumbai terror attack", the second one was on Ilyas Kashmiri, Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami commander, who asked foreign teams to stay away in their own interest from participation in the hockey World Cup, Indian Premier league and the Commonwealth Games.

The last dossier is related to fugitive Indian nationals who are believed to be in Pakistan. "We hope effective action will be taken on them," Rao said. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) Leading private carrier, Jet Airways will offer discounts up to five and 10 percent on domestic and international flights to women passengers effective March 1 to 31 to commemorate International Women's day.

International Women's day is observed March 8 every year.

"Effective March 1 to March 31 this year, every group with at least one woman traveller that makes bookings on the airline's website will enjoy a 10 percent discount on base domestic fares and a five percent discount on base international fares, which excludes taxes and surcharges," the airline said in a statement.

These concessions will be for all classes and on all routes operated by the airline.

"Women travellers, besides being a prominent and growing customer demographic, have also been among Jet Airways' most loyal customers," the airline's Chief Executive Officer Nikos Kardassis said. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) India Thursday issued notices inviting bids from private telecom players to participate in the auction of radio frequency spectrum for third generation (3G) telephony, allowing three private players in most circles and four in five states including Punjab and Bihar.

The government set Rs.3,500 crore ($757.5 million) as the starting auction price for one slot, the department of telecom (DoT) said in its notice inviting applications (NIA) for the bandwidth auction, set for April 9.

The same notice also carried details of the auction for broadband services whose base reserve price for an all India rollout has been set at Rs.1,750 crore.

According to the notice on the website of the DoT, the auction will have two phases -- clock stage and frequency identification stage.

"The clock stage will establish the bidders to be awarded a block in each telecom service area where there is at least one block available to auction. In each service area bidders will bid for a right to a single spectrum block not linked to any specific frequency," said the notice.

This stage will result in a common winning price for all the blocks within a circle and subsequently the bidders from the service area. The clock stage will be followed by a frequency identification stage that will identify specific frequencies for the winning bidders.

"The frequencies identified will be announced simultaneous with the outcome of the clock stage. The frequency identification stage will be a random identification of frequencies performed automatically by the electronic auction system."

The schedule calls for the process to end April 10. The government also said auction for spectrum for broadband services will also be held two days after the process concludes for 3G spectrum.

The number of slots up for auction excludes those allotted to state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd., which were allotted licences last year and have since started offering 3G services in their operating circles.

The government on Thursday invited applications from mobile operators to participate in the auction of 3G spectrum.

According to the NIA, the auction for 3G spectrum auction in 22 circles, most of the circles including four metros - Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai - would have three private players.

The announcement came after some contentious issues surrounding the auction such as base reserve price, the number of operators in a particular circle and the reluctance of the defence forces to vacate spectrum was resolved among various ministries.

Third generation telecom services allow faster connectivity than what is available now, and will enable applications such as internet TV, video-on-demand, audio-video calls and high-speed data exchange.

The schedule for the spectrum auction:

Notice inviting applications - Feb 25

Last date of submission of application - March 19

Publication of ownership details of applicants - March 26

Pre-qualification of bidders - March 30

Mock auction - April 5-6

Start of 3G auction - April 9

Start of broadband spectrum auction - Two days after the close of 3G auction
Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) Portraying a poor picture of the quality of elementary education in the country, India's annual the Economic Survey said Thursday that over 47 percent children studying in Class 5 cannot even read Class 2 textbooks and the trend has worsened in the last two years.

There was a decline in the number of Class 5 students who could read Class 2 books last year, from that in 2008-09.

"The all-India figure for the percentage of all rural children in standard 5 asked to read standard 2 level text books shows a decline from 56.2 percent in 2008 to 52.8 percent in 2009," the survey, tabled in parliament Thursday, said.

"This means that well over 40 percent of all rural children in standard 5 in India are at least three grade level behind," it added.

The survey quoting a human resource development ministry-funded study said that in Tamil Nadu there is an eight percent increase in the level of reading capability among students of Class 5. Both Punjab and Karnataka too have shown some improvement in this fiscal from the previous one.

"There is hardly any change in other states in reading as compared to 2008," the survey underlined.

In mathematics, the ability to do division problems has hardly improved among Class 5 children across India. Only seven states show increase of five to seven percent. These states are Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Orissa, West Bengal, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

The survey also highlighted that barring two states - Kerala and Karnataka - there is an increase in the number of students taking tuition.

It said the number of schools with toilets has increased and the enrolment ratio too is on an upward swing.

"In 2009, 96 percent of children in the age group of six to 14 in rural India were enrolled in schools," it added.
Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) Unhappy with the poor turnout in the Lok Sabha in post-lunch sessions, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has directed leaders tasked with coordinating with state MPs from the party to prepare a daily attendance list.

Gandhi's direction has come in view of the thin attendance of party MPs in the post-lunch period during parliament's previous sessions. The budget session started Monday.

The convenors, as the nominated Congress MPs from major states are called, have been asked to file a daily report on attendance at 4 p.m. every day with the parliamentary party office, said a party leader.

The decision is taken to avoid an embarrassment in the Lok Sabha, in case the opposition asks for a head count when bills are debated and passed. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) India's per capita emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) will increase from the present 1-1.2 tonnes to 3-3.5 tonnes of carbon per year by 2030, predicts the country's annual Economic Survey released Thursday.

Quoting climate modelling studies, the survey predicted that per capita emissions would be 2-2.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2020. It will go up to 3.3.5 tonnes by 2030, still lower than 4.5 tonnes per capita that China now emits every year.

"India's total carbon emissions are about four percent of total global emissions. Even with 8-9 percent GDP growth every year for the next decade or two, emissions are likely to be well below developed country averages," said the survey which was tabled in the Lok Sabha by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

To move towards a low carbon economy, India's 11th Five Year Plan includes an indicative target of increasing energy efficiency by 20 percent by 2016-17.

The survey added: "Planning Commission estimates suggest that India's emission intensity has declined by 17.6 percent between 1990 and 2005 and that a 20 to 25 percent reduction in emission intensity between 2005 and 2020 is possible."

It suggested that necessary actions in specific sectors are required to reduce GHG emission intensity. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) The government should give an assurance of security to M.F. Husain and bring him home, the CPI-M said Thursday following reports that the artist had been given Qatari nationality while the BJP maintained that his art had hurt people's feelings.

The Congress maintained a middle of the road stance and said it was his personal decision.

The reactions came following a report that 95-year-old Husain, under attack from the Hindu right for his paintings on Hindu goddesses and hopping between Dubai and London because he is unable to come home, had been given Qatari nationality.

"I, the Indian origin painter M.F. Husain at 95 have been honoured by Qatar nationality," Husain wrote above a line sketch of a horse, the leitmotif of much of his work, released in The Hindu.

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Sitaram Yechury said the government should urge the painter to come back and provide assurances about his security.

"(What is happening to Husain) It is very unfortunate and regrettable. The government should give him an assurance about his security."

According to Bharatiya Janata Party leader Najma Heptullah, Husain "was a very good artist" but art should not hurt sentiments of the people.

"If art hurts feelings of people, it is not right," she said, adding that his portrayal of Hindu deities had hurt religious sentiments of the people and it was not a question of Hindus or Muslims.

She said Husain "did not face danger to his life" in the country and people were "only agitating" over some of his paintings.

Congress leader Satyavrat Chaturvedi refused to comment on Husain getting Qatari nationality and said it was "his individual decision".

Asked about the government not assuring him of adequate security to facilitate his return, Chaturvedi said that the government provided security to all its citizens.

"If he (Husain) needed more security, there is a process for that. He can demand more security," the Congress leader said. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) India's annual food inflation based on wholesale prices fell to 17.58 percent for the week ended Feb 13 from 17.97 the week before, as per official data released Thursday.

Prices of essential items continued to move up, with vegetables dearer by 13.57 percent, potatoes by 30.4 percent, pulses by 35.74 percent and fruits by 12.08 percent over the 52-week period, official data released by the commerce and industry ministry showed.

The limited data on wholesale price index showed a fall in the index for primary articles by 15.84 percent, while that for Fuel,Power, Light & Lubricants remained at last week's level of 9.89 percent.

India's annual rate of inflation, based on the wholesale prices index, had risen to 8.56 percent in January from 7.31 percent in the previous month, primarily due to galloping food prices.

The Reserve Bank of India also raised its projected annual inflation rate at the end of this fiscal to 8.5 percent from 6.5 percent.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Feb 17 said that the measures taken by the government to tame inflation will take some time to have their effect and that the country would see a moderate rate of inflation in the next two months.

The pressure of the continuing upward movement of food prices has also forced the government to postpone a decision on a proposed fuel price hike.

The price rise of some essential food items over the 52-week period:

- Pulses: 35.74 percent

- Potatoes: 30.4 percent

- Vegetables: 13.57 percent

- Wheat: 14.93 percent

- Rice: 9.5 percent

- Onions: 12.46 percent

- Milk: 14.16 percent

- Fruits: 12.08 percent Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
(New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) The Delhi Metro will operate only after 2 p.m. Monday on the occasion of Holi, an official said Thursday.

All services on the four Metro lines that connect various parts of the national capital -- Dilshad Garden to Rithala, Jahangirpuri to Central Secretariat, Noida City Centre to Dwarka Sec-9 and Anand Vihar to Yamuna Bank -- will start at 2 p.m., Delhi Metro said in a statement.

"Metro train services will thus start at 2 p.m. and will continue normally thereafter," Delhi Metro spokesperson Anuj Dayal said.

Dayal added that the metro feeder bus services that ferry commuters to and from stations will not be available for the entire day Monday.

The Delhi Metro records an average ridership of 950,000 per day. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) The government is committed to the welfare of the marginalized sections of society through public-private partnerships for economic and social development, says the Economic Survey for this fiscal.

Nearly Rs.1,300 crore have been released for the "quality" education of Scheduled Castes (SC) students under various centrally sponsored schemes and scholarships, the government said.

"The government is committed towards the educational development of Scheduled Castes. A number of schemes are being implemented to encourage students to continue their studies from school to higher education level," said the survey laid in the Lok Sabha Thursday by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

"Public-private partnership approach is also one of the strategies for attaining the objective of development of the targeted groups."

An amount of Rs.60.99 crore was released up to Dec 31, 2009 to target 6.60 lakh beneficiaries under the pre-matric scholarship scheme.

Under the post-matric scholarships, the government has released Rs.728.91 crore up to December 2009.

As part of the centrally sponsored scheme of hostels, the government has released Rs.5.98 crore to meet a target for construction of 44 and 30 hostels for SC girls and boys, respectively.

Similarly, Rs.80 crore was released by December 2009 under the Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship for SC students for 1,333 new fellowships and 5,332 renewals for those pursuing M.Phil and Ph.D courses.

An amount of Rs.2.83 crore was released to assist 1,520 SC students studying in institutions like the IITs and IIMs under the Top Class Education for Scheduled Castes Scheme.

An amount of Rs.381.60 crore was released up to December 2009 under the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan, a major scheme for their economic advancement. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) The job market in India made a significant recovery during the second quarter of this fiscal with employment up by 500,000 against a cut of 131,000 in the country's employed workforce between April and June 2009, says the Economic Survey tabled Thursday.

The survey covered eight sectors such as textiles, leather, metals, automobiles, gems and jewellery, transport, IT and business process outsourcing and handloom and powerloom with the information being collected from 2,873 units from 21 centres spread across 11 states.

"All the seven sectors, except leather, have registered an increase in employment during the quarter July-September," said the survey which was tabled in the Lok Sabha by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

Employment during the July-September quarter increased substantially in textiles (318,000) followed by metals (65,000) and gems and jewellery (58,000).

About 80 per cent of the increase in employment that occurred during the July-September 2009 quarter was in "direct category workers" -- employees on the rolls of the establishment.

Export units too saw a recovery in job creations, with the sector registering an increase in employment to the extent of 204,000 during the second quarter. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) The outlook for Indian industry has brightened for the medium term but infrastructure bottlenecks, particularly in energy and roads, remain the constraining factors for stepping up growth to a higher level, says the Economic Survey for this fiscal.

"One of the biggest challenges to sustaining and stepping up industrial growth lies in removing the infrastructural impediments," said the survey tabled Thursday in the Lok Sabha by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

"Growth in infrastructure not only alleviates the supply-side constraints in industrial production, but also stimulates additional domestic demand," said the survey, an annual report card on the state of the economy.

India's industrial production, which is on a recovery mode after the slowdown due the global financial crisis, had registered a better-than-expected growth of 16.8 percent in December to log the fastest expansion in a decade.

The robust performance was helped by a strong showing by the manufacturing sector that saw its output surge 18.5 percent.

The report also said, there were signs that a drop in agricultural output had a spill over effect on segments of industry.

"It appears that there is already some spill-over of the slowdown in the agriculture sector affecting some segments of the industry," said the survey.

The economic survey also observed that while the growth rebound was "amply evident", said the recovery was not in no measure complete and some labour intensive sectors were still to revive.

"It should be noted that some of the sectors that failed to revive in the current year, like food products, paper, leather, jute and cotton textiles are labour intensive."
Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) India's gross domestic product (GDP) can expand by double-digit levels to emerge as the fastest growing economy in the world by 2014, even as spiralling prices remains the immediate concern, says the Economic Survey for this fiscal.

"It is entirely possible for India to move into the rarefied domain of double-digit growth and even don the mantle of the fastest-growing economy in the world within the next four years," said the survey, a day ahead of the federal budget.

"The Indian GDP can be expected to grow around 8.5 percent (plus or minus 0.25 percent), with a full recovery, breaching the 9 percent mark in 2011-12," said the survey tabled by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament

"In the medium term, it is reasonable to expect that the economy will go back to the robust growth path of around 9 percent that it was before the global crisis slowed it down in 2008."

The survey said there were several reasons to suggest that the India's economic fundamentals remained strong, including high savings and investment rate, the arrival of home-grown companies in the global space and the dream run for the services sector.

At the same time, agriculture continues to be the cause for concern even as it remains the mainstay of the Indian economy, with the bulk of its workforce dependent on farming, either directly or indirectly.

"There is need to undertake serious policy initiatives to reach the government's target of sustained 4 percent growth in this sector."

The survey also expressed concern over rising prices, especially in essential items that has pushed the country's annual food inflation, based on wholesale prices, to nearly 18 percent in recent weeks.

"As of now the outlook for inflation is conditioned by supply-side pressures in the near term," said the survey while also making a veiled criticism in the manner in which the government has sought to tackle rising prices.

"Making available adequate and timely quantities of these items and at different locations to overcome supply side mismatches is the real challenge," the survey noted, adding in some essential items there were ample stocks.

The annual report card also said the current rebound in growth called for the gradual withdrawal of the $37-billion stimuli since December 2008 to help the country weather the ills of global slowdown.

"The largely structural nature of fiscal deficits in India, the levels of recovery in the economy and the sustainability of the recovery without fiscal stimulus call for resumption of process of fiscal consolidation in a gradual manner."

At the same time the export sector needed a further push, even as it said that the outlook for India's merchandise trade has brightened in 2010 with the prospects of a recovery in world output and trade volumes.

"While in the short-term, stimulus measures have worked, some fundamental policy changes are needed. For the merchandise sector these include furthering tariff reforms by lowering the peak duties from the present 10 percent to 7.5 percent." Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) Holi may be the festival of colours, but white is what rules the day, as far as clothes go. Shop owners say the demand for white garments - even branded ones - shoots up ahead of the festival.

"The sale of white kurtas certainly increases just before and around Holi. In the women's category, the sales of white kurtas go up almost three times, while for men, the increase is four times what we usually sell," Prableen Sabhaney, head of communications of Fabindia Overseas Pvt Ltd, told IANS.

"Customers usually prefer white cotton kurtas for one-time wear on Holi. Apart from cotton, we also use khadi, mangalgiri and hand-woven cotton," she added.

Anil Arora, director of Sabhyata, said: "Yes, definitely the sale of white increases during Holi. We receive 25-30 percent increment in our sales during this period. Our target group is nearly 15-35 years old."

Holi is celebrated with gusto across the country and in most parts, white outfits become hot favourites as all the colours are visible on it.

For instance, in Bihar, people play Holi with mud in the morning and in the evening, they clean up and change into white clothes and go out to splash coloured powder and water on each other.

"The sale of white cotton kurtas shoots during Holi. For us, there is around a 25 percent demand increase. So we cut down a little on the prices. Normally, our price varies from Rs.250 to Rs.300, which we bring down to Rs.150 to Rs.200 as the festival approaches," said Nathulal, a sales incharge at Khadi Gram Udyog.

Even exporters go through the same pressure to provide their clients with 'white'.

"We receive a hike of 15-20 percent in demand by our clients. White has always been a colour that is accepted very well in India, especially because of the hot climate and as it is a neutral colour," said Vaibhav Verma, marketing head of Previse (garment designer, exporter).

"It's a colour for all seasons and it's for all moods. Yes, for the Holi season it's one of the best bets as it's best suited to add more colour to it."
Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) The Lok Sabha Thursday congratulated Sachin Tendulkar for becoming the first cricketer in one-day cricket to score a double century.

MPs thumped on their desks when Speaker Meira Kumar made a reference to Sachin's achievement soon after the house assembled at 11 a.m.

Sachin hit a record unbeaten double century as India scripted a 153-run win over South Africa in the second one-day international (ODI) in Gwalior Wednesday. India took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

"This is a unique achievement which is a matter of national pride and a source of inspiration for budding cricketers of this country," the speaker said.

"We convey our best wishes to Sachin Tendulkar for his future endeavours," the speaker said.

The house also congratulated the Indian cricket team for its "tremendous performance". Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) The new leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, Thursday launched a scathing attack on the government for its failure to curb food inflation but Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar seemed unperturbed, smiling throughout the speech.

"Let him (Pawar) smile. Don't look at his smile. Just look at the tears of the poor who are suffering due to the government's wrong policies. Let him smile," an angry Sushma Swaraj said after she opened the debate on rising food prices.

The debate was held after Speaker Meira Kumar refused the opposition demand for a discussion on the price rise issue under an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha. On Wednesday, the opposition agreed to a discussion in both houses under a rule which does not entail voting.

Sushma Swaraj, in her first speech, lashed out at the government on what she called "mahangai ka mahaghotala" (huge scam of inflation),

She said the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had "failed totally" to control spiralling prices.

"It is the result of the failure of the government's economic policies... Wheat, rice, sugar, dal price have doubled in the past few months. The agriculture minister failed to create buffer stocks when we have surplus stock of sugar," she said.

Sushma Swaraj said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should compare the inflation rate and the growth rate.

"Growth rate is benefiting few while inflation is victimising many," she said. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) Projecting India's growth at over 8.25 percent next fiscal and at double-digit rates by 2015, the country's Economic Survey conveyed its concern over rising prices and called for urgent steps to lower the government's fiscal deficit.

"It is entirely possible for India to move into the rarefied domain of double-digit growth and even don the mantle of the fastest-growing economy in the world within the next four years," said the survey.

"As of now the outlook for inflation is conditioned by supply-side pressures in the near term," said the survey tabled by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, a day ahead of the federal budget.

In a veiled criticism of the manner in which the government has sought to tackle rising prices, the survey also said that in some essential items inflationary expectations may have fanned the price rise as there were ample stocks.

"Making available adequate and timely quantities of these items and at different locations to overcome supply side mismatches is the real challenge," the survey noted.

The annual report card on the state of the Indian economy also said the current rebound called for a gradual withdrawal of the $37-billion stimuli since December 2008 to help the country weather the ills of global slowdown.

At the same time, it said, the export sector needed a further push. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar Thursday said she was very happy that political parties had reached a consensus on holding a discussion on rising prices.

At a meeting of all political parties convened by the speaker Wednesday, it was agreed that the discussion would be held under rule 193, under which voting is not required and which the government is insisting on. The opposition's demand was that there should be an adjournment motion on price rise.

"I am very happy that all parties reached a consensus on the issue of price rise. It is a very important matter. The people are heavily hit by soaring prices of essential commodities," she told reporters here.

Meira Kumar had Wednesday rejected the demand of an adjournment motion on price rise.

The Congress had said the government was ready to discuss all issues and requested the opposition to obey the speaker's ruling that the discussion would be held under Rule 193.

Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj will initiate the discussion in the Lok Sabha after question house Thursday.

Proceedings in both houses of parliament have been stalled for the last two days over the contentious issue. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) India's eminent artist M.F. Husain, who has been under attack from Hindu fundamentalists for his paintings of Hindu goddesses and has been living in Dubai and London, has been given Qatar nationality, it was reported here Thursday.

"I, The Indian origin painter M.F. Husain at 95 have been honoured by Qatar nationality," the celebrated artist wrote above a line sketch of a horse, the leitmotif of much of his work. The black and white drawing was carried by The Hindu newspaper.

In a signed article, The Hindu editor N. Ram wrote that the artist had given him the news from Dubai "by reading out the few lines he had written on a black-and-white line drawing that he released to The Hindu".

According to the report, Husain did not apply for the nationality but it was conferred on him at the instance of the emirate's ruling family.

Photographer, designer and activist Ram Rahman, who is close to the Husain family, responded to the news by saying: "The citizenship has been offered by the sheikha, the wife of the sheikh of Qatar, and it has several implications.

"On a personal note, I feel it is quite clear that the man who is 95 years old and cannot return to his country to die, there is no point of him remaining an Indian citizen."

"It would be a tragedy. He has not given up his Indian citizenship yet but if he decides to take up the Qatari offer, he will not remain an Indian citizen anymore. It is also a reflection of our legal system because the cases against him will drag on for 20-30 years.... so it is justified if he takes up the Qatari offer," Rahman told IANS. Friday, February 26, 2010 | MP
By Arun Kumar

Washington, Feb 25 (IANS) An India-born rocket scientist has lifted the veil off Bloom Box fuel-cell, a revolutionary new technology that holds the promise to supply the world with abundant clean, cheap energy.

"The core of our technology is simply sand," said K.R. Sridhar, 49, founder of the Silicon Valley clean tech start-up Bloom Energy at Wednesday's unveiling of his invention in San Jose, California on the campus of eBay, one of Bloom's first customers.

The sand is the raw material used to make wafers that can make electricity. Sridhar has persuaded some big names that by making them out of sand he can make fuel cells that are efficient and inexpensive.

Whereas other fuel cells contain polymers and platinum that make them prohibitively expensive, Sridhar said Bloom's consist of specially coated ceramic squares made from a common sand-like substance.

Bloom's fuel cell works like this: Oxygen is pumped in on one side and natural gas on the other. The two combine inside the cell to create a chemical reaction that produces electricity. No burning, no combustion, no power lines from outside, as CBS puts it.

"The proof of the pudding is the reaction from the business people," said former US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who joined Bloom's board last year, said at Wednesday's event that also included an appearance by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"Will it work for 10 or 20 years without something going wrong? We'll find out," he added.

Bloom Energy says the best proof that its fuel cells work is in the ones already working like those at eBay's headquarters.

A half-dozen big companies have already bought Bloom Boxes at a cost of $700,000 to $800,000. But Sridhar's goal is a $3,000 box that anybody can use to power their home though he says home use is 10 years away.

"Don't start signing up for orders yet," said Sridhar. "This is a product of the future."

"We believe that we can have the same kind of impact on energy that the mobile phone had on communications. Just as cell phones circumvented landlines to proliferate telephony, Bloom Energy will enable the adoption of distributed power as a smarter, localised energy source," Sridhar said.

It will allow customers, he said, to "lower their energy costs, reduce their carbon footprint, improve their energy security".

"What people need to understand is we are not building a company, we are building an industry," said Sridhar.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in) Thursday, February 25, 2010 | MP
Gwalior, Feb 24 (IANS) Sachin Tendulkar hit a record unbeaten double century as India scripted an emphatic 153-run win over South Africa in the second one-day international (ODI) at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium here Wednesday and took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Tendulkar's 200 not out in 147 deliveries, with 25 fours and three sixes, guided India to 401 for three in 50 overs. In reply, South Africa were bowled out for 248 runs in 42.5 overs as A.B. de Villiers remained unbeaten on 114.

Sreesanth bagged three wickets while Ashish Nehra, Ravindra Jadeja and Yusuf Pathan got two wickets each.

Man of the Match Tendulkar was unstoppable right from the start and carried his bat through to score the first ever double century in this form of cricket. En route to his double century, Tendulkar went past the previous best of Zimbabwe's Charles Coventry (194 not out) and Pakistan's Saeed Anwar (194).

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni struck a cameo of 68 off 35 balls while Dinesh Karthik made 79.

After being run out cheaply in the first ODI in Jaipur, Tendulkar looked set for the big innings right from the start. His innings was studded with a dazzling array of his trademark boundaries, the wristy shots.

He got to his 50 off only 37 balls with his ninth boundary and then hammered five more to reach his 46th ODI century in 90 deliveries.

Karthik and Dhoni provided able support to Tendulkar.

Karthik smashed four boundaries and three sixes in his 85-ball 79-run knock. He fell after he mistimed a pull shot to Herschelle Gibbs. Yusuf Pathan then stepped on the accelerator with 36 off 23 balls, before Dhoni's onslaught.

Dhoni was remarkable in his strokeplay and displayed some power hitting with his four sixes and seven fours.

South Africa, who hold the world record of the highest ODI chase, started the reply in a poor way as they lost Herschelle Gibbs (7) in the third over and there on kept on losing wickets at regular intervals.

Pinch-hitter Roelof van der Merwe (12) and Hashim Amla (34) also did not last long before being picked up by Sreesanth.

Skipper Jacques Kallis (11) dragged a Ashish Nehra delivery onto his stumps while Alviro Petersen (11) was bowled by Jadeja and Jean Paul Duminy was trapped in front by Pathan.

De Villiers played a brave innings but hardly got any support from the other end.

He hit 13 fours and two sixes in his 101-ball innings but not enough to get South Africa through. With Wayne Parnell (18), De Villiers put up some resistance with the 77-run stand for the eight wickets but it was little too late.

India and South Africa will play the third and now inconsequential ODI in Ahmedabad Saturday. Thursday, February 25, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) India's winning spree in the Commonwealth Shootimg Championships continued as the home shooters grabbed three golds with trap shooter Manavjit Singh Sandhu setting a meet record at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range here Wednesday.

Sandhu set a meet record in the men's trap individual event scoring 146 points, also his personal best and pocketed the gold. England's Aaron Heading took the silver scoring 143 points, closely followed by Australia's Adam Vella who scored a point less and took the bronze.

The second gold came from 17-year-old Neha Sapte in the women's 10 meter air rifle event. Neha, who incidentally has to appear for her Class XII board exam Thursday, was all smiles after she grabbed gold in a nail biting finish with a score of 496.1 points.

Ratna Sharmin Akhter of Bangladesh barely managed to avoid a tie with Australia's Robyn Nus Van. Ratna's total score of 494.5 points earned her the silver while Robyn Nus Van's 494.2 got her the bronze.

Indians swept all three medals in the men's 25m Center Fire Pistol individual event. Vijay Kumar again took the first podium place for his 580 points. Mahender Singh took the silver for his 568 points while Viraj Singh took the bronze for his 567 points. Thursday, February 25, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh upheld the moratorium on the commercial release of Bt Brinjal here Wednesday. He sided with Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh despite opposition from Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Science and Technology Minister Prithviraj Chavan during a stormy discussion here.

Sources in the PM Office said that Manmohan Singh sided with Ramesh on the need for a cautious approach in the introduction of the world's first genetically modified (GM) food crop -- Bt Brinjal. He said that while there was a need for all sections of society to be convinced of its safety, bitechnology was an important option for ensuring food security.

A government spokesman said: "It was agreed that biotechnology is an important option for higher agricultural productivity and ensuring food security. The government will soon be moving forward in setting up a National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority, which will inspire confidence and stimulate public and private investment in biotechnology."

There were sharp exchanges at the meeting at the Prime Minister's House that lasted a little over an hour. It was attended by four ministers - Ramesh, Pawar, Chavan as well as Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal.

Pawar and Chavan, who have been strong advocates of GM foods in India, reportedly said at the meeting that the moratorium was sending out wrong signals and was stopping investments in Indian agro-technology.

They also pointed out that a significant investment had already been made by private and public organisations in developing BT crops and all that would go waste if GM cultivation was banned.

Manmohan Singh had called this meeting after he received a letter from Pawar on the future of GM crops in the light of the food crisis.

Earlier in the day, Ramesh spelt out to reporters his differences with Pawar and Chavan. The idea of setting up the National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority under the proposed biotech bill was "deeply flawed" and was "anti-democratic", he said.

"The bill overrides the RTI and the state government jurisdiction. I don't think it is a good idea that three people (who will head the proposed authority) will decide on the future of GM in India like they were three gods," Ramesh said at the Indian Women Press Corps here. Thursday, February 25, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) The human resource development (HRD) ministry appointed expert committee has found that some of the deemed universities likely to face blacklisting are like family-run institutions, the Lok Sabha was informed Wednesday.

"In respect of these 44 deemed institutions, the review committee had found family controlled management architecture, unrelated academic programmes and deviation from the original mandate of grant of deemed to be university status," HRD minister Kapil Sibal said in a written reply.

He said, "Lack of evidence of quality research, and that freedom and flexibility in matters of admission, intake capacity, programmes and fee structure had not been exercised in a responsible manner".

This is the first time, the HRD ministry has explained the reason behind its effort to blacklist 44 deemed universities across India. The case is currently pending before the Supreme Court. Thursday, February 25, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) More than a year after the 26/11 attacks that brought the media's role under closer scrutiny, the information and broadcasting ministry Wednesday issued a fresh advisory asking the electronic media to exercise caution while covering incidents of terrorist attacks.

The advisory asks the media to avoid airing interviews with terrorists.

"The interviews with terrorists have also provided a platform to them to justify their nefarious activities and obtain coverage on prominent channels which is seen as a major achievement and enabling them to put forward their distorted views to a wide audience," said the advisory.

"Such undue coverage to terrorists and allowing them to air their views freely can jeopardize national security as well," the ministry said.

"The government has taken a very serious view regarding airing of interviews with terrorists/terrorist groups by TV channels," the ministry said.

The information and broadcasting ministry had issued directives to the electronic media on Nov 27, 2008 and Dec 3, 2008 over the coverage of incidents by electronic media during terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

Against the mounting criticism of the media coverage of the Nov 26 Mumbai terror strikes, News Broadcasters Association, a body of news broadcasters, have come out with self-regulation guidelines for telecast of sensitive events that includes no live reporting of hostage situations. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
Jammu, Feb 24 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said Wednesday that he wanted the state to turn prosperous, notwithstanding the raging separatist campaign.

While the opposition protested inside and outside the state assembly against alleged rights abuses, Abdullah spoke about his plans to develop the state.

Abdullah, 39, told a gathering after inaugurating a four-lane project here that his government was committed to develop Jammu and Kashmir despite difficulties and obstacles.

"We are determined to put our best foot forward and make our state the most progressive and prosperous one," he said. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Calling his job as environment minister to be "thankless and friendless", Jairam Ramesh Wednesday said he has no friends in the cabinet and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is his only supporter.

"I have no friends, it's only the prime minister in the cabinet (who backs me). I believe the job of environment minister has to be a friendless and thankless job," Ramesh told women journalists during an interaction.

Ramesh said that it is the nature of his job if you take it seriously, controversy is bound to surround you.

He said that sometimes he felt like he was "fighting a lost battle" and that within Indian politics few took a stand on environment and forest concerns apart from the chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Sonia Gandhi.

"If you are serious about your job here, then you are bound to displease somebody or the other.

"Probably one of the reasons that I am in the midst of controversy is because I am taking the decision, not lobbying the decision. I was opposed by civil aviation minister when I raised a whole lot of questions on the Mumbai international airport which is going to destroy 400 acres of Mangrove forests and divert two rivers. I was opposed by agriculture ministry on Bt Brinjal and opposition from scientists when I said no to the Neutrino Observatory in the Nilgiris," he said. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) As many as 153 cases of attacks have been confirmed against Indian nationals, including students and taxi drivers in the last 14 months in Australia, Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna told parliament Wednesday.

In a written statement in the Lok Sabha, Krishna said the Indian government was "deeply concerned" about the plight of Indian nationals in Australia.

"The government of India has reiterated that it is the responsibility of the government of Australia to ensure that such attacks cease forthwith," he said.

The Indian High Commission gave a list of assaults, province wise, from January 2009 to Feb 19, 2010.

The Australian province of Victoria recorded the largest number of assaults during this period at over 122, including 49 against Indian students and 18 against taxi drivers.

Besides, there were 55 such incidents with other Indian nationals in Victoria, ranging from robbery to assault.

