India News

New Delhi: The United Nations has declared October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, as the International Day of Non-violence to honour a lifetime devoted to the pursuit of non-violence.

On this occasion, this year, the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development is launching a nationwide campaign for prevention of violence against women to create greater awareness about the issue.

Addressing the media on the eve of launch of the campaign in the national capital, Krishna Tirath, Union Minister of Women and Child Development said that women empowerment and welfare was a high priority for the Government.

“Though women constitute more that 48 per cent of the population and are acknowledged as the very foundation for the development of the society and the country as a whole, the issue concerning them, and more importantly, the abuse of their rights, remains often neglected. In fact, the incidence of violence against women within the home and outside is quite alarming,” Tirath said.

The Ministry has taken many important steps to protect the rights of women and ensure their welfare, development and empowerment.

“Schemes such as Swadhar and Short Stay Homes and Ujjwala provide relief and rehabilitation to women in distress. However, there is a need to bring to center stage the issue of promoting non-violence and preventing all forms of abuse and violence against women in our society through mass awareness programmes,” Tirath said.

“The Government efforts will yield desired result only when all sections of society come forward to contribute and support these efforts,” Tirath added.
 
The Minister further said that to mark the occasion, the ministry is holding a meet of more than 5000 women at the India Gate Lawns on October 2. These women will be Aaganwadi Workers as well as Self-help Groups and representatives of various walks of life.

The participants at the meet will form a human chain to express solidarity for the cause of non-violence and upholding the rights of women.

The meet will be attended by many dignitaries including member of Planning Commission Syeda Hameed, Lt.Governor of Delhi Tejendra Khanna and many eminent women who are dedicated to the cause of empowerment of women and heads of some of the prominent National Organizations working for women.

Tirath also said that during the campaign a number of activities will be carried out to create mass awareness about the issue at the grass root level besides strengthening and launching new schemes for the empowerment of women and welfare of children.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Refusing to be drawn into a comparison between the armed forces of India and China, Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal P V Naik, today assured that it would not be possible for the Chinese to repeat 1962 at the moment.

Air Chief Marshal Naik’s comment assumes significance in the wake of Communist China exhibiting its military might during its 60th anniversary celebrations in Tianamen Square on Thursday, as also the adverse reaction to alleged Chinese incursions into Indian territory.

Addressing his annual press conference ahead of the 77th Air Force Day, Air Chief Marshal Naik said: “ The IAF is not threat specific and we have decided to go with certain set of capability building in order to go into the future and help the country’s aspirations to grow.”

“Overall build up of capabilities is going on and I don’t think a repeat of 1962 is possible now,” said the Air Force Chief, adding that there is nothing to worry about China.

The Chinese armed forces launched simultaneous offensives in Ladakh and across the McMahon Line on October 20, 1962.

The Sino-Indian War is notable for the harsh conditions under which the fighting took place, entailing large-scale combat at altitudes of over 14,000 feet.

Recently, Air Chief Marshal Naik had admitted that India’s aircraft strength was one third of China.

Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday had said that India would not surrender its sovereign rights over Arunachal Pradesh and other areas claimed by China as its territory.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Hundreds of activists of Bharat-Tibet Sahayog Manch along with Tibetan refugees staged a protest demonstration against Chinese aggression on Tibet here on Thursday.

The protest was organised on the occasion of China''s 60th National Day Celebrations.

The Tibetan refugees and their Indian supporters heralded their lire against the Chinese Communist regime by holding banners, placards and Tibetan flags.

Tibetan Monk Yashi Phenzuk said: "The communists are celebrating their 60th National Day, but there has been no change in the situation of Tibetans and citizens of China there. It''s just that they are celebrating a number and they are showing their powers to the world. But unhappy citizens by themselves depict that there are no benefits for people there.”

China has been accused of ruling Tibet with an iron fist after occupying it in 1950 after a failed uprising.

It has controlled Tibet since People''s Liberation Army troops marched into the region in 1950 and Beijing considers Tibet as an integral part of its territory.

Critics had accused China of repressing Tibetans'' religious aspirations, especially their veneration for the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

Source ANI

Salem (Tamil Nadu): Research scholars, archaeologists and geologists of the Periyar University in Salem, Tamil Nadu have found 20 fossilised eggs at a nesting site of dinosaurs.

This is probably the first nesting site in South India that has been traced in the River Cauvery basin region near Ariyalur.

"We conducted a research, backed by the Research Grand Fund, at Arianur near Trichy. We found some 20 egg shells dating back to 6.5 crores years. We came to know that this might be the eggs of dinosaurs," said Ramkumar, head of the Geology Department, Periyar University.

"Later, we submitted the photographs of these eggs to a research centre at Pudiyarturiyal in India and to Dr. Kelmer of the International Dinosaur Research Centre. We have received details from all the research centres confirming these as dinosaur eggs," Ramkumar added.

According to Ramkumar, who led a team of researchers, the dinosaurs used to come here to lay eggs every year.

The geologists, who have documented the dinosaurs nesting site in an area of two-square kilometres, confirmed that this is the largest nesting site with so many eggs ever found in India.

Source ANI

Mumbai: Francis Gomes, who was arrested for confining members of his family in their house for seven long years, was on Thursday sent to 14 days judicial custody.

Earlier in the day, Mumbai Police registered a case against Gomes. He has been charged under Section 342, 343 and 344 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

All these three sections of the IPC pertain to the punishment provided in case of wrongful confinement and differ on the term of confinement. While Sec 342, can provides simple imprisonment upto a year, Sec 343 carries a prison term upto 2 years and 344, which is for confinement of ten days and more carries a term of upto 3 years.

