India News

New Delhi: The Congress party on Friday said it would take appropriate action against Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor for his “cattle class” comments through the medium of Twitter at the appropriate time.

Addressing a party news conference in the capital, Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said: “We will take appropriate action (against Mr. Tharoor) at the appropriate time.

Tewari further said that action against Tharoor was not ruled out.

He also justified Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s statement on Thursday seeking Tharoor’s resignation for what he called “irresponsible” comments on the social networking site Twitter.

“It was unfortunate and unbecoming on his part to make such comments. In my view he should tender his resignation as Minister,” Gehlot had said.

“To make such irreverent comments is all the more despicable when one is holding a responsible position as that of the Minister of State for External Affairs,” Gehlot told journalists at his official residence here after a “Roza Iftar” party on Thursday evening.

Gehlot had termed Tharoor’s references posted on the site such as “cattle class” and “holy cows” as unacceptable in Indian politics.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan also said Tharoor had no right to continue in the Union Cabinet.

“I believe that in a democracy, people are God. To refer to them as ‘cattle’ is an insult to them. And I believe that such a person has no right to be a Union minister,” he told reporters.

Tharoor, who is on an official visit to Liberia, had earlier apologized through the Twitter medium, saying he was "sorry" for hurting any sentiments and that his words had been misunderstood.

"To those hurt by the belief that my repeating the phrase showed contempt: sorry. It''s a silly expression, but means no disrespect to economy travellers, only to airlines for herding us in like cattle. Many have misunderstood," Tharoor said.

The minister said that he had learned belatedly of the fuss “over my tweet and pointed out that the phrase "cattle class" was used in the query, which he just repeated.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Union Home Minister P.Chidambaram said here on Friday that, his ministry has initiated a project to bring all the over 16,000 police stations in the country under a single network to counter terror challenges.

Inaugurating a conference on small entrepreneurship Chidambaram said, the project, which would attract an estimated cost of Rs 2,000 crore, would be operational by 2012.

"We are working on Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS). That will link each of the 16,000 police stations in India so that any of the police station can contact any other police station," he said

Chidambaram also said the Multi Purpose National Identity Cards (MNIC) will be issued to 1.1 billion resident Indians after the completion of enumeration work next year.

“After successful completion of the pilot project of biometric identity card system (MNIC), the government will cover 3,331 coastal villages and the Andaman Nicobar Islands this year under the scheme,” he said.

He said over 1.1 billion people would be enumerated for the biometric identity card system. "This year we are covering 12 million people in 3,331 coastal villages and the whole of Andaman Nicobar Islands. Following that we will issue a unique identity number to every resident Indian," he said.

Chidambaram said the unique number would be applicable for income tax, excise duty, and public distribution system cards, old age pension and schemes like NREGA and others.

He elaborated that the State Governments have appointed nodal officers and all of them have signed a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre for its early completion.

“Once the CCTNS is completed, it will mark a quantum jump in country''s ability to counter various challenges to internal security, particularly terror threats,” Chidambaram added.

He also called on the technocrats to help the government to build a National Counter-terrorism Centre on the lines of the US.

"If the US can have a National Counter-terrorism Centre, why can''t we have one in India. So, I wish that your entrepreneurial activities will help us build a sound technology-based system that will enhance the security and efficiency in India." Chidambaram said.

Source ANI

Kolkata/Allahabad: Scores of people gathered in Kolkata and Allahabad on Friday to take a holy dip, or ''Tarpan'', in the Ganges, on the last day of the ‘Pitrapaksha Mela’.

The ‘Pitrapaksha Mela’ is held annually in September. Hindus pray for the salvation of their ancestors on the ocassion.

The ritual is traced to King Bhagirath, who propitiated the River Ganges to come down to earth so that his ancestors could be relieved from the cycle of birth and death.

Hindus follow this mythological practice for the salvation of their ancestors.

"This day is dedicated to our ancestors. After prayers, the mother figure is summoned. So today, we take a dip in the Ganges and pray for our ancestors,'' said Sudarshan Pathak, a priest.

The devout also tonsure their heads as a part of the ritual. It is believed to relieve their ancestors of all sins and to help their souls attain peace.

Rituals are performed usually up to three preceding generations.

It is after the Pitrapaksha period ends, that all auspicious events like weddings are held in Hindu families.

During the 15-day religious ritual called ''Shradh Paksha'' many Hindus perform ''Pind Daan'' or ''Shradh''.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday said  that to improve the standard of public health, there is a need for introducing a robust and vibrant public health system in the country.

Speaking after presenting the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) awards here Azad said: “To improve the health of the public, we need a robust and vibrant public health system in the country. This manpower serves dual purpose of service and epidemiological research. As you are aware, there is an acute shortage of trained public health professionals in the country.”

Azad also appreciated the work taken up by the ICMR in the public health sector in association with the country’s major medical institutes.

“The results of the work carried out by ICMR institutes often become the backbone of national programmes for the control and prevention of diseases. Many of the recommendations of ICMR institutes have either been taken up in the National Control Programmes or are in the process of being taken up,” Azad said.

Stressing on the need for public participation in implementing health programmes Azad said: “Participation of community in any control programme goes a long way in the successful completion of any project. This has been shown by the success in the significant reduction in the incidence of lymphatic filaria in Kerala where community played a significant role in achieving the objectives of the project.”

Azad also called on researchers to concentrate on emerging challenges in the  health sector.

“We have been observing an increasing trend in the prevalence of life style diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. India is being named as the Diabetes capital of the world. I would like the scientists to develop cost-effective technologies for diagnosis and monitoring of rapidly evolving life style diseases particularly Diabetes. These technologies should be easy to use and which can be provided to the peripheral health workers at the community level,” Azad said.

Azad also recalled the contribution made by the Regional Medical Research Centres of ICMR though located in under served and remote areas of country.

“The regional medical research centres have played a significant role in creating awareness and better understanding in the health problems of the population in these areas. Tribal health research undertaken by ICMR institutes, especially in the area of genetic disorders, leptospirosis, and hepatitis B have been significant and helped the government. to initiate appropriate control measures.”

This year’s ICMR research awards were presented to the works in communicable and non-communicable diseases, including areas of maternal and child health and basic medical sciences.

Source ANI

Dantewada: Eight naxalites and one Assistant Commandant of the CRPF were killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh''s Dantewada district.

According to police sources, four jawans were also injured in an encounter.

