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India's largest ultra mega solar power plant planned in Madhya Pradesh

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 31 Juli 2014 | 22.44

BHOPAL: Plans are afoot to set up the country's largest ultra mega solar power plant (UMSPP) in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district, a senior official said on Thursday.

The plant, to produce 700 MW of electricity, would require an investment of Rs 4,000 crore, state's additional chief secretary for new and renewable energy S R Mohanty told PTI.

The electricity from the plant would be available at Rs 5.40 paise per unit, which would be the lowest in the country, Mohanty said.

The state government would set up the plant as a joint venture with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Power Grip Corporation and the Solar Energy Corporation of India, he said.

Thirteen hectares of land spread over four villages of Barseta, Ramnagar, Latar and Badwaar has been chosen for locating the plant in Gurh tehsil of Rewa, which is the home district of state energy minister Rajendra Shukla.

The country's biggest solar plant with a capacity of 130 MW is situated in Neemuch district of the state.

Minister of State for Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal told Lok Sabha last week that the government is promoting generation of renewable energy by providing various fiscal and financial incentives such as capital and interest subsidy, concessional excise and customs duties to encourage Indian and foreign investors to invest in new renewable energy sector.

"Ultra mega solar power projects have been planned in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. The capacity will depend upon availability of land. On an average 1 MW of solar photovoltaic power project generates about 1.6 million units of electricity per annum," he said during Question Hour.

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US says it is hopeful of WTO deal with India only hours before deadline

NEW DELHI/SYDNEY: The United States said on Thursday it was hopeful that differences between India and much of the rest of the world over a major trade agreement could be resolved in time, with only hours remaining before the deal has to be signed.

New Delhi has insisted that, in exchange for signing the trade facilitation agreement, it must see more progress on a parallel pact giving it more freedom to subsidize and stockpile food grains than is allowed by World Trade Organization rules.

The WTO deal must be signed in Geneva on Thursday, and India's ultimatum has revived doubts about the future of the WTO as a negotiating body.

"I am an optimist, I am hopeful that within the period of today ... there is a common ground that is found," US commerce secretary Penny Pritzker, accompanying secretary of state John Kerry during annual strategic talks with India, told NDTV.

India's new nationalist government has demanded a halt to a globally agreed timetable on new customs rules and said a permanent agreement on food stockpiling and subsidies aimed at supporting the poor must be in place at the same time, well ahead of a 2017 target agreed last December in Bali.


Arun Jaitley (left) John Kerry in New Delhi on July 31, 2014. (AP photo)

Kerry warned India it stood to lose if it refused to budge.

"Right now India has a four-year window where it's been given a safe harbour where nothing happens," he told NDTV. "If they don't sign up and be part of the agreement, they will lose that and then (they will) be out of line or out of the compliance with the WTO."

Pritzker said serious efforts were underway on Thursday to save the deal, which proponents say could add $1 trillion to the global economy and create 21 million jobs.

Deal without India?

As trade officials in Geneva tried to rescue the deal, trade minister Nirmala Sitharaman said New Delhi's position remained unchanged. An Indian government source added separately that the Bali deal need not collapse even if the July 31 deadline is not met.

But several diplomats said New Delhi's stance could derail the whole process of world trade liberalization, leading some WTO nations to discuss informally the last-ditch idea of excluding India from the agreement.

"If India does end up blocking (on Thursday) there is already a group of members who are interested in pursuing that path," a source involved in the discussions said. "A dozen or so" of the WTO's 160 members had informally discussed pushing ahead with the trade facilitation agreement with less than 100 per cent participation, the source said.


John Kerry (left) with Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi on July 31, 2014. (AP photo)

An Australian trade official with knowledge of the talks said a group of countries including the United States, European Union, Australia, Japan, Canada and Norway began discussing the possibility in Geneva on Wednesday afternoon.

A Japanese official familiar with the negotiations said Japan was still working on reaching a consensus, while a State Department official travelling with Kerry in India said the United States continued to talk with India on the deal.

A WTO spokesman said the group's director-general would hold meetings throughout the day to "avert a crisis.

"Delegations are showing real commitment to finding a solution and the director-general remains hopeful that a solution can be found," he said.

'Active discussion'

Technical details would still have to be ironed out, but there was a "credible core group" that would be ready to start talking about a deal without India when WTO diplomats return from their summer break, the Australian official said.

To what extent the alternative proposal, and India's hardline position, were part of political brinkmanship was unclear. New Delhi's absence from any agreement would be a setback given its size and importance in global trade.

"What began as a murmur has become a much more active discussion in Geneva and I think that there are a lot of members in town right now that have reached the reluctant conclusion that that may be the only way to go," the official said.


US secretary of state John Kerry and his team (right) in a high-level meeting with foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and her team in New Delhi on July 31, 2014. (AFP photo)

Trade diplomats had previously said they were reluctant to consider the idea of the all-but-India option for the customs pact, partly because it would be hard to exclude one free rider and partly because the agreement in its current state requires an amendment to the existing WTO treaty, which appears to make India's cooperation vital.

Others pointed out that many countries, including China and Brazil, have already notified the WTO of steps they plan to take to implement the customs accord immediately.

Other nations have begun bringing the rules into domestic law, and the WTO has set up a funding mechanism to assist.

One trade diplomat in Geneva described two worlds moving in parallel, with a few WTO members wrangling with India, and others moving ahead as if oblivious to India's objections.


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Dissension surfaces in JD(U) over alliance with RJD

PATNA: Widespread dissension has surfaced among JD(U) legislators and party leaders over alliance with Lalu Prasad's RJD for the bypoll in 10 assembly seats, party sources said on Thursday.

JD(U), RJD and Congress officially announced entering into alliance on Wednesday for the bypoll in 10 Assembly seats going to vote on August 21.

JD(U) MLA from Islampur in Nitish Kumar's native Nalanda district, claimed that as many as 65 party MLAs out of a total 116, were against the party joining hands with RJD against whom Kumar and the party had fought in the name of ending "jungle raj".

"Legislators will take a major decision after August 25 (when election process for bypoll will be over)," he told.

Ranjan, second term MLA from Islampur who had written a letter to the state party President Basistha Narayan Singh recently against alliance with RJD, said the tie-up has been imposed on the party by a few leaders who he alleged have given up principles for the sake of power.

He said he and other MLAs who are opposed to the alliance with RJD would not quit the party but would "try to take over the party in their own hands."

Rebel JD(U) MLAs Gyanendra Singh Gyanoo and Ravindra Rai described the alliance as "fraud" against voters who overwhelmingly supported Nitish Kumar in 2010 assembly poll.

Gyanoo and Rai, prominent leaders of the group of 18 dissident JD(U) MLAs who voted for Independent candidates in recent Rajya Sabha poll against official candidates, claimed "there is widespread anger among party MLAs and workers over joining hands with RJD known for 'jungle raj'."

Meanwhile, a section of JD(U) leaders including two state executive committee members — Raj Kumar Singh and Ramvinod Singh — issued a statement announcing their decision to quit the party and join Rashtriya Lok Samata Party headed by Union minister for State Upendra Kushwaha on August 3.

Two other signatories are senior leader Manoj Lal Das Manu and former Secretary Kamlesh Singh Batkhari.

"Nitish Kumar who has played with the sentiments of committed party workers and masses has grown arrogant," they said.

"Parting company with BJP was individual decision of Nitish Kumar and none of the party leaders were consulted. Whosoever protested the decision was shown the doors," they said in the statement.

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Petrol prices slashed, diesel prices hiked

MUMBAI: State-owned oil marketing companies (OMCs) on Thursday decided to cut retail petrol prices by Rs 1.09 a litre and increase retail diesel price by 56 paise a litre with effect from midnight of July 31. The OMCs also reduced the diesel price for bulk consumers by 72 paise a litre and price of non-subsidized LPG cylinder by Rs 2.50 for a 14.2 kg cylinder and that of commercial LPG cylinder by Rs 4.00 for a 19kg cylinder.

Private oil firms like Reliance Industries (RIL), Essar Oil and Shell are also likely to reduce petrol prices to make their prices at par with OMCs.

This is because the international prices of petrol, diesel and LPG have fallen in the global markets and the Indian Rupee slightly depreciated against the US Dollar. This is the first drop in petrol prices since April. Petrol prices were last slashed on April 15, by 70 paise per litre, excluding local levies.

After revision, petrol will be sold at Rs 72.51 per litre in Delhi, Rs 80.30 a litre in Kolkata, Rs 80.60 in Mumbai and Rs 75.78 per litre in Chennai. Similarly, diesel will be sold at Rs 50.40 in Delhi, Rs 63.22 per litre in Kolkata, Rs 66.63 per litre in Mumbai and Rs 62.30 per litre in Chennai.


A petrol pump in Chandigarh. (TOI file photo)

Due to the hike, the under-recovery in diesel will fall to Rs 1.33 a litre from Rs 1.83 a litre, taking the fuel closer to deregulation.

The international crude oil price of Indian basket went down to $ 106.12 per barrel on Wednesday compared $106.34 per barrel on Tuesday. In rupee terms, the price of Indian basket decreased to Rs 6383.12 per barrels on Wednesday as compared to Rs 6391.03 per barrel on Tuesday.


A diesel pump in Kochi. (TOI file photo by Jipson Sikhera)

The last revision in fuel prices were undertaken on June 30 when petrol prices were hiked by Rs 1.69 per litre and diesel by 50 paise per litre. The government in January last year decided that diesel prices should be raised by 40-50 paise a litre every month until losses are wiped out.

