West Bengal: New CM, new work culture

May 22 , 2011

Kolkata: Mamata Banerjee was on foot again to the Writers' Buildings - and this time she caused a flutter by turning up for work on a Saturday - something the staff at the state secretariat are not used to.

Apart from holding meetings with her ministers, Banerjee utilised the day touring the different blocks of the building and seeing things for herself at the State's power citadel.

The West Bengal chief minister said, "If you do the work well, others will follow you. But you must know how to work. Political affiliations often pose hurdles in government's work."

Taking cue from Chief Minister, ministers who have just been allotted portfolios also tried to create an impression. They attended to guests, accepted congratulations and made seemingly tall promises…

Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said, "The facilities that Londan has and the way it is maintained, we have to build Kolkata in the same way."

Sports Minister Madan Mitra said, "I will speak to the corporate companies, the corporate sector to promote and sponsor four sportsmen in each field of sports." Irrigation Minister Manas Bhuinya said, "I have talked with the additional chief secretary of my department, all officers… I have told them I will not mean who you are but I will mean what you are doing." Higher Education Minister Bratya Basu said, "The interference of college unions during admissions must stop. Unions can do their politics after admissions are over."

A significant start, many would say even as doubts prevailed among Banerjee's well wishers about her ability to sustain the effort.

"The bustle behind me suggests that Saturday is like any other working day for the new government of West Bengal. And if morning shows the day, the Babus of Writers' Buildings will have to re-plan their weekends from now on. 

Kanimozhi innocent, we will win: MK

May 22 , 2011

CHENNAI: Asserting that his daughter DMK MP Kanimozhi was completely innocent as far as the money transfer relating to Kalaignar TV went, DMK president M Karunanidhi on Saturday described her arrest as the resultant effect of a plot created by those who had been nursing animosity against his family.

Indicating that the DMK cadre should get ready for an araporattam (struggle), Karunanidhi, in his letter to the party cadre said “in the end we will win”.

“I am writing this letter at a time when the DMK had faced big electoral loss... I don’t want to go into the question as to who was responsible for this defeat... whether the number of constituencies received by exerting pressure or the Election Commission that adopted extraordinary conditions in Tamil Nadu”, he said.

Karunanidhi revealed that Kanimozhi became a stakeholder in Kalaignar TV only upon his insistence.

“Apart from becoming a shareholder, Kanimozhi has not committed any mistake”, Karunanidhi said and added that despite the argument  made by a senior advocate that the shareholders of a company need not be held responsible for the day-to-day affairs as well as the company’s financial issues, the court had arrested Kanimozhi and Kalaignar TV’s CEO Sharad Kumar.

When Dayalu Ammal withdrew from Sun TV, she got Rs100 crore and after deducting the income tax, she got Rs 77.5 crore and of this, Kanimozhi got Rs 2 crore. It was only with this money, that Kanimozhi became one of the shareholders of Kalaignar TV, he said.

Observing that he had been born into a wealthy family in Tirukkuvalai village, Karunanidhi said that during his long public life, he had donated crores of rupees earned from his work in the film industry to charitable activities.

Besides, the DMK chief reiterated that he had never adopted any fraudulent means to amass wealth.

UPA-II turns two: a reason to celebrate?

May 22, 2011

New Delhi: The Prime Minister will host a dinner for the Congress allies on the occasion of the UPA-II's second anniversary. But with scams and controversies refusing to die down, the question is whether there is actually much to celebrate.

In these two years, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi have been busier defending their government in the face of scams and controversies, leaving little time for governance. But as it completes two years, it hopes that its report card will present a brighter side.

It began on a bad note when the Prime Minister was forced to take A Raja as the telecom minister under pressure from the DMK and it was this pressure which has dented the Prime Minister's image. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was pulled up by the court, questioned by the CAG, attacked by the BJP and was forced to make a statement in Parliament, and with attack being the best form of defence, the Prime Minister lashed out at Advani.

The Government was forced to agree to a Joint Parliamentary Committee not before a washout of the winter session and loss of face.

What is even worse is that its ministers have been seen as non performers and even the mini Cabinet reshuffle saw no fresh faces, following which the Prime Minister faced flak and promised a real reshuffle soon.

The Commonwealth Games brought more embarrassment, caught in controversies even as it was on. Many of its key organisers like Suresh Kalmadi and Lalit Bhanot are now behind bars.

One may question why does the UPA want to come with a report card, but government sources say that it hopes that a list of its achievements could help erase the controversies.

Sources have said that the report card, apart from mentioning its achievements, will not shy away from talking about corruption. 

Borders row: Angry Israel PM to take on Obama

May21 , 2011

WASHINGTON: US president Barack Obama opened White House talks with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, as both men waged a public row over the shape of an elusive peace with the Palestinians. 

Netanyahu arrived at the White House with the two leaders embroiled in another spat, the latest to test their tense relationship, at a time of high significance as the Middle East is rocked by "Arab Spring Revolts." The Israeli PM, on a trip which will see him embraced by Republicans opposed to the US leader's Israel policy, quarreled with the suggested parameters of peace deal laid out by Obama on Thursday. 

Obama said that territorial lines in place before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war combined with land-swaps should be the basis for talks on a peace deal with the Palestinians. Netanyahu has long opposed such a formulation, and his office issued a blunt statement saying such a scheme would leave it "indefensible" and would isolate major Israeli settlements in the West Bank. 

The prime minister arrived in Washington at dawn, with an aide saying his tough line was motivated by worries that Obama did not understand the threats Israel faces as popular revolts sweep the region.

Pakistan: 16 killed in NATO tanker blast

May21, 2011

Landi Kotal: At least 16 people were killed early on Saturday when an explosion in northwest Pakistan hit a truck carrying fuel supplies for NATO forces in Afghanistan, officials said. 

"The tanker was on fire because of a blast late in the night. There was another blast early in the morning in the same tanker and 16 people who gathered near it to collect oil were killed," a senior local administration official said. The cause of the blasts was not immediately clear.
Local administrator Abdul Nabi Khan said the incident occurred early Saturday in the Landi Kotal area of Khyber tribal region. 

