No question of arresting or harassing Mamata: Buddhadeb

KOLKATA - West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today ruled out arrest or harassment of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjeee before the upcoming Assembly elections in connection with a 17-year-old case.India News

"There is no question of arresting or harassing Mamata Banerjee before the Assembly elections," Bhattacharjee told a press conference here.

The CPI-M had yesterday asked the Election Commission to execute all non-bailable warrants, including those issued in connection with violent incidents at Barasat in 1994 in which the police had registered FIRs against Banerjee, among others.

In a memorandum to Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi, who led a team on a two-day review of poll preparedness in the state, the CPI-M referred to the 17-year-old incident at Kacharimore in Barasat in which police had carried out a lathicharge. Then DIG (PR) Rachpal Singh was injured in the violence.

"The police had then registered an FIR against Mamata Banerjee," the CPI-M memorandum had said while referring to the incident in North 24-Parganas district.

Rachpal Singh, now a retired IPS officer, incidentally is now a Trinamool Congress candidate from Tarakeswar seat.

Reacting to the CPI-M memorandum, Trinamool Congress general secretary Mukul Roy had yesterday wondered as to what had prevented the police from taking any action in the last 17 years.Indian Politics

Wiki - Radiation reaches BJP camp

NEW DELHI - BJP was today engulfed by Wikileaks expose with US diplomatic cables stating that the party leadership had told them that its criticism of the US in public was to score "easy political points" against UPA and when in power, it would not harm the Indo-US nuclear deal.India News

The expose, published by 'The Hindu', drew immediate strong reaction from ruling Congress which asked BJP to apply to itself the same standards it adopted for the government when it was needlessly disrupting Parliament for the last few days.

The BJP, however, denied there was any doublespeak and maintained that because of its strong position, the government had to come with 16 amendments to the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill.

Seshadri Chari, BJP National Executive member and RSS pointsman in the party figured in the diplomatic cables as having told an US embassy official in Delhi in December 2005 "not to read too much into the foreign policy resolution especially the parts relating to the US", which had attacked the UPA's "subservience" to Washington.

"Chari dismissed the statement (resolution) as standard practice aimed at scoring easy political points against the UPA. BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar echoed these statements, saying that the BJP was not really upset about the US-India relationship, but merely wanted the Government of India and US government to be more forthcoming about any deal on nuclear policy," the cable said.

In another cable, the embassy's then Charge d'affaires Peter Burleigh wrote after a meeting with L K Advani in May 2009, just before the Lok Sabha poll results were out, the BJP veteran "downplayed" any move by his party to reopen the nuclear deal noting that BJP "does not take international agreements lightly".

Advani acknowledged that the BJP's public position in July 2008 was that the deal constrained the country's strategic autonomy and that the party would reexamine if it returned to power but connected that stance to "domestic political developments" then at play in India.

The BJP leader, the diplomat wrote, was clear that there would be "no imminent BJP move to reopen the (nuclear) deal. In his view, the government is a continuity, particularly in matters of foreign policy and international agreements cannot be taken lightly."

Asked about the diplomatic cables quoting him, Chari declined to comment saying he has not seen the report. He said he did not remember if he had talked to Deputy Chief of Mission Robert Blake in December 2005.

"I don't remember the name. I don't remember the names. I don't remember whom I met in 2005," Chari said, adding the party will officially comment if required. 

Javadekar said there are "no contradictions" in their stand. "We have made our position clear both in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and through are press statements that we value strategic relations with the US and that all sources of energy should be tapped," he said.

But, he said, when the government brought the Nuclear Liability Bill, the party raised certain objections and the government had to make 16 amendments to the Bill at its insistence. "We keep national interest foremost...there is no double speak," Javadekar said.

But Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari would not buy the BJP's defence. He said, "for the BJP, chickens have come home to roost and they have come rather soon."

He said BJP had made Wikileaks "the Holy Grail of their political philosophy" even when Congress had warned them not to give credence to hearsay.

"Now the shoe is on the other foot. It is for the BJP to explain to the nation whether they will apply same standards to themselves as they attempted to apply to the government by needlessly disrupting Parliament for the last few days," Tewari said.Online News

WikiLeaks confirms ‘cash for vote’ scam of 2008

NEW DELHI - The WikiLeaks India cables have revealed some more shocking information. The latest one is on the purchase of votes by the Congress before the crucial vote of confidence in Lok Sabha in theyear 2008.

 

Five days before the UPA government faced a crucial vote of confidence on the Indo-U.S.nuclear deal in 2008, Nachiketa Kapur, a political aide to Congress leader Satish Sharma showeda U.S. Embassy employee “two chests containing cash” he said was part of a bigger fund of Rs. 50 crore to Rs. 60 crore that the party had assembled to purchase the support of MPs. He also claimed the four MPs belonging to Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal had already been paid Rs. 10 crore each to ensure they voted the right way on the floor of the Lok Sabha.Indian Top Stories

 

In a cable, dated July 17, 2008, sent to the State Department (162458: secret), accessed by The Hindu through WikiLeaks, U.S. Charge d'Affaires Steven White wrote about a visit the Embassy's Political Counselor paid to Satish Sharma, who is described as “a Congress Party MP in the Rajya Sabha and a close associate of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi considered to be a very close family friend of Sonia Gandhi.”

