India News

New Delhi: Union Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor has described his meeting with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna as excellent.

Tharoor posted his comments on the social networking Twitter on Thursday.

"Sorry abt(about) silence ydy (yesterday).1stday (first day) back, full schedule. Excellent mtg (meeting) w (with) EAM Krishna on wide range of fp (foreign policy) issues,” Tharoor stated.

On Wednesday, Krishna said to have publicly ticked off Tharoor for questioning the new visa rules through Twitter.

"Saw visiting colgs (colleagues) fm (from) Missions abrd (abroad)," he said in a latest comment on Twitter.

Krishna had asked Tharoor to be “on the same page on policies dictated and decided by him."

Source ANI

Mumbai: Filmmaker Avdhoot Gupte's new film ''Zenda'' is reportedly based on a feud between Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray and his cousin Uddhav Thackeray, the Executive President of the Shiv Sena.

He says the movie portrays Marathi youth, with just a couple of characters in the movie representing Uddhav and Raj Thackeray.

"This is a film of today''s Marathi (from Maharashtra state) youth, Marathi ''yuva'' (youth). It is a fact that that when you watch the film, you can relate a few characters with respected Uddhav-sahib Thackeray and Raj-sahib Thackeray, and a few more. But you will realize that this plot, this concept or this story could have happened in any other plot, like you are asking me about Shiv Sena or MNS; this could have happened in some other political party, also," said Avdhoot Gupte, who is also the producer of the movie.
 
"It is about today''s youth of Maharashtra, his dreams, his attitude towards his life, his ideologies, and you know, his overall attitude of looking at his own country - Maharashtra - and his own progress," he claims.

Gupte added that the non-Maharashtrians would be more curious to watch the film, and it may be released in some multiplexes with subtitles. He said that if the movie gets a good response, then it would be dubbed in other languages, as well.

The film is slated for release on January 08, 2010, in theatres across Maharashtra state.

Earlier also many Indian films like Ram Gopal Verma''s Sarkaar and ''Sarkaar Raj'' have been made inspired by dynastic politics and political leaders, in particular the Shiv Sena.

Source ANI

Chandigarh: Sister S Sebastina former principal of the Sacred Heart School which expelled Ruchika Girhotra in 1990, is likely to be questioned by the Chandigarh Administration.

 

Ruchika was in class 10 when she was expelled a month after former Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) SPS Rathore had allegedly molested her.

 

The school administration said non-payment of monthly fees led to her rustication.

 

The Chandigarh Administration has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the school''''s questionable role.

 

A deputy education officer visited the school recently only to find the doors locked.

 

Inquiry officer Prerna Puri is expected to meet Sisiter Sebastina this evening.

 

So far, the school management is silent on Ruchika’s expulsion.

 

Rathore had allegedly used the expulsion to counter a chargesheet against him.

Source ANI

Hyderabad: All the 13 cabinet ministers from Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh on Thursday decided to withdraw their resignations after the Centre''s announcement on holding discussions with all recognised political parties of the state.

 

State Information Minister Geeta Reddy said the ministers are satisfied with the decision of the Centre to initiate the process of discussions.

 

On Wednesday, the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram sent a letter of invitation to all eight recognised political parties of the state—Congress, BJP, CPI, CPM, PRP, TDP, TRS and MIM.

 

"We met APCC President D. Srinivas who asked us to withdraw the resignations. We have decided to withdraw our resignations," said Geeta Reddy.

 

On December 23, the ministers had resigned after Chidambaram''s announcement to put the Telangana issue on the backburner saying he would initiate wide ranging discussions on the issue.

 

Earlier on Dec 9, Chidambaram had announced the initiation of the Telangana state formation process.

 

Geeta Reddy said the ministers had last week submitted a representation to the Congress high command and "we never expected that they will respond so quickly."

 

She thanked Congress President Sonia Gandhi and other senior leaders including Union Finance Minster Pranab Mukherjee and political secretary to Congress president Ahmed Patel for taking the initiative to solve the issue.

 

The Centre’s decision came after detailed deliberations in the government and at the highest level in the Congress in the last few days.

 

All parties were divided and even public representatives belonging to these parties were split on regional lines.

 

The all-party Joint Action Committee, formed to spearhead the separate Telangana agitation, and the TRS welcomed the announcement and decided to attend the meeting convened by the Centre.

Source ANI

Navsari (Gujarat): Continuous illegal sand mining in rivers that pass through Surat are not just affecting the natural course of these rivers, but also depleting farmers'' produce every year.

Farmers around these areas have claimed that they were worst affected.

"Illegal ways of sieving out sand from the river has adversely affected our agriculture fields, and our produce has also gone down. Compared to the last year, my produce has gone down by 50 percent. We have made complaints against this but the administration is not doing anything," claimed Subodh Nayak, a farmer.

