India News

New Delhi: President Pratibha Patil said here on Friday that committing violence against women should not be tolerated as it goes against the very ethos of civilized society.

 

Addressing the third National Conference on the implementation of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act here President Patil said: “The violence that women truly face both within and outside their homes is an aspect which is particularly condemnable and not tolerable as it goes against the very ethos of a civilized society.”

 

“Domestic violence violates the sanctity of the home, which is the abode of a love and affection. The enactment of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act in 2005 was an important step towards promoting safety for women and, in a way, of the whole family,” she added.

 

Patil also expressed concern over the falling sex ratio in some regions of the country and higher drop out rates of girls in primary and secondary education, the growing statistics of crimes against women.

 

“The World Health Organization in its report on Women Health and Domestic Violence against Women pointed out that education for women has a protective effect. Research shows that education results in lesser violence as it gives women many more options for earning and greater command over resources,” she said.

 

“To bring about gender equality we need to focus on educating and empowering women,” Patil added.

 

She opined that the founding fathers of our Constitution envisaged a nation in which justice, liberty, equality and fraternity would be secured for all its citizens.

 

“The concept of discrimination between one citizen and another on the grounds of race, religion, caste, sex, place of birth was rejected. The pledge of equality between men and women was inherent in the provisions relating to fundamental rights that affirm equal opportunity for all its citizens,” Patil said.

 

In her address the President also commended the excellent service rendered by women in administration, science, arts and in many other many fields.

 

Stressing on the need of strengthening the processes that promote economic and social development of women Patil said: “A number of programmes to achieve a holistic empowerment of women through schemes that provide micro credit and support systems to women are being implemented. The Self-Help movement has been particularly successful in enabling women to create economically sustainable models of growth.”

Source ANI

NOIDA (UP): Amity School of Natural Resources and Sustainable Development (ASNRSD) and Amity Institute of Global Warming and Ecological Studies (AIGWES) conducted a week long In-service training for IAS officers  from November 9, 2009 to November 13, 2009 with a theme “Environmental Impact Assessment of Developmental Projects” at Amity Campus, Sector – 125, Noida. 

The objective of this training programme was to save the ministries from the dilemma of whether to put infrastructural development on fast track or to have faster clearance of the developmental projects.

Sharing their views regarding the training programme during the conclusion of the training programme, Dr. Lalit Varma- Secretary, Health Dept, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh said “The training programme was very relevant and beneficial. The senior people who delivered the lecture were excellent.” He suggested that policies and procedures laid down by Government should be more eco-friendly.

Thanking Amity for conducting the training Programme, Rakesh Bansal- Chairman, Board of Secondary Education, Government of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal said “The training programme was very effective and useful. The knowledge imparted will help IAS officers in decision making.”

He suggested that there should be more field visits to enhance the hands on knowledge of the participants

At the end of the programme there was a Panel Discussion which was attended by Mr. J.C. Kala, Hony. Director General, Amity Institute of Global Warming & Ecological Studies and Member, National Environment Appellate Authority, Dr. Devender Pandey- Former Director General, Forest Survey of India and Chairman, Environmental Appraisal Committee of Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India and Prof. B.K.P. Sinha, Director, ASNRSD. All the participants actively interacted and came out with concrete practical recommendations after deliberations for consideration of the Ministry. 

Participants comprised of 19 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Officers from 12 States and Central Ministries of the Government of India ranging from the rank of District Magistrate to the Chief Secretary of the State participated.

There were five sessions and 14 lectures including a panel discussion by the external and internal faculties of national and international repute. 

The course was very well structured and received acclamation and appreciation for its sweep and depth. Almost all the lectures were stimulating and comprehensive, covering a wide spectrum ranging from technical, local, regional, global and socio-economic issues.

Source ANI

New Delhi: South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane met his Indian counterpart S M Krishna here on Friday.

Nkoana-Mashabane, a former South African High Commissioner to India, is on a three-day visit to India.

Nkoana-Mashabane is expected to discuss a wide range of bilateral issues with Krishna.

Krishna will also host a working lunch in honour of his South African counterpart.

The minister will visit Mumbai, from where she will depart for South Africa on November 15.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Students in north India will have a chance to test their spelling mettle in the third annual Spelling Bee competition sponsored by the U.S. Embassy’s American Center in New Delhi. 

This year, the Center has partnered with Merriam-Webster, publisher of America’s best-selling English dictionary.

More than 50 schools are expected to participate in this year’s Bee, which kicks off at St. Columba’s School in New Delhi on Tuesday, November 17 at 10 am. A second round will be held at Amity in Gurgaon on Monday, November 23, with a third round in Chandigarh on Monday, December 7. 

The best spellers from each round will meet for the Final Bee to be held at the American Center in January 2010.

Spelling bees are an enduring educational tradition in the United States.  In 2009, the winner was a 13-year-old Indian American, Kavya Shivshankar, who won the Bee after she correctly spelled “laodicean.”

Eight Indian-Americans have now won the title, including 6 in the past 10 years.

This year’s round of spelling bees is just one of the many opportunities to highlight the people-to-people ties and shared
commitment for education that distinguishes the U.S.-India relationship.

Education is one of the key pillars of this relationship which encapsulates all fields of human endeavor.

Merriam-Webster is providing free dictionaries to each school and student who participates.

Source ANI

Jaipur: Farmers in Rajasthan are facing difficult times because of unaffordable fodder prices as a result of a ''dry spell'' in the state.

"It is a very difficult period for the farmer. In such a situation, he is in a dilemma whether to look after the kids or the animals first. A rich farmer would still somehow manage but for a poor farmer it would be a helpless situation," said Abdul Sabab, a farmer.

People have even started abandoning their cattle. There are reports of animals dying of hunger and thirst. The situation is worst in the North West districts of Rajasthan.

Experts say Rajasthan is facing three types of droughts- livestock, agricultural and water.

"The state is facing three kinds of droughts; it is not only battling with agricultural drought in the form of no fodder for animals but is also facing livestock drought along with water drought. The situation is very bad," said M. S Rathore, an environmentalist.

Rathore says the government should come up with a plan to help the farmers.

"The government needs to do a regional planning of the livestock available. Earlier we used to have traditional fodder banks in villages. The government must make sure that through community mobilisation it is again able to motivate the farmers to adopt the system of traditional fodder banks in the villages," he added.

Around 2.5 crore metric ton of fodder is required to feel cattle in Rajasthan every year. According to the 2007 census, the total live stock population in Rajasthan was around 5.78 crore.

Source ANI

New Delhi: November 10, 2009 will be observed as a Black Day every year by the Samajwadi Party, as on this day it suffered perhaps the biggest ever jolt in its 17-year history.

Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav''s daughter-in-law Dimple Yadav lost to one time partyman Raj Babbar by a huge margin of 85,343 votes, and to rub salt on the wound the party could not win even a single Assembly seat out of the 11 that went to by-polls on November 7.

Worst was the fact that Mulayam''s party candidate lost in Etawah, which was once considered as his citadel dominated by Yadavs, who perhaps for the first time in past 20 years openly voted against his party. Mulayam never used to campaign in Etah, Etawa and Mainpuri and even his opponents believed that these were his strongholds.

Samajwadi Party''s candidate could not even win the Bharthana Assembly seat, which was vacated by none other than Mulayam Singh after winning a Lok Sabha seat earlier this year.