 

Mr. Steven White reveals, “Sharma's political aide Nachiketa Kapur mentioned to an Embassy staff member in an aside on July 16 that Ajit Singh's RLD had been paid Rupees 10 crore (about $2.5 million) for each of their four MPs to support the government. Kapur mentioned that money was not an issue at all, but the crucial thing was to ensure that those who took the money would vote for the government.”

 

Later Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had managed to get 275 votes in favour with 256 againstand 10 abstentions. Just before the confidence vote, Members of Parliament belonging to BJP had produced cash on the floor of the House and alleged that this was the money the government had used to buy the support of MPs. Investigations followed by were left high and dry. Now, the revelations of secret U.S. Embassy cable is likely to reignite Opposition allegations that bribes were paid on a massive scale to ensure the UPA won the 2008 vote of confidence. 

However, Ajit Singh who didn't vote for the UPA during the trust vote has slammed the expose.

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Outrage in Kashmir over denial of justice: CPI-M

NEW DELHI - Advising the government to stop behaving as if it is "occupying" power in Jammu and Kashmir, CPI-M member Brinda Karat today said people whose children were killed in police firing are outraged over "denial of justice".

Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, she said 117 people were killed in these incidents last year but not even a single constable has been punished.

She said the government should "stop behaving like occupying people."

Four MPs including Karat had recently gone to Srinagar to attend a women's conference where the problems faced by the people of the state were narrated to them.

The conference was organised by the Centre-appointed interlocutors, she said.

She said there was "outrage" among people who said justice was not given to them.

Karat said of the 117 cases, only 37 FIRs have been registered and no independent inquiry was conducted in a time bound manner.

"Even today, young people are being called to police stations and threatened... women say that every time they enter universities, they are asked to show their identity cards. They are asking is it not their own country", she said adding that it was "militarisation of the entire Valley".National Headlines

First convention on RTI from tomorrow

SHILONG - Inclusion of foreign funding to NGOs within the RTI ambit, the question of prosecution of erring officials after RTI revelations, protection of RTI activists and implementation of act in toto will come up for discussion during the third national convention of Right to Information Act  the first after enactment of the RTI  that begins here tomorrow.

About 1000 activists, including imminent personalities from across the country, are expected to take part in the meet organised by the Meghalaya Right to Information Movement.

Nikhil Dey, convener of the National Campaign for People's Right to Information, said the convention assumes significance from the fact that it is the first convention after the enactment of the act.

Ex CJI JS Verma, former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court A L Shah, former chief election commissioner J M Lyngdoh, activists Aruna Roy and noted RTI activists from across the country would attend the convention themed 'Reclaiming Democracy'.

Selection of information commissioners and piling up RTI applications in some states and the Centre would also be discussed during the convention which will conclude with a set of resolutions ? to be called the 'Shillong Declaration'.

Meghalaya Right to Information Movement activist Angela Rangad said, "The objective of the RTI Act in empowering the people with a law to enable each citizen to know on what the government does is incomplete because those known for being guilty are not taken into task as per the law".

"In order to achieve total accountability and transparency, laws that prescribe legal action against the guilty is imperative because it will be a deterrent tool for others," stated Rangad.

The RTI activist added that the convention will also try to find out ways to force the government to include private bodies and foreign funding agencies under the ambit of the RTI.


Source : Indian Top Stories

Largest prospering sector in India is inequality : P.Sainath

BANGALORE -  “The subject of Farmers suicide is just a part of crisis, Infact it is a manifestation of greater crisis which can be seen in larger framework of inequality.” These views were expressed by P Sainath, Rural Affairs Editor of The Hindu and 2007 winner of the Ramon Magsaysay Award. He was in Bangalore for post screening talk on the documentary film made by Deep Bhatia. 

The film Nero’s Guest was screened in IISC, organized by VIKALP BENGALURU in association with Maraa and CONCERN. The film attempts to find the cause of problem behind the suicide of farmers focusing Vidharbha region of Maharashtra.

The film tries to reflect the prevailing agrarian crisis in India and the growing inequality seen through the work of P Sainath.

Inequality has been India’s fastest growing sector; its grown faster than at any time in our history since the British Raj. Nearly 2 lakh farmers have committed suicide in India over the last 14 years, driven by distress caused not by famine or drought, but debt. NERO’S GUESTS is a journal of this distress.

The trajectory of the documentary spans five or six years, from Sainath’s initial tours into the villages to research the agrarian crisis to the later visits of politicians and bureaucrats who couldn’t escape the responsibility any more The film takes one into the homes of the helpless farmers and to overflowing lecture halls. Sainath makes us confront the India we don’t want to see, and provokes us to think about who Nero’s Guests are in today’s world.

Reacting to the questions and concerns raised by the audience after the screening, P.Sainath criticized the Indian government’s policy and attitude towards the agriculture sector.

He said almost over 2,16,500 farmers have done suicide in last 10-15 years. Their situation is pathetic and beyond our sense of imagination. Giving an example of a post graduate in Marathi farmer, Hargovind Harae , Sainath said he was in a such a pathetic and poor condition that he took pesticide on loan to commit suicide.