The government freed petrol prices from its control in June 2010 and since then state-owned oil firms like BPCL, HPCL and Indian Oil have been revising rates on the 1st and 16th of every month based on the fortnightly average of international oil prices and the rupee-dollar exchange rate.

OMCs from mid-July were incurring combined daily under-recovery of about Rs 261 crore on the sale of sensitive petroleum products like diesel, kerosene and domestic LPG, which is expected to come down with 56 paise hike in diesel price. The under recoveries for the financial year 2014-15 are projected to be Rs 91,665 compared to Rs 1, 39,869 crore in the 2013-14.

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India raps ‘unacceptable’ US surveillance

NEW DELHI: Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj told her visiting counterpart John Kerry on Thursday that US surveillance of an ally was "unacceptable" following allegations that Washington's National Security Agency targeted the ruling party.

"I raised this issue and even told them that when the news came out in the Indian media, people were angry," Swaraj said at a joint press conference with Kerry.

"I also told them that if we consider each other friendly countries, it is unacceptable that a friendly country spies on other friendly nation."


US secretary of state John Kerry and his team (right) in a high-level meeting with foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and her team in New Delhi on July 31, 2014. (AFP photo)

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US secretary of state John Kerry arrives in India to reboot ties with Modi

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 30 Juli 2014 | 22.44

NEW DELHI: US secretary of state John Kerry flew into India on Wednesday for ice-breaking talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, forecasting a transformation in Washington's relations with New Delhi.
Kerry, who landed in Delhi on a flight from Washington, is the highest-ranking member of the Obama administration to visit India since the Modi won a landslide election in May.

The top diplomat's trip is intended to pave the way for a visit by Modi to the US later this year, nearly a decade after he was denied a visa over deadly riots in Gujarat where he was chief minister.

For the past two decades, the world's two largest democracies have described themselves as natural allies, sharing similar concerns over China's rise and Islamic extremism.

But incidents including the US arrest of an Indian diplomat last year sent ties plunging to their lowest point in years, and analysts say Modi's previous treatment as a pariah still rankles.

And a new row is brewing over a customs deal, despite efforts to emphasize areas where the two sides can make common cause.

In a joint editorial with US commerce secretary Penny Pritzker in Wednesday's Economic Times, Kerry said Modi's strong mandate opened up possibilities for cooperation on issues from boosting trade to energy.

"The long-standing partnership between the US and India is on the cusp of an historic transformation," said the commentary in the Delhi-based daily.

"Working together, the world's oldest democracy and the world's largest democracy can forge a new era of shared prosperity and security for hundreds of millions of people in India, across Asia and the world."

The US officials will hold talks with Indian officials on Thursday and Kerry will meet Modi on Friday.

For some observers, Kerry's three-day trip is in itself a sign of India's importance. He has focused much of his tenure on crises in the Middle East, and returned just Sunday from a gruelling, unsuccessful mission to end the Gaza conflict.

"It is significant that the secretary is able to stick to making time for the Strategic Dialogue with India when there are literally parts of the world in flames," said Alyssa Ayres, a former State Department official.

Lingering resentment

Despite strong ties between their people, the Indian and US governments have frequently been at odds.

After tensions during the Cold War and US sanctions over India's 1998 nuclear tests, former president Bill Clinton began reconciliation efforts. His successor George W. Bush pushed through a landmark nuclear cooperation accord with India.

But some Indian commentators saw President Barack Obama as less interested in the relationship, even though he threw US support behind New Delhi's leading goal of winning a UN Security Council seat.

Relations took a sharp turn for the worse when US authorities in December arrested an Indian diplomat on allegations of mistreating her servant, leading New Delhi to retaliate against US personnel.

Modi has little reason for gratitude toward the United States. In 2005, Washington refused him a visa over allegations of turning a blind eye to anti-Muslim riots as chief minister of Gujarat.

Allegations that Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had been the target of surveillance operations by the US national security agency while it was in opposition have added to the sense of grievance.

Foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said Wednesday that Kerry's visit was an opportunity "to explore transformative initiatives that can move the relationship to the next level" but he also said that concerns over cyber security would be raised.

"There is a considerable disquiet in India about the authorisation provided to American agencies in terms of contravening the privacy of individuals, entities and government of India," he told reporters.

New row on WTO

Modi does not appear eager to play up grudges and instead has shown pragmatism, meeting in his first months in office with the leaders of Pakistan and China despite his past hardline stances.

But in an unexpected rift ahead of Kerry's visit, Modi's government warned it may hold up a global customs pact that must be ratified by Thursday unless the World Trade Organization approves India's food subsidy programmes.

India buys grain at inflated prices to sell at subsidized prices. The programme is important for India's hundreds of millions of poor, but rich nations say it distorts trade.

On a visit to Mumbai, Pritzker said she was "very optimistic" about the new Modi government but criticized India's stance at negotiations.

"We are very disappointed that India has taken a step-back from its agreements that it made in December (last) at the WTO," Pritzker told PTI.

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Air India employees found smuggling gold

NEW DELHI: Indian authorities have found 13 cases of gold smuggling by employees of the national carrier, Air India, over the past three years and the current year, the junior civil aviation minister said on Wednesday.

India, the biggest buyer of gold after China, last year imposed a record 10 percent import duty and made it mandatory to export a fifth of all bullion imports to constrict its trade deficit.

But this has led to heavy smuggling, with some gold in imported vehicles and even using human mules who swallow nuggets to try to get them past airport security.

Junior civil aviation minister G M Siddeshwara told Parliament that disciplinary action has been taken against the Air India employees. He did not disclose the amount of gold smuggled or give any other details.

Government figures show that only 2.34 tonnes of smuggled gold was retrieved last year, while the World Gold Council estimated 200-250 tonnes of gold illegally entering India.


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SC asks Roy, Tihar jail to work out conferencing facility details

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Sahara group and Tihar jail authorities to work out concrete modalities for conferencing facilities that could be extended to company chairman Subrata Roy and two other directors for negotiating with buyers for the group's three hotels in New York and London.

A bench of Justice T S Thakur, Justice Anil R Dave and Justice A K Sikri asked both Roy and Tihar jail authorities to work out the details for a viable proposition to be considered by the court Friday.

The Tihar authorities on Wednesday gave two options to Roy for setting up the conference facilities for negotiating with prospective buyers for the three hotels — Grosvenor House Hotel in London and the New York Plaza and Dream New York hotels in New York.

The apex court July 25 had asked the Delhi government to examine what facilities it could extend to the Sahara chief and two other directors in Tihar jail complex to facilitate negotiations for the sale of the group's properties located in India and abroad with buyers and lenders without compromising security.

Opting for the option of a conference hall in the Tihar jail court complex, senior counsel Harish Salve, appearing for Roy, expressed some difficulty with the lock out time of 6am and lock in time of 8pm as it did not facilitate negotiations with buyers or lenders in New York.

He also expressed some reservation about jail authorities not allowing secretarial staff to stay beyond 8pm.

At this, the court asked Salve to submit a concrete proposal to the jail authorities and find some way out which the court could consider on Friday.

The Sahara group is negotiating with prospective buyers or lenders of its three overseas properties to raise Rs. 10,000 crores as part payment of the Rs, 24,000 crores that its two companies SIRECL and SHICL had collected though OFCDs in 2008-2009.

Part payment of Rs. 10,000 crores is also a condition for the release of Roy and two other directors Ravi Shankar Dubey and Ashok Roy Choudhary who are in judicial custody since March 4 this year over the failure of SIRECL and SHICL to comply with the apex court's Aug 30, 2012 and Dec 5, 2012 orders.

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17 dead, 158 feared trapped in landslide near Pune, rescue operations on

NEW DELHI: The landslide near Pune is a major human tragedy with 17 bodies retrieved so far and around 158 persons, including 61 children and 60 women, feared trapped in the debris.

Around 378 personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), which was requisitioned by the district administration at 10.45am on Wednesday, are either at the spot or traversing the muddy approach road on foot.

READ ALSO: 300 NDRF personnel rush to Pune

NDRF sources told TOI that of the 46 of the total 70 houses in the affected village of Malingaon, spread over 50 km radius, have been razed by the landslide. The landslide is being attributed to deforestation undertaken over the years to facilitate human settlements in the area, resulting in loose soil. "Though 8 people were rescued until Wednesday evening, the chances of finding many of the 158 trapped persons alive are not too bright," an NDRF officer said adding that 17 bodies have already been recovered.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh left for the site at 6.30pm on Wednesday, accompanied by secretary (border management) in the home ministry and IG, NDRF. He will review the rescue work along with the district administration and meet the affected people.

Of the seven NDRF teams rushed to Malingaon soon after the district administration sent in a request at 10.45 am, two reached the spot first after covering a 5-km muddy stretch on foot. The remaining five teams were still negotiating the muddy stretch towards the evening. Two more teams of the NDRF pre-positioned at Andheri Sports Complex, Mumbai, left for Malingaon in the afternoon and are expected around midnight. Another six teams have been kept on the stand-by in Gujarat, and will be rushed as and when reinforcements are required.

All the nine teams assigned for the rescue operations comprise doctors and paramedics, besides personnel trained as medical first responders. These teams are carrying state-of-the-art rescue equipment and communication sets. In addition, two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are helping the forces with the rescue work.