The state administration however, refutes this charge, saying the procedure has all legal sanctions.

"The Geology and Mining Department of the Gujarat Government are strictly observing it. The sand mining work is all legal and proper as per the need and the licences given. Royalty is also provided, and if somebody is suffering a loss, then the village panchayat (council) can stop it anytime and cancel the process," said Manoj Gajre, Deputy Collector, Navsari, Gujarat.

The Ambika Nadi Bacaho Janhit Raksha Abhiyaan, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in the state, is working to save these rivers and protect farmers'' right to access such natural resources.

"Due to the constant sieving of sand from the rivers, these rivers have developed 40-70 percent of huge cavities inside them. And this sand mining has also made the water saline, which has in turn made sources of these water bodies more saline. Due to all this, the fertile land of the farmers has also gone saline, and that is the reason behind the produce depleting by almost 20-30 percent," said a Jayesh Nayak, representative of the Ambika Nadi Bacaho Janhit Raksha Abhiyaan.

The NGO says the administration''s claims are false.

Some of the affected rivers are the Ambika, Kaveri Purna, Tapi and Khapra.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Tibetans-in-exile in India held a protest march here today against China''s suppression of Tibetan nationals in Nyagchuka County in Tibet.

The protest march was held under the banner of the Tibetan Youth Congress, a worldwide organisation representing Tibetans-in-exile.

Carrying Tibetan flags and shouting slogans, Tibetan youth, monks and nuns demanded that Beijing release Tulku Tenzin Delek, a revered spiritual figure in eastern Tibet, and other political prisoners.

"We have gathered here to condemn the Chinese Government''s suppression over the peaceful demonstration inside the Nyagchuka County in Tibet, for the release of Tulku Tenzin Delek. Despite the sincere petitions to the Chinese government, the Chinese government has turned deaf ear to the sincere and legitimate call. We call upon the Chinese government to respond to the sincere appeal of the people of Nyagchuka County, and we also want to appeal to the United Nations to fulfil their assurance that they gave to Tibetan Youth Congress in 2004 in hunger strike for the release of Tulku Tenzin Delek," said Chultim Dorjee, Information Secretary of Tibetan Youth Congress.

Despite the petitions of local Tibetans demanding the release of Delek and all arrested Tibetans, Chinese officials have neglected the grievances of Tibetans.

"We are demanding the release of political prisoners, Tulku Tenzin Delek and other nuns, who were taken in the jail for unknown reasons.... and nothing is known so far and they have been kept in brutal conditions in the Chinese jails," said Sonam, a Tibetan youth.

Chinese authorities arrested seven Tibetan protestors on December 5 after their failed  to meet Tulku Tenzin Delek at the Chengdu city jail in Nyagchuka County.

Chinese authorities had arrested Tulku Tenzin Delek and subsequently awarded a suspended death sentence to Delek in December 2002. However, a worldwide movement launched by Tibetans and Human Rights groups forced the Chinese authorities to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment on January 26, 2005.

Source ANI

Kohima: Noted Gandhian and social worker Natwar Thakkar has been conferred with a Lifetime Service award by the villagers of Chuchuyimlang in Nagaland where he started to work in the early fifties as a Sarvodaya worker.

 

The Chuchuyimlang Senso Mongdang (People''s Union) gave the award to Thakkar, who is the founder of the Nagaland Gandhi Ashram.

 

Born at Dhami in Maharashtra, Thakkar volunteered to come to Nagaland on a mission of service in 1955 at the age of 23. He thereafter made Nagaland his home.

 

According to Senso Mongdang President, Supongmatong, the award of Rs 1 lakh was given in recognition of Thakkar’s service to the people of Nagaland and particularly to Chuchuyimlang and surrounding villages for over five decades.

 

The ceremony was attended by over 3,000 people, which included women and children. Thakkar returned the money to Mongdang and asked to use it for development works.

Source ANI

New Delhi: To ensure quality goods, services and technology to customers at reasonable prices, the government has put together a draft national consumer policy.

A decision was taken on the concerned matter by all stakeholders before the Department of Consumer Affairs arrived at a final decision.

Taking note of India integrating with the global market gradually, the draft policy claims that trade practices need to be acknowledged and synchronized to avert exploitation of gullible customers

The laws and codes need to be re-engineered to make them compatible with consumer empowerment, said an official statement.

The proposed policy should cover empowering consumers through education and awareness, besides providing rights to consumers and mechanism for resolution of disputes, the official statement added.

Source ANI

Ajmer: Dausa MP Kirori Lal Meena was released from the Ajmer Central Jail here on Thursday morning.

Inspector General of Police (Jaipur Range) B.L. Soni said police arrested Meena on Wednesday.