When confabulations were on and feelers were being sent that Dimple would be fielded from Ferozabad, editorials in Hindi dailies had severely criticised the move, saying that once "Lohiawadi and Samajwadi" Mulayam had turned into "Parivarwadi".
But senior Samajwadi Party leaders shunned the analysis saying that the journalists who write such editorials while sitting in closed corridors in Delhi are "miles away from ground realities".

Election results, particularly from Ferozabad Lok Sabha seat, have, in fact, sealed the lips of Mulayam''s family members who (till the morning of November 10) were sure shot of the "bahu''s" emphatic win.

The party fell short of words to explain the defeat. Mulayam Singh said: "Huge money power against us led to our defeat." 

The analysts are debating the Amar Singh factor in Samajwadi Party, which they say has seen many a senior leaders leaving the party over the years. Examples quoted by them are namely Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav, Beni Prasad Verma, Azam Khan and Raj Babbar. The first three were among those who laid the foundation of the party.

Lately, intellectual circles are speculating about the next move of Amar Singh who may shift his party loyalties in order save himself from cases pending against him.

Prior to the elections the speculations were that the fielding of Dimple Yadav from Ferozabad was Amar Singh''s decision, and it was "well-received" by Mulayam''s son, Akhilesh Yadav, who wanted to assert his claim on Samajwadi Party''s legacy. Many people said that Mulayam Singh Yadav was not in favour of fielding Dimple.

Result of the election assumes significance as it comes out soon after Akhilesh Yadav was installed as president of party''s Uttar Pradesh unit. While campaigning during the by-poll from the constituency he had won from a few months ago, he was heard telling voters - "Earlier I asked you to vote for me, now I ask you to vote for my wife."

He appeared over-confident with the support of Lodh votes, which he thought were ''guaranteed'' because of the recent "political-understanding" between Samajwadi Party and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh (a Lodh by caste). But, he absolutely failed to gauge the undercurrent, which led to his wife''s defeat. Had he gone by his father''s wish of not fielding Dimple, perhaps he would have saved from this embarrassment!

It said that unlike Mulayam Singh who was always on the move crisscrossing the state in public transport buses, on foot and boarding bullock-carts. On the contrary, his son Akhilesh Yadav is unapproachable, claiming to be "busy" reaching out to his voters and supporters through his blackberry.

Akhilesh is also surrounded by eulogisers who never lose a chance to remind him that he was the only Lok Sabha MP to win from two constituencies (earlier this year). On the other hand, those who worked with Mulayam Singh since his early days in politics, say that it was one of his best habits to listen to his critics'' views and suggestions for hours together without uttering a word, and keeping those flattering him at a distance.

The recent election results are being seen as a referendum on Akhilesh''s capabilities as he was installed as Uttar Pradesh unit chef only a few months back. They are also a warning to him to improve upon his political skills to match his father''s dedication and sheer hard work.

Source ANI

Bagepalli (Karnataka): Seventy percent of Indians live in rural areas like Bagepalli in Karnataka’s Chikballapur district, and everyone knows that India has been struggling unsuccessfully with the question of how to lift this vast underclass out of poverty.

While some economists argue that India still needs rapid urbanization if it is ever to become a major economic power, the founders of Rural Shores, have taken the bull by the horns and set up outsourcing offices in rural areas, believing it makes more sense to take jobs to where the people are.

The New York Times quotes said G. Srinivasan, the company’s director, as saying: “We thought, ‘Why not take the jobs to the village? There is a lot of talent there, and we can train them to do the job.”

Rural India has been often seen as a dead weight on the Indian economy, a bastion of backwardness embodied by the frequent suicides of farmers eking out livings from arid fields, dependent upon fickle monsoons, but now according to the NYT, Indian and foreign companies have come to see India’s backwaters as an untapped market for relatively inexpensive goods like low-tech cell phones, kitchen gadgets and cheap motorcycles.

Some businesses have begun looking to rural India for an untapped pool of eager and motivated office workers.

For instance, Rural Shores has hired about 100 young people, most of them high school graduates who have completed some college, all of them from rural areas around this small town. The company has three centres now, but it aims to open 500 centres across India in the next five years.

Most of the center’s employees are the first members of their families to have office jobs. They speak halting English at best, but have enough skill with the language to do basic data entry, read forms and even write simple e-mail messages, says the NYT.

With much lower rent and wages than other similar centers in cities, the company says it can do the same jobs as many outsourcing companies at half the price.

A Bangalore office worker with skills similar to those of workers here commands about 7,000 rupees a month (150 dollars), Srinivasan says.

In small towns and villages, a minimum-wage salary of about 60 dollars a month is considered excellent.

Twenty-four-year-old R. Saicharan, a business school graduate from Chennai, described the work that he does as frenetic at best.

He says that he and other employees at Rural Shores process 13,000 time sheets by 7 p.m. every day.

The time sheets belong to American truck drivers, and Rural Shores has been hired as a subcontractor for a larger outsourcing company in Bangalore to do the data entry portion of the work.

The race is almost always on to earn bonuses for being the fastest typist.

A majority of the workers are the children of farmers and often the first generation to finish high school. For many, a job at an outsourcing center is an unimaginable opportunity, says the paper.

Source ANI

Srinagar: Hundreds of farmers here today visited a ''Kisan Mela'' (farmers fair) to learn about procedures to increase agricultural yield.

Organized by the Department of Agriculture in collaboration with the Agriculture University, the event provided a stage to farmers to showcase their agriculture yields and share information on how to augment farm output.

State agriculture universities and other agencies working in the field of agriculture also displayed their know-how at the fair.

"In events like this, farmers can showcase their products and agriculture universities and other agencies can also highlight their research in the field. Farmers also get the required information, without visiting agriculture universities or other departments," said Gulam Hassan Mir, State Agriculture Minister.

The farmers were pleased and described the fair as valuable.

"We are happy to be here as the event has provided us a platform where farmers are meeting and discussing how can they benefit," said Farooq Ahmad, a farmer.

Different wings of the Agriculture Department including sericulture, horticulture, floriculture and animal husbandry department put up their stalls for exhibition of their products.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The External Affairs Ministry on Friday made it clear that people travelling to China with visas stapled to their passports will not be able to travel out of the country, as this type of visa will not be considered valid.

 

According to a travel advisory issued by the ministry all Indian citizens travelling to China have been advised that before making any travel arrangements, they should ascertain from the Chinese Embassy whether their visas will be affixed to their passport or they will be stapled paper visas.

 

“All Indian citizens intending to travel to the People''s Republic of China are advised that before making any travel arrangements they should first ascertain from the Chinese Embassy or Consulate, as the case may be, whether the visa being issued to them will be affixed to the passport or will be in the nature of a stapled paper visa, so that they are not inconvenienced or put to any financial loss later on this count,” the MEA advisory stated.

Source ANI

Churu (Rajasthan): The main accused in the multi crore fake stamp paper scam Abdul Karim Telgi has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment each in two separate cases by a local court here on Friday.

 

Chief Judicial Magistrate Urmila Verma sentenced Telgi to seven years imprisonment in the fake stamp case and also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000.

 

In another case, Telgi was found guilty for issuing fake passport to labourers in 1994 for which the same court awarded him another seven years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000.

 

Telgi was brought here from Bangalore jail where he is undergoing a 13-year rigorous imprisonment.

