India News

Haridwar (Uttarakhand): Security has been beefed up at Har Ki Pauri, a sacred ghat on the banks of river Ganges, ahead of the Maha Kumbh Mela.

During the ''Maha Kumbh Mela, Har Ki Pauri will be one of the main sites where pilgrims will converge to take dip in the holy river Ganges to wash away their sins.

Slated for January 2010, the festival is celebrated once in every 12 years and some 10 million people are expected to converge at Haridwar.

Sensing the importance of the ghat, elaborate security arrangements have been put into place so as to prevent any untoward incident.

Kailesh Keshwani, president of a local business association, said that locals must be made aware about the security threat at Har Ki Pauri.

“If they can create awareness among the local people and take out the fear out of them, if the local can provide any information regarding any terrorist then it would be a great help to the security officials. I feel that the local people should be made aware about the security of Kumbh Mela,” Keshwani said.

Uma Kant Panwar, Commissioner of Police, Garhwal region, said that in the wake of the recent developments like the David Coleman Headley case, a terror suspect in 26/11 Mumbai attack, they are doing everything to tackle any possible threat.

He also said that security arrangements have been put into place in coordination with the neighbouring states.

“See as far as we can anticipate any danger, we are doing everything and if any new incident come to the fore like the recent Headley case, which has come to fore only 10 days back. So, we are doing everything necessary to tackle any new situation. As far as we can anticipate with our information, we are prepared,” Panwar said.

Mehant Garn Dass, a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader, said that the security arrangements at the ghat are satisfying.

“There is no lack in the security arrangement here. The security police for the mela (Kumbh Mela) are performing their duty quite efficiently and they keep patrolling the area,” said Dass.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Karnataka Water Resource Minister Basavraj Bommai on Friday submitted a memorandum to Union Water Resource Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal seeking more central assistance towards reconstruction, restoration infrastructure in major and medium irrigation projects of the state.

 

Addressing the media after his meeting with Bansal, Bommai said: “Due to the heavy floods in the state many irrigation infrastructures such as canal net works, embankments have been severely damaged. According to the existing guidelines under the Central Relief Fund (RCF) and National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF) funds do not provide for repairs, restoration of irrigation projects, so we requested the Union Government to release funds for taking up such repair and restoration.”

 

Bommai also submitted a list of eight water projects where the state government is looking for central help.

 

Bommai submitted an estimation of over Rs. 2,300 crores.

 

Commenting on projects in the Kaveri Basin, Bommai said: The time has come for both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to sit and think afresh about recovering the river base, preserving the rights of the respective states.

Source ANI

Jaipur: A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) is setting up a hospital for camels in Jaipur, which will be completed by the end of the year.

According to ''Help in Sufferings'', the hospital is being built on a budget of Rs. 30,00,000 and it was required as people in the state depend on camels for their livelihood. 

They maintain the hospital is unique due to its facilities to carry out surgeries. 

“It will differ from the ordinary veterinary hospital firstly because it is exclusively meant for the camels. This will include hospitalization and surgical faculties. Such hospital does not exist in India till date. The facility of admission is the unique feature,” said Pradeep Singhal, in charge of the hospital project.

The NGO officials also believe that the main beneficiaries of the hospital will be poor people with limited resources.

People find this initiative very promising, as it will enhance the longevity of the camels, which frequently fall sick.

“A camel hospital in proximity is of course, required. It will save us two days of earnings, time and spare us the inconvenience involved in transporting animal to the health facility faraway,” said Jai Narain, a camel owner.

Paltu, a camel cart owner, said: “If we get a veterinary hospital for our animals then they will remain healthy and that will improve their life condition too. We request the Government to do something on those lines.”

There are almost five thousand camels in Bassi area engaged in different activities.

Source ANI

New Delhi: As the global energy market grapples with the world economic crisis and continued volatility, and India tries to understand these new dimensions, top energy and economic experts will discuss how to effectively manage volatility and growth at a two-day conference in New Delhi next week.

“Managing Volatility and Growth: A New Energy Paradigm” is the theme of the conference being organised on November 24 and 25 by India Energy Forum, Observer Research Foundation and Petrotech under the banner of 8th Petro India.

The conference will cover issues and challenges faced by the hydrocarbon sector today. It will discuss issues ranging from the strengthening of the domestic petroleum sector, developing a comprehensive overseas acquisition strategy, creation of infrastructure for natural gas and managing the regulator-market rubric.

Dr. Vijay Kelkar, Chairman of the 13th Finance Commission, will kick off the conference on November 24. Mr. Jitin Prasada, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Mr. Manish Tiwari, M.P. and National Spokesperson of the Congress Party, R.S. Pandey, Secretary, PoNG, Mr. S.C. Tripathi, former Secretary, PoNG, Dr. S. Narayan, Former Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister, Mr. L. Mansingh, Chairman, Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board, top officials of the ONGC, GAIL, IOC, Reliance, BPCL and other companies will participate in the deliberations.

Mr. N.K. Singh, Member of Parliament and a former member of Planning Commission, will deliver the valedictory address.

There will also be an interactive session on the study of 15 national oil companies worldwide, including India’s ONGC, done by the Stanford University.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Congress party on Friday defended the Union Government''s sugarcane pricing policy, which has led to farmers unrest and adjournment of Parliament.

Digvijay Singh, General Secretary of the Congress Party, said that the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) is in favour of the farmers, but even then the Government is mulling over amending in the ordinance.