A team of CRPF and state police force had an encounter with the naxalites in the jungle last night under the Chitagufa police station area of the district.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said here on Friday that the government does not know whether its policies on poverty reduction or agriculture are moving in the right direction due to the lack of updated statistics.

Speaking after releasing the book "India: Perspectives equitable development" penned by S. Mahendra Dev and N. Chandrasekhara Rao, Singh expressed concern over lack of latest statistics on various subject fields in the country.

He emphasised the need to improve the quality of statistics on which various government police are formulated.

“Statistics are important to analyse the latest trends taking place in a field, to know what has happened in the past or to predict its future course,” Singh said.

However, Singh, remarked that India still relies on data which may be five years old.

"There is a great talk about poverty or inequities, but the statistical data that we use does not go beyond the national sample survey of 2004-2005. In other words, what we have done in the last five years is there is no statistical framework which can tell us whether we are moving in the right direction or we are not moving in the right direction," Singh said.

Underlining the need of improving the quality of India''s statistical system, Singh said that the country is an ever more need of conducting more qualitative as well quantitative researches to get fresh and authentic statistics for formulating effective policies.

"I think we may be, I think, working on the basis of… a roadmap which is out of date. So therefore, while analytical work relating to issues of poverty, relating to issues of equity is very important, new ideas are needed. But at the same time I think we need to pay a lot of more attention to improve the quality of India''s statistical system," Singh said.

He called on the researchers to adopt new methodologies of collecting statistics.

"We have a virtual collapse of statistics… collecting… statistics relating to agriculture production. I think we have inherited a system from the British Revenue Administration as principle source of collecting statistics. That revenue administration has been more or less dismantled in almost all states. We must put in place I think new instrumentalities which will ensure a better idea about what is happening in India, in agriculture in terms of production and related variables," added Singh.

He said researchers, scholars and writers have a great role in guiding and formulating various policies of any country.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Chinese target is to get Tawang, which it sees as being of great strategic importance. One Chinese argument is that since the sixth Dalai Lama was born in Tawang and is dear to the sentiments of the Tibetans, Tawang must be incorporated in Tibet. This is a specious argument. Throughout history, the holy man has moved elsewhere from their birthplace and settled.

Tawang is situated at the tri-junction of India, Bhutan and Tibet. The occupation of Tawang by the Chinese will bring their forces not only on Bhutan’s eastern border, but on the shoulders of a strip of land known as Chicken Neck in Siliguri, which joins north-east India to the rest of the country.

In a time of war, this strip of land could be cut-off by Chinese troops in no time especially since the vulnerable corridor is downhill.

Overall, China seems to be pursuing a line to push and create an overwhelming military fortified border with India.

It plans to extend the Tibet railway to the Indian border in the Eastern sector, at Xigatse, which will greatly help troop mobilization. One can imagine the Indo-Himalayan belt being pushed southward, according to Beijing ‘forward defence’ doctrine.

While China has been fortifying its borders with India, the same cannot be said of India.

The Indian side has built hardly any permanent structure. In some areas, Indian patrols do not go even up to the area of Indian claims, in some parts they go unarmed, and at some other portions there are only civilian patrols. This reportedly is a government decision not to provoke the Chinese. The Indians have shown a weakness, which the Chinese have been quick to grab.

As to the question of a Chinese attack being imminent or by 2012, the answer at the moment is no. There is, however, a possibility that a spark in one place could light up the entire length of the border.

Despite India’s vacillations over the fortifying of its borders, the situation is not similar to what prevailed in 1962. Unlike in 1962, the Indian Air Force will now also join the action if Chinese troops move into Indian Territory. The Chinese Air Force is not yet ready for a combat along the borders, though there are reports that they are moving medium or intermediate range missiles into Tibet.

Having said that, nothing in military preparedness can be left to chance. If Indian strategists think that the 60 billion dollars bilateral trade with China is an insurance against a Chinese surge along the borders, they are mistaken.

The Chinese are preparing to fight what they call “local wars” which may not lead to snapping of diplomatic relations. Military preparedness for India is the only insurance against a Chinese attack.

Source ANI

New Delhi: China has already built a deep seaport at Gwadar in Pakistan and the Karakoram Highway is connected to it. It also plans to construct twin oil and gas pipelines from Gwadar to Western China. This is a great challenge and once achieved, will be an engineering feat similar to the building of the railway across hostile terrain in the Tibetan Plateau.

There are two other objectives of strategic importance -- One is to push the Chinese border as far as possible into India and second is to bring the Chinese army as close to the Indian land route as possible, making Ladakh vulnerable by cutting its south eastern side from the rest of India. It is something like what Pakistan tried to do in Kargil in 1999 -- cutting off the land route to Kashmir.

China has started incursions along the border with Sikkim. The “Finger Point” area where Chinese troops are probing is of military importance to both sides, though it is within the borders of Sikkim and Tibet.

Although the Chinese have made a pretence of accepting Sikkim as part of Indian territory during Prime Minister Vajpayee’s visit to China in 2003, they never actually did. Prime Minister Vajpayee and the Indian Government fell for the trick that if India fully recognized Tibet as a part of China, the latter would accord recognition to India’s sovereignty over Sikkim.

India did sign on the Tibet issue, but China did not honour its end of the bargain on Sikkim. China gave an impression that there was no border dispute insofar as Sikkim is concerned. The Sikkim issue is a pressure tactic and has the potential of becoming a burning issue further. To open new pockets of contention is a dangerous move by Beijing.

In the eastern sector, China’s claim of 90,000 square kilometers of territory, that is the entire state of Arunachal Pradesh, can be used by it to keep boundary and territorial disputes with India alive, and take it into the international arena. This is what Beijing exactly did when trying to block an Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan to India for development work in Arunachal Pradesh.

New Delhi has made it abundantly clear that Arunachal Pradesh is Indian Territory and non-negotiable. Small adjustments, however, can be made along the border without disturbing the settled population.

The 2005 India-China agreement on modalities to resolve the boundary issue has a clause that settled populations would not be disturbed. Although the agreement was jointly formulated, the Chinese are reneging on the clause.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Although the India-China border is yet to be demarcated and the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is to be defined clearly, both sides have a very good idea where the perceived LAC lies. This should prevent serious incursions into Indian-controlled territory.

But the problem is that Chinese incursions have been rather aggressive in recent times.

The incursions are happening in the western sector of the Sino-Indian border -- in Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand -- and appear to be aimed at extending Chinese territorial claims.

Sporadic incursions in the western sector, the middle sector and the eastern sector have been going on for years, even as the Indian Government periodically protests.