In his impeccable tone P.Sainath said that largest growing sectior in India is inequality. He said that apathy of people of India is unmatched in the world. Their situation is worse than Sub-Saharan countries. P.sainath also criticized the government definition of poverty line and stated it as fraud.

Sainath made the point that government deliberately vacating the agrarian space for corporate. The corporates are given more and more waiver and taxes are written off for them while government is cutting the subsidy in agriculture sector.

He said that Daily net per capita food availability is on decline, it is 436 gm per day while it was 510 gm in 1991. Although the population rate has gone down but food availability is still an issue. He holds government’s neglection policy responsible for these entire crises.

He came heavily on corporate, Sainath was vocal and said that corporate are deciding the fate of this country. Referring to Radia tape he said it’s very apparent and self declaring that who is running and deciding the fate of this country.

He said am posing three demands for a long time. He reiterated them and said that Agriculture must be declared as public sector. He demanded that one full fledge session of parliament should be dedicated to discuss agrarian crisis and agriculture in India. He said that parliamentary discussion will decide how to take up the issue and address the crisis. He also demanded for implementation of National farmer’s commission report.

Source : http://www.newzfirst.com/web/guest

Pro-Telangana groups to organise rail blockades tomorrow

HYDERABAD - In a bid to mount pressure on the Centre on the separate statehood demand, pro-Telangana groups would organise rail blockades all over the region tomorrow.

Thousands of people from villages and towns would squat on the railway tracks from 6 am to 6 pm tomorrow as part of the protest named 'Palle Palle Pattala Paiki' (villages on railway tracks), Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) Convener M Kodandaram told reporters here today.

"We have also asked people who live in the villages all along the railway tracks to come on to the track and sit there. We have also asked them to bring their cattle and bullock carts on to the track and also cook and eat on the track itself. For all practical purposes, instead of living in their homes, they live on the tracks for a day," he said.

The rail blockade is an attempt to send a message across to the Centre, the JAC Convener said.India News

He said there is no change in the 'Chalo Hyderabad' programme scheduled to be held on March 10.

Christened 'million march to Hyderabad', the programme would see lakhs of people coming to Hyderabad and not a soul would be able to move around in the city on that day, TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao has announced two days ago.

The JAC has earlier indicated that it might reschedule the programme on March 10 as annual examinations of intermediate students are scheduled to be held on the day.

However, Kodandaram clarified today that there is no change in the 'Chalo Hyderabad' programme and it would be held as scheduled on March 10 as the Board of Intermediate Education was ready to reschedule the examinations.


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Krishna's UN faux pas figures in Lok Sabha

NEW DELHI - In an obvious dig at External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, JD-U chief Sharad Yadav today said there are people in the government who do not know whether they are reading their own speech.

"He does not know whether he is reading his speech or someone else's speech", Yadav said without naming Krishna who was occupying the front bench during the debate on Motion of thanks to the President for her Address.

Krishna had mistakenly started reading the speech of his Portuguese counterpart at the UN Security Council. The Minister, however, rectified the mistake after it was pointed out by an official.

Yadav's remark that Krishna was sitting like a "great man...see his posture" evoked sharp reaction from ruling members, who accused Yadav of making disparaging personal remarks.

Referring to 2G spectrum allocation scam, Yadav said that Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal, an eminent advocate, was treating the nation like a "legal chamber."

Sibal had earlier described the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on 2G spectrum allocation as "utterly erroneous."

The ruling party members also objected to his remarks against Sibal.


Source : http://www.newzfirst.com/web/guest/india

HDFC Bank to ride growth opportunities in emerging "Bharat"

MUMBAI - Private sector HDFC Bank aims to ride the growth opportunities thrown up by the increasing affluence of "Bharat" (rural India) and expects to grow higher-than-industry over the next few years, a top bank official said.

The bank will also focus on organic growth, having completed the acquisition of CBoP a couple of years ago which has given it a strong footprint pan-India, he said.Indian Business News

"There is a tremendous opportunity in rural India and with the country's GDP poised to grow at 8 per cent-plus over the next few years, HDFC Bank is well-positioned to tap this opportunity for its rapid growth," the bank's Managing Director, Aditya Puri, told PTI here.

Describing rural India as "Bharat", Puri said that HDFC Bank is well-poised to exploit the growth opportunities here in terms of both products and branches.

"Bharat is growing rapidly -- there are agricultural reforms taking place, supply-chains are being developed and improved, per capita income is increasing and ancillary units are growing around manufacturing. All this makes HDFC Bank optimistic about its, and the country's financial sector's growth going forward," Puri said.

The bank constantly innovates and comes up with new offerings, he said, citing as an example its loans against gold jewellery facility.

"Now we give loans against gold jewellery which helps us tap business from small shop-keepers, small businesses and others in rural areas. This business is a good one in the interiors of the country," the HDFC Bank chief said.Financial News

Kirsten pays special attention to Pathan on 2nd day of WC camp

BANGALORE - On his last assignment with the Indian team, coach Gary Kirsten focussed on all-rounder Yusuf Pathan and pacer Ashish Nehra on the second day of the four-day preparatory camp for the World Cup at the National Cricket Academy here today.Latest Sports News

Kirsten was one of the first members of the team to take the field and left the ground last along with colleagues Eric Simmons (bowling consultant) and Paddy Upton (mental conditioning coach).