Though rescue operations may slow down at night, a senior NDRF officer told TOI that the teams will continue to look for survivors in the houses still left standing in the foothills.

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Natwar Singh: No inner voice, Rahul stopped Sonia from becoming PM in 2004

NEW DELHI: Sonia Gandhi declined to become Prime Minister in 2004 because of strong opposition from her son Rahul Gandhi who was afraid she would be killed like his father and grandmother if she accepted the post, former external affairs minister K Natwar Singh claimed.

Singh (83), an estranged Gandhi family friend who quit the Congress in 2008 after he had to resign from the UPA-I government in 2005 in the wake of the Iraqi food-for-oil scam, claimed that it was not Sonia's "inner voice" that prevented her, as she had stated at the time, to take up the PM's post.

READ ALSO: Natwar Singh's book to spill Congress secrets?

To persuade him from not referring to this particular episode in his autobiography, the Congress president along with her daughter Priyanka Gandhi met him on May 7 at his residence but he decided to disclose facts as they were and tell the "truth", Singh claimed in an interview to Karan Thapar on Headlines Today. The book titled "One Life is Not Enough: An Autobiography" is due to be released soon.

"Rahul was totally against her mother becoming Prime Minister. He said she would be killed like his father and grandmother and as a son he would not allow her to become the PM. He was very adamant," Singh said, recalling a May 18, 2004 meeting where Manmohan Singh, Gandhi family friend Suman Dubey, Priyanka and he were present. Manmohan Singh later went on to become the Prime Minister.

Rahul's opposition was conveyed to them by Priyanka, he said. "As a son full marks to Rahul," he said. Rahul was 34 years at that time.

Singh claimed that Sonia also said "sorry" to him at their May 7 meeting after he narrated how he was victimized by the UPA government and refused to believe her claim that she was not aware of it.

"She said I did not not know (about treatment meted out to him). I said nobody will buy it because nothing happens in Congress without your knowledge, without your approval. Same is the case with government. She said I am sorry," he said, adding that the Congress president had also embraced him.

Singh endorsed the claim of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's media adviser Sanjaya Baru that important government files were taken to Sonia by Pulok Chatterjee, who was in this PMO, saying any question of protest over this did not arise as she was the "foremost" leader.


Sonia Gandhi

He also disclosed that the then Vice President Shankar Dayal Sharma was Sonia's first choice as the Prime Minister in 1991 but Sharma, who then became President, declined the offer due to his poor health.

It was then she chose PV Narasimha Rao whom she never knew and they could never share warm relations, he said.

Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was killed in a LTTE suicide bomb attack in 1991 in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai, while his mother Indira Gandhi, also a former PM, was gunned down by her Sikh security guards at her residence in New Delhi in 1984. To a question whether left to herself Sonia would have accepted the PM's post after the Congess-led UPA came to power defeating BJP-led NDA in 2004, Natwar Singh said, "it is difficult to answer".

Singh, whose son is a BJP MLA from Rajasthan, rejected the charge that there might have bitterness and revenge in him for the way he was dumped by the Gandhis and said he never spoke a word against Sonia in public but "it is important to tell facts as you know them".

"She is a public figure. She is the most important politician in India... She is every biographer's dream. She is a historic figure," he said, adding that such figures have no "privacy".


Natwar Singh

When asked what if his claim that Rahul's opposition was behind her decision to not become the Prime Minister was denied by Manmohan Singh and Dubey, he said, "Of course they will. I am aware they will".

He then added, "They could have said it and got away with it if Sonia and Priyanka had not come to me. Period... They did not come to have coffee with me. They did not come to have lunch with me".

He also rated Sonia higher than Rajiv as a politician, saying she is tougher than him. "He was very large-hearted. You cannot take liberties with her," he said.

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Man held for objectionable Facebook post on Saharanpur riots

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 29 Juli 2014 | 22.44

DEHRADUN: A 36-year-old man was arrested by the Uttarakhand police in Udham Singh Nagar district for allegedly posting an inflammatory picture and comments about the Saharanpur riots on Facebook from a fake ID.

Lalit Kholia was arrested on Monday evening after he had reportedly posted and tagged 84 friends in a photograph targeting a particular community.

A senior police official said the image and the comments were related to the communal clashes at Saharanpur which left three dead and over 24 injured. Additional SP TD Vela told TOI, "Some members of the other community spotted the post and one of them, Iqbal Ahmed, made a police complaint after which a case under relevant sections of the IPC and the IT Act was registered against the accused."

The community members demanded the arrest of the accused and immediate removal of the objectionable content from the social media site. On investigation, a police team found that the post was made by one Siddarth Manya. However, the ID was fake. "The IP address was traced and it was found that the post was made by Moodh area resident Lalit Kholia," said CO Khatima RP Dimri.

Keeping in mind the exigencies of the situation, as Eid was scheduled on Tuesday, a police team arrested the accused within an hour of the complaint.

"We are probing the matter and trying to collect details on why he posted the objectionable image and comments," added the police official.

On Tuesday, Kholia was produced in a local court, which sent him to the district jail.


Muslims offering prayers on the occasion of Eid-al-Fitr in Saharanpur on July 29, 2014. (PTI photo)

Meanwhile, police have stepped up security measures here to ensure that no untoward incident is reported on Eid. Police barriers and check points have been set up at eight important locations of the state capital. Dehradun SSP Ajay Rautela said barriers have been put up at Bindal Chowk, Ghantaghar, Ballupur, Kishnagar, Morowala, Turner Road, Subhash Nagar and Dharampur. Traffic was also diverted on several city routes to prevent jams, he added.

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IM operative Zahid was top fake currency supplier trained by ISI

KOLKATA: Intelligence agencies who questioned IM operative Zahid Hussain, arrested by the STF earlier this month, believe that Zahid was an expert counterfeiter of currency. Zahid, according to them, was handpicked and trained by ISI appointed master counterfeiter Iqbal Kana. His questioning has also revealed that the German Bakery blast was a joint operation by the Indian Mujahideen and the LeT operatives.

"Hussain's role in the terror outfit was logistical. He sheltered the persons involved and he was a conduit for goods coming from Pakistan into India, through the Bangladesh border," said an investigator. "He not only supplied the explosives for the blast but also provided fake notes of various currencies. These were brought in several rounds in to Bengal through Nadia," added the officer.

Maharashtra ATS chief Himanshu Roy said that they are checking past records to try and ascertain if his name had cropped up (or any of his pseudo names) in counterfeiting cases across Maharashtra, UP, "A team of officers has gone to Kolkata to interrogate Hussain, after which we will get a clearer picture of his role in the German Bakery blast case. We are also inspecting our crime records to ascertain his link in counterfeit currency cases."

Raja Thakare, special public prosecutor in the German Bakery blast case said they will be naming Hussain in their supplementary chargesheet that will be filed soon. "Hussain is suspected of supplying RDX and his arrest is an important aspect in the chain of events." Seventeen people were killed and at least 58 injured, five of them foreign nationals, when a bomb ripped through the German Bakery in the Koregaon Park area on the evening of 13 February 2010 in Pune.

Another officer said: "After Hussain's arrest the NIA and the ATS has been asked to relook cases and probe counterfeit currency cases registered across Bengal, UP, Bihar, UP and Maharashtra especially since 2010."

Zahid, in fact, has been a very frequent visitor to Pakistan and was one of the biggest carriers of FICN (fake Indian currency notes) in eastern India. Sources in Kolkata Police's Special task Force (STF) said they are investigating if Zahid is originally a Pakistani national. An NIA team is expected to be in Kolkata "anytime soon" in order to question him.

Sources said, a few months ago top IM operative Tehsin Akhtar alias Monu was arrested from Kankerbhitta bordering Nepal and Bangladesh. He revealed that he was on his way to Bangladesh for a safe hideout. The National Investigating Agency (NIA) followed it up with the arrest of Haider Ali, who was allegedly involved in the murder plot of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It was Haider who led the terror team involved in multiple blasts at Modi's rally in Patna. He, too, claimed before NIA that a man called "Ibrahim from Pakistan" was to provide him a safe hideout in Bangladesh. The STF are trying to ascertain if Zahid is the man who was given the charge of providing logistics to these two top IM men.


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Car believed to be used by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose found in warehouse, attracts visitors

DHANBAD, JHARKHAND: A car claimed to have been used by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in the 1930s and found abandoned in the warehouse of a closed plant here has attracted visitors.

The car was discovered in the now-defunct Barari Coke Plant of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) in the Putki Balihari area in the second week of this month, according to the general manager of Putki Balihari mines, K C Mishra.

The BCCL management realizing the car's historic value shifted it to the Koyla Nagar-based guest house on July 22.

Mishra said that he sought permission of the BCCL management to preserve the car after old-timers in the area told him that Netaji used it when he visited the area between 1930 and 1940 when he was the president of the Tata Labour Association. The car has been identified as Ford Super Deluxe model and it belonged to Bose's uncle Ashok Bose who was a chemical engineer at the Barari Coke Plant of the East India Company.

Netaji used to stay with him during his Dhanbad sojourn. The engine of the car is marked SD 108459F Model 6A and the chassis no is 2617 SGANT M 13220. The car's registration no is BRR 3201.


Statue of Subhash Chandra Bose (Getty Images)

District Transport Officer R R Sharma said registration of vehicles began in the transport department in 1972-73 only. Before that it was done at the office of the superintendent of police. He said that the first series of registration number began with BRR and it might be that the old car was registered again in 1972-73. Dhanbad became a district on October 24, 1956. It was part of the then Manbhum district of Bihar. The district's headquarter was in Purulia (now in West Bengal) at that time and Dhanbad was its part.

