India News

Ranchi: Jharkhand Police in Ranchi district on Wednesday arrested three persons for supplying lethal arms and ammunition to the Maoists.

During a search operation in the jurisdiction of Namkum Police Station, the police personnel stumbled upon an inter-state gang working with links in West Bengal.

The explosives seized included ammonium nitrate and detonators that could be used by the rebels for attacks on the state machinery.

The arrested persons were paraded before the media persons.

Praveen Kumar, Senior Superintendent of Police, Ranchi said: "A group which used to supply explosives has been identified and the leader of the group Mohammed Zubaid and other two arms suppliers named Mohammed Guddu and Hemant Kumar, both of them the residents of Asansol, have also been arrested."

The arrested persons with Maoist links were involved in a series of incidents and other acts of sabotage directed against the local and central government, police said.

Source ANI

Gangtok: Two wildlife personnel got seriously injured while they were trying to catch alive a Himalayan black bear from a Sikkim village.

"We had been to the spot and we tried our level best to save by tranquillising the animal. But, there were so many other effects that the animal could not be controlled in such a way. That is why, two of our officials have been injured and one of them is in a serious condition,” said H.P Pradhan, Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF), Department of Forests.

“Now, we are planning to send them down to Siliguri in consultation with the family members and the bear has been taken to the zoo.”

It took about 8 hours to put the bear in cage.

The bear had entered Sichui village, 15 kilometres from Gangtok on November 3.

Himalayan bears tend to come down the valleys during winter to look for food in the maze and cornfields.

Himalayan Black Bear which is one of the three bear species found in Sikkim or in the Himalayan ranges from a height of 5,000 ft upto 12,000 ft.

Wild animals stray into urban areas, mainly owing to loss of habitat and extension of human settlements into forest areas.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind, which issued a fatwa (legal pronouncement in Islam) against singing of India’s national song Vande Mataram by Muslim community, down played the issue on Wednesday.

 

The Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind passed the fatwa on Tuesday during its 30th general session at the Islamic seminary in Deoband, saying that some of the verses of the song are against the tenets of their religion.

 

Some Muslim groups say singing the song Vande Mataram would be against Islam because it had strong connotations of Hindu deity worship as it reveres India as a holy goddess.

 

Talking to ANI in New Delhi, General Secretary of Jamiat Ulema-i- Hind Mehmood Madani said: “We never wanted to make it a big issue on Vande Mataram, our mission is to build bridges to diffuse communal passions.”

 

“We intentionally did not pass the resolution on Vande Mataram in front of the public gathering because we did not want to make it a big issue,” he added.

 

Making a veiled attack on right wing organisations, Madani said: “The fatwa (legal pronouncement in Islam) has been there for long, we have just passed a resolution since many small organisations were trying to raise the issue asking revocation of the fatwa.

 

“Since we were organising a conference in Deoband, therefore it became necessary for us to clear our point of view by bringing in the resolution,” he added.

 

On the invitation to Union Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram to attend the conference, Madni said other leaders were also invited.

 

“We did not want just the Home Minister to come, it has been the tradition of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind, to invite leaders of all political parties. We invited Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, and we invited Congress chief, but they did not come. We even invited Manmohan Singh,” Madni said.

 

Meanwhile, Chidambaram clarified on Wednesday that he was not present in the conference at the time when the resolution was adopted in Deoband on Tuesday.

 

Although it was expected to become the national anthem when Indian became independent in 1947, similar objections by Muslims saw another song becoming the anthem.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Union Minister of Power Sushil Kumar Shinde at the Economic Editors’ Conference today announced that the Ministry of Power is promoting a company called Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) for implementation of energy efficiency in India.

 

The company will promote energy efficiency projects like Bachat Lamp Yojana, Agricultural Demand Side Management and Municipal Demand Side Management. It will also act as a Resource center for capacity building of State Development Agencies, Utilities, financial institutions, etc.

 

Speaking on the Economic Editors Conference, Shinde pointed out that the overall size of energy investment market under Energy Service Companies (ESCO) in India is 74,000 crores and till now, only five percent of the market has been tapped.

 

“India has huge potential for energy efficiency. An improvement of 20 percent energy efficiency can result in avoided capacity addition of around 30,000 MW which amounts to an avoided investment of 1,20,000 crores,” he said.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Union Home Secretary G.K.Pillai is leaving for Kathmandu on November 5 for Home Secretary level talks between India and Nepal. 

 

The talks will be held on the 6th and 7th of this month. 

 

Dr. Govind Prasad Kusum, Home Secretary of Nepal, will lead his country’s delegation at the talks. 

 

The two sides will discuss issues of bilateral concern relating to security and border management.  

 

During his visit, Pillai is likely to call on Nepalese Prime Minister and Home Minister.

 

The last Home Secretary level talks between the two countries were held on October 31 and November 1, 2008, in New Delhi.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Minister for Urban Development S.Jaipal Reddy Union today said that the Delhi Metro is the proudest achievement of modern India.

 

He further mentioned that the Ministry has taken some important decisions relating to urban transport to help the daily commuters and ease traffic congestion.

 

Reddy was addressing the members of the consultative committee attached to the ministry of Urban Development, here today to deliberate on the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

 

Reddy informed that the Cabinet has approved the Chennai Metro Rail with a total cost of Rs.14,600 crore to be taken up as a joint venture between Government of India and the State Government of Tamil Nadu.

