Government officers to leave behind a “note for the successor”

NEW DELHI: The department of personnel & training (DoPT) has directed all government officers to leave behind a "note for the successor" before they get transferred or demit office, so as to ensure that the knowledge of their respective work areas is not lost during employee transition.

According to DoPT, the incumbent's note can help the successor understand issues of critical importance in his area of responsibility, appreciate urgency of actionable points and recognize strengths and weaknesses of subordinates for suitable work allocation.

Emphasising the importance of knowledge continuity, the DoPT, in a note sent to all Central ministries and departments on September 26, told the competent authorities to impress upon officers to cultivate the habit of leaving behind a written note for their successor. This, it recalled, was in line with Prime Minister's Narendra Modi's call for reinstitutionalising this practice - which, of late, was becoming rare - during the personnel ministry's presentation to him on June 12.

"All employees have invaluable knowledge of their areas of responsibility...such innate knowledge is at the risk of getting lost when the incumbent leaves the seat - gets transferred or demits office.

"New employee will take time to understand issues of current importance, appreciate urgency of actionable points, recognize strengths and weaknesses of different subordinates for suitable work allocation, and comprehend critical issues by trial and error. This time spent in negotiating the way in new environment, spent in trial and error, may turn out to be the critical difference between success and failure of the unit, the department or even the organization," the DoPT note pointed out.

Insisting that knowledge continuity in wake of employee transition was a key challenge, especially where certain key posts mandate a fixed tenure, the personnel ministry said written notes for the successor were more effective than personal interactions and also helped build institutional memory.

Apart from asking all ministries and departments to re-institutionalise this practice of leaving a "note for the successor", the DoPT instructed Central training institutes to incorporate inputs on the note in their training programmes to sensitise officers towards "this important organisational responsibility".

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National Conference seeks ‘massive’ funding for reconstruction work in J&K

JAMMU: Expressing concern over loss of life and property due to floods and landslides in the state, the National Conference sought massive central assistance for rehabilitation of flood victims and reconstruction of damaged infrastructure.

"We seek massive central assistance for rehabilitation of flood sufferers and reconstruction of damaged infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir", NC chief for Jammu Province, Devender Singh Rana said here, after concluding a weeklong visit of the most-hit areas of the region on Tuesday.

"The natural calamity has wrecked the entire state, rendered Kashmir in deluge and caused widespread damage in Jammu region," he said.

He said over 15,000 dwelling units are totally damaged and 35,000 partially due to flash-floods and landslides in various districts of the Jammu region.

"Massive damage has also been caused to standing crops, livestock and public utility services. Besides, nearly 200 causalities have been reported from the Jammu region, among the total of 300 casualties in the state," he said, adding that though the Omar-led government undertook timely rescue and relief operations yet more is required to be done on an immediate basis.

"For this purpose massive central funding has become imperative" he added.

While hailing preliminary compensation of Rs 75,000 per fully-damaged house, the provincial president urged the Centre to enhance it to Rs 5 lakh, as recommended by the chief minister.

Rana briefed party functionaries about the damage caused in the region in general and Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur, Reasi and Jammu districts in particular.

He lauded the administrative response in the hour of crisis and said the time has now come when the government is required to pool up all resources and speed up the rehabilitation and relief measures.

He said working season being limited and the winter not far away, the situation calls for a holistic view in terms of realistic assessment of the damage.

"Accordingly, the assistance is needed to be released so that rehabilitation and reconstruction is taken up on war- footing," he maintained.

"This is the time when the people of Jammu & Kashmir should rise above party politics and put a united front to ensure some sort of respite to those who lost everything in devastating floods", he said.

"This is not something new for a party that has all along identified itself with peoples' agonies and shared these unequivocally," he said.

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Mangalore’s Kudroli temple appoints 2 SC/ST widows as priests

MANGALORE: Kudroli Gokarnanatheshwara temple here has perhaps become the first in the country to appoint two widows from the scheduled caste/scheduled tribe communities as priests to perform pujas and other rituals.

In 2013, the temple had appointed two other widows as priests and they have been performing their duties since then.

Chandravathi from Ranipur and Lakshmi from Chilimbi were appointed as priests in the historic century-old shrine on Monday, making them the first widows from SC/ST communities.

They were received at the temple entrance by temple committee members, including the managing trustee and former Union minister B Janardhana Poojary and taken inside the premises in a procession. Later they performed poojas and distributed prasadam to devotees.

Committee members claimed this was the first temple in the country to have appointed two widows from SC/ST communities as priests.

Speaking on the occasion, Poojary said discrimination against women, especially widows, should be stopped in all walks of life. All women should be treated as mothers, he said.

The principles of social reformer Sree Narayana Guru that all are equal in the eyes of God and possessed the same rights would be followed at the temple, he said.

The guru had consecrated the temple in 1912. This year's Mangalore Dasara celebration at the temple was inaugurated by chief minister Siddaramaiah on September 19.

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Worker killed as boiler explodes in Chennai paint manufacturing factory

CHENNAI: A 32-year-old employee died and ten others were injured in a boiler blast at a paint manufacturing company in Irungattukottai on Monday morning.

Police said the boiler could have exploded due to overheat.

Abishek, 32, of Vivekananda Nagar, was operating the boiler when it exploded. In the impact, he was thrown off. Ten others, who were working with him, sustained injuries.

Fire and rescue service personnel rushed to the spot after being alerted by other workers. They rushed Abishek and others to a nearby private hospital where he was declared brought dead.

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Mangalyaan sends photo of dust storm over Mars’s northern hemisphere

BANGALORE: India's Mars orbiter has sent a picture of regional dust storm over the northern hemisphere of the red planet, Isro said on Monday.

"Regional dust storm activities over northern hemisphere of Mars — captured by Mars Color Camera on board Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)", Bangalore-headquartered Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) said on its official Facebook page with a picture.

It said the image was taken from an altitude of 74,500km from the surface of Mars.

MOM spacecraft had sent its first images of the planet on Thursday, a day after creating history by becoming the only such endeavour so far to have met with success on the maiden attempt.

MOM aims to study the Martian surface and mineral composition and scan its atmosphere for methane, an indicator of life.

The spacecraft is equipped with five instruments, including a sensor to track methane or marsh gas, a colour camera and a thermal-imaging spectrometer to map the surface and mineral wealth of the planet.

The Rs 450 crore MOM is the cheapest interplanetary mission. India is the first country to reach Mars in the very first attempt. European, American and Russian probes have managed to orbit or land on the planet, but after several attempts.

The orbiter will keep moving in an elliptical path for at least six months with its instruments sending their gleanings back home.

The spacecraft was launched on its nine-month-long odyssey on a homegrown PSLV rocket from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on November 5, last year. It had escaped Earth's gravitational field on December 1 and was placed in the Martian orbit on September 24.

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4 hardcore Bodo militants killed in Assam encounter

GUWAHATI: Four hardcore National Democratic Front of Bodoland (S) militants were killed in an encounter with security forces and a huge cache of arms and ammunition recovered in Assam's Kokrajhar district on Sunday.

Acting on a tip-off, troops of Red Horn Division and the police launched a joint operation in a dense forest near Kokrajhar and killed the four militants during an encounter this morning, a defence spokesman said.

The forces recovered an AK-56, three pistols and hand grenades from the slain terrorists.

The slain militants include a self-styled second in command of the outfit, Muhar Basumatary.

Assam Police inspector general (BTAD) LR Bishnoi said the other ultras were identified as Domsatorong, Loharun and Maisaran.

Security forces stepped up patrolling in the remote areas of Kokrajhar and Chirang districts in the wake of "NDFB(S) Raising Day" of National Democratic Front of Bodoland on October 3 next.

According to Army Intelligence, NDFB(S) was trying to carry out a major strike on forces and also target minority communities in retaliation to the apprehension of their five hardcore terrorists in Chirang district on August 20.

Security forces had apprehended five terrorists of a newly-formed Nepalese terrorist organisation, United Gorkha Peoples Organization, in Parbatjhora area of Kokrajhar district on September 13.

The Army spokesman claimed the NDFB(S) had outsourced the outfit to carry out operations in Kokrajhar district because of proactive operations and pressure exerted by the security forces.

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Top Maoist operative arrested in Jharkhand

DUMKA (Jharkhand): A prominent member of the special area committee (SAC) of the CPI (Maoists) was arrested from Harwadangal forest under Ramgarh police station limits of Dumka district, senior police officers said on Sunday.

The 39-year-old most-wanted Maoist operative Sukhlal Murmu alias Prabir da alias Pravin da had led an ambush on security personnel and election officials during the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year in the Shikaripara police station area where eight people were killed in a landmine explosion, said DIG (Dumka) Priya Dubey and district superintendent of police, Anup T Mathew here.

Murmu had led an ambush on then Pakur SP Amarjeet Singh Balihar while he was returning to Pakur after attending a meeting in Dumka on July 2, 2013 and killed the officer and five other police personnel, they said adding, he was also the main accused in the killing of a social activist Sister Valsa John in Pakur district about four years ago.