While all the cases were confirmed, a few of the attackers in some incidents were also identified as "Indian in appearance".

"At the instance of the government of India, the government of Australia has taken several important measures aimed at enhancing the safety and security of our students, both at the state as well as the federal level, which have been useful," said Krishna.

He added that the Indian mission was "proactively" following up these incidents very closely and has been in regular liaison with members of the Indian community.

Besides, the minister also listed incidents of attacks against Indians in other countries, but noted that there was no "evidence to indicate a consistent rise in the recent past of such incidents either in Australia or other countries".
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday congratulated Sachin Tendulkar on scoring the first ever double century in one-day internationals.

Terming it a "magnificent achievement", the prime minister said that Tendulkar had led by example and Indians were proud of his achievement.

Manmohan Singh also wished Tendulkar "many more glorious years" in cricket.

Tendulkar became the first ever batsman to hit a double century in one-day internationals, scoring an unbeaten 200 off 147 balls against South Africa in Gwalior Wednesday. He broke the record of Zimbabwean Charles Coventry (194 not out) set against Bangladesh last year. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
Ranchi, Feb 24 (IANS) The main political parties in Jharkhand Wednesday said Mamata Banerjee's railway budget was disappointing as it was too biased towards West Bengal.

"We appreciate Mamata Banerjee for not hiking passenger fares but she should have gifted more new trains to the state. The connectivity of Ranchi with southern Indian states is very poor. We were hoping to get new trains for Pune and Bangalore and other parts of the country," Shailesh Sinha, Jharkhand Congress general secretary, told IANS.

The minister in her budget speech in the Lok Sabha announced two trains for Jharkhand, Hatia-Tatanagar and Ranchi-Jainagar.

Echoing the sentiments, Ramesh Puskar, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, said: "Mamata's budget seems to be influenced by upcoming West Bengal and Bihar assembly elections."

Saibal Dutta, a resident of Ranchi, said: "Jharkhand has always been neglected by successive railway ministers despite the fact that Dhanbad railway division is one of highest revenue earning divisions in the country.

"Mamata Banerjee has again disappointed us. We demand better connectivity of Ranchi with other parts of the country," he said.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) People will soon be able to book their railway tickets at Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), high courts and hospital campuses, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said in her budget speech Wednesday.

Presenting the budget in the Lok Sabha, Banerjee said: "I propose to induct e-ticket based mobile vans for issuing reservation tickets in government medical college hospitals, high courts, district courts, university campuses, IT hubs, IITs and IIMs."

"To give more facilities to the common people, railway proposes to open ticket centres at district headquarters and village 'panchayats' (councils) with infrastructure support from local government/semi-government authorities and private organisations," Banerjee announced. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
Gwalior, Feb 24 (IANS) Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar became the first ever to hit a double century in One-Day International as India made 401 for three in 50 overs in the second match against South Africa at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium here Wednesday.

Tendulkar scored an unbeaten 200 off 147 balls (25x4s, 3x6s) and broke the record of Zimbabwean Charles Coventry (194 not out) set against Bangladesh in Bulawayo last year.

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni remained unbeaten on 68 while Dinesh Karthink made 79.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Lalu Prasad Wednesday slammed the railway budget presented by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, saying "it had nothing new".

"The railways are going in reverse. There is nothing new in (railway) budget. It is a survey budget," Lalu Prasad, whose party supports the United Progressive Alliance government from outside, told reporters here.

Lalu Prasad, who is Banerjee's predecessor, took a dig at her for last year's white paper on the performance of the railways during his term.

"She had raised fingers over the accounting system. I want to ask her in all humility if she has changed the accounting system or followed the same," he said.

Referring to the earlier tenures of Banerjee and current Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as railway ministers, Lalu Prasad said they had gone to the government for funds and the railways "had failed to pay dividends".

Prasad said the railways made a turnaround during his tenure but its condition has now deteriorated. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) The tussle between Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh and Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Climate Change Shyam Saran which has led to Saran's resignation came out in the open Wednesday when Ramesh said: "bureaucracy cannot dictate policy".

Ramesh said he had no differences with Shyam Saran, who has resigned from the post of over reported disagreements with the minister over India's climate policy, except a "difference of perception and working style".

"I didn't see any differences. It's basically of working style and how one approaches a problem but frankly I have nothing to do with his decision (to resign)," Ramesh said at an interaction at the Indian Women's Press Corps here.

Saran announced his resignation Feb 19. According to reports, the decision came following differences with Ramesh over climate change negotiations.

"We tried to work together but there is a difference in style of working, perception and nuances. I am more of a political person and he is a bureaucrat," Ramesh said.

The minister said he was accountable to parliament and has to go back to parliament to explain his decisions.

"The fact is that environment ministry is responsible for climate change and then whatever happens it is for the ministry to hold the tag for good or bad. It is my job to set the policy. I would listen to bureaucrats but bureaucracy cannot dictate policy," he said.

"We are partners and I don't make policy by fatwas (diktats). Rather I consult everybody and once decided they should support me. But it is unfortunate that in our country arguments go on even after a decision is taken," he added.

Ramesh said that at no stage of the climate change talks were there any differences between him and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee's rail budget Wednesday received its usual political brickbats and bouquets with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Left parties slamming it and the ruling Congress thanking the minister for not increasing passenger fares.

"She appeared like West Bengal's railway minister," said BJP's deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Gopinath Munde.

Munde also criticised the minister for making announcements related to other ministries.

"When she was reading the budget it sounded like the budget of other ministries like health, human resource development and agriculture," Munde said referring to the minister's announcements that railway would set up hospitals, educational institutions and cold storage facilities.

Banerjee's budget was also slammed by the Communist Party of India (CPI). Gurudas Das Gupta, a CPI leader, said the budget was focussed on the West Bengal assembly elections scheduled for next year.

"It is not a national budget. It is a political budget, which focuses on West Bengal elections," he said.

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Basudeb Acharia said: "The budget lacks innovative measures to improve efficiency of railways."

But the railway minister found support in the Congress.

Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahamed said: "We welcome the budget. In the last seven years there is no hike in passenger fares. This is an achievement of the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government 1 and 2. We thank the government." Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
By Subhash K. Jha

Mumbai, Feb 24 (IANS) Bollywood star Suniel Shetty feels Congress MP Rahul Gandhi should step in to save the sport from the "doldrums".

"Only Rahul Gandhi with his initiative and youth power can rescue hockey from the doldrums. Otherwise the game is doomed," Suniel told IANS.

Suniel intends to request Rahul Gandhi to bring a sense of direction to the game.

The fiasco on Saturday at the sports event hosted in Chandigarh by the AMR Sports Foundation, where the national hockey players apparently asked for Rs.500 million at the eleventh hour to play at the event, has not left Suniel disillusioned or discouraged.

"See, what happened in Chandirgarh was really sad. I don't know what happened between the event's organisers and our boys from the national hockey team. If they really asked for the money, then they shouldn't have.

"But think of it from their point of view. Hockey players in our country are still so underpaid. They're under so much pressure from their family to give up hockey and do something more paying. How long can our players withstand the financial pressure?"

The sports event at Chandigarh was touted as the ultimate teaser before the World Cup matches, but ended up being a damp squib. Dharmendra and his sons, Sunny and Bobby Deol, were shooting in Patiala and were expected to attend, cancelled at the last minute.

"It was not Dharamji's fault at all. He was all set to travel from Patiala to Chandigarh when the organisers informed him not to come because of the chaos that happened over the money the hockey players demanded. I was also told not to come. But I didn't listen. And I'm glad I went. There were 30,000 expectant people in the stadium at Chandigarh," said Suniel.

He feels every sport in the country barring cricket is in a shoddy condition.

"Look at the way our world-class sport persons like Abhinav Bhindra are treated. It's a shame. We really need to respect sports and sportsmen other than cricket. We keep forgetting we have a Hockey World Cup coming up. And we cannot allow our hockey players to be demoralised in this way. Like I said, we need Rahul Gandhi to step in," said Suniel. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Just hours before his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the controversial Bt Brinjal issue, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh Wednesday said the moratorium on commercial cultivation of the genetically modified crop would stay.

Manmohan Singh will chair a meeting of Ramesh, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Science and Technology Minister Prithviraj Chavan on the issue. Pawar and Chavan have vehemently opposed Ramesh's stand on not granting approval to commercial cultivation of Bt Brinjal on grounds that not enough studies have been carried out on its safety to satisfy everybody.

"Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar has written a six page letter to the prime minister on the future of GM crops. I presume that the meeting today evening is to discuss that...I don't know what the meeting's outcome will be...(but) the moratorium on Bt Brinjal stands," Ramesh told reporters here during an interaction at the Indian Women's Press Corps.

He insisted that his stand at the meeting would be that the indefinite moratorium period "has to be used to put in place an institutional mechanism of regulation; a durable political consensus on the issue including in some of the so-called progressive states in the western part of the country as well as a proper scientific consensus."

He added that the moratorium imposed by him Feb 9 did not mean a conditional acceptance nor a ban.

"Let's cool down," said Ramesh, adding that "none of the applications (for commercial Bt crop approvals) would see the light of day for at least three years".

The environment minister has put together a list of the various BT crops whose applications for commercial cultivation are pending with the government's Genetic Engineering Approval Committee -- they include cauliflower, tomato, potato, corn, okra, cabbage and rice.

"Only rice has anything to do with the food security argument (put up by the agriculture ministry)," the minister said.

He refuted reports that the prime minister favoured Bt Brinjal, saying that his decision was in tune with Manmohan Singh's stand. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar Wednesday described the issue of rising food prices as "extremely important" but rejected the opposition demand of adjourning all other business to discuss the matter.

"I am bound by the rules of this house. The rules of the house and the past rulings do not allow me to admit (adjournment) notices," Meira Kumar said, rejecting the opposition plea for postponing all business in the Lok Sabha to pave the way for a debate on rising food prices on a priority basis.

The issue also led to a brief disruption of the house after MPs from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Samajwadi Party, the Shiv Sena, the Left parties, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and other opposition parties protested the decision.

The two houses of parliament have been witnessing continuous disruptions since Tuesday over the spiralling prices of essential commodities.

Notices of adjournment of the business were given by Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj, BJP's Gopinath Munde, Left leaders Gurudas Dasgupta and Basudeb Acharia, RJD's Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, JD-U's Sharad Yadav and others.

"Honourable members," the speaker said, "I have carefully examined them (notices) in terms of the rules of the house, as well as precedents, in (the) last two days and have also heard the MPs."

She described price rise as "a very serious issue".

"The whole country is concerned about it and is looking up to parliament to find a solution. I must also add that the chair is equally concerned about the burning issue of price situation."

Meira Kumar said the notices of adjournment were not admissible under the rules.

"Rule 56 says that a definite matter of urgent public importance may be discussed by adjourning the business of the house. As per these rulings, the term ?urgent matter of public importance' must have arisen suddenly in the manner of an emergency. Rule 58(iii) says that the motion shall be restricted to a specific matter of recent occurrence," the speaker said.

However, the issue had not arisen suddenly in the manner of an emergency, she noted. "This house had discussed it in the last session. So it cannot be held that the issue is one of recent occurrence or urgent in the sense in which it is used in the rule."

She said the house would discuss the subject which "is extremely important".

"It is the duty of this house to discuss it. Members want a detailed and focused discussion on price inflation. I will allow a discussion on it today itself. It can start after the railway budget," said Meira Kumar.

This infuriated the opposition members and they began shouting slogans, forcing the speaker to adjourn the house briefly.

The Lok Sabha had a nearly 45-minute debate on the admissibility of the adjournment motion, which entails voting. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
Jammu, Feb 24 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir's main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti Wednesday accused the Omar Abdullah government of being "autocratic" as there was "no space for the opposition to raise issues of public importance".

"The ruling National Conference has made a mockery of the highest institution of the legislative assembly by choking the voice of the opposition by adopting undemocratic means," she told mediapersons.

All legislators of her party walked out from the house earlier as Speaker Akbar Lone disallowed them to raise the issue of the killing of "innocent" people in the Kashmir Valley.

"The way the functioning of the assembly is going on, it is better to hold proceedings either in the residence of National Conference leaders or in the office of the ruling party as there is no space for opposition to raise issues of public importance," Mufti said.

Asked about the walkout, she said: "What is the fun of staying in the house when the government was not ready to listen to our voice?"

She regretted that instead of giving space to the opposition to raise people's issues, the government was behaving in an "autocratic" manner.

"Not only the opposition parties, this regime is even trying to pressurize media against highlighting ground realities," she alleged.

"Being the opposition, people expect us to raise their problems in the assembly so that ground realities be reflected in the house but this autocratic regime is not ready to listen to the voice of dissent," she said.

"Inside the house, the opposition is not allowed to raise important issues while outside the assembly, the anger of people is suppressed through bullets, teargas shells and cane charge," she alleged.

The leader of opposition said that the killing of innocent people has been going on unabated in the Kashmir Valley but the government was not ready to discuss the issue in the assembly.

"Instead of taking up important issues for discussion, the government is adamant on routine business," Mufti said.

"In the 45-day long session, the government can do routine business any time but the issue relating to the lives of innocent people should be given priority," she added.

Faced with criticism for patronising stone-pelters, the PDP had Tuesday also walked out of the state assembly demanding action against those responsible for the killing of an 11-day-old infant in Kashmir's Baramullah town Monday when stone-pelters targeted the vehicle in which the family was travelling. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has written to the United Nations backing the candidature of Vijai Sharma, secretary with the ministry, for the post of executive secretary of UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The minister said here Wednesday that China has already supported the move.

"Vijai Sharma is our official candidate for UNFCCC executive secretary. I have written to the United Nations Monday and have also written to BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India, China) countries seeking their support. We have got support from China already for his candidature and we will get support from other BASIC countries," Ramesh said at an interaction at the Indian Women's Press Corps.

Ramesh said the time has come for the post to go to a developing country.

"The first three secretaries have all been from developed countries and Vijai Sharma has long years of experience with UNFCCC. He was chief spokesperson for G77 for Kyoto negotiations. I am pursuing it. I am not sure as European countries and the US will prefer somebody from a smaller country and India is unarguably at a different profile but I would like to see him there," the minister said.

Yvo de Boer, the current executive secretary of UNFCCC, announced his resignation Feb 9.

Ramesh said: "I am not pushing him (Sharma) to satisfy my agenda.

"I think it will be a reflection of Indian's importance in climate change negotiations and he will provide a bridge between developing and developed worlds." Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) A host of special trains for women, tourists, armed forces and the common man will be introduced in the next fiscal, said Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday while announcing the Railway Budget for 2010-11.

The trains will sport names like Matribhoomi (the special train for women), Janmabhoomi (for armed forces), Bharat Tirth (for tourists) and Karmabhoomi (for common people and migrant labour).

"In order to improve their (women's) travel on rail, I have introduced 21 ladies' specials on the railway network in major cities of Kolkata, Chennnai, New Delhi and Mumbai," Banerjee said in the Lok Sabha.

These special trains under the banner 'Matribhoomi specials' will run on the suburban sections of the following major metros: on the Delhi-Panipat line, Barasat-Sealdah and Krishnanagar-Sealdah lines in Kolkata, on the Falaknuma-Lingampalli line in Chennai and on Thane-Vashi and Panvel-Nerul-Thane lines in Mumbai.

Banerjee also proposed to run unreserved trains for the common people and migrant labour.

These would be Darbhanga-Mumbai Express (weekly), Guwahati-Mumbai (weekly) via Howrah-Tatanagar-Jharsuguda-Bilaspur-Nagpur and New Jalpaiguri-Amritsar (weekly) via Katihar - Sitapur.

"As a mark of respect to the contribution of the armed forces personnel in defending the borders of our country, the Indian Railways will run special trains titled as 'Janmabhoomi' between Ahmedabad and Udhampur every week," the minister said.

The government is also wooing the tourists with the railway ministry announcing its intention to launch special trains called Bharat Tirth connecting popular tourist sites in different parts of the country.

In addition to the special trains, the minister also introduced a number of passenger trains, increase in the frequency of trains and extension of routes. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) In a bid to improve security of women passengers travelling by train, twelve companies of women security personnel called Mahila Vahini will be raised for the purpose, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said Wednesday.

Presenting the 2010 railway budget, Banerjee said 17,000 trains ferry 18 million passengers daily across 64,015 km of the Indian rail network and, according to rough estimates, nearly half of them are women.

"Security of women passengers will be improved by raising 12 companies of women Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel to be named Mahila Vahini," Banerjee said in the Lok Sabha.

"Priority will be given to women especially those belonging to minorities, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, other backward classes and economically backward classes," she added.

The minister said that the RPF needs to be strengthened and modernised.

"We need to modernise RPF and we are giving full support. Railways will bring a comprehensive bill for providing security to our passengers," she said.

Banerjee added: "As security is an important area, I have decided to involve our ex-servicemen to strengthen RPF who can give real protection to people."

The move has been welcomed by women who travel by train frequently.

Shonali Mazumdar, a senior accounts executive working for a multinational firm in Kolkata, told IANS: "Women are often harassed on trains. They are groped, teased and are victims of lewd remarks especially in cities like Mumbai and Kolkata where women commute from the suburbs to their work places in the cities in local EMU and DMU shuttles. A women's security force can help instil confidence."

She commutes from her home in Dankuni, an industrial centre to Kolkata - a distance of 15 km from Howrah station - by a local train everyday.

"It is a very good proposal. Women for long have felt insecure - especially the ones like us who travel frequently in long-distance overnight trains. With the increased threat of terrorism and crime on trains, women will feel reassured if the security personnel are women. It is sometimes difficult to explain difficult situation to men in times of crises," Ananya Chatterjee-Chakrabarty, a filmmaker and professor of film studies and journalism, told IANS.

She travels by train to Mumbai and Delhi almost every month.

Since last year, the government has been trying to increase security for women on trains. Last year, it had introduced eight new special women commuter trains on a pilot basis in the four metros of Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) To bring health benefits to tens of thousands of people, the railways ministry has joined hands with the health ministry to set up 522 hospitals and diagnostic centres at railway stations and nearby localities.

"With the cooperation of the union ministry of health, it is expected that about 522 hospitals and diagnostic centres will be set up which will benefit railway employees and their children in a big way," Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said Wednesday while presenting the Railway Budget 2010-11 in parliament.

She said Outpatient Departments (OPD) and diagnostic centres will be set up in places like Agartala, Agra Cantt, Aligarh, Amethi, Amritsar, Balasore, Bhubaneswar, Bardhaman, Delhi Cantt, Howrah and Itanagar.

They will also be set up in Lalgarh, Lucknow, Machilipatnam, Madhepura, Madhubani, Satna, Sawai Madhopur, Secunderabad, Sewagram, Shahganj, Shakurbasti, Sri Satya Sai Prashanti Nilayam, Srikalahasti, Trichur, Tumkur, Tuni, Udhampur, Una , Vidisha, Vizianagaram, and Warangal. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Indian Railways will set up five sports academies at Delhi, Secunderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai as its contribution to the encouragement of sports in the country, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee announced in parliament here Wednesday.

"We are proud of our sports persons for excellent performances. Indian Railways, a great patron of sports, is the first recipient of the newly instituted prestigious Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar, awarded for the encouragement of sports," she said while presenting the railway budget.

"To strengthen the present sports infrastructure, I also propose to set up five academies at Delhi, Secunderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai. It is also proposed to provide astro-turfs for the development of hockey at more places," she said.

Banerjee said the railways will also provide increased employment opportunities to sportspersons.

Indian Railways, she added, will be the lead partner of the Commonwealth Games to be held here from Oct 3-14.

"To mark the event and also to spread the message, railways proposes to run a Commonwealth exhibition train (around the country)," she said. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
Bali, Feb 24 (IANS) India, China and other developing countries face "the spectre of hazardous e-waste mountains" unless they step up action to collect and recycle e-waste, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has warned.

As sales of electronic products in India, China and other developing countries are set to rise sharply in the next 10 years, these "e-waste mountains" would have "serious consequences for the environment and public health", said a report released here during UNEP's governing council meeting.

The report, "Recycling - from E-Waste to Resources", used data from 11 developing countries to estimate current and future e-waste generation - which includes old and dilapidated desk and laptop computers, printers, mobile phones, pagers, digital photo and music devices, refrigerators, toys and television sets.

The report estimates e-waste generation in India now at over 100,000 tonnes a year from refrigerators, 275,000 tonnes from TVs, 56,300 tonnes from personal computers, 4,700 tonnes from printers and 1,700 tonnes from mobile phones

Electronic waste from old computers will jump 500 percent in India, and between 200 and 400 percent in South Africa and China by 2020, the report predicts.

By that same year in India, e-waste from discarded mobile phones will be about 18 times higher than 2007 levels and, in China, seven times higher.

By 2020, e-waste from televisions will be 1.5 to 2 times higher in China and India while in India e-waste from discarded refrigerators will double or triple.

Most e-waste in India is incinerated by backyard recyclers to recover valuable metals like gold -- practices that release steady plumes of far-reaching toxic pollution and yield very low metal recovery rates compared to state-of-the-art industrial facilities.

UNEP Executive Director and UN Under-Secretary-General Achim Steiner said: "India, Brazil, Mexico and others may face rising environmental damage and health problems if e-waste recycling is left to the vagaries of the informal sector."

The report was co-authored by the Swiss EMPA, Umicore and the United Nations University (UNU), part of the global think tank StEP (Solving the E-waste Problem).

The report says:

* Global e-waste generation is growing by about 40 million tons a year

* Manufacturing mobile phones and personal computers consumes three percent of the gold and silver mined worldwide each year, 13 percent of the palladium and 15 percent of cobalt

* Modern electronics contain up to 60 different elements -- many valuable, some hazardous, and some both

* Carbon dioxide emissions from the mining and production of copper and precious and rare metals used in electrical and electronic equipment are estimated at over 23 million tonnes

* Globally, more than a billion mobile phones were sold in 2007, up from 896 million in 2006

The report suggests critical e-scrap like circuit boards or batteries be sent to certified end-processors from poor countries that lacked the ability to process them. The report's authors praised a pilot project in Bangalore to transform the operations of informal e-waste collection and management.

UNU Rector and UN Under-Secretary General Konrad Osterwalder said: "The challenge of dealing with e-waste represents an important step in the transition to a green economy.

"This report outlines smart new technologies and mechanisms which, combined with national and international policies, can transform waste into assets, creating new businesses with decent green jobs. In the process, countries can help cut pollution linked with mining and manufacturing, and with the disposal of old devices." Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Passengers were spared a fare hike, freight rates were lowered for some essential items and 54 new trains announced in India's rail budget for 2010-11 that promises a new model to promote private investment in expanding the world's second largest railroad network under a single management.

"We have saved Rs.2,000 crore ($40 million) because of the hard work of our employees and austerity measures. There will be no increase in passenger fares," Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee told the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament.

"Our objective is inclusive growth," she said in her marathon 110-minute speech, adding that her main consideration was social responsibility of Indian Railways rather than mere commercial viability of various projects.

Accordingly, she also announced a cut in freight tariff for kerosene and grain, upgrade of 94 stations, 522 diagnostic centres, target of 1,000 km new lines, 10 auto ancillary hubs, several high-speed passenger rail corridors, six new drinking water plants and housing for all railway staff in 10 years.

"We have set our goals in the Vision 2020 document and we will achieve it," the minister said, referring to the document unveiled in December that has targeted making over 30,000 km of routes into double or multiple lines against 18,000 km today.

"It is a fact that administrative and procedural delays discourage potential investors. We will need to overcome this. I am setting up a special task force for this," said the minister, dressed in a white and green sari and her trademark rubber slippers.

"Special structure will be created for the new business model," she said, emphasising: "But we will not privatise railways. Indian Railways will remain with the government."

At the same time, she also asked the private sector to refrain from what she called the "typical negative approach" while dealing with the Indian Railways. "I am sorry to say this -- this mindset has to change."

She, nevertheless, said a special task force will be set up to clear proposals for investments within 100 days and that policy guidelines in this regard will be made easy, simple and investment friendly to attract funds to the sector.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee were among those in the house, presided over by Speaker Meira Kumar.

This was Banerjee's fourth budget of her career as railway minister and the second for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in its second straight term after being voted back to office in May last year.

According to Banerjee, 117 out of the 122 new trains promised in her last budget will be flagged off by March 31, within a matter of seven months, which was a commendable effort.

Seeking to give safety issues due consideration, the minister said there were a few cases of unfortunate accidents in the past and said these would be prevented by adopting the highest level of technology and manpower training.

"Within five years, we will have 13,000 out of unmanned level crossings manned - 3,000 this fiscal and 1,000 in the coming fiscal," she said, referring to the high number of accidents at such crossroads.

The budget came against the backdrop of the share of Indian Railways in the movement of goods, vis a vis truckers, falling from 24.07 percent in 2001-02 to 20.89 percent in 2008-09 and further to 19.32 percent in the first 10 months of this fiscal.

Yet, the minister said this fiscal will end with a net profit of Rs.1,328 crore. She added that the freight target for the coming fiscal will be 944 million tonnes.

Indian Railways runs the world's second largest network under a single management with a network of 64,099 route km to ferry 18.9 million passengers on 7,000 trains daily from 6,906 stations. It also runs 4,000 freight trains to carry 850 million tonnes of cargo.

The main highlights of the 2010-11 railway budget include:

-- No increase in passenger fares

-- Rs.100 reduction in freight per wagon for fertilisers and kerosene

-- Free travel for cancer patients in 3rd AC classes

-- Cost-sharing in public-private-partnership (PPP) mode in some gauge-conversion projects

-- Further extension of Kolkata Metro on priority basis; stations to be named after Bahadur Shah Zafar, Tagore family

-- Karmabhoomi trains to be introduced for migrant labour

-- New Janmabhoomi train between Ahmedabad and Udhampur

-- Special "Bharat Teertha" train to be run around India to commemorate Rabindranath Tagore's 150th birth anniversary

-- Railway line to be extended from Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh to Leh in Jammu and Kashmir

-- Andaman and Nicobar Islands to get railway line from Port Blair to Diglipur

-- Sikkim capital Gangtok to be connected by rail from Rangpo

-- 2011 being 150th anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, special train to be run from West Bengal to Bangladesh

-- Gross earnings in 2009-10 estimated at Rs.88,281 crore

-- Working expenditure in 2009-10 estimated at Rs.83,440 crore

-- Expenses during 2010-11 estimated at Rs.87,100 crore

-- Thrust on expansion in 2010-11 with allocation of Rs.4,411 crore

-- Kashmir rail link to be extended to Sopore in the north of the valley

-- Net profit of Rs.1,328 crore in 2009-10

-- 10 automobile ancillary hubs to be created

-- Twenty-two million energy saving CFLs for lighting distributed already

-- Policy decision to employ one member of family whose land is requisitioned for railway projects

-- North-south, east-west dedicated freight corridors to be created

-- Construction of high-speed passenger rail corridors envisaged

-- More multi-functional hospitals to be set up

-- Educational facilities to be set up for children of 80,000 women families

-- Special facilities to be established for gangmen

-- Insurance facilities for licensed porters as part of railway's corporate social responsibility

-- Centre for railway research to be established with Indian Institutes of Technology and Defence Research and Development Organisation

-- Will involve unions in policy making

-- Integral Coach Factory Chennai to be further modernised

-- New wagon repair shop in Mumbai

-- Design, development and testing centre for railway wheels at Bangalore

-- Within five years, all unmanned level crossings to be manned

-- Construction of more underpasses, besides road overbridges

-- Greater coordination with state governments to protect railway property

-- Security of women passengers to be improved

-- Ex-servicemen to be employed in Railway Protection Force

-- Five sports academies to be set up

-- Astroturf to be provided for development of hockey

-- Employment opportunities for sports persons

-- Railways to be lead partner for Commonwealth Games

-- Special drive to increase passenger amenities

-- Upgrade of 94 stations

-- Six new drinking water bottling plants in PPP mode

-- Modern toilets at railway stations

-- More ticketing centres to help the public

-- Acquisition of cutting edge safety technology

-- 1,000 route km to be created

-- Special task force for clearing investment proposals in 100 days

-- New business model to be created

-- No privatisation of railways

-- But greater participation of private sector

-- 117 of 120 new trains for current fiscal to be flagged off Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
Melbourne, Feb 24 (IANS) Victoria Premier John Brumby Wednesday participated in the `Vindaloo Against Violence\' initiative, which shows solidarity with the Indian community, by having lunch at an Indian restaurant here with Indian students.

The initiative Vindaloo Against Violence was developed by Mia Northrop, resident of this capital of Victoria province. It is expected that more than 10,000 people will participate in it across Australia.

"The Vindaloo Against Violence initiative is a unique opportunity for Victorians to unite and send a message that the actions of an ignorant few will not be allowed to undermine the reputation of Melbourne as a peaceful and friendly city," a statement quoted Brumby as saying.

"Victoria has been shaped by people from across the world. We come from over 200 countries, speak more than 230 languages and dialects and follow more than 120 faiths. Today, Victoria's 150,000-strong Indian community is a vital part of modern-day multicultural Victoria.

"Victoria's cultural diversity is one of our strengths and any attack on our community is an attack upon us all. Any attack motivated by race or prejudice is particularly disgraceful.

Brumby was joined by the Indian community, including Indian students studying in Melbourne, for lunch at popular Indian cafe Desi Dhaba.

The Victorian parliament dining hall also changed its menu Wednesday to serve Indian cuisine.

Brumby went on to say that it was "well-known that Victorians like to eat out and we have an international reputation for our world-class food scene. This great initiative combines that culinary reputation and uses it to send a message that we do not accept violence against any members of our community".

In New Delhi, Australia's High Commissioner to India, Peter Varghese, said: "This is a simple but telling gesture from the Australian community to India and the Indian members of Australia's community."

"Australians love the diversity of our multicultural society and have categorically rejected the events of the recent past - they have no place in a society as culturally plural as ours."

"This initiative will help in building bridges and restoring the trust, respect and friendship that exists between the broad Australian community and its valued members of Indian origin." Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
Chandigarh, Feb 24 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Wednesday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to set up the proposed Borlaug Institute for South Asia at Ladhowal, in Punjab's Ludhiana district.

In a letter to Manmohan Singh, Badal stated that the Nobel laureate and father of the green revolution Norman E. Borlaug was intimately associated with Punjab.

"Officials of Punjab Agricultural University (in Ludhiana) and many people of the state still remember Borlaug with great respect and affection," wrote Badal.

"Besides, Punjab is at the forefront of foodgrain production in the country. Therefore, it would be appropriate if the proposed institute in memory of Borlaug is established at Ladhowal in the vicinity of Ludhiana city and in close proximity to Punjab Agricultural University."

Badal said the state government has already shown its willingness in this direction by offering free land in Ladhowal for the establishment of this institute.

Last year, after Borlaug's death, Badal had written to the union agriculture minister seeking the establishment of a wheat research centre in Borlaug's name in the state.

Ludhiana, the industrial hub of Punjab, is around 100 km from here. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Combative, hectoring and ploughing on regardless of the commotion around her, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee was at her feisty best Wednesday when she presented the railway budget for a marathon two hours.

Dressed in a white and green sari and her trademark rubber slippers, Banerjee presented her second budget speech in the Lok Sabha with a constant din from the opposition that attacked her for being pro-West Bengal.

But she was not one to be deterred. "Where is Cuttack?" she shouted at opposition MPs. At various other points in the speech, during which her Bengali pronunciation led to some laughter, she sternly asked MPs to quieten down.

While Speaker Meira Kumar asked the MPs to sit down and let Banerjee finish her presentation, the minister did her bit by frequently interrupting her speech to tell them to let her complete the job.

"I am also a human," a frustrated Banerjee said at one point. And carried on gamely, not even stopping for a sip of water. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
By Priyanka Sharma

New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Holi is around the corner and so are 'bhang thandai' and 'bhang pakoras'! But not everyone knows of the enormous health benefits of bhang - known as cannabis sativa in medical language - that is widely used in ayurvedic treatments.

"The use of cannabis sativa in ayurveda varies according to the symptoms and causes of the disease. Once we identify the problem, it is combined with other herbs to treat the disease," said Geetanjali Arora, a panchakarma expert.

Cannabis is used for a multitude of ailments such as pain, nausea and vomiting, weight loss associated with debilitating disease and neurologically induced spasticity . If taken in proper quantities, it has been found to cure fever, dysentery and sunstroke, clear phlegm, quicken digestion and appetite.

Many medical conditions respond favourably to it, such as arthritis, multiple sclerosis, depression, anxiety and others. It has also shown promise in treating skin problems.