Source ANI

Srinagar: Kashmir produces not only high-end varieties of some fruits like apples, peaches, plum and cherries, but also the finest variety of chestnuts.

The sweet tasting, aromatic cum exotic fruit that grows under the floating leaves and drops off when ripe, can be scooped out using a net while the one that grows on trees is plucked manually.

For the people of Kashmir, the very arrival of chestnuts in the market is an indication that winter is on its way.

"As the winter starts, we also start consuming chestnuts. It has very high nutritional value. It is very rich in carbohydrates. Mineral elements like Sodium, Potassium and Magnesium are present in it in very high quantities. Another thing is that it has low fat content. Just like peanuts are roasted and sold in the market, so are chestnuts," said Manzoor Ahmad, technical officer, Horticulture Department, Kashmir.

The production of chestnuts provides employment to thousands of people in Kashmir. It is very costly and a favourite amongst tourists and locals alike.

"The chestnuts are very costly as it can be found only in Kashmir and no where else. It is very costly, it comes for around Rs 200 per kilogram. The sales are high. It also contains a lot of Vitamin D," said Abdul Rasheed a chestnut grower.

In Kashmir, several roadside vendors sell chestnuts. It is served hot to costumers after being roasted thoroughly.

According Abdul Rahim, another chestnut grower, the collection of chestnuts is far from easy.

"Requirement of hard work on the part of the workers and the low availability of the fruit are the two reasons behind the high prices of chestnut. It is priced at Rs 2000 per carton and each carton contains 22 kilogram," said Rahim.

The fruit is climbing the popularity charts not only in Kashmir but also worldwide because of its high nutritional value, low availability and sweet taste.

Source ANI

Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today issued notice to the manager of Union Bank in connection with the Madhu Koda scam.

The manager employed at Union Bank''s Zaveri Bazaar branch in Mumbai, has been asked to appear before the ED today or by 2 p.m. tomorrow.

Koda''s front companies are said to have deposited Rs 640 crores between November 2006 and December 2008.

The bank has come under scanner for failing to alert the financial intelligence unit of these transactions.

The ED will ask the official to give details on whether all rules were followed before accepting such a huge deposit.

The ED will also ask the official if he had informed the establishment about the transaction.

 Reserve Bank of India (RBI) rules direct banks to authenticate the identity of the depositor and the source of the funds.

On Tuesday, a team of investigators spent the whole day at the residence of Koda, a former Chief Minister of Jharkhand, sifting through his papers and questioning him after he got discharged from the Apollo Hospital in Ranchi.

Koda is being accused of being involved in hawala transactions and making illegal investments.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today rejected Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati''s appeal for permission to commence maintenance and other related works at the debated Ambedkar site in Lucknow.

A two-judge bench comprising Justice H S Bedi and Justice J M Panchal sensed that there was "no change in the state of affairs" to grant any respite to the State Government to go ahead with further construction at the Ambedkar site.

The apex court said that it would look into the petition on merit, when the matter would come up on November 30.

The Uttar Pradesh Government had filed an urgent application seeking consent to begin maintenance work on the plea that lakhs of people would be thronging the site on December 6, the birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar.

Senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the opposing petitioner, Mithilesh Kumar Singh and Gomti Nagar Sanstha, resisted any such relief on the ground that the State Government cannot be believed, as it had earlier violated the undertaking given by it to the Supreme Court that there would be no construction activities.

Earlier, the apex court had reserved all construction and maintenance activities at the site, where statues of various Dalit icons including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati are being built.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The shutdown call given by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against spiralling prices of essential commodities evoked a mixed response in Delhi.

Holding placards and raising slogans against the city government, BJP activists walked down the streets of city to demand a curb on inflation.

"We will continue your (common man''s) fight always in this way until the increased fares are withdrawn. We will continue with our agitation until sugar scam in the country is investigated, injustice of power companies is controlled and preparations to increase prices of water is stopped," said Harshvardhan, BJP leader.

However schools, government offices and other institutions functioned normally.

On Thursday, Leader of Opposition Vijay Kumar Malhotra charged the Sheila Dikshit Government with being least concerned about the common man''s troubles.

Source ANI

Kolkata: Holding placards and banners, privileged and underprivileged students participated in a walkathon here today.

Organised by the Smile Foundation, a non-profit organisation, the walkathon saw participation of about 500 students of different schools under its nationwide campaign- ''Be the Change''.

The campaign was an attempt to sensitise privileged masses about the plight of underprivileged school children.

"We do not have anything to sacrifice but we are doing some contribution to the poor children so that they can be educated well in the future and be satisfied and be successful forever," Priya Dutta Chowdhury, a participant.

"The foundation is doing this to give an opportunity to less fortunate students like us to come up in life so that the gap which is there between privileged and underprivileged is removed," said Arifa Khataoon, another participant.

The walkathon is being organised in nine cities including New Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Goa, Chennai, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Vadodara and Nagpur.

The Smile Foundation is working for the upliftment of more than 100, 000 underprivileged children and youth across 21 states of India through more than 120 welfare projects on issues like education, healthcare and livelihood.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Visiting US Energy Secretary Steven and Union Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde agreed here on Friday that joint development of new technologies in the field of energy would be of mutual interest.

 

Secretary Chu met Shinde here, also identified clean coal technologies, smart grids and energy efficiency as fields for mutual cooperation and development.

 

Both Shinde and Chu agreed that joint development of new technologies in the field of energy would be of mutual interest.

 

The meeting also discussed ways to accelerate the adoption of clean and efficient coal energy technology in India, in view of the large-scale growth in infrastructure in the country over the next few decades.

 

The two sides also discussed the possibilities that could be exploited through the availability of cheap storage solutions such as batteries and pump hydro.

 

These could enable decentralized stand-alone grids, based on local resources. Technologies for energy from municipal waste were also identified as an area for mutual benefit.

 

During the meeting it was agreed that both the sides would work towards the creation of a joint mechanism to promote research and the development of clean and efficient technologies.

Source ANI

Karkala (Karnataka): Karnataka Police on Friday launched a massive anti Naxal operation in the four districts of the Malnad region.

 

The operation led by Inspector General of Police (Western Range) Gopal Hosur involved more than 2,000 personnel of the Anti- Naxal Force (ANF), District Armed Reserve, and State Reserve Police Force.

 

Security forces have cordoned off over 30,000 square kilometers of dense forest, to conduct the day night operation. This is a first of a kind anti Naxal operation in the state.

 

Meanwhile, the state health department has deputed additional staff at health centres in these areas, to ensure proper medical care during combing operation.

 

All policemen in the Malnad region are trained in the using of using AK 47 rifles. Due to the operation, vehicle inspections have been intensified.

 

Police stations in the region have been asked to pay special attention to persons coming from other districts.

 

The rough terrain and incessant rains is likely to hamper this operation.

Source ANI

Agra (Uttar Pradesh): Security at the Taj Mahal here has been tightened following threats of an eminent terrorist attack.

The Taj Mahal, a monument of unsurpassable architectural beauty, is one of the most visited and most photographed places in the world.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has been deployed to protect the Taj Mahal internally, while the State police has been given the duty of maintaining security externally.

