India News

Chennai : Many transgenders in Chennai are undergoing karate training to improve their self-confidence and health so that they can land a good job.

In the six-day training session apart from karate, transgenders are also undergo other kinds of physical strength exercise like yoga, meditation and a personality development session.

Under the programme, ''The Kara'' Gender Capsule'', some 100 odd members of transgender community are being trained by Reshma Sharma, a qualified instructor.

“This is just not karate or meditation or yoga. This is a complete rehabilitation camp. Out of 100 people who have undergone training, we are getting jobs for ten people. They are going to be appointed as security officers in four five-star hotels and six corporate organisations,” Sharma said.

“The training was just part of it, preparing them to face the jobs ahead since they are not used to doing working. They are used to doing only begging and sex work. So, this is a compete rehabilitation programme. I hope it will bring in a lot of change in not only this group but a lot of transgenders," she added.

Transgenders undergoing the training say it will help them lead a better and respectable life in society.

"We (transgenders) face a lot of problems. We are not doing any kind of jobs despite being educated. A number of transgenders are involved in sex work, driven by their circumstances. At times, we are attacked by violent and rowdy people, this karate training will help us to defend ourselves," said Selvi, a transgender undergoing the karate training.

The training is jointly organized by Dojo Chakra and Mythri Educational and Charitable Trust with the assistance of the Tamil Nadu Aids Control Society and the G7 Group of companies.

Source ANI

Bangalore : India on Wednesday dubbed Pakistan’s allegation that it was funding the Taliban as most ridiculous and irrational.

 

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said: “India considers Taliban as a dreaded terror outfit, and wants Pakistan to take action against it along with other groups like Laskar-e-Toiba and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD).”

 

"This is the most ridiculous statement I have heard," he added.

 

"When such irrational statements are made we take up (with Pakistan) through diplomatic channels," Krishna said.

 

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik had on Monday claimed that India was fomenting unrest within Pakistan through steps such as funding Taliban fighters based along the border with Afghanistan.

 

In an interview, Malik said he was convinced that India is among certain hostile agencies that are backing the Taliban to create instability in Pakistan.

 

Krishna also said New Delhi has asked Islamabad to act against terror groups like the Laskar-e-Toiba and JuD which change names, but breed terror.

Source ANI

New Delhi : Myanmar nationals living in India staged a protest against the proposed Chinese gas pipeline in their country on Wednesday in New Delhi.

Protestors demanded that work on the construction of 1000 kilometres long gas pipeline should not begin in November as scheduled.

The proposed pipeline is aimed to ship oil and gas from Shwe gas fields in western Myanmar to China''s Yunnan province.

“Today we are gathering here to protest against the Chinese government''s involvement in Human Rights violations in Burma. The Chinese company CNPC. If the pipeline is implemented there will be two visible impacts,” said Kim, coordinator, Shwe Gas Movement.

“One is militarisation. The Burmese military regime will receive more than 800 million US dollars every year for 30 years. The money will not go to people. There will be lot of human rights violations like forced labour, lands confiscation, rape torture,” said Kim, coordinator, Shwe Gas Movement,” he added.

The protest was part of a global day of action against the Shwe Gas Project, also held in other countries like the UK, Thailand and South Korea.

The protestors also handed a letter calling for the suspension of the project and addressed to President Hu Jintao through the Chinese Ambassador in New Delhi.

The Shwe Gas Movement (SGM) and its solidarity networks submitted petitions at Chinese embassies in various countries, including Japan, South Korea, Australia, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and the UK.

Myanmar ranks tenth in the world in terms of natural gas reserves. Yet its per capita electricity consumption is less than five percent of neighbouring Thailand and China.

Source ANI

New Delhi :  Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Prakash Javadekar maintained silence over the meeting between Leader of Opposition L.K. Advani and Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat.
 
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Javadekar said: “I don’t have any information about the meeting, I would also be meeting Bhagwatji in the evening.”
 
Earlier in the day, Bhagwat met Advani at his Prithviraj Road residence. The meeting lasted for over 30 minutes.
 
Today’s meeting comes in the backdrop of Bhagwat’s statement that the BJP needs a complete overhaul to improve its image and performance at the national level.
 
On Tuesday, Bhagwat said in Jaipur, “As far as the BJP is concerned, I don’t know what medicine, surgery or chemotherapy they need. They themselves have to diagnose it. If they being a volunteer of the RSS need any help in their organisation, we are happy to do it.”

