India News

Hyderabad: The Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Committee (PMEAC) chairman, C Rangarajan, said here on Tuesday that country’s economy will grow between 7 to 7.75 percent during the current fiscal despite poor performance of the agriculture sector on account of drought and floods.

 

Addressing the students of College of Defence Management here, Rangarajan said: "The economy will grow between 7 and 7.5 percent overall but agricultural growth may fall by 1 to 2 percent.”

 

Highlighting food inflation as a major concern, he said: "Agricultural growth rate should not fall below four percent for food security as 60 percent of the population are in rural areas."

 

Though the country’s economy did well during the second quarter by recording a growth of 7.9 percent, the agriculture and allied sector output slipped to below one percent.

 

Mentioning the impact of widespread drought and devastating floods on the farm sector, Rangarajan said: “Rice output might decline by 13 million tonnes.”

 

However he expressed hope, that the rabi crop would help in covering the shortfall of kharif.

Source ANI

Nalanda: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held a cabinet meeting with his council of ministers on Tuesday at Rajgir in Nalanda here.

Nitish, who arrived here in a chopper played Shanti Dhak, a musical instrument from the chopper to the venue.

The council of ministers that had gathered for the meeting used the ropeway to reach the place.

He held a cabinet meeting at the convention centre near the Stupa of Lord Buddha.

A delighted Nitish said that he was camping in Rajgir because of its glorious past.

"Our mission is to develop the area into a supreme tourist spot to earn revenue," he added.

The state Chief Minister is on a five-day tour of Rajgir.

Source ANI

Thiruvananthapuram: The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), a trade union in Kerala, on Tuesday called for a shutdown in the state emphasising that the increase in prices of essential commodities has disrupted the normal life.

The 12-hour shutdown began at 6am.

BMS activist also staged a demo and raised slogans against the state government for price rise.

"After 2006, the prices have tripled. It has affected the normal employees, as they are not given enough salaries. And the government is not taking action. We want an immediate action," said K. Chandrashekar, deputy general Secretary of BMS.

The protest also marks the failure of Left Democratic Front government in the state, he added.

The essential services like milk, wedding, ambulances and hospitals are exempted from the shutdown.

The shutdown was mostly peaceful, but some incidents of small violence were reported from the interior parts of Thiruvananthapuram district.

The BMS supporters stoned Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KRTC) buses during the shutdown at some places.

Attendance in government offices was low and the University examinations were postponed due to the shutdown.

Source ANI

Bangalore: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Deputy Governor Shyamala Gopinath said here on Tuesday that it is closely monitoring the spiralling inflation, but would keep in mind the need to encourage growth before making changes to monetary policy.

 

Addressing the members of the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Gopinath said: “RBI has already started the first phase of exit in its October policy, though primarily in terms of signalling the stance rather than affecting the liquidity conditions or the interest rate.”

 

"The evolving growth-inflation conditions will dictate the future course of actions from RBI," she added.

 

According to Gopinath, rising food prices is a result of lower supplies and was responsible for stoking inflation rate.

 

She said the main challenge before the country was to deal with the dip in food output.

 

“Given this scenario, higher inflation could not be ruled out,” she opined.

 

"Since supply shocks take time to taper off, there is a risk that high inflation in essential commodities could affect inflation expectations over time and give rise to generalised inflation,” Gopinath said.

 

For the week ended on December 12, country’s annual food inflation based on wholesale prices fell marginally to 18.65 per cent from 19.95 per cent.

Source ANI

Chandigarh: Ruchika''s family lawyer has filed two First Information Reports (FIRs) against former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore, who has been charged for allegedly molesting teenager Ruchika Girhotra, a promising young tennis star in 1990.

The lawyer claimed that the first FIR has been filed for forging documents like the inquest report and the other for illegal detention of Ruchika''s brother Ashu, who was kept in illegal detention at the behest of Rathore and given tortures.

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has also been filed on Tuesday asking for action to be taken against all those who tried to protect Rathore; including Sacred Heart School, where Ruchika studied. The school has been asked to explain the reasons for expelling her.

Rathore was then an Inspector General of Police and the head of the Haryana Lawn Tennis Federation.

CBI''s Special Magistrate J S Sidhu sentenced 67-year-old Rathore to six months rigorous imprisonment (RI) during an in-camera proceeding and imposed a fine of Rs 1,000, but Rathore got bail immediately.

Teenager Ruchika killed herself three years after the incident by drinking poison.

Source ANI

Nevada (US): Renowned Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) in Richmond (USA) has acquired a rare 18th-century legend scroll from Andhra Pradesh (India), one of the few of its kind to survive today.

Dr. Joseph M. Dye III, VMFA''s curatorial chair, reportedly says it is a "rare and unrivaled painting" that is "dramatically" longer than other known examples and is clearly the work of a master atelier. "I can say with complete confidence that this is the greatest South Indian painting that I have seen in my 42-year professional career."