As of July this year, there has been a qualitative change in the type of Chinese violation of Indian Territory. Piling up of rocks well inside Indian territory and painting Chinese characters on them, the incursion of two Chinese helicopters into Indian airspace, the dropping of Chinese manufactured food cans, and a second reported violation of the Indian airspace by three Chinese F-7 fighter aircraft, all in the western sector, is something to be taken note of.

Reports in a section of the Indian media that Chinese troops fired on and injured two Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) soldiers appear uncorroborated and have been denied by both countries. The free Indian media, therefore, has to be more responsible.

A long held Chinese position, aired mainly through their official media and think tank experts, has been that “If India makes concessions in the western sector, China would consider making concessions in the eastern sector.”

This, naturally, has never been elaborated. The exchange maps of the two sectors between the two sides remains pending, preventing clarification on where the LAC actually starts and ends.

The western sector has become increasing important to China in the context of its southwestern strategic thrust. It occupies 38000 square kilometers in the western sector known as Aksai Chin, but claimed by India. The trans-national Karakoram Highway from China into Pakistan also enters Pakistan through Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) which is claimed by India.

In an agreement in 1963, Pakistan ceded over 5000 square kilometers of PoK territory to China in violation to Indian claims.

Aksai Chin also provides surface transport access to China through Tibet to Xinjiang, currently in the news for the Uighurs Muslim protest against Chinese occupation. This road is important from the point of facilitating movement of Chinese troops into Xinjiang and to the country’s borders with Central Asia.

There are two other very important reasons for China to seek to expand its territory in the western sector. One is to use the Karakoram Highway as an artery to cut short its access to the Persian Gulf through Pakistan.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force in a significant move today activated its Nyoma Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) to support the Army in carrying out operations in the inhospitable terrain.

An IAF AN-32 aircraft landed at Nyoma ALG, which is located at an altitude of 13,300 feet in Leh district of Jammu and Kashmir, at 6:25 a.m. today. It is located 23 kms from the Line of Actual Control. (LAC).

The successful landing of a fixed wing aircraft at Nyoma marks the culmination of joint effort by the IAF and Indian Army to enable the IAF to operate in the inhospitable terrain of Leh-Ladakh region in support of the Army.

The landing comes just fifteen months after an AN-32 landed at Daulat-Beg-Oldie (DBO), the highest airfield in the world situated at an altitude of 16,200 feet.

Group Captain SC Chafekar touched down on the Nyoma airstrip. Air Marshal NAK Browne, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command and Lieutenant General PC Bharadwaj, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command on board.

Though helicopters have been landing at this ALG, this is for the first time that a fixed wing aircraft has landed at the compact airstrip of Nyoma.

After deliberating on all aspects and carrying out aerial and ground inspection, it was concluded that Nyoma could be developed for fixed wing operations as well.

The Engineer Regiments of 14 Corps undertook the herculean task of developing the ALG to the standards required for fixed wing operations.

Joint development of Nyoma braving the extremely difficult working conditions and hostile weather is yet another step towards enhanced joint partnership between the two services.

Nyoma has been developed with an aim to connect the remote areas of Ladakh region to the mainland.  This would also ensure movements in the area when the road traffic gets affected, during the harsh winters besides enabling improved communication network in the region.

Source ANI

Mumbai: The Indian cricket team left for South Africa from here on Friday to participate in the Champions Trophy.

South Africa has been a happing hunting ground for India who was runners-up in the one-day World Cup in 2003 and Twenty20 World Cup champions four years later.

India has received a boost before their Champions Trophy campaign when in-form opener Gautam Gambhir was passed fit to return after injury.

The left-hander has recovered from a groin strain and will travel with the team to South Africa, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement on Thursday.

India, already without the explosive Virender Sehwag, were sweating on Gambhir''s fitness after the Delhi batsman missed this month''s tri-series in Sri Lanka.

India won the Colombo tournament, also involving New Zealand and the hosts, and went into the prestigious eight-team event as one of the favourites after not having lost a one-day series in the past year.

India has been grouped with defending and world champions Australia, Twenty20 champions Pakistan and former champions West Indies in the preliminary phase.
A young Indian batting unit struggled against short-pitched bowling in this year''s Twenty20 World Cup in England.

Ishant Sharma will spearhead the five-man pace attack in the absence of experienced left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan, who has been ruled out until the end of the year after undergoing surgery on an injured shoulder.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The United States Ambassador to India, Timothy J Roemer, today met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh at his residence.

The meeting took place after Roemer met Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram.

Speaking to reporters, after a meeting with Chidambaram, Roemer said bringing the culprits to justice and going after Saeed were important to both India and the United States.

"Swift and mighty punishment for the six Mumbai suspects in Islamabad, is important for United States and is important for India. And going after Saeed is very important and dismantling the infrastructure of LeT in that region is extremely important to the United States and to India," said Roemer.

The meeting took after reports of two FIR''s against Saeed came late last night.

He has been charged under Pakistan''s Anti-Terrorism Act for making anti-state speeches where he urged activists of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the frontline organisation for LeT that he heads, to wage a ''jehad''.

Saeed has also been charged for heading a charity collection drive during the Ramazan month according to the police.

Earlier, Roemer had called on Pakistan to take action against Saeed.

"There are five, probably six, suspects currently being held in Islamabad in connection with the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. It is extremely important that these six people be brought to justice and put behind bars and receive sentences commensurate with their crimes against India, US and the world," a news channel quoted Roemer, as saying

"I hope that in future the action on 26/11 includes people like Hafiz Saeed. Recently he was put into an Interpol red flag list," he added.

The remarks follows Chidambaram''s visit to US, where he had briefed several ministers under the Barack Obama administration about Islamabad''s inaction against perpetrators of the Mumbai carnage.

The attacks, which drew widespread condemnation across the world, began on 26 November 2008 and lasted until 29 November, killing at least 173 people and wounding at least 308. Among the dead were 28 foreign nationals from 10 countries.

Ajmal Amir Kasab, the only attacker who was captured alive, has disclosed that the attackers were members of LeT, which is considered a terrorist organization by the Government of India, the United States, and the United Kingdom, among others.

Interpol has also issued a Red Corner Notice against Saeed, and Zaki -ur- Rehman Lakhvi (another mastermind of the 26/11 attacks). The notice was issued after a Mumbai court issued non-bailable warrants against both terrorists.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Pressurising Pakistan, the United States said it wanted swift and mighty punishment against the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Speaking to reporters, after a meeting with Union Home Minister, P. Chidambaram, the United States Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer said, bringing the culprits to justice and going after Saeed were important to both India and the United States.