On Wednesday, police arrested Gomes (60) on the charges of keeping his wife Theresa and three daughters Elizabeth, Geneviev and Barbara, confined at their house in Naigaon area of Vasai, Mumbai.

However, Gomes denied allegations of torturing his family members.

"This is a matter between me and my family. My wife had come mental problems. If my wife and daughters had problems, they should have told it to me," Gomes said.

Theresa, Elizabeth and Barbara, who had bruises all over the body, were admitted to a hospital.

Francis, who kept the family captive for seven years, gave them very little food and did not allow them to have any sort of contact with the outside world. He also banned television and physically abused his daughters and wife.

His younger daughter Barbara was found with a severe neck injury and his eldest daughter Elizabeth recounted how they were kept chained in the kitchen for almost 7 long years.

R Gopalakrishanan- head of an NGO -the Anand Rehabilition Centre finally rescued the Gomes family on Tuesday.

Source ANI

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) on Wednesday launched a virtual tours on its website to enable the tourists to have first hand experience of the tourist locations in the state.

The website has captured and displayed the eye catching natural beauty and architectural splendours of the spectacular tourist hot spots of this south Indian state.

Speaking after inaugurating the website TTDC chairman Irai Anbu said: "Virtual Tour is an attempt to make the people have a vicarious experience about the various tourist spots of Tamil Nadu. For example if someone has not visited Madurai, they can go through Madurai Temple and virtually have an experience of travelling through the temple and see the nooks and corners of the temple, the beautiful sculptures of the temple and have an indirect experience of the temple.”

“This will motivate him to visit the temple and experience it in real life,” Anbu added.

The virtual tours website makes all the tourist places appear lively on the screen with real effects by just a click of the mouse.

One can experience the temples and the adventure spots on their computer monitors.

The virtual tours can be viewed on the website www.tamilnadutourism.org.

The Government of Tamil Nadu has provided several new features like medical tourism fairs, package tours, tourism policy announcements, online reservation system among others through this virtual tours for the benefits of both domestic and foreign tourists.

Source ANI

New Delhi: India on Thursday raised objections with China over the issuing of separate visas to Kashmiri travellers to that country.

External Affairs Ministry’s spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said: "It is our considered view and position that there should be no discrimination against visa applicants of Indian nationality on the grounds of domicile for ethnicity.”

“We have conveyed our well justified concern to the Chinese government in this regard,” he added.

New Delhi’s protest came after the Chinese embassy recently issued stamped visas to some Kashmiri travellers on a separate sheet of paper and not on their passports.

China recently started the practice of issuing separate stamped visas to those hailing from Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as a disputed territory.

New Delhi feels that the action with regard to Kashmiri travellers is seen as an attempt by Beijing to question the status of Jammu and Kashmir as a part of India.

According to sources, this development throws into question whether Beijing will be willing to continue for long its reluctant third party position to the dispute over Kashmir, in the light of its own geopolitical and territorial interests.

An openly discriminatory move towards Kashmiris certainly will not help reduce tension along the lines of control that separate Chinese and Indian forces.

At present China is officially remaining impartial despite having vested interests in Kashmir -- it is appealing for restraint from both sides.

However both China and India are uncomfortably aware of the shared Indo-China border along the Himalayan Mountains and have made slow progress in resolving the differences over this territory, with a good portion of it -- 3,268 kilometres still falling into the three disputed sectors.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force, has for the first time, sought permission from the Ministry of Defence to fire back at Naxals while undertaking rescue and relief operations in Naxal-infested areas.

Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal P V Naik, today admitted that the Air Force is waiting for a go ahead from the Defence Ministry to fire back in areas dominated by Naxals, who have been described as India’s biggest internal threat by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Addressing his annual press conference ahead of the 77th Air Force Day, Air Chief Marshal Naik said: “We keep armoured choppers in Naxal areas while carrying out rescue operations and try to sanitise the area. We have requested MoD to allow us to fire in self defence.”

His remarks assume significance in the wake of the IAF crew of the Mi-17 helicopter being fired at by Naxals on April 16 this year in Binagonda in Gadchiroli District, which lies on the Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border.

On November 14, 2008, last year while facilitating state assembly elections in Chhattisgarh an air warrior lost his life when Maoist rebels fired at the IAF’s Mi-8 helicopter in Pedia in Bastar region.

“The IAF tries to ensure that there is minimum threat to the air crew while operating in Naxal-infested areas,” the Air Force Chief added.

“The role of the IAF in internal security is going to increase as its ability to respond quickly in such situations. We are already involved in internal security in different areas of the country,” Air Chief Marshal Naik said.

The Union Government is planning to launch an offensive against the Naxals in various states later this year using IAF helicopters for movement of troops and satellite images to carry out surgical strikes.

The IAF chief said: “Of course there is an option of increasing air power during an internal security operation. But unless we have 120 percent intelligence and the opposing party is not a declared enemy of the state, it would be impossible to use the attack option.”

Air Chief Marshal Naik further said that that the UAVs have been very successful in carrying out operations in Jammu and Kashmir and in the Naxal-infested areas.

Source ANI

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Thursday granted bail to Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja, who has been in judicial custody for over three months for allegedly raping his domestic maid.

Ahuja has been granted bail on submitting a surety of Rs 50,000.

The prosecution on Wednesday argued that Ahuja, being an influential person, may tamper with the evidence if given bail.

"The trial could be over in six months, as it is before a fast-track court," said additional public prosecutor Sangeeta Shinde.

The actor has been charged under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 376 with rape, along with wrongful restraint and intimidation.

He was arrested on June 15 after preliminary medical tests on the girl confirmed sexual assault.

Mumbai police had said the actor had admitted to making a mistake by having consensual sex with the maid who has levelled allegations of rape against him.