Source ANI

Kolkata : Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan has said that he believes in doing one film at a time, which he considered an ideal formula.

He said this while speaking at an event to launch the Idea GSM services here today.

Bachchan, who will be seen playing the role of Lord Ram in director Mani Ratnam''s upcoming film ''Ravana'', shared candid moments with mediapersons on the occasion.

He has just wrapped up shooting for the film with wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

"Well ''Ravana'' is nearing completion. I wrapped the shoot. We have the post-production work going on. Next month, I am gonna start shooting for Ashutosh''s next film. So these are the films I am working on right now. I like to work on one project at a time," he said.

The film ''Ravana'' has been shot in south India and in some parts of Sri Lanka.

The movie was initially scheduled to go on the floor in the first week of October.

Source ANI

Mumbai : Bollywood actor Kareena Kapoor promoted her upcoming movie ''Kurbaan'' at a gala event here last evening.

Set in the United States, ''Kurbaan'' is a romantic thriller with terrorism as its backdrop.

Kareena said that the film provides a balanced dose of love, intensity and emotions.

"''Kurbaan'' is a very different kind of film, it is more like an English movie. As far as the issue of tagline is concerned, I can say that it is because the film contains lot of intensity and emotions, it has gritty," said Kareena

The film tries to depict the post bombing effect on the daily lives of Muslim population living in the US after September 11 attacks on the World Trade Towers.

On this score, Kareena said that though the film deals with militancy, it is a romantic thriller.

"It has nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks on World Trade Centre.  Though it has terrorism as a backdrop but it is love story," she added.

She also promoted this film on a private FM radio station.

Directed by a debutant Rensil D''Silva, the film stars Saif Ali Khan, Dia Mirza, Kiron Kher, Vivek Oberoi and Om Puri.

Salim Merchant and Sulaiman Merchant have composed the music for the songs penned by famed lyricist and screenplay writer Prasoon Joshi who is also renowned in the world of advertising and marketing.

The film is slated to release November 27.

Source ANI

New Delhi : Defence Minister AK Antony on Wednesday announced a quantum jump in the number of Indian Coast Guard personnel to make it a potent force to counter terrorism from the sea.

Addressing the 28th Coast Guard Commanders'' Conference here, he said the Government has sanctioned nearly 3,000 additional personnel at various levels and this needs to be filled up on a priority basis.

He said the concept of ''security'' has changed in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks and the spectrum and nature of duties of Indian Coast Guard have undergone a sea-change.

He said the Government is making all out efforts to help Indian Coast Guard become one of the finest Coast Guards in the world in a couple of years.

"The modern day dynamics of security and geopolitics mean that the Coast Guard cannot rest on past laurels and can ill-afford to be complacent. The responsibilities on Coast Guard have been increasing. The terror attacks on Mumbai last year have resulted only in a bigger role for the Indian Coast Guard," he added. 

The Minister said additional responsibility of coastal surveillance has been given to the Coast Guard and for the efficient discharge of their responsibilities the Government has approved a vast array of ships, aircraft, equipment with manpower and development of support infrastructure.

He said the Coast Guard is in the process of acquiring 20 Fast Patrol Vehicles (OPVs), 41 Interceptor Boats, 12 Coastal Surveillance Aircraft (Dorniers) and 7 off-shore Patrol Vehicles(OPVs).

He also said work is in progress to put in place a chain of 46 Coastal Radars spanning 9 Coastal Stations across the country. Moreover, 9 new Coast Guard Station have been approved.

"These need to be established early", he added.

Referring to the progress made in the production of indigenous vessels, he said, presently 50 ships are being constructed at various Indian shipyards.

"These projects must be monitored carefully to ensure that these platforms are delivered on time, with requisite quality. The growth of the Coast Guard fleet over the next five years makes it essential that it plans the expansion meticulously, so that trained manpower and shore infrastructure are available to operate the assets at optimum levels in the future," he said.

The Minister said recently a new Regional Headquarters has been set up at Gandhinagar.

"This will facilitate synergy between the Coast Guard, State Government and other Central Government Organisations in a critical area of our coast. Measures are also being taken to enhance the efficacy of Coast Guard surveillance and Search and Rescue operations," he added.

He asked the Coast Guard top brass to explore innovative ways to develop infrastructure support for the Coast Guard fleet in the days to come.