Brijbhooshan Singh, the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) of Agra, said, "We have laid eight watch towers till now. The advantage of these towers is that the security personnel sanctioned at the tower would be able to keep a tight vigil and thus would fight off any danger. We have also put a lot of barriers. Apart from that we have also installed CCTVs to keep a check on the movements of the public and to scan the goods they are carrying with them. We plan to come up with more things in the future. We are still working on them."

"I think security is very important because it would be a great tragedy to lose a building like this and to have anything happened to it. It is a symbol known around the world. Everyone in the world knows about the Taj and it is what it represents you know the love and the beauty," said Rosina Wilson, a tourist.

Source ANI

Bangalore: The Advocates Association of Bangalore today justified the lawyers'' protest in the Karnataka High Court saying that they were provoked into aggressive action by the judges. In a lucid case of Bar versus the Bench, the advocates have countered all charges of mugging Chief Justice P D Dinakaran.

"If there is an allegation that the CJ has been attacked by a weapon, I say it is not true. It is totally false. You cannot take advantage of a small injury sustained while opening a door and put the blame on the advocates. We are not totally at fault. There maybe contributory factors from our youngsters. But the entire provocation has come from the other side. Therefore, it is not proper to totally blame the lawyers for what has happened," said B V Acharya, a member of Advocates Association of Bangalore.

The advocates also refused to accept the charge of locking up the judges who had been imposed on them. They alleged that the judges had locked themselves up for their own security.

"According to my information they have not been locked up. It is the judges who directed the locking up to avoid lawyers getting in and creating trouble. So it is for their safety that the registrar general got the doors locked," claimed Acharya.

On Monday, the advocates had demanded the removal of Chief Justice Dinakaran.

Justice Dinakaran''s name had figured in the allegations of corruption and in a land encroachment case.

Earlier, Justice Dinakaran has reportedly expressed an unwillingness to sit on the Bench following a resolution passed by the Advocates Association of Bangalore asking him to refrain from attending or presiding over judicial proceedings until he is cleared of the allegations levelled against him.

The Chief Justice of India (CJI) had sought a report from Tamil Nadu Government on the allegations.
The report submitted by the District Collector of Thiruvallur, Palani Kumar, confirmed that Dinakaran had encroached on 197 acres of public land illegally.

Justice Dinakaran was to be elevated to the Supreme Court by the Chief Justice of India, but his name was withheld on the alleged charges of corruption and land encroachment.

The apex court has decided to consider the appointment only after Justice Dinakaran is cleared of the said charges.

Source ANI

Sonepur (Bihar): A hostel for pooches in the Sonepur region of Bihar has solved the problems of pet owners looking for a place where they can leave their pets when absent.

Claiming to be the first such centre, ''Pedigree Kennel'' in Sonepur region, offers a host of facilities apart from providing a shelter to the dogs in their owner''s absence.
From a beauty parlour, to a health care centre, Pedigree Kennel seems to be a one-stop shop for dog owners.

"If somebody has to go outside for long period, then they are faced with a problem where to leave their dogs. So, they can come and leave their pets with us. We will look after them and charge the rent. There is a beauty parlour as well, where we groom the dogs. From cutting their hair to trimming their nails and cleaning everything is done there. We also tell the owners how to keep their dogs healthy as dogs get most number of bacterial diseases," said Gajendra, owner, Pedigree Kennel.

The pet owners are very happy with the centre.

"We are very happy that such a hostel and breeding centre has opened in Bihar. I''m leaving my dog here as I''m going out for about ten days," said Dharmendra Singh, a dog owner.

Pedigree Kennel also serves as a breeding centre.

The centre has its own website, providing people help and assistance at just one click.

Source ANI

Mumbai: As the anniversary of hideous 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks draws near, memories of fear and terror are coming back to the victims of Nariman House, which was one of the targets of the heavily armed militants last year.

The horror of the three-day carnage has become fresh once again in the minds of the residents who witnessed the siege of six-storey Nariman House tucked away in a narrow lane in a bustling market of the Colaba.

The bullet marks on the building and the wall outside is a grim reminder of the attack in which DR. R Zorabai, owner of the bakery and his workers were stuck and were trying hard to save their lives.

"Well memories are still going to be kind of still fresh in people''s mind, who are living very bank opposite. Possibly people have started moving on with life, but as 26/11 tends to come close, those memories are going to get back to people''s minds," said Zorabai.
Employees of the bakery also recall the fear and panic while trying to escape and save their lives.

"When the firing started, Dr. Zorabai told us to we break the grid of the window and to run. Every one was trying to escape from the small window after breaking the grid. And when we went out Dr ... came in his car and took us all along and dropped us at our homes," said Kuvar Bhadur Yadav, a bakery labour.

Nariman House was one of 10 sites attacked by gunmen during a 60-hour siege in the city that began on November 26.

Source ANI

Mumbai: Two coaches of a Satara bound train entering the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), derailed outside platform number six here this morning.

The train was moving at slow speed when the coaches jumped the tracks.
The incident took place at 7:15 a.m.

Nobody was injured in the accident, said Central Railway spokesperson.

Following this accident, the other local trains are also running late.

On Wednesday, five coaches of a local from Kalyan entering CST also derailed, but no one was injured in the mishap.

The same day, eight coaches of Mysore-Ajmer Express derailed near Pune, injuring five passengers.

Source ANI

Mumbai: Rahul Bhatt, the son of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt has been linked to Lashkar operative David Coleman Headley, who has been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for plotting a major terror attack in India.

However after investigations, Rahul was given a clean chit by the investigating agencies.

"He has admitted to being friends with Headley. But, in all probability, he didn''t know Headley''s actual background and took him to be a foreign national in India on a job. That was exactly the guise Headley had been living under in India between 2006 and 2009," said an investigating officer.

It has also come to the fore that Rahul had helped Headley to find a flat near the Breach Candy hospital. The two had met at a gymnasium.

Intelligence agencies had earlier thought that Rahul could be a code word for Shahrukh Khan who had played several characters by the same name in his films.

"This is an issue of national security and not something trivial related to Bollywood. Ask agencies that deal with national security. I will not say anything more," said Mahesh Bhatt neither confirming nor denying that his son had close links with Headley.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) has today called for a shutdown in Delhi to protest the increase in prices of vital commodities and the hike in bus fares.

On Thursday, Leader of Opposition Vijay Kumar Malhotra charged the Sheila Dikshit Government with being least concerned about the common man''s troubles.

Transport and essential services, however will not be disrupted by the shutdown, Malhotra added.

Source ANI

Reasi (J-K): Security personnel on Thursday busted a militant hideout and recovered a huge cache of arms, ammunitions and several documents in Jammu and Kashmir''s Reasi district.

One AK 47 rifle, 44 rounds, one IED wire, one bundle charger wire, four IED charger busters, two 6 volts battery, a binoculars, one wireless set, a gelatine stick, three torches, one kilogram of IED splinters, two kilogram explosive, hand grenades, one wireless, a voice recorder, a letter pad of Jaish-e-Mohammed and some other documents and material were recovered.

"We have gunned down about 28 to 29 militants in last 4-5 months. One militant was arrested and one had surrendered to us. We wish to find out all their hideouts and bust them so that no militants can operate form here in the near future.," said Surendra Chaudhary Deputy Superintendent of Police, Reasi.

Source ANI

Malkangiri (Orissa):  At least three CRPF personnel, including an officer, were killed when suspected Maoists triggered a landmine blast in Orissa''s Malkangiri district today.