“We are in favour of farmers. They should get a good price (for sugarcane crop). If one scrutinises this (FRP), he won''t find it anti-farmer. Even then Rahul Gandhi (Congress General Secretary) met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday (November 19) and has requested to reconsider the ordinance, especially, clause 3B because of which burden has been put on the state Government,” Singh said.

Thousands of farmers of the state are demanding the scrapping of the FRP ordinance and an increase in the State Advisory Price (SAP).

The 3B clause stipulates that state governments need to pay the difference between SAP and FRP to sugar mills if the SAP is higher than the FRP.

Both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha have been adjourned till November 23, after the proceedings were disrupted on the second consecutive day over the sugarcane pricing issue on Friday.

The ruling United Progressive Alliance coalition has given states greater autonomy in fixing sugarcane prices to help lift restrictions on the heavily regulated sugar sector and to stop sugar mills bearing the fiscal brunt of subsidised prices.

Source ANI

Meghatpu (Orissa): Maoist activists on Friday exploded a bomb in a Steel Authority of India (SAIL) mine here on Friday.

 

The rebels reportedly also planted another bomb at Kiribur mine along the Orissa-Jharkhand border.

 

According to senior SAIL officials, a group of armed Maoists stormed into the loading point in Meghatpur mines on the Orissa side and exploded a bomb damaging the conveyor belt.

 

The loading and unloading of iron ore was severely affected at Meghatpur the officials added.

 

In another similar incident the ultras planted a bomb in the conveyor belt in Kiribur mines on the Jharkhand side, but it did not explode.

 

The bomb disposal squads of the police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) defused the bomb.

Source ANI

Mumbai: At least 25 people were hurt when Shiv Sena allegedly attacked the offices of IBN7 and IBN Lokmat, the Hindi and Marathi news channels of the IBN Network on Friday afternoon.

According to sources, several journalists were beaten up and office property was damaged.

CNN-IBN sources quoted Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and State Police Chief D.Shivanand as saying that action would be taken promptly against the attackers.

The attack on the IBN offices was in response to the channel airing negative reports about the Shiv Sena and its chief Bala Saheb Thackeray.

Media networks across the country have condemned the incident, saying it amounts to a clear attack on press freedom.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Union Government on Friday informed the Lok Sabha that it has taken a series of measures to promote safety in and around oil depots across the country.

 

Making a suomoto statement in the lower House, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said these measures include promotion of safety consciousness and training on safety requirements at all levels.

 

Deora said  : “All oil and gas installation in the country will carry safety audit conforming to the statutory norms and all of them have to submit their reports to the regulatory authority by the end of this year.”

 

He added hat safety council is being expanded to include private sector refineries and offshore and other installations as well.

 

Giving details of the fire tragedy at Indian Oil Corporation depot near Jaipur, Deora said : “A seven member enquiry committee has been constituted to look into the causes of the incident and suggest remedial measures.”

 

He informed the House that the depot was equipped with the fire fighting equipment in line with the oil industry safety directorate guidelines, but this could not be used to douse the flames in view of the nature and magnitude of the tragedy.

 

The minister also assured the House that government is making best efforts to help the affected families and prevent such tragedies in future.

Source ANI

Ahmedabad: The first Test between India and Sri Lanka ended in a draw on the final day at the Sardar Patel stadium on Friday.

Resuming the final day on 190 for two wickets, still 144 runs behind Sri Lanka''s first-innings total of 760 for seven wickets, opener Gautam Gambhir (114) and Sachin Tendulkar (100 not out) helped India up to 412-4 before both teams called it a day with no result possible.

The Test also saw master blaster Sachin Tendulkar achieve another milestone by becoming the first batsman to complete 30,000 international runs.

The 36-year-old reached the milestone when he scored his 35th run in the second innings, where he went onto score his 43rd Test century. 

Tendulkar now has 17,178 runs in ODI cricket, 12,877 runs in Test cricket and 10 runs in the lone T20 International he has played.

The second Test starts in Kanpur on Tuesday, followed by the third at the Brabourne stadium in Mumbai from December 2.

Source ANI

New Delhi: With less than a week to go before the first anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, Defence Minister A.K. Antony reviewed the security scenario in the country in a high level meeting here on Friday.

 

The meeting lasted over two hours.

 

National Security Adviser M K Narayanan, Army chief General Deepak Kapoor, Air Chief Marshal P V Naik, Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma and Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar attended the meeting.

 

The meeting came in the backdrop the Federal Investigation Bureau (FBI) investigation of Lashkar operatives Thawwur Rana and David Hedley and subsequent interrogation of people who came in their contact in India.

Source ANI

Ahmedabad: Two Non-Governmental Organisations-- Aadhar and Saral--are helping HIV--infected women prepare and sell nutritious and tasty food items in Ahmedabad.

The purpose is to bring such women into mainstream society and remove the stigma attached to HIV, infected people.

The women had earlier opened a snack shop, which got a tremendous response from the locals. The only problem is that the infected women do not prepare the snacks, but were only involved in the packaging process.

This did not give them enough satisfaction and the revenue earned was also less. So, the women started preparing and selling food items themselves, supported by Saral and Aadhar.

They underwent training with the home science department of a local college wherein they learnt to make healthy and hygienic food items.

Meanwhile, the State Bank of India has donated an auto rickshaw, which has been converted into a mobile van for, women to reach out to common people with their snacks.
"We took an auto campaign and they were going to every shop and selling the products and after receiving the response... we are benefiting. We are making the snacks ourselves and we are getting more orders," said Varsha, the president of Aadhar.