Emboldened by the justice for Ruchika cry, Meena had staged a dharna in Jaipur on Tuesday to demand justice for a tribal lady who had been harassed and raped by Madhukar Tandon, the then Deputy Inspector General of Police 12 years ago

Rajasthan Government has ordered the Special Operation Group (SOG) of the state police to arrest Tandon, who is currently absconding.

Rajasthan Home Minister Shanti Dhariwal said a six-member team has been sent to Noida to arrest Tandon.

Supporters of Meena called for a shutdown in Rajasthan on Thursday to protest his arrest.

Source ANI

Patna: The locals, especially pavement dwellers in Patna here, have a tough time coping with the biting cold, as the mercury dipped on Thursday.

The minimum temperature in Patna was recorded at four degree Celsius on Thursday.

Locals were seen huddling around fires to keep themselves warm.

"It has become very cold and we are rickshaw cart pullers. We are feeling very cold and are burning tyres to keep ourselves warm. There is no other arrangement for wood and blankets, and we are surviving somehow," said Meri Lal, a rickshaw cart puller.

The worst suffers were the pavement dwellers, as they are deprived of any help from the state government.

"There is no help from the government and we are burning tyres and keeping ourselves warm," said Jaisunath Singh, another rickshaw cart puller.

Source ANI

Rajouri (Jammu and Kashmir): Cutting across religious lines, both Hindu and Muslim devotees thronged the dargah (shrine and grave) of Sufi saint Baba Shah Badshah in Rajouri here to observe Urs, his death anniversary on Wednesday (December 30).

On this occasion, a large number of devotees prayed for peace and tranquility in the state.

"We prayed, as many devotees did, that God bless this country with peace and tranquility. People should get dignity, honour and respect. For all those who have come here with pious intention, may God fulfill their wishes. This is what I prayed to God," said Adbul Rashid Qadari, a devotee.

The Hindu devotees also prayed for peace and tranquility in the region.

"We prayed to God to endow us with peace and tranquility in Jammu and everything should be all right. May God fulfill the wishes of all those who have come hear and may God fulfill our wishes too," said Navjot Singh, a devotee.

Source ANI

Kolkata: Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee warned the Maoists not to target railways and at innocent passengers to pressurise the government to give in to their demands.

Speaking after flag off six new trains from the Howrah station here on Wednesday, Mamata Banerjee said: "I want to tell those who carry out subversive activities and play with the human lives that if you want to fight, fight politically, fight like a brave not a coward."

Baffled over Maoists removing fish plates along 400 metres of railway tracks near Gidhni in West Midnapore on Wednesday, she said Maoists are fighting like cowards and targeting the railways.

"Sabotaging trains, killing people is fighting like cowards," she added.

Asserting that she was not politically biased while discharging her duty as the Railway Minister, she pointed out that passenger security was her topmost concern.

She also announced that any person who helped the railway avoid accidents would be rewarded.

The trains which were flagged off included the Howrah-Bangaluru (Bangalore) Duranto Express, Howrah-Purulia Express, Howrah-New Delhi Yuva Express, Kolkata-Bikaner Express, Howrah-Haridwar Express and Sealdah-Amritsar Express.

The Sealdah-Amritsar train was flagged off through remote control.

Source ANI

Darjeeling: Holidaymakers frequenting Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong the popular tourist destinations are an upset lot.

Their pre-planned festivities of heralding the ensuing New Year have turnes topsy-turvy due to the ongoing stir for separate state of Gorkhaland.

Activists of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJMM) have blocked national highways, preventing tourists from reaching Darjeeling and other places from Siliguri.
A majority of the tourists are stranded in Siliguri and Jalpaiguri.

"We have come here from so far and we came to know that everything is closed. Then our time is wasted and now that is New Year Eve, our plans will be ruined. We will not be able to enjoy the tour and will definitely suffer," lamented Sunil Joshi, a tourist from Mumbai.

The ongoing protest by the students'' wing of GJMM has affected the tourism industry.
The State government''s silence on the Gorkhaland issue has angered people owing allegiance to the GJMM.

"Now, we are carrying off silent protests. But today, we have called up maximum number of students from various places. This is because our every activity is not heard and nothing from the government has been assured to us in writing. So, we have decided to hasten our protest," said Deep Thapa, Assistant Secretary of Students'' Wing of GJMM, Sevoke.

A relay hunger strike began on December 26 is also underway in different sub-divisions of the Darjeeling hills.

The womens cell of the GJM started their hunger strike on Monday.

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

The demand for Gorkhaland gained momentum after New Delhi announced that it would initiate the process for a new state of Telangana out of Andhra Pradesh.

The Gorkha population in West Bengal is estimated to be around a million.