This Museum already has a large collection of Hindu arts and artifacts, which reportedly includes "Krishna and the Gopis" (Kangra miniature painting,1790), "Vishnu''s Great Vision of Shiva" (Punjab hills miniature painting, around 1810), "Shiva and Parvati accompanied by their sons Ganesha and Karttikeya" (Bengal watercolor,1860), "The Creation of the Universe: Vishnu and Lakshmi on Sesha, the Cosmic Serpent, floating on the multitudinous seas" (Guler watercolor, around 1770), 20th-century votive image of standing Shiva in brass, Shiva Nataraja (late 1100s sculpture from Tamil Nadu), Ganesha (early 1100s Hoyshala sculpture), "Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita" (three pages from the manuscript from East India around 1150), "Krishna and Balarama arrive in Brindaban" (watercolor,1585), Ramayana (double-sided watercolor, around 1900), etc.

Hindus have commended VMFA for efforts to educate the world about Hinduism through various art forms. Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that art had a long and rich tradition in Hinduism and ancient Sanskrit literature talked about religious paintings of deities on wood or cloth. It was an admirable attempt of VMFA to provide avenues to the public to look deeper into concepts of Hinduism, which was the oldest and third largest religion of the world rich in philosophical thought, Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, pointed out.

VMFA has organized Hinduism related exhibitions in the past, including "God, Hero and Lover: Representations of Krishna in Indian Painting" of 17-19th century jewel-like miniature opaque watercolors of all-encompassing Krishna, which form part of its extensive collection of Hindu paintings.

Another was "Picturing Philosophy: An illustrated manuscript from 18th-century India", highlighting the 1763 Jnaneshvari manuscript depicting commentary on ancient Hindu scripture Bhagavad-Gita.

It has also launched an online exhibition about Indian paintings reportedly from its collection, which includes "Krishna and His friends celebrate Holi in the forests of Brindaban" (Mewar watercolor, 1710-20), "The pining Radha",  "Krishna and Radha",  "Krishna slays the horse demon Kesi",  "The search for Sita",  "Shiva Ardhanarishvara",  "Karttikeya", "Krishna distributes butter to the monkeys", "Celebrations in honor of Krishna''s birth", "Shiva manifesting within a linga of flames, worshiped by Brahma and Vishnu",  "Rama and Lakshmana meet",  "Krishna adorning Radha''s hair", "Krishna dancing in joyous abandon", etc.

Meanwhile, Rajan Zed urged major art museums of the world, including Musee du Louvre and Musee d''Orsay of Paris, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Los Angeles Getty Center, Uffizi Gallery of Florence (Italy), Art Institute of Chicago, Tate Modern of London, Prado Museum of Madrid, National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, etc., to frequently organize Hindu art focused exhibitions, thus sharing the rich Hindu art heritage with the rest of the world.

Source ANI

New Delhi: A day after he was publicly reproached by his senior colleague S M Krishna, Union Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday commented on Twitter that he had missed brouhaha on the issue.

 

Tharoor, however refused to add anything to his earlier comments.

 

In his latest post on social networking site Twitter Tharoor said: "Was travelling out of range and missed brouhaha. Now that EAM (External Affairs Minister) Krishnaji, whom I respect, has spoken, I hv (have) nothing 2 (to) add. Will discuss visa issue w (with) him.”

 

On Monday, Krishna had dubbed Tharoor for questioning the tightening of visa rules and asked him to discuss his "perceptions within four walls of the government rather than in public.”

 

Tharoor also thanked his followers in the network for supporting him on the issue.

 

"But thanks for all the kind words over the last 24hrs. Appreciate the support!," he stated.

 

On Saturday, Tharoor questioned the tightening of visa rules in the backdrop of the David Headley case by posting a tweet.

 

“Issue is not security vs tourism, but whether visa restrictions protect our security,” Tharoor had tweeted.

 

Wondering whether the new visa norms for foreign nationals made any sense at all and if it would actually protect security Tharoor had added, "26/11 killers had no visas.”

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) President Arun Jaitley has responded strongly to the blame put up by former cricketer Kirti Azad that he was manhandled in the DDCA meeting that was called to discuss Sunday''s one-day international fiasco.

Jaitley said, "No event like the one described by Azad took place in the DDCA meeting."

Azad had earlier claimed that he was allegedly attacked for asking questions related to the issue.

Azad, who is also a member of the DDCA, said, "People were manhandled and I was allegedly attacked inside the meeting."

"People have a full right to raise questions related to Sunday''s fiasco," he added.

Former cricketer Chetan Chauan said, "Azad is lying and no event like this occurred in the DDCA meet."

Azad had said members of the DDCA are not professional and are divided into two proxy groups.

On Sunday, the fifth One-Day International (ODI) between India and Sri Lanka was called off at the Ferozshah Kotla Stadium in Delhi due to the poor pitch conditions.

Source ANI

New Delhi: India and Japan have signed a joint statement on moving to a new stage of their strategic and global partnership here today.

The joint statement to this effect was signed by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and his Japanese counterpart Yukio Hatoyama after their talks on a wide range of issues including civil nuclear energy and energy security.