The chairman-cum-managing director of BCCL, T K Lahiri, told reporters, "My company has not verified the historic background of the car. People claimed that Netaji used it during his stay at Dhanbad and on that basis it has been preserved."


(Getty Images)

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Jayalalithaa seeks Modi's intervention to get 93 Indian fishermen released from Sri Lankan custody

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to secure the release of 93 Tamil Nadu fishermen and their 55 boats from the custody of Sri Lankan authorities.

In a letter to Modi, she wrote, "I also request you to impress upon the Sri Lankan government that they should abandon their inhuman strategy of impounding the boats and fishing gear for an extended period of time."

Jayalalithaa sent the letter after 50 fishermen from Tamil Nadu were arrested by the Sri Lankan navy in the wee hours of Tuesday. "The fishermen had set out for fishing from the Nagapattinam fishing base of Nagapattinam district and were apprehended by the Sri Lankan navy in the early hours of July 29 and taken to Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka," she said in the letter.

Jayalalithaa also recalled her previous letter to Modi (sent on July 22). "I had informed you about the apprehension of nine boats and 43 fishermen from Tamil Nadu. I wish to inform you that these 43 fishermen and their nine boats have not yet been released," she pointed out.

The chief minister also appreciated the Modi government saying his government had acted promptly on earlier occasions which led to the release of 225 apprehended fishermen from the Sri Lankan custody. "However, as part of a deliberate and callous design, the Sri Lankan side is yet to release the 55 boats and fishing gear which were impounded from Tamil Nadu fishermen apprehended earlier," she said.

She said the poor fishermen had lost their means of livelihood. This was causing considerable disquiet and unrest among the fishermen community in the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, she added.

Jayalalithaa also reiterated the Tamil Nadu government's firm commitment to the restoration of the traditional fishing rights of the Indian fishermen in the Palk Bay and the retrieval of Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka.

"The Government of India should not treat the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) with Sri Lanka as a settled question as the constitutionality of the 1974 and 1976 agreements have been challenged on extremely valid and legal grounds by me in my personal capacity and also by the Government of Tamil Nadu in the Supreme Court of India," she reiterated in the letter.

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India should not participate in defence conference in Sri Lanka, Karunanidhi and Vaiko say

CHENNAI: DMK chief M Karunanidhi and MDMK leader Vaiko on Tuesday said India should not participate in a defence conference to be held in Sri Lanka between August 18 and 20.

In a statement, Karunanidhi alleged that the NDA government had been following the policies of the UPA government when it came to matters relating to Sri Lanka. "I urge the Centre not to function like the previous UPA government on Lankan issues," he said.

In a statement, Vaiko said, "It is shocking to learn that an Indian delegation, comprising senior military personnel, officials and BJP leaders, including Subramanian Swamy, will be participating in a defence conference being organised by Sri Lanka."

Reiterating his charge that Sri Lanka had committed genocide and annihilated Tamils using even banned chemical weapons, Vaiko said the Centre's pro-Lanka stance had led to doubts whether India was going to bury justice by joining hands with the island nation.

"At a time when several nations are urging an independent, international probe into the genocide in the United Nations Human Rights Council, an Indian delegation participating in the Lanka defence meet is unpardonable," he said.

INTIMIDATION

Karunanidhi pointed out a statement issued by the US mission in Sri Lanka on the cancellation of a training session for Tamil journalist in Colombo. The training on digital security for Jaffna-based journalists was financially supported by the US.

The US embassy statement said the cancellation of the event "was accompanied by a series of threats and intimidation of participants and other journalists in the country."

Citing the US mission's statement, Karunanidhi said while the US was expressing its disappointment, India's silence on the issue had upset Tamils worldwide.

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Rape remark: Kolkata high court orders FIR against TMC MP Tapas Pal

Written By Unknown on Senin, 28 Juli 2014 | 22.44

KOLKATA: The Calcutta high court on Monday ordered filing of an FIR against Trinamool Congress MP and actor Tapas Pal for his controversial comments against women and directed that the CID investigate the matter.

Justice Dipankar Dutta, passing his verdict on a petition seeking CID investigation into Pal's comments against women and other opposition party supporters at election rallies, directed that the high court would monitor the probe in view of West Bengal government's stand that the complaint did not disclose any cognizable offence and that the state tried to back the MP.

Justice Dutta directed Inspector in charge of Nakashipara police station in Nadia district to treat the July one complaint by petitioner Biplab Chowdhury, a resident of Pal's constituency Krishnagar in Nadia district, as an FIR.

The court also directed the state DGP to transfer the case to the DIG, CID, within 72 hours of the order being uploaded in the high court's website.


Protesters burn a poster of Tapas Pal who had threatened the rape of his rivals' relatives. (AFP photo)

Justice Dutta directed the CID authorities to file a status report on progress of investigation on September one.

Justice Dutta, who had admonished the state on previous occasions also, quoted Martin Luther King Junior saying "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

Pal had in an open letter tendered unconditional apology to the media and the public at large for his unsavoury comments.

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India in the world wars: How we fought and why

Last month, we at The Times of India did an article on the 70th anniversaries of the twin battles of Kohima and Imphal. The response we got from some of our readers was on expected lines: scores of hate mail and numerous ill-informed comments on our website as well as social media. Those commentators had two principal grouses — a) the article didn't glorify Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and his Indian National Army; b) no Indian should be made to remember the "slave soldiers of the Raj" who were "bootlickers of the English". The commentators also slammed this paper and this correspondent for doing "shameless paid journalism". The reaction was no better to our articles on India's participation in the First World War either. But we feel the best way to answer our unfair critics is to put the facts on table so that at least the rational minds could discern. That is the sole purpose of this two-part article.

In the First World War, 1.3 million Indians participated and saw service in Africa, the Middle East, Western Europe and the Dardanelles, and Asia. Though the bulk of the Indian troops came from poor, rural areas and weren't literate, their receptive minds could understand the difference between the free West and colonial India. They could understand the strengths and weaknesses of the Allied armies and that of the enemy. They could also understand the hypocrisy of the European powers in fighting for preservation of their own freedom even as they subjugated and ruled over vast masses of land and people elsewhere. The Indian soldier was the first to see and understand the west, its systems, its culture, its people. And he brought that understanding, that enlightenment back home. He also returned a more confident man after having beaten the white man in his own land. Thus in the same Flanders fields, where the seeds of the English Magna Carta were sown several hundred years earlier, the Indian soldier discovered himself and his worth.

Globally, too, the Indian soldier's reputation grew. The French and Belgians saw him as their liberator; Frenchwomen found him worthy enough to let him father their children. The Germans were initially dismissive of them. The German press had maintained that for a country like India, the Indian Army is quite an achievement, but because the soldiers are trained to serve the white man, they will be no match for the superior troops of the Kaiser. The British press, on the other hand, maintained that there was a nasty surprise waiting for the Germans in the Indian Army. After their first contact with the Indian soldier, the Germans started to treat him with respect. And after several night raids on their trenches (the first-ever such raid conducted by the 39th Garhwal Rifles), the German soldier started to see the Indian soldier with fear.


Indian soldiers fighting in Italy during the Second World War

A Daily Chronicle correspondent wrote on November 21, 1914, about Belgians holding their line at Flanders for 48 hours against relentless German attack, and the Indian Army giving the Kaiser's troops a rude shock: "The Germans pressed forward to encounter, not retiring Belgians, but oncoming, swarthy figures. Before they could recover from their surprise, those dusky soldiers were amongst them. There was a short, sharp encounter, and then a rapid German retreat. Fright and the deadly Indian bayonets turned that retreat into nothing more dignified than a scamper to cover. Yet on came the soldiery which, till then, the German had regarded as a myth. The retiring troops were simply dug out of the trenches in which they had taken shelter and driven backwards farther still by the well-aimed bullets and the relentless steel of the East's finest fighters. When the Germans had hoped to break the line, the Indians turned the tide of the battle, and behind them followed the Belgians..."

The German crown prince William, the son of Kaiser Wilhelm II, who had himself commanded an army in 1914, had written this in his book, From My Hunting Day-book: "The Gurkhas are small but extraordinarily wiry and tough little people who fear neither hell nor the devil."

Praise from the enemy is praise indeed.

When the war ended and Indian troops returned home, people expected Britain to grant home rule (like the dominions of Australia, New Zealand and Canada). The government of India gave some indication that home rule was indeed on its mind. Some concessions were made. But those were counterbalanced by equally repressive measures. This, along with the rise of the United States during the war and collapse of the Tsarist regime in Russia after it, changed the course and nature of the Indian freedom movement. The Indian soldier, with his participation in the First World War, had singly influenced the course of history of his own country.

By the time the world went to war again in 1939, India had long buried the desire for home rule — she now wanted total independence. The political opinion at home was against involving Indian troops in the British war effort, but the British still dragged India into the conflict. And they had no problem in finding volunteers for the Army.

At the start of the war, the Indian Army had a strength of over 2,10,000. In 1940, London asked India to raise six more infantry divisions and two armoured divisions for the war. In September that year, General Wavell of the Indian Army (later viceroy) announced at Cairo that the Indian Army's size was being increased to 10,00,000. The previous order was still being met when London issued another order to raise four more infantry divisions and one armoured division. In 1942, again, London asked for four more infantry divisions and an armoured division. By May 1944, the Indian Army had over 26, 68,000 servicemen — the largest army of volunteers in history. The question now is: how did this happen when the political opinion in the country was strongly anti-British?