Hemalee Leuva, a member of Saral, said that both Saral and Aadhar had recently participated in an open -Asia competition, which was funded by World Bank, on how to remove the stigma attached to HIV infected people in an innovative way.

The project has brought a smile to many faces who are part of Aadhar.

India, has at least 2.5 million HIV infected people among its 1.1 billion-plus population.

Source ANI

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Government on Friday ordered an inquiry into the violation of human rights of three undertrial prisoners by the state police.

 

State Home Minister R R Patil ordered an inquiry after the incident was aired in the media.

 

On Thursday, with slates slung around their necks mentioning their names and alleged crimes in bold, the three undertrials were paraded in the crowded by-lanes of Zaveri Bazaar and Bhuleshwar in the sub urban Mumbai.

 

Some human right activists said this was a blatant violation of the law.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Products made by jail inmates are attracting hordes of visitors in the ongoing India International Trade Fair (IITF) in New Delhi.

Handicrafts, showpieces, snacks, gift items and readymade garments are some of the products in the stall of Tihar prison.

A Non-Government Organisation (NGO), which is helping the inmates, said it is trying to highlight their talent.

"There is a hidden art in jail inmates. We are highlighting their art," Niru Arya, general secretary of ''Arman'' NGO, said.

Buyers and visitors feel the attempt would encourage the inmates.

" This is a very positive way for encouraging the confidence of the inmates and making them better citizen," said, Gurbeer Brar, a visitor from Punjab.

The 29th edition of the IITF was opened for the general public on Thursday.

The fortnight-long fair is organised annually by the Indian Trade Promotion Organisation and provides a platform for trade promotion and helps facilitate interaction between national and international buyers.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Ahead of his landmark visit to the United States, the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, has asserted that India wants the US to use all of its influence with Pakistan to stop it from sponsoring terrorism.

He also said the Indian Government is committed to resolving all outstanding issues with Pakistan through bilateral negotiations.

“We are committed to resolving all outstanding issues with Pakistan through bilateral negotiations. Our only condition is that Pakistan should not allow its territory to be used for acts of terrorism against India,” Manmohan Singh said in the interview with the Washington Post.

“Everyday, I receive intelligence reports saying that terrorists based in Pakistan are planning other similar acts. If Pakistan really honours that commitment, we can go back to negotiation to resolve all outstanding issues between us,” he added.

Earlier, on November 18, US Ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer had said that expanding counter-terror cooperation would be a basis for discussions between the Obama administration and Manmohan Singh during his visit.

“We have experienced 9/11. India has experienced 26/11. We will continue to work shoulder-to-shoulder, hand in hand and hour by hour in fighting terrorism,” Roemer had said.

Source ANI

Kanchanpur/Janpui (Tripura): Tension continues to prevail in border areas along Mizoram and Tripura.

A violent mob set fire over 360 Reang tribals huts, in around 15 villages in Mamit and Kolashib districts in Mizoram on November 14, displacing over 5, 000 people.
The Mizoram government has issued shoot-at-sight orders to bring the situation under control.

Reports said violence erupted after members of the suspected Bru National Army, a local militant group, allegedly shot dead an 18-year-old Mizo boy while he was collecting fodder with his friends in a forest.

Angry Bru community members staged a protest in the Kanchanpur area and sought the central government''s intervention in the case.

"Unless the central government intervenes in this matter, this will lead to communal violence," said Bruno, a displaced Bru tribal leader.

Thousands of Reang or Bru refugees have been staying in different camps in Tripura after ethnic clashes broke out in 1997.

Source ANI

Imphal: Suspected militants lobbed a grenade on an army convoy here on Thursday, injuring two soldiers.

The attack took place when the convoy of four vehicles was moving from Imphal to Thoubal near the Singjamei Bazarb market.

Officials said the two injured soldiers belonged to the Assam Rifles.

One of the injured was taken to a local hospital and the other to an army hospital.
Security forces have launched a manhunt to nab the militants.

Source ANI

Pune: The Indian hockey team''s Spanish coach, Jose Manuel Brasa, has denied reports of a rift between him and the players.

He said this on the sidelines of a training session here on Thursday.

"Have you seen all the 30 players are there, have you seen all the 30 players training? Have you taken pictures of all the 30 players training? There is no boycott; there is only someone who is trying to cut the grass under our feet. Someone, who wants to injure us, one who is fighting against us, because things are going well, players are training very very well," said Brasa.

Reports said some senior players in the team were unhappy with Brasa''s coaching methods and had written a letter to the national hockey governing body.

Source ANI

Srinagar: About half a million migratory birds have arrived for their annual sojourn at the Hokersar wetlands in Kashmir from Central Asia.

Some of the popular migratory birds visiting the region are waterfowls, goose, shoveller, red-crested pochard, white-eyed pochard, common teal, mallard, pintail, gadwall, wigeon, coot and greylag.

The winged visitors from Siberia, China, Central Asia, North Europe and the Indian subcontinent add colour to Kashmir''s wetlands and fresh water lakes in the winter.

These birds begin their flight to Kashmir in early September and stay on till spring.
"Till December, we will wait for the migratory birds. They''ll keep coming, and their number would rise. About 4.5 lakh birds are here already," claimed Ghulam Hassan Dar, a wildlife guard.

Wetland authorities are hopeful that the migratory birds will cross last year''s record of nine lakh birds.

Wildlife warden in charge of the Kashmir wetlands division, Ghulam Ahmad Lone, said steps like improved water level in the wetlands, better infrastructure and intensified patrolling have ensured an improved bird population.