According to Khan, at first, the tanker caught fire. After it appeared the blaze was under control, people tried to take the tanker's fuel. Then the blast occurred. Separately, in the Torkham area of Khyber at the Afghan border, 14 NATO tankers were damaged in a bombing. No one was hurt. Many vehicles carrying supplies for Western troops in Afghanistan travel through Pakistan.

The Hindu : News / International : China, Pakistan move closer as Gilani visit ends

The Hindu : News / International : China, Pakistan move closer as Gilani visit ends

Kalmadi was mastermind of TSR scam: CBI

May21,2011

NEW DELHI: The CBI squarely named arrestedCommonwealth Games chief organizer Suresh Kalmadi as the "mastermind" in fixing and inflating costs of a timing, scoring and results contract awarded to a Swiss firm that caused a loss of Rs 95 crore. 

In the first chargesheet it filed in a Games-related case on Friday, CBI countered Kalmadi's claim that the controversial contract awarded to a Swiss firm was cleared by an executive board and the sports ministry, maintaining the Pune MP was "the supreme authority in the Organising Committee having overriding powers". 

Agency sources said they were tracing an elaborate conspiracy that began at the Commonwealth Youth Games organized by Kalmadi at his parliamentary constituency of Pune where event organizer Wizcraft was asked to facilitate an appearance by Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty. 

A partner in the plan was a firm Gem International – now named as a conspirator along withSwiss Timing Omega and Kalmadi and his Organizing Committee associates. Gem forked out Rs 72 lakh for the event and Rs 18 lakh was allegedly paid to Shetty. Later, after it won the timing, scoring and results contract, Swiss Timing allegedly paid Rs 23 crore to Gem, seen to be an exercise in routing the money. 

The agency said the buck stopped with Kalmadi as prime accused as he oversaw forgeries and tender conditions were tweaked to benefit Swiss Timing at his behest by his aides Lalit Bhanot and V K Verma, who were arrested in February. 

Along with Kalmadi, Bhanot and Verma, the 60-page chargesheet on the Rs 141 crore contract names former OC treasurer M Jaychandran and five others. Two companies -- Swiss Timing Omega and AKR Constructions -- have been indicted. 

The agency is likely to next file a chargesheet in the Queen Baton's Relay case involving allegedly illegal payments to British firm AM Cars and AM Films. Jaychandran was arrested in the case and is on bail with two other former OC officials. Kalmadi is likely to be main accused in this case as well. 

The two private entities – Swiss Timing and AKR Constructions – have been chargesheeted for routing payments and conspiring with OC officials with the final sub-contractor carrying out the work awarded for a fraction of the deal. 

The CBI court of judge Talwant Singh is due to take cognizance of the chargesheet on Monday. The agency has been helped by two former OC officials, one of whom V K Gautam was believed to be close to Kalmadi. He along with Sujit Panigraphi are among the main prosecution witnesses. The other important testimony is that of Rahul Bhatnagar, a senior official in the sports ministry. 

Kalmadi and his associates decided to award the contract to Swiss Timing before a tender was floated and the terms were changed after its issuance to specifically ensure the firm won the deal. A much lower Rs 62 crore bid by Spanish firm MSL was rejected. Swiss Timing's bid was accepted despite a 2:2 split in the evaluation committee, investigation has revealed. 

"They (the officials) had a pre-planned design to give contract to Swiss Timing, much before Expression of Interest and Request for Proposal (RPF) was issued and they had done forgeries, manipulations and machinations to give award to Switzerland based company." 

Since it could not find direct evidence of money trail, the agency cited circumstantial and documentary evidence in a bid to nail him for cheating, forgery and other charges. It said that he had himself "manipulated the eligibility criteria for the TSR contract to favour Swiss Timing." 

The agency based its chargesheet on the statement of around 70 witnesses and several documents including a forged contract and expression of interest and a hand-written note recovered from Kalmadi's house stating the TSR contract would go to Swiss Timing. 

OC officials to be chargesheeted include Surjit Lal, A S V Prasad and three private persons – promoters of Faridabad-based Gem International A K Madan and Purushottam Arya and MD ofHyderabad based AKR Constructions A Krishna Reddy. CBI has charged all of them for cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy, use of forged documents and prevention of corruption act. 

Reddy, Madan and Arya are on the run and CBI is looking for them armed with non-bailable warrants. 

The two firms Swiss Timing and Gem conspired with OC officials. "They then conspired with A K Reddy of AKR Constructions and raised highly inflated and bogus invoices for Rs 11 crore for temporary cabling work for justifying the huge payment received from Swiss Timing," said the chargesheet.

China, Pakistan move closer as Gilani visit ends

May 21 , 2011

China signalled its intent to deepen strategic ties with Pakistan and back the country’s counterterrorism efforts against international pressure, with the “all-weather” allies signing a number of defence agreements to mark the conclusion of Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani’s four-day visit.

Pakistani officials confirmed on Friday that China agreed to speed up the delivery of 50 JF-17 fighter jets to the country, a deal analysts said underscored the importance of Chinese assistance to Islamabad at a time when relations with Washington have come under strains, with some U.S. legislators calling for a scaling back support.

A joint statement issued on Friday said China believed that Pakistan’s “efforts for promoting peace and stability in South Asia should be recognised and supported.”

It also reiterated Chinese support to Pakistan in the wake of criticism following the May 2 killing of Osama bin Laden, repeating Beijing’s displeasure at the United States for violating Pakistan’s sovereignty by conducting the raid in Abbottabad.

China believed “Pakistan’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity should be respected,” the statement said, adding that China “recognised the tremendous efforts and the great sacrifice that Pakistan has made in fighting terrorism,”

On Friday, Chinese President Hu Jintao also voiced strong support for Pakistan’s counterterrorism strategy in talks with Mr. Gilani, pushing back against recent international criticism.

In talks earlier this week, Chinese officials told Mr. Gilani they had taken up the country’s concerns over the May 2 raid in meetings with U.S. officials, calling on them to respect Pakistan’s sovereignty.