"Since its inception, Coast Guard has maintained its fleet with minimal shore infrastructure. You have been managing the fleet through outsourcing repairs & refit. However, the massive expansion being charted through ship acquisition will significantly develop the shore infrastructure," he later added.

Source ANI

New Delhi : Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said that central and state government officials are working on implementing a goods and services tax from the planned deadline of April 2010.

Speaking to reporters on the sideline of the meeting of the state finance secretaries and commissioners here Mukherjee said: "We are trying. There has been progress. I had some discussion on a particular issue with the state finance ministers. I will have another round, discuss again in November," said Mukherjee.

He also hinted at the borrowing limit for state governments, which was unlikely to be raised beyond the current four percent of their gross domestic product for the current financial year.

"It has already been decided," he said when asked if the government was considering raising states'' borrowing limits.

"That various issues of development will be discussed. We have already provided 0.4 per cent earlier it was there in one of the stimulus packages three per cent plus half a per cent. That has already been decided," he added.

Source ANI

New Delhi : A 102-page Human Rights Watch (HRW) report has said that the Indian Government is falling short of providing hundreds of thousands of patients access to pain-related treatment.

The HRW report claims that restrictive drug regulations, lack of training of health care workers, and poorly integrated care has resulted in needless suffering for patients because they cannot get inexpensive and effective pain medications.

The report titled "Unbearable Pain: India''s Obligation to Ensure Palliative Care" found that many major cancer hospitals in India do not provide patients with morphine, despite the fact that more than 70 percent of their patients are incurable and likely to require pain treatment and palliative care.

It also says that health centers offering services to people living with HIV similarly do not have morphine or doctors trained to prescribe it.

"India''s health care system abandons so many patients to severe pain," said Diederik Lohman, senior health and human rights researcher at Human Rights Watch.

"They are left to suffer; many told us that their pain was so bad they would prefer to die," he added.

Severe pain is a common symptom among cancer patients, particularly during the last stages of the disease. It is estimated that more than a million advanced cancer patients in India experience severe pain in any given year. In addition, many other patients, including those with HIV, TB, or other infections or illness, may face acute or chronic severe pain.

The report identified three key obstacles to improving the availability of pain treatment and palliative care:

* Restrictive drug regulations. Many Indian states have excessively strict narcotics regulations that make it very difficult for hospitals and pharmacies to get morphine. In 1998, the central government recommended that states adopt modified regulations, but more than half of India''s states have not done so.

*The failure to train doctors. Most medical students and young doctors receive no training on pain treatment and palliative care because the government does not include such instruction in relevant
curricula. As a result, most doctors in India simply do not know how to assess or treat severe pain.

*Poor integration of palliative care into health services. National cancer and AIDS control programs do not contain meaningful palliative care components, thus depriving such care of public funds and relegating it to second-tier status.

"India is one of the world''s largest legal producers of opium, the raw material for morphine," Lohman said. 

"But almost all of it is exported while hundreds of thousands - if not millions - of Indians suffer needlessly," he added.

The report focuses specifically on the availability of pain treatment for cancer patients. It says that, based on official morphine consumption reports, fewer than four percent of patients with advanced cancer have access to appropriate pain treatment.

The report also says that increased government funding for cancer has not emphasized palliative care.

"The Indian government deserves credit for investing in regional cancer centers and increasing funds for cancer control. But without specific efforts to ensure that all cancer hospitals can treat pain and offer palliative care, these funds will do little to relieve the suffering for patients with advanced, incurable cancer," Lohman said.

The report is the first by an international human rights organization to examine access to pain relief medicines from a rights perspective. Human Rights Watch believes that governments have an obligation to ensure that essential medicines, including morphine, are available to patients and that health care workers receive adequate training in their use. The report says that the failure by the Indian government to fulfill this obligation violates the right to health.

Human Rights Watch further argues that the government''s failure to ensure that cancer hospitals offer pain treatment may violate the prohibition against torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment because of the widespread nature and severity of the suffering it causes.

Human Rights Watch says that much of this suffering could be prevented with relatively basic and inexpensive steps.

Source ANI

Panaji : One of the Britain’s most wanted fugitives has been arrested by the Goa police in Panaji after his British friend was found dead in a hotel room.

Ajay Kaushal, 50, has been on the run since 2005 when he was due to be tried for kidnapping a businessman and securing a 100,000-pound ransom, Sky News reports.

At that time, he was convicted and sentenced to 15-years in jail.