Source ANI

Dharamsala: Tibetan exiles living in Dharamsala on Thursday staged a protest march on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People''s Republic of China.

Carrying banners, placards and their national flags, they marched down the winding streets to protest what they called 60 years of Chinese oppression.

"Chinese are celebrating this occasion very happily over there. But regarding the Tibetan issue, the situation inside Tibet till now what they have done regarding environment destruction and our religion. This, we are celebrating the 60 years of Chinese oppression," said Dolkar Lhamo, President, Tibetan Women''s Association (TWA).

The Tibetans also accused China of doing little to improve their lives and expressed resentment over Beijing''s restrictions on freedom and religion.

Meanwhile, China stepped up its military presence in Tibet and refused travel permits to tourists, journalists and other international observers.

According to sources, an estimated 1,200 Tibetans remain unaccounted for following a violent crackdown on demonstrations in March 2008.

Source ANI

New Delhi: President Pratibha Patil on Thursday greeted the people on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, which will be celebrated tomorrow.

In her message from Gandhinagar, where she is currently on a visit to Gujarat, President Patil said: "Gandhi Jayanti is an occasion for all of us to reflect on the life and work of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi."

"Whenever I remember Bapuji, particularly on this day, I am always overwhelmed by his leadership, philosophy and values. Gandhiji''s leadership inspired millions to unite for the cause of freedom and independence. He also taught us to stand resolutely against fear, to understand the importance of truth and to work for the eradication of poverty, illiteracy and discrimination," she said.

"On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, let us take a pledge to follow the path of truth and non-violence and dedicate ourselves towards promoting peace, tolerance and harmony and work for the progress of the nation," the President added.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Lieutenant General PC Bhardwaj, a paratrooper, took over as Army Vice Chief here today.

Lieutenant General PC Bhardwaj was commissioned into First Battalion the Parachute Regiment on June 14, 1970.

The General is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, the Indian Military Academy, the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington and the National Defence College.

He was the first person from the Indian Army to undergo the rigorous Commando Divers Course at Naval Diving School. He has also attended the prestigious Special Forces Officers Course at Fort Bragg, USA doing well again and earning an instructor rating.

Lieutenant General Bhardwaj was awarded the Vir Chakra for conspicuous bravery. He commanded his parent unit, 1 PARA (Cdo) in counter-insurgency operations in the East and was awarded the Shaurya Chakra for a daring rescue operation.

He commanded a Mountain Brigade in Nagaland and also the elite Parachute Brigade. As a Major General, he commanded Counter Insurgency Force Delta in Doda/Kishtwar and thereafter was appointed as the General Officer Commanding Delhi Area.

Promoted Lieutenant General, he commanded 14 Corps, responsible for the vast areas of Ladakh and the Siachin Glacier before assuming command of Northern Command on March 1, 2008.

He has held many prestigious Instructional and Staff Appointments. He served as an Instructor at Infantry School Mhow and at the Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School.

He has been a Brigade Major of an Infantry Brigade and Deputy Director General at the Directorate General of Military Operations, Army Headquarters. He was appointed as the Defence Attache at Embassy of India, Yangon (Myanmar) from 1994 to 1997.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Union Human Resource Minister Kapil Sibal has agreed to meet agitating faculty members of the Indian Institute of Technology  (IIT) on Friday.

Sibal’s move comes in a bid to end the stand-off between the government and agitating IIT faculty.

According to the HRD Ministry, the IIT faculty has been informed about the development, the ministry said.

Reacting to Sibal’s decision, All India IIT Faculty Federation president Prof M Thenmozhi said: “We are very happy that the minister is giving us time. We are looking forward to a positive response from the government to our demand.”

IIT faculty members are protesting against the difference in pay structure and new promotion policy.

Earlier, the IIT faculty gave an ultimatum to the HRD Ministry for holding a joint meeting of ministry representatives and teachers before October 1 to resolve the issue.

Sibal had disapproved the agitation by the teachers and said the ministry should not be given ultimatum for talks.

On September 24 the IIT faculty had gone on fast opposing some of the provisions in the pay structure recommended by the sixth pay commission.

The Sixth Pay Commission recommended for a 40 per cent cap on promotion of professors to senior grade and contractual appointment of Ph.D holders at the entry level.

Sibal justified the contentious provisions saying such conditions were aimed at promoting excellence, and added that the Board of Governors of the IITs will continue to have powers to relax norms for exceptional cases.

Source ANI

Mumbai: Mumbai Police has registered a case against Francis Gomes on Thursday for confining members of his family in their house for seven long years.

Gomes has been charged under Section 342, 343 and 344 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

All these three sections of the IPC pertain to the punishment provided in case of wrongful confinement and differ on the term of confinement. While Sec 342, can provides simple imprisonment upto a year, Sec 343 carries a prison term upto 2 years and 344, which is for confinement of ten days and more carries a term of upto 3 years.

On Wednesday, police arrested Gomes (60) on the charges of keeping his wife Theresa and three daughters Elizabeth, Geneviev and Barbara, confined at their house in Naigaon area of Vasai, Mumbai.

However, Gomes denied allegations of torturing his family members.

"This is a matter between me and my family. My wife had come mental problems. If my wife and daughters had problems, they should have told it to me,” Gomes said.

Theresa, Elizabeth and Barbara, who had bruises all over the body, were admitted to a hospital.

Francis, who kept the family captive for seven years, gave them very little food and did not allow them to have any sort of contact with the outside world. He also banned television and physically abused his daughters and wife.

His younger daughter Barbara was found with a severe neck injury and his eldest daughter Elizabeth recounted how they were kept chained in the kitchen for almost 7 long years.