Chinese officials said “there should be no harm to the Pakistani sovereignty and the US should understand and appreciate concerns of Pakistan,” Mr. Gilani told reporters.

While his visit has been seen as underscoring the deepening ties between the two countries, Chinese analysts downplayed its significance on the rest of the region, and particularly on the two countries’ relations with the U.S.

“The focus of this visit was the sixtieth anniversary of ties between the two countries, and to deepen economic and trade ties” and not defence or terrorism, Rong Ying, vice president of the China Institute for International Studies (CIIS), told The Hindu.

He, however, added that “China has made clear that Pakistan’s policy on counterterrorism is based on national conditions and interests.”

“This,” he said, “has to be respected by relevant countries.”

DMK’s first daughter Kanimozhi sent to jail

May 21, 2011

New Delhi A CBI court today ordered the immediate arrest of DMK Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi in the 2G spectrum scam, calling the allegations against her “very grave” and the “magnitude of the crime enormous”. She was “in conspiracy with accused A Raja as far as grant of licence and allotment of spectrum to Swan Telecom is concerned”, the court observed, dismissing her bail plea.

Along with her, Special CBI Judge O P Saini also sent Kalaignar TV Managing Director Sharad Kumar to Tihar jail, where other accused in the scam are already lodged.
“Kumar and Kanimozhi were involved in a dubious transaction to transfer Rs 200 crore as quid pro quo from DB Group companies to Kalaignar TV disguising it as a genuine business transaction,” the 144-page order said. “The role of both accused is clear from the above incriminating material... the magnitude of the crime is enormous. The allegations are very grave. The supporting evidence is also on record.”
The judge dismissed the contention that being a woman, Kanimozhi should be granted bail.
“Considering the magnitude of the crime and the allegations against her, I am unable to show any consideration to her on this ground, though I wish I could show some consideration, considering her extremely dignified conduct in the court.”
Making a note of the statement of public witness G Rajendran before the CBI, Saini said: “He states that the meeting of board of directors of Kalaignar TV held on 13.2.2009 in which Sharad Kumar was authorised to raise funds from Cineyug Limited up to Rs 200 crore was attended by Kumar and Kanimozhi.”
The CBI has charged Kanimozi with criminal conspiracy (Section 120 B of IPC) and under Sections 7 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Rejecting the defence contention that the Rajya Sabha MP did not play an active role in Kalaignar TV affairs, Judge Saini said she was “an initial director of the company and resigned only for the reason that her clearance from MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) was pending... she was also widely covered by the Kalaignar Seithigal (News) channel”.
The judge also noted that “considering that many witnesses are employees of Kalaignar TV, there is every apprehension that the witnesses may be influenced if the accused is relealsed on bail”.
The judge relied on statements of three witnesses before the CBI: Asservatham Achary, the additional private secretary of A Raja; G Rajendran, General Manager (Finance), Kalaignar TV; and P Amritham, Additional Director, Kalaignar.
Achary said Kanimozhi was an active brain behind Kalaignar TV and frequently visited the camp office of A Raja, where company work was discussed. Rajendran testified that shares subscription and shareholders’ agreement dated 19.12.2008 was executed between Cineyug Films and Kalaignar TV and its three promoters, M K Dayalu, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi and Sharad Kumar. The agreement was also signed by the trio. Amritham pointed out that Kanimozhi was Director (Kalaignar TV) from 6.6.2007 to 20.6.2007.
About Kumar, the order said: “He has signed all the agreements purportedly signed with Cineyug Films and other relevant documents, not only on behalf of the company but also on behalf of himself and other directors/shareholders of the company.”
Rejecting the defence argument that since the duo were produced following summons they could not be taken into custody, the order said: “When an accused appears in court in response to summons issued by it, he surrenders himself to the custody of the court.”
“By way of abundant caution,” Saini also added that his observations were “tentative” and did not “tantamount to expression of opinion on the merit of the case”.

Mega satellite GSAT-8 successfully put into transfer orbit

May 21, 2011

Country's mega geo-stationary satellite GSAT-8 was successfully deployed in an elliptical geo-synchronous transfer orbit on early Saturday by the Ariane-VA-202 rocket, an official of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said. "The 3.1-tonne satellite was injected in the GTO 31 minutes afte The space agency's master control facility (MCF) at Hasan, about 180 km from Bangalore, started receiving the signals from GSAT-8 within minutes after it entered the geo-synchronous transfer orbit (GTO). The MCF also took command and control of the heavy satellite.The satellite will be gradually put into the 36,000-km geosynchronous orbit over the next couple of days and its antenna and solar panels will be deployed."The MCF will test and monitor the health parameters of the payloads by June 1. It will be available for DTH services from July 1," ISRO director S Satish said.Along with GSAT-8, the space agency sent the global position system (GPS) aided geo augmented navigation (Gagan) as an additional payload to improve the accuracy of the US' GPS. 

20May 2011

20May 2011

20May 2011

18May 2011

18May 2011

ULFA keen on talks: Chidambaram

 Agartala: Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Tuesday said ULFA leaders had expressed their willingness to resume peace talks.

“ULFA leaders met Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and expressed willingness to resume peace talks. We advised them to prepare a document on the basis of which talks would start soon to reach an honourable solution to the problem,” the Minister said. “We will start talks with [Arabinda] Rajkhowa and his friends. Paresh Barua should come back to India for the talks.”

 

Governor invites Mamata to form government

KOLKATA: Governor M. K. Narayanan has issued an order appointing Mamata Banerjee as Chief Minister of West Bengal.

This is “in exercise of the power conferred on him [the Governor] by Article 164 (1) of the Constitution of India,” said a statement issued by the Governor's secretariat at Raj Bhavan here on Tuesday.

Ms. Banerjee, along with other members of her Ministry, will be sworn in by the Governor on Friday. The ceremony will commence at 1.01 p.m.

Mr. Narayanan had invited Trinamool Congress chief Ms. Banerjee, to form a new government in the State in a letter on Monday, a day after the Trinamool Congress leadership had formally staked its claim to do so, submitting a list of 184 newly-elected MLAs of the party.