"We are taking anti-poaching measures here at this time. During the militancy period we could not conduct night patrolling. But now that difficulty is no more there. Our staff members go there for night patrolling and during the evening as well. Our staff members have helped us in decreasing the number of poachers. And even if at any point of time we catch hold of a poacher, we would take strict action as per the wildlife act," said Lone.

The Kashmir Valley has a number of lakes like the Wullar, Manasbal, Anchar, Dal and Nagin where migratory birds congregate.

Source ANI

Ladakh: Buddhists in Ladakh recently celebrated the two-day Chemday monastery festival.

The festival is celebrated every year according to the Tibetan calendar on the 28th and 29th days of the ninth month.

Monks gather around the monastery to perform a sacred mask dance to begin the festival. Locals are also allowed to take part in the festival.

"Chemday Gonpa was established by the great Buddhist guru Lama Tagsang Raschen and this monastery belongs to Drukpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Every year we celebrate annual rituals for two days in the monastery and during these two days all the monks of Chemday perform mask dance. Before the festival all the monks do meditation for one week and on the second day of the festival we perform special Mandala puja in the monastery," said Nawang Gyatso, Incharge, Chemday monastery.

This year about 3000 people gathered to participate in the festival. Lama Tagsang Raschen founded the monastery 365 years ago.

Source ANI

Ludhiana: The grand set of Hollywood''s blockbuster ''The Mummy'' is being recreated in Ludhiana for a pre-wedding ceremony.

To make the pre-wedding ceremony of his son memorable, Gulshan Kumar, a realtor based in Ludhiana is leaving no stone unturned to develop an exact replica of the set of Stephen Sommers''s ''The Mummy'' for the pre-wedding ceremony.

Around 60 artisans from Kolkata and Delhi are working on the pre-wedding ceremony set. The set is being recreated in an area of six acres on the outskirts of the city.

According to Suresh Kumar, the contractor who is managing the construction of the set, the theme of the set is completely new in India and isn''t even costly.

"In pre-wedding ceremony places we get a short time to arrange and assemble the things. The costing here is low, as we have used raw materials like bamboo sticks and jute bags for the decorations, so we get enough time to conceptualise. We have also used mud colour to paint the structures which comes at quite low prices," said Kumar.

An impressive Sphinx statue at the entrance has already been erected. There will be laser effects and the sidewalls will be covered with more than 500 life-sized murals and statues of Cleopatra, Nefertiti, Egyptian gods, soldiers and royal servants.

The pre-wedding ceremony set is a gift from realtor Gulshan Kumar for his son Rohit and bride Kiran.

"We want to depict the Egyptian culture here. This is a labour job, which involves the creativity of the mind," said Gulshan Kumar.

The pre-wedding ceremony would take place on November 22.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Asian Centre for Human Rights today urged Home Minister P. Chidambaram to order an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the killing of one Mizo youth identified as Zarzokima on November 13 and the subsequent burning down of villages inhabited by the Brus also known as the Reangs in Mizoram since November 14.

More than 500 houses were reportedly burnt and over 5,000 Brus were displaced and forced to seek refuge in Tripura and Assam.

"As prima-facie evidence do exist to establish beyond any reasonable doubt that the State government and the some Mizo NGOs were behind the premeditated attacks to prevent the return of the Brus from November 14, 2009 and all the major attacks against the minorities took place under Chief Ministership of Pu Lalthanhawla, an inquiry by the CBI is indispensable," stated Suhas Chakma, the Director of Asian Centre for Human Rights.

The ACHR further asserted that in Mizoram, the Congress Party leaders have not been able to rise above their ethnicity and pursued policies against the minorities. All the attacks against the minorities in the State i.e. on the Buddhist Chakma tribals at Marpara in August 1992, deletion of thousands of Chakma citizens from the voters list in Mizoram in 1995 in violation of the 1955 Citizenship Act and 1986 Citizenship Amendment Act and the communal attacks against the Brus in October 1997 took place under the Chief Ministership of Pu Lathanhawla.

No relief assistance, including establishment of relief camps, has been provided to these displaced persons who took shelter in Tripura since November 14.

The ACHR also urged the Centre hold a tripartite meeting consisting of the State Government of Mizoram, Central government and Mizoram Bru Displaced Peoples Forum (MBDPF) to workout an agreement for return of the displaced Brus with guarantees for safety, security and proper rehabilitation and to send a clear message to the communal forces in Mizoram; arrest all the culprits and ensure their prosecution through speedy trial and provide assistance to the displaced.

Source ANI

Amethi: Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka have begun their two - day visit of Amethi constituency.

 

Priyanka and Rahul are scheduled to interact with party workers. Rahul, who represents Amethi in the Lok Sabha, will review the progress of various schemes, including the Mahila Pariyojna initiated by him in the constituency.

 

Both Priyanka and Rahul will also attend a meeting of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation in which both are trustees.

 

The State Police are not taking any chances during the visit as the Union Home Ministry has asked the Uttar Pradesh Government to upgrade Rahul’s security cover during his visits to the state.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Union Law and Justice Minister Veerappa Moily and Opposition Party Leader L.K. Advani are meeting here on Friday to decide on who will become the new Chief Information Commissioner (CIC).

 

The three-member committee was earlier scheduled to meet on October 27.

 

The meeting is taking place almost a month after incumbent CIC Wajahat Habibullah resigned and moved to jammu and Kashmir to take on the same post there.

 

Right to Information (RTI) activists are demanding a non bureaucrat as CIC, to bring more transparency in the system.