"Swift and mighty punishment for the six Mumbai suspects in Islamabad, is important for United States and is important for India. And going after Saeed is very important and dismantling the infrastructure of LeT in that region is extremely important to the United States and to India," said Roemer.

The meeting took after reports of two FIR''s against Saeed came late last night.

He has been charged under Pakistan''s Anti-Terrorism Act for making anti-state speeches where he urged activists of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the frontline organisation for LeT that he heads, to wage a ''jehad''.

Saeed has also been charged for heading a charity collection drive during the Ramazan month according to the police.

Earlier, Roemer had called on Pakistan to take action against Saeed.

"There are five, probably six, suspects currently being held in Islamabad in connection with the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. It is extremely important that these six people be brought to justice and put behind bars and receive sentences commensurate with their crimes against India, US and the world," a news channel quoted Roemer, as saying

"I hope that in future the action on 26/11 includes people like Hafiz Saeed. Recently he was put into an Interpol red flag list," he added.

The remarks follows Chidambaram''s visit to US, where he had briefed several ministers under the Barack Obama administration about Islamabad''s inaction against perpetrators of the Mumbai carnage.

The attacks, which drew widespread condemnation across the world, began on 26 November 2008 and lasted until 29 November, killing at least 173 people and wounding at least 308. Among the dead were 28 foreign nationals from 10 countries.

Ajmal Amir Kasab, the only attacker who was captured alive, has disclosed that the attackers were members of LeT, which is considered a terrorist organization by the Government of India, the United States, and the United Kingdom, among others.

Interpol has also issued a Red Corner Notice against Saeed, and Zaki -ur- Rehman Lakhvi (another mastermind of the 26/11 attacks). The notice was issued after a Mumbai court issued non-bailable warrants against both terrorists.

Source ANI

Katra: Security has been beefed up at the famous Vaishno Devi Temple near Jammu ahead of the nine-day ''''Navratri'''' festival.

Paramilitary and police personnel are patrolling and frisking people at important points in Katra, which is thronged by thousands of devotees every year, especially during Navratri.

The nine-day Navratri festival will begin from Saturday and the authorities claim to be in full control of the situation.

"There is much fanfare in Katra during Navratra festival and the inflow of tourists also rises manifold during those days. We have made proper security arrangements. We have taken the help of the CRPF. This time, we also have one contingent of Haryana police," said Ashok Sharma, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP).

The devotees making their way to the shrine were also put through rigorous checking, a routine, exercised with extra care, considering the sensitive nature of the shrine and keeping recent threats in mind.

The devotees complied without complaining.

"There was not much trouble during the security check. We were checked several times but we did not face any problem. It was all done very safely," said Vijay Kumar, a devotee.

''Navratri'', which literally means nine nights, is observed twice a year.

 The festival lasts for nine days in honour of nine manifestations of Durga, goddess of power ,and fall in the months of April-May and September-October.

It is believed that during the Navratri, Goddess Durga descends on earth to rid it of the demons and blesses her devotees with happiness and prosperity.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Policy analyst Premila Nazareth has emphasised that India needs to liberalise and change its policies to attract more foreign direct investments.

During the release of the annual study of worldwide investment trends by the United Nations Conference on Trade And Development (UNCTAD) in the national capital, Nazareth also blamed the bureaucracy in India for being the main reason for less inflow of FDI.

“FDI policies do not need much changes to increase fund inflows. Policies are fine. The rest of the policies, bureaucracies and regulations are creating problems for people and these are the reasons behind less inflow of FDI. The policies are liberal, but we need to change and liberalise the sectoral policies of various sectors for private investments,” Nazareth said.

Nazareth further said that India and China are being seen as strong contenders for the Global Direct Investment (GDI) due to their emerging economy status.

“India’s position as a recipient country in the global FDI picture is only going to strengthen over the next few years because global investors are now looking more and more the emerging world as a whole. China and India are seen as very strong players, markets with guaranteed growth in a way and this is only going to grow,” Nazareth added.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Ministry of Textiles and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) will jointly organise a workshop on use of textiles in agriculture here today.

Over 100 delegates from various sectors like agriculture, the State Governments, agricultural universities, forest departments and institutes will attend the workshop.

The technical textiles are used in agriculture to fabricate shade-nets, crop-covers, mulch-nets, anti-hail nets, bird protection nets, fishing nets and greenhouse covers. The use of these items is very limited in the context of Indian agriculture.

The objective of the workshop is to sensitize stakeholders about myriad applications of technical textiles in agriculture and environmental engineering.

It will also create awareness amongst the stakeholders about the benefits of these items.

The workshop will also focus on various rules/legislations that need to be amended to facilitate the use of these textiles in various applications.

Technical textiles products used in the agriculture are known as Agrotech and those used for environmental protection are called Oekotech.

The major applications of Oekotech are for landfill waste management. It includes products used to prevent leakage of municipal or hazardous waste in landfills and suitable use of waste.

The consumption of these technical textiles products remains limited despite their perceived benefits.

With rapid urbanisation, the waste management has become major issue in India and Oekotech applications provide an effective way of managing the waste in an environment friendly manner.

Source ANI

Akhnoor, (Jammu and Kashmir) : At least two Border Security Force (BSF) jawans were injured last night in a cross border firing from the Pakistani side.

However, the jawans foiled an infiltration bid by terrorists along the Indo -Pak international border at Akhnoor sector in Jammu region.

The Indian security agencies suspect that the fire from across the border was possibly a cover fire for a group of terrorists who were trying to cross the border.

The firing continued intermittently till late in the night.

The security has been beefed up along the border in Jammu region after receiving intelligence reports that over 60 militants are ready to cross the border.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Union Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor has apologized for his recent comment that he was prepared to travel in the "cattle class out of solidarity with all our holy cows".

"It''s a silly expression but means no disrespect to economy travellers, only to airlines for herding us in like cattle. Many have misunderstood," writes Tharoor while replying on Twitter.

"I am told it sounds worse in Malayalam, esp out of context. To those hurt by the belief that my repeating the phrase showed contempt: Sorry," Tharoor says.

"Now realize, I should not assume people will appreciate humour. And you should not give those who would wilfully distort your words an opportunity," he adds.

Tharoor was quoted as saying on Twitter that he would travel in "cattle class out of solidarity with all our holy cows," which was termed "unacceptable and totally insensitive" by his party, the Congress.