Ms. Banerjee had been unanimously elected leader of the Trinamool Congress Legislature Party on Sunday. She had announced then that her Ministry would be, for now, “small” in size.

The Congress with which the Trinamool Congress had forged an electoral alliance has already submitted a letter of support to the government to be headed by Ms. Banerjee.

Though Ms. Banerjee, who had called on Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Monday, has invited the Congress to be part of her new government, a final word on the matter is awaited.

She had also invited both Ms. Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the swearing-in ceremony. But neither of the two leaders is likely to attend because of commitments.

Mamata meets Somnath

Ms. Banerjee called on the former Lok Sabha Speaker, Somnath Chatterjee, at his residence here late on Tuesday evening.

Arrangements have begun in earnest within the Raj Bhavan compounds in preparations for the swearing-in ceremony to which nearly 3,200 persons from various walks of life have been invited.

Last function as Railway Minister

Staff Reporter writes:

In what was her last function as Union Railway Minister, Ms. Banerjee on Tuesday thanked every member of the “railway family” for the “support and cooperation” extended to her in the last two years, and promised her successor all possible help for the all-round development of the Railways.

With Ms. Banerjee all set to become the next Chief Minister, the cabinet berth for Railways will most probably be handed over to a Trinamool Congress nominee. Party MP and Minister of State for Shipping Mukul Roy is being touted as the frontrunner.

Pointing out that both the State government and the Railways Ministry will henceforth be overseen by the Trinamool, Ms. Banerjee said both would “make giant strides towards development simultaneously.”

“The Railways and the West Bengal government are now linked to each other and will remarkable progress by working together. I will extend a helping hand to my colleague and successor for the development of the Railways alongside running the State government,” she said amid applause from the audience at the Howrah station, where she flagged off seven trains and laid the foundation for a host of projects.

Claiming that ‘Vision 2020' she prepared for the Railways was enough to keep it on the development track for the next 20 years, Ms. Banerjee said her successor would work on the same lines.

India and Uzbekistan to firm up communication, security links

NEW DELHI: Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov arrived here to hold talks on strengthening security, communication and energy links.

This would be the first high level India-Uzbekistan interaction after the killing of Osama bin Laden, whose ideology had caused violence and mayhem in several Central Asian countries, particularly Uzbekistan, which is contiguous to Afghanistan.

The convergence of views on Afghanistan, Uzbekistan's efforts to enhance ties with South Asia, particularly India and Pakistan, and its bid to diversify customers for gas and oil will occupy centre stage during talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mr. Karimov, who is on his fourth visit to India.

Afghanistan situation

The views of Uzbekistan and India converge on regional security especially with respect to the situation in Afghanistan. Tashkent agrees with New Delhi's reasoning of winnowing the bad Taliban from the good and then going in for reconciliation with sections that have repudiated the al-Qaeda ideology of militancy and violence to usher a universal Islamic caliphate.

At the receiving end of an al-Qaeda inspired militancy, Uzbekistan has cracked down ruthlessly and nearly decimated the feared Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan especially after the Andijan stand-off with its security forces in 2005.

In opening up communication links, India will be especially interested in two proposed routes that would bypass Pakistan and the restive southern Afghanistan while giving it access to Central Asia. Both originate from Tashkent, pass through Termez in Uzbekistan and Mazar-e-Sharief in Afghanistan. They then branch off from the western Afghan city of Herat.

The proposed western spur goes to Delaram, follows the India-built road till the Iran border and, if the missing links are put in place, connects to the Iranian port of Chabar. The second alternative would pass through Iran's Sangan and Kerman cities before ending at the Banda Abbas port.

In both cases, India will have to ship its goods to the Iranian ports and then transport them by land into Afghanistan and Central Asian countries that lie in the north and the east.

Currently, part of the route in Uzbekistan is used by the NATO to send supplies to its forces in Afghanistan.

Another promising area of cooperation is energy. National companies have reached an understanding over sourcing underground coal gasification technology from Uzbekistan and are likely to sign a pact over identifying blocks for exploration, said senior Ministry of External Affairs official Ajay Bisaria.

The Gas Authority of India Limited is engaged in talks with Uzbekneftgas for scouting for gas in Karakal-Pakistan region.

 

18May 2011

Maoists kill 5 CRPF men in Chhattisgarh

At least five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in an ambush by the Maoists in the rebel-dominated Dantewada area of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday night.

Initial reports said the CRPF men were in a vehicle which was blown up by a landmine planted by the Maoists.

Details of the incident that occurred near Sukma are awaited.

Last year there were some major attacks on men in uniform in the region by the Maoists.

On May 17 of 2010, a landmine blast had killed more than 40 people, including civilians and Special Police Officials (SPOs).

The attack had occurred just a month after Dantewada witnessed the killing of 76 CRPF men in April that year.

Recall Bhardwaj, demands BJP

New Delhi: The battle between Karnataka Governor H.R. Bhardwaj and the BJP government, led by Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, has reached the flashpoint, with BJP president Nitin Gadkari parading the BJP MLAs before President Pratibha Patil at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here on Tuesday. They requested her not to impose President's rule in the State.

The leaders wanted the “immediate recall” of Mr. Bhardwaj claiming that he was functioning against the spirit of the Constitution.

The delegation, which included the Chief Minsiter and 114 MLAs of the BJP (some were absent with prior permission), also consisted of party seniors Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, MPs and MLCs.

Later, Mr. Gadkari told journalists that Ms. Patil was informed by the delegation that Mr. Bhardwaj's decision recommending President's rule was "undemocratic and unconstitutional and President's rule should not be imposed on the State. We sought protection from the President [against invoking Article 356 of the Constitution] and asked her not to take any action on the recommendation of the Governor."

He said the BJP government had the support of 122 MLAs, including Mr. Yeddyurappa and the Speaker. Since the President is the guardian of the Constitution, the BJP wanted to take the issue to her.

Mr. Gadkari said he apprised the President of the Governor's actions and how he had recommended President's rule despite Mr. Yeddyurappa enjoying the majority. "Since he has time and again acted against the Constitution he should be called back. We told the President that she should exercise her powers to recall the Governor."