The two sides have also come out with an action plan to advance their security, cooperation based on the joint declaration that was signed between the two countries on the issue in October last year.

The two leaders have decided to expedite the negotiations on the comprehensive economic partnership agreement so that it can be signed as early as possible.
They also leaders decided that they will work for conclusion on the agreement for the main loan for the first phase of western dedicated freight corridor by March next year that it can start in 2010 itself.

Japanese Premier Hatoyama, who is on his first official visit after taking over in mid-September, was accompanied by his wife Miyuki Hatoyama at yesterday''s dinner hosted by Dr Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur at their 7 Race Course Road residence.

Earlier, the Japanese Prime Minister met UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, ICCR President Dr. Karan Singh and Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma .

Japan and India, Asia''s largest and third largest economies, have been working at improving ties since Japan slapped sanctions on India in response to its 1998 nuclear tests.

India wants details of Hatoyama''s foreign policy, particularly Tokyo''s attempts to pursue a foreign policy more independent of Washington and improve ties with China.

Hatoyama''s talks with India could also focus on climate change policies -- with the two countries on opposite sides of the debate, particularly on expanding the scope of Japanese support for renewable energy projects in India.

Source ANI

Dausa (Rajasthan): A case similar to the Ruchika molestation case has come up in Dausa involving a tribal woman. She was allegedly raped thirteen years ago and is still waiting for justice.

Madhukar Tandon, a senior police officer had allegedly raped Maali Devi, a tribal Meena woman in Dausa. The Rajasthan police has still not arrested the absconding police officer.
 
Maali Devi says, "I was taken to Noida and abused. My husband was beaten up, we were destroyed."

Tandon had allegedly kidnapped and raped his gunman Khayali Meena''s wife Maali in Noida in 1997.

In February, the same year, the victim filed a case both in Noida and in her native village. Tandon was on leave when the case was filed. He has been missing since then.

Rajasthan police has failed to trace or arrest him, despite the fact that he has property in Jaipur.
 
The victim and her husband now survive by working the fields in their village.

In its election manifesto of 1998, the Congress government had promised to bring Tandon to book. But action is yet to be taken.

Source ANI

New Delhi: JD (U) chief and NDA convener Sharad Yadav said on Tuesday that a decision would be taken later whether the Shibu Soren-led party will become a part of the NDA.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Shibu Soren is to take oath as the next Chief Minister of Jharkhand on Wednesday with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Addressing a joint press conference on Monday, Yadav said the vision of a model state would now be fulfilled with the BJP, JD (U), JMM and AJSU collectively forming a stable and corruption-free government.

Source ANI

Puri: Cooks at the world-renowned Jagannath Temple in Puri have gone on an indefinite strike in the wake of a deadlock with the temple administration.

The temple kitchen, which is considered to be the largest in the world, prepares mahaprasad (offerings) for around 30,000 devotees daily. It is not doing any business due to the strike.

The cooks allege that there have been undue delays in performing daily religious rituals of the temple. They claim that such delays have resulted in huge financial losses, as there have been no sales of the mahaprasad to devotees.

"We are only preparing mahaprasad for the deities, and not for the devotees because the rituals of the temple take a lot of time. Due to this, the cooks have to face huge losses, as they can''t sell the mahaprasad to the devotees. We will not cook until the temple administration gives us assurance that the temple rituals will finish on time," said Biswanath Samantara, Secretary of the Sua Mahasuar Nijog (the union of the cooks).
Hundreds of cooks and pilgrims were dejected, as there were no sales of the mahaprasad at Anand Bazaar, a market at the 12th century shrine.

Many devotees had even paid for the mahaprasad but did not get any.

"We have came here for just two days and we have not had the mahaprasad yet, though we have paid for it. Now, there is no time for us to wait for the cooks to call off their strike," said Ramababu, a devotee.

To mark their protest of the temple''s administration, the cook kept pots of unsold mahaprasad within the temple premises.

Reportedly, around two hundred cooks sell mahaprasad worth one million rupees every day during festive seasons. Many incur a profit of more than rupees 5,000 Dollars on such a day.

According to reports, though, the strike has been called off as the temple administration has assured the cooks that the religious rituals will be performed in a timely manner.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Northern India continues to reel under a severe cold wave, with dense fog shrouding large parts of the region.

The maximum and minimum temperatures in Delhi on Tuesday were 22 and 6 degree Celsius respectively; slightly higher than the season''s low of 5.2 degree Celsius which was recorded on December 26.

A light fog also engulfed New Delhi in the early hours this morning, causing delay in train and flight schedules.

According to sources, flights to Chennai, Srinagar, Amritsar and Patna were delayed by about an hour as the general visibility dropped to 300 meters.

"I had to go to Patna but due to the fog, the train is late by two hours," said Ramashankar Singh, a traveller.

In Amritsar, locals warmed themselves in front of fires.

"It is very cold. We have to wear gloves and caps while venturing out of the house but still it feels cold. It is very cold and that''s why we are all warming ourselves in front of the fire," said Satpal Singh, a resident.