Goa authorities said that Kaushal was arrested by chance in Panaji after his British friend, William Scott Youdale, 39, was found dead in his hotel room in the nearby village of Colva with "froth at the mouth".

Youdale‘s body has been sent for a post-mortem examination and police said they could not comment on whether a drug overdose was responsible for his death.

Police investigated the death and uncovered Kaushal''''s identity and previous conviction.

“We found Kaushal''''s identification documents on him, which helped us confirm his identity and corroborate it with Lancashire police. Kaushal would be handed over to British police,” Deputy police superintendent Umesh Gaonkar was quoted, as saying.

A Lancashire Police spokeswoman said: "We are aware of the arrest and are liaising with the Crown Prosecution Service with a view to bringing him back to the UK, where he will be sent to jail."

Kaushal has been described by Detective Inspector Simon Brooksbank of Lancashire Police, as showing an "absolute disrespect for the law by refusing to be brought to justice and continuing to live his life as a free man".

Source ANI

Dharamsala : Three Nobel Peace laureates participated in a peace youth conference organised in honor of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in Dharamsala.

Three Nobel peace laureates, Shirin Ebadi from Iran, Mairead Corrigan Maguire from Northern Ireland and Jody Williams of United States along with the people of Tibet were present to grace the occasion at Upper Tibetan Children Village school auditorium.

For 50 years, the 14th Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama and the people of Tibet have waged a peaceful struggle to preserve their ancient culture, religion, language and identity.

"This public ceremony is conducted to express the three laureates'' appreciation for his holiness'' efforts to resolve the issue of Tibet peacefully," said Thubten Samphel, spokesperson of the Government -in-exile.

The Nobel Peace laureates expressed their grave concern about the survival of Tibetan identity and offered their support to Dalai Lama for his non-violent efforts to attain autonomy for the Tibetans.

Source ANI

New Delhi : The Centre has urged the State Governments to expedite and effectively implement Economic and Social Empowerment Schemes for the Women.

Inaugurating the State Ministers'' meet to review women and child development programmes here today, Union Minister for Women Child Development Krishna Tirath said: "Important legislations on women should be closely monitored and efforts should be made for improvement in the schemes, if required."

"Women and children issues are being given top priority by the Government. Several programmes for women are being implemented to address their varied needs, schemes to provide skill development for income generation, micro-credit and awareness generation and child protection is on the top of the agenda of the Government," she added. 

Highlighting the role of women in society, she said that protection of women from domestic violence is very important to ensure her contribution to the progress of the nation.

"The Prevention from Domestic Violence Act should be implemented with the same intention and spirit in which it was enacted," she said.

Expressing concern over declining female sex ratio, she said it is leading to imbalance feature. Hence there is need for strict and effective implementation of the PNDT Act.

"The high rate of infant mortality in the country needs to be attended with top most priority and practices for safe delivery and medical care of infants should be promoted," she added.

Stressing the need of nutrition support for the children, the Minister said that the Ministry is in the process of launching new schemes like the Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and the Conditional Maternity benefit Scheme for women.

The schemes are named as ''Sabla'' and ''Indira Gandhi Matratava Sehyog Yojana'' respectively.
 
She also said that efforts are being made to reach rural women through Swayamsiddha and Rashtriya Mahila Kosh.

Urging States to expedite universalisation of the ''Integrated Child Development Services'' (ICDS), she said the Centre has expanded the scheme by bringing the number of Anganwadis to 14 lakhs with enhanced budget, increased honoraria for Anganwadi workers and improved financial norms.

Source ANI

Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) : Passengers, who were travelling by the Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, voiced their apprehensions over the lack of security measures on passenger trains.

They said that people travel in train like Rajdhani Express since it is considered to be a prestigious train. But it is a serious concern, if there are no security arrangements in it.

"There was no security arrangement in the train. No security personnel of police department or railway police force were there. If we are travelling by Rajdhani Express then why railway department is not proving us safety guidance," said Vipin Shrivastav, a passenger on Rajdhani Express.

Recalling the fear and anxiety in their minds and raised serious questions over the security and safety in the train, Babu, another passenger said, "Lot of people surrounded the train. There was no police there. People locked doors of train from inside. But somehow they broke the windowpanes and came inside and asked everyone to vacate. There were absolutely no security arrangements in the train. There was not even a single security personnel."

Police took control of a stranded high-speed train at around 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday after it was stormed.

Around 400 to 500 people had come. They created a nuisance and driver stopped the train. The train was halted for quite a long time. Later when the police came, then they give up," said K. Mahato, assistant driver, Rajdhani Express.