Murmu was wanted by the police in over 22 Maoist-related cases in Dumka district, one in Giridih and five in Pakur district including an encounter with security personnel in Pokharia under Shikaripara police station, which killed the officer in charge Shamsad Ansari in 2008.

Murmu was also wanted in killing of a BSF jawan and loot of arms, killing of officer in charge of Jama police station Satanand Singh in the Talpahari jungle under Kathikund police station and others.

The police officers said the Maoist hit squad, which Murmu used to lead, had over two dozen activists laced with INSAS, AK-47 rifles and other sophisticated arms.

The Maoist operative had joined the ultra outfit in his teens, became a subzonal commander in 2003 and has been operating in Jamui and Bhagalpur zones of Bihar and Santhal Paraganas in Jharkhand, the DIG said.

His wife, Namita Rai, who was also a Maoist operative, was arrested in 2010 and released three years later.

Referring to the arrest of Murmu, the officers said security personnel comprising of the Indian Reserved Battalion, 45th battalion of the SSB and District Armed Police cordoned off the Harwadangal and arrested the ultra late last night.

A rifle, which was looted from the security personnel following the ambush on polling party in Dumka on April 24, three live cartridges and an INSAS magazine were recovered from him, they added.

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Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi alleges bias against dalits

PATNA: Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi today said he himself had been a victim of bias against "mahadalits", claiming that a temple in Madhubani district was washed and purified soon after his visit a couple of months back.

"A deep-rooted bias prevails against mahadalits and those from the down-trodden sections of society ... I have myself been a victim of caste bias," he said at a function here to mark the birth centenary celebrations of former chief minister Bhola Paswan Shastri.

Manjhi, a mahadalit, said a temple in Madhubani district was washed and purified soon after his visit during assembly bypolls some months ago.

The chief minister said that he was not aware of the incident and it was narrated to him subsequently by mines and geology minister Ram Lashan Ram Raman.

Manjhi said, "When it comes to getting their work done, the upper caste people don't mind even touching my feet despite knowing my background."

He said that the bias against dalit people also prevails in the official machinery and hurdles are created in execution of work related to welfare of the weaker sections of the society.

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Appointment of political advisor in Himachal Pradesh raises RTI query

SHIMLA: Appointment of senior Congress leader Rangila Ram Rao as the political advisor of Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh with cabinet rank has invited an RTI query as a RTI activist raising question over his appointment has now sought information about appointment, salary and other remuneration being given to him and details of advices being given by Rao to chief minister.

RTI activist Dev Ashish Bhattacharya has sought information under RTI claiming that Himachal Pradesh government is doling out political appointments recklessly thereby creating immense pressure upon the already cash starved public exchequer.

He said that why Rangila Ram Rao should be paid from the public exchequer for giving political advise to chief minister. If at all the CM needs a political advisor then let the state Congress committee pay for the same, he added.

"Earlier the corporations were handled by different ministers with whom the departments related to the corporations were attached. But now so many political appointments are made to run the different corporations and departments resulting into the huge money spending," he said. He said that such kind of spending are totally unwarranted and goes against the basic reasoning of the decision of the ministry of home affairs restricting the size of the minstries through a formula.

"Now i have taken up the issue with the state government by shooting 2 RTI applications to get the relevant information on such appointments," he added.

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Jayalalithaa had opposed self-immolation, but her supporters resort to it after her imprisonment

CHENNAI: Self-immolation and self-immolation attempts were reported from several parts of Tamil Nadu after a special court in Bangalore sentenced AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa to four years imprisonment.

Is self-immolation a preferred method of suicide in the state? Official data show nearly 13% of the self-immolation incidents in the country in 2013 were reported from Tamil Nadu.

The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) records show that 2,098 people in Tamil Nadu committed self-immolation in 2013, which means an average of five in a day.

Tamil Nadu is followed by Maharashtra (1,586), Andhra Pradesh (1,125) and Madhya Pradesh (1,076). Of the 2,098 self-immolation cases reported in the state, the majority of the victims were women (1,261).

Experts say self-immolation and other methods of suicide are part of the political culture of the state. Several people committed suicides after the death of former chief minister M G Ramachandran, during the anti-Hindi protests and over the Sri Lankan issue.

Dr Lakshmi Vijayakumar, founder of suicide helpline SNEHA (044 24640050 and 24640060) said the trend of self-immolation among the political workers was popular in Tamil Nadu. "The self-immolation mode was common during the anti-Hindi agitation. It is also used as a way to express their political statement and anger. Unfortunately, there had been a rise in self-immolation among men over the past few years."

In Chennai, 216 people committed self-immolation - including 94 men and 122 women - in 2013. Across the country, 9,879 people committed self-immolation -- 3,639 men and 6,240 women.

It may be recalled that Jayalalithaa wrote a letter to a woman party member who attempted suicide, allegedly upset over a derogatory article posted on the Sri Lankan defence ministry's website against the then chief minister. She asked the party cadre not to resort to such extreme steps overcome by emotion. In that letter Jayalalithaa also cited Tamil poet Avvaiyar's famous line "Arithu arithu Manidarai Pirathal Arithu," which means among the living beings, the life of human being is rare.

Vijayakumar said they had applauded when Jayalalithaa wrote a letter to the party member. "But most party leaders are yet to sensitize about the dangers of self-immolation. Unfortunately, the cadres of the AIADMK are also not listening to their leader and continue to practise this barbaric act."

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Alliance with NCP in Maharashtra nearly 'impossible': BJP

VARANASI: BJP on Saturday said that it was nearly "impossible" to have an alliance with NCP in the upcoming October 15 assembly elections in Maharashtra.

"BJP was going to contest the Maharashtra assembly polls on the grounds of prevailing misrule and corruption of the Congress-NCP government in the state and it was nearly impossible to have an alliance with NCP there," BJP general secretary Muralidhar Rao told reporters.

Rao said, "We are going to contest the elections and to whom we are pointing as thieves in the election (on grounds of corruption), it's impossible (to have an alliance with NCP)."

Commenting on the verdict of the court against Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, he said "this long pending case, where hearing was going on from the last 18 years,... the judgement has got a lot of bearing and consequences on the free and fair politics of the country".

Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the good governance in the country during his four-month-old NDA government, Rao said the economy of the country has grown stronger as compared to the previous UPA government.

The Prime Minister's call for "Make in India and Made in India" will lead the country to be the major manufacturing hub worldwide, Rao said.

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Curfew clamped in Ratlam after firing on Congress and Bajrang Dal leaders

INDORE: Indefinite curfew was clamped in Ratlam city of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday afternoon following two separate incidents of firing on a woman Congress leader and Bajrang Dal leader and associated violence.

The trail of violence started at 12.30pm, when the state women Congress vice president and local municipal corporator 50-year-old Yasmin Sherani was shot at by two youths, while she was about to sit in her car just outside the Ratlam Municipal Corporation (RMC) gate.

Also, the deputy leader of opposition in the RMC, Yasmin was rushed to a nearby hospital, from where doctors referred her to a private hospital in Indore (130 km from Ratlam) in critical condition. A life saving surgery is presently underway at the Bombay Hospital in Indore to save the life of Yasmin, who has been a RMC corporator since 1995.

Angered over the episode, Yasmin's supporters created ruckus in the hospital in Ratlam where she was first taken for treatment.

Subsequently, the Congress leader's supporters attacked medicine shops outside the hospital and also ransacked property in other shops at Jail Road, College Road and New Road areas.

Several motor cycles were torched by the crowd, which went on rampage all across the sensitive city. Police and rapid action force (RAF) personnel have been deployed in the city. The cops fired tear gas shells to drive away the anti-socials.

Around two hours later just when the mob of Congress leader's supporters marched towards the city bus stand, at least three anti-social youths went to a shop in nearby area, which was owned by a local Bajrang Dal leader Kapil Rathore.

The anti socials opened fire on district Bajrang Dal co-convener Kapil Rathore, his brother Vikram Rathore and Govardhan, who is an employee in the same shop.

The two siblings and their employee were rushed to a nearby hospital, but one of them died on way to the hospital, Ratlam police sources confided.

The superintendent of police (SP-Ratlam) Dr Ashish told TOI that following the two incidents of firing and related violence, indefinite curfew has been clamped in the city at 3.30 pm and prohibitory orders issued under Section 144 of CrPc.

Inspector general of police (IG-Ujjain Range) Madhu Kumar who was on way to Ratlam from Shajapur said, "our first priority is to establish peace and tranquility in the violence hit city, for which all possible efforts are being made."

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India may not join US-led global coalition against ISIS

NEW YORK: With 40 of its nationals still in captivity in Iraq, India may not join the all — out efforts of the US in creating a global coalition against the Islamic State terror group for which President Barack Obama is expected to seek the support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

So far, more than 40 countries have joined the US-led international coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) or the Islamic State (IS) as it is better known across the globe.

According to the sources, India, which has been a victim of terrorism and has a very tough stance on the issue, will not be able to overtly go against Islamic State terror group that has gained control over large swaths of Syria and Iraq, where it still has its nationals as hostages.