 

For Bangalore Metro Rail Project, the Union Government sanctioned an extension of 9.3 kms, he said.

 

He also mentioned that the Central Government has decided to provide Viability Gap Funding for Line-I of Mumbai Metro corridor from Versova to Ghatkopar via Andheri to the extent of Rs.471 crore.

 

Referring to the second economic stimulus package, Reddy stated that the Union Government for the first time decided to fund buses for Urban Transport under JNNURM.

 

A total of 15,260 buses were sanctioned for 61 Mission cities across the country. All these buses would be modern, low floor and semi low floor with various Intelligent Transport System features as per the Urban Bus Specifications formulated by this Ministry.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday said that the government had received information about entry of goods into the country through smuggled routes and the government was trying to plug that.

"If there is regular credit and if they try to dump, any country, not only China, any country tries to dump their products in a country by selling it at an unusually low price, then there is a regular institutional mechanism to deal with it through anti-dumping mechanism. But if there is smuggling, informal trade, prevention is the best way to prevent this smuggling and there the Directorate of Enforcement and various other governmental agencies are there, state government also has agencies. But, we are told that some goods are coming through smuggled routes and we are trying to prevent that," said Mukherjee.

China and some South East Asian countries are becoming a major source of worry for Indian revenue intelligence agencies.

The authorities say some Chinese manufacturers are evading anti-dumping duty their goods would have attracted in European Union (EU) countries, by routing the same through India.

''Country of Origin Fraud'' is increasingly attracting the attention of customs enforcement authorities across the world.

In fact, one such case brought a European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) team to India last year on suspicion that some goods, imported by EU countries from India, were actually of Chinese origin, sources said.

Mukherjee also defended the Reserve Bank of India''s (RBI) recent purchase of gold worth 6.7 billion dollars.

"We have money to buy gold. We have enough foreign exchange reserves by which we can meet our import requirements. This flow to foreign exchange reserves is continuing because people have confidence on the resilience of Indian economy," said Mukherjee.

The International Monetary Fund has sold 200 tonnes of gold to the RBI for 6.7 billion dollars, quietly executing half of a long-planned bullion sale that has threatened to slow gold''s ascent.

The RBI said the purchase was an official sector off-market transaction and was executed during Oct. 19-30 at market-based prices.

An IMF official said the sale was concluded at an average price of about $1,045 an ounce and that the transaction would be paid in hard currency and not in IMF Special Drawing Rights.

The deal, which surprised traders who expected China to be the most likely buyer, will relieve the gold market of some uncertainty over how and when the IMF would sell 403.3 tonnes of gold, about one-eighth of its total stock. The deal will increase India''s gold holdings to the tenth largest among central banks.

On runaway prices of foodgrain, vegetables and other essential commodities, Mukherjee said there were measures to shield the poor from the impact of inflation.

"I understand the sufferings of the common people. I understand that if the daily essentials, prices of essential commodities increase and if it goes beyond the reach of them, naturally everybody will suffer. But these are certain factors which we cannot ignore. To provide relief to the more vulnerable section of the society, we have this system of differential treatments where those (whose) incomes are less, to give them subsidised items through public distribution system," said Mukherjee.

Source ANI

New Delhi: A team would soon be visiting Switzerland to hold talks with the Swiss authorities in an effort to unearth unaccounted for money stashed away by Indian nationals, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has said.

The government has finalised dates to renegotiate existing treaties with  Switzerland and Belgium to broaden the scope for brining back money parked illegally by Indians in foreign banks.

"So far, the efforts to unearth the unaccounted money stashed elsewhere, we have taken initiatives. In respect of Switzerland, I think the team is going on 10th and 11th of this month. We are engaged in discussion with the Swiss authorities. We want to amend the Avoidance of Double Taxation agreement. Of course in a large number of countries…the appropriate clause will be inserted through which you can get the necessary information to locate the tax evaders and to have the facilities of recovering the tax because…up to now we did not accept the OECG clause of exchanging information. But now we have become a party to it and Swiss authorities have agreed to negotiate. The negotiations will begin from this month itself," Mukherjee told media persons on the sidelines of Editors’ Conference 2009 in the national capital.

Source ANI

Malkangiri (Orissa): In yet another act of violence, a group of Maoists set ablaze a private steel company guest house in Orissa''s Malkangiri district, as they started their two-day Bandh (closure) that hit normal life here on Wednesday.

 

According to a senior police official, around 50 armed Maoists attacked Essar Steel’s guest house at Gajiagoda in Chitrakonda area of the district at midnight and set it ablaze.

 

The extremists stormed into the building by assaulting the guard of the guesthouse.

 

They also beat up two company engineers and locked them up in a nearby house, the police official said.

 

Meanwhile, the normal life in Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada and Gajapati districts of the State was affected on the first day of the two-day Bandh called by Maoists.

 

The call has been given by Maoists to protest the Centre''s decision to launch offensive against them and the alleged police excesses, police sources said.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Top Maoist leader Kobad Ghandy on Wednesday approached the Delhi High Court to challenge trial court''s order allowing the police to conduct a narco-analysis test on him.

 

On Oct.31, the trial court had permitted the Delhi police to conduct narco test on Kobad Ghandy, after the investigating agency contended that it had not been able to elicit all the information from him despite using all scientific methods of interrogation.

 

The court had passed the order after going through the medical report submitted by All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), stating that Kobad Ghandy was medically fit to undergo the test.