A memorandum presented by the BJP to the President claimed that the "dignity and prestige of the office of Governor in Karnataka has suffered a great deal."

Earlier in the day, addressing the MLAs, Mr. Gadkari praised Mr. Yeddyurappa and said the party would emerge “101 per cent” victorious in the battle with Mr. Bhardwaj. "We are a majority government, a popular government ...We will definitely win as we are going through the democratic process," he said.

 

Free rice distribution scheme from June 1

CHENNAI: The scheme of free distribution of 20 kg rice to beneficiaries under the public distribution system (PDS) will come into force on June 1.

At present, rice is given at Re. 1 a kg to those who are entitled to receive the commodity. As per the existing norms, rice of four kg per adult and two kg per child is supplied subject to a minimum of 12 kg and a maximum of 20 kg per month per card except in the Nilgiris where the minimum will be 16 kg and the maximum 24 kg.

According to a government order issued on Tuesday, the existing norms will continue.

In the case of Antodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) beneficiaries, rice of 35 kg will be given free.

The government order follows the announcement of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Monday on her first visit to the Secretariat. Her party, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, had made an electoral promise regarding the provision of rice free.

Sources say that the latest decision of the government will cover 18.62 lakh AAY beneficiaries and 1.83 crore card holders who are entitled to rice. This will result in an increase of the food subsidy by Rs.500 crore.

As for the Chief Minister's another announcement on the marriage assistance schemes, an official explains that under the scheme for educated poor women, prospective beneficiaries belonging to tribal communities should have passed fifth standard, and 10th standard in respect of other communities. Apart from Rs. 25,000, four gram gold for making sacred thread would be given. In respect of the scheme for graduate women or diploma holders, the assistance of Rs. 50,000 and four gram gold would be given. The limit on parental annual income for the two schemes is Rs. 24,000.

Approximately, 1.7 lakh women are expected to be covered under the two schemes. This would cost about Rs.290 crore additionally to the exchequer.

The government has issued another order, increasing the duration of maternity leave to married women government servants from 90 days to 180 days, which may be spread over from the pre-confinement rest to post-confinement recuperation at the option of the servant.

 

Indian trio not sure for SLPL

Colombo: As many as 12 Indian cricketers, including the likes of Munaf Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin, are expected to feature in the first edition of the Sri Lankan Premier League (SLPL), scheduled to commence from July 19.

However, among the Indian players on the SLPL radar, the inclusion of Patel, Ashwin and Praveen Kumar, who were recently selected for the West Indies tour, comes as a surprise as the trio is likely to be on national duty during that period.

India are scheduled to visit England during the month of July for a four-match Test series, followed by a one-day series and a one-off Twenty20 match.

According to a report in a Sri Lankan website, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has secured the services of several prominent overseas cricketers, including Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard.

Apart from Gayle, SLPL is also expected to feature Daniel Vettori.

The other Indian players who figure in the list posted by the website include Dinesh Karthik, Irfan Pathan, Manish Pandey, Manoj Tiwary, Paul Valthaty, Ravindra Jadeja, Saurabh Tiwary, Umesh Yadav and R. Vinay Kumar.

A ‘special’ win for WI

Calcutta: Sunday’s win in the first Test was special for the members of the West Indies team, but especially “sweet” for some of the younger players who were tasting victory in a Test the first time.

It was the first ever Test match for leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo and he celebrated the 40-run win over Pakistan with his mother.

“This is a feeling I can’t explain. I can’t find the words to describe how I feel right now. Before today, the West Indies had not won a Test match for over two years, and to come in my first match, in front my home crowd, with mum in the stands watching, is truly special,” the 25-year-old said.

“This is a great start to my career. I could not have asked for better. From here I have to kick on and continue to get better and do better for West Indies cricket,” Bishoo added.

Bishoo played well in the match and was a candidate for the Man-of-the-Match award. He took four wickets in the first innings and also batted resolutely on a difficult pitch. The award eventually went to skipper Darren Sammy, who took seven wickets for 45 runs from 29 overs in the match. He said the secret to his own success with the ball was straightforward.

“It was to bowl straight and I think we stuck to that throughout the test match and hence we came out victorious. I have immense self- belief to go out there and do well. Today, I showed that once you believe you can achiev,” said Sammy.

The 27-year-old skipper, in his fourth test as captain, was thrilled about claiming his first victory. “It’s a good feeling. I have to commend the effort from the boys, every single person that batted on that hard wicket, from the partnership of Bishoo and Shiv (Chanderpaul) right down at the end… It was a team effort to come out on the winning side of things,” he said.

Fast bowler Ravi Rampaul was superb throughout the match and ended with seven wickets. “I want to thank all the members of the team for believing in me.

“For a while in my career I was the water boy and things weren’t happening for me… But this result goes to show what can happen when you have faith in yourself. Every ball I bowled out there I received support from everyone on the field.”

Chargers switch off the Warriors’ hopes

Mumbai: It wasn’t supposed to be a super match with instant rewards. But whatever little it had to offer, was solely meant for the Pune Warriors, not the Deccan Chargers.

A win would still have kept the complicated mathematics, of the Warriors making it to the play-offs, alive. And for a certain Sourav Ganguly, it was a chance to sharpen his blade before the evergreen warrior’s battle against the Knights, on Thursday.

But as often in life, the googly of events castled the expectations. The Warriors lost and Sourav fell for a duck.

For the Chargers, pride, and not two points, were at stake as their name had already been struck off from the race to the play-offs. They had humbled the formidable Mumbai Indians in their last match. And they can rightly be called the party poopers after their six-wicket victory on Monday wiped out whatever little hope the Warriors had.

The target — 137 — was never an imposing one. With some handsome contributions from the Chargers batsmen, the Warriors ended up being no match for the visitors.

In a way, it was also a revenge well taken for the Hyderabad side as they had lost the first leg clash. Interestingly, the target in that match, too, was 137, but it were the Warriors who had crossed the finishing line last time.

The opening wicket stand of 67 between Sunny Sohal (34) and Shikhar Dhawan (28) paved the way for Sangakkara (25), JP Duminy (23), Daniel Christian (14 not out) and Bharat Chipli (5 not out) to complete the steps to victory.