Slamming Tharoor''s remarks, Congress spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan said: "Certainly the Congress doesn''t endorse or approve it and we find it unacceptable. We find this articulation unacceptable and absolutely insensitive."

The whole controversy erupted after Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee asked the Congress leaders to observe austerity in order to cut down expenditure in the wake of draught declared in parts of the country.

Earlier, the Congress Party had decided that its ministers and lawmakers would also take a 20 per cent cut in salaries.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Amid media reports of rising tensions between New Delhi and Beijing, Chinese Ambassador to India Zhang Yan met officials of Ministry of External Affairs in South Block on Thursday, sources have said.

The Chinese Ambassador reportedly sought the meeting and no demarche or summon was issued by the Indian Foreign Ministry.

Highly placed sources maintained that the meeting was a “Routine call” and it had nothing to do with the recent media reports of Chinese incursions and Dalai Lama’s proposed visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

Ambassador Zhang reportedly met Joint Secretary (East Asia) Vijay Keshav Gokhale to discuss Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jeichi forthcoming visit to India.

When contacted Chinese Embassy officials did not divulge the details of the meeting and neither confirmed that any such meeting had taken place.

Both Indian and Chinese officials maintained that there is no escalation of tension on the border, and alleged media for playing up the issue.

Chinese Ambassador met MEA official on day when a proposed meeting of the Chinese Working Group under the leadership of the National Security was reportedly called off.

Source ANI

Kolkata: China Pal, a successful woman sculptor and a studio owner, makes a mark in male-dominated idol sculpting craft in Kumartuli, the nerve centre of the clay idol-makers of West Bengal.

When Pal started sculpting idols of Goddess Durga, she had faced flak for trying to enter a male domain. But, after the death of her father, she had no alternative but to run the family sculpting studio in Kumartuli to make both ends meet.

Today, after a struggle of almost twelve years, she has evolved from a struggling artist to a successful sculptor.

“I don''t know what will happen next year. But, till the time I am running this studio, I will make sure that I give the delivery on time. I don''t make people wait. And even my customers don''t express doubt on my work just because I am a woman. They never say that being a woman I won''t be able to do my job well. They in fact come forward and place orders. This gives me a lot of encouragement,” said Pal.

Her good work has led Puja committees of Durga Puja to give orders to women sculptors.

“We used to buy idols from other places. This year we came to know that women are sculpting idols and we were happy to know that. I spoke to other members and we have decided that we will buy idols from women idol makers,” said Sushanta Ghosh, member of South Kolkata Puja Committee.

Source ANI

Amritsar: Education in government-run-schools of Punjab has been found to be lacking the kind of quality and standard expected of it.

A survey conducted under `Padho Punjab’ programme revealed that most of the primary kids in the State could not read or write. Over 50 per cent of the standard V children cannot read a story in Punjabi, over 25 per cent cannot write Punjabi letters and almost 40 per cent cannot subtract and almost 70 per cent do not know how to divide.

To raise the standard in the government-run schools, especially in rural areas, `Padho Punjab’ or, Study Punjab, a joint venture between the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan, a literacy drive of the Central Government, and a non-governmental organisation is being carried out. It is hoped to transform the lives of underprivileged children.

Training is being given to teachers and block primary education officers under `Padho Punjab’ to improve education standard in government-run primary schools.
 
Being conducted under `Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan’ (education for all) in collaboration with `Pratham’, a non-government organization, the project aims to improve teaching abilities of government schoolteachers.
 
Initially, the trainers are teaching students for two hours a day. Later, they will include this pattern in their routine teaching as well.
 
`Padho Punjab’ project has made a huge difference to a number of underprivileged students. The students of primary schools, who are being taught Hindi, English, Punjabi and arithmetic, have shown tremendous progress since its launch on July 7, 2008.

“Besides regular classes, the students have been divided into three groups, on the basis of their abilities. A group consists of children, who are weak in studies and they are given special attention as per `Padho Punjab’ scheme. It helps strengthen their abilities and skills. Now, English is also taught to these students,” said Sandeep Seyal, Center Master Trainer.

“We want children to take admission in government-run schools rather than private schools. The children are now being taught to recite poems in English. We are teaching how to greet people and as they change and grow they motivate others as well. People now know that we teach English in government schools. The children have started doing well because of the hard work put in by teachers and an improvement in infrastructure,” said Gurpreet Singh, Block master trainee.
 
“The children are now showing keen interest in studies. There is a play-way method being used for children who earlier used to consider studies a burden. They are now curious about learning new things. English has played an important role in bringing about this transformation,” said Suman, a teacher at Primary school in Village Kameerpura.

In academic year 2008-09, the Punjab government had spent 40.6 out of 53 million dollars, sanctioned for the implementation of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in the State.
 
The amount was spent on developing school infrastructure, recruitment of teachers and providing stationary to children.
 
The `Padho Punjab’ project has given a fillip to Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in Punjab, by significantly improving the quality of primary education in the state.

Source ANI

Guwahati: With the growing number of fashion conscious youngsters present in the northeast region of the country, the fashion and beauty industry is gaining popularity here.

This was recently noticed when Miss Fresh Face of North East 2009 contest was held in Guwahati and it received an enthusiastic response from  people of the region.

Dabur Gulabari organized the Miss Fresh Face of North East 2009 for which a model hunt was conducted across colleges and institutes in the region to discover fresh new faces from the northeast.

The organisers of the contest received an overwhelming response with over 700 entries of which 150 girls were short-listed for the auditions.

After extensive screening and audition, 18 participants were selected for the Grand Finale.

It was a unique way of spreading awareness among the beauty conscious women of the North East and provides them a platform to enter the world of mainstream modelling.

“Northeast is full of talent. We don’t get into big celebrities. We take fresh faces from the common public and make them a celebrity. We want to associate with fresh talents and bring them to the national platform so that they can grow,” said Dyas Anand, the organizer.

“It is gradually increasing and I believe that it will go on increasing and the reputation will also keep on going up as good upcoming models are also there. I feel it is very good,” said Bidisha Baruah, the winner.

Bidisha Baruah, a resident of Guwahati, was awarded one-year modelling contract with Dabur Gulabari and a cash prize of rupees 50,000.

The first and second runner-up, Wanda Mary of Shillong and Nabanita Sarma of Guwahati also received cash prize of rupees 30,000 and rupees 20,000 respectively.

Source ANI

Akhnoor (Jammu and Kashmir): Security was beefed up in the Akhnoor sector and in the Jammu region on Friday following an incident of border firing from the Pakistani side.