 

A special medical board of AIIMS had conducted the medical examination of Kobad Ghandy and submitted a report in the court, saying that Kobad Ghandy could withstand the narco-analysis test.

 

Kobad Ghandy is the the politburo member of banned CPI(Maoist). He was arrested in Delhi in September.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Government today said prices of the food articles might come down only after the ensuing Rabi season.

Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said that due to the impact of the scant monsoon and the impact of floods, prices would not come down immediately.

Pawar said that the growth of agriculture would hover around 1.5 percent this year. Ten lakh tonnes of wheat and five lakh tonnes of rice have been allocated for open market sale to moderate the prices, he added.

Pawar said that enough food grain stocks are available, including rice and wheat in the godowns to bridge the gap between demand and supply. Adding that over 248 lakh tons of food grains are available for the public distribution system (PDS), Pawar said the food subsidy has risen to 66,000 crore rupees.

The center has been maintaining that many states across the country are yet to tone up this system and it is high time that they take corrective action to strengthen the PDS.

On the increasing price of food articles, Pawar asserted that for providing better prices to farmers, the people would have to pay more. He also gave details of the revision in the MSP of food grains in the last six years.

Pawar added that there is a need to import raw sugar to meet demand. Sugar mill owners would be approached on the matter.

Adding that the government has launched a series of initiatives to increase agriculture productivity like introduction of Rashtriya Vikas Yojna, National Food Security Mission, availability of seeds and fertilizers and credit flow to farmers, Pawar said farmers that they would get remunerative prices for their produce.

Source ANI

New Delhi: With the prestigious National Defence College (NDC) in New Delhi reportedly being one of the prime targets of the Lakshar-e-Taiba, the Indian Government today said, “adequate precaution” is being taken to safeguard the military institution.

“I think there is a constant review of threat perceptions and targets and we work on the safeguards adequately. You can be rest assured that adequate precaution is taken wherever there is a threat perception,” said Minister of state for Defence MM Pallam Raju.

David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana who were recently arrested by the FBI for plotting a major terror attack in India at the behest of the Pakistan based LET have revealed that they were even planning to attack the NDC.

The National Defence College trains selected senior Defence and Civil Services officers in national and international security-related fields and promote research and understanding of various linked issues.

Officers at the brigadier-level and above from the three services and their civilian counterparts are trained by the NDC.

Representatives from friendly countries are also included in the different courses run there.

The National Defence College trains about 130 officers at a time.

Source ANI

New Delhi: No resolution was passed during Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s visit to the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (JUH) conference at Deoband on Tuesday.

 

According to Home Ministry statement, no resolution was passed during that period. When he spoke, he was not aware of any resolution relating to Vande Mataram or women''s reservation or cinema and television.

 

Jamait-e-Ulema Hind on Tuesday had justified the fatwa against singing national song ''Vande Matram''.

 

The resolution, which was passed at the Deoband national convention meet, says that Muslims should not sing ''Vande Matram'' as some verses of the patriotic song are against the tenets of Islam.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate has summoned former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda and seven of his aides in connection with alleged Hawala transactions.

 

Koda and his aides have been directed to present themselves before the directorate on November 9, 10,11.

 

An Enforcement Directorate team from Delhi had arrived in Ranchi to obtain documents on the alleged Hawala transactions carried out by Koda and his associates. It intended to obtain material evidence and documents seized by the Income Tax department and source information from the records of the tax searches against Koda and others.

 

After witnessing nationwide raids for three days to unearth the assets of the former Jharkhand chief minister and his associates, Koda on Tuesday complained of a pain in his abdomen, giddiness, nausea, and vomiting. He was admitted to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Apollo Hospital in Ranchi.

 

Koda had undergone a surgery at the same hospital for a kidney stone on Oct.22.

 

It is being speculated that with the Koda being hospitalized, he might not be approached for questioning by the Income Tax department.

 

Recently, during interrogation Koda had admitted to have known Vinon Sinha and Sanjay Choudhary, but said there was no financial deal between them.

 

On Tuesday, Vinod told TV channels that he had not absconded. 

 

The IT department has set November 6 as the deadline for six of Koda’s alleged aides to appear before it to explain certain transactions and events. They have been told that if they fail to appear, they will be liable for legal action.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Rubbishing Pakistan''s allegations that India is providing arms to the Taliban in South  Waziristan, New Delhi  has said that there is no truth in these accusations.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a seminar , she said " There is no factual basis for such accusations ".

India wants a peaceful and stable Pakistan, she added.

Rao also downplayed the recent objections raised by China on Tibetan spiritual leader, the  Dalai Lama''s, proposed visit to Tawang

She said there are no strains in the relationship between India and China.

Earlier, while addressing a gathering at the annual Day function of the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), Rao described Sino-Indian ties as "complex", and aded that it would take some time to resolve all outstanding issues including the boundary dispute between the two neighbours.

On restarting the composite dialogue with Pakistan, she said it would be "realistically possible" only after Islamabad dismantled the infrastructure of terrorism on its soil.

"We have conveyed many times our desire to engage in meaningful dialogue with Pakistan, but a dialogue with Pakistan was "realistically possible only after Pakistan dismantled the infrastructure of terrorism on its soil. Pakistan must fulfil its commitment not to allow its territory to be used for terror activities against India," she said.