"Many people suffer from roughing or cracking of skin and it has been found that the application of the paste of the fresh leaves helps in recovery," said Vipin Sharma, an ayurvedic expert.

In many parts of the country, people consume bhang before their main meal because they believe it not only enhances the taste of the food, it also improves digestion.

While it is said that cannabis helps cure speech imperfections and lisping, the mechanism is unclear. But it has indeed been found to improve hearing power.

"Increasing exposure to noise pollution often impairs people's hearing capacity and it has been shown that regular use of this particular medicinal plant leads to improvement," said Sharma.

The seeds of the plant are not narcotic and its infusion is beneficial in gonorrhoea.

Moreover, the juice of the Indian hemp can remove dandruff and head lice.

The history of bhang lies in Hindu mythology and its preparations were sacred to gods, particularly Lord Shiva, who is regarded as the "Lord of Bhang". He is said to have discovered the transcendental properties of the mixture.

In 1000 BC, bhang was used as an intoxicant in India and Atharvaveda describes it as a healthy herb that "releases anxiety".

Sadhus usually consume bhang to boost meditation and achieve transcendental states. It was also said to be popular among Sufis as an aid to spiritual ecstasy.

The traditional recipe for bhang is simple - first soak leaves in water and grind them into a fine paste and mixing that with spices. When the paste is blended with milk, it is known as thandai.

At the same time, one should not forget that too much bhang can be harmful. It can cause psychosis, increase the heart rate and blood pressure. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Highlights of the 2010-11 railway budget presented by Mamata Banerjee in parliament Wednesday:

-- No increase in passenger fares

-- Rs.100 reduction in freight per wagon for fertilisers and kerosene

-- Free travel for cancer patients in 3rd AC classes

-- Cost-sharing in public-private-partnership (PPP) mode in some gauge-conversion projects

-- Further extension of Kolkata Metro on priority basis; stations to be named after Bahadur Shah Zafar, Tagore family

-- Karmabhoomi trains to be introduced for migrant labour

-- New Janmabhoomi train between Ahmedabad and Udhampur

-- Special "Bharat Teertha" train to be run around India to commemorate Rabindranath Tagore's 150th birth anniversary

-- Railway line to be extended from Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh to Leh in Jammu and Kashmir

-- Andaman and Nicobar Islands to get railway line from Port Blair to Diglipur

-- Sikkim capital Gangtok to be connected by rail from Rangpo

-- 2011 being 150th anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, special train to be run from West Bengal to Bangladesh

-- Impact of Sixth Pay Commission recommendations placed at Rs.55,000 crore

-- Gross earnings in 2009-10 estimated at Rs.88,281 crore

-- Working expenditure in 2009-10 estimated at Rs.83,440 crore

-- Expenses during 2010-11 estimated at Rs.87,100 crore

-- Thrust on expansion in 2010-11 with allocation of Rs.4,411 crore

-- Kashmir rail link to be extended to Sopore in the north of the valley

-- Net profit of Rs.1,328 crore in 2009-10

-- 10 automobile ancillary hubs to be created

-- Twenty-two million energy saving CFLs for lighting distributed already

-- Policy decision to employ one member of family whose land is requisitioned for railway projects

-- North-south, east-west dedicated freight corridors to be created

-- Construction of high-speed passenger rail corridors envisaged

-- More multi-functional hospitals to be set up

-- Educational facilities to be set up for children of 80,000 women families

-- Special facilities to be established for gangmen

-- Insurance facilities for licensed porters as part of railway's corporate social responsibility

-- Centre for railway research to be established with Indian Institutes of Technology and Defence Research and Development Organisation

-- Will involve unions in policy making

-- Integral Coach Factory Chennai to be further modernised

-- New wagon repair shop in Mumbai

-- Design, development and testing centre for railway wheels at Bangalore

-- Within five years, all unmanned level crossings to be manned

-- Construction of more underpasses, besides road overbridges

-- Greater coordination with state governments to protect railway property

-- Security of women passengers to be improved

-- Ex-servicemen to be employed in Railway Protection Force

-- Five sports academies to be set up; astroturf to be provided for development of hockey; employment opportunities for sports persons

-- Railways to be lead partner for Commonwealth Games

-- Special drive to increase passenger amenities

-- Upgradation of 94 stations

-- Six new drinking water bottling plants in PPP mode

-- Modern toilets at railway stations

-- More ticketing centres to help the public

-- Acquisition of cutting edge safety technology

-- 1,000 route km to be created

-- Special task force for clearing investment proposals in 100 days

-- New business model to be created

-- No privatisation; railways will remain with government but with greater participation of business community

-- 117 of 120 new trains for current fiscal to be flagged off Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Illegal Internet pharmacies are thriving in India and they are increasingly becoming a source of pharmaceutical drug abuse across the globe, a report released by the United Nations office on Drugs and Crime said Wednesday.

"India has emerged as one of the main sources of drugs sold through illegal Internet pharmacies, where orders placed abroad are dispatched to buyers using couriers and postal services, which have become a common means of smuggling drugs abroad," the annual International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) report released here said.

The international report said that pharma drug abuse in Bhutan and Bangladesh are also gradually picking up.

It said seizures of amphetamine-type stimulants show that trafficking of these substances may be increasing in South Asia and it has also become a location for their manufacture.

"A number of clandestine methamphetamine laboratories have been discovered in India in recent years," the report said.

"We have busted nine major cases of Internet pharmacy in the past few years. We are taking a lot of steps to control the menace but to monitor the Internet is a huge task," Ish Kumar, deputy director general of India's Narcotic Control Bureau, told IANS.

Kumar said they have sensitised several parcel service providers to curb the menace and get hold of the rackets involved in the process. "We are following a system of controlled delivery, which has given us some positive results so far," Kumar added.

"The widespread abuse of pharmaceutical preparations containing narcotic drugs, example Codeine, is an ongoing problem in Bangladesh. Pharmaceutical preparations containing Benzodiazepines are among the most widely abused in Bhutan," the global body said. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) With the union budget round the corner, child rights NGO CRY Wednesday said that more funds should be allocated for sectors like health and education which impact children directly.

"Children who live and grow in poverty are deprived of almost every fundamental right. They are much more likely to be malnourished, be living in unprotected environments, not enrolled in school and not receiving essential healthcare such as immunisation," Puja Marwaha, chief executive of CRY, said.

"Most developed countries in the world like the US, UK and France spend around six-seven percent of their national budgets for public education and health, while India allocates around three percent for education and around one percent for health which should be improved," she added.

"We want to flag the fact that child poverty has detrimental effects not just for children today, but carries over to when these children grow up into adults too. This situation can be altered only if investments in public services like free primary healthcare centres, anganwadis and schools are proportionate to the number of children in the country," Marwaha said. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) On-campus students of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) will get concessional fares for train travel anywhere in the country, Vice Chancellor V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai announced Wednesday.

"The railway board has agreed to give train travel concession with immediate effect to face-to-face programmes students of varsity and this will place them on par with their counterparts of other central universities," said Pillai.

Pillai said the move will positively impact enrolment in the next admission beginning July 2010.

"Efforts are also on to extend the bus pass facility by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) to IGNOU on-campus students," he added.

The university runs 21 face-to-face programmes under various schools in its Maidan Garhi campus in south Delhi. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee Wednesday presented India's rail budget for the next fiscal with the promise of a new business model that will encourage private investment with social commitment.

"Our objective is inclusive growth," she told the Lok Sabha, lower house of parliament, adding her main consideration in this year's budget was social responsibility rather than mere commercial viability of projects.

"We have set our goals in the Vision 2020 document and we will achieve it," the minister said, referring to the document presented in December that targeted making over 30,000 km of routes into double or multiple lines, compared to 18,000 km today.

"It is a fact that administrative and procedural delays discourage potential investors. We will need to overcome this. I am setting up a special task force for this," she said, adding: "We will not privatise our railways."

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee were among those in the house, presided over by Speaker Meira Kumar.

This was Banerjee's fourth budget of her career as railway minister and the second for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in its second straight term after being voted back to office in May last year.

The budget came against the backdrop of the share of Indian Railways in the movement of goods, vis a vis truckers, falling from 24.07 percent in 2001-02 to 20.89 percent in 2008-09 and further to 19.32 percent in the first 10 months of this fiscal.

Indian Railways runs the world's second largest network under a single management with a network of 64,099 route km to ferry 18.9 million passengers on 7,000 trains daily from 6,906 stations. It also runs 4,000 freight trains to carry 850 million tonnes of cargo. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) India's railway budget for the next fiscal is scheduled to be presented at noon in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, Wednesday amid expectations that while passengers will be spared a fare hike, freight rates may be rationalised.

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee will present what will be the fourth budget of her career as railway minister and the second for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
By Arun Kumar

Washington, Feb 24 (IANS) With sound economic policies, India, Bangladesh and Bhutan are expected to emerge from the global economic crisis with stronger growth performances in South Asia, according to a World Bank report.

These three countries generally have sound economic policies and greater resilience of trade, investment, and remittances, it said noting growth has been weakest in countries that entered the crisis with large internal and external imbalances, such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

In general South Asia appears to have escaped the worst effects of the global economic crisis, the report - Global Economic Prospects 2010 - said. However, the region's GDP growth of 6 percent in 2009 remains unchanged from 2008.

The global financial crisis contributed to deceleration in real GDP growth in South Asia, from 8.7 percent in 2007 to 6 percent in 2009. This was largely driven by a pronounced decline in investment growth and private consumption.

Although the global financial crisis had a sharp negative impact on South Asia, the slowdown in regional GDP growth was the lowest among all developing regions, the report noted.

South Asia's import volumes through July 2009 declined 32 percent compared with the previous year. The decline in the region's merchandise export volumes was less severe.

Some sectors demonstrated marked resilience during the crisis, such as ready-made garments in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka's partnerships with mid-to high-end retailers in the United States and the European Union, and India's information technology industry.

Overall, the combination of a sharp fall in the value of imports, a less steep decline in exports, and resilient remittance inflows have mitigated the negative effects.

Remittance, a key source of foreign exchange for South Asia, declined in 2009 due to decline in economic activity and the rise in unemployment in migrant host countries. Remittance inflows, however, remained relatively strong compared with other sources of foreign exchange, and indeed are above their 2007 levels.

Among South Asia's economies, India - the largest recipient of remittances in the world in dollar terms - posted a contraction in remittance inflows in 2009, while Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, experienced a slower pace of growth of remittances inflows.

Domestic demand in South Asia was relatively resilient, having been cushioned by countercyclical macroeconomic policies. Interest rates were rapidly cut across most economies, which represent a large share of regional household outlays.

Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka cut policy interest rates. Activity in Bhutan and Nepal, where the currencies are tied to the Indian rupee, was supported by India's expansionary monetary policy stance.

Although regional GDP growth is projected to accelerate, a return to boom-period growth rates is not expected in near future. The regional fiscal deficit is projected to narrow on reversal of stimulus measures introduced to support demand during the crisis.

The recovery path for the individual economies will vary substantially. Countries that entered the crisis with stronger fundamentals, such as Bangladesh Bhutan, and India, weathered the crisis better, the report noted.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in) Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
Panaji, Feb 24 (IANS) Goa is emerging as a drug and sex destination, the state's apex commerce and industry lobbying group has said.

The Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has issued strict caution to the state government, asking it to shore up its act on tourism, in a pre budget note which was handed over to Chief Minister Digambar Kamat Tuesday.

"Tourism in Goa of late is getting a bad name with Goa slowly emerging as a drug and sex destination," GCCI president Cesar Menezes said in the pre budget note. Lamenting the fact that Goa's top grossing industry was lying in shambles, Menezes said that much needed to be done on the tourism front to save the sector from doom.

"There is no basic tourism and entertainment infrastructure in the state. Problems of law and order and garbage will spell doom for state tourism," he said.

He has also advocated encouragement of private participation in the development of tourism related infrastructure in Goa.

Industry stalwarts like travel and tourism association of Goa (TTAG) president Ralph de Souza have already said that the bogey of the Russian mafia in Goa could spell disaster for tourism in the state in the near future.

Tourism Minister Mickky Pacheco had earlier said Goa was on its way to becoming the rape capital of India.

Increasing crimes against tourists in recent times, beginning with the rape and murder of British teenager Scarlett Keeling, has put the international spotlight on Goa.

The recent rape of a nine-year-old Russian girl Jan 26 triggered a nationwide media debate on the safety of women tourists in Goa.

A 25-year-old Russian woman was allegedly raped by a Goan politician in December last year.

Police have also been unable to crack the mysterious death of Russian teenager Elena Sukhonova, whose mangled body was found on the railway tracks near Thivim, 25 km from Panaji.

Goa receives nearly two million tourists annually, nearly half a million of which are foreigners. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
By Shilpa Raina

New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Gen X Indians are getting used to shopping online for gifts and flowers. But clothes? Something that you touch and feel and then take into the trial room? Now huge discounts are tempting many to do all this virtually too.

Online portals like 99labels.com and fashionandyou.com are offering up to 70 percent discounts on clothes and accessories from many top-notch Indian and international brands, tempting people to go for online shopping.

According to Ishita Swarup, chief executive and co-founder of 99labels.com, there has been some resistance to the concept of shopping for clothes online, but the dynamics are now changing.

"Online shopping is still at a nascent stage in India, though internationally it is a well-accepted phenomenon. However, due to the comprehensive research that was conducted before our launch, we have been able to incorporate many features into the website that help customers purchase clothes online," Swarup told IANS.

"The increase in Internet usage and increasing awareness of the online shopping experience are the factors that will trigger the acceptance of the online shopping phenomena," she was confident.

It's obviously easier to shop online for accessories like bags, belts or perfumes than for clothes.

Pearl Uppal, CEO of fashionandyou.com, agrees that Indian consumers' buying patterns are based on touch and feel.

"Indians are very value conscious and their buying patterns are based on the touch and feel model. Having said that, we give them such good deals that these hurdles are small," said Uppal.

"To compensate and to make the shopping experience smoother we provide our members with detailed high-end photographic catalogues, meticulous product descriptions, sizing conversion charts and great customer support, making the apparel buying experience easy," she added.

Fashionandyou.com gives discounts on items from international brands like Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Jimmy Choo, among others.

Apart from these regular features, 99labels.com has a dedicated customer care team to address the problems or doubts of its customers.

"Our customer care executives are trained to help customers in the purchase decision, by helping them with sizing along with providing responses to questions on the purchase process, etc. We have found that these support functions have made it easier for customers to buy apparel from our site," said Swarup.

But not everybody has had a happy experience buying clothes online.

"I had ordered lingerie from an online portal. The pictures looked great and the product looked nice. But when it reached me, I was shell-shocked because on the website they had claimed that it was made of silk but it actually was not. I felt cheated," recollects Nandini Sen of Delhi.

But that has not deterred her confidence in online shopping as she feels online portals sell high-end brand items at hugely discounted rates.

"Plus, the best thing about online shopping is that I don't have to move out anywhere. This is a popular concept in the West and I am sure that it is the future of shopping," said Sen.

The portals are also emphasising the ease of shopping from your home, and they don't feel the fear of online credit card fraud is a deterrent any more.

"The Indian online audience has evolved phenomenally over the last five years and as a result and we have found that people are comfortable using their credit cards online. The ever-increasing number of online transactions is a clear indication that e-commerce is arguably the future of business in India," said Swarup.

(Shilpa Raina can be contacted at shilpa.r@ians.in) Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
United Nations, Feb 24 (IANS) India has offered its experience and expertise to the United Nations for its peacekeeping and peace-building efforts saying it stands ready to do more for international peace and security as a partner of the UN.

"India has a proud history of UN peacekeeping dating back to its inception in the 1950s," Hardeep Singh Puri, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, told the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations Tuesday.

"After over sixty years of nation-building in one of the most diverse circumstances, India today has the experience and expertise that could be most useful for the UN in its peacekeeping and its peacebuilding efforts," he said.

"While we have contributed nearly 100,000 troops, eminent force commanders and participated in more than 40 missions, we stand ready to do more in furtherance of international peace and security as a partner of the UN," Puri said.

The Indian envoy saluted "the 118 Indian peacekeepers, as well as those from other countries, who have made the supreme sacrifice and laid down their lives while serving in UN Missions, most recently in Haiti."

Describing peacekeeping as a flagship activity of the UN, Puri noted that in the last two decades, Peacekeeping budgets have increased 27 times; the number of peacekeepers has grown about ten-fold and the number of peacekeeping operations is at an all time high.

Puri said the base of Troop/Police Contributing Countries (TCCs) needs to be expanded further and enhanced efforts must be made to encourage more countries to engage with the UN peacekeeping as troop and police contributors.

The permanent members of the UN Security Council must also demonstrate their political commitment to this endeavour by contributing troops under UN command and control, he said.

Puri also suggested integration of the gender dimensions in all peacekeeping missions noting "the effectiveness of the female Indian Formed Police Unit in Liberia provides testimony."

Noting that bulk of peacekeeping presence is in operations that have undergone protracted conflict, Puri said this situation has arisen due to the tendency of the Security Council to move into certain conflict areas without adequate deliberation.

"We must, at this juncture, avoid the temptation to add further to the repertoire of 'quick-fixes,'" he said, as there cannot be any short cuts in such operations.

"Where effective and durable peace agreements cannot be arrived at, peacekeeping operations need to be prepared for the long-haul." Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
By Arun Kumar

Washington, Feb 24 (IANS) An India-born rocket scientist is all set to unveil a natural gas-fuelled cell box that promises to provide abundant, cheap, clean electricity to light up most American households within the next 10 years.

K.R. Sridhar, 49, founder of the Silicon Valley clean tech start-up Bloom Energy, will bring out his invention at a big press event Wednesday in San Jose, California on the campus of eBay, one of Bloom's first customers.

The event will feature a star-studded lineup that includes California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Secretaery of State Colin Powell, a director of his company, eBay CEO John Donahoe, venture capital firm and early Bloom believer John Doerr of Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfield & Byers.

Sridhar has raised $400 million to produce his magic boxes after eight secretive years of toil. The invention has already created quite a buzz since it was featured on CBS's "60 Minutes" Sunday.

A former professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering and director of the Space Technologies Laboratory (STL) at the University of Arizona, Sridhar also served as an advisor to NASA in the areas of nanotechnology and planetary missions. Sridhar initially developed the idea behind the Bloom Box while working with NASA, as a means of producing oxygen for astronauts landing on Mars.

Sridhar argues that a Bloom Box fuelled by natural gas installed in one's backyard would produce half as much carbon dioxide as a fossil-fuel power plant. As he suggested on "60 Minutes", one bread loaf-sized unit capable of producing one kilowatt of power could power a single American home.

Sridhar provided the first inside look at his Bloom Box, which contains stacks of fuel cells that generate electricity. Natural gas or biofuel are pumped into the Bloom Box to produce clean, scaled-up, and reliable electricity.

The unit does not vibrate, emits no sound, and has no smell, although Sridhar admits to some initial, but minor, glitches at some installations.

He expects his boxes will cost about $3,000 for consumers. Currently, several large technology companies, such as Google and eBay, have been using Bloom Boxes in limited capacity.

EBay said it has already saved $100,000 in electricity costs since its 5 boxes were installed nine months ago. It even claims that the Bloom boxes generate more power than the 3,000 solar panels at its headquarters.

Sridhar received his Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Madras before moving to the US in the 1980s. He earned an MS in Nuclear Engineering and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, home to such start ups as Netscape.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in) Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) Navy man Sanjeev Rajput won the gold in the 50-metre rifle 3-Position event with a new meet record as India took its medals tally to 48, including 23 golds, on the sixth day of the Commonwealth Shooting Championships at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range here Tuesday.

Rajput shot 1272.9 (1172 qualifications, 100.9 final) and broke the meet record of 1260.2 set by Pemmiaha Subbiah in the 1999 edition in New Zealand.

Gagan, who had teamed up with Rajput to win the team gold in the same event, bagged the silver with a score of 1269 (1168 qualification, 101.1 final), while another Indian, Hasan Imran Khan, settled for the bronze with a score of 1259.6 (1161 qualification, 98.6 final).

The second gold of the day came from the 25m center fire pistol team event, where Vijay Kumar teamed up with Mahender Singh to clinch the gold with a score of 1159.

Welshmen Alan Green and Steve Pengelly (1131) got the silver while England's Michael Gault and Iqbal Ubhi bagged the bronze with a score of 1103.

In the 10m air rifle team competition, Indian girls Priya Aggarwal and Neha Sapte settled for the silver after shooting a total of 782 while Bangladesh girls Akhter Sharmm Ratna and Sadiya Sultana bagged the gold with a score of 790.

Ratna and Sultana also broke the meet record of 789 set by India's Suma Dixit and Anjali Bhagwat in 1999. England's Sheree Cox and Sharon Lee got the bronze with a score of 780.

Bangladesh girls also dominated the 10m air rifle individual competition, as Akhter (396) won the gold and Sultana (394) bagged the silver. India's Priya settled for the bronze with a score of 393.

In the women's trap competition, India's Shreyasi Singh shot the silver with a score of 89 and missed the gold by just three points. Northern Ireland's Kirsty Barr got the gold with a score of 86 while the bronze went to Scotland's Shona Marshall (86). Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Tuesday said it is striving to make learning a seamless process through digital libraries.

"With open and distance learning increasingly becoming popular, we are trying to bring in a set of recommendations by experts from across the world to make learning a smooth process," Sudhir Arora, chief librarian of IGNOU, said after the inauguration of an international conference.

Nearly 400 delegates from several countries are participating in the conference, which is also co-hosted by R.K. Pachauri-led The Energy and Research Institute (TERI).

During the next three days, the delegates will debate over several issues related to digital library and come up with a set of recommendations on this field.

Inaugurating the conference late Tuesday evening, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said there is need to develop a software which will help in filtering relevant data in the sea of information.

The minister said this will help researchers looking for specific data.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) The visiting director of the US' Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Robert Mueller Tuesday met with Indian government officials and discussed issues related to Pune blast investigation and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) suspect David Coleman Headley.

According to Home Ministry officials, National Investigation Agency (NIA) director general S.C. Sinha, Intelligence Bureau director Rajiv Mathur and Home Secretary G.K. Pillai took part in the meeting with the senior US official.

They discussed a whole range of issues related to the Pune blast investigation, as well as Headley, who is currently in US custody, and is accused of being involved in the Mumbai terror attacks. India has been trying to get access to Headley.

"There was also talks about increasing cooperation in the coming weeks," said a home ministry official.

In a statement, US Ambassador Timothy Roemer said that the meetings were "further evidence of the robust and active counter-terror cooperation between the US and India".

The US envoy pointed out that there had been an exchange of best practices, from the visit of US rail authorities to observe security on India's railway network to Indian law enforcement officials travelling to New York and Washington.

"These exchanges demonstrated our shared commitment to learning from each other to ensure the safety of our citizens," he said.

Pointing out that terrorism respects no boundaries, as starkly demonstrated by the Pune blast, Roemer said: "We must cooperate globally to protect our citizens locally in their cities, villages and homes." Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) It will be a full house at the majestic Major Dhyanchand National Stadium when Indian hockey team take on Pakistan under floodlights on the first day of the Hero Honda World Cup Sunday. Or, so the organisers want us to believe by showing the sold-out sign for ticket-seekers.

The renovated stadium can pack 16,200 people and the organisers insist that all the 15,000 tickets put on sale have been bought in no time. The rest of the seats will go to the International Hockey Federation (FIH) members and guests, not to mention the VIPs in the capital. Nobody wants to miss the opportunity of watching a truly enthralling hockey.

"There are no tickets now for the first day, even the online booking is closed. Maybe a few tickets of lowest denomination may be available but that,too, will vanish by this evening. This encouraging start augurs well for the sale of tickets for the remaining days. We are very happy with the response of the fans," an excited Hockey India (HI) secretary general Narendra Batra said.

"Sale of tickets for other India matches have also picked up. India's progress in the tournament will encourage the sale of tickets for non-India matches."

There were fears that stringent security measures would keep the fans away from the venue, but things are slowly improving and this is reflected in ticket sales.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the organising committee have been able to convince the security agencies that their guests should be part of the pavilion enclosure along with the VVIPs. The police had earlier refused to let anyone else than the VVIPs into the pavilion bloc.

Batra said the issue was amicably settled and now the VVIPs will be issued invites and others the FIH-HI guest cards.

"There are around 1000 seats that have been kept aside for invitees and players. Due to security guidelines, now the VIP, VVIPs have been given cards instead of tickets," said Batra.

Batra said the organisers are looking into the request from the diplomatic missions of the participating countries to allow their officials to be part of their teams at the stadium. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) While India is struggling to reach a satisfactory level of health infrastructure, the union health ministry may fail to spend over Rs.6,000 crore allocated for the health sector during the current financial year, parliament was informed Tuesday.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said: "An amount of Rs.12,949.95 crore has been spent in 2009-10 up to January 2010 as against the annual plan allocation of Rs.19,534 crore."

This means a sum of about Rs.6,584 crore may remain unspent this year.

Azad said some procedural delays were the reason for so much money being unspent.

"Procedural delays in sanctioning of the schemes/proposals and slow pace of fulfilment of necessary financial requirements for further releases, sometimes lead to under-utilisation of funds," the minister said. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
Gwalior, Feb 23 (IANS) After winning a cliffhanger in Jaipur, India will be looking to seal the three-match series when they face South Africa in the second One-Day International at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium here Wednesday.

The win in Jaipur can be called as a lucky escape for India as poor bowling allowed South Africa to come tantalisingly close before losing the match by a mere one run.

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been critical of his team's mediocre bowling performance and will have to beef up his attacks sans pace spearhead Zaheer Khan and experienced spinner Harbhajan Singh. Dhoni will have to make a choice between Sudip Tyagi and the erratic Sreesanth, who was costly in Jaipur. However, it looks like Tyagi will be playing his fourth ODI.

Dhoni will not like to tinker with his batting order as Virender Sehwag, Dinesh Karthik and Virat Kohli all got good starts but failed to convert these into big totals. But all eyes will be on Sachin Tendulkar, who was run out cheaply for four in the first ODI.

South Africa will take some heart out of their loss in Jaipur and would be pumped up to atone for the defeat. The courageous fight put up by Wayne Parnell and Dale Steyn with the bat that took the visitors to within a run of victory will surely inspire others. And it seems that stand-in skipper Jacques Kallis won't make much changes in his side.

But the onus will be on openers Loots Bosman and Herschelle Gibbs to give South Africa a good start. Like Dhoni, Kallis will also have to make sure that his bowlers don't give away loose runs. In Jaipur, the South African bowlers conceded 13 wides, they can't afford a repeat here. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
Beijing/New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) Pakistan said Tuesday it sought a meaningful dialogue with India, even as it had given China a "blank cheque" for sub-continental mediation - a notion that India immediately shot down.

"Pakistan would welcome any role given to China, because of the trust and confidence we enjoy among each other", Associated Press of Pakistan quoted Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi as saying in Beijing, adding "they have a blank cheque".

"It is for the Indians to decide if they would be comfortable to have China talking as a third party to bridge the gap," Qureshi said in a speech at a China Institute of International Studies.

India was quick to react, with Defence Minister A.K. Antony saying in New Delhi: "There is no place for a third country in our talks... only bilateral."

Noting that "Pakistan wants a meaningful dialogue with India", Qureshi said the talks between the foreign secretaries of the two countries in New Delhi on Thursday would be an exploratory meeting.

"We have to see what comes out of the meeting on February 25," he said while responding to a question after delivering his speech.

Pakistan was showing a constructive approach and if India also exhibits the same spirit, "obviously the progress will be made", he observed.

Qureshi, however, made it clear that if India restricts the agenda of the talks or tries to narrow them down, "much progress will not be achieved".

He said that Pakistan was never shy of talking with India and regretted that New Delhi had "unilaterally" frozen the composite dialogue in the wake of the "unfortunate and tragic" 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

Pakistan, Qureshi said, recognized the significance and the progress made through the composite dialogue. Both sides had completed four rounds while the fifth round was to be initiated.

"After 14 months, they have re-engaged with us and have invited us for a dialogue", he noted, adding that all issues of concern to both sides should be brought on the table so that the dialogue is serious and meaningful. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) In an open letter to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, 20 experts in their respective fields have demanded that the union budget allocate more funds for health this year.

The government should also make serious attempts to reduce child mortality, which is one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that have to be met by 2015, the letter added. The union budget will be presented Friday.

The letter has been signed by people like well-known actor Shabana Azmi, photographer Raghu Rai, filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani and wildlife conservationist Ravi Singh besides a host of civil activists.

"Government spending on health stands at 1.1 percent of the GDP - one of the lowest in the world. If India is to deliver the promise on the MDGs, it must renew its commitment to stop children from dying needlessly. Simple low-cost interventions effectively delivered for those who need it the most can save lives," the letter said.

"The government made a promise to increase the health budget to three percent. This needs to happen now. The 2010 budget must begin to reflect the government's intent to reduce child and maternal mortality. At the same time, the government must ensure the efficient use of allocated funds in the states with the highest levels of child and maternal mortality," it added.

"We ask the government to demonstrate the political will to stop this silent epidemic that is diminishing the country's future," the letter further said. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) In an open letter to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, 20 experts in their respective fields have demanded that the union budget allocate more funds for health this year.

The government should also make serious attempts to reduce child mortality, which is one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that have to be met by 2015, the letter added. The union budget will be presented Friday.

The letter has been signed by people like well-known actor Shabana Azmi, photographer Raghu Rai, filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani and wildlife conservationist Ravi Singh besides a host of civil activists.

"Government spending on health stands at 1.1 percent of the GDP - one of the lowest in the world. If India is to deliver the promise on the MDGs, it must renew its commitment to stop children from dying needlessly. Simple low-cost interventions effectively delivered for those who need it the most can save lives," the letter said.

"The government made a promise to increase the health budget to three percent. This needs to happen now. The 2010 budget must begin to reflect the government's intent to reduce child and maternal mortality. At the same time, the government must ensure the efficient use of allocated funds in the states with the highest levels of child and maternal mortality," it added.

"We ask the government to demonstrate the political will to stop this silent epidemic that is diminishing the country's future," the letter further said. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) The decision to implement the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from April 1 has been deferred with the chairman of the panel constituted to build consensus on the issue saying that it was not feasible to implement the new tax regime by the due date.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has asked the empowered committee of state finance ministers, headed by West Bengal Finance Minister Asim Sengupta, to work out a GST package whereby states have to share 50 percent of the losses due to Central Sales Tax for the current financial year.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Mukherjee admitted that the chairman of the empowered committee had expressed the opinion that it is not feasible to implement GST from the due date -- April 1.

"It was decided that discussions on GST will be continued in another meeting in early April," Mukherjee said in his written reply.

A joint working group comprising officers of the central government, a few state governments and the empowered committee of the state finance ministers, has been constituted to prepare drafts of the constitutional amendment bill, central and state GST legislation, added Mukherjee.

The government had set a target for uniform rollout of GST for April 1 but states are not willing to give up their powers that let them levy taxes unilaterally. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) Just like they do in case of ragging, university students should be made to sign undertakings against sexual harassment in order to curb such cases on campuses, said professors of prominent varsities in the capital Tuesday.

At a panel discussion on sexual harassment on the campus at Jamia Milia Islamia (JMI), R. Gopinath, a senior professor of the varsity said: "Like ragging, students should be asked to sign a bond on sexual harassment at the time of admission. This will put the message across that sexual harassment will not be tolerated in any form."

He further said that along with students, teaching and non-teaching staff should also be asked to sign similar undertakings.

Agreeing with him, Janaki Abraham of Delhi University (DU) said there have been several cases of complaints of harassment by students against their teachers, and therefore such an initiative will be more than welcome.

While JMI is still struggling with bringing out of a policy on sexual harassment, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and DU have concrete policies on the same.

Rupamanjari Ghosh who heads the Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH) at JNU said: "JNU was very prompt to form a committee on sexual harassment, but it took us a long time to come out with a proper policy framework. A lot of things had to be kept in mind - there may be false cases, cases in which the victim and the perpetrator were of the same sex."

Since a lot of harassment cases on students take place out of the varsity campuses, the professors further said that select private accommodations of students should be brought under the administration's purview.

"Universities don't have enough space to accommodate all students because of which most students are forced to look for offsite accommodations. Not all of these private hostels may be safe, therefore universities should bring some of these places under their purview so that the security of their students is ensured," Abraham said. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
Bhopal, Feb 23 (IANS) Taking the lead, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Tuesday declared his assets in the state assembly.