On Tuesday, Maoists stopped the train at Bashthala and then kidnapped the driver. They are demanding the release of their jailed leader Chhatradhar Mahato.

Source ANI

Anantnag : Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh arrived here today on a two-day visit to inaugurate the 119-km-long Anantnag-Qadigund Railway line at Vanpooh Anantnag in the Kashmir Valley.

Dr. Singh is being accompanied by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee and Health, Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah.

Later, Sonia Gandhi will address a rally in Anantnag.

The Prime Minister is visiting Kashmir for the first time after Congress'' victory in the 2009 elections.

Tight security arrangements have been made in view of his two-day visit.

Meanwhile, the Centre has reportedly directed the Jammu and Kashmir Government and security forces in the state to step up vigil following intelligence inputs that Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin has asked his cadres to step up violence ahead of Dr. Singh''s visit to the region.

A senior Home Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told a private channel that intelligence agencies have intercepted communications between the Hizbul headquarters in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and cadres operating in Kashmir which suggested that Salahuddin was very upset over the killing of top Hizb militant Omer Maviya and wanted revenge.

According to the intercepts, Salahuddin has directed his cadres to step up violence ahead of the Prime Minister''s visit and disrupt his programmes.

Source ANI

Nagpur : Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has denied reports that he is keeping injured fast bowlers Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson out of the Nagpur ODI against India to give them sufficient rest in preparation for the home series against the West Indies.

''''Their injuries are severe enough to keep them out of the game tomorrow. It''s not a resting thing at all. If I felt we could play those guys and get them through the game [we would]. Being the second game of the series and having a good win in the first game, it would have been nice to rock around [with them] again,'''' The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Ponting, as saying.

Ponting further said he was optimistic about Lee and Johnson recovering in time for Saturday''s match in Delhi.

''''They''re probably better than we hoped. They''re actually not that bad. We will have had a few days since they hurt themselves until the third game - close enough on a week - and hopefully they''ve responded well enough by then to be in contention,'''' he said.

Australia''s bowling depth will be tested against India at Nagpur.

The team management is likely to rope in either Ben Hilfenhaus or Doug Bollinger as cover for Lee, out with an elbow injury, and possibly Johnson, who rolled his ankle in the first match.

Source ANI

Nagpur : Ahead of the second one-day international against Australia, India’s combative off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has predicted a five-two score line in favour of his team, and added that India will top ODI rankings at the end of the seven match series.

"I believe if we play to our potential we will win 5-2. I am looking forward to the next six matches. It is very important for me to do well, I am most happy when the situation demands that I perform well for my country,'''' Harbhajan told The Daily Telegraph.

The wily wind-up merchant also says he "won''t back down'''' from any verbal warfare with the Aussies along the way.

Harbhajan, 29, turned a lifeless 50-over encounter into a thriller at Vadodara on Sunday with an action-packed 49 from 31 balls and as usual, the innings saw the Turbanator trading verbal blows with the Australians.

Harbhajan has troubled the Australians on and off the pitch since bowling India to victory with 32 wickets during three Tests here in 2001.

Fierce rivalry escalated to animosity during the one-day series here in October 2007.

"They (Australians) like to dominate and intimidate, but I just give it back, just believe in yourself,'''' Singh said.

"I always want to give it my best shot when bowling, batting or fielding so that is what I will be doing,'''' Harbhajan said.

Source ANI

Hazaribagh: A group of suspected Maoist rebels abducted a police officer on Tuesday evening from Hazaribagh district of Jharkhand state.

Five armed men abducted Nirmal Toppo, circle officer of Keredari block of Hazaribagh district, when he had gone to inspect development work in a rural area.

No demands have yet been called by the abductors to the family members or the police.

Merry Anna Toppo, the wife of Nirmal said that the family came to know about his abduction on television only.

"We came to know about the abduction through television and we informed officials. SDO (Sub-Divisional Officer) and other officials have come to meet us," Merry Anna Toppo told reporters on Wednesday (October 28).

Police have launched an operation to rescue the abducted official.

Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, on Wednesday, condemned the seizure of Bhubaneshwar-Delhi Rajdhani Express by armed Maoist rebels on Tuesday and advised them to join the mainstream society.

"Kidnapping people and stopping trains is not an appropriate act. There are different forums and ways to fight for a cause and in democracy we have the right to go forward in front of people. Politics is a platform to attract the electorate. There is no place for violence in society and violence cannot bring about any change," said Kumar.