Pakistan''s military spokesperson Major General Athar Abbas had alleged on Tuesday that Pakistani security forces had seized Indian-made arms and equipment from the Taliban bastion of South Waziristan and added that Islamabad would soon raise the issue through diplomatic channels.

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna on Tuesday had refuted the allegations, saying Pakistan''s internal developments were of "their own making".

Without naming Afghanistan, Rao said terrorism in Afghanistan was receiving support from "contiguous areas" and asked the international community to pressure Islamabad to control such extremist outfits.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Ambani gas dispute took a new turn today with Supreme Court Judge R V Raveendran pulling himself out of the case.

 

Justice Raveendran, one of the judges hearing the high-profile Ambani vs Ambani case, dropped out of the case citing a possible conflict of interest.

 

Earlier, the Supreme Court had put off the hearing of the case till October 20.

 

Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani are battling over the delivery of gas from the Krishna Basin. Mukesh wants to revise the price at which Anil can buy from him. The price agreed upon is below market rates, and was arrived at through a family agreement.

 

When the case came up before the courts last month, Justice Raveendran told the court that he had shares in Mukesh Ambani’s RIL and offered to withdraw from the case if anyone had any objection.

 

At that time, lawyers for both Mukesh and Anil Ambani said that they were fine with his hearing the case.

 

“I came to know that my daughter is a partner in AZB Company. This company is advising RIL on global acquisitions. Though it is not directly connected with the case, I don’t want to continue with the case,” said Justice Raveendran.

 

The case will start afresh on Thursday in front of a new bench.

 

The schedule for the case will see four days of arguments each by lawyers representing Mukesh and Anil’s companies. The Government and the other interested parties will then have two days to present their side of the case.

Source ANI

Bangalore: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa is scheduled to arrive New Delhi this evening, after he was summoned by the BJP leadership to bring an end to the political crisis in the wake of revolt by Reddy brothers.

Talking to reporters here, Yeddyurappa said that the ongoing political crisis would end after his meeting with the central leaders in New Delhi.

"The dissidents led by the Reddy brothers brushed aside BJP President Rajnath Singh''s assertion that he will continue as the Chief Minister," he added.

Earlier, Karnataka Home Minister V S Acharya and former MP Dhananjay Kumar met BJP senior leader L K Advani to discuss the crisis in the state.

Karnataka Speaker Jagadish Shettar, who is close to the Reddy brothers -- Janardhan Reddy and G Karunakar Reddy-- met senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley on Sunday.
Jaitley had spent three days in Karnataka last week to resolve the crisis. After he failed to convince the dissidents, leaders from both the camps were asked to visit the capital to find a solution to the problem.

The first BJP Government in southern was rocked by infighting after the influential Reddy brothers renewed their dissident activities, breaking the truce brought about a few months ago when they first raised the banner of revolt.

Striking back at the dissidents, Yeddyurappa had ordered mass transfer of officials of Bellary district from where the dissident ministers hail, and hinted at action against the rebel leaders, further angering them.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said that the empowerment of tribals is essential for equitable growth of the country.

Inaugurating a the two-day conference of Chief Ministers and State Ministers for forests and tribal development here, Dr. Manmohan Singh called upon State governments to include tribals participation in forest conservation efforts.

Dr Singh also said that Tribals should be part of the process of development of natural resources and called for a coordinated approach to achieve this.

Asserting that government will not tolerate social and economic abuse of tribals, Dr Singh said violence against tribals can''''t be allowed.

"The systematic exploitation and social and economic abuse of our tribal communities can no longer be tolerated. The cult of violence will only bring greater misery to the common people. We have to counter this threat with determination. While violence cannot be tolerated, the tribals must be the primary beneficiaries of the development process. We have to win the battle for their hearts and their mouths," he added.

He said the States should endeavour to give a healing touch to the tribal communities. Their integration in the development processes is highly important. But this should not become a means of exploitation or be at the cost of their unique identity and their culture.

He further said that the development of tribal areas and improvement in the economic and social condition of tribal populations is fundamentally linked to our concept of inclusive growth. "We cannot have equitable growth without guaranteeing the legitimate rights of these eventually marginalized and isolated sections of our society. In a broader sense we need to empower tribal communities with the means to determine their own destinies, their livelihood, their security and above all as equal participants in the processes of social and economic development," he added.

Source ANI

Hyderabad: After fast bowler Peter Siddle, yet another of Australia''s bowlers, Moises Henriques, has been sidelined with a hamstring injury and he will miss Thursday''s fifth ODI against India in Hyderabad.

All-rounder Henriques hurt his right hamstring in the field during Monday''s victory in Mohali and could be flown home with only three games remaining in the series.

The news of his injury came only a day after Siddle was sent home due to a stiffness in his left side.

The squad has already lost Brett Lee (elbow), James Hopes (hamstring) and Tim Paine (finger), and was without first-choice players Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Nathan Bracken and Callum Ferguson when the series began.

Henriques himself was a replacement player who joined the group mid-tour when Hopes was ruled out.

His unavailability for Thursday''s match should mean an ODI debut for either the spinner Jon Holland or the fast bowler Clint McKay, both from Victoria, with Ben Hilfenhaus set to return to the starting line-up.

Cricket Australia has not yet announced if a replacement for Siddle would be sent to India but the Henriques injury may force them to do so.

They are likely to begin the Hyderabad match with only 13 fit men to choose from and the captain Ricky Ponting said he felt for the injured players.