According to his declaration, he has Rs.13 lakh in cash in his bank accounts, besides 64 gm gold jewellery, household goods worth Rs.1.80 lakh, and a house worth Rs.3 lakh in Vidisha district.

He also owns 4.79 acres of farmland in Sehore district's Jait village, 1.29 hectares agricultural land in Vidisha district and a house here worth about Rs.23 lakh which he has purchased on bank loan.

Chouhan said he pays an annual premium of about Rs.17,000 to an insurance company and has deposited Rs.60,000 in the National Savings Certificate scheme, besides providing Rs.14 lakh as advance to his wife Sadhna.

His wife, according to Chouhan owns 470 gm gold jewellery while he himself also owns a revolver.

Chouhan had a week ago said: "The property details of all ministers, including myself, will be tabled in the ensuing assembly session and all ministers have agreed to it while the property details of bureaucrats and police officers would be put up on website."

Earlier, Madhya Pradesh Information Commissioner P.P. Tiwari had Feb 15 directed the public information officers (PIOs) of the state government's departments to provide the details of the declaration of property of administrative officers in the state.

Tiwari's decision had come in response to a petition by Choudhary Rakesh Singh, the deputy leader of opposition in the state assembly, demanding that officials file property returns of the last three years in public interest.

The appellant had demanded that all civil servants should declare their property details as it concerns matters of public interest.

The appellant had argued that if public representatives like MPs and legislators had to declare their property details even before assuming positions of power, then bureaucrats, who already enjoy power, should not be exempted from the same.

Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh government has also asked all government officials to put up details of their immovable property on the website of their respective departments by April 30 or else face disciplinary action. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) Several clauses of the 2009 draft of the National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority Bill, which is awaiting the cabinet's approval, go against India's Constitution, a leading biosafety expert said here Tuesday.

The 2009 draft of the bill, proposed by the government's Department for Science and Technology, seeks to make a national biotech regulator the ultimate authority on approvals and clearances instead of the existing committees under the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

The bill has already drawn severe criticism for failing to be transparent in its dealings. On Tuesday noted biosafety expert Vandana Shiva lashed out against two specific clauses.

"The bill says not only can we not make choices about our food but we can't even speak about safety. We can be jailed and fined. That does not happen in a democracy!

"Finding out that for expressing your right to safe food, you can be thrown into jail is the highest level of terrorism and we will not allow the state to become a terrorist," Shiva told reporters.

Shiva, who was speaking at an event to celebrate the success of the GM (genetically modified) free movement in India, said that Articles 63 and 81 of the bill went "against the constitution" and despite this "the PM's office has pushed for this law directly".

"Under our constitution, health and agriculture are state subjects. After the public consultations there were 13 states who opposed Bt Brinjal cultivation. Article 63 talks about quelling the GM free movement. This article will be as good as killing democracy," Shiva asserted.

She also denounced indications in media reports that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would soon deliberate with Science and Technology Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on the moratorium on commercial cultivation of Bt Brinjal imposed by Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.

"There is an attempt to dismantle existing laws like the Environment Protection Act to establish a food dictatorship in this country and deregulate the biotech industry - but the public hearings showed that the Indian public cannot be taken for a ride.

"The PM has said that Jairam Ramesh will not have the last word. Well he never had the last word, it was the people of India who did. It was the public consultations which he reflected in his decision on the moratorium," Shiva said.

She said: "These attempts to get the prime minister to undo democracy in this country by Sharad Pawar is not acceptable to us. The movement that mobilised for the public hearing is going to grow. We will defend our food democracy and sovereignty." Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) Ahead of foreign secretary-level talks, India Tuesday made it clear that there was no space for third country mediation with Pakistan.

"There is no place for a third country in our talks? only bilateral," Defence Minister A.K. Antony told reporters outside Parliament House.

He was reacting to a statement in Beijing by visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi that China has a "blank cheque" to mediate between the two countries.

"It is for the Indians to decide if they would be comfortable to have China talking as a third party to bridge the gap," Qureshi said in a speech at a China Institute of International Studies.

The foreign secretary-level talks Thursday will be the first official-level meeting after India suspended the composite dialogue in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai carnage that New Delhi has blamed on Pakistani terrorists.

India has said that the talks will focus on countering terror but that other issues of mutual concern could also be discussed.

The seven-member Pakistani delegation, led by Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, will arrive 4.30 p.m. Wednesday by a Pakistan International Airlines flight. The same evening, Bashir will meet with a delegation of the moderate faction of Kashmir's Hurriyat conference led by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq.

The formal talks will be held Thursday at Hyderabad House, after which Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao is likely to host a working luncheon for the visitors. The Pakistani foreign secretary will call on Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna.

A joint press conference is unlikely with the external affairs ministry expected to release a press release on Thursday.

The Pakistan High Commission may, however, organize a press conference by its foreign secretary, who will leave for Islamabad, via Lahore, Friday. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) The food and agriculture ministry Tuesday defended its decision to export 10,000 tonnes of sugar to the European Union saying that an equivalent amount of sugar will be imported in this season -- ensuring there was no reduction in the availability of the essential commodity in the domestic market.

"There will be no net export of sugar from the country," said the ministry in a statement here.

The ministry was reacting to reports in a section of the media that the central government allowed export of 10,000 tonnes of sugar to the European Union (EU) even though there was shortage of supply domestically.

The ministry statement pointed out that EU is a vast market with high degree of potential for export of Indian agricultural products and India may lose its share in the market there if it did not supply the required sugar this season.

The ministry said: "The food and public distribution department agreed with the recommendation of the department of commerce and allowed export of 10,000 tonnes of sugar to EU countries through Indian Sugar Exim Corporation subject to the condition that the said corporation import equivalent quantity of sugar in this season (October 2009 to September 2010)."

"The department of food and public distribution will issue export release order to M/s Indian Sugar Exim Corporation only after receipt of requisite documents from the corporation relating to import of 10,000 tonnes of sugar as per said condition," the statement said.

Media reports Feb 19 said the issue of exporting 10,000 tonnes of sugar to EU despite its price doubling in the domestic market in a year has put NCP chief Sharad Pawar's food and agriculture ministry and Congress leader Anand Sharma's commerce ministry at loggerheads, with both shifting responsibility for the decision. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) The Union government expenditure on measures to adapt to climate change has increased a measly one percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in past four years, a study released here Tuesday said.

The study conducted by NGO Oxfam and the Center for Budget and Governance Accountability found that the government's expenditure on adaptation to climate change was 1.7 percent of the GDP, contrary to the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) claim of government spending 2.6 percent.

"In fact, based on our study we found that expenditure on adaptation to climate change shows a paltry increase of one percent of GDP from 2006-07 to 2009-2010," the study found.

The NGO studied over 146 government schemes related to climate change under various ministries over a period of four years.

"However, this one percent rise in infrastructure has been largely due to increase in expenditure on some specific programmes relating mainly to poverty alleviation like National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGA), in which the expenditure has doubled," it said.

The study classifies government's expenditure on adaptation to climate change into two broad area - expenditure towards enhancing human capabilities and towards conservation and management of natural resources.

The study finds that in 2009-10, expenditure towards enhancing human capabilities constituted more than 80 percent of government total expenditure on adaptation on climate change while a meagre 0.5 percent of GDP was spent on conservation of natural resources.

"Sectors that are crucial to any adaptation interventions such as food security, health, rural and urban housing for the poor, and infrastructure for education have received inadequate attention. These sectors need to be integrated into country's adaptation policy network," said Nisha Agrawal, chief executive officer of Oxfam India.

The study argued that a National Adaptation Fund should be set up by the government to provide dedicated financial resources to sector that are vulnerable to climate change. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) Kingfisher Airlines Tuesday said it has signed an accord to join a global alliance among 11 carriers called Oneworld and has filed an application with the civil aviation ministry for necessary approvals.

The process to bring any airline on board the Oneworld would normally take around 18 months and Kingfisher hopes to start flying as part of this global pact from next year, said a company statement.

The move comes against the backdrop of another Indian carrier, the state-run Air India, announcing its decision in 2006 to join a rival interline pact, the Star Alliance.

"Becoming part of Oneworld would be one of our most significant steps so far -- and is right in line with our vision to become one of the world's top airlines," Kingfisher chairman Vijay Mallya said in the statement.

"It will also strengthen us financially, through revenues from passengers transferring to our network from our Oneworld partners and the cost reduction opportunities the alliance offers."

Global interline packs like Oneworld and Star Alliance entail severl benefits to member carriers like improved product offering, better service standards, access to new markets and premium customers and partnership with leading global carriers.

The pacts also allow sharing of airport lounges and synchronisation of flight schedules, which will permit seamless travel for a passenger on a single air ticket, even if it requires flying several carriers on a single journey.

Kingfisher's move will add 58 cities to the Oneworld map, all of them in India, and also expand its network to 800 destinations in 150 countries. The combined fleet size will be of 2,350 aircraft, operating some 9,000 flights a day to ferry 340 million passengers annually.

Seven Oneworld members American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Japan Airlines, Qantas and Royal Jordanian already serve five gateways in India between them --- Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai.

Its other members are Iberia, LAN, Malev Hungarian Airlines and Mexicana.

"Kingfisher Airlines is an ideal fit for Oneworld. It has a strong focus on customer service and its network expands what the alliance currently offers," said Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways, which is sponsoring the Indian carrier's entry.

Kingfisher was launched in 2005 and now has an average of 383 daily departures. It carried 10.9 million passengers during 2008-09 with a share of 27 percent of the domestic Indian air travel market.

It launched its first international routes in September 2008 and now serves the Oneworld hubs of Bangkok, Hong Kong, London Heathrow and Singapore. This apart, it also serves Colombo, Dubai and Dhaka, flying to 70 destinations -- 63 of them in India. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
By Mayank Aggarwal

New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) Dedicated buses, GPS-based vehicles, CCTVs...Organisers of the Commonwealth Games in the Indian capital are leaving no stone unturned to ensure a smooth and secure ride for international athletes, support staff and the media.

Right from the time they land here to the time they fly back, elaborate plans have been drawn up by the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (CGOC) to take care of athletes during the Oct 3-14 event.

The CGOC is leaving nothing to chance after reports from private security experts scared sportspersons from Australia, England and New Zealand, saying they would be going to India at their own risk.

Jiji Thomson, the Kerala cadre IAS officer who holds a pivotal position in the CGOC, said things have more or less fallen in place and the security agencies have an impeccable blueprint to protect athletes and officials as they move around the city.

"Keeping in mind all the concerns, everything has been planned to the minutest possible detail. After the athletes arrive at the recently renovated Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), they would be taken to the Games Village near the Akshardham temple in east Delhi through air-conditioned low-floor CNG buses," Thomson told IANS in an interview.

The security agencies, CGOC and the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) would be working in close coordination at the airport and there would be a dedicated parking area for the Games vehicles at IGIA to avoid traffic glitches.

"Every bus carrying athletes would be accompanied by a well-equipped security vehicle to ensure its safety. There would be dedicated traffic lanes for the Games vehicles," Thomson said.

A transport hub is coming up near the Millennium Park for the Games vehicles and a transport mall at the Village.

"There will be a 24X7 control room manned by traffic police, DTC officials and CGOC volunteers and they will supervise all transport operations through GPS (Global Positioning System)-based vehicle tracking system. And there will also be CCTVs to aid security," he added.

There will also be dedicated buses to carry athletes and team officials to different competition and training venues and back to the Village. Their designated primary routes and secondary routes in emergency have already been identified.

"On the day of the opening and closing ceremonies, nearly 7,500 athletes and support staff would have to be transported to the Jawahalal Nehru Stadium within two to three hours. It will be a gigantic effort and it will be done without a hassle," Thomson told IANS.

Then there are plans to make over 100,000 expected tourists to the Games feel comfortable.

Over 500 buses would be pressed into service to cater to an estimated 7,500 athletes and their support staff, 1,250 technical officials and 3,000 mediapersons and broadcasters. They will all use dedicated buses.

For mediapersons, a shuttle bus service would be available from their hotels to the various venues and to the main Press Centre and the International Broadcasting Centre at Pragati Maidan.

CGOC has also earmarked hundreds of limousines, sedans, SUVs and other swanky vehicles for the Games VIPs who include senior officials of the Commonwealth Games Federation and the CGOC.

"These cars will probably be sponsored by the automobile manufacturers and we are in discussions with them," Thomson said.

The CGOC has also devised a 'Vehicle Access and Parking Permit Scheme' (VAPPS) to control all vehicle access and parking entitlement during the Commonwealth Games.

"At the end of it all, the arrangements will be to everyone's satisfaction and nothing will go wrong for want of effort," said a confident Thomson.

Shooters have already dispelled the fears, describing the security cover provided to them in two words - "best ever"! The shooters at the Commonwealth championship are impressed with the impregnable four-layer security ring the athletes will have at all the venues during the Games, starting with an outer level, then middle, then inner and finally the exclusive.

(Mayank Aggarwal can be contacted at mayank.a@ians.in) Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) As many as 22 government bungalows or flats are occupied by high profile politicians and VIPs, the union Urban Development Ministry said in reply to a Right to Information (RTI) application.

The latest list of 22 persons features several politicians like Congress' Jagdish Tytler and Renuka Chowdhury, Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan, ex-Samajwadi Party MP Saleem Sherwani, lawyer Ram Jethmalani, and the family of former prime minister V.P. Singh, among others.

The list was given in a reply to RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal who sought a list of unauthorised occupants of government bungalows and flats from the ministry.

Agrawal had asked what steps have been taken to throw the goods of unauthorised occupants like was done in case of former parliamentarian Ramdas Athawale, who was evicted from his government bungalow last year after he lost the Lok Sabha elections.

The ministry's directorate of estates replied: "Such steps would be taken under the provision of P.P. (Public Premises) Act as and when considered necessary."

"There are different yard-sticks even in tackling law-breaking unauthorized (VVIP) occupants of government accommodations. The latest list of such law-breaking VVIPs reveals that government has failed to take concrete steps to get government accommodations vacated from 22 encroachers even after 10 months of Lok Sabha elections and several RTI petitions, while extreme step of forceful eviction was taken in case of Ramdas Athawale and another," Agrawal said.

"The government should explain why similar forceful eviction is not being done in case of remaining 22 VVIP encroachers," he added.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) It seems to be a season of recalls for the automobile industry with Maruti Suzuki now deciding to call back some 100,000 'A-Star' cars from the Indian market for a faulty fuel pump.

"In November 2009, we came across an anomaly reported in the fuel tank in some of the vehicles and by December 2009, we started contacting the customers through letters," the company said in a statement.

"These vehicles belonged to a lot made till Aug 22, 2009 only. In case fuel is filled to the brim, beyond the fuel auto cut off position, a possible fuel leakage from the fuel pump mounting area may take place. No problem has been reported by customers."

But as a matter of caution, the company said it decided to check all vehicles from the lot and the fuel pump gasket and ring were being replaced for around 100,000 cars including those exported overseas.

The news had an immediate impact on the company's shares on the Bombay Stock Exchange, where its scrip fell to an intra-day low of Rs.1,320.25, to log a loss of 4.4 percent, before gaining some ground to close at Rs.1,336.85 with a loss of 3.24 percent.

Maruti's decision comes barely a month after the Indian arm of another Japanese company Honda decided to recall 8,532 'City' sedans manufactured in 2007 from India for a part replacement of power window switches that had the potential to catch fire.

"The third generation 'City' currently sold in India is not affected and does not require any part replacement," the company spokesperson said, after its parent called back 646,000 'Jazz' hatchbacks globally, excluding India.

Honda said there was a potential problem of smoke coming out from power window switches of its Indian City models manufactured in 2007 if water seeps in when left open during heavy rain or due to spillage of liquid.

The news dealt another blow to the Japanese car industry after Toyota Motor Corp announced massive recalls around the world. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
Patna, Feb 23 (IANS) The opposition created an uproar in the Bihar assembly Tuesday over the demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the multi-crore excise scam.

The opposition, on the second day of the month-long budget session of the Bihar assembly, raised slogans for a CBI probe into the scam that forced assembly speaker Udai Narayan Choudhry to adjourn the state assembly till noon.

Some opposition members neared the speker's podium and raised slogans against the state government led by Nitish Kumar.

Opposition members announced they would march to the governor's house to submit a memorandum demanding a CBI probe into the scam.

Last week Bihar Excise Minister Jamshed Ashraf was sacked after he alleged there was a "multi-crore scam" in his department that involved people in the chief minister's secretariat.

Ashraf created a storm nearly two weeks ago when he spoke of a Rs.500 crore fraud in the excise department, with alleged connivance of senior bureaucrats.

He also questioned Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's "silence" on the issue, claiming he had shot off letters to him and Chief Secretary Anup Mukherjee asking for a probe into the graft. He also threatened to reveal more on a public platform in the coming days.

Last week Nitish Kumar rejected the opposition demand for a CBI probe into the scam.

Nitish Kumar brushed aside the charges by Ashraf stating that nobody could influence or purchase him.

A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in the Patna High Court seeking a probe by the CBI into the alleged excise scam. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) Global IT major HP Tuesday unveiled technology solutions for the retail sector and small and medium businesses, designed to cut costs and enhance customer experience.

The retail technologies launched here include touch-enabled personal computers, point-of-sale systems, and LCD digital signages with an interactive display.

"In-store technology solutions have the potential to transform the retail sector in 2010," said Chua Hwee Koon, vice president of the mobile business unit, in the company's Asia Pacific region.

HP is also currently testing a giant interactive touch screen wall that reduced the potential for damage by interpreting gestures without the requirement of direct touch.

The state-of-the-art screen will enable customers in a shop try on clothes virtually by dragging different sizes and styles onto a life-size three dimensional image of themselves.

The global IT giant, also showcased products and solutions targeted at the small and medium sized businesses in India, including an affordable high definition video-conferencing software that allows live, real-time connectivity for face-to-face meetings.

The small and medium sized businesses account for 30 percent of the total commercial IT spend in India.

According to market intelligence firm IDC, the biggest market transformation in the sector in 2010 will be the small business's attitude towards technology, which will be increasingly viewed as integral to long-term success. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has threatened to stall proceedings in parliament on Wednesday as well though assuring that the presentation of the rail budget would not be disrupted.

"Till the motions being moved by the opposition on the issue of price rise is accepted, the house proceedings will be stalled," said BJP spokesperson S.S. Ahluwalia. He added that the railway budget would not be disrupted.

Both houses of parliament were adjourned Tuesday over the price rise issue.

"The entire opposition wanted a motion which was not merely a debating proposition but on which the house would also vote," Ahluwalia told reporters.

In the Rajya Sabha, the opposition wanted a debate under rules 167 and 168 under which the motion could be voted upon. In the Lok Sabha, an adjournment motion was moved.

While a discussion under an adjournment motion only requires voting, that under rules 167 and 168 requires both voting and the sense of the house to be recorded.

Ahluwalia said the government wanted to escape a parliamentary referendum in both houses. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
Aizawl, Feb 23 (IANS) Mizoram will introduce helicopter services in the mountainous northeastern state to not only take the administration into remote areas but also to boost tourism, officials said here Tuesday.

"Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla held a meeting last week with the top official of state-owned helicopter services company Pawan Hans. Another meeting between officials of the state government and Pawan Hans would be held to finalise the details of the chopper services," a senior Mizoram transport department official told IANS.

"The proposed helicopter services, with subsidised fare, can be used by tourists to visit tourist spots in the picturesque state. Ministers and officials would also be able to make visits to far-flung areas for administrative purposes."

The government-owned Pawan Hans has been operating for the past nine years in the interior areas of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tripura and Sikkim with the central government subsidising fares by 75 percent.

The union tourism ministry in association with state governments has decided to introduce 'heli-tourism' in the northeastern states by extending chopper services.

"To promote rural tourism, helicopter services would be operated in select tourism spots in northeastern states," said Madhusudhan Bhattacharjee, managing director of Tripura Tourism Development Corp.

Bhattacharjee told IANS: "The union tourism ministry is scrutinising the 'heli-tourism' proposals received from the state governments of the region." Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
Washington, Feb 23 (IANS) Malicious software can now invade new generations of smart mobile phones, potentially with more serious consequences, says an Indian American computer scientist.

"Smart phones are essentially becoming regular computers," said Vinod Ganapathy, assistant professor of computer science at the Rutgers University' School of Arts and Sciences.

Ganapathy, who did his B.Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering from IIT Bombay in 2001, said: "They run the same class of operating systems as desktop and laptop computers, so they are just as vulnerable to attack by malicious software, or malware."

Researchers, led by Ganapathy and Liviu Iftode, Rutgers' professor, demonstrated how such a software attack could cause a smart phone to eavesdrop on a meeting, track its owner's travels, or rapidly drain its battery to render the phone useless.

These actions could happen without the owner being aware of what happened or what caused them. Smart phones are cellular phones that also offer Internet accessibility, SMS and e-mail capabilities and a variety of programmes commonly called "apps" or applications.

Ganapathy and Iftode worked with three students to study a nefarious type of malware known as "rootkits". Unlike viruses, rootkits attack the heart of a computer's software - its operating system.

They can only be detected from outside a corrupted operating system with a specialised tool known as a virtual machine monitor, which can examine every system operation and data structure.

Virtual machine monitors exist for desktop computers, but in current form, they demand more processing resources and energy than a portable phone can support.

Rootkit attacks on smart phones or upcoming tablet computers could be more devastating because smart phone owners tend to carry their phones with them all the time.

This creates opportunities for potential attackers to eavesdrop, extract personal information from phone directories, or just pinpoint a user's whereabouts by querying the phone's Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver.

Smart phones also have new ways for malware to enter the system, such as through a Bluetooth radio channel or via text message, says a Rutgers' release.

"What we're doing today is raising a warning flag," Iftode said. "We're showing that people with general computer proficiency can create rootkit malware for smart phones. The next step is to work on defences."

These findings are being presented at a mobile computing workshop this week in Maryland. Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
By Sanjay Sharma

Bhopal, Feb 23 (IANS) Even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lauded the "compassionate" governance of its Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan at its Indore meeting last week, a human rights group said Madhya Pradesh was a state where 71.4 percent tribal children were malnourished and 82.5 percent anaemic.

In its recent report to the UN Human Rights Council, the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) also added that 43 children had died of malnutrition in just three tribal villages in the last three months.

The ALRC - which has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) - has written that in Madhya Pradesh the mortality rate among tribal children under the age of five is far higher than the state and national average.

Noting the conditions of mass deprivation, especially hunger, malnutrition and distress migration in Madhya Pradesh, the report states that the chances of survival of a tribal child in the state are low, with 71.4 percent tribal children being malnourished and 82.5 percent being anaemic.

The ALRC and its sister organisation, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), reporting on the situation of child malnutrition and its causes in four tribal-dominated districts - Khandwa, Rewa, Sidhi, and Jhabua - since 2009, also note the mismatch in the number of below poverty line (BPL) families in the state.

"While the central government claims that there were 4.2 million BPL families in the state, according to the state, the number is 6.5 million, meaning that 2.3 million families in Madhya Pradesh are denied BPL status," the report says.

It states that while 67 percent of the people in Madhya Pradesh live below the poverty line, 60 percent of the children are undernourished, 73.9 percent tribal women are anaemic and health services accounts for merely 2.4 percent of the state budget.

"Add to it, one bed is available for every 2,425 persons in hospitals and more than 1,300 out of 5,005 doctors' posts are vacant. Although child malnutrition has increased over the last five years, not even one primary health centre (PHC) has been built and 1,659 out of 4,708 medical officer posts remain vacant at the centres," says the report.

Madhya Pradesh has repeatedly been in the news for acute malnutrition among children and other distress conditions like loss of livelihood and cases of human rights violation, says Seema Prakash of Spandan, an organisation working on malnutrition in Khandwa.

"This is not the first time that the grim public health situation in the state has been exposed. The National Family Health Survey-III (NFHS-III) has also brought out a similar picture," Anandi Lal of the Satna-based Adiwasi Adhikar Manch told IANS.

"According to NFHS-III, 60 percent of the children in the 0-3 years category in Madhya Pradesh are malnourished, with 82.6 percent children in the same age group being anaemic. The infant mortality rate (IMR) in the state stands at 70/1,000, while IMR for tribal areas is 95.6/1,000."

"The less than satisfactory functioning of the state Women and Child Development Department, visible in the poor performance of anganwadi centres in addressing malnutrition in rural areas, has only aggravated the problem," added Seema Jain of the Right to Food Campaign.

At its Indore conclave, party leader Sushma Swaraj praised Chouhan for providing a "compassionate" government in the state and said his record on social infrastructure should be recorded in the party documents.

(Sanjay Sharma can be contacted at sanjay.s@ians.in) Wednesday, February 24, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) Uproar over the rising prices of food forced Speaker Meira Kumar to adjourn the Lok Sabha after a furious opposition demanded top priority to a discussion on the issue.

Meira Kumar adjourned the house till noon after opposition MPs including those from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) demanded that their adjournment motion be accepted and all other businesses of the house postponed to discuss the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities.

The house witnessed noisy scenes soon after the speaker introduced Sushma Swaraj of the BJP as the new Leader of Opposition welcoming her.

"I extend warm welcome to her," she said.

Meira Kumar also thanked former leader of the opposition L.K. Advani for his support in running the house.

Swaraj returned the compliment to the speaker but said she was compelled to move an adjournment motion "because the government has been sleeping over the price rise issue".

"I am sorry but the people are suffering. We want discussion on top priority basis. All the businesses should be delayed. The price rise is the most important issue," Swaraj said.

"Please accept my adjournment motion. We will allow the house to function but price rise should be discussed first."

Other opposition members shouted slogans against the government forcing the speaker to adjourn the house. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
Melbourne, Feb 23 (IANS) Streets of Melbourne were not safe for Indians and the government should spend money on policing and preventing racial attacks to improve relationship, Australia's Opposition Leader Tony Abott said Tuesday.

The remarks came in the wake of government's move to arrange accommodation for a team of Indian journalists touring Down Under.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is spending $250,000 on flights and five-star accommodation for the journalists in a bid to clear up a diplomatic row over a series of attacks on Indians, the AAP reported quoting Herald Sun.

During their visit, the team of 25 reporters will tour the Melbourne Cricket Ground and see the concerts of Bollywood composer AR Rahman scheduled to be held in Sydney and Melbourne.

Abbott said the money would be better spent preventing the bashing which was the basic "PR problem" between India and Australia.

"I think it would be much better spending the money on better policing of our streets because that's the basic problem," Abbott told Fairfax Radio Network.

"Our streets aren't safe, particularly the streets of Melbourne, which appear to have been pretty seriously under-policed.

"If you didn't have these racially motivated bashings in unsafe streets we wouldn't have the PR problem, so let's go to the heart of the matter."

According to the DFAT, about $10,000 would be spent on each of the visiting reporters.

Spokesman of the Federation of Indian Students in Australia Gautum Gupta said that the visits were "just marketing junkets paid for by the taxpayer", tightly scheduled and designed to gloss over problems. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
Kolkata, Feb 23 (IANS) The Indian Army Monday said the term "jawan" denoted a soldier of the army and urged that it should not be used to describe equivalent personnel in the police and paramilitary forces.

"Incorrect use of the term jawan may project an undesired image of an organisation nationally as well as internationally.

"It is requested that personnel equivalent to jawans of the Indian Army serving in police or paramilitary organisation should be addressed as 'policemen' or paramilitary persons," a press communique, issued by the office of a Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesperson (Eastern Command), said.

It also pointed out that the term 'jawan' was coined by late prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.

"Lal Bahadur Shastriji had first coined the slogan 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan'. Since then the word has become synonymous to the soldiers of the Indian Army," it said. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
Jammu, Feb 22 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Monday night lashed out at stone-pelting demonstrators and "their patrons", blaming them for the death of a 10-day-old infant in north Kashmir's Baramulla district earlier during the day.

Talking to media persons here, Omar said he wanted to know from those supporting the stone throwers what punishment should be awarded to the killers of the infant.

"I will take strong action against the killers of the baby," he said, vowing that he would not allow 700 stone-throwers to hold hostage the entire population of the state.

Police said a taxi with Irfan and his mother coming to Baramulla hospital from Dangiwachi area of the district was stopped by protesters at Chakla, 5 km from Baramulla town.

"The mother was carrying the baby to Baramulla district hospital for treatment when a mob of stone-pelting protesters attacked the vehicle. The mother and other occupants pleaded with the protesters that they should be allowed to carry the baby to the hospital, but in vain," a senior police officer said in Srinagar.

Another son of the woman suffered injuries during the stone pelting.

Abdullah claimed that there was a well-knit network behind the stone-pelting protesters. "A business house is also involved, and we are going to bring everything before the public," he said.

He said that the people have the right to safety and security and they cannot be left to the mercy of the stone-throwers. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) Indian shooters set the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range ablaze with three meet records and took their tally of golds to 13 on the fifth day of the Commonwealth Shooting Championships here Monday.

Indian air pistol ace, Samaresh Jung continued his great form by winning his second gold in the championship in the 10-metre Air Pistol event. He scored 583.3 points to break his own previous record of 583 points. Zakir Khan of India bagged silver with 576 points while England's Michael Gault bagged the bronze medal with 574 points.

The second gold of the day came from Navy man Sanjeev Rajput in the men's 50m 3 positions rifle event. Rajput grabbed the gold with 1170 points while England's James Huckle took the silver with 1158 points. India's Imran Hasan Khan won the bronze with 1155 points.

In the men's 50m 3 Positions Rifle team event, the combined score of 2323 points by India's Sanjeev Rajput and Gagan Narang ensured the gold for the country.

They broke the previous record of 2279 points set by Rajput and Sushil Ghalay set at the 2005 meet in Australia. The English shooting pair of James Huckle and Parr Jr Ken bagged the silver medal with 2295 points and Scotland's duo Graham Rudd and Neil Stirton scored 2266 points to bag bronze medal.

India swept all medals in the 25-metre rapid fire pistol category. Vijay Kumar continued his brilliant performance helping India to add gold to its kitty. He scored a spectacular total score of 775 points breaking the previous record of 760.6 points.

Interestingly, he also broke the qualifying record made by compatriot Pemba Tamang in 2005 of 565 points by scoring 581 points in the qualifying round. India's Gurpreet Singh finished a close second with his score of 774 points bagging the silver while the bronze was taken by Pemba, who scored 756 points.

In the men's trap pairs event, Australia's Adam Vella and Michael McNabb won the first gold of the championship for their country with a combined score of 194 points. India's Manavjeet Singh Sandhu and Birendeep Sodhi won the silver medal with 191 points. England's Aaron Heading and James Sole had to content themselves with the bronze for their score of 182 points.

In the women's Trap Pairs event, England's Anita North and Charlotte Kerwood bagged the third gold for their country by scoring a total of 87 points. Australia's Laetisha Scalan and Catherine Skinner bagged the silver medal by scoring 85 points. Scotland's Shona Marshall and Linda Pearson bagged the first bronze for their country. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) Contrary to claims made by former captain and Olympian Pargat Singh, Hockey India (HI) said Monday that they are taking all possible steps to make the World Cup starting here Sunday a resounding success.

"We are fully geared to host the Hero Honda FIH World Cup competition here from Feb 28 to March 13. Australia and Pakistan teams have already arrived in India and the other teams have intimated their arrival schedule as well. The technical officials from overseas have also started arriving. All this augurs well for the success of the competition," said HI secretary general Narendra Batra.

Batra's statement comes after Pargat, who is also the secretary of Hockey Punjab, came down heavily on HI for its shoddy work ahead of World Cup.

Pargat called the organisational set-up "pathetic" and said that that the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has been too soft on HI.

"Nobody knows who's handling the show. There is a lack of vision and planning and everyone is passing the buck. Never in my career have I seen such a shoddy organisation of an event. FIH has been too soft on HI. The World Cup was supposed to be the showcase event for us. Now I am worried about Commonwealth Games," he told reporters at Punjab Bhavan.

Pargat also wondered why media is not being allowed to cover the national team's practice.

"I fail to undestand why media has no access to players and the stadium. How can you stop the media from following the team? Security is important but what is happening is nothing but harassment. It is the national team, not somebody's private team."

Batra, however, said HI is making arrangements for the media to interact with the particpiating teams.

"FIH (world body) doesn't allow covering of practice sessions but we have requested them to provide a 30-minute window after the session for media interaction," he said.

Pargat, who wanted to bring some 200 kids from his academy in Punjab for the World Cup, said he did not know where to get the tickets from.

"It's sad that hockey fans have no access to the tickets to the tournament. No one knows where to buy tickets to the matches."

Batra, however, said that sale of tickets is progressing well and these are easily available online.