Source ANI

Gurgaon (Haryana): Shera, the mascot of the Commonwealth Games-2010, was brought to a mall in Gurgaon on Wednesday, spreading smiles and encouraging people to be a part of next year''s games.

Shera distributed chocolates and merrily mingled with the curious shoppers, shaking hands and posing for a quick shot.

"It''s good if Shera roams around and meets more people as there are few months left for the Commonwealth Games and this is a good way to promote the event. I feel that everyone should know that India is hosting such a grand event and the preparations are in full swing. We all are looking forward to it, " said Shikha, a visitor.

"We have taken Shera to the common man, the target group as of now is 18 years and above. The exercise is to promote a sense of ownership amongst the people of India and the youth. The kind of response Shera is getting from the children and people above 40 years of age is good. Commonwealth Games is for the common people," said Madhushree, an organiser.

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

Delhi bagged the Commonwealth Games after beating the Canadian city Hamilton in the bid for rights to host the games to be held between October 3 and 14 next year.

Source ANI

Patna: Patna''s beur prison on Wednesday organised a game of cricket to promote camaraderie among players.

"The prisoners were not friendly earlier. So, this match was organised to remove the bitterness and for better understanding among one another and the administration also," said Om Prakash, Jail Superintendent.

People from outside the prison''s four walls also came to cheer the inmates.
The game returned smiles upon the faces of the inmates, who said it helped deal with isolation.

"The isolation we were experiencing in the jail, now it is much better. We also got a chance to interact with the administration and jail authorities, which is very good. We are very excited and happy that such activities are taking place in the jail," said Ajay Jha, an inmate.

Prison authorities across the country have been unveiling reforms to improve its functioning.

Inmates are allowed to pursue studies, imparted vocational training, engage in professions like tailoring, handicrafts and cooking and visits by professional cricketers and popular film stars are encouraged.

Source ANI

Varanasi: The lack of success of the ''Ganga Action Plan'' in over two decades, has prompted Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh to announce the novel ''Mission Clean Ganga'' project here on Wednesday.

Ramesh said that under the new plan the government would ensure that no pollutants are released into the river without treatment.

It has been decided that by 2020 any municipal sewage or the industry effluent won''t be released in Ganga without proper treatment, he added.

"Even after 20 years, the river contains pollutants in a large quantity. We had established National Ganga River Authority (NGRA) authority, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to clean Ganga. And now on a national level we have launched a major programme, Mission Ganga: Clean Ganga 2020. We have decided that by 2020 any municipal sewage or the industry effluent won''t be released in Ganga without proper treatment. Around 15,000 crore rupees will be spent on the project," he said.

During his day long visit to Varanasi, he was given a first hand account of the pollution level at different ghats (banks) before holding discussion with Uttar Pradesh Government officials.

The Ganga Action Plan (GAP) was launched a quarter century ago, but has failed to stop pollution levels in river from increasing.

Source ANI

Bhopal: A spectacular hot air balloon race was organized by Indian Army here on Wednesday.

Four army teams from Baroda participated in the race.

"We have collected all the hot air balloons of the Indian Army and four balloons will be competing in this race. They will first attempt a precision dropping of a marker at a point on the land and then at a distance of 10 to 15 kilometres from here, will have to land at a marked point to win. They have been given a GPS to track the point of landing.
Whosoever lands nearest to the point will be the winner," said Sanjay Verma, an organiser.

This was the first of its kind ballooning race in India, said, B M Talwar, another organiser.

"Adventure training is a training where the troops are taught how to face risk and fear without the use of a gun. This is a part of their adventure training. We are basically exposing them to risk, which will in turn boost their confidence," he added.

The race was aimed as a stepping stone for the Army teams to compete in international competitions.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Country’s food inflation rose to 19.83 per cent for the week ended on December 19, on the back of spurting prices of potato and pulses.

 

In the second week of December, the food inflation was at 18.65 per cent.

 

Potato prices more than doubled while pulses became costly by over 41 per cent over the last year. Onion rates rose by 40.75 per cent.

 

Prices of vegetables rose by 46.7 per cent while fruits became dearer by 10.35 per cent.

 

The rise in prices was significant on a weekly basis also, with bajra and wheat becoming dearer by 12 per cent and four per cent respectively, while rates of rice increased by two per cent.

 

At the same time, barley and urad rose by one per cent each. However, prices of fruit and vegetables declined by five per cent on weekly basis.

 

The food inflation had declined by 1.30 percentage points to 18.65 per cent during the second week of December.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday  dismissed the charge of flip-flop on the part of Centre on Telangana issue.

 

Interacting with the media after releasing monthly report card of the Home Ministry, Chidambaram  said the meeting of political parties from Andhra Pradesh to be held on Tuesday is to devise a mechanism and roadmap on resolving the problem.