"Our position is very well known against menace of terrorism. But we have 40 of our nationals who are still in captivity," the sources said.

While India could secure release of its 46 nurses from the captivity of militants, its another 40 nationals, working on projects near the Iraqi city of Mosul were kidnapped by ISIS militants in early June.

Obama, as he has been doing with other global leaders, is expected to urge Modi during their talks in Washington to join the international coalition against the IS terrorist outfit, which if left unchallenged poses a major threat to the security and stability of the region and the world.

The White House, however, has refused to make any comment on the substance of discussion between Obama and Modi on September 29 and 30.

"As we've said, we believe there is a role for all countries to play. Beyond that, I'm not in position to preview the substance of the visit yet," Caitlin Hayden, spokesperson of the National Security Council of the White House, had said.

ISIL militants have executed two American journalists and a British aid worker in Syria, prompting the West to join hands to combat the terror group.

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BJP attacks Nitish for mall inauguration despite adverse order

PATNA: Opposition BJP on Saturday made a scathing attack on the ruling JDU government in Bihar for the inauguration of a shopping mall by its legislator Anant Singh despite an adverse order of the municipal corporation.

"Anant Singh, considered as the right hand man of former chief minister Nitish Kumar, gave a damn to an order of Patna Municipal Corporation and Building Tribunal and inaugurated a shopping mall built by him in the heart of the state capital," senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi said in a statement.

"This is enough to prove that the state is witnessing return of jungle raj," Sushil Modi said taking a swipe at JDU alliance with RJD, whose tenure had then been described by the opposition as "jungle raj".

Singh, JD(U) MLA from Mokamah in Patna district, inaugurated his multi-storeyed shopping complex near Dak Bunglow road here last evening despite an order from Municipal Corporation and directives of the Building Tribunal banning its use.

The Corporation had issued orders for demolition of three floors of the mall and complete razing of the annexe for violating building bylaws, Modi said.

The Building Tribunal had upheld the corporation orders and did not give any relief to the legislator.

Patna senior superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj had on Thursday ordered lodging of FIR against the builder and stopping its inauguration.

"Is this the rule of law?" Sushil Modi, who is presently leader of opposition in the legislative council asked Nitish Kumar.

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Rijiju makes aerial survey of flood-hit Assam, Meghalaya

GUWAHATI/SHILLONG: Union minister of state for home affairs Khiren Rijiju on Saturday made aerial surveys in flood-hit Assam and Meghalaya and promised central help for the two states where at least 70 people have died so far.

The Union minister first made an aerial survey of Goalpara, Kamrup Rural and Dhubri districts of Assam and then the Garo Hills region of Meghalaya.

"I will hold a meeting with Union home minister Rajnath Singh tomorrow and brief him about the situation in Assam and Meghalaya," Rijiju told reporters.

Singh would visit the two states on October 1 to take stock of the situation, the Arunachal Pradesh MP said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be announcing a package after his return from the United States, he said.

"Whatever is necessary in this natural calamity of Assam and Meghalaya will be done and they will get adequate financial and material support from the central government. We will work as partners," he said.

There should be better and faster coordination between the central and state agencies in handling floods, besides strengthening of disaster forces, Rijiju said in Guwahati.

He said, "First, the information of the forecast and dissemination of impending danger or natural disaster should reach faster to the states and ground level officials. That we will ensure. Secondly, we need to strengthen our forces."

Asked specifically if he was happy at the way Assam government was handling the floods, he said "It is being done very well, but nothing is 100 per cent satisfactory because we always want it to be more efficient."

"It was very sudden. I want to have more coordination in the Ministry. The cloudburst and flash floods, which happened in northern part of Meghalaya and because of which this damage happened, could have been warned a little bit more earlier and more precisely," Rijiju said.

On strengthening of disaster response force, he said four NDRF teams were brought from other regions and the Union government was planning to have one more permanent centre in the North East apart from Guwahati.

"We'll decide that on the basis of location. Guwahati will take care of its surroundings and we'll decide one more location very soon," the Union minister said.

Currently, 12 teams of NDRF have been deployed for the floods in Assam and Meghalaya, each comprising 50 members.

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Bureaucracy is misleading government on education system: Congress leaders

AMRITSAR: Congress leaders have blamed on bureaucrats for allegedly misleading the government on rural education and have asked the ministers to do a reality check on their much hyped education scheme in Punjab especially in the border areas.

District (rural) Congress Committee president Gurjeet Singh Aujla along with MLA Sukbrinder Singh Sarkaria and former MLA Harpartap Singh Ajnala inspected the primary schools in border areas including Attari, Raja Sahansi and Ajnala to find the ground reality of basic education system in progressive Punjab.

"Government is being misguided by the bureaucrats " said Aujla upon returning from the tour of villages on Friday.

He said that their visit was motivated by the "Sohna School Muhim" initiated by the education minister and they wanted to distribute copies and pencils to the students. "Strangely the minister had ordered the students to white wash the school buildings," he said.

He said during their visit a lot of surprising facts surfaced. "The primary school at Dhanoe Khurd has 43 students and 3 teachers, the primary school at Nanakpur Thei has no students but 1 teacher who is sent either to other schools or on special duties, the school at Hardo Rattan has 111 students and 3 teachers whereas 5 are required, the primary school at Dhariwal Odher has 22 students and 2 teachers who are permanently on some other government duty and the students rarely see a teacher, the school at Chak Alla Baksh has 7 students and 2 teachers, the school at Kalomahal has 20 students and 3 STRs and 3 Sikhiya providers and the school at Pandori has 43 students and 2 teachers".

Mocking at the ground reality of the schools Aujla said that the reports filed by the education department to the government were allegedly deceiving as even a layman could understand that the teachers must be deputed according to the strength of the students.

MLA Sukh Sarkaria informed that there was no learning environment in rural schools due to which only very poor children attend the schools whereas parents of other students prefers to shell out hefty amount to private schools.

Former MLA Harpartap Singh Ajnala informed that 80% of Punjab's population was from villages but due to corporate houses in the education industry all the government's policies were developed according to them deserting village students of their share.

The Congress leaders also raised a finger of suspicion on RSS and expressed reservations over the recent visit of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in RSS run schools running in border villages.

"The rural areas are now being targeted by organizations like RSS as their chief during his recent visit to Amritsar met students from border area schools" he said while alleging that the RSS was trying to penetrate the villages for BJP and was using innocent students to change their ideology.

He further that such action could create religious intolerance and would wreck the secularism of India.

" If RSS and its chief are so concerned about the rural development of Punjab then they must present the real picture of villages to the prime minister and get directions for the state in implementation of correct policies" said Aujla while demanding from government to first take a reality check of the rural schools before proceeding any further with the policies and schemes.

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CSIR selects 10 scientists for prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award

NEW DELHI: Ten scientists from across premier Indian research institutions have been selected for the country's prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award for the year 2014.

This annual award is conferred to selected scientists for their outstanding works in the field of science and technology. It consists of a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, a citation and a plaque.

The award was announced on Friday by P S Ahuja, director general of the Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) during the CSIR's 72st foundation day celebrations here.

The awardees are as under:

Biological Sciences Dr. Roop Mallik Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Mumbai

Chemical Sciences Dr. Kavirayani Ramakrishna Prasad Indian Institute of Science Bengaluru.

Dr. Souvik Maiti Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) New Delhi.

Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences Dr. Sachchida Nand Tripathi Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.

Engineering Sciences Dr. S Venkata Mohan Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT) Hyderabad.

Dr. Soumen Chakrabarti Indian Institute of Technology Mumbai.

Mathematical Sciences Dr. Kaushal Kumar Verma Indian Institute of Science Bengaluru.

Medical Sciences Dr. Anurag Agrawal Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) New Delhi.

Physical Sciences Dr. Pratap Raychaudhuri Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Mumbai.

Dr. Sadiqali Abbas Rangwala Raman Research Institute Bengaluru.

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Stop forcible land acquisition: Brinda Karath

VIJAYAWADA: Lashing out at chief minister Chandrababu Naidu for planning to acquire huge extents of lands from the farmers, CPM national leader Brinda Karath has said that women would be the worst victims of displacement of farmers. She threatened to launch protests to protect the rights of women if justice was not done to their families.

Addressing a public meeting organized here in connection with the state conference of All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) on Saturday, Brinda said that Chandrababu Naidu was also planning to render injustice to lakhs of tribals, dalits in the guise of development projects. She asked as to how could the state prosper and witness growth if lakhs of families from dalits, tribals and poor farmers were displaced by taking away their precious lands.

She criticized Naidu for joining hands with the communal forces for the sake of power and trying to follow their footsteps. While Prime Minister is preaching about development, his supporters in RSS, VHP were trying to sow the seeds of division in the society, she charged.

She asked as to how the products manufactured by multinational companies would benefit the workers and artisans of India. She said that MNCs would also try to pocket profits by depriving minimum wages and facilities to the workers and paving red-carpet to MNCs was nothing but an insult to the Indian government. AIDWA national president Malini Bhattacharya took strong object at exploiting women in commercial publicity. "What is the fun in showing the female models half-naked even in advertisements for sale of house and flats," she fumed.