In Haryana, Ambala recorded a low of 0.3 degree Celsius, while it was 0.9 degrees at Rohtak.

In Himachal Pradesh, Keylong, headquarters of Lahaul and Spiti district, with a night temperature of minus 9.7 degree Celsius remained the coldest place.

Mount Abu remained the coldest place in Rajasthan with a minimum temperature of one degree Celsius.

Source ANI

Silliguri: An organisation spearheading the campaign for a separate Gorkhaland state here on Monday demanded that the next round of tripartite talks should be held at the political level.

The decision was taken at the central committee meeting of the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM).

GJM is demanding a new state of ''Gorkhaland'' to be carved out from West Bengal.
Tripartite talks held earlier in Darjeeling resulted inconclusive.

"Now we want the talks, specifically on Gorkhaland issues, and it should be done in political levels within 45 days, dates counting from December 21," said Tilakchand Roka, central committee member of the GJM.

To press for their demand, the GJM from Sunday began a road blockade in all the national highways passing through their demanded territory.

"We began our strike on 27 December, and it will continue the same way until our demand for Gorkhaland is fulfilled," said Amrit Ranjan, secretary of students'' wing of the GJM, in Siliguri.

Apart from that the relay hunger strike that began on December 26 is underway in different sub-divisions of the Darjeeling hills.

Womens cell of the GJM started their hunger strike on Monday.

Gorkhas have been demanding a separate state, to be carved out West Bengal, to help them protect their culture and heritage.

The demand for Gokhaland gained momentum after New Delhi announced earlier this month that it would carve out the new state of Telangana out of the present state of Andhra Pradesh in south India.

The Gorkha population in West Bengal is around one million out of over 80 million.

Source ANI

New Delhi: A team of archaeologists has found stonewares from the Neolithic Age in southeastern Tibet.

According to the Nyingchi Prefectural Bureau of Culture, Radio and Television, the stonewares were found in Medog County, Nyingchi Prefecture, southeastern Tibet.

They were discovered by members of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Survey Team and the Nyingchi Prefectural Survey Team, during the third national cultural relics survey.

They found 34 stonewares and collected 28 of them, including axes, adzes and chisels.

Experts of the Shaanxi Provincial Archeology Research Institute and the Tibet Autonomous Regional Cultural Relics Research Institute judged that the stonewares belonged to the Neolithic Age and that the river banks where the stoneware were found saw frequent human activities in ancient times.

Cui Xiaodong, director of the bureau, said that the discovery is of vital importance to the research on the production and living conditions of human ancestors living in Medog County and the Yarlung Zangbo River Canyon.

Source ANI

New Delhi: At the Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) committee meeting held here on Tuesday to discuss Sunday''s one-day international fiasco, former cricketer Kirti Azad claimed that he was allegedly attacked for asking questions related to the issue.

Azad, who is also a member of the DDCA, said, "People were manhandled and I was allegedly attacked inside the meeting."

"People have a full right to raise questions related to Sunday''s fiasco," he added.

Azad further said members of the DDCA are not professional and are divided into two proxy groups.

Commenting about the DDCA members, Azad said they have no knowledge about cricket.

On Sunday, the fifth One-Day International (ODI) between India and Sri Lanka was called off at the Ferozshah Kotla Stadium in Delhi due to the poor pitch conditions.

Source ANI

Hyderabad: Notwithstanding an assurance from Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee that the Centre would soon take a firm decision on the Telangana statehood issue, ministers belonging to the Telangana region have refuted suggestions that they will withdraw their resignations. They have asked the UPA Government at the Centre to come out with a definite time frame for the formation of the Telangana state.

Earlier, the ministers had sent a common resignation letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi in which they pressed for Telangana statehood.

Mukherjee had on Sunday asked the Andhra Pradesh ministers to withdraw their resignations, saying the Central Government would soon come announce some good news on the Telangana issue.

A delegation of thirteen ministers headed by State Information and Tourism Minister Geeta Reddy had met Mukherjee on Sunday to discuss the Centre''s delay in announcing the process for the formation of the Telangana state.

Meanwhile, K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), the chief of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) has formed the Telangana Joint Action Committee with the help of politicians and students supporting the Telangana cause.

KCR has claimed that he will call for an indefinite shutdown from Tuesday over the Telangana issue in the region, if the Central Government does not commit to a schedule for the formation of the new state that it had approved earlier this month.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Visiting Japan Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama met his Indian counterpart Dr. Manmohan Singh at a private dinner here on Monday.

Both countries later signed two pacts, including one on collaboration in developing eco-cities.

After the signing of the two pacts, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project has been conceptualised as a global investment and manufacturing destination with emphasis on expanding the manufacturing and services base.

Sharma also said the project will involve a huge investment and initial projection points at a whopping Rs 3,60,000 crore.

The DMIC Development Corporation entered into a pact with the Japan External Trade Organisation for collaborating with the environment-related projects.

Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister met more than 20 of India''s top industry leaders in Mumbai and discussed a host of issues, primarily bilateral trade relations between India and Japan.