 

The names of Civil Aviation Secretary Madhavan Nambiar, snvironmentalist Shekhar Singh and Information Commissioner A N Tiwari, are doing the rounds for the coveted post.

 

RTI activists are also demanding to finalisation of  rules and the process for the selection of the CIC before the naming of the new chief.

 

According to the activists, the RTI Act specifies the composition of the selection committee, but is silent about the process, like advertising and shortlisting to be adopted before finalising the name.

 

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had turned down a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking transparency in the selection process of CIC. The court advised the appellants that they should build a public movement to garner support for making changes in a transparency law.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Both houses of Parliament adjourned till Monday on the sugarcane pricing issue following opposition protests.

After eminent journalist H K Dua took oath as Rajya Sabha member, the opposition rushed into the Well of the House and forced an adjournment.

Later, when the house was reconvened, the opposition again raised the sugarcane pricing issue and demanded suspension of Question Hour to discuss the issue.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari appealed to the members to carry on the business of house, but opposition refused to budge and forced an adjournment.

The Lok Sabha was also adjourned over the same issue.

Thousands of sugarcane farmers gathered in the national capital on Thursday to protest against the high sugarcane prices and the controversial move by the government to implement the Sugarcane Control (Amendment) Order 2009 Ordinance.

The Ordinance has changed the sugarcane pricing policy, fixing a uniform Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP), putting the burden on the states if they choose to pay more than the FRP to farmers.

Leaders of the House in the Lok Sabha, Pranab Mukherjee has invited party leaders for a breakfast meeting on Monday to thrash out a viable solution to the issue.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, will leaves for a landmark visit to United States on Saturday.

On Sunday, his entourage will reach Washington from Geneva.  He will be received at the Andrews Air Force base.

US President Barack Obama will welcome Dr. Singh to the White House on Tuesday morning as the first State Guest of his presidency.

The State Dinner is scheduled for Tuesday evening; soon after his ceremonial welcome at the White House, the first meeting between the two leaders in the United States and a press conference.

Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will host a lunch for Dr. Singh. He will also deliver an address to the Council for Foreign Relations and meet the Indian community in Washington during his four-day visit.

He will leave for Port-of-Spain to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) summit on November 26.

The visit to Washington is expected to highlight the strong and growing strategic partnership between the United States and India, and the friendship between the American and Indian people.

Source ANI

Ranchi: The Maoists on Friday called for a shutdown in Jharkhand to protest against the police operation against them.

A tight security arrangement was made through out the state.

Security personnel have been put on high alert and a massive combing operation is on in sensitive areas of the state.

Last night, two passengers were killed and over 47 others injured when eight bogies of the Tata-Bilaspur passenger train derailed after Maoists blew up railway tracks in Jharkhand''s West Singhbhum district.

According to sources, the blast occurred between Manohar and Posoita railway stations just in front of the engine of the train, some 20 minutes after a pilot engine had passed.

Source ANI

Karachi: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt has said there is slim possibility of controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar returning to international cricket.

“Shoaib is already 34, and with a history of fitness problems, is unlikely to make a comeback,” a website reported Butt as saying in response to a query whether the recent liposuction surgery would enhance the right-arm pacer’s changes of a comeback for the forthcoming Australia tour.

“Pakistan have a number of young fast bowlers to choose from and that makes Shoaib''s chances of a comeback very remote,” the website quoted Butt, as saying.

However, Butt has denied giving any such statement.

Interacting with media persons at Lahore Airport, the PCB chairman said he never gave any statement regarding Akhtar’s future.

The PCB is miffed with Akhtar’s fat removing surgery, which he had just after returning from London following knee surgery.

While neither Akhtar nor his family members are saying anything regarding the operation, a PCB official said being on the board’s central contract, the fast bowler should have informed it about the surgery.

“He is a centrally contracted player and he is supposed to consult our medical panel and inform us before undergoing any medical treatment, but he didn’t do this before opting for the liposuction,” the official said.

It will take Akhtar, 34, another three to four months to regain full fitness and play competitive cricket.

Source ANI

Kochi (Kerala): The Indian Navy created history on Friday by inducting two women aviators or combatants into its combat arm, which is happening for the first time in the Indian Armed Forces.
 
Sub-lieutenants Ambica Hooda of Haryana and Seema Rani Sharma of Uttar Pradesh will  now serve the nation as naval observers are airborne tacticians on the Indian Navy''s multi-role Dornier aircraft, which are used for transportation and aerial surveillance and work at the front line during war situations.

Today, they were awarded wings by Indian Navy in a ceremonial passing out parade at the Naval base in Kochi.

Both are part of the four member officers of the First short service commission observer course out of the total ten officers passing out of 70th Ab-initio Observer Course in Kochi base.

This would be a special occasion as this is the first time that the Navy is inducting ladies into a combat arm. Observers are airborne tacticians who conduct operations, in a military aircraft.

According to Indian Navy Captain Vijesh Kumar Garg, the Commanding Officer of the INS Garuda, it was a proud moment for the Indian navy and specially for the two women who were inducted today as combatants.

The officers qualified for this onerous responsibility after intensive ground and flight training at the Observers School and said that they felt proud on taking the charge.

The Passing Out Parade and award was presented by Rear Admiral Sudhir Pillai, Flag Officer Commanding, Naval Aviation.

Hooda and Sharma, both 22-years old, completed a 16 month course at the Naval Academy at Mandovi in Goa and in other professional schools of the Indian Navy before landing up at the Observer School at INS Garuda in Kochi.