"It''s disappointing to see these guys go down, because you know how much they want to play and be a part of the series and do the best they can to win games and win series,'''' the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Ponting, as saying.

At least the long-term news for some of the key members of Australia''s side is good. The Cricket Australia physio Alex Kountouris said Lee and Clarke were not far away from playing cricket again, while Paine should be able to start training by the end of the month.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday lifted curbs imposed by the Allahabad High Court, giving relief to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati to go ahead with the construction of the Ambedkar Park in Lucknow.

The Mayawati Government had moved a petition to vacate the stay on construction activities, saying that it had resulted in serious problems of maintenance of the memorials.

The Mayawati government had triggered a controversy by changing the land use of 35 acres area of Bhim Rao Ambedkar Park and starting the construction activities for setting up the Kanshi Ram Research Institute.

A group of residents had moved the High Court, which directed the state government to maintain status quo on the construction activities.

The apex court refused to pass any order for contempt action against the state government for allegedly installing a permanent structure in the park to organize the birth centenary celebrations of Bhim Rao Ambedkar on April 14.
 
The Bench also issued notice to Gomati Nagar Jan Kalyan Samiti and other petitioners on the plea of the state government seeking transfer of all cases relating to the Ambedkar Park to the apex court and stayed all the proceedings in the High Court.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Indian Government on Tuesday said that it looks forward to taking New Delhi''s ties with Afghanistan forward under the leadership of re-elected Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
 
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said: "We have noted the announcement by the Afghan Independent Election Commission on November 2, 2009 declaring President Hamid Karzai''s re-election as President of Afghanistan."

"We congratulate President Karzai and look forward to partnering Afghanistan as it continues the process of its stabilization, reconstruction and development. The international community needs to reiterate its long-term commitment to ensuring security and development in Afghanistan, and to stand steadfast against the challenge posed by the Al Qaeda and the Taliban, which threatens the stability of Afghanistan and that of the world as a whole. India on its part stands fully committed to assisting the Government and people of Afghanistan as they build a pluralistic, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan, " it added.

New Delhi''s message came even as the United States and its allies are pressing Karzai to agree to a pact that includes an anti-corruption commission, merit-based appointments and gives more authority to local leaders.

The proposed deal could help President Barack Obama make the case for a counter-insurgency strategy that hinges in large part on success winning Afghan public support for Karzai''s government as an alternative to the Taliban.

U.S. officials see improved governance as critical to resuscitating the standing of the controversially re-elected president.

Karzai was also being asked to establish an anti-corruption commission that would investigate top officials. There is also a provision that would give greater authority to local and provincial leaders in Afghanistan in choosing and overseeing projects in their areas, autonomy that Karzai has previously balked at.

According to one foreign news agency report, the West was also seeking progress early on in "re-integrating" moderate members of the Taliban, for which the United States has included funding.

"This means articulating a vision or something that will make these insurgents put their arms down. That is something that clearly has to be done," said the senior official.

Another element being discussed is the need for a "sustained economic policy" in Afghanistan that encourages private sector-led growth and steadily increases revenue collection, the official said.

U.S. officials have sought to play down any direct link between the proposed compact with Karzai to fight corruption and Obama''s decision-making on troops.

Obama delivered a strong anti-corruption message to Karzai this week, and White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Tuesday that Obama, the U.S. ambassador in Kabul and the State Department were "actively engaged" with Karzai''s government about establishing a compact to crack down on corruption.

Source ANI

Mumbai: The deadlock over government formation in Maharashtra continued on Wednesday even after 13 days of the announcement of results of the 12th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections.

State Governor S C Jamir held separate meetings with Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal at Raj Bhavan here on Tuesday to discuss the government formation issue.

Bhujbal said his party is ready to give outside support to the Congress in forming the Government, and added that it is the responsibility of the Congress not to keep changing the goal posts on which the alliance was formed a decade ago.

The Congress-NCP alliance won 144 out of the 288 seats in the October 13 State Assembly elections, but both have developed strong differences over the sharing of key portfolios.

The Congress wants the NCP to surrender at least two of five key departments - Home, Finance, Energy, Rural Development and Tribal Development. The NCP is not ready to part with Home, Finance and Energy, but is prepared to exchange the remaining two for urban development and social justice.

Source ANI

Ahmedabad:  Gujarat Police have stepped up security across the state after intelligence agencies issued a warning about a possible 26/11-like Mumbai terror attack.

According to media reports, defence intelligence agencies have alerted the home ministry about a major terrorist threat to coastal states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka.

When asked about the reports, Gujarat state''s top cop said that since the state shares a border with Pakistan, they are always on vigil.

"The Coast Guard, Navy and jurisdiction police officials jointly did ''Operation Kavach''. So we keep doing all these kinds of exercise to stay alert and also to take on any challenge, to face them jointly... so that there is coordination within all the organisations," said S. S. Khandwawala, Director General of Police.

The state police would soon acquire two helicopters for surveillance of border areas and nine marine commando units are being readied, he added.

"Gujarat will be the first state where police department will have helicopters for surveillance. Apart from that keeping in view Gujarat''s long coastline, there will be nine marine commandos units in Gujarat," he added.

Earlier, Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor warned of attacks similar to the 26/11 Mumbai carnage and said country needed to be on guard to counter such acts of terror.

Talking to reporters here, General Kapoor said: "It is necessary that we take all the steps to ensure that another incident similar to Mumbai attacks do not take place again, but we cannot entirely rule out the possibility of such an attack."