She said that AIDWA would fight for women and girl children rights. She deplored that the country was witnessing worst crimes against women and children and there was an urgent need to put up united fight to protect them. She said that no country could prosper without providing safety to women and girl children. AIDWA national vice-president Sudha Sundara Raman, CITU state president, Punyavathi, AIDWA state president, K Subbaravamma, general secretary, K Swaroopa Rani, state vice-president, D Ramadevi also addressed the meeting. Earlier, women activists of AIDWA held an impressive rally from Tummalapalli Kalakshetram to public meeting venue at PWD grounds.

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'Amma' supporters to maintain peace in Bangalore

BANGALORE: The AIADMK supporters in the state have pledged their co-operation and support to the police in maintaining law and order on Saturday.

A special court would deliver its verdict on the disproportionate assets case against Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa on Saturday.

The party leaders in the state have held two rounds of meetings with the Bangalore city police on Thursday and Friday.

The anxious "Amma" supporters have come from across the state and would assemble near the court and along the roads. AIADMK Karnataka state secretary V Pugalendi said Tamil Nadu ministers were also in the city to be present during the judgment. "We will also be near the court. There is no need for any concern about the law and order. It will be peaceful," said Pugalendi.

To differentiate themselves from others, the AIADMK supporters have been asked by their leaders to wear the party badges. "We have given badges to our workers. The police should allow us to stand by the roadside to see and welcome our leader," said a memorandum given to the police by K R Krishna Raju of AIADMK.

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Karnataka state cabinet extends age limit for KAS candidates to 42

BANGALORE: The state cabinet on Friday decided to amend the rules and increase the upper age limit of the candidates appearing for gazetted probationers (KAS) examination by two years and give them an additional two attempts.

It means, in future, the general merit candidates can appear for KAS examinations till they are 37 years, while it is 40 for OBC candidates and 42 for SC/ST candidates. As of now, the upper age limit for general merit candidates is 35 years, while it is 38 and 40 for OBC and SC/ST candidates.

The maximum number of attempts for general category candidates is seven, while it is nine for OBC candidates. There is no limit for number of attempts for SC and ST candidates.

Briefing the cabinet decisions, law and parliamentary affairs minister TB Jayachandra said that the new rule would apply to the proposed 452 appointments too. The minister said that the government would notify new syllabus as per the Hota Committee recommendations.

Meanwhile, the cabinet has decided to nominate members to the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC), which is in the eye of a storm. The cabinet has authorized CM Siddaramaiah to nominate five official members and three non-official members. The chairman will be selected from among them.

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Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel launches symbolic model of PM’s ‘Make in India’ campaign

AHMEDABAD: Chief minister Anandiben Patel too on Thursday launched the symbolic model of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to investors for 'Make in India' campaign at Gujarat level.

Speaking at a conference of captains of industry at Mahatma Mandir here, she said that Gujarat has the inherent strength to rise to the occasion. Rather, she said that Gujarat has begun its contribution to the nationwide campaign to set up industries producing products with zero defect to provide jobs to local aspirants.

Patel claimed that the state has emerged as the country's first manufacturing hub and growth engine, thanks to its transparent, industries friendly policies, modern infrastructure and easily available human resources. Gujarat is already home to several plants set up by prominent industrial houses of Japan, China, Singapore and other nations, having established its global identity as an auto hub in the automobile sector.

She said that the success of the State Government's biennial flagship event Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor's Summit (VGGIS) has attracted investors from all over India and abroad. She gave details of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC), Dholera Special Investment Region, Chemicals & Petrochemicals Industrial Region in this context.

Finance Minister Saurabh Patel spoke on Gujarat's huge potentials of industrial development to lend vibrancy.

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Indian Mujahideen men wanted to create Syria-Iraq situation in India: NIA

NEW DELHI: Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives were following the footsteps of global terrorist organization ISIS to create a situation in India similar to the one prevailing in Iraq and Syria, the NIA has told a court here.

In an apparent reference to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), National Investigation Agency (NIA) has told the court that their probe has revealed that some of the suspected IM men had wanted to be sent to Syria with other 'jihadis'.

READ ALSO: Indian Mujahideen planned attacks during festive season

"During chat (email), accused A-26 (absconding IM member Mohammed Shafi Armar) stated that he desired to be dispatched to Syria to work with other jihadis...
"A-26 further stated that he desired that India should also become like Iraq and Syria (where terrorist activities were continuously going on and largescale violence was also taking place)," the NIA said in its supplementary chargesheet filed against 20 suspected top IM operatives.

Out of the 20 accused chargesheeted by NIA, 17 have not been arrested yet while three others, Tehsin Akhtar, Haidar Ali and Zia-ur-Rehman, are in judicial custody in connection with the case relating to a larger conspiracy of the IM to carry out terror activities across the country.

READ ALSO: ISIS has designs on India: Experts

In its supplementary chargesheet filed before District Judge I S Mehta, NIA said that one of the absconding accused, Abdul Khadir Sultan Armar, also wanted to travel to Syria for waging "religious war" with assistance of other international terrorist organizations.

"The accused A-25 (Abdul Khadir Sultan Armar) also wanted to take part in the violent religious war in Afghanistan," NIA alleged, adding, "accused A-26 (Mohammed Shafi Armar) wanted to travel to places in Afghanistan and Syria to work with the al-Qaida for the furtherance of conspiracy."

The agency had earlier filed two chargesheets in the case against nine suspected IM operatives, including its co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and his close aide Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi, who were arrested by the NIA on August 28, 2013 in the case.

All these accused have been chargesheeted for the offences under various sections of IPC, including 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging war against the country), 121-A (conspiracy to wage war) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

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CPIM blames Centre, UP government for unemployment among poor

LUCKNOW: Blaming both the Centre and state government for their inability to provide food and employment to the poor, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday emphasised on the speedy implementation of the food safety law. Addressing a public meeting at Dayanidhaan Park, CPIM politburo member Brinda Karat, said that owing to the weak willpower of the Centre and state government to improve the condition of the rural population, there is a visible migration of labourers from villages to cities.

"The average earning of the labourers is decreasing with every passing day, and problems of malnutrition among them is increasingly making its presence felt," Karat said and added that less budgetary allocation to MNREGS and improper implementation of this scheme is eventually proving to be detrimental for crores of labourers in the state.

Taking a dig at the state government for its failure to initiate welfare measures for dalits, the CPIM politburo member said, "News reports pertaining to social boycott of dalits still emanate from this state, which is a cause of concern. Barring dalit-dominated villages, people (students & teachers) reportedly from upper castes do not eat food cooked by a dalit. Dalits are even barred from using a handpump for retrieving water, which is used by people from upper castes." She further stated that atrocities committed on dalits and the inability of the government to curb it simply indicates the feudal mindset of the ruling political party.

Other speakers who addressed the public also urged the state government to declare 53 districts of the state as 'drought-hit'. Other programmes affecting the people living in villages is proper sanitation. "In the absence of proper sanitation facilities, 80% of the public are forced to defecate in the open," they said.

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India ratifies a global treaty to phase out mercury products within 6 to 10 years

NEW DELHI: India will have to phase out mercury within six to 10 years as the country has ratified a global treaty - Minamata Convention - which makes it mandatory for the signatories to ban the use of the deadly nerve toxin in a phased manner.

The move will protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury which is currently being used in lighting and many healthcare products including clinical thermometers, blood pressure monitors and topical antiseptic agents.

Though the Convention will ban the production, import and export of products that contain mercury by 2020, it will allow its use in certain critical areas, specifically healthcare, for the next four years.

In the meantime, the countries who signed the Convention will be encouraged to gradually reduce their use of mercury by adopting alternatives.

India ratified the global treat on the sidelines of the UN general assembly in New York on Wednesday. The Convention gives the countries another 15 years to end all mercury mining.

The treat has been named after a Japanese city - Minamata - that had witnessed one of the worst incidents of industrial poisoning by mercury in 1950s.

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NCP breaks 15-year-old alliance with Congress in Maharashtra

NEW DELHI: Barely an hour after the Shiv Sena and the BJP announced their split, the NCP on Thursday said it was breaking away from the Congress to fight the Maharashtra assembly polls alone.

"Congress declared seats without consulting alliance partners and betrayed our trust," NCP state president Sunil Tatkare said.

"When Sharad Pawar met Sonia Gandhi, he told her he wants to stay in the alliance," the NCP leader added.

Senior NCP leader Praful Patel said, "NCP has always supported the Congress; even when we had more MLAs we gave up the chief minister's post".

NCP leader and Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar blamed Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan for the split, saying NCP was never neglected by earlier Congress CMs. Ajit Pawar and other NCP ministers will resign from the cabinet.