Kirsten supervised the net sessions of not only the batsmen but even attended to left-arm pacer Ashish Nehra and threw a few balls at him at the fag end of the three-hour long practice session.

Realising Pathan's weakness against short-pitched stuff, Kirsten threw some bouncy balls at him and was also seen giving tips to him on how to counter the fast bowlers.

After yesterday's optional practice session, it was more serious business today. Soon after arriving at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, the entire Indian team went through fielding drills for nearly 45 minutes before shifting base to the NCA nets.

The trio of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, who returned to the squad after a short injury lay-off, were the first to hit the nets and batted for about 40 minutes during which middled the ball from the word go.

Young Virat Kohli also spent a considerable amount of time at the nets and looked at ease but Yuvraj looked little out of sort with his timing.

After completing his session at the net, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni joined Harbhajan Singh at the other end of the NCA ground and the duo smacked Karnataka Cricket Academy bowlers to all parts of the park.

All the bowlers, meanwhile, rolled their arms in turns with Munaf Patel extracting considerable amount of pace and bounce from the pitch.

After the camp, India will be put to their first test when they play Australia in their first warm-up match on Sunday and then round off their preparation with a practice game against New Zealand in Chennai on February 16.Sports Headlines 

WC will be a fight among India, Pak and SL: Raina

NEW DELHI - Young middle-order batsman Suresh Raina reckons that with the dominance of four-time world champions Australia almost over, it would be a fight among the three sub-continental teams in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the upcoming cricket World Cup.

"I see this World Cup as a fight among the sub continental teams -- Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India. England can also be the real challengers. They are doing well, especially after their success in the Ashes," Raina told PTI in an interview from Bangalore.Latest Sports News
"This is a fresh World Cup and in the last four years other teams have also improved a lot as compared to the Aussies. It's important to get a good start in the tournament," he added.

The Uttar Pradesh player also said this was the best Indian side ever and if it could make it to the last four stage, it would be the firm favourite to win the title.

"It's all about making it to the semis. I hope if we can make it to the last four stage, then we will definitely be in the final. We have some very good players now. It's very important to reach the semis".

"I think this is the best ever Indian side...we have the best batsman in Sachin Tendulkar and with Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir there as well at the top, the batting is very strong," said Raina.

Raina said coach Gary Kirsten and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni have done a great job with the team and success has given them confidence.

"Gary Kirsten and Dhoni have been doing great with the side. He (Kirsten) is the best coach and 'captain cool' Dhoni is the best skipper.

"With Sreesanth back in the side, the pace attack looks very good, while in Harbhajan (Singh) leading the spin armoury along with (Ravichandran) Ashwin and (Piyush) Chawla, it looks a fully balanced line-up."

The 24-year-old batsman, who may have to compete with the likes of Virat Kohli and Yusuf Pathan for a place in the final XI, is however confident of batting at any position and sees himself in a role of a finisher.

"It's (finishing a game) not easy. You have to read the situation well. Any miscalculation can go horribly wrong. You have to rotate the strike and at the same time it's very important to play your natural game", he said. 

"I've been scoring for the Indian team. I am finishing the games well. It's true that I am scoring in the 30s. But batting at 6 or 7, those are valuable runs when you have to play for the team's cause," said Raina, referring to his performance in the five-match ODI series in South Africa where he failed to notch even a half-century.

"I've been batting at different positions. Be it at No 3, 4, or at 5 and 6 as in last few years. I've improved as a batsman," said Raina, who holds the record of becoming the first Indian to score centuries in all the three formats of the game.

A poor form had cost him a place in the 2007 World Cup squad and Raina said he was disappointed about the past but wants to start afresh.

"It was definitely disappointing to miss out on 2007.

Having missed out on the last World Cup, it's a dream come true for me to be picked this time around. It's a hugely important tournament for me.

"It's a fresh World Cup and I'm truly honoured to be part of the side, representing the billions of fans who support the country. The occasion is more special as we will play in home conditions. All eyes would be on us. Everybody is upbeat. I'm really excited for the showpiece event to start," Raina said.

"No doubt, there is pressure. After all, this is the biggest stage of the game. But we are used to this and with great cricketers like Sachin, Sehwag, Dhoni in the dressing room, you never really feel the pressure."

Raina also believes a good performance in the World Cup would take a player to the next level.

"I see it as a very good opportunity. If you perform well, you will take your game and confidence to the next level. It's very important to stay focussed, be relaxed and at the same time be humble and disciplined in your approach.

Speaking about the South Africa tour, Raina said, "We lost all ODIs in 2005. But this time we showed real fighting spirit. We drew the Test series that has never happened. We fought till the end and in the ODI series also we came very close."

Raina signed off saying everybody in the Indian team would try their best to bring back the World Cup and keep the faith of the billions of supporters.

"The World Cup belongs to the country, the billions of Indians who pray for us and support us. Nobody knows if Sachin Tendulkar will play in the next World Cup. Only he knows.India News

Not just for Sachin but for the entire countrymen we will give our best to bring back the World Cup," he said.