According to sources, the blast took place in Maoist-dominated MV-66 area, about 40 km from Malkangiri, when a van carrying the CRPF personnel was on its way from Kalimela to Gompagunda.

The attack is believed to be part of the Maoist strategy to restrict movement of security forces ahead of their proposed offensive in the region.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Governments of India and Australia on Thursday announced a committment to a Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation, which they said would strengthen cooperation in a wide range of security and related areas, including counter-terrorism, defence, disarmament and non-proliferation and maritime security.

After bilateral discussions at Hyderabad House here, the Prime Ministers of India and Australia -- Dr. Manmohan Singh and Kevin Rudd -- reffirmed that the strategic partnership between India and Australia is based on a shared desire to promote, regional and global security, as well as their common commitment to democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law.

A joint statement issued after the meeting also said that the two leaders and their governments affirmed their deep respect for each other''s contribution to promoting peace, stability and development in Asia and beyond;

Affirming their common purpose in working together, and with other countries including through such regional fora as the East Asia Summit  and ASEAN Regional Forum to achieve the objective of a prosperous, open and secure Asia, and recognising that strengthened bilateral security cooperation will make a significant contribution in this context;

Recognising that India and Australia are partners with a mutual stake in each other''s progress and prosperity;

Recognising that India and Australia share a common interest in maritime security;

Affirming their common commitment to fight terrorism and recognising that counter-terrorism efforts by India and Australia constitute an important part of the international community''s effort to eradicate terrorism;

Affirming their common commitment to fight transnational and organised crime;

Reiterating their common commitment to global, complete and universal disarmament and non-proliferation and seeking a peaceful world free of nuclear weapons;

Both governments have decided to create a comprehensive framework for the enhancement of security cooperation between the two countries.

Security cooperation between India and Australia will include the following elements:

1. Information exchange and policy coordination on regional affairs in the Asia region and on long-term strategic and global issues.

2. Bilateral cooperation within multilateral frameworks in Asia, in particular the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Forum.

3.Defence dialogue and cooperation within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation signed in March 2006.

4.Efforts to combat terrorism.

5. Cooperation to combat transnational organised crime.
6. Disaster management.

7. Maritime and aviation security and

8. Police and law enforcement cooperation.

The following mechanisms will carry forward the above mentioned cooperation between the two countries:

1. Exchange of visits at high levels, including by foreign ministers.

2. Defence cooperation, which includes:

a. Defence policy talks (Senior Officials level).

b. Staff talks and service-to-service exchanges, including participation in exercises as agreed.

3. Consultations between the National Security Advisors of Australia and India.

4. Bilateral consultation to promote counter-terrorism cooperation through such means as the Joint Working Group on Counter-terrorism.

5. Sharing knowledge and experience in disaster prevention and preparedness and relevant capacity building.
Implementation

Australia and India will work towards developing an action plan with specific measures to advance security cooperation.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao will visit Dhaka on Saturday.

Rao will meet Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Leader of Opposition Khaleda Zia during her two-day visit.

Rao will also hold talks with Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni and her Bangladeshi counterpart Touhid Hossain.

This is Rao''s first visit to Bangladesh after taking over as Foreign Secretary in August this year.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to visit India next month.

India and Bangladesh are expected to sign various treaties during her visit.

It is anticipated that during her visit, Rao will focus on preparing the grounds for Hasina''s visit.

Source ANI

Mumbai: Close to the 26/11 terror attacks'' first anniversary, a youth was arrested here and arms and ammunition were recovered from his possession.

Acting on a tip-off, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Mumbai police arrested 28-year-old Kailash Singh and seized 10 pistols, one carbine and 68 cartridges.

"Based on leads, we seized a bag from him. After checking the bag we recovered ten pistols and one carbine and 50 rounds of ammunition," said K. P. Raghuvanshi, ATS chief, Mumbai.

Raghuvanshi added that preliminary investigations has revealed that Singh had brought the weapons from north India.

The accused has been remanded to ATS custody till November 18.

Source ANI

New Delhi/ Noida (Uttar Pradesh): The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) unlocked the Yamuna Bank to Noida Sector 32 metro line for passengers this morning.

On Thursday, Delhi Chief Minister flagged off the first metro service from the Yamuna Bank metro station in Delhi to Noida in Uttar Pradesh (UP), while her Uttar Pradesh counterpart Mayawati opened the first train from the Noida Sector 32 metro station.

This is another feather in the DMRC''''s cap.

The DMRC aspires to add 53,000 new passengers each day on this route.

The Yamuna bank to Noida Sector 32 metro line is 13.1 kilometers long and has eleven stations.

On Wednesday, the DMRC hiked its minimum fare from six rupees to eight rupees, while the maximum to 30 rupees, instead of 22 rupees.

The new fares will also come into effect from today.
 
According to the DMRC, the average increase in fare for all slabs is around 36 per cent. The DMRC also clarified that the 10 per cent discount on smart card will continue.
 
This is the third time that the DMRC has revised fares after starting the metro service in 2002.
 
The first one was in March 2004, while the second revision took place in December 2005.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has said India will infuse equity into ailing state-run carrier Air India by March.

Talking to reporters here on Thursday, Patel said: "We are broadly looking at an equity infusion linked to monthly performance parameters. This is not the total equity infusion, which is being looked at for Air India. So, it is in a way we are also going to see how it performs on a monthly basis to be able to finally take a call at the end of March as to what will be the final support which the government will provide."

Patel said the airline would have to generate 20 billion rupees through cost cuts and revenue gains.

"We have discussed some parameters specially on revenue enhancement and cost cutting and Air India has to also perform according to certain parameters. We will be reviewing all these on a monthly basis," he added.

In October, Patel said the government would back Air India with up to 50 billion rupees if the carrier made the same amount through cost cuts and other measures, a proposal which was protested by unions.

The airline declared a loss of billion dollars in the financial year March 2009, while in September, around 400 Air India executive pilots went on mass sick leave for four days to protest pay cuts, resulting in more than 200 flights being cancelled and the airline losing more than one billion rupees.

Source ANI

New Delhi: India and Australia on Thursday agreed that there was a need for building a broad knowledge partnership, ranging from developing collaborative projects in education from primary school up to university, to conducting joint research in many fields. Science and technology cooperation is a critical part of this partnership.

According to a joint statement issued at Hyderabad House here after delegation-level talks, the Prime Ministers'' of the two countries -- Dr. Manmohan Singh and Kevin Rudd -- acknowledged the important role science plays in the bilateral relationship and the potential to work more closely in this area of shared strength. 

Building on the success of the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund, Australia said it will increase its commitment to bilateral research efforts to Australian dollars ten million per year for the next five years, which will be matched by India.

Both leaders said the expanded fund will introduce a new ''grand challenge'' component, which will support large-scale research projects designed to deliver practical solutions to some of the major challenges shared by both countries.

They said the areas of focus will be “energy”, “food and water security”, “health” and “the environment”.

They also said that the expanded fund will also introduce a substantial new fellowship program, comprising exchanges for early-career researchers from both countries and short-term visits by senior scientists, and added that both governments will continue to support leading-edge research in areas, including in information and communication technology, micro-electronic devices and materials, earth sciences, nanotechnology, astronomy and biotechnology.