 

Chidambaram hoped if all political parties show good will and accommodation, a solution can be found to the issue.

 

He said the report in a section of the media on the lifting of the ban on the prepaid connection in the state is incorrect.

 

“The Centre will revisit the issue of ban on prepaid mobile connection in Jammu and Kashmir if the service providers are able to come out with a fool-proof plan of hundred per cent verification,” Chidambaram said.

 

Commenting on strict visa rules for foreign tourists, Chidambaram said the overwhelming majority of tourists who visit India for a few weeks will face no difficulty whatsoever on the break of 60 days before applying for another tourist visa.

Source ANI

Bikaner: Foreign and domestic tourists have converged in large numbers at the annual Camel Festival hosted at Bikaner amid ethnic traditions of Rajasthan

 

They are delighted to witness and experience the colourful cultural heritage of Rajasthan at the ongoing Camel Festival.

 

An annual three-day long carnival of camels commenced on Wednesday (December30) at the Karni Stadium.

 

Rajasthan Tourism in collaboration with the Bikaner district administration has organised this festival.

 

Among the highlights of this year''s festival are a ''Camel Beauty Contest'' in which colourfully caparisoned Ships of the Desert took part to display their graceful gaits and traits.

 

Various designs were painted on the bodies of the camels making them quite attractive and probably the judges had a tough time to declare the winner!

 

"The festival captures the spirit and essence of Rajasthan. So as a photographer (for me), it is terrific. Every year I come and I think that I have done all work I had to do but I find that I have even more things to photograph, so it is a pleasure to come back," said Jean, a tourist and a photographer from France.

 

Tourists seemed to be upbeat about the traditional reception and were amazed by the exotic ethnic ornaments and costumes adorned by Rajasthani women.

 

"The festival is very interesting, we were able to discover the purpose of coming, the costumes the dances and everything is very attractive, and we hope to see more of this festival," added Amy, another French tourist.

 

On their part, the organisers acknowledged that each passing year has seen an increase in the number of camels as well as the tourists.

 

A prominent feature of the Camel Fair has been the traditional dances of Rajasthan presented by local artistes to the tunes of folk music.

Source ANI

Kolkata: Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday instructed nationalised banks to give loans to women self help groups (SHG) on priority basis for their economic development.

 

Addressing the West Bengal Mahila Congress workers here, Murkherjee referred to role of the UPA Government for economic upliftment of women in the country.

 

He stressed the need for proper propaganda on various welfare schemes being implemented by the Centre for child and women development.

 

Mukherjee admitted that West Bengal is one of the states which is lagging behind to implement the National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme.

Source ANI

Guwahati: Peace lovers in Guwahati organized a rally on Thursday against popularization of toy guns among kids.

 

Leading the rally was Kishore Giri, a noted musician of Assam. The participants of the rally consisted mostly of parents who expressed their concern over the growing demand of toy guns among kids.

 

They echoed that toy guns and violent video games were corrupting vulnerable minds of the kids.

 

Participants in the rally demanded a ban on toy guns.

 

"Parents are a key for peaceful tomorrow. If parents don''t think about the toy weapon and video games, then who will think? Government will never think about all this," said Kishore Giri, a noted musician of Assam.

 

Assam is facing three decade long militancy by insurgent group demanding independence for the tea and oil-rich state.

Source ANI

Thiruvananthapuram: The National Highway 47 in Kerala has been blocked following a major road accident that took place at 5am on Thursday morning between a gas tanker and a car leaving sixteen people seriously injured.

According to reports, 11 fire engines are trying hard to extinguish the fire that arose from the gas tanker after the accident.

Of the sixteen injured, four are police constables, who attempted to interfere soon after the accident. A police jeep was also burnt after the gas tanker burst into flames after the accident.

National Highway 47 is a principal highway that connects Trivandrum to the rest of north Kerala and Bangalore.

Source ANI

Chennai: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Thursday said that the India’s basic problems of corruption and disease could only be solved through yoga.

 

He was in Chennai to attend the state level executive meeting of Bharat Swabhiman, a trust unit in Tamil Nadu.

 

The yoga guru said that he would set up yoga training units in each and every village of India.

 

Talking to the media, Baba Ramdev said that yoga is our ancient traditional physical exercise method, which each and every citizen should know to lead a healthy and wealthy life.

 

The yoga guru said that the country''s basic problem is corruption and if that gets eradicated then there will be no more problems in the country.

 

"The country''s problem is corruption, when this corruption is eradicated then Naxalism will be uprooted. When corruption is eradicated then poverty gets uprooted, illiteracy gets uprooted. When all of this goes away then there will be no problem in the country," said Baba Ramdev.