Sharad Pawar holds a meeting with other NCP leaders (TOI Photo by Deepak Turbhekar)

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Govt begins revision of skill development policy

NEW DELHI: Terming skill development and entrepreneurship "critical" for developing youth as productive workforce, the government on Wednesday said that it has initiated the process of revising the National Policy on skill development.

The government has also directed the National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) to create a web portal where persons interested in developing skills can register themselves.

"Skill Development and Entrepreneurship are critical for developing the youth as a productive workforce. We have initiated the process to revise the National Policy on Skill Development 2009," Sarbananda Sonowal, minister of state for skill development and entrepreneurship told reporters.

He said that opinions are being obtained from various ministries and once that is done, a draft policy will be placed on the ministry's website inviting comments from the public and other stakeholders.

Stating that his ministry will work to expand and strengthen Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) and NSS, Sonowal said that "punarjagaran" (rejuvenation) is a major initiative from NYKS that will create a youth movement all over the country over the next one year.

"This initiative will mobilise about 150 million youths, inspire youth all over the country and make a significant contribution to the task of nation-building," he said.

The focus of the government is on youth-led development and so it plans to introduce "National Young Leaders Programme" for developing leadership qualities among the youth, he said.

"NYKS youth clubs shall be enabled to evolve as neighbourhood youth Parliament to get the village youth actively involved in governance process. This will inculcate the spirit of dignity of labour and community service and develop the personality of 1.67 crore youths," he said.

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Supreme Court ruling on coal blocks likely to hit economy, India Inc says

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: The Supreme Court's mass cancellation of coal block licences will cause serious supply disruptions and accentuate the power crisis, and is likely to impact the economy by jeopardizing investments in the sector, India Inc said on Wednesday.

"The decision taken by the Supreme Court to cancel all but four coal blocks is likely to adversely impact the domestic coal supplies in the country and will erode investor confidence," CII president Ajay Shriram said.

Currently, about 42 blocks are producing coal to the tune of 53 million tonnes and account for 10 per cent of the total coal supplied in the country.

"This judgement will lead to serious supply disruptions as mining from these blocks will be hampered, further exacerbating the coal shortages in the country. Any disruption in the coal supplies will accentuate power crisis and force higher imports impacting the current account deficit," Shriram said.

A coal mine in Jharkhand's Latehar.

Terming the Supreme Court's ruling cancelling 214 coal blocks as "a bit harsh", Assocham president Rana Kapoor said: "Our main concern is on the kind of negative impact on the economy which has just been showing signs of recovery after over two years of slowdown".

"Being largely dependent on the thermal power, it is the coal which fires the economic growth, which will be halted, besides, the dependence on coal imports will increase," he added. In a blow to the corporate sector, the Supreme Court on Wednesday quashed allocation of 214 out of 218 coal blocks which were alloted to various companies since 1993.

"While the judgement may have been intended to bring in transparency, it will jeopardize the investments made in the sector. It will raise questions on sanctity of government policies impacting the investment climate. The government will need to expedite reallocating the cancelled producing blocks so that production is not affected in the short term," Shriram said.

"The court's decision has created uncertainty and is likely to impact key sectors including power, steel and mining. In particular, given that the power sector is the largest consumer of coal in India (coal-based power generation accounts for 2/3rd of India's electricity mix), this development is likely to exacerbate the shortage of fuel for the power sector," he added.

According to CII, acute fuel shortages are already impacting the power sector and currently close to 80 million tonnes of coal is being imported to meet the sector's requirements.

"Another sector that will be impacted by this ruling is the financial sector as the exposure of public sector banks to the power and steel sectors is considerable. In fact, banks account for over 60 per cent of the overall investments in these blocks," Shriram said.

Hope govt will devise relief plan: Birla

Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla on Wednesday said the Centre should ensure that the massive investments made by the companies to acquire coal blocks do not go down the drain following Supreme Court's order cancelling the mine permits.

"The government should have an alternative (plan) as a lot has been invested ... Hope to learn about the government's action plan in the near future," Birla said on the sidelines of the company's 55th annual general meeting (AGM) held in Mumbai.

He also said he was sure that the government had a plan ready to tackle the issues arising out of the court's order.

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India toughens its stand ahead of Peru climate talks

NEW DELHI: India told the UN Climate Summit that it was the West's fossil fuel-led model of industrialization that adversely impacted the climate and therefore the developed countries should help their poor counterparts deal with the threat of global warming.

Articulating India's view points in New York Summit, country's environment minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday told the gathering that the "poverty remains a major polluter" and poor nations need to grow economically to address it.

In a remark which may not please the rich nations who want all polluting nations to share the responsibility, Javadekar said, "...developing countries can do more if finance and technology support and capacity building is ensured. This must be a key focus of international cooperation".

Toughening country's stand ahead of Peru climate talks, he emphasized that in the present circumstances where 1.2 billion people still live in extreme poverty across many countries, "the talks about changed realities can only be misleading and motivated".

Though many European countries promised to increase the percentage of their emission cuts by 2020 and also committed towards capitalizing the crucial Green Climate Fund (GCF), Indian environment minister sought to remind them of their earlier promises under the Kyoto Protocol and made it clear that they should not escape from their 'historical responsibilities'.

Defending India's position, Javadekar said, "India remains committed to pursuing a path of sustainable development through eradication of poverty both of income as well as energy."

He also shared details of what all the new government has been doing to achieve its goal and said, "We have shown that we have the political will to act. Our slogan is development without destruction.... We have also taken policy initiatives in several other areas".

Narrating the challenges before India and other developing countries, the minister, however, said, "Evidence indicates, that countries that have achieved a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.9 or more have per capita energy consumption of at least 2.5 tons oil equivalent (toe) per year.

"The current per capita energy consumption in India is about 0.6 toe per year, which is a fraction of the figures for the developed world. In other words, with today's technologies and living standards, the energy consumption in India would need to increase by 4 times as India's HDI increases from the current value of 0.5 to a value of 0.9".

In an indication that the effort to improve upon the HDI may increase emission, the minister said, "The key challenge therefore is to enable this higher energy consumption at a cost that people are willing and able to pay, and with lower carbon intensity".

He, however, insisted that the country was "fully committed" to achieving its voluntary goal for reducing Emission Intensity of its GDP by 20-25% by 2020 over 2005 level.

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India’s Mars mission heats up competition for cheap satellite launches

NEW DELHI: India's low-cost mission to Mars successfully entered the red planet's orbit on Wednesday, crowning what Prime Minister Narendra Modi said was a "near impossible" push to become the only country to complete the trip on its maiden attempt.

The Mars Orbiter Mission was achieved on a budget of $74 million, nearly a tenth of the amount the US space agency Nasa spent on sending the Maven spacecraft to Mars.

"History has been created today," said Modi, who burst into applause along with hundreds of scientists at the state-run Indian Space Research Organization (Isro) when it was announced the mission had been accomplished.

READ MORE: Isro's Mars mission successful, India makes history

"We have dared to reach out into the unknown and have achieved the near impossible," said Modi, wearing a red waistcoat at the space command centre in the southern city of Bangalore.

India joins the United States, Russia and Europe in successfully sending probes to orbit or land on Mars. Apart from India, none managed to succeed on their first attempt.

The mission also makes India the first country in Asia to reach Mars, after an attempt by regional rival China failed to leave Earth's orbit in 2011.

Isro successfully ignited the main 440 Newton liquid engine and eight small thrusters that fired for 24 minutes and trimmed the speed of the craft to allow smooth orbit. A confirmation of orbit entry was received at around 8am (0230 GMT).

After completing the 666 million kilometre (414 million miles) journey in more than 10 months, the spacecraft called Mangalyaan — meaning Mars craft in Hindi — will now study the red planet's surface and scan its atmosphere for chemical methane. It will not land on Mars.

Isro scientists will operate five scientific instruments on the spacecraft to gather data, the space agency's scientific secretary V Koteswara Rao told Reuters.

The expected life of the craft is six months, after which it will run out of fuel and the agency will not be able to maintain its orbit.

Modi has said he wants to expand the country's five-decade-old space programme. The technological triumph is fortuitously timed for him — he will be able to flaunt the achievement on a trip to the United States starting on Friday.

Modi also holds the additional charge as India's minister of space, and has endorsed the low-cost of the project, saying it cost even less than the budget of "Gravity". The Hollywood blockbuster cost about $100 million to make.

Nasa, which helped India with communications on the mission, congratulated Isro. The Mangalyaan and the Nasa's Maven, built at a cost of $671 million, are simultaneously orbiting the red planet.

India in space vs others

India's space programme was launched in the early 1960s and the country developed its own rocket technology after western powers imposed sanctions for a nuclear weapons test in 1974.

Still, the country remains a small player in the global space industry that grew to $314 billion in revenues and government budgets in 2013, according to Colorado-based Space Foundation. Experts say Mars mission success can help change that.

"Isro will now hopefully attract a lot of business," said Mayank N Vahia, a scientist at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. "We will now attract more international attention and international trade for satellites."

Two-thirds of the craft's parts were made by Indian companies such as Larsen & Toubro and Godrej & Boyce.