Japan and India, Asia''s largest and third largest economies, have been working at improving ties since Japan slapped sanctions on India in response to its 1998 nuclear tests.

Hatoyama launched his visit by meeting Indian industrialists, including Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata and Reliance Industries head Mukesh Ambani.

India wants details of Hatoyama''s foreign policy, particularly Tokyo''s attempts to pursue a foreign policy more independent of Washington and improve ties with China.

New Delhi will also want to know more about India''s place in Hatoyama''s proposed East Asian community with a single currency, inspired by the 27-nation European Union.

Japan is India''s sixth largest investor. Bilateral trade, more than 12 billion dollars in 2008-09, is targetted to climb to 20 billion dollars by next year.

Hatoyama''s talks with India could also focus on climate change policies -- with the two countries on opposite sides of the debate, particularly on expanding the scope of Japanese support for renewable energy projects in India.

Source ANI

Hyderabad: R.R Girish, Director General of Police (DGP), Andhra Pradesh has said the police is dealing with the Telangana state-related law and order crisis with utmost restraint and impartiality.

Talking to reporters here on Monday, Girish said: "I would like to emphasize that police officers, including the IPS, we owe allegiance to the Constitution and the rule of law and nothing else, certainly it would be our endeavour to act with impartiality without any bias and would be neutral no matter what happens."

Pro-separate state protestors and political leaders accused the police of being biased and playing second fiddle to the political forces opposing the formation of the separate state.
The Telangana state autonomy row has engulfed many regions of the state.

Telangana region comprises over 10 northern districts of Andhra Pradesh state.

Leaders of Congress party had earlier said that the government wanted to respect the sentiments of the people of Telangana, who have been demanding statehood for a long time.

Political analysts feel that the creation of the new state of Telangana may fuel social unrest and separatist demands in other states.

Several regions of India have already been demanding autonomy for better governance, such as Vidarbha, Kamtapur and Gorkhaland.

Source ANI

Chandigarh: Sixteen years after Ruchika Girhotra, a promising young tennis star killed herself by drinking poison, her friends and acquaintances remembered her. Ruchika committed suicide because she was unable to face the trauma imposed on her family at the hands of former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore, following her molestation at his hands.

The last nineteen years have been a period of sheer agony for her family and friends.

Ruchika''s friend Aradhana remembers the time when she used to play tennis with her.

"I remember clearly we used to come to the court and play. We both would watch Monika Seles and Steffy Graph''s games. Therefore, when I come here it becomes very difficult for me. I can see her everywhere, her smiling face, her strokes, her body language. She was so active. I can''t play this game ever again," said Aradhana.

"She used to beat me every time. Once I tried with my husband in Australia but I couldn''t. So yes, I will be living with the feelings that I shared with Ruchika for the rest of my life. It was a really ugly incident for us. It changed our outlook towards life," she added.
 
Aradhana, now settled in Australia, is determined to fight until Ruchika gets justice. At present, she is back to her parents place attending to Ruchika''s case.

Manju Prakash, Aradhana''s mother also deeply remembers Ruchika whom she treated like her own daughter.

"She was my daughter''s friend. I had motherly feeling towards her as her mother had died. We used to talk. I feel very sad when I remember her. She would have had her own family today," she said.

Source ANI

Midnapore: The Maoists-backed People''s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) has called for a two-day shutdown in West Midnapore district here.

PCAPA members forced thirty-one supporters of the CPM to join them. The event took place at Salboni, where the PCAPA members held a kangaroo court and compelled the CPM members to change sides.

The shutdown has been called to demand the removal of the security forces from the area.

Source ANI

Bangalore: Chemical spill in Bangalore triggered a scare as some residents complained of experiencing burns and irritation in their eyes on Tuesday.

 

According to local residents of Srirampuram area, the stink was so intense that they thought it to be a gas leakage.

 

Later they found several unclaimed barrels of some unidentified chemical in the backyard of railway track.

 

"There was nothing since yesterday and day before but today the smell spread heavily. Police and officials have come here and are investigating. Due to winds today the odour spread in the adjoining areas," said Anil Kumar, a local.

 

Regional pollution control officer Shanta Kumari said the chemical was being analysed.

 

"We feel smell residue is there but only after analysis we will come to know… We have collected the samples at different locations and...another two days, tomorrow we will be getting the report," she said.

 

Police have seized seven barrels found abandoned at an open space adjacent to the railway track and are investigating who dumped the chemical.

Source ANI

Mylapore (Chennai): Two female tourists hailing from Tehran were arrested for possessing fake Indian currency while shopping at a lifestyle store in Chennai on Tuesday.

The two women, incidentally mother and daughter and identified as Mortazavi Asraf and Asraf Soloni, are on a month long visit to India.

Reportedly holding tourist visas, they arrived in the country on December 2 and visited many places.

In the upmarket Mylapore area, they were purchasing clothes at a store when the shop owner smelt a rat on the veracity of the notes and informed the police.

Soon the police personnel arrived on the scene and found fake currency notes worth Rs. 23000 all in the denomination of500 rupees.