Source ANI

Belgaum (Karnataka): Veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister B. Shankaranand died at a private hospital here this morning.

 

He was 84. Shankaranand had been suffering from heart disease for quite some time. According to hospital sources, he had been put on ventilator support after developing breathing complications three days ago.

 

Shankranand, a Gandhi family loyalist represented the Chikkodi (Reserve) constituency in the Lok Sabha for eight times in a row from 1967 to 1991.

 

He had also served in the cabinets of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and P V Narasimha Rao and had handled the ministries of petroleum and health.

 

Shankaranand also headed the parliamentary committee that probed the controversial Bofors gun deal.

Source ANI

Mumbai: Australian High Commissioner Peter Varghese today presented a cheque for Rs 10,00,000 to Magic Bus for the provision of sport and personal development training to 240 underprivileged children in Mumbai.

The cheque was received by Magic Bus'' Senior Sustainability Manager, Meena Sriramane.

“Australia is pleased to be able to assist these children reach their full potential by providing opportunities through sport.  Australia and India share many sporting links at the elite level, and we are glad to be able to give something back at the grassroots level,” Varghese said.
 
The funding was provided under the Direct Aid Program (DAP), administered by the Australian High Commission in New Delhi. The DAP funds grassroots development programs in a range of areas, including education, health, income generation and the environment.  

Australia had previously funded Magic Bus in 2007-08 to run sporting camps for underprivileged children under the Australian Sports Outreach Program.  

During his recent visit to India, the Australian Prime Minister announced the Australian Sports Outreach Program would be expanded to deliver more grass-roots sports-based activities to India’s youth, women and people with a disability, in collaboration with Indian partners.

Funding for DAP was also increased in 2009-10 to A$250,000 (approx. 1 crore rupees).  Since 2001, when the program was launched in its current form, DAP has distributed more than A$1 million (approx. 4 crore rupees) to small-scale development activities.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Union Government on Friday asked the Uttar Pradesh Government to increase the security provided to Congress Party General Secretary Rahul Gandhi during his visits to the state.

 

In a letter to the U P Government, the Union Home Ministry also expressed its unhappiness over the security provided to Rahul Gandhi by the state government.

 

The letter said Rahul’s security had been compromised on several occasions by the U P Government.

 

The Home Ministry also cited the lack of police presence on the national highway and instances of unknown vehicles entering his cavalcade during Rahul’s tour.

 

Rahul and his sister Priyanka are scheduled to visit Amethi on Friday.

 

The Uttar Pradesh Police has reassured that this time round there will be no such failings on the security front.

Source ANI

Coimbatore: Green house technology is getting popular among the farmers in Tamil Nadu, where a farmer has reaped rich dividends by growing tomatoes with this technology.

Vivekanandan, tomato farmer from Coimbatore, had a yield that was four times more in comparison with open field cultivation, and now wants to extend this technology to other areas of his farmland.

“We are engaged in agriculture for the past 30 years and we do tomato cultivation in open field. We do get a yield of 25-30 tonnes per acre of land, but recently we came to know about the green house technology and we tried this system in a minimum level,” Vivekanandan said.

“With this technology, we have got a yield of 25 tonnes in just in quarter acre of land.  Moreover, now I am also planning to extend this system to my other areas of land,” he added.

Now, farmers are growing various crops like capsicum, chilli, tomatoes, onion, and other vegetables by using this technique.

“In green house technology we are engrossing favourable climatic conditions that is temperature, pressure, humidity and balancing. These things we are trying to manage and control. The top metabolic activity is full-fledged. Growth increases manifold and yield is also likewise,” said Prabhu Shankar, a Green House technology consultant.

Green house technology is a process of creating a protected environment for cultivation.

Source ANI

Dhanbad (Jharkhand): Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday said that non-violence was the only way to solve all the problems in Jharkhand.

Addressing poll meetings in Dhanbad and Dumka ahead of the coming assembly polls in Jharkhand, Sonia Gandhi termed naxalism as the foremost challenge before the state.

She also claimed that the Congress party would address the issues.
 
“There is no place for violence in democracy and the Congress party believes that problems can be solved peacefully through dialogue,” Sonia Gandi said.

She also said that many steps have been taken in the last few months for welfare to all sections of the society.

“The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) job cards have been distributed, food grains were distributed during the drought and many fair price shops were opened to ensure food grain at cheaper rates to the people,” Sonia Gandhi said. 

The five-round elections begin on November 27 and will end on December 18.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Lawyers from Uttar Pradesh held a demonstration in the national capital on Friday, demanding setting up of a Bench of the Allahabad High court in the region.

Hundreds of lawyers belonging to the region raised slogans against the state administration, demanding setting up of a Bench.

“We belong to Uttar Pradesh and we are demanding a High Court Bench in our region. The population of our region is 80 million and people have to travel 800-900 kilometers to Allahabad. We demand that a High Court Bench should be established anywhere in western Uttar Pradesh,” said Rajiv Singh, a lawyer.

Many leaders belonging to the Congress party and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were also present in the protest, extending support to the agitating lawyers.

BJP leader Varun Gandhi termed the protest as a fight for justice and said: “Leaders from different parties have extended support to the protest.”

“I believe that lawyers should be respected as they are the backbone of the democracy and are saviours of the society. I want that a High Court Bench should be established in the western Uttar Pradesh, whether in Agra or Meerut,” he added.

Lawyers have warned that the agitation will continue till the establishment of the Bench is announced.