Further, all entry and exit points were sealed and vehicles were being checked.

Earlier on Thursday, at least two Border Security Force (BSF) jawans were injured in a cross border firing from the Pakistani side. The incident took place at the Pargwal Post in the Akhnoor Sector.

AK Sarolia, Inspector General of Border Security Force (BSF) Frontier Jammu, said on Friday that a flag meeting with the Pakistan side has been arranged and a protest has been lodged against the border firing.

“We will actually respond as per the situation according to the law. Actually firing came on our check-posts from three or four sides. Illyas (post) is just behind from where the firing came on our jawans. We are having a flag meeting and we are lodging a protest,” Sarolia said.

“Reason, may be their frustration or desperation to intrude into our territory. This sort of actually assault on our jawans cannot take place without the connivance of the establishment on the other side,” Sarolia added.

Sarolia further said that barbed fence along the border was checked and there is no indication of infiltration.

“I can reasonably tell that so far it doesn''t look like that there has been crossing. But, we are taking all precautions. We have checked, there is no breach of fence, there are no tell-tale marks or any other indication of crossing so far,” he said.

Source ANI

Ahmedabad: In contrast to leaders of some political parties, who are criticising the austerity measures mooted by the government as mere ''tokenism'', Gandhians associated with the Sabarmati Ashram at Ahmedabad have lauded the initiative.

The Gandhains, who themselves live a life of extreme simplicity, following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, said that if politicians lead a simple life, people would certainly follow in tune with the adage: Follow the leader.

Amrut Modi, the managing trustee Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram, a staunch Gandhian himself, is a firm believer in Gandhi''s teaching of ''doing one''s work by oneself'', and professes it religiously.

Appreciating the austerity drive of the government, he said that politicians through such measures inspire people towards leading a simple life, as the Mahatma did.

“If simplicity is acquired, it can lead to change. Gandhiji himself had brought about change in the country. He prepared the people for independence and self-rule. The principle of simplicity is included in his teachings. He inspired the common man, through his simple life. Even today if our politicians adopt simplicity, then people will take inspiration from them,” Modi said.

Several other believers of Gandhi’s teaching also said that simplicity could help the nation develop, and also set an example in front of the whole world.

“The ministers should adopt Gandhiji''s principles and teachings pertaining to simplicity. This will help in the development of the country financially and otherwise and they can also send the message to the world, that how beneficial it can be to walk on Gandhiji''s principles,” said Dhimant Badiya, another Gandhian.

Source ANI

Mumbai: Mumbai police on Friday launched a website for senior citizens to ensure their welfare in the backdrop of increasing crime rate against them.

The website titled ''Hamari Suraksha'' was launched by Police Commissioner of Mumbai, D. Shivanandan, in the presence of Bollywood actress Simi Garewal and several senior citizens of Malabar area in Mumbai.

According to D Shivanandan, the website has several features, where senior citizen can register the details of their servants with photograph so that Mumbai Police can record their data.

“This is a better software which is very easy to handle and servants registration is a added feature. They can also put their own picture and put their relatives, friends and various others,” Shivanandan said.

“If they are in any foreign country, and in case we have to provide them any information, we can use the website and inform them. Their relatives from abroad can also ask us to check about the whereabouts of senior citizens and we will be able to help them. Our beat marshals will go and visit if there is a problem,” Shivanandan added.

Several senior citizens present at the launch of the website, appreciated the initiative.

“We don''t have to go to people and beg for information. We can get it on our own laptops. It is very useful and we are very thankful for that,” said Dolly, a senior citizen.

Source ANI

Mumbai: Activists of Republican Party of India (RPI), a regional party in Maharashtra, on Friday ransacked the Congress office in Mumbai.

The activists were protesting against eviction of their senior leader and former Lok Sabha Member of Parliament, Ramdas Athawale from his official bungalow in New Delhi.

Athawale was evicted for overstaying after he lost the recently concluded Lok Sabha poll.

RPI activists raised slogans against Congress President Sonia Gandhi and broke windowpanes of the party office.

“I was in office of NSUI (National Students Union of India) when I came to know that alleged workers of RPI are ransacking Congress office. I was surprised that policemen standing outside remained mere spectator even though I told them they are attacking our office,” said Sadaf Aboli, President of National Students'' Union of India (NSUI), student wing of Congress.

According to reports, the police also arrested some of the activists.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, on Friday, played down the comments made by Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor on the social network site Twitter, saying it was just a joke and should be looked at in a light hearted manner.

"(Tharoor''s) comment was just a joke," said the Prime Minister on the sidelines of a function in the capital.

The Prime Minister''s comment came shortly after Congress party spokesperson Manish Tewari said: “Action will be taken (against Tharoor) at an appropriate time.”

Tewari further said that action against Tharoor was not ruled out.

He also justified Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s statement on Thursday seeking Tharoor’s resignation for what he called “irresponsible” comments on the social networking site Twitter.

“It was unfortunate and unbecoming on his part to make such comments. In my view he should tender his resignation as Minister,” Gehlot had said.

“To make such irreverent comments is all the more despicable when one is holding a responsible position as that of the Minister of State for External Affairs,” Gehlot told journalists at his official residence here after a “Roza Iftar” party on Thursday evening.

Gehlot had termed Tharoor’s references posted on the site such as “cattle class” and “holy cows” as unacceptable in Indian politics.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan also said Tharoor had no right to continue in the Union Cabinet.

“I believe that in a democracy, people are God. To refer to them as ‘cattle’ is an insult to them. And I believe that such a person has no right to be a Union minister,” he told reporters.

Tharoor, who is on an official visit to Liberia, had earlier apologized through the Twitter medium, saying he was "sorry" for hurting any sentiments and that his words had been misunderstood.

"To those hurt by the belief that my repeating the phrase showed contempt: sorry. It''s a silly expression, but means no disrespect to economy travellers, only to airlines for herding us in like cattle. Many have misunderstood," Tharoor said.

The minister said that he had learned belatedly of the fuss “over my tweet and pointed out that the phrase "cattle class" was used in the query, which he just repeated.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Friday said that the Pakistan Government must question 26/11 prime suspect and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, notwithstanding the fact that two cases had been filed against him that were not related to that tragic event.

Speaking to the TIMES NOW television channel, Chidambaram said authorities should avail the opportunity of questioning Saeed on the 26/11 episode also,  once he is arrested.