Source ANI

Anantnag (J-K): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said he is ready to hold talks with all sections of society in Jammu and Kashmir to find a political and a diplomatic solution of the issue.

Addressing a public rally here before inaugurating the railway section between Anantnag and Qazigund in Kashmir Dr. Singh said: "Today, I want to reiterate that we are ready for talks with those people who want to restore peace, tranquility and development in Jammu and Kashmir. We want to take all sections of society of Jammu and Kashmir with us for the political and diplomatic solution of the Kashmir issue."

Dr. Singh also said that a friendship between India and Pakistan was in the interest of both the nations.

"There are moments in history when wrong decisions are taken the effects of which are felt for ages. I appeal to Pakistan government that it should carry forward the hand of friendship extended by us. It is in the interest of the people of both India and Pakistan," Singh said.

Dr. Singh urged Pakistan to keep all anti-India groups under control and not let its soil be used for terror activities.

"We would urge the Pakistan government to curb on all those elements which are inciting terror in India. If such elements are non-state actors, then also it is the duty of the government to wipe out their establishments and structures," Singh said.

Moderate faction of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), the main political separatist alliance in Kashmir, had held talks with the Centre in 2004, the first between the two sides since militancy began in 1989. The last round of Kashmir talks was held in May 2006.

Prime Minister Singh and the Hurriyat leaders had agreed to establish a system to discuss solutions to the dispute over Kashmir. But Hurriyat split in 2003 when hardliners headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani walked out after moderates decided to hold talks with New Delhi.

Meanwhile, Congress President Sonia Gandhi also addressed the public rally and said that the inauguration of rail link was a sign of development and prosperity in the state.

"Today a railway link from Anantnag to Qazigund will be inaugurated, which is a sign of development and prosperity of the state," said Sonia Gandhi.

The new railway section will link Anantnag with Qazigund, 18 kilometres away. This is the final portion of the railway project from Qazigund to Baramulla in the valley. Rest of the line is already through.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Union Minister for Corporate Affairs Salman Khurshid here on Wednesday said that the Companies Bill, which is presently before the Parliament, will provide for compensation to investors.

"What we don''''t have available within the Company Law framework is that we don''''t have any system for compensation either for the individual or a group of share holders or for any class of share holders or investors. That''''s the major lacuna that we are trying to address in the Bill (Companies Bill) in the form in which it is before the parliament," said Salman Khurshid while attending a workshop on The Companies Bill, 2009: ''''Class Action Suit and Compensation'''' as the chief guest.

"There is need for a major nationwide study on the minds of the Indian investors, the attitude of the Indian retail investor, the small Indian investor what prevents him or her from coming to the capital market. Why are very small percentages of household savings which are very high in terms of global standards and very small percentage are getting into the capital market," said Khurshid.

In India, the concept of compensation is yet to take root. The Companies Act, 1956 does not contain any such provision.

The Companies Bill 2009 was introduced in the last session of Parliament and is under consideration with the Standing Committee.

Source ANI

Bashthala (West Bengal) : The Delhi bound Bubaneshwar Rajdhani Express, which was abducted and released by the pro-Maoist organisations, is expected to arrive at New Delhi Railway Station this afternoon.

The train resumes its journey after a seven-hour detention at Bashthala in West Midnapore district.

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel are escorting the train till Delhi.
There was also a medical team to provide treatment in case any passenger fell sick.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram denied reports that there were any exchange of fire with the red ultras who had abducted the driver and assistant driver of the train.

Earlier, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee said that passenger safety is the top priority of the government.

On Tuesday, Maoists stopped the train at Bashthala and then kidnapped the driver. They are demanding the release of their jailed leader Chhatradhar Mahato.

Mahato, the leader of the People''''s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA), which has been spearheading the agitation against alleged police atrocities, was nabbed from the Pirka region, near Lalgarh village.

Mahato was about to give an interview to a journalist when he was apprehended.

Mahato had been giving regular interviews when the paramilitary forces and the state police had launched the anti-Maoist operations in Lalgarh, a place declared as a liberated zone by the Maoists, on June 19 forcing him to go underground for some time.

The tribals under Mahato had a free run for nine months with the police withdrawing from the camps, before the paramilitary troops captured Lalgarh from the Maoists who were fuelling the tribal agitations

Source ANI

New Delhi / Kolkata: Communist Party of India (Marxist) Politburo member Sitaram Yechhury on Wednesday accused Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee of hobnobbing with the rebels in the train hijacking incident of Wednesday.