R Gopalakrishanan- head of an NGO -the Anand Rehabilition Centre finally rescued the Gomes family on Tuesday.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Scheduled meetings of the Union Cabinet were cancelled on Thursday in deference to the Model Code of Conduct introduced ahead of this month''s assembly elections in the states of Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh.

Sources said that meetings of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) and the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure (CCI), which were scheduled for this afternoon, were cancelled in the wake of the Election Commission of India''s (ECI) decision to have the Model Code of Conduct in place less than a fortnight before the polls in these three states.

Elections are to be held on October 13.Counting of votes will take place on October 22.

Last month, the three-member EC reviewed preparations for the polls and briefed 470 poll observers appointed for Maharashtra and Haryana on the do''s and don''ts to be followed by them for smooth conduct of the polls.

The Commission also briefed 40 observers of Arunachal Pradesh.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Visiting Vietnam Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan met External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha L K Advani here today.

Doan is also scheduled to meet her Indian counterpart Vice President Hamid Ansari at Hyderabad House in the evening.

Doan is expected to discuss a wide range of bilateral issues and other regional issues. Expansion of development in economic ties and India''s participation in upcoming ASEAN summit are other issues that would likely be considered.

UN reforms and other economic issues would also be discussed during Doan''s visit. Doan is in the country predominantly to discuss economic ties. She is expected to make a strong pitch for attracting Indian investment.

The Vietnam Vice President will address captains of Indian industry at the Federation House and will also meet UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

On Friday, Doan will lay a wreath at Rajghat, the memorial dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the Nation, on the occasion of his 140th birth anniversary.

She will visit Agra and Gaya on Saturday and will leave for Bangkok on Sunday afternoon.

Doan arrived here on a five-day visit last evening.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has decided to move an application before the Magistrates Court here on Saturday to withdraw cases against Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchhi in the Bofors gun purchasing scam.

The Public Prosecutor, on behalf of the CBI, will move an application before the Magistrate''s Court on Saturday.

The Central Government decided to close the long hauling Bofors case, which is unable to extract anything out of the investigations by the CBI.

On Wednesday, Union Law Minister M.Veerappa Moily confirmed the government’s decision of withdrawing cases against Quattrocchi in the Bofors case.

Moily, who is currently on a trip to London informed the reporters that a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) is pending before the Supreme Court so the Solicitor General opine that the matter should be brought to the notice of the Apex Court.

Moily noted that the CBI has been pursuing the cases everywhere.

"There is no point in pursuing this matter. There are no cases under Prevention of Corruption Act,” Moily said.

"The matter was taken up before the Argentinian Court and then before the Malaysian Court. Everywhere it failed. The Argentinian Court levied heavy cost on the Government for pursuing the case after so many years as the case has been pending since 1986,"he added.

Moily also noted that the final payment for the Bofors gun was made in 1990 when the V P Singh led National Front Government was in office at the Centre.

"If they had any doubt, why did they make the final payment?” he questioned.

Moily added that  "If they (the then government) wanted to recover money, they should have filed a civil case, but it is time-barred as it had to be done within three years.”

He also said: "it is not a question of Quattrocchi or whoever, we are not interested in defending anybody. The question is whether any worthwhile result will come out by pursuing the case."

Moily however informed that, if there would have been any evidence to pursue, "we would not have hesitated to pursue."

Earlier, in April, the Interpol on the directions of the CBI removed the red corner notice against Quattrocchi.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Kanuru Sujatha Rao, a 1974 batch officer of Indian Administrative Service from Andhra Pradesh Cadre, has assumed charge of Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, from today.

Sujatha Rao succeeds Naresh Dayal, who superannuated yesterday.

Rao brings rich administrative experience from the health sector to her present assignment.

She was Secretary, Department of AIDS Control and Director General National AIDS Control Organization before becoming Secretary, Health and Family Welfare.

She steered NACO during its most transformative and challenging phase. She has hands on experience of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as she had worked in the Ministry at Director, Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary levels and had been involved in many key initiatives that the Ministry has taken over the years.

A History Post Graduate, Ms K. Sujatha Rao also has a Post Graduate Degree in Public Administration from Harvard University where she was a Mason Fellow.

She was also Takemi Fellow for International Health at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Source ANI

Shillong: Air Marshal LK Malhotra today took over as the Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) at HQ Eastern Air Command.

Air Marshal Malhotra was commissioned in Fighter Stream in 1973 and has nearly 4000 hours flying experience on a variety of fighter aircraft.

He is a graduate of the National Defence Academy, a qualified flying instructor, an Instrument Rating Instructor / Examiner, a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College and has undergone the Higher Command Course at College of Combat, Mhow.

He has held several important field and staff appointments, which include Commanding Officer of a Fighter Squadron, Chief Operations Officer of a Fighter Base, Directing Staff of College of Air Warfare, Command of a Tactical Unit in Eastern Air Command, and important staff appointments in the Dte of Personnel (Officers) at Air Headquarters.

He has commanded the premier Air Force Fighter Station, Ambala, and has held the coveted appointment of Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Personnel Officers). He has also been appointed as the Commodore Commandant of the 14 Sqn (''The Bulls'').

Prior to assuming the present appointment of SASO EAC, he served as Senior Officer in charge Administration.

Air Marshal Malhotra has been commended by the Chief of the Air Staff, and is a recipient of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and the Vishisht Seva Medal for his exemplary leadership, dedication and distinguished service to the IAF.

Source ANI

Gandhinagar: Air Marshal Paramjit Singh Bhangu on Thursday took over as the new Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), South Western Air Command (SWAC), here today.

Air Marshal Bhangu was holding the appointment of Senior Air Staff Officer, Western Air Command, New Delhi before taking over as AOC-in-C, SWAC.

Air Marshal Bhangu was commissioned in Indian Air Force (IAF) as a fighter pilot on January 22, 1972. He has over 4000 hrs of combat flying experience and commanded a front line air base.