With 30 Indian and 40 foreign satellite launches so far, its nearest cheap competition would be China, which is armed with bigger space launchers. Isro signed an agreement with China National Space Administration on Friday to cooperate in research and development of various satellites.

Despite its success, India faces criticism for spending on space research as millions go hungry.

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After scripting space history, Mangalyaan starts clicking images from Mars

BANGALORE: Scripting space history, India on Wednesday successfully placed its low-cost Mars spacecraft in orbit around the red planet in its very first attempt, breaking into an elite club of three nations.

The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) spacecraft kept its tryst with the red planet after the hibernating main 440 Newton Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) and eight thrusters on board were ignited for 24-minutes from 7.17am that slowed its benumbing speed to be smoothly captured into the Martian orbit.

The make-or-break tricky manoeuvre carried out with clockwork precision on the refrigerator sized spacecraft as planned was watched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who exultantly described it as "a historic occasion", saying the country has achieved the "near impossible".

"Today MOM has met Mangal (Mars). Today Mangal has got MOM. The time this mission was short named as MOM, I was sure that MOM won't disappoint us," Modi said, declaring the mission's success after nerve-wracking final moments at Indian Space Research Organization's command centre here.

The speed of the spacecraft was reduced from 22.14 kilometres per second to 4.4 kilometres per second at the ultimate point in its 666 million-km-long travel in relation to the red planet to be captured by the Martian orbit.

"Images are clicked. Data is downloaded. Process is going on," a top Isro official said in the evening when asked whether the spacecraft has taken pictures of the Mars surface.

The Rs 450 crore MOM Mangalyaan is the cheapest inter-planetary mission that, at just $74 million, costs less than the estimated $100 million budget of the sci-fi blockbuster "Gravity" and a tenth of Nasa's Mars mission Maven that entered the Martian orbit on September 22.

Scientists broke into wild cheers and congratulated each other after the 1,350kg spacecraft was manoeuvred into its designated place, a feat that makes India the first country to go to Mars in the very first try.

European, American and Russian probes have managed to orbit or land on the planet, but after several attempts. The first Chinese Mars mission, called Yinghuo-1, failed in 2011. In 1998, the Japanese mission ran out of fuel and was lost.

Modi, who wore a red jacket, said the odds were stacked against "us with only 21 of the 51 missions to Mars being successful," but "we have prevailed". "We have gone beyond the boundaries of human enterprise and innovation.

"We have navigated our craft through a route known to very few," Modi said in a speech in Hindi and English, after patting the back of Isro chairman K Radhakrishnan and effusively praising Isro for making space history.

The LAM, last fired on December 1, 2013, was successfully fired for 3.968 seconds at 2.30pm IST today, Isro said in a statement.

It said this operation of the spacecraft's main liquid engine was also used for the spacecraft's trajectory correction and changed its velocity by 2.18 metres per second.

With this successful test firing, Mars Orbiter Insertion (MOI) operation of the spacecraft is scheduled to be performed on September 24 at 07:17:32 hrs IST by firing the LAM along with eight smaller liquid engines for about 24 minutes, it added.

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Bureaucrat can't be victimized for crtiticizing govt: SC

NEW DELHI: A bureaucrat cannot be victimized for criticizing government before a judicial forum, as it does not amount to service misconduct, the Supreme Court has said while slapping a fine of Rs 5 lakh on Centre and UP government for harassing an IAS officer who approached it on the black money issue.

"The right to judicial remedies for the redressal of either personal or public grievances is a constitutional right of the subjects (both citizens and non-citizens) of this country. Employees of the state cannot become members of a different and inferior class to whom such right is not available," the bench headed by justice J Chelameswar said.

The bench, also comprising Justice A K Sikri said it is "astounding" that Centre and the state government consider that a complaint to the apex court of executive malfeasance causing debilitating economic and security concerns for the country amounts to inappropriate conduct for a civil servant.

"We are at a loss to comprehend how the filing of the writ petition containing allegations that the government of India is lax in discharging its constitutional obligations of establishing the rule of law can be said to amount to either failure to maintain absolute integrity and devotion to duty or of indulging in conduct unbecoming of a member of the service," the bench said.

The bench said that the Constitution declares India as a sovereign democratic Republic and "The requirement of such democratic republic is that every action of the state is to be informed with reason. State is not a hierarchy of regressively genuflecting coterie of bureaucracy."

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Army’s Eastern Command wary of Chinese incursions in Arunachal

KOLKATA: With the standoff with China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) continuing in the Chumar sector of northeast Ladakh, the Indian Army's Eastern Command has gone into a state of readiness to check any incursion from across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) into Arunachal Pradesh.

"It has been our experience that the Chinese start trouble in Ladakh and then turn their attention to Arunachal Pradesh. In April 2013, the PLA ventured into Indian territory in the Depsang area of Ladakh, pitched tents and stayed there for nearly 20 days. This was followed up by an incursion in the Chaglagam area of Arunachal Pradesh in August by the PLA. Chinese troops reportedly crossed over the LAC and occupied territory 20 km inside the Anjaw district for nearly four days. We are keeping our fingers crossed," a senior officer said.

There are long stretches along the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh where round the clock vigil is not possible. In the past, Indian Army troops on patrol have found evidence of PLA presence inside Indian territory. PLA soldiers make no efforts to remove evidence of their intrusions as China doesn't recognize Arunachal Pradesh and considers the state as its own territory.

"In the past, they have left behind banners 'informing' Indian troops that they are in Chinese territory. The 'fishtail' area - called so because of the unique shape of the LAC there - is particularly vulnerable. Indian patrols often come across temporary PLA camps where Chinese soldiers relaxed. The soldiers left behind half-empty beer cans, cigarette packets and butts in a casual manner to justify their presence in the area," the officer added.

In several parts of Arunachal Pradesh, particularly in inhospitable and mountainous terrain, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) mans outposts closer to the LAC than the Army. In 2013, it was the ITBP which sent information of the Chaglagam incursion to the Army. The Army then sent out patrols to verify the claim. Senior officers in the Eastern Command admit that India lacks infrastructure on its side of the LAC as compared to China.

"While the process of raising a mountain strike corps has begun, we still lack infrastructure in the form of border roads and railway tracks. Our troops have to be moved by air to advanced landing grounds and then trudge several miles to the advanced posts. They are kept supplied by mule trains. Fortunately, the government has now taken a decision to strengthen the border road network and done away with certain formalities that were a hindrance," another officer said.

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AAP not to contest Maharashtra assembly elections

MUMBAI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will not contest the October 15 assembly elections in Maharashtra, the party announced on Tuesday.

"The Lok Sabha election results brought a realisation that it is not possible to win elections without a strong grass root organisational structure," AAP spokesperson Preeti Sharma Menon said.

"We also realised that due to the lack of resources and inability of the party to give financial support, many candidates had to struggle to fight elections," she added.

According to her, the party has decided that it should concentrate on strengthening the organization, establishing processes and systems, building the infrastructure for communication with volunteers and empowering them through training, so that the party gets a strong volunteer base and organizational strength to enable it fight traditional politics.

"AAP Maharashtra will not contest elections and we will also not support anyone in the forthcoming Assembly elections, neither independent candidates nor any political parties," Menon said.

"If any AAP member chooses to contest polls either as an independent or through any other party, his or her membership is automatically rescinded. The party members will not be involved in any campaigning," she said.

AAP volunteers will launch an awareness campaign on proactive participation — 'Jagrut Nagrik' and the party will encourage teams to conduct two campaigns in each assembly constituency — to identify corrupt candidates and prevent bribes.

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BSP chief Mayawati plays the upper caste card

LUCKNOW: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Monday distanced herself from the comments made by her party general secretary Swami Prasad Maurya against the people of the upper caste and said the comments made by Maurya were his own and should not be taken as party's stand.

Maurya had on Sunday said that dalits should refrain from worshipping lord Ganesha in marriage ceremonies as it was a 'Manuwadi' practice in which only animals were worshipped while dalits were looked down upon. The BSP general secretary had even gone on to say that dalits were essentially rulers but Brahmins made them slaves by cheating them and resorting to divide and rule.

Mayawati's stance to alienate herself from Maurya comments is in sharp departure of her earlier stand during a recent party meeting in which she had spewed venom on the upper caste saying that they tried to malign the image of Ambedkar and managed to convert a section of dalits into upper caste to deprive them of the benefits of reservations.

Party sources said that the BSP chief has been categorically worried about her call to dalits falling flat. This became evident once again during the recent UP by polls where in dalits shied away from her call and did not voted for the BSP supported independent candidates.

Her fresh stance also gains much political importance in the wake of Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) making inroads into her dalit vote bank by positioning them as Hindus first. Political pundits point out that by supporting the Hindu rituals, Mayawati aims to win back the dalits who have moved into the saffron camp.

Mayawati said that her party stood for 'Sarvajan Hitay' formula where in people of all classes were allowed to perform rituals as per their wishes. Mayawati said that her party had secular credentials as per the Indian constitution framed by Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

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PM greets people on 'Mahalaya'

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister NarendraModi on Tuesday greeted the nation on the auspicious occasion of 'Mahalaya' and hoped that the festive season brings peace and prosperity.