The Warriors’ bowlers never managed to extract proper bite from the wicket and thus their resistance, in short, was toothless.

Earlier, the Warriors looked a limping side after Sangakkara ‘tossed’ them to bat first on a pitch which had life in it for the bowlers.

It wasn’t really a superlative show from the Chargers’ bowlers, but the right balls came out of their hand at the right time. The Warriors’ batsmen, too, were jittery in their shot selection, either overdoing it or being terribly short of the required effort.

Jesse Ryder, however, was looking to defuse the Chargers with some lusty hitting. Sangakkara opted to start the bowling, and weirdly too, with Duminy. The part-timer didn’t appear at ease with this responsibility and Ryder (18) launched him out of the ground with the fifth ball of the day.

Dale Steyn wasn’t as good as his reputation, but somehow he managed to strike the first blow for Chargers when Ryder’s ill-timed drive was lapped up brilliantly by D. Ravi Teja at covers.

In came Sourav. After making a solid ‘debut’ for the Warriors, expectations were ripe. But it wasn’t Dada’s day. After a couple of tentative pushes and a swing-and-miss attempt, all that the former Knight managed was a half-hearted lob, off Christian. Pragyan Ojha accepted the chance at covers as the ‘home’ team slumped to 35/2.

With Robin Uthappa and Yuvraj still in the bank, a turnaround for the Warriors wasn’t really stuff of fiction.

All it needed was some sensible investment of time and shots on a tricky pitch. But then, when you have decided harakiri would be your plan of action for the day, expecting sanity is like fanning a volcano.

Manish Pandey (23), Ryder’s opening partner, decided to be a superman using ferocious power to punish the ball. But lack of judgement for the good and bad balls brought his downfall as his attempted backfoot cut off Ojha crashed onto his stumps.

Uthappa (4) played a coach as he gave Amit Mishra some catching practice off his own bowling. Mishra struck again with his very next ball, a googly, as a hapless Mithun Manhas (0) was castled searching for the ball at the wrong place.

It was actually a splendid over from the Man of the Match leg-spinner — two wickets conceding zero runs.

At 45 for five after eight overs, Pune were looking like a defeated band of Warriors. Chances of putting up a decent total on the board were as dead as the proverbial Dodo.

That Yuvraj’s side managed 136, losing nine wickets, from their quota of 20 overs, was commendable.

First it was the captain himself, hitting 23 off 17 balls. Then Mitchell Marsh played a useful innings of 37 off 28 balls pushing the total past 120.

Judge denies bail to Kahn in sex assault case Time in court: 26 minutes

New York, May 16: Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the leader of the IMF, was ordered today to be held without bail over allegations that he had sexually assaulted a maid in a $3,000-a-night suite at a New York hotel.

Prosecutors had asked the judge, Melissa Jackson, supervising judge of Manhattan Criminal Court, to remand Strauss-Kahn, 62, contending that he was a flight risk.

They also highlighted the serious nature of the allegations.

“The defendant restrained a hotel employee inside his room,” said John McConnell, an assistant district attorney. “He sexually assaulted her and attempted to forcibly rape her,” and when that failed, he forced her to perform oral sex.

Benjamin Brafman, one of Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers, argued that “there is a very very defensible case and he should be entitled to bail”. He added that his client was not trying to flee when he was arrested on an Air France plane that was about to take off from Kennedy International Airport on Saturday.

Brafman said that Strauss-Kahn’s travel plans had been set for some time, and he indicated that there was evidence that between the time of the alleged attack and his flight, Strauss-Kahn was in the area, taking care of other business.

But Judge Jackson ruled against Strauss-Kahn, and returned him to custody.

Strauss-Kahn’s appearance in the court, which lasted only 26 minutes, capped a 43-hour odyssey through New York’s criminal system. He was arrested, held in a special cell in East Harlem, placed in a police line-up, and submitted to a forensic medical exam for possible evidence.

He even was subjected to a ritual familiar to high-profile suspects: the so-called perp walk, providing newspapers around the world with a front-page picture of Strauss-Kahn being led away from a police station in handcuffs.

He first appeared in the court at 10.49am (New York time), brought in from the back-room cells to the gasp of a rows packed tightly with reporters. Some stood up to get a glimpse of him as he sat on a bench with other defendants. Court officers quickly admonished the reporters to sit down.

But just eight minutes after he had been brought into the courtroom, Strauss-Kahn was ushered back out by a police officer wearing a short-sleeved polo shirt, signalling an even further delay in the arraignment.

Strauss-Kahn looked just as he had the day before — in a dark, full-length coat, hands cuffed behind his back and a stern gaze on his face.

The long wait for Strauss-Kahn’s arraignment unfolded as an international corps of reporters, photographers and camera crews were crowded outside the courtroom because there was not enough seating to accommodate everyone.

Yesterday afternoon, Strauss-Kahn’s accuser picked him out of a line-up in East Harlem, where he was being held at the Special Victims Unit, and new details emerged on how he came to be taken into custody.

The authorities said they had moved to obtain a court order granting them a search warrant to examine Strauss-Kahn for signs of injury that he might have suffered during a struggle or for traces of his accuser’s DNA.

“Things like getting things from under the fingernails,” a law enforcement official explained, “the classic things you get in association with a sex assault.”

Irish bomb threat in London

London, May 16 (Reuters): Irish militants opposed to the peace process with Britain warned of a bomb in central London today on the eve of Queen Elizabeth’s historic visit to Ireland, security sources said.

“A bomb threat ... has been received relating to central London today. The threat is not specific in relation to location or time,” London police said in a statement.

A security source said the caller had used a codeword known to the police, lending credibility to the threat.

The warning came on the eve of the first visit to Ireland by a British monarch in a century and a week before President Barack Obama makes a state visit to London. Police said earlier that a security alert had led to the closure of the Mall, a broad avenue leading to Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth’s residence.

Saudi diplomat shot dead in Karachi

Karachi, May 16 (AP): Gunmen on a motorbike shot and killed a Saudi diplomat as he was driving in Pakistan’s largest city today, just days after two hand grenades were tossed at the Arab state’s consulate building, police in Karachi said.