A qualified A2 Category Flying Instructor and a Fighter Combat Leader, he has served as Commanding Officer of a Fighter Combat Squadron and "Tactics and Air Combat Development Establishment (TACDE)".

He is an alumnus of Defence Service Staff College, Wellington. Besides staff appointments at Air HQ as Joint Director Air Defence and Principal Director Flight Safety, the Air Officer had a flying instructional tenure of two years in a friendly country and also diplomatic tenure in Embassy of India Moscow, Russia as Air Attache for over three years.

He also held the appointments of Director General, Air Force Naval Housing Board, Assistance Chief of Air Staff (Personnel Officers) and Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Personnel Airmen and Civilians) at Air Headquarters.

The Air Officer was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal in 1992 and the Ati Vishist Seva Medal in 1996 for exceptional devotion to duty.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The World Habitat Day (WHD) 2009 will be celebrated on October 5.

The United Nations has designated the first Monday in October each year as the WHD.

The idea is to reflect on the state of human settlements and the necessity of adequate shelter for all.  It is also intended to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of human habitat.

The theme for the WHD is ''Planning our urban future''.

The theme has been chosen in order to raise awareness for improvement of urban planning to deal with new challenges of the 21st century, as in both developed and developing countries, cities and towns are increasingly feeling the effects of climate change, resource depletion, food insecurity, population growth and economic instability.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation is organizing WHD celebrations in New Delhi to commemorate the day.

The focus will be on "Inclusive Planning" and the shifts, technological innovations and financial instaurations to achieve the same.

Kumari Selja, Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Tourism will deliver the WHD address.

Source ANI

Mehboobnagar (Andhra Pradesh): In a miraculous rescue, an Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper has rescued five teenagers, who got stuck midstream in a river in Mehboobnagar of Andhra Pradesh.
 
Seven children had got caught in a small rivulet, midstream while trying to cross it, as the water level rose suddenly.

While two of the boys swam away to safety, the other five were stuck in midstream, three of them hanging onto some bushes to save themselves from being washed away.

The authorities contacted the IAF following which a helicopter was immediately sent for the rescue operation.

The helicopter airlifted the stranded teenagers watched over by hundreds of people.

Source ANI

Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh): Setting aside all differences of faith, caste, colour and creed, thousands of devotees converged at the Dargah (mausoleum) of Hazrat Abdul Aziz Miyyan, a Sufi saint at Moradabad for the annual Urs (anniversary celebrations) that was celebrated on Thursday.

“There are no two opinions about it that there is no distinction made on the basis of faith, caste, or class in this place. Whoever prays with a truth and a pure heart, there is no question that that person''s wishes will not be fulfilled,” said Javed Liaquat, a devotee.

The devotees believe that the saint always fulfills all their wishes.

Most of the devotees are regular visitors and they contend that the teachings of the saint have helped them understand the path of love and the essence of life.

“What I have learnt here is that what actually a human being is. I have understood the message of love and the first and foremost thing for anyone is to be human. That is why I like coming here, and whenever I am summoned by divine intuitions, I come here,” said Arun, another devotee.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Bollywood actress Neha Dhupia on Thursday expressed concerned to see increase in global warming, and said that she was participating in campaigns to create and spread awareness about benefits of a green earth.

Dhupia said this while interacting with media persons on the sidelines of an exhibition of gold and golden ornaments held in the national capital on Thursday.

Dhupia said she is promoting the cause of green and prompted the society to follow suit.

“Right now I am very heavily promoting green earth and all negative aspects about global warming. It is absolutely disturbing as to see how much global warming there is. Wherever I go I tell people to go green. Wherever I go I tell people to use more and more carpools, to stop drinking water out of plastic bottles,” Neha Dhupia said.

“I can see lots of them lying around and try turn off their switches when they are not using them at home. But, I am really promoting the cause of green. But, I think it''s something we all need to wake up and give more attention to,” she added.

India has already announced several steps to fight global warming, such as extensive harnessing of solar power, expanding forest cover and bringing in domestic energy efficiency trading.

Source ANI

Agra: Traders across Agra shut down their shops on Thursday and demanded establishment of a High Court bench in the city as earlier recommended by Jaswant Singh Commission in 1985.

People also staged demonstration by burning tyres and stopping both rail and road traffic.

“Agra is totally shut today and the traders have shut their shops as a mark of protest,” said Ram Tandon, a Congress leader.

Protestors said that their agitation would continue and intensify further until their demands were met.

Earlier, Government had constituted a commission under the leadership of former judge Jaswant Singh in 1981, but its recommendations, as per which High Court benches had to be established, have not been implemented yet.

“This movement for establishment of High Court bench in Agra is taking the form of a mass movement and this movement won''t die till the time a High Court bench is established as per the recommendations of Jaswant Singh report,” said Rakesh Bhatnagar, a lawyer.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna on Thursday said that India is interested in co-operation with Iran in the oil and gas sector issues.

“Well India’s economy is growing very rapidly and India needs energy and lots of energy. India is interested in cooperation with Iran in oil and gas sector. Issues of pricing, security and financial guarantees have been areas of discussions with respect to the pipeline,” Krishna told ANI in an exclusive interview.

“Bilateral cooperation in this sector will be further discussed in the joint working group on oil and gas likely to be convened this year and perhaps when that takes place I think we might find some answers to this, a very important issue,” he added.

The Iran–Pakistan–India gas pipeline, also known as the IPI pipeline or the Peace pipeline, is a proposed 2,775-kilometre pipeline to deliver natural gas from Iran to Pakistan and India.

India has not officially pulled out from pipeline talks after rounds of discussions, but has quitted talks following tensions with Pakistan.