Mutalik arrest- A matter of concern for Karnataka

BANGALORE - The interrogation of 36-year-old Praveen Mutalik, who was arrested by the Maharashtra ATS,has revealed that he is the one who planted the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in a bikeat Bhiku chowk, Malegoan, during Ramzan on September 29, 2008. The motorcycle was later traced to the prime accused Sadhwi Pragya Singh Thakur, the interrogation report revealed. India News

 Mutalik, a resident of Gokak town in Belgaum district of Karnataka was the active worker of Sri Ram Sene. Later he came into contact with Abhinav Bharat through Sri Ram Sene and met Colonel Prasad Srikanth Purohit, (founder of the Abhinav Bharat in February 2007) as well.

 

Investigations by ACP Mohan Kulkarni, ATS, Maharashtra has revealed that Mutalik along with other aides were trained to handle explosives by Rakesh Dhawde during his stay at Sudhakar Chaturvedi's house in Deolali camp, Nasik, two months before the attack.

 

Purohit had brought RDX with him while coming from Kashmir after completing his posting. It was kept at his house for a while before the bomb was assembled with the help of Chaturvedi.

 

“He (Mutalik) joined Abhinav Bharat, a terrorist organization in the year 2008 and became one of the prominent members of it. Later he had participated in different meetings. He was expert in manufacturing bombs.” said Rakesh Maria, chief of Maharashtra ATS.

 

He is arrested under the Sections 302, 307, 324, 427, 153-A, 120-B read with 3,4,5 and 6 of India Explosive Substances ACT. 1980 r/w 3,5,25 of Arms Act r/15,16,17,18,20 and 23 of Prevention of Unlawful Activities Act-1967 of Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act 1999.

 

 With the arrest of Praveen Mutalik by the ATS of Maharashtra, it is established that the contribution of Extremist Hindutva outfits from Karnataka in various terror acts is very apparent and hence a serious matter of concern.

 

Earlier, when the Karnataka witnessed the blast inside the premises of the court complex in Hubli, investigations pointed out the involvements of some Hindu right wing extremists.

 

It is high time to investigate the links of Hindutva extremist organizations operating from the soil of Karnataka. It is evident that these organizations are engaged in something more than mere polarization of the society. Whether the law & order agencies of Karnataka have failed to identify the ‘evolution’ of such groups or are they enjoying the neglection from the

administration and the Government? There is urgent need to investigate the depth of influence of these terror groups in Karnataka.On the contrary, the response from the media to the arrest of Muthalik was very apprehensive.National Headlines

Excellence key to survive, flourish in global market: PM

NEW DELHI - In the face of intense competition, Indian enterprises need to adopt a culture of excellence to survive and flourish in the global market, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said today.Indian Business News

While several multi-national enterprises have set up R&D facilities in India, the country has a "far way to go in institutionalising the culture of excellence embedded into the working processes of Indian enterprises," he said.

Singh was addressing an international conference on productivity and quality here.

"We live in times of intense competition and rapid technological change...Technology is eliminating or at least significantly reducing entry barriers in many industries and increasing the number of providers of goods and services," he said.

Singh said the techniques for improving quality and productivity were not only useful for private enterprises but also for delivery of public services.

"In fact they can be used to design government services optimally so that service delivery becomes much-more cost effective and reliable," he said.

Giving example, the Prime Minister said that the productivity technique could be used to enhance agricultural production and improve overall supply chain management.

"Today the use of technology in planning and supply chain management has enormous potential to improve productivity, reduce cycle times as well as inventory levels drastically", he said.

India's agriculture which feeds about 70 per cent of its people suffers from supply chain management, leading to bouts of food inflation now and then.

This area is receiving attention of the government after the weaknesses in the food supply management have come to the fore.Financial News

Costlier vegetables push food inflation to 17.05 pc

NEW DELHI - Food inflation soared to 17.05 per cent for the week ended January 22, rising for the second straight week, on the back of costlier vegetables, fruits and milk.

Food inflation rose by 1.48 percentage points from 15.57 per cent in the previous week. The food inflation last year had stood at 20.56 per cent.

On an annual basis, onion prices rose by 130.41 per cent in the third week of January, although they have moderated considerably in the recent days.India News

Vegetables as a whole have became dearer by 77.05 per cent on an annual basis as potato prices rose by 6.22 per cent.

Fruits and milk became costlier by 15.47 per cent and 11.41 per cent on a year on year basis respectively, data released by the government showed.

In the non-food items, fuel inflation rose by 0.66 per cent during the week after the oil marketing companies raised petrol prices by about Rs 2.50 a litre.

"Fuel and Power" category showed an increase of 11.61 per cent year-on-year.

The uptick in latest food inflation figure is likely to put further pressure on the government grappling with expensive food commodities and a slowing industrial growth that dipped to the 18-month low of 2.7 per cent for November.

The overall inflation for December rose to 8.43 per cent, from 7.48 per cent in the previous month.

The RBI has projected the headline inflation to be at 7 per cent by March end.National headlines

Dhoni confident India would handle pressure well in WC

MUMBAI - Weighed down by the pressure of expectations four years ago, the Indian squad crashed out of the World Cup at the preliminary stage itself but current captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is confident his team would handle the burden better in the upcoming mega-event.Online News
"We take pressure as an added responsibility. We will stick to the basics and prepare well. We have the potential to do well in the tournament. For a change we will not be the underdogs," said Dhoni at a promotional event here.