 

He stated his mission to start yoga classes in every village of the country by the year 2020.

 

The yoga guru advised the congregation to fulfill their duty towards the nation and build a healthy, prosperous and culturally refined Bharat (India).

 

He said that the national character could only be build by building individual character and the best route to that is through yoga.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The sky watchers will find lunar radiance rather dim on a full blue moon on Thursday, as the country will on look a partial lunar eclipse.

Science Popularisation Association of Communicators and Educators (SPACE) Director C B Devgun said, "A partial lunar eclipse occurs when only part of the Moon passes through the umbra, or the darkest part of Earth''s shadow."

C B Devgun added, the astronomical event will also be observed in all of Asia and Europe, major parts of Africa and small portion of southwestern Australia.

Devgun further said the whole of India would be able to witness the beginning, middle and the ending of the eclipse.

Nehru Planetarium Director N Rathnasree claimed the eclipse would begin when the Moon enters penumbra at 10:47 PM and end at 02:58:11 AM.

Although the partial phase of the eclipse lasts for an hour, only 7 per cent of the diameter of the Moon is covered by the umbral shadow of the Earth, which is too negligible to be easily visible, she added.

The partial eclipse will begin at 00:22:43 AM on January 1, 2010 and end at 01:22:41 AM.

When a second full moon in a calendar month appears in the night sky, the occurrence is known as a blue moon.

There are 12 full moons most years, but every two or three years there is an extra full moon, which is called a blue moon.

"Such an eclipse of the Moon will be difficult to discern with the naked eye although an astrophotograph of the Moon might just show a hint of darkening over a very tiny region of the Moon," said N Rathnasree.

Source ANI

Mumbai: The famed dabbawallas (lunchbox deliverymen) of Mumbai city, who deliver homemade lunch in tiffin boxes to thousands of office-goers with clockwork precision, have expressed their happiness at being selected to represent Maharashtra in the annual Republic Day Parade on January 26.

 

Everyday, nearly five thousand dabbawallas supply lunch-boxes to lakhs of city dwellers in Mumbai. They are famed for their accuracy.

 

The Forbes magazine has given the dabbawalla syndicate a Six Sigma performance rating or a 99.99999 percent of precision, which mean they have only one error in six million deliveries.

 

Dabbawallas have a coding system, which ensures that correct tiffin reaches the correct person.

 

Jaisingh Pingle, a Dabbawala, expressed his happiness on being invited to be part of Republic Day Parade.

 

"We are very happy. One rarely gets opportunity like this. We are very happy that we will participate in the Republic Day parade," said Jaisingh Pingle, Supervisor of dabbawala service.

 

According to customers, dabbawallas are doing good work for society, so they deserve this honour.

 

"It is good that they will be called and they will be given respect. They do good work delivering lunchboxes, that''s why they are called," said Paul D''souza, a customer of dabbawala.

 

The Mumbai city has one of the oldest and biggest meals-on-wheels systems in the world dating back to 1850.

 

In the dabbawalla syndicate, everyone is a shareholder and irrespective of a member''s function in the entire supply chain, and each is paid anything between rupees 2000 to rupees 4000 a month.

Source ANI

Pune: Indian women''s groups and colleagues of Neetu Singh, a Nepali citizen and final-year editing student at the Film and Television Institute of India, today alleged that she was deported at the behest of her influential husband Amaresh Singh, a Nepali Congress politician.

 

On the night of December 5, the Pune police deported Neetu to Kathmandu, saying that she indulged in anti-national activities. But her friends are not wiling to buy this argument.

 

"The DCP (Deputy Commissioner of Police) said that he is not answerable to us. He said that it is high security matter and it is a big secret. But when we asked him why she was tricked into going? He had no answers.

 

“We tried to explain him many times that it might be something else. If she had been deported for anti-national activities then why she was handed over to her parents in Kathmandu," said Priya, Neetu''s friend at the institute.

 

Neetu has approached the All India Democratic Women''s Association (AIDWA) and it has taken up the case.

 

"She (Neetu Singh) talked to us on phone from Kathmandu and told that she was living with her parents. At that time two police constables were posted at her house so she could not talk to us properly.

 

“She was very scared and told that her life is under threat. She was repeatedly saying what is my fault? I want to comeback and complete my studies. This man (her husband) has troubled me a lot and I do not want to be with him," said Kiran Moghe, Maharashtra chief of AIDWA.

 

Neetu’s wedding with Amaresh two years ago in Kathmandu was a major social event attended by the top political establishment, including former Prime ministers Prachanda, G P Koirala and Baburam Bhattarai.

 

But the marriage had soured and Neetu wanted to break away.

Source ANI

Shimla/Kullu: Tourists from all over the country and foreigners have poured into Himachal Pradesh to celebrate the New Year at the state’s best hill stations.