Men of the 7th Rajput Regiment (now Rajput Regiment) of the Fourteenth Army in Burma, 1944

The answer may be found in the age-old adage that the common man has nothing to do with politics; he is only bothered about making two square meals a day. This was truer in colonial India where there was abject poverty and sickness. At that time, there was no India Inc, no IT boom, no IITs and IIMs to lift the ordinary Indian out of his misery. There was only one thing that guaranteed higher pay and family benefits — military service. It was a sureshot way of upliftment that also brought honour to the family in a country that had deep-rooted military traditions, a country that deified warrior kings and queens. So, despite the freedom movement reaching a crescendo, millions of Indians signed up for the war.

The Second World War, many critics have argued, was a foreign war heaped on us, Indians. True. But without this war, there could be no independence for us.

To be continued ...

(Write to this correspondent at manimugdha.sharma@timesgroup.com)

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Involve international players too for war memorial, PM tells Army

NEW DELHI:Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the Army to involve international architects and builders along with domestic players while inviting bids for the construction of a "grand" national war memorial in the national capital.

The instructions to involve international agencies were given by the Prime Minister when he was told by the Army during a briefing that it was planning to invite bids only from domestic architects and builders for the project, highly placed Army sources said here.

The Prime Minister wants to build a "grand" national war memorial and wants the project to come out in the best possible way, they said.

The Modi government had promised in the elections that a national war memorial will be built for all the defence personnel who lost their lives after independence and has allocated a budget of Rs 100 crore for its construction.

Defence minister Arun Jaitley is scheduled to visit the Prince's Park complex near the India Gate in a day or two along with the services chiefs to finalise the construction site of the war memorial.

The minister has already earmarked the Prince's Park site for the construction of a war museum.

The proposal for the war memorial has been hanging fire for several years now with the armed forces and the government agencies disagreeing over the site of the project.

During the UPA regime, the project had faced opposition from the then Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit who claimed that a memorial at the India Gate complex would be an inconvenience for the general public, who flock the site on holidays.

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India, China admit to intrusion by Chinese herdsmen in Ladakh

BEIJING/NEW DELHI: India and China on Monday admitted to intrusion by Chinese herdsmen into Ladakh last week but both the sides sought to play it down saying the issue was resolved amicably through a flag meeting.

"The issue was properly resolved through the border personnel meeting," the Chinese foreign ministry said in its response to an e-mail query from in Beijing on reports of Chinese herdsmen intruding into Demchok sector along the Line of Actual Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Maintaining peace and tranquility in the China-India border areas is an important consensus and a common aspiration of the two sides. China will work with India to safeguard the peace and tranquility in the border area between the two countries," it said.

In New Delhi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, responding to the reports of intrusion, said, "The Chinese went back after the flag meeting."

The incident is reported to have taken place on July 25 at the Charding Nilu Nullah Junction in the Demchok sector along the LAC.

An Indian patrolling team was dispatched to the spot and later a team of China's People's Liberation Army also reached there.

The reports suggested that a flag meeting between the commanders from both sides finally resulted in the Chinese agreeing to move back the herdsmen a day after.

In the context of border disputes, the Chinese Foreign Ministry also cited President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting in Fortaleza, Brazil, on sidelines of the BRICS Summit this month, during which the two leaders agreed to manage and handle differences in a positive and forward-looking manner.

"The two sides agreed to manage and handle differences in a positive and forward-looking manner, strengthen mutual trust, jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border and not let the boundary question become an obstacle to development of relations between the two countries," the ministry said of the meeting between the two leaders.

"This consensus is an important guide for the two sides to handle and resolve the boundary question. China is committed to resolving this issue through negotiation and consultation with the Indian side," the Chinese foreign ministry said.

"Going forward, the Chinese side would actively implement the important consensus between the leaders of the two countries, continue to push forward the boundary negotiation process with India, strive for arriving at a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution at an early date and push forward the development of China-India strategic and cooperative partnership," the ministry said.

According to the Chinese official media, during his meeting with Modi, Xi vowed to build strong ties with India and called for negotiated solution to the border issues between the two countries at an "early date".

Last fortnight, Chinese troops reportedly made two incursion attempts in Demchok and Chumar areas of Ladakh sector in Jammu and Kashmir but were pushed back into their territory by Indian security personnel.

The two incursion bids by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) came even as Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi emphasised on the need to find a solution to the boundary question during their meeting in Fortaleza.

The latest incident occurred in Charding Nilu Nullah Junction (CNNJ) in Demchok sector when PLA personnel entered the area on their vehicles claiming it to be Chinese territory. The PLA soldiers who wanted to have a round of the area were stopped by the Indian army and personnel of Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

After a 30-minute long stand-off followed by a banner drill where armies of both the countries warned each other against moving a step forward, the Chinese PLA returned to their side, the sources said.

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Belgaum border dispute flares up, Shiv Sena seeks Modi’s intervention

MUMBAI: The police action against Marathi-speaking people at Yellur in Karnataka has prompted protests by political parties in Maharashtra, with the Shiv Sena calling it as an act of "terror" and seeking Centre's intervention in the "disputed" region.

"It is the reign of goondas. Even we can do this goondagiri but we won't do that. We demand that the Centre immediately declare the border area in Karnataka where 20 lakh Marathi-speaking people live, as centrally administered region and appoint a central representative as administrator," Sena spokesman Sanjay Raut told reporters.

"Brutal atrocities are going on in Belgaum against Marathi-speaking people merely over removal of a board. Is this the rule of law?" Raut, a Rajya Sabha MP, said after a meeting of the Shiv Sena-BJP-led "mahayuti" (grand alliance) passed a resolution condemning the "assault" by Karnataka police.

Earlier, an editorial in Sena mouthpiece "Saamana" described Sunday's police action at Yellur in Belgaum district as an act of "terrorism" and sought the Centre's intervention.

"In Modi, we have a strong Prime Minister and in Rajnath Singh, we have got a strong home minister. The Marathi speaking population in the border area has great expectation from them. If Karnataka police are indulging in terror against Marathi-speaking people, it is the responsibility of the Central government to curb this terrorism. We are making this appeal to the central government because those ruling Maharashtra are incompetent," the editorial said.

Police had on Sunday lathicharged a group of pro-Maharashtra supporters who threw stones at them at Yellur after a "Maharashtra Rajya" plaque re-erected by them was removed by the district administration.

Pro-Maharashtra supporters had on Saturday re-erected a controversial signboard at Yellur after the previous one was razed to the ground by public works department on Friday following a high court order.


Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.

"All political parties blasted the Maharashtra Sadan force-feeding issue. Will they show the same zeal in condemning this injustice to Marathi-speaking people of Karnataka," Saamana editorial said.

"Why is the Congress silent on this matter? When BJP's Yeddyurappa was the chief minister, they used to raise their voice on the issue but they haven't done so now," leader of opposition in the state legislative council Vinod Tawde said.

"We will ask the Centre to take necessary steps keeping in view the assault and likely such assaults in future," he said. MNS chief Raj Thackeray put the onus on the Narendra Modi government.

"It is unfortunate that the Centre is silent on the issue. BJP has a majority at the Centre. The BJP MPs should convey the sentiments of the Marathi-speaking people in border areas," he said, adding, "Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan is not serious on this matter."

"When Raj Thackeray speaks something, all pounce on him but when such a thing happens in Karanataka, no one speaks," the MNS chief said.

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Katju controversy a futile issue: Manmohan Singh

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 27 Juli 2014 | 22.44

NEW DELHI: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday refused to be drawn into the Katju controversy, terming it as a "futile" issue.

"It is a futile issue. Soli Sorabjee (former attorney general) also spoke on it. I don't need to comment on it," he told reporters at an Iftar party hosted by Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

He was responding to a question on the controversy triggered by former Supreme Court judge and chairman of Press Council of India Markandey Katju.

Katju had alleged that three ex-Chief Justices of India made "improper compromises" during UPA rule in retaining a judge in Tamil Nadu under corruption cloud.

It was alleged that the Congress had buckled under pressure from its ally, DMK, who insisted on the judge being given an extension.

The NDA government had later stated in Parliament that the PMO during Manmohan Singh's tenure had asked why the Supreme Court collegium had not recommended extension for the Madras high court judge who was facing corruption charges after the collegium expressed its hesitation.

The Modi government has also demanded that the former Prime Minister should make a "categorical" statement on the controversial matter.

Asked about the situation in Uttar Pradesh in the wake of the violent clashes between two communities in Saharanpur, Singh said, "the UP situation is worrisome".

On the economic situation, the former Prime Minister said, "We should the government more time."

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Solanki sworn in as new Haryana governor, evades queries on HSGPC

CHANDIGARH: Veteran BJP leader Kaptan Singh Solanki was sworn-in as the new governor of Haryana on Sunday.

Acting Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana high court Ashutosh Mohunta administered the oath of office and secrecy to 75-year-old Solanki at the premises of Raj Bhawan here.

Solanki, a BJP Rajya Sabha member and a RSS leader, took oath in Hindi. He has become the 16th governor of the state since its formation after trifurcation of Punjab in 1966.

The former professor hails from Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh and was renominated to Rajya Sabha in August, 2012.

Solanki's predecessor Jagannath Pahadia's five year term had ended on Saturday.