The Ranchi-born wicket-keeper batsman, however, refused to predict whether India will go on and regain the coveted crown after a gap of 28 years.

"I never predict what will happen in cricket. We believe in each other and we believe in the process. We will take each game in the right frame of mind," said Dhoni ahead of India's campaign in the Febrary 19-April 2 showpiece event.

Dhoni brushed aside concerns about India's opening match against co-hosts Bangladesh in Dhaka after what had happened in the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies when the Rahul Dravid-led side got knocked out following a shock defeat at the hands of their eastern neighbours.National News

"The past is past. I am more optimistic than you," he said referring to the lung-opener against Bangladesh on February 19.

Dhoni refused to agree with England batsman Kevin Pietersen, who criticised the World Cup schedule for long gaps between matches and preferred to look at it as an opportunity to recover from niggles and relax. 

Karuna meets PM, discusses fishermen issu

NEW DELHI - Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here and is understood to have raised the issue of Indian fishermen being killed allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy.

Karunanidhi, who arrived here yesterday on a three-day visit, met Singh at his 7, Race Course Road residence and is believed to have asked the Prime Minister to tell Colombo not to resort to firing at fishermen who cross the International Maritime Border.

Karunanidhi also discussed the ensuing Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu and the seat-sharing mechanism between the DMK and Congress, DMK sources said.

He is also scheduled to meet Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

The Chief Minister had yesterday told reporters that he would discuss the fishermen attack issue with the Prime Minister.

"I have been discussing the fishermen issue with Singh on several occasions," he had said yesterday indicating that he would take up the issue with the prime minister again.India News

The meeting comes at a time when Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao is in Colombo to take up the issue with Sri Lanka.

Rao was asked by External Affairs Minister S M Krishna to travel to Colombo to discuss with the Sri Lankan government the killing of Indian fishermen.

Reflecting the political sensitivities in Tamil Nadu, India has already reacted very strongly to the incidents in which two Indian fishermen were killed in the span of one month, notwithstanding Sri Lankan government's claim that its navy was not involved.National Headlines

Six killed, hundreds arrested in two days of Egypt protests

 CAIRO - Hundreds of Egyptian protesters, including journalists, have been arrested in two days of Tunisia-inspired unprecedented mass protests against President Hosni Mubarak's autocratic regime that left at least six people dead.Latest world news

Egypt witnessed a second 'day of anger' against the 30-year-rule of Mubarak yesterday as thousands of protesters took to streets, shouting slogans like 'Down with Hosni Mubarak, down with the tyrant," "We don't want you"!

Downtown Cairo saw thousands of security personnel chase anti-government protesters as they tried to reassemble at Tahrir Square, the same place where more than 20,000 demonstrators converged on Tuesday, occupying it for several hours before being dispersed by security forces early yesterday.

At some places, security forces fired tear gas canisters and rubber bullets, and demonstrators threw stones in response.

Two persons -- a protester and a policeman -- were killed yesterday, bringing to six the death toll in the two-day protests, media reports said.

Hundreds of protesters, including eight journalists, have been arrested and several injured during the protests, Al-Ahram newspaper reported today.

There had been brief attempts by protesters to gather outside the High Court here also. However, they were quickly dispersed.

The number of defiant demonstrators in Cairo was believed to be around 3,000 and they used the journalists' union as a launch pad for yesterday's protests.

The protesters burnt tyres in the middle of some main streets in Cairo to keep security vehicles at bay and pelted stones at public buildings and attempted to break into them.

There were sounds of sirens all over the capital.

Strong clashes between protesters and riot police were witnessed in Ramsis, Talat Harb and Qasr El-Nil Street.

After first day of protests on Tuesday, the Interior Ministry released a statement saying that no further demonstrations of any kind would be tolerated.

Police maintained a heavy presence in all places in Cairo.

There had also been huge protests yesterday in the port city of Suez, where four people died on Tuesday.

The protests in Suez were held mainly in front of the morgue where the bodies were kept. The protesters asked for a forensic examination before the burial. (More) PTI KIM

Security forces asked the families of the protesters killed in Suez to bury them quietly. But, the families insisted that they wanted forensic examination.

There have been calls for protesters from Cairo, where two people died during demonstrations yesterday, to join forces in Suez tomorrow after the Friday prayers.

Security has been stepped up in the capital, with authorities deploying clusters of armoured vehicles loaded with fully geared security personnel.

The intense action during the two-day protests took place in Suez, Egypt's largest city overlooking the Red Sea, where the scene was described by activists as one of the "street wars" and a "blood bath."

The protesters set the police station in the quarter of Arbain on fire and claimed that they had also torched the headquarters of the ruling party.

Many protesters were injured and rushed to hospitals, amid allegations that security forces ordered the medical staff not to provide medical care to them.

The city of Alexandria also witnessed anti-government rallies with protesters trying to reach a sea-front square to stage a demonstration, witnesses were quoted as saying. Dozens of protesters were also arrested from the city.

Egypt's largest anti-government protests in years echoed the recent mass uprising in Tunisia that toppled President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and forced him to flee to Saudi Arabia along with his family.