"Tickets are also on sale in many Cafe Coffee Day and other outlets in the capital. There has been brisk sale of tickets," he said.

Batra also said that Olympians, members of the 1975 World Cup winning squad and Arjuna Awardees will get complimentary tickets. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) The government Monday said it was willing to consider the offer of ceasefire by the Maoists as long as it is without preconditions.

"We will consider the offer but it has to be without preconditions," said Home Secretary G.K. Pillai.

The Maoists Monday said they were game for a dialogue if the government halted all security operations against them for 72 days - from Feb 25 to May 7.

Sources in the home ministry, however, said this could possibly be a delaying tactic because they want the Maoist rebels to abjure violence before initiating any talks.

Earlier, in an exclusive interview to IANS, Kishenji, the Maoist leader who announced the ceasefire, had said that "if they (security forces) begin their operations, I promise you 2010 will get bloodier. There will be no respite from violence".

Home ministry officials said that they will have to "wait and watch".
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday said the president's address to parliament "lacked direction" and failed to give any indication of the government's resolve to check price rise.

"The president's address is more like a DAVP (Department of Audio-Visual Publicity) advertisement, which gives a compilation of the schemes of the government. There are major challenges facing the country today. The address lacks direction on all these issues," the party said in a statement.

The BJP said the country was burdened with the problem of price rise but the president's address did not give any indication of the government's resolve to tackle the issue.

The party said the address understates the challenge of internal security faced by the country due to "local modules of terrorist groups and the problem of Maoist violence generated by the Left-wing extremism".

The party said the "oblique" reference in the address about the need for Pakistan to take effective steps to prevent terrorist activities against India was contrary to the government's moves.

"Even though terrorist infrastructure on Pakistan's soil continues to be used against India and the neighbouring country has refused to give an assurance that 26/11 will not be repeated, the government has embarked on foreign secretary level dialogue with it," the party said.

Referring to the proposed talks with Pakistan, the BJP said the government should have come out with a categorical assertion that the 1994 parliament resolution about Jammu and Kashmir being an integral part of India will not be compromised.

Pointing to the government's resolve on early passage of the Women's Reservation Bill, the BJP hoped the promise will not meet the fate met "by the presidential addresses prepared by the UPA government on the last seven occasions." Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
Melbourne, Feb 22 (IANS) After fears of a mass pull-out of international cricketers from the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to terror threats, there are reports of contingency plans to shift the next year's World Cup from the Indian subcontinent to Australia and New Zealand.

Reacting to reported contigency, revealed by New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan Sunday, International Cricket Council (ICC) executive Haroon Lorgat said they will do everything to keep the World Cup in India.

Vaughan has indicated that there were plans to move the World Cup from India to Australia or New Zealand if the security situation deteriorated.

"You cannot move the timing of the tournament, in March-April, so really there's only Australia, New Zealand and South Africa who could host it," Vaughan was quoted as saying in The Australian.

"By tightening the security measures around the teams, we somehow have to make it safe. Otherwise the sport will struggle to survive if we cannot find a solution."

Lorgat insisted world cricket would not let the sport be derailed by terrorism, as has happened in Pakistan.

"The World Cup is the big piece of work that we have to deliver and we intend to do so," Lorgat said.

"The whole issue of security is dynamic, but we will assess it very carefully and implement whatever measures are necessary to ensure safety and security. I do not share the same concerns for India as Pakistan."

There is a heightened security concerns in the cricketing world following terrorist threats from Al Qaeda that warned players against taking part in the IPL, the hockey World Cup and the Commonwealth Games. Indian cricket officials have, however, ruled out transferring the IPL to South Africa like last year.

Australian security expert Reg Dickason delivered his report to various player unions late last week and it is understood the report says the terrorist threats are real.

Head of the Federation of International Cricketers Associations (FICA), Tim May, Sunday said players were unsure about playing in the IPL after the security report, adding the Twenty20 tournament has a number of significant security challenges.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Monday joined hands with technology firm Srei Sahaj e-village to make 100 million youths in rural India computer literate.

The courses were inaugurated by union Minister for Communication and Information Technology A. Raja at IGNOU here.

These programmes will deliver international quality skill development vocational programmes at affordable costs to the rural population of India.

"An estimated 100 million rural youth population across the country stands to benefit through the Sahaj-IGNOU partnership," IGNOU Vice-Chancellor V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai said.

By the end of 2010, the varsity promised to make this on-line skill education available at 27,255 common service centres already existing in states of Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Pillai said: "This is the first time in the country that online education through distance mode will reach the remotest corners of the country, empowering the rural poor. The IGNOU-Sahaj partnership will help bridge the educational divide within the rural landscape and make advanced computer education available to the villagers at their doorsteps."

Total five courses are currently available as part of the partnership. They are diploma in advanced computers, certificate programme in HTML, certificate programme in JAVA SCRIPT, certificate programme in SQL and certificate programme in FLASH.

The eligibility criteria for these programmes is matriculation. All programmes will be accredited to IGNOU for its use. Sahaj will administer the programmes, including enrollments, registration, fee collection, evaluation and do the certification by IGNOU. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
Melbourne/Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 22 (IANS) An Indian doctor working in a Melbourne hospital was robbed of money and his mobile phone at knife point, his colleague's husband said Monday.

Speaking to IANS from Melbourne, Thiruvallam Bhasi, who edits a students magazine published there, said the incident occurred Friday when Mohammed Javed was walking back from the Box Hill Hospital after attending a late night call.

"He was crossing the Box Hill Park, when he was waylaid by three young suspected Australian nationals, who pulled out a knife and asked for his purse. The doctor gave them (Australian) $300 and his mobile phone and he was left off," said Bhasi, whose wife works in the same department as Javed.

A case has been registered at the Box Hill police station, he said

Meanwhile, a Melbourne newspaper Monday reported that police expressed concern at the prevalence of "knife culture" in the city, with 10 people stabbed during the weekend.

"The knife culture that we are currently seeing is of great concern to police," a police spokesman told The Age.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
Kapurthala, Feb 22 (IANS) Officials of the Rail Coach Factory (RCF) in this Punjab town Monday claimed to have made the country's first air-conditioned double-decker prototype coach.

"This is the country's first double-decker coach and our engineers have completed it in a record time of just eight-months. We will start using this air-conditioned coach on trial basis by the end of March this year," said Pardeep Kumar, general manager of the RCF.

He added: "Based on the response that we get during the trials, we will start manufacturing more such coaches in the coming months. Exact number of similar coaches that we will manufacture will be decided only in the next rail budget."

The proposal for manufacturing double-decker coaches was made by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee in her railway budget last year.

She had stated that double-decker coaches were required to meet the rapidly increasing rush of commuters in trains.

Kapurthala town in Punjab is around 200 km from state capital Chandigarh. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan will be presented with a diabetes tracking van, called 'Amitabh', by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown at an event in London.

Silver Star, an organisation under the patronage of Indian-origin Labour MP, Keith Vaz, will donate this bus to help screen people for diabetes in Mumbai.

"I had inaugurated this very worthy and noble cause here in Leicester some time ago and some months back, I had gone to Goa in India to launch the MDU (Module Diabetic Unit) there," Big B posted on his blog bigb.bigadda.com.

"The van is being called 'Amitabh', which is a little embarrassing, because of my support for this very noble cause and because I had become its chief patron when this exercise was initiated. Other MDU's shall be launched in time to come, for Delhi and Kerala as well.

"This unit works as a service for the detection of diabetes, an ailment which many a time goes unnoticed until it's too late," the 67-year-old wrote.

Silver Star carries out free diabetes testing and promotes culturally sensitive healthcare, focusing particularly on the high prevalence of diabetes among the South Asian community in Britain and internationally.

Since 2007, Silver Star has tested 4,695 people in Britain. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) In a bid to make advanced computer education available to the rural population, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in collaboration with the Srei Sahaj e-Village limited Monday launched five programmes on vocational skill development through the online mode.

Launched by Minister for Communication and Information Technology A. Raja, the programmes aim to bridge the education divide within the rural landscape.

According to an IGNOU official, the programmes stand to benefit 100 million rural youth in the country.

The five courses are diploma in advanced computers, certificate programme in HTML, certificate programme in JAVA SCRIPT, certificate programme in SQL and certificate programme in FLASH.

"By using modern Information and Communication Technology (ICT) platform of Sahaj available at 12,000 gram panchayats, the courses will be made available to the rural youth in digital format through the Sahaj Common Service Centres (CSCs)," an IGNOU statement said.

"By the end of 2010, these courses will be made available at 27,255 CSCs in the states of Assam, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal," it added.

The programmes, other than being affordable, also promise placement assistance. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) India appears to have resolved the contentious issues surrounding the auction of the third generation (3G) spectrum with the notices inviting bids for auction expected next week.

"NIA (notice inviting applications) will be released this week. Then you can take 40-45 days," Telecom Minister A. Raja told reporters on the sidelines of a conference here.

Among the contentious issues surrounding the auction are the base reserve price, the number of operators that will be allowed to offer 3G services in a particular circle, and the reluctance of the defence forces to vacate spectrum.

The two state-run telecom companies Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd, were allotted the licences last year and have since started offering 3G services in their operating circles.

The central government was keen on holding the auction before this fiscal (2009-10) ended so that it could raise an estimated Rs.25,000-30,000 crore (Rs.250-300 billion/$5.5-6.5 billion) and soften the mounting fiscal deficit.

However, that might not happen. Asked if his ministry will be able to complete the auction by March-end, Raja said: "I can't assure that."

Third generation telephony services allow faster connectivity than what is available now, and will enable applications like Internet TV, video-on-demand, audio-video calls and high-speed data exchange. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, who was fearing arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for his alleged involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Monday told the Delhi High Court that he is ready to undergo any scientific tests to prove his innocence.

Arguing on Sajjan Kumar's behalf before the court, senior advocate I.U. Khan said: "Please put me under any scientific test like narco analysis or lie detector to prove my innocence."

"I have never misused the liberty and never intimidated any witness. My past conduct is satisfactory," Khan said while pressing for interim relief for Kumar, against whom non bailable warrants have been issued by the trial court.

Justice A.K. Pathak, however, refused to grant any interim relief to Kumar, and reserved the order and said, "I will not do the job of a magistrate."

Kumar will now have to appear before the trial court Tuesday. A non bailable arrest warrant was issued against him Feb 17.

The court also questioned how a separate charge sheet had been filed when there were no new victims. "When there is no new victim then why is the CBI filing fresh complaints?"

On this, CBI counsel Vikas Pahwa informed the court that the CBI is contesting these cases after the recommendation of the Nanavati Commission, set up to probe the 1984 riots.

"Meaningful purpose should be there to interrogate the person. The person should not remain in limbo like this," the court said while stressing the right of the accused to apply for interim bail.

Special Public Prosecutor R.S. Cheema argued for the CBI and said, "Though Sajjan's name did not figure during deposition by witnesses before the court but all the affidavits mentioned his name."

"If we want to ensure fair trial then people should be punished," said Cheema.

"Entire effort is to put these people behind bars to settle scores. If this (earlier) investigation was faulty then the right persons should be punished accordingly," former Additional Solicitor General Amarendra Sharan said, adding that it was like "old wine in a new bottle".

He contended that Sajjan Kumar's name had appeared among the accused only six years after the 1984 riots took place. While his name did not not figure soon after the riots, but it did in 1990. However, even then over 100 witnesses did not name him either, he said.

The CBI had filed a charge sheet against Sajjan Kumar and others in two cases for allegedly instigating mobs after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi Oct 31, 1984. Over 3,000 Sikhs across Delhi were killed in the communal frenzy in the days following the assassination. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) For the sixth day Monday, former child labourers went door-to-door visiting parliamentarians in the capital in an attempt to sensitise them about the Right to Education Act and asked them to implement it in its true spirit.

The week-long campaign saw the children receive a range of response - while some parliamentarians received them with sweets, some others refused to even meet them. The act will be notified April 1.

Farzana, a 12-year-old former child labourer who went to one of the parliamentarian's house early Monday, got a three-word response: "Netaji is sleeping".

"There were some who responded to us in the same way, but others listened to us patiently. Our campaign is that there should be more allocation of funds for education in the budget. Also, the Right to Education Act should be implemented properly," she said.

Kailash Satyarthi of the child rights organisation Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) who organised the campaign said: "The children's demand is that the Right to Education Act be implemented properly, ensuring quality education by training and recruitment of quality teachers in place of ad hoc arrangement of temporary teachers."

"Non-commercialisation and non-privatisation of basic education and ensuring equitable education for all children, particularly girls, child labourers and all socio-economically excluded groups are the other demands," he added.

A total of 16 parliamentarians signed the pledge letter, promising to raise the children's voice in parliament. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
Chandigarh, Feb 22 (IANS) Australian High Commissioner Peter Verghese Monday said that despite the recent incidents of violence, his country wanted more students from India, particularly from Punjab.

Coming to the state capital of Punjab, the state that contributes the maximum number of students to institutions in Australia, Verghese said the contribution of the Punjabi community to various societies, including Australia, could not be discounted.

"The Indian diaspora story is never complete without counting the contribution made by Punjabis in different countries including Australia," Verghese said at a crowded meet-the-press programme at the Chandigarh Press Club here.

Assuring the safety of Indian students studying in Australia, Verghese said the government in Australia was making sure that quality education is made available to international students coming there.

"We take the incidents of attacks on Indian students very seriously; this is one area which is of concern not only for India but also for Australia. We always want more number of international students to come to Australia to have quality education in a safer environment. We have taken many steps to ensure the safety of international students," said Verghese.

He added: "As many as 250,000 Indians have made Australia their home and presently 100,000 Indian students are studying there."

Nearly 40,000 Punjabi students are studying in different educational institutes in Australia.

Verghese said that Australian government has closed some poor quality colleges in the last few months.

"We are also keeping a tab on sub-standard educational institutes. We have tightened the criteria of their registration and also checked their quality output. We have closed many institutes in the past that were found not meeting the set standards," stated Verghese.

"We just want to make sure that genuine students and individuals do not suffer at all. We have also made changes in skilled migration laws, these changes are not only for India but for every other country."

In the last one year, several attacks on Indian students, especially Punjabis, have been reported from Melbourne and other places in Australia. In many cases, the students and Indian media alleged that these incidents were racially motivated.

Four students from Punjab have died in Australia in the last three months. The involvement of Indian nationals in causing three of these deaths was later found out by the Australian police.

Talking about the safety measures taken in the last few months the high commissioner said: "We have worked to maintain the law enforcement order of criminal justice, increased the police resources, strengthen our legislation to give more powers to police to prevent people from carrying weapons, to keep tab on unruly youth and to impose higher penalty on violators."

"We have brought various legal reforms, increased the interaction between students and police, initiated 24-hour resource centres for assistance to international students and we are fast catching and prosecuting the culprits. In the past, we have made 70 arrests and in one case the punishment was even up to 18 years."

Originally belonging to Kerela, Verghese was born in Kenya, where his family had migrated years ago and then settled in Australia.

The high commissioner also expressed concern over the mushrooming of unscrupulous agents deceiving gullible Indian students in the name of education.

He said: "It is a serious issue that some agents are providing wrong information to Indian students and assuring them of permanent residency after studies. We can counter this by circulating and making available more authentic information. We are also working closely with the Indian government to do so." Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
Islamabad/Chandigarh, Feb 22 (IANS) Hundreds of fear-stricken Sikhs clamoured to escape to India after the Pakistani Taliban beheaded one of three Sikh men they abducted over a month ago. The killing was condemned in India by the government and political parties.

The body of Jaspal Singh was found in Pakistan's restive tribal region Sunday, triggering panic in the small community that has faced the ire of the Taliban for some time.

Jaspal Singh was kidnapped along with two other Sikhs from Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency near the provincial capital Peshawar, DawnNews and other Pakistani media reported.

BBC, however, said two Sikhs had been done to death, and identified the second man as Mastan Singh.

The two companions of Jaspal Singh, identified by a Pakistani website as Gurvinder Singh and Gurjit Singh, are reportedly still being held captive by the militants.

The abducted Sikhs -- their number varying from three to four -- were seized 34 days ago. The Taliban demanded Rs.3 crore as ransom for their release, media reports said.

According to arzePakistan.com, the kidnapping occurred in an area where the Pakistan government has virtually no control.

Since the Taliban began enforcing "jaziya" in the tribal belt, particularly Aurakzai Agency, many Sikhs fled to cities elsewhere in the country fearing for their lives.

No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction and murder but members of the Sikh community blamed it on the Pakistani Taliban, which has close ties with Al Qaeda, and said they wanted to quit Pakistan for good.

"We want to return to India but we are not getting the visas. The Taliban keep demanding jaziya (religious tax) from us," Arvind Singh, a cousin of the beheaded Jaspal Singh, told a Pakistani TV channel.

He said the business interests of Sikhs was suffering in Pakistan because of the Taliban.

Another Sikh man said they were living in fear and that they wanted to go to the Sikh holy city Amritsar to start life anew.

Muslim-majority Pakistan is home to over 32,000 Sikhs, according to one account. Many of them came to Pakistan after the Taliban took power in Kabul in the 1990s and enforced strict Islamic laws.

India denounced Jaspal Singh's killing as "barbaric". "We condemn the barbaric act of the Taliban," Minister for External Affairs S.M. Krishna said in New Delhi.

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the Sikh religious parliament, and the Punjab government Monday reacted angrily and urged New Delhi's intervention to save Sikhs in the area bordering Afghanistan.

"This is condemnable. The central government should take up the matter with the Pakistan government to ensure the safety of Sikhs in that area," SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said.

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal too demanded India's intervention. "The government should not sleep over this matter. The life of Sikhs should be protected."

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asked the government to mount "diplomatic pressure" on Pakistan to ensure the release of the abducted Sikhs.

"It is a serious issue and there is a need to talk to Pakistan," Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said in New Delhi.

In Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir, Sikh groups called for a shutdown to protest the killing. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) The government Monday approved 12 foreign direct investment proposals worth more than Rs.1,045 crore from, among others, the global animation, publishing and entertainment giant Walt Disney.

"Based on the recommendations of Foreign Investment Promotion Board in its meeting held on February 12, Government has approved 12 proposals of foreign direct investment amounting to Rs.1,045.61 crore approximately," said an official statement.

Though Walt Disney's proposed investment figure was not available, as per the details of the proposal, the company would undertake additional activities of printing and publishing a speciality magazine.

Among some other big investments cleared by the board are a Rs.360 crore proposal from Soma Highways Projects towards "induction of foreign investment in an investing company".

A total of 11 proposal including those from Essar Capital Holdings, Verizon Communications, Star India Holding, and Etisalat DB Telecom were deferred, while seven were rejected.

A proposal from Bharat Oman Refineries was referred to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) for its consideration. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vasundhra Raje Monday resigned as leader of opposition in the Rajasthan assembly.

Senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu said a meeting of party legislators from Rajasthan will be convened soon to elect a new leader.

Raje gave her resignation to assembly Speaker Deependra Singh Shekhawat.

Naidu, who spoke to Raje Monday morning, said she was "one of the most respected leaders" of the BJP and had resigned according to decision taken by the party.

He dismissed media reports of the leadership mulling any action against her.

Asked about her role in the party, Naidu said her services will be utilized at an appropriate level. "The party will utilise her services at an appropriate level," Naidu told IANS.

He said party president Nitin Gadkari had asked him to speak to Raje.

"The legislative party will meet shortly to elect a new leader," Naidu said.

Party sources said that Raje had sent her resignation to the party high command after it asked her to step down following the BJP's dismal performance in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections and its defeat in the assembly polls. The resignation was not forwarded to the speaker.

The sources said that Raje is likely to be given an assignment at the party's central office. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) India Monday dismissed any terror threat to the Hockey World Cup saying all precautionary measures were in place to ensure "fool proof" security for the international sporting event.

"It is the job of terrorists to declare jihad, our job is to take all precautions. There is no new, credible threat against the Hockey World Cup as such," union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai told reporters here.

Pillai was referring to the threat issued by Al Qaeda's Pakistan wing last week to attack upcoming international sporting events in India, including the Hockey World Cup, Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament and the Commonwealth Games.

He said the government had taken all precautions to ensure security to the hockey event, which begins Feb 28. "We take all threats seriously. We will ensure fool proof security for all players and events." Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) In yet another sign of the growing India-China military ties, the air forces of the two countries will stage their first joint war game in 2012, the Indian Air Force (IAF) chief said Monday.

"The planning has commenced. We are expecting political approval soon. In all probability, the exercise will be conducted in 2012," Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Naik told reporters here.

With this, all three wings of the armed forces would have engaged in joint exercises with their Chinese counterparts.

The Indian and Chinese navies had initiated the process in November 2003, holding their first joint exercise off Shanghai. Subsequently, two ships of the Indian Navy made port calls at Qingdao and participated in a joint exercise with the Chinese navy in 2007.

The first bilateral army exercise between the two countries was organised in Kunming China late in 2007. The next joint army exercise was held in India in December 2008. The next round of these will be held in either country in 2011.

The year 2008 also saw high level visits of armed forces officials and defence ministry officials.

In January, Defence Secretary Padeep Kumar had led a 10-member delegation of senior armed forces officers and defence ministry officials to China. He had met, among others, Chinese Defence Minister Gen. Liang Guanglie. The delegation also visited an armoured division of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the Academy of Military Science.

"The two sides have identified a number of areas in which further action will be taken for military cooperation. For 2010, both sides have discussed high-level delegation visits, exchanges between military training institutes and reciprocal exchanges for various courses, including language courses," a defence ministry official said after Kumar's return.

India and China had fought a bitter border war in 1962 and their relations remained frosty till the mid-1980s, when Rajiv Gandhi, who was then the prime minister, made a path-breaking visit to Beijing.

Since then, there has been a steady warming of ties with exchanges in the political, economic and cultural fields. The two countries have also named special representatives to work out a roadmap for resolving their border row. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
Shimla, Feb 22 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal Monday said that the environmental policies used in Costa Rica would be applied in the state, as far as found applicable.

"We have studied in detail the models adopted by Costa Rica to increase forest cover and to check carbon emissions. These models can't be applicable in the state due to different environmental and other laws, but some of the policies could be replicated here," Dhumal told reporters.

The chief minister led a delegation, comprising Forest Minister J.P. Nadda, to the Aentral American nation and the US from Feb 9 to 17 to study environmental models and to meet the World Bank (WB) officials.

"We would have our own master-plan that includes a baseline study of details of measures to tackle problems mainly related to urban solid waste, industrial pollution and ecological degradation caused by hydropower projects. It would even be adopted by other Himalayan states," Dhumal said.

Praising the Costa Rican government, he said: "In the past two decades, the country has managed to increase its forest areas from 21 percent in 1987 to 51 percent now due to stringent deforestation laws."

Dhumal said the state would have a centre for climate change for adopting strategies to enhance the state's preparedness for natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, glaciers outbursts and flash floods.

The WB has already agreed to provide a Programmatic Development Policy Loan of $450 million to the state for sustainable environmental growth.

Himachal Pradesh already has a quarter of its geographical area under forest cover.

The state is most vulnerable to climate change as the Himalayan glaciers have been retreating due to global warming.

As per the forests department, the state has 37,033 sq km forest area out of which 1,896 sq km is reserve forest. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) DMK MPs, led by union Ministers A. Raja and Dayanidhi Maran, complained to Speaker Meira Kumar about the lack of a simultaneous English translation of President Pratibha Patil's address in Hindi to the joint session of parliament Monday.

"There was no simultaneous translation (in English)," Maran told IANS when asked about the complaint.

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MP from Kerala A. Sampath said the copies of the president's speech, both in English and Hindi, were not made available in the central hall.

"Normally, when the president addresses a joint session, the English and Hindi version of the speech is made available at the MPs table in the central hall. But this time, it was not done. We collected it from the counter later," Sampath said.

The copy of the president's address was later laid on the table of Lok Sabha when the lower house met at 12.30 p.m. to make obituary references to five former MPs and former West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu.

CPI-M MP from Kerala, M.B. Rajesh said Vice President Hamid Ansari only read the beginning and ending parts of the president's speech.

"It is a serious matter that there was no simultaneous translation," said DMK's T.K.S. Elangovan. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
Shimla, Feb 22 (IANS) Railway projects in Himachal Pradesh should be completed on a priority basis, state Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said Monday.

"We again request the railway ministry to complete the pending railway projects in the state on a priority basis. I have already met the prime minister and the railway minister in this regard a number of times," Dhumal told reporters here.

"We are demanding early completion of the Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Beri, Chandigarh-Baddi, Nangal-Talwara and Bilaspur-Manali-Leh rail lines," he said.

"For the Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Beri line, the state has deposited Rs.25 crore with the railways this (financial) year and Rs.37 crore last year, but no work has started so far," the chief minister said.

Regarding the construction of the 460 km Bilaspur-Manali-Leh rail line, he said: "The rail line would provide an all-weather connectivity to tribal areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir (that remain cut off for over eight months a year due to snowfall). It's also strategically important from the defence point of view." Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
xJammu, Feb 22 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra Monday reiterated the state's commitment to ensuring zero tolerance towards human rights violations.

Vohra, during his 50-minute address to a joint sitting of the Jammu and Kashmir legislature on the opening day of the budget session, said: "The government will uphold human rights at all costs" and there would be "zero tolerance towards those indulging in human rights abuses".

Human rights violations have become a major issue because of the stone pelting demonstrations in Kashmir and the use of firing and tear gas against those throwing stones.

The governor recalled how a huge voter turnout during the 2008 assembly elections had demonstrated the faith of the people in democracy. It also highlighted the way the government was moving to "give employment to the unemployed".

"The Sher-e-Kashmir employment policy announced in December 2009 is a step in this direction," he said. The policy aims to provide work to the jobless youth in the state by giving them soft loans, land and also filling vacancies in government departments.

This policy will come into effect in April this year.

The governor also touched upon the issue of jobs for Kashmiri Hindu youth, and also on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Rs.1,618 crore relief and rehabilitation programme for the community that had fled the valley en masse in 1990 to save itself from persecution by Islamic militants.

"The government will continue to work for the peace and progress of Jammu and Kashmir," Vohra said.

Earlier, the opposition parties -- People's Democratic Party (PDP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party -- raised several issues. The leaders of these parties blamed the government for having failed to meet the aspirations of the common man. "This government has no right to rule," said Harshdev Singh, leader of Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party.

"Corruption is at its peak and the government is busy making money," Singh said. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) India is prepared to have "meaningful" ties with Pakistan if it curbs anti-India terror on its soil even as it seeks to enhance ties with major powers and continue its "active engagement with the world."

"India is ready to explore a meaningful relationship with Pakistan if Pakistan seriously addresses the threat of terrorism and takes effective steps to prevent terrorist activities against India," President Pratibha Patil said in her address to the joint session of parliament to open the budget session Monday.

Patil's remarks came just a few days before Pakistan Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao meet in New Delhi Feb 25 for long-awaited talks to break the ice that had developed in their bilateral ties since the Mumbai terror attack.

The president also said that India's developmental assistance to Afghanistan's reconstruction will continue. "India's assistance to the reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan witnessed important milestones and we will continue to partner Afghanistan in its development efforts," she said.

India is among the top five largest donor nations in Afghanistan, with its $1.2 billion aid programme, which include road construction, power and education projects.

Patil said India will work with the newly-elected Sri Lankan government to "enhance our partnership" and offered rehabilitation assistance to the Tamil minority.

"India will contribute to the humanitarian and rehabilitation efforts for the Tamil minority and long term re-construction in conflict-affected areas," she said.

The president said in the last 12 months there had been important visits from the neighbourhood by the king of Bhutan, the prime ministers of Bhutan and Bangladesh, the president of Maldives and the president and prime minister of Nepal which "have given new content to our traditional ties of friendship with neighbouring countries."

ndia was also consolidating its relations with major powers, like the United States, Russia, Japan and China, to reflect the country's growing international stature.

"The prime minister's visit to the USA laid the framework for the further expansion of the India-US partnership at the bilateral, regional and global level," Patil said in the hour-long address.

Similarly, she said that "strategic and cooperative partnership with China progressively acquired greater regional and global content." India and China have been coordinating strategies at multilateral events, chiefly during the WTO negotiations and recent climate change talks.

She pointed that "India's voice was heard with respect" in the G-20 process, the G-8 plus G-5 Summit, and the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

The president articulated the government's stance that it was engaging actively with all the important regions from South-East Asia, Central Asia, Gulf, Africa and Latin America. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
By Jaideep Sarin and Parminder Singh Bariana

Chandigarh, Feb 22 (IANS) Security around top leaders and vital installations in Punjab has been increased following intelligence reports of Pakistan-based Sikh separatist groups trying to recruit youth from the US and India to revive terrorism in the state.

Reports of a meeting between officials of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) chief Wadhawa Singh in December has raised concerns among security agencies in the state.

A top-secret intelligence communication from Punjab Police to security agencies last week states: "To execute this task, Wadhawa Singh is making efforts to mobilise volunteers from Punjab as also from the US, who could be made to travel to India via Malaysia or Singapore." IANS is in possession of the document.

Security agencies have been asked to take appropriate security measures to protect VIPs and important installations across the state.

The VIPs said to be in the target list of the terror outfits include Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu.

Bittu, who is the Punjab Youth Congress president, is the grandson of former state chief minister Beant Singh, who is credited with wiping out terrorism in the state in the early 1990s with 'super-cop' K.P.S. Gill.

Beant Singh was assassinated by a human bomb here Aug 31, 1995.

The intelligence report says that Bittu is particularly being targeted by the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF).

Another intelligence report from Punjab Police has said terror groups could target shrines in Amritsar as well as the Nangal Dam and railway stations at Ropar, Ludhiana and Pathankot.

"We will not let any of these groups revive terrorism in the state," Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said here.

"We are taking the intelligence inputs quite seriously. We do a day-to-day monitoring of things. Security is being stepped up as required," Jalandhar Inspector General of Police Sanjiv Kalra told IANS.

In the last two months, Punjab Police have found explosives, grenades and weapons outside vital installations at various places in the state.

Several kilograms of explosives were found Jan 19 outside an Indian Oil LPG bottling plant near Nabha town in Patiala district. Two grenades were found five days later outside an Indian Air Force (IAF) establishment at Zirakpur near Chandigarh.

A car laden with explosives was found last month outside the IAF station at Halwara in Ludhiana.

Two people were arrested in Patiala Sunday. Eight kilograms of explosives and 40 gelatin sticks were recovered from their possession.

Though the terrorist-secessionist movement for Khalistan was comprehensively defeated in 1993, there remain a handful of terrorist outfits chiefly supported by Pakistan and some NRI Sikh groups who continue to propagate the ideology of Khalistan.

One of the most prominent among them is the BKI, among the oldest and most organised Khalistan terrorist groups. It is headed by Wadhawa Singh, who is reportedly hiding in Pakistan. Mehal Singh is the deputy chief of BKI. Both of them are among the 20 terrorists whom India wants Pakistan to extradite. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj Monday occupied the seat earmarked for leader of opposition in the front row in the Lok Sabha, reflecting the generational change in the country's main opposition party.

Veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani, who was earlier the leader of opposition, sat on the third seat in the first row, next to Swaraj. The first seat in the opposition bench is reserved for the deputy speaker.

Monday was the first day of the budget session.

Gopinath Munde, the new deputy leader of the party, has been elevated to the front row. Munde, who had been sitting in the second row till the last session, now sits on the fourth seat on the first row near Advani.

Party general secretary Ananth Kumar, who used to sit in the front row moved to the second row, on the seat earlier occupied by Munde.

Former BJP presidents Rajnath Singh and Murli Manohar Joshi, however, retained their seats in the front row.

On Dec 18, Advani handed over the baton of the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha to Swaraj and assumed charge as the first chairman of the BJP parliamentary party.

Swaraj was earlier the deputy leader of BJP in Lok Sabha.

During the winter session of parliament, expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh had lost his front row seat in the opposition ranks and had to move to the third row.

Singh, 71, was given seat number 371 in the third row in the Lok Sabha which falls in the fifth block accommodating members from smaller parties. He was not present in the house Monday. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) India Monday strongly condemned the "barbaric" beheading of a Sikh man by suspected Taliban militants in Pakistan.

"We condemn the barbaric act of Taliban," External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna told reporters here following reports of the beheading of Jaspal Singh in Pakistan's Peshawar city.

Jaspal Singh and his two companions were abducted by Taliban militants recently. His beheaded body was found in Pakistan's restive tribal region Sunday. His two companions, Gorwandar Singh and Surjeet Singh, are still being held captive by the militants.

The killing has been widely condemned in India with New Delhi asked to put diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to ensure the safety of minorities in that country.

The foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan are set to meet in New Delhi Feb 25 and the issue of terrorism is expected to be the focus of the renewed talks process between the two neighbours. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Murli Manohar Joshi Monday said a generational change in the party is "law of nature".

"It is the law of nature and a natural process," Joshi told IANS when asked about the generational change that is taking place in the party's top leadership.

Nitin Gadkari took over as BJP president replacing Rajnath Singh and Sushma Swaraj replaced L.K. Advani as leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha.

The party is also in the process of introducing new leaders in various state units and national unit. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
Bhubaneswar, Feb 22 (IANS) Leaders in Orissa are miffed with Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee for not meeting an all-party delegation from the state that wanted to apprise her of their needs ahead of the railway budget.

"It is unfortunate that the minister has no time for an all-party delegation which customarily apprises the state's demand to the rail minister ahead of the rail budget every year. This year the delegation sought time to meet the minister since a month. But the minister is yet to give time," said Nagendra Pradhan, spokesperson for the state's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

The state legislative assembly committee on railways had demanded an allocation of about Rs.1,805 crore for development of various projects, including laying of new rail lines.

The railway minister's refusal to give an audience has triggered a political blame game in the state.

"The ruling party is responsible for the fiasco. They have failed to prepare a convincing memorandum before the minister," said Prasad Harichandan, the chief whip of the opposition Congress party.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also targeted the ruling BJD over the issue.

"The state government should show some enthusiasm in this regard," said Braja Kishore Tripathy, a BJP leader.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
Washington, Feb 22 (IANS) Parental influence and access to math courses are crucial to their children's pursuit of careers in science, technology, engineering, math or medicine (STEMM), according to new research.

Jon Miller, Michigan State University (MSU) professor of integrative studies who led the study with colleagues, said the education of more researchers, engineers and others in the field of science is critical.

"Failure to build and maintain a competitive scientific workforce in the decades ahead will inevitably lead to a decline in the American standard of living," Miller said.

The research also found that sons were slightly more encouraged than daughters to do well in science and math.

Miller used data from the Longitudinal Study of American Youth, which kept track of nearly 6,000 students from middle school through college, attempting to determine what led them to or guided them away from STEMM careers.

"The pathway to a STEMM career begins at home." He said this is especially true in families in which children were strongly encouraged to go to college.

"Only four percent of students who experienced low parent encouragement to attend college planned to enter a post-secondary programme and major in a STEMM field," he said.

"This compares to 41 percent of students whose parents strongly encouraged college attendance."

Also influential, although not on the same level as parental encouragement, is the parents' education level.

The research found that approximately 27 percent of the children of college graduates planned to major in a STEMM field, compared to 18 percent of parents with a high school diploma.

The research also reinforced the role mathematics plays in the pursuit of a STEMM career, says an MSU release.

"Mathematics is a primary gateway to a STEMM career," Miller said, "beginning with algebra track placement in grades seven and eight, and continuing through high school and college calculus courses."

These findings were presented at a symposium titled "Tomorrow's Scientists and Engineers" at this year's meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
Jammu, Feb 22 (IANS) The controversial bill that seeks to annul permanent resident rights of Kashmiri women who marry outside the state is set to return to the Jammu and Kashmir assembly.

Described as "communal and unconstitutional", the Jammu and Kashmir Permanent Residents (Disqualification) Bill had threatened the existence of then ruling coalition of Congress-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when it was first introduced in 2004.

The National Conference - then in opposition - had supported the legislation while the national parties, including the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had opposed it.

The bill deprives women of the right to own and inherit immovable property, get government jobs and other privileges if they marry non-state subjects.

The bill was one of the biggest controversies during the PDP-Congress rule. Moved by the PDP, it was passed by the lower house of the state assembly, but failed to sail through the upper house when the Congress opposed it after nationwide criticism.

The bill would be brought afresh in the 45-day long budget session of the state assembly by PDP's Muzaffar Hussain Baig.

However, it would be interesting to see what stand the National Conference takes given that its ruling partner Congress would oppose the bill.

"The bill would be tabled and it would be seen as to what stand the National Conference would take now," a PDP leader said.

If passed, those affected would include the younger daughter of former chief minister and PDP patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, and two daughters of union minister Farooq Abdullah, who are married to non-residents. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) President Pratibha Patil's speech in parliament Monday was described as a "routine affair" by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) criticised it for not including "course correction" on issues like inflation.

The president's speech was devoid of ground reality, said senior BJP leader and former finance minister Yashwant Sinha.

"There is not a single word about price rise. I think it was a very routine affair. It lacks direction," the Lok Sabha MP told IANS after Patil's speech to a joint session of parliament on the opening day of the budget session.

Had the president's speech mentioned how the issue of price rise would be tackled, it would have given direction to MPs when the matter came up in parliament for discussion, he said.

CPI-M politburo member Brinda Karat added: "The attitude is business as usual."

It is "unfortunate" that there was no mention on "course correction" on important issues like inflation, Karat told IANS. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) The Pakistan hockey team reached India through Wagah border Monday for the World Cup starting Feb 28.

"The team crossed the Wagah Border at around 1 p.m.," BSF spokesperson Jagir Singh told IANS.

The Australian team also reached here in the wee hours Monday.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) The "initial scepticism" about Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) new president Nitin Gadkari melted away at the national executive and national council meeting in Indore last week, veteran leader L.K. Advani said Monday.

When participants arrived at Indore last week, Advani said, they were worried about Gadkari's abilities to inspire confidence in the party cadres "seemingly disheartened and disappointed by two successive setbacks in the Lok Sabha elections of 2004 and 2009".

But the situation changed rapidly.

"In those three days I could see all the initial scepticism rapidly melting away so that when the delegates left Indore on the third day all their doubts had been replaced by a mood of optimism and confidence, and a strong feeling that the attributes of transparent frankness and forthrightness that they had been able to discern in the new president were exactly what the party needed at this point of time," Advani wrote in his blog Monday.

Advani, who was appointed as working chairman of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Sunday, added: "... having attended all such gatherings in the past I am in a position to affirm that seldom before have I seen delegates so upbeat, and enthusiastic participants in every single programme at the session as I have seen this time."

Gadkari was chosen to head the BJP last December as part of a generational change in leadership after its two successive defeats in the Lok Sabha elections. His election as BJP president was ratified at the Indore session attended by nearly 4,000 delegates. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
Ranchi, Feb 22 (IANS) Steel giant ArcelorMittal is looking for an alternative site in Jharkhand to set up a 12 million tonne greenfield plant after it faced difficulties in the earlier selected site straddling Khuti and Gumla districts, an official said Monday.

The company representatives visited villages in Bokaro district Sunday and interacted with residents of Kasmar block, assuring them of good compensation if they agreed to be displaced for the plant.

"We are exploring various sites in Jharkhand to set up a greenfield steel plant. We are facing lots of difficulties in Torpa and Kamdara areas, earlier selected for the steel plant," ArcelorMittal Jharkhand steel project general manager P.S. Prasad told IANS.

"We went to Bokaro at the invitation of the villagers and got a good response. We have informed the company about the positive response of the villagers," he said.

ArcelorMittal signed an MoU with the state government in 2005 to set a steel plant with an investment of Rs.40,000 crore. The company has been allocated iron ore mines and coal block but is facing difficulties to get land in the area bordering Khuti and Gumla districts. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) From investing more in primary education to allowing foreign universities to open campuses in India, the central government is working to bring a paradigm shift in the educational infrastructure to further inclusive growth in the country, President Pratibha Patil said here Monday.

"My government is committed to bringing about a paradigm shift in our educational infrastructure based on the three pillars of expansion, inclusion and excellence," Patil said during her address to parliament on the opening day of the budget session.

"Investment in education is critical for accelerated inclusive growth. Government has made substantial investment in primary education through the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and the Mid Day Meal Programme, and is moving towards universalisation of education at the secondary level," she said.

President Patil said that The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 has been notified to be effective from April 1.

"A scheme to assist state governments is setting up 373 model colleges in educationally backward districts has been approved. A National Mission For Education through Information and Communication Technology has been launched to provide broadband connectivity to around 18,000 colleges and 400 universities in the country," she added.

The president also highlighted the government move to provide interest subsidy on education loans and a new scheme for adult education in over 360 backward districts of the country, where the literacy level is below 50 percent.

She said her government is committed to quality higher education and is planning to bring in a new legislation to allow foreign educational institutions to set up campuses in India.

"Government is endeavouring to bring forward an appropriate legislation for facilitating the participation of globally renowned and quality academic institutions in our higher education sector, and for bringing in foreign education providers for vocational training and skill development," Patil said in her address.

Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal has mooted the idea. Now foreign varsities are likely to enter the Indian educational scene by opening campuses and offering joint degrees with Indian institutes.

To regulate higher education and research, Patil said "a National Council for Higher Education and Research will soon be established as an over-arching body". Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) India needs to talk to Pakistan over the beheading of a Sikh near Pakistan's Peshawar city, the ruling Congress said Monday.

"It is a serious issue and there is a need to talk to Pakistan. It also sends a message to world powers who are trying to differentiate between good and bad Taliban," Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari told reporters here.

Reacting to reports of the beheading of a Sikh, Jaspal Singh, by Taliban elements after his recent abduction from Tirah Valley in Khyber agency near Peshawar, Tewari said the government had been regularly taking up the issue of providing security to minorities, especially Sikhs, in Pakistan.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has also asked the government to mount "diplomatic pressure" on Pakistan to ensure release of the abducted Sikh residents in the country.

Besides, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and the Punjab government have also said that New Delhi must take up the issue with Pakistan to ensure the safety of Sikhs in the restive tribal area.

Jaspal Singh was kidnapped along with two other Sikh residents by Taliban militants from Tirah valley in Khyber Agency near the provincial capital Peshawar, DawnNews reported.

His two other companions, Gorwandar Singh and Srujeet Singh, are still being held captive by the militants, the report said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction and murder. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) Articulating the government's focus on "aam admi", the common man, President Pratibha Patil Monday sought to play up India's growth story in spite of adversities and assured all possible steps to ease the hardship due to high prices.

With the opposition making its intentions clear on attacking the Manmohan Singh government for rising prices of essential commodities, Patil devoted the bulk of her 50-minute speech to how inclusive growth remained at the core of its agenda.

"Since assuming office in May 2009, my government has worked single-mindedly to build on the achievements of its earlier term to deliver the promise of faster and more inclusive growth," the president said in a packed central hall of parliament.

"The aam aadmi was and is at the core of this promise. The aam aadmi had to be protected against the ravages of the worst ever global economic crisis since the Great Depression and against the failure of the monsoon in large parts of the country."

The address, which kicked off the budget session during which Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will present the federal budget for the next fiscal, also listed the measures taken so far and the major policy initiatives proposed over the next few years.

India's growth story -- that has earned global awe and admiration -- was often used by the president to set a positive tone on how the country was on path to realising the growing aspirations of an emerging economy.

"Economic growth, which had slowed to 6.7 percent in 2008-09, is likely to improve to 7.5 percent in 2010. At a time when industrialised countries have experienced negative growth, India has continued to grow at an impressive rate," she said.

"We now look confidently to further improvement in our growth performance in 2010-11. My government will aim at a growth rate of above 8 percent in 2010-11 and seek to achieve 9 percent growth in 2011-12."

She also spelt out some challenges faced in the past fiscal, and said although inflation remained a matter of concern, the price rise was inevitable, given the shortfall of food production and the prevailing prices of rice, pulses, cereals and edible oils.

"While we averted any threat to food security, there has been an unhappy pressure on the prices of food grain and food products."

Her address also touched on other broader aspects that concerns the country today, such as terrorism, foreign policy -- including ties with neighbours like Pakistan -- ultra-left extremism, defence, health, education and overall rural and urban development.

"India is ready to explore a meaningful relationship with Pakistan if Pakistan seriously addresses the threat of terrorism and takes effective steps to prevent such activities against India," she said, as foreign secretaries of the two countries were set to meet here Feb 25 to resume bilateral talks after a 14-month freeze since the terror attacks in Mumbai.

"But infiltration from across the Line of Control (the de facto border that divides India and Pakistan) in Jammu and Kashmir has gone up. Even then the security situation has improved significantly in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in the northeast."

At the same time, President Patil said, India's relations with major powers of the world had strengthened, including the US, Russia China and Japan, even as the country had acquired a strong global stature.

With the recent Pune terror attacks in the backdrop, coming as it did after 14 months of relative peace, the president also assured that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) would remain vigilant against all forms of challenges posed by such threats.

"Zero tolerance of terrorist activities is our principled policy. We have to keep constant watch and innovate against global terrorist groups," said Patil, detailing some measures taken by the government to strengthen the security apparatus.

The president also listed the priorities of the government for the domestic constituency and said special attention will be paid to infrastructure, rural development, education, agriculture and health so that growth is sensitive to the concerns of weaker sections.

Never before was India so close as it is today to realising the national aspirations as envisioned by the founding fathers, she said, concluding: "Our country stands at a historic turning point." Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) Articulating the government's focus on "aam admi", the common man, President Pratibha Patil Monday sought to play up India's growth story in spite of adversities and assured all possible steps to ease the hardship due to high prices.

With the opposition making its intentions clear on attacking the Manmohan Singh government for rising prices of essential commodities, Patil devoted the bulk of her 50-minute speech to how inclusive growth remained at the core of its agenda.

"Since assuming office in May 2009, my government has worked single-mindedly to build on the achievements of its earlier term to deliver the promise of faster and more inclusive growth," the president said in a packed central hall of parliament.

"The aam aadmi was and is at the core of this promise. The aam aadmi had to be protected against the ravages of the worst ever global economic crisis since the Great Depression and against the failure of the monsoon in large parts of the country."

The address, which kicked off the budget session during which Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will present the federal budget for the next fiscal, also listed the measures taken so far and the major policy initiatives proposed over the next few years.

India's growth story -- that has earned global awe and admiration -- was often used by the president to set a positive tone on how the country was on path to realising the growing aspirations of an emerging economy.

"Economic growth, which had slowed to 6.7 percent in 2008-09, is likely to improve to 7.5 percent in 2010. At a time when industrialised countries have experienced negative growth, India has continued to grow at an impressive rate," she said.

"We now look confidently to further improvement in our growth performance in 2010-11. My government will aim at a growth rate of above 8 percent in 2010-11 and seek to achieve 9 percent growth in 2011-12."

She also spelt out some challenges faced in the past fiscal, and said although inflation remained a matter of concern, the price rise was inevitable, given the shortfall of food production and the prevailing prices of rice, pulses, cereals and edible oils.

"While we averted any threat to food security, there has been an unhappy pressure on the prices of food grain and food products."

Her address also touched on other broader aspects that concerns the country today, such as terrorism, foreign policy -- including ties with neighbours like Pakistan -- ultra-left extremism, defence, health, education and overall rural and urban development.

"India is ready to explore a meaningful relationship with Pakistan if Pakistan seriously addresses the threat of terrorism and takes effective steps to prevent such activities against India," she said, as foreign secretaries of the two countries were set to meet here Feb 25 to resume bilateral talks after a 14-month freeze since the terror attacks in Mumbai.

"But infiltration from across the Line of Control (the de facto border that divides India and Pakistan) in Jammu and Kashmir has gone up. Even then the security situation has improved significantly in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in the northeast."

At the same time, President Patil said, India's relations with major powers of the world had strengthened, including the US, Russia China and Japan, even as the country had acquired a strong global stature.

With the recent Pune terror attacks in the backdrop, coming as it did after 14 months of relative peace, the president also assured that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) would remain vigilant against all forms of challenges posed by such threats.

"Zero tolerance of terrorist activities is our principled policy. We have to keep constant watch and innovate against global terrorist groups," said Patil, detailing some measures taken by the government to strengthen the security apparatus.

The president also listed the priorities of the government for the domestic constituency and said special attention will be paid to infrastructure, rural development, education, agriculture and health so that growth is sensitive to the concerns of weaker sections.

Never before was India so close as it is today to realising the national aspirations as envisioned by the founding fathers, she said, concluding: "Our country stands at a historic turning point." Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
Guwahati, Feb 22 (IANS) New Delhi has asked the Assam government to let the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe the multimillion rupee scam involving the swindling of central funds by a politicians-militants-bureaucrats-contractors nexus, union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai said Monday.

"The home ministry has advised the Assam government to get the whole thing investigated by the CBI...it is now for the Assam government to decide," Pillai told IANS on phone from New Delhi.

"We have formally communicated this to the Assam government."

The central government's decision to recommend a CBI probe comes after the National Investigating Agency (NIA) came up with some startling revelations about the politician-militant-bureaucrat-contractor nexus operating in Assam's North Cachar Hills district with government funds to the tune of millions going to the coffers of a separatist group.

NIA, the new federal agency to combat terror, in its chargesheet referred the matter to the central government for a CBI probe as there were government officials allegedly involved in criminal misconduct.

Assam has been witnessing a political storm over the past week with the opposition demanding the resignation of the Congress-led government over the issue. This followed media reports quoting the NIA that Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi refused permission to the investigating agency to interrogate seven ministers allegedly involved in the scam.

"We are yet to get the central government communication and shall decide once we get the letter," an Assam government spokesperson said.

The NIA, in its final chargesheet submitted in the court of the special judge in Guwahati Nov 17, said elected members of the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) helped the outlawed Jewel Garlosa faction of the Dima Halim Daogah (DHD-J) to siphon government funds.

The NIA was entrusted by the central government in June 2009 to investigate a criminal case after Assam police arrested two DHD-J rebels in April with Rs.10 million cash and weapons.

The two arrested rebels, Phojendra Hojai and Babul Kemprai, spilled the beans during initial interrogation by Assam police, saying the cash was handed over to them by the 'chief executive member' of the NCHAC, Mohit Hojai.

The North Cachar Hills district is in southern Assam where the writ of the DHD-J reigns supreme. The DHD-J in September surrendered en masse before Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

"The main activity of the DHD-J after 2006 was to siphon off government funds through extortion with the help of elected members of the council, contractors, and government servants, in order to finance their subversive activities," the NIA chargesheet, a copy of which is available with IANS, said.

"Mohit Hojai and other accused public servants, along with accused contractors, committed criminal misconduct and defalcated huge sums of money from the funds available with NCHAC, which was channelized through Hawala (illegal channels) operators in Guwahati and Kolkata to reach arms smugglers, who in turn supplied weapons to the DHD-J," the NIA chargesheet said.

The NIA accused 14 people in the chargesheet of whom 10 are now in jail. The two arrested DHD-J militants and a bureaucrat are out on bail. Another DHD-J leader Niranjan Hojai, named as an accused in the chargesheet, has not yet been arrested. He led the surrender ceremony in September and is presently at a government-run camp.

The state's Social Welfare Department Deputy Director R.H. Khan, also an accused, is on bail now - charged with conniving with militants in swindling development funds in the same case.

"Investigations revealed that a portion of funds allotted to two Public Health Engineering (PHE) departments and Social Welfare Department were utilized by the DHD-J. Rs.130.5 million was directly siphoned away from the Social Welfare Department and about Rs.30 million from the PHE department in 2009," the chargesheet said. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) Giving force to the idea of allowing foreign universities to set up shop in India, President Pratibha Patil Monday said the central government will bring in legislation for such a move.

"The government is endeavouring to bring forward an appropriate legislation for facilitating the participation of globally renowned and quality academic institutions in our higher education sector, and for bringing in foreign education providers for vocational training and skill development," Patil said in her address to a joint sitting of both houses of parliament on the opening day of the budget session.

Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal has mooted the idea. Now foreign varsities are likely to enter the Indian educational scene by opening campuses and offering joint degrees with Indian institutes.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) President Pratibha Patil Monday said the government had responded with alacrity to the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic and was in the process of developing an indigenous vaccine that would be available this year.

"My government responded with alacrity to the influenza A(H1N1) pandemic. For the first time in our country an indigenous influenza A (H1N1) vaccine is being developed which will be available this year," Patil said, addressing a joint sitting of both houses of parliament on the opening day of the budget session.

"New H1N1 testing laboratories were set-up, two crore doses of drugs were distributed to states and 15 lakh vaccines have been imported for health workers," she said.

The president said the "quest for good health for all remains a national challenge and there is need to augment the availability of human resources". Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) President Pratibha Patil Monday kicked off the budget session of parliament on a positive note, saying the country not only faced the global financial crisis with strong policies but was also poised to grow at 7.5 percent this fiscal.

"At a time when industrialised countries have experienced negative growth, India has continued to grow at an impressive rate," the president said in her customary speech in the central hall of parliament.

"Economic growth, which had slowed to 6.7 percent in 2008-09, is likely to improve to 7.5 percent in 2010," she said, five days ahead of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's national budget for the ensuing fiscal.

"We now look confidently to further improvement in our growth performance in 2010-11. My government will aim at a growth rate of above 8 percent in 2010-11 and seek to achieve 9 percent growth I 2011-12."

During her 50-minute address, the president also listed a host of programmes, schemes and policies unveiled during the second term of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and said inclusive growth remained the central focus.

She also spelt out some challenges faced in the past fiscal, and said although inflation remained a matter of concern, the price rise was inevitable given the shortfall of food production and the prevailing prices of rice, pulses, cereals and edible oils.

"While we were able to avert any threat to food security, there has been an unhappy pressure on the prices of food grain and food products," she said.

"Since assuming office in May 2009, my government has worked single-mindedly to build on the achievements of its earlier term to deliver the promise of faster and more inclusive growth."

Listing the priorities of the government, the president said special attention will be paid to infrastructure, agriculture, rural development, education and health so that the growth process is adequately sensitive to the concerns of weaker sections.

Never before was India so close as it is today to realising the national aspirations as envisioned by the founding fathers, she said, adding: "Our country stands at a historic turning point." Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) Haryana legislator Abhay Chautala was granted interim bail by a city court Monday after he failed to appear before it in a graft case.

Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Judge P.S. Teji granted interim bail to Chautala, an Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) legislator, and fixed the matter for further hearing March 5. Abhay is the son of INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala.

The court had Feb 15 issued a warrant against Abhay Chautala after the CBI's counsel submitted that summons issued against the leader could not be served despite their best efforts.

Earlier, the court had issued summons against Abhay Chautala and his brother Ajay Chautala and others after taking cognizance of the chargesheet filed by the CBI in a case for allegedly having assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The CBI chargesheet filed against Abhay Chautala alleged his assets were 522 percent more than his income of Rs.22.89 crore as per income tax records during the period 2000 to 2005. The agency claimed to have found Rs.119.69 crore worth of assets.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) The government had a "zero tolerance" policy towards terrorism and remained vigilant against all forms of challenges posed by the threat, President Pratibha Patil Monday said.

"Zero tolerance of terrorist activities is our principled policy. We have to keep constant watch and innovate against global terrorist groups," Patil said, addressing a joint sitting of both houses of parliament on the opening day of the budget session.

Detailing some measures taken by the government to strengthen the security apparatus, Patil said the establishment of the four National Security Guard (NSG) hubs, the operationalisation of the National Investigation Agency and strengthening the Multi-Agency Centre that analyses intelligence alerts on a real time basis had helped hinterland security.

"The overall internal security, law and order and the communal situation remained largely under control during 2009. Infiltration of terrorists from across the line of control in Jammu and Kashmir has gone up," she said.

"Even then, the security situation has improved significantly in Jammu and Kashmir as well as the north east, but left wing extremism continues to be a significant cause of concern." Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
Chandigarh, Feb 22 (IANS) Giving a much needed boost to India's traditional sport, the Punjab government will organise the 2010 Kabaddi World Cup tournament next month, officials said Monday. The winning team will get a prize of Rs.1 crore.

The state government is all set to organise this world cup on a very large scale and is expecting teams from countries like Britain, the US, Pakistan, Iran, Italy, Canada and Australia.

"The Kabaddi World Cup will begin around the end of March and continue till the first week of April. Punjab has given gradation to Kabaddi which was denied to it for the past 62 years," said state Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who is also the Punjab sports minister.

He added: "To uplift this traditional sport of Punjab and to boost the morale of players, the state government has announced Rs.1 crore in prize money for the winner and Rs.50 and 25 lakh respectively for the first and second runner up teams."

In a bid to ensure live telecast of matches, the Punjab sports department has already invited expression of interest from TV channels.

The Kabbadi World Cup is scheduled from March 31 to April 10. The matches will be held at eight different cities of Punjab, sources in the state sports department told IANS. The final match will be played at the Guru Nanak stadium in Ludhiana, the industrial hub of the state. Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 22 (IANS) The government was ready to "discuss and debate all issues on the floor of the house", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Monday and appealed to the opposition not to disrupt parliamentary proceedings.

"The government is ready to discuss all issues in parliament. I will appeal to the opposition not to have any disruption of parliamentary proceedings because the government is willing to discuss and debate all issues," the prime minister told reporters outside parliament on the opening day of the budget session.

"Parliament is a forum for debate and government is ready to debate.

"We seek the opposition's cooperation in smooth running of this important session of parliament which will be devoted to the passage of both the general budget and railway budget," he said.

"All issues which agitate the mind of the opposition can be debated on the floor of the house."

President Pratibha Patil will address a joint session of parliament later Monday.

The budget session will continue till May 7 with about three weeks leave in between.
Monday, February 22, 2010 | MP
Jammu, Feb 22 (IANS) Heavy security has been implemented around Jammu where the budget session of the state legislature begins Monday morning. More than 2,000 security personnel are guarding the legislature complex and the roads leading to it.

According to police sources, this step has been taken following reports of terrorist threats. The police have some intercepts.

While the policemen have taken positions at the rooftops, and areas overlooking the legislature complex, closed circuit television cameras too have been installed at crucial points.

The budget session will commence with an address by Governor N.N. Vohra to the joint session of the two houses -- the legislative assembly and the council -- around mid-morning.

Speaker Mohammad Akbar Lone said that all arrangements for a smooth session have been completed. "I hope that things would be quite smooth and the focus would be on raising issues of public importance," he told IANS.

According to official sources, the governor's address would outline the return and rehabilitation policy of the government for militants, currently in Pakistan administered Kashmir. Monday, February 22, 2010 | MP
Jaipur, Feb 21 (IANS) India defeated South Africa by one run in a dramatic last-ball finish in the first One-day International at Sawai Mansingh Stadium here Sunday.

South Africa, chasing a victory target of 299 runs, almost snatched victory from the jaws of defeat before being bowled out for 297 in the last ball of a tense final over bowled by Praveen Kumar (2-46).

The visitors needed 10 runs from the last over, and two from the last ball to tie the match. Wayne Parnell (49 off 47 balls), who brought the match alive with a 65-run ninth wicket stand with Dale Steyn (35 off 19 balls), guided the ball to the third man boundary and went for a double. S. Sreesnath kept his nerve and threw the ball to wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who took the bails off in a flash as the crowd erupted in spontaneous celebration.

Kumar bowled an excellent last over, dismissing Steyn with the second ball. Last man Charl Langeveldt's shot was then brilliantly saved from a certain boundary by a diving Sachin Tendulkar in the fine leg, for which they took three runs.

South Africa were almost out of the hunt when Jacques Kallis, after scoring a stroke filed 89 off 97 balls, was bowled by Sreesnath, who took two wickets but proved to be too expensive, giving away 74 runs.

The visitors were off to a good start as Loots Bosman (29) and Herschelle Gibbs (27), riding on their luck, scored 58 runs in 8.4 overs. But after that they lost wickets at regular intervals and were reduced to five for 142. Left arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers taking two wickets giving 29 runs.

Earlier, India, after being asked to bat, rode on useful contributions from the top order to post a competitive total.

The Indian innings revolved around Suresh Raina, who top scored with 58, Virender Sehwag (46) and Dinesh Karthik (44) while Mahendra Singh Dhoni (26) and Virat Kohli (31) provided them support.

All the batsmen except Sachin Tendulkar, who was unfortunately run out for 4, got a good start but failed to convert it into a big score, leaving the lower order to take charge in the crucial end overs.

India scored at a good pace but South Africa did not allow any partnership to flourish. Jacques Kallis, who is leading the side in place of injured Graeme Smith, took three wickets.

Sehwag and Karthik added 79 runs in quick time after India lost Tendulkar with just 10 runs on the board.

Sehwag struck six fours and two sixes in his 37-ball innings, but he too, was run out.

Karthik, who hit five fours and one six, and Dhoni then kept the scoring rate moving before the former was dismissed by fast bowler Charl Langeveldt. Dhoni followed Karthik to the pavilion, becoming the first victim of Kallis.

Raina and Kohli kept up the good job with a brisk 66-run stand for the fifth wicket. With both at the crease India reached the 200-mark in the 35th over and were eyeing a big total but South Africa struck back with crucial blows.

Kohli left with Herschelle Gibbs taking a fine low catch at short mid-wicket off Morne Morkel.

Yusuf Pathan (18), who was making a comeback to the Indian team, did not stay for long, falling to left-arm seamer Wayne Parnell.

Left-handed Raina, who hit six fours and one six in his 63-ball knock, was the next to go, dismissed by Kallis.

Ravindra Jadeja (22), Praveen Kumar (13) and Ashish Nehra (16) then chipped in to take India closer to a competitive total. Monday, February 22, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 21 (IANS) Stimulus packages offered by the government during the recession helped generating additional employment with 19 percent growth during October-January in the ongoing fiscal, according to a study conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).

The study titled "Impact of fiscal stimulus in job creation", said domestic employment fell drastically following the economic slowdown worldwide in October 2008 which led to a fall in the manufacturing sector as well as exports. The government had offered fiscal stimulus in three phases from December 2008 at 3.5 percent of the GDP - Rs. 1.86 trillion (Rs.186,000 crore) besides tax concessions to industry of more than Rs.42,000 cr.

The stimulus package offered by other countries and other international agencies during the crisis period also helped in reviving imports and exports and helped revive international trade with India, it added.

"This, in turn, created jobs in manufacturing and merchandising sectors, which recorded 60 per cent and 38 percent growth respectively during October-January this fiscal over the period when the crisis was at its peak," the study said.

Sectors which generated additional employment included advertising and event management. Sectors like research and consultancy services helped generating 65 percent additional employment October-January 2009-10 over the same period last year, the study said.

Also sectors like automobiles showed robust signs of recovery with over 24 percent growth in jobs during October-January during the current fiscal compared to the similar period last year.

Similarly, other sectors like hospitality, aviation, hotels and tourism registered a 19 percent growth in jobs, while employment was up by 40 percent in infrastructure sector.

Employment grew by 27 percent in insurance and financial services and also grew in sectors like telecom, gems and jewellery, engineering goods and computer hardware, media & entertainment and warehousing.

However, growth of employment in sectors like banking fell 7 percent. Sectors like agriculture, FMCG, IT and textile sectors also registered negative growth in employment generation, according to the study. Monday, February 22, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 21 (IANS) The Delhi Metro will open the over-15 km long Inderlok-Mundka line on schedule next month, an official said Sunday.

This line will be opened with 13 trains initially, which will run at a frequency of around five minutes during peak hours, Delhi Metro spokesman Anuj Dayal said.

This line will have 14 stations - Inderlok, Ashok Park (Main), Punjabi Bagh (East), Shivaji Park, Madipur, Paschim Vihar (East), Paschim Vihar (West), Peeragarhi, Udyog Nagar, Surajmal Stadium, Nangloi, Nangloi Railway Station, Rajdhani Park and Mundka. All the stations are elevated.

This will be the first standard gauge Metro line in India as all other lines opened so far have been on broad gauge. Standard gauge lines have a width of 4 feet, 8.5 inches between the tracks while broad gauge lines have a width of 5 feet,6 inches between the tracks.

The travel time from Inderlok to Mundka will be 31 minutes approximately. Monday, February 22, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 21 (IANS) The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will move an adjournment motion on price rise Feb 23 and demand suspension of question hour in the Lok Sabha.

The meeting of the NDA leaders Sunday, which took these decisions, was attended by BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh, the Shiv Sena's Manohar Joshi and Shiromani Akali Dal's Naresh Gujral.

The issue of forthcoming Feb 25 foreign secretary-level talks was also discussed at the meeting.

"The prime minister should give categorical assurances that there will be no deviation from the 1994 resolution that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is an integral part of the country," Deputy leader of the BJP in the Rajya Sabha S.S. Ahluwalia told reporters.

Ahluwalia said that the BJP will also raise the issues of the Pune bomb blast, the ongoing Maoist violence and the demand for separate state of Telangana during the budget session of parliament that starts Monday.

He said his party will also want discussion on the plight of farmers in the light of recent decisions on rise in price of urea.