Kapoor also said, a peaceful and stable Pakistan was necessary to India''s security.
As the first anniversary of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks is round the corner, the central government has sounded alert and has called up for extra vigil in cities like Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

Source ANI

Thane (Mumbai): At least twelve persons sustained minor injuries when twelve coaches of the Bangalore bound Gandhidham Express derailed at Bhiwandi in Maharashra''s Thane district this morning.

"Twelve coaches of Gandhidham Express were derailed when the train was approaching Bhiwandi in Thane district. Twelve passengers sustained injuries," said the Central Railways PRO, A K Jain.

Another train has been sent to the accident site to take the passengers of the Gandhidham Express, said Jain.

The train has left for Bangalore and the relief works are on, he added.

This incident has not affected local train services along the Central and Harbour railway lines.

Source ANI

Patna: Ten persons were injured as police resorted to baton charge and used water cannons to disperse agitating employees of state administered fair price dealer shops in Patna, capital of Bihar state, on Wednesday.

 

Hundreds of franchise of fair price shops from across the state and the workers and labourers hired by them staged a sit-in demonstration in the city, blocking a busy street.

 

They were demanding to be treated at par with government employees and seeking wages.

 

"The government is not heeding to our demands. We have decided either we will meet the state chief or he should come here. Otherwise, I won''t leave till I am dead," said Sri Kant Lal, Secretary General, Fair Price Dealers'' Association.

 

Baton wielding policemen swung into action as the squatters did not let traffic pass.

 

"Traffic was blocked for a long time. More protestors were gathering and there was an apprehension that their agitation could spin out of control, so we had to take an action (Q. Have some arrests been made?) Yes, we have made some arrests, we are verifying their role," said Manu Mahajan, city Superintendent of Police.

 

Seven protestors were held for inciting and indulging in violence.

Source ANI

Jabalpur: Four activists of banned terrorist outfit, Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), were arrested in Jabalpur in a joint operation conducted by the Anti-Terrorist Squad and the Madhya Pradesh Police.

“With the continuous activities of SIMI activists, a special joint operation was started by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and Jabalpur Police to arrest them. During the operation, we kept a close watch on their movements at various places and yesterday evening,” said M R Krishna, IGP, Jabalpur Range.

The arrested persons have been identified as Afroze and Azad both residents of Jabalpur and Imran and Amjad hailing from Jaipur in the neighbouring state of Rajasthan.

Although no weapons or explosives were recovered from them, some illegal and objectionable items including ample cash were recovered from them, the police confirmed.

“With the arrests of these four members, objectionable and illegal items, some CDs and cash of 28,500 rupees have been recovered from them,” Krishna said.

SIMI was banned by the government in 2002 for its involvement in militant attacks in the country, and it has been labelled a militant organisation by both India and the United States.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Minister of state for Defence MM Pallam Raju on Wednesday raised doubt over whether Pakistan would be able to safeguard its nuclear arsenal from the Taliban.

“I think the internal security situation in Pakistan seems to be deteriorating everyday and we really don''t know how long and how far the establishment there will be adequately able to safeguard their strategic assets like their nuclear assets. And I hope they are taking adequate measures and we hope that such an incident will not happen," Raju told reporters.

Pakistan has faced a spree of terror attacks in recent times when the Pakistani army is involved in a massive offensive against Taliban militants in South Waziristan.

There have been several retaliatory attacks since the offensive began last month, including a deadly car bomb blast in Peshawar that killed over 100 people.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a seminar by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi, Raju said that adequate precautions are being taken to safeguard the prestigious National Defence College that, according to FBI, was one of the prime targets of Lashkar-e-Toiba.

"I think there is a constant review of threat perceptions and threat targets, which we constantly collect and we work on the safeguards adequately. You can be rest assured that adequate precaution is taken whenever there is a threat perception," said Raju.

On being asked about the steps taken by the government to prevent recurrence of 26/11 like Mumbai terror attacks, Raju said that all kinds of measures are being taken to prevent such events from happening in future.

“If an instance like that should happen again, the response time is faster and more important than that we are taking all kinds of measures in terms of coordinating intelligence sharing and information gathering in order to prevent such an event from happening," Raju said.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will address the Conference of the Chief Ministers, State Ministers (Tribal Development & Social Welfare Department) and State Ministers (Forests) here today.

The conference is being organised by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to review the implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006 and major Tribal Development programmes.

Several States having sizeable tribal population will make their presentations in the Conference on the status of the implementation of the Forest Rights Act during the current year.

They will also dwell upon the strategies being adopted by them for distributing titles by December, 2009, the target set before all by the President of India in her speech to joint Houses of Parliament in June, 2009.

The States have also been asked to make presentations on planned interventions using Central and States Funds under Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP), convergence with the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and other schemes and programmes being run by the Union line Ministries like Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Environment & Forest and Water Resources.

Source ANI

Mumbai: The BJP and Shiv Sena have demanded President''s rule in Maharashtra where a deadlock over the formation of government is continuing due to differences between Congress and the NCP over sharing of key portfolios.

The NCP and Congress alliance gained majority after winning 144 out of 288 seats in last month''s assembly elections, but both parties have failed to reach a consensus.

The Congress, which has emerged stronger after the elections, wants the NCP to part with at least two of five key departments, - Home, Finance, Energy, Rural Development and Tribal Development.