Indian officials have cited security and on viability of the proposed pipeline as the main reason for parting from the project.

Earlier, Iranian Ambassador to India Seyed Mehdi Nabizedeh invited India to rejoin the pipeline project, but emphasized that offer is not for the “unlimited period”.

Appreciating India security concerns over the pipeline, Nabizedeh said that India could still join the project.

The Iranian envoy also emphasized that India and Iran could extend cooperation in Afghanistan, and hailed India-Iran teamwork in building Zeranj Delaram road in Afghanistan.  He also asked India to follow independent foreign policy.

The IPI project was conceived in 1995 and after almost 13 years India finally decided to quit the project in 2008.

Source ANI

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna on Thursday said that India and Pakistan should work out an effective channel to deal with all issues concerning the two countries.

In an exclusive interview to ANI, Krishna said that India will continue to talk to Pakistan, but there’s no guarantee that the composite dialogue is going to be resumed.

He said: “I do not know about back channel or front channel, all that I would be interested as Foreign Minister of this country is an effective channel between Pakistan and India and it could be the back channel, it could be the front channel, so I think it doesn’t make any difference, as long as it becomes effective.”

Krishna reiterated that Pakistan needs to make constructive efforts on bringing the perpetrators of 26/11 to justice before any dialogue can be resumed.

Commenting on sharing of intelligence with Pakistan after the New York Times article, he told ANI: “I think it is intelligence sharing between the two governments, so I think that is a legitimate activity, I think we will continue to do that regardless of what the New York times has reported.”

Replying to ceasefire violations by Pakistan in recent months, the External Affairs Minister said: “There have been some incidents of ceasefire violations in the last few months on the international border and these have been taken up with Pakistan as and when they have occurred.”

Source ANI

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna on Thursday asked China not to discriminate among the Indian nationals while issuing visas to travel to that country.

Krishna’s statement came in the backdrop of Chinese Embassy new practice of issuing stamped visas to people of Jammu and Kashmir on a separate sheet of paper.

“It has come to the notice of the Government of India that China is issuing different visas to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. We are taking up the issue with Chinese Government,” Krishna told ANI in an exclusive interview.

Krishna said: “We will tell them that visa related issue should be uniform, there should not be any discrimination among the Indian nationals while issuing visas.”

“Jammu and Kashmir is a part of India so there should be uniformity while issuing the passport,” the External Affairs Minister added.

Krishna further said that he didn’t know about Chinese intention behind giving separate visas to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Commenting on whether India will also initiate any new visa guidelines for the Chinese nationals, Krishna said: “Let us not jump the gun, we will have to deal with our neighbours diplomatically.”

Earlier, China issued separate stamped visas to those hailing from Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as a disputed territory.

New Delhi feels that the action with regard to Kashmiri travellers is seen as an attempt by Beijing to question the status of Jammu and Kashmir as a part of India.

According to sources, this development throws into question whether Beijing will be willing to continue for long its reluctant third party position to the dispute over Kashmir, in the light of its own geopolitical and territorial interests.

An openly discriminatory move towards Kashmiris certainly will not help reduce tension along the lines of control that separate Chinese and Indian forces, they said.

Source ANI

New Delhi: In a marked shift in its policy, Pakistan has invited India to work alongside in Afghanistan to rebuild the war-ravaged country to which New Delhi has agreed.

External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna stated this in an exclusive interview to Asian News International (ANI) here today.

Krishna said that he was pleasantly surprised by Pakistan’s suggestion, and has expressed India’s willingness to work together for rebuilding Afghanistan.

“In Afghanistan we are doing something constructive, something very solid, something appreciated by the people of Afghanistan. We have gone there to rebuild Afghanistan and I am very happy to hear from Pakistan Foreign Minister that both India and Pakistan should work together to rebuild Afghanistan,” the External Affairs Minister told ANI.

“I am very surprised by the change in policy by Pakistan. I said yes we are already there we can work together to rebuild Afghanistan. India doesn’t have any other agenda in Afghanistan rather than rebuilding the country,” Krishna added.

Earlier, Pakistan’s foreign and national security strategy considered Afghanistan providing it strategic depth against India.  

Islamabad had always been worried about New Delhi’s growing involvement in development of Afghanistan, and fears were expressed in Pakistan that India intended to encircle Pakistan. Objections were also raised over setting up of the Indian consulate in Kandahar.

India has invested in Afghanistan, particularly in infrastructure projects such as roads, hospitals, schools and the new parliament building in Kabul. Indian reconstruction aid totals 1.2 billion dollars.

Source ANI

Wagha Border: Former Pakistan High Commissioner to India, Humayun Khan, on Thursday said that terrorist networks are still operating from Pakistan''s soil and contended that it has been unable to root them out completely.

Khan was speaking to the media persons at the Wagah border post in Punjab on Thursday.

He is in India as a part of eight-member team to attend the 150th anniversary of the Bishop Cotton School in Shimla. An alumnus of the school, Khan and other seven members will be in Shimla for a couple of days to attend the week-long celebrations at their alma mater.

“Terrorism has created a lot of problems. Our misfortune is that many terrorist centres are still operating from our soil, in tribal areas and elsewhere. Whatever they do, we are blamed for their actions. This is the biggest problem of today''s time,” said Humayun Khan.

“Any incident related to terrorism - for instance the attack in Mumbai last year, they generally say that Pakistan is not doing anything to control this. I hope there is an understanding that terrorism is the enemy of both countries. We should fight it together. This is how we can improve the situation,” Khan added.

He also admitted that Pakistan had patronised terrorist outfits in the past and this policy has now boomeranged.

“I am ready to accept that there were some agencies in the Government that used to patronise them (terrorists). The time has changed. They have turned against us. Our agencies have failed to weed them out completely. In my opinion, now they (terrorists) don''t work on government agencies orders,” Khan said.