Answering a query if there will be any floor coordination with other opposition parties, Ahluwalia said: "There is no formal understanding, but the BJP, the Left and the Samajwadi party have common stand on some of these issues, as was reflected in the meeting of chief whips Feb 17." Monday, February 22, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 21 (IANS) Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani was appointed working chairman of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) while Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav was selected its convenor at a meeting here Sunday.

"Mr Advani was unanimously appointed as working chairman of the NDA, and Mr Yadav was appointed convenor of the alliance," Deputy leader of the BJP in the Rajya Sabha S.S. Ahluwalia told reporters.

The meeting was attended by BJP leaders such as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh, Shiv Sena's Manohar Joshi and Shiromani Akali Dal's Naresh Gujral.

It was presided over by Sharad Yadav, who has been working as acting convenor. Officially, the JD(U) leader George Fernandes, though ill, was still the convenor.

Ahluwalia said that soon after the meeting began, Yadav expressed wishes for the early recovery of ailing former prime minister A.B. Vajpayee, who is the NDA chairman.

Yadav then noted that that with Vajpayee still unwell, there was need to carry on the work of NDA and expose the anti-people policies of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. He proposed the name of Advani as working chairman. The proposal was supported by the Shiv Sena.

Sushma Swaraj then proposed that Yadav should be made convenor of NDA, which was accepted by the assembled leaders. Monday, February 22, 2010 | MP
London/Melbourne, Feb 21 (IANS) England, Australia and South African cricket boards have washed their hands of the safety of players in India, warning them to participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at their own risk.

According to Daily Telegraph the report, commissioned by the players' unions in England, Australia and South Africa and written by the England team's security adviser Reg Dickason, will state the players' safety cannot be guaranteed and threats issued by al-Qaeda sources last week were credible.

The Australian, South African and English player associations share the security report, which they commissioned independently because the IPL refused to deal with the associations.

Federation of International Cricketers (FICA), the international players' union, expects a mass pull-out of players from the tournament this week unless security concerns are addressed or the IPL is moved out of India.

The report will be passed on to the IPL's international players, who will then make the decision to travel to India on an individual basis.

The IPL begins in Mumbai March 12. Most of the eight franchises begin training as early as next week.

Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) chief executive Paul Marsh said he had received the report from Dickason but would not disclose its contents until he had advised the players.

"We haven't spoken to the players at this stage," Marsh was quoted as saying in The Australian.

"We have just received the report and we are working through it," he said.

"We need to go through the process of talking to our executive and our players before we are in a position to make public comment," Marsh added.

England's Twenty20 captain Paul Collingwood, who plays for Delhi Daredevils, said he is yet to make a decision on IPL participation.

"I am aware of the reported security risks and am in constant communication with Delhi Daredevils," Collingwood said.

"I will make a decision once I have had a chance to review all the available information and talk to the relevant people." Monday, February 22, 2010 | MP
Panaji, Feb 21 (IANS) Foreign tourists in Goa must have a "minimum dress code" as the clothes they wear "tend to tease", the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) state unit chief said Sunday.

Goa BJP president Laxmikant Parsenkar, while speaking at a gram sabha (village council), said thqat "a minimum dress code is necessary" to thwart the cultural invasion by foreign tourists in Goa.

"At least a minimum dress code is necessary. With the kind of clothes they wear?it tends to tease. Then if something happens, it is splashed in the media," said Parsenkar, a legislator from the coastal constituency of Mandrem.

Parsenkar said he had also received many complaints about nudism in popular beaches like Morjim in his constituency.

"They cannot come here and behave in a culturally insensitive way. These people who roam around here naked and half naked, do not do the same thing in their own country," he said, adding that Goa was the only place on the tourist circuit in India, where foreigners dared to roam around in the nude.

Commenting on the recent nine-year-old girl's rape case at Arambol beach, 65 km from here, the state BJP president said the mother had "complained too late" and that "it was not right".

"First, she (the mother) talked to them (the accused duo), then they said good bye and then after that she files a complaint. This is not right. The media also splashes these things," Parsenkar said.

The rape of a nine-year-old Russian girl Jan 26 triggered a nationwide media debate on the safety of women tourists in Goa. The union tourism ministry even shot off a letter to the state government, seeking details on the safety of tourists in the state.

Earlier, a 25-year-old Russian woman was allegedly raped by a Goan politician in December last year.

Police have also been unable to crack the mysterious death of Russian teenager Elena Sukhonova, whose mangled body was found on the railway tracks near Thivim, 25 km from Panaji, in May last year.

Goa receives nearly two million tourists annually, about half a million of whom are foreigners. Monday, February 22, 2010 | MP
Dubai, Feb 21 (IANS) India's Somdev Devvarman has qualified for the $1,619,500 Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships beginning Monday. He will play Swiss Marco Chiudinelli in the first round.

In the final qualifying round, Somdev, seeded seventh, rallied from a set down against Belgium's Dick Norman to win 3-6, 7-6(1), 6-1.

In the doubles, Leander Paes and his Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy are seeded second whereas Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi of Belarus are seeded third. Rohan Bopanna and his Pakistan parter Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi have been given the wildcard.

Paes and Dlouhy open against Poland's Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski while Bhupathi and Mirnyi play UAE's Mahmoud-Nader Al Baloushi and Kuwait's Abdullah Magdas in the first round.

Bopanna and Qureshi meets Swede Robert Lindstedt and Frenchman Arnaud Clement in the first round. Monday, February 22, 2010 | MP
Bhopal, Feb 21 (IANS) The Madhya Pradesh assembly's budget session, beginning Monday, is likely to be stormy with the main opposition Congress party all set to put the government in the dock over corruption, increasing atrocities on women and tribals, and deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

"We will not spare the government on the issue of corruption and demand attaching of properties of ministers and bureaucrats against whom cases are pending with the Lokayukta," Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Jamuna Devi told mediapersons here Sunday.

"Acute power crisis in both the rural and the urban areas and welfare of farmers will also be taken up by us during the session that is slated to have 18 sittings till March 26, the last day of the session," Jamuna Devi said.

Criticising the government for not utilising Rs.700 crore worth central funds, Jamuna Devi said it was an example that showed how much the government was really interested in the development of the state.

"How will Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan realise the dream of a golden Madhya Pradesh when his government was not able to utilise the development funds provided by the centre, and its officials and ministers were neck-deep in corruption?" she asked.

Deputy Leader of Opposition Choudhry Rakesh Singh Chaturvedi of the Congress told IANS that his party would take on the government over the issue of corruption, particularly in the wake of Income Tax raids at the residence of an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) couple who had amassed huge property and cash. Monday, February 22, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 21 (IANS) The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is setting up a new institute called the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education and Development (MGIDE) in Nagaland, where it will offer an on-campus master's degree course on social work beginning July this year.

The MGIDE is being set up in collaboration with Nagaland Gandhi Ashram (NGA) in Chuchuyimlang, Nagaland. The campus is coming up on 20 acres of land donated by the Village Council of Chuchuyimlang, a varsity spokesman said Sunday.

The proposed campus will consist of the School of Social Work, School of Agricultural Development, School of Teacher's Training, Community College, Cultural Resource and Training Centre, and Naga Arts and Crafts and Study Centre with Gandhi Museum.

"The course will be a face-to-face post-graduate programme in social work. The MSW programme is expected to be launched from the July 2010 session," the spokesman said.

The programme envisages an interdisciplinary approach to education and development. Its thrust is to prepare professionals to promote social welfare and development at the micro and macro levels.

It will include ICT enabled learning and full- fledged library support and regular faculty under the scheme called Educational Development of the North East (EDNERU). Virtual classrooms will also be used to broadcast lectures from Delhi, directly to students at the MGIDE campus.

The School for Social work within the MGIDE campus will be called Mahatma Gandhi Centre of Social Work. Professor R.R. Singh, former director of Tata Institute of Social Sciences and professor of School of Social Work, Delhi University, will coordinate and monitor the activities.

IGNOU is the largest open university in the world with a student base of over 2.5 million students accross 35 countries. Monday, February 22, 2010 | MP
Panaji, Feb 21 (IANS) Russians tourists who come to Goa have "all kinds of vices", the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) state unit chief Laxmikant Parsenkar Sunday said, calling on the local people not to "encourage them too much".

Parsenkar, legislator from the coastal constituency of Mandrem, was speaking at a gram sabha (village council) meeting at the Morjim village panchayat Sunday, where irate villagers have demanded Russian nationals be banned from carrying out tourism-related businesses.

"These Russians have all kinds of vices and the moment you have Russian tourists coming to one place, all other tourists flee from there. It is not a good thing for the people of Morjim. Even earlier we had tourists from other countries, but we never had this problem," Parsenkar said.

Morjim, a relatively new beach tourism spot, 25 km from Panaji, has for long been a favourite haunt of the Russian tourists, who throng the coastal village in large numbers every tourism season.

While villagers have constantly complained of the "over bearing" and "rude" nature of the Russian tourists, the recent murder of a local taxi driver Rohidas Shetgaonkar by a Russian restaurateur Constantine Alexander Borowski has turned the local population against them.

Parsenkar said that the volume of Russian tourists in the state had triggered a virtual cultural invasion in Morjim and surrounding areas and that because of their sheer numbers, the Russians were indulging in "dadagiri" (bullying).

"We should not encourage them (Russian tourists) too much. We should not become helpless before them," he said, adding the village panchayat authorities must crack the whip against illegally run Russian establishments and Russian sign boards and hoardings in its jurisdiction.

Goa has, over the years, emerged as a popular tourism destination for Russian tourists. With nearly more than 40,000 Russian tourists hitting the sunny Goan beaches annually over the last two years, Russia ranks a close second after Britain vis a vis the volume of foreign tourists arrivals in the state.

This increase in volume, however, has also corresponded with some highly sensational crimes in which Russian citizens were involved.

The rape of a nine-year-old Russian girl Jan 26 triggered a nationwide media debate on the safety of women tourists in Goa. The union tourism ministry even had to shoot off a letter to the state government seeking details on the issue of safety of tourists in the state.

Earlier, a 25-year-old Russian woman was allegedly raped by a Goan politician in December last year.

Police have also been unable to crack the mysterious death of Russian teenager Elena Sukhonova, whose mangled body was found on the railway tracks near Thivim, 25 km from Panaji, in May last year.

Goa receives nearly two million tourists annually, nearly half a million of which are foreigners. Monday, February 22, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 21 (IANS) At least 1,000 solar rickshaws will be deployed to ferry over 7,000 athletes and their delegates during the Commonwealth Games later this year.

A joint project between Delhi government and the central government-run Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), these zero carbon vehicles will help players commute inside the Games villages and reach sporting venues from Metro stations.

"Its a unique initiative, where both innovation and concern for environment will be on display," Rajesh Kumar, a senior scientist at CSIR, told IANS.

"We hope the initiative will be a huge hit among athletes from across the globe. The fleet of 1,000 solar rickshaws will reduce the carbon foot print and provide hassle free travel to our guest sportsmen," said Kumar, who has been coordinating with the city government.

These rickshaws are the greenest transport vehicles and help the cause of Green Games as promised by the Delhi government. These are optimally designed, pedal operated, motor assisted green pedicabs which draw their power from overhead solar panels.

Over 7,000 players and delegates from over 70 countries will reach Delhi to be a part of the Commonwealth Games Oct 3-14 in the national capital.

These vehicles were developed by CSIR's Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute based in Durgapur.

Kumar said he and his team are working hard to popularise the vehicle and set to hold a rally in its favour. "We are going to hold a rally of at least 50 solar rickshaws in Delhi to create awareness among people about the vehicle that reduces human drudgery and improves environment." Monday, February 22, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 21 (IANS) A slew of bills ranging from setting up regulatory authorities for the bio-technology sector and television channels to firming up laws dealing with road safety are slated to come up in the budget session of parliament beginning Monday.

The long-delayed Broadcast Service Regulation Bill is expected to be introduced with a proposal to form either a Broadcasting Council or a Broadcasting Authority to provide a regulatory framework for television channels.

The government intends to introduce the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India bill and a legislation to protect whistle-blowers.

Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath has indicated that his ministry will introduce a bill to ensure road safety with the country having one of the worst road safety records in the world.

The National Road Safety and Traffic Management Bill will lay down standards to ensure road safety and the ministry also proposes to constitute a National Road Safety and Traffic Management Board.

The Water Resources Ministry has prepared a legislation to establish an institutional system to monitor the safety of large dams as some dams across the country are over 50 years old.

A bill to streamline the functioning of Wakf Boards across the country will also be tabled in the budget session. Official sources said the bill intends to give more teeth to the Central Wakf Council in the wake of a parliamentary committee report which suggested amendment in the existing Wakf Management Act.

A bill to prevent harassment of HIV-affected people is also on the anvil.

The government plans to replace the Judges Act 1968 with a Judicial Accountability and Standards law to deal with complaints of corruption in the judiciary. Monday, February 22, 2010 | MP
Will Twitter have takers in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi? Twitter's staunchest advocte Shashi Tharoor certainly believes they have a large audience waiting on the social networking and microblogging site.

"If Manmohan Singh or Rahul Gandhi join twitter, they are also assured of a large audience," Tharoor, who has created a flutter with his Twitter posts, declared at a press meet organised by the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ).

Elaborating on the advantages of signing up on Twitter, Tharoor said it was increasingly proving to be a fast communication tool and those signing up had an early bird advantage.

Tharoor, who has a fan following of over 600,000, brushed aside the controversies some of his tweets had created and talked of the immense advantages it offered to the tech-savvy, modern communicator. Monday, February 22, 2010 | MP
Aizawl, Feb 21 (IANS) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked nationalised banks to provide banking services in all villages, far-flung areas and human habitations in the country, RBI deputy governor Subir Gokarn has said.

"It is very important for every adult Indian citizen to have a bank account since a scheduled bank is not only a safe place to deposit their hard-earned money, but also a channel which links the account holder with the payment and settlement platform enabling easy remittance and payments anywhere in India," Gokarn told hundreds of villagers Saturday at an outreach camp organised by the apex bank in a remote Mizoram village.

He said: "Everyone can get loans from the banking system at reasonable rates of interest under various schemes for all life cycle requirements such as income generation, birth, education, marriage and death. Many of these schemes are primarily targeting BPL (below poverty line) families." Monday, February 22, 2010 | MP
Raipur, Feb 21 (IANS) The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) here has registered a case against a senior Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer after the Income Tax department said he owned properties worth Rs.930 million (Rs.93 crore).

The IT sleuths raided the residence and business establishments of IAS officer B.L. Agrawal Feb 4. He was suspended by the Chhattisgarh government Feb 10 and the matter was referred to EOW.

An official here said EOW registered a case under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act Saturday, after the Bhopal circle of the IT department raided Agrawal's house and business establishments and informed in a preliminary report to the state government that the 1988 batch IAS officer owned moveable and immovable properties worth Rs.930 million.

The IT report said Agrawal invested nearly Rs.600 million in a steel plant in the name of his close relatives.

The report added that IT officials found Rs.68 lakh in cash at his residence and jewellery worth Rs.70 lakh and papers of Rs.80 million investment in insurance and mutual funds were recovered from various bank lockers. Monday, February 22, 2010 | MP
Sydney, Feb 21 (IANS) The Australian men's hockey team will participate in the World Cup in New Delhi after being told there were "no credible threats" to the Feb 28-March 13 tournament, authorities said.

Hockey Australia (HA) had pondered over the issue of participating in the World Cup following a warning by Al Qaeda's Pakistan arm threatening attacks in India, particularly upcoming international sports events like the Commonwealth Games, the Hockey World Cup and the IPL cricket tournament.

"The information from all sources is consistent. The advice states that there is a strong commitment and tangible evidence of the authorities' ability to implement robust security measures to ensure our team's safety at all times," Australian news agency AAP quoted HA as saying in a statement Sunday.

"All threats have been assessed and there are no known credible World Cup threats at this time."

It stated: "The Kookaburras (as the Australian hockey team is known) will continue with their plans to participate in the 2010 World Cup."

The Kookaburras had pulled out of the 2004 Champions Trophy in Pakistan after HA cited security fears. Sunday, February 21, 2010 | MP
Raipur, Feb 20 (IANS) Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh said Saturday that chief ministers and ministers in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh should declare their property details.

Talking to reporters here, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister alleged that the recent raids by the Income Tax department on Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officers in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh proved that bureaucrats were involved in corruption under the patronage of the state governments.

"Both the state are in a severe grip of corruption and the chief ministers and the ministers should declare their property details," the Congress leader remarked.

Earlier this month, the Income Tax department raided the residences of an IAS couple in Madhya Pradesh - Arvind Joshi and Tinoo Joshi - at Bhopal and of Chhattisgarh IAS official B.L. Agrawal in Raipur and found massive amounts of cash disproportionate to their known source of income.

All the three IAS officials have been suspended by the respective governments. Sunday, February 21, 2010 | MP
Chandigarh, Feb 20 (IANS) Bollywood and TV celebrities played an exhibition match at a flood-lit hockey stadium here Saturday evening - minus the Indian hockey team against which the game was originally scheduled.

Bollywood stars including Suneil Shetty, Irfaan Khan and Shavar Ali played the match against the Boxy Boys team of TV celebrities amidst an electrifying atmosphere in the stadium, where most of the stands were jam-packed with spectators.

Bollywood star Dharmendra, who is in the city for shooting a film, was also expected at the stadium. He was specially invited by the organisers as the guest of honour but could not make it because of health problems.

"Dharmendra could not come to see the match as he is not keeping good health today (Saturday)," said Sanjeev Kochhar, spokesperson of AMR Foundation, the organisers of the event.

Earlier the Indian hockey team had agreed to play against Bollywood and TV celebrities in the exhibition match. But they opted out at the eleventh hour after the organisers claimed that the players asked for a huge appearance fee of Rs.4 to Rs.5 crore for the game. Sunday, February 21, 2010 | MP
Chicago, Feb 20 (IANS) President Barack Obama, who called India an indispensable nation during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's state visit, will most likely visit India later this year to further underscore itss importance to America, a US official says.

Before that, the upcoming 43-nation Nuclear Security Summit that Obama is hosting in Washington in April, "which we expect Prime Minister Singh will attend, provides an excellent opportunity to highlight this evolving partnership," Assistant Secretary of State Robert O. Blake said Friday.

The remaining steps in the historic India-US civil nuclear deal are expected to be completed in the next few months, he said, addressing the Chicago Council on Global Affairs "on seizing the opportunities before us in US relations with India".

"The civil nuclear deal turned probably our most significant irritant in bilateral relations into an opportunity for cooperation," he said. "A few more steps are still required, and we expect them to be completed in the next few months."

"This has the potential to lead to billions of dollars worth of opportunities for American companies, and many thousands of jobs as a result of that."

"Indeed, this will be one of the defining relationships this century in American foreign policy," said Blake noting that "In recognition of India's importance," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited India last July to launch a Strategic Dialogue with External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna.

"In a further signal of India's importance to the United States, President Obama hosted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November for the first state visit of the Obama presidency," he recalled.

"President Obama has further underscored the importance of India to the United States by promising to make a reciprocal visit to India, most likely later this year," he said.

"Both countries believe we now have a unique opportunity to make progress on our broad bilateral agenda," Blake said. Sunday, February 21, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) India swept all the four gold medals on offer on the second day of the Commonwealth Shooting Championships at the Karni Singh Shooting Range here Saturday.

The first gold of the day came from Gagan Narang, who won in the the men's 10 metre air rifle singles event, while navy man Sanjeev Rajput bagged the silver.

Narang shot a total of 699.5 (595 qualification, 104.5 finals) for the yellow metal and also came close to breaking his own championship record of 699.7 set in Australia in 2005.

Rajput got the silver shooting a total of 694.8 (591 qualification, 103.8 finals) and the bronze went to Englishman Huckle James with an aggregate of 694 (593 qualification, 101 final).

Another Indian, P.T. Raghunath, who bagged the gold in the pairs event with Narang, narrowly missed out on a medal as he finished fourth with a total of 693.2 (592 qualification, 101.2 final).

India coach Sunny Thomas was happy with Narang's performance but was disappointed with Raghunath.

"Raghunath could have done better. He came close to win the bronze. He did poorly in the first two shots in the finals and then picked up well to score 101.2. Rajput also performed well in the final. He was fourth after the qualification but then bounced back to finish second," said Thomas.

Narang was elated after winning his second gold in the championship.

"I got 104.5 in the final, but I could have done better. But gold is a gold after all. It is also good to see India finishing 1-2 in a single event," he said.

"I have enjoyed my shooting here for the last two days as the facilities here are excellent and at par with the best ranges in the world," he added.

In the double trap event, India's Vikram Bhatnagar and Mohammed Ashaf won the gold with 187 points while the silver went to the strong Australian pair of Russel Mark and Nicholas Kirley, who aggregated 183. England's team of Steven Scott and James Sole won the bronze with 177 points.

In women's 25 metre pistol event, India dominated the competition as Anisa Sayyed won her second gold by scoring 578 points and Annuraj Singh won the silver medal by scoring 576 points. Australia's Linda Ryan stood third with a score of 576 points.

The last gold of the day came from Amanpreet Singh, who shot the gold in the men's 50 metre pistol event with 657 points. Michael Gault of England won the Silver with 645 points and India's Viraj Singh won the bronze with 625 points.

India are now on top of the medals tally with six gold, three silver and two bronze, way ahead of England, which has so far won one gold, two silver and two bronze. Sunday, February 21, 2010 | MP
Jaipur, Feb 20 (IANS) After an exciting end to the Test series, India and South Africa will lock horns in the three-match ODI series starting here Sunday at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

India retained their No.1 Tests status with an incredible win in Kolkata, but they have been inconsistent in the shorter format of the game. India are placed second in the ODI table but are way behind champions Australia and have the third placed Proteas breathing down their necks. South Africa can take the second spot if they win the series by a margin of 2-1 or better.

At the Sawai Man Singh Stadium here, both the teams will have their own share of problems.

Harbhajan Singh, the chief architect of Kolkata Test win, will skip the first two games for his sister's wedding while pace spearhead Zaheer Khan has been ruled out of the series due to injury. Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir are also absent with wrist and groin injuries.

But the return of Sachin Tendulkar, who opted out of the tri-series in Bangladesh, has brought back some smiles in the Indian team. Tendulkar is in great touch and has scored four consecutive Test tons.

South Africa will miss their captain Graeme Smith due to a finger fracture and veteran Jacques Kallis will lead the side. But wicketkeeper Mark Boucher is set for a return after sitting out of the Kolkata Test with a back spasm.

Kallis, however, will be banking on the presence of ODI specialists like Herschelle Gibbs, Albie Morkel, Roelof van der Merwe and Charl Langeveldt. The last minute inclusion of Hashim Amla, who was in great touch in the Test series, as a replacement for Smith will bolster the team's middle order.

South African fast bowler Dale Steyn, hero of their innings win in Nagpur, will be India's biggest concern but it will be due factor that will also play on skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's mind. Sunday, February 21, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) Home Minister P. Chidambaram has written to chief ministers of Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal inviting them to a meeting here following the recent spurt in Maoist violence.

In his letter, the home minister said the government had reached "tentative conclusions" to combat Left wing extremism and wanted all state governments to endorse the government's plan for an inter-state operation against the rebels, officials said Saturday.

Ministry officials pointed out that the letter was an outcome of two daring attacks staged by the rebels this week.

In West Bengal, over 100 Maoist rebels overran a Eastern Frontier Rifles camp in West Midnapore district Monday, killing 24 troopers. In another attack Wednesday night, Maoists killed 11 villagers in Kodasi Phulwaria village in Jamui District of Bihar.

Sources said Chidambaram wanted to be reassured that the chief ministers of Jharkhand and Bihar endorse the plans presented by the government.

On Friday, the home minister admitted that finding trained and well-equipped security forces in states is the most difficult challenge in tackling the Maoists, who had created a parallel administration in many districts in the country.

"The most difficult element is trained, well-equipped state police force to take on the challenge of the Maoists. The situation on the Naxal (Maoist) front is worse. For, we did not engage them (earlier) and they will continue to expand unless we challenge them," Chidambaram told reporters in an interaction at the Indian Women's Press Corps.

In Chidambaram's reckoning, security forces needed to regain control over Maoist-controlled areas first and the state governments should then rush with developmental measures. Sunday, February 21, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) International Hockey Federation (FIH) chief Leandro Negre sees India as the commercial hub of the sport and the upcoming World Cup as the launching pad for the revival of Indian hockey.

For India to become a major hockey power, Negre wants two things to happen in conjunction. One, the successful conduct of the World Cup and soon after, the Hockey India (HI) elections.

Negre confessed that ideally he would have liked to see an elected body before the World Cup but that could not happen for reasons beyond FIH and an ad hoc HI, with legal hassles coming in the way.

"As India is a key market for hockey, it will have the opportunity to host major events in the years to come. But first of all, the World Cup has to be successful and then a national governing body has to be in place," Negre told IANS in an interview.

"For us, a fair election of Hockey India is still absolutely necessary. Unfortunately this couldn't be done before the World Cup, but we stress that this should be a priority immediately after the World Cup."

The world body is looking to open new revenue streams in India, targeting sponsors and staging more top events in the country, which was once a hockey powerhouse.

"The Indian Project of the FIH has been in place for a while and will continue for long. Our work in India doesn't stop with the World Cup.

"We hope that the World Cup will act as a catalyst for Indian hockey and that the younger generation gets attracted to the game," Negre said.

FIH's new revenue generating model is aimed at reducing the world body's dependence on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) by filling its coffers before the 2016 Olympics and popular hockey destinations like India and the Netherlands will be the key centres to host the World Cup and Champions Trophy at regular intervals.

Many other international federations are also eyeing India as a major market with its growing status as a global economic power. As of now, only cricket seems to be tapping the market in a big way. For FIH to attain the same success, it will have to draw the young generation to the game and the World Cup is the first step towards that.

"Our title sponsor Hero Honda is making sure that the young generation is involved with the World Cup. Ticket sales are good and we hope it will be the best hockey event ever.

"All our partners and stakeholders are doing a great job in promoting the event. We are 99 percent ready. In the last days, the fine-tuning has to be done to make sure everything will be at the best possible level."

"We are in contact with the authorities in India, communicating on an almost daily basis with the 12 participating teams," he added. Sunday, February 21, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) Leaders cutting across party lines Saturday asked for a discussion on price rise in the Lok Sabha during the budget session that starts Monday.

At a meeting convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar ahead of the session, "all party leaders demanded discussion on price rise in the house", said a participant who did not want to be identified. "It was an almost unanimous demand."

The speaker convened the meeting to seek the support of leaders to ensure smooth functioning of the house during the budget session.

The Left party leaders demanded that parliament meet for 100 days every year.

Kerala Congress-Mani (KC-M) leader Jose K. Mani demanded a hike in local area development fund for Members of Parliament.

"The present amount (Rs.2 crore) is very inadequate," he told IANS.

The session will start Monday with the president's address to both houses and conclude May 7, with a break of more than three weeks in between.

The general budget will be presented Feb 26 and the railway budget Feb 24. Sunday, February 21, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) Child marriage continues to remain a big problem in the country, with half the women getting married before attaining the minimum legal marriageable age of 18 years, according to a study released by Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad here Saturday.

"Marriage happens very early for most of the women in most states - one fifth were married below the age of 15 years and 49 percent were married before turning 18," said the study.

The study was conducted in six states - Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu - between 2006 and 2008, involving over 58,000 youths in the age group of 15-29 years.

Findings show that the situation was worst in Bihar -- 77 percent of women were married before the age of 18.

"Not only did marriage occur at young age but it was also often arranged without the participation of young people themselves, particularly young women. Majority of them said that their parents did not seek their approval while selecting their spouse," the study added.

The study found that early marriage is followed by early pregnancy and almost 47 percent of young women had their first pregnancy before they turned 18.

"Married adolescent girls have unique healthcare needs and many of these become mothers before they are physically and mentally ready for this role. We need to set up exclusive forums for adolescent girls in villages to ensure their multi-dimensional development needs are addressed," said Azad.

The study was carried out by the Population Council, Delhi and International Institute of Population Sciences, Mumbai.

--Indo-Asians News Service Sunday, February 21, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) Youth from several Indian states are "not educated enough for employment" as per the market demand, a study released Saturday said.

The findings also indicated that "most youth were neither adequately educated nor equipped with vocational skills".

"Just two in every five young men (40 percent) and one in every three young women (33 percent) had completed secondary education...(and) one in every 12 young men and one in four young women had never been to school at all in the country," said the study conducted under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The study titled 'Youth in India: Situation and Needs' assessed the situation of youth in six states - Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu - between 2006 and 2008, involving over 58,000 youths in the age group of 15-29 years.

Around 44-52 percent of men and 36-48 percent of women in Maharashtra and the southern states of Andra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu had completed 10 or more years of education, compared to 30-38 percent of men and 13-18 percent of women from the other states.

"Basic education can be very important in helping people to get jobs and gainful employment. This connection, while always present, is particularly critical in a rapidly globalising world in which quality control and production according to strict specification can be crucial," Nobel laureate Amartya Sen said at the release of the study.

Around 56 percent of men and 68 percent of women surveyed were interested in acquiring vocational skills to help employability.

The study was carried out by the Population Council, Delhi, and International Institute of Population Sciences, Mumbai. Sunday, February 21, 2010 | MP
Chandigarh, Feb 20 (IANS) To train unemployed youths, the Punjab government will set up state-of-the-art skill development centres at the block level all across the state.

"The skill centres will provide employment opportunities to the rural youth of the state who are either unemployed or school drop-outs.

"We will train them through short-term technical training programmes, after which they could also start their own business," Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal told reporters here Saturday.

He added: "We will also set up private security training institutes at all district headquarters. These institutes will offer hi-tech training in private security services to our youth on the pattern of our already working security training institute at Jahan Khelan in district Hoshiarpur."

Badal also asked the big corporates to join hands with the state government to set up skill development training centres and absorb the unemployed and less educated youth in the industry and infrastructure projects.

Expressing concern over the problem of unemployment in the state, he said: "This unhealthy trend of unemployment must be checked immediately or else it could lead to lawlessness and unrest amongst the youth."

In this respect, Badal Friday inaugurated a Rs.18-crore driving institute called State Institute of Automotive and Driving Skills (SIADS), in Muktsar district. The institute is established jointly by the Punjab government and Tata Motors. Sunday, February 21, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) Veteran socialist leader and former defence minister George Fernandes is "secure and safe", maintains one of his close aides, denying reports that he was missing or abducted.

"He is secure and safe. He is with his wife, Leila Kabir. Some bad elements are spreading these rumours that he is abducted," S.D. Singh, a close aide of Fernandes, told IANS.

Leila Kabir told a television channel: "We are not hiding him. He is with us. He was taken to Haridwar."

Kabir and only son Sean Fernandes returned to George Fernandes' life after two decades, saying that his friends and brothers want to grab his property worth over Rs.250 million.

Fernandes, 79, who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease, was under ayurvedic medication at the Patanjali Yogpeeth in Haridwar till Thursday.

His brothers and friends alleged that Kabir and Fernandes had forcibly taken Fernandes to an undisclosed location on the pretext of giving him medical care.

His brothers are planning to approach a court seeking access and better medical care for him. Sunday, February 21, 2010 | MP
Kuala Lumpur, Feb 20 (IANS) Malaysian Indian lawmaker M. Manoharan has been confronted with an unusual threat -- he must divorce his wife within seven days.

If he fails, the former leading light of the banned Hindu Rights Action Front (Hindraf) has been told that a damaging video clip of his wife with an unidentified man would be posted onluine, China Press said Saturday.

Manoharan has lodged a police report. But The Star newspaper said he had declined to comment.

The video was allegedly recorded when Manoharan was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for organising an anti-government rally meant to highlight the grievances of Malaysia's 1.5 million Tamil Hindus.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak released Manoharan and four others from detention last year. Sunday, February 21, 2010 | MP
Agartala, Feb 20 (IANS) For the first time in India, non-government organisations (NGOs) will be involved in carrying out the country's gigantic 2011 census operation, officials said here Saturday.

"Besides senior officials, renowned personalities from among the NGOs have been selected as national trainers in each state to provide training to other officials to conduct the enumeration of the census," senior census official Dilip Acherjee told reporters.

He said: "In the first phase of census 2011, data collection for creation of the first ever computerised National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC), along with house listing and housing census would be taken up April 26 this year."

The 45-day work would be completed June 9 tentatively though the dates are likely to vary from state to state.

Ahead of the first phase of census, central Home Minister P. Chidambaram would hold a meeting with district magistrates and census officials across the country March 4 in New Delhi to finalise the road map on creation of NRIC.