The police believe the primary motive was sectarian tension between Islam’s Sunni and Shia branches. But the attack also follows the killing of Saudi-born Osama bin Laden in an American raid on May 2.

Al Qaida is a fierce opponent of the Saudi regime and has sworn revenge for the death of Osama. But no one immediately claimed responsibility for the diplomat’s slaying.

A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, the country’s most high profile militant group, called the Associated Press to say it did not kill the diplomat.

The spokesman, Ahsanullah Ahsan, added: “Although we believe Saudi Arabia is an even bigger slave to America than Pakistan, we are not involved in today’s killing.”

Tariq Dharejo, a police investigator in Karachi, said officers believe the shooting was motivated by anger over Saudi Arabia’s decision to send troops to Bahrain to quell protests by Shias, who comprise 70 per cent of the population there but are excluded from key positions in the Sunni-dominated government. Saudi Arabia is almost entirely Sunni.

Sunni-Shia tensions trace back to a seventh century dispute over the true heir to Prophet Mohammad.

Today’s attack took place not far from the consulate building. The diplomat — who was driving a silver Toyota Corona and was alone — appeared to be on his way to work, said police officer Zameer Husain Abbasi. He said a 9 mm pistol was used in the assault.

The victim, identified as Hasan Khattani, was a member of the security staff at the consulate, said Iqbal Mehmood, Karachi’s deputy inspector of police. He said the shooting was carried out by two men on a motorbike and appeared to be linked to last week's grenade attack on the mission, which caused some damage but no injuries.

The Saudi foreign ministry condemned the diplomat's killing and said in a statement issued today that Saudi Arabia has asked Pakistani authorities to increase security measures around the Saudi embassy and consulate in Pakistan. Prince Saudi al-Faisal, the statement said, gave condolences to the family.

Tea bodies demand 2 berths in new Cabinet

DIBRUGARH, May 16 – Assam Tea Tribes’ Students’ Association (ATTSA), All Adivasi Students’ Association of Assam (AASAA), All Assam Mundari Sahitya Sabha (MSS) and Adivasi Sahitya Sabha (ASS) have called upon the high command of the Indian National Congress (INC) to induct Etuwa Munda into the new Assam government.
ATTSA general secretary Poban Bedia said that the Congress high command should consider the fact that Munda defeated AGP candidate Anup Phukan with a margin of over 15,000 votes to regain the Tingkhong LAC seat. Munda is dynamic and is also a senior Congress leader among the energetic MLAs from the tea garden communities.

AASAA publicity secretary, Jiten Lakra said that there are various ethnic communities working in tea gardens membership around 80 lakhs in population and they should have at least two of their elected members in the new ministry of the State government. AASAA, which has also put forward the name of Munda, did not name the second elected member.

Adivasi Sahitya Sabha president Wilfred Topno has also demanded that the name of Etuwa Munda be preferred while selecting names for the ministry from among the MLAs belonging to tea and ex tea garden tribes. Topno said that Munda has previous experience of being the PWD Minister for State and so should be eligible to get a ministerial berth.

Etuwa represents various communities of the tea gardens in Assam, he said.

Adivasi Sahitya Sabha is also of the opinion that the new State government should have at least two MLAs from the tea and ex tea garden communities as ministers. Joshua Barjo, president of the All Assam Mundari Sahitya Sabha (MSS) too in a statement requested Tarun Gogoi and the leaders of the Indian Nation Congress to induct dynamic leaders like Munda into the Cabinet.

Assam-Mizoram boundary dispute to be resolved’

Newmai News
AIZAWL, May 16 – Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla today expressed his optimism in solving the long pending boundary dispute with Assam in a peaceful way.
Sending out a congratulatory message to Tarun Gogoi and the Congress party in Assam for the thumping victory in the recent Assembly erlections, the Mizoram Chief Minister said the issue of boundary dispute will be resolved in the negotiating table. “I have full confidence that the boundary issue with Assam will be resolved soon with the forming of a new Ministry in Assam. Negotiation is necessary for this purpose for which a Commission will be set up very soon,” said Lal Thanhawla.

The boundary dispute with Assam had become complicated after the Mizoram Peace Accord was signed in 1986. Mizoram accuses Assam of encroaching its land near Bairabi railway station in Kolasib district bordering Assam.

Mizoram students bodies such as Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) and MSU have raised their voices demanding that the inter-State boundary between Mizoram and Assam be demarcated in accordance with the notification issued in 1875 under Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act, 1873. MZP also urged the State Government to deploy more police personnel to effectively guard the border.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister had attended Rongali Bihu which was celebrated with traditional gaeity and enthusiasm in Aizawl on Saturday last, official sources revealed.

Speaking on the occasion, the Mizoram Chief Minister said that of all the festivals that he had seen in the country, Bihu is one of the best and hilarious festivals endowed with amazing joy and flavour.

He said that Assam is the ‘mother’ of almost all the States of the NE. “We, therefore, all have a deep sense of belonging in one way or the other. We hope Assam and its poeple also share this sentiment”, the Mizoram Chief Minister added.

Chidambaram on visit to Tripura, Mizoram

Spl Correspondent
NEW DELHI, May 16 – Union Home Minister P Chidambaram will unveil the foundation stone for the construction of an Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Agartala tomorrow. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and other dignitaries are attending the function.
The ICPs are envisaged to overcome the infrastructural bottlenecks at the various entry and exit points on the land borders of the country. They are expected to provide facilities for the effective and efficient discharge of functions such as security, immigration, customs and quarantine, while also providing support facilities for smooth cross-border movement of persons, goods and transport.

Setting up of ICPs along India’s internal border is a major initiative, with an initial outlay of Rs 635 crore during the 11th Five Year Plan. The estimated cost of Agartala ICP Project is Rs 73.50 crore. Rs 42.17 crore has been approved for the civil construction of the ICP. The schedule for the completion of the project is around 14 months. The project is likely to be completed by July, 2012.