"Two females from abroad said to be from Tehran, Iran, traded to exchange the counterfeit currency in this shop. We rushed immediately and conducted a search and found out that they were possessing fake currency of about 23000 rupees. We consulted the bank officials who also confirmed the currency to be fake," said Jawahar, Inspector of Police, Mylapore Police Station.

Mortazavi Asraf (62) and her daughter Asraf Soloni (25) were produced in the city court and were remanded to judicial custody till January 12.

The passports of both the ladies have been confiscated.

Several cases of fake currency, being smuggled into India have been reported form several parts of the country.

Source ANI

Srinagar: As the winter chill sets in Jammu and Kashmir tourists both domestic and international are flocking the picturesque valley in large numbers giving a boost to the state’s economy.

 

Though the tourist rush is not new to the valley,but compared to previous years, more tourists coming this December.

 

Local youths are happy as lot of employment is generated by the inflow of tourists and the local socio-economic aspects in Jammu and Kashmir thrive on tourism.

 

"It is cold right now and lots of tourists are coming in. Tourists from all over the country like Mumbai, Gujarat, Ahmedabad and Kolkata. I have never seen such a big rush of tourists before," said Rafiq Ahmed, a boat owner.

 

"Winter in Kashmir has its own charm and after coming here the environments is so different that it makes you forget all your problem. And after coming here you just want to be here and do not want to go anywhere else," said Yoginder Verma, a tourist from Delhi.

 

Clorin, a tourist from Hong Kong, expressed her desire to visit Kashmir next time again.

 

Kashmir was once a top Asian tourism destination, popular among honeymooners, skiers, trekkers and anglers, and attracting about a million tourists a year until 1989, when simmering anger against Central Government burst into a violent rebellion.

 

Recently, visitors have started returning to the scenic Valley as violence declined significantly.

 

Last year, nearly 500 thousand tourists and other visitors traveled to the Valley region to experience beautiful landscapes.

Source ANI

Silguri (West Bengal): The Gorkha community members from  Darjeeling region of West Bengal demanded the Union Government to table the bill to create the separate Gorkhaland state in the next parliament session.

 

To press for its demand the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has blocked all the roads in the region since Sunday.

 

National Highway 55, which connects Darjeeling region with whole of West Bengal and National Highway 31 linking Sikkim with the rest of the country, continued to remain blocked even on Tuesday.

 

The GJM students wing central committee member Kamalesh Rai said :

"Actually our demand is very simple. We want Gorkhaland and before the next Parliament session comes on, we want the bill be placed in the Parliament.”

 

Apart from the blockades, the activists of GJM have been observing relay hunger strike that began on Saturday in different sub-divisions of the Darjeeling Hills.

 

Meanwhile, the women cell of the GJM started their hunger strike on Monday.

Source ANI

Rajouri (Jammu and Kashmir): A soldier was injured when an army patrol was ambushed by a group of militants here on Tuesday.

 

A column of the 16 Rashtriya Rifles came under gunfire while passing through a thick forest in Rajouri and Poonch districts.

 

The army personnel retaliated the fire, forcing the militants to flee.The army later launched a massive combing operation.

 

Deputy Inspector General of Rajouri and Poonch range S.D. Singh said : "There was an army patrol which was fired upon from two sides in the Dera street. A thick forest on both the sides surrounds that spot and there was simultaneous firing from both the sides.

 

“Army, very effectively, retaliated and immediately after the firing, a search operation was launched. One soldier has retained minor injuries and after army''s effective firing, they stopped firing and during the cordon they ran away,” he added.

 

The army contingent was on its way back to their base after a routine patrolling.

 

The militants had taken positions atop a hill and when the troops came near they opened fire on them with automatic rifles.

 

A total of 50 rounds were fired by an estimated four to six militants, out of which 30 empty cartridges were recovered from the spot.

 

On Saturday security personnel arrested two aides of banned groups, Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba, from Rajouri district.

Source ANI

Namchi (Sikkim): A state-level dancing and singing talent hunt show named Sikkim Rock Star began at Namchi to provide youth of the state to showcase their talent.

 

Sikkim Rock Star is a music show based on dance and singing competition sponsored by Singbell GPU Construction Cooperative Society Limited.

 

According to the organisers, this event will provide the much-needed platform for the youth of Sikkim to interact and integrate with the mainstream of arts and culture at the national level.

 

The music competition was conducted in three categories while the dances were slotted in solo and group dances.

 

Sonia Sheikh and K B Gurung, two well-known musicians of Sikkim were judges of the show.

 

Around 25 dance groups and 25 singers participated in the semi final rounds and the auditions were held in all the four districts of Sikkim - Namchi, Singtam, Gangtok and Pelling.

 

Speaking to ANI a contestant Dhiraj said:  "I was thoroughly encouraged by this opportunity. There were a lot of participants from all over, but everyone got equal opportunity to showcase talent, that is what I liked so much about this Sikkim Rock Star.”

 

The organisers wished that the state government lends ample support to their efforts.