"...I am told that it’s (FIRs agaisnt Hafiz Saeed) not related to the 26/11 attacks. Even if they apprehending him on some other charge, and use the opportunity to question him on his involvement in 26/11 attacks, that would be a significant progress in the case. I hope that they question him on 26/22 too," Chidambaram told TIMES NOW after his US visit.

Insisting that Saeed should be tried for his involvement in the 26/11 terror attack, Chidambaram said: "There is no trial there. The trial has not started there. In fact, my complaint has been even before I visited the US, that we don’t have a date set for the trial and to best of the my knowledge, the first witness has not been examined.

"By way of contrast, our own trial in Mumbai is about to conclude. At least the recording of the evidences is about to conclude. I think that point has been noticed by a number of world capitals."

On Pakistan stating that India has not given enough evidence nor is there enough evidence to convict Saeed, Chidambaram said that enough proof has been given to Pakistan in various dossiers to establish Saeed''s involvement in the Mumbai terror attack.

"...I have said this more than once that anyone reading the dossier, will conclude that Hafiz Saeed in indeed a prime suspect in 26/11 and any government which is committed to the rule of law, is obliged to interrogate Hafiz Saeed and investigate his role in 26/11."

Chidamabaram''s views came as Pakistan for the first time charged Saeed under the anti-terrorism act.

However, he was not accused of any involvement with 26/11. Instead, in the two FIRs, Saeed was charged with making anti-state sermons, and collecting donations for a charity that funds terrorists.

In December 2008, Saeed was put under house arrest, but in June this year, he was released after a Pakistani court ruled there was no evidence that linked him to the 26/11 attacks.

Chidambaram described Saeed''s release as "atrocious".

Pakistan''s move to arrest Saeed could have a significant impact on a scheduled meeting later this month of India and Pakistan''s foreign ministers in New York, another television channel said.  Both ministers will be attending the UN General Assembly Session.

The United States is also pressurising Islamabad to "go after" Hafiz Saeed.

US Ambassador to India Timothy Roemer is said to have told Chidambaram that Pakistan must dismantle its terror infrastructure.

The meeting comes less than a week after Chidambaram''s visit to the US when he met the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, armed with evidence of Saeed''s role in 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

The powerful statement by the Ambassador comes after he used strong language about the need to punish those responsible for 26/11.

Roemer said: "There are five, probably six, suspects currently being held in Islamabad for 26/11 attacks. It is extremely important that these blood-thirsty perpetrators be brought to justice and put behind bars, and receive sentences commensurate with their crimes against India, US and the world."

Source ANI

New Delhi: U.S. Ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer met Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Friday.

Ambassador Roemer met Prime Minister Singh at his official Race Course Road residence.

During their meeting they discussed the planned visits of the Prime Minister to the United States and a broad range of bilateral and global issues.

Ambassador Roemer conveyed President Obama’s warm greetings and anticipation at seeing the Prime Minister in Pittsburgh for the G-20 meeting and for the Prime Minister’s official state visit in November.

“The upcoming official state visit, the first by a foreign leader during the Obama Administration, is a testament to the vital importance of the U.S.-India strategic partnership in addressing our greatest global challenges,” said Ambassador Roemer.

Earlier, the Ambassador met with Home Affairs Minister P. Chidambaram to review the important next steps which India and the United States will be pursuing following the Minister’s successful working visit to
the United States.

During the visit, Minister Chidambaram met with the full range of senior officials in New York and Washington to discuss America’s homeland security initiatives following the September 11, 2001, attacks as well as future initiatives for security and counterterrorism cooperation between India and the United States.

Source ANI

Nainital: With an aim to revive yacht sailing in the country, a 15-day camp is being organised in Nainital district of Uttarakhand where in school children are being trained in yacht sailing.

Over 40 school students from the various parts of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh are taking part in the camp, which is being conducted under the aegis of Indian Army’s Central Command.

The Lucknow based Central Command is conducting such adventure camps for school children from over a decade.

The participants are receiving guidance in the yacht sailing by a team of 11 Army instructors.

"This yacht sailing is a great sport because these days it''s becoming extinct. Most of the people do not want to take part and people of Nainital are also not taking so much interest in yacht sailing. But I feel it''s a very adventurous sport and a great sport," said Karel Caprini, a participant.

Many of the participants also feel that the training would open up new job opportunities for them.

"We have come here to revive this sport and as far as I can say it''s a very good sport and there is a lot of job opportunity in it. If we do well and learn the technique, we can make our career in the sports," said Deep, another participant.

According to the Chief instructor of the camp, Mahip Singh the main motive behind the camp is to popularise the dying sport among youth.

"Basic purpose is that sailing is an international sport and the facilities available in Uttaranchal especially, which comes under the central command. We have got our sailors, who have participated in international levels and we got the expertise. So to give the young building up generation a chance to gain knowledge and finally if they have the interest, so excel in the sport. That''s why we have organised the camp," said Singh.

Despite being considered as a sport at the international level, yacht sailing in India is still at its nascent stage.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Recognizing the enormous potential of Information Technology in acting as a catalyst for the Tier – II growth of Suburban India, The Government of Himachal Pradesh (GoHP) is moving to produce an IT friendly business landscape.

To close the technological gap and nab the marquee, various initiatives are being put in place by the GoHP. Tax Breaks, Exemption from various duties and levies and imports are certain defined benefits for the industry to set base at Himachal Pradesh.

The IT Park cum Township falls will come up in Solan District of Solan, about 20 kilometres from Shimla.

The total area of the project is 64.73 acres. The site is located at a distance of four kilometers from Kiarighat. Kiarighat
is on Chandigarh – Shimla highway (NH-22) on midway between Solan and Shimla at an approximately equal distance of 23 kilometres.

Conceptualized as an Integrated Development – offering both residential and commercial options, the project’s developmental contours will include built-up IT space of 1.1 million square feet. Built to suit plots for IT in 9.5 acres of land, a township for of 1.31 million square feet, a project cost of 408 crore rupees.

Commercially structured on the Public Private Partnership format. The developer shall be responsible for designing,financing, constructing, operating, maintaining and development of the IT Park cum Township at Waknaghat.

The implementing agency will be the Department of Information Technology, Government of Himachal Pradesh.

To promote the project and the township, an investor Meet will be held in Delhi on September 23. A visit to the site will be organised on September 30, while a pre-bid meeting will be held on October 3, 2009.

The last date for submission of proposal is October 26.

Source ANI

Ahmedabad: British molestation victim Kaya Elridge has said that she will sue defence lawyer Sanjay Prajapati for humiliating her Kaya in an open court.

Advocate Prajapati is likely to be slapped with a defamation suit.