Source ANI

West Singhbhum (Jharkhand): Two passengers were killed and over 47 others injured when eight bogies of the Tata-Bilaspur passenger train derailed after Maoists blew up railway tracks on Thursday night in Jharkhand''s West Singhbhum district.

According to sources, the blast occurred between Manohar and Posoita railway stations just in front of the engine of the train, some 20 minutes after a pilot engine had passed.

Railway traffic on Howrah-Mumbai route has been paralyzed. A number of trains on the section have been diverted to alternative routes.

Railway authorities have announced helpline numbers. These are: 06587-238072, 06572290324 and 0661-2570680.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh leaves for United States on invitation of President Barack Obama on Saturday, but chances are very slim that any big-ticket agreements will be signed.

 

Ironically, the landmark 123 Agreement that ended India’s nuclear isolation, which was signed last year by Dr. Singh and then President George W Bush amid much fanfare, is still commercially non-operative.

 

“Complex” technical issues related to licensing, liability legislation and reprocessing are still under negotiation and India is not expecting it to conclude during the Prime Minister’s visit.

 

“Implementation of this agreement is ongoing process. Liability law is getting highest attention, our delegation is working together closely to come to an understanding on reprocessing and licensing,” said Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao.

 

“I am optimistic we are well within our timeline, we are dealing with complex issues but are committed to the full implementation of the agreement this will take some time we are not expecting to conclude the process during Prime Minister’s visit,’ she added.

 

India, which has recently concluded End User Agreement with US, is hopeful that Dr. Singh’s state visit to the US will raise relationship to higher level and give impetus to Indo-US defense cooperation. But conclusion of strategically important Logistical Support Agreement and CISMO has been ruled out.

 

The Indian Foreign Secretary said with finalisation of end user agreement it is our hope that our access to US defence technology will increase in future as far as other agreements are concerned we are continuing to discuss some pending issues relating to these agreements.

 

However, according to highly placed sources the two countries will be signing Memorandum of Understanding on counter terrorism, renewable energy, intellectual property rights and agriculture during the visit.

 

Briefing reporters on the agenda of Dr. Singh’s visit to the US, Rao further said all issues of mutual and immediate interest would be taken up during the visit.

 

India will also be discussing issue of terrorism in Pakistan and Afghanistan, she said.

 

“The visit affords us to articulate concerns about the situation in Pakistan particularly with reference to the activities of terrorist groups operating from Pakistani soil.”

 

“We have always emphasised the need for our friends our partners and the international community to understand the situation in Pakistan and the need for Pakistan to dismantle terror infrastructure,” Rao said.

 

Dr. Singh will also be meeting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defence Secretary Robert Gates, Vice President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.

 

The Prime Minister will also be holding meeting with Indo-US CEOs forum and business council. Dr Singh will also deliver a lecture at the US council on Foreign Relations, which will be attended by top US think tanks.

Source ANI

Mumbai: Personnel of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) platoon, who were deployed at the Gateway of India in Mumbai to guard the Taj Mahal Hotel- one of the prime targets of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, were sent back to their barracks on Friday.

In the absence of any proper boarding and lodging arrangements, the platoon, which comprised of 30 SRPF troopers, had been camping under the arch of the huge monument for the past two months.

The SRPF jawans were compelled to live on the pavements in and around the historical monument.

The men lived, cooked their meals, ate and slept there and a common sight over the past two months was the off-duty personnel washing and hanging their clothes on the make-shift clothes line on the pavement adjacent to the monument.

The issue was highlighted by a section of the media following which the Maharashtra Government ordered the shifting of the jawans to a proper place.

“Earlier, when there were jawans out here, they did not had proper protection overhead and used to stay in open. But, now they have been shifted to a proper place to stay. They will keep coming for patrolling every day and night and security arrangement out here is also good. It''s good that the SRPF personnel have been shifted from here,” said Yatin, a visitor.

Source ANI

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister SM Krishna on Friday said that Chairman of the separatist Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was free to travel wherever he wanted, including China.

Mirwaiz is expected to visit China and Pakistan later this month.

His proposed visit to China comes at a time of diplomatic skirmishes between New Delhi and Beijing, especially over China''s insistence on issuing separate visas to citizens belonging to Jammu and Kashmir.

Krishna said there was nothing unusual in Mirwaiz''s proposed visit to China.

“They are free to travel wherever they want. So, there is nothing unusual in somebody going to China and somebody coming from China to India or somebody going to Pakistan or coming from Pakistan to India. So, it does not make much difference,” Krishna said.

Meanwhile, Union New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah said that Mirwaiz''s visit to China would provide him an opportunity to see for himself how much progress China has made and what militancy has done to Jammu and Kashmir.

“I am happy that Mirwaiz is visiting China. He will come to see China''s development and will also come to know how much destruction we have done (in Jammu and Kashmir) in the last 20 years,” Abdullah said.

According to reports, Mirwaiz is visiting China as a guest of an NGO and is expected to deliver a lecture there.

Source ANI

Aurangabad (Maharashtra): Recent heavy unseasonal rains in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad district have destroyed crops, including cotton, maize and sugarcane.

The nine sub-districts of Aurangabad district have received a total 14.15 mm rainfall, in the last a few days and many farmers of the region went for a tizzy as incessant rains lashed their crops.

They claim that they have incurred losses and are thus demanding compensation from the Government.

“We have incurred about 80 percent loss of sugarcane crop. Maize crop is still submerged in water. The Government should compensate us,” said Sanjay Bodke, a farmer.

However, RL Deshmukh from the Agriculture Department of Aurangabad, said that the losses are miniscule.