Yechury told media said the needle of suspicion pointed at her and it required a probe into the role of the minister and her ministry in the latest train-seizure drama.

He mentioned that the pro Maoist orgnisation leader, Chhatradhar Mahato, whom the rebels wanted to be freed, is a former member of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) party led by Mamata.

"Ever since she (Mamata Banerjee) became the Railway Minister, Maoists have carried out many attacks on railway tracks and stations. Everybody knows that in West Bengal she is fighting against the Left Front government (headed by CPM) along with Maoists in political alliance,” Yechury said.

“Chhatradhar Mahato, who Maoists were demanding to be released after seizing the train, is a former member of Trinamool Congress. We don''t know what role the Railway Ministry has in releasing him. They need to probe into this. We are requesting the Prime Minister that this is no ordinary thing. Railway protection is a question of hundreds of thousands people''s safety," Yechury added.

He also charged Banerjee of being in alliance with the Maoists.

"She (Mamata Banerjee) is in political alliance with Maoists. And because of this she thinks it''s her responsibility to protect them. Kishanji, a leader of Maoists has openly said in media that he wants Mamata to be the next Chief Minister of West Bengal. If he makes such a remark openly, it''s clear that there is an alliance between Trinamool and Maoists," added Yechury.

Meanwhile, in Kolkata, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, rejecting the demand for release of the Maoist leader, said there was a need to bring back the distracted and misled poor youth into the mainstream.

"Because of politics some poor people have been excluded from the BPL (below poverty line). It cannot be tolerated. They must be included. The parameter of including them in the list is their socio-economic condition and not their political background," Bhattacharjee said.

Source ANI

Srinagar: Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee announced here on Wednesday that the railway recruitment exams will also be held in Urdu language  to benefit Jammu and Kashmir youths to appear in these exams.

Speaking during the inauguration of Anantnag-Qazigund rail link in Kashmir valley Mamata said: "The railway recruitment examinations will be conducted in Urdu also. Till now it was conducted in English and Hindi. I have also made Urdu compulsory along with other regional languages.”

Banerjee also announced that railway concessions for schools and colleges would now be extended to higher madrasas as well.

She also announced new railway scheme for minority women and those belonging to the economically backward classes.

"You will be happy to hear that we have removed filling of Postal Orders along with railway recruitment forms for the minority community women and economically backward classes," Banerjee said.

She also announced that the railway recruitment examinations would now be held on the same day throughout the country to benefit people from all states.

Banerjee said she would also look into the issue of compensation for those whose land was acquired by Railways.

"I can assure you that we are taking all necessary action.  375 applications have already been screened. The screening process is on," she said.

Banerjee also announced that Jammu Tavi station would be made "multi-functional". A medical college with Public-Private Partnership would come up in the city, she announced.

Source ANI

Udhampur (J-K): Residents of Udhampur district in Jammu and Kashmir are facing many problems in absence of a bridge over the Tawi River.

The Tawi River, which is major left bank tributary of the river Chenab, flows through the city of Jammu.

"We don''t have any mode of transportation over here. There are two bridges over here, one, which is 15 kilometres away, and the other, which is six kilometres away from here. So, we have to face many hardships to reach the bridge,” said Shamsher Singh, a local resident.

Due to the rise in water level during the rainy season, transportation becomes very difficult and villagers are forced to take a 16 kilometre long detour.

“At present, due to low water levels, we are able to cross through the river, but during the monsoon, the water level rises and it becomes impossible for us to cross the river," Singh added.

School children also face a lot of problems while going to school and further, during any medical emergency, people find it very difficult to travel through the long stretch.

"Crossing the Tawi River has always been a problem for us. Every year around 10 people die while crossing the river. We had appealed to construct a bridge in front of the District Collector (DC) and the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), but nobody has taken any notice of our situation," said Mani Ram, the village head.

He added that they have to wait for hours for the water level to come down to cross the river safely.

Source ANI

Imphal: Thirteen cadres of four militant organisations laid down arms in Churachandpur district of Manipur.

They surrendered at an official ceremony held at the headquarters of 3 (Naga Hills) Assam Rifles under the aegis of 57 Mountain Division.

Five militants belong to the newly floated KYKL (MDF), four to UKLA (MC), two to NC-Hill based DHD (J), and one each to PREPAK and UPPK.