Prajapati, however, told the Times Now television channel that he did everything for his client. He refused to comment on the case, as it was “sub-judice”.

Elridge, who was working as an NGO volunteer, was allegedly molested by a plumber in her house. During the hearing of case in the metropolitan court, Eldridge and her lawyer Jagtap said that Prajapati humiliated them.

Jagtap alleged that Prajapati had asked demeaning and irrelevant questions.

Prajapati had allegedly said in the court on Tuesday, "If I were a woman and behaved like her (Jagtap), one man would go to jail daily."

"I will be filing a defamation case against Prajapati soon. I won''t let him get away with this remarks," Jagtap said.

"I am also writing a letter to the Bar Council, the High Court and the State Women''s Commission describing the entire chain of events," she said, adding she was in the process of drafting the letters.

Eldridge who had come for a three-month internship with an NGO here, was allegedly molested by a plumber Pragnesh Chhatrada in her house. She had filed a complaint against him and he was arrested and later chargesheeted.

During the hearing of case in the metropolition court, Eldridge and her lawyer Jagtap said that Prajapati humiliated them.

On Tuesday, Eldridge had written a letter to the Gujarat High Court chief justice KS Radahkrishnan saying that she was humiliated by Prajapati who asked irrelevant questions like if she smoked and drank and was she living illegally in India.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Population control has become a big challenge to the Indian Government since independence. The governments, both at the state and central level have initiated many programmes to control the growing population.

One such innovative, program of the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry is the Jansankhya Sthirata Kosh or Population Stabilisation Fund.

To achieve stabilisation in population growth and to provide proper guidance, information about the reproductive health care, adolescent problems the ministry has initiated the Janasankhya Sthirata Kosh, (JSK) with a corpus fund of Rs. 100 crore.

The JSK is a registered society, combining the communication boom in the country with the felt need of people for information on reproductive health issues.

The JSK is a unique public private partnership model and has started a call centre to provide authentic information on reproductive, sexual health, family planning and infant child health.

The toll free number 1800 – 116555 has become a nation-wide help line for the Gen Next to share, and clarify misconceptions and receive proper guidance. They now have found a friend from whom they can clarify their doubts regarding reproduction and sexual health issues.

According to former Delhi Chief Secretary, Shailaja Chandra, who was the executive director of JSK and played an instrumental role in establishing the call centre, “ During a discussion with doctors of India’s leading medical colleges, the ministry realized that in the absence of easily available, and authentic information on these issues, people would avoid seeing a doctor, would visit unqualified practitioners, adopt risky behaviour and generally be anxious or confused on what to do.”

“As many families in our society still hesitate to talk about reproductive health openly, so group of doctors suggested a professional, anonymous guidance is required to address such a sensitive issue,” Chandra said.

Using the professional services of a BPO, in June 2008, India’s first toll free call centre for authentic information on reproductively, sexual health, family planning and infant, child health was launched.

Currently the call centre is manned by 17 trained executives and a full time gynaecologist. The National Information Centre (NIC), The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) and the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence (CBHI) provide technical support to the service.

“In the last sixteen months the call centre has received over 60,000 calls from different parts of the country and the numbers are growing,” said the full time gynaecologist in charge of the call centre.

According to the data maintained by the call centre, calls from almost all districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have been received.

 “ The call centre provides reliable information, anonymously on all those questions people want to ask but are shy or hesitant to do so face to face. We guide them with additional information, like child health and pregnancy related issues,” she added.

Primarily aimed at adolescents, about to be married and newly married couples, the service addresses concerns like contraception, safe abortion, pregnancy, male sexual health, sexually transmitted diseases, infertility, menopause, puberty, infant and child health issues among many others.

 “An anonymous and confidential service, fill a huge gap in information especially in the small towns and villages in the states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh Rajasthan and Haryana,” Chandra said.

“Though we haven’t initiated any major publicity drive we are happy that the JSK call centre has reached even remote villages of our country. That itself self shows the need for such a help line to our society,” she added.

“A majority of the calls received are from the north Indian states. While a majority of the calls are related to pregnancy and contraception issues, male sexual health concerns are also high,” the doctor in charge said.

The JSK has won the prestigious ‘eINDIA 2008’ award under the category of Best Government Initiative for mapping health amenities with the help of geographic information system (GIS) maps for entire country

The GIS maps with a unique amalgamation of latest census data gives a picture of each district, its sub-divisions and the population of every village along with the distance to the health facility.

The JSK and its call centre showed importance of public private partnership in addressing a cause. The fruits of the administration can reach the common man only with such initiatives.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Expressing dissatisfaction over the Mayawati Government''s plea, the Supreme Court on Friday extended the stay order on its earlier ruling for stoppage of work at Kanshi Ram Memorial Sthal in Lucknow.

"The affidavit is not satisfactory. The question here has many, many burning issues," it observed during a brief hearing in the case," a Bench comprising Justices B N Agrawal and Aftab Alam noted.

It said the question was whether one could spend so much of money from the state or public exchequer for the purpose.

"Suppose today the legislature decides that 80 per cent of budgetary allocation should be spent on such works of memorials and statues…is it not justiciable," the Bench asked.

"Serious questions arise in this petition…the cabinet and the legislature have to act under the Constitution," the Bench added.

The next hearing in the case is on October 5th, and the parties are asked to file their responses to the affidavit by September 29th.

In a detailed affidavit filed in response to the show cause notice issued on September 11, the state government had claimed it had the highest regard for the apex court and that it believed in carrying out its directions in "letter and spirit."

On September 8, the apex court had ruled that no further construction activities should take place at the memorials which have cost the exchequer 2,600 crore rupees.

However, media reports said construction activities were going on in full swing despite the court''s directive, following which the bench had issued a show cause notice.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The process for forthcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh will begin formally with the issuance of notification on Friday.

The prospective candidates would be able to file their nomination papers till September 25.

The prospective candidates can file nomination papers to the Returning Officer or to the Assistant Returning Officer from Friday till September 25.

The assembly elections in three states are expected to be a litmus test for all major parties after the Lok Sabha elections.

The vote-counting will take place on October 22.

It is notable that all the three states that are ruled by Congress, which shares power in Maharashtra with NCP as a major coalition partner.

Maharashtra has a 288-member Assembly, Haryana a 90-member House and Arunachal Pradesh Assembly has 60 members.

There are 2,061 polling stations in Arunachal Pradesh, 12,894 in Haryana and 82,028 in Maharashtra.

Source ANI