Though chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was present, his cabinet colleagues chose to skip the oath-taking ceremony.

Haryana BJP chief Ram Bilas Sharma and party's Ambala MP Rattan Lal Kataria were among the prominent saffron party leaders present on the occasion. Senior administration and police officers of Haryana and Union Territory of Chandigarh were also among the attendees.

After taking oath, in a brief interface with media, he parried questions on contentious Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Act promulgated by the state government recently.

Despite repeated queries on the issue, he refrained from commenting. He, however, said: "Today is a pious day as he took oath as governor as per the directives of the President (Pranab Mukherjee)."

The new governor is expected to look into the legality of the issue of Haryana forming a separate Gurdwara Management Committee, which Punjab has strongly objected to.

Haryana and Punjab are at loggerheads over the issue of a separate SGPC by the former after the passing of a new law by the state Assembly which was accorded assent by former governor Jagannath Pahadia.

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Gujarat may become fifth hub for NSG commandos

NEW DELHI: Gujarat may emerge as the fifth hub for stationing the elite counter-terror commandos of the National Security Guard (NSG) in the country.

If given final approval, the commando base would cover the entire western part of the country along with Mumbai in case of a terrorist attack, hostage crisis or hijack attempt for which special commandos have been trained.

The central government has accorded an in-principle approval to this proposal which was initially mooted by the state government.

"Our team is travelling to the state for an on-site assessment and once they prepare a report we will decide on the future course of action," NSG chief J N Choudhury told PTI.

The NSG hubs were set up after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks with the first four stations in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai.

Locating NSG in all the four corners of the country is aimed at rushing in the commandos for any counter-terror and counter-hijack operation in quick time.

The response time taken by the 'black cat' commandos force for countering the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008 had come under criticizm and therefore the government had decided to station the commandos at various locations so that crucial time was not lost in transit.

Officials said the Gujarat government has offered NSG two locations in the vicinity of Ahmedabad which can be easily by the elite force.

NSG was raised in 1984 as a federal contingency force to counter terrorist-sponsored activities.

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Saharanpur communal riots: 20 arrested, curfew ‘strictly implemented’

SAHARANPUR/LUCKNOW: An uneasy calm prevailed in violence-hit Saharanpur on Sunday where 20 people were arrested even as curfew and shoot-at-sight orders remained in force following clashes between two communities over a land dispute.

Uttar Pradesh additional director general of police (law and order) Mukul Goel said, "No incident has been reported since on Saturday. Curfew is in force and is being enforced strictly."

He said steps were being taken to normalize the situation at the earliest. "It has been directed that action should be taken against whosoever is found guilty," he said in Lucknow.

Saharanpur district magistrate Sandhya Tiwari, who toured the violence-hit areas, said, "The situation is better than yesterday. I have to just impose law and order in the city and the situation is quite normal now."

She said 20 people have been arrested in connection with the violence.

On the land dispute, Tiwari said, "I'm not going into it ... The construction is on hold."

Three people were killed and 19 others, including policemen, injured in the clashes on Saturday as mobs indulged in arson after which curfew was clamped and shoot at sight ordered.

Prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC have been invoked in the district and curfew was clamped in six areas, according to Tanveer Zafar Ali, commissioner, Saharanpur.

Meanwhile, a political blame game has begun over the violence with Congress accusing the UP government of "administrative lapse" while BJP alleged that Samajwadi Party was indulging in "vote-bank politics".

Reacting to the charges, Samajwadi Party said there was an effort to "disrupt peace in the state" and that there was "no place for communalism, anti-social elements".

SP leader Rajendra Chaudhary said that if the opposition tried to do politics on the issue, then the law will take its own course.

Blaming the local authorities for "administrative lapse", Congress leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi said that if it was a fact that there was a court judgment on the issue and police help was sought by one side, then it was the responsibility of the officials to find a solution by making both sides understand that the court order must be implemented.

BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain said, "The UP government has completely failed to run the administration in the state. The people ruling the state themselves want that there is communal tension so that they do vote-bank politics.

"BJP wants amity and peace. Every person has the right to worship and nobody has the right to interfere in that. But Akhilesh Yadav's government is weak on every front. A message has gone that there is nothing called government in the state. Whenever there are such tense situations, the government proves to be incompetent."

Manoj Jha of RJD alleged that there has been a rise in such incidents since BJP has come to power at the Centre.

Officials in Lucknow said Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has sought a report from the district authorities regarding the incident in Saharanpur, which is nearly 170km from Delhi and 560km from Lucknow. Yadav has termed the incident as "unfortunate" and said that those responsible will not be spared.

Home minister Rajnath Singh had had spoken to the chief minister on phone on Saturday and asked him to ensure communal harmony in the state. He offered all help to contain the situation.

Trouble began when members of one community started construction work at the site in Kutubsher area in the wee hours on Saturday, which was objected to by the other group.

Both the sides indulged in heavy brick-batting, arson and opened fire and there were reports of several shops being gutted in the clash, police said.

Police had fired rubber bullets to control the situation as mobs went on the rampage, setting several shops afire. Additional forces, including from PAC, CRPF, RAF and ITBP have been deployed in the troubled areas.

Five policemen, a city magistrate, and 13 others were injured. A constable was stated to be in serious condition in Chandigarh PGI after suffering a bullet injury.

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‘Recovery’ of bugging devices from Gadkari’s home triggers row

NEW DELHI: A controversy erupted over a report of bugging devices having been found in Nitin Gadkari's residence but the Union minister on Sunday dubbed it as "highly speculative" even as the Congress said it reflects lack of faith and mutual trust among NDA ministers.

A media report has claimed that high-power listening devices were found in the bed room at the 13 Teen Murti Lane residence here of Gadkari, the road transport and highways minister.

It said the discovery was "accidental" and a debugging exercise was immediately ordered.

"Reports in a section of the media about listening devices having been found at my New Delhi residence are highly speculative," Gadkari said on his Twitter account.

Sources close to the Union minister also denied that any such devices were recovered, which the report said were of high quality and of a type normally used by western agencies.

Giving a different version, senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said since Gadkari has been a very important leader and had the confidence of RSS, he might have been targeted by the UPA regime.


Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, "If reports of bugging of senior Cabinet minister Nitin Gadkari, who is also a former BJP president, are correct, they are indeed extremely serious."

"It reflects a certain lack of faith amongst ministerial colleagues and an absence of mutual trust. It's time that both Gadkari and also BJP and government come clean on the issue and place before the people of the country if at all there was bugging and if there was snooping being done ... at whose instance and at whose authority it has been done. And what is the reason, if any, for conducting such snooping. All these issues need to be clarified both by BJP as well as the Prime Minister and the home minister in the larger interest of people."


BJP leader Subramanian Swamy.

Swamy said, "My own investigations and my sources reveal that this may happen not later than October last year. The planting of the device and that means at that time, when the UPA was in power, the NSA has specifically targeted the BJP and Gadkari was a very important person. He had the confidence of the RSS."

Congress leader Manish Tewari asked as to how the information appeared in the public space and said that if an inquiry has been ordered, full facts of it should be laid on the floor of Parliament.


Congress leader Manish Tewari.

"If indeed this story is true, though as you point out that the minister in question has denied it, it obviously lends itself to the question as to how did it then appear in the public space," Tiwari said.

"Therefore, if such a thing has appeared in the public space as you point out that perhaps an inquiry has been ordered, then the full facts of that inquiry should be laid on the floor of Parliament so that the nation knows as to whether there is any truth to it or not," he said.

D Raja, CPI, said it was a serious issue and wondered how anyone can have unauthorized access to Gadkari's private room.

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Encephalitis toll touches 109 in West Bengal

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 26 Juli 2014 | 22.44

KOLKATA: The toll due to encephalitis in north Bengal rose to 109 on Saturday after two fresh deaths were reported from Darjeeling district since Friday, a government official said.

"Both the deaths have been reported from Darjeeling district. One was due to Japanese Encephalitis (JE) while the other one is a non-JE death," West Bengal Health Services director Biswaranjan Satpathy, who is camping in north Bengal, told PTI on Saturday.

No new cases have been reported since yesterday from the area, he said.

On Friday, the name of one person who died due to encephalitis appeared in two lists following which the toll was revised to 107 and with two fresh deaths the figure stood at 109, he said.

Municipalities and other local bodies in the seven affected districts of north Bengal have taken up a huge cleanliness drive and have undertaken fogging activities regularly to control the disease, he added.

In Jalpaiguri West Bengal minister of state for health, Chandrima Bhattacharya on Saturday said no 'emergency report' on the situation in north Bengal due to encephalitis had reached the head office of the health and family welfare department though regular reports had come.

Bhattacharya's statement came a day after chief minister Mamata Banerjee suspended three health department officials for not providing information on the situation at the right time.

"I came to know about the situation after a woman journalist informed me here on July 15 when I was here," Bhattacharya told reporters after a review meeting on the situation.

"The state government started working on a war footing after getting the report. The situation has been controlled before it reached epidemic form," she said.

The minister said 71 people died due to the disease in North Bengal Medical College (NBMC) from the beginning of the month till Friday. Of them 21 fell victim to Japanese encephalitis and the rest to acute encephalitis syndrome

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Inspection of Rajdhani rake reveals unhygienic practices, GM orders improvement

KOLKATA: Felt squeamish after watching the Rajdhani Express waiter place trays of food on the floor near the toilets before serving them to passengers? He may not have had any other option. In all probability, the pull-out trays above the pantry heaters in the coach were malfunctioning. At least, this was one of the problems that came to the notice of Eastern Railway general manager R K Gupta when he inspected a rake of the 12301 Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express on Wednesday at the Tikiapara depot.