“Now, they are acting on their own will. May be we failed to control them completely. But, you know eliminating terrorism is not an easy thing. We are the biggest victims of this. Every day, people in Pakistan are dying because of blasts and attacks. To an extent its Government''s fault how they failed to control it,” he added

Source ANI

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had warned first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru against China in November 1950.

Modi said this while inaugurated a community hall at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial in Ahmedabad city, where President Pratibha Patil was also present.

Addressing the assembly, Modi said: “In November 1950, Sardar Patel had written a letter to Nehru. In the letter he had written that India should reconsider and change its defence policy in reference to China. He said we should not come under the influence of China as it can pose a great danger to us.”

“In November 1950, while lying on the deathbed he had warned Nehru in his letter. And history has witnessed that how right he was in estimating the danger. Today also China is responsible for the rise of several problems,” Modi added.

Modi further added that if Sardar Patel had been the Prime Minister then Jammu and Kashmir would have been much peaceful.

“Sometimes a thought occurs to my mind, when bodies of our Indian soldiers after being shot by militants reach their native villages in Kashmir, when we see their widows whose dreams are shattered, though we salute their martyrdom, but we believe that this thought must have come to their mind that if Sardar Patel would have been the Prime Minister then militancy in Kashmir and death of young soldiers by militants would not have taken place,” said Modi.

As per experts, Modi in a way had initiated debate that there were serious differences between Patel and Nehru.

BJP and Congress party have been blaming each other on several issues, but the debate has further risen following the book "Jinnah: India-Partition Independence", written by BJP leader Jaswant Singh.

Modi had also banned the book and several copies were burnt in Gujarat alleging that it defamed Sardar Patel, who is worshipped by the BJP for being the man responsible for the unification of India.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Defence Minister AK Antony today said that the Armed Forces must get all their pay arrears relating to the Sixth Central Pay Commission well in time before Diwali.

Addressing the Defence Accounts Day function here today, Antony commended the officials of the Controller General of Defence Accounts for adopting computerisation and speeding-up the salary computation systems.

“One of the major challenges before you all is to render prompt, efficient and hassle free pensionary services to nearly two million ex-servicemen and other retired Defence Personnel,” Antony said.

The Defence Minister called upon the Defence Accounts officials to implement optimally the austerity measures announced recently by the Government.

“The Prime Minister has underlined the importance of service delivery mechanisms,” he added.

Pointing out that the Defence outlay has been growing around 11 per cent per annum over the last few years, Antony called upon the Defence Accounts Department to ensure fair utilisation of the revenue resources and capital spending for the Defence sector.

The Defence Minister later released a vision document for the department. He applauded the department for its valuable contributions in rationalising and simplifying the complicated processes and procedures in the Defence Procurement Manual – 2009.

Source ANI

Thekkady: Rescuers on have been able to fish out five more bodies from the Thekkady Lake, taking the death toll from Wednesday’s boat tragedy to 40.

According to Kerala Government sources the operations were continuing even on Thursday evening to fish out bodies of the remaining missing persons.

Indian Navy’s Kochi based Southern Naval Command has pressed the service of expert divers and helicopters for salvage and rescue operations.

A 40 members Navy diving team led by Commander Deepak Bhatia has so far recovered five bodies from the Periyar reservoir.

The Naval team equipped with specialist equipment comprises of marine medical specialists in addition to the Divers.

Kochi based Naval Air Station INS Garuda has launched three air sorties since Thursday morning in addition to the sortie by the Advanced Light helicopter (ALH) on Wednesday evening.

Meanwhile, State Finance Minister Thomas Issac, who is supervising the rescue operations, said the State Government would bear all the costs of transportation and decide upon the aid and compensation at the earliest.

"Definitely the government of Kerala would bear all costs of transportation and everything and besides that, once we are in touch with the Chief Minister we will be announcing appropriate aid," Isaac said.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has said that India is fully committed to further promoting its relations with China.

Dr. Singh said this in his message of greetings to Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao on the occasion of 60th anniversary of the founding of the People''s Republic of China on Thursday.

He said the Strategic and Cooperative Partnership for Peace and Prosperity between the two countries has developed over the last four years.

"Our Shared Vision for the 21st Century is also reflected in our wide-ranging cooperation and coordination on pressing global and international issues," he added.

He further said that this is an important milestone in the life of China and as a friendly neighbour and a developing nation. India share their sense of happiness on this important occasion.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Over hundred of elderly men and women marched down the streets of New Delhi on Thursday on the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons.

The walkathon was organised by the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry.

Donning caps and jogging gear, hundreds of elders turned up to walk from the sprawling lawns of the India Gate.

"Our goal is basically to keep ourselves healthy and mentally fit," said B.R. Behal, a participant.

The United Nations defines an older person as being aged 60 or over.

Globally, the number of older people is growing faster than any other age group. As a proportion of populations in developing countries, older people will leap to 20 per cent by 2050 from 8 per cent in 2005.

Over the same period, the proportion of children will drop to 21 from 31 per cent. So by the middle of the century, humanitarian organisations will likely be helping as many older people as children.

Source ANI

Ahmedabad: President Pratibha Patil has said Mahatma Gandhi''s idea of all round development was a key to stable and a secure society.

Addressing a gathering here on Wednesday, President Patil said, "Gandhiji gave the message that our task would not be complete unless we wipe the tears of each and every poor in this country so only when each and every section of the society is able to benefit from the country''s development only then we would be able to set up a stable and a secure society."

Patil who is on a four-day visit to the state would be visiting Gandhiji''s Sabarmati Ashram today. She will attend a function at the Sardar Patel Memorial in Shahibaug to inaugurate a new hall.