The protests in Egypt threatened to destabilise the regime of Mubarak, a close US ally in the Arab world.

In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said yesterday that Egypt had to adopt democratic and other reforms and allow peaceful protests.

"I do think it's possible for there to be reforms and that is what we are urging and calling for," Clinton told reporters at the State Department.

She urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from violence.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon asked all concerned to ensure that the situation in Egypt does not lead to further violence.

He called on the authorities "to see this as an opportunity to engage in addressing the legitimate concerns of the people," his spokesman said.

Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the Vienna-based UN nuclear agency, is expected to return to his country Egypt from service abroad shortly to join demonstrators protesting against 82-year-old Mubarak, 'Voice of America' reported.

The activists have used social media websites to call for a big protest tomorrow in Cairo.

But Facebook, a key medium which was being used to organise protests, appeared to be at least partially blocked.

On Tuesday, Twitter and cell phones appeared to be sporadically blocked as well.

Media reports said that over 800 people have been arrested in the waves of unrest across the country.

Egypt's government said at least 85 police officers were wounded in the clashes.

The injury figure among the protesters was nearly 70, according to the report

 

Meticulous strategy needed for meeting housing demand:FM

CHENNAI - Sustained economic growth will result in acceleration of urbanisation and meticulous strategy is required to meet the domestic housing and quality urban services demand, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said today.

"With sustained economic growth, the pace of urbanisation is set to accelerate and the urban population living in Indian towns and cities will double in the next 25 years," Mukherjee said at the 24th All India Builders' Convention here.

The growth is in conformity to the global trend where more than half of world's population is living in cities and towns, he said.

"In order to harness this opportunity, it is important that we plan carefully our strategy to meet the demand for housing and quality urban services in our habitations," he said.

According to Mukherjee, urbanisation in India has occurred slowly and unevenly but this is set to change rapidly.
Business News
The Finance Minister said the 'housing deficit' in the country, especially in urban areas, was not only a challenge to India's rapidly growing economy, but also a source of opportunity to boost the construction industry as well as the economy's growth momentum.

An individual's desire to own a house is a basic one and this coupled with an expanding economy and a young population, presents a 'huge opportunity' to the construction sector, he said.

"This task of meeting this desire is not merely a commercial enterprise. It has a larger social dimension to it.

The construction sector has considerable scope for creating employment for unskilled and semi-skilled, which have direct implications for poverty eradication," Mukherjee said.

During the 12th Five Year Plan, investment in the infrastructure sector alone would be around a little over Rs 40,000 crore, he said, adding that the success in meeting this target was tied with the performance of the building and construction sector.

Asking the realty industry to be sensitive to social dimension of housing, the Minister stressed on ethical practices and said that pricing should be done "appropriately" in response to the housing demand across the sections in society.

If the present economic growth trajectory is maintained for the next decade or two, the construction industry will witness a huge shortage of skills.

"National Skill Development Corporation has been formed to involve private sector in creation of skilled workforce," he said urging the construction industry to establish tie-ups with NSDC and contribute towards skill creation.Indian Top Stories

Online News Readers Constantly Growing In Numbers

A change in online news paper industry and that did not pay attention to what is happening quickly end up losing a profit. The world's largest newspapers have already made the transition to online publication, and it is easy to see why. Although the local level, we would have a limited number of magazines are sold, thanks to the Internet could end up in any newspaper, and tens of thousands of visitors from reading a single article that was published. Such a sense of power is easy to see why newspapers need an online presence.

Why people prefer to read online news?

We should also mention that sometimes our elected newspaper will not propose new we're really interested. Newspapers are limited, and the Internet is not. In case you do not find what you want in a newspaper, you can always go to another. There are hundreds of online publications and Web sites even more than the mere presentation of news online. How do you top such a power?

One of the main reasons why we can say is that on a website, just read this piece of news you are interested in. If you buy a newspaper then you are practically forced to buy it. Today, people do not really want to pay a fee just to read news that they want to know more about.

Another reason is that commodity. During the use of any food can simply go through the latest news and read everything that happens and is linked to topics of interest. It is without having to go buy a newspaper. You can do so from your home computer without leaving the house in his underwear. Where can I get commodities in regard to regular newspapers? You can make up for lost time by going to the newsstand, if you look at what you see online.

If you're looking for your new best solution is to search online. You will find everything much faster and use subscriptions, you can even know when an article was published as it seemed on the net.Latest World News

IndiGo gets govt nod to launch international operations

NEW DELHI - Premier no-frill carrier IndiGo, which recently placed the world's largest aircraft order, has received government nod to launch international operations and would fly to Singapore, Bangkok, Dubai and Muscat soon after it completes five years of domestic operations in August.

The airline, which bagged the second position after Jet Airways in terms of the number of passengers, got permission for launching international operations from the forthcoming summer schedule, which begins in April and continues till October-November.Business News

An airline spokesperson said today that the flights would be operated from several Indian cities to Singapore, Bangkok, Dubai and Muscat.

However, "the schedules and dates for the launch of these international services will be announced in the coming months", she added.

The criteria for permission to launch international operations is that the airline should complete five years of domestic operations and have a 20-aircraft fleet.