“We are taking stock of the losses. However, as per my information, there hasn''t been much loss. Even if some losses have happened to crops like cotton, they can be recovered. I believe that there has been much loss,” Deshmukh said.

Source ANI

Bhubaneshwar: A visually impaired family has formed a musical orchestra group to showcase their talent in Orissa.

The art of singing and playing music has becoming a source of livelihood for the family of seven, in which four children are visually impaired.

The proud mother of the folks said that the talent of her children would support them in future.

“I feel sorry for my kids, if they were not blind, they would have been playing with other normal children. They would have been able to mingle with them. So, I feel sorry for them. But now I don''t feel sorry for them. Their talent will support them through out their life,” said Nuadei Pradhan.

The special orchestra group has performed in several functions and events particularly during festivals and special occasions.

“I used to feel sad about this during my school days, but now we have taken an initiative of leading our lives by our talent,” said Niharika Pradhan, a visually impaired girl.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Union Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday said that India needs better governance to support its progressive forest and environment laws.

Addressing a function to release a report ''Green India 2047'' prepared by Tata Energy and Resource Institute (TERI) in national capital, Ramesh said: “We have the best and the most progressive laws in the world. Our Forest Conservation Act is unprecedented in the world. Our Environmental Protection Act is a very comprehensive piece of legislation,”

“Our National Ambient Air Quality standard that was announced day before yesterday surpassed the air quality standards of many, many advanced countries including the United States. So, our law and standard are world class, but our governance leaves a lot to be desired,” he added.

The minister also stressed on the need to control municipal solid waste. 

“I think that our cities have the dubious distinction of being the dirtiest cities in the world. There is no doubt about it. But if there is a Nobel Prize for dirt and filth, India will win it hands down. There is no competition for that and we have to do something dramatic on municipal solid waste,” added Ramesh.

Speaking on the occasion, R K Pachauri, a leading environmentalist and head of Nobel Prize winner Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), appealed to the society at large to help protect the environment.

“It is important for every sector and every section of the society to understands that protecting the environment is not a luxury. It''s an intimate part of promoting the economic welfare of people,” Pachauri said.

“We have gone on much too long for 62 and half years since independence more or less in pursuing a path that clearly ebbs the developed countries but our condition, our resource constraints are such that we have to bring about a totally different orientation in what we do with development,” he added.

Source ANI

Amritsar: Under the aegis of the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy (IMTD), the US based NGO is preparing a blueprint for the “peace corridor” between India and Pakistan in order to support the safe and easy passage of pilgrims to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.

 

Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib is situated in Pakistan’s Narowal District, where Guru Nanak spent more than 18 years of his life. Sikh pilgrims have been demanding a safe passage to the Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib from Dera Baba Nanak for years. The Gurdwara is about four km from the Indian side where corridor is to be constructed.

 

The NGO has currently enrolled engineers, architects and businessmen from India, Pakistan and the United States for this purpose.

 

The IMTD is a non-profit organization founded in 1992 by Ambassador John W. McDonald and Dr. Louise Diamond to promote a systems-based approach to peace building.

 

The IMTD believes that involving professionals would be practical steps in the construction of the corridor that would be a major step in the on going “Confidence Building Measures” (CBMs) between India and Pakistan.

 

Surinder Singh, an engineer from USA, who visited the Indian side of Dera Baba Nanak on Friday along with Anudeep Singh and his wife Surjit Kaur informed ANI that with the help of other professional members of the committee they would prepare a master plan of the “corridor”.

 

He said that he has already visited Pakistani side and examined the viability of the proposed construction of the corridor.

 

It is pertinent to mention that more than 40 acres of land had already been purchased near the Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib with the help of foreign-based Sikhs, prominent contributors being the American Gurdwara Prabhandhak Committee, J. B. Singh of USA and Ranjit Singh of Switzerland.

 

Singh said that the idea is to promote a religious corridor linking the Sikh holy sites across the Indo-Pak border, and added that this “peace corridor” would help bridge the gulf between the peoples of India and Pakistan

 

Optimist Anudeep Singh, another member of the committee, said that construction of the Kartarpur Corridor is a task that is of utmost importance to the Sikh community and the dream of millions of people will turn into reality soon.

 

He said that to fulfil this dream the onus lies on leadership on India and Pakistan who should come together for this issue.

 

The Sikh diaspora has initiated efforts on various levels to include the Gurdwara Kartarpur corridor in bilateral talks between India and Pakistan.

 

Anudeep Singh told ANI that a number of representatives have already met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in this regards and PM assured to take steps in this regards.

 

Last year, then External Affaira Minister Pranab Mukherjee visited the site to assess the feasibility of reopening the corridor to facilitate easy movement of pilgrims.

 

In order to assist in the smooth transitioning of the project, the IMTD has formed a committee consisting of five members from India, six from the USA and five from Pakistan.

 

From India Dr. Jairoop Singh, Vice Chancellor, Anudeep Singh, a businessman, B.S. Goraya a social activist, Kuldeep Singh Wadala an activist for Kartarpur Langah committee.

 

Renowned Pakistani architect and former Chairman of the Institute of Architects in Pakistan, Syed Azmat Ali Zaidi, will be the project director who will be responsible for implementing the feasibility study from Pakistani side.

 

Other members are engineer Surinder Singh, Gurcharan Singh of the World Bank, Amar Singh Malhi, board member of the Guru Nanak Foundation of America, and Avtar Singh Pannu, President of the NGO, Sikhs for Justice are among the members of the committee.

Source ANI