'Mahalaya' marks the new moon, seven days before Durga Puja.

"Shubho Mahalaya! May this festive season enhance the spirit of joy, peace and prosperity in our lives," Modi said.

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German embassy to organize charity concert for Kashmir

NEW DELHI: The German embassy will organize a music concert, Ehsaas-e-Kashmir, to show solidarity and mobilize support for those ravaged by floods in the strife-torn valley.

The concert will take place at the residence of the German ambassador to India, Michael Steiner, at 6pm on Tuesday, an embassy press release said.

Acclaimed musicians Pandit Bhajan Sopori and Abhay Sopori will perform on the occasion.

At the concert, Steiner will announce projects aimed at meeting some of the most urgent needs of the disaster-affected population. "It is heartbreaking to see the suffering of the brave Kashmiris. We want to show our solidarity and join the efforts to support those in need. I have set myself the target of mobilizing Rs 1 crore for the Kashmiris," Steiner said.

The German Embassy is working with experienced and reliable aid organizations in Kashmir. Two weeks ago, Steiner had announced a first aid project for Kashmir with a local hospital in the disaster-struck region. The embassy has made available Rs 25 lakhs for basic health care in cooperation with the NGO German Doctors.

Steiner had invited conductor Zubin Mehta to perform in Kashmir last September. The move spawned local protests but the concert was a success.

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Government, Google to launch PMO app contest

NEW DELHI: Google will collaborate with the Union government to launch a nationwide contest to develop a mobile app for the Prime Minister's office.

On Monday, Google released a statement supporting and endorsing the PM's "digital India" programme. The app is one of the government initiatives where Google has pledged support.

The internet giant says it will also work with the government to "encourage digital literacy and internet safety" by introducing curriculums for schools, officials and elected representatives.

"The mobile app will bring the PMO to every citizen and the contest will showcase how Indians can build a world class app," said Google in a release, adding, "Google is working with the department of information technology and other state governments to develop these initiatives."

"I'm happy Google is coming forward to roll out initiatives that will contribute to the Digital India vision," says R S Sharma, secretary of the department of electronics and information technology.

"There are more than a billion people who will need to be brought online for India to realize the vision of a digitally connected, knowledge economy. Prime Minister Modi's Digital India program will play a transformational role in achieving this, and we are excited to be making a meaningful contribution by rolling out several initiatives in collaboration with the Government of India," says Rajan Anandan, Google India's vice president and managing director.

He also pointed out that India has the world's third largest number of internet users with 245 million users as of June 2014 and on track to become the second largest user market by 2015 and a 500 million-user market by 2016.

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'Love jihad' is a social problem now embedded in religion: Uma Bharati

AHMEDABAD: Amid a raging debate over 'love jihad', senior BJP leader and union minister Uma Bharati on Monday said it is a "social problem" which has now come into the ambit of religion, and that "solution" to it can be found only by parents concerned and religious leaders.

"Love jihad is a social problem which has now came into the frame of religion. I don't want to comment further on this issue," the Union Water Resources Minister said during her interaction with media in Siddhpur town of north Gujarat today.

'Love jihad' is a term coined by some Hindu groups for alleged efforts to get non-Muslim girls to convert to Islam through love affairs.

The issue came to centrestage in recent bypolls in Uttar Pradesh where some BJP MPs raised it aggressively.

Some BJP leaders from party-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh too have raise the bogey of 'love jihad' and demanded ban on non-Hindu youths from entering pandals meant for performing 'garba', a devotional dance in the praise of goddess Durga, in upcoming Navratri festival.

"The solution to this problem should be brought by parents and religious leaders, not by us. Government's work is to tackle the law and order situation. Thus, if some law and order situation arises in connection with this issue, we will tackle it," Bharati said.

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Youths claiming to be Varun's supporters protest outside BJP MP's house

ALLAHABAD: A group of youths, claiming to be supporters of BJP leader Varun Gandhi, on Mondya staged a protest in front of the house of local MP Shyama Charan Gupta here over the latter's reported statement wherein he had criticised the party's former national general secretary and his mother and Union minister Maneka Gandhi.

The incident took place around noon when nearly a dozen youths gathered in front of the house of Gupta, and burnt the effigy of the industrialist-turned-politician who had joined the BJP and won a party ticket barely a month before the Allahabad Lok Sabha constituency went to polls.

The protesters, who were carrying the party flag, termed Gupta as an "outsider" alluding to his long association with Samajwadi Party and condemned his statement made on Saturday wherein he had criticised Maneka for trying to project her son as a potential chief ministerial candidate for Uttar Pradesh.
They also tore apart a huge banner put up alongside Gupta's palatial residence.

Gupta had, reacting to the BJP's debacle in the recent bypolls, reportedly said that Maneka had caused harm to the party by coming out in the open with the demand for a bigger role for her son who was removed from the post of national general secretary after Amit Shah took over as BJP president. Meanwhile, reacting to the incident, city BJP president Shashi Varshney said "prima facie it seems to be the handiwork of hooligans who are not our full-time workers and who had merely carried the party flag to create mischief".

"I am at present in Lucknow. Nevertheless, upon returning to Allahabad I would seek a detailed report and if any party worker is found directly or indirectly involved, proper disciplinary action would follow," Varshney told on phone.

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Japan to expedite study on Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train

NEW DELHI: Going ahead with the ambitious bullet train plan, Japan and India on Monday agreed to expedite the ongoing study for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail corridor.

Akihiro Ohta, Japan's Minister for Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism met Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda here and discussed in details about the proposed high speed rail corridor in India.

Japan International Cooperation Agency is currently conducting a feasibility study on the 534-km-long Mumbai- Ahmedabad route for running the bullet train at a speed of 300 km per hour.

The Japanese minister expressed his willingness to assist India in financing and studying the high speed rail project, said a senior Railway Ministry official.

India and Japan are also cooperating on Western Dedicated Freight Corridor.

Both sides agreed to resolve pending issues involved in the Western Corridor so as to ensure the expeditious implementation of the DFC project, the official said.

The minister also invited Gowda to visit Japan. Railway Board Member (Engineering) V K Gupta and Advisor Infrastructure Girish Pillai were present at the meeting.

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Vice President Hamid Ansari lauds achievements of Catholic Association of South Kanara

MANGALORE: "Our country faces many challenges, of which none is bigger than poverty and unemployment," said Vice President of India M Hamid Ansari.

He was speaking after inaugurating the centenary celebrations - valedictory functions of the Catholic Association of South Kanara (CASK) here on Sunday. "The CASK could look into expanding its areas of work from health and education to skill development and employment generation. Every contribution, irrespective of its scale, would go some way in addressing this scourge of poverty which afflicts a very large percentage of our population," Ansari said.

As the CASK completes a hundred years of existence, it must be commended for establishing itself as a vibrant institution for promoting general welfare of not only the Manglorean Catholic community but all segments of society in this region, he said.

"The contribution of the Christian church in social and charitable work in our country, especially in education and health sectors, has been particularly noteworthy. The CASK has carried forward the rich legacy of selfless public service inspired by the message of Jesus Christ who over two thousand years ago spread the truth of fundamental unity of mankind and preached the cherished human values of love, compassion, forgiveness and charity. It is for this message that Mahatma Gandhi called Jesus Christ the greatest teacher humanity has ever had," Ansari said lauding the achievements of CASK.

"I understand that the Association has provided valued services to the people in the field of health and education, especially to the deprived and marginalised sections of society, irrespective of religion, caste or creed. It has also focussed on supporting the local culture, including Konkani language and literature, music and fine arts. Above all, it has been an effective vehicle for uniting the community and providing it a coherent voice on issues of interest and concern," Ansari said.

"Members of the community are fully integrated in the national mainstream. They have served the nation with great distinction in every sphere of life. The Christian faith has strengthened our secular fabric and enriched our composite Indian identity," he added.

Mangalore Diocese Bishop Rev Aloysius Paul D'Souza said that the growth of Catholic community is a catalyst for the growth of other communities in the region too.

Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala lauding the services of Mother Teresa, called up Catholic community members to educate and help the poor children.

Minister of forest, environment and ecology B Ramanath Rai, former ambassador and secretary, ministry of external affairs Eric Gonsalves, Karnataka Circle chief postmaster general MS Ramanujan, CASK president Derek Lobo and secretary JP Menezes were guests.

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Youth found hanging at former JD(U) MP's house

SAHARSA (Bihar): The body of a youth was found hanging at the house of former JD(U) MP Dinesh Chandra Yadav on Sunday in Saharsa town of Bihar.

Saharsa superintendent of police Pankaj Sinha said the deceased has been identified as Pallav Jha (28), a neighbour of Yadav and a cable TV operator.

"There is a room in the outer area of Yadav's house in Kayastha Mohalla of the town. It is used as a waiting room. Jha's body was found hanging from cable TV wire there," Sinha said.