The two Prime Ministers'' welcomed the recent agreement that India and Australia would hold an annual ministerial dialogue on education, which would include representatives from education institutions and industry. Mr Rudd welcomed India’s proposal to revive Nalanda University.

Dr. Singh conveyed the high priority that the Government of India attaches to the safety, security and well-being of the Indian community in Australia. 

Mr. Rudd reiterated that Australia had a zero tolerance approach to violence and was committed to taking all possible measures to protect the safety and welfare of all international students including Indian students.

He provided Dr Singh with an update on the efforts of the Australian Government and its state government counterparts to enhance law enforcement, extend student welfare measures, re-register all education providers, audit vocational education and training institutions, and strengthen the integrity of the visa system.

On cultural ties both leaders said it was vibrant and expanding.

The Prime Ministers'' agreed that strengthening these enduring people-to-people links to enhance mutual understanding is vital to the future of the relationship.

In 2010, India will host a ''Days of India'' cultural event in seven Australian cities.

The Australia International Cultural Council has selected India as the focus country for a major year-long cultural program in 2012.

The two Prime Ministers welcomed the decision to launch negotiations on a film co-production agreement covering a wide range of audio visual formats.

They also agreed that sport has long occupied an important place in the India-Australia relationship.

Rudd said that Australia is looking forward to participating in the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games and is supporting the preparations.

The Australian Sports Outreach Program will be boosted to deliver more grass-roots sports-based activities to India’s youth, women and people with a disability, in collaboration with Indian partners, he added.

Source ANI

New Delhi: India and Australia have reiterated their determination and committment to work for  comprehensive outcome at Copenhagen Climate Change conference to be held next month.

Describing energy security and climate change as serious challenges facing the international community, the Prime Ministers'' of the two countries -- Dr. Manmohan Singh and Kevin Rudd -- said that the climate change conference outcome must reflect the principles and provisions of the UNFCCC and the Bali Action Plan.

According to a joint statement issued after the delegation-level meeting held at Hyderabad House here on Thursday evening, Mr. Rudd noted India’s plans to meet its future energy requirements by exploring and developing all sources of energy, including nuclear, renewable and non-conventional resources.

Both sides also recognized the benefits of enhancing bilateral commercial exchanges of renewable and non-renewable energy resources.

The two Prime Ministers agreed that energy security concerns are best met by reconciling the long-term interests of both energy producing and energy consuming countries through a truly open and competitive energy market.

Both sides also expressed their willingness to join efforts which promote a cooperative response to any global energy crisis, noting the important role of open and transparent energy trade and investment markets.

Both Dr. Singh and Prime Minister Rudd agreed that meaningful progress in the areas of energy security and climate change should be made through national, bilateral and multilateral efforts in a manner that does not limit the possibilities of accelerated economic and social development. 

The leaders agreed to work to address these global challenges.

Both leaders stressed the determination of Australia and India to work together to achieve a comprehensive, fair and effective outcome at Copenhagen, with the involvement of all countries in line with their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.

In developing a global response to climate change, Dr. Singh and Rudd agreed to engage constructively with each other, and with other countries, including under the UNFCCC and in other multilateral fora such as the East Asia Summit (EAS) and the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate (APP).

Practical collaboration by Indian and Australian agencies is continuing to meet the challenge of climate change, including under the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate.

According to the joint statement, the Australian Government will provide Australian dollars one million (4.315 crore rupees) to support a joint solar cooling and mini-grids project being undertaken by India’s The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

The Prime Ministers'' noted the positive contribution being made by the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute (GCCSI). An International Advisory Panel, which includes a TERI representative, will play a key role in guiding the work of the GCCSI.

Both agreed that India and Australia are faced by the imperative of managing scarce water resources.

Dr. Singh and Mr. Rudd welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in the Field of Water Resource Management.

Mr. Rudd also announced Australia would devote A$20 million in funding over five years under the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research for joint research in dry-land agriculture in India.

Source ANI

Guwahati: Students in northeastern states on Friday said that the UPA Government was trying to underplay China’s plans to build a dam on the river Brahmaputra.

 

It may be noted that a section of media reported that China is constructing a dam on Brahmaputra, which could affect the ecology in India.

 

The National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) had said that the construction work was on at the Zangmu site on the Chinese side of the Brahmaputra River.

 

However, the Foreign Ministry refuted such reports.

 

Addressing a news conference in Guwahati, officials of the North East Students Organisation (NESO), an influential student body of the region, accused Indian government of not taking enough steps to protect the integrity of the region.

 

“The Government of India put the people of northeast in the dark. They (Indian authorities) knew that there is a plan of a dam, why they keep mum and kept the people of Northeastern region in dark?

 

“It reminds us 1962...ultimately what they will say, they will say good-bye to the people of northeast…now they (Indian authorities) knew that there is a dam and it will severely affect the people of northeast and they keep mum?” asked Sammujal Bhatacharya, president of NESO.

 

People of northeastern states say any such project may have major impact on the socio-economic condition of people living downstream.

 

Student leaders also demanded that the government should take concrete steps protect the identity of the region.

Source ANI

Srinagar: Large number of tourists are flocking to Kashmir valley following season''s first snowfall at world famous Gulmarg and Sonamarg.

"Kashmir is beautiful. It is very cold here and we can''t leave our hotel rooms without covering our body with warm clothes," said Seema Devi, a tourist from Uttar Pradesh.

On Friday, cold wave continued to grip Srinagar as the temperature dipped to nine degrees Celsius.

Even though the cold wave kept the locals indoors, tourists were seen enjoying the weather immensely.

Locals could be seen huddled together around fire on roads warming up themselves.

"It is a lot of fun in Kashmir during winters. A lot of tourists coming from different parts of the country and residents are enjoying the weather," said Ghulam Hassan Noon, a local resident.

Source ANI

Moradabad: In view of the upcoming 2010 Commonwealth Games and Kumbh Mela, farmers of Moradabad district in Uttar Pradesh have begun large-scale cultivation of flowers.

"We are hoping that our demand for flowers will go high. Farmers will get good returns for their hard work. So sensing the significance of the events, the farmers are now moving towards floriculture and are accepting floriculture over traditional crops," said Ram Anand, an official of agriculture department, Moradabad.

An increasing number of farmers are substituting traditional farming with flower cultivation. They are growing roses, marigolds and gebra.

“In 2010, the Commonwealth Games is going to take place in Delhi for which we are getting prepared. The demand of flowers has gone high and many people including locals and tourists come here to buy flowers," said Rehman, a farmer.

"In 2010, the Commonwealth Games and Kumbh Mela is going to take place, so during that we are expecting our business to grow and for that we are growing various flowers like marigold, rose and others so that we can supply them," said Pankaj Kumar, another farmer.

The 2010 Commonwealth Games will be India''''s first major international sports event after the 1982 Asian Games.

Delhi had bagged the contract after beating the Canadian city Hamilton in the bid for rights to host the games.

Source ANI

Mumbai: A Mumbai-based property dealer has revealed that Lashkar operative David Coleman Headley had approached him for a flat in the city, but he declined to deal with him as Headly was not furnishing the necessary documents.

"When my staff told me that he is not giving necessary documents required for buying a flat, I immediately cancelled the deal. He began arguing with me, telling me that you are a broker and mind the money I am giving, he said I can convince the owner of the flat, but I declined," Sunny Singh told reporters.
.
Singh said he was not aware of the Headley''s background until he saw his picture at a news channel.