And the NCP is not ready to part with the ministries of Home, Finance and Energy but it is prepared to exchange the remaining Urban Development and Social Justice portfolios.

A delegation of BJP and Shiv Sena legislators met the state Governor S C Jamir and urged upon on him to advise President''s rule in view of the delay in the formation of a stable government.

"They have the majority and they should form the government within 24 hours else the Governor should tell the central (federal) government that President rule be imposed in the state of Maharashtra," said Subhash Desai, leader of Shiv Sena.

Eknath Khadse, leader of BJP opined that the Governor too was keen on early formation of the government.

"He has told us that such a situation should not remain in the state for long and he will take a decision on this. When the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister came to meet the Governor yesterday, he told them very bluntly that the situation is not good and they should immediately start the process of forming the government,” BJP leader Eknath Khadse said.

Source ANI

Karwar (Karnataka): The Government will commission the Coast Guard station at Karnataka''s Karwar district today for strengthening maritime and coastal security.

Director General Coast Guard Vice Admiral Anil Chopra will commission the station, which is being established based on the security assessment undertaken by the Government.

The station will function under the operational command of Inspector General SPS Basra, Commander Coast Guard Region (West), while Commandant (JG) Anil Sharma has been appointed as the Commanding Officer of the station.

The station will have two fast speedboats, to undertake search and rescue, close coast patrol and respond to emergency calls on as required basis.

Post 26/11, the responsibility of the Coastal Security from shoreline up to territorial waters has also been entrusted to the Coast Guard due to which 14 more stations will be established to address the security gap along the coastline.

In addition, the Director General Indian Coast Guard has been designated as the Commander Coastal Command, with the responsibility for overall coordination between various Central and State agencies, in all matters relating to the coastal security.

In response to the enhanced responsibilities, the Coast Guard is pursuing urgent enhancement of its surveillance capabilities so as to meet its tasks and responsibilities effectively.

The present force-levels and manpower are projected to double in a few years by graduated procurement, with proportionate corresponding infrastructure development and augmentation of the trained manpower. The setting up of 15 additional stations is part of this effort.

Source ANI

Guwahati: The Chinese Army is conducting exercises in areas adjoining Arunachal Pradesh.  This was disclosed by Major General S.S. Jog, General Officer Commanding the Red Horn Division, during a seminar on counter terrorism organised by the Army for officers and allied personnel engaged in anti-insurgency operations in Guwahati on Wednesday.

Apart from the serving officers, several retired personnel of the Indian Army and para-military forces shared their views and expertise in counter-insurgency operations.

To a poser on intrusion by Chinese troops in the neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh state, Major General S S Jog, General Office Commanding of the Red Horn Division, said: “There is some sort of exercises, which they generally do during this particular time of the year. They have done a few exercises and certain amounts of troops have come in but it''s normal routine exercise.”

There has been a flurry of reports in Indian media of Chinese incursions along the border -- shrugged off by both the Indian and Chinese governments.

Consequently, New Delhi protested against a Chinese Foreign Ministry''s policy of issuing different visas to residents of disputed northern region of Jammu and Kashmir state.

Major General (retied) Gaganjit Singh said that although things have improved a lot in Assam the ultimate peace is yet to return.

"The things have changed a lot. What it was in 10 years back it''s not now today. Firstly, the public of Assam have realised that insurgency has given them no benefit. That realisation is a big achievement. Secondly, I can only say that ultimate peace has not come. It takes time for everything," said Major General Singh.

Source ANI

Srinagar: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said that Kashmiri Pandit migrants would be consulted on issues regarding their return to the valley and rehabilitation. 

"Kashmiri Pandit migrants will be consulted on every issue regarding their return to the valley...I have heard your problems, concerns and apprehensions and will address them faithfully, sincerely and to the best of my ability. My focus will be on results," Chidambaram said while interacting with a group of migrants at Nagrota Camp in Jagti..

Earlier on Wednesday, Chidambaram held meeting with members of the Apex committee of Kashmiri Pandits at Jagti satellite township where flats are being constructed for the migrants.

Chidambaram told reporters that the construction of 2,160 flats would be completed in the township by December and the remaining 2,050 flats will be ready by May 2010.

During the meet, the Apex committee members raised various issues concerning the displaced Kashmiri Pandits.

They demanded immediate implementation of employment package and enhancement of cash relief to the migrants.

Chidambaram also said that he would discuss the committee''s demand with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

Source ANI

Guwahati: Renowned environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna on Wednesday registered his protest against dams being constructed in Arunachal Pradesh.

During a news conference in Guwahati, Bahuguna said: "We ourselves are a victim of dams which I would say are disastrous in the long run and the border areas should be free of dams."

Bahuguna was protesting against the mega dams being constructed as part of the Subansiri Lower hydroelectric project which is the biggest hydroelectric project undertaken in India so far and is a run of river scheme on river Subansiri.

Many locals joined Bahuguna who has called for a total ban on construction of mega dams, saying that such huge constructions could be dangerous in high seismic regions.

The project is located near North Lakhimpur on the border of Assam and Aruncachal Pradesh.

Source ANI

Koraput: Tribals in Orissa’s Koraput district are resorting to black magic and superstitions to get cured from the spell of an unknown disease, which the doctors are yet to identify.

Recently, five children succumbed to this unknown disease in which patients complain of pain in stomach.