"The coastal states of India have already begun the work on NRIC," the official added.

"These very critical and basic statistics of the NRIC would form the database of every Indian and these would be maintained by the Unique Identification of India (UID), a proposed system to be used as a means of uniquely identifying the residents in the country."

Acherjee said that the actual population enumeration would be undertaken simultaneously across the country from Feb 9 to Feb 28, 2011 followed by a five-day revision round from March 1-5, 2011.

The preliminary census result would be declared March 25, 2011.

To conduct the census operation, several thousand enumerators, supervisors and census officers will be appointed across the country soon.

District magistrates and collectors would be principal census officers (PCO) of the concerned district while sub-divisional magistrates and block development officers would be the sub-divisional census officers and charge census officers respectively.

"The Indian census has a rich tradition and enjoys the reputation of being one of the best in the world. The first census in India was conducted in 1872 with a diverse schedule and separately in different regions. In 1981, a census was taken for the entire country simultaneously."

Acherjee said: "The 2011 census would be the 15th census since 1872 and the seventh census after India's independence."

For the first time, the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) would also help to create master trainers, who would educate the enumerators and supervisors to conducted the massive census operation. Sunday, February 21, 2010 | MP
By Binoo Joshi

Jammu, Feb 20 (IANS) Body scanners will soon be installed at Jawahar Tunnel, the main road link between Kashmir Valley and the rest of India, to prevent terrorists from carrying explosives via this route.

"There are fresh inputs that terrorists are planning an assault on the tunnel," a police official told IANS.

The Jawahar Tunnel -- located at about 200 km north of Jammu -- on the Jammu-Srinagar highway is the lifeline of Jammu and Kashmir and has been on the terrorist radar since 1990.

There have been several attempts to damage the tunnel. A closure of the tunnel can block supplies to the valley and also severely affect ferrying of men and material for the Indian Army to Kashmir and beyond.

Official sources said that this step is being taken to prevent movement of terrorists carrying explosives through the tunnel from the Kashmir Valley to Jammu and vice versa.

The measure would be similar to what the Homeland Security of the US is planning to set up at American airports to scan passengers.

In 1991, the Border Roads Organisation had repaired and made the Banihal Pass functional in the eventuality of the tunnel suffering any damage. The Banihal Pass at a height of over 10,000 feet was used prior to the opening of the tunnel in 1957.

This is the first time that body scanners as also scanners that would detect explosives in trucks would be installed at Jawahar Tunnel.

The idea was proposed at the unified command meeting in Jammu Wednesday and was approved by Home Minister P. Chidambaram, the sources said.

(Binoo Joshi can be contacted at binoo.j@ians.in) Sunday, February 21, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) India's gold count in the Commonwealth Shooting Championship increased with Gagan Narang winning the men's 10 metre air rifle singles event and Navy man Sanjeev Rajput bagging the silver at the Karni Singh Shooting Range here Saturday.

Narang shot a total of 699.5 (595 qualification, 104.5 finals) for the yellow metal and also came close to breaking his own championship record of 699.7 set in Australia in 2005.

Rajput got the silver shooting a total of 694.8 (591 qualification, 103.8 finals) and the bronze went to Englishman Huckle James with an aggregate of 694 (593 qualification, 101 final).

Another Indian P.T. Raghunath, who bagged the gold in the pairs event with Narang, narrowly missed out on a medal as he finished fourth with a total of 693.2 (592 qualification, 101.2 final).

India coach Sunny Thomas was happy with Narang's performance but was disappointed with Raghunath.

"Raghunath could have done better. He came close to win the bronze. He did poorly in the first two shots in the finals and then picked up well to score 101.2. Rajput also performed well in the final. He was fourth after the qualification but then bounced back to finish second," said Thomas.

Narang was elated after winning his second gold in the championship.

"I got 104.5 in the final, but I could have done better. But good to see India finishing 1-2 in a single event," he said. Sunday, February 21, 2010 | MP
By Dipankar De Sarkar

London, Feb 20 (IANS) Angry unions threatening strike action warned Tata-owned Corus it will face "maximum damage" as the steel giant began mothballing a plant in northeast England after investors walked away.

Corus, the European arm of Tata Steel, began decommissioning its Teesside Cast Products (TCP) plant in Redcar - a step that would throw up to 1,600 workers out of their jobs, with a possible 8,000 more job losses in the local supply chain.

A brass band played to some 300 locals to mark what was described as the end of an era in a region with a history of 150 years of steel making, as Corus shut down the giant blast furnace at TCP Friday.

Corus has described its move as a "mothballing, not a permanent closure", a step it says it was forced to take after a consortium of four steelmakers in May last year reneged on an agreement to buy 78 percent of the steel plates produced at TCP over 10 years.

But the head of the Community Union representing Corus workers warned Tata of severe consequences.

"Tata Corus have walked away from Teesside. We know that there are a number of good faith offers on the table, yet Tata Corus are not interested," union General Secretary Michael Leahy said.

"A redundancy from a mothballed plant is the same as a redundancy from a closed plant. We will be seeking to make surgical strikes that will cause maximum damage to Tata Corus and minimum damage to our members," he warned.

GMB, Britain's general union, said it will ballot Corus workers across the country for industrial action over the coming weeks - a move that comes at an inconvenient time for the ruling Labour Party ahead of general elections due by June 3.

If workers vote for strike action, they will seek to disrupt Corus's remaining operations at the site, which include a coke works and a port.

The first round of 300 redundancies are expected at the end of February with the rest of the jobs going over the following three months in a country that just has begun to show signs of emerging from the global recession.

"The decision is bad for Britain and for our manufacturing industry and our members will now be asked to respond," said Keith Hazlewood, national officer of the GMB.

The political significance of the mothballing was reinforced when Business Minister Lord Peter Mandelson, the number two in the British cabinet, visited the plant Thursday and pledged a sum of 60 million pounds to the area.

"Politically, we are not going to walk away from this plant. We stand full square behind it. We will do everything we can to bring it out of mothballing and back into production as everyone around here wants to see," Mandelson said.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said that "a number of companies" are interested in buying the plant. Sunday, February 21, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) Rural youths are more likely than their urban cousins to have pre-marital sex, according to a study released by Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad here Saturday.

Overall, 15 percent men and four percent women reported engaging in pre-marital sex.

But "17 percent men in rural areas engaged in pre-marital sex compared to 10 percent in cities while four percent women in rural areas engaged in sex before marriage against two percent in cities," found the study conducted under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The study found that youths in both urban and rural areas were engaging in unprotected sex, raising the need to provide sex education to adolescents in the country.

The study was conducted in six states - Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu - between 2006 and 2008, involving over 58,000 youths in the age group of 15-29 years.

"We have data from states which says that more than eight percent of young people below the age of 19 years have experimented with sex. In our changing society both boys and girls are definitely in need of information and counselling," Azad said after releasing the study.

Findings show that condoms use within pre-marital sexual relationship was almost non-existent and a majority of those engaging in pre-marital sex had multiple partners.

The study also found that detailed awareness of contraceptive methods was limited, particularly among sexually active young women.

"Awareness of HIV/AIDS was limited among sexually experienced youth with majority of women unaware of it," the study said.

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, who also attended the release function, said: "While awareness of contraceptive is high, its exact uses are shockingly low, with 70 percent of young women unaware of the fact that a condom can be used only once."

The study was carried out by the Population Council, Delhi and International Institute of Population Sciences, Mumbai. Sunday, February 21, 2010 | MP
Chandigarh, Feb 20 (IANS) The Indian hockey team was again in trouble with organisers of a charity match alleging that the players are demanding a huge appearance fee for a scheduled game against Bollywood stars and TV celebrities here later Saturday.

India captain Rajpal Singh, however, refuted the allegations and demanded an apology from the organisers.

"It is all false and baseless. They are maligning the players," Rajpal told IANS.

"We are going to meet the organisers and demand an apology from them. Playing the match is not important to us now," Rajpal said.

The hockey players, who had a day off from their preparation for the World Cup beginning Feb 28, were scheduled to play against Bollywoood stars and TV celebrities. But only six players including Rajpal came here for the match at Sector 42 Stadium slated for 6 p.m.

"It is a charity match and there was a deal between the organisers and the players but now the team is asking for Rs.4-5 crore for playing the match," said Anshul Nagar, the spokesperson of AMR Foundation, the organisers.

The players had a different take on the issue.

"It seems the organisers did not provide air tickets to the players and that is why they failed to come to Chandigarh," said Indian team forward Deepak Thakur.

One of the officials of AMR Foundation said the money raised from the charity match would have gone to the players, but they had fears whether anything will come out from the match and so now they are demanding money.

Film stars Dharmendra, Govinda, Sunil Shetty along with some TV celebrities were scheduled to take on the hockey team. The timing of the match has been questioned by former players as it comes just a week before the World Cup. Sunday, February 21, 2010 | MP
Ahmedabad, Feb 20 (IANS) India may have record wheat production in the current Rabi season if rain or hail does not damage the crop that will soon be ready for harvest, says S. Nagarajan of the central agriculture ministry.

Nagarajan, chairperson of the protection of plant varieties and farmers' right authority, was delivering the keynote address at an international seminar on "wheat and wheat products - towards millennium development goals" here Friday evening.

However chairman of the seminar Vinod Kapoor struck a cautious note when he said that India needs to increase its wheat production by 12 million tonnes to 92 million tonnes a year over the next decade to meet the food needs of its growing population and this target can be achieved only through intensive research, water harvesting and major investment in agriculture initiatives.

In his keynote address, Nagarajan said: "As India and China are major consumers of wheat, the prices in Chicago wheat market have direct correlation with the market scenario in both these countries.

"As the population of our country is growing at a rapid pace, we need to increase the per hectare yield of wheat. We have successfully done this in the past, as per hectare yield has increased to 3,000 kg in 2008-09 from 2,500 kg in 1997-98. But to continue with such improvement, major investment in research and development activity is a must."

He was optimistic about the prospects for a good output of wheat this Rabi (winter) season. "Extended winter till February is a good indication for the wheat crop. If a spell of rain or hailstorm does not take place in the first week of March, India may witness record production of wheat in the current season."

Other speakers at the two-day seminar felt that crop failure, climate change, use of agriculture produce in bio-fuels and shortage of land as a result of rapid urbanisation pose serious threats to food security, but these issues could be addressed with a focused approach.

The seminar -- which is being jointly organised by Wheat Products Promotion Society,(WPPS), Roller Flourmills Federation of India (RFMFI), Society of Indian Bakers, All India Bread Manufacturers Association and Gujarat Roller Flour Mills Association -- is being attended by representatives from government agencies, corporate houses from India and abroad, millers, bakers, trading and export houses, service providers, researchers and other stakeholders. Sunday, February 21, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal Saturday said he would try and build consensus among all the state governments to implement the Right to Education Act, which will be notified from April 1.

"Our aim is to implement the Right to Education Act from April 1 and for this, I will talk to every state government," Sibal told reporters here.

The minister said he would discuss the matter with Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Monday. Saturday, February 20, 2010 | MP
Dhaka, Feb 20 (IANS) In a joint venture with India, a power plant will be set up in Bangladesh in three years to produce 1,320 MW.

Two coal-fired units with production capacity of 660 MW each will be built in Khulna district, 180 km southwest of Dhaka.

A bilateral document prior to signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding the matter is expected to be signed later Saturday.

The two countries also agreed to establish a cross-border power grid, for which tenders will be invited this month and work order will be issued in June.

The decisions were taken Friday at the second meeting of the Bangladesh-India Joint Steering Committee on Power Sector which was formed during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to New Delhi last month.

NTPC of India will carry out a feasibility study for the plant and submit a report to the Bangladesh government by July. The project is expected to be completed between 36 and 48 months of issuing the work order, The Daily Star reported.

Friday's meeting was held between Bangladesh's Power Division Secretary Abul Kalam Azad and India's Power Secretary H.S. Brahma, who came to Dhaka with a delegation Thursday.

"We want to gather experience regarding coal based power plants, since in future we will have to set up several such power plants to utilise the coal deposits of the country," Azad said in a joint press conference after the meeting.

Estimated investment for the plant is $1.5 billion to $1.7 billion. However, "we are not able to give you the exact figure until the feasibility study is finished", he said.

The cross-border power grid will take two years to be set up after the work order is issued.

Forty five km of the power line will be in Bangladesh and the remaining 85 km will be in India, he said, adding that the line could be used for importing power from the private sector of India as well since the agreement allows private partnership from both countries in the power sectors of each other.

"It might be possible to begin importing 250 MW of power from India from June 2012."

Brahma said power will be sold to Bangladesh at the rate paid by various states in India. Saturday, February 20, 2010 | MP
By Arun Kumar

Washington, Feb 20 (IANS) Honoured with the prestigious Democracy Service Medal, the Dalai Lama has hailed India's democracy, saying very unlike China it gives space for everyone to express their views.

"I found big difference between Indian and Chinese parliaments," said the Tibetan spiritual leader as he received the award in recognition of his commitment to advancing the principles of democracy and human dignity at the Library of Congress Friday.

"In Chinese parliament there is too much silence and in Indian parliament there is too much noise," quipped the Dalai Lama, who has lived in exile in India since 1959 when he fled his homeland after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

The Dalai Lama received the award instituted by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) a day after President Barack Obama received him at the White House brushing aside Chinese warnings to spark a political row with Beijing.

Reiterating his personal commitment towards promotion of human values and democratic rights of the people world over,

the Dalai Lama said: "Change must come through people. Protection of individual human rights is very important for the development of the society."

Talking about his experience of democracy in India, the Tibetan leader recalled, "there was a big difference between Nehru and Acharya Kripalani on the Tibetan issue."

Then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru was against raising the Tibetan issue at United Nations, while Praja Socialist Party leader Kripalani favoured it, he said.

"This is democracy," he said noting democracy is defined by the right to free expression. Saturday, February 20, 2010 | MP
Chicago, Feb 20 (IANS) As India's economy grows and its stature rises, it will be an increasingly important, and influential friend of the United States, buttressed in part by strong people to people ties, says a senior US official.

"Few relationships around the world matter more to our collective future, or hold greater promise for constructive action on the challenges that matter most to all of us, than the partnership between the United States and India," Assistant Secretary of State Robert O. Blake said.

"That doesn't mean that we will always agree, because we won't," he said addressing the Chicago Council on Global Affairs Friday.

"But together we can build on the solid foundation that already exists, an even stronger partnership that serves not only the interests of our two countries, but of the rest of the international community."

Noting that President Barack Obama had called India "an indispensable nation" during Prime minister Manmohan Singh's state visit last November, he said Obama "had further underscored the importance of India to the United States by promising to make a reciprocal visit to India, most likely later this year."

"We see a country where increasingly convergent values and interests have allowed us to forge a strategic friendship that benefits both Indians and Americans," Blake said noting, "Both countries believe we now have a unique opportunity to make progress on our broad bilateral agenda."

As Manmohan Singh and Obama acknowledged that their relationship should have a greater focus on working together to improve agriculture, the first US-India Agriculture Dialogue meeting is expected within a few months in New Delhi to explore in detail how to move these initiatives forward.

Defence sales are also of great interest to American companies, Blake said taking note of some very important defence sales just in the last year or two of C-130Js and P-8 maritime patrol aircraft.

The Indian government also recently submitted a Letter of Request for 10 C-17 aircraft worth about $2.5 billion. And

that's not the end of it.

There are large numbers of important potential deals, up to $18 billion worth of new opportunities that will become available in the next several years, Blake said.

Most notable is the multi-role combat aircraft purchase which by itself is a roughly $10 billion sale in which two American companies -Boeing and Lockheed Martin -are competing.

"That the Indians are now considering US manufacturers and US technology to meet their military aircraft requirements-which would have been unimaginable just 10 years ago-is just one measure of how far and how rapidly our relationship is evolving," he said.

The "civil nuclear deal turned probably our most significant irritant in bilateral relations into an opportunity for cooperation," he said. "This has the potential to lead to billions of dollars worth of opportunities for American companies, and many thousands of jobs as a result of that."

Noting that India-US total trade has more than doubled just in the last 5 years, Blake said: "The better news for American companies is that while US imports from India doubled between 2003 and 2008, US exports to India grew by a factor of three and a half over the same time period."

Among many other opportunities, India plans to spend $500 billion over the 5 years from 2008 to 2012 on infrastructure, and Midwestern companies like Caterpillar and others in the infrastructure and energy market can benefit greatly from this market potential, Blake said. Saturday, February 20, 2010 | MP
By Madhusree Chatterjee

Nawalgarh (Rajasthan), Feb 20 (IANS) The platter is turning pure in Sekhawati - the historic land of Sekhawat Rajputs known for its palatial family homes or havelis of the country's business giants - as tourism charts a new green course out of the ornate 18th century sandstone and marble mansions to the farmers' thatched huts.

Organic is the flavour in the vegetable and grain farms in and around the Sekhawati region spread over 1,3784 sq km and comprising the districts of Jhunjhunu, Nawalgarh, Sikar, Churu and portions of Mandawa and Nagaur.

Nearly 15,000 farmers in the region have taken up organic farming to cut overhead costs and improve the quality of food.

According to statistics provided by the M.R. Morarka-GDC Rural Research Foundation, which is steering the organic food movement in Sekhawati and in the state with know-how and market access, at least 30,000 farmers in Rajasthan have switched to organic farming over the last six years.

The farmers not only sell their produce across the country but also supply organic vegetables and spices to the havelis-turned tourist resorts in the region.

The flourishing organic farming has encouraged farmers to set up small-scale rural tourist resorts of thatched huts, nature trails and activity space on their farms - the size of which vary between 6.5 and 7 hectares on an average.

Nawalgarh alone has seven rural tourist resorts around the haveli town.

"We charge tourists between Rs.475 and Rs.500 for a night, depending on the kind of huts they opt for," organic farmer and rural tour operator Manoj Sharma, who grows mustard, jowar, bajra and summer vegetables on eight hectares of land 10 km from the Nawalgarh, told IANS.

Sharma has built two thatched huts in the middle of a vast yellow swathe of land with a common bath and entertainment space.

"Till two years ago, we were not commercially exploiting organic agriculture. But as we realised that the cost of inputs was lower than conventional farming and the produce was as good, we encouraged the farmers to cultivate and sell organic products through a separate company - a Morarka retail outlet," head of the M.R. Morarka-GDC Rural Research Foundation Kamal Morarka told IANS.

The business tycoon, whose family hails from the region, said he "felt he had to do something for Sekhawati after the end of his parliamentary career in the 1990s".

"A rural research foundation seemed to be a good idea to help the farmers of this arid region to make their livelihood sustainable," Mumbai-based Morarka said.

The foundation, which trains farmers to grow organic food, connects them to foreign buyers through the Internet.

"The farmers mostly grow organic summer vegetables which are in demand across the country. I think commercial viability of organic summer vegetables will become sustainable in metros and 10 tier-two cities in the next five years.

"But exporting organic vegetables abroad still does not make business sense though we have a market in the Middle East," agro-scientist Mukesh Gupta, executive director of the M.R. Morarka Foundation and an authority on organic farming, told IANS.

The farmers use vermi-compost, cow urine, neem, leaf extracts of plants like okra, dhatura (native flowers) and asafoetida to increase soil fertility for crops like corn, brinjals, tomatoes, radish, cabbages, chillis, onions, carrots, gram, coriander, wheat, mustard, bajra and spices.

According to Vardhman Bapna, general manager (coordination) of the Morarka Rural Research Foundation, the farmers save up to 30 percent by growing their vegetables and grain organically.

"Every year, new farmers in the region are registering themselves at the foundation to covert to organic farming. This month, 50 conventional farmers enrolled for the organic training workshops," Bapna told IANS.

A survey carried out last year revealed that organic kitchen was a feasible option in Indian homes with an average income of Rs.50,000 to Rs.70,000 every month, Gupta said.

"Non-perishable kitchen grocery costs around Rs.1,500 to Rs.1,700 every month. But if a consumer is willing to spend an additional Rs.230, conventional grocery products can be replaced with organic product"," Gupta said, citing consumption trends thrown up by the survey.

(Madhusree Chatterjee can be contacted at madhu.c@ians.in) Saturday, February 20, 2010 | MP
Ranchi, Feb 19 (IANS) Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren Friday removed his personal secretary M.L. Pal after Income Tax (IT) raided his houses three days ago, an official statement said.

The Income Tax department Feb 16 conducted searches at 70 places in 13 Indian cities on properties of some senior officials, including Pal, in connection with the Rs.2,500-crore money laundering scam involving former chief minister Madhu Koda.

According to an IT official, during raid at Pal's houses in Ranchi and Jamshedpur, documents relating to Rs.65 crore worth of undisclosed assets and investments were seized.

Pal has been associated with Soren for long. He became Soren's personal secretary when the latter became chief minister in August 2008. Saturday, February 20, 2010 | MP
By Arun Kumar

Washington, Feb 19 (IANS) Warning that nations like India, China and Germany would not wait, President Barack Obama has pushed for a clean energy revolution and education reforms lest other countries out-compete America and leave it trailing behind them.

"Look, we can keep on being consumed by the politics of energy," he said at a grassroots fundraiser for Senator Michael Bennet in Denver, Colorado, Thursday.

But "we know that whoever leads the clean energy revolution is going to lead the 21st century economy. The people of Colorado understand that. Michael Bennet understands that," he said amid applause from the audience.

"And we can't wait. We can't wait. Because China is not waiting. India is not waiting. Germany is not waiting. We can't afford to wait," said Obama as an audience member piped up with a "That's right!"

"Exactly," responded the president amid laughter.

"We can't continue to spin our wheels in the old education debates - the stale debates, they pit teachers against reformers - meanwhile kids are trailing their counterparts all around the world," Obama went on, seeking education reforms.

"So we need to do what Michael did here in Denver, which is to bring people together, get them talking, build consensus around reform," he said. "Because we know that the country that out-educates us today is going to out-compete us tomorrow."

"And we don't want that future for our young people. We're not going to sentence them to a lifetime of lower wages and unfulfilled dreams," he added amid applause.

"The only agenda Michael has is yours... and that's breaking free from the politics of the past and moving America forward at this defining moment in our history."

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in Saturday, February 20, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 19 (IANS) Shyam Saran, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh\'s special envoy on climate change, may have quit the government job Friday, despite his expected elevation to minister rank, because of much-talked about differences with Minister of State Environment Jairam Ramesh, knowledgeable sources said.

Highly placed sources said Saran and Ramesh are known to have differing recommendations for India's negotiating stance at formal and informal negotiations in international forums. Members of India's climate changes negotiating team told IANS that Saran had been against the decision to announce a reduction in carbon emissions intensity before the Copenhagen summit last December.

Saran felt that this was an ace that India should keep up its sleeve at the negotiating high-table. But Ramesh reportedly worked out an agreement with the other BASIC countries (IChina Brazil and South Africa) that they would make the announcement and use this to pressure the rich countries to make significant cuts, the sources said.

"There were also significant differences whether Kyoto Protocol should continue. Saran was adamant on its continuation while Ramesh was more flexible," a climate change negotiator told IANS.

Saran, a former foreign secretary, however, refused to entertain questions on whether there were other reasons for his decision to quit, although the Prime Minister's Office had told him that he would be elevated to minister of state rank in the environment ministry.

With India positioning itself as a proactive player in the climate change discourse, Manmohan Singh was keen to assign Saran more responsibilities to carry forward the country's climate diplomacy, said PMO sources. Saran was instrumental in the drafting of several of the eight missions under India's National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

"I had indicated well in advance to the Prime Minister's Office that March 14 would be my last working day. This is not something new. That's all there is to this," Saran told IANS.

PMO officials said the decision to make Saran a MoS (minister of state) had been taken because Shiv Shankar Menon, who was three years junior in foreign service, took charge as the National Security Advisor (NSA).

Menon, who retired as foreign secretary in July last year, was appointed the NSA in January.

"Since Saran was a key negotiator in India's climate change diplomacy and enjoyed the prime minister's mandate, (so) the elevation was natural," said the official.

A release from the PMO said, "Shyam Saran, special envoy of the prime minister for Indo-US nuclear issues and for climate change, has been permitted to demit office with effect from March 14." Saturday, February 20, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 19 (IANS) The Delhi government's tourism department will construct a special garden of fragrances to benefit disabled people, Chief Minister Shiela Dikhsit said Friday

"The Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) would construct a special garden of fragrance for disabled persons in the corporation-run Garden of Five Senses, which would include herbal trees, in south Delhi," Dikshit said.

The chief minister made this announcement after inaugurating Delhi's 23rd Garden Tourism Festival here Friday.

The three-day festival showcases a collection of native plants, colourful flower beds, bulbous plants in the midst of lush green lawn.

The DTTDC hopes that the festival will encourage residents to make Delhi greener and more beautiful.

The festival has competitions in 32 categories for potted plants, dahlias, hanging baskets, foliage plants, cactus, aromatic or herbal and medicinal plants, bonsai plants, vegetables, flower decorations and roses.

The festival is open for public from 11.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. Saturday, February 20, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 19 (IANS) A gang of three Nigerians, an Ivory Coast resident and an Indian woman, who claimed to be a member of the Indian Mujahideen, have been arrested for duping people by selling fake herbal products through the internet, police said Friday.

The woman, Nikita alias Anita Dass alias Mrs.Khanna alias Mrs Nisha, claimed to be a member of the Indian Mujahideen, will be interrogated in connection with the recent terror attacks also.

"Richard Eugenes, Tommy Ojeaga, Aaron (all Nigerians) and Lucien (of Ivory Coast) and Nikita were arrested on the basis of a complaint filed by Ahmedabad based businessman Hemchandra Barot," according to a police press release.

Eugenes and Nikita were arrested from near Jor Bagh area in south Delhi Thursday evening, and based on their information, Lucien, Tommy and Aaron were arrested from Arjun Nagar area, where they were living in a rented house.

"On interrogation, they disclosed that their visas have already expired and they were overstaying in India. They revealed that they got involved in internet frauds in association with Nikita," the release added.

According to police, Nikita was arrested in 2001 by the Delhi Police and was released in 2008. After that, she came in contact with these Nigerian nationals and started living with them. For the last 18 months, she was living with them and indulged in all sorts of cheating by using fictitious names. She is fluent in English and has also worked with a few advocates in the Patiala House courts," it added.

"Nikita would be interrogated further in coordination with other intelligence agencies in view of the recent terror attack. Efforts are being made to ascertain other involvements of these people," it further said.

The police recovered around three kilograms of fake herbal seeds, a few fake business cards of various leading drug companies, three laptops, and four passports from their possession. Saturday, February 20, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 19 (IANS) The country's largest oil producer Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will launch a programme for setting up crematoriums that will have more energy efficient pyres, an official Friday said.

"In a country like India where Hindus are in majority, cremations are mostly on wooden pyres. Keeping this in mind one of the CSR (corporate social responsibility) initiatives that we will launch very soon is the Mokshada Green Cremation initiative," ONGC's CSR chief A.B. Chakraborty told IANS on the sidelines of an event here.

The green crematoriums -- 30 initially -- will be established in ONGC's field operating areas in collaboration with the local municipalities, Chakroborty said.

The ONGC official had also made a fleeting reference to the project while giving a presentation at the event in observance of World Day of Social Justice (Feb 20) at the UN office here Friday.

"The main aim of this project is to give access to efficient energy to the society. In these green crematoriums, one would save 60-70 percent wood and a fourth of the burning time per cremation. This project is in the final stages of approval at ONGC," he said.

The public sector undertaking giant spent over Rs.1.61 billion (Rs.161 crore) on its CSR initiatives in the last fiscal year.

This time, the company is mulling over a Rs.200 crore budget, still around Rs.100 crore short of the two percent target that the state-run companies should have for CSR expenditure, Chakraborty said.

"We have allocated Rs.9.5 crore on the green crematorium initiative. It will take some three to four months for the first few to be set up in some areas of Assam and Gujarat where we have operations. Subsequently we will set up the remaining of the 30 in a span of three years," the official added.

Once the project kicks off, ONGC will also look at tie-ups in cities like Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
Saturday, February 20, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 19 (IANS) The Delhi High Court Friday gave another two-month breather to Blueline bus operators plying in south Delhi.

Justice S. Muralidhar asked the government to explain why no-show cause notice was issued for the buses which have valid permits, and directed the government to file reply by April 13.

Meanwhile, the interim order of the court allowing the buses to ply will continue.

The government planned to phase out Blueline buses from the city by March 2010. About 264 buses which fall under this category are marked to be removed from Delhi roads.

The bus operators approached the court asking for more time against the government's notice. They said, the government should have given 30-day notice but has given only 10 days.

"We know the history of Blueline buses. But the government will not take any coercive action till Feb 19," the judge had earlier said.

Defending the notification dated Jan 29, the government stated that Blueline buses which are more than 10 years old as of June this year will not be allowed to run.

According to the government, when the phase-out from south Delhi begins, operators plying buses which are less than 10 years old will be given charge of some routes on which the older buses were operating.

The allocation of routes will be done on a first come first served basis.

The shortfall, if any, will be met with the new low-floor DTC buses which are augmenting the fleet every month now. Saturday, February 20, 2010 | MP
New Delhi, Feb 19 (IANS) The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here has been ranked the fourth best in the world in the 15-25 million passengers per annum category by the Airport Council International (ACI).

The council, an international association of the world's airports, has also ranked the IGIA as the Best Improved Airport in the Asia Pacific region, its developer, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), said.

The ACI has ranked the Hyderabad International Airport among the top five in the five to 15 million passenger capacity category.

Both airports have recieved the AIC's annual Airport Service Quality (ASQ) awards.

The Delhi and Hyderabad airports are being developed and operated by global infrastructure major GMR Group.

"This rating has vindicated our persistent efforts and going further, with the impending inauguration of the state of the art Terminal 3 in July this year - IGIa will surely achieve its dream," GMR Group chairman G.M Rao said.

ACI, has 575 members operating over 1633 airports in 179 countries. The airports are rated on 34 parameters under 10 broad categories, including key regulatory and facilitating agencies like customs, immigration, security, airlines and ground handlers. Saturday, February 20, 2010 | MP
Dubai, Feb 19 (IANS) International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Haroon Lorgat Friday congratulated India on finishing as No.1 team in the Test Championship table following their innings victory over South Africa in the Kolkata Test.

South Africa finished in second position at the cut-off date of April 1 in the ICC Test Championship. India, after losing the first Test at Nagpur, needed to win the second at Kolkata's Eden Garden to retain the top postion in Tests. They won, with just nine balls to spare, in a thrilling conquest Thursday.

It is also the first time in seven years that Australia have not finished the season as the number-one Test-playing side in the world.

"I have written to both the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Cricket South Africa (CSA), congratulating them on an outstanding series. The final Test in Kolkata again underlined the unique attraction of Test match cricket, which is the pinnacle of our great sport," Lorgat said Friday.

"This titanic struggle follows on similarly captivating Test matches in Cardiff, Centurion, Cape Town, Sydney, Perth and Dunedin and demonstrates once again why Test match cricket captivates broadcasters, media, spectators and television viewers across the globe,: he said in his message.

"Test cricket continues from strength to strength and I believe that the competitiveness of the sort we witnessed in Kolkata underlines that belief. Congratulations to Mahendra Singh Dhoni and India on their remarkable achievement," he said. Saturday, February 20, 2010 | MP
Dubai, Feb 19 (IANS) Indian opener Virender Sehwag dislodged his batting partner Gautam Gambhir from the top of the International Cricket Council's Test rankings for batsmen to take the number one spot.

Sehwag, who struck back-to-back centuries in the just concluded two-match Test series against South Africa, jumped five places for the No.1 position. Sehwag shot up 52 rating points.

Gambhir's lacklustre form in the series against South Africa saw him drop four places to fifth position.

Another big mover was Hashim Amla, who climbed eight places to occupy the second position. Amla had a phenomenal series against India, scoring 490 runs with two centuries and one double-hundred and getting out only once. The South African middle order batsman, who was the man of the series, is 21 rating points behind Sehwag.

Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawerdena and Kumar Sangakkara were pushed to third and fourth places.

In the bowling charts, Harbhajan Singh after his spectacular performance in the second Test at Eden Garden, where he claimed eight wickets, jumped five places to seventh position.

South African Dale Steyn maintained his top position with a stellar show in the first Test in Nagpur where he got 10 wickets.

Australian Mitchell Johnson and Pakistan's Mohammad Asif are placed second and third.

India's Zaheer Khan remained at sixth position.

Saturday, February 20, 2010 | MP
Indore, Feb 19 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday accused the Congress of attempting to introduce religion-based quotas and