The body has been sent for postmortem. Saharsa Sadar SDPO Prem Sagar said the post mortem report would reveal whether it was a case of murder or suicide.

Yadav, who has been an MP thrice, said Jha was a neigbour and used to come to his house and the room in which his body was found was closed from inside.

"My sweeper knocked on the door for cleaning it up. When it did not open, he peeped from the window, saw the body, and came running to inform me. I immediately called the SHO and the SP, and also informed the family members of the deceased," said Yadav.

"Since the door was locked from inside, it was broken open in the presence of a magistrate. Whether it is a suicide or murder is a matter of police investigation. I am not going to interfere in it," said Yadav.

The former MP also said he was not ruling out possibilities of foul play by his political rivals.

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Vrindawan widows ignore Hema's "outsider" remarks, embark on a trip to Kolkata

LUCKNOW: Days after the alleged controversial "outsiders" remark by the actor turn politician Hema Malini, at least five dozen widows living in Vrindavan, virtually unfazed by the statement of the Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament are packing their bags to go West Bengal to celebrate Durga Puja, this time.

Despite the annoyance and debate over the justification of Local MP's remarks that "Widows from Bengal and Bihar shouldn't crowd Vrindavan," the widows living in the five ashrams of Vrindawan are excited to go home after several decades.

Ninety five-year-old Kanak Lata Devi is landing on her native soil after 40 years to enjoy the festivity at Kolkata. She is excited to see the iconic Howrah bride and Tram ride during week-long Kolkata trip. Five widows will fly to Kolkota on September 25, while the rest of the 50 widows are reaching Howarh by train from New Delhi on September 23.

Around 50 widows had attended Durga Puja celebrations last time, and a new batch of as many widows in their 80s will have the privilege this time. Festivities will unfold all around when they reach Howarh station on September 26 morning, as preparations are afoot to extend them a warm welcome on their arrival at the railway station.

Drums of traditional Dhaki and blowing of Shankha (conch shells) will mark the occasion and it will be flowers all the way as flower petals would be used to welcome them. "Their trip to Kolkata is an effort to infuse some joy and sense of belongingness in their lives. They are going back to the land of their ancestors," says Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh International.

Sulabh looks after 1,000 Vrindavan widows. "It is not just a Puja tour for them. They will go back to their roots. It is a journey down the memory lane," said Pathak, and added that the visitors will go to Kumar Toli to see for themselves how life is breathed into the clay idols of Goddess Durga of world repute.

Apart from visiting Puja pandals, these widows have a plan to visit famous Kali Bari besides visiting Victoria Memorial and Chowringhee.

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Is Akhilesh favouring private companies at the cost of power consumers?

LUCKNOW: UP Power Corporation Limited allowing Reliance and Bajaj to import coal for power generation and justify the higher price of power they have proposed to supply the state in 2014-15, has raised concerns over Akhilesh Yadav government favouring private companies at the cost of power consumers.

On September 11, the UP Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) sent out a reminder to UPPCL asking the utility about the very basis of high price of power the two companies have proposed to supply in 2014-15.

According to the annual revenue requirement (ARR) report of UPPCL, while Reliance has proposed to supply power at the rate of Rs 6.06 per unit, Bajaj has proposed to do it at Rs 7.75 per unit. The regulator had asked the corporation to give its reply within three days — that is by September 14.

The corporation, however, chose to sit over the note. And on Friday, the UP government gave its approval to the two companies to import coal, citing the impending coal crisis. Reliance, for example, has been allowed to import 5.5 lakh tonnes of coal. Its power plant in Rosa in Shahjahanpur district require 49 lakh tonnes of coal. This way, Reliance will be fulfilling 12% of its requirement through imported coal.

Experts point out that the price of imported coal is almost three times the cost of indigenous coal. While the indigenous coal is available at the cost of Rs 2000 per tonne, imported coal comes at a cost of Rs 6000 per tonne.

READ ALSO: UP allows 2 private power companies to import coal

Mulayam Singh Yadav (left) with Reliance Power chairman Anil Ambani during Akhilesh Yadav's oath-taking ceremony as UP's chief minister in Lucknow, on March 15, 2012. (TOI file photo by Manoj Chhabra)

Significantly, the two power plants have been set up under the memorandum of understanding (MoU) route where in the cost of power is passed on to the utility — the UPPCL in this case. While principal secretary (energy) Sanjay Agarwal was not available for comments, UPPCL managing director, AP Mishra confirmed that the cost will be borne by the UPPCL. He, however, refused to comment if the cost would be passed on to the consumer.

Akhilesh Yadav, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. (TOI file photo by Pawan Kumar)

Chairman of All India Power Engineer Federation, Shailendra Dubey questioned as to why the same permission was not given to other power plants which are also facing the coal crisis. "Both these companies have coal linkages and still they have been allowed to import coal. Why it is done only for the power plants which are set under the MoU route? This way the two companies will be able to justify the high cost of power they would be providing," he alleged.

READ ALSO: Sparks fly between UPPERC, PCL over proposed tariff hike

Dubey pointed out that even the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) in its report had estimated a loss of over Rs 8000 crores for purchase of power from the two companies for UPPCL.

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Whose all portraits could be displayed at Tamil Nadu govt offices?

CHENNAI: The chief minister's portraits are displayed at most government offices in Tamil Nadu, no matter whether it is the AIADMK rule or the DMK rule. The pictures of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru could be seen at some offices. Is there any rule in displaying the portraits of leaders at government offices? Whose all portraits could be displayed?

An RTI application filed by TOI has shown that the pictures of incumbent President, Prime Minister and chief minister, Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, architect of the Constitution B R Ambedkar, poet Saint Thiruvalluvar, social reformer Thanthai Periyar, freedom fighters C Rajagopalachari, U Muthuramalinga Thevar, V O Chidambaram and Quaid -e-Millath and all former chief ministers, including Annadurai, K Kamaraj and others, could be displayed at the government offices.

In 2011, the Madurai bench of the Madras high court asked the then advocate general, A Navaneethakrishnan, to display the photographs of national leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Saint Thiruvalluvar, B R Ambedkar and U Muthuramalinga Thevar at the government offices in the state.

Legal experts said portraits and photographs of most national leaders on the official list were not seen at government offices. Advocate B Stalin of Melur, who had filed a contempt of court application against the then chief secretary, Debendranath Sarangi, for not putting up the photos of the freedom fighters in Tamil Nadu, said the state had not followed the court order thus far.

"Almost all the government offices in Tamil Nadu have the photographs of the chief minister. But only a few of them have the portraits of the diseased freedom fighters. Government offices continue to ignore their contributions to the country," he said.

Stalin said most government offices had not shown any interest in displaying the pictures of national leaders and freedom fighters. "The photographs of leaders like B R Ambedkar, U Muthuramalinga Thevar, V O Chidambaram, Quaid-e-Millath and Indira Gandhi are not displayed," he said.

A government order dated 1989 said that portraits of the current chief minister and former chief ministers could be kept at the government offices without spending money from the exchequer. However, activists said government money had been spent to display the pictures of the chief minister or former chief ministers in the state.

A senior government official said there was no mandatory rule on displaying portraits of all leaders. "We have taken steps to display portraits of most leaders at the offices. But the head of the concerned department has to take a final call," he said.

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BJP, Shiv Sena yet to agree on seat sharing

MUMBAI: A day after saving their 25-year alliance from splitting, the BJP and the Shiv Sena were yet to reach an agreement on seat-sharing for the October 15 Maharashtra assembly elections, on Saturday.

The Sena has now proposed a new formula for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other allies, which numerically appears to be an improvement over Friday's 119 seats that had been dismissed outright by the BJP.

"Shiv Sena's fresh proposal proposes 126 seats to the BJP, 155 for Sena, and seven for Swabhimana Sanghatana. Out of the BJP's 126, we have to accommodate other three partners with about nine seats, leaving us with 117 seats," leader of opposition in legislative council Vinod Tawde of the BJP told reporters.

This formula would now be finalized at a separate meeting between BJP state president Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, he announced.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray (left) with the-then BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi during a Lok Sabha election rally in Mumbai.

If accepted by both sides, the final tally would be 155 for the Sena, 117 for the BJP and 16 for the smaller partners in the 288-member assembly.

On Friday, the Sena had proposed 119 for BJP and 169 for Sena, including the share of the alliance partners, which the BJP rejected.

Tawde did not comment whether the latest proposal was acceptable to the BJP but merely said it would be discussed further between Fadnavis and Thackeray.

It is also not clear whether, in the revised proposal, the Sena has taken into account the BJP's demand that both parties should retain the seats which they have won at least once in the past and carry out a review of the seats they had never bagged.

BJP president Amit Shah.

This works out 110 seats with the Sena and 100 for BJP which each have bagged at least once in the past elections.

Another 78 seats — 59 seats which Sena has never bagged and 19 which BJP has never won would figure in the final discussions besides the share of the other smaller partners in the alliance.

Insisting on an alliance with "dignity and respect", the BJP has said it was talking about sharing the 78-odd seats which neither the SS nor the BJP has ever won.

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