Sources said the first global flight would be launched as soon as IndiGo completes five years of domestic operations in August this year and added that it could also be matched with the fifth anniversary celebration.

Preparations are on in full swing, they said.

A company statement said, "IndiGo is delighted to receive these important traffic rights and is grateful to the Ministry of Civil Aviation for approving its application in a timely manner."

With its fleet of 34 new Airbus A-320 aircraft, the airline, which now has a market share of 18.6 per cent that is more than Air India's and matches that of Kingfisher, offers 221 daily flights connecting 24 destinations.

The airline was recently in spotlight when it placed the world's largest aircraft order of 150 planes with European manufacturer Airbus. A year before beginning operations in 2008, it had also placed the biggest order of 100 aircraft from the same manufacturer.Online News

Indian Top Stories Reading in the Internet

One of the advantages of modern means of using the latest technology has changed rapidly exchange information around the world. Decades ago, the slogan was the news that a popular phrase today is indian top stories news, people now has the news, every hour. Unlike people who never good online news for days or weeks after the accident occurred. First, it was ordinary news worldwide, now has become more precise by using phrases such as  cultural news, a new Middle East, and some news on-line. While the Internet world is becoming smaller and people can easily get the latest news developments.  

The Internet has further increased the source of information for everyone. Web hosting is not the online editions of major newspapers.  Then you have websites for Indian Top Stories, Indian News, and Indian Political News that blogs and pages are only intended to india news. In addition, thousands of articles dealing specifically with issues such as new Islamic international business news, news and business in the Middle East, to name but a few are easily accessible. It gives readers a more objective and detailed self-interest.

Online technologies have allowed people to search and received news developments at a click of a mouse. And not only that, they can type specific key words such as India news, Indain business news, and political news to arrive easily at the web pages they want immediately.  The search bar features have slimmed down time constraint of accessing specific news to readers. In addition, some functions of these sites have exposed readers to links that give related information of the events.

Readers have to travel from different sites to find an article on new business. Often, readers may have missed the news they want to read because it is buried in the inside pages.

It has been predicted before; the network will replace newspapers as the main source of information on current events. This is why newspapers have invaded the Internet to benefit from this development. Currently, both off and online available for everyone. It is not yet determined whether the lying newspapers suffer extinction like the dinosaurs long ago. In any event, people still enjoy both versions.

This breaking news can be seen on India's news channels. India's other mission to host the next Commonwealth Games is still to be accomplished as the preparations and the games venues were inspected by the foreign delegates.

School enrolment of children between 6-14 yrs at 96.5%: Report

PATNA - NDA government headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has succeeded in bringing children to schools as the enrolment in Bihar schools has registered a quantum jump over the years at 96.5 per cent in 2010.

The enrolment in schools of the children aged between six to 14 years has stood at 96.5 per cent in Bihar in 2010, according to the annual status of educational report, 2010.

The enrolment in government government has registered a significant increase at 89.8 per cent in the children in 6-14 age group as against 72.2 per cent in 2006, it said.

Similarly, the percentage of the children staying away from education has decreased drastically at 2.5 per cent in 2010 as against 12.8 per cent in 2006, the report said.

Reflecting the parents' urge to enrol their wards in schools at an early age, the percentage of the students, aged five, in the schools has witnessed about 15 per cent increase at 52.7 in 2010 as compared to 45.4 in 2006.

The state also saw an impressive increase in the number of under-five children going to kindergarten and anganwadi centres for pre-learning session at 74.5 per cent and 78.8 per cent of children aged three years and four years respectively in 2010 as against the corresponding figure of 49.1 and 57.7 respectively in 2006.

In addition, the Bihar students have been found to excel in mathematics in comparison to their counterparts in other parts of the country, the report said.India Education

For example, 69 per cent of class VIII students in Bihar can solve area-related questions in maths as against the national average at 50 per cent.

The report has complimented the state government for liberal release of grants for the maintenance and development of schools and teaching/learning materials.

As many as 81.4 per cent schools received grants for maintenance in 2009-10, while 79.6 per cent of them got development fund and 82.4 per cent schools benefited from teaching/learning materials grant, it said.

The report was compiled on the basis of inspection of 977 students in the state selected on random basis.Online News Stories 

Misappropriation complaint: Fresh summons to Lalit Modi

CHENNAI - The city police have issued fresh summons to suspended IPL commissioner Lalit Modi and five others over complaint of misappropriation of funds of Rs 468 crore, filed by Indian cricket board secretary N Srinivasan.

Modi and five others -- Harish Krishnamachari of Mumbai, Ajay Verma of New Delhi and World Sports Group office-bearers Venu Nair, Andrew Georgio and Seamus O'Brien -- have been asked to appear for an inquiry either on January 25, 26 or 28, a date suitable for them, Police Commissioner T Rajendran told reporters here today.

"If they failed to appear on any of these dates, legal steps will be taken to bring them for inquiry," the Police Commissioner said. India News

Srinivasan had lodged a complaint last year against Modi, charging him with misappropriation of Rs 468 crore, mainly in allotting media rights and free commercial rights.

Modi and others had not responded to summons issued in December, asking them to appear in the first week of this month.

However, Kunal Dasgupta, whose name also figured in the complaint, had complied with the police summons to appear before it. 
Source : Online News