"All trays in all coaches must be made operational. While floors and fittings are being cleaned, proper attention is not being paid to walls, ceilings and electrical fittings inside bathrooms. Attention must also be paid to this. The stainless steel surfaces in corridors, including those around wash basins, should also be regularly cleaned and kept in spic and span condition. The dustbins kept near the doorways will have to be cleaned and painted on a regular basis. Doormats are provided outside toilets in AC-I coaches. They may also be provided in other coaches. These should be cleaned before journey commences," Gupta directed officials after the inspection.

Passengers have been regularly complaining of poor quality food and pests like cockroaches and even rats inside coaches. The issue of hygiene also came up after passengers complained that waiters are placing food trays on the floor near the toilets. Passengers have also been complaining of dirty, stained linen supplied during the journey. Gupta also inspected how the system of cleaning linen works.

"Stained linen are separated and sent for treatment through an outsourced agency. The performance of this agency is not found satisfactory. I inspected a few washed linen packages received from the agency. In many cases, there were stains and washing quality wasn't satisfactory. We should immediately work towards development of in-house facilities for treatment of stains. Passenger friendly information such as centralized catering help line and security help line may be provided with departmental information on the linen bags provided to passengers. Periodicity of cleaning of walls and ceilings inside the coaches must also be fixed," Gupta ordered.

While inspecting the pantry car, the GM noted that cleaning of refrigerators is not taking place on a regular basis. He ordered that a periodicity be maintained. He also suggested that the 2KW heaters be replaced by industrial-type microwave ovens to facilitate quicker heating of meals. "This will also help us migrate towards modern food packaging practices. Water was oozing out at the joint of aluminium floor surfaces. There is sufficient gap to allow pest infestation, besides being unhygienic. Suitable solution needs to be looked into," the GM said.

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NHRC issues notices on bonded labour

HYDERABAD: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), New Delhi on Friday issued notices to various state, including Telangana on the issue of rescue and rehabilitation of bonded labour.

Notices were issued to collectors/district magistrates of Nalgonda, Khammam and Mahbubnagar in Telangana, Nellore in Andhra Pradesh, districts Bengaluru (Rural), Bengaluru (South), Bengaluru (North) and Gulbarga in Karnataka, and district Thiruvallur in Tamil Nadu. They have been asked to submit a report within four weeks.

"We did rescue two bonded labour in Bhuvanagiri area who were working in brick kiln units," Nalgonda collector T Chiranjeevulu told The Times of India. Explaining the process of He said release certificates are issue to the bonded labour. If the rescued bonded labour belongs to the state, he or she is given Rs 25,000 and also provided loans to set up something on their own for their livelihood. If the rescued bonded labour is from another state, they are paid Rs 1,000 among other procedures that are followed. The collector, however, said he was not aware of the NHRC notice.

The NHRC took cognizance of a complaint from two NGOs that 239 labourers, released from bondage, having release certificates, had not been rehabilitated by the Government of Odisha. Allegedly, the rescued bonded labourers had not been even provided primary assistance for their survival which might lead them to go back to the bondage.

According to the NGOs, Janjagarn Dadan Sangha and Solidarity Group on Abolition of Bondage and Migration in Odisha, most of the labourers who were rescued from different parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh belong to the tribal belt of Odisha. They demanded criminal proceedings, among other actions, in Special Fast Track Courts against the perpetrators of violence against bonded labourers and migrants.

The complainants said villagers had migrated to the cities to work in bondage condition in brick kilns and construction sites. The complainants suggested various preventive measures to check exploitation of migrant labourers by ensuring action and procedures as per the law.

The NHRC also issued notices to the chief secretary and principal secretary, labour and employment, Government of Odisha to submit reports within four weeks about the action taken to monitor the conditions of inter-State bonded migrant labourers from Odisha to other States and issues of their wages and children's education and future.

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JD(U)-RJD-Congress alliance finalized for Bihar bypolls

PATNA: The much awaited alliance of Bihar's ruling JD(U), Lalu Prasad's RJD and the Congress to contest the byelections in 10 assembly constituencies was finalized here on Saturday, state leaders said.

"The alliance has been finalized. We will contest the bypolls together," food and civil supply minister Shyam Razak told reporters after he met Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad.

Razak made the statement after former chief minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar spoke with Lalu Prasad over telephone Friday night.

"Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad have finally approved the alliance," a JD(U) leader close to Nitish Kumar said.

JD(U) leaders said a formal announcement of the alliance will be made July 30. RJD leader Prabhunath Singh and Abdul Bari Siddiqui also expressed the same views.


Nitish Kumar (left) with Lalu Prasad. (TOI file photo by KM Sharma)

Razak held discussions with Lalu Prasad at the official residence of his wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi for nearly two hours on Saturday.

Both JD(U) and RJD leaders said their alliance was a must to strengthen secular forces and defeat communal parties in the state.

Earlier, Nitish Kumar also said all secular parties needed to come together in the state, and included the Congress and the Left parties in this category.

Last month, the RJD supported the JD(U)'s two candidates in the Rajya Sabha by-polls.

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Rising water level of Ganga alerts authorities

KANPUR: The water level of river Ganga is constantly on the rise and is approaching the danger mark due to release of water from Narora dam and heavy rainfall in the hills.

The rising water of the Ganga could affect 30 villages along the bank of the river, additional district magistrate (ADM) Shatrughan Singh said.

He also said that if the level of Ganga crosses the danger level, all the villages will get submerged under water.

The current water level of Ganga is 113m, just one meter below the danger mark of 114m.

The district authorities are alert and have warned the people residing on the banks to move to a safer place.

According to Singh, the officials are continuously visiting the probable areas that could be affected by flood.

No evacuation has taken place yet but the villagers have been cautioned that they might be asked to leave anytime.

He said that a list of the people living in those areas has been made and once the Ganga crosses the danger mark, those people will be evacuated and taken to relief camps.

The deputy commissioner of Kanpur, Roshan Jacob has also directed all the administration officials to be alert and be on their guard to shift the people.

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Congress does not have numbers to claim leader of opposition post: AG

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 25 Juli 2014 | 22.44

NEW DELHI: Congress is not eligible for the post of leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha as it does not have the numbers for the claim, the attorney general has said.

The attorney general has sent his views to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, who had sought legal opinion on Congress's plea for the leader of opposition post.

The Congress, however, played down the AG's opinion and said the law officer's opinion was not the last word.

READ ALSO: Why is BJP doing a Congress on Congress over LoP issue?

"Attorney general's view is not binding on the House," Congress leader Manish Tewari told Times Now reacting to the news.

Should Congress be given the leader of opposition post?


"The second largest party in Parliament needs to be recognized," Manish Tewari said adding, "the party feels it has rightful claim to the post."

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Women's reservation bill unlikely to be tabled soon: Govt

NEW DELHI: The Women's Reservation Bill, which provides for 33 per cent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies for 15 years, may not be introduced in the immediate future.

The government today informed Rajya Sabha that the issue needs "deep study and careful consideration on the basis of consensus among all political parties before a bill for amendment of the Constitution is brought before Parliament".

Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in a written reply that it has been the endeavour of the government to provide for the reservation of one-third seats for women in Lok Sabha and the state legislative Assemblies.

The 15th Lok Sabha could not pass the bill and the Constitution (108th Amendment) Bill, which was pending in the lower House since 2010, lapsed following its dissolution.

As per the law, any bill pending in Lok Sabha lapses with the dissolution of the House. Bills pending in Rajya Sabha are put in the "live register" and remain pending.

The 18-year journey of the Women's Reservation Bill has been marked by high drama and roadblocks in each outing in Parliament before the historic measure cleared the first legislative hurdle in March 2010, when Rajya Sabha passed it during a sitting which saw marshals being used.

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IAF helicopter crashes in Uttar Pradesh, 7 dead

LUCKNOW: At least 7 people were dead after an advanced air force chopper crashed in a field near Sitapur on Friday evening.

According to reports, the advanced landing chopper-307 was on its way to Allahabad from Bareilly when it crashed in a field in village Ahirwa in Sitapur district, around 70 Kms away from the state capital.

District magistrate, Sitapur, JP Singh confirmed that the pilot, co-pilot and five people on board the chopper were killed in the crash. He said that the chopper was completely burned and there was no possibility of anyone surviving the crash. At the same time, fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the fire.

According to reports, the incident happened around 5pm after the chopper lost the link with both the Bakshi-Ka-Talab (BKT) Air Traffic Control (ATC) as well as the one in Lucknow airport. The chopper was tracked from ATC of air force station in Delhi until evening when suddenly the link with the aircraft was lost.
The district magistrate also confirmed that the ATC in Delhi as well as Lucknow did contact the district administration for information about the chopper.

There were also some reports that the chopper tried to contact the BKT air force station for help before it crashed.

Singh, however, said that there was no such information.

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World Sikh Council –America Region calls on International Basketball Association to allow Sikhs athletes wearing turbans

AMRITSAR: The World Sikh Council -America Region (WSC-AR) has expressed disappointment to hear that Sikh basketball players are now restricted by the International Basketball Association (FIBA) from playing while wearing their turban.