 

Organising committee member Sonia noted : "Things are already improving, I feel that if the government gives a little support and open some music institutes for budding talents, then I think that Sikkim can attain its position, to a great extent. Many artistes from Sikkim even venture out and they even go to Bollywood. Sikkim can get a place in the field of music, as one can see. Talking about northeast, Sikkim contributes a major share in the number of musicians we produce.”

 

The winner of the vocal and the dance competition will be provided an opportunity to compete in the other major events like TV reality shows.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Union Law and Justice Minister M Veerappa Moily said here on Tuesday that the molestation and suicide of teenager Ruchika Girhotra will be re-investigated as a model case.

 

Moily also opined that the accused should be tried for abetment to suicide of a minor to demonstrate that nobody can subvert the rule of law.

 

Interacting with a private news channel Moily said : "This could be a model case, where we will have to demonstrate to the entire country that the rule of law is utmost and it will apply to everybody and rule will have to be properly demonstrated - that is the will power of the nation.”

 

Moily said the case seems to have been built on the original molestation complaint by Ruchika, but he felt that the subsequent harassment of Ruchika, her brother and family should be the basis of the probe and trial.

 

"In fact, the first case was when attempt was made to molest the girl. The case seems to have been built on that basis. But she died. All the harassment made to her, (her) brother, of her (being) taken out from school leading to the death...The right case is under Section 305 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)  which is about abetment of suicide of a minor," Moily said.

 

Moily said that the authorities who subverted law to favour Rathore may also face charges of abetment to suicide.

 

He said learning from the experience in the case, a more stringent law for faster trial for sexual offences will be enforced.

 

"We have been talking to theCentral Bureau of Investigation(CBI). I have been talking to the Solicitor General of India. In the long run, we would like to see that rigorous law is enforced, particularly for sexual offences committed by people.

 

"We are contemplating a Sexual Offences Special Courts'' Bill, which will fast track trial within six months or one year," Moily added.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister  M S Gill on Tuesday assured of organising a grand opening and closing ceremony for the Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010.

 

Addressing media after attending a review meeting of the Commonwealth Games, Gill said : "As I said earlier, our main agenda was discussing the organization of a grand opening ceremony for the Commonwealth Games. The decisions were taken in the presence of all the members of the Organizing Committee and the fellow ministers. Now, a grand opening ceremony can be organized smoothly and everybody is satisfied with the decisions taken in the meeting.”

 

He added that all the doubts about adding to the structure of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium which is one of the key venues of the Commonwealth Games have been dealt with now.

 

The 2010 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee has created considerable excitement all over the sporting world by delaying things to an extent where no one knows whether any of the stadia will be constructed in time.

 

As the date for the 2010 Games comes closer, we could even see construction-workers running on the job while balancing bricks on their heads. Which could even be a new event for future Commonwealth Games.

Source ANI

Hyderabad: Hyderabad Police Commissioner Prasad Rao on Tuesday warned  that he would initiate action against those indulging in violence during the proposed shutdown called by the Telangana supporters and  Osmania University students.

 

Addressing the media here, Rao said as a precautionary measure, additional police personnel will be deployed during the shut down which is to be observed on Wednesday in the Telangana region.

 

Rao also issued a stern warning to Osmania University students not to let their stir take a violent turn in Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

 

"Osmania University has become the hub of all the programme and lot of churning is taking place there. So, we are watching the development, so we are trying to control the situation in the sense so whatever activities takes place within the campus, if its only confined to the campus its okay, but if it spills out to the neighbouring areas and ...form of violence, we are trying to prevent that and we are taking actions by booking cases against the culprits," Rao said.

 

As for the influence of Maoist activity in the Osmania University campus he noted that sleuths of intelligence wing are thoroughly probing all the aspects.

 

"Maoist have (also) called for a Bandh (shutdown) on January 2, its impact is going to be felt mainly in Telangana region, along the Andhra-Orissa border and neighbouring areas. In the city also its impact would be there. So keeping in view various factors, we are taking all the preventive measures," Rao added.

Source ANI

Kolkata: The Communist party of India (Marxist) is against formation of separate state of Telangana out of Andhra Pradesh, according to M.K Pandhe politburo member of the party and president of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU).

 

Talking to reporters on Tuesday on the sidelines of the 5th conference of the All India Beedi Workers’ Federation, he said language should be the basis of formation of a separate state, which is not the case in the case of Telangana.

 

“Languages should be the basis of formation of any state, that basis should be there. People of Andhra Pradesh are one people, you see, they all speak Telugu, the history is the same, the culture is the same, and then why should that people be split in two unions?” asked Pandhe.

 

He expressed concern over the issue of price rise of essential commodities, and called for strengthening of public distribution system.

 

Telangana region comprises over 10 northern districts of Andhra Pradesh state.

 

Political analysts feel that the creation of the new state of Telangana may fuel social unrest and separatist demands in other states.

 

Several regions of India have already been demanding autonomy for better governance, such as Vidarbha, Kamtapur, and Gorkhaland.