The Department of Border Management has finalised the Detailed Project Reports for all the 13 ICPs to be initially set up on the borders between India and Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Myanmar.

Official sources said Government of Bangladesh has also been apprised to create similar infrastructure and facilities to bring about proper synergy.

Agartala Correspondent adds: Chidambarm is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the ICP at Akhaura, near Indo-Bangla border. Industries Minister Jitendra Chowdhury will also be present in the programme.

After laying the foundation stone of the ICP, Chidambaram will go to the Raj Bhavan where he will have a meeting with Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and DGP.

Besides reviewing the overall law and order situation, progress of erection of barbed wire fencing, problems related to fence victims and repatriation of Reang refugee will come up for discussion in the meeting.

Though 3341 Reang refugees sheltered in North Tripura’s Kanchanpur subdivision have returned to their home – Mizoram since November last year, the State Government wants Mizoram Government to take back all the refugees who are still living in six refugee camps.

Chidambaram will leave Agartala for Aizwal on May 18. Sources said, the Union Minister will hold a meeting with Mizoram Chief Minister to oversee the resettlement of repatriated Reang refugees.

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UP police raped women: Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Upping the ante on the issue of land acquisition in Uttar Pradesh, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Monday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and discussed the land acquisition issue in Bhatta Parsaul village in Uttar Pradesh.

Gandhi also facilitated a meeting of a delegation of farmers from Bhatta Parsaul with the Prime Minister.

“The Prime Minister gave a patient hearing to the farmers’ woes and assured all help from the centre,” the senior Congress leader said while talking to reporters outside 7, Race Course Road here right after the meeting with the Prime Minister.

Gandhi said it was during his short stay at Bhatta Parsaul, the villagers requested him to facilitate a meeting with the Prime Minister.

Taking on the Uttar Pradesh government head on, the Congress general secretary accused the Mayawati government of atrocities against the villagers.

“Poor people are being brutalised. Women are being raped and houses are being destroyed. I am quite concerned about the situation and it is still pretty bad,” he said.

Gandhi alleged that huge heaps of ash of burnt bodies have been found in the villages where farmers were agitating for better compensation for their land acquired by Maaywati government.

Gandhi also showed the Prime Minister pictures purportedly of bodies burnt and other forms of violence against farmers and their family members.

"The issue here is a more fundamental one with regard to these villages in particular and a large number of villages in UP all down the Agra highway, where state repression is being used, where people are being murdered,” he saidThis was his first comment after his arrest at Bhatta Parsaul.

Congress demanded a judicial probe into the charges of rape of women and murder of farmers.

"What we are asking for is a judicial inquiry...if there are grave allegations made, if there are charges where photographs have been produced, I don't understand what problem the UP government can possibly face in ordering a judicial inquiry", Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said.

BSP dubbed Rahul's meeting the Prime Minister Minsiter with the farmers of Bhatta Parsaul near Greater Noida as another instance of Congress' "indulging in petty politics" and dismissed as "baseless" the allegation that a large number of lives were lost and women raped in Bhatta Parasul near

BSP leader Syed Kazim Ali Khan "it is yet to be determined if the photographs are genuine. “What is the authenticity of the photographs, who these people are. Are they actually from the village? Are they from the state? Did they disappear? Were they murdered or did they die of natural causes? All this has to be determined," he asked.

The Uttar Pradesh government arrested Gandhi in Bhatta Parsaul village on May 11 under Section 151.

Four people, including two policemen, were killed on May 07 when villagers clashed with policemen for greater compensation for their lands acquired by the Uttar Pradesh government for development projects.

With Uttar Pradesh election a year ahead, Rahul Gandhi is trying to consolidate Congress by raising the grass root issue.
This was his first comment after his arrest at Bhatta Parsaul.

Congress demanded a judicial probe into the charges of rape of women and murder of farmers.

"What we are asking for is a judicial inquiry...if there are grave allegations made, if there are charges where photographs have been produced, I don't understand what problem the UP government can possibly face in ordering a judicial inquiry", Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said.

BSP dubbed Rahul's meeting the Prime Minister Minsiter with the farmers of Bhatta Parsaul near Greater Noida as another instance of Congress' "indulging in petty politics" and dismissed as "baseless" the allegation that a large number of lives were lost and women raped in Bhatta Parasul near

BSP leader Syed Kazim Ali Khan "it is yet to be determined if the photographs are genuine. “What is the authenticity of the photographs, who these people are. Are they actually from the village? Are they from the state? Did they disappear? Were they murdered or did they die of natural causes? All this has to be determined," he asked.

The Uttar Pradesh government arrested Gandhi in Bhatta Parsaul village on May 11 under Section 151.

Four people, including two policemen, were killed on May 07 when villagers clashed with policemen for greater compensation for their lands acquired by the Uttar Pradesh government for development projects.

With Uttar Pradesh election a year ahead, Rahul Gandhi is trying to consolidate Congress by raising the grass root issue.
This was his first comment after his arrest at Bhatta Parsaul.

Congress demanded a judicial probe into the charges of rape of women and murder of farmers.

"What we are asking for is a judicial inquiry...if there are grave allegations made, if there are charges where photographs have been produced, I don't understand what problem the UP government can possibly face in ordering a judicial inquiry", Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said.

BSP dubbed Rahul's meeting the Prime Minister Minsiter with the farmers of Bhatta Parsaul near Greater Noida as another instance of Congress' "indulging in petty politics" and dismissed as "baseless" the allegation that a large number of lives were lost and women raped in Bhatta Parasul near

BSP leader Syed Kazim Ali Khan "it is yet to be determined if the photographs are genuine. “What is the authenticity of the photographs, who these people are. Are they actually from the village? Are they from the state? Did they disappear? Were they murdered or did they die of natural causes? All this has to be determined," he asked.

The Uttar Pradesh government arrested Gandhi in Bhatta Parsaul village on May 11 under Section 151.

Four people, including two policemen, were killed on May 07 when villagers clashed with policemen for greater compensation for their lands acquired by the Uttar Pradesh government for development projects.

With Uttar Pradesh election a year ahead, Rahul Gandhi is trying to consolidate Congress by raising the grass root issue.