Secretary general, WSC-AR Manmohan Singh on Friday told TOI, "Sikhs have been allowed to play wearing their turban by The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), National Basketball League (NBL) Canada, and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Additionally, Sikhs have been participating in national and international sporting events including the Olympics for many decades" he said.

FIBA had recently banned two Sikh athletes from participating in the International Basketball Competition for the Asia Cup while wearing their turban.

WSC-AR is an umbrella organization representative of Sikhs in the United States. Currently 57 Gurdwaras and other Sikh institutions across the nation were members of WSC-AR, informed Mamohan Singh.

He said the sports should bring people together not divide them. Athletes should be allowed to play while wearing their turban. "Sikhs live in every country in the world and are participants in all facets of society- let international basketball be one of them", he said adding that they were thankful for Fifa, NBL Canada and NCAA for allowing Sikhs to play while wearing their turban.

He said WSC-AR has urged the FIBA to fix their rules to allow Sikhs to play wearing their turban and show leadership through acceptance, tolerance and inclusion of all athletes regardless of their religion. WSC-AR has also called on its member Gurdwaras to show support for Sikh athletes by sharing these concerns with your local Sikh communities.

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Congress does not have numbers to claim leader of opposition post, attorney general tells Speaker

NEW DELHI: Congress is not eligible for the post of leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha as it does not have the numbers for the claim, the attorney general has said.

The attorney general has sent his views to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, who had sought legal opinion on Congress's plea for the leader of opposition post.

The Congress, however, played down the AG's opinion and said the law officer's opinion was not the last word.

READ ALSO: Why is BJP doing a Congress on Congress over LoP issue?

"Attorney general's view is not binding on the House," Congress leader Manish Tewari told Times Now reacting to the news.

Should Congress be given the leader of opposition post?


"The second largest party in Parliament needs to be recognized," Manish Tewari said adding, "the party feels it has rightful claim to the post."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Modi Government,LoP post,Lok Sabha,LEADER OF OPPOSITION,Congress


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CBI registers 2 fresh cases in coal scam

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 24 Juli 2014 | 22.44

NEW DELHI: CBI on Thursday registered two fresh cases in coal blocks allocation scam against two firms in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh following a direction from the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).

CBI had earlier decided to close the case against these two companies but on orders from the Supreme Court, the agency had to submit all papers to the CVC which was asked by the apex court to verify the reports and whether a correct decision had been taken.

In these two cases, the CVC gave an oral order reasoning registering a case against the two firms whereas in other 12 cases, the Vigilance Commission had merely asked them to register a case without assigning any reason.

CBI will be informing the Supreme Court tomorrow and seek necessary directions in the matter when the matter comes up for hearing.

In today's development, CBI alleged Ranchi-based Domco Private Limited entered into a criminal conspiracy with unnamed entities and submitted false information with dishonest intention to the authorities while applying for a captive coal block and secured allocation of 'Lalgarh (North)' coal block.

"The then director of the said company allegedly gained pecuniary benefit of Rs 7 crores by selling shares of the company on premium after the allocation of the coal block," a CBI spokesperson said in a statement and added searches were being conducted at three places at Ranchi and New Delhi.

Attempts to reach the company did not yeild any results as the phone number provided by them was not functioning and emails bounced.

The second case was registered against Chhattisgarh-based company — Vandana Vidyut Limited — for alleged misrepresentation of facts.

Without taking names, the CBI FIR also said the case also included members of 35th screening committee which had met on September 13, 2007.

The company was approached for comments and the private secretary to the managing director of the company had assured that a comment would be issued soon. Repeated attempts, thereafter, failed.

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SC refuses to stay execution of Koli's death sentence

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to stay the execution of death sentence awarded to Nithari rapist-cum-serial killer Surinder Koli and dismissed his plea seeking review of its verdict by which it had upheld the sentence.

"Application for stay of execution is rejected. There is a delay of 1153 days in filing the review petition which has not been satisfactorily explained. Even otherwise, we have gone through the review petition and the connected papers.

"We see no reason to interfere with the order impugned. The review petition is, therefore, dismissed both on the ground of delay as well as on merits," a bench of justices H L Dattu and A R Dave said.

The mercy plea of 42-year-old Koli has recently been rejected by President Pranab Mukherjee.

Koli, who brutally killed and later axed children in Nithari locality of Noida in Uttar Pradesh, was awarded death sentence by a lower court which was upheld by the Allahabad high court and confirmed by the Supreme Court on February 15, 2011 for the murder of a 14-year-old girl in 2005.

Holding that Koli, "appears to be the serial killer", the court had said, "No mercy can be shown to him."

A total of 16 cases were registered against Koli and his businessmen employer Moninder Singh Pandher (57), who was also sentenced to death in Rimpa Haldar case, but he was acquitted by the Allahabad High Court.

Out of 16 cases filed against Koli, he has been awarded death sentence in four of them so far and others are still under trial. Sisters Renukabai and Seema along with their mother and another accomplice Kiran Shinde, kidnapped 13 children between 1990 to 1996 and killed nine of them. However, the prosecution could prove only five murders.

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First citizen a busy host at Rashtrapati Bhavan

NEW DELHI: In the two years that President Pranab Mukherjee has spent so far at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the country's first citizen has shown a marked preference for playing the gracious host over being a travelling head of state.

Unlike his predecessor Pratibha Patil, who covered 23 countries during her five years as President at the cost of Rs 223 crore to the exchequer, Mukherjee has visited only three countries — Belgium, Turkey and South Africa — on two short trips in his first two years in office.

But the lack of foreign travel did not impact his diplomatic efforts as he has hosted 75 foreign dignitaries so far at the imposing Rashtrapati Bhavan, including the Emperor of Japan, heads of state and foreign ministers.

In his second year as President, 78-year-old Mukherjee has hosted 33 foreign dignitaries, which means a guest has come calling to Rashtrapati Bhavan on every 10th day.

Besides the Emperor of Japan, who visited the country after 53 years, the King of Bhutan, Presidents of Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Afghanistan and Germany, Prime Ministers of Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan and Mauritius, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Speaker of Bangladesh Parliament and foreign minister of China are among those whom Mukherjee, who completes two years in office on July 25, has hosted so far.

Not only that, the lawns of Rashtrapati Bhavan was used for the swearing-in ceremony of the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Over 5,000 guests attended the ceremony, including the leaders of SAARC countries and the Prime Minister of Mauritius.

The full range of services were provided in the guest wing of Rashtrapati Bhavan for the visiting foreign dignitaries prior to the Dinner in the Grey dining room on the day of the swearing in.

Under Mukherjee, the kitchen of Rashtrapati Bhavan has been given a makeover with chefs receiving special training to cook up a variety of exotic flavours to tickle the palate of the dignitaries visiting the President's abode.

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Govt seeks views of parties on judges' appointment

NEW DELHI: The NDA government has initiated a move to enlist the views of political parties on a bill to replace the present collegium system of appointment of judges to higher judiciary.

Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has written a letter to leaders of major political parties on the need for a legislation to enable appointment of senior judges.

The move comes in the wake of revelations that the previous UPA regime had nudged the Supreme Court collegium to recommend an extension for a Madras high court judge, who was under corruption cloud.

Prasad letter also comes against the backdrop of a controversy generated by the Centre's decision to return the recommendation of the Supreme Court collegium for appointment of senior lawyer Gopal Subramanium as an apex court judge.

The minister had on July 21 said the government is seeking the views of various political parties and eminent jurists for setting up a Judicial Appointments Commission, which would scrap the present system of judges appointing judges.

The Centre plans to introduce the bill in the ongoing session after tweaking an earlier bill brought by the UPA government.

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Over 25,000 people in 42 villages affected in floods in Assam

GUWAHATI: Over 25,000 people have been affected in 42 villages across Assam in second round of floods this year.

According to an official release by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), flood water has affected Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Sonitpur and Jorhat districts.

Brahmaputra is flowing above the danger mark at Nematighat and Dhubri, while Beki is flowing over the danger mark at Barpeta town.

Over 60 villages in the world's largest river island Majuli were submerged today following heavy rains and nearly 20,000 people have been shifted to higher lands, the release said.

All families have been asked to shift to higher places before the situation turns more serious, Majuli sub-divisional officer Loya Maduri said.

The Majuli island administration and Jorhat district administration have kept extra boats, medicines, tarpaulins, kerosene, salt etc ready to deal with the situation, Maduri said adding over one lakh people stay in the flood prone areas of the Jorhat district and Majuli island.

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India, Pakistan foreign secretaries to meet on August 25

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 23 Juli 2014 | 22.44

NEW DELHI: Foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan are to meet in Islamabad on August 25.

The meeting would be a forward movement in reviving stalled peace talks and comes two months after the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif.

The date and venue of the talks was decided on Wednesday during a telephonic talk between Indian foreign secretary Sujatha Singh and her Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad, said external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin at a briefing here.

Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif, during their talks here on May 27, a day after the swearing-in ceremony of the Indian prime minister, agreed to restart foreign secretary level talks that have been stalled since the firing incidents on the line of control.

During her talk with her Pakistani counterpart, Sujatha Singh raised the issue of firing on the line of control in which an Indian soldier was killed on Tuesday.

She told Aizaz Ahmed that such incidents would act as impediments to the peace process.

According to the spokesperson, the Indian foreign secretary said that it would be difficult to hold meaningful dialogue alongside the sound of bullets being fired on the border and that peace and tranquility on the LoC is one of the most important Confidence Building Measures, the spokesperson added.

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