 

Shimla and Kullu have always been the preferred holiday destinations for domestic as well as foreign tourists, but the end of the year has seemed to work wonders for these hill stations as the influx of tourists soar year-on-year.

 

All the three hill stations have arranged for ice games, parties and other treats for their respective guests.

 

In Shimla, ice-skating, fancy dress, ice hockey, figure skating and fire dance show on ice attracted hundreds of tourists in Shimla.

 

The organizers believe that this helps the skaters to show their skills and also to entertain the tourists coming here to celebrate New Year from different parts of the country.

 

"Today itself we have a lot of tourists coming here to see this carnival. This always has been a tourism promotional event. Recently, from last year 2-3 years we have made entries free though earlier we used to charge," said Devesh Banga, secretary of Shimla ice skating club.

 

Kullu has also organised a number of snow sports to entertain the tourists. While tourists have come in thousands to Kullu to celebrate the New Year, the favored spot for most of them is where they are enjoying snow sports.

 

The state administration is also well prepared so that the tourists do not face any inconvenience during their stay.

 

"There has been an increase of about 24 percent in tourist arrivals if we compare it to the corresponding period of the last year.

 

As regards the preparation and arrangements to be made by the administration and the tourism department, we would like to inform you that we have provided 50 Home Guards from Tourism Division Council of Manali to the police department for traffic management and maintenance of law and order," said Rajeshwar Goyal, sub-divisional magistrate, District Tourism Office, Manali.

Source ANI

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi today called for popularizing state’s regional Tamil language.

 

Karunanidhi conducted a special review meeting in Chennai to know about the developments of the world Tamil conference, which is to be conducted in Coimbatore city in June next year.

 

The meeting was chaired by Karunanidhi and was attended by state ministers, secretaries and other concerned officials of the state to discuss various aspects of the World Tamil Conference.

 

Karunanidhi later told reporters that after the successful completion of the conference he would also impress upon the federal government to take steps to officially announce the Tamil language as one of the administrative and official languages of the country.

 

"As a follow-up of the conference, we will continuously stress upon the federal government to officially announce the Tamil language as one of the administrative and official language in the day-today- affairs of the country," said Karunanidhi.

 

He further added that the Tamil language writers, poets, and senior Tamil laureates from all over the world would take part in the conference and it would be a platform to express their views on development of the regional language.

 

The Conference will be held in Coimbatore June 23-27, 2010.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday expressed his displeasure over the handling of Ruchika Girhotra molestation case but said he can not pronounce any judgement.

 

Releasing Home Ministry’s December month report card here, Chidambaram said: “As a Home Minister I can not pronounce any judgement. I am really unhappy in the way the charges were framed, the trial has been conducted, and the way the accused has been punished.”

 

On Wednesday, Ruchika’s father Subhash along with their family counsel Pankaj Bhardwaj met Chidambaram to discuss the case.

 

“The family of the unfortunate girl Ruchika met me yesterday, they told me that they have filed two FIRs, for harassing and botching of post mortem records. They told me that they are filing another FIR on abetment of suicide,” Chidambaram said.

 

I would certainly look into what the Central Government could do. They told they would send a copy of the FIR. I will react only when I get a copy if he FIR,” he added.

 

In the evening Ruchika’s family filed the third FIR in against former Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) SPS Rathore under Section 306 of the Indian Penal code for abatement for suicide.

 

Denying the reports of sending an advisory to the Haryana Government, Chidambaram said: I have not sent any advisory to the Haryana Government.”

 

Commenting over delay by the Centre to take action against Rathore, Chidambaram said: “ I am sorry the Centre doesn’t come into picture until the officer is convicted.”

 

“He (Rathore) was Haryana cadre officer. He was prosecuted in Haryana. Once the court pronounces judgement convicting the IPS officer then the Centre comes into picture. Till the it was for the Haryana Government to decide on the matter.” Chidambaram added.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik said on Thursday that the need of the day is to be lethal, flexible and agile.

 

Conveying his warm greetings to all the Air Warriors on the new year’s eve, the Air Force Chief said: “The IAF’s task is to protect the nation from threats arising through the medium of air and space.  Hence our focus is on acquiring a ‘set of capabilities’, which can be applied in any conflict scenario.”

 

“The IAF is fast emerging as a strategic aerospace power.  This achievement has been the result of the vision and effort of many generations of air warriors, past and present, and we will continue with this glorious legacy.

 

“The challenge before us is to operationalise our new equipment at the earliest and develop in-depth knowledge and competence, so that we can fully exploit the technological potential,” he said.

 

“We need to be analytical and innovative in our approach so as to maximize our strengths. Our maintenance and administrative practices should meet our operational requirements and be constantly committed to produce more with a leaner force.  The need of the day is to be lethal, flexible and agile,” Air Chief Marshal Naik said. 