Significantly, the surrender marks the end of two underground groups - the splinter group of DHD (J) and the UKLA (MC), which were beginning to spread their support base in Manipur.

This is the third major instance of militants surrendering to the Army during the last four months.

Sixty-Four cadres of Sinlung Peoples'' Liberation Army (SPLA) had surrendered in July in Mizoram while 19 cadres of Dima Halam Daogah-Jewel Garlossa (DHD-J) had surrendered in September at Churachandpur.

The official surrendering ceremony was graced by Major General Shakti Gurung, VSM, GOC 57 Mountain Division as the chief guest.

"We were doing things there I did not like. There was a faction in our group and we roamed in the jungles of Assam and Manipur without any aim. When Assam Rifles contacted us in the jungle, myself and sir were convinced and we wanted to lead a peaceful life. We wanted all the violence to end. So we stand here proudly surrendering before you all," said Saveit Langthasa, a surrendered cadre of the DHD (J).

One rocket launcher, one lethod gun, two AK series rifles, one M-16 rifle, seven pistols, gelatin sticks, one Palm Top, five mobile phones and several ammunitions were laid down by the surrendered militants.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Defence Minister A K Antony said on Wednesday said that the tumultuous situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan poses serious security threat to India everyday.

"Whatever is happening in Afghanistan and Pakistan is causing serious concern to us everyday. So land water security is very important, we will have to protect land water for that, we will have to give all support to army and air force," Antony told reporters during Coast Guard Commander''s Conference.

Hundreds of civilians were killed in fresh militant strikes in Kabul and in the Pakistani city of Peshawar on Wednesday.

Taliban militants killed six UN foreign staff in an assault on an international guest-house in Kabul whereas a car bomb killed more than 80 people and wounded about 100 in a crowded market in Peshawar.

On the question of deploying army against Maoists in the wake of Rajdhani express’ seizure by Naxals in Midnapore, Antony ruled out that option.

"Deployment of the armed forces for internal security is the last resort. When we are convinced that all other agencies are finding difficulties then only as a last resort, we will deploy armed forces not only against Naxalites, but against all other, who poses threat...Army''s main role is to protect national interests, security and borders," Antony said.

Hundreds of Maoists stormed a high-speed Rajdhani Express at at Banstala near Jhargram in West Midnapore before security personnel took control of it on Tuesday.

Source ANI

New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday condemned the hijacking of New Delhi bound Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani Express at Bansthala in Midnapore district, and asked the Centre to be aware of new Naxal tactics.

 

Addressing the media here on Wednesday, party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said: “Now it is clear that Naxals are at war with the country. The ferocity and frequency with which the Naxals are attacking pre decided targets indicates their intentions.”

 

“The Rajdhani train being held hostage in West Bengal is the indication of new tactics adopted by Naxals,” he added.

 

Jawadekar further elaborated that: “It is explicit that Naxals do not want development to take place in these districts as they perceive it as a handicap in their movement.’

 

He suggested that the government should come out with a policy where good and sincere officers are deputed in backward districts to carry out developmental works and not be subjected to as punishment transfers.

 

“The Chattisgarh Government has adopted a policy where an officer deputed for three years in a backward district will get a deputation of his/her choice,” Javadekar said.

 

“Such things will boost the morale of the bureaucrats and make them work for the development of the area,” he added.

 

Javadekar called on the Union Government to launch a nation wide coordinated police action without delay and to cut off Naxal links with elements outside the country.

Source ANI

Baramullah : Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will inaugurate Anantnag-Qadigund Railway line at Vanpooh Anantnag in Kashmir valley today.

He will be accompanied by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The Prime Minister is visiting Kashmir for the first time after Congress'' victory in the 2009 elections.

Tight security arrangements have been made in view of his two-day visit.

Meanwhile, the Centre has reportedly directed the Jammu and Kashmir Government and security forces in the state to step up vigil following intelligence inputs that Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin has asked his cadres to step up violence ahead of Dr. Singh''s visit to the region.

A senior Home Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told a private channel that intelligence agencies have intercepted communications between the Hizbul headquarters in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and cadres operating in Kashmir which suggested that Salahuddin was very upset over the killing of top Hizb militant Omer Maviya and wanted revenge.

According to the intercepts, Salahuddin has directed his cadres to step up violence ahead of the Prime Minister''s visit and disrupt his programmes.

Source ANI