She will also visit Porbandar on October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi before going to Sasan Gir- the only home of Asiatic lions in India.

President Patil will visit the wildlife sanctuary at Gir on October 4. On the following day, she is likely to visit Diu, ending her visit to Gujarat by visiting Rajkot in the evening before returning to New Delhi.

Source ANI

Raipur: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajnath Singh has said that Congress-led central government should work out on an "integrated action plan" to tackle the scourge of Maoists in the country.

Talking to reporters here on Wednesday, Singh said, "The Naxal menace had become the biggest internal security problem in the country and ime had been wasted to take action against the rebels."

"I want to again appeal to the Congress-led UPA government that they should have an integrated action plan to tackle the Naxalites. There has been a delay, which should not have happened. Even the Prime Minister has agreed that Maoists pose the biggest internal security threat," he added.

Singh was on a one-day visit to the state. He flew to Lohandiguda to console the family members of BJP Member of Parliament (MP) from Bastar Baliram Kashyap.

Kashyap''s two sons were attacked by armed guerrillas at a temple on September 26, in which Tansen, 33, succumbed to bullet injuries and his brother Dinesh was injured.

At least six Maoists, armed with bow and arrows, attacked the duo when they were offering family prayers at their village Bedaguda. They shot at the brothers from a close range.

Chhattisgarh in the past few months has witnessed a lot of Maoist attacks with the State government seeking more forces and resources from the centre.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Indian Government has finally responded to a call for justice by former Indian Navy captain Subbarao Buddhi for his son Vikram who has been languishing in jail in the US for allegedly writing an anti-Bush remark on the Internet.

The Times Now television channel quoted sources in the External Affairs Ministry, as saying that Foreign Minister S M Krishna is said to have met with Buddhi''s lawyers and promised to do his best.

Additionally, India is said to have conveyed to the United States the possibility that the Perdue University website was hacked and that what was attributed to Buddhi may not even have been written by him.

The Indian Government has also pointed out that Buddhi remains in jail even though no sentence has been pronounced.

In reply, the US government is understood to have told India that the case has been referred to the Justice Department which is directly responsible for the case.

Krishna had met and assured the two lawyers dealing with the case that he would do his best, ironically the question of justice for Vikram is no longer in the hands of the US government now, but its own independent judiciary and as such, the Indian government cannot prevail upon the US state department to influence or interfere with its justice department. "We will have to see what the judiciary will do about the case," he said.

Vikram Buddhi, once a brilliant PHD student at Perdue University is now languishing in a US prison, convicted under US Law for an anti-Bush post he says he never wrote. His father, a former Indian Navy Captain has been fighting a lone legal battle to help his son and maintains he does not want mercy, but justice for his son.

Source ANI

Thekkady, (Kerala): Rescuers on Thursday fished out five more bodies from the Thekkady Lake, taking the death toll from Wednesday’s boat tragedy to 37.
 
The tragedy occurred when the state-run double decker boat Jalakanyaka carrying 74 tourists tilted after several tourists moved to one side on sighting elephants in the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary on the banks of the lake on Wednesday evening.

According to Kerala Government sources, a team of experienced divers extricated 36 bodies from the partly submerged boat.

The toll is likely to go up as some more people are yet to be traced, sources added.

Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Acchuthanandan has ordered for a judicial inquiry into the incident.

Acchuthanandan informed reporters that a sitting judge of the Kerala High Court would conduct the probe.

He announced a compensation of Rs five lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and said state authorities will ensure that bodies were handover quickly back to the families of the victims.

Among the deceased identified so far were nine each from Tamil Nadu and Delhi, six from West Bengal, four from Andhra Pradesh, three from Karnataka, one from Punjab, officials said.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Air India flights took off for various destinations as per schedule here on Thursday, a day after its executive pilots called off their strike.

According to an airlines official, flight operations have returned to normal and 18 morning flights have taken off as per schedule.

Flights to Delhi-Frankfurt- Chicago, Mumbai-Frankfurt-Chicago, Mumbai-London, Delhi- London, Amritsar-London-Toronto and Ahmedabad-Frankfurt flights operated as per schedule.

The airlines'' flights to Southeast Asia also took off as per schedule.

According to reports, the airlines'' has planned to increase the number of seats offered on special fares to attract more passengers.

The pilots began their strike on Saturday, weakening the turnaround plan of the ailing carrier.

Earlier this month, hundreds of pilots at India''s largest private carrier by passengers, Jet Airways (India) Ltd went on mass sick leave for six days to protest against the firing of two pilots instrumental in forming a pilots'''' union.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Visiting Vietnam Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan will meet the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha L K Advani here today.

Later, she will address captains of Indian industry at Federation House and will also meet UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

Vietnam Vice President is also scheduled to meet her Indian counterpart Vice President Hamid Ansari at Hyderabad House in the evening.

On Friday, Doan will lay a wreath at Rajghat, the memorial dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the Nation, on the occasion of his 140th birth anniversary.

She will visit Agra and Gaya on Saturday and will leave for Bangkok on Sunday afternoon.

Doan arrived here on a five-day visit last evening.

Source ANI

Ahmedabad: President Pratibha Patil, who is on a five-day visit to Gujarat, will visit Sabarmati Ashram today.

Later, she will attend a function at the Sardar Patel Memorial in Shahibaug to inaugurate a new hall.

During her visit, she will also visit Porbandar on October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi before going to Sasan Gir, the only home of Asiatic lions in India.

President Patil will visit the wildlife sanctuary at Gir on October 4. On the following day, she is likely to visit Diu, ending her visit to Gujarat by visiting Rajkot in the evening before returning to New Delhi.

President Patil arrived here last evening.

Source ANI