"I have been hearing this name in news for sometime but today when I saw his picture in a news channel I realised that it is the same David I dealt with," he added.

Headley was arrested by the FBI in October for plotting a major terror attack in India. He was arrested along with Pakistani-born Canadian citizen Tahawwur Hussein Rana.

Meanwhile, police in New Delhi raided a hotel in Paharganj area where Headley is believed to have stayed.

Source ANI

Kolkata: CID’s Economic Offences Wing has recovered antique idols stolen from a village temple in Thiruvarurur district of Tamil Nadu, police said on Friday.

"Yesterday we were successful in nabbing two accused persons connected with the idol theft case. And we also recovered seven idols, antique idols also," said Thilagavathi, ADGP, Economic Offences Wing-CID, Chennai.

The seven antique idols of Hindu Gods and Goddesses were recovered on Thursday and are believed to be worth millions of rupees in the international market.

Acting on a tip off, officials belonging to the economic offences wing intercepted two suspects carrying gunny bags and recovered idols from the duo.

During interrogation, both informed that they planned to sell the idols in the international market.

They also revealed that they had a tie-up with a Chennai based antique idols showroom owner who used to buy stolen idols from them.

Source ANI

Chandigarh: A major fire gutted a furniture shop in Chandigarh on Friday causing losses worth millions of rupees.

According to eyewitnesses, the fire started due to a spark from the neighbouring shop, where some welding work was going on.

The chemicals kept for polishing amplified the fire.

"Some welding work was going on in the next shop and a spark from there led to the fire. It is a furniture shop, there were chemicals as well, kept for polishing and all, and they speeded up the fire," said Chhote Lal.

Fire fighters were busy dousing the fire, which raged wildly.

Negligence is being suspected as the cause of this fire.

Source ANI

Bangalore: Chairman of the Unique Identity Authority of India (UIDAI), Nanndan Nilekani, on Friday made it clear that there is no chance for getting the number of his/her choice in UID, the Computer would throw up a random 16-digit number and there is no way you can change it.

 

Delivering the "Vision 2020 - Leadership Series" lecture in the BangaloreIT.Biz 2009 conference here, Nilekani said: "No special number. Take the number you get, number will be numeric; it will be 16-digit number.”

 

All these days people would get the number of their choice may it be mobile or motor registration by shelling out more or using your influence or some other means, but UID is away from all such things.

 

Commenting on difficulty and challenge he faces being the UIDAI chairman,  Nilakani said: “Being from outside the government, there were certainly challenges to  adjust to that (government).”

 

"I am confident that I will be able to figure out how to navigate through these different (government) systems,” he added.

Source ANI

Kolkata: People from all walks of life participated in a procession to spread awareness on climate change here on Friday.

The procession was organized by the Kolkata Chapter of Cap the Gap, with an aim to ensure that a concrete and effective plan for reducing carbon emissions is put into effect after the forthcoming climate talks in Copenhagen.

“Eleven organizations including media houses, NGOs and several schools and colleges participated in the procession to create awareness on the need to reduce carbon emission,” said Soumyajit Mahapatra, Secretary, Kolkata Chapter, Cap the Gap.

“From Kolkata’s point of view also if we can reduce carbon emission, it would go a long way in safeguarding the environment,” he added.

Ananya Bhattacharya, a participant, said: “Climate change is affecting every individual, every strata of society and it has now become imperative that everyone should jointly voice the need for action instead of mere debates on Climate Change and its consequences.”

The participants also carried banners with slogans, ‘reduce carbon, save earth’, ‘adopt cost effective construction technology, reduce heat-trapping, gas emission’ etc.

One poster had a clear message ‘environment is where you are, destroy it and nowhere you are’.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Following bilateral discussions here on Thursday evening, the Prime Ministers'' of India and Australia -- Dr. Manmohan Singh and Kevin Rudd -- have agreed to take the relationship to the level of a strategic partnership and to intensify their contacts with each other.

Both Dr Singh and Rudd agreed that India and Australia are two countries with shared interests and shared values.

"We are both pluralist democracies. We are both global in our outlook, but also closely integrated into the Asian region. Our economic relationship is expanding rapidly. We have a shared desire to enhance and maintain peace, stability and prosperity in Asia. We both value multilateral institutions and recognise the need to reform and renovate them. Our people-to-people links are broad-based and growing," the two leaders said through a joint statement issued after delegation-level meetings at Hyderabad House here.

Reiterating their committment to the promotion of "political pluralism and parliamentary democracy", the two Prime Ministers emphasised the need to reinvigorate bilateral parliamentary exchanges.

Aware of the critical role that young people will play in meeting the challenges and taking forward the initiatives of the 21st century, the two leaders welcomed the proposal to establish a new young political leaders program.

A familiarisation visit of Australian young political leaders to India is likely to take place in 2010 to work out the modalities, the joint statement said.

Both Dr. Singh and Mr. Rudd also reaffirmed the strong security and defence ties between India and Australia and welcomed a Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation that will see the two countries intensify their efforts to maintain peace, stability and prosperity.

Both agreed that regional and multilateral cooperation is an important strand of the India – Australia relationship.

The two leaders reaffirmed the key role being played in the Asian region by bodies such as the East Asia Summit, the ASEAN Regional Forum and the Asia Europe Meeting.

They welcomed the outcomes of the Fourth East Asia Summit (EAS) held in Hua Hin on 25 October, and agreed that the agenda of the EAS should continue to be strengthened.

In particular, they welcomed the agreement reached by EAS leaders to convene an EAS Finance Ministers'' meeting and to have officials consider a Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East Asia.

According to the joint statement, Rudd reaffirmed Australia’s firm support for India’s membership of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation grouping when the membership moratorium ends next year.

The two Prime Ministers also welcomed ongoing discussion about how the institutional architecture of the region could evolve over time. Dr Singh welcomed Mr. Rudd’s intention to convene a 1.5 track conference in Sydney in December 2009 to consider further Australia’s Asia Pacific community initiative.

They also reconfirmed their support for reform of the United Nations to ensure it reflects the realities of the 21st century, including by modernising the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). In this context, Rudd reiterated Australia''s support for a permanent seat for India on the UNSC.

Both Rudd and Dr. Singh welcomed the decision to make the G-20 the premier forum for international economic cooperation. Both countries stressed the need to increase agency-level cooperation in areas of mutual interest such as terrorism.

Both reaffirmed their shared vision of a world free of nuclear weapons and agreed to work together in a spirit of partnership on global disarmament and non-proliferation.

Source ANI

Latehar (Jharkhand): RJD leader Ramchandra Singh, who was abducted by a group of Maoists on Thursday night from Jharkhand’s Latehar district, has been released, Police said on Friday.

Singh, who is an RJD legislator from Manika constituency, returned to Latehar police station with his six supporter on Friday afternoon to register his statement.

"He was released near the Murmu jungle of Latehar after police built up pressure on the Maoist rebels by launching an operation," said Shashinath Jha, DIG, Palamau.

On Thursday night, Singh and his aide were returning home after canvassing for the upcoming assembly elections, when they were picked up by Maoists.

Singh represented Manika constituency in the dissolved Jharkhand assembly and has been re-nominated by his party for the forthcoming polls to be held from November 25.