Source ANI

New Delhi: India and Japan on Tuesday unveiled a joint  action plan to strengthen security and cooperation.

 

Japan''s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who is on his first visit to India after assuming office and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signed the joint statement here.

 

"On security we issued a joint statement and we have further deepened that security relationship by coming up with a action plan. And, I welcome this very much and we shall be realizing a sub-committee level 2+2 dialogue and also in regards to cooperation in defence we can see ways of communication. I believe stepped up cooperation between our countries will be very meaningful," said Hatoyama.

 

Hatoyama, however,was non-committal on nuclear cooperation with India, but said it would be a very important agenda in the future, thereby keeping the window for cooperation open.

 

"We also discussed cooperation in nuclear energy area because I believe that there will be a very important agenda in the future," Hatoyama said.

 

Both sides also agreed to enhance trade relations, which, as of now, are far below potential.

 

Hatoyama acknowledged that Japan''s direct investments in India needed to be enhanced.

 

"Bilateral Japan-Indo trade still remains far below the level of Japan-China trade and only 1/20TH of the Japan China trade. However last year Japan sent direct investments to India for the first time and it surpassed Japan''s investment to China and infact it was a dramatic year and I think it''s important that we further speed up and encourage such investments," said Hatoyama.

 

Japan is India''s sixth largest investor. Bilateral trade, estimated at more than 12 billion dollars in 2008-09, is targeted to climb to 20 billion dollars by next year.

Source ANI

Dharmashala (Himachal Pradesh): The 14th Dalai Lama on Tuesday expressed his displeasure over the imprisonment of Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo for 11 years.

 

He urged Chinese authorities to release Xiaobo and other political prisoners.

 

Tibetan Government-in-exile spokesperson Thubten Samphel said : "His Holiness said he was saddened by this imprisonment and requested the Chinese government to release him (Liu Xiaobo) and all political prisoners. His Holiness also said that his imprisonment and sentencing him for 11 years is a violation of the binding principles of the Universal Declaration. It also violates the rights enshrined in China''s old constitution.”

 

Xiaobo, was jailed on Friday for campaigning for political freedoms.

 

Liu, who turned 54 on Monday, helped organise the "Charter 08" petition which called for sweeping political reforms, and before that was prominent in the 1989 pro-democracy protests centered on Tiananmen Square that were crushed by armed troops.

 

Liu has been among the most combative critics of China''''s one-Party rule. His case attracted an outcry from Western government and rights activists at home and abroad. The unusually harsh sentence drew a fresh outcry that is likely to grow.

Source ANI

Lakwa (Assam): Incarcerated ULFA’s chief Arabinda Rajkhowa’a wife, Kaveri Kachari, has sought a permanent and respectful solution to the aspirations of Assamese.

 

Speaking on behalf of the ULFA in Lakwa, she said: “We (ULFA) want a respectful, honourable and open discussion for a permanent solution. Personally, I feel that an open solution cannot happen in jail or in handcuffs. And, if that happens, the discussion would not be a successful one.”

 

She added that everything including the issue of sovereignty should be discussed in open and decision will be taken by the executive council of the ULFA.

 

Earlier this month, Rajkhowa, who remained underground for almost two decades, was arrested in Bangladesh and brought to India.

 

In less than a month, the ULFA was dealt another body blow with the arrest of the group’s top leaders, including Rajkhowa, Raju Baruah, Chitraban Hazarika and Sacha Chaudhary.

 

The police believe that group’s military commander Paresh Barua is still elusive, hiding somewhere along the Myanmar-China border.

 

The ULFA, which demands independence for the tea and oil-rich Assam, is running a three-decade-old campaign that has claimed the lives of 30,000 people.

Source ANI

Nagpur: Newly elected the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), President Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday hailed the decision of Gujarat Government to make voting mandatory in State’s local body polls.

 

Gadkari described the decision of the Narendra  Modi led State Government as a step towards strengthening democracy, and demanded that efforts should be taken to introduce the amendment at the national level as well.

 

"I appeal to the Parliament Speaker Meira Kumar, Chairperson of UPA, Sonia Gandhi, and honourable Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to call the Opposition, and hold discussions on the Gujarat government''''s decision on election amendment, and also on other issues,” Gadkari said.

 

The Gujarat Assembly on December 19 passed a bill on mandatory voting in local body polls.

 

''''The Gujarat Local Authorities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2009'''' makes voting compulsory in all local body elections in the State.

 

Absentee voters will be summoned by the local election officer to submit a valid reason with proof within a month.

 

Gadkari also expressed concern over the situation prevailing in Andhra Pradesh over the issue of separate statehood for Telangana, and blamed the Centre for further fuelling the agitation.

 

"The way the Congress has tackled the Telangana issue, it has only fuelled the agitation further, instead of aiding the formation of separate state. The situation is not good there (in Andhra Pradesh). And I feel that the way Congress has dealt with the issue in Andhra Pradesh, the Congress and the country will have to pay a big price for it in the future. It has mishandled the situation and I can only express sorrow at it," said Gadkari.

Source ANI