 

“Though the task ahead is huge, I remain convinced that it is well within our reach through hard work and innovativeness.  As air warriors, you are our true force enhancers and I have full faith in your commitment, professionalism and ability to steer our force through this process of transformation,” he said.

 

“My aim is to maintain a potent reckonable force and a cohesive happy family.  I am confident that whenever the nation beckons, we will rise to the occasion and justify the trust placed in us,” Air Chief Marshal Naik added.

Source ANI

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday foiled a sit-in protest by a separatist group against the human rights violations in Srinagar.

 

The protest was organised by separatist Jammu Kashmir salvation movement.

 

Activists along with their chairman Zaffar Akbar Bhat were staging protest at the Lal Chowk by holding placards with messages of stopping human rights violations.

 

Police swung into action and arrested the chairman and also foiled their attempt to hold protest.

 

Salvation movement is the part of Hurriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq group.

 

Security forces in the troubled region have been accused of killing civilians in staged gun battles and passing them off as separatist militants to earn rewards and promotions.

 

Earlier this month, a human rights group in Kashmir said it had discovered some 1,700 unmarked graves linked to the region''s separatist conflict and called on authorities to launch an investigation.

 

Last year, the same rights group said they had discovered nearly 1,000 unmarked graves in 18 villages in the same area.

Source ANI

Mumbai: Indian shares provisionally rose 0.77 percent on Thursday to end the year up 81 percent, their biggest annual gain since 1991.

 

The 30-share Bombay Stock Exchange index provisionally ended up 134.10 points at 17,477.92.

 

The main index has surged on strong foreign fund inflows.

 

“It is very good sign that sensex has doubled. It has minimise all loses. Market is likely to reach 18,500 as the inflow of FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) takes place. Market is very strong,” said Deven Shah, share expert and senior dealer in Mumbai.

 

But investors appeared sceptical whether the market would remain buoyant in the long run.

 

"The only concern for 2010 is that inflation is going up so the government might take steps to increase the interest rate which will have some impact on the market and we will have to see how the government manages the fiscal deficit also which is one factor that will affect the market," said Sidharth K Kuvavala, an investor.

 

The 50-share NSE index provisionally closed up 0.76 percent at 5,208.75 points.

Source ANI

Srinagar: Top brass of the Central Reserve Police Force on Thursday paid homage to four troops killed in an encounter with militants in Jammu and Kashmir.

The four men were shot dead by militants at Sopore region in north Kashmir on Wednesday.

CRPF troopers of 177 battalion were killed and critically injured when militants ambushed a patrol party.

Two CRPF personnel died on the spot while three others sustained bullet injuries.

"Surprise attacks can be made upon us any time. When I say ''us'' I mean security forces in general. Casualties are to be expected but that doesn''t mean that we are disheartened by that or our morale has been lowered in any way," said N C Asthna, Inspector General, CRPF, Kashmir range.

Asthna added that the martyrs returned fire even though they were taken by surprise.

"Of course, we were taken by surprise, they fired nearly 90-100 rounds on us. So the men had little chance. The AK rifle takes only three seconds to empty 30 rounds and if two men are firing this means nearly 120 rounds were delivered in six seconds.

“So there was little which can be done about. Fire was returned that''s why they ran in opposite direction," he added.

Officials say incidents of infiltration by Pakistani militants have risen over the past few months.

According to the official reports, nearly 395 infiltration attempts were reported this year as compared to 342 in 2008.

Source ANI

Lucknow: With temperatures dipping across northern India, elephants at the Lucknow zoo are being given mustard oil massages to keep them warm.

They are also given warm baths in winter.

Two mahouts have been given this responsibility.

The elephants are massaged around three to four times in a week.

"We frequently give oil massages to elephants in the zoo. As the cold increases, the frequency of oil massage also increases. Generally, we give a massage once or twice in a week. But now we provide massage three to four times in a week," said Renu Singh, the Director of Lucknow Zoo.

She added that the massage with mustard oil works as an antibiotic for them.

Source ANI

Rayagada (Orissa): Police in Orissa's Rayagada district have destroyed cannabis plants worth 20 million rupees.

Cannabis is used as a psychotropic drug.

The authorities raided several villages in the district and destroyed nearly 20,000 plants cultivated illegally in the forest area.

"There we find the illegal cultivation of ganja (marijuana) and we have uprooted about 20,000 hemp plants and destroyed in presence of executive magistrate. The approximate value of which will be about rupees two crores (rupees 20 million)," said Siba Prasad Gantayat, Excise Inspector, Rayagada.

The authorities suspect the Maoists to be behind the cannabis cultivation.

Source ANI