Earlier, Maoists had warned that those who participate in the election process would be “punished”.

Following that, the Centre had assured full security to Jharkhand voters.  

Over 300 companies of para-military forces will be placed at the disposal of the Election Commission to ensure free and fair elections, according to the Home Ministry.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Star Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag on Friday became a goodwill ambassador of CEQUIN, a Non Governmental Organisation, working for the safety of women in Delhi.

 

Speaking on the occasion, Sehwag praise the organization for its dedicated work.

 

"It is the responsibility of the citizens to take serious action if they come across any case of harassment done to a girl. I hope that in the times to come, we are able to create enough awareness about this issue would help make the women feel safe,” he said.

 

“Every day we read stories of eve-teasing and rape in newspapers but rarely do we come across stories talking about action taken against the culprits. So if we spread the knowledge regarding the rights and the laws that women can make use of, I am sure the women would feel a lot safer," Sehwag added.

 

Sehwag also stressed as the Commonwealth Games approaching, it is now the responsibility of the citizens to ensure that the tourists feel safe and secure in Delhi.

 

"The upcoming Commonwealth Games in 2010 would welcome a lot of people, both men and women. So it is our duty as the citizens of Delhi to ensure their safety, it is not the duty of the police or the government. We must make sure that, once they come they feel safe in Delhi and not otherwise," he said.

 

The ''''Make Delhi Safe for Women'''' campaign by CEQUIN draws upon the citizenship and pride of Delhi.

Source ANI

New Delhi: In order to break the deadlock between rich and poor during the upcoming climate talks in Copenhagen, France is proposing a plan to help the world''s poorest countries finance renewable energy projects, the country’s Ecology Minister Jean-Louis Borloo said in New Delhi on Friday.

Borloo hopes the ''justice-climate'' plan, to be financed by revenue from financial transactions, could raise 20 billion euros a year.

"I have distinguished between these categories and countries that are in the climate justice plan, are countries that will not have access to clean development mechanism. They will have no access to carbon markets because they are just too backwards. Which is why we need to finance this via a tax on financial transactions. A tax that will generate in an automatic way, funds upto 500 billion dollars over 20 years," said Borloo.

The money would be targeted towards specific programmes such as hydraulic dams, solar energy stations or wind turbines.

Borloo said, the developing countries should come up with money to help the developing nations.

"What is really needed is for industrialised countries to come up with public, automatic, regular, annual, predictable and additional fund for a climate justice plan and for developing countries and not adding up and mixing up. What Copenhagen needs in another words, is true money and real commitments," said Borloo.

Developing nations need 100 billion euros ($148 billion) a year from 2020 to battle climate change. About 22-50 billion euros of the total will come from the public purse in rich countries.

Source ANI

Amritsar: In an initiative to bring the world closer by breaking the barriers of language, a music festival was organized here to bridge the gap between the people of India and Pakistan.

The brainchild of late Manveen Sandhu and Faizaan Peerzada, the Sanjh Festival, currently in its sixth year, strengthens cultural links through the arts between the two countries.

It showcased a diverse range of Punjabi performing arts, including Sufi, folk and classical music by providing a platform for artists from both sides to interact.

Arif Lohar, popular Pakistani Punjabi folk singer, kept the audience spellbound with his stunning performance. 

“This is such a good initiative. The two countries are coming together on one platform to spread the message of love and peace through it. I feel very good here. I wish that the initiative taken by the Rafi Peer Theatre with Punarjyot would remain forever. It is very good,” Lohar said.  

The festival, which was started in 2004, takes place in two phases, the first in Lahore and the second one in Amritsar. Also known as the South Asia Foundation Peace Festival, it holds painting competitions and plays as well.
 
Since its humble beginning five years ago, the festival has gained momentum and is doing its bit to improve relations between the two neighbouring countries.
 
“I think this time it is more crucial to have India as a partner in peace because the dimensions that are being created in our cities and in northern areas. If India has a positive role with Pakistan, this will benefit the peace and stability in the whole of the continent,” said Faizan Peerzada, the President of fest division.
 
Kirat Sandhu, the Director of Punarjyot and Co-Organiser of South Asia Festival, said: “We might not be able to bring about peace immediately. But peace cannot prevail only by organising peace festivals. But such initiatives should not be stopped. No matter what, even though there are tensions between countries, terror attacks, either side, whatever it is such a thing should never stop because I have this faith in me, one day definitely, peace will prevail.” 
 
People of India and Pakistan hope that Saanjh will continue to help promote better relations through its efforts.

Source ANI

Amritsar: Reaching out to serve and uplift humanity as an expression or devotion to the creator, the Sri Harmandir Sahib or the Golden Temple in Amritsar is a living example of communal harmony in the country.

Built in 1577 by the fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ramdas, its foundation stone was laid by the great Muslim Sufi saint of Lahore, Hazrat Mian Mir.

The Golden Temple is surrounded by water and has four entrances, which reflects acceptance, openness and invites all regardless of race or religion into the temple complex.

“When God is there that means nothing is communal there. If we go through `Jaap Sahib’, the bani by tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh Maharaj there are given attribute - God is never communal, God is very graceful and benevolent. It’s the people, the followers who are shortsighted who have created communalism,” said Sardar Gurbachan Singh Bachan, Former secretary of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.

The Golden Temple is one of the best known pilgrimage spots in the world, where throughout day and night, in all seasons and from all corners of the world, pilgrims seek its sanctum sanctorum.

“Sikhism is a unified religion and there is no restriction on those who visit the Golden Temple. Secondly, people of all faiths come here and they feel that it is their own place,” said Dharamvir Yadav, a devotee from Maharashtra.

Amarjit Singh, another devotee from Punjab, said: “This sacred place is very ancient. Since Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh guru, established the city of Amritsar, people here have been very happy. People respect each other. `Langar’ or the community meal continues round the clock. People of all faiths are welcome here.”

The Golden Temple houses the Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
 
“We can learn many things from Golden Temple. We can also learn many things from the Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Whosoever knows the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, he will never be communal. Sri Guru Granth Sahib is a message not to a community or any country. It is a global message that the cure for all conflicts is through the Sri Guru Granth Sahib,” said Bachan.
 
A shining symbol of communal harmony, the Sri Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar has contributed immensely to maintaining peace and tranquility in Punjab.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Ministry of Women and Child Development today commenced a nationwide campaign to create mass awareness against domestic violence.

Krishna Tirath, the Minister of Women and Child Development while addressing National Conference on the Implementation of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act here today said, "about 28 lakh Anganwadi workers are being involved to make the women aware of their rights protecting them from domestic hostility and other women empowerment issues."

Highlighting the initiatives taken by the Government for the empowerment of the women, the minister said the legislations would not help in real sense, until a woman herself comes forward to assert her rights and make use of the opportunities provided to her.

She added that the Government is already working for National Mission for Women to provide a single window delivery of all women related schemes and redressal of their grievances.

Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily was also present on the occasion.

Tirath urged the Law Minister to set up fast track courts to marshal the cases of dowry and rape victims.

The Ministry has asked all the State Governments to appoint more protection officers for the effective implementation of the Protection of Women against Domestic Violence Act and setup more shelters and short stay homes for the victims of the violence, she said.

She added that the efforts of the Government will yield preferred result only when all the sections of the society come to the fore to work against the social evil of domestic violence.

Source ANI