"We took the patient to Koraput hospital. We don''t know what is the name of the disease, as the doctors there couldn''t identify it. So, therefore we took the help of the black magician in our village and children are getting cured by the treatment offered to them," said Padam, a villager.

Tribes like Gadba, Bonda, Duria, Kandha and Bhuya still depend on black magic treatments.

Despite scientific advancements a large chunk of the population of India still remains trapped in time and space and has hardly moved into the modern scientific age. They still follow superstitions prevailing since ages.

The irrational beliefs are attributed to lack of education and awareness.

The tribals are the poorest and most marginalized community in India, with the worst social and health indicators. They constitute around 8 percent of the country''s total population of 1.1 billion.

In Orissa, there are 62 distinct tribal groups, making it the largest collection of tribal people in a single state in the country.

Source ANI

Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh): A five-day tribal festival in Kinnaur valley of Himachal Pradesh which concluded on Tuesday enthralled the people by providing a glimpse of the rich tradition and folk forms of the State.

 

“Pre-Lavi” festival was organized to offer a platform to the traditional artistes to showcase their talent.

 

Hundreds of tribals from different parts of Kinnaur valley participated in the extravaganza to showcase their unique attire, dance, music, and food.

 

"We tried to promote the upcoming traditional artistes of Kinnaur by organizing cultural dance and music competitions. We also provided a platform to exhibit the Kinnauri shawls, apricot oil, wool, dry fruits and apples," said Priyanka Vasu, Deputy Commissioner, Kinnaur District Administration.

 

Vasu said they put up government stalls to provide information about the upcoming government policies.

 

In an attempt to add genuine touch to the festival, special stalls were erected for people to buy dry fruits, traditional dresses, wool and organic agricultural produce.

 

"We are farmers and we do organic farming. We have come here to exhibit and sell our local organic produce. We are trying to promote organic farming by participating in this tribal festival," said Vimal Negi, a tribal farmer and a participant in the exhibition.

 

The organization of the festival helps the people of Kinnaur valley to preserve their rich tradition but also earn a livelihood.

 

This festival lasted till November 02 (Monday).

Source ANI

Jammu: Union Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram on Wednesday expressed his displeasure over the Services team, representing the armed forces, pulling out of the Ranji Trophy match in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.

 

Addressing reporters in Jammu, he urged people to forget the incident as a bad incident.

 

“Lets put it behind as a bad incident, they have apologised and we should accept the apology putted behind us, and I will assure you that if this issue had come to my notice earlier then this would not happen…but any sports event scheduled for Srinagar will take place and I will see the Cricket match will take place in Srinagar,” said Chidambaram.

 

It may be noted that the Services team, refused to play the Ranji Trophy match in Srinagar, citing security reasons.

 

Later the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) apologised to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and sought fresh dates for playing the match in Srinagar.

 

Earlier on Wednesday, Chidambaram arrived in Jammu to review the security situation and assess the progress of Prime Minister’s rehabilitation package for the displaced Kashmiri migrants.

 

He also visited Jagti Satellite Township at Nagrota, about 15-kms from Jammu, where flats are under construction for the displaced Kashmiri Pandit migrant families.

 

Chidambaram also held discussions with the members of Apex Committee for the return of Kashmiri Migrants, formed by the provincial government.

 

“I have heard three of members speaking on behalf of the Apex Committee. I have noted down their concerns and issues I will discuss it with the Chief Minister and we will find an answer to the issues. This was not my last meeting with the Apex Committee, we will meet again from time to time,” said Chidambaram.

 

Kashmiri Pandits left their ancestral homes in 1989 when militancy broke out in the state.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has announced that the government would provide an assistance of 750,000 rupees to any family, which will undertake renovation/reconstruction of their houses located in the valley.

Source ANI

Boisar (Maharashtra): Having revolutionised the automobile segment by offering the world''s cheapest car, Tata Group seems to be aiming at revolutionizing the real estate sector by offering affordable Nano houses.

 

The company is offering three types of flats. A one-room flat with a small kitchen in an area of 283 square feet, a one-room flat with a large kitchen in an area of 360 square feet and a one-bed room flat with a hall and kitchen in an area of 465 square feet.

 

Tata Housing, a subsidiary of Tata Sons, has launched Nano-housing project in Boisar in Maharashtra.

 

Tata Housing, a subsidiary of Tata Sons, has launched a low-cost housing project called the Shubh Griha (auspicious home), joining a group of Indian developers who have moved to the affordable housing segment, as demand dries up for more expensive homes.

 

The first Shubh Griha Township will be developed at Boisar of Maharashtra state.

 

The company is investing a billion rupees to develop a 1,200-unit township at Boisar, a town on the outskirts of Mumbai. The project would be completed by 2011.

 

Costs of these flats will vary between 390,000 rupees to 670,000 rupees.

 

Company''s aim is to provide affordable housing solutions to the common man.

 

"There are 25 million house demand in India, so based upon it we find out how the product can be developed. Since this is a different product therefore you will have to consider the size, you will have to optimise the space and there is something you will in real estate termed as loading, you will have to minimise the loading. Taking all these three aspects then finally comes the price point," said Rajiv, an engineer with Tata Housing.

 

"We are targeting a segment which is like rupees 150,000 to 200,000 income household, so taking all these factors into consideration we come out with the product which is called Nano housing," added Rajiv.

 

The company has also tied up with state run State Bank of India and Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC) to provide finance options to the potential buyers.

Source ANI